Purification of the Soul

The All-Encompassing Mercy of Allah

Raja (Hope) in Allah

Hope: it is the peaceful state of the heart which awaits what is dear to it. If the means - by which what the heart hopes for may come - are not present, then stupidity and foolishness would be a more accurate name for such a state. Similarly, if there is no doubt that what is being hoped for will definitely occur, then likewise, this state cannot be referred to as hope. For example, it would not be correct to say: I hope that the sun rises today. However, it would be correct to say: I hope that it rains today.

The Scholars who have studied matters pertaining to the heart have said: that this world is like land that is cultivated for its fruits in the Hereafter; and that the heart is like the earth; and that iman (faith) is like the seeds; and that acts of obedience are like ploughing and preparing the soil for planting, and digging channels in order to irrigate and bring water to it.

The heart which is in love with this world is like barren land, from which seeds cannot sprout. The Day of Judgement is like the day of harvest - and each person reaps what he sows. And no seed can sprout, except the seeds of iman, and iman very seldom benefits if the heart is corrupt and has bad qualities.

Allah - the One free from all imperfections - said:

"So have taqwa (fear and obedience) of Allah and reconcile the differences between yourselves."

"Indeed the Believers are but brothers. Therefore reconcile the differences between your brothers, and fear Allah so that you may receive mercy."

"So this is a knot which Allah has bound the Believers together with, such that whenever a person is found possessing iman (faith) in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day - whether in the eastern or western part of the world - then such a person becomes the brother of the Believers. This brotherhood obligates that the Believers should love for that person that which they love for themselves, and hate for that person that which they hate for themselves. Therefore, the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said - whilst ordering the brotherhood of iman (faith): 'Do not envy one another. Do not inflate prices upon one another. Do not hate one another. Do not forsake one another. Do not under-cut one another. But be worshippers of Allah and brothers. The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he neither oppresses him, nor humiliates him, nor lies to him, nor holds him in contempt. And piety is right here [and he pointed to his chest three times]. It is enough evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is sacred; his blood, his property and his honour.' {qluetip title=[1]}Related by Muslim (no. 2564), from Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu 'anhu.{/qluetip} And he sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: 'The Believer to the Believer is like a solid structure, one part supporting the other.' And he interlaced his fingers to demonstrate this.{qluetip title=[2]}Related by Al-Bukhari (no. 481) and Muslim (no. 2585), from Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu 'anhu.{/qluetip}

"Thus Allah and His Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam ordered that the rights of the Believers be fulfilled by each other, and that those matters which will bring about harmony, love and togetherness be carried out. All of this is to be done in order to further the rights that they have over one another. So from such tights is that when fighting occurs between them - thereby causing their hearts to separate and to have hatred and to cut-off from each other - then the Believers should bring about reconciliation between their brothers and do that which will remove the enmity. Then Allah ordered taqwa in general and made the bestowal of His Mercy the consequence of their having taqwa and their fulfilling the rights of the Believers. So He said: 'And have taqwa of Allah in order that you may receive mercy.' Thus, if Allah's Mercy is attained, then the good of this world and the Hereafter will also be attained."{qluetip title=[3]}Taysir ul-Karim ar-Rahman (7/133-134) of Shaykh As-Sa'di.{/qluetip}

'A'ishah radhiallahu 'anha used to say, that when people abandoned acting upon this ayah (verse): "When two parties of the Believers fight each other, then make reconciliation between them." [Al-Qur'an 49:9]. So when the Muslims began fighting each other, it was obligatory to reconcile them, as Allah - the Most High - ordered. However, when they did not do this, then fitnah (trials and tribulations) spread, as did ignorance, and this is what caused the differences to continue.{qluetip title=[4]}Related by Ibn Abi'l-'Izz in Sharh al-'Aqidah at-Tahawiyyah (2/777). Al-Bayhaqi related something similar to this in his Sunan al-Kubra (8/172).{/qluetip}

Allah's Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Shall I not inform you of something that is greater in degree than (optional) fasting, charity and prayer?" They said: Indeed inform us. So he said: "It is reconciling the people. For indeed causing corruption between them is the shaver!" {qluetip title=[5]}Sahih: Related by At-Tirmidhi (no. 2640) and Abu Dawud (no. 4919), from Abu'd-Darda radhiallahu 'anhu. It was authentitated by Al-Albani in Ghayatu'l-Maram (no. 414).{/qluetip}

And he sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam explained this shaving in another saying: "The disease of the people before you has overcome you, namely envy and hatred and it is the shaver. I do not say that it shaves off the heir. Rather, it shaves off the religion!" {qluetip title=[6]}Hasan: Related by At-Tirmidhi (no. 2641), from Az-Zubayr ibn Al-'Awwam radhiallahu 'anhu. It was authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan at-Tirmidhi (no. 2038).{/qluetip}

(s) Al-Istiqaamah Magazine, Issue No. 3 - Rabi' ul-Awwal 1417H / August 1996CE

The Meaning of Worship

The statement of Allah - the Most High:

"I did not create the Jinn, nor mankind, except to worship Me."

Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H) - rahimahullah - said:

"Worship (Al-'Ibadah) is obedience to Allah by following that which He ordered upon the tongues of His Messengers."

He also said:

"Worship (Al-'Ibadah) is a comprehensive term covering everything that Allah loves and is pleased with - whether saying, or actions, outward and inward."

