Part two Introduction
PART TWO
1. INTRODUCTION
What follows is intended to be an inspired selection from the Hadith literature concentrating on ahadith which tell about spiritual dimension of Islam. We must haste to add however that by ‘spiritual’ we do not mean information about ‘supernatural’ elements talked about in Islam but only the moral values as reflected by the actual conduct of the Prophet sws himself first and his companions second. In addition to the indispensable Kutub al Sitta one of our sources is the great work “Hayat-us Sahaba” by Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf Kandahlawi of India in which monumental work he brought together the ahadith contained in all reputable classical collections which chosen ahadith are on moral-spiritual matters and not juristiC: The intention of the good brother (may Allah show mercy to him) was to give us a good picture of the actual exemplary conduct of the Messenger of Allah sws and his good companions. We also consulted ‘Ramuz al Ahadith’ by the great Ottoman Hadith cataloguer (musannif) and Sufi Al Hajj H Ziyauddin (1813- 1893), where more than seven thousand ahadith are included. Our tiny selection from all these great works is intended as a taster menu first and also as an attempt of drawing some lessons and insights from the same.
I pray that Allah guides and makes this humble effort successful and rewards all parties in contact with it as befits His loving mercy and imcomparable generosity. Amen.
N.B. Below C: means ‘comment’. “Garden” with capital G means Paradise. B, M, D, N, T, H mean, respectively Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai, T, H Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Other collections names are quoted more fully.
2. THE CRUX OF THE SUNNA
1. I have not been sent except for me to build up the noblest elements of morality”
C: This is so categoric a statement that it can only mean what it so explicitly says. It is that until and unless our observation of Islam’s commandments and recommendations improves our morality in real and permanent terms we have no credible faith nor did we truly followed the Messeneger of Allah sws. So let all Muslims audit themselves on this basis and this alone
2. The Messenger of Allah sws told me “O my son, take care that you do not pass a night or a day with bad feelings or treacherous designs against any one in your heart”. He sws continued “O my son, this is what exactly my Sunna is. Who loves my Sunna loves me and who loves me is with me in the Garden” (Anas RA, T)
C: Purity of heart is real when sinful designs cannot stick in it like oil not sticking to the lining of an exceptionally clean vessel.
3. NOT MAKING HASTE TO JUDGE PEOPLE AND TREAT THEM ACCORDINGLY
3. Umar RA asked an envoy coming from a Muslim province “Any news from the distant land?” The man said “Yes, a man chose disbelief after his Islam”. Umar asked “What did you do about him?” The envoy said “We arrested and beheaded him”. Umar said: What if you had imprisoned and fed him for three days and ask him to repent. He could hopefully repent and return to Allah’s fold. O Allah, I was not present there, I did not order his killing and when the news came to me I was not pleased with it” and he asked for Allah’s pardon. (Malik, fr. Abdurrahman al Qari)
C: Most regrettably most Muslims are only too ready to accuse of and condemn each other for blasphemy. Above we see that even explicit and confirmed cases of blasphemy must be softly-softy handled giving the confessed or accused all chance and incentives to recant and repent and accept his word of re-Islam as true despite any lingering suspicions. If he is false then he will go to hell anyhow but if we let him only pretend a day may always come when Allah guides him back to Himself in which case all become winners.
4. Some enslaved people were brought to Umar from (among the worshippers of) al-Lat and al-Uzza (Arab pagan gods). The Prophet sws asked (the bringers) “Have you offered them Islam before you enslaved them?” When they said ‘No!’ the Prophet sws asked the enslaved “Did they invite you to Islam?”. They said “No”. The Prophet sws said “Then release them and take them to where they shall be safe” and then recited the verses “O Prophet We have sent thee a witness, a giver of good news and a warner, and an inviter to Allah with His permission and a light-giving torch. Give the good news to the believers that for them is a great generosity from Allah”… (Tabarani, fr. Khalid b. Said)
C: Compare this with the behaviour of later ‘Muslims’ who became professional raiders of non-Muslim lands enslaving indiscriminately whoever they could capture from among the surprised and terrified natives. Such ‘Muslim’ corsairs have ranged from central Africa to Ireland and even Iceland bringing to slave markets of Islamdom caravan or boat loads of slaves for sale. Such abuses of Islam have been of so many kinds and magnitudes that It is no wonder Allah abandoned the deteriorating us and installed as world rulers the improving Westerners. Yes, to this day Westerners can be accused a thousand moral abuses but obviously Allah found them less destestable than us the morally renegade Muslims who are at each others throats more than other groups, despite having Islam
4. TO BE NEAR TO ALLAH IS NOT NECESSARILY CONFINED TO ‘THOSE FORMALLY MUSLIM’
5. Says Alkama b. Haris RA “I and six more from my people went to the Prophet sws. After salam we talked with him. He said “What (kind of people) are you?”. In answer we said we were believers whereupon he sws said “Behind each word there is a reality. What is the reality of your faith?”. We answered thus “They are fifteen qualities. The five you commanded us, while another five your envoys did. The last five date from our jahilia (pre-Islamic ignorance) days as our moral qualities which we did not abandon. If you forbid them then we are prepared to drop them”. (The Prophet sws then asked about the first ten Islamic qualities which Alkama’s delegation answered quoating belief in Allah and His Anglels etc, then salat zakat etc: As for what they carried over from jahilia they answered) “ Thanking Allah when rich, patience when afflicted, uprightness in war, equanimity in the face of unavoidable and not to be elated when a disaster hits the enemy”. The Prophet sws said “They are understanding, refined, they could almost become prophets . What honourable qualities you have got!” (Hakim, from Alkama RA)
C: Which means an as yet non-Muslim people may have many excellent moral and spritual qualities which a true prophet could unreservedly appreciate and praise. Secondly, admitting these qualities in a non-Muslim nation and congratulating that nation on them is a prophetic habit and as such it must be far better than abusing and condemning any non-Muslim nation simply because they are outside formal Islam. This excellent and constructive attitude of the Prophet sws towards any moral good outside Islam is in line with Allah’s Own graceful compliments to some non-Muslim nations like the Christians whom He Almighty praises as “Nearest to the (Muslim) believers in affection you will find those who say ‘We are the Nazarenes (Christians)’; that is because among them are monks and priests and that they do not wax proud” (5: 82). Certainly abandoning pride is the number one quality for being a Godly person and all the rest follow from that and that alone!
