Fazail Amal Complete PDF
Fazail Amal Complete PDF
Fazail Amal Complete PDF
combined edition of six smaller books) used by the world-wide movement Jamat-e-Tableegh
(or Tableeghi Jamat).
Famous for their travels, in groups small and large, to virtually all corners of the World, the
Jamat preaches a message centered around the importance of dawah, self-sacrifice and taking
the message of the Prophet out to people locally as well as past the comfortable confines of
ones locality. In as such, Fazail-e-Amal, and its sister companion books (Fazail-e-Amal Vol. 2
and Hayatus-Sahaba, 3 Vol. Set) play a critical role in molding the tableeghi members
personal charater and moral fiber. These books emphasize the numerous virtues (Fazail) of the
basic practices of Islam through a vast selection of carefully chosen ahadith and
stories/incidents from the time of the Sahabah. Book One: Stories of the Sahabah Book Two:
Virtues of the Holy Quran Book Three: Virtues of Salaat Book Four: Virtues of Zikr Book
Five: Virtues of Tabligh Book Six: Virtues of Ramadan HB
Compiled by The Islamic Bulletin
www.islamicbulletin.com
( VoL - I )
Revised translation of
TABLIGHI NISAAB
LIST OF BOOKS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I\
by Shaikhul Hadith
Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
Stories of the Sahaabah
Virtues of the Holy Qur'aan
Virtues of Salaat
Virtues of Zikr
Virtues of Tabligh
Virtues of Ramadhaan
7.
8.
Stories of the
SAHAABAH
Revised translation of
the Urdu book Hikayaat-e-Sahaabah
by
Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
translated by
Abdul Rashid Arshad
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .
13
Page No:
Prophet's Journey to Taif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .
18
19
21
23
25
26
27
28
31
"Translatcr's Note'
The original Arabic names and terms which are
understood all over the Muslim world, have been retained
untranslated. These are often printed within 'Commas' and
have been explained in the Appendix (Glossary). so as to facilitate their correct pronunciation.
The symbol (') used in such words as 'Ja'far, ka'abah'
stands for the Arabic Alphabet (
1. The symbol(') stands
for prolonged 'a' sound as in 'Qur'an'.
&
CHAPTER I1
FEAR OF ALLAH
The Prophet's apprehensions at the Time of
s!orm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
36
37
38
.. . . . . .
38
39
40
An admonition by Abdullah-bin-Abbas . . . . . . . . . .
43
44
45
53
53
55
CHAPTER IV
PIETY AND SCRUPULOUSNESS
The Prophet accepts a woman's invitation . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER I11
Page No.
CHAPTER V
DEVOTION TO SALAAT
...................
60
.................
60
62
63
65
67
69
70
71
72
120
Tragedy of Bir-Maoona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 2 1 3
123
Page No .
Feeding the guest in darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
97
124
98
Expedition to Mauta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
125
98
Story of Said-bin-Jubair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
128
100
101
Hamzah's shroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
101
103
104
106
FOR KNOWLEDGE
107
109
CHAPTER VII
VALOUR
CHAPTER VIII
135
136
AND HEROISM
Page No .
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IB 3
CHAPTER VI
113
114
Hanzlah is martyred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
115
116
118
119
149
CHAPTER X
Rabayyi's high-mindedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ISLAM
Khadijatul Kubra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fatimah's Tasbih . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.
Saudah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.
Aishah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Hafsah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.
Zainab-Bint-Khuzamiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.
Umme Salmah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Zainab-bint-Jahsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. Juwairiah-bint-ul-Harith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
9.
Umme Habibah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10. Safiyyah
.................................
207
208
11. Maimoonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
209
210
211
...................................
211
2.
Ruqayyah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
212
3.
Umme-Kulsum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
212
Fatimah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
214
1 . Zainab
CHAPTER XI1
CHAPTER XI
THE CHILDREN .
THEIR DEVOTION TO ISLAM
Children keep fast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
216
21 7
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250
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253
223
253
224
254
226
255
227
256
229
262
. Munafiq
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FOREWORD
AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
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CHAPTER I
STEADFASTNESS IN THE FACE OF HARDSHIPS
It is really very hard for the Muslims of to-day to
imagine, and much less to endure or even to attempt to
endure, the hardships that were borne by the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and his illustrious companions in the path of Allah. Books of history are full of stories
of their sufferings. It is a pity that we are so indifferent to
those events and our knowledge is so poor in this regard. I
open this chapter with a story about the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) himself to get the blessings of Allah,
which are sure to attend his auspicious mention.
The Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe Wasallam) Journey to
Taif
For nine years, since his selection by Allah for His
mission, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had been
delivering the message of Allah in Mecca and making allefforts to guide and reform his community. Excepting a
few persons who had either embraced Islam or who helped
him though not accepting his creed, all the rest in Mecca
left no stone unturned in persecuting and deriding him and
his followers. His uncle Abu Talib was one of those goodhearted people who helped him, in spife of his not entering
into the fold of Islam.
The following year, on the death of Abu Talib, the Qureysh got a free hand and therefore accelerated their sinister pursuits without check and hindrance. At Taif, the second biggest town of Hijaz, there lived Banu Thaqif, a clan
strong in number. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
left for Taif with the hope of winning them over to Islam,
thus giving quarter to Muslims from the persecution of the
Qureysh, and also establishing a base forxthe future propagation of Islam. On reaching Taif he visited the three chieftains of the clan separately, and placed before each of them
the message of Allah, and called upon them to stand by his
Propher's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) side. Instead of accepting his message, they refused even to listen to him and.
notwithstanding the proverbial Arab hospitality. each of
them treated him most contemptuously a11d rudely. They
I.
16
plainly told him that they did not like his stay in their
town. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had expected a civil, even a cordial treatment and due courtesy in
speech from them, as they were the heads of the clan. But
one of them sneered:
"Hey, Allah has made you a Prophet!"
The other exclaimed with derision:
"Could Allah not lay His hand on anyone else, beside
you to make him His Prophet?"
The third one gibed at him:
"I do not want to talk to you, for if you are in fact a
Prophet, then to oppose you is to invite trouble, and if
you only pretend to be one, why should I talk with an
impostor?"
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who was a
rock of steadfastness and perseverance, did not lose heart
over this check from the chieftains, and tried to approach
the common people; but nobody would listen to him.
Instead they asked him to clear off from their own town
and go wherever else he liked. When he realised that further efforts were in vain, he decided to leave the town. But
they would not let him depart in peace, and set the street
urc.hins after him to hiss, to hoot, to jeer at, and to stone
Iiirn. He was so much pelted at with stones that his whole
body was covered with blood, and his shoes were clogged
to his feet. He left the town in this woeful plight. When he
cvns far out of the town, and safe from the rabble, he prayed
to Allah thus:
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my Allah! To Thee I complain of the feebleness of
my strength, of my lack of resources and my being
17
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could identify him, and that barely from the finger tips.
No less than eighty wounds of arrows and swords were
counted on his body.
Those who strive in the path of Allah with sincerity
and devotion taste the pleasures of Paradise even in this
world, and so did Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) smell the fragrance of Paradise.
18
19
20
21
22
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The next day. Hadhrat Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho) repeated his perilous confession of Imaan and would have
surely been beaten to death by the crowd, had not Abbas
intervened once again and saved him for the second time.
The action of Hadhrat Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho) was
due to his extraordinary zeal for proclaiming Kalimah
among the disbelievers, and the prohibition by the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was due to the soft corner in his
heart for Hadhrat Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho), lest he be put
to hardships that might prove too much for him. There is not
the least shadow of disobedience in this episode. Since the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) himself was undergoing all sorts of hardships in spreading the message of Islam, Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho) also thought it fit to follow
his example rather than to avail of his permission to avoid
danger. It was this spirit of Sahabah that took them to the
heights of material and spiritual progress. When a person
once recited the Kalimah and entered the fold of Islam, no
power on earth could turn him back and no oppression or
tyranny could stop him from Tabligh.
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"May Allah bless and show mercy on Hadhrat Khabbab (Radhiyallaho anho). He embraced Islam willingly.
He emigrated with great pleasure in Allah's path, and
spent his whole life in striving and suffering for Islam.
Blessed is the person who is mindful of the Day of
judgement, prepares for his reckoning, remains contented with very little of this world, and is able to
please his Lord."
To be able to please Allah, was really, the Sahabah's
greatest achievement, for this was the sole purpose of their
life.
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"And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah, and Allah has compassion
on His bondsmen."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was at that time
at Quba. When he saw Hadhrat Sohaib (Radhiyallaho anho)
coming, he remarked:
"A good bargain, Sohaib!"
Sohaib (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates:
"The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was eating
dates at that time. I also joined him in eating. One of
my eyes was sore." He said, "Sohaib! you are taking
dates when your eye is sore." 'But I am taking them by
the side of the other eye, which is not sore, 0, Prophet
of Allah,' I replied. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was much amused with my retort."
Hadhrat Sohaib (Radhiyallaho anho) was very generous and he spent his money on others most lavishly. 'Umar
(Radhiyallaho anho) once told him that he was rather extravagant. He replied:
29
Hearing this, Umar flew into a towering rage and turned his
steps towards his sister's house. The door of the house was
bolted from inside and both husband and wife were
receiving lessons in the Qur'an from Hadhrat Khabbab
(Radhiyallaho anho). 'Umar knocked at the door and
shouted for his sister to open it. Hadhrat Khabbab (Radhiyallaho anho) hearing the voice of 'Umar, hid himself in
some inner room, forgetting to take the manuscript pages of
the Holy Qur'an with him. When the sister opened the
door, 'Umar hit her on the head, saying:
"0, enemy of yourself. You too have renounced your
religion."
beside himself with rage and fell on him, pulling his beard
and beating him most savagely. When the sister intervened,
he smote her so violently on her face that it bled most
profusely. She was, after all, 'Umar's sister; she burst out:
"'Umar! we are beaten only because we have become
Muslims. Listen! we are determined to die as Muslims.
You are free to do whatever you like."
When 'Umar had cooled down and felt a bit ashamed over
his sister's bleeding, his eyes fell on the pages of the Qur'an
left behind by Hadhrat Khabbab (Radhiyallaho anho). He
said, "Alright show me, what are these?" "No," said the
sister. "vou are unclean and no unclean person can touch
the Scripture." He insisted, but the sister was not prepared
to allow him to touch the leaves unless he washed his
body. 'Umar at last gave in. He washed his body and then
began to read the leaves. It was Surah "Taha". He started
from the beginning of the Surah, and he1 was a changed
man altogether when he came to the verse:
30
31
Ibn-Abi Talib:
The hardships and sufferings borne by the Muslims
were ever on the increase. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) at last permitted them to emigrate to some other
place. Abyssinia at that time was ruled by a Christian King
(who later on embraced Islam). famous for his mercy and
equity. In Rajab of the fifth year of the Mission, the ,first
group emigrated to Abyssinia. The group comprised about
twelve men and five women. The Qureysh pursued them to
the port to capture them, but their vessels had left the
shore. When the group reached Abyssinia, they heard the
rumour that the whole tribe of the Qureysh had accepted
Islam. They were naturally very much pleased at the new,
and returned to their country. On approaching Mecca, they
learnt that the rumour was false and the persecutions wen:
going on unabated. Some of them decided to return to
Abyssinia and the rest entered Mecca, seeking the protection of a few inflyential people. This is known as the first
migration to Abyssinia. Later on, a bigger group of eightythree men and eighteen women emigrated to Abyssinia
(separately). This is called the second emigration to that
country. Some Sahabah took part in both the migrations.
The Qureysh did not like the emigrations, and the thought
of peace enjoyed by the fugitives gave them no rest. They
sent a delegation to Abyssinia with handsome presents for
the king, his courtiers and the clergy. The delegation first
met the chiefs and the priests and, by offering them presents, succeeded in winning the court officials to their side.
Having thus made their way to the royal court, they prostrated themselves before the king and then presenting the
gifts put their case before him. They &id:
"0,king! A few foolish lads of our community have renounced their ancestral faith, and have joined an
absolutely new religion, which is opposed to'our as
well as your religions. They have come and-settled in
your country. The nobility of Mecca, their own parents
32
33
presents they had brought f.or him, and said to the Muslims:
"Go and live in peace. If anybody ill-treats you, he will
have to pay heavily for it."
A royal declaration was also issued to that effect. This
enhanced the prestige of the Muslims in the country, and
the Qureysh delegation had to return crestfallen.
This failure of the Qureysh embassy to Abyssinia, and
the triumph of Muslims over them, led to an increase in the
exasperation of the idolaters; the conversion of 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) to Islam added fuel to fire. They grew more
and more embittered, till things came to such a pass that a
large number of the Qureysh chiefs conspired to kill Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) outright and deal
summarily with the whole affair. But this was not so easy.
Banu Hashim to which clan the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) belonged, were strong in number and still
stronger in influence. Although all of them were not Muslims, yet even the non-Muslims among them would not
agree to, or tolerate the murder of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam). The Qureysh, therefore, decided to place
a social ban on the Banu Hashim, and their chiefs drew up
a document to the effect that none of them or their clans
would associate with, buy from or sell to those who sided
with the Banu Hashim, unless and until they surrendered
Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) for the death penalty. All of them signed this document on 1st Moharram of
7th year of the Mission, and the scroll was hung up in the
Ka'abah in order to give it full sanctity. Then, for three long
years. the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was shut up
with all his kinsfolk in the glen, which was a sub-section of
one of the gorges that run down to Mecca. For three long
years, nobody could see them nor could they see anybody.
They could not purchase anything in Mecca nor from any
trader coming from outside. If any person was found outside this natural prison, he was beaten mercilessly and if
he asked for anything it was flatly refused. Soon their stock
of food was exhausted and they were reduced to famine
rations. Their women and, more specially, the children and
suckling babies would cry with hunger, and this was harder
on them than their own starvation. During the last part of
this period, their sole subsistence was the little food that
the husbands of Hashimite women married into other clans
managed td smuggle into the glen in the darkness of night.
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35
'I am afraid, 0 wayfarer, that you will not reach the Ka'aba
because the path that you are following goes (in the opposite direction) to Turkistan.'
37
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S
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FEAR OF ALLAH
Coupled with the remarkable spirit of sacrifice, the Sahabah had genuine and deep-rooted fear of Allah in their
hearts. I wish today's Muslims could have an iota of that
fear of Allah. Here are a few stories about this aspect of
their lives.
1. The Prophet's [Sallallahoalaihe wasallam)
"0,
my Allah! I ask of Thee the good out of this wind,
the good out of that which is in this wind, and the
good out of that which is the outcome of this wind. I
seek refuge in Thee from the evil of this wind, from the
evil out of that which is in this wind, and from the evil
out of that which is the outcome of this wind."
She says:
"And further when it began to rain, signs of delight appeared on his face. I said to him once, '0, Prophet of
Allah when clouds appear everybody is happy as they
foretell rain, but why is it that I see you so much perturbed at that time?' He replied, '0, 'Aishah! How can I
feel secure that this wind does not portend Allah's
wrath? The people of A'ad were punished with the
wind. They were happy when they beheld the gathering dense clouds, believing that they brought rain; but
actually those clouds brought no rain but utter destruction to 'A'ad."
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"If Thou punish them, they art Thy slaves; and if Thou
forgive them, Thou only art the Mighty, the Wise."
(V:118)
It is said about Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih)
that he also once wept the whole night, reciting the following verse of the Qur'an in Tahajjud:
"0,
My Lord! Thou has said that Thou y~ouldstnot
punish them as long as I am with them and so long as
they seek Thy forgiveness."
This refers tai.a verse in the Qur'an wherein Allah says:
4.
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"0,bird! How lucky you are! You eat, you drink and
fly under the shade of the trees, and you fear no reckoning of the Day of Judgement. I wish I were just like
you."
Hadhrat Rabiah Aslami (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates:
"Once I had some argument with Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho), during which he uttered a word that I did
not like. He realized it immediately and said to me
'Brother, please say that word back to me in retaliation.' I refused to do so. He persisted, and even spoke
of referring the matter to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam), but I did not agree to utter that word. He
got up and left me. A few people of my clan remarked,
'Look! How strange! The person does wrong to you
and, on the top of that, he threatens to complain to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)'. I said, 'Do you
b o w who he is. He is Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho).
To displease him is to displease the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and to displease the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is to displease Allah, and
if Allah is displeased then who can save RabiAh from
ruin?' I went to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and narrated the whole story to him. He said,
'You were quite right in refusing to utter that word.
But you could have said this much in reply: ' 0 , Abu
Bakr, (Radhiyallaho anho) May Allah forgive you!"
Look at the fear of Allah in Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho)! He is so anxious to clear his accounts in this
world that no sooner has a slightly unpleasant word been
addressed by him to a person, than he regrets it and requests him to say that word back to him in retaliation. He
is so particular in this that he threatens to have the retaliation done through the intervention of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). We are in the habit of saying
offensive words to others, but we fear neither the retaliation nor the reckoning in the Hereafter.
6.
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play about merrily. The woman felt very grateful and remarked:
"May Allah reward you for your kindness! In fact you
deserve to take the place of Khalifah instead of 'Umar."
'Umar consoled her and said:
"When you come to see the Khalifah, you will find me
there."
He sat for a while at a place close by and kept on watching
the children. He then returned to Madinah. On his way
back, he said to Aslam:
"Do you know why I sat there, Aslam? I had seen them
weeping in distress; I liked to, see them laughing and
happy for some time."
It is said that Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) while
leading Fajr Salaat used to recite 'Kahf', 'Taha' and other
such Soorahs in his Salaat, and would weep so much that
his crying could be heard way back to several rows. Once
he was reciting Surah 'Yusuf' in Fajr. When he came to the
verse:
42
Umar:
The Woman:
Umar:
The Woman:
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belongings. When he was questioned by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) as to what he had left for his
family, he replied:
"I have left Allah and His Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) for them."
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) contributed half of his
belongings and Hadhrat 'Usman (Radhiyallaho anho) provided for the equipment of one-third of the whole army.
Although everybody, contributed beyond his means, yet
the equipment fell far short of the requirements. Only one
camel was available for each group of ten persons, who
were to ride it in turn. This is why this campaign is known
as: "The campaign of hardship."
The journey was long and the weather hot and dry. The orchards were laden with ripe dates (the staple crop of Madinah) and it was just the time for harvesting, when all of a
sudden the Sahabah were required to start on this campaign. It was really an acid test of their Imaan. They visualised the long and arduous journey, the scorching heat, the
formidable enemy opposed to them and, to top all, the
prospective loss of the year's crop, but they could not even
dream of evading the call to arms, and that solely on account of the deep-rooted fear of Allah in their hearts.
Except the women, children (who were excusable), those
who were ordered to stay behind by the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) himself, and the munafiqin, nearly everybody joined the expedition. Also among those left behind
were such persons as could neither arrange conveyance for
themselves, nor was the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) able to provide them with any. It is about such people
that Allah says in his Book:
.2"z 4
46
Sahabah to do the same, since that was the scS.neof Thamud's destruction. They were advised to pass there weeping and fearing lest Allah should punish them as he had
punished the Thamud.
The dearest and the most beloved Prophet of Alish and
his privileged companions pass by the ruins of the Funished people in fear and tears, lest they meet the same fate;
on the other hand today, if any place is struck with an
earthquake, it becomes a place of sightseeing for us and, if
we come across any ruins, our eyes remain dry and our
hearts unaffected. What a change of attitude!
Hadhrat Ka'ab's (Radhiyallaho anho) Failure to Join
the Tabuk Expedition:
Among the Munafiqin who did not join the Tabuk expedition, there were more than eighty persons from among
the Ansar and an equal number from amongst the nomadic
Arabs and a large number from the out-stations. Not only
did they stay behind themselves, but they induced others
to do SO saying:
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of his kinsfolk who had been away for a long time had just
returned to Madinah. It was for the sake of their company
that he did not join the expedition. He also had participated in all the campaigns previously and thought (like
Murarah) that it would not matter much if he missed just
that one campaign. When he came to know of the seriousness of his default, he made up his mind to sever all his
connections with those relatives who had been the cause of
that blunder. Ka'ab himself gives his account in detail,
which is quoted in all books of Hadith. He says:
"I had never been financially so well off as I was at the
time of Tabuk. I had two dromedaries of my own. I had
never possessed this number before. It was a habit with
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that he never
disclosed the destination of his expeditions, but he
would k e e ~enquiring about the conditions prevailing
elsewhere. But this time in view of the distance, the
hot season, and the strength of the enemy, he had declared his destination, so that preparations could be
made thorough and complete. The number of the participants was so large that it was difficult to note down
their names even, so much so, that absentees could
hardly be detected in the large host. The gardens of
Madinah were full of fruit. I intended every morning to
make preparation for the journey but, somehow or
other, the days passed by and I made no progress. I
was satisfied that I had all the necessary means at my
disposal and that I would be ready in no time if I once
did decide to do so. I was still in this state of indecision when I learnt that the Prophet (Sallallaho daihe
wasallam) had left with his companions. The idea still
lingered in my mind that I would take a day or two to
get ready and overtake the party. This procrastination
continued till the time for the Prophet's arrival in
Tabuk drew very near. I then tried to get ready but
again, somehow or other, I did not do so. Now, when I
came to look at the people left behind, I realised that
there was none in Madinah except those who had been
condemned as Munafiqin or had been specially
exempted from going for certain reasons. The Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) on reaching Tabuk inquired as well, 'How is it that I do not see Ka'ab?'
Somebody said, '0, Prophet of Allah: His pride in
wealth and ease has caused him to stay behind.' Ma'az
48
Stories of the ~ a h a a b a h
49
cides my case.' Hilal's wife went to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said; '0, Prophet of Allah!
Hilal is an old man and there is nobody else to look
after him. If I go away from him, he will perish. If it is
not very serious, kindly permit me to keep attending to
him.' The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied;
'There is no harm, provided you don't indulge in cohabitation with each other.' She remarked! '0, Prophet of
Allah: He has no urge for such a thing; since the day
his ordeal has started, he has been spending his entire
time in weeping."
Ka'ab (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"It was suggested to me that I might also request the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) for permission to
keep my wife with me for service, but I said; 'Hilal is
old, while I am young. I do not know what reply I shall
get and, as such, I have no courage to make the request.' Another ten days passed and now our ordeal
had lasted for a full fifty days. On the morning of the
fiftieth day, when I had said my 'Fajr' prayer and was
sitting on the roof of my house stricken with grief, and
the earth had 'straightened' for me and the life had
become dismal for me, I heard a crier's cry from over
the top of the mount Sula; 'Happy tidings to you, 0,
Kaab.' The moment I heard this, I fell prostrate on the
ground and tears of joy rolled down my cheeks, as I
understood that the ordeal was now over. In fact, the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had announced
the Divine forgiveness for all three of us after the
Salaat that morning. At this, a person ran up the top of
the mountain and yelled out the cry that had reached
me. Thereafter, a rider came galloping to deliver the
same happy news to me. 1 gave away as a gift the
clothes, I was wearing, to the messenger of glad tidings. I swear by Allah I had no other clothes in my possession at that time. I dressed up by borrowing clothes
from some friend and went to the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam). As I entered the musjid, the people
in the audience of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) ran to congratulate me. Abu Talha (Radhiyallaho
anho) was the first to approach me. He shook my hand
with a warmth that I shall never forget. Thereafter I offered my salutation to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam). I found his face beaming and radiant like
50
51
the full moon. This was usual with him at times of exProphet of Allah! I propose
treme joy. I said to him, '0,
to give away in charity all that I possess as thanks for
the acceptance of my Taubah.' He said: 'This will be
too much for you. Keep a portion with you.' I agreed to
keep my share of the booty that fell in our hands in the
Khaiber campaign."
He says:
"It is the truth that brought me salvation, and as such I
am determined to speak nothing but the truth in
future."
The above story brings out the following salient
characteristics of the Muslims of that time:-
52
Even the persons who had hitherto faithfully participated in every expedition, had to bear the
brunt of the Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
anger when they failed to respond to Allah's call
even though for the first time in their lives.
(2) Their devotion and obedience to the Prophet (Sal-
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In a Hadith, it is said:
"Allah says; 'I do not impose two fears on my slave. If
he does not fear me in this world, I shall give him fear
in the next, and if he fears me in this world I shall save
him from all fears in the Hereafter".
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says:
"All things fear a person who fears Allah, while everything is a source of fear to him who fears somebody
other than Allah."
Yahya bin Ma'az (Rahmatullah alaih) says:
"If a man fears Hell as much as he is afraid of poverty
then he may enter into Paradise."
Abu Sulaiman Daarani (Rahmatullah alaih) says:
"There is nothing but ruin for a heart that is devoid of
fear of Allah."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasall'am) says:
"The face that gets wet with the smallest drop of tear
from the fear of Allah is safe from entrance into the fire
of Hell."
He also said:
"When a Muslim shivers with the fear of Allah, his
sins fall away from him like the falling leaves of a
tree."
The dear Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said:
"A person weeping with fear of Allah cannot go to Hell
until milk goes back into the teats (which is an impossibility)".
Hadhrat Uqbah bin Amir (Radhiyallaho anho) once inquired of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
"What is the way to salvation?"
56
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CHAPTER I11
ABSTINENCE AND SELF-DENIAL OF THE SAHABAH
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Hadhrat Abu Bakr's (~adhiyallahoanho) Daily Allowance from the Bait-ul Ma1
Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) was a cloth
merchant and lived by that trade. On the death of the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), people selected him
as the Khalifah. Next day with some cloth slung on his
arms, he was proceeding to the market as usual when
'Umar (Kadhiyallaho anho) met him in the way.
'Urnar:
"Where are you going to, Abu Bakr?"
Abu Bakr: "To the market".
"If you get busy with your trade, who will
'Umar:
carry out the duties of the caliphate?"
Abu Bakr: "How am I to feed my family then?"
'Umar:
"Let's go to Abu 'Ubaidah ( I n charge of"Bait-ulMal), who will fix some daily allowance for
you from the 13ait-ul-Mal."
They both went to Abu 'Ubaidah (Kadhiyallaho anho).
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The person:
"I have already given thought. I love you very much,
0,Prophet of Allah."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam): "Think once
again before you declare such a thing."
72
The person:
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out the owner's permission.' After a moment I reflected: 'After all what difference does it make? !t is only a
very little mud that I am using.' So, I scraped a little
mud from a wall and used it. That night, while asleep,
I saw a person in my dream, admonishing me: 'Perchance tomorrow, on the Day of Judgement, you may
rue that saying of yours: (It is, only a very little mud
that I am using)' "
The dictates of piety are different with different persons. The high rank of the Mohaddith demanded that he
should have been scrupulous even about a small quantity
of mud, though for a common man it was insignificant and
therefore within permissible limits.
Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) passes by a grave:
Hadhrat Kumail (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"I was with Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) once on a journey,
when he reached an uninhabited place; he approached
a grave and said: '0 you dwellers of the graves! 0 you
who live amongst ruins! 0 you who live in the wilderness and solitude! How fare you in the other world?
How has it gone with you there?' He continued: 'The
news from our side is that all you did leave of the
wealth and riches here, has long been distributed; your
children are orphans; your widows have long since remarried. Now let us hear about you.' He then turned to
me: '0 Kumail! If they could speak, they would have
informed us that the best provision for the Hereafter is
Taqwa.' Tears yelled out of his eyes, as he added: '0
Kumail! The grave is a container of the deeds; hut one
realizes it only after death."
Our good or bad actions are stored up in our graves. It
is said in a Hadith that every person meets his good deeds
in the grave in the person of an agreeable companion who
befriends and consoles him there. But his wicked deeds
assume hideous shapes emitting bad smells, which add to
his misery. In another Hadith it is said:
"Three things accompany a person to his grave viz: His
wealth (as was the prevalent custom among the Arabs
of the time), his relatives, and his deeds. His wealth
and his relatives turn back after his burial, but his actions go in and stay with him in the grave."
Ch.
IV:Piety a n d Scrupulousness
79
7.
8.
80
9.
"I do not like your touching the musk with your hands
(while weighing it) and rubbing those hands on your
body afterwards, as that would amount to something
over and above my legitimate share."
Any other person weighing the musk would, for that
matter, have had the same advantage, but Hadhrat Umar
(Radhiyallaho anha) did not like this preference particularly for any member of his own family. Look at this scrupulous anxiety to avoid charge of selfishness.
A similar story is related about Hadhrat Umar bin
Abdul Aziz (Rahmatullah alaih) (who is known as the
second Umar). While he was holding the reins of the Khilafat, musk belonging to the Bait ul-Maal was being weighed.
He closed his own nostrils, with the remark:
"The use of musk is to smell it."
These were the scruples of the Sahabah, and their successors, and our elders in Islam.
dismisses a governor:
Hadhrat Umar-bin-Abdul Aziz (Rahmatullah alaih) appointed a person as governor of a province. Somebody remarked that this person had held the same post under
Hajjaj-bin-Yusuf (the notorious blood shedder) also. Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (Rahmatullah alaih) immediately
issued orders of his dismissal. The man protested:
"I had been with Hajjaj only for a very short time."
To this, the Khalifa replied:
"His company for a day or even less is sufficient t~
render a man unfit for public service."
"A man is known by the companv he keeps." The
company of pious people leaves an imperceptible impression of piety on the character, and likewise evil company
has its evil influence. That is why association with bad
people is always discouraged. Even the companv of animals is not without its own effect. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said:
82
CHAPTER V
DEVOTION TO SALAAT
Salaat is the most important of all forms of worship. It
is, in fact, the first and foremost item to be reckoned with
on the Day of Judgement. .The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is reported to have said:
"Salaat is the only line of demarcation between Kufr
and Islam."
There are many Ahadith about Salaat, which. I have collected in a separate book.
of
84
She answered:
"There was nothing which was not unusual about him.
Everything he did was noteworthy. One night he came
and lay down with me. After sometime, he got up
saying, 'Now let me pray to my Lord, the Sustainer."
With this, he stood up in Salaat, humbling himself before
his Creator with such sincerity that tears rolled down his
cheeks to his beard and on to his breast. He then bowed for
Ruku' and Sajdah, and his tears flowed down as fast as
before and after raising his head from his Sajdah, he continued weeping in this manner till Hadhrat Bilal (Radhiyallaho anha) announced the approach of Fair. I pleaded with
him:
"0,Prophet of Allah! vou are sinless, as Allah has in
His munificence forgiven your each and every sin
(even if committed) in the past and which may happen
in the life to come (XLVIII: 2) and still you grieve so
much". He replied: Why, then, should I not be a grateful slave of Allah? Then he added, 'Why should I not
be praying like this when Allah has today revealed to
me these verses?'
85
"I was once with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). He brushed his teeth with a Miswak, performed
his Wudhu and stood u p for Salaat. I also availed of
the opportunity to join him. He recited surah 'Baqarah'
in his first rakaat; he would pray for mercy when he recited any verse extolling the Grace of Allah, and would
supplicate for Divine forgiveness when reciting any
verse referring to His wrath. He took as much time in
Ruku' and Sajdah each as he had taken in Qiyaam. In
Ruku' he recited:
sa
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To return to the fight, when seven out of the ten Sahabah (Radhiyallaho anhum) had attained martvrdom and the
remaining three, Khubaib, Zaid bin Wathnah and Abdullah
bin Tariq (Radhiyallaho anhum) were still sticking to their
position on the hill-top, the enemy again called out to
them:
"You three should come down the hill: of course we
would do no harm to you."
The three trusted them and came down the hill, but the
enemy immediately pounced upon them. and pinioned
them with the gutstrings of their bows. Upon this, Abdullah bin Tariq (Kadhiyallaho anho) protested:
"So this is the very first breach of your solemn promise. I would rather join my martyred brothers than go
alive with you."
He then refused to follow them in captivity. They tried
their best to make him walk, but could not, and ultimately
perceiving that he would on no account budge an inch
from the spot, despatched him there and then. The two remaining captives were taken by them to Mecca and sold to
the Qureysh. Safwan bin Umayyah paid fifty camels for
Zaid bin Wathna (Kadhiyallaho anho] to kill him in revenge for the death of his father Umayyah in 'Uhud', and
Hujair bin Abi Ahaab bought Khubaib (Kadhiyallaho anho)
for one hundred camels to avenge the fall of his father in
the same battle.
Safwan made over Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho)
to his slave to be killed outside the limits of the Haram. A
crowd followed them to watch Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho
anhp) meet his end, and Abu Sufyan (Radhiyallaho anho)
also happened to be one of the spectators. When Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) stood prepared to meet his doom, Abu
Sufyan asked him thus:
"Don't yo11 \I ,11 hluhalnmad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to be in vour place today, and you be let off to
enjoy life with your family?"
Zaid's (Kadhivallaho anho) replv amazed them all:
"Hv Allah!" he said. "the trerv t h o ~ ~ g of
h t enjoying life
with nlv family is unbearable to me. if the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) were even to suffer a
thorn-prick in his foot for that."
94
Every word of this story is a lesson for us all. The devotion and love of the Sahabah narrated therein is really
something to esteem and covet. They would lay down their
very lives, but they would not tolerate even a thorn piicking the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Again, look at
Hadhrat Khubaib's (Radhiyallaho anho) last wish. He
neither remembers his family members nor wishes to see
any of them; what he wishes is to send his last Salaam to
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and to say two last
rakaats of Salaat.
10. Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) company in
Paradise:
Rabee'ah (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates:
"1 used to remain in attendance upon the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) at night. I would keep water,
miswak, praying mat, etc., ready for his Tahajjud. Once
he (being very pleased with my services) asked me,
'What would you wish most?' I submitted, '0, Prophet
of Allah. I wish your company in Paradise.' He asked
me if there was anything else I wished for. But I replied. 'This is the only thing I long for.' Upon this, he
remarked. 'All right. You should help me by prostrating in prayer frequently.' "
Here is a lesson for us. We should not depend on
verbal prayers alone, but we should also make some practical efforts to gain our object. The best of all efforts is Salaat.
Also, i t would be wrong to depend entirely on the prayers
of saints and pious people alone. This is a world of cause
and effect: and, no doubt, Allah sometimes in His Wisdom
and Might does bring into effect things for which there is
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96
CHAPTER VI
SYMPATHY AND SELF-SACRIFICE
The Sahabah, as a class, were an embodiment of righteousness. They attained a standard that is rather difficult to
emulate in a modern society. We would be fortunate if we
really attain even a partial resemblance to their character.
Some of their qualities are peculiarly their own, and selfsacrifice is one of these. Allah has made a mention of this
in the Holv Qur'an in these'words.
"They prkfer others above themselves. even though
poverty become their lot. (LIX: 9)."
1. Feeding the guest in darkness:
A Sahabi came to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and complained of hunger and distress. Just then, the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had nothing in hand,
or in his home to feed him. He asked the Sahabah:
"Would anybody entertain him as a guest tonight on
my behalf?"
One of the Ansaar said:
"0.Prophet of Allah, I will do that."
The Ansari took the person to his house and instructed his
wife:
"Look here, this man is a guest of the Prophet [Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). We will entertain him as best as
we can, and won't spare anything in doing so."
The wife replied:
"By Allah! I have got no food in the house, except a
verv little-something just enough for the children."
The Ansari said:
"You lull the children to sleep without feeding them,
while I sit with the guest over the meagre meal. When
we start eating, put out the lamp pretending to set i t
98
2.
"0,Thabit! Allah has very much appreciated your entertainment of the guest last night."
3.
Overpayment of Zakaat:
Hadhrat Ubay bin Kaab (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) once deputed me to collect Zakaat dues from a locality. I went
to a person there, and asked about the details of his
possessions. A baby camel one year old was due from
him in Zakaat. When he heard this, he exclaimed, 'Of
what use is a baby camel, one year old? You can
99
neither milk it, nor ride it. Here is a fine grown-up shecamel. You had better take this .instead.' I replied. 'My
commission does not permit me to take more than
what is actually due from you. I, therefore, cannot
accept what you offer. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is visiting this locality, and tonight he will
be camping at a place not very far from here. It is better
you should go and place your offer before him. If he
does not object, I would gladly accept your offer, otherwise you shall have to give me exactly what is due
from you.' Thereupon, he took the she-camel to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and besought him
thus: ' 0 , Prophet of Allah! Your deputy came to receive Zakaat from me. By Allah! before this time, I
have never had the honour of paying anything to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) or his deputy. I
therefore placed everything that I possessed before
him. He decided that a baby camel one year old was
due from me. Now, 0, Prophet of Allah! This baby
camel is of no use. It can neither yield milk nor carry a
load. I, therefore, pressed him to accept a fine grownup she-camel in-stead; which he refused to accept
without your permission. I have now come to you with
the she-camel. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) observed, 'No doubt only that much is due from
you which he has worked out, but if you are willing to
give more than that, of your own accord, it would be
accepted.' I then presented the she-camel to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), which he accordingly accepted and sought Allah's blessings for the
donor."
Look, with what magnanimity of heart the Sahabah
parted with their best things for the sake of Allah. On the
other hand, we too claim to be the true followers of Islam,
and ardent devotees of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) but, leaving apart the bestowing of alms in general
to the poor and the needy, we are most reluctant to pay the
actual obligatory dues. Zakaat, as a pillar of Islam, is not
even known to our upper classes. Of the middle classes,
only the religiously conscious strata keep up a form of
paying Zakaat, in as much as even the expenditure incurred on their own relatives and acquaintances, and all
other charitable donations squeezed out of them by the
force of circumstances and face-savings are debited to this
account.
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Many an incident of such self-denial and heroic sacrifice is recorded in the books of Hadith. This is the last
word in self-sacrifice, that each dying person should forego
slaking his own thirst in favour of his other needy brother.
May Allah bless their souls with His choicest favours for
their sacrifice for others even at the time of death, when a
person has seldom the sense to make a choice.
-84
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and h ~ heart,
s
lungs and liver were torn out; and the whole
body was thoroughly mutilated. While the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was making arrangements for the
burial of the dead, he caught sight of Hadhrat Hamzah's
(Radhiyallaho anho) body, and was shocked to find it in
that condition. He covered the body with a sheet of cloth.
Presently, Hadhrat Hamzah's (Radhiyallaho anho) sister Safiyyah (Radhiyallaho anha) also came to see her martyred
brother for the last time. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) feared that the sight might be too much for her to
bear, bade her son Hadhrat Zubair (Radhiyallaho anho) to
dissuade.her from seeing the body. She however, rejoined:
"Yes, I have heard that the wretches have mutilated
my dear brother's body. It is not too much in the path
of Allah, and we should be resigned to it. I will bear all
this patiently, and may Allah in His Grace have mercy
on us all."
Hadhrat Zubair (Radhiyallaho anho) informed the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) of his mother's resolve, and he gave his assent to her seeing the body. When
she beheld what they had done to it, she simply exclaimed,
'Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raaji-oon' and offered a prayer
for his soul."
In another Hadith, Hadhrat ZuLair (Radhiyallaho anho)
himself narrates the incident. He says:
"We rnade out a woman drawing near the place where
the martyrs of Uhud had been gathered. On her close
approach, I recognised her to be my own mother. I advanced to stop her, but she proved to be too strong for
me. She thrust me aside, with the words, 'Leave me
alone.' Whgn I told her that the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) had prohibited her from seeing the
dead body, she at once desisted from her purpose and
explained. "Hearing the news of my brother's death, I
have brought a couple of sheets for his shroud. Take
these sheets and make use of them.' We took the sheets
and had begun to enshroud the body, when the dead
body of an Ansari named Hadhrat Suhail (Radhiyallaho anho) caught our eyes. It was also lying close by
in the same condition. We considered it a shame to
enshroud Hadhrat Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho) in two
sheets, while the body of another Muslim brother lay
bare. We, therefore, decided to use one sheet each for
103
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the two bodies. Now, one sheet was bigger than the
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other, so we drew lots, and the bigger sheet came to the *
lot of Hadhrat Suhail (Radhiyallaho anho) and the
smaller one to that of Hadhrat Hamzah (Radhiyallaho
anho). We found that the sheet meant for Hadhrat
Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho), being too small, would
not cover his body: if we covered the head the feet remained uncovered, and when we pulled it down to
cover the feet, the head was exposed. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Cover the head with
the sheet, and the feet with tree leaves."
This is how the body of Hadhrat Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho), the dear uncle of him (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) who wore the crown of perfection, was buried. Look
at the spirit of the Sahabah, who could not tolerate Hadhrat
'Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho) being enshrouded in two
sheets and another Muslim brother remaining without a
shroud at all. Again, although Hadhrat Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho) deserved preferential treatment due to his
exalted position, his body was covered with a smaller sheet
that had fallen to his lot. Can there be a better example of
sympathy, equality and self-sacrifice? Is it not shameful on
our part that we, who call ourselves the followers of these
illustrious people, do not possess any of these qualities.
The Story of the Goat's Head:
Hadhrat Ibn Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"One of the Sahabah received a goat's head as a present. He thought of a neighbour who had a larger family
and was in greater need of it thar, himself, and presented the same to him. 'This brother, on receipt of the
present, recollected yet another person whom he considered even more deserving than himself, and sent on
the head to him. The goat's head is, thus, said to have
changed hands no less than seven times, and at last
came back to the original person from whom the circulation had started."
We learn from the $tory how poor and needy the Sahabah usually were, and yet how they indeed preferred others
above themselves.
7.
104
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105
106
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9.
"You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that
which Ye love (111: 92)."
Hadhrat Abu Talhah (Radhiyallaho anho) repaired to the
Prophet's presence and thus opened his heart,
107
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The other one was very good for riding and much more
useful to Hadhrat Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho) and his
family, while the poor would find the one as tasty as the
other. I, therefore, led the other camel to Hadhrat Abuzar
(Radhiyallaho anho). He retorted.
"So, after all you have broken your pledge."
Knowing well what he meant, I turned back and fetched
the best camel instead. He addressed the people about him,
"I want two persons to do a job for Allah."
As two persons volunteered themselves, he bade them go
and slaughter the camel, and distribute the meat equally
among the families camping near the water, including his
own, saying, "My family will also share equally with the
rest." The volunteers carried out his instruct~ons.He then
sent for me and asked:
'Did you intentionally ignore my instructions about
spending the best out of my belongings, or you just
happened to forget about it?'
I: 'I did not forget you instructions, but thought it better
to preserve the one for transport duties, while the
other was as good for eating.'
Abuzar: 'Was it for my personal need that you left it?'
I: 'Yes.'
Hadhrat Abuzar (Radhiyallaho anho):
'Come, let me tell you the occasion of my needs. That
is the day when I shall be laid all alone in the solitude
of the grave. Remember, there are three partners in
your wealth, viz. (1)Your destiny, which does not wait
to take away its share. Good or bad it would take away
all that it has to take. (2) Your heirs, who are waiting
for the day of your death, so that they may take over
their share, and (3) Yourself. If you can manage, don't
be the most helpless of the three partners. Take your
full share, while you can. Allah says:
'Ye will not attain unto piety until you spend of tnat
which you love. (111: 92). I, therefore, think it advisable
to send in advance the things which I love best, so that
they may be in safe deposit for me there.'
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Ch. VI: Sympathy ~ n Self-sacrifice
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CHAPTER VII
VALOUR AND HEROISM
Fear of death was unknown to the Sahabah. They were
therefore most fearless and valorous. A person who can
look death in the face can meet all situations. There is left
for him no attraction in the wealth of this world, and no
fear of an enemy. I wish I could inherit this quality from
these true heroes.
1. Ibn Jahsh (Radhiyallaho anho) and Sa'd (Radhiyal-
angels. I approached him and stood by his side. Meanwhile an enemy contingent advanced to attack the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). He said to me,
'Ali go and check them.' I fought and repulsed them
single-handed, killing quite a few of them. After this,
yet another group came to attack him. He again called
out, 'Ali go and check them.' I fought with that group
again single-handed and put them to their heels.' "
It was on this occasion that Hadhrat Jibrail (Alaihe
salaam) came and praised Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho)
for his valour and his devotion to the Prophet. The Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
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2.
116
117
"0,
Allah! Let me not come back to my family again."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
"This is why the camel is refusing to go toward his
home."
Look at Hadhrat 'Amr's (Radhiyallaho anho) desire to
die in the path of Allah. It was their lova and devotion for
Allah and His Prophet that led the Sahabah to the height of
such attainment. Even after death, 'Amr (RadhiyaHaho
anho) wants to remain in the battle-field, and the camel refused to take his body back to Madinah.
119
keep the flag up, and did not allow it to fall till he was
dead. This is the miracle of Imaan. Once Imaan gets into a
person, it makes him forget everything else, whether
wealth, luxury or life itself.
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6.
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men, high and low, are equal before Him, for all are
His creation and He is their sole Lord. One can win His
favours only through devotion to His service. Remember that the Sunnat of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is the only correct way of doing things. You
are going on a very heavy task. This you can discharge
only by following the truth. Inculcate good habits in
yourself and your companions. Choose fear of Allah as
your chief asset, for this will lead you to His obedience
and prevent you from His disobedience. Obedience to
Allah's commarld is the lot of those alone who hate
this world and love the Hereafter."
Sa'd (Radhiyallaho anho) faced the heavy odds with
full confidence in Allah. When both the armies were ready
to fight, he sent an epistle to Rustam, which read:
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ing in the air. They exclaimed. 'Something foul has happened, and returned to the camp. They saw from some
distance that their companions were dead and the murderers were standing around their bodies with bloody swords
in their hands. They stopped a while to think what they
might do. Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) said:
"Let us go back to Madinah and inform the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."
~ a d h r a tMunzir (Radhiyallaho anho) did not agree. He
said:
"The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) will get the
information sooner or later. I do not like to miss martyrdom and run away from the place where our companions are lying in their peaceful sleep. Let us go
forward apd meet them."
