Hadith #29- That which Enters One into Paradise, Deeds that lead to Paradise II

http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=221&category=24

Explanation of Hadeeth Number 29

His (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allaah makes it easy" is referring to the one whom Allaah grants the ability to act, then guides him to worship Him with sincerity, and without associating any partners with Him.

"Establish the Prayer" means performing it by completing all its requisites in the most perfect manner. Then after this, he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned the other Pillars of Islaam, namely the Zakaah, Fasting and Hajj, and then he asked "Shall I not guide you towards the Means of Goodness?"

"Fasting is a shield" - here 'fasting' is referring to the Fasting other than that of Ramadaan, as that has already been mentioned. What is implied here is observing many voluntary fasts. And the protection of fasting is like a shield and covering from the Fire.

"Charity wipes away sin" - what is meant by 'charity' here is that which is beyond the obligatory zakaat.

Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "and the Praying of a man in the depths of the Night" and he recited the verses from Soorah as-Sajdah. All this means that the one who stands in the middle of the night, abandoning the pleasure of his sleep, preferring instead that which he hopes from his Lord, then his reward shall be as mentioned in the verse: "No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do". And it has been transmitted in some narrations that "Allaah ta'aalaa boasts about the one who stands in worship in the darkness of the night, by saying: "Look at My Slaves who stand in the darkness of the night, when none except I see them; bear witness that I have granted for them the abode of My Favor and Generosity""

And then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter? ...". So he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) likened 'the matter' to a male camel and made Islaam its head, as any animal cannot live without a head. Then he said "its pillar is the Prayer”: the pillar of something is that thing by which it stands, and remains unstable without it.

And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and the peak of its hump is jihaad”: the peak of anything is its uppermost part, and the peak of the hump of a camel is its uppermost tip. And jihaad is an action which is not matched or equaled by any other, as has been narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) that a man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said: "Guide me to an action equal to jihaad", to which the Messenger replied: "I do not find one". Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Are you able, when the Mujaahid leaves his house, to enter the Masjid and Pray continuously without breaking, and fast continuously without eating [until the Mujaahid returns] ?", to which the man replied "And who is able to do so ?"

And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that? ..." is encouragement first upon jihaad against kufr, and then the greater jihaad, which is the jihaad against the nafs (soul), and restraining it from speech which will harm it and bring about its downfall. For he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) indicated that most of the people will enter the Fire because of their tongues, whence he said: "May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu’aadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hell Fire upon their faces - or: on their noses - except the harvests of their tongues?" And it has already been mentioned in the authentic hadeeth that "whosoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then let him speak good or keep silent", and in another hadeeth "Whosoever guarantees for me (ie safeguards) that which is between his jaws (ie his tongue) and that which is between his legs (ie his private parts), then I shall guarantee for him Paradise".

Summary

1. That seeking Paradise and seeking to be saved from the Fire is a matter of great importance and seriousness, and this concern should have the correct priority in our lives.
2. That this hadeeth confirms that if one fulfils the requirements of all the five pillars of Islaam then one is guaranteed Paradise.
3. That the first pillar incorporates abiding by all the compulsory acts and avoiding all that which is forbidden.
4. That living Islaam is easy when Allaah makes it so.
5. That the five pillars constitute the indivisible whole that is Islaam; therefore denying any one of them is Kufr that bars us from Paradise.
6. That fasting, giving in charity and praying Tahajjud lead to goodness in this world and the next.
7. That fasting protects us from sins, develops in us piety, thus acting as a shield against the Fire and evil in this world.
8. That giving in charity wipes out our sins.
9. That praying Tahajjud develops us spiritually and makes our Islaam stronger and more sincere.
10. That the head of our affair in life is living Islaam.
11. That the Prayer is the central pillar that holds up our Islaam, and without which there is no Islaam in our lives.
12. That the peak of Islaam is Jihaad in the Way of Allaah, and this is the highest form of Worship.
13. That one must use ones tongue with extreme caution, as wrongful use of speech will be held against us on the Day of Judgment and can land us in Hell Fire.
14. The Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) did not mean the words "May your mother be bereaved of you" as a literal supplication, but it was a custom of the Arabs.

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http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith29.htm

Background

Many other companions have asked similar questions like the ones in this hadith. In general, the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, gave the same answers. Ibn Rajab highlights another narration of the hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad which states that Mu'adh came to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I want to ask you about a matter that has made me ill and burning from inside." The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said: "Ask whatever you wish." He said: "Inform me about a deed which will make me enter Paradise."

This shows, as Ibn Rajab continues to say, Mu'adh's eagerness to know about good deeds.

Lessons

This hadith is evidence that doing good deeds facilitates and leads to entering Paradise as it has been mentioned in the Qur'an: "This is the Paradise that you have made to inherit because of your good deeds which you used to do" (Surah al-Zuhkruf: Ayah 72). However, a person's good deeds are part of Allah's mercy and grace. Allah says: "But Allah who caused faith to be dear to you and have given it beauty in your heart, and has made hateful to you denial of the truth and all inequity and all rebellion against what is good" (Surah al-Hujarat (49): Ayah 7). So the meaning of this verse has been emphasized by this hadith. The performing of good deeds is a cause of entering paradise but they are themselves a gift from Allah.

