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Who Enjoys God’s Shelter

When life on earth ends and the Day of Resurrection arrives, all mankind will be resurrected. They come hurriedly out of their graves to stand in an open expanse. No one looks at another, because they are all preoccupied with their own destiny. The sun is brought near and the heat is enormous. They suffer the heat according to their own deeds. Some of them will be so profusely sweating that their sweat reaches as high as their knees, or even higher. Yet seven types of people are immune from that heat. Who are these?

Abu Hurayrah quotes the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying: “Seven types shall enjoy God’s shelter on the Day when there is no shelter other than what He provides: a just ruler, a young man who is brought up as a committed worshipper, a man whose heart always inclines toward mosques, two friends whose friendship is for God’s service: it is uppermost in their minds when they meet and when they part, a man who resists seduction by a woman of power and beauty saying to her, “I fear God,” a man who gives something to charity in secret so as his left hand would not know what his right hand has given away, and a man who remembers God when alone and his eyes are tearful.” (Related by Al-Bukhari).

We must first of all make clear that whatever applies to men in this Hadith also applies to women. When we read this Hadith carefully, we realize that it speaks of people who are true believers and whose faith is so strong that they are able to put it ahead of all other considerations. Let us briefly look at each one of the seven.

There is no doubt that any ruler will be hard pressed to maintain justice in all situations and all types of dispute. Therefore, a ruler who makes ensuring justice his priority needs to put up very hard effort not to err against justice. This ensures for him God’s protection on the Day of Judgment.

Scholars explain that although the Prophet mentions rulers in this Hadith, this type includes anyone who is in a position of authority over others and maintains justice between them. Thus it includes every head of a department who supervises a number of employees, an army officer who commands a number of soldiers, a company owner or director who ensures justice among his staff, etc. In fact it also includes a teacher who does not favor certain students over others and a parent who has several children and treats them equally. The Prophet says: “The just will be with God, sitting on desks of light, to the right of the Lord of Grace. These are the ones who maintain justice in their rulings, and within their families, and with whoever is under their authority.” (Related by Muslim).

The just ruler is specifically stated here because his rules affect a large number of people. When he maintains justice and makes it uppermost among his concerns all his people will benefit.

Young people are often tempted by their strong desires and flowing energy. They find it hard to resist tempting situations. Therefore, when a young person goes through youth, adolescence and early adulthood attending to his worship, preferring always to remain obedient to God, he deserves reward of the richest type. His resistance of temptation indicates that he is truly God-fearing. The Prophet says in another Hadith: “God is particularly pleased with a young person who does not give in to desire.” Hence, such young people are included in the seven categories enjoying God’s favor.

– By Adil Salahi

Moderation in Charity

Charity is amongst the most virtuous deeds in Islam. Some forms of charity are obligatory, others optional, yet, all forms of charity are highly meritorious. However, even when giving in charity, moderation has been prescribed so that the one who gives in charity may not harm himself in the process, nor does he cause harm to his dependents and inheritors after death. The following Hadeeth explains this matter perfectly.

Narrated Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (radhi allahu anhu), ‘I was stricken by an ailment that led me to the verge of death. The Prophet (s.a.w.s) came to pay me a visit. I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! I have much property and no heir except my single daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Half of it?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘One-third of it?’ He said, ‘You may do so though, one-third is also too much, for, it is better for you to leave your off-spring wealthy than to leave them poor, asking others for help. And whatever you spend (for Allah’s sake) you will be rewarded for it, even for a morsel of food which you may put in the mouth of your wife.’?’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee, vol.8, no. 725]

Monastic religions often teach their followers, that the only way to God or the only way to inner enlightenment, is that one does away with all his worldly possessions leading a life of hermits and ultimately depending on begging and the charity of others for sustenance. Islam, on the other hand, teaches its followers to ?