They both went and jumped into the thick of battle. Hadhrat Munzir (Radhiyallaho anho) was killed and Hadhrat
'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) was captured. As 'Amir's
mother had to set free a slave in connection with some vow
that she had made, 'Amir set Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho
anho) free and let him go. 'Amir bin Fuhairah (Radhiyallaho anho), a slave of Abu Bakr (Kadhiyallaho anho), was
also among those who were killed at Bi'r Ma'oona. Jabbar
bin Salmi, who killed him says:
When I thrust my spear through him, he uttered, 'By
Allah, I have triumphed and to my amazement I saw
his body lifted upwards towards the sky. I made enquiries later on as to what was the triumph that 'Amir bin
Fuhairah (Radhiyallaho anho) meant when he uttered,
'By Allah, I have triumphed.' I was told that it was that
of entering into Paradise. This made me embrace
Islam.
These are the illustrious people, of whom Islam is
rightly proud. Death had really more attraction for them
than wine for their enemies. As they did deeds which were
sure to win Allah's pleasure, they felt most triumphant at
the time of surrendering their souls.
9.
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Madinah.
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) is well known for
his valour and heroism by one and all. When the Muslims
were very weak in the beginning, the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) prayed to Allah to strengthen the Muslims with Hadhrat 'Umar's (Radhiyallaho anho) Islam. This
prayer was answered by Allah in no time, as we have seen
in Chapter I. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Ma'sood (Radhiyallaho
anho) says:
"We could not say our Salaat in the Haram till %mar
had accepted Islam."
Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
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Of the epistles that the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) despatched to various kings, inviting them to Islam,
one was sent to the King of Busra through Hadhrat Haris
bin Umair Azdi. When Hadhrat Haris (Radhiyallaho anho)
reached Moota, he was killed by Sharjeel Ghassani, one of
the governors of Caesar. The murder of the envoy was
against all laws of inter-tribal morality. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was naturally very much upset when
the news reached him. He collected an army, 3 000-strong,
to advance against the enemy. While nominating Hadhrat
Zaid bin Harithah (Radhiyallaho anho) to command the
army, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
"If Zaid is killed, then Ja'far bin Abi Talib will be your
Amir and if he is also martyred, then Abdullah bin Rawahah will take the command. If he also dies, then you
can select a commander from among yourselves."
A Jew, who was listening to this, said:
"All the three must die. This is exactly how the earlier
Prophets used to prophesy."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) gave Hadhrat
Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) a white flag made by himself. He
then accompanied the army for some distance out of Madinah and prayed for them saying:
"May Allah bring you back safely and triumphantly.
May He guard you against all evils."
At that moment, Hadhrat Abdullah bin Rawahah (Radhiyallaho anho), who was o poet too. recited three couplets.
which meant:
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Or a spear to pierce me through my liver and my stomach. And when people pass my grave they say:
'May you, who have died for Allah's cause,
Triumph and prosper. You are really triumphant and
prosperous."
Sharjeel received the intelligence about this army. He
prepared himself to meet them with an army, 100 000strong. When they proceeded further, they heard the
rumour that the Caesar himself was coming with another
army of 100 000-men to help Sharjeel. The Sahabah hesitated whether they should face such heavy odds or inform
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) for further instructions. At this Hadhrat Abdullah bin Rawahah (Radhiyallaho anho) called aloud:
"Friends! what are you bothering about? What are you
here for? You are here to be martyred. We have never
fought by dint of our strength in arms and numbers.
We have always fought on the score of Islam, through
which Allah has exalted us. You are sure of one of the
two triumphs: Victory or Martyrdom."
Thus exhorted by Hadhrat Abdullah bin Rawahah
(Radhiyallaho anho), the Sahabah decided to advance till
they faced the Christian army in the battle-field of Moota.
Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) with flag in his hand directed the field operations. A fierce battle raged; Sharjeel's
brother was killed in action. Sharjeel himself fled from the
field and took shelter in a fort. He sent a message to the
Caesar, who immediately despatched for his help and an
army, which was 200 000-strong. The Muslims were fighting against very heavy odds. Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho
anho) was killed and the flag was taken over by Hadhrat
Ja'far (Radhiyallaho anho). He intentionally disabled his
horse to dispel any idea of returning home from the battlefield. He then recited a few couplets, which meant:
"0, people! What a beautiful place is Paradise. And
how happy is its approach! How fine and how cool is
its water. The Roman's doom is at hand, I must finish
them all."
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We see the same spirit even in their successors (the Tabi'ees). I close this chapter with an account of Saeed bin
Jubair, who is famous Tabi'ee. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) has said:
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Hajjaj:
"What is your name?"
Hadhrat Saeed: "My name is Saeed (lit. auspicious)."
"What is your father's name?"
Hajjaj:
Hadhrat Saeed: "Jubair (lit. Trimmed)."
Hajjaj:
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Hajjaj:
Hadhrat Saeed: "You have collected them, and you are the
best judge."
Hajjaj:
Hadhrat Saeed: "I only like the things which Allah likes."
Hajjaj:
"Woe to you!"
Hajjaj:
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"Verily, I have turned my face toward Him Who created the heavens and earth, as one by nature upright,
(VI: 80).
and I am not of the idolaters"
"Turn him from our Qiblah and let him
Hajjaj:
face the Qiblah of the Christians, who also
caused dissension and dispute among
their community."
His face was immediately turned to the other direction.
Hadhrat Saeed:
"And wither-so-ever you turn, there is Allah's countenance" (11: 115). Who is knower of the hidden
thoughts.
"Make him lie on his face. We are only reHajjaj:
sponsible for appearance."
Hadhrat Saeed (Rahmatullahi alaih) was made to lie on his
face.
Saeed:
CHAPTER-VIII
"And the believers should not all go out (in the path of
Allah). Of every group of them, a party only should go
forth that they (who are left behind) may gain sound
knowledge in feligion and that they may warn their
folk when they come to them, so that they may
beware."
(IX: 122).
Hadhrat ~ b d u l l a hbin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"The verses of the Qur'an which were revealed in the
beginning of Islam, demanding every Muslim to move
out in the path of Allah; for example:
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"After the death of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), when the Khalifah's selection was under consideration, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho)
addressed the people quoting all those verses of the
Qur'an and all such Hadiths of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) which dealt with the virtues and
privileges of the Ansar."
This shows how much knowledge of the Qu'ran he had,
and how many Hadiths he remembered. In spite of all this,
there are very few Ahadith that have been narrated by
Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho). For similar
reasons, Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullah alaih) too was
not so liberal in reporting Hadith.
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4.
140
141
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143
"0,
Ummul-Mo'minin, I request you to say by Allah if
you have beard from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) the Hadith regarding Qeeraats of reward?"
She said: "Yes. I have heard this Hadith."
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) then said to
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anho):
"During the Prophet's time, I had no tree to plant in
the orchard and no merchandise to sell in the market. I
was always with the Prophet. My only job was to memorise what the Prophet said, and to eat only what he
gave me."
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyal.lQhoanho) said:
"No doubt. Of us all, you were the most constant in attendance to him and therefore most informed about ths
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."
With all these achievements, Hadhrat Abu Hurairah
(Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"I recite Istighfar 12000 time daily."
He had a piece of thread with 1000 knots. He would
not go to sleep until he had said Subhanallah on all of
these knots.
Death of Musailamah and Compilation of QW'&.
Musailamah was an imposter who called himself a
Rrophet, even during the life time of the Prophet (Sallal7.
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laho alaihe wasallam). After the death of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), people of the weak faith,
especially among wandering Arabs, began to desert Islam
and become renegades. Musailamah took advantage of the
situation and succeeded in causing a large number of
people to fall a prey to his seduction. Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) decided to put a stop to this onslaught on Islam.
A fierce battle was fought with him, in which the Muslims
triumphed with the help of Allah, and Musailamah was
killed. A good number of Sahabah, including many Huffaz,
however, lost their lives. After this battle, Hadhrat Umar
(Radhiyallaho anho) went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) and said:
"Many Huffaz gave been slain in this battle. I am afraid
we are likely to lose a good portion of the Qur'an if we
fight a few more battles and suffer loss of Hufaaz at
this rate. I, therefore, suggest that the Qur'an may be
compiled and preserved in the form of one complete
book."
Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) remarked:
"How can I venture on a thing that was not done in the
life of the Prophet (Sall'alkaho alaihe wasallam)?"
But Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) pressed his point
so much that Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho)
agreed to it. He sent for Hadhrat Zaid bin Thabit (Radhiyallaho anho) and informed him of what had passed between
him and Umar (Radhiyallaho anho), and then said:
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9.
147
Hadith.
Kathir bin Qais narrates:
"I was sitting with Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho
anho) in a musjid in Damascus, when a person came to
him and said, '0,
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho
anho), I have come all the way from Madinah to learn
one Hadith from you, as I understand you have heard
it directly from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho):
"Have you any other business in Damascus?"
The person:
"No."
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho):
"Are you sure that you have no other work in Damascus?"
The person:
"I have come to this place with the sole purpose of
learning this Hadith,"
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho):
"Listen. I have heard the Prophet (Sallallaho aliahe
wasallam) saying, 'Allah eases the way to Paradise for
148
149
Knowledge.
Hadhrat AbdulIah bin Abbas (~adhiyallaho
anho) says:
"After the passing away of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), I said to an Ansari friend of mine.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is not now
with us. But a large number of Sahabah are still among
us. Let us go to them and get knowledge of the Islamic
practices". He said. 'Who is going to approach you for
learning a regulation in the presence of these eminent
Sahabah?' I was not discouraged. I kept up my quest
for knowledge and approached every person who was
~ h VIII:
. Zeal for Knowledge
150
151
152
153
He then decided to condense the material, which still covered 6 000 pages. The same story is reported about his book
on the meaning and commentary of the Qu'ran. This is also
a very famous and popular book.
Daaraqutni (Rahmatullah alaih) is a famous writer on
Hadith. He travelled to Baghdad, Basrah, Koofah, Wasit,
Egypt and Syria for learning Hadith. Once he was attending
the class of his teacher. During the teacher's lecture he was
once seen copying from a certain book. One of the fellow
students admonished him saying:
"How can you listen to the Shaikh while doing that
work?"
IIe said: "There is a difference in my listening and yours.
Tell me how many Hadiths has the Shaikh recited so
far?"
The student began to think. Daaraqutni (Rahmatullah alaih)
said:
"Now let me tell you. The Shaikh has so far recited
eighteen Hadiths and these are . . ."
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Abdullah bin Mubarak (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Mohaddith of great fame. His labours and efforts in collecting
Hadiths are known to everybody. He says:
"I have learnt Hadith from four thousand teachers."
Ali bin Hasan (Rahmatullah alaih) says:
':It was a very cold night when I and Ibn Mubarak stepped out from the musjid after lsha. We continued discussion on a Hadith while standing there, till we heard
the Azaan for Fajr."
Humaidi (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Muhaddith, who has
combined Bukhari and Muslim in one compilation. It is
said that he wrote throughout the night. When it was very
hot, he would write while sitting in a tub of water. He also
wrote poetry. The following verses have been written by
him:-
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Abul Abbas Shirazi (Rahmatullah alaih) says:
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"I have learnt 300000 Ahadith from Tabrani."
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Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullah alaih) laboured very
hard in going deep into those Ahadiths which contradicted
some others. Koofah was the centre of Islamic learning in
those days. He had collected Hadith from all the Muhaddithin of that place. Whenever a Muhaddith from outside
came to Koofah, he sent his students to him to ascertain if
he knew any such Hadith that was not known to him. The
Imam had established a circle where scholars of Hadith,
Fiqah, and Philology gathered together. They had discussions on regulations about Islamic practices. Sometimes
the discussions continued for one month before a point
was agreed upon, and written in the book of regulations for
the people of his school of thought.
Imam Tirmizi (Rahmatullah alaih) is known to one and
all. He was unique in his capacity for memorising and retaining Ahadith. His memory was marvellous. Some Muhaddithin once tested his memory. They recited before him
forty-one Hadiths. Imam Tirmizi (Kadmatullah alaih) immediately repeated all of them. He himself writes:
"On my way to Mecca, I copied two parts from the collections of Hadith by a Shaikh. I happened to come
across that Shaikh personally. I said to him, 'I have
copied two parts of your collections. I wish to compare
those Hadiths by listening to them directly from you.'
The Shaikh agreed. While going to his place I, by rnis.%
take, took a blank book instead of the note book in
which I had copied the Hadiths. The Shaikh started reciting the Hadiths, while I held the blank book in my
hand. When he noticed it, he was very angry with me.
I explained to him how that had happened, and said,
'Shaikh, your time is not wasted. I remember everything that you have said.' He did not believe me and
asked me to repeat all that he had recited. I repeated
all the Ahadith. He thought I had memorised them
before I came to him. I said, 'You may recite some
other Hadiths.' He recited forty new Hadiths. I repeated all of them without any error."
It is very difficult to work and labour as hard as these
Muhaddithin did in collecting, memorising and propagating Hadith. It is difficult even to cover all such stories. Qar-
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spread and brought into practice while we remain absorbed
in our luxuries, comforts, pleasures and other worldly engagements.
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2.
CHAPTER IX
PLEASING THE PROPHET
(SALLALLAHO ALAIHE WASALLAM)
162
"We were once with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) on a journey. The sheets that we had spread on
our camels were decorated with red thread work on
the borders. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
said, 'I notice that the red colour has begun to catch
your fancy.' We stood up and dispersed in confusion at
this rebuke; so much so that our camels seeing our b,ewilderment began to run about. We immediately removed the sheetsfrom their backs."
We are surprised on hearing such stories about Sahabah, as we are living in a different atmosphere with quite a
different frame of mind. When the Truce of Hudeybiyah
was being negotiated, Urwah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho
anho) an envoy of Qureysh, had an opportunity of studying
very carefully the behaviour of Sahabah. When he returned
to his people, he said to them:
"I have been to the courts of great kings and monarchs
as an envoy. I have met the Emperors of Persia, Rome
and Abyssinia. Nowhere have I seen people around a
sovereign so respectful to him as I saw the companions
of Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). When he
spits, his sputum is not allowed to fall on the ground.
163
Cut.
Hadhrat Waa'il bin Hajar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"I once visited the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) when the hair on my head was long. While I was
sitting with him, he uttered the words. 'Zubab, Zubab'
(Meaning something evil or ominous). I though he was
referring to my hair. I returned home and had my hair
cut. Next day when I again went to him, he said, 'I
never referred to your hair when I uttered those words
yesterday. Any how, it is good that you had your hair
cut."
This shows the frame of mind of those people. They
tolerated no delay in acting upon the wishes of the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), whether they understood it
rightly or wrongly. They never thought it necessary to further inquire or clarify.
In the early years, talking in Salaat was permissible.
Once Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallake-anho)
visited the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) while he
was saying his Salaat. He greated him with "Assallamo'alaikum" but received no reply, as to talk in Salaat had
meanwhile been forbidden. He says:
"For receiving no reply, all sorts of explanations began
to haunt my mind. I thoLdht perhaps he is displeased
with me, or he is angry with me on such and such account, and so on.' At last when the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) finished his Salaat and informed me
that Allah had forbidden talking in Salaat I heaved a
sigh of relief."
165
164
5.
167
166
7.
9.
Spying.
Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) narattes:
"In the war of the Trench, we were facing a very big
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CHAPTER-X
THE WOMEN'S COURAGE AND SPIRIT OF ISLAM
The lap of the mother is admitted to be the best field of
instruction. Mothers imbued with the religious spirit are
more likely to bring up children who will have similar aptitudes. Alas! our children are brought up in surroundings
that draw them away from Islam or at least make them indifferent to the duties they owe therein; the results are obvious.
1. Hadhrat Fatimah (Radhiyallahoanha's) Tasbih:
2,
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174
Ummul-Momineen Hadhrat Umme Salmah (Radhiyallaho anha) was first,married to Abu Salmah (Radhiyallaho
anho). The husband and wife were very much attached to
each other. Once Umme Salmah said to her husband:
"I have heard that if a husband does not marry another
woman during the life or after the death of his wife,
and also if the wife does not remarry after the death of
her husband, the couple when admitted to paradise is
allowed to live there as husband and wife. Give me
your word that you will not marry after my death, and
I too pledge that I will not marry again if you happen
to die before me".
Hadhrat Abu Salmah (Radhiyallaho anho) said: "Will you
do as I say?"
She replied: "Of course".
12
175
176
177
7.
178
8.
179
mourning period in case of husband's death is however four months and ten days.) I am using the perfume simply to show that 1 am not mourning the death
of my father any longer."
When she was about to die, she sent for Hadhrat
Aishah (Radhiyallaho anha) and said:
"We have been rivals in sharing the love of the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). It is just possible that we
might have offended each other. I forgive .you. Please
forgive me too."
180
9.
She replied: "This bedding is meant for the dear and holy
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), while you are an
idolater pnd therefore unclean. How can I allow you to
sit on this bedding?"
Abu Sufyan was full of grief and remarked:
"Since you left us, you have developed bad manners."
In the face of the great reverence that she had for the
Prophet (Sallallaho al9ihe wasallam), she dould not tolerate
an unclean mushrik (though he be her own father) to sit on
the Prophet's bedding.
Once she came to know from the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) about the virtues of twelve rakaats of
Chasht. Since that time, she kept on offering this Salaat
regularly.
Her father Hadhrat Abu Sufyan (Radhiyallaho anha)
later embraced Islam. On the third day of his death, she
sent for some perfume and bsed it saying:
"I neith'er need nor like the perfume. I have heard the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying, 'A woman
is not permitted to mourn the death of any person
(except her husband's) for more than three days. (The
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Ye who believe! Endure, outdo all others in endurance, be ready and observe your duty to Allah, in order
that Ye may succeed. (III:200)"
When you get u p tomorrow morning, be prepared to
contribute your best in the battle. Go ahead into the
enemy lines, seeking help from Allah. When you see
the flames of war rising high, get right into the centre
and face the enemy chiefs. Inshallah you will get your
abode in paradise with honour and success."
Sons to Bravery.
Hadhrat Khansa (Radhiyallaho anha) was a famous poetess. She embraced Islam in Madinah, along with some
others of her clan. Ibn Athir writes:
"All masters of literature are unanimous in declaring
I-iadhrat Khansa (Radhiyallaho anha) as the best
woman poet in Arabic. No woman in history has ever
written such poetry as Hadhrat Khansa (Radhiyallaho
anha) ."
During the time of 'Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) in
16 A.H, the famous hattle of Qadisivyah was fought between the Muslims and the Persians. Hadhrat Khansa (Radhiyallaho anha), along with her four sons, took part in this
battle. On the eve of the battle, she exhorted all her four
sons, saying:
"0, My sons! You embraced Islam and emigrated of
your own free will. By Allah, beside Whom there is no
God, you all are the sons of the same father, just as you
are the sons of the same mother. I never betrayed your
father, nor defamed your maternal uncle. I never allowed a blot to come on your high birth nor polluted
your pedigree. You know what rewards Allah has
promised for those who fight against the disbelievers
,*
Next day, when the battle was in full swing, all the
four sons.advanced towards the enemy lines. One by one,
they attacked the enemy, reciting the words of their mother
in verses and fought till all of them were martyred. When
the mother got the news, she said:
"Alhamdulillah. Glory to Allah Who has honoured me
with their martyrdom. I hope that Allah will unite me
with them under the shade of His Mercy."
Here is a mother of that time. She exhorts her sons to
jump into the flames of battle and, when all the sons are
killed in quick succession, she glorifies Allah and thanks
Him.
12. Hadhrat Safiyyah (Radhiyallaho anha) Kills A Jew
Hadhrat Safiyyah (Radhiyallaho anha) was the aunt of
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and a real sister of
Hadhrat Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho). She took part in the
battle of Uhud. When the Muslims were defeated and some
of them began to flee from the battle, she would smite their
faces with her spear and excite them to go back and fight.
In the war of the Khandaq (Trench), the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had collected all the Muslim
women in a fortress and had deputed Hadhrat Hassaan bin
Thabit (Radhiyallaho anho) to look after them. The Jews,
who were always on the look-out for such opportunities for
doing mischief, surrounded the place and sent one of them
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186
to find out if there were any men with the ladies. Hadhrat
Safiyyah (Radhiyallaho anha) happened to see the Jew approaching the fort. She said to Hadhrat Hassaan (Radhiyallaho anho):
"There is a Jew coming to spy on us. You go out and
kill him."
Hadhrat Hassaan (Radhiyallaho anho) was a weak person.
He did not make bold to do the job. Safiyyah (Radhiyallaho
anha) got hold of a tent peg and went outside the fortress
and gave a blow on the head of the Jew that killed him on
the spot. She came back and said to Hassaan:
"The man is dead. I have not removed the clothes and
arms from his body for reasons of modesty. Now you
go and remove everything from his body. Also bring
his head after severing it from the body."
Hadhrat Hassaan (Radhiyallaho anho) was too weakhearted to do that even. She herself went again and brought
his head, and threw it over the wall amidst the Jews. When
they saw this, they said:
"We were wondering how Muhammad (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) could keep the womenfolk alone in
this fort. Surely, there are men inside to guard the
ladies."
Safiyyah died in 2 0 A.H. at the age of seventy three.
The war of the Trench was fought in 5 A.H. She was, therefore, 58 then. These days, a lady of that age is hardly able
to do her domestic work. But look how Saffiyyah (Radhiyallaho anha) goes and kills a Jew all alone.
13. ZIadhrat Asma (Radhiyallaho anha's) Interview With
187
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anha).
Hadhrat Umme Ammarah (Radhiyallaho anha) is one
of those Ansar who embraced Islam in the very beginning.
She was among the group that vowed allegience to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) at Al-Aqabah. AlAqabah in Arabic means a narrow Mountain Pass. In the
early days of Islam, the new Muslims were persecuted by
Qureysh very badly. They would put all hurdles in the way
of Tabligh. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), therefore, carried on his mission quietly and secretly. People
from Madinah who used to come to Mecca for Hajj usually
embraced Islam secretly in a mountain pass near Mina, so
that Qureysh might not see them. She was in the third such
group from Madinah. She participated in most of the
battles that were fought after emigration. She took prominent part in Uhud, Hudeybiah, Khaiber. Umratul Qadha,
Huneyn and Yamamah.
In the battle of Uhud, she was forty-three. Her husband
and two sons were also fighting in the battle. She took a
189
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leather bottle full of water and headed for Uhud. In the be- .e
ginning, the Muslims had an upper hand, but the tables g*
were turned in another moment and the enemy were in the
winning position. She had reached the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), when wave after wave of enemy troops
rushed to attack and kill him. She shielded the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) whenever anybody approached him. She had a cloth-belt round her waist full of
pieces of lint. She tended the wounded. She herself got
about twelve wounds, one of which was very serious.
Hadhrat Umme Sa'eed (Radhiyallaho anha) says:
"I once saw a very deep cut on the shoulder of Hadhrat
Umme Ammarah (Radhiyallaho anha). I inquired how
she had got that. She said, 'I got it in Uhud. When
people were running about in confusion, I saw Ibn
Qumiah coming towards us and shouting, 'where is
Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Let somebody tell me his whereabouts. If he is saved today, I
am no more.' I, Hadhrat Mus'ab bin Umair (Radhiyallaho anho) and some others intercepted him. He gave
me this deep cut on my shoulder. I also attacked him,
but he escaped on account of the double coat of mail
that he was wearing."
In spite of a year's treatment, the wound would not heal. In
the meantime, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) decided about the expedition to Hamra-ul-Asad. Hadhrat
Umme Ammarah (Radhiyallaho anha) also got ready to join
the expedition. But as her wound was still unhealed, she
could not participate. When the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) returned from the expedition, he straight away
went to visit Hadhrat Umme Ammarah (Radhiyallaho
anha). He was very happy to find her better.
She says:
"In fact, we were very much handicapped in Uhud.
The enemy had very strong cavalry, while we fought
on foot. There would have been a fair fight if they too
had been on foot. When somebody came riding on his
horse to attack me, I stopped his sword on my shield
and when he turned about, I attacked his horse from
the rear and cut its leg. This caused the horse as well
as the rider to fall on the ground. As soon as this happened, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) would
She loved her husband very much, who would not become
a Muslim on account of his father, who was the worst
enemy of Islam. After the fall of Mecca, her husband fled to
Yemen. She secured pardon for him from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and went to Yemen and induced
her husband to return to his home. She told him:
"You can be safe from the sword of Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) only when you put yourself in
his lap."
She returned with him to Madinah, where Ikramah embraced Islam and the couple began to live together happily.
They both participated in the Syrian war during the caliphate of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho). Ikmmah was
killed in a battle. She was then married to another wujahid, Hadhrat Khalid bin Sa'eed (Radhiyallaho anho). It was
at a place called Marja-us-Safr that her husband wanted to
meet her. She said:
"We have enemy concentrating on all fronts. We shall
meet after they are done away with."
He said: "I am sure I shall not survive this battle."
They then shared the bed for the first time in a tent at that
place. Next day, Hadhrat Khalid bin Sa'eed (Radhiyallaho
anho) was arranging for the Walimah when the enemy attacked with full force and he was killed in the battle. Hadhrat Umme Hakim (Radhiyallaho anha) packed up her tent
and other luggage, and, with a tent-peg in her hand, fought
the enemy till she had killed seven of them.
In war times, not to speak of a woman, no man would
like to get married under such circumstances. Look at her
marriage in the battle-field and her fight with the enemy!
Instead of mourning the loss of her husband on the day of
his death, she rushes in to the battle-field and kills seven of
the enemy soldiers single-handed. Is this not enough to
show the wonderful strength of Iman in women of that
time?
190
191
anha).
Hadhrat Sumayyah (Radhiyallaho anha) is the mother
of 'Hadhrat Ammar (Radhiyallaho anho), whose story we
have already read in Chapter V. Just like 'Hadhrat Ammar
(Radhiyallaho anho) her son, and Yasir her husband, she
192
laho anha).
Hadhrat Asma bint Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anha) is
the daughter of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho),
mother of Hadhrat Abdullah bin Zubair (Radhiyallaho
anho) and step-sister of Hadhrat Aishah (Radhiyallaho
anha). She is one of the famous women of her time. She
was the eighteenth person to embrace Islam. She was
twenty-seven years old at the time of the Hijrat. After the
migration from Mecca, when the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) and Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho)
reached Madinah safely, they sent Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) and some other Sahabah to bring their families
from Mecca. Hadhrdt Asma (Radhiyallaho anho) came to
Madinah with Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho's)
family. When she reached Quba, she gave birth to Hadhrat-Abdullah
bin-Zubair (Radhiyallaho anho), the first
Muslim baby born since the Hijrat. She says:
"When I was married to Hadhrat Zubair (Radhiyallaho
anho), he had neither money nor property of any kind.
He had only one camel for carrying water and one
horse. I would bring fodder for the animals and datestones to feed them in lieu of grass, bring water from
the well, mend bucket myself when needed, and
attend to other domestic duties. Attending to the horse
was the most difficult of all jobs. I was not good at
baking and, therefore, after kneading the flour, I would
13
193
Grandfather.
When Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) emigrated to Madinah in the company of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), he took with him all his money,
thinking that the Prophet might need it. It was about 6 000
dirhams. After his departure, his father Abu Quhafah (who
was blind and who had not till then accepted Islam) came
to express his synlpathy with his granddaughters.
Hadhrat Asma (Radhiyallaho anha) says:
"Our grandfather came to u s and said, 'Your father has
shocked you with his migration to Madinah, and
seems to have put you to further hardship by taking all
his money with him.' I said, 'No grandfather, do not
worry. He has left a lot of money for us.' I collected
some pebbles and deposited them in the recess where
194
Charity.
Hadhrat Asma (Radhiyallaho anha) had a very large
heart for spending in the path of Allah. In the beginning,
she used to spend carefully with measure and weight. Once
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said to her:
" 0 ,Asma, do not put by and be calculating; spend in
the path of Allah liberally."
After this, she started spending most generously. She
would advise her daughters and house maids:
"Don't wait for any surplus or excess' of requirements
before spending in the path of Allah. As the requirements go on increasing in the chances of having some-
195
spear at her, which wounded her and made her fall from
the camel. As she was pregnant, she had an abortion. Kinanah started sending arrows towards the interceptors, when
Abu Sufyan said to him:
"We cannot tolerate the daughter of Muhammad leaving Mecca so openly. Let her go back and you can send
her secretly after a few days."
Kinanah agreed. Hadhrat Zainab (Radhiyallaho anha) was
despatched after a few days. She suffered from this wound
for a long time, till at last she died of the same in 8 A. H.
The Prophet said at the time of her death:
"She was my best daughter, for she has suffered much
on my account."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) buried her with
his own hands. As he went into the grave to lay her down,
he looked very sorrowful but, when he came out of the
grave, he was quite composed. On the query by the Sahabah, he said:
"In view of the feebleness of Zainab, I prayed to Allah
to remove from her the tortures of the grave, and this
prayer has been answered by Allah."
Just imagine, even the daughter of the Prophet who
sacrificed her life for Islam needed a prayer from the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) for protection from
difficulties in the grave. What about us people who are so
much steeped in sins? It is but necessary that we should
always seek protection from the difficulties in the grave.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) would often seek
refuge in Allah from the horrors of the grave. This was all
for the instruction of his followers. (0,Allah! protect us
from the horrors of the grave by Thy special Favour. Grace
and Bounty).
the battle. She had accepted Islam before the Prophet emigrated to Madinah. She was married when the Prophet was
in Madinah. He graced her marriage with his presence. He
heard some girls singing an epic poem about the battle of
Badr at her place. One of them sang a verse, which meant:
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Rubayyi-bint-Mu'awiz (Radhiyallaho anha) was a
woman of Ansar, who had participated in many battles, by
the side of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). She
nursed the wounded and carried the dead bodies during
"We have among us the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who knows what is to happen tomorrow."
He stopped her from saying such things , because nobody
except Allah knows what is going to happen in future.
It was Hadhrat Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho anha's) father
Hadhrat Mu'awiz (Radhiyallaho anho) who was one of
those who killed Abu Jahl in Badr. Abu Jahl, as we know,
was one of the big chiefs of Qureysh and the worst enemy
of Islam. There was a woman named Asma who used to
sell perfumes to the ladies. She once came to Hadhrat Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho anha) to sell perfume. When Hadhrat
Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho anha) was introduced to her as the
daughter of Hadhrat Mu'awiz (Radhiyallaho anha), she remarked:
"So you are the daughter of him who killed his chief."
Hadhrat Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho anha's) high mind could
not tolerate the wretched person like Abu Jahl to be mentioned as the chief of her father. She, therefore, retorted:
"No. I am the daughter of one who killed his slave."
Asma did not like this epithet for Abu Jahl, and said with
anger:
"It is haram for me to sell perfume to you."
Hadhrat Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho hnha) said, in the same
strain,
"It is haram for me to buy perfume from you. I have
never found stink in any. perfume except yours."
Hadhrat Rubayyi (Radhiyallaho anha) says:
"I had used the last words simply to provoke her."
Look at her sensitiveness and feeling for Islam. She could
not tolerate an enemy of Islam being mentioned as a chief.
We hear from the lips of Muslims most flowery and high
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laho anho) who was born in Mecca five years before the
Nubuwwat. She was first married to Hadhrat Khunais bin
Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho), who was one of the very
early Muslims. He first emigrated to Abyssinia and then to
Madinah. He participated in Badr, and was fatally
wounded in Badr (or in Uhud) and died of the wound in
the year 1 or 2 A. H. Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anho)
had also emigrated to Madinah with her husband. When
her husband died, Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) went
to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) and said:
"I want to give Hafsah in marriage to you."
Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) kept quiet and said
nothing. Meanwhile Ruqayyah (Radhiyallaho anho) the
daughter of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and
the wife of 'Hadhrat Usman (Radhiyallaho anho) died.
'Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) went to Hadhrat
Usman (Radhiyailaho anho) and offered Hadhrat Hafsah
(Radhiyallaho anho's) hand to him. He declined by saying.
"I have no mind to marry for the present." 'Hadhrat Umar
(Radhiyallaho anho) complained of this to the Prophet. The
Prophet said:
"I tell you of a husband for Hafsah better than 'Usman,
and of a wife for 'Usma.n better than Hafsah."
He then took Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anho) as his
next wife, and gave his own daughter Hadhrat Umme
Kulsum (Radhiyallaho anha) in marriage to 'Hadhrat (Radhiyallaho anho) Usman. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho
anho) later said to 'Hadhrat 'Usman Umar (Radhiyallaho
anho):
"When you offered Hafsah's hand to me, I kept quiet as
the Prophet had expressed to me his intention of marrying her. I could neither accept your offer nor disclose
the Prophet's secret to you. I, therefore. kept quiet. If
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had changed
his mind, I would have gladly married her."
'Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"Abu Bakr's silence over the offer was in fact more
shocking to me than 'Usman's rejection."
Hadhrat Hafsah (Radhiyallaho anha) was a very pious
woman, and very much devoted to Salaat. She would often
fast during the day and spend the night in prayers. Once
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203
204
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She says: "I had heard from the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) that a person struck with a calamity
should recite this prayer:
t
"Allah will look after your children and your sensitiveness will vanish in due course. None of your
people will dislige the proposed marriage".
She then asked her (eldest) son Hadhrat Salamah (Radhiyallaho anho) to serve as her guardian and give her in
marriage to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). She
was married in the end of Shawwal, 4 A. H.
205
She was the last of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam's) wives to die. It was in 59 or 62 A. H. She was 84 at
the time of her death, and as, such she was born 9 years
before Nubuwwat.
As has already been said, the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) married her after the death of Hadhrat
Zainab bint Khuzaimah (Radhiyallaho anha). She therefore
lived in Hadhrat Zainab (Radhiyallaho anha's) house. She
found a hand-mill, a kettle and some barley in an earthen
jar, lying in the house. She milled some barley and after
putting some fat cooked a preparation, which she served to
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) on the very first
day of her marriage with him.
( 7 ) Hadhrat Zainab bint Jahsh (Radhiyallaho anha):
She was the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam's)
cousin. She was first given in marriage by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to his adopted son Hadhrat Zaid
bin Hari thah (Radhiyallaho anho). When Hadhrat Zaid
( ~ a d h i ~ a l l a hanho)
o
divorced her, she was married to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) by command of Allah,
as mentioned in Soorah A1 Ahzab. This took place in 5 A.
H; at that time, she was 35. She w 2s therefore born 17 years
before Nabuwat. She was always proud of the fact that,
while all the other wives were given in marriage to the
Prophet by their guardians, it was Allah Himself Who did
this for her. When Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) divorced her and she had completed her Iddat, the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) sent the proposal to her. She
said:
"I cannot say anything until I have consulted my
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207
Hadhrat Juwairiah (Radhiyallaho anha) was the daughter of Harith, the chief of Banu Mustaliq and was married
to Musafe' bin Safwan.
She was one of the large number of captives who fell
into Muslim hands after the battle of Muraisee', and she
was given to Hadhrat Thabit bin Qais (Radhiyallaho anho).
He offered to release her for 360 Dirhams. She came to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said:
"0,
Prophet of Allah! I am the daughter of Harith who
is the chief of the tribe, and you know my story. The
ransom demanded by Hadhrat Thabit (Radhiyallaho
anho) is too much for me. I have come to seek your
help in the matter."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) agreed to pay her
ransom, set her free, and offered to take her as his wife. She
was very glad to accept this offer. She was married to the
Prophet in 5 A. H. and as a consequence of this marriage,
the prisoners of Banu Mustaliq (Juwairiah's tribe), about a
hundred families, were all set free by the Muslims. "The
tribe which was so honoured by the Prophet's relationship," they said, "should not remain in slavery."
Such were the noble expediences in all the marriages
of the Prophet. Hadhrat Juwairiah (Radhiyallaho anha) was
very pretty, her face was very attractive. Three days before
her falling captive in the battle, she had seen in her dream
the moon coming out from Madinah and falling into her
lap. She says:
"When I was captured, I began to hope that my dream
would come true."
She was 20 at the time of her marriage with the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). She died in Rabi-ul-Awwal,
50 A. H., in Madinah at the age of 65.
,
(9) Hadhrat Umme Habibah (Radhiyallaho anha):
She was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, and was first
married to Ubaidullah bin Jahsh in Mecca. The couple embraced Islam, and then emigrated to Abyssinia due to persecution by the Qureysh. One night she saw her husband
(in a dream) in the most ugly and obnoxious form. The next
day she came to know that he had turned Christian. She,
however, remained a Muslim and was therefore separated
from him. She was now all alone in exile. But Allah soon
208
recomperised her loss. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) sent her an offer of marriage through the King
Negus, who sent a woman named Abrahah to her with the
message. She was so happy with the good news that she
made over the bracelets and other jewellery that she was
wearing to the woman in gratification. King Negrls represented the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in the
Nikah ceremony, and gave her 400 dinars as her portion
and many other things in dowry from himself. He also gave
a feast and dinars as gift to all those who were present in
the ceremony. The Negus then despatched her to Madinah
with her dowry and other gifts such as perfume, etc. This
marriage took place in 7 A. H. (Her father was not a Muslim
then). She most probably died in 44 A. H.
(10) Hadhrat Safiyyah (Kadhiyallaho anha):
She was the daughter of Hayi, who was a descendant
of Hadhrat Harun (Alaihis salaam) the brother of Hadhrat
Moosa (Alaihis salaam). She was first married to Salam bin
Mishkam and then to Kinanah bin Abi Huqaiq at the time
of Kheybar. Kinanah was killed in the battle and she was
captured by the Muslims. Hadhrat Dahya Kalbi (Radhiyallaho anho) requested for a maid, and the Prophet made her
over to him. At this, the other Sahabah approached the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said:
"0, Prophet of Allah! Banu Nazir and Banu Quraizah
(the Jewish tribes of Madinah) will feel offended to see
the daughter of a Jewish chief working as a maid. We
therefore suggest that she may be taken as your own
I
wife."
The Prophet paid a reasonable sum of money to Hadhrat
Dahya (Radhiyallaho anho) a s ransom, and said to Safiyyah:
"You are now free: if you like you can go back to your
tribe or can be my wife."
She said: "I longed to be with you while I was a Jew. How
can I leave you now, when I am a Muslim?"
This is probably a reference to the fact that she once saw in
-her dream a portion of the moon falling into her lap. When
she mentioned her dream to Kinanah, he smote her face. so
severely that she developed a mark on her eye. He said:
14
209
Ch. X: Women's C o u ~ g b
e Spirit for Islam
"Maimoonah was the most pious, and the most mindful of her kith and kin, among the Prophet's wives."
Hadhrat Yazid bin Asam (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"She was seen either engaged in Salat or in domestic
work. When she was doing neither, she was busy in
Miswak."
on the seventh day of his birth. Two lambs were slaughtered, the child's head was shaved by Hadhrat Abu Hind
Bayazi (Radhiyallaho anho), silver equal in weight to his
hair was spent in charity, and the hair was buried. The
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
"I am naming my child after the name of my forefather
Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam)."
This son also died, on 10th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 10 A. Ii.,
when he was only 18 months old. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) then remarked:
"Allah has appointed a heavenly nurse to tend to Ibrahirn in the gardens of Paradise."
210
She was the last woman to be married by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Certain Muhaddithin have, however, mentioned one or two other marriages contracted by
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
Appendix:
The Sons of The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam):
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had three
sons and four daughters. All the children were born from
Hadhrat Khadija (Radhivallaho anha), except the son Ibrahim. Qasim was his first son, born to him before Nubuwwat. He died when he was two. Abdullah, the second son,
was born after Nubuwwat. He was, hence, called Tayyab
and Taahir. He also died in his childhood. At the time of
his death, the Qureysh rejoiced and said:
"Muhammad is without a son, and will therefore be
without posterity. His name will also die out with his
death."
It was on this occasion that Soorah Al-Kauthar was revealed by Allah. It said:
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was spotted by liadhrat Abdur Kahman bin Auf (Kadhiyallaho anho). The boys were on foot, while Abu Jahl was on
horse back. One of the boys hit a leg of the horse and the
other that of Abu Jahl. This caused both to fall down and
l
unable to get up. The boys left him in this
Abu J a l ~ was
c:onrlition. Mu'awwez bin Afra brother of I-ladhrat Ma'az
bin Afra (Radhi~lallahoanho) then went and further disabled him with his sword, so that he might not drag himself to his camp. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Masood
(Kadhiyallaho anho), last of all, attacked him and severed
his head from the body."
220
This was reported to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallanl). who allowetl Saiilrah to prove his claim bv wrestling
with Rafe': Samurah did at:tuallv beat Rafe' in the bout and
he too was permitted to stay ill the army. A few more boys
made similar efforts to stay o n , and some of them did succeecl. Meanwhile i t becanle dark. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallanl) made necessary arrangements for the
watch and ward of the camp during the night, and then inquiretl:
" N o ~ v , who is going to guard niy tent during the
night?"
Whenever an army of Mujahidin moved out from Madinah for a campaign. the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) inspected them at some distance outside to ensure
that nothing was lacking in men and equipment. It was
here that he usually returned to Madinah all those tenderaged bovs who had come out with the army in their zeal to
fight for Islam. While setting out for Uhud. the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe ~ r a s a l l a m carried
)
out this inspection just
outside Madinah. He ordered the young boys to go back.
Among them were Abdullah bin 'Umar, Zaid bin Thabit.
Usamah bin Zaid, Zaid bin Arqam. Bara bin Azib. Amr bin
Hazarn. Usaid bin Zubair. 'Urabah bin Aus, Abu Sa'eed
Khudri. Samurah bin J u n d u b and Rafe' bin Khudaij (Radhiyallalio anhum). All of them had just entered their teens.
Khudaij said to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam):
The person:
"Zakn an."
The Prophet (Salldllaho alaihe wasallarn):
"All right. Y o u take !lour seat."
He a-gain inquired:
"Who else is volunteering to guard my tent for tonight'?"
A voice:
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in Badr.
Badr was the most gallant and illustrious battle ever
fought by the Muslims, who were faced with very heavy
odds. There were 313 men, 3 horses, seventy camels, six or
nine coats of arms and eight swords with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), while the Qureysh had about
1000 men, 100 horses, 700 camels, and were armed to their
teeth. The Qureysh were so sure of their victory that they
had brought with them musical instruments and songstresses to celebrate the victory. The Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) was very anxious because of the heavy
odds against him. Heprayed to Allah saying:
" 0 ,Allah! Thy faithful slaves are barefooted; Thou and
only Thou can provide them with animals to ride
upon. They are naked; Thou and only Thou can clothe
them. They are poor; Thou and only Thou can sustain
them."
Allah granted his prayer and gave the most glorious victory
to the Muslims.
In spite of knowing the strength of the Qureysh, Abdullah bin 'Umar and Bara bin Azib (Radhiyallaho
anhuma), in eagerness to join the battle, had come out with
the Mujahidin. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam),
however, in consideration of their tender age, did not
permit them to proceed to the battle-field.
227
As we have already seen, both these boys were also rejected for the same reason at the time of Uhud, which took
place one year after Badr. Look at the wonderful spirit of
the youngsters of that time that they were anxious to obtain
permission for participating in every battle.
11. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Ubayy (Radhiyal-
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Fight.
When the battle of Uhud was over, the remnant of Sahabah returned to Madinah, most tired and broken. When
the Qureysh, on their way back to Mecca, were camping at
a place called Hamra-ul Asad, their chief, Abu Sufyan, sat
in council with his lieutenants. They said among themselves:
"The Muslims are defeated in Uhud. Their morale
must be very low. This is the best time to finish Muhammad."
They, therefore, decided to return and attack Madinah.
When the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) received intelligence about this council, he ordered all those Sahabah
who had participated in Uhud, and who had just returned
from the battle, to move out of Madinah and meet the
enemy on the way.
Jabir (Radhiyallaho anho) came to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said:
"0,
Prophet of Allah! I was very eager to fight in Uhud,
but my father prevented me from going, on the plea
that there was no other member in the house to look
after my seven sisters and only one of us could join the
campaign. As he had made up his mind to go, he bade
me stay back with the family. He met the most coveted
end [i.e., martyrdom) in Uhud. Now I am very eager to
go with you this time and fight the Qureysh."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) allowed him to
go. He was the only person in that campaign who had not
fought in Uhud.
Hadhrat Jabir's (Radhiyallaho anho) father was martyred in Uhud. He left Jabir a big family to look after and
large debts to clear, with nothing to live on. The debts were
due to one of the Jews, who as we know seldom have any
soft corner in their hearts for their debtors. Also his seven
sisters for whose sake he was not allowed to go to Uhudwere still there to be boked after. Now look! inspite of all
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in Salaat.
Hadhrat Amr bin Salamah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"We lived with our father at a place on the caravan
route to Madinah. When a caravan from Madinah
passed our village, we asked the people therein about
Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). They would
tell us that he claimed to be receiving revelations from
Allah, and they would also recite a few verses of the
Qur'an before us to give us an idea about his claim.
Then I immediately used to commit those verses to
memory. In this way, I remembered a good portion of
the Qur'an, even before I embraced Islam. All the
desert tribes were waiting for Mecca to fall to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) before they embraced Islam. On his victorious entry into Mecca,
deputations from all the tribes began to come to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in order to accept
Islam. My father headed the group who went to the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to pledge allegiance to him on behalf of our tribe. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) taught them the basic
regulations about Salaat and other Islamic practices.
He said to them, "The person who knows more Qur'an
is entitled to lead in Salaat. Now it so happened that
none in my tribe knew so much Qur'an as I did. They
searched for an Imam, but they could not find a person
knowing more Qur'an than me. I was, therefore, made
Imam. At that time, I was only seven. I led the congre;
gational Salaat and funeral service if any."
