Indeed He is Oft-Forgiving

It is related that a man came to al-Hasan al-Basree, the noble Taabi’ee, and complained to 5 him of poverty. So he said to him, ‘Ask forgiveness of Allaah.’ Another man came to him complaining that he did not have any children. So he said to him, ‘Ask forgiveness of Allaah.’ A third man came to him complaining of the barrenness of his garden. So he said to him, ‘Ask forgiveness of Allaah.’ He then recited to them the saying of Allaah, the Perfect and Most High:

“I said to them, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, indeed He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance and He will give you increase in wealth and children and bestow on you gardens and rivers.” {Soorah Nuh; 10-12}

“Therefore, He will not abandon us.”

While going through certain tests/trials where one feels like a lone person in a strange land, where even those close to you can do nothing to avail you; where our enemies seem to have the upper hand over the weak and oppressed, in the midst of all this helplesses comes conviction and firmness of a believer. His true reliance on no one but Allaah, trusting not the creation but Him alone.

These beautiful words came to mind: [May Allaah have mercy on the author and may He hasten the release of the translator]

So, I remember Ibrahim, the intimate friend of Allah, as he is surrounded by his people from all sides, accusing him of smashing their gods and using this to frighten him. So, he answers them with the firmness of one who expects the best of his Lord and Guardian, with more firmness than a mountain:

أَتُحَاجُّونِّي فِي اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانِ ۚ وَلَا أَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ بِهِ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ رَبِّي شَيْئًا ۗ وَسِعَ رَبِّي كُلَّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا ۗ أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ

وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَا أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا ۚ فَأَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

{“Do you dispute with me concerning Allah while He has guided me, and I fear not those whom you associate with Allah in worship? Nothing can happen to me except when my Lord Wills something. My Lord comprehends in His Knowledge all things. Will you not then remember? And how should I fear those whom you associate in worship with Allah while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority. So, which of the two groups is more deserving of security? If you only knew.”} [al-An`aam; 80-81]

Which of the two groups is more deserving of security and assuming the best of his guardian – he whose guardian is the Controller of the Heavens and Earth, having in His Hand the entire Universe? Or he whose guardians dispute and are divided partners who cannot harm or benefit themselves or others? The answer comes loud and clear:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ

{“It is those who believe and do not mix their belief with wrongdoing (polytheism). For them, there is security, and they are the guided.”} [al-An`aam; 82]

So, security and tranquility, which are from the results of expecting the best of Allah, are all from the fruits of Tawhid.
And I then imagine his people while they are carrying him in their arms and throwing him into the middle of the fire, and he does nothing with his firm heart and confidence in his Guardian except to say “Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of my affairs.”

I then think of his blessed wife, who he left with their child in a valley without vegetation without even turning to look back while she was calling him: “O Ibrahim! O Ibrahim! Who
did you leave us with in this place?” She then realizes after her amazement at his continuing to walk away without turning back to look at her, and she says: “Did Allah command you to do this?” He replied: “Yes.” So, she replied, with the best expectation of her Guardian: “Therefore, He will not abandon us.”

So, may Allah bless such a husband and wife!

And I think of the noble group of youths who expected the best of their Guardian and opposed those they were close to and far from in order to please Him. So, they left the closest of people to them in order to flee to their Guardian and away from polytheism and sin, and in order to please Him, they exchanged their comfortable lives for a small cave. So, Allah expanded it for them out of the Mercy that he poured forth on them:

فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا

{“…Seek refuge in the cave, and your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make for your affair easy for you.”} [al-Kahf; 16]

And I reflect on His Saying: {“…will open a way for you from His Mercy…”}, and I come to know that Allah’s Mercy is so vast that just some of it – an amount known to Allah – was enough to make that cave, this prison, or this cell into a garden from the gardens of Paradise.

And I go back in my memory to the first verse, and I remember how Allah had spread His Mercy to His slaves living in vast land by sending down rain after they had lost all hope, and how He descended His Mercy upon the youths in the harsh, tiny, dark cave, turning it into a vast space. So, I glorify and venerate my Guardian.

Indeed, this is how al-Wali al-Hamid deals with His allies who have the utmost confidence and best expectations of Him, harbor no negative thoughts of Him, believe in His promises
and guarantees, and calm their hearts from panicking such that they are tranquil and trusting in Him.

