Knowing and Learning about your lineages

Why are we (especially West Indian and American reverts) always encouraged not to care about their lineages when the it is a sunnah to learn them? The Prophet sullahu alayhi wa salaam learned and knew his. The sahaabah knew theirs and we are actually encouraged to in more than one narration to learn and know ours.

The Prophet sullahu alayhi wa salaam FREED a slave just because of her lineage !

 

Sahih al-Bukhari 2543 Book 49, Hadith 27 On the authority of Abu Huraira:

I have loved the people of the tribe of Bani Tamim ever since I heard, three things, that Allah’s Messenger may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said about them. I heard him saying, The people of the tribe of Bani Tamim will stand firm against Ad-Dajjal.” When the charitable goods from that tribe came, Allah’s Messenger may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said, “These are the charitable goods of our people.” Aisha had a slave-girl from that tribe, and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to Aisha, “Manumit her as she is a descendant of the Prophet Ishmael .

 

‎حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ الْقَعْقَاعِ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ لاَ أَزَالُ أُحِبُّ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ‏.‏ وَحَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ سَلاَمٍ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ‏.‏ وَعَنْ عُمَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ مَا زِلْتُ أُحِبُّ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ مُنْذُ ثَلاَثٍ سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ فِيهِمْ، سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ ‏”‏ هُمْ أَشَدُّ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الدَّجَّالِ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ وَجَاءَتْ صَدَقَاتُهُمْ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ هَذِهِ صَدَقَاتُ قَوْمِنَا ‏”‏‏.‏ وَكَانَتْ سَبِيَّةٌ مِنْهُمْ عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ أَعْتِقِيهَا فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ‏”‏‏.‏


Umar bin Al Khattab radi Allahu anhu was a master in this field and encourages it too:

Tirmidhi : Book 27, Hadith 85

On the authority of Abu Hurairah who  narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

“Learn enough about your lineages to aid keeping your ties of kinship. For indeed keeping the ties of kinship encourages affection amongst relatives, increases  wealth, and increases the lifespan.”

‎حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ عِيسَى الثَّقَفِيِّ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ، مَوْلَى الْمُنْبَعِثِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ تَعَلَّمُوا مِنْ أَنْسَابِكُمْ مَا تَصِلُونَ بِهِ أَرْحَامَكُمْ فَإِنَّ صِلَةَ الرَّحِمِ مَحَبَّةٌ فِي الأَهْلِ مَثْرَاةٌ فِي الْمَالِ مَنْسَأَةٌ فِي الأَثَرِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ ‏”‏ مَنْسَأَةٌ فِي الأَثَرِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ يَعْنِي زِيَادَةً فِي الْعُمُرِ ‏.‏

 

Adab Al Mufrad Book 2, Hadith 26 .. Authenticated by Al Baani

Jubayr ibn Mut’im said that he heard ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab say on the minbar, “Learn your lineages so that you can maintain ties of kinship. By Allah, if there are some bad feelings between a man and his brother and he knows that there is kinship between him and that man, that will prevent him from breaking with him.”

 

‎حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ خَالِدٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا عَتَّابُ بْنُ بَشِيرٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُطْعِمٍ، أَنَّ جُبَيْرَ بْنَ مُطْعِمٍ أَخْبَرَهُ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ‏:‏ تَعَلَّمُوا أَنْسَابَكُمْ، ثُمَّ صِلُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ، وَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لِيَكُونُ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَبَيْنَ أَخِيهِ الشَّيْءُ، وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُ الَّذِي بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُ مِنْ دَاخِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ، لَأَوْزَعَهُ ذَلِكَ عَنِ انْتِهَاكِهِ‏.‏

 

Even slaves knew their lineages even after being sold to multiple owners!

 

It was narrated by Hamza Ibn Suhaib that Suhaib Al-Rumi may Allah be pleased with him used to have the nickname  “Abu Yahya”, used to say that he is an Arab and used to feed people lots of food. So Umar may Allah be pleased with him said to him, “O Suhaib! Why were you given the nickname “Abu Yahya”  while you don’t have a child, you say that you are an Arab, and you feed people plenty of food while that is excess in wealth?”. So Suhaib may Allah be pleased with him replied, “Without a doubt, the Prophet of Allah may allah’s peace and blessings be upon him gave me the  nickname “Abu Yahya”. As for your statement about my lineage, I am a man from Nemir Ibn Qasit from the people of Mawsul but I was captured and made a slave when I was a young boy and as a result I surely neglected my family and people. As for your statement about the food, without a doubt the Prophet of Allah may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him used to say, “The best of you are those who feed people food and those who return the Salam “, So that is what makes me feed people.”

Authentic Sheikh AlBaany may allah have mercy upon him in ‘Silsilah as-Saheehah’, 1/73
.

نْ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ صُهَيْبٍ أَنَّ صُهَيْبًا رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ كَانَ يُكَنَّى أَبَا يَحْيَى وَيَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مِنْ الْعَرَبِ وَيُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ الْكَثِيرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ: يَا صُهَيْبُ مَا لَكَ تُكَنَّى أَبَا يَحْيَى وَلَيْسَ لَكَ وَلَدٌ وَتَقُولُ إِنَّكَ مِنْ الْعَرَبِ وَتُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ الْكَثِيرَ وَذَلِكَ سَرَفٌ فِي الْمَالِ فَقَالَ صُهَيْبٌ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَنَّانِي أَبَا يَحْيَى وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ فِي النَّسَبِ فَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ النَّمِرِ بْنِ قَاسِطٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَوْصِلِ وَلَكِنِّي سُبِيتُ غُلَامًا صَغِيرًا قَدْ غَفَلْتُ أَهْلِي وَقَوْمِي وَأَمَّا قَوْلُكَ  فِي الطَّعَامِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ: “خِيَارُكُمْ مَنْ أَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ وَرَدَّ السَّلَامَ”  فذلك الذي يحملني على الطعم الطعام

  صححه الألباني في “السلسلة الصحيحة ج ١  ص ٧٣


 Abdullah Ibn Salam may Allah be pleased with him knew that he was being spoken to by Allah and answered to Allah’s invitation to Islam because he knew his LINEAGE .

Sahih Al Bukhari 3812

“I have never heard the Prophet sullahu alayhi wa salam saying anything about anybody walking on the earth that verily he is from the people of Paradise except `Abdullah bin Salam. The following Verse was revealed concerning him: “And a witness from the children of Israel testifies that this Qur’an is true” (46.10)

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ، مَوْلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ مَا سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ لأَحَدٍ يَمْشِي عَلَى الأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ‏.‏ إِلاَّ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلاَمٍ قَالَ وَفِيهِ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ ‏{‏وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ‏}‏ الآيَةَ‏.‏ قَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي قَالَ مَالِكٌ الآيَةَ أَوْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ‏.‏