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A Good Deed To Remove Difficulty

One of the methods the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to explain Islamic principles and values was to relate a short story. A story can be very effective in explaining the idea in question. It is always easier for people to remember a story, particularly if it is short and to the point. This is how the Prophet told his stories.

When the Prophet wanted to stress the importance of good deeds, and the effect they may have on a person, he told a story about three friends who met a real difficulty and were saved only by virtue of their past good deeds. Here is the story as it is told in Muslim’s authentic anthology of hadiths: “Three people were walking together, when they were impeded by heavy rain. They went into a cave on a nearby mountain. A large rock fell off the mountain and landed at the entrance of their cave and closed it. They said to each other: Remember some good deeds you have done for God’s sake and pray to God on account of these deeds. He may relieve your difficulty.

“One of them said: I had my two parents at old age, and I had my wife and young children. I worked as a shepherd to earn our living. When I returned in the evening, I would milk a sheep, then I would start by giving my parents to drink before I gave my children. One day, I went far into the woods, and I did not return home until the night had fallen. I found my parents asleep. I milked a sheep as it was my custom and brought the milk to them. As I stood close to their bed, I did not wish to disturb their sleep. Nor did I like to give my children to drink before my parents. The children were fretting near my feet. We remained in this situation until the break of dawn. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please give us an opening so that we can see the sky. God removed a portion of the rock to give them an opening and they could see the sky.

“The second man said: My Lord, I had a cousin whom I loved as much as any man could love a woman. I tried to take her to bed, but she refused. She said that she would not give me what I wanted until I have given her 100 dinars. I worked hard until I managed to raise the money. I took it to her. When I sat between her legs, she said to me: ‘You, servant of God! Fear God and do not open this ring except in a legitimate way’. I stood up and left her. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please give us an opening through this rock’. God gave them an opening.

“The third man said: My Lord, I once hired a laborer for a small sack of rice. When he finished his work, he asked me to pay him. I gave him the sack of rice, but he did not wish to take it. I planted it, time after time, until I raised out of its income some cows and their feed. The man came to me later and said: ‘Fear God and do not deny me my right’. I told him to take those cows and their feed. He said: ‘Fear God and do not ridicule me’. I said: ‘I am not ridiculing you. Take the cows and their feed’. He took them away. My Lord, if You know that I did this only to earn Your pleasure, please remove what is left of the rock. God removed the rest of the rock”.

This is the story told by the Prophet. It is not difficult to remember, and its moral is very clear. It tells us that a good deed, done purely for God’s sake, could easily be our savior from difficulty. We will discuss this more fully next week, God willing.

Hadith

Ahadith of the Day

Hadith – 1
Abdullah (b. Umar) (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) found, Umar b. al-Khattab (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) amongst the riders and he was taking oath by his father Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) called them (saying) ; Our Allah, the Exated and Majestic, has forbidden you that you take oath by your father. He who bag to take an oath, he must take it by Allah or keep quiet.
Sahih Muslim:Book 015, Number 4038

Hadith – 2
Anas b. Malik (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) as saying: Three things follow the bier of a dead man. two of them come back and one is left with him: the members of his family. wealth and his-good deeds. The members of his family and wealth come back and the deeds alone are left with him.
Sahih Muslim:Book 042, Number 7064

Hadith – 3
Sahl b. Sa’d as-Sa’id (May Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be pleased with him) reported that a person peeped through the hole of the door of Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) , and at that time Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) had with him a scratching instrument with which he had been scratching his head. When Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) saw him. he said: If I were to know that you had been peeping through the door, I would have thrust that into your eyes, and Allah’s Messenger (May Peace,blessings and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala be on him) said: Permission is needed as a protection against glance.
Sahih Muslim:Book 025, Number 5366

The Prophet’s Acts Of Worship During Hajj

The Prophet’s acts of worship during Haj – I

Tranquility
In his Haj, nothing could divert the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) attention away from his rituals, or from showing submission and humility before Allah. Standing with his hands raised close to his chest, he privately offered his supplication for extended periods of time. Secondly, all of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) movements were full of submission and surrender to Allah, Almighty.

