THE VIRTUE OF
LOVING OTHERS FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH, ENCOURGING TO INFORM OTHERS OF IT AND HOW
IT IS SAID
This has been made a part of Eman
and a sign of the truth was even revealed in the books before us…
مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ
أَشِدَّاء عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاء بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا
يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ
أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي
الإِنجِيلِ
48:29
وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّؤُوا الدَّارَ وَالإِيمَانَ مِن
قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ
حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ
خَصَاصَةٌ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
59:9
This
was revealed about the Ansar when the Muhajiroon immigrated from Makkah.
PRINCIPLES:
-In
the Dunya, it’s Mustahab to prefer his brother over himself if he won’t be
harmed.
-One must prefer himself over others in acts of
worship and reward (الإيثار بالقرب)
-One must have righteous company and not prefer
harmful isolation
375-"There are three
qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman: To love Allah and
His Messenger (ﷺ) more than
anyone else; to love a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to
abhor returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would
abhor to be thrown into the fire (of Hell)".
-Completion of Eman which creates
a love for Allah and His Messenger, and then…
376-"Seven are (the persons)
whom Allah will give Shade of His Thrown on the Day when there would be no
shade other than His Throne's Shade: … two persons who love and meet each other
and depart from each other for the sake of Allah.
-Reward of being under the Ursh
when people will be drowning….
377-"On the Day of
Resurrection, Allah, the Exalted, will say: 'Where are those who have mutual
love for the sake of My Glory? Today I shall shelter them in My Shade when
there will be no shade except Mine".
-After the standing on that day,
he is then called by this characteristics on the Day of Judgement, and then….
378-"By Him in Whose Hand my
soul is! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe
until you love one another. May I inform you of something, if you do, you love
each other. Promote greeting amongst you (by saying As-salamu 'alaikum to one
another)".
-After all of the above… their
conclusion is Jannah.
So how can we prepare now?....
379-"A man set out to visit
a brother (in Faith) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When
the man met the angel, the latter asked him, "Where do you intend to
go?" He said, "I intend to visit my brother in this town". The
angel said, "Have you done any favour to him?" He said, "No, I
have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah,
the Exalted, and Glorious." Thereupon the angel said, "I am a messenger
to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His
sake)".
-Sincere love and care for your
brother…
380-The Prophet (ﷺ) said about the Ansar: "Only a believer loves them, and
only a hypocrite hates them. Allah loves him who loves them and Allah hates him
who hates them".
-To love and follow those who
came before us so that we can be united with them….
381-"Allah, the Exalted, has
said: 'For those who love one another for the sake of My Glory, there will be
seats of light (on the Day of Resurrection), and they will be envied by the
Prophets and martyrs".
How it is said?....
382-Abu Idris Al-Khaulani (May Allah had
mercy upon him) reported:
|
He was born 8AH
and died 80AH
His father was a
Companion
Adh-Dhahabi said
about him, “He was THE Qadhi of Damascus at his time”
|
I once entered the mosque in Damascus. I happened to catch sight of a
young man who had bright teeth (i.e., he was always seen smiling). A number of
people had gathered around him. When they differed over anything they would
refer it to him and act upon his advice. I asked who he was and I was told that
he was Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him).
The next day I hastened to the mosque, but found that he had arrived
before me and was busy in performing Salat. I waited until he finished, and
then went to him from the front, greeted him with Salam and said to him,
"By Allah I love you."
He asked, "For the sake of Allah?"
I replied, "Yes, for the sake of Allah".
He again asked me, "Is it for Allah's sake?"
I replied, "Yes, it is for Allah's sake."
Then he took hold of my cloak, drew me to himself and said,
"Rejoice,! I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
saying, 'Allah, the Exalted, says:
My love is due to those who love one another for My sake, meet one
another for My sake, visit one another for My sake and spend in charity for My
sake".
383-"When a man loves his
brother (for Allah's sake) let him tell him that he loves him".
384-Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held my hand and said, "O Mu'adh, By Allah, I love you
and advise you not to miss supplicating after every Salat (prayer) saying:
'Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika,' (O Allah,
help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best
manner)".
385-Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased
with him) reported: A man
was with the Prophet (ﷺ)
when another man passed by and the former said: "O Messenger of Allah! I
love this man (for Allah's sake)". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked, "Have you informed him?"
He said, "No". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said, "Tell him (that you love
him)". So he went up to the man and said to him, "I love you for the
sake of Allah;" and the other replied, "May Allah, for Whose sake you
love me, love you."
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“Let him
tell him that he loves him for the sake of Allaah” means, it is mustahabb for
him to tell him, by saying I love you for the sake of Allaah, i.e., not for
any other reason such as kindness and so on, because it ensures that the bond
will last longer and makes love stronger, and it increases and multiplies
love, and brings people together, thus the Muslims will be united, and
troubles and grudges will be dispelled. This is one of the good features of
Islam.
-al-Manawi
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HOW TO RECOGNISE THE LOVE OF ALLAH UPON A
PERSON AND ENCOURAGMENT TO SEEK IT
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-Nobody acts or moves except it be
connected to love and wants and needs
-Qaidah
fil Mahabbah
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قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
3:31
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It should be understood that the one who loves a thing gives it
precedence and gives precedence to what is in accordance with it, otherwise
he is not sincere in his love, and he is a mere pretender.
-Al-Qaadi Iyyad
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يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن
دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ
عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ وَلاَ يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لائِمٍ ذَلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن
يَشَاء وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
5:54
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The one who
sincerely loves the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the
one in whom signs of that appear, the first of which is following his example,
adhering to his Sunnah, emulating him in word and deed, complying with his
commands, avoiding that which he prohibited, and striving to follow his
teachings in times of hardship and of ease, when one feels energetic and when
one feels reluctant….
So we should
give precedence to what he prescribed and encouraged over our own whims and
desires.
-al-Qadi Ayyad
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386-"Allah, the Exalted, has
said: 'I will declare war against him who treats with hostility 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 (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides
what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing
with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which
he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I
will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect
him".
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One will only follow what he loves even if
he loves something but will follow what he loves more.
Therefore, there is only one ultimate thing
you love, thus anything below it will always be connected to the superior
form of love
-Qaidah fil Mahabbah
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387- "When Allah loves a
slave, calls out Jibril and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him'. Then Jibril
loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that
Allah loves so- and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the
angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him".
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The love of Allah has no limits and can
never be blameworthy or negative.
-Ibn Taymiyyah
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388- 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with
her) reported:
Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ)
appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in Salat (prayer); he
always concluded his recitation with Surat Al-Ikhlas: "Say (O Muhammad (ﷺ)): 'He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (Allah - the
Self-Sufficient). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none equal
or comparable to Him."' (112:1-4) Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they
mentioned this to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ),
who said, "Ask him why he does so?" He was asked and he said,
"This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to
recite it. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
then told them, "Tell him that Allah loves him".
This incident
shows us the wisdom and love the Companions had for Eman and Tawheed..
They knew how
to direct that love – based on Eman and actions…
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Excessive in
loving something without knowledge creates deviation and removes actual love.
Love based on
pride but without knowledge will create Anger and this also removes any
actual love.
-Ibn Taymiyyah
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WARNING AGAINST HARMING THE PIOUS
What is harm?
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So if a person is
advised to stay away from another person because of a particular fault that
the person has, so that the person being advised can avert himself from harm
and sin, then this is commendable. However, if the intent to describe the mistakes
of others is purely for the sake of exposing the persons sins, then this is
Haraam and a despicable action.
-Ibn
Rajab
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وَالَّذِينَ
يُؤْذُونَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا فَقَدِ
احْتَمَلُوا بُهْتَانًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
33:58
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Therefore,
having bad thoughts about another, especially if there is no basis, then this
is something that has been made Haraam by Allaah and His Messenger. Surely,
presuming something about another and basing a negative opinion about such a
person on this presumption are from the vices which lead to evils and
corruption to spread, to which Allaah and His Messenger have clearly made
Haraam. In such an instance, the one with the bad thoughts about the other
has not only sinned with such a presumption but has combined this sin with
other severe sins, which is to attribute a lie and a sin to someone who is
innocent of them.
In extension of such evil consequences, the one with these
corrupt presumptions will increase in his malevolence; it will lead to an
influx of hatred and enmity and a lacking of piety and controlling of ones
tongue – all of which leads to one backbiting, slandering and being envious
of others in that which Allaah has Blessed them from His Bounties and Favours
upon them
Ibn Rajab
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فَأَمَّا
الْيَتِيمَ فَلا تَقْهَرْ
وَأَمَّا
السَّائِلَ فَلا تَنْهَرْ
93:9-10
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And He
Described the believers as being those who are patient and sincere in
advising one another to the truth based on compassion and mercy.
