Hazrat Suhayb radiallahu anhu reported: The Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, "When the inhabitants of Jannah enter Jannah, Allah, the Glorious Exalted, will say to them: "Do you wish Me to give you anything more?" They will reply: "Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Jannah and delivered us from the Hell?" And Allah will remove the veil. The (dwellers of Jannah) will feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord."
Continuing from the last post which was written over a year ago... (click here)
Allah, the Glorious Exalted, will say to them, “Do you wish Me to give you anything more?”
The situation of the people of Jannah at this juncture will be thus. Allah Ta’ala will bring ‘death’ which will be presented as a sheep. This sheep will then be lifted up in such a way that the people of Jannah and Jahannam are both looking at it. It will then be slaughtered and ‘death’ will cease to exist. When the people of Jannah see this, they will become so happy that if happiness could kill a person, they would die. They will have unbound happiness to be blunt. On the contrary, the people of Jahannam will be so sorrowful that they will be depressed over not dying. Their punishment will be so severe that they feel the only way of escape would be death. And so when they see ‘death’ being slaughtered, they will feel their only means of escape has been cut off. It is then Allah Ta’ala will say to the people of Jahannam, “Never speak to be again.” And they will let out a terrifying shriek unlike ever before. It is at this point it will hit them that they are in for a world of ‘pitai’ so as to speak. We make dua’a to Allah Ta’ala that He protects us from the Fire.
So this is the situation. Everybody has been fitted into their rightful place. The people of Jannah have now entered Jannah.
It is at this point that Allah Ta’ala will say, “Do you wish Me to give you anything more?”
To understand this phrase, we must take a look at the bounties of Jannah which will be mentioned here.
Imam Qurtubi rahmatullahi alayh relates a hadith in his Mukhtasar at Tazkira that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “Is there not anybody hastening towards the Garden? Because in the Garden there are unimaginable blessings.”
Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Qur’an that for the people of Jannah there is a “Great Kingdom”. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “One brick is of gold and one brick of silver, its mortar is strongly scented musk, its stones are pearls and emeralds and its soil is saffron...” (Tirmizi)
Similarly, “In Jannah, there is a tent of pearls, whose width is sixty miles, in each corner of which the believer will have a wife whom the others will not see.” (Bukhari Sharif)
The people of Jannah will have lots of possessions. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “The one with the lowest rank from among the inhabitants of the Garden will be that person who will be able to see his gardens, wives, luxuries, servants and things of enjoyment to the distance of one thousand years. (Tirmizi)
With regards to the jewellery, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “Those who dwell in the Jannah (Garden of Eternity) will wear crowns encrusted with pearls, the radiance of the smallest of which will illuminate the space separating the east from the west!” (Tirmizi)
In Jannah there will also be cities, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said, “There is a river known as ‘Rayyan’ in Jannah. A city of coral has been built upon it. It has 70,000 gates of gold and silver.” And also, “In Jannah there is a gold pillar with cities of beryl (a bright, green precious stone resembling emerald) on it, and these shine like stars in the Garden.”
Allah Ta’ala mentions in Surah Zumar, “Those who have fear of their Lord will have high ceilinged Halls, and more such Halls built one above the other, and rivers flowing under them. That is Allah’s promise. Allah does not break His promise.”
In regards to these Halls or palaces mentioned in this verse, Imam Ghazali rahimahullah mentions in his Ihya Ulum ad Deen a hadith, “In Jannah, there are palaces built of emeralds and jewels and in each building there will be 70 rooms of red colour and in each room 70 sub-rooms of green colour and in each sub-room there will be on throne... there will be 70 dining cloths in each room and 70 kinds of food on each dining cloth. There will be seven servants in each room.”
