tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77563398918413681362024-03-08T09:02:02.633-05:00Imam Nawawi's 40 HadithAsalamu alaikum (peace be upon you). I made this blog so I can learn Imam Nawawi's 40 Hadith, post related items, stay organized, and also to help those who haven't read them. The beautiful graphics were made by sister "Zaza" of Easel and Ink. I will update this blog every Saturday inshAllah (if Allah wills).Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-67692914463811397942010-04-02T10:17:00.006-04:002010-04-02T10:22:06.288-04:00An- Nawawi's Forty Hadith Project<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Learn, Memorize, Implement!<br /><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.wordpress.com/"><span style="color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.wordpress.com/</span></a></span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-33329408731910099272010-01-16T08:14:00.003-05:002010-01-16T08:19:12.036-05:00Islamic Online University Free Course - An Nawawi's 40 Hadith<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Explained by Shaykh Abu Abdissalaam and Shaykh Salem Al-Amry<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/opencampus/course/view.php?id=19"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/opencampus/course/view.php?id=19</span></a>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-79075248455252339802009-12-26T10:47:00.002-05:002009-12-26T10:48:30.990-05:00Heavenly Pearls - Explanation of Forty Hadeeth Nawawi Course Videos<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">by Brother Abû 'Abdis-Salâm<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=1459&category=72"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=1459&category=72</span></a>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-76842739565510489172009-12-26T10:40:00.003-05:002009-12-26T10:46:05.758-05:00Sacred Scrolls: 40 Hadeeth Nawawi Class Notes<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Taught by Shaykh Yasir Qadhi and Imam Suhaib Webb.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Sacred_Scrolls_-_40_Hadeeth_Nawawi-1.pdf"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Sacred_Scrolls_-_40_Hadeeth_Nawawi-1.pdf</span></a>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-49458113229766509072009-12-26T10:22:00.006-05:002012-08-01T22:00:23.743-04:0040 Hadeeth Nawawi In Spoken Word Poetry<p><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/abLgTlNeSp0&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/abLgTlNeSp0&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Here are the words to the poem.<br /><br />1 Know that all actions are by intentions<br />2 And the deen was taught by angelic interventions<br />3 Islam is built on five pillars of might<br />4 And the angels in our mother’s wombs did write<br />5 The deen rejects all types of innovation<br />6 And the heart is the limbs temptation or salvation<br />7 The religion is based all on advice sincere<br />8 And the sanctity of a Muslims blood is severe<br />9 We don’t ask about that which is obscure<br />10 And Allah only accepts that which is pure<br /><br />11 We leave things that are doubtful and suspect<br />12 And things that don’t concern us, we don’t inspect<br />13 And to love for you, what I would love for me<br />14 And blood to never be spilt, except for three<br />15 And to speak only good, if not, then refrain<br />16 Anger is from the heat of hell, avoid its flames<br />17 Everything is to be done in an excellent fashion<br />18 Fear Allah everywhere, treat people with compassion<br />19 Everything that happens is only by Allahs permission<br />20 Hayaa was forever written, as every prophets vision<br /><br />21 Believe in Allah and be steadfast<br />22 Perform halal, avoid haram, pray, and fast<br />23 Purification is equal to one half of our Iman,<br />24 And oppression was forbidden to Allah and man,<br />25 Everyone has something they can give in charity<br />26 Even picking up litter, a selfless rarity<br />27 sin is what makes your heart feel resistance and unease<br />28 Upon us is the Sunnah, in times of difference and disease<br />29 The tongue is the most common catalyst to the fire<br />30 About those things kept silent, we should not inquire<br /><br />31 Show indifference to the world, you shall be of the Zuhaad,<br />32 There’s no initiating harm, or reciprocating harm to add,<br />33 Evidence is to be brought forth by the accuser,<br />34 And who sees munkar, must be its remover<br />35 Be the servents of Allah, all together as brothers<br />36 Allah is in your service, so long as you are for each other<br />37 And every good deed Allah takes and multiplies<br />38 And He is for His awliya, their hearing, hands and eyes<br />39 He has forgiven us duress, mistakes and what we forget<br />40 We are strangers in this world, don’t settle just yet<br /><br />41 Perfection occurs, when passions fall in line with the Divine<br />42 And Allah will forgive all sins, and He will not mind<br /><br />Leave your comments here, </span><a href="http://gemreel.com/40-hadeeth-poetry-317.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://gemreel.com/40-hadeeth-poetry-317.htm</span></a> </p>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-59669548844011366532009-12-26T09:38:00.023-05:002009-12-26T10:21:52.194-05:00Imam Nawawi's 40 Hadith Series Is Complete!<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">I hope readers/followers have benefited from this blog. Please share the knowledge with others. InshAllah (if Allah wills), I will post up supplementary information regarding Imam Nawawi's 40 Hadith series.<br /><br />Also check out my other blog @ </span><a href="http://learnislam2day.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://learnislam2day.blogspot.com/</span></a>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-34056103431469677992009-12-19T10:25:00.005-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.416-04:00Hadith #42- The Expanse of the Forgiveness of Allaah The Most High, Seeking Allah's Forgiveness<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had42.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 399px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had42.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=204&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=204&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 42</strong><br /><br />In this hadeeth are immense good tidings, clemency and great generosity, and what cannot be enumerated of the types of grace and beneficence, compassion and mercy and what demands gratitude. And similar to it is his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "Allaah is more joyous by the repentance of His slave, than the joy of one of you when he finds his lost camel [in the desert]".<br /><br />From Abu Ayyoob (radiAllaahu anhu), when he was on his death-bed, that he said: "Until now I have hidden from you something that I heard from the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). I heard him say: 'If you did not commit sins then Allaah would create a new creation who would then commit sins [and repent], so He would forgive them'".<br /><br />And there are many other narrations which are in agreement with the meaning of this hadeeth.<br /><br />As for His, 'azza wa jall, statement: "O Son of Aadam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me" then this is in agreement with His statement: "I [treat My slave] in accordance to what he supposes of Me, so let him deem of Me whatever he wishes". And it has been narrated that when a slave commits a sin and then feels remorse, and says "O My Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me, for surely none can forgive sins except you!"; so Allaah ta'aalaa says "My slave knows that he has a Lord, who forgives sins and [also] punishes for them. So I testify to you that I have forgiven him". Then [the slave] does the same a second time, and a third, and so Allaah 'azza wa jall replies the same way each time. Then after that He says: "Do as you please, for I have forgiven you!", meaning when he commits a sin and then repents for it.<br /><br />Know, that for the acceptance of repentance there are three conditions: </span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. cessation from the sin<br />2. remorse for what has preceded<br />3. and firm resolve not to return to performing the sin<br /><br />And if the sin involved taking the right of another person, then he must hasten to return his right and absolve himself from this transgression. And if the sin was between him and Allaah ta'aalaa, and a kaffaarah (expiation) is required for this sin, then it is also necessary that he fulfills this kaffaarah, and thus this becomes the fourth condition [for the acceptance of repentance]. And so, even if a person were to commit a sin many times in a single day, and then repent each time with its conditions, Allaah ta'aalaa would still forgive him.<br /><br />And His, subhaanahu, statement: "for what you have done" implies that Allaah will forgive despite the repetition of the sin.<br /><br />And His, subhaanahu, statement: "O Son of Aadam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you" means that if these sins had a physical form then they would fill the space between the sky and the earth - and this is the limit of multitude. However, even then His generosity, clemency, and forgiveness are still more and greater than that, and there can not even be the thought of comparison between them. So the sins of the creation are wiped away by His clemency and forgiveness.<br /><br />And His, subhaanahu, statement: "and were you then to face Me" means that if the slave were to die upon eemaan, without associating any partners with Allaah. And there can be no solace or contentment for the Believer until he has faced His Lord. And Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "Verily Allaah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him [in worship], but He forgives [all sins] other than that for whomsoever He pleases" [Soorah an-Nisaa', 48].<br /><br />And Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu anhu) said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Having good supposition of Allaah is from the best worship of Allaah".<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That the door of repentance is ever open to a person.<br />2. That Allaah forgives no matter how much we sin, as long as we truly repent.<br />3. That associating partners with Allaah (shirk) is a sin which He does not forgive.<br />4. That if we seek to live a life upholding Tawheed, then we have great hope that He will turn to us in mercy. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith42.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith42.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />The main message of this hadith is calling upon Muslims to repent sincerely to Allah and to seek His forgiveness.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />There are three means or ways which enable a Muslim to be forgiven by Allah.<br /><br />1. The first one is al-du'a which means to supplicate to Allah. Allah says in Surah Ghafir Ayah 60: And your Lord said: Call upon me, I will respond to you.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "Supplication is the essence of worship" [Al-Tirmidhi]. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, also said: "Supplicate to Allah as if you are certain about His response." Supplication is guaranteed that Allah will attend to or respond to it when certain conditions are fulfilled. At the same time there are other things that a Muslim should avoid doing in order for his supplication to be answered. The conditions of supplication have been discussed in previous hadiths. The most important thing is the full concentration and attention of the heart and to have full hope that Allah will respond to that du'a and not to rush it.<br /><br />Muslims have to practice supplication frequently because it is a continuous process. Among the things that a Muslim asks Allah in his supplication are to forgive his sins, to be saved from the Hell-Fire and to be among those who enter Paradise. Muslims have to make du'a with full hope that there is a response. Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi: "I am as My servant expects of Me." [Muslim]. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says in another hadith: "No Muslim who supplicates a supplication, that does not contain any sin or cutting of relations, Allah will grant him one of three things: either Allah will immediately respond to his supplication, or He may keep or store the answer for the Hereafter, or He will turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil or harm." The Companions asked what if they keep requesting Allah. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, replied: "Then Allah shall give you even both." [Imam Ahmad].<br /><br />2. The second means that leads us to receive Allah's forgiveness is istighfar (seeking forgiveness), even if someone has committed many sins. What is meant by seeking forgiveness is the istighfar that is linked to repentance which in turn also necessitates that the Muslim gives up committing sins and does not persist on doing them. Istighfar is a form of worship. The Muslim has to do and perform a lot of istighfar every day. Allah commanded us to make istighfar and praised those who perform istighfar. Allah says in Surah al-Zumar Ayah 53: O My servants, who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is oft-forgiving, most merciful.<br /><br />There are many forms of istighfar. There is what the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, taught his Companions to say. It is also narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to seek forgiveness from Allah more than seventy times a day, and in some narration more than one hundred times a day. Consequently, Muslims are recommended and required to do istighfar and seek the forgiveness of Allah at least one hundred times a day. The best statement of forgiveness is the statement that is narrated by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, when he said: "O Allah: You are my Lord. There is no God but You. You created me and I am Your servant. I am following Your covenant and promise to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evils that I have done. I profess to You Your bounties upon me and I confess my sins. Forgive me for no one forgives sins except You." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says: "Whoever says this statement with certainty concerning it in the daytime and dies that day before the evening, he is one of the inhabitants of Paradise; and whoever says this statement with certainty concerning it during the night and dies that night before the morning, he is one of the inhabitants of Paradise." [Al-Bukhari]<br /><br />Istighfar is recommended to be practiced by true and close servants of Allah and every Muslim. They are recommended to do so in the morning, preferably after the Fajr prayers, and in the evening until the sunset. This should be part of the supplications that they perform day and night. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 110: And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah oft-forgiving, most merciful.<br /><br />3. The third cause or means of seeking Allah's forgiveness is Tawhid. Tawhid means that a Muslim should worship Allah alone. Allah should be worshiped without associating or ascribing any partners with Him. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 116: Verily! Allah forgives not the setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah has indeed strayed far away.<br /><br />Tawhid, as the scholars say, melts away sins. Through fulfilling all the obligations of Tawhid, Muslims are going to be forgiven and rewarded. In a previous hadith in this collection of Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith, we discussed the importance of the realization of the idea of Tawhid where Muslims have to love, fear, and glorify Allah the most. By Tawhid, Muslims seek refuge only in Allah and ask support and help from only Him. All of these great actions of Tawhid, which means that the heart becomes fully devoted to Allah, enable the Muslims to be true believers and Muwahideen. Only then Muslims will become enlightened, inspired, and their iman or faith will be strengthened and their sins will be forgiven. By realizing the idea of Tawhid, the Muslim also minimizes the chances of committing sins because his heart is fully devoted to Allah.<br /><br />Tawhid is the greatest essence of the Message of every Prophet. All the Prophets, peace be upon them, were sent with the Message of Tawhid - that is Allah is the only One who deserves to be worshipped and to be totally obeyed. Unfortunately, many Muslims today do not observe the realization of Tawhid. Many Muslims violate Tawhid, for example, there are some groups of Muslims that supplicate and slaughter for dead Muslims. By doing these acts of shirk (associating someone with Allah), they are violating the most important messages of Islam and that is the realization of Tawhid.<br /><br />If we want to be good Muslims to Allah, we should follow the way that awliya' Allah (closer servants of Allah) followed. We should follow their ways and practices as mentioned in Hadith 38. They had good morals, they loved Allah, feared Him, had total belief or faith in Allah and his Messengers, and they were obedient to Allah and followed His instructions - this included performing good deeds. This obedience was based on fear of Allah, repenting to Allah and submission to His will. Moreover, they were characterized with devotion, honesty, and sincerity.<br /><br />If we want to do it in the right way we should adhere to what is mentioned above and act as the awliya' Allah acted when they were alive. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that this was what led the people of Noah to shirk when they started glorifying and giving their righteous dead people a higher status than they deserved. This led them to worshipping these dead people later on to the extent that some of them made idols of these famous figures. This eventually led to their destruction by Allah.<br /><br />Because of misconceptions or the misunderstanding of the essence of the message of Tawhid, many Muslims today carry out bad or prohibited acts. Some of them may be excused because of one reason or another, but these are terrible acts that displease Allah and lead to shirk. This is very risky because many Muslims who fall into such categories must rethink about what they do. They should repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness because He is the One who we must seek forgiveness from. He is the one who we should supplicate to and He is the one who we should obey and count on.<br /><br />The realization of Tawhid is very important for all Muslims. This is the last portion of the hadith. Moreover, it is the last hadith in Imam Nawawi's collection. This is very significant for us as Muslims since this last portion summarizes the most important thing in Islam and that is Tawhid. It is a message from Allah to all Muslims to make sure that their Tawhid is sincere and pure. It is important to realize that they should not ascribe any partners with Allah. By doing so, they are assured that they will receive the forgiveness of Allah even if they have committed other sins.<br /><br />To realize Tawhid Muslims should fulfill all obligations towards Allah by fully submitting to His will, worshiping Him, obeying Him and following His guidance and revelation and to avoid the following:<br /><br />1. Avoiding all forms of shirk, whether sayings or actions apparent or hidden.<br />2. They should also avoid disobedience or committing sins because sins weaken Tawhid.<br />3. Avoiding riya' (doing things for self-interest and to please others and not for the sake of Allah).<br />4. Muslims should also avoid bid'ah or heresy because this will lead to the weakening of Tawhid.<br />5. Avoiding all forms of hypocrisy specially in repeated actions which are considered as traits of the Munafiqun such as: failing to keep a promise, failing to be entrusted, lying, transgression in quarrels and disputes. In general, Muslims should avoid all illegal acts that will lead to dishonesty, insincerity, and transgression.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />This hadith mentions three ways which lead to Allah's forgiveness. It should be noted that these are not the only ways. Muslim scholars mention other means and ways of receiving forgiveness, as we have seen in previous hadiths, such as running into hardships, being put on trial, sickness, patience, the torture in the grave, avoiding the major sins, the horrible situations on the Day of Judgment, following the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, to perform the pillars of Islam, fasting specific days such as the day of Ashura' and the day of Arafah, and the intercession (shafa'ah) of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and the intercession of the believers (which is conditional to Allah's permission and He being pleased with the person).</span></span> </div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-4320284678963232202009-12-12T12:10:00.009-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.416-04:00Hadith #41- The Sign of Faith, Desires to be subservient to Revelation<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had41.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had41.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=205&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=205&category=24</span></a><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 41<br /></strong><br />This hadeeth is similar to His - subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa - statement "But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith [emaan] until they make you (O Muhammad, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them" [Soorah an-Nisaa', 65].<br /><br />The reason for the revelation of this aayah, as related by al-Bukhaaree (2359-2360), was as follows:<br /><br />Az-Zubair (radiAllaahu anhu) had a quarrel with a man from amongst the Ansaar over the use of water from a stream, so they both went to the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) for judgment between them. So he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "O Zubair, irrigate your land and then let the water flow to [the land of] your neighbor." Through this, he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) encouraged az-Zubair to pardon his neighbor and to make affairs easy for him. However, the Ansaaree then said: "[You have judged in his favor] because he is the son of your uncle". So the color of the face of the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) changed [from anger], and he said: "O Zubair, hold back the water [in your land] until it rises to the level of the stems [of the trees], and then let it flow [to your neighbors land]". And by this the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) indicated to az-Zubair the means by which the Ansaaree could be corrected from his error [of not submitting to the judgment of the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam].<br /><br />So when the Ansaaree offended and angered the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) with what he said, he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) granted for az-Zubair the whole of his right that was due to him, without any concession for the Ansaaree.<br /><br />And it has been authenticated from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) in another hadeeth that he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "By the one in whose hand is my soul, none of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his father or child or the whole of mankind". Abu az-Zinaad said that this is from the comprehensive speech of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), as he has combined in these few, simple words great meaning and import. This is so since the types of love are three: the love which arises from a feeling of respect and greatness, such as the love of ones parents; the love which arises from compassion and mercy, such as the love of ones child; and the love which arises from seeing in another [person] traits which are similar to ones own, such as the love of the whole of mankind in general. Thus all the types of love have been enumerated [by the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, in this hadeeth].<br /><br />Ibn Buttaal (rahimahu Allaah) said that the meaning of the hadeeth, and Allaah knows best, is that whosoever perfects and completes his faith (emaan) knows that Allaah 'azza wa jall has delivered him from the fire through the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), and through the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was he guided away from misguidance and error.<br /><br />And the import of the hadeeth is that one must not surrender ones soul to [any person] other than the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And the Companions (radiAllaahu anhum) used to be alongside the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) in fighting their own fathers and sons and brothers [who were polytheists], and Abu 'Ubaydah (radiAllaahu anhu) killed his own father due to his harming the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And on the Day of Badr, Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu anhu) faced his own son, 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan, in the hope that he would be able to overcome him and kill him. So whosoever finds similar to this in his self then he can be assured that his desires are subservient to that which the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) brought.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That a person is not a Muslim unless he accepts what is in the Qur'aan and Sunnah without grudge and resistance. "But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith [emaan] until they make you (O Muhammad, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission." [Soorah Nisaa', 65]<br />2. That we must train our hearts and minds to willingly submit to the teachings of the Qur'aan and Sunnah.<br />3. That all our laws, regulations, principles, values, norms, outlooks, etc, come from what has been revealed. </span></span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith41.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith41.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />Imam Nawawi stated that the sanad (chain of authorities) of this hadith is authentic. However, many other scholars, including Ibn Rajab, stated that there are many defects in the chain of authorities. Sometimes the scholars consider a hadith as weak but this does not mean that what is stated in the hadith is weak. The meaning of this hadith has been emphasized in the Qur'an and strengthened by other hadiths. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 65: But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you (O Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept them with full submission.<br /><br />In Surah al-Ahzab Ayah 36, Allah says: It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision.<br /><br />Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo points out that there are sufficient authentic and acceptable evidences to prove what this hadith states. The main point that this hadith makes is that a believer will not be considered as fulfilling the obligatory level of faith or iman until he follows what the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, has said - i.e. he loves what the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, commanded him to do and hates what the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, prohibited or made illegal.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />It is an obligation on every single believer to love what Allah loves and to hate what Allah hates to a degree that will motivate them to fulfill his or her obligations. If that love is increased above the level which will lead to fulfilling the preferable acts (mandoub), this is considered an additional preferable level. At the same time, he should hate or dislike what Allah hates or dislikes to the extent that will lead him to avoid all the prohibitions. If that level leads him to avoid what needs to be avoided, then that is an additional level that Allah will reward him for.<br /><br />In the two Sahihs of Al-Bukhari and Muslim it is related that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "None of you will be truly a believer until I become more beloved to him than himself, his children, his family, and all the people." The true love necessitates that one has to follow whatever has been commanded by Allah and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, as stated in Surah al-Imran Ayah 31-32: Say (O Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful." Say (O Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam): "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.<br /><br />The true believer is one who loves Allah and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, truly and sincerely from his or her heart, and loves whatever Allah loves and whatever the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, loves, and hates whatever Allah hates and whatever the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, hates or dislikes. This love will lead him to act in accordance with these likes and dislikes. If someone acts in a different way, the obligatory love to Allah and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is not complete and has a defect. In this case, he has to repent and do his best to fulfill all the obligatory levels to achieve complete love to Allah and towards His Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam.<br /><br />All the sins or disobedience that take place as a result of desires happen because self-desire is given a higher degree or outweighs the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. Allah attributes this in the Qur'an to the disbelievers. In Surah al-Qasas Ayah 50, Allah says: But if they answer you not, then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than the one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?<br /><br />Allah also commanded one of his Prophets not to follow his desires. In Surah Saad Ayah 26, Allah says: And follow not your desire, for it will mislead you from the Path of Allah.<br /><br />Allah has made restraining desires one of the conditions to be fulfilled in order to enter Paradise. Allah says in Surah al-Nazi'at Ayah 40-41: But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode.<br /><br />Anyone who does anything that contradicts with the message that Allah sent His Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, with and violates any of the instructions or prohibitions, is a person who is following his own desires. It should be noted that desire has to do with likes and dislikes. Likes and dislikes are not the main goal. Scholars say that the main point here is not to be influenced by those likes or dislikes. If someone likes something that violates the shari'ah, this person is following his own desires. If that person is influenced by those likes or dislikes, this will lead to an act. The act will lead to forms of actions which either pleases or displeases Allah. In both cases, the person has full responsibility and accountability. The responsibility and accountability are not for the likes or dislikes. They are for what the likes or dislikes lead him to.<br /><br />It is known that following the desires is the reason behind many evil acts and it is also the basis for bid'ah (heresy). When someone follows his desires without evidence or truth, this will lead him to fall into bid'ah easily. And those who are misled by their desires are the first to follow misconceptions, as stated by many scholars. Whenever there is a misconception they easily fall into problems or troubles.<br /><br />There are signs of following desires. One of the signs is neglecting or turning away from seeking beneficial 'ilm (the needed knowledge of Islam). Another sign of following desires is turning one's back from the guidance that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, has come with.<br /><br />Al-Imam Al-Shatibi, in his book Al-Muwafaqat, volume number 2, p. 168, mentions that the objective of shari'ah is to keep Muslims away from desires so that the believer will be a servant to Allah willingly and become an honest servant of Allah. He also states that following one's desires with regard to the rulings of shari'ah is a problematic issue where a person might use tricks to fulfill his desires, using deception in order to evade the rulings of shari'ah.<br /><br />With regards to how one can control and deal with one's desires, firstly Al-Imam Al-Shatibi says that the main thing is to make the law of shari'ah and its rulings as a judging authority that every Muslim should respect, appreciate, and comply with. Secondly, some other scholars mention feeling Allah's presence, seeking knowledge, and the continuance remembrance of Allah are the ways of controlling self-desires. Thirdly, Imam Ibn Qayyim mentions about 50 ways of dealing with self-desires. Even those who are already influenced by self-desire can use any of these ways to get rid of their self-desires. He mentions this in his book Rawdat al-Muhebin (Garden of Lovers). The following are 15 selected ways:<br /><br />1. Strong resolution.<br />2. Patience.<br />3. Self-courage.<br />4. Considering consequences.<br />5. Reflecting that Muslims have been created for a great mission which cannot be fulfilled except by controlling one's desires.<br />6. Not to be enslaved by self-desires.<br />7. To know that Satan is the enemy that gets through the servants of Allah. Satan uses desires to influence people.<br />8. To know that following self-desires will lead to someone's destruction and punishment by Allah.<br />9. To know that fighting desires by making an effort in order not to be influenced by the desires is one of the greatest forms of jihad. Fighting desires is the essential message of Islam. Muslims are required to make every effort to adhere to the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.<br />10. To know that the one who lets the desires take over and lead him will spoil his intellectual opinion.<br />11. To know that following desires will weaken the eagerness for performing good deeds. The opposite is also true in this case - that is, not following desires leads to strengthening one's motivation to perform good deeds.<br />12. To know that not being misled by desires will lead to the honor in this life and the Hereafter.<br />13. To know that following desires is the main cause of the spiritual heart disease and the remedy of the disease is to not follow desires. We have to make jihad to fight desires otherwise we will not be able to fight our enemies.<br />14. To know that seeking knowledge and feeding it by performing the preferable acts will strengthen one's faith.<br />15. To know that we need to be enlightened by the Qur'an and Sunnah. This requires us to make the effort to recite the Qur'an in order to know the meaning and the wisdom behind the ayahs.