Reflecting on the Quran - A cure for the hearts - II

Fruits of Reflection
A slave whom Allaah The Almighty guides to reflect upon the Quran
obtains much goodness. Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
There is nothing that is more beneficial for the slave in his life and
the Hereafter, and more influential as a cause of salvation than
reflecting upon the Quran aswell as lengthy pondering upon and deep
thinking about the meaning of its verses. This helps a slave be aware
of all the traits of evil and good, in addition to the ways, causes,
objectives, fruits and destiny of their people.Reflecting on the Quran
places the keys of happiness and beneficial knowledge into the hands
of the slave. It firmly fixes the foundations of faith in his heart,
enables him to see past nations, shows him what Allaah The Almighty
did with them and gives him valuable lessons. It acquaints man with
the justice and bounty of Allaah The Almighty, His Self, His names,
His attributes and actions, what He Loves and what He does not Love.It
shows him the way that leads to Allaah The Exalted, what is prepared
for those who seek this way, and what hinders and disturbs [people on]
this way.
Such reflection provides a slave with information about the soul and
its characteristics and what spoils or corrects a person's deeds. It
shows him the way of the people of Paradise and the inmates of Hell,
as well as their deeds, conditions and features. Itshows the degrees
of the people of happiness and the people of wretchedness and the
categories of creation and what they have incommon or differ in. As a
whole, it makes a person know His Lord, the way that leads to Him and
the honor that is stored for a person when he meets Him.
On the other hand, reflecting upon the Quran acquaints a person with
what Satan calls for and the ways that lead to him, aswell as the
humiliation and torment that a person will receive after reaching the
way of Satan. It is necessary that a slave understands and knows these
things, because this exposes the Hereafter to him as if he is
experiencing it, and distracts himfrom this world as if he does not
live in it. Moreover, it makes him distinguish between truth and
falsehood so that he sees them inreality. It gives him a discerning
criterion through which he may distinguish between guidance and
misguidance, and between evildoing and good deeds. It throws strength
into his heart and gives him abundance, life, comfort, delight and
happiness. Accordingly, such a person's concerns will be different
from that of others.
Indeed, the meanings of the Quran are based on Tawheed (monotheism)
and its proofs, knowing Allaah The Almighty, His Attributes of
perfection and freeness from imperfections, and that He is far exalted
above everything else. It is also based on belief in the messengers of
Allaah, mentioning the proofs that support their truthfulness and
prophethood and recognizing their rights and the rights of the One who
sent them. The meaning of the Quran is also based on belief in the
angels of Allaah, who are His messengers that execute His Orders and
manage His affairs according to His will and permission. They are also
concerned with clarifying theaffairs of the upper and lower worlds
that the angels are appointed to maintain and manage, as well as being
concerned with clarifying which angels are assigned the tasks that
pertain to humankind from the time a person is in his mother's womb
until he meets Allaah The Almighty.
The meaning of the Quran is also concerned with belief in the
Hereafter: what Allaah The Almighty has prepared for His righteous
allies in Paradise wherethey feel no pain, misery or trouble, and what
Allaah The Almighty has prepared for His enemies in Hell, where they
will find no happiness, prosperity or rest. It clearly sets out all
relevantmatters in detail: commands and prohibitions, Sharee'ah and
fate, the lawful and the unlawful, admonitions and lessons, stories
and parables, causes and pearls of wisdom, and the principles and
objectives behind creation and the orders of Allaah The Almighty.
The meanings of the Quran stir a person to come to Allaah The Almighty
through its good promises, and warn and frighten him against His
severe punishment. It encourages a person not to indulge in the
luxuries of this life and to avoid things that would not be in his
favor when he is questioned on the Day of Judgement. It guides him
amidst the darkness of opinions and methodologies to the straight
path, bars him from breaking into ways of religious innovations and
misguidance, and motivates him to be grateful to Allaah so that his
blessings may increase. It makes him aware of the boundaries of the
lawful and the unlawful and prevents him from transgressing,in order
that he would not be exposed to a long suffering. It firmly keeps his
heart away from wrongdoing and deviation from the truth. It makes
difficult matters and hindrances easy for him. Whenever determination
weakens or a person lags behind,it addresses him saying : "The caravan
advanced and you missedthe guide, thus join them and migrate." Then it
moves in front of him as a guide. Whenever he faces an ambush from an
enemy or a highwayman, it calls him: "Beware and take care! Seek
support and protection in Allaah and say, 'Sufficient for me is
Allaah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.'"
Indeed, pondering, understanding and reflecting on the Quran brings
about pearls of wisdom and benefits, even greater than what we have
described above.
Reflecting on the Quran - A cure

