When Prophet Musa stood in front of the Red Sea, a tyrant and his army approached from behind. Some of those in Musa's midst began to divide. Looking ahead, those people saw only defeat:
"And when the two bodies saw each other, the people of Moses said: 'We are sure to be overtaken.'"(Qur'an, 26:61).
But Musa had different eyes. His eyes were spiritual eyes that saw through the illusions of worldly hardship and defeat. He saw through. With a heart connected to the Most High, looking at the same seemingly impossible situation, Musa saw only God:
"(Moses) said: 'By no means! My Lord is with me! He will guide me through!'"
(Qur'an, 26:61-62)
And indeed Allah did just that:
"Then We told Moses by inspiration: 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' So it divided, and each separate part became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain. And We made the other party approach thither. We delivered Moses and all who were with him; But We drowned the others." (Qur'an, 26: 63-66).
Today in Egypt, we are standing in front of a Red Sea. Today in Egypt, a tyrant and his army are at our back. Today, there are some who see only defeat. But, there are others whose eyes are looking through the blockade to the path and the hope beyond it. Today in Egypt, there are some who - even with a tyrant at their back - are saying:
إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ
"Indeed my Lord is with me, He will guide me through."
"Indeed my Lord is with me, He will guide me through."
One might wonder why, at such a critical time in history, we would retell an ancient story. Why would something that happened thousands of years ago be relevant today? The reason is that it is not just a story. Nor is it ancient. It is an everlasting sign and a lesson for all time. In the very next ayah, Allah says:
"Verily in this is a Sign: but most of them do not believe." (26:67)
It is a sign of the Reality of God and the secrets of this world. It is a sign that tyranny never wins and that obstacles are only illusions, created to test us, train us, and purify us. But most of all it is a sign of where success comes from. And it is a vision of what that success, against all odds-at a time we think we're trapped, defeated, and powerless-really looks like.
Some might ask why, if we are indeed on the side of God, does victory not come easily? Some might wonder why God doesn't just give the righteous victory without immense struggle and sacrifice. The answer to this question is also given by God. He tells us:
"And We did not send a prophet in a town but We overtook its people with distress and affliction in order that they might humble themselves (reach a state of tadaru')." (Qur'an, 7:94)
Here, Allah says that the purpose of the affliction is to reach a state of tadaru. Tadaru is humility before God - but it is not just humility. To understand the concept of tadaru, imagine yourself in the middle of an ocean. Imagine that you are all alone on a boat. Imagine that a huge storm comes and the waves become mountains surrounding you. Now imagine turning to God at that point and asking for His help. In what state of need, awe, dependency and utter humility would you be in? That is tadaru. Allah says that He creates conditions of hardship in order to grant us that gift. God does not need to make things hard for us. He creates those situations in order to allow us to reach a state of closeness to Him, which otherwise we'd be unlikely to reach.
That priceless state of humility, nearness and utter dependence on God is what the Egyptian people have been blessed with today. Allahu akbar - God is great. But Allah mentions another purpose for these hardships and struggles. He says:
"And We divided them throughout the earth into different groups. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good [times] and bad that perhaps they would return [to obedience]." (Qur'an, 7:168).
In Surat ali-Imran, Allah tells us:
"If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loveth not those that do wrong. Allah's object also is to purify those that are true in Faith and to deprive of blessing Those that resist Faith. Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard (In His Cause) and remained steadfast?" (Qur'an, 3:140-142).
Here, Allah describes the purpose of hardship as being tamhees. Tamhees is the same word used to describe the heating and purifying of gold. Without heating it up, gold is precious metal-but it's full of impurities. By performing tamhees, a process of heating, the impurities are removed from gold. This is what God also does with the believers. Through hardships, believers are purified-just like gold.
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And so too are the Egyptians being purified. Only days before the uprising, the world had considered the Egyptian youth a lost cause. We believed they had lost their direction and their purpose. We believed that they had chosen to live their lives on the streets, catcalling girls, or at internet cafes smoking hookah. Through this hardship, the Egyptian youth have been brought back from the dead.
Now, these youth are standing on the streets in defiance of tyranny, on their knees praying, and with their hands facing the sky, calling on their Lord. The same people who just days before barely prayed, stand today in front of military tanks to bow down to their Creator. Only days before the uprising, the tensions between Egyptian Muslims and Christians had grown to an all-time high. Today the Christians and Muslims stand side by side in defense of each other and their country. The same people who did not trust each other the day before their 'heating,' have come together as brothers and sisters, as one body, to defend their streets, their homes, and their neighborhoods. And through this hardship, a person who only days before lived for his cell phone, sheesha, and cigarettes, has become willing to sacrifice his own life to give freedom to his people.
Allah tells us in the Qur'an:
"Say: 'Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? Or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?' They will soon say, '(Allah)'. Say, 'Will you not then show piety (to Him)?'" (Qur'an, 10:31)
It is Allah who brings the living out of the dead. He has brought us back from the dead. Don't think for a moment that a single moment of this is not happening with a purpose-a deep, profound and beautiful, liberating purpose. For decades the Egyptian people have lived a life of fear. But when you let fear control you, you are a slave. Allah has liberated the Egyptian people from this slavery, by making them face-and overcome-their greatest fear. Allah has liberated the Egyptian people by allowing them to look their oppressor in the eye and tell him, and the whole world, that they will no longer live in fear. And so whether Mubarak stays or goes, lives or dies-it doesn't really matter. The Egyptian people have already been liberated.
They have been liberated.
Hosni Mubarak is irrelevant. He is nothing but a tool-a tool by which God carries out His plan for the Egyptian people and for the entire Ummah. A tool to carry out His plan to purify, beatify and liberate the Egyptian people and the Ummah. And whether we are in Egypt today or not is unimportant. Egypt is just one limb of our body. The purification of Egypt is a purification of the whole body of our Ummah. It is the purification of you and me. It is our chance to ask ourselves to what are we attached. What are we afraid of? What are we striving for? What do we stand for? And where are we going?
When a body is in a deep, deep slumber-a coma-it is only out of His infinite mercy that He sends us a wakeup call. It is only from His infinite mercy that He sends to us life where there was once only death. We were heedless, so He sent us a sign. We were asleep, so he woke us up. We worshiped this life, and preferred our material possessions to the liberation of a soul attached to, and afraid of nothing but Him-so He freed us.
How many people will experience something like this in their lifetime? How many people will experience the opening of a Sea, the humbling of a tyrant? Shouldn't we ask ourselves why we were chosen to see it? Shouldn't we ask ourselves what we were intended to learn, change, transform? Because if we think for a moment this is all just about the people of Egypt, then we have desperately missed the point. We were asleep, and Allah chose to wake us.
We were dead and Allah wants to give us life.
We were conditioned to believe that our enemy was outside of ourselves. That he had power over us. This is also an illusion. The enemy is inside of us. All external enemies are only manifestations of our own diseases. And so if we want to conquer those enemies, we must first conquer the enemy inside ourselves. This is why the Qur'an tells us:
"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they first change
We must first conquer greed, selfishness, shirk, ultimate fear, love, hope and dependence on anything other than Allah. We must conquer hubb ad-dunya (love of dunya)-the root of all our diseases, and all our oppression. Before we can defeat the Pharaohs in our lives, we must defeat the Pharaoh inside ourselves. So the fight in Egypt is a fight for liberation. Yes. But liberation from what? Who is truly oppressed? Are you and I free? What is true oppression? Ibn Taymiyyah answers this question when he says: "The one who is (truly) imprisoned is the one whose heart is imprisoned from Allah and the captivated one is the one whose desires have enslaved him." (Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Wabil)
When you are free inside, you will never allow anyone to take away your freedom. And when you have inner freedom, you can look through tyrants and thugs to the Lord of the tyrants and thugs. When you are free inside, you become unenslaveable, because you can only enslave a person with attachments. You can only threaten a person who is afraid of loss. You only have power over someone when they need or want something that you have the ability to take away. But there is only one thing which no person has the power to take away from you: God.
And so when we fight to free Egypt, on a grander and realer scale it is a fight to also free ourselves. It is a fight to free ourselves of the tyranny of our own nafs and desires. A fight to free ourselves from our own false attachments and dependencies, from all that controls us, from all that we worship-other than Him. It is a fight to free us from our own slavery. Whether we are slaves to the American dollar, to our own desires, to status, to wealth, or to fear-the purification of Egypt is a purification of us all.
That is why the formula for true success given to us in the Qur'an consists of two elements: Sabr (patience, perseverance) and Taqwa (God consciousness):
"O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear God (alone) that you may be successful." (Qur'an 3:200).
So if we watch Egypt today as if it is only a spectacle happening outside of ourselves, without cleaning, examining, and really changing ourselves and our lives, then we have missed it's purpose.
After all, it isn't every day that a sea is opened before our very eyes.
Yasmin Mogahed holds a B.S. in Psychology and a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications. She is an internationally published journalist and an independent media consultant based in North Carolina.
