Soul Purification, - Asceticism is the Way to be Loved - I

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Asceticism, or Zuhd, is to abandon the desire for something for the sake of something which is better, and to abandon the comfort of this world for the sake of that of the Hereafter. It also means that the heart should not desire anything that one does not possess. Knowing that this worldly life is temporary and will eventually come to an end helps the slave of Allaah to be this way.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of rain whose ]resulting[ plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes ]scattered[ debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allaah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.{]Quran 57:20[ Allaah The Almighty has called this life the “enjoyment of delusion” and has forbidden us from being deceived by it. He has also informed us of the evil end of those who are deceived by this worldly life, He warns us of being considered with the same recompense that they deserved for what they committed and has dispraised whoever is satisfied or feels secure therein. He has dispraised such people because He knows that after this worldly life is an abode which is greater and more honored: the home of final settlement.
In addition, the slave of Allaah the Almighty knows that his asceticism in this worldly life will not prevent him from receiving what was decreed for him and his keenness on it does not bring him what was not decreed for him. When the slave of Allaah The Almighty is certain of this fact, he will abandon the inclination to things that do not bring benefit in the Hereafter. However, being ascetic towards things that bring benefit in the Hereafter is not a religious act and its doer is addressed in the verse in which Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allaah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allaah does not like transgressors.{]Quran 5:87[
The Essence of Asceticism
Asceticism in this worldly life does not mean that one should reject it, as Sulaymaan )Solomon( and Daawood )David(, may Allaah exalt their mention, were the most ascetic men of their time while they had considerable wealth, kingship and a number of wives. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the most ascetic person ever, yet he had nine wives. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, Az-Zubayr and ‘Uthmaan, may Allaah be pleased with them, and many others were ascetic people while they were wealthy. Imaam Ahmad was asked, “Can a rich person be ascetic?” He answered, “Yes, if he does not rejoice with the increase of his wealth or grieve over its decrease.”
Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “Asceticism does not mean wasting wealth or making what is lawful unlawful; rather, it is to have confidence in what is in the Hand of Allaah more than what is in one’s own hand, and ]it is also[ that one’s condition at the time of a calamity and that under normal circumstances is alike; and to have the same attitude towards the one who praises you and the one who dispraises you for the sake of the truth.” This is true asceticism, therefore, a slave of Allaah The Almighty might be the richest person, yet he is of the most ascetic because his heart is not attached to this worldly life. On the other hand, another slave of Allaah The Almighty may be the poorest of people, but he is not an ascetic at all because his heart clings to this worldly life.
Kinds of Asceticism
Asceticism with regards to abstaining from what is unlawful is an individual obligation, and abandoning suspicious matters is obligatory if it is a strong suspicion; however, if it is weak, abandoning the suspicious matter is merely recommended. There is asceticism with regards to abandoning speech, looking, inquiring, meeting and other things that are not required or called for. Also, there is asceticism regarding people and asceticism regarding one's own self when one sacrifices himself in the cause of Allaah The Almighty. The comprehensive asceticism is being ascetic in everything except in things that are with Allaah The Almighty and being ascetic in everything that keeps him away from Him. The best kind of asceticism is one that is concealed, and the most difficult kind is in things that are lawful.
Virtues of Asceticism
In many verses, Allaah The Almighty praises asceticism and dispraises any inclination to worldly life, as He the Almighty Says )what means(:
•}And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except ]brief[ enjoyment.{]Quran 13:26[
•}The example of ]this[ worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - ]those[ from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.{]Quran 10:24[
•}In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exult ]in pride[ over what He has given you. And Allaah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful -{]Quran 57:23[
Also, Allaah The Almighty relates the story of the believing man of the family of Fir‘awn )Pharaoh(, where He Says )what means(:}O my people, this worldly life is only ]temporary[ enjoyment, and indeed, the Hereafter - that is the home of ]permanent[ settlement.{]Quran 40:39[
Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“I forbade you to visit graves, but you may now visit them as this would make you ascetic towards this worldly life and remind you of the Hereafter.”Sahl ibn Sa‘d As-Saa‘idi, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “A man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, guide me to an action which, if I do it, Allaah will love me and the people will also love me.’ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:‘Be ascetic in this worldly life and Allaah would love you. Be ascetic towards what is in the hands of others ]meaning, do not desire what is in their possession[ and they would love you.’”Sahl ibn Sa‘d As-Saa‘idi, may Allaah be pleased with him, also said, “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:‘Were this worldly life worth even the wing of a mosquito in the sight of Allaah, He would not have given even a drink of water to a disbeliever in this worldly life.’”
