Chapter: Admonition and Moderation in Giving It

Allah the Exalted says: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation” (16:125).

699 – Abū Wāʾil, Shuqayq ibn Salamah, reported: Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) used to remind us once every Thursday. A man said to him, “Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, I would love it if you would admonish us every day.” He replied, “What keeps me from doing so is that I dislike boring you. I attend to you with admonition just as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ attended to us, fearing that we might become weary.” Agreed upon.

yatakhawwalunā: he would attend to us.

[Explanation]

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—said: (Chapter: Admonition and Moderation in Giving It) so that people are not subjected to tedium and fatigue through what is preached to them. Admonition means mentioning the rulings of the Sacred Law together with encouragement or warning, as when one says to a person, for example, “Such-and-such is obligatory upon you, so fear Allah and fulfill what He has made incumbent upon you,” and the like.