There were people whom Allah guided to perform good deeds during these 10 days, and there were people who missed out on the virtues of these days.
- The attitude of the believer after any season of obedience -
1) Rejoice عبادة الفرح
He should feel happy that Allah guided him to perform good deeds during these days. This is because making the performance of good deeds easy on a person is in Allah's hand alone. It is He who sends angels to inspire good deeds in the hearts of the believers.
He should feel happy that Allah guided him to perform good deeds during these days. This is because making the performance of good deeds easy on a person is in Allah's hand alone. It is He who sends angels to inspire good deeds in the hearts of the believers.
2) Gratefulness عبادة الشكر
Many people planned to do good deeds but they were not guided and helped to perform them. We need to be grateful that Allah enabled us to reach this season and helped us perform good deeds. We need to thank Allah profusely for opening the gates of good deeds for us. Sit in solitude, remind yourself of Allah's blessings, in order to thank Him as He deserves.
3) Maintain the reward.
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do you know who is bankrupt?” They said, “The one without money or goods is bankrupt.” The Prophet said, “Verily, the bankrupt of my nation are those who come on the Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and charity, but also with insults, slander, consuming wealth, shedding blood, and beating others. The oppressed will each be given from his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before justice is fulfilled, then their sins will be cast upon him and he will be thrown into the Hellfire.” (Sahih Muslim 2581)
This person exhausted all his good deeds by performing sins until nothing remained. Therefore, the sins of other people will be added to his record and he will be thrown into the Hellfire.
Just as the Muslim takes strict care of his obligations, he should take care of his morals, manners, and dealings with people,
Just as the Muslim takes strict care of his obligations, he should take care of his morals, manners, and dealings with people,
4) Fix your priorities in life
The most important thing we should take care of is the obligations which Allah ordained upon us. We need to establish the Islam, carry the responsibility of the Da'wah, etc.
We see an abundant amount of oppression, killing, stealing, etc. in the world. This is all due to ignorance. We need to call people to Islam, but we won't be able to do so unless we have knowledge ourselves.
The knowledge referred to here is the religious knowledge inherited from the Prophet. There is no salvation on the Day of Judgement except by acquiring and acting upon the knowledge about our religion.
Attaching yourself to the means of acquiring knowledge will bring you salvation and happiness in this world and the next.
Attaching yourself to the means of acquiring knowledge will bring you salvation and happiness in this world and the next.
- Sincerity is required when you acquire knowledge -
"Little knowledge with a good intention is more beneficial and greater in blessing than abundant knowledge without giving heed to the sincerity in it" (Al-Madkhal by Ibn Al-Haaj)
The knowledge we seek should be sought solely for seeking the pleasure of Allah, not worldly gain.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, "He who doesn't acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the pleasure of Allah but for gaining the gain of the world, will not smell the fragrance of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection" (Abu Dawud, Authenticated by Al-Albani)
There is a hastened Paradise on earth, and that is the Paradise of knowing, loving, fearing, having hope, longing for meeting Allah.
This feeling is not attained except by knowledge about Allah. Whoever enters the Paradise of this world will enter the Paradise of the hereafter.
The severest punishment on the Day of Judgement will be for the learned person who sought knowledge for worldly gain. He will be the most regretful person because Allah gave him the tool with which he can enter Paradise but he used it in seeking something so lowly as this world. He is like a person who had a diamond but sold it for something with little to no value.
In a long narration reported by Muslim we are told that the men whose cases shall be judged first on the Day of Resurrection shall be a man who was martyred, a man who acquired knowledge and taught it and who recited the Qur'an, and a man to whom Allah had been generous and given many varieties of wealth. These men will acknowledge Allah’s favors upon them, and will claim that they did these deeds for His sake. They will be exposed as liars. The man who was martyred had been fighting in order to be called brave, the scholar or reciter of the Quran had acted thus in order to gain a reputation as such, and the benefactor had sought recognition as a generous person. Since deeds are judged according to their intentions, these people received what they had sought through these deeds, and so they will not receive reward for them on the Day of Judgment. Hence, they will be dragged into Hell on their faces.
Al Haafidh Abu Abbas al Qortubi (656 A.H) said "Acquiring knowledge is one of the greatest acts of worship and the most important act of worship. Therefore, it is a must to be performed with Ikhlaas"
Imam Ibn Shaykh AlHazzamiyyeen (711 AH) said, "Seek knowledge:
1) Seeking Allah's countenance
2) To know by it Allah's laws, obligatory matters, his limits
3) To act upon it and teach it to others of the believers
4) Have the intention to establish the religion of Allah among the Muslims
5) To support the religion of Allah and be one of Allah's soldiers
6) If one is guided through you, that is better for you than all what the Sun has risen upon
And with this intention, you become one of the special scholars, the enlightened heart, those who inherited the fruits of knowledge and attained it's reality, those who fear Allah."
