An evening with a scholar

By: Nishan
The temperature was blazing outside. But our zeal to see the holy city of Medina was overwhelming. A colleague of us studying in Medina University was our guide.  There were five of us including our guide.  The car had no Air-condition so we opened the windows and rode off.  We have planned to visit some holy sites inMedina. The first place we visited was the place where the famous battle of Uhud took place.  Our hearts were pounding and we were engulfed by sorrow and the joy at the same time when we saw the site. The Mount of Uhud was quite big and on the side of the Uhud was the famous small Hill where the 50Archers were placed by our Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon him).  The main attraction was the graves of the Martyrs from the Muslim Army.It reminded us of the state of our Ummah. These Shahaba gave their life for this Ummah who used their bodies to shield our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). They gave their life to dignify the name of Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala). But now our numbers are multiple compared to then, our armies are equipped with the latest Armory. But yet the Muslims are poor, weak and treated like dirt. Our Brothers and Sisters are massacred in front of our eyes, but the Ummah has no time even to make a single du’a for them. We are great in numbers but our hearts have hardened and we are so much devoured in this materialistic world that we have nothing in our mind but its temporary pleasures. There are dua’s made on every Friday prayer for the Ummah but the victory of Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala) does not come down to the quantity of people, but comes down to the quality of Thaqwa and Emaan of the people.

We left the site of Uhud and then visited Quba mosque which was the first Mosque our Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) built.  We prayed two units of prayer and then left to meet a Sheikh(scholar) from Madina who was a Ustaz(teacher )in the Islamic university of Madina and he was also an Imam of a famous mosque in Madina. We got this chance because we wanted to clarify some religious doubts we had.Therefore we asked our guide to help uswith this. He took us to the mosque where this Sheikh was the Imam. He took us there because this was the ideal place to meet him. When it was time for Asr prayer we prayed at that mosque and asked a person whereabouts of the Sheikh. TheSheikh was sitting beside a Pillar in the mosque.Our guide went to him first and asked him if he could give us some time to answer few questions. He welcomed us with a bright and a smiling face and made us sit around him and asked about our names, our occupations and about our families. After that he clarified our doubts and answered our questions. One thing we noticed during our conversation was that he was very humble and peaceful. He spoke in a low voice and his words were carefully placed. He praised Allah (Subu’haanahu wata’ala)all the time and pronounced Allah’s greatness repeatedly over and over again. He was constantly engaged in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) even between the gaps of his talks and when he was quiet.

When we were done,to our surprise he invited us to his home to breakfast with him as it was Ramadan which greatly reflected his noble manners. We happily accepted his invitation and we went to his house at the time appointed. When we went there we met one of his sons (about 10 years old) outside the house waiting for us. He welcomed us and directed us to the sitting room and sat beside us. This shows how the sheikh was training his children with good manners.  After some while the sheikh came and sat with us. When we were there he tried to entertain us as much as he can by talking and sometime joking and he made us feel we were like his close friends. When the Maqrib prayer was called we broke our fast and went to pray in the mosque.

After maqrib prayer we again went to his house and met another son of the Sheikh near the door waiting for us to welcome us again. Again we were directed to the sitting room and after some while the sheikh came and sat beside us with his two sons. Then we requested him to give us some advice and he gave us some advice regarding the month of Ramadan. When t the food was ready we were invited for the feast. To our surprise there were varieties of food. We did enjoy the feast very much. And throughout the feast the sheikh was entertaining us by talking and laughing with us. After the feast it was time for us to leave and the sheikh and his sons made farewell to us.

There were many things we noticed and learned in the few hours we spent with the sheikh. The first thing that we noticed from the Sheikh was the way he welcomed us. How he greeted us and welcomed us reflected his noble manners greatly.   Next thing we noticed from the Sheikh was his constant remembrance of Allah (swa) and making of Dhikr. I heard a Hadhith that says the likeness of the one who remembers Allah and one who does not is similar to the living and dead.