Reflecting on the Quran - A cure for the hearts - I

In Quran, Allaah The Almighty said that He has revealed to be
implemented as a complete way of life for people. Therefore,
undoubtedly, the recitation of the Quran is one of the most beloved
acts of worshiping Allaah The Almighty. It is also certain that
reciting the Quran without understanding or reflection is not the
goal: the main objective is that a reciter wholeheartedly ponders the
meaning of the Quran and fully reflects on, understands and thinks
about its secrets and pearls of wisdom.
The Quran Calls for Reflection
Allaah The Almighty invites us to reflect on His Book and ponder
itsmeanings and secrets; He Says (what means): } [This is] a
blessedBook which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they
might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be
reminded. { [Quran 38:29]
The Quran reproaches those who do not reflect on it or extract its
meanings. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } Then do theynot
reflect upon the Quran? If it had been from [any] other than Allaah,
they would have found within it much contradiction. Andwhen there
comes to them information about [public] security or fear, they spread
it around. But if they had referred itback to the Messenger or to
those of authority among them, then the ones who [can] draw correct
conclusions from it wouldhave known about it. And if not for the favor
of Allaah upon you and His mercy, you would have followed Satan,
except for a few. { [Quran 4:82-83]
Also, people differ when it comesto their listening to the Quran.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And how many a generation
before them did We destroy who were greater than them in [striking]
power and had explored throughout the lands. Isthere any place of
escape? Indeedin that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who
listens while he is present [in mind]. { [Quran 50:36-37]
Ibn Al-Qayyim said about these verses,
There are three types of people with respect to these verses:
(1) A person with a dead heart. This is the person who has no heart,
so this verse is not a reminder to him.
(2) A person with a somewhat living and ready heart, but who does not
listen to the recited verses of the Quran through which Allaah The
Almighty conveys His manifest signs. He does not listen to its verses
either, because they do not reachhim or because they reach him while
his heart is occupied with other things. The heart of this person is
not present, and hence this person does not receive the benefits of
the reminder, even though his heart is ready to receive it.
(3) A person with an alive and ready heart. When the Quranic verses
are recited to him he attentively listens: he does not keep his heart
busy with anything except understanding the verses that he is
listening to. This person has present, attentive ears and heart.
Therefore he benefits from the recited verses and witnessed signs.
Indeed, the first type of person is like a blind man who does not see;
and the second is like a person who sees but looks in the opposite
direction. Both do not perceive the Quran. The third typeis like a
person who sees and looks at his target, follows it with his eyes and
meets it in the middle, not far or near. This is the person who really
perceives it. Glory be to Allaah who made His words a cure for what is
in the heart!
Moreover a person may have a spirited heart that is able to extract
lessons and derive wisdom. This type of heart makesa person remindful
and able to learn lessons. Once he hears a verse it adds much light to
him. These are the perfect creatures ofAllaah who enjoy the greatest
faith and insight. They grasp what the Prophet, , told themas if they
witnessed it, but do notover-scrutinize it. It is said that the
example of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq with the Prophet, , is like that of two
persons who enter a house. One of them watches its details and minute
aspects whereas the other touches what is inside the house without
