Women site, - Asceticism is the Way to be Loved - II

The Righteous Follow the Way of the Prophets
The righteous follow the way of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, as he was the model example. 'Ali, may Allaah be pleased with
him, said, "All goodness is for those who are ascetic in this worldly
life and those who incline to the Hereafter. They are those who took
the land as their rug, its dust as their mattress, its water as their
perfume, the Quran as their slogan, and supplication as their garment.
They completely renounced the worldly life."
Abu Ad-Dardaa', may Allaah be pleased with him, wrote a letter to some
of his friends, saying, "I advise you to fear Allaah, to be ascetic in
this worldly life, and to desire what is with Allaah. If you do so,
Allaah will love you for your desire for what is with Him, and people
will love you for leaving their worldly lives for them. As-Salaamu
Alaykum."
'Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allaah have mercy upon him, reported that
the Mother of the Believers, 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with
her, once received eighty thousand Dirhams from Mu'aawiyah, may Allaah
be pleased with him, and by that evening she did not have even a
single Dirham left. Her maid said to her, "Should you not have bought
a Dirham's worth of meat for us?" She replied, "If you had reminded
me, I would have done."
Ibn Mas'ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "The worldly life
is the home of those who have no home and the wealth of those who have
no wealth. The one who has no knowledge accumulates in it."
When 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, reached Ash-Shaam )greater
Syria(, his soldiers met him while he was wearing a lower garment, a
pair of leather socks and a turban. He was pulling along his riding
animal and walking in puddles. The soldiers said to him, "O commander
of the believers, Will the soldiers and patriarchs of Ash-Shaam meet
you while you are in this state?" He replied, "We are people whom
Allaah has honored by Islam, so we will not seek honor in anything
else."
A man visited Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, and looked
around at his house and said, "O Abu Tharr, I do not see any
belongings or furniture in your house!" He replied, "We have another
house ]i.e., his house in Paradise[ to which we send our good
belongings." He added, "The owner of the house ]i.e., Allaah[ will not
leave us in this house."
'Amr ibn Al-'Aas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said in a sermon
that he delivered in Egypt, "What a huge difference there is between
your way and the guidance of your Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam! He was the most ascetic of people in this worldly life while
you are the most inclining of people towards it."
'Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "I married Faatimah while
we had no bedding but the skin of a ram that we would sleep on at
night and place the fodder for the camel on it during the day. I had
no one to serve me but her, and she would get so exhausted that her
forelock would fall on the edge of the bowl when she kneaded."
When Mu'aath ibn Jabal, may Allaah be pleased with him, was about to
die, he said, "O Allaah, You know that I did not love this worldly
life and longevity in it for the sake of digging rivers or planting
trees ]i.e., the sustenance in this worldly life[. Rather, ]I wanted
it[ for the sake of fasting during the day, performing voluntary
prayers at night, and attending the assemblies of remembering Allaah,
despite them being crowded."
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allaah have mercy upon him, mentioned that
the best person from the generation that succeeded that of the
Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, in terms of
knowledge was Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayyib, may Allaah have mercy upon him,
but the finest in general was 'Uways Al-Qarni, may Allaah have mercy
upon him. 'Uways, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would say, "Take
death as a pillow when you go to sleep and put it before your eyes
when you are awake."
Maalik ibn Dinaar, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "A person
intends to marry the most beautiful woman in the district, so she says
to him. 'I want garments made of wool', then she takes away his
religion."
Many of the righteous predecessors would refuse to take lawful money
that was offered to them and would say, "We will not take it lest it
ruins our religion."
Hammaad ibn Salamah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would open his
shop, and if he earned just two Dirhams, he would close it.
Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayyib, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would trade in
oil, and after his death he left four hundred Dinaars, saying, "I left
them to protect my honor and religion."
Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "Asceticism
in this worldly life is to not have the hope of a long life, rather it
is to eat rough food or wear rough clothes."
Ash-Shaafi'i, may Allaah have mercy upon him, also dispraised this
worldly life and being attached to it.
Abu Sulaymaan Ad-Daaraani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would say,
"All that distracts you from Allaah The Almighty, whether family,
wealth or children, is a misfortune."
