Loving and glorifying theSunnah – I

Do you truly love the Messenger of Allaah? A fundamental of our
religion, and a tenet of our faith, is to love him.
Allaah Says what means:"Say ]O Muhammad[: 'If your fathers, your sons,
your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have
obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which
you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allaah and His Messenger
and Jihaad in His cause, then wait until Allaah executes His command.
And Allaah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people."]Quran 9:
24[
Al-Fudhayl ibn 'Iyaadhsaid: "This verse is enough of an evidence
toprove the obligation of loving the Prophetbecause Allaah
dispraisedin it those whose wealth, family or children are dearer to
them than the love of Allaah and His Messengerdescribing them as
defiantly disobedient at its conclusion."
Love of the Prophetbranches from Allaah's love of him; our love of the
Prophetis due to the fact that Allaah loves him, and because Allaah
sent him to us as His Messenger, as well as the fact that Allaah
instructs us to make him dearer to our hearts than our own souls. He
Almighty Says what means:"The Prophet is more worthy of the believers
than themselves…"]Quran 33: 6[
This means that the believer should love theProphetsallallaahualayhiwa
sallam more than he loves his own self.
This love entails full obedience, submission and acceptance; it also
entails favouring the Prophetsallallaahualayhiwa sallam over oneself,
one's family and one's wealth, and to surrender to
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam the controlling direction
thatone has over himself.
The influence that theProphetsallallaahualayhiwa sallam should have
over us is greater than that which a master has over his slave, or a
father has over his child. We should have no control over ourselves
except in acting in accordance with the way hedirected us to.
It is for every Muslim to prove his love for him, which can be
determinedaccording to the following narration of
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam:"There are three qualities;
whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: To love Allaah and
His Messenger )( more than anyone else…"]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
One will never taste the sweetness of faith exceptafter achieving
this, as hesaid in another narration:"I swear by theOne in whose Hand
my soul is! None of you will truly believe until I become dearer to
him than his child, his father and all of mankind."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[
This love is not simply an emotion that is confined to the heart, but
rather it has implications and effects. This love makes the slave
achieve a rank that he would not otherwise achieve by means of his
bodily deeds, as in the narrationof Ibn Mas`oodwho said: "A man came
to the Messenger of Allaahand said: 'O Messenger of Allaah! When will
the Hour )i.e., the Day of Resurrection( come?' Hereplied:"What have
you prepared for it?"The man said: 'Only my love of Allaah and His
Messenger.' The Messenger of Allaahthen said:"You will be with those
whom you love.""]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
It is not as important to know when the Hour willoccur as it is to
prepare for its arrival, and this is the reason why the Prophetdrew
this to the attention of the man by asking him that question.
Anassaid: "After beingblessed by embracing Islam, we never rejoiced at
anything as much as we did about this answerof
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam to that man. I love Allaah, His
MessengerAbuBakrand 'Umarand hope to be with them )in the Hereafter(
even if I cannot perform the gooddeeds they did."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[
The Companionshad great love for theProphetsallallaahualayhiwa sallam,
to the extent that they would face arrows that were being fired in his
direction to shield him. They would risk their lives for him and
sacrifice everything for his rescue. 'Amr ibn Al-'Aassaid: "There was
no one dearer to me or more glorified than the Prophet; I could never
look him directly inthe eye due to the extent of my glorification, and
ifsomeone were to ask me to describe him, I would not be able to, as I
never looked at him for long enough to be able to describe him."
]Muslim[
When Abu Sufyaanwas still a disbeliever, he asked Zayd ibn Thaabitwho
was taken as a hostage and being brought out by the people of Makkah
to execute: "Do you not wish that Muhammad was in your place and that
we killed him instead, while you could go to your family and be with
them?" Hereplied: "I swear by Allaah! I would rather be here facing
this than have him even being pricked by a thorn." Upon hearing this,
Abu Sufyaansaid: "I never saw a people who love a man more than the
companions ofMuhammadlove him." Such incidents greatly affected the
disbelievers and caused many of themto embrace Islam.
A man from the Ansaarcame to the Prophetand said: "You are dearerto me
than myself, my child, my family and my wealth, and I feel as if I am
dieing when I do not see you." Then he began to cry.
TheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam asked:"Why are you crying?"The
man replied: "I remembered that we will die and you will die, then you
will take your place in Paradise with the other Messengers and
Prophets, while we, if indeed we do enter Paradise, will be lower
inrank than you, and thus we will not be able to seeyou inParadise."
Note how much they loved him; they were worried about not seeinghim,
despite the fact that they may also be in Paradise.
TheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam did not comment on his words
until Allaah revealed the following verses which mean:"And whoever
obeys Allaah and the Messenger – those will bewith the ones upon whom
Allaah has bestowed favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of
truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as
companions.That is the bounty from Allaah…"]Quran 4: 69-70[ Thereupon
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam summoned him and said:"Glad
tidings to you!"]Al-Bayhaqi[
Once, a female companion was waiting at the approach to Al-Madeenah
for the return of the Muslim army from the battle of Uhud. She was
informed that her husband, brother and father were killed, but her
only reply was: "What happened to the Prophet?" They told her that
hewas fine and unharmed, but she insisted to seeing him so that she
would be sure that hewas truly safe. When she did see him, she
remarked: "Any affliction, after seeing that you are safe, is minor."

Loving and glorifying theSunnah – II

The worst disaster to ever strike this nation was the death of
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam, who instructed us to remember
the affliction of his death whenever we are trialled by any hardship,
so that we may thereby condole ourselves and ease the impact of that
hardship, which would be insignificant in comparison.
Signs that prove one's love for theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam:
1. Mentioning him frequently and exalting his mention. Allaah Says
what means:"Indeed, Allaahexalts the mention of the Prophet, and His
angels ]ask Him to do so[. O you who have believed! Ask ]Allaah to[
exalt his mention."]Quran 33: 56[
There are many times and occasions when this is legislated to be done,
such as during supplication.Ubayibn Ka`breported: "I )once( said: 'O
Messenger of Allaah! I frequently invoke Allaah to exalt your rank;
how much of my supplication should I devote to you?' Hesaid: "You may
devote as much as you wish."When I suggested aquarter, hesaid:"Do
whatever you wish, but it would be better for you if you were to
increase upon that.''I suggested half, and hesaid:"Do whatever you
wish, but it would be better for you if you were to increase upon
that."I suggested two-thirds, and hesaid:"Do whatever you wish, but it
would be better for you if you were to increase upon that."I )finally(
said: 'Shall I devote all of my supplication to invoke Allaah to exalt
your rank?' Hesaid:"Youwould then be freed from your worries, and your
sins would be forgiven.''"]Ahmad & At-Tirmithi[
2. Longing to see him: The Prophetsaid:"I swear by the One in whose
Hand the soul of Muhammad is! A day will come when not one of you will
be able to see me )i.e., after my death( and seeing me then would be
dearer to a person's heart than his family and wealth."]Ahmad &
At-Tirmithi[
Losing ones family and wealth is a minor issue in comparison to the
great bounty of being a companion, whose sins are forgiven, of the
Prophet.
3. Being sincere to the Prophet: Imaam Al-Maroozisaid: "This was
done during his lifetime by exerting all efforts to obey him,
supporting him, helping him, sacrificing one's wealth for his sake if
he were to demand it, and hastening to attain his love. After his
death, it is expressed by learning his Sunnah, his manners and
etiquettes, glorifying his commands and adhering to them, becoming
angry at those who live according to anything other than his way, and
loving those who adhere to it, as well asloving those who are from his
descendents, those who migrated with him and those who supported him,
and indeed anyone who was in his company even for as brief a period as
an hour.
Additionally, it entails imitating him in the way he dressed." Imaam
Al-Qurtubiadded: "It is to believe in his prophethood, to love those
who supported him, to hate those who hate him,to glorify his Sunnah
and revive, defend and spread it, as well as calling people to it and
imitating him in his morals and conduct."
4. Loving those whom heloved: If heloved Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, 'Ali
and Faatimahthen we also love them, and Allaah is our witness to this
love. Likewise, we love those who follow his Sunnah and his household,
and they are, as Zaydsaid when clarifying the narration of the
Prophet:"Myhousehold; I remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my
household; I remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my household; I
remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my household."Zaydwas asked:
"Who are his household? Are his wives included in it?" He replied:
"Yes )i.e., his wives are included(, as are all those who are
forbidden from taking Zakaah after his death, namely: the family of
'Ali, the family of 'Aqeel, the family of Ja'far and the family of
Al-'Abbaas." ]Muslim[
We pray for all of them during our daily prayers; thus if somebody's
lineage is known to originate from the Prophetand they are a pious
person with sound creed, and not a Soofee, a deviant or an innovator,
then they should be loved for two reasons: One being their piety and
the other being their relationship to the Prophet.
