Exhortation Of The Predecessors (Salaf) To Taqwa

Exhortation Of The Predecessors To Taqwa

My dear Muslim brother! You should be informed that the predecessors - may Allah be pleased with them - always exhorted one another towards taqwa.

Abu Bakr (RA) used to say in his khutba: 'I advise you to observe taqwa and to praise Allah as He deserves to be praised. Mix hope with fear and combine importunity with asking (for help). Allah has praised Zakariyah and his family:

'They used to race towards goodness, invoke Us with hope and fear and they were devout to Us.' [Surah Anbiyah 90]

When Abu Bakr (RA) was about to die, he called Umar (RA) and advised him first and foremost to fear Allah. 

Umar (RA) wrote to his son:

'I advise you to fear Allah, for whoever fears Him has protected himself from His punishment. Whoever offers Him a loan, He will repay (reward) him and whoever thanks Him, He will give him more. Make taqwa your goal and the polish of your heart.

Ali (RA) deputized someone for an expedition and said:

'I advise you to fear Allah Whom you have to meet and besides Whom you have no destination. He controls the world and the Hereafter.'

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (rh) wrote to a man:

'I advise you to observe fear of Allah Who accepts nothing except that (taqwa), Who shows mercy only to its adherents and Who rewards only on its account. There are many who preach it, but few who practice it. May Allah make us all among those who have taqwa.'

When Umar (rh) became khalifah he gave a sermon and said: 'I advise you to fear Allah and be good because He is with those who fear and do good.'

A man was about to leave for Haij and asked him (Umar) to advise him. He said: 'Fear Allah, for whoever fears Him will never feel lonely.'

Shu'ba says that whenever he used to prepare for a journey, he would ask Hakam if he (Hakam) required anything. He would say: 'I advise you with the words of the Prophet when he advised Muadh (RA) : 'Fear Allah wherever you are, follow up a mistake with kindness for it will erase it and approach people with good manners.'

A predecessor (from the salaf) wrote to one of his brother:

'I advise you to fear Allah because it is the best thing you can hide, the most beautiful thing you can reveal and the most valuable thing you can treasure. May Allah help us both to observe it and give us both its reward.'

Another person wrote to his brother:

'I advise you and myself to observe taqwa for it is the best provision for the world and the Hereafter. Make it a means towards every good deed and a deterrent against every evil. Allah has guaranteed those with taqwa deliverance from their anxieties and provisions from unexpected quarters.

When Ali (RA) returned from the Battle of Siffin, he passed by a graveyard outside Kufa and said:

'O you who live in houses that create loneliness and in deserted places! You who live in darkening graves! O people of dust and alienation! O people of isolation and loneliness! You are, for us, scouts and we, for you, followers.

The houses? Well, they have become inhabited again. The wives? They have remarried. The wealth? It has been distributed. This is the news we have for you. What news do you have for us?

Then Ali (RA) turned towards his army and said:

'If they were permitted to speak, they would inform you that the best provision is taqwa.' [Nahjul Balagha]

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 Extract from 'The Provision of the Believers'. Originally published in Arabic as: Zadul Mumineen Al-Taqwa, published by Maktabul Sahaba, Egypt.

Compilation of statements on "taqwa" (fear of God), taken from classical Muslim scholars such as al-Ghazali, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Rajab.

Translated by Maulana Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, compiled by Abu Maryam Majdi Fathi Al-Sayed.

Source http://balagha. net/taqwa-provision-of-believers/exhortation-predecessors-taqwa

Patience quotes-Imam al-Ghazali

“Desires make slaves out of kings and patience makes kings out of slaves.”

“In the intricate paths of life, when difficulties and hardships confront a man, and the darkness and difficulty of suffering becomes long, it is patience only that acts as a light for a Muslim, that keeps him safe from wandering here and there, and saves him from the muddy marsh of disappointment, desperation and frustration.”

“If you see God withholding this world from you, and inflicting more and more hardships and suffering upon you, you must therefore know that you are noble in His sight, that you hold a lofty rank in His presence, and that He is making you tread the path of His saintly friends, for He sees you and He does not need that (withholding of this world…). You have surely heard His saying:‘So wait patiently for your Lord’s decree, for you are surely in Our sight.’(52:48)”

-Imam al-Ghazali

source:

http://assabireen.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/if-you-see-god-witholding-this-world-from-you/

Gratitude (Shukr) of different faculties : Ibn Qayyim

Gratitude of different faculties

Ibn Al-Qayyim said:

“Shukr is to display  the effects of the blessings of Allah upon the tongue by way of praise and acknowledgement; in the heart by way of witnessing and love; and upon the limbs by way of submission and obedience.”

[Madaarij As-Saalikeen, 2/244]

He explained it elsewhere by quoting a dialogue that took place between the famous Taba'ee Abu Hazim (RA) and a questioner as follows: 

A man said to Abû Hâzim: “What is the gratitude of the eyes?” He said, “If you see good things, you speak about them, and if you see bad things, you keep quiet about it.”