(a) Earn an honest bread (1)*
(b) Spend on oneself and on the family
(c) Spend in charity and we have seen earlier the broad definition of charity in Islam
(d) To be the upper hand rather than the lower (2)
(e) The extreme undesirability of begging without a need (3)

Footnotes:
1. Anas (radhi allahu anhu) said that when a man of the Ansar came to Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) and begged from him, he asked him whether he had nothing in his house. When he said that he had a piece of cloth, which he used for wearing as well as for spreading on the ground, and a wooden bowl from which he drank water, he told him to bring them to him, and when he did so he took them in his hand and asked, ‘Who will buy these?’ When a man offered a dirham he asked twice or thrice. ‘Who will offer more than a dirham?’ and he gave them to a man who offered two dirhams. He then took the two dirhams and giving them to the Ansari he said, ‘Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe with the other and bring it to me.’ When he bought it, Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said, ‘Go gather firewood and sell it, and don’t let me see you for a fortnight.’ The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him (r) and bought a garment with some of them (i.e. dirhams) and food with the others. Then Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) said, ‘This is better for you than that begging should come as a spot on your face on the Day of Resurrection. Begging is right for only three people; one who is in grinding poverty, one who is seriously in debt, or one who is responsible for blood-wit that he finds difficult to pay.’ [Abu Dawood]

2. Ibn Umar (radhi allahu anhu) reported, ‘While the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) was on his pulpit (in the mosque) delivering a Khutbah (religious talk) about Sadaqah (charity) and begging, he said, ‘the upper hand is better than the lower hand, the upper hand is the one which gives and the lower hand is the begging one.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

Thauban (radhi allahu anhu) reported, ‘The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘aliahi wa-sallam) said, ‘He who guarantees me that he will not beg anything from anyone, I will guarantee him (to enter) Jannah.” I said, ‘I give you the guarantee.’ Then Thauban (radhi allahu anhu) never begged anything from anyone. [Abu Dawood]

3. Abdullah bin Umar (radhi allahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger(s.a.w.s) said, ‘When a man is always begging from people, the result will be that he will come on the Day of Resurrection with no flesh on his face.’ [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]

Your Wife And Kids

Abu Saeed Khudri (radhiyallahu anhu) reported that Rasullullah (The Messenger of Allah) has said that whosoever spends anything on his family members for reward, will enjoy the divine credit of charity. (Bukhari, Muslim)

It is described by Abu Huraira(radhiyallahu anhu) that Mohammed (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) has said that, to spend on one’s wife, has great merit than giving charity to male and female slaves and beggars. (Muslim)

Abdullah bin Masood (radhiyallahu anhu) reported that the greatest preference is to spend on one’s wife and children which is necessary and then it should be spent on close relatives. (Tibrani)

It is narrated in the extract of Arbez bin Saarya(radhiyallahu anhu) that even to give water to one’s wife is charity.
Abu Huraira (radhiyallahu anhu) reported that someone asked Rasullullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) that he had one gold coin with him, where should he spend it ? Rasullullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that he should spend it on himself. The man said that he had one more and Mohammed(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that he should spend it on his wife. The man again said that he had yet another and Rasullullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said ,that he should spend on his servants. The man said that he had a fourth and Rasullullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that he should spend it, on whatever he preferred. (Ibn Habban)

Sa’ad bin Waqqas(radhiyallahu anhu) reported that Mohammed (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that whosoever spends his money to gain Allah’s pleasure and goodwill, gets the credit of charity so much that even a morsel which he puts in the mouth of his wife, has the credit of charity. ( Bukhari, Muslim)

The Prophet’s Message Of Peace

A major part of the Prophet s (peace be upon him) mission was to bring peace to the world. One of the ways in which he strove toward this end was to attempt to convince people that all men and women, albeit inhabiting very different regions of the world, and different from one another in color, culture and language, et cetera, were in fact blood brothers and sisters. His message was crucial, for a proper relationship of love and respect can be established only if that is how human beings regard one another. To inculcate such feelings, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would preach to his followers, You are all Adam’s offspring and Adam was made of clay. And in his prayers to his Creator, he said, O Lord, all Your servants are brothers.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would exhort his followers to live in peace with their fellow men, saying, A true believer is one with whom others feel secure, one who returns love for hatred. He used to teach the believers that anyone who would return love only when love was given belonged on a lower ethical plane. The true believer never reasons that only if people treated him well that he will treat them well in return. He is accustomed rather to doing good to those who mistreat him, and to refrain from harming those who do him injury. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself set the example. All his recorded words and actions reveal him as a man of great gentleness, kindness, humility, good humor and excellent common sense, with a great love for all people and even for animals.

