1

Table of Contents
The Imam, The Sheikh, The Scholar.................................................3
Imam Nawawi's Life....................................................................5
Imam Nawawi's Habits of Success.................................................8
Enjoin Good, Forbid Evil, WHOEVER you are.................................11
Imam Nawawi's Works.............................................................15
Nawawi's Final Days...............................................................18
Nawawi's Advice to the Knowledge Seeker.......................................19
Qualities of the Knowledge Seeker..............................................21
Practical Advice.......................................................................31
The Hadith – Yasir Qadhi............................................................33
Hadith 22: A Stairway to Jannah................................................33
Hadith 29: A 2nd Stairway to Jannah..........................................36
Hadith 24: Denying Favors?......................................................42
Hadith 27 : The Golden Compass................................................49
Hadith 28: Listen and Obey.......................................................53
Hadith 32: Eradication of Harm.................................................55
Appendix : Q/A......................................................................58

2
The Imam, The Sheikh, The Scholar

Imam Nawawi is a name that is known even to those muslims who don't practice the deen.
To the scholars and students of knowledge, the scholars number in the hundreds of
thousands. But Imam Nawawi is a name that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has chosen to remain with the
ummah until the Day of Judgement. Indeed, few are the scholars that have achieved a
status the likes of Imam Nawawi. And without a doubt, there are only a handful of
scholars that have had the same effect on the muslim masses as Imam Nawawi has.

So how did Imam Nawawi attain such a high degree and status as a scholar of Islam? The
definite answer is to say that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ( )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬truly knows best. But there are some
plausible characteristics one could possess that would result in such a recognition. That is
the sincerity a person possesses. Through sincerity to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬raises people
in ranks and degrees. And it quite possibly be the case that Imam Nawawi's pure sincerity
and love of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is what caused Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬to raise him to such heights. Generally
speaking, the more love you have towards Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, the more beloved Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬makes
you amongst mankind. This is proven by Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s words in Surah Maryam.

ً‫ﺇِﻥﱠ ﺍﻟﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺁﻣَﻨُﻮﺍ ﻭَﻋَﻤِﻠُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﺼﱠﺎﳊَِﺎﺕِ ﺳَﻴَﺠْﻌَﻞُ ﻟَﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟ ﱠﺮﺣْﻤَﻦُ ﻭُﺩّﺍ‬

19:96: Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - the Most Merciful will
appoint for them affection.

Also, in the hadith narrated by Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (‫) ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ( )ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ‬
said, “A man will do something only for the sake of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and for that, he will
become beloved to the people.”

It is a sign of imaan that the people love you, respect you, and take knowledge from you as
well. For these reasons, we say that it seems that Imam Nawawi's has fit the profile of a
righteous scholar that has left behind knowledge that is widely benefited from.

Is it a bad thing to want to become famous and well known? It depends on the intention.
The believer does want to be accepted, by both Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and the people. But his goal of
becoming famous is not for the sake of promoting himself, rather, it is to become
recognized as a source of guidance for the muslims. In this way, the believer is able to
maximize his rewards from Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬on the Day of Judgement. In other words, it is the
believer that wants to attain fame from Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, whereas the hypocrites and non-
muslims who desire the fame from the people.

There is an important point to note when talking about specific scholars or muslims. We
must not affirm Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s pleasure or anger to an individual unconditionally. It is only
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬who knows the reality of a person's intentions and outcome. This is knowledge
of the unseen, which nobody possesses except Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. So it is from the etiquette and
beliefs of ahl as-sunnah wal jama'a that we can at most say that “we hope that so and so is
in jannah.” or “it appears to be that this person was sincere,” or “Insha'Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬he will
be forgiven,” etc. However, in dealing with the Sahabah, it is allowable to say with a
surety that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is pleased with them, because Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬himself has affirmed that

3
in the quran.

ُ‫ﺭﱠﺿِﻲَ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪُ ﻋَﻨْﻬُﻢْ ﻭَﺭَﺿُﻮﺍ ﻋَﻨْﻪ‬

98:8 - Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him.

Keep in mind that only the Sahabah have attained this testament of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and the
Tabi'oon, or the next generation following the Sahabah are not included.

Imam Nawawi's full name was Yahya ibn Sharaf ibn Murri ibn Hasan ibn Hussain. His Kunya
was Abu Zakaria. A Kunya is a title given to someone. Typically, the kunya is the child's
name of the father or mother. For example, Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Muhammad's kunya
was Abu al-Qasim because his eldest son's name was al-Qasim. However, we do not have
reports that Imam Nawawi ever got married or had any children. So the question is, why
was his kunya Abu Zakaria?

Since Imam Nawawi's first name was Yahya, Abu Zakaria became his kunya. The name
Yahya is intrinsically associated with the kunya Abu Zakaria, due to the relationship
between Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Yahya, whose son was Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Zakaria.
Likewise, other kunyas are associated with certain names; for instance, Ali is associated
with the kunya Abu Hasan, or sometimes Abu Hussain, or even Abu Hasanain (the 2
th
Hasan's). This is taken from Ali, the 4 Rightly Guided Khalifa whose sons were Hasan and
Hussain.

The concept of a kunya was something that was rooted in the Pre-islamic Arab culture, but
has assimilated into general islamic culture. Even Imam Nawawi had recommended
muslims to take a kunya,

“It is encouraged for muslim men and women to take a kunya.”

-Imam Nawawi

There is another naming element used by the Arabs, which is known as a Laqab. This could
be translated as a “nickname.” A Laqab is a nickname that is given to a man of prestiege,
earning his name through deeds and actions. It was done in jahiliyah, and the practice
continued in Islam. The Laqab of Imam Nawawi is “Muhiy-ud-Deen,” the Reviver of the
Religion. This name was given to him by his contemporaries because of the tremendous
work he was doing in the way of Islam. But Imam Nawawi was staunchly against people
calling him by this Laqab. To the point that he is reported as saying,

“I don't forgive anybody who calls me Muhiy-ud-Deen”

-Imam Nawawi

It was out of his humbleness and modesty that caused him to state these words. He simply
did not want to consider himself as a man that brought the religion of Islam back to life,
as if it was dead. He felt that this title was one that was overpraising him. Despite the

4
fact that he verbalized his opposition to the Laqab, the name stuck with him and he is to
this day known as Muhiy-ud-Deen.

One final component to the Arab name is what is known as the Nisbah. The Nisbah is
usually found at the end of the name, that indicates your origin, or tribe, or even
profession that you were a part of. In the case of Imam Nawawi, he was from the small
village outside damascus, known as An-Nawa. As a person from Pakistan would be called
Pakistani, Abu Zakaria Yahya became known as an-Nawawi. As a side point, the scholars in
their striving for precision pointed out that technically, he should be known as Nawaawi,
and it is a mistake to pronounce it as Nawawi. But it was realized that it is rather
difficult to pronounce “nawaawi” thus evolving the current pronunciation.

To summarize the structure of an Arabic Name we have what follows:

Laqab – Kunya – Actual Name - Nisbah

So the Imam of concern is best known as:

Muhiy-ud-Deen Abu Zakaria Yahya ibn Sharaf An-Nawawi

Imam Nawawi's Life

As stated above, Imam Nawawi was born in the small village

of Nawa, which is located right outside of the larger city of
Damascus. The scholars are in agreement that he was born in
the in the year 631 hijri, in the month of Muharram. The
great scholar, adh-Dhahibi described Imam Nawawi as follows:

“He was pink in complexion, with a long beard, possessing the

aura of the scholars, laughing little and avoiding jest. He worked hard to speak the truth
even if it was bitter and he did not fear the blame of others when it came to the rights of
Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.”
-adh-Dhahibi

Ever since Imam Nawawi was a child, his inclinations were different from the other kids his
age. While the kids were having fun playing outside, Imam Nawawi was attracted to a
Quran Halaqah going on in his local masjid. Kids would ask Imam Nawawi to play with him,
and Imam would break out in tears, run away from them and say, “I was not created to
play.” What really and truly is amazing about this is the fact that this response was not
due to the influence of his father. It exclusively came from himself. With this dedication,
Imam Nawawi memorized the Quran at a very early age in his hometown of Nawa. In
another incident narrated by Imam Suhaib Webb, it was during the month of Ramadan,
when Imam Nawawi was seeing a light in his house. He told his parents about it, but they
responded saying that they don't see any light. Many scholars commented on this,
explaining that this was a sign for him to become a scholar.

5
His father, Sharaf ibn Murri owned a shop in Nawa
and earned his living upon that. Sharaf was not a
scholar by any means, although he had respect for
knowledge and the people of knowledge. His father
wanted to prepare his son for inheriting the family
business, so he had Imam Nawawi run the shop when
he was a teenager. However, Imam Nawawi had
been interested in studying Islam abroad. But his
father wanted him to continue taking care of the
shop, so in obedience to his father, he would take
care of the shop, while studying as much Islam as he could. In this is an important lesson
for those zealous youth that are into studying Islam. Did Imam Nawawi disobey his father
and leave him with his shop to go study deen? No he didn't. He honored his father's wish
for him to remain in Nawa to care for the shop. This shows us that we should always take
our parent's wishes into account, even if it does have to do with differences we have with
them regarding our personal practice of the religion. Nowadays, you will find the zealous
youth quick to disregard the opinions of their parents for the sake of “religion.” Indeed,
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the Creator, and has a wisdom in EVERYTHING, whether we know it or not. If
our parents are preventing us from something we wanted to do in the cause of Islam,
realize that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has chosen your parents and controls their hearts. Respect their
wishes, so long as they don't command you to do the haram. And without a doubt, if you
make du'a, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has the abliity to change their hearts, and you will be rewarded
insha'Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬for taking their feelings into account.

Imam Nawawi continued this way for several years, until he reached the age of 19.
Although Imam Nawawi was respecting his father's wish, he did however remain consistent
in politely requesting his father to study abroad. And it was at the age of 19 that
Nawawi's father realized how determined and focused Imam Nawawi was in leaving Nawa
to seek knowledge. His father finally agreed to let him go to Damascus to study in his first
major school, known as Madrasat-ur-Rawaahiya.

One year later, Imam Nawawi and his father took the trip to Makkah to perform Hajj. Now
at the age of 20, he fell sick during this time and took a few months
off from studying in Damascus to recuperate back in Nawa. After he
recovered, he returned to Damascus to continue is education at
Madrasat-ur-Rawaahiya.

Imam Nawawi built up a reputation as a great student, even before he

became a teacher. His determination and zeal for studying islam was
unparalleled. His study ethic became the model for other students to
strive for. It is known that not even a single
second would go by except that he was using it to
study. Even when he would be walking to the
masjid, he would be reciting or reviewing
something from memory. He studies occupied his

6
every moment. His passion for learning became so intense, that it is reported that for an
entire 2 year period, he not once slept on his bed. Every night, he would doze off on his
desk, with a book in his hand. And when he woke up, he would just continue studying
from where he left off. As a disclaimer, realize that he did this subconsciously and didn't
punish himself by not sleeping on his bed. Because of his passions in studying, he naturally
went through this 2 year period of sleeping without a bed. Remember that as muslims,
our duty is to follow the Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. Also, if you were to visit Imam
Nawawi's place, there would be no room to even sit down, because of all the books that
were piled on the floor. Bookshelves weren't used back then, and students would stack
their books on the floor. If a guest came to visit Imam Nawawi, books had to be moved out
of the way so there would be a place to sit.

Imam Nawawi's study schedule was jam packed, in the literal sense of the word. As a
student, he would attend 12 classes daily, each dealing with different books. Specifically,
he would take 5 lessons in fiqh, 3 lessons in hadith, 3 lessons in language, and 1 lesson in
usul al fiqh on a daily basis. Suhaib Webb commented on Imam Nawawi's study schedule
that if you convert it to credit hours used today, that it would equal out to 72 credits!
Moreover, he continued in this fashion for 6 full years. It is said that Imam Nawawi's six
years of study is probably equivalent to what a dedicated student of knowledge could
accomplish in 20-30 years today. At the age of 26, Imam Nawawi started teaching and
writing.

Imam Nawawi at one point in his studies was focused on the works of Ibn Seena, a famous
philosopher. The one work of Ibn Seena that Imam Nawawi focused on for a time was “Al-
Qanoon”. He gave up studying this work, as he said,

“I tried to study this, but it gave me headache after headache. I gave it up and retunred
back to the Quran and Sunnah.”
-Imam Nawawi

While the general nonmuslims consider Ibn Seena to be one of the greatest muslim
philosophers, the scholars of islam don't consider him to be muslim. This is because of his
extreme use of philosophy in trying to approach the quran and the sunnah caused major
deviations in interpretation. Ibn Seena relied heavily on the teachings of Aristotle. The
details of this are outside the scope of this class, but the reader is simply informed of it
here.

One of his personal favorite books to study was Sahih Muslim. Imam
Nawawi developed a deep love for this authentic hadith collection,
and later on produced the single greatest commentary on Sahih
Muslim, that is considered the most important reference on Sahih
Muslim to date. His monumental sharh of sahih muslim is known as,
“Al-Minhaj”. Most refer to it today as “Sharh Nawawi Li Sahih
Muslim.”

7
Imam Nawawi was praised by his contemporaries, as well as by the modern day scholars.
One such praise is made by the scholar Qutub ad-Din Musa al-Yunani al-Hanbali:

“The scholar of hadith, the ascetic, the one engrossed in worship, the pious, the one who
was honored by the sciences, and the one who wrote many valuable works.”
-Qutub ad-Din Musa al-Yunani al-Hanbali

Imam Nawawi's Habits of Success

Are there any practical tips we can learn from the habits of Imam Nawawi? Absolutely.
Some scholars derived habits of success Imam Nawawi utilized to reach his level of
scholarship. Of course all guidance is with Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the one who gave
Imam Nawawi the motivation and ability to implement these habits. These habits are as
follows:

1. Traveling for Knowledge

2. Determination
3. Dedication
4. Memory Skills
5. Quality Learning
6. Writing
7. Teaching

While the Al-Maghrib Notebook has 8 habits listed, it seems that these habits are better
consolidated into the 7 habits listed above.

As we learned, Imam Nawawi traveled to another land to seeek knowledge. This is the
sunnah of many of the greatest scholars who preceeded us. He attended madrasa ar-
rahaawiya in damascus.

Imam Nawawi was very focused and determined not only in his studies, but even prior to
his formal education. As the shopkeeper in Nawa, Imam Nawawi would patiently
persevere in respectfully convincing his father to allow him to study.

There was much dedication put in Imam Nawawi's studies. 12 classes on a daily basis is
something that only a few would be able to handle. And the fact he spent 6 years doing
this proves his dedication to his studies.

Memory is a gift from Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬no doubt, but Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬also has provided ways to
improve memory. Imam Nawawi used his means by memorizing a lot, reading night and
day, and spending nights in prayer and worship. Memory actually improves with the more
you memorize. It is a skill that needs practice to achieve perfection.

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬blessed Imam Nawawi to have a large group of scholars that were strong in the
islamic sciences. Imam Nawawi took advantage of the benefits to be gained by the
scholars of his time. Sheikh Yasir Qadhi added the important point:

8
“To become a scholar, you must sit at the feet of scholars.”
-Yasir Qadhi

It is said that if you desire to master a science, you teach it to others. After a rigorous
education, Imam Nawawi did just that, writing many works as well as orally teaching
knowledge to others. And this principle is found even in Academia. To prove your
qualification as an academic, you must relay your knowledge through writing and
subsequent critiques from peers and contemporaries.
Some qualities Imam Nawawi possessed were exclusive gifts and blessings from Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.
Of these qualities are three that stand out.

1. Pure Ikhlas (Sincerity)

2. Barakah (Blessings) in Time
3. Zuhd (Asceticism)

Pure Sincerity is a major blessing of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬that we should all strive for. If Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬
blesses us with sincerity, the rewards are endless. And remember once again, we can't
affirm with 100% certainty what are in the hearts of people, as this knowledge is from the
knowledge of the unseen.

We find that many of the earlier scholars were blessed in their time. That is, they were
able to accomplish much more in a set amount of time. The statement has been made by
a scholar:

“Imam Nawawi wrote more in one year than we would be able to write in a lifetime.”

There are a few scholars that have stood out with the voluminous amount of writings they
have produced. Of some of the top writers are:

● At-Tabari

● Ibn Taymiya –who on average produced 30 pages of scholarly works every day

● As-Suyooti – who spent a period of 40 years locked in his room, dedicating himself
to writing. He stopped teaching do to some fitna he was a part of. From the ages
of 40 to 80 years old, as-Suyooti would remain in his room all day and night with the
exception of going to the masjid for Salah.

Imam Nawawi would have probably been amongst the top three most prolific writers in
Islamic history were it not for his early death. And Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬knows best.
rd
The 3 quality Imam Nawawi possessed was his disconnection with the dhunia. Known as
Zuhd, he was not attracted to the glamour and glitter of this life, even if some of it was
halal for him. Imam Nawawi lived a very poor and humble lifestyle. He did not have any
attachment or need for the luxuries of the dhunia.

9
The land Imam Nawawi was living in was Damascus, a land that was blessed with much
vegetation and natural resources. However, it being a muslim territory, it had a history of
many Awqaf (enedowments). A Waqf is something that a person has donated to a group of
individuals. No single individual can claim control over the waqf. For example, one might
say, “I donate this masjid as a waqf to the Muslims of Fairfax City, Va.” Because Damascus
was known for it's numerous Awqaf, Imam Nawawi was fearful of eating any of the produce
of the land.

