Prophet's Guidance

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would like and prefer to begin with the right side in all matters worthy of honor. This includes the following: He would begin with the right foot in putting on his sandals, and begin with the right side in grooming, combing, and oiling his hair and beard; and in his ablution, he would start with the right side in washing his hands and feet.

1. An-Nawawi said: This is a constant rule in the Shariah: that in doing any activity worthy of honor, like wearing a garment, lower garment, and sandals, entering the mosque, using the Siwāk (tooth-stick), applying kohl, clipping the nails, trimming the mustache, combing the hair, plucking the armpit hair, shaving the head, making Taslīm in prayer, washing the parts to be washed in ablution, leaving the lavatory, eating and drinking, shaking hands, touching the Black Stone, etc., it is recommended to start with the right side. As for the opposite activities, like entering the lavatory, leaving the mosque, blowing the nose, Istinjā’ (cleaning oneself after urinating or defecating), putting off garment, pants, and sandals, and the like, it is recommended to begin with the left side. This is all due to the high status and honor of the right side.
2. "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) preferred beginning with the right side" includes beginning activities with the right hand, the right leg, and the right side, and receiving anything from the right side.
3. An-Nawawi said: Know that it is not recommended to begin with the right side in washing some parts of ablution, namely the ears, the hands, and the cheeks. Each pair of them should be purified at once. If this is not possible, like in the case of a one-armed person, he should begin with the right side.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 45) (168). صحيح مسلم (1/ 226) (268).

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) tells us what the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used his right hand for and what he used his left hand for. She says that he used his left hand for handling repulsive things, such as cleansing his private parts after defecation or urination, whether with water or with a solid substance, sniffing water into the nose, blowing it out, and the like. For everything else, he used his right hand in order to honor it, since the right side is preferred to the left side. This Hadīth is among the proofs of preferring the use of the right hand in doing honorable things. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that he used his right hand for purification, meaning that he would start with the right side in ablution or bathing by washing the right hand before the left and the right foot before the left. As to the ears, they are considered one organ included in the head, so they were wiped at the same time (the right ear with the right hand and the left ear with the left hand). If someone can only use one hand, then he starts with wiping the right ear. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also used his right hand to eat and drink. He used his left hand to cleanse himself after answering the call of nature and handling other filth such as spittle, nasal mucus, and lice. The Hadīth reported by Hafsah confirms the Hadīth of ‘Ā’ishah in recommending the use of the right hand in doing what is honored and the left hand in handling what is considered filthy and repulsive, such as performing Istinjā’ (cleaning with water) and Istijmār (cleaning with a solid substance),and the like.

رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين، أبو زكريا محيي الدين النووي، تحقيق ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428هـ، 2007م. سنن أبي داود، سليمان بن الأشعث أبوداود، المحقق: شعَيب الأرنؤوط، محَمَّد كامِل قره بلل، الناشر: دار الرسالة العالمية. صحيح أبي داود، محمد ناصر الدين الألباني، الناشر: مؤسسة غراس للنشر والتوزيع، الكويت، الطبعة: الأولى، 1423هـ، 2002م. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، محمد علي بن البكري بن علان، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة، 1425هـ. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، سليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، الطبعة: الأولى، 1415هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر،1407هـ، 1987م. شرح رياض الصالحين، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، دار الوطن، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، أحمد بن حنبل أبو عبدالله الشيباني، تحقيق: شعيب الأرنؤوط و عادل مرشد، وآخرون، تحت إشراف: عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي، مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الأولى،1421هـ، 2001م.

A group of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asking about his private acts of worship inside his home. When they were informed, it seemed as though they considered it little, so they said: Where are we in comparison to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? His past and future sins have been forgiven, unlike those who do not know if they have attained forgiveness, so they need to exaggerate in worship in the hope of attaining it. Then some of them said: I will not marry women. Others said: I will not eat meat. Some others said: I will not sleep on a bed. When this reached the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he became angry and gave a sermon to the people. He praised Allah and commended Him and said: What is the matter with people who said such-and-such? By Allah, I am the most fearful of Allah among you and the most conscious of Him, but I sleep to strengthen myself for standing in prayer, I break my fast to strengthen myself for fasting, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my way, sees perfection in something else, and follows a path other than that of mine does not belong to me.

