بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

LOVE ALLAH

 

It was the Haj season in Makkah. An assembly of sufi shuyookh was discussing the definition of love. (In the sufi context, love refers only to love for Allah.) The youngest person among them was Junaid Al-Baghdadi rahimahullah. He was eventually asked, “Tell us what you think, O ‘Iraqi.” With a lowered head and tears rolling down his cheeks, Junaid rahimahullah replied: “The lover is one who has lost himself. Constantly engaged in the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah and discharging His huqooq (rights), he sees Him with his heart which is burnt by the radiances of Allah’s awe. His drink from the goblet of divine affection is unpolluted. Thus Allah manifests Himself to him through the veils of the unseen. If he speaks, it is to Allah. If he utters anything, it is about Allah. If he moves, it is due to the command of Allah. If he remains still, it is because he is with Allah. In short, he is lillah, billah and ma’allah (to Allah, for Allah and with Allah).” Hearing Junaid’s eloquent explanation, the shuyookh began weeping and said: “There is nothing to add. Jazaakallah Yaa Taaj-al-‘Aarifeen (May Allah reward you, O Crown of those who recognize Allah!).”

 

The truth, however, is that there is no comprehensive definition of love. In fact, definitions merely complicate its understanding. It is best defined by its existence. There is therefore no clearer definition of love than: love itself. (What we are saying is that words cannot define love. It has to be experienced to be understood.) … All the suggested definitions (Ibn-ul-Qayyim mentioned thirty of them, including the above definition of Junaid Al-Baghdadi) do not actually define love. Instead, they focus on its causes, signs, demands, benefits and other related issues. For example: Shibli defined love as ‘obliteration of everything besides the beloved from one’s heart’. Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Qushari defined it as ‘surrendering oneself to the beloved to such an extent that he no longer bothers of himself.’ Abu Yazeed defined it as ‘regarding one’s many actions as too little and the few favours of the beloved as too many.’ None of these quotations actually define love. Instead, they highlight the demand of love.

 

The Arabic Word for Love

There are ten levels of love and the Arabs have a separate word for each one of them. However, the most common word is al-mahabbah. The root of this word is حب (hub) which has five possible meanings viz.

1. Whiteness and purity. حَبُ الأسنانِ means whiteness of the teeth.

2. To be apparent and above. Thus the ripples that appear above the water are called حَبَبُ الماءِ and حَبابُ الماءِ

3. Firmness. The Arabs say حَبَ البعيرُ when the camel kneels firmly and refuses to stand up.

4. The essence and core of anything. Thus حبة القلب refers to the interior of the heart.

5. To Retain and protect. Hence the utensil in which water is stored is called حِبُ الماءِ

There is no doubt that all five of these meanings are found in love. It entails purity, appearance of one’s feelings for the beloved, firmness of such feelings, surrendering of one’s heart (which is the core of one’s existence and his most valuable possession) to the beloved, and confinement of intentions and desires to him.

 

Inculcating Love for Allah

Ibn-ul-Qayyim mentioned ten ways through which love for Allah could be inculcated. They are:

1. Recitation of the Qur’aan.

2. Engagement in nawaafil (optional acts of ‘ibaadah) after performance of the faraa’id (compulsory acts of ‘ibaadah).

3. Constant dhikr (remembrance) of Allah.

4. Giving preference to His likes and desires over one’s own.

5. Pondering over His names and attributes.

6. Pondering over His benevolence and favours.

7. Crying to Him with total humility.

8. Sitting in solitude in order to speak to Him, read His speech (the Qur’aan) and express one’s servitude to Him. This should be done at night when Allah descends to the skies and it should be terminated with taubah (repentance) and istighfaar (seeking of forgiveness).

9. Sitting in the company of true lovers of Allah.

10. Abstention from anything that could be a barrier between one’s heart and Allah.

Al-Ghazzaali and Inculcation of Love for Allah: A Summary

Whoever loves anybody besides Allah for a reason other than his relationship to Allah is ignorant and does not recognize Allah. Loving the Rasool sallallahu alaihi wasallam is praiseworthy because it is the result of one’s love for Allah. The same applies to love for the ‘Ulamaa and the atqiyaa (pious). The reason for this is that the beloved of the beloved, his messenger and his lover are all beloved. Therefore, in reality, there is no beloved besides Allah. In order to appreciate this, we have to ponder over five asbaab (causes) of love. Firstly, nobody besides Allah possesses all of them. Secondly, there existence in anybody besides Allah is not a haqeeqah (reality). Once you are convinced that nobody besides Allah possesses all of them and while their existence in Allah is real, the existence of some of them in anybody else is not so, you will understand why there can be only one beloved, and that is Allah.

 

The First Sabab (Cause): Man’s Love for himself and his existence.

This demands maximum love for Allah because whoever knows himself and Allah would certainly know that he does not exist of his own accord. Instead, his existence, its continuity and perfection are all from Allah. Allah is man’s creator. Having created man, he ensures man’s continued existence (for as long as He desires) and creates all the asbaab (means) for perfection in this existence. He also endows man with the ability to utelise these means in a manner that leads to such perfection. In short, man’s existence, its continuity and perfection are impossible without the favour of Allah. That being the case, it is imperative for man to love Allah. It is impossible that man loves himself but not his creator and sustainer. A person who cannot bear the heat of the sun would cherish the shade. Is it possible that such a person would dislike the trees that provide him with shade? In comparison to the qudrah (greatness) of Allah, everything in the universe is comparable to the shade in relation to the tree and light in relation to the sun. Everything is the result of Allah’s qudrah. Thus Hasan Basri rahimahullah said:

من عرف ربه أحبه

“The person who recognises his Rabb will (definitely) love Him.”

 

The Second Cause: Man Loves Anybody Who Is Kind to Him

Man has a tendency to love anybody who is kind to him. This also demands that he should not love anybody besides Allah because, if he has a sound understanding he would realise that in reality his only benefactor is Allah. Firstly, Allah’s favours on man are innumerable.

و ان تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها

“If you count the bounty of Allah you will not encompass it.”

 

Secondly, all acts of kindness shown to man by fellow people are in fact the kindness of Allah. Ask yourself: Who created your benefactor? Who blessed him with the wealth by which he is assisting you? Who granted him the strength to help you? Who guided him to help you? Who initiated the urge in his heart to help you? Who guided him to you? The answer to all these questions is undoubtedly Allah. Hence, your human benefactor is merely a worldly means for Allah’s kindness to reach you. Therefore your only benefactor is Allah.

The Third Cause: Man Loves All Kindhearted People

Another common tendency is to love all kindhearted people even though one may not be a beneficiary of their kindness. If there are two kings, one is kind and just and the other is a merciless tyrant and the kingdoms of both are far from where you live. You would feel a natural inclination to the former even if there may be no hope of you benefitting from his kindness. Similarly, you would feel a natural disinclination from the latter even if there may be no fear of you suffering from his brutality. Accordingly, there is no reason why we should not love Allah. Remember that Allah is Al-‘Adl and Al-Muqsit (both mean that Allah is most just). He is also Al-Bar (The Kind), Al-Kareem (The Benevolent), An-Naafi’ (The Benefactor) and Al-Wahhaab (The Giver). If we love all kindhearted people, should we not love Allah whose kindness encompasses everybody including the unbelievers and ourselves? In fact, all the above prove once again that we should love nobody but Allah.

 

The Fourth Cause: Man Loves Beauty

There are two types of beauty:

1. Outer beauty which is physical in nature and recognizable by everybody including little children.

2. Inner beauty which is spiritual in nature and hence only recognized by people whose knowledge extends beyond ‘the surface of the worldly life’. Such beauty is identified by the noble actions and conduct of people instead of their physical appearances. Hence, an ‘aalim may be admired for his actions and conduct even though he may not be the most handsome of people. The same could be said about any other pious Muslim. However, this type of beauty is only loved by those who are able to appreciate it. Any way, our discussion in regarding the causes of love and why Muslims love Allah alone focuses on this type of beauty.

 

The inner (spiritual) beauty of man is based on three factors:

1. Knowledge of Allah, His Rasool, Kitaab (Al-Qur’aan) and sharee’ah.

2. Qudrah (Ability) to reform himself and others.

3. Abstention from sin and indecency.

 

Each one of these factors demands undivided love for Allah alone. Can the knowledge of the entire creation put together compare to the knowledge of Allah?

و ما أوتيتم من العلم الا قليلا

“You have not received in knowledge but a little.”

Hence, if the beauty of knowledge is lovable, should we not love Allah? If man’s knowledge is incomparable to Allah’s knowledge and confined to what Allah taught him, should we love anybody besides Allah?

 

Qudrah (strength and ability) is the second factor which endears man to others. I am sure you would testify to the enthusiasm with which we listen to narrations depicting the shujaa’ah (bravery) of Ali bin Abi Taalib, Khaalid bin Waleed and many other famous warriors in our history. Even if we have not seen these personalities, merely reading about them boosts our love for them. However, can the qudrah (strength and ability) of the entire creation compare to that of Allah? If man realizes the extent of Allah’s qudrah (strength and ability), it is impossible that he would love fellow men for their qudrah (strength and ability) yet not love Allah. Remember that Allah is:

على كل شيء قدير

“Able to do everything”

The skies, the earth and everything within them exist only with His qudrah. He controls and sustains all of them but does not get tired.

و لا يؤوده حفظهما

“Protection of the skies and earth does not tire Him.”

Besides, every possessor of qudrah among the creation gains his qudrah from nobody but Allah. Hence, there is no real possessor of qudrah besides Allah. Does this not prove that if possession of qudrah is a reason for love, we should not love anybody besides Allah?

 

The third factor that results in inner beauty and love is abstention from evil and indecency. Thus we love the Ambiyaa, Sahaabah and other pious servants of Allah. However, the Ambiyaa are ma’soom (infallible) due to Allah’s protection. Similarly, the Sahaabah and other pious servants of Allah are only able to abstain from sin due to Allah’s guidance. Furthermore, Allah is Subbooh and Quddoos. Both of these attributes mean that Allah is by nature The Most Pure. Unlike the Ambiyaa and other pious people, His purity is not dependent on the protection and guidance of anybody else. Consequently, there is a vast difference between their abstention from evil and Allah’s freedom from it. The demand of this vast difference is that, if people are loved due to their qudrah (strength), we should love Allah even more. Actually, this difference demands that we should have only one mahboob (beloved) – Allah.

