Book 8: The Book Of Prayer Two Eids
Overview
Sahih Muslim Book 8 details the specific practices and prophetic precedents for the two major Islamic festivals: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The text establishes several key liturgical rules: the Eid prayer must precede the sermon (Khutba), and there is no call to prayer (Adhan) or Iqama for these gatherings. A significant portion of the narrative focuses on Muhammad's specific address to women after the main sermon. He commands them to give alms, explicitly stating that women constitute the majority of the 'fuel for Hell' due to their frequent grumbling and ingratitude toward their husbands. In response, the women frantically throw their jewelry (rings and earrings) into Bilal's cloth as a form of financial expiation. The text also mandates that all women, including the unmarried, secluded, and menstruating, should attend the Eid gathering, though menstruating women are to refrain from the formal prayer. Finally, the text addresses the permissibility of celebration and entertainment on Eid. When Abu Bakr and Umar attempt to stop girls from singing with tambourines and Abyssinians from performing martial dances in the mosque, Muhammad rebukes them, stating that 'every people have a festival' and allowing the celebrations to continue, even shielding his wife Aisha so she could watch.
Key Figures
- Muhammad (Messenger of Allah) - The central authority figure whose actions (Sunnah) dictate the liturgical rules, theological declarations about Hell, and allowances for celebration.
- Bilal - Muhammad's companion who assists in collecting the alms from the women, acting as a physical receiver of their expiatory offerings.
- Ibn 'Abbas - A primary narrator who testifies to the order of the prayer and the events involving the women's almsgiving.
- Jabir b. 'Abdullah - A narrator who confirms the absence of the Adhan and details Muhammad's warning to the women about Hell.
- Abu Bakr - Muhammad's father-in-law and close companion, who attempts to stop girls from playing musical instruments, calling them the 'wind instrument of Satan,' but is corrected by Muhammad.
- 'Umar b. Khattab - A companion who attempts to stop the Abyssinians from playing with weapons in the mosque but is told by Muhammad to leave them alone.
- 'A'isha - Muhammad's wife, whose narrations establish the permissibility of entertainment, singing, and watching sports during Eid.
- Umm 'Atiyya - A female narrator who transmits the command that all women, including menstruating ones, must attend the Eid gatherings.
- Marwan b. al-Hakam - A later political leader who attempted to change the prophetic practice by delivering the sermon before the prayer, highlighting historical deviations from the Sunnah.
- Abu Sa'id al-Khudri - A companion who physically tries to stop Marwan from altering the prophetic order of the Eid service.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Expiation of Sins through Financial Almsgiving (Works-Righteousness)
Assertion
Giving alms (charity/wealth) can directly save a person from the fires of Hell, serving as a transactional expiation for personal sins like ingratitude.
Evidence from Text
asked them to give alms, for most of them are the fuel for Hell... And then they began to give alms out of their ornaments such as their earrings and rings which they threw on to the cloth of Bilal.
Evangelical Comparison
In this Hadith, salvation from Hell is presented as a transactional endeavor where financial sacrifice (giving jewelry as alms) directly mitigates the punishment for specific sins (grumbling and ingratitude). The women are terrified by the revelation that they are the 'fuel for Hell' and immediately attempt to buy their way out of judgment by throwing their wealth into Bilal's cloth. This stands in absolute antithesis to Evangelical soteriology, which is anchored in Sola Fide (faith alone) and Sola Gratia (grace alone). The Apostle Peter explicitly condemns the idea of financial redemption: 'knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ' (1 Peter 1:18-19). In the biblical worldview, human works and wealth are entirely insufficient to satisfy God's holy justice; only the substitutionary, once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ can atone for sin (Hebrews 9:12).
Gender-Specific Spiritual Condemnation
Assertion
Women constitute the majority of the inhabitants of Hell specifically due to their relational failures with their husbands (grumbling and ingratitude).