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />Though this hadith is considered a weak hadith, it states a very important meaning: in order to fulfill one's faith, one has to make a continuous effort to control his or her self-desires and to like what Allah and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, like, and to dislike what Allah and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, dislikes. This is actually a very important task which we are required to do in order to adhere to the path of Allah. The result will be attaining Allah's pleasure and being honored in this life and the Hereafter by being a truly honest, sincere servant of Allah.<br /><br />Muslims must be sincere in their efforts to fight self-desires. The issue is not to like or dislike but what the result of this likes or dislikes is. For instance, if someone is sleeping before dawn in the early morning and then he hears the call for Fajr prayer but is too lazy or sleepy to wake up to perform the salah, this is considered following his self-desires. Everyone likes to sleep but the problem is the result of this leads us to delay or miss the Fajr prayer (a wajibat).<br /><br />Another example is food. There are many things that we can eat but if they are not halal, we have to refrain from consuming them. A third example is the love of money. To like money is one thing but to be misled by money is a problem because this will lead the heart to be enslaved to money and the worldly life. This explains why the scholars say that committing sins is actually a result of desires.<br /><br />We should make the shari'ah as the judging authority for everything we do. Before we do something, we should ask ourselves: Is this act based on a sound reason? If the answer is not, then we are following the desires. This is why Allah labels the Qur'an as Al-Furqan or as the criterion that distinguishes what is right and what is wrong.</span> </div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-18846286557797734292009-12-05T11:40:00.011-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.416-04:00Hadith #40- The World is the Means and the Sowing-Field for Attaining the Hereafter, The Muslim's attitude towards the worldly life<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had40.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 600px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had40.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=206&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=206&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 40</strong><br /><br />The Imaam Abu al-Hasan 'Alee bin Khalf said in his explanation of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree that Abu az-Zinaad said: The meaning of this hadeeth is an encouragement upon refraining from excessive socializing, upon purchasing little for ones needs, and upon abstention from the dunyaa. Abu al-Hasan then said: The explanation of this is that the stranger [in a town] does not socialize much or behave cheerfully with its people, but rather remains aloof and lonely, as he does not hope to pass by someone who knows him, with whom he may socialize and be friendly. Thus he remains lowly, submissive and in a state of fear. And similar to this is the traveler, who is unable to complete his arduous journey except with great strength and determination, and by keeping light of all burdens, and by avoiding being tenacious in retaining those things which may prevent him from completing his journey. And he only takes with him minimum provision for his journey, and a riding camel, which are enough to help him attain his destination. And this is an indication of his preference for abstention from the dunyaa, and for taking only that which is sufficient for him. And so, just as the traveler does not require more than that which will help him to reach his destination, so similarly the Believer does not require more of the dunyaa than that which will help him attain his goal [i.e. Paradise].<br /><br />And al-'Izz 'Alaa-ud-Deen bin Yahyaa bin Hubairah (rahimahu Allaah) said: In this hadeeth is evidence that the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam encouraged emulation of the strangers, since when a stranger enters a foreign land he does not compete with its people to attend their gatherings, nor does he worry about being seen in a state and condition opposite to that which is his normal habit in terms of his dress, nor does he try to behave contrary to the customs of the local people. And similarly is the condition of the traveler who does not take a permanent abode of residence, nor does he enter into arguments with the local people which might cause hatred between them, knowing that he will only be amongst them for a few days. So all the conditions of the stranger and the traveler are beloved for the Believer in this dunyaa, as the dunyaa is not his true abode of residence. Rather, the dunyaa is merely an obstruction that prevents him from reaching his true abode and dwelling place in the Hereafter.<br /><br />And as for the statement of Ibn 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhu): "In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening", then this is an encouragement from him for the Believers to always be prepared for the eventuality of death. And death is prepared for with good deeds. It is also an encouragement upon not having many hopes and desires, stretching far into the future. Hence, one should not postpone till the morning actions that can be performed at night, but rather, one should hasten towards the performance of good actions. And similarly, when one wakes in the morning he should not rely upon the evening and postpone his good actions till then.<br /><br />And his, radiAllaahu anhu, statement "Take from your health before times of sickness" is an encouragement upon making use of ones health, and striving ones utmost during times of good health, fearing the onset of sickness which may prevent one from good actions. And similarly, his statement "From your life before your death" is an admonition to make use of the days of ones life, since the one who dies has his actions cut off and his hopes lost. And then his distress will increase no end due to his neglect and previous lack of remorse. So let us know that a time will come when we will spend a great length of time under the dirt, unable to perform any action and unable to remember Allaah 'azza wa jall. So upon us is to hasten to good actions while we are still capable of doing so. And thus, what is more comprehensive and honorable than this hadeeth in its meanings of good?<br /><br />And some of the 'ulamaa have said that Allaah ta'aalaa has condemned having high hopes, as He has said: "Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with (false) hope. They will come to know!" [Soorah al-Hijr, 3].<br /><br />And 'Alee radiAllaahu anhu said: "The Dunyaa has set out from the rear, while the Aakhirah has set out from the front, and for each of them are its sons: so be from amongst the sons of the Aakhirah, and do not be from amongst the sons of the Dunyaa. For verily, today is the time for deeds without any accounting, while tomorrow is the time for accounting without any deeds."<br /><br />And Anas radiAllaahu anhu said: "The Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam drew some lines [in the sand], and said 'This [line] is man, and this is his hope, and [the third line, between them] is his appointed time for death. So while he is in this state the closer line takes him'", and that is his appointed hour of death, which contains and constrains his life. So this is a warning to him to lower his hopes, and to expect his appointed time to be near, and to always remain in fear that it may come while he is in a state of heedlessness and indulgence. So the Believer should accustom his soul to seeking those things which will remind him of his death, and he should strive against his desires and never-ending hopes, for verily man is created with a disposition towards hope. 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhumaa) said: "The Messenger of Allaah, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, saw me while I was strengthening with clay a shelter for my mother and myself, so he said 'What is this, O 'Abdullaah ?' So I replied: 'O Messenger of Allaah, it [the shelter] has become weak, and so we are repairing it'. So he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said 'I do not see the affair [i.e. death or the resurrection] except that it is closer than that [ie the falling apart of the shelter]'."<br /><br />We ask Allaah the glorious to show kindness to us and to help us abstain from the dunyaa, and to make us desire that which is with Him and ease on the Day of Resurrection, for verily He is the generous, the forgiving, the merciful.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Summary<br /></strong><br />1. That one can hold another's shoulder to say something to him.<br />2. That one should not seek name and fame in this world.<br />3. That one should not seek permanence in this world.<br />4. That a Muslim must always be aware of death.<br />5. That a Muslim should know that he may not live to see the night or the next day, thus making him more careful of his actions since he may not have time to repent.<br />6. That a Muslim should take advantage of his health to do good deeds.<br />7. That a Muslim knows that he has only this life to either make it to eternal happiness or eternal punishment.</span></span><br /><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith40.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith40.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />There are so many verses in the Qur'an that make comparisons between the worldly life and the Hereafter. The priority and emphasis is made on the Hereafter where it is described as the real life and the worldly life as a life of nothing but entertainment and amusement. Allah says in Surah al-An'am, Ayah 32: And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion but the home of Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. Will you not then reason?<br /><br />And in Surah al-'Ankabut, Ayah 64, Allah expresses the same meaning mentioned in the previous ayah. The same meaning is also expressed in other ayahs such as in Surah Muhammad Ayah 36, Surah Yunus Ayah 26, Surah al-Kahf Ayah 45 -46, Surah Fater Ayah 5, Surah al-A'la Ayah 16-17, and Surah al-Isra' Ayah 18-19.<br /><br />In all of the above mentioned ayahs, Allah draws the attention of the believers toward the Hereafter to remind them that it is the final destination and the real life and enjoyment of the believers. Allah also comments on this life as nothing but amusement and diversion. It is a life of a test and trial. It is a life used as a means of getting us forward to the Hereafter.<br /><br />In Islam there is no nullification of life as some people may misunderstand. There is a balance and adjustment between this life and the Hereafter. There should be no polarization or what Islam is - rahbanah or extremism. There should be no conflict between this life and the next life. There is a kind of moderate conception about this life and the Hereafter. Islam also makes it an obligation that the believers cultivate the earth and make it as an amanah for them to establish the Islamic civilization which is based on Tawhid, good morals and values. This civilization is guided by revelation. This is considered an obligation.<br /><br />Furthermore, the concept of 'ubudiyyah (worshipping Allah) is a comprehensive concept where everything we do in this life, if it is guided by revelation and is done with a good intention, becomes a form of worship even though it is a worldly matter. If the thing is done in accordance with the teachings of shari'ah and the main guidelines of revelation, then there will be the adjustment and the harmony between this life and the Hereafter. The Muslim's life in this world and the Hereafter should be in total submission and devotion to the will of Allah. The Muslim should establish a good life, improve his way of life and aim for the Hereafter at the same time. By doing so, he is obeying Allah, being guided by His guidance and instructions. He will still enjoy this life but at the same time whatever he does will be recorded by Allah as his good deeds. Consequently, he will get the pleasure of Allah.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />The hadith starts with Abdullah bin 'Umar (Ibn 'Umar), radiyallahu 'anhuma, saying: "The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, took me by the shoulder and said." Here we can learn many lessons as teachers and educators. We have to show care and attention to our audience if we want to be good educators or teachers. This can be achieved in many different ways. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to follow different approaches when dealing with his audience. Sometimes he called upon the name of a certain person and in other times, like in this hadith, he gets closer to the person he is speaking to by putting his hand on his shoulder.<br /><br />Sometimes the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, will start his advice or teaching with a statement that attracts the attention of the audience . For example, we can see this in a previous hadith (19) that has been said on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas when the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said "O young man, I will teach you some words (of wisdom)." Sometimes the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used the questioning style as we saw in a number of previous hadiths. The questioning style plays a significant role in conveying the message and attracting the attention of the audience. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asks the question where the answer to that question is only known to him. The audience and the addressee will be more keen and motivated to know the answer.<br /><br />In general, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used all of these approaches or means to show care to the addressee, to attract their attention, and also to stress or emphasize the meaning he wanted to convey. This is also sometimes achieved by repeating what he says. Sometimes he would draw diagrams (e.g. a circle or a square) on the ground. Other times he would use analogy to clarify or simplify a certain concept. All of the above mentioned ways can be adopted as techniques for educating.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, tells the believers how to deal with this life, and as usual he offers his audience with more than one choice. In this hadith, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is giving two choices or levels with regards to living in this world:<br /><br />1. To be as a stranger<br /><br />This is usually the easier choice. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used the analogy 'to be as a stranger' because, as Ibn Rajab points out, the stranger is usually prepared to eventually go back to his original place or home town. His heart will always long for his home. His main concern will be to be in preparation to do whatever possible and beneficial for returning. A stranger does not look like the other people in his current environment - he is different. Similarly, the believer should be different from those who only care about this life and worldly matters. He should rid himself of the yearning for this materialistic world, a world where some people do not care about the spiritual aspects and the Hereafter. As believers, we should be different from the 'people of this world'.<br /><br />Ibn Al-Qayyim, a famous Muslim scholar, says that a Muslim is a stranger amongst the disbelievers and the Mu'min is a stranger amongst the Muslims, and the Muhsin is a stranger amongst the Mu'mins. This means that there are different levels of being a stranger: the lowest level is Islam, the second level is Iman and the third level is Ihsan. [Refer to Hadith 2]<br /><br />2. To be a traveler or wayfarer, traveling along a path<br /><br />This is a higher level than the stranger. The traveler is always traveling day and night without stopping, He is heeding towards his final destination. Even if he stops for a while, this is to provide himself with the needed power to continue his journey and to go farther until he achieves his main objective. A stranger might obtain and keep more things than he actually needs but the traveler takes as little as possible in terms of luggage or other things. Similarly, the believer who is in such a situation has a main objective or concern - and that is not to take more than what he needs (i.e. he should not be weighed down with materialistic things or wealth).<br /><br />Another thing is the traveler needs to know that he is traveling on the right path, the straight path. For this, he needs to obtain the right knowledge (ilm). He also needs good, helpful companions to help him on his way.<br /><br />Some scholars ask how would a person be contented with this life where the day distorts the month and the month distorts the year and the year will distort the age? That is how this person will be satisfied with this life if his age will lead him to his final destination and his life will lead him to death. One scholar said when a person looks back at his life since his awareness of this life until this moment, it will seem like a blink of an eye. What remains for the rest of his life is also like that 'blink of an eye'. If that is the case, the person should be careful and wise up.<br /><br />Ibn 'Umar says: "When evening comes, do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening." This saying is like an explanation to the hadith. Al-Bukhari mentions it because the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is talking to Ibn 'Umar.<br /><br />If one still did not understand the message, Ibn 'Umar continues by saying: "Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from your life for your death." This means that today you may be healthy, but you never know about the future. It is then wise and better to perform good deeds and to be closer to Allah now before being unhealthy or before dying. This meaning has been stressed by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, in other hadiths where he asks us to utilize our time and to do beneficial things whether in this life or in the Hereafter. We can relate to Imam Nawawi's other hadiths that have been previously mentioned in which certain charitable acts have been emphasized.<br /><br />The impact of this hadith on the life of Muslims:<br /><br />1. To increase the sense of responsibility in terms of our duties towards Allah, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, relatives, and the community members.<br />2. To motivate the Muslims to enjoin what is good and to forbid what is evil.<br />3. To be closer to Allah at all times.<br />4. To minimize weaknesses, shortcomings and sinful acts.<br />5. To maximize self-accountability and self-reckoning.<br />6. To emphasize taqwa and fearing Allah the Almighty.<br />7. To be safeguarded from being misled or enslaved by self-interests, desires and worldly temptations.<br /><br />Challenges that threaten the above mentioned concept of dealing with this life in a good way:<br /><br />1. The promotion of the materialistic aspects of life, especially by the media.<br />2. The complexity of contemporary life where there are more problems, and the engagement in life activities without proper balance.<br />3. Rapid life changes due to technology advancement and progress which in turn creates other problems, such as:<br />a. Adjustment between the old lifestyle and the new lifestyle.<br />b. The emergence of new values which lead to conflicts between sets of values.<br />c. Technology misuse.<br />d. The increase of social ills.<br />e. The weak religious awareness and education or spiritual training in the Islamic world (i.e. tazkiyyah).<br />4. The challenges of modernity.<br />5. The challenges of globalization and promotion of imposed corrupted western values.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />These challenges add to the size of the responsibilities that face the Muslims who want to implement this hadith in their lives. Most of these challenges are addressed in previous hadiths. This hadith contains a helpful piece of advice for every single Muslim which helps us to deal with this life in a proper way by offering us two choices or levels. We need to understand all the above mentioned issues. This will help us to apply the hadith in a more positive way.<br /><br />Some Muslims throughout history misunderstood this hadith. Consequently, they misunderstood the Islamic teachings regarding dealing with life. They understood it in a negative way. We also find other Muslims who are affected by the challenges of modernity and the excessive tension that is given to this life. We find minimum levels of good deeds. They are overwhelmed by the advancement of technology and end up with little iman or spirituality. The Islamic standpoint that should be understood is that there is no conflict or opposition between this life and the Hereafter. On the contrary, Islam establishes harmony where a Muslim lives in this life but his heart is devoted to Allah and the Hereafter. Whatever he does is with the objective of pleasing Allah and is to be done in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the guidance of revelation. </span></span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-51051685689645882492009-11-28T11:33:00.012-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #39- Leniency for the One who Errs, the One who Forgets, and the One who is Forced, What is pardoned for this ummah<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had39.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had39.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=207&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=207&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 39</strong><br /><br />And it has been related in the tafseer of the statement of Allaah, 'azza wa jall, "And whether you disclose what is in your own selves or conceal it, Allaah will call you to account for it" [Soorah al-Baqarah, 284] that when this aayah was revealed it became a great burden upon the Sahaabah, radiAllaahu anhum. So Abu Bakr, 'Umar 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin 'Awf and Mu'aadh bin Jabal, amongst a number of others, came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said "We have been burdened with actions which we find we are incapable of sustaining. Verily one of us may mention to himself [evil] things which he would not like to settle in his heart, even if he were to be offered the wealth of the dunyaa for doing so." So the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said "I fear that you are saying what the Banoo Israa'eel said: 'We hear and we disobey'. But, rather, you should say: 'We hear and we obey'". So this became very hard upon them, and they remained in this state for some time. Then Allaah ta'aalaa revealed upon them His mercy and that which gave them respite, with His statement: "Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. 'Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error'" [Soorah al-Baqarah, 286].<br /><br />So Allaah 'azza wa jall said, in a hadeeth Qudsee, "I have decreed so", and thus Allaah revealed to the Muslims that which lightened their burden, and which abrogated the aayah which came before it.<br /><br />Al-Bayhaqee said that Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee, rahimahu Allaah, said: Allaah subhaanahu said "Except him who is forced [to kufr] and whose heart is at rest with faith" [Soorah an-Nahl, 106], and so there are rulings regarding kufr. And since Allaah has dropped the ruling of kufr from the one who is forced to utter such words, then similarly must be the case of the one who is mistaken or the one who forgets, since when the greater of two issues is dropped, then that which is less than it is also dropped along with it. Further, it is related from Ibn 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa) from the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) "Verily Allaah has pardoned for me my Ummah: their mistakes, their forgetfulness, and that which they have been forced to do under duress", and it has been related from 'Ayeshah (radiAllaahu anhaa) from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that he said: "There is no divorce nor freeing of a slave in a state of anger", and this is the madhhab of 'Umar and Abdullaah ibn 'Umar and 'Abdullaah ibn az-Zubair (radiAllaahu anhum). And Thaabit bin al-Ahnaf married the mother of a son of 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin Zayd bin al-Khattaab, so 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan intimidated and threatened him with a whip, until he unwillingly divorced her, during the Khilaafah of 'Abdullaah bin az-Zubair. So Abdullaah ibn 'Umar said to him that the divorce was not valid, as it had been made under duress, and so he should return to her. At that time Abdullaah bin az-Zubair, the Khaleefah, was in Makkah so he [ibn az-Zubair] wrote to his governor in Madeenah to return Thaabit's wife to him, and to punish 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin Zayd. So Safiyyah bint Abee 'Ubayd, the wife of 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar, prepared her for her return, and 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar attended their wedding feast.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Summary<br /></strong><br />1. That Allaah has forgiven Muslims for the sins that they commit by mistake.<br />2. That Allaah has forgiven Muslims for what they do out of forgetfulness.<br />3. That Allaah has forgiven Muslims for what they are compelled to do against their wishes.<br />4. That we are to overlook and forgive each other for what we do by mistake, or out of forgetfulness or under duress, since Allaah Himself does so. </span></span><br /><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith39.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith39.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />What has been stated in this hadith has also been stressed and emphasized in the Qur'an. In Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 286, it is stated: "Our Lord, punish us not if we forget or fall into error."<br /><br />(Another translation for the meaning of the ayah): "Oh our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes."<br /><br />Allah says in Surah al-Ahzab, Ayah 5: And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intended. And Allah is ever oft-forgiving, most merciful.<br /><br />Allah also says in Surah al-Nahl, Ayah 106: Whosoever disbelieved in Allah after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with faith or at certainty.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />Being excused for what is done mistakenly or out of forgetfulness does not mean that there will be no consequent rulings. This means that a person might be forgiven but he still has to take responsibility for his actions. The consequent rulings for doing something mistakenly or out of forgiveness can be classified into three categories:<br /><br />1. There are mistakes where there is no consequent ruling such as a person or a Muslim who eats during the day in the month of Ramadhan out of forgetfulness. The majority of scholars say that his fasting is still valid and he does not have to repeat that day. This opinion is based on the hadith that is related by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim which states that "any Muslim who eats during Ramadhan out of forgetfulness will be excused and forgiven."<br />2. There are consequent rulings to actions that are done out of mistakes or forgetfulness such as if someone kills a Muslim by mistake - as what happens nowadays in car accidents or accidents at work, etc. It is well-known by scholars that for such a person there is no consequent ruling. There is no kaffarah (expiation of sins) but he has to pay the fidyah as stated in the Qur'an. Another example is if someone caused harm or damage to the property or money of someone else by mistake. In this case the person is responsible and has to compensate for what he has damaged even though he is forgiven by Allah and is not being regarded as sinful.<br />3. There are actions where there are different opinions among the Muslim scholars of whether there is a consequent ruling or not. Some scholars say that the person has a consequent ruling. Others will say that he is fully excused and has nothing to do. For example, if a person talked out of forgetfulness during his prayer. Does he have to repeat his prayer? Here we have different opinions among the scholars. Some will say he has to repeat while others will say he is going to be forgiven and excused.<br /><br />Another example is that a person takes an oath or swears by Allah not to do something and then he does it out of mistake or because of forgetfulness. Is this person responsible? Some scholars will say he is not forgiven and he has to make kaffarah. Others will say that he is forgiven and need not make kaffarah. A third example is if a person who is muhrim - that is he intended to perform 'umrah or hajj and then by mistake he hunts or kills an animal. Is he forgiven (i.e. is this not considered a sinful act)? He is forgiven and will not be punished for that. But the issue is whether he has to pay for it and be responsible or not. This is again a debatable issue among the scholars. Ibn Rajab states that the person who acts out of forgetfulness or by mistake is excused and that the sinfulness will be removed because sinfulness is related to those who do it deliberately. But the ruling, whatever the responsibility is, is not meant by this hadith. The hadith does not mean that they are going to be excused from everything including any kind of responsibility or rulings. This is something very important to know because some Muslims have the misconception that they are totally excused and they do not have to bear any consequences.<br /><br />In the situation where a person is forced to do something which is not acceptable in Islam, this ikrah or duress can be categorized, according to Ibn Rajab, into two categories:<br /><br />1. The person is powerless and has no choice to refuse doing an evil act or something which is not acceptable by shari'ah. Ibn Rajab says that he is excused.<br />2. The person is forced to harm someone else. In this situation, we look at the issue from the perspective that he has the power over his actions and can refuse to do the harm but at the same time his intention is to remove the harm from himself rather than to harm the other person. What is the ruling in this case? The scholars say that there are certain cases where the Muslim should not do it (i.e. harm someone else) even if he is harmed himself, such as if a Muslim is forced to kill someone else. He is not allowed to do so because this is a major harm that Muslims should do their best to avoid.<br /><br />But the scholars have different views regarding similar situations and actions. The first situation is that if a Muslim took an oath not to do something and then he is forced to do it. Some say that he is excused and he is allowed to do the thing that he promised not to do - he is excused and there is no ruling here. Other scholars say he is responsible and he should not do it. If it is out of his choice, this goes under the first category. The same if someone is forced or threaten or even beaten and he has been ordered to cause damage to the property of someone else. Scholars say since he has the choice, he has to do his best not to cause the damage. The issue here is that if he does it, scholars say that he will be excused in the sense that he is not sinful but he still remains responsible for the damage that he caused.<br /><br />The second situation where Muslim scholars differ is prohibited acts such as drinking wine. Some scholars say if a person is forced, then he is excused. Other scholars say though he is forced, he is not allowed to do it.<br /><br />Another view or category is the distinction between speech and actions. In terms of speech, a person might be forced and allowed to say something that is not allowable. The scholars say he should not practice taqiyah. Taqiyah means to say or do something which you do not believe in and are not satisfied with. This only applies to sayings and not actions. Regarding this issue there is an agreement among the Muslim scholars. They say that whoever is forced to say something that is not allowed in shari'ah, then he will be allowed to say it - he will not be regarded or considered as 'saying' it. There is another condition that the scholars set. They say that whenever a person is put into ikrah or duress, the duress should be definite and most likely to happen and not just something the person imagines or assumes. He has to be sure.<br /><br />What is mentioned in this hadith should not be abused. Some Muslims today abuse what the hadith implies by using it as an excuse to not uphold a responsibility or to break a promise. Allah knows our intentions and we should not take what is mentioned in the hadith to get away from the responsibility of fulfilling a commitment or an obligation.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />Islam encourages ihsan, quality, excellence at work, and a sense of responsibility. At the same time, Islam discourages recklessness, carelessness, and heedlessness. However, Islam takes into account the nature of human beings and their shortcomings. It also takes into consideration the unavoidable situations that they may undergo. It should also be noticed that Islam calls for taking lessons from our mistakes and our experience with others. That's why the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says a Muslim should not be bitten from the same hole twice.<br /><br />We should also be aware (based on Hadith 32) not to harm others. That hadith says: "There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm." According to this hadith we have to minimize the size of the harm and the consequences of the mistakes as much as possible. Even though the person might be excused and forgiven by one of these factors that are mentioned in the hadith, he still has to bear the full responsibility of his actions or deeds.<br /><br />We should look at this in a positive way. Islam does not encourage people to become reckless, careless, or to feel that they are unaccountable. We should look at the hadith as a total picture of the situation and not to look at it in an isolated manner. We should have a complete view of what Islam has already established or stressed such as excellence in our performance, accountability and many other issues that we have to observe. But because we are human beings and subject to committing mistakes out of forgetfulness, Islam still leaves room for these human shortcomings and makes it possible for them to be excused and forgiven - but they have to bear some of the consequences.</span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-88236418853668835082009-11-21T18:09:00.015-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #38- The Worship of Allaah is the Means of Attaining Nearness to Him and His Love, The concept of Wilayah (the closer servants of Allah)<div align="left"><a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had38.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 600px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had38.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=208&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=208&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 38</strong><br /><br />The author of al-Ifsaah said about this hadeeth from its understanding: Verily Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa has put aside all excuses from the one who shows enmity to a walee of His, and has declared that He shall war against him with the same enmity. And the walee of Allaah ta'aalaa is the one who follows that which Allaah has legislated. So let mankind be warned against harming the hearts of the awliyaa of Allaah, 'azza wa jall.