Hadith ~ You will not enter Jannah until you believe

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “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)”. (Muslim)

Commentary: In this Hadith, Islam has been regarded as the medium of mutual love. This is the reason Muslims have been enjoined to greet each other regardless of acquaintance. It does not, however, mean that a Muslim will be a true believer or entitled to Jannah, by mere greeting. What it really means is that his Faith will become meaningful only when it is supported by actions. Greeting is an Islamic custom and a practical form and demonstration of it. The combination of Faith and its practice will take a Muslim to Jannah.

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous)
By Imam An Nawawi
Chapter 46, Page 126, No 378

Hadith ~ Seven afflictions

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.” Then (giving a warning) he said: “Are you waiting for poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion, or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or a disease which will disable you, or senility which will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death which will take you all of a sudden, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected, or the Hour; and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter.” [At-Tirmidhi].

Commentary: The Hadith focuses on seven things which hold back man from the virtuous path. Taking in consideration the turning health and the brief span of life to his account, he is, therefore, apt to gather up good deeds for the Hereafter because an untoward situation may confront him any moment and render him unable to do good things to his benefit in the otherworldly life.

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous)
By Imam An Nawawi
Chapter 65, Page 189, No 578

Ayaat 13-15 ~ Al-Hujuraat (The Dwellings)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

13. O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqûn (pious – see V.2:2)]. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

14. The bedouins say: “We believe.” Say: “You believe not but you only say, ‘We have surrendered (in Islâm),’ for Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allâh and His Messenger, He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

15. Only those are the believers who have believed in Allâh and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allâh. Those! They are the truthful.

Sura 49. Al-Hujuraat (The Dwellings)

Commentary ~ A Wise Man

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Here is a saying of Hassan al-Basri, one of the Tabi’en (second generation after the Companions RA), born in the year 21 (641-642), died in the year 110 (728-729).

Hassan Basri said: “He is a wise man who takes care of his interests of the other life without worrying that his temporal prosperity is not damaged. Whoever knows the Lord Most High sees his love for Him increasing day by day; anyone who knows this fleeting world considers it an enemy. The intelligent man is one who puts a firm brake on his passions and holds the bridle with a firm hand. Take a good look at what happens to the affairs of this world for someone who dies, because they will be exactly the same for you after you die. It was out of love for the earthly world that the infidels worshiped idols.” And he added: “Whoever highly values gold and silver, the Most High Lord will cause him to fall into debasement at the end. Only order others what you yourself can do.” He also said: “Anyone who reports the words of others to you is able to relate your own words to others. Do not give access to such a character near your person. On the Day of Resurrection it will be necessary to give an account not only of all that one will have eaten oneself, but of all that one will have made to eat to his father, his mother or his grandchildren (…) For each prayer that you will make without meditation, the punishment will follow closely behind.”

Hadith ~ Truthfulness

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Narrated Abdullah (May Allah be satisfied with him): ‘The Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness. Righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes an extremely truthful person. Falsehood leads to wickedness. Wickedness leads to the Hellfire, and a man may keep on telling lies until he is written before Allah as a liar.” (Bukhari)

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous) (Abridged)
By Imam An Nawawi Vol. (1)
Publisher: Dar Al-Manarah
ISBN: 977.6005.23.3
Chapter 4, Page 141, Number 48

Ayaat 36-42 ~ An-Nisa’ (The Women)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

36. Worship Allâh and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masâkin (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allâh does not like such as are proud and boastful;

37. Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allâh has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.

38. And (also) those who spend of their substance to be seen of men, and believe not in Allâh and the Last Day [they are the friends of Shaitân (Satan)], and whoever takes Shaitân (Satan) as an intimate; then what a dreadful intimate he has!

39. And what loss have they if they had believed in Allâh and in the Last Day, and they spend out of what Allâh has given them for sustenance? And Allâh is Ever All­Knower of them.

40. Surely! Allâh wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant) , but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.

41. How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?

42. On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were buried in the earth, but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allâh.

Sura 4. An-Nisa’ (The Women)

Commentary ~ The past is gone forever

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

By brooding over the past and its tragedies, one exhibits a form of insanity – a kind of sickness that destroys resolve to live for the present moment. Those who have a firm purpose have filed away and forgotten occurrences of the past, which will never again see light, since they occupy such a dark place in the recesses of the mind. Episodes of the past are finished with; sadness cannot retrieve them, melancholy cannot make things right, and depression will never bring the past back to life. This is because the past is non-existent.

