Do not feel secure of Allah's Punishment

O you who are deceived by false hopes! Satan was cursed and descended from the glorious abode by neglecting one prostration he was ordered to perform. Adam descended from Paradise because of a mouthful he ate. The criminal was separated by a handful of blood. Moreover, the adulterer is supposed to be killed in the most awful way because he committed an unlawful act. Flogging is enjoined on him who says a word of slander, or drinks a drop of liquor. He (Allah) ordered that one of your hands should be cut in case theft is committed, so do not feel secure, for He might cast you into Hellfire because of only one sin.
Allah, the Almighty says,

وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا 

(Meaning of the Ayah), "And He (Allah) feared not the consequences thereof." (Ash-Shams, 91:15)

A woman was cast into Hellfire because of a cat. One may utter a word carelessly, which displeases Allah. This might be done without thinking about the gravity of the word, and then because of that he will be thrown into the Hellfire, like the distance between the east and the west. And one may obey Allah for sixty years, and at his death he misjudges, and this will be the reason for his being thrown into Hellfire. The person’s lifetime is judged by its end, and man's actions are regarded by their final deeds. Whoever breaks his ablution before the final salutation, surely his prayer becomes invalid, and whoever breaks his fast before sunset, surely his fast is invalid, and whoever is sinful at the end of his life, surely he will meet Allah in that state. If you give charity, surely you will find the blessings thereof, but beware of greed. How many times do you seek a good reward but it is rejected because of procrastination?

Verily, no salvation is found when faith is incomplete, when false hope is overestimated, when a disease has no remedy or visitor, when one insists on vain desires, when a sleeping heedless mind wanders blindly in wild intoxication, overwhelmed by its ignorance, feeling alienated from his Lord, and finding delight with his servants, and remembering people is his power and pleasure, while remembering Allah is his prison and death. To Allah he offers superficial acts of worship, and to people his devotion and trust are directed.

Taken from Al Fawaid by Ibn al-Qayyim 

Remembrance of Allah and reciting Quran

Ibn Taimiyaa wrote, "Remembrance of Allah is to the heart what water is to fish. What happens to a fish when it is taken out of water?" Imam Shams ad-Din ibn al-Qayyim wrote about nearly eighty benefits that come with dhikru'llah in his book al-Wabil al-Sayyib. We shall quote some of them here, although we recommend the reader to refer to this book itself because of its great value.


Remembrance of Allah is sustenance for both the heart and the spirit. If the servant is deprived of it he becomes like a body which has been deprived of food.

Remembrance of Allah also drives away shaytan, suppressing him and breaking him; it is pleasing to the Merciful, Might and Exalted is He, dispels worry and melancholy from the heart, adorns it with delight and joy, fills the heart and face with light, and cloaks the one who remembers Allah with dignity, gentleness and freshness. It instils love for Allah, fear of Him, and relating all matters to Him. It also enhances Allah's remembrance of His servant, for as Allah says:
So remember Me - I will remember you. (2:152)


Even if this were the only reward for the remembrance of Allah, it would be mercy and honour enough, for such a heart is always aware and free from wrong actions.

Although remembrance is one of the easiest forms of worship, the mercy and honour that it brings cannot be acheived by any other means. Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, "Whoever recites the words, "There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and All praise is due to Him, and He is Powerful over everything', one hundred times every day, there is a reward equal to freeing ten slaves for him, and a hundred good actions are recorded for him, and a hundred wrong actions are removed from his record. That is a safeguard for him against shaytan on that day until evening, and no one brings anything more excellent than this, except the one who has done more than this (that is, who recites these words more than one hundred times)."

Jabir reported that the Prophet  (Peace be upon him) said, "Whoever recites the words, "Glory be to Allah and His is the praise', will have a palm tree planted for him in the Garden."


Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "To Praise Allah, may He be Exalted, is more dear to me than spending the same number of dinars (as the number of times I praise Him) in the way of Allah."