Source:  Expecting the Best from Allaah.

“Do not be fooled by the one who recites..”

Al-Hasan said:

“Verily, this Qur’aan is learned by servants and young children who do not approach it from its front side, nor do they have knowledge of the interpretation of its meanings. Allaah, the Most High, says: ‘This is a Book (which) We have sent down to you, full of blessings, that they may ponder over its verses.’ [Soorah Saad: 29] What does pondering over its verses mean? It means following it through actions. And verily, the people with the most right to this Qur’aan are those who follow it even if they don’t recite it. One of them says: ‘O so and so, come here, I will teach you how to recite! When did the reciters ever do this? They are not the reciters, nor are they the forbearing, nor the wise. May Allaah not increase their likes amongst the people!”

‘Umar bin Al-Khattaab said:

“Do not be fooled by the one who recites the Qur’aan for that is only words that we utter. Rather, look at the one who acts upon it.”

The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam said:

“On the night that I was ascended up to the heavens, I came upon a people whose lips were being cut off by pliers made from Fire. Every time their lips were severed, they would be brought back and formed again. So I said: ‘O Jibreel, who are these people?’ He said: ‘They are speakers from your nation, who say words but do not do deeds, and who read the Book of Allaah yet do not act (on it).”

Bakr bin Khunais said:

“Verily, in the Hellfire there is a valley, which the Hellfire seeks refuge from seven times every day. And verily, in this valley there is a pit, which the valley and the Hellfire seek refuge from seven times every day. And verily, in this pit there is a snake, which the pit, the valley and the Hellfire seek refuge from seven times every day. It will begin first with the wicked bearers of the Qur’aan. So they will say: ‘O Lord! Will you start with (punishing) us before the idol worshippers? It will be said to them: ‘The one who knows is not like the one who doesn’t know.'”

Taken from: Iqtidaa-ul-‘Ilm al-‘Amal by Imam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin ‘Ali Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi

How much do you Love the Messenger [sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam]?

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Indeed, Allaah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allaah to grant him] peace.

[33:56]

Virtues of sending Salaah and Salaam upon the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Talhah said that the Messenger of Allaah came one day looking happy. They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, we see that you look happy.” He said,

«إِنَّهُ أَتَانِي الْمَلَكُ فَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَمَا يُرْضِيكَ أَنَّ رَبَّكَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ لَا يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ إِلَّا صَلَّيْتُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا، وَلَا يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْكَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ إِلَّا سَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا، قُلْتُ: بَلَى»

The angel came to me and told me, “O Muhammad, would it not please you if your Lord, may He be glorified, says: `No member of your Ummah sends Salaah upon you but I send Salaah upon him tenfold, and no member of your Ummah sends greetings of Salaam upon you but I send greetings of Salaam upon him tenfold’” I said, “Of course.”

This was also recorded by An-Nasa’i.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Talhah Al-Ansari said: “One morning the Messenger of Allaah was in a cheerful mood and looked happy. They said, `O Messenger of Allaah, this morning you are in a cheerful mood and look happy.’ He said,

«أَجَلْ أَتَانِي آتٍ مِنْ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَالَ: مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ صَلَاةً، كَتَبَ اللهُ لَهُ بِهَا عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ وَمَحَا عَنْهُ عَشْرَ سَيِّئَاتٍ، وَرَفَعَ لَهُ عَشْرَ دَرَجَاتٍ، وَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ مِثْلَهَا»

(Of course just now someone [an angel] came to me from my Lord and said, “Whoever among your Ummah sends Salah upon you, Allaah will record for him ten good deeds and will erase for him ten evil deeds, and will raise his status by ten degrees, and will return his greeting with something similar to it.”)” This is also a good chain, although they (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) did not report it.

How to send Salaah upon the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)?

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ka`b bin `Ujrah said, “It was said, `O Messenger of Allaah, with regard to sending Salaam upon you, we know about this, but how about Salaah’ He said:

«قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد»

(Say: “O Allaah, send Your Salaah upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Salah upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are the Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allaah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your blessings upon the family of Ibrahim, verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.”)’‘

[Taken from Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

When the heart grieves..