It was his natural inclination and affinity towards Islam
that made him remember so much of the Qur'an when he
was only a boy and he had not even embraced Islam.
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(In the name of Allah be its course and its mooring. Lo! My Lord is, surely, most Forgiving, most
Merciful)."
3. "To shun vain things makes one a good Muslim."
Rabee'ah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"I once asked Husain (Radhiyallaho anho) if he remembered any incident in the life of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). He said, 'Yes. Once I
managed to get on to a few dates lying near a window
and put one of them into my mouth. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) bade me take out and throw
away the date, as we (i.e. his family members) were not
permitted to eat anything from Sadaqah."
238
CHAPTER XI1
LOVE FOR THE PROPHET
What we have hitherto read about the achievement of
the Sahabah in their time was in fact the result of their love
for Allah and for His Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
Love, as a matter of fact, was a great dynamic force in the
Sahabah's career. It was this force that made them forego
their luxuries, forget their lives, give up all their desires for
wealth, ignore all afflictions, and have no fear of death
even. There is no room for any other consideration (except
that of beloved) in the heart saturated with love. May Allah
through His Grace grant us His own love and that of His
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), so that we may be
blessed with devotion in His worship and have sense of
comfort in all difficulties faced in His service.
Abu Bakr's [Radhiyallaho anho) Sufferings for Islam.
In the beginning, those who embraced Islam had to
keep their faith secret, as far as possible. As the Muslims
were being constantly persecuted by the Qureysh, even the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) advised all new converts to practise Islam secretly, so that they might not have
to suffer at the hands of Qureysh. When, however, the
number of Muslims reached 39, Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho
anho) made a suggestion for the open preaching and practising of Islam. ThepProphet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
would not agree, but, when Abu Bakr (Radhivallaho anho)
insisted. he gave his consent and so all of them went to
Haram for Tabligh. Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) began to
speak, and the Khutbah given by him was the first ever delivered in the annals of Islam. Hamzah (Radhiyallaho anho)
the Prophet's uncle and the Chief of Martyrs embraced
Islam on that very day, while 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho)
came into the Muslim fold on the third day of this address.
No sooner did Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) start speaking
than the idolaters and disbelievers from amongst the Qureysh fell upon the Muslims from all sides. Despite the fact
that he was considered to be the noblest and most respectable of all the people in Mecca, Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho
anho) was beaten to such an extent that his nose and ears
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Qureysh. "
3. An Ansari Woman's Anxiety About the Prophet.
In the battle of Uhud, the Muslims suffered heavy
losses and quite a large number of them were killed. When
the sensational news of their heavy casualties reached
Madinah, the women came out of their houses eager to
know the actual details of these casualties. On seeing the
crowd of people at a place, a woman of the Ansar anxiously inquired:
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'Urwah:
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"Who is he?"
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me."
However when 'Usman (Radhiyallaho anho) entered
Mecca, Abaan bi'il Sa'eed took him in his protection and
said to him:
"You roam where you like. Nobody car1 touch vou."
"He is Mughirah."
'Urwah:
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lam) that the blood had been disposed of. The Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) inquired:
"What did you do with it?"
Ibn-Zubair said: "I have swallowed it."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) remarked:
"The person who has my blood in his body cannot be
touched by fire of Hell. But you will kill people and
people will kill you."
Everything coming out of the Prophet's body is clean.
No doubt, therefore. remains in understanding Ibn Zubair's
action. The last words of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), however, make prophesy about the battles for
power. which Ibn Zubair (Radhiyallaho anho) had to fight
with Yazid and Abdul Malik. In the later part of his life,
Ibn Zubair (Radhiyallaho anho) was killed in one of these
battles. Even at the time of Ibn Zubair's (Radhiyallaho
anho) birth, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had
remarked that he was a sheep among the cloaked wolves.
7.
251
The father and uncle were quite satisfied with the situation
and gladly left Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) with the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and returned without him.
Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) was only a child at that time.
His preferring to remain a slave, and refusing to go with his
own father giving up his home and kith and kin is an obvious tribute to his love for the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam).
252
253
8.
9.
254
IC1
11. Sahabah's Love For the Prophet [Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and other Anecdotes.
Somebody asked Ali (Radhiyallaho anho):
"How much was the Sahabah's love for the Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."
He replied:
I
I
"By Allah! To us the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was dearer than our riches, our children and our
mothers, and was more cherishable than a drink of
cold water at the time of severest thirst."
There is no exaggeration kn Ali's (Radhiyallaho anho)
statement. As a matter of fact, the Sahabah reached this
state because of the perfection of their Iman. It could not be
otherwise, in the face of what Allah has enjoined viz:
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These incidents were of frequent occurrence with the Sahabah. Such fears in the hearts of the lovers are quite natural.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) recited these
verses for their consolation.
A person once came to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said:
"0,
Prophet of Allah, my love for you is such that
when I think of you, I cannot rest till I run to see you,
for I am sure I would die if I did not see you. Now I
grow very anxious when I imagine that, even if I am
able to enter Paradise, it will be very difficult for me to
see you, for you will be in a position far above my
reach. "
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) consoled him by
reciting the foregoing verses in his reply.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saw a person
from the Ansar looking very much distressed. He inquired:
"What makes you look so distressed?"
The Person: "0,Prophet of Alldh! I have a worry."
The Prophet: "What is it?"
The person:
" 0 , Prophet of Allah! We come to you every morning
and evening. We are blessed with your sight and delighted to be in your presence. But one day, we will be
deprived of your company for you will be placed on
heights inaccessible to us."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) observed silence
over this, but when the foregoing verses were revealed he
sent for that person and gave him the glad tidings contained therein.
According to another Hadith, a number of Sahabah had
expressed similar fears until the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) rec,ited these verses to them, and they were satisfied.
According to another version, the Sahabah once asked
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam):
"The Prophets on account of their ranks will surely be
in much higher position than their followers. How will
the followers be able to see them?"
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The Epilogue.
The stories given in the previous pages are meant to
serve as specimens. In fact a detailed account of Sahabah's
lives can not be covered even in big volumes. It is now
quite a few months since I started writing this small book.
My engagements in Madrasah and other matters needing
immediate attention have already delayed this work. I,
therefore, propose to finish the book at this stage, so that
people may at least benefit from these pages. I have to write
an important warning before I close. Just as we are today
lacking in our other duties we owe to Islam, so are we very
seriously neglectful in our respect and esteem of the Sahabah. Some negligent people go to the extent of even making
adverse remarks against them, We must remember that the
Sahabah are those people who laid the foundations of
Islam. They are the pioneers in Tabligh. We can never be
too grateful to them. May Allah shower His choicest blessings on their souls for their efforts in acquiring Islam from
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and handing it
down to their successors. I am reproducing below the
translation of a chapter from "Shifa" by Qaadhi Iyaadh:
"If we claim to revere and honour the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), we must also respect his Sahabah. As Muslims, it is incumbent on us to appreciate
what we owe to them, to follow them and to ask forgiveness of Allah for them. No doubt they had their
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Sahabah. Do not make them the target of your calumny. Who loves them, loves them for his love for
me, and who spites them spites them for his spite
for me. Who annoys them, annoys me, and who
annoys me annoys Allah. Allah will very soon
seize the person who annoys Him."
with you."
(2) My Sahabah are like (guiding) stars. Whomsoever
Virtues of the
HOLY QUR'AAN
Revised translation of
the Urdu book Faza'il-e-Qur'aan
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Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
translated by
Aziz-ud-Din
CONTENTS
z a
FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 a,:
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Page No:
17
18
19
22
23
23
25
26
27
28
32
36
5
6
7
8
10
18
Contents
Contents
Hadith No:
11
12
,I3
37
. . . . . . . .. .
40
41
42
43
44
17
45
18
45
19
47
20
15
16
21
22
50
57
24
59
25
60
61
62
63
28
48
49
56
29
Secitation of the Holy Qur'an is Nur (effulgence) in the life and a provision in the
Hereafter .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .
,
51
53
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56
26
Page No:
23
14
Hadith No:
Page No:
65
66
,
67
69
31
70
32
72
33
73
Stories of recitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
74
75
30
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Contents
Hadith No:
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Page No:
76
77
'7
77
78
79
One who recites ten ayaat shall not be reckoned among the neglectful ...............:.
80
80
81
PART 2 -CONCLUDING
SECTION
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FOREWORD
All praise be to Allah Who created man, gave him the gift
of expression and revealed for him the Holy Qur'an, which
is a source of advice, healing guidance and mercy for those
who have faith. The Qur'an contains nothing that is doubtful or crooked. It is absolutely straight, and authority and
Nur (enlightenment) for the believers. Abundant and perfect salutation be on Muhammad Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) (blessing and peace from Allah be upon
him), the person who is the best of all creation, whose Nur
illuminated the hearts of the living and their graves after
death, whose appearance was a bounty for the whole universe. Peace be upon his descendants and Companions,
who are the stars of guidance and propagators of the Holy
Qur'an, and also upon those believers who are their followers in faith.
After this praise and salutation, I (the author), Zakariyya, son of Yahya. son of Isma'il, state that these hur-
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FOREWORD
12
13
14
FOREWORD
15
doubts.
For a lover, the moments of greatest pleasure are those
when, in the presence of his beloved, he is full of selfreproach and shedding tears profusely.
One should not read fast unless one desires to memorize it. The Qu'ran should be placed in a slightly elevated
position on a wooden stand or a pillow. One should not
talk to others during recitation. If one is forced by necessity
to speak to someone, it should be done after first closing
the Book, and then recite 'Ta'awwudh' (seeking refuge of
Allah against Satan), before reading again. If people nearby
are occupied in their work, reading in a low voice is appreciated otherwise reading loudly is more rewarding.
The Masha'ikh have mentioned six external and six internal rules of reverence for reading the Holy Qu'ran,
which are given below:
Rules of External Iieverence
correct pronunciation.
to do so.
(4) The response to ayaat of mercy or 01 punishment
(6) Read in a melodious voice, because there are numerous ahadith laying emphasis on this.
Rules oflnternal Reverence
(1) The heart should be full of the glory of Qur'an i.e.
16
PART I
FORTY AHADITH
help.
Hadhrat Uthman (Radhiyallaho anha) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: "The best
amongst you is he who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."
In most of the books, this hadith is quoted with the word
'and' between 'learns' and 'teaches' as above. Thus the
greatest reward would be for him who learns the Holy
Qur'an and thereafter teaches it to others. But in some of
the books this 'hadith's is narrated with the word 'or', in
which case the meaning would be: "The best amongst you
is he who learns the Qur'an or teaches it."
Accbrding to this version, the reward is general, i.e.,
equally great whether one learns himself or teaches to
others. Thus there would be equal virtue for both.
The Qur'an is the basis of the religion of Islam, and on
the preservation and propagation of the Qur'an depends
the .very existence of this faith. Hence the virtue of learning
and teaching the Qur'an is self-evident and does not need
further elucidation.
There are, however, various degrees of excellence. The
highest is to learn the Qur'an along with its meanings and
purport, and the least is to learn its words only.
The hadith mentioned above is supported also by another saying of Rasulullah [Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) as
reported by Hadhrat Sa'eed ibn Saleem (Radhiyallaho
anho): "If a person who has acquired knowledge of the
Holy Qur'an considers another person who has been gifted
with something else to be more fortunate than himself, he
has shown disrespect to the blessings of Allah bestowed on
Part I [Hadith 3)
aside for the person who cannot attend the function because of the task of distribution given to him by the distributor himself. In another hadith, in the same context, it
is mentioned that Allah would give such a person a better
reward than what He would give to His ever grateful servants.
18
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HADITH- 2
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Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyal~ahoanho) narrates that Rasullullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: "Allah
exalts many people by means of this Book (the Holy
Qu'ran), and He also degrades and disgraces many
others by means of the same."
People who believe in the Holy Book and act upon it
are given by Allah position of honour and respect, both in
this life as well as in the Hereafter, while those who do not
act upon it are disgraced by Allah. This principle is also
borne out by the various ayaat of the Holy Qur'an. At one
place it reads:
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like similes and metaphors, due to which expressions or shades of meaning or similes and metaphors become known.
(7) llrnul Badee', i.e., knowledge of rhetoric, the
knowledge which reveals the beauty of language
and its implications.
The last three are the branches of Ilmul Balaaghah
(knowledge of oratory), clnd are considered very important
subjects, which a cornmelltator should master, because the
Glorious Qur'an is a perfect miracle and its amazing constructions can only be understood after mastering these
subjects.
(8) llmul Qirrta'ah, i.e., knowledge of the art of pro-
of faith. This is necessarv to explain certain analogies. The literal meaning of certain ayaat referring to Almighty Allah is not the correct one. For
example, the analogy in the ayat--
Part I (Hadith 8 )
31
32
Part I (Hadith 9 )
33
HADITH 9
I-Iadhrat 'Abdullah ibn Amr (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alihe wasallam) said:
"On the Day of Judgement, it will be said to the Man
devoted to the Qur'an, 'Go on reciting the Qur'an and
continue ascending the storeys of Jannat (Paradise) and
recite in the slow manner you had been reading in
worldly life; your final abode will be where you reach
at the time c)f the last ayat of your recitation."
"The man of Qur'an" apparently means a hafiz. Mulla
'Ali Qari has explained it fully that this honour is reserved
for. a!hafiz, and that this hadith does not apply to one who
reads by looking into the Holy Book. First, because the
words "Man of Qur'an" point towards a hafiz and secondly
there is a tradition in Musnad Ahmad-
of pathos and may affect the heart quickly, because a pathetic voice influences the heart at once,
moves and strengthens the soul more affectively.
The physicians are of the opinion that if a medicine is required to affect the heart quickly, it should be given a
sweet smell by means of a perfume, for the heart is sensitive to sweet smell and if the medicine is required to affect
the liver, it should be sweetened with sugar because the
liver likes sweet things. Therefore, if a perfume is used at
the time of recitation, it will have a better influence on the
heart.
(6) Tashdeed ( (5) ) (doubling of letters) and madd ( (3) )
(prolongation of letters) should be fully pronounced because this reveals the grandeur of the
Qur'an and adds to its effectiveness.
( 7 ) As stated earlier, the reader's heart should respond
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"Whoever reads the Qur'an and acts upon what is contained in it, his parents will be made to wear a crown
on the Day of Judgement, the brilliance of which will
excel that of the sun, if the same were within your
wordly houses. So, what do you think about the person
who himself acts upon it?"
Thus, it is through the virtues of his reading the Qur'an
and acting upon it that the parents of the leader will be
honoured with a crown, the brilliance of which will far
excel the light of the sun even if the sun were within one's
own house. The sun is at a great distance from us and even
then its light is so bright. If the sun comes down into one's
house, its light and brilliance will surely increase manifold. The light of the crown to be worn by the parents of
the reader will be still more brilliant. When this is in $tore
for the parents, what will be the reward of the reader himself? Surely if the beneficiaries get so much, the reward of
the person who is the real cause should be much more. The
parents get this reward solely because they were the cause
of the reader coming into being, or were responsible for his
education.
In addition to the fact that the light of the sun will he
far greater if it were in one's own house, this simile implies
yet another delicate point. Attachment and liking for a
thing increase when it always remains with a person.
Therefore, the feeling of strangeness for the sun due to distance will give place to attachment, because of its close
nearness all the time. Thus, in addition to describing the
brilliance of the crown, the hadith implies this attachment
with the crown and also the great satisfaction that it belongs to oneself. Everybody gets benefited by the sun, but if
it were to be given entirely to a person, how very proud he
would feel.
Haakim (Rahmatullah alaih) has reported from Buraidah, (Radhiyallaho anho) saying of Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam); "One who recites the Qur'an and acts
upon it will be made to wear a crown woven with noor,
and his parents will be made to wear garments, which will
be more valuable than the entire world. They will say,
'Almighty Allah! what is it that we are being given these
garments for?' 'In lieu of the reading of Qur'an b y your
child', will be the reply."
It is given in Jam'ul Fawaa'id by Tabrani (Rahmatullah
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the Qur'an in salaat is more rewarding than the recitation outside salaat; recitation outside salaat is preferable to tasbeeh and takbeer (repeating words of Praise
for Allah); tasbeeh is superior to sadaqah (alms); sadaqah to sowm (fasting) and sowm is protection against
Fire."
The superiority of recitation of the Qur'an over zikr
(glorification and remembrance of Allah) is evident because Qur'an is the Word oi Allah. As mentioned earlier,
the superiority of the Word of Allah over the speech of
others is like His superiority over His creation. The superiority of zikr over sadaqah has been stressed in other ahadith as well. But the superiority of sadaqah over sowm as
given in this hadith, seems contrary to that given in some
other ahadith where sowm is said to be better than sadaqah.' This difference is due to the variations in the type of
people and their conditions of life.
According to this hadith sowm comes last in the order
of merit. When sowm is protection against the Fire of Hell,
we can imagine numerous blessing of the recitation of
Qur 'an.
The author of 'Ihya' reports on the authority of Hadhrat' Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) that for every letter recited
there are hundred blessings for one who reads the Qur'an
while standing in salaat, fifty blessings for one who reads
while sitting in salaat, twenty-five blessings for one who
reads in the state of wudhu outside salaat, ten blessings for
one who reads without wudhu, and one blessing for him
who does not read himself but listens eagerly to the reader.
HADITH- 16
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Hadhrat 'Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) says that Rasulpllah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Recitation of
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) savs: "Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) asked us. 'Does
any one of you like that when he returns homc, ht?
should find three she-camels, pregnant and fat.' We
said, 'We would love to do so.' Then Rasulullah (Sal-
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Hazrat Uthman bin Abdullah bin Aus Thaqafi (Radhiyallaho anhum) narrates from his grand-father that
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Reciting
the Qur'an from memory carries one thousand degrees
of spiritual reward, while reading the Qur'an from the
Book increases it,up to two thousand degrees."
Many virtues of being a hafiz have been mentioned
before. In this hadith, however, preference is shown to
reading from the Holy Book as compared to reciting it from
memory, because reading from the Book is not only conducive to deeper understanding and meditation but also includes several other devotional acts, such as looking into
the Qur'an and touching it, etc. The difference in the apparent meanings of the various ahadith has led to a difference of opinion among the scholars of hadith as to whether
reading from the Holy Book is better than reciting it from
memory. By reason of the above hadith, and because
reading from the Book safeguards against making mistakes
and includes the virtuous act of looking at the Holy Book,
some scholars give preference to reading by looking into
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Hadhrat Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Certainly
there is always a thing in which people take pride.
And that which is glory and pride for my Umlnat is the
Holy Qur'an."
People indicate their nobility and dignity by virtue of
their lineage, their familv and other similar things. ?'he
Qur'an is the source of nobility and pride for the Ummat in
the sense that reading, memorizing and teaching it, as also
acting upon it; in short, everything related to it, confers an
honour upon them. Why should it not be so? After all, it is
the Word of the Beloved and the Commandment of the
Master. Its dignity excels all worldly honours, however
great. The achievements of this worldly life, however
splendid vanish sooner or later, while the splelldour and
dignity of the Qur'an is eternal and unbounded.
Even the minor attributes of the Glorious Qur'an are
such as we should be proud of, let alone its excellence in
other respects, for example, its beautiful composition, wonderful coherence, the right choice of words, the proper development of arguments, the narration of past events and
prophecies about the future. Its assailing remarks concerning other people are such as cannot be contradicted, e.g.,
the remark about the Jews, that they profess their love for
Allah, but they never long for death. The listener is impressed by its recitation and the reader never gets tired of
reading it. It is usual that, however lovely a discorirse may
be, it may even be a letter from a beloved who has made
one mad: we will become tireti of reading it for the twentieth time if not the tenth: or the fortieth time, if not the
twentieth. On the other hand, if we just memorize one section of the Qur'an, one may read it two hundred times or
four hundred times or go on doing so for the whole life. but
one shall never lose interest. And if something prevents us
from enjoying it, that will be for a while only. In fact, the
more we read the Qur'an, the greater will be our enjoyment
48
and satisfaction. Even if a few of the above excellent qualities were to be found in any composition, we would be all
praise for it. So, if all these qualities were present in a composition to a perfect degree, surely it would have to be regarded with the greatest honour and pride.
Now, we should just reflect on our own condition.
How many of us feel really proud of having memorized the
whole Qur'an? Does a hafiz command real respect in our
eyes? Alas! our honour and pride lie in high university degrees, in big titles, in worldly pomp and show, and in the
wealth which we will have to leave behind us on our
death. 0,Allah! have mercy up011 us.
HADITH- 2 1
Hadhrat Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho anho) says that he requested Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to give
him some lasting advice. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) said, "Cultivate the fear and reverence of
Allah in your heart, because this is the root of all virtuous deeds." I asked him to add something more and he
said, "Stick to the reading of the Qur'an, because it is a
noor in this life and a provision for the Hereafter."
The fear of Allah is the root of all good actions. A man
whose heart is filled with fear of Allah, does neither
commit any sin nor experience any difficulty.
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Beware of the invocation of the oppressed because between him and Allah there is no veil or intermediary.
As a Persian verse goes:
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One whose evil deeds drive him away from the mercy
of Allah, the superiority of his lineage or nobility of his
family cannot bring him near it.
Thus a person who has a continuous noble pedigree,
but indulges in disobedience and impiety, cannot be equal
in the presence of Allah to a Muslim who is of low birth
and abject ir, humility, but otherwise God-fearing and
devout.
That the reading of the Qur'an is the best means of getting access to Almighty Allah is explained in the commentary of Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi (Nawwarallaho
marqadahu), who is an authority for the prosterity. Its substance is that sulook ilallaah (the path of mystics towards
Allah) which is also.called the stage of Ihsaan can be attained in three ways:, (1) 'Tasawwur', known as meditation in Sharee'at and
muraqabah in the terminology of mystics.
(2) Remembrance of Allah by repeating words of
praise for Him.
(3) Reading of the Holy Qur'an.
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HADITH- 23
Hadhrat Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "You
cannot turn to Allah and gain nearness to Him with
anything superior to that which directly proceeded
from Him, i.e., the Holy Qur'an."
It is evident from numerous ahadith that there is no
better means of seeking nearness to the presence of Allah
than recitation of the Qur'an. Imam Ahnlad ibn Hambal
(Rahmatullah alaih) says. "I saw Almighty Allah in a
dream and asked Him what was the best means for seeking
nearness to His presence. Allah said, '0, Ahmad! It is My
Word (i.e. the Qur'an).' I enquired whether it is only
reading while understanding the meaning, or reading without understanding. Allah said 'Whether by understanding
the meaning or without understanding. it is a means of
nearpess either way."'
55
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HADITH- 24
Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "For Allah,
from amongst the people, there are some who are those
of His household." The Sahabah (Radhiyallaho
anhum) (may Allah be pleased with them) asked,
"Who are those people?" He replied "Men of the
Qur'an. They are of the household of Allah, and are his
favoured ones."
"Men of the Qur'an are those who always remain occupied with the Qur'an and have got a special attachment to
it. That such people are of the household of Allah and His
favourites is evident. It is, therefore, clear from the foregoing that, as long as such people always remain occupied
with the Qur'an, special favours of Almighty Allah continue to be conferred upon them. Certainly those who live
in constant company do become as one of the household.
What a great honour it is to belong to His household, to be
reckoned amongst the 'Men of Allah' and to become His
favourites, with such little striving and endeavour. What
sacrifices of comfort and money are not made by people for
admittance to worldly courts or to be elected as members of
an assembly. They flatter the voters and bear all sorts of humiliations; yet they consider all this worthwhile. But the
endeavour for the Qur'an is considered as a waste of time
and energy:
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Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Recite the
Qur'an in the Arabic accent, do not recite it in the tone of
lowers or in the voice of Jews and Christians. There will
shortly arise a people who will recite the Qur'an with affectation like singers and mourners, and such reading will be
of no advantage to them at all. They themselves will get
into trouble, and so also those who admire their reading."
Taa'oos (Rahmatullah alaih) writes that someone asked
Rasulullah (Sallalaho alaihe wasallam) "Who it was who
read the, Glorious Qur'an in the best voice?" Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied, "It is he whom you
hear and feel that he is under the fear of Allah, i.e., his
voice shows his being overwhelmed with fear." This is,
however, the extreme benevolence of Allah that He does
not expect from a person anything beyond his capacity.
There is a hadith that Allah has deputed an angel on a
special duty. If there be somebody who recites the Qur'an,
but is unable to do so as correctly, as it should be done,
this angel corrects his recitation before he takes it up to the
Heavens."
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lowing twenty surahs are known as 'al-Mathaani' (the oftrepeated ones), while all the remaining surahs are called
'al-Mufassal' (the explicit ones). This division is according
to a popular interpretation, but there is some difference of
opinion as to whether a certain surah is included in 'asSab'ut Tuwal' or 'al-Mi'een'. Similarly there is a disagreement as to whether a surah falls under 'al-Mathaani'
or 'al-Mufassal'. But this disagreement does not affect the
meaning or purpose of this hadith. This hadith shows that
the Holy Qur'aan contains the equivalents of all the important Heavenly Books that had been revealed earlier, and
moreover contains 'al-Mufassal' as a special addition, the
like of which is not to be found in the earlier books.
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Hadhrat Jaabir (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "The Qur'an
is such an interceder whose intercession is accepted,
and a disputant whose dispute is upheld. Whoever
keeps it in front of him, it draws him to Paradise, and
whoever puts it behind his back, it hurls him, into
Hell."
This means that, if the Qur'an intercedes on behalf of
anybody, its intercession is accepted by Almighty Allah.
Hadhrat 'Abdullah ibn Amr (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said,
"The sowm (fast) and the Qur'an both intercede for the
obedient person. The fast submits, '0 Allah! I prevented him from eating and drinking during the day,
so You accept my intercession on his behalf, and the
Holy Qur'an says, ' 0 , Allah! I denied him sleep at
night, so You accept my intercession for him.' Consequently, the intercession of both of them is accepted."
In the book 'Targhib', the hadith mentions the words
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(1) And keep awake some part of the night for reciting
it in Tahajjud salaat.
(4) And who spend the night before their Lord, pros-
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PART 2
CONCLUDING SECTION
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Respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger whenever They call you.
Then Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "I tell
you of a surah which is the greatest, the most virtuous in
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Part 11 (Hadith 1)
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Ibn Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Whoever reads
surah Al-Waaqi'ah every night, starvation shall never
afflict him."
Ibn Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho qnho) used to command his
daughters to recite this surah every night.
The virtues of surah Al-Waaqi'ah are also reported in
many ahadith. There is a riwaayat to the effect that whoever reads surahs al-Hadeed, Al-Waaqi'ah and Ar-Rahmaan, is reckoned amongst the dwellers of Jannat-ulFirdaus (the highest level of Paradise). In another hadith, it
is stated that surah Al-Waaqi'ah, is surah Al-Ghinaa. Read
it and teach it to your children. Another riwaayat says:
"Teach it to your wives." Hadhrat 'Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho
anha) is reported to have emphasized its reading. But it is
low mentality on our part to read it only for sake of petty
worldly gain. If instead, it is read for the contentment of
the heart and for the sake of the next world, then worldly
gains will come to us without the asking.
86
Part I1 (Hadith 6 )
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HADITH- 6
Abu Musa Ash'ari (Radhiyallaho anho) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Be watchful towards the Qur'an. I swear by Him in Whose
hands my life is, that the Qur'an is apt to escape from
the hearts more rapidly than do the camels from their
strings."
If a man becomes neglectful in looking after an animal,
and the animal frees itself from the halter, it will bolt away.
Similarly if the Holy Qur'an is not looked after, it will not
be remembered and will be forgotten. The fact that the
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Part I1 (Hadith 7 )
Holy Qur'an gets committed to memory is a distinct miracle of the Book itself. Otherwise memorizing a book onehalf or even one-third of its size is not only difficult but
well-nigh impossible. Therefore, the fact that the Holy
Qur'an gets committed to memory is mentioned by
Almighty Allah as a Divine favour in surah al-Qamar,
where it is repeated over and over-
89
HADITH- 7
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Part I1 (Hadith 7)
all parts of the body, i.e. his face, will be deprived of its
beauty.
Once 'Imraan bin Husain (Radhiyallaho anho) happened to pass by a preacher who recited the Glorious
Qur'an and then begged of the people. He was grieved to
see this painful sight and recited 'Innaa lillaahi wa innaailaihi raaji-oon' (verily we are from Allah and will return to
Him). He said that he had heard from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that whoever recites the Glorious
Qur'an should beg whatever he needs only from Almighty
Allah. Shortly, there will come into existence a people who
will recite and then beg of the people. It is reported from
some scholars that the "example of one who earns the
gains of this world through the knowledge of deen is like
that of one who cleans his shoes with his cheeks; the shoes
will no doubt be cleaned, but the act is most stupid. It is
such people who are referred to in the following ayat of the
Glorious Qur'an:
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FINAL NOTE
The purpose of describing the beauties and virtues of
the Holy Qur'an in the foregoing pages is to cultivate a love
for it. Love for the Holy Qur'an is needed for developing a
love for Almighty Allah, and vice versa. Love for one leads
to love for the other.
The creation of man in this world is only for the purpose of acquiring a realization of Allah, and all other creation is for the sake of man. As a Persian poet says:
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The clouds, the winds, the moon, the sun and the sky
are constantly at work,
So that $ou earn your living and do not eat in forgetfulness
The whole creation is involved in working for you in
obedience,
The law of justice will not be fulfilled if you fail to
obey (Allah).
So man should l6arn a lesson from their punctuality
and obedience ,in their functions of rendering service to
him.
Sometimes, as a warning, temporary changes are
caused in their functions by Almighty Allah. There is no
rain when it should rain; no wind blows when it should
blow; similar changes are wrought in the moon and the sun
through their eclipses. In short, everything is subject to
some change for admonishing those who neglect their duty
to their Creator. How astonishing indeed that all these
things be made subservient to fulful man's needs, yet their
obedience does not lead man to his own submission to the
Creator. Love alone provides the best help for obedience
and submission to Almighty Allah.
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The third, fourth and fifth qualities are beauty, perfection and benevolence, respectively.
If the foregoing ahadith are studied, keeping the above
three qualities in view, scholars will not feel contented
with what has been written by me, but they will themselves arrive at the natural conclusion that all considerations that promote love and liking, such as sense of
respect and status, fondness and constancy, beauty and
perfection, greatness and benevolence, peace and pleasure,
wealth and property, in short all such things as promote
love are pointed out by Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to be possessed in a superb way by the Glorious
Qur'an. It is but natural that some of these virtues may be
hidden, and may not be directly visible as is the case with
most of the wordly valuables. We do not reject a delicious
fruit because of its rough outer cover. Nobody starts hating
his beloved lady because she wears a veil. He would try, by
all possible means, that his lady love unveils herself, but if
he does not succeed, the very sight of the veil will thrill
him, provided he is sure that it is his beloved indeed
behind it. No doubt, the Glorious Qur'an excels in all the
virtues that induce love, but if, for any reason, we fail to
understand and realize them, it will not be wise on our part
to become indifferent and disappointed. We should attribute this failure to our own shortcomings and feel sorry
at our loss. We should contemplate more and more upon
the beauties of the Glorious Qur'an and become worthy of
understanding the Divine Book.
'Uthman (Radhiyallaho anho) and Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) have reported that, if hearts become clean of all
filth, then one would never be satiated with reading the
Holy Qur'an. Thaabit Banaani (Rahmatullah alaih) said, "I
put in a labour of twenty years to learn the Qur'an and it
has been giving me solace for t se twenty years." Thus it
is obvious that whoever repent over his sins, and then
meditates upon the Glorious Qur'an, will find it to possess
all beauties that all the beloveds collectively possess. I
wish I were also such a person. I, however, request the
readers that they should not look to the humble personality
of the writer, lest it should prevent them from realizing
their objective, but they should consider the subject-matter
and its source. I am only a means of drawing their attention
to these sublime matters.
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106
107
108
109
111
PART 4
COMPLEMENTARY NOTE
The fortv ahadith given in the foregoing pages relate to
a special subject-matter and as such it has not bee11 possible to maintain brevity. These days, we have become easygoing and i t is difficult to bear even slight hardships in the
cause of religion. In view of this, I give here another set of
forty ahadith, which are very brief and are reported at one
place from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). The
beauty about it is that it embraces all the vital teachings of
Islam and is unique in this respect. It is given in 'KanzulUmmaal' and ascribed to a group of the earliest scholars of
hadith. Of the scholars of later times, Maulana Qutbuddin
Muha~irMakki (Rahmatullah alaih) has also mentioned it.
Let those having a zeal for Islam commit at least this hadith
to memorv and earn a bounteous reward for doing so little.
This hadith is given below:
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(10)Pay the Zakaat (obligatory charity on wealth exceeding a prescribed limit) and
(11)Fast during the month of ,Ramadhan;and
(12)Perform Hajj if you have wealth;
The availability of wealth has particularly been mentioned, because want of wealth is generally made an
excuse for non-performance of Hajj. Otherwise it is evident that the other prerequisites that make the Hajj
obligatory should also exist.
(13) You should perform the twelve raka'aat sunnat-emu'akkadah salaat' every day; (According to other
ahadith these twelve raka'aat are detailed as two
raka'aat before the two fardh raka'aat of Fajr salaat,
four before and two raka'aat after the four fardh raka'aat of Zohr, two after the three fardh raka'aat of
Maghrib, and two after the four fardh raka'aat of
Ishaa'.).
(14)You should never miss the Witr salaat at night;
Witr salaat is waajib (compulsory, but less than
fardh and more important than sunnat) and is,
therefore, specially emphasized.
(15)You should ascribe no partners unto Allah;
(16)You should not disobey your parents;
,
(17) You should not devour the property of orphans
unjustly; (Unjustly implies that there is no harm in
using the belongings of an orphan in a lawful
manner, as is the case under certain circumstances.)
(18)You should not drink wine;
(19)You should not commit adultery;
(20)You should not indulge in false oaths;
(21)You should not give false evidence;
(22)You should not yield to your base desires;
(23)You should not backbite on a Muslim brother;
113
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114
Virtues of
SALAAT
Revised translation of
the Urdu book Faza'il-e-Namaaz
by
Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
translated by
Abdul Rashid Arshad
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hadith
Hadith
15-16
... ...
17
Hadith
21
Hadith
22
Hadith
23
Hadith
24
Hadith
25
Arbaoon
Hadith
12
13
Hadith
Hadith
'
27
2,
xr l
-33
25
Virtues of Salaat
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
36
37
CONTENTS
38
Hadith
(r
Hadith
66
67
68
Hadith
CHAPTER I.-THE
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
REWARD OF JAMAAT
Page No.
52
'
54
56
Quotation
Hadith
58
Hadith
59
Hadith
59
Hadith
60
65
49
64
Hadith
48
Page No.
39
Quotation
Quotation
Quotation
70
71
71
71
72
CONTENTS
Virtues of Salaat
Page No.
72
Quotation
73
Quotation
73
Quotation
74
Quotation
74
Quotation
75
Quotation
Quotation
Story
Story
78
Story
78
Story
78
Story
IV A Sheikh's dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
79
Story
Story
79
Story
80
80
Story
>
81
82
Story
83
83
84
Hadith
86
Hadith
86
Hadith
88
Hadith
89
90
92
94
95
99
Significance of wording of
Salaat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
102
105
An Important Note. . . . . . . . . . . . .
110
Hadith
Hadith
Hadith
Hadi t h
79
81
75
Page No.
Story
Story
IX A - surgical
operation during
Salaat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
X Abu Amir's story about a slave
woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VI
VII
FOREWORD
The present-day Muslims, in respect of their behaviour
towards Salaat, can be divided into three groups. A large
number among them is totally unmindful of Salaat. Quite a
few observe their Salaat, but are not particular about
Jamaat. Then there are those who are regular in their Salaat
(with Jamaat), but their Salaat is devoid of the care and
thoroughness which it demands. I have divided the book
into three parts to suit the requirements of each group. In
each part, the illustrious Ahaadith of the Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) are quoted with their simple
translation. The translation is idiomatic and not literal. Explanatory notes have been added wherever necessary. The
names of the books of Hadith from which the quotatims
are taken have also been mentioned for reference.
I
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CHAPTER 1
THE REWARDS OF SALAAT
PART I
IMPORTANCE OF SALAAT
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Kadhiyallaho anho) narrates that he heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
saying:
"Islan~is founded on five pillars: bearing witness that
there is no god but Allah, and Muhanlmad (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) is His servant and apostle: estahlishmerlt
of salaat: paying of Zakaat; pertorrnance of Hajj: axri fastirig
in Kamadhaan."
The Prophe! (Sallallaho alaihe u~asallam)has compared Islam to a canopy resting on five supports. The Kalimah is the central support and the other four pillars of
Islam are. so to say, the remaining four supports. one at
each corner of the canopy. Without the central support, the
canopy cannot possibly stand. and if any one of the corner
supports is missing a collapse will result in the defective
corner. Now, let us judge for ourselves how far we have
kept up the canopv of Islam. Is there really any pillar that
is being held in its proper place?
The five pillars of Islam mentioned in this Hadith signifv the most essential duties of a Muslim. Although a
hluslim cannot do without any one of them, vet salaat in
Isldrn ctccupies a position next onlv to Ilnaan. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Kadhi~allaho
anho) savs:
"Once, I inquired of tht: tioly Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), which act (of man) was the dearest to
Allah. The Prophet replied, 'saiaat'. I then inquired which
act came next (in order of merit) and the Prophet replied,
12
Virtues of Salaat
13
14
Virtues of Salaat
15
Virtues of Salaat
"The likeness of five times daily salaat is as the likeness of a deep brook running in front of the door of a
person who bathes therein five times a day."
Running water is generally free from dirt, and the
deeper it runs the cleaner and purer it is. A bath in such
water surely removes dirt from the body and makes it
clean. Salaat offered with due regard for its essentials likewise cleanses the soul of all sins. There are several ahaadith of the same meaning, though with slight variations in
expression, narrate& by different companions of the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Hadhrat Abu Sa'eed
Khudri (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he heard the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying:
'Each of the five salaats expiates the sins committed
since the salaat preceding it. To explain. let us take the
case of a person working in a factory. His job is such
that his body gets covered with dust. But there are five
streams of running water in between the factory and
his house and, on his return from the job, he takes a
bath in each stream. The effect of five times daily
salaat is quite similar. Any sins of omission and commission between two salaats are forgiven on account of
'istighfaar and taubah in each salaat.'
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) through such
parables, aims at impressing that salaat has the wonderful
power of removing the sins. If we fail to avail of Allah's
mercy, surely we ourselves are the losers.
To err is human. We are likely to commit innumerable
acts of displeasing Allah and deserve thereby. His wrath
and punishment, but look how relenting our dear Allah is!
He has most graciously shown us the way to earn His
mercy and forgiveness. It is a great pity if we do not avail of
this great favour. Our Allah is always eager to show us His
mercy on very small grounds. It is said in a hadith, that if a
person goes to bed with the intention of getting up for Tahajjud and perchance does not wake up, he receives the
full reward for Tahajjud, although he has been enjoying his
sleep at the time of Tahajjud. How boundless is the grace of
Allah and what a tremendous loss and deprivation if we do
not receive blessings from such a Giver.
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Virtues of Salaat
18
19
"There is no god save Allah-the Clement-the Bouqtiful. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the tremendous
throne. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I ask
Thee all that leadeth to Thy Mercy and deserveth Thy
forgiveness. I ask Thee abundance in all that is good
and refuge from all that is evil. Leave me no sin but
Thou pardonest it, and n o distress but Thou removest
it, and no need but Thou fulfillest it. 0, most Merciful
of those who show mercy!"
Wahb bin Munabbih writes: "Have your needs fulfilled
by Allah through salaat. In the good old time, if a calamity
befell the people, they would hurry towards salaat." It is
said that in Koofah there was a porter who was well known
for his honesty. People trusted him with their valuables
and money, which he carried from one place to another.
Once he wps on his usual errand when a person-met him
on the wayland asked him about his destination. When the
porter gave him the required information, k s a i d , "I am
also bound for the same destination. If I could walk, I
would have accompanied you on foot. Will you kindly give
me a lift on your mule for one dinaar?" The porter agreed
and allowed him to share the mule with him. They came to
a crossing on the way. The person said, 'Now, which road
will you take?' 'The main road, of course,' replied the
porter. The person said, 'No, brother. We should go by the
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20
Virtues of Salaat
26
21
22
Virtues of Salaat
saying, "The comfort of my eyes is in salaat." This is an expression of his profound love for salaat. As such, what else
can be more valuable than salaat?
23
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Virtues of Salaat
25
26
Virtues of Salaat
perform their Fajr with Jamaat and keep sitting after prayer
till a little while after sunrise and then offer two rakaats of
salaat." According to Shaqeeq Balkhi, a very famous
Shaikh, five things could be acquired through five channels; an increase in provisions through 'Chaasht' a light in
the grave through Tahajjud, a very satisfactory answer to
Munkar and Nakeer through the recitation of the Qur'an; an
easy crossing of Siraat through fasting and alms, and room
under the shade of Allah's Throne on the Day of Judgement
through seclusion (i.e. Zikr).
There are so many sayings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) enjoining salaat and explaining its
virtues that it is very difficult to cover all of them in this
small book. A few quotations are, however, reproduced
below as a benediction:
1. "Salaat was the first and the foremost thing ordained by Allah, and it shall be the first and the
foremost thing to be reckoned for on the Day of
Judgement."
2. "Fear Allah in the matter of salaat! Fear Allah in
the matter of salaat! Fear Allah in the matter of
salaat!.
3. "SalCat intervenes between man and Shirk."
4. "Salaat is the mark of Islam. A person who says
his salaat at the fixed hours with sincerity and devotion, observing all its regulations including the
Mustahabbaat, is surely a Mo'min."
5. "Of all things that have been ordained by Allah,
Imaan and salaat are the most valued. If there were
any otber thing better than salaat, then Allah
would have ordained it for His Angels, some of
whom are always in ruku and others in sajdah."
6. "Salaat is the pillar of Islam."
7. "Salaat abases the Devil."
8. "Salaat is the light of a Mo'min."
9. "Salaat is the best Jihaad."
10. "Allah keeps relenting towards a person so long as
he is engaged in salaat."
11. "When a calamity befalls us from the heaven,
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
27
85
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Virtues of Salaat
26.
27.
28.
29.
by Allah."
32. "At dawn, some people go to the musjid and some
in salaat."
I
0, Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)! however long thou livest thou shalt die one day, and
whoever, thou may love thou shalt depart from
him one day. Surely, thou shalt receive the recompense of whatever (good or evil) thou dost. No
29
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Virtues of Salaat
finishing that soorah he again hymned 'Allahumma Lakalhamd' three times and started 'al-Maa'idah'. He went into
ruku only after finishing that soorah. In ruku and sajdah
he recited tasbeeh and some other prayers, which I could
not catch. In the second, rakaat he started 'al-An'aam' after
'Fatihah'. I could not continue with him any longer and
broke away helplessly." What the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) recited in one fakaat comes to about one
sixth of the whole Qur'an. Besides, the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) must be reciting at ease with proper Tajweed; we can well imagine how long the rakaat would
have been. It was on this account that his feet would often
get swollen. But no amount of strain and inconvenience in
salaat is in the way of one whose heart is imbued with its
sweetness.
Abu Ishaaq Subaihi is a famous muhaddith. He died a
centenarian. He would often exclaim in his old age, "Alas!
This infirmity and old age have deprived me of the delight
of long salaat. I am now only able to recite 'Baqarah' and
'Aal-Imraan' in my salaat of two rakaats." These two soorahs comprise about one eighth of the whole Qur'an.
Muhammad bin Sammaak, the famous Soofi, writes,
"My neighbour at Koofah had a son. The boy fasted during
the day and kept praying and hymning during the night.
This constant strain emaciated him so much that his body
was reduced to a skeleton. His father requested me to admonish him. Once I was sitting at my door when the boy
passed by. He greeted me with 'Assalaamu alaikum' and sat
down. I had hardly said anything when he interrupted
saying, 'Dear Uncle! Maybe you intend to admonish me to
reduce my pursuits. Listen to my story first. I had a few
friends in the locality. We decided among ourselves to vie
with one another in worship and adoration of Allah. They
all applied themselves so hard that they were soon sent for
by Allah. They embraced death delightedly and peacefully.
Now I am the only one left behind. What will they think of
me when they know of my lagging behind? Dear Uncle! My
friends really strived very hard and achieved their goal,' He
then began to relate the pursuits and accomplishments of
his departed friends, which astonished all the listeners.
After this he left me. I heard a few days later that the boy
too had died (May Allah bless him)."
Even in these days there are persons who remain engaged in salaat for the major portion of the night and
devote the whole day to Tableegh, Ta'leem and other services in the path of Allah. Maulana Abdul Waahid Lahori
(peace be upon him) was a famous saint who lived about
two centuries ago. He sighed and wept when he learnt that
there was no salaat in Paradise-being the place for recompense and not of labour. He remarked, "How shall we
enjoy the Paradise without salaat!" Such people are really
the salt of this Earth. May Allah give us their strength of
Imaan and love for His worship! Aameen.
