A man went to Ibn ‘Abbas radiAllaahu ‘anhu and said, “O Ibn ‘Abbas, I want to enjoin people to do good and forbid them from doing evil.” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “And have you reached that level?” He said, “I hope that that is so.” He said, “If you do not fear to be exposed by three verses of Allah’s Book, then do so.” The man asked, “And what are they?” He mentioned this verse:

Enjoin you Al-Birr (piety and righteousness and each and every act of obedience to Allâh) on the people and you forget (to practise it) yourselves.” (Baqarah 2:44)

And then asked, “Have you applied the implications of this verse?” He said, “No.” Ibn ‘Abbas then mentioned the second verse:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allâh that you say that which you do not do. (As-Saff 61:2-3)

After that he asked, “Have you applied the implications of this verse?” He said, “No.” He then mentioned the third verse regarding Shu’aib alayhi salaam:

“I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you.” (Hud 11:88)

And then he asked, “Have you applied the implications of this verse? He said, “No.” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Then begin with yourself.”

• Transcribed from: Gems and Jewels | Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid | DarusSalam

Al-Baraa’ said, “I met a hundred and twenty of the Ansaar from the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam and when one of them was asked about a matter there was not a single man amongst them except that he wished that his brother would suffice him (by answering).” (1) In a narration there occurs the addition, “…so this one would refer it to another, and he would refer it to someone else until it would eventually return to the first one.” From Ibn Mas`ood, radiyallaahu `anhu, who said, “The one who gives a religious verdict to the people about everything that he is asked is indeed insane.” (2)

`Umar ibn `Abdul-`Azeez was asked about a question and replied, “I am not one who is bold about giving religious verdicts.” He also wrote to one of his governors, “By Allaah I am not one who craves after giving religious verdicts, as long as I can find a way to avoid it.”

Ibn Yameenah said, “This affair is not for those who love that the people should have need of them, rather this affair is only for those who love that someone can be found to take their place.” It is also reported from him that he said, “The most knowledgeable of people concerning religious verdicts is the one who is most often silent, and the most ignorant of people about them is the one who speaks the most with regard to them.” (3)

Sufyaan ath-Thawree said, “We reached the scholars and they used to hate answering questions and giving religious verdicts until they could find no way out except to give a verdict, but if they were relieved of having to do so then that was more beloved to them.”

Imaam Ahmad said, “He who puts himself forward to give religious verdicts has put himself forward to something very serious, unless he is forced through necessity.” It was said to him, “Then which is better: for him to speak or to remain silent?” He said, “It is more beloved to us that he should withhold.” It was said, “But if there is a necessity?” So he started saying, “Necessity! Necessity!” And he said, “It is safer for him to withhold.”

So those who give religious verdicts should realise that they are transmitting Allaah’s orders and prohibitions and that he will be made to stand to account and be questioned about it. Ar-Rabee` ibn Khaitham said, “O giver of religious verdicts! Look and see how you are giving verdicts.” `Amr ibn Deenaar said to Qataadah when he sat to give religious verdicts, “Do you realise the affair that you have fallen into? You have come between Allaah and His worshippers and say, ‘This is correct and this is not correct.’” (4) From Ibnul-Munkadir, who said, “The scholar enters between Allaah and His creation, so let him look and see how he enters between them.” (5)

When Ibn Seereen was asked about anything pertaining to the permissible and forbidden his colour would change and he would alter so that he would not seem to be the same person. (6) When an-Nakhaa`ee was asked about something then hatred would be seen upon his face and he would say, “Could you not find someone else to ask other than me?” He also said, “I spoke and if I had found any way out I would not have spoken, and indeed a time when I am the scholar of Koofah is an evil time.” (7)

It is related that Ibn `Umar, radiyallaahu `anhumaa, said, “You ask us for religious verdicts in such a manner that it is as if we are people who are not going to be questioned about the verdicts that we give you.” (8) Also from Muhammad ibn Waasi` who said, “The first of those who will be called to account are the scholars.” It is reported about Maalik, radiyallaahu `anhu, that when he was asked about a matter it was as if he were standing between the Paradise and the Hell-Fire. (9)

One of the scholars also said to a person who used to give religious verdicts, “When you are asked about a matter then do not let your concern be to release and find a way out for the questioner, but rather to release and save your own self.” (10) Another said, “If you are asked about a matter then consider – if you can’t find a way out of it then speak, otherwise remain silent.” The sayings of the Salaf about this are too many to quote and gather.

