Learn the ahadith to better understand Islam

[Naturalist_Atheist]

I think it was James Brown who once said, "This is a mans world."

 

[NegativeCool]

Islam is beautiful.. unfortunately many Muslims are not at all beautiful in their character and behaviour.

If one wishes to fairly judge Islam, then one needs to look at how the really "expert drivers" i.e. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), behaved and conducted themselves during the early years of Islam.

Hmm, lets have a look. He married a 9 year old girl, consumated the marriage when she was 11 and robbed caravans......

Maybe we should stop looking.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 38

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"Allah the Almighty has said: 'Whosoever acts with enmity towards a closer servant of Mine (wali), I will indeed declare war against him. Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.'"

[Al-Bukhari]

=======================================​

The translation of the term wali that is mentioned in the hadith is a closer servant (awliya') of Allah or a believer rather than a closer friend. The hadith tells us that Allah loves those who are the closer servants to Allah. There are two levels of servants of Allah: The first level is those who fulfill the obligations and avoid the prohibitions (muharramat). The second level is those who not only do this but also perform the preferable acts (nawafil).

The concept of wilayah (awliya' Allah) is based on the verses of the Qur'an and this hadith. In the Qur'an there are three verses in Surah Yunus - Ayah 62, 63 and 64.

No doubt verily the awliya' of Allah (the closer servants of Allah) no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. Those who believed and used to fear Allah much, for them are the glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter.

Based on these three verses and this Hadith Qudsi, we can say that the concept of wilayah comprises of the following:

1. The love of Allah
2. Fearing of Allah
3. Belief or faith in Allah and his Messengers
4. Devotion, honesty, and sincerity
5. Obedience to Allah and following His instructions - this include performing good deeds. This motif of this obedience is based on fear of Allah, repenting to Allah and submission to His will.

The origin of wilayah is closeness to Allah and the enmity is being far away from the path of Allah. Based on this, the awliya' of Allah are those who are obedient and perform the good deeds which make them closer to Allah. The enemies of Allah, on the other hand, are those who are evil doers. Their ill deeds distance themselves away from Allah and this will make them far from Allah's blessing, support, and love.

In the first portion of the hadith ("Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him."), Allah classifies His servants into two categories:

1. The first category are those who get closer to Allah by fulfilling the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions. This is a moderate level that has been described in the Qur'an as ashab alyameen. This is the minimum level of wilayah expected from all believers and it is achieved just by fulfilling the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions.

2. The second category of people are those who are closer to Allah by being competent (al-sabiqeen) in their worship and effort and strive to be close to Allah. This category of people are not satisfied only of performing the obligations and avoiding the prohibitions but they go further by performing the preferable acts. They also avoid the non-preferable acts. Consequently, they will reach the degree of wara' and wilayah that will make Allah love them. Allah mentions this explicitly and that His love will be granted for these competent people.

Some of the early people (salaf) used to say that it is not a big matter whether you love; the biggest matter is to be loved by Allah. If you are loved by Allah, then you are granted with His mercy and blessings. You are going to be granted with His support and guidance.

The second portion of this hadith ("When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk.") implies that, as Ibn Rajab says, whoever strives, struggles and makes the effort to get closer to Allah by doing the obligations and performing the preferable acts, Allah will get him closer to him, support him, and take him from one level into another until this servant of Allah reaches the degree of Ihsan where this believer will be able to practice muraqabeh. That is he worships Allah as if he sees Him, and his heart will be full with love of Allah.

The third portion of this hadith ("And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.") implies that the closer servant of Allah has a special status in the sight of Allah. This special status will lead to that whatever he asks of Allah, Allah will give him and his du'a will be attended to. If he seeks refuge from anything, he will be given that.

This hadith is a warning to those who may harm believers in general or the closer servants of Allah in particular. Allah declares war against the one who acts with enmity towards His awliya' (closer servants). This is a message to all Muslims and people not to harm others or to be enemies with Allah by harming the believers. That is how the situation will be, if not in this life, it will be in the Hereafter.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 39

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"Truly Allah has for my sake pardoned the mistakes and forgetfulness of my community, and for what they have done under force or duress."

[A fine hadith related by Ibn Majah, Al-Baihaqi and others]

=======================================​

What has been stated in this hadith has also been stressed and emphasised in the Qur'an. In Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 286, it is stated:

"Our Lord, punish us not if we forget or fall into error."