30
31
Before I finish this chapter, let me reproduce the following lovely Hadith from Munabbihaat by Ibn Hajar,
"Once when the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was
sitting among his companions, he remarked, "Three things
of this world are very dear to me: Perfume, Women and salaat-the comfort of my eyes." "Quite true" rejoined Abu
Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho), "And I cherish three things: a
look at thy face, spending of my wealth on thee and that
my daughter is thy wife, 0 Prophet of Allah!" "Quite true",
said Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho), "And the three I
love most are; enforcing that which is right, forbidding evil
and wearing old clothes." "Quite true", said Hadhrat
Uthman (Radhiyallaho anho), "And the three I love most
are: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and reciting the
Qur'an." "Quite true", said Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho
anho). "And I love the three things most: serving a guest,
fasting on a very hot day and smiting the enemy with my
sword." At this, Jibra-eel (Alayhis salaam) appeared on the
scene and said to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam),
"Allah has sent me to tell you what I would love if I be one
of the mortals." "Yes, do tell us, Jibra-eel", said the
Prophet. jibra-eel then replied, "If I had been like you, I
would have loved three things: guiding the people gone
astray, loving those who worship in poverty and helping
the poor family men. And as for Allah, He loves three
characteristics of His slaves: striving in His Path, crying at
the time of repentance, and steadfastness in want and
hunger."
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim writes: 'Salaat ensures daily bread,
promotes health, drives out diseases, strengthens the heart,
brings light and beauty on the face, pleases the soul, refreshes the body, cures indolence, relieves the mind, feeds
the soul, illumines the heart and guarantees Allah's favour.
It grants protection against Allah's Doom. It keeps the Devil
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32
Virtues of Salaat
Hadhrat Jaabir bin Abdullah (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he heard the Prophet of Allah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) saying:
1. "To discard salaat is to be linked with Kufr."
2. "To discard salaat is to be linked with Kufr and
Shirk."
3. "Discarding of salaat is the only partition between
Imaan and Kufr."
There are a number of ahaadith on the subject. On one
occasion, the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is
reported to have said: "Hurry up with your salaat when it
E,
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Virtues of Salaat
is cloudy (lest you should err and miss the correct time),
for to discard salaat is to become a kaafir." What a stern
warning against even missing the correct time of salaat, as
(according to this quotation) to miss the correct time of
salaat is to discard it. Although, according to the interpretation of the Ulama, the verdict of kufr is given against a
person only when he rejects (and not simply neglects)
salaat, yet the words of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) occurring in these ahaadith should be very weighty
for those who have any regard for him. It may, however, be
noted that some of the very important companions of the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) like Umar, Abduilah
bin Mas'ood, Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anhum),
etc. and eminent jurists like Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaaq bin
Raahwayh, Ibn Mubaarak, (Rahmatullah alaihim). etc. are
definitely of the opinion that verdict of kufr can be given
against the person who intentionally discards his salaat.
May Allah save us!
34
Hadhrat IJbaadah bin Saamit (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates. 'My. dear friend the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) while enjoining upon me seven good practices said, "Do not ascribe anything as partner to Allah,
though you may be cut into pieces or burnt alive or
crucified; do not forego salaat intentionally, lest you
should get out of the fold of Islam; do not perpetrate
disobedience of Allah, lest you deserve His wrath; and
do not take to drinking, for that is the mother of all
evils'."
In another hadith, Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho
anho) says, "My dear Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
warned me saying, 'Do not ascribe anything as partner unto
35
Hadhrat Mu'aaz bin Jabal (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates: "The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) enjoined upon me ten things, viz, 'Do not ascribe
anything as partner unto Allah, though you may be
slain or burnt alive; do not disobey your parents.
though you may have to part with your wife or your
entire wealth; do not neglect fardh salaat, intentionally, for Allah is free from obligation to a person who
neglects fardh salaat intentionally; do not take wine,
for it is an evil habit; that is the root of every uice; do
not commit disobedience of Allah, for that brings the
wrath of Allah. Do not turn your back to the enemy in
battle, though all your comrades may have fallen. Do
not fly from the locality where an epidemic has broken
out. Do spend on your family members according to
your capacity; let your rod be hanging on them, as a
warning and to chastise against neglect of their duties
towards Allah."
According to this hadith, we should not spare the roci
in checking the children from becoming reckless ih doing
anything they like. Sometimes it is necessary to use the
rod. It is a pity that out of love we do not use the rod in the
beginning and, when the children get spoilt, we cry and
Virtues of Salaat
36
37
Hadith V
Icg
8
Virtues of Salaat
from doom for him who does not guard his salaat, and
he shall meet the fate of Pharoah, Haamaan and Ubbay
bin Khalaf."
Everybody knows that Pharoah-the big disbeliever-had been so arrogant that he proclaimed himself 'Lord the
Highest' and made his people worship him. Haamaan was
his Chief Minister and accomplice. Ubbay bin Khalaf was
the most active and severest enemy of Islam among the disbelievers of Mecaa. Before the Hijrah, he used to announce
to the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) most insolently,
"I have reared a horse, which I feed very well; I will slay
you one day riding on its back." Once the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied to him, "Inshaa-allaah! you
shall meet your end at my hands." In the battle of Uhud, he
ran about in the field in search of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) saying, "If Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is not slain today, then I stand no chance of surviving." He at last found the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and advanced to attack him. The Companions
decided to finish him before he reached the Prophet, but
the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) stopped them.
When he came near, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) took a spear from one of the companions and struck
him with it, causing a little scratch on his neck. He staggered and fell down from his horse and then fled towards
his camp crying, "By Allah, Mtlkammad (SaHallaho alaihe
wasalhm) has killed me!" His people tried to cansole him
and told him that it was only a bruise and there was nothing to worry h u t , but he would say, "Muhammad (~allallaho alaihe wasellam) had once announced to me in Mecca
that he would kill me. By Allah, had he only spat at me, I
would be no more." It is said that he cried like a bull. Abu
Sufyan, who was very active on that day, put him to shame
for crying in that manner over a slight wound, but he said,
"Do you know who has inflicted this injury upon me? It
was none other than Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). By Laat and Uzza! if my agony be distributed over all
the people of Hijaaz, none of them would survive. Since
the time he had declared that he would kill me, I was sure
that I would meet my death at his hands. If he only spat at
me after that declaration, I would be no more." So he died
on his way hack, at a day's journey from Mecca.
Look! a disbeliever like Ubbay bin Khalaf is so sure
about the truth of the Prophet's words that he does not
39
have the slightest doubt about his own death; but where do
we stand? Although we believe in him as the greatest
Prophet of Allah, consider his words to be most genuine
and boast of our love for him, yet how far do we act upon
his advice and how much do we fear the punishments
about which he has warned us! It is for each one of us to
ponder over and answer.
Ibn Hajar, while quoting this hadith, has also mentioned Qaaroon with Pharaoh and others. He writes: "Sharing the fate of these people on the Day of Judgement is due
to the fact that it is often the pursuits specific to these
guilty persons which cause neglect of salaat. If, therefore, a
person neglects salaat due to a craving for wealth, he will
meet the fate of Qaaroon; if due to love for power,.then that
of Pharaoh; if due to a yearning for attachment to a ruler,
then that of Haamaan; and if due to occupation in trade
then that of Ubbay Bin Khalaf." Meeting the same fate as
theirs, explains fully the severest tortures in store for those
who neglect salaat. Although the disbelievers shall have to
suffer their doom forever, while the believers will be released after their period of punishment is over and will ultimately be allowed to enter Paradise, yet this period of
punishment, who knows, may last for thousands of years.
Hadith VII
40
Virtues of Salaat
41
"Lo! Allah pardoneth not that partners should be ascribed unto Him. Allah pardoneth all (save that) whom
He will.
(IV: 116)"
If then it pleases Allah to pardon anybody neglecting
salaat, it will be most fortunate; but who can be sure of this
fortune?
It is also stated in hadith that there will be three courts
to be held by Allah on the Day of Judgement. The first will
judge between kufr and islaam and there will be no pardon.
The second will be to judge the duties and conduct of one
towards another. All aggrieved shall be compensated there;
compensation will either be realised from the aggressor or
paid by Allah Himself, if He pleases to pardon anybody.
The third will deal with duties towards Allah. Here the
doors of Allah's mercy will be thrown wide-open and He
shall pardon anybody He wills. In the light of all that has
43
Virtues of Salaat
been said above, it must be clearly understood that we deserve the punishments that have been laid down for our
commission of sins, but the All-embracing mercy of Allah
overrides everything and knows no,bounds.
It was a habit with the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to enquire from the companions, just after Fajr, if
anybody had seen any dream. He would then interpret the
dream as related to him. One day, after enquiring from
others as usual, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
himself narrated a long dream in which two men came and
took him with them. Besides others he reported certain
events which he happened to see in his dream. He said: "I
noticed the head of a person being crushed with a heavy
stone. It was struck with such force that, after crushing the
head, the stone rolled down over a long distance. The head
would assume its normal shape by the time the stone was
brought back for repeating the process. This continued incessantly. On inquiring from one of my companions, I was
told that the person first learnt the Qur'an, but failed to
practise upon it and also used to go to sleep without offering the fardh salaat." There is another similar narration, in
which the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported
to have seen (in his dream) a group of people being treated
likewise. Jiba-eel (Alayhis salaam) informed him on his
query that thpse were the persons who used to neglect their
salaat.
Mujahid (Rahmatullah alaih) says, "Allah blesses the
people who guard their salaat, just as he blessed Hadhrat
Ibrahim (Alayhis salaam) and his descendants."
Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he
heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying, "If a
person dies with sincere Imaan, observing the commandments of Allah, performing salaat, and paying Zakaat,
when he dies Allah is pleased with him."
Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) also narrates that
he heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying,
"Allah says, 'I hold back retribution, deserved by a locality,
when I see therein some people who frequently visit the
musjid, love one another for My sake, and pray for forgiveness in the hours of darkness."
Hadhmt Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) wrote to
Hadhrat Salmaan: "Spend most of your time in the musiid.
I have heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
saying, "The musjid is the abode of the pious. Allah has
taken upon Himself to bless the person who spends most of
42
1
I
44
Virtues of Salaat
are those whom trade and business did not distract from remembrance of Allah?" Yet another group will rise u p and
enter Paradise.' In another hadith, the same account is
given, with the addition that in the beginning the angel
will say. "All those gathered here will see today who are
the honoured people", and with the modification that the
angel at the time of third announcement will say, 'Where
are those whom their engagement i n trade and business did
not distract from salaat and remembrance of Allah?"
Sheik Nasr Samarqandi (Rahmatullah alaih), after
quoting this Hadith writes, "When all the three groups will
have entered Paradise without reckoning, a monster with a
long neck. shining eyes and most eloquent tongue will rise
up from Hell and say. 'I have been deputed on all who are
proud and ill-tempered.' It will then pick up all such persons from the crowd, as a fowl picks u p grain and then it
will fling them into the Hell. It will rise up again saying,
'This time i have been deputed on all who maligned Allah
and His Apostle' (Sallallaho alaihe wassallam).' It will then
pick up all such persons and throw them into the Hell; it
will appear for the third time and will, in a similar manner,
take away all those who made images and pictures. The
reckoning will then commence after these three groups
have been eliminated."
It is said that during the early times people could see
Satan. A person approached him saying how could he be
like him. Satan told him that had he never received such a
request before and asked hin? what had prornpted him to
ask for it. The person told him that he wished it from his
heart. Satan told him to neglect his salaat and to swear very
frequently, not caring whether he was doir~git truthfully.
The person told Satan that he would swear by Allah never
to give up salaat and swear falsely. Satan told him that
never before he had been tricked by a human being to seek
his advice. He was determined never to do so in future.
Xadhrat Ubayv (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he
heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying,
"Give glad tidings to the Muslims that they shall be honoured and exalted, and their religion shall prevail, but
there is no portion in the Hereafter for those who exploit
Islam for wordlv gains."
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to
have said, "I saw Allah in His best form. He said to me, '0
'Muhammad! what are the Highest Chiefs (Angels) arguing
about'?' I said, 'I have no knowledge about that.' Allah
,
l
45
Virtues of Salaat
Hadith VIII
46
47
2*
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Virtues of Salaat
pardons the sins. But are we really prepared to ask for His
pardon?
Ibn Hajar writes, "A woman died. Her brother was present at her burial. By chance his purse fell into the grave
and was buried with the dead body. The brother realized
this after he had returned home and was very sorry for the
loss. He decided to dig up the grave secretly and take out
the purse. When he dug it up, he saw that the pit was in
flames. He returned home, stricken with grief, and related
the story to his mother, and inquired if she knew why it
was so. The mother informed him that his sister used to
delay in salaat and offered it after its fixed hours. May
Allah save us from these habits!
48
Hadith IX
49
52
T
28
PART I1
IMPORTANCE OF JAMAAT
As has already been said in tne foreword, there are many
who say their salaat regularly but are not very particular
about Jamaat. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is
as emphatic in enjoining Jamaat as he is particular about
salaat. This part also consists of two chapters. The first
deals with the rewards of Jamaat and the second with the
consequences of its neglect.
CHAPTER I
REWARDS OF JAMAAT
Hadith I
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar (Radhiyallaho anha) narrates that he heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying: "A salaat with Jamaat is twenty-seven
times superior to salaat performed individually."
When we offer our salaat for getting reward from
Allah, then why should it not be done in the musjid, where
the reward earned is twenty-seven times more. Nobody
will be so unwise as to forego a profit twenty-seven times
greater with simply a little extra labour. But we are so indifferent about the profits promised for our religious practices! This can be due to nothing but our disregard for deen
and the rewards of it. It is a pity that we apply ourselves so
hard to acquiring the trifling gains in this material world;
but are so unmindful of the gains in the Hereafter, which
yield twenty-seven times more with a little extra effort. We
often argue that for going to the musjid for Jamaat we have
to close the shop and will thus lose business. These pretexts and others of the kind cannot stand in the way of
those who have perfect faith in the Greatness of Allah, and
51
in His word; and who realize the value of the blessings and
reward in the Hereafter. It is in respect of such people that
Allah says:
Hadith I1
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52
Virtues of Salaat
1
I
53
Some others have brought forward a still finer explanation. They say that the reward for salaat with Jamaat mentioned in this Hadith is not merely 25 times but a doubling
(2 raised to the power) twenty-five times, which comes to
33,554,432times. This is something not beyond the bountiful Mercy of Allah. When neglect of one salaat can cause
punishment in Hell for one Huqb (as we have seen in the
last chapter), so much reward for one salaat with Jamaat is
quite conceivable.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has also explained to us how the reward goes on increasing in the case
of a person who, after~erformingwudhu, leaves his house
with the sole intention of joining Jamaat for salaat in the
musjid. Each step he takes, brings one reward as well as
washes away one sin. Banu Salama, a clan in Madina, had
their houses at some distance. They intended to shift close
to the musjid. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
however, advised them saying: "Stay where you are. Every
step you take when coming to musjid is written in your
account." It is said in a hadith: "The likeness of a person
performing wudhu at home and then leaving for musjid is
as the likeness of of a person who, after dressing in the
ihraam (Hajj apparel) at his house, leaves for Hajj".
Further, in the same hadith, the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) points to another act of great value; i.e., as
long as one remains sitting in musjid after the salaat is
over, the angels pray for him asking for forgiveness and
mercy. The angels are the innocent and holy creation of
Allah. So, the effectiveness of their prayers is self-evident.
Muhammad bin Samaak (Rahmatullah alaih) is a
famous theologian and Sheikh. He died at the age of one
hundred and three. He used to perform two hundred
rakaats of nafl salaat daily. He writes: "For forty years, I
never _missed the first takbeer of salaat with Jamaat, except
once when my mother had died." The same Shaikh writes:
"Once I missed the Jamaat. As I knew that salaat with
Jamaat was twenty-five times superior, I repeated this
salaat (individually) twenty-five times to make up the loss.
I heard in my dream some one saying to me, 'Muhammad!
You have repeated your salaat 25 times (in the hope of
making good the loss), but what about the 'Aameen' by the
Angels?" It is reported in many ahaadith that when the
Imaam says 'Aameen' after Fatihah, the Angels also say
Aameen and all the past sins of a person whose Ameen
coincides with that of the Angels are forgiven. This is
54
Virtues of Salaat
Hadith 111
55
Hadith IV
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Masood (Radhiyallaho anho)
says: "If one wishes to meet Allah on the Day of Judgement as a Muslim, he must say his salaat at a place
where Azaan is called out, viz., a musjid, as Allah has
prescribed through His Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) such practices which are nothing but guidance through and through: and salaat (with Jamaat) is
one of them. If you start saying your salaat at your
houses (as.so and so is doing), then vou will be dis-
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Virtues of Salaat
Hadith VI
Hadith V
57
Hadith VII
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Virtues of Salaat
CHAPTER I1
REPROACH ON GIVING UP JAMAAT
Just as Allah has promised rewards and blessings for
adhering to His commandments, so has He warned us of
the woeful consequences and punishments for their neglect. We are in bondage to Allah and as such it is obligatory
on us to obey Him. No compensation or reward is due to us
for our obedience to Him. If He gives a reward, it is surely a
matter of His extreme favour on us. Similarly no punishments can be too much for us if we disobey Him-our Lord,
for their can be no greater crime for a bondsman than to
disobey his Master. Hence no warning or premonition was
required to be imparted. Yet Allah and His Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) have so very kindly cautioned
us in various ways, warned us frequently of the consequences and explained to us again and again, just to save
us from disaster. If even then, we don't take a lesson, who
collld there be to save us from the inevitable consequences?
Hadith I
Virtues of Salaat
62
63
."
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Virtues of Salaat
band; and a person who hears the Azaan but does not go to
the musjid for salaat with Jamaat.
64
65
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Virtues of Sajaat
PART 111
IMPORTANCE OF SINCERITY AND DEVOTION IN
SALAAT
"Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but devotion from you reacheth to Him."
(XXII:37)
Although this particular verse refers to the animal sacrifice, yet in principle it equally applies to all other rituals.
It is sincerity and devotion in a service by which its acceptance would be judged by Allah. Hadhrat Mu'aaz (Radhiyal-
68
Virtues of Salaat
29
Quotation- I1
69
Quotation- V
70
Virtues of Salaat
71
I
"And truly it (salaat) is hard save for the humbleminded; who know that they have to meet their Lord,
and that unto Him they are returning."
(11:45-46)
Quotation- VIII
"They will be awarded the high place for as much as
they were steadfast, and they will meet therein with
welcome and the word of peace. Abiding there for
ever. Happy is it as abode and station."
(XXV: 75-76)
"I,o! those who keep from evil will dwell amid gardens
and water-springs, taking to that which their Lord
3
5
Virtues of Salaat
Quotation- XI1
And angels would be entering through every door proclaiming: "Peace be upon you, as a reward for your
perseverance on religious practices." Thus how splen(XIII: 22-23).
did would be their end!
II
~
"Lo! man was created very impatient. Fretful when
evil befalleth him. And niggardly when good befalleth
him, save the worshippers who are constant at their
(LXX: 19-23)
salaat ."
After giving some more qualities of these blessed
people, Allah says in the same context,
73
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Virtues of Salaat
CHAPTER I1
LI
24
3*
76
Virtues of Salaat
77
She served me for some time, but I was in the dark about
her state of affairs. She had a corner in the house reserved
for her salaat. After finishing her job, she would .go there
and offer her salaat. One night, I noticed her performing
salaat and then supplicating before Allah. While making
her supplication, she said, 'By the love Thou hast for me,
do such and such a thing for me.' I shouted out to her, '0
woman, say by the love that I have for Thee.' She retorted,
'My Master, if He had not loved me, He would not have
made me stand for salaat and deprive you thereof.' Next
morning I sent for her and said to her, 'You are a misfit in 0
your present job. You are exclusively meant for Allah's serb'm
vice. I then gave her some gifts and set her free."
5
Story-VII
14
Virtues of Salaat
her room and started her salaat. She was reciting Soorah
Ibrahim and when she reached the 16th verse of the Soorah
(viz.,
78
story -1X
79
0 ,
Virtues of Salaat
80
Story -XI1
81
Virtues of Salaat
parallel. Once while in salaat, he was stung on his
forehead by a wasp and though blood came out,
neither did he stir nor did he allow it to disturb
his devotion in salaat. It is said that in salaat, he
stood motionless like a stick planted in the
ground.
6. It is reported about Baqi bin Mukhallid (Rahmatullah alaih) that he used to recite the complete
Qur'an every night in thirteen rakaats of Tahajjud
and Witr.
7. Hannaad (Rahmatullah alaih) is a Muhaddith. One
of his pupils narrates, "Hannaad used to weep
very much. One day after he had finished our
lesson in the morning, he continued to offer nafl
salaat till midday. He went to his place for a short
interval and then returned for his Zuhr. He again
engaged himself in nafl salaat till Asr. Between
Asr and Maghrib, he recited the Qur'an. I left him
after Maghrib. I said to one of his neighbours, 'Our
Shaikh prays so much. It is really wonderful.' He
said, "He had been doing this for the last seventy
years. You will wonder still more if you see his
prayers during the night."
8 . Masrooq (Rahmatullah alaih) is another Muhaddith. His wife narrates, "He used to offer such long
rakaats that his legs would get swollen and I sat
behind weeping in pity for him."
9. Abu Itaab Sulami (Rahmatullah alaih) is reported
to have been fasting during the day and weeping
during the night for full forty years.
10. It is said about .a Sayyid that continuously for
twelve days he has been offering his salaat with
the same wudhu. For fifteen years, his back had
not touched the bed. He would also gc without
food for days together.
Eesides the above, there are numerous records of the
pious pursuits of the heroes of Islamic History. It is difficult to cover all of them in this book. All that has been said
here is sufficient to serve as examples. May Allah, thrpugh
His Grace, grant me and the readers of this book the
sirength to follow in the footsteps of these blessed people!
Aameen!
Hadhrat Ammar bin Yaasir (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying: "When a person finishes his salaat, he
gets one tenth, one ninth, one eighth, one seventh, one
sixth, one fifth, one fourth, one third or one half of the
maximum reward (according to the quality of salaat
performed by him)."
This shows that the reward is given in proportion to
the sincerity and devotion with which salaat is performed.
So much so, that some get only one tenth of the total
reward. There are others who get a reward ranging from
one tenth to one half of the maximum. It is also correct to
say that there are some who receive the reward in full and
there are others who get no reward at all.
It is stated in a hadith that Allah has a standard for
fardh salaat. An account is kept of the measure by which a
salaat falls short of that standard.
It is said in the hadith that devotion in salaat .will be
the first thing to be taken away from the world. A time will
come when not a single person in the whole congregation
will offer his salaat with proper devotion.
84
Virtues of Salaat
30
i
Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he
heard the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
saying, "When a person offers his salaat at its fixed
hours with proper wudhu, with humility and submission and with qiyaam, ruku and sajdah done satisfactorily, then such a salaat rises up in a bright and
beautiful form and blesses the person in words: 'May
Allah guard you as you have guarded me.' On the other
hand, if a person is not punctual with his salaat nor
does he perform wudhu, qiyaam, ruku and sajdah
properly, then salaat rises up in an ugly and dark
shape and curses the person saying, "May Allah ruin
you as you have ruined me!" Then it is flung back like
a dirty rag at the face of the person."
Lucky are those whose salaat is so perfect in all respects that this most important worship of Allah would
pray for them. But what to say about the salaat which most
of the people are wont? They go into sajdah direct from
ruku, and they hardly lift their head from the first sajdah
when they go for the second like a crow pecking at something. The curse that such a person deserves is mentioned
in this hadith. When the salaat is cursing us then what else
can check our downfall? This is why the condition of the
Muslims is deteriorating day by day in every nook and
corner of the world.
The same description is given in another hadith, with
the addition that a salaat offered by a person with sincerity
and devotion rises up highly illuminated, the gates of
Heaven are let open for its reception, and then it intercedes
(before Allah) for His devotee.
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said,
"The likeness of a person not bowing fully in ruku is that
of a pregnant woman aborting just before delivery."
In a hadith, it is stated, "There are many fasting persons who get nothing out of their fast except hunger and
thirst, and there are many worshippers who keep a vigil
but get nothing from their vigil except sleeplessness.
Hadhrat Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) narrates that
85
86
Virtues of Salaat
eminent. No doubt it is enough to offer fardh salaat properly, but is it so easy to observe it to the proper standard?
Most probably, there will always be some deficiency in one
respect or the other, and there is no way out to make up
that deficiency except through nafl salaat.
There is another hadith which deals with this point
more elaborately. It declares, "Salaat is the foremost duty
enjoined by Allah and the first thing to be presented before
Allah, and the first thing to be reckoned for on the Day of
Judgement. If the fardh salaat is found wanting in quality,
then its deficiency will be made good through nafl salaat.
The fasts of Ramadhaan will be the next to be reckoned for
and any deficiency therein will be made good through nafl
Fasts. Then Zakaat shall be reckoned for in a similar
manner. If after adding nafl the good deeds are found
heavier in the scales, the person concerned shall be sent to
Paradise, otherwise he shall meet his doom in Hell." Such
was the practice of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that when anybody embraced Islaam at his hand, the
first thing he taught him was salaat.
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Qurt (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates that he heard the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying "Salaat will be the first thing to be
reckoned for on the Day of Judgement. If this is found
satisfactory, then the rest of the deeds will also come
out as such. If this is not so, then the remaining deeds
are sure to be found wanting.
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) during his caliphate had issued a proclamation to all the officers under
him saying, "I regard salaat as the most important duty. A
p e r a n who ensures salaat is likely to observe other injuctions of Islam as well; but if he discards salaat, he will
more easily damage the rest of Islaam."
The above saying of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and the proclamation of Hazrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) are also corroborated by. another hadith, "Satan
87
:3
Ir
88
Virtues of Sdaat
their deterioration?" One of Hadhrat Abu Darda's (Radhiyallaho anho) pupils says."After hearing this hadith from
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anha), I went to Hadhrat
Ubaadah (Radhiyallaho anho) and related the hadith to
him." He said, "Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) is quite
right. May I tell you the first thing that will be taken away
from this world? It is devotion in salaat. You will see that
not a single person in the full congregation is saying his
salaat with devotion." Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho
anho), the confidante of the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), was also heard saying, "Devotion in salaat shall be
the first thing to disappear."
It is said in a hadith, "Allah does not pay any attention
to that salaat with which ruku and sajdah are not performed properly."
Another hadith says, "A person has been offering
salaat for sixty years, but in fact not a single salaat of his is
accepted by Allah. This is because he has been careless
about his ruku in some salaats and about his sajdah in
others."
A great stress is laid on the proper performance of
salaat in the famous Epistles of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi
(Rahmatullah alaih). His discourses on the subject cover a
good portion of the Epistles. In one of them he writes, "It is
necessary adong other things that we should be particular
about keeping the fingers of our hands together while in
sajdah and separated while in ruku. These regulations are
not without a purpose." He further writes, "To keep our
glance at the place of sajdah while standing, on our feet
while in ruku, on our nose while in sajdah, and on our
hands while in Qa'dah, goes a long way in keeping the desired concentration in salaat." When such ordinary regulations, which are only mustahab, increase the value of our
salaat, you can well imagine how much benefit we shall
derive if we be particular of other regulations, which are
either sunnat or otherwise more important.
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Hadhrat Umme Roomaan (wife of Abu Bakr) (Radhiyallaho anha) narrates, "Once I was offering my salaat,
when I unknowingly started leaning sometimes to one
side and sometimes to the other. Hadhrat Abu Bakr
(Radhiyallaho anho) saw me doing this and reprimanded me so harshly that I was about to abandon my
salaat with fear. He told me later that he had heard the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) saying, "When a
person stands for salaat, he should keep his body at
rest and he should not behave like the Jews, since to
remain motionless is one of the complements of
salaat."
Keeping the body at rest during salaat is enjoined in
many ahaadith. In the beginning, it was a habit with the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that he kept looking
towards the heaven in expectation of Hadhrat Jibra-eel
(Alayhis salaam) to bring him some revelation, so much so
that his eyes would sometimes rise up unconsciously even
during salaat. When the first two verses of Soorah XXIII
(viz.,
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Virtues of S d a a t
I
I
Hadhrat Imraan bin Husain (Radhiyallaho anho) narrates, Someone inquired of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) about the meaning of the verse in
Qur'an:
91
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Virtues of Salaat
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93
"We have not revealed unto thee (Muhammad) (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) this Qur'an that Thou should be
(XX: 2)
distressed."
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Virtues of Salaat
It is reported in many ahaadith that the Prophet's (Sallallah alaihi wasallam) feet would get swollen on account
of standing for long hours during Tahajjud. Out of mere
kindness and affection for his followers, he, however, advised them to be moderate in their worship, lest any excessiveness should lead to deflection. That is why we find
him forbidding a woman from tying herself up for avoiding
sleep during salaat.
We should remember that a salaat with long rakaat is
surely better and more valuable, provided the endurance
limits are not exceeded. After all, there is some meaning in
the Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) offering such
lengthy salaat that would give him swollen feet. When the
companions requested him to reduce his toil in worship, as
he had been assured of forgiveness in Soorah Fath:
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Virtues of Salaat
(c) According to the Sunnat, e.g. the ankles should
not be covered.
(d) Simple, and should not display vanity and pride.
4. Time: We should be:
97
(a) To keep the back quite straight i.e. the whole body
above the legs should be in one straight line.
(b) To hold the knees firmly with fingers spread apart.
(c) To recite Tasbeeh with humility and devotion.
11.Sajdah: The essentials of Sajdah are:
(a) To place the hands flat and close to the ears.
(b) To keep elbows raised above the g ~ o u n d .
( c ) To recite Tasbeeh with devotion.
12. Qa'dah: The essentials of Qa'dah are:
(a) To sit up on the left foot, keeping the right one
erect.
(b) To recite Tashahhud with devotion, keeping the
meaning in mind, for it contains greetings for the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and prayer
for the Muslim brethren.
(c) To consider the concluding Salaam a definite
greeting to the Angels as well as the people on the
right and on the left.
As has been said already, sincerity is the essence of all
these points, which requires us:
1. To offer salaat with the sole purpose of pleasing
Allah.
2. To understand that it is only through the grace and
favour of Allah that we are able to offer salaat.
3. To hope for the reward promised by Allah.
SIGNIFICANCE OF WORDING OF SALAAT
Salaat is really a very blessed and auspicious observance. Every word uttered in it is imbued with Allah's greatness and sanctity. Thanaa, the opening prayer of salaat,
contains extremely virtuous and devotional meaning viz:
( I ) Subhaanakallaahumma:
(2) Wa biharndika:
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Virtues of Salaat
(3) Wa tabaarakasmuka:
99
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Virtues of Salaat
the last twenty years, I have never been out of the musjid at
the time of the Azaan."
Muhammad bin Waasi' (Radmatullah alaih) says, "I
love three things in this life; a friend who could warn me
on my slips, bread sufficient to keep me alive, and salaat
(with jamaat) such that Allah may condone its defects and
give me reward for anything good in it.
Hadhrat Abu Ubaidah bin Jarraah (Radhiyallaho anho)
was once leading the salaat. When the salaat was over, he
said to the people, "Satan made a dangerous attack on me
while I was leading the salaat. He made me think that as I
was leading salaat, I am the best of all of you. I shall never
lead the salaat again."
Maimoon bin Mahraan (Rahmatullah alaih) once
reached the musjid when the jamaat was over. He recited
'Innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaji-oon' and said, ''The
reward of this saiaat with jamaat was dearer to me than
sovereignty over Iraq."
It is said of the Companions that they would mourn for
three days if they happened to miss the first takbeer and for
seven days if they missed jamaat.
Bakr bin Abdullah once said, "You can speak to your
Lord and Master any time you like." "How?" inquired
somebody. He replied, "Perform your wudhu properly and
stand up for salaat."
Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) says, "The Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) would be among us (family
members) talking and listening, but on approach of salaat
hour, he would all of a sudden behave as if he had never
known us and would be completely absorbed in Allah. .
It is said of Sa'eed Tannookhi (Rahmatullah alaih) that,
as long as he remained in salaat, tears would flow from his
eyes incessantly.
Somebody asked Khalaf bin Ayyoob (Rahmatullah
alaih), "Do not the flies annoy you in your salaat?" His
answer was: "Even the bad characters in society patiently
bear the lashes of the police to boast of their endurance
afterwards. Why should I be disturbed by mere flies, while
standing in the presence of my Creator?"
It is said in 'Bahjatun nufoos' that one of the Sahabah
was once offering Tahajjud when a thief came and took
away his horse. He noticed it, but he did not break his
salaat. Somebody asked him, "Why did 'you not break
silaat and catch the thief?" He replied, "I was engaged in
something far r o r e valuable than the horse."
100
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Virtues of Salaat
102
"I seek refuge in Allah from the eye that does not get
satiated with sleep."
103
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
em
104
Virtues of Salaat
Virtues of
ZIKR
Translation of
the Urdu book Faza'il-e-Zikr
by
Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
translated by
Shafiq Ahmad
VIRTUES OF ZIKR
CONTENTS
FOREWORD... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11-12
Page No.
tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
69
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5
Hadith No:
Page No.
61
65
Hadith No:
67
Page No.
69
Hadith No:
Page No.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
of Allah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
'Laa ilaaha illallaah' the best Zikr, and Istighfaar the best supplication . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .... . .
Ruin of Satan through recitation of 'Laa ilaaha
illallaah' and 'Istighfaar' .. ... . . .. . . . .... . . . . ..
Sincere dying recitation of 'Laa ilaaha illallaah'
ensures entry into Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Direct ascent to Allah of 'Laa ilaaha illaliaah'
and a father's blessings (for his son) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hell forbidden for the sincere reciter of 'Laa
ilaaha illallaah' . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . .
Recitation of 'Laa ilaaha illaliaah' by a dying
person relieves the pangs of death and ensures
entry into Paradise. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Abu Bakr affirms that salvation lies in the Kalitnah 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hadhrat Umar affirms that 'Laa ilaaha illallaah'
is the best Kalimah of salvation and piety . . . . . . .
'Laa ilaaha illallaah Muhammadur Rasulullah'
written on the Arsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... . . . ..
'Isme A'zam' identical with 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Redemption from Hell of all those who have recited 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' or have an iota of
Imaan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihi wasallam) gives
advice and instructions to a villager. . . . . . . . . . . .
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihi wasallam) tells Hadhrat Abu Bakr that the recitation of Kalimah
Tayyibah during lifetime demolishes sins .. . . . .
Recitation of 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' is the best of
all deeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A Kalimah which earns 40 000 virtues when recited ten times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Special Kalimah which gets two million blessings for its reciter . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supplication after wudhu that causes eight
gates of Paradise to open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reward for daily recitation of 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' hundred times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Teaching 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' to children and
persuation of its recitation on the death bed . . . . .
Hadith No:
Page No.
159
160
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.
Allaahu akbar . . . . . . .3
. . i. .i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,167-193
Section 2 Ahaadith on Virtues of the Words of
Tasbeeh, 'Subhaanallaah', 'Alhamdulillaah',
'Laa ilaaha illallaah' and 'Allaahu akbar' . . . . . .194-236
Hadith No:
1. Two easy-to-utter Kalimahs that
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Page No.
are most
weighty in reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Two Kalimahs enjoined on the angels . . . . . . . . . .
The bounties of Allah will have to be accounted for on the Day of judgement and Zikr
will help in this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trees grow in the plains of paradise on recitation of the third Kalimah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reciting 'Subhaanallaahi wabihamdihi' makes
up deficiencies in other deeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Four phrases most liked by Allah . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihi wasallam) advises recitation of 'Tasbeeh-e-Fatimah' to the
destitute Muhajirin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kalimahs that obtain forgiveness for countless
sins (like the foam of the sea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reciter of 'Tasbeeh-e-Fatimah' is not disappointed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three Kalimahs, each of which is equivalent in
virtue to Mount Uhud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Five things that are very weighty near Allah . . . . .
Prophet Nooh's (Alayhis salaam) advice to
his son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " ' ? "
" '
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallamj's
advice to an elderly woman to recite three
most rewarding Kalimahs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Angels surround thc (blessed) assemk~liesfor
Zikr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
third Kalimahs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16. Prayer for atonement of adverse consequences of a meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 7 . Third Kalimah circulates round the throne of
Allah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18. Merit of counting the Tasbeeh on fingers. . . . . .
19. A valuable form of Tasbeeh taught to Hazrat
Juwayriah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20. Tasbeeh-e-Fatimah better than a servant. . . . . .
219
221
222
223
228
232
EPILOGUE:
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ment is well known and needs no introduction. Its good results soon began to be visible in India and abroad
generally, but especially so in the region of Mewat, as is
well-known. The fundamental principles of this movement
are basically very sound, good and strong, and are inherently fruitful and b e d i c i a l . One 'of the important principles is that those who are engaged in Tableegh work
should be particular in practising zikr, and more so when
they are actually busy in Tabligh work. After observing the
wonderful results of this practice, I myself felt the necessity of writing this booklet. I was also ordered by my respected uncle that the virtues of zikr of Allah should be
compiled and made available to them, so that those who so
far practise it out of obedience to Allah may themselves
feel an urge for doing so for the sake of its virtues, and
thereby realise that zikr is a great wealth.
It is neither possible for a humble person like myself to
compile a comprehensive treatise on the virtues of zikr, nor
is it humanly possible to do full justice to this subject. I
have however briefly described some narrations relating to
this subject. I have divided the book into three chapters, of
which the virtues of zikr in general are described in the
first chapter, those of Kalimah Tayyibah in the second and
those of the third Kalimah (known as Tasbeeh-Fatimah) in
the third.
CHAPTER I
SECTION 1
Quranic Verses relating Zikr
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pointed days.
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10. Send not away those who call their Lord at morning and evening, seeking His countenance (pleasure).
6 . (Talking of the wise men, these are) such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the
creation of the Heavens and the Earth, and say, (after deliberation) "Our Lord! Thou has not created this in vain.
Glory be to Thee! Preserve us from the doom of the Fire."
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Virtues of Zikr
17
20. On that day, We shall present Hell to the disbelievers, plain to view; those whose eyes had been under a
veil from remembrance of Me.
21. A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zakariyya; when he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret.
in penitence: who have believed and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts rest content!
22. And I shall pray unto my Lord. It may be (and I
have every hope), that with prayer unto my Lord, I shall
not be unblest.
17. Say (unto mankind): call upon Allah, or call upon
the Beneficient. By whatever name you call upon Him, it is
well. His are the most beautiful names.
23. Lo! I, even I, am Allah. There is no God save Me.
So serve Me and establish salaat for My remembrance. Lo!
Virtues of Zikr
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24. And be not faint in remembrance of Me. (This is a
piece of advice for Prophet Moosa and Haroon (Alayhimas
salaam).
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33. But verily, remembrance of Allah is the most im28. And (mention) Zakariyya (Alayhis salaam) when
he cried unto his Lord, "My Lord! Leave me not childless,
though Thou art the best of inheritors."
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40. Allah hath (now) revealed the most beautiful message of the Qur'an, a Scripture consistent with itself, repeating (its teaching in various aspects). Whereat doth
tremble the skins of those who fear their Lord, so that their
flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's remembrance. Such
is Allah's guidance, wherewith be guideth whom He will.
35. Verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the Last Day,
and remembreth Allah much.
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37. 0 ye who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him morning and evening.
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The third important thing is that Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullah alaih) and a group of scholars established kufr for
those people who talk ill of the Sahaba and bear hatred
against them.
45. Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah's reminder?
COMMENTARY
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grossed them and so hath caused them to forget remembrance of Allah. They are the devil's party. Lo! is it not the
devil's party who will be the losers?
47. And when the (Friday) prayer is ended, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah's bounty, (with the permission to engage yourself in worldly pursuits but even
then) and remember Allah much, that ye may be successful.
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49. And Lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the message (the
Qur'an) and they say, "Lo! he is indeed mad."
Note: Using the eyes in this manner indicates their extreme enmity. Hasan Basri (Rahmatullah alaih) advises
benediction on a person, affected by malignant looks, after
reciting this verse.
24
51. And when the devotee of Allah (Muhammad Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) stood up in prayer to Him, they
crowded on him, almost stifling him. Say (unto them, 0
Muhammad), I pray unto Allah only, and ascribe to Him no
partner.
52. So remember the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to him with whole-hearted devotion. (All other attachments should be reversed at that time and devotion to
Allah should dominate).
25
Chapter 1
SECTION 2
AHAADITH ON ZIKR
(REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH)
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Virtues of Zikr
lama."
Some Ulama have written that the fulfilment of expectations promised by Almighty Allah in the aforesaid hadith
is in its most general sense. It carries assurance not only in
respect of forgiveness but also in respect of prayers, health,
wealth and safety. For instance when a person prays to
Allah and sincerely believes that Allah shall accept his
prayer, then his prayer is actually accepted, but if he has
doubt (that his prayer would not be accepted), it is not accepted. Thus, in another hadith it is stated that the prayer
of a person is granted so long as he does not say that his
prayer is not granted. The same is true in the case of all
blessings relating to health, prosperity, etc. According to
one hadith, if a destitute perssn discloses his hunger to
everybody, he is not relieved of his poverty, but if ,he
shows submission to Gracious Allah, his condition may
soon change for the better. However, hoping for the better
from Almighty Allah is one thing, and being over-confident
of His help and forgiveness is another thing. Almighty
Allah has warned us against such an attitude in several
verses of the Holy Qur'an e.g.
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Hadith No. 3
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Virtues of Zikr
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Hadith No. 4
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Virtues of Zikr
37
According to one hadith, Almighty Allah also gives sadaqah every day, i.e. He showers His favours on the eople,
and everybody gets what he deserves, but the luc iest is
the person who is favoured with the ability to do His zikr.
People who are engaged in different occupations, such as
trade, farming and service, should spare some time for zikr
every day and thereby earn great rewards. It should not be
difficult to devote an hour or two out of 24 hours, exclusively for this noble purpose.
A lot of our time is wasted in frivolous pursuits, and
some of this can be easily spared for this most useful work.
In another hadith, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have said, "The wisest of all people are
those who keep track of time, with the help of the sun, the
moon, the stars, and the shadows, for doing zikr regularly."
Nowadays we can determine time with the help of
watches, yet one should be able to judge time with the help
of these natural agents, so that no time gets wasted in case
the watch stops or goes out of order. In another hadith, it is
stated that the place where zikr is done, takes pride over
other parts of the earth.
Hadith No. 7
Hadith No. 6
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Virtues of Zikr
0 Allah! the nigl.. is no good unless spent in communion with You, the day is no good unless spent in
worshipping You, this life is no good without Your zikr,
the next life will be no good without forgiveness from You,
and Paradise will not be enjoyable without beholding You.
Hadhrat Sirri (Rahmatullah alaih) says, "I saw Jurjani
swallowing roasted barley flour. He told me that he had
compared the time taken in chewing bread and in eating
barley flour: eating bread took so much longer that he
h i
seventy times in that time. Therecould say
fore, he had not taken bread for forty years, and had lived
by swallowing barley flour alone."
It is said about Mansoor bin Mu'tamar that he never
spoke to anybody after Ishaa prayers for forty years. Similarly, it is said about Rabee' bin Hatheem that it was his
practice for twenty years that he noted down what he
talked during the day, and would check at night whether
that talking was necessary or not. Those pious scholars
were particular that every moment of their life was spent in
zikr and in nothing else.
Hadith No 8
39
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) and Hadhrat Abu Sa'eed (Radhiyallaho anho) both bore testimony to having heard from Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), that the gathering engaged in zikr of
Almighty Allah is surrounded by the angels on all
sides, the grace of Allah and sakeenah (peace and tranquility) descend upon them, and Almighty Allah
speaks about them, by way of appreciation, to His
angels."
Hadhrat Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho anho) related that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said to him, "I
advise you to fear Allah, as this is the root of all virtues;
remain engaged in the recitation of Holy Qur'an and in zikr
of Almighty Allah, which will earn you an appreciation in
the Heavens and serve you as a light in this world; keep
silent for most of the time, so that you speak nothing but
good, as this will keep the Devil away from you and make
it easy for you to perform your religious duties, abstain also
from too much laughing, for laughing weakens the heart
and deprives the face of its spiritual glow (luminosity),
always take part in jihaad as this is the sign of piety for my
ummah; like the poor and keep their company; compare
your lot with persons lower than you, and never look upto
those higher than you, otherwise you will forget the bounties of Almightv Allah and become ungrateful to Him; try
to retain ties with your relatives though they may try to
break them; do not hesitate to speak out the truth, though it
may be bitter for others: always obey Almighty Allah in
spite of adverse criticism, find fault with your own self,
and never with others; do not criticise others for the shortcomings that you suffer from. O! Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho
anho) there is no wisdom better than farsightedness, abstinence from the unlawful is the best act of piety, and good
manners constitute true nobility."
Note:
The word 'sakeenah' according to various scholars
means tranquility and peace, as well as Allah's special
mercy, as explained in detail in my book Fazaa'il-i-Qur'an.
I:or instance, Imam Nawawi (Rahmatullah alaih) states that
sakeenah is a special favour consisting of tranquility,
mercy, etc. and is brought down from the Heavens by the
angels.
This appreciation, in the presence of the angels, by
Almighty Allah for those engaged in zikr is for two reasons.
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any one of them hears zikr being recited he calls all his
companions to come to that place, and partake of what they
wanted. They throng to the place and they fill it up to the
sky, as mentioned in Chapter I1 under item 14.
Hadith No.9
42
Virtues of Zikr
Hadith No 10
34
43
Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said, "When
some people assemble for the zikr of Allah with the
sole purpose of earning His pleasure, an angel proclaims from the sky, 'You people have been forgiven,
your sins have been replaced by virtues." According to
another hadith, "A gathering devoid of zikr of Allah,
would be the cause of dismay and sorrow on the Day
of Judgement." It means that the participants of such a
gathering will repent that they earned no blessings and
wasted their time for nothing; may be, it led them to afflictions. In another hadith, it is stated that the members of a gathering devoid of zikr of Allah and salawaat
on Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) are- like
those who get up from the dead body of an ass.
