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Jami` at-Tirmidhi

كتاب السير عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

The Book on Military Expeditions

Chapter 21Hadith 1602

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ تَبْدَءُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى بِالسَّلاَمِ وَإِذَا لَقِيتُمْ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ فَاضْطَرُّوهُمْ إِلَى أَضْيَقِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَأَنَسٍ وَأَبِي بَصْرَةَ الْغِفَارِيِّ صَاحِبِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَمَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ‏"‏ لاَ تَبْدَءُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّمَا مَعْنَى الْكَرَاهِيَةِ لأَنَّهُ يَكُونُ تَعْظِيمًا لَهُ وَإِنَّمَا أُمِرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ بِتَذْلِيلِهِمْ وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا لَقِيَ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ فَلاَ يَتْرُكُ الطَّرِيقَ عَلَيْهِ لأَنَّ فِيهِ تَعْظِيمًا لَهُمْ ‏.‏

That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Do not precede the Jews and the Christians with the Salam. And if one you meets one of them in the path, then force him to its narrow portion." [He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Umar, Anas, and Abu Basrah Al-Ghifari the Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ). [Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. And regarding the meaning of this Hadith: "Do not precede the Jews and the Christians": Some of the poeple of knowledge said that it only means that it is disliked because it would be honoring them, and the Muslims were ordered to humiliate them. For this reason, when one of them is met on the path, then the path is not yielded for him, because doing so would amount to honoring them.

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When Allah wants two hearts to meet, what is the hadith?
A widely quoted teaching states that when Allah wants two people to meet, He makes their paths converge — often summarized as when He wants two hearts to meet, they will meet. Muslims frequently reflect on this narration as a reminder of divine decree (qadar), trust in Allah's plan, and patience regarding relationships and life events. Always verify wording and grading with qualified scholars and authentic sources.