HOPE (in the
Unseen)
In
the previous chapter there are 10
In
the next two chapters there are 30 Ahadith
قال الله تعالى: {قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا
تقنطوا من رحمة الله إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعاً إنه هو الغفور الرحيم}
((الزمر:53))
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These Ayat were revealed
about those who had committed major sins and wanted to repent
-Ibn Uthaymin
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وقال تعالى:{وهل نجازي إلا الكفور} ((سبأ:17))
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There is hope that
an evil recompense is only given to the people who don’t have Tawhid.
As for the people of
Tawhid, they WILL eventually be in Jannah for eternity.
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وقال تعالى: {إنا قد أوحي إلينا أن العذاب على من كذب وتولى}
((طه:48))
وقال تعالى: {ورحمتى وسعت كل شئٍ} ((الأعراف:156)).
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Many of the Salaf said, ponder on the
signs of Allah and not about Allah. This will give a person hope (as well as instilling
a person fear, awe, submission & Tawakkul).
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What is hope (الرجاء)?...
Ibn
al-Qayyim classes them as two praiseworthy forms and one blameworthy:
1-Seeking
Allah and His reward in the hereafter, done by having Tawhid in Him and obeying
Him (this includes الرغبة).
2-A
person who has the above but repents when he slips, so his level of hope now
includes expiation and hoping that he will be pardoned.
3-A
person who is devoid of all of the above but only has hope that Allah will
forgive him. He has no real Eman and no action. His hope is a lie and is false.
Hope
in Eman and Aqidah…
412- "He who bears witness that there is no true
god except Allah, alone having no partner with Him, that Muhammad is His slave
and His Messenger, that 'Isa (Jesus) is His slave and Messenger and he (Jesus)
is His Word which He communicated to Maryam (Mary) and His spirit which He sent
to her, that Jannah is true and Hell is true; Allah will make him enter Jannah
accepting whatever deeds he accomplished".
Hope
in being able to do good and having them accepted…
413- 'Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward)
ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the
punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one
span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one
cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I go to
him running; and whosoever meets Me with an earth-load of sins without
associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that".
Hope
in Tawhid of Allah (greater than the whole world and all it contains)…
414- A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, what are the two
imperatives which lead to Jannah or Hell". He (ﷺ) replied, "He who dies without associating anything with
Allah will enter Jannah, and he who dies associating partners with Allah will
enter the Fire".
415- Mu'adh bin Jabal was riding on the beast with the
Prophet (ﷺ), when he (ﷺ) said to him, "O Mu'adh!" Mu'adh replied, "Here
I am responding to you, and at your pleasure, O Messenger of Allah." He (ﷺ) again called out, "O Mu'adh." He (again) replied,
"Here I am responding your call, and at your pleasure." He (Messenger
of Allah) addressed him (again), "O Mu'adh!" He replied, "Here I
am responding to you, and at your pleasure, O Messenger of Allah." Upon
this he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "If
anyone testifies sincerely that there is no true god except Allah, and Muhammad
is His slave and Messenger, truly from his heart, Allah will safeguard him from
Hell." He (Mu'adh) said, "O Messenger of Allah, shall I not then
inform people of it, so that they may have glad tidings." He (ﷺ) replied, "Then they will rely on it alone (and thus give
up good works altogether)." Mu'adh (May Allah be pleased with him)
disclosed this Hadith at the time of his death, to avoid sinning for concealing.
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Hope can’t be confused for being realistic.
A person must be wise as to when to adopt hope and
call towards hope.
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Hope that it is enough to save
you from the eternal fire...
416- Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased
with him) or may be Abu Sa'id Al- Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him)
reported:
On the day of the battle of Tabuk, the Muslims were hard pressed by
hunger and they asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):
"O Messenger of Allah, grant us permission to slaughter our camels to eat
and use their fat". He (ﷺ)
accorded permission. On this 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) came and
said: "O Messenger of Allah, if it is done, we shall suffer from lack of
transportation. I suggest you pool together whatever has been left and
supplicate Allah to bless it." Allah will bestow His Blessing upon it.
