44/33. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2484a — Firmest Handhold of Faith
The Virtues Of Abdullah Bin Salam (RA)
Hadith About the Firmest Handhold and Islam
Sahih Muslim : 2484a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2484a
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى الْعَنَزِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَوْنٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ عُبَادٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي نَاسٍ فِيهِمْ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ فِي وَجْهِهِ أَثَرٌ مِنْ خُشُوعٍ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ . فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ يَتَجَوَّزُ فِيهِمَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَاتَّبَعْتُهُ فَدَخَلَ مَنْزِلَهُ وَدَخَلْتُ فَتَحَدَّثْنَا فَلَمَّا اسْتَأْنَسَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّكَ لَمَّا دَخَلْتَ قَبْلُ قَالَ رَجُلٌ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ وَسَأُحَدِّثُكَ لِمَ ذَاكَ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَيْهِ رَأَيْتُنِي فِي رَوْضَةٍ - ذَكَرَ سَعَتَهَا وَعُشْبَهَا وَخُضْرَتَهَا - وَوَسْطَ الرَّوْضَةِ عَمُودٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ أَسْفَلُهُ فِي الأَرْضِ وَأَعْلاَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ فِي أَعْلاَهُ عُرْوَةٌ . فَقِيلَ لِي ارْقَهْ . فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ . فَجَاءَنِي مِنْصَفٌ - قَالَ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ وَالْمِنْصَفُ الْخَادِمُ - فَقَالَ بِثِيَابِي مِنْ خَلْفِي - وَصَفَ أَنَّهُ رَفَعَهُ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ بِيَدِهِ - فَرَقِيتُ حَتَّى كُنْتُ فِي أَعْلَى الْعَمُودِ فَأَخَذْتُ بِالْعُرْوَةِ فَقِيلَ لِيَ اسْتَمْسِكْ . فَلَقَدِ اسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي يَدِي فَقَصَصْتُهَا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " تِلْكَ الرَّوْضَةُ الإِسْلاَمُ وَذَلِكَ الْعَمُودُ عَمُودُ الإِسْلاَمِ وَتِلْكَ الْعُرْوَةُ عُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى وَأَنْتَ عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ حَتَّى تَمُوتَ " . قَالَ وَالرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ .
Qais b. 'Ubada Narrated from:
I was in the company of some persons, amongst whom some were the Companions of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) in Medina, that there came a person whose face depicted the fear (of Allah). Some people said: He is a person from amongst the people of Paradise; he is a person from amongst the people of Paradise. He observed two short rak'ahs of prayer and then went out.I followed him and he got into his house and I also got in and we began to converse with each other. And when he became familiar (with me) I said to Him: When you entered (the mosque) before (your entrance in the house) a person said so and so (that you are amongst the people of Paradise), whereupon he said: It is not meet for anyone to say anything which he does not know. I shall (now) tell you why they (say) this.I saw a dream during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and narrated it to him. I seemed to be in a garden [he described its vastness, its rich fructification and its verdure]; in the midst of it, there stood an iron pillar, with its base in the earth and its summit in the sky: and upon its summit there was a handhold.It was said to me: Climb up this (pillar). I said to him (visitant in the dream): I am unable to do it. Thereupon a helper came to me, and he (supported) me (by catching hold of my) garment from behind and thus helped me with his hand and so I climbed up till I was at the summit of the pillar, and grasped the handhold. It was said to me: Hold it tightly. It was at this that I woke up when (the handhold) was in the grip) of my hand.I narrated it (the dream) to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), whereupon he said: That garden implies al-Islam and that pillar implies the pillar of Islam. And that handhold is the firmest faith (as referred to in the Qur'an). And you will remain attached to Islam until you shall die. And that man was 'Abdullah b. Salim.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2484aIn-book reference : Book 44, Hadith 211USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 31, Hadith 6068
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2484a
This Hadith about the firmest handhold tells the dream of Abdullah b. Salam. Qais b. Ubada first hears people say that this man is from the people of Paradise. When Qais asks him, Abdullah b. Salam warns that people should not say what they do not know. He then explains why they said it. He had seen a dream of a garden, an iron pillar reaching upward, and a handhold at the top. With help, he climbed and held it tightly. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained that the garden was Islam, the pillar was the pillar of Islam, and the handhold was the firmest faith. The narration ends with the meaning that Abdullah would remain attached to Islam until death.
What we learn from this hadith
- Abdullah b. Salam warned against speaking without knowledge.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained the dream with clear meanings.
- The handhold in the dream represented firm faith.
