The student or teacher who learns and teached the Qur'an are in Jihad against striving against their evil selves, against the Shaytan, in staying patient in the study circle, enduring hardship, in abandoning the worldly pleasures and preferred learning the Qur'an over it. This is why he deserves to have the reward of a Mujahid in the way of Allah.
The great honour that the learner of the Qur'an gets indicated the highness of learning the Qur'an.
Not everyone is called a learner of the Qur'an. He is the One who learns the Qur'an and acts upon it.
(2:21)
"they are the ones who implemented the Qur'an"
HADITH: He who is skilled in learning the Qur'an will be with the noble Angels, and if he finds it difficult he will get two rewards.
Even if the person finds difficulty in reciting the Qur'an he can be from the bearers of the Qur'an and that is by practicing what is in the Qur'an.
Characteristics of the Bearers of the Qur'an:
1) Muttaqi
2) Cautious regarding his means of living, his food, garments, etc.
3) He focuses on reforming himself. He is not concerned about the people, acting upon the statement of the Prophet, "A sign of ones excellence in religion is leaving what does not concern him"
4) He guards his tongue and chooses his words carefully.
5) He rarely laughs. "Excessive laughing kills the heart"
6) He doesn't allow people to praise him for the qualities he has, how then for the qualities he doesn't have. (53:32) فلا تزكوا أنفسهم هو اعلم بمن اتقى
The place of Taqwa is in the heart, no one knows what's in the heart except Allah.
Also, he doesn't like to dispraise himself in front of people. This is a hidden kind of رياء. People dispraise themselves in order to seek the praise of the people, and Allah knows what is in their heart.
There are some teachers who teach the Qur'an, whenever they explain a verse in the Qur'an they'll give examples sbout themselves. This is a form of praising oneself. If you want to give an example, give it from the stories of the Salaf or the companions.
HADITH: Narrated by Abu Dharr, When the Prophet was asked to tell the people about a person who did a good deed and the people praised him. The prophet said, "This is a glad tidings for the believer"
This means that if a person does a good deed, and doesn't care whether the people see him or know about what he's doing, and after he finished the good deed someone praised him, there is no harm on him.
But are people on that level of faith such that praise doesn't affect their heart? The praise won't harm the person whose Eeman is high and perfect.
If after his death people praise him, it is an indication that he is one of the people of paradise.
At the end of his life, Bukhari went through a calamity. The people shunned him such that when he died, only 5 people prayed the funeral prayer. But allah elevated his fame that for 100's of years people are praising and asking Allah to send mercy on him. This indicates that he is one of the people of Paradise. This is عاجل بشرى مؤمن.
Allah is the one who makes the people praise that person. Allah will exalt the fame of the person. Many people may misunderstand the hadith and think there is no harm in praising.
7) He is cautious of himself from falling into what he desires that will anger his master. He is in a continuous struggle against himself. He is cautious and prevents himself from inclining to his desires because he is afraid he will do a deed which will anger Allah.
8) He doesn't backbite anyone
9) He doesn't defame anyone
10) He doesn't abuse anyone
11) He doesn't rejoice at the calamities of others, rather he invokes Allah to relieve them from distress.
12) He doesn't transgress against anyone. This could be by:
a) boasting about blessings Allah gave him (تفاخر)
b) mention things that Allah didn't give him (بغي)
The opposite of this is humility.
13) He doesn't envy anyone.
Envy is of three levels:
a) To hate a blessing allah bestowed upon someone else
B) To wish the removal of that blessing and that is severer.
C) To try with his tongue and action to remove the blessing from that person and that is the worst.
He loves good for the people as he loves it for himself.
14) He doesn't suspect or think bad of anyone, except for the one who deserves it.
We cannot judge people, we don't know who deserves it. It is better to avoid suspicion at all, because we don't know. We have to make excuses for the people. The Salaf used to give 70 excuses to their brothers and after they used the excuses up they would say perhaps he had an excuse I don't know about.
We need to check ourselves, see if we have these characteristics and struggle to attain them. This is all in his relations with the people.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Characteristics of the Hypocrites in the Qur'an in سورة التوبة
Steps when studying a Surah
1) Recite the Surah with ترتيل
- To recite in a way that makes it clear and lucid to the person listening to you as well as yourself. Slowly and Rythemitically.
2) تغني
- To recite it loud enough so you can hear yourself and in a melodious voice
3) The Salaf used to focus on Chapters, not Juz.
4) Repeatedly recite the Surah
5) Establish the Night with that Surah
(73:6)
6) Listening to it from people who recite it slowly. (hudaify, menshawy)
There is a reward for listening to the Qur'an.
(7:204)
رحمة is every good from Allah.
7) Look into the verse and think considerably, try to understand it. If you don't understand a word or a meaning put a question mark. Later on you'll find the answer to your questions.
If it's a long verse divide it into parts, link them together.
8) قراء مفسرا
Umm Salamah described the Prophet's recitation like this. It was as if he was explaining the Verse to himself.
9) Go to a simple, abbreviated Tafseer book and find out the answers for your questions,
"Whoever is seeking the knowledge of the earlier and later people then let him يثور القرآن" - Ibn Mas'ood.
10) Act upon it.
Focus on:
1) The Stories
2) Parables
3) The Names, Attributes, and Actions of Allah
4) The descriptions of the believers, disbelievers, hypocrites, etc.
Hypocrisy is one of the most serious sicknesses of the heart. A heart with a sickness is corrupted.
HADITH: There is a morsel in the body, if it is reformed the whole body is reformed, if it is spoilt the whole body and action will be spoilt.
One of the sicknesses that will spoil the deed of the person and will nullify it is hypocrisy. Therefore we have to study the descriptions of the منافقين in the Qur'an.