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) agreed and called for
leather mat and had it spread out, and asked people to bring the provisions
left over. They started doing it. One brought a handful of corn, another
brought a handful of dates, a third brought a piece of bread; thus some
provisions were collected on the mat. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) invoked blessings, and then said, "Now take it up in your
vessels". Everyone filled his vessel with food, so that there was not left
a single empty vessel in the whole camp. All of them ate to their fill and
there was still some left over. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said, "Any slave who meets Allah, testifying there is no true god
except Allah, and that I am His Messenger, without entertaining any doubt about
these (two fundamentals), will not be banished from entering Jannah."
Hope
that it will be accepted on earth before we leave (cooperation, intercession
etc.)….
417- 'Itban bin Malik (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported, who was with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the battle of Badr:
I used to lead my people at Bani Salim in Salat (prayer) and there was a
valley between me and those people. Whenever it rained, it became difficult for
me to cross it for going to their mosque. So I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "I have weak eyesight and the valley between me
and my people flows during the rainy season and it becomes difficult for me to
cross it. I wish you to come to my house and offer Salat at a place so that I
could reserve that as a Musalla (place for prayer)." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I will do so". So Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) came to my house
the (next) morning after the sun had risen high. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked my permission to enter and I admitted him. He did not
sit before saying, "Where do you want us to offer Salat in your
house?" I pointed to the place where I wanted him to offer prayers. So
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for the prayer and
started the prayer with Takbir and we aligned in rows behind him; and he
offered two Rak'ah prayer and finished them with Taslim, and we also performed
Taslim with him. I detained him for a meal called Khazirah which I had prepared
for him. (Khazirah is a special type of dish prepared from barley flour and
meat soup). When the neighbours got the news that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in my house, they started coming till a large number of
men gathered in my house. One of them said, "What is wrong with Malik, for
I do not see him?" One of them replied, "He is a hypocrite and does
not love Allah and His Messenger". On that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Don't say this. Haven't you seen that he testified
that there is no true god except Allah,' for Allah's sake only." The man
replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better, but by Allah, we never saw
him but helping and talking with the hypocrites." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "No doubt, whosoever testifies that there is
no true god except Allah, seeking by so professing the pleasure of Allah only,
Allah will safeguard him against (Hell) Fire."
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In this
there is proof that loving goodness and the people of goodness is a sign that
your hope is channelled in the right manner – this is the correct meaning of
testifying with the Shahadtayn.
-Ibn Uthaymin
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Hope in attaining a portion in the
Mercy of Allah…
418- 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported:
Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for
her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed
it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you think this woman would ever throw her child
in fire?" We said, "By Allah, she would never throw the child in
fire." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said, "Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her
child".
419- "When Allah created the creatures, He wrote
in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: 'Verily, My Mercy prevailed
over My Wrath"
420- "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred
parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one
part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so
much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt
it".
Hope
in having our Tawbah accepted from Him…
421- "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious said: 'A
slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,' and Allah said:
'My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives
the sins and punishes for the sin.' He then again committed a sin and said:
'My Rubb, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave committed a sin and
then realized that he has a Rubb Who forgives his sin and punishes for the sin.'
He again committed a sin and said: 'My Rubb, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT)
said: 'My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb Who
forgives the sin or takes (him) to account for sin. I have granted forgiveness
to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes".
422- "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were
you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit
sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah would forgive them".
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This shows that worship is not that a person becomes
a sinless saint.
Its more of a relationship of highs and lows, which
will need hope and fear.
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423-“Were you not to commit sins, Allah would create
people who would commit sins and ask for forgiveness and He would forgive
them".
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This is when fear is low but when it increases before making
Tawbah, it is then followed by a phase of hope.
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Hope in the belief in the Unseen and that we will live and leave
the seen with security…
424- Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased
with him) reported:
We were sitting with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) were also there among the
audience. In the meanwhile Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
got up and left us. We waited long for his return: When we were worried about
his safety, and got scared, we got up. I, therefore, went out to look for
Messenger of Allah and came to a garden which belonged to the Ansar. He (ﷺ) said to me "Go and give glad tidings of Jannah to anyone
who testifies 'La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah),' being
whole-heartedly certain of it"
Hope
in standing on the Last Day…
425- 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May
Allah be pleased with them) reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) recited the Words of Allah,
the Exalted, and the Glorious, about Ibrahim (ﷺ)
who said: "O my Rubb! They have led astray many among mankind. But
whosoever follows me, he verily, is of me". (14:36) and those of 'Isa
(Jesus) (ﷺ) who said: "If You
punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only
You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise". (5:118). Then he (ﷺ) raised up his hands and said, "O Allah! My Ummah, my
Ummah," and wept; Allah, the Exalted, said: "O Jibril (Gabriel)! Go
to Muhammad (ﷺ) and ask him: 'What makes you
weep?" So Jibril came to him and asked him (the reason of his weeping) and
the Messenger of Allah informed him what he had said (though Allah knew it
well). Upon this Allah said: "Jibril, go to Muhammad (ﷺ) and say: 'Verily, We will please you with
regard to your Ummah and will never displease you".