There are debates among some scholars about the actions and whether we deserve to enter Paradise because of these actions. They raise the questions: Is it like a contract? Is it a deal? Or is this actually just a cause but entering Paradise is Allah's Mercy? If we just look at the matter as a deal or a contract, we would not be able to pay for even one of Allah's mercies.

The deeds that have been mentioned in this hadith have been emphasized in previous hadiths collected by Imam An-Nawawi, mainly Hadith 2, 3, 15 and 23. However, there are two additional good deeds mentioned in this hadith:

1. A man's prayer in the middle of the night. This includes, according to Ibn Rajab, three types of people:

a. Those who wake up during the night for dhikr, du'a, or praying tahajud.
b. Those who wait for the Isha' prayer and do not go to sleep until they perform Isha'.
c. Those who wake up for the Fajr prayer.

All these three groups have been mentioned in the Qur'an. People who stay awake throughout the night (busy in entertaining themselves) miss these blessed deeds. The three types of people are guaranteed and promised with the blessing from Allah in the Hereafter where there are unpredictable and unimaginable rewards.

2. Jihad where and when it becomes an obligation (this deed is not stated clearly in other hadiths). It is a great blessing that gets Muslims closer to Allah. Scholars say that jihad is the greatest act of worship and the most important deed after the obligatory acts. Through jihad, Islam is protected and preserved and became dominant, where other nations lived under its rule peacefully with their rights maintained.

In Hadith 15, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, quoted the importance of saying good things or keeping silent. In this hadith the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, says it is because of the tongue saying bad things that people are thrown into the Hell-fire. Ibn Rajab states that this indicates that restraining and controlling our speech is the crucial matter of all good things. The one who controls his tongue controls all his affairs.

In this hadith, we see the emphasis is on the negative side of the tongue, whereas in the previous hadiths, the emphasis is on the positive side of the tongue. This means that the tongue can be used in two ways: to say good things or to say bad things. Most people have the tendency to be lenient about this issue. Though Muslims know that saying bad things is prohibited, they still do so, saying things that displease Allah such as backbiting, slandering and spreading rumors. We will be held accountable for what we say. We will be rewarded for saying good things and we may be punished for saying bad things. Being cynical to others and saying things just for fun is something that a person is going to be accountable for. Even if a Muslim says things in the form of a cynical du'a (e.g. "May Allah guide him") or a joke to make fun of other Muslims and put him down, he will be held against this action. Even using gestures or attributes in a cynical way that can be interpreted that he is belittling a Muslim is considered a sinful act that displeases Allah.

The Muslim should have control over his tongue; otherwise his tongue can create a lot of problems for the community. In the fitnah (troubles) during Caliphate Othman, radiyallahu 'anhu, the Companions said they were considering saying bad things in that critical situation as a way of helping those who killed him. Consequently, the Muslim is always a good person who says only good things and for the benefit of his community. He should not say anything that may lead to any disputes among the Muslim community.

Another thing that is related to this and is mentioned by the scholars is the story of a man (from an Israel tribe) that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, narrated: "There were two relatives or brothers. One of them was pious and righteous and the other one used to commit sins. The pious person always tried to remind the sinful one, but he did not do so in the appropriate way of making da'wa. One day while he was passing by the sinner he said: 'I swear by Allah that He will not forgive you!' Upon this Allah said: 'Who is putting himself higher than My Authority?!" So Allah forgave the sinner and held the pious one accountable for what he said even though he was righteous."

This teaches us that we have to watch what we say especially when we are angry. That's why the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, made the du’a: "I ask Allah to enable me to say the truth whether I am angry or pleased." Controlling ourselves needs training and effort. That's why we need al-tarbiyyah and al-tazkiyyah. This will be difficult in the beginning. But when we show Allah that we are serious, Allah will give us help and al-tawfiq (guidance) to the right path. Muslims need to make sincere efforts to reach a high degree of tarbiyyah and tazkiyyah. This will be part of their akhlaq. Muslims need ilm (knowledge) because if they are not aware of this, they may misinterpret things and get into sinful acts. Ibn Rajab says if the Muslim can control his tongue, he can control his other affairs. That is the wisdom that Muslims can get from this hadith.

Regarding the methodology of teaching and learning, this hadith sets forth a good example for Muslims to learn from. Mu'adh starts by asking a question, saying that he wants to ask about a matter that has him 'burning inside'. As a result of his question, he gets the reply. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said: "Ask whatever you wish." He was open to any kind of questions. If someone has an inquiry regarding any matter, he should ask, and the person who has been consulted has to be open-hearted. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, later on in this hadith, guides Mu'adh in the form of questions: "Shall I not tell you...?" Asking questions from both sides (from Mu'adh, as a means to learn, and from the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, as a means to teach) is one of the effective ways in the methodology of teaching and learning. If we want to learn we have to ask questions. If we want to teach, we have to communicate in this style and also ask questions. Asking questions will attract the attention of the listeners and will make them think about what is being said.

Conclusion

The central idea in Islam is tawhid and taqwa (submission to Allah). All other deeds can be looked at as part of taqwa and tawhid. Without proper tawhid there would be no fear of Allah. If we fear Allah, and love Him the most, this should lead us to be closer to Him. Otherwise, our claim is not valid or incomplete. Our taqwa and fear should be up to the level. So tawhid is the essence of the message of Allah. He sent the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, with this message and made him an example for us to emulate and follow. Consequently, tawhid (almutab'a) by following the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is part of submission to Allah.