Know Your Enemy V (Ahadith 2907 – 2915)

Bismillah.

Chapter: The characteristics of Iblis (Satan) and his soldiers

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 508 :
Narrated by ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “While the angels talk amidst the clouds about things that are going to happen on earth, the devils hear a word of what they say and pour it in the ears of a soothsayer as one pours something in a bottle, and they add one hundred lies to that (one word).”

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 509 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Yawning is from Satan and if anyone of you yawns, he should check his yawning as much as possible, for if anyone of you (during the act of yawning) should say: ‘Ha’, Satan will laugh at him.”

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 510 :
Narrated by ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa)
On the day (of the battle) of Uhud when the pagans were defeated, Satan shouted, “O slaves of Allah! Beware of the forces at your back,” and on that the Muslims of the front files fought with the Muslims of the back files (thinking they were pagans). Hudhaifa (radiallaahu `anhu) looked back to see his father, Al-Yaman (being attacked by the Muslims). He shouted, “O Allah’s Slaves! My father! My father!” By Allah, they did not stop till they killed him. Hudhaifa said, “May Allah forgive you.” ‘Urwa said that Hudhaifa continued to do good (invoking Allah to forgive the killer of his father till he met Allah (i.e. died).

That is the pinnacle of good character. We claim to be good Muslims and followers of the Sunnah but do we really imitate the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and his Companions, also known as the best of generations, when it comes to dealing with others? Being kind to people who are kind to you is very easy. Being kind to someone who wrongs you.. not so easy. When it comes to being kind to a person (very much Muslim – probably better than you) who does something awful to your family (murdering your parent, let’s say).. wait, is that even an option?! Hudhaifa (radiallaahu `anhu) was above and beyond kind for the killer of his father. He understood that it was a mistake that happened amidst all the confusion so he prays for his forgiveness. It is said that he didn’t accept the blood money either. And the best part: he never says anything but good about that person till the day he dies. That, my friends, is true forgiveness. May Allah help us reach such merits in our characters.

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 511 :
Narrated by ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa)
I asked the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) about one’s looking here and there during the prayer. He replied, “It is what Satan steals from the prayer of any one of you.”

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 512 :
Narrated by Abu Qatada (radiallaahu `anhu)
As below (i.e. Hadith No. 513)

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 513 :
Narrated by Abu Qatada (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “A good dream is from Allah, and a bad or evil dream is from Satan; so if anyone of you has a bad dream of which he gets afraid, he should spit on his left side and should seek Refuge with Allah from its evil, for then it will not harm him.”

Also, don’t discuss bad dreams with others.

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:

“If any one of you sees a dream that he likes, it is from Allaah, so let him praise Allaah for it and tell people about it. But if he sees something other than that, that he dislikes, it is from the Shaytaan, so let him seek refuge with Allaah from its evil and not mention it to anyone, for it will not harm him.”  (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7045)

It was reported that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

‘If any one of you sees something that he dislikes (in a dream), let him get up and pray, and not tell people about it.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 2263)

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 514 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If one says one-hundred times in one day: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Alone Who has no partners, to Him belongs Dominion and to Him belong all the Praises, and He has power over all things (i.e. Omnipotent)”, one will get the reward of manumitting ten slaves, and one-hundred good deeds will be written in his account, and one-hundred bad deeds will be wiped off or erased from his account, and on that day he will be protected from the morning till evening from Satan, and nobody will be superior to him except one who has done more than that which he has done.”

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 515 :
Narrated by Sad bin Abi Waqqas (radiallaahu `anhu)
Once Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) asked the leave to see Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) in whose company there were some Quraishi women who were talking to him and asking him for more financial support raising their voices. When ‘Umar asked permission to enter the women got up (quickly) hurrying to screen themselves. When Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) admitted ‘Umar, Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was smiling, ‘Umar asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! May Allah keep you gay always.” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “I am astonished at these women who were with me. As soon as they heard your voice, they hastened to screen themselves.” ‘Umar said, “O Allah’s Apostle! You have more right to be feared by them.” Then he addressed (those women) saying, “O enemies of your own souls! Do you fear me and not Allah’s Apostle ?” They replied. “Yes, for you are a fearful and fierce man as compared with Allah’s Apostle.” On that Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said (to ‘Umar), “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, whenever Satan sees you taking a path, he follows a path other than yours.”