<br /><br />And I consider the meaning [of this hadeeth] as referring to the one who shows enmity to a walee due to the friendship and allegiance (wilaayah) shown to him by Allaah. On the other hand, if the matter is such that it involves a dispute between two walees of Allaah in the form of a legal dispute or a quarrel, which is due to one of them trying to attain a right of his that is hidden from the other, then this does not enter into this hadeeth. And such disputes have occurred between Abu Bakr and 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhumaa), and between al-'Abbaas and 'Alee (radiAllaahu anhumaa), and similarly between many of the sahaabah, and all of them were awliyaa of Allaah.<br /><br />And His - subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa - statement "And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him" contains a reference to the fact that we do not place the voluntary deeds (nawaafil) before the obligatory (faraa'id). And the 'nawaafil' are named as such because they are performed after the obligatory deeds have been completed; and if not then they are not given the name 'nawaafil'; and this is indicated by His statement "And My servant continues to draw near to me with nawaafil (supererogatory) deeds until I Love him", since attaining nearness with the nawaafil occurs by what follows the completion of the faraa'id. So when the slave becomes persistent in seeking His nearness through the nawaafil, then this causes Allaah 'azza wa jall to love him.<br /><br />Then He said "When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees" until the end of the hadeeth. Then this is a sign of the wilaayah of Allaah, and its meaning is that he does not hear that which is not permitted for him to hear by the Sharee'ah, nor does he see that which is not permitted by the Sharee'ah, nor does he grasp with his hand that which is not permitted for him by the Sharee'ah, nor does he hasten with his legs towards anything except that which the Sharee'ah allows him to hasten towards. And all of this is the basis (asl) [of being loved by Allaah]. But also, the worshipper of Allaah may become so engrossed in the dhikr of Allaah ta'aalaa that he becomes famous for that, and if another person, who is not from amongst those who remember Allaah much, were to speak to him without mentioning the dhikr of Allaah, then it would be as though he did not hear him; until the speaker approaches him with something from the dhikr of Allaah. And similarly in the case of those things which are seen, and those things which are grasped, and those things towards which one walks. And this is a most noble characteristic, and we ask Allaah that He makes us from amongst its possessors.<br /><br />And His statement "and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge" shows that even after the slave becomes from amongst the beloved of Allaah, this does not prevent him from asking his Lord to satisfy his needs or seeking refuge in Him from those whom he fears. And Allaah ta'aalaa is able to give him what he desires before his asking Him for them, and to grant him refuge before he seeks it, but He subhaanahu becomes near to His slaves through His giving those who ask Him, and His granting refuge to those who seek it from Him.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That there are Muslims who are the awliyaa (friends) of Allaah.<br />2. That one who is close to Allaah because of his piety and worship of Him, has Allaah as his protector.<br />3. That whoever makes a walee an enemy, actually earns the enmity of Allaah for himself.<br />4. That one draws closer to Allaah by following the Sharee'ah, and by fulfilling the obligatory duties upon him.<br />5. That a Muslim continues to draw closer to Him by performing voluntary acts of worship (nawaafil). 6. That ways and means not prescribed in the Sunnah will not help us in drawing closer to Allaah.<br />7. That when a servant draws closer to Him, then Allaah loves him, and then guides him in each moment of his life.<br />8. An-Nawawi said that "I am his hearing ..." can mean "I safeguard his hearing from shaytaan".<br />9. That when a servant is loved by Allaah, He fulfills his du'aa, and protects him from evil when he asks Him to do so.</span> </span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><div align="center"><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br /></span></div></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith38.htm"><span style="color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith38.htm</span></a><span style="color:#3366ff;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><div align="left"><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />The translation of the term wali that is mentioned in the hadith is a closer servant (awliya') of Allah or a believer rather than a closer friend. There are many verses in the Qur'an that talk about the concept of wilayah. These verses talk about the qualities or attributes of awliya' and their status in the sight of Allah. In this hadith Allah mentions the status of the wali even before He talks about His attributes. This status is mentioned in the beginning (i.e. Allah will declare war against whoever acts with enmity towards one of His closer servants) and in the end (i.e. Allah will answer their du'a and will give them refuge). This shows the status of awliya' in the sight of Allah. In the middle of the hadith, Allah tells us the qualities of His closer servants.<br /><br />The hadith also tells us that Allah loves those who are the closer servants to Allah. This is a natural result of what they do. Allah tells us about their actions upon which they deserved to be loved by Allah. We will see that there are two levels of servants of Allah: The first level is those who fulfill the obligations and avoid the prohibitions (muharramat). The second level is those who not only do this but also perform the preferable acts (nawafil).<br /><br />The concept of wilayah (awliya' Allah) is based on the verses of the Qur'an and this hadith. In the Qur'an there are three verses in Surah Yunus - Ayah 62, 63 and 64.<br /><br />No doubt verily the awliya' of Allah (the closer servants of Allah) no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. Those who believed and used to fear Allah much, for them are the glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter.<br /><br />Based on these three verses and this Hadith Qudsi, we can say that the concept of wilayah comprises of the following:<br /><br />1. The love of Allah<br />2. Fearing of Allah<br />3. Belief or faith in Allah and his messengers<br />4. Devotion, honesty, and sincerity<br />5. Obedience to Allah and following His instructions - this include performing good deeds. This motif of this obedience is based on fear of Allah, repenting to Allah and submission to His will.<br /><br />The origin of wilayah is closeness to Allah and the enmity is being far away from the path of Allah. Based on this, the awliya' of Allah are those who are obedient and perform the good deeds which make them closer to Allah. The enemies of Allah, on the other hand, are those who are evil doers. Their ill deeds distance themselves away from Allah and this will make them far from Allah's blessing, support, and love.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />In the first portion of the hadith ("Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him."), Allah classifies His servants into two categories:<br /><br />1. The first category are those who get closer to Allah by fulfilling the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions. This is a moderate level that has been described in the Qur'an as ashab alyameen. This is the minimum level of wilayah. In other words, wilayah is achieved just by fulfilling the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions. This level of wilayah is expected from all believers.<br />2. The second category of people are those who are closer to Allah by being competent (al-sabiqeen) in their worship and effort and strive to be close to Allah. This category of people are not satisfied only of performing the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions but they go further by performing the preferable acts. They also avoid the non-preferable acts. Consequently, they will reach the degree of wara' and wilayah that will make Allah love them. Allah mentions this explicitly and that His love will be granted for these competent people.<br /><br />Some of the early people (salaf) used to say that it is not a big matter whether you love; the biggest matter is to be loved by Allah. If you are loved by Allah, then you are granted with His mercy and blessings. You are going to be granted with His support and guidance.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to say the following in his du'a: "O Allah I ask You that You love me and the love of those who love You and to enable me also to love every act and deed that may bring me closer to You". That is the reason why some of the early scholars say that the actions and the worship that are based on the love of Allah will continue and never be depressed or frustrated. Some others say that the one who loves Allah will not get fed up or bored of getting closer to Allah. He never feels that he is bored of doing good deeds and acts that will get him closer to Allah. Other scholars say that for the one who loves Allah, his heart is purified and he always remembers Allah. He always seeks and strives to do good deeds and acts that will get him closer to Allah. He does all of this with pleasure.<br /><br />The early scholars also say that the one who loves Allah should obey Him, otherwise he is only claiming to love Allah. Scholars say that among the preferable acts (nawafil) that make a person become closer to Allah, is the nawafil al-salawat (the preferable prayers that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to pray every day). Another thing is the recitation of the Qur'an and listening to it with full attention and understanding. Also part of the preferable acts is the remembrance of Allah where what the tongue says matches with what the heart believes, and the love of other good Muslims who are closer to Allah.<br /><br />The second portion of this hadith ("When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk.") implies that, as Ibn Rajab says, whoever strives, struggles and makes the effort to get closer to Allah by doing the obligations and performing the preferable acts, Allah will get him closer to him, support him, and take him from one level into another until this servant of Allah reaches the degree of Ihsan where this believer will be able to practice muraqabeh. That is he worships Allah as if he sees Him, and his heart will be full with love of Allah.<br /><br />Not only will Allah grant him love of Allah but he will also be helped to glorify Allah and granted with satisfaction. This will be strengthened by performing the preferable acts until the heart is full of these acts where nothing else will enslave or capture the heart. The heart is fully devoted to Allah. When that status is reached by the believer, the limbs of that servant will act only in accordance to what Allah loves. Then he will be seeing, hearing, and doing what Allah sees, hears and does. He will be walking towards what Allah wants and likes. The early salaf say that he cannot even commit a sin. Ibn Rajab quotes Ali who said that they used to believe that Omar's satan was so frustrated to do any sin or disobedience. This is one of the secrets or the real fruits of tawhid. This is because "La ilaha illa Allah" means that we should only worship, glorify, obey, and love Allah and fear Him the most. When this realization of tawhid is achieved, then he says the heart will have no place for anything that may displease Allah. What will be in the heart is only what Allah loves. In this case, that person will never commit a sin or any kind of disobedience. Committing sins takes place only if the person loves what Allah hates or that person hates what Allah loves. It also takes place when self interest is given a priority and dominance over the love of Allah. The result will be that the obligations of the tawhid will not be complete. The person will be led to delay obligations or to commit sins.<br /><br />The third portion of this hadith ("And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.") Implies that the closer servant of Allah has a special status in the sight of Allah. This special status will lead to that whatever he asks of Allah, Allah will give him and his du'a will be attended to. If he seeks refuge from anything, he will be given that.<br /><br />In Sunan Al-Imam Al-Nisa'ei, there is one chapter on iste'azeh. There are many hadiths in this chapter that tell us the sayings that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to say to seek refuge of Allah to be saved from things such as poverty, ignorance, the turmoil of the grave, sadness and depression of this life, and various diseases. The closer servant of Allah is granted to be saved from the above mentioned things and many others. As Muslims we have to realize the importance of this portion of the hadith especially for those who are hearing the hadith for the first time. It is better that we learn from the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, what to seek refuge of Allah from. We should try to memorize some hadiths which are in the form of du'a. In that way we will be granted the love of Allah and we will be given the status of awliya'. Consequently, we will be granted with the bounty that whatever we ask for, Allah will give us. Moreover, we will be saved from the harms that are mentioned above.<br /><br />The last thing that we need to point out is the misconception of wilayah. After the early centuries of Islam, this concept has been misunderstood to the extent that there came a time when the attributes of the wali is not what is mentioned in the Qur'an and hadith. It is actually by claims. We look at the person and his attitude and worship of Allah and we are shocked to see a big difference. We are surprised to see that the actions do not match with the Islamic teachings. How, then, can this person be a wali? He is not a closer servant of Allah. The real closer servant of Allah will not abuse wilayah and use it for promotion because it is not what he claims but it is in the heart and love of Allah. This should be corrected because until today some Muslims are still confused about wilayah. Imam Shatibi sets a number of criteria for wilayah or karamah because they are granted only if the person is close to Allah. Awliya'u Allah are shy to claim that they are closer to Allah because this contradicts with the idea of ikhlas (sincerity).<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />We notice that Imam Nawawi brings this hadith which states the main fundamental concepts or principles of Islam in a clear way. By studying this hadith, one comes to know what the concept of wilayah or closeness to Allah means and what he should do. We also know the status of awliya'.<br /><br />This hadith is a warning to those who may harm believers in general or the closer servants of Allah in particular. Allah declares war against the one who acts with enmity towards His awliya' (closer servants). This is a message to all Muslims and people not to harm others or to be enemies with Allah by harming the believers. That is how the situation will be, if not in this life, it will be in the Hereafter. Moreover, Allah knows better what is in our favor and what is not in our favor. That's why sometimes the closer servants of Allah may ask for something and Allah does not attend to their du'a because the things they may ask for may cause them some harm. But still because of their du'a, there will be the blessings and mercy from Allah in similar situations. The blessings of du'a will be also granted in the Hereafter.</div></span></span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-53186595663033260282009-11-14T10:43:00.009-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #37- The Grace of Allaah ta'aalaa and His Mercy, How deeds are recorded<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had37.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 599px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had37.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=209&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=209&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Numer 37</strong><br /><br />The explainers of this hadeeth have said: This is a noble and great hadeeth in which the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has explained the measure of the grace of Allaah, 'azza wa jall, upon His creation, as He has made the intention to do a good deed, without actually performing it, equal to the reward of a good deed. And He has made the intention to do an evil deed, which one then does not perform, as equal to a complete good deed [also], and if one were to act upon it then it is deemed as a single evil deed. And if one performs a good deed then Allaah writes it down as ten, and this is an immense grace, as He has multiplied for the slaves their good deeds, but has not multiplied their evil deeds against them.<br /><br />And He has made the intention to perform a good deed like a [complete] good deed because the intention to do good is an action of the heart, due to the resolve of the heart upon that. And if it is then said: "This statement then requires that the one who intends to perform an evil deed, and does not do it, must also have an evil deed written for him, as the [evil] intention is also an action from amongst the actions of the heart", then the answer to this would be that this is not the case, as the one who stops short from performing an evil, then he has nullified his resolve to do evil, and has changed it for another resolve to do good, and has thus disobeyed his evil desires, and so he is rewarded for this with the reward of a good deed. And it has been related in another hadeeth that "Verily he has left it [the evil deed] because of Me", that is "for My sake", and this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Upon every Muslim is the giving of charity", so some people asked "What if they do not do so?", so he replied "Then let them withhold from evil, and that will be their charity". This was mentioned by al-Bukhaaree in his Book of Manners. However, if he leaves an evil deed unwillingly, or because he is unable to perform it, then a good deed is not written for him, and this does not enter into the meaning of this hadeeth.<br /><br />Imaam at-Tabaree, the famous mufassir, said that in this hadeeth is evidence for the statement that the two recording angels, [assigned to each person to write down the good and bad deeds of that person], write down not just the actions but also what the person intends to do of good or evil, and they know what he resolves to do in his heart. And thus, this hadeeth is a refutation of those who wrongly think that the two angels only write down that which is apparent from the outward actions of the person, or from what they hear him say. And so this all means that the two angels know all that which a person intends in his heart, and it is conceivable that Allaah ta'aalaa has granted for them a means to attain this knowledge [which is from the knowledge of the ghayb or unseen], just as He has granted a means to many of the Prophets to attain knowledge of many things from the unseen. And Allaah has said regarding 'Eesaa (alayhi as-salaam) that he said to the Banee Israa'eel "And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses" [Soorah Aal 'Imraan, 49]. And our Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was informed of many things from the matters of the unseen, and hence all this shows that it is possible that Allaah has granted to the recording angels a means to attain the knowledge of what is in the hearts of mankind, from good or evil, and so they write down whatever he resolves to do. And it has been said that this is through a smell or fragrance that they are able to detect emanating from the heart. And hence the Salaf [i.e. the early righteous scholars] have differed over which form of dhikr [remembrance of Allaah] is better: the dhikr of the heart or the dhikr made out loud.<br /><br />And all of this [that has been narrated from Imaam at-Tabaree] is the statement of Ibn Khalf, who is better known as Ibn Buttaal. And the author of al-Ifsaah, Yahyaa bin Muhammad al-Hanbalee [d. 560 H], said in some of his writings: When this Ummah had its life spans reduced [as compared to the people of the previous nations who had much longer life spans], it was compensated for this reduction with a multiplication of the reward of its actions. [i.e. Since the life span of our Ummah is shorter, we have less time to do good deeds; so Allaah multiplied the reward for our good deeds to compensate for this.] So whoever intends to perform a good action, it will be counted for him as a complete good deed. And Allaah has declared it as being a 'complete' deed so that none may think that since it is only an intention [and not a complete action] it is somehow deficient. And thus, Allaah has raised the intention to the level of being included amongst the complete actions. So He wrote down the intention as a complete good deed and then multiplied that according to the degree of sincerity of the performer, and according to the appropriateness of the action to the time and place.<br /><br />Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said after that "or many times over". This is mentioned, in the Arabic, in the indefinite form which is more comprehensive than the definite, and this implies that the multiplication may be counted up to the most that is possible. Then, it is possible that this generous promise includes that one says that when a man spends in charity a single grain of wheat, then it will be counted for him, from the grace of Allaah ta'aalaa, as though he sowed that grain in the most pure and fertile land, and attended to it and protected it and watered it, according to its needs, until it ripened, so he harvested it; and then he threshed that harvest in that pure fertile land, so the grains were sown again in it, and were looked after in the same manner as has preceded; and then the same as this in the second year, and then the third and fourth years, and the years that followed that; and this continues until the Day of Resurrection, and so that single grain of wheat or mustard or couscous will come that day like a mountain. And if the charity was a tiny action from amongst the actions of eemaan [i.e. a good deed] then one may compare it to the profit that may be attained through the purchase of a commodity during that time. And so it is possible that if he sold a commodity in the best market of the greatest nation, and that commodity were the most profitable for trade, then that profit were multiplied [through successive trades] until it returns to him on the Day of Resurrection such that its magnitude is like that of the entire world. And similarly all the actions of righteousness will be treated by Allaah 'azza wa jall in a similar manner, as long as they are performed with a pure and clean intention.<br /><br />And from this also is that the grace of Allaah multiplies with the transfer of charity from one person to another. So, for example, consider if a person gives a dirham in charity to a poor man, and then that poor man in turn passes the dirham on to another poor man who is in greater poverty than he, and then this third person passes it onto a fourth, and the fourth to a fifth, and this goes on to a great extent. Then, Allaah ta'aalaa will count for the first person, who originally gave the dirham, ten times the reward. But when this dirham is transferred by the second person to the third, then the second person gains ten and the first person's reward is multiplied to ten thousand. Then, when the third transfers it to the fourth, the second person gets one thousand, and the first gets a million. And so this continues until they attain rewards that may only be counted by Allaah ta'aalaa.<br /><br />And from this also is that when Allaah - subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa - accounts His Muslim slave on the Day of Resurrection, and his good deeds are of varying and disparate levels, some of them of a high level and others not so, then He - subhaanahu - from His immense generosity and grace may count all of his good deeds by the measure of the best and highest amongst them; for verily His generosity - jalla jalaalahu - is far greater than that He should dispute with his slave, who is pleased with Him, about the disparity in the measure of his good deeds. And no doubt Allaah jalla jalaalahu has said: "We shall certainly pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do" [Soorah an-Nahl, 97].<br /><br />And similarly, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has informed us that if a Muslim declares aloud in a market from amongst the markets of the Muslims: "laa ilaaha illaa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd, yuhyee wa yumeet, wa huwa 'alaa kulli shayin qadeer [There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allaah, alone without any partner; for Him is the dominion and for Him is all praise; He gives life and He gives death; and He is all-powerful over all things]" then Allaah will write for him due to that a million rewards, and will wipe away from him a million evil deeds, and will build for him a house in Paradise [narrated by at-Tirmidhee].<br /><br />And all this that we have mentioned is according to only that which we have knowledge of, and not according to the true level of the grace of Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa. For verily He is far greater than what anyone may deny for Him, or what any of the creation may try to estimate of Him.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That whatever is classed as a good deed, or an evil deed, has already been written down as such by Allaah, i.e.. good and evil deeds are what He has specified them to be.<br />2. Therefore, what Allaah has given us in the Qur'aan and Sunnah is from His knowledge of what is good and what is evil, as defined and accepted by Him.<br />3. That whatever we are going to do is known by Him.<br />4. That if we intend to perform a good deed [as defined by the Sunnah], but do not actually perform it, then we are still rewarded for one full good deed.<br />5. That if we intend to perform a good deed, and actually perform it, then Allaah will record it as though it were done ten to seven hundred times over, or more than that.<br />6. The actual merit of a good deed is determined by Allaah according to our sincerity.<br />7. That not doing a bad deed which one intended to do, obtains for one a reward equal to a complete good deed.<br />8. That if one actually performs a bad deed that one intended to do, then it is written down only as its worth, i.e. a single bad deed.<br />9. That if one ends up in the fire then he only gets that which he deserves, as he was indeed a very bad person.<br />10. That good actions are not all of equal merit, nor are bad actions. Hence, it is not possible to calculate how much good or bad one has accumulated each day.<br />11. That one must not forget that it is still possible to destroy all the good deeds we have been doing.</span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith37.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith37.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />This hadith is considered as a Hadith Qudsi even though the text of the hadith does not show that clearly or explicitly. The hadith with this text is a clarification from the part of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, about the way of recording deeds. There are other versions of this hadith that have been recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in the same form of Hadith Qudsi and in a very clear manner. One of these is the following version that has been commented upon by Ibn Rajab: Allah has said: "If My servant considers doing a sin, do not record it against him. If he acts upon it, record it as one sin. If he considers doing a good deed and does not do it, record it as one good deed, and if he actually does it, record it as 10 good deeds." [Recorded by Imam Muslim]<br /><br />One may ask how this is considered a Hadith Qudsi where its text does not explicitly show so. The multiplication of good deeds and that the one who commits one sin is recorded as only one sin, is a well-known principle in Islam that has been emphasized in both the Qur'an and sunnah - Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 245 and 261; Surah an-Nisa', Ayah 40; and in Surah al-'An'am, Ayah 160. Allah says: Whoever shall come before Allah with a good deed will gain 10 times the like thereof, but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Lessons<br /></strong><br />What has been mentioned above is a general rule. However, there are some exceptions because the sin is sometimes considered greater due to certain reasons. One of these reasons is the honor of time or place such as the four months (al-'ashhor al-hurum). This is the view of Ibn Abbas (the narrator of the hadith) and Qutadeh. For the month of Ramadhan there are two claimed hadiths but which are considered not authentic according to Ibn Rajab who states that sins are considered greater during Ramadhan and during the Hajj (pilgrimage). This is stated in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 197.<br /><br />In terms of place, for example Makkah, Allah says in Surah al-Hajj, Ayah 25: And whoever is inclined to evil action therein (in Makkah) or to do wrong, him we shall cause to taste from a painful turmoil.<br /><br />Because of this, a few of the companions of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to avoid doing certain actions in Makkah.<br /><br />Another criterion for considering sins as great is the nobility of the person who commits the sin. This is because, as Ibn Rajab says, since he is a person of knowledge of Allah and His attributes, his closeness to Allah should prevent him from committing sins. If he commits sins, his sins will be considered greater than normal people.<br /><br />The hadith mentioned four types of deeds:<br /><br />1. Doing good deeds - the result will be a multiplication of rewards.<br /><br />2. Doing evil acts - this will be recorded as one sin for one sin.<br /><br />3. The intention of doing good deeds - this will be recorded even if it is not done as one deed. 'Intention' here means that we have a great eagerness and a very strong determination to do a certain deed - and not merely thoughts of doing it.<br /><br />Some examples of this type, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab, are: </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. If someone has intended to wake up in the middle of the night to perform the night prayer but he did not do so because he overslept.<br />2. If someone intended to pray or fast.<br />3. If someone intended to do jihad or umra.<br />4. If someone intended to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage).<br /><br />So if any Muslim intended to do any of the above and had a strong determination to do them, it will be recorded as if he has done them. But this does not compensate the obligation of doing them when there is an opportunity to do so.<br /><br />4. The intention of doing a bad deed or committing a sin without actually doing it. This means that one has made the decision to do it, as Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo puts it. Other Muslim scholars relate it to the intention (niyyah). And there is an overlap between intention and decision because when we decide, we have the intention.<br /><br />Wherever we have an issue or principle where there are many versions of the hadith, scholars compare the text of the hadith. In another version that is narrated by Abu Hurairah, Allah says: "He gave up committing the sin for the cause and sake of Allah." Ibn Rajab says this implies that the interpretation of this portion of hadith is that the one who has the intention to do the evil act and is able to do it, refrained from doing so for the sake and fear of Allah. Ibn Rajab says this person will be rewarded for that. It will be considered a hasanah (a good deed) because refraining from doing that evil act with this good intention is really a good deed by itself.<br /><br />Consequently, Ibn Rajab mentions other different situations:<br /><br />1. The one who decides or just has the intention to do the evil act but then he refrains from doing it because of his fear of the people or does not like to be blamed by them. Ibn Rajab says that some scholars say this person will be punished.<br /><br />2. The person decides to do the evil act but was not able to perform it because of external factors (qadar). For example, a person decides to break into a house to steal, but he does not succeed and runs away because a police car is driving around the area. Some scholars say that he will be punished though he did not steal.<br /><br />3. Someone who decides and has the intention to do the evil act, makes the effort but is not able to perform it because of his lack of strength or capabilities. Scholars say this person will be punished. For instance, if two Muslims fight each other with the intention of killing each other, as stated in the well-known hadith, both the killer and the one who has been killed will be in the hellfire. The Companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah, this is the killer - what about the poor person who has been killed?" The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said he had the intention to kill his friend or brother but was not able to because he was killed himself.<br /><br />4. Someone has the intention to do an evil act and talks to others about it but does not do it. Some scholars say that he will be punished just because of his bad intention. Other scholars say he will not be punished unless the sin itself is the impermissible kind of speech like slander, backbiting or lying.<br /><br />5. Someone who has the intention to do an evil act but later on changes his mind because his eagerness to do the evil act has weakened and decreased.<br /><br />One may ask whether this person is subject to punishment or not. Ibn Rajab says this situation can be classified into two categories:<br /><br />A. The intention to commit the sin was just a thought - it has not been placed or committed in the person's heart - and he dislikes or regrets the thought straightaway. Ibn Rajab says this person will be excused. For instance, if a person sees cool water during the hot month of Ramadhan and he simply has a thought of drinking but then refrains himself. This person will be forgiven because the place of the sin is not in his heart.<br />B. The evil thought has been placed in the heart and the person keeps thinking about it. Scholars say that this can be classified into two categories:<br />1. The action of the heart involves doubts about Allah's oneness, the Prophethood or the Day of Resurrection. Scholars say this person will be punished. Ibn Rajab also says that there are other sins which are related to the heart such as loving what Allah hates or hating what Allah loves, arrogance, envy, and suspicions for no valid reason. All these are punishable.