This point must be pondered over. In some documented works of Fiqh produced by Imam
Nawawi, he has clearly stated as a principle of fiqh that a neglected or forgotten waqf is
demoted from it's waqf status. In other words, if a waqf is not observed or is simply
forgotten about, then it is no longer considered as a waqf. Now this principle was
applicable to the lands of damascus, where no one was aware of the awqaf. This truly is
amazing to realize that Imam Nawawi still refused to enjoy the produce of Damascus,
despite his own justfication of it's permissibility. We see here that Imam Nawawi was
stricter on his personal fiqh than to others.

Of some of the other aspects of zuhd found in the life of Imam Nawawi were his eating
habits. Imam Nawawi would often eat only once a day. He would receive mere condiments
from his parents, eating bread crust with some oil based dipping sauces.

What is a scholar without his worship? Imam Nawawi was not an exception to this rule.
Imam Nawawi was known for his long nights standing in tahajjud prayer. He was known for
his regular fasting and remembrance of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. He showed much khushu' in his salah,
crying while reciting quran. It is reported that one night, a student of Imam Nawawi went
to the masjid, and he saw Imam Nawawi standing behind a pillar, crying and continually
repeating the ayah:
َ‫ﻭَﻗِﻔُﻮﻫُﻢْ ﺇِﻧﱠﻬُﻢ ﻣﱠﺴْﺌُﻮﻟُﻮﻥ‬
37:24 - And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned."

His student commented, “A state of fear that only Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬can describe overtook me as
I heard him reciting that verse repeatedly, crying in his salah.”

One of Imam Nawawi's noteworthy acts of worship was his exclusive fear of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. He
would fear Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, alone, at all times. When there was something that needed to be
corrected, he would stand up and correct the mistake, no matter how great the person
was. We now narrate some incidents of Imam Nawawi putting this exclusive fear of Allah (
‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬into practice by enjoining the good and forbidding the evil.

10
Enjoin Good, Forbid Evil, WHOEVER you are

Imam Nawawi was living in a time of chaos and change. It was during the time that the
Ayubi dynasty lost power from the Mongolian Invasion, and then later having the Mamlukes
took over. The Ayubi dynasty was started by the famous scholar Salah-ud-Din Ayubi. The
Mamlukes were a tribe of slaves. Mamluke literally means “owned.” So the Mamlukes
went from being owned to being “Maaliks” (owners).

Az-Zhaahir Baybaras was the founder of the Mamluke dynasty. As ruler of the muslim
world, he wanted to impose an income tax upon the people. According to sharia, this is
completely forbidden. Imam Nawawi, wrote a harsh yet respectful letter to Baybaras,
explaining to him the realities of applying an income tax upon the people. In this letter,
Baybaras was reminding him to fear Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and the Day of Judgement, etc. Imam
Nawawi eloquently combined between harshness and respect, something that is incredibly
difficult to do. This letter is available for reading today. By the grace of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, we
are able to read the letter below, translated in english, by Jamal ad-Din Zarabozo in his 3
volume commentary on the forty hadith of al-nawawi, by al-basheer publications.

11
 ‫ﺑﺴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻤﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬
From the Servant of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, Yahya al-Nawawi. May the peace, mercy,
and blessings of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬be upon the righteous ruler, the king of the governors;
may Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬make his good deeds long lasting and
make him rule with goodness... and bless him in all of his affairs. Ameen.
It is to be brought to your attention that during this year the people of Sham
are in very difficult circumstances and are very weak, due to the lack of rain, high prices,
lack of crops, death of grazing animals, and other reasons. And you know that one must
have sympathy for the ruler and the ruled.
And one must advise them for his welfare. Verily, the religion is sincere advice.
Those serving the sharia have written as a matter of advice
to the sultan, in love for him. This is a letter reminding him to take care
of the affairs of the citizens and to be gentle towards them.
There is no harm meant by this letter. Instead, it is a sincere advice and complete
act of sympathy. It is a reminder to those of understanding...
And it is spoken by pointing out the importance of being gentle
with the ruled as then Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will put in store for you a great reward.
“On the day when every person will be confronted with all the good he's done,
and all the evil he's done, he will wish that there were a
great distance between himself and his evil. And Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬warns you against Himself” 3:30.
This letter that the scholars have sent to the ruler
is a trust and advice to the Sultan, may Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬strengthen him.
You are responsible and will be questioned about this trust. You have no excuse
if you delay concerning it. There will be no proof for you in the sight of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬
if you fail in any way concerning it. You will be asked about it,
“The Day when neither wealth or sons will avail” 26:88.
“That Day a man will flee from his brother, and even from his mother,
and his father, and even from his wife and his children.
Every man that Day, will have enough to make him not care for others.” 80:34-37.
You, and praise is due to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, love goodness, and are anxious to perform good.
You, in fact, rush to it. And this is one of the best of good deeds
and one of the most virtuous acts of obedience. You are qualified for it
and Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has delivered it to you. This is a bounty from Allah ( ‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. We are afraid
that the matters might get even worse if you don't look into dealing softer with the people.
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has said: “Verily those who are pious, when an evil thought comes to them from Shaitan,
they remember (Allah ( ‫))ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and then they see..” 7:201
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬also says, “Whatever good you do, truly Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬knows them well.” 2:215.
The group that wrote this letter are expecting it's fruits. Whatever you do, you'll find it with Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.
“Surely Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is with those who fear Him and those who do good.” 16:128.
Peace, blessings, and mercy of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬be upon you.

12
As was just stated, Imam Nawawi witnessed the mongolian rule. The infamous incident is
known as the “Rape of Baghdad”, taking place in 1258 c.e. In this incident, the Mongols
ravaged and ransacked the center of the Islamic world in Baghdad. The entire city was
demolished, bit by bit. Famous Islamic
structures were plummeted to the ground, the
largest library in the world, the library of
baghdad was cleaned out, and over half a
million muslims were killed by the sword,
literally. The most valuable source of islamic
scholarship, the library of baghdad was a
monumental lost for Islam. Unique works of all
the greatest scholars were ripped apart and
thrown in the Euphrates river to be used as a
bridge for the Mongols to cross. It is said that
the river became dark black for months due to
the ink leaking from the books.

Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s plan will never fail however. A miracle from the miracles of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬was
that He allowed a small tribe of slaves to defeat the Mongols. Thus the Mamlukes took
control of the Islamic world, including Damascus, which was the new capital after the
ransacking of Baghdad. These events were taking place during the life of Imam Nawawi,
just to illustrate the chaos and fitna he was living in. Dwelling upon these events really
and truly should make us realize that our ummah today is in excellent shape relatively
speaking. We should be very optimistic that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will provide us with success in this
dhunia and the akhira soon insha'Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

Recall azh-Zhaahir Baybaras was the leader of the Mamlukes who overthrew the Mongols.
Baybaras found himself with the land in damascus, filled with the awqaf that had been
illegally seized by the Mongols. Baybaras found a group of corrupt “scholars”, also known
as “scholars for the dollars”, that gave a fatwa to Baybaras legitimizing the ownership of
the stolen awqaf. So in this fatwa, because the Mongols stole the awqaf to begin with,
Baybaras has nothing to do with what they did, so the sin is upon the Mongols. Of course
this is not correct from a Shari'a perspective. If you have knowledge that something was
acquired illegally, it is not legal to purchase that item from the selling party.

Upon hearing the news, Imam Nawawi again composed another scathing letter to sultan
baybaras regarding the unlawful possession of the awqaf. The letter will not be quoted
here, as a sample letter was given above. But Baybaras responded with another letter,
expressing his dislike of Nawawi's letter. While the response letter of Baybaras is
unavailable, the subject matter can be derived based on Imam Nawawi's response to
Baybaras's response, in which he said,
“You have threatened me with threats, but why should I care what you will do to me,
when I have to respond to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.”
-Imam Nawawi

13
Even in this response, Imam Nawawi in his wisdom remained respectful to the Sultan in
addressing him. This is something that is missing from the zealous students of knowledge
and du'at amongst us. Respect should always be given to those that are deserving, even if
they might be upon major disobedience.

azh-Zhaahir Barbaras was very upset and even fearful of the influence of Imam Nawawi. It
is reported that he said, “By Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, I thought about seizing him and having him killed,
but then it was as if I saw a lion with his mouth open between him and me. Had I
approached him, he would have attacked me.” (Zarabozo, 44) Barbaras ordered his
workers to cut off the salary of Imam Nawawi, but to his suprise, found out that Imam
Nawawi doesn't even receive any salary from the government to begin with! Typically, it
was customary for the government to provide for the scholars and students of knowledge
in their locality. So It was asked how Imam Nawawi survives. It was said that his parents
provide him every so often.

In another incident between Barbaras and Imam Nawawi, Barbaras wanted to prepare to
fight off the mongols. In his jihad preparations, Barbaras decided to impose a personal tax
upon the people to collect money to fund the jihad preparations. According to Sharia, this
would be permissible, however it was not allowable in Barbaras's case. This is because
Barbaras had accrued an extremely large amount of wealth in the bait-ul-maal (public
treasury), and was lavishly living off of the muslims wealth. In this case, the sultan would
have to utilize the funds in the bait-ul-maal firstly and return to his former lifestyle as a
slave before imposing a tax upon the people. Imam Nawawi addressed him with
magnificent words:

“I know that you used to be a slave of the Ameer Banduqaar and

you did not have any wealth. Then Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬bestowed His bounty upon you and
you became the ruler. I have heard that you have one thousand male slaves and each
one of them as a girth of gold. And you have two hundred slave girls and each of
them has a portion of gold jewelry. If you spend all of that and you leave your slaves
with straps and dyes instead of the gold girths, and you leave the slave girls with their
clothing and no jewelry, then I will give you a fatwa
that you can take wealth from the citizenry.”

*(Zarabozo, 50)

Imam Nawawi, despite all his direct vocalization was not harmed by Barbaras. In this we
should take a lesson to fear no one but Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

14
Imam Nawawi's Works

Imam Nawawi wrote hundreds of volumes of works. Unfortunately, we don't have many of
them today. This is because he destroyed many of his own works. This was due to his self-
scrutiny in deeming his works not good enough for others to read. It was another quality
of Nawawi that made him stand out. We have reported an incident narrated by one of his
famous students by the name of Ibn al-'Attaar.

“One day, my Sheikh Nawawi called me to his house. He gave me 1,000 qurraasa and
commanded me to take these qurraasa, wash them, and return them back to him. He
made me swear by Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬to not sell or publicize it. And to this day, I regret what I
did.”
-Ibn Al-'Attaar

A qurraasa is a booklet consisting of roughly 15

pages. If you do the math, that equals out to
15,000 pages of writing destroyed in this one
incident! Now why did Imam Nawawi ask his
student to “wash” the qurraasa? In those times,
paper was not easy to come by. Paper was
expensive and difficult to obtain. So rather than
finding more paper, they would wash the paper in
water and reuse it. Paper also was not of the same
material. Imam Nawawi's papers were much
thicker, and durable.

Alhumdulillah, we do have some of the momentual works of Imam Nawawi. Of these is his
monumental explanation of Sahih Muslim. As Sahih Muslim was Imam Nawawi's favorite
classical work, he produced a magnificent commentary on it that is
unparalleled to any other commentary. As Sahih Muslim is an extremely
important hadith collection, many commentaries have been done on it. But
Imam Nawawi's clearly stands out amongst the rest as the authoritative
commentary on Sahih Muslim. This work is called Al-Minhaaj, but it is more
commonly known as, Sharh Nawawi Li Sahih Muslim. This is a must have
commentary on Sahih Muslim for students of knowledge, along with the
greatest commentary on Sahih Bukhari, authored by the scholar Ibn Hajr al-
Asqalani, entitled Fath al Bari.

The 2 authoritative commentaries on Sahih Bukhari and Muslim (respectively):

1. Fath al Bari – by Ibn Hajr

2. Sharh Nawawi li Sahih Muslim – by Imam Nawawi

15
Sheikh Yasir comments on the next work of Imam Nawawi, as,
“..the most beneficial book ever, valued like gold and silver.”
-Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

What is this work? None other than Riyadh as-Saaliheen,

which means “Gardens of the Righteous.” Sheikh Yasir also
commented that you will get addicted to the book the more
you read it. Riyadh As-Saliheen is a simple 2 volume
collection of authentic hadith, pertaining to important
matters of the religion. Imam Nawawi intended this work to
be for the average muslim. It is a work that holistically
captures what Islam is all about, to an obviously a greater
degree than the 40 hadith of Imam Nawawi. Riyadh as-
Saaliheen contains 1,896 very important hadith explaining the
essence, rulings, and beliefs of Islam. It is a must have for
every muslim family, whether they are students of knowledge
or not. Sheikh Yasir also mentioned,

“If you only have one hadith book in your library, have Riyadh
as-Saliheen.”
-Sheikh Yasir Qadhi
Imam Nawawi also wrote some works related to the sciences of
hadith. The most famous work is At-Taqreeb. This work was so
good that other scholars later did commentaries on it. The
famous scholar, Jalal-ud-Din As-Suyooti did the most famous
explanation of Nawawi's at-Taqreeb, and is known as Tadreeb ar-
Raawi – Sharh Taqreeb an-Nawawi. This work of as-Suyooti has
become the standard classic in the sciences of hadith. This is the
official textbook used in the University of Madinah.

As an ascetic, Imam Nawawi produced works of spirituality.

One such famous work is Al-Azkaar, which is a book of
dhikr from the sunnah. This is a
beautiful book combining all the
dhikr that should be done daily.
This work has been translated
into english.

Another such monumental work

on spirituality is At-Tibyan.
This book has been translated
into english. It is known as
Etiquettes with the Quran. It is
amazing how you can sense the

16
sincerity of Imam Nawawi when reading this book. The high regard Imam Nawawi had for
the Quran is reflected in this work. May Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬reward Imam Nawawi.
Imam Nawawi was a Scholar of Fiqh. He had well educated and had a deep understanding
of the Shafi'i madhab. Not only was he a scholar of the madhab, but he is considered by
some to be the medieval architect of Shafi'i law. In other words, he was one of the later
day scholars that codified and structured the Shafi'i madhab. Therefore, he produced
several exceptional books of fiqh. One such masterpiece is known as Rawdat ul-Taalibeen,
or “Garden of the Students.” This is the standard book of study in the Shafi'i madhab,
although it is designed for the advanced student of knowledge.

And how can we forget the work that is the subjecty of this class? Al-Arba'een an-
Nawawia, or The 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi, which is of the most famous works to Imam
Nawawi's name.

Another work of fiqh by Imam Nawawi is known as, Majmu' Sharh

Al-Muhazhab. This book is an amazing work on comparative fiqh
between madhahib. Imam Nawawi intended this work for scholars.
Sheikh Yasir calls this work, “The fiqh of our religion.” In this
encyclopedia are the various madhabhi opinions on fiqh issuess,
with their refutations of the other opinions. It is unfortunate
however, that Imam Nawawi was unable to complete the work
before he passed away. Out of a planned 25-26 volume work, he
was only able to complete 11-12 volumes, which is roughly 40%
complete.

Sheikh Yasir added a side point regarding works of fiqh. He

mentioned that the three foundational works of comparative fiqh
that any student of knowledge must be familiar with are the following:

● Al-Mughni – by Ibn Qudamah

● Al-Muhalla – by Ibn Hazm (not for the fiqh, but for the narrations)
● Majmu' Sharh Al-Muhazhab – by Imam Nawawi

The works authored by Imam an-Nawawi have been summarized and listed below:

● Sharh Nawawi li Sahih Muslim

● Riyadh as-Saaliheen
● At-Taqreeb
● Al-Arba'een an-Nawawia
● Al-Azkaar
● At-Tibyan
● Rawdat ul-Taalibeen
● Majmu' Sharh Al-Muhazhab

17
Nawawi's Final Days

Recall that Imam Nawawi was born in the year 631 h. Roughly 46 years later, Imam
Nawawi fell ill, and returned to his hometown of Nawa. While staying in his parents
th
house, he died from this illness on Saturday, the 24 of Rajab, at the age of 46 years. This
occurred while both his parents were still living.

Imam Nawawi never married, or had any children. Being a keen follower of the sunnah, a
student once asked him, “why don't you get married? It's the only sunnah you have left.”
Imam Nawawi's response was, “I am worried, that if I do this sunnah, it will be at the
expense of haram.” What Imam Nawawi meant by this was that he felt that he would not
give his wife the attention and rights that she deserved. Imam Nawawi had a single track
mind, and was exclusively dedicated to knowledge. His feared his passion for knowledge
might get in the way of treating his wife properly and giving her the attention that a
woman requires. This potential harm is what prevented Imam Nawawi from getting
married. And it is due to similar reasoning that other such great scholars never got
married. One such scholar was Ibn Taymiya.

To conclude the biography of this great scholar of Islam, we paraphrase adh-Dhahabi's

praises of Imam Nawawi:

“Nawawi combined and perfected three characteristics. If a man had any one of them, he
would be worthy of being an Imam. He was the top in knowledge. The second was his
Asceticism, and the third was that he feared no one exceept Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬when it came to
guidance and advice.”
-adh-Dhahabi

As every book composed by Imam Nawawi has been blessed by Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and has been
accepted by the ummah, we hope and ask Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬to bless him with the highest levels
of jannah. Ameen.

18
Nawawi's Advice to the Knowledge Seeker

The student of knowledge is different from other students. What separates them is their
etiquette. It is for this reason that it is imperative for the student of knowledge to learn
the etiquettes of seeking knowledge, and dealing with the trials that come along with it.

Imam Suhaib mentions that it should be the habit of the seeker of knowledge to first study
the life of the author before we read the book. When we do this, we will develop a better
understanding of the book, and understand and respect the author better too. This is the
primary reason why we have begun this class with the biography of Imam Nawawi.