Remembrance of Allah is a remedy for hard hearts. A man once told al-Hassan, "O Abu Sa'id, I complain to you about the hardness of my heart." He said, "Soften it with the remembrance of Allah." Makhul said, "Remembrance of Allah is (a sign of) health, while remembrance of people is like a disease." A man once asked Salman, "Which deeds are the best?" He said, "Haven't you read in the Qur'an:
And the remembrance of Allah is greatest. (29:45)


Abu Musa once related that the Prophet  (Peace be upon him) said, "The difference between the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not is like the difference between the living and the dead."


Abdullah ibn Busr related that a man once told the Prophet  (Peace be upon him), "The roads to good are many and I am unable to take all of them, so please tell me something to which I can hold fast, but do not overburden me lest I forget it." He said, "Make sure that your tongue is moist and supple with the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted."


Continual remembrance of Allah increases a servant's good witnesses on the Day of Resurrection. It is a means which prevents him from talking in the wrong way, such as backbiting and spreading tales and their like. Either the tongue is mentioning Allah and remembering Him, or it is talking incorrectly.

Whoever has the gates of remembrance opened to him has an opening to his Lord, Mighty and Glorious is He, through which he will find what he seeks. If he finds Allah, he has found everything. If he misses the opportunity, he has missed everything.

There are several types of remembrance. The remembrance of the Names of Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, the remembrance of His Attributes, and praising Him and thanking Him. All of these can take the form of saying, for example, 'Glory be to Allah', 'Praise be to Allah', 'There is no god but Allah'. A servant can also remember Allah by referring to His Names and Attributes, such as by saying, for example, "Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, Hears all that his servants say and do"; or by mentioning what He has commanded and what He has forbidden, such as saying, "Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, commands such and such, or forbids such and such."

A servant can also remember Allah by talking about His blessings, while the best type of remembrance is the recitation of the Qur'an, because this contains remedies to cure the heart from all illnesses. Allah, the Exalted, says:
O mankind, there has come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts, and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy. ( 10:57 )
And also::
We send down in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy for those who believe. (17:82)


All the illnesses of the heart result from desires and doubt, and the Qur'an is a cure for both. It has enough clear signs and proofs to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and thus it cures the diseases of doubt which ruin knowledge, understanding and perception, by enabling a person to see things as they really are. Whoever studies the Qur'an, and allows it to be absorbed by his heart, will recognise truth and falsehood and will be able to distinguish between them, just as he is able to distinguish between night and day.

As for curing the diseases that arise from desires, it is because it contains wisdom and good counsel. This recommends avoiding worldly gains and inspires a yearning for the akhira.

The Prophet  (Peace be upon him)once said, "Whoever wants to love Allah and His Messenger should read the Qur'an."


The Qur'an is also the best means for bringing the servant nearer to his Lord, Glorious and Exalted is He. Khabab ibn al-Arat said to a man, "Draw closer to Allah as much as you can, and remember that you can do so by no means more pleasing to Him than using His own words."

Ibn Mas'ud said, "Whoever loves the Qur'an loves Allah and His Messenger," and Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "If your hearts were really pure, they would never have enough of reciting Allah's words."

All in all, the most benefical thing for the servant is to remember Allah, Mighty and Glorious is He, constantly:
Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. ( 13:28 )


The Best kind of remembrance is to recite the Book of Allah, the Glorious and Exalted.


Source: purification of the soul by Ahmed Farid

The story of Al-Jassasah and the dajjal

‘Aamir ibn Sharaaheel Al-Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdaan narrated that he asked Faatimah bint Qays, The sister of Al-Dahhaak ibn Qays, who was the earliest Muhaajir women, “Relate to me a Hadeeth that you heard directly from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him)”

She said,”If you wish, I will do that. “He said to her, “Yes, tell me.” She said:

 “I heard the voice of the caller of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) saying: Al-salaatu jaami’ah (prayer is about to begin), so I went out to the mosque and I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). I was in the women’s row that was closest to the people. When the Messenger of Allah had finished his prayer, he sat on the Minbar and he was smiling. He said, “Let each person stay in the place where he just prayed, “Then he said, “Do you know why I called you together?” They said, “Allah and his Messenger (Peace be upon him) know best.” He said, “By Allah, I did not call you together for something good or for some alarming news. I have called you together because Tameem Al-Daari was a Christian and he came and swore allegiance and became Muslim, and told me something which agrees with what I was telling you about the Dajjal (false messiah).

