Da’wah Bitesize by Talib Jaleel - HTML preview
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They Liked it or not
In the Second Pledge of ’Aqaba sahaba f 36 made the following pledges:
• To listen and obey Rasulullah r in times of plenty as well as scarcity;
whether to our liking or not.
• Not prefer ourselves to the other Muslims,
• Not oppose those who are in authority,
• To speak the truth wherever we are, and not fear the blame of the
blamers in the cause of Allah.
In another narration the pledges also included enjoining good and forbid-ding evil, and to defend Rasulullah r if he goes to them the same way as
they defend themselves, their wives and children 37.
True to their words sahabaf gave all they had for the service of deen. This is why studying their life is so inspirational. Without the stories of prophets and sahaba, we cannot bring the deen that was intended by Allah I. In-stead, it will be a deen constructed from human thoughts however guided it may be.
Roughly six months before the demise of Rasulullah r the Ansars held a mashwara in which they planned to propose to Rasulullah r to take leave for six months each year from the effort of deen outside their locality. As a result of their relentless effort for deen, their farms and businesses suf-fered and their houses were empty of materials; and on the other hand, they had fulfilled the promises they made to Rasulullah r, and the deen was in a much stronger position, it had numerous supporters and deen started spreading.
Even before they could reach the house of Rasulullah r the following ayat
was revealed warning against this plan [2]:
ۛ ِةَكُلْهَّتلا ىَلِٕا ْمُكيِدْئَاِب اوُقْلُت اَلَو ِهَّللا ِليِبَس يِف اوُقِفْنَٔاَو
And spend in the Path of Allah, and do not contribute to your
own destruction. [2:195]
It is impossible to give justice in words to the sheer commitment and resolve sahabaf had for the sake of deen in spite of all the tests and trials. Allah I bore testimony to their purity of heart and sincere faith in Qur’an:
ْنَم ْمُهْنِمَو ُهَبْحَن ٰى َضَق ْنَم ْمُهْنِمَف ۖ ِهْيَلَع َهَّللا اوُدَهاَع اَم اوُقَد َص ٌلاَجِر َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا َنِم
* اًليِدْبَت اوُلَّدَب اَمَو ۖ ُرِظَتْنَي
Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah.
Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow, and among them is
he who awaits. And they have not altered in the least. [33:23]
َلَزْنَٔاَف ْمِهِبوُلُق يِف اَم َمِلَعَف ِةَرَجَّشلا َتْحَت َكَنوُعِياَبُي ْذِٕا َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا ِنَع ُهَّللا َيِضَر ْدَقَل
* اًبيِرَق اًحْتَف ْمُهَباَثَٔاَو ْمِهْيَلَع َةَنيِكَّسلا
Certainly Allah was well pleased with the believers when they
swore allegiance to you (O Muhammad) under the tree, He knew
what was in their hearts, and He sent down tranquillity upon
them, and He rewarded them with a near victory. [48:18]
We can get a glimpse of how much each and every sahabad loved Rasulul-lah r and the hardship they were prepared to undergo for the sake of deen from the story of Khubaib d.
When Khubaibd was captured and he was sold in Makkah, the sons of Al-Harith bin ‘Amr bought him as he killed their father at the battle of Badr.
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They kept him in a cage. Bint al-Harith used to say, “By Allah, I never saw a prisoner better than Khubaib. Once I saw him eating from a bunch of grapes although at that time no fruits were available at Makkah, and he was confined with iron chains in a cage, and in fact, it was nothing but food bestowed upon him by Allah.”
Finally, they took Khubaibd out of the sanctuary of Makkah to hang him. They gave him his last wish. Khubaibd requested to pray two rakat of salat. He performed the salat the most calmly and said, “Had I not been afraid that you would think I was afraid of death, I would have prayed for a longer time.”
Khubaibd made a supplication, “O Allah! There is no one here who will convey my salams to Rasulullah r so You convey my message”. Jibreel u conveyed his salams to Rasulullah r who replied, “And may my salams be upon you, O Khubaib!”. And he told the gathering that the Quraysh had martyred Khubaibd.
The mushriks most insolently asked Khubaibd when his body was full of spear wounds: ”Do you wish that Rasulullah r was in your place today?” Khubaibd answered, ”I swear by Allah! I cannot even bear that I am let free in exchange for a thorn to prick a foot of Rasulullah r, may my soul be
sacrificed for him.” 38
When Khubaibd was hanged on the rope and he still had life, he said, ”O Allah! count them one by one, (kill them) and do not leave anyone.” and added, “When I am being martyred as a Muslim, I do not care in what way I receive my death for the sake of Allah, because this death is in Allah’s
Cause. If He wishes, He will bless the cut limbs [3].” When Khubaibd was cursing them, the unbelievers knew that it would be accepted. A year had not passed and they were all destroyed. Only one of them survived who lay on the floor at the time of the curse.
Sahabad endured the most difficult trials and that did not make them lose courage and so Allah’s help was theirs. Take any ordinary sahabi and you will find many amazing stories of eman, self-sacrifice & courage with little
or no resources 39.
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22 .
The Dunya of Those Who
Have Deen Will be Clean &
Pure
Allah I promises a pure life of the noblest character in deen through Qur’an, a holy life that is pleasing to the creator of the heavens and earth. The Qur’an guides and transforms the person and society alike:
* ُمَوْقَٔا َيِه يِتَّلِل يِدْهَي َنٓاْرُقْلا اَذَٰه َّنِٕا
Verily, this Qur’an guides to that which is most just and right. [17:9]
Anything that a Muslim does,
whether by heart, tongue
or limbs fall under one Eman of the five distinct & Yaqin branches of deen
as depicted below: Character
Branches Worship
of Deen
Social
Etiquette
Transactions
& Dealings Those who have deen, their dunya will be clean and pure. Dunya here means those things one has to get involved in this world by necessity, including their intention, social interaction with others and manner of earning and spending wealth. By extension, if the whole society establishes deen then it will benefit everybody, equity, justice and peace will prevail - vanity, cor-ruption and shamelessness will depart.
This is not just a theory but societies based on deen manifested in many em-pires such as Umayyads (including al-Andalus), Abbasids, Seljuks, Ottomans, Mamluks, Moghuls, Khwarezmian, Safavids, Fatimid, Fulbe and many more, spanning across races, continents & centuries.
Allah I says in the Qur’an:
ِرَكْنُمْلاَو ِءاَشْحَفْلا ِنَع ٰىَهْنَيَو ٰىَبْرُقْلا يِذ ِءاَتيِٕاَو ِنا َسْحِٕاْلاَو ِلْدَعْلاِب ُرُمْٔاَي َهَّللا َّنِٕا
* َنوُرَّكَذَت ْمُكَّلَعَل ْمُكُظِعَي ۚ ِيْغَبْلاَو
Verily, Allah enjoins justice and goodness 40, and giving to kith
and kin 41 42 and forbids immorality, and evils, and wickedness,
He admonishes you, that you may take heed. [16:90]
So when someone has pure deen, it means not only a heart free of corrupt beliefs & certainty, and worship free of bid’ah and shirk but someone whose character, social and commercial life will be guided by Qur’an and Sunnah. Sunnah will prevail over culture and customs which contradict it. Without deen, dunya (meaning a person’s worldly engagement) will be dirty and im-pure. The dunya becomes deen when it is in accordance to the commands of the creator.
The benefits of dunya is in front of everyone, hence practising on the promis-es of dunya, however flawed, is easy. No one has to give a lecture to reach for food when hungry. On the contrary, the benefits of a’mals of deen are hidden from the people, thus practising on deen is difficult, even though it’s benefit is true and everlasting. People will never see the benefit of a’mals of deen until they sacrifice for the sake of deen - as it is said in the case of baraka, you want to know what is baraka? then do the a’mal of baraka, then see it!
Baraka is only with those in obedience. If Allah enriches one who is obedient then it’s like Sulaiman and Daud u. If Allah enriches a disobedient then its like Pharaoh and Karun.
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If any difficulty comes to an obedient then it is like Yunus u, when he was in the belly of the fish, and Ayyub u in the form of a prolonged disease. If difficulty comes to a disobedient then it is like Karun when he was swal-lowed by the earth and Pharaoh who sank in the sea. But there is a great difference between the two types of difficulties.
The blessings of infusing deen in life will manifest in this world in the form
of a good life, righteous deeds, tranquillity in all aspects of life etc. [2]. Allah I says:
ۖ ًةَبِّيَط ًةاَيَح ُهَّنَيِيْحُنَلَف ٌنِمْؤُم َوُهَو ٰىَثْنُٔا ْؤَا ٍرَكَذ ْنِم اًحِلا َص َلِمَع ْنَم
Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while
he (or she) is a true believer verily, to him We will give a good
life. [16:97]
Further, when believers have taqwa and they speak in a straightforward manner, with no crookedness or distortion, then Allah promises to reward them by making their deeds righteous, He will forgive their past sins and He
will inspire them to repent from future sins [2]:
ْمُكَل ْرِفْغَيَو ْمُكَلاَمْعَٔا ْمُكَل ْحِل ْصُي * اًديِد َس اًلْوَق اوُلوُقَو َهَّللا اوُقَّتا اوُنَمٓا َنيِذَّلا اَهُّئَا اَي
* ۗ ْمُكَبوُنُذ
O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and
speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds
and will forgive you your sins. [33:70-1]
The foundation of the social interaction of Rasulullah r is purity, simplic-ity & modesty. On the contrary, the foundation of hedonistic life, which is driven primarily in the western societies, is shamelessness, wastefulness and luxury. So how can you begin to love their way?
Through deen Islam people lift themselves from selfishness. This deen en-genders a caring society. Poverty does not equate to careless society - most
of the sahabaf were living below poverty line. Ibn ’Umard says [17]:
One sahabi received a goat’s head as a present. He thought of
a neighbour who had a larger family and was in greater need of
it than himself, and presented the same to him. This brother,
on receipt of the present, recollected yet another person whom
he considered even more deserving than himself, and sent on
the head to him. The goat’s head is said to have changed hands
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no less than seven times, and at last came back to the original
person from whom the circulation had started.
While I was in the city of the prophet, a man came and com-
plained to him r of destitution and poverty. Then another man
came and complained of robbery (by highwaymen).
Rasulullah r said: Adi! Have you been to al-Hira?
I said: I haven’t been to it, but I heard about it.
He said: If you should live for a long time, you will certainly see
that a lady in a Howdah travelling from al-Hira will perform the
tawaf of the Ka’bah, fearing none but Allah.
I said to myself: What will happen to the robbers of the tribe of
Tai who have spread evil throughout the country?
Rasulullah r further said: If you should live long, the treasures of
Khosrau will be opened.
I asked: You mean Khosrau, son of Hurmuz?
He said: Khosrau, son of Hurmuz; and if you should live long, you
will see that one will carry a handful of gold or silver and go out
looking for a person to accept it from him, but will find none to
accept it from him. …
’Adi added: (later on) I saw a lady in a Howdah travelling from al-Hira till she performed the tawaf of the Ka’bah, fearing none but Allah. And I was one of those who opened the treasures of Khosrau, son of Hurmuz. If you should live long, you will see what the prophet Abu-l-Qasim had said: ’A person will
come out with a handful of gold…etc. [3].