Footnotes

(1) This saying is reported by ad-Daarimee (1/53) and Ibn `Abdul-Barr in Jaami` (2/163). However it is the saying of `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee Laylaa and not the saying of al-Baraa`, and its chain of narration is saheeh. As for the saying of al-Baraa`, then it is, “I saw three hundred of the people of Badr, there was not a single one of them except that he loved that someone else should take his place in answering.” It is reported by Ibnul-Mubaarak in az-Zuhd (no. 58), ibn Sa`d (6/11) and others and its isnaad contains Aboo Ishaaq as-Sabee`ee who is acceptable (sadooq) except that he was mudallis and reports it without stating that he heard it directly.

(2) Reported by Ibn `Abdul-Barr (2/164-165), al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/197-198) and Aboo Khaithamah in al-`Ilm (no. 10) and its chain of narration is saheeh.

(3) Reported by al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/166) and its isnaad is weak.

(4) Reported by al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/168)

(5) Reported with variations in wording by ad-Daarimee (1/53), and al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/168) and its isnaad is saheeh.

(6) Reported by ibn Sa`d (7/195), al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/167) and its isnaad is saheeh.

(7) Reported in meaning by Aboo Khaithamah in al-`Ilm (no. 131).

(8) Reported by al-Fasawee (1/490) and al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/168) and its isnaad is weak.

(9) Reported by al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/167) and its isnaad is weak.

(10) The one who said this was `Umar ibn Khaldah az-Zurqee and he was speaking to Rabee`ah ibn Abee `Abdir-Rahmaan. This narration is reported with very close wordings by al-Fasawee (1/556-557), Aboo Nu`aym in al-Hilyah (3/260-261) and al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih (2/169) and its isnaad is saheeh.

• From: The Evil of Craving for Wealth and Status | Al- Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali | Source: CalgaryIslam

It is befitting for the believer that his fear and his hope (in Allaah) be one (i.e. equal). Since whichever of the two is allowed to overwhelm; then its companion is destroyed, Imaam Ahmad has given textual proof concerning this.

This is because whosever’s fear overwhelms (the other) then he falls into a form of despair, and whosever’s hope overwhelms (the other) then he falls into a form of feeling immunity from the plan of Allaah.

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah

• Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah min Fataawaa Shaikh ul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah page: 85 | Translated by: Aboo Haatim Muhammad Farooq | Source: Fatwaislam.com

The following are quotes by Shaikh Hammaad concerning the students of knowledge as well as advice for them:

• Knowledge without effort/endeavour does not come.

• It is binding upon the student of knowledge that he studies upon the people of specification in every field.

• It is obligatory upon the student of knowledge that he knows the biographies of the Salaf, as well as follows them, for this time of ours has been put to trial due to the lack of studying the biographies of the Salaf.

• Indeed the people today seek knowledge to acquire earnings; yet those that seek knowledge in truth are such few.

• The student of knowledge that does not carry a pen with him at all times does not benefit.

• I have noticed that most of the students of knowledge today do not seek consultation. (Meaning; they do not consult the Scholars in that which benefits them)

• Indeed the people of knowledge do not waste their time in that which does not benefit.

• How vast is that which has been written (authored), yet how little is that which has been read?

• Learn O youth before you become aged; for indeed at that time you will not be able to learn.

• He would advise the students of knowledge much with his saying:

I advise you with fearing Allaah The Most High in secret and in open, and aspiring upon knowledge, for indeed knowledge is a means of nobility for its companion, The Lord The Might and Majestic said:

Indeed those that truly fear Allaah from His servants are the Scholars. (Soorah Al-Faatir: 28)

• Shaykh Hammaad al-Ansaaree Majmoo’ fee tarjumah Hamaad Al-Ansaaree | Volume 2 | Translated by Aboo Haatim Muhammad Farooq | Retrieved from: fatwaislam.com

As regards one whose deeds are great and many, he must busy himself with showing gratitude for them, for the accord to show gratitude is one of the greatest blessings Allah bestows upon His servant. It is obligatory upon him to meet these deeds with gratitude and realize his deficiency in displaying due gratitude.

Wahd ibn al-Ward, when asked about the reward of a particular deed said, “Ask not about its reward, but ask about the gratitude due upon one who was guided to it.”1

Abu Sulayman would say, “How can an intelligent person be amazed with his deeds? Deeds are one of Allah’s blessings, as such it is upon him to show gratitude and to show humility. It is only the Qadariyyah who are amazed at their deeds!”2  ie. those who do not believe that the actions of the servant are created by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.