6. (The Prophet sws, pending his own emigration had send Mus’ab b. Umrair RA to Medina to teach and lead the new Muslims in Islam. The mighty chieftain of Medina, namely Sa’d b. Muadh got wind of the semi-secretive activity and reacted just like the Meccan idolaters. But they asked him just suspend his judgment and go and listen to Mus’ab RA. He arrived at the scene making accusations issuing threats. They reasoned with him and persuaded him just to listen for once. So he allowed Mus’ab to recite something from the Qur’an to him. As soon as he heard the Qur’an) Sa’d said “By Allah, I am only hearing nothing what I already know” . He embraced Islam there and then…” (Urwa b. Zubair RA, T)
C: This instinctive acquaintance of yet idolatrous Sa’d b. Muadh RA simply confirms Allah’s Own statement that Islam is “The (original) nature on which Allah created mankind. Allah’s creation cannot be changed” (30: 30)
5. THAT THERE IS NO GOOD IN HIGH OFFICE (AMARAH)
7. (In an expedition while the Prophet sws and his troops were camping) locals came to the Prophet sws complained about their governor…. The Prophet sws turned to his companions saying “There is no good for a believer in high office”…. Then another came and said “O Messenger of Allah sws, give me something (of the public wealth with you)”. The Prophet sws said “Whoever begs without (dire) need what he gets becomes a headache and an illness in his belly”. Then the man said “Give me from zakat then”. The Prophet sws said “Allah Himself has judged as to who are entitled to zakat and did not leave it to the discretion of others and even the prophets. He divided the payees into eight categories. If you fit any of them then we may give you”…. I (the Companion reporting who was a governor) said “O Messenger of Allah, excuse me from the high office you gave me”. “Why do you say that?” he asked. “Because you said that there is no good in high office for a believer… that whoever begs without need it becomes a headache and a disease in his belly” you said (I having accepted governorship some time ago and having asked for rewards from public treasury for it)… I was rich when I had asked for it”. Having listened to me the Prophet sws said “That is so, if you want take it or else leave it”. “I am leaving it o Messenger of Allah sws” I said. (fr. Ziyad b. Haris as- Suddai RA, Baihaki)
6. ABOUT HUMANE REASONS FOR AND HUMANE CONDUCT OF WARFARE
8. (Abu Bakr RA, on sending off an army) “Firstly I am advising you to stick to the fear of Allah. Fight only for Allah (and not for wordly greed) , fighting against the deniers of Allah (i.e., those who recognise no higher good than their selfish and mean desires, denying that a Higher Authority than their egos exist and demands much higher standards of behaviour or else). Allah will help His religion (way of life He prescribed for you to become universal). Do not dare to steal from the war spoils…. Do not (wantonly) chop down and burn down palm trees, do not kill animals, do not touch fruitful trees, do not demolish churches, do not kill the young, the old and women. You will come across people who dedicated themselves to houses of worship. Leave them alone, do not molest them…”. (fr Said b. al Musayyab, Baihaki)
7. THAT IDOLS WERE PLAYTHINGS OF VAIN PRIESTS AND PRIESTESSES
9. (Amr b. Jamuh RA, not yet a believer, was exhorted by his believing son to embrace Islam, after having impressed him with the beauty of Surat al Fatiha). He said “I cannot do that unless I go and consult (the idol) al- Manat”. When any of them (idolaters) wanted to consult al Manat an old woman would stand behind it and answer them”. (Ibn Ishaq)
(It is well-known that all idol temples of antiquity, from Babylonian to the Egyptian and Greek to Roman, had resident priests and priestesses who specialised to talk from a hiding place behind or inside the idols they were custodians of. So the whole idolatry business was a hoax and amounted to ordinary fortune telling and counselling made to look divinely grand by the employment of impressive idols surrounded by luxury and mystery)
8. IDOLS DERIVE FROM GRADUAL DEIFICATION OF HEROES
10. From Ibn Abbas RA concerning the idols Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya’uq and Nasr, mentioned in Surat Nuh vv. 21- 23 where they are given as the names of idols Noah’s people worshipped
“These idols which used to belong to the people of Noah subsequently became Arabs’ idols. Wadd became the idol of Bani Kalb at Dumat al Jandal, Suwa belonged to Khuzail. Yaghuth was initially Murad’s but later became the idol of Saba and Bani Ghatif at Jawf. Ya’uq was of Hamadan while Nasr was the idol of the Himyarites descended from Dhul Kala.
