Explanation of the hadeeth: “Anyone who possesses a speck of Pride in his heart will not enter Paradise”

Asalamu alikum

Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) was asked:
Regarding the Prophet’s statement: “Anyone who possesses a speck of pride (kibr) in his heart will not enter Paradise” – Is this hadeeth specific only to the believers or (is it specific only to the) unbelievers? If we were to say that it is specific for the Believers then (is not) our statement trivial considering (the fact that) the believers shall enter Paradise due to their Eemaan. If, on the other hand, we were to say that the hadeeth is specific for the unbelievers then what is the relevance of the statement (since it is already known that the unbelievers shall not gain admission to Paradise?

He (rahimahullaah) answered:
(Another) authentically reported wording of (this particular version of the) hadeeth is, “Anyone who possesses half a mustard seed of Pride (kibr) in his heart will not be granted admission to Paradise. And anyone who possesses half a mustard seed of Eemaan will not enter the (Eternal) Fire.” [1]

Kibr that openly opposes and negates Eemaan results in the banishment of the one who holds it from entering al-Jannah as is found in Allaah’s statement:

“And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn (yastakbiroon – Have kibr) My worship, they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!" [Surah Ghaafir: 60]

This is the Kibr of Iblees (the Devil), Pharaoh and all the others who possessed the Kibr, which invalidated Eemaan. This is also the Kibr that the Jews possess and those whom Allaah has described to us by saying:

“Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant? Some, you disbelieved and some, you killed.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 87]

Al-Kibr, in its entirety, openly opposes the essentials of al-Eemaan. As such he who has an atom’s weight of Kibr in his heart will not act upon that which Allaah has prescribed, nor will he abstain from that which Allaah has prohibited. Instead his Kibr shall result in his disavowal and rejection of the truth and instill in him contempt of others. This, precisely, is the explanatory definition of al-Kibr provide by the Prophet as is found in the complete version of the initial Hadeeth [“The one who possesses an atom’s weight of Kibr in his heart shall not be granted admission to Paradise.”]

He (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was asked: “[But] O Messenger of Allaah! A man likes to have fine clothing and footwear. Is this included in Kibr?” He responded, “No. Allaah is Beauty and loves Beauty. Kibr is the rejection of truth (Batrul-Haqq) and condescension of others (waa ghaamtun-naas).” [2]

The statement “Batarul-Haqq” denotes distain and rejection of the Truth, while “ghaamtun-naas” implies contempt and condescension of others from amongst mankind.

Therefore the one who possesses half a mustard seed of it (Kibr) rejects the Truth that he was ordered to accept and act upon. At the same time, the Kibr instills in him a sense of condescension that inculcates in the individual an oppressive demeanor producing transgression over the rights of others.

The one who neglects his obligations (due to his rejection of them) and is oppressive to others from amongst the creation is not to be amongst the people of Jannah (while in this state), or deserving of it. On the contrary, such an individual is to be counted amongst the people who are threatened with punishment!

His (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) statement: “Anyone who possesses a speck of Kibr in his heart will not be granted admission to Paradise” implies that the individual is not from the people of Jannah and is not deserving of it. But if he repents, or he possesses Hasaanaat (righteous deeds) that expiate his sins, or Allaah has given him Ibtillaah (trials and tests) in the form of calamities that have expunged his sins, or similar things; then for that individual the recompense of Kibr – which originally was a barrier for him to enter Jannah – is eliminated and he gains admission (to it). Similarly Allaah, due to Divine Grace, may forgive the individual (the sin of) Kibr. [3] None shall gain admission (to Paradise) while possessing an atom’s weight of Kibr. As a result, those (scholars) discussing this Hadeeth, and other Hadeeth that have a similar theme, have stated:

“Unconditional admission (to Paradise) – that is not in conjunction with punishment (for the sin of Kibr) – is what is being negated in this Hadeeth; not the admission to Jannah that is granted to those who have entered the Fire (to be purified and cleansed) and then are allowed admission to Paradise thereafter. (On the other hand) if a hadeeth explicitly declares that a particular person is in Jannah or that a particular person is from the People of Jannah, it would then be understood that he would enter the Jannah and not enter the fire (beforehand).”

After this clarification we come to understand the true meaning of these narrations as being that the one who possesses an atom’s weight of Kibr in his heart is not from the people of Paradise (up to that point) and shall not gain admission into it without punishment (for his sin). Surely he deserves punishment – due to the enormity of the sin – similar to those who perform the Major (Kabaa’ir) sins. Allaah may punish him in the Fire as long as He wishes, but none from amongst the people of Tawheed shall remain in the Fire eternally.

This is to be the way we understand all the Hadeeth that have a similar meaning. This understanding is to be used when seeking the meaning of his (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) statement: “The one who severs the ties of the womb shall not enter Jannah”[4] or “You shall not enter Jannah until you believe. And you shall not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something that if you do you shall (truly) love each other? Spread the greetings of Salaam amongst yourselves.”

This is the understanding that we are to have when pondering over the ahaadeeth that contain threats of Punishment. In this way we understand that the hadeeth is general and can be attributed to both the unbelievers and the Muslims.

If one was to say: “All the Muslims enter Jannah due to their Islaam.” The response is that not all Muslims enter Jannah without punishment. Surely the people who have been threatened (with punishment in the Hereafter due to their sins) shall enter into the Fire to remain in it for the period that Allaah so wills even though they are not unbelievers. The individual who has some Eemaan coinciding with major sins may enter into the Fire and exit from it as a result of the Shafaa‘ah (Intercession) of the Prophet or by other reported means as articulated by the Prophet when he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“My Shafaa‘ah is for the people who commit Majors Sins from amongst my Ummah.” [5]

And he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said as is reported in the Saheeh: “I shall bring out of the Fire the one who possesses half a mustard seed of Eemaan.” [6]

In this way we understand what is in store for those whom Allaah has threatened with punishment – the murderer, fornicator/adulterer, the one who consumes intoxicants, and the one who misappropriates the wealth of the orphans, the one who witnesses falsehood and others who perform the deeds of the people of major sins. They – even if they are not unbelievers – are not deserving of the Jannah that they are promised (as Muslims) without first being (cleansed and purged through) punishment.

The madh-hab (way and belief) of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa‘ah is that the Foosaaq (deviant sinners) from amongst the general body of Muslims are not going to be eternally punished in the Fire as held by the Khawaarij[7] and the Mu‘tazilah.[8] They are not complete in their religion (Deen), Eemaan and obedience to Allaah.[9] They have good and bad deeds that necessitate a measure of punishment and reward. This is a concise dissertation regarding the issue.

Not Judging by the Book of Allaah:

Asalamu alikum

Understand that judging by what Allaah revealed in His Book is incumbent upon the Muslim, and not doing so results an many calamities befalling the Ummah.

That there would always continue to be a group from this Ummah clinging to the truth and to the pure Tawheed of Allaah until the day of Judgment.

Allaah - the Most High - said:

“Say: Allaah has power to send punishment upon you from above you, or from under your feet; or to cover you in confusion with party strife; and make you taste the inter-fighting and violence of one another. See how We variously explain the Aayaat (proofs and signs), so that they may understand.” [Sooratul-An’aam 6:65]

Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, when this verse was revealed: “Say: Allaah has power to send punishment upon you from above you.” So he said: “I seek refuge in Your Face.” “Or from under your feet.” He said: “I seek refuge in Your Face.”