Loving his wives is also part of this, as Allaah Says what means:"The
Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives
are ]in the position of[ their mothers..."]Quran 33: 6[
His wives were: Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, 'Aa'ishah bint Abu Bakr,
Hafsah bint 'Umar, Umm Habeebah bint Abu Sufyaan, UmmSalamah, Zaynab
bint Jahsh, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah Al-Hilaaliyyah, Juwayriyyah bint
Al-Haarith, Safiyyah bint Huyay and Maymoonah bint Al-Haarith
Al-Hilaaliyyahall.
A sign of loving the Prophetisto love his wives, who are the mothers
of the believers, and notto harm or slander them in any way.
Loving his companionsaccepting the guidance they conveyed to us, and
emulating them.
Many are those who claim to lovetheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam,
even from amongst the innovators, but the 'proof' of their love for
him is that they worship him alongside Allaah, and supplicate to him
instead of Allaah, and seek forgiveness fromhim; these people exclude
and forget Allaah. Is this love, or is it association with Allaah,
which hehated more than anything else? Healluded to this when he said:
"Do not praise me as theChristians praised the son of
Maryam."]Al-Bukhaari[
By this statement, hedid not forbid all types of praise for him, but
rather only the type that the Christians did )and do( for
Jesus)'Eesaa(, which is where theyraise his rank to one above that
which Allaah granted him, which is that of a slave and a messenger,
and they worship him instead of Allaah. This is similar to what the
deviant Soofees and other sects did and do.
On the other hand, Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah prove their love
fortheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam by obeying his
commands,following his Sunnah and adhering to his guidance; this is
how one follows his way, as Allaah Says what means:"Say ]OMuhammad[:
If you should love Allaah, then follow me, ]so[ Allaah will love you
and forgive you your sins…"]Quran 3: 31[ Thisis real love!

Loving and glorifying theSunnah – III

'Abdullaah ibn Mas`oodreported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Never
has a Prophet been sent before me by Allaah to his people except that
he had, among his people, disciples and companions who followed his
way and obeyed his command. Then there came afterthem their successors
who proclaimed what they did not practice, and practiced what theywere
not commanded to do. )He( who strove against these)people( with his
hand was a believer; he who strove against them with his heart was a
believer; and he who strove against them with his tongue was a
believer; and beyond that there is no grain of faith."]Muslim[
The Companionscomprehended this very well and also kept in mind the
saying of the Prophetwhich was reported by Anas:"He who shuns my
Sunnah is not from me."]Al-Bukhaari[ These sayings made them love the
Sunnah of theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam and spread and
propagateit amongst their successors.
The Companionsfulfilled theirduty and played their expected role in
spreading and propagating the Sunnah of theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa
sallam; they taught it to others with sincerity and advised those who
shunned it to adhere to it, warning them against their actions.
Huthayfahonce saw a man rushing during his prayer and failing to be
tranquil in his bowings and prostrations; so he said to him: "You did
not pray! Had you died in that state then you would have died upon
other than the way ofMuhammad." ]Al-Bukhaari[ He was bringing his
attention to the fact that being tranquil and submissive during
prayers was how the Prophetwould perform them.
'Abdullaah ibn 'Umarwould sit on his buttocks during the Tashahhud in
his prayer, so his son began imitating him; when 'Abdullaahsaw this,
he forbade him from doing so and informed him that this was not how
the Prophetperformed his prayers, so his son said to him: "I saw you
praying this way." His father informed him that his legs were injured
from the time of theBattleof Khaybar, and that he could not therefore
adhere to the Sunnah in this position of prayer. ]Al-Bukhaari[
'Abdullaah ibn 'Umardid not consider this part of prayer a minor or
trivial issue which he could overlook when seeing someone performing
it a way other than that of the Prophet's; compare this to the way
some people consider certain acts of the Sunnah to be minor, thereby
undermining them.
Taawoossaid: "We asked Ibn'Abbaasabout sitting in the position
ofIq'aa' between the two prostrations )which is to sit with one's
buttocks on his heels while bending his toes and directing them
towards the Qiblah(. He informed them that it was the Sunnah, but they
remarked: `We do not see it befitting a man to sit in such a manner.`
But he repeated and emphasised to them the fact thatthe Prophetwould
sit this way." ]Muslim[
This is one of the ways hewould sit, while the other and most common
practice of his was that he would sit on his left foot and have his
right foot raised while having its toes pointing towards the direction
ofthe Qiblah.