These were the names of good persons from among the people of Noah (but long dead before Noah’s days). When they died the Satan inspired their people to regard the places they used to live as sacred votive offering sites. Each gave his name to these sites respectively. But initially they were not worshipped. Until generations passed and the true knowledge of the nature of these places was forgotten. Then worshipping began “ (ibn Abbas RA, B)
11. From Qais b. Ikrima RA on the same “These names were a group of good people from among the sons of Adam. They had their followers (disciples). When these good persons died their followers said ‘Would that we made their images, because when we remember them from the images we can pray with even more zeal’. Then they began making their images. They died and new generations followed in their footsteps. At last Iblis (Satan) corrupted them by saying ‘old generations were worshipping them and for their sakes rain was raining on them (the worshippers). They then began the worshipping” (Tabari 29/99)
C: on 10 and 11: Clearly these ahadith explains the origination of idol worship and its concomitant polytheism. The idol god is originally a spiritual guide or exemplar who would naturally not allow anybody to worship him but as time passed and the real example and true advice of the master is forgotten then the devil in men begins to insinuate in them funny ideas until all the superstitions of idolatry fall into place. We need not take Islam as an example. Buddha was a humble if enlightened person who could never even think of being idolized and worshipped. Jesus was a true Jewish prophet who could have never uttered a word deifying himself. Yet he ended up as an idol reproduced by the millions in most Christian homes and holy sites and plainly worshipped. Muslims can draw their own conclusions.
9. SINS OF FLESH MUST BE KEPT SECRET
12. Jareer RA narrates “We pledged allegiance (bay’at) to the Prophet sws on certain matters and women also did on theirs. If any of us was to die without touching women on other than legitimate grounds the Prophet sws would be our guarantor for our entry into the Garden. Whoever from among us got something from women (outside the allowable) and kept it secret, then after his death his account is with Allah (He may forgive or punish as He sees fit) (Kenz)
10. BAY’AT IS BINDING ONLY TO THE EXTENT OF ABILITY
13. Jareer RA approached the Prophet sws to give bay’at. The Prophet sws said “O Jareer, extend your hand”. “On what matters will you take bay’at from me?” asked Jareer. The Prophet sws said to him “You will orient yourself entirely to Allah and give good advice to believers and listen to them”. Being a wise person Jareer said “O Messenger of Allah, I am giving bay’at for as much as I am able to do”. From thence (this proviso) became a source of ease for people (for the Prophet’s sws approval of a thing made it mercifully lawful) (Taberani)- in another hadith it is the Prophet sws who warns the bey’at-giver to say “As much as I am able to”)
11. THAT THE GOOD IS IN WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED- DO NOT YEARN FOR THINGS WHICH ARE NOT MEANT FOR YOU
14. Narrates Nufair “One day while we were sitting with Miqdad b. Aswad RA a man came and pinting to Miqdad’s eyes said “How fortunate of these eyes to have seen the Prophet sws! By Allah I wish I had seen what you had seen. I wish I had joined the company of the Prophet sws you had joined”. I liked these words of the man very much. But Miqdad responded like this “Why some among you wish for a company Allah did not grant them? Had this person joined it could he know how he would end up? By Allah, many were present at the company of the Messenger of Allah sws yet Allah cast them into Hell on their noses…. Why are you not thanking instead that Allah made you not recognise anybody but Him as your Lord and affirm what His prophets have bought? Others have suffered all the pains while you are enjoying the fruits” (Al Hilya, fr. Jubair b. Nufair)
C: Spiritual masters always remind us that all the good we need ultimately comes from what actually happened to us. Even our sins benefit us since as believers we always end up repenting for them which leads to not only forgiveness but also many bonus reawards from Allah- so much so that it is said “It is more profitable to (UNHELPABLY) sin and repent than not to sin at all. That must be why Allah did not spare a single one of us from sinning)
12. THAT, IF CAREFUL, GENERAL PROSPERITY MAY BRING DOWN CRIME RATES
15. (Rasulullah sws said) “For you is giving away from the surplus of what is enough for your (reasonable) maintenance… Then protect yourselves from the Fire by giving away half a date (in charity if that is what you can afford)… I am not afraid about you that you will fall into poverty. For sure, Allah will help you and give you (wealth). For you the treasures of the world shall be opened. So much so that a woman shall set out from Hira (Iraq) and travel to Medina or some other destination, alone, on her own and shall have no fear for her person from thieves or robbers (Semmak, T)