Despite his position as the leader, the Prophet (peace be upon him) never believed himself to be greater or better than other people. He never made others feel small, unwanted or embarrassed. He urged his followers to behave kindly and humbly, releasing slaves whenever possible, and giving in charity – especially to very poor people, orphans and prisoners – without any thought of reward.

He told the people that every religion has some special characteristic, that of Islam being modesty. In the absence of such a virtue, no community can have lasting peace. The Prophet s (peace be upon him) own modesty, coupled with great strength of character, is depicted in a well-known story of an old Makkan woman who hated the Prophet (peace be upon him). Every morning when the Prophet passed by her house, she would empty a basket of rubbish on his head from the upper story of her house. He never once remonstrated with her about this. One day, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed through this area, no rubbish fell on his head. Thinking that the old woman must be ill, he went upstairs to inquire how she was, and found her ill in bed. When she discovered that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had come to see her, she began to weep, I ill-treated you, and now you come to inquire about my health! Ultimately, she became one of his followers. What strength of character, what patience and tolerance the Prophet (peace be upon him) evinced in refusing to be provoked, preferring rather to show kindness and magnanimity to one who had wished him ill.

His was a high moral character, so that even if badly treated by others, he went on returning good for evil. People harmed him, yet he would pray for them. He would remain patient in the face of oppression and, regardless of the provocation, he would refrain from becoming incensed. In setting this example, his aim was to fashion souls that were Allah-oriented, that found Allah so great that everything else paled into insignificance.

The essence of this philosophy is expressed in one of the Prophet s (peace be upon him) sayings: Nine things the Lord has commanded me: Fear of Allah in private and in public; justness, whether in anger or in calmness; moderation in both poverty and affluence; that I should join hands with those who break away from me; and give to those who deprive me; and forgive those who wrong me; and that my silence should be meditation; and my words be remembrance of Allah; and my vision be keen observation.

His life s experience ranged from penury to prosperity, from defeat to success, yet whatever the degree of well-being or hardship, he steadfastly trod the path of moderation. At all times and right till the end, he remained a patient and grateful servant of the Almighty, bringing his message of peace and tolerance to mankind.

Signs Of Weak Iman

1) Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.

2) Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.

3) Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat

4) Neglecting the Sunnah.

5) Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.

6) Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.

7) Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.

8) Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.

9) Desiring status and wealth.

10) Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.

11) Ordering others to do good deeds when not practicing them ourselves.

12) Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.

13) Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.

14) Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.

15) Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.

16) Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.

17) Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and yelling in funerals.

18) Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.

19) Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.

20) Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.

Listed Below Are Ways To Increase Our Iman

1) Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.

2) Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.

3) Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah’s names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.

4) Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.

5) We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.

6) We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.

7) Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.

8) Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don’t covet material things in this life.

9) Our love for Subhana Wa Ta’Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.

10) Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one’s iman is increased with good deeds and our iman is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah.

Reward Of Charity

Narrated Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him): Allah s Apostle (peace be upon him) said, Whoever gives two kinds (of things or property) in charity for Allah s Cause, will be called from the gates of Paradise and will be addressed: O slaves of Allah! Here is prosperity. So, whoever was amongst the people who used to offer their prayers, will be called from the gate of the prayer; and whoever was amongst the people who used to participate in Jihad, will be called from the gate of Jihad; and whoever was amongst those who used to observe fasts, will be called from the gate of Ar-Raiyan; whoever was amongst those who used to give in charity, will be called from the gate of charity. Abu Bakr said, Let my parents be sacrificed for your sake, O Allah s Apostle! No distress or need will befall him who will be called from those gates. Will there be any one who will be called from all these gates? The Prophet replied, Yes, and I hope you will be one of them.

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 121

“Allah The God, Muhammad (s.m) The Messenger, Quran is Our Constitution, Sunnah The Right Path, Shari’ah The Best Law, Heaven is our Desire”
“We Call you to the Teaching of Islam,The Guidance of Islam,The Rules of Islam, The Way of Islam,Lead you to the way of jannah”
“When Money is lost nothing loss, Health is Lost ,something Loss But Character is Lost ,every thing loss!”

