And when He praised - glorified and exalted is He - the monks; this was a cause for asceticism; and monasticism is good in itself; but it is bad by accident; it is noble in its origin; but lowly in its outcome; for it is based on severity; and striving in acts of worship; and abstaining from most of the permissible things; and man is built on weakness; he is inclined to deficiencies; so his nature calls him; and his weakness helps him to not fulfill what he has committed to; and he rushes towards what he has of the quality of hastiness; so he falls into betrayal; as He (the Most High) said: "But they did not observe it with the observance it deserved" [Al-Hadid: 27]; He followed that with a prohibition against it in this religion; and informing about it that He built it on moderation; as a mercy from Him to His people; and kindness towards them; honoring their Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him; and He forbade them from excess in it; and negligence; so He (the Most High) said: "O you who have believed"; meaning: there is acknowledgment from them of that; "do not prohibit"; meaning: do not prevent yourselves by vow; or oath; or otherwise; confirming what you have acknowledged; and He encouraged them to comply with His command by making it compatible with their natures; suitable for their desires; so He said: "the good things of what"; meaning: the pure things; which "Allah has made lawful"; and mentioning this greatest name encourages that; for the inclination towards the gift will be according to the measure of the giver; and He confirmed that by saying: "for you"; meaning: as for Him - glorified and exalted is He - He is free from motives; no harm befalls Him; nor benefit; for He has absolute richness.

And when He allowed them that, He urged them towards moderation and warned them against exceeding the limit, saying: ﴿And do not transgress﴾. This indicates by the form of the verb that the original nature is based on justice. Deviating from it can only be through effort. Then He explained that by saying - confirming the improbability of Him prohibiting excessive devotion -: ﴿Indeed, Allah﴾; meaning: He is the Greatest King; ﴿does not love the transgressors﴾; meaning: He does not act in the manner of one who loves, in honoring those who are excessive in piety, to the extent that they prohibit what I have made lawful; nor to those who are negligent in it, who make lawful what I have prohibited; meaning: they act in the manner of one who prohibits, by forbidding, and in the manner of one who makes lawful, by consuming. The reason for the revelation of the verse is clear in this. Al-Wahidi narrated in the reasons for revelation, with his chain from Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - that a man came to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and said: O Messenger of Allah, when I eat from this meat, I am tempted towards women, and I have prohibited meat for myself. So the verse was revealed: ﴿Do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful for you﴾; and the verse was revealed: ﴿And eat from what Allah has provided you﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 88]." And it was narrated by Al-Tirmidhi in the Tafsir from his collection, and he said: It is good and strange. And it was narrated by Khalid Al-Hadhdhā’ from Ikrimah, as a disconnected narration. Al-Wahidi said, and Al-Baghawi followed him: The commentators said: "The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sat and mentioned the people and described the Day of Resurrection, and he did not increase them beyond fear. The people became soft and cried. Then ten of the Companions - may Allah be pleased with them - gathered in the house of Uthman ibn Maz'un Al-Jumahi; they were Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abdullah ibn Amr, Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, Al-Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad, and Salman Al-Farsi, and Ma'qil ibn Qura. They agreed to fast during the day and pray at night, and not to sleep on beds, nor eat meat, nor fat, nor approach women, and perfume, and to wear rough garments, and to reject the world, and to wander in the land, and to practice asceticism. This reached the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and he said to them: "Was I not informed that you have agreed on such and such?" They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah, and we intended nothing but good. He said: "I was not commanded with that; indeed, your souls have rights over you; so fast and break your fast, and pray and sleep, for I stand and sleep, and I fast and break my fast, and I eat meat and fat, and whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me." Then he gathered the people and addressed them, saying: "What is the matter with some people who have prohibited women, food, perfume, sleep, and the pleasures of this world?! Verily, I do not command you to be monks and hermits; for there is no abandonment of meat and women in my religion, nor the taking of monasteries. Indeed, the wandering of my nation is fasting, and their monasticism is jihad. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him; and perform Hajj and Umrah; and establish prayer; and give zakat; and fast Ramadan; for indeed, those who perished before you perished due to strictness; they became strict, so Allah imposed strictness upon them; and those are their remnants in the monasteries and cells." Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed this verse. They said: O Messenger of Allah, what should we do about the oaths we have sworn? They had sworn to what they had agreed upon. So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed His saying: ﴿Allah does not impose blame upon you for the unintentional oaths﴾ [Al-Ma'idah: 89]." There is no contradiction between the two reports, as it is possible to combine them, that the man, when he heard the reminder of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, asked; and even if they were not combined, it is correct that each of them could be a reason. A single matter can have many causes, some of which are closer than others. Among the narrations regarding this is what Al-Baghawi narrated with his chain from the route of Ibn Al-Mubarak in the Book of Asceticism from Sa'd ibn Mas'ud: "Indeed, Uthman ibn Maz'un - may Allah be pleased with him - came to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and said: Grant us permission to practice asceticism. