Ibn Ḥajar and Muḥammad al-ʿAbdah on the Wisdom of Shepherding

A side note — a bit, just a little bit about him: Ibn Ḥajar is one of the classical scholars. He wrote the most prominent commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Ibn Ḥajar was a scholar in different fields — hadith, fiqh, ʿaqīdah. His commentary on al-Bukhārī is the most famous and the most prominent; there are other commentaries on al-Bukhārī, but none of them gained the prominence of Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī. Since this hadith is in al-Bukhārī, here is Ibn Ḥajar's comment on this particular hadith. He says: the wisdom behind having the prophets as shepherds before Prophethood is that they may become skilled in herding a flock, as they will be responsible for their respective nations in the future. In herding, one attains forbearance and mercy, and imbues patience, for when a shepherd is obliged to gather his flock and herd it from one area to another at once, knowing the traits of all, and all the while protecting the flock from predators, he has thus attained the skills necessary to lead the nation and protect it from its enemies, both within and abroad. Thus the prophets learned patience when leading their people, and attained an understanding of the different natures of people — they learned to show kindness to the weak and resolve with the dominant. The reason Allah (swt) decreed the sheep for the prophets, as opposed to the communal cows or camels, is that they are animals that are weak and need extra guidance and attention. Sheep are more difficult to maintain as a flock, because of their propensity to go astray and wander away — this is akin to human traits within a society, and it is the divine wisdom of Allah to train these prophets accordingly. And the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s mentioning of this humble trait, shared by all prophets, attests to his humility before Allah.

Muḥammad al-ʿAbdah, who is a contemporary writer, also comments on this, and he states: "This faith excels through the free thinkers, the courageous, the intelligent, and those who are just, and one can't encompass it except by distancing themselves from lowly character. It is therefore incumbent upon the Muslims to take on the pure characteristics embodied in humanity's natural disposition." This was the example that was sought by the early khalīfah, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, when he pleaded with his people to toughen up and learn how to ride a steed. He feared for his people the longing for this life and the adopting of reprehensible characteristics. This doesn't mean that one must abandon urban living in order to achieve the stated objectives, but it does mean that one should abandon those things in their life that turn them away from the difficulties of this message.

Muḥammad al-ʿAbdah is actually commenting on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) living as a shepherd in the desert, and also on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) being brought up in the desert in the early years of his life. And then he draws in the saying of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb: when he was khalīfah he could have had access to the best that this world could offer, but he still lived a simple life, and he was warning the Muslims, telling them that they need to toughen up, because this message sometimes demands going through difficult situations, and you need to be prepared and ready for that. Daʿwah is one aspect a dāʿī cannot be sincere and wholeheartedly involved in, if they cannot have patience and are not willing to go into situations that might be difficult.