The Prophets Were the most Ascetic of People
The Prophets and Messengers are examples for people in their asceticism in this worldly life and inclination to the Hereafter, as Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}They are the ones whom Allaah has guided, so from their guidance take an example.{]Quran 6:90[ Anyone who reads the biography of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would know how he would patch up his own garment, mend his shoes and milk his sheep. Also, he never quenched his hunger, even with barley bread, for two consecutive days until he died, and would even pass whole days without eating, not even finding degraded dates to eat. Also, in the Battle of Al-Ahzaab, he became so hungry that he tied a rock on his stomach, and three months would pass and he and his family would not light a fire in their house in order to cook; their only sustenance would be dates and water. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would say:“O Allaah, there is no true life except that of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansaar and the Muhaajiroon.”‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, “The bedding of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a piece of tanned skin stuffed with palm fibers.” She once bought out a patched-up upper garment and a thick lower garment and said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, died wearing these two.”

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Soul Purification, - The Glory of Faith

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Haaroon Ar-Rasheed, may Allaah have mercy upon him, once stood looking at the sky when he saw a cloud passing by. He addressed it saying, “Rain wherever you wish, for your fruit will certainly come to me anyway.” This means that the cloud would have rained either on an Islamic land or on a non-Islamic one. In the first case, Muslims would have benefitted from this rainwater in agriculture and in drinking; in the second case, Muslims would have also benefitted from this rainwater in the form of Jizyah )a tax( that would be paid to them by non-Muslims. This example shows the state of glory, which the Muslims reached in the past when they applied their religion and worked for it. Nowadays, Muslims are certainly required to pursue the means of glory.
Glory here refers to power, victory, high standing and invincibility. It is a word which denotes that a person cannot be overcome or humiliated. Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
Some of the scholars of Tafseer )Quranic exegesis( said, “In the Quran, glory is used in three different senses.
It is used to signify might, as in the verse )which means(:
•}“By the might of Pharaoh, indeed it is we who are predominant.”{]Quran 26:44[
•}By Your might, I will surely mislead them all{]Quran 38:82[
It is also used to signify honor, as in the verse )which means(:}Do they seek with them honor ]through power[? But indeed, honor belongs to Allaah entirely.{]Quran 4:139[
Finally, it is used to signify dispraised pride as in the verse )which means(:
•}And when it is said to him, “Fear Allah ,” pride in the sin takes hold of him.{]Quran 2:206[
•}But those who disbelieve are in pride and dissension.{]Quran 38:2[
From the above, it is noticed that there is praised glory and dispraised glory. Praised glory is that which pertains to Allaah The Almighty, to His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and to the believers. This is real and permanent glory since it is from and with the support of Allaah The Almighty who cannot be defeated or resisted. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And to Allaah belongs ]all[ Honor and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.{]Quran 63:8[.
On the other hand, the glory of the disbelievers is, in fact, humiliation and disgrace. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And they have taken besides Allaah ]false[ deities that they would be for them ]a source of[ honor. No! Those "gods" will deny their worship of them and will be against them opponents ]on the Day of Judgment[.{]Quran 19:81-82[.
Many people pursued the wrong way to glory, victory and enablement. Some of them pursued it through money and forgot that money is only a Fitnah )trial( and a loss if one does not give the right that Allaah The Almighty has to it. Moreover, this money might be a means of humiliation. Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “By Allaah, Allaah The Almighty humiliates whoever glorifies money.” Indeed, we have seen a many examples of that in life.
Other people seek glory through their positions and prestige. This may enable them to achieve temporary glory. However, if this is not established on justice and good reputation, then it certainly will not last. Indeed, many a leader and president were enjoying glory and then became captives in prisons, and their glory turned into humiliation.
What is even more dangerous is when a person seeks glory through the disbelievers, i.e. by allying himself with them, even if this is against the Muslims’ interests. This is no more than an illusion. In fact, it is an instant humiliation, and the first people to turn against such people would be his ‘allies’ from the disbelievers. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment - Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor ]through power[? But indeed, honor belongs to Allaah entirely.{]Quran 4:138-139[ Consequently, throwing one’s self in the arms of the disbelievers is the shortest way to dishonor and humiliation because these disbelievers would not accept from us anything less than disbelief. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion.{]Quran 2:120[.
Other people still seek glory through their ancestors and tribes, even if they were misguided. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Rayhaanah, may Allaah be pleased with him, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“If a person attributes himself to nine of his disbelieving forefathers, seeking through them glory and pride, he will be their tenth in Hell.”
