36th Hadith - Virtue of Gathering for the Remembrance of Allah [Muslim: 2699 (a)]

الحديث السادس والثلاثون 

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِي اللهُ عَنْهُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ :  مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ يَسَّرَ عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ يَسَّرَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِماً سَتَرَهُ اللهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَاللهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كاَنَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيْهِ. وَمَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيْقاً يَلْتَمِسُ فِيْهِ عِلْماً سَهَّلَ اللهُ بِهِ طَرِيْقاً إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَمَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوْتِ اللهِ يَتْلُوْنَ كِتَابَ اللهِ وَيَتَدَارَسُوْنَهُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِلاَّ نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّكِيْنَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ، وَحَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ، وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللهُ فِيْمَنْ عِنْدَهُ، وَمَنْ بَطَأَ فِي عَمَلِهِ لَمْ يُسْرِعْ بِهِ نَسَبُهُ

[رواه مسلم] 

36th Hadith - Translation

It was related on the authority of Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Prophet(S.A.W.) said: 

"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."  

[Muslim: 2699 (a)]

Brief Narration

The hadith starts by stating a great principle: Muslims are brothers - one will not harm another nor will he do injustice or fail him when he is in need. Then the hadith states a motivation factor: Whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs.

This version is more than simply stating a principle - it can be taken as a motivation for helping other Muslims, especially those who are in need. We just need to imagine the situation of the ummah when we help each other and fulfill the needs of others. We will end up being a better society, with less needy people, and stronger social ties that will lead to the strength of the Muslim ummah at large.

Allah will make it easy for the knowledge seeker so that he will benefit from the knowledge he is seeking. This means that he will benefit from the knowledge and this will lead him to enter Paradise. There are many people who seek knowledge but there are no blessings in the knowledge they seek. The crucial point here is the person should seek knowledge with good intentions. For the one who seeks knowledge with good intentions, Allah will safely help him go through the horrible incidents and situations on the Day of Judgment. 

The hadith implies a preferable act: to go to the mosque, to recite and study the Quran, or attending lectures. Ibn Rajab says that this can be applied to all branches of knowledge and not just the Quran. The hadith mentions four rewards for those who gather in the mosque: 

1. Tranquility - this is a great reward which includes relief from stress and being calm. 
2. The Mercy of Allah over them. 
3. The angels surrounding them. 
4. Allah making mention of them amongst those who are in His presence.

This Hadith also indicates that doing deeds are the means of getting the rewards and that will lead a person to Paradise. Allah says: "For all shall be judged against their actions". If the good deeds are not enough, the person's lineage or ancestry will not benefit him. This is because Allah made rewards related to good deeds and not lineage.  

(Reference: Commentary of Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi by Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi)