Safeguard your good works by guarding the tongue.

Al Hamdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen, was Salaatu was Salaamu ‘alaa Sayyidil Mursaleen, Habibunaa wa Nabiyyunaa wa Mahmudunaa wa Mawlaanaa Muhammadinil Mustafaa, Khaatimul Anbiyaa-i wal Mursaleen, wa Imaamul Mittaqeen wa Shafee’il Mudhnibeen, Rasuli Rabbil ‘Alameen, wa Qaaidil Ghurril Muhajjaleen, wa ‘alaa ‘Aalihi wa As-habihi wa Azwaajihi wa Dhurriyaatihi wa Ahli Baytihi wa  sallima tasliman kathiran, kathiraa. Ya Khayrul Naasireen.

Guarding the Tongue

Wa Qaal Allahu ta ‘ala fi Kalaamihil Qadeem, ba’da ‘authu Billahi min ash shaytanir rajim, Bismillahir Rahmanir

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۗ

You are the best of peoples, raised up from mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding evil, and you believe in Allah.

Allahu ta ‘ala says in Suratul Ibrahim, 34th Ayah:

وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ [١٤:٣٤]

And He gives you all that ye ask for. But if you attempt to count the favors of Allah, you will never be able to number them. Indeed, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude. Suratul Ibrahim, Ayah 34:
The tongue is one of many gifts that Allah Subhana Hoo has bestowed upon His servants. Although the tongue is a small, its impact on the one using it may have a large impact for either good or evil.  With this small piece of flesh one may find his path to Jannah or Jahannam.  As with everything that Allahu ta ‘ala has given us we must show our gratitude, our shukr by not misusing or abusing this precious gift.

If we use it to comply with the orders of Allahu ta ‘ala laid out in al Qur’an Majid, and the Sunnah of the Holy Last Messenger Sayyidinaa Muhammad al Mustafa Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim, it becomes a source for earning divine ni’mah [favor] in this world and in the in Hereafter.  Conversely if this piece of flesh the tongue is used in disobedience to the commandments of Allahu ta ‘ala and Sayyidinaa Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim, and does not display thankfulness [shukr], it will lead us down the path of destruction, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Shukr, being thankful to Allahu ta ‘ala for his ni’mah means not using the gifts He bestows upon us by the opposing Him.

The sins of the tongue can be small [saghira] or enormous [kabirah]. Some of the sins of the tongue take person out of Islam. Sayyidinaa Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said in the hadith related by al Imam at-Tirmidhiyy Rahmatullahi ‘alaihi:

Innal mar’-a layatakallimu bil- kalimati laa yaraa biha ba’-san yahwee-bihaa fin naari khareefaa

“A person may utter a word he thinks harmless, which results in his falling the depth of seventy (70) years into Hellfire
Among the sins of the tongue considered to be major sins are gossip or backbiting (ghibah) and tale-bearing (namimah). Ibn Abid-Dunyia related that Sayyidinaa Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim, said:

Khaslataani maa in tajammilal khalaa-iqu bimithli-himaa, husnul khuluqi wa  twoolus samt

“One can greatly beautify himself with two habits–good manners and lengthy silence.”

Here Sayyidinaa Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim is alluding to remaining silent and not speaking except for what is good, such as Dhikr, Tilaawatul Quran Majid, Salaaat ‘alan Nabiyy [Darood Sharif] and teaching others what is good.

Imam Bukhariyy and Imam Muslim Radhi Allahu ‘anhumma related from  Sayyidinaa Abu Hurayrah Radhi Allahu ‘anhu, that Sayyidinaa Rasuli Akram Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa sallim said:

Man kaana yu’minu Billahi wal Yawmul Aakhiri, falyaqul khairan aw liyasmut

“Let the one who believes in Allah and the Last day, either utter good words, or let him be silent

Allahu ta ‘ala said in Surat al-Isra’, 36 ayah:

وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا [١٧:٣٦

And pursue not that of which you have no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of feeling will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).