 

The Fifth Cause: An Attachment between the Lover and the Beloved

The attachment between the lover and the beloved is sometimes quite apparent. However, it is often unclear. This is the type of attachment that exists between two people even though the beloved possesses neither beauty nor wealth. Development of a similar attachment between oneself and Allah is required in order to be initiated into the fraternity of His sincere lovers. This is achieved by adopting all the qualities exhorted by the sharee’ah, especially those of Allah like: generosity, kindness, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, encouragement of good, dissuasion of evil etc.

تخلقوا بأخلاق الله

“Adopt the character of Allah.”

 

The Benefit of Love

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that there are three qualities whoever possesses them will taste the sweetness of imaan. These three qualities are:

1. That you do not love anybody more than Allah and His Rasool.

2. That you love a person solely for the pleasure of Allah.

3. That you detest reverting to kufr (disbelief) just as you detest being thrown into the fire.

A deeper look at numbers two and three reveals that in actual fact both of them are subordinates of the first. Thus the crux of the Hadith is that the person who loves Allah and His Rasool sallallahu alaihi wasallam more than everybody else will be blessed with the sweetness of imaan.

 

Describing imaan as a tree, Allah says in the Qur’aan:

و مثل كلمة طيبة كشجرة طيبة أصلها ثابت و فرعها فى السماء

تؤتى أكلها كل حين باذن ربها

“The example of a pleasant kalimah is like that of a pleasant tree. Its roots are firm and its branches are in the sky. It yields its fruits all the time with the command of its Rabb.”

 

The Kalimah of Ikhlaas (i.e. Laa Ilaaha illallah …) is the root of the tree of imaan. Its branches are adherence to Allah’s commands and abstention from everything that He prohibited. Its flowers are the Muslim’s intentions to do good deeds, its fruits and fragrance are the good actions which the Muslim eventually does and the sweetness of its fruit is perfection of imaan. Enjoyment of ‘ibaadah is a sign of such perfection.

 

Another benefit of loving Allah is that the lover of Allah eventually becomes His beloved and is thus forgiven and blessed with entry into Jannah.

قل ان كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعونى يحببكم الله و يغفر لكم ذنوبكم

“Say (O Muhammed): If you love Allah, follow me – Allah will love you and forgive your sins for you.”

However, love is not lip-service. It has to be proven. In the case of love for Allah, it has to be proven by following the teachings of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Nevertheless, if you love Allah, He will love you. Do you need anything after that?

 

و صلى الله على نبيه الكريم و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين

برحمتك يأرحم الراحمين

 

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

28 Rajab 1431 \ 11 July 2010

Al-Jaami’ah Al-Mahmoodiah

Persida, Springs

 

بسم الله الرمن الرحيم

THE DIMENSIONS OF HOPE

 

In the days when the Arabs travelled on camels, the camel driver would urge the camels forward by singing a simple song. This song was called حداء (hudaa) and hence, the camel driver was called الحادى (al-haady). In the worldly life, man is on a journey – a lifelong journey to the Hereafter. In the course of this journey, he too requires a haady. This haady is called rajaa (hope in Allah).

 

مَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لَآَتٍ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

Whoever hopes in meeting Allah, surely the time fixed by Allah is approaching – and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

 

فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا

Whoever has hope in meeting his Rabb should do good and refrain from ascribing anybody as a partner to Allah.

 

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

Those who brought Imaan and those who migrate and strive in the path of Allah, those are the ones who hope in Allah’s mercy, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

O son of Aadam! So long as you call me and have hope in me, I will forgive you for whatever you have done and I will not bother.

The Benefits

Ibn-ul-Qayyim rahimahullah mentioned eleven benefits of rajaa (hope in Allah) in his Madaarij-us-Saalikeen.  Some of them are:

 

1. Being the ‘ibaad (bondsmen) of Allah, we have to continuously express our ‘uboodiyyah (bondage) to Him. Rajaa is an excellent form of accomplishing this.

 

2. The most desirable trait to a generous man is that people have hope in his assistance and do not hesitate seeking it. However, Allah is more generous than all the generous people in His creation. Nobody can be more generous than Him. Thus He too desires that His servants hope in His mercy and do not hesitate in petitioning His assistance. This is taken one step further in the Hadith: Allah gets angry with the person who does not ask Him.  Since the one who asks has hope that his request would be fulfilled, we conclude that: Allah gets angry with the person who does not have any hope in Him.

 

3. Awareness of Allah’s attributes could lead to extreme fear and consequent despondency. The result would be abandonment of Allah’s commands. Man would think to himself: I am not going to make it anyway. However, rajaa balances the equation. It reminds man of Allah’s mercy and encourages him to engage in good actions. In the words of Abu Isma’il Al-Harawi, rajaa ‘cools the heat of fear’. Ibn-ul-Qayyim rahimahullah writes: Rajaa is a haady which urges man forward in his journey to Allah. It makes him enjoy the journey and it encourages him to be steadfast. “If it was not for rajaa, nobody would have advanced because fear on its own does not motivate man . . .”

 

4. Rajaa increases man’s love for Allah. In the words of Ibn-ul-Qayyim, it “places him on the doorstep of mahabbah (love).” The reason for this being that the more he places his hopes in Allah and those hopes are fulfilled, his love for Allah naturally increases.

 

5. Fulfillment of man’s hopes also leads to shukr (gratitude) which is another noble quality of the pious.

 

6. In the worldly life the Mu’min is supposed to live ‘between khawf (fear) and rajaa (hope). Another benefit of raja is that it supplements one’s khawf. The reason for this being that a hopeful person always fears the possibility that his hopes may not be fulfilled.

 

7. Rajaa results in anticipation of Allah’s bounty. Anybody who anticipates the bounty of Allah would sincerely turn to Allah in du’aa and remember Him more frequently. Hence, increased remembrance of Allah is another benefit of raja.

Two Types of Rajaa

Rajaa is of two types:

1. The rajaa of a person who fulfills the commands of Allah and then hopes for reward from Allah.

2. The raja of a person who makes tawbah after sinning and thereafter hopes for the acceptance of his tawbah.

 

The scholars of tasawwuf differ with regards to which type is more virtuous. Some prefer the first type because of the strength of the asbaab (reasons) for such raja. Others prefer the second type because, due to the thought of one’s sin, such rajaa is accompanied with humility. Hahya bin Mu’aadh rahimahullah would explain that acceptance of good actions requires ikhlaas (sincerity). Known for my mistakes, can I claim complete sincerity in my actions? On the contrary, the sinner who repents and then hopes for his repentance to be accepted relies on nothing but Allah’s forgiveness. Why would Allah not forgive whereas He is the All-Forgiving? The latter types is hence more virtuous that the first.

 

Rajaa or Deception?

What about the rajaa of a person who hopes in the rahmah (mercy) of Allah but does no good deeds and engrosses in sin? As explained by the ‘ulamaa, this is actually ghuroor (deception) instead of rajaa. It could also be called rajaa kaadhib (false rajaa) or tamanni. Tamanni also means hope. However, the difference between rajaa and tamanni is that the former is a hope for something possible whereas the latter is a hope for something impossible.

Ibn-ul-Qayyim explained the difference between true and false rajaa by means of an effective example. He compared the person who exercises true rajaa to a farmer who ploughed his land, sewed the seeds and thereafter hopes for a successful crop. On the other hand, the person who exercises false rajaa is like a person who desires that he had a piece of land which he could cultivate and later harvest its crops.

 

Two More Examples

If a person is hired to repair some utensils for a fixed wage and he fulfils his task, his anticipation of being payed is justified. However, even if the person who employed him has a reputation for fulfilling his pledges, if he fails in his task and causes more damage to the utensils, his anticipation of being payed because his employer is very generous and never renegades on his promises is laughable. Imaam Ghazzaali rahimahullah compared true and false rajaa to the hopes of the above two employees.

Hasan Al-Basri rahimahullah said about false rajaa:

من رجا شيئا طلبه

“Whoever desires something will make and effort to achieve it.”

 

Commenting on this statement, Imaam Ghazzaali says: A person who desires to have children but does not get married is a fool. Similarly, a person who desires the mercy of Allah but neither does good actions nor abstains from sin is in deception.

A poet aptly said:

ترجو النجاة و لم تسلك مسالكها  –  ان السفينة لا تجرى على اليبس

You desire salvation but you have not followed it’s path

Surely the ship does not sail on dry land.

 

It is in this context that Shah Al-Kirmaani rahimahullah said: “The sign of the soundness of rajaa is good actions.”

 

Textual Proof

Consider the aayah:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

Surely those who bring imaan and those who migrate and strive the path of Allah, those are the ones who hope in Allah’s mercy; and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

 

Imaam Ghazzaali explains that the meaning of this aayah is that only those who bring imaan, undertake the hijrah and strive in the path of Allah deserve to hope in Allah’s mercy. The rajaa of those who do not do these actions is therefore false and invalid.

 

Similarly, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

الكيس من دان نفسه و عمل لما بعد الموت و العاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها

و تمنى على الله الأمانى

The intelligent person is one who takes a reckoning of himself and the helpless person is one who follows his desires and then hopes in Allah.

This Hadith also proves the difference between true and false rajaa.

 

Conclusion

We conclude this discussion on rajaa with the following quotation from Yahya bin Mu’aadh rahimahullah:

 

O Allah! The sweetest gift in my heart is hoping in you, the most delightful speech on my tongue is praising you and the most beloved hour to me is the hour in which I will meet you.

 

May Allah guide one and all to a correct understaning of His deen, aameen.

