نْ بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ قَالَ: كَانَ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَتَبَادَحُونَ بِالْبِطِّيخِ، فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْحَقَائِقُ كَانُوا هُمُ الرِّجَالَ
Bakr ibn ‘Abdullah reported that the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to throw melons at one another. He said, “If it came to the Haqaaiq [the matters which required protection], they would be men.”
[Saheeh Adab al-Mufrad no. 266]
Shaikh Abdur-razaq al-‘Abbad hafidhuhallah explained the narration saying:
“That is the melon rinds. The intent is not the melon itself, but the intent is the melon rind. Sometimes after eating the melon, one of them would take hold of the melon rind and would throw it at the other as a type of joke…”
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The word (الْحَقَائِقُ ) means what a man is required to protect from his wealth or family. Ibn Mandhoor rahimahullah said:
وحقيقة الرجل : ما يلزمه حفظه ومنعه ويحق عليه الدفاع عنه من أهل بيته
“The reality of a man is what is necessary for him to protect, prevent [against], and is deserving of him to defend from the people of his household”
[Lisan ul-Arab. See Sharh Saheeh Adab Mufrad pg. 334]
So the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) use to joke around at times and at other times they were serious. That is what the narration is teaching us.
And Allah Knows Best
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
