عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما : أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لما بعث معاذا إلى اليمن قال له: "إنك تأتي قوما من أهل الكتاب، فليكن أولَ ما تدعوهم إليه شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله" -وفي رواية: "إلى أن يوحدوا الله-، فإن هم أطاعوك لذلك فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم خمس صلوات في كل يوم وليلة، فإن هم أطاعوك لذلك فأعلمهم أن الله افترض عليهم صدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم فَتُرَدُّ على فقرائهم، فإن هم أطاعوك لذلك فإياك وكَرَائِمَ أموالِهم، واتق دعوة المظلوم فإنه ليس بينها وبين الله حجاب".
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]
المزيــد ...

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu‘ādh to Yemen, he said to him: "c2">“You are going to meet people who received a Scripture, so let the first thing to which you invite them be to testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. (According to another narration, he said: “until they admit the Oneness of Allah.”) If they obey you in this, then inform them that Allah has enjoined five prayers in every day and night upon them. If they obey you in this, then inform them that Allah has enjoined a charity, to be taken from their rich and given to their poor, upon them. If they obey you in this, then be careful not to take the most precious items of their property, and beware of the supplication of an oppressed person; for between it and Allah, there is no veil.”
Sahih/Authentic. - [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen as a caller to Allah and to teach people the religion. He set the plan that he was to follow in his mission of calling to Allah. He informed him that he was going to face people of knowledge and argument from among the Jews and Christians so that he would prepare himself for conducting debates with them and refuting their suspicious allegations. He ordered him to start with the most important issues, followed by those of less importance. Hence, he told him to start by calling the people to correct their belief; it being the foundation of the religion. If they obey, then he should command them to perform the prayer, because it is the most significant obligation after admitting Allah’s Oneness. If they obeyed, he should call them to pay Zakah from their property, which they are to give to the poor as a consolation to them and out of showing gratitude to Allah, the Almighty. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised him to keep away from the most valuable items of their properties, since Zakah is to be given from the items of medium quality. Finally, he urged Mu‘ādh to adhere to justice and avoid injustice so that he would not expose himself to the supplication of a wronged person, which is sure to be answered.

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Benefits from the Hadith

  1. The legitimacy of dispatching the preachers.
  2. The testimony that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah is the first obligation and the first thing to which people should be called.
  3. The testimony that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah means devoting worship to Allah Almighty alone and renouncing the worship of anything else.
  4. It is possible that a person can read yet be ignorant of the meaning of "there is no god but Allah"; or he knows it but does not act accordingly like the People of the Book.
  5. The way of addressing a knowledgeable person differs from the way of addressing an ignorant one, as indicated by the Prophet’s statement, "You will come to a people who have a book."
  6. It points out that everyone, particularly the preachers, should be well-informed about their religion so as to get rid of the misconceptions raised by skeptics. To this end, they should seek knowledge.
  7. Prayer is the greatest obligation after the two testimonies of faith.
  8. The obligation of the five daily prayers.
  9. The Witr prayer is not obligatory.
  10. Zakah is the most important obligation after prayer.
  11. It is unlawful to pay Zakah to the wealthy.
  12. It points to one of the eight due recipients of Zakah, namely the poor, and that it is permissible to restrict the payment of Zakah to this category only. It is not necessary that Zakah be paid to all eight categories.
  13. It is lawful to give Zakah collected from every country to the poor among its own people, based on this Hadīth. Yet, it is normal to send Zakah to another country if a greater benefit is accrued, like the dire need of its people or the existence of poor relatives there.
  14. Zakah must not be paid to a disbeliever.
  15. It is not permissible to take Zakah from the valuable part of a person’s property without his approval.
  16. It is prohibited to take Zakah from the most valuable part of a person’s property; rather, it should be taken from things of medium quality.
  17. It warns of oppression and informs that the supplication of an oppressed person is readily accepted, even if he is a sinner.