<br />2. The actions of the limbs such as adultery, stealing, drinking wine, killing etc. Ibn Rajab says in this category, if the person persists on doing such an act and has the eagerness and willingness, he will be punished. There is another view that says he will be excused because he has not actually done it. The third view is the same as the second view in that he is excused, but with one exception and that is if it is done in the al-Haram Mosque in Makkah.<br /><br />6. Someone committed a sin once and then has the intention of repeating it whenever possible. That is this person is persisting on disobedience and is subject to punishment because of his bad intention even if he does it years later.<br /><br />In one version of the hadith, Allah says that for the one who commits a sin, Allah might record it merely as one sin, or He might omit the sin because of repentance by the sinner, or because of the sinner performing good deeds - as mentioned in Hadith 18: "Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people."<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />In one of the versions of this hadith it says that the one who fails to be saved is of great loss. This means that the one whose bad deeds outweigh the good deeds is a failure. Why? After all this mercy and grace from Allah where Allah multiplies good deeds up to 700 times, after all the chances and opportunities that Allah gives us, if a person still persists on disobedience and commits evil acts and in the end his bad deeds outweighs his good ones, then he is truly a big sinner and transgressor. He has no intention of doing good deeds. He has no one to blame but himself.<br /><br />There is a saying for Ibn Mas'oud: "Woe to the one whose sins outweigh his good deeds". The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said to his Companions: "Whom do you consider as a bankrupt?" They said: "The one who does not have a dinar or dirham (money)." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "The real bankrupt is the one who comes with mountains of good deeds but he also comes with many bad deeds that are related to attacking and harming the people." In this case, the bad deeds are not easily omitted because they are related to the rights of human beings. This person may wrong others by slander, backbiting, killing, etc. As a result, his good deeds will be taken from him in the hereafter as a matter of just. In addition to that, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says part of the bad deeds of the people whom he has wronged will be added to his record and the result would be that he will be thrown into the hellfire.<br /><br />We need to imagine just how horrible the situation is. We need to reflect on this hadith and not to wrong, belittle or fail other Muslims or non-Muslims in the same way. We should also be kind to animals as the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said that a woman will enter hellfire because of her mistreatment of a cat. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, also mentions about a woman who is very pious and did good deeds but she annoyed and bothered her neighbors - she too is in the hellfire.<br /><br />Muslims need to be careful when it comes to dealing with other people. Unless we receive forgiveness from others, we will be held responsible for wrongdoings towards others. This has to do with our akhlaq and values as Muslims. We need to be concerned about this if we want to achieve any success in this life or the hereafter.</span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-23833475073277475592009-11-07T08:09:00.012-05:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #36- The Virtue of Gathering for the Recitation of The Qur'aan, and for the Remembrance of Allaah, The significance of fulfilling the needs...<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had36.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 600px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had36.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=210&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=210&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 36</strong><br /><br />This is a great hadeeth that encompasses all the branches of knowledge, and the principles [of the religion], and the excellent manners. In it is found the virtue of fulfilling the needs of the Muslims, and benefiting them, from what is possible for one, of knowledge, or wealth, or aid, or guidance towards that which will correct their affairs, or advice. or other than that. And the meaning of "alleviates the need" is removing it.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a Muslim", then 'shielding' here means to hide his slips and lapses, and the intended meaning here is hiding the lapses of those who are of upright and pious character, and those like them who are not known to be evil-doers. And this is with regards to hiding the sins that they may have committed in the past, and which are over. On the other hand, if they are caught red-handed performing a sin then it is obligatory to admonish them and forbid them from it. And if they are unable to do so, then they must raise the matter to the authorities, if they do not fear any evil repercussions from this. Thus, in such cases the correct action is not to shield them, as this may tempt them to perpetrate more evil, to cause more harm, to enter into more forbidden matters, or to encourage others upon what is similar to this. So it is desired that one raises the matter to the leader, as long as he does not fear any further evil from doing so. And similar to all this is the disparagement and criticizing of the narrators of hadeeth by the hadeeth scholars, and of the witnesses [to contracts], and the trustees of the wealth to be distributed in charity and the awqaaf, and those who look after the wealth of the orphans, and what is similar to that. Then in all such cases it is obligatory to expose their evil actions if required, and it is not permissible to hide their sins if one sees from them that which is reproachable. And this is not considered to be from the forbidden backbiting, rather it is part of the obligatory naseehah [sincerity, advice].<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "And Allaah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother" then this is a generalization whose detailed explanation must include the case where the slave [of Allaah] resolves to help his brother Muslim [by admonishing him], whereupon it becomes required of him not to be cowardly of speaking the truth to him, believing, all the while, that Allaah will help him and protect him from any evil repercussions of doing so.<br /><br />And in this hadeeth it is mentioned the virtue of fulfilling the needs of a Muslim, and of striving in the path of seeking knowledge, and this includes the virtue of being pre-occupied with knowledge. And what is intended by knowledge here is the knowledge of the sharee'ah. And all this requires that one intends by it the face of Allaah ta'aalaa, just as this is a condition in every act of worship.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "No people gather together in one of the houses of Allaah, reciting the book of Allaah and studying it among themselves" is a proof for the virtue of gathering in the Masjid for the recitation of the Qur'aan. And regarding the word 'sakeenah' mentioned here, then some people have said that it means 'mercy', but this interpretation is weak due to the separate mention of mercy in the next part of the hadeeth. And it has been said that it means tranquility, peacefulness and dignity, and this is better.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "No people gather together" is in the indefinite, general form, as though he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) meant to say "Any people" who gather for this, then they will receive all of the virtue that he has mentioned. And he (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) did not lay a condition here that the people must be scholars, or ascetics or possessors of high stations. And the meaning of "and the angels surround them" is similar to that mentioned by Allaah ta'aalaa in His noble book: "And you will see the angels surrounding the throne (of Allaah) from all round" [Soorah az-Zumar, 75], that is they will encircle and encompass them from every side. And so it will be as though the angels will be so close to them, so as to completely encircle them, and no gap will be left between them through which shaytaan may enter.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and mercy envelops them" then the word 'envelop' is not used except when all the parts of the object are completely covered from all sides. And Shaykh Shihaab ad-Deen bin Farj said: "And the meaning of this, from what I see to be correct, is that the envelopment of His mercy is such that it encircles and embraces all previous sins, inshaa'Allaah ta'aalaa".<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and Allaah mentions them amongst those who are with Him" implies that the mentioning of Allaah ta'aalaa is amongst the prophets and the most honorable of the angels, and Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That this hadeeth contains encouragement to help each other for our own benefit.<br />2. That any Muslim who makes a Muslim happy will receive the mercy of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection, and He will remove one of his grieves that day.<br />3. That any Muslim who sees to the need of another Muslim, will have his own needs seen to by Allaah.<br />4. That any Muslim who protects another Muslim will be protected by Allaah.<br />5. That Allaah will help us as long as we help each other.<br />6. That one who strives to gain knowledge of the deen will be helped by Allaah in acting upon it.<br />7. That the Mosques should be used to gather in to study the deen and to recite the Qur'aan collectively.<br />8. That such groups of people receive the peace and mercy of Allaah, and are surrounded by the angels, and are mentioned by Allaah to those near Him.<br />9. That this is true for any group of Muslims, whether or not they are scholars or very pious individuals.<br />10. That when we remember Allaah, He remembers us and makes mention of us.<br />11. That if one becomes lax in his religious duties, his lineage or ancestry will not avail him anything before Allaah.<br />12. Seeking knowledge of the deen entails acting upon it and propagating it. </span></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></div></span></span><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith36.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith36.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />This hadith was recorded by Imam Muslim by the above text. However, there is another version of the hadith where it was recorded by both Imam Muslim and Imam al-Bukhari with the following text: "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim - he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs; whosoever removes distress from a believer, Allah removes from him a distress from a distressful aspect of the Day of Resurrection; and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."<br /><br />We see that in this hadith the obligations towards other Muslims are emphasized and the fulfillment of brotherhood is again stressed.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter."<br /><br />This means that the reward of an act is of a similar nature to the act itself. Or the reward to the act is relevant to the act itself or from the same type. There are many hadiths that emphasize this principle. Grief or distress in this hadith means a great difficulty or hardship a Muslim is facing. In one version of the hadith, it is stated as "whosoever relieves" and in another version "whosoever removes". There is obviously a difference between the two versions because 'to relief' means to minimize the difficulty or distress, whereas 'to remove' means to totally eradicate the difficulty or hardship.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab says the one who successfully removes a grief or distress that a Muslim is encountering will be rewarded more than the one who helps and tries his best to minimize the consequences of a certain difficulty. This is natural because there are two different situations: The first one is related to the capacity of the person who is able only to minimize the distress. The other situation is not just a matter of capacity but also a willingness to do more to remove the distress totally. Ibn Rajab emphasizes that we have to motivate Muslims to help others and to remove the distress or difficulties of one another.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that the reward for the removal or relief of the distress of a Muslim will be rewarded by a removal of a similar distress or difficulty in the Hereafter. Ibn Rajab questions the difference between the two situations where in the first one the hadith mentioned only the relief or removal of the distressful aspect of the Hereafter and not in this world. He says that not everyone is subject to such distress in this world - this is contrasted to ale'sar (unable to repay). He explains that since the difficulties of this life are incomparable to the distress aspects of the Hereafter (which nobody can endure as it is beyond human capacity), Allah reserves the reward for removing a distress of a distressful aspect of this life until the Day of Judgment.<br /><br />"Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter."<br /><br />Here, it is not wise or appropriate for a Muslim to demand his money back from a poor or needy Muslim who honestly cannot afford to pay him. He should either give him a chance until he is able to repay his money or forgive him. The first choice is an obligation because Allah commands us to do so in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 280. The second way of alleviation is that the person who is owed the money might forgive the borrower and try to help him not just by giving him more time but also by reducing the amount of money owed or forgiving him.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says in one of his great hadiths: "A man of the previous nations was very rich and people used to borrow money from him. Not only did he lend them money, which is indeed a good deed, but he also asked his sons to alleviate and forgive those who could not repay the money." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that in the Hereafter Allah will reward him and forgive his sins because of his generosity. Allah says in Surah al-Furqan, Ayah 26 that "it will be a very hard day for the disbelievers". This means that there is a situation where a person who is kind to those in need and Allah will relief that person by rewarding him a great reward from Allah's mercy and help.<br /><br />"Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter."<br /><br />Ibn Rajab says that people can fall into two categories:<br /><br />1. Those who are not known for transgression or committing bad deeds. For these people, if by any chance they commit a mistake, it should not be revealed. On the contrary, it should be concealed and not even talked about.<br />2. Those who are very well known as transgressors or wrongdoers, and who even speak proudly about their shameful and sinful acts. Ibn Rajab mentions that if there is a need to mention the qualities of these people, we should do so for the benefit of the Muslim community.<br /><br />The statement in this hadith does not apply to the second category of people. The general rule that we derive from the hadith is that Muslims should not reveal the mistakes of their Muslim brothers to others. Some Muslims today take it as a topic for fun and entertainment to reveal the mistakes of others even on very minor issues. As Muslims we should refrain ourselves from such acts. Consequently, the reward will be that Allah will conceal our faults from others. In this life we are subject to faults. If we do not conceal the faults of others, Allah will put us in a situation where our faults will be exposed to other people and everyone will be talking about them. So the punishment is relevant or of the same nature of the act if it is a bad act.<br /><br />Another thing that is also worth mentioning is the faults of the ulama' or scholars. Nowadays we can notice a very strange attitude coming from some seekers of knowledge who try to find out and reveal the mistakes of very well-known scholars. This sort of situation is even worse because they are revealing the mistakes of not just regular persons. If it is a matter of academic discussion or research, we should handle it in an appropriate way that upholds the status of our scholars.<br /><br />"Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother."<br /><br />This statement is a principle. Before this statement, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, gives us three examples of Allah helping those who help others.<br /><br />But should we confine ourselves only to the needy mentioned in the hadith? Of course not. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, wants to convey to us that we should help our brothers in any way possible. There are hundreds of forms of need. For example, helping the blind to cross the street or any of the great and charitable acts that are mentioned in Hadiths 25 and 26. The greater the help, the greater the reward. This is something that Muslims should take seriously because if we have a community which care about each other and help one another, then there would be no needy people. This should be our attitude - we should seek to be motivated to offer our help at any time to our Muslim brothers.<br /><br />"Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise."<br /><br />Here we can find the encouragement of Islam in seeking and gaining knowledge. The knowledge seekers will be rewarded if the knowledge is beneficial to oneself as well as for the betterment of the Muslim community.<br /><br />This statement of the hadith can be interpreted in 3 ways:<br /><br />1. Allah will make it easy for the knowledge seeker to gain the knowledge that he is seeking.<br />2. Allah will make it easy for the knowledge seeker so that he will benefit from the knowledge he is seeking. This means that he will benefit from the knowledge and this will lead him to enter Paradise. There are many people who seek knowledge but there are no blessings in the knowledge they seek. The crucial point here is the person should seek knowledge with good intentions.<br />3. For the one who seeks knowledge with good intentions, Allah will safely help him go through the horrible incidents and situations on the Day of Judgment.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab classifies ilm (knowledge) into two types:<br /><br />1. The outcome of knowledge is placed in the heart. That is the knowledge about Allah and His attributes that implies fearing Allah, glorifying Him, and loving Him.<br />2. The knowledge that we merely memorize or speak about - without our hearts being influenced or affected. This means that if the person does not abide by the knowledge that he has already obtained, then he is in a very critical situation where the he may be subject to the punishment of Allah.<br /><br />"No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence."<br /><br />Here the hadith implies a preferable act: to go to the mosque, to recite and study the Qur'an, or attending lectures. Ibn Rajab says that this can be applied to all branches of knowledge and not just the Qur'an. The hadith mentions four rewards for those who gather in the mosque:<br /><br />1. Tranquility - this is a great reward which includes relief from stress and being calm.<br />2. The mercy of Allah over them.<br />3. The angels surrounding them.<br />4. Allah making mention of them amongst those who are in His presence.<br /><br />"Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."<br /><br />This indicates that doing deeds are the means of getting the rewards and that will lead a person to Paradise. Allah says: "For all shall be judged against their actions". If the good deeds are not enough, the person's lineage or ancestry will not benefit him. This is because Allah made rewards related to good deeds and not lineage.<br /><br />No ties of kinship will prevail amongst them. [Surah al-Mu'minun: Ayah 101]<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs."<br /><br />This version of the hadith starts by stating a great principle: Muslims are brothers - one will not harm another nor will he do injustice or fail him when he is in need. Then the hadith states a motivation factor: Whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs.<br /><br />This version is more than simply stating a principle - it can be taken as a motivation for helping other Muslims, especially those who are in need. We just need to imagine the situation of the ummah when we help each other and fulfill the needs of others. We will end up being a better society, with less needy people, and stronger social ties that will lead to the strength of the Muslim ummah at large. </span></span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-86971029864654046852009-10-31T12:55:00.014-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #35- The Brotherhood of Islaam, Evil acts that spoil brotherhood<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had35.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 450px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had35.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=224&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=224&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 35</strong><br /><br />Regarding his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Do not envy one another": envy (al-hasad) is the desire that a blessing is removed from someone else, and this is forbidden. And in another hadeeth "Do not have envy (hasad), for verily envy eats away good deeds the way fire consumes firewood or grass". As for al-ghibtah then it is the desire to obtain what another fortunate person possesses without wishing that he loses that blessing. And sometimes the word al-hasad is used in the place of al-ghibtah due to the proximity of meaning of the two, as in the statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam): "There is to be no hasad except in two cases ... ", meaning here "There is to be no ghibtah except in two cases".<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "do not inflate prices for one another" then the word used here in Arabic is 'najasha', and the origin of this word carries the meaning of cheating, deception and swindling. And the Arabs sometimes call a hunter a 'naajish' because he deceives and outsmarts the animal he hunts. And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "do not hate one another" means do not adopt the means that lead to hatred. This is because love and hate are matters of the heart, such that mankind does not possess full ability to control them, nor are they able to bring about change in them. And this is as the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said [regarding the division of time he had made between his wives]: "Oh Allaah this division is what I have been able to do, so do not take me to account for that which you control, and over which I have no control", meaning by this his heart.<br /><br />And "turning away" means enmity, and it has also been said that it means cutting off relations or boycotting. And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and do not undercut one another in trade" is referring to the situation where a buyer has almost completed a contract with a seller, and during the final time of choice a second seller approaches him and says: "If you revoke this sale then I will sell to you the same thing or better than it for the same price". Or, if a buyer and seller have agreed upon a price and are pleased with it, and only the completion of the contract remains, and then a second seller offers to give more for the same price, or to give the same goods at a lower price, then this is forbidden as it occurs after agreement on the price has taken place and the buyer and seller have been pleased with it. However, if the second seller makes his offer before they are pleased with the price then this is not forbidden.<br /><br />And the meaning of "but be you, O servants of Allaah, brothers" means deal with one another and live together amiably with brotherhood, and treat one another with love, kindness, compassion and courteousness, and help one another upon goodness, while always having a clear heart and offering sincere advice in all situations.<br /><br />And regarding his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not oppress him, nor does he fail him, nor does he lie to him nor does he hold him in contempt": to fail someone means to leave helping or aiding him, so if a Muslim were to seek ones help in defending himself from an oppressor or similar to that, then it is necessary to help him if one is able to, and one has no shar'ee excuse for not doing so.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "nor does he hold him in contempt" means that he does not behave haughtily towards another Muslim, so as to belittle him.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Taqwaa (piety) is right here [and he pointed to his chest three times]" and in another narration "Verily Allaah does not look at your bodies nor at your appearances, but rather he looks at your hearts". This means that the apparent actions of the limbs do not, by themselves, attain for one taqwaa. But rather taqwaa is attained through what is in the heart of appreciating the greatness of Allaah the exalted, and having fear of Him and having recognition of Him, and knowing that the sight of Allaah encompasses all things. And so the meaning of the hadeeth, and Allaah knows best, is the taking of the self to account, and the point of observation of all of this is by the heart.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "It is enough evil for a man to hold his Muslim brother in contempt" contains a severe warning from doing so, since Allaah ta'aalaa did not look upon him in contempt when He created him, and nourished him, and then perfected his outward appearance, and then subdued whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the Earth for his sake. And even though He did this for others along with him, no doubt he has a share in it. Then after that, Allaah - subhaanahu - named him a Muslim and a believer and a slave, and his command extended to the extent that he made the Messenger that He sent to him Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). So whoever treats with contempt a Muslim from amongst the Muslims, then he has treated with contempt one whom Allaah 'azza wa jall has granted greatness and nobility, and no doubt that is sufficient for him. And so from treating a Muslim with contempt is not to send the greeting of salaam upon him if he passes by him, and not to reply to his greeting of salaam if he begins with it. And it also includes not thinking that Allaah will enter him into paradise or keep him safe from the hellfire.<br /><br />And as for the case of the intelligent one who is resentful of (or is hostile to) the foolish ignorant one, or the just and honest one who is resentful of the sinner, then this is not considered to be contempt of a Muslim. Rather, this is resent for the ignorance that is present in the ignorant one, and the sinfulness that is present in the sinner. So when this ignorance or sinfulness leaves that person, he returns to treating him well and raises his status in his estimation.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />1. That it is generally forbidden to be envious of one another, although other ahaadeeth specify that envy in certain [good] cases is allowed if we wish to be like them.<br />2. That it is forbidden to raise prices to harm others, such as through hoarding or through trying to make unjust profit.<br />3. That it is forbidden to turn away from being good to or helping one another.<br />4. That it is forbidden to undercut one another in trade.<br />5. That we must be brothers to one another, and true brotherhood lies in being Allaah's worshippers and servants.<br />6. That it is forbidden to oppress one another, or fail one another on purpose, or lie to one another, or to hold each other in contempt.<br />7. That taqwaa (piety) is in the heart - see hadeeth number six - and hence the heart must be trained, purified and protected.<br />8. That it is forbidden to violate the rights of another Muslim: to shed his blood [unlawfully], or physically hurt him, or to deprive him of what belongs to him, or to cheat him.<br />9. That it is forbidden to violate the honor of another Muslim. </span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* </span></div><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith35.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith35.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />Unity is one of the greatest objectives of Islam. There are many verses in the Qur'an that urge Muslims to unite. In Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, Allah says: And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah (which is Islam) and be not divided among yourselves.<br /><br />This is a very well-known verse to Muslims. In Surah al-Taubah, Ayah 71, Allah says: The believing men and women are 'awliya' (loyal) to one another.<br /><br />There are many other verses in the Qur'an that urge joining unity, as well as verses that forbid disunity. We can see this in the same Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, in which Allah says: ….and be not divided among yourselves.<br /><br />So in the same verse the Muslims are asked to be united and prevented from disunity. The Qur'an contains many such verses, for example: Surah al-'Imran Ayah 105-107; Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 10; Surah al-An'am Ayah 153 and 159; and in Surah al-Rum Ayah 31-32. All of these verses and many others in the Qur'an forbid the division or split of the Muslim community.<br /><br />Moreover, we have many hadiths that command the Muslims to be united. One hadith is recorded by Imam Muslim: "Verily Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you: He is pleased with you but you worship Him and disassociate anything with him; that you hold fast to the rope of Allah and not to be scattered (disunited); and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning, and wasting of wealth."<br /><br />We find that Islam commands the Muslims to practice things that will bring unity - there are conditions and actions where the Muslims need to perform to accomplish this. At the same time, we also find that there are many actions that Islam forbids because these actions may lead to the disunity of the Muslim ummah. This Hadith 35 falls in the latter category.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />The first action that the hadith forbids is envy (al-hasad). Muslim scholars like Imam Ghazali and others define envy as disliking to see a person receiving a bounty and wishing that he or she (the recipient) would lose it.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab gives a different and broader definition. He states in his definition that it is part of human nature that a person dislikes anyone to be better than him in virtues. He says that people differ in their attitudes and he lists five categories of envy that people have:<br /><br />1. There are some people who will make the effort through action or speech to abolish the bounty received by someone whom they envy.<br /><br />2. There are others who will then try to get that bounty transferred to them. So they firstly try to take it away from the person they envy and then they try to get it for themselves. For instance, if a certain person is offered a certain position or authority, the envious one will try to do something by hand or by speech to take away that position or authority from that person. Then he will try to get that status or position transferred to himself.<br /><br />3. There are some people who do not make any effort by action or speech to harm the one whom they envy. Ibn Rajab says this category of people can be of two types:<br /><br />A. The one who does his best to eliminate the feeling of envy within himself but he cannot overcome it. In spite of this, he keeps fighting and struggling against it. Ibn Rajab says this type of person is excused from punishment.<br />B. The one who thinks about envy and practices it again and again. He does not make any effort to fight it even though he does not do any harm by action or speech. But he actually enjoys and practices envy - he wishes that the bounty of the envied one will be lost. Consequently, this person is subject to punishment.<br /><br />4. There are those who, whenever they envy someone, do not harm him or her. They do not even wish the loss of the bounty from the envied one. Instead, they make the effort to attain a similar bounty or virtue for themselves. Ibn Rajab says: "If this bounty is worldly virtues or worldly bounties, there is no benefit in that." For example, if you see someone who has a Mercedes, and you try to attain a similar car for yourself, then there is no benefit in that. But if it is a righteous virtue, then it is good.<br /><br />5. There are some people who, whenever they feel envy, do their best to stop it and they will do a favor or something good for the person whom they envied. In addition, they will also make du'a for that person until they love him - because envy is usually associated with hatred. They will wish that the envied ones are better than them - they do not bother themselves if others have things which are better than what they have. Ibn Rajab says these people are the best category of true believers since everyone is subject to indulge or be trapped by envy or being envious of others.<br /><br />Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?<br /><br />It can cause - by the permission of Allah - harm to others whom are envied. Consequently, they are considered as evil acts in Islam. They can cause - even by just wishing - the harming of a person. It is the virtue of shaitan. And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people. This is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 109 and in Surah al-Nisa', Ayah 54.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, warned Muslims against envy when he said "Creeping upon you is the diseases of those people before you: envy and hatred. And hatred is the thing that shapes. I do not say it shapes the hair but it shapes the religion. By the One in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Certainly, let me inform you of that which may establish such things: spread the greetings and peace among yourselves." [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi]<br /><br />Since this is a harmful act, Muslims are asked to recite certain Qur'anic verses such as Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Nas, and Surah al-Ikhlas to protect from envious people. According to the Muslim scholars, it would be preferable to recite them after the five prayers along with Ayat-ul-Kursi.