Once Jareer ibn ‘Abd-Allah al-Bajalid commanded his freed slave to buy a horse for him. So he bought him a horse for three hundred dirhams, and he brought the horse and its owner to him so that he could pay him the money. Jareer said to the owner of the horse – look at this sincerity – “Your horse is worth more than three hundred dirhams. Will you sell it for four hundred dirhams?” He said, “Yes, O Abu ‘Abd-Allah.”
He said, “Your horse is worth more than four hundred dirhams. Will you sell it for five hundred dirhams?” He kept increasing it by one hundred each time, with the owner agreeing and Jareer saying, “Your horse is worth more
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than that,” until he reached eight hundred, for which price he bought it. And he said concerning that, “I gave my oath of allegiance (bay’ah) to Rasu-
lullah r 43 that I would be sincere towards every Muslim.”
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ? who was a great-grandson of Umar d became an Umayyad khalifa and revived the equity and justice of khalifa rashidun. Af-ter becoming khalifa he left the Umayyad palace and built a two room house on the outskirts of the city. A poor lady once came to Umar’s house seek-ing charity and saw a raggedly-dressed man patching holes in the building’s walls. She asked Umar’s wife, ”Don’t you fear Allah? Why don’t you veil in the presence of this man?” The woman was shocked to learn that the ”ser-vant” was in fact the khalifa himself.
With a’mals of deen sahaba f pleased Allah and He sent ayat of Qur’an in their appreciation. For their establishing this enlightened brotherhood Allah says:
يِف َنوُد ِجَي اَلَو ْمِهْيَلِٕا َرَجاَه ْنَم َنوُّبِحُي ْمِهِلْبَق ْنِم َناَميِٕاْلاَو َراَّدلا اوُءَّوَبَت َنيِذَّلاَو
َقوُي ْنَمَو ۚ ٌة َصا َصَخ ْمِهِب َناَك ْوَلَو ْمِهِسُفْنَٔا ٰىَلَع َنوُرِثْؤُيَو اوُتؤُا اَّمِم ًةَجاَح ْمِهِروُد ُص
* َنوُحِلْفُمْلا ُمُه َكِئَٰلؤُاَف ِهِسْفَن َّحُش
And those who were settled in al-Madinah and adopted the faith
before, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy
in their breasts of what emigrants were given (from booty), and
give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though
they were in need of that. And whoever is saved from his own
avarice, such are they who are successful. [59:9]
Even high status in society was not an obstacle for the sahabaf to remain
humble and meek. Reported by Ahu Hurairad [4]:
Rasulullah r said: Who amongst you is fasting today?
Abu Bakr said: I am.
He (again) said: Who amongst you followed a funeral procession
today? Abu Bakr said: I did.
He (the Prophet) again said:Who amongst you served food to the
needy? Abu Bakr said: I did.
He (again) said: Who amongst you has today visited the sick?
Abu Bakr said: I did.
Thereupon Rasulullah r said: Anyone in whom (these good deeds)
are combined will certainly enter paradise. 104
By rectifying their a’mals, the sahabaf reached such heights that Allah I sent angels in honour in this earthly life: angels brought salam from Allah I to Khadijah g and Abu Bakr d, angels came to wash their dead bodies (eg. Hanzalad ), seventy thousand angels came down to join the janaza of Saad ibn Mu’adh d. With the same a’mals, we can also please Allah.
When deen was saturated in the lives of sahaba f others begun to appre-ciate their way of life, they saw the beauty of the deen and begun to enter en-masse. So when they travelled for business etc. people used to get af-fected by their qualities. They used to say simply, “Be like us.”
Before Islam sahabaf had wars over which camel drank before which. Af-ter Islam, they were staying hungry to feed others. People from surround-ing areas were coming to Madina to see their new lives - this new revolution.
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23 .
The Revealed Rules are
More Serious Than the
Apparent Rules Governing
the Creations
Divine rules through revelation (wahy) are momentous and more serious than the apparent rules governing creations. The revealed laws govern how people live their lives and interact with others, it defines the sole param-eter for eventual success or failure, to an eternal destination. With the limited will powers, that Allah endowed humanity with, they will interact with others and live through this life. Surrendering this will to Allah desir-ing His pleasure is a recognition of the true reality. But if one waste this will power by following temporary pleasures, then it makes the person be-comes worthless, to be destined for Jahannam.
In contrast, apparent laws governing the systems of this universe such as food and water cycles; orbits of the sun & moon; functions of the heart, eyes, ears; systems running within our body to regulate temperature, sugar, water; process food to extract nutrients, are set by Allah. All these are cre-ated to serve mankind, they will not be asked about their functions on the Day of Judgement. These are creations which point to the supreme power of their creator.
Allah has programmed everything before they came into existence in Lawhul Mahfuz. Everything was created using well proportioned measured laws. Allah’s rules of creation will never change - these are found through expe-rience and scientific investigations. If we follow these rules, we will benefit more and more. Not doing so will harm us. Those who hold the true recog-nition of this, in fact, turn to Allah:
* ِباَبْلَٔاْلا يِلؤُاِل ٍتاَيٓاَل ِراَهَّنلاَو ِلْيَّللا ِفاَلِتْخاَو ِضْرَٔاْلاَو ِتاَواَمَّسلا ِقْلَخ يِف َّنِٕا
ِضْرَٔاْلاَو ِتاَواَمَّسلا ِقْلَخ يِف َنوُرَّكَفَتَيَو ْمِهِبوُنُج ٰىَلَعَو اًدوُعُقَو اًماَيِق َهَّللا َنوُرُكْذَي َنيِذَّلا
* ِراَّنلا َباَذَع اَنِقَف َكَناَحْبُس اًلِطاَب اَذَٰه َتْقَلَخ اَم اَنَّبَر
Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the al-
ternation of the night and the day are signs for those of under-
standing, who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [ly-
ing] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heav-
ens and the earth, [saying]: Our Lord, You did not create all this
without purpose; glory to You; Give us salvation from the tor-
ment of the Fire. [3:190-1]
The rules of deen which was sent through wahy govern the success of peo-ple, it is sent through the prophets. The object of deeni knowledge is to know what is the command directed at me at every moment and condition and how to fulfil it. The nations that believed their prophets succeeded and nations that paid no heed to warnings from their prophets faced destruc-tion. The calamities and punishment which come due to flouting revealed laws cannot be repelled by following apparent laws.
The scope and the effect of apparent laws are very limited. For example, in the case of human beings if we ignore the rules of sustaining our body, which is essentially a garment for our soul in this earthly life, then at worst case, this can take us to our death. One can survive a couple of weeks with-out food, or survive a couple of days without a drink, or survive a couple of minutes without oxygen. But one cannot live without hidaya, which is re-quired in every second of life. No one can afford to fall foul of the divine rules, that can land one in Jahannam where the problems never end.
There is simply no comparison in importance between the two types of needs. Sahabaf used to say, “Rasulullah r would mingle with us as if he is one of us. But when he would hear the call of the adhan, he would cut off
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from us as if he does not know us.” Rasulullah r loved A’isha g so much, yet when she remarked about another lady of being short, the face of Ra-sulullah r changed.
Rasulullah r was weeping when a man’s hand was being cut due to stealing. Upon enquiry he r said:
Even if my daughter Fatima g did the same crime then she would
have faced the same penalty, The law of Allah is above everything.
I am only crying because the hand of one of my ummati is being
cut.
Abu Bakrd had a slave who used to give him a portion of his daily income as the master’s share. Once he brought him some food, and Abu Bakrd took a morsel out of it. Then the slave remarked: “You always enquire about the source of what I bring to you, but today you have not done so.” He replied: ”I was feeling so hungry that I failed to do that. Tell me now, how did you come by this food?”
The slave said, “Before I embraced Islam, I practised soothsaying. During those days I came across some people for whom I practised some of my charms. They promised to pay me for that later on. I happened to pass by those people today, while they were engaged in a marriage ceremony, and they gave me this food.”
Abu Bakrd exclaimed, “Ah! You would have surely killed me?” Then he tried to vomit the morsel he had swallowed, but could not do so, as his stomach had been quite empty. Somebody suggested to him to take water to his fill and then try to vomit. He sent for a goblet of water and kept on taking water and forcing it out, till the morsel was vomited out.
Somebody remarked: “May Allah have mercy on you! You put yourself to such trouble for one single morsel.” To this Abu Bakr d replied: “I would have thrust it out even if I had to lose my life. I have heard Rasulullah r saying. ’The flesh nourished by haram food, is destined for the fire of hell.’ I, therefore, made haste to vomit this morsel, lest any portion of my body
should receive nourishment from it 44.”
Rasulullah r said:
There is no obedience for created things in a matter of disobedi-
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Sahabaf left us with many examples showing firm observance of this prin-ciple.
Related by Sa’d ibn abi Waqqasd [21]:
When my mother heard the news of my Islam, she flew into a
rage. She came up to me and said: “O Sa’d! What is this religion
that you have embraced which has taken you away from the re-
ligion of your mother and father? By Allah, either you forsake
your new religion or I would not eat or drink until I die. Your
heart would be broken with grief for me and remorse would con-
sume you on account of the deed which you have done and peo-
ple would censure you forever more.”
“Don’t do (such a thing), my mother,” I said, “for I would not give
up my religion for anything.” However, she went on with her
threat. For days she neither ate nor drank. She became ema-
ciated and weak. Hour after hour, I went to her asking whether
I should bring her some food or something to drink but she per-
sistently refused, insisting that she would neither eat nor drink
until she died or I abandoned my religion.
I said to her: “O mother! In spite of my strong love for you, my
love for Allah and His messenger is indeed stronger. By Allah,
if you had a thousand souls and one soul after another were to
depart, I would not abandon this my religion for anything.”
When she saw that I was determined she relented unwillingly
and ate and drank.
Allah I does not have any relation with anybody. Instead, He has some rules. Honour or disgrace is not in the means or designs of others, rather it is in the hands of Allah, and for which we have divine rules. When Jews despite being descendants of prophets broke divine rules, then Allah broke them. Sahaba f were the children of polytheists, they obeyed the divine rules by performing the a’mals of success, Allah thus made them successful.
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24 .
Promises of Allah I & His
Messenger is With His Deen
The promises of Allah I are not attached to Muslim names but the promises of Allah I are with deen and 24 hour life of a believer can be according to deen. Simply performing selective a’mals is not deen - one must take care of relative importance as well as priorities according to shari’ah.
We know removing obstacles from the road is from deen, to the extent that Rasulullah r said it’s part of eman, but we do not find any prophet spending 24 hours removing obstacles from the road. Similarly, we do not find people continue reciting Qur’an when muazzin gives iqamah for salat.
