Severing ties with kinfolk: The most important of kinfolk are one's parents, and yet we find many people dealing with them in an inappropriate manner or even severing ties with them altogether. As for those who do try to fulfil the needs of their parents, many of them do it begrudgingly, while expressing discontent or complaining that it is a burden upon them. This is in spite of the fact that Allaah The Almighty commands us to not say even the least expression of discontent in this regard, saying )what means(:}“…Say not to them ]so much as[ 'Uff,' and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.”{]Quran, 17’: 23[
The mother of Huthayl bin Hafsah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
“He would collect wood during the summer and peel off the outer layer of bark himself. Then, when winter would come, he would come to me whilst I was praying, light a brazier )in my room( and place the peeled wood in it, as this does not give harmful smoke. He would do so just so that I would be warm during prayer. He would do so even though we had a servant who could do the job. Whenever I thought of stopping him and commanding him to return to his family, I would remember why he was doing it, and thus I would allow him to continue."
Why was he doing this himself despite him having a servant who could have done it for him? It was nothing but a reflection of his full dutifulness towards his mother.
This type of nobility is not limited to ones parents; rather, one should be kind to all his relatives and even his fellow Muslims.
Wasting time: The issue of wasting time is a very important one indeed. We must be careful about it and hold ourselves to account regarding it because we spend much of our time uselessly instead of spending it in acts of obedience to Allaah, as it should be utilised. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}“And it is He who has made the night and the day in succession for whoever desires to remember or desires gratitude.”{]Quran, 25: 62[
Therefore, time was created so that we would fill it with acts of obedience to Allaah, The Almighty but many people do the exact opposite of this. The Salaf )righteous predecessors(, may Allaah have mercy upon them, were very keen to make use of every second of their time. Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “I have met some people who were stingier with their time than they were with their wealth.”
People nowadays waste their times in games, late nights, socializing, watching television and in vain talk. They may even go as far as doing so at the expense of their religious obligations, such as their daily prayers, and so on.
Wasting wealth:Many men cave in under pressure from their wives and children and therefore spend extravagantly, but when they are asked to spend in charity, one would find that they are so stingy that if they were to pull out two bills to give in charity, one would invariably return to his pocket. However, if this same person were to go to a restaurant, he would have no problem in spending multiples of this amount.
Allaah The Almighty will ask us about our wealth because we were informed as such by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Abu Barzah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported, “The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:“Man's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life and how he consumed it, his knowledge and what did he do with it, his wealth and how he earned it and how he disposed of it, and about his body and how he wore it out.”"]At-Tirmithi[
This does not imply that people do not spend generously or that there are no people who do any of the abovementioned matters correctly. The purpose of highlighting these points is to serve as a reminder for Muslims – at both the individual and community level – so that we realize the importance of these matters and hold ourselves to account with respect to them, as there are many of us who are failing to do so.
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The disease of ill thoughts is one of the most fatal diseases that can destroy individuals and communities. Once it becomes deep-rooted in the soul of man, it destroys all ties of intimacy and affection and incites hatred and resentment. Some people, whose hearts are morally diseased, only look at others through dark glasses. For them, all people are, by default, suspects, or even guilty.
There is no doubt that having ill thoughts about others contradicts the teachings of the Noble Quran, the Sunnah and the guidance of the righteous predecessors. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O you who have believed, avoid much ]negative[ assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.{]Quran 49:12[
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“Beware of ill thoughts, for ill thoughts represent the worst of false speech. Do not look for other's faults. Do not spy on one another.”The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also taught Muslims how to think well of others. A man came to him and said, “My wife has delivered a black baby )and I suspect that he is not my child(.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked him:“Have you got camels?”The man said, “Yes.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked:“What is their color?”The man said, “They are reddish )brown(.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked:“Are any of them grey?”He said, “There are grey ones among them.” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, asked:“From where do you think this color came to them?”The man said, “It probably resulted from hereditary disposition.” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:“Similarly, this )your child( might be a hereditary disposition.”]Muslim and Al-Bukhaari, with the wording of Muslim[
The righteous predecessors, may Allaah have mercy upon them, avoided this evil quality. They, may Allaah have mercy upon them, would seek excuses for Muslims to the extent that some of them would say, “I seek seventy excuses for my brother's misdeed, then I say that he might have an excuse that I do not know about.” Why we do not follow the example of the righteous predecessors, may Allaah have mercy upon them, in this regard? Those who think ill of Muslims follow the example of the man who said to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “This division is not based on justice and it was not intended to win the pleasure of Allaah,” when he was referring to some wealth that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had divided and distributed.
Some scholars divided ill thoughts into two types, both of which are from the grave major sins:
Ill thoughts about Allaah: This type is one of the most heinous crimes and sins because it attributes to Allaah what is improper for His generosity and benevolence.
Ill thoughts about Muslims: This type is also a grave major sin because whoever judges his brother based on ill thoughts, the devil will make him belittle his brother, deny his rights, slander him and spy on him. Obviously, all of these things are forbidden destructive acts. Some scholars have said, “If you see a person who always thinks ill of people and seeks to expose their faults, you should know that he is an evil person. The believer always seeks excuses for others because he is good and righteous, whereas, the hypocrite searches for the faults and defects of others given his evil nature.”
Hence, dear Muslim, beware of ill thoughts. We advise you to supplicate to Allaah to protect you from them. If you cannot dismiss your ill thoughts, then the least you can do is to remain silent and avoid speaking about them. If you manage to get rid of these ill thoughts, then you would have escaped a grave danger. Otherwise, perhaps you will not be saved.