Showing posts with label Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Articles. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Thursday, 10 March 2011
The Lighter Side in Hadith
Since Islam is defined as way of life the scope of Islam and life should be fully convergent. As Islam is based on human nature, it also fully takes into account that nature, in its entire dimension. As a reflection of many different types of extremities among us as Muslims, some have divorced Islam in search of their jest and fun. Others, due to their "love" for Islam, have purified Islam and their life from any humorous dimension: So, no fun or humor.
The latter group is petrified by a reminder from the Prophet Muhammad , "O followers of Muhammad! By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would weep much and laugh little." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #627]
The unintended impact of this Hadith has been that we forgot to have a sense of humor altogether. Indeed, the more religious we are, the less we laugh. On top of this, I have observed that the more religious and scholarly Muslims are, their faces are stiffer, even when they have their pictures taken. Life is more than just weeping and crying. There might be some proportionality, but there is plenty of lighter dimension of life as well. So, go ahead, cry a little, laugh a little.
The Prophet usually had a very friendly, inviting disposition. He smiled, and laughed as situations "naturally" warranted. Just like he did not try to artificially induce tears in his eyes, he did not suppress his laugh during situations that were humorous.
Those Hadith that indicate Prophet's smile or laugh are very special to me, as those Hadith lightens me up when I need a little lift. Those Hadith also brightens my day every so often.
1. The Prophet used to smile, rather than laugh ...
He generally used to smile rather than laugh Aisha, wife of the Messenger of Allah said: I never saw the Messenger of Allah laugh fully to such an extent that I could see his uvula. He would only smile, ... [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #5079] [Note: Whether he smiled or laugh depended on the situation as illustrated by the Hadiths quoted below.]
2. The Prophet's smile and companions' laughing sessions ...
Narrated Jabir ibn Samurah: Simak ibn Harb asked Jabir ibn Samurah, "Did you sit in the company of the Messenger of Allah?" He said: Yes, very often. He (the Prophet) used to sit at the place where he observed the morning or dawn prayer till the sun rose or when it had risen; he would stand, and they (his Companions) would talk about matters (pertaining to the days) of ignorance, and they would laugh (on these matters) while (the Prophet) only smiled. [Sahih Muslim, #1413]
3. Go ahead make your dear ones feel good!
Narrated Hadhrat Fatima , The Prophet told me something secretly (during his fatal illness) and I laughed. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, Chapter 68 on smiling and laughing]
4. You should be jestful with your family!
Narrated Ibn Mas'ud: "Mix with the people on the condition that your Deen is not jeopardized, and be jestful with the family." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Chapter 81 on "To be cheerful with the people"]
5. The Prophet used to laugh too; sometimes till his front teeth were exposed...
Hadhrat Abu Dhar reported that the Prophet said: "I know the last of inhabitants of Paradise to enter it and the last of the inhabitants of Hell to come out it. He is a man who would be brought on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said: Present his minor sins to him, and withhold from him his serious sins. Then the minor sins would be placed before him, and it would be said: On such and such day you did so and so and on such and such day you did so and so. He would say: Yes. It will not be possible for him to deny, while he would be afraid lest serious sins should be presented before him. It would be said to him: In place of every evil deed you will have good deed. He will (then) say: My Lord! I have done things that I do not see here." I indeed saw the Mesenger of Allah laugh till his front teeth were exposed. [Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, #365]
6. Sometimes laughing is just not right...
Narrated Aisha: Some young men from the Quraysh visited Aisha as she was in Mina and they (audience) were laughing. She said: What makes you laugh? They said: Such and such person stumbled against the rope of the tent and he was about to break his neck or lose his eyes. She said: Don't laugh for I heard Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) saying: If a Muslim runs a thorn or (gets into trouble) severe than this, there is assured for him (a higher) rank and his sins are obliterated. [Sahih Muslim, #6237]
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7. The Prophet's kiddy talk!
Narrated Anas bin Malik , The Prophet used to mix with us to the extent that he would say to a younger brother of mine (he had a bird called Umair), "O father of Umair! What did do the Nughair (a kind of bird)?" [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #150]
8. Asking the Prophet for a camel
Anas said: A man came to the Prophet and said: O Apostle of Allah! give me a mount. The Prophet said: We shall give you a she-camel's child to ride on. He said: What shall I do with a she-camel's child? The Prophet replied: Do any others than she-camels give birth to camels?" [Sunan Abu Dawood; Vol. 3, # 4980; also #4981; #4982]
9. The tale of a stubborn animal...
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib: Ali ibn Rabi'ah said: I was present with Ali while an animal was brought to him to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: "In the name of Allah." Then when he sat on its back, he said: "Praise be to Allah." He then said: "Glory be to Him Who has made this subservient to us, for we had not the strength, and to our Lord do we return." He then said: "Praise be to Allah (thrice); Allah is Most Great (thrice): glory be to Thee, I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for only Thou forgivest sins." He then laughed. He was asked: At what did you laugh? He replied: I saw the Apostle of Allah do as I have done, and laugh after that. I asked: Apostle of Allah , at what are you laughing? He replied: Your Lord, Most High, is pleased with His servant when he says: "Forgive me my sins." He knows that no one forgives sins except Him. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 2, #2596]
10. What is there to laugh about a good use of Qur'anic logic ...?
Amr ibn al-As said: I had a sexual dream on a cold night in the battle of Dhat al-Salasil. I was afraid, if I washed/bathed I would die. I, therefore, performed Tayammum and led my companions in the dawn prayer. They mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah, He said: 'Amr, you led your companions in prayer, while you were sexually defiled? I informed him of the cause which impeded me from taking a bath. And I said: I heard Allah say: "Do not kill yourself, verily Allah is merciful to you." The Messenger of Allah laughed and did not say anything. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 1, #334]
11. The laugh at the case of an unyielding hapless chap ...
A man broke his fast (intentionally) during Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah commanded him to emancipate a slave or fast for two months, or feed sixty poor men. He said: I cannot provide. The Apostle said: Sit down. Thereafter, a huge basket of dates was brought to the Messenger of Allah. He said: Take this and give it as sadaqah. He said: O Messenger of Allah, there is no one poorer than I. The Messenger of Allah thereupon laughed so that his canine teeth became visible and said: Eat it yourself. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 2, #2386]
12. A Dollyy conversation and a hearty laugh!...
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: When the Apostle of Allah arrived after the expedition to Tabuk or Khaybar (the narrator is doubtful), the draught raised an end of a curtain which was hung in front of her store-room, revealing some dolls which belonged to her.
He asked: What is this? She replied: My dolls. Among them he saw a horse with wings made of rags, and asked: What is this I see among them? She replied: A horse. He asked: What is this that it has on it? She replied: Two wings. He asked: A horse with two wings? She replied: Have you not heard that Solomon had horses with wings? She said: Thereupon the Apostle of Allah laughed so heartily that I could see his molar teeth. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4914]
13. A drunken tale ...
Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet did not prescribe any punishment for drinking wine. Ibn Abbas said: A man who had drunk wine and become intoxicated was found staggering on the road, so he was taken to the Prophet . When he was opposite Al-Abbas' house, he escaped, and going in to Al-Abbas, he grasped hold of him. When that was mentioned to the Prophet , he laughed and said: Did he do that? and he gave no command regarding him. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4461]
14. A pillow talk...
Adi bin Hatim said: When the verse 'Until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread' was revealed, I took a white rope and a black rope, and placed them beneath my pillow; and then I looked at them, but they were not clear to my. So I mentioned it to the Apostle of Allah. He laughed and said: Your pillow is so broad and lengthy; that (what is being referred to) is blackness of night and whiteness of day." [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 2, #2342]
15. Troublesome thoughts?
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: AbuZumayl said: I asked Ibn Abbas, saying: What is that I find in my breast? He asked: What is it? I replied: I swear by Allah, I cannot speak about it. He asked me: Is it something doubtful? and he laughed. He then said: No one could escape that, until Allah, the exalted, revealed: "If thou went in doubt as to what we have revealed unto thee, and ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee." He said: If you find something in your heart, say: He is the first and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent, and He has full knowledge of all things. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #5091]
16. A joyous dream....
Prophet's dream of a sea voyage and a women's request Anas bin Malik said: Umm Haram, daughter of Milhan, sister of Umm Sulaim, narrated to me that the Apostle of Allah took a midday nap with them. He then awoke laughing. She said: I asked: O the Messenger of Allah , what made you laugh? He replied: I saw some people who were sailing in the midst of the sea like kings on thrones. She said: I said: O the Messenger of Allah, beseech Allah that He may put me among them. He replied: You will be among them. She said: He then slep and awoke laughing. She said: I asked: O the Messenger of Allah, what made you laugh? He replied as he said in the first reply. She said: I said: the Messenger of Allah, beseech Allah that He may put me amongst them. He replied: You will be among the first. Then Ubadah b. al-Samit married her and sailed on the sea on an expedition, and took her with him. When he returned, a riding animal was brought near her to ride, but it threw her down. He neck was broken and she died. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 2, #2484]
