Dajjal, Jews and the End of Times (Ahadith 2571 – 2572)

Bismillah.

Ahadith 2568 – 2570 (below) are repeats. See linked text for related posts.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 173 :
Narrated by Umaiya Ad-Damri (radiallaahu `anhu)
I saw the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) eating of a shoulder (of a sheep) by cutting from it and then he was called to prayer and he prayed without repeating his ablution.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 174 :
Narrated by Az-Zuhri (radiallaahu `anhu)
As above (Hadith No. 173) and added that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) put the knife down.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 175 :
Narrated by Khalid bin Madan
That ‘Umair bin Al-Aswad Al-Anasi told him that he went to ‘Ubada bin As-Samit (radiallaahu `anhu) while he was staying in his house at the sea-shore of Hims with (his wife) Um Haram (radiallaahu `anhaa). ‘Umair said. Um Haram (radiallaahu `anhaa) informed us that she heard the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “Paradise is granted to the first batch of my followers who will undertake a naval expedition.” Um Haram (radiallaahu `anhaa) added, I said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Will I be amongst them?’ He replied, ‘You are amongst them.’ The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) then said, ‘The first army amongst’ my followers who will invade Caesar’s City will be forgiven their sins.’ I asked, ‘Will I be one of them, O Allah’s Apostle?’ He replied in the negative.”

Today’s Ahadith:

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 176 :
Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, ‘O ‘Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.’ “

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. “O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.”

Abu Umamah al-Bahili said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the Dajjal and warned us against him. He said, ‘No tribulation on earth since the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjal. Allah has never sent a Prophet who did not warn his Ummah against the Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last Ummah. The Dajjal is emerging among you and it is inevitable. If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim. But if he appears after I am gone, then every person must contend with him on his own behalf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will spread disaster right and left. O servants of Allah adhere to the path of Truth. I shall describe him for you in a way that no Prophet has ever done before.

He will start by saying that he is a Prophet, but there will be no Prophet after me. Then he will say, “I am your Lord,” but you will never see your Lord until you die. The Dajjal is one-eyed, but your Lord, glorified be He, is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Among the trhewill bring will be the Paradise and Hell he will offer; but that which he calls Hell will be Paradise, and that which he calls Paradise will be Hell. Whoever enters his Hell, let him seek refuge with Allah and recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Abraham.

“He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and will say, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord.”

“He will be given power over one person, whom he will kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, ‘Look at this slave of mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord other than me. Allah will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjal) will say to him, ‘Who is your Lord? The man will answer, ‘My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah. You are the Dajjal. By Allah, I have never been more sure of this than I am today.”

Abu Said said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise.”

Abu Said said, “By Allah, we never thought that that man would be any other than ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away.”

Al-Muharibi said: “Then we referred to the Hadith of Abu Rafii, which said, ‘Part of his Fitnah will be the fact that he will pass through an area whose people will deny him, and none of their livestock will remain alive. Then he will pass through a second area whose people will believe in him; he will order the sky to rain and the earth to bring forth crops, and their flocks will return from grazing fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched, their udders full. He will pass through every place on earth – except Makkah and Madinah, which he will never enter, for there are angels guarding every gate of them with unsheathed swords – until he reaches al-Zarib al-Ahmar and camps at the edge of the salt-marsh. Madinah will be shaken by three tremors, after which every Munafiq (hypocrite) will leave it, and it will be cleansed of evil, as iron is cleansed of dross. That day will be called Yawm al-Khalas (The Day of Purification).”

Umm Sharik bint Abil-Akr said, “O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be at that time?” He said, “At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imam is going forward to lead the people in praying Salat al-Subh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imam will step back, to let Jesus lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between the mans shoulders and say, ‘Go forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqamah was made for you. So the Imam will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus (alayhe salam) will say, ‘Open the gate. The gate will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield. When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water, and will run away.

Jesus will say, ‘You will remain alive until I strike you with my sword. He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd* and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allah. There will be no place for them to hide; they will not be able to hide behind any stone, wall, animal or tree – except the boxthorn (al-Gharqarah) – without saying, ‘O Muslim servant of Allah! here is a Jew, come and kill him!” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The time of the Dajjal will be forty years; one year like half a year, one year like a month, and one month like a week. The rest of his days will pass so quickly that if one of you were at one of the gates of Madinah, he would not reach the other gate before evening fell.”

