Sufyân b. ‘Uyainah– Allah have mercy on him – said:
The first step in knowledge is to listen, then to be quiet and attentive, then to preserve it, then to put it into practice and then to spread it
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From Sahl ibn Aa'd who said that Allâh's Messenger (salAllâhu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said: Reported by al-Haakim (4/324)
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Sufyaan Ath-Thawree, raHimahullaah, said: "The excellence of knowledge is due only to the fact that it causes a person to fear and obey Allaah, otherwise it is just like anything else." [Related by ibn Rajab] Al-Hasan al-Basree, raHimahullaah, said: "Whoever learns something in the name of Allaah, seeking that which is with Him, he will win. And whoever learns something for other than Allaah, he will not reach the goal, nor will his acquired knowledge bring him closer to Allaah." [Related by Ibn ul Jawzee] Ibn Mas`ood, raDiallaahu `anhu, said: "True knowledge is not measured in relationship to how much you memorize and then narrate, but rather, true knowledge is an expression of piety [protecting oneself from what Allaah prohibited and acting upon what He mandated]."Also, "Study and act upon what you learn." [Related by Abu Na`eem] |
Disobedience to Parents A Major Sin
It is the right of parents that their children should treat them with kindness, obedience, and honor. Devotion to parents is a natural instinct which must be strengthened by deliberate actions. The rights of the mother are stressed the more because of her suffering during pregnancy and childbirth, her suckling of the child, and her role in rearing it. In the words of Allah Ta'ala: And We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents. His mother carries him in pain and she gives birth to him in pain, and (the period) of carrying him and weaning him is thirty months....(46:15) Once a man came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and asked, 'Who is most deserving of my good companionship?' 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet (peace be on him). 'Who next?' the man asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet (peace be on him). 'Who next?' he asked. 'Your mother,' replied the Prophet (peace be on him). 'Who next?' asked the man. 'Your father,' replied the Prophet.(Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)The Prophet (peace be on him) declared disobedience to parents to be a major sin, second only to ascribing partners to Allah, as has been stated in the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari and Muslim report his saying, 'Shall I not inform you about the three major sins?' Those who were present replied, 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said 'Associating partners with Allah and disobedience to parents,' and sitting up from the reclining position, he continued, 'and telling lies and false testimony; beware of it.' He also said, "Three persons shall not enter the Garden: the one who is disobedient to his parents, the pimp, and the woman who imitates men.'' (Reported by al-Nisai, al-Bazzar on the authority of excellent transmitters, and al-Hakim) and, "Allah defers (the punishment of) all sins to the Day of Resurrection excepting disobedience to parents, for which Allah punishes the sinner in this life before his death."(Reported by al-Hakim, on the authority of sound transmitters.)
Moreover, Islam emphasizes treating parents kindly, especially when they grow old. As their strength fails, they require more attention and care, and more consideration of their even more sensitive feelings. Concerning this the Qur'an says, Thy Lord hath decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to parents. If one or both of them attain old age with thee, do not say a word of annoyance (Literally, "Do not say Uff! (an expression of annoyance) to them." (Trans.)) to them nor repulse them, but speak to them in gracious words and in mercy lower to them the wing of humility and say, My Lord, bestow Thy mercy othem, as they cherished me when I was little....(17:23-24) In explaining this verse, a commentator says, "If a lesser thing than saying 'Uff!' tparents were known to Allah, He would have prohibited (even that)."
Positivism: The Right Mentality
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Brother Ibrahim Abu Khalid
When we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life can be passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden on us than we can bear. With knowledge, we know that these trails, once passed, will bear fruits in the form of pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks towards Him, cleansing us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman further…
Allah’s Apostle (s.a.w) said: “Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it.” [Saheeh Muslim]
There is a disease that is consuming the enthusiasm of our youth, the determination of our elders, the spirit of our mothers. It’s a disease that has really taken its foothold this century, and grown rapidly. It’s the disease of pessimism.
The consequence of our pessimism is that we have committed ourselves to whinging more then acting. A great deal of our talks, articles, Khutbahs and lessons seem to be concerned with how bad the West is treating us. How they do not really understand who we are. How we are being discriminated upon. This feeling of alienation by the West is disturbing considering that as readers and followers of the Qur’an, this treatment comes as no surprise and is a characteristic of the true followers of Allah’s religion.
The Nature of Being a Muslim
Islam raised a despotic people from the clenches of injustice and spiritual destitution to that of the greatest power the world had ever seen. But this honour and victory came at a price, for everything which has worth in Allah’s Eyes has a price. The companions paid that price with their money and their blood. They faced persecution from their own family, and bore hunger bravely.