I was looking for an email and came across a recent one which I sent to a dear friend. Its a piece of advice that I desperately needed to remind myself with and I thought I’d share it with others, perhaps those who read it might benefit as well.

…1. Just know that Allaah’s Mercy is infinite and it encompasses EVERYTHING, every single being, every creature on this earth. I’ll share with you something extremely beautiful and touching that I read just last night.

Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullaah says: “…the hearts of man can be divided into two kinds, the first of which is the heart of those, who incline to the Beneficent, which is the source of brightness, life, happieness, pleasure, delight and blessings. The second one is the throne of the devil where narrowness, darkness, death, sorrow, distress and grief are settled therein. This heart is obsessed by sorrow for the past, and grief and distress for the present.

at-Tirmidhi and others narrated: “The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam said: ‘If the heart is overwhelmed by the brightness (of faith), surely it will be opened and delighted.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah [sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam]! What is the sign for that?’ He replied: ‘Resorting to the eternal dwelling [Jannah], being averted from the dwelling of deceit [worldly life], and being prepared for death before its arrival.’“”

So my dearest sis, imagine how content and bright you heart will be if you were to continue working on keeping it close to Allaah? These feelings of brightness, delight, contentment, serenity, etc only come about from knowing Allaah. And really truly knowing Him, is to know that whatever comes our way we know that it is from His Mercy and Wisdom. No matter how ugly and difficult it may seem on the outside, to a believer his/her affairs are always good. Remember that hadeeth? And how would you know Allaah? By reading and pondering over His Words. We’ve got the Book right there on our shelves, yet it sits there covered in dust waiting for us to reach out. Try to, no not try, MAKE this a habit: whenever you feel lonely or feel sadness overcoming you, open the mus-haf to any random page. Just open it up and I make Allaah as a witness to this sis, whatever your eyes fall upon [in that page] will give you comfort. All you have to do is not just read it with your eyes, but read it with your heart and wAllaah your heart will open up.

2. Allaah created us in pairs and in numbers for a reason and thats because humans are by nature social beings. We need company especially in times of distress. Its natural to want to talk to a friend, its not an act of laziness. Even the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam had a best friend [Abu Bakr] whom he relied on at times.

But that doesn’t mean we’re dividing our reliance between Allaah and the creation. Our reliance on Allaah is different or rather should be different from that of the creation. Because we ought to trust and rely on Allaah completely and wholly. We belong to Allaah primarily, not to the creation. And so our complete love and reliance is directed to Allaah, as in He is the ultimate object of our Love and trust and that we don’t put another person/object above or before Him.

See, you’ll be able to tell the difference when at times of loneliness you don’t have a friend you can talk to, your heart still feels at ease because you know you’ve got the Ultimate Friend [Allaah]! That way you won’t feel overwhelmed by depression or sadness because you’re turning to the One who is really the best kind of Friend: He not only listens and understands our pain, He knows us inside out and He can actually deliever us from hardship. People don’t have the power or ability to do that.

I came across a beautiful verse from soorat an-Nahl a couple of weeks ago when I randomly opened my mus-haf.  I’ll share my reflections on it in the next post, insha’Allaah.

Lessons from al-Ma`aarij: The Lock & Key

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا

Indeed, mankind was created anxious

إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا

When evil touches him, impatient

وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا

And when good touches him, withholding of it

إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ

Except the observers of prayer

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ

Those who are constant in their prayer

1.  هَلُوعًا is from the root: ه ل ع which has several meanings and some of which are: anxious, miserly, someone who loses hope over small matters, fretful, very impatient, etc.

2. جَزُوعًا is from the root: ج ز ع which is similiar to هَلُوعًا in meaning: to become agitated or irritated, to be extremely impatient, to display violent grief and it also means to cut or cut off [Lanes Lexicon].

For instance, in soorah Ibrahim Allaah says:

وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا فَقَالَ الضُّعَفَاءُ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ قَالُوا لَوْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَاكُمْ ۖ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَجَزِعْنَا أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍ

“And they will come out [for judgement] before Allaah all together, and the weak will say to those who were arrogant, “Indeed, we were your followers, so can you avail us anything against the punishment of Allaah ?” They will say, “If Allaah had guided us, we would have guided you. It is all the same for us whether we show intolerance or are patient: there is for us no place of escape.”

