Muslim Converts Face Discrimination
By ANDREA ELLIOTT
Published: April 30, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/nyregion/30converts.html
In the wake of 9/11, Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Egypt and other countries have found themselves living in a newly suspicious America. Many of their businesses and mosques have been closely monitored by federal agents, thousands of men have been deported and some have simply been swept away - "rendered" in the language of the C.I.A. - to be interrogated or jailed overseas.
Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
From left: Gladys Muchammad, Stephanie Lewis and Malikah Alkebulan are suing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over an order to remove their head scarves. They were given different assignments.
Richard Patterson for The New York Times
Khalid Hakim, a Muslim, refused to take off his kufi for an identification photo.
But Muslim immigrants are not alone in experiencing the change. It is now touching the lives of some American converts: men and women raised in this country, whose only tie to the Middle East or Southeast Asia is one of faith. Khalid Hakim, born Charles Karolik in Milwaukee, could not renew the document required to work as a merchant mariner because he refused to remove his kufi, a round knitted cap, for an identity photograph last year. Yet for nearly three decades Mr. Hakim's cap had posed no problem with the same New York City office of the Coast Guard.
In Brooklyn, Dierdre Small and Stephanie Lewis drove New York City Transit buses for years wearing their hijabs, or head scarves, with no protest from supervisors. After 9/11 the women were ordered to remove the religious garments. They refused, and were transferred, along with two other Muslim converts, out of the public eye - to jobs vacuuming, cleaning and parking buses, said the women, who are suing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New York City Transit.
"I'm a U.S. citizen and I'm supposed to be protected," Ms. Lewis, 55, said with tears in her eyes. "On 9/11 I was scheduled to take policemen to that site. I felt compassion like everyone else. And now you're singling me out because I'm a Muslim?" New York City Transit officials said they would not comment because the case is in litigation.
Regardless of how their cases play out legally, Mr. Hakim, Ms. Lewis and other converts have come to view America after 9/11 through a singular lens. An estimated 25 percent of American Muslims are converts. Some came of age as Americans first and discovered Islam as adults. In the years since 9/11, many have faced a contest of loyalties they never imagined: between their nation and their faith.
They have watched events up close and from afar - the raids of mosques, the deportation of Muslim immigrants, the incendiary language from abroad and the threats made against their American homeland - with a special, if complicated brand of anger and loyalty, affection and worry.
Straddling two worlds came naturally to Ms. Small, who grew up in East Flatbush with a Christian mother and a Muslim father. But she spent more time in mosques than in churches.
It was the daily expression of Islam and its emphasis on the "oneness of God" that won her heart to the religion, said Ms. Small: the five daily prayers, the way sentences are capped with words like inshallah, which means "God willing."
At 12 she became one of the few girls in her neighborhood to wear a hijab. If this called for bravery, Ms. Small shrugs it off. She has worn the scarf ever since, growing used to the occasional stare that multiplied after 9/11. If anything, she is drawn to daring.
"I always wanted to drive a bus because it's big, it's huge," Ms. Small, 36, said as she picked through a fried shrimp sandwich on a recent lunch break. "My own personal conquest, I guess."
Ms. Small joined the transit authority in 1998, at 30, after her fourth child was born. She was assigned the B44 route, a loop of two and a half hours from Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay and back. "What really got me the most was when you're sitting in that seat, how far you can see - how many blocks," she said. "It was like a sea of vehicles."
From the beginning, Ms. Small wore a navy blue hijab to match her uniform. No one objected, she said, until after 9/11. The first trouble came with a more recent hire, Malikah Alkebulan, who said she was asked to wear a transit authority cap over her scarf after starting work in March 2002.
By chance, Ms. Alkebulan stepped onto Ms. Small's bus one day that summer. They began talking, and Ms. Alkebulan told Ms. Small about the order, explaining that she was scared to disobey it because she was still on probation.
"I said, 'Let them mess with me because I've been here, and I'm willing to fight,' " Ms. Small said.
By the early fall, all three women had been transferred from their passenger routes to jobs parking and cleaning buses. Ms. Small now spends her days waiting for buses to pull up inside a drafty, cavernous depot in Flatbush, near where she grew up. She parks the buses and vacuums them, clearing them of coins. On good days, she drives empty buses to other locations, taking in the view with a new longing. She always makes sure to be in uniform. That way, she says, people don't think "a Muslim woman stole a bus."
Equal to her frustration, however, is a deep and very American conviction: that justice will be served in court, she said.
Decades ago, when Khalid Hakim was still Charles Karolik, the only faith he knew was Catholicism. Every Sunday, Mr. Hakim dutifully attended Mass in Milwaukee with his parents and two sisters. He sang in the choir and served as an altar boy.
While in grade school, he came upon Shackleton's "Valiant Voyage," the true tale of an expedition to the South Pole. "That was the seed," Mr. Hakim, 57, said.
The book did two things: it drew Mr. Hakim into a lifetime of seafaring, and, with that newfound love, severed him from the Catholic Church.
Mr. Hakim's first job was to wipe down the engine room of an iron ore carrier that traveled the Great Lakes. But he wanted to be at sea, so a year later, in 1974, he headed to the harbor in New York City and began a nearly 30-year career riding oil barges, eventually as a captain, from the Maine coast to Norfolk, Va.
By the early 1970's, he had met Dianuthra El Is'vara, a Trinidadian Muslim, who told him to read the Koran. On his first reading, he found the Islamic holy book "boring," he said. But after another try, he said, "I knew that this was filling the empty space that I had inside, the spiritual longing."
Ms. El Is'vara instructed Mr. Hakim to wear a kufi at a Brooklyn mosque in February 1975, when he was officially converted by reciting the Shahadah, the declaration of faith in Islam. The cap reminded Mr. Hakim of cartoonish characters from his childhood who wore beanies with propellers, he said.
But after the ceremony, he said he never removed the kufi again, except to sleep. At first, the men on the barge teased him, almost coming "to blows" with him a few times, said Mr. Hakim, who changed his name in 1978.
"He prayed on the barge," said Charles Chillemi, president of Mr. Hakim's union, Local 333 of the International Longshoremen's Association, who worked with him in the early 1980's. "He's religious to a fault."
Mr. Hakim eventually married Ms. El Is'vara, and while he continued to work out of New York Harbor, they bought a house on Nevis Island in the Caribbean. She died in 1993; he remarried and now lives there permanently with his wife, Francine, and two young sons.
Before 9/11 Mr. Hakim never had trouble explaining the round, knitted cap to Coast Guard officials. But when he went to renew his merchant mariner's document that served as a license last year, Coast Guard officials in New York City pointed to a federal code requiring applicants to be photographed with their heads "uncovered." The code has been in effect since at least 1994.
"That law is hard and fast," said Lt. Commander Paul E. Gerecke, chief of the Coast Guard's regional examination center. "It applies to everybody, and we enforce it uniformly. Whether you are wearing a kufi or a Mets' cap you've got to take your headdress off to have your photo taken."
Mr. Hakim refused to remove the kufi and was denied the document: a year later, he is out of work, despite attempts by Mr. Hakim's union and Senator Charles E. Schumer to question the decision. He is looking for a lawyer to take his case, he said. "I love my country," Mr. Hakim said. "He's asking me to choose between my country and my God. I can't do that."
السبت، أبريل 30، 2005
الجمعة، أبريل 29، 2005
Muslims are born as Moderates
Muslims and the War Between Two Americas
by Abid Ullah Jan
(Wednesday 06 April 2005)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
"The promotion of "moderate" Muslims is part of this extremist
tendency sweeping the United States. To demystify the myth
of "moderate" Muslims and Islam, we need to understand the ongoing
war between two Americas."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Did you ever think, who frequently use the terms "moderate" Muslims
and "moderate" Islam? "But this has nothing to do with the war
between two Americas," someone might argue.
These terms and the war between two Americas seem un-related. But it
is time we understand that these terms are the product of the
extremist trends sweeping the United States these days.
The inventors, promoters, subscribers and supporters of these terms
together constitute just a fraction of all the Muslims and non-
Muslims.
This vocal and influential minority justifies its words and deed with
the attractive slogan of fighting extremism in the Muslim World.
However, in fact, this minority is the product of extremism in the US
itself. To demystify the myth of "moderate" Muslims and Islam, we
need to understand the ongoing war between two Americas : First,
there is the America which lives by the great ideals of justice.
Second, there is the America which has succumbed to self-interest
groups. The promotion of "moderate" Muslims is part of this extremist
tendency sweeping the United States . Fighting extremism in the
Muslims world is a perfect ruse to justify and further consolidate
the extremist America .
For the extremist America of self-interest groups, there are many
voices in the United States, including Daniel Pipes and other such
neoconservatives, who are using any means necessary to sacrifice the
well-being of the United States for the promotion of the State of
Israel.
These individuals would never regard any Muslim as a moderate, unless
he or she publicly supports the state of Israel . Look at their track
record. All other factors are irrelevant.
The distinction between "moderate" and "radical" is not one that is
defined by their adherence to Islam but how much they are a threat to
the interest of the extremist America and Israel . For example, a
devout man who is fervent in all his personal rituals but do not have
any participation in the political affairs of his oppressed nation
would be a "moderate."
In contrast even a half or non-practicing Muslim with zeal to voice
his opposition to the direct and indirect occupation of his people
and land would be classified as a radical. In the current political
context, a "moderate" is one who is passive like the devout man or
active (like the neo-mods of Islam) who openly promotes the US
agenda, using Islamic interpretation or the so-called `Ijtihâd' as a
cover. This to most Muslims is like a see-through dress!
Hence the distinction is not one of academic but purely political,
driven by ulterior motive and sustained by Islamophobia. The phobia
can be judged from the fact that even legal activities of Muslims,
labeled as Islamists, are now presented as a "challenge"[1] and,
hence, unacceptable and threat. The extreme of hatred is evident from
first dubbing Muslims as "Islamists" and then equating them with
Nazis.[2] This extremism goes on to consider Islam as an evil[3] and
calling Mohammed (PBUH) a terrorist.[4]
Another manifestation of this extremism lies in leading news papers
like the New York Times' attempts at making its readers believe: "Red
Menace is Gone, But Here is Islam,"[5] and Los Angeles Times making
the public read: "Islam's outdated domination theology" needs to be
defeated to "give peace a chance."[6]
This extremist trend considers extremist as moderation. For example
if someone decided to suspend the Hudud (penal code), he
becomes "moderate" and "enlightened" in the view of Islamophobes
(best described by the term anti-Islam, fanatical Nazis). In fact,
such a Muslims is not a moderate but an extremist.
Those who support these Muslim extremists are Nazi ¾ a suitable title
for them since Nazism evolved in European culture and non-Muslims
practiced it. Nazism, fascism, communism, etc are totally alien to
ISLAM. They are Nazi by their open double standards and intolerance
of others, this is why they have an election with party and one
single agenda then calls it democracy!
To the contrary, so-called extremism in the Muslim world is not the
result of Muslims' faith or baseless invention of "extremists." It is
a function of the oppressed and dispossessed for lack of a central
authority to control and channel the energies of these people into
productive activities. It is naive to suggest that a few ill-
informed "moderate" INDIVIDIUALS or puppet regimes, such as that of
dictator Musharraf, can emulate the abilities of an entire central
authority, i.e. the Islamic State.
The "moderates" who are confused in their thoughts get further
confused about their identity when when argument from some leading
self-proclaimed "moderates" is rejected as "reformist apologetic"[7]
and the others are called "Radical."[8] To the contrary, those who
are shunned even by the self-proclaimed "moderates," are presented by
the American extremist as a "practicing Muslim."[9]
In fact, these highly praised "practicing" Muslims believe that "an
uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final manifesto of God" is
one of the "disturbing cornerstones of Islam."[10]
It is ironic that these "moderate" and "practicing" Muslims like
Irshad Manji turn around and call other self-proclaimed "moderates"
as "so-called moderates" and equate them with "fundamentalists" for
sharing a "sense of spiritual supremacy"[11] with
other "fundamentalists."
Two opposing factors clear this confusion. The first is the clear
commands for Muslims to be moderate by default.[12] Being moderate is
a prerequisite. It is not an identity label for a specific kind of
Muslims. Accordingly, the most perfect moderates are those who most
seriously live by the Qur'an and Sunnah. Accordingly, Muslims cannot
be part time or partial Muslims to be moderate by virtue of rejecting
part of the Qur'an and accepting part of it (Al-Qur'an 2:85).[13]
The second factor is in total contrast to what the Qur'an says the
Muslims should be. This factor is the insistence on the part of the
American extremists, the standard-setters for "moderates" that strong
belief in the totality of the Qur'an makes Muslims "Islamists,"
and "extremists."[14] Accordingly, the most partial believers of the
Qur'an become the most perfect "moderates" because promoters
of "moderate" Muslims believe they "are absolutely at war with the
vision of life that is prescribed to all Muslims in the Koran."[15]
"Moderates" are thus required to totally reject parts of the Qur'an,
such as rejection of the clear commands about inheritance (Al-Qur'an
4:11-14, 4:33, 4:176), court testimony (Al-Qur'an 2:282) and even
Riba (Al-Qur'an 2:275-76, 278-79; 3:130; 4:161; 30:39). The extremist
Americans publicly say that "the fundamentals of Islam are a threat
to us." The covert Islamophobes (read anti-Islam Nazis) keep this
little secret to themselves for the sake of diplomacy. It clearly
shows that the extremists do not want the "moderates" they support to
follow fundamentals of Islam.