The following incidences provide a useful insight into the positive attitudes the Prophet (s.a.w) displayed and his companions adopted.
1- A close companion of the Prophet (s.a.w) Abu Talha, had a son who was very sick. Abu Talha would each day arrive home and enquire from his wife as to the health of their son. One day their son died, and Abu Talha at that time was not at home. When his wife saw that he was dead, she washed and shrouded him and placed him somewhere in the house. When Abu Talha came, he asked about his son’s condition, and his wife said that he was in peace.
Abu Talha slept with his wife that night. His wife informed him about the death of their son in the morning. When Abu Talha informed the Prophet of what happened to them, Allah’s Messenger said, “May Allah bless you both concerning your night (that is, may Allah bless you both with good offspring). And indeed, Allah blessed Abu Talha and his wife with nine sons, all of whom became reciters of the Qur’an [Saheeh Bukhary].
This story illuminates the patience the Companions had. The wife bore the death of her beloved son patiently, and furthermore kept the knowledge of his death hidden from the father for a more appropriate time. This virtuous act was blessed by Allah, with offspring who would serve as a blessing for their parents in the Hereafter.
2- A female companion had a husband whom she dearly loved. He died however and she was very depressed over his death. So she sought advice from the Prophet (s.a.w), who taught her to recite a Du’a beseeching Allah to replace her loss with something better than it. She obeyed the Prophet (s.a.w), and Allah answered her call, by providing her with a husband better than any women could have - the Prophet (s.a.w) himself.
3- Perhaps one of the greatest shows of optimism came after the Prophet (s.a.w) had been stoned in Ta’if. Bleeding profusely and emotionally hurt, he was visited by the Angel of the Mountains which encompassed the valley of Ta’if. He was offered the choice to have those people who denied his message to be crushed. He (s.a.w) however refused to assign these people to destruction, citing that their offspring may become believers. And indeed, this foresight eventuated.
The Guaranteed Victory
As believers, we are guaranteed victory no matter what our condition is, and that’s what makes us special. If we become ill, our sins fall away from us like leaves fall from a tree. If our child dies, he or she will wait for us in the Hereafter and intercede for us until we enter paradise. If we fight in a war, we will either win, or die as martyrs, which is a greater victory in itself.
So the question begs to be asked, why then are Muslims so pessimistic?
Clearly this stems from a lack of knowledge and trust in Allah. For when we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life can be passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden on us than we can bear. With knowledge, we know that these trails, once passed, will bear fruits in the form of pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks towards Him, cleansing us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman further. The trust in Allah will make us certain that nothing is lost with Allah, no fear we experience, nor pain, sadness, anguish or distress.
Indeed, Allah Says “So verily along with every hardship, is relief”. This means there has to be hardship, in whatever form it takes, in the form of death, loss or poverty, divorce, difficult relatives, or persecution.
Time to Act
If this Ummah persists in complaining rather than acting, we’ll get nowhere. We already know that the Kufaar hate us, and have known this for centuries, and have known that they never will like us. If these people persecuted their own prophets, why wouldn’t they persecute us today? Allah has already warned us about their feelings towards us: “And verily the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion.”
And this emotion should be carried forth in all aspects of our lives, for if the companions had resigned themselves to the trials of life, they would never have succeeded.
Rather, we should feel delight for the faith we have embraced, continue our struggle to spread and establish Allah’s Word on this earth no matter the consequences, and whenever grief hits anyone of us, remember the Hadith: “Strange are the ways of a believer, for there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and endures it patiently), then there is a good for him in it.”
From missionislam.comLove Sickness
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
By Shaykh Salman al-`Awdah
By no means is love a sickness in and of itself. Indeed, it is the only known cure for many of the problems and ailments that we as human beings suffer from. However, love can turn into an illness if it becomes obsessive, if it goes beyond its proper bounds, or if the object of love is not worthy. When such a situation develops, love indeed becomes a sickness requiring a remedy.
It is Allah’s order in the world that he sends down to it no affliction without sending down with it its cure. Love is no exception.
The treatment of this illness is as follows:
1. As with all diseases, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
This is why we must lower our gazes and resist taking a second glance at a member of the opposite sex who attracts us. Allah says: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That will make for greater purity for them, and Allah is acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their chastity…” [Sûrah al-Nûr: 30-31]
We can see how Allah first issues the command to believing men, then repeats the command for believing women, thus emphasizing the importance of lowering our gazes. The fact that Allah addresses members of each sex individually shows just how important and relevant this matter is to people of both sexes. Indeed, these verses are one of the few occasions where Allah addresses men and women separately in the Qur’ân.