In the work Majmu' Sharh Al-Muhazhab, Imam Nawawi began with a relatively brief
treatise on the etiquettes of the knowledge seeker. This section is dedicated to detailing
some of the principles and guidelines found in Nawawi's work.

Imam Nawawi started off by quoting Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s words regarding the status of knowledge.

ٌ‫ﻳَﺮْﻓَﻊِ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪُ ﺍﻟﱠﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮﺍ ﻣِﻨﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﺍ ﱠﻟﺬِﻳﻦَ ﺃُﻭﺗُﻮﺍ ﺍﻟْﻌِﻠْﻢَ ﺩَﺭَﺟَﺎﺕٍ ﻭَﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪُ ﲟَِﺎ ﺗَﻌْﻤَﻠُﻮﻥَ ﺧَﺒِﻴﺮ‬

58:11 - Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given
knowledge, by degrees. And Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Acquainted with what you do.

َ‫ﻭَﺗِﻠْﻚَ ﺍﻷَْﻣْﺜَﺎﻝُ ﻧَﻀْﺮِﺑُﻬَﺎ ﻟِﻠﻨﱠﺎﺱِ ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﻳَﻌْﻘِﻠُﻬَﺎ ﺇِﻟﱠﺎ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺎ ِﳌُﻮﻥ‬

29:43 - And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them
except those of knowledge.

ٌ‫ﺇِﻧﱠﻤَﺎ ﻳَﺨْﺸَﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪَ ﻣِﻦْ ﻋِﺒَﺎﺩِﻩِ ﺍﻟْﻌُﻠَﻤَﺎﺀ ﺇِﻥﱠ ﺍﻟﻠﱠ َﻪ َﻋﺰِﻳﺰٌ َﻏﻔُﻮﺭ‬
35:28 - Only those fear Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, from among His servants, are those who have
knowledge. Indeed, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Exalted in Might and Forgiving.

ً‫ﻭَﻗُﻞ ﱠﺭﺏﱢ ﺯِﺩْﻧِﻲ ﻋِﻠْﻤﺎ‬

20:114 - And say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."

Next, Nawawi followed with some statements of Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Muhammad.

“Whoever Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬wishes good for, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬gives them knowledge of this religion.”
-Sahih Bukhari

‫ ﺳﻬﻞ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺑﻪ ﻃﺮﻳﻘﺎ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﳉﻨﺔ‬، ‫ﻣﻦ ﺳﻠﻚ ﻃﺮﻳﻘﺎ ﻳﻠﺘﻤﺲ ﻓﻴﻪ ﻋﻠﻤﺎ‬
Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬facilitates for him a path to Jannah.
-Sahih Muslim

Also, he quoted the famous hadith of the blessings of knowledge:

19
“Whoever takes a path to seek knowledge, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬makes his path to Jannah easy. The
angels lower their wings upon the student of knowledge, and all of the creation seek
forgiveness for him; The blessings of the scholar over the
worshipper is the likeness of the full moon over all other stars in
the sky. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s. When the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s die, they do not
leaeve behind gold or silver, rather, they leave beind
knowledge; and whoever attains a portion of this has indeed
attained something great.”

Reflect on the scientific fact that millions of stars exist in the sky, and
when the moon eclipses, all of the stars are not seen. Without a doubt,
in the metaphors of the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬are miracles and
eloquence to the highest degrees.

In another hadith,

“Whoever calls to something good will receive the reward of everyone who acts on that
good.”

Imam Nawawi followed these hadith on knowledge with statements of the great scholars
of the past. Of the most frequently quoted scholars by Nawawi is Imam Shafi'. Imam
Shafi' said regarding knowledge,

“After the obligatory deeds, nothing is more beloved to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬than studying
knowledge.”
-Imam Shafi'i (204 h)

Also, Abu Darda is reported as saying,

“Studying Knowledge for one hour is better than praying the entire night in tahajjud”
-Abu Darda

The fammous scholar Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri, who died 129 h. said,

“Nothing is better than to worship Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬with than with the knowledge of the
religion.'
-az-Zuhri

“The highest category of people in the eyes of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬are those who guide the rest of
people to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. And that category is the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s, then the
scholars.”
-Sufyan ibn Uyaynah (197 h)

20
“The worship of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is not done through fasting and prayer, true worship is to
understand this religion.”
-Saeed ibn Mussayyab (95 h)
Imam Nawawi then explained the types of knowledge. Knowledge of the religion can be
divided into three major categories:

● Knowledge that is Fardh Ayn (Individual Obligation)

● Knowledge that is Fardh Kifaya (Communal Obligation)
● Knowledge that is Nafl (Optional)

The knowledge that is Fardh Ayn is a requirement on every individual, whether scholar or
layman. Such knowledge would be the knowledge of what breaks one's wudu, or what are
the conditions of giving zakah. Every muslim is required to seek this knowledge.

Knowledge that is fardh kifaya involves that which is not obligatary upon all the muslims.
Only the scholars and the students of knowledge are required to master this knowledge.
What is obligatory is to have at least one person for every community to be acquainted
with this knowledge. If this is accomplished, then the community is alleviated of the
obligation. However, if nobody in the community is aware of this knowledge, then the
entire community is sinful and will be called to account. Examples of this are the sciences
of hadith, and usul ul fiqh. It is important to note that in certain circumstances, the
seeking of knowledge which is fardh kifaya is more rewarding than the fardh ayn. Such
cases would be when nobody in the community has this knowledge. In that case, you
would be alleviating an entire community's worth of sin by seeking this knowledge.

Religious knowledge that is Nafl or optional are the study of arabic grammar, or the study
of morphology of the Arabic language. There is no sin, if this knowledge is not sought.

Qualities of the Knowledge Seeker

Sincerity
The first and foremost etiquette to acquire and implement as a student of knowledge is
sincerity. Imam Shafi'i said,

“The hadith of intention is 1/3 of all knowledge.”

-Imam Shafi'i

Ibn Abbas stated, “A man will only be rewarded by what he intends. If he intended to
please Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will be pleased with him, and if he intended to please the
people, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will not be pleased with him.

Imam Nawawi considered sincerity to be of the most important qualities to have. He

suggested that every book should begin with the hadith of intention, to remind the author,
and the reader alike.

Imam Nawawi also quotes the famous ascetic, Junaid.

21
 “The sincere person finds that his intention changes 40 times per day. The one who
wants to show off will have the same intention for 40 years.”
One of the greatest scholars of the past was Sufyan at-Thawri, who passed away in 161 h.
He was the Sheikh OF THE Sheikh of Bukhari. He stated,

“No disease is more difficult for me to cure than my own intentions, because it is always
changing on me.”
-Sufyan at-Thawri

Another famous scholar of the past made a statement that could be considered THE GEM
of this class.

“Whenever you testify to your sincerity with sincerity, then you need sincerity in
your sincerity.”

To translate this eloquent pearl of wisdom in laymen terms, when confidently feel that
you are sincere, that means that you are in trouble. It is the believer that is always
struggling with his intention to purify it and make it sincere. To the believer, the disease
of showing off is always crossing his/her mind and is consciously trying to avoid it. And as
your knowledge increases, and you are spreading it to more and more people, this battle
of sincerity becomes more and more difficult. Imam Shafi'i illustrated this point in his
statement,

“I wished that people learned this knowledge from me without ascribing one letter of it to
me.”
-Imam Shafi'i

Imam Shafi'i also said,

“I never argued with anyone hoping to win the debate; rather, I always wished that
the truth would come from his side”

Imam Shafi'i was referring to debates regarding issues of fiqh. Of course, this doesn't
apply to debating with an atheist, who is arguing the case that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬doesn't exist.
We seek refuge from such nonsense.

Imam Nawawi continues with describing four characteristics that every student of
knowledge must avoid.

1. Jealousy
2. Showing Off
3. Conceit
4. Arrogance towards others

Avoid Jealousy
Sheikh Yasir comments, “You will never go and study islam seriously and studiously except
that the single greatest disease that shaitan throws into the hearts is jealousy.” Jealousy

22
is commonly found between fellow students of knowledge studying with each other. One
student might begin to presume that they know the intentions of the other students. For
example, the questions might pop up in their head, “Why did HE get it, and not ME?” “Oh,
he's just showing off by answering the questions.” And these thoughts from Shaitan could
go on and on. How should the student of knowledge avoid this evil characteristic? By
realizing that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the One who has the power to give to others, and there is an
absolute wisdom in giving somebody else over you, particularly in regards to knowledge. It
is important to trust Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and His wisdom in giving knowledge and understanding to
some students over others. In reality, it is ridiculous to be jealous of a person. Maybe, if
you were given the knowledge, you would not use it wisely and it would be a cause for
your destruction? Appreciate the wisdom of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

Don't Show Off

This is the disease of doing what you are doing for the sake of the people. This evil
quality is avoided by realizing that if all of mankind came to benefit or harm you, they
wouldn't be able to help you. So to seek knowledge to impress people is completely futile
and useless.

Avoid Conceit
This is the unjustified feeling of self-righteousness. You are feeling this way because you
are hot shot student of knowledge, that is so much smarter than all the other less
knowledgeable muslims. Imam Nawawi suggests the way to avoid this, or in other words,
to put yourself back in your place. This is through appreciating that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬owns all
your knowledge, and if He willed, could easily cause you to forget every thing you know, or
to make you not understand. So if Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬blessed you with what little knowledge you
have, thank Him and realize that it could be taken away from you at any instant.

Don't be Arrogant with Others

This characteristic is a byproduct of conceit. When you feel self-righteous, what
consequently follows is to act like you are better than those around you, doing exactly
what you are doing. This evil characteristic is avoided by increasing in your worship of
Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. That is, to read more quran, to increase in your voluntary prayers, and to
perform extra good deeds.

Study with Everyone

Some other characteristics of the student of knowledge is that he must be prepared to
study with everyone. As the early day scholar Mujahhid said,

“Knowledge is never gained by the one who is shy, or by the one who is arrogant.”
-Muhajjid

If you feel that you are too good to sit in some circle of knowledge, then realize that you
will never achieve success. This is verified by the statement of Imam Bukhari (256 h).

“You will never become a scholar unless you narrate from those above you, from those
equal to you, and from those below you.” -Imam Bukhari

23
How easy is it to attend a lecture of a popular and respected sheikh? Something that all of
us wouldn't think twice about. Now what about the lecture of a person of knowledge who
isn't the most popular, and have very few people attending? We might skip out on that
one. Let's remember that Imam Bukhari towards the end of his life had 2 or 3 people
attending his lectures! How often is it that when beneficial lectures are going on, we skip
out on it because not enough people show up or it isn't surrounded by the glamour and
glitter of popularity or marketing. It is imperative that we learn to love the knowledge,
as opposed to the secondary and tertiary factors. This wasn't from Imam Nawawi, but
some thoughts from the compiler of these notes :)

Knowledge in Sequence
Imam Nawawi went on to explain the
importance of learning knowledge in order.
The sciences must be learned and studied in
a specific order. The higher priority
sciences should be put before the exotic
sciences. The exotic sciences might be
tempting to tackle, but it is important to
not fall in the trap of trying to learn that
before the basics. For example, the factors
that break your wudu may not be the most
exciting thing in the world, but it is from
the basic foundations of fiqh that we must
master before moving on to more advanced topics. Sheikh Yasir commented that, “If you
start with the exotic sciences before the basic sciences, your intention is messed up.” This
is because the exotic sciences may be more interesting to engage in discussion and debate
with, whereas the basics are not so appealing for stimulating conversation and debate.

A major starting point is with the memorization of the Quran. The book of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is
the fundamental reason why all the other sciences were expounded upon and elaborated
upon. To turn elsewhere really is not giving the Quran the respect it deserves. So
important is this point that we find some of the scholars of the past, and even of present
day would not accept a student into their halaqah unless they have memorized the Quran
in its entirety. Only then, would they start learning the basic foundations of Islam. Imam
Suhaib also commented on this point saying that,

“You are not a student of knowledge if you haven't memorized the Quran. Memorizing the
Quran streamlines and disciplines you as a student of knowledge.”
-Suhaib Webb

Now if you haven't memorized anything, don't try to tackle too much at once. Begin by
memorizing some of the oft-recited surahs, and remain consistent. The most important
thing to do is to set a daily memorization schedule and to remain consistent in it. Before
you know it, you will find yourself having the entire Quran memorized. Now suppose it
took you your entire life to memorize the Quran. Imagine how great that would be. You

24
could tell Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬on the day of judgement, “Oh Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, I spent my entire life
memorizing the Quran!” So the bottom line is, there are no excuses for not starting right
now to memorize the Quran, if your goal is to be a student of knowledge.

Know the 'Ulama

Imam Nawawi goes on to mention that the student of knowledge must be well acquainted
with the scholars. He must memorize the names of the scholars, know the geographical
locations of where they grew up and studied, know the teachers they studied with, know
the books they wrote, and to be familiar with the issues they faced in their lives.
Basically, all this knowledge helps to contextualize the ulamah and to give you an
appreciation and deep respect for the inheritors of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s. By
knowing about our scholars and their legacy, we are able to solidify our knowledge. If we
aren't acquainted with our scholars, we will be confused by all the names being thrown
around and we won't be able to benefit from the lectures and classes we attend. All the
confusing names will be floating around in our head, and we won't be able to match the
names with the statements and quotes attributed to those scholars.

Don't Waste Time

Imam Nawawi is the first person that is deserving of discussing
the issue of using your time wisely. He says that the student of
knowledge must take advantage of each and every possible
moment, whether it is reading, writing, memorizing or revising
your knowledge. They are always in the accompany of
knowledge, and the people of knowledge. Their companions are
nothing short of students of knowledge. Through this deep
immersion in knowledge, with the minimization of idle time, the
appreciation for knowledge increases. When we examined the
life of Imam Nawawi, we noted that even as he was walking to
the masjid, he would be memorizing or revising some knowledge.
The scholar Ibn al Qayyim also described his use of time.

“I had some chores I had to do, and I couldn't live without them, so I decided to them when
a visitor came.”
-Ibn al-Qayyim

Some such chores ibn al Qayyim was referring to were sharpening his pencils, and
organizing his notes. Notice that even these chores related to knowledge! But only
through the realization that time is so precious can one achieve the passion of maximizing
one's time's for the pursuit and perfection of knowledge. Also, with
Imam Nawawi, we should understand that he gave up his sleep, not
because he forced himself to do so, but because his passion for
knowledge motivated him to naturally lose his sleep. It was the
character from within that led him to his extraordinary lifestyle.

25
Compare the lifestyle of these ulama with today's so called students of knowledge. We
claim to want to study islam in depth, yet we also don't want to let go of our beloved
television sets and favorite evening programming. Hours will go by on a daily except that
we find ourselves glued to the TUBE. As Yasir Qadhi said it best, “TV is the murderer of
time.” And while we're on the topic of gadgets and gismos, let us reflect on how weak we
are, so much so that when our cell phones ring, it becomes our master and we give it
priority over everything else. Granted, yes, there has been a recent opinion that one is
allowed to text message for the sake of knowledge during a voluntary prayer, but let's not
get carried away now!

Say “I don't know”

Imam Nawawi goes on to discuss the importance of saying “I
don't know”. This is being honest with yourself and others. To
be fearful or embarrassed of saying “I don't know” is a sign of
your insincerity. A person with little knowledge and a lot
ignorance will be the first to answer and the last to say “I don't
know.” Some of the scholars have even stated that half of all knowledge is to say, “I don't
know.” This is because by saying this, you have implicitly confirmed what you do know.
Knowing what you don't know is a major accomplishment.

Overlook Faults of Teachers

Another characteristic for the student of knowledge to obtain is to dismiss and overlook
the personal faults of his teacher. How often is it the case that scholars are put on a high
pedastal, then when they see one error, they come crashing down as if they are worthless.
It is imperative to overlook the faults of our teachers, because as we get closer to them,
the more we realize that they are nothing more than human beings with faults and
mistakes. If we leave everyone whom we find a fault with, we will be left with nobody.
As the some of the scholars stated,

“Whoever is turned off by the mistakes of his teacher will not have any teacher.”

As for those who fall into this trap, realize that these are mistakes of the student and not
of the teacher. Teachers get angry, get irritated, or may not give students the attention
they want at times. For example, a sheikh that has been giving lectures all day, and it is
time to call it night, then all of a sudden a student comes rushing to him while the sheikh
is on the phone with his family. The response just might not be up to the students
expectations. We should try our best to imitate the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬, but none of
us will be able to reach his standard. Note however that this doesn't apply to faults in
aqeedah or callers to bid'ah. We are speaking here about the personal characteristics of
scholars and shiukh.

26
Show Reverence to Teachers
Imam Nawawi goes on to say that the student must instill a reverence in himself for his
teachers. It is better for student at this stage to give full credit to his teacher and
consider him to be master of the knowledge being taught. Full credit needs to be given to
his teacher. There needs to be humility in the student as he is listening and learning from
his teacher at the outset. The student needs to realize that at the beginning, he is not
qualified to argue and debate with his teacher. Rather, he should focus only on taking and
learning from the knowledge of his sheikh. With patience, a time will come where the
student will however realize an appropriate time for questioning his teacher.