He told me that he sailed in a ship with thirty men of Lakhm and Judhaam and they were tossed by the waves of the sea for a month. They came to an island at sunset. They sat in a small rowing-boat and landed on that island. They were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and they could not distinguish his face from his back because he was so hairy. They said: “woe to you, what are you?” It said Al-Jassaasah. “They said: “what is Al-Jassasah?” It said, “people, go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you,”’’

He the narrator said, when it named a man for us we were afraid of it lest it be a devil. Then we set off, rushing , until we came to that monastery, where we found the hugest man we has ever seen, bound strongly in chains with his hands tied to his neck and his legs bound from the knees to the ankles with iron shackles. We said, “woe to you, who are you?” He said , “you will soon find out about me ; tell  me who you are,” They said , “we are people from Arabia who embarked on a ship, but the sea became wild and the waves tossed us about for one month, then it brought us to this island of yours. We took to the rowing boats and landed on this island. We were met by a beast with a great deal of hair and we could not tell his front from his back. We said: “woe to you, what are you?” It said I am Al-Jassaasah. “We said: “what is Al-Jassasah?” It said, “, go to this man in the monastery for he is keen to know about you,”’

So we came rushing to you and we fled from it because we could not be sure that it was a devil.

He (that chained person) said: “Tell me about the date palm trees of Baysaan(1). We said “What do you want to know about them?” He said, “I am asking you whether those trees bear fruits” We said “Yes”. He said, “Soon they will not bear fruit.” He said, “Tell me about the Tiberias(2)” we said, “ what do you want to know about it” He said “Is there water in it” They said, “There is a great deal of water in it.” He said, “Soon it will dry up.” Then he said, “Tell me about the spring of Zughar(3). We said “What do you want to know about it?” He said, “Is there water in the spring and does the people grow crops with the water of the spring?” We said to him, “Yes there is plenty of water in it and the people grow crops with its water” he said, “Tell me about the Prophet of the unlettered; what has he done?” we said “He has left Makkah and has settled in Yathrib (Madeenah).” He said, “Do the Arabs fight against him” We said “Yes” He said “How did he deal with them” We told him that he had prevailed over the Arabs in his vicinity and they shown obedience to him. He said to us” Has it really happened” We said “Yes”

He said “if it is so that is better for them that they show obedience to him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the dajjal and soon I will be given permission to emerge., So I will come out an travel in the land, and will not spare any town but I will stay for forty nights, except Makkah and Taybah (Madeenah). They are both forbidden to me, Every time I try to enter one of them, I will be met by an angel with a sword in his hand, who will bar my way, and on every route there will be angels guarding it”.

She said, Then the Messenger (Peace be upon him) struck the Minbar with his staff and said “This is Taybah, this is Taybah, this is Taybah, meaning Madeenah. Did I not tell you this before?” The people said “Yes” (The prophet (Peace be upon him) “I liked the story of Tameem because it agrees with what I used to tell you about him and about Makkah and Madeenah. But he is in Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No rather he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east. “ And he pointed towards the east with his hand. She said, “I memorized this from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). “

(1)     Baysaan: a city on the western side of the Jordon basin,south west of Tiberias.

(2)     Tiberias: Between Jordon and Palestine.

(3)     Zughar: A village in Syria on the banks of the Dead Sea (the sea of Zughar), Ibn Al-Atheer said: Zughar is a spring in Syria, in the area of Al-Balqa’. 