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 516 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night.”

Doing wudu takes care of that, but a menstruating woman will have to wash the nose outside of wudu to get rid of Shaytan.

The chapter of Iblees’ characteristics and soldiers ends here, and hence the series “Know Your Enemy”.

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How to Treat Servants (Hadith No. 2422)

Bismillah.

Volume 4, Book 51, Number 29 :
Narrated by Anas (radiallaahu `anhu)
When Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) came to Medina; he did not have any servant. Abu Talha (radiallaahu `anhu) (Anas’ step-father) took me to Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Anas is a wise boy, so let him serve you.” So, I served him at home and on journeys. If I did anything, he never asked me why I did it, and if I refrained from doing anything, he never asked me why I refrained from doing it.

This hadith gives evidence for employment of an orphan and showing kindness to servants. We treat our servants as if they owe us their lives, belittling them and scolding them for every little thing. Look at the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), he wouldn’t even ask him questions like ‘Why didn’t you do this?’, or ‘Why did you do it?’. I’m sure there must have been incidents where he fell short, he was just a ten-year-old boy when he started and spent all his teen years with the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam). There must have been times when he didn’t complete a task or committed mistakes etc. But he was never rebuked by the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam).

And isn’t it amazing how he mentions this specific trait of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) when narrating this hadith? He could’ve said something more general, like “He was extremely nice to me”, or “He never scolded me”, or “He was the best”. You get the point. But when he recalls his time with the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), he remembers specifically what we could call “forgiveness”. Imagine what our servants would recall their time with us ten, twenty years down the line. Would they remember our pleasantness or the constant insults we throw at them?

Interesting fact about Anas (radiallaahu `anhu):

His mother once asked the Prophet, upon him be peace, to supplicate for Anas. He, upon him be peace, said,
‘O Allah, increase him in wealth and sons, give him long life and forgive him his sins.’
Anas would recollect that he had 125 offspring in his lifetime and only two of them were girls, his garden gave fruit twice a year and had basil which smelt like musk and he had lived long and had even survived poison and he hoped for the fourth part of the supplication. He was the last companion to die in Basra in the year 93H aged 103 years old. [Abdul Aziz Ahmed]

Read more on his life here.

Leniency in Transactions and Business Dealings (Ahadith 1785 – 1787)

Bismillah.

Volume 3, Book 34, Number 290:

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu):

Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “May Allah’s mercy be on him who is lenient in his buying, selling, and in demanding back his money.”

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Volume 3, Book 34, Number 291:

Narrated Hudhaifa (radiallaahu `anhu):

The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Before your time the angels received the soul of a man and asked him, ‘Did you do any good deeds (in your life)?’ He replied, ‘I used to order my employees to grant time to the rich person to pay his debts at his convenience.’ So Allah said to the angels; “Excuse him.” Rabi said that (the dead man said), ‘I used to be easy to the rich and grant time to the poor.’ Or, in another narration, ‘grant time to the well-off and forgive the needy,’ or, ‘accept from the well-off and forgive the needy.’

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Volume 3, Book 34, Number 292:

Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):

The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “There was a merchant who used to lend the people, and whenever his debtor was in straitened circumstances, he would say to his employees, ‘Forgive him so that Allah may forgive us.’ So, Allah forgave him.”

 وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

And if the debtor is having a hard time, then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay; but if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know. [2:280]

Ibn Kathir comments on this ayah:

Allah commands creditors to be patient with debtors who are having a hard time financially,

﴿وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ﴾

(And if the debtor is having a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay.)