Respect must be displayed towards his teacher. How is this respect shown? It is shown in
body and appearance, both in service and in gratitude. Unfortunately how many have lost
these deep dimensions of respect. Make sure you are punctual in your appointments, and
when the lesson is over, do not stay and pester him with your questions, and when you sit
in front of him pay attention and be respectful. Place importance upon the knowledge you
are learning, and cut yourself off from other activities to concentrate and to show
respect. Remain conscious of such disrespectful activities such as yawning out loud, which
goes without saying, as it is against the sunnah of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. Scholars of
past were strict, and would stop lessons for a single student yawning. One of the scholars
of hadeeth said, “If he saw a student yawning, he would close his books and end the
lesson. I would not sit there if the students were too tired to study hadeeth, I would tell
them to try again tomorrow. This provided a discipline and rigor to the students of the
past that made them the great scholars they were. Indeed, this discipline has vanished
amongst the students of knowledge of today. Also, avoiding using the cell phone or
keeping it on, or stretching your legs out towards your teacher, as this is a sign of
disrespect, transcending cultures and boundaries.

Imam Shafi'i, a student of Imam Malik, described his respect for Imam Malik.

“When I used to sit in front of Imam Malik, I would turn the pages of my notebook as
gently as I could, as not to disturb Imam Malik.”
-Imam Shafi'i

Al-Muzzani was the best student of Imam Shafi'i and was the primary codifier of the Shafi'i
madhab. He had studied for 20 years with Imam Shafi'i. Out of respect for his sheikh, Al-
Muzzani never drank a sip of water in front of Imam Shafi'i, out of respect. Of course the
practice of drinking and eating publically was a considered to be an expression of rudeness
in their culture, but this is simply to show the high consideration the great ulama had for
their teachers.

And let us not forget Ibn Abbas, who was 13 years old at the death of the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫)ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬, and yet all of us know him as one of the greatest scholars of the sahaaba. It is
reported from ‘Abdullâh b. ‘Abbâs – Allâh be pleased with them – that he said:

“After Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him - passed away, I said to
a man from the Ansâr, “Come, let us ask [and learn from] the Prophet (‫’)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s

27
Companions, Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him, for they are many in number today.”
He replied, “I am surprised at you Ibn ‘Abbâs – do you really think people need you when
there are so many Companions of the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- Allâh’s peace and blessings
be upon him?” So he did not involve himself in this endeavor, but I busied myself asking
[the Companions about issues]. If I heard of a hadîth being reported by a man, I would
come to him and if he was taking his midday nap I would lay down my garment and lie
outside waiting for him, with the wind blowing dust in my face. The man would come out
[for Dhuhr] and see me in that state, and he would exclaim, “O nephew of Allâh’s
Messenger! What has brought you here? You should have sent for me and I would have
come to you!” I would say, “Rather I should come to you [to seek knowledge].” I would
then ask him about the hadîth I heard. The man [who I originally invited to seek knowledge
with me] remained as he was, and when he saw how people would gather around me [to
seek knowledge] he said, “For sure, this young man was more intelligent than me.” Al-
Dârimî, Al-Sunan.

Overlook the Harshness of Teachers

Nawawi's next point of advice is to overlook the harshness of the teacher. It is important
to realize that it is human nature to get frustrated. Just as we can get frustrated upon
not understanding something, If you study with a Sheikh for a long time, it is inevitable
that the sheikh may get angry or harsh with you at times. Watch out for Shaitan! Shaitan
might come to you and turn this incident into a major issue that floats around in your
head, to the point that you may no longer even seek knowledge from that teacher. May
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬protect us from Shaitan. Ameen. Sheikh Yasir gave us the story of his Quran
Halaqah, wherein the Sheikh was listening to the students recite one to two pages of
Quran per day. One of the students got impatient and frustrated with reciting so little
with the Sheikh, and he decided to leave. But another persisted with patience, and with
the help of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, received the ijaza from the Sheikh. Additionally, the scholars in
their experience have said,

“Whoever cannot bear the humiliation of learning for an hour will remain ignorant for a
lifetime.”

What is this humiliation of learning? It has to do with those times where you might be the
teacher might have been harsh with you. It is important to remember that our scholars
and teachers are human beings that also have a threshold of patience that can be crossed
at times.

Imam Nawawi quotes Ibn Abbas here saying,

“I showed humility as a student, so I was given respect as a teacher.”

-Ibn Abbas

Frequently Accompany the Teacher

Imam Nawawi's next suggestion is to spend as much time with your teachers as possible.

28
As is well known, much can be learned simply be being exposed to the people of
knowledge.

Attend the lectures of your teachers frequently, and be prompt and display good manners.
Resources must be expended to remain consistent in gaining knowledge, whether it is your
time, traveling, money, amongst other things. This is as Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said,

“Knowledge can never be gained by resting one's body.”

-Yahya ibn Abi Kathir

Many of the scholars of the past used to live close to the masajid, and would accompany
their shiukh to and from the masjid. They would bond with their shiukh this way. And the
more time that is spent in the company of your teachers, the more you are able to learn
from them.

Choose the Best Times to Read & Memorize

As a student of knowledge, it is imperative that one set for himself a daily schedule that is
consistently adhered to. This schedule must consist of daily memorization activities,
research and review. But of course, we might be able to squeeze in a little shut eye in our
busy schedules :)

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, “Take a nap at noon time, because this is something that
Shaitan does not do.”

By noon time, The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬meant between roughly 11 am – 12 pm. Because
the day officially finishes at Maghrib time, 11 am is considered midday. During this time,
the sun is at its peak, and it is very difficult to be productive during the hottest times of
the day. Of course now we are blessed with ice cold A/C, but that is besides the point. :)

Not only would we be following the sunnah with our

midday nap, but we would insha'Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬be given a
rejuvinated strength afterwards to carry on with our
studies for the rest of the day. Also, this nap is
important especially for those who spent portions of
the night in tahajjud. Additionally,

Ever heard of a siesta? This commonly practiced

custom is found in the spanish culture. After lunch,
the practice is to take a midday nap. Well, guess
where this practice originated from? You guessed
correctly. It was taken from the Arab culture, wherein
even the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬had suggested this. Spain was controlled by Muslims for
roughly 800 years, so don't be surprised if you see other similarities existing between the
two cultures.

29
Some of the scholars have suggested rough schedules that have proven to be successful.
Al-Khatib al Baghdadi suggested the following:

“The best time to memorize is in the early morning, then the mid-day, then the early
evening.”
-Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi

Other scholars have suggested the following:

● The early morning is the best time for memorization, not only Quran, but Hadith,
and other fundamental texts written by scholars.

● The afternoon should be spent doing research and learning something new

● The evening should be spent reviewing what was memorized in the morning, along
with older stuff. This is known in arabic as, ‫ ﻣﺮﺍﺟﻌﺔ‬.

Respectfully Ask if you Don't Understand

Imam Nawawi, with all his experience, goes on to say that the student should learn to ask
his teacher with respect if he does not understand an issue. It is a must that if you are not
understanding an issue, that you speak up and ask about it. As was stated earlier,
Muhajjid has been reported to say.
“Knowledge is never gained by the one who is shy, or by the one who is arrogant.”
-Muhajjid

The shy person doesn't learn because they are too afraid to speak up when they are
confused. The arrogant person will not ask questions because they feel that they know it
all, and don't want to humiliate themselves by asking. Both characteristics must be
avoided if knowledge and understanding is to be gained. Even today's society encourages
asking when confused. It is commonly said that, “The only dumb question is the question
that isn't asked.” Remember that chances are that other people around you have the same
question in their minds. So be the one who doesn't fear of speaking out when confused.

On one occasion, Ibn Abbas was asked how he became such a great scholar? He responded,

“With an inquisitive tongue, and a heart that understands and memorizes.”

-Ibn Abbas

When we look at Ibn Abbas's history, we find that he was 13 years old when the Prophet (
‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬passed away. Yet he has narrated so many hadith of the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫)ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. He took the majority of the hadith from some of the older sahabah, who passed
away earlier.

Imam Nawawi also says to take more knowledge and learn more from your teacher than
from your books. Imam Shafi'i commented on this as well.

30
“Whoever learns from books will lose understanding of the rulings.”
-Imam Shafi'i

Knowledge should be directly taken from the mouth of scholars, rather than from books or
cds. Of course books and cds are beneficial, however precedence should be given to the
halaqat and duroos where you have the opportunity of sitting with those shiukh. When
you sit and study with a teacher, the chances of misunderstandings are lowered and
lessened. Also, you are able to verify that you are understanding the concepts properly, as
opposed to a book, where communication is only one way. When you sit and learn with a
teacher, you are also able to benefit from the other questions and misunderstandings of
other students. With a student body, concepts discussed in a class can be further discussed
and amongst your peers to solidify certain concepts, or to raise misunderstandings that
were not present at first.

Sheikh Yasir shares his experience with some people who attained most of their knowledge
through reading books independently. You will find that their methodology differs greatly
from those traditional scholars. Their adab and akhlaq differs greatly as well. Everything
from their study habits to the way that they teach is contrary to the classical educational
model found in and employed amongst the people of knowledge. Even the mentality and
mindset towards islam differs from the classical approach. When the book becomes your
sheikh, it becomes a rather dangerous situation, especially when that person becomes
influential amongst the masses. Also, the simple exposure to the scholars and students of
knowledge is beneficial and provides a positive influence on yourself. As was said earlier,
Sheikh Yasir mentioned,

“To become a scholar, you must sit at the feet of scholars.”

-Sheikh Yasir

This is the end of the summarized introduction to seeking knowledge, by Imam an-Nawawi.
His full selection of advices to the knowledge seekers is found in his work Majmu' Sharh Al-
Muhazhab, which if you recall was his monumental work on comparative fiqh. His advices
was the introduction to his work, comprising roughly 150 pages of his text.

Practical Advice
With all the benefits of sitting and learning directly from your teachers stated here, the
unfortunate reality of today is that the authentic and knowledgeable teachers are few and
far between. Those that exist are often traveling, or unavailable on a consistent basis.
Because of this phenomenon, alternatives methods of seeking knowledge must be
undertaken. Sheikh Yasir suggested a couple pointers in taking alternative means to
seeking knowledge.

● Sitting with Shiukh is the best. Try as much as you can to find live duroos that you
can attend and benefit from.
● Do give up if you have little or no access to live shiukh! If there is a will, there is a
way.
● Recorded Lessons are better than books. And lecture series are better than random,

31
 individual lectures.
● When listening to lecture series, always take notes and jot down newly understood
concepts and questions that you have. Take these notes to a person of knowledge,
and let them verify and answer your understanding and questions.
● Keep a small pocket notebook, so you can write down questions that pop into your
head. This way, you won't draw any blanks when you finally get the chance to talk
to a person of knowledge, and say, “I had 3 questions, but I can't remember any of
them.”

Even as a professor and deen of academic affairs at Al-Maghrib Institute, Sheikh Yasir
mentions some of the drawbacks to seeking knowledge in the manner employed by our
beloved institute. One is the cramming of knowledge. In a compressed amount of time, a
lot of information is present to the students, and this leaves many students confused, and
also makes it a very difficult challenge to retain. Knowledge needs to be taken gradually,
and due to the circumstances, Al-Maghrib isn't able to provide this. Another issue is the
lack of personal interaction between the instructors and the students. because the class
sizes are so large, there is no room for the professors to test the students' comprehension
of the material covered. Students might leave the classes with an improper understanding
of the knowledge, which is the last thing that the Al-Maghrib professors would want.

Of course, taking Al-Maghrib courses is better than learning from cd sets or books, but it is
not the same as sitting in a smaller and consistent halaqah with a person of knowledge.
But on the other hand, even going over seas to study Islam is not the ideal solution either.
This is because while going overseas, where deep knowledge may be obtained, is missing is
the understanding of the modern situation of the local society. This is a key component
that needs to be a part and parcel of the educational process of the scholars and students
of knowledge. Real scholars and students of knowledge need to be trained in the locality
they plan on residing and teaching in. We need to produce homegrown scholars, who are
fluent speakers of english, who are familiar with the culture, and who can effectively
communicate the message of Islam to the west. Sheikh Yasir and Al-Maghrib Institute's
vision is to achieve this objective. That is, to have a full time institute in North America,
wherein the shiukh are able to remain onsite and educate students who are born and
raised here. Imagine having Imams and Du'aat that are born, raised, and educated in Islam
all in North America! So let's keep the following in our du'as.

“Oh Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, help us to form a full time Islamic University in North America, where
students can be rigorously trained in the sciences of Islam, to bring the west from darkness
to light.” AMEEN!

32
 THE HADITH – YASIR QADHI
Hadith 22: A Stairway to Jannah
: ‫ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ ﺃﻥ ﺭﺟﻼ ﺳﺄﻝ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬-‫ ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻬﻤﺎ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺟﺎﺑﺮ ﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻷﻧﺼﺎﺭﻱ‬
. ‫ ﻧﻌﻢ‬: ‫ ﺃﺃﺩﺧﻞ ﺍﳉﻨﺔ ؟ ﻗﺎﻝ‬،‫ ﻭﻟﻢ ﺃﺯﺩ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺫﻟﻚ ﺷﻴﺌًﺎ‬،‫ ﻭﺣﺮﻣﺖ ﺍﳊﺮﺍﻡ‬،‫ ﻭﺃﺣﻠﻠﺖ ﺍﳊﻼﻝ‬،‫ ﻭﺻﻤﺖ ﺭﻣﻀﺎﻥ‬،‫ﺃﺭﺃﻳﺖ ﺇﺫﺍ ﺻﻠﻴﺖ ﺍﳌﻜﺘﻮﺑﺎﺕ‬
‫ ﻓﻌﻠﺘﻪ ﻣﻌﺘﻘﺪﺍ ﺣﻠﻪ‬: ‫ ﻭﻣﻌﻨﻰ ﺃﺣﻠﻠﺖ ﺍﳊﻼﻝ‬.[‫]ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ‬.

Abu ‘Abdullah Jaabir bin ‘Abdullah al-Ansari, radiyAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u anhuma, reported that
a man questioned the Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u ‘alayhi
wasallam, saying:
"Do you see, if I pray the prescribed (prayers), fast during Ramadhan,
treat the lawful as permissible and treat the forbidden as prohibited,
but do nothing more than that, shall I enter Paradise?” He (the
Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u ‘alayhi wasallam) answered:
“Yes.” And the meaning of making permissible the permissible is to
perform it believing in it's permissibility.

The Narrator
The narrator of this hadith is Jaabir ibn Abdillah al-Ansari. He is one of the top five
narrators of hadith, narrating over 4,000 to 5,000 hadith. Jaabir accepted Islam as a
young boy, and became muslim at the same time as his father. He was present at the
treaty of Aqabah, when he was at the age of 10. Around the age of 12, he really wanted
to participate in the battle of badr with the muslims. But he wasn't allowed to, due to his
age. He did however help out the soldiers at badr by supplying water to the wounded
muslims. Likewise, he was eager to participate in Uhud, and he was old enough to
participate, but his father prevented him from doing so. Jaabir's father Abdullah had a
feeling that he was going to die shaheed in the battle of Uhud, and Jaabir had 7 sisters, so
he wanted to make sure that someone would remain to take care of the girls. And sure
enough, Jaabir's father did pass away in Uhud. After Uhud, Jabir made it a point to
participate in every other battle that was fought by the muslims. He participated in a
total of 17 expeditions. He was blessed with a long life and was the last of the great
sahabah to die in madinah. He passed away in 73 hijrah, at 94 years old.

As a side note, the other top narrators of hadith are:

● Abu Hurairah
● Aisha
● Jaabir ibn Abdillah
● Abdullah ibn Umar
● Anas ibn Malik

Over 80% of all the hadith revolve around these reporters.

When Jaabir's father died in Uhud, he was left with the big responsibility of taking care of
his 7 sisters. To make matters worse, he had no money or even property to his name. He
did own one extremely old camel however. It would always be lagging behind out of

33
fatigue when muslims took on expeditions. In one incident, the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬
slowed down his camel so he could reach Jaabir and his fatigued camel. He started
chatting with his Sahabi, and was negotiating to buy the camel from him. The Prophet (
‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬asked him, “Oh Jaabir, will you sell me this camel?” Jaabir responded, “No,
this is all I have for myself and my seven sisters.” The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬asked
again. Jaabir responded in the same way. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬persisted and
literally asked Jaabir the same question 20 times! Jaabir finally agreed to sell his camel
for price, provided that he can ride it until they reach madinah. Upon this, the Prophet (
‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬made du'a for the camel, and hit it, and then the camel transformed into
the strongest and fastest camels in the whole caravan. Just another one of the many
miracles given to Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Muhammad.

The next day, Jaabir came to the masjid to complete the

transaction he made with the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. The
Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬handed over the money, and as Jaabir
was handing over the camel, he said, “Do you think that I will
take the camel from you?” So Jaabir was left with the camel and
the money. This was a trick played by the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫ )ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬in order to give Jaabir charity, because the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬knew that Jaabir would not take charity straight up from
him. From this single event, scholars have derived as much as
seventy fiqhi rulings. There is a lot that can be said of this
incident that is outside the scope of this course.

Hadith Discussion
Moving to the discussion of the hadith, we quote another hadith of a similar string,
wherein a bedouin entered the masjid, and started asking about the bare minimum
required acts of worship. After receiving the answer from the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬, the
bedouin said, “WAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬i, I will not do an atom's weight more or less.” He then turned
his back and left. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬then said, “WAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬i, he will enter
Jannah if he fulfilled his conditions.” Some of the Sahabah were astonished by what this
Bedouin had asked. This is because these Sahabah couldn't imagine only doing the bare
minimum. Many of them strove for excellence.

It is important to note that while the bare minimum is all that is required, the pillars and
conditions of the acts need to be completed. The basic issues need to be performed
completely, and properly.

From this hadith, we see that the minimum is ALL that is required of us as muslims. Those
who fulfill the five pillars, insha'Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will enter Jannah. By doing only the bare
minimum, we won't get to the highest levels of jannah, but we must realize that this is
what Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has required of our Ummah. Many of the more zealous amongst us might
begin to pressure some muslims to perform additional acts of worship. But this hadith
needs to be kept in mind, and realize that this religion is easy. As the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫ )ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

34
“This religion is easy, and no one will try to make the religion more difficult except that it
will overcome him.”