The next thing we noticed was that we never saw a women or a trace of a women in the house. So this gave us the importance of keeping our women from fitnah of mixing with men. The fourth thing we noticed was how he trained his children with good manners and obedience. We were truly amazed to see the obedience of the kids and how they welcomed us and served us during the feast. The next thing we noticed was his simplicity and his humility. He the Sheikh was very open and he sat with us in the floor and ate at the feast. He served us when our food was empty and talked with us just like we were his close friends.  Regardless of being a scholar his noble character portrayed him as a very simple man. We could see that the Sheikh was very excited and was very happy for us that we had the chance to come to Madina.

This experience with the sheikh was a remarkable and a memorable experience and in the few hours we spent with him our hearts were filled with deep love and deep respect for him. And beside the answers for our question we gained a lot of knowledge from his noble manners. Like Imam Az-Zuhri once said” We would come to a scholar and what we would learn of his manners would be dearer to us than his knowledge”.  This was truly the case we experienced with the sheikh. May Allah bless him and his family.

(I did not mention his name because I know he won’t like to be mentioned)

Some beautiful sayings of Ibn Mas'ud

One of the sayings of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) was that a man said in his presence, "I do not like to be from among the companions of the right hand, but I would like to be from among those who are nearest to Allah." 'Abdullah said, "But there is a servant here, who wishes that when he dies he will not be resurrected again (meaning himself)."

He went out one day, and some people followed him, so he asked them, "Do you need anything?" They said, "No, but we want to walk with you (as your followers)." He said, "Go back; you are humiliating yourselves and may do so to me." 

And he said, "If you knew about me what I knew about myself,you would pour dust upon my head." 

And he said, "I preferred the two unpleasant matters: death and poverty; by Allah they are in reality wealth and life, and I do not care which of them I may be afflicted with, as I will seek Allah in each of them; if it is wealth, it means I am going to meet Allah, and if it is poverty, I will be patient."

And he said, "As you walk in the night and day your age decreases and your deeds are recorded, and death will come suddenly. Whoever sows good deeds, he will harvest goodness, and whoever sows evil deeds, he will harvest regret. Everyone will reap what he sows; he will neither precede a slow man according to his fortune nor catch up with an eager man unless it is destined for him.”

“Whoever does good, must know that it is Allah, who allowed him to do so, and whoever is protected from evil, must know that it is Allah, who protected him”.

“Pious people are masters, jurists are leaders, and accompanying them will increase your good.”

“They are two: guidance and speech. The best speech is the words of Allah and the best guidance is that of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The worst matter of all is innovations and every innovation is a novelty, so do not be disturbed by hopes and do not waste time.”

“Whatever is coming is near at hand and whatever is far will not come. Whoever is unhappy was destined to be so, when he was in his mother's womb and the happy servant is the one who takes the examples of others.”

"Killing a Muslim is disbelief, abusing him is an evil doing and the Muslim is not allowed to abandon his brother for more than three days; he must greet him when he meets him, answer him when he calls him, and visit him when he is ill. The most evil account is that of lying. Lying contains no good, neither in cases of seriousness nor joking nor when a man promises his son something and does not fulfill it. Falsehood leads to wickedness and evil doing, and wickedness leads to the Hellfire and Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. It would be said to the truthful person that he was truthful and pious, and it would be said to the lying person that he was lying and wicked. Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to us,
"And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person and a man may keep on telling lies until he is written before Allah as a liar.”

“The most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, the most correct word is the word of piety, the best religion is that of Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him), the best Sunnah is the sunnah of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophets,
the most honorable talk is remembering Allah, the best account is the Our'an, the best matters are its consequences, and the worst matter is innovation. Whatever is little but sufficient is better than what is a lot but distracting. A soul that you save from evil is better than an emirate that you cannot control. The worst excuse is when it is the time of death and the worst regret is on the Day of Resurrection. The worst error is that which is done after guidance. The best wealth is the wealth of the soul. The best provision is piety. The best content of the heart is certainty, and doubt is disbelief. The worst blindness is blindness of the heart. Wine is a collection of evil, and unrighteous women are the traps of Satan. Adolescence is a kind of insanity, and wailing is a deed from the pre-Islamic era.”