Some of these priorities are:
Worship over necessities: Earning halal sustenance is from deen. Spend-
ing time with family is from deen. Sleeping at night is from deen. How-
ever, if any of these activities become an obstacle in performing other
commands of Allah, such as salat and enjoining good and forbidding
evil, then that is not from deen. It is said that when it’s time for salat
Rasulullah r used to leave his family as if he was a stranger.
Knowledge over worship: Knowledge precedes action. Worshipping with-
out correct knowledge can invalidate the a’mal. The basic knowledge
which enables a person to follow the commands of Allah I and refrain
from haram is compulsory upon every man and woman.
Eman over knowledge: Eman is the foundation. If eman is firm then rest
of the deen will be in order. How many people fail to perform an a’mal,
for instance daily five times salat despite having the knowledge of the
importance of that action and knowledge of performing it? The Ori-
entalists learnt various aspects of deen but it does not bring them
close to Allah! As Umar d mentioned sahaba f learnt eman, then
they learnt Qur’an.
Without yaqin, no one can be obedient to Allah. Knowledge only dis-
tinguishes between right and wrong. Knowledge is guidance, yaqin
puts it into practice. So the effort to strengthen the eman to the
level that it enables one to perform obligatory a’mals and refrain from
haram is of utmost priority.
In Makkah, where Muslims were living a life of insecurity and persecution upon them was increasing day by day and, Allah I revealed the following verse:
* َرُبُّدلا َنوُّلَوُيَو ُعْمَجْلا ُمَزْهُيَس
Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their
backs. [54:45]
Allah I promised this to believers in Makkah when they were very weak. This ayat came to assure and strengthen the believers. A’isha g used to recite this in Makkah while playing as a child.
Sahabaf had absolute yaqin or certainty in the promises made by Rasulul-lah r . Once Rasulullah r said:
The white palaces of Hirah were brought before me and I saw Princess
Shima’ daughter of Nafilah Azdiah, wearing a black veil was riding
a red mule.
One sahabi who was present with him, Khuraimd enquired, ”O Rasulullah, if we ride victoriously into Hirah and find the Princess Shima’ as you have de-scribed, would the Princess be mine?” Rasulullah r replied, ”Yes, she would be yours”. Besides the victory over Hirah, this prophecy contains the fact that Khuraim and Princess Shima’ would be alive at that time.
Khuraimd relates, During the reign of Abu Bakr d , when we conquered Hirah, we saw the scene exactly as the Rasulullah had told us. Shima’ wear-
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ing a veil was coming towards us riding on a mule. I clung to the mule and claimed that Rasulullah had given the Princess as a gift to me. The comman-der of the army Khalid bin Walidd called me over and asked me to provide the proof of my claim. I presented Muhammad bin Maslamahd and Muham-mad bin Bashir Ansarid as my witnesses. This was accepted and Shima’ was handed over to me. Her brother came to me for negotiating some agree-ment and asked me to sell her back to him. I told him that I would not accept less than one thousand dirhams. He immediately paid me this sum and I re-turned Shima’ to him. My companions said to me afterwards that if I had demanded ten thousand dirhams, he would have given them to me. They asked, ”Why did you demand only one thousand?” I replied, ”I do not even
know how to count more than one thousand 45.”
Promises are made on correct eman and a’mals of the body, not on means. However, we should practice deen because its the command of Allah I-not to get a certain benefit, or to get out of certain trouble in this life.
Allah I promised the believers:
اوُنَمٓا َنيِذَّلا َيِزْجَيِل ُهُديِعُي َّمُث َقْلَخْلا ُٔاَدْبَي ُهَّنِٕا ۚ اًّقَح ِهَّللا َدْعَو ۖ اًعيِمَج ْمُكُعِجْرَم ِهْيَلِٕا
ۚ ِط ْسِقْلاِب ِتاَحِلا َّصلا اوُلِمَعَو
To Him is your return all together. The promise of Allah is true.
It is He who begins the creation and then repeats it, that He may
reward with justice those who believed and did deeds of righ-
teousness. [10:4]
Sahaba f developed their yaqin to such a level that their trust upon the statements of Allah I and His messenger was unshakable in the face of observation, logic and reason. If deen comes alive, none of the kufr systems will survive. Shaitan says get loans on interest to fulfil your needs. So they want to help, calling out, “Take loans on interest and you will prosper”. This is how shaitan entices us! On the contrary, Allah said interest diminishes wealth and sadaqa increases wealth.
Narrated on the authority of Anas bin Malikd [3]:
Umm ar-Rubai bint al-Bara, the mother of Haritha bin Suraqa
came to Rasulullah r and said, ”O Rasulullah r ! Will you tell me
about Haritha?” Haritha has been martyred on the day of Badr
with an arrow thrown by an unidentified person. She added, “If
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he is in Jannah, I will be patient; otherwise, I will weep bitterly
for him.”
He said: O mother of Haritha! There are Gardens in Paradise and
your son got the Firdaus Al-Ala.”
Thus words of Rasulullah r was sufficient as solace for her.
Promises are not made on acquiring or utilising asbabs. Therefore a sick person who says, “I will take medicine and do tawakkul on Allah I ” is wrong because medicine is an asbab and there is no promise on this. Tawakkul will be needed after acquiring a deeni solution to problems which has been conveyed to us through Rasulullah r.
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25 .
Help of Allah I is With His
Obedience Corrupt Eman,
Yaqin & A'mals Hinder it
Mu’mins follow the commands of Allah I and have patience with circum-stance! We don’t want the deen of environment, or deen of condition & circumstance, we need the deen of commandments.
When Musa u and his followers reached the red sea the weak believers became very nervous. They faced the sea while being chased by the enemy at the back. So he assured them:
يِّبَر َيِعَم َّنِٕا ۖ اَّلَك َلاَق *َنوُكَرْدُمَل اَّنِٕا ٰىَسوُم ُباَح ْصَٔا َلاَق ِناَعْمَجْلا ىَءاَرَت اَّمَلَف * ِنيِدْهَيَس
And when the two hosts saw each other, the companions of Musa
said: “We are sure to be overtaken.” [Musa] said: “Nay, verily!
With me is my Lord, He will guide me.” [26:61-2]
Why? Because it was due to the command of Allah that he was doing ev-erything, going to Egypt for da’wah, and leaving Egypt by the command of Allah. This is in sharp contrast to the first time when he escaped from Egypt due to a murder, and he even got lost on the way. But this time it is by the command of Allah. Musa u had the yaqin in Allah, the common people do not see this. Hence people are commanded to follow prophets. By follow-ing the prophets one will see the benefit of deen.
Allah’s help comes when the a’mals are based on yaqin, are not mixed with other things. Eman also increased through being steadfast on a’mals. Thus we need to develop our yaqin and then act upon that yaqin.
ۖ َرْحَبْلا َكا َصَعِب ْبِر ْضا ِنَٔا ٰىَسوُم ٰىَلِٕا اَنْيَحْؤَاَف
Then We inspired to Musa, “Strike with your staff the sea,” [26:63]
The obedience of Musa u is exemplary. When Musa u was asked to strike the sea with his staff, he did not enter into an argument with Allah - why should I hit the sea? or You can make way just by making a Will! or Pharaoh should be struck with it! There was no direct benefit of hitting the sea -benefits come with following the commands of Allah.
The help of Allah I is with the truth. The Quraish refused to help Rasulul-lah r , so Allah I prepared Madinites for help. The Quraish were in good circumstances, they had power, wealth & respect in Arabia. They didn’t support truth - they were disgraced. The opposite was the case of the Ma-dinites who were poor, in problems, people ravaged by war. After support-ing truth they were elevated every single way.
Asbab has no qudrah or promises, but in obedience to His commandments
there is qudrah and promises of Allah. There is no tranquillity 46 in asbab. Asbabs are for tests. Tranquillity is in obedience. To benefit from the qudrah of Allah I we must remove dunya out of our hearts. Allah I knows our heart, He knows what we hold true in the heart, He is not beguiled by the sweet tongue.
Maulana Yusuf ? explains:
This tongue is such a hypocrite that it speaks what’s at the heart
or what is contrary to it. Imagine someone who just had the
evening meal and informed his wife he will get to rest. At that
very moment, there was a knock at the door. Would he not feel
very angry that he had come in such a bad time. Yet the person
may respond to the knock by saying with tongue, “I am very glad
about your coming”, not saying what’s in the heart, saying con-
trary to what is at heart …Tomorrow on the day of judgement
the tongue will only utter what’s in the heart.
Work such a way that the help of Allah comes. Pharaoh enslaved the believ-ers of Children of Israel until there came a time when Allah I decided to
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send Musa u to give da’wah to both Pharaoh and the believers. Musa u instructed his people to put full trust in Allah I and perform salat in their
homes as they were unable to do so in public [2].
ىَلَع اوُلاَقَف * َنيِمِل ْسُم ْمُتْنُك ْنِٕا اوُلَّكَوَت ِهْيَلَعَف ِهَّللاِب ْمُتْنَمٓا ْمُتْنُك ْنِٕا ِمْوَق اَي ٰىَسوُم َلاَقَو
… اَنْلَّكَوَت ِهَّللا
And Musa said, “O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then
put your trust in Him if you are Muslims (indeed surrendered).”
So they said, “In Allah we put our trust… [10:84-5]
اوُميِقَٔاَو ًةَلْبِق ْمُكَتوُيُب اوُلَعْجاَو اًتوُيُب َر ْصِمِب اَمُكِمْوَقِل ٓاَّوَبَت ْنَٔا ِهيِخَٔاَو ٰىَسوُم ٰىَلِٕا اَنْيَحْؤَاَو
* َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا ِرِّشَبَو ۗ َةاَل َّصلا
And We inspired to Musa and his brother: “Settle your people
in Egypt in houses, and make your houses as places for worship,
and establish salat, and give glad tidings to the believers.” [10:87]
Thus the the Children of Israel rectified their eman & a’mal. However, their persecution further increased instead of reducing! Musa u told them to exercise patience:
ْمُكَّوُدَع َكِلْهُي ْنَٔا ْمُكُّبَر ٰى َسَع َلاَق ۚ اَنَتْئِج اَم ِدْعَب ْنِمَو اَنَيِتْٔاَت ْنَٔا ِلْبَق ْنِم اَنيِذؤُا اوُلاَق
* َنوُلَمْعَت َفْيَك َرُظْنَيَف ِضْرَٔاْلا يِف ْمُكَفِلْخَت ْسَيَو
They said: “We had suffered troubles before you came to us, and
since you have come to us.” He said: “It may be that your Lord
will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the earth,
so that He may see how you act?” [7:129]
So after all these tests, purification of their yaqin, establishing a’mals and patience, finally Allah brought His help to Musa u and his people. Even now when people accustom themselves doing good a’mal and bring them-selves to the effort of deen but problems can increase instead of decrease. They can become nervous and think of quitting, but it’s not the time to give up, that could be a test from Allah.