Evidence from Text
asked them to give alms, for most of them are the fuel for Hell. A woman having a dark spot on the cheek stood up and said: Why is it so, Messenger of Allah? He said: For you grumble often and show ingratitude to your spouse.
Evangelical Comparison
The text asserts a specific anthropological and spiritual vulnerability for women, claiming they make up the majority of Hell's 'fuel' because of their tendency to complain and show ingratitude to their husbands. This places a unique, gender-based spiritual burden on women, linking their eternal destiny heavily to their marital submission and demeanor. In contrast, Evangelical Christianity teaches the universal and equal depravity of all mankind. Romans 3:23 declares that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,' making no distinction between male and female propensity for damnation. Furthermore, the biblical Gospel elevates the spiritual status of women, declaring that in the matter of salvation and standing before God, 'there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Galatians 3:28). While the Bible does address marital roles (Ephesians 5), it never threatens women with being the primary inhabitants of Hell for failing in them.
Liturgical Authority of the Prophet (Sunnah)
Assertion
The specific actions, orders of service, and allowances made by Muhammad are binding religious law that must not be altered by subsequent generations.
Evidence from Text
When I saw him doing that I said: What has happened to the practice of beginning with prayer? He said: No, Abu Sa'id, what you are familiar with has been abandoned. I thereupon said... By no means, by Him in Whose hand my life is, you are not doing anything better than what I am familiar with.
Evangelical Comparison
The Hadith demonstrates the immense weight placed on the exact replication of Muhammad's actions (the Sunnah). The dispute between Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and Marwan over whether the sermon or the prayer comes first highlights that spiritual fidelity in Islam is deeply tied to exact liturgical imitation. The absence of the Adhan and the specific order of service are treated as divine mandates. Evangelicalism, operating under Sola Scriptura, maintains that while the New Testament gives general principles for worship (e.g., doing all things decently and in order, 1 Corinthians 14:40), it does not prescribe a rigid, unalterable liturgy that binds the conscience of the believer. The New Covenant emphasizes worship 'in spirit and truth' (John 4:24) rather than strict adherence to ceremonial mechanics, warning against becoming captive to 'human tradition' (Colossians 2:8).
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text teaches a works-based soteriology where financial sacrifice (alms) directly expiates sin and saves one from Hell, whereas Evangelicalism teaches salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's finished work.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The fundamental theological incompatibility between this Hadith and Evangelical Christianity lies in the doctrine of Justification. In the text, Muhammad explicitly links the avoidance of Hell to the immediate, transactional giving of wealth. When he informs the women that they are the primary 'fuel for Hell' due to their sins of ingratitude, their immediate response is to throw their jewelry into Bilal's cloth. Muhammad does not point them to God's grace, a substitutionary atonement, or a mediator; he points them to their own financial works as the mechanism for expiation. This is a clear manifestation of works-righteousness. Evangelical Christianity, built upon the pillars of Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, categorically rejects the premise that human wealth or good deeds can satisfy the wrath of God. Romans 3:20 states that 'by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.' The biblical model of salvation requires a perfect, sinless substitute to bear the penalty of sin—a role fulfilled exclusively by Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the text's assertion that women are disproportionately condemned to Hell based on marital complaints violates the biblical understanding of universal human depravity and the equalizing nature of the Gospel, where all are equally condemned in Adam and equally offered salvation in Christ (Romans 5:18, Galatians 3:28).
For All Ages
Imagine you broke a very expensive window, and the judge says you have to go to jail. In this story, the women are told they are going to a terrible place called Hell because they complained too much. To get out of it, they quickly take off their rings and earrings and give them away to pay off their punishment. They are trying to buy their way out of trouble. But the Bible teaches something completely different. The Bible says we all break God's rules, and we could never afford to pay for it, even with all the jewelry in the world. Instead, Jesus paid for our broken rules by dying on the cross. We don't have to buy our way to heaven; Jesus gives it to us as a free gift if we just trust Him.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
The text explicitly commands giving alms as a direct method to avoid Hell, making salvation dependent on financial works.