“Among people are those who attend Friday prayer and hardly pay attention to it and remember Allah with his tongue but not with his heart. The gravest sin is lying, and whoever pardons people Allah will pardon him. Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will reward him, and whoever forgives, Allah will forgive him. Whoever is patient during disasters, Allah will recompense him. The worst of profits is usury, and the worst kind of eating is devouring an orphan's property. Whatever satisfies the soul is enough for you. The destiny of each of you is the grave. Matters depend upon their consequences. The most honorable way of dying is the death of a martyr. Whoever is proud, Allah will humiliate him, and whoever disobeys Allah, will obey Satan.

People who have memorized the Our'an should be known by the night when people are sleeping and he is awake, and by the morning when people are not fasting but he is, by his sadness when they are happy, by his crying when they are laughing, by his silence when they are slandering, and by his piety and humility when they are arrogant. He who has memorized the Our'an should be tearful, sad, wise, patient, and calm, he should not be rude, inattentive, loud or cruel.

Whoever assaults others because of his authority, Allah will degrade him. Whoever is humble because of his piety, Allah will elevate him. Allah has a gathering and Satan has a gathering. The gathering of Allah promises good and believes in right, while the gathering of Satan threatens evil and doubts right. If you see such gatherings seek refuge with Allah.

“People have many good sayings, and whoever's words agree with his deeds, he would have been granted goodness, and whoever's sayings contradict his deeds, he is simply scolding himself.”

“I hate to find a lazy, empty man, who neither works for his worldly living nor for the Hereafter. He whose prayer did not command him to do right and did not forbid him from doing wrong. It will not be of any use to him; it will only increase the distance between him and Allah.”

“Undoubtedly one should never please people by displeasing Allah, should not praise anyone for that which Allah had bestowed on you, and never blame anyone for that which Allah did not grant you. The blessings of Allah will not be gained according to someone's desires nor will they be removed because of someone's hatred. Allah in His justice and patience makes the soul happy by being content, and makes sadness and grief when one doubts and is discontent.”

“As long as you are performing prayer, you are knocking at the door of Allah, and whoever is knocking at the door of Allah, Allah will open it for him.”

“Man almost forgets the knowledge he has gained because of the sins he has committed.”

“Do not neglect knowledge and guidance, or the light of night, renewed hearts, and wearing worn clothes. In this way you will be known in the heavens and hidden from the people of the earth.”

“The hearts of man pass through two phases: activity and inactivity, so seek your hearts while they are in the state of activity and control them in the phase of inactivity.”

“Knowledge is not being able to narrate several accounts but by being pious.”

“The disbeliever may have a stronger and healthier body but he has the sickest heart among them, and the believer has the healthiest heart among people but perhaps the weakest body. By Allah, if your hearts are sick and your bodies are healthy, you would be lower than an insect in the sight of Allah.”

“The servant of Allah will not reach the reality of faith until he reaches its top, and he will not reach its top until poverty becomes preferable to him more than wealth, humility more preferable than honor, and until the one who praises or dispraises him are equal in his sight. Man comes out of his house with his religion and returns with nothing. A person comes to you while he cannot do anything for you nor your soul, either good or bad, and swore by Allah to others that he is good and he flatters you, and he returns and does nothing from what he wanted and Allah is not pleased with him.”

“If I mocked at a dog, I would be afraid of being changed into one.”

“Sin is whatever the heart is not comfortable with.”

“In every look, Satan will seduce you.”

“With happiness comes sadness. Every house that once was filled with joy will be faced with examples and each one of you is a guest and his money is a loan; the guest will travel and the loan will be repaid.”

“Later in time there will be nations whose best deeds will be reciting among themselves and listening to evil reciters.”