Another translation for the meaning of the ayah :
"Oh our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes."

Allah says in Surah al-Ahzab, Ayah 5:

And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intended. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Being excused for what is done mistakenly or out of forgetfulness does not mean that there will be no consequent rulings. This means that a person might be forgiven but he still has to take responsibility for his actions. The consequent rulings for doing something mistakenly or out of forgiveness can be classified into three categories:

1. There are mistakes where there is no consequent ruling such as a person or a Muslim who eats during the day in the month of Ramadhan out of forgetfulness. The majority of scholars say that his fasting is still valid and he does not have to repeat that day.

2. There are consequent rulings to actions that are done out of mistakes or forgetfulness such as if someone kills a Muslim by mistake - as what happens nowadays in car accidents or accidents at work, etc. It is well-known by scholars that for such a person there is no consequent ruling. There is no kaffarah (expiation of sins) but he has to pay the fidyah as stated in the Qur'an. Another example is if someone caused harm or damage to the property or money of someone else by mistake. In this case the person is responsible and has to compensate for what he has damaged even though he is forgiven by Allah and is not being regarded as sinful.

3. There are actions where there are different opinions among the Muslim scholars of whether there is a consequent ruling or not. Some scholars say that the person has a consequent ruling. Others will say that he is fully excused and has nothing to do.

Ibn Rajab states that the person who acts out of forgetfulness or by mistake is excused and that the sinfulness will be removed because sinfulness is related to those who does it deliberately. But the ruling, whatever the responsibility is, is not meant by this hadith. The hadith does not mean that they are going to be excused from everything including any kind of responsibility or rulings. This is something very important to know because some Muslims have the misconception that they are totally excused and they do not have to bear any consequences.

In the situation where a person is forced to do something which is not acceptable in Islam, this ikrah or duress can be categorised, according to Ibn Rajab, into two categories:

1. The person is powerless and has no choice to refuse doing an evil act or something which is not acceptable by shari'ah. Ibn Rajab says that he is excused.

2. The person is forced to harm someone else. In this situation, we look at the issue from the perspective that he has the power over his actions and can refuse to do the harm but at the same time his intention is to remove the harm from himself rather than to harm the other person. What is the ruling in this case? The scholars say that there are certain cases where the Muslim should not do it (i.e. harm someone else) even if he is harmed himself, such as if a Muslim is forced to kill someone else. He is not allowed to do so because this is a major harm that Muslims should do their best to avoid.

Unfortunately, some Muslims today abuse what the hadith implies by using it as an excuse to not uphold a responsibility or to break a promise. Allah knows our intentions and we should not take what is mentioned in the hadith to get away from the responsibility of fulfilling a commitment or an obligation.

Islam encourages ihsan, quality, excellence at work, and a sense of responsibility. At the same time, Islam discourages recklessness, carelessness, and heedlessness. However, Islam takes into account the nature of human beings and their shortcomings. It also takes into consideration the unavoidable situations that they may undergo. It should also be noticed that Islam calls for taking lessons from our mistakes and our experience with others. That's why the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, says a Muslim should not be bitten from the same hole twice.

We should also be aware (based on Hadith 32) not to harm others. That hadith says: "There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm." According to this hadith we have to minimise the size of the harm and the consequences of the mistakes as much as possible. Even though the person might be excused and forgiven by one of these factors that are mentioned in the hadith, he still has to bear the full responsibility of his actions or deeds.

However, because we are human beings and subject to committing mistakes out of forgetfulness, Islam still leaves room for these human shortcomings and makes it possible for them to be excused and forgiven - but they have to bear some of the consequences.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 40

On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took me by the shoulder and said:

"Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler/wayfarer."
Ibn 'Umar used to say:
"When evening comes, do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from your life for your death."

[Al-Bukhari]

=======================================​

The Qur'an makes numerous comparisons between the worldly life and the Hereafter. The priority and emphasis is made on the Hereafter where it is described as the real life and the worldly life as a life of nothing but entertainment and amusement. Allah says in Surah al-An'am, Ayah 32:

And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion but the home of Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. Will you not then reason?

And in Surah al-'Ankabut, Ayah 64, Allah expresses the same meaning mentioned in the previous ayah. The same meaning is also expressed in other ayahs such as in Surah Muhammad Ayah 36, Surah Yunus Ayah 26, Surah al-Kahf Ayah 45 -46, Surah Fater Ayah 5, Surah al-A'la Ayah 16-17, and Surah al-Isra' Ayah 18-19.