And the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬would advise some of the Sahabah he sent out on
miscellaneous tasks,

“Make things easy, not difficult, and give good news, not making people run away.”

Now for us as students of knowledge, we obviously shouldn't feel satisfied doing only the
bare minimum. We should strive for the highest levels of jannah. But this is a reminder,
especially when advising our friends and family, to not pressure them into superrogatory
acts of worship, at the expense of more important things to focus on. Make Islam easy,
and always prioritize your dawah to tawhid and the 5 pillars of Islam first After all, how
many muslims fail to even pray the 5 daily salaat? Also, remember that the mercy of Allah
(‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is all encompassing, and that the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

“Whoever says la ilaaha ill Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬sincerely will enter jannah.”

Now what about those who are doing the bare minimum, but are engaged in major sins.
Notice that in the hadith, the man said, “if I make the haram, haram.” Imam Nawawi
explains that “making the haram, haram” means to avoid the haram. So we learn that this
hadith doesn't apply to the person that is engaged in major sins.

Sins are of two categories, major and minor. A major sin is that upon which Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s
anger, Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s curse, or Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s punishment is prescribed, whether it is applicable
in the dhunia or akhira. For example, stealing is a major sin in Islam, because the Sharia
punishment of chopping off the hand is applied. Minor sins are defined as anything that
doesn't qualify as a major sin. An example is, looking lustfully at the opposite gender.

Out of the mercy of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, minor sins are wiped away by performing obligatory acts
of worship. Praying the 5 daily prayers wipe away the minor sins that occur between
them. Fasting for 2 consecutive Ramadans wipes away the minor sins occurring between
them; i.e. during the year. The major sins are not forgiven however with these routine
obligations. It is upon the individual to make tauba for those major sins that are
committed. Tauba is a very easy process, but it too has conditions. They are,

● Regret the sin you have committed.

● Repent sincerely for your sin.
● Remove your self immediately from the sin you're guilty of.
● Refrain from doing the sin in the future
● Redress and Payback the person you've wronged in case you sinned against somebody
else.

We have a proof in the Quran regarding forgiveness of the minor sins.

۳۱ ﴾ ً َ‫ﺇِ﴾ﻥْ ﲡَْﺘَﻨِﺒُﻮﺍ ﻛَﺒَﺎﺋِﺮَ ﻣَﺎ ﺗُﻨْﻬَﻮْﻥَ َﻋﻨْﻪُ ﻧُﻜَ ِﻔّﺮْ ﻋَﻨْﻜُﻢْ ﺳَﻴِّﺌَﺎﺗِﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﻧُﺪْﺧِﻠْﻜُﻢْ ﻣُﺪْﺧ‬
‫ﻼ ﻛَﺮِﳝًــﺎ‬

35
 4:31 - If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your
lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].

Another important discussion is in regards to the types of rights Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has imposed.
They are:
● Rights of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬,
● Rights of people

Disobeying Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is a violation of a right of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. It is only between you and
your Lord however, and if He wills, He may forgive you. Committing injustice towards
other human beings is a violation of the rights towards others. This is actually worse than
violating the rights of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, although both should be avoided. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the Most
Merciful, so the door of repentance is always open if you individually sin. But Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬
is also the Most Just, and no matter how much you repent, you still must fix the injustice
you showed to another person. You must additionally seek forgiveness from the person you
wronged, as well as seeking forgiveness from Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. If someone fails in redressing the
injustices shown to others, on the day of judgement, he will have to face a double
st nd
reckoning process. The 1 with Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and the 2 for the injustices committed
nd
towards other humans. The 2 reckoning will take place after the crossing of the Siraat,
which is the bridge over Jahannam that everybody must cross to get to Jannah. After this
is an open area known as Al-Qantarah, where the reckoning takes place between humans.
Everyone who reaches the Qantarra will enter Jannah, but some might have to go to
hellfire first. In this area, good deeds and bad deeds will be transferred between humans
due to these injustices. Remember to seek forgiveness from those you've wronged in
dhunia, otherwise you will be paying them back in akhirah with your good deeds. And if
you are out of good deeds, you start collecting their bad deeds. As we know, good deeds is
the only form of currency in the akhira, so let's strive to become the richest of the rich in
akhira, Ameen.

Hadith 29: A 2nd Stairway to Jannah

‫ ﺃﺧﺒﺮﻧﻲ ﺑﻌﻤﻞ ﻳﺪﺧﻠﻨﻲ ﺍﳉﻨﺔ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬: ‫ ﻗﻠﺖ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﻣﻌﺎﺫ ﺑﻦ ﺟﺒﻞ‬
‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬.‫ ﻭﻳﺒﺎﻋﺪﻧﻲ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭ‬:
( ،‫ ﺗﻌﺒﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻻ ﺗﺸﺮﻙ ﺑﻪ ﺷﻴﺌﺎ‬: ‫ ﻭﺇﻧﻪ ﻟﻴﺴﻴﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻦ ﻳﺴﺮﻩ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬،‫ﻟﻘﺪ ﺳﺄﻟﺖ ﻋﻦ ﻋﻈﻴﻢ‬
‫ ) ﺃﻻ ﺃﺩﻟﻚ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﺑﻮﺍﺏ‬: ‫ ﺛﻢ ﻗﺎﻝ‬..( ‫ ﻭﲢﺞ ﺍﻟﺒﻴﺖ‬،‫ ﻭﺗﺼﻮﻡ ﺭﻣﻀﺎﻥ‬،‫ ﻭﺗﺆﺗﻲ ﺍﻟﺰﻛﺎﺓ‬،‫ﻭﺗﻘﻴﻢ ﺍﻟﺼﻼﺓ‬
‫ ﻭﺻﻼﺓ ﺍﻟﺮﺟﻞ ﻓﻲ ﺟﻮﻑ ﺍﻟﻠﻴﻞ‬،‫ ﻭﺍﻟﺼﺪﻗﺔ ﺗﻄﻔﺊ ﺍﳋﻄﻴﺌﺔ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﻄﻔﺊ ﺍﳌﺎﺀ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭ‬،‫ ﺍﻟﺼﻮﻡ ﺟﻨﺔ‬:‫ﺍﳋﻴﺮ؟‬
‫ ) ﺃﻻ ﺃﺧﺒﺮﻙ ﺑﺮﺃﺱ‬: ‫{ ﺣﺘﻰ ﺑﻠﻎ } ﻳَﻌْﻤَﻠُﻮﻥَ { ﺛﻢ ﻗﺎﻝ‬..‫ } ﺗَﺘَﺠَﺎﻓَﻰ ﺟُﻨُﻮﺑُﻬُﻢْ ﻋَﻦِ ﺍﳌَْﻀَﺎﺟِﻊ‬: ‫( ﺛﻢ ﺗﻼ‬
‫ ﻭﻋﻤﻮﺩﻩ‬،‫ ) ﺭﺃﺱ ﺍﻷﻣﺮ ﺍﻹﺳﻼﻡ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬،‫ ﺑﻠﻰ ﻳﺎ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬: ‫ﺍﻷﻣﺮ ﻭﻋﻤﻮﺩﻩ ﻭﺫﺭﻭﺓ ﺳﻨﺎﻣﻪ؟ ( ﻗﻠﺖ‬
‫ ﺑﻠﻰ ﻳﺎ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ‬: ‫ ) ﺃﻻ ﺃﺧﺒﺮﻙ ﲟﻼﻙ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻛﻠﻪ؟ ( ﻓﻘﻠﺖ‬: ‫ ﻭﺫﺭﻭﺓ ﺳﻨﺎﻣﻪ ﺍﳉﻬﺎﺩ ( ﺛﻢ ﻗﺎﻝ‬،‫ﺍﻟﺼﻼﺓ‬
‫ ﻳﺎ ﻧﺒﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻭﺇﳕﺎ ﳌﺆﺍﺧﺬﻭﻥ ﲟﺎ ﻧﺘﻜﻠﻢ ﺑﻪ؟‬: ‫ ﻗﻠﺖ‬،( ‫ ) ﻛﻒ ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﻫﺬﺍ‬: ‫ ﻓﺄﺧﺬ ﺑﻠﺴﺎﻧﻪ ﻭﻗﺎﻝ‬.‫ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫ ﺇﻻ‬- ‫ )ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﻨﺎﺧﺮﻫﻢ‬: ‫ ﻭﻫﻞ ﻳﻜﺐ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺭ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻭﺟﻮﻫﻬﻢ( – ﺃﻭ ﻗﺎﻝ‬،‫ ) ﺛﻜﻠﺘﻚ ﺃﻣﻚ‬: ‫ﻓﻘﺎﻝ‬
‫ ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﺣﺴﻦ ﺻﺤﻴﺢ‬: ‫]ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﺍﻟﺘﺮﻣﺬﻱ ﻭﻗﺎﻝ‬.(‫ ]ﺣﺼﺎﺋﺪ ﺃﻟﺴﻨﺘﻬﻢ‬.

From Mu'adh bin Jabal, radiyAllah (‫' )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬anhu, who said: I said:

"O Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, tell me of a deed which will take me into Paradise and
will keep me away from the Hell-fire." He said: "You have asked me about a great

36
matter, yet it is, indeed, an easy matter for him to whom Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬Almighty makes it
easy. (It is ) that you worship Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬without associating anything with Him, that
you perform the prayers, that you pay the zakat, that you fast during Ramadan, and
that you make the pilgrimage to the House."

Then he said: "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield;
charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and a man's prayer in the middle
of the night." Then he recited: "Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear
and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them. No soul knoweth what is kept
hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do". [Qu'ran, Surah al-Sajdah
(32): Ayah 16-17]

Then he said: "Shall I not also tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar, and its
topmost part?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬." He said: "The peak of the
matter is Islam (submission to Allah (‫))ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is
jihad." Then he said: "And shall I not tell you of the controlling of all that ?" I said:"
Yes, O Messenger of Allah (‫")ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. So he took hold of his tongue and said: "Restrain
this." I said: "O Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, will we be held accountable for
what we say?" He said: "May your mother be bereft of you! Is there anything that
topples people on their faces (or he said, on their noses) into the Hell-fire other than
the jests of their tongues?"

[Related by Al-Tirmidhi, who said it was a fine and sound hadith]

The Narrator
Mu'adh ibn Jabl was from the Ansar of Madinah. He was a young, bright, intelligent, and
handsome man. He was able to participate in all of the battles fought by the Muslims
during the life of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. He was one of the few who memorized the
entire Quran during the life of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. Even the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫ )ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬himself told the sahabah to learn Quran from Mu'adh ibn Jabl. (The Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬mentioned 3 other names along with Mu'adh). Mu'adh was also a scholar of fiqh
amongst the Sahabah. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

“Mu'adh is the most knowledgeable of my sahabah in halal and haram.”

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬blessed Mu'adh with the love of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬. When the Prophet
(‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬felt his terminal sickness coming on, he told Mu'adh as he was departing to
Yemen, “Ya Mu'adh, I love you.”

Mu'adh ibn Jabl died in the infamous plague of Madinah in 17 h., at the young age of 34.

The Hadith
Sheikh Yasir purposefully selected this hadith to go hand in hand with the hadith of Jaabir
that we just covered. The reason is because of the similarities and points that can said
about both hadith collectively.

37
We see that Mu'adh is asking the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬about a very important matter;
that which will lead him to Jannah. In another narration of this incident in the Musnad of
Imam Ahmed, Mu'adh asked,

“I want to ask you something Ya rasulAllah (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ‬I've been thinking about and
worrying about for so long that it's made me sick. Tell me something that will make me
enter Jannah and avoid Jahannum.....”

From Ahmed's version, we see that this was a grave matter that was severely bothering
Mu'adh. It was something that was always on his mind. A way to figure out what is most
pressing and concerning to ourselves is to observe the first thing you think about when you
wake up, and the last thing you're thinking about when you go to sleep.

Notice that this hadith and the previous hadith of Jaabir both have a person asking the
Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬about what is required of them. We see however that the
response to Mu'adh differs from the response to the Bedouin. To the Bedouin, the Prophet
(‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬only told him the bare requirements needed to be fulfilled. To Mu'adh ibn
Jabl, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬also included the bare requirements, but additionally
added to it with more acts of worship. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬dealt with each
individual differently, according to his level. This is an important principle in da'wah.
People are on different levels, and we should cater to each individual's level, as the
Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬did. Sheikh Yasir suggested that we should use the hadith of the
bedouin when dealing with the masses, and the hadith of mu'adh when dealing with those
aiming for the heights.

These hadith clearly establish the fact that there are 5 pillars in Islam. The scholars are in
unanimous consensus on this point. These hadith are not the only proofs that Islam has 5
pillars. There are numerous proofs establishing this.

Fasting – A Shield
The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬mentions in this hadith that fasting is a
shield. Fasting is mentioned as a shield in many various ahaadith. It is
a shield against many different things.

● against the punishment of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬

● against your own desires
● against sins and disobedience
● against shaitan

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, “Fight Shaitan by fasting, because Shaitan runs in your
blood. When you fast, your veins constrict, as will the ability of Shaitan to flow through
your blood.

Also, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, “Fasting is like a fortress, that a person fleeing
from an enemy enters, when you are in this fortress, you do not care what side you are
attacked from, that fortress will protect you.” This is also as the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬

38
used to recommended the unmarried youth to fast, in order to protect themselves from
fornication.

Charity – The Extinguisher

Charity extinguishes sins like water extinguishes fire. In Surah Baqarah,
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬says,
ُ‫ﺇِﻥ ُﺗﺒْﺪُﻭﺍْ ﺍﻟﺼَّﺪَﻗَﺎﺕِ ﻓَﻨِﻌِﻤَّﺎ ﻫِﻲَ ﻭَﺇِﻥ ﺗُﺨْﻔُﻮﻫَﺎ ﻭَﺗُﺆْﺗُﻮﻫَﺎ ﺍﻟْﻔُﻘَﺮَﺍﺀ ﻓَﻬُﻮَ ﺧَﻴْﺮٌ ُﻟّﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﻳُﻜَﻔِّﺮُ ﻋَﻨﻜُﻢ ﻣِّﻦ ﺳَ ِّﻴﺌَﺎﺗِﻜُ ْﻢ ﻭَﺍﻟﻠّﻪ‬
ٌ‫ﲟَِﺎ ﺗَﻌْﻤَﻠُﻮﻥَ ﺧَﺒِﻲﺭ‬
2:271 - If you disclose your charitable expenditures, they are good; but
if you conceal them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and
He will remove from you some of your misdeeds [thereby]. And Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, with what you
do, is [fully] Acquainted.

In another hadith, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, “Nothing extinguishes the anger of
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬like the giving of charity in secret.” Many scholars of the past would give out
charity to the poor when they committed sins.

Tahajjud
The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬illustrates the greatness of a man praying at night. This is
where the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬finished explaining to Mu'adh about the requiremed acts
of worship, and started explaining the extra acts of worship. So one could divide this
st nd
hadith into two portions, the 1 part explaining the fardh, and the 2 part explaining the
nafl. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬in addresing tahajjud quoted Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬from Surah
Sajda

َ‫ﺗَﺘَﺠَﺎﻓَﻰ ﺟُﻨُﻮﺑُﻬُﻢْ ﻋَﻦِ ﺍﳌَْﻀَﺎﺟِﻊِ ﻳَ ْﺪﻋُﻮ َﻥ ﺭَ َﺑّﻬُﻢْ ﺧَﻮْﻓًﺎ ﻭَﻃَﻤَﻌًﺎ ﻭَﳑَِّﺎ ﺭَﺯَﻗْﻨَﺎﻫُﻢْ ﻳُﻨﻔِﻘُﻮﻥ‬
32:16 - They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and
from what We have provided them, they spend.

The best of all nafl salah is tahajjud. The worshipper has to struggle to get out of their
bed in times of deep sleep and comfort. In another hadith, the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬
said,

“Spread Salam amongst everyone, feed the poor, pray when everyone is sleeping, and you'll
enter Jannah in peace and security.”

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬also said in regards to ibn Umar,

“What a great man Ibn Umar is, if only he would pray tahajjud.”

Ibn Umar from that point on never left tahajjud prayer. Also, a scholar has said that, “It is
not possible that you have a du'a that you want answered, yet you sleep the night away.”
This understanding is taken from the hadith of the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬, when he said,

“The best du'a is the one done in the middle of the night.”

39
In another narration, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

“Oh people, I advise you to pray the night prayer, for indeed the night prayer was the
custom of the righteous nations before you; and tahajjud brings you closer to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬,
and prevents you from doing evil, and forgives your sins, and prevents bodily diseases.”

Islam – The Head

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬explained to Mu'adh that the head of the matter is Islam. This
is submission to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. By head of the matter, we can rephrase this as “the jist of the
deen.” Submitting yourself to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the philosophy of Islam, or the fundamental
premise of this religion.

Salah – the Pillar

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬then stated that Salah is THE PILLAR.
The Salah is so central to Islam. So much so that many of the scholars
consider the person who never prays to be outside the fold of Islam.
Scholars such as Ibn Taymiya, Ibn al Qayyim, Ibn Umar, Imam Ahmed
all are of this opinion. Umar said,

“The one who doesn't pray has no share of Islam.”

-Umar ibn al Khattab

These scholars were referring to the one who totally ABANDONS the prayer, and not the
one who might miss some prayers here and there.