Upon the same condition Allah gave His help in the battle of Badr. At Badr sahaba f had these three core qualities of taqwa, tawaqqul and patience to qualify for divine help:
* َنوُنِمْؤُمْلا ِلَّكَوَتَيْلَف ِهَّللا ىَلَعَو ۗ اَمُهُّيِلَو ُهَّللاَو اَلَشْفَت ْنَٔا ْمُكْنِم ِناَتَفِئاَط ْتَّمَه ْذِٕا
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When two parties from among you were about to lose heart, but
Allah was their ally. And in Allah should the believers put their
trust. [3:122]
َنِم ٍفاَلٓا ِة َسْم َخِب ْمُكُّبَر ْمُكْدِدْمُي اَذَٰه ْمِهِرْوَف ْنِم ْمُكوُتْٔاَيَو اوُقَّتَتَو اوُرِب ْصَت ْنِٕا ۚ ٰىَلَب
* َنيِمِّو َسُم ِةَكِئاَلَمْلا
Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety, and the enemy comes
rushing at you; your Lord will help you with five thousand distin-
guished angels. [3:125]
As explained by Maulana Umar Palanpuri ?, the situation in Uhud and Hu-nayn was different due to weaknesses in few sahabaf. Allah I gave a de-tailed feedback on these two battles so that all the people until the Hour know for what reason the help of Allah is withdrawn and when it is hindered.
ِرْمَٔاْلا يِف ْمُتْعَزاَنَتَو ْمُتْلِشَف اَذِٕا ٰىَّتَح ۖ ِهِنْذِٕاِب ْمُهَنوُّسُحَت ْذِٕا ُهَدْعَو ُهَّللا ُمُكَقَد َص ْدَقَلَو
ۚ َةَرِخٓاْلا ُديِرُي ْنَم ْمُكْنِمَو اَيْنُّدلا ُديِرُي ْنَم ْمُكْنِم ۚ َنوُّبِحُت اَم ْمُكاَرَٔا اَم ِدْعَب ْنِم ْمُتْي َصَعَو
* َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا ىَلَع ٍل ْضَف وُذ ُهَّللاَو ۗ ْمُكْنَع اَفَع ْدَقَلَو ۖ ْمُكَيِلَتْبَيِل ْمُهْنَع ْمُكَفَر َص َّمُث
And Allah did indeed fulfil His promise to you when you were
killing them with His permission; until you lost your courage and
fell to disputing about the order, and disobeyed after He showed
you (booty) which you love. Among you are some that desire this
world and some that desire the hereafter. Then He made you
flee from them, that He might test you. But surely, He forgave
you, and Allah is Most Gracious to the believers. [3:152]
Here, at the mountain-top, a chain of events had taken place:
• A few sahabaf had an undue inclination towards materials, their sight
shifted from the creator to creation. We must not have any love for
dunya in the heart even if that thing is halal (such as booty).
• The above characteristics caused some of them to give opinions keep-
ing the benefit of dunya in front rather than akhira.
• Differences of opinion, though in itself not blameworthy, in their case
it led to disunity which is blameworthy and
• Eventually, some of them disobeyed their ameer, which is disobedi-
ence to Allah & His messenger.
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Due to unfolding of these events, Allah I withdrew His help. Deficiency on the part of a few sahaba f thus led to endangering the whole community but Allah I forgave them after reprimanding them severely. This was a lesson for all the Muslims until Qiyamah.
Love of dunya is an extremely dangerous disease which endangers the whole community, even if they are a tiny minority among them - it causes fitnah by moulding opinions according to wrong priority and yaqin. Thus to prevent such eventuality we must work on our hearts so that we see and utilise the asbabs of this world in light of the commands of Allah.
The help of Allah was delayed in Hunayn. After the conquest of Makkah, the number of Muslims swelled and a few new Muslims started saying the Muslims will win due to their sheer manpower. In the Qur’an, Allah I gave accounts of numerous incidences to rectify precisely this kind of corrupt yaqin. At Hunayn sahaba f gained a first-hand experience of this:
ِنْغُت ْمَلَف ْمُكُتَرْثَك ْمُكْتَبَجْعَٔا ْذِٕا ۙ ٍنْيَنُح َمْوَيَو ۙ ٍةَريِثَك َنِطاَوَم يِف ُهَّللا ُمُكَر َصَن ْدَقَل
* َنيِرِبْدُم ْمُتْيَّلَو َّمُث ْتَبُحَر اَمِب ُضْرَٔاْلا ُمُكْيَلَع ْتَقا َضَو اًئْيَش ْمُكْنَع
Truly Allah has given you victory on many battle fields, and on
the Day of Hunayn when you rejoiced at your great number but
it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened
for you, then you turned back in flight. [9:25]
The events of Uhud and Hunayn further underlines the fact that even though the sahaba f involved were a tiny minority, and despite the fact that they were out in the path of Allah and with the best of prophets; they were free of shirk and punctual in their salat, zakat, dhikr and other a’mals, Allah I did not tolerate their sight on creation or any lapse in yaqin and it undermined and endangered all.
Thus to secure the help of Allah I full tawaqqul in Him is a must (just like Badr). This does not contradict the need for preparation which is also a command of Allah but the issue here is a matter of yaqin which must be correct to qualify for the help of Allah. Test on tawaqqul is inevitable - so we must remind ourselves again and again that success is in fulfilling the commands of Allah, success is not in amassing asbabs and failure is not in the scarcity of asbabs.
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26 .
Help of Allah I is With
Ameer & Jama'ah
One of the important characteristics of this ummah is that it conducts its affairs collectively. In fact, there are certain a’mals which cannot be done without jama’ah. For example Jumu’ah, Janaza and Eid salat.
اَم ِهِّلَوُن َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا ِليِبَس َرْيَغ ْعِبَّتَيَو ٰىَدُهْلا ُهَل َنَّيَبَت اَم ِدْعَب ْنِم َلوُسَّرلا ِقِقاَشُي ْنَمَو
* اًريِصَم ْتَءاَسَو ۖ َمَّنَهَج ِهِل ْصُنَو ٰىَّلَوَت
And whoever contradicts and opposes the messenger after the
right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than
the believers’ way - We shall keep him in the path he has chosen,
and burn him in hell – what an evil destination. [4:115]
It is obligatory to remain with the jama’ah. Jama’ah strengthens believers just like bricks support and strengthens a wall. It provides the security of their eman and deeni life. There are many hadith in which we can find the necessity of forging brotherhood and establishing unity:
Allah I will say on the day of Judgement: Where are those who
loved each other for my sake? I will shade them today, when there
The merciful hands of Allah are always on the jama’ah, and those
who stray away from it are on the path to hell [5]. Rasulullah r said:
I enjoin upon you five things: a collective life (jama’ah), listening,
obeying, migrating (hijrah), and striving hard in Allah’s way (jihad).
He who goes away from the jama’ah as much as a hand span has
removed the tie of Islam from his neck, unless he returns to it’s
fold. And he who calls people to rally round Jahiliyya, belongs to
the people of hell, even if he prays and fasts and claims he is a
Whoever departs from the jama’ah, even a hand’s breadth, has in-
deed removed the rope of Islam from his neck [6, 8].
Allah will not cause my ummah to agree on falsehood; the Hand of
Allah is with the jama‘ah [5].
The meaning of this hadith is that Allah has protected the scholars of the ummah of Muhammad r from unanimously agreeing upon something false. This protection is only for all the scholars of the ummah during any given pe-riod. As for the agreement of some of them or most of them on something,
that is not protected from error 47.
Abu ‘Eesa at-Tirmidhi ? said in his Sunan: What is meant by the jama‘ah, according to the scholars, is the scholars of fiqh, knowledge and hadith.
Al-Mulla ‘Ali al-Qaari ? said: The hadith indicates that if the Muslims unani-mously agree on something, then it must be true, and what is meant is the unanimous agreement of the scholars. The consensus of the common folk
does not carry any weight, because it is not based on knowledge 48.
Without a leader, the community falls prey to shaitan and chaos ensues. We find in sahabaf giving precedent to the selection of ameer over the burial of the body of Rasulullah r due to the importance of political leadership of the ummah. In every matter, Muslims should have an ameer who would draw on the right manpower to guide the community. Rasulullah r gave priority to appointing of ameer in even such matters as travelling, let alone salat with jama’ah and governorship. Rasulullah r said:
When three (people) go out on a journey, they should appoint one
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Muslims must follow those in authority except in the case when they are ordered to do that which is contrary to the commands of Allah I.
ۖ ْمُكْنِم ِرْمَٔاْلا يِلؤُاَو َلوُسَّرلا اوُعيِطَٔاَو َهَّللا اوُعيِطَٔا اوُنَمٓا َنيِذَّلا اَهُّئَا اَي
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the messenger, and
those of you who are in authority among you. [4:59]
This is corroborated by the sayings of Rasulullah r:
I advise you to fear Allah and to listen and obey, even if a slave is
appointed over you. So whoever from amongst you lives, then he
will see much differing. So hold onto my Sunnah and the Sunnah
of my Rightly Guided Khalifas after me 49.
You are obligated to hear and to obey in prosperity and adversity,
willingly or unwillingly, and even when you are treated unjustly [4].
He who obeys me obeys Allah and he who disobeys me disobeys
Allah, and he who obeys the one in authority obeys me but he who
disobeys the person in authority disobeys me [3, 4].
Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman reported [4]:
I asked, “O Rasulullah, we were living in an evil time and Allah
brought us good in which we live now. Will there be evil after
this good?”
Rasulullah r said, “Yes.”
I said, “And any good after this evil?”
The Prophet said, “Yes.”
I said, “And any evil after this good?”
The Prophet said, “Yes.”
I said, “How will it be?”
The Prophet said, “Rulers after me will come who do not follow my
guidance and my Sunnah. Some of their men will have the hearts
of devils in a human body.”
I said, “O Rasulullah, what should I do if I live to see that time?”
The Prophet said, “You should listen and obey them, even if the
ruler strikes your back and takes your wealth, even still listen and
obey.”
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Related by Abdullah ibn Masudd [3, 4]:
Rasulullah r said, ‘After me there will be discrimination and things
you dislike.’
He r was asked, ’O Rasulullah. What would be your advice to
those of us who encounter these things?’
He answered, ‘Fulfil your obligations and supplicate to Allah for
your rights.’
The following story indicates a limit of the ameer. Narrated by Alid [3, 4, 8]:
Rasulullah r sent a troop under the command of a man from
ansaar. When they left, he became angry with them for some
reason and said to them, ’Has not Rasulullah r commanded you
to obey me?’
They said, ’Yes.’
He said, ’Collect some wood,’ and then he started a fire with the
wood, saying, ’I command you to enter the fire.’
The people almost entered the fire, but a young man among
them said, ’You only ran away from the Fire to Allah’s messen-
ger. Therefore, do not rush until you go back to Rasulullah r ,
and if he commands you to enter it, then enter it.’
When they went back to Rasulullah r , they told him what had
happened, and Rasulullah r said, ”Had you entered it, you would
never have departed from it. Obedience is only in righteousness.”
’Umar ibn al-Khattabd said:
There is no Islam without a community, and there is no commu-
nity without a leadership, and there is no authority without hear-
ing and obeying 50.