The above examples lead us to see the self-proclaimed "moderates" in
the following forms:
I. Benighted opportunists, the neo-mods of Islam, who exploit
Islamophobes' agenda to their advantage. These include dictator
Musharraf in the circle of dictators to others in journalism,
academia and politics.
II. Secular Muslims, who have successfully reconciled themselves to
relegating Islam to a private affair and leaving the public affairs
to the state to conduct without being informed by any revelatory law
(i.e. the Shari'ah). Most of these had no problem at all in embracing
communist ideology.
III. The rejectionists: Those who are close to atheists in rejecting
the major aspects of Islam in the name of moderation.
The so-called "moderates" have mostly misunderstood Islam. Their
version of Islam involves an ill-conceived and un-Islamic mixture of
worshipping activities, rebellion against the sovereignty of Allah,
acceptance of western transactional laws, godless standards of
freedom, transactional conventions (not allowed under the Shari'ah)
and attempts at reducing Islam to yet another church (Mosque)
confined religion.
Due to elite Islamophobes' public denial of their fear of the rise of
Islam, the "moderates" are in a difficult position:
a. if they express their love for Islam or reject any standard or
moderation set by Islamophobes, they thus become suspect, resulting
in boycotting them like Tariq Ramadan, despite their claiming at the
top of their voice that they are "moderate" and they want a
moratorium on Hadud laws.
b. If they do not express their love for Islam and or do not work for
its cause, they are unlikely to receive much credence in the Muslim
community.
The new standards for "moderation" are making their lives even more
difficult because rejecting part of the Qur'an throws them out of
Islam right away, let alone their dreams of ruling the Muslim world.
But at the same time, there are yet more serious opportunist Muslims
who are ready to accept even those pre-conditions that demand them to
reject parts of the Qur'an.
Thus the struggle between the America of ideals and the extremist
America is making life hard for Muslims all over the world. Non-
Muslims are not immune to the wind they are sowing. For global peace
and security, it is imperative that both Muslims and non-Muslims
understand the extremist face of America and the minority of
extremist that is driving the world to a crisis of unprecedented
levels.
Notes:
[1]. Jim Lobe, ""Anti-Islamist" Crusader Plants New Seeds," Inter
Press Service News Agency, February 25, 2005 . URL:
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=27615
[2]. Daniel Pipes quoted in editorial of Washington Times, July 02,
2002
[3]. Some Christian leaders, including the Reverend Franklin Graham,
who gave the invocation at Bush's inauguration, have denounced Islam
as an "evil" religion.
[4]. Associate Press, "Falwell Calls Muhammad a Terrorist," October
4, 2002 , See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/04/national/04F
ALW.html? ex=1034733929&ei=1&en=6f3ed8c443977c8b.
[5]. New York Times, January 21, 1996 .
[6]. Yossi Klein Halevi, "Islam's Outdated Domination Theology," Los
Angeles Times, December 4, 2002 .
[7]. Pipes, Daniel, "The Rock Star and the Mullah, Debate: Democracy
and Islam," a PBS debate between Daniel Pipes and Muqtedir Khan.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/junoon/debate.html
[8]. Kamran Bokari strives to prove himself as a "moderate" Muslim.
Also see his write ups: `Is Democracy Kufr?' & ?What is Moderate
Islam & Who Are Moderate Muslims?' published in the December and
March 2004 issues of Q-News, respectively. However, he is not spared.
See. Denial Pipes, The US Institute of Peace Stumbles." New York Sun,
March 23, 2004 . http://www.danielpipes.org/article/1659
[9]. Irshad Manji, is promoted as the torch bearer of "moderate"
Islam. Daniel Pipes called her a "Practicing Muslim" in
his "[Moderate] Voices of Islam," New York Post, September 23, 2003 .
[10]. See, publisher's note on Irshad Manji's latest book, "The
Trouble with Islam."
[11]. Ibid. Publisher note.
[12]. Being a Muslim, one has to be moderate. See
http://icssa.org/moderate.html for details.
Also See: Sahih Bokhari, Vol 3, Book 40, Hadith # 550; Vol 4, Book
55, Hadith # 629; Vol 7, Book 70, Hadith # 577; Vol 8, Book 76,
Hadith # 470, 471 and 474 and Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Hadith Number
6243.
[13]. Qur'an also gives example of those who had accepted the
revealed books in parts ( 5:13 -14)
[14]. For example, see the preconditions for passing the test of
moderation that demand rejection of the Qur'anic view about court
testimony of a man and woman and their share in the inheritance.
Another pre-condition for "moderates" is to agree to "scholarly
inquiry into the origins of Islam."
[15]. Sam Harris, "Mired in the religious war," Washington Times,
December 02, 2004 . http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20041201-090801-
2582r.htm
>Source:
by courtesy & © 2005 Abid Ullah Jan
by Abid Ullah Jan
(Wednesday 06 April 2005)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
"The promotion of "moderate" Muslims is part of this extremist
tendency sweeping the United States. To demystify the myth
of "moderate" Muslims and Islam, we need to understand the ongoing
war between two Americas."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Did you ever think, who frequently use the terms "moderate" Muslims
and "moderate" Islam? "But this has nothing to do with the war
between two Americas," someone might argue.
These terms and the war between two Americas seem un-related. But it
is time we understand that these terms are the product of the
extremist trends sweeping the United States these days.
The inventors, promoters, subscribers and supporters of these terms
together constitute just a fraction of all the Muslims and non-
Muslims.
This vocal and influential minority justifies its words and deed with
the attractive slogan of fighting extremism in the Muslim World.
However, in fact, this minority is the product of extremism in the US
itself. To demystify the myth of "moderate" Muslims and Islam, we
need to understand the ongoing war between two Americas : First,
there is the America which lives by the great ideals of justice.
Second, there is the America which has succumbed to self-interest
groups. The promotion of "moderate" Muslims is part of this extremist
tendency sweeping the United States . Fighting extremism in the
Muslims world is a perfect ruse to justify and further consolidate
the extremist America .
For the extremist America of self-interest groups, there are many
voices in the United States, including Daniel Pipes and other such
neoconservatives, who are using any means necessary to sacrifice the
well-being of the United States for the promotion of the State of
Israel.
These individuals would never regard any Muslim as a moderate, unless
he or she publicly supports the state of Israel . Look at their track
record. All other factors are irrelevant.
The distinction between "moderate" and "radical" is not one that is
defined by their adherence to Islam but how much they are a threat to
the interest of the extremist America and Israel . For example, a
devout man who is fervent in all his personal rituals but do not have
any participation in the political affairs of his oppressed nation
would be a "moderate."
In contrast even a half or non-practicing Muslim with zeal to voice
his opposition to the direct and indirect occupation of his people
and land would be classified as a radical. In the current political
context, a "moderate" is one who is passive like the devout man or
active (like the neo-mods of Islam) who openly promotes the US
agenda, using Islamic interpretation or the so-called `Ijtihâd' as a
cover. This to most Muslims is like a see-through dress!
Hence the distinction is not one of academic but purely political,
driven by ulterior motive and sustained by Islamophobia. The phobia
can be judged from the fact that even legal activities of Muslims,
labeled as Islamists, are now presented as a "challenge"[1] and,
hence, unacceptable and threat. The extreme of hatred is evident from
first dubbing Muslims as "Islamists" and then equating them with
Nazis.[2] This extremism goes on to consider Islam as an evil[3] and
calling Mohammed (PBUH) a terrorist.[4]
Another manifestation of this extremism lies in leading news papers
like the New York Times' attempts at making its readers believe: "Red
Menace is Gone, But Here is Islam,"[5] and Los Angeles Times making
the public read: "Islam's outdated domination theology" needs to be
defeated to "give peace a chance."[6]
This extremist trend considers extremist as moderation. For example
if someone decided to suspend the Hudud (penal code), he
becomes "moderate" and "enlightened" in the view of Islamophobes
(best described by the term anti-Islam, fanatical Nazis). In fact,
such a Muslims is not a moderate but an extremist.
Those who support these Muslim extremists are Nazi ¾ a suitable title
for them since Nazism evolved in European culture and non-Muslims
practiced it. Nazism, fascism, communism, etc are totally alien to
ISLAM. They are Nazi by their open double standards and intolerance
of others, this is why they have an election with party and one
single agenda then calls it democracy!
To the contrary, so-called extremism in the Muslim world is not the
result of Muslims' faith or baseless invention of "extremists." It is
a function of the oppressed and dispossessed for lack of a central
authority to control and channel the energies of these people into
productive activities. It is naive to suggest that a few ill-
informed "moderate" INDIVIDIUALS or puppet regimes, such as that of
dictator Musharraf, can emulate the abilities of an entire central
authority, i.e. the Islamic State.
The "moderates" who are confused in their thoughts get further
confused about their identity when when argument from some leading
self-proclaimed "moderates" is rejected as "reformist apologetic"[7]
and the others are called "Radical."[8] To the contrary, those who
are shunned even by the self-proclaimed "moderates," are presented by
the American extremist as a "practicing Muslim."[9]
In fact, these highly praised "practicing" Muslims believe that "an
uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final manifesto of God" is
one of the "disturbing cornerstones of Islam."[10]
It is ironic that these "moderate" and "practicing" Muslims like
Irshad Manji turn around and call other self-proclaimed "moderates"
as "so-called moderates" and equate them with "fundamentalists" for
sharing a "sense of spiritual supremacy"[11] with
other "fundamentalists."
Two opposing factors clear this confusion. The first is the clear
commands for Muslims to be moderate by default.[12] Being moderate is
a prerequisite. It is not an identity label for a specific kind of
Muslims. Accordingly, the most perfect moderates are those who most
seriously live by the Qur'an and Sunnah. Accordingly, Muslims cannot
be part time or partial Muslims to be moderate by virtue of rejecting
part of the Qur'an and accepting part of it (Al-Qur'an 2:85).[13]
The second factor is in total contrast to what the Qur'an says the
Muslims should be. This factor is the insistence on the part of the
American extremists, the standard-setters for "moderates" that strong
belief in the totality of the Qur'an makes Muslims "Islamists,"
and "extremists."[14] Accordingly, the most partial believers of the
Qur'an become the most perfect "moderates" because promoters
of "moderate" Muslims believe they "are absolutely at war with the
vision of life that is prescribed to all Muslims in the Koran."[15]
"Moderates" are thus required to totally reject parts of the Qur'an,
such as rejection of the clear commands about inheritance (Al-Qur'an
4:11-14, 4:33, 4:176), court testimony (Al-Qur'an 2:282) and even
Riba (Al-Qur'an 2:275-76, 278-79; 3:130; 4:161; 30:39). The extremist
Americans publicly say that "the fundamentals of Islam are a threat
to us." The covert Islamophobes (read anti-Islam Nazis) keep this
little secret to themselves for the sake of diplomacy. It clearly
shows that the extremists do not want the "moderates" they support to
follow fundamentals of Islam.
The above examples lead us to see the self-proclaimed "moderates" in
the following forms:
I. Benighted opportunists, the neo-mods of Islam, who exploit
Islamophobes' agenda to their advantage. These include dictator
Musharraf in the circle of dictators to others in journalism,
academia and politics.
II. Secular Muslims, who have successfully reconciled themselves to
relegating Islam to a private affair and leaving the public affairs
to the state to conduct without being informed by any revelatory law
(i.e. the Shari'ah). Most of these had no problem at all in embracing
communist ideology.
III. The rejectionists: Those who are close to atheists in rejecting
the major aspects of Islam in the name of moderation.
The so-called "moderates" have mostly misunderstood Islam. Their
version of Islam involves an ill-conceived and un-Islamic mixture of
worshipping activities, rebellion against the sovereignty of Allah,
acceptance of western transactional laws, godless standards of
freedom, transactional conventions (not allowed under the Shari'ah)
and attempts at reducing Islam to yet another church (Mosque)
confined religion.
Due to elite Islamophobes' public denial of their fear of the rise of
Islam, the "moderates" are in a difficult position:
a. if they express their love for Islam or reject any standard or
moderation set by Islamophobes, they thus become suspect, resulting
in boycotting them like Tariq Ramadan, despite their claiming at the
top of their voice that they are "moderate" and they want a
moratorium on Hadud laws.
b. If they do not express their love for Islam and or do not work for
its cause, they are unlikely to receive much credence in the Muslim
community.
The new standards for "moderation" are making their lives even more
difficult because rejecting part of the Qur'an throws them out of
Islam right away, let alone their dreams of ruling the Muslim world.
But at the same time, there are yet more serious opportunist Muslims
who are ready to accept even those pre-conditions that demand them to
reject parts of the Qur'an.
Thus the struggle between the America of ideals and the extremist
America is making life hard for Muslims all over the world. Non-
Muslims are not immune to the wind they are sowing. For global peace
and security, it is imperative that both Muslims and non-Muslims
understand the extremist face of America and the minority of
extremist that is driving the world to a crisis of unprecedented
levels.
Notes:
[1]. Jim Lobe, ""Anti-Islamist" Crusader Plants New Seeds," Inter
Press Service News Agency, February 25, 2005 . URL:
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=27615
[2]. Daniel Pipes quoted in editorial of Washington Times, July 02,
2002
[3]. Some Christian leaders, including the Reverend Franklin Graham,
who gave the invocation at Bush's inauguration, have denounced Islam
as an "evil" religion.
[4]. Associate Press, "Falwell Calls Muhammad a Terrorist," October
4, 2002 , See http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/04/national/04F
ALW.html? ex=1034733929&ei=1&en=6f3ed8c443977c8b.
[5]. New York Times, January 21, 1996 .
