Honey For The Heart by Taha Chaudhary Part 2

Angels Attend Funerals • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said concerning Sa’d ibn Muaadh: “Seventy thousand

angels attended his funeral, and he was squeezed (in his grave) once, then he was released.” [Sunan an-Nasai]

501

• Thus, we learn that angels attend the funerals of the righteous. Sa’d ibn Muaadh was one of the illustrious Sahabah whose Eeman and contribution in fortifying Islam were particularly noteworthy. Allah held him in such high esteem that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) told us regarding him: “This is the one at whose death

the Throne has shaken and for whom the gates of heaven are opened.” [Muslim]

May we all become righteous Muslims like Sa’d ibn Muaadh. And may our funerals also be crowded with angels. Ameen.

502

The Ender of Pleasures • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Remember often the Ender of

Pleasures.” [Sunan an-Nasai]

503

•

Those who sleep on velvet, will surely, one day sleep in soil. Kings and paupers alike will have a bed in the earth. Traveler through life, your destination is the grave. What you are traversing is two days

journey.

•

To remember death is like for a student to remember that there will be an exam at the end of the year. The more conscious he is of it, the more he will consistently prepare for it, and the better he will do when the time comes. He who parties away, heedless of his studies, will not fare well, and at the end of the year the exam will bring an end to his pleasures.

•

It is recommended for everyone to frequently remember death, and to prepare for it by obeying

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and repenting of his/her sins. A saying in Persian goes, “If childhood is spent in play, old age in laziness, and youth in mischief, when will one worship Allah?”

504

505

506

507

508

Abdullah bin Salam becomes a Muslim (I)

• “Abdullah bin Salam heard the news of the arrival of Allah’s Messenger (in Madina) while he was on a farm collecting its fruits.

So he came to the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, ‘I will ask you about three things which nobody knows unless he be a Prophet – What is the first portent of the Hour? What is the first meal of the people of Jannah? And what makes a baby resemble its father or mother?’

509

Abdullah bin Salam becomes a Muslim (I)…

• “The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Just now Jibreel has informed me about that.’ Abdullah said, ‘Jibreel?’

The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Yes.’ Abdullah said, ‘He, among the angels is the enemy of the Jews.’

On that the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) recited this ayat, ‘…Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Quran) down to your heart…’

510

Abdullah bin Salam becomes a Muslim (I)…

“Then he added, ‘As for the first portent of the Hour, it will be a fire that will collect the people from the east to west. And as for

the first meal of the people of Jannah, it will be the caudate (i.e., extra lobe) of the fish liver. And if a man’s discharge preceded that of the woman’s then the child resembles the father, and if the woman’s

discharge preceded that of the man, then the child resembles the mother.’

511

Abdullah bin Salam becomes a Muslim (I)…

“On hearing this, Abdullah said, I testify that La ilaha illAllah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) and that you are the Messenger of Allah.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

512

• Abdullah bin Salam was one of the most learned men of the Jews, a rabbi of aristocratic lineage.

He was esteemed by the Jewish as well as nonJewish residents of Madina. He would spend some time everyday in worship, teaching and preaching in the synagogue. As such, he was well versed with the Torah and the verses it contained

regarding the coming of the last prophet. His knowledge helped him to identify Muhammad (peace be upon him) with certainty as the foretold prophet. Since he was sincere in his worship of Allah, he did not hesitate to embrace Islam once convinced of its authenticity as divine revelation. Unlike most of his co-religionists, he

was quick to accept Islam.

513

Abdullah bin Salam becomes a Muslim (II) • “Abdullah bin Salam said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger; the Jews are liars, and if they should come to know that I

have embraced Islam, they will accuse me of being a liar.’

In the meantime some Jews came (to the Prophet) and he asked them, ‘What is Abdullah’s status amongst you?’

They replied, ‘He is the best amongst us, and he is our chief and the son of our chief.’ The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘What would you say if Abdullah bin Salam embraced Islam?’ They replied, ‘May Allah protect him from this!’

Then Abdullah came out and said, ‘I testify that La ilaha illAllah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) and that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah.’

The Jews then said, ‘Abdullah is the worst of us, and the

son of the worst of us,’ and disparaged him. On that Abdullah said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! This is what I was afraid of.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari] 514

•

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated to Madina there were three Jewish tribes settled there. They had come there a while ago in anticipation of the arrival of the new prophet. Their scriptures described Madina as the

place to expect him, and so they had settled there. They had assumed that this prophet would also be of their own lineage, i.e., among the descendents of Ishaq (peace be upon him). Little did they suspect that he would be of the

descendents of Ismaeel (peace be upon him).

•

When the awaited prophet turned out to be an Arab, the jealousy of the Jews knew no bounds. They had looked upon the Arabs as an inferior race and so they refused to acknowledge Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a prophet. They were so intent on maintaining their superiority over the Arabs that they didn’t even hesitate to

instantly revoke the status that their most learned rabbi and leader, Abdullah bin Salam, enjoyed amongst them when he acknowledged that the last prophet was an Arab.

515

• Since Abdullah bin Salam was well aware of the nature of the Jews, he had foretold what kind of treatment would be meted out to him once he became a Muslim. His courage to stand by the truth, at the cost of losing the prestige and status he enjoyed amongst his people, made him one of the great Sahabah of the Prophet (peace be upon

him) and worthy of Allah’s Jannah.

516

517

518

519

1. Aisha y narrates, Prophet (saw) used to recite this dua when awakening in the morning. (Ibn Kathir Vol. 1. P. 356)

520

521

The Mercy of Allah Looks for Pretext • Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)

said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) narrate this hadith – and he did not hear him say it once or twice or even seven times, but he heard it more frequently than that. He (pbuh) said: “Kifl was a man of Bani Israil. He never shied away from committing a sin. A woman (once) came to him (on an errand) and he coaxed her to let him perform the immoral act with

her against sixty dinars which he gave her. Thus, when he sat down with her to perpetrate the immoral act, she began to tremble and shake violently in fear.

He asked her why she was crying, did he not like her?

She said that it was not (what he thought) but that she had never committed the sin before and her destitution had compelled her to do that (otherwise she would

never have agreed).”

522

The Mercy of Allah Looks for Pretext…

“He said that on the one hand she spoke thus and on the other she had committed herself (having taken the money). He

added, ‘Go, go away from here! That money too belongs to you. No! I swear by Allah, after now, I will never disobey Allah.’” “That night he died. In the morning there was an inscription at his

door, ‘Surely, Allah has forgiven Kifl.’”

[Jami at- Tirmidhi] 523

• This hadith tells us that if anyone repents sincerely, he becomes innocent of sins, and becomes like one who has never committed a sin. Allah in His Mercy caused Kifl to die after his repentance to save him from accruing any new sins. When Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) shows mercy to anyone then he gains pardon

through a sincere repentance.

524

• This hadith also reveals Allah’s attribute of AsSamad – The Independent. He is independent of anyone else’s suggestion or permission. He does what He likes, and no one may question Him about what He does. He Who is The Forgiving, The Merciful, does not need anyone to do any particular deeds in order to forgive

them. He bestows His favors on anyone He likes and there is no one to stop Him from doing that. He is the One Who accepts a sincere repentance from the heart, which may leave everyone else in surprise.

• This hadith also indicates that we should strive to save ourselves from dependency and destitution and seek refuge with Allah from them. Poverty is a thing that can draw man towards the most detestable deed and compel

him to do it.

525

• Finally, we learn from this hadith that the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were very careful in narrating a hadith.

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said that if he had heard this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once, twice, three or four times, or even five times or six

times, he would not have related it to other people, for he feared that he might ascribe to the Prophet (pbuh) what he had not said, or he might make a mistake in narrating the hadith which would be a very grave sin. He had in fact heard the hadith more than seven times from the Prophet (pbuh). That is why he related it

with full confidence and authority.

526

527

528

529

Who is Happy? The Peacock and The Crow A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”

He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan

replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot.

The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people

had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Everyday thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”

530

The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But

because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So, for past few days, I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”

Moral: That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value

what Allah (swt) has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have

more or less than you have. Person who is satisfied with what he/she has, is the happiest person in the world.

531

532

Allah’s Name: Al-Hakeem • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less

one. Whoever ‘ahsaaha’ [enumerates them, believes in them, ponders their meanings, supplicates with them, and acts according to one's belief in them] will enter Paradise.” [Sahih Muslim]

533

• Ibn Jareer (may Allah be pleased with him) defines Al-Hakeem as “that entity whose plans are solid, without fault and which none can interfere with.” [An-Nahj ul-Asma] • bn Katheer (may Allah be pleased with him) saysa: “Al-Hakeem is that entity who is most wise in all His sayings and doings in such a way that

by His knowledge, wisdom and justice He puts everything in its proper place.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

• There was once a pious elderly man who lived in a jungle with his wife. They had a donkey which would carry their loads for them. They had a dog which guarded their house and a rooster which would wake them up in the morning with its crow.

534

•

Allah so willed that one day a fox came and took their rooster away. The man’s wife began to cry over this loss, but he said, “Don’t cry. This is for our own good.”

Then a wolf came and killed their donkey. The wife

became sad again, but the man said, “There is good for us in this, it is not something to cry over.” Then their dog suddenly died, and the wife became sad at the loss of all three of their animals in a single day. The pious man again said, “Don’t grieve. This was better for us.”

•

When morning dawned forces of the enemy attacked.

They looted all the homes they could locate in the jungle and took the men, women and children away as slaves. The only people who were left undetected were the old man and his wife. This was since all their animals had died, there was no crow of a rooster to

give them away, no braying of a donkey to alert the enemy to their existence, and no barking of a dog to pinpoint the location of their house.

535

• The old man said to his wife, “See how their animals caused the ruin of these people. It was such a blessing from Allah that all our animals died yesterday, otherwise we too would have been enslaved today.” [“Sharh Asma-e-Husna,”

by Muhammad Haneef Abdul-Majeed] • Allah’s name Al-Hakeem comes in the Quran 94

times, usually in combination with another name, e.g. “Wallahu azeezun hakeem.” [Surah alBaqarah: Ayat 228] This combination reminds us that not only is Allah Most Wise (Al-Hakeem) but also Most Powerful (Al-Azeez); thus, He is not helpless in implementing His wisdom.

536

537

538

539

540

Are You Easy to Socialize With? • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The most complete in faith are those best in their character, those who are easy to socialize with, and those who get along with others

and others get along with them. There is no good in the one who cannot get along with others and others cannot get along with him.� [Jami atTirmidhi] 541

•

A believer worships Allah by being well mannered and dealing pleasantly with all, not for the sake of people’s praise, nor for attaining status, nor to get married, nor to improve his business relationships… but only so that

Allah may love him and make him beloved to His creation.

•

Whoever considers exercising good manners as worship, will deal courteously with all; be he rich or poor, an executive or a tea-boy, a blood relative or an in-law.

•

If one day a poor cleaner on the street stretches out his hand for you to shake, and then another day a director of some company stretches out his hand, will you treat their hands in the same way. Will your clasp be equally firm and will your smile in each case be genuine?

•

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would certainly have treated them both equally in terms of welcoming them and showering on them sincere compassion.

542

The Root of All Evil • Abdullah bin Amr Al-Aas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “One of the kings of the Bani Israil arrested someone and put before him certain choices. He could drink wine, kill an infant, commit adultery or eat pork. But if he rejected all of

these then he must be prepared to be put to death. He chose wine. Hence, when he drank wine, none of the other things remained forbidden to him (in his eyes and he did them all).”“The Prophet (pbuh) said at this time, ‘Whoever drinks wine, his salat are not accepted for forty nights (and days) and if he dies while there are traces of wine in his bladder then

Jannat is forbidden to him but if he dies within forty days then he dies the death of the Days of Jahilliyah.’” [Sunan an-Nasai, Al-Tabarani] 543

•

Once Abu Bakr, Umar and some other Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were sitting together and discussing what the gravest of sins would be. They were not sure and so sent a messenger to ask Abdullah bin Amr Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) who told him that drinking was the gravest sin. They disagreed and so they all went to the house of Abdullah bin Amr Al-Aas for an explanation.

That is when he told them this hadith.

•

In the version of this hadith narrated by Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) the man was a great worshipper and an ascetic who was ensnared by an immoral woman. She sent a servant to him to ask him to come over and witness a transaction. The pious man went

since acting as a witness is a virtuous deed. There he was locked in with the beautiful woman who asked him to commit adultery with her, kill the infant boy present there or drink a bottle of wine. Considering drinking to be the

least harmful, the man drank the bottle of wine, got intoxicated, and ended up committing adultery as well as killing the child.

544

•

This hadith is a reminder of the great evil that can be wrought under the influence of alcohol. While intoxicated a person is unaware that he is beating, maiming, raping or killing anyone. Yet he will still carry the sins for his actions since by voluntarily consuming the intoxicant he gave himself permission to do anything. That is why Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) calls alcohol “an abomination of Shaytaan’s handiwork.” [Quran 5:90]

•

This hadith also shows us the difference between a pious worshipper and a man of religious understanding. A man of religious understanding would have shown will power and placed his reliance

on Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to get him out of the difficulty without committing any sins, as Yusuf (alaihis salam) had done. The knowledgeable pious have shown many a times that they are prepared to die if necessary, to avoid being sinful. Death is certain for everybody anyway, and a man only dies once.

•

Every Muslim should constantly pray to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to preserve him from being misled.

545

546

547

548

549

The Insolent •

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “There were two men of the Bani Israil who were very close friends. One of them was a

great sinner while the other exerted himself to perform pious deeds. The man who exerted himself in worship continued to see the other in sin and would say, ‘Refrain from sin.’ One day on finding him in sin, he said, ‘Keep away from it,’ but he said,

‘Leave me alone, for God’s sake. Are you sent as a watchman over me?’ He said, ‘I swear by Allah, He will not forgive you nor will he admit you to Paradise.’ Then their souls were taken away and were presented before the Lord of the worlds. He said

to him who had striven hard in worship, ‘Did you have knowledge about Me or did you have power over that which I had in My Hand?’ He said to the sinner, ‘Go, and enter Paradise by My Mercy.’ And for the other, He said, ‘Take him

to Hell.’” Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him said, “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, he spoke a word which destroyed him in this world and the next.” [Sunan Abu Dawood]

550

•

People often pre-suppose that a sinner will not be forgiven and continue to rebuke him that he will not be forgiven considering him inferior and lowly.

While it is a sign of faith to despise sin, this does not

mean that the sinner too must be despised. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) may guide a sinner to the Right Path at any time or take away from a righteous person the inclination to practice piety at any moment. It may also be that a sinner does certain deeds that earn him Allah’s forgiveness and Paradise.

•

Considering someone inferior is a dangerous sin that

derives from arrogance. Shaytaan often prompts those who have taken their first steps in piety to act in this manner. To command the right and forbid the wrong is an obligation on all Muslims; but we learn from this hadith that the man who lost his temper after constant preaching and swore by Allah’s name that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) would not forgive the man, destroyed all his good deeds by doing so.

551

• The man disgraced the sinner, made him despair of Allah’s Mercy, and swore that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) would do or not do something. Only Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) knows what He will do. We do not know what He knows, we are nothing compared to Him, and we do not know what He will do. To claim

to know what Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) will do is insolence against Him. [Stories From The Hadith by Mohammad Zakariya Iqbal]

552

Shielding A Muslim • The Prophet of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said: “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an

oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari] 553

• We all know that we cannot make it alone.

Without the help and assistance of Allah, we cannot go anywhere. If you want the assistance of Allah to be on your side, jump to the assistance of your brother. That’s how you will protect yourself. If you let your Muslim brother down, don’t think that will please your enemy, no! It

won’t! The enemy will carry on. You will be next in line. Take it as a rule, Shaytan will never be satisfied until he is able to destroy the entire Ummah. Nothing will satisfy Shaytan. He has been our enemy since the time of Adam (alaihis salam) and he will carry on being our enemy until the time of the Day of Judgement. Don’t think that

you can please him and keep him quiet by feeding him one of your brothers. His hunger is never satisfied. His thirst is never quenched.

554

•

There were once four cows. One of them was white and the other three were black. They used to live in a dangerous area surrounded by wolves. The way they protected themselves was by sticking together and watching out for each other. So they survived. But one day the three black cows had a meeting. They said, “This white cow

is giving us away. When we try to hide at night, because we are black no one can see us, but the enemy is able to see the white cow, so why don’t we just let him go.” So from that day on, the three black cows would be on one side and the poor white cow was boycotted. The wolf is very intelligent. He was able to detect the disunity that was amongst these cows. So he made his move and attacked the white cow, and while the wolf devoured his flesh the three black cows did nothing. They watched as their brother was torn to pieces! But the following night the wolf attacked the three black cows. Why? Because now they were one cow short, so they were not as strong as they were the day before. Then there were only two black cows left. So the night after, it was even easier for the wolf and he ate one more of them. And then on the final night there was only one cow left with no supporter and no helper. So the wolf

pounced on the cow and grabbed him by the neck. As the cow was dying, he pronounced his last words. This black cow said, “I was eaten the day the white cow was eaten.” In other words, that was the day he sealed his fate and signed his own death certificate.

555

556

557

558

559

560

Be Careful What You Ask For • Narrated Abu Huraira (r.a) that he heard from Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, "While a lady was nursing her child, a rider passed by and she said, 'O Allah!

Don't let my child die till he becomes like this

(rider).' The child said, 'O Allah! Don't make me like him,' and then returned to her breast. (After a while) they passed by a lady who was being pulled

and teased (by the people). The child's mother said, 'O Allah! Do not make my child like her.' The child said, 'O Allah! Make me like her.' Then he said, ‘As for the rider, he is an infidel, while the lady is accused of illegal sexual intercourse (falsely) and she says: Allah is sufficient for me (He knows the truth).’" [Sahih al-Bukhari]

561

• 1)

We learn three things from this hadith: A lot of karamat or supernatural things happened for the Bani Israel. In this case an infant spoke, and he knew about the two individuals.

2)

Parents in their eagerness sometimes push their children towards the Dunya while neglecting their Akhira. The woman in this hadith was impressed by the handsome looks and expensive horse of the rider. Similarly today we look at outward appearances; fancy cars, clothes, degrees, houses, jobs

and titles. We push our children to acquire these things or marry for them. But what counts with Allah, and will determine everlasting happiness, are eeman and the character that results from it, even if it is possessed by a person who does not appear attractive by worldly standards.