During the time of Jahiliyyah, when the debt came to term, the creditor would say to the debtor, “Either pay now or interest will be added to the debt.”

Allah encouraged creditors to give debtors respite regarding their debts and promised all that is good, and a great reward from Him for this righteous deed,

﴿وَأَن تَصَدَّقُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾

(But if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know) meaning, if you forfeit your debts and cancel them completely.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Sulayman bin Buraydah said that his father said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

«مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَة»

(Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will gain charity of equal proportions for each day he gives.)

I also heard the Prophet say,

«مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَة»

(Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will earn charity multiplied two times for each day he gives.) I said, `O Messenger of Allah! I heard you say, `Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will gain charity of equal proportions for each day he gives.’ I also heard you say, `Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will earn charity multiplied by two times for each day he gives.’ He said,

«لَهُ بِكُلِّ يَومٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَةٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحِلَّ الدَّيْنُ، فَإِذَا حَلَّ الدَّيْنُ فَأَنْظَرَهُ، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلَاهُ صَدَقَة»

(He will earn charity of equal proportions for each day (he gives time) before the term of the debt comes to an end, and when the term comes to an end, he will again acquire charity multiplied by two times for each day if he gives more time.)”

Ahmad recorded that Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi said that Abu Qatadah had a debt on a man, who used to hide from Abu Qatadah when he looked for him to pay what he owed him. One day, Abu Qatadah came looking for the debtor and a young boy came out, and he asked him about the debtor and found out that he was in the house eating. Abu Qatadah said in a loud voice, “O Fellow! Come out, for I was told that you are in the house.” The man came out and Abu Qatadah asked him, “Why are you hiding from me” The man said, “I am having a hard time financially, and I do not have any money.” Abu Qatadah said, “By Allah, are you truly facing a hard time” He said, “Yes.” Abu Qatadah cried and said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say,

«مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ غَرِيمِهِ أَوْ مَحَا عَنْهُ،كَانَ فِي ظِلِّ الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»

(Whoever gives time to his debtor, or forgives the debt, will be in the shade of the Throne (of Allah) on the Day of Resurrection.)”

Muslim also recorded this Hadith in his Sahih.

Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la Al-Mawsili recorded that Hudhayfah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«أُتِيَ اللهُ بِعَبْدٍمِنْ عَبِيدِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ: مَاذَا عَمِلْتَ لِي فِي الدُّنْيَا؟ فَقَالَ: مَا عَمِلْتُ لَكَ يَا رَبِّ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَرْجُوكَ بِهَا قَالَهَا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ الْعَبْدُعِنْدَ آخِرِهَا: يَا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ كُنْتَ أَعْطَيْتَنِي فَضْلَ مَالٍ، وَكُنْتُ رَجُلًا أُبَايِعُ النَّاسَ، وَكَانَ مِنْ خُلُقِي الْجَوازُ، فَكُنْتُ أُيَسِّرُ عَلَى الْمُوسِرِ وَأُنْظِرُ الْمُعْسِرَ، قَالَ: فَيَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: أَنَا أَحَقُّ مَنْ يُيَسِّرُ، ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّة»

(On the Day of Resurrection, one of Allah’s servants will be summoned before Him and He will ask him, “What deeds did you perform for Me in your life” He will say, “O Lord! In my life, I have not performed a deed for Your sake that equals an atom,” three times. The third time, the servant will add, “O Lord! You granted me wealth and I used to be a merchant. I used to be lenient, giving easy terms to those well-off and giving time to the debtors who faced hard times.” Allah will say, “I Am the Most Worthy of giving easy terms. Therefore, enter Paradise.”)

Taraweeh Prayer (Hadith No. 1721)

Bismillah.

Kitaab-ut-Taraweeh [Book of Praying at Night in Ramadaan] starts today..

Volume 3, Book 32, Number 226:

Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):

I heard Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying regarding Ramadan, “Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”

Let’s all hope we came out clean of this Ramadan. ^_^
And may Allah give us the tawfeeq to do so each year.