There will also be markets in Jannah, not like our Walthamstow ‘Pound a Banana!’ market! The mention of the markets of Jannah have been mentioned, “We will come to a market surrounded by angels in which there is that which eyes have never seen the likes of, the ears have never heard and which has never passed through human hearts. That which we desire will be carried to us and nothing will be sold in it or brought. In that market, the people of the Garden will meet each other, so that a man of high rank will come forward and meet those who are lesser than himself (and none of them will be low people) and the clothes he has on will amaze and delight him. Before he ceases speaking, an even finer garment will come upon him. That is because it is not fitting for anyone to sorrow in it. (Tirmizi)
“It is certain that there are such markets in the Garden in which no goods are exchanged. When the inmates of the Garden arrive there, they will recline on fresh and bright pearly earth of musk. They will meet with each other as they did in this world. They will talk of how they were in this world and how they worshipped our Lord, of how they enlivened the nights in prayer, of how they fasted during the day, of the wealth and poverty of the world, of earth and of how they are the people of Jannah.” (Mukhtasar at Tazkira)
There is much more to speak off but I fear that maybe the post is long and then won’t be concentrated on. Perhaps inshallah I will write another post just pertaining to the part of hadith that is currently being discussed. Thereafter we will continue inshallah till we finish the hadith in its entirety... there is still the topic of Hoor ul Ayn also..which is a whole topic of its own.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us Jannah without hisaab and any azaab. Ameen.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Backbiting and Slandering
In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful
Backbiting, what do we know about backbiting? We may feel that backbiting are just mere words – but they are words that bring upon the one who utters them shame and dishonour and consign him to the Fire. Such a person has given in to his vain desires and succumbed to his destructive wants.
Subhanallah, it’s a common disease in our society, people backbites a lot knowingly and unknowingly. Backbiting is very dangerous. We should avoid talking about people behind their back completely. If we see someone talking evil about someone we should remind them that backbiting is a very severe sin and it will lead to a severe punishment. Sometime unknowingly we end up talking bad about someone; we should immediately repent to Allah Ta'ala and also ask for forgiveness from that person. But we see people nowadays they love backbiting about other people for fun, we should look at our own shortcomings and try to correct them instead of talking about the bad that other people are doing.
Backbiting can be defined as the utterance of words whereby one mentions his fellow Muslim in a bad way or mentions him in a manner that he would be displeased with. It is called backbiting because a person generally berates another person in that person’s absence.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way, and his definition is preferred over any other: He said: “Do you know what backbiting is? They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) goes on in the same hadith to explain the difference between backbiting and slander. He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.”
Someone enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! How do you see it if what I said about him is true?” He replied: “If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]
Slander is a false statement of enormous sinfulness deserving of severe punishment. Allah says: “And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” [Sûrah al-Ahzâb: 58]
My brothers and sisters we should avoid backbiting and slandering all together, before looking at other people faults, we should look at our own short comings . We should realise that everyone will be accountable for their own actions. My brothers and sisters, if you see someone doing something wrong, or they have a quality that is not liked in Islam then the best way to try and correct that person is by going to that person directly (in private) and telling them in a nice way about the shortcomings that they have. This is masha Allah the best way to help someone, and by doing this Allah Ta'ala will be more pleased with us.
How to rid ourselves of this ignoble trait?
1. We can protect ourselves from speaking ill of others by cultivating our fear of Allah and our sense of shame before of our Lord. This can be achieved by reflecting often upon the verses of the Qur’ân and the hadîth of our Prophet (peace be upon him) that speak about Allah’s punishment, that encourage us to repent, and that warn us against evil deeds.
Allah says: “Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed we do and our messengers are by them to record.” [Sûrah al-Zukhruf: 80]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Feel shame before Allah as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2458)]
2. We can reflect upon just how much we lose every time we utter some bad words about another person.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his Companions: “Do you know who is bankrupt?”
They replied: “The person among us who is bankrupt is the one who possesses neither money nor provision.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, on account of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.” [Sahîh Muslim (2581)]
3. A beneficial remedy that can help us to rid ourselves of this evil habit is to reflect upon our own shortcomings and work to improve ourselves. If we preoccupy ourselves with our own faults, we will not find time to worry about the faults of others. We should fear that if we speak about someone else’s shortcomings, that Allah might punish us by afflicting us with the same.
Al-Hasan al-Basrî said: “We used to remind one another that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin and he had repented for it will be punished by Allah by falling into it himself.”
Abû Hurayrah said: “One of you sees the dust in his brother’s eye but fails to see the crud in his own.”
4. Keeping to the company of righteous people and avoiding bad company helps us to avoid backbiting.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2101) and Sahîh Muslim (2628) and the wording is that of Muslim]
Al-Nawawî rahimahullah writes, commenting on this hadîth: “It discusses the virtues of keeping the company of the righteous and people who carry out good works and possess good manners… It prohibits us from the company of people who engage in bad deeds and innovations, those who backbite others, and those who are habitually sinful and idle.”
