He said: I asked him about acts of kindness, and he said: ... then related the hadith, adding:

“Even if you remove from people’s path something that harms them ... Even if you meet your brother and greet him ... And if a man insults you concerning something he knows to be in you, while you know the like of it to be in him, do not insult him; its reward will be yours and its sin will be upon him. Whatever pleases your ear to hear, act upon it; and whatever displeases your ear to hear, avoid it.”

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission; all its narrators are trustworthy narrators found in the Sahih collections. Al-Nasa’i also recorded it through other narrations and chains, some of which add to the text of the hadith. I had previously traced some of them earlier in this series (1109 and 1352), through Abu Jurayy al-Hujaymi—who was the man involved in this incident—and others, from Abu Tamimah al-Hujaymi. Some add to others, but they do not contain the passages concerning the rope, the distressed person, and the sandal strap.

His statement, “a rope extension,” means that which is joined to a rope.

And his statement, “the distressed person,” means one who is troubled, derived from estrangement, the opposite of companionship. *

3423—(Three qualities: whoever possesses them will find the sweetness and taste of faith:

That Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else;

that he loves for Allah’s sake and hates for Allah’s sake;

and that a great fire should be kindled and he be cast into it is dearer to him than associating anything with Allah.)

Al-Nasa’i recorded it in his Sunan (2/263–264) through Jarir, from Mansur, from Talq ibn Habib, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ... then mentioned it.