C: What the Messenger of Allah (sws) apparently means to say could be this: That if reasonably well-behaved Muslims shall be given all the wealth they can ever need. The primary condition though is being charitable towards the needy brothers and sisters in Islam. Eventually such great prosperity may swamp the nation that crime, which is often directly related to want and inequality among the members of the nation, will be so much reduced that outdoors and roads will be safe for even lone women travelling longest possible distances. We do not have to look far. In most Western countries, where prosperity is made general and none is left to starve or sleep rough or beg- except those who want to live that way- and especially in their more traditional and neighbourly rural and suburban parts crime levels are so low that people of all ages and both sexes go about freely and very rarely are harassed or come to any harm. The same happened during the best times in Muslim history. At their peak both the Abbasid and Ottoman societies were very prosperous in general and crime levels were very low. In Umar’s RA Medina crime was almost unheard off as that excellent khalifa made sure that not a single citizen was left without means so as to resort to crime and also all attended to their pious duties. Which means the best government is the one which offers mass education in piety before all else and then makes arrangements so that none is left in too great need to resent his fellows and resort to crime to help himself to what he needs. Put another way, today’s standard welfare state system in Western Europe is close to Islam’s thinking. Regretfully no Muslim country is run like that and therefore crimes like cheating, bribery, robbery and corruption in general are rampant among Muslims, some large parts of some countries being basically bandit country.
13. HOW TO FIND AND APPOINT TO OFFICE ANYBODY, INCLUDING THE TOP OFFICE
16. Ibn Abbas RA narrates “I was with Umar RA when he gave out such a piteous sigh that I thought his ribs were entwined around each other. “O the commander of the faithful” I said “There must be something very bad that you sighed so badly”. “Yes” he said “, real bad; I do not know to whom I should give the khilafa after me”. Then looking at me he said “I think you are seeing your man (Ali) suitable for khilafa”. “Yes” said I “He is one of the first in Islam, one of the closest to the Messenger of Allah sws and of great merits, therefore he is worthy of it”. “Yes” said Umar RA “He is as you say, but he likes humour. Additionally he has such and such other (worrying) things”. He then added “This khilafa is such an affair that one must be firm without being harsh, soft without being lax, generous without being prodigal and frugal without being miserly”. I saw all these qualities in Umar RA (Kenz)
C: Umar RA is known not too be too keen about Ali’s RA apparently mute claim to khilafa. In fact he was only happy with Abu Bakr’s RA and had reservations about all other candidates. And he was proven right. His reservations about Ali RA boiled more or less down to this: Ali RA was a too spiritual man to recognise and get a grip on practical matters whivc a ruler is bound to face daily. For example and unlike the Prophet sws he would appoint men to offices more on the ground of their apparent piety than technical competence or in the light of political realities. Sure enough, when he was elected and Muawiya RA declined to recognise him Ali RA asked his cousin Ibn Abbas to go and take over from Muawia RA the governorship of Syria. Ibn Abbas RA was no fool. He declined the appointment explaining that Muawiya was so well entrenched in Syria and surrounded by so loyal a retinue and retainers that if he ibn Abbas was to go to replace him he would simply throw him in prison or worse. This was no exception. All his reign Ali RA had a difficult time with his staff who objected to his decisions and caused him to abandon many courses of action- his perhaps worst reverse was being overruled by his soldiery at the battle of Siffin)
17. (Upon hearing that some people were commenting on Abu Bakr’s RA election to the khilafa as a hurried, ill-thought affair Umar RA, then khalifa himself addressed the Muslims) “According to what reached my ear one of you said ‘After Umar is dead I shall make bay’at to so-and-so, because Abu Bakr’s election was a hurried affair’. Yes, it happened so but still Allah protected Muslims from its any ill effects (it worked alright)…. I swear by Allah that I saw no business I was present at which happened with more ease than Abu Bakr’s RA bay’at. Our fear was that if we departed from the place (of discussion) without concluding the affair they could make bay’at so somebody (else). Then we would find ourselves in the dilemma of either making bay’at to the person without being happy or go against him and cause s corrupting split. Whoever makes bay’at to a ruler without consulting (other) Muslims has no valid bay’at. Both the maker and the receiver of the bay’at are then to be sentenced to death (fr. Abu Ubaid, B)
18. When Umar RA was elected khalifa one said “Some people were almost about to divert this matter from you”. “Why?” asked Umar RA. “They say you are too harsh” said the man. Umar said “Thanks and praises to Allah Who filled my heart with compassion and their hearts with my fear” (Ibn Abbas RA, Kenz)
14. THAT GOOD CHARACTER WITH GRACEFUL MANNERS (Khulq al Hasan) IS THE ESSENCE of PIETY
19. The heaviest thing in the balance of deeds for a Muslim is a good character
with graceful manners (Abu Darda’ RA, Baihaqi)
20. Try to acquire a good character with graceful manners, for it is in Paradise. Shun bad character with rude manners, for it in Hell (Ali RA, Ibn Suleiman)
21. Thrift is half of livelihood and good character with graceful manners is half of the religion (Anas RA, Khatib)
22. Looking after the relations, good character with graceful manners, good neighbourliness build up countries and increase lifespans (Aisha RA, H)