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "He is not one of us who practices asceticism; nor does he practice asceticism; indeed, the asceticism of my nation is fasting." He said: O Messenger of Allah, grant us permission to wander. He said: "Indeed, the wandering of my nation is jihad in the way of Allah." He said: O Messenger of Allah, grant us permission to practice asceticism. He said: "Indeed, the asceticism of my nation is sitting in the mosques waiting for prayer."" And for Al-Shaykhayn, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i, and Al-Darimi from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas - may Allah be pleased with him - also said: "Uthman ibn Maz'un wanted to practice asceticism, and the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, forbade him; and if he had permitted him - and in another narration: if he had allowed him - to practice asceticism, we would have practiced it." And for Al-Darimi: "From Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas - may Allah be pleased with him - also said: When it was about Uthman ibn Maz'un - may Allah be pleased with him - who was abstaining from women, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sent to him and said: "O Uthman, I was not commanded with monasticism; do you wish to turn away from my Sunnah?" He said: No, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Indeed, among my Sunnah is to pray and sleep, and to fast and eat, and to marry and divorce; whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me; O Uthman, indeed, your family has rights over you; and your eyes have rights over you." Sa'd said: By Allah, indeed, many of the men among the believers agreed that if the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had approved of Uthman in what he was upon, we would have practiced asceticism and become monks." And our shaykh Ibn Hajar, in the verification of the hadiths of Al-Kashaf, narrated that Al-Tabarani narrated from the route of Ibn Jurayj from Mujahid, who said: Some men among them, including Uthman ibn Maz'un and Abdullah ibn Amr, wanted to practice asceticism and castrate themselves, and wear rough garments. And from the route of Ibn Jurayj from Ikrimah: "Indeed, Uthman ibn Maz'un, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Ibn Mas'ud, and Al-Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad, and Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, in a group - may Allah be pleased with them - practiced asceticism; they sat in their homes, abstained from women, wore rough garments, prohibited the good things of food and clothing, and intended to practice asceticism; and they agreed to stand at night and fast during the day. So the verse was revealed: ﴿O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful for you﴾; the verse. The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, sent to them and said: "Indeed, your souls have rights over you; so fast and break your fast, and pray and sleep; for whoever abandons our Sunnah is not of us." And for Al-Tirmidhi from Samurah - may Allah be pleased with him - "that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, forbade asceticism." And Qatadah recited: ﴿And indeed, We sent messengers before you and made for them wives and descendants﴾ [Ar-Ra'd: 38]. And for Al-Nasa'i from Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her - similar to it; and Al-Tirmidhi referred to it; and for Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat from Anas ibn Malik - may Allah be pleased with him - he said: "The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, commanded marriage and forbade asceticism with a strong prohibition, saying: "Marry those who are affectionate and fertile, for I will boast of you before the nations on the Day of Resurrection." And among them is what was narrated by the two Shaykhs from Abdullah - may Allah be pleased with him - that he said: "We used to go out with the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, and we had nothing - and in one narration: women; and in another narration: we were young men - so we said: O Messenger of Allah, should we not practice castration? He forbade us from that; then he permitted us to marry a woman with a garment; then Abdullah recited to us: ﴿O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful for you﴾ the verse.

Among them is what al-Bukhari and others narrated from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, I am a young man, and I fear for myself the temptation, and I do not find what I can marry women with. Al-Nasa'i said: Should I abstain? He remained silent towards me. Then I said something similar, and he remained silent towards me. Then I said something similar, and he remained silent towards me. Then I said something similar, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "O Abu Huraira, the pen has dried on what you are destined for; so abstain from that, or leave it." Al-Nasa'i said: "Or leave it." Among them is what the two Shaykhs and others narrated from Anas ibn Malik - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: "Three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ and may Allah be pleased with them - asking about the worship of the Prophet ﷺ. In the narration of Muslim and al-Nasa'i, a group from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ asked the wives of the Prophet ﷺ about his actions in private. When they were informed, it was as if they belittled it. They said: Where are we in relation to the Prophet ﷺ? Allah has forgiven him what has preceded of his sins and what will come after. One of them said: As for me, I will pray all night. Another said: I will fast continuously and will not break my fast. Another said: I will abstain from women and will not marry at all. In another narration, some of them said: I will not eat meat. Some of them said: I will not sleep on a bed. This reached the Prophet ﷺ, and he praised Allah and extolled Him, and said: "What is with some people like this and that?" In another narration, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to them and said: "Are you the ones who said such and such? By Allah, I am the most fearful of Allah among you and the most pious to Him; but I fast and break my fast, and I pray and sleep, and I marry women. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me." The unknowns in the hadith - our Shaykh said in the introduction to his explanation of al-Bukhari - are Ibn Mas'ud, Abu Huraira, and Uthman ibn Maz'oon. It will come separately what indicates that, meaning what I have presented. He said: And it was said: They are Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Uthman ibn Maz'oon, and Ali ibn Abi Talib. In the Musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq, through the route of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, that among them was Ali and Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As - may Allah be pleased with them. Our Shaykh said in the verification of the hadiths of al-Kashaf: This is the original of what al-Wahidi narrated from the commentators. And for the two Shaykhs and al-Tirmidhi, from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "What I have forbidden you, avoid it; and what I have commanded you, do of it what you are able. For indeed, those who came before you were destroyed by their excessive questioning and their differing with their prophets." In another narration: "Leave me as long as I leave you; for indeed, those before you were destroyed by their excessive questioning and their differing with their prophets." And for Abu Dawood from Anas - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not be hard on yourselves, lest Allah be hard on you." And for Imam Ahmad in the Musnad, from Anas - may Allah be pleased with him - and al-Hakim in the sciences of hadith, in the science of the strange - and this is its wording - from Jabir ibn Abdullah - may Allah be pleased with them - that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, this religion is strong; so be gentle in it; and do not make the worship of Allah hateful to you; for indeed, the one who is cut off has not cultivated any land nor preserved a back." The strong: the solid and strong; and the going deep: the exaggeration; and the one who is cut off - with a noon and singular and a strong letter - is the one whose back is broken. Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, this religion is ease; and no one makes the religion hard except that it overcomes him; so be moderate and give good tidings." In some narrations: "And aim for moderation, you will reach." And for Muslim and Ibn Majah - and this is its wording - "From Hanzalah the scribe, the Tamimi, al-Usaydi - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we mentioned Paradise and Hell until they were like the sight of the eye. Then I went to my family and children; and I laughed and played. He said: Then I remembered what we were in; so I went out and met Abu Bakr - may Allah be pleased with him - and said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, a hypocrite. Abu Bakr said: Indeed, we all do that. Hanzalah went and mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: "O Hanzalah, if you were as you are when you are with me, the angels would shake hands with you on your beds or on your paths. O Hanzalah! An hour and an hour." And the wording of Muslim from the various routes I gathered is: "From Hanzalah - and he was from the writing of the Prophet ﷺ - he said: Abu Bakr met me - may Allah be pleased with him - and said: How are you, Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite. He said: Glory be to Allah! What are you saying? I said: We are with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, reminding us of Hell and Paradise; they were like the sight of the eye; and when we leave the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we mix with our wives, and children, and properties; we forget much. Abu Bakr - may Allah be pleased with him - said: By Allah, we also encounter this. So I and Abu Bakr went until we entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "And what is that?" I said: O Messenger of Allah, we are with you, reminding us of Hell and Paradise; they were like the sight of the eye; and when we leave you, we mix with our wives, and children, and properties; we forget much. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you were to remain as you are when you are with me and in remembrance, the angels would shake hands with you on your beds and in your paths. But, O Hanzalah, an hour and an hour, an hour and an hour - three times." In another narration, he said: "We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he advised us and we remembered Hell - and in another narration: Paradise and Hell - then I came to the house and laughed with the children and played with my wife. Then I went out and met Abu Bakr, and I mentioned that to him. He said: And I have done like what you mentioned. So we met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, Hanzalah has become a hypocrite. He said: What? I narrated to him the hadith, and Abu Bakr said: And I have done like what he did. He said: "O Hanzalah, an hour and an hour; if your hearts were as they are when in remembrance, the angels would shake hands with you until they greet you on the paths."

And from here it becomes clear to you the relevance of the beginning of "Al-Mujadila" to the end of "Al-Hadid"; which the virtuous have struggled to understand; and the great ones have refrained from seeking it due to its obscurity; and the explanation of that will come, if Allah, glorified and exalted is He, wills; and the clarification of what is in it of subtle paths; and from this verse there is a shift to His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿The beasts of cattle have been made lawful for you﴾ [Al-Maida: 1]; and His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿Say, 'The good things have been made lawful for you'﴾ [Al-Maida: 4]; and how excellent it is to begin it with "O you who have believed"! just as He began the first of the surah with it; and the explanation of all that has passed regarding fulfilling contracts has already been mentioned; so it was as if He, glorified and exalted is He, said: Fulfill the contracts; so do not be negligent regarding them lest you break them; and do not exaggerate in them lest you become transgressors; so that you weaken; for indeed no one will challenge the religion except that it will overpower him; rather be precise; and be moderate; and seek the middle path, you will reach; and Ibn Al-Zubair said, after His saying: ﴿And from those who say, 'We are Christians,' We took their covenant﴾ [Al-Maida: 14]; then He detailed for the believers the actions of the two groups - that is, the Jews and the Christians - so that it may become clear to them in what they have broken; then He clarified their disparity in distance from responding; so He said, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity﴾ [Al-Maida: 82]; then He advised His servants; and clarified for them doors; among them is the entrance to trials; and it is a reason for every test; so He said: ﴿Do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and do not transgress﴾; for if you do that, you would be legislating for yourselves; and being unjust; it has ended. And ﴿what He has made lawful﴾; encompasses all that they intended to abstain from regarding food; and clothing; and marriages; and sleep; and other than that.