“If man wanted to be treated justly by his soul, he should visit those whom he would like to be visited by. The right is heavy but healthy, and evil is light but harmful.”

“Perhaps one desire causes long term sadness.”

“There is nothing on earth that badly needs to be imprisoned more than the tongue.”

“If adultery and usury appeared in a town or village, it is a sign of its coming destruction.”

“Whoever could put his treasure in heaven so that it would neither be eaten by worms nor stolen by thieves; he must do so, as the heart of man is his treasure.”

“Do not imitate anyone concerning religion; if he believes you, you believe and if he disbelieves you, you will disbelieve. If you must imitate, you should imitate dead people as the living are not protected from seduction.”

“None of you should be weak. They said, "What do you mean by weak?" He said, "He says, 'I am with the people; if they are on the right way I will be on the right way and if they go astray I will go astray. One should adjust himself to adhere to Islam even when people disbelieve."

A man said to him, "Teach me words that are complete and useful." He said, "Worship Allah and do not worship any partners with Him, adhere to the Our'an whatever it says, and whoever calls you to the right accept it from him even if he is far from you and odious, and whoever calls you to what is wrong reject him even if he is a lover and close to you."

“The servant of Allah will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and he would be ordered to render back his trust, and he would say, "0 My Lord! From where? The worldly life has gone." Then this trust would be shaped as it had been during this worldly life but it will be in the bottom of Hellfire, and he would fall down after it, put it on his shoulder, and begin to come up until he thought that he is about to come out, but it would fall again and he would fall after it forever."

“Submit your heart in three situations: when listening to the Our'an, during gatherings of remembering Allah, and during times of solitude. If you do not find your heart in these three situations, ask Allah to grant you with a heart, as you do not have one.”

AI-Junaid said, "I visited a youth, who asked me about repentance and its reality. I answered him and said, 'To put your sin between your eyes (never to forget it) until death comes to you', and he said to me, 'No this is not the reality of repentance', so I said to him, 'What is the reality of repentance according to you?' He said, 'To forget your sin.' And he left me and went away.' So I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) "0 Abu Al Qasim! What is it according to you?' He said, 'It is like what the youth said.' He said, 'How is that?' He said, 'If I was in a state of alienation then Allah moved me from this to a state of devotion, then remembering alienation when one is devoted, is alienation."
Source: Al Fawaid by Imam ibn Al-Qayyim

Some of the sayings of Imam Az-Zuhri

" There are three things if found in a judge, he is not a (true) judge: dislike for criticism, love of praise and aversion to removal from the position"

"The best thing the people can pursue is sense of honor. Shunning the company of useless people is wisdom and avoiding them is better than talking to them."

"One of the banes of knowledge is not to act upon it until it is gone. it is also among the banes of knowledge not to benefit others with it. Another bane is forgetfulness. But the gravest bane of knowledge is untruthfulness."

The essence of worship is piousness and abstinence. Knowledge is the righteousness. Patience is to endure undesirable things and to call unto the way of Allah upon righteous deeds."

"Turbans are crowns of Arabs. Gift is a source of protection for the Arabs. Sleeping in the mosque is a succor for the believers."

Source: The biography of Imam Az-Zuhri by Salaahuddeen 'Alee 'Abdul-Mawjood

Some of the sayings on death bed

Muhamad ibn Wasi bid farewell to his companions and said: Peace be upon you, either to the fire or to the forgiveness of Allah."

Ibn uyaynah said, "when death came to Muhammad ibn al- Munkadir he became apprehensive and so the people summoned Abu Hazim and he came. ibn al- Munkadir said to him " Allah says: 'And there will appear unto them from their Lord that where with they never reckoned' and I fear that things will become clear to me and confront me that I never expected." Then both of them broke down in tears. Recorded by ibn Hatim and ibn Abi dunya adds in his report , so his family said " we called you that you may console him, but you have only increased his apprehension."