How excellent is the saying of Abu Bakr al-Nahshali on the day that Dawud al-Ta’i died. After his burial, ibn al-Sammak3 stood and praised him for his good deeds and wept causing all present to weep as well and testify to the truth of what he said … Abu Bakr al-Nahshali stood and said, “O Allah, forgive him and show mercy to him and leave him not to his deeds!”4

Abu Dawud records on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit (radiAllaahu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Were Allah to punish the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth, He could do so without having oppressed them in any way. Were He to show them mercy, His mercy would be better for them than their deeds.” 5

Footnotes:

1 – Abu Nu’aym, vol. 8, p. 155

2 – Ibid, vol. 9, p. 276 #13896

3 – Ibid, vol. 8, p. 223 #11949, records that he used to say, “Astounding it is that the eye can take delight in sleep when the Angel of Death is standing by one’s pillow!”

4 – Ibid, vol. 7, p. 396 #10977

5 – Abu Dawud #4699 and ibn Majah #77. It was declared sahih by ibn Hibban [#727] and Albani, Sahih al-Jami’ #5244

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “If Allah took mankind to task by that which they deserve, He would not leave a living creature on the surface of the earth; but He grants them reprieve unto an appointed term, and when their term comes  – then verily Allah is Ever All-Seer of His slaves.” [Fatir (35):45]

Ibn Hibban #659 records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (salAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Were Allah to take me and Isa to account for our sins, he could punish us without wronging us in the least!”

It was declared sahih by ibn Hibban and Albani, Sahih al-Taghrib #2475

• Transcribed from: The Journey to Allah | Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali

Allaah, Exalted is He, says: “O you who believe, avoid much suspicion for indeed much suspicion is sin. Do not spy on each other …”

This noble verse contains the command to steer clear of much suspicion and highlights that much suspicion is sin. It also prohibits spying: searching and hunting for the mistakes and defects of people. This only comes about as a result of evil suspicion.

Bukhari and Muslim record that the Messenger of Allaah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Beware of suspicion for suspicion is the most false of speech. Do not hunt for faults in others, do not spy, do not be envious of each other, do not hate each other, and do not turn your backs on each other, but be servants of Allaah as brothers.”

The Leader of the Believers, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “Think only well of a word that leaves your believing brother so long as you find a way of understanding it in a good way.” This was quoted by ibn Kathir in his commentary to the above verse.

Bakr bin ‘Abdullah al-Muzani said, as quoted of him in his biography in Tadhib at-Tadhib , “Beware of a type of speech which you are correct in, you would not be rewarded, and if you are wrong, you would be sinful: evil suspicion of your brother.”

Abu Qilabah ‘Abdullah bin Zayd bin al-Jurmi said, as quoted in Abu Nu’aym, al-Hilyah, “If something of your brother is conveyed to you that you dislike, expend all your efforts in finding an excuse for him’ even then, if you cannot find an excuse say to yourself: perhaps he has an excuse that I am not aware of.”

Sufyan bin Husayn said, “I mentioned a person in a bad way in the presence of Iyas bin Mu’awiyah and he looked at my face and said , “Have you fought the people of Sind, the people of Hind, or the Turks?” I replied, “No.” He said, “[The kuffar] of Sind, Hind and the Turks are safe from you but your own Muslim brother is not!” So I never repeated what I said again.” Recorded in ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa’l Nihayah.

I say: This is truly an excellent response from Iyas bin Mu’awiyah, a person depicted as being highly intelligent and this quote shows this.

Abu Hatim bin Hibban al-Busti, Rawdatu’l-‘Uqala, said, “It is obligatory upon the intelligent to adhere firmly to safety by leaving spying and hunting for the faults of people, and busying himself with correcting his own faults. Whoever is busied by his own faults away from hunting for the faults of others will bring relief to his body and will not exhaust and trouble his heart. This is because each time a person finds a fault in himself, it will be easier for him to bear the same fault he sees in his Muslim brother. However the one who busies himself with hunting for the faults of people rather than his own will find his heart becoming blind and his body becoming weary, for he will find the excuse to ignore his own defects.”

He also said, “Spying is one of the branches of hypocrisy just as having good opinion is one of the branches of faith. The intelligent person makes good his opinion of his brothers, and concerns himself with his own problems and afflictions. The ignoramus thinks ill of his brothers and does not think of his own crimes and problems.”

• Transcribed from: Shaykh ‘Abdul Muhsin al-’Abbad’s Rifqan Ahlu’l-Sunnah bi Ahlu’l-Sunnah

“Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime”

(Reported by Muslim, no. 1984)

Related Posts:

• Fasting the 6 Days of Shawwaal [Q&A]
• Fasting Shawwaal While Still Having to Make Up Fasts?

