(19) “Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will veil his faults; whoever suppresses his rage—although he could give it vent—Allah will fill his heart with satisfaction on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever walks with his brother in order to fulfil a need for him until it is accomplished, Allah will make his feet stand firm on the day when feet will slip.” Al-Ḍaʿīfah (4647).

In the margin the publisher remarks: “The Shaykh – may Allah have mercy on him – cited a good chain that upholds the ḥadīth; see al-Ṣaḥīḥah, no. 906.” There the wording is:

“The people most beloved to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people, and the most beloved deeds to Allah are to bring happiness to a Muslim, to relieve him of a distress, to pay off his debt, or to drive away his hunger. For me to walk with a brother concerning a need is dearer to me than to observe retreat in this mosque – meaning the mosque of Madinah – for a month. Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will cover his faults; whoever suppresses his rage – though able to unleash it – Allah will fill his heart with hope on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever walks with his brother in order to fulfil a need for him until it is completed, Allah will make his feet firm on the day when feet will slip. Bad character spoils deeds just as vinegar spoils honey.” (Graded ḥasan.)

The Shaykh adds: “A chain even better than the foregoing has reached us: Ibn Abī al-Dunyā records it in Qadāʾ al-Ḥawāʾij, p. 38, no. 36; Abū Isḥāq al-Muzakkī reproduces part of it in al-Fawāʾid al-Muntakhabah; and Ibn ʿAsākir relates it through several routes, all from Bakr ibn Khunays…. I say: the chain is ḥasan, for Bakr ibn Khunays is truthful though prone to mistakes, as al-Ḥāfiẓ said. Thus the ḥadīth is established, praise be to Allah. A corroborating mursal report for the first sentence will appear in volume five, no. 2291. See also Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ 5824 and Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ 176.”

At the close of his discussion in al-Ḍaʿīfah (4647) the Shaykh writes: “The first half of the narration is proven with the wording, ‘Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will withhold His punishment from him’; refer to al-Ṣaḥīḥah 2360.” The publisher adds: “See also no. 1916 earlier in this series (al-Ḍaʿīfah).”

I (Muḥammad) note: The Shaykh cited the report in al-Ḍaʿīfah 1916 with the wording: “Whoever drives back his anger, Allah will drive His punishment away from him; whoever guards his tongue, Allah will conceal his shame; and whoever makes an excuse to his brother, Allah will accept his excuse.” In al-Ṣaḥīḥah 2360 he recorded it as: “Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will restrain His punishment from him; whoever keeps his tongue in check, Allah will conceal his faults; and whoever apologises to Allah, Allah will accept his apology.” Having set out both routes he comments (p. 477): “In my judgement the chain is ḥasan, especially when joined to the first route. Allah knows best.” See also Ḍaʿīf al-Targhīb 1073 and al-Mishkāt 5121. Allah knows best.

(20) Ubayy ibn Kaʿb – may Allah be pleased with him – related that the Prophet ﷺ “would drop down onto his knees and would not lean.” Daʿīf Mawārid (45/497).

The Shaykh – may Allah have mercy on him – says: “Munkar with the wording ‘drop down’ (yakhar).” Al-Ḍaʿīfah (929).

In a footnote he observes: “So it appears. In my edition of al-Iḥsān the wording is ‘yufaḥfiḍ’, while Abū Shaykh, in Akhlāq al-Nabī ﷺ, p. 164, records it as ‘yajthu’, and that is probably correct, for Ibn Ḥibbān cites it under the heading, ‘It is recommended for a man to show humility in the way he sits…’. Plainly the verb was corrupted in al-Haythamī’s copy to ‘yakhar’; hence he placed it in the section on Prayer, and I followed him when I first graded the report in al-Ḍaʿīfah – noting its conflict with sound Sunnah concerning one’s descent into prostration. It later became clear that the narration has nothing to do with prayer but with the Prophet’s manner of sitting to eat. Accordingly I shall insert it among the authentic narrations in (32 – Etiquette / 14 – Chapter), for it possesses corroborating chains that convey that meaning.”

I have not located the ḥadīth in the Ṣaḥīḥ under the number the Shaykh cited in the Book of Etiquette.

(21) Ibn Masʿūd – may Allah be pleased with him – reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Satan has a touch (lammah) with the child of Adam, and the angel has a touch as well. The touch of Satan promises evil and calls the truth a lie, while the touch of the angel promises good and confirms the truth. Whoever experiences the latter should know that it is from Allah and thank Allah; whoever experiences the former should seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan.” He then recited, “Satan threatens you with poverty and commands you to indecency…” (al-Baqarah 2:268).

Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: “This ḥadīth is ḥasan gharib” (2988). See also Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ 1963, al-Mishkāt 74, Hidāyat al-Ruwāt 70, al-Naṣīḥah 34, and Ṣaḥīḥ Mawārid al-Ẓamʾān 38. This is a ḥadīth the Shaykh first declared weak, then later authenticated.

(22) Ibn ʿUmar – may Allah be pleased with them both – narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever wears a garment of ostentation (thawb shuhrah) in this world, Allah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection.” Reported by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah. The Shaykh authenticated it in Ghāyat al-Marām, no. 91, then later graded it ḥasan in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb (Maʿārif), 2089; Hidāyat al-Ruwāt 4273; and Jilbāb al-Marʾah al-Muslimah (Sharʿiyyah ed.), p. 213. See also Abū Dāwūd 4029 and Ibn Mājah 3606.

(23) A companion narration is linked to the previous one; the Shaykh ruled it weak in al-Ḍaʿīfah, although in his book Jilbāb al-Marʾah he had tentatively inclined to the view that it is “ḥasan through corroboration.” The text reads: “Whoever wears a garment of notoriety, Allah will turn away from him until he removes it, whenever he chooses to remove it.” Ibn Mājah 3608; al-Ḍaʿīfah 4650; Ḍaʿīf al-Targhīb 1277.