He asked, “What is the gratitude of the ears?” He said, “If you hear something good, you accept it, and if you hear something bad, you reject it.”

Then he asked, “What is the gratitude of the hands?” He said, “Do not take what which does not belong to you, and do not hold back from paying the dues of Allâh (zakât).”

Then he asked, “What is the gratitude of the head?” He said: “To have knowledge in it.”

Then he asked, “What is the gratitude of one’s private parts?” He quoted: “‘Who guard their private parts, except from those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess – for (in their case) they are free from blame, but those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors’” (al-Mu’minûn 23:5-7).

As for those who only pay lip-service to gratitude, and do not give thanks with the rest of their faculties, are concerned, they are like a man who has a garment and all he does with it is touch it, but he does not put it on: it will never protect him from heat, cold, snow or rain.

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Notes:

-Salamah Ibn Dinar al-Madani (died c. 757 or 781), also known as Abu Hazim Al-A'raj, was an ascetic, Faqeeh and Muhaddith from the taba'een generation.

-Extracts from: 'Patience and Gratitude' By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat ash-Shâkireen”

Shukr (Thanking Allah) after doing Good deeds: Ibn Rajab

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 realise his deficiency in displaying due gratitude.

Wahb ibn al-Ward (RA), 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.'

Abu Sulayman (RA) 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!' i.e. those who do not believe that the actions of the servant are created by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent.

Extracted from - 'Al-Mahajjah fil Sayril-Dulja' (The Journey to Allah) of Imam Ibn Rajab (RA)

Persistence & Constancy (Isteqamah) in Deeds make them the Most Beloved to Allah:

Persistence & Constancy (Isteqamah) in Deeds make them the Most Beloved to Allah:

The Prophet (saws) said that the most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are done continuously and persistently, even if they be few. [Bukhari] 

This was the description of the deeds of the Prophet (saw), and the deeds of his family and wives after him. 

He would prohibit discontinuing of deeds saying to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, "Do not be like such-and-such a person who used to pray by night and then left it." [Bukhari & Muslim]

He (saw) said, "The supplication of one of you will be answered so long as he is not hasty and impatient, saying, 'I have supplicated and supplicated but have not been answered,' so he despairs and abandons the supplication." [Bukhari & Muslim]

Al-Hasan said, 'When Shaytan looks at you and sees you persistent in your obedience to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, he will do his utmost to deceive you; if he still sees you persistent, he will give up on you and leave. However, if he sees you alternating between this and that, he will have hope in you.'

 May Allah give us Isteqamah in good deeds. Ameen.

Extracted from - 'Al-Mahajjah fil Sayril-Dulja' of Imam Ibn Rajab (RA)

Spirituality for Dawah: How to gain people's love and acceptance?

For a daiee (preacher) to succeed, it's very critical to gain people's love and acceptance. Without it, the dawah will not be very successful.

Let us see some of the ways mentioned in the Quran and Hadith to gain people's love and acceptance:

1. Strengthening one's Imaan and performing abundant good deeds:

Verily, those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Beneficent (Allah) will bestow love for them (in the hearts of the believers). (19:96)

2. Striving to earn Allah's love and nearness:

Narrated Abu Huraira (RA):

Allah's Apostle (SAWS) said, "If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel, saying, 'Allah loves so and so, O Gabriel love him' So Gabriel would love him and then would make an announcement in the Heavens: 'Allah has loved so and-so therefore you should love him also.' So all the dwellers of the Heavens would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth." (Sahih Bukhari) 

Hadhrat Ka'ab Ahbaar R.A. says: "A person's good reputation is not established in the people's hearts unless it is first established amongst the dwellers of the heavens".

-Kitab al Zuhd of Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak P.153.

3. Cultivate Zuhd and indifference to people's possessions:

On the authority of Abu al-'Abbas Sahl bin Sa'd al-Sa'idi, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said:
A man came to the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which if I do it, [will cause] Allah to love me and people to love me." He, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, answered: "Be indifferent to the world and Allah will love you; be indifferent to what people possess and they will love you."
[Ibn Majah and others, with a Hasan chain]

Because, a Daiee is one who gives to people and not takes from them.

Impressed by other's wealth?

When ever one sees or hears about the wealth and riches of the worldly people and he feels a desire and love of wealth developing in his heart, it is advisable to remember the story of Qarun [Korah] in the Quran:

He came out before his people in all of his adornments. Those who desire the life of this world said, "If only we were to have what Qarun was given! He has a great fortune indeed!" And those who had been given knowledge said, "Woe unto you people! Allah's good reward is better for those who believe and do righteous deeds. And only the patient shall receive it."

(Quran, 28:79-80)