Temptation, gratitude, moderation, and friendly conduct (Hadith 18–22)

Read the bilingual lesson for Temptation, gratitude, moderation, and friendly conduct (Hadith 18–22) and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. In this lesson

Five short reports address a warning about Satan’s temptation, gratitude, patience, moderation in spending, and friendly conduct toward people. Connect each word with its full expression, then use the examples to understand the meaning. Gratitude and patience are distinct qualities. “Like” compares two things without making them the same action. Retain “half” as half, without inventing a new calculation rule.

2. The bell and musical instruments

الْجَرَسُ مَزَامِيرُ الشَّيْطَانِ (رواه مسلم) Translation The bell is among Satan’s musical instruments. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الْجَرَسُthe bell مَزَامِيرُpipes or musical instruments; plural الشَّيْطَانِSatan; the tempter toward wrongdoing مَزَامِيرُ الشَّيْطَانِ means “Satan’s musical instruments.” مَزَامِيرُ alone names the instruments; “Satan’s” comes from the following word. This distinguishes a word’s own meaning from the meaning of the full expression. This is a warning concerning the bell. The short expression does not separately give a ruling for each alarm, doorbell, or modern sound.

3. The warning of a snare

النِّسَاءُ حَبَائِلُ الشَّيْطَانِ (رواه رزين) Translation Women are Satan’s snares. Arabic word or phraseMeaning النِّسَاءُwomen حَبَائِلُsnares or traps; plural الشَّيْطَانِ is the same word for Satan used in the previous expression. حَبَائِلُ الشَّيْطَانِ means “Satan’s snares.” A snare is a trap that catches someone; here it pictures being led astray. The explanation of this report describes Satan ensnaring men through women and leading them astray. Its warning concerns using attraction or relationships involving women as a means of misleading men. The next example distinguishes this warning from judging an individual woman’s character.

4. Do not turn the warning into an accusation

Teaching example: a man becomes willing to lie to gain a woman’s attention. The question is what is drawing him toward wrongdoing. If the woman did not ask him to lie, this event alone does not establish an evil intention on her part. The warning concerns Satan’s temptation. It does not establish that every woman deliberately does evil or is inferior. The sentence alone cannot reveal a particular woman’s intentions; ordinary respectful conversation is not itself the wrongdoing in this example.

5. The grateful and the patient

الطَّاعِمُ الشَّاكِرُ كَالصَّائِمِ الصَّابِرِ (رواه الترمذي) Translation A grateful person who eats is like a patient person who fasts. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الطَّاعِمُone who eats الشَّاكِرُgrateful; one who gives thanks كَالصَّائِمِlike one who fasts الصَّابِرِpatient; one who shows patience Gratitude means appreciating a blessing and giving thanks to Allah. Patience means remaining steady through difficulty. Here الطَّاعِمُ الشَّاكِرُ is “the grateful person who eats,” and الصَّائِمِ الصَّابِرِ is “the patient person who fasts.” In كَالصَّائِمِ, الصَّائِمِ means “one who fasts,” and the attached كَ means “like.” Mentioning eating and fasting while dropping gratitude and patience leaves out important qualities in the expression.

6. What being “like” means

Teaching example: one person appreciates receiving food and gives thanks to Allah. Another remains patient through the difficulty of fasting. The report compares people with these two qualities. The comparison does not calculate the reward of every meal and every fast. “Like” does not mean that eating takes the place of fasting. The example helps explain the importance of gratitude and patience.

7. Moderation in spending

الِاقْتِصَادُ فِي النَّفَقَةِ نِصْفُ الْمَعِيشَةِ (رواه البيهقي) Translation Moderation in spending is half of one’s livelihood. Arabic word or phraseMeaning الِاقْتِصَادُmoderation; keeping within reasonable bounds النَّفَقَةِspending نِصْفُhalf الْمَعِيشَةِlivelihood; living فِي means “in,” so فِي النَّفَقَةِ means “in spending.” Here الِاقْتِصَادُ concerns moderation in spending. نِصْفُ الْمَعِيشَةِ means “half of one’s livelihood”; keep half rather than an unspecified part. Teaching example: obtaining a suitable amount of what is needed differs from extra purchases merely for display. Moderation does not mean abandoning necessities either. This expression does not guarantee freedom from hardship or direct exactly half of an income into a particular budget category.