3)

Be careful what you ask Allah for! We may ask for things that are not good for us in the long run, as the mother in this case did. In terms of Akhira we know that Jannah is good for us but only Allah knows what of this Dunya will allow us to have a good Akhira. Since the Dunya compared to the Akhira is like a drop compared to an ocean, we cannot afford to compromise our Akhirahs for the sake of this Dunya. We should always ask Allah to give us what is best for us in both worlds.

562

The Hour is at Hand • On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said, “I have been sent when the Hour is like this” – and he pointed with his forefinger and his middle finger. [Sahih al-Bukhari]

563

• The Prophet (pbuh) put his noble forefinger and middle finger together, symbolizing with the former, human history until his time, and with the latter, history until the Day of Judgement.

• With the Day of Judgement so close we still do nothing to prepare for it, instead waste our health and time on worthless pursuits. Allah (subhana

wa ta’ala) asks, “Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, that it should come upon them unawares? Its warning conditions have already come.” [47:18] • Nobody can avoid the Day of Judgement, irrespective of when they die. Then what is the use of being so involved with worldly pleasures?

564

•

“Like all Islamic virtues, zuhd is a golden mean between two extremes; in this case the extremes of worldliness and of monkery. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal defined zuhd as ‘Not to be pleased when given the things of this world, and not to be sorry when they are taken away.’ He also taught that there are three degrees of zuhd: that of the common people, which involves avoiding what is forbidden (haram), that of the elite, which is to avoid what is permissible (halal) but unnecessary, and that of the highest elite, which is to avoid everything which distracts one from God.” [Translator’s note, The SeventySeven Branches of Faith, p.56, The Quilliam Press]

•

“The early Muslims were indifferent to the things of this world: gold was as dust in their sight, but this did not make them into monks or recluses; instead they conquered great empires and created a new civilization.

Similarly, the Prophet (pbuh) foretold that the Muslims would one day become weak, and that the reason for this would be ‘love of the world, and hatred of death.’”

[Translator’s note, The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith, p.56, The Quilliam Press]

565

566

567

568

569

Bankruptcy • Narrated Abu Hurairah (r.a) that Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) asked: "Do you know

who is bankrupt?" They (the Companions of the Prophet) replied: "A bankrupt man amongst us is one who has neither dirham with him nor wealth."

Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "The poor of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and Zakat but since he hurled abuses upon others,

brought calumny against others, unlawfully consumed the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others, his virtues would be credited to the accounts of others (who suffered at his hands). And if his good deeds fall short to clear the account, then the other's sins will be entered in (his account) and he will be thrown in the Fire of Hell." [Sahih Muslim]

570

•

So a person may arrive on the Day of Judgement with a mountain of good deeds, content in his wealth of hasanaat: But that mountain will be as if made of ashes which the slightest breath can blow away.

•

The bankrupt man discussed in this hadith was not poor to begin with. He had mounds of good deeds. But he lost everything because of having to repay all the people whom he had harmed or whom he owed anything to in any form. On that Day the only currency available will be one’s deeds. Therefore, he will have to part with some of his good deeds to settle his accounts with others. And should he run out of good deeds to give to others, he will have to take on some of their bad deeds till he no longer owes anybody anything.

•

It is a sobering thought; how one who comes content in his wealth, can end up bankrupt! We should try to ensure we don’t end up that way. If we owe anyone money, time, an apology, or anything else we should do our best to settle our accounts while still in this world.

571

Tall Buildings • Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be please with him): Allah’s Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said, “The Hour will not be established till …the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings…” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

572

•

Thus, competing in the construction of tall buildings is one of the signs of the Day of Judgement. In a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us that “you shall see barefoot, naked, penniless shepherds vying in constructing high buildings.” This hadith describes people who become rich all of a sudden and then build not for need but only in competition.

•

We see this today in the Gulf states, after the oil boom.

People who had no money are now competing with one other in erecting tall buildings. They are

competing in building taller and taller structures where there is no need to make such buildings, as there is a lot of space! It is not like Singapore or New York or Japan, where people had to build vertically for lack of space.

573

• Building superfluous structures was one of the characteristics of the people of Aad, who were destroyed by Allah’s punishment. Prophet Huud (alaihis salam) questioned their building unnecessary monuments on top of mountains.

But do we even question today what kind of “development” is happening? Or are we too busy

gloating in this senseless competition with the Kuffar, that if they can build tall buildings, we can build taller?

574

575

576

577

1.

The ayah (dua) before this ayah was concerning steadfastness. Subsequently this dua was not revealed for any worldly motives.

2.

It was solely made for the Akhirah and to seek refuge from Jahannum, as our belief is

“O Allah You are going to gather us on such a day regarding which there is no doubt”. (Mariful Qur’an - Vol. 2. P. 23) 578

579

Belief in Angels • Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)

narrated that the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Angels were created from light, Jinn were created from smokeless fire, and Adam was created from that which has been described to you (in the Quran and Sunnah)." [Sahih Muslim]

580

• Belief in angels, according to what has been revealed concerning them in the Quran and Sunnah, is one of the pillars of eeman. The angles are the noble servants of Allah, they do as He commands and never disobey Him. They are beings created from light, neither male nor female.

They do not have fathers, mothers, mates, or

children. Their sustenance is the remembrance and glorification of Allah. They act without restriction in creation according to what Allah has permitted for them.

581

•

Ten angels we are informed by name about are: 1) Jibreel: duty to dispense revelation to the Messengers of Allah.

2) Mikail: in charge of rain.

3) Israfil: in charge of blowing the horn on the Day of Judgement.

4) Izrail: the angel of death, in charge of taking souls from their bodies.

5 & 6) Munkar and Nakeer: the angels that question the dead in the graves.

7 & 8) Raqeeb and Ateed: the angels that record the good and bad deeds.

9) Ridwaan: the gatekeeper of Paradise.

10) Maalik: the gatekeeper of the Fire. •

The virtue of belief in angels is that it helps us to appreciate the dignity of Allah, His might, and His sovereignty. It helps instill gratitude in us toward Allah because He put some of

the angels in charge of His servants, recording their deeds, protecting them and praying for them. We also love and admire the angels because of their worshipping Allah in the best possible manner and because they pray for the believers.

582

True Strength • It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: “The strong man is not the one who wrestles others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself at times of anger.” [Sahih Muslim]

583

•

That is why we see that people with weak characters suppress their anger when dealing with their superiors but take it out on those weaker than them. A weak man will take his frustrations out on his family, a woman on her children, the rich on the poor. Giving free rein to one’s anger results only in crime against Allah’s creatures. It is natural to feel anger in certain situations, but the successful person is he who is able to control the expression of his anger. Not all crimes in Islam are recognized as crimes in secular law, but what matters to a Muslim is how their action is viewed by

Allah. Anger is justified when the crime is against Allah and his Messenger, but even then, it is best handled with a cool mind.

•

Hazrat Ali (r.a) said: “A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a thousand moments of regret.”

584

585

586

587

The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf' Once there was a shepherd boy who had to look after a flock of sheep. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!”

The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help the

shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked? “Where is the wolf?”

The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled all of you. I was only playing a trick on you.”

A few days later, the shepherd boy played this trick again.

Again, he cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the hill to help him and again they found that boy had tricked them. They were very angry with him for being so naughty.

Then, sometime later, a wolf went into the field. The wolf attacked one sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd boy ran towards the

village shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! Help! Somebody!”

The villagers heard his cries, but they laughed because they thought it was another trick. The boy ran to the nearest villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied before, but this time it is true!”

Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.

Moral: We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even when he tells the truth.

588

589

Best Charity Spend on Family • Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as

saying: "Of the dinar (money) that you spend as a contribution in Allah's path, or to set free a slave, or as charity given to a needy, or to support your family, the one yielding the greatest

reward is that which you spend on your family." [Sahih Muslim] 590

• Narrated Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) : Allah's Apostle (pbuh) said, "The best alms is that which you give when you are rich, and you should support your dependants first." [Sahih alBukhari] • Therefore, one must not neglect those who are closest to one. Providing for the basic needs of the

family are an obligation on the husband/father, for which he is rewarded. But to spend a little extra for their comfort or happiness is also a source of reward. In addition, there are many people in a person's extended family whose condition the relatives know best about. If they don't take care of their relatives who will? It is therefore said that

charity begins at home.

591

The Safest Vault • Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Allah said (to man), 'Spend (in charity), for

then I will compensate you (generously).'" [Sahih al-Bukhari]

592

• No matter how carefully you try to guard your wealth, it could get robbed, it could get consumed in a fire (Allah Forbid), the bank could file bankruptcy, the stock market could crash, any number of things could happen. But the wealth which you deposit with Allah is in the safest Hands. It never perishes, it is in no danger, and in

fact there is guaranteed increase in it. Whatever you spend in charity, is saved with Allah and you do not need to bother to keep it safe from thieves or anything else. Furthermore, Allah will not only give it back with an increment in the next life but will do the same in this life too. There is no compensator better than Allah.

593

594

595

596

597

Be Useful: Live Longer • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Nothing keeps away the decree (of Allah) except

prayer, and nothing increases the life (of man) except goodness; and man is only denied the provisions (of life) because of sins upon which he falls."

[Sunan ibn Majah]

• “Almsgiving extinguishes the wrath of Allah." [Jami at-Tirmidhi] 598

• 1)

This hadith tells us many important things: If we want to prevent misfortunes, accidents, and bad things in general from happening to us, we should make dua. Dua alone has the power to stall some

misfortune that was decreed to befall us.

2)

If we want to live longer, then we should practice what Allah defines as goodness.

3)

If we want our rizq/provisions to increase, we should not commit sins.

4)

If we don't want to be punished by Allah for our sins, we should give sadaqa/charity.

•

Research suggests that those who spend 4-6 hours in various voluntary activities weekly live 6-8 years longer than those who don't. This is one of the benefits of helping others that modern research has revealed.

There are hundreds of other benefits. Make yourself useful so that Allah may let you live a few more years to serve His creation. [30 Second Successories by Faiez H. Seyal]

599

The Heat of Jahannum • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: "This fire of yours, which the sons of Adam kindle, is one part from seventy parts of the heat of Hell." They said: "By Allah! Would it not have been enough O Messenger of Allah?!" He (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

"It is sixty-nine parts more - all of them similar in heat." [Jami atTirmidhi]

600

• We know different types of fires on earth, and the degree of heat varies for each. For instance, grass on fire emits less heat than burning wood.

Burning coal, on the other hand, is much hotter than burning wood. Similar is the case of the heat generated by welding and electricity. Far more intense than all these, is the heat generated by

bombs. Hellfire, however, generates more heat -sixty-nine times more than earthly fire! • The main purpose behind the description of Hellfire is to kindle in the hearts of humans the urge to take the necessary measures to avoid that fire.

601

602

603

604

605

Bad Dream • Narrated Abu Salama: I used to see a dream

which would make me sick till I heard Abu Qatadah saying, “I, too, used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard the

Prophet (pbuh) saying, ‘A good dream is from Allah, so if anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, he should not tell it to anybody

except to the one whom he loves, and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the

evil of Shaitan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari] 606

•

This hadith provides guidelines regarding what to do with dreams. The first comforting thing we are told is that bad dreams are nothing to fear. Rather than get upset and worried after having a nightmare, we are told not to fret

over it as bad dreams are from Shaitan and have no power to harm us should we follow the advice of the Prophet (pbuh). What we should do when we awaken from a bad dream is seek Allah’s refuge from the evil in the dream and

from the evil of Shaitan and then spit (lightly) three times to the left. Once we have done that and placed our trust in Allah then we can forget about the dream for it will have no power to harm us. It is crucial though that one not tell a bad dream to anybody either.

•

As far as good dreams are concerned, we should also exercise caution with them. If we must tell the dream to

anybody, then to safeguard a good outcome from a good dream, we should only tell it to those whom we love and trust and are sure harbor no ill feelings or jealousy towards us.

607

The Greatest Ayat • Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: 'Abu Mundhir! Do you know which Ayat in Allah's Book is the greatest?' I said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) again said: 'Do you know which Ayat in Allah's Book, according to you, is the greatest?' I (Abu Mundhir) replied: ‘It is 'Allah la ilaha illa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum...''

[2:255] Thereupon, he (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) patted me on the chest and said, 'Rejoice by your knowledge, O Abu Mundhir!' (i.e, may this knowledge be a source of respect, honor and benefit to you)." [Sahih Muslim]

608

• The reason that Ayat al-Kursi is the most excellent Ayat (verse) is that it mentions the names of Allah Most High more than any other Ayat does; thus it contains the most remembrance (dhikr) of Allah Most High. In Ayat al-Kursi, the names of Allah Most High have been mentioned seventeen times. Ayat al-Kursi mentions six

attributes (sifaat) of Allah Most High, all six being mentioned in this single Ayat. The attributes mentioned are the Divine Oneness (Wahdaniyyah) of Allah Most High, His Life (Hayah), His Knowledge (Ilm), His Kingdom (Mulk), His Divine Power (Qudrah), and His Will (Iradah).

609

• Regarding Ayat al-Kursi and the last two Ayaat of Surah Baqarah, Shaytan said that since these three ayaat were revealed it became difficult for the devils to remain in Madina. No doubt it was because of people's frequent recitation of these great Ayaat. Not only are these recited at bedtime, but Ayat al-Kursi was recited by the

Messenger of Allah (pbuh) after each Fardh prayer too. • Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, "I cannot understand how a person, who is a Muslim, and owner of reason (intellect) can spend the night without reading Ayat al-Kursi. If you knew the benefits of it, then

you would never discard it under any condition."

610

611

612

613

614

Don’t Abuse Time • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Don’t abuse Time, for it is Allah Who is the Time.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

615

• Time exists in different forms in the universe.

Allah is the Creator of everything tangible and intangible in the universe. Thus, to abuse something which is simply operating according to the physical laws Allah has defined for it, is to abuse its Creator.

• A common trait of losers is that they blame time

for not being able to do things; “I didn’t get the time to do __.” “There wasn’t enough time.” “I was too busy with __.” Winners, on the other hand, get the same 24 hours but manage to do whatever they want in it. Prioritize!

616

The Wife is the Neck • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: “A woman is married for four things: her wealth, her family status, her beauty and her religion/piety. So you should marry the religious woman otherwise you will be a loser.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

617

•

Getting the prerequisite right is an important step towards making a success of marriage. Regarding the most important quality to search for in a prospective spouse, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that it is a

woman's piety. •

In Jannah every woman will be so beautiful that when a husband first sets eyes on his wife, he will stand staring at her for forty years so mesmerized will he be by her beauty. The important thing is to choose a wife who will make easy for you the path to Paradise.

•

Usually people look for three things in a woman: wealth, beauty, and lineage/family. But these things end with the life of this world. If you want to have these things for eternity, then you have to make it to Jannah. The man is described as the head of the household, while the woman is its neck. The neck turns the head any way it wants. You want a wife who turns you towards Jannah.

618

619

620

621

622

Branches of Iman • Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Iman has some sixty or seventy branches, the best of which is the declaration that, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’, and the least of which is the removal of

harmful objects from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

623

•

If you ever planted a tree you would know that first the trunk is a very thin stick and there are just four or five twig like branches. But as the tree matures it grows not only taller, but the trunk thickens, branches increase in number and in size, and the tree begins to look more and more like the image we have of a tree.

•

Iman is also like a tree. As it grows and matures it

grows more branches and the tree itself becomes sturdier and strong. The stronger the Iman of the Muslim the more practice of Islam will be seen in him.

He will exhibit the branch of the Kalima (la ilaha il-

Allah) and the branch of Haya (modesty) and the branch of caring about the safety of others, while looking only for Allah’s reward. There are many more branches of faith. When all the branches grow and the tree attains its natural shape it is a beautiful and imposing work of art.

624

Tie Your Camel • Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a person asked Allah’s Messenger (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam), “Should I tie my camel and have Tawakkul (trust in Allah for her protection) or should I leave her untied and have Tawakkul.”

Allah’s Messenger (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) replied, “Tie her and have Tawakkul.” [Jami atTirmidhi]

625

•

Tawakkul means to put in one's best efforts to do what Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) expects one to do and then leave the results to Allah's will. Tawakkul comes from conviction in qada wa qadar, one of the six pillars of eeman: What Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has written for me must come to pass.

•

Tawakkul in Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) includes tawakkul in His provision of rizq. 50,000 years before the creation

of the universe, what provisions would come to me were written down in Lawh Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet).

Our test in this world is of the means we choose to earn these provisions. Do we adopt halal means and work

seeking the pleasure of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala); or do we resort to haraam, not trusting the rizq to come to us through halal means?

•

To seek one's livelihood is the way of the Prophet (pbuh).

Even he did not sit at home waiting for provision to fall out of the sky. But he (pbuh) also said not to kill oneself in trying to earn more and more; since only that which is ordained for us will come to us.

626

627

628

629

630

Qul and Muwadhatayn for Protection

• “The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) commanded Abdullah ibn Khubayb to recite ‘Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad’ and AlMuwadhatayn three times in the

evening and in the morning, and he said to him, ‘Allah will protect you from everything thereby.’” [Sunan anNasai] 631

•

Al-Muwadhatayn refers to Surat al-Falaq and Surat anNaas. The best words with which a person can seek refuge with Allah are these three Surahs.

•

It is narrated that one of the scholars of the Salaf said to

his student: “What do you do with the Shaytaan when he incites you to sin?” His student said, “I strive against him.” The scholar asked, “And what if he comes back?”

His student replied, “I strive against him.” The scholar

said, “What if he comes back again?” His student replied, “I strive against him.”

The scholar said, “That would never end. What do you think you would do if you are to pass by some sheep and

the sheepdog barks at you or stops you from going past?”

The student said, “I would fend him off.” The scholar said, “That would never end, but if you were to ask the shepherd to help you, he would keep the dog away.”

[Talbees Iblees] •

This is an important insight from a great scholar: Seeking the protection of Allah and turning to Him is the most effective way of expelling and banishing the Shaytaan.