No one should refuse ameer’s command. People gave opinions in contradic-tion to Abu Bakrd in sending the army of Usamad but agreed to followed suit when he made a decision.
Maulana Yusuf ? said:
This ummah is formed through shedding the blood and hunger
of Rasulullah r and his sahabaf. And now we break this ummah
upon minor disagreements. If the Muslim ummah can achieve
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unity, then they will never be humiliated or disgraced. Even su-
perpowers of the day will yield in front of them. The unity in the
ummah will only come when humbleness towards muminineen
will become the norm amongst the Muslims ( 51 َنيِنِمْؤُمْلا ىَلَع ٍةَّلِذَٔا ) .
That is to say, every Muslim will consider her/him to be lowly
compared to others, and take gentleness and humbleness. In
tabligh errand, it is practised as well [16].
Maulana Yusuf ? also said:
Remember that words like my nation, my locality and my broth-
ers split the ummah. And in the sight of Allah, such words are
so despicable that such great sahaba as Sa’d ibn Ubaydad had
to pay for the mistake he made in this matter before he left this
world.
It is reported in hadith that jinns killed him, it was heard in Mad-
ina but no one found the one making this announcement, “We
annihilated the leader of the Khajraj tribe, we made him target
of our arrows and it penetrated his chest.”
From this incident, we understand that even if the best of the
best person from the ummah begins to call to tribalism or lo-
calisms to break the unity of the ummah, then Allah I will also
break him to waste.
For this reason, I say the ummah will not be made simply by kalima
and tasbih. Ummah will be made through purification of social
interactions, business transactions and by giving rights of every-
one, by honouring everyone. Rather it will be made when we
forsake our rights or what’s due on us and sacrifice our benefits
or advantages for the sake of others.
In building and corrupting the ummah, in uniting or disuniting the ummah, the tongue plays one of the most important roles - this tongue can unite the hearts or break hearts. One small yet wrong and evil statement comes out of the tongue and whips follow and fitnah is created. And a small statement can unite and cement broken hearts. This is why it is of utmost importance that we have control over the tongue, and this will only be possible when the slave realises that Allah is with him all the time and He hears everything!
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Ummah is not the name of a tribe or residents of a certain land. Rather thousands of tribes and localities constitute the ummah. The one who con-siders one tribe or one locality his own and the rest as others, slaughters the ummah, and breaks it into pieces, and throws water at the effort of Ra-sulullah r.
Rasulullah r gave glad tidings and also warned [8, 11]:
Tell this ummah the good news of high rank, might, exaltation,
deen and firm establishment in the land. Yet, if any of them, does
the deed of akhira for worldly benefits, they will have no portion
in the akhira.
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27 .
Prophets Were not Sent for
Material Wellbeing, They
are Sent With Guidance
Every single prophet faced a particular form of beliefs or structures which contradicted the pure belief of tawhid, or fitra (innate human nature) or the fidelity and justice of Islam. We can list a few of these crooked beliefs and systems:
Nooh u : His people worshipped idols. Allah poured water from above
and below to flood them, saving only those in the Ark of Nooh. Hud u : Huge size and strength of people of ’Ad made them tyrannical
and believers of might. They built mighty palaces in the city of Iram,
considered buried in the desert of Oman. They were destroyed by a
furious wind.
Sulaiman u : The people of Sheba lived in Southern Arabia during the time
of Prophet Sulaiman. Allah I blessed them with beautiful gardens.
They developed advanced agricultural technology with dams. They
used to worship the sun. Instead of being grateful to Allah I, they
claimed prosperity to their ingenuity and hard work.
Salih u : The nation of Thamud was known for its mastery of masonry.
They felt secure against Allah in their palaces curved in rocky moun-
tains. When they denied the message of Allah I, punishment came in
the form of a sound that destroyed them and kept buildings intact. Ibrahim u : The people of Nimrud worshipped moon-god and idols made
by their own hands. Their might and power only made them arrogant.
Lut u : He was the nephew of Ibrahim u. He lived amongst a powerful
people who practised sodomy, a perversion unknown to the world up
until then. When they didn’t pay heed to warnings of Lut u, Allah I
punished them by turning their land upside down and rained down
with brimstones - now considered to be in the Dead sea.
Musa u : He gave da’wah to Pharaoh and his people as well as Children
of Israel. Egyptians practised a polytheistic religion involving priests
as intermediaries, black magic and witchcraft. Pharaoh, who deified
themselves through this religion ruled with supreme economic and
military prowess, rejected the da’wah of Musa u the most arrogantly
and thus met their deaths drowned in the Red Sea.
Shuaib u : His people were renowned traders who built up a lot of wealth
through unfair and deceitful trading practices, cheating in weighing
and highway robbery. They lived in Madyan and ascribed divinity to
false gods. For their persistent denial and insulting Shuaib u, Allah I
destroyed them in an earthquake.
It was the prophet’s job to explain the shirk and oppression so they enter into the mercy of their creator and attain success. If a’mal is correct then even in small structures or forms Allah I will give success. On the other hand, if the a’mal is corrupt then Allah I will show destruction despite huge structures or sophisticated systems. Hence, for success rectify the a’mal whatever the condition, system or structure.
Every prophet thus made effort on the system they found themselves in. The effort of Rasulullah r was not shaped by existing designs or means but his effort was founded upon sacrifice, abstinence and self-denial. This is what was needed for the foundation for an ummah that will face sum total of all the corruptions which appeared in the previous ummahs.
Falsehood spread by the means of ease and comfort, and truth spread with the tolerance of difficulties and hardship. Falsehood flourishes through ma-terials and power, and truth flourishes with scarcity and poverty.
Oppression is using something for the purpose for which it was not intended. So someone using the car to store kitchen goods etc. is oppressing the car as over a long period of time the onions, vegetables etc. will rot and smell.
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This way of using the car for storage defeats the purpose of its creation. Similarly, Allah I created the heart for His love, hope, fear etc. and when the love, hope, fear etc. of other than Allah I comes to heart, it defeats the purpose of its creation. When shaitan takes a seat in the heart, it de-serves the hell. On the other hand, if the heart is used properly, if it is free from the most fundamental oppression of shirk, which is associating part-ners with Allah I, then goodness will come, Allah will love him, give him Jannatul Firdous.
Our physical needs of food, water, oxygen etc. are ultimately provided free of charge - they are from the physical environment - Allah I has already made arrangements for such necessities by qadr. On the contrary, hidaya which is compulsory is in the hands of Allah and must be sought from Him seventeen times a day. The effort of prophets brings about hidaya. Thus du’a and da’wah are both means of hidaya.
With light, we see the difference between a rope and a snake. Similarly, with the light of hidaya, one will see which a’mals are good or bad. A person without hidaya will see many benefits in dealings in interest. A person with hidaya will see complete destruction from Allah in dealings in interest as it destroys a whole generation of people. Dealing in interest (taking, giving, writing, witnessing) is thirty-six times worse than adultery. Allah asked us to fight nafs - instead, some of us are fighting a war against Allah.
Da’wah of every single prophet had three aspects:
Introduce Allah I : The greatness of Allah is created in man’s heart through
the effort of prophets. Had it not been the case of kalima, then the
people all over the world would have been worshipping all sorts of
things that they are surrounded by.
Explain the treasures of Allah I : Both treasures of blessings and trea-
sures of torments can be temporary or permanent. Allah states:
* َنوُهَقْفَي اَل َنيِقِفاَنُمْلا َّنِكَٰلَو ِضْرَٔاْلاَو ِتاَواَمَّسلا ُنِئاَزَخ ِهَّلِلَو
And to Allah belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth, but
the hypocrites comprehend not. [63:7]
Show ways to get benefit and ward-off harm: Divine a’mals enable one to
deal with all the troubles of this world and hereafter and gain bless-
ings and pleasure of Allah I.
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Prophets would ask people to correct their eman and a’mals. Prophets were asked to bear any hardship with patience. They would make du’as. People cannot repay their effort - they can only be rewarded by Allah.
Nooh u called his people for more than 950 years but only eighty or so embraced his deen. He gave feedback of his struggle as follows:
اَمَّلُك يِّنِٕا َو * اًراَرِف اَّلِٕا يِئاَعُد ْمُهْدِزَي ْمَلَف * اًراَهَنَو اًلْيَل يِمْوَق ُتْوَعَد يِّنِٕا ِّبَر َلاَق
اوُرَبْكَتْساَو اوُّر َصَٔاَو ْمُهَباَيِث اْوَشْغَتْساَو ْمِهِناَذٓا يِف ْمُهَعِبا َصَٔا اوُلَعَج ْمُهَل َرِفْغَتِل ْمُهُتْوَعَد
… * اًراَرْسِٕا ْمُهَل ُتْرَرْسَٔاَو ْمُهَل ُتْنَلْعَٔا يِّنِٕا َّمُث * اًراَهِج ْمُهُتْوَعَد يِّنِٕا َّمُث * اًراَبْكِتْسا
He said: “O my Lord! Verily, I have called my people night and
day. But my invitation increased them not except in flight. And
verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them,
they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up
with their garments, and persisted, and magnified themselves
in pride. Then verily, I called to them openly; Then verily, I pro-
claimed to them in public, and secretly in private,… [71:5-9]
Musa u gave da’wah to Pharaoh and his people to Islam and Children of Is-rael to correct their yaqin and establish a’mals. The struggles of the ummah of Rasulullah r resemble the struggles of Children of Israel. This is why their discussion is made profusely in the Qur’an.
Rasulullah r was the most merciful and kindest of people, who loved good for them and was keen for them to be happy and prosper. There is no greater well-wisher to us than Rasulullah r . Allah I himself testifies to this in the Qur’an:
ٌفوُءَر َنيِنِمْؤُمْلاِب ْمُكْيَلَع ٌصيِرَح ْمُّتِنَع اَم ِهْيَلَع ٌزيِزَع ْمُكِسُفْنَٔا ْنِم ٌلوُسَر ْمُكَءاَج ْدَقَل
* ٌميِحَر
Verily, there has come unto you a messenger from amongst your-
selves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or diffi-
culty. He is anxious over you; for the believers, full of pity, kind,
and merciful. [9:128]
When Rasulullah r started da’wah, the Quraish complained of their hard-ship and poverty so that those issues are addressed before they accept his message. They wanted solutions to their economic problems, to do irriga-tion, to turn mountains to create fields for agriculture or turn the moun-tains into gold. Rasulullah r replied that this wasn’t the purpose with which
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he was sent. In fact, Rasulullah r said he could ask Allah to turn mountains into gold so that he can spend as the mountain of gold walks with him. But this will not solve their problems of yaqin.
Similarly, we are unfortunately saying if we put effort on materials then our problems will be solved! Solving material problems like this will not correct the wrong aqeedah at heart. In fact, Allah sends fitnah to make us turn back to Him!
Quraish leaders came to Abu Talib and proposed that if Rasulullah r stops da’wah, then in return they will make him their king, or make him wealthiest, or marry him with the most beautiful woman etc. Rasulullah r told his uncle to inform them that even if they were to place the sun in one hand and moon in another hand, he will not give up the effort of da’wah, the effort for which he was sent.