<br /><br />Al-Tanajush is translated literary as "do not artificially inflate the prices against one another". Najash that is mentioned in this hadith can be interpreted, according to Ibn Rajab, in two ways:<br /><br />1. It can be interpreted as bai' al-najash - the trading where a person offers a high price for a certain item not for the sake of buying it but for the sake of raising the price of the item so that in the end it is sold for more than its actual price/worth. This is usually done, even in the Muslim world today, by a previous agreement by the salesman and another person or relative who pretends that he wants to buy. This is done in the stock market or auctions where there is a person who keeps bidding higher prices for an item. He is doing a favor for the person who wants to sell. This is considered as bai' al-najash. The majority of Muslim jurists (fuqaha) say it is valid. However, they say that if the buyer finds that he has been manipulated in a way where the price exceeded drastically over the actual price, then he has the choice of returning the item.<br />2. The second interpretation of najash is a broader one, more than merely limiting it to trading. Ibn Rajab says here it means any kind of deceiving actions that will lead to harming others. He adds that all dealings that are conducted in a deceiving way are included here. He quotes Surah Fatir, Ayah 43: "That the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it."<br /><br />Ibn Rajab says that this hadith is a warning to Muslims not to hate one another, especially if it is because of self-interest. Why? Because Muslims are brothers in Islam. They should love each other and should not hate one another. Consequently, al-nameemah, backbiting and slander are forbidden because they will lead to hatred among the Muslim community. Ibn Rajab says that when the Muslims started dividing into different sects because of conflicting views regarding certain religious matters, this led to disputes and hatred among the community, and thus disunity.<br /><br />We should not turn our backs on one another. Ibn Rajab says this means any form of disassociation. He says that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said the Muslim is not allowed to disassociate himself from the others for more than three days. This is, as Ibn Rajab points out, in worldly matters. Whereas in the religious matters, disassociation is one of the punishments that Islam allows - e.g. to disassociate with those who commit sins in order to teach them a lesson. But scholars say that if the person who commits the sin is not likely to come back to the right path, then it is meaningless to disassociate with him. As one of the scholars pointed out, if the objectives of Islam are not fulfilled then disassociation is meaningless.<br /><br />We should not undercut one another in business transactions. For example, if someone is trying to buy something from a salesman, in the middle of their negotiations another salesman appears and interferes and tries to get that customer to buy his product/service instead. This kind of transaction is forbidden because the customer has yet to make his final decision - it will lead to the disunity of the Muslim community.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asks us to be brothers to one another. Ibn Rajab says this is like justifying the actions that are mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, because these evil acts will lead to spoiling the brotherhood of the Muslims. If Muslims avoid these evil acts, then this will lead them to be brothers. Moreover, Ibn Rajab says this statement implies that Muslims have to make the effort to do whatever that will lead to achieving this brotherhood. This means fulfilling all the obligations towards Muslims, for example like returning the greetings, visiting the sick, helping the needy, accepting invitations, sending presents, shaking hands, and smiling.<br /><br />Then the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says the Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Ibn Rajab explains about this statement: "It is now obligatory for each brother that he tries to benefit his Muslim brother and to refrain from harming them." He adds that the major harm is oppression and injustice. If a Muslim is in need of your support and you fail to support or help him, this is unjust. There are many places in the Muslim world where the Muslims are in great need of help. They are being oppressed and nobody supports them. Accordingly, if we are not doing anything to help them, we are failing our Muslim brothers. We need to be united to solve the problems that we are facing today. Our main concern should be the unity of the ummah. A contemporary scholar, Abdurrahman Al-S'adi, says that one of the greatest forms of jihad is to make an effort to unite the Muslims. He states that cooperation among Muslims is an obligation.<br /><br />We should not lie to our Muslim brothers. We should also refrain ourselves from belittling or making fun of other Muslims. We should not make signals or gestures that threaten the face value of our Muslim brothers. We should take care not to be cynical to others and not to undermine other Muslims.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says taqwa is in the heart. Ibn Rajab comments on this statement saying it is evidence that the most noble among people are the ones who are righteous even if they are not lucky in the sight of other people. If they are righteous, they are the most noble in the sight of Allah.<br /><br />It can be said that all that has been mentioned in this hadith has to do with the heart: loving Muslims, and not to envy them. When we have taqwa in our hearts, we will not do the forbidden acts mentioned - our hearts will be purified and filled with love.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />"All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honor." This important last statement, which was mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, in his farewell sermon (hajat alwadaa'), concludes or summarizes what this hadith is about. This hadith clearly states that harming others either by saying or doing something is considered an evil act. Allah says: And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear on themselves the crime of slander and plain sin. [Surah al-Ahzab: Ayah 58]<br /><br />Allah made the believers as brothers so that they have mercy upon one another; so that they love one another; so that they help one another and support one another. This is how Muslims should be. </span></span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-40864771827639498172009-10-24T16:57:00.013-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #34- Forbidding the Evil is from Eemaan, The concept of Al-Amr bil-Ma'ruf wan-Nahiu 'anil-Munkar<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had34.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had34.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=225&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=225&category=24</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 34</strong><br /><br />Imaam Muslim has transmitted this hadeeth from Taariq bin Shihaab, who said: The first person to begin with the khutbah before the prayer on the day of 'Eed [instead of the prayer followed by the khutbah] was Marwaan [the son of Yazeed]. So a man stood up to him and said: "The prayer [should be] before the khutbah!" So [Marwaan] replied: "That old way has been left." So Abu Sa'eed [al-Khudree] said: "As for this man [who spoke up to Marwaan] then he has completed the duty that was upon him. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say 'Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it [until the end of the hadeeth]'".<br /><br />In this hadeeth is a proof that no one before Marwaan had changed the order of the 'Eed prayer and khutbah. And if it is asked why did Abu Sa'eed himself not attempt to change this evil, until the other man stood up against it, then this can be answered in a number of ways: It is possible that Abu Sa'eed was not present the first time Marwaan began to give the khutbah before the prayer, or that the man had begun to oppose Marwaan and then Abu Sa'eed arrived upon the scene and the two of them then opposed Marwaan together. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was present but feared that if he opposed Marwaan then this would lead to a greater fitnah or he feared for his own life, and so he remained silent. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was about to stand up against Marwaan, when the other man unexpectedly rose before him, and so Abu Sa'eed assisted him.<br /><br />And it is narrated in another hadeeth that is agreed upon by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, and is mentioned by them in their chapters on the 'Eeds, that it was Abu Sa'eed who pulled at Marwaan's hand when he was about to climb onto the mimbar, and Abu Sa'eed and the other man were together so Marwaan replied to them both with what is mentioned here, and so the meaning of what Abu Sa'eed said is that both of them completed their duties.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaah alayhi wa sallam) statement "let him change it" then it is an order indicating obligation by the consensus of the imaams, and this is in conformity to the book of Allaah and the sunnah regarding the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and it is also part of giving naseehah [sincere advice] which is the deen [see hadeeth number seven]. And as for His - ta'aalaa - statement: "O you who believe! Take care of yourselves; no harm can come to you from those who are in error if you follow the right guidance" [Soorah al-Maa'idah, 105] then this is not in opposition to what we have mentioned. This is because the correct understanding of this noble aayah according to the 'ulamaa of the truth is that if one performs ones duty then one will not be harmed by the deficiencies of others. And this is similar to His statement: "and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another" [Soorah al-An'aam, 164]. And if this is the case, then from what the Muslim has been charged with is commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and so if he does that and yet the one spoken to does not submit, then he carries no blame after that. This is because upon him is the commanding or the forbidding, but not the acceptance [of the correction], and Allaah knows best.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;">Then, commanding the good and forbidding the evil is a fard kifaayah [collective duty], so if a group of people establish it such that they suffice then the obligation falls from the rest of the people. But if all of the people leave it, then all of them, who are able to do it without difficulty, are sinful.<br /><br />Further, sometimes it may be restricted to certain individuals, such as if it concerns an affair that none knows of other than he, or none other than he has the ability to stop that affair, such as the one who sees his wife or son or slave perform an evil.<br /><br />The 'ulamaa have said that the obligation of commanding the good and forbidding the evil is not removed if a person merely suspects that his admonition will not be accepted - rather he is still obliged to perform it. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "Verily, the reminding benefits the believers" [Soorah adh-Dhaariyaat, 55], and it has already preceded that upon him is to admonish, and acceptance of the admonishment is not upon him. Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way" [Soorah an-Noor, 54]. The 'ulamaa have said: "It is not a condition for the commander of good or the forbidder of evil to himself be perfect in his condition, and fully complying with that which he commands and fully leaving that which he forbids. Rather upon him is to command, even if he himself is not upon that completely. This is because he has two duties upon him: firstly, to order his own soul upon good and forbid it from evil, and secondly to command and forbid other people. So if he fulfils one of them then the other still remains obligatory upon him."<br /><br />And they said that the actions of commanding the good and forbidding the evil are not meant only for the government officials, but rather they are required from every individual amongst the Muslims, and every one possessing knowledge of what must be commanded or forbidden must do so. So if the matter is one which is well known and apparent, such as the prayer or the fasting [of Ramadaan] or zinaa or drinking of alcohol, or other matters similar to these, then all of the Muslims have knowledge of them and so must command or forbid. But if the matter is from the finer matters of action or speech or that which is associated with ijtihaad, and they are not matters that the general populace have knowledge of, then it is not for them to forbid, rather this is for the 'ulamaa.<br /><br />And the 'ulamaa admonish others regarding those issues upon which there is ijmaa' [consensus]. But as for the issues over which there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars, then they do not admonish regarding them. This is because, according to the first of the two madhhabs in this issue, every mujtahid is correct in his own ruling, and this madhhab has been adopted by many of the verifying scholars. And according to the second madhhab only one opinion is correct, but which ones are in error is not identifiable by us, and hence there is no sin [upon the one who has erred]. So in such cases the scholars do not admonish, but rather advise, as a form of naseehah [sincere advice], in order to keep clear of the difference of opinion, and this is good and desirable, as long as it is done gently and with kindness.<br /><br />The Shaykh Muhyee ad-Deen an-Nawawi, rahimahu Allaah, said: "And know that this affair of commanding the good and forbidding the evil has been largely abandoned since a great length of time, and in this age nothing is left of it except very few formalities, despite its being an extremely important affair, by which authority is established in the land - rather it is its foundation and basis. And if wickedness and evil become widespread in the land then the punishment [of Allaah] will encompass both the pious and the wicked people. So if they do not take hold of the oppressors then they will all be very near to facing the punishment of Allaah, as Allaah ta'aalaa has said: "And let those who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trials, afflictions, etc) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them" [Soorah an-Noor 63]. So it is required of the one who seeks the hereafter, and who exerts himself in attaining the pleasure of Allaah 'azza wa jall, that he concerns himself with this affair, for indeed its benefit is great. And this is so especially since most of the people have left it, and let not the one who admonishes fear any [evil] repercussions, due to the raising of his rank [with Allaah]. For verily Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause)." [Soorah al-Hajj 40]. And know that the reward is proportionate to the exertion made and hardship faced. And one should also not leave it due to the wrong-doer being ones friend or ones loved-one, for verily the true friend of a person is the one who exerts himself in building his hereafter, even if this may bring about some loss in his worldly affairs. And the true enemy of a person is the one who exerts himself in taking away his hereafter, or reducing it, even if by doing so he brings about some benefit in his worldly affairs."<br /><br />And it is required of the one who commands the good and forbids the evil that he does so with gentleness, in order to ensure the greatest chance of attaining that which is desired [i.e. the correction and rectification of the wrong-doing individual]. And Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee rahimahu Allaah said: "He who admonishes his brother in secret has sincerely advised him and has adorned him, while he who admonishes his brother openly [in front of everyone] has humiliated him and disfigured him."<br /><br />And from what the people [nowadays] have become negligent of in this affair is that if they see a trader selling goods or merchandise or animals that are defective, and he does not show this defect to his customers, then nobody admonishes the trader for this, nor do they inform the buyer about the defect. And they will be questioned about this [on the day of judgment] for verily the religion is naseehah [sincerity or sincere advice], and he who does not give sincere advice has cheated.<br /><br />And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart" means that he must hate it with his heart, and this does not stop the evil occurring nor change it to something good, but this is all that he is capable of doing.<br /><br />And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" means, and Allaah knows best, that this is the smallest possible fruit or result of his faith. And it is not upon the one who commands the good and forbids the evil to investigate and search and spy upon others, or to invade others privacy or to suspect others in order to find their wrongs. Rather, if he comes upon an evil then he changes it. And al-Maawardee (rahimahu Allaah) said: "It is not for him to invade the privacy of and spy upon others, except if he is informed by a trustworthy and reliable person that someone has secluded himself with another man in order to murder him, or with a woman in order to fornicate with her. Then in such cases it is permissible for him spy upon them and investigate, and to try to expose them in order to prevent the occurrence of that which cannot be rectified."<br /><br />And as for his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and that is the weakest of faith" then it has already been mentioned that this means the smallest fruit of ones faith. And it has been related in a different narration of this hadeeth: "And after that there does not remain any eemaan [faith] even of the size of a mustard seed", i.e.. that after that there does not remain any level of eemaan. And the word 'eemaan' in this hadeeth carries the meaning of 'Islaam'.<br /><br />In this hadeeth is a proof that the one who fears being killed or being beaten [for admonishing the wrong-doer] is no longer required to act to change the evil, and this is the madhhab of the scholars of truth from amongst the early and later scholars. However an extreme group has adopted the position that the responsibility to act remains even if he fears for his life or fears punishment.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Summary<br /></strong><br />1. That it is everyone's individual duty to improve matters as far as he is able to do.<br />2. That if one can correct something with ones hand without bringing about more harm, then he should do so.<br />3. That if it is that one can only say something under the circumstances, then one should do so.<br />4. That one must at least hate in ones heart the evil that has happened, even if one cannot do anything about it, and this is the weakest level of faith.<br />5. That if one does not feel anything in one's heart against the wrong then this indicates a lack of faith.<br />6. That one should take action whenever it is conducive to do so.</span></span> </div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br /></div></span><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith34.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith34.htm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />The essence of the Islamic da'wah is enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, since whenever a person conveys the message, he is enjoining good and forbidding evil. Therefore, it is a mistake to consider these two as separate matters, since they are actually performed concurrently and are synonymous.<br /><br />The main objective in fulfilling this obligation is to attain and maximize benefits, and to eliminate or minimize harm.<br /><br />Qualities possessed by a caller who enjoins the good and forbids the evil<br /><br />1. Ikhlas (sincerity) - since enjoining the good and forbidding the evil becomes an action pleasing to Allah and accepted by Him only if it is done with sincerity for Him.<br /><br />2. 'Ilm (knowledge) - as Allah commands: Say: This is my path, I do call to Allah upon clear knowledge. [Surah Yusuf (12): Ayah 108]<br /><br />This is an important condition since the caller must know what matters are good, so he enjoins it, and what matters are evil, so he forbids it. In Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Amar it is stated that it is necessary to possess the knowledge of good and evil and of the difference between them, and it is necessary to know the situation of the person being commanded or forbidden.<br /><br />3. Hikmah (wisdom) - which means saying or doing the right thing in the right way at the right time to the right person, as prescribed by Allah in His statement: Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful admonition. [Surah an-Nahl (16): Ayah 125]<br /><br />Ibn Taymiyyah wrote: Enjoin the good in a good way and do not forbid the evil in an evil way.<br /><br />4. Hilm (forbearance) and Rifq (gentleness) - especially in the face of opposition from the people. As Allah said to His Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam: And by the mercy of Allah you were able to deal gently with them. If you had been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from you. [Surah al-Imran (3): Ayah 159]<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, also said: Indeed gentleness does not enter into anything except it beautifies it, nor is it removed from anything except that it makes it ugly [Reported by Imam Muslim].<br /><br />5. Sabr (patience) - since the people whom the caller opposes in enjoining good and forbidding evil, may be stubborn to his call and may even try to harm him.<br /><br />Ibn Taymiyyah says in al-Istiqaamah, concerning the call to the good and away from the evil: Knowledge must precede it, gentleness must accompany it and patience must follow it. Shaikh al-Humaid, the teacher of Shaikh Ibn Baz, said, in an explanation of Surah al-'Asr that Allah makes an oath that mankind will be in a state of deficiency, except with four conditions, which are: (a) iman, (b) good actions, (c) encouraging each other to the truth which means enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and (d) encouraging each other to patience, which is required after enjoining good and forbidding evil. Furthermore each person will have a level of deficiency in accordance with the level of lack of any of these four.<br /><br />6. Tawaadu' (humility) - since the people will not heed if the caller is arrogant or he seeks to put himself above others.<br /><br />7. Qudwah (good example) - for the caller himself becomes a model to the people to whom he calls, doing those things which he enjoins and leaving those things which he forbids. Allah says:<br />O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do. It is a most hateful thing to Allah that you say that which you do not do. [Surah as-Saff (61): Ayah 2-3]<br /><br />8. Husnul-Istimaa' (good listening) - which is that the caller is attentive to the needs and feelings and also the complaints of the people whom he calls.<br /><br />9. Shajaa'ah (courage) - which does not refer to strength of the body; rather it is the strength of the heart, together with knowledge - this differentiates between true courage and mere recklessness.<br /><br />10. Karam (generosity)<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />Scholars say that before using the hand, we should start with advice, warning the people of the consequence of evil and encouraging and motivating them to good actions. When this method has been fully utilized and there is no change in the people, only then is it permissible to use the hand.<br /><br />Imam ash-Shatibi says that the caller must predict the consequences of what he says or does, whether by hand or by tongue.<br /><br />If it is very likely that, as a result of attempting to change the evil, the caller himself or another person will be harmed, then changing the situation is no longer obligatory upon him. Here harm does not refer to insults or curses, but to physical injury such as being beaten or killed. Harm can also mean that a bad reputation is spread concerning the caller. Ibn Qudaamah also includes financial loss, whether immediate or later, to such an amount which the caller cannot afford.<br /><br />People differ in their ability to change things; in general, when someone is higher in his rank or authority, then there is more responsibility on him to remove the evil.<br /><br />Principles of Inkaarul-Munkar (forbidding what is evil)<br /><br />1. Prioritize the evil, thus beginning with the higher priority before the lower.<br /><br />2. Tadarruj (being gradual). Note the gradual method by which Allah made the drinking of wine forbidden: Firstly, by saying that there were benefits in it and harm in it but the harm outweighed the benefits; secondly, by forbidding the people to approach the prayer in a drunken state; and finally, by an outright prohibition. This step-by-step method does not imply that wine was not forbidden in the early stages, but it is a methodology from which we can benefit.<br /><br />3. Do not look for people's faults. Qadi Abu Ya'laa has noted an exception to this principle, which occurs when there are clues or information that an evil is taking place or is about to take place. Thus one may be able to prevent an evil, such as a murder or rape, from taking place by following up on information.<br /><br />4. Establish that the evil is indeed taking place.<br /><br />5. Choose a suitable time to forbid the evil.<br /><br />A. The caller should not delay until the evil has finished.<br />B. The caller should exploit situations in which the people are more likely to respond to his call, for example when Yusuf, 'alayhi-salam, spoke to his companions in the prison about tauhid when they had been troubled by their dreams. Ibn Masoud said concerning this:<br /><br />Verily the heart has moments of yearning and responsiveness<br />And moments of indifference and turning away<br />So snatch it at the time of yearning and response<br />And leave it at the time of indifference and turning away.<br /><br />6. Speak in private, as Imam ash-Shafie wrote:<br /><br />Come to me with your advice when I am alone<br />And do not advise me in the crowd<br />Because advice amongst the people is a scolding<br />And I do not like to hear it aloud<br />Then if you disobey me and do not heed my words<br />Do not feel sad when you are not followed.<br /><br />7. Do not instigate or provoke the people, but use a good argument, as Allah says: Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful admonition, and argue with them with ways that are best. [Surah an-Nahl (16): Ayah 125]<br /><br />Imam Ghazali wrote: Don't convey the truth in a challenging manner.<br /><br />8. Show forgiveness and kindness towards the people, and not to be affected by worry or anger in case the people show a negative response to the advice.<br /><br />9. If a difference of opinion arose as a result of ijtihaad, then the caller who holds one opinion should not forbid the other opinion.<br /><br />10. Weighing the principles of benefits and harms, as Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in al-Amar: If enjoining the good and forbidding the evil would result in a greater evil, then it is haram to do it. Enjoining the good should not lead to a better deed being left out and forbidding the evil should not lead to a greater evil taking place.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab states that in enjoining the good and discouraging the evil the conductor is motivated by different reasons:<br /><br />1. It could be by hope in Allah's great reward for doing it.<br />2. It could be by fearing Allah's punishment for renouncing this obligation.<br />3. It could be by getting annoyed by seeing violations to what Allah has prescribed.<br />4. It could be due to being faithful to the community members who indulge in evil and by being kind and merciful to them by making the effort to save them from being subject to Allah's anger, displeasure and punishment in this life and in the hereafter.<br />5. It could be by glorifying Allah and loving Him much, for He deserves to be obeyed, remembered, and thanked.<br /><br />Observing the last two motives alone can make burden of conducting this obligation a light, favorable one and will empower the conductor with enough potential belittle any difficulty or hardship he may encounter thereof.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />The last portion of the hadith clearly states that the least a Muslim can do in the case of witnessing an evil act is to change it by his/her heart. This means that he/she should dislike the evil he/she comes across. This is an action of the heart, such as saying: "O Allah, there is nothing that I can do to change this bad situation that You dislike and disapprove except that I hate it to take place. I do not agree to it. O Allah forgive me, guide me and save my heart to be influenced by it."<br /><br />Unless this action of the heart is practiced, the heart of the believer who witnesses that evil will be subject to be influenced by that evil. A dark spot will be placed in that heart (as stated in another hadith related by al-Bukhari).<br /><br />With the repetition of such negative attitudes, the heart will be subject to more dark spots placed in it until it is concealed and no longer appreciates what is good and no longer dislikes what is bad or evil. This means that the Muslim who does not practice the lowest level of forbidding the evil, will be subject to turn into being an evil doer him/herself.</span></span> </div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-31103117645760100122009-10-17T12:01:00.010-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.417-04:00Hadith #33- The Onus of Proof is on the Claimant and The Taking of an Oath is on the Denier, The plaintiff and the defendant<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had33.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had33.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=226&category=2"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=226&category=2</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 33</strong><br /><br />That which is recorded in the Two Saheehs [i.e. al-Bukhaaree and Muslim] of this hadeeth mentions that Ibn Abee Mulaikah said that Ibn 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa) wrote: "That the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) decreed that the taking of an oath [of denial] is upon the one against whom a claim is made", and in another narration: "That the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said that if people were given everything that they claimed, men would [unjustly] claim the blood/lives of other men, and their property; but the taking of an oath is upon the one against whom a claim is made."<br /><br />The compiler of the Forty Hadeeth [i.e. Imaam an-Nawawee] said: "This hadeeth has been narrated by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim in their two Saheehs in Marfoo' form [i.e. the chain of narration goes right up to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam] from the narration of Ibn 'Abbaas, and it has been similarly narrated by the compilers of the Collections of Sunan [such as Abu Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, etc] and other than them."<br /><br />And al-Aseelee said: "Its chain up to the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is not established - rather it is the statement of Ibn 'Abbaas", to which the collector [i.e. Imaam an-Nawawee] replied: "If it [the chain of narration] has been declared Marfoo' by the testimony of the Two Imaams [i.e. al-Bukhaaree and Muslim] then the statement of another who restricts it [to a Sahaabee] does not have any effect, and this is not considered to be a conflict nor disorder."<br /><br />And this hadeeth is a principle from the Principles of the Sharee'ah, and a great authority to which one resorts in case of dispute or argument, and it implies that judgment is not simply passed by the claim of an individual.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "men would [unjustly] claim the wealth and lives of [other] people", then this has been used by some people to prove the invalidity of the statement of Imaam Maalik regarding the acceptance of the statement of the one who has been [almost] killed that "so and so killed me" or "my blood is on the hands of so and so", because if the statement of the sick man is not accepted that "so and so has my money" then how can this statement "my blood is on the hands of so and so" be accepted? However, there is no proof in this for them against Imaam Maalik, as he did not link the Qisaas or Diyah [the laws relating to murder] to the statement of the claimant, but rather to the division of the inheritance upon the murder.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and the taking of an oath is upon him who denies", then the 'ulamaa have come to a consensus [ijmaa'] that the one against whom a claim is made can be forced to take an oath of denial in the case of disputed property/possessions, but the 'ulamaa have differed in cases other than that. So some have ruled that it is compulsory in every dispute such as in the case of divorce, or nikaah, or freeing a slave, and they have taken this from the apparent generality of the hadeeth. And if the claimed against refuses to take an oath, then the claimant may take an oath and his claim will be accepted.<br /><br />And Abu Haneefah (rahimahu Allaah) said: "An oath is taken [from the claimed against] in the case of divorce and nikaah and freeing a slave, and if it is refused [by the claimed against] then the claimant may take an oath in all of these cases." And he also said: "And one does not force an oath in the case of the hudood".<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Summary<br /></strong><br />1. That we do not have all our wishes and desires fulfilled for the sake of the general good.<br />2. That mankind cannot always know by themselves what is good for them all.<br />3. That man cannot be completely free of being selfish, and consequently unjust, without the control of Allaah.<br />4. That the one who claims something must prove it to be his.<br />5. That the one who denies what he is accused of must take an oath of denial.</span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith33.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith33.htm</span></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />There are in every judicial dispute at least two litigating parties, the plaintiff and the defendant. The first claims what is contrary to the apparent fact; the second holds to the apparent fact and denies the claim. (Mahmassani: Falsaft al-Tashri' al-Islami - p 169, 170).<br /><br />This hadith forms an important maxim. The text of the hadith has been expressed in the following way: "Evidence is for the person who claims; the oath is for the person who denies."<br />(The Mejelle 1967 article # 76)<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />This hadith shows the supreme importance of proof to the administration of justice. The necessity of proof is a restrainer to false, weak, and unsubstantiated claims. (Mahmassani 168).<br /><br />Therefore it becomes important to know upon who the onus of proof lies. There is no doubt that the burden is upon the plaintiff. This is explained by the fact that what is apparent is presumed to be the original state; any one who makes a claim to the contrary must prove such claim. (ibid)<br /><br />The proof of a matter requires presentation of evidence until the matter attains the degree of certainty. Certainty is that which can be established by sight or proof. It can only be dispelled by another certainty. (ibid)<br /><br />Since it is established that a defendant is presumed to be free from liability until the claimant proves the contrary, it is important to know who is the defendant and who is the plaintiff, who of the two must bear the onus of proof, and whose evidence takes precedence in case of conflict. (ibid p172).