Fear Allah in both public and private

Ibn Maajah (4245) narrated from Thawbaan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“I certainly know people of my ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihaamah, but Allaah will make them like scattered dust.” Thawbaan said: O Messenger of Allaah, describe them to us and tell us more, so that we will not become of them unknowingly. He said: “They are your brothers and from your race, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allaah.”

This is a saheeh hadeeth; it was classed as such by al-Buwaysari in Misbaah al-Zujaajah (4/246) and al-Albaani in al-Saheehah. Al-Mundhiri said in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (3/170): Its narrators are thiqaat (trustworthy).

Knowledge is not in being able to narrate much and in having many books by Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan

knowledge is not in being able to narrate much and in having many books – Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan’s explanation of Sharhus-Sunnah of Imaam Al-Barabahaaree

AbdurRahman.org | March 10, 2011 at 10:21 PM | Categories: Ilm, Islam, Sunnah | URL: http://wp.me/p1VJ3-wW

Here is a beautiful excerpt from Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan’s explanation of Sharhus-Sunnah of Imaam Al-Barabahaaree, taken from last week’s lesson of Aboo Talhah Daawood Burbank.

The author (Imaam Al-Barbahaaree) rahimahullaah said:

And know, may Allaah have mercy upon you that knowledge is not in being able to narrate much and in having many books, rather the scholar is the one who follows the knowledge and the sunnahs (in some versions: the Book and the Sunnah) even if his knowledge and his books are limited and whoever opposes the Book and the Sunnah then he is a person of innovation, even if he narrates much and has many books.

(Shaykh Saalih Al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah said in explanation of this point:)

His saying: And know, may Allaah have mercy upon you, that knowledge is not in being able to narrate much and in having many books.  `Ilm (knowledge) is not in knowing many things and reading much and having many books.  Knowledge is only through having fiqh (knowledge and understanding) and through ittibaa’(following) and in ‘amal (action upon it), even if the person has only a little knowledge.  So a small amount of knowledge along with righteous action and with correct understanding of the religion is something that is much.  Whereas having a lot of knowledge with little action and without following, there is no benefit in it. So the Jews have amongst them people of knowledge, they have rabbis and yet despite this their knowledge does not benefit them and they became those upon whom there is anger because they disobeyed Allaah upon knowledge and insight, so what is intended is not to have a large amount of knowledge and to have read many things, what is intended is action.  This is what is intended by knowledge and this is the path of those upon whom Allaah has bestowed his favour.  Just as He the Most High said (the explanation of which is), ‘Guide us upon the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favour’ and they are the people of knowledge and action. ‘Not the path of those whom You are angry with’and they are those who possess knowledge without action. ‘Nor the path of those who are astray’ [Sooratul-Faatihah, verses 6-7] and they are those who act without knowledge.  So therefore knowledge will not benefit unless it is with action and action will not benefit unless it is along with knowledge. So knowledge and action must be combined and this is the path of those who have favour bestowed upon them.

His saying:  And rather the scholar is just the one who follows (applies) the knowledge and the sunnahs even if he only has a small amount of knowledge and of books.  The scholar is only the one who follows the book and the sunnahs even if he has only acquired a small amount of knowledge, contrary to the case of someone who has acquired a great deal of knowledge or who has many and various books, however he does not act, then this there is no benefit in it.  Knowledge becomes much and it increases and it grows along with righteous deeds.  As for knowledge without action then it is stripped of blessing and it will not remain.

And the people of knowledge are of two categories:

The first one: those who are scholars with the tongue only

The second one: those who are scholars with the tongue and with the heart and they are the people of al-khashyah (fear of Allaah). He the Most High said (the explanation of which is), ‘It is only those who have knowledge amongst His servants who fear Allaah’ [Soorah Faatir, verse 28].  So having knowledge and fear (of Allaah), these two are al-`ilmus-saheeh, correct knowledge.  As for just knowledge of the tongue without fear of Allaah then this is the knowledge of the hypocrites, we ask Allaah for safety and security…

…Allaah the Most High said with regard to the Jews (the explanation of which is), ‘The example of those who were given the duty of acting upon the Tawraat and then they did not act upon it is just like the example of a donkey carrying volumes of books.’ [Sooratul-Jumu’ah, verse 5].  So the person who has a huge library but he abandons action or he is an innovator, his example is that of a donkey which carries books and does not benefit from them.

End of Quote.