In all of the above mentioned ayahs, Allah reminds the believers that the Hereafter is the final destination and the real life and enjoyment of the believers. Allah also comments on this life as nothing but amusement and diversion. It is a life of a test and trial. It is a life used as a means of getting us forward to the Hereafter.

The concept of 'ubudiyyah (worshipping Allah) is a comprehensive concept where everything we do in this life, if it is guided by revelation and is done with a good intention, becomes a form of worship even though it is a worldly matter. The Muslim should establish a good life, improve his way of life and aim for the Hereafter at the same time. By doing so, he is obeying Allah, being guided by His guidance and instructions. Consequently, he will get the pleasure of Allah.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, tells the believers how to deal with this life, and as usual he offers his audience with more than one choice. In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, is giving two choices or levels with regards to living in this world:

1. To be as a stranger

This is usually the easier choice. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used the analogy 'to be as a stranger' because, as Ibn Rajab points out, the stranger is usually prepared to eventually go back to his original place or home town. His heart will always long for his home. His main concern will be to be in preparation to do whatever possible and beneficial for returning. A stranger does not look like the other people in his current environment - he is different. Similarly, the believer should be different from those who only care about this life and worldly matters. He should rid himself of the yearning for this materialistic world, a world where some people do not care about the spiritual aspects and the Hereafter. As believers, we should be different from the 'people of this world'.

2. To be a traveler or wayfarer, traveling along a path

This is a higher level than the stranger. The traveler is always traveling day and night without stopping, He is heeding towards his final destination. Even if he stops for a while, this is to provide himself with the needed power to continue his journey and to go farther until he achieves his main objective. A stranger might obtain and keep more things than he actually needs but the traveler takes as little as possible in terms of luggage or other things. Similarly, the believer who is in such a situation has a main objective or concern - and that is not to take more than what he needs (i.e. he should not be weighed down with materialistic things or wealth).

Another thing is the traveler needs to know that he is traveling on the right path, the straight path. For this, he needs to obtain the right knowledge (ilm). He also needs good, helpful companions to help him on his way.

The impact of this hadith on the life of Muslims

1. To increase the sense of responsibility in terms of our duties towards Allah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, relatives, and the community members.
2. To motivate the Muslims to enjoin what is good and to forbid what is evil.
3. To be closer to Allah at all times.
4. To minimise weaknesses, shortcomings and sinful acts.
5. To maximise self-accountability and self-reckoning.
6. To emphasise taqwa and fearing Allah the Almighty.
7. To be safeguarded from being misled or enslaved by self-interests, desires and worldly temptations.

Some Muslims throughout history misunderstood this hadith. Consequently, they misunderstood the Islamic teachings regarding dealing with life. They understood it in a negative way. We also find other Muslims who are affected by the challenges of modernity and the excessive tension that is given to this life. We find minimum levels of good deeds. They are overwhelmed by the advancement of technology and end up with little iman or spirituality. The Islamic standpoint that should be understood is that there is no conflict or opposition between this life and the Hereafter. On the contrary, Islam establishes harmony where a Muslim lives in this life but his heart is devoted to Allah and the Hereafter. Whatever he does is with the objective of pleasing Allah and is to be done in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the guidance of revelation.

 

[Catherineanne]

Islam is the only true religion. It is the truth; it is the path of Allah.

If Islam is so wonderful, how come if I went onto pretty well any Islamic website and posted, "Christianity is the only true relition. Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life; he is the only way to God the Father" the message would not be allowed to stand, and I would not be allowed to remain.

Christ said, 'love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you'.

Have you ever tried to do this?

Peace be with you.

 

[hamba2han]

If Islam is so wonderful, how come if I went onto pretty well any Islamic website and posted, "Christiainity is the only true relition. Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life; he is the only way to God the Father" the message would not be allowed to stand, and I would not be allowed to remain.

Christ said, 'love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you'.

Have you ever tried to do this?

Peace be with you.

Everyone on these boards is invited to participate at the Muslim forum that I regularly visit where God-willing, you will be able to engage in meaningful dialogue with and obtain a lot more info from many other Muslims there than from just the few Muslims here.