People Far Better than Us were Deprived of the Pleasures of this Worldly Life
It is enough to know that being ascetic is a part of taking the
Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and his companions as
examples. This act is perfect reliance upon Allaah The Almighty and
instills contentment in the heart, which in turn leads to the comfort
of this worldly life and the happiness of the Hereafter. The ascetic
person is loved by Allaah The Almighty and by other people. Therefore,
if you have possessions, praise Allaah The Almighty and do not let
your heart be attached to the worldly life. Likewise, if you are poor,
be patient, for people who were better than you were deprived of the
pleasures of this worldly life. Our Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, would sleep on a mat such that its marks appeared on his body,
and he died while there was no provision on the shelf of 'Aa'ishah,
may Allaah be pleased with her, except a handful of barley that she
would eat from. If one were to enter the rooms of his wives, his head
would touch the ceiling. 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased
with him, the caliph of the Muslims, once delivered a sermon wearing a
garment that had twelve patches.
These people were not deprived of the pleasures of this worldly life
because of their abasement in the sight of Allaah The Almighty, rather
because of the abasement of the worldly life in His sight, which does
not even equal the weight of a wing of a mosquito; and the two
voluntary units of prayer before Fajr prayer are better than this
worldly life and what it contains. In order for one not to despair
over what has eluded him, he should not exult in pride over what
Allaah The Almighty has given him. The believer does not become
disappointed over being disgraced in it nor compete with others over
its glory, as he has his own concern and they have other concerns.
Be the slave of Allaah The Almighty at times of hardship and ease, and
at times of activity and suffering. Whether the worldly life
approaches you or turns away from you, its approaching is refraining
and its turning away is approaching. The basic rule is that it
approaches you with what you dislike, and when it approaches you with
what you like, this is an exception.

Dought & clear, - How can one who is afflicted with calamity know whether it is a punishment or a test to raise him in status?.

If a calamity befalls a Muslim, how can we know whether it is a
punishment for his sins or a test to raise him in status?.
Praise be to Allaah.
According to the Qur'an and Sunnah, there are two direct causes for
calamities and trials, in addition to the wisdom of Allah, may He be
exalted, in what He wills and decrees.
The first reason is:
Sins and acts of disobedience that the person has committed, whether
they constitute kufr or are no more than regular sins or are major
sins. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will test the one who
committed them with calamity by way of requital and immediate
punishment (i.e., in this world).
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):"…but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself"
[an-Nisa' 4:79]. The commentators said: i.e., because of your sin.
And He, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):"And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of
what your hands have earned. And He pardons much" [ash-Shoora 42:30].
End quote fromTafseer al-Qur'an al-'Azeem, 2/363
It was narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"If Allah wills good for His slave, He hastens his punishment in this
world, and if He wills bad for His slave, He withholds from him (the
punishment for) his sin, until He requites him for it on the Day of
Resurrection."
Narrated and classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi (2396); classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi.
The second reason is:
That Allah, may He be exalted, wants to raise in status the patient
believer, so He tests him with calamity so that he will bear it
acceptance and patience, then He will be given the reward of those who
are patient in the Hereafter, and will be recorded with Allah as one
of the victorious. Calamities befell the Prophets and the righteous
persistently, and Allah, may He be exalted, made it an honour for them
by means of which they attained high status in Paradise. Hence it says
in the saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him): "If a certain status has previously been decreed by
Allaah for a person, and he does not attain it by his deeds, Allaah
afflicts him in his body or wealth or children."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3090; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
inas-Silsilah as-Saheehah, no. 2599.
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He
tests them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas
whoever shows discontent with it incurs His wrath."
Narrated and classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi (2396); classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani inas-Silsilah as-Saheehah, no. 146
The two reasons are mentioned together in the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah
(may Allah be pleased with her), according to which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Nothing befalls a
believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allaah will
raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5641) and Muslim (2573).
Moreover, in most cases these two causes exist together rather than
either of them occurring on its own.