The Ramblings of an Unstirred Heart

This is a guest post by Sr. Amara Zulfiqar, co-owner at Writer’s Guild.

Reading Omer’s article “Work Hard for the Rest of your Life” inspired me to pour my heart out with respect to faith. Please excuse me if anyone is offended by the content of the article. That was never the intention. I am an average girl who doesn’t cover up, not because I don’t believe in it but because I’ve somehow never felt the need. I believe my faith was stronger a few months ago and I’ve made mistakes, some knowingly, others unknowingly. Despite all of that I know I’m one of the very few people who are blessed because I know Allah loves me. I always manage to get out of things even if it is at the last minute but somehow Allah always comes to my rescue whether I’ve asked for His help or not (I always do though).

On the outlook, I’m a very worldly person and perhaps very worldly wise as well. I don’t like interfering in people’s matters for the simple reason that it’s not my problem and people don’t like meddlers. I will help people close to me to the extent that I’m not imposing myself on them because again, I don’t want to suffocate them. The reason why I’ve started on this note is because I wanted to define what “average” meant when I said I’m an average girl. I have these flaws along with many others. Others might have different flaws but at the end of the day that is what makes us human: to err.

Technically, when you make mistakes and realise them, it draws you closer to Allah and makes you more God-fearing. That is the natural, the logical outcome. But what if you don’t feel the remorse of committing thought-out, intentional sins but you know you should, and to compensate for them, you revert to the Quran, read it for meaning so that somehow your heart is true when it asks for forgiveness. And yet, the heart lacks the light. What if you pray five times a day to seek that light and yet it escapes you? You are doing all the right things, taking the right steps, why then does the heart not find light?

I am not complaining. I know something is amiss. And that something is lacking in me. I have to figure that out and nobody can figure it out for me. But these are the dilemmas of an average person. They are caught between a material reality and the religious implications of following such a reality.

As far as working hard is concerned, I do not believe it is true that there is a single person who is not in some capacity trying to get salvation and spiritual insight. Some find that in helping others, some are exceptional to their parents, and still others are good at making people happy. Whatever the means, the end remains the same: filling the spiritual void which in turn pleases Allah. But again it all boils down to one thing: it is more what the society requires out of you rather than the religion. Your priorities are what only you can set straight.

I was fortunate enough to have a discussion with one of my friends the other day on sinning. I was discussing how I can’t pray because I have sinned so much that I feel like a hypocrite standing on the prayer mat. I mean how can I face Allah when I have committed so many sins knowingly? I have incessantly lied, slandered, gossiped and much more. I have rebelled in the most sinful ways to get back at people, not because I was angry at Allah but because I was disappointed in people. And yet in doing so I displeased Allah. I seek forgiveness and yet, again, my forgiveness lacks that truth and sincerity it should have. So I feel I am not sincere or pure enough to stand in front of Allah and seek His forgiveness or His pleasure in some way. I remember once calling one of my friends Faustus, Faustus who had sinned so much that he never asked for forgiveness because he believed he wouldn’t get it. Later I realised, I am Faustus.

And on this my friend told me that is exactly what Shaitan wants you believe. That there is no remorse, there is no way out and your sins are so grave that there is no redemption. And I realised that is exactly what I had been feeling all along. That I will not be forgiven which is why my seeking forgiveness lacked the sincerity that it should have.

It is strange how when I was reading Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, this had occurred to me. That how stupid can a person be not to believe in the mercy of God. And yet perhaps the shame and disappointment you feel is so great that I found myself in a similar position. I had also conjured up my own Mephistopheles. Fortunately for me, I received my guiding light before it was too late. It’s a beginning, perhaps starting from scratch.

“Why this is hell, nor am I out of it.

Think’st thou that I, who saw the face of God,

And tasted the eternal joys of Heaven,

Am not tormented with ten thousand hells

In being deprived of everlasting bliss?”

 

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Chritopher Marlowe