Whereas
the faces of the immoral one vary from his wicked intent from wanting to
spread evil, exposure of sin, seeking superiority over others, love for
creating enmity and the great satisfaction he sees in harming his believing
brother. Harming your believing brother is a characteristic of the Shaytaan -
the one who makes Kufr, disobedience and sin fair-seeming to the Children of
Aadam so that they can join him in being from the dwellers of the fire. This
is how Allaah Says:
إِنَّ
الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ
لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ
-Ibn Rajab
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There are many Ahadith that can
be related, including:
“Whoever harms Me Friend then I
have declared a war against him.”
And the hadith which has
preceded:
389-"He who performs the
Fajr (dawn) prayer comes under the Protection of Allah, so beware lest Allah
questions you about what you owe Him. For if He questions anyone of you and he
falls short of fulfilling the duty which he owes Him, He will requite and then throw
upon his face into the Hell- fire".
TO ASSUME OF
OTHER MUSLIMS BY WHAT IS APPARENT AND TO LEAVE THEIR PRIVATE MATTERS WITH
ALLAH, THE MOST HIGH
فَإِن تَابُواْ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُاْ الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّواْ
سَبِيلَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
9:5
390- "I have been commanded
(by Allah) to fight people until they testify that there is no true god except
Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform Salat and pay
Zakat. If they do so, they will have protection of their blood and property
from me except when justified by Islam, and then account is left to
Allah".
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As for
Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa’ah then they are balanced between all these
aforementioned parties; balanced between extremism and negligence.
Perhaps
the above mentioned mistakes have become apparent because of the weakness of
al-Emaan and the diseases in the hearts. If one was to observe the method of
correcting with the major scholars of knowledge, they will see how they
advised, and continue to do so, with sincerity and wisdom. However, there are
those who wish to fish in murky waters, seeking to pick out mistakes from
obscure matters with the only objective of seeking a way to expel the one who
made the mistake outside the fold of Ahl as-Sunnah.
The
advice of Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin Baaz (may Allaah have Mercy on him), and an amazing piece of
advice he gave, when faced by a youth who sought to get a ruling on a
particular person. The Shaykh didn’t succumb and instead commanded all those
who want to call to Allaah, the Exalted and the Glorified, that they call
with insight and knowledge. That they follow the path of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa
al-Jamaa’ah in explaining the truth, rectifying mistakes and to refute in a
manner legislated in the Sharee’ah. As for those who claim that they are
trying to protect Ahl as-Sunnah from innovators when talking about the
mistakes of our scholars with the objective to create discord, then such a
person is a liar. Whoever wants the truth will find it and whoever wants
discord then they are fishing in murky waters, as the Shaykh described.
-Shaykh Saaleh as-Suhaymee
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391- "He who professes La
ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah), and denies of everything
which the people worship besides Allah, his property and blood become
inviolable, and it is for Allah to call him to account".
392- Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported:
I said, "Tell me, O Messenger of Allah, if I meet an enemy, and we
fight together, and he cuts off my hands with his sword, then hides from me
behind a tree and (then) says he has submitted himself to Allah. Shall I kill
him after he has said it?" He (ﷺ)
replied, "Do not kill him." I submitted, "But O Messenger of
Allah, he cut off one of my hands and only then he said it." Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) then replied, "Do not
kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before
you killed him (i.e., he will be considered a Muslim and thus his life will be
inviolable), and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his
testimony (i.e., your life will not be inviolable, for his heirs can ask for
Qisas)".
393- Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased
with them) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
sent us to Huraqat, a tribe of Juhainah. We attacked that tribe early in the
morning and defeated them, (then) a man from the Ansar and I caught hold of a
man (of the defeated tribe). When we overcame him, he said: 'La ilaha illallah
(There is no true god except Allah).' At that moment, the Ansari spared him,
but I attacked him with my spear and killed him. By the time we went back to
Al-Madinah, news had already reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said to me, "O Usamah, did you kill him after he
professed La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)?" I said,
"O Messenger of Allah! He professed it only to save his life."