Ibn Al-Qayyim (d. 751H) - rahimahullah - said:

"Worship revolves around fifteen principles. Whosoever completes them has completed the stages of 'ubudiyyah (servitude to Allah). The explanation of this is that 'ibadah is divided between the heart, the tongue, and the limbs. And that for each one of these three come five types of rulings, covering all actions: wajib (obligatory), mustahabb (recommended), haram (prohibited), makruh (disliked), and mubah (permissible)."

What Benefits the Dead

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"The likeness of wealth, family and the actions of the son of Adam is of a man who has three companions. One of the man's companions says: I am with you as long as you live; when you die, you have taken your share of yourself and you have taken your share of me - this is his wealth. The second companion says: I am with you until you reach that tree; you have had your share of yourself and your share of me - this is his family. The third companion says: I am with you in life and in death." [Sahih: Related by Al-Bazzar and Al-Albani authenticated it]

The above authentic hadith is in fact like the following hadith in meaning and in subject matter. Anas said that the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:

"The dead person is followed (to his grave) by three: His family, his wealth and his actions. Two of them return and only one remains. His family and wealth return, but his actions remain." [Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

These two ahadith show that actions alone endure and enter the grave with their doers. Both these ahadith also affirm the fact that anything other than actions - such as wealth, servants or relatives - are of no benefit at all. Rather, they all return (to this world). His wealth becomes the property of his inheritor, whilst his relatives and family do not grant him anything from Allah.

These ahadith intend to direct Muslims to be concerned with actions which will stay with them forever; and not to strive for wealth and position for the sake of relatives, family and servants. Apparently, the Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam wanted to show us the value of good actions when he related these ahadith to us, (which can be found) in the books of Zuhd (renouncement of the world). He pointed out to us that because actions will last rather than wealth, you have to make your actions righteous. Part of making ones actions righteous is through good wealth that is earned lawfully and spent in a good manner. Then one gains the rewards of 'amalus-salih (a righteous action).

Ikhlas (purity and sincerity of intentions)

It is the stripping (i.e. the purifying) of one's intentions in order to draw closer to Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - in all matters. It is also said that ikhlas is intending to single out Allah alone with acts of obedience. It has also been said that ikhlas is to forget about the creation by constantly looking towards the Creator.

And ikhlas (sincerity) is a condition for Allah to accept those righteous actions that are done in accordance with the Sunnah (guidance) of Allah's Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. So Allah - the Most High - commanded us with His saying:

"And they have not been commanded except to worship Allah alone, having ikhlas (purity of intention) in their Religion and not setting-up partners with Allah in the worship of Him." [Al-Qur'an 38:5]

The Ka'bah (Feb 2013)

Abu Umamah radhiallahu 'anhu relates:

Once a man came to Allah's Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and said: What do you think about a person who joins us in the fighting only to seek fame and wealth? So Allah's Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam replied: "He receives nothing!" The man repeated the question three times, each time Allah's Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "He recieves nothing!" Then he said: "Indeed Allah does not accept an action except if it is done with ikhlas (i.e. purely for Allah's sake), seeking nothing but His Face." {qluetip title=[1]}Hasan: Related by An-Nasa'i (6/25). It was authenticated by Al-Hafidh Al-'lraqi in Takhriju'l-Ihya (4/28){/qluetip}

The Shaykh {qluetip title=[A]}He is the mufti and faqih, Abu'l-Barakat Badr ud-Din al-Ghazzi. For his biography, refer to Shadharatudh-Dhahab (8/403-406) of Ibn al-'Imad and Al-A'lam (7/59) of Az-Zirikli{/qluetip} - rahimahullah - said:

Know O pious brother - may Allah make our affairs good - that the manners of companionship and good relationships are of various types, of which I will explain, such as will show the person of intellect the manners of the Believers and the Pious; and come to know that Allah the Most Perfect, the Most High has made them a mercy and helpers towards each other, which is why the Messenger of Allah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "The example of the Believers, in their mutual love and mercy is like the example of a body, if one part feels pain, then all of the body suffers in sleeplessness and fever." {qluetip title=[1]}Related by Al-Bukhari (no. 6011) and Muslim (no. 2586), from An-Nu'man Ibn Bashir radhiallahu 'anhu{/qluetip} And he 'alayhis-salam said, "The Believer to the Believer is like a solid building, one part supporting the other." {qluetip title=[2]}Related by Al-Bukhari (no. 481) and Muslim (no. 2585), from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari radhiallahu 'anhu{/qluetip} The Prophet 'alayhis-salam also said, "The souls are arrayed armies, so those who knew each one another before, will be friendly … " {qluetip title=[3]}Sahih: Related by Al-Bukhari (6/369) with ta'liq (suspension), from 'A'ishah radhiallahu 'anha. It was connected by Abu Ya'la in Al-Musnad (no. 4381) with an isnad whose narrators are from As-Sahih - as occurs in Al-Majma' (8/88) of Al-Haythami{/qluetip}

So if Allah intends good for His servants, He grants them companionship of the people of the Sunnah, righteousness and adherence to the Religion; and keeps him free from the companionship of the people of innovations. The Prophet 'alayhis-salam said, "A person is upon the religion of his friend, so let every one of you look to whom he keeps as a friend." {qluetip title=[4]}Hasan: Related by Ahmad (2/303), Abu Dawud (no. 4812) and At-Tirmidhi (no. 2484), from Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu 'anhu. It was authenticated by Imam An-Nawawi in Riyadh as-Salihin (no. 174){/qluetip}

"About a person, do not ask, but ask about his companion;
Since every companion follows his friends."

From the manners of companionship are ...