MuhammadМухаммад

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The line is in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903), 28 November, signed «Магомет», word for word; its source there is not named, and no hadith with this wording was found. Closest in Matthews's Mishkat: 'the most beloved, near God, is the person who does good to God's family' (all creation), and 'he is perfect who does good to them, when they do not to him'. The related saying in Tolstoy's 1909 selection from al-Suhrawardy ('be merciful to man on earth, to the good or to the evil') came to him in 1908, after the Circle's first edition.

Searched: Thoughts of Wise Men (1903) and its commentary (Jubilee vol. 40); Matthews's English Mishkat al-Masabih (1809-10); Conway's Sacred Anthology; Tolstoy's 1909 «Изречения Магомета» (Jubilee vol. 40).

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakat; in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book of Alms, Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakat, no. 1402 as numbered on Wikisource; Matthews, Mishcat-ul-Masabih vol. I, Book VI, ch. V ('Of persons for whom it is not lawful to beg').

Tolstoy follows Matthews' English of the Mishkat closely, his second sentence included: 'if they do not give him, his reputation suffers, and he returns disappointed; and if they give him, it is worse than that; for it lays him under obligation' is a gloss Matthews adds to the hadith (the Arabic ends 'whether they give to him or refuse him'). So the Mishkat in Matthews' English, or a book quoting it, was what Tolstoy read, as in December (12-11.4). He drops 'in which case God guards his honour' (literally 'God keeps his face by it') and makes the shame of a refusal «стыдно и досадно». Al-Zubayr's hadith; Abu Hurayra has the same saying in two shorter forms (nos. 1401 and 1410 on Wikisource). Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903).

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Hadith: Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Jihad, no. 2548; in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book of Marriage, Abu Dawud 2548 (chapter on caring for riding animals and beasts); Matthews, Mishcat-ul-Masabih vol. II, Book XIII, ch. XVII (on maintenance and on slaves).

The hadith is in Matthews' English of the Mishkat, which April's and December's Muhammad sayings came through: 'fear God, in these dumb quadrupeds, and ride them when they are fit to be rode, and get off them when they are tired.' Tolstoy keeps 'fear God' and the two halves of the rule, as «пользуйтесь ими, пока они служат охотно» (use them while they serve willingly) and «отпускайте их, когда они устали» (let them go when they are tired), and adds two things not in Matthews or in the Arabic: «не мучьте животных» (do not torment animals) and «давайте вволю пищи и питья бессловесным» (give the dumb creatures plenty to eat and drink). Where the additions came from was not found; the Arabic of Abu Dawud ends «وكلوها صالحة» (eat them, or feed them, while they are in good condition), a reading other than Matthews' 'get off them when they are tired'; the Arabic of the Mishkat itself was not checked. The Prophet spoke on seeing a camel whose belly had shrunk to its back from hunger. Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903) or Conway.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Hadith: Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Rada, no. 1467; in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book of Marriage, Muslim 1467 (chapter: the best enjoyment of the world is the righteous woman); Matthews, Mishcat-ul-Masabih vol. II, Book XIII, ch. I, part I, p. 77.

Matthews's English of the Mishkat, which gave the Muhammad sayings of April, May, and December: 'The world and all things in it are valuable; but the most valuable thing in the world, is a virtuous woman.' Tolstoy makes 'valuable' beautiful: «Весь мир и всё в нем прекрасно, но самое прекрасное в мире — это добродетельная женщина» (the whole world and all in it is beautiful, but the most beautiful thing in the world is a virtuous woman). The Arabic of Muslim 1467 says 'the world is enjoyment (matāʿ), and the best enjoyment of the world is the righteous woman.' Tolstoy's later selection «Изречения Магомета, не вошедшие в Коран» (1909), translated for him by S. D. Nikolaev from Abdullah al-Suhrawardy's The Sayings of Mahomet, which he read in 1908 (Jubilee vol. 40 commentary), has the same saying as «Драгоценен мир…» (precious), nearer Matthews's 'valuable'; Suhrawardy's text was not checked. Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903) or Conway.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Hadith: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Birr wa al-Sila, nos. 1956 and 1970; in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book of Zakat, Tirmidhi 1956 (Abu Dharr) and 1970 (Jabir); Matthews, Mishcat-ul-Masabih vol. I, Book VI, ch. VII (In explanation of sunnat alms); Conway (1874), no. CCCXXIII, Charity, p. 216.

Conway's section 'Charity', which Tolstoy follows to its sixth sentence: 'Every good act is charity. Giving water to the thirsty is charity. Removing stones and thorns from the road is charity. Exhorting your fellow-men to virtuous deeds is charity. Putting a wanderer in the right path is charity. Smiling in your brother's face is charity.' Tolstoy drops 'and thorns' and Conway's last two sentences ('A man's true wealth is the good he does in this world…'); his «милосердие» is Conway's 'charity', the Arabic ṣadaqa (alms). Conway built the list from Matthews's English of the Mishkat (1809), joining two traditions that stand together there: Jabir's 'Every good act is charity' (Tirmidhi 1970, which goes on to meeting your brother with an open face and pouring water from your bucket into his vessel) and Abu Dharr's (Tirmidhi 1956), which opens with the smile and names commanding the good, forbidding the wrong, guiding a man in the land where he is lost, helping a man of poor sight, removing stones, thorns and bones from the road, and pouring from your bucket into your brother's. Conway's 'Giving water to the thirsty' takes its words from the tradition that follows in Matthews, Sa'd ibn Ubada's ('water is the best alms; that is, dig a well for her, and give water to the thirsty'); he leaves out the forbidding of wrong, the help to the blind, and the bones, and moves the smile to the end. The printed editions signed it «Мишхат (Магомет)»; the Jubilee editors corrected the signature to «Предание Мишкат (Магомет)» (vol. 42). Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903).

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Hadith: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Ahkam no. 1358 (also Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah); in Mishkat al-Masabih, Book of Sales, ch. I, Tirmidhi 1358; Matthews, Mishcat-ul-Masabih vol. II, Book XII ('On Barter'), ch. I.

Tolstoy's Russian is word for word Matthews' English of the Mishkat ('Verily the best things which you eat are those which you earn yourselves, or which your children earn'), so the Mishkat in this translation, or a book quoting it, was probably his source (the Jubilee editors sign another of his Muhammad sayings 'Предание Мишкат', July 11). The Arabic says 'the best of what you eat is from your own earning, and your children are of your earning', i.e. a father may live from what his children earn; Matthews and Tolstoy make the children earners. A hadith, not the Qur'an. Not in Tolstoy's 1909 booklet from Suhrawardy's Sayings of Muhammad; his 1909 «Для души» has a shorter form ('Which is the best food? That which you have earned yourselves').