What is the Explanation of the Following Two Hadiths?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Could you please shed some light on the following hadith of Bukhari (2353 & 2354)? And is the prohibition stated therein one of haram or makruh?
لاَ يُمْنَعُ فَضْلُ الْمَاءِ لِيُمْنَعَ بِهِ الْكَلأُ- لاَ تَمْنَعُوا فَضْلَ الْمَاءِ لِتَمْنَعُوا بِهِ فَضْلَ الْكَلإِ
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) as saying, “Do not withhold excess water to prevent thereby extra herbage growing.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), said, “Do not withhold the surplus water, for that will prevent people from grazing their cattle.” [Bukhari]
It is prohibited to withhold surplus water because if animals are prevented from water, no one will get their animals there to graze. One who disallows water directly prevents grazing. It is the main diet of the animals, so it is not correct to disallow it. Of course, if there is no excess water, then it is right to prefer one’s needs.
[Dehlawi, Madha’hir Haq, Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih]
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