[6]. Yossi Klein Halevi, "Islam's Outdated Domination Theology," Los
Angeles Times, December 4, 2002 .
[7]. Pipes, Daniel, "The Rock Star and the Mullah, Debate: Democracy
and Islam," a PBS debate between Daniel Pipes and Muqtedir Khan.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/junoon/debate.html
[8]. Kamran Bokari strives to prove himself as a "moderate" Muslim.
Also see his write ups: `Is Democracy Kufr?' & ?What is Moderate
Islam & Who Are Moderate Muslims?' published in the December and
March 2004 issues of Q-News, respectively. However, he is not spared.
See. Denial Pipes, The US Institute of Peace Stumbles." New York Sun,
March 23, 2004 . http://www.danielpipes.org/article/1659
[9]. Irshad Manji, is promoted as the torch bearer of "moderate"
Islam. Daniel Pipes called her a "Practicing Muslim" in
his "[Moderate] Voices of Islam," New York Post, September 23, 2003 .
[10]. See, publisher's note on Irshad Manji's latest book, "The
Trouble with Islam."
[11]. Ibid. Publisher note.
[12]. Being a Muslim, one has to be moderate. See
http://icssa.org/moderate.html for details.
Also See: Sahih Bokhari, Vol 3, Book 40, Hadith # 550; Vol 4, Book
55, Hadith # 629; Vol 7, Book 70, Hadith # 577; Vol 8, Book 76,
Hadith # 470, 471 and 474 and Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Hadith Number
6243.
[13]. Qur'an also gives example of those who had accepted the
revealed books in parts ( 5:13 -14)
[14]. For example, see the preconditions for passing the test of
moderation that demand rejection of the Qur'anic view about court
testimony of a man and woman and their share in the inheritance.
Another pre-condition for "moderates" is to agree to "scholarly
inquiry into the origins of Islam."
[15]. Sam Harris, "Mired in the religious war," Washington Times,
December 02, 2004 . http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20041201-090801-
2582r.htm
>Source:
by courtesy & © 2005 Abid Ullah Jan
Remind the Believers, because Reminding Benefits them
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Forty Hadith Qudsi
Introduction
The following is a collection of 40 Hadith Qudsi. But what is Hadith Qudsi and how do they differ from other Hadith? The following discussion is given in the introduction to the book titled "Forty Hadith Qudsi" published by: Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, Islamic Translation Center, P.O.Box 38130, Aldahieh, Kuwait.
Hadith Qudsi are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as revealed to him by the Almighty Allah. Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are so named because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are Prophetic Hadith, their authority (Sanad) is traced back not to the Prophet but to the Almighty.
Among the many definitions given by the early scholars to Sacred Hadith is that of as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani (died in 816 A.H.) in his lexicon At-Tarifat where he says: "A Sacred Hadith is, as to the meaning, from Allah the Almighty; as to the wording, it is from the messenger of Allah (PBUH). It is that which Allah the Almighty has communicated to His Prophet through revelation or in dream, and he, peace be upon him, has communicated it in his own words. Thus Qur'an is superior to it because, besides being revealed, it is His wording."
Hadith Collection
Hadith Qudsi 1:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 2:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah Almighty has said:
The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And he reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, it is his saying: He will not remake me as He made me at first (1) - and the initial creation [of him] is no easier for Me than remaking him. As for his reviling Me, it is his saying: Assah has taken to Himself a son, while I am the One, the Everlasting Refuge. I begot not nor was I begotten, and there is none comparable to Me.
(1) i.e., bring me back to life after death.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 3:
On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhaniyy (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars.
(2) The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This Hadith draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things.
It is related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 4:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
Sons of Adam inveigh against [the vicissitudes of] Time, and I am Time, in My hand is the night and the day (1).
(1) As the Almighty is the Ordainer of all things, to inveigh aginst misfortunes that are part of Time is tantamount to inveighing against Him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).
Hadith Qudsi 5:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (glorified and exalted be He) said:
I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.
It was related by Muslim (also by Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 6:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 7:
On the authority of Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
Your Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain crag, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah (glorified and exalted be He) say: Look at this servant of Mine, he gives the call to prayer and performs the prayers; he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant [his sins] and have admitted him to Paradise.
It was related by an-Nasa'i with a good chain of authorities.
Hadith Qudsi 8:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2) He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din (5), Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in (6), He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin (7), He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
(1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.
(2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah.
(3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."
(4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate".
(5) "Master of the Day of Judgement".
(6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help".
(7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray".
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 9:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
The fist of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad).
Hadith Qudsi 10:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
Fasting is Mine and it I who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy whin he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 11:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).
Hadith Qudsi 12:
On the authority of Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
A man from among those who were before you was called to account. Nothing in the way of good was found for him except that he used to have dealings with people and, being well-to-do, he would order his servants to let off the man in straitened circumstances [from repaying his debt]. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said that Allah said: We are worthier than you of that (of being so generous). Let him off.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 13:
On the authority of Adiyy ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I was with the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there came to him two men: one of them was complaining of penury (being very poor), while the other was complaining of brigandry (robbery). The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: As for brigandry, it will be but a short time before a caravan will [be able to] go out of Mecca without a guard. As for penury, the Hour (Day of Judgement) will not arrive before one of you takes his charity around without finding anyone to accept it from him. Then (1) one of you will surely stand before Allah, there being no screed between Him and him, nor an interpreter to translate for him. Then He will say to him: Did I not bring you wealth? And he will say: Yes. Then He will say: Did I not send to you a messenger? And he will say: Yes. And he will look to his right and will see nothing but Hell-fire, then he will look to his left and will see nothing but Hell-fire, so let each of you protect himself against Hell-fire, be it with even half a date - and if he finds it not, then with a kind word.
(1) i.e. at the time of the Hour. It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 14:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has supernumerary angels who rove about seeking out gatherings in which Allah's name is being invoked: they sit with them and fold their wings round each other, fillin that which is between them and between the lowest heaven. When [the people in the gathering] depart, [the angels] ascend and rise up to heaven. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h.) said: Then Allah (mighty and sublime be He) asks them - [though] He is most knowing about them: From where have you come? And they say: We have come from some servants of Yours on Earth: they were glorifying You (Subhana llah), exalting you (Allahu akbar), witnessing that there is no god but You (La ilaha illa llah), praising You (Al-Hamdu lillah), and asking [favours] of You. He says: And what do they ask of Me? They say: They ask of You Your Paradise. He says: And have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, O Lord. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Paradise! They say: And they ask protection of You. He says: From what do they ask protection of Me? They say: From Your Hell-fire, O Lord. He says: And have they seen My Hell-fire? They say: NO. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Hell-fire: They say: And they ask for Your forgiveness. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: Then He says: I have forgiven them and I have bestowed upon them what they have asked for,and I have granted them sanctuary from that from which they asked protection. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: They say: O Lord, among then is So-and-so, a much sinning servant, who was merely passing by and sat down with them. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: And He says: And to him [too] I have given forgiveness: he who sits with such people shall not suffer.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 15:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah the Almighty said:
I am as My servant thinks I am (1). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
(1) Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: "I am as My servant expects Me to be". The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance by the Almighty is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Almighty.
It was related by al-Buhkari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 16:
On the authority of son of Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), among the sayings he related from his Lord (glorified and exalted be He) is that He said:
Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it [by saying that] he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 17:
On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:
O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 18:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection:
O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink whin You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.
It was related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 19:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Pride is my cloak and greatness My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Abu Dawud (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad) with sound chains of authority. This Hadith also appears in Muslim in another version.
Hadith Qudsi 20:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled.
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik and Abu Dawud).
Hadith Qudsi 21:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said that Allah the Almighty said:
There are three (1) whose adversary I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a man who has given his word by Me and has broken it; a man who has sold a free man (2) and has consumed the price; and a man who has hired a workman, has exacted his due in full from him and has not given him his wage.
(1) i.e. types of men.
(2) i.e. a man who has made a slave of another and has sold him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad ibn Hanbal).
Hadith Qudsi 22:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Let not any one of you belittle himself. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how can any one of us belittle himself? He said: He finds a matter concerning Allah about which he should say something, and he does not say [it], so Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says to him on the Day of Resurrection: What prevented you from saying something about such-and-such and such-and-such? He say: [It was] out of fear of people. Then He says: Rather it is I whom you should more properly fear.
It was related by Ibn Majah with a sound chain of authorities.
Hadith Qudsi 23:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection:
Where are those who love one another through My glory? Today I shall give them shade in My shade, it being a day when there is no shade but My shade.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik).
Hadith Qudsi 24:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (on whom be peace) and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So Gabriel loves him. Then he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant [of His], He calls Gabriel and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Gabriel abhors him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, Malik, and at-Tirmidhi).
Hadith Qudsi 25:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 26:
On the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favour is a believer who is of meagre means and much given to prayer, who has been particular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly (1), who was obscure among people and not pointed our, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (pbuh) rapped his hand and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant.
(1) i.e. he has not been ostentatious in his obedience.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Majah). Its chain of authorities is sound.
Hadith Qudsi 27:
On the authority of Masruq, who said:
We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169). He said: We asked about that and the Prophet (pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them (1) and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be.
(1) i.e. at those who had been killed in the cause of Allah.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 28:
On the authority of Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me; I have forbidden him Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 29:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
My faithful servant's reward from Me, if I have taken to Me his best friend from amongst the inhabitants of the world and he has then borne it patiently for My sake, shall be nothing less than Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 30:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
If My servant likes to meet Me, I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him. Prophetic explanation of this Sacred Hadith: He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah dislikes to meet him. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Prophet of Allah, is it because of the dislike of death, for all of us dislike death? The Prophet (pbuh) said: It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah's mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and Allah likes to meet him; but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah's punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah dislikes to meet him.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Malik. The Prophetic version is related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 31:
On the authority of Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) related:
A man said: By Allah, Allah will not forgive So-and-so. At this Allah the Almighty said: Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive So-and-so? Verily I have forgiven So-and-so and have nullified your [own good] deeds (1) (or as he said [it]).
(1) A similar Hadith, which is given by Abu Dawud, indicates that the person referred to was a goldly man whose previous good deeds were brought to nought through presuming to declare that Allah would not forgive someone's bad deeds.
It was related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 32:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What induced you to do what you did? He said: Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You) and because of that He forgave him.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 33:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH), from among the things he reports from his Lord (mighty and sublime be He), is that he said:
A servant [of Allah's] committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari).
Hadith Qudsi 34:
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: Allah the Almighty said:
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.
Hadith Qudsi 35:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).
In a version by Muslim the Hadith ends with the words:
And thus He continues till [the light of] dawn shines.
Hadith Qudsi 36:
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the talking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will fell ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and HE will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Quran has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 37:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, not has it occurred to human heart. Thus recite if you wish (1): And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden (Quran Chapter 32 Verse 17).
(1) The words "Thus recite if you wish" are those of Abu Harayrah.
It was related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.
Hadith Qudsi 38:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Gabriel to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to Him and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship (1). Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he fount that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it.
(1) The Arabic word used here is "makarih", the literal meaning of which is "things that are disliked". In this context it refers to forms of religious discipline that man usually finds onerous.
It was related by Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and sound Hadith (also by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 39:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Paradise and Hell-fire disputed together, and Hell-fire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the weak and the poor. So Allah judged between them, [saying]: You are Paradise, My mercy; through you I show mercy to those I wish. And you are Hell-fire, My punishment; through you I punish those I wish, and it is incumbent upon Me that each of you shall have its fill.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi).
Hadith Qudsi 40:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).
Sent In By: Laila Sultan
The Barakah and Blessings of Bismillah.....
WHEN BISMILLAH WAS REVEALED ...
Sayyidina Jaabir (RA) is reported to have said that when Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem revealed, the clouds gave way by moving to the East, the winds ceased blowing, the oceans became calm, the creatures prepared themselves to listen, the shaytaan got pelted with fire from the heavens and Allah Ta'ala, swearing an oath by His honour, declared: Anyone who says this name of mine (ie. Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem) upon anything, I will surely impart barakah in that thing, (Durre Manthoor and Ibne Katheer)
BISMILLAH BEFORE WAHEE
In Durre Manthoor Sayyidina Ibne Umar (RA) is reported as saying that surely, whenever Jibreel (AS) used to bring wahee to Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam), he used to first recite Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem .
The reason for the above is as follows: in Bismillah there are three names of Allah:
(1) Allah which is His personal name indicating that all projects can only be initiated by the will and wish of Allah.
(2) Rahmaan (Kind) which is His attributive name indicating that only Allah can keep that project intact and existent (guarding it against destruction).
(3) Raheem(Most Merciful) which is also His attributive name indicating that only Allah can,through His mercy and grace, enable any person to derive benefit from that project.
This clearly proves that any project begun with Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem will be granted barakah and blessings from the beginning till the end.
BISMILLAH BEFORE DOING ANYTHING
It is for this reason that Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi- wasallam) used to recite Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem before doing any work. And he (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) also advised the Ummah to do the same. For example, reading it before shutting the door for the night, before putting out the light, before taking meals, before drinking water, before boarding a conveyance, and when alighting any conveyance.
REMEMBERING ALLAH THROUGH HIS THREE THOUSAND NAMES
It is mentioned in Tafseer Roohul Bayaan that Allaamah Sayyid Haqqi (RA) said that Allah Ta'ala has three thousand names. He revealed one thousand to the angels, one thousand to the ambiya(AS), three hundred are mentioned in the Toraah, three hundred in the Zaboor, three hundred in the Injeel, and ninety-nine in the Holy Qur'aan. One Name He has kept to Himself; He revealed it to no one. Also, He has condensed all His names into the three names contained in Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem. They are Allah, Rahmaan and Raheem. Any person saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem; it is as though he has remembered Allah by all His names.