Related Links :

Correcting the two strengths of knowledge and action – Shaykh Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Taken from ‘Miftah dar as-Sa’ada’(key to the land of happiness) . Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya

A Precious and Valuable Gem: The (Religious) Scholar Whose Deeds are Inconsistent with his Knowledge – Imam Ibn al Qayyim

A Precious Gem: The Ignorant Worshipper and the Immoral (Religious) Scholar – Ibn al QayyimKn

Win them over with your manners…

Bismillah walhamdulillah

Win them over with your manners…

The other day I gave a nonMuslim woman a flier for a series of events for Islam Awareness Week. I wanted to give it to the person behind her, but she was there so I thought why not. I gave it to her, and said something along the lines of “…it’s about Islam” (Yeah, no duh lol) and she replied with, along the lines of, “Yeah, I already know what Islam is,” and she tried to shove the flier back at me. Usually that is enough for me to see them as a lost cause, and move on. (But taking back a flier, I rarely do that.) But something pushed me to ask her “So what is Islam then?” And she said “It’s a bunch of ‘do as I say and not as I do.'”

I’m completing this post days after this has happened and so I have fuzzy traces, but I know this much:

She continued to scream at me in public, on the campus, and the passers by did not say a thing, except for one who called out her name and said Hi to her. I considered walking away from her, but I don’t know what stopped me. She would speak, then I would speak. I knew her anger was from something psychological. Eventually she admitted to me on her own and her anger was due to a divorce she was going through, and she [incorrectly] blamed it on the religion of Islam. In the end she apologized to me and decided she wanted to hug me and did so. She kept the flier I gave her and I believe we discussed which event would be easiest for her to make. They were all difficult for her to attend but she gave me her email, and I told her I would email her. :)

May Allah swt guide her and us to that which is Most Pleasing to Him. Ameen

15 Attributes of the Slaves of the Most Magnificent (Part 1)

Allah said in Surah Al-Furqan ayah 61-77 what is translated to mean:

61. Blessed be He Who has placed in the heaven big stars, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun), and a moon giving light.

62. And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.

63. And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness.

64. And those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating and standing.

65. And those who say: “Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily! Its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment.”

66. Evil indeed it (Hell) is as an abode and as a place to dwell.

67. And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes).

68. And those who invoke not any other deity along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor have illegal sexual relations and whoever does this shall be met with his punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe correctly, and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds, then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance.

72. And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil talk, they pass by it with dignity.

73. And those who, when they are reminded of the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind there at.

74. And those who say: “Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the pious ones.

75. Those will be rewarded with the highest place (in Paradise) because of their patience. Therein they shall be met with greetings and the word of peace and respect.

76. Abiding therein; excellent it is as an abode, and as a place to dwell.

77. Say:  My lord pays attention to you only because of your worship to Him. But now you have indeed denied (Him). So the torment will be yours for ever

Ponder with me, May Allah protect and nurture you , over these blessed verses and what they contain from the attributes of the believers and ponder over the fact that Allah began with His saying:

“And the slaves of the Most Beneficent”

THE FIRST ATTRIBUTE-

The Slaves Of Allaah

Indeed, the greatest attribute of the believers, rather even the Prophets and Messengers is that they are slaves of Allaah. Indeed, Allaah honored them when He called them slaves of the Most Beneficent just as Allaah honoured His slaves and Messenger (   صلى الله عليه وسلم  ) in His saying:

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him], Who took His slave for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-Al-Haraam (at Makkah to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem)”. Soorah Al-Isra:1

Allaah said regarding Prophet  ‘Isa (May Allaah protect him):

“The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allaah, nor do the Angels who are near to Him”.

The Messenger of Allaah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم   ) said:

“Do not praise me just as the Christians over praised (‘Isa) the son of Maryam, Indeed I am His slave, so say slave of Allaah and His Messenger”

Saheeh Al-Bukhari (3445)

So where Allaah referred to His slaves as being His slaves then it shows that Allaah honoured them. This is why Allaah enlightened the slaves of The Beneficent with these attributes (that follow).

More Attributes to follow inshaa’ Allaah

Taken from 15 Attributes of Slaves of the Most Beneficent by Shaykh Dr. Saalih Ibn Sa’d As-Suhaymee

Teacher in the Prophet’s Mosque and Da’wah centre in Madinah

Sisters Upon Al-Istiqaamah

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