According to another hadith, one should get the variour transgressions (unwittingly) committed in a gath-
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Virtues of Zikr
nise the person who will be transferred from the
Hell to the Paradise last of all. He will be summoned, and the angels will be directed that his
major sins should not be mentioned and that only
his minor sins should be read out, and he should
be asked to give explanation for them. This trial
will start, and his sins will be recounted to him
with time and place. How can he deny them? He
will confess them all. Almighty Allah will then
order that for every sin he may be given one
virtue. At this, the man will speak out at once,
"There are still many sins that have not been mentioned so far." While narrating this part of the
story, even Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) smiled. Firstly, to be the last one to come out
of the Hell, as mentioned in this narrative, does
not mean a light punishment; secondly, it is not
known as to who will be that lucky one whose
sins will be converted into virtues. Hoping for the
best from Almighty Allah and constantly begging
for His mercy constitute the best form of submission. But one should never be over-complacent in
this matter. However, the above-mentioned hadith
shows that taking part in meetings of zikr with
ikhlaas leads to replacement of sins by virtues. But
this ikhlaas is possible only through the grace of
Almighty Allah.
The main point contained in this hadith is that of
ikhlaas (i.e. doing a thing only for the pleasure 'of
Allah). That ikhlaas is the pre-requisite for all good
deeds will be found in several other ahaadith in this
book. In fact, the acceptance by Almighty Allah depends only on ikhlaas: every deed will be evaluated
according to the degree of ikhlaas involved therein.
According to the Sufis, ikhlaas on one's part requires
that one's words, thoughts and deeds should be compatible. It will be found in one hadith that ikhlaas is
that which prevents one from committing sin.
A story of a despotic king who was notorious for
his tyranny and cruelty is related in the book "Bahjatun Nufoos." Once. a large consignment of wine was
being brought for him in a ship. A pious man who happened to travel by that ship broke all the bottles or
casks of wine except one, but nobody could stop him
47
B.k2
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48
Virtues of Zikr
lying under your pillow. By this money you can fulfil
your own needs, can oblige your relatives, help the
needy, and do soamanyother virtuous things. Cutting
the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately
be of no use because the pebple will grow another
tree." This proposal appealed to the worshipper, and
he accepted it. He found the money on two successive
days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got
enraged. picked up his axe and went to cut the tree.
The old man again met him on the way and asked him
where he was going. "To cut the tree", shouted the
worshipper. "I will not let you do it", said the Satan.
An encounter ensured between the two, and this time
the Satan had the upper-hand and overpowered the
worshipper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat,
and asked the former the cause of his success. The
Satan replied, "At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty
Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has
been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore
you lost." Truly speaking. a deed performed purely for
the pleasure of Allah alone carries great force.
Hadith No.11
49
Note:
How serious is the punishment in the rave can be
realized only by those who have the knowle ge of hadith
on this subject. Whenever Hadhrat Uthman (Radhiyallaho
anho) visited a grave, he would weep so much that his
beard would become wet with tears. Some one asked him,
"How is it that mention of Paradise and Hell does not make
you weep so much as you do when you come across a
grave?" He replied, "The grave is the first of the many
stages of the Hereafter. For him who is successful or safe
during this stage, the later stages will also be easy; while
for a person who is not exempted in this stage, the later
stages will be even more difficult." Then he quoted Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) as having said, "I have
not come across any sight more terrifying than that of the
grave." Hadhrat Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) said, that
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to pray after
every Salaat for protection against the chastisement in the
grave. Hadhrat Zaid (Radhiyallaho anho) reported Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to have said, "But for fear
that you might give up burying your dead, I would have
prayed to Almighty Allah to let you hear the torture of the
grave. With the exception of men and jinns, all other creatures hear the punishment in the grave."
According to a hadith, once when Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was going on a journey, his shecamel took fright. Someone asked him what had happened
to her. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied that
somebody was being punished in the grave, and the cries of
the punished had frightened the she-camel.
Once Rasulullah (Sallallaho a l a i k wasallam) entered
the mosque and saw that some people were laughing very
loudly. He said to them, "If you had remembered death
quite often, you would not have laughed like this. Not a
day passes when the grave does not proclaim, "I am the
house of wilderness, the house of loneliness. and the abode
of worms and insects." When a true believer is buried in a
grave, it welcomes him, saying, "You are welcome here,
you have done well to have come here. Of all the people
walking upon the earth, you were the dearest to me. Now
that you have been made over to me, you will see my excellent behaviour." Then the grave expands to the farthest
point of sight, and a door of paradise opens into it.
Through this door comes the scented air of paradise. But
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Virtues of Zikr
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It is given in Tazkiratul Khaleel, the biography of Maulana Khaleel Ahmad (May Allah enlighten his grave) that
Maulana Zafar Ahmad had related, "When Maulana Khalee1 Ahmad, on the occasion of his fifth Hajj, entered the
Masjidul Haraam for Tawaaful Qudoom, I was sitting in the
company of Maulana Muhibbuddeen, who was one of the
most trusted disciples of Maulana al-Haaj Imdaadullah Muhaajir Makki (May Allah enlighten his grave) and was well
known for his gift of divine foresight. He was then engaged
in his usual recitation of salawaat from a book, when all of
a sudden he turned to me and said, "Who has entered the
Haram? The whole of the Haram has been flooded with his
radiance and light." I kept quiet. After a short while, Maulana Khaleel Ahmad after completing his tawaaf happened
to pass by us. On seeing him Maulana Muhibbuddeen
stood up, smiled and said, "Now indeed I see who has entered the Haram today! "
The virtues of assembling for the sake of zikr have
been described in different ways in so many other ahaadith. In one hadith, it is stated that salaat and gatherings for
zikr constitute the best ribaat. Ribaat stands for guarding
the boundaries of Daarus Salaam (the Muslim territory)
against invasion by the infidels.
Hadith No 13
22
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54
Virtues of Zikr
55
Hadith No 14
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Virtues of Zikr
Hadith No 15
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Virtues of Zikr
Hafiz (Rahmatullah alaih) has also stated on the authority of Hadhrat Jaabir (Radhiyallaho anho) that Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) once said, "Hazrat Jibra-eel
(Alayhis salaam) laid so much stress on doing zikr that I
felt that without zikr nothing can benefit whatsoever."
The above mentioned quotations show that one should
practise zikr as much as possible; giving it up simply because others may call one mad or a hypocrite is fraught
with serious loss to oneself. The Sufis have written that it
is also a trap on the part of Satan that at first he discourages
one from zikr on the plea of avoiding criticism by the
people and, if he succeeds in this attempt, he is encouraged
and exploits this fear of criticism for preventing the person
from doing zikr forever. Although one should not do any
good deed for the sake of a show, yet if anybody happens to
see it one should not thereupon give it up.
Hadhrat Abdullah Zul Bajadeen (Radhiyallaho anhb), a
Sahabi, became an orphan in his childhood. He lived with
his uncle, who looked after him well. He had embraced
Islaam secretly and, when his uncle came to know of it, in
his anger, he turned him out of the house stark naked. His
mother was also displeased, but she took pity on him and
gave him a sheet of coarse cloth, which he tore into two
pieces, using one piece as a lower garment and the other as
an upper covering for the body. He migrated to Madina,
where he was always found before the house of Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and used to practise zikr very
loudly. Hadhrat Unlar (Radhiyallaho anho) remarked, "Is
this man a hypocrite that he does zikr so loudly? "No"
said Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), "He is from
amongst the Awwaabeen," i.e. those who ever turn to
Almighty Allah. He died in the battle of Tabook. The Sahabah saw a lamp burning in the graveyard. On approaching
it, they found Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
standing in the grave and asking Hadhrat Abubakr and
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anhuma) to make over their
brother to him. The two made over the dead body to him
for burial. After the burial, the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) prayed, "0 Allah! I am pleased with him, Thou
be also pleased with him."
On seeing this scene, Hadhrat Ibn Masood (Radhiyallaho anho) wished that it should have been his corpse.
Hadhrat Fudhail (who was one of the great Sufis)
stated, "To abstain from a virtuous act for fear of being seen
35
59
Hadith Nu 16
2d
EN
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60
Virtues of Zikr
35
"My work is to weep at night in remembering my beloved; and my sleep is to remain absorbed in thoughts of
my beloved."
In the Arabic text of the hadith ('4631$i $j), (a
person who remembers Allah when he is unoccupied), the
according to Sufis, has two- meanings. it
word 'unocc~~pied'
means in solitude, as is generally understood: but it also
signifies the heart being free from all thoughts except of
Almighty Allah, which constitutes the real solitude. The
ideal is to have both forms of solitude, physical as well as
mental. But if a person, even while in the company ot
others, has his heart free from all worldly thoughts and,
being absorbed in the zikr of Allah, happens to weep
thereby, he will also be rewarded as mentioned in this
61
Hadith No 17
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62
Virtues of Zikr
ation of the Heaven and the Earth, and would say, "0
Allah! Thou hast not created all this in vain. We glorify Thee: save us from the fire of Hell." Thereafter a
flag will appear for them. and they will follow this flag
and will be told to enter Paradise and stag for ever."
By "pondering over the creation of the Heaven and the
Earth" is meant that they contemplate over the phenomena
and secrets of the things created by Allah, and thereby
strengthen their spiritual knowledge.
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Virtues of Zikr
zikr, which is not heard even by the angels, is rewarded seventy times over. When, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah
will summon all the creation for reckoning, and the recording angels will bring the recorded accounts of all the
people, Allah will ask them to verify if there is any more
good deed to the credit of a certain individual. They will
submit that they had not omitted anything from his recorded account. Allah will then say, there is yet one good
to his credit, which is not known to the angels, and it is his
zikr in silence. Baihaqi (Rahmatullah alaih) has quoted on
the authority of Hadhrat Aa'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) that
the zikr that is not heard even by the angels is seventy
times superior to the zikr that is heard by them. The following Persian couplet refers to the same thing:
God! if they were men, I would not have toyed with them
as do the boys with their playball, Real men are those who
made me ill", and he pointed to the group of Sufis. Abu
Sa'eed Khazzaar (Rahmatullah alaih) also states that he
once saw in a dream that Satan attacked him and he tried
to beat him back with a stick, but the Satan did not care for
this beating. Then he heard a heavenly voice saying that
the devil is not scared away by the beating, he is only
frightened by the spiritual light in one's heart.
Hadhrat Sa'od (Radhiyallaho anho) quoted Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to have said, "The best zikr is
the silent one, and the best livelihood is that which just
suffices", (i.e. it should neither be too insufficient to make
both ends meet, nor too abundant as to drive one to vanity
and vice). In another hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is reported to have said. "Remember Allah
through perfect zikr". When somebody enquired; "What is
perfect zikr." He replied, "Silent zikr." All the above
quoted narrations establish the excellence of zikr in silence. We have also read the hadith that favours loud zikr,
as of a mad man. Either form of zikr is important under different sets of conditions. It is for the Shaikh (religious
guide) of a person to prescribe the best form of zikr for him
at a particular time.
65
Hadith No. 18
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Virtues of Zikr
66
67
Hadith No. 19
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Virtues of Zikr
Fajr salaat and after Asr salaat, and I will suffice for
you during the intervening periods."
In one hadith it is stated, "Do zikr of Allah, He will
look after your interests."
Note:
We work so hard for this worldly life, though not for
the life Hereafter. We lose nothing if we remember Allah
for a little while after Fajr and after Asr, because so many
virtues have been mentioned for doing zikr at these two
times. When Almighty Allah promises His full help, what
more is needed?
According to one hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) has said, "I prefer sitting with those who remain
busy in remembering Allah after Fajr prayer up to sunrise,
to the noble act of setting four Arab slaves free; and similarly I prefer sitting with ths group who remain busy in
zikr !of Allah after Asr salaat up to sunset to setting four
slaves free." According to another hadith, if a person offers
Fajr salaat in congregation and remains engaged in zikr of
Allah until sunrise, and then offers two rakaats of nafl
salaat, his reward will equal to that of a perfect Hajj and
Umrah. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is also
stated to have said, "offering Fajr salaat in congregation,
and then remaining busy in zikr until sunrise, is more precious to me than this world and all that it contains. Similarly, remaining busy in zikr with a group after Asr till
sunset is preferred by me to this world and everything that
it contains." It is for this reason that the time after Fajr and
Asr prayers is specially reserved for zikr as a matter of routine by the Sufis. Especially, the time after Fajr prayer is
also reserved for zikr, even by the Fuqahaa i.e. the Muslim
jurists.
It is stated in the book 'Mudawwanah' on the authority
of Imaam Maalik (Ral~matullalialaih) that it is makrooh
(undesirable) to indulge in talking during the time between
Fajr and sxnrise. From amongst the Hsnafees the author of
Durrul Mukhtaar also regarded it undesirable to indulge in
talking during this time. According to one hadith, if after
Fajr prayer a person continues to sit in the same posture
before talking, recites the following kalimah ten times, ten
virtues will be recorded to his account, ten sins remitted,
his position in Paradise raised by ten degrees, and he will
68
69
Hadith No. 20
Virtues of Zikr
Allah, in which case all the things that are helpful in doing
zikr, such as eating and drinking in reasonable quantities,
and all other necessities of life, as also all forms of worship
are implied therein; or it may mean the things near to
Allah, in which case it will mean all forms of worship of
Allah, and the zikr would mean special form of zikr. In
both cases, 'ilm is included therein, because in the first
case, it is 'ilm that leads one to zikr, and whereas an ignorant man cannot recognize.Allah and in the second case because 'ilm (i.e. religious knowledge) is the best form of
worship. In spite of this, the 'aalim and the student have
been specially mentioned separately for emphasis. 'ilm,
indeed, is a great wealth.
According to one hadith, "Learning 'ilm just for the
pleasure of Allah is a proof of the fear of Allah, travelling
in search of it is a worship, memorizing it is like glorifying
Allah, making research in it is like jihaad, reading it is like
chari!~, and teaching it to one's members of family promotes nearness to Allah. This is because 'ilm enables one
to distinguish between right and wrong; it is the road sign
indicating the way to Paradise: it provides consolation in
wilderness and a conlpanion while travelling, because
reading a book serves this dual purpose. Further, it is like a
companion to talk to in solitude, a guide during pain and
pleasure, and a weapon for friends against foes. Because of
this, Almighty Allah raises the position of Ulama, because
they propagate the right, provide a lead for others. so that
with their deeds, and their advice be sought and acted
upon in all matters. The angels love to befriend them. and
rub their wings over them to be blessed or to show love. All
things, whether of land or in sea, including fish in the sea,
beasts of the jungle. animals and even poisonous insects
and reptiles like the snakes, pray for their forgiveness. All
this is because 'ilm is a light for the heart as well as for the
eyes: it urges one to be one of the best personalities of the
ummat, and enables one to attain high position in this life
as also in the Hereafter. Its study is as virtuous as fasting,
and its memorising is like offering Tahajjud prayer. It promotes good relations: and it helps distinguish between
right and wrong; it is a prerequisite for good deeds and
controls them. The blessed are inspired by it and the accursed are deprived of it."
70
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Virtues of Zikr
Almighty Allah as his sole Cherisher, Guardian
and Master, and he turns unto Him, in all afflictions.
(12) It is the key to nearness to Almighty Allah; the
greater the zikr, the greater the nearness to Allah,
and greater the indifference to zikr, the greater the
distance from Him.
(13)It opens the door of Ma'rifat (realization) of Allah.
73
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Virtues of Zikr
f ~ r l i iof
worship (the movement of the tongue being easier
than the movement of any other party of the body),
yet it is the most virtuous form.
And be not ye as those who forgot Allah and therefore He caused them to forget their souls. Such are
the evil-doers.
Thus, when one forgets one's soul he becomes
75
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Virtues of Zikr
36
(40)Zikr does not allow one's heart to suffer from forgetfulness, which leads to ignore one's ultimate interest.
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Virtues of Zikr
(72) As long as the tongue is busy in zikr, it cannot in-
CHAPTER I1
1
I
KALIMAH TAYYIBAH
Kalimah Tayyibah, which is also called Kalimah Tauheed (utterance of Unity), has been mentioned in the
Qur'an and the hadith far more frequently than anything
else. Since all the saints and Prophets had been sent specifically with the primary aim of propagating the Unity of
Allah, its excessive mention can well be understood. In the
Holy Qur'an, this kalimah has been referred to by various
names and in different contexts. It has been referred to as
Kalimah Tayyibah (excellent utterance), cat J3)(firm statement) (cs# iJS) (utterance of piety), (/jJlj al&l
(key of
heaven and earth), etc: as will be found in the Qur'anic
verses given in the following pages. Imaam Ghazaali (Rahmatullah alaih) has written in his book Ihyaa that it is
(+PILIo
(utterance of Unity) W * ~ U ) (utterance of sincerU)(excellent utterity) (&#dlLK) (utterance of piety) (a
ance) ( j r 3 1 a ~ j () strong rope) (&I Yj) (call of truth) (SlJ;)
(price of paradise).
As this kalimah has been mentioned in various contexts in the Holy Qur'an, this chapter is divided into three
parts. The first part includes those verses wherein the
words of Kalimah Tayyibah do not occur, although it is implied therein. Each verse is followed by a brief explanation,
as given by the Sahabah and by Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) himself.
The second part consists of t h o s ~verses which contain tlie
! in full-, or slightly
text of Kalimah Tayyibah i.e. ~ I YJ!Y
. the words of the kalimah
modified, such as j i y i~ ~ jAs
occur in these verses, their translation has not been considered necessary. Only the surah and ruku, in which the avat
occurs, has been indicated. The third part includes the
translation and explanation of those ahaadith that describe
the virtues and importance of this kalimah
V)
L.
EN
Virtues of Zikr
PART I
I
I
85
which is like a tree with its roots in the hearts of the faithful and its branches spread out up to Heaven, by means
of which the deeds of the faithful climb up to Heaven; and
w w (ugly utterance) is the utterance of Shirk, which
prevents any good deed from being accepted. In another
hadith, it is stated by Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) that
"bearing of fruit all the time" means that almighty Allah be
remembered day and night.
It was narrated by Hadhrat Qataadah (Rahmatullah
alaih) that somebody had said to Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), "The rich are able to earn great rewards
(by virtue of spending their wealth in charity)". Rasulullah
(3) The word of thy Lord finds its fulfilment in truth and
in justice.
According to Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho), Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said that the kalimah of the Lord means the kalimah klj!ii!9. Bu: many
con~mentatorsare of the opinion that it means the Holy
Qur'an.
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Virtues of Zikr
87
>
( 7 ) You are the best of people, evolved for mankind, en-
joining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the people of scriptures had
faith. it were best for them: among them are some who
have faith; most of them are transgressors.
4j94 b jj~
(i.e. vou enjoin \he good) means that vou enjoin
the people to believe in 'sl! Y! ;1!9 and obey Almightv Allah;
and that this kalimah is by far the best and foremost of all
the good things.
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(5) Unto Him is the real praver. Those unto whom they
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(8) Establish regular prayer at the two ends of the day and
Virtues of Zikr
all actions. The first is to do zikr of Allah under all circumstances, in happiness and in grief, i n poverty and in affluence; the second is to conduct oneself with impartiality
even when one's own interests are involved; and the third
is to help one's brother with money.
88
chalice you commit anv sin. hasten at once to do some virtuous deed so that the sin is atoned, and it is written off."
'Then Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho anho) continues to say that he
asked Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) if this kalimah
I
was also counted amongst the virtues.
At this, Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) gave the
replv that this kalimah is the highest of all virtues. It is
likewise quoted from Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho)
that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said
"Whosover, any time during the day or night, recites the
kalimah
I
!
. his sins are washed off his account."
giving to kinsfolk. He forbids shameful deeds, injustice and rebellion. He instructs you in order
that you take heed.
There are different versions regarding the interpretation of the word
2-i;
(justice). In one version, Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) says that
?L
(justice) means to believe that nobody is worthy of worship
J
(goodness) means to do
except Allah, while
one's obligations to Allah.
(10) 0, you who believe! Fear Allah and say words straight
to the point, that He may make your conduct sound
and forgive your sins. Whosoever obeys Allah and His
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), he has attained
the highest achievement.
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas and Hadhrat Ikramah
(Radhiyallaho anhuma) are both said to have been of the
view that the meaning of L Y I
(and speak words
straight to the right) is to recite the
I
kalimah.
According to one hadith, three things constitute the best of
8
89
(12)He who brings the true thing and He who confirms it;
such are the dutiful. They shall have all they wish
from their Lord's bounty. Such is the reward of those
who do good.
The persons who brought the message from Almighty
Allah are the Prophets (Alaihimus salaatu was salaam) and
the people who brought a message from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) are the Ulama (May Allah accept
their efforts). Hadhrat lbn Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) is
stated \o Fave said that "the true thing'' means the kalimah AIY!
a19 . According to some commentators, the
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90
Virtues of Zikr
words Z L ' l i ;& 2-i" (one who brought the true message
froni Allah) refers to Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasal2
(those who confirmed it)
lam) and the words
refer to the believers.
37
91
(13)In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah", and
(&', 2
33
1 (CV)
Hadhrat Jaabir (Radhiyallaho anho) has quoted Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to have said that 2 1
IB
92
Virtues of Zikr
37
93
Zar Ghifaari (Radhiyallaho anho) on the authority of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) who held that @j!i!y)
was the best amongst all virtuous deeds.
According to Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho
anho). one good deed is counted ten times over as a general
principle but, for the muhaajirs, compensation for one good
deed is raised to seven hundred times.
'
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(19) He who does a good deed shall have ten times as much
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Virtues of Zikr
CONCLUSION:
PART 2
This chapter includes such ayaat as contains the Kalimah Tayyibah in full or in part, or else its equivalent in different words but having the same meaning. The Kalimah
Tayyibah (&l$d!J) means that nobody is worthy of worship except Allah. The words (;;;i+>r;,
and jcj!d!J and
(31J! W)also cany the same meaning. Similarly (i$
d! l;irJ) (We
do not worship anybody other than Allah) and
d! 3 @)
(He is the only one worthy of worship) also mean the same
thing. There are other similar ayaat, which imply the same
meaning as of Kalimah Tayyibah. The surah and ruku in
which each such ayat occurs has been indicated below. In
fact, the whole of the Holy Qur'an is an explanation of the
Kalimah Tayyibah, because the basic objective of the Holy
Qur'an and of the deen of Islam is towheed. It is to propagate towheed that the messengers of Allah were sent to
people at different times. Towheed is the common objective of all'the revealed religions, and for this reason the
subject of towheed has all along been dealt with under different headings to establish its truth. The same towheed is
therefore the object of Kalimah Tayyibah.
1.
2.
3.
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96
4.
5.
(An'aanl-102)
13. There is no god save Allah, and turn away from those
6.
7.
8.
9.
(An'aam- 106)
$! &$i&I j$i j6 ( I t )
14. He said: Shall I seek for you a god other than Allah.
(A'raaf- 140)
(Maa'idah- 76)
- ?k,)+I;d! ji Ld! j
i (I.)
97
(An'aam- 18)
I
1I. Which god other than Allah could restore them to you
(An'aam - 46)
(Yunus-32)
98
Virtues of Zikr
99
(Ra'd- 30)
30. And let them know that He (Allah) is only one god.
(Ibrahim- 52)
(Vt -
JC, &'jii!ji
(Nahl-22)
ls! (YY)
(Nahl- 5)
(Hood- 26)
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(Nahl- 2)
sjji j j
(yq)
35. Say if there had been other gods with Him (Allah), as
they say.
(Bani Israa-eel-42)
36. They said: 'Our Lord is the Lord of the Heavens and of
the Earth. Never shall we call upon any god other than
Him (Allah).
(Kahf - 14)
100
Virtues of Zikr
37. There are people who chose other gods beside Him
(Allah).
(Kahf- 15)
101
46. Or have they gods who can shield them from us?
(Ambiyaa-43)
(r.
(Taha- 8)
42. But the god of you all is the one Allah: There is no god
but He.
(Taha--98)
(Iiaj-34)
43. If there were (in the Heavens and the Earth) other gods
besides Allah, there would have been disorder in both
of them.
(Ambiyaa-22)
51-52. Worship Allah, you have no other god but Him
[Allah).
(Mu'minoon-23)
44. Have they taken for worship gods besides Him (Allah).
(Ambiyaa-24)
(Mu'minoon-91)
O, ,
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EN
Virtues of Zikr
102
103
61. There is no god save Allah. How then are you deluded?
(Faatir- 3)
54. Therefore Allah, Exalted, the True King! There is no
god save Him (Allah).
(Mu'minoon- 114)
(Saaffaat-4)
(\t&)
55. If any one invokes any other god besides Allah, he has
no authority therefore. His reckoning is only with his
(Mu'minoon- 117)
Lord.
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63. For when it was said unto them: "There is no god save
Allah," they were scornful.
(Saaffat-35)
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56. (=anthere be another god besides Allah?
(Naml-64)
(Saad-5)
58. Is there other than Allah, who can give you a night?
(Qasas- 70)
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(Ankaboot-46)
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(Qasas-88)
59. And call not, besides Allah, on any other god. There is
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(Zumar-4)
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Virtues of Zikr
69. There is no god save Allah. How then are you deluded?
(Mu'min-62)
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(Ahqaaf - 2 1)
(V.)
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105
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79. And set not any other god along with Allah.
(Zaariyaat- 51)
g3
(Shooraa- 15)
81. We are guiltless of you and all that you worship beside
Allah.
(Mumtahixlah-4)
!
(YL>LG)
74. Did we appoint gods to be worshipped besides the
Beneficient?
(Zukhruf-45).
75. The Lord of Heavens and the Earth and all between
them.
(Dukhaan- 7)
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(Taghaabun- 13)
8 3 . I-Ie is the Lord of the East and the West; there is no god
but He (Allah).
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(Muzzammil- 9)
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106
Virtues of Zikr
38
(Ikhlaas)
The above are the eighty five verses, in which text of
Kalimah Tayyibah or its equivalent in meaning has occurred. There are still many more verses, which equally
convey the same sense and meaning of the Kalimah as I
have stated in the beginning of this section. Tauheed is the
fundamental basis of Deen, and therefore the more acquainted a man is with the requirements of Tauheed, the
more steadfast he shall be in Deen. Tauheed in the Holy
Qur'an has been described from various viewpoints and in
various manners and aspects, so that it may penetrate
through the very depths of the heart; so it firmly settles
there, leaving no room for anything else to enter.
PART 3
Part 3 includes such ahadith which describe the virtues and blessings of reciting Kalimah Tayyibah. In the
foregoing we have seen that there is plurality of ayaat on
this subject, which goes to prove that the number of ahadith on this subject must be far more numerous. It is therefore difficult to record them all here. Only a few illustrative
examples will be given here.
Hadith No 1
(+.a\)
108
Virtues of Zikr
109
Hadith No.2
>
110
Virtues of Zikr
Hadith No 3
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) once enquired from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) as
to who would be most benefitted by his intercession
on the Day, of Resurrection. Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) replied, "Knowing your anxiety for
the Urn (knowledge) of ahadith, I could expect that
none other than you would have asked this question
earlier." Thereafter the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) told Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) that
the most blessed or the most benefitted by my intercession will be the person who proclaims (31y'!j!y, with
Ikhlaas (sincerity).
The meaning of good fortune here is to get something
good through the Grace of Allah. That the person reciting
the Kalimah with Ikhlaas Miil be most deserving to be benefitted by the intercession of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam), can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, such a
person could be one who has just embraced Islaam with
sincerity of heart, and has done no other good deed except
the recitation of the Kalimah. Evidently he can be helped
only by virtue of this intercession, because he has no deed
to his credit. In this case, this hadith is corroborated by
other ahadith, in which it is stated that the intercession
will be for those guilty of major sins who shall have been
sent to the Hell because of their sins, but by virtue of their
recitation of the Kalimah Tayyibah they will be released
through the intercession of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam). Secondly, the most deserving people to be benefitted will be those who continually recite this Kalimah
with sincerity and they have to their credit other good
deeds as well. Being most fortunate means that they will be
benefitted more than by anything else by the intercession
of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in raising their
status in Paradise.
Allama Ainee (Rahmatullah alaih) has stated that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), will intercede in six
different ways on the Day of Judgement, Firstly, it will be
for relief from the intolerable distress and supense in the
field of judgement, where all the people will be afflicted in
various ways and will even prefer to be sent to Hell so that
their present worries may come to an end. They will go to
all the high-ranking Prophets, one by one, and beg them to
intercede before Almighty Allah, but none of them will
dare to do so. At last, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) will intercede, and this intercession will be in favour
of all the people, including Jinn and mankind, believers
and non-beliyers, all of whom will be benefitted by it, as
explained in detail in the ahadith describing the Resurrection. Secondly, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
will intercede for mitigation of punishment to some nonbelievers, as mentioned in the hadith about Abu Talib.
Thirdly, his intercession will be for the release from Hell of
some of the Believers who have been thrown in there.
Fourthly, it will be for the pardon from Hell of some Believers, who on account of their misdeed have deserved to
be condemned to it. Fifthly, it will be in favour of some Believers for their admittance into Paradise, without requiring
them to render account of their deeds. Sixthly, it will be for
raising the status of the Believers in general.
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Virtues of Z'ikr
Hadith Ro 4
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Hadith No. 5
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Virtues of Zikr
114
Hadith No. 6
Hadith No. 7
Virtues of Zikr
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Note:
It means that no deed is possible after death. This life
is very short, but it is the only time for action and for
sowing the seeds. This life after death is infinitely long.
and we will there reap whatever we have sown here.
Hadith No. 9
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Hadith No 10
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Hadith No 11
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said. "1VhosoW , any time during day or night. his sins
ever recites 3,ii!
are remitted from his account and virtues are written
instead."
Note:
The replacement of sins by virtues has been fully described under Hadith No 10 of Chapter 1 , part 2 , where
various meanings of all the aayats and ahadith of this kind
are given. According to every version, this hadith categorically states that sins are washed away from the account of a
person's deeds, provided there is Ikhlaas, that is sincerity
of intention. In any case, hymning the blessed name of
Al!ah and excessive recitation of Kalimah Tayyibah also
develops Ikhlans. That is why this blessed Kalimah is also
called the Kalimah of Ikhlaas."
Hadith No. 12
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said "Professing faith in j!d!~,
p rovides the keys to Paradise."
Note:
The Kalimah has been described as the keys of Paradise, because it serves as the key for opening every door
and every part of Paradise; therefore, the Kalimah constitutes all the keys. Or else, it is called the keys, because the
Kalimah itself is made up of two parts. one $1 j jig, and the
other i1J>;G.
Thus. the Paradise may be said to open
with these two keys. In these ahadith, wherever the Kalimah is stated to cause entry into Paradise or protection
against Hell, it means the complete Kalimah comprising
both the parts. In one hadith. it is said that the price of Paradise is ($1 u'~ii14.
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Hadith No 13
:
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Virtues of Zikr
122
Note:
Hadhrat Ibn Abbaas (Radhiyallaho anho) says: "Once
Hazrat Jibraa-eel (Alayhis salaam) came to Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam): Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was very much worried, and Jibraa-eel said:
'Almighty Allah has sent His salaam to you and has enquired why you look so sad and worried!" Although Allah
knows whatever is hidden in the hearts, yet by such
enquiries Allah means to indicate honour, respect and
favours. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied,
"0 Jibraa-eel! I am worried about my Ummat, as to how
they will (fare) on the Day of Judgement!" "Is it about the
non-believers or about the Muslims?" asked Jibraa-eel
(Alayhis salaam). "About the Muslims," replied the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Jibraa-eel (Alayhis
salaam) then took the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
along to a graveyard where the people of the tribe of Banu
Salama were buried; there he struck a grave with his wing
,A b
and said
(stand up by the orders of Allah).
Out of that grave', an extremely handsome man stood up,
and he was reciting
>
1 39
treatment. In Surah Faatir of the Holy Qur'an, three categories of this Ummat have been described; one category is
named al&bckL. (leaders in virtues), about whom it is
stated in a hadith that they will enter Paradise without anv
reckoning. According to one hadith, a person who recites
AI y~ y one hundred times daily will on the Dav of Resurrection be raised up with his face shining like the full
moon. Madhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) narrated
that those whose tongues remain busy in the zikr of Allah
will enter Paradise rejoicing.
Hadith No. 14
124
Virtues of Zikr
each register as long as one can see, will be opened
before him. He will then be asked if he denies anything
recorded in his account of deeds, or whether the angels
who were appointed to record his deeds had been
unjust to him in any respect. He will reply in the negative (i.e. he will neither deny anything nor blame the
angels for any injustice to him). Then Allah will ask
him if he can justify his misdeeds, but he will submit
that he has no excuse to offer. Then Allah will say
'Well, there is indeed one virtue to your credit. Today
no injustice will be done to you.' Then a small piece of
paper with the Kalimah
(Almightv Allah will not forgive Kufr and Shirk but excepting that. He may forgive any sin as He may like). None
else has the right to say that a certain person will not be
forgiven, but this does not mean that we should not warn
others against sins and undesirable things, and ask others
to desist from these. At hundreds of places in the Holy
Qur'an and in the books of hadith. there are warnings
against not forbidding from evil. It is stated in many ahadith that the people who see a sin being committed and do
not stop it. in spite of their having power to do so, will also co
share the punishment for that sin. This point has been dis- v,
cussed by me in detail in mv book. Fazaaile Tabligh. which
$
can be consulted if desired. There is, moreover. a note of 7
caution. Whereas i t is verv wrong to condemn sinful Muslims as absolute dwellers of Hell, it is even more dangerous
on the part of ignorant people to accept anv person as their
spiritual guide, in spite of his being devoid of good practices and his saving senseless and un-Islamic words. Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said: "Whosoever
respects a n innovator in Islam is c:onsideretl to have taken
part in dt:niolishing Islam." It is stated in several ahi~clith
that in tilnes to come, there will appear Inany imposters.
cheats and liars. who will relate ahadith that vou will tlavtt
never heard before. Beware of such porsons. lest they
should mislead vou and put you into trouble."
Hadith No.15
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Hadith No. 17
Hadith No. 16
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128
Virtues of Zikr
far more than any other Ummat. There have been hundreds
of thousands. nay millions of Sufis (divine persons) every
one of whom had hundreds of disciples, all of whom recited the Kalimah thousands of times daily as a matter of
routine. It is stated in the book 'Jaami-ul-Usool' that the
word 'Allah' should be repeated a minimum number of five
thousand times daily alid that there is no upper limit for
this, and the Sufis are required to repeat
yl j,y, dailv at
least twenty five thousand times. This number varies
ac:c:ording to the advice of the Mashaaikh. I have related all
this in support of the above saying of Hadhrat Eesa (Jesus)
(Alavhis salaam). Shah Waliullah (Kahmatullah alaih) has
stated in his book al-Qowlul jameel that his father as a begill~ierin Sufism used to recite ( ~ I YJIY,
I
two hundred times
in one breath.
Shaikh Abu Yazeed Qurtubi (Rahmatullah alaih) writes:
"011 learning that one who recites ,81i1ii!J, seventy thousalid times becomes safe from the fire of Hell. I completed
this number once for my wife and then several times for
my own self as a provision for the Hereafter. There used to
live near us a voung man who was known to be blessed
with the power of Kashf (divine manifestation of unseen
thing). even in respect of Paradise and tiell. but I hesitated
to believe it.:Once when this voung inan was tiining with
us. lie uttered a cry of agony. his breatlii~igbec:anit: diffic:ult
and he exc:laimed. 'I see mv mother burning in firt: of 1-lell.'
Wlie~lI saw him so perturbed. I thought of bestotving olie
of niv complete seventv thousand recitatio~isof thc kalimall in favour of his niother. so that the truth of \vIiat the
young Inan said could be tested. I quietly did so i l l m y
heart, without telling anvbodv else about it. 13ut as soon as
I did this. the yoling man felt relieved atid said. '0 lJnc:lc!
niy motht:r has beell relieved of the punishmc?nt of 11ell!
'I'liis iticident proved useful to me in two wavs: firstly. the
I)lt!ssing of reciting the Kalinlah seventy thousand tirnes
iui~s1)rovt:d by actual experience. and secondly it was estal)lisht?cl 1.hat the voung mall was !ruly blessed with the
I)o\ver of Kashf.
'I'liis is but one of manv such incidents in the lives of
\.i~riotlsindividuals of this Urnmat. l'he Sufis make their
I'olloivors pri1c:tise that no breath goes in or comes o u ~[vithout zikr of Allah. 'Shere are nlillions of people from the
llnlliiat of Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) who
h a t t adopted this practice. 'I'here is. theretore. no denving
Hadith No. 18
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130
Virtues of Zikr
Y) will enter
will come to Me with firm faith in (bYJ i~
My fort, and whosoever enters My fort will be safe
from My punishment."
Note:
If the abovementioned blessing is on the condition that
one does not commit major sins, as mentioned under
Hadith No 5, then there is n o ambiguitv about it: but if recitation of the Kalimah, in spite of major sins, is implied.
then the word 'punishment' implies eternal punishment.
However, Allah's Mercy knows no bounds. It is mentioned
in the Qur'an that Alrnighty Allah will not forgive the sin
of Shirk (polytheism), but will forgive any other sin, as he
may like. According to one hadith. Almighty Allah punishes o111v such persons who revolt agaillst him and refuse
to recite , i t yl JI y, . According to another hadith, the recitation of ( k )Y 1 lJJ? removes the wrath of Almighty Allah. as
long as one refrains from attaching more importance to the
worldly things as compared with the religion; but if one
starts preferring the former over the religion, then recitay, proves of little use, because then Allah
tion of (51JIj~
says: "You are not true to what you profess."
CIi.
Hadith No.20
Hadith No. 21
Virtues of Zikr
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Hadith No 22
134
Virtues of Zikr
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136
Virtue: of Zikr
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Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says: "On the
Day of Resurrectinn, He!] y o u l d be forbidden for all
those who had recited c~lY!o!.j, with the sole aim of
earning the pleasure of Allah."
Note:
That a person who recites Kalimah Tayyibah with sincerity will, as a rule, be safe from the fire of Hell is conditional on his being free from the major sins. Forbidding
of Hell for such a person may of course mean that his eternal stav therein is forbidden: but who is there to question
Almighty Allah if he forbids Hell altogether for the sincere
reciter of the Kalimah, in spite of his sins. Mention is made
in ahadith of such people whose sins will be enumerated
by Almighty Allah on the Day of Judgement. so that they
will feel sure of being doomed to heavy punishment, but
after their confession, Allah will say to them: '1 covered
your sins in your worldly life, and I cover them now and
pardon you.' Many similar cases have been related in ahadith. There is thus little wonder if all the reciters of the Kalimah may be treated in this way. There are many blessings
and benefits in reciting the exalted name'of Allah, so that
one should do it as often as possible. How luckv are those
blessed souls who understood the virtues of this Kalimah.
and devoted their lives fullv to its recitation.
138
40
Virtues of Zikr
the light for which is the Kalimah c h l & U 311 i!d! Y) the
next life is a darkness, the light for which is good deeds;
and Pulsiraat is a darkness, the light for which is Faith."
Raabiah Adawiyyah (Rahmatullah alaiha) a well
known woman saint, used to remain busy in salaat
throughout the night, would sleep a little at the time of
early dawn and would wake up abruptly just before the
Fajr prayer, blaming herself and saying: "How long will
you lie asleep; sbon you will be in the grave, where you
will sleep till the Doomsday." At the time of her death, she
told her maid-servant that she should be buried in the
patched woolen cloak, which she used to wear at the time
of Tahajjud prayer, and that nobody should be informed or
her death. After her burial according to her wishes, the
maid-servant saw her in a dream wearing a very beautiful
dress. When asked what happened to her old woolen dress,
she replied that it had been deposited with her deeds. The
maid servant requested her for some advice, and she replied: "Do zikr of Almighty Allah as much as you can; by
virtue of this you will be worthy of envy in the grave."
i
4
At the time of the death of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), his companions were so
much shocked and grieved that many of them became
overwhelmed with frustration and doubts of various
sorts. Hadhrat Uthman (Radhiyallaho anho) said: "I
was also one of those who were given to frustration.
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) came to me and
wished me salaam, but I was too absorbed to be aware
of his coming. He complained to Hadhrat Abu Bakr
(Radhiyallaho anho) that I was displeased with him, so
much so that I did not respond even to his salaam.
Then both of them came to me and wished me salaam.
and Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) enquired
of me the reason why I had not responded to Umar's
salaam. Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) said: "Yes, I
swear by Allah, most certainly you did". I denied having behaved like this, and told them I did not even know of his
comin and wishing me salaam. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyall o anho) accepted my explanation, and said that it
must have happened so, and that probably I must have been
absorbed in some thought. I confessed that I was indeed absorbed in deep thought. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) enquired what it was, and I submitted that I
was worried because Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had died and we had failed to enquire from
him the basic thing required for salvation. Hadhrat
Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) said that he had made
this enquiry from Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). I got up, and praised him saying that only he was
worthy of this honour, because he always exelled in
matters of religion. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho
anho) then said, I had asked Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) what basic thing was necessary for
salvation, and he had replied that whoever accepts the
Kalimah that he had offered to his uncle Abu Talib at
the time of his death (but which he rejected) will have
salvation, and that this Kalimah leads to salvation."
Note:
All the Sahabah were so much upset and overwhelmed
with grief and sorrow that even Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho), in spite of his being so brave, held out his
83
Ei5
Virtues of Zikr
sword in his hand and proclaimed: "I will chop off the
head of whosoever.says that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) is dead. He has only gone to meet his Allah, as
Hadhrat Moosa (Alayhis salaam) had gone on Mount
Toor." Some of the Sahabas feared that the death of the
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) meant the end of
Islam, some thought that there was no longer any chance
for the progress of Islam, whereas some were dumbfounded and could not even speak. It was only Hadhrat
Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) who, in spite of his extreme
love and attachment with Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), remained firm, calm, and collected. He got up and
delivered his forceful address, beginning with the verse
j
i
j
, which means "Muhammad (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) is but a messenger; many messengers
have passed away before him. Will it be that when he dieth
or is slain, ye will turn back on your heels? He who turneth
back doth no harm to Allah, but Allah will reward the dutiful." This story has been briefly related by me in my book
Stories of Sahabah.
Another point made in the above mentioned hadith is
on what essential basic thing does salvation depend. It can
be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, it may mean: The matters of Deen are many, but what is that on which all these
things of 'Deen depehd, and which is indispensable?
According to this interpretation, the reply given above is
clearly understood: The whole of Deen depends on the Kalfmah which is the fundamental tenet of Islam. Secondly it
can mean that there are hardships in the path of Deen viz.
doubts crop up, the machinations of the devil are a constant source of trouble, worldly needs demand one's attention, etc.; how can these be overcome? In this case, the
saying of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) would
mean1that frequent recitation of Kalimah Tayyibah will
help overcome all these difficulties, for it develops sincerity of intention, it cleanses the heart, it causes defeat of the
devil, and has many other benefits, as mentioned' in all
these ahadith. It is said in one hadIth that the Kalimah
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wards off ninety nine kinds of calamities, the least of which is grief, which is a constant worry
for a man.
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143
mad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), whose name appeared along with Yours." In reply, it was revealed,
"He is to be the last of all the prophets, and will be
your descendant. If he were not to be created, you
would not have been created."
Note:
How, at that time, Aadam (Alayhis salaam) prayed,
wept and besought pardon has been described in many
ahadith. Only those who have experienced the agony of the
displeasure of a master can have some idea about the plight
of Hadhrat Aadam (Alayhis salaam). On account of the displeasure of earthly masters, a servant gets very much worried, but in the case of Hadhrat Aadam (Alayhis salaam) it
was the displeasure of the Lord of Lords, the Sustainer of
the whole universe, and in short the anger of Allah the
Great himself over one before whom the Angels were made
to bow, and who enjoyed the position of a favourite. The
higher the position of a favourite, the more he feels the
wrath of the Master, provided he is not mean; and in this
case a prophet was involved. Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) narrated that Hadhrat Aadam (Alayhis salaam)
wept so much that his weeping exceeded the total weeping
by all the people of this world, and he remained in sajdah
for forty years without lifting up his head even once. Hadhrat Buraidah (Radhiyallaho anho) also narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said: "The weeping
of Hadhrat Aadam (Alayhis salaam), if compared, will
exceed the weeping by all the people of the world." It is
stated in another hadith that his tears would outweigh the
tears shed by all his descendants. Under these circumstances, in how many ways he must have lamented and repented can well be imagined. In addition, he even begged
to be pardoned for the sake of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam).
That the Kalimah &I jj;; Gb i!A! 9 is written on the
Arsh is corroborated by many other ahadith. Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said: "When I entered
Paradise, I saw three lines written in gold on both sides. In
the first line was written
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1
According to Ibrahim bin Wasma, the recitation of the following ayats is very effective in cases of mental derangement, etc., and whosoever is particular in their recitation
will be safeguarded against such maladies; and that these
are written on the corner of the Arsh and cause relief to terrified children or those who fear of the evil eye.
Hadith No. 29
Hadhrat Asma (Radhiyallaho anha) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: "The greatest
name of Allah, which is generally known as IsmulA'zam, is contained in the following two verses (provided these are recited with Ikhlaas)."
Note:
It is stated in several ahadith that whatever prayer is
made after the recitation of Ismul-A'zam is granted by
Allah. However, scholars differ in specifying the IsmulA'zam, as is the case with some of the most sublime things
that Almighty Allah keeps them partly secret. This results
in difference of opinion about their specification. Thus,
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friend of yours wants to exalt every ordinary shepherd
and his children, and to degrade every (noble) horseman and his children." Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) got up in anger and pulling his robe by the
lapel said to him: "Are you not dressed like a fool?"