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Hope is for all Prophets and Ummah’s before us, but
the level of hope and promise WE have been given is an exclusive virtue for
the Ummah of Muhammad.
-Ibn Uthaymin
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426- Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported:
I was riding a pillion with the Prophet (ﷺ)
on a donkey. He (ﷺ) said, "O Mu'adh, do you
know what is the right of Allah upon His slaves, and what is the Right of His
slaves upon Allah?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know
better". Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said, "Allah's Right upon His slaves is that they should worship Him Alone
and associate nothing with Him; and His slaves' right upon Him is that He
should not punish who does not associate a thing with Him." He (Mu'adh)
added: I said to the Messenger of Allah: "Shall I give the glad tidings to
people?" He (ﷺ) said, "Do not tell them
this good news for they will depend on it alone".
427- "When a believer is questioned in the grave,
he testifies that, 'there is no true god except Allah and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.' About him the Words of Allah, the Exalted, are: 'Allah
will keep firm those who believe, with the firm statement (The Testimony of
Faith) in this world and the Hereafter)". (14:27)
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You can never attain Jannah by hope alone, so ask
Allah by remaining steadfast.
-Ibn Baz
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Hope
in having our deeds effect our personalities and our rewards in both worlds..
428- "When a non-Muslim accomplishes any good
deed, he is rewarded for it in this world; and in the case of a Muslim, Allah
stores up his good acts for him in the Hereafter and provides him with
subsistence in this life due to his obedience."
429- "The five daily Salat (prayers) are like a
great river running by your door in which you take a bath five times a
day."
430- "Any Muslim dies and forty men who do not
associate anything with Allah (in worship), perform his funeral prayer, Allah
makes them intercede for him".
431- There were, about forty of us with Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) in a camp when he
said, "Aren't you pleased that you will constitute one-fourth of the
inhabitants of Jannah?" We said, "Yes". He again said,
"Aren't you pleased that you will constitute one-third of the
inhabitants of Jannah?". We said: "Yes." Upon this he (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, I hope
that you will constitute one-half of the inhabitants of Jannah; and the
reason is that only Muslims will be admitted into Jannah; and you are no more
compared to the polytheists than as a white hair on the skin of a black ox, or
a black hair on the skin of a white ox."
432- "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will
deliver to every Muslim, a Jew or a Christian and say: 'This is your ransom
from Hell-fire."'
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Meaning, your deeds that you hope will be accepted,
WILL be given to you on that Day – irrespective of what Sharia you followed.
-Ibn Uthaymin
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Hope
that He will Love us…
433- Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with
them) reported:
I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
saying, "A believer will be brought close to his Rubb on the Day of
Resurrection and enveloping him in His Mercy, He (SWT) will make him confess
his sins by saying: 'Do you remember (doing) this sin and this sin?' He will
reply: 'My Rubb, I remember.' Then He (SWT) will say: 'I covered it up for you
in the life of world, and I forgive it for you today.' Then the record of his
good deeds will be handed to him".
Hope that sins will be removed from us…
434- 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be
pleased with him) reported:
A man kissed a woman and he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and made a mention of that to him. It was (on this occasion)
that this Ayah was revealed:
435- A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a sin
liable of ordained punishment. So execute punishment on me". Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) did not ask him
about it, and then came the (time for) Salat (prayers). So he performed Salat with
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) finished Salat, the
man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a sin. So
execute the Ordinance of Allah upon me". He (ﷺ) asked, "Have you performed Salat with us?"
"Yes", he replied. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah has forgiven you".
Hope
in our daily chores and habits…
436- "Allah is pleased with His slave who eats a
meal and praises Him for it; and takes a drink and praises Him for it".
437- "Allah, the Exalted, stretches His Hand
during the night so that those who commit sins by day may repent, and He
stretches His Hand in the day so that those who commit sins by night may
repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the West".