23. A man with good character and graceful manners attains all the ranks of those who fast the days and pass nights by prayers (Aisha RA, H)
24. Allah did not create a man for the Fire to burn him, to which man He granted a good form, a good character and graceful manners (Abu Huraira, Tabarani)
25. The only real beauty is the beauty of character with good manners (Hasan RA, Ibn Asakir)
26. A forbearing person is a nobleman both in this world and the next (Anas RA, Daylami)
27. A man’s grace is in his piety, his manliness comes from his intelligence of the heart and his nobility consists of his good character with graceful manners (Abu Huraira RA, H)
28. The sign of good charcter is this: He is content with what is his lot from this world and he is not angry for what is not given him (Abu Huraira, Abu Nuaim)
29. The loveliest and nearest on the Day of Resurrection to me among you is the one with the best character. The most hateful and farthest to me among you on the Day of Resurrection is the one with the worst character. Even worst among them is the one who talks too much and with affectation and pries things too much (Jabir RA, Al Kharaity)
C: Solid evidence that piety is real and saving when the servant is endowed with a good character and graceful, polite, heart-winning manners going with it and only as such he can be seen as a noble soul. These alone entitles a believer to the Paradise while the opposite sends him to Hell no matter what and how much devotions he or she offers. It is also the case that real civilisation with both prosperity and longevity comes with citizens being of good character and pleasant social manners around, citizens who care about both their relations and neighbours
15. SOME OF THE BEST AND WORST THINGS
30. The best of halal is what you eat from the earning of your labour. Your children are also among your earnings (Aisha RA, B)
31. Among the good deeds the fastest in reward is showing regard to the next-of-kin and the fastest in punishment is rebelling against government (Abu Musa RA, Baihaqi)
C: Pleasing or helping your next of kin attracts Allah’s immdediate rewarding response. So, never suffer a relation of yours to be justly disappointed with you. On the other hand, rebelling against government authority may not end in immediate capture and punishment but punishment in general is instantaneous because the rebel from then on lives in constant fear and anxious hiding and unhelpable discomfort on top of Allah’s wrath against him (Makhul RA, Baihaqi)
32. The worst act after what Allah forbade as the greatest sins is dying without leaving enough assets to meet one’s debts (Abu Musa RA, H)
33. The one with worst punishment on the Day of Judgment is the person whom Allah did not let him benefit from his knowledge (Abu Huraira RA, Ibn Asakir)
34. The nicest earnings are those of a merchant who will not tell lies, will not betray a trust, will not break his promises, will not delay his repayments and will not pressurise his debtors. When he sells he will not praise his commodities too much and when he buys he will not denigrate what he is buying (Muaz RA, Y)
35. The worst persons I fear on account of my nation are the hypocritical scholars whose knowledge is just on their tongues (Umar RA, H)
36. My worst fears on account of my nation are three: The error of the scholar, the fight of the hypocrite over the Qur’an and the world being opened to them (Muslims) too much (Muaz RA, Ibn Hibban)
16. INTERESTING POINTS ABOUT SINNING
37. Youth is a branch of insanity and women are the traps of the Satan (Abdullah b. Mas’ud RA, Abu Naim)
C: When the sex hormones switch on in older children most experience feelings and sensations they could hardly know before. Their bodies begin to grow faster and often without enough balance between the parts so that, for a while, they often may look uglier than before. Body hair erupts, increasing attention goes to the body and bodies of the opposite sex which attentions are not always happy feelings. On the positive side such adolescents become more socially conscious and noble feelings of friendship and strong personal attachments and ‘conspiratorial’ groupings begin to come into existence. Later on a lot of youths (by no means all) are especially vulnerable to spiritual and ideological impressions and may swing from total irreligion to religion or from a mainstream ideology to a fringe and extremist one. But whatever the sexual and spiritual developments a lot of youths become more prepared to challenge authority and assumptions and instead push for their fanatical alternatives, like establishing a socialist or religious utopia as their adult and often equally mad or cynical mentors urge them towards. Or their extremism may show in a plain criminal direction which takes them to thuggish crimes of all sorts, from vandalism to assault including the sexual. We must again stress that not all youths go through such distorting social and behaviourial alienations and a lot, perhaps the majority experience quite manageable upsets. But those who are more upset may behave, for all practical intents and purposes, like slightly insane people and may do things which baffle their parents and other adults around them. Why the Messenger of Allah sws is drawing our attention to this must be that we their parents or other adults in their lives must be prepared for and understanding of such natural developments and be more supportive than critical and harsher reactions must remain only as the very last resorts when faced with the various misbehaviours.