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated, "Did you kill
him after he had professed La ilaha illallah?" He went on repeating this
to me until I wished I had not embraced Islam before that day (so that I would
have not committed this sin).
394- Jundub bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
dispatched a contingent of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. The two
sides met (in combat) at one place. A man among the polytheists was so dashing
that, whenever he intended to kill a man from Muslims, he killed him. Amongst
the Muslims, too, was a man looking forward to (an opportunity of) his
(polytheist's) unmindfulness. He (the narrator) said: We talked that he was
Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him). When he raised his sword, he
(the soldier of the polytheists) uttered: "La ilaha illallah (There is no
true god except Allah)." But he (Usamah bin Zaid) killed him. When the
good news of victory reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he asked him (about the events of the battle), and he informed
him about the man (Usamah) and what he had done. He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) sent for him and asked him why he had killed him. He (Usamah)
said, "O Messenger of Allah, he struck the Muslims and killed such and
such of them." And he named some of them. (He continued): "I attacked
him and when he saw the sword he said: 'La ilaha illallah."' Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill
him?" He (Usamah) replied in the affirmative. The Messenger of Allah then
remarked, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha
illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He
(Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Beg forgiveness for me". He
(the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What would you
do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before
you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) added nothing to it but kept repeating, "What would you
do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before
you) on the Day of Resurrection?".
Once a person becomes a Muslim
and he is a Sunni then you cant conspire against him…
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As for
the people of innovation and misguidance, those from them who are falsely
perceived as being scholars but in actuality are not people of knowledge,
then it is permissible to expose their ignorance and make apparent their faults,
with the intention that the masses will be warned against following them.
Note, this exposure only applies to the people of innovation and not the
mistakes made by an upright scholar, and Allaah Knows Best
-Ibn Rajab
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395- 'Abdullah bin 'Utbah bin Mas'ud
reported:
I heard 'Umar bin Al- Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported
saying: "In the lifetime of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some people were called to account through Revelation. Now
Revelation has discontinued and we shall judge you by your apparent acts.
Whoever displays to us good, we shall grant him peace and security, and treat
him as a near one. We have nothing to do with his insight. Allah will call him
to account for that. But whosoever shows evil to us, we shall not grant him security
nor shall we believe him, even if he professed that his intention is
good."
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The author here is explaining on how rectification is
brought about; not by defamation or seeking fault, rather it is to respond to
a mistake or a misunderstanding or even an innovation by quoting the relevant
evidences in explaining the truth. However, this is on the condition that one
only enters into the field of rectification once their intention has been
purified, that they are only inserting to clarify and make the truth
apparent. Not to defame. This is the path of scholars upon which they have
consensus upon; the truth must be clarified and any ideas which are false or
innovated must be expelled. Therefore, the objective of clarification is in
giving advice to the Muslims without being extreme or negligent, but being
balanced between the two extremes. This was the way of the Salaf, however
despite this, they did not see themselves as being infallible. Some of them
have been reported to say, “A person will not become a man of knowledge until
he realizes that despite whatever he knows , he is yet an ignorant.” [From
Ibn al-Mubaarak in Ihyaa ‘Uloom ad-Deen (1/59)] So you will find the Salaf
acknowledging their deficiency and questioning their own level of
understanding because they knew that a scholar has a chance of getting it
right but is always prone to mistake. They understood that their opinions are subjectable because
they knew that the religion is not a religion of opinion. For this reason,
some of them (attributed to Aboo Bakr and Ibn Mas’ood) would conclude stating
their opinions by saying, “If this is correct then it is from Allaah but if
it is not then it is from my own misunderstanding and Shaytaan.” [See
al-Bayhaqee in Sunnan al-Kubraa (7/246) and Tafseer at-Tabaree (8745)] Added to their humility, they were also
ready to accept the truth from wherever it came from, even taking it from
those younger than them. A practical example of this is the fact that Ibn
‘Abbaas [may Allaah have Mercy on him] was, at a point in time, a reference
for Fatwaa and religious issues. Especially in matters that were extremely
important. This is despite the fact that there were many much older than him,
and at times, he even choose opinions that were odd and conflicted with the
view of the majority of the other Companions. Nevertheless, he remained a
source of religious information because the Salaf knew and had the intention
to seek the truth, regardless of the status of the person stating it.
Shaykh Saaleh
as-Suhaymee
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And
Allah Knows best
