QUESTION
Assalamu’alaikum, I want to ask about a story about a person who wanted to go on the Hajj but didn’t go because he had money to help his poor neighbor who was sick due to hunger. But the person was reported to have accepted his Hajj even though he had not yet departed. This is a hadith, atsar or just a story from a scholar to motivate that helping others is noble. I have high hopes for this answer. First of all, I would like to thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum 🙏
ANSWER
Waalaikumsalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh
That is the story of the Salaf, namely Imam Abdullah bin Al Mubarak. He and his entourage did not go on the pilgrimage because they saw a woman scavenging through rubbish to find food for her starving family. Finally, he gathered all the provisions for the life of the woman and her family, he did not make the pilgrimage.
He did this because the Hajj he was going to do was the second or subsequent Hajj, not the obligatory Hajj (the first). Because he had already done the Hajj before. This means that what he did was sunnah, while helping the woman was an obligation, that’s why he prioritized what was obligatory over what was sunnah.
In this way, he gets two rewards, the reward of helping people and the reward of his intention to perform the Hajj itself, even though he did not fulfill it.
This is based on the hadith of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam. From Abu Hurairah Radhiallahu ‘Anhu, that Rasulullah SAW said:
Whoever intends to do something good but does not do it, then it is recorded for him as a good deed
Whoever desires to do a good deed and has not done it, then one good deed will be recorded for him. (HR. Bukhari no. 6491, Muslim no. 130)
Other hadith:
A believer’s intentions are better than his actions
“A believer’s intentions are better than his deeds.”
(HR. Ath Thabarani in Al Mu’jam Al Kabir, 6/185-186, from Sahl bin Sa’ad as Saidi. Imam Al Haitsami said: “The recitation of this hadith is mautsuqun (trusted), except for Hatim bin ‘Ibad bin Dinar Al Jursyi, I have not seen anyone mention his biography.” See Majma’ Az Zawaid, 1/61)
Therefore Imam Al Ghazali Rahimahullah said:
His intentions were good, even though his actions were impossible due to obstacles.
So, the intention itself is basically a good thing, even though illness prevents him from carrying it out. (Ihya ‘Ulumuddin, 4/352)
Wallahu A’lam
Farid Nu’man Hasan
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