<br /><br />The definition of "Plaintiff" and "Defendant"<br /><br />There are three views regarding the above issue (Zarabozo 3/1167):<br /><br />1. The plaintiff is the one who is not charged with anything or can remain silent of the two disputants.<br />2. The plaintiff is the one who is claiming something other than what is apparent or what has not yet been established in the past. The defendant is the one who is on the opposite side, arguing to what is apparent.<br />3. The defendant is the one rejecting a claim while the plaintiff is the one making the claim.<br /><br />The meaning of al-Bayinah or "proof" (ibid)<br /><br />Many jurists seem to think that "proof" refers only to witnesses. However, the meaning of proof is much more comprehensive and also applies to means of proof other than witnesses. </span></span><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">According to some early and contemporary scholars, "al-Bayinah" or proof is a noun that encompasses all means of establishing the truth. Circumstantial evidence, conclusive presumption, and clear signs that lead to a definite conclusion can all be taken into consideration.<br /><br />Modern forms of criminal investigation can be used in making judicial conclusion. Otherwise, rights will be lost and injustice will be allowed to prevail.<br /><br />The criteria for being an acceptable witness (ibid):<br /><br />1. The witness must be sane and competent.<br />2. In general, the witness must be an adult.<br />3. The witness must be a Muslim unless it be in a case dealing with non-Muslims.<br />4. The witness must be of sound memory.<br />5. The witness must be a person of integrity and honesty.<br /><br />The importance of giving one's testimony:<br /><br />1. It is an obligation that people offer their testimony truthfully when called upon to do so. Allah the Almighty says: And the witness should not refuse when they are called. [Surah al-Baqarah: Ayah 282]<br />2. It is considered a sin to conceal what one has witnessed. Allah the Almighty says: And conceal not the testimony, for he who hides it is certainly sinful of heart. [Surah al-Baqarah: Ayah 283]<br /><br />A warning to those who make successful false claims<br /><br />It is noted that Islam stresses on appealing to fearing Allah whenever there is misuse of authority, or taking chances over others in all human relations such as trading, family disputes, and making false claims against others.<br /><br />The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "I am a human being. You come to me as litigants. Perhaps, one of you is better in presenting his argument than the other and I decide in his favor according to what I have heard. If I have decided anything for someone from the rights of his brother, he should not take it for I have portioned for him a portion of the Hell fire."<br /><br />In another hadith the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, warns us that taking as little as a spin of a palm of some one else's property unjustly will be horribly taken responsible for in the Day of Judgment.<br /><br />In a third hadith the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, cursed the one who changes for no good reason the landmarks of a property.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />Islam is a practical religion where it takes into account the possible natural conflicts, quarrels, and disputes among community individuals where people may claim something against one another. Islam establishes rules and principles by which these disputes are brought to an end in a just manner.<br /><br />A person is free of guilt or claims made against him or her until proven otherwise.</span></div></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-61843293269934464622009-10-10T10:04:00.016-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #32- No Harming nor Reciprocating Harm, Not causing harm<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had32.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 448px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 375px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had32.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=222&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=222&category=24</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 32</strong><br /><br />Know that he who harms his brother has oppressed him, and oppression is prohibited [Haraam], as has preceded in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu): "O My servants! I have forbidden dhulm (oppression) for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another," and the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has said: "Verily your blood [i.e. lives] and your property and your honor are all sacred/prohibited". And he said this on many occasions, including the sermon he gave at the farewell Hajj.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "There should be neither 'darar' nor 'diraar'" then some of the 'ulamaa have said that these are two words which have the same meaning, and they have been used together as a form of emphasis.<br /><br />And Ibn Habeeb (rahimahu Allaah) said: "According to the scholars of the Arabic language, ad-darar refers to the noun and ad-diraar refers to the action/verb, and so the meaning of 'no darar' is that none of you should harm any other with something that they have not harmed you with first. And the meaning of 'no diraar' is that none of you should harm any other at all."<br /><br />And al-Muhsinee (rahimahu Allaah) said : "ad-darar is that by which you attain benefit, but in it is harm for your neighbor", and this is a good understanding of a nuance of the meaning. And other scholars have said: "ad-darar and ad-diraar are similar to al-qatal [murder] and al-qitaal [fighting one another], so ad-darar is that you harm one who has not harmed you, while ad-diraar is that you harm one who also harms you in a way that is not responding equally or taking revenge rightfully", and this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Return the trusts given to you, to those who entrusted them to you, and do not betray the one who betrays you" [Hasan Ghareeb, narrated by at-Tirmidhee]. And the meaning of this according to some of the 'ulamaa is that one must not betray the one who betrays, after one has already taken revenge or sought justice for his betrayal. And so it is as though the forbiddance here is upon initiating an injustice or harm, while the one who seeks revenge with the equal of what he has been harmed with, and who takes his right, then he is not considered to be a betrayer. Rather, the betrayer is he who takes that which does not belong to him or more than that which is rightfully his.<br /><br />And the Jurists [fuqahaa'] have differed over the one who refuses to fulfill the rights/trusts that others have upon him, such that the entruster forcibly takes the wealth that he had entrusted to him. So some of the scholars have said: "It is not correct for him to [forcibly] take what is his right due to what is apparent from his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Return the trusts, and do not betray the one who betrays you". On the other hand, other scholars have said: "It is permissible for him to take revenge from the one who has betrayed him, and to forcibly take what is due to him from the hand of his betrayer" and they use as proof the hadeeth narrated by 'Aaishah (radiAllaahu anhaa) regarding the incident involving Hind and her husband Abu Sufyaan, wherein Hind said to the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) "O Messenger of Allaah! Verily Abu Sufyaan is a stingy/tight-fisted man, and he does not give to me what is sufficient for myself and my child, unless I take it from him secretly." So the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: "Take [from his wealth] what is sufficient for you and your child, but with justice" [narrated by Muslim]. And in this issue the fuqahaa' have mentioned many points and fine issues that cannot be mentioned here.<br /><br />And what is correct from an examination of all the evidences is that it is not correct for someone to harm his brother, whether he has harmed him or not, except if he avenges himself to the extent that justice allows him to [i.e. equally], and this is not considered to be oppression nor harm, as long at is in a fashion that the Sunnah makes permissible for him.<br /><br />And the Shaykh Abu 'Amr bin as-Salaah (rahimahu Allaah) has said that [the famous hadeeth scholar] ad-Daaraqutnee has collected a number of chains of narration of this hadeeth which strengthen one another, and thus raise it to the level of being Hasan [sound, acceptable], and it has been transmitted and used as proof by the vast majority of the 'ulamaa, and [the hadeeth scholar] Abu Daawood said: "The Knowledge of Fiqh revolves around five ahaadeeth", and he counted this hadeeth amongst them. So Shaykh Abu 'Amr said that the fact that Abu Daawood counted this hadeeth amongst the five, and his other statements about it, show that he did not consider it to be a Da'eef [weak, unreliable] hadeeth, and he said about it that ad-diraar is similar to al-qitaal, and this is what is upon the Sunnah. And many of the scholars of Fiqh and Hadeeth have also narrated this hadeeth as "There should be neither darar nor idraar", but this wording has no basis.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><strong></strong><br />1. That it is forbidden to harm others<br />2. That it is forbidden to transgress against those who harm us</span><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><div><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith32.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith32.htm</span></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />There are other interpretations of the text. One of them is: "No harm and no harming". Another interpretation is given by Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo: "There is not to be any causing of harm; nor is there to be any requital of harm".<br /><br />There is another version on the hadith in which the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says: "No harm or harming in Islam". There is the additional phrase "in Islam". In a third version, the hadith states: "It is cursed whoever harms a mu'min (believer)."<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />Imam Abu Dawud stated that this hadith is one of the hadiths around which all of fiqh revolves. Furthermore, this hadith leads to the birth of new branches in fiqh, mainly fiqh maxims (qaw'ed fiqhiyyah) and rules. The text of this hadith becomes one of the most important maxims. Later on other maxims were derived from the text of this hadith. Some of them are as follows:<br /><br />1. Harm is to be prevented from appearing as much as possible.<br />2. Harm is to be eradicated.<br />3. Harm is not to be removed by a similar harm.<br />4. A greater harm can be removed by a lesser harm. Based on maxim number 4, it was realized that if someone has no other options, he should take the lesser of the two harms. Another situation is that if there is a conflict between two harms, precedence is given to avoiding the greater harm.<br />5. The presence of a particular harm is accepted towards a general harm.<br />6. Preventing harm takes precedence over gaining or attaining benefits.<br />7. If there is a conflict between factors permitting something and others prohibiting something, the prohibition takes precedence; that is, it is going to be given the priority.<br />8. Something harmful is not given precedence just because it was pre-existing. In other words, the pre-existence of something does not allow it to continue to exist and be the cause of harm.<br /><br />There is a real story related to maxim number 8. This story took place in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) where the people built a mosque. After several years or decades, many houses had been built around the mosque and at that time when the mu'zin wanted to make the call for prayer (Adhan), he used to climb up to the minaret. The fuqaha (jurists) ruled that the mu'zin should stop going up to the minaret in order not to cause any harm (from the minaret, one was able to see into other people's homes and thus invade their privacy).<br /><br />Another maxim is if there is a conflict between individual harm and public harm, the prohibition of public harm will take precedence. The above are some of the maxims that are derived from the text of this present hadith.<br /><br />When scholars talk about doing things right from the first time either based on experience or anticipation that certain things will cause harm, they urge people to take precautions to prevent any kind of harm. There are books written by Imam Muslim on this issue. When we look at these maxims, we see that they are very great where we have to anticipate the harm and not to allow it to take place. If it takes place, efforts should be done in order to bring it to an end or to remove it. If it cannot be removed, we should try our best to minimize the harm.<br /><br />Based on the situation, if there is a conflict between a major harm and a minor harm, then the major harm should be avoided. This means that Muslims have to tolerate the minor harms for the sake of avoiding the major ones. In another situation, if we want to bring an end to a certain harm and if the result would be by bringing a similar or greater harm, then there is no need to remove it in this way. We should not remove harm by bringing a similar degree of harm. In this way the removal of harm would be useless. A greater consideration should be given to this point as this is related to ma'ruf (asking people to do good things) and munkar (asking people not to do harmful things). If the munkar (harm) is to be removed by creating a greater harm, this contradicts the objectives of the shari'ah. The objectives of the shari'ah are to prevent harm (if not, to minimize it) and to promote goodness and maximize it.<br /><br />Regarding the interpretation of the text, Imam Ibn Rajab points out that what is stated in the hadith (i.e. the usage of the word "harm") is not a matter of emphasis. It is more sound because the two statements have different meanings.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab and other scholars have given two interpretations of "harm/harming":<br /><br />1. The first part of the hadith is the noun "no harm" and then the second part is the verb "harming". Harm is not allowed in shari'ah and causing harm without valid reasons is rejected and not accepted.<br /><br />2. The second interpretation says that the first part of hadith (harm) means that the person causes harm to someone else by doing something which is beneficial to the doer. This kind of act is not allowed in Islam. The second part of hadith (harming) means that the person causes harm to someone else which is not even beneficial for him.<br /><br />For example, suppose a person builds another floor (story) on top of his house and this results in his house being higher than his neighbors. This is beneficial to him but it causes harm to his neighbors as it invades their privacy. Ibn Rajab also says that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rejected causing harm if there is no valid reason. However, in the punishment of a criminal, there would be harm but the reason is valid. The aim here is to bring justice. In bringing justice, if there is any harm to an unjust person or criminal, then this harm is legal and allowed.<br /><br />Causing harm without a valid or good reason<br /><br />1. Ibn Rajab says the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said that if the main objective is to actually cause the harm, then this is totally prohibited. There are many types of harms that are mentioned in the Qur'an:<br />A. Wasiyyah (will) - if a person has some money and he wants to give it to someone who is not related to him. He is allowed but he must not exceed the limits (one third). If he exceeds the limits, he will cause harm to the immediate inheritors. Another situation is to give someone more than he deserves, as stated in the Qur'an. To favor any one of the inheritors is harm. Ibn Abbas considers this as a major sin. Some Muslims practice this because of ignorance or self-interest. [See Surah An-Nisa' : Ayah 12]<br />B. Marriage and relationship between husband and wife. In al-raj'ah (returning), as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah Ayah 231 - someone divorces his wife and then he reconciles with her, but his intention in reconciliation is so that he can cause her harm. This is not allowed in Islam. Another point is aleyla' (disassociating with one's wife).<br />C. Traveling or being away from the family for a long time and without a good reason - this can cause harm to the wife and family.<br />D. Breastfeeding - in the case of divorce, the husband tries to take the baby away from the mother and not allow her to feed him. This is prohibited. [See Surah Al-Baqarah : Ayah 233]<br />E. Selling and trading - when someone is in great need of something, the seller (who knows this) sells him at a very high price - this is not allowed. Some scholars consider this as a form of riba' (profit) which is prohibited in Islam.<br />F. Someone who wants to buy is not good at bargaining, and because of this the seller sells at a very high price, more than it is worth. This is prohibited. According to Imam Malik if the price exceeds a third of what it is worth, it is considered harm.<br /><br />2. Someone may do something for a beneficial reason and with a good intention. But he overdoes it, and consequently causes harm to others. Examples of this scenario are as follows:<br /><br />A. Burning rubbish on your property on a windy day. This will cause harm to your neighbors. It may cause harm to the environment and the people in the neighboring countries. This kind of harm should be brought to an end.<br />B. Building a high building, as mentioned above. Building a high building where it will obstruct air, sunlight, and moonlight, is not allowed because it will cause harm.<br />C. Digging a well that will cause damage to the well of one's neighbor. If one needs to dig a well, he should position it a little further away from his neighbor's.<br />D. Behaving on one's property in a way that will harm his neighbors.<br />E. Causing bad smell to spread from one's property to his neighbors'.<br />F. A person may have a property which is within the property of another person, on which he might cause the harm.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab mentions that there are also some other types of actions which imply that Allah did not ask His servants to do anything that will cause us harm. He said that whatever Allah commands us to do is beneficial in this world and the Hereafter. And whatever Allah prohibits is harmful to us whether it is in this world or in the Hereafter. Examples of these actions include:<br /><br />1. Tayammum (ablution without using water) - this is permissible for sick people or when there is no water.<br />2. The traveler or the sick does not have to fast - they can make up for it in the future.<br />3. Another example is taken from the biography of Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, where he saw someone walking and asked about him. The companions told him that this man made a vow or commitment that he will perform pilgrimage walking. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said Allah is not in need for this one to torture himself. He asked his companions to tell the man to look for a ride, that is, to use an easier way or means to go for his pilgrimage.<br />4. The person who has debt. If you lend someone money and he is indeed in a very bad financial situation, then you should give him time for him to get the money and pay you back.<br /><br />These are just some examples that are mentioned by Ibn Rajab where there is a caused harm and that harm should be prevented.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />Any act that causes harm to others, whether individually or as a community and whether it is beneficial or not beneficial to the one who causes it, is prohibited in Islam. It should not exist in the first place and if it did, then a deliberate effort should be made to remove or minimize it. The scholars point out that those in authority should interfere and prevent such harmful acts.</span></span></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-32526657559701450112009-10-03T12:05:00.011-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #31- The Reality of Asceticism, The concept of Al-Zuhd (asceticism) in Islam<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had31.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had31.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=223&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=223&category=24</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 31</strong><br /><br />Know that the messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) used to encourage his companions upon making do with little from worldly possessions and upon abstemiousness, and said: "Remain in the world as though you are a stranger, or a passing traveler." And it has been narrated that he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Love of the dunyaa (worldly pleasures) is the head of all sins" (However, this narration is traceable back only to al-Hasan al-Basree, and not to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And in another hadeeth: "Verily the ascetic in this life finds his heart contented in this world and in the hereafter, while the seeker of the dunyaa finds his heart weary in this world and in the hereafter".<br /><br />And know that whosoever lives in the world lives like a guest, and whatever he holds in his hand is but a loan; the guest will ultimately depart, and the loan will ultimately be returned. And 'Alee (radiAllaahu anhu) said: "The dunyaa is the land that you see before you - from it eat the pious and the evil ones", and it is hated by the Awliyaa (friends) of Allaah and loved by the people of the dunyaa. So whosoever joins them in their love of it (the dunyaa) then they too are hated.<br /><br />And the messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has guided the questioner in this hadeeth to leave the dunyaa by being abstemious of it, and as a consequence of that has promised for him the love of Allaah, the Most High - and that is His being pleased with him, for verily the love of Allaah for His slaves is His being pleased with them. And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) also guided him towards being abstemious of that which the people possess, if he wishes to obtain the love of the people. And wealth is from love of the Dunyaa, and verily there is nothing that the people possess and they hate one another because of it or compete with one another for it, except the wealth of the dunyaa.<br /><br />And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever makes the hereafter his pre-occupation, then Allaah gathers together his affairs, and places freedom from want in his heart, and the dunyaa comes to him despite being reluctant to do so. And whoever makes the dunyaa his pre-occupation, then Allaah breaks up his affairs, and places his poverty before his eyes, and nothing of the dunyaa comes to him except that which has been decreed for him. And the happy one is he who chooses that whose blessings will remain forever over the trial whose punishments shall never cease".<br /><br /><strong>Summary<br /></strong><br />1. That renouncing the world secures the love of Allaah.<br />2. That renouncing the world means not to take it itself as a goal in life and not to be captivated and misled by it.<br />3. Renouncing the world means to leave those things which are non-essential even though they are permissible, and to keep to the necessities of life (Sharh an-Nawawi).<br />4. That renouncing what people have will secure their love for you.<br />5. That renouncing what people have means not to compete in having what they own, thus saving one from mutual rivalry for gain at the cost of others and their jealousy.</span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith31.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith31.htm</span></a></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />This hadith is a weak hadith as pointed out by many scholars. Ibn Rajab gave a detailed argument about the weakness of this hadith. However, later scholars still recorded their commentaries on the text of the hadith for several reasons. The major two reasons are:<br /><br />1. Sometimes the chain of the narrators (sanad) is not strong and the hadith consequently is not an authentic hadith. But the meaning of the text of the hadith is correct and acceptable. In this case the scholars still give their comments on the hadith.<br />2. The hadith is related to one of the major concepts in Islam which is al-zuhd. Unfortunately, many Muslims misunderstand and misinterpret this concept due to the influence of other cultures. We need to remove this misunderstanding or misinterpretation which is linked to this concept.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab says that this hadith contains some great advice:<br /><br />1. Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said the renouncing of this world will lead to the love of Allah. In other words, the one who practices this zuhd will be loved by Allah.<br /><br />2. To renounce what people possess and that will cause the love of people to the person who practices zuhd. Al-zuhd has been emphasized in the Qur'an and hadiths especially zuhd in this world. In Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 77, Allah says: Brief is the enjoyment of this world whereas the life to come is best for all who are muttaqun or conscious of Allah.<br /><br />In Surah al-Ra'd Ayah 20, Allah says: The life of this world is nothing but a flitting pleasure.<br /><br />In Surat al-A'la Ayah 16-17, Allah says: But may you prefer the life of this world although the life to come is better and more enduring.<br /><br />In Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Jaber Ibn 'Abdullah, radiyallahu 'anhu, that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, one day was passing through the market and he passed by a dead goat, which had its ears cut. He held the goat by the ear and asked who would like to have it for one dirham (which was a very low price of currency at that time). The people said they wouldn't take it even if it was free. What could they do with it? He, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asked if they liked it if it was theirs. They said even if it was alive they would still not buy it because of its cut ears. So how could they buy it now especially since it was dead. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "This worldly life is so little in the sight of Allah as this dead animal or goat is so little in your sight".<br /><br />3. There are many other hadiths where the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, commanded Muslims to avoid asking others for anything, especially money, and to do the best not to indulge in the act of asking others.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />One of the early scholars, Abu Muslim Al-Hawlani, says zuhd in this world does not mean forbidding what is permissible or wasting wealth. Zuhd with respect to this world is only where a person puts more trust in Allah, more than what was is in his own hands. If he was afflicted with calamity by losing something of this world, he is more hopeful for its reward and what is in store for him in the Hereafter than if it were to have remained with him.<br /><br />Based on this, Ibn Rajab states that zuhd can be interpreted as three actions of the heart:<br /><br />1. The Muslim should realize that all provisions come from Allah and not simply the result of his own acts. He should trust Allah and what Allah has more than what he has in his hands.<br />2. If he loses anything in this world, this should not bother him because he is looking for its reward.<br />3. The Muslim should not care whether he is going to be blamed or praised by others. He will not look for praise. In his heart, he is not touched by such praise. And if he is blamed, he will not be offended by being blamed. If the accusation is not true, he has nothing to worry about; if it is true then he has to face it and try to be a better Muslim.<br /><br />We can also try to see and compare what was narrated by Al-Imam Abu Muslim Al-Hawlani and what has been narrated by other scholars. Al-Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked one day if someone owns one thousand dinar, can he still be a zahid? He replied yes, he can still be a zahid if he does not feel rejoice if the money increases and he does not become sad if it decreases. We must not become slaves to money or our worldly possessions. We can be wealthy and zahid if we are still thankful to Allah and use wealth in the right way (provided also that we obtained this wealth in the right way). This meaning has been emphasized by Sufian Ibn 'Uyainah, one of the great scholars, when he was asked who is to be considered as zahid. He said whoever Allah bestowed a bounty on him then he is thankful and then when he is under trial, he is patient.<br /><br />Sufian Al-Thawri - another scholar - said: Al-zuhd in this world is that you are ready in your heart and think of the Hereafter - you think of death. We should be prepared for the next world. This is a definition of zuhd. Zuhd means a status of the heart where a person fears he will not live a long life. This will motivate every one to be a good Muslim. If we have this feeling that we are going to leave this world at any time, this will lead us to be closer to Allah and fulfill our obligations and also to get away from disobedience.<br /><br />This is why some scholars point out that there are different types of zuhd:<br /><br />1. Al-zuhd in disobedience and sin.<br />2. Not to be misled by our desires.<br />3. Not to exceed the limits of the permissible or the allowable acts (mubah). For example, we should not exceed the limits of sleeping (i.e. sleeping unnecessarily long hours) or eating (i.e. eating too much) which is permissible.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab said the one who is hopeless of living a long life, then he is looking forward to meeting Allah and he is eager for the Hereafter - this is the maximum level of zuhd. Ibn Rajab then says that looking at this worldly life as blameworthy is not because of the day or night, which are signs of Allah, and not the place and not what He planted in the land, or the animals He created. All of these are bounties from Allah and beneficial to us. The blameworthy is actually with regards to the actions of the people in this life because most of these actions are not done in accordance to the guidance of revelation in a way that will lead to good consequences. Usually the consequences will be bad ones. People will not be able to do good things.<br /><br />What should be done then is to be like the righteous and good people who used their lives as a means of getting them to the final destination. They were satisfied and contented by whatever they got. Even permissible acts and desires are treated in the same way. Sleeping and eating are good for us because this will help us to perform our obligations. That is why Ibn Rajab says all the early scholars looked for these permissible actions as means of fulfilling their obligations. He quoted al-Hasan al-Basri who said: Doing whatever is beneficial for you is not considered as the love of this world. So we should not belittle some professions and consider them as part of worldly life.<br /><br />Some Muslims misunderstand zuhd. This will lead the Muslim community to become backward. Since we are entrusted for the establishment of Islamic civilization, this requires that we have professionals, and different fields of specializations. All these take effort and time. But what we do here is for the betterment of the community where there is a great need for professional people. If we do it with good intentions and for the sake of Allah we will be rewarded - this is the real zuhd.<br /><br />Zuhd does not mean that we stay in one place and worship Allah. Worshiping Allah is a broad concept. The betterment of the community is considered as a form of worship. So asceticism or zuhd does not clash with any of the worldly affairs that the community needs. The zuhd here becomes that we do it in the right way, with a good intention and for the sake of Allah. This should not keep us from fulfilling the obligations towards Allah.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab mentions that the worldly life is cursed because it keeps people away from Allah. They will be deprived from fulfilling the obligations. This life is a test for us, as stated in Surah al-Kahf Ayah 7. We either use it in the right way and be rewarded or we use it in the wrong way which will cause us to fail the test - we will go astray and indulge in disobedience.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />One thing that brings us closer to Allah and to be loved by Him is al-zuhd. There are other actions that make Allah love us:<br /><br />1. To love Allah much. If we love Allah, He will love us.<br />2. The love of meeting Allah (as stated in another hadith).<br />3. The love of the Prophet, sallallah 'alayhi wasallam, more than we love ourselves and our family and to love his sunnah and to follow his model.<br />4. Remembrance of Allah, and all forms of dzikr.<br />5. To practice the preferable good deeds.<br /><br />If we claim that we love Allah, we should test ourselves by taking the above points as criteria. By loving Allah, we will be successful in this life and the Hereafter.</span></span> </div></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-80251665039607689642009-09-26T12:19:00.013-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #30- The Rights of Allaah ta'aalaa, Transgressing the limits<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had30.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had30.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=220&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=220&category=24</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 30<br /></strong><br />His (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "has laid down" means that Allaah 'azza wa jall has made these things obligatory. And his statement "so do not overstep them" means do not enter into them. And as for the forbiddance from delving into those matters which Allaah has remained silent about, then it is in accordance with his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "Do not ask me about that which I have left [unspecified], for the earlier nations were destroyed because of their excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets" [See Hadeeth Number 9]. Some of the 'ulamaa have said: "The Banoo Israa'eel used to ask [much] and they were answered and given what they asked for, until this became a fitnah (trial) for them, and this brought them towards their destruction."<br /><br />And the Sahaabah (radiAllaahu 'anhum) understood this, and restrained from asking except in those matters which were essential. [Due to this] they would be delighted when a desert bedouin [who would not be so restrained] would come to ask the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) questions, so they would listen attentively.