Lessons from Ahâdeeth Shareef by Moulana Naeem Motala | Commentary on 40 Ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه with emphasis on perfecting one’s character
| Lesson Thirty-Seven |
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اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهِ وَ نَتَوَ كَّلُ عَلَيهِ ، وَنَعُوْذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَناَ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness and we believe in Him and we place our trust upon Him, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomsoever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and we bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, having no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger
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اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ
Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad Wa’ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa Baarik Wa Sallim | Oh Allah shower blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and upon the family of Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
Hadith 36 | The Virtue of Gathering for the Remembrance of Allah
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه و سلم قَالَ:مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ مُؤْمِنٍ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ الدُّنْيَا نَفَّسَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرَبِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ يَسَّرَ عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ، يَسَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِما سَتَرَهُ اللهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ، وَاَللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ، وَمَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَمَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ، وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ؛ إلَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّكِينَةُ، وَغَشِيَتْهُمْ الرَّحْمَةُ، وَ حَفَّتهُمُ المَلاَئِكَة، وَذَكَرَهُمْ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ، وَمَنْ أَبَطْأَ بِهِ عَمَلُهُ لَمْ يُسْرِعْ بِهِ نَسَبُهُ
[رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ]
On the authority of Abu Hurairah Radiallahu Anhu who said : Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :
Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the grief’s of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates the need of a needy person, Allah will alleviate his needs in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever conceals the misdeeds of a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the Houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that Sakeenah (tranquillity) descends upon them, and mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them amongst those who are with Him. And whoever is slowed down by his actions, will not be hastened forward by his lineage. [Muslim]
| BRIEF EXPLANTION |
1] In this Hadith, seven important things have been mentioned… four of which pertain to the rights of a Believer. We have been foremost exhorted in this Hadith to relieve a Muslim brother from any distress (pain, suffering, anxiety) that he may be experiencing and lighten his difficulties.
The meaning of نَفَّسَ “Naffasah” (mentioned in this Hadith) is likened to a person who removes a strangling cord around the neck of another person, allowing him to breathe. Similarly, a Muslim should endeavour to remove the distress and anxiety of his Muslim brother. For delivering him from his pain and suffering and bringing on ease, there is great reward.
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam has mentioned in a Hadeeth :
أَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ أَطْعَمَ مُؤْمِنًا عَلَى جُوعٍ أَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ ثِمَارِ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ سَقَى مُؤْمِنًا عَلَى ظَمَإٍ سَقَاهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنَ الرَّحِيقِ الْمَخْتُومِ وَأَيُّمَا مُؤْمِنٍ كَسَا مُؤْمِنًا عَلَى عُرْىٍ كَسَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ خُضْرِ الْجَنَّةِ
Whichever believer feeds a hungry believer , Allah feeds him from the fruits of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Whichever believer gives drink to a thirsty believer, Allah gives him to drink from the ‘sealed nectar’ on the Day of Resurrection. Whichever believer clothes a naked believer, Allah clothes him from the green garments of Paradise. [Tirmidhi]
2] We have also been encouraged in this Hadith to make things easier for someone who is hard-pressed in this world, with regards to his property, finances, social issues or by granting him respite in repaying his debt until it become easier for him to fulfil his due…Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam has mentioned in a Hadeeth :
مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ غَرِيمِهِ أَوْ مَحَا عَنْهُ كَانَ فِي ظِلِّ الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Whoever grants respite to someone in difficulty or relieves him of his debt Allah will shade him on the Day of Qiyamah [Muslim]
3] We have also been exhorted in this Hadeeth, to conceal the wrong of our Muslim brother and Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala will conceal our faults in the Hereafter, but one who exposes the vulnerability of his Muslim brother then Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala will expose his faults to the extent that Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala will disgrace him in his own house. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said :
وَاَللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ، And Allah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother.**
**This has been explained previously in detail in Hadeeth 36
4] Thereafter, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam explained “Ilm-e-Deen” ie; travelling on a path and seeking knowledge of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala. Through knowledge one is able to understand the laws of Shariah and what Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala wants from us Believers. Whoever travels on a path seeking knowledge, Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala will make the path towards Paradise easy… hence, it will be easy for him to practice upon this knowledge. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam has mentioned in a Hadeeth :
إِنَّ مَثَلَ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَثَلِ نُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ ، يُهْتَدَى بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ، فَإِذَا انْطَمَسَتِ النُّجُومُ يُوشِكُ أَنْ تَضِلَّ الْهُدَاةُ
The simile of the scholars of knowledge on the earth is the stars in the sky by which one is guided in the darkness of the land and the sea…. When the stars are clouded over, the guides are about to be lost. [Musnad Ahmad]
As long as knowledge remains on the earth, people will be guided. The remaining of knowledge depends on the existence of the Ulama [scholars]. When they disappear from this world, then people will fall into error.
5/6] Thereafter, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam explained the importance of reciting the Noble Qur’aan and teaching it and making Zikr in the house of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala.
Four favours have been bestowed upon such people who gather in the house of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala, reading the Qu’aan and teaching it to one another : 1] peace and tranquillity descends upon them; 2] mercy envelopes them; 3] the Angels cover such a gathering; 4] and Allah Ta’ala remembers them in the gathering of the Angels.
7] And finally, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam explained the importance of one who performs righteous actions. One who lacks in performing good deeds cannot just have hopes on his lineage… perhaps he may be in the family of a Nabi or Wali or Aalim but that will not assist him on the day of Qiyamah. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam mentioned to his own relatives : “I cannot avail you in any way with Allah”.
Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala has mentioned in the Noble Qur’aan :
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship [family ties] among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another. [Surah Al-Mu’minoon 23:101]
| SUMMARY |
Seven important things were discussed in this Hadeeth. Those four things relating to the rights of a Muslim brother and how we should conduct ourselves in assisting him. Fifthly, the importance reciting the Noble Qur’aan, teaching it and making Zikr in the house of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala. Sixth is the importance of seeking knowledge and lastly, the fact that we should perform righteous deeds and not just depend on lineages.
April 23, 2018
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