Allahu ta ‘ala is warning us that we will be held accountable for what we hear, what we see and what we feel as well as what we believe.

At-Tirmidhiyy narrated a saying of the Holy Last Messenger  Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim to Sayyidinaa Mu’adh Ibn Jabal Radhi Allahu ‘anhu, in which he said:

“Wa hal yakubbun naasa fin naar ‘alaa wujuuhim, illaa hasaa-idu alsinatihim

And what will cause mankind to fall on their faces into the fire other than what their tongues have reaped?”

Allahu ta ‘ala warns us in al Qur’an Majid that he has appointed angels over us writing down our deeds.  Hikmah dictated that the wise man or woman heed these warning signs before  he or she crashes headlong into the wrath  of Allahu ta ‘ala.

The True Nature of Servitude [‘Ubudiyya]

The True Nature of Servitude

(’Ubudiyya) in Islam

Ustadh Muhammad Sa’id Hunafaa Qadiri

Jumu’ah Wa’dh delivered at Masjid Noorul Hudaa Columbia, SC 12/26/2008

Al Hamdulillah Rabbil  Aalameen wa salaatu wa salaamu ‘alaa Sayyidanaa, wa Shafi’anaa wa Habibanaa wa Mawlaana Muhammadinil Mustafaa,   Allahumma Salli wa Sallim ‘alaa ‘Abdika wa Rasulikan Nabiyyil Ummiyy. Khaatimul ‘Ambiyaa-I wal Mursaleen,  wa Imaamul Muttaqeen, Wa Qaaidil Ghurril Muhaajaleen, wa  Shafi’il mudhnibeen, Rasuli Raabbil ‘aalameen wa ‘alaa Aalihi wa Azwaaajihi  Ummuhaatul Mu’mineen, wa Dhurriyaati, wa Ahlil Bayti, wa Ashaabihi wa Awliyaaih, wa Ummatihi ajma’een bi Rahmatika Yaa Arhamar Rahimeem  wa ba’d

Wa Qal Allahu ta ‘ala fi kalaamil qadim ba’da  ‘authu billahi  minash shaytanir rajim Bismillahir Rahmani Rahim

قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَىٰ ۗ آللَّهُ خَيْرٌ أَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

Say: Praise be to Allah and peace on His Servants whom He has chosen: is Allah better, or what they associate (with Him)?  ( 27:59)

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.

وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ

Serve your Rabb until (the day of) Certainty comes to you (15:99)

Sayyidinaa  Abu Dharr al Ghifari Radhi Allahu ‘anhu narrated from the Prophet Sall Allah ‘alaihi wa ‘alaihi wa sallim that  Allah (azza wa jalla) said:

“Ya ‘Ibaadi. I have forbidden injustice for Myself and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so be not unjust to one another.

Ya ‘Ibaadi, You are all astray except him whom I have guided, so seek My guidance and I shall guide you.

Ya ‘Ibaadi, you are all hungry except him whom I have fed, so ask me for food and I shall feed you.

Ya Ibaadi, you are all naked except him who I have clothed, so ask Me for clothing and I shall clothe you,

Ya ‘Ibaadi, you all commit sins, night and day, and I forgive all you sins, so seek forgiveness, and I shall forgive you.

Ya ‘Ibaadi, you are not capable of causing Me harm, so you harm Me not. You are not capable of benefitting Me, so you do not benefit Me.

Ya ‘Ibaadi, if the first of you and last of you, the Men of you and the Jinn of you, were as bad as the most sinful heart among you, it will not diminish one jot of My Kingdom,

Ya ‘Ibaadi, if the first of you and last of you, the Men of you and the Jinn of you, stood in unison and asked Me, and I granted every person what they asked for. It will not diminish what I have, except as much as the needle diminishes the ocean, when it is dipped in it.

