Hadrat Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Saleem Nawab sahib says:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ: “الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ، ارْحَمُوا مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ”. أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ ، وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ و رزاه البخاري في كتاب الكني. و انتهت التسلسل إلي سفيان ابن عيينة رحمهم الله تعالي

I quoted this hadith first which is known as ‘musalsal bil awwaliyat’. It is also known as ‘Hadith Rahmah’. Normally when a teacher would teach his student the very first time, they would narrate this hadith. It is narrated by Hadrat Abdullah b. Amr b. ‘As r.a which is reported in the collection of Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Tirmidhi among others1 as well as by Imam Bukhari. This is the ‘hadith rahmah’ which is also called ‘musalsal bil awwaliyat’. Some quote that Imam Bukhari has reported this hadith in Adab Mufrad but you won’t find it there. Imam Bukhari has reported it, but it is in Kitab al-Kuna and not in Adab Mufrad.

The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) says,

الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ ، ارْحَمُوا مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ

الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ  – Those who have mercy, the Rahman will have mercy on them.

ارْحَمُوا مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ يَرْحَمْكُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ- Have mercy on those who are on the earth and the one in the sky will have mercy on you.

Allamah Zaynuddeen Iraqi says, ‘man fissama’ (من في السماء) those in the sky relates to the angels. The mercy of the angels is that Allah will make them request for forgiveness for the those who show mercy on earth. Individuals who whilst in the world have mercy on the people of the earth, Allah will make the angels make dua for that individual in the sky.

[Amongst others]2, The first hadith I heard from Shaykh Yunus Jawnpuri, which he heard first from Hadrat Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyyah Kandhalwi who first heard from Allamah Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri [who heard from Mawlana Abdul Qayyum Budanwi who in turn heard it from Shah Ishaq Dihlawi who heard it from Shah Abdul Aziz Dihlawi who heard it from his father Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dihlawi all as their first hadith from that teacher]. The remainder of the sanad from Shah Waliullah is published in Fadl Mubin fi Musalsal min Ahadith Nabi Amin3.

I have also heard it from Shaykhul Islam Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani who heard it first from Shaykh Muhammad Yaseen al-Fadani. Shaykh Fadani was of Indonesian origin. He was born in Makkah. 1915 and died in 1990. He is known for his many sanads. His asanid including the one for Hadith Rahmah is publish in the book entitled Faydh al-Rahmani bi Ijazat Fadhilat al-Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani.4

A lesson for us is that we should have mercy over everyone and all animals; everything that is on the Earth.

[The above is an edited transcript from a section of Shamail Tirmidh lesson 1 (25/09/18), by Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Nawab حفظه الله]

 

 

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  1. Musnad Ahmad, Mustadrak Hakim, Sunan Kubra lil Bayhaqi, Mu’jam al-Awsat lil Bayhaqi etecetra
  2. Such as Hadrat Mawlana Fazl al-Rahman Azami Hazrat Mawlana Radha Ajmeri (Shaykh al-Hadith of Rhander) etcetera.
  3. p. 32 Available online
  4. Darul al-Bashair al-Islamiyyah (1406/1986). Beirut, Lebanon. p. 15. Available online.