Should he focus on purifying his heart or ondoing naafil acts?

Which is more important – dealing with feelings and thoughts that
Allaah dislikes, such as destructive envy, hatred, arrogance, showing
off, thinking highly of one's deeds, hard-heartedness, etc., which
form the evil that resides in the heart, or focusing on doing outward
naafil deeds suchas prayer, fasting and other acts of worship and
fulfilling vows even though those other thingsare present in the
heart? Please advise us, may Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Some of the acts mentioned are obligatory,and those which are
obligatory should be given precedence, as Allaah says according to the
hadeeth qudsi narrated from His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): "My slave doesnot draw near to Me with anything
more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined on him."
Then He says: "And My slave continues to draw near to Me with
supererogatory works so that I shall love him." Outward physical acts
are not valid and acceptable unless they are accompanied by
appropriate actions of theheart, because the heart islike the king and
the physical faculties are like his troops. If the king is evil his
troops will also beevil. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "In the body there is a piece of flesh: if
it is soundthe whole body will be sound and if it is corrupt then the
whole body will be corrupt." Similarly the (hidden) actions of the
heart inevitably affect the (visible) physical actions. So precedence
must be given to that which is more obligatory, whether it is called
inward or outward. Perhaps things that are called inward may be more
obligatory, such as refraining from destructive envy and arrogance,
for that is more essential than observing naafil fasts. Or acts that
are described as outward or physical may be better, such as qiyaam
al-layl (praying at night), which is better than simply giving up some
thoughts that may cross one's mind such as (non-destructive) jealousy,
etc. Inward and outward deeds support one another, and prayer keeps
one from doing evilactions and generates fearof Allaah, and has other
important effects. It (prayer) is the best of good deeds and charity.
And Allaah knows best.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), Majmoo'
al-Fataawa, 6/381
So there is no separation between correcting what is inward and
correcting what is outward or physical.
The outward acts of worship which a person performs with his
physicalfaculties – if he does themfor the sake of Allaah – will
undoubtedly have an effect on his inward nature.
For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Shall I not tell you of something that will take away the evil
of the heart? Fasting three days of each month." (Narratedby
al-Nasaa'i, 2386; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Nasaa'i, 2249). The evil of the heart refers to rancour, hatred and
destructive envy.
One of the most important remedies for diseases of the heart is to
study and ponder the texts which include warnings to the one who
leaves these diseases to fester in his heart, such as the hadeeth in
which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's-weight of arrogance in
his heart." (Narrated by Muslim, 91).
And the hadeeth according to which Hell will say, "My share is the
arrogant." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4850; Muslim,2846)
And the hadeeth: "On the Day of Resurrection the arrogant will be
gathered like ants in the form of men." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
2492; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2025).
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
disease of the nations who came before you has started to spread among
you: destructive envy and hatred. These are the shavers. I do not mean
that they shave hair but they shave away religiouscommitment. By the
One in Whose hand is my soul,you will not enter Paradise until you
believe,and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I
not tell you of something which ifyou do it, you will love one
another. Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2510; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2038).
Whoever ponders with true insight such warnings about the diseases of
the heart will undoubtedly strive to cleanse his heart thereof, and
will seek help in doing so by doing outward physical acts, praying to
his Lord to cleanse his heart of hatred, destructive envy, rancour and
so on, as Allaah says, describing theprayer of the believers:....

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1] Who are the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj?

