‘Abdullah — “He Loves Allah and His Apostle”
'Abdullah — "He Loves Allah and His Apostle"
'Abdullah — "He Loves Allah and His Apostle"
'Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه tells this story, and it is about a man whom many people would have given up on.
"During the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ) there was a man called `Abdullah whose nickname was Donkey"
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
His nickname was Himar — the Arabic word for a donkey. Yet this same 'Abdullah had a gift:
"he used to make Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) laugh"
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
But 'Abdullah also had a weakness he could not shake off:
"The Prophet (ﷺ) lashed him because of drinking (alcohol)."
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
And it did not happen only once:
"And one-day he was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) on the same charge and was lashed."
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
This time, a man among the people lost patience. Watching 'Abdullah being brought yet again, he burst out:
"O Allah, curse him ! How frequently he has been brought (to the Prophet (ﷺ) on such a charge)!"
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
The Prophet ﷺ stopped him at once:
> «لاَ تَلْعَنُوهُ»
"Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle."
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780
The punishment was still carried out — the sin was never excused. But the curse was forbidden, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ knew something about this man's heart that the angry onlooker did not: inside it was love for Allah and His Messenger.
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🌿 Stop and Think About This Scene
The onlooker saw only one thing: the repeated failure. The Prophet ﷺ saw two things at once — the failure, and the love inside the man. When we watch someone fall into the same sin again and again, which of the two do our eyes usually see?
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❤️ The Greatest Lesson
A believer can stumble into a sin repeatedly and still carry love for Allah and His Messenger in his heart. The Prophet ﷺ did not deny 'Abdullah's sin, and he punished it — but he defended the man's heart, and he forbade cursing a heart that held that love.
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📚 Important Lessons From This Hadith
1. Never curse a sinner. Over a man punished again and again, the Prophet ﷺ still said: "Do not curse him".
2. Correct the sin without hating the person. 'Abdullah was lashed for his drinking in the very same gathering where the Prophet ﷺ defended him.
3. We cannot see inside hearts. The Prophet ﷺ testified to what he knew of 'Abdullah's heart; we should not declare what another person's heart holds.
4. A person's worst habit is not the whole of who he is. The same man who kept drinking made the Prophet ﷺ laugh, and loved Allah and His Messenger.
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🏠 How Can We Apply This Hadith in Our Daily Lives?
When someone we know keeps falling into the same sin, we advise them, help them, and pray for them — we do not curse them or write them off as hopeless. And when we ourselves fall, we get up, return to Allah, and try again.
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🌹 The Most Beautiful Message
The man the people cursed was a man the Prophet ﷺ stood up for. Never be quick to curse a heart that loves Allah and His Messenger — you do not know what that love is worth.
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📖 Authentic Reference
Sahih al-Bukhari 6780 — Chapter: Cursing is disliked against the drunkard and he is not regarded as a non-Muslim — Grade: Sahih — Sahih al-Bukhari 6780