Sahih Muslim (Volume 2). Imam Abul-Husain Muslim

قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَتَاكُمْ أَهْلُ الْيَمَنِ: هُمْ أَلْيَنُ قُلُوبًا وَأَرَقُّ أَفْئِدَةً. الإِيمَانُ يَمَانٍ وَالْحِكْمَةُ يَمَانِيَةٌ. رَأْسُ الْكُفْرِ قِبَلَ الْـمَشْرِقِ».

      [94–000]. (Dar al-Salam 0093) Qutaybah ibn Sa[id and Zuhayr ibn Harb narrated: Jarir narrated; from al-A[mash stating this chain of transmission but did not mention: ‘The head of disbelief is towards the east’.

      وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ: «رَأْسُ الْكُفْرِ قِبَلَ الْـمَشْرِقِ».

      [95–91]. (Dar al-Salam 0094) Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated: Ibn Abi [Adi narrated [H]. Also Bishr ibn Khalid narrated to me; Muhammad (meaning Ibn Ja[far) narrated: both of them said: Shu[bah narrated; from al-A[mash, stating this chain of transmission, the same as Jarir’s hadith but added: ‘Pride and arrogance are among the camel herders while serenity is among the sheep breeders’.

      وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، ح. وَحَدَّثَنِي بِشْرُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ – قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ، مِثْلَ حَدِيثِ جَرِيرٍ. وَزَادَ «وَالْفَخْرُ وَالْخُيَلاَءُ فِي أَصْحَابِ الإِبِلِ، وَالسَّكِينَةُ وَالْوَقَارُ فِي أَصْحَابِ الشَّاءِ».

      [96–92]. (Dar al-Salam 0095) Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated: [Abdullah ibn al-Harith al-Makhzumi reported; from Ibn Jurayj: Abu al-Zubayr reported to me that he heard Jabir ibn [Abdullah say: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Hard-heartedness and aloofness are in the east while faith is among the people of Hijaz”.’³

      وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ الْـمَخْزُومِيُّ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللهِ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «غِلَظُ الْقُلُوبِ وَالْجَفَاءُ فِي الْـمَشْرِقِ، وَالإِيمَانُ فِي أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ».

      Text Explanation

      3. This chapter includes thirteen hadiths all of which are variations on the same hadith that attaches faith, knowledge of Islam, and wisdom to Yemen and its people. Some of these versions ascribe certain other characteristics to other areas. The hadiths differ in certain cases. Qadi [Iyad put them together and subsequently, Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah summarized and clarified them. Here is what he said:

      The hadith attributes faith to the people of Yemen, but scholars said that it does not mean what it says exactly, because faith started in Makkah, then Madinah. Abu [Ubayd,ⁱ the imam of the west, and later scholars mention various explanations, one of which is that the Prophet meant Makkah, because Makkah is part of Tihamah which is part of Yemen. Another explanation is that the Prophet was actually referring to Makkah and Madinah. It is reported that the Prophet said this hadith when he was at Tabuk, which is far to the north of Makkah and Madinah. This means that both cities were in between his position at the time and Yemen. He thus said that ‘Faith is Yemeni’, attaching both cities to Yemen because they were in the same direction. This is comparable to describing one of the corners of the Ka[bah as al-rukn al-yamani, meaning the Yemeni corner, when it is actually in Makkah but facing the direction of Yemen. A third view, which Abu [Ubayd considered the best, suggests that the Prophet meant the Ansar because they originated from Yemen. The Prophet thus associated faith with them because of the support they gave him.

      Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah comments:

      Had Abu [Ubayd and scholars who followed his example put together all the versions of this hadith, like Muslim did, and considered them together, they would have come up with a different view. They would have adhered to the meaning as clearly stated by the Prophet. They would have concluded that the Prophet meant Yemen and its people as the general statement implies. In certain versions the Prophet is quoted as saying: ‘The people of Yemen are coming to [visit] you’, and the Ansar were among those addressed by the Prophet, which means that the ones who were coming were different from the addressees. The same applies to the version that says: ‘The people of Yemen have come’. Those who actually came were different from the Ansar. Moreover, the Prophet described them as people of perfect faith, and it was on this basis that he said ‘Faith is Yemeni’. Thus, he indicated that those of the people of Yemen who came to meet him were true believers. Thus, there is nothing to prevent understanding the Prophet’s statement as it is, referring to the people of Yemen. Whoever has a certain quality and nurtures it so that it becomes part of his character is described by having it, so as to indicate that he is distinguished by it. This was true of the people of Yemen at that time with regard to faith. It applied to those of them who came to Madinah during the Prophet’s lifetime and shortly after he passed away, as were the cases of Uways al-Qarni, Abu Muslim al-Khawlani and others like them. Their hearts were pure and full of faith. That the Prophet described them as faithful implied that their faith was true and complete, but this does not deprive other people from faith. Thus there is no contradiction between this statement and his later one: ‘Faith is among the people of Hijaz’. Furthermore, the Prophet actually referred to those of them who were present at the time, not all the people of Yemen in all generations. The Prophet’s words do not mean that. This is the true meaning and we thank God for guiding us to this understanding, but God knows best.

      The Prophet then mentions that both knowledge and wisdom are Yemeni. In this instance knowledge expresses the Arabic word fiqh. Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah said:

      As for fiqh and wisdom, the word fiqh here means under-standing the Islamic faith. Scholars of fiqh and usul al-fiqh, or legal theory, later gave the word a more specific meaning, which is understanding the practical rulings of Islam through the evidence on which each is based. Wisdom, on the other hand, is given numerous definitions which are at times rather confusing. Everyone who gave a definition actually highlighted some of its aspects. We may say that wisdom is ‘knowledge that incorporates rules and regulations, provides a clear concept of God, the Blessed, the Sublime, and coupled with profound insight, self-discipline, identification of what is right