Examples for good ends

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none
worthy of worship except Allaah and thatMuhammadis His Slave and
Messenger;as well as his family and all his companions.
Fear of an evil end had broken the hearts of our
righteousSalaf)predecessors(.Sufyaan Ath-Thawricried one night until
the morning, and when he was asked whether he cried due to his fear of
his sins, he replied:"No, I am more scared of having an evil end"
Ibn Katheer,said:"People who are righteous inwardly and outwardly and
whose actions coincide with their words, Allaah willing, will not have
an evil way to end their lives; and never was this reported about
anyone before. It is only those who are evil inwardly and outwardly;
those who are daring and indulge in major great sins and who are
frequent in committing minor sins. This type of people, who are used
to this practice will continue to do so until they die without
repenting."
The Prophetsaid:"Verily, deeds are but by the way they
end."]Al-Bukhaari[. This is why our right predecessorsfeared their
ends because no one knows how he will end his life and in which state
he will depart.
For this reason,Huthayfah,was happy to die before the trials about
which the Prophet,, informed them and said:"All perfect praise be to
Allaah who has hastened my death before these trials".
One of the signs indicating that the person died whilst having a good
end is dying whilst performing a righteous deed.Anas,narrated that he
heard the Prophetsaying:"Do not be impressed with someone's actions
)thinking they are righteous( until you see how his end is, because
one would be performing a )righteous( deed for a long period of his
life, and should he die upon such a deed he would enter Paradise, but
he switches to performing evil deeds )before his death(. The slave
would be performing a )bad( deed for a long period of his life, and
should he die upon such a deed he would enter Hell, but he switches to
performing good deeds )before his death( and when Allaah Wills good
for a slave He uses him before his death"The companionsasked:"O
messenger of Allaah! How does Allaah use him?"He,, responded:"He
enables him to perform a good deed, then ends his life upon
it."]Ahmad[
Huthayfah,narrated that the Messenger of Allaah,said:"He who says;
'Laa ilaaha illallaah' )i.e., 'None is worthy of worship except
Allaah'( seeking the pleasure of Allaah, and it being his final
statement, will enter Paradise; he who fasts sincerely, seeking the
pleasure of Allaah, and died whilst in this state, will enter
Paradise; he who spends in charity, sincerely seeking the pleasure of
Allaah, and it being the last thing he did before dieing, will enter
Paradise."
Jaabir,reported:"I heard the Prophetsaying:"Every slave will be
resurrected in the state upon which he died"]Muslim[. Imaam
As-Suyootisaid:"This narration refers to the state of obedience or
disobedience".Maalik Ibn Deenaarused to say:"If I can afford
)physically( not to ever sleep I would not sleep"he was asked about
the reason, to which he said:"I fear that the angel of death would
come to me whilst I am sleeping and I would like that he comes whilst
I am engaged in a righteous deed".
An example highlighting one of the best ways to die is for a
disbeliever to embrace Islaam then immediately die.Anasreported:"A
young Jewish boy who was in the service of the Prophetfell ill. The
Prophetwent to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to
him:"Embrace Islam."The little boy looked at his father who was
sitting beside him. He said: 'Obey Abul-Qaasim )i.e., the Messenger of
Allaah(.' So he embraced Islam and the Prophetstepped out
saying:"Praise be to Allaah Who has saved him from
Hell-fire."]Al-Bukhaari[.
Allaah guided a man from the Philippines to the light of Islaam on
Wednesday in the city ofTaa'ifin the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he
was taught some of the merits of Islaam and on Thursday he started
reciting some chapters of the Qur'aan and on Friday morning he passed
away, after only two days of him becoming a Muslim.
Uttering the testimonies of faith prior to death is a good deed and
another example for one's good end.Mu'aath ibn Jabal,narrated that the
Prophetsaid:"He whose final words are: 'Laa Ilaaha Illallaah' )i.e.,
'None is worthy of worship except Allaah'( will enter
Paradise."]Al-Haakim[.
'Abdullaah Ibn 'Amr Ibn Al-'Aas,reported that when his fatherwas on
his death bed he said:"O Allaah! You commanded me with many commands
and I fell short in many of them. O Allaah! You forbade me from many
matters, but I transgressed. O Allaah! None has the right to be
worshipped but You"then he continued repeating this until he died.