Some of the scholars have mentioned that Salah is a way to gear your closeness to Allah (
‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

“If you want to see how close you are to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, look at your Salah.”
-Ulama

Jihad – The Pinnacle

In general, people have gone to two extremes regarding Jihad. Some say that there is no
such thing as a physical jihad and that jihad is entirely spiritual, pertaining to the soul.
The other extreme group says that Jihad is completely physical, and it must be fought at
all times and all places, irrespective of the circumstances. Both are lacking understanding
of the ahl as-sunnah perspective of Jihad. That is, Jihad is of many types, that include
both the physical and the spiritual dimensions. As for the spiritual jihad, that should be
individually performed by all muslims at all times and places, for there will always be a
struggle for the muslim with his own soul.

The physical jihad is recognized as a part of our religion no doubt, but it is not openly
declared at all times and places. Terrorism and the killing of innocent people never was
and will never have any place in jihad, let alone Islam. It must be based on the
circumstances of the muslims, with many conditions that need to be fulfilled.

40
Additionally, one must understand that in the times we are living in today, offensive jihad
has no mandate. The proof for this is the entire Makkan period of the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫')ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬s life. During this period, when the muslims were weak, the name of the game was
taqwa and patience, not militant strategies. This is because Makkah wasn't the
appropriate time or place for an offensive jihad, as this would have caused greater harm
then benefit. Sahabah, such as Sumayya, Yaser, and Bilal, were all tortured in Makkah
without any counterattack by Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Muhammad or any other Muslims.
Even when some of the Sahabah migrated to Abyssinia, no acts of physical jihad were
waged. Those muslims who are calling for offensive jihad in today's times are not only
going against the teachings of Islam, but are calling to outright foolishness. Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬
will indeed hold in account those who have caused innocent people to die, and even for
the difficult circumstances that have been imposed amongst the muslims in the west, as a
result of the foolish acts of violence committed in the name of Islam. Those militant
Islamic groups have been causing an indirect harm upon the muslims in other lands with a
damaged identity, as well as discrimination.

Tongue – The Controller

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬told Mu'adh that restraining the tongue takes control of all
that has been stated previously. In another narration, it was referred to as the equivalent
of everything previously mentioned. When Mu'adh heard this, he was shocked and asked if
we would be held accountable for what we say. The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬responded to
him, “May your mother lose you.” This is an expression used by the Arabs to mean that
you have said a very foolish thing. Another similar expression in Arabic is, “May your
hands be showered in dust.” These expressions are not to be taken literally. As is known,
metaphors and expressions are language based, and cannot be translated literally with the
same meaning. An example in the english language is the phrase, “I caught you red-
handed.” This is not taken literally in english, and the meaning of this would be lost if
translated to another language.

In another narration, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬compared the tongue to a farmer,
because as a farmer reaps what it sows, so too does the tongue. In another hadith, the
Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

“A person says a word, without paying attention to it, and because of it goes down 70
years distance into the hellfire. And someone says a word without noticing, and because
of it is enters Jannah.”

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬explains another incident of two men, one of whom was
engaging in outward sinning. The other man was a pious worshipper, and would advise the
sinning man to leave the sins. The worshipper persisted with this sinner, until the sinner
told him out of annoyance, “Has Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬made you a monitor over me?” And in a final
response, the worshipper told him, “WAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬i, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will never forgive you.”
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬in response to this will say to the worshipper, “Who are you to swear by Me
that I will not forgive him? I will forgive him, and all of your good deeds are void.”

This incident shows that a simple statement ruined the entire akhira of the worshipper.

41
What the worshipper said in reality exposed his arrogance that was deep inside his heart.
And this arrogance in Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s eyes is worse than all the sins committed by the other
man. May Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬protect us and purify our hearts completely from arrogance, Ameen.

Benefits
Of the benefits of this hadith are as follows:
● Islam is of levels. This is as Aisha said, “The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬commanded us
to treat people according to their level.” We can't expect the muslim masses to be
walking around as if they're ulama.
● Not trivializing the Fardh. As we know in other narrations, that nothing is more
beloved to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬than the fardh deeds, and nothing is better to come close to
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬with than with the fardh. After this, then the Nafl can be used to get
closer to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.
● The tongue is the #1 cause for people to enter Jahannum. Be extremely careful and
conscious of what you say and even type! Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬forgives our thoughts and
feelings, but as soon as it is manifested on the tongue, that is when the accounting
goes into effect. It is your tongue that represents who you are and defines your
identity, for people cannot read your thoughts or your heart. It is a mark of a wise
person that he speaks with measured language. You can decipher the wise from the
foolish, simply from examining their speech. It is the wise who knows when to
speak, and what to say. And remember the common expression, “Silence is
Golden.” It truly is the case. Even in the western society, the one who is always
talking is considered to be the fool.
● The Ease of Islam. This hadith illustrates the ease which is the actuality of this
deen. A religion that can be practiced by all types of people in all walks of life.
Fulfilling the Fardh properly is sufficient to enter the supreme abode of Jannah.

Hadith 24: Denying Favors?

:‫ ) ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬: ‫ ﺃﻧﻪ ﻗﺎﻝ‬-‫ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﻳﺮﻭﻳﻪ ﻋﻦ ﺭﺑﻪ –ﻋﺰ ﻭﺟﻞ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﺫﺭ ﺍﻟﻐِﻔﺎﺭِﻱ‬
‫ ﻳﺎ‬.‫ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻬﺪﻭﻧﻲ ﺃﻫﺪﻛﻢ‬،‫ ﻛﻠﻜﻢ ﺿﺎﻝ ﺇﻻ ﻣﻦ ﻫﺪﻳﺘﻪ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ ﻓﻼ ﺗـَﻈَـﺎﻟـﻤـﻮﺍ‬،‫ ﻭﺟﻌـﻠﺘﻪ ﺑﻴـﻨﻜﻢ ﻣﺤﺮﻣﺎ‬،‫ﺇﻧﻲ ﺣﺮﻣﺖ ﺍﻟﻈﻠﻢ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻧﻔﺴﻲ‬
‫ ﺇﻧﻜﻢ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻜﺴﻮﻧﻲ ﺃَﻛْﺴُﻜُﻢ‬،‫ ﻛﻠﻜﻢ ﻋﺎﺭ ﺇﻻ ﻣﻦ ﻛﺴﻮﺗﻪ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻄﻌﻤﻮﻧﻲ ﺃﻃﻌﻤﻜﻢ‬،‫ ﻛﻠﻜﻢ ﺟﺎﺋﻊ ﺇﻻ ﻣﻦ ﺃﻃﻌﻤﺘﻪ‬،‫ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬
‫ ﻭﻟﻦ ﺗﺒﻠﻐﻮﺍ ﻧﻔﻌﻲ‬،‫ ﺇﻧﻜﻢ ﻟﻦ ﺗﺒﻠﻐﻮﺍ ﺿُﺮﻱ ﻓﺘﻀﺮﻭﻧﻲ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ ﻭﺃﻧﺎ ﺃﻏﻔﺮ ﺍﻟﺬﻧﻮﺏ ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻐﻔﺮﻭﻧﻲ ﺃﻏﻔﺮ ﻟﻜﻢ‬،‫ﺗﺨﻄﺌﻮﻥ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻴﻞ ﻭﺍﻟﻨﻬﺎﺭ‬
‫ ﻳﺎ‬.‫ ﻟﻮ ﺃﻥ ﺃﻭﻟﻜﻢ ﻭﺁﺧﺮﻛﻢ ﻭﺇﻧﺴﻜﻢ ﻭﺟﻨﻜﻢ ﻛﺎﻧﻮﺍ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﺗﻘﻰ ﻗﻠﺐ ﺭﺟﻞ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ ﻣﻨﻜﻢ ﻣﺎ ﺯﺍﺩ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻠﻜﻲ ﺷﻴﺌًﺎ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ﻓﺘﻨﻔﻌﻮﻧﻲ‬
‫ ﻟﻮ ﺃﻥ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ ﻣﺎ ﻧﻘﺺ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ ﻣﻠﻜﻲ ﺷﻴﺌًﺎ‬،‫ ﻟﻮ ﺃﻥ ﺃﻭﻟﻜﻢ ﻭﺁﺧﺮﻛﻢ ﻭﺇﻧﺴﻜﻢ ﻭﺟﻨﻜﻢ ﻛﺎﻧﻮﺍ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺃﻓﺠﺮ ﻗﻠﺐ ﺭﺟﻞ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ ﻣﻨﻜﻢ‬،‫ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬
‫ ﻣﺎ ﻧﻘﺺ ﺫﻟﻚ ﳑﺎ ﻋﻨﺪﻱ ﺇﻻ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﻨﻘﺺ‬،‫ ﻓﺄﻋﻄﻴﺖ ﻛﻞ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ ﻣﺴﺄﻟﺘﻪ‬،‫ ﻓﺴﺄﻟﻮﻧﻲ‬،‫ﺃﻭﻟﻜﻢ ﻭﺁﺧﺮﻛﻢ ﻭﺇﻧﺴﻜﻢ ﻭﺟﻨﻜﻢ ﻗﺎﻣﻮﺍ ﻓﻲ ﺻﻌﻴﺪ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ‬
‫ ﻭﻣﻦ ﻭﺟﺪ ﻏﻴﺮ ﺫﻟﻚ‬، ‫ ﻓﻤﻦ ﻭﺟﺪ ﺧﻴﺮًﺍ ﻓﻠﻴﺤﻤﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬،‫ ﺛﻢ ﺃﻭﻓﻴﻜﻢ ﺇﻳﺎﻫﺎ‬،‫ ﺇﳕﺎ ﻫﻲ ﺃﻋﻤﺎﻟﻜﻢ ﺃﺣﺼﻴﻬﺎ ﻟﻜﻢ‬،‫ ﻳﺎ ﻋﺒﺎﺩﻱ‬.‫ﺍﳌﺨﻴﻂ ﺇﺫﺍ ﺃﺩﺧﻞ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺮ‬
‫ ]ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ‬.( ‫]ﻓﻼ ﻳﻠﻮﻣﻦ ﺇﻻ ﻧﻔﺴﻪ‬.

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifaaree (radiAllaahu anhu) from the Prophet (
‫( )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) from his Lord ('azza wa jall) that He said
:O My servants ! I have forbidden zhulm (oppression) for Myself, and I have made it
forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.
O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I have guided, so seek
guidance from Me and I shall guide you.
O My servants, all of of you are hungry except those whom I have fed, so seek food
from Me and I shall feed you.

42
O My servants, all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed, so seek clothing
from Me and I shall clothe you.
O My servants, you commit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins, so seek
forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you.
O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm me, and you will not
attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me.
O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the
jinn of you, were all as pious as the most pious heart of any individual amongst you,
then this would not increase My Kingdom an iota.
O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the
jinn of you, were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of any indivdual amongst you,
then this would not decrease My Kingdom an iota.
O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the
jinn of you, were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give
everyone what he requested, then that would not decrease what I Possess, except
what is decreased of the Ocean when a needle is dipped into it.
O My servants, it is but your deeds that I account for you, and then recompense you
for. So he who finds good, let him praise Allaah, and he who finds other than that, let
him blame no one but himself. It was related by Muslim.
This hadith is known as hadith Qudsi, or a sacred hadith. It is found when the Prophet (
‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬has narrated something that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬Himself has said. We also know that
Quran is the speech of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬also, so what is the difference? In a nutshell, the Quran
has been preserved in both wording and meaning, whereas a hadith qudsi has only been
preserved in it's meaning. In other words, there is no promise or guarantee that a hadith
qudsi is precisely the word for word speech of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, whereas the Quran is the precise
speech of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, to the syllable.

In this hadith, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬begins by saying, “Oh my servants.” Who is Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬referring
to? We discuss the meaning two meanings of “servant” ('ibaad), or “servitude”
('uboodiyah).

'Ibaad has two meanings. There is a general 'ibaad, which includes all of mankind. This
general category acknowledges the fact that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is in control of all humans,
provides for everyone, takes care of everyone, etc. And this is why even the atheist who
denies Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s existence is still an 'ibaad of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬in this specific sense.

The higher level, or more specific type of worship, or servitude is the praiseworthy type;
the category of servitude that eliminates kuffar and includes those who actually submit to
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and worship Him. This type of worship is of a high status, as the highest praise
that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has given to Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬Muhammad is by referring to him as
'Abdullah, (the slave of Allah (‫))ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

In the hadith, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬says that He has made injustice haram upon himself. Nothing or
Nobody is capable of making anything wajib or haram upon Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬except for Himself.
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the only One who can set the rules upon Himself. Another example of a
rule set by Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is found in a hadith, wherein Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has written down, “My

43
mercy shall overcome My wrath.” This understanding is in contrast to those philosophers
and modernists of our time who say that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is unable to do this or that. And Allah
(‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is far about that which is ascribed to Him. The fact that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬made certain
things haram upon Himself shows Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s perfection, by freeing Himself from that
which is not befitting.

Linguistically, Zhulm is to put something in a place that it doesn't deserve to be. If a thief
took money from someone, and placed it in a bank, it would linguistically be considered
zhulm. So even from the linguistic point of view, how is it possible for Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬to
commit zhulm, when Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is the One who put everything in places to begin with?
Because of this point, scholars say that, “If Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬were to punish everybody, He would
not be committing zhulm, because the creation belongs to Him in the first place.” But
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬in His perfection went to a higher level; that is to the moral concept of reward
and punishment that we as humans are familiar with. And this is as Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬says in the
Quran,

ِ‫ﻭَﻣَﺎ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻳُﺮِﻳﺪُ ﻇُﻠْﻤًﺎ ﻟِّﻠْﻌِﺒَﺎﺩ‬

And Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬wants no injustice for His servants.

The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬also said that a single injustice will be injustices on the day of
judgement.
Technically, zhulm is transgression of the rights of others, including Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. The
greatest injustice is shirk, as Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬says in the Quran.

31:13
ٌ‫ﻲ ﻻَ ﺗُﺸْﺮِﻙْ ﺑِﺎﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﺇِﻥَّ ﺍﻟﺸِّﺮْﻙَ َﻟﻈُﻠْﻢٌ ﻋَﻈِﻴﻢ‬
َّ َ‫ﻭَﺇِﺫْ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻟُﻘْﻤَﺎ ُﻥ ِﻻﺑْﻨِﻪِ ﻭَﻫُﻮَ ﻳَ ِﻌﻈُﻪُ ﻳَﺎ ﺑُﻨ‬
And when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not commit
shirk with Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. Indeed, shirk is great injustice."

An objective or goal of the Sharia is to establish justice. In surah hadeed,

ِ‫ﺴﻂ‬
ْ ِ‫ﻟَﻘَﺪْ ﺃَ ْﺭﺳَﻠْﻨَﺎ ﺭُﺳُﻠَﻨَﺎ ﺑِﺎﻟْﺒَﻴِّﻨَﺎﺕِ ﻭَﺃَﻧﺰَﻟْﻨَﺎ ﻣَﻌَﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟْﻜِﺘَﺎﺏَ ﻭَﺍﳌِْﻴﺰَﺍﻥَ ﻟِﻴَﻘُﻮﻡَ ﺍﻟ َﻨّﺎﺱُ ﺑِﺎﻟْﻘ‬
57:25 - We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with
them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice.

Justice or Qist is the opposite of oppression, or Zhulm. In latin, the word for justice is
Qistaas. And it is from this word Qistaas that we arrive at the word in the english
language, “justice”.

All of you are misguided....

The next part of the hadith discusses the fact that all of mankind are misguided by
default. It is Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬who guides us to the truth. Does this mean that man was born
evil? Absolutely not. But humans are prone to go astray unless there is a guide. The
fitrah, or innate nature of humans, if left unalterated, will keep humans attracted to
what is good and proper, but this is not sufficient for complete guidance. To achieve

44
complete guidance, humans must follow and obey their messengers sent by Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

Even the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬was misguided until Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬guided him. This is
proven in Surah ad-Duha

‫ﻭَﻭَﺟَﺪَﻙَ ﺿَﺎﻻًّ ﻓَﻬَﺪَﻯ‬

93:7 - And He found you lost and guided [you],

Ask me for guidance, and I will give it to you

Every person who has a kernel of sincerity who wants to be guided, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will guide
them. Humans by their nature are attracted to and naturally desire what is good. So man
does want guidance. When man asks, they will be guided. Realize that, even though we
are Muslim, we still need to ask for guidance. It is a part of our religion to ask for this
guidance. This is as we say many times per day in surah fatiha

‫ﺍﻫﺪﻧﺎ ﺍﻟﺼﺮﺍﻁ ﺍﳌﺴﺘﻘﻴﻢ‬

Guide Us to the straight path.

As Muslims, though We may have broad guidance by being a part of the true reliigion, we
are always in need specific guidance. When we are sincere to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will
not misguide you.
All of you are hungry… and all of you are naked…. So ask me.

After addressing the spiritual needs, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬discusses two extremely important worldly
needs, that of food and clothing.
These are two of the most basic needs of men. By emphasizing most basic issues, all other
more exotic issues are implied. If we don’t even have food and clothes except that Allah (
‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has given it to us, what about all the other things we have?

Some might ask the question, “People who don't make du'a and ask Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬get things.
Why would we have to ask when Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will give to Us anyways?” The answer to this is
that if we ask Allah ( ‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, we won't be held accountable for what Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has given us.
But for those whom Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬keeps giving, and they totally ignore their Creator, they
will be held to account on the day of judgement. Aisha said that, “when your shoelace
breaks, make du'a to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬for another shoelace.” Don't belittle what you are asking
for. Everything is from Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and we should get in the habit of asking Allah ( ‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬for
every little thing. Aisha said, “When your shoelace breaks make dua’ to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬that
He give you another one.” The Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬also said, “Ask, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is more
than what you can ask for.”

You commit sins by night and day

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬forgives continually. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Al-Ghafur and al-Ghaffar… Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬isn't
concerned with how many times you sin. He wants you to turn in tauba.