Then after going back to his seat, he added: "At the
time of death. Hadhrat Nooh (Alayhis salaam) summoned his two sons and said to them: 'I recommend to
you two things and warn you against two things. The
two things against which I warn you are shirk and ar-
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The blessings of frequent recitation of the Kalimah frequently becomes apparent just before one's death, and in
the case of some pious men, these blessings appear even
earlier in their life. Abul Abbaas related: "I was lying sick
in the town of Ashbila. I saw a large flock of huge birds of
different colours, white, red, green, etc., which were
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spreading their wings all together and there were many
men who were carrying something in big covered trays. I
took them as gifts of death, and started reciting the Kalimah
Tayyibah hurriedly. Then one of those men said to me that
the time of my death had not yet come, and that this was a
gift for another believer."
Just before his death, Hadhrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz
(Rahmatullah alaih) asked those around him to make him
sit up. After they did so, he said: "0 Allah! You ordered
me to do many things, which I could not do, and You forbade me certain things, but I disobeyed you in them." He
repeated these words thrice. and then after reciting
,iaJ!iij)began to stare in one direction. Somebody asked
him what was he looking at He said: "There are green figures who are neither men nor Jinn", and then breathed his
last.
Sombeody saw Zubaidah (Rahmatullah alaiha) in
dream and asked her how she fared. She replied that she
has been pardoned on account of reciting four Kalimahs.
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Hadhrat Abu Zar Ghifari (Radhiyallaho anho) submitted: "0, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
favour me with some advice." Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said: "When you happen to commit a
sin, hasten to do a virtue in atonement, so that the ill
effect of the sin may be washed away." Abu Zar (Radhiyallaho anho) then further enquired: "0 Rasulullah!
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is recitation of 41
u'! A!Y,
also a virtue?" "It is the best of all virtues," was the
reply of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
Note:
A minor sin, no doubt, is washed away by a virtuoys
deed, but a major one is wiped off, as a rule, through
Taubah or of course through the Mercy of Almighty Allah,
as explained earlier in this book. In either case, the wipedout sin is neither written in the account of deeds nor mentioned anywhere else. So it is said in one hadith that when
a man does Taubah, the Almighty Allah makes the scribing
angels forget that sin. It is forgotten even by the hands and
feet of the sinner, and even by the piece of land where it
was committed, so that there is nobody to give evidence for
that sin on the Day of Judgement, when the hands, feet, and
other parts of the body of the person himself will stand witness for his gopd or bad deeds, as will be explained in
Hadith No. 18 of Chapter 2 part 3.
The subject matter of the above mentioned hadith is
supported by many other ahadith. There are many ahadith
to the effect that Taubah from a sin washes it away, as if
one had never committed it. Taubah means to repent and
feel ashamed of the sin that has been committed, and make
a firm resolution not to repeat it.
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe .Wasallam) according to
one hadith has said: "Do w o ~ s h i pAllah only, and do not
ascribe any partner to Him; be s i n c e ~ ein all your actions es
if you are standing before Almighty Allah; consider yourself among the dead; remember Allah near every stone and
Hadith No 34
Note:
Great rewards are mentioned in the books of hadith for
reciting Kalimah Tayyibah a certain number of times. It is
said in one hadith: "When you offer an obligatory Salaat,
then recite:
ten times, because its reward is equivalent to that of releasing a slave from bondage."
Hadith No 35
154
Virtues of Zikr
It is said in another hadith: "Whoever recites:
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Hadith No.
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158
Virtues of Zikr
Note:
The best way to persuade a dying man to recite the Kalimah is that those sitting near him should recite it, so that
on hearing it he may also do the same. He should not be
compelled to do it, because he is dying in agony. That a
dying person should be persuaded to recite the Kalimah
has been stressed in many ahaadith. In several ahaadith,
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have
said, "The sins of a person who is blessed to recite the Kalimah at the time of death are washed off just as a building
is washed away by flood water." According to other ahaadith, one who recites this blessed Kalimah before his death
gets all his past sins forgiven. It is said in one hadith that a
hypocrite is never able to recite it (at the time of hjs death).
It is said in another hadith that we should give ~ & I Y ! ~ I Yas
,
provision to our deceased ones. According to a hadith.
one who brings up a child till he is able to recite 5
will not be required to render any account. In one hadith it
is said, "When a person who has been steadfast in offering salaat is about to die, an Angel comes to him, drives
away the Satan and persuades him to recite the Kalimah
(A1 j>; G d i l i!ii! 3).
It is however often observed that this sort of yersuasion proves useful only in case of those who are accustomed to the recitation of the Kalimah during their lifetime.
A story is related about a person who used to trade in
straw: When he was about to die, people tried to persuade
him to recite the Kalimah, but he only cried out. "The price
of this bundle is so much and of that is so much." Many
such incidents. which had been actually observed, have
been described in the book. "Nuzhatul Basaateen".
Sometimes, involvement^ in a sin prevents a dving
person from reciting the Kalimah. The Ulama say that
opium has seventy disadvantages, one of which is that the
opium-user cannot recollect the Kalimah at the time of his
death. On the contrary. brushing one's teeth (with miswaak) carries seventy benefits. one of which is that to recite
Kalimah at the time of his death. It is related about one
man that, when he was persuaded before his death to recite
the Kalimah. he expressed his inabilitv to recite, because
he said, he used to cheat through underweighing. There is
a story of another persorl who, when persuaded to recite
the Kalimah, said. "I cannot say it, because I was tempted
to cast sinful looks on a woman who had come to purchase
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Virtues of Zikr
2.
3.
4.
5.
15.
16.
be offered.
Making arrangements for the funeral.
Payment of debt.
Rectitude in dealings, and abstaining from usury.
Giving correct evidence, and not concealing the
truth.
The second part, which includes action involving treatment with one's relatives and others, has six essentials:CI
0
1. Getting married as a safeguard against adultery.
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2. To discharge obligation towards one's family E
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members, servants and subordinates.
5
3. Good treatment towards one's parents, and being
kind and obedient to them.
4. Bringing up one's children in a proper way.
5. Remaining on good terms with one's relatives.
6 . Obeying one's elders, and following their advice.
The third part includes eighteen essentials, which relates to our social obligations to society in general:1. To rule one's domain with justice.
2. To support the right party.
3. To obey the rulers, provided their orders are not
against religion.
4. To work for the betterment of mutual relations, including punishing the wrong-doers and making
Jihaad against the rebels.
5. To help others in their noble deeds.
6 . To enjoin the good and forbid the evil; it includes
work and speech for propagation of religion.
7. To carry out the punishments enjoined by religion
(for specific offences).
8. To take part in Jihaad i.e. to fight in the path of
Allah. It includes guarding the defence lines.
V)
Virtues of Zikr
166
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. To say
1
(May Allah have mercy on you)
when somebody happens to sneeze.
16. Not to be the cause of trouble and loss to others.
17. To avoid idle and useless pursuits.
18. To clear troublesome obstructions from the way.
The seventy-seven branches of Imaan have been
counted above. Some of these can be merged together. as
for example earning and spending can be put together.
under fair dealings. Careful consideration can enable one to
cut down the total to seventy or sixty-seven, the numbers
given in some ahaadith.
The above list has been prepared mainly from the commentary of Allamah Ainee (Rahmatullah alaih) on Bukhari
Shareef, wherein these things are mentioned in their order
of merit. Selection has been made also from other books,
i.e. Fathul-Baari of Ibn Hajar and Mirqaat of Allamah Qari.
Scholars have written that the implied essen:ia., of
Imaan are as given above. One should ponder over these,
and be thankful to Almighty Allah for the good qualities
acquired already, because all goodness is possible only
through His grace and mercy. In case of deficiency in respect of any quality, one should strive for it and keep on
praying that Almighty Allah may grace him with His blessings.
CHAPTER 111
.- .
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PART I
This part includes the verses of the Holy Book that
relate to the Kalimah
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1. (At the time of creation of man, the angels had
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13. They say, Allah had taken (unto Him) a son. Glorified be He; He hath no needs.
171
say.
he will be immune from the ill consequences
of lightening. It is narrated in one hadith, "Make
zikr of Allah when you hear the thunder of
lightening, because it cannot harm one who is
doing zikr." It is narrated in another hadith, "At
the time of thunder- say (&) (Subhanallah) and
not (9)
(Allaho-Akbar).
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3 7 . (On the Day of Judgement when Allah will haul
44. Ye who believe! Kemember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him early in the morning
and late in the evening.
38. And trust thou in the Living One, Who dieth not,
45. (On the Day of Judgement when the entire creation
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177
praise.
56. Those (angels) who bear the Throne, and all who
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54. Glorified is' l i e and exalted High above all that
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179
the day.
65. And hymn the praise of they Lord when thou up-
Earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth the sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is
able to do all things.
Virtues of Zikr
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80. Then hymn the praise of thy Lord and seek for-
5.
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6.
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ture unto His slave, and has not placed therein any
crookedness.
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Earth.
Who hath put grief away from us. Lo! our Lord is
forgiving, bountiful; Who, of His grace, has
installed us in the mansion of eternity, where toil
toucheth u s not, nor can weariness affect us.
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Whosoever bringeth a good deed will receive tenfold the like thereof, while whosoever bringeth an
ill deed will be awarded like thereof, and they will
not be wronged.
Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "There
are two routines, which if followed by a Muslin1 will
enable him to enter into Paradise. Both the routines are
very easy, but there are very few people, who act according
to them. One is to recite ($i L ,i&it i 1 a\;.;) ten times after
every obligator" salaat i.e. five tilies a day. In this way. one
is able to glorify Allah one hundred an& fifty times. and
thereby earns one thousand and five hundred virtues every
day. The second routine is to recite
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thirtv four times. (L&i) thirty three times, and
thirty three times at .the time of going to bed evzry ntght.
Orie glorifies Allah one hundred times in this way, and
earns. one thousand virtues thereby. Thus, the virtues
earned during the day total two thousand and five hulldred. O n the l)av of Judgement. when deeds will .be
weighed, will there be anybody who will have committed
everyday two thousand and five hundred evil deeds, which
can counter-act as many virtues'?"
Although among the Sahaba. there was likely to be
~loilewho c:ould have done two thousand and five hundred
evil deeds during a day, yet in this age our daily misdeeds
far exceed this number. Thus. it was extrenlely kind of Kasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to have told us the
presc:riptio~~
for illcreasillg our good deeds over our misdeeds. It is upto the patient to act upon it.
Acc:ording to one haditti, the companions of Kaslllullah (Faltallaho alaihe wasallam) asked him the reason why
. o ~ i l yo few people are able to act upon the above nlentioned
I\ro things in spite of their being so easy. He replied that at
night the devil makes one to sleep before he has recitetl i t
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Virtues of Zikr
PART I1
the sins to fall off like the leaves of trees (during the winter
season).
Hadith No 2
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the hearing and the sight, and the heart; of each of them
will be asked, i.e. everybody will be required to render account for the proper use of his ears, eyes, and heart. The
holy Prophet. (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) remarked that
the bounties about which one will be questioned include
peace of mind. which is a great blessing, and also physical
health. Mujahid has stated that every worldly pleasure is a
bounty. for which one will have to give account. Hadhrat
Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) said that security is one of the
bounties of Allah. A person asked Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaho anho) the meaning of the ayat
198
Virtues of Zikr
(then on the Day, you will be questioned about the bounties). He replied that one will be questioned about the
wheat bread eaten and of cold water, as well as about the
house in which one lived. It is stated in one hadith that,
when this ayat was revealed, some Sahaba (Radhiyallaho
anhum) said, "0, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam),
what are the bounties about which we shall be questibned?
We get only half a meal and that too of barley bread." Then
came the revelation, "Do you not put on shoes? Do you not
drink cold water? These are also bounties of Allah."
According to one hadith, when this ayat was revealed,
some Sahabas said, "0, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), about what bounties shall we be questioned? We
get only dates to eat and water to drink, and we have to
remain always with our swords on our shoulders, ready to
fight! some enemy (on account of which even these two
things cannot be enjoyed by us in peace)." Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied, "The bounties are about
to become available in the near future."
It is stated in one hadith that Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) had said, "Of the bounties to be accounted for on the Day of Judgement, the first is the physical health, (i.e. whether we discharged our obligation in
respect of it, and did any service for the pleasure of Allah)
and the other is the cold drinking-water." Cold water is, in
fact, a great gift of Allah, and is realised as such where it is
not (readily) available. It is indeed a great blessing of Allah,
but we never even acknowledge it to be as such; not to
speak of thanking Almighty Allah for it and discharging
our duty in respect of it.
It is said in one hadith, "The bounties to he accounted
for include the piece of bread eaten to satisfy the hunger,
the water drunk to quench the thirst, and the cloth used to
cover the body."
Once at midday when it was very hot, Hadhrat Abu
Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) felt famished and went out of his
house. Soon after his arrival in the mosque, Hadhrat Umar
(Radhiyallaho anho) also reached there in similar condition, and asked him how he was there at that time. "My
hunger has become unbearable", was the reply. Hadhrat
Umar said, "By Allah, the same thing has compelled me to
199
200
Virtues of Zikr
(All praise is for Allah who feasted us to the full, and did
favour on us, and bestowed upon us plentifully) after you
finish eating. Its recitation will suffice as your expression
of gratitude." Many incidents of this nature are narrated
under different headings in the books of hadith. Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said the same things when he
happened to visit the house of Abul Haitham Maaiik bin
Tayhaan (Radhiyallaho anho) and once when he visited a
Sahabi whose name was Waqfi (Radhiyallaho anho).
Once Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) came across a
leper who was blind, deaf and dumb. He said to his companions, "Do you see any bounties of Allah on this
person?" "Apparently none," they replied. "Can he not urinate easily?" said Umar (Radhiyallaho anho).
Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood (Radhiyallaho anho)
said, "On the Day of Judgement there will be three courts.
In one of these, the accounts of virtues will be scrutinized,
in the second Allah's bounties will be counted, and in the
third the sins will be accounted for. The virtues will be
counterbalanced by the bounties of Allah, so the sins will
remain outstanding and their disposal will depend on
Allah's mercy."
All this means that a man is duty bound to show his
gratitude to Almighty Allah for His unlimited favours at all
times and under all conditions. Therefore, he should strive
his utmost to earn as many virtues as possible and should
not rest content at any stage, because it will be on the Day
of Judgement that he will realize how many sins had been
committed unknowingly through his eyes, nose, ears, and
other parts of the body. The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had said, "Everyone of you will have to appear
before Almighty Allah, you will be face to face with Him,
with no curtain in between. There will be no lawyer or interpreter to advocate your cause; there will be heaps of
your deeds on either side. The fire of Hell will be in front
of you, and therefore you should trv your best to ward off
this fire through sadaqah, (voluntarv charity) which may be
as paltry as a single date." It is stated in one hadith, "On
the Day of Judgement, you will first be reminded how you
were blessed with good health and were given cold water
to drink" (which implies. whether you showed gratitude
for these favours). According to another hadith, "You will
not be allowed to move away from the court of Allah until
you have answered five questions: (1)How did you spend
201
your life? (2) How did you utilize your youth? (3) How did
you earn your wealth? (4) How did you spend it? (i.e.
whether earning and spending was in a lawful manner). (5)
How did you act upon your acquired knowledge?"
Hadith No.4
202
Virtues of Zikr
44
203
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Hadith No. 5
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Virtues of Zikr
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Hadith No.6
Hadith No. 7
Virtues of Zikr
the same manner, doing the lawful amounts to sadaqah, and is virtuous", explained Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam). From this it is clear that to cohabit
with one's own wife in order to save himself from
adultery brings reward from Allah."
In another hadith, the reply of Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) to the query by the Sahabas, (Radhiyallaho anhum) that intercourse with the wife is the satisfaction of one's lust, was "Just tell me if a child is born as a
result thereof, and when he grows up to youth and becomes a centre of your expectation, he happens to die, will
you not hope for a reward from Allah in lieu of this loss?"
Their reply was in the affirmative, and then Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) continued, "Why this expectation of reward? Did you create him? Did you guide him or
did you sustain him? On the contrary, it was Almighty
Allah who created him, guided him and sustained him.
Similarly, you put your semen at the lawful place, then it is
up to Allah to make it into a child or prevent it from becoming a child." In short, this hadith implies that the
reward from Allah is for one's having become the cause of
the birth of the child.
Note:
That the sins are forgiven (by virtue of zikr) has
already been discussed under several ahadith. According to
the Ulamaa, it is only the minor sins that are forgiven. In
this hadith, it is stated that three Kalimahs should be recited 33 times each, and then (31$!d!J> only once. According to the next hadith, two of the three Kalimahs should be
recited 33 times each and the third one i.e. &lj 34 times.
Hadhrat Zaid; (Radhiyallaho anho) is stated to have
narrated, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had
ordered us to recite &i ii ,A W'i ,&I iG) thirty three times
each after every salaat.
~ n s a i si aw in a dream that a
person advised reciting the three Kalimahs 25 times each
also 25 times. When Rasulullah (Sallaland then (31i!
laho alaihe wasallam) was told about this dream, he,permitted him to recite that way. According to one hadith
&i hi ,A ui , bl b G ) should be hymned 11 times each after
every &laat, a d 111 another h$d,ith it is ten times each. In
one hadith, the recitation of (dlY! il!J) is ten times and that
of the other three Kalimahs is 33 times each. According to
one hadith, each of the four kalimahs should be hymned
hundred times each. All these ahadith are narrated in the
book Hisnul Haseen. The apparent difference in these versions is due to the different circumstances of the persons
who were advised by Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Those who were busy with other (important) things
were advised the lesser number, and those who were free
were advised a greater number. The religious authorities,
however, advise that one should conform to the numbers
narrated in the ahadith just as the quantity of a thing that is
used as a medicine is also specified.
206
Hadith No. 8
207
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Hadith No.9
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said,
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Virtues of Zikr
Hadith No. 10
209
Hadith No. 11
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) once said, "Is
there nobody amongst you who may be able to do,
everyday, good deeds equal to Uhud (a mountain near
Madinah)." The Sahaba (Radhiyallaho anhum) said,
"0 Rasulullah! who has the strength to do that?"
"Everybody has the strength to do it," said Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). "How is it?" enquired the
Sahabas (Radhiyallaho anhum). He explained, "The
reward of (AIL&, is greater than the mountain Uhud,
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Uhud."
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It is thus stated that the reward of each of these Kalimahs is greater than the mountain of Uhud, nay. it is
greater than many such mountains. ;1 is said in one hadith
that the reward of c!iLG) and $ . W 9 fills all the Heavens
and the Earths. It is said in another hadith that,the reward
82
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Virtues of Zikr
and therefore are stressed so much by him. Is it not therefore incumbent upon us who claim to love him that we
should show extreme devotion to these Kalimahs, because
doing so also amounts to showing respect, obedience, and
gratitude to Him.
210
~adith
No. 12
211
(There is none among the creation who does not hymn His
glory).
It is narrated in many ahadith that on the night of
Mi'raaj, Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had heard
all the Heavens hymning the glory of Allah.
Once Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) happened to pass by a group of men who, though halted, were
sitting on the backs of their horses and camels. He said to
them "Do not use the backs of your animals as chairs and
pulpits, as so many of them are better than their riders and
do zikr of Allah more than the riders."
Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) said that even
the crops hymn the glory of Allah, and the owner gets the
reward for it.
Once a bowl of food was presented to Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who remarked that the food was
hymning the glory of Allah. Somebody asked if he understood its hymning. He replied in the affirmative, and then
he asked that it be taken to a certain person who also, when
the cup was brought to him, heard it hymning the glory of
Allah: In the same way, another person also heard it. Some-
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213
Virtues of Zikr
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Hadith No. 13
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Hadith No. 14
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Virtues of Zikr
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"0 you who believe! fear Almighty Allah and be with the
truthful.
The Sufis say. "Remain with Almighty Allah, and if
this is not possible, then be in the societv of those persons
who remain with Almighty Allah." Remaining with
Almighty Allah means (as given in the book of Bukhari
Shareef): Almighty Allah says, "By means of non-obligatory prayers. Mv bondman keeps on getting nearer and
nearer to Me, till I make him My beloved, and at that stage I
become his ears with which he listens, his eves with which
he sees, his hands with which he holds, his feet with
which he walks: and whatever he begs of Me I grant him."
That Allah becomes his hands and feet, etc., means that he
performs his actions for earning the pleasure and love of
Allah and that he does not do anything against the will of
Allah. The books of history relate the lives of many sufis
of this level. A booklet, known as 'Nuzhatul Basaateen' is
specially devoted to the account of such Sufis.
.Sheikh Abu Bakr Kattaani (Rahmatullah alaih) related,
"Once, at the time of Hajj, there was a gathering in Mecca
of some Sufis, the youngest among whom was Junaid Baghdadi (Rahmatullah alaih). In that gathering, there was a discussion on the subject of 'Love of Allah' and as to who is
the lover of Allah! Many of them expressed their views on
the subject, but Junaid Baghdadi (Rahmatullah alaih) kept
quiet. He was pressed to say something. With his head
bowed down and tears in his eyes, he said, "A lover (of
Allah) is he who forgets his own self, remains engaged in
Allah's zikr with due regard to all its requirements; sees
Allah with the eyes of his heart, which is burnt by the heat
of Allah's fear; Allah's zikr intoxicates him like a cup of
wine, he speaks the word of Allah as if Almighty Allah
'il I.
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218
Virtues of Z i h
45
219
bolted the door from inside, removed the bread and olive
oil from near the lamp lest she should see it, climbed up on
the roof of my house and called out to mv neighbours.
When people gathered. I told them that Hadhrat Sa'eed had
given his daughter to me in marriage, and that he had just
then himself brought her and left her in my house. 'T'hev
were all greatly surprised, and exclaimed, 'Is it true that
she is already in your house? 'Yes,' confirmed I. The news
spread and also reached my mother, who at once came
there and said, 'If you touch her for three days, I will not
see your face: in three days we will make all the preparations. After three days, when I met the girl. I found her extremelv beautiful. She was a Hafiz of the Qur'an. very
conversant with the Sunnat of the Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) and well acquainted with her obligations %
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to her husband. For one month, neither Hadhrat Sa'eed
came to me. nor I went to him. After one month. when I
went to him there was a big gathering. After wishing 5
salaam to him, I sat down. When all others left, he asked
me how I found my wife. I replied, 'She is most excelle~lt.
so that friends are pleased to see her and foes become t:nvious,' He iurther said. 'If you find anything undesirable.
you mav use a stick to rectify it.' After I returned from
there, he sent me through a special messenger a gift of
twenty four thousand dirhams (which comes to about five
thousand rupees). This girl had been demanded by King
Abdul Malik bin Marwaan for marriage w i t h his son,
Waleed, who was the crown prince. but Hadhrat Sa'eed
had declined the offer. In this way, he bad incurred the
wrath of King Abdul Malik, who on some other pretext got
him punished with a hundred lashes in bitter cold, J I I ~
then had a pitcher of cold water poured on him."
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Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "Whosoever recites &i&i i!i!9 A UiAt
will be rewarded with ten virtues for each letter thereof. Whosoever supports an unjust party in a dispute incurs the
wrath of Allah, until he repents and does toubah. Whosoever intercedes to prevent infliction of punishment
awarded according to Islamic law is considered to
oppose Almighty Allah, and whosoever slanders a
Muslim, man or woman, will in the Hereafter be imprisoned in Radghatul Khabal (a deep part of Hell),
until he gets exonerated from this sin, which will
hardly be possible there."
Backing an unjust cause has nowadays become our
second nature. In spite of knowing that we are at fault, we
become unjust and partial for the sake of our relatives and
our party. We are not afraid of the wrath, displeasure, and
punishment of Almighty Allah, when our relatives and
friends are involved. Not to speak of telling them that they
should desist from committing wrong, we cannot even
keep quiet and remain neutral, but we go to the extreme in
supporting them. If anybody uts up a claim against them,
we try to oppose him. If a riend of ours commits theft,
wrongs somebody, or indulges in adultery, we encourage
and help him in all possible ways. Is this according to the
dictates of our faith and religion? Is this accordfig to Islam
that we feel proud of? Do we not thus degrade our Islam in
the eyes of others, and degrade ourselves before Almighty
Allah? It is stated in one hadith that one who deals or
fights with somebody on the basis of sectionalism (racialism) is not one of us. According to another hadith, sectionalism means to help one's own people in their wrong
cause.
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he used to recite
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Note:
On the Day of Judgement, the body of a person, nay,
his hands, feet, and every limb will be questioned about
the good and bad actions performed by them, as stated in
the Holy Qur'an at so many places. At one place, it is stated
The day wheh their tongues, hands and feet will stand witness against them about the sins they committed.
At another place, it is said:
225
There are many ahaadith that describe this sort of testimony. In one hadith, it is stated, "On the Day of Resurrection, the non-believer in spite of knowing his own sins will
deny that he had ever committed them. He will be told that
his neighbours stand witness against him. He will reply
that the neighbours tell lies out of enmity against him. He
will be told that his own kith and kin testify against him,
but he will say that they are also false. Then his own limbs
will be made to give evidence against him. According to
one hadith, the thigh will be the first to testify the evil
deeds committed by it.
It is stated in one hadith, "The last one to cross the
Siraat Bridge will pass stumbling to this side and that side,
as a child does when his father gives him a beating. The
angels will ask him whether he would confess his sins if he
were helped to cmss it with ease. He will promise that he
will tell the real truth, and he will swear by Allah that he
will not hide any fact. The angels will make him stand
erect and pass the Siraat Bridge. When he has crossed over,
he will be asked by the angels to give his statement. Thinking that, if he confesses, he may be sent back to Hell, he
will flatly deny having committed any bad deed. The
angels will tell him that they can produce witnesses against
him. He will look around, and as there will be nobody, he
will think that since everybody has now reached his destination, no witness can be available against him, and therefore, he will agree to face witnesses. His own limbs will be
asked to tell the truth, and when they start speaking he will
be left with no alternative but to make a confession. Then
he will say, "There are many serious sins that are still to be
told." Almighty Allah will then say that he has been
granted forgiveness.
It is thus a matter of necessity for us that we should
make our limbs do as many good acts as possible. So that
these may as well give witness in our favour. It is for this
reason that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had ordered (his followers) to count zikr on the fingers. For the
same reason, it is ordered in another hadith that we should
go to the mosque very frequently, so that the foot-prints
will bear witness in our favour, and reward is granted for
these.
How fortunate are the people against whom there is
nobody to stand witness, either because no sins are com-
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Virtues of Zikr
227
"0,you who believe! Let not your wea!th or your children (and other similar things) distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so are the losers. And spend
of that wherewith We have provided you, before death
overtakes one of you and then he says, My Lord: if only
Thou wouldst give me respite for a little while, then I
would give alms and be amongst Thy good bondsmen, But
Almighty Allah reprieves no soul when its time has come
and Allah is aware of all that you do."
There are some people who do not neglect remembrance of Allah at any time. Hadhrat Shibli (Rahmatullah
alaih) writes, "I happened to see a lunatic on whom some
boys were throwing stones. I reprimanded the boys, who
said. "This man claims that he sees Allah." I went near
him and found that he was murmuring something. On listening to him attentively, I heared him saying, "You have
done so well to have set these boys after me." I said to him,
"TChese boys accuse you of something." "What do they
say'!'" enquired he. I said, "They say that you claim to see
Allah." He yelled a shriek and said, "0 Shibli, I swear by
Him, who has made me mad in His Love and Who keeps
me wandering restlessly sometimes near Him and at times
away from Him, if I were to lose sight of Him even for a
while, my heart would burst into pieces on account of the
pangs of separation." He said this, and ran away reciting
the following couplet:
Your appearance is constantly before my eyes, your remembrance is always on my tongue, your abode is in my
heart, then where can you hide from me.
When Junaid Baghdadi (Kahmatullah alaih) was about
to die someone advised him to recite the kalimah. He said,
"I have never forgotten it any time; (you should remind it
to someone who may have neglected it). When Hadhrat
Mumshaad Dinwari (Rahmatullah alaih) was about to die
some one prayed to Allah for the grant of such and such
blessings to him in Paradise. He smiled, and said, "For the
E2
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228
Virtues of Zikr
last thirty years, the Paradise with all its blessings has been
appearing before me, but I have not even once diverted my
attention from Almighty Allah towards it."
When somebody reminded Hadhrat Royam (Rahmatullah alaih) at the time of his death, to recite the kalimah, he
said, "I have no acquaintance with anyone except
Almighty Allah." When Hadhrat Ahmad bin Khidhrwayh
was about to die, somebody asked him something. With
tears in his eyes he said, "For the last ninety five years, I
have been knocking at a door which is now about to open. I
am not aware whether it will mean good or bad fortune for
me; I am too absorbed to talk to anybody at this time."
Hadith No. 19
229
Mulla Ali Qari has written that the zikr in the words
mentioned above is more rewarding because one concentrates on Allah's attributes mentioned therein, and then
meditates over them. It is evident that the more one meditates and contemplates over the zikr one does, the better it
is. For this very reason, the recitation of even a few aayaat
of the Qur'an, with proper contemplation on what is read,
is far better than considerably more recitation done without
proper understanding.
Some Ulama consider that this zikr is superior because
there is in it an expression of one's utter helplessness in respect of counting the praises and favours of Almighty
Allah, which is the best form of submission to Him. It is for
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230
231
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Virtues of Zikr
my line right upto a pupil of Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi had
bestowed a tasbeeh on his pupil and recommended him to
do zikr on it. The pupil of Hadhrat Junaid (Rahmatullah
alaih) had stated 'On seeing a tasbeeh in the hand of my
Sheikh, I enquired if h e still needed the tasbeeh after
having reached such a spiritual height. He replied that he
had seen this tasbeeh in the hand of his Sheikh, Sirri Saqati
(Rahmatullah alaih), and had put the same question to him,
and Hadhrat Sirri Saqati (Rahmatullah alaih), had also replied that on seeing a tasbeeh in the hand of his Sheikh,
Hadhrat Ma'roof Karkhi (Rahmatullah alaih), he had put
the same question to his Sheikh Hadhrat Bishr Haafi, (Rahmatullah alaih) who said that he had also put the question
to his Sheikh Umar Makki, (Rahmatullah alaih) who had
also stated that he had asked the same question from his
Sheikh Hadhrat Hasan Basri (Rahmatullah alaih) as to why
he kept a tasbeeh in his hand in spite of his having attained
such spritual heights, to which the Sheikh had replied, "It
had proved very useful in my initial stages of Tasawwuf
and I had made progress by virtue of it; I do not want to
leave it in the last stage, when I want to use my heart,
tongue, hands, and everything in doing zikr of Almighty
Allah." The Muhaddith however have questioned its use.
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limahs ten times each after every salaat. In this way, one
glorifies Allah one hundred and fifty times, and thereby
earns one thousand and five hundred virtues every day.
The second routine is to recite cLbv+) and (A+l;;ji,
33 times each, and &
34 times betore going tb bed
every day. In this way, one does one hundred good deeds,
but actually earns one thousand virtues." Someone asked
the reason why only a few people are able to act upon this?
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "At the time
of salaat, the devil comes and reminds him of something,
which actuates him to get up and go away, and at night the
devil reminds him of other necessities, which makes him
neglect to recite these Kalimahs."
In these ahaadith, there is one thing specially noteworthy: that Hadhrat Fatimah (Radhiyallaho anha) who
would be the leader of women in Paradise, and the daughter of the leader of mankind in both the worlds, used to
grind corn flour herself (as a result of which her hands developed calluses on them, would herself fetch the water in
the skin waterbag, which left impressions on her chest and
would sweep the house herself, so that her clothes remained dirty, and did all other household duties, like
cooking meals and preparing bread, etc. Do our womenfolk
perform that much labour, or even half of it, with their own
hands? It is certainly not so, and our lives have little resemblance with the lives of those whom we profess to be our
leadefs. It ought to have been that we who claim to be the
servants should put in more labour than our masters, but it
is a matter of great disappointment that the actual position
is quite the reverse.
EPILOGUE
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(2) A Sahdbi narrated. "Once Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
239
cousin, Hadhrat Ja'far, (Radhiyallaho anho) to Ethiopia. When he returned from there and reached Madina,
Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) embraced him,
kissed him on his forehead, and said to him, "Shall I
give you something, give you good tidings, give you a
gift, grant you a present?" He replied, in the affirmative, and then Rasfillulah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
asked him to offer four rakaats in the manner explained already. In his hadith, the four kalimahs are
also followed by
240
Virtues of Zikr
(4) Hadhrat Abbaas (Radhiyallaho anho) narrated, "Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said to me 'Should
I grant you a present, give you a gift, bestow something
on you?' I thought that he wanted to give me some material thing such as had not been given to anybody
else.,Then he taught me the method of offering four rakaats, as explained above. He had also told me that
when I sit for tahiyyaat I should repeat the kalimahs
before reciting at-tahiyyaatu . . ."
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"0 Allah! I pray to you for granting me righteousness (as) of those who are on the right path, actions (as)
of those who are true Believers. sinceritv (as) of those
who do taubah, constancy (as) of the contented ones,
precaution (as) of those who fear You, yearning (as) of
those who love You, devotion (as) of pious devotees,
and knowledge (as) of religious scholars, so that 1 may
fear You. 0, Allah! grant me such fear as may prevent
me from doing any wrong, so that, through submission
to You, I may do such deeds as may earn for me your
pleasure and your approval, and so that I map do
taubah with sincerity out of Your fear, and I may
become truely sincere out of Your love, and I may rely
on You, because I may always hope for better (things)
from You. O! The Creator of noor. You are above all
defects. 0 ! our Sustainer, grant us complete light
(noor) and forgive us; no doubt You have complete
control over everything. O ! You, the Most Merciful,
grant my prayer out of Your Mercy."
(6) Except the three forbidden times, this salaat can be of-
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ZAKARIYA KANDHALVI
Friday Night 26th Shawwal1358 (Iiijrah)
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TABLIGH
Revised translation of
the Urdu book Faza'il-e-Tabligh
by
Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi
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translation revised by
Mazhar Mahmood Qureshi
Khwaia Ihsanul Haq
VIRTUES OF TABLIGH
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Page No
CHAPTER I
Verses from the Holy Qur'an concerning Tabligh
8-12
CHAPTER I1
Sayings of the Holy Prophet concerning Tabligh
13-27
CHAPTER I11
Practise what you preach
28-30
CHAPTER IV
Importance of Ikraam (Honour) in Tabligh
31-33
CHAPTER V
Importance of Ikhlaas (Sincerity) in Tabligh
34-36
CHAPTER VI
Respect for Learning and the Learned in Islam
37-40
CHAPTER VII
Keeping company with the Righteous Divines
41-46
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FOREWORD
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE
MOST MERCIFUL
We praise Him, and we ask His blessings on His nol)le
Prophet.
First, I give thanks to Allah, who has enabled me to
write this booklet on Tabligh. One of the best of the
Muslim scholars of this age has advised me to select a few
verses of the Holy Qur'an and some savings of the I-ioly
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) on Tabligh, and explain the same. Since my humble services to such sincere
believers can be a means of salvation for me. I present this
useful pamphlet to ever" Islamic School, Islamic Association, Islamic Government, rather to every Muslim, and request them to serve the sacred cause of Tabligh in their
own wav. In fact, during this age there is a dav-to-dav decline in our devotion to religion. and objections against our
true faith are raised not only by disbelievers, but also by
the so-called 'Muslims'. The fardh and waajib observances
are being neglected not only by the common Muslims. but
by those also who hold important positions. Millions of
Muslims have indulged in manifest false-worship, not to
speak of neglecting prayers and fasting; vet they arc never
conscious of their practices which are against a pure allegiance to Allah. Trespassing the religious limits is verv
common, and mocking at the religious beliefs has becornc il
fashion of the dav. That is whv the Muslim scholars have
even begun to shun the common folk, and the result of this
state of affairs is that ignorance about the teachings of Islam
is increasing day bv day. People offer the excuse that no
one teaches them the religion of Islam with a keen interest.
and the Muslim scholars have an excuse that no one listens
to them attentivelv. But none of these excuses is valid
before Allah. As a matter of fact. He wi!l ncver <accept the
excuse of the common folk that they were ignorant about
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FOREWORD
religious matters; for to learn religion, and to make a serious effort to acquire knowledge of its practices is the personal responsibility of every Muslim. Since ignorance of
law is no excuse under any government, then why should
it be accepted by the Lord of all rulers? They say, making
excuses for crime is worse than crime itself. Similarly, the
excuse of the scholars that no one listens to them does not
hold water. They boast of representing the great spiritual
leaders and divines of the past, but never consider how
many troubles and hardships they bore to preach the true
religion! Were they not pelted with stones? Were they not
abused and oppressed to the extreme degree? But in spite
of all these obstacles and hardships, they fulfilled their responsibilities about preaching, and they propagated the
message of Islam regardless of any opposition.
Generally, the Muslims have limited Tabligh to the
scholars only, whereas every Muslim has been commanded
by Allah to stop people from doing forbidden things. If we
admit for a moment that Tabligh is the duty of Muslim
scholars only who do not perform it properly, then it is the
particular duty of every Muslim to preach Islam. The emphasis that has been laid on Tabligh by the Qur'an and
Hadith, will be proved by the Qur'anic verses and sayings
of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) that are
going to be quoted in the following pages. Therefore, you
cannot confine Tabligh to scholars only, nor can it be an
excuse for you to neglect the same. I would request every
Muslim to devote his time and energy to Tabligh as much
as he can:
CHAPTER I
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"And command your family to observe the prayers, and also perform these yourself regularly. We do
not ask you for sustenance. We will give you sustenance; and the ultimate success is for the God-fearing."
Numerous traditions say that whenever anyone complained of poverty to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam), he recited this verse, and advised him to perform his prayers regularly, as though pointing to the fact
that regularity in prayers will lead to ample provision.
It has been stressed in this verse to do a thing yourself
before giving instructions to other, because this is a more
effective and successful method of preaching. That is why
all the prophets themselves first did what they preached to
others. Thus they became examples for their followers,
who would not then think that the teaching of their religion are so difficult to carry out.
Moroever. Allah has promised ample provision for
those who perform the prayers regularly, so that they
should never feel that prayers can interfere with the earning of their livelihood, whether through trade, service, etc.
Thereafter it is stated as a rule, that ultimate success and
salvation will be attained by the God-fearing only.
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Virtues of Tabligh
aries have been specially assigned to propagate their religion in the whole world; similarly other communities are
trying their best to preach their own religions. But the
question is, is there such an organization among the Muslims? The answer, if not in the negative, cannot be in the
affirmative either. If any individual or any party among the
so-called Muslims arises for the preaching of Islam, unreasonable objections are raised against them, instead of
giving them help and co-operation, whereas it is the duty
of every true Muslim to help those who preach Islam, and
to remove shortcomings where necessary; but these people
neither do anything themselves to preach Islam, nor help
those who have devoted their lives to this sacred cause.
Thus the result is that even the sincere and unselfish
preachers are disappointed, and give up their efforts in this
regard.
"0 son! Perform thy prayers regularly; and command people to do good deeds, and prevent them from
forbidden things, and bear patiently whatever befalls
you (in the preaching of Truth): undoubtedly this demands courage! "
(Surah Luqmaan: 17)
In this verse, several important things for a Muslim
have been mentioned, which can be a means for our salvation; but we have neglected these very badly. Not to speak
of the lack of preaching the truth, we have neglected even
the prayers, which is a basic principle of Islam, in fact the
most important after faith. There are so many people who
do not perform their prayers at all; but even those who do,
hardly perform it with all its requisites, such as congregational prayers. It is the poor only who perform the prayers
with congregation in the mosque, while the rich feel it
below their dignity to be present in the mosque. Ah! my
complaint is only to Allah!
I
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Virtues of Tabligh
CHAPTER 2
SAYINGS OF THE HOLY PROPHET (SALLALLAHO
ALAIHE WASALLAM) CONCERNING TABLIGH
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It has been reported by Nu'maan bin Basheer
(Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said: "There are people who do not
transgress the limits (laws) of Allah, and there are
others who do so. They are like two groups who
boarded a ship; one of them settled on the upper deck.
and the other, on the lower deck of the ship. So, when
the people of the lower deck needed water, they said:
'Why should we cause trouble to the people of the
upper deck when we can easily have plenty of water
by making a hole in our deck.' Now if the people of the
upper deck do not prevent this group from such foolishness, all of them will perish - but if they stop them
then they all will be saved."
(Bukhari & Tirmizi)
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as Allah did with Bani Israa-eel." The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) read certain relevant verses of the
Holy Qur'an to emphasize this subject. Bani Israa-eel were
condemned because among other things, they did not prevent others from doing forbidden things.
Nowadays it is considered a virtue to be at peace with
all, and to please everyone on every occasion. They say it is
a requirement of good manners with the evildoers.
Obviously, this is a wrong policy, because at most
there may be some religious sanction for keeping quiet in
extreme case, but never for falling in line with the tyrants
and transgressors. At the very least, every one must instruct
those people to do good whom he easily can influence for
instance: his subordinates, his servants, his wife, his children, and his relations. In such circumstances, to be absolutely silent about Tabligh is unpardonable before Allah.
Hadhrat Sufyaan Thowri says: "Whoever is very popular with his relations and neighbours, we suspect him to be
cotnpromising in preaching the true teachings of religion."
Numerous traditions say that when a sin is committed
secretly, its harm is generally limited to the sinner only;
but when a sin is committed openly, and those possessing
the capability do not prevent it, then it ultimately affects
all the people around.
Now everyone can see for himself, how many sins are
committed before him every day, and he, in spite of having
the power to prevent them neglects to do so. And it is a
pity that, if anyone gets up to put the wrong down, the ignorant and shameless people oppose him instead of co-operating with him.
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sallam) saying: "When a sin is committed before an individual or a group and they do not prevent it, in spite
of having the capability, then Allah inflicts a severe
punishment on them before their death."
(Targheeb)
0 my friends who desire the improvement of Islam
and the Muslims! now you have clearly seen the causes of
our decline. Not to speak of strangers, we generally do not
prevent even our own family and our subordinates from
wrong-doing. We do not even make up our minds to prevent evil, much less doing something practical about it.
Whatever our own son does against the Commandments of
Allah, we do not check him even; but if he takes some interest in politics, or mixes up in a certain political party,
we are seriously anxious not only about him, but about our
own safety and honour. Then we warn him and also think
about some plans to be safe and secure from any harm; but
on the other hand, when he transgresses against Allah's
Commandments, we are never anxious about the life in the
Hereafter, and about the Reckoning of the Day of Judgement.
Sometimes you know full well that your son is addicted to some idle pursuits and is very lax in his prayers,
but you have no courage to prevent him from such habits.
or to chastise him, although Allah has clearly commanded
you to be severe in uprooting such evils and even sever relations with the transgressor. There is many a father who
would be angry with his son, because he is lazy and does
not attend to his studies or services or business properly,
but is there anyone who is angry with his son, because he
does not perform the fundamental observances of Islam?
As a matter of fact, the adverse effect of this negligence
is not limited to the great loss in the Hereafter but it is a
pity this evidently extends to our worldly affairs and interests also, which are so dear to us. This blindness of ours is
horrible, for Allah says:
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It has been reported by Hadhrat Anas (Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: "So long as a person says "La ilaaha
illallaah" (no one is worthy of worship but Allah), he
receives spiritual benefits, and is saved from miseries
and calamities, unless he neglects its rights." His Companions said: "0 Messenger of Allah (Sallaho alaihe
wasallam)! how are its rights neglected?" He answered:
"When sins are committed openly, and the person who
recites the kalimah does not prevent the sinners from
wrongdoings. "
(Targheeb)
Now you can yourself cohsider how very often sins are
committed during these times, yet there is no serious attempt to check or prevent them. In such a dangerous and
ungodly atmosphere, the very existence of the Muslims in
the world is a great blessing of Allah, otherwise we are inviting ruination through all possible means. Hadhrat Aaishah (Radhiyallaho anha) asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), "When the punishment of Allah befalls the inhabitants of any locality, does it affect the pious,
just as it affects the guilty?" The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) answered: "Yes, it does affect all of them
in this world, but at the Resurrection the pious will be separated from the guilty." Therefore, those people who are
simply satisfied with their own piety, and do not participate in improving others should not rest assured that they
are safe from the punishment of the Almighty. If any chastisement is inflicted by Allah, they too will be involved in
it.
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It has been reported by Hadhrat Huzaifah (Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said on oath:
"You must command people to do good deeds,
and prevent them from doing forbidden things; otherwise Allah will inflict a severe punishment upon you,
and then even your prayers will not be accepted by
Him."
Here my respected readers should consider well how
many times they violate the commandments of Allah; then
they will know why their attempts to reform the nation fail,
and why their prayers are of no avail, and they instead of
sowing the seeds of progress, cause its decline.
It has been reported by Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "When my followers will begin to adore
the worldly benefits, their hearts will be deprived of
the dignity and love of Islam; and when they stop the
preaching of truth, and preventing transgression, they
will be deprived of the blessings of the Revelation; and
when they will abuse each other, they will fall from
the esteem of Allah."
(Tirmazi)
The well-wishers of the nation should ponder why
their efforts result in failure instead of success. If vou
21
"The heart of a Muslim whose object is the life Hereafter does not care for the worldly pleasures, yet the
world is brought to his feet; on the other hand, whoever goes after the world, he is overpowered by miseries and calamities, yet he cannot receive more than
his allotted portion."
The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) read the
above-mentioned verse, and said: Allah says: " 0 son of
man! devote yourself to My worship, and I will free your
bosom from the worldly anxieties and will remove your
poverty, otherwise I will fill your heart with a thousand
worries and will not remove your poverty."