17. Sneaking up on little Anas as a party spoiler...
Anas said: The Apostle of Allah was one of the best men in character. One day he sent me to do something, and I said: I swear by Allah that I will not go. But in my heart I felt that I should go to do what the the Messenger of Allah had commanded me; so I went out and came upon boys whe were playing in the street. All of a sudden the Messenger of Allah, who had come from behind, caught me by the back of the neck, and when I looked at him he was laughing. He said: Go where I ordered you, little Anas. I replied: Yes, I am going, the Messenger of Allah! Anas said: I swear by Allah, I served him for seven or nine years, and he never said to me about a thing which I had done: why did you do such and such? nor about a thing which I left: why did you not do such and such? [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4755]
18. A subtle practical humor?
The Prophet smiled at a son's resemblance to his father Abu Rimthah said: I went to the Prophet with my father. The Apostle of Allah then asked my father: Is this your son? He replied: Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah. He again said: Is it true? He said: I bear witness to it. the Messenger of Allah then smiled for my resemblance with my father, and for the fact that my father took an oath upon me. He then said: He will not bring evil on you, nor will you bring evil on him. The the Messenger of Allah recited the verse: "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another." [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4480]
19. No laughing mater! The unusual command to make parents laugh...
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: A man came to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: I came to you to take the oath of allegiance to you on emigration, and I left my parents weeping. He (the Prophet) said: Return to them and make them laugh as you made them weep. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 2, #2522]
20. A romantic giggle?
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Apostle of Allah married me .... When we came to Medina, some women came. According to Bishr's version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to the Apostle of Allah , and he took up cohabitation with me..... She (Umm Ruman) halted me at the door, and I burst into laughter. [ Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, # 4915]
21. A sneaky retaliation to the jestful Prophet
Narrated Usayd ibn Hudayr,: AbdurRahman ibn AbuLayla, quoting Usayd ibn Hudayr, a man of the Ansar, said that while he was given to jesting and was talking to the people and making them laugh, the Prophet poked him under the ribs with a stick. He said: Let me take retaliation. He said: Take retaliation. He said: You are wearing a shirt but I am not. The Prophet then raised his shirt and the man embraced him and began to kiss his side. Then he said: This is what I wanted, Apostle of Allah! [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #5205]
22. Laughing teeth?
Narrated Abbas ibn Mirdas: The Apostle of Allah laughed AbuBakr or Umar said to him: May Allah make your teeth laugh! He then mentioned the tradition. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #5215]
23. A Playful suggestion from the Prophet?
Narrated Jabir: My father died and left behind seven or nine daughters, and I married a woman. The Prophet said, "Did you get married, O Jabir?" I replied, "Yes." He asked, "Is she a virgin or a matron?" I replied, "She is a matron." He said, "Why didn't you marry a virgin girl so that you might play with her and she with you (or, you might make her laugh and she make you laugh)?" I said, "My father died, leaving seven or nine girls (orphans) and I did not like to bring a young girl like them, so I married a woman who can look after them." He said, "May Allah bestow His Blessing on you." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #396]
24. O Allah! Are you joking?
Narrated 'Abdullah: The Prophet said, "I know the person who will be the last to come out of the (Hell) Fire, and the last to enter Paradise. He will be a man who will come out of the (Hell) Fire crawling, and Allah will say to him, 'Go and enter Paradise.' He will go to it, but he will imagine that it had been filled, and then he will return and say, 'O Lord, I have found it full.' Allah will say, 'Go and enter Paradise, and you will have what equals the world and ten times as much (or, you will have as much as ten times the like of the world).' On that, the man will say, 'Do you mock at me (or laugh at me) though You are the King?" I saw Allah's Apostle (while saying that) smiling that his premolar teeth became visible. It is said that will be the lowest in degree amongst the people of Paradise. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #575]
25. An entertaining donkey at the Prophet's service?
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: During the lifetime of the Prophet there was a man called 'Abdullah whose nickname was Donkey, and he used to make Allah's Apostle laugh. The Prophet lashed him because of drinking (alcohol). And one-day he was brought to the Prophet on the same charge and was lashed. On that, a man among the people said, "O Allah, curse him ! How frequently he has been brought (to the Prophet on such a charge)!" The Prophet said, "Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #771]
26. A Wholesome joke!
Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'(note: he was a rather robust person) said: I came to the Apostle of Allah at the expedition to Tabuk when he was in a SMALL skin tent. I gave him a salutation and he returned it, saying: Come in. I asked: The whole of me, Apostle of Allah? He replied: The whole of you. So I entered. [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4982]
27. Prophetic fun - What am I saying?
Anas said: A man came to the Prophet and said: Apostle of Allah! give me a mount. The Prophet said: We shall give you a she-camel's child to ride on. He said: What shall I do with a she-camel's child? The Prophet replied: Do any others than she-camels give birth to camels? [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4980]
28. "Two ears" address!
Anas said: The Prophet addressed me as: O you with the two ears! [Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol. 3, #4984]
29. Prophet's GLASSY talk!
Narrated Anas bin Malik : The Prophet came to some of his wives among whom there was Um Sulaim, and said, "May Allah be merciful to you, O Camel-driver! Drive the camels slowly, as they are carrying glass vessels (comparing women due to their tenderness and vulnerability)!" Abu Qalaba said, "The Prophet said a sentence which, had anyone of you said it, you would have admonished him for it." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #170] [Of course, not every one has a sense of humor!]
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30. The Prophet's DUSTY talk!
Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: There was no name dearer to Ali than his nickname Abu Turab (the father of dust). He used to feel happy whenever he was called by this name. Once Allah's Apostle came to the house of Fatima but did not find Ali in the house. So he asked, "Where is your cousin?" She replied, "There was something (a quarrel) between me and him whereupon he got angry with me and went out without having a midday nap in my house." Allah's Apostle asked a person to look for him. That person came, and said, "O Allah's Apostle! He is sleeping in the mosque." So Allah's Apostle went there and found him lying. His upper body cover had fallen off to one side of his body and so he was covered with DUST. Allah's Apostle started cleaning the dust from him, saying, "Get up, O Abu Turab! Get up, Abu Turab!" [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, #297]
31. Brotherly exchange of words!
Narrated 'Uqba bin Al-Harith: I saw Abu Bakr carrying Al-Hasan and saying, "Let my father be sacrificed for you; you resemble the Prophet and not 'Ali," while 'Ali was laughing at this. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 5, 93]
32. The tale of a wonderful host!
Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to the Prophet. The Prophet sent a messenger to his wives (to bring something for that man to eat) but they said that they had nothing except water. Then Allah's Apostle said, "Who will take this (person) or entertain him as a guest?" An Ansar man said, "I." So he took him to his wife and said to her, "Entertain generously the guest of Allah's Apostle " She said, "We have got nothing except the meals of my children." He said, "Prepare your meal, light your lamp and let your children sleep if they ask for supper." So she prepared her meal, lighted her lamp and made her children sleep, and then stood up pretending to mend her lamp, but she put it off. Then both of them pretended to be eating, but they really went to bed hungry. In the morning the Ansari went to Allah's Apostle who said, "Tonight Allah laughed or wondered at your action." Then Allah revealed "But give them (emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that And whosoever is saved from the covetousness Such are they who will be successful." (59.9) [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 5. #142]
NOW, assuming that laugh and sense of humor go together, does even Allah have a sense of humor? He is going to laugh or is He going to have the last laugh? Allah is going to laugh? Come on now! A blasphemous statement? Don't take my word for it; read the next Hadith yourself!
33. Does Allah have a sense of humor?
Narrated Abu Huraira: The people said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" He replied, "Do you have any doubt in seeing the full moon on a clear (not cloudy) night?" They replied, "No, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Do you have any doubt in seeing the sun when there are no clouds?" They replied in the negative. He said, "You will see Allah (your Lord) in the same way. On the Day of Resurrection, people will be gathered and He will order the people to follow what they used to worship. So some of them will follow the sun, some will follow the moon, and some will follow other deities; and only this nation (Muslims) will be left with its hypocrites. Allah will come to them and say, 'I am Your Lord.' They will say, 'We shall stay in this place till our Lord comes to us and when our Lord will come, we will recognize Him. Then Allah will come to them again and say, 'I am your Lord.' They will say, 'You are our Lord.' Allah will call them, and As-Sirat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and I (Muhammad) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with my followers. Nobody except the Apostles will then be able to speak and they will be saying then, 'O Allah! Save us. O Allah Save us.'
There will be hooks like the thorns of Sa'dan in Hell. Have you seen the thorns of Sa'dan?" The people said, "Yes." He said, "These hooks will be like the thorns of Sa'dan but nobody except Allah knows their greatness in size and these will entangle the people according to their deeds; some of them will fall and stay in Hell forever; others will receive punishment (torn into small pieces) and will get out of Hell, till when Allah intends mercy on whomever He likes amongst the people of Hell, He will order the angels to take out of Hell those who worshipped none but Him alone. The angels will take them out by recognizing them from the traces of prostrations, for Allah has forbidden the (Hell) fire to eat away those traces. So they will come out of the Fire, it will eat away from the whole of the human body except the marks of the prostrations.