3. مَنُوعًا is from the root: م ن ع and its meanings are: to withhold, to deny from access, to prevent, to abstain from, etc.

Allaah mentions these 3 sifaat that are innate to human beings and they were placed in our hearts as a trial for us, to see who can overcome these. The beautiful thing is that Allaah mentions right away the solution, the way to overcome these negative characteristics. And that is: salaah. Not just any salaah but the kind that is constant: << الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ >>

دائم: its meanings are: continued, to be prolonged, to extend, to remain or stay longer, to endure. And from amongst its meanings is also moderation.

Ibn Katheer in his tafseer gives 3 explanations for this:

1. It means that they [the performers of salaah] “guard its times and the elements obligatory in it. This was the opinion of Ibn Mas`ood, Masruq and Ibrahim an-Nakha`i.”

2. Second opinion is that “it means tranquility and humble concentration (in the prayer). This is similar to Allaah’s statement,

[قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ – الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلاَتِهِمْ خَـشِعُونَ ]

‘Successful indeed are the believers. Those who with their Salah are Khashi`un.’

(23:1-2)

This was said by `Uqbah bin `Amir. From its meanings is the same terminology used to describe standing (still) water (Al-Ma’ Ad-Da’im). This proves the obligation of having tranquility in the prayer. For verily, the one who does not have tranquility (stillness of posture) in his bowing and prostrating, then he is not being constant (Da’im) in his prayer. This is because he is not being still in it and he does not remain (in its positions), rather he pecks in it (quickly) like the pecking of the crow. Therefore, he is not successful in performing his prayer. “

3. Constancy and moderation. Ibn Katheer lastly mentions that “the meaning here refers to those who perform a deed and are constant in its performance and consistent in it. This is like the hadeeth that has been recorded in the Sahih on the authority of `A’ishah that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said,

«أَحَبُّ الْأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللهِ أَدْوَمُهَا»

“The most beloved deeds to Allaah are those that are most consistent, even if they are few.”

So in essence, Allaah listed the 3 characteristics are inherent to human beings but are present as a trial for us inorder to separate the successful ones from those who aren’t. The successful ones are those who a) guard their salaah, i.e. pray on time; b) who give the salaah its due right by completing all aspects of it for e.g. the qiyaam, the ruku`, the sujood, etc.. making sure that our posture throughout is still, serene and humble. To take our time when we bow down in humility and in praise and lastly; c) to be constant and consistent with our prayers.

Subhan’Allaah, how beautiful is His Kalaam and how soothing it is to the heart! The Qur’aan is truly a vast and deep chest of treasures, the more you dig, the more you come up with. Its like a lock and key. We are given the problems, along with answers so there’s no excuse, no reason to not implement.

Whenever we’re overcome by sadness or hardship, instead of exhibiting impatience and agitation, Allaah gives us the perfect fix: prayer. If you think about it, what does prayer constitute of? Praising Allaah, displaying humility, complete surrender in His Oneness and His Might, fearing Him and His Wrath, yet being hopeful of His Infinite Mercy, reaffirming our belief in Him and His Absolute Power. How can then one feel even the slightest bit of anxiousness or irritation?

My Heart is Free

They say I’m a butterfly
I say, what with clipped wings?
They say I’m a nightingale
I say, slashed chords can’t sing!

They say I’m a velvety rose
I say, then why fear my thorns?
They say I’m like the moon
I say, because my light is a loan?

They pierced my wings
“To protect you, my love”, said they
They confined me to a cage
“So your enemies can’t hurt you”, said they

I say I’m a bird, born to fly free
I’m a mountain standing tall and high
I say, in humble dignity, why can’t you see
Bowing to only One Who’s ever-nigh

I want to soar over the highest top
Through the strongest wind, glide
I want to burn and melt
Like a candle, to spread the light

I want to devour every verse
Of my Most Beloved, His every word
I want to walk through His Garden
And sail in the heart of a green bird

So clip my wings, chain me up
My heart is free, it knows no slavery
Except to the One, the Majestic
With Him as my Patron, I have no worry