Do you not see that if Allah tests a person with calamity because of
his sin, and he bears it with patience and gratitude, Allah, may He be
exalted, will forgive him his sin, raise him in status in Paradise and
give him the reward of those who are patient and seek reward with Him?
When Allah tests a person with a calamity so that he will reach the
lofty status that He has decreed for him in Paradise, his previous
sins are expiated and it is regarded as requital for those sins in
this world, so the requital will not be repeated for him in the
Hereafter. This is what happened to some of the Messengers and
Prophets, such as Adam (peace be upon him) and Yoonus (peace be upon
him): Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tested Adam with
expulsion from Paradise, and He tested Yoonus ibn Matta with being
swallowed into the belly of the fish. But by means of these tests,
Allah raised them in status because of their patience and seeking
reward with Him, may He be exalted. It was expiation for what each of
them had done of going against His command (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon both of them).
This proves that requital in this world is not separate from the
requital in the Hereafter. These two reasons are mentioned together in
many saheeh Prophetic hadeeths, such as that which was narrated by
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I said:
O Messenger of Allah, who among the people are most sorely tested? He
said: "The Prophets, then the next best and the next best. A man will
be tested according to his level of religious commitment. If his
religious commitment is solid, his test will be more severe, but if
there is any weakness in his religious commitment, he will be tested
according to his level of religious commitment. And calamity will
continue to befall a person until he walks on the earth with no sin on
him."
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2398) who said: (It is) hasan saheeh.
Nevertheless, one of these two reasons may be more apparent in some
kinds of tests than the other. That may be understood by looking at
the circumstances of the calamity.
If the one who is affected is a kaafir, then his calamity cannot be to
raise him in status, because the kaafir will have no weight before
Allah on the Day of Resurrection. But there may be a lesson and a
reminder for others in that, not to do what he did. Or it may be an
immediate punishment for him in this world, in addition to what is
stored up for him in the Hereafter. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Is then He (Allah) Who takes charge (guards, maintains, provides,
etc.) of every person and knows all that he has earned (like any other
deities who know nothing)? Yet they ascribe partners to Allah. Say:
"Name them! Is it that you will inform Him of something He knows not
in the earth or is it (just) a show of false words." Nay! To those who
disbelieve, their plotting is made fairseeming, and they have been
hindered from the Right Path, and whom Allah sends astray, for him,
there is no guide.
For them is a torment in the life of this world, and certainly, harder
is the torment of the Hereafter. And they have no protector against
Allah"
[ar-Ra'd 13:33-34].
But if the one who is affected is a Muslim who commits sin openly or
is a blatant evildoer, then it is most likely that he is being
requited and punished with this calamity, because expiation of sins
comes before raising in status, and the sinner is in greater need of
expiation for his sins than of being raised in status.
On the other hand, if the Muslim is a devoted worshipper, obedient and
righteous, and there is nothing between him and Allah but true
'uboodiyyah (servitude), gratitude, praise, repentance and submission
to Him, may He be glorified, then it is most likely that this calamity
is a kind of honour and raising in status, and people are the
witnesses of Allah on earth. If they know him to be righteous, then
they may give him the glad tidings of raised status before Allah if he
is patient in bearing the calamity.
But if the one who is affected shows displeasure and panic, then it
cannot be thought that his calamity is an honour from Allah to raise
him in status, because Allah, may He be glorified, knew that he would
not be patient and accept it with contentment. So in this case it is
most likely that it is a requital and punishment. One of the righteous
said: The sign of calamity by way of punishment and requital is lack
of patience when a calamity befalls, and panic and complaining to
people. And the sign of calamity by way of expiation and erasing of
sins is beautiful patience without complaining, panic or impatience,
and lack of reluctance in fulfilling commands and doing acts of
worship.
The sign of calamity by way of raising a person in status is
contentment and acceptance, peace of mind, and patience in accepting
the will of Allah until relief comes. End quote.
All of this is merely circumstantial evidence that one may ponder in
order to learn something of the wisdom of Allah, may He be exalted,
that is behind calamities and trials. But he cannot be certain as to
which is the case with regard to himself or other people who are
afflicted with calamities.
