SITTING HALF UNDER THE SHADE AND HALF UNDER THE SUN IS NOT APPROVED

• One should move away from the place when the shade goes away over him and one half of him is left under the shadow and the other half is left under the sun. (Abu Dawud)
• Burayda Ibnu’l Husayb (RA) narrates: “The apostle of God (PBUH) forbad sitting between the shadow and the sun.” (Ibn Maja)
• It is stated in this hadith the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warned people against leaving one side of their body under the shadow and the other side under the sun because this causes the human body to be affected by two opposite effective forces. When the body is left under two opposite effects, it becomes unbalanced. For this reason, one may lose his/her health.

THE SHOES ARE TAKEN OFF AND PUT ASIDE WHILE SITTING

• Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) narrates: “It is sunnah of a person to take off his shoes and put aside while sitting.” (Bukhari, Adab-ul Mufrad)

ONE SHOULD NOT SIT BETWEEN TWO PERSONS WITHOUT GETTING PERMISSION

• It is not Halal for a person to sit between two persons without getting permission. (Abu Dawud) It is an exception when permission is given. (Bukhari, Adab-ul Mufrad)

IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO MAKE SOMEONE STAND UP AND SIT IN HIS PLACE

• None of you should make someone stand up and sit in his place. However, you can enlarge the sitting circle and make room. May GOD give you vastness. (Bukhari)
• If someone arrives at a council and a place is given to him, he should sit there; if not, he should look for and sit in a wider place. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

A PERSON MAY RETURN TO THE SAME SEAT FROM WHERE HE LEAVES

• When a person leaves his seat for a need and returns, he will have more right than anyone else to sit in his previous seat. (Tirmidhi)
• Abu’d Darda (RA) narrates: “When the apostle of God (PBUH) used to sit somewhere, we sat near him. And when he decided to leave his seat and wished to return, he used to take off his sweater or turban and put it where he sat. So, his companions knew that he would return and they continued sitting in their places.” (Abu Dawud)

THE GOOD SEATING IS THE WIDER ONE

• The widest seating is the most auspicious one. (Bukhari, Adab-ul Murfad)

THE EXCELLENT SITTING PLACE IS THE ONE WHICH IS TOWARDS THE QIBLAH

• The best sitting place is the one which is towards the Qiblah. (Tabarani)
• Everything has a form which is the best and optimum. The best sitting places are the ones that are towards the Qiblah. (Tabarani)

COLLECTIVE SITTING AT ENLIGHTENMENT ASSEMBLIES IS ADVISED

• When you sit in front of a scholar or are present in an enlightenment assembly, draw close to them and sit collectively; do not sit disorderly like the people of ignorance. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

OTHERS ARE NOT DISTURBED WHILE SITTING

• While sitting, the apostle of God (PBUH) didn’t use to extend his blessed feet in order not to cause his companions to squeeze. (Daraqutni)

MAKING THE BEST OF SITTING PLACES

• Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrates: “The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prohibited sitting in streets; so, his companions said to him: “O apostle of God (PBUH)! It is hard for us to sit in our homes.” The prophet answered: “If you sit, make the best of sitting places.” Then, his companions asked him: O apostle of God! What does making the best of sitting places mean? The apostle of God answered: “It means showing the way who is asking the address, responding greetings, ordering the good and forbidding evil” (Bukhari, Adab-ul Mufrad)

THE PRESENT GIVEN TO A PERSON BELONGS TO THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH IT IS GIVEN

• When one of you is given a present, the people around him have a share from it. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

THE OFFERING OF MATTRESS IS NOT REJECTED

• Three things should not be rejected: Mattress, oil and perfume. (Tirmidhi)

THE PEOPLE IN A GATHERING SHOULD NOT TALK AT THE SAME TIME

• If someone talks and the others do not stop talking during a gathering, GOD takes the blessing away from that place. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

THE THREE POSSIBLE GRAVE SINS IN AN ASSEMBLY

• Talking about the following three issues in an assembly is a grave sin:
  1. Planning to shed blood
  2. Talking about the sexual intercourse profanely and lustfully.
  3. Planning to disseize someone’s property.