 

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

11 Jumaadal-Oola 1432

15 April 2011

Persida, Springs

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE ESSENCE OF AS-SALAAT ALAN-NABI

 

When we Muslims discuss the greatness of our beloved Rasool sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we focus on various aspects of his life; his handsome features, his sublime conduct, his noble teachings, his remarkable achievements, his miracles and his excellence over the rest of the Ambiyaa alaihimus salaam. With regards to the last aspect, it could be asked that ‘if Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam excelled the rest of the Ambiyaa alaihimus salaam, why did Allah command the angels to prostrate to Aadam alaihis salaam instead of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam? Does this not imply that Aadam alaihis salaam enjoyed a greater status than Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam?’

 

The answer to this question is in the aayah

ان الله و ملائكته يصلون على النبي يايها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه و سلموا تسليما

“Surely Allah and His angels send salawaat to the Nabi. O those who have Imaan, you also send salaat and salaam to him.”

 

 In this aayah Allah informs us that He also sends salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. On the contrary, it is quite obvious that Allah did not prostrate to Aadam alaihis salaam when He had commanded the malaaikah (angels) to do so.

 Usage of the past tense in all the aayaat that refer to the prostration of the angels to Aadam alaihis salaam indicates that this happened only once. However, usage of the present tense in this aayah implies that Allah and His angels continuously send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

 While the command to prostrate to Aadam alaihis salaam applied to the inhabitants of the skies only, the sending of salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam applies to the inhabitants of the skies and the earth. Thus Allah says:

يايها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه و سلموا تسليما

“O those who have Imaan, you also send

salaat and salaam to him.”

 

The Status of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam

The fact that Allah and His angels send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam is sufficient proof of his lofty status in the court of Allah. This is enhanced further by the fact that there is no evidence whatsoever – neither in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah nor in any of the previous scriptures – that Allah sends salawaat to any other Nabi.

 

Motivation

Besides highlighting the status of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, this aayah also draws attention to the reason why we should send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam; if Allah and His angels send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, should we not be doing the same? When ordaining fasting on the Muslims, Allah said: “…fasting has been ordained for you just as it was ordained for those who were before you.  The meaning of this being that: ‘if the previous nations were able to fast, you could also do so’. Similarly, when ordaining salawaat in favour of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Allah commenced the aayah saying that He and His angels send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The reason for this is to emphasize the importance of salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. ‘If Allah and the angels do so, you too should do so!’

 

Benefit

Ibn-ul-Qayyim rahimahullah mentioned thirty nine benefits of sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.  The first benefit that he mentioned is obedience to the command of Allah. The second and third benefits are conformity with Allah and the angels; those who send frequent salwaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam are following the example of Allah the His angels.

 

Another Benefit

As a rule, man’s reward and punishment is always according to his actions. Haafidh Ibn Katheer rahimahullah says in this regard that الجزاء من جنس العمل (reward and punishment are in accordance with the nature of one’s action).   Thus:

 Allah says in the Qur’aan:

فاذكرونى أذكركم

“Remember me and I will remember you.”

 Those who drink wine in the worldly life will be deprived of the wine of Jannah.

 Those who wear silk in the worldly life will be prevented from wearing it in Jannah.

 Those who listen to music in the worldly life will never hear the voices of the qurraa of Jannah.

Likewise, the reward for those who send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam is that Allah and His angels send salawaat to them.

 

The Meaning of Salawaat

There is a consensus among the Mufassireen that the salawaat of the angels is du’aa that Allah show mercy to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding the salawaat of Allah. Some claim that it means mercy. Thus the meaning of Allah sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam is that Allah shows special mercy to him. Others are of the opinion that it means praise. Hence the meaning of Allah sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam is that Allah praises him among the angels. Accordingly, those who send frequent salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam earn the mercy of Allah and His praises.

 

A Question

Irrespective of the meaning of the salawaat of Allah, does Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam really need our du’aas? After all, if Allah is continuously showering His mercy upon Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, why do we sinners have to make du’aa to Allah to shower His mercy on him?

 

The Answer

The answer to this question is that definitely Rasulullah   sallallahu alaihi wasallam does not require our du’aas. However, there are three reasons why we send salawaat to him. They are:

1. By sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam we follow the example of Allah and thereby gain closeness to him. We also earn His mercy, forgiveness for our sins and a higher rank in Jannah. In short, we send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam for our own benefit.

2. By sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam we acknowledge his exalted status.

3. It is also a means of expressing our gratitude to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

 

 

Three More benefits

Among the other benefits of sending salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam are:

1. The names of those who send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam are presented to him.  This is understood from the following two ahaadith:

a. “Surely your salaat is presented to me.”

b. “Allah has deputed a group of angels to convey to me the salaam sent to me by my Ummah.”

2. Frequent recitation of salawaat increases one’s love for Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

من أحب شيئا أكثر من ذكره

“The person who loves something speaks much of it.”

3. Consequently, those who recite frequent salawaat eventually become the beloved of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.

 

Another Question

In all the various wordings of the salawaat that we send to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we say “اللهم صل على …” or “صلى الله على …” In both phrases we are actually asking Allah to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. The question arises that, considering Allah’s command that we send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, why do we ask Allah to do so? Should we not be saying “أصلى على …” (I send salawaat …)?

 

The Answer

One answer to this question is that due to our sins and spiritual weaknesses, our salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam cannot be as significant as that of Allah’s. We therefore ask Allah to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam on our behalf.

 

Another answer is that when commanding us to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Allah did not indicate the required amount. This could be a reminder to us that no matter how much salawaat we send to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, it will never be enough. Hence, we ask Allah to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam on our behalf because He knows best how much salawaat should be sent to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Putting it differently, asking Allah to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam on our behalf is an acknowledgment that ‘O Allah, we wish to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam but we are unable to do so in a manner that befits the lofty status of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. We therefore request you to do it on our behalf. This is similar to the du’aa لا أحصي ثناء عليك (‘O Allah, I am unable to praise you!’).

An Interesting Observation

Just as the Ummah have been commanded to send salawaat to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, he has also been commanded to send salawaat to them.

وَصَلّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلَواتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ

“And send salawaat to them. Undoubtedly, your salawaat is tranquility for them.”

The reason for this, as observed by Fakhrud-Deen Ar-Raazi, is so that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam may repay the Ummah and not be obliged to them.

 

و صلى الله على النبي محمد و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

24 جمادى الأخرى 1431

08 June 2010

Al-Jaami’ah Al-Mahmoodiah

Springs

 

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

YOUR EARS OR YOUR EYES?

 

Stupefied? Have you ever heard such a question before? Between your ears and your eyes, which do you think is superior? Many ‘Ulamaa claim that your ears are superior. Put differently, the faculty of hearing is greater than the faculty of sight. Their arguments are:

1. While there were Ambiyaa who were deaf (for example, Ya’qoob alaihis-salaam who lost his eyesight due to excessive crying for his son Yusuf alaihis-salaam and Shu’ayb alaihis-salaam who went blind due to profuse crying as a result of his fear regarding how he would fare in front of Allah on the day of Qiyaamah), there is no evidence of any Nabi who was deaf.

2. Your ears hear in all directions; front, back, left, right, up and down. On the contrary, your eyes can only see in one direction.

3. Your ears function in light and darkness. However, your eyes can only see in light.

 

Other ‘Ulamaa feel that the faculty of sight is superior; your eyes are a greater ni’mah (bounty) from Allah than your ears. Their arguments are:

1. It is true that your eyes only function in the light. However, this does not signify any inferiority. Quite the opposite, it signifies nobility. The eyes are so noble that Allah has relieved them of having to function in the dark. On the contrary, your ears are not as noble as your eyes. Hence Allah has not relieved them of their duties due to darkness. This proves the superiority of your eyes and your faculty of sight.

2. There is more beauty in your eyes than in your ears. The appearances of people are enhanced more by their eyes than their ears. Referring to the beauty of the eyes, an Urdu poet said:

If you cherish the joy of the rain,

Then come and sit in these eyes.

They are white and black,

And they have a sky (the eyelids) and

Rain (tears) as well.

An Arab poet, Abu Nawaas, was asked to prove the existence of Allah. He replied:

تأمل فى نبات الأرض و انظر – الى آثار ما صنع المليك

عيون من لجين شاخصات – بأحداق هى الذهب السبيك

على قضب الزبرجد شاهدات – بأن الله ليس له شريك

Ponder over the plants (vegetation) of the earth

And look at the results of the creation of the Great King

Wells (eyes) of silver gazing

From pupils of casted gold

Upon pieces of chrysolite, bearing

Testimony that Allah has no partner

3. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that Allah says:

اذا ابتليت عبدى بحبيبتيه فصبر عوضت بهما الجنة

“When I test my servant with his two beloveds (i.e. his eyes) and he exercises sabr (patience), I substitute him with Jannah.”

 

There are two factors here:

a. Such a promise was not given to those who suffer from impaired hearing.

b. The ears have never been referred to as man’s two beloveds.

 

Ar-Raazi’s Judgment

Ar-Raazi’s judgment on this issue is that both groups are in error. This entire discussion is absurd! How can you compare the two (your ears and your eyes) whereas their domains are totally different? Does anybody ever question which is more important, eating or drinking? Definitely not! You eat when you are hungry. You drink when you are thirsty. Both of them, eating and drinking (irrespective of how much or how little), are essential for human existence. So too are our eyes and our ears. Both are indispensable for a comfortable life.  Can you imagine life without your eyes or ears; unable to see or hear?  What’s more is that without these two seemingly small yet most important organs, we would not be able to identify so many bounties of Allah and proofs of His existence, greatness and oneness. Would this not be an impediment in the path of Imaan? Therefore, always remember that your eyes, ears and every other organ and limb in your body are extremely great bounties from Allah. It is for this reason that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

“Everyday in which the sun rises, sadaqah (charity) is compulsory in lieu of every joint (limb and organ) in the body of the son of Aadam.”

 

ألم نجعل له عينين و لسانا و شفتين

“Did we not give him two eyes, a tongue and two lips?”