“Or to cover you in confusion with party strife, and make you taste the inter-fighting and violence of one another.” So Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “This is lighter or easier.” [2]

The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Indeed Allaah gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its eastern and western parts, and indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach what was gathered up for me from it. And I have been granted the two treasures of gold and silver. And indeed I asked my Lord for my Ummah that it should not be totally destroyed by a prevailing famine, nor to allow on enemy to totally conquer it, except from amongst themselves. So my Lord said: O Muhammad! When I decree a matter, then it is not reversed. I grant to you for your Ummah that it would not be totally destroyed by a prevailing famine, nor will it be totally conquered by on external enemy, even if all the notions were to rally against it However, a group from your Ummah will destroy one another and imprison one another.” [3]

The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) also said: “I asked my Lord for three things, I was granted two; but prevented from one: I asked my Lord that He should not destroy my Ummah with drought and famine, so He granted it to me. I asked my Lord that He should not destroy my Ummah with drowning, so he granted it to me. And I asked Him not to cause my Ummah to fight amongst themselves, but he refused that to me.” [4]

And this inter-fighting that has befallen the Muslims has been further emphasized in his (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) saying: “And when your leaders do not judge by the Book of Allaah, not seeking the good and welfare with Allaah has revealed, then Allaah would cause them to fight one another.” [5]

The Prophet said, in an addition to the second narration: “Indeed, what I fear for my Ummah are misguided leaders, and that when the sword is drown out against them, it will not be lifted from them until the Day of Judgement. And the Hour will not come, until sections of my Ummah will follow the mushrikeen (those who worship others along with Allaah), and until many sections of my Ummah will worship idols. And there will be in my Ummah thirty liars; all of whom will claim that he is a Prophet. But I am the last and the seal of the Prophets; there is no Prophet after me. And there will not cease to be a group from my Ummah being helped upon the truth, not being harmed by those who oppose them; until the commend of Allaah comes.” [6]

SOME BENEFITS FROM THE ABOVE AAYAH AND HADEETH:

[1]: It shows the great power of Allaah - the Most High – in sending punishment to the previous nations, from above them, and from beneath their feet, causing them to be annihilated and destroyed. Due to this, Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) sought refuge and protection in the Face of his Lord against his Ummah being punished in a similar manner.

[2]: The first hadeeth (narration) affirms that Allaah – the Most High – has a wajh (Face), but in a manner that befits His Greatness and Majesty, there being any tashbeeh (resemblance) between Allaah and between that of His creation; as Allaah said: “There is none like Him; and He is the all-Hearing, the all-Seeing.” [Sooratush-Shooraa 42:11]

[3]: It shows the great power of Allaah - the Most High - in that whenever the Muslims abandon judging by the Sharee’ah (Divinely Prescribed Law) of Allaah; but rather take to manmade laws that oppose the Law of Allaah - which, with deep regret, is happening now - then Allaah causes the Ummah to split-up into sects and parties, and makes them fight one another.

[4]: It Shows the might of Allaah in that He gathered-up the earth for His Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), so that he saw its eastern and western parts; and that the dominion of his Ummah would extend over all that which was gathered-up for him, from it.

[5]: It shows the mercy of Allaah to the Muslim Ummah, in His not sending against them a punishment that would totally destroy the entire Ummah; but it would only cause destruction to parts of the Ummah.

[6]: An-Nawawee (d.676H) - rahimahullaah - said: “In this hadeeth is a clear and apparent miracle, all of which has come to pass - so all praise be to Allaah.” [7]

[7]: It also shows the mercy of Allaah to the Muslim Ummah in that He has not allowed an external enemy to overpower them, such that they have complete control over them. Rather, Allaah has caused some parts of the Ummah to fight against others; and this is far easier than the former case.

[8]: It Shows the fear that Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) had for his Ummah with regards to the misguided leaders who would not take hold of the Book and the Sunnah; and how he warned against them.

[9]: That when the sword has been drawn out against this Ummah, then it would not be lifted from it until the Day of Judgement - as is happening at this very time now.

[10]: It proves that shirk would be present in the Ummah. And shirk is: Directing worship, or forms of worship, to other than Allaah, such as making du’aa (supplication) to other that Allaah, or judging by other than what Allaah has legislated and revealed.

[11]: We are informed about the existence of those who would claim that they are Prophets and that they are all liars in this claim; such as Musaylimah al-Kadhdhaab in earlier times, and in more recent times Ghulaam Ahmad Mirza, the Qaadiyaanee (whose followers are called Qaadiyaanees).

[12]: That there would always continue to be a group from this Ummah clinging to the truth and to the pure Tawheed of Allaah until the day of Judgement.

Imaam an-Nawawee - rahimahullaah - said:

“As for this group, then Imaam al-Bukhaaree (d.256H) said: “They are the people of knowledge.” And Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (d.241H) said: “If they are not Ahlul-Hadeeth (the Scholars of Hadeeth), then I do not know who they can be.” Qaadee ’Iyaad said: “What Imaam Ahmad meant by that was Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah and whosoever holds the ’aqeedah (belief) of Ahlul-Hadeeth.” I say: It is possible that this group could be scattered amongst the various categories of Believers, from them:- the brave warriors, the Scholars of Hadeeth, the zuhhaad (those who abstain from the world in a praiseworthy manner), those that enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and other categories of people who do good.” [8]

Ibnul-Mubaarak (d.181H) - rahimahullaah - said: “In my view they are Ashaabul-Hadeeth (the companions of Hadeeth).” [9]

So the preferred saying is that this Aided and Victorious Group are those that act in accordance with the authentic hadeeth, not giving precedence to the saying of anyone over and above the saying of Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).

One Sin led to his Repentance

Asalamu alikum

A righteous man was once asked to tell the story of the pivotal moment of his life, the moment in which he first began to apply the teachings of Islam, and the following was his answer:
When I was a young man, I would not hesitate to perpetrate any sin that was made available to me. Then, one day, I saw a young woman who was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Much tempted by her, I indicated to her that I wanted her to approach me. She seemed nervous, but I thought that she would probably agree to satisfy my sexual desires for money. She approached me with what seemed to be a great deal of trepidation, and when she actually stood before me, she looked extremely terrified.
Feeling sorry for her, I said, ‘Do not fear, for I will not harm you.’
But my words did not lessen her terrible fright in the least; in fact, her situation worsened. She began to tremble like a palm tree leaf trembles with the wind.
I said, ‘Tell me your story.’
She said, ‘By Allah, o my brother, never before this day have I offered my body in this way. Dire need is what has driven me to this, for I have three daughters who have not eaten a single morsel of food for three days now. It was pity for them that brought me to this low point in my life.’
For the first time in my life, I felt pity; her story moved me, and I no longer entertained the intention of taking advantage of her. After she told me where she lived, I took a great deal of money, clothing and food to her house. When I returned to my house, I told my mother what had happened.
My mother knew that I had a book in which I would record all of my evil deeds, and so she said to me, ‘My son, you are a man who has never performed a good deed except for the good deed that you performed today. I know that you have a book in which you record your evil exploits, go now and write in it your good deed.’
I stood up, went to my book, opened it, and found that all of its pages were blank- except for the first page on which was written a single line.
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ
Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins)
[Hud : 114]
At that very moment, I raised my hands to the sky and said, ‘By your Might and Majesty, never again will I disobey You.’ "
The above is taken from Stories of Repentance published by dar-us-salam.com