HOW TO BEHAVE IN A GATHERING WHERE BACKBITING TAKES PLACE?

• When you come across with the backbiting of someone else in a gathering, defend the person who is backbitten. And try to prevent that community from that behavior or leave that place. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

WHEN THERE ARE THREE PEOPLE IN A GATHERING, SATAN CANNOT DISTURB THEM

• Satan disturbs a lonely person or when there are two people. If there are three, it cannot give disturbance to them. (Muwatta)

NEVER GO TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT WELCOMED

• Fear from God. If you hear good things when you are about to leave a gathering, go there again. But if you hear things that are not pleasant, never go there again. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

THE PROMINENT FIGURE OF A COMMUNITY IS SERVED

• When the prominent figure of a community comes, respect him. Serve him. (Ibn Maja)

DO NOT STAND UP FOR ANYONE

• Abu Umama (RA) narrates: “One day the apostle of God came to near us; he had a staff in his hand. We stood up. He said, “Do not stand up like foreign people do in order to glorify one another.” (Abu Dawud)

THE PERSON WHO SERVES A DRINK TO A COMMUNITY DRINKS IT IN THE END.

• The person who serves a drink to a community drinks it in the end. (Abu Dawud)

WHAT IS IT NECESSARY TO SAY WHILE LEAVING AN ASSEMBLY

• Zubayr Ibn Awwam (ra) narrates: I said, “O Messenger of God! After we leave your assembly, we get involved with the words that belong to the Era of Jahiliyya.” The Messenger of God (pbuh) said,” When you are in a place where you fear that you will commit sins, say the following prayer when you leave so that it will be atonement for the sins that you receive in that place: “O God! You are free of incomplete attributes and things that are not worthy of you. We ask forgiveness from you. We repent to you.” (Tabarani)

• Hz. Aisha (ra) narrates: “When the Messenger of God sat at an assembly, recited the Quran and performed a prayer, he always ended his words with certain words. I said, “You always end your deeds with certain words when you sit somewhere, recite the Quran and perform a prayer. Why?” He said,” A person who has uttered good words will end his deed in a nice way with this prayer. If he has uttered bad words, this prayer will be atonement for them. (Then, he recited the prayer mentioned above.) (Nasai)

• Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) narrates: “The Messenger of God said the following prayer when he stood up from a place where he was sitting with believers:  “O God! Allocate us some share of your awe that will prevent us from rebelling against you, your prayer that will lead us to Paradise and your belief that will make the misfortunes of the word harmless for us. Make us benefit from our ears, eyes and strength as long as we live and make those bounties permanent for us. Make our revenge effective only against those who oppress us. Make us victorious against those who are enemies of us. Do net send us misfortunes from our religion. Do not make the world our greatest worry and the last degree that our knowledge can attain. Do not send those who do not show mercy on us against us. (Nasai)

• When the Messenger of God wanted to leave an assembly, he would utter “astaghfirullah” ten or fifteen times. (Ramuz al-Ahadith)

THE ASSEMBLIES OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD IN GENERAL

• “He treated many things to those who visited him. He sometimes gave the mattress he was sitting on to his visitors and asked him to sit on it. He gave different nicknames to his friends (like Abu Turab, Abu Hurayra, etc).  He called them with the names that they liked best in order to honor them. He never interrupted anyone. He continued the conversation until the person he was talking to stopped or stood up in order to leave. When someone came and sat next to him while he was praying, he would end his prayer quickly and ask him what he wanted. After meeting his need, he would continue praying. (Qadi Iyad)

• Anas Ibn Malik (ra) narrates: “The Messenger of God (pbuh) was given a glass of milk. He drank some of it. Hazrat Abu Bakr was on his left and a Bedouin was on his right side. He gave the remaining milk to the Bedouin and said, “The priority belongs to the one on the right. Pass the milk to the right side after that.  (Bukhari)