In (7:176)
ولو شئنا لرفعناه بها ولكنه أخلد إلى الأرض واتبع هواه فمثله كمثل الكلب إن تحمل عليه يلهث أو تتركه يلهث ذلك مثل القوم الذين كذبوا بآياتنا فاقصص القصص لعلهم يتفكرون
This is the example of a person whom Allah granted knowledge, yet he pants after this world, like a dog.
"Knowledge is divided into two categories:
1) The one sought only for the sake of Allah's countenance. This is the religious knowledge.
2) The worldly knowledge. There is no sin on the person if he seeks it for worldly gain.
The sin is if you acquire religious knowledge for the sake of the Dunya. One should not acquire it except for the sake of Allah. If he seeks this knowledge for worldly gain, he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise" - Ibn Uthaymeen
"O seeker of knowledge, beware of ill intentions. Don't let the legal knowledge a means to attain worldly gain; this is considered weak-mindedness (foolishness in mind) and misguidance in ones religion. Acquiring religious knowledge is one of the greatest acts of worship, so direct it to Allah only, seek it to protect the law of Allah, to remove ignorance from yourself and from others, and lead others to the guidance (the knowledge), to attain the inheritance of the Prophet, because scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets" [Sharh Riyadus-Saliheen - Summarised commentary of Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen]
If you sought the knowledge solely for Allah's sake:
1) It will be accepted
2) It will be purified
3) Its blessing will grow and increase
If the knowledge was sought for other than Allah:
1) It will be nullified
2) It will be lost
3) The transaction will be fruitless
4) His effort will be wasted
[Tadhkhirat as-Saami wal-Mutakallim]
We have to renew our intentions over and over again.
Baker Abu Zaid said, "Nothing destroys knowledge like riyaa (show off) and sum'ah (to be heard) such as to say (loudly) (to be heard by others): I learned, I memorised, etc.
So get rid of everything that would blemish your effort in seeking knowledge such as love of show off, to be known, to be distinctive among your colleagues, to take it as a means to obtain status, wealth, or reversion, or seeking praise or directing people's attention to you, etc...This will all go away with the Barakah of the Ilm'" [Sharh Hilyat Talib Al-Ilm]
5) Have Taqwa in all your affairs.
In (22:1-2):
يا أيها الناس اتقوا ربكم إن زلزلة الساعة شيء عظيم
يوم ترونها تذهل كل مرضعة عما أرضعت وتضع كل ذات حمل حملها وترى الناس سكارى وما هم بسكارى ولكن عذاب الله شديد
يا أيها الناس اتقوا ربكم إن زلزلة الساعة شيء عظيم
يوم ترونها تذهل كل مرضعة عما أرضعت وتضع كل ذات حمل حملها وترى الناس سكارى وما هم بسكارى ولكن عذاب الله شديد
"اتقوا ربكم"
Allah used His name الرب. Why?
Since Allah is our Lord, the one who nurturers us, the obeyed master, our Creator, the One who disposes our affairs in the best way, guides us, provides us with all blessings, He deserves to be feared. He deserves to have his right fulfilled: Tawheed.
When you fulfill Tawheed and avoid Shirk you become a Muttaqi. This is because Taqwa entails acting upon the command of Allah, obeying him , and avoiding shirk and all what He has forbidden.
Don't be of the people whom Allah gives blessings and they thank someone else. Don't be of the people who use the blessings of Allah to disobey Him. Don't be of the people whom Allah showed guidance and they turned away from it.
Check yourself: Are you a Muttaqi in your dealings with Allah and the people?
ان زلزلة ساعة شئ عظيم
It as if Allah is justifying the command. Fear Allah because the day of judgement is a terrifying matter. It is as if you are told the fear of the judgement day will make you have Taqwa.
Two things will grant you Taqwa:
1) Knowing your Rabb
2) Knowledge of the Judgement day
Why is the earthquake mentioned in particular after talking about Taqwa? When earthquakes happen, no one thinks of anything except themselves. It is as if you are told that no one can or will extend their hand to help you on that day except your fear of Allah.
Out of the severe and intense horror of that day, even the nursing mother will forget her nursling. She, who has the utmost compassion towards her baby will neglect him.
Every pregnant woman will drop her load.
Every pregnant woman will drop her load.
If you ponder over these verses you would realize just how severe this day is.
On that day, the hearts will reach the throats and the eyes will fixedly stare in horror. The son will not avail his father and the father will not avail his son. He will run away from his family. The wrongdoers will bite on their hands and regret not following the Sunnah and the Qur'an. The balances will be set and the deeds even the weight of an atom will be measured. The records will be spread. Some will receive them with their right hand, others with their left. The hellfire will be brought close to the wrongdoers and they will hear it roar. The Most Merciful will become so angry that day, nothing will save the person from the anger of Allah except His Taqwa.
Jannah will be brought near to the Muttaqeen. In Paradise there will be a delight beyond our imagination. Things we have never thought of, seen, or heard of.
After the believer knows all this, he will prepare for that day with Taqwa. He will do what Allah commanded him and abstain from what Allah forbade Him. He won't waste his time.