1. The Companions' love for goodness and their desire to attain it and to follow the example of their Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
2. The tolerance and ease of this Shariah based on its Prophet's practice and guidance.
3. Goodness and blessing lie in following the example of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and adhering to his noble conditions.
4. The deterrence of overburdening oneself in worship beyond one's capacity, as this is a characteristic of the innovators in religion.
5. Ibn Hajar said: Adopting an overburdening approach in worship leads to boredom that can sever its very foundation. Moreover, sticking only to obligatory acts, for example, and neglecting voluntary acts leads to a preference for idleness and a lack of enthusiasm for worship, and moderation is the best in all affairs.
6. It indicates the importance of pursuing the conditions of great people to follow their example, and if it is difficult to know about this from men, it is permissible to know about it through women.
7. It includes admonition, presenting knowledge-related issues, clarifying rulings to those who are religiously accountable, and clearing the doubts of those who strive hard in religion.
8. The command to be lenient in worship while maintaining it along with the obligatory and voluntary acts, so that a Muslim can fulfill the rights of others upon him.
9. The Hadīth indicates the merit of marriage and encourages it.

صحيح البخاري (7/ 2) (5063). صحيح مسلم (2/ 1020) (1401). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص566). خلاصة الكلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص282).

The Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), reported that the members of the Prophet's (ﷺ) household never ate two full meals in a single day unless one of those two meals was dates.

1. The humility of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his household, for sometimes they would not find more than one meal in a day.
2. Dates were more readily available to them than other foods.
3. The virtue of asceticism and contentment with little sustenance, and that it is among the morals of the prophets and the way of the Master of the Messengers.
4. Eating twice in a single day is among the permissible and allowed matters, and it was a known custom of the Arabs. They used to eat two meals a day: a lunch meal and a dinner meal.

صحيح البخاري (8/ 97) (6455). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2282) (2971). فتح الباري لابن حجر (11/ 292).

The Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), reported that the members of the Prophet's household (ﷺ) never ate their fill of wheat bread for three consecutive days from the time they arrived in Madīnah until he (ﷺ) passed away.

1. It illustrates the modest livelihood of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his family, for the true life is the life of the Hereafter.
2. Ibn Hajar said: What appears to be the case is that the reason they were often not full was mostly due to the scarcity of food available to them, although they might sometimes have had food but preferred to give it to others over themselves.

صحيح البخاري (7/ 75) (5416). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2282) (2970). المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (7/ 129). البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (45/ 129).

The Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), reported that the bed on which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept was made of tanned leather and stuffed with palm fiber, and likewise, his pillow, which he leaned against, was the same.

1. It illustrates the asceticism and renunciation of worldly pleasures that the Prophet (ﷺ) practiced, even though Allah Almighty had empowered him to enjoy them if he had wished to do so.
2. The permissibility of using beds and pillows, and sleeping or reclining on them.
3. A Muslim should reflect on his own condition and way of living in light of the condition of his Prophet (ﷺ), for he is the best example to follow. Whoever follows in his footsteps will be rightly guided and successful in this world and the Hereafter.
4. Keenness on being prepared for the Hereafter, and for the believer to be content with what helps him obey Allah in this world, without being preoccupied with amassing its pleasures. Allah condemned a people who did so, saying: {Competition for worldly gains distracts you [from Allah], until you come to your graves.} [Surat at-Takāthur: 1-2]

صحيح البخاري (8/ 97) (6456). صحيح مسلم (3/ 1650) (2082). البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (34/ 662). إرشاد الساري لشرح صحيح البخاري (9/ 264). المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (5/ 403). النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر (971).

The Prophet (ﷺ) passed away without leaving behind a single silver dirham or gold dinar, nor a male or female slave, nor a sheep, camel, or any worldly possession—except his white mule, which he used to ride, his weapon which he used to carry, and a piece of land he had endowed during his lifetime for the wayfarer.

1. Prophets do not leave inheritance.
2. Clarifying what the Prophet (ﷺ) left after his death.
3. He (ﷺ) passed away without leaving behind anything of worldly value—a reflection of his generosity, spending, and benevolence.
4. Al-Kirmāni said: The pronoun in his statement “which he declared” refers to all three— the mule, the weapon, and the land—not to the land alone.
5. Al-khatan: the brother of one's wife, and Al-akhtān refers to the in-laws on the wife's side.

صحيح البخاري (4/ 2) (2739). النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر (254). فتح الباري لابن حجر (5/ 360). عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (14/ 31).

The Prophet (ﷺ) was asked to supplicate against those who associated partners with Allah, but he said: I was not sent by Allah as one who curses—invoking exclusion and expulsion from His mercy and cutting people off from good. I was not sent for that; rather, I was sent to be a source of goodness and mercy for all people, especially for the believers.

1. The perfection of the Prophet's (ﷺ) character.
2. The importance of keeping one's tongue pure from swearing and cursing, following the example of the Prophet (ﷺ).
3. It indicates the prohibition of cursing.
4. Encouragement to show mercy to people.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2006) (2599). المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (6/ 582). البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (40/ 683).