These are the words of Allah and the Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), but you foolishly think that
religion and the teachings of Mullahs (religious divines) are
a hindrance in the path of your (worldly) progress. Don't
you think that your worldly progress can be very helpful to
the Mullahs, for then you would be in a better position to
serve them. Then why should they oppose you, to their
own loss? As a matter of fact, they are sacrificing their own
worldly interests by speaking the truth, by preaching Islam.
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Whoever desires this present world (and its benefits), We shall soon grant him whatever he desires:
then We will make Hell his destination, wherein he
will be thrown headlong, with disgrace. And whoever
desires the Hereafter, and makes an effort to attain it.
and he is a true believer-those are the people whose
efforts will be rewarded."
(Bani Isra-eel: 18-19)
27
Virtues of Tabligh
26
"0 Lord! give us good in this world and in the Hereafter, and save us from the Fire (of Hell)."
(Al-Baqarah: 201)
In this chapter, my real object was to quote the sayings
of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) about the
Tabligh work. And the seven that I have quoted above are
sufficient for true believers; as for the disbelievers. Allah
says:
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"0 Allah! save us from the trials of evil, whether it be external or internal."
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CHAPTER 3
PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH
In this chapter it is intended to draw attention to a significant shortcoming. Just as most educated Muslims and
scholars of the day have neglected the duty of Tabligh
work, similarly there are those who preach Islam to others
through speech and by writings, but they neglect practising
what they say. In fact they, as preachers, should attend to
reforming themselves more than to reform others. The Holy
Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has strictly forbidden
such persons to preach who are themselves guilty of transgression.
The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) on the
night of Mi'raaj (ascension) saw a group of persons whose
lips were being clipped with fiery scissors. On asking who
they were, Jibra-eel (Alayhis salaam) told him that these
persons were preachers from among your followers who
did not act on what they preached. A hadith says: "Some of
the residents of Paradise will ask those in Hell: "How are
you people here, whereas we followed your preachings,
and thereby we got into Paradise?" They will answer: "We
did not practise ourselves what we preached to others."
Another hadith says: "The punishment of Allah will
descend more speedily upon the wicked scholars than on
the common sinners. They will be astonished to see this,
and will say: "Why is the punishment of Allah inflicted on
us before the idolaters even?" They will be answered thus:
"Those who transgressed in spite of having knowledge of
religion are more guilty than those who had not this knowledge." The Muslim divines have written that the sermons
of those who do not practise the religious observances
themselves, cannot leave an impression on others. That is
why the religious speeches, writings and the journals in
this age fall flat on the listeners and the readers!
Says Allah in the Holy Qur'an:
29
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I
II
"On the Day of Judgement, no one will be permitted to move away a single step until he is put these
four questions: (1)How did you spend your period of
life? ( 2 ) What use did you make of your youth? (3)
How did you earn your wealth, and where did you
spend it? (4) How far did you act upon your knowledge?"
Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) is a distinguished Comparlion of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam). He says: "The thing I fear most is the question
that will be put to me on the Day of Judgement in the presence of all the people: Did you act upon the knowledge that
you possessed?"
A certain Companion of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) asked him: "Who is the worst of all creatures?" He answered: "Don't ask me a question about bad
things, but ask me a question about good things. The worst
of all creatures are the wicked scholars. (i.e. those who do
not practise what they say)."
Says the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in
another hadith: "Knowledge is of two kinds: one, which remains on the tongue only and does not affect the heart and
so is in fact an accusation from Allah; and the other which
penetrates into the heart and revives the spirit: that is
indeed useful." What we mean to say is that a Muslim
should not acquire only that knowledge which concerns
the formal observances, but also the spiritual knowledge
which would purify his heart and enlighten his brain;
otherwise it would be a cause for questioning on the Day of
judgement as to how far it was acted upon. Similar warnings are contained in several other ahaadith.
Therefore I would solemnly request all the missionaries and preachers to reform themselves outwardly and in-
30
Virtues of Tabligh
1I
CHAPTER 4
THE IMPORTANCE OF IKRAAM IN TABLIGH
This chapter concerns another very important requirement for Tabligh, which through a little carelessness of the
preachers, can do harm instead of good. For instance, when
trying to prevent someone from wrongdoing, or save him
from a bad habit, you should advise him privately and not
openly disgrace him in the eyes of others; a Muslim's dignity is a valuable asset; as explained in the following sayings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam):
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Virtues of Tabligh
great regard for conniving at faults and maintaining the dignity of brethren in Islam. Another hadith says: "Whoever
does not help his brother Muslim, when he is being dishonoured, Allah will not pay heed to him when he himself
is badly in need of help." Still another hadith says: "The
worst form of usury is dishonouring a Muslim."
In numerous traditions like this, the dishonouring of a
Muslim has been strictly forbidden; therefore, the missionaries should be particularly cautious on this subject. The
correct method is to advise people secretly on the sins that
come to knowledge secretly: and take corrective measures
openly on the sins that are committed openly. Even the
advice should be given in such a manner that the transgressor is not dishonoured, lest the advice produces the opposite effect. In short, the transgressors must be checked
strictly, according to the commandments of Allah, but let
us not forget the instructions given above to respect the
dignity of every Muslim.
Moreover, a preacher must be polite and courteous
when he addresses his audience: for ill temper and bitter
words have just the opposite effect. A preacher spoke
harshly to the Caliph Ma'moon ar-Rasheed. He said:
"Please be polite and courteous to me, for Fir'own was a
worse fellow than me, and Moosa (Alayhis salaam) was a
much better person than you, but when he and Haroon
(Alayhis salaam) were sent to instruct Fir'own, Allah said:
answered each time i n the negative. Then the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam] put his hand on his chest and
prayed: " 0 Allah! purify his heart, forgive his sins, and
guard him against adultery." The reporters say that, after
this, nothing was more hateful to him than adultery.
To be brief, .the preachers should always be kind,
polite and sympathetic towards their listeners, and should
treat them as they would themselves like to be treated.
32
I
CHAPTER 5
IMPORTANCE OF IKHLAAS (SINCERITY) IN TABLIGH
Says the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in this context: "Allah does not look towards your
faces, or towards your riches; but He sees (the sincerity
of) your hearts, and the nature of your deeds."
(Mishkaat)
On another occasion; the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) was asked as to what is the meaning
of 'Eemaan'. He answered: "It means sincerity."
(Targheeb)
Hadhrat Mu'aaz (Radhiyallaho anho) was given command in Yemen. When he was about to depart. he asked for
advice from the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam).
who said: "Observe sincerity in all your religious beliefs
and actions. for it will increase the reward of your good
deeds." Another hadith says: "Allah accepts only those
deeds of His servants, which are based on complete sincerity to Him."
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said: "I fear particularly for three shortcomings in my followers. First, due to increasing worldly benefits and
achievements. they will envy one another; second, discussion of the Holy Qur'an will become so common that
even the ignorant will claim that they know the meanings
of the Holy Qur'an, although many meanings are such that
cannot be understood by anyone except the well versed
scholars of that Book, who say: "We have a firm faith in it,
and that it is from Allah", so how much more careful
should be the common people; third, the religious scholars
will be neglected and will not be patronized properly."
(Targheeb)
Many similar traditions are found in the books of
hadith. It has been mentioned in 'Fataawa Aalamgiri' that
the sort of derogatory words that are generally used today
by the ignorant people about the scholars of Islam ma3 seriously damage their faith. Therefore, people must be careful to avoid such words. Suppose for a moment there are
no true and sincere scholars of Islam in the world (and the
majority consists of corrupt people), even then nothing is
gained by branding them as evil scholars. Rather, it is the
religious and moral duty of every Muslim to form such an
Islamic society that would give birth to sincere servants of
Islam. Only when such a body of persons is in existence we
should rest content.
Of course, there have always been some differences of
opinion among the Muslim scholars, mostly about minor
problems, for which they cannot be maligned. There is a
hadith that says: "The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) gave his shoes to Abu Hurairah (Radhivallaho
anho), and said: "Take my shoes as a sign, and proclaim
among the Muslims that whoever will say 'La ilaha illallah,
Mohammadur Rasul-ullah' from the bottom of his heart, he
will certainly enter Paradise." Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho
anho) met Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) in the way
and asked him where he was going. He told him the message of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), yet
Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) was annoyed. for he
did not agree with such a proposition; therefore he hit the
messenger in the chest, who fell back. Yet no one raised objections against Hadhrat Umar (Radhivallaho anho), nor
was any demonstration arranged against him because of
this difference of opinion. Many differences of opinion
existed among the Sahabah and later the four Imaams of
Fiqh differed among themselves in numerous details.
Virtues of Tabligh
There have been many minor differences of opinion
about prayers among the four Imaams; I myself know of
about two hundred, but this does not mean that their followers should doubt the faith of one another, and call each
other 'infidel'. The fact is that the common people are
mostly unaware of the finer points on which various scholars differ in their views; these differences are a blessing in
disguise. As a matter of fact, good preachers and sincere
servants of Islam do not attach any importance to such trifling things, but continue their attempt to bring people to
the Right Path. We know that doctors differ among themselves and lawyers differ in their advice, nevertheless
people continue to make use of their services. But those
who are ignorant, selfish and lazy, they simply use their
difference of views to raise objections against the religious
scholars. Anyhow, it has been enjoined on every Muslim to
listen to those scholars of the Holy Qur'an, whom he respects and knows to be the followers of the Sunnah, and
should avoid reproaching those whom he does not like.
Anyone who has no proper knowledge of Islam and the
Holy Qur'an, has no right to raise objections against the
scholars. The scholars of Islam should always keep this
saying of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in
mind and act accordingly: "It is to waste knowledge to address those who are not fit for it."
In this corrupt age, when even the commandments of
Allah- and the sayings of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) are being criticised, I have no reason to
wonder if the sermons of Muslim scholars are not heard
and the Qur'an not followed. Says Allah in the Holy
Qur'an.
CHAPTER 7
KEEPING COMPANY WITH THE RIGHTEOUS DIVINES
In this last chapter, which really completes the sixth
one, I would remind the Muslims to follow the Sunnah of
the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasalla'm), and to keep
the company of those who devote themselves to Islam and
remember Allah day and night, for this will make them
steadfast in Islam. Even the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) was commanded to keep such company; says
the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)-on this subject:
Virtues of Tabligh
42
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43
II
44
Virtues of Tabligh
45
Ch. VII: Keeping company with the Righteous
"When I do not listen to Him and see His face, it is
better to be deaf and blind."
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"An assembly wherein Allah is remembered and glorified, shines for the heavenly creatures, just as the stars
shine for the earthly creatures."
Once, Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho)
went to a bazaar and proclaimed to the people: " 0
brethren! You are sitting here, and the legacy of the
Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is being distributed in the mosque." The people ran to the
mosque, but as nothing material was being distributed
there, they returned disappointed. Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallaho anho) asked them. "After all what
was being done there?" They answered: "A few people
were reading the Holy Qur'an, and a few others were
engaged in praising and glorifying Allah." He said:
"This is what we call the legacy of the Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)."
Imam Ghazali (Rahmatullah alaih) has mentioned
many similar traditions. Even the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has been commanded by Allah:
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"0Messenger! keep the company of those who pray to
Allah every morning and evening, and they desire only
His pleasure; and do not turn your eyes from them to
the attractions and adornment of the worldly life: and
do not follow him whose heart We have turned away
from our remembrance, and who follows his desires,
and (therefore) he has broken the limits (of true re!@ion)."
Numerous traditions indicate that the Holy Prophet
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to thank Allah for producing such pious people among his followers that he was
commanded to keep their company. And in the same verse,
the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has been
commanded to avoid the company of those who are slaves
of passion and tresspass the limits laid down by Allah. He
has been instructed again and again not to follow their vain
desires.
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Now all those who blindly follow the ways of the ungodly and transgressing people of the non-believing nations
should search their hearts and see how far they are true believers. Their imitating the pagans and the Christian has
taken them far away from the Right Path;
Virtues of
Ramadan
HADITH No. 1
Salmaan (RA) reports, "On the last day of Sha-baan Rasulullah (SAW) addressed us and said, '0 people there comes
over you now a great month, a most blessed month in which lies a night more greater in virtue than a thousand
months. It is a month in which Allah has made Fasting compulsory by day. And has made sunnah the Taraaweeh by
night. Whosoever intends drawing near to Allah by performing any virtuous deed, for such person shall be the
reward like the one who had performed a fardh in any other time. And whoever performs a fardh, shall be blessed
with the reward of seventy faraa-idh in any other time.
This is indeed the month of patience, and the reward for true patience is Jannah (paradise). It is the month of
sympathy with one's fellowmen. It is the month wherein a true believer's rizq is increased. Whosoever feeds another
who fasted, in order to break the fast at sunset, for the feeder there shall be forgiveness of sins and emancipation
from the fire of Jahannam (hell}, and for such feeder shall be the same reward as the one who Fasted (who he fed)
without that persons reward being decreased in the least."
Thereupon we said, "0 messenger of Allah, not all of us possess the means whereby we can give a fasting
person to break his fast." Rasulullah (SAW) replied, "Allah grants the same reward to the one who gives a fasting
person to break the fast a mere date, or a drink of water, or a sip of milk."
"This is a month, the first of which brings Allah's mercy, the middle of which brings His forgiveness and the
last of which brings emancipation from the fire of Jahan-nam."
"Whosoever lessens the burden of his servants (bonds-men) in this month; Allah will forgive him and free him
from the fire of Jahannam."
"And in this month four things you should continue to perform in great number, two of which shall be to
please your Lord, while the other two shall be those without which you cannot do. Those which shall be to please
your Lord, are that you should in great quantity bear witness that there is no deity to worship except Allah (i.e.
recite the Kalimah Tayyibah Laa llaaha illallaah) and make much Istighfaar beg Allah's forgiveness with
Astagirfirul-laah)." And as for those without which you cannot do, you should beg of Allah, entrance into paradise
and ask refuge in Him from Jahannam."
"And whoever gave a person who fasted water to drink, Allah shall grant that giver to drink from my fountain,
such a drink where after that person shall never again feel thirsty until he enters Jannah."
Reported by ibn Khuzaimah in his 'Saheeh.
COMMENTARY
All the points which this Hadith draws attention have been further emphasized in numerous other Ahaadith on
the great virtues of Ramadan. Quite a number of important points are brought to our notice.
Firstly, it should be noted that Rasulullah (SAW) delivered this sermon at the end of the month of Sha-baan the
obvious reason being that he intended to put into our minds the great importance of Ramadan so that we could
remember and not allow one second of this month to go by without giving it the full importance it deserves.
Thereafter attention is drawn to Laylatul Qadr, about which more is said later. Then attention is drawn to the fact
that fasting has been made compulsory by Allah who also made Sunnah the Taraaweeh 'salaah by night.
From this Hadith it is noted that the command for Taraaweeh prayers too comes from Allah Himself. Besides
this in all the Ahaadith wherein Rasulullah (SAW) says, I have made it sunnah", is mainly to emphasize its
importance. All the authorities of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah are agreed upon the fact that Taraaweeh is
Sunnah. (Bur-haan mentions that only the Rawaafidh deny this.)
Maulana Shaah Abdulhaq Dehlawi wrote in his book: "Maa Thabata Bis sunnah" that should the people of any
town fail to perform Taraaweeh prayers, the Muslim ruler should make them do so by force.
HADITH No. 2
Abu Hurayrah relates that Rasulullah (SAW) said, "My Ummah was given five things for Ramadan which
was not given to anyone except them. For them, the smell from the mouth of a fasting person is more sweeter to
Allah than the fragrant smell of musk. On their behalf the fish in the sea seek forgiveness for the fasting persons
until they break their fast. Allah prepares and decorates a special garden in Jannah everyday and then says (to it),
"The time is near when faithful servants shall cast aside the great trials of the world and come to you". In this
month (for them) evil-minded Shaytaan is chained so as not to reach unto those evils to which they normally
reach during other months besides Ramadan. On the last night of Ramadan they are forgiven".
The Sahaabah R.A. thereupon enquired, "0 Messenger of Allah, is that last night Laylatul Qadr? Rasulullah
(SAW) replied, "No. But it is only right that a servant should be given his reward on having completed his
service".
Reported by Ahmad, Bazzaar and Bayhaqi
HADITH No. 3
Kaab bin Ujra relates, "Rasulullah (SAW) said, "Come near to the mimbar". And we came near to the mimbar.
When he ascended the First step of the mimbar he said "Aameen". When he ascended the second step of the
mimbar he said, "Aameen". When he ascended the third step he said, "Aameen".
When he descended we said, "0 Rasul of Allah, we have heard from you today something which we never
heard before". He said, When I ascended the first step) Jibra-eel A.S. appeared before me and said, "Woe to him
who found the blessed month of Ramadan and let it pass by without gaining forgiveness", upon that I said,
"Aameen". When I ascended the second step, he said "Woe to him before whom thy name is mentioned and then
does not read Durood (salaat alan Nabi) on you". I replied "Aameen". When I ascended the third step he said, "Woe
unto the person in whose presence both parents or one of them attain old age, and (through failure to serve them) is
not allowed to enter Jannah" I said "Aameen".
Reported by Haakim.
HADITH NO. 4
Ubaadah bin Saamit (Radhiallaahu nhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said one day when
Ramadan had drawn near; "The month of Ramadan, the month of blessings has come to you, wherein Allah turns
towards you and sends down to you His special Mercy, forgives your faults, accepts prayers, appreciates your
competition for the greatest, good and boasts to the angels about you. So, show to Allah your righteousness; for
verily, the most pitiable and unfortunate one is he who is deprived of Allah's Mercy in this month.
COMMENTARY
In this Hadith, we read about the spirit of competition among the believers, each one trying to do more good deeds
than the other. In our own home, I am greatly pleased on seeing how even the womenfolk vie with each other, the
one trying to recite more of the Quran than the others, so that, in spite of domestic responsibilities, fifteen to
twenty 'juz' (Parts) of the Quran are read by each one daily. I mention this only out of a sense of gratitude to Allah,
mentioning His favor, and not to boast of it. May Allah accept their deeds and ours, and increase us all in good
deeds.
HADITH NO.5
Abu Saeed Khudri (Radhiallaahu anhu) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: "During each day
and night of Ramadan, Allah sets free a great number of souls from Hell. And for every Muslim, during each day
and night, at least one prayer is certainly accepted."
COMMENTARY
Apart from this Hadith, there are many others stating that the 'Du'aa' of a fasting person is accepted (Mustajaab). In
one Hadith, we read that the 'Duaa is accepted at the time of 'Iftaar', but we are generally so absorbed in eating
that we neglect this opportunity. The well-known 'Duaa' at 'Iftaar' is:
"O Allah for You have I fasted, in You do I believe, and on You do I rely, and now I break this fast with food
coming from you."
Abdullah bin Amr (Radhiallaahu anhu) used to make the following 'Duaa' at 'Iftaar':
O Allah I beg You, through Your infinite Mercy, which surrounds all things, to forgive me.'
In some books we read that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) used to say:
"O You who are Great in Bounties, forgive me."
Many other prayers have been indicated for 'Iftaar', but no special 'Dua' is fixed. This time (at Iftaar) is one when
'Duaa' is accepted; submit before Allah all your needs (and, if you remember, then make "Du'aa' for me too.)
HADITH NO. 6
Abu Hurayrah (Radhiallaahu anhu) reports: Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There are three people
whose "Du'aa" is not rejected; the fasting person until he breaks the fast, the just ruler, and the oppressed person,
whose 'Dua' Allah lifts above the clouds and opens unto it the doors of heaven, and Allah says: "I swear by My
honor, verily I shall assist you, even though it may be after some time."
COMMENTARY
In 'Durr Manthur' it is reported from Aa'isha (Radhiallaahu anha) that, when Ramadan appeared, the color of
Rasulullah's face used to change. He then used to increase his "Salaat", become even more humble in his "Duaas"
and exhibit even more fear of Allah. According to another report, he hardly ever lay down in bed until Ramadan
came to an end. Further, it is stated that the angels carrying the Throne are commanded in Ramadan to leave aside
everything else and recite "Aameen" to the "Duaas" of those who fast. Numerous are the Ahaadith stating that the
fasting person's 'Duaas' are answered. When Allah has so promised. and his truthful 'Nabi' (Sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam) has informed us, there should be no doubt whatsoever about the truth of these reports. Yet it is strange
that, in spite of this, we still find such people who apparently do not get what they pray for. They ask and do not
receive; but this does not mean that their prayers have been rejected. One should at this point understand the
significance of a 'Dua' being answered.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) has informed us that, when a Muslim prays for anything from Allah, on the
condition that he does not pray for breaking off from his near of kin or for anything sinful, he definitely receives
one out of the following three things: he gets the exact thing which he asked. If that is not received, then Allah
either removes from his path some great calamity in exchange for what he desired, or the reward for that thing for
which he prayed is stored for him in the Hereafter. Another Hadith states that on the day of "Qiyaamah", Allah will
call his servant, and say to him: "O my servant, I used to command you to ask of Me and promised to answer. Did
you beg of Me? The servant will answer: "Yes I did." Then Allah shall reply: "You did not put forth any prayer
which has not been accepted. You prayed that a certain calamity should be removed, which I did for you in the
worldly life. You prayed that a certain sorrow should be cast off you, but result of that prayer was not known to
you. For that, I fixed for you such and such a reward in the Hereafter. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) says
that the man shall again be reminded of each and every prayer and he shall be shown how it had been fulfilled in
the world or else what reward had been stored for him in the Hereafter. On seeing that reward, he shall wish that
not a single prayer of his had been answered on Earth, so that he could receive the full reward only in the Hereafter.
Yes, prayer is indeed very important, and to neglect it at any time is a matter of great loss. Even when the outward
signs seem to indicate that our prayer is not answered, hope should not be lost. Even from the lengthy Hadith at the
end of this booklet, it is clear that Allah in answering prayers considers first of all our own good and welfare.
Should Allah find that granting us what we beseech from Him is in our welfare and interest, He grants it, otherwise
not. Actually it is Allah's favor on us that we do not always get what we ask for because very often, due to our lack
of understanding, we beg for things that are not beneficial at a particular time.
Here I must draw your attention to the fact that men as well as women suffer from a bad habit of cursing their
children in their anger and affliction. Beware of this. As preordained by Allah, there are certain occasions when
whatever prayer be made is immediately answered. So sometimes, due to our own stupidity, the child is cursed and
when the effect of that same curse comes upon the child and lands him into a calamity, the parents go about crying
and wailing. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) commanded us not to curse ourselves, our children,
possessions, or servants. It is just possible that the curse is uttered at a time when all requests are granted, especially
in Ramadan, which is replete with such special "Mustajaab" (accepted) moments. Hence, in this month, great care
should be taken.
Ibn Masood (Radhi Allaho anhu) reports that on every night of Ramadan, a crier from the heavens calls out: "O you
seeker of good, come near; O You seeker of evil, turn away (from evil) and open your eyes." Thereafter that angel
calls out: "Is there any seeker of forgiveness, that he may be forgiven? Is there anyone with a prayer, that his prayer
may be heard? Is there anyone wanting anything, so that his wish may be fulfilled?"
Lastly, it should be borne in mind that there are certain conditions under which prayers are accepted; in the absence
of these, prayers may be often rejected. Among these is the use of 'Halaal' food: When 'Haraam' is consumed, the
prayers are not accepted. Rasulullah said: "Many a greatly distressed person lifts up his hands to the heavens.
praying and crying: 'O Allah, O Allah.' But the food he eats is "Haraam", what he drinks is "Haraam", his clothes
are of "Haraam"; then in such cases how can his prayer be accepted?'
A story is related about a group of people in Kufa, whose prayers used to be always accepted. Whenever a (bad)
ruler was placed over them, they used to pray for a curse upon him, which quickly came to destroy him. When
Hajjaaj became ruler there, he invited these people amongst others, to a feast. After they had all eaten, he said: "I
am no longer afraid of the curse upon me from these people, because "Haraam" food has now entered their
stomachs." (At this stage, let us ponder over how much "Haraam" is being consumed in these times, when people
are even trying to make permissible the taking of interest money. We find out people going so far as to think that
bribery and what is obtained through it is permissible, while our merchants very often justify their deceiving people
when trading with them.)
HADITH NO. 7
Ibn Umar (Radhi Allaho anhu) relates: Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: 'Verily Allah and His
Malaa'ikah send Mercy upon those who eat 'Sehri' (sower-Suhoor)."
COMMENTARY
How great is Allah's favor upon us that even the partaking of food before dawn for fasting is so greatly rewarded.
There are many Ahaadith in which the virtues of "Sehri" are expounded and the rewards mentioned. Allaamah Ain
- Commentator on Bukhari - has quoted the virtues of "Sehri" from seventeen different 'Sahaabah' and all the
"Ulama" are agreed on its being "Mustahab" (desirable). Many people are deprived of this great reward because of
their own laziness. Some even go so far as to finish 'Taraaweeh', eat (what they suppose to be "Sehri'!) and go to
bed. What great blessings do they lose! "Sehri" actually means partaking of food shortly before dawn. Some
authorities say that the time for "Sehri" commences after half the night has passed (Mirquat). The author of Kashshaff (Zamakhshari) divided the night into six portions, stating that the last one of these is the time of "Sehri"; so
that, when the night (from sunset till dawn) extends over twelve hours, the last two hours would be the correct time
for "Sehri". Then it must also be remembered that to eat at the latest possible time is better and greater in reward
than eating earlier, subject to the condition that no doubt remains as to whether "Sehri" had been eaten before the
time of dawn. The Ahaadith are full of virtues of "Sehri".
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: 'The difference between our fasting and that of the Ahlul-Kitaab
(Jews and Christians) lies in our partaking of food at "Sehri" which they do not." The Prophet has said, "Eat Sehri,
because in it lie great blessings; and again.In three things, are the great blessings: in "Jamaaah" (company), in
eating "Thareed" and in "Sehri". In this Hadith, the use of the word "Jama'ah" is general, wherefrom we deduce that
it includes "Salaat" with "Jamaa'ah" and all those righteous deeds done in company, as thus Allah's help comes to
them. "Thareed" is a tasty preparation, in which baked bread is cooked with meat. The third thing mentioned in this
Hadith is "Sehri". When Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) used to invite any of the companions to eat
"Sehri" with him, he used to say: "Come and partake of blessed food with me." One Hadith says: "Eat 'Sehri' and
strengthen yourself for the fast. And sleep in the afternoon (Siesta), so as to gain assistance in waking up in the
latter portion of the night (for "Ibaadah")." Abdullah bin Haarith (Radhiallaahu Anhu) reports that one of the
Sahaaba said: "I once visited Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) at a time when he was busy in partaking of
'Sehri'. Rasulullah then said: "This is a thing full of blessings, which Allah has granted you. Do not give it up."
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) in urging us repeatedly for 'Sehri' has said: "Even though there be no food,
then one date should be eaten or a drink of water taken." Thus, when there are definitely great advantages and
reward in 'Sehri', Muslims should endeavour to observe this practice as much as possible. However, in all things
moderation is important, and going beyond the bounds of moderation is harmful: neither should so little be eaten
that one feels weak throughout the period of fasting, nor should so much be eaten that it causes discomfort.
Repeatedly, we have been prohibited from filling the stomach excessively.
In his commentary on "Sahih Bukhari", Ibne Hajar has mentioned various reasons for the blessedness of "Sehri":
These are a few of the major reasons; there are many others as well. Some 'Sufis' are in doubt as to whether the
eating of 'Sehri' conflicts with the object of fasting or not. They maintain that the object of fasting is to stay away
from food, drink and sexual desires, therefore 'Sehri' is against the object of fasting. In my opinion the amount to be
eaten varies according to different persons and their activities. Foe example, for those students who are busy
seeking knowledge of 'Deen', too little food at 'Sehri' as well as 'Iftaar' will be harmful; for them it is better not to
have too little, because they seek 'Deeni' knowledge, which is very important (for the preservation and spread of
Islam). similar is the case of those who are busy with 'Dhikr' and other 'Deeni' activities. Other people who have no
such hard work to do should eat little at 'Sehri'.
Once Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) announced to those proceeding for 'Jihaad': 'There is no virtue in
fasting while travelling.' That was in the month of Ramadan, when some Sahaaba were fasting. Allamah Sha'raani
mentions in Sharh Iqna: 'A covenant was made with us that we shall not fill our stomachs (completely) when
eating, especially in the nights of Ramadan.' It is better that one should eat less in the nights of Ramadan than on
other nights. After all, what is the utility of fasting after having filled oneself at 'Sehri' and 'Iftaar'? the religious
divines have said, 'Whoever remains hungry in Ramadan shall remain safe from the evil of 'Shaytaan' throughout
the year, until the next Ramadan.'
Sharah Ihya Ulumuddin mentions the experiences of some saints, such as Sahl bin Abdullah Tastari, who used to
eat only once every fifteen days, while in Ramadan he ate only one morsel; but in order to follow the Sunnah, he
used to have a drink of water daily for 'Sehri' and 'Iftaar'. Shaykh Junayd always used to fast throughout the year.
However, when his noble friends would visit him occasionally, he used to break his fast and eat with them, saying,
'The virtue of breaking fast and eating with (such noble) friends is not less than that of 'Nafl' fasting.
Similarly, we can mention the experiences of numerous saints who through eating less used to discipline their
inner-selves, but let us bear in mind that it should not be carried to such extremes that the'religious' activities and
responsibilities are neglected, as a result of weakness of the body.
HADITH NO. 8
Abu,Hurayra (Radhiallaahu nhu) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said: "Many of those who
fast obtain nothing through such fasting except hunger, and many a one performs "Salaat" by' night but obtains
nothing by it, except the discomfort of staying awake."
COMMENTARY
With regard to this Hadith, the "Ulama" have mentioned three different interpretations: First, this Hadith may refer
to those who fast during the day and then for "Iftaar" eat food that is "Haraam"; all the reward for fasting is lost
because of the greater sin of eating 'Haraam' and nothing is gained except remaining hungry. Secondly, it may mean
those who fast duly but, during fasting, engage themselves in backbiting and slandering others (see later). Thirdly,
the person referred to may be one who, while fasting, did not stay away from evil and sin. In this Hadith all such
possibilities are included. Similar is the case of the person performing 'Salaat' all night voluntarily; because of
backbiting or any other sinful act (e.g. missing, Fajr salaat or keeping Awake for show), his night of devotion goes
unrewarded.
HADITH NO. 9
Abu Ubaidah (Radhiallaahu nhu) reports: "I have heard RasuluLlah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) saying:
"Fasting is a protective Shield for Man, as long as he does not tear up that protection'
COMMENTARY
"Protective shield" here means just as a man protects himself with a shield, similarly fasting protects him from his
well-known enemy - 'Shataan'. In other Ahaadith, we are told that fasting saves one from Allah's punishment and
Hellfire in the Hereafter. Once somebody inquired from Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam), "What causes
the fast to be rent?" He replied: 'Telling lies and backbiting.'
This Hadith, when read in conjunction with so many others, actually tells us to avoid such actions which cause
fasting to be wasted. In our times, we are fond of whiling away the time with unnecessary conversations. Some
"Ulema" are of the opinion that lies, backbiting, slander, etc., actually undo the fast just like eating and drinking,
but the great majority of "Ulama" believes that the fast is not totally undone, but loses its blessings. The "Ulama" of
Islam have mentioned six things, about which care should be taken in fasting:- First, one should keep the eyes away
from any place where one should not look; some go so far as to prohibit looking at one's own wife with desire, let
alone another woman. Similarly, looking at any evil action or where evil is committed should be avoided.
Rasulullah(Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said: 'The glance is like an arrow from 'Shataan' Whosoever, out of fear
for Allah, prevents himself from lookig at evil, Allah shall grant him such light of faith, the taste and ecstacy of
which he will feel in the heart." The 'Sufis' interpret the above saying to mean that those sights which should be
avoided include all such places and things that distract the mind from the remembrance of Allah.
Secondly, one should guard the tongue against lies, unnecessary conversation, backbiting, arguments, swearing, etc.
In Bukhari, we read that fasting is a shield for the fasting person; for this reason, those who fast should avoid all
useless talk, joking, argument, etc. Should anyone pick an argument, then say: "I am fasting." In other words, one
should not start an argument and if someone else starts it, then too, one should avoid taking it up. When the person
who starts an argument is not an understanding person, then at least one should remind oneself that: "I am fasting."
During the time of our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam), two women were fasting and suffered the pangs of
hunger to such an extent that the fast became unbearable and both were on the point of death. The "Sahaaba"
brought this to the notice of our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam), who sent a bowl commanding them to vomit
into it. When they both vomitted in the bowl, pieces of meat and fresh blood were found in it. The "Sahaaba" were
greatly surprised, upon which our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said: "They fasted with 'Halaal' food from
Allah, but partook of 'Haraam' food by backbiting other people." From the above, it also becomes clear that, by
backbiting during fasting, the fast becomes so much more harder; for this reason, both women were near death.
Similar is the case with other sinful acts, and experience shows that for the faithful, Godfearing persons, fasting is
no hardship, whereas the sinful find it too hard to bear. One should therefore stay away from sins and especially
from major sins, like backbiting and slander, which are often indulged in to while away the time. Allah says in the
Quran that backbiting is tantamount to the (actual) eating of the flesh of one's dead brother. We find this also
narrated in various Ahadith. Once the Prophet, (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam), on seeing some people, asked them
to pick their teeth. They said that they had not tasted any meat that day, on which the Prophet (Sallallaahu layhi
Wasallam) said, "So and so's flesh is sticking to your teeth." It transpired that they had been backbiting. May Allah
keep us safe from this evil, because we are very neglectful of this warning. All are guilty of this; not to speak of the
common man, even the people of importance indulge in it, even the religious people in their gatherings do not avoid
backbiting. Worst of all is the fact that we do not even realize what backbiting is; even when we suspect ourselves
of this, we try to cover it up as narration of some event. One of the 'Sahaaba' inquired from Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
layhi Wasallam) "What is backbiting?" Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) replied: "To mention something
about your brother behind his back, which he would resent." The 'Sahaabi' then said: "And is it still backbiting if
the thing mentioned about him is really true?" Our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said: 'In that case (if that
which was mentioned is really true) it is precisely backbiting; but if what is mentioned is false, then you have in
fact slandered him." Once our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) passed by two graves. He said: "On both the
inmates of these graves, punishment is being inflicted in the grave. One is being punished because of backbiting,
the other because of not having taken precautions (to stay clean) when passing urine. Rasulullah ((Sallallaahu
layhi Wasallam) also said: "There are more than seventy degrees of evil in (Usury) interest. The lowest form of it
is comparable to committing incest with own mother; and taking one 'Dirham' of interest is a worse evil than having
fornicated thirty five times. The worst and most evil degree of taking interest is the slandering of a Muslim." In
various Ahaadith we are strongly warned against backbiting and slandering a Muslim. I very much wanted to write
down here a number of such Ahaadith, because all our gatherings and conversations are generally filled with these
evils (backbiting and slander). However I finally decided not to do so, because the topic under discussion here is
something else - not actually backbiting. So I once again pray that Allah may keep us safe from this evil. And I beg
of my friends and brothers to pray for me too; we are full of inner faults.
'What ailment is there O Allah that is not in me,
Heal me from every illness and grant me my needs
Verily I have a heart that is sick
Verily you are the Healer of the sick'
Thirdly, we should be careful that the ears are kept away from listening to anything undesirable (Makrooh). It is
equally unlawful to listen to anything that should not be said. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) has said,
'In backbiting, both the bickbiter and the one who listens to it are equal partners in sin.'
Fourthly, the rest of the body should be kept away from sin and unlawful things. Neither should the hands touch it,
nor the feet walk towards it. With the stomach, special care should be taken, especially at the time of "Iftaar", that
no such thing enters it about which there is any doubt of it being "Halaal". When a person fasts and, at."Iftaar" time,
breaks his fast with "Haraam" food, he is like a sick person who takes medicine as a cure, but also adds a little
poison, which destroys him.
Fifthly, after having fasted, it is not advisable to fill the stomach completely even with "Halaal" food at "Iftaar",
because then the purpose of fasting is defeated. Fasting seeks to diminish one's carnal desires and increase one's
faith and spiritual powers. For eleven months, we eat and drink freely enough, in Ramadan this should be cut down
to a minimum. We have a bad habit of filling our bellies at "Iftaar" to make up for what was lost, and again at
"Sahi" in preparation for the day, thus actually increasing our average consumption. Ramadan for such people gives
an edge to their appetite. Many such items of food are eaten that we normally do not eat at other times. This type of
eating habit is completely against the spirit of Ramadan and the true spirit of fasting.
Imaam Ghazaali asks the same question: "When the object of fasting is to conquer our carnal passions in opposition
to 'Iblees' (Satan), how can this possibly be done by eating excessively at "Iftaar"? Actually in that case we have
only altered the times of eating, and not really fasted. In fact by having various types of delicacies, we consume
even more than in normal times. The result is that, instead of lessening the carnal desires, these are considerably
increased. The real benefit of fasting comes as a result of actual hunger in the 'true sense. Our Nabi (Sallallaahu
layhi Wasallam) said: 'Shataan" flows through the body of man like blood; so, close up his path by remaining
hunqry," i.e. when the body is hungry, the spirit receives strength.
Apart from hunger, fasting gives us an opportunity to appreciate the condition of the poor and destitute, and thus
engenders sympathetic feelings towards them. This too can be attained by remaining hungry and not by filling the
stomach with delicious foods at 'Sehri", so that one does not feel hungry until "Iftaar". Once a person went to Bishr
Haafi, whom he found shivering in the cold, in spite of having warm clothes lying at his side. That person inquired:
"Is this a time for taking off the clothes?" Bishr replied: "There are numerous poor and needy ones; I am unable to
sympathise with them; the least I could do is to be in their condition." The 'Sufis' plead for the same attitude in
fasting and so do the "Fuqahaa" (Jurists).
In Maraqiul Falaah, it is written. "Do not eat excessively at "Sehri", as this is a way to lose the object of fasting."
Allama Tahtaawi writes: "When hunger is really felt, the reward for fasting becomes definitely more. Similarly, a
feeling is developed for the poor and hungry ones". Our Nabi (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) himself said: 'Allah
does not dislike the filling of anything to the brim more than He dislikes the filling of the stomach. On another
occasion, the Prophet ((Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said, "A few morsels should suffice which can keep back
straight." The best way for man is that one third should be filled with food, one third with drink while the other
third remains empty." Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) himself used to fast for days on end, without
eating in between.
I have seen my ustaaz (teacher) Maulana Khalil Ahmad eating only slightly more than one thin (hand-made) bread
(roti) at 'Iftaar' and 'Sehri', during the whole month of Ramadan. When any of his near ones used to urge him to eat
more, he would reply: "I am not hungry.
I merely sat down to eat because of my friends." About Maulana Shah Abdurraheem Rajpuri, I have heard that in
Ramadan, for days on end, he used to fast, drinking at 'Iftaar' and 'Sehri' only a few cups of tea without milk and
nothing else. Once his most trusted follower (and Khalifa) Maulana Shah Abdulqaadir remarked with anxiety:
"Hazrat, you will become very weak if you do not eat anything." To this, Maulana Shah Rajpuri replied: "Praise be
to Allah, I am experiencing something of the ecstasy of Jannah.'May Allah grant us all the ability to follow those
Pious souls.Aameen'.
The sixth point is that, after fasting, one should always have some anxiety as to whether one's fast had been
accepted by Allah or not. This should be the case with all forms of 'Ibaadah' (worship). One never knows whether
some important part may have been left out, of which no notice was taken. One should always fear that Allah may
reject one's deeds. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) said: 'Many reciters of the Qur'an are being cursed by
the Qur'an.' He also said: 'On the day of 'Qiyaamah', (judgement) one of those with whom Allah shall reckon first
shall be a "Shaheed" (martyr in the path of Allah). Allah shall call him and remind him of all His favours to him,
which he shall admit.
He shall then be asked: "What have you done by way of expressing gratitude for these favours?" The 'Shaheed'
shall reply: 'I fought in Your cause till I became a 'Shaheed". Allah shall reply:"It is not so; you fought so that you
can be called a brave man; and so it has been said" Thereafter, it shall be commanded that he be dragged face on the
ground and cast into "Jahannam." Thereafter, an 'Aalim' (Scholar) shall be called. He too shall be reminded of
Allah's favours and asked the same question. He shall reply: "O Lord! I sought to acquire knowledge, taught others
and for Your sake recited the Quran." Allah shall say: "This is not true.
You did all that, merely so that, it may be said that you are learned; and so, it has been said.' Then it shall be
commanded that he too be dragged, face on the ground, and cast into "Jahannam." Thereafter a rirh man shall be
called. After being reminded of Allah's favours, and admitting them, in reply to Allah's question as to what he did
fo express His gratitude, he shall reply: "There was no worthycause wherein I did not spend in charity for Your
sake." Allah's reply shall be: 'Not true. You did all that, so that it may be said that you are very generous. And so it
has been said." Then it shall be commanded that he too be dragged, face on the ground, and cast into "Jahannam".
Many such incidents are related in Ahaadith. So, a fasting person should not only be sincere but also hope that
Allah will accept it.
These above mentioned six things are compulsory for all truly righteous persons. As for the exceptionally pious
ones, a seventh point is added. That is, during fasting, the heart should not be turned towards anyone except Allah,
so much so that during the course of the fast there should be no worry as to whether there shall be something to eat
for 'Iftaar'.
Some Shaikhs even consider it a fault to think about food for 'Iftaar', or that one should endeavour to acquire
something, because this shows lack of faith in Allah's promise of being responsible for the granting of "Rizq". In
the commentary of 'Ihya Ulumid Deen, the author goes so far as to relate that, should something for "Iftaar" arrive
from somewhere before the time of 'Iftaar', the "Mashaikh" would give it to somebody else, for fear that for the rest
of that day the heart may be distracted from Allah by keeping it. This can of course, only be carried out by the
exceptionally pious ones. We cannot even imagine having such strong faith. Should we try to follow without it, we
may destroy ourselves.
The Quran commands: "Fasting has been prescribed for you." The commentators of the Quran say that from this
verse it is deduced that fasting is made compulsory for every part of the body. Thus, fasting of the tongue means to
avoid falsehood, etc. fasting of the ears means not listening to evil, fasting of the eyes means not to look at any
form of evil and sirl. Similarly, fasting of the self means to be free from all carnal desires. Fasting of the heart
means casting out from it the love of worldly things. Fasting of the mind means avoiding thoughts about anything
other than Allah.
Our Faults in Ramadan
At this point we should ponder over our i'baadah. How much importance do we attach to it in Ramadan? How
many nafl do we perform? As for fardh deeds, we observe how numerous people who after having eaten sah'ri get
back into bed with the result that the Fajr 'salaah is neglected. Many perform it, but not with Jamaa'ah. It gives the
impression that we give thanks to Allah for the food we had eaten for sah'ri by not performing the most important
fardh or by not performing it with Jamaa'ah. Such a 'salaah has been termed defective. Rasulullah (SAW) said that,
"There is no 'salaah for those near the musjid except in the musjid".
In the kitaab 'Mazhaahire Haq' we find that there is no reward for the 'salaah for persons who do not perform 'salaah
with Jamaa'ah without any valid reason or excuse.
Similarly, in numerous cases at the time of if'taar (boeka) Maghrib 'salaah is missed, and many who do not come to
the musjid miss the Takbeer at the beginning or miss the first raka'ah. Many people hasten to get over the
Taraaweeh 'salaah early and even perform the 'ishaa' 'salaah before the time of 'Ishaa' commences. (Some do not
pay any attention to 'salaah even in Ramadan.)
That is the way we look after our very important fardh 'salaah in Ramadan. Sometimes in the process of performing
one fardh, three others are destroyed. How often do we see even the time of Zhuh-r 'salaah going by because we are
asleep, while time of A'sr goes by because we are too busy buying, selling or cooking to prepare for if'taar.
If such is the case with the faraa'idh, then we can imagine how much less importance is given to the nafl actions.
One finds that because of sleep, the time of 'salaatul Ishraaq (after sunrise) and 'salaatul Dhuhaa (before noon) go
by.
Then what about 'salaat Awwaabeen (just after Maghrib)? Here we find ourselves busy with If'taar and when
thinking about Taraaweeh after about an hour this 'salaah too is wasted. Further we find that for 'salaatul Ta-hajjud
the time is the same as that for sah'ri with the result that this too goes by. One may make a thousand excuses for not
finding time for these nawaafil. These are all excuses for not performing these 'salaah.
We see that there are many who do find the time to do all these 'ibaadahs during these precious moments. I
personally had observed my ustaaz Maulana Khalil Ahmad during many a Ramadan. He was a weak sickly person
and of advanced age but in spite of these drawbacks he used to read one and a quarter juz of the Qur'an in nafl
namaaz after Maghrib. Thereafter he used to have meals for about half an hour. After performing all other
necessities in preparation for Taraaweeh 'salaah he used to stand in Taraaweeh for about two and a half hours when
he was in India, and when he was in Madinah Munawwarah the duration was three hours.
Thereafter he used to sleep about two or three hours (according to the season). Then he used to again recite the
Quran in Tahajjud 'salaah until about half an hour before Fajr. Then he ate sah'ri. From that time until Fajr he
remained busy with reading the Quran or reciting of wazifas. With the greyness of dawn he performed Fajr 'salaah,
thereafter he remained in meditation (muraa-qabah) until Ishraaq. Having performed Ishraaq he used to write his
famous kitaab, 'Baziul Majhood', commentary on Abu Dawood. Then he normally attend to letters and dictating
replies up to mid-day. Then he used to rest up to Zhuh-r 'salaah. Between Zhuh-r and A'sr he used to recite the
Quran.