1]
The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj
During the reign of Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) people will live an extremely
peaceful life filled with prosperity and abundance. Then the wall
which imprisons Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will break andthey will surge
forth in large numbers.
"But when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose and they rush headlong
down every hill" (Quran 21:97)
Who are the Ya'jooj and Majooj?
Zul Qarnain (A.S.) who wasa pious and just Ruler travelled to many
lands and conquered them, establishing justice and the Law of Allah
therein. Allah Ta'ala provided him with all forms and material
strength throughwhich he was able to carry out his conquests and
missions.
He once carried out a mission in three directions, the far west, the
far east, and then in a northerly direction. It washere that he came
across a tribe of people who complained to him about the tribes of
Ya'jooj and Majooj which inhabited the land behind two hugemountains
and often emerged from behind these mountains to perpetrate acts of
anarchyand plunder among them.They requested Zul Qarnain (A.S.) to
erect a barrier between themselves and the tribes of Ya'jooj and
Ma'jooj so that they could be saved from their atrocities. With the
material strength at his disposal, Zul Qarnain (A.S.) enlisted their
physical labor and set about erecting a high wallbetween the two
mountains. The height of the wall or its exact length is unknown. What
is known is that the height of this wall reachesthat of the summit of
both mountains. It is made with blocks or sheets of iron, which is
further strengthened by molten lead. In this manner Ya'jooj and Majooj
are unable to scalethe wall, or cross it, except when it is the will
of Allah.
"And when the promise ofmy Rabb approaces, He will level it to dust"
(Quran 18:98)
They are situated in a land of ice which is hidden from our gazes and
the exact location of which is unknown. Though many interpretations do
exist inthis respect, none of thesecan be said to absolute.
Ya'jooj and Majooj are human beings and according to a narration they
are from the progeny of Yafith ibn Nooh (A.S.).
Some Ahadith...
In a lengthy hadith by Hadhrat Nawwas ibn Sam'aan (R.A.) Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said:
"...Allah will send revelation upon Eesa (A.S.)that 'Such a creation
of mine is now going to emerge that no power will be able to stop
them. Therefore take my servants and ascend the Mount of Toor.' Then
Ya'jooj and Majooj will emerge and surge forth inall their fury. When
those from among them who constitute the former partof their army pass
the lake of Tiberias (which is in northern Palestine), they will drink
up all the water of that lake and by the time those that constitute
the latter part of that same army pass the lake, they will say,"There
used to be water here (long ago). When they reach the Mount of Khamr
in Jerusalem, they will arrogantly proclaim: 'We have conquered the
people of the earth, now we will annihilate those in the sky.' So
saying they will fire their arrows towards the sky. When the arrows
return to the ground they will be bloodstained.
In the meantime, Eesa (A.S.) will be on the Mountof Toor with his
followers.At that time the head of and ox will be as valuableas is a
hundred dinars to you in this day. [This indicates the scarcity of
provisions]. Faced with these hardships, Eesa (A.S.)and his followers
will make dua unto Allah (to remove this calamity). As a result, Allah
will cause sores to appear on the necks of each and every individual
of these peoplewhich will cause their death suddenly. When Eesa (A.S.)
and his followers descend from the Mount of Toor there will not be a
single space on the land where the dead rotting bodies of these people
is not littered, giving off a horrendous odour. Eesa (A.S.) and his
followers will once more supplicate unto Allah as a result of which
Allah will send down huge birds whose necks will be as thick as that
of the necks of camels, and they will dump these bodies in a place
where Allah wills. (According to a narration by Tirmidhi, they will be
dumped at a place called Nahbal).
Allah Ta'ala will then senddown a heavy rain, the waters of which will
flow in every part of the earth cleansing it thoroughly. It will rain
for a period of forty days.
The Muslims will then burn the bows and arrows of the Ya'jooj and
Ma'jooj for a period of seven years.

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Who is the evil Dajjal (the "anti-Christ")?

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) has exhorted the regular
recital of Suratul Kahf which will most certainly save one from the
Evils of Dajjal.
Hadhrat Imraan bin Husain (R.A.) relates that,"I heard Rasulullah
(Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) saying: "Since the birth of Adam (A.S.)
tillthe advent of Qiyamah there is no fitnah (evil, test) much greater
that of Dajjal."
Hadhrat Huzaifah (R.A.) says, Dajjal will be blind inhis left eye. He
will have very thick hair on his body and he will also have his own
type of Jannat (Heaven) and Jahannam (Hell) with him:Although his
Jannat will appear as Jannat, in reality it will be Jahannamand
likewise though his Jahannam will appear to be Jahannam, in reality it
will be Jannat.
(Hadith: Muslim)
Imraan bin Husain (R.A.) says Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
said:"Those who hear about Dajjal should stay far fromhim. By Allah! A
person will approach him thinking him to be a Believer, but on seeing
hisamazing feats he will become his follower."
Ubadah bin Saamit (R.A.) once said, "I have explained Dajjal to you
but I fear that you might not have understood. Maseeh Dajjal will be
short, and his legs will be crooked. The hair on his head will be
extremely twisted. He will have one eye (with which he can see, and
this is the protruding eye about which other ahadeeth inform us) while
his other eye will be totally flat. It will neither be deep (in
itssocket) nor protruding.
If you still have any doubtregarding him then remember that your
Sustainer (Rabb) is not one-eyed. (Because Dajjal will eventually
claim to beAllah). In a lengthy Hadithnarrated by Abu Saeed (R.A.),
Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) is reported to have said:
"Dajjal will come but it will be prohibited and impossiblefor him to
enter Madina. He will set up camp in a barren land outside Madina. One
person who will be the best of personswill confront him by saying: "I
bear witness that you are the very Dajjal about whom Rasulullah
(Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam) has informed us."
Dajjal will say to his followers, "If I kill this person and then
revive him, you people will still doubt me?"
They will reply, "No."
He will then kill this person, (according to another narration he will
split this person in two) and thereafter revive him.This person will
say, "I amtotally convinced more than ever before that you definitely
are Dajjal."
Dajjal will attempt to kill this person again but his efforts will now
be in vain.
(According to a hadith, after this incident, Dajjal will not be able
to harm anyone.)
Hadhrat Anas (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Salallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
said:"Dajjal will come and finally reach the outskirts of Madina.
There will be three tremors. At that time, all the disbelievers and
hypocrites will flee (from Madina).
In this way Madina Munawwarah will be purified of all the evil hypocrites.
Hadhrat Asma bint Yazeed(R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Salallahu
Alayhi Wasallam) once came to my house and there he spoke about
Dajjal. He said that before the emergence of Dajjal there will be
three spells of drought. In one year the skies will withold one third
of its rains, causing the earth to withold one third of its produce.
In thesecond year the skies will withold two thirds of its rains,
causing the earth towithold two thirds of its produce. In the third
year,the skies will withold all its water and there will beno crops
that year. All animals, be they hooved or toothed, will die as a
result. The greatest evil ofDajjall will be to approachanyone and ask
him: "If I bring your camel back to life, will you then believe that I
am your Rabb?"
This person will reply,"Most certainly."
Thereafter Shaytaan (fromthe many Shayateen who will always accompany
Dajjal) will appear before this person in the form of his camel with a
fat humpand fully laden udders.
Likewise Dajjal will appear before another person whose father and
brother have long passed away and ask him, "If I bring your father and
brother back to life will you believe that I am your Rabb?"
This person will reply,"Why not?"
Shaytaan will once again take on the appearance ofhis brother and father...
(Ahmad)
Hadhrat Mughira ibn Shu'ba (R.A.) says that,"No one asked Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) about Dajjal as much as myself.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) said to me, "How can he
possibly harm you?"
I said: "People are saying that he will have with him a mountain of
bread (provisions) and a river of water."....