Ya ‘Ibaadi, these are your deeds for which I make you accountable, and then recompense you for them.  Whoever finds good, let him praise Allah, and for whoever finds the contrary, let him blame none but himself. Al Hadith Al Qudsiyyah (Day 127,128)

“O son of Adam, free yourself for My service and your heart will be filled by Me with contentment, and I shall protect you from poverty, if you do not do that, I shall fill your heart with anxiety and I shall not provide for your needs. (at Tirmidhi and al Bayhaqi) (Day 208)

Virtues of Ahl ul Bayt from Holy Qur’an and Hadith

Hadhrat Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) said that when this ayat came down, “Let us call our sons and your sons…” Holy Qur’an, (3:61). Allah’s Holy Last Messenger (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) called Sayyidina ‘Ali, Sayyidah Fatima, Sayyidina Hasan and Sayyidina Husain (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhum) and said, “O Allah, these are the members of my family.” (Sahih Muslim)

Mother of faithful believers, Sayyidah ‘A’isha (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha) said that the Holy Nabi (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) went out one morning wearing a striped cloak of black goat’s hair. Sayyidina Al-Hasan bin ‘Ali (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) came and he took him under it, then Sayyidina al-Husain (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) came and went under it along with him, then Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) came and he took her under it, then ‘Ali (Karam Allah Wajhu) came and he took him under it. He then recited (the following Ayat): “Allah only desires to remove abomination from you, members of the family, and purify you.” Holy Qur’an, (33:33)
(Sahih Muslim)

Hadhrat Zaid bin Arqam (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) reported Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) as saying, “I am leaving among you something of such a nature that if you lay hold of it you will not go astray after I am gone, one part of it being more important than the other: Allah’s Book, a rope stretched from heaven to earth, and my close relatives who belong to my household. These two will not separate from one another till they come down to the Pond, so consider how you would act regarding them after my departure.” (Sahih Tirmidhi)

Hadhrat Abu Dharr (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) while holding the door of the Ka’ba, said that he had heard the Holy Nabi (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) say, “My family among you are like Noah’s ark. He who sails on it will be safe, but he who holds back from it will perish.” (Musnad Ahmad bin Hambal)

Hadhrat Zaid bin Arqam (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) said that Allah’s Messenger (Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim) said of Sayyidina Ali (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu), Sayyidah Fatima (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anha), Sayyidina al-Hasan (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu) and Sayyidina al-Husain (Radhi Allahu Ta’ala ‘Anhu), “I am war to him who makes war on them and peace to him whom makes peace with them.” (Tirmidhi)

A Tradition Concerning the Enemies of Satan

A Tradition Concerning the Enemies of Satan

From

Irshad: Wisdom of a Sufi Master

By Sheikh Muzaffar Ozak Jerrahi Khalwati (Rahimuhullah)

This is related by the venerable Anas ibn Malik [Radhi Allahu ‘anhu]:

“One day, in the house of Abu Ayyub [Radhi Allahu ‘anhu]: we were sitting together in the company of our Master, the blessed Messenger of Allah (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam). Suddenly, we heard a very ugly voice calling from outside. “O Messenger of Allah, have I your permission to enter?”  Our Master (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam) asked us: “Do you recognize that voice? When we replied: “Allah and His Messenger know best,” our Master (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam) said: “That is the voice of Satan.”

“The venerable Umar [Radhi Allahu ‘anhu] got up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, by your leave let me go and smash the deceiver’s skull. Let me deliver the people from his mischief.” But our Master (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam) told him: “It is not within your power to do so, Umar, for he has been given respite till the Resurrection. Nobody can touch him.”

“We all fell silent, waiting to see what might happen. Our Master (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam) said: “There is always an underlying reason for things. Otherwise he would not have come here.” He then gave permission for the devil to enter his presence. In he came, his face very ugly, blind in one eye and with a few hairs on his chin. He explained that he had come at Allah’s command saying: “Had I not come, the Exalted Lord would have tormented me as long as I was on earth. You are to question me, and I am to answer your queries.”