Evil-Eye...part3

Asalamu alikum

Answer 3: After being affected by evil-eye
Precautions which should be taken against evil-eye effects and ways of protection have been explained above. There are cures in accordance with shariah to be applied after being affected by evil-eye effects too.. There are proofs in the Quran and hadiths which indicate the issue.
The following surahs and verses can be recited for protection:
a) al-Fatiha
b) Ayat-al Kursi
c) al-Falaq
d) an-Nas
e) In addition, the following supplication which Gabriel taught to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) can also be cited:
“I pray for you with Allah’s name. May Allah recover you from evil of everything that causes you trouble, from the effects of evil-eyes of all and of enviers. I pray for you with the name of Allah.” (Bukhari, The Book of Tib, 38; Muslim, The Book of Wellness, 40; Abu Dawud, The Book of Medicine, 19; Tirmidhi, The Book of Funeral, 4; Ibn-i Maja, The Book of Medicine, 36-37; Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musned, 6/332.)
When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was ill, Gabriel would come and make the following supplication for him: “I pray for you with the name of Allah. May Allah remove all the illnesses from you. May He protect you from the evil-eye of a parson when s/he is jealous.” (Muslim narrated from Hazrat Aisha.)
As it is narrated from some Islamic scholars, the way of being protected from evil-eye is to hide one’s niceness, beauties and jewelry. It is not appropriate for one to beautify his/her spouse and children and show them to people. Allama Ibnu’l-Qayyim says: “whoever reads these supplications will understand how beneficial they are and how much he needs them. These supplications prevent the effect of evil-eye. They eliminate the effects of evil-eye on a person who reads them, to the degree of his faith. As a matter of fact, those supplications are weapons. And a weapon’s efficiency depends on the person who uses it.”
Abdullah as-Saji said that he had a very beautiful camel. One day, he went on trip on his camel’s back, with his travel-mates. There was a traveler amongst them whose eye had the evil-eye effect. People who knew it warned Abdullah. They told him to take care of his camel against that man. Abdullah said that man could not cause any harm to his camel and did not care what they said. They also told the man what Abdullah said and how he reacted. The man started to wait for an opportunity to prove himself for Abdullah. During a break, when Abdullah was not there, the man came and stared at the camel. After a while, the camel became sick and fell down. At that time, Abdullah returned. When he saw his camel on the ground, he asked them what had happened. They said to him:
“When you were away, that man came and looked at your camel. And when he looked at the animal, this happened.”
Hearing this, Abdullah said: “Show that man to me”. The showed the man. Abdullah went up to that man and stood before him. Then he cited the following supplication:
“I seek refuge with Allah from the one who captivates with Allah’s name, from the harms of stones and burning flames. Let the effect of evil-eye turn back to the one who caused the evil-eye and harm the one whom he loves the best.
He Who created the seven heavens one above another: No want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (God) Most Gracious. So turn thy vision again: seest thou any flaw? Again turn thy vision a second time: (thy) vision will come back to thee dull and discomfited, in a state worn out.” (This last part of the supplication is the 3rd and 4th verses of chapter al-Mulk. See al-Mulk, 67: 3-4)
When Abdullah as-Saji cited this supplication, the effect of evil-eye was gone and the camel got over with the permission of Allah.
Answer 4: Warnings
1) FIRST WARNING: Evil-eye effect is sometimes caused by human beings and sometimes by the jinn.
According to the narration by the mother of the believers, Ummu Salama, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw a girl in his house. He realized a change on the girl’s face and said: “Do faith healing for her (pray for her); because she is affected by evil-eye.” (Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Ummu Salama.)
Hafiz al-Baghawi says: While  indicating evil-eye, he Messenger of Allah meant that the Jinn can cause evil-effect.”
It is said: “The effect of evil-eye of the Jinn is more effective than the tip of a spear.” Doubtlessly, when one takes off his dirty clothes to change, or when he uncovers his private parts in order to relieve nature or for any other reason, he must supplicate in order to be protected from the evil-eye of the jinn. It is made by mentioning Allah’s name.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “When one enters the restroom (in another narration, when one takes off his clothes), saying bismillah will be a curtain between his private parts and the eyes of the jinn.” (narrated in Tirmidhi, Sunan and Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad.)
2) SECOND WARNING: One who is prone to evil-eye because of the health, beauty, blessings, boons and the likes which Allah bestowed on him must always be cautious and must not display himself.
Especially women must not display their own beauties and especially their daughters’ beauties excessively because many sad events are witnessed as a result of this.
The Messenger of Allah addressed Asma binti Umays as follows:
“Why do I see the sons of my brothers so weak? They seem they are in need of help.” (Muslim narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah). They were the sons of Hazrat Jafar and Abu Talib. And Asma said: “They are not sick. But they have been affected by evil-eye.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Then do faith healing (pray) for them.” (Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad, 3/333).
3) THIRD WARNING: When people ask someone to do faith healing for them, they do not search to find out if that person has got strong faith, what his aim is and if his knowledge is enough. For this reason, they go to deceivers, sorcerers and ill-willed people. Those people are even more devastating. And there are amongst them some who even tell people to do things which are forbidden or bid’ah, or which are considered idolatry. We hope Allah the Glorious protects us from the mischief of such people.
One who asks for faith healing must be very careful and do it properly. That is to say; he should either do the faith healing (by reading supplications) himself or find believing and righteous people who are experienced in it. They should keep in mind that faith healing is not permissible if they do not do it in accordance with conditions approved by the shariah.
We must contemplate the meaning of the following verse which narrates the story of Prophet Joseph:
“Further he said: "O my sons! Enter not all by one gate: enter you by different gates. Not that I can profit you aught against God (with my advice): None can command except God: On Him do I put my trust: and let all that trust put their trust on Him.” (Yusuf, 12: 67).
It should be kept in mind that protection from evil-eye and its cure is only possible by believing in the truth of things coming from Allah and His Messenger. If they are doubtful or hesitant about it, the effectiveness of the cure will decrease.
Wearing an evil-eye bead is absolutely forbidden. It is a meaningless tradition practiced in the era of ignorance. Our Prophet (pbuh) says: “May Allah not complete the works of those who wear evil-eye beads”. (1)

Evil=Eye...part 2

Asalamu alikum

Answer 2: Precautions to be protected from evil-eye
The following precautions must be taken in order to be protected from the effects of evil-eye before we are affected:
1) FIRST PRECAUTION: One should make protective supplications and invocations in the morning and in the evening.
Allah protects the ones who make these supplications and invocations. There are many surahs and supplications that can be read.
Some of them are as follows: al-Fatiha, Ayat al-Kursi, al-Falaq and an-Nas.
There are specific supplications made by the Prophet. The following supplication must be made in order to be protected from evil-eye:
“I seek refuge with Allah’s words, which are complete, from the mischief and evil of the things He created.” (Abu Dawud, Tib. 19; Darimi, Isti’zan, 48; Muwatta, Isti’zan, 34; Ahmad bin Hanbal, 4/430).
The following supplication should also be made:
“I seek refuge with Allah’s words, which are complete, from all demons, dangerous animals and evil-eyes. I seek refuge with Allah’s words, which are exact, from all evil and mischief which no any good and bad can make but which Allah creates and gives shape, from those who come down from the skies and those who go up to the skies, from what is grown on the ground and what comes out of the earth, from evil and mischief of night and day, and from the evil and mischief of those who knock at the door during the day and at night, except for those who knock at the door for a good reason. O Allah who is merciful” (Bukhari, The Book of Prophets (al-Anbiya), 10; Muslim, The Book of Invocation (adh-Dhikr), 54-55).
Moreover, the following Quranic verse should also be cited:
“And the Unbelievers would almost trip thee up with their eyes when they hear the Message; and they say: ‘Surely he is possessed!’ But it is nothing less than a Message to all the worlds.” (al-Qalam, 68: 51-52).
When we look at people, we can see that they do not care about the matter of evil-eye. However, especially babies and little children must be protected from evil-eye effects with the help of supplications in compliance with shariah.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) protected Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Hussain with the following supplications:
“I entrust you to Allah’s words, which are complete, from all demons, dangerous animals and evil-eyes.” (Bukhari narrated from Abdullah bin Abbas.)
Addressing his grandsons Hazrat Hassan and Hazrat Hussain, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Doubtlessly, your ancestor (Prophet Abraham) protected Ismael and Isaac with them.” (Bukhari narrated from Ibn-i Abbas).
2) SECOND PRECAUTION: One of the ways to be protected from evil-eye effects is not displaying one’s beauties when one is near people s/he is afraid of or suspects.
According to the work of Hafiz al-Baghawi called “Sharhu’s-Sunnah”, Hazrat Uthman bin Affan saw a very beautiful child. Upon this, in order to protect the child from evil-eye effects, he said to the child’s parent: “Hide this child’s beauty by putting black paint on his chin.”
3) THIRD PRECAUTION: Another way to be protected from evil-eye effects is that when a person who sees something or someone he likes, he should pray for what he sees to be blessed.
If a person is afraid of that his eye will cause evil effects on someone, he should say this when he looks at him/her:
“May Allah make it blessed for you.” (with similar statements: see Abu Dawud. Nikah, 36; Tirmidhi, Nikah, 7; Ibn-i Maja, Adhan, 2; Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad, 3/281).
Or he should say:
“O My Lord! Make it blessed for her/him.” (with similar statements, see: Muslim, Zuhd, 74; Abu Dawud, Witr, 31; Nasai, Zakat, 12; Ibn-i Maja, Zuhd, 8; Ahmad bin Hanbal, Musnad, 3/108, 188, 5/77).
Or he should say: “Maashallah! (How beautifully created Allah!) There is nobody else but Allah who has got the power.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 101).
Or supplications similar to those can be made. Then, the harm will be eliminated with the permission of Allah.
If a person suspects and is worried that he caused evil-eye effects on someone should be afraid of Allah and should refrain from the things which can cause evil-eye effects. For this, he should continue to invocate Allah. When he sees something he likes in someone, he should ask Allah to bless it for him/her.
One should not be jealous about any boons which Allah has endowed on people at all because if he is jealous about them, he is considered to have objected to his Lord.

Evil-Eye

Asalamu alikum

A Brief Description of the Question: 

Does evil-eye kill a person? What kind of precautions can be taken against evil-eye? What are the reasons of evil-eye? Is it permissible to wear an evil-eye bead?