From A'sr Namaaz until Maghrib he used to be busy with tasbeeh and answering the queries of those who visited
him. When he completed 'Baziul Majhood' then part of the morning used to be spent in tilaawah and studying some
monumental religious works, especially Baziul Majhood and Wafa al Wafa. This was his daily programme for nafl
'ibaadah throughout the year.
In Ramadan however, he used to spend a bit more time in his ibaadah, making the rak'aats longer. For the ordinary
person to observe the special programmes the other pious elders had for Ramadan would be difficult. Shaikhul
Hind Maulana Mahmoo-dul Hasan (Rahmatullah alaihi) used to remain in nafl 'salaah from after Taraaweeh until
Fajr, while also listening to the Quran recited by various huffaazh one after the other.
Maulana Shah Abdurraheem Raipuri (d 1963) remained busy with tilaawah (recitation) of the Quran day and night
through Ramadan. There used to be no time for attending to correspondence or meeting visitors. Only his special
ones were allowed to wait on him after Taraaweeh for a short period while he drank a cup of tea.
ADVICE FOR RAMADHAAN
The reason for mentioning the manner in which these saintly ones spent their Ramadan is not that we may just read
without deriving any benefit or pass a casual remark. It is written with the object that we in our way may build up
courage and to the best of our ability endeavor to copy and follow their noble examples. Every pious elders
programme had its particular specialty.
How wonderful would it be if those who are not forced by worldly necessities try their utmost to mend their
religious life in this one month after having allowed eleven months of the year go by to destroy themselves.
As for those who have to be in their offices and be present at eight, nine or ten in the morning, what difficulty will
it be for them if they at least in Ramadan, spend the time from Fajr until their hours of employment in reciting the
Quran. After all our worldly needs we do find time in spite of office hours.
For those engaged in farming, who normally are not bound to others nothing prevents them from reciting the
Quran on their farm or adjusting their daily routine. Then come the businessmen, shopkeepers and merchants.
Nothing prevents them in Ramadan from reciting their Quran during their shop hours or cutting short trading time
in order to make time for recitation thereof. After all there is very strong link between Ramadan and the Tilaa-wah
of the Quran. Almost all Allah's great scriptures were revealed in this month. Similarly, in this month the Quran
was brought down from the Lowhul Mahfoozh to the Samaa'ud Dunyaa, from where it was revealed bit by bit to
Rasulullah (SAW) in a span of twenty three years.
Nabi Ibrahim (A.S.) received his scriptures on the first and third of this sacred month. Nabi Dawood (A.S.) received
the Zaboor on the twelfth or eighteenth. Nabi Moosa (A.S.) received his Towrah on the sixth. Nabi Essa (A.S.)
received the Injeel on the twelfth or thirteenth. From this we note the great connection between the divine scriptures
and the month of Ramadan.
For this reason, as much ti-laawah of the Quran as possible should be made during this month. Such was the habit
of our saints. Jibraeel (A.S.) used to recite the whole Quran to our Nabi Muhammad (SAW) in the month of
Ramadan. In some reports it is stated that Rasulullah (SAW) used to recite and he (Jibraeel) used to listen. From
joining these reports the 'ulama have said that it is mustahab to read the Quran in such a manner that while one
recites the other listens. Thereafter another recites while others listen. So recite the Quran as much as possible.
Whatever time remains thereafter should not be wasted.
Rasulullah (SAW) drew our attention to four more things and advised that we should practice them as much as
possible. They are the recitation of Kalimah 'Tayyibah, Istighfaar, begging for Jannah and seeking refuge from Jahannam. Therefore it must be regarded an honour to spend as much as available in these recitations. This will be the
true appreciation of the teachings of Rasulullah (SAW). What is so difficult about keeping the tongue busy with the
recitation of Durood ('salawaat) or
Laa ilaaha illallaah while being engaged in our daily tasks?
In the same Hadith Rasulullah (SAW) said a few more things, Ramadan is the month of patience. Hence even if
great difficulty is experienced in fasting one should bear it with patience. One should not complain as people are
fond of doing during hot days.
If by chance sah-ri is missed then lamentations begin early in the day. Similarly, should difficulty be experienced at
the same time of Taraaweeh, it too should be borne with patience. Do not consider it a great calamity or trial,
otherwise these deeds may be void of blessings. When we turn our backs on worldly things, forsake our very eating
and drinking, then in the face of Allah's pleasure what are these difficulties?
Sympathy for the unfortunate
Further, the Hadith states that it is the month of sympathy, especially for the poor and destitute. Sympathy should
be of a practical nature. When ten things are placed before us for if'taar, at least two or four of them should be set
aside for the poor and needy. In fact they should be treated preferentially, if not then at least equally.
They should certainly be remembered. In showing sympathy for the poor, as in all other matters, the Sahaabah R.A.
were living examples, and in this, it is our duty to follow or at least try to follow them. In the matter of sacrifice and
sympathy only the courageous can emulate the Sahaabah. There are numerous instances, if they are cited, will only
leave one in astonishment.
Let us see the following example, Abu Jahm (RA) relates that: "During the battle of Yarmouk he went in search of
his cousins, taking with him a water bag to give him to drink and also wash his wounds if he was found alive or
wounded. He found him lying among the wounded. When I asked him whether he wanted some water, he indicated
'yes'.
At that moment someone near him moaned. My cousin pointed to that person indicating that I should first quench
the thirst of the neighbour. I went to him and found that he too needed water, but just as I was about to give him
water, a third person groaned near him.
The second one pointed to this third person meaning that I should give the third one to drink first.
I went to the third person but before he could drink, I found out that he had passed away, whereupon I returned to
the second one only to find that he too had passed away. When I came to my cousin, he too had become a martyr".
Virtues of Itikaf
there be in the fulfilment of his wishes. Allama ibn Qayyim, in explaining the significance of I'tikaaf writes that the
actual aim is to divert the heart away from everything except Allah, and to make it come near to Allah, thereby
forming a complete spiritual connection with the Creator. All wordly connections are thus cut off, for the sake of
gaining Allah's attention and all thoughts, desires, love and devotion become centred around Him. As a result, an
attachment with Allah is attained - a love and friendship that will be the only support in loneliness of the grave. One
can possibly imagine the great ecstacy with which that time in the grave will be spent.
In Maraaiqul Falaah, the author writes that I'tikaaf, when properly and sincerely performed, is among the most
virtuous deeds. One cannot possibly enumerate all the great advantages and benefits in it. In actual fact, what takes
place in I'tikaaf is that the heart is drawn away from everything else except the Creator, while the soul is actually
laidat His door-step. All the time, one remains in a state of 'Ibaadah', even when one is asleep, one is still in His
worship striving for nearness to Him. And Allah says (according to a Hadith): "Whoever draws near to Me (the
length of) one hand, then I draw nearer to him (the length of) two hands, and whoever draws near to Me by
walking, I draw nearer to him by running." Moreover, in I'tikaaf one seeks refuge in the house of Allah, and is safe
therein from all enemies.
WHERE TO PERFORM I'TIKAAF
The best of places for I'tikaaf is the Masjidul Haram in Makkah.
The next besi is the Masjidun-Nabawiy in Madinah, and the next best is Baytul Muqaddas. Thereafter, comes the
Jaama Masjid in one's own time, and last but not least, the Masjid nearest to one's home. Imaam Abu Hanifa
stipulates that the Masjid should be one wherein the five daily Salaatare regularly performed, while Imaam Abu
Yusuf and Imaam Muhammad agree that any Masjid acceptable to the Shari'ah can be entered for I'tikaaf.
The above applies to the males. As for the females, they should perform It'ikaaf in the prayer room (Masjid set
aside in their homes). Where, however, no such demarcated place exists, any one room or part of the house should
be set aside for this purpose. I'tikaaf is thus in fact an easier task for women. The domestic duties can be performed
by daughters or servants under her supervision and the woman in I'tikaaf, while remaining in a section of her own
house, is spiritually rewarded for it. It is so very unfortunate that, in spite of this relative ease, our womenfolk still
remain deprived of the blessings of I'tikaaf.
Virtues of Laylatul Qadr (6&7)
HADITH NO. 6
Ubaadah bin Saamit (Radhiallaho anhu) reports that he asked the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) about
"Laylatul Qadr". He replied: "It is in Ramadan, during the last ten days, on the unevenly numbered nights, either the
21st 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadan. Whosoever stands in "Ibaadah" on this night, with sincere
faith and with genuine hopes of gaining reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. Among the signs of this night is
that it is a serene, quiet, shining night, neither hot, nor cold but temperate as if a moon is shining clear, and no
meteors are shot at the "Shayateen" on that night; it lasts until the break of the dawn. Another sign is that at morn,
the Sun rises without any radiant beams of light, appearing rather like the moon in it's fullness. On that day, Allah
prohibits the "Shayateen" from rising up with the Sun."
COMMENTARY
Part of what has been mentioned in this Hadith has already been dealt with. Some signs are here mentioned about
the actual night. These signs are clear and need no further elucidation. Apart from these, there are other signs too,
as mentioned in the Ahadith or in the experiences of those who had the good fortune to experience "Laylatul Qadr."
The sign that is, however; most specific in the Hadith is the rising of the sun, 'without any radiant beams of light.'
Other signs are not always there. One Sahaabi, Ab'da bin Abi Lubaaba (Radhi Allaho anhu) says: "On the evening
of the 27th , I tasted the water of the sea and it was sweet." Ayub bin Khalid said: 'I once had to bathe myself with
sea water, and on tasting it, found, it sweet. This was on the 23rd night." Some of the "Mashaaikh" (religious
divines) wrote that, on the evening of "Laylatul Qadr", everything prostrates itself before Allah, so much so that
trees fall flat on the ground, then return to their normal position; these are however spiritual phenomena not visible
to the ordinary person.
HADITH NO. 7
Aaisha (RadhiAllaho anha) reports: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), should I find
myself the "Laylatul Qadr", hat shall I pray. The Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) replied: say, Allaahumma
innaka afuwwun tohibbu al'afwa fa'fu anna "O Allah, Thou art the One who grants pardon for sins. Thou lovest to
pardon, so O pardon me."
COMMENTARY
This is indeed such an all-inclusive prayer, wherein one begs that Allah in His infinite Grace should forgive his
sins. If that has been obtained, the path to the Hereafter is secure. What more would one require? Imaam Sufyaan
Thowry used to say that to keep oneself busy on this night with 'Duaa' (invocations to Allah) is better than any
other form of worship (Ibaadah). Ibne Rajab says that one should not only remain busy with 'Duaa', but should
also take part in all other form of 'Ibaadah', e.g. recitation of the Holy Qur'an, 'Salaat', contemplation, etc. This
latter opinion is most correct and nearer to what Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) had said, as already
mentioned in the previous Ahaadith.
Muslim Degeneration
and its Only Remedy
Translation of the Urdu Book
Musalmano-ki-Mawjoodah-pasti-ka-Waahid-llaaj
by
Maulana Ihtishaamul Hasan Kaandhlawi
translated by
Malik Haq Nawaz
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
For the high devotion, keenness and perseverance of
Hadhrat Mohammad Ilyas (Rahmat-Allah-Alaihi) and also
due to the profound zeal shown by many other learned and
pjous personages among Muslims, a cohesive work is currently in progress for the propagation of Islam and the
Islamic way of life. This fact is known to most of the wellinformed Muslims of this period. Although an unworthy
being for the high mission; I have been commanded by the
distinguished gentlemen referred to above to write an
account of this work, so as to bring out clearly the special
features of propagation (Tabligh) and also to highlight the
burning need for this, the Supreme Islamic activity, at this
critical juncture, so that, as many Muslims as possible are
able to understand and benefit from what is going on.
In obedience to their command, I have ventured to
gather in this booklet a few thoughts and ideas, which are
mere drops from the ocean of knowledge and enlightenment possessed by the above mentioned personalities. The
collection really amounts to a handful of petals from the
vast garden of the teachings of Islam, which I have hurriedly picked up for presentation to the readers. There may be
mistakes and omissions in the presentation, for which I beg
my readers to make allowance, and request them to be so
kind as to amend or correct those mistakes if necessary,
thereby earning my gratitude.
It is my earnest prayer that may Haq-Ta'ala (Shanahoo)
by His special favours and kindnesses, and for the sake of
the noble personages connected with this work, forgive me
for my sins and not uncover my misdeeds, but He may graciously enable us all to lead a pious and virtuous life. May
He bestow upon us the wealth of His own love, and grant
us the approval to follow His own chosen faith of Islam.
May He also give us the power to propagate Islam in strict
obedience and loyalty to His dearest and the most distinguished Prophet, (Hadhrat Mohammad saIlallaho alaihe
wasallam).
MOHAMMAD EHTESHAM-UL-HASSAN (DELHI)
18 RIBIYYUSANI 1358 (HIJRI)
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PAST HISTORY
About thirteen and a half centuries ago, when the
world was sunk in the darkness of ignorance, sin and impiety, a light of true knowledge and guidance rose from the
horizon of the rugged hills of Batha.* Its rays spread to the
East, West, North and South; they reached every corner of
the earth and within the short period of 23 years, the way
was paved through that light for the mankind to move to
such heights of glory as had never been attained before. It
enlightened Muslims and created in them the urge for taking the right counsel, which would ultimately bring them
their salvation. By following the right path and the guidance emanating from that light, the Muslims moved from
success to success and attained the highest pinnacle of
glory in history. For centuries, they ruled on this earth with
such grandeur and strength that no contemporary power
had the courage to challenge them and, if someone dared to
do so, he did that at the risk of being annihilated. This is
the historical truth, which cannot be-erased. But, alas! this
fact of history has only become a myth, an ancient tale, to
narrate which may sound meaningless and ridiculous, particularly in the context of the present day life of Muslims,
which obviously is a blot on the brilliant performance and
achievements of their ancestors, the early followers of
Islam.
THE DISEASE
The history, even up to the end of the thirteenth century Hijri, will reveal that the Muslims were the sole possessors of honour, dignity, power and grandeur, but when
one turns his eyes away from the pages of the history books
and looks at the Muslims of today, one sees the picture of a
people sunk in misery and disgrace, a people who possess
no real strength or power, honour or dignity, brotherhood
or mutual love, and reflects no virtues or moral character
worth the name. One cannot find any sign in them of those
Name of hills around Mecca (Saudi Arabia).
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THE DIAGNOSIS
The Creator of the universe, Allah Ta'ala, remains
avowedly commit^ that the kingdom and His vicegerency
on earth are only meant for the true Muslims (momineen).
This is clear from the following verse:
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"And let Time be witness: verily man is in a great loss
except, of course, those who believe and do righteous
deeds and who rejoin truth and enjoin patience."
As already brought out, history proves that the early
Muslims had been able to reach the highest summit of
4;
existence of Almighty Allah Ta'ala, and to reflect His unlimited Powers and boundless Attributes through man,
who was to be guided by the light of true knowledge. It was
impossible for man to conceive and utilize that knowledge
without his first being purified of impiety and obscenity.
Only after that purification, is he to be adorned with fine
virtues, excellence of conduct and the eventual capacity to
act righteously. It was for this purpose of bringing about
this purity and power in the ranks of mankind that thousands of Prophets and Apostles had been deputed by Allah
Ta'ala. The last in the series, came the "Sayyed-ul-Ambia
wal Mursalin" (the greatest of all the Prophets) Mohammsd
(sallallaho alaihe wasallam). It was through him that man
reached the high state of development of mind and body
leading to the final stage of purity. It was then that mankind received the glad tidings in the following verse:
"An era will come in the near future when Islam will
exist merely in name and Quran will exist merely in
phrase." : ,
This is clearly applicable to the Muslims of the present
time. In these circumstances, the points which need urgent
investigation @re:
(a) as the right type of faith, which can have the approval of Allah Ta'ala and His Apostle and which
will bring us spiritual and material advancement,
is not to be seen anywhere, what will be the means
of acquiring that true faith; and
(b) what are the factors which have caused the extinction of that faith, and with it the true life of Islam,
from our midst?
A study of the Holy Quran clearly reveals that the
capacity to maintain the required level of the true faith of
Islam, and the ultimate ascendance to exaltation and glory
through it, are dependent on the fulfilment of a special task
which has been so graciously assigned by Allah Ta'ala to
the Muslims alone. It is for this that they have been given,
in the Quran, the distinguished position, "Khair-ul-Umam"
(the best of dl peoples).
According to the faith of Islam, the main purpose
behind the creation of this world was to establish and
prove the Divinity, the Oneness, and the most exalted
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"Amongst peoples gone by, when somebody committed a sin, the other would reprimand him and
would say: "Fear Allah"; but on the following day
would befriend him and mix with him as if he had
never seen him committing the sin. And when Allah
saw them behaving thus, He confounded the hearts of
some with those of some, and cursed them through the
tongues of Dawood and Isa son of Mariam; and this bccause they rebelled against Allah and transgressed His
limits."
I, Mohammad swear by Him, Who has control over my
soul: you must enjoin the good and forbid the evil and
force the ignorant wrongdoer into the path of rectitude; else
Allah will confound your hearts and you will be cursed, as
were some of the peoples gone by.
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THE ROOT-CAUSE
From the above "Ahadis" it is clear, that the abandonment of the act of "Amir bil maruf wa nahi anil munkar" (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) has usually been the
root cause of "Allah Ta'ala's" anger and displeasure and His
eventual wrath. And if the "Ummat-e-Mohammadiah" becomes guilty of that neglect and omission, the punishment to
he given to them will be more severe than to the earlier
people, because they would have failed to recognise their exclusive obligation and neglected to fulfil the sole mission in
their life. For this reason, the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) has enjoined the act of "Amir bil maruf wa nahi
anil munkar" (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) "as
the essence and the pivot of the faith of Islam" and the abandonment of that act as the cause of decay and decline of the
faith.
In the "Hadis" of Abu Saeed Khudri, (radi Allaho anho) it
is mentioned:
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"0 you who believe! you are responsible for your own
souls. He who goes astray cannot harm you, while you
are on the path of righteousness."
In fact, the real meaning and sense of the above verse
is not what is being apparently attached to it, because, in
that case, the meaning would appear to be against the Divine wisdom and spirit and against the teachings of the
"Shariat-i-Mohammadiah." It indicates that the collective
life and progress and salvation of the Muslim society as a
whole are the essence of Islam. The Muslim people must be
considered like a single body having several limbs. When
any limb receives an injury, the whole body suffers from
the pain.
Mankind may progress to any limit and it may reach
the highest pinnacle of glory in every sphere of life, yet
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" 0 people! you are given to reading this verse: " 0 you
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was written in 1938 when the Muslilns of th; Indian subcontinent were 11ot frec! and did 11ot possoss indcperldci~t politic:al powc:r clr
authority.
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person was not competent or fit for the task! This point is
fully brought out in the following Hadis:
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SOLUTION
It has been clearly brought out in the preceding pages
that the current disease in the body of Muslims has sprung
from the extinction of the true spirit of Islam in our hearts.
As a result, real sentiments and love for Islam are practically dead in us and our belief in it has dissipated. Obviously,
when the very source becomes dry, the channels of virtue,
good deeds and fine attributes, which can flow from it, are
not to be seen any longer. This is exactly what is evident
today. It has been fully discussed and brought out earlier
that the only means for the building up of this source, and
maintining a constantly roper flow of religious benefits
from it, is the act of "Ta ligh", which really and truly is
the life-blood, of Islam. Unless we are able to revive it, we
cannot achieve anything in this life because no nation or
people can rise to glory without having in them the high
human attributes and character which only the religion of
Islam can give.
We should now clearly feel the disease from which we
suffer and judge the treatment which can bring the remedy.
It is now up to us to set about the revival of the obligatory
task of "Tabligh". It will be only then that we can hope to
regenerate the true faith of Islam in the masses. By this
means alone can we recognise and truly understand both
Allah Ta'ala and His Holy Prophet, Hadhrat Mohammad
(sallallaho alaihe wasallam), and will be able to clearly
understand and finally submit to their commands and
wishes. To achieve all this, we will have to adopt the exact
methods and ways which are laid down and were demonstrated by the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
himself when he reformed the pagan Arabs. Allah Ta'ala
says in the Quran:
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"Follow that which has been sent to you from the Sustainer, and do not follow others (considering them) as
Protectors except Allah Ta'ala."
This was the real lesson, which the Ho!y Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had been commanded (by Allah
Ta'ala) to teach and spread. It is further clear from the following verse:
"0Muhammad! invite people to your Lord with wisdom and better counsel, and argue with them in such
wise as ,is best; verily your Lord knows the one who
wanders' astray from His path, and He knows those
who are bn the right path."
The highway marked for the progress of the Holy
Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and .his followers is
further declared in the following verses:
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COURSE OF ACTION
With the very limited knowledge and understanding
that I have about such a vital matter as "Tabligh" (enjoining good and forbidding evil), a scheme of work and action
is described below, for the improvement of Muslims and
their progress in Islam. Actually, what I have to say is
nothing else than a brief outline of the practical way of life
which had been followed by our ancestors and early
Muslims.
The FIRST and the FOREMOST thing to do is to
change the aim of our life, from material motives and acquisition of .wealth, to the propagation and spreading of Allah Ta'ala's "Kalimah" and Islam; to fix as a definite objective for ourselves, the enforcement of the commands and
orders of Allah Ta'ala; and to sincerely resolve: I will obey
every command of Allah Ta'ala, shall try to practise it in
my dgily life and will not disobey Allah Ta'ala in any circumstances. The fulfilment of this resolution must be made
the main aim of life. We can plan and act on this broad
base by adopting the following practical scheme and procedure:
(1)To memorise and correctly recite the "Kalimah":
29
lallaho alaihe wasallam), to be periormed in utmost humility and supplication. The greatness and superiority of
Allah Ta'ala must be held uppermost in mind throughout
the prayers, whilst maintaining the feelings of one's own
humbleness and helplessness. In other words, "namaz"
should be performed as if one was actually being presented
to Allah Ta'ala in a manner befitting the Height of His
Greatness and Glory. If the procedure of "namaz" is not
known, it ought to be learnt properly with each detail committed to memory.
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PROCEDURE TO WORK
The most important factor in the task of Tabligh is the
manner and the method of approach, which simply means
to follow closely the lines adopted by the worthy Companions of the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) strictly in accordance with his teachings and practices. The
method adopted by the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) was as follows:
A jamaat or group of at least ten men should be
formed. One of them should be selected "amir" (leader).
They should get together in a mosque, make ablutions and
offer two "rakaat 'nafil' prayers. After this, all should supplicate together and beseech for Divine mercy, help and
guidance for success in their efforts and remaining steadfast and resolute in their task of Tabligh. For all this time,
"zikr" should be recited by all, and every precaution
should be taken not to indulge in idle talk. On reaching the
place for "Tabligh", once again the "jamaat" should supplicate and beseech for Allah Ta'ala's mercy and help in
their mission. The place of Tabligh will be the vicinity of a
mosque of the locality where the work is to be conducted.
A part of the "jamaat" should be detailed to tour the locality calmly, and quietly inviting people to the mosque,
where "ta'leem, (reading and teaching out of religious
books) should be in progress and later the "namaz" (prayers) of the time should be offered. After this, one of the
members of the "jamaat" should place before the people, in
an affectionate and calm manner, the importance and
urgency of reviving Islam in each and every Muslim as ordained by Allah Ta'ala and the Holy Prophet (sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), giving out as simply as possible the cardinal points of Tabligh and the way to accomplish them.
Finally, the people should be persuaded, again in a cordial
manner, to join hands in this sacred task and come out to
do the work of Tabligh like the Jamaat itself.
Later, some members of the "jamaat" may accompany
the people to their homes, where the womenfolk should
also be addressed and persuaded to do similar duty amollg
women.
' In formal prayers, a rakaat means one complete action comprising standing,
kneeling and bowing by placing the forehead on the ground, two "rakaat"
means two such actions.
33
They should be told to be regular in their daily prayers. All this should be done without entering the private
portion of any house. The women should also be told to
strictly follow the cardinal points of "Tabligh" in their
daily life and observe "pardah" in accordance with the
"Shriat".
After this, all such people who may be prepared to join
the work should be organized into a separate "jamaat",
with and "amir" from among themselves. They should first
be made to work under the guidance of the members of the
original "jamaat". The important point to be remembered
at this stage is that every person engaged on "Tabligh"
must fully obey his "amir" and the latter, in turn, should
ensure that his personal services and attention are available
to each and every member of his Jamaat. He must see to
every person's welfare, comforts and morale and, before
taking any decision, he must consult all his colleagues. The
following general principles of the work of "Tabligh"
should be carefully noted at all times.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
In its real form and sense, "Tabligh" is the most important type of worship of Allah Ta'ala and it amounts to a
blessing of very high order. It literally means to follow in
the footsteps cjf the Prophets. Truly, as the work is of a very
superior character, it must be based on equally high principles, which ought to be strictly followed throughout.
Each participant must feel that it is he who needs to improve himself rather than thinking of reforming others.
During the course of work and, even away from it, he must
try to behave as a perfect Muslim, as a faithful slave of Allah Ta'ala, constantly obeying and following the Divine
commands of "Shariat" and always seeking Allah Ta'ala's
mercy and pleasure. This is the basic requirement and the
soul and foundation of the work of "Tablfgh". Once it is
deeply and firmly embedded in the hearts of workers, the
other principles, rules and practices, some of which are
narrated below, will become easy to follow:
(1) As far as possible, all expenses, including travelling, food etc., must be borne by each individual himself
and, if he can afford, he may quietly assist those companions who may be in need.
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rat Mu'az (Radi Allaho anho), who was appointed as Governor of Yemen, begged the Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) to give him some s ecial advice. The Holy
Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wasal am) was pleased to say,
"Be meticulously honest and sincere in matters of religion:
a little done with sincerity is enough". There is yet another
"Hadis" in the same connection, "Allah Ta'ala accepts
only such actions and deeds which are performed purely
for His pleasure and accord". In another place' it is mentioned "Allah Ta'ala does not look at your face nor at your
property, but only at your hearts and deeds". So the crux of
the matter is that the work of "Tabligh" must be performed
with all sincerity and honesty, No show or ~ u t w a r dappearance is to be put on. The degree of success and progress
will depend entirely on the depth of our sincerity.
37
triumph for a Muslim, but there is also clear hint for this
life too. We shall get what we cherish most, such as prosperity, divine help and success against all our adversaries!
I n other words, Allah Ta'ala has demanded two things
from us, firstly to have firm faith in Him and His Apostle.
secondly, to struggle hard in His path, giving, if need be,
our lives and all that we possess. In return for this, He has
also promised two things: first a beautif91 and peaceful
abode in Heaven (Jannat) with an eternal life, and everlasting happiness: and second, glory and success in this life.
The first demand on u s i s that of faith (eiman). This is
exactly what the "Tabligh" is meant to bring to us, that we
should all be endowed with the wealth of true faith. The
second demand is that of striving in the path of Allah,
which actually means "jehad". Jehad may ncrmally mean
fighting a war against oppressors and non-believers. In the
practical sense, however, it means spreading of Kalimah of
Allah and enforcing of Allah's Commandments, which is
also the ultimate aim of "Tabligh".
It should be clear to us now that the happiness and
success in the life after death is solely dependent on having
firm faith in Allah Ta'ala and His Apostle, and in striving
hard in the path laid down by Him. Similarly, the success
and prosperity in this life too depend entirely on that very
faith and on spending all our efforts in the path of Allah
Ta'ala.
When we fulfil these basic requirements, firstly of faith
in Allah Ta'ala and His Apostle. and secondly of struggling
hard in their path, through these two attributes alone, we
can adorn ourselves with high moral virtues and excellence
of character. Only then can we fit to receive the promised
vicegerency of Allah Ta'ala and His kingdom on earth.
which are bound to come as is promised in the Holy
Quran:
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In conclusion, it can be said that there is no way to
gain honour, happiness, peace and tranquillity in this life
other than to adopt and firmly hold on to the work and
system of "Tabligh". for which everyone of us must use all
his energies and wealth.
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FINAL A P P ~ A L
This very system has actually been put into practico, in
the recent past, in the territory of Mewat (an area of Alwar
39
Six Fundamentals
by
Maulana Aashiq Ilaahi
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Six Fundamentals
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zikr is 'Laa ilaaha illallaah'. Again he says, "Read the kalimah a hundred times every day, for it is the best compensation for one's sins, and no good deed is better t-han it." In
another hadith he says, "Whoever reads 'Laa ilaaha illallaah' a hundred times in the morning, and a hundred times
in the evening shall have the reward of one who has released ten slaves from the posterity of Ismaa-eel (Alayhis
salaam)" In another hadith Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) says, "Keep your faith fresh by reading and observing 'Laa ilaaha illallaah.'"
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When a Muslim has firmly believed in Kalimah Tayyibah, he has made a sacred pledge to obey all the commandments of Allah; of which the first and foremost is salaat
which must be observed by every adult, male or female,
five times a day. In other words, those who perform the
prayer regularly, after believing in the kalimah, they practically fulfil their promise with Allah, made through the kalimah; and those who are not regular at the prayer, they
practically belie their promise with Allah, to be His faithful
servants; of them said Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) "Whoever ,abandoned the prayer intentionally, he
become an infidel". In another hadith he says, "Whoever
gave up the prayer, he will be raised among Qaaroon,
Fir'own, his minister Haamaan, and the famous hypocrite
Ubayy bin Khalaf, on the Day of Resurrection."
Next to the kalimah, prayer is the most distinguished
of all good deeds. It has been mentioned in the hadith that
the first thing brought to account on the Day of Judgement,
will be the prayer. If one's prayer is perfect in every respect, he will certainly attain salvation, otherwise he will
be deprived of all the boons and favours of Allah, and will
suffer a great loss. Therefore, one should observe the prayer
at the appointed times, with good wudu and complete devotion, that one may not be raised with the infidels, and
should be delivered from the hell-fire.
Whatever is read in the Prayer (that is, 'Subhaanak-Allahumma' and Attahiyyaat etc.), should be remembered
well, that no mistake should occur during the prayer. One
must know the fardh, the sunnah, and all the conditions of
prayer, so that it may be correct, and by having concentration, it should be performed well.
A great merit of the prayer is, that all the limbs of a
Six Fundamentals
Six Fundamentals
worshipper, namely, hands, feet, head, waist, nose, forehead, tongue etc., are wholly and solely devoted to Allah,
that is, every part of a worshipper's body is engaged in an
exercise of the obedience of Allah's commandments. If a
Muslim performs the prayer with all its conditions, he is
not likely to commit sin by any limb, on times other than
the prayer. It has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'aan that
the prayer prevents a Muslim from shameful and forbidden
things. The believers have been commanded hundreds of
times in the Holy Qur'aan to perform the prayer properly.
In the hadith also the prayer has been enjoined and emphasised many a time. For instance, Rasulullah (Sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said, "One's sins from one prayer to another are forgiven by Allah".
In another hadith he says, "If one has a stream at one's
door, and he has a bath in it, five times a day, he will have
no dirt on his body; similarly if one performs the .prayer
five times a day, his sins will be pardoned by Allah, and he
will !be clean of them". In another hadith Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says, "When your children are
seven years old, instruct them to perform the prayer, but
when they are ten years old, beat them to perform the
prayer."
hadith, "Allah does not look to the prayer of one, who does
not keep his waist straight in the prayer (he prays lazily)".
In another hadith he says, "The worst kind of theft is the
theft of prayer". His Companions asked, "What is the theft
of prayer?" He answered, "The theft of prayer is, not to perform the rukoo' (bending the knees) and sajdah (prostration) properly, with full time and attention."
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is sufficient for a sacred thing like zikr, yet most spare time
should be devoted to the same; but the least thing that
every Muslim can do, is to read the kalimah, and Durood
Sharief, and Istighfaar (each a complete Tasbeeh) every
morning and evening; moreover, a time should be fixed for
the recitation of the Holy Qur'aan. Even some worldly loss
can easily be tolerated for the boundless boons of Allah,
that are going to be granted to a believer in the next life!
The preference of zikr
It has been mentioned in the hadith that zikr purifies
and enlightens the heart. Another hadith says that nothing
saves a Muslim from the chastisement of Allah, more than
zikr. Another Hadith says that amongst the negligent, one
who remembers Allah most often is like a.glowing lamp in
a dark house. A hadith of Bukhaari says, "One who remembers Allah, is remembered by Him among His courtiers
(Angels)". Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) in another hadith says, "Anyone who remembers Allah most
often, is so much preferable to a person, who distributes a
great amount of money in the way of Allah".
(Targheeb)
Fourth-Lesson
Honour for a Muslim
The gist of this lesson is that every Muslim should realise the rights of other Muslims, and should observe them
practically, according to the order of the classes and ranks
of his brethren in Islam. Particularly, he should have great
regard for the honour of a Muslim, who deserves Teverance
by all means, for he has the light of faith in his heart. Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says in a hadith, "He is
not one of us, who does not respect our elders, and does
not show mercy to our youngsters and is not respectful to
our scholars". Another hadith says, "Only a hypocrite
could insult these three person; first, an aged Muslim;
second, a religioug scholar; third, a Muslim king, who observes justice".
According to the teachings of the Holy Qur'aan, and
hadith, here are the most important qualities of a true believer. He should realise the rights of Allah's creatures, and
should be polite and humble to them. He should like for
others, what he likes for himself. He should not be envious
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if by undertaking a pilgrimage, one wishes reward, recreation, and safety from the enemy: or, if by giving alms to a
beggar, one has an intention to have its reward from Allah,
appreciation from the onlookers, and to silence the beggar,
then all the above-mentioned deeds will be void of sincerity. A companian of Rasululla (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
asked him, "What is faith?" He replied, "Another name for
faith is sincerity!" (Targheeb) In another hadith Rasulullah
(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) says. "pbserve sincerity in
your deeds, then even a few good ddeds will have the
reward of great virtue for you!" (Targheeb). Another companion of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) asked
him, "One man participates in the holy war for the sake of
riches, and another man participates in it for the sake of
reputation, that he may be called a hero; say, 0 Messenger
of Allah, who is fighting in the way of Allah?"' He
answered, "Only that person fights in the way of AHah,
who wants to propagate and establish the truth told by Him
(in the Holy Qur'aan)".
(Bukhaari, Muslim)
Those who do not desire the pleasure of Allah by their
deeds, but wish only the worldly achievements, they are
certainly hypocrites, and this (hypocrisy) is a desease of
the heart, which our spiritualists say, is the root of all evils.
Once Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said to his
companions, "The thing I fear most in your actions, is
smaller polytheism". His companions asked, "What is
smaller polytheism?" He answered, "Show (of one's good
deeds!)" Another hadith says, "Whoever made a show of
his prayer, or fasting, or charity, he committed polytheism". Another hadith says, "There is a pit of sorrow in
Jahannam, of which Jahannam even seeks refuge, of Allah;
those worshippers, who make a show of their worship, will
be thrown into it".
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Fifth Lesson
Sincerity of Intention
This is also called the "correction of intention". That
is, whenever a person intends to do something good, he
must not be tempted by some wordly interest, but should
do it purely for the pleasure of Allah, and to have its
reward in the life hereafter. This purity of intention can be
achieved only when he has a firm faith in the reward
which Allah and Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
have promised for our good deeds, and, therefore, the hope
.of this reward should be our motive in good deeds. That is
why Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) has said, "The
reward for your deeds depends entirely on your intention,
and everyone is paid in accordance with the nature of his
intention". It means, that it is not merely the action which
ensures a reward from Allah, but it is the sincerity of our
intention, which will ensure it. If an action is void of good
intention, and is undertaken for the sake of passion, or to
please men, or to attain some wordly interest, then it is
hollow, lifeless and deserves no reward from Allah. A
hadith to this effect says, "All the deeds af men will be
gathered together before Allah. on the Day of Qiyaamah; of
them only the deeds which are purely done for Allah, will
be separated, and the rest will be thrown into hell".
(Targheeb)
When certain good deeds are done purely for Allah, it
is called "Ikhlaas" and whenever a believer intends to do
something based on sincerity, the evil self, or the Shaytaan
cause hinderances in his way. Therefore it is indispensable
to sincerity that one should forsake the wordly temptations, and should believe in the everlasting boons and
favour of the life hereafter. Those who have realized the
value of sincerity, they apply it to their werldlv affairs also.
They observe the sincerity of intention in eating, drinking,
sleeping, awaking, walking, earning their living etc., but
this standard of sincerity cannot be achieved without the
company of saints and devouts. As an example. our religious scholars have told us that by observing fasts, if someone desires its reward and good health at the same time; or,
11
Sixth Lesson
The spare time
A believer should spare as much time as possible; for
the preachment of the commandments of Allah, even if he
has to leave his home and family for this nobld cause.
During this stage of life one should exercise the previous
six lessons, for a long experience has told us that-by sticking to one's home and familv and the business, one cannot
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and do not prevent them from the same, soon Allah will inflict a punishment on them, which will affect the common
folk, as well as the distinguished persons".
A hadith of Tirmizi Sharief says, "I swear by Allah.
you must command people with good deeds, and prevent
them from forbidden things, or soon Allah will inflict a
severe punishment to you, and then your prayers even will
not be heard by Him!"
A verse of the Holy Qur'aan says,
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I
"0 Muslims! You are the best nation, who has been
chosen for the guidance of other nations; you command
people with virtue, and prevent them from vice, and have a
firm faith in Allah!"
It has been reported by Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho)
that Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, "You
must induce people to good deeds, and prevent them from
bad ones, otherwise Allah will bring such a tyrant sovereign over you, who will not respect your elders, nor will he
show mercy to your youngsters; then the prayers of your
pious people even will not be granted by Allah; if you
called Him, He will not pardon you!"
3
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Seventh Lesson
To quit vanity
This lesson will explain the most important requisites
of piety. A Muslim should spend every moment of his life
in the achievement of the eternal boons of the life hereafter.
He should not only avoid the sins, but also the vain and destructive customs of his age, which affect our religious
principles and beliefs so badly. Though there may not be
sin in so many deeds and hobbies, yet they are a sheer
waste of time and energy, and we could do some other constructive things during that time. This is the characteristic
of a true believer that he spends his time only in virtuous
deeds, remembers Allah as much as possible, avoids all forbidden things, does not indulge in vanity, and is polite and
humble towards other Muslims. If one does not avoid vain
talk and vain deeds, one is likely to indulge in shameful
sins. It has been mentioned in a hadith that when a companion of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) died, a
Muslim said to him. "I deliver to you the happy news of
Jannah!" When Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
heard these words, he said, "You are giving him the happy
news of Jandah, while you dont know he might have indulged in vain talk, or, have been a miser in spending a
thing for the good of others, which does not decrease by
use". This evidently means that one should be very cautious in talk, and should avoid vanity, for one's tongue is
likely to talk nonsense.
Another hadith says, "A man does not slip so much by
his feet, as by his tongue".
Another hadith says, "Sometimes a man speaks an offensive and sinful thing unconsciously, by which he is
thrown into hell deeper than the distance between East and
West!"
(Bukhaari & Muslim)
Therefore, every believer should be cautious in his
talk, and should spend every moment of his life in good
deeds. He must avoid vanity, particularly, during the
oeriod when he has left home to learn his religion, or to
preach the same.
Someone asked Luqmaan the philosopher, "How did
vou attain so much wisdom?" He answered, "Because I
speak the truth, pay the securities to their owners, and
avoid vanity!"
(Muwatta Imaam Maalik)
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20
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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still ignorant of their religion, should be sorry for their
negligence, and should repent for the future.
In all the spare time they should remember Allah; they
should engage in zikr not only their tongue, but their
heart also.
Those who know their religion, should teach it to
others as a duty, and those who are still ignorant about
it, should learn the same very attentively.
One cannot learn all the teachings of the religion only
by studying the books, or by listening to the orators;
knowledge of Islam and the practice thereof are indispensable to each other, and perfection in faith cannot
be acquired without action. Therefore, one must practise what he knows, and should also instruct others
with the same.
All the mistakes that one commits during the reading
of the Holy Qur'aan, or the prayer, their correction
should not be limited only to the teaching class, but
one should try his best to correct them during his leisure at home.
All the members of the group should sit silent and respectfully in the class, while they are instructed, and
should not pay attention to anything else; only the
leader of education should correct their mistakes, but
others should keep silent, and having regard for Allah
and His Messenger, they should sit motionless, as if
birds were sitting on their heads.
In the circle of instruction the following things should
be observed very attentively.
(a) The teachings of the Holy Qur'aan, particularly in
relation with the principles of Islam; all the possible mistakes concerning i n a a l , :Zaa, Seen,
J' Saud, C Haa, A Haa, Ayn, a Hamzah, GJTaa,
L Tau, FathaJZabar etc., should be avoided with
great care.
(b) The words of Kalimah Tayyibah should be remembered properly, and their meaning should be
understood thoroughly, so much so that everyone
should believe that Islam is incomplete without
putting the kalimah into practice.
21
(f)
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6.
1.
5.
7.
8.
23
24
3.
4.
5.
6.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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8.
9.
20.
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11.
12.
13.
14.
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15. If some companions are eating sweetmeats or dates together, do not take two pieces at a time, without their
permission.
16. If you forget to read "Bismillaah" at the beginning of
your meals, then say when you remember it, "Bismillaahi awwaluhu wa aakhiruhu", that is, with the name
of Allah in the beginning and at the end of it.
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17. Do not eat onions while you are in the mosque, and if
you have eaten them out of the mosque, do not enter it,
until such time that there is no odour left.
18. When you have taken your meals, say,
5.
6.
19. First pick up the table cloth, and then get up.
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7.
8.
9.
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you stay, at the normally fixed times, for it is not correct to use it for yourself only. Extinguish the lights
after Esha salaah, when the musallies (worshippers)
have departeg; then light a candle of your own, if it be
needed.
6. Do not ask for any bedding from the people of that
place; anyhow help one another if there is a shortage of
beds: nor ask for any utensils.
7. Fix a fee before engaging any labourer: if you employ
any labourer without fixing a fee, then pay him his full
remuneration. If you pay him less than the local rate,
and he is unhappy, and kept asking for more, until he
went away disappointed, then you will have to pay
him on the Day of Qiyaamah. Remember. oppression
or forced agreement co~lcerningfixing a fee before
engaging any labourer is not recognized: therefore if
anyone gives up his right by oppression, then the oppressor can not be forgiven by that person.
8. Avoid every kind of useless talk during your Tabligh
journey, and be cautious of everything you do. In short
spend your time carefully during this journey, and pay
special gttention to the Tabligh work. Do not talk
much, nor laugh unnecessarily, for i t is mentioned in a
hadith, "Too much talk hardens your heart, and too
much laughing kills your heart. and the noor of your
face is lessened.
9. Every action of yours must be based on sincerity, and
you should not despair the reward from Allah. In
whatever you do you must make a good niyyat (intention).
1 0 . Make your return journey also a Tabligh journey, and
on your way home, observe the same as you observed
while going abroad.
11. All the requisites of Islamic etiquette that you learnt
during the journey, and all the salaahs that you performed, should be maintained at home also. Humbleness in salaah, constant zikr service to humanity,
sincerity and all the good actions that 'you practised
during the journey, should be observed at home also,
for the main object of this journey was to involve oneself in the practice of good deeds.
31
purely for Tabligh work, even then observe Islamic etiquette and du'aas; perform your salaahs regularly, with
Jama'at and if there are three companions, one of them
should be made an ameer.
In such a Tabligh journey keep all the books of Tabligh
with you, namely Hikaayaat-i-Sahaabah, Fadhaa'il
Namaaz, Fadhaa'il Tabligh etc., and you should also
have a miswak, lota (utensil for holding water for the
purpose of wudhu), musallah (prayer mat), soap,
thread and needle, table cloth, mud lump made for the
purpose of istinja, matches, candle, comb, surmah
daani (surmah dispenser), torch, staff (which could be
used as a sutrah).
14. If the leader asks you to prepare food for the group, or
to do some other service, obey his orders happily; and
don't think that you will be deprived of the reward of
Tabligh when your companions leave you with your
task, for then you will deserve double reward, one for
rendering service to your companions, and the other,
for relieving your companions of their worry to enable
them to do Tabligh work freely.
15. The Tabligh journey is a good period in which to practice Islamic routine; therefore, be heIpful to one another, and promote unity. Don't insist on your own
proposdl, but only suggest i t , and explain the merits. If
your companions do not accept your proposal, then
don't despair; If the proposal of somebody else is accepted by the group, and the result is not good, then
don't say. "What did I suggest to you? Had you observed my counsel, you would have attained much
good!"
16. During the informal or special visit, or during Taalim
lessons, or at the time of da'wat don't discuss any controversial subject; but should rather invite people to
the fundamentals of Islam and the Oneness of Allah,
for when one understands the meaning of the kalimah,
then he will want to know more about Imaan and
Islam.
17. Remain in any city or village that you visit as long as
its inhabitants can easily understand the main object of
the work of Tabligh, and are prepared to observe all
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33
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
I
12.
13.
14.
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5
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34. Understand that when some companions intend returning home, don't desire or yearn to follow them,
rather contain your heartfelt desire and continue with
Tabligh work, for great virtues have been promised for
the same. The example of those who contain their
heartfelt desire and remain steadfast on this work is
that of a fighter who remains fighting on the battlefield
whilst his co-fighters disappear in retreat.
35. The condition preceeding the assured method of attaining Allah's assistance is that you should assist His
true religion. If you offer assistance to His deen then
difficulties alld obstacles in life will turn into means
for your pleasure in this world, and the earth and skies
and whatever it contains will be of assistance to you.
Those who after carrying out Allah's work despair the
mercy and pleasure of Allah would be most unfortunate and wilfully transgressing His laws.
36. What is termed to be divine assistance and unforseen
power is not bestowed initially but is disseminated at
the appropriate occasion and time.