632

Tawakkul or Fatalism • Umar Bin Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Messenger

of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) saying, “If you trust Allah with the right kind of Tawakkul, He will provide you sustenance as He provides for the birds – they go out in the morning with empty stomachs

and come back in the evening with full stomachs.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi] 633

•

A bird sitting in its nest, praising Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), will not have its stomach filled. It has to go out to seek food. It is only the bird that after glorifying Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) goes out and makes an effort

to find food, that comes back full.

•

Belief in Allah's qada and qadar does not preclude action. Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked a group of people sitting around: “Who are you?” They replied: “We are resigned to the will of Allah and have placed our trust (made Tawakkul) in Him.” These people refused to bother with trying to earn a living using Tawakkul as an excuse. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) hit them and told them not to twist the concept of Tawakkul. He said, “You lie!

Such a person is resigned to the will of Allah who sows the seed and then places his trust in Him. It is not Tawakkul to sit with idle hands. Gold and silver do not descend from the sky.”

634

635

636

637

• Making a dua of this nature is the quality of (those who fear Allah swt) by being cautious regarding the law of

shariah.

638

639

Best Talk • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Enjoining every kind of Al-Maroof is a Sadaqa.” [Sahih al-

Bukhari]

640

• “Al-Maroof” means, all that is good. There is nothing better than Islamic monotheism and what Islam orders us to do, since it comes from Allah who has prepared Jannah for us. It is a part of being Muslim that you love for other people the same that you love for yourself. The best that you could want for others is that they end up in

Jannah with you. So, in the most effective way that you can, work on giving Eeman to your children, spouse, parents, relatives, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and whoever of humankind you can reach. This hadith tells us that your doing so will be counted as Sadaqa on your behalf.

641

• As for formal preaching (Dars), keep in mind the advice of the great Companion, Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Preach to the people once a week, and if you won’t, then preach to them twice, but if you want to preach more, then let it be three times (a week only), and do not make people get bored with this Quran. If

you come to some people who are engaged in a talk, don’t start interrupting their talk by preaching, lest you should cause them to be bored.

You should rather keep quiet, and if they ask you, then preach to them at the time when they are eager to hear what you say. And avoid the use of rhymed prose in invocation for I noticed that

Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) and his Companions always avoided it.” [Sahih Bukhari]

642

Treasure Your Capital • Amar bin Maymoon Al-Audi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates

that once Allah’s Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) gave the following advice to a Sahaabi: “Treasure five things before five: Your youth before old-age; your health before illness; your wealth before poverty; your free time before

becoming occupied, and your life before death." [Jami at-Tirmidhi] 643

• This wonderful hadith describes the four major assets of life: youth, health, wealth, and free time.

Although life is counted as the fifth point, but by mentioning it last the implication is that the previous four factors make up the capital of one’s life. The word “treasure” at the start of this hadith is quite significant. A human being

treasures things that are valuable. A Muslim in particular, is taught to value and appreciate the four major funds that make up a person’s capital for investment in the hereafter.

644

645

646

647

HOPE AND GREED Caliph Haroon Rashid desired that anyone who had seen the Holy Prophet (SAW) in his lifetime be brought before him. After some time,

a very old woman was brought before the Caliph. The Caliph asked the old woman, “Did you see the Prophet yourself?” She said, “Yes! Sir.” The Caliph then asked her if she remembered any narration from him. She said yes and said, “When old age comes two things become young, one is hope and the other is greed.” The Caliph thanked her and gave her one hundred dinars. The woman thanked Caliph and she was taken back.

Half the way some thought passed through her mind and she desired to be brought before the Caliph once more. When she was shown in, the Caliph asked, “Well, why have you come back?” She said. “I just came to inquire whether the money you gave me were once for all or is it to continue every year?”

The Caliph thought. “How true is the Prophet’s (saw) word?” she has hope of life even now and she has greed for money too. The Caliph said, “Don’t worry; you will be paid every year.”

She was taken back but, on the way, she breathed her last.

648

649

Poor Enter First • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: “The poor Muslims are admitted into Jannah before their rich by half a day. And that is five hundred years.” [Jami atTirmidhi]

650

•

A day in the Hereafter will not be of the same duration as a day of this life. In this hadith we are informed that at the time that people are being admitted into Jannah, half a day will be equal to five hundred years; which means that one

day will be equal to a thousand years.

•

Poor Muslims will enter Jannah five hundred years before rich Muslims do. They will begin to enjoy its blessings that much sooner. However, it is possible that a rich Muslim, though coming later, is admitted to a higher and better place in Jannah. Then why the delay?

•

If I go out of town and leave cash with one of my children, when I come back, I will ask for an account of how it was spent. I will ask the child I gave it to, while the other children are busy enjoying the gifts, I brought back for them.

This child entrusted with the responsibility of managing the money, first has to give an account of how he discharged his duties.

•

Thus is the case of the rich Muslim compared to the poor Muslim. The rich Muslim must explain what he did with the wealth that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) entrusted him with.

651

Entrance Ticket for Ar-Rayyan • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is a gate to Paradise that is called Ar-Rayyan.

On the Day of Resurrection it will say, ‘Where are those who fasted?’ When

the last (one) has passed through the gate, it will be locked.” [Sahih alBukhari]

652

• Just as there are tickets to enter carnivals, concerts, and movie theatres, Paradise also has a price. The difference is that carnivals, concerts and movie theatres are places where Shaitaan and his corrupt followers are found while Paradise is a purely good place. Nothing bad can happen to anyone in Paradise. Nobody can get pick-pocketed,

molested, drugged or abused in any way. It is pure fun with no evil consequences. • One way to get in this beautiful Paradise is by fasting. One of the eight gates of Paradise accepts fasts as the entrance ticket. Let’s make sure we can at least enter through this gate called Ar-Rayyan.

653

654

655

656

657

Best Sinners • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “All human beings without exception are sinful,

but the best sinners are those who repent the most.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

658

• Whatever the magnitude of your sins, purify your soul by offering repentance and be hopeful of Allah’s mercy. Despair is the characteristic of disbelievers. The integrals of seeking forgiveness are that you recognize the sin that you have committed and determine never to do so again.

Thus, to be repentant dictates that you stay away

from all such situations and events wherein it is likely that you will falter and commit the evil again.

• “And who, when they have committed a shameful deed or have [otherwise] sinned against themselves, remember Allah and pray that their sins be forgiven - for who but Allah could forgive

sins? - and do not knowingly persist in doing whatever [wrong] they may have done.” [Quran 3:135] 659

Going Early to Jum’a • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “On the Day of Juma, the angels stand at the door of

the Masjid and write down the first to come and then those who follow. When the Imam comes out, they roll up their scrolls and listen to the reminder.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

660

•

Ibn Hajar said in Fath-ul-Bari, “On the Day of Jum’a, Allah sends angels with scrolls of light and pens of light.” The angels mentioned in this hadith are special angels deputed by Allah to note down on scrolls the

names of all the people who go early to the Jum’a prayer. Once the Khutbah starts (reminder to Muslims of their obligations towards their Lord), these angels roll up their scrolls, sit to listen to the Khutbah

themselves, and note no further names. At the end of this hadith in Ibn Majah we find, “Anyone coming after that, comes merely for the sake of the prayer.”

•

The angels mentioned in this hadith are not guardian angels. Guardian angels continue to write down a person’s deeds at all times. A person who arrives at the Masjid after the Khutbah has started misses getting noted down by the special angels on their scrolls of light but still accrues the benefits of listening to the Khutbah, catching the prayer, Dhikr, supplication, humility, and other such things.

661

662

663

664

665

Body Fed on Haraam • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The body fed on illicit (Haraam) earnings is proper

fuel for Hell-Fire.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

666

• Earn a lawful living. To earn money by any of the means forbidden by Allah is to feed the Fire of Jahannum into your own and your children’s bellies. Like a bag full of dung doesn’t belong in a Masjid, a body full of Haraam earnings doesn’t belong in Jannah.

• No Ibadah (worship), done by a body fed on

Haraam earnings, is accepted by Allah. This is because Allah is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Would you accept a delicious box of treats from a hand covered in shit?

667

Taqwa in Settling Disputes • Narrated Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam): “Allah’s Messenger heard some people quarrelling at the door of his dwelling. He came out and said, ‘I am only a human being, and opponents come to me (to settle their problem); may be someone amongst you can present his case more eloquently than the other, whereby I may consider him true and give a verdict in his favor. So if I give the right of a Muslim to another by mistake, then it is only a

portion of (Hell) Fire, he has the option to take it or give it up (before the Day of Resurrection).’”

[Sahih al-Bukhari] 668

• This hadith reminds us of the importance of taqwa in settling disputes. The judgment of the judge is subject to the evidence brought before him and the eloquence of the disputing parties.

The judge might, therefore, make a mistake in his judgment. However, each party knows what the truth is. Just because a judge ruled in one party’s

favor does not give that party the right to take what the judge gave him. If he takes something, he knows is not his or he does not deserve, he will be punished for it. The form of punishment will be that he will appear on the Day of Judgement weighed down from carrying the unjustly acquired thing (land, property, animals)

on his neck.

669

•

Another hadith says that even if a single handspan of land is acquired unjustly then the usurper will have his neck encircled with the weight of seven earths on the Day of Resurrection. [The Book of Al-Mazalim:

Sahih Bukhari] Therefore, the judge should remind the parties to have taqwa and remind them about the accountability they will face before Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

•

These days the excellence of a lawyer is judged by his/her glibness and their ability to win their client’s case; while a lawyer’s lobbying for injustice makes him/her a part of the injustice. Their arguing in favor of an oppressor or usurper will make them also carry the burden of the seven earths for their promotion of sin and injustice. All parties -- clients, lawyers, judges - need to have taqwa of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) in settling disputes, rather than wait for Allah’s judgement to descend on them.

670

671

672

673

674

Blameworthy Learning • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Anyone who seeks (sacred) knowledge to vie with

scholars, argue with fools, or win people’s hearts will go to hell.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

675

• The purpose of seeking knowledge of the Deen – Islam – should only be to become dearer to Allah with it. Learning sacred knowledge for the sake of this world means that if not for this-worldly reasons, a person would not have bothered to learn it.

676

The Moderate Muslim • Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Love your beloved moderately, perhaps he

becomes hated to you someday. And hate whom you hate moderately, perhaps he becomes your beloved someday.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

677

• Situations and circumstances keep on changing in a person's life. As a result, old friends become new adversaries and vice versa, and nobody knows what is in store for him in the future. It is, therefore, advisable not to go beyond the limits of moderation either in friendship or enmity.

• This hadith advises us to be moderate in our

dealings and not go overboard. Even if you don’t like someone, do not go to extremes for it might be a cause of embarrassment and regret for you, if you end up having to change your mind about them. Similarly, one should be moderate in one’s show of love, for it is only in love of Allah and His Messenger that our love should be extreme.

Out of love of Allah and His Messenger we love what Allah loves and hate what He hates. This is the Muslim’s criteria of love and hatred.

678

• When it is said that we should be moderate, it is very important to identify the end points/extremes. To be a moderate Muslim, does it mean that you stay the middle course between Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Jahl? Is the moderation supposed to be between these two end points? No. Moderation is never between Islam and Kufr, between belief and disbelief! The moderation of a Muslim is to be between Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be

pleased with them), or to be between Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)! May Allah help us all to be moderate Muslims.

679

680

681

682

683

Double Reward for Weak Student • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Such a person as recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the (angels) honorable and obedient. And such a person as exerts

himself to learn the Quran by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.” [Sahih alBukhari]

684

• Allah’s system of reward is based on intention and effort. Allah is the Bestower of capabilities, opportunities, and success. Thus, a person is not rewarded for being intelligent, but for using his/her intelligence in Allah’s Path for His pleasure alone; and they are rewarded for the effort that they make even if the outcome appears to be

fruitless, according to the standards by which we judge outcomes in the world.

• There is no one more fair nor more appreciative, than Allah in rewarding His creatures.

• To learn the Quran, with ease or with difficulty, is highly rewarded by Allah

685

Quran Only • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “When I order you with something, then do as much

of it as you can, and when I forbid you from something, then avoid it.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

686

A woman came to the Sahabi, Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him), and said, “I have heard that you forbid tattooing and the use of false hair – is that something that you have found in the Book of Allah or from the Messenger (pbuh)?”

He said, “Rather it is something which I have found in the Book of Allah and from the Messenger (pbuh).”

She said, “By Allah, I have read the mus-haf (Quran) from cover to cover and I have not found in it what you say.”

He said, “Did you not find in it, ‘And take what the Messenger gives you and refrain from what he forbids you’ [59:7]?”

She said, “Yes.” He said, “Certainly, I have heard the Messenger forbid the use of false hair, tattooing and plucking out facial hair.”

She said, “Perhaps it is present in some of your family.”

He said, “Then enter and look.”

So she entered and looked – then left. She said, “I did not see anything (objectionable).”

So he said to her, “Have you not memorized the testament of the righteous servant, ‘I do not wish to do in opposition to you concerning what I forbid you to do.’” [Quoted by Ibn Katheer in his Tafseer] 687

• By this answer Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) pointed out that this Ayat is so comprehensive that it embodies all the orders and prohibitions of the Prophet (pbuh), and since the questioned prohibitions were enforced by the Prophet (pbuh) they form part of this Ayat, though indirectly.

• Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) made it obligatory on us to obey the Messenger (pbuh) in whatever he commanded us with; do as he told us to do and

keep away from whatever he ordered us to stay away from. This is as necessary as the obedience of Allah, because the latter has always been mentioned in the Quran combined with the former (“Whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger…”).

688

•

Whenever “the obedience of Allah” is mentioned in the Quran, it is always followed by “the obedience of the Messenger.” There is no Ayat in the entire Quran where “the obedience of Allah” has been mentioned alone with no reference to “the obedience of the Messenger.”

•

This is because the obedience of the Prophet (pbuh), in practical terms, is the obedience of Allah; and the latter

cannot be carried out except through the former. The Quran commands obedience of the Messenger (pbuh) as it is only through him that we understand how to implement the commands of the Quran. The “Quran only” approach to Islam is nothing but an attempt to castrate the religion, since the details of Islam, and its practical manifestation is in the Sunnah. For example,

the Quran orders us to pray, but the method is in the Sunnah.

689

690

691

692

693

Building a Masjid • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever builds a Masjid for the sake of Allah,

Allah will build something similar for him in Paradise.” [Sahih Muslim]

694

• Uthman bin Affan (may Allah pleased with him) wanted to rebuild the Masjid of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) but people disliked it. So he told them this hadith that he had heard from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

• Building a Masjid where there isn’t one, repairing one that has fallen into disrepair, or helping to

maintain one are all deeds worthy of Allah’s pleasure and the highest rewards; provided that they are done for the sake of pleasing Allah alone and not for showing off or any other reason.

• However, paying for the decoration of Masjids is not virtuous or praiseworthy. The adornment of Masjids is condemned in ahadith, and reflects Muslims’ moving away from the spirit and substance of Islam.

695

The Best Believer • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The most perfect of the believers in faith is he who is the best

of them in conduct, and the best of you in conduct are those who are best to their wives.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

696

•

The state of marriage is part of one's adherence to the Sunnah and an exalted state of life indeed. In the words of the Prophet (pbuh), it permits one to meet Allah “pure and cleansed” (tahiran mutahharan).

•

A person's behavior towards his wife is the measure of the perfection of his belief. He also warned that among the greatest of responsibilities that had been placed

upon men is that pertaining to the treatment of their wives.

•

Marriage must be approached with utmost seriousness, entered with the purest intent, and cultivated religiously as it does not come cheaply while it carries immense reward. The Prophet (pbuh) called marriage “his way” (al-nikahu sunnati) and “half of religion” and he also said: “Two rakaat of the married person are better than seventy rakaat of the unmarried.”

697

698

699

700

• This dua was made by the helpers of

Esa (a.s). When Esa (a.s) asked his nation that who amongst them will be his helpers. They agreed and read this dua as emphasis of their claim.

701

702

Bring Goodness to Your Homes • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said: “Offer some supererogatory prayers at home after saying obligatory prayers in the Masjid. Allah shall bestow goodness in your homes as a reward for these

prayers.” [Sahih Muslim]

703

• Pray your Sunnah and Nafl off and on in your homes too, not just in the Masjid. The Prophet (pbuh) himself frequently offered his Sunnan and Nawafil prayers at home after praying the Fard in the Masjid.

704

705

706

707

YOU ARE PRICELESS TO THOSE WHO LOVE YOU A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $100 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $100 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $100 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple up the $100 bill. He asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still hands were up in the air.

“Well, what if I do this?” He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty and asked, “Who still wants it?” Still hands went up into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what was done to the money, it was still wanted because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100.

Many times, in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless.

Moral: But no matter what has happened or will happen, you will never lose your value: dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you

are still priceless to those who love you.

708

709

Barakah of Shared Food • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The food for one person suffices for two, the food for two

suffices for four, and the food for four suffices for eight persons.” [Sahih Muslim]

710

• Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) is telling us through this hadith that Allah blesses food and rewards us when we share it. If on some occasion a person gets guests unexpectedly and feels that the prepared food is too little to offer to them, they should nevertheless say Bismillah and share it according to the formula of food being sufficient

for twice as many people as it was prepared for.

InshaAllah, Allah will make it sufficient for them and reward them.

711

Bathing Obligatory for Attendance

• The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said: “The person who comes to offer prayers in the Friday congregation should bathe himself first.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

712

• Clean and purify yourself on Fridays. Bathe and adorn yourself as best you can before heading out to the Masjid. Your presence should enhance the gathering in Allah’s house and not be a source of discomfort to Allah’s other guests.

713

714

715

716

717

Birth of a Girl • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Anyone who is blessed with the birth of a girl and does not

bury her alive in the manner of the pagan days and does not look down upon her; neither shows preference to the boy over the girl, nor considers the boy in any way superior to the girl,

such a man will surely be admitted to Jannah by Allah.” [Sunan Abu Dawood]

718

• Do not look down upon the female child, nor show preference to the boy over the girl. Treat both with love and behave towards both in an equal manner.

719

Same Act Rewarded in Marriage • Once a Companion, having heard the Prophet

(salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) praise coitus with one’s wife as a charitable act for which a divine reward was to be awaited, asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Would a person satisfy his lust and anticipate divine reward for it?” The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Would he be punished if he does so with the wrong partner? In the same way, fulfillment of sensual satisfaction in the legitimate way shall be rewarded.” [Sahih Muslim]

720

• Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) created us and wants us to live in a manner that fulfills our needs and satisfies us.