The Answer: 

Answer 1:
There are some cases which affect people and make them ill, and which medical science has not been able to make an exact diagnosis. And it has not been able to give any information about its real cause. One of them is the effects of “evil-eye”. It is a known and accepted reality that evil-eye is real and it can cause a person to become sick and even to die.
Stating that evil-eye is real and it is closely related to one’s fate, Our Prophet, said:
“Evil-eye is true. If evil- eye raced with fate, it would beat fate (it would change fate)” (Muslim, Salaam: 42; Ibni Majah, Tib: 3).
Although evil-eye is related to fate, it is still Allah who creates its effects. Otherwise, it is not the person who has got an evil eye that creates its effects. When a person, whose eyes have got evil effects, looks at something, Allah creates the harm to cause on it because the creator of both good and evil is Allah. Nothing happens out of Allah’s will.
We learn the killing, devastating aspects of evil-eye from the Prophet. The following is stated in the hadith narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah:
“Evil-eye is true. It puts a camel in a cooking pot and a man in grave.” (Kashfu’l-Khafa, 2: 76, narrated Abu Naim).
Thus, just as a camel affected by evil-eye may die and its meat can be put in the cooking pot, so too may a man affected by evil-eye die and be put in grave. It is understood from the hadith that the effects of evil-eye affect not only human beings but also all living beings and even anything that attracts one to look at.
It is possible to deduce detailed information from an event about evil-eye, which took place in the era of bliss, on how a believer should behave when he sees something he likes, what he should say in this situation, that causing evil-eye effects on someone is considered equal to killing him and what a person affected by evil-eye and a person causing evil-eye effects should do.
A Companion named Amr bin Rabia sees Sahl bin Hunaif having a bath and looks at him. Sahl falls down on ground as if he has been struck. They take him to the Prophet. Having learnt the situation, the Prophet,, asks “Whom do you suspect?” The Companions name Amr bin Rabia. Upon this, the Prophet scolds Amr bin Rabia and says “Why is one of you killing his brother? When one of you sees something he likes in his brother, pray for him to be blessed (with words such as MaashAllah, BarakAllah).”
Then, the Prophet asks for some water and orders Amr who caused the evil-eye to make wudu. (Ibni Majah, Tib: 32, Musnad, 3:44).
Islamic jurisprudents describe this application which is a kind of wudu as follows: Water is poured into a pot/container. Person who caused evil-eye takes a handful of water, gargles and then spit it back into the pot. Then he takes water again from the pot and washes his face. After that, he washes his right hand with his left hand and then his left hand with his right hand, together with his wrists. Then he washes his right and left elbows. Then he washes between his elbows and shoulders. After that, he washes his feet and right and left knees. While washing hands and feet, he does not wash his arms and below his knees. Later, he washes his right side of the belly downwards. After washing all these organs, water is saved in the same pot. The person who caused the evil-eye takes the pot, stands behind the affected person and pours it down on his head. (Nawawi, Sharh-u Sahih-i Muslim, 14: 172-173). This used water is not considered dirty. We understand it from the application of the Prophet himself.
That washing, which was described shortly by the Prophet and explained in detail by scholars, has got, doubtlessly, many unknown wisdom and reasons behind it. At least, it is necessary to practice this sunnah in order to eliminate the suspicion of evil-eye. This application of washing and pouring was practiced by the Companions from time to time.
After this application is completed, it is stated that if the person who caused evil-eye utters the supplication of abundance “MaashAllah, La quwwata illa billah” Allah will eliminate the harm that can be caused by evil-eye. As a matter of fact, this application of washing is a sort of practical supplication. Its effect and cure must be expected from Allah.
One should seek refuge with Allah from evil-eye and its effects. As we learn from Hazrat Aisha, the Prophet told her to pray against evil-eye. (Ibni Majah, Tib: 34).
In another hadith “Seek refuge with Allah from evil-eye” (ibid, Tib: 32), we are advised to expect cure from Allah.
Abu Said al-Hudri narrates what kind of supplications and what kind of things the Prophet made in order to be protected from evil-eye effects as follows:
“The Messenger of Allah sought refuge with Allah from the evil-eye of the jinn and human beings with supplications such as ‘I seek refuge with Allah from the evil-eye of the Jinn and human beings’ firstly. And then, he supplicated with surahs of al-Falaq and an-Nas after they were sent down. He quit other supplications.” (ibid, Tib: 34).
Then, it is not only human beings which cause and which are affected by evil-eye. The Jinn can also harm people with evil-eye. Some scholars who say “Evil-eye of the Jinn affect faster than the speed of an arrow” think that evil-eye means the effects caused by the Jinn on a person.
It is not appropriate for a believer to resort to other ways of cure than the cures the Prophet practiced and advised. Arabs used to wear some items and beads on their necks and arms in order to be protected from some illnesses in the era of ignorance. And they used to expect they would protect and cure them. Prohibiting strongly the practices which do not comply with belief and which bear signs of idolatry, the Prophet,  said: “Whoever wears something, all his works are entrusted to that thing” (Tirmidhi, Tib: 24).
Thus, it is understood that the thing that is worn will not help at all and it can harm one’s belief as he expects everything from it.
Using or writing some amulet the meanings of which are not known and wearing “evil-eye beads” are superstitious beliefs which do not comply with Islamic belief. Wearing such things are not permissible for human beings; it is also not permissible to use them for animals or any belongings. Wearing evil-eye beads is included in the things which our Prophet listed as haram. (Nasai, Zinat: 17).
Similarly, meaningless practices which are used amongst ordinary people, such as melting a candle, melting lead or burning a weed and turn it around over the head of the ill person must not be applied because while Allah created all kinds of troubles and illnesses, he also created lawful cures for them. A true believer must follow the sunnah as criteria and must try not to leave it. Righteousness is possible only this way

Speech is Attributed to He who Said it Initially

Asalamu alikum

From Him it began and to Him it shall return, and He spoke in reality.

Explanation:
He said,”From Him it began.” Meaning, it was sent down by Allah Subahana wa ta’alaa when Allah spoke it in reality. And Jibreel heard it from Him and descended down to Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wa Salam conveyed it to his Ummah. So it is the speech of Allah in reality, not metaphorically. As for His statement,
“Indeed it (i.e the Qur’an) is a word conveyed by a noble Messenger (i.e Jibreel) who is possessed of power and secure in position with the Owner of the Throne.” (Surat-Takweer 81:19-20)
Meaning Jibreel Alayhi Salam. And He said,
“Indeed it (i.e The Qur’an) is the word of a noble Messenger and it is not the word of a poet.” (Surat al-Haaqqah 69:40-41)
Meaning Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wa Salam. He connected it to the human Messenger at times and to the angelic Messenger at other times and He connected it to Himself Subahana wa ta’alaa at other times.
So it is said that the speech is only attached to the one who originally said it. As for it being attached to Jibreel, or to Muhammed, then it is only attached as the delivering of the message. And it is never possible for a single statement to have been said by more than one speaker. So this proves that it is the speach of Allah. However, it is attached to Jibreel and to Muhammed in His statement,
” Indeed, it (i.e the Qur’an) is the word of a noble Messenger” (Surat al-Haaqqah 69:40)
It is the attachement of conveying a message and the speech is only attached to the one who said it initially, not to those who said it to deliver and convey.
So this is the answer to this doubt which is attached to that. He said,”And to Him it shall return.” He has alluded to what will occur in the last times when the Qur’an will be raised up. And it will be taken from the chests of the men from the books, and not a trace will remain. And that is from the signs of the Hour. So just as it was sent down from Him, then it will be raised up in the last times and returns to Him Subahana wa ta’alaa. And no Qur’an will remain upon the earth.
He said,”He spoke in reality.” This is a refutation upon those who say,’He spoke it metaphorically. So the attachment to Allah is by way of metaphor, because He is the One who created the speech and then attached it to Himself metaphorically’.
And it is not the self-existent meaning as the Ashaa’irah say. And it is not created as the Jahmiyyah say. It is only spoken by Allah in reality, and Jibreel heard it from Him and he carried it from Allah Subahana wa ta’alaa and conveyed it to His Prophet, Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wa Salam. So the Qur’an is from Muhammed, from Jibreel, from Allah Subahana wa ta’alaa. This is the sanad (chain of narration), from the Qur’an as Allah Subahana wa ta’alaa said,
“Indeed, it (i.e the Qur’an) is a word conveyed by a noble Messenger (i.e Jibreel) whi is possessed of power and secure in position with the Owner of the Throne, obeyed there and trustworthy”. (Surat al-Takweer 81:19-21)
Also this refers to Jibreel. Then He said,
“And your companion is not…” (Surat al Takweer 81:22)
Meaning Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wa Salam,
” And your companion is not at all mad”. (Surat al Takweer 81:22)
As the disbelievers say.
” And he has already seen him (Surat al Takweer 81:23)
That is, he saw Jibreel Alayhi Salam in his true angelic form.
“…in the clear horizon.” (Surat al Takweer 81:23)
He saw Jibreel whilst he was in the horizon in his true form in th valley of Makkah. And he saw him in another time during the night of al-Miraaj (ascent) at the remotest tree (as-sidratul-muntahaa).
“And he certainly saw him in another descent.” (Surat al Najm 53:13)