At that time they will come out of the Fire as mere skeletons. The Water of Life will be poured on them and as a result they will grow like the seeds growing on the bank of flowing water. Then when Allah had finished from the Judgments amongst his creations, one man will be left between Hell and Paradise and he will be the last man from the people of Hell to enter paradise. He will be facing Hell, and will say, 'O Allah! Turn my face from the fire as its wind has dried me and its steam has burnt me.' Allah will ask him, "Will you ask for anything more in case this favor is granted to you?' He will say, "No by Your (Honor) Power!" And he will give to his Lord (Allah) what he will of the pledges and the covenants. Allah will then turn his face from the Fire. When he will face Paradise and will see its charm, he will remain quiet as long as Allah will. He then will say, 'O my Lord! Let me go to the gate of Paradise.' Allah will ask him, 'Didn't you give pledges and make covenants (to the effect) that you would not ask for anything more than what you requested at first?' He will say, 'O my Lord! Do not make me the most wretched, amongst Your creatures.' Allah will say, 'If this request is granted, will you then ask for anything else?' He will say, 'No! By Your Power! I shall not ask for anything else.' Then he will give to his Lord what He will of the pledges and the covenants.
Allah will then let him go to the gate of Paradise. On reaching then and seeing its life, charm, and pleasure, he will remain quiet as long as Allah wills and then will say, 'O my Lord ! Let me enter Paradise.' Allah will say, May Allah be merciful unto you, O son of Adam! How treacherous you are! Haven't you made covenants and given pledges that you will not ask for anything more that what you have been given?' He will say, 'O my Lord! Do not make me the most wretched amongst Your creatures.' So Allah will laugh and allow him to enter Paradise and will ask him to request as much as he likes. He will do so till all his desires have been fulfilled . Then Allah will say, 'Request more of such and such things.' Allah will remind him and when all his desires and wishes; have been fulfilled, Allah will say "All this is granted to you and a similar amount besides." Abu Said Al-Khudri, said to Abu Huraira, 'Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'That is for you and ten times more like it.' "Abu Huraira said, "I do not remember from Allah's Apostle except (his saying), 'All this is granted to you and a similar amount besides." Abu Sahd said, "I heard him saying, 'That is for you and ten times more the like of it." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1, #770]
Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq is currently the Head of Centre for Islamic Finance at Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF). He can be reached at farooqm59gmail.com.
Homepage: http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
How to become Angelic
TO BECOME ANGEL LIKE IN RAMADAN
If one tries to find out the causes of human misfortunes and failures, in the final analysis one will discover that a human being is a bundle of various needs and a captive of many wants. No spiritual and physical action of his is free from need and want. Morality, which to some extent is concerned with spirituality, when analyzed, is also seen to be based on some kind of need. Therefore all human misfortunes and failures are simply the result of need or want. If a person frees himself of all needs then he becomes an angelic (angel like) being instead of a human being.
No doubt the needs and wants of human beings are vast and endless, but it is worth pondering what and how much are his real needs. He has in his heart a stockpile of desires, a collection of wishes and self-made needs, but he has to ask himself questions whether it is possible for him to live without fancy clothes, luxury houses, decadent foods and extravagant cars. Will he not be able to live if he is devoid of wealth, pomp and glory? There have been people who have given up all their comforts and yet have survived. Prophet Abraham and Adam, peace be upon them, are held up as examples of God's most devoted servants who gave up their kingship, and acquired an exulted spiritual life.
After negating and denying oneself the self-made needs, perhaps the vast assembly of so-called wants will shrink and be confined to a couple of real basic needs, such as food and drink, without which it is not possible to be alive. The physical and spiritual survival of the body depends only on the life-breath which itself is dependent on a few morsels of food and a few sips of water. The truth is that from that point onward any excess in food and drink is merely a desire for excessive pleasure and fun. On this account, if a dividing line is to be drawn separating a human being from an angel, this food and drink will be found to distinguish the two and to be the root of all the differences and distinctions between them. If all human crimes and sins are listed and if the basic reasons of greed, avarice, destruction and murder are sought, the ultimate link will be found in the excessive desire for pleasures and for these two things, namely food and drink.
In order to combat materialistic evils, all the religions of world have made it a primary condition of fasting from food and drinks to various extent. The real object is that a human being might gradually decrease the multiplicity of his needs and by continuous efforts of trying to free himself of excessive desire for power and want of food. All sins and crimes are the end results of these desires. If these desires and wants are lost, then surely he will be able to see a glimpse of the Angelic world in this human world. However, as long as a human being is alive it is impossible for him to avoid food completely, so all religions have specified only a certain limited periods for abstaining from food. During this period, a human being should avoid all wants which can possibly be avoided and thus try to attain the status of an angelic being for that short while at least. Because the duty of an angel is the obedience and worship of Allah, a human being should also regard this to be as far as possible the object and duty of his own life for that period.
The holy Quran has unveiled all these secrets and truths by one single word 'Taqwa' (self-restraint), and because the purpose of fasting was common to all religions, the Holy Quran has mentioned them also.
Fasting is prescribed to you as It was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint,.. (Quran 2:183)
The object and purpose of fasting is self-restraint (Taqwa), i.e. to keep one's desires under control and to keep oneself safe from emotional turmoil. From this it is evident that fasting has been made compulsory to work as a spiritual treatment. Proceeding further, the Holy Quran has elucidated further the purpose of fasting in Islam:
Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (Quran 2:185)
Excerpted from "Worship in Islam" Translation by Rizwan Uddin Ahmad and Muhammad Aslam of Worship in Siratun Nabi compiled by Syed Sulaiman Nadwi and Shibli Numani.
If one tries to find out the causes of human misfortunes and failures, in the final analysis one will discover that a human being is a bundle of various needs and a captive of many wants. No spiritual and physical action of his is free from need and want. Morality, which to some extent is concerned with spirituality, when analyzed, is also seen to be based on some kind of need. Therefore all human misfortunes and failures are simply the result of need or want. If a person frees himself of all needs then he becomes an angelic (angel like) being instead of a human being.
No doubt the needs and wants of human beings are vast and endless, but it is worth pondering what and how much are his real needs. He has in his heart a stockpile of desires, a collection of wishes and self-made needs, but he has to ask himself questions whether it is possible for him to live without fancy clothes, luxury houses, decadent foods and extravagant cars. Will he not be able to live if he is devoid of wealth, pomp and glory? There have been people who have given up all their comforts and yet have survived. Prophet Abraham and Adam, peace be upon them, are held up as examples of God's most devoted servants who gave up their kingship, and acquired an exulted spiritual life.
After negating and denying oneself the self-made needs, perhaps the vast assembly of so-called wants will shrink and be confined to a couple of real basic needs, such as food and drink, without which it is not possible to be alive. The physical and spiritual survival of the body depends only on the life-breath which itself is dependent on a few morsels of food and a few sips of water. The truth is that from that point onward any excess in food and drink is merely a desire for excessive pleasure and fun. On this account, if a dividing line is to be drawn separating a human being from an angel, this food and drink will be found to distinguish the two and to be the root of all the differences and distinctions between them. If all human crimes and sins are listed and if the basic reasons of greed, avarice, destruction and murder are sought, the ultimate link will be found in the excessive desire for pleasures and for these two things, namely food and drink.
In order to combat materialistic evils, all the religions of world have made it a primary condition of fasting from food and drinks to various extent. The real object is that a human being might gradually decrease the multiplicity of his needs and by continuous efforts of trying to free himself of excessive desire for power and want of food. All sins and crimes are the end results of these desires. If these desires and wants are lost, then surely he will be able to see a glimpse of the Angelic world in this human world. However, as long as a human being is alive it is impossible for him to avoid food completely, so all religions have specified only a certain limited periods for abstaining from food. During this period, a human being should avoid all wants which can possibly be avoided and thus try to attain the status of an angelic being for that short while at least. Because the duty of an angel is the obedience and worship of Allah, a human being should also regard this to be as far as possible the object and duty of his own life for that period.
The holy Quran has unveiled all these secrets and truths by one single word 'Taqwa' (self-restraint), and because the purpose of fasting was common to all religions, the Holy Quran has mentioned them also.
