Thursday 24th July 2008
The Importance of Giving Charity
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If there is a natural disaster, it is logical that a person will try to save as much of his belongings as possible, because whatever is left behind will be destroyed. The Angel of death can be compared to a "natural disaster that is on its way to attack, and can arrive at any time. Supposed the Angel of Death comes to a person, without any warning, and he has a lot of material wealth, knowledge or influence, and is living a very carefree life and did not pay attention to what is to follow after death, i.e. the hereafter, he’ll realise two things, viz;
§ All his assets, which he worked so hard to acquire, will be left behind. In this connection Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: What is with you will vanish and what is with Allah will endure. (16:96)
§ He sent nothing that will be of benefit to him in the hereafter. Allah says about such people: There are men who say: Our Lord! Give us (from Your bounties) in this world; but they will have no portion in the Hereafter. (2:200)
Upon seeing the Angel of death, this person will beg for a little more time in this world to do good. Allah (swt) says about such people in Surah Munafiqoon,
أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنْ الصَّالِحِينَ وَلَنْ يُؤَخِّرَ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهَا وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
"O my Lord! why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good". But to no soul will Allah grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and Allah is well acquainted with (all) that ye do. (Chapter 63, verse 10-11)
Remember that this moment can be your last, and as believers we shouldn’t be scared, as Allah (swt) says in Surah Fussilat,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُوا وَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah., and, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): "Fear ye not!" (they suggest), "Nor grieve! But received the Glad Tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), which ye were promised! (Chapter 41, verse 30)
Do not wait until death approaches to regret. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated that Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said,
A man giving a dirham as sadaqah (charity) during his life is better than giving one hundred dirhams as sadaqah (charity) at the moment of his death. (Abu Dawood)
Shaddad ibn Aws narrated that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said;
"The prudent man is he who subdues himself and works for what comes after death, but the incapable man is he who lets himself follow his passion and puts his hope in Allah." (Tirmidhi)
Death for a believer is a beautiful thing. You cannot get close to Allah (swt) while you’re in this world, you have to leave. It is even reported that the angels’ give you glad tidings. They say;
We are your friends in this world and in the next, and over there you will get whatever your heart desires. (41:31)
When one Sheikh was dying, angels descended in the room and he requested everyone present to stand because of his special visitors.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and Abu Hurayrah narrated that Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said,
There would be an announcer (in Paradise) who would make this announcement: Verily! there is in store for you (everlasting) health and that you should never fall ill and that you live (for ever) and do not die at all. And that you would remain young and never grow old. And that you would always live in affluent circumstances and never become destitute, as words of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, are: "And it would be announced to them: This is the Paradise. You have been made to inherit it for what you used to do." (Sahih Muslim)
Work hard and strive to cultivate humility, submission, patience and sincerity, and Allah (swt) will take care of the rest.
Friday 1 August 2008
Intention
Intention
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The essence of life and the core of all of ones activities are based on a person's intention. Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said,
On the Day of Judgement, the deeds of man will be divided into two groups; that which was done for the world, and that which was done for the hereafter.
This Tradition of the Prophet (pboh) confirms what the Merciful Lord tells us in His Holy Words. He says:
What is with you must vanish and what is with Allah will endure. (16:96)
As you go through life the one question that you must always ask yourself is what is my purpose for doing this? It is only the deeds that have been done for the hereafter will be of benefit to you. Allah (swt) says in Surah Baqara,
وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا ِلأَنفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
And whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with Allah. for Allah sees Well all that ye do. (Chapter 2, verse 110)
Hazrat Umar reported that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,
"The reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Apostle, then his emigration was for Allah and His Apostle. And whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was a wealthy man. This was evident when he slaughtered 300 camels in the space of three nights. In spite of his material wealth he remained humble and obedient. He is reported to have said,
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَاي وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: (Chapter 6, verse 162)
This is one of the best expressions that sums up our intention of doing things in this world. There is no problem in going about your worldly affairs, however you must always remember that Allah (swt) is watching and all you actions are being recorded.
Allah (swt) says about Prophet Muhammad (saw),
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنْ الْهَوَى
Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. (Chapter 53, verse 3)
Whatever Prophet Muhammad (saw) said was on the basis of revelations/inspiration. Look at how he lived. During the early phase of his mission the Quraish offered him wealth, power, women (whatever he desired) and in return he would have to stop preaching about there being One God. Prophet Muhammad (saw) firmly replied,
If they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to cause me to renounce my task, verily I would not desist there from until Allah made manifest His cause or I perished in the attempt."
Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave us an indication of how beneficial a person’s intention can be. He narrated the story of a sinful woman who gave water to a thirsty dog and saved his life. Prophet (saw) told his companions that the woman's past sins had been forgiven because of this one sincere deed and she was granted Paradise.
One day, the Sahaba, Hanzalah al-Usaydî met Hazrat Abû Bakr and confessed to him that he was convinced he was a hypocrite because he felt divided between contradictory feelings. In the Prophet’s presence, he almost saw paradise and hell, but when he was away from him, his wife and children and his affairs caused him to forget. Hazrat Abû Bakr in turn admitted that he experienced similar tensions. They both went to the Prophet to question him about the seemingly dismal state of their spirituality. Hanzalah explained the nature of his doubts and Prophet Muhammad (saw) answered,
“By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain in the [spiritual] state in which you are when in my company, and remember God permanently, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and along your paths. But it is not so, Hanzalah: there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, amusement].”
Their situation therefore had nothing to do with hypocrisy: it was merely the reality of human nature. Angels are commanded to glorify Allah (swt) at all times.
Your intention is a scared thing that is deep down inside of you. Only Allah (swt), the angels and shaitan can see your intention, and shaitan will try his utmost best to divert you.
We have to be honest to ourselves because only you will know when you’re doing something for the sake of Allah (swt) or if you have another motive. Remember that we are in the presence of Allah (swt), so try to earn His pleasure by doing good.
____________________________________________________________________
The essence of life and the core of all of ones activities are based on a person's intention. Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said,
On the Day of Judgement, the deeds of man will be divided into two groups; that which was done for the world, and that which was done for the hereafter.
This Tradition of the Prophet (pboh) confirms what the Merciful Lord tells us in His Holy Words. He says:
What is with you must vanish and what is with Allah will endure. (16:96)
As you go through life the one question that you must always ask yourself is what is my purpose for doing this? It is only the deeds that have been done for the hereafter will be of benefit to you. Allah (swt) says in Surah Baqara,
وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا ِلأَنفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
And whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with Allah. for Allah sees Well all that ye do. (Chapter 2, verse 110)
Hazrat Umar reported that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,
"The reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Apostle, then his emigration was for Allah and His Apostle. And whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was a wealthy man. This was evident when he slaughtered 300 camels in the space of three nights. In spite of his material wealth he remained humble and obedient. He is reported to have said,
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَاي وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: (Chapter 6, verse 162)
This is one of the best expressions that sums up our intention of doing things in this world. There is no problem in going about your worldly affairs, however you must always remember that Allah (swt) is watching and all you actions are being recorded.
Allah (swt) says about Prophet Muhammad (saw),
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنْ الْهَوَى
Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. (Chapter 53, verse 3)
Whatever Prophet Muhammad (saw) said was on the basis of revelations/inspiration. Look at how he lived. During the early phase of his mission the Quraish offered him wealth, power, women (whatever he desired) and in return he would have to stop preaching about there being One God. Prophet Muhammad (saw) firmly replied,
If they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to cause me to renounce my task, verily I would not desist there from until Allah made manifest His cause or I perished in the attempt."
Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave us an indication of how beneficial a person’s intention can be. He narrated the story of a sinful woman who gave water to a thirsty dog and saved his life. Prophet (saw) told his companions that the woman's past sins had been forgiven because of this one sincere deed and she was granted Paradise.
One day, the Sahaba, Hanzalah al-Usaydî met Hazrat Abû Bakr and confessed to him that he was convinced he was a hypocrite because he felt divided between contradictory feelings. In the Prophet’s presence, he almost saw paradise and hell, but when he was away from him, his wife and children and his affairs caused him to forget. Hazrat Abû Bakr in turn admitted that he experienced similar tensions. They both went to the Prophet to question him about the seemingly dismal state of their spirituality. Hanzalah explained the nature of his doubts and Prophet Muhammad (saw) answered,
“By He who holds my soul in His hands, if you were able to remain in the [spiritual] state in which you are when in my company, and remember God permanently, the angels would shake your hands in your beds and along your paths. But it is not so, Hanzalah: there is a time for this [devotion, remembrance] and a time for that [rest, amusement].”
Their situation therefore had nothing to do with hypocrisy: it was merely the reality of human nature. Angels are commanded to glorify Allah (swt) at all times.
Your intention is a scared thing that is deep down inside of you. Only Allah (swt), the angels and shaitan can see your intention, and shaitan will try his utmost best to divert you.
We have to be honest to ourselves because only you will know when you’re doing something for the sake of Allah (swt) or if you have another motive. Remember that we are in the presence of Allah (swt), so try to earn His pleasure by doing good.
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