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Practical Tips For Praying Qiyam Al-Layl

Qiyam means standing and Qiyam Al-Layl means standing at night. In Islamic terminology, both words refer to the voluntary night prayer, whose time extends from after the Isha prayer until dawn.

Other common names for Qiyam Al-Layl are Salat-ul-Layl (the night prayer), Tahajjud (from hajada, meaning remained one who awake at night), and Taraweeh (resting).

A widespread misconception is that Tahajjud is a different night prayer than Qiyam or Taraweeh. It is important to clarify this misunderstanding and to make clear that the voluntary night prayer is known by different names.

 

1. Ikhlas (Sincerity)
Allah’s Help is required not only for worldly affairs but also for our worship. And Allah helps those who are sincere in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If you are truthful with Allah, then Allah will deliver to you what you wish for.” (An-Nasa’i, Al-Hakim and Sahih Al-Jami’’)

Therefore, one should have a sincere intention to pray Qiyam Al-Layl. One should seek the pleasure of Allah alone and avoid any desire for praise or fame. Allah says: “And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone…” (Qur’an, 98:5)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim, and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes, and fears. Failure comes to them in a similar manner.”

2. Know the virtue
Knowing the virtues and rewards of worship encourages us to perform them. The virtue of praying at night during Ramadan supersedes the virtue of praying any other night during the year. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged the people, without making it an absolute command, to perform Qiyam during Ramadan. He (peace be upon him) used to say: ‘Whoever stands (in Qiyam) in Ramadan out of faith and expectation (of Allah’s reward), all his previous sins will be forgiven.’ ” (Sahih Muslim)

3. Take a nap
Taking a nap before or after Zuhr Salah will reduce stress and give you sufficient energy to wake up late at night to stand in front of your Lord. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the Shayateen (pl. of Shaytan) do not take naps.” (At-Tabarani, Al-Sahihah, no. 2647)

4. Sleep as per the Sunnah
• Sleep early! It’s a healthy habit and it was the practice of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He would sleep immediately after performing the Isha prayer. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to prefer to delay Isha, and he did not like to sleep before it or talk after it.” (Al-Bukhari)

• Sleep in a state of taharah (cleanliness). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Purify these bodies and Allah will purify you, for there is no slave who goes to sleep in a state of purity, but an Angel spends the night with him, and every time he turns over, (the Angel) says, ‘O Allah! Forgive Your slave, for he went to bed in a state of purity.’ ” (At-Tabarani, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 3831)

• Choose a suitable bed. Extreme luxury and very soft mattresses provoke laziness. We tend to sleep more and become negligent. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the pillow of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was made of leather stuffed with palm fibers.” (Abu Dawood and Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 4714)

• Keep the bed clean and lie on your right side. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to bed, let him clear his bed by hitting it with his garment, for he does not know what may have come onto it. Then let him lie down on his right side…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

• Recite the Adhkar (supplications) mentioned in the Sunnah before sleeping. Among the Adhkar are reciting the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah; reciting Surah Al-Falaq, Al-Nas, and Ikhlas and blowing in the palms and wiping as much of the body as possible – starting from the head, face, and then the front of the body – three times; and saying Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

5. Don’t eat too much
Eating and drinking too much are the main obstacles that make one lazy and negligent of Qiyam Al-Layl. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Man fills no vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to have a few mouthfuls to give him the strength he needs. If he has to fill his stomach, then let him leave one-third for food, one-third for drink, and one-third for air.” (Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 5674)

Abu Juhayfah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man who burped in his presence: “Stop your burping, for the people who eat the most in this life will be the most hungry on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Hakim, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 1190)

6. Exert yourself
Exert yourself to get up and pray. Rise above your desires. Allah says in the Qur’an: “And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinoon (good-doers).” (Qur’an, 29:69)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The Mujahid (one who strives in the Cause of Allah) is the one who strives against his own self for the sake of Allah.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Sahihah, no. 549)

He (peace be upon him) also said: “When a man from my Ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudu, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet, another knot is undone. Then Allah says to those who are veiled (in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.” (Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Targheeb, no. 627)

