The Amputation: A Story For Those in Distress

By: Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jibril

Actually, let me tell you this story and this will tell you what Raghbah is. Not only Raghbah, but all three of these Ibaadaat that we will mention today Inshaa Allah. It will tell you what Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ are and how they pertain to and affect your Ibaadah, and in particular the story I am going to tell you is how it affects Salah. The chain of this story is authentic, had it not been authentic you would think it is a fictional story or a figment of someone’s imagination.

The story is about ‘Urwah Ibn az-Zubayr Ibn al-‘Awwaam radhiallahu ‘anhuma. ‘Urwah was a man with a golden ancestry. His father is az-Zubayr Ibn al-‘Awwaam, one of the ten people promised to go to Jannah and the companion who was one of the six people that Umar radhiallahu ‘anhu chose when he was stabbed, to choose the destiny of this Ummah after he dies. His mother is Asmaa’ Bint Abu Bakr, that makes his maternal grandfather Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq radhiallahu ‘anhu. His paternal grandmother was Safiyyah Bint Abdul-Muttalib. If his mother is Asmaa’, that means his aunt is Aishah radhiallahu ‘anha. That is why he used to enter upon Aishah, if you know Hadith where he used to narrate Ahaadith from her and he used to learn with her. And because of that, he became one of the top seven Fuqhahaa’ in Madina. May Allah honour this Ummah with the likes of Aishah and Asmaa’ who play their proper model role in raising revivers and Mujaahideen for this Ummah. 

After the death of the Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he remained in Madinah. When he grew older, he decided to visit Bilaad ash-Shaam. During his journey or possibly before it, he was infected with some kind of disease in his foot that began to spread during the journey where it reached the shin area (somewhere between the knee and the ankle). When he arrived in Bilaad ash-Shaam, they brought him the doctors who told him this leg needs to be amputated otherwise it is going to spread and kill you. And back then, they used alcohol for anaesthesia, that is what reduced the pain when they operated in these kind of surgeries. ‘Urwah held himself to a higher standard. If it was permissible for normal people in such circumstances, it is not something ‘Urwah would allow upon himself. He held himself to a higher standard and this is our point here, he said let me make Salah and when you see me get into my Salah, amputate my leg as you wish. You know what he meant by that? What he meant is let me get into my Salah, let me stimulate and rev up my Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ and then amputate my leg.

Why ‘Urwah? Because when a heart elevates in that Ibaadah of Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ during Ibaadah, it numbs the feeling of the limbs. You are present in your body, but in reality you are in another world. You may see a bodybuilder or someone very athletic in the peak of his fitness abilities, you tell him your son just got hit by a car and if it affects him and moves him internally. That strong and athletic man will drop down to his knees in weakness. Where are his muscles? Where are his athletic abilities? The heart feeling overwhelms and overpowers his physical strength and paralyses the limbs. While ‘Urwah was deep in his Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ (and this is precisely how the story goes), they cut with a knife. It is by a bone area (by the shin area) and when they got to the bone area, they heated a saw and began to saw it off. First cut, then saw. At that time, out of his seven sons his most beloved son Muhammad went to a stable for the leader (al-Waleed Ibn Abdul-Malik) and a horse or a camel booted and stamped him to death.

When the people began to visit him and among them was al-Waleed Ibn Abdul-Malik, they gave him condolence about his leg and then they informed him and gave him condolence over his son. Why? First my leg and now my son? Problem after problem. My grandfather is Abu Bakr radhiallahu ‘anhu and he gave victory to Islam. I am one of the top seven Fuqhahaa’ in Madinah. Why me? I am the son of the man who gave your Messenger victory Yaa Allah. Is that what he said? That is not ‘Urwah Ibn az-Zubayr. Listen to what he said.

He said:

اللهم كانوا سبعة ، فأخذت واحدا وأبقيت ستة     

Oh Allah they were seven, You took one and You left me six. He means about his sons, he had seven. He said You took one and You left six. Look at the positive thinking, You have been so gracious and kind to me Yaa Allah.

وكن أربعا ، فأخذت واحدة وأبقيت ثلاثا

Now he is talking about his limbs. Oh Allah they were four (two hands and two legs), You took one and You left me with three. You have been so gracious and kind to me. Look at the positive thinking in the middle of a calamity.

Then he said:

اللهم لك الحمد ، فلئن إن كنت قد أخذت فقد أبقيت

Allah if You took, You left me with plenty. You took one of my limbs and You left me with three. You took one of my sons and You left me with six.