• He (subhana wa ta’ala) knows better than us what suits us and will work out to our benefit in the long and short run.

• On top of this, for following His Manufacturer’s Instructions for Best Use, He rewards us. So, He (subhana wa ta’ala) has told us to have relations with our spouses with the expectation of being rewarded for it, while that same act outside the bonds of marriage is forbidden and punished.

721

722

723

724

725

Making Pictures • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Every maker of pictures will go to the Fire, where a

being will be set upon him to torment him in Hell for each picture he made.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

726

•

A man came to Abdullah Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) and said, “My livelihood comes solely from my hands, and I make these pictures. Can you give me a legal opinion about them? Abdullah Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu

anhu) told him, “Come closer,” and the man did.

“Closer,” he said, and the man did, until he put his hand on the man’s head and said: “Shall I tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)? I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Every maker of pictures will go to the Fire, where a being will be set upon him to torment him in Hell for each picture he made.’ So if you must, draw trees and things without animate life in them.” [Sahih Bukhari] •

One should realize that the prohibition of picture making is extremely severe. It is counted among the

enormities (Kaba’ir – major sins), and the warnings against indulging in it are very emphatic.

727

Betrayers Humiliated • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “When Allah gathers the first and the last on the

Day of Resurrection, a banner will be raised for every betrayer, and it will be said, ‘This is the betrayer of So and so, the son of So and so.’” [Sahih Muslim]

728

• A betrayer is one who makes a promise then does not fulfill it, or whose loyalty and support is counted on but who does not deliver it.

• For example, your sister in Islam is in dire straits and instead of helping her you turn your eyes away from her. She had the right to expect your help, because Allah had enjoined it upon you,

calling the Muslim Ummah one body. But if you neglected to help her, then you betrayed her.

• A banner is a large flag which is carried by the leader of the army at war, or the standard-bearer of an army, so that people follow him. [Sharh anNawawi ala Muslim] • So a banner will be erected for every betrayer, on which his/her betrayal will be written, and they will be exposed on the Day of Resurrection. This banner will be placed at their back. [Muslim] 729

730

731

732

733

Gratitude to Others • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "He who does not thank people is unthankful to Allah." [Sunan

Abu Dawood]

734

• Although Allah is the ultimate Bestower of all the good we receive, yet He commands us to thank the immediate source of the good too, the person or people through whom Allah sent the good to us. The people to whom we are most obliged during our lives, are our parents. Regarding them Allah says, "... show thanks to Me, and to your

parents..." [Al-Quran 31:14] • One of the early Muslims said: "Ingratitude for a kindness is one of the enormities (major sins).

Gratitude consists of reciprocating it or supplicating for the person." Thus, thanking a person consists of saying “JazakAllahu khair” and returning the favor or asking Allah (subhana wa

ta’ala) to bless the person.

735

• So, saying 'Thank you' is not enough. Allah in His mercy has guided us to an appropriate course of action to show gratitude. We should be genuinely grateful and if we are able to return the favor we should do so. Otherwise, or additionally, we should pray for the person who did the favor. You need no wealth to make dua for somebody, yet it

fulfills your obligation of showing gratitude to the person who does you a good turn.

• Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is the ultimate source of all good, and people are only the channels through whom Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) sends His blessings; nevertheless, it is a part of thanking Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) that we thank the person

who does us a kindness.

736

Bishr the Barefoot • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah said, ‘I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such

excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard, nor a human heart can ever think of.’”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

737

• Allah refers to us as “Abd” – slaves. Allah has made Jannah for His “righteous slaves.” The question is; do we act like righteous slaves? The following true story is narrated in “100 Qissatin min Qisasis Saalaheen:”

738

•

Bishr was enjoying himself in his home, drinking and passing time with his friends when a righteous man knocked on his door. A slave girl opened the door. He asked her: “Is the owner of this house a free man or a slave?” She replied: “He is

a free man.” He said: “You have spoken the truth, for if he were a slave, he would have had the etiquettes of a slave and would have left his desires.” Bishr heard what the man said and ran to the door barefoot. “Woe to you!” he said to the slave girl, “Who was at the door?” She told him what had happened. He asked her which way that man had gone then went after him until he found him. “Dear Sir, were you the one who came to my door?” Bishr asked him, to which he replied, “Yes.” Bishr asked: “Please repeat what you said.” So

he repeated it.

Bishr rubbed his cheeks on the floor and said: “No, but I am a slave!” After that Bishr would always walk barefoot, even if his feet would begin to hurt until he became famous for being

barefooted. Once he was asked: “Why is it that you don’t wear your shoes?” He replied: “Because my Lord corrected and guided me while I was barefoot. So I will remain like this until I die.” Thus, he came to be known as Bishr al-Haafi (Bishr the Barefoot).

739

• The first thing about a slave is that he is not free.

He is bound by the commands of his master. His life in its entirety is spent in obedience to the commands of his master. From the moment he awakes till he falls asleep he is alert to his master’s wishes. • The righteous slaves of Allah obey Him promptly

and sincerely. They honor and respect His commands and prohibitions. They do not cut corners. We dislike insincere employees who leave half the work undone if we are not looking. A slave is more indentured than a servant and held to a higher level of obedience and sincerity. Yet, we have one standard for ourselves and what is

due to us, but another for Allah and what is due to Him.

740

•

Am I living my life as Allah’s slave? Or do I act like my own master? Do I wake up at Fajr because my Owner is calling me? Do I wash up as He tells me to? Do I wear the dress He gave me and told me to wear? Do I do the

tasks He set out for me to do? Do I respect and obey those He commanded me to respect and obey? Is His Pleasure my aim and objective? Am I as humble as a slave? From my expression and demeanor, from the

way I walk and talk, from the things that I do, could anyone mistake me for a free man? Do I exhibit the etiquettes of a slave?

•

To enjoy the five-star hotels of the world we put forth so much. Besides the cash, our clothes and behavior also have to be of a certain standard. Is there nothing we have to pay, and no behavior we have to adopt, to enter Allah’s multi-billion star Jannah? Bishr the barefoot realized in time what was required of him. Will I?

741

742

743

744

745

Jinn Eavesdrop on Angels • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The angles speak in the clouds about things that will happen

on earth. The devils listen to what is said, then they drop that into the ear of the fortuneteller like dropping something into a bottle, and they add a hundred lies to it.� [Sahih al-Bukhari]

746

• The devils among the jinn eavesdrop on the angels who come down to the clouds with the new decrees of their Lord. When they try to eavesdrop higher up in the heavens, they are chased by flaming fire (a shooting star).

Sometimes they are able to catch something.

These jinn are the collaborators of fortunetellers

who use this truth and mix it up with a bunch of lies. All that the fortuneteller says is believed because of that one truth heard from heaven.

747

Sheepdog Instead Of Sheep • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: “The likeness of the one who sits and listens to wisdom then only speaks of the bad things that he has heard, is that of a man who comes to a shepherd and says, ‘O shepherd,

give me one of your sheep to slaughter,’ and (the shepherd) says, ‘Go and grab the ear of the best of them.’ Then he goes and grabs the ear of the sheepdog.”

[Sunan ibn Majah] 748

• Some people have the habit of picking faults. This is especially pathetic when the person has been listening to a speaker calling people to the proper worship of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). Should he make a mistake, we should ask Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to forgive him; after all we also have faults that we want Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to

forgive. The person who holds on to the mistakes and refuses to take any lesson from all the worthwhile things that the speaker mentioned is likened in this hadith to a man who was given a chance to take the choicest of sheep to roast and feast but took the sheepdog instead and remained hungry.

749

750

751

752

753

Heavens Rolled Up • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah will roll up the heavens on the Day of

Resurrection, then He will hold them in His Right Hand, and will say, ‘I am the King. Where are the tyrants?

Where are the arrogant ones?’” [Sahih Muslim]

754

• This most awe-inspiring of days, when each arrogant or tyrannical person will be brought to justice, will make our life on earth seem so insignificant as though it never happened. This same life on which we expend all our strength, our time, our wealth and our planning, will not seem to have been longer than a day at best.

• “And on the Day that the Hour will be established, the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers, sinners) will swear that they stayed not but an hour…” [Quran: Surah Room, Ayat 55] • “The best among them in knowledge and wisdom will say, ‘You stayed no longer than a day!’”

[Quran: Surah Ta-Ha, Ayat 104]

755

Confused By Prosperity • Once when Umar (may Allah be please with him) was in the house of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) he looked around and saw nothing of importance except three hides. He narrated, “So I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Invoke

Allah to make your followers rich, for the Persians and the Romans have been made prosperous and they have been given (the pleasures of the world), although they do not worship Allah.' Thereupon the Prophet (pbuh) sat up, as he had been reclining, and said, 'Are you of such an opinion, O son of AlKhattab? These are the people who have received the rewards for their good deeds in this world.' I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Ask Allah to forgive me.'”

[Sahih al-Bukhari] 756

• Unfortunately, many Muslims today get similarly confused by the prosperity that they see nonMuslims in. They say that it is the non-Muslims

who must be the beloved of Allah as they have been bestowed with His favors. It is implied that the non-Muslims should now be our role models.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states in this hadith, as does Allah in the Quran, that whatever qualities the non-Muslims have, they will be recompensed for them in this world, since they

have no share in the Hereafter. On the other hand, the main reward of the Muslims is saved for the Hereafter.

757

• Allah says that if this world had any importance in His eyes, He would not have given the disbelievers even a mouthful of water to drink!

What they are getting in this life is in no ways any kind of reward. Reward and punishment is for the next, never-ending life. This life is the examination hall. If a teacher has been teaching

her students all year that 2+2=4 and she notices some students writing 2+2=6, she will not correct them during the exam. It is when they get their reports that they will be rewarded or face the consequences for their lack of effort. During the examination she will not be rewarding or punishing those who are excelling or those who

are failing.

758

• Furthermore, the prosperity of Muslim societies in this worldly life will never happen, by their only having the qualities of the Kuffar. No matter how hardworking, honest, scientifically advanced, or punctual Muslims become, their societies will not prosper if eeman and the implementation of Islam/Shariah are missing.

This is because Allah holds Muslims to a higher standard. A student of Masters level and a PhD student may both be taking the same Chemistry course, but for the Masters student the 'A' may be given at 80% while for the PhD student, obtaining 90% or above will get him/her the same grade. In the same way, since Muslims

have guidance with them, they are held to a higher standard.

759

760

761

762

1. No person can be assured that the good actions he is doing presently will be done continually. Therefore we should express regret on the deficiency of our present actions and make it a habit to make dua for steadfastness in regard to our future actions. In the above dua, firstly, forgiveness is being sought for previously committed sins. This is an indication to the fact that whatever difficulties / problems befalls a person, be it in the form of defeat from the enemies or any other problem, is in reality the consequence of a person’s sins. The remedy for which is seeking repentance and forgiveness.

(Mariful Quran Vol. 2. P. 201) 763

2. This ayah teaches us that whenever any calamity befalls a person, then together with utilizing physical means, one should also make dua and ask for repentance as most of

the calamities that befall a person are due to one’s sins. (Bayanul Quran P. 62)

764

765

Consistency • Abu Huraira (r.a) narrated from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) that once while a man was traveling in the wilderness, he heard a voice in a cloud ordering the angel of the cloud to pour its rain on a particular farm. So the man followed the cloud and saw that it poured its rain on a rocky volcanic plain. All the

water gathered in a stream and poured into a farm. The man saw the owner working in that farm and asked him his name. The name was the same one that he had heard from the cloud. The man then related what he had heard and seen and inquired from the owner of the farm what was special about him that would explain all of this.

Given the reason for the inquiry, the owner explained

that he would plant his farm and then split the harvest into three equal parts. One part he gave as sadaqa, the second part he kept as food for himself and his family, and the third part he replanted. [Sahih Muslim]

766

•

There are two important lessons that we obtain from this hadith:

1.

The importance of consistency in doing good deeds: The man was giving one third of his earnings as sadaqa on a regular basis. This is why Allah was sending rain especially for him. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told us that the deeds most loved by Allah are those that are done regularly even though they may be few. [Bukhari]

2.

The importance of sadaqa: Allah was sending rizk to this man (in the form of rain) because of his sadaqa. Allah, therefore, used him as a channel to provide for the needy.

Money is a trial from Allah, it is not a sign of a person’s righteousness. Some of the prophets of Allah were poor

and some of the enemies of Allah were rich. •

Allah's reward is the everlasting, beautiful Jannah, which contains only happiness and delight. Allah says that if the significance of this world was even as much as the wing of

a mosquito in His eyes, He would not give those who deny Him even a sip of water to drink. Therefore, the good things of this world are of no significance when compared to the Hereafter.

767

768

769

770

THE FARMER AND THE STORK Finding that cranes were destroying his newly sown corn,

a farmer one evening set a net in his field to catch the destructive birds.

When he went to examine the net next morning, he found several cranes and also a stork.

“Release me, I beseech you,” cried the stork, “for I have eaten none of your corn, nor have I done you any harm. I am a poor innocent stork, as you may see - a most dutiful

bird, I honor my father and mother. I...”

But the farmer cut him short. “All this may be true enough, I dare say, but I have caught you with those were destroying my crops, and you must suffer with the

company in which you are found.”

Moral: People are judged by the company they keep.

771

772

Judge Your Soul • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “When lewdness is part of anything, it

becomes defective; and when Haya is part of anything, it becomes beautiful.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

773

• Modesty and maintaining one’s honor are of primary importance in preserving the moral fibre of any society. Allah has made it easy for us to maintain the integrity of society by making modesty beautiful. Whoever has a wholesome, unaltered Fitrah (nature) finds the practiser of modesty appealing and charming and he/she finds vulgarity ugly. It is only a person whose mind and soul have gotten twisted who finds the opposite attractive. • Judge the wholesomeness of your soul by what attracts you.

774

•

If somebody’s face got partially paralyzed and their mouth got twisted from one end, wouldn’t it bother them? If you tried to feed them or give them water to drink, it would pour out from the lopsided end.

Having a lopsided soul is more alarming than this, because it is the wholesomeness of the soul that allows a person to go to Paradise. “Except to him who will come to Allah with a sound heart (wholesome soul),

and Paradise will be brought near to the God-fearing, and Hell will be fully uncovered for the perverse.”

[Quran: Surah Ash-Shu’ara, Ayaat 89-91] •

On the Day of Judgment we will be inside out. The people who took the greatest care to preserve their soul from getting soiled by Allah’s disobedience will be the most beautiful, regardless of their physical appearance on earth; while those who neglected to follow His instructions will turn up as ugly as the hearts and souls their harbored on earth. Then only good things will enter Paradise while the perverse will

go to Hell.

775

Charity Increases Wealth • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Those who spend in causes seeking the pleasure of

Allah remain in His shelter. Angels send blessings on them and pray for increase in their wealth.” [Sahih Muslim]

776

• The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) swore that spending for the pleasure of Allah did not decrease wealth, rather increased it. When you feel financial hardship, give more in the path of Allah to increase your wealth!

777

778

779

780

781

Charity Not To Rich Or Healthy • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "It is not permissible to give charity to a rich man (or one who is independent of means) or to one who is strong and

healthy." [Sunan An-Nasai]

782

• 'Strong' means the one who is capable of earning his livelihood. And ‘healthy’ means the one whose hands and feet are wholesome and not handicapped, and he is not incapacitated by some illness. If such a person is poor despite his labor or is unable to find employment, then he will be entitled to receive Zakah or Sadaqah.

783

Seek to Make Lawful • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “There will be (at some future time) people from my Ummah who will seek to make lawful: fornication, the wearing of silk, winedrinking and the use of musical instruments (ma’aazif). Some people will stay at the side of the mountain and when their shepherd comes in the evening to ask them for his needs, they will say, ‘Return to us tomorrow.’ Then Allah will destroy them during the night by causing the mountain to fall upon them, while He changes

others into apes and swines. They will remain in such a state until the Day of Resurrection.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari] 784

•

This hadith is clear in its prohibition of

1)

Fornication

2)

Wearing of silk

3)

Wine-drinking

4)

Musical instruments.

•

It is clearly established that the word ma’aazif according to correct Arabic usage – indicates a specific

number of things: a) musical instruments, b) the sounds of those musical instruments – music, and c) singing to instrumental accompaniment.

•

An analysis of this hadith’s wording clearly indicates the unlawfulness of music. The text says that people from the Prophet’s Ummah will “seek to make lawful” that which is termed ma’aazif. Obviously, one can only

seek, desire or attempt to make lawful that which is not lawful. For if something is already lawful, it is nonsensical for one to seek to establish it.

785

• Other things that people will attempt to make lawful are named along with ma’aazif. These additional matters are also well known to be prohibited in Islam – namely, illegal sexual intercourse, the drinking of wine or liquor, and the wearing of silk (by men). Had ma’aazif not been prohibited, they never would have been

associated with other prohibited objects in one and the same context. [The Islamic Ruling on Music and Singing by Abu Bilal Mustafa AlKanadi]

786

787

788

789

790

Convey An Ayah • The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Convey from me even an Ayah of the Quran; relate traditions

from Banu Israel, and there is no restriction on that; but he who deliberately forges a lie against me let him have his abode in Hell.” [Sahih alBukhari]

791

• 1)

This hadith contains the following three important points: It stresses the importance of acquiring knowledge of the Quran and Hadith and imparting it to others. Regardless of whether one has a little knowledge or a great deal, he or she must communicate it to others. There is no justification to leave inviting to the Message of Allah to those who are wellversed in this sphere. It is a duty upon every Muslim to learn something and pass it on. So much so that if a person knows even a single ayah/verse of the Quran, that is, a

single injunction of Allah, they should communicate it to others.

2)

It allows the communication of Jewish Traditions, but this permission is subject to the condition that such Traditions

are not against the elucidations of the Quran and Hadith.

3)

There is a stern warning on attributing anything to the Prophet (pbuh) that he did not say. It is a grave offence and serious sin. Therefore, one should be very careful to quote

only Sahih ahadith. Only Muhaddith are in a position to sort through weak ahadith and see what the grade of weakness is, i.e. if the hadith may be used since its meaning is supported by authentic ahadith even if its isnad is faulty.