As for the mention of women as the ‘traps of the Satan’, contrary to the more common understanding, it is not intended to satanise women but draw attention to the Satan’s suggestions about them to men, especially the youths we are considering. We must never forget that this understanding is the correct one. What is more, as almost always is the case in Islamic traditional discourse, women are in the same position as regards to legal and sexual circumstances and it is often possible to switch the sexes and for example say “Men are the traps of the Satan” from women’s point of view. And truly and actually the two sexes seduce each other equally frequently with equal degree of victimisation on the part of the seduced party. If seduced women have been disadvantaged in the matter of bodily things like pregnancy men often lost everything after the seduction, like a wealth or a high position for good. The overall lesson is that people of younger age need all the good education and social and psychological support to minimise the risk to them from developmental changes and especially the ideological and sexual temptations. As such this wonderful gem of a hadith provides a good understanding of the challenges awaiting adolescents and younger adults. In it we have one important aspect of the causation of sin.
38. People are not destroyed but when they excuse themselves for sinning (H)
C: So long we feel bad in our conscience we may one day say “enough is enough and choose repentance to end all our suffering. But once we make up our minds to never mind the voice of our conscience and go on doing things with plenty of excuses and justifications the day cannot be far off when we will be brought to book.
39. Sin is emotion of the hearts. There is no gaze but the Satan’s lust is in it (Abdullah b. Mas’ud, Ibn Hibban)
C: Sin results from not reasoning about things but by certain unhealthy emotions overwhelming the person. Such emotions often follow a sight which features an object of desire and may also present someone who has the desired thing or who appears to block the obtainment of the desired thing. The person so aroused by the sight may then pursue the object and/or attack the guardian of or the rival about it. The message is that emotional education (i.e., teaching people how to cope with their unhealthy emotions) is a must if crime is to be fought and the best educator of emotions is Islam when its Sufi (i.e., psychological refinement and maturation) dimension is utilised
40. Avoid the harams and you become the most worshipful of men. Be content with the sharing out the blessings by Allah and you become their richest. Render charity to your neighbour and you become a believer. Love for others what you love for yourself and you become a Muslim. And one more thing: Do not laugh too much, for too much laughter may kill the heart (Abu Huraira RA, T)
C: Do you want your devotions (ibadat) be effective? Then avoid harams. Do you want to never feel sore with a feeling of want and have a sense of adequate prosperity? Then learn to be content with what is given you. Do you want faith/iman to enter and settle in your heart for good? Then be charitable to all you come in contact with; in other words kindly giving to others manufactures faith even if it weren’t there to begin with. Allah the All-Giver must and will notice a servant of His who is emulating Him the Most Gracious and will not suffer that servant to burn in Hell. Anoter hadith said “Whoever (sincerely) emulates a people becomes one of them”. Do you want your heart to really warm and submit to Allah, then cultivate the attitude of loving the good things you would like to have others also to have. Why? Because you are no more jealous or malicious but well-wishing like your Lord and when you share a nature with somebody you warm up to him. Why too much laughter kills the heart, i.e., dims the spiritual sparkle in you? Because a lot of laughter is based on looking down and mocking others or feeling elated by misfortune happening to somebody you envy. Such emotions are all poisonous and poisons do kill, don’t they?
41. One who sins laughing enters the Hell weeping (Ibn Abbas RA, Abu Naim)
C: To the ignorant and immature sinning looks life good fun but ir will not take long for the irreversible harm or damage showing up and claiming him. From an incurable crippling illness to a long prison term or worse, the happy sinner may find himself the unhappy mourner. What is even worse, he may go uncaught and unpunished in this world only to find himself exposed, bankrupted and his back broken at death.
