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Refutations

The Hadith of the People of Paradise and Hell — Meaning of Zabr

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The Hadith of the People of Paradise and Hell — Meaning of Zabr

Table of Contents

The Hadith Text

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in his sermon: “Indeed, my Lord has commanded me to teach you what you do not know of what He has taught me this day. All wealth that I have given to a servant is lawful, and I have created all of My servants as monotheists, but the devils came to them and led them astray from their religion and made unlawful for them what I made lawful…

And verily, Allah looked at the people of the earth and detested them, their Arabs and their non-Arabs, except for a remnant of the People of the Scripture. And He said, ‘I have only sent you to test you and to test others. And I have sent down to you a Book which water cannot wash away. You read it while asleep and while awake…’

And verily, Allah has commanded me to burn the Quraysh.” Then I said, “My Lord, would they then shave my head and call it bread?” He said, “Extract them as they extracted you, and attack them, and We will attack you. Spend, and We will spend on you. And send an army, and We will send five like it. And fight, on behalf of those who obey you, those who disobey you.”

The People of Paradise

Three Types — People of Paradise
  1. A just, charitable, and successful ruler
  2. A merciful man, tender-hearted toward every relative
  3. A chaste and modest Muslim with a family

The People of Hell

Five Types — People of Hell
  1. The weak one who has no zabr (no restraint/mind)
  2. The follower who does not seek family or wealth
  3. The traitor whose greed is not hidden, no matter how small — he always betrays
  4. The deceiver — a man who does not wake up or go to bed except that he deceives you regarding your family and wealth
  5. The obscene liar (al-shanzeer)
Note from the Author This is one of the very great hadiths with many benefits. It is recommended to read several explanations of it, not just one.

The Misunderstanding

A Common Error This impotent man thought that the words of the Prophet ﷺ — “the weak one who has no back” — meant that he has no memory.

The scholarly tradition clearly refutes this. See the explanations below.

Scholarly Explanations of Zabr

Al-Nawawi

Al-Nawawi رحمه الله “The weak one who has no mind that restrains him and prevents him from what is not appropriate.”
  • It was also said: he is the one who has no money
  • It was also said: he is the one who does not have what he depends on

On al-shanzeer (the obscene): it is pronounced with a kasra on the shin and the dhad, with a sukoon on the nun between them — explained in the hadith as the one with bad character.

Al-Manawi

Al-Manawi “He who has no restraints — meaning he has no mind that restrains him, that is, that prevents him from sinning, or he has no control over his desires, so he is not deterred from an immorality or refrained from something forbidden.”

Al-Zamakhshari

Al-Zamakhshari — Al-Fa’iq “Zabar means he has no determination that restrains him, that is, prevents him from doing what is not appropriate — or cohesion — from the zabar of the well, which is its covering, because it holds together with it.”

Ibn al-Atheer

Ibn al-Atheer — Al-Nihaya ”{ Zabr } in the hadith of the people of Hell: meaning he has no mind that can restrain him and prevent him from doing what is not appropriate.”

Related usage: “If you respond to a questioner three times, then there is no harm in you rebuking him” — meaning: be harsh with him in your speech and response.

Ibn Qutaybah

Ibn Qutaybah — Gharib al-Hadith “His saying ‘no Zabr’ means he has no opinion to which one can refer.”

It is said of a man: he has no Zabr, no Zuur, and no Sayyur — if he does not have a sound opinion to which one can refer.

Lisan al-Arab

Lisan al-Arab “It is said of a man who has a mind and opinion that he has zabr and juul.”

“In the hadith of the people of Hell, he counted among them the weak one who has no zabr — meaning he has no mind to restrain him and forbid him from doing what is not appropriate.”

Origin of the word: zabr comes from the covering of a well — when it is covered, it becomes firm and solid.

Ibn Sidah said: “I think that zabr here means mind, and a man of zabir is of sound mind.”

A Weak Narration (For Reference)

Weak Hadith — Do Not Use as Evidence Al-Aqili included in Al-Du’afa: “God hates the believer who has no body.”
  • Al-Aqili declared it weak
  • Al-Albani said it is objectionable (munkar)

Closing Remark

Author’s Note This is the meaning of Zabar — and as the author states, it is not strange that minds raised on certain texts would think in such a narrow and abnormal way, and that nothing but this wickedness would run through their imaginations.