Souce: The end of the world by Dr. Muhammad al-'Areefi

Some beautiful advice given to Imam Ahmad by righteous people

By: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

When the Muslim is faced with trials and his Lord tests him in order to purify him, one of the means which Allah gives him to help him stand firm is a righteous man who will advise and help him. Through this man’s words Allah helps the believer to stand firm and directs his steps. These words remind him of Allah, the Meeting with Him, His Paradise and His Hell. There follow some examples from the life of Imaam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), who entered the test and emerged as pure gold.

He was taken to al Ma’moon in chains, and (al-Ma’moon) had already issued him such a stern warning before he reached him that a servant said to Imaam Ahmad, “It hurts me, O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, that al-Ma’moon has unsheathed a sword which he has never unsheathed before, and he swears by his relationship to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that if you do not accept what he says about the Qur’aan being created, he will certainly kill you with that sword.” (Al- Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 1/332)

At this point, the intelligent scholars took the opportunity to say to their imaam words that would help him to remain steadfast. In al-Siyar (11/238), al-Dhahabi reports from Abu Ja’far al-Anbaari: “When Ahmad was taken to al-Ma’moon, I was told about it, so I crossed the Euphrates and found him sitting in an inn, where I greeted him. He said, ‘O Abu Ja’far, why did you go to the trouble (of coming here)?’ I said, ‘Listen to me, today you are the leader and the people are following you. By Allah, if you accept that the Qur’aan is created, a lot of people will go along with that, but if you do not, then neither will they. Even if this man (al-Ma’moon) does not kill you, you will still die, because death is inevitable, so fear Allah, and do not go along with (al- Ma’moon).’ Ahmad began to weep and said, ‘Ma sha Allah.’ Then he said, ‘O Abu Ja’far, say it again,’ so I said it again, and he kept saying, ‘Ma sha Allah.’…”

With regard to his being taken to al-Ma’moon, Imaam Ahmad said: “We reached al- Rahbah at midnight, and a man came to us and said, ‘Which of you is Ahmad ibn Hanbal?’ He was told, ‘This man.’ He said to the camel-driver, ‘Slow down.’ … Then he said, ‘Listen to me, why should you worry if you get killed here and go to Paradise?’ Then he said, ‘May Allah be with you,’ and left. I asked about him and I was told, ‘He is an Arab from the tribe of Rabee’ah who deals with wool in the desert. He is called Jaabir ibn ‘Aamir, and they say good things about him.’” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/241).

In al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, it says that a Bedouin said to Imaam Ahmad: “Listen to me, you are a representative of the people, so do not be bad news for them. You are the leader of the people today, so beware of doing what they are asking you to do, lest you bear their sins on the Day of Resurrection. If you love Allah, then bear this with patience, for the only thing standing between you and Paradise is your being killed.” Imaam Ahmad said: “His words strengthened my resolve not to do what they were asking me to do.” (Al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 1/332).

It was reported that Imaam Ahmad said: “I never heard any stronger words at that time than what a Bedouin said to me at Rahbat Tawq, a village between al-Raqqah and Baghdaad on the banks of the Euphrates. He said, ‘O Ahmad, if they kill you for the truth, you will be a shaheed (martyr), and if you live, you will be praised.’ And so my heart grew strong.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/241).

Imaam Ahmad said of the young man Muhammad ibn Nooh, who accompanied him at that time of trial: “Even though he was so young, he had such great knowledge, and I never saw anyone who adhered more firmly to the command of Allah than Muhammad ibn Nooh, and I hope that his end was good. He said to me one day, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, you are not like me. You are a man whom people follow, and they are straining their necks to see what you will do, so fear Allah and adhere to His commands.’ Then he died, and I prayed the janaazah (funeral) prayer for him and buried him.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/242)

Even his fellow-prisoners, whom Imaam Ahmad used to lead in prayer in chains, had a role to play in helping him to stand firm. One day when he was in prison, Imaam Ahmad said, “I don’t care about being in prison – it is no different from my home – or about being killed by the sword, but I am afraid of the trial of being whipped.” One of the other prisoners heard him and said, “Don’t worry, O Abu ‘Abd-Allah, it is only two lashes of the whip, then you don’t feel where the rest fall.” It was as if this reassured him and calmed him down. (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 11/240)

So try to seek advice from righteous people, and try to understand it if it is given to you.