8. Affectionate conduct toward people

وَالتَّوَدُّدُ إِلَى النَّاسِ نِصْفُ الْعَقْلِ (رواه البيهقي) Translation And showing affection to people is half of good sense. Arabic word or phraseMeaning وَالتَّوَدُّدُand showing affection or friendliness النَّاسِpeople الْعَقْلِreason; good sense وَ means “and.” إِلَى marks the direction of conduct toward people here; إِلَى النَّاسِ is “toward people.” نِصْفُ is the same “half” as in the previous expression, and نِصْفُ الْعَقْلِ is “half of good sense.” It is not a method for measuring someone’s intelligence score. Teaching example: a friend asks you to help harm someone. You refuse gently and try to prevent the harm. Friendly conduct does not require agreeing to every request.

9. Recap

مَزَامِيرُ means musical instruments, and حَبَائِلُ means snares. In the full expressions, الشَّيْطَانِ connects them with Satan. Do not use the snare warning to decide a particular woman’s intentions. The grateful eater and patient faster are two fully qualified groups; كَ means “like.” Moderation in spending helps distinguish need from unnecessary excess; it does not promise immunity from hardship. Kindness does not mean agreeing to wrongdoing. نِصْفُ means half. Explain each example’s distinction in your own words, then connect it with the Arabic.

Practice questions

Question 1: Check your understanding

How does مَزَامِيرُ alone differ in meaning from the full expression مَزَامِيرُ الشَّيْطَانِ?

  • The word means bell; the expression means instruments
  • The word means instruments; the expression means Satan’s instruments
  • The word means Satan’s instruments; the expression means bell

Question 2: Check your understanding

What temptation is warned about in the studied explanation of حَبَائِلُ الشَّيْطَانِ?

  • Men recognizing the intentions of every woman
  • Women deliberately making every relationship harmful
  • Satan leading men astray through women

Question 3: Check your understanding

A man deliberately abandons an important task entrusted to him to gain a woman’s attention. She did not ask him to do so. Which conclusion is justified?

  • Examine the man’s wrong action; her intention is not established
  • Since he abandoned the task, she must have wanted that
  • Since she did not ask, his action is also justified

Question 4: Check your understanding

A translation says only “The person who eats is like the person who fasts.” What important element has been omitted?

  • The separate times of eating and fasting
  • The eater’s gratitude and the faster’s patience
  • The amount of food and number of fasting days

Question 5: Arrange the expression

Arrange the studied Arabic expression about the grateful eater and the patient faster.

Question 6: Check your understanding

What does كَالصَّائِمِ express?

  • Acting in place of a person who fasts
  • Being present with a person who fasts
  • A comparison: being like a person who fasts

Question 7: Check your understanding

A child’s schoolbag is torn and books fall out. Which choice shows the balance taught in the lesson?

  • Buy one suitable, sturdy bag for the books
  • Keep using the torn bag to save the money
  • Buy several extra bags to display new styles

Question 8: Check your understanding

After reading نِصْفُ الْمَعِيشَةِ, someone says, “Everyone must put exactly half their income into one category.” How should this conclusion be assessed?

  • Translate half only as an important part; no amount matters
  • Half remains, but this specific budget allocation is not given
  • The word half is sufficient instruction for that allocation

Question 9: Words and meanings

Match the Arabic words with their meanings.

Question 10: Check your understanding

A colleague wants credit for work someone else did. How can you combine friendly conduct with doing what is right?

  • Confirm the claim to keep the relationship pleasant
  • Humiliate the colleague publicly to stop the wrong
  • Respectfully explain who actually did the work

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