He would walk quietly in reverence and tranquility going about his rituals. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Al-Ifadha in tranquility.” (Al-Bukhari)

Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that as he and the Prophet (peace be upon him) were moving together on the Day of ‘Arafah, they heard loud noises, clattering and roars of camels. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then pointed his whip at the people and said: “Be quiet; haste is no indication of righteousness!” (Tirmidhi)

Doing plenty of good deeds
Not only did the Prophet (peace be upon him) enjoined good, he (peace be upon him) was also keen on doing the same during the Haj. This is manifest in his performance of all the recommended Haj rituals.

He performed Ghusl (ritual body wash) and wore perfume before assuming Ihram, marked and garlanded the sacrificial animal, and frequently recited the Talbiyah aloud until he (peace be upon him) had cast the Jamaratul-’Aqabah.

He also started Tawaf as soon as he entered the House, walked briskly in Tawaf, touched the two corners of the Ka’bah, offered two Rak’ahs of Tawaf behind Maqaam Ibrahim (Ibrahim’s station), supplicated Allah on the hills of Safa and Marwah, ran in the middle of the valley, supplicated upon touching the two corners and while throwing pebbles at the Jamaraat. (Paraphrased from Al-Bukhari and Muslim) There are many other acts that he (peace be upon him) performed.

Moderation and equanimity
Islam encourages moderation and censures exaggeration. In fact equanimity was the most significant attitude of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Haj. He (peace be upon him) abhorred exaggeration. He (peace be upon him) did neither too much nor too little. Two acts of worship can be stressed in this regard. Firstly, he (peace be upon him) adopted a wholesom middle course between his acts of worship and his responsibility as the leader of the Muslims. However, he (peace be upon him) did not neglect his duty to his wives and his household who needed care and affection. Secondly, he (peace be upon him) also took equal care of his body and soul.

This is a very important point, as the awe-inspiring surroundings of the Haj may compel many people to observe the spiritual and entirely forget the physical side of their being.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) however, took very good care of his body. For example, on Tarwiyah Day he (peace be upon him) moved closer to Mina in order to be near ‘Arafah (Sahih Muslim); slept during the nights of ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah (Al-Bukhari); took breakfast on the Day of ‘Arafah (Al-Bukhari); but did not offer supererogatory prayers. (Sahih Muslim)

He (peace be upon him) stayed in a dome made from the camel’s hair erected especially for him, moved between the sacred sites (Al-Bukhari), and performed some of the Haj rituals riding on camel’s back (Muslim). Furthermore, he even had someone who served and helped him. (Ibn Majah)

Giving up worldly life
The Prophet (peace be upon him) renounced the present life and rejected all that was not needed for the Hereafter. There are countless examples of his attitude of looking down upon the worldly life. Listed are but a few: He (peace be upon him) used an old, shabby camel saddled with a piece of velvet hardly worth four dirhams (silver currency). He (peace be upon him) allowed Usamah Ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) to ride behind him on his camel’s back from ‘Arafah to Muzdalifah, and allowed Al-Fadhl Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) to ride behind him from Muzdalifah to Mina. (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet’s Acts Of Worship During Hajj

 

HE is the role model, we take our rites of Haj from him – the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. His educating and leading the pilgrims, as well as caring for his wives and household did not prevent him from worshiping Allah, or from showing his absolute submission to Him. This attitude took various forms, and here are some of the most significant examples:

Reaffirming Tawheed
Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) is the first fundamental principle of Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) affirmed and fostered. This was very much evident in his conduct while performing Haj. It was in his recitation of Talbiyah (saying Labbayka Allahumma labbayk), which is now like a symbol of Haj. It means that the act of Haj is offered to Allah, and Allah alone, without associating any partners with Him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to recite Talbiyah from the moment he began the ritual, and until he had thrown pebbles at Jamratul-’Aqabah (Aqabah stone) on the Day of Sacrifice (i.e. Eid day).

Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) observed strict devotion to Allah in all his deeds. He always asked Allah to help him avoid hypocrisy and showing-off. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: “O Allah, make my Haj (pilgrimage) free of hypocrisy and showing-off.” (Saheeh Muslim)

While he was on the hills of Safa and Marwah, the Prophet (peace be upon him), supplicated to Allah as narrated by Jabir, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) began by ascending As-Safaa until the Ka’ba was visible to him, then he faced Qiblah and said ‘Laa ilaaha illAllah, Allahu Akbar’ (There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, Allah is the greatest) and said, ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, the One, there are no associates to Him; He is the Master of the universe, to Him we give thanks, He is the Omnipotent; there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, the One… ‘He repeated this three times until he reached Al-Marwah, where he did the same as he did on As-Safa.” (Saheeh Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated Allah on the Day of ‘Arafah saying as narrated in an authentic Hadith, “The best invocation is performed on the Day of ‘Arafah, and the best supplication ever offered by me or by previous prophets is: ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, the One, there are no associates to Him; He is the Master of the universe, to Him we give thanks, He is the Omnipotent; there is no god but Allah, the One.’” (Sahih Muslim)

Repudiating the polytheists and their acts
In many of the Haj rituals, the Prophet (peace be upon him) insisted on acting differently from the polytheists and on following in the footsteps of our revered Patriarch Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). This attitude culminated in his rejection of their actions in the sermon he delivered on the Day of ‘Arafah. “All Jaahiliyah (pre-Islamic) traditions lay trampled under my feet,” the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared. (Sahih Muslim)

Some of the most important rituals that the Prophet (peace be upon him) insisted on changing are as follows:

Talbiyah: The polytheists used to associate other gods with Allah when they said “Except one associate; he is yours; you own him and whatever he owns.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) made Tawheed pure, and cast away the association of other gods with Allah, repudiating such practice.

Another example of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) insistence on acting differently from the polytheists is seen in his stopping with the pilgrims at ‘Arafah, unlike the Quraish who used to stop at Muzdalifah, saying: “We do not perform Al-Ifadah (departure) except from Haram.” (Al-Bukhari)

Supplication and humility before Allah
Supplication (Du’a) has a special status in Islam as it aims at expressing total submissiveness, surrender and humility to Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Supplication is worship.” (Abu Dawood)

He would supplicate Allah, the Almighty, while in Tawaf, and while standing on the hills of Safa and Marwah. He also made lengthy supplications on the Day of ‘Arafah, riding on his camel’s back, raising his hands close to his chest as if he were an humble slave begging for Sadaqah (charity). He would remain in that condition from the moment he had chosen the spot at which he would stop after Salah (prayer) until sunset. He also did the same at Al-Mash’ar Al-Haraam (the Sacred Monument) in Muzdalifah right after he had offered the Fajr (dawn) prayer and almost until sunrise. (Al-Bukhari)

On the Days of Tashreeq, and when he had thrown pebbles at the first two Jamarat (ramy), he would face Qiblah, raise his hands, and make a prolonged supplication. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet’s acts of worship during Haj – II

 

Violence Against Spouses Forbidden In Islam

[Quran 4:34] “Men are responsible for the welfare of women since God has given some (of you) more wherewithal than others, and because they must spend of their wealth (to maintain the family). Therefore pious and devout women safeguard the private matters that God would have them safeguard. As for those (women) from whom you fear aggressive defiance, caution them (to piety). (If they remain unmoved by your words), then leave them alone in their beds, and finally (if they continue in their aggressive defiance), then separate from them. However, if they accede to you (by abandoning their aggressively defiant behaviour), then you have no (legitimate) grounds to act against them (any further), and God is full of knowledge and
greatness.”

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has commanded:

[Sunan Abudawud, Book #11, Hadith #2138] “Narrated Mu’awiyah ibn Haydah: I said: Apostle of Allah, how should we approach our wives and how should we leave them? He replied: Approach your tilth when or how you will, give her (your wife) food when you take food, clothe when you clothe yourself, do not revile her face, and do not beat her.”

[Sunan Abudawud, Book #12, Hadith #2220] “Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin: Habibah daughter of Sahl was the wife of Thabit ibn Qays Shimmas He beat her and broke some of her part. So she came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) after morning, and complained to him against her husband. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called on Thabit ibn Qays and said (to him): Take a part of her property and separate yourself from her. He asked: Is that right, Apostle of Allah? He said: Yes. He said: I have given her two gardens of mine as a dower, and they are already in her possession. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Take them and separate yourself from her.”