Many of theSalafdied whilst praying, which is another example for a
good way to end life.'Abdullaah Ibn Abi As-Sarhsupplicated one night
after having performedQiyaamsaying:"O Allaah! Make my last deed in
this life the performance of Fajr prayer"Then he performed ablution
and prayedFajrand died whilst concluding his prayer.
Abu Tha'labahused to say:"I hope that Allaah will not make me suffer
upon death like I see some people do"Then he started
performingQiyaamand died whilst in the position of prostration. That
night his daughter saw in her dream that her father died, so she woke
up terrified and went to her mother asking about her father, so she
told her that he was prayingQiyaam.They went to check on him and found
him in the position of prostration and when they moved him he fell to
his side.
A young man prayed theFajrprayer with the congregation and sat in the
mosque reciting the Qur'aan and waiting for the sun to rise so that he
may pray twoRak'ahsand he did not know that it was the last hour of
his life, and died whilst in that state.
A fifty five year old lady was admitted into ER )the emergency room(
as a result of getting a heart attack which made her heart stop
beating completely. When the physicians were trying to make a heart
massage with special equipment a very astonishing thing happened,
which doctors had never seen before that day … the woman suddenly
opened her eyes and spoke calmly saying a few words … she did not
complain of any pain … she did not scream asking for their assistance
… she did not ask for her husband or children … she simply uttered the
two testimonies of faith … then the heart stopped again. She repeated
this three times … then she died … and her face illuminated. When her
husband was asked about the type of woman she was, he said:"I married
her more than thirty five years ago, and since then I have never seen
her abandon the Witr prayer )i.e. the odd-numbered Rak'ahs after the
optional night prayer( unless she was sick or during her monthly
period".
Dying whilst fasting is yet another example exemplifying a good end,
like in the case ofAsmaa' Bint Abu Bakrand her son'Urwah,.
Some people die whilst in the state ofIhraamwhich entitles the person
to a great reward, as in the narration about the Companion who died as
a result of his animal kicking him whilst in the state ofIhraam)for
eitherHajjor'Umrah(, hesaid:"Wash him with water and lote-tree
)leaves(, shroud him in his own garments and do not cover his head,
because he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection uttering the
Talbiyah.".
There are some people who die whilst reciting the Qur'aan, like in the
case of'Uthmaan Ibn 'Affaan¸who was known to be a person who
continuously recited the Qur'aan day and night. Hewas martyred whilst
reciting the Qur'aan in his house. OnceIbn 'Abbaas,recited the saying
of Allaah which means:"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods
of the night, prostrating and standing ]in prayer[, fearing the
Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, ]like one who does
not[?"]Quran 39: 9[ then he said:"I swear by Allaah! This applies to
'Uthmaan Ibn 'Affaan".
One of the best examples indicating a good end is being
martyred.Al-MiqdaamIbn Ma'di Karib,narrated that the Prophetsaid:"A
martyr has six bounties: He will be forgiven with the first drop of
his blood that is spilt; He will see his place in Paradise )at the
time of death(; He will be saved from the 'Great Horror' )on the Day
of Judgment(: A Crown of Dignity will be placed on his head, which
contains many corundum, each one being more precious than this life
and all that it contains; He will have seventy two Women of Paradise;
And, he will be allowed to intercede for seventy of his family members
)who would have otherwise gone to hell(."]At-Tirmithi[.
Shaddaad Ibn Al-Haad,narrated:"A Bedouin came to the Prophetaccepted
Islaam and said: 'I wish to migrate )to Madeenah('. So the
Prophetasked some of his companions to take care of him. Then after a
battle, the Muslims had gained some booty so the Prophetdivided it and
gave the Bedouin's share to some of his companions to look after, as
the Bedouin was still at the rearguard. When the Bedouin returned,
they gave him his share, so he asked them: 'What is this?' they
replied: 'It is your share from the booty which the Prophetgave us to
hold on to for you.' So the Bedouin took the booty and went to the
Prophetand asked: 'What is this?' The Prophetreplied:"Your share of
the booty."The Bedouin said:'This is not why I believe in you and
follow you; rather, I follow you so that I can get shot by an arrow
right here, )and then he pointed to his throat( then die and enter
Paradise.' The Prophetsaid:"If you are sincere then Allaah will grant
you your wish."After a short while, fighting resumed and the Bedouin's
body was brought to the Prophetwith an arrow in his throat at exactly
the spot where he had pointed to the Prophet. ThereuponThe
Prophetsaid:"He was sincere so Allaah granted him his wish."Then using
his own garment, the Prophetshrouded the Bedouin, prayed the funeral
prayer over him and was heard by his companions to say during the
prayer:"O Allaah! This is Your slave who migrated for Your sake and
was killed as a martyr – and I testify to this".Which testimony could
ever be more honorable, sincere and truthful than this great one given
by the Prophet?
