Sharh · explanationclick to expand
It is incumbent on every Muslim to show love, affection, reverence, and respect for the family of the Prophet ﷺ. This hadeeth highlights the virtues of the Prophet’s grandson, Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alee (may Allah be pleased with them), as narrated by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. It was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he once went with the Prophet ﷺ sometime during the day, and they did not speak during their walk, perhaps because the Prophet ﷺ was thinking about something regarding the divine revelation or otherwise, and Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not speak out of respect for the Prophet ﷺ. This was the practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); they used to leave the Prophet ﷺ unbothered whenever they found himpreoccupied. When the Prophet ﷺreached the marketplace of Banee Qaynuqaa‘, i.e., a Jewish tribe in Al-Madeenah that inhabited it prior to the Prophet’s migration and built a marketplace inside their fortress named after them. Then he ﷺ left, as recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, and went to the courtyard of his daughter Faatimah's house and sat there. He ﷺ then called upon them saying, “Is the little chap (i.e., Al-Hasan) there? Is the little one here?” (i.e., Is there anyone home?) The Arabic word used in the hadeeth is Luka‘, and one of its meanings is a very young child, referring to Al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him). Afterward, Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that Faatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) kept his grandson Al-Hasan in for a while. He (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that she was either putting a necklace on him or giving him a bath. The Arabic word for necklace that was used in the hadeeth is Sikhaab, which was a necklace made of cloves, musk, oud and the like of pleasant perfumes, made in the shape of a rosary necklace for young boys and servants, or it was a string of beads called Sikhaabaa because it produced a sound when its beads moved, and the name Sikhaab linguistically denotes mixed sounds. After a while the boy came out running, upon hearing the Prophet ﷺcalling for him. The Prophet ﷺaffectionately embraced and kissed him, mirroring the mutual love between him and his grandchildren. He ﷺ then supplicated Allah, Exalted is He, in his favor saying, 'O Allah! Love him, and love whoever loves him.' This means that the reward for loving the Prophet’s family will be earning the love of Allah, Exalted is He. It is deduced from the hadeeth that young boys should be cleaned and dressed properly, especially when meeting adults. The hadeeth also urges adults to play with young children and treat them kindly to foster mutual love and affection. The hadeeth also underlines the virtues and merits of Al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him). .