BISMILLAH - A MEANS OF HIGH STATUS IN THE HEREAFTER
Rasoolullah (Sallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) is reported as saying that any du'a which is begun with is not rejected. Because of saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem the scales of my Ummah will become heavy on the Day of Qiyaamah. The other people will enquire: "Why is the virtues of the Ummate Muhammadiyyah so heavy?" Their prophets will say: "In the utterances of the Ummate Muhammadiyyah there is such an honourable name of Allah that if it is placed on the one side of the scale, and the sins of the entire creation is put onto the other side then the side with the virtue will be heavier.
A HADEETHE QUDSI
Rasoolullah (Saliallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said that Sayyidina Jibreel made mention of this Hadeeth under oath that he heard it from Sayyidina Mika'il(AS) under oath who in turn heard it from Sayyidina Israfeel (AS) under oath that Allah Ta'ala said: "By my honour, grace and grandeur, whoever reads Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem and Soorah Faatihah jointly once, then you be witness that I shall not burn his tongue and I will save him from the Fire as well as the punishment of the grave and the day of Qiyaamah.
Note: Reading Bismillah and Sooratul Faatihah jointly means to read it as follows:
Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem mil hamdu lillaahi rabbil aalameen.....
SAYING BISMILLAH BEFORE WUDHU
Rasoolullah (Sallailaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said: "One who does not say Bismillah before wudhu, his wudhu is incomplete." (Tirmizi). It is reported from Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (RA) that anyone who does not say Bismillah before wudhu, only the sins committed by the limbs which are washed in wudhu will be washed away; and one who says Bismillah before wudhu, the sins of the entire body will be washed away. (Mishkaat)
SAYING BISMILLAH BEFORE MEALS
Sayyidina Umar Ibne Abee Salmah (RA) reports that Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said to me: "Say Bismillah and eat with your right hand the food that is in front of you." (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi)
Whoever used to eat without saying Bismillah, Rasoolullah(Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) used to hold his hand and urge him to say Bismillah. (Zaadul Ma'aad,Uswah-e-Rasoole Akram).
The Ulama have said that it is preferable to say the Bismillah aloud so that it is a reminder for those who forget. Also, Ibne Habbaan is reported as saying that if Bismillah is said prior to utilising any bounty of Allah and Alhamdu- lillah is said after utilising it, the user will not be asked to the give accountability for that bounty on the Day of Qiyamah.
WHEN UNDRESSING
Sayyidina Anas (RA) reports from Rasoolullah (Sallallaa- hu-alayhi-wasallam) that when a person undresses for the purpose of either relieving himself or bathing or having relations with his spouse then the shaytaan interferes and plays with his or her private parts. But if he or she says Bismillah before taking off the clothes, then this serves as a barrier and safety against the shaytaan and jinn. (Tirmizi)
OTHER WONDERS OF BISMILLAH
Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) is reported as saying that as long as people keep on saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem it will be a means of safeguarding them against sicknesses; a means of granting riches to the destitute; a means of freedom against the Fire; a means of safeguard against being swallowed by the earth; a means of safety against faces becoming distorted; and a means of safety from stones raining down from the heavens. (Ghunyatut Taalibeen Page 157)
Source:Bismillah and it's Blessings (Islamic Publications)
Sent In By: Simple Beautiful
The Worst Evil Deeds of Those Who Will Remain Forever in Hell
The Qur'aan speaks at length of the evil deeds for which those who will abide in the Hell forever deserve their never-ending fate. Here we will mention the most serious of them.
(1) Kufr and Shirk: Allaah (swt) tells us that it will be said to those who disbelieved, when they are in the Fire, that Allaah's hatred of them will be greater than their own hatred towards themselves because of their disbelief. Then He explains that their eternal fate in Hell is because of their kufr and shirk:
"The unbelievers will be addressed: "Greater was the aversion of Allaah to you than [is] your aversion to yourselves, seeing that you were called to the Faith but you used to refuse. They will say, "Our Rabb! Twice have You made us without life, and twice have You given us life! Now have we recognised our sins: is there any way out [of this]?" [The answer will be]: "This is because, when Allaah was invoked as the Only [object of worship] you did reject Faith, but when partners were joined to Him, you believed! The Command is only with Allaah, All-High, All-Great!" (40:10-12)
Allaah (swt) tells us that the keeper of Hell will ask the kuffaar as they are approaching Hell:
"Did there not come to you your messengers with clear signs?" (40:50)
The response will be that they deserved Hell because they disbelieved in the Messengers and their Message:
"They will say, "Yes indeed; a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him" and said: "Allaah never sent down any [Message] you are in nothing but a great error!" (67:9)
Concerning those who disbelieved in the Qur'aan, Allaah (swt) says:
"for We have sent you a Message from Our own presence. If any do turn away therefrom, verily they will bear a burden on the Day of Judgement. They will abide in this [state] and grievous will that burden be to them on that Day". (20:99-101)
Concerning those who disbelieve the Qur'aan and associate partners with Allaah (swt), Allaah (swt) says:
"Those who reject the Book and the [Revelations] with which We sent Our Messengers: but soon shall they know, when the yokes [shall be] round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along. In the boiling fetid fluid, then in the Fire shall they be burned. Then shall it be said to them, "Where are the deities to which you gave part-worship in derogation to Allaah? They will reply: "They have left us in the lurch. Nay, we invoked not, of old, anything [that had real existence]." Thus does Allaah leave the unbelievers to stray. That was because you were want to rejoice on the earth in things other than the Truth, and that you were want to be ignorant. Enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein and evil is [this] abode of the arrogant". (40:70-76)
Concerning those kuffaar and mushrikeen who regarded their gods as equal to the Rabb of the Worlds, Allaah (swt) says:
"Then they will be thrown headlong into the [Fire] - they and those straying in Evil and the whole hosts of Iblees together. They will say there in their mutual bickerings: "By Allaah, we were truly in an error manifest, when we held you [false gods] as equals with the Rabb of the Worlds" (26:94-98)
Concerning the fate on the Day of Judgement of those who disbelieved, Allaah said:
"If you do marvel [at their want of faith] strange is their saying: "When we are [actually] dust, shall we indeed then be a creation renewed?" They are those who disbelieve in their Rabb! They are those around whose necks will be yokes [of servitude]. They will be Companions of the Fire to dwell therein [for aye]!" (13:5)
"..their abode will be Hell; every time it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire. That is their recompense, because they rejected Our Signs and said, "When we are reduced to bones and broken fragments, should we really be raised up [to be] a new creation?" (17:97-98)
(2) Failing to fulfill the legislated duties, as well as denying the Day of Judgement. Allaah (swt) tells us that the people of Paradise will ask the people of Hell:
"What led you into Hellfire?" (74:42)
They will reply: "..We were not of those who prayed, Nor were we of those who fed the indigent, But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers, And we used to deny the Day of Judgement, Until there came to us [the Hour] that is certain." (74:43-47)
(3) Obeying the misguided leaders of kufr and accepting the principles by means of which they mislead people and turn them away from the religion of Allaah (swt) as taught by the Prophets:
"And We have destined for them intimate companions [of like nature] who made alluring to them what was before them and what was behind them. And the Sentence among the previous generations of jinns and men who have passed away, is proved against them; for they are utterly lost. The unbelievers say: "Listen not to this Qur'aan but talk at random in the midst of its [reading] that you may gain the upper hand!" But We shall certainly give the unbelievers a taste of a severe penalty, and We shall requite them the worst of their deeds. Such is the requital of the enemies of Allaah - the Fire, therein will be for them the eternal home, a [fit] requital for that they used to reject Our Signs" (41:25-28)
When the kuffaar are thrown into Hell they will be filled with regret for having disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger and having followed their masters and leaders:
"Verily Allaah has cursed the unbelievers and has prepared for them a blazing Fire, to dwell therein; no protector will they find, nor helper. The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allaah and obeyed the Messenger". And they would say, "Our Rabb! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones and they misled us as from the [Right] Path". (33:64-67)
(4) Hypocrisy
Allaah promised Hell to the hypocrites, a promise that He has taken upon Himself to never break:
"Allaah has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the rejecters of Faith, the fire of Hell, therein shall they dwell. Sufficient is it for them. For them is the curse of Allaah and an enduring punishment." (9:68)
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He has told us that the position of the hypocrites is the lowest level of Hell, which si where the heat and agony are most intense:
"The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them". (4:145)
(5) Arrogance:
This is a quality shared by most of the people of Hell. Allaah (swt) says:
"But those who reject Our Signs and treat them with arrogance - they are the Companions (dwellers) of the Fire, to dwell therein [forever]" (7:36)
Muslim devoted a chapter of his Saheeh to this issue, entitled Baab an-Naar Yadhkhulha al-Jabbaaroon wal-Jannah yadkhuluha ad-du'afaa (Hell will be entered by the arrogant and Paradise will be entered by the weak). In this chapter he refers to the debate between Paradise and Hell, what they said and what Allaah (swt) sad to them. Muslim quotes the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (ra) which goes back to the Prophet (saw), in which it is stated that Hell said, "The arrogant and proud will enter me." According to another report, Hell said, "I will become rich (have too many) from the proud and arrogant". Allaah (swt) said, "You are My Punishment with which I will punish whomsoever I will". (Sahih Muslim, 4/2186, no. 2846)
al-Bukhaari, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report from Harithah ibn Wahb that the Messenger of Allaah (swt) said: "Shall I not tell you about the people of Paradise? Every meek person who is considered to be so humble that if he were to adjure something by Allaah (swt), He would fulfil it for him. Shall I not tell you about the people of Hell? Every haughty, greedy and proud person." (Jaami' al-Usool, 10/547, no. 8111)
According to a report given by Muslim, he (saw) said, "Every proud mean and arrogant person". This is confirmed by the Qur'aan
"Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty [i.e. arrogant]?" (39:60)
"But today shall you be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation for that you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you [ever] transgressed" (48:20)
"Then, for such as had transgressed all bounds, and had preferred the life of this world, the Abode will be Hellfire" (79:37-39)
Evil Deeds that Lead One to Hell
Sheikh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah (swt) have mercy on him, was asked: "What are the deeds of the people of Hell and what are the deeds of the people of Paradise?" He replied, "The deeds of the people of Hell are:
* associating partners in worship with Allaah (swt)
* disbelieving in His Messenger
* kufr (ingratitude, disbelief)
* hasad (malicious envy)
* lying
* treachery
* oppression and wrongdoing (dhulm)
* promiscuity
* backstabbing
* cutting off the ties of kinship
* cowardice at the time of jihaad
* miserliness
* inconsistency between what is in one's heart and the face one shows to people
* despairing of the mercy of Allaah (swt)
* feeling secure from the plan of Allaah (swt)
* panicking blindly at the time of crisis
* pride and extravagance at the time of plenty
* abandoning one's duties towards Allaah (swt)
* transgressing His limits
* violating His sanctity
* fearing a created being instead of the Creator
* showing off
* going against the Qur'aan and Sunnah in word or deed
* obeying a created being in some act of disobedience to the Creator
* blindly supporting falsehood
* mocking the signs of Allaah (swt)
* rejecting the truth
* withholding knowledge and testimony that should be revealed
* witchcraft and magic
* disobeying one's parents
* killing any soul forbidden by Allaah (swt) except for reasons of justice
* consuming the wealth of the orphan
* riba (usury)
* desertion from the battlefield
* slandering the reputation of innocent, chaste, believing women" (Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibar, p.222)
The Messenger of Allaah (saw) mentioned all the sins that will lead one to Hell. Muslim reports from 'Iyadh bin Himaar that the Messenger of Allaah (saw) said, during a lengthy khutbah:
"..the people of Hell are five: the weak who lack the power to (avoid evil); the (carefree) who pursue (everything irrespective of whether it is good or evil) and who have no concern for their families or their wealth; the dishonest people whose greed cannot be concealed even in the case of minor things; and those who betray you, morning and evening, with regard to your family and your property. He also mentioned misers, liars and those who are in the habit of abusing people and using obscene, foul language". (Muslim in Kitaab al-Jannah wa Sifaat Na'imihaa Baab as-Sifaat allaatee yu'raf bihaa fid-dunyaa ahl al-Jannah wa ahl an-Naar, 4/2197 no. 2865)
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رافع عبد الرحمن
Forty Hadith Qudsi
Introduction
The following is a collection of 40 Hadith Qudsi. But what is Hadith Qudsi and how do they differ from other Hadith? The following discussion is given in the introduction to the book titled "Forty Hadith Qudsi" published by: Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, Islamic Translation Center, P.O.Box 38130, Aldahieh, Kuwait.
Hadith Qudsi are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as revealed to him by the Almighty Allah. Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are so named because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are Prophetic Hadith, their authority (Sanad) is traced back not to the Prophet but to the Almighty.
Among the many definitions given by the early scholars to Sacred Hadith is that of as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani (died in 816 A.H.) in his lexicon At-Tarifat where he says: "A Sacred Hadith is, as to the meaning, from Allah the Almighty; as to the wording, it is from the messenger of Allah (PBUH). It is that which Allah the Almighty has communicated to His Prophet through revelation or in dream, and he, peace be upon him, has communicated it in his own words. Thus Qur'an is superior to it because, besides being revealed, it is His wording."