792

Same Thing Increases and Decreases Wealth

• The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Remember often the Ender of Pleasures, for truly, it is not remembered in a plentitude save it diminishes it, and

not remembered in a dearth save it increases it.” [Sunan an-Nasai]

793

•

A person may have a large family, much wealth and good health, but if he begins to seriously consider his death (the ender of pleasures) - the coming of the angel of death, the taking out of his soul, the

questioning in the grave, the punishment for those who lived their life heedless - then he cannot help but think that what he has of family and wealth is insignificant. When his life is over, all that will help

him are his faith and deeds. •

On the other hand, a person who has very little but remembers death often will also feel the insignificance of his situation. Rather than being depressed about his lack of resources, he will realize that what he needs are good deeds to attain a never ending life of happiness and comfort. So he will feel that what he has of worldly fortune is actually more than what he needs, for he does not need any material resources to earn Allah’s pleasure and to prepare for the questioning that begins with death.

794

795

796

797

798

Congratulations • Narrated Muawiya (may Allah be

pleased with him): I heard the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, "A group of people amongst my followers will remain obedient to Allah's orders and they will not be harmed by anyone who will not help them or who will oppose them, till

Allah's Order (the Last Day) comes upon them while they are still on the right path." [Sahih al-Bukhari]

799

• These are really good tidings for us, that no matter what the enemies of Islam try, they will never be able to annihilate Islam. There will always, till the Day of Judgment, be Muslims who are rightly guided and rightly guiding. Congratulations to such people, for Allah promises that nobody will be able to harm them.

• Regarding the qualities of these people who are fully obedient to Allah's shariah, Yahya ibn Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Congratulations to those who leave the world before it deserts them; to those who build their graves before they enter them; and to those who please their Lord before they meet Him.”

800

•

Ahmad bin Bindar narrated that Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) cried during his last illness, and when asked about it said, "Surely I am not crying because of being attached to your world, but rather for the long

journey awaiting me, and the little provisions I have prepared for it. This morning, I am descending upon either paradise, or hell, and I have no idea towards which of the two I will be taken!"

•

This was the state of Abu Hurairah’s taqwa of Allah, although his efforts for Islam were such that he is a primary source through which Islam has reached us. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) was the famous

Companion of the Prophet (pbuh) from whom the most ahadith, 5374, are reported. He would divide his nights into three parts. In one third of the night he would perform salaah, in one third he would sleep and in one third he

would memorize the ahadith of the Prophet (pbuh). If Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) , the narrator of the greatest number of ahadith, worried so much about his hereafter, how much more cause do we have to worry

about it!

801

Slim Real Fast • Allah’s Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa

sallam) said: “Do you know what slander (Gheebah) is?” The Sahabah answered: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He

(salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to mention of your brother that which he would dislike (to hear).” Someone asked: “What if he is as I say?” Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: “If he is as you say, you have slandered him, and if not, you have calumniated (Buhtan) him.”

[Sahih Muslim] 802

•

Slander is saying anything about a person that he would dislike to have said about him, whether aloud, in writing, by a sign, or a gesture. Anything by which one conveys a Muslim’s shortcomings to another is slander (Gheebah), and as such it is unlawful (Haraam). It includes doing imitations of someone, such as by walking with a limp, with a stoop, or similar posture, intending to mimic the person with such a deficiency. Anything of this sort is unquestionably Haraam.

•

Our pious predecessors understood that listening to slander or desiring to hear it constitutes slander itself.

Ibraheem ibn Adham (may Allah be pleased with him) answered an invitation to come to a wedding feast, where some of those present mentioned that a certain person who did not attend was “unpleasant.”

Ibraheem said, “I myself have done this (become unpleasant) by coming to a place where others are slandered,” and he left and would not eat for three days. [Reliance of the Traveler by Ahmad ibn Naqib alMisri]

803

• If we stopped eating for three days each time, we heard a negative comment on someone, we’d be thin as toothpicks by now. Why not start this? Fast for three consecutive days each time you either slander someone or listen to anyone being slandered.

804

805

806

807

808

Daughters • Narrated Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): "There is no Muslim, whose two daughters reach the age (of adulthood), and he is good

to them as a companion, and they do not cause him to enter Paradise."

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

809

• It is to be noted that Muslim women enjoy special privileges not only as mothers and wives but also as daughters. They are a cause of blessing in a way unique to them. Daughters and sons, each has their own virtues, and daughters are not to be under-estimated in the blessings that they bring to their parents.

810

Ruler’s Betrayal Worst • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, for every betrayer a

banner will be raised according to the extent of his betrayal, and no betrayal is greater than that of a ruler.” [Sahih Muslim]

811

•

Rulers are responsible for the greatest number of people, thus their betrayal is the greatest. A leader’s or ruler’s betrayal is regarded as being so bad because it affects many people, and because he possesses power

and authority, so he has no need to resort to betrayal.

•

The greater the act of betrayal, the higher the banner will be raised on that Great Day.

•

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) will make the punishment take this form because this is the way in which people understand the punishment… The Arabs used to raise a banner beside betrayers in their gatherings and on the occasion of Hajj, and they paraded the offender with a description of his crime. [At-Tadhkirah by Qurtubi]

•

Imagine… In this life, if a single one of our crimes/sins

is posted on our backs and we are forced to go about with this humiliation, how will we feel? Then how will we be able to stand it on the Day of Judgement when all of mankind is witness?

812

813

814

815

816

Cheerful Countenance • Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with

him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Don't consider anything insignificant out of good things, even if it is that you meet your brother with a cheerful countenance.” [Sahih Muslim]

817

• Every little good counts with Allah. Even meeting another Muslim with a smile increases your balance of good deeds.

• Seeing a cheerful face makes others feel happy.

Giving someone this little bit of happiness is a source of reward for you when you do it for the sake of earning Allah’s pleasure.

818

Same Standards • It was asked of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) what rights a wife had over her husband. He

(pbuh) replied: “That he feed her when he eats himself, and that he clothe her when he clothes himself, and not strike her upon the face, nor revile her, nor leave her alone unless

in her own house.” [Sunan Abu Dawood] 819

•

The Prophet (pbuh) is telling us to set the same standards for our families that we set for ourselves. It does not befit a Muslim to eat, drink or clothe himself at a higher standard than what he can do for his

dependents. Although this may appear to be common sense and what a Muslim would naturally do, Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) spelt everything out for us, making it crystal clear for all men, for all times.

•

To provide for his wife and children is incumbent on a man, since Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) says: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means…”

[Quran 4:34]

•

Other Ayaat and Ahadith also make it clear that men are the providers for their families. It is because of this that they are given the upper hand in decision making for their family. A Muslim woman is the queen of her house and is taken care of by her king.

820

•

Faraid are more valuable and more highly rewarded than Nawafil. Taking care of the family’s basic needs is recompensed by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) as a Fard and is therefore highly rewarded. Whatever is not required but done for the family, anyway, is rewarded as a Sadaqa. It should be remembered that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is pure and accepts only purity.

Therefore, the man must take care of his Fard and Nafl with pure, Halal, earnings in order to be rewarded by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

•

A wife’s emotional and physical security is also detailed as being the responsibility of her husband. She should be treated with respect and protected. If she is left alone anywhere and should some incident happen to her, her husband will be held accountable by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) as he was responsible for her protection. In return, it is her job to make her husband’s home a peaceful sanctuary for him, so that when he returns from work, he can rest and enjoy his family life with her.

821

822

823

824

825

826

Cursing • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Cursing a believer is like killing him.” [Sahih al-

Bukhari]

827

•

“Curse (la’n)” means to put someone far from divine mercy. Such a person, who does not get Allah’s forgiveness, will be ruined on the Day of Judgment.

This is a very serious thing. We are not used to guarding our tongues and enormous utterances roll off them easily while the Prophet (peace be upon him) guaranteed Jannah to those who could control their tongues.

•

How grave the condition is of one cursed, can be judged by the Messenger of Allah’s orders regarding the camel that had been cursed. Once “while the

Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was on a journey, there was a woman of the Ansar riding a camel which annoyed her, whereupon she cursed it. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) heard this and said, ‘Take off what is on its back

and release it, for it has been cursed.’” The camel walked along among the people and no one would stop it. [Sahih Muslim] 828

Curse Comes Back • The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said: “When a servant curses something, the curse rises up to the sky, where the doors of the sky shut it out, and then it falls back to earth, where the doors of the earth shut it out. Then it

searches right and left and when it does not find anywhere to go it comes back to the thing which was cursed, should it

deserve it. If not, it returns upon the person who uttered it.” [Sunan Abu Dawood]

829

• Cursing someone who does not deserve it is a major sin (kaba’ir/enormity). An undeserved curse returns to the one who uttered it. Thus, we should be very careful and guard our tongues vigilantly.

830

831

832

833

The Milkmaid A milkmaid was on her way to the market to sell some milk from her cow. As she carried the large jug of milk on top of her head,

she began to dream of all the things she could do after selling the milk.

“With that money, I’ll buy a hundred chicks to rear in my backyard. When they are fully grown. I can sell them at a good

price at the market.”

As she walked on, she continued dreaming, “Then I’ll buy two young goats and rear them on the grass close by. When they are fully grown, I can sell them at an even better price!”

Still dreaming, she said to herself, “Soon, I’ll be able to buy another cow, and I will have more milk to sell. Then I shall have even more money...”

With these happy thoughts, she began to skip and jump.

Suddenly she tripped and fell. The jug broke and all the milk spilt onto the ground.

No more dreaming now, she sat down and cried.

Moral: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

834

835

836

A Traveler Along a Path • On the authority of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said: The

Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along the path.” And ibn Umar would say, “If you survive till late afternoon, do not expect [to be alive in] the morning. If you survive till morning, do not expect [to be alive in] the late afternoon. Take from

your health before your sickness and your life before your death.” [Sahih al-Bukhari] 837

•

The first attitude that a believer may have to this world – that of being a stranger in a strange land. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) goes on to say ‘or...’ before listing the next option. It is important to note

that the ‘or’ here is not the kind representing indecision or doubt, rather it implies a choice that must be made between two options. Some scholars have interpreted this to actually be two levels of choice, the first being living like a stranger, but the superior choice being the latter – that of a traveler along the path. This is because the stranger can settle in the land, but the traveler is always moving, knowing that they cannot remain.

•

The second option that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gives the believer is to be in the world like a ‘traveler along the path’. This implies that the

person is not actually residing anywhere but its always moving towards their final destination. Anything that they do in this world, is targeted towards gathering provisions for the journey to the Hereafter.

838

•

We see the most beautiful example in how the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lived his life. Ibn Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he found the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, lying on a hard mat. When he saw the marks that the mat had left on the Prophet’s body, he began to wipe them, and suggested that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, get something better to sleep on. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “What do I have to do with this worldly life? I and this worldly life are but like a traveler who stopped for a little while under a tree to get some shade and then moved on.”

(Recorded in Ahmad)

•

We can see from this that the believer is not concerned with the comforts of this life. In fact the traveler does not want too many possessions because this will slow on them on their journey, or worse – tie their hearts to this dunya. If our hearts

are tied to our worldly possessions, when death comes, we don’t want to leave. Reflect on this for a moment. Is your heart tied to the possessions of this world, or does it long for the Hereafter? Are you planning for your future in this life, or the next?

839

•

Another important aspect of being a traveler is not to get lost or sidetracked along the way. Our journey may take a long time and there are many distractions in this world.

Shaitan waits at every step, seeking ways to lead the

believer astray, and he is very patient! He, may Allah curse him, will coax the believer with just a small sidestep, and make it fair seeming, and then slowly but surely, he will lure them further and further away from the straight

path back to Allah. Therefore the believer must continually seek Allah’s guidance and help in keeping them on the Straight Path. Allah has blessed us in making this request ‘Guide us on the Straight Path’ a part of every

rakah of prayer – but are we mindful of what we are saying? Are we beseeching Allah sincerely, or do we think we have it all sorted? The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would continually make

the following dua: “O Turner of the Hearts, keep my heart firm upon your religion. (Ya muqallib al Quloob, thabbit qalbee alaa deenik)” (Recorded in al-Tirmidhi) 840

• It is important to note that these are the only two options that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave to the believer – living as a stranger or as a traveler in this world. We should remember that we are on a journey to our Lord, and we will be questioned about how we lived our lives. If our attitude to the dunya does

not represent either of these two attitudes, it means that they are not treating this world in the manner that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has instructed, and this will be a cause of great regret for us on the Day of Judgement.

841

Drawing Nearer to Allah Through Voluntary Acts • On the authority of Abu Huraira who said: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah the Almighty has said, ‘Whoever has mutual animosity with a friend (wali) of Mine, I declare war upon him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the

religious duties that I have imposed upon him; and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give him; and were he to ask Me

for refuge, I would surely grant him it.” [Sahih alBukhari] 842

• Allah’s servants draw near to Him by performing the duties that He, all praises and glory be to Him, has obligated us to perform. Those who strive even harder, and voluntarily perform extra good deeds, and protect themselves from acts that will earn Allah’s wrath, continue to draw nearer to Allah until He loves them.

• We can see in the example of human beings, that a person becomes beloved to another by doing more than is required to assist them. If a person, for example, returns something that he borrowed from another, but also gives a gift as thanks, that will make him beloved in the eyes of the one that lent to him. This hadith shows us that this works in the same way in the case of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, His love for us grows as we strive harder to please Him. 843

•

There is ample evidence to indicate that a servant of Allah must also strive to stay away from what is forbidden (haraam) as well as what is disliked (makrooh). The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘That which is

lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful [or ambiguous] matters about which not many people are knowledgeable. Thus, he who avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his religion and honor. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like a shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein.

Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. In the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be sound, all of the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of the body is diseased. This part of the body is the heart.” (Recorded in Sahih alBukhari and Muslim) 844

•

Unfortunately, many Muslims consider the ‘legal’ definition of makrooh (a disliked act) which states that it is an act that the person will be rewarded for avoiding and will not be punished for committing, and

therefore consider it ‘permissible’ to engage in such acts. But those who strive to be nearer to Allah, look beyond this definition and consider the act from the point of view of the value of the act in the sight of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. When we consider that Allah, ‘dislikes’ the act, would we want to be one of those who perform it? Rather we should strive to stay away from such acts, even though they are not strictly forbidden. As we can see from the hadith cited above, when a person strays into performing dislikes acts, they come nearer to committing forbidden acts. If they should then slip into what in unlawful, they will fall into performing deeds that are hated by Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. 845

• An important aspect of performing voluntary deeds that many people neglect, is that they also make up for shortcomings in the obligatory deeds. If we ask ourselves about the quality of performance of our obligatory prayers, how many of us could say that we have no shortcomings that need to be made up?

The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The first deeds for which the slave of Allah will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgement will be his prayers. If they are in order, he will have prospered and been successful.

But if they are wanting, he will have failed and been

a loser. If there is some shortcoming in his obligatory, the Lord will say, ‘See if My slave has any voluntary prayers with which may be completed that which was wanting from the obligatory prayers’. Then the rest of his deeds will be judged in like fashion.” (Recorded in Jami alTirmidhi) 846

• From this we can see why it is that those who perform the voluntary deeds receive the love of Allah, both in this life and the Hereafter. These are the people that Allah is describing in this part of the hadith. SubhanAllah Allah is telling us that He will LOVE us if we perform supererogatory or voluntary good deeds. What more motivation could we need?

Let us reflect on the statement of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “If Allah loves a slave, He announces to Gabriel, ‘Verily Allah loves so and so, so love him.’ The Gabriel

loves him and he announces to the inhabitants of the heavens ‘Verily Allah loves so and so, so love him’ Then the inhabitants of the heavens love him. And then he is granted the acceptance of the people of the earth.” (Recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim) 847

848

849

850

851

How Deeds Are Recorded • Ibn Abbas, radiyallahu ‘anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) related from his Lord (glorified and exalted be He): “Verily, Allah recorded the good deeds and the evil deeds. Then He clarified how [that recording should occur:] whoever decided to do a good deed, but he did not do it, Allah records it with Him as a complete good deed. And if he decided to do it and actually did it, Allah records it with Him as ten good deeds up to

seven hundred up to many times over. If he decided to do an evil deed but he did not do it, Allah records it with Him as one complete good deed. If he decided to do it and he actually did it, Allah records it as one evil deed.” [Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim] 852

• “So look! My brother, may Allah help us, and take note of how great is the kindness of Allah – may He be exalted! Reflect on this, how that His saying “with Himself” points to His great care with regard to it, and His saying “complete” is for emphasis, not to point to the intensity of His care with regard to it.

With regard to the evil deed which one intended but then abandoned, He says: “Allah records it with Himself as a complete good deed”, emphasizing this by the word “complete” (kamilah); whereas if he performs it, He records it down as “one evil deed”,

where by the word “one” He emphasizes its being made little of, since He does not emphasize it here by the word “complete”. So to Allah be praise and grace. Glory be to Him! Our praises to Him we cannot count. With Allah is success.”

853

•

This hadith is considered as a Hadith Qudsi even though the text of the hadith does not show that clearly or explicitly. The hadith with this text is a clarification from the part of Prophet Muhammah (pbuh), about the way of recording deeds. There are other versions of this hadith that have been recorded by AlBukhari and Muslim in the same form of Hadith Qudsi and in a very clear manner. One of these is the following version that has been commented upon by Ibn Rajab:

•

Allah has said: “If My servant considers doing a sin, do not record it against him. If he acts upon it, record it as one sin. If he considers doing a good deed and does not do it, record it as one good deed, and if he actually does it, record it as 10 good deeds.”

[Recorded by Imam Muslim]

•

One may ask how this is considered a Hadith Qudsi where its text does not explicitly show so. The multiplication of good deeds and that the one who commits one sin is recorded as only one sin, is a well-known principle in Islam that has been emphasized in both the Qur’an and sunnah – Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 245 and 261; Surah an-Nisa’, Ayah 40; and in Surah al-‘An’am, Ayah 160.

Allah says: Whoever shall come before Allah with a good deed will gain 10 times the like thereof, but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof.

854

•

Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, has already recorded and decreed which deeds are deserving of reward and which are deserving of punishment. In this narration of the hadith the wording is “Allah recorded”

implying that Allah Himself recorded these things. In other narrations it states that the angels record the deeds at the command of Allah, which is the more common understanding, supported by other hadith.