5. A person who has a habit of backbiting others needs to make a firm and determined resolution to stop.
We can look at the example of Rasûl ibn Wahb who said: “I swore an oath that for every time I backbite someone, I would fast a day. This just wore me out, since I would backbite and fast. Then I resolved that for every time I backbite someone, I would spend one silver coin in charity. Then, for the love of money, I gave up backbiting.”
I make dua that Allah protect myself first and everyone else from backbiting and slandering, may Allah forgive our shortcomings, and may Allah grant us Jannah through mercy.
Ameen
Backbiting, what do we know about backbiting? We may feel that backbiting are just mere words – but they are words that bring upon the one who utters them shame and dishonour and consign him to the Fire. Such a person has given in to his vain desires and succumbed to his destructive wants.
Subhanallah, it’s a common disease in our society, people backbites a lot knowingly and unknowingly. Backbiting is very dangerous. We should avoid talking about people behind their back completely. If we see someone talking evil about someone we should remind them that backbiting is a very severe sin and it will lead to a severe punishment. Sometime unknowingly we end up talking bad about someone; we should immediately repent to Allah Ta'ala and also ask for forgiveness from that person. But we see people nowadays they love backbiting about other people for fun, we should look at our own shortcomings and try to correct them instead of talking about the bad that other people are doing.
Backbiting can be defined as the utterance of words whereby one mentions his fellow Muslim in a bad way or mentions him in a manner that he would be displeased with. It is called backbiting because a person generally berates another person in that person’s absence.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) defines backbiting in the following way, and his definition is preferred over any other: He said: “Do you know what backbiting is? They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) goes on in the same hadith to explain the difference between backbiting and slander. He said: “It is to mention about your brother something that he would dislike having mentioned about him.”
Someone enquired: “O Messenger of Allah! How do you see it if what I said about him is true?” He replied: “If what you said about him is true, then you have backbitten him. If what you said about him is false, then you have slandered him.” [Sahîh Muslim (2589)]
Slander is a false statement of enormous sinfulness deserving of severe punishment. Allah says: “And those who malign believing men and women undeservedly bear upon themselves the guilt of slander and a manifest sin.” [Sûrah al-Ahzâb: 58]
My brothers and sisters we should avoid backbiting and slandering all together, before looking at other people faults, we should look at our own short comings . We should realise that everyone will be accountable for their own actions. My brothers and sisters, if you see someone doing something wrong, or they have a quality that is not liked in Islam then the best way to try and correct that person is by going to that person directly (in private) and telling them in a nice way about the shortcomings that they have. This is masha Allah the best way to help someone, and by doing this Allah Ta'ala will be more pleased with us.
How to rid ourselves of this ignoble trait?
1. We can protect ourselves from speaking ill of others by cultivating our fear of Allah and our sense of shame before of our Lord. This can be achieved by reflecting often upon the verses of the Qur’ân and the hadîth of our Prophet (peace be upon him) that speak about Allah’s punishment, that encourage us to repent, and that warn us against evil deeds.
Allah says: “Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and their private counsels? Indeed we do and our messengers are by them to record.” [Sûrah al-Zukhruf: 80]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Feel shame before Allah as you ought to feel shame before Him. So guard the head and what it contains, guard the stomach and what you put in it, and think upon death and returning to dust.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2458)]
2. We can reflect upon just how much we lose every time we utter some bad words about another person.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked his Companions: “Do you know who is bankrupt?”
They replied: “The person among us who is bankrupt is the one who possesses neither money nor provision.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, on account of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire.” [Sahîh Muslim (2581)]
3. A beneficial remedy that can help us to rid ourselves of this evil habit is to reflect upon our own shortcomings and work to improve ourselves. If we preoccupy ourselves with our own faults, we will not find time to worry about the faults of others. We should fear that if we speak about someone else’s shortcomings, that Allah might punish us by afflicting us with the same.
Al-Hasan al-Basrî said: “We used to remind one another that whoever faults his brother on account of a sin and he had repented for it will be punished by Allah by falling into it himself.”
Abû Hurayrah said: “One of you sees the dust in his brother’s eye but fails to see the crud in his own.”