[Taken from Ibn Kathir’s “The Signs before the Day of Judgment”]

Note: this hadith is found in Sunan Ibn Majah and graded weak, but other sahih ahadith confirm some of its parts.

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The Story of Jesus [`alayhissalaam] (Hadith No. 1920)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 1918 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 34, Number 423 :
Narrated by ‘Urwa bin Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu)
Hakim bin Hizam (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “O Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)! I used to do good deeds in the Pre-lslamic period of Ignorance, e.g., keeping good relations with my Kith and kin, manumitting slaves and giving alms. Shall I receive a reward for all that?” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) replied, “You embraced Islam with all the good deeds which you did in the past.”

Hadith no. 1919 (below) is also a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 34, Number 424 :
Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (radiallaahu `anhu)
Once Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) passed by a dead sheep and said to the people, “Wouldn’t you benefit by its skin?” The people replied that it was dead. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “But its eating only is illegal.”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

What this means is that there will be no interest in wealth and there will be no desire to keep a lot of wealth; there will be few wishes and no want, and there will be the knowledge that the Resurrection is at hand..

We know that from among the signs of the Hour is the descending of Prophet `Eesa (`alayhissalaam). While it is important to know about these prophecies, it is also equally, if not more, necessary to know the history based on facts and not made up stories. Most of what `Eesa (`alayhissalaam) will do upon his arrival in this dunya is directly related to what happened when he was here last time. For example, him breaking the Cross proving the falsehood of Crucifixion. So for your reading, here’s his story (find more links at the end):

Maryam the daughter of ‘Imraan was a pious and righteous woman… She strove hard in worship until she had no peer in matters of worship… The angels gave her the glad tidings that Allaah had chosen her:

“And (remember) when the angels said: ‘O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allaah has chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you above the women of the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn) (of her lifetime).’

O Maryam! ‘Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allaah, by worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and bow down along with Ar-Raaki‘oon (those who bow down)’”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:42-43]

·                 Then the angels gave Maryam the glad tidings that Allaah would bestow upon her a child, whom He would create with the word “Be! And it is.” This child’s name was the Messiah ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary)… He would be held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and he would be a Messenger to the Children of Israel… He would teach the Book and wisdom, and the Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel) … And he would have attributes and miracles that no one else would have, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“(Remember) when the angels said: ‘O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allaah gives you the glad tidings of a Word [“Be!” — and he was! i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)] from Him, his name will be the Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allaah.

He will speak to the people, in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous.’

She said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me.’ He said: ‘So (it will be) for Allaah creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: “Be!” and it is’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:45-47]

·                 Then Allaah tells us the rest of the glad tidings of the angels to Maryam of her son ‘Eesa (peace be upon him), and of the honour of ‘Eesa, and how He would support him with miracles:

“And He (Allaah) will teach him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).

And will make him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): ‘I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, a figure like that of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allaah’s Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allaah’s Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe.

And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Tawraat (Torah), and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allaah and obey me.

Truly, Allaah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path’”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:48-51]

·                 Allaah is absolutely perfect in His powers of Creation. He creates what He wills, how He wills… He created Adam from dust without a father or a mother, and He created Hawwa’ from the rib of Adam from a father but without a mother. He has caused the descendents of Adam to have both a father and a mother, and He created ‘Eesa from his mother without a father… Glory be to the All-Knowing Creator.

·                 Allaah has explained clearly in the Qur’aan how ‘Eesa was born. He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And mention in the Book (the Qur’aan, O Muhammad, the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east.

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Rooh [angel Jibreel (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.

She said: ‘Verily, I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (Allaah) from you, if you do fear Allaah.’

(The angel) said: ‘I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son.’

She said: ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?’

He said: ‘So (it will be), your Lord said: ‘That is easy for Me (Allaah). And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allaah), and it is a matter (already) decreed (by Allaah)’ ”[Maryam 19:16-21]  

·                 When Jibreel told her that, she submitted to the will and decree of Allaah, and Jibreel breathed into the sleeves of her garment:

“So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place (i.e. Bethlehem valley about 4-6 miles from Jerusalem).

And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date palm. She said: ‘Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!’”[Maryam 19:22-23]

·                 Then Allaah provided Maryam with water and food, and commanded her not to speak to anyone:

“Then [the babe ‘Eesa (Jesus) or Jibreel (Gabriel)] cried unto her from below her, saying: ‘Grieve not: your Lord has provided a water stream under you.