•

These two understandings have been reconciled by ibn Uthaimeen who stated that the recording by Allah implies two matters. One is the recording of the good and bad deeds by Allah in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-

Mahfoodh), which took place before any of the deeds were actually performed, according to Allah’s knowledge of when they will occur. The second recording is when the person actually performs the deeds, at which time they

are recorded by the angels according to Allah’s justice and mercy.

855

•

So whoever decides in their heart, and becomes determined to do a good deed, but they are unable to do it, will have a reward with Allah that is equal to a complete good deed. This determination in the heart, it

should be noted is different to having a fleeting thought, or lightly contemplating something. This special reward is reserved for those who had resolved in their hearts to do a good deed, for the sake of Allah, but were unable to do it.

And Allah knows best what is in the hearts.

•

The fact that all our good and bad deeds are recorded should be a reminder to us that anything we do and say should not be taken lightly. Nothing escapes Allah’s

knowledge, and everything will be recorded as either a good or bad deed. This should cause us to pause before we act and ask ourselves, ‘Will this be recorded for me as a good deed or an evil deed?’ Call yourself to account

before you are called to account.

856

Whoever Relieves a Believer •

On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) who said,

” Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties of the Hereafter. Whoever alleviates [the situation of] one in dire straits who cannot repay his debt, Allah will alleviate

his lot in both this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslims, Allah will conceal [his faults] in this life and the Hereafter. Allah is helping the servant as long as the servant is helping his brother. Whoever follows a path in order to

seek knowledge thereby, Allah will make easy doe him, due to it, a path to Paradise. No people gather together in a house of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descended upon them,

mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah makes mention of them to those in His presence. Whoever is slowed by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage.” [Sahih Muslim] 857

• As Muslims, we should strive to help each other when we are in need and remove any difficulties that others may be facing. We may do this by giving them advice, sharing our wealth, making dua, or using other things that are within our means or authority. If we do so, Allah promises to reward us with something much better – the removal of a difficulty from the difficulties of the Hereafter. Let’s reflect for a moment on just one of difficulties of the Day of Judgement: • “On the Day of Resurrection, the sun would draw so close to the people that there would be left only the distance of one mile… The people would be submerged in perspiration according to their deeds.

Some will be up to their knees, some up to the waist and some would have the bridle of perspiration,” and he pointed his hand toward his mouth.”

(Recorded in Sahih Muslim) 858

• SubhanAllah, who is there who would not want Allah to remove one of their difficulties on this Day? This is really one of the most valuable things we could be promised. What better incentive could there be to strive to relieve the burden of our fellow Muslims?

• This also shows us what the ideal Islamic society should look like. It is a society in which its members help each other and support each other and encourage each other to do what is best.

Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, commands us: “Help one another in acts of piety and righteousness. And do not assist each other in acts of sinfulness and transgression. And be aware of Allah. Verily, Allah is severe in punishment” (Surah al-Maaidah:2) 859

860

861

862

863

Do Not Be Envious • On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially raise prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not turn one’s back

on each other; and do not undercut one another in business transactions. And be, [O] servants of Allah, brethren. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He does not wrong him. He does not fail him [when he needs him]. He does not lie to him. And he does not show contempt for him. Piety is here” – and he pointed to his chest three times. “It is enough of evil for a person to

hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honor.” [Sahih Muslim] 864

• The word translated here as ‘envy’ is al-hasad in Arabic. The concept of hasad includes hating to see someone superior or better off than yourself, disliking it when someone else receives a bounty, or wishing that someone else would lose what they have. It thus incorporates a range of scenarios, some being worse in degree than

others.

865

The Evils of Hasad •

Hasad is a disease of the heart. It was the cause of one of the first sins ever committed. Envy and pride are what caused Satan to be jealous of Adam, and turn away from his Lord. He felt that he was better than Adam, and he did not feel that it was right that Allah gave the bounty of knowledge to Adam. As Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, says in the Qur’an:

•

“Allah (swt) said, ‘What kept you from prostrating when I ordered you?’ He said, ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay” (Surah al Araaf:12)

•

SubhanAllah, how simple and deadly are the diseases of pride and envy? ‘I am better than you because…’ You see this beginning in childhood and lasting throughout life, ‘My car is

better than his’, ‘I hate her because she is better looking than me’, ‘I wish I got that phone before she did’, ‘My wedding was bigger than his’, ‘I don’t want him to get that job’, ‘I want my children to be more successful than theirs’. Comparing ourselves and our circumstances with others, and thinking ourselves better, or not wanting good for others, this is the disease of hasad. When hasad spreads amongst the people it is very destructive. It strikes at the core of love and compassion between the believers.

866

• The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said concerning hasad: “Creeping upon you is the disease of the peoples before you: envy and hatred. And the hatred is the thing that shaves. I do not say it shaves hair, but it shaves the religion. By the One in whose hand is my soul – or he said: by the One in whose hand is the soul

of Muhammad – you will not enter Paradise until you believe. And you do not believe until you love one another. Certainly, let me inform you of that will establish such for you: spreading the greetings (of peace) among yourselves.”

(Recorded in Ahmad)

867

•

Harboring envy in our hearts affects our faith and provides a way in for Satan. Envy breeds ungratefulness, hatred, backbiting and discontent. It causes division within the community, and even worse, within the family.

Hasad can cause family members to argue and break the ties of blood relations. Allah tells us in the Qur’an about the two sons of Adam: “And recite to them the story of the two sons of Adam (Cain and Abel) in truth. When each of

them offered a sacrifice [to Allah], it was accepted from one of them but not the other. The latter said to the former, ‘I will surely kill you.’ The former said, ‘Verily, Allah accepts only from those who are pious. If you do

not stretch your hand to kill me I shall never stretch my hand out to kill you, for I fear Allah Lord of the Worlds.

Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours. Then you will be one of the dwellers of the Fire,

and this is the recompense of the wrongdoers.’ So the soul of the other encouraged him and made fair-seeming to him the murder of his brother. So he murdered him and became one of the losers.” (Surah al-Maaidah: 27-30) 868

• We can see that it was envy of his brother, and of his sacrifice being accepted, that led him to the grievous deed of murdering his own brother. A true believer should love for their brother what they love for themselves. They should feel happy when their brother or sister is blessed with something nice. This state of the heart is the

opposite of hasad, which is a sign that a person’s soul is far away the level of imaan that it should achieve.

869

A Sign That One has the Disease of Hasad • According to ibn Uthaimeen, one of the strong signs that a person is inflicted with the disease of hasad is that they always try to conceal the virtues and goodness of others. They don’t like it when others talk about the good that another person has done. Hasad is also one of the greatest causes of backbiting, in that the person likes to put down other people rather than highlight their good points. If you are prone to pointing out

others negative points, you may be suffering from hasad or that other evil disease that Satan suffered from – pride.

870

How to Free Oneself of the Disease or Effects of Hasad •

If you feel you may be suffering from the problem of envy, realize that this is dangerous for your religion and therefore your soul. Consider deeply its evil and

destructive effects and know that it is displeasing to Allah and destructive to human relationships. If the feeling of envy comes to you, do whatever you can to repel it, think of something else, read Qur’an or perform a prayer. If you

cannot get the thoughts our of your mind, then realize that they are only thoughts and if you don’t act on them, you will remain sinless. You should try to improve your actions towards the one that you feel envy for, develop

you relationship and earn Allah’s pleasure. Realize that the true bounties are not the bounties of this world, but the bounties of the Hereafter. Concentrate on those and work towards that greater goal. With a change of focus,

you will not worry about what others in this world are receiving.

871

Whoever Sees an Evil • On the authority of Abu Saeed al-Khudri

(may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) say, “Whoever of you sees an evil must then change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so,

then [he must change it ] with his tongue.

And if he is not able to do so, then [he must change it] with his heart. And that

is the slightest [effect of] faith.” [Sahih Muslim] 872

• In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, has made it clear that removing, or wanting to remove evil is an essential characteristic of the Muslim faith. He specifically mentions the case of when a person sees the evil that is being committed. If there is an open and clear evil that Muslims are witnessing, then it is obligatory upon

them to change it if they have the ability to do so.

However many of the scholars cite other evidence that supports the notion that even if a person doesn’t see the evil, but knows it to be occurring, they should strive to remove it.

873

The Definition of Munkar (Evil) and It’s Opposite Maroof (Acts of Obedience) • Munkar, in a general sense is everything that is rejected or objectionable from a shareehah point of view. It is not the same as sin or disobedience to Allah (maasiyah), rather it is more general than that and applies to an evil act, even if it is performed by one who is ignorant. An act may be considered ‘sinful’ or munkar, whilst the person performing it may be not be sinful.

• Maroof is the opposite of munkar, and implies every act of obedience to Allah and every act that takes one closer to Allah, whether it is obligatory or recommended. Its meaning also includes the sense that the act is something that everyone is pleased with and that people have no objection to.

874

To Whom is This Command Addressed?

• The Prophet, peace be upon him, said “Whoever of you…”, this means that the command is directed to each and every Muslim. Everyone has the obligation to forbid evil if they have the means to do so.

• There are however some people that have special responsibilities to forbid evil because they have

more power to remove it. This includes people in positions of authority over others. This address is therefore first and foremost addressed towards the rulers and scholars as they are the people of the most authority. They can enact laws and force punishments that keep people from committing evil.

If the rulers do not meet this responsibility, then they have betrayed the trust placed in them by Allah and the people.

875

• The scholars also have a special responsibility to strive to eradicate evil. In many cases they even have authority over the rulers and it is therefore obligatory on them to at least remove an evil with their tongues, and advise others against committing these acts. • But this address of the Prophet, peace be upon him, also extends to everyone who is in a position of authority over others, including the Principal of a school or the head of a company and so forth.

It also includes fathers and mothers as they have a special responsibility to make sure their families refrain from committing these acts.

876

877

878

879

880

Cause No Harm • On the authority of Abu Saees Saad

ibn Maalik ibn Sinaan al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is not to be any causing of harm nor is there to be any reciprocating of harm.” [Sunan ibn Majah]

881

• This unequivocal statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, tells us that all forms of harming others and all forms of wrongly reciprocating harm are illegal and prohibited in Islam.

• The scholars have broken down ‘harm’ into two categories. The first category includes acts that only harm others. The second category includes acts that bring some benefit, but may also cause harm to others. These two categories will be discussed separately in detail.

882

Acts That Are Only Meant to Bring About Harm to Others • An act that only brings about harm is an evil act that is prohibited in Islam. Indeed one cannot imagine a true believer carrying out such an act.

The Quran has specifically forbidden acts of this nature. Allah says in regard to a couple deciding whether to divorce: “Either take them back on a reasonable basis or let them go free on a reasonable basis. But do not take them back just

to hurt them. And whoever does that had wronged his own soul.” (Surah al-Baqarah:231) • Any deeds that are done just to bring about harm to others are therefore clearly unacceptable to Allah.

883

Acts That Are Beneficial to One and Harmful to Another • The issue becomes more complex when a person performs and act that is permissible and beneficial for themselves, but unfortunately causes harm to others. An example of this would be when a person does something permissible to enhance their

property, but in so doing, they damage their neighbor's property. What is the Islamic position on this in the light of this hadith? • If the person is performing an act that is customarily considered improper, because it is known to lead to harmful results, such as lighting a large bonfire in their property on a windy day, and the neighbor's property were to get damaged, then that person will held responsible for that act because they should have prevented that harm.

884

• On the other hand, if a person wants to perform an act that is considered acceptable, like building a second level on their house, but the result is unacceptable for their neighbours, in that it means their privacy is lost, what would the ruling be? The scholars have differed on their interpretation of such an action in the light of this hadith.

• The shareeah itself does not contain any strict definition of ‘harm’, and as a result, the understanding of this is left up to the cultural environment in which the action is being considered. This understanding may also change over time. In other words, what may be considered harmful at one time, may not be considered harmful by a particular society at a later point in history.

Therefore the current cultural context must be taken into account when making a decision.

885

•

Taking into account these considerations, it seems that if the act causes a ‘normal and expected harm’ and the person performs the act without ill intention, then they are not accountable for the harm that it causes. However,

if they perform the act in an improper fashion, or if the act causes ‘unacceptable’ levels of harm, then they will be accountable and liable before the people, and before Allah, for the damage caused to others. And Allah knows

best.

•

What we can see clearly throughout this discussion, is that in Islam we should never intentionally cause harm to others. However, some indirect, normal and expected

harms may occur as a result of us performing permissible actions, and these are taken into account and are not included in the meaning of this hadith. Intention is important, and we should never intend to bring harm to

others even if they have harmed us. It is better to restrain ourselves and Allah will be pleased with that.

886

• One of the deeper understandings that can be reached from this hadith and others like it, is that Allah has not ordered anything harmful in the religion of Islam. This religion comes from Allah, the Creator of mankind, and He knows best our abilities and limitations. The laws of Islam take into consideration all of these aspects. The

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stated that we should not harm others or reciprocate harm done to ourselves. When implemented, these actions will bring about a greater good for mankind and all of the creation. It is, simply, what is best for us, both in this life and the Hereafter.

887

Acts that lead to Paradise • On the authority of Muaadh ibn Jabal (may

Allah be pleased with him) who said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), inform me of an act which will

place me into Paradise and keep me away from the Fire.” He said, “You have asked about a great matter, but it is easy for whomever

Allah, Exalted be He, makes it easy. [You should] worship Allah and not ascribe any partner to Him, establish the prayer, give the

Zakat, fast Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House.” He then said, 888

Acts that lead to Paradise…

“Shall I not inform you of the gates to goodness?

[They are] fasting [which] is a shield, charity

[which] extinguishes the sins like water extinguishes a fire and the prayer of a man in the depths of the night [which also extinguished sins].” The he recited [the verses], “Who forsakes their beds” until he reached, “they used to do”.

Then he said, “Shall I inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its apex?” I said, “Certainly, O Prophet of Allah.” He said, “The head of the matter is submission [to Allah]. Its pillar is the prayer. And its apex is jihad.” Then he said, 889

Acts that lead to Paradise…

“Shall I not inform you of what controls all of this?” I said, “Certainly, O Prophet of Allah.” He took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet

of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?” He said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muaadh. Is

there anything that has thrown people on their faces – or he said on their noses – into the Fire except that which their tongues reap?” [Jami at-Tirmidhi] 890

SubhaanAllah, what a beautiful request.

•

We read a question like this and feel thankful for those Companions who asked such questions, so that we, generations and generations later could be blessed with

the wisdom of the answer of the last Prophet of Allah, Muhammad, may Allah’s infinite peace and blessings be upon him. What are the acts that will take us to Paradise, and which will lead us to the Fire?

•

This was not the only time that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was asked a question such as this. In fact, he, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked this many times and each time his answer was basically the

same.

•

These ahadith are evidence for us that it is one’s deeds that enter a person into Paradise, and not just their beliefs.

As Allah, praised and glorified be He says in the Qur’an,

“This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of you deeds which you used to do” (Surah alZukhruf:72) 891

• We should never forget though, that while our deeds and striving in this world are essential, it is ultimately only by the Mercy of Allah that we will actually be allowed into Paradise. As the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “No one’s deeds enter him into Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Not even me

unless Allah envelopes me in His Mercy.”

(Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim) • Let’s make dua to Allah to assist us in performing

the acts of the people of Paradise and keep us away from the acts of the people of the Hellfire, and that He showers His infinite Mercy upon us and enters us into His Jannah. Ameen.

892

893

894

895

896

Have Taqwa of Allah • On the authority of Abu Najeeh al-Irbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) delivered an admonition that made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful. We said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is as if it were a farewell admonition, so advise us.” He said, “I

advise you to have taqwa of Allah and to listen and obey even if a slave is a leader over you. Certainly, the one who will live among you will see lots of differences.

So stick to my sunnah and the sunnah of the rightprincipled and rightly-guided successors. Bite onto that with your molar teeth. And avoid newly-introduced matters. Verily, ever heresy is a going astray.” [Sunan

Abu Dawood & Jami at-Tirmidhi] 897

•

SubhaanAllah, this hadith contains some beautiful and profound words of wisdom for all Muslims. In the narration in Sunan Abu Daawood, it mentions that the Prophet, peace be upon him, delivered this speech after the Fajr Prayer. It was the regular practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to deliver sermons during the Friday Prayers, Eid Prayers and so forth. The fact that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, delivered this reminder at an unusual time demonstrates that the regular occasions may not be enough and that those teaching the religion to others should strive to give reminders at other times also.

•

This hadith mentions specifically that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, gave his followers

mauidhah, translated as ‘admonition’. Admonition involves reminding a person of the consequences of their actions, warning them, exhorting them, giving them good advice, and reminding them in a way that will soften their hearts. This is

how a reminder should be. As Allah, glorified and exalted be He, states in the Qur’an: “Admonish them and speak to them an effective word to reach their inner selves.” (Surah alNisaa:63) 898

• To make our reminders effective, we should follow the excellent example of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and keep or advice short and to the point, believing in the message we are delivering, and following up our words with deeds, putting the advice we are giving into practice ourselves.

• The narrator of this hadith mentions that the Prophet’s words “made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful“. This shows that those who listened were affected by what they heard. Teaching others about Islam is not therefore simply a matter of conveying rules and regulations, a teacher needs to affect the hearts of the listeners in order to convey their message. One key to having this effect is to quote from Allah’s revelation, as these most beautiful of words speak directly to the hearts.

899

• Allah, glorified and exalted be He, describes the believers thus: “The believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His verses are recited to them, they increase them in their faith, and they put their trust in their Lord (alone), who perform prayers and spend out of that which We have bestowed on them. It is they who are truly believers. For them are grades of dignity and a generous provision.” (Surah alAnfaal:2-4) • Every believer should try and examine themselves in the light of these verses. Does the Qur’an have an effect like this on our hearts? Do we fear Allah when we hear these verses? Do our eyes weep thinking of how we will meet Allah in the Hereafter? These are the signs of the true believer, and if we do not have them, we should look to the state of our hearts.