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In this article, we will talk about hoping for Allah's mercy. The believers’ relationship with their Lord is characterized both by fear and hope, such that the former deters them from sins and disobedience, whereas the latter drives them towards good deeds.
Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
“Hoping for the reward of Allah is one of the most supreme and honorable ranks of one who pursues the right path. Allah The Almighty praises those ]who do that[, when He Says )what means(:}There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and ]who[ remembers Allah often.{]Quran 33:21[ It was also narrated in a Hadeeth Qudsi, that Allah The Almighty Says: ‘O son of Adam, If you supplicate to Me, expecting My forgiveness, I will forgive you however great or many your sins may be.’ When a person has hope, it means that he or she is bound and attached to these names of his or her Lord: “The Benevolent, The Beneficent”. The more one knows Allah The Almighty, His names, attributes and the dominance of His mercy over His wrath, the more his or her hope increases ]in Him[. Had it not been for hope, the servitude of the heart and organs ]to Allah[ would have ceased, and monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where the name of Allah is frequently mentioned, would have been demolished. If not for the spirit of hope, ]our[ limbs would not have performed acts of obedience, and neither would the ships of good deeds have sailed in the seas of will without its pleasant breeze.”
Similarly, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“If a believer ]truly[ knew of the punishment of Allah, no one would expect His Paradise. Equally, were a disbeliever to know of the ]actual[ mercy of Allah, none would despair of His Paradise.”‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, remarked, “The most encouraging verse in the Quran is in the Chapter Az-Zumar )The Groups(; Allah The Almighty Says )what means(,}Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves ]by sinning[, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."{]Quran 39:53[”
One of those who visited Maalik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy upon him, during the night in which he died, asked him, “O Abu ‘Abdullaah, how do you find yourself?” He, may Allah have mercy upon him, answered, “I do not know what to say to you except that you will soon see ]aspects[ of the clemency of Allah that you have never expected.”
Glory be to Allah The Almighty! If those who turn away from Him only know how He waits for their return and how Merciful He is to them, they will long for Him enormously. Indeed, if this is His will towards such people, how will He be to those who draw near to Him? ‘Abdullaah ibn Al-Mubaarak approached Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, may Allah have mercy upon them both, on the night of ]standing in[ ‘Arafah, and found him kneeling ]in prayer[, as his eyes overflowed with tears; he asked, “Who is the worst person in this gathering ]in the plains of ‘Arafah[?’ Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, may Allah have mercy upon him, replied: “Whoever thinks that Allah will not forgive their sins ]i.e., of the people who are present[.’”
On a similar night, Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh, may Allah have mercy upon him, observed people’s glorification ]of Allah The Almighty[ and their crying, so he asked those around him: “If those people went to a man and requested one-sixth of a dirham from him, would he let them return empty-handed?” When they replied in the negative, he commented: “By Allah, pardoning is easier for Allah than ]that[.” Therefore, I implore Allah The Almighty, seeking His forgiveness, knowing fully that He absolves and forgives; even if people’s sins are great, they are minor in comparison to His mercy.
Hence, a slave should have much hope in Him, especially when he or she is on the verge of death. Allah The Almighty Says, as narrated in a Hadeeth: “I am ]to him or her[ as My slave thinks of Me.” That is why, perhaps, when Waathilah ibn Al-Asqa’, may Allah be pleased with him, went to see Yazeed ibn Al-Aswad, may Allah have mercy upon him, as he lay dying, he asked him, “What is your expectation about Allah?” The latter replied: “My sins have brought me to the brink of ruin, but I hope for the mercy of Allah.” So, Waathilah, may Allah be pleased with him, ]happily[ exclaimed “Allah is The Greatest”, and then said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say:‘Allah The Almighty Says: ‘I am as My slave thinks of Me, so let him think of Me what he wants’.’”For the same reason, when Sulaymaan At-Taymi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was dying, he instructed his son: “O Mu‘tamir, talk to me about exemptions ]in Islam[, so that I may meet Allah while having good expectations of Him.”
Hope prompts one to do good deeds
It is witnessed as a reality in life that many neglect good deeds and dare to commit evil and sins, claiming that they trust in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah The Almighty. Undoubtedly, this is a misunderstanding of the true meaning of hope. The words of Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon him, are applicable to such people mentioned above; he says: “There are people whose confidence in forgiveness diverts them from doing what is moral, so much so that they die with no virtues. They proclaim: ‘we have good expectation of Allah’. Surely, they are liars, for if they had hope ]in Him[, they would have done good ]to support their claim[.”
Allah The Almighty is indeed the most Forgiving, Ever Merciful; however, I would like to draw your attention, dear reader, to the subtle meaning embedded in the verse )which means(:}Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah - those expect the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.{]Quran 2:218[. Contemplate how this verse alludes to these people hoping for the mercy of Allah The Almighty alongside doing those great noble deeds.
Dear Muslim, let us, then, do good and repent from our sins and evil which we have committed. Let us repeat the words of Mahmood Al-Warraaq, may Allah have mercy upon him: “O Allah, I have much hope in Your forgiveness and You ]alone[ manage my affairs. I have concealed my secrets from my relatives and others; You are the only One to Whom I disclose them as I am confident that You will veil them. O Allah! Do not fail me on the Day of Resurrection when all hidden matters will be exposed. O Allah, do not reveal my secrets before people; Your protection will provide me with an argument ]for my forgiveness[, even though I have no basis for contention or a real excuse.”
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