7. Regret if you missed it
Qiyam Al-Layl is a great blessing of Allah. He has kept numerous spiritual benefits and rewards for the believer in this prayer. Therefore, one should regret if he misses this great opportunity of achieving rewards and the Pleasure of Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Qur’an, 59:18)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “If the slave is responsible and accountable for everything, even his hearing, sight, and innermost thoughts, as Allah says, “…Verily, hearing, sight, and the heart of each of you will be questioned by Allah.” (Qur’an, 17:36), then he should check on himself before he is brought to account.” – As-Sunnah

Ref: ‘The Night Prayers’ by Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani

The Start Of Man’s Life

It is God who creates you all out of the dust, then out of a gamete. He then makes you into two sexes. No female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge. No one attains to old age or has his life cut short unless it be thus laid down in (God’s) decree. All this is easy for God. (The Originator, Fatir, 35: 11)

Having referred to the fact that all life starts with water, the surah now refers to the start of man’s own life, beginning with pregnancy and followed by a term in this world, which can be long or short as God determines: “It is God who creates you all out of the dust, then out of a gamete. He then makes you into a couple. No female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge. No one attains to old age or has his life cut short unless it be thus laid down in (God’s) decree. All this is easy for God.”

Reference to man’s origin as a creature made from dust in the first place is often mentioned in the Qur’an, as is the first element in producing a pregnancy, namely the gamete. While a gamete is something that carries the potential of life, dust has no trace of life. The first miracle is ‘life’ itself, and no one knows where it came from or how it was mixed with the first element. This remains a closed book as far as humanity is concerned. Yet it is a fact we all see and have no option but to accept and recognize. The evidence it provides, pointing to the Creator who gives life, is irrefutable.

The transformation that gives life to what is lifeless represents a bridge over a gap that is far greater than any distance in time and place. Contemplating such transformation will never tire a mind that looks at the great secrets of the universe. Again, the gap separating the stage of one cell, a gamete, from that of a fully formed embryo, when a male is distinguished from a female, is again too wide to imagine. It is to this latter stage that the Qur’an refers to in the sentence, “He makes you into a couple,” whether this is a reference to a couple, male and female, in the embryo stage, or to married couples after they have become adults. How far removed is the one-cell gamete from the greatly complex human constitution, which includes numerous systems and functions, and also from a human being with its many characteristics?

Look at the senseless fertilized egg as it divides and multiplies, and then each group of cells it produces joins together to form a particular organ with a specific nature and function. Look how all these organs fit together and group to make a single creature, which is remarkably distinct from all other creatures of the human race, including those who are most closely related to him. Thus, no two human beings are exactly and completely identical. Yet all of them come from gametes that carry no distinctive mark of any sort, or at least that we can make out. Then look at these cells and follow their way until they become couples able to restart the cycle once more, with new gametes that follow the same line and the same stages, without deviation. All this is amazing, truly wonderful. This is the reason for the repeated references in the Qur’an to this miraculous process, or indeed processes, involving unknown secrets. People should listen to these references and set their minds thinking about this process of creation. It may awaken their spirits to its message.

Next comes an image of God’s absolute knowledge, which is akin to the images given in the preceding surah, Sheba: “No female conceives or gives birth without His knowledge.” The reference here is not merely to women, but to all females, including animals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects, and others, which we may or may not know about. All of them conceive and give birth, including those, which lay eggs. An egg is an embryo, which does not fully develop inside its mother’s body. It is laid in the form of an egg, and is then incubated, either by its mother or in an incubator, until it completes its development, and breaks its shell to continue its growth. God’s knowledge includes every conception, of every form, and every birth throughout the universe.

Describing God’s absolute knowledge in this way is not something a human mind normally follows, neither in conception nor expression. By itself it is proof that the Qur’an is a revelation from God: it confirms its divine source thereby.