Over at that forum, you might find me being a teeny-weeny bit more "aggressive" towards Christianity than I am here.. but that is to be expected I think.

For those interested, kindly register yourself at the following forum and ask all the questions on matters related to Islam that you wish.. or even post stuff about the Christian faith.. and God-willing, it would be of mutual benefit to you and all the forum members there as well.:

http://whyislam.org/forum/default.asp

 

[Catherineanne]

Everyone on these boards is invited to participate at the Muslim forum that I regularly visit where God-willing, you will be able to engage in meaningful dialogue with and obtain a lot more info from many other Muslims there than from just the few Muslims here.

Over at that forum, you might find me being a teeny-weeny bit more "aggressive" towards Christianity than I am here.. but that is to be expected I think.

Are you more aggressive to guests in your own home than to people whose homes you visit? Is that what Islam is?

Is this to be expected?

I am the same to anyone, anytime, whether on this board or anywhere else, but I would hope that in my own home I am more polite, not less, more considerate, not less. And God forbid that my hospitality should include aggression of any kind.

Such hospitality is not hospitality, is it? And, what is worse, such hospitality is not sanctioned by the Koran, which you will know if you stop and think.

'Please come to my home, and welcome, but be warned that I am more aggressive at home than I am here.'

Thanks, but no thanks.

For those interested, kindly register yourself at the following forum and ask all the questions on matters related to Islam that you wish.. or even post stuff about the Christian faith.. and God-willing, it would be of mutual benefit to you and all the forum members there as well.:

Thank you for the invitation. The question remains, could I post 'Christianity is the only true faith etc' and that statement be allowed to stand?

You tell me.

Then tell me again how superior Islam is to Christianity.

 

[Catherineanne]

We find minimum levels of good deeds.​

This has to be the most glaring understatement of all time.​

If all the world had to worry about was Moslem minimum levels of good deeds, I think we would be very pleased indeed.​

What about the evil deeds, never mind the 'minimum good' ones? How about naming and shaming the evil and cutting it out of Islam, root and branch, instead of whitewashing it and justifying it as not really all that bad, and actually quite attractive by candlelight, if you squint a bit and use your imagination.​

 

[Nooj]

And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people.

Why are you pushing this anti-Semitic tripe here? Please explain yourself before I report your post.

 

[hamba2han]

Are you more aggressive to guests in your own home than to people whose homes you visit? Is that what Islam is?

Is this to be expected?

I am the same to anyone, anytime, whether on this board or anywhere else, but I would hope that in my own home I am more polite, not less, more considerate, not less. And God forbid that my hospitality should include aggression of any kind.

Such hospitality is not hospitality, is it? And, what is worse, such hospitality is not sanctioned by the Koran, which you will know if you stop and think.

'Please come to my home, and welcome, but be warned that I am more aggressive at home than I am here.'

Thanks, but no thanks.




Thank you for the invitation. The question remains, could I post 'Christianity is the only true faith etc' and that statement be allowed to stand?

You tell me.

Then tell me again how superior Islam is to Christianity.

By being "more aggresive", I meant that I would be critical of Christian beliefs a whole lot more on a Muslim forum than I would be on a Christian forum.

And as for posting remarks like 'Christianity is the only true faith etc', a number of Christian participants have indeed posted similar comments I think and their posts have not been deleted.

 

[hamba2han]

Why are you pushing this anti-Semitic tripe here? Please explain yourself before I report your post.

You call that "anti-Semitic tripe"??

You really do need to read what is written in your own Bible.

"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites(Jews), which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt [yourselves], and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands." .. (Deuteronomy 31:25-29)

"How can you say we (the Jews) are wise and the law of the Lord is with us, when in fact the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie?" .. (Jeremiah 8:8 (Revised Standard Version))

Don't you consider the above two Biblical verses to be a tad more "anti-Semitic" than anything that I have written on this thread?

 

[Nooj]

I'm an atheist so it's not my Bible.

Second, I don't care if the Bible is anti-Semitic. It could be for all I care. That doesn't make your offensive post any better.

I have reported your post. It's up to the mods to make of your post what they will.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 41

Abu Muhammad 'Abdullah bin Amr bin al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"None of you (truly) believes until his desire or inclination is in accordance with what I have brought or subservient to what I came with."