A truck driver by the name ofAbu Dujaanah, was known in his town to be
an evil person who consumed intoxicants. One day, he got in a deadly
car accident, but Allaah rescued him from death. Allaah decreed that
two righteous young men see the accident and rush to him whilst he was
unconscious and took him with them and when he woke up they told him
to performGhusl)ritual bath( which he did, then they instructed him to
pray, and after he prayed they said to him:"Allaah Has rescued you
from death and had you died upon the state you were in, it would have
been the worse way to die and be resurrected. You should repent to
Allaah and shun all sins"their words affected him deeply, and he
shunned his evil company with whom he used to hang around, and started
practicing. A few months later, he traveled to Bosnia forJihaad, and
Allaah granted him martyrdom there. His body remained with the enemies
thrown in an open field for two and a half months after he was killed,
and then a swap of dead bodies happened between theMujaahideenand the
Serbs, and when the brothers opened the plastic bag in which he was
kept for this long period, they saw his face smiling and an extremely
pleasant scent emanating from his body.
These were but some examples of how a good end may be, and we ask
Allaah to bless us and grant us a good way to end our lives.

The dangers of envy

Envy refers to the desire that a person feels for the destruction or
removal of a blessing that another person has – a destruction which
the bearer of this feeling would himself carry out if he had the power
to. This is quite different to wanting such blessings for oneself
while not wishing for them to be removed from others, for that is,
indeed, a positive and commendable desire that leads to competition.
Competition is not considered blameworthy in general, rather it is
considered to be praiseworthy if it is in pursuit of righteousness;
Allaah Says )what means(:"Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure.
On adorned couches, observing…You will recognise in their faces the
radiance of pleasure. They will be given to drink ]pure[ wine ]which
was[ sealed. The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors
compete."]Quran 83:22-26[
Allaah mentions in the Quran the envy of the disbelievers, the
hypocrites and people in general. Speaking about the disbelievers,
Allaah Says )what means(:"Many of the People of the Scripture wish
they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of
envy from themselves ]even[ after the truth has become clear to
them…"]Quran 2:109[
Allaah also Says )what means(:"Or do they envy people for what Allaah
has given them of His bounty?"]Quran 4:54[
Envy is an evil disease of the heart that leads to foul conduct and
bad behaviour. It leads to animosity, thinking evil of the intentions
of others, backbiting, tale-bearing, lying, and the abandonment of
other Muslims. It may lead its possessor to inflict physical harm on
the person whom he envies and can even lead to murder. It is
considered to be among the most dangerous and destructive of internal
diseases and is the most destructive to a person's religion and
worldly life.
The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Do not envy one another; do not hate one
another; do not turn your back on one another )in discontent(; )but(
be slaves of Allaah as brothers."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
Allaah orders the believers to seek refuge from the evil of the
envious person and envy in general when He says )what means(:"And from
the evil of the envier when he envies."]Quran 113:5[
The Messenger of Allaahalso said:"Indeed envy eats up good deeds just
as fire consumes firewood."]Ahmad[
There are many stories in the Quran that highlight the dangers and
evils of envy. When we read the story of Prophet Yoosuf )Joseph(and
his brothers, we realise the danger of envy, how it blinds, how it
snatches mercy away from the heart, and how it drives its possessor to
inflict terrible physical pain on the envied person. Allaah Says )what
means(:"When they ]i.e., the brothers of Yoosuf[ said: 'Yoosuf and his
brother are more beloved to our father than we, while we are a clan.