<br /><br />And some people became extreme in this until they said: "It is not permissible to ask the scholars about new events/situations until they actually occur." And the Salaf [ie the Early Scholars] used to say similar to this, that is to leave such matters until they actually occurred. [This continued] until they began to fear that Knowledge would be lost [through the death of the 'ulamaa], and so they began to lay down Principles, and discuss finer issues, and to arrange and write down the different branches of Knowledge and their rulings.<br /><br />And the 'ulamaa have differed regarding the ruling on matters before the Sharee'ah was revealed about them [ie during the life of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam] - were they all forbidden or permissible or was there no ruling about them at all? So the 'ulamaa have split into three madhhabs on this issue, and all this is mentioned in detail in the books of Usool ul-Fiqh.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br />1. That a Muslim has specified enjoined duties to perform in his religion, which he cannot neglect<br />2. That Allaah has shown us how and where not to commit excesses<br />3. That He has set limits and prohibitions, which also cannot be neglected<br />4. That what is known clearly from the Book and the Sunnah is enough for our lives, and this is a Mercy from Allaah<br />5. That we should not seek after what has not been mentioned<br />6. That speculating, philosophizing and hypothesizing about Islaam is forbidden<br />7. That Allaah never forgets</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><br /><div><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith30.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith30.htm</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />This hadith has been recorded by a number of scholars. They all recorded this hadith through the chain of Dawood Ibn Abi Hind on the authority of Makhool from Abi Tha'labah Al-Khushani. This hadith is regarded as a weak hadith by many scholars such as Al-Bukhari, Ahmad and Hatem. They point out that there are three defects in this hadith:<br /><br />1. Makhool did not hear the hadith from Abi Tha'labah.<br />2. Even if it is assumed that he did hear from Abi Tha'labah, Makhool was classified among the third category of those who commit tadlis (tadlis is when a person narrates a hadith upon one of his teachers but he did not hear the particular hadith he is narrating directly from his teacher but from an intermediate source). For this hadith, there should be a direct term that reflects sama', that is this person heard the hadith directly from his teacher or sheikh. Otherwise, if he uses on the authority of, this cannot be accepted.<br />3. It is debatable whether this is actually a hadith or a saying of one of the Companions (sahabi). (Is it marfou' or mawqouf?)<br /><br />Despite these three defects, the hadith has been accepted. Moreover, what has been mentioned in this hadith has been used by all jurists or fuqaha' as a way of categorizing rulings of shari'ah. It is from this hadith that the rules of the five well-known categorizations are derived: The obligatory (wajib), preferable (mandoub), forbidden (muharam), hateful (makrouh), and the permissible (mubah). Not only is the meaning acceptable, this hadith is also used for categorizing rulings of shari'ah (ahkam).<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />The meaning of the statement which says: "He (Allah the Almighty) has set certain limits, so do not go beyond them." has been emphasized in the Qur'an. Allah says: These are the bounds, the limits set by Allah. Do not then transgress them for who transgress them are evil doers. [Surah Al-Baqarah (2): Ayah 229], and in Surah Al-Talq, Ayah 1, Allah says: And those are the set limits of Allah and whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah then he indeed has wronged himself.<br /><br />By looking closer into the content of these verses, we find that the two verses are talking about the limits (hudud) that Allah set regarding family relationships, especially the relationship between husband and wife. The limits that govern the relationship between husband and wife are stated in two verses in two surahs. Moreover, in Surah Al-Nisa', Ayah 13 and 14, Allah talks about the regulations of inheritance (furud almirath). Favoring one person over another and giving a person more than he deserves is considered transgression in Islam. And if we lessen or decrease the right of another person, this is also considered transgression. We have to stick to what Allah has set for us regarding what a person should receive.<br /><br />Usually in family relationships, if there is no adherence to the Islamic bounds and guidelines, the consequences will inevitably be negative as we see in real life and in the Muslim world today. If we go to the courts we will see many cases where transgression has taken place. If the family life is not carried out in accordance with shari'ah, we will end up with many people transgressing the set limits. For example, the way divorce takes place violates the concept of family relationship where the spouses are not aware of what they say. They are not in control of their tempers. They end up saying things they do not mean (e.g. performing talaq out of anger) - things which might get them in a situation where they would need to go and consult the court or scholars regarding what to do. They start to look for a way to resolve the problem only when they are stuck and the situation deteriorates. Had they controlled their tempers and their tongues in the first place, they would not have reached this situation. It is only because they have violated the prescribed limits. (In the example of a husband having used words or terms which later on even he himself is not sure whether he has declared divorce or not, some scholars will refer it to the intention when the action took place.)<br /><br />Another area in this regard is the area of the procedure of divorce itself that has been set by Allah. There are certain rulings that have to be observed by both parties, especially the husband. There are ways of minimizing the case of divorce. It has to occur in a totally controlled situation and in a way where there is an opportunity of getting back when it is carried out in the right way. There are adab (manners) that have to be followed if divorce has to take place. Most of the time divorce takes place when everybody loses control of their tempers, feelings or emotions. In Islam, if Muslims have to divorce, they are required to be fully aware of the situation and consequences, and that they have thought deeply about it and not simply divorce as a result of anger or a hasty decision.<br /><br />Islam creates the procedure that if a person is actually considering divorce, he must be fully aware of what he is doing and his actions are based on sound reasons. This also means that both sides have given the act of divorce deep thought and they could not find any other solution to their dispute. The act of divorce should not lead to transgression - the wife and children should not be victims. To make sure of this, we should stick to the limits set by Allah. People have to be aware of this. They have to respect the family relationship. There should be strong commitment where both sides stick to what this commitment implies. This is so because Islam encourages the continuity of relationships. So here we have two considerations: (1) the respect of commitment, and (2) the continuity of that commitment.<br /><br />Islam, as a practical religion, wants things to happen even if we dislike them. This is actually mentioned about the relationship between husband and wife. The hadith explains what the verse in the Qur'an says, that the believer should not hate another believer (wife). If he dislikes an aspect of her character or personality, he should appreciate other aspects of her character as well and vice versa. This is because there is no perfect person except Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam. Consequently, Islam encourages us to appreciate other people's characters.<br /><br />Islam also asks us to be moderate in our life when it comes to dealing with people. So spouses should deal with each other in a moderate way. A hadith says: "When you like someone, you should like him moderately because he might become someone whom you dislike one day, and when you dislike someone dislike him moderately because he might become someone you like one day."<br /><br />This hadith implies that we should be moderate in our actions and sayings and not to exceed the limits. Unfortunately today, this idea has been violated by the media through movies, songs, etc. where love is taken as the central issue in our daily lives. We rarely or never see any exception where love is moderate and in accordance with the Islamic guidelines. This explains why we have 'hopeless' people. Because they have lost their lovers (and most importantly because they have exceeded the limits set by Allah) their lives become miserable and meaningless. This is because of the effect of the culture and the environment which they are exposed to. So by exceeding the limits set by Allah, more problems and disasters occur.<br /><br />Another area where people usually go beyond the limits is the area of fara'ed (inheritance). The limits and guidelines that have been set by Allah have been violated. Allah, in the Qur'an, and the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, via revelation, have prescribed and made clear for us the limits. For example, in the case of death, it is made clear to us who should inherit and what is the allowance of each son or daughter. As a result we will have those who have priority and those who have less but still have their share. And we also have those who are even set aside because there is someone closer to inherit. They are considered mahjoub.<br /><br />Nowadays we see people violate these limits all over the Muslim world. Most of the cases happen because of the transgression and domination of the relatives. Muslims all over the world have to observe the limits. Otherwise they will transgress and violate the guidelines set by Allah. (They have to make sure that this is not halal and will not please Allah?). They may enjoy it for months or years, but at the end they may suffer the severe punishment of Allah in the Hereafter. We hear different stories of people who transgress and victimize their relatives. A verse in the Qur'an says: Those people are considered transgressors and being unjust where Allah has forbidden injustice (zulm). These people will be totally responsible for what they have done. This is one statement that is mentioned in this hadith and has been emphasized by the Qur'an.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />All the meanings that are mentioned in this hadith are sound and acceptable even if the hadith itself - due to chain defect in the way it is narrated - is considered weak. A Maliki jurist Ibn Al'arabi said: "This hadith is one of the most important rulings in Islam and should be known to every Muslim."</span></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-28242949999468692212009-09-18T21:31:00.025-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #29- That which Enters One into Paradise, Deeds that lead to Paradise II<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had29.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 1000px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had29.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=221&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=221&category=24</span></a><span style="color:#3366ff;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 29</strong><br /><br />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.<br /><br />"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?"<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"Charity wipes away sin" - what is meant by 'charity' here is that which is beyond the obligatory zakaat.<br /><br />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""<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 ?"<br /></span></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">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".<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br />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.<br />2. That this hadeeth confirms that if one fulfils the requirements of all the five pillars of Islaam then one is guaranteed Paradise.<br />3. That the first pillar incorporates abiding by all the compulsory acts and avoiding all that which is forbidden.<br />4. That living Islaam is easy when Allaah makes it so.<br />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.<br />6. That fasting, giving in charity and praying Tahajjud lead to goodness in this world and the next.<br />7. That fasting protects us from sins, develops in us piety, thus acting as a shield against the Fire and evil in this world.<br />8. That giving in charity wipes out our sins.<br />9. That praying Tahajjud develops us spiritually and makes our Islaam stronger and more sincere.<br />10. That the head of our affair in life is living Islaam.<br />11. That the Prayer is the central pillar that holds up our Islaam, and without which there is no Islaam in our lives.<br />12. That the peak of Islaam is Jihaad in the Way of Allaah, and this is the highest form of Worship.<br />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.<br />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.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith29.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith29.htm</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#3366ff;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Background </strong><br /></span></span><br />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."<br /><br />This shows, as Ibn Rajab continues to say, Mu'adh's eagerness to know about good deeds.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Lessons<br /></strong><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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:<br /><br />1. A man's prayer in the middle of the night. This includes, according to Ibn Rajab, three types of people:<br /><br />a. Those who wake up during the night for dhikr, du'a, or praying tahajud.<br />b. Those who wait for the Isha' prayer and do not go to sleep until they perform Isha'.<br />c. Those who wake up for the Fajr prayer.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />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.</span></span></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-51260780482965473022009-09-12T13:41:00.027-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #28- The Obligation of Binding Oneself to the Sunnah, Adhering to the Sunnah<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had28.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 468px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had28.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=218&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=218&category=24</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Explanation of Hadeeth Number 28</strong><br /><br />In some of the narrations of this hadeeth it occurs: "Verily this is a farewell sermon, so what do you charge/entrust us with?" to which the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam replied: "Verily I have left you upon a White Plain [ie Clear Guidance], its Night is like its Day, and none deviates from it except that he is destroyed". And in another narration, his (radiAllaahu anhu) statement "a profound sermon" means that the sermon affected them and caused them to feel fear in their hearts, and brought tears to their eyes.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "I counsel you to have taqwaa (fear) of Allaah, and to listen and obey [your leader]" means the ruler, even if he may be a slave. And in some of the narrations it mentions "an Ethiopian slave". Some of the 'ulamaa have said that a slave cannot be the ruler, and that this has been mentioned by way of an example or supposition. And this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Whosoever builds for Allaah a masjid like a bird's nest, Allaah builds for him a house in Paradise". And a bird's nest cannot be a masjid, but this is given simply by way of an example. Other 'ulamaa say that in this statement the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is informing us that the Rulership will become corrupt, and will be given to other than its rightful owners, until it is even given to the slaves. So if this were to occur then still listen and obey, in order to secure the lesser of two evils, which are putting up with a Ruler who rules without right, or bringing about chaos and a great fitnah through revolt.<br /><br />And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy" is from amongst his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) miracles, as he informed his Companions of that which was to occur after him of differences and the spreading of evil. And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was aware of this in complete detail, but he did not reveal all these details to every individual. Rather he used to warn about it in a general fashion, but also explained it in detail to some individuals such as Hudhayfah and Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu anhumaa), and this is evidence to show their great position and status.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "so you must keep to my Sunnah" then the word 'sunnah' means the straight, correct and sound way which proceeds upon his normal/customary way, and that is the Clear Path. And "the Sunnah of the Khulafaa' ar-Raashideen (the Rightly Guided Caliphs), those who guide to the right way" are those in whom the Guidance was contained, and they are the Four by consensus of the Muslims - Abu Bakr, and 'Umar, and 'Uthmaan and 'Alee, may Allaah be pleased with them all.<br /><br />And the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered us with clinging to the Sunnah of the Khulafaa' ar-Raashideen for two reasons:<br /><br />1. The First is in the form of taqleed (following without evidence) for the one who is incapable of making his own discernment/judgment.<br />2. The Second is in the form of deciding that which is more correct when faced with a difference of opinion amongst the Sahaabah themselves.<br /><br />And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion]" then know that such newly invented matters are of two types:<br /><br />1. That matter which has no basis in the Sharee'ah, and this is baatil [rejected] and blameworthy.<br />2. That matter which has a parallel or similarity in the Sharee'ah, then this is not blameworthy.<br /><br />This is because the words 'newly invented matter' and 'bid'ah' are not deemed blameworthy purely on the basis of the words themselves, but due to their indicating opposition to the Sunnah and calling towards misguidance, and so they are not considered to be unrestrictedly wrong. For example, 'Umar (radiAllaah anhu) reinstated the Taraaweeh Prayer and said "What an excellent bid'ah is this." It is to be noted here that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) had led the Taraaweeh Prayer in congregation for a few days, but then discontinued it due to his fear that the people would think it obligatory. This condition remained throughout the Khilaafah of Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu anhu), until 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhu) restarted what the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) had already laid a precedent for. Thus, he used the word bid'ah in a purely linguistic sense, and not in the Shar'ee sense that is used for blameworthy things.<br /><br />And Allaah knows best.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Summary</strong></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong></strong><br />1. That one should speak in a way, when it is needed, that reaches the very hearts of the people.<br />2. That the Sahaabah (radiAllaahu anhum) cried when listening to the sermon, and hence it is not wrong to cry during sermons.<br />3. That the advice given in this Hadeeth is parting advice from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).<br />4. That the first thing advised is to fear Allaah (ie to have taqwaa).<br />5. That one should obey the Ameer ul-Mu'mineen completely.<br />6. That obedience is due to the Ameer ul-Mu'mineen, no matter who becomes so (as long as he fulfills its conditions).<br />7. That there will be controversy and difference of opinion after the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.<br />8. That in all cases of difference it is obligatory to stick to the Sunnah, the way of the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and to the way of the First Four Rightly Guided Caliphs.<br />9. That the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has referred to his Sunnah and that of the Rightly Guided Caliphs as one thing, through his saying 'Cling to it'.<br />10. That one must be extremely careful about new things in the Deen.<br />11. That one must ensure that everything that one does as part of his religion indeed has proof for it in the Qur'aan and Sunnah.<br />12. That every invented matter in the Deen (which has no basis in the Sharee'ah) is a bid'ah, and bid'ah leads away from Paradise and towards the Hell Fire, and hence there cannot be a "good bid'ah".<br />13. That innovations can be in belief and in actions, and are manifestations of controversy.</span></span><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith28.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith28.htm"><span style="color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith28.htm</span></span></a></a></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#3366ff;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><br /><strong>Background<br /></strong><br />In one of the narrations of this hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, gave this talk after the Fajr prayer. Based on other hadiths, it was the practice of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, to give admonition to his companions from time to time, however, without burdening nor boring them. Ibn Rajab points out the characteristics of the Prophet's, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, speeches and admonitions: brief, concise, and conveyed in beautiful understandable manner.<br /><br />The admonition consists of three main issues:<br /><br />1. To have taqwa of Allah where it is Allah's advice to all mankind.<br />2. To listen and obey the leaders for it will lead to better management of the affairs of the community, of peace and unity. However, the hadith lays a fact that rightly-guided leadership will be the first Islamic concept to be violated.<br />3. The hadith anticipates a historical fact: i.e. the Muslim disunity and split into groups and sects due to heresies. It indicates the main principle to be followed in such situations: adhering to the sunnah.<br /><br />The emphasis, then, in the advice given in the hadith is to adhere to the sunnah and to avoid bid'ah (heresy).<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Lessons<br /></strong><br />Introductory statements about adhering to the sunnah<br /><br />The Prophet's, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, actions may be classified as follows:<br /><br />1. Those that are specific to the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, such as continuous fasting (wisal).<br />2. Actions that are related to the culture of his time, such as the turban, unbuttoning the top shirt button, keeping long hair, using a walking stick.<br />3. Actions resulting from spontaneous or haphazard actions. For example, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to stop at particular places during a journey or take a certain route for a journey.<br />4. Actions that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, performed intentionally for the purpose of ibadah.<br /><br />Scholars state that Muslims are only obliged to follow the last type of action.<br /><br />Note: An act is considered an ibadah if there are authentic hadiths mentioning that the act is an ibadah, or that it will be rewarded, or that the one who does it is praised, or that the one who does not perform it is blamed or cursed or will be punished.<br /><br />Scholars stated that to consider an action as a sunnah, two conditions must be met. Not only are the outward actions of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, to be imitated, but the intention of the act must be the same. For example, wearing a turban should not be done with the intention of performing an ibadah. If one has the intention of merely following the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, then one will be rewarded for that intention only.<br /><br />Imam Shatibi states the principle that if there are two ways to perform an ibadah, one being easier than the other, then it is obligatory to take the easier way. For example, if on a cold winter's night there is an option of using cold or hot water, then one takes the easy option, i.e. using the hot water. This principle is derived form the Qur'an, Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 185.<br /><br />Another principle that Imam Shatibi states is that when one does a preferable action or mustahab, one should not commit oneself to doing it in a set manner. For example, one should not say that he shall read two juzu' a day, or will fast every Monday and/or Thursday on a continuous basis without stopping from time to time.<br /><br />The reasons one should not commit oneself to non-obligatory acts are because:<br /><br />1. It is not made obligatory by shari'ah.<br />2. It goes against the general principles of the shari'ah (al-Baqarah: 185).<br />3. If one commits himself to do non-obligatory ibadah on a regular basis, it comes close to being a vow (nazr) which is not a preferable act (makruh).<br />4. If one makes a commitment and sticks to it, one might get fed up with the action later on and stop doing it altogether.<br /><br />Therefore, it is better to do good deeds based on one's personal capacity, encouraging oneself to continue performing the deed.<br /><br />Imam Shatibi has established that there are two types of bid'ah:<br /><br />1. Genuine bid'ah - Any form of ibadah for which there is no evidence in the Qur'an nor from the sunnah.<br />2. 'Relative' bid'ah - Any form of ibadah for which there is a general evidence from the Qur'an and/or sunnah but no explicit/specific evidence. An example is the du'a in congregation. There are general evidences for making du'a, but there is no explicit/specific evidence to perform it in congregation on a continuous basis.<br /><br />Imam Ahmad Zarouq (899H) adds a third category which is: un-agreed upon heresy or bid'ah khilafiyyah. This is an acceptable form of ibadah to some scholars and it is bid'ah according to other scholars such as the later given example.<br /><br />General rules and principles to differentiate between bid'ah and sunnah<br />(extracted by Imam Shatibi)<br /><br />1. An ibadah (ritual of worship) cannot be formulated unless there is evidence from wahy (revelation). Another way of saying this is that ibadah is restricted by the shari'ah. The evidence for this is the hadith of Aishah which states that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said, "Whoever performs an action that is not according to our way will be rejected." (al-Bukhari) [See Hadith 5]<br /><br />2. If there is a beneficial act that existed during the time of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, yet the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, did not perform it as a act of ibadah, then we cannot perform it as an act of ibadah.<br /><br />An act of ibadah may be performed due to a number of reasons:<br /><br />A. If an act is considered a need to motivate people because of their laxity and carelessness, then that act is a bid'ah and cannot be performed. For example, Abdul Malik bin Marwan gave the Eid khutbah before the prayer because people left after the prayers.<br />B. If the act is considered a need due to the natural circumstances of the people and there was no need during the time of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, then it is considered as maslahah mursalah. For example, the compilation of the Qur'an, the use of the mihrab, the existing schooling system, the use of loudspeakers during the adhan, etc.<br /><br />3. If the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, performed an act and then stopped due to a certain reason, we may perform that act provided the reason no longer exists. For example, the Tarawih prayers - the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, stopped performing them after a time because he was afraid that it would be made compulsory. After his death, there is no way that the Tarawih prayers will become compulsory as the time of wahy has passed.<br /><br />4. Avoiding any act of worship that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, did not perform is considered a sunnah (sunnah tarkiyyah).<br /><br />5. Performing an act which has been made into an ibadah by:<br /><br />A. Generalizing evidences that relate to a specific ibadah. In other words, removing the limits of an act that has been limited by the shari'ah. An example is that there are certain adhkar whose number of repetitions have been limited by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam - for example, the adhkar after prayers. To remove these limits, i.e. make more than the specified number of repetitions, is a bid'ah.<br />B. Specifying a general evidence to a particular act. In other words, limiting an act that is unlimited by the shari'ah. An example is to specifically fast on Friday and pray on Friday evening. Other examples are to call the adhan for the Eid prayer (by using the general hadith for the adhan) and performing a certain set of dhikr for a certain time/day. These acts are considered bid'ah.<br /><br />6. Connecting an act of ibadah to an unrelated action (either a natural action or a act of ibadah) and making them appear as a continuous action, might be a bid'ah or lead to bid'ah, depending on the situation:<br /><br />A. Intentionally. This is a bid'ah.<br />B. Unintentionally. If the connection is repeatedly made in public, then it could lead to a bid'ah (because people might think the actions were related).<br /><br />a. An example is that at the time of Imam Malik, it was reported that the muadhin would purposely clear his throat before giving the adhan. When he was made to stop by Imam Malik, he would then purposely hit a stick against the side of the minaret before giving the adhan. Imam Malik stopped him from doing this as well, and said, "Do not do something which has not been practiced by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, nor by his companions."<br />b. Another example is to stand up immediately after performing the fardh prayers to perform the sunnah prayers where people without knowledge may get confused.<br />c. A third example is to start fasting the six days of Shawal from the second day of Eid.<br /><br />7. Any non-obligatory action which is permitted by the shari'ah but by repeatedly performing it in public makes it appear to be a fardh, then that action should be stopped occasionally. An example is the recitation of Surah as-Sajdah and Surah al-Insan in the Friday Fajr prayer. Another is that the Companions (Abu Bakr and Umar) occasionally did not perform udhiah.<br /><br />8. Not everybody who commits a bid'ah will be considered a mubtadi' (the one who commits a heresy). Some of them will be excused. This principle also applies to one who commits acts of kufr (disbelief) i.e. not everyone who commits kufr is a kafir.<br /><br />The excuses are:<br /><br />A. Someone lives in a place where there is no scholar who can establish the evidence, remove misconceptions and offer guidance.<br />B. Someone who is a new Muslim. That person is excused until he knows about the issues involved.<br />C. If there are misconceptions related to the situation, that person is excused until these are removed.<br />D. The un-agreed upon acts.<br /><br />9. It is important to differentiate between innovation that is kufr or leads to kufr, and one that isn't. Any innovation which is not kufr or does not lead to kufr is worse than a ma'siat (sin) but with regards to the Hereafter, it falls under the same category of ma'siat, i.e. the innovator may be punished or he may be forgiven and not punished.<br /><br />Note: according to Ibn Taimiyyah, there are 10 reasons why one isn't punished, among which are:<br /><br />A. One's rewards outweigh his sins.<br />B. Trials and hardship undergone in this world.<br />C. Intercession of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam.<br />D. Intercession of a good Muslim.<br />E. Punishment in the grave.<br /><br />10. There are two opinions about one who commits a bid'ah:<br /><br />A. Only the action committed with the bid'ah will not be accepted.<br />B. All deeds will not be accepted from that person, provided the person is not excused or has not repented.<br /><br />Clarification of the second opinion:<br /><br />Imam Shatibi argues that you will not find someone committing an innovation in only one action, i.e. if one commits a bid'ah in the prayers, it is most likely that he will be committing bid'ah in zakat, hajj, etc.<br /><br />Imam Shatibi states that this opinion may be interpreted in three ways:<br /><br />A. The statement is taken at face value, i.e. all deeds, obligatory (fard) or recommended (sunnah), will not be accepted.<br />B. That the bid'ah is a basic belief that can negate all of a person's actions. For example, the Rafidah's bid'ah of rejecting the Companions' results in not accepting the hadith and claiming that the Qur'an is incomplete.<br />C. The manifestation of an innovation is a sign of a person not having a sound grounding in the shari'ah, not 'respecting' the shari'ah or placing the intellect ahead of the shari'ah.<br /><br />Based on Hadith 5 of Imam al-Nawawi's collection it seems that the first opinion is sounder in the case of those who follow the sunnah in general.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />In order to adhere to the sunnah and to be able to refrain from heresy (bid'ah), a Muslim needs to fully understand and apply these principles pinpointed by our great scholars. Doing so can also minimize disputes and quarrels among Muslim community members over many debatable issues every now and then.</span></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-67150692848123578972009-09-05T10:57:00.012-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #27- Internal Controlling System<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had27.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 1000px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had27.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith27.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith27.htm</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background </strong><br /><br />The first thing that should be pointed out is that even though the second hadith is weak by itself, due to supporting evidence it is raised to the level of hasan (authentic). These two hadiths state the meaning of righteousness and sinfulness.