2 of 2 · After the Prophet's passing · 11–70s AH · Madinah, Makkah and the roads between
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar رضي الله عنه
Following the Footsteps
After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, 'Abdullah devoted himself to copying his actions as exactly as he could. The biographers report that he would stop to pray where he had seen the Prophet ﷺ pray, and halt his camel where the Prophet's had halted.
Some Companions, such as 'A'ishah, thought this was more than was required, since these were not rulings. But none denied his sincere love and caution, and he was equally careful in narrating: he would not add or subtract a word and would hold back from giving rulings when unsure.
He also kept in mind the Prophet's advice, "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6416), and was known for his plain living despite his means.
Love for the Prophet ﷺ shows in the care taken over his example, balanced by knowledge of what is a ruling and what is not.
Which one sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ could you learn well and practise this month?
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6416 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-KubraHistorical report
- al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'Historical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
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