Benefits & Rulings:

➊ ‘Amr ibn Maymoon (may Allah have mercy on him) used to visit Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) every Thursday, because Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) used to hold a weekly gathering for knowledge and admonition.

It is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari that when he was requested multiple times to hold more than one session of advice and instruction, he replied: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would also give advice occasionally, choosing the appropriate time and opportunity, so that the listeners would not become bored.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, Chapter: Appointing fixed days for the people of knowledge, Hadith: 70)

Therefore, it is appropriate to assign a specific time for teaching or admonishing, so people can benefit conveniently and regularly.

➋ The hadith includes the Arabic word ‘ashiyyah, which we have translated as “late afternoon.” In Arabic, the term refers to the time from the declining of the sun until sunset. It is possible that this gathering was held after the Dhuhr prayer or after Asr. Allah knows best.

➌ Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) avoided narrating hadiths word-for-word lest a word be wrongly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he did not actually say. However, many other Companions used to narrate hadiths verbatim.

Both forms of narration — verbatim and meaning-based — are valid. Verbatim narration is superior, while narration by meaning requires greater caution.

➍ Among the etiquettes of hadith narration is that if one does not fully recall the exact words, he should mention the hadith and then say: “aw kama qala” — “or as he (the Prophet) said.”

This practice will be observed in a coming narration where Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) used this phrase.