Indeed, our father is in clear error. Kill Yoosuf or cast him out to
]another[ land; the countenance ]i.e., attention[ of your father will
]then[ be accessible to you, and you will be, after that, righteous
people.'"]Quran 12:8-9[
Another story that shows the danger of envy is the story of Haabeel
and Qaabeel: The Quran tells us about the first son of Aadamwho
murdered his brother out of envy, which constituted the first crime
ever in which blood was spilt. He envied him because Allaah accepted
his brother's sacrifice but not his; Allaah says what means:"And
recite to them the story of Aadam's two sons, in truth, when they both
offered a sacrifice ]to Allaah[, and it was accepted from one of them
but was not accepted from the other. Said ]the latter[: 'I will surely
kill you.' Said ]the former[: 'Indeed, Allaah only accepts from the
righteous ]who fear him[. If you should raise your hand against me to
kill me - I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I
fear Allaah, Lord of the worlds.'… And his soul permitted to him the
murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the
losers."]Quran: 5:27-28 & 30[
The blameworthy type of envy is an unrestricted dislike of the
blessings bestowed upon the envied. Therefore, when one despises
something, he is hurt and grieved by its very existence, and this
becomes a sickness in his heart, to the extent that he derives
pleasure from the removal of the blessings from the envied - even if
this does not result in any benefit to him except having the pain that
was in his soul removed.
This pain is not removed except as a result of the envier continuously
monitoring the envied so that he would find relief when the blessing
is removed, but it can become more severe, as is the case of the one
who is suffering from a physical sickness, in that the blessing, or
one similar to it, may return to the envied.
The Prophetsaid:"I swear by the One in whose Hands is my soul! none of
you will believe until he loves for his brother what he loves for
himself."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
Healso said:"There is to be no envy except in two cases: )towards( a
person to whom Allaah has granted wisdom, and who rules by this and
teaches it to the people, and )towards( a person to whom Allaah has
granted wealth and property along with the power to spend it in the
cause of the Truth."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
Ibn `Umaradded to this from his own narration: ")And( a person to whom
Allaah has given the Quran and who recites it night and day, and a
person to whom Allaah has granted wealth and property from which he
gives in charity by night and day."
Envy may occur as a result of enmity, pride, self-admiration, love of
leadership or impurity of the soul. Of these, enmity is the most
serious cause, as it leads to malevolence and this, in turn, causes
man to thirst for revenge and drives him to gloat over any calamity
that may afflict his enemy.
Imaam Al-Ghazzaalisaid in his book Al-Ihyaa': "Be aware that envy is
one of the deadliest diseases of the hearts, and there is no medicine
for the diseases of the heart except through knowledge and deeds. The
knowledge that will treat the disease of envy is to know, without any
doubt, that envy is lethal for a person's worldly life as well as his
religion, and that there is no danger from it to the envied person
regarding his life or his religion; on the contrary, the envied person
will actually benefit from it. The fact is that envy is actually
dangerous for the envier's religion because it is through this envy
that he hated Allaah's predestination and the blessings that He
divided among his slaves; he also hated His justice that He
established in His world due to His Wisdom; therefore, the envier
contested that and objected to it. This is contrary to belief in the
Oneness of Allaah. Additionally, the envier would share with Satan and
the rest of the disbelievers a love for crises to befall the believers
and for blessings to leave them. These are evils in the heart that
devour good deeds and erase them like the night erases the day. The
person who suffers from envy in his life is tortured by it, and will
always be in sorrow every time he sees the blessings of Allaah upon
the envied person."

Countering Evil with a Better Deed

Interacting with others in life is necessary, as a person is
surrounded by neighbors, relatives and colleagues in institutions of
study and workplaces. Due to this dealing with different types of
people, it is natural to be made susceptible to harm from some of
them. Suppose that every such act one is subjected to, is met by an
evil one in its like, in return; regardless of whether this harm is
slight or great, or intentional or not, the communities would turn
into a jungle. People will abandon good traits and live without
regulations or rules. To prevent the Muslim community from this
detestable scenario, Allaah The Almighty commanded His believing
slaves to resist evil with something good, when He Says )what
means(:}And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel ]evil[ by
that ]deed[ which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you
and him is enmity ]will become[ as though he was a devoted
friend.{]Quran 41:34[
Undoubtedly, the ultimate act that is superior to countering evil with
its like, is to pardon and be compassionate, or at the least, to turn
away and avoid further embroiling oneself. Dear brother and sister! By
adopting this noble moral, you are safeguarding your own self-respect
and rationality. Therefore, you have to keep yourself away from the
provocation of foul people in order to be one of the true servants of
Allaah The Almighty. He describes them Saying )what means(:
·}And they who turn away from laghw )anything from falsehood, and that
includes association, other minor sins and all useless speech, actions
and concerns; furthermore, busying oneself with that which does not
concern him is included(.{ ]Quran 23:3[
·}And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say: "For
us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you;
we seek not the ignorant."{ ]Quran 28:55[
·}And when the ignorant address them ]harshly[, they say ]words of[
peace.{ ]Quran 25:63[
When one treats an abuser in a wholesome manner, he or she would
suppress his or her anger, thereby becoming one of those whom the
Prophet,, referred to when he said:"He who stifles his rage while he
is able to give vent to it, Allaah will summon him in front of all
people on the Day of Resurrection and let him choose from the Hoor
)maidens of Paradise( as he pleases."