And shake the trunk of the date palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon you.

So eat and drink and be glad. And if you see any human being, say: “Verily, I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allaah) so I shall not speak to any human being this day”’”[Maryam 19:24-26]

·                 Then Maryam came to her people, carrying her child ‘Eesa. When they saw her, they thought that she had done a terrible thing and they denounced it, but she did not respond to them. She indicated that they should ask this infant, and he would tell them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: ‘O Mary! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariyy (a mighty thing).

O sister (i.e. the like) of Haaroon (Aaron)! Your father was not a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an unchaste woman.’

Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?’”[Maryam 19:27-29]

·                 ‘Eesa replied to them straight away, even though he was a child in the cradle:

“He [‘Eesa (Jesus)] said: ‘Verily, I am a slave of Allaah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;

And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salaah (prayer), and Zakaah, as long as I live.

And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest.

And Salaam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!’”[Maryam 19:30-33]

This is the information about ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, the slave and Messenger of Allaah. But the People of the Book differed concerning him. Some of them said that he was the son of God, and some said that he was the third of three (“trinity”), and some said that he was God, and some said that he was a slave and Messenger of God. This last view is the correct view. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Such is ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). (It is) a statement of truth, about which they doubt (or dispute).

It befits not (the Majesty of) Allaah that He should beget a son [this refers to the slander of Christians against Allaah, by saying that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is the son of Allaah]. Glorified (and Exalted) be He (above all that they associate with Him). When He decrees a thing, He only says to it: “Be!”and it is.

[‘Eesa (Jesus) said]: ‘And verily, Allaah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the Straight Path. (Allaah’s religion of Islâmic Monotheism which He did ordain for all of His Prophets).’

Then the sects differed [i.e. the Christians about ‘Eesa (Jesus)], so woe unto the disbelievers [those who gave false witness by saying that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is the son of Allaah] from the Meeting of a great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection, when they will be thrown in the blazing Fire)”[Maryam 19:34-38]

·                 When the Children of Israel deviated from the Straight Path and overstepped the limits set by Allaah, they did wrong and spread corruption on earth, and a group among them denied the resurrection, Reckoning and punishment. They indulged in their desires and in physical pleasures without expecting to be brought to account. At that point, Allaah sent to them ‘Eesa ibn Maryam as a Messenger, and taught him the Tawraat and Injeel as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And He (Allaah) will teach him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).

And will make him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:48]

·                 Allaah revealed to ‘Eesa ibn Maryam the Injeel (Gospel) as guidance and light, confirming that which had come before it in the Tawraat:

“and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Tawraat (Torah) that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”[al-Maa’idah 5:46 – interpretation of the meaning]

·                 ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) foretold the coming of a Messenger from Allaah after him, whose name would be Ahmad. This is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’ But when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: ‘This is plain magic’”[al-Saff 61:6]

·                 ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) called the Children of Israel to worship Allaah alone, and to obey the rulings of the Tawraat and Injeel… He started to dispute with them and to explain the error of their ways. When he saw how stubborn they were and how the signs of disbelief were manifest among them, he stood among his people, saying, Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allaah? The disciples believed in him, and their number was twelve. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then when ‘Eesa (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, he said: ‘Who will be my helpers in Allaah’s Cause?’ Al-Hawaariyyoon (the disciples) said: ‘We are the helpers of Allaah; we believe in Allaah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allaah).’

Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger [‘Eesa (Jesus)]; so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth, i.e. Laa ilaaha illallaah — none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah)”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:52-53]

·                 Allaah supported ‘Eesa with great miracles which remind us of the power of Allaah, lift the spirit and promote faith in Allaah and in the Last Day. He made something like the shape of a bird from clay, and blew into it, and it became a bird, by Allaah’s leave.  He healed the blind and the leper, and brought the death back to life by Allaah’s leave. He told the people what they were eating and what they were storing in their houses. So the Jews to whom Allaah had sent ‘Eesa became hostile towards him and tried to guide the people away from him, so they disbelieved in him and accused his mother of immorality.