One of the devout worshiper on his death bed was asked about his state and he replied:
"None who enters the grave knows what lies awaiting, Save Allah,the One Who to graves is leading"

One of the companions was overcome with anxiety at the time of his death and he was asked about his state to which he replied , "Allah took his creation in two handfuls, a handful for Paradise , and a handful for Hell, and I have no idea to which handful I belong".

Nakhai wept at the time of death saying " I await the messengers of my Lord, and I have no idea he will give me glad tidings of Paradise or Hell".

Source: The Journey to Allah by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

The bravery of Abu Bakr as- Siddiq

Once during his caliphate, Ali ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) stood up before the people and delivered the following sermon:

“O people, who is the bravest of all people?” Those that were present answered, “You are O leader of the believers.” Ali said, “Lo, I never entered a duel with another man except that I came out victorious over him. And yet the bravest of all people was none other than Abu Bakr as-siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him). We once built a command center for the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), and we said “who will stay with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him),so as to prevent the polytheists from attacking him?” By Allah not a single one of us approached (to volunteer for the job) except for Abu Bakr who with his sword unsheathed, stood over the head of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). Abu Bakr then fought against anyone who tried to attack the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and so He is the bravest of all people”.

“I remember the time when I saw the Quraish opposing the prophet (Peace be upon him) and physically shaking him violently, and all the while they were saying to him, have you taken our gods and made them onto one God, by Allah not a single one of us stepped forward (to defend him) except for Abu bakr who struggled against and struck one man and pushed violently another, and all the while he was saying (to them) : woe upon you, are you fighting against a man because he says: My Lord is Allah?”. Ali then lifted the robe he was wearing and began to cry until his beard soaked in tears. He then continued, “I ask you by Allah was the believer from the family of pharaoh better or Abu bakr?” the attendees of the gathering then began to cry along with Ali who said, “by Allah, Abu bakr for an hour is better than the believer of the family of the pharaoh even if clones of him were to fill the entire earth: the latter kept his faith a secret, while the former openly proclaimed his faith.”

Source: The biography of Abu bakr as-siddiq by Dr. Ali Muhammad Muhammad As- Sallaabee quoted from “Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah(3/271,272)".

The last person to enter Paradise

'Abdullaah ibn Mas'oud reported that the Messenger of Allah (Saw) said: "The last person to enter paradise will be a man who will alternately walk, stagger and be touched by the Fire. Once he has passed out of the Fire, he will turn to face it and say, "Blessed be He Who has saved me from you. Allah (swt) has given me something that He did not give to the earlier and later generations. Then a tree will be raised up for him, and he will say, "O my Lord, bring me closer to this tree so that I may enjoy its shade and drink of its water". Allah may He be glorified, will say, "O son of Adam if I grant you this, will you ask Me for something else?" He will say, "No, ‘O Lord,”and he pleads that he will ask Him nothing. Allah (swt) will excuse him because he is seeing something that he has no patience to resist, so He will bring him closer and he will enjoy its shade and drink its water.

Then another tree, better than the first, will be raised up for him and he will say, "O my Lord, bring me near to this tree, so that I may drink its water and enjoy its shade, I will not ask you for anything more". Allah (swt) will say, "O son of Adam did you not promise Me that you would not ask me for anything else? He will further say may be that if I bring you closer to this tree you will ask for more?" The man will pledge not to ask for any more, and Allah will excuse him because he has no patience to resist, so He will bring him closer and he will enjoy its shade and drink its water.

Then a third tree will be raised up at the gate of paradise, and it will be better than the first two. The man will say, "O My Lord, bring me closer to this (tree) so that I may enjoy its shade and drink its water, and I will not ask for anything more." Allah will say, "O son of Adam, did you not promise Me that you would not ask Me for anything more?" He will say, "Yes, O Lord, I will not ask you for anything more." His Lord, may He be glorified, will excuse him because he has no patience to resist. He will bring him closer to this tree. When he is brought close, he will hear the voices of the people of Paradise, and will say, "O my Lord, admit me to it." Allah (swt) will say, "O son of Adam what do you want for sure so that you ask Me not anything else thereafter? Will it please you if I give you the world along with similar to that?" He will say, "O Lord, are You making fun of me when You are the Lord of the worlds?"