4. Keeping to the company of righteous people and avoiding bad company helps us to avoid backbiting.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a person carrying musk and another who works the bellows. The person carrying musk might give you some of it or at the very least you will enjoy the pleasant scent. The person with the bellows will either singe your clothing or at least make you suffer from the bad smell.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2101) and Sahîh Muslim (2628) and the wording is that of Muslim]
Al-Nawawî rahimahullah writes, commenting on this hadîth: “It discusses the virtues of keeping the company of the righteous and people who carry out good works and possess good manners… It prohibits us from the company of people who engage in bad deeds and innovations, those who backbite others, and those who are habitually sinful and idle.”
5. A person who has a habit of backbiting others needs to make a firm and determined resolution to stop.
We can look at the example of Rasûl ibn Wahb who said: “I swore an oath that for every time I backbite someone, I would fast a day. This just wore me out, since I would backbite and fast. Then I resolved that for every time I backbite someone, I would spend one silver coin in charity. Then, for the love of money, I gave up backbiting.”
I make dua that Allah protect myself first and everyone else from backbiting and slandering, may Allah forgive our shortcomings, and may Allah grant us Jannah through mercy.
Ameen
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Never Take Off Your Hijab
Submitted by a sister who wishes to remain anonymous
All praise is due to Allah, we seek refuge from Allah of the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah misguides, no one can guide, and whomsoever Allah guides, no one can misguide.
Most sisters in Islam choose not to wear the hijab. But why? Is it because it gives you more freedom?
Before I begin, I would like to quote a hadith, a saying of our most beloved Prophet Salalahu alayhi wasalam, who only speaks the truth, and whatever he salalahu alayhi wasalam says is from Allah the Almighty. The Prophet Salalahu alayhi wasalam said: "O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of the body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands" This was reported by Aisha radiallahu anha.
For me personally, by the grace and mercy of Allah, taking off my hijab would be impossible. It’s not because I’m afraid of anyone, I’m not afraid of the Muslim community, not my friends, not my parents, but Allah. I’m afraid of Allah. Alhamdulillah, Allah has made me a very courageous person, if I wanted to take my hijab off I would, simple as. But I fear Allah, I fear God, that’s why I keep wearing my hijab. Do you know what is wrong with Britain today? They don’t have the great values that Islam propagates, they have crimes being committed against women every day and there is nothing that protects them.
I feel sorry for women who mock Islam and live lives in opposition to us. Look at any advertisement, is a woman used to sell the product? How old is she? What is she wearing? Where can I get that dress? More often than not, these women will be tall, slim, attractive and dress in skimpy clothing. Why do we let ourselves be manipulated like this? Whether you believe it or not, these women are being forced to sell themselves. When I’m being asked whether I feel oppressed or not, I can honestly say NO. I made this decision out of my own free will. I take control of the way other people perceive me, and the fact that I don’t give anyone anything to look at, and that I have released myself from the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit women.
My body is my own; nobody can tell me that I’m beautiful. I know that there is more to me then what they see. I am grateful that I will never have to suffer like other women who make it their aim in life to imitate women who have misinterpreted modesty; I will never have to try to gain or loose weight just to look like them. I have made choices about what my priorities are in life, and frankly, the way I dress or the way I look are not among them.
So next time you see someone in a hijab or a niqab, do not look at them sympathetically, I am not forced to wear what I wear, I am not oppressed in any way....I’ve been LIBERATED. Do these women who mock Islam think that they have been liberated? Do they think the women’s liberation move started in the 19th century? Well let me tell you something, the move did not begin by women at all, the move was a revelation that was revealed by Allah to our Prophet Muhammed (Salalahu alaihi wasalaam) in the 7th Century. The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Salalahu alaihi wasalam ) is what every muslim woman derives her rights and duties from.
How many times have Muslims been told by jesters what to wear? How many times have women been told to take off their hijab by a non-muslim? See this is the problem with, these people do not see that by telling someone to take something off and wear something else is a form of oppression, yet they have the courage to tell us that we are oppressed! A muslim would never tell a non-muslim what to wear, you will never see a muslim woman standing in the mall or any such places, telling non-muslim women to cover up, we do not judge them from what they are wearing, and this is Islam, this is peace. So this goes out to all my muslim sisters, be strong. Do it for our Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Allah Subhanahu Wa ta’ala. Wear your hijab proudly and don’t fear anyone. When Allah commands you to do something, it’s only for your own good. When Allah the Almighty commands the woman to wear a hijab, He wants to cover her decency. When the verse on hijab was revealed, (Quran (33:59) - "Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them...".) the women of Al-Ansar tore their sheets and curtains and started covering themselves. SubhanAllah! These are the pious women that will be the inhabitants of Jannah. They did not question the matter, they did not say ‘hold on, let me think about this’ they just did it, because they knew that Allah’s commands must be obeyed. The women on Al-Ansar knew that when Allah the Almighty commands them to do something, is it for their own benefit.