Rasulullah r even made worry & concern for the hidaya of his worst enemies like Khalid bin Walidd who caused havoc in the battle of Uhud and Wahshi
bin Harb d 52 who killed Hamza d the beloved uncle of Rasulullah r at Uhud.
To propagate deen in this world, to bring deen into our life and to pass this deen to future generations till the hour, the greatest means is the work of da’wah. Rasulullah r taught sahabaf the effort of da’wah before worship.
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28 .
This Deen Will Enter Every
Home on Earth, Either to
Honour or Disgrace
Allah I promised in the Qur’an:
َهِرَك ْوَلَو ِهِّلُك ِنيِّدلا ىَلَع ُهَرِهْظُيِل ِّقَحْلا ِنيِدَو ٰىَدُهْلاِب ُهَلوُسَر َل َسْرَٔا يِذَّلا َوُه
* َنوُكِرْشُمْلا
It is He Who has sent His messenger with guidance and the reli-
gion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions, however much
the polytheists may be averse. [9:33]
Similarly Rasulullah r said:
Indeed, this matter (Islam) will reach as far as night and day reach,
and Allah will not leave a house of Madar (mud or clay) or a house
of Wabar (fur of camels and goats, i.e. tents), but will surely bring
it into this deen, either honouring an honourable one or disgrac-
ing an abject one; an honour by which Allah graces Islam, and a
disgrace by which Allah degrades disbelief [8, 10, 12].
Narrated by Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘Asd :
Whilst we were around Rasulullah r writing down, he was asked,
“Which of the two cities is to be opened first, Constantinople or
Rome ?” He replied, “ 53 The city of Heraclius will be opened first! ” The promise of the opening of Constantinople has already taken place dur-ing the reign of Ottoman khalifa Muhammad ibn Murad Al-Fateh in 1453, it is now known as Istanbul. This leaves the second part of the prophetic tidings to be fulfilled; the opening of Rome.
Rasulullah r said:
Verily, Allah has folded the earth for me, and I saw its eastern and
western parts, and verily the dominion of my nation will reach as
far as what has been folded to me from it, and I have been granted
the two treasures: the red (the gold of khosrau) and the white (the
silver of Caesar)…
Maulana Yusuf ? said:
Until we have yaqin on Allah and ibadah according to revealed
knowledge, the character will not come. And until we have char-
acter, deen will not spread among others.
To be part of this auspicious time, we must prioritise, get serious about de-
veloping our eman and yaqin and start working. Maulana Ilyas ? said [23]:
Time is a moving train and the hours, minutes and seconds are
like its coaches, whereas our occupations are the passengers sit-
ting in them. Presently, our inferior materialistic occupations
have gained such control of this train and coaches of our life that
they are not allowing the nobler concerns of the hereafter to
come in. Our work is that we should be determined to put these
nobler concerns in place of mean worldly occupations: the con-
cerns which please Allah and build our hereafter.
Allah makes this journey easy for those who come in repentance, submitting to His obedience and strives in his path:
* ُبيِنُي ْنَم ِهْيَلِٕا يِدْهَيَو ُءاَشَي ْنَم ِهْيَلِٕا يِبَتْجَي ُهَّللا
Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills, and guides to Himself
who turns to Him in repentance and in obedience. [42:13]
* َنيِنِسْحُمْلا َعَمَل َهَّللا َّنِٕاَو ۚ اَنَلُبُس ْمُهَّنَيِدْهَنَل اَنيِف اوُدَهاَج َنيِذَّلاَو
As for those who strive hard in Our cause, We will surely guide
them to Our paths. And verily, Allah is with the muhsins. [29:69]
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29 .
Allah I Wants Sacrifice &
Perseverance for His Sake
Allah I inform us about the purpose of trials of this life and the role asbabs play in this:
* اًلَمَع ُن َسْحَٔا ْمُهُّئَا ْمُهَوُلْبَنِل اَهَل ًةَنيِز ِضْرَٔاْلا ىَلَع اَم اَنْلَعَج اَّنِٕا
Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for
it, in order that We may test them as to which of them are best
in deeds. [18:7]
“Best in deeds” means doing a’mals most perfectly, that means to do them
totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance to sunnah [1].
Allah I encourages us to hasten to complete in this:
ۖ ِهَّللا ىَلِٕا اوُّرِفَف
So flee to Allah. [51:50]
* َنو ُسِفاَنَتُمْلا ِسَفاَنَتَيْلَف َكِلَٰذ يِفَو
…and for this let (all) those strive who strive for bliss. [83:26]
* َنيِقَّتُمْلِل ْتَّدِعُٔا ُضْرَٔاْلاَو ُتاَواَمَّسلا اَه ُضْرَع ٍةَّنَجَو ْمُكِّبَر ْنِم ٍةَرِفْغَم ٰىَلِٕا اوُعِراَسَو
And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from
your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the
earth, prepared for the pious. [3:133]
ْنِٕا ْمُكَل ٌرْيَخ ْمُكِلَٰذ ۚ ِهَّللا ِليِبَس يِف ْمُكِسُفْنَٔاَو ْمُكِلاَوْمَٔاِب اوُدِهاَجَو اًلاَقِثَو اًفاَفِخ اوُرِفْنا
* َنوُمَلْعَت ْمُتْنُك
Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and
your lives in the cause of Allah. That is better for you, if you only
knew. [9:41]
ۚ ِتاَرْيَخْلا اوُقِبَتْساَف
So strive as in a race in good deeds. [5:48]
Allah I outlines four dimensions of the effort that we are supposed to be working on in surah ‘Asr:
اْو َصاَوَتَو ِتاَحِلا َّصلا اوُلِمَعَو اوُنَمٓا َنيِذَّلا اَّلِٕا * ٍر ْسُخ يِفَل َنا َسْنِٕاْلا َّنِٕا * ِر ْصَعْلاَو
* ِرْب َّصلاِب اْو َصاَوَتَو ِّقَحْلاِب
By time, Lo! man is a state of loss, except those who believe and
do righteous good deeds, and exhort one another to the truth,
and exhort one another to endurance. [103:1-3]
In explanation to this Mufti Shafi ? said that complete success is not possi-ble without nurturing all the above four qualities:
1. Eman 2. A’maal 3. Calling to truth 4. Bear hardships patiently
He further explained 54, ”The first two relate to man’s own development and other two relate to other people’s guidance and reform…Without sin-cere efforts, to the best of one’s ability, to invite others to the right path, one’s own good deeds are not enough to one’s salvation…Therefore, the Qur’an and the Sunnah make it obligatory upon every Muslim to do his best to invite others to the good deeds, and warn them against the evil acts.”
The first effect of da’wah is that the da’ee changes first and foremost - like as soon as salt added to water it becomes salty. Allah wants to see us sac-rifice - the best of them are at the forefront of this effort. This is why sa-habaf would recite this surah when departing from a meeting to remind each other of their duties.
Mufti Shafi ? said that by relying on a’mal only, and not doing “Enjoining good and forbidding evil” to his best, he is creating a problem for himself -like the hadith of the upper and lower deck of the boat. Even if we cannot
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do a’mal, we should make the effort of deen. The effort on others is not conditional upon the practice of the caller. “Practice then preach” is hence wrong.
Al-Hasan al-Basri ? heard a person say: ”No-one may forbid what is wrong except a person who does no wrong.” He remarked: ”Shaitan would like that to happen to us such that nobody would forbid the wrong nor command
what is right.” 55
And about patience Allah I wants the ummah to develop a general condi-tion of perseverance against adversity:
َنوُحِلْفُت ْمُكَّلَعَل َهَّللا اوُقَّتاَو اوُطِباَرَو اوُرِبا َصَو اوُرِب ْصا اوُنَمٓا َنيِذَّلا اَهُّئَا اَي
O you who believe! Endure and be more patient, and remain
stationed, and fear Allah, so that you may be successful. [3:200]
It is reported that Maulana Yusuf ? said:
The level of desires and emotions buried inside, mercy and rest-
lessness coupled with matched effort and dedication will inspire
and raise others to higher and higher states.
…Making an effort to strengthen eman, to revive sunnah way of
life, whatever hunger, thirst, tolerating hot and cold, and such
struggle against difficult and testing circumstances will bring
favourable changes.
Falsehood spreads in comfort and luxury, but truth spreads in difficulty and hardship. Falsehood prospers with power and materials but truth prospers in scarcity and poverty. Through the difficulty of poverty and scarcity, the corruption that is imported due to power, materials and such means of com-fort and luxury will be eradicated. This effort will further develop the ca-pacity in the ummah to endure poverty and create the zeal for sacrifice.
Sahaba f, who are our guiding stars, bore difficult circumstances for the sake of deen that it is simply unimaginable. Once Saad ibn Waqqasd went to urinate, he heard something make a noise. After relieving he found a dry piece of leather. He washed it, dried it, grounded it and then ate it - for this effort of deen. Small wonder Allah I chose them to spread His deen!
Sahaba f gave their quality time and concern for deen and thus Allah I gave their rizk in times of their necessities. One sahabi when urinating, a
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mouse brought seventeen coins from its hole. Abdur Rahman ibn Auf d was buying and selling when going to urinate. Today even though every member of the family is working - worldly needs are not fulfilled! What kind of “progress” is that?
But sacrifice is something that will be compensated by Allah - in the true sense, it’s a gain. For the vast majority of the work, what is this patience other than putting up with inconveniences, lack of resources or sickness etc.? Angels used to console Ibrahim bin Hussain ? for sickness when blood used to ooze out of his body. Similarly, Allah I would console Rasulullah r.
Killing the nafs is not required - that would be like not eating and just work-ing. The idea is to work against the nafs. When you kill your desire for the desire of Allah I, then you get light of Qur’an.
Sahaba f were ever ready to come to the aid of Islam at every moment. When some of the Ansar thought of ease, Allah warned them. Narrated by Aslam ibn ’Imrand that when they were fighting a mighty army of the Romans, a mujahid attacked the Roman ranks until he penetrated them. People shouted, saying, ”Subhan-Allah! He has contributed to his own de-struction.”
Thereupon, Abu Ayyub al-Ansarid stood up, and said,
O people! You give this interpretation to this ayat, whereas it
was revealed concerning us, the Ansar, when Allah had given
honour to Islam and its supporters had become many, where-
upon some of us secretly said to one another …”Our wealth has
been depleted, and Allah has given honour to Islam and its sup-
porters have become many, so let us stay amidst our wealth and
make up what has been depleted of it.”
Thereupon, Allah revealed:
ۛ ِةَكُلْهَّتلا ىَلِٕا ْمُكيِدْئَاِب اوُقْلُت اَلَو ِهَّللا ِليِبَس يِف اوُقِفْنَٔاَو
And spend in the Path of Allah, and do not contribute to your
own destruction. [2:195]
refuting what we had said. So, the destruction lay in staying with
our wealth and depleting it, and abandoning combat 56.