That is, he saw Jibreel at the remotest tree during the night of al-Miraaj (ascent). So the Prophet Salallahu alayhi wa Salam saw Jibreel in his natural angelic form two times(related by al Bukhari no 3235 and Muslim no 177). And at other times Jibreel came in the form of a human being and the Companions saw him in a form of a human being and they thought that he was from amongst mankind and that he had traveled to the Messenger Salallahu alayhi wa Salam.(realted by Muslim no8).
Taken from the book Explanation of the Reformer, Muhammed Ibn Abdul Wahab Explained by the Noble Sheikh Dr. Saalih Ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan p 81-84

Worshipping Allaah out of Love, Fear and Hope

Asalamu Alikum

One of the most beautiful this about the concept of worship in Islaam is the truly unique way in which it incorporates the feelings of love, fear and hope within the hearts of the worshippers of Allah. Understanding how to combine these three qualities into the worship ('ibaadah) of Allah is one of the most essential things that every Muslim must grasp, ,not least because every sect which has drifted from the Straight Path has strayed in this aspect of worship. The deviation of the other Religions in this regards is clear for all to see: "God is Love! Jesus is Love!" say the Christians, denying the fact that God should be feared too. As for the Jews, then their hearts are filled only with hope - hope in the belief that the Fire will not touch them since they are the "Promised People".

In Islaam however, no worship is complete without the presence of all three qualities: LOVE of Allah, Hope in His Mercy and FEAR of His Punishment. Contemplate the opening Soorah of the Qur'aan - Sooratul Faatihah - and you will see for yourself.

Aaayah 1: "All Praise [and Thanks] are for Allah, Rabb of all the worlds."

In this opening aayah (verse) of the Qur'aan, we have LOVE of Allah and every time we recite this aayah we are testifying to our love for Allah. How is that you ask? IT is because in this aayah, we are acknowledging that Allah is our Rabb and the Rabb of all the worlds. Rabb is usually translated as 'the Lord', but this translation does not do justification to this name of Allah and all the meanings that this name carries. In reality Rabb means that Allah is the Creator of everything; He sustains and nourishes everything; He gives life and death; anything good which we have is from Him; everything is dependent on Him and nothing can happen unless He wills it. Furthermore, for the Muslim He - the Rabb - is the One who has guided us to the Truth and given us good morals and manners.

Thuis when we testify that Allah is out Rabb, then we are acknowledging that He is the One who has given us so many blessings - so many that is we tried to enumerate His blessings upon us, we could not count them. So how could we not love Him? After all, we know that when someone gives us even a small gift or shows even a small act of kindness towards us, then we develop so much love for them on account of that - so imagine then the love we should[1] have for our Rabb who has given us everything: nice families, shelter, security, food, health, and above all, Guidance to Islaam and the Sunnah. We should be overwhelming in our love for Him and thank Him and say: "All Praises [and Thanks] are for Allah, Rabbil-'aalameen."

Aayah 2: "The Rahman [Merciful] and the Raheem [Mercy-Giving]."

In the first aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah, Allah mentioned that He was ar-Rabb. In the next aayah two more of His beautiful names are mentioned: ar-Rahmaan and ar-Raheem. Ar-Rahman means that He is the Most Merciful, that is, His Nature or His Essence is Merciful. Ar-Raheem means that He is the Giver of Mercy, in other words, His actions are full of Mercy and He shows Mercy to His creation.[2]

When we mention these two names of Allah, then we have HOPE. Since He has described Himself as so full of Mercy then we have hope that He will forgive out sins, and no matter how numerous out sins may be, we should never lose this hope, because Allah has told us: "O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah verily Allah forgives all sins [except shirk]. Truly He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Mercy-Giving." [az-Zumar (39):53].

The need to have FEAR in our worship is shown by the next aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah:

Aayah 3: "King/Master of the Day of Judegment."

When we recite this aayah we are reminding ourselves of the Day of Judgement - that awful Day, when we shall all stand before Allah, naked, uncircumcised and barefooted. Some will be sweating so much that it will go seventy arm-length into the earth. People will appear drunk though they are no. On this Day, every person will stand before Allah and account for his sins, knowing that not even the smallest action which he did is hidden from Allah:

"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it." [az-Zalzalah (99):7-8].

So when we recite this third aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah, we remind ourselves of this Judgement and accountability and that should bring about in us a sense of fear - that maybe out evil actions will be too great and we will be responsible for it - may Allah protect us from such a fate.

Then the next verse goes on to say:

"You alone we worship." i.e. we single out Allah for our worship. And how do we worship Him? With LOVE, HOPE and FEAR. And in order to achieve these qualities, we need Allah's assistance, so we say then: "We seek Your Aid." [1:4].

STRIKING THE BALANCE

After understanding the need to have love, fear and hope in our worship, the question that now arises is: in what proportions should these qualities be present in our worship? Again we turn to the Qur'aan for our answer.

"Call upon Him with Fear and Hope." [al-A'raff(7):56].

And also:

"Their sides forsake their beds, to invokde their Lord in Fear and Hope." [as-Sajdah(32):16].

So both fear and hope should be present inour hearts in equal proportions. Anas - radiAllaahu 'anhu - reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam entered upon a young boy who was dying. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam asked: "How are you?" The boy replied: "O Messenger of Allah, I am in-between hoping in Allah and fearing for my sins." The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: "The like of these two qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared."[3]

Therefore, whenever we do a good action, we should have hope that it has been accepted by Allah, but at the same time we should also have fear that maybe it isn't enough or that the good deed has not been worthy of acceptance. Likewise when we sin, we should have hope that Allah will accept out Repentance and forgive us, but we should also fear that we may be accountable for it.

This balance should also be reflected in out da'wah (which of course is also worship). So when we invite others to the Truth, we should not give them the impression that they have "nothing to worry about"; nor do we suggest that they are doomed forever. Rather, we couple warnings with encouragement. We inform them of the horrors of the Fire as well as telling them about the bliss of Paradise. Just as we find Allah telling us in the Qur'aan:

"Verily your Lord is Quick in Punishment and verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Giver of Mercy." [al-A'raaf(7):167].

And our Righteous Predecessors used to say:

"He who worships Allah with hope only is a Murji'ee. He who worships Him in fear only is a Harooree [Khaarijee]. And he who worships Allah in love only is a Zindeeq [e.g. Soofees, Christians]. But he who worships Allah in fear, love and hope is a Muwahhid Mu'min [a believer upon Tawheed." [4]

The Murji'ah were a sect that emerged within the first century of Islaam. The people of this sect (known as murji'ees) believe that sins do not affect faith, i.e. no matter what sins a person commits, his eemaan (faith) is complete and perfect. They worship Allah only with hope because they belive that as along as one believed and testified to Islaam, they would enter Paradise regardless of their actions.

Unfortunately, all too often nowadays we find a somewhat similar attitude amongst the Muslims today, which is why we find that so often when we try to advise someone to turn to the Deen and abandon sin, they just point to their hearts and say, "Allah knows what's in my heart", or that "Allah forgives" or something similar.

As for the Khawaarij, they worshipped Allah in fear only because they held that anyone who committed major sins was a disbeliever and would therefore dwell in Hellfire forever. This, of course, is gross extremism and a straying from the correct Path. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: "There were two men from Banoo Israa'eel who strove equally. One of them committed sins and the other strove hard in worship. And the one who strove in worship continued to see the other sin and kept saying to him: 'Desist'. So one day, he found him committing a sin and so said to him: 'Desist'. So he replied: "Leave me to my Lord; have you been sent as a watcher over me?" He said: "By Allah, Allah will nor forgive you, nor will Allah admit you to Paradise." Then their sould were taken and they came together before the Lord of the Worlds. So He said to the one who strove in worship: "Did you have knowledge of Me, or did you have any power over what was in my Hands?" And He said to the sinner: "Go and enter Paradise through My Mercy." And He said to the other: "Take him to the Fire." Aboo Hurairah said: "By Him is Whose Hand is my soul! He spoke a word which destroyed this world and the Hereafter for him."[5]

Therefore we should never say of anyone that he or she is a 'lost cause' or 'doomed' or the like since this is a great sin. However, we fear for those who commit major sins because they have been threatened with punsihment in the Qur'aan. It is up to Allah whether He chooses to punish them or whether He will forgive them.