900

Righteousness is Good Character • On the authority of al-Nawwaas ibn

Samaan (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) who said, “Righteousness is good character. And sin is that which wavers in your soul and which you dislike the people finding out about.” [Sahih Muslim]

901

• The Arabic word birr translated here as ‘righteousness’ can be used in two senses. The first is to mean treating others in a good fashion, in particular one’s parents, though more generally it means to behave well towards everyone. When birr is used in this fashion in the Qur’an it is usually used in conjunction with tawqa or fear of

Allah. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “Help you one another in al-birr and al-taqwa” (Surah alMaaidah:2)

902

• The second sense in which the word birr is used is to refer to acts of worship and obedience to Allah (swt) both inward and outward. We can see an example of this in the following verse of the Qur’an: “It is not al-birr (righteousness) that you turn your faces toward east or west [in prayers]; but al-birr is [having] belief in Allah, the Last

Day, the angels, the Book, the prophets, and giving one’s wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, to the poor, to the wayfarer, to those who ask and to set slaves free; [it also includes those who] establish the prayer, give the zakat, fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty

and ailment and at the time of fighting. Such are the people of the truth and they are the pious.”

(Surah al-Baqarah: 177) 903

•

The concept of righteousness then, incorporates treating others in the best way possible, believing in Allah (swt) and all that He (swt) has revealed, giving in charity, keeping promises, being truthful, patient and performing

acts of obedience and worship of Allah (swt).

•

The concept of character (in Arabic khuluq) in Islam incorporates a combination of understanding, intention and deeds with the last two aspects playing the most

important role. If a person has good intentions followed by good deeds, it is said that they have good character. If a person has bad intentions followed by bad deeds it is said that they have a bad character.

•

The scholars have discussed the concept of good character, as it is understood in Islam, in great detail.

•

Good character with respect to the Creator is said to incorporate three necessary aspects: sincere belief in what

Allah (swt) has revealed without any doubts; acceptance of the commands of Allah (swt) and striving to fulfill them; and accepting the Allah’s decrees with pleasure and patience.

904

• Good character with respect to the creation incorporates being kind, generous, forgiving, refraining from harming others, greeting them with a smiling face and behaving in a way that brings them happiness. This also incorporates good behavior towards all the living things that Allah (swt) has placed on the earth. The one who

is closest to Allah (swt) will be furthest away from causing any harm to His (swt) creation, especially when they remember what Allah (swt) has said: “The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein glorify Him. There is not a thing but glorifies His praise, but you understand not their glorification. Truly, He is ever forbearing, oft-

forgiving� (Surah al-Israa:4)

905

• Finally, good character with respect to oneself relates to how one deals with one’s own soul. One should nurture one’s soul, do what is best for it and treat it kindly. The ultimate pleasure of the soul comes from worship and obedience to its Creator, and this satisfaction can be deepened through attaining the knowledge necessary to follow the Straight Path.

• We can see from this that the Islamic concept of character is all inclusive, and incorporates good conduct towards the Creator, the creation, and

oneself. For a person to have good character, they must have righteous conduct in all of these areas. It is not sufficient to be kind to your parents but neglect your Creator. One cannot worship Allah (swt) and neglect the creation, that is not considered good character. To have good character we must be righteous in all our conduct towards all living

things.

906

907

908

909

910

A Charitable Act Upon Every Bone • “On the authority of Abu Huraira who said that the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam), “Every small bone of everyone has upon it a charitable act for everyday upon which the sun rises. Bringing

about justice between two is an act of charity.

Helping a man get on his mount, lifting him onto it or helping him put his belongings onto it, is a charitable act. A good word is a charitable act. Every step you take toward the prayer is a charitable act. And removing a harmful thing from the path is a charitable act.” [Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]

911

• When we think of every small bone and how it takes it place in the human body, interacting with the bones around it to give us stability and mobility, one cannot help but wonder at the majesty of our Creator, Allah (swt).

• Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous? [He] who created you perfectly and gave you due proportion. In whatever form He willed, He put you together.” (Surah al-Infitaar:6-

8) • He (swt) points to this miracle as one of His Signs: “We shall show them our signs in the Universe and in their own selves until it becomes manifest to them that this is the truth” (Surah alFusslat:53) 912

• This should make the believer ask, how should we show our gratefulness for this blessing that is this amazing human body? This hadith illustrates

the answer for us. We should use these bones to do acts of kindness and charity to show our gratitude to Allah (swt). These acts should be done everyday that Allah (swt) blesses us with the ability to do so.

913

Compete for the Hereafter •

Also on the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): Some of the Companions of the Messenger of

Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), “O Messenger of Allah, the affluent have made off with the rewards. They pray like we pray, fast like we fast, and they also give in charity from their extra wealth.” He said, “Has not Allah made things for you to do in charity? Verily, ever tasbeehah is a charitable act, every takbeerah is a charitable act, every tahmeedah is a charitable act, every tahleelah is a charitable act, ordering good is a charitable act, forbidding evil is a charitable act, and you having sexual intercourse [with your wife] is a charitable act.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfills his desire, he will be rewarded for that?” He said, “Tell me, if he were to do it unlawfully, would he bear that sin? Similarly, if he fulfills it lawfully, he will have a reward.” [Sahih Muslim] 914

• This hadith is one of the many examples that demonstrate how eager the Companions were to perform acts that were pleasing to Allah (swt).

They were not jealous of the wealthier Companions because of their nice clothes or houses, rather, they were worried that the wealthy would get more rewards from Allah

(swt) due to their giving of wealth in charity. They had heard the verses of Qur’an that emphasized the importance of giving charity and they were keen to please Allah in this way, but they were limited by their means.

915

•

This should be the way in which all believers compete, for the goal of the Hereafter. They should race one another to good deeds in order to please Allah (swt), and not compete in the life of this world. As Allah (swt)

says: “Nay, you prefer the life of this world although the Hereafter is better and more lasting.” (Surah alAla:16-17) •

Unfortunately, many Muslims today compete for the life of this world and this can cause jealousy, pride and enmity in the hearts. We should remember that the pleasures of this world are fleeting and can lead to loss and destruction, but the pleasures of the Hereafter are for eternity. As the Prophet (s) said: “By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you. But I fear that the world will be spread out before you as it was for the people before

you. Then you shall compete in it as the people before you competed in it and it shall destroy you as it destroyed them.” (Recorded in Bukhari and Muslim) 916

917

918

919

920

921

O My Servants • On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifaari,

may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), from among the sayings he relates from His Lord (may He be glorified) that He said, “O My servants, I have forbidden wrongdoing for Myself and I have made it forbidden for you. Therefore, do not wrong one another. O My servants, all of you are lost except those

whom I have guided. Therefore, seek guidance from Me and I will guide you.

922

O My Servants‌ O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed. Therefore, seek food from Me and I will feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed.

Therefore seek clothing from Me and I will clothe you. O My servants, you sin by day and by night, and I forgive all sins.

Therefore seek forgiveness from Me and I will forgive you. O My servants, you will not be able to harm Me so as to bring any harm to Me and you will be able to benefit Me so as to bring any benefit to Me. O My servants, if the first and the last of you and the human and the jinn of you were as pious as the most pious heart of anyone among you, it would not add anything to My dominion. O My servants, if the first and the last of you and the human and the jinn of you were as wicked as the most wicked heart of anyone

among you it would not decrease anything from My dominion.

923

O My Servants‌ O My servants, if the first and the last of you

and the human and the jinn of you were to gather together on [the same sector] of land and all asked Me and if I were to give everyone of

them what he asked, that would not decrease what I have any more than a needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon for you. Then I recompense you for them. The one who finds good is to give praises to Allah.

The one who finds other than that should not blame anyone but himself.� [Sahih Muslim] 924

•

Allah (swt) begins His statement by calling to humans with the term ‘O My servants’. This is significant for a number of reasons.

•

Firstly, it highlights for us what our relationship with Allah (swt) is. Allah (swt) is our Lord and Master and we are His servants and slaves. The fact that we are addressed in this way should make us attentive to what is to follow, because the words are coming from our Master.

•

Secondly, this type of address demonstrates to us that Allah (swt) is not in need of us at all. He (swt) is the Master and Lord of all the creation and He (swt) does with them what He (swt) wills. He (swt) has power over all things, and we are totally dependent on Him (swt).

•

Finally, we see that the address is made to all of mankind, not just the believers. The statements are not specific to any people, time or place. The prohibition of wrongdoing is for all people for all time. This was the message from Allah (swt) conveyed by all of the Prophets.

•

So the message is addressed to each and everyone of us, to remind us of our relationship with and total dependence on our Creator, and to guide us to what is best for us in relation to our religion, life and end.

925

926

927

928

Hundred Gold Coins & Birbal The wisdom of Birbal was unparalleled during the

reign of Emperor Akbar. But Akbar’s brother in law was extremely jealous of him. He asked the Emperor to dispense with Birbal’s services and appoint him in his place. He gave ample assurance that he would

prove to be more efficient and capable than Birbal.

Before Akbar could take a decision on this matter, this news reached Birbal.

Birbal resigned and left. Akbar’s brother in law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Akbar decided to test the new minister. He gave three hundred gold coins to him and said, “Spend these gold coins such

that, I get a hundred gold coins here in this life; a hundred gold coins in the other world and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.”

929

The minister found the entire situation to be a maze of confusion and hopelessness. He spent sleepless nights worrying how he would get himself out of this mess.

Thinking in circles was making him go crazy. Eventually, on the advice of his wife, he sought Birbal’s help. Birbal said, “Just give me the gold coins. I shall handle the rest.”

Birbal walked the streets of the city holding the bag of gold coins in his hand. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son’s wedding. Birbal gave a hundred

gold coins to him and bowed courteously saying, “Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son. Please accept the gift he has sent.” The merchant felt honored that the king

had sent a special messenger with such a precious gift.

He honored Birbal and gave him a large number of expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king.

930

Next, Birbal went to the area of the city where the poor people lived. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them in the name of the Emperor.

When he came back to town, he organized a concert of music and dance. He spent a hundred gold coins on it.

The next day Birbal entered Akbar’s court and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. The Emperor wanted to know how he had done it. Birbal repeated the sequences of all

the events and then said, “The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son – you have got back while on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor – you will get it in the other world. The money I spent on the musical concert – you will get neither here nor there.” Akbar’s brother in law understood his mistake and resigned. Birbal got his place back.

931

Moral: The money you spend on friends is returned or reciprocated in some form or the other. The money spent on charity gets converted into blessings from God which will be your eternal property. The money spent on pleasures is just

frittered away. So when you spend your money, think a little, if not a lot.

932

933

Purification is Half of Faith • On the authority of Abu Maalik al-Haarith ibn Aasim al-Ashari, (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Purification is half of the faith. The phrase al-hamdullilah (‘All praises be to Allah ‘) fills the scale. The phrases sub-haanallaah (‘High is Allah above every imperfection and need; He is pure and perfect’) and al-hamdullilah (‘All praise be to Allah’) fill together – or each fill – what

is between the heavens and earth. Prayer is a light.

Charity is a proof. Patience is a brightness. The Qur’an is either an argument for you or against you.

And everyone goes out in the morning and sells himself either freeing or destroying himself.” [Sahih Muslim]

934

•

There is a great deal of difference of opinion amongst the scholars as to what the Prophet (saw) actually meant by this statement. I will outline here briefly the different opinions as they all have important reminders to offer us InshaAllah.

1)

This means that the reward for purification is up to half the reward for faith. In other words, the reward for cleanliness and purification is so great that it could reach a level in reward equal to half of that for having

faith.

2)

Faith wipes away all of the previous sins that were committed before it. Similarly ablution or wudhu wipes away previous minor sins. Ablution is not sound without faith; therefore it is dependent upon it as its ‘other half’.

3)

The meaning of imaan or faith in this phrase is the

prayer. Since purification is a condition for prayer it is like half of the prayer.

935

4) Faith is made up of affirmation of the heart and outward submission in deeds. These are the two parts of faith. Purity, or taharah, implies the prayer which is the greatest form of outward submission. That is why it is

referred to as half of faith.

5) To have pure faith one must be free from certain things such as associating partners with Allah (swt). Hence the purification referred to here is the purification of belief.

6) The purification referred to in this hadith is the ritual ablution performed with water. Some scholars are of the opinion that this type of purification is half of faith because it purifies the outside of the body, whilst the other half of faith is to purify the inside, that is, one’s beliefs.

7) Other scholars say that it is purification of the heart that is referred to in this hadith.

And Allah knows best.

936

Steadfastness • On the authority of Abu Amr Sufyaan

ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), tell me a statement about Islam such that I will not have to ask anyone other than you.” He answered, “Say, ‘I believe in Allah’,

and then stand firm and steadfast to that.” [Sahih Muslim] 937

• In this hadith, the Companion of the Prophet (saw) asked him (saw) to tell him something concise about Islam, something so comprehensive, that he wouldn’t have to ask anything after it. He wanted something that didn’t need a lot of explanation, something easy to remember and apply, and something that

would guide him to the essence of Islam. What the Prophet (saw) told him was something so comprehensive, that it summarized the essence his (saw) mission of 23 years. He (saw) answered, “Say, ‘I believe in Allah’, and then stand firm and steadfast to that.”

938

• The Prophet (saw) told him “Say, ‘I believe in Allah'”. This is the first principle or foundation of Islam, belief in Allah (swt) known as Tauheed.

The correct belief in Allah (swt) comes with conditions, and it is not the same as when the polytheists said ‘We believe in Allah’, but they also worshipped idols. We must believe in Allah

alone, in His Lordship, in His Names and Attributes as they were revealed to us, and that He (swt) is the only One worthy of worship. As we know from the hadith of Jibreel, Imaan or faith, comprises not just of belief, or a statement on the tongue, but also includes the actions of the limbs. So what the Prophet (saw) is advising here

is in essence “Say, with true conviction and belief in your heart that you are prepared to act on… ‘I believe in Allah’.”

939

•

After having the correct belief in Allah (swt) the Prophet (saw) then advised us to remain ‘firm and steadfast’ in that belief. This means that we must not swerve from that proper belief in any way whatsoever. We must fulfill what it obligatory upon us by meeting our obligations to Allah (swt) as detailed by the religion of Islam. We should also strive to stay away from what is forbidden to us. And we also remain steadfast in our belief in Allah’s final Prophet Muhammad (saw) and striving to follow his (saw) Sunnah or way.

•

The key to this type of steadfastness is soundness of the heart.

The heart must be set firmly on tauheed and filled with fear of Allah, or Taqwa, as well as love for Him (swt). If the heart is righteous, then the rest of the body will follow. We can cultivate this in ourselves by turning to the Qur’an and reading it attentively with translation if we don’t understand Arabic; calling ourselves to account for our actions and asking Allah’s (swt) forgiveness; striving to improve ourselves and our conduct and making dua to ask Allah (swt) to help us achieve this; acquiring sound Islamic knowledge; sticking to the Islamic community and keeping pious company; and thinking about the Hereafter and its many blessings and pleasures.

940

• The rewards for this type of steadfastness are truly sublime. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “Verily, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah [alone]’, and stand firm and steadfast, on them will descend angels [at the time of their death saying], ‘Fear not, nor grieve!’ But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been

promised. We have been your friends and protectors in the life of this world and are [so] in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have [all] that your souls desire, and therein you shall have [all] that you ask. A hospitable gift from [Allah], the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah alFussilat:30-32) • SubhanAllah, could we ask for anything more?

941

942

943

944

945

If You Feel No Shame • “On the authority of Abu Masood Uqbah ibn Aamr Al-Ansaari, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu

alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘From the words of the previous prophets that the people still find are: If you feel no shame, then do as you wish.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari]

946

•

This hadith shows us that statements concerning the virtues of modesty are something we find passed on from the earliest of the prophets. We will find that all the laws of the previous prophets agreed upon this principle.

•

Hayaa, shame or modesty is what keeps a person away from committing sinful acts. If a person has no feeling of shame, there is nothing to prevent them from doing anything they wish. They have no internal mechanism

which tells them what is good behavior and what is bad.

In fact, the more a person commits sins, the more their feeling of hayaa is lessened, to the point where it may cease to exist altogether. When a person reaches that

point, they do not care what others think of them and their sense of pride may actually come from how ‘bad’ they or others think they are. SubhanAllah you do not have to look far to see the effects of this loss of modesty

upon societies. When the sense of shame is lost, alcohol and drug abuse, sex outside marriage, and violent crime increase.

947

•

Hayaa is something that every human being naturally possesses. We feel a sense of shame to cover our private parts, that originates from the Prophet Adam (as). It is the attribute that truly distinguishes us from the animals. In general, animals follow their desires or instincts without any feeling of right or wrong. They do not feel shame for their actions. As humans, we have been blessed with the ability and guidance to discern right from wrong, and we will be judged upon it.

•

Like all-natural characteristics Hayaa can be nurtured or stunted through our actions. The more that we realize the presence of Allah (swt) and his blessings upon us, the more the natural Hayaa within us will grow. The more we

commit sins and lewd acts, the more it will decrease until it eventually disappears. Let’s remember here that television has many images that lack hayaa and repeated exposure to these things will also decrease both our, and our families level of hayaa. The Prophet (saw) said: “Hayaa is part of Imaan and Imaan is in Paradise.

Lewdness is part of hardness of heart and hardness of heart is in the Fire.” (Recorded in Ahmad) 948

•

We should realize that Hayaa is a part of our Imaan.

The Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “Imaan has seventy some-odd or sixty some-odd branches. The most virtuous of them is the statement, ‘There is none

worthy of worship except Allah’, and the slightest of them is to remove something harmful from the road.

And Hayaa is a branch of Imaan.” (Recorded in Bukhari and Muslim) •

It is also an essential characteristic of our religion. The Prophet (s) said: “Every religion has a particular manner or characteristic. And the characteristic of Islam is Hayaa.” (Recorded in Ibn Maajah)

•

In order to develop ourselves as believers, we need to cultivate our sense of hayaa. Hayaa in front of the creation, but most importantly, hayaa in front of Allah

(swt). Allah (swt) sees everything that we do. We should be as shy towards Allah (swt) in private as we are towards people in public. And with Him (swt) lies the highest reward.

949

Words of Advice • “On the authority of Abu al-Abbaas Abdullah ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) who

said: One day I was riding behind the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and he said to me, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]. Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you.