Fasting is prescribed to you as It was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint,.. (Quran 2:183)
The object and purpose of fasting is self-restraint (Taqwa), i.e. to keep one's desires under control and to keep oneself safe from emotional turmoil. From this it is evident that fasting has been made compulsory to work as a spiritual treatment. Proceeding further, the Holy Quran has elucidated further the purpose of fasting in Islam:
Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (Quran 2:185)
Excerpted from "Worship in Islam" Translation by Rizwan Uddin Ahmad and Muhammad Aslam of Worship in Siratun Nabi compiled by Syed Sulaiman Nadwi and Shibli Numani.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
25 ways to get to Jannah
Bismillah
من لقي الله لا يشرك به شيئاً دخل الجنة -البخاري
1. Whoever meets Allah without ascribing anything to Him will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
من آمن بالله وبرسوله ، وأقام الصلاة ، وصام رمضان ، كان حقاً على الله أن يدخله الجنة - البخاري
2. Whoever believes (has emaan) in Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and establishes the prayer and fasts the month of Ramadan, it is incumbent upon Allah that He enters him in Jannah. [Bukhari]
من بنى مسجداً يبتغي به وجه الله بنى الله له مثله في الجنة -البخاري
3. Whoever builds a masjid seeking by it the Pleasure of Allah, Allah will build for him a similar place in Jannah. [Bukhari]
من صلى البردين دخل الجنة - البخاري
4. Whoever prays the two cool prayers (Asr and Fajr) will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
من غدا إلى المسجد وراح أعدَّ الله له نزله من الجنة كلما غدا أو راح- البخاري
5. Whoever goes to the masjid (every) morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer), Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Jannah with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon goings. [Bukhari]
من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة -البخاري
6. Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Jannah for him. [Bukhari]
من صلى اثنتي عشرة ركعة في يوم وليلة بُني له بهن بيت في الجنة - مسلم
7. Whoever prays 12 raka’at in the day and night, a house in Jannah will be built for him. [Muslim]
من سلك طريقاً يلتمس فيه علماً سهّل الله له به طريقاً إلى الجنة - مسلم
8. Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Jannah. [Bukhari]
من قال مثل ما يقول المؤذن من قلبه دخل الجنة - أبو داود
9. Whoever repeats after the mu’adhdhin from his heart (i.e., sincerely) will enter Jannah. [Abu Dawud]
ما من أحد يتوضأ فيحسن الوضوء ويصلي ركعتين يقبل بقلبه ووجهه عليهما إلا وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود
10. There is not one of you who perfects his wudu and prays two raka’at setting about them with his heart as well as his face except that Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]
من قال رضيت بالله رباً ، وبالإسلام ديناً ، وبمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم نبياًّ وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود
11. Whoever says: “I am pleased with Allah as my Rabb, and with Islam as my Deen, and with Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as my Prophet, Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]
من كان آخر كلامه لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة- أبو داود
12. Whosoever last words are: laa ilaaha il Allah, will enter Paradise. [Abu Dawud, Saheeh]
من قال سبحان الله العظيم وبحمده غرست له نخلة في الجنة - الترمذي
13. Whoever says “SubhanAllah al-Adheem wa biHamdihi, Glorified and Exalted is Allah, The Great, and with His Praise”, a date-palm will planted for him in Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من مات وهو بريء من ثلاث : الكبر ، والغلول ، والدّين دخل الجنة- الترمذي
14. Whoever dies and is free from three: arrogance, grudges and debt will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من عال جاريتين دخلت أنا وهو الجنة - الترمذي
15. Whoever raises two girls, he and I will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من أذن اثني عشرة سنه وجبت له الجنة ابن ماجة
16. Whoever calls the adhan for 12 years, Jannah will become mandatory for him. [ibn Maajah]
من سأل الله الجنة ثلاث مرات قالت الجنة : اللهم أدخله الجنة الترمذي
17. Whoever asks Allah for Jannah three times, Jannah will say: “O Allah, enter him into Jannah.” [Tirmidhi]
من عاد مريضاً أو زار أخاً له في الله ناداه مناد أن طبت وطاب ممشاك ، وتبوأت من الجنة منزلاً - الترمذي
18. Whoever visits an ailing person or a brother of his to seek the Pleasure of Allah, an announcer (angel) calls out: `May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah’. [Tirmidhi]
إن الصدق يهدي إلى البر وإن البر يهدي إلى الجنة -البخاري
19. Indeed, truthfulness leads to righteousness and indeed righteousness leads to Jannah. [Bukhari]
تكفل الله لمن جاهد في سبيله لا يخرجه إلا الجهاد في سبيله وتصديق كلماته بأن يدخله الجنة - البخاري
20. Allah guarantees him who strives in His Cause and whose motivation for going out is nothing but Jihad in His Cause and belief in His Word, that He will admit him into Jannah. [Bukhari]
أيها الناس ، أفشوا السلام ، وأطعموا الطعام ، وصلوا والناس نيام ، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام -الترمذي
21. O people, spread the salaam (greetings), feed the hungry, and pray while the people are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace. [Tirmidhi]
العمرة إلى العمرة كفارة لما بينهما ، والحج المبرور ليس له جزاء إلا الجنة - البخاري
22. (The performance of) Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous Umrah; and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (i.e., one accepted) is nothing but Jannah. [Bukhari]
إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسماً مائة إلا واحداً ، من أحصاها دخل الجنة- البخاري
23. Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
لقد رأيت رجلاً يتقلب في الجنة في شجرة قطعها من ظهر الطريق كانت تؤذي الناس- مسلم
24. I saw a man going about in Jannah (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road, a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims. [Muslim]
اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت ،خلقتني و أنا عبدك، و أنا على عهدك و وعدك ما استطعت، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت ، أبوء لك بنعمتك عليَّ وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي ، فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت . من قالها من النهار موقناً بها فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة ، ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة -البخاري
25. O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am You servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You. “If somebody recites this invocation during the day, and if he should die then, he will be from the people of Jannah. And if he recites it in the night, and if he should die on the same day, he will be from the people of Jannah.” [Bukhari]
Translated from: saaid.net (All narrations not found in Bukhari or Muslim have been verified as authentic by Shaykh Albaani rahimahullah)
من لقي الله لا يشرك به شيئاً دخل الجنة -البخاري
1. Whoever meets Allah without ascribing anything to Him will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
من آمن بالله وبرسوله ، وأقام الصلاة ، وصام رمضان ، كان حقاً على الله أن يدخله الجنة - البخاري
2. Whoever believes (has emaan) in Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and establishes the prayer and fasts the month of Ramadan, it is incumbent upon Allah that He enters him in Jannah. [Bukhari]
من بنى مسجداً يبتغي به وجه الله بنى الله له مثله في الجنة -البخاري
3. Whoever builds a masjid seeking by it the Pleasure of Allah, Allah will build for him a similar place in Jannah. [Bukhari]
من صلى البردين دخل الجنة - البخاري
4. Whoever prays the two cool prayers (Asr and Fajr) will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
من غدا إلى المسجد وراح أعدَّ الله له نزله من الجنة كلما غدا أو راح- البخاري
5. Whoever goes to the masjid (every) morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer), Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Jannah with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon goings. [Bukhari]
من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة -البخاري
6. Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Jannah for him. [Bukhari]
من صلى اثنتي عشرة ركعة في يوم وليلة بُني له بهن بيت في الجنة - مسلم
7. Whoever prays 12 raka’at in the day and night, a house in Jannah will be built for him. [Muslim]
من سلك طريقاً يلتمس فيه علماً سهّل الله له به طريقاً إلى الجنة - مسلم
8. Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Jannah. [Bukhari]
من قال مثل ما يقول المؤذن من قلبه دخل الجنة - أبو داود
9. Whoever repeats after the mu’adhdhin from his heart (i.e., sincerely) will enter Jannah. [Abu Dawud]
ما من أحد يتوضأ فيحسن الوضوء ويصلي ركعتين يقبل بقلبه ووجهه عليهما إلا وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود
10. There is not one of you who perfects his wudu and prays two raka’at setting about them with his heart as well as his face except that Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]
من قال رضيت بالله رباً ، وبالإسلام ديناً ، وبمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم نبياًّ وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود
11. Whoever says: “I am pleased with Allah as my Rabb, and with Islam as my Deen, and with Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as my Prophet, Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]
من كان آخر كلامه لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة- أبو داود
12. Whosoever last words are: laa ilaaha il Allah, will enter Paradise. [Abu Dawud, Saheeh]
من قال سبحان الله العظيم وبحمده غرست له نخلة في الجنة - الترمذي
13. Whoever says “SubhanAllah al-Adheem wa biHamdihi, Glorified and Exalted is Allah, The Great, and with His Praise”, a date-palm will planted for him in Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من مات وهو بريء من ثلاث : الكبر ، والغلول ، والدّين دخل الجنة- الترمذي
14. Whoever dies and is free from three: arrogance, grudges and debt will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من عال جاريتين دخلت أنا وهو الجنة - الترمذي
15. Whoever raises two girls, he and I will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]
من أذن اثني عشرة سنه وجبت له الجنة ابن ماجة
16. Whoever calls the adhan for 12 years, Jannah will become mandatory for him. [ibn Maajah]
من سأل الله الجنة ثلاث مرات قالت الجنة : اللهم أدخله الجنة الترمذي
17. Whoever asks Allah for Jannah three times, Jannah will say: “O Allah, enter him into Jannah.” [Tirmidhi]
من عاد مريضاً أو زار أخاً له في الله ناداه مناد أن طبت وطاب ممشاك ، وتبوأت من الجنة منزلاً - الترمذي
18. Whoever visits an ailing person or a brother of his to seek the Pleasure of Allah, an announcer (angel) calls out: `May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah’. [Tirmidhi]
إن الصدق يهدي إلى البر وإن البر يهدي إلى الجنة -البخاري
19. Indeed, truthfulness leads to righteousness and indeed righteousness leads to Jannah. [Bukhari]
تكفل الله لمن جاهد في سبيله لا يخرجه إلا الجهاد في سبيله وتصديق كلماته بأن يدخله الجنة - البخاري
20. Allah guarantees him who strives in His Cause and whose motivation for going out is nothing but Jihad in His Cause and belief in His Word, that He will admit him into Jannah. [Bukhari]
أيها الناس ، أفشوا السلام ، وأطعموا الطعام ، وصلوا والناس نيام ، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام -الترمذي
21. O people, spread the salaam (greetings), feed the hungry, and pray while the people are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace. [Tirmidhi]
العمرة إلى العمرة كفارة لما بينهما ، والحج المبرور ليس له جزاء إلا الجنة - البخاري
22. (The performance of) Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous Umrah; and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (i.e., one accepted) is nothing but Jannah. [Bukhari]
إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسماً مائة إلا واحداً ، من أحصاها دخل الجنة- البخاري
23. Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]
لقد رأيت رجلاً يتقلب في الجنة في شجرة قطعها من ظهر الطريق كانت تؤذي الناس- مسلم
24. I saw a man going about in Jannah (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road, a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims. [Muslim]
اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت ،خلقتني و أنا عبدك، و أنا على عهدك و وعدك ما استطعت، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت ، أبوء لك بنعمتك عليَّ وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي ، فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت . من قالها من النهار موقناً بها فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة ، ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة -البخاري
25. O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am You servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You. “If somebody recites this invocation during the day, and if he should die then, he will be from the people of Jannah. And if he recites it in the night, and if he should die on the same day, he will be from the people of Jannah.” [Bukhari]
Translated from: saaid.net (All narrations not found in Bukhari or Muslim have been verified as authentic by Shaykh Albaani rahimahullah)
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
...not everyone is suitable to be your friend
"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend..."