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Abu Ayyub d remained fixed until he was killed and was buried in Roman land. He was 93 years old at the time. Some people use the ayat:
ِةَكُلْهَّتلا ىَلِٕا ْمُكيِدْئَاِب اوُقْلُت اَلَو
Do not contribute to your own destruction. [2:195]
similar to how they treat the following ayat:
َةاَل َّصلا اوُبَرْقَت اَل
O you who believe! Approach not salat. [4:43]
They suggest keeping away from all that is dangerous and harmful such as keeping away from family, business etc. due to misunderstanding. They claim we should not do something which would cause us harm or loss. The
demand of this verse is completely opposite [22].
Prophets also faced many tests involving their life and wealth. Nimrud used the state apparatus to kindle a huge fire to burn Ibrahim u. Allah I asked Ibrahim u to do hijra leaving his family in the deserts of Makkah, 900 miles from his native home in Palestine. He was also tried with sacrificing his young son in his old age for the sake of Allah I.
Ibrahim u made dua that Allah I gives him (in his progeny) an ummati of such sacrifice and the dua is accepted for Muhammad r. Allah I asked him to do hijra leaving his family in the deserts of Makkah, 900 miles from his own town. He was also tried with sacrificing his beloved son in his old age for the sake of Allah I.
Abu Talhad owned the best gardens in Madinah, and they were more nu-merous than those of any other Ansari. One of his gardens was known by the name of Bir-Ha, and this was his most favourite resort. It was close to the Prophet’s Masjid and the water of its well was sweet and abundant. When Allah I revealed the verse:
ۚ َنوُّبِحُت اَّمِم اوُقِفْنُت ٰىَّتَح َّرِبْلا اوُلاَنَت ْنَل
Never will you attain al-Birr57, unless you spend of that which
you love. [3:92]
Abu Talhad presented himself to Rasulullah r and opened his heart, “O, Prophet of Allah! I love Bir-Ha very much. As Allah wants us to spend pre-cisely that which we love, I make over that garden to be spent in the path of Allah as you please.”
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Rasulullah r was very much pleased, and remarked: “What a fine present (to Allah)! I think it would be best utilized if you distribute it among your heirs.” Abu Talhad went and acted upon the prophet’s advice.
Men, women and children of sahaba f understood the need to make ef-fort for deen. In Makkah, Sumayya g embraced death at the hands of her Quraish persecutors rather than give up her eman. Similarly, Um-Haram g was eager to participate in the path of Allah I- she requested Rasulullah r
to make du’a for that. Thus she made her grave in Cyprus 58.
Rasulullah r said:
Verily, you are in a time when one who leaves a tenth of what he
has been commanded is ruined. Then, there will be a time when
one who practices a tenth of what he has been commanded is saved 59.
A little while in the morning or evening spent in the path of Allah is
more superior than the whole world and whatever it contains [3, 4].
In the effort of deen even unplanned delay is not acceptable. The story of
Kaab bin Malik d 60 is very instructive in this. He was boycotted by the whole community for fifty days - not even greeting of salam was exchanged.
All the various conditions and circumstance etc. are endured not because we do not have money, but these are because of our deeds, these are com-ing directly from Allah I. You do not belong to Iran, India etc. but you be-long to the ummah of Allah I. Your duty is to bring a’mals of masjid nabawi to every masjid. Whatever you might do, the purpose must not be lost. We must plan our life with due consideration to the demands of da’wah.
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30 .
Da'wah to Allah I
Its Necessities & Virtues are
Like no Other
We need to understand the work of da’wah; its purpose, means & its virtues; characteristics of its people, its types & levels; inevitable tests & pitfalls etc. Maulana Sa’d ? explains, “Da’wah of eman is for the people of eman. Da’wah of Islam is for the people of no eman.”
Allah I himself gives da’wah:
ِماَل َّسلا ِراَد ٰىَلِٕا وُعْدَي ُهَّللاَو
And Allah invites to the abode of peace… [10:25]
Allah I calls to tawheed, to His remembrance, to sacrifice in His path and so forth. He praised those who perform da’wah. He ordered Rasulullah r to draw people’s attention to His greatness in the Qur’an:
ْرِّبَكَف َكَّبَرَو
And proclaim the greatness of your Lord. [74:3]
Da’wah is the duty of every single Muslim. This is why there is an urgent need to learn this effort according to the methodology of the prophets. This is so because there is no guarantee of success or acceptance in follow-ing newly invented ways of giving da’wah.
Among the characteristics of prophetic da’wah are:
• Purity of intention. Da’wah is sincerely for Allah I and seeking reward
only from Him. The intention is not adulterated by any worldly motive,
such as asking anything from the people, show, status, power.
• Begin with la ilaha illa-Allah. This is followed by calling towards salat,
zakat and other obligatory duties as well as implementing sunnah in
all aspects of life.
• Other-worldly. Primarily calling people to seek means of earning their
Jannah and saving from Jahannam.
• Self-driven. Meeting people door-to-door, in markets, in home-city
and further afield. Often this takes the form of one-to-one da’wah.
• Travelling and migratory. Leaving home, family, homeland or any other
occupation to further the work of da’wah.
Allah I exhorts us to give da’wah:
ۚ ُن َسْحَٔا َيِه يِتَّلاِب ْمُهْلِداَجَو ۖ ِةَن َسَحْلا ِةَظِعْوَمْلاَو ِةَمْكِحْلاِب َكِّبَر ِليِبَس ٰىَلِٕا ُعْدا
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching,
and argue with them in a way that is better. [16:125]
ۖ يِنَعَبَّتا ِنَمَو اَنَٔا ٍةَريِصَب ٰىَلَع ۚ ِهَّللا ىَلِٕا وُعْدَٔا يِليِبَس ِهِذَٰه ْلُق
Say, “This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who
follow me… [12:108]
Allah I praises the da’ee:
* َنيِمِل ْسُمْلا َنِم يِنَّنِٕا َلاَقَو اًحِلا َص َلِمَعَو ِهَّللا ىَلِٕا اَعَد ْنَّمِم اًلْوَق ُن َسْحَٔا ْنَمَو
And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah, and
does righteous deeds, and says: “I am one of the Muslims.”
. [41:33]
Rasulullah r further encouraged the effort of da’wah:
Convey from me, even a single verse. Narrate from the children of
Israel, for there is no blame in it. Whoever deliberately lies about
me, let him take his seat in hellfire [3].
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He who called to righteousness, there would be reward (assured)
for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their
rewards being diminished in any respect [4, 5, 6].
Rasulullah r said to Alid on the occasion of Battle of Khyber [15]:
Proceed gently, and when you decamp there, first of all invite them
towards Islam and tell them the obligations towards Allah due upon
them after accepting Islam. By Allah. If Allah guides even one per-
son due to you, it is better for you than you get red camels.
Shaykh bin Baz? said that “…calling people towards Allah is one of the vital functions, and ummah need such a service in every place and time …it may safely be stated that it comes within the purview of wajib and almost fard in the light of the injunctions contained in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah.” If no-one in a locality performs da’wah then the whole community will be sinful as its status is fardh kifayah collectively. ”When anyone performs this obligatory function others are relieved of this burden of this responsibility
but even then it remains waajib for the remaining persons to perform it [19].”
He further said: So it is necessary that everyone should strive hard to prop-agate, the message of Allah according to his status and power… Hafidh ibn Kathir while commenting upon this verse of the Qur’an,
ِرْيَخْلا ىَلِٕا َنوُعْدَي ٌةَّمُٔا ْمُكْنِم ْنُكَتْلَو
Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is
good… [3:104]
has stated that there should be a permanent group of people within the Muslim community who should assume the burden of this responsibility, propagate and publicise the message of the deen - Islamic way of life, re-hearse the commandments of Allah before the people.
As for using virtues of jihad as evidence of virtues of da’wah, then this is understood from the Qur’an and understanding of the salaf.
Imam Bukhari ? has mentioned a hadith of going out in the path of Allah ليبس يف هللا in the chapter of walking to Jumu’ah salat, clearly indicating that ” ” is not restricted to simply going in fighting for the sake of Allah. There
is not a single shred of evidence to suggest that this hadith was narrated by Rasulullah r regarding Jumu’ah. The hadith is narrated by Abu ’Abs who
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heard while going to Jumu’ah salat that Rasulullah r said:
Anyone whose feet are covered with dust in the path of Allah, shall
be saved by Allah from the hell-fire [3].
Similarly, many other hadiths can be applied for virtues of da’wah effort. Rasulullah r said:
A short while in the path of Allah, whether in the morning and in
the evening, is better than the world and whatever is in it.
A place in Paradise as small as the bow or lash of one of you is
better than all the world and whatever is in it.
And if a woman (Hur etc.) from Paradise appeared to the people of
the earth, she would fill the space between Heaven and the Earth
with light and pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the
world and whatever is in it [3].
Hidaya is conditional upon effort. Allah I gives hidaya through means, that is through the effort of da’wah. This is His sunnah:
* َنيِنِسْحُمْلا َعَمَل َهَّللا َّنِٕاَو ۚ اَنَلُبُس ْمُهَّنَيِدْهَنَل اَنيِف اوُدَهاَج َنيِذَّلاَو
As for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide
them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah is with the righteous.” [29:69]
If Allah I so wished He could have given da’wah with angles or through any other means. In fact, He could have given hidaya without da’wah. In seerah
we find even a wolf becoming a means to hidaya 61.
Da’wah is needed for both eman & a’mal. If da’wah continues, it attracts people to deen and nothing can stop deen. Once da’wah stops, it distracts people from deen, deen will become weak. We don’t get deen through money but through effort. So it is said, “Cholo, piroh, koro pabondia, koro ehtamam”, meaning, “Take steps, Get moving, Get regimented and organ-ised.”
Obstacles will come in the work and help will also come. Do effort with patience - this was told to Rasulullah r . Da’wah is the source of getting close to Allah, as you introduce more people to Allah. This way the kudrah of Allah come to our favour.
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Among the things Maulana Yusuf ? said about da’wah are:
Certainly, the remembrance of Allah I is the best form of wor-
ship, but the effort that turns the world into remembrance of
Allah I that is even better.
At a time, when the whole creation is in troubles and calami-
ties as a result of its own errors and misguided effort, the only
remedy of this situation is the revival of the effort which turn
mankind’s attention towards Allah I, to race to gain His beauty
and qualities.
In this da’wah effort, Allah promises to make the whole universe
subservient to us and undertakes rectifying conditions.
Imam Abdur-Rahman ibn Naasir as-Sa’dee ? 62 said:
Jihad is of two types: A jihad by which the rectification of the
Muslims is intended, and their correctness in their beliefs and
their manners, and all of their religious and worldly affairs, and
in their knowledge and action related education. And this type
is the basis of jihad and its foundation, and built upon it is the
second type of jihad. It is the jihad by which the defence against
the transgressors upon Islam is intended, such as the disbeliev-
ers, and hypocrites, and the atheists and all of the enemies of
the deen and their supporters.
