64/74. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4387 — Belief and Softness of Heart
The arrival of Al-Ash’ariyun and the people of Yemen
وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «هُمْ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْهُمْ».
Hadith About Belief in Yemen: Faith, Harshness, and the Heart
Sahih Bukhari : 4387
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4387
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُعْفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَبِي خَالِدٍ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الإِيمَانُ هَا هُنَا ". وَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ " وَالْجَفَاءُ وَغِلَظُ الْقُلُوبِ فِي الْفَدَّادِينَ، عِنْدَ أُصُولِ أَذْنَابِ الإِبِلِ مِنْ حَيْثُ يَطْلُعُ قَرْنَا الشَّيْطَانِ رَبِيعَةَ وَمُضَرَ ".
Abu Mas'ud Narrated from:
The Prophet (ﷺ) beckoned with his hand towards Yemen and said, "Belief is there." The harshness and mercilessness are the qualities of those farmers etc, who are busy with their camels and pay no attention to the religion (is towards the east) from where the side of the head of Satan will appear; those are the tribes of Rabi`a and Mudar.
[1] Those who are engaged too much in worldly pursuits and neglect their religious duties will usually acquire the vice of being harsh and fierce.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4387In-book reference : Book 64, Hadith 410USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 670
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4387
This hadith about belief in Yemen speaks about faith and character. The Prophet pointed with his hand toward Yemen and said, “Belief is there.” He then mentioned harshness and hard hearts among people busy with their camels, in the direction from where the side of the head of Satan would appear, naming Rabi’a and Mudar in the narration. The explanation should stay close to the text: the Prophet praised belief in connection with Yemen and warned against rough, merciless traits. The hadith makes us think about the state of the heart. Faith is not only a label. A soft, attentive heart is better than pride, neglect, and harsh behavior.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet praised belief in connection with Yemen in this narration.
- Harshness and mercilessness are warned against.
- Being busy with worldly matters should not lead to neglect of religion.
- The heart’s softness matters in a person’s religious life.