1 - Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) said:
{"Ah! Woe to me! If only I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me!"} [al-Furqan; 28-29]
2 - The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wassallam) said:
"A person is upon the way of his friend. So, let one of you look to whom he keeps as a friend." ['Sahih al-Jami'' (3545) and 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (927)]
3 - 'Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hambal (rahimahullaah) said:
"My father went out to Tarsus on foot, and he performed two or three Hajjs on foot, and he was the most patient of people upon being alone."
['Tarjamat al-Imam Ahmad'; p. 18]
4 - Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
"Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - and being cut off from Him, a wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this - and you must be tested with this - deal with him according to how Allaah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allaah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from. Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is.
So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination."
['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 45]
5 - Ibn Jama'ah (rahimahullaah) said:
"So, it is upon the student of knowledge to abandon socialization, as abandoning it is from the most important things that the student of knowledge must do - let alone with members of the opposite gender - especially with those who spend most of their time in play, and spend little of their time in thought, as the nature of individuals can rob you.
The harms of socialization include the passing of life without any benefit, as well as the decline of wealth and religious practice, if this socialization were to occur with the wrong people.
The student of knowledge should not mix except with either those who he can benefit, or can benefit from. And if he is offered the friendship of one who will waste his time with him, will not benefit him, will not benefit from him, and will not assist him in reaching his objective, he should politely end the relationship from the start before it progresses to something deeper, as when something becomes established, it becomes more difficult to change it. There is a phrase that is constantly on the tongues of the Fuqaha': 'Repelling something is easier than removing it.'
So, if he requires someone to befriend, let that person be righteous, religious, pious, wary, intelligent, full of benefit, having little evil, good at complying, rarely conflicting, reminding him if he forgets, cooperating with him when he is reminded, helpful if he is in need, and comforting if he is in distress."
['Tadhkirat as-Sami' wal-Mutakallim'; p. 83]
6 - Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (rahimahullaah) said:
"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics:
He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him;
He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him;
He must not be a fasiq, as such a person would not fear Allaah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted;
He must not be an innovator, as his abundance of innovation is feared from befriending him;
He should not be eager for the dunya."
['Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin'; p. 126-132]
Imam al-Aajuri said: "Such a person should make the Qur’aan a fountain for his heart, rectifying by it whatever has become corrupt in his heart. He should take on the qualities of the Qur’aan and adorn himself with a beautiful character whereby he becomes distinguished from the rest of the people who do not recite or memorise the Qur’aan."
1 - Allaah (subhana wa ta'ala) said:
{"Ah! Woe to me! If only I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me!"} [al-Furqan; 28-29]
2 - The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wassallam) said:
"A person is upon the way of his friend. So, let one of you look to whom he keeps as a friend." ['Sahih al-Jami'' (3545) and 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (927)]
3 - 'Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hambal (rahimahullaah) said:
"My father went out to Tarsus on foot, and he performed two or three Hajjs on foot, and he was the most patient of people upon being alone."
['Tarjamat al-Imam Ahmad'; p. 18]
4 - Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah) said:
"Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic - and being cut off from Him, a wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this - and you must be tested with this - deal with him according to how Allaah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allaah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from. Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is.
So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination."
['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 45]
5 - Ibn Jama'ah (rahimahullaah) said:
"So, it is upon the student of knowledge to abandon socialization, as abandoning it is from the most important things that the student of knowledge must do - let alone with members of the opposite gender - especially with those who spend most of their time in play, and spend little of their time in thought, as the nature of individuals can rob you.
The harms of socialization include the passing of life without any benefit, as well as the decline of wealth and religious practice, if this socialization were to occur with the wrong people.
The student of knowledge should not mix except with either those who he can benefit, or can benefit from. And if he is offered the friendship of one who will waste his time with him, will not benefit him, will not benefit from him, and will not assist him in reaching his objective, he should politely end the relationship from the start before it progresses to something deeper, as when something becomes established, it becomes more difficult to change it. There is a phrase that is constantly on the tongues of the Fuqaha': 'Repelling something is easier than removing it.'
So, if he requires someone to befriend, let that person be righteous, religious, pious, wary, intelligent, full of benefit, having little evil, good at complying, rarely conflicting, reminding him if he forgets, cooperating with him when he is reminded, helpful if he is in need, and comforting if he is in distress."
['Tadhkirat as-Sami' wal-Mutakallim'; p. 83]
6 - Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi (rahimahullaah) said:
"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics:
He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him;
He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him;
He must not be a fasiq, as such a person would not fear Allaah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted;
He must not be an innovator, as his abundance of innovation is feared from befriending him;
He should not be eager for the dunya."
['Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin'; p. 126-132]
Imam al-Aajuri said: "Such a person should make the Qur’aan a fountain for his heart, rectifying by it whatever has become corrupt in his heart. He should take on the qualities of the Qur’aan and adorn himself with a beautiful character whereby he becomes distinguished from the rest of the people who do not recite or memorise the Qur’aan."
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
The Jewel of Medina & Forthcoming Debate on Freedom of Speech
http://hamzatzortzis.blogspot.com
The book 'The Jewel of Medina' was released today earlier than schduled. The book is about the relationship between the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his wife Aisha (r). A non-Muslim Professor Denise Spellberg from Texas University saw an edition of the book and said it "made fun of Muslims and their history" describing the book as a "very ugly, stupid piece of work" and saying "you can't play with a sacred history and turn it into soft core pornography."
This is all happening in the name of 'freedom of speech', but freedom of speech is a farce and its application selective. There are numerous 'speech' related offences across countries that claim to be the bastions of free speech. There are limits and laws that prevent the incitement of racial hatred and incitement to acts of violence and murder. The scope of speech related offences has been consistently expanded in Britain since 7/7, with the introduction of offences related to the 'glorification' of terrorism, a speech crime that can lead to prosecution and lengthy sentencing.
It would appear that whilst preaching freedom of speech, the west acknowledge that speech needs limits, protected by law to prevent society descending into hatred, violence and, ultimately, chaos.
We must also ask what type of a society would emerge if people were granted the 'right' to insult, offend and ridicule each other, as a right in itself. For there is a difference between believing 'speak the truth and the truth may offend' and granting the right to offend per se, a belief upon which western comedy is notoriously premised.
Such attitudes erode the common social bonds that gel society by doing away with respect and working in mutual partnership, leading to anti social undercurrents and attitudes, all of which the west is now coincidently trying desperately to confront. How can a society claim to be civilised when it believes it ok to offend and ridicule en mass and then protect the culprits?
It is not correct for Muslims to be silent on this matter or inactive, and must do more than our utmost in voicing our views and in protest, if any of us claim to really love the Prophet (s). I urge you all, Muslim and non-Muslim, to attend the forthcoming debate on this topic that will address the notion of 'freedom of speech' and, inshAllah, put to rest an idea whose origins are specific to a history that Muslims have never experienced. Progress and seeking the truth were values that resonated in Islamic societies, yet promoted the cohesive values of respect and honour. Something contemporary societies are lacking today.
Satanic Verses, Danish Cartoons & The Jewel of Medina:
Has Freedom of Speech Gone too Far?