Hadith Collection
Hadith Qudsi 1:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 2:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah Almighty has said:
The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And he reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, it is his saying: He will not remake me as He made me at first (1) - and the initial creation [of him] is no easier for Me than remaking him. As for his reviling Me, it is his saying: Assah has taken to Himself a son, while I am the One, the Everlasting Refuge. I begot not nor was I begotten, and there is none comparable to Me.
(1) i.e., bring me back to life after death.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 3:
On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhaniyy (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars.
(2) The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This Hadith draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things.
It is related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 4:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
Sons of Adam inveigh against [the vicissitudes of] Time, and I am Time, in My hand is the night and the day (1).
(1) As the Almighty is the Ordainer of all things, to inveigh aginst misfortunes that are part of Time is tantamount to inveighing against Him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).
Hadith Qudsi 5:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (glorified and exalted be He) said:
I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.
It was related by Muslim (also by Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 6:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 7:
On the authority of Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
Your Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain crag, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah (glorified and exalted be He) say: Look at this servant of Mine, he gives the call to prayer and performs the prayers; he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant [his sins] and have admitted him to Paradise.
It was related by an-Nasa'i with a good chain of authorities.
Hadith Qudsi 8:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2) He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din (5), Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in (6), He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin (7), He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
(1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.
(2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah.
(3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."
(4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate".
(5) "Master of the Day of Judgement".
(6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help".
(7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray".
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 9:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
The fist of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad).
Hadith Qudsi 10:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
Fasting is Mine and it I who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy whin he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 11:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).
Hadith Qudsi 12:
On the authority of Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
A man from among those who were before you was called to account. Nothing in the way of good was found for him except that he used to have dealings with people and, being well-to-do, he would order his servants to let off the man in straitened circumstances [from repaying his debt]. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said that Allah said: We are worthier than you of that (of being so generous). Let him off.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 13:
On the authority of Adiyy ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I was with the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there came to him two men: one of them was complaining of penury (being very poor), while the other was complaining of brigandry (robbery). The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: As for brigandry, it will be but a short time before a caravan will [be able to] go out of Mecca without a guard. As for penury, the Hour (Day of Judgement) will not arrive before one of you takes his charity around without finding anyone to accept it from him. Then (1) one of you will surely stand before Allah, there being no screed between Him and him, nor an interpreter to translate for him. Then He will say to him: Did I not bring you wealth? And he will say: Yes. Then He will say: Did I not send to you a messenger? And he will say: Yes. And he will look to his right and will see nothing but Hell-fire, then he will look to his left and will see nothing but Hell-fire, so let each of you protect himself against Hell-fire, be it with even half a date - and if he finds it not, then with a kind word.
(1) i.e. at the time of the Hour. It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 14:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has supernumerary angels who rove about seeking out gatherings in which Allah's name is being invoked: they sit with them and fold their wings round each other, fillin that which is between them and between the lowest heaven. When [the people in the gathering] depart, [the angels] ascend and rise up to heaven. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h.) said: Then Allah (mighty and sublime be He) asks them - [though] He is most knowing about them: From where have you come? And they say: We have come from some servants of Yours on Earth: they were glorifying You (Subhana llah), exalting you (Allahu akbar), witnessing that there is no god but You (La ilaha illa llah), praising You (Al-Hamdu lillah), and asking [favours] of You. He says: And what do they ask of Me? They say: They ask of You Your Paradise. He says: And have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, O Lord. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Paradise! They say: And they ask protection of You. He says: From what do they ask protection of Me? They say: From Your Hell-fire, O Lord. He says: And have they seen My Hell-fire? They say: NO. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Hell-fire: They say: And they ask for Your forgiveness. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: Then He says: I have forgiven them and I have bestowed upon them what they have asked for,and I have granted them sanctuary from that from which they asked protection. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: They say: O Lord, among then is So-and-so, a much sinning servant, who was merely passing by and sat down with them. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: And He says: And to him [too] I have given forgiveness: he who sits with such people shall not suffer.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 15:
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah the Almighty said:
I am as My servant thinks I am (1). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
(1) Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: "I am as My servant expects Me to be". The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance by the Almighty is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Almighty.
It was related by al-Buhkari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 16:
On the authority of son of Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), among the sayings he related from his Lord (glorified and exalted be He) is that He said:
Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it [by saying that] he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 17:
On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:
O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 18:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection:
O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink whin You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.
It was related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 19:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Pride is my cloak and greatness My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Abu Dawud (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad) with sound chains of authority. This Hadith also appears in Muslim in another version.
Hadith Qudsi 20:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled.
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik and Abu Dawud).
Hadith Qudsi 21:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said that Allah the Almighty said:
There are three (1) whose adversary I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a man who has given his word by Me and has broken it; a man who has sold a free man (2) and has consumed the price; and a man who has hired a workman, has exacted his due in full from him and has not given him his wage.
(1) i.e. types of men.
(2) i.e. a man who has made a slave of another and has sold him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad ibn Hanbal).
Hadith Qudsi 22:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Let not any one of you belittle himself. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how can any one of us belittle himself? He said: He finds a matter concerning Allah about which he should say something, and he does not say [it], so Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says to him on the Day of Resurrection: What prevented you from saying something about such-and-such and such-and-such? He say: [It was] out of fear of people. Then He says: Rather it is I whom you should more properly fear.
It was related by Ibn Majah with a sound chain of authorities.
Hadith Qudsi 23:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection:
Where are those who love one another through My glory? Today I shall give them shade in My shade, it being a day when there is no shade but My shade.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik).
Hadith Qudsi 24:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (on whom be peace) and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So Gabriel loves him. Then he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant [of His], He calls Gabriel and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Gabriel abhors him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, Malik, and at-Tirmidhi).
Hadith Qudsi 25:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 26:
On the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favour is a believer who is of meagre means and much given to prayer, who has been particular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly (1), who was obscure among people and not pointed our, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (pbuh) rapped his hand and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant.
(1) i.e. he has not been ostentatious in his obedience.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Majah). Its chain of authorities is sound.
Hadith Qudsi 27:
On the authority of Masruq, who said:
We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169). He said: We asked about that and the Prophet (pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them (1) and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be.
(1) i.e. at those who had been killed in the cause of Allah.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 28:
On the authority of Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me; I have forbidden him Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 29:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
My faithful servant's reward from Me, if I have taken to Me his best friend from amongst the inhabitants of the world and he has then borne it patiently for My sake, shall be nothing less than Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.
Hadith Qudsi 30:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
If My servant likes to meet Me, I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him. Prophetic explanation of this Sacred Hadith: He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah dislikes to meet him. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Prophet of Allah, is it because of the dislike of death, for all of us dislike death? The Prophet (pbuh) said: It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah's mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and Allah likes to meet him; but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah's punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah dislikes to meet him.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Malik. The Prophetic version is related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 31:
On the authority of Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) related:
A man said: By Allah, Allah will not forgive So-and-so. At this Allah the Almighty said: Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive So-and-so? Verily I have forgiven So-and-so and have nullified your [own good] deeds (1) (or as he said [it]).
(1) A similar Hadith, which is given by Abu Dawud, indicates that the person referred to was a goldly man whose previous good deeds were brought to nought through presuming to declare that Allah would not forgive someone's bad deeds.
It was related by Muslim.
Hadith Qudsi 32:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What induced you to do what you did? He said: Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You) and because of that He forgave him.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 33:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH), from among the things he reports from his Lord (mighty and sublime be He), is that he said:
A servant [of Allah's] committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari).
Hadith Qudsi 34:
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: Allah the Almighty said:
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.
Hadith Qudsi 35:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).
In a version by Muslim the Hadith ends with the words:
And thus He continues till [the light of] dawn shines.
Hadith Qudsi 36:
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the talking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will fell ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and HE will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Quran has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 37:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, not has it occurred to human heart. Thus recite if you wish (1): And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden (Quran Chapter 32 Verse 17).
(1) The words "Thus recite if you wish" are those of Abu Harayrah.
It was related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.
Hadith Qudsi 38:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Gabriel to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to Him and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship (1). Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he fount that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it.
(1) The Arabic word used here is "makarih", the literal meaning of which is "things that are disliked". In this context it refers to forms of religious discipline that man usually finds onerous.
It was related by Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and sound Hadith (also by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i).
Hadith Qudsi 39:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Paradise and Hell-fire disputed together, and Hell-fire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the weak and the poor. So Allah judged between them, [saying]: You are Paradise, My mercy; through you I show mercy to those I wish. And you are Hell-fire, My punishment; through you I punish those I wish, and it is incumbent upon Me that each of you shall have its fill.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi).
Hadith Qudsi 40:
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).
Sent In By: Laila Sultan
The Barakah and Blessings of Bismillah.....
WHEN BISMILLAH WAS REVEALED ...
Sayyidina Jaabir (RA) is reported to have said that when Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem revealed, the clouds gave way by moving to the East, the winds ceased blowing, the oceans became calm, the creatures prepared themselves to listen, the shaytaan got pelted with fire from the heavens and Allah Ta'ala, swearing an oath by His honour, declared: Anyone who says this name of mine (ie. Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem) upon anything, I will surely impart barakah in that thing, (Durre Manthoor and Ibne Katheer)
BISMILLAH BEFORE WAHEE
In Durre Manthoor Sayyidina Ibne Umar (RA) is reported as saying that surely, whenever Jibreel (AS) used to bring wahee to Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam), he used to first recite Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem .
The reason for the above is as follows: in Bismillah there are three names of Allah:
(1) Allah which is His personal name indicating that all projects can only be initiated by the will and wish of Allah.
(2) Rahmaan (Kind) which is His attributive name indicating that only Allah can keep that project intact and existent (guarding it against destruction).
(3) Raheem(Most Merciful) which is also His attributive name indicating that only Allah can,through His mercy and grace, enable any person to derive benefit from that project.
This clearly proves that any project begun with Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem will be granted barakah and blessings from the beginning till the end.
BISMILLAH BEFORE DOING ANYTHING
It is for this reason that Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi- wasallam) used to recite Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem before doing any work. And he (sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) also advised the Ummah to do the same. For example, reading it before shutting the door for the night, before putting out the light, before taking meals, before drinking water, before boarding a conveyance, and when alighting any conveyance.
REMEMBERING ALLAH THROUGH HIS THREE THOUSAND NAMES
It is mentioned in Tafseer Roohul Bayaan that Allaamah Sayyid Haqqi (RA) said that Allah Ta'ala has three thousand names. He revealed one thousand to the angels, one thousand to the ambiya(AS), three hundred are mentioned in the Toraah, three hundred in the Zaboor, three hundred in the Injeel, and ninety-nine in the Holy Qur'aan. One Name He has kept to Himself; He revealed it to no one. Also, He has condensed all His names into the three names contained in Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem. They are Allah, Rahmaan and Raheem. Any person saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem; it is as though he has remembered Allah by all His names.
BISMILLAH - A MEANS OF HIGH STATUS IN THE HEREAFTER
Rasoolullah (Sallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) is reported as saying that any du'a which is begun with is not rejected. Because of saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem the scales of my Ummah will become heavy on the Day of Qiyaamah. The other people will enquire: "Why is the virtues of the Ummate Muhammadiyyah so heavy?" Their prophets will say: "In the utterances of the Ummate Muhammadiyyah there is such an honourable name of Allah that if it is placed on the one side of the scale, and the sins of the entire creation is put onto the other side then the side with the virtue will be heavier.
A HADEETHE QUDSI
Rasoolullah (Saliallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said that Sayyidina Jibreel made mention of this Hadeeth under oath that he heard it from Sayyidina Mika'il(AS) under oath who in turn heard it from Sayyidina Israfeel (AS) under oath that Allah Ta'ala said: "By my honour, grace and grandeur, whoever reads Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem and Soorah Faatihah jointly once, then you be witness that I shall not burn his tongue and I will save him from the Fire as well as the punishment of the grave and the day of Qiyaamah.
Note: Reading Bismillah and Sooratul Faatihah jointly means to read it as follows:
Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem mil hamdu lillaahi rabbil aalameen.....
SAYING BISMILLAH BEFORE WUDHU
Rasoolullah (Sallailaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said: "One who does not say Bismillah before wudhu, his wudhu is incomplete." (Tirmizi). It is reported from Sayyidina Abu Hurairah (RA) that anyone who does not say Bismillah before wudhu, only the sins committed by the limbs which are washed in wudhu will be washed away; and one who says Bismillah before wudhu, the sins of the entire body will be washed away. (Mishkaat)
SAYING BISMILLAH BEFORE MEALS
Sayyidina Umar Ibne Abee Salmah (RA) reports that Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) said to me: "Say Bismillah and eat with your right hand the food that is in front of you." (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi)
Whoever used to eat without saying Bismillah, Rasoolullah(Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) used to hold his hand and urge him to say Bismillah. (Zaadul Ma'aad,Uswah-e-Rasoole Akram).
The Ulama have said that it is preferable to say the Bismillah aloud so that it is a reminder for those who forget. Also, Ibne Habbaan is reported as saying that if Bismillah is said prior to utilising any bounty of Allah and Alhamdu- lillah is said after utilising it, the user will not be asked to the give accountability for that bounty on the Day of Qiyamah.