All other deeds are subjected to conditions, but da’wah is to be carried out in all circumstances, using all wealth & lives. When Abu Bakrd emigrated to Madina with Rasulullah r he did not leave any money with the family he left behind which included a blind old father because it was for the sake of da’wah. However, when he became khalifa he went out to market for business (he was given a stipend from baitul mal). This time the purpose was not da’wah, the institution of khalifa was for the welfare of Muslims.
The effort of da’wah acts as a barrier against the punishment of Allah. When a da’ee is involved in da’wah in a community then Allah does not punish that community:
* َنوُحِل ْصُم اَهُلْهَٔاَو ٍمْلُظِب ٰىَرُقْلا َكِلْهُيِل َكُّبَر َناَك اَمَو
And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while
their people were reformers. [11:117]
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Compare this with the condition when Allah’s punishment descended de-spite having pious people among them!
Maulana Inamul Hassan ? said: If we do da’wah, Allah I will use “others” to benefit Muslims.
Pharaoh killed many Israeli children, yet could not stop deen. Allah I through Musa u has shown that a da’ee doesn’t need anything except sincere will to do da’wah. Musa u could not even speak properly. But Musa u had a quality of da’wah which led their victory over Pharaoh.
For the above reasons, the whole world cannot face a da’ee, nor be worth the value of a da’ee. The status of a da’ee is thus so sky high. There is no effort greater than this under the sun.
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31 .
Field of Da'wah is the Heart
Where Eman & Yaqin Reside
Da’wah is the mother of all efforts because it waters every single branch of deen. If any of the branches of deen wither, then da’wah has a role to play in its revival. The following diagram summarises how da’wah interacts with various aspects of deen:
Environment: Hidaya:
Securing Da’wah Eman enters
eman & a’mal the heart.
Acceptance: Sunnah Life: Growth:
For du’a Aqhlaq, Eman
& help of mu’amalat & &
Allah I mu’asharat a’mal
The ulama give similitude for da’wah equivalent to this diagram. For ex-ample, da’wah can be compared to watering the tree; so seed is the eman, a’mals are the leaves, fruits are the akhlaq and conducts, which can be sour to begin with but can grow to become sweet. And throughout the lifetime of this tree, it must get water.
To understand da’wah effort we need to understand its relation with eman. The place of eman is not home, not masjid, not market, not the university, not factory - it is the heart. The heart, which is like the army general who di-rects the foot soldiers, directs all actions of the human being. Eman cannot be bought, gifted or inherited by any human being. Everyone, new-Muslim or born-Muslim, therefore, is in need of means to develop their eman.
Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good
(reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the
whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.
If eman is like the engine of a car which determines how steep it can go or how much load it can bear then yaqin is its guidance system. Everyone has a set of yaqins (certainty) that guides them, irrespective of whether they are religious, irreligious or areligious.
A new Muslim or a nominal born Muslim is a Muslim because of witnessing the shahadatains. Most aspects of their yaqins do not change straight-away, thus a continuous da’wah which challenges the corrupt yaqins is necessary for that to change to take effect and become firm in the heart. If yaqins do not change then those Muslims will practice deen out of fear or greed, if at all.
When yaqin changes then the heart will see success only in deen and failure in other than deen - when a person reaches that state then this person is made, such a person will be able to withstand external pressures and make all manner of sacrifices like the sahabaf.
Thirteen years of da’wah & struggle in Makkah and beyond ensured sahabaf completely realign their yaqins. Allah continued this da’wah among the be-lievers to challenge those yaqins and similarly, Rasulullah r continued his da’wah among the sahaba f until a time came when the path to success was crystal clear to the ummah.
Yaqin, in Arabic, is the body of water inside a cave unaffected by the exter-nal environment. Our yakin should be like this, not susceptible to circum-stances or conditions. Da’ee is not affected by the environment, rather the environment is affected by the da’ee. With this conviction, we should make da’wah our sole occupation.
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Da’wah is to bring the greatness of Allah I in our hearts and prepare others for this effort. If the greatness of Allah is absent from the heart, if the yaqin does not change, then practising deen will become a burden and people will think deen is an obstacle to their “progress”. The following table compares da’wah with farming:
Activity Doer Field Product Farming Farmer Farm Crops
Da’wah Da’ee Heart Hidaya
Now, four channels lead to the heart. Depending on how these channels are used, the heart either gets corrupted with kufr, falsehood and dirt of dunya or enlightened with the light of eman & yaqin.
So here are some of the ways we can actively seek to use these channels to build the eman by settling greatness of Allah I in the heart:
Talking about the greatness of Allah: This is da’wah at its purest form and
all prophets begun with this. Sounds simple - but check it out for your-
self, most people cannot speak on this more than a minute or two
without drifting. Yet this is such a vast topic - most of Qur’an is on this
topic. So practice and sincerely ask from Allah - if Allah accepts you
then Allah will use you to show others His greatness in creating, sus-
taining, controlling; show His treasures; His independence, His plans
etc. The fact that our mouth is close to our ears and the fact that da’ee
inevitability speaks many times, this talking will make the greatest im-
pact on the da’ee.
Listening about the greatness of Allah: The next best thing is to give our
ears to listen about the greatness of Allah. So the environment plays
a key role. We must get out of our way to change our environment or
travel to the right environment regularly for prolonged periods. The
story of the man killing 99 people is an example of this.
Looking at the creations of Allah: The creations are signs of Allah, which
are all around us. The presence of a house in a forest is a sign that
somebody built the house. Similarly, the vast array of creations point
to their creators. Just like the way a smartphone or a car points to
the ingenuity and sophistication of its manufacturer, a flower, a leaf,
a coconut, an eye, a womb, an ant, a galaxy points to the greatness of
its creator.
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Pondering over the creations of Allah: Allah I repeatedly invites people
to ponder, to reflect. Allah controls the systems of the universe - some
of which runs in our body; maintains water cycle, food cycle etc. How
Allah elevates some and debases others. How Allah tests one group
of people with another group. Realising how Allah sustains us is of ex-
treme importance, as this is the first question we will have to answer
in the grave - if we think our strength, our intelligence, our farms, our
business, our food, our power, our relations etc. sustains us, which is
exactly what non-Muslims belief, then we are in trouble.
To learn eman is fardh-’ain - this is the case when there is no eman or eman is so weak that it fails to bring the person to fulfil the commands of Allah I and fails to prevent from forbidden deeds. Sahaba f learnt eman before they learnt Qur’an - as narrated by Umard. It does not mean we give up reading or ignore the commands of Qur’an until we have strong eman. What it means is that if eman is weak then one will be unable to live by the dictates of Qur’an, even if that individual has all the knowledge regarding it.
So to increase our eman we need to utilise the appropriate process for each channel. Any progress in this effort will be reflected first at the heart. The first tell-tale sign of hidaya, the changes in yaqin, which then triggers a transformation of the person, and by extension the whole community. The objective is to instil the following changes in focus and yaqin:
• From creation to Creator
• From asbabs to a’mals
• From dunya (temporary) to akhira (everlasting)
• From human observation (najar) to revelation (khabar).
When a person talks in contrary to Allah, listens, ponders 24 hours of a day (eg. last year I got this from that effort, I shall do this, that,…), then every statement is reducing his eman. But every positive statement such as “suc-cess in obedience to Allah”, “Allah blessed me with this”, “Allah facilitated this”, will increase his yaqin.
All the wrong statements are hitting the eman like a wrecking ball striking a building until it’s destroyed completely. Eman will become corrupted in such an environment. This is why sitting with materially oriented people is considered an illness in itself. Sitting in the circle of eman is in itself a cure. A’isha g asked her nephew to sit with poor, it would benefit him.
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As complete hidaya involves correct a’mal and correct a’mal is impossible without sunnah, so da’wah of the sunnah of Rasulullah r is essential. Da’wah of Sunnah is to realise that:
• Existence of universe is not valuable, but the existence of
Rasulullah r is valuable.
• Products which comes out of this world are not valuable, but the a’mals
that come out from the body of Rasulullah r is valuable.
• A’mals of this world are not valuable, but the a’mals of Rasulullah r
are valuable.
• The success of both worlds is not based on things of this world but on
adapting Sunnah.
People do not practice deen because the benefits of deen are hidden from them. On the contrary, the benefits of dunya are in front of everyone - no one needs to explain that behind every single seed there is a plant and hun-dreds and millions of seeds. Hence practising on the promises of dunya, however flawed, is easy and practising on deen is difficult. It requires ef-fort on one’s heart to develop firm believe that what we see with our eyes and what we hear with our ears and our thoughts, observations and experi-ences might be deceiving us but the divine guidance in the Qur’an or what is spoken from the tongue of Rasulullah r can never be wrong.
For example, one dealing with interest sees the benefit very clearly, even though it is the most impure or dirtiest of rizks. He sees the apparent bene-fit but the punishment is hidden from him. In contrast, in giving sadaqa, we negate what our intellect tells us and believe and act on what Rasulullah r
said [4]:
Charity does not decrease wealth, no one forgives another except
that Allah increases his honour, and no one humbles himself for the
sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status.
Due to sadaqa or zakat, one will witness apparent reduction in wealth - that is so because the benefit is hidden but the loss is clear. Payment of zakat purifies and guards the wealth. Fish only see food in the hook. Greed or apparent benefit takes it to the hook. It does not see its destruction.
When the effort of da’wah takes place, then at first eman is built in the heart of the people, Islam then directs their worship by purifying their intention and deeds. It then affects their social dealings and interactions. This way
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sahabaf took Islam to affect their social dealings and market places. Once Umard noticed a new trader in the market, he directed him to learn the rules of business before trading in the market of Madinah.
This process reverses when the effort of da’wah is absent, even if you have the most pious community. Corruption begins at the heart as yaqin falters and aqeedah is distorted, deen begins to leave from monetary dealings and social interaction becomes corrupt, sunnah is discarded. Eventually, even their worship becomes corrupt. Thus today we see people bring their cor-rupt attitudes of the market place into masjids and Islamic institutions.
Maulana Ilyas ? said:
The correct order of priority in our effort is that the work of
heart should be kept in the first place (that is, while praying to
Allah and keeping our firm faith in Him and His help, returning
and conversing to Him in all deeds, asking everything from Him
in every hour of need and cutting our hopes and expectations
off from all avenues of material help); the bodily work should
be in the second place (that is, going here and there and work-
ing hard in spreading the things of Allah’s pleasure); and in the
third-place should the work of tongue be kept…
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32 .
Men of Da'wah: Selfless,
SingleMinded & Relentless
The qualities that a da’ee needs, for obvious reason, are the qualities that prophets had, the more matching the better. Many of these qualities are taught, prophets were put through tests, many of the prophets were shep-herds, their eman was always increasing as they saw more and more signs of Allah I.
Ibrahim u wanted to see how Allah I gives life to the dead. Musa u learnt to see asbabs in a totally different way in the story of his stick turning into a snake and vice-versa. Allah I narrated many stories in the Qur’an to strengthen Rasulullah r and the sahabaf. Prophets of course had miracles and direct help which also strengthened them and their followers.