The same applies to the reference to age in the same verse: “No one attains to old age or has his life cut short unless it be thus laid down in (God’s) decree. All this is easy for God.” Let our imagination follow every living thing in the universe, including trees, birds, animals, humans, and others, with their different shapes, sizes, kinds, races, abodes, and times. No one can imagine the total number of all these. Yet imagine that every single one of them may be allowed to attain old age, or may have its life cut short and that whatever happens is according to specific knowledge concerning this individual, and indeed concerning every part of every individual. A leaf in a tree may be allowed to remain green, extending its life span, or it may dry up and fall. A bird’s feather may remain in its wing or fall and be blown by the wind. A horn may remain in an animal or get broken in a quarrel. A human eye, or a hair, may stay or be removed. Yet all this occurs in accordance with specific knowledge, which is ‘laid down in God’s decree’ that is part of His comprehensive knowledge. It neither requires an effort nor constitutes a burden: “All this is easy for God.”

If we let our imagination follow this line and look at what it entails, our amazement is endless. It is a line that human imagination does not normally follow, nor does it normally try to understand or describe facts in this way.

By: Sayyid Qutb

How To Remove Depression And Worries

Introduction
Mankind comes across many afflictions and trials, sometimes in overwhelming sequences.  Removing the darkness of these worries, distresses, depression and grief is a very important matter to which Islam gives serious attention…
Indeed the greatest darkness to envelope mankind and surely his greatest affliction is disbelief in Allah and associating partners with Him in any form (kufr and shirk).

Allah is the Protector of those who have faith He will lead them from the depths of darkness into light. . As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are the devils: from light, they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein (forever). AL-BAQARAH 2.257

Whereby Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure to paths of peace and safety. He brings them out of darkness unto light by His decree and guides them unto a straight path. AL-MAAIDAH 5.016

Those who deny Our revelations are deaf and dumb in darkness. Whoever Allah wills He sends astray, and whom He wills He places on a straight path. AL-AN’AM 6.039

The scholars of Islam have extracted from the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah many remedies and cures to help us in our daily affairs and remove our problems.

At-Tawheed
Singling out Allah alone, Glory is to Him, for all types of worship and recognizing His Lordship and having faith in the unity of His Lofty Names and Attributes.  There would be anarchy if there was more than one deity.
If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both!  But glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne,  (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! AL-ANBIYA’ 21.022

Allah strikes a comparison between a Muslim and a mushrik (disbeliever). The man with one master (i.e. upon Tawheed) has no worries as to who to obey, so he has no confusion or dilemmas. The second man is confused as to who to obey first, and in whom he must put his trust especially as they are quarreling amongst each other. The mushrik is left to Shaitaan and his desires to direct him out of his confusion. However the Muslim who recognizes his Lord as One, knows that Allah is the One who rescues His slave when he is in grief.

Allah puts forth a parable; a man belonging to many partners quarreling with each other, and a man belonging entirely to one master: are those two equal? Praise be to Allah! But most of them have no knowledge. AZ-ZUMAR 39.029

In the beautiful story of Yusuf (alayhe as-salaam) his fellow prisoners were in distress to know the meaning or interpretation of their dreams.
Now with him, there came into the prison two young men. Said one of them: “I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine.” The other said: “I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head, and birds eating it.”  (They said) “Tell us the meaning  of the dreams, for we see that you are a good doer.” YUSUF 12.036
o what was the first thing that this noble prophet of Allah (alayhe as-salaam)  said to his companions? What was his reply? He called them to that which will provide them with immediate relief – the b lief that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah – at-Tawheed.
“O my two companions of the prison! (I ask you): are many lords differing among themselves better, or Allah, the Supreme, and Irresistible? ” YUSUF 12.039

Mankind without Tawheed is astray, captured by Shaitaan, and their lives in chaos as explained in Allah’s statement:
Don’t you see that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion? MARYAM 19.083

So the one upon true Tawheed, Allah helps him and removes grief from him. There are many verses that elude to this but suffice us for the moment the story of Yunus (alayhe as-salaam).  He (alayhe as-salaam) had lost hope in his people who were not responding to his call to Islam.  So he (alayhe as-salaam) left them and eventually Allah caused him (alayhe as-salaam) to be in the belly of a large fish.
So wait with patience for the Command of your Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish, when he cried out in deep sorrow. AL-QALAM 68.048

In his sorrow and anguish, Yunus (alayhe as-salaam) cried out, but to whom? He  (alayhe as-salaam) called his Lord.

