18. The Elderly
١٨۔ كتاب الأكَابِرِ
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who does not show mercy to our children nor acknowledge the right of our old people is not one of us."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا وَيَعْرِفْ حَقَّ كَبِيرِنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As reported that it reached him that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who does not show mercy to our children nor acknowledge the right of our old people is not one of us."
النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا وَيَعْرِفْ حَقَّ كَبِيرِنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ حَقَّ كَبِيرِنَا وَيَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا وَيُجِلَّ كَبِيرَنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
18.2 Respect for the Old
١٨۔٢ بَابُ إِجْلالِ الْكَبِيرِ
Al-Ash'ari said, "Part of respect for Allah is to show respect to an old Muslim and to someone who knows the Qur'an, as long as he does not go to excess in it nor turn away from it, and to respect a just ruler."
عَنِ الأَشْعَرِيِّ قَالَ إِنَّ مِنَ إِجْلاَلِ اللهِ إِكْرَامَ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ الْمُسْلِمِ وَحَامِلِ الْقُرْآنِ غَيْرِ الْغَالِي فِيهِ وَلاَ الْجَافِي عَنْهُ وَإِكْرَامَ ذِي السُّلْطَانِ الْمُقْسِطِ
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا وَيُوَقِّرْ كَبِيرَنَا
18.3 The old person should be the first to speak and ask
١٨۔٣ بَابُ يَبْدَأُ الْكَبِيرُ بِالْكَلاَمِ وَالسُّؤَالِ
Rafi' ibn Khudayj and Sahl ibn Abi Hathama reported that 'Abdullah ibn Sahl and Muhayyisa ibn Mas'ud came to Khaybar and parted when they were among the palm trees. 'Abdullah ibn Sahl was murdered. 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Sahl and Huwayyisa and Muhayyisa, the sons of Mas'ud came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and spoke to him about their (murdered) companion. 'Abdu'r-Rahman, the youngest of those present, began to speak, but the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Let the oldest speak first." (or "Exalt the eldest.") They spoke about their companion and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, "Will fifty of you take an oath that you are entitled to the blood-money of your murdered man?" They replied, "Messenger of Allah, this is something which we did not see." He said, "Then will the Jews exonerate themselves by the oaths of fifty of them?" They protested, "Messenger of Allah, they are unbelievers!" So the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, himself paid his blood money."
أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ سَهْلٍ وَمُحَيِّصَةَ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ أَتَيَا خَيْبَرَ فَتَفَرَّقَا فِي النَّخْلِ فَقُتِلَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ سَهْلٍ فَجَاءَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ سَهْلٍ وَحُوَيِّصَةُ وَمُحَيِّصَةُ ابْنَا مَسْعُودٍ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَتَكَلَّمُوا فِي أَمْرِ صَاحِبِهِمْ فَبَدَأَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ وَكَانَ أَصْغَرَ الْقَوْمِ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ كَبِّرِ الْكِبَرَ قَالَ يَحْيَى لِيَلِيَ الْكَلاَمَ الأَكْبَرُ فَتَكَلَّمُوا فِي أَمْرِ صَاحِبِهِمْ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اسْتَحِقُّوا قَتِيلَكُمْ أَوْ قَالَ صَاحِبَكُمْ بِأَيْمَانِ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَمْرٌ لَمْ نَرَهُ قَالَ فَتُبْرِئُكُمْ يَهُودُ بِأَيْمَانِ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَوْمٌ كُفَّارٌ فَفَدَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ
18.4 When an older person does not speak, can the youngest speak then?
١٨۔٤ بَابُ إِذَا لَمْ يَتَكَلَّمِ الْكَبِيرُ هَلْ لِلأَصْغَرِ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ؟
Ibn 'Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Tell me which tree is like the Muslim? It gives fruits at all times by the permission of its Lord and its leaves do not fall.' It occurred to me that it was the palm tree, but I did not want to speak as Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, were both present. When they did not speak, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'It is the palm tree.' When I left with my father, I said, 'Father, I thought that it was the palm,.' He asked, 'What kept you from saying that? If you had said so, I would have preferred that to such-and-such.' I said, 'What kept me from doing so was that I did not see you or Abu Bakr speak, so I did not like to speak out.'"
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَخْبِرُونِي بِشَجَرَةٍ مَثَلُهَا مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِ تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا لاَ تَحُتُّ وَرَقَهَا فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي النَّخْلَةُ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ وَثَمَّ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَتَكَلَّمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ فَلَمَّا خَرَجْتُ مَعَ أَبِي قُلْتُ يَا أَبَتِ وَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي النَّخْلَةُ قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَقُولَهَا؟ لَوْ كُنْتَ قُلْتَهَا كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ مَا مَنَعَنِي إِلاَّ لَمْ أَرَكَ وَلاَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ تَكَلَّمْتُمَا فَكَرِهْتُ
18.5 Making the old leaders
١٨۔٥ بَابُ تَسْوِيدِ الأكَابِرِ
"Fear Allah and make the oldest among you your leaders. When people make the oldest among them their leaders, they follow their fathers. When they make the youngest among them their leaders, that lowers them in the sight of their peers. You must have wealth and use it well. It is an impetus for the generous and it will make you independent of critics. Beware of asking people. It is a man's last source of earning. When I die, do not wail. There was no wailing for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When I die, bury me in a land where the Bakr ibn Wa'il will not know where I am buried. I used to waylay on the roads in the time of the Jahiliyya."
أَنَّ أَبَاهُ أَوْصَى عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ بَنِيهِ فَقَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَسَوِّدُوا أَكْبَرُكُمْ فَإِنَّ الْقَوْمَ إِذَا سَوَّدُوا أَكْبَرَهُمْ خَلَفُوا أَبَاهُمْ وَإِذَا سَوَّدُوا أَصْغَرَهُمْ أَزْرَى بِهِمْ ذَلِكَ فِي أَكْفَائِهِمْ وَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمَالِ وَاصْطِنَاعِهِ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْبَهَةٌ لِلْكَرِيمِ وَيُسْتَغْنَى بِهِ عَنِ اللَّئِيمِ وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمَسْأَلَةَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ آخِرِ كَسْبِ الرَّجُلِ وَإِذَا مُتُّ فَلاَ تَنُوحُوا فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يُنَحْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ وَإِذَا مُتُّ فَادْفِنُونِي بِأَرْضٍ لاَ يَشْعُرُ بِدَفْنِي بَكْرُ بْنُ وَائِلٍ فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ أُغَافِلُهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