These were some examples of how the Companionswould propagate the
Sunnah of the Prophetand they would also openly forbid those who
contradicted the Sunnah, as in the story when Marwaan ibn 'Abdul-Malik
delivered the Khutbah of 'Eed before the prayer, which is directly
contrary to the Sunnah, so a man stood upwhilst he was delivering the
Khutbah and told him that he had opposed the way of the Prophetby
doing what he did. Marwaan paid no attention to what the man said, and
so AbuSa'eedsaid: "This man )i.e., the one who spoke to Marwaan( has
fulfilled his duty by informinghim of the Sunnah and attempting to
forbid him from continuing; I heard the Prophetsay:"He who sees an
evil must change it with his hands)i.e. physically(; if he is unable
to, then he must change it with his tongue )i.e. verbally(, and if he
is unable to, then with his heart)i.e., hating it( - and this is the
weakest level of faith."]At-Tirmithi[
Acts of worship were not the only thing which the Companionslearned
the ways of theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam - he even taught
them their manners. Anassaid: "Once the Prophetcame to our house and
asked for something to drink, so we milkeda sheep for him and I gave
him the milk to drink while Abu Bakr, 'Umar and other senior
companionswere sitting to his left, and a Bedouin was sitting to his
right. When hefinished drinking, 'Umar said: `O Messenger of Allaah!
Abu Bakr is to your left` in an attempt to bring that to his
attention, but heturned to the Bedouin andhanded him the container to
drink from, saying:"It is the rightof those to your right, It is the
right of those to your right, It is the right of those to your
right."]Muslim[
All the Companionsold and young, were keen to adhere to the Sunnah of
the Prophet; it was never reported from a single one of them that they
said about any part of it: "This is only a Sunnah and is not
mandatory… this is only recommended and not obligatory… this is a
minor issue and not a major one, and we should not waste our time in
it… this is a trivial matter" quite unlike what many people say
nowadays about the Sunnah, thereby giving it a low ranking in their
list of importance. Instead, the Companionswould apply anything that
came to them fromtheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam and would
practice it fully and very precisely. Even in matters that were
related to man's natural disposition, such as growing the beard, using
the Siwaak )a special twig that is used as a toothbrush( and so on.
Is it not time for us to apply the Sunnah in our practices and
actions, our families, the way we dress, our children, our homes, our
prayers and all other affairs?

Scenes from the Hereafter

The Exposure
Mankind, from Aadamto the last man to be created, will be exposed
before their Lord-Allaah Almighty- for judgment, as He, The Most
Exalted, Says )what means(:"And they shall be presented before their
Lord in rows."]Quran 18:48[
The Prophetsaid,"Mankind will be exposed three exposures on the Day of
Resurrection. The ]first[ two exposures shall be disputation and
excuses, but at the third]exposure[, the scrolls ]of deeds[ will be
distributed, and then some will take them in their righthands, others
in their left."]At-Tirmithi[
So, the first time, people will dispute with one another: the weak
with the tyrants who hinderedthem from faith, the tyrants responding
that they are, in the final analysis, not to blame, foreach individual
believes or disbelieves by his/her own conscious decision. The
disbelievers will denythat prophets came to them.
At the second exposure, people will acknowledge their wrongs, and will
seek excuses. With the third exposure, the booksof deeds will be
distributed amongst them. Receiving the bookin the right hand
signifies success, while receiving it in the left hand or behind one's
back signifies failure.
Allaah, the Most Exalted, Says )what means(:
"O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with]great[
exertion and will meet it. Then as for he who is given his record in
his right hand. He will be judged with an easy account. And return to
his people in happiness. But as for he who is given his record behind
his back. He will cry out for destruction. And ]enter to[ burn in a
Blaze."]Quran 84: 6-12[
The Questioning
Allaah, the Most Exalted, Says )what means(:"So by your Lord, We will
surely question them all. About what they used to do."]Quran 15:
92-93[ and )what means(:"Then We will surely question those to whom ]a
message[ was sent, and We will surely question the messengers."]Quran
7: 6[
The people will be questioned about whether messengers came to them,
and how they responded to them. The messengers themselves will be
questioned about whether they conveyed the message.
Belief in the questioning and reckoning of the Hereafter instills a
sense of responsibility and accountability in the Muslim. He must be
constantly watching overhis heart and his deeds, and must be prepared
to forego those fleeting, ephemeral pleasures of this world which are
available to him on the path of sin. He must be prepared to undergo
some suffering and hardship in the temporary abode)worldly life(, in
order to avoid the inescapable consequences of evil in the Hereafter.