And remember Dhun-Nun (Yunus), when he went off in anger: He imagined that We had no power over him! But he cried through the depths of darkness, “There is no deity worthy of worship except You, glorified and exalted be You, indeed I was from the wrong-doers! ”  AL-ANBIYA’ 21.087

Darkness upon darkness enveloped him (alayhe as-salaam):
a) the darkness of the depths of the ocean,
b) the darkness of the belly of the fish,
c) the darkness of the night.
He (alayhe as-salaam) called upon Allah, the One who can remove all distresses, he called upon Him with correct at-Tawheed and Allah removed his worries immediately.

Responding and Complying  (Istijaabah)
To accept and answer to the deen of Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad (SAAS) completely as the ayah says:
O you who believe! Respond to Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger (SAAS) when He calls you to that which will give you life, and know that Allah comes in between a man and his heart and that it is He to Whom you shall (all) be gathered. AL-ANFAL 8.024

The repercussion of rejecting the Call to His deen is grievous and its result is the greatest of sorrows in the Hereafter. The disbeliever will be raised and wail to His Lord (Whom he denied in the world):
He will say: “O my Lord! Why have You raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)? TA-HA 20.125
Allah will reply to him with complete justice:
He (Allah) will say: So (it must be). Our revelations came to you (in the world) but you did reject them. In like manner this Day you are forgotten (rejected).  TA-HA 20.126
Not only will Allah reject the disbeliever but he will also be humiliated by Shaitaan who the mushrik took as his close companion and responded to his (Shaitaan’s) call.
And Shaitaan will say when the matter has been decided, “Verily Allah promised you a promise of truth. I too promised you but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Shaitaan) as a partner with Allah.”  Verily, there is a painful torment for the transgressors. IBRAHEEM 14.22

So we urge you brothers and sisters to respond to and comply with Allah’s religion and enter it completely.
O you who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heatedly and follow not the footsteps of the Shaitaan, for he is to you an open, avowed enemy. AL-BAQARAH 2.208

Belief in the Divine Decree (Qadr)
Qadr is an established part of the religion and is included in our beliefs. In the famous “Hadeeth of Jibreel” (alaihe-as-salaam) when he asked the Messenger (SAAS) about Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan, he (SAAS) replied about Eemaan:
That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgement, and you affirm your faith in Qadr, the good and the evil consequences of it… MUSLIM

We must accept and be content with Qadr, knowing that whatever Allah decrees he does so out of His all-encompassing Knowledge and Wisdom.  With this belief in Qadr (the good and the evil of it) firm in our hearts Allah will guide our hearts:

No calamity befalls, but with the leave of Allah, and whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart, and Allah is the All-Knower of everything. AT-TAGHAABUN 64:11

‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (radhiyAllahu anhu) related one day he was riding behind Allah’s Messenger (SAAS) who said,
“Young man, if you are mindful of Allah (of His commands and prohibitions), He will be mindful of you, and if you are mindful of Allah you will find Him before you. When you ask for anything ask it from Allah, and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit they could benefit you only with what Allah had decreed for you and that if they were to unite to do you some injury they could injure you only with what Allah had recorded for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry.” AHMAD, TIRMIDHI, AN-NAWAWI’S FORTY HADEETH

So with this knowledge that no harm or good can touch a servant of Allah except with the permission of the All-Knower and All-Wise, the hearts find tranquillity and contentment. This, therefore, encourages the Muslim to patient entry persevere during an affliction and motivates him to praise Allah when He bestows some portion of good upon him.  Whatever his situation, if the Muslim acts accordingly he has only rewards to gain and nothing to lose.