[A fine and genuine hadith which was related by al-Maqdidsi in his Book of Hujjah]

=======================================​

Imam Nawawi stated that the sanad (chain of authorities) of this hadith is authentic. However, many other scholars, including Ibn Rajab, stated that there are many defects in the chain of authorities. Sometimes the scholars consider a hadith as weak but this does not mean that what is stated in the hadith is weak. The meaning of this hadith has been emphasised in the Qur'an and strengthened by other ahadith. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 65:

But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad), judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept them with full submission.

In Surah al-Ahzab Ayah 36, Allah says:

It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision.

The main point that this hadith makes is that a believer will not be considered as fulfilling the obligatory level of faith or iman until he follows what the Prophet, peace be upon him, has said - i.e. he loves what the Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded him to do and hates what the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited or made illegal.

It is an obligation on every single believer to love what Allah loves and to hate what Allah hates to a degree that will motivate them to fulfill his or her obligations. If that love is increased above the level which will lead to fulfilling the preferable acts (mandoub), this is considered an additional preferable level. At the same time, he should hate or dislike what Allah hates or dislikes to the extent that will lead him to avoid all the prohibitions. If that level leads him to avoid what needs to be avoided, then that is an additional level that Allah will reward him for.

In the two Sahihs of Al-Bukhari and Muslim it is related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "None of you will be truly a believer until I become more beloved to him than himself, his children, his family, and all the people." The true love necessitates that one has to follow whatever has been commanded by Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him, as stated in Surah al-Imran Ayah 31-32:

Say (O Muhammad): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Say (O Muhammad): "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.

The true believer is one who loves Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him, truly and sincerely from his heart, and loves whatever Allah loves and whatever the Prophet, peace be upon him, loves, and hates whatever Allah hates and whatever the Prophet, peace be upon him, hates or dislikes. This love will lead him to act in accordance with these likes and dislikes. If someone acts in a different way, the obligatory love to Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him, is not complete and has a defect. In this case, he has to repent and do his best to fulfill all the obligatory levels to achieve complete love to Allah and towards His Prophet, peace be upon him.

All the sins or disobedience that take place as a result of desires happen because self-desire is given a higher degree or outweighs the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Allah attributes this in the Qur'an to the disbelievers. In Surah al-Qasas Ayah 50, Allah says:

But if they answer you not, then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than the one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?

Allah has made restraining desires one of the conditions to be fulfilled in order to enter Paradise. Allah says in Surah al-Nazi'at Ayah 40-41:

But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode.

Anyone who does anything that contradicts with the Message that Allah sent His Prophet, peace be upon him, with and violates any of the instructions or prohibitions, is a person who is following his own desires and which is the reason behind many evil acts and it is also the basis for bid'ah (heresy). When someone follows his desires without evidence or truth, this will lead him to fall into bid'ah easily. And those who are misled by their desires are the first to follow misconceptions, as stated by many scholars. Whenever there is a misconception they easily fall into problems or troubles.

In order to fulfill one's faith, one has to make a continuous effort to control his or her self-desires and to like what Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him, like, and to dislike what Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him, dislikes. This is actually a very important task which Muslims are required to do in order to adhere to the path of Allah. The result will be attaining Allah's pleasure and being honoured in this life and the Hereafter by being a truly honest, sincere servant of Allah.

 

[Catherineanne]

By being "more aggresive", I meant that I would be critical of Christian beliefs a whole lot more on a Muslim forum than I would be on a Christian forum.

This is no better. The laws of hospitality do not give you permission to berate your guests about their faith.

You may talk of your own, but you may not criticise a guest in your home.

Why am I teaching hospitality to a Moslem?

And as for posting remarks like 'Christianity is the only true faith etc', a number of Christian participants have indeed posted similar comments I think and their posts have not been deleted.

That is their choice. I would not make such posts. Neither will I go where I or my faith is to be criticised and to meet with aggression of any kind. I have met many Moslems, and I have entered their homes and shared food and drink with them, and been treated like royalty. I have never yet been berated for my faith, or heard one word of criticism of Our Lord. Neither have they heard one word of criticism of theirs. We speak of Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate, who is the God I recognise and serve through Christ.

Theirs is the true Islam; your message board - and many Moslems here - have a lot to learn. Good luck with that.

 

[Catherineanne]

Don't you consider the above two Biblical verses to be a tad more "anti-Semitic" than anything that I have written on this thread?