Mujaahid, one of the earliest commentators of the Qur’aan and a student of Ibn Abbaas radiallahu anhu, said: “These are clear bounties of Allah which He wants you to acknowledge so that you would be grateful.”  Once Al-Fudail bin ‘Iyaad read this aayah and then spent the rest of the night crying. When questioned about this, he replied: “Did you ever spend the entire night thanking Allah for giving you two eyes with which you see? Did you ever spend the entire night thanking Allah for giving you a tongue with which you speak?” He continued mentioning a few more similar things.  Bakr Al-Muzni said: “O son of Aadam! If you wish to know the extent of Allah’s bounty on you, just close your eyes. (Imagine life without the ability to see.)”

 

Ibn Abid-Dunya narrated from Salmaan Al-Faarsi radiallahu anhu that there was a man who possessed a great amount of wealth. He gradually began loosing this wealth until he was left with only one straw mat. However, throughout this time he never stopped praising Allah. At the same time there was another man whose wealth was increasing all the time. Noticing the gradual decrease in the former’s wealth, he asked him: “For what do you still praise Allah?” He replied: “I still praise Him because He has given me something so valuable that I would never swop it for the wealth of the entire creation.” “What is that?” asked the latter. He replied “Your sight, your tongue, your hands and your feet.”

 

A man complained to Yunus bin ‘Ubaid about his difficult circumstances. Yunus asked him, “Would be happy if you were given one hundred thousand dirhams in exchange for your eyes with which you see?” “No!” replied the man. “What if you were offered one hundred thousand dirhams for one of your hands?” continued Yunus. Again the man replied in the negative; he would never be happy to sell just one of his hands even if he was offered such a high price for it. “What about one foot?” added Yunus, “Would you sell it for that amount of money?” Yunus asked the man a few more similar questions and then told him: “I think that you possess hundreds and thousands yet you complain of need!”  What Yunus meant is that the creator of your difficulties is only Allah. Remember that all comfort and discomfort is created by Allah. Hence, by complaining of your difficulty you are actually complaining of Allah! Considering the priceless value of the organs and limbs in our bodies, how can we complain of Allah? Is that not being ungrateful?

 

On the Day of Qiyaamah we will be questioned whether we were grateful for these bounties or not.

ثم لتسئلن يومئذ عن النعيم

“On that day you will be questioned about the bounties.”

Imaam Tirmidhi has recorded a Hadith from Abu Hurairah radiallahu anhu in which Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: “The first (bounty) about which man will be questioned on the Day of Qiyaamah is that it will be said to him, ‘Did we not give you a sound body? Did we not quench you with cool water?’  Ibn Abbaas radiallahu anhu said that النعيم (the bounties) includes healthy bodies and sound ears and eyes. “The servants will be questioned about how they utilised all of this.”

 

Inability

However, the truth is that man is unable to sufficiently thank Allah for any of these bounties. On one occasion Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that whoever reads لا اله الا الله receives a pledge (of salvation) from Allah and whoever reads سبحان الله و بحمده receives one hundred and twenty four thousand rewards. Somebody in the gathering asked: “How can we perish after that, O Rasulullah?” Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam replied: “A man will come on the Day of Qiyaamah with weightier ‘amal (actions) than the mountains. A bounty from the bounties of Allah will then rise and almost exhaust all that ‘amal unless Allah intervenes with His mercy.”  Ibn Abid-Dunya narrated from Anas radiallahu anhu that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: “Allah’s bounties and man’s good and bad deeds will be brought on the Day of Qiyaamah. Allah will then tell just one of His bounties, ‘Take your share in his good deeds!’ Thus it will take away all his good deeds.”  In fact, it is understood from a weak Hadith recorded by Al-Haakim that not even five hundred years of ‘ibaadah is sufficient to thank Allah for the bounty of sight.

 

Do not Despair!

Most certainly, in spite of these Ahaadith, there is no need to despair. The aim of such Ahaadith is to highlight the importance of gratitude to Allah and not to create despondency. Thus, when Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam mentioned that daily we should be giving charity in lieu of every joint (limb and organ) in our bodies, he thereafter said that being just between two people, helping a man mount his animal or load his goods thereon and good speech are all forms of charity. Every step taken towards salaah and removal of an obstacle from the road are also equivalent to charity.  In another narration it is mentioned that “every utterance of Subhaanallah, Al-hamdulillah, Laa ilaaha illallah and Allahu Akbar is charity. Telling people to do good deeds and abstain from evil is charity. Two rak’aats of salaah performed at the time of duhaa (forenoon) suffices for all of the above.  In yet another narration it is mentioned that helping a person in distress is charity. And if one is unable to do that, he should avoid harming others because that is also equal to charity.

 

Finally, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that whoever reads the following du’aa in the morning has discharged the shukr (thanks) for that day. Similarly, whoever reads it in the night has discharged the shukr (thanks) for that night. The du’aa is:

اللهم ما أصبح بى من نعمة أو بأحد من خلقك فمنك وحدك لا شريك لك

فلك الحمد و لك الشكر

“O Allah! There is not a single bounty which I or anybody else among your creation enjoys except that it is from you alone – and you have no partner – therefore all praise and thanks are to you.”

 

May Allah guide us to understand and rectify our actions, aameen.

 

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

16 Rajab 1431 \ 29 June 2010

Al-Jaami’ah Al-Mahmoodiah

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الحيم

THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LIFE

 

 

“This is Uhud; a mountain that loves us and which we love” said Rasulullah  when he approached Mount Uhud on his return journey from Banil Mustaliq to Madinah Munawwarah.

 

If love is a subsidiary of life, did Rasulullah  imply that mountains have life? Knowledge of a few Aayaat of the Qur’aan and Ahaadith of Rasulullah  compel us to answer in the affirmative.

o “Everything announces His purity and praises Him but you do not understand their announcement of His purity.”

o “There is no doubt that due to fear for Allah water gushes from some stones, some stones crack and water trickles from them and some stones (just) fall.” (Isn’t fear another subsidiary of life – do lifeless things experience fear?)

o On one occasion Rasulullah  told his Sahaabah : “I know a stone in Makkah that used to greet me even before my appointment as a Nabi”

 

There is nevertheless a vast difference between human life and the life of inanimate objects like stones, mountains and trees. In fact there are a number of different levels of life.

 

The First Level

 

The first level of life is life of the earth after its death (drought). “Allah sends water from the sky and by means of it He restores life to the earth after its death.”

 

The Second Level

 

The second level of life is that of objects which people commonly regard as inanimate.

 

The Third Level

 

The third level is that of the animals. Due to their ability to move, make sounds, see, hear, smell, eat, feel hungry and angry etc. their life is of a higher level than that of the objects referred to in the first level. However, their inability to speak, their lack of a sophisticated intellect and the fact that they are not bound to any shari’ah render them lower than human beings.

 

The Fourth Level

 

Human life constitutes the fourth level and is characterised by speech, intellect and answerability to the shari’ah of Allah. It therefore excels animal life. However, it is largely dependent on food and drink and is therefore inferior to angelic life which is not dependent on food and drink. While man gets tired due to lack of food and drink and eventually dies of thirst and hunger, angels do not eat and drink and never get tired. “They (the angels) make tasbeeh night and day (all the time) and they never get tired.”

 

The Fifth Level

 

It is clear from the above that the fifth level of life belongs to the angels. Another important aspect of angelic life is the absence of sin – being created from noor (divine light) it is impossible for them to sin. “They do not disobey the command of Allah and do as commanded.”

 

The Sixth Level

 

Anybody who possessors a basic knowledge of Qur’aan and Hadith may question the inclusion of human life in the fourth category – higher than the animals and lower than the angels – because, at the time of creating human kind, Allah endowed them with the ability of imitating the angels or the animals. By imitating the angels they can ascend the level of the angels and by imitating the animals they can stoop lower than them. Thus human life is sometimes higher than angelic life (as in the case of the Ambiyaa) and sometimes lower than animal life.

• “They are like the animals – in fact they are worse.”

• “Their example is like that of one (a shepherd) who shouts at animals who hear nothing but calls and shouts.”

 

On the other hand some would say that people who disobey Allah are spiritually dead. Ever heard of the living dead? Ironical as it may sound, it is true. Rasulullah  said, “The example of those who remember their Rabb and those who don’t is like that of the living and the dead.” Bear in mind the meaning of dhikr – it’s not mere utterance of a few formulae. Instead it is total Allah-consciousness in every aspect of daily life. Thus the fifth level of life is spiritual life – life of the heart.

• “Is that person who was dead and then we restored him to life and gave him noor (light) by means of which he walks among the people comparable to one who is in darkness and will never leave it?”

• “It (the Qur’aan) is nothing but a reminder and a clear scripture so that He may warn one who is (spiritually) alive and so that the decision regarding the disbelievers could be confirmed.”

• “Undoubtedly you can make neither the dead nor the deaf hear the call.” In view of certain Ahaadith which prove that the inmates of the graves  are able to hear, the word موتى (which we translated as dead) actually refers to the disbelievers. The same applies to the words من فى القبور (those who are in the graves) in the next Aayah.

• “…And you cannot make those who are in the graves listen.” Mentioned below are two Ahaadith which prove that the inmates of the graves are able to hear:

1. Three days after the battle of Badr fourteen of the disbelievers who were slain in the battle field were thrown in a well. Rasulullah  then stood at the edge of the well and, calling each one of them by their names, said: “Would it have pleased you if you obeyed Allah and His Rasul? Surely we found that the promise our Rabb gave us is true. Have you found that the promise your Rabb had given you is also true? Hearing this ‘Umar (Ra) asked: “O Rasul of Allah, are you speaking to lifeless bodies?” Rasulullah  swore by Allah and said: “You cannot hear what I am saying any more than them, but that they cannot answer.”

2. “When a man visits the grave of his Muslim brother whom he knew in the dunya and greets him, Allah returns his rooh to him so that he may answer the greeting.”

• There are a number of instances in the Qur’aan where Allah refers to wahi as rooh. The wisdom behind this, as explained by the Mufassireen, is that just as the rooh is the source of physical life in the dunya, wahi is the source of spiritual life.

• Luqmaan the Wise is reported to have advised his son to sit with the ‘ulamaa because “Allah gives the hearts life by means of the noor of hikmah (wisdom) just as He gives the earth life by means of rain.”