The look is the beginning that can lead to progressively greater ills. This is why Allah mentions it first, and then follows it up with the command for us to guard our chastity.
A poet long ago observed:
A glance, a smile, a friendly hello,
Some chatting, a date, then off they go!
If some of us find it difficult to carry out this command, they should write these verses down on a sheet of paper and hang them on their wall or place them on the dashboard – whatever it takes to remind them.
2. Thinking about the consequences is often a sobering dose of medicine.
The ability to think about the far-reaching consequences of our actions is one of the distinctive qualities that set humanity apart from other animals. This is why a person just does not go ahead and do everything that tickles his fancy. He first has to think about what is behind it and what will come of it.
For instance, he might pause to think, before embarking upon a certain course of action, that if he does so, he might succumb to AIDS. He might reflect upon how that dreaded disease has already claimed tens of millions of lives, how some of those who were careful – who chose only one sexual partner who even had an AIDS test – nevertheless came down with the disease.
How many people like that do we hear about, some of whom come out and admit that the disease befell them as a punishment from Allah, and hoping that it might at least expiate for their sin?
The same can be said for all the other sexually transmitted diseases. The worst thing of all is to think that an indiscreet man can infect his pious, faithful, and chaste wife with one of these vile diseases.
Another consequence to think about is pregnancy. A man who had repented for his sins once admitted to me that he had intentionally chosen to involve himself with a woman who was sterile. Regardless, Allah wanted her to fall pregnant and she did.
We should not be heedless of the consequences of our actions. Does anyone want to be responsible for someone coming into this world with no idea who his father is; someone who starts out life already disadvantaged?
Maybe one of us will pay the price for his misdeed in this world. Maybe he will get away with it here, going through life unrepentant and unscathed, only to be humiliated for it before the eyes of all on the Day of Judgment.
Some of the evil consequences of this behavior are psychological in nature. A man, once enamored of women, gets to the point that he can never be satisfied. He eternally craves variety and no degree of beauty is enough. Because of this, he may find himself eternally forbidden the lawful pleasure to be found within marriage. His senses and his sentiments have all been dulled.
Some young men travel abroad and spend their time in the company of prostitutes and other women of ill repute, but if one of them were ever to hear that his wife back home so much as looked at another man indiscreetly, he would divorce her on the spot.
One man lamented: “I would forsake all the women of the world for the sake of one woman whom I knew would get worried if I came home at night a little bit late.” This is the sentiment of any man who possesses wisdom.
3. The communion of lawful love is the best cure of all.
All of the stories of love that we find in our literature – whether it be that of Jamîl and Buthaynah, Kuthayyir and `Azzah, Qays and Laylâ, or for that matter their English equivalent Romeo and Juliet – deal with the anguish of unrequited love.
Allah has placed in what is lawful all that we need so we can dispense with what He has made unlawful. It provides the most fulfilling, satisfying, and deepest expression of love.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “We see for those who are in love nothing better than marriage.” [Sunan Ibn Mâjah (1847) and Mustadrak Hâkim (2724) with a good chain of transmission]
Lawful matrimony is what brings healing to the heart and removes its disquiet. If it is not written for a certain man and women to come together in matrimony, each of them should have faith that there are many others out there with whom Allah can enrich them with a meaningful and loving relationship.
4. Resignation and a willingness to forsake what is wrong.
No matter how painful it may be to part, it is sometimes necessary. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever maintains his chastity, does so with the grace of Allah. Whoever finds self-sufficiency does so with what Allah has enriched him. Whoever is patient draws his fortitude from Allah. And no one has been given a gift better or more bountiful than patience.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (1469) and Sahîh Muslim (1053)]
Whoever gives something up for Allah’s sake should know that Allah will give him in its stead something far better.
5. Channeling one’s energies and abilities into what is nobler, more precious, and sublime – the love of Allah
We express this love by bringing benefit to His creatures, by our obedience to Him, by our prayers, our fasts, our remembrance of Him, our supplications, and our humility. We do so by keeping the company of righteous people and by aspiring to the noblest and most beneficial of goals.
We should channel our energies into what benefits us in our worldly lives and in our faith. Allah says: “Seek Allah’s help with patience and perseverance. It is indeed difficult except upon those who are humble.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 45]
He says: “Whoever puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is Allah for him.” [Sûrah al-Talâq: 3]
A heart that is full of concern for others will be a heart that is full of love – but not a slave to love. It is an empty heart that falls stricken for any visitor who graces its doorstep.
We should take full advantage of our lives and be as productive as possible. We need to develop our talents, our minds, and put our creativity into practice. Yes! Be enamored – but be enamored of truth and knowledge. Be fully in love – but be in love with righteousness.
From IslamToday.com