If you ask, ask Allah. If you seek help, seek help in Allah. Know that if the nation were to gather together

to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with that which Allah has already recorded for you. If they gather to harm you by something, they would not be able to harm you by anything except what Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” [Jami atTirmindhi]

950

• In other narrations of this hadith, it is stated that the young ibn Abbaas was seated behind the Prophet (saw) on his riding camel. This illustrates that this is one of the few hadith that ibn Abbaas narrated directly from the Prophet (saw).

• The Prophet (saw) called out to ibn Abbaas to get his attention specifically, addressing him as ‘young

man’. At the time when this occurred the young ibn Abbaas (r.a) was just about to enter puberty. This shows us this advice encapsulates the most fundamental aspects of how to practice and implement the religion of Islam in adult life. The Prophet (saw) is teaching ibn Abbaas (r.a) about reliance on Allah amongst other things, which is essential for him to remember as he enters adult life as a Muslim.

951

• This is how every Muslim child should be raised in Islam, being taught the essential aspects before they reach puberty. We truly need to revive this amongst our children today. Many Muslim youth seem to believe they are not responsible for their actions or that they are not adults until the age of 18 or 20.

Islam teaches us that from the moment the child reaches puberty, they are considered an adult and are therefore responsible for all their actions. Parent need to realize this and teach their children to take responsibility for their actions. • The beauty of the advice that the Prophet (saw) gave ibn Abbaas (r.a) is that it was concise, and therefore easy to remember, yet it was far-reaching in its scope. It contains infinite wisdom for us all, both young and old, and shows us the important points to remember as we live our lives, moving closer to our return to Allah (swt).

952

953

954

955

956

Taqwa – Fear of Allah • On the authority of Abu Dharr

Jundub ibn Junada and Abu Abdul Rahmaan Muaadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with both of them) from the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) who said, “Fear Allah wherever you are. And follow up a bad deed with a good deed

and it will wipe it out. And behave towards the people with a good behavior.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

957

•

Taqwa (translated here as ‘fear’) comes from the root word waqaaya, which means “he protected” or “to protect”. When the word taqwa is used with respect to Allah (swt), as in this hadith, it means that one must fear and protect oneself from the anger and punishment of Allah (swt). These things are what we have to fear above all else, both in this world and in the

Hereafter.

•

Taqwa or fear of Allah, is one of the most important concepts found in the Quran and sunnah. It could be described as the foundation of the religion. It has been the command of Allah for all of the Messengers: “To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. We have advised the people of the

Scripture before you and you also [O Muslims] to have taqwa of Allah [fear Allah and keep your duty to Him].” (Surah al-Nisaa:131) 958

• Taqwa is such an important characteristic, that whenever the Prophet (saw) sent an army out to battle, he would advise them to have tawqa of Allah, as this would be the cause of their success or defeat.

• When we realize that Allah (swt) sees us at all times and knows what we do, think and say, then the obvious implication is that we should fear Allah’s anger and punishment at all times. That includes when we are accompanied and when we

are alone, and when we are receiving blessings and trials. The Prophet (saw) used to supplicate: “I ask of You to give me fear of You in matters that are not seen as well as those that are witnessed.” (Recorded in Sunan al-Nisai)

959

•

The minimum aspect of taqwa is to obey Allah and not disobey Him (swt). To achieve a higher level, one must put some distance between oneself and anything that could anger Allah. The people of taqwa, will leave even

permissible deeds out of fear that there might be something harmful in them. Leaving these doubtful or permissible deeds then acts as a barrier between the believer and any acts of disobedience.

•

When a believer performs all the obligatory deeds that they are capable of and stays away from all the forbidden and doubtful matters, and when they further perform the recommended acts and stay away from the disapproved

ones, they are truly deserving of the title muttaqeen “the people possessing taqwa“. The reward for these type of people the highest of rewards. Allah (swt) says: “And the good end [Paradise] is for the [people of] taqwa” (Surah

Taha:132) •

May Allah make us of those people who fear Allah (swt) wherever we are and earn His (swt) highest reward.

Ameen.

960

Do not become angry • On the authority of Abu Huraira (may

Allah be pleased with him): A man came to the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, “Advise me.” He [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] said, “Do not become angry.”

The man repeated [his request] several times and he [the Prophet (peace be

upon him)] said, “Do not become angry.” [Sahih al-Bukhari] 961

• In a narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, a man came to the Prophet (saw) and said, “Teach me something that will not be heavy upon me so that I will be able to keep it and memorize it.” The Prophet (saw) then said, “Do not get angry.” Hence this is a very short, easy to keep in mind piece of advice, but it’s importance and implications are great. If one truly understands the harm of anger, they will realize the significance of this piece of advice. “Do not become angry” • The Prophet (saw), the best example for all mankind, would never get angry or take revenge for his own personal interest. His (saw) anger was reserved for the sake of Allah (swt). He (saw) once said: “The strong person is not the one who is strong in wrestling. But the strong person is the one who is able to restrain himself when he is angry.”

(Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim) 962

•

Anas ibn Malik who served the Prophet (saw) for ten years said that the Prophet (saw) never once got angry with him or asked “Why didn’t you do such and such?”. He always remained patient and gentle in his (saw) dealings with both adults and children. If he (saw) saw something he disliked (for the sake of Allah) the color of his face would change and people would know his displeasure by the expression on his face, but he (saw) did not speak or act out of anger. He (saw) never struck anyone except on the battlefield for the sake of Allah (swt).

•

Anger is a feeling that can be controlled. In the same way that a believer should think before they speak, they should think before they act on the feeling of anger. If we think of the situations that cause people to get angry, they are often over

petty, minor things, such as a difference of opinion, a disagreement in a sporting event, not getting their own way, the behavior of a small child or a trivial matter with a spouse. Our inability to control our anger can create a situation that is blown out of proportion and leads to bad words being said or bad deeds being performed. Do we really need to get angry on such occasions? It is only Shaitan who is happy when we get angry and we ignore this valuable piece of advice from our beloved Prophet (saw).

963

•

As soon as the feeling of anger rises, one should ask oneself, “Why am I getting angry? Is this something really worth getting angry over?” If they are standing, they should sit, and if they are sitting, they should lie down.

They should then pause to remember Allah (swt) and the Hereafter and allow the feeling of the heat of the moment to subside. By not getting angry, the believer pleases Allah (swt). Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “And be quick in the

race for forgiveness from you Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious (al-Mutaqeen) – those who spend [for the sake of Allah] in prosperity and adversity, who repress anger, and

who pardon men. Verily, Allah (swt), loves the good-doers (al-muhsineen)” (Surah ali-Imran:133-134) •

The person who restrains themselves when they feel anger has fulfilled one of the characteristics of the people of

taqwa, and the true muhsineen (those who have ihsaan). If we can put thoughts of the Hereafter before those of our naffs, we can reach this highest state InshaAllah.

964

965

966

967

968

Say a Good Word • On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah

be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good things or keep silent.

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be courteous and generous to his neighbours. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be courteous and

generous to his [travelling] visitor.” [Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim] 969

• We can see here that the Prophet (saw) began this reminder with the explicit mention of belief in Allah (swt) and the coming of the Last Day. This should be a reminder to us of the motivating factor behind all our actions. We will be called to account by Allah (swt) on the Last Day. Everything we do will come before us on that day so we should call ourselves to account before we are called to account, and we are reminded to be careful about what we say.

• The Prophet (saw) instructed us to ‘speak good things’ or remain silent. What does it mean to ‘speak good things’? There are numerous types of speech that fall into this category, including reciting Quran, remembering Allah, making supplications, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, giving dawah, enjoining family relations, making peace between two people etc.

970

• Speaking good words also implies refraining from bad speech. As we discussed in the hadith concerning the perfection of Islam, it should be remembered that saying something about someone that they would not like to hear, even if it is to say that they are short or fat etc, is considered backbiting in Islam and is a

punishable sin. Allah (swt) says in the Quran: “And do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it [so hate backbiting]. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Surah alHujuraat:12)

971

• The Prophet (saw) once stated that nothing caused people to enter Hellfire like the actions of their tongue. So we need to weigh our statements before we make them. If they contain good then we can say them, but if they contain bad then we should refrain from speaking the words and that will be recorded as a good deed for us InshaAllah.

• It’s interesting to note that complete and correct practice of the religion of Islam, entails meeting the rights of Allah through worship and

obedience, and the rights of other human beings through acts such as refraining from backbiting and honoring them as neighbours and guests.

Both these things need to be perfected before we can perfect our Islam.

972

•

If we find that we do not to have the characteristic of speaking good words or remaining silent, then we should realize that we are not as close to Allah (swt) as we should be, and that there is room for improvement in our practice

of our religion. Let’s try and weigh up our words before we utter them. Will we find them in the scale of good deeds on the Day of Judgement or the scale of bad deeds?

•

If you feel you have uttered bad words ask Allah (swt) to

forgive you and to help you refrain from doing so in the future. Add to your scale of good deeds by making it your habit to make dhikr of Allah on a daily basis as you go about your activities. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

“There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the scales and are dear to the Merciful: Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan Allahil Adheem [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and)

Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection]’.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim).

973

Love for Fellow Muslims • On the authority of Abu Humzah

Anas ibn Maalik, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) who said, “None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Sahih al-

Bukhari & Muslim]

974

• If we reflect on this, we realize that it is only truly possible to realize this state when one is free from envy and jealousy. If one is envious and jealous, they are never happy when someone has something that they don’t have. This type of selfishness and self-centeredness cannot co-exist with true Imaan or faith. When the believer

realizes that everything is from Allah (swt), there is no room to be ungrateful about you or anyone else has been given. The only type of jealousy that is permitted is for the sake of the Deen, as the Prophet (saw) said: “There is no jealousy except with respect to two people: A man whom Allah had given wealth and he uses it up for the sake of

the Truth and a man whom Allah has given wisdom and he decides by it and uses it accordingly.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari) 975

• The type of society built on love and compassion, in which the believers truly love for one another what they love for themselves, was the society built by the Prophet (saw) and his Companions.

They sacrificed for each other, gave of their wealth and sustenance, and in some cases, even gave their loved ones. • If we were able to find this level sacrifice amongst ourselves, imagine what type of community we could build. A society based on these principles

would the true Islamic society, the society of true believers. Let’s remember, this cannot be realized through sentiment or word alone, it must be realized through action. May Allah help us to purify our intentions and actions and make us of those who realize this level of faith. Ameen.

976

977

978

979

980

Perfection of Islam • On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Part of the

perfection of a person’s Islam is leaving that which is of no concern to him.” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]

981

• This hadith provides a foundation for manners, etiquette and behavior in Islam. It is clear from this hadith that if we want to perfect our practice of Islam, we must learn to leave that which is of no concern to us. What does this mean? • This hadith is not referring to things which are of no concern to us due to our naffs or selfish desires. Rather, it refers to things that are of no concern to us based on the guidance of the Shariah. That is, we should stay away from things

which from a Shariah point of view have no benefit either in this life or the Hereafter. Bringing our own desires, interests and occupations in line with the Shariah is part of the perfection of our practice of Islam.

982

•

There may also be many things that we think are of no concern to us, whilst from a Shariah point of view, they should be. This might include for instance, when the teachings of Allah are being violated. This should be of

concern to every Muslim whether they wish to admit this or not. When evil is spread or rights are ignored, every Muslim should be concerned. When a fellow Muslim is in need or sincere advice, he must be advised, whether we

like giving advice or not. We can see then, that this hadith cannot be used as an excuse for avoiding the obligations of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and advising and guiding others.

•

So, according to the Shariah, what is of no concern to the believer? In other words, what are the matters that we should avoid? Let’s remember that this hadith refers to our actions, speech and beliefs. It includes staying away

from forbidden acts, doubtful acts, disliked acts and overindulgence in permissible matters.

983

•

With this in mind, we should avoid concern over other people’s affairs that have no impact on us. That is, gossiping and backbiting. Let’s remember that to say something about someone that they would not like to

hear (even that they are short or fat etc) is backbiting and a punishable sin! The Prophet (s) was once asked if people were held accountable for what they said and he (s) replied: “O Muaadh, may your mother be bereaved of you. Is there anything that topples people on their faces – or on their noses – into the Hell-fire other than what their tongues reap?” (Recorded in Tirmidhi) •

Allah (swt) said: “There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders charity and righteousness, or conciliation between mankind.”

(Surah al-Nisaa:114) •

Let’s ask Allah to help us purify our thoughts, deeds and speech and to assist us in leaving matters which are of no concern to us. Ameen.

984

Leave that which makes you Doubt

• On the authority of Abu Muhammad

al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abu Taalib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and his beloved (may Allah be pleased with both of them), who said: I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),

“Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.”

[Jami at-Tirmidhi]

985

•

This hadith illustrates a very important general principle that can be applied in all aspects of one’s life – avoid doubtful matters. If we only carry out acts that we are certain are permissible, then our hearts will be free from doubt. The one who gets involved in doubtful matters on the other hand, will never find their heart to be completely at ease. If the true believer finds that something troubles their heart and makes it doubt, then they should avoid that matter.

•

This hadith is especially important in these times when people highlights differences amongst the scholars and espouse different opinions. There are many new and complex things such as business practices, that may have some good and some bad in them. Even if they have not been discussed by the scholars yet, people will still voice an opinion about them. How can we save ourselves from all this confusion? How can we know which path to follow that will lead us away from confusion towards Allah’s pleasure? For this, we need to turn to this hadith of the Prophet (saw).

•

The key to true piety and peace of mind, is to avoid all doubtful matters. If a person truly applies this hadith they should, Allah willing, find psychological well-being and inner peace.

986

987

988

989

All Actions are by Intention • On the authority of the Commander of the Faithful Abu Hafs Umar ibn al-Khattaab who said: I heard

the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, “Surely, all actions are but driven by intentions and, verily, every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus, he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, then his migration was for Allah and His Messenger; and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take a woman in marriage, his migration was for that which he migrated.” [Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim]

990

• This hadith is one of the comprehensive hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It touches upon every deed of Islam and encompasses all of the affairs of the Hereafter in one sentence.

• The basis of any good deed is sincerity in pleasing Allah. If we lack this intention an act may appear

‘good’ but it will be devoid of true meaning and therefore reward. If we are seeking Allah’s pleasure, we need to have the intention of pleasing Him, but we also need to be sure that our action is in line with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Shareeah.

• The beauty here is that this hadith can refer to any action, no matter how simple. So for example, even washing the dishes, with the intention of pleasing Allah by looking after our families, can earn us reward.

991

• If, before going to sleep you make wudhu and the intention to rest so that you can get up and worship Allah, EVEN YOUR SLEEP can earn you reward with Allah. Imagine, a third of your life is taken up with sleep but with the right intention you can make this earn you reward with Allah!

SubhanAllah Allah is Merciful and He provides

us with so many ways to draw near to Him. • So remember – pause a moment before you act and remind yourself Who you are doing this for…

992

The Hadith of Angel Jibreel • On the authority of Umar (r.a) who said:

One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), there came before us a man with extremely white clothing and extremely black hair. There were no signs of travel on him and none of us knew him. He [came and] sat next to the Prophet (saw). He supported his knees up against the knees of

the Prophet (saw) and put his hand on his thighs. He said, ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’

993

The Hadith of Angel Jibreel…

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‘Islam is

to testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the

prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast [the month of] Ramadan, and to make pilgrimage to the House if you have the means to do so.’ He said, ‘You have spoken truthfully [or correctly].’ We were amazed that he asks the question and then says that he had spoken truthfully. He said, ‘Tell me about Imaan (faith).’

994

The Hadith of Angel Jibreel…

He [the Messenger of Allah (saw)]

responded, ‘It is to believe in Allah, His angles, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and to believe in the divine decree,

[both] the good and the evil thereof.’ He said, ‘You have spoken truthfully.’ He said, ‘Tell me about al-Ihsaan (goodness).’ He [the Prophet (saw)] answered, ‘It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him. And even though you do not see Him, [you know] He sees you.’ He said, ‘Tell me about [the time of] the Hour,’ 995

The Hadith of Angel Jibreel…

He [the Prophet (saw)] answered, ‘The one being asked does not know more than the one asking.’ He

said, ‘Tell me about it’s signs.’ He answered, ‘The slave-girl shall give birth to her master, and you will see the barefooted, scantily-clothed, destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings.’

Then he went away. I stayed for a long time. Then he [the Prophet (saw)] said, ‘O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘It was [the angel] Gabriel who came to teach you your religion.’ [Sahih Muslim]

996

•

SubhanAllah. This is such a beautiful, expansive, comprehensive hadith. It touches upon almost every deed of Islam and deals with inner and outer aspects of the worship of Allah.

•

What we can see from this example is that the religion of Islam is actually the religion of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) in His mercy provided us with two sources of guidance: the Qur’an the revelation of Allah’s word, and the Sunnah

the life example of his Prophet Muhammad (saw). If anybody wants to learn about the religion of Allah (swt), they can learn about it directly from these two sources. It is in Allah’s infinite wisdom that He (swt) sent the Angel

Jibreel to ask these questions about such important topics, so that the answers could be clarified to those people sitting with the Prophet (saw). In doing so, it also ensured that these topics would be clarified to us,

generations later, who read this hadith as it was recorded, and can learn from it so succinctly about the important aspects of our religion, SubhanAllah.

997

• The Prophet (saw) described what the Angel Jibreel taught as being the deen, or religion, of Islam. This is clearly then comprised of three aspects – Islam, Imaan and Ihsaan.

• Islam, consists of five pillars: testimony of faith, establishing the prayer, giving charity, fasting Ramadan and making pilgrimage.

• Imaan, or faith, consists of six articles: belief in Allah, the angels, the messengers, the books, the Day of Resurrection and Divine Decree.

• Ihsaan, which can be translated as perfection or goodness, is the striving that comes from worshipping Allah (swt) as if you see Him (swt), or if you can not do that, then at least being aware that

He (swt) sees you. The result of this is that we become concerned about the quality of our deeds, and not simply their quantity or outward execution.

998

• In order to perfect our worship of Allah (swt) we need to deepen our understanding and practice of these important topics. Further the signs of the Hour, remind us not only of the coming the Day of Judgement, but also the coming of our own Hour, that is our death. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to make ourselves ready for

this momentous event. Are we striving to be of those who will be in the highest station of the Paradise, or are putting things off until tomorrow, when tomorrow may never come?

999

1000