Perhaps it is more important than all of these details to note that
the practical benefit that one should think about is that every
calamity and test is good for him and will bring reward if he is
patient and seeks reward with Allah, and that every test and calamity
is bad for him if he panics and get angry. If he trains himself to
bear calamities with patience and to be content with the decree of
Allah, after that it will not matter if he knows the reason for the
calamity or not. Rather it is always better for him to concern himself
with his sins and shortcomings and to look for some mistake that he
has committed, for all of us make mistakes. Who among us has not been
negligent in his duties towards Allah, may He be exalted? If Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted, caused the Muslims to suffer the
calamity of many of them being killed on the day of Uhud, even though
they were the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) and the best of mankind after the Messengers and
Prophets, because they had gone against the command of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then how can anyone think
after that that he is entitled to be raised in status for anything
that befalls him? When Ibraaheem ibn Adham (may Allah have mercy on
him) saw strong winds and clouds building up in the sky, he would say:
This is because of my sins; if I depart from among you, it will befall
you.]
So how about us with all our shortcomings and sins?
And even more important than all of that is that one should always
think positively of one's Lord, in all situations, for whatever comes
from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is good and He is the
Protector of the pious and Oft-Forgiving.
We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to have mercy on us and forgive us,
to teach us that which will benefit us and reward us for our
calamities, for He is All-Hearing and answers prayers.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Man is following a course set by Allaah and has freedom of choice.

Does man has freedom of choice or is he following a course set by Allaah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen was asked this question and said: The questioner
should ask himself whether anyone forced him to ask this question, and
does he choose the kind of car that he drives? And other such
questions. Then the answer as to whether he is following a course set
by Allaah or has freedom of choice will become clear to him.
Then he should ask himself whether accidents happen to him by his
choice? Or whether he falls sick by his choice? Or will he die by his
choice?
And other similar questions. Then the answer as to whether he is
following a course set by Allaah or has freedom of choice will become
clear to him.
The answer is that the things that the wise person does, he
undoubtedly does by his choice. Listen to the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"So, whosoever wills, let him seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord
(by obeying Him in this worldly life)!"
[al-Naba' 78:39]
"Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:152]
"And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the
necessary effort due for it (i.e. does righteous deeds of Allaah's
obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allaah—Islamic
Monotheism) — then such are the ones whose striving shall be
appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allaah)"
[al-Isra' 17:19]
"he must pay a Fidyah (ransom) of either observing Sawm (fasts) (three
days) or giving Sadaqah (charity — feeding six poor persons) or
offering sacrifice (one sheep)"
[al-Baqarah 2:196]
But if a person wants to do something and he does it, we know that
Allaah has willed it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"To whomsoever among you who wills to walk straight.
And you cannot will unless (it be) that Allaah wills— the Lord of the
'Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)"
[al-Takweer 81:28-29]
Because His Lordship (ruboobiyyah) is complete and perfect, nothing
can happen in the heavens or on earth except by His will.
With regard to things that happen to a person or that he does without
choosing or willing them, such as sickness, death and accidents, they
are purely divine will (al-qadar) and the person has no choice or will
with regard to them.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Majmoo Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, vol. 2.

Dought & clear, - Ruling on singling out ‘Ashoora for fasting

Is it permissible to fast 'Ashoora' only without fasting the day
before or the day after?.
Praise be to Allah
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said: Fasting the day of 'Ashoora' is
expiation for one year, and it is not makrooh to single out this day
for fasting.Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 5.
InTuhfat al-Muhtaajby Ibn Hajar al-Haythami it says: There is nothing
wrong with fasting 'Ashoora' on its own. Part 3,Baab Sawm al-Tatawwu'.
The Standing Committee was asked this question and replied as follows:
It is permissible to fast the day of 'Ashoora' on its own, but it is
better to fast the day before it or the day after it. This is the
Sunnah that is proven from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), as he said, "If I am still alive next year, I will
certainly fast the ninth." Narrated by Muslim, 1134.
Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: He meant, along
with the tenth.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah wa'l-Ifta', 11/401.