Christology (Sufficiency of the Atonement)
Replaces the need for a divine, substitutionary atonement with human financial sacrifice.
Anthropology (Equality in Depravity and Grace)
Singles out women as the majority in Hell due to marital complaints, denying the biblical equality of sin and grace across genders.
Sola Scriptura
Elevates the oral traditions and actions of Muhammad to the level of binding, infallible divine law.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Alms (Sadaqah/Zakat)"
In This Text
A financial transaction that serves as a direct expiation for sin and a mechanism to purchase one's escape from the fires of Hell.
In Evangelicalism
A fruit of the Spirit and an act of gratitude and love toward God and neighbor, performed by those who are already saved, not to earn salvation.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Escaping the punishment of Hellfire.
How Attained: Through obedience to the Prophet, avoiding specific sins (like ingratitude to husbands), and paying alms to expiate guilt.
Basis of Assurance: There is no absolute assurance; adherents must continually perform good works and give alms in hopes that their scales will tip in their favor and they will avoid the fire.
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text is diametrically opposed to Sola Fide. It presents a terrifying scenario where believers (specifically women) are told they are destined for Hell unless they immediately produce financial works. Ephesians 2:8-9 explicitly denies that salvation can be achieved through works, 'so that no one may boast'—or in this case, so that no one can buy their way out.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Observe the Eid prayer before delivering the sermon.
- Do not pronounce the Adhan or Iqama for the Eid prayers.
- Women must give alms to avoid being the fuel for Hell.
- Bring out all women for the Eid gathering, including unmarried girls, secluded women, and menstruating women.
- Menstruating women must stay away from the actual prayer but participate in the supplication.
- Women who do not have an outer garment must be covered by a sister's garment.
- Leave people alone to celebrate their festivals (allow singing and playing with weapons on Eid).
Implicit Obligations
- Women must not grumble or show ingratitude to their husbands, lest they be condemned to Hell.
- Believers must fiercely guard the original practices of the Prophet against later political or cultural innovations (as seen with Abu Sa'id correcting Marwan).
- The Imam has a duty to specifically address and exhort the women if they cannot hear the main sermon.
Ritual Requirements
- The Eid prayer consists of two rak'ahs.
- No prayers are to be offered at the Eid location before or after the main two rak'ahs.
- Recitation of Surah Qaf and Surah Al-Qamar during the Eid prayers.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- When you read the story of the women throwing their jewelry to avoid Hell, how does that make you feel about your own standing before God?
- Do you think it's possible to ever give enough alms to truly pay for our sins against a perfectly holy God?
- How do you feel about the statement that women make up the majority of Hell because of ingratitude to their husbands? Does that seem to reflect God's perfect justice?
- If God provided a way to be forgiven that didn't require us to buy our way out of punishment, would you want to know about it?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Need for a Ransom
Bilal's statement reveals a deep human instinct: the concept of substitutionary ransom. While Bilal offers his parents as a rhetorical honor to Muhammad, the Gospel reveals that God actually provided a true ransom. Jesus said, 'For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45).
Desperation for Salvation
The women's desperate action shows a profound awareness of judgment and a desire to be saved. This desperation can be bridged to the Gospel by showing that while their desire to be saved is right, their currency is wrong. God desires a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17), and He provides the payment Himself through Christ.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
Believers are taught that their eternal destiny is tied to their financial giving. This creates a constant anxiety about whether they have given enough to tip the scales and escape the fire.
The text uses the immediate threat of Hellfire as a motivational tool for compliance and charity, fostering a relationship with God based on terror rather than love and grace.
Women specifically bear a massive psychological burden, being told they are inherently more prone to damnation due to their gender and marital behavior. This fosters deep insecurity, shame, and a performance-based approach to marriage driven by fear of eternal torment.
The intense focus on the exact order of prayer, the presence or absence of the Adhan, and physical positioning creates a burden of legalistic perfectionism, where spiritual validity is tied to mechanical accuracy.