He must fear standing before his Lord if he desires safety on that
ghastly day. Allaah, the Almighty and Majestic, Says in a Hadeeth
Qudsi )narrationin which the meaning is from Allaah and the wording is
from Prophet Muhammad(:"By My Might! I shall not combine for My slave
two lives of fear, nor two lives of surety."]Ibn Hibbaan[
People will be questioned, on the Day ofJudgment:
1. About faith, as the Prophetsaid:"You will beasked about)the
testimony of faith(: 'Laa ilaaha illallaah )none isworthy of worship
but Allaah('"]At-Tirmithi[
2. About the five-daily prayers: The Prophetsaid"The first thing which
the slave will be questioned about onthe Day of Resurrection will be
his prayer. If it is in order, then he shall have prospered and
succeeded, while if it is impaired, then he shall have failed and be
ruined."]At-Tirmithi[
3. About those under one's care: Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:
"O you who have believed! Protect yourselves and your families from a
Fire whose fuel is people and stones..."]Quran 66: 6[
The Prophetsaid:"Every one of you is a guardian, and every one of you
will be asked about those under his care. The man is a guardian over
his family,and will be questioned about those under his care. The
womanis a guardian over her husband's house, and will be questioned
about that under her care. The slave is a guardian over his master's
property, and will be questioned for that under his care."]Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim[
4. About the bodily organs: Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:
"And do not pursue that of whichyou have no knowledge. Indeed, the
hearing, the sight and the heart- about all those ]one[ will be
questioned )by Allaah(..."]Quran 17: 36[
5. About delights: Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:"Then on that Day
you shall be asked about pleasure)you indulged in, in this
world(!"]Quran 102:8[
6. About intentions: Allaah Almighty Says)what means(:"Whoever desires
the life of this world and its adornments — We fully repay them for
their deeds therein, andthey therein will not be deprived."]Quran
11:15-16[
In a long narration reported by Muslimwe are told that the men whose
cases shall be judged first on the Day ofResurrection shall be a man
who was martyred, a man who acquired knowledge and taught it and who
recited the Quran, and a man to whom Allaah had been generous and
given many varieties of wealth.These men will acknowledge Allaah's
favors upon them, and will claim that they did these deeds for His
sake. They will be exposed as liars, for they did not do these deeds
for the sake of Allaah. The man who was martyred had been fighting in
order to be called brave, the scholar or reciter of the Quran had
acted thus in order to gain a reputation as such, and the benefactor
had sought recognition as a generous person. Since deeds are judged
according to their intentions, these people received what they had
sought through these deeds, and so they will not receive reward for
them on the Day of Judgment. Hence, they will be dragged into Hell on
their faces.
Additionally, there are four questions which everyone must face on the
Day of Judgement. The Prophetsaid:"The feet of a slave will not move
on the Day of Judgement until he has been questioned about ]four
things:[ his life – how he spent it,his knowledge – how he acted upon
it, his wealth – where he earned it and how he spent it, and his body
– how he used it."]At-Tirmithi[
The Reckoning
Allaah Almighty Says)what means(:"Indeed, to Us is their return. Then
indeed, uponUs is their account."]Quran 88: 25-26[ People will be
brought to account for their deeds, as well as fortheir resolved
intentions. The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallm said:"When two
Muslims encounter one another with their swords, the murderer and the
murdered shall be in the Fire."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
The murdered individual will also enter the Fire because he was intent
onkilling his brother. However, out of the Grace of Allaah, we are
excused for fleeting thoughts which we do not consciously entertain or
sustain, nor verbalize. Allaah Says )what means(:"Allaah does not
charge a soul except ]with that within[ its capacity"]Quran 2: 286[
The Prophethas said:"Allaah has forgiven my Nation Nation for those
things which their hearts whisper to them."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
There will be some who will enterParadisewithout reckoning. In
theHadeeth narrated by Muslimthe Prophetsaid that the nations of all
the prophets may Allaah exalt their mention were exposed tohim. Hesaw
some prophets with only one or two people, or their family members
with them )i.e. no-one else had believed in them(. Then, hesaw a huge
crowd, and thought that was his Nation. Jibreel)the angel Gabriel(
told him that it was actually the Nation of Moosa)Moses(but he
indicated to him a larger crowd which stretched across the horizon,
and told him that this was his Nation. Hesaid,"…and with them are
70,000 who shall enterParadisewithout reckoning or punishment. They
are those who do not seekRuqyah from others )words from the Quran or
Sunnah said for the express purpose of protection or cure(, nor draw
omens, but rely upon their Lord."]Muslim[
Martyrs of the battlefield who died in the cause of Allaah will also
be exempted from the reckoning. The Prophethas said:"While the
slaves)people( are standing at the placeof reckoning, a ]group of[
people will come with their swords)hanging( on their backs dripping
blood, and they will assemble at the gate ofParadise. It will be
asked: 'Who are these?' whereupon it will be said: 'They are the
martyrs; they were alive, receiving sustenance.'"]At-Tabaraani[