Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī ؓ reported that the Messenger of Allah said:
أَنَا زَعِيمٌ بِبَيْتٍ فِي رَبَضِ الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الْمِرَاءَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مُحِقًّا وَبِبَيْتٍ فِي وَسَطِ الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الْكَذِبَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَازِحًا وَبِبَيْتٍ فِي أَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ حَسَّنَ خُلُقَهُ
“I am the guarantor of a house in the outskirts of Paradise for whoever abandons disputation even if he is in the right; and of a house in the middle of Paradise for whoever abandons lying even in jest; and of a house in the highest reaches of Paradise for whoever refines his character.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 4800).
Commentary of al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muḥsin ibn Ḥamad al-ʿAbbād al-Badr (b. 1353 AH/1934 CE) remarked in his commentary on Sunan Abī Dāwūd:
This ḥadīth contains a clarification of the virtue of noble character, and that a person’s refinement of his own conduct brings him to the loftiest stations in Paradise. The Prophet mentioned three categories of people:
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- Those who shall reside in the rabḍ of Paradise, that is, its outskirts and lowest reaches.
- Those who shall reside in its middle.
- Those who shall reside in its highest reaches.
It is well established that just as the Fire has descending levels, each beneath the other, Paradise has ascending degrees, each above the other. The Prophet clarified in this ḥadīth that the one who refines his character shall have a bayt, and the bayt here signifies a palace in Paradise.
The Meaning of Anā Zaʿīm
The expression anā zaʿīm means: I am the guarantor, the surety, the one who has undertaken this commitment, that whoever does such-and-such shall have such-and-such. This is analogous to the saying of Allah :
وَلِمَن جَآءَ بِهِۦ حِمْلُ بَعِيرٍ وَأَنَا۠ بِهِۦ زَعِيمٌ
“And for whoever brings it is a camel’s load, and I am responsible for it.” [Q 12:72, excerpt]
That is: I am committed to giving a camel-load to whoever returns the king’s measuring bowl, and I stand as guarantor for this promise. The meaning in the ḥadīth, accordingly, is: I am the surety and guarantor for whoever performs these acts that he shall have a house in Paradise.
The First Degree: Abandoning Disputation
The ḥadīth states:
أَنَا زَعِيمٌ بِبَيْتٍ فِي رَبَضِ الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الْمِرَاءَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مُحِقًّا
“I am the guarantor of a house in the outskirts of Paradise for whoever abandons disputation, even if he is in the right.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 4800, excerpt).
This refers to argumentation that leads to enmity, discord, and estrangement. A person distances himself from such conduct so that hearts may remain sound and souls may be purified.
The Second Degree: Abandoning Lying
The ḥadīth states:
وَبِبَيْتٍ فِي وَسَطِ الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الْكَذِبَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَازِحًا
“And of a house in the middle of Paradise for whoever abandons lying, even in jest.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 4800, excerpt).
A person must accustom himself to truthfulness and guard against lying in all its forms. Whoever abandons lying, even when employed as humour, has been given this noble promise: a house in the middle of Paradise.
The Third Degree: Refining One’s Character
The ḥadīth states:
وَبِبَيْتٍ فِي أَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ حَسَّنَ خُلُقَهُ
“And of a house in the highest reaches of Paradise for whoever refines his character.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 4800, excerpt).
This is the principal point of evidence for which the ḥadīth is cited. It clarifies the station of noble character, demonstrates the loftiness of this rank, and points decisively to its virtue and importance.
A Clarification by al-Imām al-Albānī
The following exchange, recorded on cassette tape 169 of Fatāwā ʿabr al-Hātif wa-s-Sayyārah further clarifies a subtle but important distinction within the ḥadīth.
The ḥadīth is authentic. However, the portion you cited:
أَنَا زَعِيمٌ بِبَيْتٍ فِي رَبَضِ الْجَنَّةِ
“I am the guarantor of a house in the rabḍ of Paradise” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 4800, excerpt).
It pertains to the one who abandons disputation whilst he is in the wrong. As for the one who abandons disputation whilst he is in the right, for him is a house in the highest reaches of Paradise.
When two people argue, either the truth is with one of them or with the other. In the midst of the argument, and such is human nature, as the Lord of creation said:
وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا
“And man is, of all things, the most contentious.” [Q 18:54, excerpt]
a person may champion his own position, whilst knowing inwardly that he is arguing in falsehood. Then he recalls this ḥadīth and cuts the argument short. This person, knowing he argues in falsehood and then ceasing to do so has a house built for him in the rabḍ of Paradise.
As for the one who is arguing whilst the truth is on his side: he continues the argument, yet comes to perceive that the disputation with the one in the wrong is not yielding the desired outcome namely, that which is referred to in the saying of Allah :
وَجَٰدِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ
“And argue with them in the manner that is best.” [Q 16:125, excerpt]
It becomes apparent to him that this particular exchange is neither benefiting the other party nor achieving the purpose of argumentation in the best manner. He therefore abandons the dispute and the truth is with him. The recompense of such a person with Allah is that a house is built for him in the highest reaches of Paradise.
References
- Al-Qurʾān al-Karīm. Translated by Muḥammad Taqī ad-Dīn al-Hilālī and Muḥammad Muḥsin Khān. Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qurʾān. Riyadh: Dār as-Salām, 1996.
- Al-ʿAbbād al-Badr, ʿAbd al-Muḥsin ibn Ḥamad (b. 1353 AH/1934 CE). Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Audio lectures.
- Abū Dāwūd, Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath as-Sijistānī (d. 275 AH/889 CE). Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Edited by Muḥammad Muḥyī ad-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beirut: al-Maktabah al-ʿAṣriyyah, n.d. Kitāb al-Adab, Bāb fī Ḥusn al-Khuluq, no. 4800.
- Al-Albānī, Muḥammad Nāṣir ad-Dīn (d. 1420 AH/1999 CE), Fatāwā ʿabr al-Hātif wa-s-Sayyārah, cassette 169.
- Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī (d. 852 AH/1449 CE). Fatḥ al-Bārī fī Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Edited by Muḥibb ad-Dīn al-Khaṭīb. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, 1379 AH. Vol. 13, p. 1811.