45
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬also commands us to ask for forgiveness, As long as we ask Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, Allah (
‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has promised us forgiveness. What a deal! We are not asking for Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s
forgiveness to be granted in the dhunia, but for the akhira. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬doesn't care about
the quantity of sins, but the quality of repentance. Realize that this isn't a license to
become sinful. But this is to encourage us to be optimistic in the mercy of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.
The Mercy of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is unimaginable. In a hadith, the Prophet (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said,

“If the disbeliever understood the mercy of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, he might hope for jannah.”

Part of asking for forgivness is: Sincerity. Begging, pleading. To say, “I have committed a
sin, forgive me.”

This part of the hadith really gives hope to sinners like us. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬does not count the
sins as long as we turn to him.

From another hadith narrated in the 40 hadith nawawi: If commit sins until they reach the
clouds, and if you seek my forgiveness, I will forgive you.

You cannot harm or benefit me

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬informs us that no matter how much we tried, we could not benefit or harm
Him. Surprisingly, this was the attitude of some of the bedouins, who thought their
acceptance of Islam was a great thing they had done, and a favor they were granting.
They forgot that is was only through the Mercy and guidance of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬that they
became muslim. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬said about them:

ٌ‫ﻗَﺎﻟَﺖِ ا َﻷْﻋْﺮَابُ آﻣَﻨﱠﺎ ﻗُﻞ ﻟﱠﻢْ ﺗُﺆْﻣِﻨُﻮا وَﻟَﻜِﻦ ﻗُﻮﻟُﻮا أَﺳْﻠَﻤْﻨَﺎ وَﳌَﱠﺎ ﻳَﺪْﺧُﻞِ ا ِﻹْﳝَﺎنُ ﻓِﻲ ﻗُﻠُﻮﺑِﻜُﻢْ وَإِن ﺗُﻄِﻴﻌُﻮا ﷲَﱠ وَرَﺳُﻮﻟَﻪُ ﻻَ ﻳَﻠِﺘْﻜُﻢ ﻣﱢﻦْ أَﻋْﻤَﺎﻟِﻜُﻢْ ﺷَﻴْﺌًﺎ إِنﱠ ﷲﱠَ ﻏَﻔُﻮر‬
ٌ‫رﱠﺣِﻴﻢ‬
49:12 - The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say
[instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything.
Indeed, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Forgiving and Merciful."

If the first of you and the last of you…

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Al-Ghani, the One who is free of all needs. And the One who is Al-Ghani will
lose nothing by giving. We learn from this phrase of the hadith of this important point.
Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is not in need of the creation.

Good and bad are for us and against of us.

If each of you asked for your hearts’ desire

What is noteworthy here is that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬mentions that billions upon billions of beings
were all simultaneously asking for all they want all at the same time. To Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬
belongs the greatest example, but to illustrate the concept, if you had received 3 requests

46
at the same time, vs. 3 requests, each one 1 hour apart, which one would be more
st
difficult? Obviously the 1 one. And if Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬were to grant the request of every
creature simultaneously, His kingdom would not decrease.

Like a needle takes out of ocean

How much water would a needle take out of the ocean? Barely
anything. But the scholars, in their desire for precision, made an
interesting comment regarding this analogy. They say that this
analogy simply cannot be taken at face value. That is to say, it is
not a completely accurate example. That is because, in the
analogy, the needle would in fact take a molecule or two of water
from the ocean. And the ocean itself is not limitless. But the
kingdom of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬IS infinite, and absolutely NOTHING can be
exhausted from Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s kingdom, thus a complete parallel cannot be drawn.

When contemplating over this hadith, we should ask ourselves the question: How is it
possible that we think badly about Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬when this is who Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is!?!

Indeed, no one gives up hope of Allah (‫’)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s mercy except the kaafir. Lose hope in the
mercy of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is a monumental major sin.

The top 3 of all major sins are:

#1 Shirk
#2 Losing hope of Allah (‫')ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s mercy
#3 Believing Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will not help you

Who are you? Are you so arrogant to think that you alone have sins that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬cannot
forgive. To believe this is to belittle the infinite mercy of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.

Realize that it is part of our religion to be optimistic about the mercy and forgiveness of
Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. We are the ones who decide… He will forgive those who want forgiveness.

So it is not about whether Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬can forgive you, but whether you want Him to.

Another point of benefit: When Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬has control of all of creation, why wouldn’t He
give you what you want if it is in your interest? If we ask, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will always answer.
But we may not always get what we asked for. He may not give it to you if it may not be
in your interest. So Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is actually looking out for what's best for you by granting
or not granting what you requested.

Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬is Shy, and He is embarrassed that when a servant raises his hands they are
lowered empty. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬will always give you something when you raise your hands.

A major benefit of this hadith is the knowledge of Allah (‫’)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬s beauty, majesty, mercy, and

47
greatness.

In another paraphrased hadith qudsi: “I will do to my servants what they think I will do to
them. If they expect me to be loving and merciful, then that is how they will find me. If
they expect me to be stingy, then that is how they will find Me.”

Remember the important lesson here that optimism is part of iman. When a test or
disaster happens, we should truly realize Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬knows best. We are in good hands.

All that I am doing is to count your deeds and then I shall return them back to you…

You have complete charge of your record. You are writing your book that you will see on
the Day of Judgment. Whoever finds good on it, may he thank Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, as all good
comes from Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. Whoever finds other than that it comes from his own self and what
he has done. Note that Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬did not say “evil”, as evil is never ascribed to Allah (
‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. The proof of this is from another hadith, wherein it is said, “evil is never ascribed to
You.” In reality nothing in creation is purely evil. So again, what is found that isn't good,
is due to the fact that a person has commited a sin, and they are simply seeing what they
earned on the day of judgement.

Also, regarding good deeds, we must realize that we cannot take any credit for the good
that we earn. It was Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬who allowed us to do good, who guided us to do good, who
created good deeds, and who created rewards for good deeds. There is absolutely no
credit that we can take. If we didn't have hearing and seeing, we couldn't read quran. So
let us not fall into the trap of believing that we deserve Jannah based on merit. Our
deeds would never add up to the value of life. This is why we Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬tells us to say
Alhumdulillah when we find good. This understanding is verified by the hadith:

“We do not Jannah for our good deeds, but rather from the Mercy of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬along with
that good.” The sahabi asked, “Even you oh Prophet (‫ ?)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬The Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬
‫ )ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬answered, “Yes, even me”

For any punishment in this world: thank Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, because it will be an expiation for you
insha'Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, and you will go into the hereafter that much more ahead.

48
Hadith 27 : The Golden Compass

‫ ) ﺍﻟـﺒـﺮ‬: ‫ ﻗـﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋـﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ ﻋـﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋـﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﻮﺍﺱ ﺑﻦ ﺳـﻤﻌـﺎﻥ‬
‫ ]ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ‬.( ‫ ﻭﺍﻹﺛـﻢ ﻣﺎ ﺣـﺎﻙ ﻓﻲ ﻧـﻔـﺴـﻚ ﻭﻛـﺮﻫـﺖ ﺃﻥ ﻳـﻄـﻠﻊ ﻋــﻠـﻴـﻪ ﺍﻟـﻨـﺎﺱ‬،‫]ﺣـﺴـﻦ ﺍﻟـﺨﻠﻖ‬.

: ‫ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ ﺃﺗﻴﺖ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻭﻋﻦ ﻭﺍﺑﺼﺔ ﺑﻦ ﻣﻌﺒﺪ‬
‫ ﺍﻟﺒﺮ ﻣﺎ ﺍﻃﻤﺄﻧﺖ ﺇﻟﻴﻪ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺲ ﻭﺍﻃﻤﺄﻥ ﺇﻟﻴﻪ‬،‫ ) ﺍﺳﺘﻔﺖ ﻗﻠﺒﻚ‬: ‫ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ‬.‫ ﻧﻌﻢ‬: ‫) ﺟﺌﺖ ﺗﺴﺄﻝ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﺒﺮ؟ ( ﻗﻠﺖ‬
‫ ]ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﺣﺴﻦ ﺭﻭﻳﻨﺎﻩ‬. ( ‫ ﻭﺇﻥ ﺃﻓﺘﺎﻙ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻭﺃﻓﺘﻮﻙ‬،‫ ﻭﺍﻹﺛﻢ ﻣﺎ ﺣﺎﻙ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﺲ ﻭﺗﺮﺩﺩ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺼﺪﺭ‬،‫ﺍﻟﻘﻠﺐ‬
‫ ﺑﺈﺳﻨﺎﺩ ﺣﺴﻦ‬،‫ ﻭﺍﻟﺪﺍﺭﻣﻲ‬، ‫ ﺃﺣﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﺣﻨﺒﻞ‬:‫]ﻓﻲ ﻣﺴﻨﺪﻱ ﺍﻹﻣﺎﻣﲔ‬.

Al-Nawwas bin Sam'an, radiyAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'anhu, reported that the Prophet, said:
"Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which wavers in your heart and
which you do not want people to know about."
[Muslim]

According to Wabisah bin Ma'bad, radiyAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'anhu, who said:

I came to the Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'alayhi wasallam, and he
said: "You have come to ask about righteousness ?" "Yes," I answered. He said: "Consult
your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels tranquil and the heart
feels tranquil, and sin is what creates restlessness in the soul and moves to and fro in
the breast, even though people give you their opinion (in your favour) and continue to
do so."

[A good hadith transmitted from the Musnads of the two Imams, Ahmad bin Hanbal
and Al-Darimi]

Right off the bat, the average Muslim can infer that if you feel guilty about something,
you should not do that do that particular thing. Seek the 'fatwa' from your heart. There
are, of course, several disclaimers to this lesson.

Two hadith were combined by An-Nawawi, due to their similar meaning. Both the
narrators, Al-Nawwas and Wabisah, were from the surrounding neighborhoods/tribes. The
Prophet(Saws) generally allowed visitors to be more inquisitive than the residents of
Medina. Therefore, the residents loved wise visitors who asked inquisitive questions. Both
visited in the year of delegations, 8 A.H.; Nawwas had an extended stay for about a
year(he lived in the masjid as a traveler and student of knowledge), but did not settle
down, so that he could learn and freely ask questions, while Wabisah only visited once.
Wabasah traveled just to ask this question, what is good and evil? He wanted to get close
to Rasullah(saws) so he told people to give him some space. There was a rude comment
made to him while in a crowd around the Prophet(Saws), who told Wabisah to come
forward. Wabisah went forward and sat in front of the Prophet(Saws), who said, Do you
want me to tell you why you came? You came to ask about good and evil. The
Prophet(Saws) then said the statement in this Hadith.

49
An amazing point to note is that Nawwas and Wabisah never knew nor met one another.
Yet, they had the same question, because it is an intelligent question. We can look at the
questions and see their comprehensive nature.

So, righteousness (birr) comes from the root 'barr', land, which is a vast area you cannot
count. There are many ways to be pious and righteous. Birr is that which brings you closer
to Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. Birr is not whether you turn east or west(which way you pray), rather it is
whether or not you give to the poor. The narrators were looking for long, comprehensive
answers. Instead, they got short, concise, precise responses, which reflect the
comprehensiveness of the Prophet. Also, these indicate the general guidelines,
afterwards, do as you please. The gist of righteousness is to have good manners. Just as
Arafah is the pillar of Hajj, good manners is the pillar of righteousness. Being good to
others brings about contentment. So, there are no contradictions with the two narrations.
To have akhlaq applies to more than one individual. The scholars organize akhlaq into 3
spheres:
1. With Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬-The more you perfect your manners with Him, the closer you get to
Him.
a) Worship Him alone.
b) Believe in His Names and Attributes
c) Think optimistically of Him
d) Be conscious of Him

2. With mankind-
a) Highest level with your parents, please them
b) Brothers and sisters in blood
c) Neighbors
d) Fellow Muslims
e) general community

3. With yourself- your body has a right over you.

When someone has perfected these three, he has perfected Akhlaq. When you only perfect
one, then you have not perfected Akhlaq. There is no guarantee to enter Jannah if you
have Akhlaq with Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬ONLY. The Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬related in a Hadith, do you
know who is the muflis (bankrupt) in my community? The muflis is the one who comes on
the Day of Judgement with mountains of good deeds, but he stole money from someone,
backbit from another, hurt someone else...Then all his good deeds will be distributed
amongst those he wronged, and he will be left with nothing.

Also, the opposite is true. The fact that you are good to Muslims will not save you on the
Day of Judgment if you did not pray. How can you have good manners with people, and
neglect the Rights of your Creator? Where is your priority?
It goes hand in hand: be good to others, along with worshipping Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬alone.

We can now understand the Hadith when the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, I have been sent
to perfect good manners.

50
Another benefit that we see from this Hadith is that, man by his nature loves to be good.
It feels good to be good. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬created us in the best of all forms, and made us pure.
The Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said that man is created upon the Fitrah, and then his parents
and society convert him(into a Jew or a Christian). In a Hadith Qudsi, Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬says, I
have created My servants as hunafa (pure, good, away from evil), all of them, and the
shayateen tries to come and snatch them to their paths/divert them.

This is why even those who don't believe in Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and the Last Day can be good to the
poor and less fortunate. It makes them feel good. Also, in this society, there is much
incentive for you to donate, so that you get something named after you. This combines the
desire to feel good for donating, as well as the desire to be famous. This is not done for
the sake of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬.
The opposite, evil, causes restlessness in you. Haaka, that which
makes you itch. It will be scratching at your inside, so that you
feel guilty, and are embarrassed for others to know about it.

Disclaimers

-This is the general rule for the righteous person. The average human being likes to do
good and is embarrassed by evil. However, there are those who have perverted their
nature. The Prophet(saws) said they are shayateen in human form; they keep doing evil
until the evil becomes pleasing, and the good becomes disgusting. An example is the
people of Lut. When Lut(as) questioned them, asked them why they are doing this act
which animals don't even do, they replied, get these people out of our village. They are
people trying to make us pure. Yet, the people of Lut were much better than the
homosexuals of our time, since they recognized their sin and that what they were doing
was disgusting and realized that the opposite was pure. However, nowadays, they claim it
is healthy, natural, and permissible. In our times, people claim to be men of God (rabbis
and priests) who are coming out.
-There are elements of our human existence that we are naturally embarrassed by. For
instance, it is normal to be shy regarding intimacy with one's spouse. It is part of our
Fitrah. The issue is not what embarrasses you, but what you do that is above and beyond
what is allowed.
-Also, people mistakenly feel guilty about issues of fiqh which they are ignorant of. For
instance, it is allowed to combine prayers when traveling, and wiping over the socks in
Wuduh. Some claim that this was only for those who had hardships while traveling and so
on, when in actuality, the issue is clear. So, they should not let their feelings prevent them
from doing what is allowed.
-With the issue of music, no pious Muslim feels good listening to it, as it does not increase

51
your Iman. Even if a person claims that music is good, then why does this person turn down
the music when someone they respect passes by? On the other hand, no one feels guilty
about listening to the Qur'an.
-Another disclaimer is that there is a difference between societal guilt and religious guilt.
What does this mean? It is possible to feel guilty about a righteous act. How can this be?
Unfortunately, several sisters who wear the hijab are made to feel awkward because their
family and friends do not do so. So, they feel uncomfortable and guilty because of what
society thinks. Or, when you need to pray, and have no choice but to pray in public. You
feel embarrassed because of the stares, not for praying. Societal guilt is not the same as
the inner guilt of the heart and soul.
-If you do not feel guilty, it does not mean that it is Halal. Look at the example of
smoking. You may think you are doing good, but you simply do not know, you're mistaken,
and you're ignorant. Also, your iman may be weak, so you may not feel guilty. Everyone has
a threshold of iman, certain things they can do without guilt, and when we cross this
threshold, we know we have done wrong. It varies by person.
-The general rule is that people find comfort in good and discomfort in evil.
-Many Muslims today mistakenly believe that if their heart says it's ok, then it must be ok.
The Prophet(Saws) is telling us about our conscience. We cannot say that our heart knows
better than the Qur'an and Sunnah, and books of Fiqh. Therefore, we should not base our
fiqh on this hadith. This applies to morality, and not legality. It is our duty to study the
sciences of the religion.
-A reminder to remember our conscience. In another version of Wabisah's hadith, the
Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬tapped his fingers on Wabisah's heart, and said three times, “From
your heart” to emphasize. Let us consider Wabisah's level of morality, and work on
improving our iman before we apply this hadith directly to ourselves. So, the general rule
is that the higher level of iman, the more conscious the heart will be.
-This applies to the righteous individual, and the one who has knowledge and taqwa. This
also helps avoid falling into gray areas, when people may create many fatwas. Also, you
cannot feel guilty about doing something right. The average ignorant Muslim may feel
guilty about doing something that is allowed.
-A Hadith states, Leave that which you are in doubt about for that which you have no
doubt about, even if you are given fatwa after fatwa.
-The Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, The opposite of this is the person who loses all sense of
modesty. “If you have lost all modesty/hayaa', do as you please. The opposite of that is,
when you have shyness and iman, your heart will be conscious of good vs. evil.