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1a] Imam Mahdi (Descendent of Prophet MuhammadPBUH)

1a]
According to hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:"...(regarding the rule of Imaam
Mahdi) the skies will rain down in abundance and the earth will yield
forth its crop in abundance, and those alive will desire that thosewho
have already passed away should have been alive to enjoy this
prosperity..."
Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join
that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)
Abu Hurairah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
said:"(Armies carrying) black flags will come from Khurasaan. No power
will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela(Baitul
Maqdas) where they will erect their flags."
from: "Signs of Qiyamah"
by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali
More Hadeeth (with references) (contributed by Bradley Bilal).
1) The Prophet (PBUH andHF) said: "Even if the entire duration of the
world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left
(before the day of judgment), Allah will expand that day to such
alength of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person frommy
Ahlul-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will fill out the earth
with peace and justice as it willhave been full of injustice and
tyranny (by then)."
References:
Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v2, p86,v9, pp 74-75
Sunan Abu Dawud, v2, p7
Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, pp 84,376; V3, p63
2) The Prophet (PBUH andHF) said: "al-Mahdi is one of us, the members
of the household (Ahlul-Bayt)."
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition#4085
3) The Prophet (PBUH andHF) said: The Mahdi will be of my family, of
the descendants of Fatimah (the daughter of the Prophet (PBUH)).
References:
Sunan Abu Dawud, Englishversion, Ch. 36, Tradition#4271 (narrated by
Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet)
Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4086
4) The Prophet (PBUH andHF) said: "We (I and my family) are members of
a household that Allah (SWT) has chosen for them the life of the
Hereafter over the life of this world; and the members of my household
(Ahlul-Bayt) shall suffer a great affliction and they shall
beforcefully expelled from their homes after my death; then there will
come people from the East carrying black flags, and they will ask for
somegood to be given to them,but they shall be refused service; as
such, they will wage war and emerge victorious, and will be offered
that which they desired in the first place, but they will refuse to
accept it till they pass it toa man from my family (Ahlul-Bayt)
appears to fillthe Earth with justice as ithas been filled with
corruption. So whoever reaches that (time) ought to come to them even
if crawling on the ice/snow since among them is the Vice-regent of
Allah (Khalifatullah) al-Mahdi."
References:
Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, Tradition #4082,
The History Tabari
al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, byIbn Hajar, Ch. 11, section 1, pp 250-251
5) Abu Nadra reported: We were with the company of Jabir Ibn
Abdillah... Jabir Ibn Abdillah kept quite for a while and then
reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: "There
wouldbe a Caliph in the last (period) of my Ummah who would freely
give handfuls of wealth to the people without counting it." I said to
Abu Nadra and Abu al-Ala: Do you mean Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz? They said:
NO, (hewould be Imam Mahdi).
References:
Sahih Muslim, English version, v4, chapter MCCV, p1508, Tradition #6961
Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, Kitab al-Fitan, v4, p2234, Tradition #67
6) "al-Mahdi is from our Ahlul-Bayt, no doubt Allahwill enforce his
appearance within a night(i.e., his coming is very unpredictable and
is very sudden)."
References: Sunan Ibn Majah, v2, p269/

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