Do not live in the nightmares of former times or under the shade of what you have missed. Save yourself from the ghostly apparition of the past. Do you think that you can return the sun to its place of rising, the baby to its mother’s womb, milk to the udder, or tears to the eye? By constantly dwelling on the past and its happenings, you place yourself in a very frightful and tragic state of mind.

Reading too much into the past is a waste of the present. When Allah mentioned the affairs of the previous nations, Allah, the Exalted said:

That was a nation who has passed away. (Quran 2:134)

Former days are gone and done with, and you benefit nothing by carrying out an autopsy over them, by turning back the wheels of history.

The person who lives in the past is like someone who tries to saw sawdust. Of old, they used to say: “Do not remove the dead from their graves.”

Our tragedy is that we are incapable of dealing with the present: neglecting our beautiful castles, we wail over dilapidated buildings. If every man and every jinn were to try jointly to bring back the past, they would most certainly fail. Everything on earth marches forward, preparing for a new season – and so should you.

La Tahzan (Don’t be sad)
By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni
Translated by: Faisal ibn Muhammad Shafeeq, 2nd ed. Riyadh 2005
Publisher: International Islamic Publishing House
ISBN Hard Cover: 9960-850-36-6
ISBN Soft Cover: 9960-850-44-7
P30

Hadith ~ Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Narrated by Abu-Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘Allah’s Messenger (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously and whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak what is good or keep silent (i.e. abstain from all kinds of evil and dirty talk, e.g. abusing, lying, backbiting etc.).'” (Bukhari)

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous) (Abridged)
By Imam An Nawawi Vol. (2)
Publisher: Dar Al-Manarah
ISBN: 977.6005.23.3
Chapter 236, Page 959, Number 810

Ayaat 18-25 ~ Al-Isra’ (The Journey by Night)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Listen to Recitation

18. Whoever wishes for the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell, he will burn therein disgraced and rejected, (far away from Allâh’s Mercy).

19. And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it (i.e. do righteous deeds of Allâh’s Obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism), then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allâh).

20. To each these as well as those We bestow from the Bounties of your Lord. And the Bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden.

21. See how We prefer one above another (in this world) and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preference.

22. Set not up with Allâh any other ilâh (god), (O man)!, or you will sit down reproved, forsaken (in the Hell-fire).

23. And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour[1].

24. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.”

25. Your Lord knows best what is in your inner-selves. If you are righteous, then, verily, He is Ever Most Forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again in obedience, and in repentance.

Sura 17. Surah Al-Isra’ (The Journey by Night)

Commentary ~ The Root of Piety

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Here is an anecdote of Sheikh Chaqiq Balkhi:

“On he who falls a decree of destiny must show resignation. Whoever, during trials, despairs and weeps is like a person who has seized a spear to fight against the Lord Most High.” He also said: “The root of piety is the fear of the Lord Most High and refraining from all that is forbidden. The failure of men is due to three reasons: One is that they commit sins and that they lull themselves in the hope of doing penance later, the other is that they are in no hurry to do penance, because they feel that they will live a long life, and the third is that many people on the pretext that Allah’s Mercy is great, die without doing penance after spending their days in heedlessness. The Lord Most High, at the moment of death, doubles the intensity of life for those of his servants who served faithfully, while Allah makes them similar to the dead, even during their lives, the bad servants who are addicted to sinning.” “What I like above all, he said, is to receive a guest in my home, because while the guest only eats what has been destined to him by Allah, I participate in the reward promised to those who give from their wealth.”

Ayaat 30-35 ~ Al-Anbiyah’ (The Prophets)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

30. Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe[1]?

31. And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with them, and We placed therein broad highways for them to pass through, that they may be guided.

32. And We have made the heaven a roof, safe and well guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs.

33. And He it is Who has created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating.

34. And We granted not to any human being immortality before you, then if you die, would they live forever?

35. Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned.

Sura 21. Al-Anbiyah’ (The Prophets)

[1] This verse contains truths about the formation of planets and the earth, which have been confirmed by recent scientific discoveries.