Furthermore, one of the greatest benefits of repelling evil with a
better deed is that the enemy who wants to inflict harm and evil,
often converts into a defending supporter and a devoted friend. There
is a wondrous magic in good manners that it can be more influential
than physical force and vengeful will. Thus, antagonism changes into a
different sentiment, as Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Repel
]evil[ by that ]deed[ which is better; and thereupon the one whom
between you and him is enmity ]will become[ as though he was a devoted
friend.{]Quran 41:34[ That is why Ibn 'Abbaasadvised:"Use your
forbearance to ward off the ignorance of those who harm you with ]that
trait of theirs[."
We have observed the best of all creatures, Muhammad,, not only
tolerating the maltreatment of the violent, but also overlooking that
and pardoning them. 'Aa'ishahdescribed him, saying:"He does not
counter evil with evil, rather he absolves and forgives."This was also
the example of the righteous peoplewho followed the methodology of the
Prophet,. One of them was insulted by someone once, so he said to
him:"If you are mistaken, I ask Allaah to pardon you; and if you are
correct, I ask Him to forgive me."
Although we are all required to adopt this trait, a person in a
position of power is worthier of doing so more than others. That is
why among the final instructions of the Prophet,, before his death,
was:"Whoever is given authority over something in the Ummah of
Muhammad and has the power to harm or bring benefit to anyone, then he
should reward those who do good and pardon those who commit evil."In
his,, life, a man once came to him complaining about his servant,
saying:"I have a servant who is a wrongdoer and an oppressor. Should I
beat him?"The Prophet,, said:"Forgive him as much as seventy times per
day."
Also, a person whose relatives treat him unjustly is particularly in
need of this quality. He or she should not meet their ill behavior
with evil in return; rather, he or she has to pardon, forgive and
increase in compassion. It was narrated that a man came to the
Prophet,, and said:"O Messenger of Allaah, I have some relatives with
whom I maintain ties of kinship and they sever them; I pardon them and
they oppress me; I treat them kindly and they harm me. Should I then
treat them in the same way?"The Messenger of Allaah,, replied:"No,
then you would all be sinners; rather, you should be better and
maintain the ties of kinship and as long as you are in that state, you
will have a protector and supporter appointed from Allaah with you.'"
Repelling vice with a better deed is the remedy that restores damaged
social relations. It reforms what has been corrupted and renews that
which is effaced. With this treatment, the manifestations of goodness
are revived, people race each other in virtuous acts, the gates of
iniquity are blocked to Satan and evil does not find any means to
spread. Instead, beneficence will prevail and the motives and
consequences of vice will be eradicated.

Dought & clear - - (Forgetfulness During Prayer) - He forgot and said Allaahu akbar instead of Sami’aAllaahu liman hamidah.

A man said Allaahu akbar instead of Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah when
standing up after bowing. What should he do?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Saying Sami'a Allaahu liman hamidah, for both the imam and the one who
is praying alone, is one of the obligatory parts of prayer, according
to the correct opinion, as was stated in the answer to question no.
43574.
The one who forgets to say that and does not say anything, or says
Allaahu akbar instead of that, and remembers whilst he is still
praying, should do the two prostrations of forgetfulness before saying
the salaam.
The basic principle is that the one who forgets an obligatory part of
prayer or says a prescribed phrase – such as Allaahu akbar – in the
wrong place, should do the prostration of forgetfulness.
It says inDaleel al-Taalib: The prostration of forgetfulness is
required if one adds a bow or prostration or standing or sitting, even
if it is as long as the sitting between the two prostrations, or he
says the salaam before completing the prayer, or he makes a mistake in
recitation that alters the meaning, or he omits an obligatory part.
End quote.
And Allaah knows best.