WHEN UNDRESSING
Sayyidina Anas (RA) reports from Rasoolullah (Sallallaa- hu-alayhi-wasallam) that when a person undresses for the purpose of either relieving himself or bathing or having relations with his spouse then the shaytaan interferes and plays with his or her private parts. But if he or she says Bismillah before taking off the clothes, then this serves as a barrier and safety against the shaytaan and jinn. (Tirmizi)
OTHER WONDERS OF BISMILLAH
Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wasallam) is reported as saying that as long as people keep on saying Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem it will be a means of safeguarding them against sicknesses; a means of granting riches to the destitute; a means of freedom against the Fire; a means of safeguard against being swallowed by the earth; a means of safety against faces becoming distorted; and a means of safety from stones raining down from the heavens. (Ghunyatut Taalibeen Page 157)
Source:Bismillah and it's Blessings (Islamic Publications)
Sent In By: Simple Beautiful
The Worst Evil Deeds of Those Who Will Remain Forever in Hell
The Qur'aan speaks at length of the evil deeds for which those who will abide in the Hell forever deserve their never-ending fate. Here we will mention the most serious of them.
(1) Kufr and Shirk: Allaah (swt) tells us that it will be said to those who disbelieved, when they are in the Fire, that Allaah's hatred of them will be greater than their own hatred towards themselves because of their disbelief. Then He explains that their eternal fate in Hell is because of their kufr and shirk:
"The unbelievers will be addressed: "Greater was the aversion of Allaah to you than [is] your aversion to yourselves, seeing that you were called to the Faith but you used to refuse. They will say, "Our Rabb! Twice have You made us without life, and twice have You given us life! Now have we recognised our sins: is there any way out [of this]?" [The answer will be]: "This is because, when Allaah was invoked as the Only [object of worship] you did reject Faith, but when partners were joined to Him, you believed! The Command is only with Allaah, All-High, All-Great!" (40:10-12)
Allaah (swt) tells us that the keeper of Hell will ask the kuffaar as they are approaching Hell:
"Did there not come to you your messengers with clear signs?" (40:50)
The response will be that they deserved Hell because they disbelieved in the Messengers and their Message:
"They will say, "Yes indeed; a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him" and said: "Allaah never sent down any [Message] you are in nothing but a great error!" (67:9)
Concerning those who disbelieved in the Qur'aan, Allaah (swt) says:
"for We have sent you a Message from Our own presence. If any do turn away therefrom, verily they will bear a burden on the Day of Judgement. They will abide in this [state] and grievous will that burden be to them on that Day". (20:99-101)
Concerning those who disbelieve the Qur'aan and associate partners with Allaah (swt), Allaah (swt) says:
"Those who reject the Book and the [Revelations] with which We sent Our Messengers: but soon shall they know, when the yokes [shall be] round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along. In the boiling fetid fluid, then in the Fire shall they be burned. Then shall it be said to them, "Where are the deities to which you gave part-worship in derogation to Allaah? They will reply: "They have left us in the lurch. Nay, we invoked not, of old, anything [that had real existence]." Thus does Allaah leave the unbelievers to stray. That was because you were want to rejoice on the earth in things other than the Truth, and that you were want to be ignorant. Enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein and evil is [this] abode of the arrogant". (40:70-76)
Concerning those kuffaar and mushrikeen who regarded their gods as equal to the Rabb of the Worlds, Allaah (swt) says:
"Then they will be thrown headlong into the [Fire] - they and those straying in Evil and the whole hosts of Iblees together. They will say there in their mutual bickerings: "By Allaah, we were truly in an error manifest, when we held you [false gods] as equals with the Rabb of the Worlds" (26:94-98)
Concerning the fate on the Day of Judgement of those who disbelieved, Allaah said:
"If you do marvel [at their want of faith] strange is their saying: "When we are [actually] dust, shall we indeed then be a creation renewed?" They are those who disbelieve in their Rabb! They are those around whose necks will be yokes [of servitude]. They will be Companions of the Fire to dwell therein [for aye]!" (13:5)
"..their abode will be Hell; every time it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire. That is their recompense, because they rejected Our Signs and said, "When we are reduced to bones and broken fragments, should we really be raised up [to be] a new creation?" (17:97-98)
(2) Failing to fulfill the legislated duties, as well as denying the Day of Judgement. Allaah (swt) tells us that the people of Paradise will ask the people of Hell:
"What led you into Hellfire?" (74:42)
They will reply: "..We were not of those who prayed, Nor were we of those who fed the indigent, But we used to talk vanities with vain talkers, And we used to deny the Day of Judgement, Until there came to us [the Hour] that is certain." (74:43-47)
(3) Obeying the misguided leaders of kufr and accepting the principles by means of which they mislead people and turn them away from the religion of Allaah (swt) as taught by the Prophets:
"And We have destined for them intimate companions [of like nature] who made alluring to them what was before them and what was behind them. And the Sentence among the previous generations of jinns and men who have passed away, is proved against them; for they are utterly lost. The unbelievers say: "Listen not to this Qur'aan but talk at random in the midst of its [reading] that you may gain the upper hand!" But We shall certainly give the unbelievers a taste of a severe penalty, and We shall requite them the worst of their deeds. Such is the requital of the enemies of Allaah - the Fire, therein will be for them the eternal home, a [fit] requital for that they used to reject Our Signs" (41:25-28)
When the kuffaar are thrown into Hell they will be filled with regret for having disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger and having followed their masters and leaders:
"Verily Allaah has cursed the unbelievers and has prepared for them a blazing Fire, to dwell therein; no protector will they find, nor helper. The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allaah and obeyed the Messenger". And they would say, "Our Rabb! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones and they misled us as from the [Right] Path". (33:64-67)
(4) Hypocrisy
Allaah promised Hell to the hypocrites, a promise that He has taken upon Himself to never break:
"Allaah has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the rejecters of Faith, the fire of Hell, therein shall they dwell. Sufficient is it for them. For them is the curse of Allaah and an enduring punishment." (9:68)
Sent In By: Laila Sultan
He has told us that the position of the hypocrites is the lowest level of Hell, which si where the heat and agony are most intense:
"The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them". (4:145)
(5) Arrogance:
This is a quality shared by most of the people of Hell. Allaah (swt) says:
"But those who reject Our Signs and treat them with arrogance - they are the Companions (dwellers) of the Fire, to dwell therein [forever]" (7:36)
Muslim devoted a chapter of his Saheeh to this issue, entitled Baab an-Naar Yadhkhulha al-Jabbaaroon wal-Jannah yadkhuluha ad-du'afaa (Hell will be entered by the arrogant and Paradise will be entered by the weak). In this chapter he refers to the debate between Paradise and Hell, what they said and what Allaah (swt) sad to them. Muslim quotes the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (ra) which goes back to the Prophet (saw), in which it is stated that Hell said, "The arrogant and proud will enter me." According to another report, Hell said, "I will become rich (have too many) from the proud and arrogant". Allaah (swt) said, "You are My Punishment with which I will punish whomsoever I will". (Sahih Muslim, 4/2186, no. 2846)
al-Bukhaari, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report from Harithah ibn Wahb that the Messenger of Allaah (swt) said: "Shall I not tell you about the people of Paradise? Every meek person who is considered to be so humble that if he were to adjure something by Allaah (swt), He would fulfil it for him. Shall I not tell you about the people of Hell? Every haughty, greedy and proud person." (Jaami' al-Usool, 10/547, no. 8111)
According to a report given by Muslim, he (saw) said, "Every proud mean and arrogant person". This is confirmed by the Qur'aan
"Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty [i.e. arrogant]?" (39:60)
"But today shall you be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation for that you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you [ever] transgressed" (48:20)
"Then, for such as had transgressed all bounds, and had preferred the life of this world, the Abode will be Hellfire" (79:37-39)
Evil Deeds that Lead One to Hell
Sheikh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah (swt) have mercy on him, was asked: "What are the deeds of the people of Hell and what are the deeds of the people of Paradise?" He replied, "The deeds of the people of Hell are:
* associating partners in worship with Allaah (swt)
* disbelieving in His Messenger
* kufr (ingratitude, disbelief)
* hasad (malicious envy)
* lying
* treachery
* oppression and wrongdoing (dhulm)
* promiscuity
* backstabbing
* cutting off the ties of kinship
* cowardice at the time of jihaad
* miserliness
* inconsistency between what is in one's heart and the face one shows to people
* despairing of the mercy of Allaah (swt)
* feeling secure from the plan of Allaah (swt)
* panicking blindly at the time of crisis
* pride and extravagance at the time of plenty
* abandoning one's duties towards Allaah (swt)
* transgressing His limits
* violating His sanctity
* fearing a created being instead of the Creator
* showing off
* going against the Qur'aan and Sunnah in word or deed
* obeying a created being in some act of disobedience to the Creator
* blindly supporting falsehood
* mocking the signs of Allaah (swt)
* rejecting the truth
* withholding knowledge and testimony that should be revealed
* witchcraft and magic
* disobeying one's parents
* killing any soul forbidden by Allaah (swt) except for reasons of justice
* consuming the wealth of the orphan
* riba (usury)
* desertion from the battlefield
* slandering the reputation of innocent, chaste, believing women" (Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibar, p.222)
The Messenger of Allaah (saw) mentioned all the sins that will lead one to Hell. Muslim reports from 'Iyadh bin Himaar that the Messenger of Allaah (saw) said, during a lengthy khutbah:
"..the people of Hell are five: the weak who lack the power to (avoid evil); the (carefree) who pursue (everything irrespective of whether it is good or evil) and who have no concern for their families or their wealth; the dishonest people whose greed cannot be concealed even in the case of minor things; and those who betray you, morning and evening, with regard to your family and your property. He also mentioned misers, liars and those who are in the habit of abusing people and using obscene, foul language". (Muslim in Kitaab al-Jannah wa Sifaat Na'imihaa Baab as-Sifaat allaatee yu'raf bihaa fid-dunyaa ahl al-Jannah wa ahl an-Naar, 4/2197 no. 2865)
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Shukran Jazeelan
Your Brother in Islam
رافع عبد الرحمن
الخميس، أبريل 14، 2005
Jihad - Against yourself
جهاد النفس
Jihaad an-Nafs: Striving Against the Soul
By Shaykh Hasan Ayyoob – may Allaah preserve him - from the first chapter of his book 'Fiqh al-Jihaad fil-Islaam'
(Translated by at-Tibyaan Publications)
The world, in its overwhelming majority, is encountering waves upon waves of evil and is being struck by evil passions and trials and tribulations, and it is being overtaken by various kinds of destructive evils, and it is being governed by Satanic ideas and selfish, imposing laws, and concepts that destroy all aspects of the human being that can be considered virtuous and noble. We are surrounded by an environment that has deviated from the truth, submitted to its desires and has been put to trial by its forbidden passions. And the human being inherits all that those who came before him have left for him of corruption in belief, entrenchment in misguidance, submission to the Sharee'ah of the Devil, permitting the forbidden, forbidding the permissible, and beautifying the lowest of actions and the most disgusting sins. And he is - with this - longing to satisfy his desires as he has been surrounded by the devils of the humans and Jinn.
So, he is a product of the environment, culture, upbringing, thoughts and all that he is surrounded by, and affected by; beginning with his family, his people, all the way to the general human population.
This human being, if Divine Guidance was sent down for his sake, and Allaah showed him ways of living in happiness in this life and the next, and he was given from Allaah a Book, and He favored him – by His Favor – with a Messenger to take him by the hand to that which is better and higher, and organizes the affairs of his life on the basis of justice and mercy, and saves him from everything that could be a cause of his destruction in this life and the next; if all of this occurred, then his situation would be quite different.
From the people, however, are those who have been defeated by this accumulation in evil, and are pressured by these influences, so they don't pay any attention to the religion and give it not the slightest consideration. Rather, he belittles the religion, and mocks it, and has enmity to those who call to it, and fights all those who try to change his ways and plant a pure seed in his head in place of the filthy Satanic seed that is in place.
Allaah – the Exalted – said: {"Rather! On their hearts is the black spot of the sins that they used to earn…"} [al-Mutaffifeen; 14]
And He – the Exalted – said: {"And if it is said to them 'Come to that which Allaah has revealed and to the Messenger!' they said 'What we found our fathers upon is enough for us.' Were it not that their fathers knew nothing and were not guided…"} [al-Maa'idah; 104]
And He – the Exalted – said: {"Verily, those who disbelieve will not believe whether you warn them or not."} [al-Baqarah; 6]
And yet, there is another type of person that you might see who is ready to reflect calmly and with deep insight, and remove himself from any outside influences in order to look at the issues that are important, and puts aside all that he has been fed in order for his research to be upon clarity. So if he is guided and comes to know, he turns and changes and becomes another person.
This human being struggles against (yu jaahid) his soul that commands him with evil, as well as his overwhelming passions and transgressing innate nature, deviated desires, misguided cultural practices, and bad habits.
He says: there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, certain that it means: none is rightly deserving of being served or worshipped except for Allaah, and none deserves to be submitted to or humbled before except Allaah, and none has the right to command or forbid except Allaah, and there is no legislation of laws except by Allaah, and by Him – the Exalted – the Muslim takes his steps, and with this, he submits himself to Allaah in a complete manner – in every way, shape and form – so he is called a Muslim (a submitter).
And he believes in everything that Allaah has revealed - so he is called a Mu'min (believer).
And he stands watch over the devils among the humans and Jinn, so he does not allow them to affect him – so he is called a Saabir (an endurer).
And he stops at the limits set by Allaah, and does not cross them unless in a moment of heedlessness (in which case he repents) – so he is called a Muraabit (one who guards his territory).
And he sacrifices himself and his wealth for the sake of his belief, and he lives as a fugitive who has been uprooted from his home – so he is called a Mujaahid (one who strives).