• An Arabic poet said:

ليس من مات فاستراح بميت – انما الميت ميت الأحياء

“The one who dies and gains rest is not dead –

the dead man is the dead among the living”

• Another poet said:

و فى الجهل قبل الموت موت لأهله – و أجسامهم قبل القبور قبور

“In ignorance is death before death –

and the bodies of such people are graves before their graves.”

• And another poet said:

و ما للمرء خير فى حياة – اذا ما عد من سقط المتاع

In life there is no good for a man when he is counted

among ‘fallen’ (worthless) goods”

• ‘Abdullah bin Mubaarak (Ra) said:

ترك الذنوب حياة للقلوب – و خير لنفسك عصيانها

“Abandoning sin is life for the hearts –

and the best for your nafs is to disobey it.”

• Ibnul-Qayyim (Ra) writes in Madaarij-us-Saalikeen that “the true man is the one who fears the death of his heart not the death of his body because most people fear death of their bodies and pay no attention to the death of their hearts – of life they know nothing but the physical life. This is the result of death of the heart because physical life may be compared to a shadow that eventually disappears, a plant that quickly dries up and a dream that appears to be true…”

 

• This type of is attained by means of correct Imaan, abundant dhikr of Allah and tilaawah of the Qur’aan, sound knowledge of Qur’aan, Hadith etc.

 

The Seventh Level

 

The life of the grave is the seventh level of life. ‘Allaamah Qurtubi (Ra) writes in his At-Tadhkirah that it is compulsory to believe in the punishment of the grave and that Allah will restore man to life and intellect so that he will understand the questions that will be posed to him, the answers which he will give and the honour or disgrace that Allah will give him in the grave. This is what is mentioned in the narrations from Nabi , this is the opinion of the Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa’ah and this is what the Sahaabah (Ra), Taabi’een and everybody else until today understood.

 

From the numerous Ahaadith regarding life of the grave we will suffice with only one:

“When a servant is placed in his grave and his companions leave him, he hears their footsteps. And then two angels come to him and say: ‘what did you say regarding this man i.e. Muhammed ?’ The believer will reply: ‘I bear testimony that he is the servant and Rasul of Allah’. Thus it will be said to him: ‘look at your place in the fire! Surely Allah has substituted you with another place in Jannah’. Thus he will see both of them. The hypocrite and disbeliever will (also) be asked: ‘what did you say regarding this man?’ He will reply: ‘I don’t know, I said what the people said’. Thus it will be said to him: ‘You neither knew nor did you read’ and he will be beaten with iron hammers due to which he will scream so loud that besides man and jin, every-      thing close to him will hear him.”

 

Note: All the Ahaadith in this regard actually refer to life of the barzakh. The dictionary translation of barzakh is barrier. In the shar’i context it refers to the period between death and qiyaamah. Rasulullah , however, only mentioned reward and punishment of the grave because in most instances the dead are buried. It is therefore foolish to think that the questioning of the angels in the grave and the subsequent punishment could be evaded by cremation or drowning.

 

The Eighth Level

 

It is understood from the above that the life of the barzakh is not restricted to certain people only. However, if this is correct, would it not mean that the Aayah “And do not say regarding those slain in the path of Allah: ‘(They are) dead!’ Instead they are alive but you do not understand” is redundant – All the dead are alive, not only the shaheed. The answer to this is that there are different levels of life in the barzakh and the life of the shaheed is higher than the life of ordinary people. Thus the Aayah “Instead they are alive” is regarding this higher level of barzakhi life which means that, contrary to ordinary people, the body of the shaheed does not decompose. Instead it remains intact as if he is still alive.

 

The Ninth Level

 

Like the shuhadaa, the Ambiyaa (AS) are also alive in their graves. A Sahaabi by the name of Aws bin Aws  narrates that Rasulullah  said, “The best of your days is Jumu’ah. Therefore send abundant salawaat (salutation) to me on the day of Jumu’ah because most certainly your salawaat will be presented to me.” The Sahaabah (Ra) asked: “O Rasul of Allah, how will our salawaat be presented to you whereas you will have decomposed? Rasulullah  replied: “Allah has prohibited the bodies of the Ambiyaa for the earth.” However, this life of the Ambiyaa in their graves is even higher than that of the shuhadaa in the sense that their estate is not distributed among their heirs and their wives are not allowed to remarry.

 

The Tenth Level

 

The tenth and most important level of life is the eternal life of the Aakhirah (Hereafter). Allah Ta’aalah says in the Qur’aan:

و ان الدار الآخرة لهى الحيوان

“Surely the life of the Hereafter is (true) life”

 

‘Umar  said: “If the entire worldly life from beginning to end is given to a person and then he dies, it (everything he enjoyed in his worldly life) will be like a person who was enjoying a sweet dream and when he awoke, he realised that his hands are empty (it was just a dream).”

There are just so many Aayaat of the Qur’aan and Ahaadith of Rasulullah  regarding the Aakhirah; the eternal bliss of the people of Jannah and the never ending misery and suffering of the people of Jahannam that a whole book could be written on the topic. We will therefore suffice with just one Hadith – the Hadith which states that after all the people of Jannah will enter Jannah and all the people of Jahannam will enter Jahannam maut (death) will be brought between Jannah and Jahannam and slaughtered. An announcer will then announce: “O people of Jannah, henceforth there will be no death! O people of the fire, henceforth there will be no death.” Thus the people of Jannah will become happier and the people of Jahannam will become sadder.

 

In conclusion we beseech Allah Ta’aalah to:

• guide us to realise the difference between life of the duyaa and life of the aakhirah

• to sacrifice our dunya for the aakhirah rather than the aakhirah for the dunya

• to bless us with spiritual life – life of the heart – which will eventually culminate in eternal bliss in the aakhirah. آمين

و صلى الله على النبى سيد المرسلين برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين

 

كتبه:

أبو حذيفة محمد كروليا

24 شعبان 1428

7 September 2007

الجامعة المحمودية

برسيدا – سبرنكس

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

HUMBLENESS

(Abu Hudhaifah Muhammed Karolia)

 

Let’s be honest, very few of us these days eat trotters. When sharing a portion of the qurbaani animal with friends, neighbours and family, we never even think of sending the trotters to somebody because “What will they say? They’ll call me stingy!” And you can imagine the response if somebody sends you the trotters; “Is that what he thinks of me? Can people be so stingy?” Rasulullah , however, was so humble that he used to say: “If trotters are given to me as a gift, I would accept it. And if I am invited to eat it, I would accept the invitation.”

 

Who eats barley bread and smelly (stale) fat today, and who would accept an invitation to eat such simple, insignificant food? We’d feel insulted if we are given such an invitation. Anas bin Malik , however, narrates that “Rasulullah  would be invited to eat barley bread and smelly fat and he would accept.” How did Rasulullah  know that the host was going to serve him smelly fat? Hadith commentators mention three possible answers, one of which is past experience. The same person had previously invited Rasulullah  and served him smelly fat. Knowing his financial situation it was quite obvious to Rasulullah  that this time too, he would not be able to offer anything else. However, due to extreme humbleness, Rasulullah  never even hesitated in accepting such an invitation.

 

Besides simple food, Rasulullah  also wore simple, patched clothes. And who do you think used to patch his clothes for him ? It is common knowledge that Rasulullah  had more than one wife. Unlike his Ummah who are permitted a maximum of only four wives each, Rasulullah  had special permission from Allah to be married to more than four wives at a time. Even though Rasulullah’s  wives were always eager to serve him, he  never used to ask any of them to patch his clothes for him. He  had so many enthusiastic Sahaabah رضى الله عنهم who would zealously fulfil every request of his. However, Rasulullah  never even asked any of them to patch his clothes for him. So who used to patch his clothes for him? Ummul- Mu’mineen Aa-isha رضى الله عنها narrates that Rasulullah  used to patch his clothes, mend his shoes and milk the goats himself.



Due to humbleness Rasulullah  would accept the invitation of slaves, greet the children when he passed them and be the first to greet when people met him. One of the special favours of Allah on Rasulullah  is that he  was aided with awe from a distance of one month. What this means is that even if the distance between the disbeliever and Rasulullah  was so great that it would take him one month to reach Rasulullah , he would already start fearing Rasulullah . Ali  used to say that when a person saw Rasulullah  for the first time, he would get scared and overawed. Once, when a bedouin saw Rasulullah  for the first time and began trembling in this manner, Rasulullah  comforted him saying: “relax; I’m just the son of a woman who used to eat biltong in Makkah”.

 

On another occasion Rasulullah  accompanied some Sahaabah رضى الله عنهم on a journey. When they needed to eat, one of them said: “I will slaughter the goat.” The second person and third persons said that they would flay and cook it. Hearing what they had said Rasulullah  added that he would collect the firewood. They were astonished and said: “O Rasul of Allah, we’ll do everything for you.” Rasulullah  replied: “I know that you wish to do everything for me. I, however, dislike being different than you…”

 

Why Was Rasulullah  So Humble?

 

Firstly, there are a number of Ahaadith in which Rasulullah  exhorted humbleness and prohibited pride and arrogance. For example:

– “Whoever humbles himself for the sake of Allah is honoured by Allah and whoever is arrogant is disgraced by Allah.”

– “Allah had conveyed wahi (divine revelation) to me that: Be humble among yourselves so that nobody boasts to another or oppressors him.”

– “A person in whose heart is the smallest amount of pride will not enter Jannah.”

Being ma’soom (divinely protected from sin), Rasulullah  would have never contravened the Qur’aanic injunction “Why do you say what you do not do?”

 

Secondly, the basic reason for mankind’s creation is ‘ibaadah. “I did not create jin and man but so that they would make my ‘ibaadah.” (Adhaaiyaat) ‘Ibaadah is called ‘ibaadah because it is derived from ‘abd meaning slave and ‘ibaadah is a means of acknowledging that one is Allah’s slave. A person who discharges his ‘ibaadah with the correct fervour will therefore behave like a slave. Since nobody can achieve this better than Rasulullah , ‘abdullah (The Slave of Allah) is one of his greatest titles. Thus Allah called him ‘abdullah while praising and defending him .