Consider the day you stand before God. If you have killed a man, will it be a defence before God to point to your brother and say, I only killed one man, while he killed many? Will God then forget what you have done?

Or are you responsible for your own sins, regardless of what others have, or have not, done?

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 42

From Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:

"Allah the Almighty has said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me, without having associated anything with Me, I shall grant you an earthful of pardon.'"

[Recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, who said that it is a good and sound hadith]

=======================================​

The main message of this hadith is calling upon Muslims to repent sincerely to Allah and to seek His forgiveness.

There are three means or ways which enable a Muslim to be forgiven by Allah:

1. The first one is al-du'a which means to supplicate Allah. Allah says in Surah Ghafir Ayah 60:

And your Lord said: Call upon me, I will respond to you.​

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Supplication is the essence of worship" [Al-Tirmidhi]. The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: "Supplicate to Allah as if you are certain about His response." Supplication is guaranteed that Allah will attend to or respond to it when certain conditions are fulfilled. At the same time there are other things that a Muslim should avoid doing in order for his supplication to be answered. The conditions of supplication have been discussed in previous hadiths. The most important thing is the full concentration and attention of the heart and to have full hope that Allah will respond to that du'a and not to rush it.

2. The second way to receive Allah's forgiveness is istighfar (seeking forgiveness), even if someone has committed many sins. What is meant by seeking forgiveness is the istighfar that is linked to repentance which in turn also necessitates that the Muslim gives up committing sins and does not persist on doing them. Istighfar is a form of worship which Muslims have to do and perform a lot of every day. Allah commanded us to make istighfar and praised those who perform istighfar. Allah says in Surah al-Zumar Ayah 53:

O My servants, who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.​

3. The third cause or means of seeking Allah's forgiveness is Tawhid which means a Muslim should worship Allah alone. Allah should be worshiped without associating or ascribing any partners with Him. Allah says in Surah al-Nisa' Ayah 116:

Verily! Allah forgives not the setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah has indeed strayed far away.​

Tawhid, as the scholars say, melts away sins. Through fulfilling all the obligations of Tawhid, Muslims are going to be forgiven and rewarded. In a previous hadith in this collection of 'Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith', the importance of Tawhid was stressed whereby Muslims have to love, fear, and glorify Allah the most. By Tawhid, Muslims seek refuge only in Allah and ask support and help from only Him. All of these great actions of Tawhid, which means that the heart becomes fully devoted to Allah, enable the Muslims to be true believers and Muwahideen. Only then Muslims will become enlightened, inspired, and their iman or faith will be strengthened and their sins will be forgiven. By realising the idea of Tawhid, the Muslim also minimises the chances of committing sins because his heart is fully devoted to Allah.

In order to be a good Muslim to Allah, one should follow the way that awliya' Allah (closer servants of Allah) followed as mentioned in Hadith 38. They had good morals, they loved Allah, feared Him, had total belief or faith in Allah and his Messengers, and they were obedient to Allah and followed His instructions which included performing good deeds. Moreover, they were characterised with devotion, honesty, and sincerity.

The realisation of Tawhid is very important for all Muslims. This is the last portion of the hadith. Moreover, it is the last hadith in Imam Nawawi's collection. This is very significant since this last portion summarises the most important thing in Islam and that is Tawhid. It is a message from Allah to all Muslims to make sure that their Tawhid is sincere and pure. It is extremely important that they should not ascribe any partners with Allah. By doing so, they are assured that they will receive the forgiveness of Allah even if they have committed other sins.

While this hadith mentions three ways which lead to Allah's forgiveness, it should be noted that these are not the only ways and means of receiving forgiveness, as explained in previous ahadith, such as running into hardships, being put on trial, sickness, patience, the torture in the grave, avoiding the major sins, the horrible situations on the Day of Judgement, following the Prophet, peace be upon him, to perform the pillars of Islam, fasting specific days, and the intercession (shafa'ah) of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the intercession of the believers (which is conditional to Allah's permission and He being pleased with the person).

 

[hamba2han]

With the completion of 'Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith', I hope that this thread has served it's purpose of informing and educating readers of virtually all of the major teachings and concepts in Islam.

If you had really followed and learned each of the 42-ahadith presented here throughout the past month of Ramadan, then I dare say that your knowledge and understanding of Islam might even exceed that of most Muslims.

For anyone who wishes to do further reading on the subject, then I would suggest that you refer to this website.