The Zanaadiqah - or the heretics - are groups, such as many of the Soofees who have become like the Christians and reduced the religion to just 'love' and so all their talk and all their mystical practices are centred around developing more 'love'.

It is thus clear how imbalances in any of the three qualities of worship can lead to major deviation and straying from the True Guidance, Therefore it is important for every Muslim to inculcate all three things in his heart properly. As was mentioned before, the fear and hope should be in equal proportions[6] but as for love, then that should be uppermost, As Fudayl ibn Iyyaad (d.187H) said: "The love is better than fear. The fear checks us from sinning, and the love makes us to do what is prescribed with an open heart."[7]

May Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala grant us what we hope for and protect us from what we fear. Aameen.

The Truth About Ibaadah (Worship) in Islaam

Asalamu alikum

The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The right of Allaah upon His servants is that they should worship Him (alone) and not associate anything with Him" [Bukhaaree and Muslim].

Allaah created us that we may worship Him alone and not associate anything with Him. Allaah has said {I did not create Jinn and Men except that they may worship me.} [51:56]. So what is this Ibaadah, what are its types and conditions and how should it be performed?.
Ibaadah is a collective term for everything which Allaah loves and is pleased with from among the words and actions such as supplication, prayer, and patience. Allaah says {Say: Verily my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all for Allaah the Lord of the Worlds.} [6:162] and the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said "Allaah the Exalted said: My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by me than the obligatory actions which I have imposed upon him" [Bukhaaree].
The types of Ibaadah are many and include supplication, fear hope, reliance, love of obedience to Allaah, hatred of disobedience to Him, remorse, repentance, seeking aid from Him, vowing, sacrifice, bowing and prostrating and others besides these. Thus the first thing which a Muslim acknowledges is that he has been created for Ibaadah and that is due to his declaration of Laa ilaaha illallaaha (There is none worthy of worship except Allaah alone). He must then know of its form and types.
The second thing the Muslim should realise is that a necessary condition of worship is that it is sincere. Allaah the Exalted said {So whoever hopes for the meeting with His Lord let him work deeds of righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His Lord.} [18:110] and the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said "Indeed Allaah does not look at your faces nor your wealth but He looks at your hearts and your actions." [Muslim]. Also there is the Hadeeth Qudsee where the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said that Allaah said "I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him whom he associated with Me" [Muslim].
Another vital condition of worship is that it is correct and therefore acceptable to Allaah. Our Ibaadah of Allaah should be as He and His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) have commanded us. Allaah says {O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger and do not let your actions become nullified.} [47:33] and the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has said "Whoever does an action which we have not commanded will have it rejected." [Muslim] and he (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) also said "Whoever does an action in a way different from ours will have it rejected" [Abu Daawood - Saheeh].
Fudayl ibn Ayyaad, a taabi'ee, said regarding the verse {...that He may test you, which of you is best in deeds...} [11:7] , "The most sincere and the most correct" so those who were around him said "And what is the most sincere and the most correct?" He replied "Action, if it is correct but not sincere will not be accepted and action, if it is sincere but not correct will not be accepted until it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that nothing but the Face of Allaah is sought and correct means that it is in conformity with the Sunnah."
So these are two necessary conditions for our Ibaadah to be acceptable to Allaah, namely that they are sincere (for the sake of Allaah) and correct (in conformity with the Sunnah).
Allaah has also commanded us {So call upon Him (out of) Fear and Hope.} [6:56] and the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) used to supplicate "I ask Allaah for Paradise and I seek refuge in Him from the Fire" [Abu Daawood - Saheeh]. And this is the fourth point : that our Ibaadah should be in between hoping for Allaah's Mercy and reward and fearing His punishment. Some of the pious predecessors used to say "Whoever worships Allaah with Love only is indeed a Zindeeq (a heretic) and whoever worships Him with Hope only is indeed a Murji' (one who believes sins impart no harm to a persons faith) and whoever worships Him with Fear only is indeed a Harooree (one of those believe that sins take a person out of Islaam) but whoever worships Him with Love, Fear and Hope is indeed a believing Muwahhid (one who performs the Tawheed of Allaah)."
Therefore, in all our actions we should fear Allaah's displeasure and punishment and then balance this with hoping for His pleasure and reward. Furthermore, we should love Him and love obedience to Him.
Another characteristic of our Ibaadah is being aware of the presence of Allaah, that His knowledge is with us and He sees and hears us. This fifth point is Ihsaan. Allaah says {The One Who sees you when you stand up for the prayer and when you move amongst those who prostrate themselves} [26:218] and also in the hadeeth of Jibreel when he said to the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) "Ihsaan is that you worship Allaah as if you see Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you" [Muslim].
So these are five points concerning our Ibaadah namely:

1. Acknowledgement of the purpose of our existence, which is to worship Allaah alone without any partners. This is the requirement and meaning of the declaration of faith: There is none worthy of worship except Allaah.
2. Extreme sincerity in fulfilling that purpose
3. The correctness of our Ibaadah and that is upon the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)
4. Worshipping Allaah by combining Love, Fear and Hope in all of our actions
5. And accompanying all of that with Ihsaan.

The example of the one who learns these five points concerning the Ibaadah of his Lord and builds all of his actions upon them and the one who does not and is careless about his worship is like the example Allaah has given {Which then is best? - he who lays the foundation of his house upon Taqwa and His Good Pleasure or he who lays the foundation of his house upon an undetermined brink of a precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbles down with him into the Fire of Hell?} [9:108].
So respected brothers and sisters lets not be careless and make our actions vain like Allaah has mentioned regarding some people, {And We shall turn to whatever actions they did and turn them into scattered dust.} [25:23] but rather let us become cautious and send something foreword for the Day of Judgement, the Day when we will be in great need for good actions, that is our sincere and correct Ibaadah.

The Life of this World is Fleeting Enjoyment

Asalamu alikum

From Tafsir Ibn Katheer (Abridged) Volume 9

"Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children.  (It is) like a rain (Ghayth), thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw.  But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure.  And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment." [57:20]

Allah the Exalted degrades the significance of this life and belittles it by saying,

"that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children."

Meaning, this is the significance of this life to its people, just as He said in another Ayah,

"Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land.  This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return with Him." ( 3:14 )

Allah the Exalted also sets a parable for this life, declaring that its joys are fading and its delights are perishable, saying that life is,

"Like a rain (Ghayth)," which is the rain that comes down to mankind, after they had felt despair.  Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

"And He is it Who sends down the Ghayth (rain) after they have despaired." (42:28)

Allah's statement,

"thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller;" meaning that farmers admire the vegetation that grows in the aftermath of rain.  And just as farmers admire vegetation, the disbelievers admire this life; they are the most eager to acquire the traits of life, and life is most dear to them,

"afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw."

Meaning, that vegetation soon turns yellow in color, after being fresh and green.  After that, the green fades away and becomes scattered pieces of dust.  This is the parable of this worldly life, it starts young, then matures and then turns old and feeble.  This is also the parable of mankind in this life; they are young and strong in the beginning.  In this stage of life, they look youthful and handsome.  Slowly, they begin growing older, their mannerism changes and their strength weakens.  They then grow old and feeble; moving becomes difficult for them, while doing easy things becomes beyond their ability.  Allah the Exalted said,

"Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and gray hair.  He creates what He wills.  And He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful." (30:54)

This parable indicates the near demise of this life and the imminent end of it, while in contrast, the Hereafter is surely coming.  Those who hear this parable should, therefore, be aware of the significance of the Hereafter and feel eagerness in the goodness that it contains,

"But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure.  And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."

Meaning, surely, the Hereafter that will certainly come contains two things either severe punishment or forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure.

Allah the Exalted said,

"And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment."

Meaning, this life is only a form of enjoyment that deceives those who incline to it.  Surely, those who recline to this life will admire it and feel that it is dear to them, so much so, that they might think that this is the only life, no life or dwelling after it.  Yet, in reality, this life is insignificant as compared to the Hereafter.

Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah said that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

" Paradise is nearer to any of you than the strap of his shoe, and so is the (Hell) Fire." [Ahmad 1:387]

Al-Bukhari collected this Hadith through the narration of Ath-Thawri [Fath al-Bari 11:328].  This Hadith indicates the close proximity of both good and evil in relation to mankind.  If this is the case, then this is the reason Allah the Exalted encouraged mankind to rush to perform acts of righteousness and obedience and to avoid the prohibitions.  By doing so, their sins and errors will be forgiven and they will acquire rewards and an exalted status.  Allah the Exalted said,

"Race with one another in hastening towards forgiveness from your Lord, and Paradise the width whereof is as the width of the heaven and the earth."

Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

"And march forth in the way (to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who have Taqwa." (3:133)

Allah said here,

"prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers.  That is the grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He is pleased with.  And Allah is the Owner of the great bounty."

Meaning, "This, that Allah has qualified them for, is all a part of His favor, bounty and compassion."  We mentioned a Hadith collected in the Sahih in which the poor emigrants said to the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "O Allah's Messenger!  The wealthy people will get higher grades and permanent enjoyment."  He asked, "Why is that?"  They said, "They pray like us and fast as we do.  However, they give in charity, whereas we cannot do that, and they free servants, whereas we cannot afford it."  The Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "Shall I tell you of a good deed that, if you acted upon, you would catch up with those who have surpassed you? None would overtake you and be better than you, except those who might do the same.  Say, "Glorious is Allah," Allah is Most Great", and "Praise be to Allah", thirty three times each after every prayer."  They later came back and said, "Our wealthy brethren heard what we did and they started doing the same."  Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

"This is the favor that He gives to whom He wills." [Muslim 1:416]

From The Foundations of Evils

Asalamu alikum

The time is the life of the servant, it was said by a poet

“…and the time is the most precious thing that you can have concern for preserving–and I see that it is the easiest thing which can be wasted”

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy upon him) said:

“The wasting of time is more severe than death. That is because the matter of death cuts you off from the worldly life whereas the wasting of time cuts you off from Allaah”

The time is the capital of your wealth. That is because your life which Allaah has decreed for you, He wants that you attain with it the honor of the Deen and the bliss of the hereafter. Therefore if you waste it, the reality of your worldly life will be wasted as well as your hereafter being plundered. There is no (worldly) loss greater upon the servant than the wasting of his time.

The prophet said (what means):

“Take advantage of 5 things before 5 things overcome you:

1. Take advantage of your youth before your old age.
   
2. Take advantage of your health before your sickness.
   
3. Take advantage of of you life before your death.
   
4. Take advantage of your richness before you poverty, and
5. Take advantage of your free time before becoming preoccupied.”
   [Narrated by al-Haakim on the authority of Ibn Abbaas.]

So the question stands,

is the wasting of these prize possessions to be considered from the happiness of the Muslim? Therefore with the time the Muslim has the ability to capitalize off of everything that has been mentioned in the hadeeth….

ESSENCE OF KNOWLEDGE (OR REMINDERS)

Assalaam alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuhu :)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Where are we going? I really don’t know. Many times I try to put my words on paper but my head just keeps on getting blank. I thought of all those great inspiring Islamic reminders that I’ve read in the past. They always made me feel so good. There is this amazing pleasure one feels when we read something captivating and inspiring. It seems soothing to the heart and pleasant to the ears. But that’s usually the end of it. Then I wonder: why do we read? You’d see a whole bunch of eeman-boosting materials but really, how many of them gets stuck in our heads? How many of them do we actually heed to?

The Prophet (sallaAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about five (matters):- about his life and how he spent it; about his youth – how he took care of it; about his wealth – how he earned it; and where he spent it; and about which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

Subhan’Allah! I’d love to place emphasis on the last part “…..and about which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired”. For this reason, know that you are accountable before Allah for every knowledge that you sought – everything that you knew.

In the process of trying to gain knowledge, sometimes we keep reading books, lectures, articles, and lots & lots of reminders that trembles our hearts with inspiration. It’s like having the taste of something pleasant or intoxicating. It soothes. And we want more. But do we really want more? Why do we even want to read/hear more? Because it stirs within us a certain emotion! Like getting high! Many of us are just after that emotion – the high. It’s not really the knowledge or desire to change that we seek. It’s the soul’s way of responding to pleasant things. MORE!!!

But how about something called “STOP & PONDER & REFLECT & CHANGE”? This is the actual essence of knowledge - the actual essence of all these daily reminders. We’d be surprised to read one article/book, and then another one, and another one, but in the end, we’d realize that we seem to have forgotten the exact messages of each one we read. But no action! All we’d remember is the pleasant emotions we felt while reading them – the amazing eeman-boosting we felt at that particular point in time. But the moment the reminder is completed and gone, we just simply forget the message. Why? It’s because we were reading for pleasure and not to actually gain real practical knowledge in order to be better. Many of us do this. But little do we notice.

We read so many inspiring texts that we decide: “Oh I’m gonna be better after this.” But do we really get better? Here is the point: All of those reminders are just a bunch of words, if we do not put them into action. The real effect of that reminder is not how it strikes you when reading or listening. The real effect of that reminder is what it leaves in your heart long after you’ve encountered it. The words echo in your head. You realize how far you lag behind in taqwa. The value of that reminder is how it drives you to CHANGE. If you do not change that particular attitude afterwards, then have you really gained knowledge?

But there is something inevitable about reminders though, they instill in us piety and total consciousness of Allah at that moment (which is good). But the actual test is what happens after reading those bunches of materials. Do we really take heed?

Of course we take heed when it comes to the apparent acts of worship such as: Dhikr, tilawatul Qur’an, Salaat and Nawafil, fasting, hijaab, etc.

But what about our internal!

Piety is not just about the apparent acts of worship and mundane religious rituals. Piety is something really deep. It comes from the deepest core of the inside. That love, that fear, that veneration for the Almighty, that strong recognition of your flaws and your utmost effort to improve yourself no matter what. That’s piety! It is deep-rooted. Piety is continuous striving. Are we really striving? Are we really heeding all those beautiful inspiring reminders? Are we?

Evils of the Nafs

“The day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who comes to Allah with a clean heart” (Q26: 88-9)

The soul (nafs) is corrupt. Extremely corrupt! In the soul, all kinds of evils on earth reside. Evils which can only be washed away by actual striving – real action! Do you want to know how evil your soul is? Here is what Ibn al-Qayyim (Rahmatullah alayhi) said:

The soul has:

Ø The pride of Satan

Ø The envy of Cain

Ø The insolence and impiety of Ad

Ø The tyranny of Thamud

Ø The boldness of Nimrod

Ø The tendency to attack violently like Fir’aon

Ø The injustice of Qarun

Ø The meanness of Haman

Ø The fancy of Bilam

Ø The trickery of the people of the Sabbath-Breakers

Ø The mutiny of Al-Walid

Ø The ignorance of Abu Jahl.

We’d notice that each of these evils led to the destruction of these people. They were known particularly for it. Yet we cannot deny that as humans, each of these evils reside in each of us. It’s the weakness of our nature. But hey sister! If you possess any of these evil traits, then know that if it could destroy those people, what makes you secured that it cannot destroy YOU too? The best of humans is he who fights against his own self. Now that’s piety!

The soul of man, according to the same Ibn al-Qayyim (rahmatullah alayhi), also took some of the characteristics of the animals.

Ø The greediness of the crow

Ø The gluttony of the dog

Ø The folly of the peacock

Ø The lowliness of the scarab

Ø The disobedience of the lizard

Ø The spite of the camel

Ø The impulsive jumping of the cheetah

Ø The power of the lion

Ø The debauchery of the mouse

Ø The desire to collect and store like ants

Ø The malice of a snake

Ø The frivolity of a monkey

Ø The cunning of a fox

Ø The lightness of a butterfly

Ø The laziness of the hyena.

But through taming and fighting the soul, all these traits will be removed. But whosoever submits to these follies will become their servant and his good self will not be bought by Allah, as Allah says:

“Verily Allah has purchased of the believers their lives.” (At-Tawbah 9:111)

In other words, we’d realize that we have a whole lot of work to do on ourselves, given the number of evils that reside in our souls. So our essence of reading reminders should be to identify what Allah expects of us, recognize our shortcomings, obtain ways of improving, and then ultimately acing upon it. This should be our purpose for seeking knowledge or so to speak “reading”.

