Shaykh
Muhammad bin Saaleh al-‘Uthaymeen [May Allaah have Mercy on him him]
Oh People! Fear
Allaah, the Most High, and know that there was a time where humans were a thing
not even to be mentioned, as Allaah, the Most High, says:
“Has
there not been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned?”
[al-Insaan 76:1]
And this Aayah
includes every son Aadam, so if every one of us was once something that didn’t
even exist and no one would even mention about, then Allaah, the Most High,
Creating you to live in this world, is a world in which you are instructed to do
good deeds for a short period of time compared to the Hereafter. Here we have
months and years, days and hours, minutes and moments, all of that will be
concluded with death.
Therefore; it is
absolutely necessary for us to act and busy ourselves with this opportunity we
have received in being in the Dunya. We do good deeds to get closer to
Allaah, the Glorified and the Exalted. We envelope our time with what will
benefit us in our religion and Dunya, because time, my brothers, is the
storage of deeds.
Oh Muslims!
Teachers and students amongst us have their holidays approaching during these
days, and I don’t say this is a period of recess or break, because the life of
humans doesn’t have a break, it continues. Humans are constantly ploughing
their deeds, however we call this period a holiday from work, in order to do
some other kind of work. This is break from teaching and studying academically
however it is not a holiday from doing other deeds. So the question arises, how
do we spend this holiday (to do these deeds)?
Verily, humans
have are inclined and face doing various deeds in their daily lives. Some
people spend their holidays in their homes and others travel but they travel in
order to make their Dunya better. Some travel in order to improve their Deen
such as those who go to study but this is not something harmful.
So my lecture is
targeted at those who want to build, to use these holidays to good deeds which
will help their Dunya and the Deen. These people busy themselves with studying or
spending time in the libraries, seeking knowledge, or they do things which will
benefit their Dunya such as taking their family away for a break.
However, some
people travel but where do they go? Some of them go abroad to spend their
holidays, so that they can grind away his filthy desires and fall into what is Haraam,
and this, by Allaah, is a great loss! He loses the Dunya and Deen.
When they travel to these places to fulfil their desires and come back, they
are faced with regret, but this regret doesn’t benefit them. Some of them go
and they may never come back! He may even die there, in a far-away land,
far-away from al-Islaam. Or it may be that he does come back but his
intellect and his ideas have changed, I ask Allaah to Protect us from this.
My brothers!
These are the two types of people who spend their holidays; those who stay
behind and others who travel for the sake of doing good deeds but I want to
make a few points to these people:
Firstly, when
travelling one must travel with those who similar in age with him, because this
instils friendship, a type of friendship that can’t be attained if there was a
big generation gap. If one travels with those who are a lot younger or older
than him, then their intellects and opinions will differ and likewise their
physical capabilities will differ too, this is all results in a preservation of
manners that one must have.
Secondly,
travellers must be wary in performing what is obligatory upon them from the Sahree’ah,
such as having water for purification and praying as-Salaah in
congregation in its proper times.
Thirdly, one
must pay attention in displaying the correct Shar’ee manners, such as
when he ascends and descends when he travels, or when he eats or drinks. If he
descends in a place and stays there, he should supplicate:
«أعوذ بكلمات الله التامات من شر ما خلق»
“I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allaah
from the Evil in which He has Created”
The one who says this supplication, ‘will not
be harmed by anything as long as he is there’ (as it occurs in the Hadeeth).
He should mention the name of Allaah when eating
and drinking, Praising Him when he finishes from it and he should not be ungrateful
and act displeasing towards food or drink, as they are both from the favours of
Allaah and belittling them is the act of those who have no sense.
Fourthly, one must gather the mannerisms that
the religion encourages us to have. So he doesn’t listen to music which is
Haraam, he doesn’t use foul speech when talking, he doesn’t walk or move in a
way which is not befitting a believer to move with, a believer who is someone
who has intellect. There is no harm if one wants to socialise with his friends
like playing games or racing each other sometimes and the likes, on the
condition that it doesn’t distract them from what is obligatory upon them. Such
as their ‘Awrah (i.e. the navel to the knee for the man and the whole of
the body of the woman in front of foreign men) not being exposed and that one
doesn’t end up using insulting or foul speech as a result of such games.
Fifthly, when travelling one must appoint an Ameer
(i.e. a leader for the group) so that he can make decisions that will protect
them in their religious duties, their understanding and their intellect, this
is Ameer will help establish organisation in their affairs. The Ameer
must also be someone who has a strong personality so that no one else can
overcome his decisions. Some people are pious and they have intellect but they
have a weak personality so people end up walking over them. However, there is
no harm if a person has a poor personality but is pious and intellectual is
appointed as a leader, if he has assistance with those around him in order to
assist and reinforce his decisions. With this, the community then will become
secure and strong, and the best ones who are elected are those are strong and
trustworthy.
Abridged from
Here:
http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/all/khotab/article_80.shtml
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