As-salaamualaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatuhu
All praise is due to Allah, we seek refuge from Allah of the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah misguides, no one can guide, and whomsoever Allah guides, no one can misguide.
Most sisters in Islam choose not to wear the hijab. But why? Is it because it gives you more freedom?
Before I begin, I would like to quote a hadith, a saying of our most beloved Prophet Salalahu alayhi wasalam, who only speaks the truth, and whatever he salalahu alayhi wasalam says is from Allah the Almighty. The Prophet Salalahu alayhi wasalam said: "O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of the body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands" This was reported by Aisha radiallahu anha.
For me personally, by the grace and mercy of Allah, taking off my hijab would be impossible. It’s not because I’m afraid of anyone, I’m not afraid of the Muslim community, not my friends, not my parents, but Allah. I’m afraid of Allah. Alhamdulillah, Allah has made me a very courageous person, if I wanted to take my hijab off I would, simple as. But I fear Allah, I fear God, that’s why I keep wearing my hijab. Do you know what is wrong with Britain today? They don’t have the great values that Islam propagates, they have crimes being committed against women every day and there is nothing that protects them.
I feel sorry for women who mock Islam and live lives in opposition to us. Look at any advertisement, is a woman used to sell the product? How old is she? What is she wearing? Where can I get that dress? More often than not, these women will be tall, slim, attractive and dress in skimpy clothing. Why do we let ourselves be manipulated like this? Whether you believe it or not, these women are being forced to sell themselves. When I’m being asked whether I feel oppressed or not, I can honestly say NO. I made this decision out of my own free will. I take control of the way other people perceive me, and the fact that I don’t give anyone anything to look at, and that I have released myself from the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit women.
My body is my own; nobody can tell me that I’m beautiful. I know that there is more to me then what they see. I am grateful that I will never have to suffer like other women who make it their aim in life to imitate women who have misinterpreted modesty; I will never have to try to gain or loose weight just to look like them. I have made choices about what my priorities are in life, and frankly, the way I dress or the way I look are not among them.
So next time you see someone in a hijab or a niqab, do not look at them sympathetically, I am not forced to wear what I wear, I am not oppressed in any way....I’ve been LIBERATED. Do these women who mock Islam think that they have been liberated? Do they think the women’s liberation move started in the 19th century? Well let me tell you something, the move did not begin by women at all, the move was a revelation that was revealed by Allah to our Prophet Muhammed (Salalahu alaihi wasalaam) in the 7th Century. The Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Salalahu alaihi wasalam ) is what every muslim woman derives her rights and duties from.
How many times have Muslims been told by jesters what to wear? How many times have women been told to take off their hijab by a non-muslim? See this is the problem with, these people do not see that by telling someone to take something off and wear something else is a form of oppression, yet they have the courage to tell us that we are oppressed! A muslim would never tell a non-muslim what to wear, you will never see a muslim woman standing in the mall or any such places, telling non-muslim women to cover up, we do not judge them from what they are wearing, and this is Islam, this is peace. So this goes out to all my muslim sisters, be strong. Do it for our Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Allah Subhanahu Wa ta’ala. Wear your hijab proudly and don’t fear anyone. When Allah commands you to do something, it’s only for your own good. When Allah the Almighty commands the woman to wear a hijab, He wants to cover her decency. When the verse on hijab was revealed, (Quran (33:59) - "Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them...".) the women of Al-Ansar tore their sheets and curtains and started covering themselves. SubhanAllah! These are the pious women that will be the inhabitants of Jannah. They did not question the matter, they did not say ‘hold on, let me think about this’ they just did it, because they knew that Allah’s commands must be obeyed. The women on Al-Ansar knew that when Allah the Almighty commands them to do something, is it for their own benefit.
As-salaamualaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatuhu
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