Intentions

Although reminders are unavoidably important in the actual sense, but we have to constantly keep in check our intentions. Many times we intend to do something for the sake of Allah, but then, we often don’t realize when that noble intention slips in value to become a habit or a show. A habit which you gain temporary pleasure from, but once it’s out of sight, it’s completely forgotten, or a show to prove ourselves to others while secretly yearning for their admiration or praises.

Reminders help one to re-connect with Allah, to re-establish your taqwa, and to understand better your religion. But be careful in reading just for the sake of a habitual pleasure. Reminders would be just a bunch of words if we honestly don’t put them into action.

Battling your soul is the essence of knowledge

The soul loves to indulge. We love indulgence and pleasure. We all know the good from the bad (or sometimes we don’t). Yet that knowledge would be nothing if not put into action. Imagine all those evils of the nafs listed above all bottled up inside you, if they are not battled against with utter taqwa, then they would eventually lead to one’s destruction, either in this life or Hereafter.

Eventually, no matter how many good religious actions we do, we can NEVER reach the Pleasure of our Lord, until we battle against our nafs. This should be our reason for seeking knowledge and indulging in reminders: To battle the nafs.

Some wise men said: “How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a problem, he seeks the help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires, and being involved in innovations. Indeed when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impacts of his sins”. (Extract from Al-Fawaid)

According to the above quotation, it is observed that what actually kills the heart no matter how many reminders we update ourselves with to enjoy or religious rituals that we do, we would never attain the state of Ihsaan as long as we keep on with ignorance; neglect; desires; and innovations.

These four are really dangerous to the soul and are among the greatest eeman-destroyers. They increase the depth and layers of the darkness within us because we have become lost in them. Among them all, I’d love to discuss about IGNORANCE.

IGNORANCE

Many times we do things while we actually think we are being good. We do so many things wrong in our own ignorance, yet we go ahead feeling so proud that yes we are good. Allah says: “This Day, none will be wronged in anything nor will you be requited in anything except that which you used to do.: (Q36:54). A terrible loss it would be, when we die and actually realize that all we’d expected to meet was never even there at all. We’d realize in utter shame that the good deeds we’d thought we were doing were only a mirage or illusion (Na’udhubillah – may Allah save us from that). Unfortunately some people like that have gone but cannot come back. But we are still here, alive and bubbly healthy. So this is why we need knowledge. Of course constant reminders boost knowledge fast, but of what use is the reminder if it cannot help us against our nafs, in getting closer to Allah?

Knowledge is not complete until it is put into action. Although no one is perfect, but we cannot keep hiding under vain hopes. Vain hope is to repent with your tongue expecting Allah’s Mercy when your soul is still contaminated with all the evils in it, without any struggle on your part to fight against them for Allah’s Pleasure. Allah has already said that:

“And We do not change the condition of a people, until they change what is in themselves”…….Q   )

What are your shortcomings?

Search yourself! You know your secrets, and only Allah is a Witness over you. Start identifying your flaws or defects. You know them. Your flaws are the inherent evils of your nafs that’s depriving you from the total worship of Allah. You know them. But beware! Among those shortcomings are some which you are not even aware of. You do not know them, and you are not sure which one of your actions fall into that category. By Allah, this itself is a BIG DISEASE on its own – ignorance to your own defects. That’s the biggest kind of ignorance and you should be worried.

This is why we cannot be proud. This is why we cannot even feel pleased by our deeds. This is why even our heart must not try to praise us when we seem to be doing good deeds. Because we do not know which one of them have been rejected by Allah, or which one of them were actually sins while we thought they were good. So we cannot be proud.  Because the sin (as a result of the ignorance) has been recorded, yet the person remains oblivious and continues to exalt himself and degrade others. Isn’t that an apparent fool? May Allah save us from our own foolishness. Ameen!

So in order to cure this terrible disease called Ignorance, it is imperative to constantly repent to Allah, for both our apparent and hidden sins. Not just repent, but also ask Him for a better future where we can obey Him better. And also pray to alert you to your own ignorance when you err so as to reform yourself. And most importantly: Strive towards the purification of your soul!

Seek knowledge, but not as a habit or a thing of pleasure. Knowledge should be gained to increase your awareness of all it requires to meet your Creator. It should be able to improve you towards excellence, in order to impress your Creator.

Always remember your flaws!

Let not a day pass by without identifying some defects or flaws or diseases in you. When you identify these ailments of your nafs, humility will rush through you, and you’ll see yourself as the most contemptible of all human beings.  You will no longer be able to praise or please yourself, because you have realized the ugliness within you (beneath that beauty that everybody sees). And in remembering this defect in you, and the Greatness of Allah over you, His Punishment for that flaw, you will most certainly submit or turn to Allah in humility, and as well deal with His creations in humility too.

Always walk with the conscious awareness of your flaws in your head – those evils of your nafs that just seem to totally overwhelm, control and dominate you. As you think of them, seek knowledge on how to work on them, and ACT (strive with all might to fight them). In shaa Allah, He will reward you and make it easier for you.

RECAP IN SUMMARY

Do not read just because you are idle. Do not read just because a writer/write –up is highly inspirational and gives you a high emotion as it touches your soul. Read because you want to get closer to Allah. You want to be purified in the Sight of Allah. You want to seek knowledge for His Sake so that you may be better and to improve yourself. Read because you want to know more about those things you do that takes you away from Allah, and the remedies on how to get back to Allah in knowledge and action.

You wonder why some people do dhikr and other apparently religious practices, but yet they enter Hell-Fire due to Allah’s Displeasure towards them. Its because they do not check their hearts. They do not strive against their vain desires. They do not look out for their own flaws and the terrible disease that’s eating their hearts up. In the end, no matter how much outward good deeds they did, their hearts increased in more corruption due to the evils within them which they had not tended to. Eventually, it destroys them.

No matter how much inspiring reminders we read, they would mean nothing if we choose to ignore their messages. Knowledge isn’t for pleasure of the nafs. Knowledge is meant for the reformation and purification of the nafs from its evils. Knowledge isn’t for bragging or boasting. It is for implementation. Thus knowledge shouldn’t be just a habit. No! Anything that is a habit is no longer for the sake of Allah, but rather it has become for the sake of pleasing the nafs.

In other words, ACT! Action is what matters. Be truthful with yourself. One sentence of knowledge implemented is better than a series of bookish knowledge without implementation. So many people have been destroyed despite their apparent religious devotions, simply because they failed to tend to the evil diseases eating them up. Shaitan and many other people whom Allah destroyed are living examples. In other words, be truthful with yourself. You have many flaws each of which keeps manifesting in your life day after day, hour after hour, and moment after moments. Ignorance and pride is what makes one ignore concern for one’s heart. It is better to struggle against your soul’s ailments, striving for Allah’s Sake, than to keep doing many outward good deeds, while the soul is decaying and dying everyday due to the diseases eating it up. So we should be very careful!

So hasten towards doing whatever you are able to do of good. Struggle against your vain desires and the evils of your nafs. There is no time so do not delay. For in the path of struggling towards the purification of your soul, you would find yourself drawing closer to Allah to the point where it just pushes you towards voluntary and apparent acts of worship just in order to be near Him. So if you want to be close to Allah, start from within you.

Make no excuses for yourself today, as “(It would be said in the Hereafter): O you disbelievers! Make no excuses for yourself this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do” (Q66:7). So make no excuses for yourself today (by being stern with yourself in serious discipline), so that you won’t try to make up any excuses on that Great Day. Take notes when you read in order not to forget. And keep tending to the diseases of your soul, with the Word of Allah. May Allah make it easy for us, and count us among the nafs-mutmainah in His Sight. Ameen!

This reminder is to myself first and foremost, as I am the first to be reproached concerning it. I seek forgiveness from Allah for whatever I may have said that is wrong or untrue or misleading. By Allah, anything good I have said is from Allah, and anything otherwise is from the ignorance of my own self. This is just a humble naseehah (advice) to whoever reads (myself first). And I am not pushing or enforcing my ideas or thoughts on anyone. Many of us may already even know this, so it’s not a new message at all. But the point is we know! Of course we know! But do we take heed? I bet only few of us do that. I am not a scholar or even much of a student of fiqh. So this piece may not be like an ideal dawah material. It is just a piece of advice from my heart. May Allah guide us all to His Pleasure. Ihdinaa siraatal mustaqeem! Assalaamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh!

”Whoever wants to know what Allah has prepared for him, then, he should look at what he has prepared for Allah”.