وإن كنت قد ابتليت فلطالما عافيت

And if You tested me, you kept me sound and well for such a long time.

فلك الحمد على ما أخذت وعلى ما عافيت

All thanks to you Allah for what You took and for what You kept.

This story has a few narrations to it and what will stun you is the addition in Ibn Abi ad-Dunya. He said the night that happened (he lost his leg and he lost his son), he did not miss his Qiyaam. Take a break ‘Urwah, mourn your son, wait until your pain eases and then resume your night recitation. These were men who were born for the Aakhirah, he did not miss his night recitation that night.

It gets more amazing, and I remember mentioning this in one of the first Jumu’ah Khutbahs I gave. It had to have been one of the first ten that I delivered maybe twenty or twenty five years ago and I said back then what I will still say today. For me the most amazing and astonishing part of it is what Ibn Katheer stated that al-Awzaa’ee said.

وقال الأوزاعي : لما نشرت رجل عروة قال : اللهم إنك تعلم أني لم أمش بها إلى سوء قط

When his leg was cut, ‘Urwah said oh Allah, You know I never used this leg to walk to a sin before. How many of us can look at their legs today and say that? Or look in the mirror at their eyes and say the same statement? Or at their tongues or at their hands and say Allah You know we never used this for a sin? Do you know it is the opinion of some of the Hanafiyyah that whoever says Allah You know (Ya’lamullah (يعلم الله)) I did this or that and he is a liar, that he becomes a Kaafir. Because in reality, by that statement and by that lie, he claims that Allah does not know. That is the opinion of some of the Hanafiyyah and it may be the weaker of two opinions on that issue, but what I am trying to say is it shows you how dangerous it is to say Ya’lamullah on a lie, it is more dangerous than saying it on an oath. Saying Wallahi and lying is easier than saying Ya’lamullah on a lie. ‘Urwah was so sure of his past that he said oh Allah, You know I never used this leg to commit a sin before.

Listen to the icing on the cake of this story. I told you his leg was amputated in Bilaad ash-Shaam, so he returned back to Madinah with no son and no leg. He lost his son and he lost his leg. When he returned back to Madinah, they said Wallahi we never heard him complain about his foot or about his son. Men raised by Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Before we get carried away, this story has so many lessons in it, however our point for this class and why I mention it for this class is the affect Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ have on someone’s Salah. The affect that it has is that it numbs and paralyses the limbs, because Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ take a person to another world. A true, spiritual world. A true Imaanic world. Some make superficial Salah, as many or most do. Others have Raghbah, Rahbah and Khushoo’ in them, like ‘Urwah. 

Source: The Amputation: A Story For Those in Distress - Shaykh Ahmad Musa Jibril

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_8ofNLj2GI

Transcribed: Explanation of Three Fundamental Principles 

                                                            

Abu Bakr an-Nabulsi: The flayed Martyr

He was Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Sahl bin Nasr ar-Ramli, the martyr commonly known as an-Nabulsi. He was a devout and pious worshipper who was not attached to the pleasures of this world. He always stood for the truth. He would fast every other day, and was an influence on all people around him.

He was a scholar of Fiqh and Hadith. He was considered to be one of the greatest scholars of Hadith of his time, as he narrated from the likes of at-Tabarani and Ibn Qutaybah. Also, he taught the likes of ad-Daraqutni, al-Midani, and ‘Ali bin ‘Umar al-Halabi.

‘Ubaydillah al-Mahdi established the Fatimid state, and took the city of al-Mahdiyyah – after which he is named – as its capital. This city is located on the coast of Tunisia, and it is about 16 miles from the southeast section of the city of Qayrawan. Then, the sons of ‘Ubaydillah al-Mahdi continued his expansionist policy until Abu Tamim bin Isma’il – also known as al-Mu’iz li-Dinillah – conquered Egypt. He entered it on Friday, on the 8th of Ramadan in the year 362 H, and established the city of Cairo . The rulers of this Fatimid state ascribed themselves to the Shiite ideology, while the people of Egypt and Palestine were Sunnis.

The tribulations presented by the Fatimid dynasty were a great trial for the Muslims. When they colonized Palestine, the righteous and poor people escaped from Jerusalem because the Fatimids would force the scholars of the Muslims to curse all of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) during their speeches and sermons. From these scholars who escaped the Fatimids was al-Imam an-Nabulsi, who escaped to Damascus. When al-Mu’iz li-Dinillah arrived in Syria and conquered it, he began to personally call to his heretical ideology, forbidding people from praying the Tarawih andDuha prayers, and forcing them to make Qunut during the Dhuhr prayers.