42. There is one particular sin which is only too great yet nobody thinks of offering repentance to Allah on its account- that is the love of this world (Muhammad b. Umair RA, Y)
C: Stunning eye-opener. Has anybody heard a prayer of repentance in which the worshipper complain about his too much love for this world and asks for pardon and a remedy? Please consider that the Prophet sws also said “Love of this world is the source of every sin”. What do these mean? Why, it means that we should regularly monitor our hearts to see if any mean aims of this world is dominating our affections and prompting our will. Do you love money too much so that you are greedy when you receive it and devastated and evasive when you are asked for it? Do you love high office too much, so that you are prepared to plot and cheat to attain it or when somebody else is promoted you are sore and feel like killing the ‘lucky’ one? Your proper conduct and pious devotions are done with great effort with an after-taste of resentment and you are not sure when the Satan beckons next time you will not be plunging with a vengeance? By now it must be clear that ‘love of this world’ means a love for things whose obtainment has no salvation value but can only please the ego. For example loving a certain food without reference to a desire to thank and serve Allah with it is an example of loving this world. But fancying the same food with equal desire but keeping it in a perspective of thanking Allah, magnifying Him and serving Him with the power and joy the food will impart is not love of this world but of Allah and the next world where you hope to find your Lord smiling on you. Please understand this. Lastly lovingany halal worldly blessings with Allah always in mind is not only harmless but a form of thanking Allah
17. THE GLORY OF WISDOM (AL AQL)
43. A stupid man may land in trouble greater than a hardened sinner’s because of his stupidity. People can approach Allah to the degree that they are wisely intelligent (and take care they don’t act foolishly) (Anas RA, Hakim)
C: Very unfortunately some times we see a person whom we until then were regarding a pious person committing a terrible mistake whose consequences for him can be worse than a great sinner’s punishment. That is because he was stupid. Which means we must never stop doubting ourselves and never act too rashly. On the other hand, to consistently approach Allah we need wise intelligence more than mere good deeds per se
44. After religiosity the top wisdom is being affectionate with people and doing good to both good and bad (Ali RA, ibn Hibban)
C: A wise person is necessarily religious. After that his wisdom shows in his affectionate relations with all and his indiscriminate charity towards all. Towards bad people he acts in such ingenuous ways that he ingratiates him enough to check at least some of his evil. That is better than nothing
45. A wise man should not spare time for anything other than the following four: Time for praying to his Lord, time for auditing himself, time for taking advice and criticism from his brothers and time for earning what he needs of halal (ibn Mas’ud RA, Y)
46. If Allah grants wisdom to a man, he will one day save himself from error (Anas RA, Y)
47. The top of wisdom appears first as faith in Allah and then sense of shame and high morality (Anas RA, Y)
C: If someone denies Allah have no doubt that he is stupid even if he appears to be very intelligent and successful. A truly wise person cannot miss out on true faith at all but goes for it without hesitation. This enhances his already developed sense of shame and his generally laudable moral qualities. Abu Bakr al Siddiq RA was such an epitome of comprehensive wisdom
48. When Allah created the wisdom He said to it “Come!” and it came and He said “Go!” and it went and He said “Sit” and it sat and He said “talk” and it talked and He said “stop talking” and it stopped talking. Then He addressed it “I have not created a creature dearer and nobler in My Sight than thee. Through thee I am recognised, through thee I am praised, through thee I am obeyed, through thee I receive and give. With thee I correspond and on account of thee I either reward or punish. I did not graced thee with anything more valuable than patience (Hasan RA, Hakim)
C: Superb metaphor for the source of all the most excellent forms of relating to Allah the Supreme Truth and Reality. No man can be granted a greater blessing than wisdom and an adequate level of it is that which enables the man to obey Allah unquestioningly as well as always gratefully. The top ornament of full wisdom is patience for our life in this world becomes hell and error without adequate patience as our chief asset. Patience consists of an instinctive and equanimous realisation that things take time which must be allowed to pass and have a price which must be paid. Those who cannot accept such truths with equanimity but think that they can either cheat the reality or can altogether do without the best they can get only ending up regretting the day their mothers bore them. For nothing hurts man than missing a golden opportunity and what chances Allah offers us all are no less than golden opportunities
49. I bear witness by Allah that there is none who asks for Allah’s pardon when he lapses and Allah not forgiving him. He lapses again, he repents and gets forgiveness. Again he lapses and asks and gets forgiveness… until he enters the Garden
C: Which means not sinning is impossible for anybody. Wise man realises that howover hard he may try he will sometimes lapse. But the remedy is always ready at hand. He offers his sincere apologies to Allah and is cleansed all over again. This continuous cycle of undesired, unplanned lapses and the purification from them by repentance is his bread and butter item as far as his entering the Garden is concerned. So let’s do our best not to sin and offer apologies as soon as we sin all the same
18. ON PIOUS ACTS
50. Do pious acts the amount you can reasonably do. Allah will not tire until you do (Aisha RA, B)
C: When the Satan finds a man zealously doing pious acts he is enraged. To discourage the man in a way the man cannot detect he pumps into the man more and more ambitiousness about the pious acts, steeply raising the benchmarks. If the man swallows the bait he soon finds that not only he is getting too tired but getting sick of the whole thing. Eventually he snaps and shoots out of piety like an arrow from a bow, never to return. Which means best pious acts are those which one can maintain without much discomfort- and most acceptable
51. There are three things without which pious acts of a man cannot benefit him: Enough fear of Allah to stop him committing harams, a good character enabling him to get along well with people and enough forbearance to see off a silly man (Ibn Abbas RA, Taberani)
52. When a servant commits a secret act Allah clothes him with a dress which betrays the good or the evil of the act he committed (Jundub al Bajli RA, Taberani)
C: Reasonably intelligent and observant people can always have an inkling about the record of a man from his groomed appearance. Depending on a man’s secret doings he grooms and dresses himself as well as adopt a body language which subtly gives away his any secret agendas. Less observant may be fooled but may also have an inexplicable unease about the man. Which means avoid people who subtly impress you as dubious despite what they say and how well they say it, or despite how well they seem to treat you. Your disturbing inklings are warning messages from Allah
53. Deeds are judged on the basis of the intentions behind them (Umar RA, B)
C: Allah will reward or punish each act entirely on the merits of the intentions behind it. It is positively a sin to commit externally good acts with unworthy intentions. For example, to impress somebody if one fasts or gives charity he commits a serious sin
54. A man fasts, prays, does hajj or umra- then his reward is given in proportion to his wise intelligence (animating his acts)
C: Which means we all need more instruction in wisdom so as to more appreciate our obligation to serve Allah and not do our acts of piety out of bored habituation or misguided zeal- for example relieving the poverty of a relation should take precedence over an umra or non-obligatory hajj. Despite this we see some Muslims proudly and insatiably going to hajj or umra year after year while their brothers, cousins or good Muslims known to them are in dire need of financial help. Theirs may count no more than tourism.