Hope is a way of being balanced…
438- Abu Najih 'Amr bin 'Abasah (May Allah
be pleased with him) reported:
In the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, I used to think that people who
used to worship idols, were deviated and did not adhere to the true religion.
Then I heard of a man in Makkah who was preaching a message. So I mounted my
camel and went to him. I found that (this man who was) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained hidden because of the persecution by his people. I
had entered Makkah stealthily and when I met him I asked him, "Who are
you?" He (ﷺ) said, "I am a
Prophet." I asked; "What is a Prophet?" He said, "Allah has
sent me (with a message)". I asked, "With what has He sent you?"
He said, "He sent me to strengthen the ties of kinship, to destroy idols
so that Allah alone should be worshipped and nothing should be associated with
Him". I asked, "Who has followed you in this?" He said, "A
freeman and a slave". (At that time only Abu Bakr and Bilal (May Allah be
pleased with her) were with him). I said, "I shall follow you". He
said, "You can not do that now. Do you not see my situation and that of
the people? Go to your people, and when you hear that my cause has prevailed,
come to me". So I went back to my people, and while I was with my people,
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) emigrated to Al-Madinah. I
continued to ask people about him till some of my people visited Al- Madinah.
On their return, I asked them, "How is that man who has arrived in
Al-Madinah faring?" They said, "People are hastening to him. His own
people had planned to kill him but did not succeed." Then I went to
Al-Madinah and came to him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, do you
recognize me?" He (ﷺ) said, "Yes, you are the
one who met me in Makkah." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of
that which Allah has taught you and of which I am unaware. Tell me about Salat
first." He (ﷺ) replied, "Perform the
Fajr (morning) Salat, then stop Salat until the sun has risen up to the height
of a lance, for when it rises, it rises up between the horns of the devil, and
the infidels prostrate themselves before it at that time. Then perform Salat,
for Salat is witnessed and angels attend it, until the shadow becomes equal to
the length of its object; then stop Salat, for at that time Jahannam (Hell) is
heated up. Then pray when the shadow becomes longer, for the prayer is
witnessed and angels attend it, until you perform 'Asr prayer; then stop Salat
till sun sets, for it sets between the horns of a devil. At that time the
infidels prostrate themselves before it." I then asked the Messenger of
Allah to tell me about Wudu', and he (ﷺ)
said, "When a person begins the Wudu' and washes his mouth and nose, the
sins committed by his face, mouth and nostrils are washed out. Then when he
washes his face as commanded by Allah, the sins of his face are washed out with
the water from the sides of his beard. Then when he washes his hands up to
elbows, the sins of his hands are washed out through his fingers with water.
Then he passes his wet hands over his head and the sins of the head are washed
out through the ends of his hair with water. Then he washes his feet up to the
ankles, the sins of his feet are washed out through his toes with water. Then,
if he stands up for Salat and praises Allah, glorifies Him, proclaims His
Greatness as He deserves and devotes his heart wholly to Allah, he emerges sin
free as the day he was born".
When 'Amr bin 'Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated this Hadith to Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), the latter said to him, "Watch what you are saying. O 'Amr bin 'Abasah, a man will be getting all of this in one shot?"
When 'Amr bin 'Abasah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated this Hadith to Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ), the latter said to him, "Watch what you are saying. O 'Amr bin 'Abasah, a man will be getting all of this in one shot?"
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Meaning,
be careful for what you attribute to the Prophet because you are making it sound
too simple…
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'Amr (May Allah be pleased with
him) replied, "O Abu Umamah, I have attained old age, my bones have become
dry, my death is approaching and there is no need for me to tell lies
concerning Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ).
Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah only once, twice, thrice (and
he counted up to seven) I would never have reported it. Indeed I have heard
this frequently".
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How
can a person attain a sound level of hope?
1-Plentiful
of Dhikr of the One he loves (unseen).
2-Realizing
the favours of Allah and showing gratitude for them (seen).
Ibn
Taymiyyah
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Conclusion…
439- "When Allah intends to show mercy to a
people, He collects their Prophet before them and makes him a herald to
happiness for them in the Hereafter; and when He intends to destroy a people,
He punishes them while their Prophet is alive, and destroys them while he is
alive and watches them and makes him witness their destruction because they
disbelieved in him and disobeyed his commands".
And Allah knows best
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