Hasan Al-Basree advised some of his students admonishing them about avoiding the state of being proud. He said:

1) Do not deceive yourself into becoming too proud because you are in a good or righteous environment, for there is no place that is better than Paradise, and our father, Adam ‘alayhi salaam, experienced there what is known to all.

2) Do not become proud merely because you worship often, for consider what happened to Iblees after he spent a great deal of time worshipping.

3) Do not think yourself great because you have met with righteous people, for there is no man more righteous than the Prophet salAllaahu ‘alahi wasallam, yet the disbelievers and hypocrites did not benefit by simply knowing him.

• Transcribed from: Gems and Jewels | Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid | DarusSalam

Firstly, it is incumbent upon the Muslims to learn this Qur’aan and to study it, and they should teach it to their children and their brothers. And they should be concerned with memorizing it, and they should be concerned with being proficient in reading it. Based upon the statement of the Messenger of Allaah salAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam:

“The best of you are those who study the Qur’aan and teach it.” [1]

Meaning, first he studies the Qur’aan himself and perfects his studies, and then he teaches it to others from amongst his Muslim brothers. He is not limited to himself only, but rather he should spread his good and spread his benefit to his brothers and to the Muslim children. So, what is requested from the Muslim is that he shows concern with studying this Qur’aan. It is not sufficient for the person that he continues to stammer or sputter out the verses of the Qur’aan while he is able to learn it and perfect his reading so that he can pronounce it in the correct manner. Then it would not be sufficient for him to continue to stammer while reading. But if there occurred some stammering or spelling out of the words while making an effort to read the Qur’aan then there is a lot of good in this as the Prophet Muhammad salAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam said:

“The one who reads the Qur’aan and stammers with it and it is difficult for him, shall have two rewards.” [2]

But this is only for the one who does not have the ability to do any better. So he reads according to his ability and Allaah does not burden a soul more than it can bear. And the Muslims should never leave off reciting the Qur’aan regardless of their reading ability. But for the one who has the ability and he finds someone who can teach him and guide him through the correct recitation, then it is obligatory upon him to study the recitation upon the desired manner and not to remain ignorant of the correct recitation of the Qur’aan.

The Messenger of Allaah salAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam said:

The one who is proficient with the Qur’aan shall be with the honorable righteous ambassadors, and the one who reads the Qur’aan and stammers with it and it is difficult for him, then he shall have two rewards.” [3]

And what is meant by the one who is proficient is the one who perfects his reading of the Qur’aan upon the desired manner. This person shall be on the Day of Judgment with the honorable righteous ambassadors, meaning the honorable angels; and they are called “safara” (ambassadors), the plural of “safeer” because they are the ones who go between Allaah and His Messengers conveying the revelation and conveying the Message. So they are ambassadors from Allaah ‘azza wa jall and He sends them to His servants, and He sends them to His Prophets and Messengers to convey the Message; honorable and righteous, meaning honorable in the sight of Allaah ‘azza wa jall; “barara” (righteous) the plural of “baar” from the root “birr” which means a good action, and an action of obedience. So this, O my brother Muslim, is the reward for the one who perfects his reading of the Qur’aan in the desired fashion, they will be bestowed with this good lofty position. So strive to ensure that you are with the honorable righteous ones (i.e. the Angels). And the one who reads the Qur’aan and stammers with it and it is difficult for him, the he does not leave off reading the Qur’aan, but rather he reads it according to his ability until he is able to do better and can find someone to teach him to read in the desired manner.

Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. (Al Baqarah 2:286)

Footnotes:

[1] At-Tirmidhee (2832) hasan saheeh, Bukhari, Abu Dawood, An-Nisaa’i, Ibn Maajah, and others.

[2] Saheeh Muslim (1329)

[3] Saheeh Muslim (1329)

• Transcribed from: Reflecting Upon the Qur’aan | Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan

If a Muslim lived through Ramadaaan and spent its days in fasting and its nights in prayer, and in that month he accustomed himself to doing acts of good, then he must continue to remain upon this obedience to Allaah at all times (after that). This is the true state of the servant (‘abd), for indeed, the Lord of the months is One and He is ever watchful and witnessing His servants at all times.

Indeed, steadfastness after Ramadaan and the rectification of one’s statements and actions are the greatest signs that one has gained benefit from the month of Ramadaan and that he struggled in obedience. They are tokens of acceptance and signs of success.

Furthermore, the deeds of a servant do not come to an end with the end of a month and the beginning of another. Rather they continue and extend until one reaches death, for Allaah says: “And worship your Lord until the certainty (i.e., death) comes to you.”

Complete Article