·                 When they saw that the weak and poor believed in him, and were gathering around him, they formed a plot to kill him. So they provoked the Romans against him, and they made the Roman governor think that the call of ‘Eesa contained a threat against (Roman) power. So he (the Roman governor) issued orders that ‘Eesa should be arrested and crucified. But Allaah caused a hypocrite who had betrayed him to the Romans to look like ‘Eesa. The soldiers arrested him, thinking that he was ‘Eesa, and crucified him. But Allaah saved ‘Eesa from the cross and from death, and Allaah tells us about the Jews (interpretation of the meaning):

“And because of their saying (in boast), ‘We killed the Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allaah,’ — but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them the resemblance of ‘Eesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]:

But Allaah raised him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allaah is Ever All Powerful, All Wise”[al-Nisaa’ 4:157-158]

 ·                 So Eesa (peace be upon him) did not die, rather Allaah raised him up to Himself, and he will descend before the Day of Resurrection and will follow Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He will prove the Jews to be wrong in their claim to have killed ‘Eesa and crucified him. And he will prove the Christians to be wrong who exaggerated about him and said that he was God, or the son of God, or the third of three. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the son of Maryam will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the jizyah (tax paid my non-Muslims in an Islamic state), and money will become so widespread that there will be no one who will accept it.” (Agreed upon; narrated by Muslim, no. 155).

·                 When ‘Eesa comes down before the Day of Resurrection, the People of the Book will believe in him, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him [‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allaah and a human being] before his [‘Eesa (Jesus) or a Jew’s or a Christian’s] death (at the time of the appearance of the angel of death). And on the Day of Resurrection, he [‘Eesa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them”

[al-Nisaa’ 4:159]

Read more here.

Read the story written by Ibn Kathir in hs book “Stories of the Prophets” here.

Madinah towards the End (Hadith No. 1593)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 1592 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 97:

Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):

If I saw deers grazing in Medina, I would not chase them, for Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “(Medina) is a sanctuary between its two mountains.”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 30, Number 98:

Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):

I heard Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “The people will leave Medina in spite of the best state it will have, and none except the wild birds and the beasts of prey will live in it, and the last persons who will die will be two shepherds from the tribe of Muzaina, who will be driving their sheep towards Medina, but will find nobody in it, and when they reach the valley of Thaniyat-al-Wada’, they will fall down on their faces dead.”

Yet to be seen.. though it seems highly unlikely. And what an awful sight it would be to see Madinah empty! I wonder what would prompt people to leave this sanctuary.. the beloved city of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), for which he invoked barakah in its mudd and sa’ (measuring units); the place where nothing but peace and serenity is to be found.. I wonder why its residents would prefer any other piece of land over it.

I hope I don’t live to see this time for it will be extremely saddening to hear such news. May Allah keep our hearts firm on Deen. :(

The Signs Around Us

I hadn’t prayed the whole day. I would just join my Zuhr with Asr because I’m travelling. At Asr I was at a place where I couldn’t find a place to pray. I could hear the Azaan echoing in the forest but didn’t know the way to the mosques. When I saw one it was a few miles below from the place where I stood watching. Didn’t see any washrooms either or a place where I could do Wudu. Plus I had to constantly move to keep up with my family. I felt a bit sad cuz I wished I could reach it but I can’t jump mountains. I came back the same way I had gone up, went from the cable car to the chair lift and back to Patriata. Then I sat in the car quietly after trying to raise the issue of praying a few times.

Next stop: Mall Road, Murree. We reached there and the azan for Maghrib was going on. Don’t know where from but I could hear it clearly for sure. We found a restaurant to have dinner in. On the way inside I saw a man sitting there with torn and dirty clothes, messed up hair and having a poker face. He seemed a beggar to me or a guy who would claim to be a “Peer Sahab” and fool people to take money from them. I asked the waiter for the prayer place and he said it’s on the floor above but the Jamaat is going on and there’s no more space so you pray later. I sat there again quietly. Had food and then went upstairs to pray. I prayed in that little dark attic whose floor was moving as I walked on it. I felt peace and sadness inside. I knew I was very late. I went out of the restaurant after praying Isha as I knew I would miss that too if I delayed it till I went back home.

As I stepped out of the restaurant I uttered a deep sigh seeing people roam so aimlessly on Mall Road. No Pardah, no manners (talking about the group of boys that you see there only for the purpose of staring at girls or passing comments), and everyone just lost in the delusionary enjoyment of this worldly life.

“And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion?” [Surah Al-Hadeed, last part of verse 20]

But I was no different. I was the same. I wasted my day too. I could have tried harder to find a place to pray. Surely I would’ve found it. I could’ve asked my family to wait for me!!

