English Translation of Al-Quran
[42]. Surah Ash-Shura [The Consultation]
Ayat 23. That is (the Paradise) whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds. Say ﷺ (O Muhammad [SAWW](PBUH) “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.” And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (the deeds of those who are obedient to Him).
Tafseer of Surah Al Shura (Consultation) Ayat 23. That is (the Bounty) whereof Allah gives Glad Tidings to His Servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.” And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof: for Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service). Heaven may be pictured to our minds in various forms. This is one of the highest, and Allah announces it freely to the righteous. No sort of tangible reward does the man of God ask for proclaiming the Glad Tidings of Allah. But at least he has the right to ask that his kith and kin should not persecute him and put all sorts of obstacles in his way, as did the Quraysh against the Prophet. The love of kindred may be extended to mean the love of our common humanity, for all mankind are brothers descended from Adam. Everyone can understand the ordinary love of kindred people. (R). Cf. 35:29-30, and notes (for increase) (for Allah’s appreciation of service).
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Abu Mas’ud Al-Badri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were sitting in the company of Saad bin Ubadah (May Allah be pleased with him), when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) came to us. Bashir bin Saad said: “O Messenger of Allah! Allah has commanded us to supplicate for you, but how should we do that?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ SAWW (PBUH) kept silent. We were very perturbed over his silence and we wished he did not ask him this question. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) said, “Say: `O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad ﷺ as you exalted the family of Ibrahim. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad ﷺ as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Glorified,’ and the method of greeting (i.e., Salam) is as you know.”
[Muslim Book 04, Chapter 15, Hadith # 803]
Lesson: as mentioned above in Surah Ash-Shura Ayat 23. “Say (O Muhammad ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.” In this Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ (PBUH) has shown us that the manner of offering Salam was the same as the one mentioned in the previous Hadith. “Al” means the wives of the Prophet ﷺ SAWW (PBUH) and those of his relatives who were from Banu Hashim and Banu `Abdul-Muttalib and had embraced Islam. Some scholars are of the opinion that it is general and applies to all his followers. This Hadith also teaches us that if one does not have knowledge of a religious matter, he must seek guidance from the knowledgeable scholars of Islam about it, rather than going by his opinion. Knowledgeable persons (scholars) here mean persons who are well-versed in the Qur’an and Hadith and can answer questions in the light of them, and not from the sayings of others or from their own intelligence.