Ibn Mas'oud smiled and said, "Why do you not ask me why I am smiling?" They asked, "Why are you smiling?" He said, "Because the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) smiled". They asked, "Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him)?" He said, "Because the Lord of the Worlds will smile when He is asked, "Are You making fun of me when You are the Lord of the Worlds?" He will say, "I am not making fun of you, but I am able to do whatever I will""".

Source: Paradise and Hell by Dr. 'Umar S. al- Ashqar quoted from, Muslim Hadith no.187 , Baab Akhir ahl an-Naar khurujaan.

Its good to be back

Assalam alaikum

Alhamdlillah I am back from Umrah. InshaAllah more articles will be published again from today onward.

Please note

In the name of Allah

Assalaam Alaikum all my brothers and sisters in Islam

I would like to note that I wont be able to publish any articles till the end of ramadan due to the fact that I am InshaAllah going to Umrah this Ramadan. Therefore InshaAllah I will meet you all with more articles, stories and iman increasers after Ramadan. And I also advise you to spend this ramadan wisely and to make this ramadan a month which brings you close to Allah subuhanahu Wataala.

JazakAllah Khair

Assalaam Alaikum

Your brother in Islam

Nishan

Yahya ibn Muadh regarding life of this world

"O how poor is man, if he fears Hell in the same degree of his fearing poverty, then he will enter Paradise."

"I don't order you to abandon life but to abandon sins. Abandoning life is a virtue and abandoning sins is a duty, so your need for this latter is greater than your need for the former."

"How can't I love this life? A sustenance is decreedv for me in it which keeps me alive and helps me to perform the deeds of obedience that will lead me to Paradise."

"The life of this world is a house of deeds and the Hereafter is a house of horrors. Man remains
between deeds and horrors until he settles either in Paradise or in Hell."

"O man! You seek this life as an imperious need for you, whereas you seek the Hereafter as if
you are in no need of it. However, the All-Mighty Allah has spared you the efforts as regards to your needs in the life of this world, and if you seek the Hereafter, then you will obtain it, so take your decision."

"Night is so long therefore don't shorten it with sleep, and day is so pure therefore don't soil it with your sins."

"It is difficult to renounce the life of this world and it is even more difficult to renounce Paradise, but the dowry of Paradise is the renunciation of the life of this world."

Source: The life of this world is a transient shade

Sari as-Saqati and the young man

Sari as-Saqati reports: I was traveling as a tourist when I once stumbled upon a cave. Issuing forth from inside of it was the sound of weeping. When I looked inside the cave I saw a young man, who had the look of a man whose sorrows have reduced his body to a weak, wan and emaciated figure. From the looks of him, he seemed to be a pious worshiper, and so I asked him,

“O young man, how can I achieve safety?”

“By performing obligatory acts of worship, by returning things to their rightful owners (also by gaining the pardon of those one wrongs) and by repenting to Allah Azza Wa-Jall (Processor of Might and Majesty)"

Will you preach me I asked

“If you want to learn an important lesson” he began “Or to be on the receiving end of a profound admonition, then look within yourself (at your deeds your level of faith etc.) Act with the knowledge that Allah sees you when you are alone, for doing so atones for your sins and results in Allah displaying you to the dwellers of the heaven”.

Give me more I asked

“Indeed Allah has slaves whom He created to (worship) Him and whom He has chosen for His love. He has bestowed upon their hearts an eagerness to seek closeness to Him. Their minds are constantly engaged in reflection, and the color of their skin turned yellow (pale) because they forsake their beds and stay up late at night to worship Allah.

He then said “Go away now, for you have kept me preoccupied away from what I was doing”.

Source: Glimpses of the lives of righteous people quoted from Al- Mawaiz Wam Majalis page 101