Necessary vs Unnecessary Speaking

Assalaamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhuh:

The following are hadith regarding unnecessary talking. We should heed the sayings of our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He also mentioned occasions when we should SPEAK. Please note these hadith and examples as well.

When to Speak:

  • In Matters of Justice
  • Speaking the Truth
  • Remembering Allah
  • Speaking Out Against Oppression & Evil

When and What not to Speak

  • Excessive Talking
  • Talking what does not concern oneself

**Therefore, one must control one’s tongue**

Prophetic Hadith on Speaking:

In Matters of Justice
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said:
Charity is due on every joint of a person, every day the sun rises. Administering of justice between two men is also a charity. And assisting a man to ride upon his beast, or helping him load his luggage upon it, is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take towards the Prayer is a charity, and removing of harmful things from the pathway is a charity.
[Sahih Muslim: 1677]

Speaking the Truth
Bayhaqi from Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) with the words,
“There is no charity more beloved to Allah from speaking the truth.”
This was declared rigorously authentic by Ibn Hibban.

Al-Hadith al-Nabawi (s.a.w)

Hadith:Haj for another
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Sulayman ibn Yasar that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, “Al-Fadl ibn Abbas was riding behind the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a woman from the Khathama tribe came to him to ask him for a fatwa. Al-Fadl began to look at her, and she at him, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, turned Fadl’s face away to the other side. The woman said, ‘Messenger of Allah, Allah’s making the hajj obligatory finds my father a very old man, unable to stay firm on his riding-beast. Can I do hajj for him?’, and he said, ‘Yes.’ This was during the farewell hajj.”
(Malik’s Muwatta, Book 20, Number 20.28.98)

Hadith: Love of the Sunnah
Narrated Anas ibn Malik

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said to me: My son, if you are in a position to pass your morning and evening keeping your heart free from malice against anyone, then act according to it (this high ideal). He then said: My son, and that is my Sunnah and he who loves my Sunnah, in fact loves me and he who loves me, will be with me in Paradise.
Transmitted by Tirmidhi.

Hadith: Charity
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
There came a person to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and asked: Messenger of Allah, which charity is the best? Upon this he said: That you should give charity (in a state when you are) healthy, closefisted, haunted by the fear of poverty and hoping to become rich (charity in such a state of health and mind is the best). And you must not defer (charity to such a length) that you are about to die and would be saying: This is for so and so, and this is for so and so. Lo, it has already come into (the possession of so and so).
(Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 1713 )

Hadith :Friendship
Narrated Abu Said Al Khudri

The Prophet delivered a sermon and said, “Allah gave a choice to one of (His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter. He chose the latter.” Abu Bakr wept. I said to myself, “Why is this Sheikh weeping, if Allah gave choice to one (of His) slaves either to choose this world or what is with Him in the Hereafter and he chose the latter?” And that slave was Allah’s Apostle himself. Abu Bakr knew more than us. The Prophet said,”O Abu Bakr! Don’t weep. The Prophet added: Abu Bakr has favored me much with his property and company. If I were to take a Khalil from mankind I would certainly have taken Abu Bakr but the Islamic brotherhood and friendship is sufficient. Close all the gates in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr.
(Bukhari Vol 1 Number 455)

Good Deeds That We Can Do Every Day To Increase Our Hasanaat

Praise be to Allah.

If Allah helps him to do righteous deeds, the Muslim can earn a great deal of reward.

There are many different kinds of righteous deeds that can be done by rich and poor, old and young, male and female, depending on each person’s circumstances, ambition and energy, after the help of Allah.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”

[al-Nahl 16:97]

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” Narrated by Muslim, 118.

The kinds of good deeds that a person can do every day include the following:

1 – Praying in congregation in the mosque
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning and evening, Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Paradise every time he goes and comes.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631; Muslim, 669.

2 – Attending funerals and offering the funeral prayer
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He said: “Like two great mountains.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261; Muslim, 945