And regarding this, the Exalted says: {"And those who strive in Our cause, we will guide them to Our ways, and verily, Allaah is with those who do good."} [al-'Ankaboot; 69]
And He – the Exalted – says: {"O you who believe! Endure and be patient and guard your territory and fear Allaah so that you may be successful."} [aal-'Imraan; 200]
This kind of person, wherever he is found in a land or amongst a certain group of people, he is like a rising sun who's rays are sweet-smelling perfume; by him, the Earth is connected to the Heavens, and upon him descends the Mercy of Allaah, and surrounding him are the Angels of the Most Merciful.
He has a heart with the innocence of children, and a tongue with the purity of water from a rain cloud, and a helping hand that extends as if it was sent from Allaah, and a face that shines with the truth as if it were the morning light, and firmness upon the religion of Allaah as if he himself was a firm mountain.
If you walk with him he benefits you, and if you befriend him he serves you, and if you consult him he advises you, and if you wrong him he excuses you, and if you comfort him he thanks you, and if you are at odds with him he forgives you. Truthful; easygoing; trustworthy; he fears Allaah, so he is as Allaah says regarding him: {"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and those who are with him are harsh against the disbelievers and merciful between each other. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Favor from Allaah and His Pleasure. Their distinctive sign is the mark of prostration on their faces."} [al-Fath; 29]
And the struggle of the soul (jihaad an-nafs) is the severest type of struggle, and the hardest and longest-lasting. It is a struggle at night, and during the day; in times of hardship, in times of ease; in times of relaxation and tension. It is a struggle in your beliefs and worship and interactions; while you are secluded from the people as well as when you are mixing with them. And it is a struggle by way of remembrance, prayer, fasting, and patience – as well as all things that strengthen your soul. And it is a struggle that calls for the person to be fully awake, aware and knowledgeable of the weak points of the enemy, the strategies of the Devil, the incoming waves of falsehood, the possible entrance points of doubts and confusions, as well as knowledge of the permissible and forbidden, and the commands of Allaah and his prohibitions, etc.
And without this struggle (Jihaad) that polishes and purifies the soul, and changes everything in the life of the believer, and makes the Muslim a leader not a follower, and makes him a head and not a tail, and one who initiates change in others as opposed to one who is changed by others; without this type of struggle, a person is known simply as a Muslim – not a believer – and this is not a name that he would even be deserving of, and an outer image that does not reflect the inner truth.
And since this Muslim has given up on the struggle against his soul, he has also given up his Islaamic personality.
The struggle against the soul causes explosive changes – both internal and external – that give birth to a person that has been purified the utmost purification in comparison to the entire human race, so that the one who undergoes this change deserves to shine under the saying of Allaah:
{"You were the best nation brought out for the people."} [aal-'Imraan; 110]
Question:
I would like to let you know that I have committed most major sins and I am not saying this in order to take pride in my sins; I used to feel this before but not any longer. I have drunk wine twice in my life or perhaps three times, I don’t know.......................; I do not know is it possible that Allah repents on me and forgives me? I don’t know, I have tried to repent more than once and every time I return to the same sins to the degree that I have felt I am a hypocrite who is not afraid of death and being accounted. Sometimes I feel that Allah loves me and that I love Him, but then Satan quickly takes over my heart again. I have defeated Satan in many rounds, but he defeated me in more battles; Is it possible for me to return to Allah once again and how?
I have prayed a lot but more than that I have interrupted my prayers. My weakness has reached points a believer cannot imagine.
I have sworn upon the Holy Quran that I will stop smoking but I haven’t.
I have promised Allah Himself ................. but I have broken my promise to Allah; My will has weakened to a level that nobody can imagine after I used to have strength in performance and the ability to change my personality and my way of life;
I have become a person who does not feel the pleasure of life even though I still maintain my soul and my rounds of vice, sins, lying, cheating; so how do I get rescued?
I want to know what religious people have known but what
I haven’t. I am sure that they know something I don’t know and don’t feel, so why? This is me so what do I do to benefit me, may Allah benefit you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise be to Allah, and prayers and greetings upon our prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
The prophet (PBUH) said Allah will repent upon whoever repents before the sun rises from the west [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah]
I have read your message, and I know that nothing prevents you from repenting, even if your sins reach the sky or fill the whole earth. As long as the human is in this life, the door of repentance is open. I have noted from your letter that you are living a battle between the call of faith in your heart, and the call of desire that is guided by Satan in your heart
Praise be to Allah the Exalted who has retained in your heart some of the light of faith, which blames you for sins, and beautified good deeds to you.
But this light is weak, because the darkness of sins, which are the blowings of Satan, has weakened this light. This is why it sometimes shines, making your conscience awake a little, only to extinguish again and you return to committing sins.
I will clarify to you the illness that you are suffering from, then I will describe the treatment, so please read this with reflection and interest, may Allah benefit you from it.
Dear brother, the heart is the place of will in the human; sometimes it wants good, and sometimes evil, and the body parts are nothing but soldiers that obey the heart according to what it desires.
The difference between religious people and yourself is that the hearts of the former firmly want good, so their body parts obey this will and are thus persistent in obeying Allah the Exalted. As for yourself, your heart knows good and evil, and differentiates between good and bad deeds, but it cannot want good, so you find that it wants desires even though it knows they will harm it, so it commands the body parts so they obey it, but what is the reason?.
The reason is that the hearts that are immune to Satan easily want to do good because these hearts are healthy and strong. On the other hand, in hearts that Satan can enter and wonder in freely, Satan can easily achieve making the heart want sins, after he has made them look attractive to the heart, because the latter is ill and full of satanic germs.
For some people, Satan only briefly enters their hearts owing to the strong immunity surrounding them. For example, those who commit minor sins then quickly repent from them, and those are the ones about whom Allah (SWT) has said (interpretation of the meaning): {The pious ones, when a visitation from Satan afflicts them they become mindful, then lo! they see.}.
There are some people whom Satan never comes close to their hearts, as they are like the sky, which is guarded from devils by flames; likewise their hearts are guarded from devils.
The Prophet (PBUH) has said about this heart white like a smooth rock not harmed by temptation as long as the heavens and earth exist [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Huzaifah (RAA)]. Satan has entered the hearts of other people and has dwelled there and created a nest for himself in which he lays his eggs and hatches them. So he has controlled these hearts, commanding them to do forbidden desires, so their hearts want these desires and command their body parts to commit them and they indeed do that. This is because Satan has found hearts that have no immunity, their doors open, weak and ill owing to committing sins, and this is why Allah the Exalted has said about this type (interpretation of the meaning) {Satan has gained the mastery over them, so he has made them forget the remembrance of Allah}.
Because the zikr (remembrance) of Allah is immunity from Satan, Satan has made them forget it in order to control and drive their hearts, which their body parts will then follow.
The heart is not immunized from Satan except with the zikr of Allah the Exalted, and it does not have the strength to want good except by doing good deeds.
Satan does not defeat the heart unless it is inattentive of the zikr of
Allah the Exalted and weak because of committing sins and vice.
And now, after you have known the reason why your heart does not obey you in wanting to do good and avoid sins, and cannot preserve its righteousness, the treatment is in the following medical prescription. Take it and maintain it as its results are guaranteed -Allah willing - if you persevere it honestly:
1. Maintain the five prayers in congregation, especially the fajr prayer and never miss it. Allah the
Exalted says {and the fajr reading, for the fajr reading is witnessed} i.e. the fajr prayer is witnessed by angels.
2. After the fajr prayer remain in the mosque to read the Quran until sunrise, and then offer 2 rakas 10 minutes after sunrise.
3. Say subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (may Allah be glorified and praised) one hundred times a day at any time in the mosque or house, whether walking, sitting, in the car, etc. This zikr wipes out sins.
4. Ask forgiveness of Allah one hundred times each day, saying astaghfirullah wa atoobu ilayh (I ask forgiveness of Allah and I repent to Him), once again at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in.
5. Say this zikr: la ilaha illa Allahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahulmulku wa lahulhamdu wa howa ala kul shayin qadeer (there is no god but Allah; He has no partner; He has the possession and praise, and He is capable of everything) one hundred times each day at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be said in the mosque. The prophet (PBUH) maintained these zikrs, as they are the life of the heart and its indispensable nutrition.
6. Between Maghrib and Ishaa remain in the mosque and do not leave it, and recite as much as you can of the Quran while concentrating
7. You should totally avoid watching TV and reading magazines, and going to places where there is vice, as you are in quarantine in order to restore health to your heart, and the medicine (good deeds) will not benefit you if you induce disease (sins) into your heart during the treatment period.
8. Continue this program for at least a month: living with the Quran reciting it with consideration, and acting upon what is in it; spending time alone for long hours for the zikr of Allah the Exalted. The proof of doing this for a month is that the prophet (PBUH) ordered that by saying “Recite the Quran in a month, in 25 days, in 10 days, in 7 days” [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Ibn Omar].
9. If the environment in which you live does not support you in applying this program then change this environment: abandon bad friends, and avoid places in which you spend your free time if they encourage you to commit sins, and if you can travel to Makkah for example to follow this program then do it.
10. Donate part of your money as a form of repentance to Allah the Exalted, as secret charities are seen only by Allah the Exalted. In the authentic hadith “Secret charities extinguish the anger of the Lord” [narrated by ibn Hibban from the hadith of Anas].
11. Try to perform umrah with the intention of renewing your faith and cleansing your past with the water of this blessed trip. The prophet (PBUH) said A umrah causes forgiving of sins since the previous umrah, and an accepted hajj has no reward other than paradise [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah (RAA)].
12. If you owe anything to others return everything, and do not retain anything you will be accounted for, as a form of repentance to Allah.
13. Ask Allah every night during the sahar (prior to fajr) with this supplication Rabbi inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wa la yaghfir uzunuba illa Ant, faghfir lee maghfiratan min indik warhamni, inaka Anta Alghafoor Urraheem (My Lord, I have oppressed myself a lot and only You forgive sins, so forgive me a forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me, You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful), and also Allahuma alhimni rushdi wa qini shar nafsi(O Allah, grant me my the right way and protect me from the evil of myself), as the prophet (PBUH) taught these two to some of his companions.
In addition, perform a lot of istighfar and supplication, as the sahar is a time of acceptance of supplication.
This is your prescription, and one month is not necessarily the period required, as change might appear on you before that, or you might need more than a month in this quarantine. The goal is to expel Satan from the heart and clean his traces and dirt and the filth that he has placed there, as this is the reason behind the weakness of your heart and its incapability of wanting good and doing good deeds, and its quickness to follow desires.
So if health returns to your heart and you become fit and strong when it comes to the zikr of Allah the Exalted, immune from the cunningness of Satan, then you may slightly reduce this program to the extent that you can withstand, as the prophet (PBUH) said “You should do what you can withstand” [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Aisha (RAA)], unless you can withstand more than this, for in this case you should increase doing good as long as your heart loves good deeds.
These faithful duties are the levels as considered by Allah: the more a servant does, s/he ascends in the levels of piety. The best things to perform are what Allah has prescribed upon you (obligatory forms of worship). You will notice that things have changed in a surprising manner, as long as you maintain the prescription I have given you, and you will find yourself hating to commit sins and your heart not wanting them, looking at them with inferiority and disdain. You will also like good deeds and feel enthusiastic about them, and feel their good taste in your heart. The secret behind this change is that you have treated you heart with the zikr of Allah the Exalted and good deeds until your heart has become healthy wanting good and loving it after it was ill, wanting evil and sins and loving them. Allah, the Truth and
Exalted says (interpretation of the meaning) {but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; those are the followers of the right way).
By grace from Allah and as a favor; and Allah is Most Knowing, Most Wise} and Allah knows best
http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=article&id=184
Sh. Hamed ibn Abdullah Al-Ali, who loves good for You.
Jihaad an-Nafs: Striving Against the Soul
By Shaykh Hasan Ayyoob – may Allaah preserve him - from the first chapter of his book 'Fiqh al-Jihaad fil-Islaam'
(Translated by at-Tibyaan Publications)
The world, in its overwhelming majority, is encountering waves upon waves of evil and is being struck by evil passions and trials and tribulations, and it is being overtaken by various kinds of destructive evils, and it is being governed by Satanic ideas and selfish, imposing laws, and concepts that destroy all aspects of the human being that can be considered virtuous and noble. We are surrounded by an environment that has deviated from the truth, submitted to its desires and has been put to trial by its forbidden passions. And the human being inherits all that those who came before him have left for him of corruption in belief, entrenchment in misguidance, submission to the Sharee'ah of the Devil, permitting the forbidden, forbidding the permissible, and beautifying the lowest of actions and the most disgusting sins. And he is - with this - longing to satisfy his desires as he has been surrounded by the devils of the humans and Jinn.
So, he is a product of the environment, culture, upbringing, thoughts and all that he is surrounded by, and affected by; beginning with his family, his people, all the way to the general human population.
This human being, if Divine Guidance was sent down for his sake, and Allaah showed him ways of living in happiness in this life and the next, and he was given from Allaah a Book, and He favored him – by His Favor – with a Messenger to take him by the hand to that which is better and higher, and organizes the affairs of his life on the basis of justice and mercy, and saves him from everything that could be a cause of his destruction in this life and the next; if all of this occurred, then his situation would be quite different.
From the people, however, are those who have been defeated by this accumulation in evil, and are pressured by these influences, so they don't pay any attention to the religion and give it not the slightest consideration. Rather, he belittles the religion, and mocks it, and has enmity to those who call to it, and fights all those who try to change his ways and plant a pure seed in his head in place of the filthy Satanic seed that is in place.