I had seen an ice cream parlour beside the restaurant on my way in so I went there and bought ice cream. As I started moving back towards my car I passed by that guy again who was sitting there outside the restaurant. I went close to him as he was reciting Quran. I wanted to hear him recite as it seemed so beautiful! I had an idea before that it was Surah Yaseen, and as I crossed him I noticed he cannot see and the verse that I heard while I had just started eating that sweet ice cream was

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٦٠

“Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan – [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”
[Surah Yaseen, verse 60]

It had never been so hard to eat ice cream before….

Heedless…

There’s no such thing as a coincidence. Since 3-4 days I’ve been observing that at this hour (third part of the night) a bird, or a few of them, starts chirping. First it amazed me because you rarely hear a bird chirping so peacefully at this time. I couldn’t help but think that it’s praising Allah.

I get these strange feelings, feelings of happiness and sorrow at the same time. The sound just makes you realize the truth of Allah’s words:

“41. Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whoever is within the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of] prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what they do.”

[An-Noor (The Light), Chapter 24]

 

You realize this and you feel happy. But then a feeling of sadness overcomes you. A bird who does not have to worry about his end is praising Allah SWT. What about me: a human whom Allah gave a brain to think, a mind to ponder, an intellect to reflect over HIS signs and recognize HIM? Yet how heedless am I of my end! How unfortunate am I to waste my time, especially this time of the night, while doing everything else but worship, when a simple creature, without the superior faculties that Allah has blessed me with, is Praising HIM.

 

Allah constantly gives us the reminder…

“1. Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness.”

[Al-Anbiya (The Prophets), Chapter 21]

Allah sent down the Revelation for me!

“5. (This is) a Revelation sent down by the Almighty, the Most Merciful,

6. In order that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are heedless.”

[Ya Seen, Chapter 36]

 

But I’m heedless of it and I constantly sin!

“22. (It will be said to the sinners): “Indeed you were heedless of this, now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!””

[Qaf (The Letter Qaf), Chapter 50]

Lost in the worries of this world, heedless of the hereafter!

“7. They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world (i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigating or sowing or reaping, etc.), and they are heedless of the Hereafter.”

[Ar-Room (The Romans, The Byzantines), Chapter 30]

I am even heedless of the greatest gift that Allah gave me: the Gift of Emaan!

“100. It is not for any person to believe, except by the Leave of Allâh, and He will put the wrath on those who are heedless.”

[Younus, Chapter 10]

So what am I waiting for? The time when Allah turns me away from Guidance because of my constant heedlessness of HIS signs?

“146. I shall turn away from My Ayât (verses of the Qur’ân) those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness (monotheism, piety, and good deeds), they will not adopt it as the Way, but if they see the way of error (polytheism, crimes and evil deeds), they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and were heedless (to learn a lesson) from them.”

[Al-Araf (The Heights), Chapter 7]

Then I must not forget..

“106. Whoever disbelieved in Allâh after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allâh, and theirs will be a great torment.

107. That is because they loved and preferred the life of this world over that of the Hereafter. And Allâh guides not the people who disbelieve.

108. They are those upon whose hearts, hearing (ears) and sight (eyes) Allâh has set a seal. And they are the heedless!

109. No doubt, in the Hereafter, they will be the losers.”

[An-Nahl (The Bee), Chapter 109]

 

How unfortunate is a person who does not take heed from the signs of Allah? Is he not worse than an animal?

“179. And surely, We have created many of the jinns and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.”

[Al-Araf (The Heights), Chapter 7]

 

Think over this verse for a while. How many times have you passed by the signs of Allah without pondering over them? How many times have you preferred this life over the Hereafter? How many times have you missed Salah for your class? How many times have you lied in order to get a worldly benefit? How many times have we been satisfied with all these little gains by sacrificing the time that we will never get back – the time which we could have used to make a wonderful Hereafter…

 

Then this is the end if we continue on this path….

“7. Verily, those who hope not for their meeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present world, and those who are heedless of Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.),

8. Those, their abode will be the Fire, because of what they used to earn.”

[Younus, Chapter 10]

 

May Allah not make us of those who are Heedless of HIM and may He guide us all to the straight path and keep us firm on it.

8. (They say): “Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower.”
[Aal-e-Imran (The Family of Imran, The House of Imran), Chapter 3]

 

All good is from Allah and only the mistakes are mine. May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad (SalAllaahu Alaiyhi Wasallam) for spreading this beautiful religion among the humanity.