fully perceiving or comprehending its details, but only knows that it
has great things that his eyes could not have perceived. Both of them
then leave and then the latter asks the former about what he saw
inside the house – and whatever he tells him about it, hebelieves him
due to the proofs that he has witnessed. This is thehighest degree of
As-Siddeeqiyyah (steadfast affirmation of truth) and it is not
farfetched that Allaah, who is theConferrer of Favors, endows a slave
with faith like this, for the bounties of Allaah The Almighty are
beyond count and expectation.
If the owner of such a heart hears verses while he has insight in his
heart, this will add more light to his light. Conversely, a person who
lacks this type of heart but attentively listens and his heart is
witnessing this, will nevertheless receive the reminder. Allaah The
Almighty Says (what means): } And [even] if it is not hit by a
downpour, then a drizzle [is sufficient]. { [Quran 2:265] Similarly,
all acts of goodness may vary in their types and ranks, like a
downpour and adrizzle, and so are their effects and causes. Likewise,
people of Paradise are of types: forerunnerswho are closer to Allaah
The Almighty and companions of the right, and between them are great
degrees of preference.
The Prophet, , Reflected upon the Quran.
Huthayfah said: "I prayed with the Messenger of Allaah one night and
he started recitingSoorat Al-Baqarah. I thought thathe would bow at
the end of one hundred verses, but he continued. I then thought that
hewould perhaps recite the whole Soorah in one Rak'ah, but he
continued. He then started reciting Soorat An-Nisaa', then started
Aal-'Imraan and recited leisurely. When he recited a verse which
referred to the glory of Allaah, he would glorify Him. When he recited
a verse which contained a supplication, he would supplicate. When he
recited a verse that dealt with seeking refuge with Allaah, he would
seek refuge with Him." [Muslim]
The Prophet, , wept when IbnMas'ood recited before him the verse from
Soorat An - Nisaa' (which means): } So how [will it be] when We bring
from every nation a witness and we bring you, [O Muhammad] against
these [people] as a witness? { [Quran 4:41]
Could this have occurred without reflection? The Prophet, , would
invite people to reflect on and understand the meanings of the Quran.
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } Indeed, in the creation of
the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day
are signs for those of understanding. Who remember Allaah while
standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the
creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did
not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then
protect us from the punishment of the Fire." { [Quran 3:190-191] When
this verse was revealed theProphet, , said: "Woe to whoever reads it
without pondering on it."
The Righteous Predecessors' Reflection on the Quran
Ibn 'Abbaas said: "Performingtwo Rak'ahs with reflection is better
than performing prayers all night without heart (reflection)."
Al-Fudhayl said, "The Quran was revealed to be implemented, but people
made its recitation their aim." People asked, "How do we implement the
Quran?" He replied, "By holding its permissible acts to be permissible
and its prohibited acts to be prohibited, abiding by its orders and
abandoning its prohibitions, and reflecting on itswonders."
Some of the righteous predecessors would perform prayers all night,
reciting one verse and reiterating it, pondering its meanings and
reflecting on it. Their aim was not to read the Quran in full, rather
their main concern was to read with reflection and understanding.
Muhammad ibn Ka'b Al-Qurathi said, "I read only Soorat Az-Zalzalah and
Al-Qaari'ah [chapters 99 and 101] during my prayers at night,
repeating and pondering on them, and this is more preferableto me than
reading the whole

The Heart Softeners - , Conditions for deeds to be acceptable to Allaah .