Allaah – the Exalted – said: {"Rather! On their hearts is the black spot of the sins that they used to earn…"} [al-Mutaffifeen; 14]
And He – the Exalted – said: {"And if it is said to them 'Come to that which Allaah has revealed and to the Messenger!' they said 'What we found our fathers upon is enough for us.' Were it not that their fathers knew nothing and were not guided…"} [al-Maa'idah; 104]
And He – the Exalted – said: {"Verily, those who disbelieve will not believe whether you warn them or not."} [al-Baqarah; 6]
And yet, there is another type of person that you might see who is ready to reflect calmly and with deep insight, and remove himself from any outside influences in order to look at the issues that are important, and puts aside all that he has been fed in order for his research to be upon clarity. So if he is guided and comes to know, he turns and changes and becomes another person.
This human being struggles against (yu jaahid) his soul that commands him with evil, as well as his overwhelming passions and transgressing innate nature, deviated desires, misguided cultural practices, and bad habits.
He says: there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, certain that it means: none is rightly deserving of being served or worshipped except for Allaah, and none deserves to be submitted to or humbled before except Allaah, and none has the right to command or forbid except Allaah, and there is no legislation of laws except by Allaah, and by Him – the Exalted – the Muslim takes his steps, and with this, he submits himself to Allaah in a complete manner – in every way, shape and form – so he is called a Muslim (a submitter).
And he believes in everything that Allaah has revealed - so he is called a Mu'min (believer).
And he stands watch over the devils among the humans and Jinn, so he does not allow them to affect him – so he is called a Saabir (an endurer).
And he stops at the limits set by Allaah, and does not cross them unless in a moment of heedlessness (in which case he repents) – so he is called a Muraabit (one who guards his territory).
And he sacrifices himself and his wealth for the sake of his belief, and he lives as a fugitive who has been uprooted from his home – so he is called a Mujaahid (one who strives).
And regarding this, the Exalted says: {"And those who strive in Our cause, we will guide them to Our ways, and verily, Allaah is with those who do good."} [al-'Ankaboot; 69]
And He – the Exalted – says: {"O you who believe! Endure and be patient and guard your territory and fear Allaah so that you may be successful."} [aal-'Imraan; 200]
This kind of person, wherever he is found in a land or amongst a certain group of people, he is like a rising sun who's rays are sweet-smelling perfume; by him, the Earth is connected to the Heavens, and upon him descends the Mercy of Allaah, and surrounding him are the Angels of the Most Merciful.
He has a heart with the innocence of children, and a tongue with the purity of water from a rain cloud, and a helping hand that extends as if it was sent from Allaah, and a face that shines with the truth as if it were the morning light, and firmness upon the religion of Allaah as if he himself was a firm mountain.
If you walk with him he benefits you, and if you befriend him he serves you, and if you consult him he advises you, and if you wrong him he excuses you, and if you comfort him he thanks you, and if you are at odds with him he forgives you. Truthful; easygoing; trustworthy; he fears Allaah, so he is as Allaah says regarding him: {"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and those who are with him are harsh against the disbelievers and merciful between each other. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Favor from Allaah and His Pleasure. Their distinctive sign is the mark of prostration on their faces."} [al-Fath; 29]
And the struggle of the soul (jihaad an-nafs) is the severest type of struggle, and the hardest and longest-lasting. It is a struggle at night, and during the day; in times of hardship, in times of ease; in times of relaxation and tension. It is a struggle in your beliefs and worship and interactions; while you are secluded from the people as well as when you are mixing with them. And it is a struggle by way of remembrance, prayer, fasting, and patience – as well as all things that strengthen your soul. And it is a struggle that calls for the person to be fully awake, aware and knowledgeable of the weak points of the enemy, the strategies of the Devil, the incoming waves of falsehood, the possible entrance points of doubts and confusions, as well as knowledge of the permissible and forbidden, and the commands of Allaah and his prohibitions, etc.
And without this struggle (Jihaad) that polishes and purifies the soul, and changes everything in the life of the believer, and makes the Muslim a leader not a follower, and makes him a head and not a tail, and one who initiates change in others as opposed to one who is changed by others; without this type of struggle, a person is known simply as a Muslim – not a believer – and this is not a name that he would even be deserving of, and an outer image that does not reflect the inner truth.
And since this Muslim has given up on the struggle against his soul, he has also given up his Islaamic personality.
The struggle against the soul causes explosive changes – both internal and external – that give birth to a person that has been purified the utmost purification in comparison to the entire human race, so that the one who undergoes this change deserves to shine under the saying of Allaah:
{"You were the best nation brought out for the people."} [aal-'Imraan; 110]
Question:
I would like to let you know that I have committed most major sins and I am not saying this in order to take pride in my sins; I used to feel this before but not any longer. I have drunk wine twice in my life or perhaps three times, I don’t know.......................; I do not know is it possible that Allah repents on me and forgives me? I don’t know, I have tried to repent more than once and every time I return to the same sins to the degree that I have felt I am a hypocrite who is not afraid of death and being accounted. Sometimes I feel that Allah loves me and that I love Him, but then Satan quickly takes over my heart again. I have defeated Satan in many rounds, but he defeated me in more battles; Is it possible for me to return to Allah once again and how?
I have prayed a lot but more than that I have interrupted my prayers. My weakness has reached points a believer cannot imagine.
I have sworn upon the Holy Quran that I will stop smoking but I haven’t.
I have promised Allah Himself ................. but I have broken my promise to Allah; My will has weakened to a level that nobody can imagine after I used to have strength in performance and the ability to change my personality and my way of life;
I have become a person who does not feel the pleasure of life even though I still maintain my soul and my rounds of vice, sins, lying, cheating; so how do I get rescued?
I want to know what religious people have known but what
I haven’t. I am sure that they know something I don’t know and don’t feel, so why? This is me so what do I do to benefit me, may Allah benefit you.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise be to Allah, and prayers and greetings upon our prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
The prophet (PBUH) said Allah will repent upon whoever repents before the sun rises from the west [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah]
I have read your message, and I know that nothing prevents you from repenting, even if your sins reach the sky or fill the whole earth. As long as the human is in this life, the door of repentance is open. I have noted from your letter that you are living a battle between the call of faith in your heart, and the call of desire that is guided by Satan in your heart
Praise be to Allah the Exalted who has retained in your heart some of the light of faith, which blames you for sins, and beautified good deeds to you.
But this light is weak, because the darkness of sins, which are the blowings of Satan, has weakened this light. This is why it sometimes shines, making your conscience awake a little, only to extinguish again and you return to committing sins.
I will clarify to you the illness that you are suffering from, then I will describe the treatment, so please read this with reflection and interest, may Allah benefit you from it.
Dear brother, the heart is the place of will in the human; sometimes it wants good, and sometimes evil, and the body parts are nothing but soldiers that obey the heart according to what it desires.
The difference between religious people and yourself is that the hearts of the former firmly want good, so their body parts obey this will and are thus persistent in obeying Allah the Exalted. As for yourself, your heart knows good and evil, and differentiates between good and bad deeds, but it cannot want good, so you find that it wants desires even though it knows they will harm it, so it commands the body parts so they obey it, but what is the reason?.
The reason is that the hearts that are immune to Satan easily want to do good because these hearts are healthy and strong. On the other hand, in hearts that Satan can enter and wonder in freely, Satan can easily achieve making the heart want sins, after he has made them look attractive to the heart, because the latter is ill and full of satanic germs.
For some people, Satan only briefly enters their hearts owing to the strong immunity surrounding them. For example, those who commit minor sins then quickly repent from them, and those are the ones about whom Allah (SWT) has said (interpretation of the meaning): {The pious ones, when a visitation from Satan afflicts them they become mindful, then lo! they see.}.
There are some people whom Satan never comes close to their hearts, as they are like the sky, which is guarded from devils by flames; likewise their hearts are guarded from devils.
The Prophet (PBUH) has said about this heart white like a smooth rock not harmed by temptation as long as the heavens and earth exist [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Huzaifah (RAA)]. Satan has entered the hearts of other people and has dwelled there and created a nest for himself in which he lays his eggs and hatches them. So he has controlled these hearts, commanding them to do forbidden desires, so their hearts want these desires and command their body parts to commit them and they indeed do that. This is because Satan has found hearts that have no immunity, their doors open, weak and ill owing to committing sins, and this is why Allah the Exalted has said about this type (interpretation of the meaning) {Satan has gained the mastery over them, so he has made them forget the remembrance of Allah}.
Because the zikr (remembrance) of Allah is immunity from Satan, Satan has made them forget it in order to control and drive their hearts, which their body parts will then follow.
The heart is not immunized from Satan except with the zikr of Allah the Exalted, and it does not have the strength to want good except by doing good deeds.
Satan does not defeat the heart unless it is inattentive of the zikr of
Allah the Exalted and weak because of committing sins and vice.
And now, after you have known the reason why your heart does not obey you in wanting to do good and avoid sins, and cannot preserve its righteousness, the treatment is in the following medical prescription. Take it and maintain it as its results are guaranteed -Allah willing - if you persevere it honestly:
1. Maintain the five prayers in congregation, especially the fajr prayer and never miss it. Allah the
Exalted says {and the fajr reading, for the fajr reading is witnessed} i.e. the fajr prayer is witnessed by angels.
2. After the fajr prayer remain in the mosque to read the Quran until sunrise, and then offer 2 rakas 10 minutes after sunrise.
3. Say subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (may Allah be glorified and praised) one hundred times a day at any time in the mosque or house, whether walking, sitting, in the car, etc. This zikr wipes out sins.
4. Ask forgiveness of Allah one hundred times each day, saying astaghfirullah wa atoobu ilayh (I ask forgiveness of Allah and I repent to Him), once again at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in.
5. Say this zikr: la ilaha illa Allahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahulmulku wa lahulhamdu wa howa ala kul shayin qadeer (there is no god but Allah; He has no partner; He has the possession and praise, and He is capable of everything) one hundred times each day at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be said in the mosque. The prophet (PBUH) maintained these zikrs, as they are the life of the heart and its indispensable nutrition.
6. Between Maghrib and Ishaa remain in the mosque and do not leave it, and recite as much as you can of the Quran while concentrating
7. You should totally avoid watching TV and reading magazines, and going to places where there is vice, as you are in quarantine in order to restore health to your heart, and the medicine (good deeds) will not benefit you if you induce disease (sins) into your heart during the treatment period.
8. Continue this program for at least a month: living with the Quran reciting it with consideration, and acting upon what is in it; spending time alone for long hours for the zikr of Allah the Exalted. The proof of doing this for a month is that the prophet (PBUH) ordered that by saying “Recite the Quran in a month, in 25 days, in 10 days, in 7 days” [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Ibn Omar].
9. If the environment in which you live does not support you in applying this program then change this environment: abandon bad friends, and avoid places in which you spend your free time if they encourage you to commit sins, and if you can travel to Makkah for example to follow this program then do it.
10. Donate part of your money as a form of repentance to Allah the Exalted, as secret charities are seen only by Allah the Exalted. In the authentic hadith “Secret charities extinguish the anger of the Lord” [narrated by ibn Hibban from the hadith of Anas].
11. Try to perform umrah with the intention of renewing your faith and cleansing your past with the water of this blessed trip. The prophet (PBUH) said A umrah causes forgiving of sins since the previous umrah, and an accepted hajj has no reward other than paradise [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah (RAA)].
12. If you owe anything to others return everything, and do not retain anything you will be accounted for, as a form of repentance to Allah.
13. Ask Allah every night during the sahar (prior to fajr) with this supplication Rabbi inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wa la yaghfir uzunuba illa Ant, faghfir lee maghfiratan min indik warhamni, inaka Anta Alghafoor Urraheem (My Lord, I have oppressed myself a lot and only You forgive sins, so forgive me a forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me, You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful), and also Allahuma alhimni rushdi wa qini shar nafsi(O Allah, grant me my the right way and protect me from the evil of myself), as the prophet (PBUH) taught these two to some of his companions.
In addition, perform a lot of istighfar and supplication, as the sahar is a time of acceptance of supplication.
This is your prescription, and one month is not necessarily the period required, as change might appear on you before that, or you might need more than a month in this quarantine. The goal is to expel Satan from the heart and clean his traces and dirt and the filth that he has placed there, as this is the reason behind the weakness of your heart and its incapability of wanting good and doing good deeds, and its quickness to follow desires.
So if health returns to your heart and you become fit and strong when it comes to the zikr of Allah the Exalted, immune from the cunningness of Satan, then you may slightly reduce this program to the extent that you can withstand, as the prophet (PBUH) said “You should do what you can withstand” [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Aisha (RAA)], unless you can withstand more than this, for in this case you should increase doing good as long as your heart loves good deeds.
These faithful duties are the levels as considered by Allah: the more a servant does, s/he ascends in the levels of piety. The best things to perform are what Allah has prescribed upon you (obligatory forms of worship). You will notice that things have changed in a surprising manner, as long as you maintain the prescription I have given you, and you will find yourself hating to commit sins and your heart not wanting them, looking at them with inferiority and disdain. You will also like good deeds and feel enthusiastic about them, and feel their good taste in your heart. The secret behind this change is that you have treated you heart with the zikr of Allah the Exalted and good deeds until your heart has become healthy wanting good and loving it after it was ill, wanting evil and sins and loving them. Allah, the Truth and
Exalted says (interpretation of the meaning) {but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; those are the followers of the right way).
By grace from Allah and as a favor; and Allah is Most Knowing, Most Wise} and Allah knows best
http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=article&id=184
Sh. Hamed ibn Abdullah Al-Ali, who loves good for You.
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