Hence, the unquestionable truth is that a person who seeks glory must demand it from Allaah The Almighty through obeying Him and avoiding disobedience. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, summarized this wonderful meaning in a few words; He said, “We were the most humiliated people, but Allaah The Almighty has honored us with Islam. If we demand honor through any means other than Islam, Allaah The Almighty will humiliate us.”
Ibraaheem ibn Shaybaan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “Honor lies in modesty, glory lies in piety, and freedom lies in contentment.” When a Muslim lives in obedience to Allaah The Almighty, he lives in honor and dignity. He may be afflicted, but nevertheless he has a strong sense of honor. This appeared clearly in the life of the righteous predecessors, may Allaah be pleased with them, even in the darkest moments and in the severest and hardest situations.
Situations Which Indicate the Glory of the Righteous Predecessors
When Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, was tortured in Makkah in its hot desert and a great heavy boulder was put on his chest, not to make him abandon his faith but only to stop blaspheming his peoples false gods or to keep silent, the honor of faith showed in his words when he repeated, “Allaah The One, Allaah The One.” This remained as an eternal anthem which the generations have chanted throughout history. In addition, the words of Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, poured despair into the souls of those who tortured him. So, who was honorable in this scene? Was it this weak, tortured slave or the arrogant disbelievers?
The story of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah As-Sahmi , may Allaah be pleased with him, when he was taken captive by the Romans is another example. The king of the Romans tried to entice ‘Abdullaah to abandon his religion, but he refused. The king offered him half of his money but he refused. Then, he imprisoned him, tortured him and did not give him any food or water except some pig meat and wine. After three days, they brought him out and found that he had eaten nothing of it. When he was asked why had he not eaten any of it, he replied, “By Allaah, Allaah The Exalted made it lawful for me because I was under duress, but I would never let you gloat over Islam.” Then, the king asked him to kiss his head in return for releasing him but Ibn Huthaafah, may Allaah be pleased with him, said that he would only do so if all the Muslim captives were released. The king accepted and Ibn Huthaafah, may Allaah be pleased with him, kissed his head.
He then returned to the Commander of the Believers ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, with all the Muslim captives. ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, stood up and kissed the head of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah, and said, “It is a duty upon every Muslim to kiss the head of Ibn Huthaafah.”
Also, Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was prosecuted and imprisoned. When he was thrown in prison, he recited the words of Allaah The Almighty )which mean(:}And a wall will be placed between them with a door, its interior containing mercy, but on the outside of it is torment.{]Quran 57:13[. This is the glory of faith and the pride of Islam which make a person the most honorable one through the obedience of Allaah The Almighty. Even if all people on earth stood against such a person, he would still derive his honor and glory from Allaah The Almighty who can never be defeated. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Whoever desires honor ]through power[ - then to Allaah belongs all honor.{]Quran 35:10[.
The state of humiliation which prevails in many aspects of our lives nowadays is the result of religious innovations, sins and remoteness from the Sharee'ah of Allaah The Almighty. This is supported by the Hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, where he said:“Humiliation and disgrace are the fate of whoever disobeys my order.”A major reason behind this humiliation is the state of disagreement and disunity that the Muslims experience. Our enemies take advantage of us one by one; they strike one of us today and another tomorrow while Muslims take no action, as if what happens to our brothers does not concern us. History testifies that we were never like this in the past. When a Muslim woman, who was taken as a captive by the Romans in ‘Amooriyyah, screamed for help uttering her famous scream, “Wa Islaamaah” )Oh My Islam!(, Al- Mu‘tasim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, answered her call with full concern, “Labbayki ]at your disposal[” and prepared an army which heavily defeated ‘Amooriyyah and rescued the Muslim woman from the hands of the disbelievers. We should ask ourselves here: what tie was there between Al-Mu‘tasim and that woman except the tie of faith?

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Dought & clear, - There is nothing wrong with breaking up a single verse over two rak‘ahs, but that is contrary to what is preferable

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In Taraweeh prayer, the imam used to recite the verse on debt in Soorat al-Baqarah, but he recited it over four rak‘ahs, breaking it into several parts.
Is that permissible?
Praise be to Allah
It is permissible for the worshipper, after reciting al-Faatihah, to recite part of a verse, especially the lengthy verses such as the verse on debt. There is nothing wrong with breaking it up and reciting it over two rak‘ahs. There are several texts which indicate that.
Firstly:
All of the Noble Qur’an is the word of Allah, may He be exalted, and in all of its sentences and words there is reward and virtue. Whoever recites a few words of it, or some verses, has recited something of the words of Allah, may He be exalted, and will attain the reward for that, by Allah’s leave. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So, recite of the Quran as much as may be easy for you”
[al-Muzzammil 73:20].
