179 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ met a caravan at al-Rawḥāʾ. He asked, “Who are you people?” They replied, “We are Muslims.” They then asked, “And who are you?” He said, “The Messenger of Allah.” A woman thereupon lifted up a small child and asked, “Can this one perform ḥajj?” He answered, “Yes—and you will have a reward.” Muslim collected this report.

Explanation
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—quotes Ibn ʿAbbās as saying that the Prophet ﷺ encountered a group of travelers at al-Rawḥāʾ, a locality between Mecca and Medina, during the Farewell Pilgrimage. He asked them, “Who are the people?” They said, “Muslims.” They, in turn, asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am the Messenger of Allah.” A woman then lifted up her child and asked, “Is there ḥajj for this one?” He answered, “Yes, and you will have a reward.”

The chief lesson for which the author cites the ḥadīth is that anyone who helps another person perform an act of obedience receives a reward. This woman will attend to her child when he enters the state of iḥrām, during ṭawāf, saʿy, the standing at ʿArafah, and every other rite. Thus he has a ḥajj and she has a reward. The ruling mirrors what was mentioned earlier: whoever equips a combatant or looks after his family is granted the combatant’s reward.

Another benefit is that a person should ask about what he does not know when the need arises. The Messenger ﷺ asked, “Who are the people?” out of concern that they might be enemies who could betray or deceive. If no need exists, however, one should refrain from such questioning.