When a Muslim does an action, what conditions make it acceptable and
therefore rewarded by Allah. Is it simply that you intended to follow
the Qur'an and Sunnah, and therefore you will be rewarded even though
you may have been wrong in your action. Or is it that you must have
the intention, but you also need to follow the correct Sunnah as well.
Praise be to Allaah.
For acts of worship to beacceptable to Allaah and for a person to be
rewarded for them, there are two conditionswhich must be met:
The first condition: it should be devoted to Allaah Alone. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And they were commanded not, but that they should worshipAllaah, and
worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to
Him)"
[al-Bayyinah 98:5]
The meaning of worshipping Allaah alone is that the person should
intend in all his words and deeds, both inward and outward, to seek
the Face of Allaah (i.e., His pleasure). Allaahsays (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,
Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord,the Most High"
[al-Layl 92:19]
"(Saying): "We feed you seeking Allaah's Countenance only. We wish for
no reward, nor thanks from you"
[al-Insaan 76:9]
"Whosoever desires (by his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give
him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this
world (by his deeds),We give him thereof (what is decreed for him),
and he has no portion in the Hereafter"
[al-Shoora 42:20]
"Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter, to them We
shall pay in full (the wages of)their deeds therein, and they will
have no diminution therein.
They are those for whomthere is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire, and
vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which
they used to do"
[Hood 11:15-16]
It was narrated that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say:
'The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will
get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated
for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for
what he emigrated for.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bad' al-Wahy, 1).
It was narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah, may
He be blessed and exalted, says: 'I am so self-sufficient that I am in
no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone
else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to
him whom he associated with Me.'" (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd
wa'l-Raqaa'iq, 5300)
The second condition is that the action should bein accordance with
the only way which Allaah has prescribed for worship, which is by
following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
the laws that he has brought. It was narratedthat the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever does any action
that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will
have it rejected." (Narrated by Muslim, al-Aqdiyyah, 3243).
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:"This hadeeth forms one
of the most important principles of Islam. It is like a scale for
weighing up deeds according to their outward appearance, just as the
hadeeth 'The reward of deeds depends upon theintentions' is the means
of weighing up the inner nature of deeds. Just as every action which
is not intended for the sake of Allaah brings no reward to the one who
does it, so too every deed which is not in accordance with the command
of Allaah and His Messenger will also be rejected and thrown back at
the one who does it. Everyone who innovates in Islam something for
which Allaah and His Messengerhave not granted permission, that thing
is nothing to do with Islam.
(Jaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hukam, part 1, p. 176)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined
following his Sunnah and teachings, and made them binding. He (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "You have to followmy
Sunnah (way) and the way of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa'
al-raashidoon); bite ontoit with your eyeteeth (i.e., cling firmly to
it)." And he warned against bid'ah (innovation), as he said: "Beware
of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is a going
astray." (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-'Ilm, 2600; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2157)
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Allaah has made devotion of worship to Him alone
and followingthe Sunnah the means ofdeeds being accepted; if these
conditions are not met, then deeds are unaccaptable."
(al-Rooh, 1/135)
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is
best in deed"
[al-Mulk 67:2]
al-Fudayl said: "'best in deed' means, most devoted to Allaah alone
and most in accordance with the Sunnah.
And Allaah is the Source

The Heart Softeners - , The attitude of the rich Sahaabah towards helping the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by supplying food.