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:“Whoever reads one letter of the Book of Allah will have one hasanah for it, and each hasanah is a tenfold reward. I do not say that alif-laam-meem is a letter, rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter.”
Narrated and classed as saheeh hasan ghareeb by at-Tirmidhi; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi.
Secondly:
Many verses include a number of complete and independent meanings, which makes each one of them suitable to be recited and reflected upon by itself, such as the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So unto this (religion of Islam, alone and this Quran) then invite (people) (O Muhammad SAW), and Istaqim ((i.e. stand firm and straight on Islamic Monotheism by performing all that is ordained by Allah (good deeds, etc.), and by abstaining from all that is forbidden by Allah (sins and evil deeds, etc.)), as you are commanded, and follow not their desires but say: "I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Book (all the holy Books, this Quran and the Books of the old from the Taurat (Torah), or the Injeel (Gospel) or the Pages of Ibrahim (Abraham)) and I am commanded to do justice among you, Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us our deeds and for you your deeds. There is no dispute between us and you. Allah will assemble us (all), and to Him is the final return”
[ash-Shoora 42:15].
So if a person recites part of this verse with a complete meaning, for example, there is nothing wrong with that.
Thirdly:
There is no report of any prohibition on breaking up a single verse or even on breaking up a single soorah. As no such prohibition has been narrated, and the general basic principle indicates that it is permissible, the ruling on that is that which is indicated by the general basic principle.
Fourthly:
In the words of the fuqaha’ we find that which also clearly indicates that this is permissible.
Ibn al-Hammaam al-Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he recites half of a lengthy verse such as Aayat al-Kursiy or the verse on debt, it was said that it is not permissible because it is not a complete verse, but the majority (of scholars) are of the view that it is permissible… This was stated definitively by al-Qadoori, who said: The correct view according to the madhhab of Abu Haneefah (may Allah have mercy on him) is that whatever may be called Qur’an is permissible. This is also the view of Ibn ‘Abbaas, who said: Recite whatever you have learned of Qur’an, and nothing of the Qur’an can be regarded as too little.
End quote fromFath al-Qadeer, 1/333
An-Nafraawi al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on him) said: After reciting al-Faatihah, you may recite – as it is Sunnah – something from the Qur’an, even if it is a short verse, such as“With spreading branches” [ar-Rahmaan 55:48]and“Dark green (in colour)” [ar-Rahmaan 55:64], or part of a lengthy verse such as the verse of debt. But it is preferable to recite a complete soorah.
See:al-Fawaakih ad-Dawaani, 1/178;Haashiyat ad-Dasooqi, 1/242
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One may attain the Sunnah action with less than a verse.
End quote fromal-Minhaaj al-Qaweem Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah, p. 99
Al-Bujayrimi ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he recites part of a verse, he will have attained the Sunnah action, and that is acceptable if it conveys a complete meaning, such as a short verse that gives a complete meaning.
End quote fromTuhfat al-Habeeb ‘ala Sharh al-Khateeb, 2/68
Al-Mardaawi al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The correct view is that reciting a soorah after al-Faatihah in the first two rak‘ahs is Sunnah. This is the view of our companions… It says inal-Furoo‘: What appears to be the case is that even part of a verse (is sufficient), because of the apparent meaning of the report.
End quote fromal-Insaaf, 2/120
Fifthly:
However, we say that this action is contrary to what is preferable, because a single verse is discussing one topic, and the words of this verse are interconnected, so breaking it up usually leads to an incomplete meaning and damaging the context. Hence the early generations regarded it as mustahabb (preferable) to recite a complete soorah, and to avoid breaking it up in more than one rak‘ah. So it is more apt to say that this is also preferable with regard to a single verse, even if it is lengthy. It says in the saheeh hadeeth – about the story of the Ansaari who was struck by an arrow (shot by a mushrik) when he was praying –: When the Muhaajiri saw the blood of the Ansaari, he said: Subhaan Allah! Why did you not alert me the first time he shot (the arrow)? He said: I was reciting a soorah and I did not want to interrupt it.
Narrated by Abu Dawood in as-Sunan, 198; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Give each soorah its due of focus of mind and humility. Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah inal-Musannaf, 1/324
Hence Ibn al-Qayyim said:
It was the practice of (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) to recite a soorah in full, or sometimes he would recite it over two rak‘ahs, or he would recite the beginning of the soorah. With regard to reciting the last few verses of a soorah, or verses from the middle of it, that was not narrated from him.
And Allah knows best.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M