As for an-Nabulsi, he was from Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, and he considered it an obligation to fight these Fatimids. He said in regards to these Fatimid rulers: “If I had ten spears in my possession, I would throw one of them at the Romans, and I would throw the other nine at these tyrannical Fatimids.”

 When the ruler of Damascus – Abu Mahmud al-Kitami – was able to defeat theQaramitah (who were the enemies of the Fatimids), he arrested al-Imam an-Nabulsi and put him in prison in Ramadan. When the commander of the army of al-Mu’iz li-Dinillah arrived in Damascus, an-Nabulsi was handed over to them and taken to Egypt. When he arrived in Egypt, he was taken to al-Mu’iz li-Dinillah, who said to him: “I have been informed that you said that if a man has ten spears, then he should throw one of them at the Romans, and nine of them at us!”

So, an-Nabulsi said: “I did not say this!!”

The Fatimid ruler smiled, and assumed that the Imam would retract his statement. So, he asked him: “What did you say, then?”

So, an-Nabulsi responded to him – with strength and boldness – “If a man has ten spears, then he should throw nine of them at you, then he should throw the tenth one at you as well!!!”

So, al-Mu’iz asked him, in shock: “And why is that?”

So, the Imam answered him back with the same boldness: “Because you changed the religion of the Ummah, and you killed the righteous people, and you put out the divine light of guidance, and you usurped that which did not belong to you!”

So, the Fatimid ruler ordered for him to be brought out in front of the public. The next day, he was whipped severely. On the third day, an-Nabulsi was nailed to a cross, and a Jewish butcher was brought out to peel off his flesh after the Muslim butchers had refused to do so. By the time the flesh was peeled from the top of his head down to his face, he was still patiently engaging in the remembrance of Allah and repeating the verse from the Qur’an: {“…and that is written in the Book of Our Decrees.”} [al-Isra'; 58]. When the butcher had finally gotten to an-Nabulsi’s arms, he decided to put him out of his misery, and took a knife of his and stabbed it into an-Nabulsi’s heart, after which he died.

It was later reported by eyewitnesses that while an-Nabulsi was on the cross, the recitation of the Qur’an could be heard coming from his dead body.

Also, Ibn ash-Sha’sha’ al-Misri narrated that he saw an-Nabulsi in a dream after he had been killed, looking very beautiful and joyous. So, he asked him: “What has Allah done with you?”

So, an-Nabulsi replied:

My Lord Loved me in eternal honor * And He Promised me closeness and friendship to Him

And He brought me close to Him * And Said: “Rejoice in an everlasting life next to Me.”

Source

O Prisoner

By Ali al-Timimi

Be patient O prisoner

Think not of what lies behind that door

Because you are the rain that gives life to the barren

Because you are the sun that flowers yearn for

Go forth despite your shackles

Nothing holds your spirit at bay

By sabr and yaqin, Allah made you

A leader despite the boulders in your way

You are defiant, and you are like

A brilliant star guiding the multitude

Your truthful words burn every accursed rebel

A shining blaze in an era of servitude

You are the bold one leading falcons

Perverse crows mock you with false portrayal

Their black lies did cast you

In the prison of betrayal

I know that you’re tired

But forget not your bargain

Leave cowardly hyenas to laugh and play

For you are a brave lion

I know that you’re exhausted

The evil one whispers “no longer can you cope”

Remain firm, O servant of Allah

For you are the great hopes

I know that you’re weak

Dizzy, wanting to swoon

Night envelops the world with its darkness

But you are the shining moon

I know that you’re confident

O favoured son of the nation

You never doubted Allah’s promise

That victory is for the patient

We are surrounded by the petty

Whose only goal is to eat, drink and mate

But you in your solitude

Are with the Most High, the Great

So rejoice in your prison

Let others sink in the worlds mire

Continue to speak words of truth

A devastating sword on every arrogant denier

You display determination

In following the straightest of ways

You keep watch at every mountain pass

While the petty only sleep in haze

Time has stopped in front of your prison

Your nights and days are of constant motion

Heaven and earth will sleep at your passing

Amazed at your sincere devotion

You are the boldest

Because Allah made you cling to the pious word, the firmest.