Suhaib ibn Sinan al-Romi related that Allah’s Messenger  (SAAS) said:
Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delighted, he praises (Allah), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it. MUSLIM

Sincerity (Ikhlaas)
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radhiyAllahu anhu) said that the Prophet (SAAS) said,
“While three people were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave.  They said to one another, `Invoke Allah (sincerely) with the best deed you have performed (so that Allah may remove the rock).’ One of them said, `O Allah! My parents were old and I used to go out to graze (my animals). On my return, I  would milk (the animals) and take the milk in a vessel for my parents to drink. After they had drunk from it, I  would give it to my children, family, and wife. One day I was delayed and on my return I found my parents sleeping, and I did not wish to wake them up. The children were crying at my feet (because of hunger). That state of affairs continued until it was dawn. O, Allah! If You think that I did it for Your sake, then please remove this rock so that we may see the sky.’ So the rock was moved a little. The second said, `O Allah! You know that I was in love with a cousin of mine, the deepest love a man may have for a woman, and she told me that I would not have my desire fulfilled unless I paid her one hundred dinars (gold pieces). So I struggled for it until I gathered the desired amount. When I sat between her legs, she told me to fear Allah and asked me not to deflower her except rightfully (by marriage). So I stood up and left her. O, Allah! If You think that I did it for Your sake, kindly remove this rock.’ So two-thirds of the rock was removed. Then the third man said, `O Allah! No doubt You know that once I employed a worker for one faraq (three sa’s) of millet, and when I wanted to pay him, he refused to take it. So I sowed it and from its yield, I bought cows and hired a herdsman. After a time the man came and demanded his money. I said to him: Go to those cows and the herdsman and take them for they are for you. He asked me whether I was joking with him. I told him that I was not joking with him, and all that belonged to him. O, Allah! If You think that I did it sincerely for Your sake, then please remove the rock.’ So the rock was removed completely from the mouth of the cave.”  BUKHARI

So invoking Allah sincerely, and seeking His Pleasure is one of the ways of removing afflictions from us.
Supplication  (Ad-Duaa)
O Ever Living, O Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, by Your mercy I seek assistance. Rectify for me all my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye. AL-HAAKIM, SAHEEH AT-TARGHEEB WAT-TARHEEB, HISN-UL-MUSLIM (ENG. TRANS. P125)

Seeking refuge in Allah  (Istiaadhah)
Anas ibn Malik (radhiyAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet (SAAS) said to Abu Talha (radhiyAllahu anhu),
“Choose one of your servant boys to serve me on my expedition to Khaibar.” So Abu Talha took me, letting me ride behind him when I was a boy nearing the age of puberty.  I used to serve Allah’s Messenger when he stopped to rest.  I heard him repeatedly saying, “O Allah! I seek refuge with you from distress and sorrow, from helplessness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt, and from being overcome by men.” BUKHARI and HISN-UL-MUSLIM (P.157)
Detachment from this world  (Az-Zuhd)
Anas ibn Malik and Zaid ibn Thabit (radhiyAllahu anhum) related that the Prophet  (SAAS) said,
“For the ones whose concern is this world, Allah will scatter his affairs, place poverty between his two eyes and he will not get from the world except what is written for him.  As for the one whose intention is the Hereafter, Allah will gather for him his affairs, place contentment in his heart and the world will come to him willingly” IBN MAJAH, SAHEEH-UL-JAAMI NO. 6386
Shaykh Saleem al-Hilaalee hafidhahullaah

Losing Hope In Finding A Spouse

We learn from the guidance of the Beloved of Allah to seek the strongest and most effective means available while placing one’s trust in Allah.

Sayyiduna Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) say, “If you relied on Allah as He should be relied on, He would provide for you as He provides for birds. They go out hungry in the early morning, and return full in the evening.” [Tirmidhi] . The scholars note that birds do not merely place their trust in Allah: they go out early and take all means to fulfill their goals.

In every community, there are people who set up marriages, who know suitable would-be spouses, and who should be sought out if one wants to marry. If it does not work through one’s family, try going through other elders in the community (such as one’s friends’ parents, community leaders, imams of mosques, marriage services, etc.)

Perform the Prayer of Need (Salat al-Haja): make wudu and perform 2 rakats after which you make heartfelt supplication, asking for a suitable spouse.