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis (International Public Speaker)
&
Nikolai Segura (National Secular Society)
Date: 8th November 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 9pm
VENUE: East London University, Lecture Theatre 001,
Duncan House, High Street Stratford, London, E15 2JB
Importantly, in this debate about free speech, Muslims are not afraid of being challenged about their beliefs or debating, explaining, and proving them. The Islamic doctrine is built on a rational, intellectual basis that requires thinking as part of adopting its creed, versus blind or ancestral faith. This is poignantly described in the challenge that God puts forward for those who rejected the message of the Prophet Mohammed (s), and who often resorted to mocking, ridicule and even physical violence against his Companions (ra).
God says in Chapter 2 Verse 23:
"And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'ân) to Our servant (Muhammad - peace be upon him ), then produce a chapter like it and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God, if you are truthful."
The challenge is intellectual and is issued to the masters of the language in which the Quran is written - produce one chapter, the shortest of which is 3 verses, like that of the Quran. To undermine Islam totally, and the belief of millions of Muslims, this is the only challenge that needs to be met, rather than having to resort to insults. But despite scores of attempts over history, none has ever yielded any results, as many western critics of Islam have accepted.
The key point here, is that the west believe that offence and insults are somehow an acceptable method of challenging an alternative, whereas Islam invites to honest debate and dialogue,
"Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom (evidences and reason) and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious." Qur'an chapter 16 verse 125.
Whilst the west may believe that their contest with any thought system routed in the belief in God was finished centuries ago, the growing trend towards Islam challenges this assumption and challenges the west to meet it with an intellectual debate, before peculiar archaic traditions of insult and offence are forwarded in the name of defending free speech
The book 'The Jewel of Medina' was released today earlier than schduled. The book is about the relationship between the Prophet Muhammad (s) and his wife Aisha (r). A non-Muslim Professor Denise Spellberg from Texas University saw an edition of the book and said it "made fun of Muslims and their history" describing the book as a "very ugly, stupid piece of work" and saying "you can't play with a sacred history and turn it into soft core pornography."
This is all happening in the name of 'freedom of speech', but freedom of speech is a farce and its application selective. There are numerous 'speech' related offences across countries that claim to be the bastions of free speech. There are limits and laws that prevent the incitement of racial hatred and incitement to acts of violence and murder. The scope of speech related offences has been consistently expanded in Britain since 7/7, with the introduction of offences related to the 'glorification' of terrorism, a speech crime that can lead to prosecution and lengthy sentencing.
It would appear that whilst preaching freedom of speech, the west acknowledge that speech needs limits, protected by law to prevent society descending into hatred, violence and, ultimately, chaos.
We must also ask what type of a society would emerge if people were granted the 'right' to insult, offend and ridicule each other, as a right in itself. For there is a difference between believing 'speak the truth and the truth may offend' and granting the right to offend per se, a belief upon which western comedy is notoriously premised.
Such attitudes erode the common social bonds that gel society by doing away with respect and working in mutual partnership, leading to anti social undercurrents and attitudes, all of which the west is now coincidently trying desperately to confront. How can a society claim to be civilised when it believes it ok to offend and ridicule en mass and then protect the culprits?
It is not correct for Muslims to be silent on this matter or inactive, and must do more than our utmost in voicing our views and in protest, if any of us claim to really love the Prophet (s). I urge you all, Muslim and non-Muslim, to attend the forthcoming debate on this topic that will address the notion of 'freedom of speech' and, inshAllah, put to rest an idea whose origins are specific to a history that Muslims have never experienced. Progress and seeking the truth were values that resonated in Islamic societies, yet promoted the cohesive values of respect and honour. Something contemporary societies are lacking today.
Satanic Verses, Danish Cartoons & The Jewel of Medina:
Has Freedom of Speech Gone too Far?
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis (International Public Speaker)
&
Nikolai Segura (National Secular Society)
Date: 8th November 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 9pm
VENUE: East London University, Lecture Theatre 001,
Duncan House, High Street Stratford, London, E15 2JB
Importantly, in this debate about free speech, Muslims are not afraid of being challenged about their beliefs or debating, explaining, and proving them. The Islamic doctrine is built on a rational, intellectual basis that requires thinking as part of adopting its creed, versus blind or ancestral faith. This is poignantly described in the challenge that God puts forward for those who rejected the message of the Prophet Mohammed (s), and who often resorted to mocking, ridicule and even physical violence against his Companions (ra).
God says in Chapter 2 Verse 23:
"And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'ân) to Our servant (Muhammad - peace be upon him ), then produce a chapter like it and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God, if you are truthful."
The challenge is intellectual and is issued to the masters of the language in which the Quran is written - produce one chapter, the shortest of which is 3 verses, like that of the Quran. To undermine Islam totally, and the belief of millions of Muslims, this is the only challenge that needs to be met, rather than having to resort to insults. But despite scores of attempts over history, none has ever yielded any results, as many western critics of Islam have accepted.
The key point here, is that the west believe that offence and insults are somehow an acceptable method of challenging an alternative, whereas Islam invites to honest debate and dialogue,
"Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom (evidences and reason) and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious." Qur'an chapter 16 verse 125.
Whilst the west may believe that their contest with any thought system routed in the belief in God was finished centuries ago, the growing trend towards Islam challenges this assumption and challenges the west to meet it with an intellectual debate, before peculiar archaic traditions of insult and offence are forwarded in the name of defending free speech
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Who speaks for Islam?
There are so many groups, organisations, councils and spokespersons for the Muslim community that you would be forgiven for asking who speaks for Islam?
The simple answer is that no one person or group does. Islam gave the right of interpretation to each and every Muslim. Even if two Muslims come to a different ruling based upon the same Islamic legal text, then they will both be rewarded in the next life, so long as their effort was a sincere attempt to find Allah’s solution to a problem.
Islam does not recognise a clerical class. Any attempt to establish official interpretations must be resisted by Muslims, as this inevitably takes Islam away from the people and leads to it serving political whims of the day. However, Islam did give the elected leader (khalifah) the right to adopt a particular ruling, to become an official adoption for the governors and judges to rule with. Other opinions can still be aired to account the ruler and ensure that only the strongest opinion is adopted.
However, even though Muslims all have the right to interpret, there are still clear guidelines as to what is a valid interpretation. Simply put, it must be based upon the Islamic texts. If it were a ruling to suit a vested interest, which was then justified by the text, then this would not be called an Islamic ruling. It would simply be following one’s desires and deserves punishment, not reward. Allah says in the second chapter of the Qur’an “And if you followed their desires after what knowledge has come to you, then you are surely an oppressor.”
The basic condition for us to judge whether an opinion is permitted is that the text must support the possibility of that interpretation. If it is a misquote, out of context, or contradicts other definitive texts, then it must be rejected.
Today, some public Muslims present un-Islamic opinions to serve political interest. They rely upon the ignorance of general Muslims to get these rulings accepted. They misquote older respected scholars to justify their modernist interpretations. For example, we hear that paying interest is now permitted as it is necessary or is a public benefit. This is justified as being perfectly consistent with past scholars’ principles. However, the scholar’s words are being used in the wrong context, or the strict conditions that they had put on the use of such principles are ignored; such as that the perceived benefit must not contradict clear texts like Allah’s saying in the Qur’an “Allah allowed trade and forbade interest”.
Moreover, even if an older scholar was found to have an obscure opinion that the text did not support, then it must also be rejected. Legal precedent is not a valid source of law for Muslims.
Current attempts to establish official bodies of scholars to give localised rulings under the pretext that they are building a consensus are doomed to failure, as they are politically motivated attempts to silence opposition. Imposing respect for past consensus of all Muslims has doubtful legal authority and is practically impossible to establish.
In short, an arrogant cheat who twists texts to serve his interests, would never speak for Islam, even if he fooled most of the people. His intention is not purely to submit to Allah’s shari’ah, which becomes exposed when his justifications are put to close scrutiny, even if he was a master politician with a silver tongue. This stands in stark contrast to the situation here in Britain, where the most tricky lawyers and legal wranglers are rewarded with power.
The simple answer is that no one person or group does. Islam gave the right of interpretation to each and every Muslim. Even if two Muslims come to a different ruling based upon the same Islamic legal text, then they will both be rewarded in the next life, so long as their effort was a sincere attempt to find Allah’s solution to a problem.
Islam does not recognise a clerical class. Any attempt to establish official interpretations must be resisted by Muslims, as this inevitably takes Islam away from the people and leads to it serving political whims of the day. However, Islam did give the elected leader (khalifah) the right to adopt a particular ruling, to become an official adoption for the governors and judges to rule with. Other opinions can still be aired to account the ruler and ensure that only the strongest opinion is adopted.
However, even though Muslims all have the right to interpret, there are still clear guidelines as to what is a valid interpretation. Simply put, it must be based upon the Islamic texts. If it were a ruling to suit a vested interest, which was then justified by the text, then this would not be called an Islamic ruling. It would simply be following one’s desires and deserves punishment, not reward. Allah says in the second chapter of the Qur’an “And if you followed their desires after what knowledge has come to you, then you are surely an oppressor.”
The basic condition for us to judge whether an opinion is permitted is that the text must support the possibility of that interpretation. If it is a misquote, out of context, or contradicts other definitive texts, then it must be rejected.