mentioned which says that our prophet (pbuh) suffered from hunger. For
example, Aisha (r) mentioned, Muhammad (pbuh) and his family never got
enough bread to satisfy their hunger for two days before He died.
(Bukhari and Muslim). Numan Ibn Bashir (r) said, I have seen your
prophet (s) that, He never got old or rotten dates to satisfy
Hishunger. (Muslim). My question is, isnt there any Sahaba around our
prophet (s) who can provide Him food? Usman (r) was a rich Sahaba, as
far I know. Isn't it a duty of a Muslimto take care of other Muslims,
especially if it was our beloved prophet (s)? Can you please explain?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was
the most ascetic of people; Allah did not allow any room for love of
worldly matters in his heart or let him regard such matters as being
of any importance. Ahmad (7120) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he
said: Jibreel sat with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and looked at the sky, and he saw an angeldescending.
Jibreel said: This angel has never descended since he was created,
until now. When he came down, hesaid: O Muhammad, your Lord has sent
me to you and He says: Shall He make you a Prophet-king or a
Messenger-slave? Jibreel said: Be humble before your Lord, O Muhammad.
He said: "Rather a Messenger-slave."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah, 1002
Al-Baghawi narrated in Sharh as-Sunnah (5/442)that 'Aa'ishah said: I
said:O Messenger of Allah, may Allah cause me to besacrificed for you,
eat reclining for it will be easier for you. He tilted his head until
his forehead nearly touchedthe ground and said: "No; rather I shall
eat as a slave eats and I shall sitas a slave sits."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah, 544.
The hadeeths which speak of his asceticism and lack of interest in
worldly accumulation and adornment are too numerous to be counted.
For a discussion of that and further explanation of his asceticism,
please see the answer to question no. 154864
Secondly:
The situation of most of his Companions at the beginning of Islam was
like his or close to it. Thisis explained by the report narrated by
al-Bukhaari (4242) from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who
said: When Khaybar was conquered, we said: Now we will eat our fill of
dates.
Al-Haafiz (may Allah havemercy on him) said:
This indicates that before that they were living on very little. End quote.
And he also said:
The fact of the matter is that many of them lived a life of hardship
before the Hijrah when they were in Makkah, then when they migrated to
Madinah, most of them were still like that and the Ansaar helped them
by giving them accommodation and in other ways. When they were enabled
to conquer an-Nadeer and after that, they returned the favour. End
quote.
When they became better off, they focused on spending in charity,
equipping armies and other kinds of good deeds. Some of them gave all
their wealth, some of them gave half of their wealth, some of them
would equip fighters who were goingout on campaign or takecare of
their families in their absence. This worldwas not their interest and
it never crossed their minds. Ahmad narrated in az-Zuhd (p. 36) that
Sa'eed ibn Jubayr said: 'Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased
with him) – who was one of the wealthy Sahaabah – could not
berecognised from among his slaves.
Thirdly:
No one should think thatthe Sahaabah did not pay attention to the
situation of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) or that they were heedless concerning it, even though they
knew that ifhe wanted to, he could have prayed to Allah, may He be
exalted, and He would have made him very rich. In fact they (may Allah
be pleased with them) usedto help him by giving him gifts and offering
him hospitality, especially the Ansaar. Al-Bukhaari (2567) and Muslim
(2972) narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that
she said to 'Urwah: O son of my sister, we used to look atthe crescent
moon, then the crescent moon, then the crescent moon, threecrescent
moons in two months, and no fire would be lit in the houses of the
Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). I
said: O aunt, whatdid you live on? She said: The two black ones,dates
and water, but theMessenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) had some neighbours from among the Ansaar and they had
milch-animals, and they would send some of their milk to theMessenger
of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he would
give it to us to drink.
And al-Bukhaari (2574) and Muslim (2441) narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may
Allah be pleased with her) that the people used to send their gifts
when it was 'Aa'ishah's day, seeking thereby to please the Messenger
of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
And there are many similar hadeeths.
It was narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that
they slaughtered a sheep and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: "What is left of it?" She said: There is nothing
left of it except a shoulder. He said: "All of it is left except the
shoulder!"
Narrated by Ahmad, 2372; at-Tirmidhi, 2470. He said: A saheeh hadeeth.
The members of his noble household followed his example in that
regard, to the extent that they forgot their own share compared to
what they gave to other people, as they gave them precedence over
themselves.
It was narrated from Hishaam ibn 'Urwah, from his father, that
Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan sent one hundred thousand (i.e., money) to
'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she shared it out until
there was nothing left of it. Bareerah said: You are fasting; why did
you not buy a dirham's worth of meat for us? 'Aa'ishah said: If I had
been reminded, I would have done that.
Narrated by al-Haakim inal-Mustadrak, 4/15; adh-Dhahabi in at-Talkhees.


--
- *-Visit -http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/- [ Usefull Islamic &
General Articles]
- - - - -
Presented by :->
" M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA "

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