Avoid what I have forbidden you from, and do as much as you can of what I have ordered you

Islam > Hadiths > The creed > The Creed

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim

Authenticity grade : Authentic

Hadith text: Avoid what I have forbidden you from, and do as much as…

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم يَقُولُ: «مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَافْعَلُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ مَسَائِلِهِمْ، وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ».

Abu Hurayrah ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Sakhr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Avoid what I have forbidden you from, and do as much as you can of what I have ordered you. Indeed, those before you were ruined because of their excessive questioning and disagreeing with their prophets."

Explanation of the hadith: Avoid what I have forbidden you from, and do as much as…

Lessons: Avoid what I have forbidden you from, and do as much as…

• This Hadīth represents a rule that demonstrates the duty of doing what is commanded and avoiding what is prohibited.
• We are not permitted to do any of the prohibitions. With regard to the commands, however, we are required to comply according to our abilities. This is because the abandonment of something is within one's capacity, whereas doing something requires ability.
• Forbidding the act of asking too many questions. Scholars divided questions into two categories: First: Questions that are meant for learning what one needs of the religion, and this kind of question is required, and an example of this is the Companions' questions. Second: Questions that are asked by way of obstinacy and affectation, and this is the kind of forbidden question.
• Warning this Ummah of disobeying their Prophet as what occurred in the previous nations.
• When something is prohibited, this applies to any part of it, great or small, for avoiding it requires avoidance of the action altogether. For example, we are prohibited from usury, and this applies to any amount of it, big or small.
• We are required to shun the means conducive to something prohibited, for this falls under the meaning of avoidance.
• When a person hears a command from the Prophet (ﷺ), he should not ask whether it is obligatory or recommended; rather, he must hasten to act upon it, for he said: "Do it as much as you can."
• Asking too many questions leads to ruin, especially about matters that cannot be grasped, like issues related to the unseen and the detailed description of the conditions of the Day of Judgment. A person should not ask a lot about such matters lest he be ruined and become pretentious and pedantic.

Categories : Pre-Islamic Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them