Source: Wasaa’il al-Thabaat- (English translation: Means of Steadfastness: Standing Firm in Islam)

The scholars tests the memory of Imam Bukhari

One of the most telling stories about Imam Bukharee’s (May Allah have Mercy on him) intelligence and powerful memory was related by Ahmad ibn’ Adee al-Hafiz. Ahmad was present when a number of Baghdad’s most eminent scholars were discussing the arrival of Muhammad ibn Ismael al-Bukharee in their native city. The scholars of Hadeeth were particularly excited by his arrival, and they decided to put his knowledge and memory to the test. The plan they agreed upon was as follows: They would choose one hundred Hadeeth narrations and mix up the text s of those narrations with their chains of narrators; in the end each text would be matched with an incorrect chain. And they appointed ten people to conduct the test; each of those ten people was to present ten incorrect Hadeeth narrations to Imam Bukharee.

When Imam Bukharee (May Allah have Mercy on him) attended a gathering, the above mentioned scholars put their plan into action, and the ten chosen examiners sat in the front of the gathering so they could easily execute their plan; however only some people in the gathering, and not everyone , knew in advance about the planned test.

At the outset of the gathering, one of the ten men began by mentioning one of his incorrect Hadeeth, (and by incorrect, I mean that the text of the Hadeeth narration did not correctly correspond to its chain of narrators). Imam Bukharee responded “I do not know this Hadeeth” Those who did not know about a plan were surprised that Imam Bukharee , who was renowned for his knowledge of Hadeeth, did not know about a Hadeeth narration; meanwhile , those who knew about the plan were well pleased with his answer. The first examiner continued to mention one narration after another until he reached his tenth and final narration; and in response to each narration, Imam Bukharee said, “I don’t not know this Hadeeth”. The scholars who knew about the plan began to give knowing looks to one another, as if to say: Yes, he understands very well what we are doing. Meanwhile everyone else was beginning to have doubts about Imam bukharee’s knowledge. Perhaps they thought his reputation as a scholar and memorizer of Hadeeth narrations had been blown way out of proportion.  Such doubts grew in intensity when the next examiner presented ten Hadeeth narrations, and when in response to each of those narrations, Imam Bukharee said, “I do not know this Hadeeth narration”. This pattern continued until the tenth and final examiner mentioned his tenth and final narration. Every time one of the ten examiners mentioned a Hadeeth narration, Imam Bukharee said, “I do not know this Hadeeth narration.”

After the tenth examiner mentioned his final narration there was complete silence in the gathering, and Imam Bukharee realized that they were all finished and that it was his turn to speak. He turned to the first examiner and said, “As for the first Hadeeth you mentioned, you said such and such, but its correct version is such and such. As for the second Hadeeth you mentioned, you said such and such , but its correct version is such and such. And he continued in this manner until he corrected all ten narrations, matching each narration to its correct chain of narrators. Then he went on to do the same with the other nine examiners. When he was done, everyone that was present acknowledged his superior knowledge and memory.

Commenting on this story Al Hafiz ibn Hajar (May Allah have Mercy on him) wrote: It is not something to wonder at that he was able to correct the mistakes (that was presented to him) for that was to be expected from him since he was a prolific memorizer of Hadeeth narrations. What was so amazing was that, having heard the examiners presentations only once, he was to able to memorize, in order all of the mistakes that they presented to him. 

Source: The biography of Imam Bukharee by Salahudden ibn Alee ibn Abdul Maujood.