Allah revealed 30 Madani Surahs and talks about the hypocrites in 17 of them. This signifies the importance of following up these characteristics, because the slave is not safe from hypocrisy. You'll find that we practice most of the deeds of the hypocrites without being aware of it.
There is no remedy for this sickness except by pondering over their characteristics in the Qur'an.
1) We will study the image of hypocrisy in that verse. Hypocrisy takes many forms.
2) Then we'll find out the cause of hypocrisy
3) The remedy of that image of hypocrisy
Why are we studying about hypocrisy?
"ان المنافقين في درك الأسفل من النار"
Their punishment is severer than the disbelievers because they knew the truth yet they turned away from it.
"I have met 30 of the companions of the Prophet, all of them feared hypocrisy for themselves"
Even though Umar was given the glad tidings of Paradise, He asked Hudayfah bin Yammam, The Prophets secret keeper, if he was one of the hypocrites.
Ibrahim atTaymi said, "When I compare my speech to my actions and I see my action deficient then I consider myself a liar"
Hasan alBasri said, "To know that I am free of hypocrisy is more beloved in my heart than having an earthful of gold"
And he said, "How can I feel secure from what Umar was scared?"
These are the earlier generations who the Prophet praised. They were afraid of hypocrisy. Nowadays people hardly ever consider themselves hypocrites.
AlHasan also said, "It is only the faithful believer who fears hypocrisy and only the hypocrite who considers himself safe from it"
These are reported by Bukhari in كتاب الايمان.
The hypocrites do not know that they are hypocrites. They live thinking they are believer and only discover on the Day of Judgement.
Allah described the hypocrites in (2:8-12)
"و ما يشعرون"
"و لأكن لا يشعرون"
Hypocrisy is the worst mischief in the land. When they are told not to commit mischief, they say that they are reformers, but Allah says that they are the ones who make mischief but they don't feel or perceive it. They don't feel like they're doing wrong.
Verse 13:
"الا انهم هم السفهاء و لأكن لا يعلمون"
We have go through each verse and attribute and check if we have it, and see to what extent we have the attribute.
We should fear having this sickness and take the means of protection from this sickness.
When we hear about viruses being spread, before we are afflicted we take precautions, we stay away from sick people, eat healthy, etc.
Allah is telling us that نفاق is a مرض, and this sickness affects the heart and not the body. It causes the loss and destruction of the person on the Day of Judgement. Shouldn't we take the means of protection from this sickness?
The main causes of hypocrisy
There are four sins which cause hypocrites to fall into hypocrisy:
1) Lying.
All hypocrites lie until they become compulsive liars. They don't think they're lying when they do.
(57:13-14)
يوم يقول المنافقون و المناف
Light will be distributed on the Day of Judgment. Allah will give light to both the believers and hypocrites but the hypocrites will have their light extinguished. This is even worse than not having any light in the first place.
A wall will be put between the believers and hypocrites, a wall with a gate. Inside that wall is mercy/Paradise, and that is the side of the believers, and outside will be torment/hellfire, and that is the side of the hypocrites.
Some of the interpreters said that this wall represents the good deeds both parties were doing. The good deeds of the believers lead them to mercy, and the deeds of the hypocrites lead them to the hellfire.
They say that the gate represents death. The hypocrites has all the diseases of doubts, suspicions, hypocrisy in his heart, and when he dies he realises it.
The hypocrites will then call the believers, "الم نكن معكم؟"
Then 4 causes of hypocrisy are mentioned:
1) فتنتم انفسكم
2) تربص
3) ارتبتم
4) غرتكم الأماني
1) فتنتم انفسكم
He exposed his Eeman to destruction by:
a) Committing Sins
b) Lying/Hypocrisy
c) Following Lusts and Desires.
The word فتنة in Arabic is derived from the word فتن
"فتن الذهب"
In order to purify gold it is exposed to fire.
This hypocrite exposed his Eeman to fire and burnt it. فتن نفسه
Ex. If any good thoughts come to his mind regarding Allah or the believers, He repels it with evil thoughts about Him. سوء ظن
This is a kind of فتنة النفس.
(48:6)
Allah will punish them because they think bad about Allah. They don't expect good from Allah.
Or they suspect the believers and think evil of them.
(48:12)
The hypocrites thought the Prophet will be killed and the victory will be to the disbelievers and not the believers.
Scrutinise your thoughts. The believer is aware and alert and feels if a bad thought comes to him about Allah. The hypocrites don't feel this and let it pass.
Bad thoughts are considered a major sin and the person will be punished for it. If you don't repel these thoughts it can lead a person to hypocrisy, his heart will be sealed upon that. You will think you are right and everyone else is wrong. This is a sign of a hypocrite.
Backbiting, defaming, mocking other Muslims is a sign of hypocrisy. He says his intention is good, that he wants to warn others of this person, but his real intention is envy or hatred.
The sicknesses in his heart make him do evil, and he doesn't feel like he's doing anything wrong.
He is doubled faced. He shows the people that he wants good for them, but in reality he is doing it for his benefit alone.
Ex. He has a case in court. If it can be solved by the Shariah, he asks for it. If it can be solved by other law, he asks for that. He is just seeking out his interest.
Another form of exposing oneself to the Fitnah is by indulging in worldly pleasure excessively. Loving this world excessively causes hypocrisy. One of the descriptions of the disbelievers and hypocrites is that they love this world and prefer it over the next.
People spend money for pure entertainment, for play.
But it is a لعب، لهو، زينة، تفاخر
Allah says (63:9)
The hypocrites let their children and wealth divert themselves from the remembrance of Allah.
The sign a person has caused Fitnah for himself is that he will always have bad thoughts, mock and defame people, lie, etc.
The remedy? Be truthful with oneself. Always watch your thoughts.
Comments
Post a Comment