Be certain that Allah will answer your duas, in the best of ways:
“Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Who provides for you from the sky and the earth, or Who owns hearing and sight; and Who brings forth the living from the dead and bringeth forth the dead from the living; and Who directs the course? They will say, Allah. Then say: Will you not then keep your duty (unto Him) ?” [Qur’an, 10.31]

Allah reminds us:
“And in the heaven is your providence and that which you are promised;

And by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, it is the truth, even as (it is true) that you speak.” [51.22-23]

So keep taking the best of means, with complete trust in Allah and certainty that if you do that which He has asked of you, He will most certainly give you all that is best for you, in this life and the next.

Allah tells us:
“The devil promises you destitution and enjoins on you lewdness. But Allah promises you forgiveness from Himself with bounty. Allah is All-Embracing, All-knowing.” [Qur’an, 2.268]

And:
“And the believers, men, and women are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise.

Allah promises to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide – blessed dwellings in Gardens of Eden. And – greater (far)! – acceptance from Allah. That is the supreme triumph.” [Qur’an, 9.71]

And be patient. The Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) reminded us that:
“No tiredness, illness, difficulty, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts a Muslim, even to a thorn pricking him, without Allah wiping away his errors through it.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Sa’id and Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with them)]

And Allah alone gives success.

The Leaders Of The People Of Paradise

(i) The Leaders of the Men
A number of the Sahabah, including ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Anas ibn Maalik, Abu Hudhayfah, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah, and Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger (saw) said, “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will be the leaders of men of Paradise from the earlier and later generations.” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 12/487, no. 824]

(ii) The Leaders of the Youth
at-Tirmidhi, al-Haakim, at-Tabaraani, Ahmad, and others reported that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Hasan and Husayn are the leaders of the youth of Paradise”. This is proven by so many reports that reach the level of tawatur. [see also the narration from Hudhayfah and from ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar in Ibn ‘Asaakir – Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, no. 797]

(iii) The Leaders of the Women
The true female leader is the one with whom her Rabb is pleased and whose deeds He accepts. The best women are those who attain the Paradise of delights. The women of Paradise are of different levels, and the Messenger (saw) told us about their leaders:

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) drew four lines and said, “Do you know what these are?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “The best women of Paradise are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint ‘Imraan and Aasiyah bin Muzahim, the wife of Fir’awn” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/13, no. 1508, from Ahmad at-Tahhaawi, al-Haakim from Ibn ‘Abbaas, saheeh]

Maryam and Khadeejah are the best of the four – “The best of its women is Maryam and the best of its women is Khadeejah” [from ‘Ali in al-Bukhaari, Kitaab Manaaqib al-Ansaar, Fath al-Baari, 7/133] – and Maryam is the “First Lady” – “The leaders of the women of Paradise, AFTER Maryam bint ‘Imraan will be..” [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 3/410, no. 1424, from Jaabir in at-Tabaraani, saheeh]. The reason why Maryam is considered the best of all women is clearly stated in the Qur’an:

“Behold! the angels said, “O Maryam! Allah has chosen you and purified you, chosen you above the women of all nations.” [3:42]

How could she not be the best of women when Allah has clearly stated that,

“..her Rabb accepted her with a goodly acceptance. He made her to grow in a good manner”. [3:37]

These four women are beautiful examples of perfect, righteous women. Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran, is praised by Allah in the Qur’an:

“And Maryam, daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breather into [the sleeve of her shirt/garment] through Our Ruh [i.e. Jibreel] and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Rabb, and [also believed in] His Scriptures and she was one of the Qaaniteen [obedient to Allah]” [66:12]

Khadeejah as-Siddeeqah believed in the Messenger (saw) without hesitation; she consoled and supported him in every way. Her Rabb gave her the good news, during her lifetime, of a place in Paradise in which there would be no noise or exhaustion [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Manaaqib, Fath al-Baari, 7/133]

Aasiyah the wife of Fir’awn, despised the power and luxuries of this world and rejected Pharaoh and his false claims of divinity. Hence, her husband tortured her until her soul departed to her Creator:

“And Allah sets forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, “My Rabb! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works, and save me from the Dhaalimoon [those that do wrong]” [66:11].

Faatimah az-Zahraa, the daughter of the Prophet (saw), was patient, forbearing, and feared Allah. She was a branch from the pure tree, brought up by the educator of humanity.