52
Hadith 28: Listen and Obey

‫ ﻭﻋـﻈـﻨﺎ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﳒَـﻴـﺢ ﺍﻟﻌـِﺮﺑﺎﺽ ﺑﻦ ﺳﺎﺭﻳﺔ‬
‫ ﻳﺎ‬: ‫ ﻓـﻘـﻠـﻨﺎ‬،‫ ﻭﺫﺭﻓﺖ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﺪﻣﻮﻉ‬،‫ ﻣﻮﻋـﻈﺔ ﻭﺟﻠﺖ ﻣﻨﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﻘﻠﻮﺏ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬-
‫ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻤﻊ‬،‫ ) ﺃﻭﺻﻴﻜﻢ ﺑﺘﻘﻮﻯ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬.‫ ﻓـﺄﻭﺻﻨﺎ‬،‫ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ! ﻛﺄﻧﻬﺎ ﻣﻮﻋـﻈﺔ ﻣﻮﺩﻉ‬
‫ ﻓﻌـﻠﻴﻜﻢ‬،‫ ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻌــﺶ ﻣﻨﻜﻢ ﻓﺴﻴﺮﻯ ﺍﺧـﺘـﻼﻓـﺎ ﻛﺜﻴﺮًﺍ‬،‫ ﻭﺇﻥ ﺗَﺄَﻣَّﺮ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﻋﺒﺪ‬،‫ﻭﺍﻟﻄﺎﻋﺔ‬
‫ ﻭﺇﻳﺎﻛﻢ ﻭﻣـﺤﺪﺛﺎﺕ‬،‫ ﻋـَﻀُّﻮﺍ ﻋـﻠﻴﻬﺎ ﺑﺎﻟـﻨـﻮﺍﺟـﺬ‬،‫ﺑﺴﻨﺘﻲ ﻭﺳﻨﺔ ﺍﳋﻔﺎﺀ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﺷﺪﻳﻦ ﺍﳌﻬﺪﻳﲔ‬
‫ ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﺣﺴﻦ ﺻﺤﻴﺢ‬: ‫ ]ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﺃﺑﻮ ﺩﺍﻭﺩ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﺮﻣﺬﻱ ﻭﻗﺎﻝ‬.(‫ ﻓﺈﻥ ﻛﻞ ﺑﺪﻋﺔ ﺿﻼﻟﻪ‬،‫]ﺍﻷﻣﻮﺭ‬.

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Najih al-Irbad bin

Sariyah, radiyAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'anhu, who said: The Messenger
of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'alayhi wasallam, delivered
an admonition that made our hearts fearful and our eyes
tearful. We said, "O Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, it is as if this were a farewell sermon, so
advise us." He said, "I enjoin you to have Taqwa of Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬and that you listen and obey,
even if a slave is made a ruler over you. He among you who lives long enough will see many
differences. So for you is to observe my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-principled
and rightly-guided successors, holding on to them with your molar teeth. Beware of newly-
introduced matters, for every innovation (bid'ah) is an error."
[Abu Dawud & Al-Tirmidhi, who says it is an authentic hadith]

The Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬would always take time to advise his Ummah, and the Sahabah
would love this. One time, he gave an emotional lecture, which the Sahabah descibed as,
making the hearts tremble and eyes cry...They asked him for his legacy. So, in his 'wasiyah',
or last will and testament, the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬gave his powerful advice. The word
Taqwa comes from 'Waqa', which means to build a protective barrier. Taqwa builds a
barrier of protection between you and the punishment of Allah (‫()ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬swt).

Do not rise up against or fight those in power. The ruler is to be obeyed even if people look
down upon him. Some type of leadership, unity, or organization(even corrupt) is better
than no government at all. Some type of security and stability is better than utter chaos.
In Islam, it is important to obey to the greatest extent possible, unless you are
commanded to do a sin. Now, does this apply to our organizations/masjids in North
America? In truth, disobeying them is not like disobeying Allah (‫( )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬as disobeying the
khalifa in matters that are permissible when he ordered you to do it, this is a sin), but it is
to maintain unity among the Muslims. This is desired and encouraged. For instance, with
the issue of moonsighting, it is best to follow the majority of your locality, even if it goes
against your personal Fiqh. But If you do not follow the majority, it is not a sin. Sheikh
Yasir Qadhi said that if the councils of North America, all agreed on a certain position, he
would give up his for theirs for the sake of unity, based on this hadith.

Nowadays, we find a lot of ikhtilaaf(differences) in the Ummah. At the time of the

Prophet, there were no ikhtilaaf. When he died, the political ikhtilaaf started. Then, the
differences in theology emerged, and we see much of that today. The main madhab trace
their differences back to the opinions of certain companions and scholars. The Prophet (
‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬predicted this problem would occur, as Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬told him. Since the

53
Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬told us the disease, what is the cure? Go back to the Sunnah. This
automatically includes the Qur'an, since you cannot understand the Sunnah without the
Qur'an and vice-versa. Follow the Sahabah. Bite onto it with your molar teeth. This is an
expression in Arabic which indicates, with all your might. Be careful of following things
they did not do.

You cannot simply overlook when someone curses the Sahabah, or denies Qadr, as these are
serious matters.

The concept of bid'ah is defined as any belief, action, or statement which a person uses to
come closer to Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬with, yet has no basis in Shari'ah. All secular matters do not fall
under this category. So, trains, cars, electricity, any worldly issues do not fall under bid'ah.

Abu Hurayrah narrated a Hadith in (Bukhari and Muslim) in which the Prophet (‫ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬
‫)ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said, The Jews split into 71 groups, the Christians into 72 groups, and my Ummah will
be 73. All of them are misguided except one. Does this mean that the majority of the
Ummah is misguided? No. The understanding of this hadith that is held by many is often
naïve and simplistic. There is a balanced understanding to this hadith. These differences
being referred to are regarding theology. Why do we have more groups than the Christians
and the Jews? That is because there are more of us. Our quantity, and time frame, is
larger. The meaning of this hadith is that 72 of the 73 groups have the wrong beliefs, but
some or more individuals within those groups may be forgiven on an individual basis. In
several hadiths, the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬was asked who is this correct group. On one
occasion, he responded, 'al-Jama'ah', and on another, he said, 'ahlus-sunnah' (people of the
sunnah). The term 'Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama'ah' was coined by Ibn Abbas at the time when
the first splinter groups such as the Khawarij appeared. This term has now been shortened
to 'Sunni'. Therefore, the majority of the Ummah will always be guided. Also, each of the
other 72 groups is a small fraction of the Ummah, compared to the majority (1 million vs.
1 billion). Also, the Prophet (‫)ﺻﻠﻰﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬said 'my Ummah', which means they are
Muslims. These are not Ahmadis or Baha'is. If they are Muslims, then they deserve a level
of respect just for that, even if you disagree. Again, even if
a group is wrong, a person within this group may not be
punished because they were ignorant and did many good
deeds with good intention. Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬may forgive this
person. And there could be a person who was part of the
“saved” group, who did not pray or fast, and was arrogant,
and Allah (‫ )ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬may not save this person.

How then do we interact with these other groups? It is

relative, i.e. it depends on what you are doing, who you
are with, the pros, the cons, etc... For instance, Sunni and
Shia' might not come together in the masjid, but we could
on a political level, they may cooperate for the greater
good of the Ummah. There is a time and place to show
division, and there is a time and place to show unity. It is
not our job to confuse the average Muslim, that is the “can't everyone just get along”

54
average Muslim. Rather, teach him the truth. Labels are useful at certain times and
places. Look at the example of the Prophet(saws) who talked differently with a Bedouin
vs. a Companion. Bottom line, it is important to be wise, and in the lands we live in to
show our strength in numbers and unity.

Hadith 32: Eradication of Harm

‫ ) ﻻ ﺿﺮﺭ ﻭﻻ‬: ‫ ﻗﺎﻝ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ ﺃﻥ ﺭﺳﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ‬-‫ﺭﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻪ‬- ‫ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﺳـﻌـﻴـﺪ ﺳﻌـﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ ﺑﻦ ﺳﻨﺎﻥ ﺍﳋﺪﺭﻱ‬
‫ ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﺍﺑﻦ ﻣﺎﺟﻪ ﻭﺍﻟﺪﺍﺭﻗﻄﻨﻲ ﻭﻏﻴﺮﻫـﻤﺎ ﻣﺴﻨﺪﺍ‬،‫ ]ﺣﺪﻳﺚ ﺣﺴﻦ‬.( ‫]ﺿﺮﺍﺭ‬.

‫ ﻭﻟﻪ ﻃﺮﻕ ﻳﻘﻮﻱ‬،‫ ﻓـﺄﺳـﻘـﻂ ﺃﺑﺎ ﺳﻌـﻴﺪ‬-‫ﺻﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋـﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ‬- ‫ﻭﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﻣﺎﻟﻚ ﻓﻲ )ﺍﳌﻮﻁ( ﻣﺮﺳﻼ ﻋـﻦ ﻋـﻤﺮﻭ ﺑﻦ ﻳﺤﻴﻰ ﻋـﻦ ﺃﺑﻴﻪ ﻋـﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺒﻲ‬
‫ﺑﻌـﻀﻬﺎ ﺑﻌـﻀﺎ‬.

It was related on the authority of Abu Sa'id Sa'd bin Malik bin Sinan al-Khudri,
radiyAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'anhu, that the Messenger of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'alayhi
wasallam, said:

"There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm."

[A excellent hadith which Ibn Majah, Al-Daraqutni and others related as of sound
isnad, but which Malik related in his Muwatta' as of broken isnad, from 'Amr bin
Yahya, from his father, from the Prophet, sallAllah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬u 'alayhi wasallam, but
dropping (the name of) Abu Sa'id. This hadith has lines of transmission which
strengthen one another (so that it may be regarded as of sound isnad).]

This is a factual statement meant to be a command. This hadith is one of the maxims of
fiqh established in the sciences of usool al fiqh. This principle is to remove harm. The
greatest harm is shirk. With other types of harm, the Shari'ah allows them so that other
harms will be removed. So, it causes harm to the thief when it cuts off the hand of the
thief, in order to prevent greater harms in the society. Also, in taking the life of the
murderer, an ayah in the Qur'an says, “in this death, there is life if you only understood
it”. We should not cause harm out of anger or malice. This is prohibited unconditionally.
There needs to be a legal justification. What if you cause someone harm
indirectly(unintentionally)? Such as in the case when you want to do something of benefit
to yourself, and you may harm another person, even if you did not intend to. For instance,
you may want to burn something on your land, but then the smoke will go to the
neighbors. If the act causes great harm on others, then it is considered impermissible. This
is a maxim of fiqh. There are also different opinion among the madhab regarding this
question of causing indirect harm on others. Another example: just because it is your
house, that does not mean you can blast party music at 3am. Why go into detail with this
hadith? To discuss the maxims of fiqh, which come in handy in daily life. They are agreed
upon by the major madhab. It is important to understand and memorize these five maxims
of fiqh, which are based on the Qur'an and Sunnah:

55
1.‫ اﻷﻣﻮر ﲟﻘﺎﺳﺪﻫﺎ‬Matters are based upon the intention behind them
2.‫ – اﻟﻴﻘﲔ ﻻ ﻳﺰول ﺑﺎﻟﺸﻚ‬What is certain is not rejected based on doubt
3.‫ – اﳌﺸﻘﺔ ﲡﻠﺐ اﻟﺘﻴﺴﻴﺮ‬Hardships beget ease
4.‫ – اﻟﻌﺎدت ﻣﻬﻜﻢ‬What is understood by custom is accepted by law
5.‫ – اﻟﻀﺎرر ﻳﺰال‬There is no harm nor should there be any reciprocation of harm.
1. Matters are based upon the intention behind them. All religious deeds are based
upon intention. There is no reward for any deeds unless they are done for the sake
of Allah (‫)ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬. This is also used to judge ambiguous phrases in the case of divorce,
such as when a man says to his wife, “I have nothing to do with you.” This also
determines ambiguous contracts, and the reason they were written. If the reason
was evil, then the contract is null or void(such as if a woman marries again to make
her first husband halal for her again, even though she divorced the first husband
three times.) This marriage is considered zina.
Another example: the Jews who were forbidden to fish on the Sabbath, so they put
their nets out on Friday night, and collected them Sunday morning. Technically, they
did not fish on Saturday, but their intent was to go around it.
2. What is certain is not rejected based on doubt. What you know for sure, stick with
it, and if doubtful about something, ignore the doubt. For instance, with Wuduh, if
you're certain you made Wuduh, but unsure if you broke it or not, then you have
Wuduh. Similarly, if you are certain you used the bathroom, and unsure whether or
not you made Wuduh, then you need to make Wuduh. Build upon certainty. In Salah,
if you are not sure whether you prayed 3 or 4 rakahs, then go with what you are
th
sure of. If you are certain that you prayed at least 3 rakahs, then go on to the 4
rakah, and at the end, make the sujood of forgetfullness. This all represents the
Islamic principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'. All worldly matters are
permissibile unless proven otherwise.
3. Hardships beget ease. The more difficult a situation becomes for you, the more
options you have from the Shari'ah to get out of that difficulty. There are several
examples: traveling, sickness, forgetfulness, compulsion. This is the mercy of the
Shari'ah, and different rules apply to different situations. The general rule for a
woman whose husband has died is that she has to stay home for 4 months and 10
days, but what if they were traveling and he died in a hotel room, or what if she is
the breadwinner? The Shari'ah becomes flexible in this case, and she is allowed to
travel back home, and go out and earn. There is a disclaimer: necessity allows you
to give up your rights, but not the rights of others. There is a priority of rights. If
there is a gun to your head, and you have to steal, then your life has priority. If a
gun is put to your head, and you are told to take someone else's life, you should not
obey. Do you think your life is more important than someone else's? If there is a
clash of rights, give emphasis to the higher one. The priority of rights in Shari'ah

56
 are: religion, life, money, honor.
4. What is understood by custom is accepted as law. This is one of the most common
rules of Fiqh. For example, in marriage contracts, some cultures give gifts to the
brides as part of the mahr, while others don't. In case of annulment, what is done
with these gifts? It depends on whether they were part of the mahr or not. Another
example: You rent an apartment. You find out the A/C doesn't work. Islamically, if
you take the landlord to a U.S. court, the judge will side with you. If you take him
to court in Saudi Arabia, the judge will side with the landlord. This is because, in
America, renting an apartment means the A/C works. However, in Saudi Arabia,
unless it is stated as furnished, the apartment is completely bare. In the example of
Umar(ra) and the time when he forbade hijab for slavewomen since hijab was the
sign of a free woman. Centuries later, the society and the awrah changed so the
fuqaha obliged wearing hijab. This is open, because there is no explicit ruling on
this in the Qur'an and Sunnah. We learn from these examples that culture is
considered in the sharia as long as it does not clash with Shari'ah.
5. There is no harm nor should there be any reciprocation of harm. Here is an
example: if you purchase an item that is defective, then you can return it. In the
case that you have a business partnership with another, or share a land or property
with another, or are selling a house or property which you own, in Islam, your
business partner or neighbor has the right to find a customer for you, and if they
meet your criteria, you have to sell it to that person. This is because the outcome
of the transaction will either hurt or help them. Similarly, if you are selling your
share of a business, your partner has a right over you to choose the buyer. You
cannot sell your share to a stranger. This could potentially cause harm, since your
partner would be left with the person who buys the shares. Your partner has a right
over you to whom you are selling to, since he wants to avoid harm by choosing a
good business partner for himself. Bottom line: you cannot cause harm to other
people. A disclaimer: These examples all have conditions, so we should take them at
face value. And as for all these maxims, before we apply them to ourselves, we
should go to the scholars.

57
Appendix : Q/A
*What is the proper way of doing da'wah?
--> Every individual Muslim must do what they are capable of doing, that is by just acting
the way a Muslim should, and practicing his/her deen. The average Muslim should not get
into theological debates with non-Muslims. The right da'wah will show through your work
ethics and your habits. Most importantly, ascribe your identity to Islam. Send your
neighbors food and sweets on Eid. Sheikh Yasir also gave the example of a brother who, by
following the dietary guidelines, did not take advantage of his daily food allowance at
work. In the end, his supervisors were impressed and gave the brother promotion after
promotion in the company.

*Is looking at the opposite gender with lust a major or minor sin?
-->It is a minor sin, unless you intend to do zina. Avoiding minor signs are a sign of piety, as
the Mu'min strives against the major and the minor sins. It becomes a major sin when you
lose conscientiousness and do not feel guilty. At this point, arrogance is the sin. Your
attitude toward it becomes the major sin.
*What are the different types of hadith?
-->Acceptable: Sahih and Hasan
-->Da'eef: 50/50, missing link, difference of opinion if you can use them, some say can use
with conditions, narrator had bad memory or weak akhlaq
-->Da'eef Jiddan: Very weak, 2 or 3 missing links, can never be used
-->Mowdu': Fabricated, we know for sure that the Prophet(Saws) did not say it. The most
famous of these is, search for knowledge even if you have to go to China.

*Do you correct others when you are not perfect?

--> Help yourself, and help your family. There is no hierarchy, as it is a simultaneous
process. It is normal for you to be struggling. It only becomes hypocrisy if you recommend
improvement for others while you are leading a double life or not trying to improve
yourself at all. You will never become perfect, otherwise you would be an angel.
Encourage one another in good.

*Lately, I've been having trouble waking up for Fajr. What should I do?
--> The most difficult salah for the hypocrite is Fajr(along with Isha). If Fajr is difficult for
you, this is a warning sign.
-->Think of the rewards and punishments in regards to praying or not praying Fajr on time.
-->Listen to the 'Come to Prayer, Come to Success' lecture on youtube.
-->Consider the days when you have prayed on time, and see how your heart feels
throughout the day as opposed to the day when you did not pray on time.

*How can we balance optimism with fear of Allah (‫()ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬Swt)?

-->Our religious emotions are based on three pillars: we worship Him with love, we hope
for His rewards, and we fear His punishment. All three of these are necessary to be a good
Muslim. If any one of these three is missing, the psychology of worship is distorted.
-->Watch the lecture by Sheikh Yasir, called “Journey of Worship” on youtube.

58