Five ways prayer helps with staying patient

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

{O you who believe! Seek help in patience and prayer…"}Holy Quran 2: 53

Sitting here in a prison cell, I can easily relate to this verse, and I can understand the union of patience and prayer in it, and I can relate a few manifestations of this union.

So, here are five ways prayer helps with staying patient:

When you stand with your head pointed to the ground, or you are bowing or prostrating, you are physically reminding yourself that you are the controlled praying to the Controller. This makes is so much easier to live comfortably with whatever befalls you of your status, putting you in your place as a subject to a Master. The same Master for Whom you touch your noble face to the ground is the Master that put you where you are, or gave you that disease, or deprived you of wealth, or struck you with that crisis. When your face is glued to the ground and you are obediently repeating 'Subhan Rabi al-A'la', you are making that connection. You are reminding yourself that just as you surrender your face to the ground before Him, you are to surrender yourself to the reality that He has chosen for you. Controller and Controlled.

The prayer instills a sense of discipline, which keeps you in check at a time when you might have the tendency to freak out. So, you must keep track of the time, and only pray each prayer within its  stated time. You must abide by the proper number of rak'at in each respective prayer. You must pray at a calm, relaxed pace. You must not miss any prayer… and so on. By praying, you abide by a system that cannot be violated just because you're in prison, or you don't have a job, etc. This restrains you, shapes you, gives your life form and purpose regardless of what you wish you could be doing. It disciplines you at a time that others would normally descend into chaos.

Prayer also helps you make use of your time. I personally divide my day up in here using the prayer. So, between Fajr and Dhuhr, I have certain tasks scheduled for myself, with a different set of tasks to be taken care of from Dhuhr to 'Asr, and so on. This way, I get a lot accomplished during the days while the rest of the unit lives in a stretched out, monotonous, blurry day where one hour is indistinguishable from the one before it or after it. Being productive is essential to maintaining patience.

Prayer is also a workout for the soul. Just like one release pent up aggression during a physical workout, the prayer – du'a' in particular – is a chance to let out your inner feelings to the Hearer and Responder. Every complaint, every desire, every worry, every hope, every anguish, every emotion – this is the time to let it all out. Let those tears flow. Let it come from the heart. Stand up in qunut in Witr in the depths of night and converse with your Lord – your own personal Lord, Who will listen and respond to you personally and specifically – and simply express to Him what you feel. He is the One you should direct your complaints to, as Prophet Jacob said in Surat Yusuf, v.86: {"I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah."} So, just like the energy in the body is  released during a physical workout, the prayer is a spiritual workout where you can release what is built up inside.

Finally, by reciting the Qur'an in prayer, you are reminded of the bigger picture. The mention of the eternal prison of Hell minimizes the gravity of your challenges. The mention of the indescribable pleasures of Paradise are small vacations from your surroundings and circumstances. The mention of the struggles of the Prophets of the past provides a feeling of solidarity, reminding you that even the best of Creation didn't have it easy in life. Reciting the Qur'an in prayer puts everything you are facing into perspective and makes the bumpy road smoother and more familiar.

By: Tariq Mehanna / Plymouth Correctional Facility / Isolation Unit - Cell #108

The Sahabah and Tabi‘in on gratitude

By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Salmân al-Fârsî (RA) said: “There was a man who was given many of the luxuries of this world, and then they were taken away from him. But he continued to praise and thank Allâh until everything had been taken from him, even on his bed. And then he still praised and thanked Allâh. Another man, who had also been given many of the luxuries of this world asked him, ‘What are you praising and thanking Allâh for?’ The man said, ‘I am praising and thanking Him for blessings which, if others asked me to give them to them in return for all that they have, I would never give them up.’ ‘What can they be?’ asked the second man. ‘Can’t you see?’ asked the first man. ‘I have my eyesight, my tongue, my hands, my feet...’”

Mukhallad ibn al-Husayn said: “The definition of gratitude is abstaining from wrong action.” Abû Hâzim said: “Every blessing that does not bring you closer to Allâh is a disaster.” Sulaymân said: “Remembering His blessings makes one love Allâh.”