“Our Master, (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam), then asked Satan: “who are your enemies? To this he replied: “My enemies are fifteen groups of people. First of all, my chief foes are you and all the Prophets.”

“What you say is true,” said the blessed Messenger (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam): “Neither I nor any of the Prophets have any love for you. You are both my greatest enemy and that of all the Prophets.” Satan then proceeded to enumerate his other foes:

“My second enemies are scholars who put their learning into practice. They not only study and teach, but also act on what they learn.”

“My third enemies are the righteous who recite the Holy Quran and model their character on what they read.”

“My fourth enemies are those who give the Call to Prayer for Allah’s sake.”

“My fifth enemies are the poor who are satisfied with their lot.”

“My sixth enemies are the compassionate.”

“My seventh enemies are the generous.”

“My eighth enemies are those who perform the early morning prayer on time.”

“My ninth enemies are those who advise the people and call them to Allah, those who reform the people.”

“My tenth enemies are those who abstain from unlawful food and avoid fornication and adultery.”

“My eleventh enemies are those who are always in a state of ritual purity, ready for worship.”

“My twelfth enemies are the modest.”

“My thirteenth enemies are those who place all their trust in Allah.”

“My fourteenth enemies are those who give pleasure to the poor and needy.”

“My fifteenth enemies are those called pious and devout, who are always busy in the service of their Exalted Lord.”

Our Master (Sall Allahu Alaihi wa Salaam): “Have you any friends among my Community” What are the characteristics of your friends?”  To this Satan replied: “O Messenger, ten classes of people are my friends:

First, tyrannical rulers and princes who oppress the people. Second, the arrogant. Third, scholars who are the lackeys of tyrants, who cannot tell them the truth, but hide it and confirm their falsehoods. Fourth, dishonest tradesmen who cannot be trusted in business. Fifth, those who take strong drink. Sixth, confidence tricksters and black marketeers. Seventh, backbiters and slanderous gossips.  Eighth, usurers, those who take interest. Ninth, liars and blasphemers. Tenth, informers, intriguers who stir up enmity and cause friends to quarrel and fall out with one another.”

Here we have listed all the friends and foes of Satan. Those who worship are his foes, while those who do not worship are his friends. Is it possible to conceive of a spiritual teacher, a saint, who not only fails to worship Allah personally, but even prevents others from doing so? Anyone who keeps people from their five daily prayers, who make them break their fast, is indeed an intimate friend-not of Allah, but of Satan. He is an enemy of the Exalted Lord. We shall see the true condition of such people on the coming Day of Resurrection. They will have a hard time explaining themselves to their deluded and misguided disciples who will say to them, as they are cast into the fire:

“We were only following you, so can you give us some relief from Allah’s punishment?” (14:21)

They will reply: “Had Allah guided us, we would have guided you.” (14:21)

“It makes no difference now, whether we panic or patiently endure.” (14:21)

“For us there is no refuge.” (14:21)

The false teachers will try to blame it all on Satan. But when they start to shower their curses on him, Satan will emerge from the fire upon a throne, addressing them with these words:

Satan will say: “Allah made you a promise true. I also made you promises, but I have left you in the lurch. I had no power over you. I only called you and you answered me. Therefore do not blame me but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I did not believe in the divine partnership you once ascribed to me.” For the evildoers there is indeed a painful punishment. (14:22)

Our Intention

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Nahmaduhu wa Nusalli ‘alaa Rasulihil Kareem

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Our intent is to post selected excerpt from the Al Adaab Islamic Resources website.  In response to the many e-mails we receive we will Insha’Allah post answers from the resources available there as well as other resources that may not appear there.  In some cases quotes may be quite long.  Those wishing to save the excerpts are free to do so but please exclude the e-mail conversations.

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Wa Sall Allahu ta ‘ala ‘alaa Sayyidinaa Muhammadin wa ‘alaa Aaalihi wa Sahbihi wa sallim