“Pure is the Being who took his slave on a journey at night from Al-Masjidil

Haraam to Al-Masjidil Aqsa…” (Al-Israa)

“And if you are in doubt regarding what we have revealed to our slave,

then bring just one (small) Surah like it. (Al-Baqarah)

“And when the slave of Allah stood worshipping Him,

they crowded around him.” (Al-Jin)

This explains why Rasulullah  was so humble – slaves aught to be humble, they possess nothing to boast about.

 

The Sahaabah رضى الله عنهم

 

The success of a teacher may be gauged from the extent his students are influenced by his teachings. One of the specialities of Nabi Muhammed  is that he is the only Nabi regarding whom there is such a multitude of narrations showing how the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and thousands of other pious people were influenced by his teachings. Hence, we will now mention a few narrations highlighting the humbleness of some famous personalities.

 

Abu Bakr 

 

Prior to Abu Bakr’s  appointment to the position of khilaafah he was a trader; he would go to the market daily to buy and sell. He also possessed a herd of goats which he would often graze on his own. He would also milk the goats for the people of the locality. When he was appointed as the khaleefah a young girl said: “Now the goats of our locality will not be milked.” Abu Bakr  heard her and said: “Why not? I swear by my life I will (still) milk your goats for you. I hope that what I have entered (khilaafah) will not change my character.” He then fulfilled this promise till the end of his life. There were also occasions when, meeting a slave-girl on the road, he would ask her: “Do you desire me to take your animals to the pasture or return them to the pen?” Fully aware of his humbleness and sincerity the girls would appreciate the opportunity and ask to either take their animals to the pasture or return them to the pen. Irrespective of what they requested he would then comply.

 

Umar bin Khattaab 

 

While Umar  was Ameer-ul-Mu’mineen (head of the Islamic state) Urwah bin Zubair  saw him walking in the streets of Madinah with a water bag on his shoulder. Urwah  did not think that this befitted the status of Umar . He therefore mentioned it to him. Umar , however, explained that due to the delegations that regularly visit him and diligently obey him, pride had entered his heart. Hence he was carrying the water bag on his shoulder in public – an action that does not befit a head of state who should rather have a servant to do such chores for him – in order to crush his pride.

 

On another occasion, also during his khilaafah (leadership), Umar  distributed some clothing among the Sahaabah رضى الله عنهم and sent an expensive set of clothes to Mu’aadh  who was much younger than himself. Mu’aadh  sold the clothes and using the income thereof, he purchase six slaves and set them free. Therefore, the next time Umar  distributed clothes among the Sahaabah رضى الله عنهم, he sent a less expensive set to Mu’aadh . When Mu’aadh  objected Umar  explained “… because you sold the first set.” Mu’aadh  was not satisfied. He said: “How did that harm you? Give me my share – I’ve taken an oath to strike your head with it.” Realising his error, Umar  merely said: “My head is in front of you but the youngster is often lenient to the old man. (You may strike my head but be lenient because I’m an old man and therefore weaker than you.)”

 

Uthmaan 

 

While Uthmaan  was khaleefah he was seen riding a mule with his slave, Naa-il, seated behind him. Riding a mule instead of a camel or horse is a sign of humbleness. Having his slave seated behind him on the same mule is a further sign of humbleness.

 

At night, when waking up in order to perform tahajjud salaah, he would fetch the wudhu-water himself. Somebody once told him to tell one of his servants to bring the water for him. Uthmaan  replied: “No, the night is theirs so that they can rest.”

 

Ali 

 

Ali  one day purchased some dates. He then placed the dates in his shawl in order to take it home. A man came to him and offered to carry it for him. Ali  replied: “It is most befitting for a man who has children to carry (his load) himself.”

 

Zaid bin Thaabit  and Ibn Abbaas 

 

Zaid bin Thaabit  was once mounted on an animal (probably a horse or camel). Seeing him, Ibn Abbaas  came to him and took the reins in his hands with the intention of leading the animal. Astonished Zaid bin Thaabit  said: “No, o cousin of Rasulullah! (I am supposed to respect you because you are the cousin of Rasulullah . How can I allow you to lead me in this manner?)” Ibn Abbaas  replied: “This is what we have been commanded to our elders.” Zaid  said: “Then show me your hand!” When Ibn Abbaas  showed his hand to Zaid , Zaid  caught it gently, kissed it and said: “This is what we have been commanded to do to the family of Rasulullah .”

 

Hasan Basri 

 

Hasan Basri was a very high-ranking Taabi’ie. He was riding through a street in Basrah when a group of little boys carrying small pieces of bread in their hands came to him and asked him to be their guest and share their bread with them. Despite his vast knowledge and the status he enjoyed in the community Hasan  humbly accepted, dismounted his means of conveyance (presumably a horse) and ate the bread with them. He then took them to his house, fed them and gave them some clothes. He then told somebody that the boys had shown a greater favour to him than he had shown to them because while they don’t possess anything more than what they had fed him, he possessed much more.

 

What is Humbleness?

 

Rasulullah  defined pride as بطر الحق و غمط الناس (rejection of the truth and regarding the people with contempt i.e. looking down on them). Conversely humbleness is acceptance of the truth and avoidance of regarding the people with contempt. Hence Fudail bin Ayaad  defined humbleness as submission and obedience to the truth irrespective of who said it. He is also reported to have said that the meaning of humbleness is that “you regard yourself as worthless. A person who regards himself as worthy of anything does not possess the least bit of humbleness”. In this regard there are two thought-provoking incidents.

 

The First Incident

 

Umar bin Abdil Azeez  was informed that one of his sons purchased a ring for a thousand dirhams. He immediately wrote a letter to him instructing him to sell the ring, “fill a thousand stomachs”, then purchase a ring for two dirhams and inscribe the following sentence on its face: “May Allah show mercy on the person who recognises his worth”.

 

 

 

The Second Incident

 

Muhammed bin Waasi’ saw his son walking with arrogance. He reprimanded him saying: “Do you know for how much I purchased your mother? Only three hundred dirhams! And your father – May Allah not create more like him among the Muslims – is me … and you walk like this!

 

In concluding this article we quote the statements of two great ulamaa; Ibn Ataa and Ibrahim bin Shaibaan. The former said that: “Honour is in humbleness. A person who seeks it in arrogance is like seeking water in fire.” The latter said that: “Nobility is in humbleness, honour is in Taqwa and freedom is in contentment.”

 

May Allah guide us to ponder, understand and implement – Aameen!

و آخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين

 

أبو حذيفة محمد كروليا

الجامعة المحمودية

28 رمضان 1428

10 October 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAJ

 

In the concluding aayah of The Bride of the Qur’aan, Surah Rahmaan, Allah Ta’aalah describes Himself as Master of Grandeur and Honour. In this light it is observed that the more than ninety-nine names of Allah Ta’aalah belong to two major groups; those which expound Allah’s grandeur and majesty and those which expound His honour. The former are known as the attributes of jalaal while the latter are called the attributes of jamaal. Examples of the former are anger, punishment, might, power, ownership and kingdom. Mercy, compassion, generosity, tolerance, forgiveness, guidance and sustenance are examples of the latter. Because man has been endowed with the potential to do good and bad, to obey and disobey, Allah Ta’aalah constantly reminds him of these two types of His attributes so that he will neither be deceived by only hearing and reading of the attributes of jamaal nor will he become despondent by only thinking of the attributes of jalaal. For example:

 Inform my servants that I, I am The All-Forgiving, Most Merciful and that my punishment is the painful punishment.

 Whoever does good will receive a better reward than that, and whoever does wrong; their faces will be toppled into the fire.

 …Forgiver of sin, Acceptor of repentance, Inflictor of severe punishment, Possessor of great strength, there is no deity but Him.

 

The attributes of jalaal demand respect while the attributes of jamaal result in love. When the sincere worshipper is overwhelmed by the attributes of jalaal he displays utmost respect to Allah. Admiration of the attributes of jamaal, however, leads him to ecstatic love for Allah. Thus there are only two types of ibaadah in Islaam; those which are based on respect and those which are based on love. In fact, there are only two primary forms of ibaadah; salaah and haj. Every other form of ibaadah is secondary and a subsidiary or supplement of either salaah or haj. This applies to zakaat and saum as well; zakaat is a supplement of salaat and saum is a supplement of haj.

 

Salaah – A Display of Respect

 

Humbled by the greatness of Allah the true worshipper observes utmost respect when offering his salaah. Thus:

 He ensures that his body is clean and free of all types of najaasah; haqeeqi, hukmi, hadath-e-akbar and hadath-e-asghar. He also ensures that his clothes and the spot on which he is standing are not najis.

 Besides covering the private area he avoids wearing clothes which he would never wear in a courtroom, wedding ceremony or any other social function. Just as he never visits people of status wearing grease or paint-stained overalls, he does not perform salaah in such clothes.

 Standing straight he fastens his hands slightly below his navel, lowers his gaze (looking at the place of sajdah while standing, between his feet while in rukoo and his thighs while in tashhud) and he does not look around.

 

Further indication of humbleness and respect in salaah is found in the following:

 The postures of rukoo, sajdah and tashahhud.

 The statements subhaana rabbiyal a’laa, subhaana rabbiyal ‘adheem and attahiyyaat… which are read in the rukoo, sajdah and tashahhud respectively.

 The sending of salawaat (durood) upon Rasulullah  after the recitation of the attahiyyaat at the end of the salaah.

 The du’aa that is made before making salaam at the end of the salaah and the du’aa that is made with raised hands upon completion of the salaah. (Bear in mind that although it is mustahab to raise the hands when making du’aa after salaah, du’aa and raising the hands are actually two separate proofs of humbleness and respect.)