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />Ibn Rajab states that the term 'bir' which is used in this hadith is actually used in two senses: (a) treating others in a good manner, and (b) all acts of good deeds and worshipping Allah. Based on this, the first statement in the first hadith can be interpreted as meaning the most essential aspect of righteousness is good character. And Ibn Rajab extends this meaning by saying that good character can be interpreted as all good manners mentioned in the Qur'an. Consequently, according to Ibn Rajab, the two meanings of bir are there.<br /><br />Allah has created us with a pure innate or natural disposition that is called fitra, as mentioned in other hadiths. This means to love the truth and the good and to hate falsehood and evil. Consequently, good believers with pure fitra should never confuse truth with falsehood.<br /><br />The second hadith guides us to consult our heart regarding doubtful matters. If the heart is in tranquility, that implies that it is bir or righteousness. If the heart is not tranquil, one should abstain from carrying out such an act or doubtful matter. However, it should be noted that fitra is subject to corruption and can be spoiled due to the influence of bad environment - a person may start to like and appreciate what is bad or evil and dislike truth and goodness. Here, the heart is diseased or even dead. Such a person cannot use his heart as a measure to judge what is good and bad because the fitra is already corrupted.<br /><br />Sin is what wavers or trembles your soul. This portion of the hadith defines a sinful act as an act for which its performer deserves blame. Imam Qurtabi gives the previous interpretation. Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo states that in this hadith the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, gave very important signs of sin. The first one is an internal sign within the human being. It is the feelings of the soul with respect to any particular act. The second sign is also about the internal feelings but it deals with the outward reaction to the act itself. Sin causes a wholesome soul to be uneasy and troubled. The soul is unhappy and worried about sin and its consequences. Ustaz Jamaludin remarks that these signs occur because the person is naturally disposed to favor what leads to positive results and avoid what leads to negative results. The commentators of this hadith stress that the 'people' referred to here are the respected and righteous people.<br /><br />The two hadiths reveal a significant aspect of Islam that is an internal controlling and guiding system that is established as a result of several factors:<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. The pure fitra (natural disposition). Allah created everybody with a pure fitra and not just Muslims. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, mentions many factors in the environment that play an influential role in subjecting the fitra to corruption.<br />2. The realization of tawhid. This means practicing all the essentials of tawhid like loving Allah, seeking His Help as the only refuge, depending on Him (tawakul), asking for His Mercy, and many other essentials associated with the idea of tawhid.<br />3. Adhering to shari'ah instructions.<br />4. Seeking knowledge.<br />5. Tazkiyah and tarbiyah - that is the purification of the soul and the heart of the Muslim.<br /><br />The above mentioned factors and many others are interrelated and altogether lead to the establishment of the internal controlling system. However, this system needs to be 'updated' and 'upgraded' regularly by educators and da'ies. It is very important that the educators and da'ies pay attention to the individual's and the community's built-in system. They have to create awareness about contemporary challenges. They should plan future strategies to deal with such challenges.<br /><br />This internal system is very important for Muslims today. They should know about it in order to activate it. Only through such proper reconstruction of the consciousness can we be certain about the validity and effectiveness of the internal controlling system. Muslims need to be aware of this fact and have to activate their system in order to be sensitive towards doubtful acts and sinful matters. Unless this system is 'upgraded', the person may not act in the right way. It is like 'installing' an 'anti-virus software' within ourselves. With such a 'software' in place, our internal system will prevent 'viruses', i.e. bad/evil acts, from entering our thoughts or hearts.<br /><br />There are many issues today where people are in total doubt about whether something is allowed or not. In many areas such as insurance, food, medicine, trade, and technology, there are no definite answers - or the people themselves are not aware of the Islamic approach. This may lead to moral conflicts. Unfortunately, even some people who teach akhlaq and moral values are sometimes not even aware of these conflicts.<br /><br />In this era we have several clashing values. Muslims should be exposed to the Islamic point of view of the issue in order to go for the right value. Works about such issues should be published and translated for all Muslims. Books and magazines should be available to all Muslims. If the existing works are very long, we need to summarize the findings and translate them into major Muslim and international languages. Exposing Muslims to such findings will minimize disputes among them regarding certain issues. They will at least know what to do and what not to do. This will lead to unity and remove anything that can lead to disputes.<br /><br />Another thing is that educators and da'ies should not simply use the traditional approach. If we want to talk about sidq, tazkiyah, and tarbiyah, we should not limit ourselves to one scholar or website. We should compare knowledge and information between different scholars. For example, if we compare the works of Al-Shaikh Zarrouq and Imam Ghazali on tazkiyah, we will notice differences; the work of Al-Shaikh Zarrouq is totally different from Imam Ghazali's. His books of Qawaed Altasaruf and Udat Alboroud Alsadeq use totally different approaches from Imam Ghazali. Al-Shaikh Zarrouq addressed the people of his time. We can read these books and benefit from them but we should use a more suitable approach that is more convenient to the challenges of our time. This means that we should have different ways of presenting these issues about tazkiyah and tarbiyah. It is only by this way can we 'upgrade' our internal controlling system.<br /><br />We should interpret the Qur'anic texts and hadiths in the light of what we have today. This cannot happen unless the internal system is 'upgraded'. Otherwise we may get lost. The system has two sides: positive and negative. We must use the positive side. We have to know how to be honest in this era. It is the responsibility of the educators and da'ies of today to 'upgrade' the internal controlling system of the Muslims in general and the young generation in particular.<br /><br />We should also be aware of the recent advancements in technology. For example, nowadays there are filtering software that are developed by non-Muslims. We can download these software and have control over some of the negative elements that can reach us through the Internet. We should develop this type of software to suit our needs as Muslims. We have to maximize the positive side of information technology. We need to do this to enable Muslims to access the Internet and use their time in the right way.<br /><br />One more area that we need to be aware of is that of intellectual slavery - that is when people try to benefit from technology through globalization. There are some people who want to influence others in order to affect the akhlaq and ideology. They use cognitive psychology and other branches of knowledge where they can manipulate the mind. They practice brainwashing and Muslims are not aware of this. This is a very great challenge to Muslims since this may lead us to question our beliefs and moral values. Educators need to address this crucial issue. They should do something to 'upgrade' the above mentioned internal controlling system in order to prevent ourselves from being brainwashed.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Conclusion<br /></strong><br />Without a 'fully functioning' internal controlling system, people will have different attitudes which may lead to problems such as extremism. Extremists will increase in the Muslim community if issues like those mentioned above are not resolved. Muslims may end up with multiple personalities. They are Muslims but they commit haram (forbidden) and many other negative things. They are not aware that they are doing anything wrong and they start acting in strange ways. These people are victims of the new system of globalization. Our strategy to face such challenges is to 'activate' and 'upgrade' our internal system. Then Muslims can live their lives in tranquility and without confusion. Other solutions will merely be short term because there will be no tranquility.</span></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">More on this Hadith can be found at:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. </span><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=219&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=219&category=24</span></a></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-51411417961516481572009-08-29T18:18:00.006-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #26- Charitable acts II<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had26.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 600px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had26.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith26.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith26.htm</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br /><strong>Background</strong><br /><br />The content of this hadith is the same as the previous one, Hadith 25. One possibility why this is so is that Al-Imam An-Nawawi wanted to emphasize the importance of sadaqah (charitable acts) so he decided to repeat the meaning of the previous hadith. Another possibility is that this hadith may contain more examples of sadaqah than what was mentioned in the previous one. A third possibility is the influence of Al-Imam Muslim on Imam Nawawi, who has written commentaries on Sahih Muslim. Imam Muslim recorded many hadiths which address the issue of sadaqah. It can be concluded that what has happened is due to the influence of Imam Nawawi's involvement in this great scholarly research on explaining and interpreting Sahih Muslim.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab quotes other hadiths with similar meanings. Two were recorded by Imam Muslim. From this a possibility of influence can be derived. A third hadith is recorded by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim where the hadith mentions the number of bones as 360. In this hadith the number is not mentioned. It only mentions every small joint (bone).<br /><br />In one of these hadiths, the performance of the Duha prayer is mentioned as a substitution of some charitable acts. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said that the praying of al-Duha has the same reward of doing these charitable acts. In the hadith that is related by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, it mentions something that is not mentioned in the previous hadith. One more charitable act that is mentioned by Ibn Rajab is helping the one who is in need. Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, emphasized this idea: if a Muslim cannot help the one who is in need, he should abstain from evil and not harm others.<br /><br /><strong>Lessons</strong><br /><br />The hadith shows the great creation of man which has been emphasized in many surahs in the Qur'an. Ibn Rajab says when the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, mentions these small bones or joints, he is emphasizing their structure and creation which are great bounties of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, calls upon us to be thankful to Allah by doing charitable acts for each one of these bones.<br /><br />Al-Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo highlights the significance of the word 'salameh', the small bone, when he refers to the small bones in the hands and feet and how they are put together. Once again, we notice how scholars may be influenced by each other. It is not strange to notice that Ustaz Jamaludin is influenced by Ibn Rajab since he translated most of his work. He asks the Muslims to see how these bones are magnificently put together. It is their interaction that allows the dexterity and speed that the creatures possess in their hands. It also gives proper balance to the feet.<br /><br />Al-Shaikh Al-Bitar, one of the commentators on An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, states that these bones are some of the keys to the progress and civilization of man. These bones enable human beings to move, grasp, construct and build things. Most of what people perform and what has been manufactured is due to these small and minute bones that have been created by Allah in this impressive and marvelous way. Therefore, he continues to say, these are great blessings for which a Muslim must be thankful to Allah. We can be thankful by doing the above mentioned charitable acts: to do good deeds, to help others, and to benefit the community.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab mentions that doing these charitable acts mentioned in the hadith is an obligation upon each Muslim. Moreover, he classifies thankfulness to Allah into two categories:<br /><br />1. Obligatory (wajib) thankfulness. Muslims are required to fulfill the obligations (wajibat) and refrain from the prohibitions (muharramat). This is the minimum level of being thankful to Allah. To be thankful to Allah requires one to refrain from disobedience (ma'siah) to Allah, to strongly disapprove sin, and not to misuse or abuse any of our limbs (jawareh) or whatever Allah has bestowed upon us. Man has been given one of the most important bounties from Allah and that is sight. Man must not use it in disobedience. Allah bestowed us with the bounty of hearing and we should use it in a beneficial way.<br />2. Preferable (mustahab) thankfulness. This is for Muslims who seek to be among the righteous and competing believers. This type can be classified into subcategories:<br /><br />a. What is beneficial to the community such as what is mentioned in this hadith.<br />b. Limited to the person who performs it, as mentioned in Hadith 25.<br /><br />Though the above mentioned classifications may be perceived positively or negatively, it should not take us away from the great meaning of the charitable acts where we can look at them from a different angle. Not from the angle of whether they are preferable (mandoub: if we do it, we will be rewarded and if we do not do it, we will not be blamed) or obligatory (wajib). Sometimes preferable things become obligatory. For instance, if a blind man wants to cross the road and you are the only one to help him, helping him becomes obligatory. If every one of us is expecting someone else to help the blind man, he will end up with nobody willing to help him. This sort of attitude will weaken the bonding within the community. There are many negative examples that can be seen today. The recklessness of some Muslims who do not help needy people is often noticed in the Muslim community these days. As a result, the Muslim is blamed when he is the only one who is capable of doing that action but does not do it.<br /><br />This hadith aims to emphasize the charitable acts that benefit the society since they are great deeds and the people who do them are rewarded. Most Muslims forget these charitable acts. Another hadith emphasizes that Muslims are like one body where they care for each other. We should set ourselves as models in our morality, behavior, values and qualities in order for others to follow our steps and listen to us. Only by this will the level of confidence be increased in the community. People will listen to each other when they see good examples and this is what is meant by the verse that the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, is a good model for Muslims<br /><br />As Muslims, we have to observe the charitable acts. We should do as much as we can without making any commitment to any of them. These charitable acts are not done regularly as the 5 prayers. We do them on our convenience and according to our ability. By performing these acts regularly, we will be closer to Allah. When every Muslim exercises these charitable acts, we will end up with a harmonious and cooperative society. By doing this, we contribute to the increasing of goodness and the minimizing of evil - this is the main purpose of da'wah.<br /><br />This hadith emphasizes the significance of certain deeds: bringing about justice between two people and reconciling them. Getting people who deviated in their thoughts back to the community is part of islah (reconciliation). When the Khawarej started thinking of fighting their own community, Abdullah bin Abbas, radiyallahu 'anhu, went to them and had a dialogue with them. He tried to remove any misconceptions. He was successful in getting two-thirds of them into the Muslim community. This is one meaning of charitable acts. Another meaning is to give help to those who are in need for help. We should not wait until we are asked. We have to offer help when we see people in need. This is what is meant by wala' (loyalty) to the community.<br /><br />Saying a good word is a charitable act, as mentioned in Hadith 25. There are many ways that we can do this. For example, when we notice that someone is unhappy, we can bring pleasure to him by saying a good word to him and relieving his sadness or worry.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Another deed is the step to prayer. We know that prayer is obligatory, but by walking to prayer we perform a charitable act in every step. When Muslims keep this in their minds, they will be encouraged to do such deeds.<br /><br />The last charitable act that is mentioned in this hadith is removing a harmful thing from the road or from someone's pathway. Some people may look at this as insignificant or unimportant. But this does not mean that the act is degrading. In the sight of Allah it is a great act and we will be rewarded for doing it. Doing such an act may prevent a terrible accident from happening. For example, omitting a nail from the street may prevent car accidents and consequently keep the safety of our community. We should not care about the comments of others because we are doing it for the sake of Allah. The more we have the intention that we are doing these charitable acts for the sake of Allah, the more will be the reward from Allah subhana wa ta'ala.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />Islam calls for and encourages its followers to build a caring society, where members of the society care for one another, support one another and help one another. Social charitable acts discussed above are considered obligatory daily activities which form ways and means of being thankful to Allah. This concept needs to be promoted in the classroom, masjid and the media in every possible way.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Unfortunately, contemporary media plays a negative role in this sense. Movies promote negative values which lead to an uncaring society, resulting in, for example, selfishness, greediness and ego-centric personalities.<br /><br />One way of changing this negative role to a positive one is to change the existing concept of entertainment. Another alternative is to initiate new branches of communication such as educational communication and psychology of the media. </span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">More on this Hadith can be found at:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. </span><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=216&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=216&category=24</span></a></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-16242668277452026082009-08-22T13:49:00.005-04:002012-08-01T22:00:23.743-04:00Smile!<span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">(author unknown)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">She smiled at a sorrowful stranger</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The smile seemed to make him feel better</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">He remembered past kindness of a friend</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">And wrote him a thank you letter</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The friend was so pleased with the thank you</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">That he left a large tip after lunch</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Gave part to a man on the street</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The man on the street was grateful;</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">For two days he'd had nothing to eat</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">After he finished his dinner</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">He left for his small dingy room</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">He didn't know at that moment</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">That he might be facing his doom</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">On the way he picked up a shivering puppy</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">And took him home to get warm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The puppy was very grateful</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">To be in out of the storm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">That night the house caught on fire</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The puppy barked the alarm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">He barked till he woke the whole household</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">And saved everybody from harm</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">One of the boys that he rescued</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">Grew up to be President</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">All this because of a simple smile</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">That hadn't cost a cent.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">....and THAT is the power of a smile! So smile away. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said: </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">"Every good deed is sadaqah (charity). To meet your brother with a smiling face and to pour out from your bucket into his container are sadaqah."</span>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7756339891841368136.post-24173991564428603172009-08-22T13:48:00.007-04:002012-08-01T21:55:41.418-04:00Hadith #25- Charitable acts I<a href="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had25.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 447px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 997px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee161/zaza4all/40Nawawi/had25.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith25.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith25.htm</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><strong>Background </strong><br /><br />In another hadith recorded by both Muslim and Al-Bukhari, it is mentioned that the questioners were the poor of the Muhajruun or immigrants from Makkah. Ibn Rajab says that this hadith shows that those poor people thought that giving sadaqah (charity) can only be done through money, something which they could not afford. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, told them that all good deeds are considered as charitable acts.<br /><br />There are other versions this hadith of Abu Dharr as well as some other hadiths which show similar meanings. One of them is in Sahih Muslim which says that: "Every good act is an act of charity". In another version the hadith, it says: "Your smile to your brother is a charitable act. Ordering good is a charitable act. Forbidding evil is a charitable act. Helping a man who has bad eyesight to see things is a charitable act. Removing a stone, rubbish or bones is a charitable act. Emptying your cup in the cup of your brother is a charitable act."<br /><br />Also in the Sahihain (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) it is mentioned that "A man spending money upon his wife is charity". In another hadith in the Sahihain it is mentioned that "No Muslim plants a plant or soils a seed and has it eaten by a bird, animal or human except that it will be a charitable act for him".<br /><br /><strong>Lessons<br /></strong><br />According to Ibn Rajab, the hadith proves that the Companions of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, were so eager to do good acts and charitable deeds. They had very strong desires to do al-khayr and charity in order to please Allah subhana wa ta'ala. They were sad when they could not afford to donate their money to charity especially as it was being done by some other people. They had a strong desire to spend they wealth and to do good deeds when they saw some members among the Companions doing it. They wanted to be like them in terms of rewards and tawab. They were able to do salah, fasting and other ibadah but one thing they could not do was giving money or sadaqah because they did not have any. But they were told to do more dhikr which is equal to giving money or charity in terms of rewards.<br /><br />We can see here how the Companions were so keen to do all forms and acts of ibadah in order to please Allah subhana wa ta'ala. This should be the case with every Muslim. We should be eager to do every good deed which pleases Allah. At least we should have the will and desire to do it even if we cannot do it.<br /><br />Ibn Rajab states that the Islamic concept of charity in its broad sense can be divided into two types:<br />1. The acts of goodness and kindness one can have towards other humans. Ibn Rajab gave some examples such as education and teaching people, teaching the Qur'an, removing anything that harms people in their paths, and also doing whatever that contributes to the well-being of the Muslim community. This also includes making du'a (prayer) and istighfar (forgiveness) for the other Muslims.<br />2. Keeping any harmful action away from others. This means that we must not perform a harmful act towards other people if it does not benefit them. It is the minimum thing that one can afford to do to benefit others.<br /><br />Charitable acts are rewarded even without niyah or intentions. This can be understood from the first impression or the general observable meaning of the text of the hadith. But it seems that Ibn Rajab is not happy with this interpretation. He says that a charitable act, according to many scholars, is conditional to a good intention. That is we must do it for the sake of Allah only and to seek His Pleasure. According to Ibn Rajab, this view is supported by two evidences:<br /><br />1. In another version of the hadith good intention was mentioned and hence it applies to the other places where good intention was not mentioned.<br />2. In Surah al-Nisa Ayah 114, Allah says: "There is no good in most of their secret talks except one who exhorts to a good deed of charity or goodness or conciliation between people. To him who does this seeking the pleasure of Allah, We shall soon give him a reward of high value." Ibn Rajab says that in this verse it is mentioned that the reward is conditional to a good intention only.<br /><br />Each of the phrases of dhikr Allah such as al-tahmid, al-tahlil, and al-tasbih is a charitable act. This shows us the importance of dhikr Allah. There are general types of dhikr and there are specific types of dhikr. Muslims should remember Allah all the time. The recommended time to do dhikr is during the morning and the evening and after the salawat. Every Muslim should maintain and observe the dhikr in order to become among those who are described as al-dhakirun.<br /><br />The acts of pleasing Allah are very wide and affordable to everyone. People differ in their ability, preference, potential, etc. There is room for all where every one has the ability to perform some act of charity. Therefore a Muslim should take this advantage and do good deeds which are more convenient and suitable for him or her. However, we are encouraged to do as much of good deeds and charitable acts as we can.<br /><br />There is story that Imam al-Dhahabi related about a dialogue between Ibn al-Juwairiyah and Imam Malik. He said that Ibn al-Juwairiyah wrote a letter to Imam Malik about ibadah and advised him to do more acts of worship. Imam Malik was well known for his lectures in the Masjid al-Nabawi where he used to disseminate ilm (knowledge) and the sunnah of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, that he learned. Ibn Juwairiyah was known of his piety and devotions to worship. Imam Malik replied Ibn al-Juwairiyah's letter saying that Allah has divided the acts of deeds among people as He divided rizq or wealth among them. Some are given talents in knowledge and how to spread it while others are given talents in jihad, fasting and so on. So what he (Imam Malik) was given is not less than what Ibn al-Juwairiyah have been given and he hoped that both of them are on the right track and do the things that please Allah subhana wa ta'ala. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"><br />Also in the stories of the Sahabah we can find that everyone was good at doing some specific acts. This means talents are divided among people. Ibn Masud said that fasting the sunnah prevented him from reciting the Qur'an. It made him weak. So he chose the recitation of the Qur'an over the non-obligatory fasting. This is mentioned by al-Shatibi in his al-I'tisam.<br /><br />So people have choices and preferences in doing acts of ibadah according to their ability and this is acceptable in Islam. Only a few people may have the ability to do many things together. One of them was Abu Bakar al-Siqdiq, radiyallahu 'anhu. He was given the talents to perform all forms of ibadah and was good at doing them.<br /><br />Ibn al-Qayyim mentions that it is recommended to compete towards good deeds as mentioned in the Qur'an. People are allowed to compete for goodness and for the acts of charity in accordance with their talents and ability. There is a story of a man who was in Madinah who usually goes to salah with some money in his pocket. After the salah and on his way back, he would give the money to any needy person that he met. He was well known for doing this kind of charity. Then there is the story of an old man who was over 80 years old who used to do many good activities for the people of the village. He used to walk around the streets of the village and cleaned the roads and streets. Every morning after the Fajar prayers he would go to the school and clean the muddy and dusty road to that school. He was an illiterate man but yet he did a lot of good jobs for the villagers which other people did not bother to do. This is indeed a great deed in the sight of Allah. It is a good opportunity to get the pleasure of Allah. Therefore every Muslim should be doing this kind of action which is actually easy and simple but has great rewards. We cannot do all charitable acts at one time but we have to do whatever we can do. We have to have the intention to do any charitable act. The hadith that says: "Your smile to your brother is a charitable act" is a good example of this type of ibadah. It is common now to see many people who have the habit of smiling at other people. They are in fact good at this kind of charitable act. They are blessed with this behavior. It has a positive influence on other's behavior. When you smile to your brother and say "Assalamu Alaikum" to him, you are in fact making him happy and this act will create a good environment among the Muslim community.<br /><br />Scholars have emphasized the distinction between "Ghibtah" and "Hasad". Al-Ghibtah means to have the desire to achieve the good qualities that others have. Al-Ghibtah is a positive behavior which motivates you to do good, as good as other people do. For example, when you see a knowledgeable person, you admire and wish to be knowledgeable like him; when you see someone who do a lot of ibadah, you wish to do the same; when you see a rich person who pays charity, you admire him and wish to be like him. So you admire these people for their good actions and hence you wish to be like them. Al-Ghibtah, then, is actually good and desirable. It influences our attitude and behavior in a positive way.<br /><br />Al-Hasad, on the other hand, means 'envy'. It is a negative behavior which is prohibited and condemned in Islam. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said that al-Hasad demolishes the rewards. It is envy and jealousy that occurs when you see someone who is given some privileges that you do not have. It is Allah who gives His Bounty to anyone He chooses. So we should not feel any objection to Allah's plan. That is why al-Hasad is considered a very bad behavior and a major sin.<br /><br />We are encouraged to perform the acts of ordering good things and prohibiting evils because when we do it we contribute to the well-being of the society. We do not do it to offend or put down someone. We do it in order to help them. Carrying out this concept will always contribute to the betterment of the whole society. We have to do it with tolerance and patience so that the other party may accept it. When we do this act with good intentions, the other person sees it positively. He sees it as caring and concern from our side. So most likely, he will accept it. We should not do it in a harsh or aggressive way that it may offend others.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />Scholars state that permissible acts can be turned into ibadah. These acts can be rewarded with the condition of having good intentions. So every normal activity that we do in our everyday life can be turned into ibadah and we will be rewarded for doing it with good intentions. For example, when you are driving or putting petrol into your car with the intention of benefiting your family or relatives, you will be rewarded and this act will be considered as ibadah. Also, when you make a telephone call to your family or relatives with good intentions, you will be rewarded for that. Hence, these simple acts of our everyday life can be turned into ibadah and be rewarded. We need to train <span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">ourselves with this habit and inshaAllah we will get a great reward from Allah.</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"> </span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*<br /></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;"></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">More on this Hadith can be found at:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">1. </span><a href="http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=217&category=24"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#3366ff;">http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=217&category=24</span></a></div>Sabrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15261438258667267004noreply@blogger.com0