The struggle in the cause of Allah
From the meanings of the Holly Quran:
"As for
those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely, guide them
to Our paths (i.e., Allah's religion - Islamic Monotheism). And
verily, Allah is with the Muhsinun (gooddoers)". (29:69)
"And
worship your Rubb until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e.,
death)". (15:99)
"And remember the Name of your
Rubb and devote yourself to Him with a complete devotion.'' (73:8)
"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom
(or a small ant), shall see it". (99:7)
"And
whatever good you send before you for yourselves (i.e., Nawafil -
non-obligatory acts of worship: prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj and
Umrah, etc.), you will certainly find it with Allah, better and
greater in reward.'' (73:20)
"And whatever you spend in
good, surely, Allah knows it well.'' (2:273)
- From Hadith:
95.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah the Exalted has said: 'I will declare
war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine.
And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is
what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to
Me through performing Nawafil (prayer or doing extra deeds besides
what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his
hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand
with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he
asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection
(refuge), I protect him".[Al-Bukhari].
Commentary:
1.
Those who make innovations in religion and associate partners with
Allah (such as Hululi - who believe in the indwelling light in the
soul of man, Wujudi - who believe in the physical form of Allah, and
pagans who worship other than Allah) interpret this Hadith in support
of their beliefs and thus seek support of one wrong from another
although the meaning and interpretation of the Hadith is not at all
what they describe. The Hadith means that when a person adds
voluntary prayers to the obligatory ones, he becomes a favourite
slave of Allah and on account of it, he receives special help from
Allah. Then he is protected by Allah to the extent that He supervises
every organ of his body. Thus, he is saved from disobedience of
Allah. He bears what is liked by Allah, sees what is liked by Him,
handles what pleases Him. When he attains that lofty position of love
and obedience of Allah, then Allah in return also grants prayers of
His obedient and loyal slaves.
2. A saint is not one
who has a peculiar attire and appearance, or who occupies the seat of
a righteous as his successor, or a person who is lost in meditation,
or a half-mad, or one who has invented his own style of remembrance
and worship of Allah, but it is one who strictly fulfills the
obligations imposed by Islam, is fond of voluntary prayers and
adheres to Divine injunctions in every walk of life.
3.
The love of such righteous is a means to attain the Pleasure of
Allah, and enmity (hatred and repulsion) with them is a cause of His
serious displeasure and wrath.
4. Voluntary prayer is
certainly a means of attaining the Pleasure of Allah, but it must be
preceded by the fulfillment of obligatory prayers. The former is of
no value if the latter is neglected. The desire to attain nearness of
Allah without strict observance of the obligatory prayers is
fallacious and meaningless.
96. Anas (May
Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allah
says: ' When a slave of Mine draws near to Me a span, I draw near to
him a cubit; and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a
fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him
running.'''.[Al-Bukhari].
Commentary: This Hadith
mentions infinite benevolence, generosity, kindness and regard of
Allah for His slaves, which is evident from the reward that He gives
to His slaves even on their minor good deeds.
97.
Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of
Allah (PBUH) said, "There are two blessings in which many people
incur loss. (They are) health and free time (for doing
good)".[Al-Bukhari]
Commentary:
1. Al-Ghabn in
Arabic means loss. What it really signifies is to sell something of
one's own on less than its due price, or to buy something on its
double or triple price. In both cases one is a loser. When a person
comes to know about such a loss, he repents and feels sorry for it.
This loss coupled with regret is called Al-Ghabn. In Ahadith, man has
been compared with trader, and health and leisure enjoyed by him with
merchandise. One who uses his
merchandise with care, gains profit
while he who wastes it, that is to say, uses it carelessly, will be a
loser on the Day of Resurrection.
2. The majority of
people do not take proper care of both these things, with the result
that one wastes the time in useless activities and spends the
physical strength and energy in the disobedience of Allah. One will
have to face severe consequences of it on the Day of Resurrection
when he will be brought into account for everything.
98.
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (PBUH)
would stand (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would
crack. I asked him, "Why do you do this while your past and
future sins have been forgiven?'' He said, "Should I not be a
grateful slave of Allah?''[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary:
1.
All the Prophets were free from major sins. However, some religious
scholars justify some of their minor sins with plausible reasons but
the majority of them maintain that they are free from all sins
because of their innocence. In this situation, it does not make any
sense to speak of their sins. But the fact of the matter is quite
different. Anything short of excellent done by them is counted as a
sin.
2. The more one is rewarded by Allah, the greater
the proportion of one's gratitude of Allah for His Benevolence should
be. The best form of doing so is that one should not only be highly
obedient and dutiful in the performance of the obligations but also
add maximum voluntary prayers to them.
100. Abu
Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah
than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is
beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain
from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: `If I had taken
this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but
say only: `Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word `if'
opens the gates of satanic thoughts".[Muslim].
Commentary:
1.
In this Hadith, goodness is acknowledged in weak as well as strong
because the real Faith is a common feature of both. The one who is
stronger is, however, better with Allah for the reason that he is
more active and energetic in the matter of noble deeds and
performance of ritual prayers, obligatory as well as voluntary.
2.
This Hadith ordains that in case of trouble, one should exercise
patience and show submission and obedience rather than saying `ifs'
and `buts' about it, because it provides Satan with a chance to
mislead the sufferer.
104. Anas (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Three
follow a dead body: members of his family, his possessions and his
deeds. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and
his possessions return; his deeds remain with him".[Al-Bukhari
and Muslim].
Commentary: This Hadith induces one to
perform such deeds which always remain with him in the grave, where
every being and thing leaves one and he is all alone in the grave.
What is left is his good deeds which become the means of refuge and
salvation.
107. Thauban (May Allah be pleased with
him) said: I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Perform
Salah more often. For every prostration that you perform before Allah
will raise your position one degree and will remit one of your
sins".[Muslim].
Commentary: Abundance of
prostrations means strict observance of Salat and performance of
obligatory and optional and voluntary prayers, it is a means for
atonement of sins and the elevation of one's status in this life and
the Hereafter.
Source: Riyad-us-Saliheen, The book of
miscellany: CH.11 The struggle in the cause of Allah
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