 

Haj – An Expression of Love

 

Amazed at the attributes of jamaal the worshipper proclaimed: “O Allah, I love you!” Allah responded: “Mere lip-service is insufficient. You’ll have to physically prove your love. The three most important issues in your life are your food, your drink and the fulfilment of your carnal desires. If you truly love me, sacrifice all three for me.” Eager to prove his love the worshipper began fasting in the month of Ramadaan. On the twentieth day, however, Allah told him that he wasn’t doing enough. “You only fast during the daytime (from dawn to sunset). During the nights you still eat, drink and fulfil your desires. Therefore leave your house; go to the masjid and stay there (make i’tikaaf) for ten days.” The worshipper enthusiastically complied and as the day of eid drew closer his anxiety to know whether he was going to pass the test increased. However, the moment the crescent was sighted Allah told him that he had not yet passed. His house must have been to close to the masjid; maybe opposite or behind or around the corner. His sacrifice was therefore still insufficient. “Leave your town and go to Makkah” Allah commanded him. His spirit was not dampened. Instead he was overjoyed; he was going to visit the House of Allah. Thus he left his town and journeyed towards Makkah. When he reached the meeqaat Allah told him that to prove his love he would have to remove his normal clothes and wear two simple, unstitched pieces of cloth (one for the upper half of his body and one for the lower half). “How do you claim that you love me if you are still attached to your clothes?” When the worshipper changed his clothes for the two pieces of cloth called ihraam, Allah ordered him to verbally declare his love by uttering the talbiyah. The worshipper uttered the talbiyah and continued on his journey towards Makkah. When he eventually reached Makkah his heart almost exploded with joy, tears flowed from his eyes and he cried “Allah, Allah!” He made tawaaf of the Ka’bah even though he did not understand why he had to encircle it seven times instead of five or six. How could he question the wisdom of tawaaf if he claimed to love Allah? He adopted the same attitude when making the sa’ee between the mounts of Safaa and Marwah. To many observers his example was like that of a person who was looking for something very valuable, something which he treasured and loved. His zeal and devotion while making tawaaf of the Ka’bah and sa’ee between Safaa and Marwah were expressing his restlessness while searching for Allah. Due to intense love for Allah and a burning desire to meet Him it seemed as if he was looking for Allah everywhere. At that moment Allah suddenly stopped him and said: “Do you think you’ve proven your love for me? Well you haven’t done so as yet! Makkah is a city and city-life is full of distractions. Therefore leave Makkah and go to the dessert. Thus the worshipper goes to Arafah. Standing in Arafah he cries “Allah, Allah!” However, Allah’s response is: “You haven’t proven anything! Why don’t you kill yourself for me? You’ll only pass the test if you kill yourself.” Even at this moment the worshipper is not deterred. Thus he proceeds to Minaa to kill himself for the sake of Allah. As he enters Minaa with the intention of fulfilling this last and final test, Allah congratulates him. “Don’t kill yourself; you have passed the test. Nevertheless, slaughter a camel, cow, goat or sheep. That is symbolic of sacrificing yourself for Allah.” This is the reality of Haj. Every action aught to be an expression of ones love for Allah.

 

Quenching the Thirst of Love

 

Constant pondering over the attributes of jamaal gradually increases the worshipper’s love for Allah to the extent that a burning desire to meet and see Allah is kindled in his heart. Since this is not possible in the worldly life he develops a desire to visit and see anything that is attributed to Allah. The Ka’bah is attributed to Allah; it is called the House of Allah. Therefore one of the purposes of Haj is to quench the thirst of love. Shah Waliyullah writes in his Hujjatullah-il-Baalighah that: “Man often develops a strong yearning for Allah and needs something to fulfil this yearning. However, he will never find anything other than Haj.”

 

A Reminder of Death and Thereafter

 

In some aspects there is a strong resemblance between the Haj journey and the journey to the Aakhirah. Firstly, when Allah commanded prospective Hujjaaj to take their own provisions instead of begging from the residents of Makkah and fellow Hujjaaj, He added “And undoubtedly the best provision is Taqwa”. Scholars of Tafseer interpret this as a reminder to the would-be Hajee that like Haj, death is also a journey – a journey to the Aakhirah – and he’s got to prepare for this journey to the Aakhirah with the same fervour with which he prepared himself for the Haj journey. If you’ve been preparing for Haj for the last so-many months, why haven’t you started preparing for death and Aakhirah?

 

It is in this light that when the Hajee leaves his home he aught to think of the day he will leave this world never to return again. When he purchases the ihraam he should think of the day his kafan will be purchased, when he takes a bath before donning the ihraam he should think of how he would be given a bath after his death and having donned the ihraam he should continuously ponder over his situation when he will be enshrouded in the kafan. When he reaches the Ka’abah he should think of the Day he will reach Allah (the Day of Qiyaamah), when he stands in Arafaat he should imagine that he is standing in the mahshar (place of reckoning) and when he runs between Safaa and Marwah he should visualise himself running between the two pans of the scale of deeds.

 

A Symbol of Obedience

 

Viewed differently Haj is also a symbolic representation of our submission and obedience to Allah. Hence the huge sum of money spent to endure the restrictions of ihraam, sleep under the open sky in Muzdalifah and live in tents in Arafaat and Minaa. Tawaaf of the Ka’bah even though we don’t worship it, running between Safaa and Marwah although we’re not looking for water like Haajar did and pelting the jamaraat whereas they are not Shaytaan but the sites where Shaytaan had appeared to Ibrahim in order to deter him from fulfilling the command of Allah all indicate to the same spirit of obedience. The continuous and tiresome movement of the Haajee – from Makkah to Minaa, Minaa to Arafaat, Arafaat to Muzdalifah, Muzdalifah to Minaa, Minaa to Makkah and back to Minaa – is based on the same spirit of obedience. His fatigue and desire to rest do not matter at that moment; all that matters is the need to fulfil the command of Allah.

 

It is for the same reason that no matter how punctual a person may normally be with his salaah, in Muzdalifah he delays the Maghrib salaah until the time of Ishaa and then performs both Maghrib and Ishaa at the same time. As explained by Shaikh Abul Hasan Nadwi, this is because he worships Allah instead of salaah. Similarly he uncovers his head in ihraam despite his normally strict adherence to sunnah attire.

 

Drawing Allah’s Mercy

 

Shah Waliullah writes in his Hujjatull-il-Baalighah that one of the most effective methods for drawing Allah’s mercy is the assembly of a huge multitude of pious people at the right place and the right time. This, he explains, is the reality of Haj. There can’t be a more appropriate place for du’aa than the Haram regarding which Allah said in the Qur’aan: “In it are clear signs; (for example) the Muqaam-e-Ibrahim”. Similarly there can’t be a more appropriate time for du’aa than the days of Haj upon which Allah took an oath in Surah Al-Fajr and regarding which Rasulullah  said: “There are no other days in which good actions are more beloved to Allah than these ten days”. Shah Sahib explains further that when the Hujjaaj assemble in the above manner and exert themselves in du’aa and istighfaar they are not deprived of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. This explains why Rasulullah  said that Shaytaan is never seen more disgraced and angry than the day of Arafaat.

 

Earning Forgiveness

 

Shah Waliullah also mentions that another method of earning forgiveness from Allah is to frequently visit places which were revered by Allah’s special friends. In this regard too, there can’t be a better place than Makkah which was revered by the greatest of Allah’s friends; Nabi Ibrahim, Nabi Isma’il and Nabi Muhammed عليهم السلام. Engaging in ibaadah, tawbah and istighfaar in such a blessed place must surely result in forgiveness. Thus Rasulullah  said that person who performs Haj and abstains from sin, indecency and quaralling with his companions and others returns home “like the day his mother gave birth to him (without a single sin)”

 

Show of Strength

 

Another benefit of Haj is that it is an excellent means of showing the world the strength and size of the Muslim ummah. Although Shah Waliullah raised this point approximately two hundred and fifty years ago, this was never as evident as it is today. There is probably no other religious gathering in the world that receives so much of media coverage as the Haj and it is arguably the largest in the world.

 

An Interesting Story

 

Shaikh Zaahid Al-Kawthari writes in one of his Maqaalaat that an elderly Mufti in Bulgaria was approached by a prominent member of his community to officiate the nikaah of his daughter to a former Christian who had just recently accepted Islaam. Hearing his request the Mufti asked the man whether he was really sure about this and suggested that he should reconsider his decision. The man was adamant and spoke highly of this new (or revert) Muslim. However, the more the man praised him, the more the Mufti insisted that they should not be hasty. Noticing that the man was getting annoyed the Mufti then explained: I was born in a Bulgarian Christian home. My parents passed away in my infancy. I was therefore adopted by a Muslim who treated me very kindly and gave me a sound Islamic training and education. He then sent me to Aataanah (the former name of Istanbul which was a centre of Islamic learning in the Ottoman empire.) to pursue further studies. I gained knowledge from the senior Ulamaa there and upon graduation I was appointed as the Mufti of this town; the post which I hold till today. Practically my whole life from then till now has been dedicated to the service of deen. Despite all of this, the thought would very often pass my mind that ‘maybe my previous religion is actually true, maybe I’m wrong in choosing Islaam because I’m obliged to my adoptive father’. Whenever such thoughts passed my mind I immediately made istighfaar and asked Allah for steadfastness. These evil thoughts never stopped until I performed Haj. When I saw the Ka’bah and    the other holy sites and I visited the blessed grave of Rasulullah  they finally left me. If this was my condition and I was a Mufti for so many years, do you think that a man who accepted Islaam just yesterday ‘will be able to endure the same jihaad’? … In short, if performed correctly, Haj and the visit to the blessed grave of Rasulullah  are a means of boosting one’s Imaan.

 

We terminate making du’aa to Allah to accept this article and our Haj so that we may also earn His mercy and forgiveness, aameen.

برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين

 

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

9 Dhil Qa’dah 1428 \ 20 November 2007

Al-Jami’ah Al-Mahmoodiah

Springs, South Africa

 

 

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

THE AMAZING QUR’AAN

 

You would call me crazy if I asked you which part of the human body is human. Is there any part of the human body that is not human? If that is the case – and it sure is – the same would be said about you if you ask which part of the Qur’aan is a miracle. Is there any part of the Qur’aan that is not a miracle?