Today, some public Muslims present un-Islamic opinions to serve political interest. They rely upon the ignorance of general Muslims to get these rulings accepted. They misquote older respected scholars to justify their modernist interpretations. For example, we hear that paying interest is now permitted as it is necessary or is a public benefit. This is justified as being perfectly consistent with past scholars’ principles. However, the scholar’s words are being used in the wrong context, or the strict conditions that they had put on the use of such principles are ignored; such as that the perceived benefit must not contradict clear texts like Allah’s saying in the Qur’an “Allah allowed trade and forbade interest”.
Moreover, even if an older scholar was found to have an obscure opinion that the text did not support, then it must also be rejected. Legal precedent is not a valid source of law for Muslims.
Current attempts to establish official bodies of scholars to give localised rulings under the pretext that they are building a consensus are doomed to failure, as they are politically motivated attempts to silence opposition. Imposing respect for past consensus of all Muslims has doubtful legal authority and is practically impossible to establish.
In short, an arrogant cheat who twists texts to serve his interests, would never speak for Islam, even if he fooled most of the people. His intention is not purely to submit to Allah’s shari’ah, which becomes exposed when his justifications are put to close scrutiny, even if he was a master politician with a silver tongue. This stands in stark contrast to the situation here in Britain, where the most tricky lawyers and legal wranglers are rewarded with power.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Avoiding the temptations of Western society
For Muslim youth growing up in Western society it can be difficult to remain strong and avoid being led astray by the temptations that the society bombards them with. The temptations are of various types, including drugs, alcohol, crime and clubbing. However one of the main areas of temptation is undoubtedly the haram relationships between men and women. For anyone who lives in the West it is obvious that the society promotes free mixing and illicit relationships between the sexes. Sex is promoted everywhere, from billboards, advertising commercials, magazines, and songs to television programmes. It is no wonder that the estimates of how many times people think about the subject are so high.
Through primary, secondary education and beyond, boyfriend-girlfriend relationships are normalised to the extent that it is seen as strange if someone isn’t ‘going out’ with a member of the opposite sex. Sex education in schools promotes this by explaining to the students the various forms of contraception instead of giving them the correct values related to the subject.
Walking through the centre of any major city on a Friday night makes one realise that Western society has become similar to a herd of wild animals that can’t control their desires. The West promotes notions of ‘finding true love’ or ‘following your heart’; in reality what people in Western society follow is their lust. The stark reality of ‘single parent’ mothers left by their partners to fend for themselves and the high rate of adulterous relationships is evidence for this.
A Muslim living in this type of environment needs to make sure that he or she has a strong linkage to the Islamic belief and the Islamic Shari’ah.
Realising the magnitude of the haram actions
A Muslim must link his actions directly to the consequences: the rewards and punishments in the hereafter. He should visualise these even when thinking about performing any prohibited action. This consciousness of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) and the afterlife should be a shield to protect us from sin and should encourage us to earn reward.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has warned both men and women of the consequences of their actions.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “When a person commits fornication there goes out of him the Iman (belief) and it hovers like a canopy over his head and when he quits this act the Iman reverts to him again” [Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud].
Shakl ibn Humayd went to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)and said, “Apostle of Allah, teach me a supplication (Du’a).” He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied, “Say: O Allah, I seek refuge in you from the evil of what I hear, from the evil of what I see, from the evil of what I speak, from the evil of what I think, and from the evil of my semen" [Abu Dawud].
Shakl ibn Humayd went to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)and said, “Apostle of Allah, teach me a supplication (Du’a).” He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied, “Say: O Allah, I seek refuge in you from the evil of what I hear, from the evil of what I see, from the evil of what I speak, from the evil of what I think, and from the evil of my semen" [Abu Dawud].
Ubadah ibn as-Samit narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "If you guarantee me six things on your part I shall guarantee you Paradise. Speak the truth when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with something fulfil your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your eyes, and restrain your hands from injustice" [Ahmad and Baihaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman transmitted it].
In Western societies it is common for men to look at women who they are not even married to with lust. Islam has forbidden this. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "The adultery of the eyes is the sight, the adultery of the tongue is the talk, and the inner self wishes, desires and the private parts testify all this or deny it" [Bukhari]
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) said, "Tell the believing men to lower from their gaze and to protect their private parts. That is better for them, Allah knows the details of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower from their gaze and protect their private parts” [TMQ An-Nur: 30-31].
Unlike in the West where it is abnormal for women to step out of their homes without layers of make-up, lipstick and wearing revealing clothes, Islam forbade this for its impact on society is devastating in spreading immorality.
It has been narrated by Abu Musa al-Ashari that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said,
Any women that uses perfume and walks past men in order for them to smell her fragrance; she is a fornicator” [Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud].
It has been narrated by Abu Musa al-Ashari that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said,
Any women that uses perfume and walks past men in order for them to smell her fragrance; she is a fornicator” [Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud].
He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) also said:
“Two categories of people I have not seen them (yet): some people who hold whips like the tails of the cows by which they lash the people. And women who wear (clothes) but (are) half-naked, bending (their bodies) and bending the sight of the men to them. Their heads are like the tilted humps of the camels. These women will not enter the paradise nor will they experience its smell (odour), though its odour is felt at a distance of so and so (days)” [Muslim].
The Shari’ah prevents khulwa (seclusion) between men and women. The reality of khulwa is that it makes the man and woman more sexually agitated. By prohibiting this solitary privacy a cause of corruption is eliminated, because the khulwa is one of the direct means to corruption.
“Two categories of people I have not seen them (yet): some people who hold whips like the tails of the cows by which they lash the people. And women who wear (clothes) but (are) half-naked, bending (their bodies) and bending the sight of the men to them. Their heads are like the tilted humps of the camels. These women will not enter the paradise nor will they experience its smell (odour), though its odour is felt at a distance of so and so (days)” [Muslim].
The Shari’ah prevents khulwa (seclusion) between men and women. The reality of khulwa is that it makes the man and woman more sexually agitated. By prohibiting this solitary privacy a cause of corruption is eliminated, because the khulwa is one of the direct means to corruption.
Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day (Al-Yawm al-Akhir) let him not be alone with a woman who has not a Mahram (male relative who she cannot marry) with her. Indeed, the third (person) is al-Shaytan!” [Ahmad]
Avoiding unnecessary agitation
It is important to stay away from watching movies, TV programmes, listening to music and reading magazines that encourage fornication and the actions that lead to it, as these are haram according to the Shari’ah principle, ‘The means to haram is itself haram’. These activities build corrupt inclinations within people to the extent that a woman is seen as an object rather than a person whose honour must be maintained. How can our feelings be more attached to corrupt films and TV programmes than to the Qur’an, which is the source of guidance for the whole of humankind? Don’t people feel ashamed whilst they watch sex scenes or listen to lewd songs whilst Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala), the Creator of the universe is watching them? On the Day
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) says, “That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to Us and their feet bear witness to all that they did” [TMQ Ya-Sin:65].
Staying in the correct atmosphere
Maintaining a correct atmosphere is vital for a Muslim to be able to avoid the temptations. The type of atmosphere that exists amongst some of the youth is very corrupt, where the topic of discussion revolves around the opposite sex and ‘showing off’ to each other. This type of atmosphere only serves to agitate the instincts of people and potentially leads them further away from Islam.
Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said,
"The example of a good companion in comparison with a bad one, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof" [Bukhari].
Marriage
An obvious solution that aids in avoiding temptation from the opposite sex is to marry according to Islam. Islam doesn’t deny the natural instincts of human beings; rather it channels them according to the rules revealed by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala). It is encouraged to marry in Islam, and encouragement is given to those who are unable.
An obvious solution that aids in avoiding temptation from the opposite sex is to marry according to Islam. Islam doesn’t deny the natural instincts of human beings; rather it channels them according to the rules revealed by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala). It is encouraged to marry in Islam, and encouragement is given to those who are unable.
Oh you who are young. Whoever amongst you can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women, and guard his modesty (i.e. private parts from unlawful sex). And whoever is not able to marry he should fast because it will protect him” [Muslim].
The recommendation to fast is not to suppress the procreation instinct but to build a reminder as to man’s objective in life, which is to worship Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala).
Abu Hurairah (ra) narrates that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: "Three (persons) have a right from Allah to be helped: the Mujahid in the way of Allah, the seeker for marriage who wishes to guard his chastity and the slave who seeks funds to free oneself."
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) says, "And let those who find not the financial means for marriage keep themselves chaste, until Allah enriches them of His Bounty" [TMQ An- Nur: 33].
Marriage is based on companionship in Islam, unlike in Western society where it is based on competition. Companionship is where one finds repose and tranquillity in the other - Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) has made marriage a source of tranquillity for both spouses.
He (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) said:
He (Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala) said:
"It is He Who has created you from a single person, and He has created from him his wife, in order that he mightenjoy the pleasure of living with her" [TMQ Al-Araf: 189].
"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between both of you affection and mercy" [TMQ Ar- Rum: 21].
Written by: Abdul-Hamid Jassat
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