55. An alim (religious scholar) who does not practice what he preaches is like a candle: He enlightens others while himself is burning
56. The news of your good acts are given to your dead relations. If good, they feel happy, if bad they pray as follows: “Lord, guide them as Thou guided us and do not take their souls before Thou guided them (Anas RA, Hakim)
C: Which means concern about blood relations continue after death and that is as it should be if we realise that the ties Allah created from His Own Mercy can only be strong enough to survive death. Conversely living Muslims must return the concern of their dead relations and do all possible acts to make them happy. What will make the dead most happy could perhaps be our looking after their and our any weak living relations. Among them orphans are especially important
19. ON OBSERVING BLOOD RELATIONS
57. RAHM (relationship which is most certain on female/rahm/womb side) is an offshoot from al Rahman (The All-Gracious Aspect of Allah). Whoever caringly keeps in contact Allah caringly keeps in contact with him. Whoever cuts of contact Allah cuts off contact with him (ibn Amru RA, B in his History)
C: Betraying blood relations come under many headings. One is forgetting about any weak siblings or old uncles and aunts once their supporters die. The Messenger of Allah was so sensitive about our obligations towards our near ones that he included our fathers friends in our care list after the death of our fathers. Surely, the same applies to daughters as regards their mothers’ friends
58. Real observing rights of Rahm is not visiting by return but visiting the one who cut off contact (ibn Amru RA, H)
C: We should take the initiative in a case even when we think that the other party has been the deserter of rahm obligations. If we just retaliate it is not good enough for Allah. Great reward goes to the humbler and more charitable side
59. Fastest in reward is an act of observation of rahm rights( Makhul RA, Baihaqi)
C: Because Allah is happy about it, He cannot wait to reward the observant
60. When a family keep caringly in contact Allah expands and facilitates their provisions. They are put under the protection of Allah (ibn Abbas RA, Baihaqi)
C: That is why extended family structure is so effective to protect and promote each member. Western society did a very great disservice to itself by fragmenting and pulverising family relations. It added insult to injury by subverting the linchpin of rahm, namely marriage and is now adding also poison by atrocious experiments in divorcing human reproduction from not only marriage but even from the sexual act itself. A terrible price must be in the offing. Next step must be entire in vitro (factory) reproduction
61. No mercy comes to a people among whom rahm relations are wanting (ibn Abu Awfa RA, ibn Najjar)
C: Sure, hardly a merciful person can be found among a people who are notorious for their neglect of their relations. If they ever get in contact it often ends up in a situation of mutual exploitation with the stronger person eventually victimising the weaker
62. Clandestine almsgiving extinguishes Allah’s anger. Keeping rahm relations extends life span. Doing charity protects from an evil end (Abu Said RA, ibn Hibban)
Giving charity clandestinely is because of sincerity and humility. Such sincerity and humility can only attract Allah’s mercy. Keeping rahm relations causes so much comfort of conscience and delight of heart that the body rejuvenates and aging slows down and accidents fail to arrive. For both aging fast and causing or attracting accidents are helped by a bad conscience and senses of loneliness and alienation. People too happy with their rahm connections suffer from a much reduced the sense of loneliness after a loved one dies. They keep commemorating the dead relation by lovingly praying for and doing charitable acts on their behalf as well as visiting the grave of the passed-away with a pleasure of heart as if he or she was alive
General Commentary: All above hadiths on observing the rights of blood relationship demonstrate that the best social insurance and most amicable social relationships are served by the most honoured tradition and religious duty of looking after one’s blood relations. Had modern societies upheld this tradition they could establish most effective safety net for all citizens and even more importantly significantly reduce unhappiness which is so widespread among all classes of people and is often called chronic depression. In actual fact true happiness is only possible when citizens feel loved and wanted by right and within an extensive network of natural, informal affectionate relationships and not when they strain to earn it by desperate acts like submitting to the whims or lusts of total strangers. Lastly such a social structure is the best remedy against widespread crime