41/12. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2666 — Writing to Remember Hadith
What Has Been Related About Permitting That
Hadith About Writing to Remember Knowledge
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2666
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2666
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ الْخَلِيلِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ يَجْلِسُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَيَسْمَعُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْحَدِيثَ فَيُعْجِبُهُ وَلاَ يَحْفَظُهُ فَشَكَا ذَلِكَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَسْمَعُ مِنْكَ الْحَدِيثَ فَيُعْجِبُنِي وَلاَ أَحْفَظُهُ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " اسْتَعِنْ بِيَمِينِكَ " . وَأَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ لِلْخَطِّ . وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ إِسْنَادُهُ لَيْسَ بِذَلِكَ الْقَائِمِ . وَسَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ يَقُولُ الْخَلِيلُ بْنُ مُرَّةَ مُنْكَرُ الْحَدِيثِ .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
There Was A Man Among The Ansar Who Would Sit With The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ), And He Would Listen To The Ahadith Of The Prophet (ﷺ) And He Was Amazed With Them But He Could Not Remember Them. So He Complained About That To The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ). He Said: 'O Messenger Of Allah! I Listen To Your Ahadith And I Am Amazed But I Can Not Remember Them.' So The Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) Said: 'Help Yourself With Your Right Hand' And He Motioned With His Hand As If Writing.'
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2666In-book reference : Book 41, Hadith 22English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 2666
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2666
This Hadith tells of a man from the Ansar who listened to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and loved the ahadith he heard, but he could not remember them well. He complained to the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم about this difficulty. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Help yourself with your right hand, and motioned as if writing. The core message is practical: when memory is weak, a person may seek a means that helps him keep knowledge. The Hadith about writing to remember knowledge also shows the man’s love for the words of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He did not ignore what he heard. He wanted a way to preserve it, and he asked for help.
What we learn from this hadith
- Seeking help to remember beneficial knowledge is encouraged by the text.
- The companion valued the Prophet’s words and wanted to preserve them.
- A learner may ask for help when memory is weak.
- Writing can serve as a support for learning in this narration.