 

Not Just One Miracle

بل هو آيات بينات فى صدور الذين أوتوا العلم

“On the contrary, it (the Qur’aan) is a number of clear signs in the bosoms of those who are blessed with knowledge.”

 

The Qur’aan is not just one single miracle. The word aayaat (signs) in the above aayah is in the plural form and therefore shows that there are many miracles in the Qur’aan. In fact, the reason why each verse is called an aayah (sign, miracle) is that each aayah is a separate miracle. The ‘ulamaa are unanimous that there are more than six thousand two hundred aayaat in the Qur’aan. This means that the Qur’aan comprises more than six thousand two hundred miracles. Furthermore, the appropriate choice of words, unique meanings, picturesque descriptions and its intonation are all miraculous.

 

 

 

An Academic Miracle

It is the Qur’aan’s speciality over the miracles of all the previous Ambiyaa that it is the only mu’jizah ‘ilmiyyah (academic miracle) that was ever given to a Nabi of Allah. The miracles of all the previous Ambiyaa as well as the rest of the miracles of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam were ‘amaliyyah (physical).

 

Miracle-Producer

Qaari Muhammed Tayyib rahimahullah mentioned in one of his lectures that the Qur’aan is not merely a miracle – it is a miracle-producer. What this means is that implementation of the teachings of the Qur’aan led to the birth of such pious servants of Allah whose followers are comparable to different umam (plural of ummah). Abu Haneefah, Sufyaan Ath-Thawri and the other mujtahideen were not Ambiyaa. “However, their accomplishments were like those of the Ambiyaa. They imbued the hearts of thousands people with Imaan…”

 

Besides achieving gigantic tasks like the Ambiyaa, many of the pious servants of Allah performed certain miracles. (We, the Ahlus-Sunnah, believe in the miracles of the pious.) Such miracles only occur due to the blessings of abiding to the teachings of the Qur’aan. Thus Qaari Muhammed Tayyib states further: “Due to this miracle of Muhammed sallallahu alaihi wasallam and adherence to its teachings people attained such ranks that miracles occurred at their hands.”

 

Preservation

The fact that, more than fourteen hundred years after revelation, the Qur’aan is still in its original form is one of its specialties which it shares with no other heavenly book. The reason for this is the divine promise of Allah to preserve it.

انا نحن نزلنا الذكر و انا له لحافظون

“Undoubtedly We revealed the reminder and undoubtedly We are its guardians.”

Just as preservation in its original form is a speciality of the Qur’aan, the fact that Allah has promised to preserve it is another one of its specialities. There is no evidence – neither in Islamic literature (the Qur’aan and the Sunnah) – nor in Biblical literature that Allah promised to preserve any of the other books that He had revealed to the previous Ambiyaa.

 

Method of Preservation

بل هو آيات بينات فى صدور الذين أوتوا العلم

“On the contrary, it (the Qur’aan) is a number of clear signs in the bosoms of those who are blessed with knowledge.”

Although al-kitaabah (writing and printing) contribute to Qur’aanic preservation, the words فى صدور الذين أوتوا العلم (in the bosoms of those…) indicate that the primary method in this regard is al-hifdh (memorization). Motivated by love, dedication and the reward promised by Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Muslims have been memorizing the Qur’aan from the time of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Presently too, there are thousands of Muslims all over the world who have memorized the Qur’aan.

و لقد يسرنا القرآن للذكر …

“Most certainly We made the Qur’aan easy for adh-dhikr.”

Sa’eed bin Jubair radiallahu anhu interpreted adh-dhikr as al-hifdh and al-qiraa’ah. Hence the meaning of this aayah is that Allah made recitation and memorization of the Qur’aan easy. Quoting this opinion of Sa’eed bin Jubair radiallahu anhu, Al-Baghawi rahimahullah writes: “There is no other book of Allah that is read completely from memory besides the Qur’aan.”  At this juncture we recall the statement of the orientalist who said that: “The number of people in Egypt who know the Qur’aan by heart far outnumber the number of people in the whole of Europe who can read the Bible by heart.” I believe that today the number of people in many non-Muslim cities who know the Qur’aan by heart far exceed the number of people in the whole of Europe who can read the Bible by heart.

 

Four Levels of Preservation

وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

“And We revealed the reminder to you so that you may explain to the people what has been revealed to them.”

In the light of this aayah we conclude that one of the primary duties of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam was to explain the meaning of the Qur’aan. Thus it is impossible to correctly understand the meaning of the Qur’aan without the Sunnah. Hence Allah’s promise to protect and preserve the Qur’aan is also a promise to protect and preserve the Sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. In short, the mabaani (words) and ma’aani (meanings) of the Qur’aan have been preserved in their original form.

 

Added to the above, the methods of recitation and writing of the Qur’aan have also been preserved. You may not read the Qur’aan in just any manner. You have to recite the Qur’aan in accordance with the laws of at-tajweed. Adherence to the laws of at-tajweed ensures that the method of recitation adopted by Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam is preserved. Similarly, you may not write the Qur’aan in just any manner. For example, the word could be written in two ways:

1. Kaaf,taa,alif and baa (كتاب)

2. Kaaf,taa and baa with an elongated fathah on the taa (كتب)

Both ways are found in the Qur’aan. Sometimes the first way is adopted and sometimes the second. However, it is not permissible for us to choose either of the two ways whenever we desire. Instead, it is compulsory for us to write it in the same manner as the Sahaabah radiallahu anhum. Thus we may adopt the first way only when they have done so . . . Specifications of when to follow the first way and when to follow the second and many other details of this nature are found in the books of ar-rasm. Any way, this science of ar-rasm ensures the preservation of the writing of the Qur’aan. In view of the above, we could say that the Huffaadh are the khulafaa (deputies) of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam in preserving the words of the Qur’aan, the experts of ar-rasm are his khulafaa in preserving it’s script, the Qurraa are his khulafaa in preserving it’s recitation and the Mufassireen, Muhadditheen and Fuqahaa are his khulafaa in preserving it’s meaning.

 

At-Tajweed And the Different Qiraa’aat

This brings us to another two specialities of the Qur’aan:

1. It is the only book in the world that is read with at-tajweed.

2. It is the only book that may be read in so many different ways without any contradiction.

 

Al-Isnaad (Chain of Narration)

Till today qualified qurraa are able to trace their academic lineage to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. This academic lineage is known as al-isnaad (chain of narration). It is another speciality of the Qur’aan which no other heavenly book can boast of. Besides the Qurraa, there is hardly a single Haafidh who has memorized the Qur’aan without a teacher. The same is said about the teachers and there teachers. . . This is also a form of the isnaad of the Qur’aan. With regards to the issue of al-isnaad, Muhammed bin Haatim Al_Mudhaffar rahimahullah said that: There is no nation, past and present, which has a continuous isnaad . . . They mixed their (heavenly) books with their own narrations to the extent that they are unable to differentiate between the revealed word of the Tawrah and the Injeel and the narrations of unreliable narrators that they had added to these books.

 

 

 

Double Revelation

By double revelation we refer to the fact that the Qur’aan was revealed twice:

1. From Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh (The Protected Tablet) to the lowest sky. This revelation took place on the Night of Al-Qadr. On this occasion the whole Qur’aan was revealed at the same time.

2. From the lowest sky to Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. This revelation took place over a period of twenty three years. In this instance the revelation took place in installations; few aayaat at a time.

This brings us to another two specialities of the Qur’aan:

1. It is the only heavenly book to have been revealed twice.

2. It is the only heavenly book to have been revealed in installations. All the books were revealed all at once.

 

A Miracle

Despite the long period of time during which the Qur’aan was revealed, there is a remarkable consistency in its eloquence and literary style. This undoubtedly proves that the Qur’aan is definitely not the composition of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam. If it is, we would have detected some inconsistency in eloquence and style.

و لو كان من عند غير الله لوجدوا فيه اخنلافا كثيرا

“If it was from anybody besides Allah they would have found many inconsistencies in it.”

 

 

A Few Other Specialities

A few other specialities of the Qur’aan are:

1. It is a cure for spiritual and physical ailments.

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآَنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ا

“And We revealed in the Qur’aan that which is a cure and a mercy unto the believers.”

قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء

“Say: it is guidance and a cure unto those who believe.”

2. It is the only (heavenly) book which may not be touched without tahaarah (wudoo).

لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ

“Only the pure (those who have tahaarah) may touch it.”

3. It is the only book which Allah himself described as completely true and fair.

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلاً لاَّ مُبَدِّلِ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

“And the word of your Rabb is completely true and fair.”

 

Note:

As Muslims we believe in all the previously revealed books. We therefore believe that in their original form they were also completely true and fair. Can the word of Allah ever be false or unfair? However, besides the Qur’aan no other book is still in its original form. Hence the reason why only the Qur’aan was described as completely true and fair is that Allah knew that with the passing of time all the other books would be tampered with. Therefore, description of such books as completely true and fair would eventually be misleading.

 

4. Being the last wahi (divinely revealed book) Allah declared it the muhaimin (guardian) of all the previous books.

و أنزلنا اليك الكتاب بالحق و مصدقا لما بين يديه و مهيمنا عليه

“And We revealed the book with the truth in such a condition that it confirms the truth of the previous books and guards them.”

The meaning of this is that because the Qur’aan is the last wahi (revelation) and divinely protected from any form of alteration, all the previous books should be understood in the light of the Qur’aan. Hence, whatever conforms to the teachings of the Qur’aan should be accepted. However, whatever contradicts it should be rejected.

 

5. On the Day of Qiyaamah the Qur’aan will intercede on behalf of those who read it in the worldly life. Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

اقرأوا القرآن فانه يأتي شفيعا للأصحابه

“Read the Qur’aan because it will come as an intercessor on behalf of its companions.”

 

Do you desire the intercession of the Qur’aan on the Day of Qiyaamah? I definitely do. If that is the case, let us strive to strengthen our imaan (belief) in it, read the Qur’aan regularly, implement its teachings and pass its message on to others.

 

و آخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين

 

Abu Hudhaifa Muhammed Karolia

27 جمادى الأخرى 1431

11 June 2010

Al-Jaami’ah al-Mahmoodiah

Springs