Hammâd ibn Ziyâd narrated that Layth ibn Abî Burdah said: “I went to Madînah, where I met ‘Abdullâh ibn Salâm, who said to me: ‘Would you like to visit a place visited by the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم , and we will offer you sâwiq and dates?...’ Then he said: ‘When Allâh gathers people on the Day of Judgement, He will remind them of His blessings. One of His slaves will say: “Remind me of something,” and Allâh will say: “Remember when you faced such-and-such adversity, and you prayed to Me, so I relieved you of it. Remember when you were travelling in suchand-such a place, and you asked Me to give you a travelling companion, and I did so... Remember when you asked for the hand of soand-so the daughter of so-and-so, and others also asked for her hand, so I gave her to you to marry; and kept the others away.” His slave will be standing before his Lord, Who will remind him of His many blessings.’” Then the narrator of this story (Layth) wept and said, I hope that no one will stand before his Lord in this way, because the one who does so will be punished.” (i.e. if Allâh has to point out that which should be obvious, this is a sign of a person’s ingratitude, and he will be punished.)

Bakr ibn Abdullâh al-Muzânî said: “When a man faces affliction, he may pray to Allâh and Allâh may deliver him from adversity. Then Shaytân comes to the man and whispers, ‘It was not as bad as you thought,’ Thus the man’s gratitude will be weakened.” Zazan said: “The right of Allâh over the man who is enjoying His blessings is that such a man should not use His blessings in order to commit wrong actions.” A man of knowledge said: “The blessing of Allâh to us in keeping the luxuries of this world away from us is greater than the blessing of that which he has given us, because Allah did not like His Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم to have the luxuries of this world. So I prefer to live in the manner which Allâh preferred for His Prophet صلى الله عليه و سل than to live a life which He disliked for him.”

Ibn Abi’d-Dunyâ said: “It was narrated to me that some scholars said: ‘The scholar should praise Allâh for having deprived him of the luxuries of this life, in the same way that he should praise Him for what He has bestowed upon him. How can you compare the blessings and luxuries for which he will be accountable to the deprivation of luxuries which is a relief from being tested, and which keeps his mind free to worship and remember Allâh? So he should give thanks to Allâh for all of that.’”

It has been said: “Gratitude is giving up wrong action.” Ibn alMubârak said: “Sufyân said: ‘He does not understand religion properly who does not count affliction as a blessing and ease as a disaster.’”

Source: Patience and gratitude by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah / An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat ash-Shâkireen”

The patience of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr

‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr came to visit the Khalîfah al-Walîd ibn ‘Abdu’l-Malik. With him was his son Muhammad, who was one of the most handsome of men. The young man had dressed up for the occasion in fine clothes, and had his hair in two plaits or braids. When al-Walîd saw him, he said, “This is how the young people of Quraysh look!” and by so saying, put the evil eye on him. Before he left, the young man fell ill. When he was in the stable (preparing for the journey) he fell down, and the horses trampled him to death.

Then ‘Urwah got gangrene in his leg, and al-Walîd sent doctors to him, who suggested that the leg should be amputated, otherwise the gangrene would spread to the rest of the body and kill him. ‘Urwah agreed, and the doctors began to remove his leg, using a saw. When the saw reached the bone, ‘Urwah fainted, and when he came around, sweat was pouring down his face, and he was repeating, “Lâ ilâh ill-Allâh, Allâhu akbar.” When the operation was over, he picked up his leg and kissed it, then said, “I swear by the One Who mounted me on you, I never used to walk to any place of wrong action or to any place where Allâh would not like me to be.” Then he gave instructions that the leg should be washed, perfumed, wrapped in a cloth and buried in the Muslim graveyard.

When ‘Urwah left al-Walîd and returned to Madînah, his family and friends went to meet him at the outskirts of the city and to offer condolences. The only reply he made was to quote from the Qur’ân: “…truly we have suffered much fatigue at our journey” (al- Kahf 18:62). He did not say any more than that. Then he said, “I will not enter Madînah, for people there either rejoice over the afflictions of others, or else feel envy for their blessings.” So he went to stay in a place at al-‘Aqîq.

‘Îsâ ibn Talhah came to visit him there and said, “May your enemies’ fathers perish!” and asked him, “Show me the affliction for which I have come to console you.” ‘Urwah uncovered his stump, and ‘Îsâ said, “By Allâh, we were not preparing you to wrestle! Allâh has saved most of you: your sanity, your tongue, your eyesight, your two hands, and one of your two legs.” ‘Urwah told him, “Nobody has consoled me as you have.”

When the doctors came to perform the amputation, they had asked ‘Urwah whether he would drink intoxicants to ease the pain. He said, “Allâh is testing me to see the extent of my patience. How could I go against His commands?”

Extracted from the book "Patience and Gratitude" by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah