Nafsul Mutmainnah

"(It will be said to the pious): "O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction (Nafsul Mutmainnah) ! Come back to your Lord, Well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter you, then, among My honoured slaves, and enter you My Paradise!" - Surah Al Fajr [89:27-30]

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Desirability of Fasting six Days in the Month of Shawwal




1254. Abu Ayyub (May Allaah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who observes As-Saum (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Saum for six days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Saum for the whole year.''
[Muslim].

Commentary:  According to the formula that there is at least ten-fold reward for every virtue, the Saum of one month (Ramadan) are equivalent to Saum of ten months. If one also observes six days of Saum of Shawwal, they will be equal to Saum of two months. Thus, one becomes eligible for the reward of one full years' Saum. He who makes it a permanent feature is like one who observes Saum throughout his life. He will be considered by Allaah as one who observes Saum permanently. Although voluntary in nature, they are highly important. One can observe these six-day Saum at a stretch or with intervals, but their observance one after the other at the beginning of the month is better. Similarly, if a person has missed some Saum of Ramadan due to illness, travelling etc., he should first make up the shortfall and then observe the voluntary six-day Saum of Shawwal.

Imam Al-Nawawi's Riyad-us-Saliheen, Chapter 228

O Ramadhaan! Be gentle...


Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali - rahimahullaah - said:

O Servants of Allaah! Ramadhaan is set to move on, and only a little of it remains. If anyone has done well during the month thus far, it is incumbent on him to complete the month in a good fashion. While anyone who has fallen short let him finish in good shape. Only a few days and nights remain, so bid it farewell with righteous actions that will testify for you before the All-Knowing King.
The hearts of the righteous people are filled with longing, lamenting from the pain of departure. How can a believer not shed tears upon its [Ramadhaan] departure when he does not know if he will live to see it again? O Ramadhaan! Be gentle, the tears of your lovers are pouring out. Their hearts are torn from the pain of your departure. Perhaps standing to bid you farewell will extinguish the burning fire of longing. Perhaps taking a moment to repent will mend everything that has been torn in fast. Perhaps one cut off from the procession of those whose fast has been accepted will be joined with them. Perhaps the one imprisoned by his sins will be freed. Perhaps one deserving to be punished in Hell will be liberated. Perhaps the mercy of the Lord will be granted to the sinner.

Lata'if al-Ma'arif

Some distinguishing characteristics of ahluSunnah- Shaikh Abdul Hameed alHajooree


These are a few points from shaikh abdul hameed alhajoorees book titled
"the clear proofs and magnificents sayings on the forbiddence of free mixing, photography and elections"
under the title
Some of The distinguishing features of the people of sunnah

1.Taking heed for the proofs from the book of Allah and the sunnah of his messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam and to strive to act accordingly.

2.Great concern for thawheed - Allah's oneness - in the fields of call, preaching, teaching and authoring as well.And they fight against the apparent signs of shirk and kufr that negates thawheed like grave worship and, going to astrologers and slaughtering for the please of other than Allah azza wa jall

3. Their great concern for the knowledge of the book and sunnah in terms of learning, memorizing and practicing as well. Wakee rahimahullah has said as it is reported in "dhammul kalaam wa ahlihi"
"whoever seeks the sunnah as it was reported then he is a man of sunnah" (dammul kalam 337)
And Imam Barbaharee stated in sharhus Sunnah
"and you should know -may Allah bless you - that the knowledge is not based on the abundance of books or narrations, rather the Alim is the one who follows the knowledge and sunnah even though he is of lesser books and narrations. And if the one contradicts with the knowledge and sunnah, then he is a man of innovations, despite whatever books and narrations he may possess"

4. They will cling to sunnah in all aspects of their lives including the attire, creed and worship.They wear the dresses up to the half of their legs only, and at most to the ankles. They will never wear the trousers - that the European wear- except those among them who have been deceived by some fatawa permitting that, or some other ones who prefers their profession over the sunnah and there is no benefit out of them!
Hasan bin alee al barbaharee stated "who is found to follow those matters of sunnah that the people of innovations have abandoned then he is the man of sunnah and the one who should be supported and followed. He is the one whom the messenger has recommended"
(SharhusSunnah 108)

5. They are keen to enjoin the good and forbid the evil following the command of Allah

in the meaning "And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful."( Alu imran 104)
They will practice all the three categories of this duty.They change the evil with their hands in their homes, children and where there is no chances of trouble out of it. And with their speech by warning from the affairs of shirk, kufr , Democracy, voting, partisanship, intoxication, fornication, homosexuality and so on and so forth.
And when there is no room left for both the kinds of inkar al munkar they will resort to hate the evil with their hearts. And they are applying the hadith of prophet in this matter too.
The hadith is recorded by imam Muslim in saheeh (49)
"whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand, if he is not able to do then with this tongue, and if he cant do that too then let he change it with his heart and that is the weakest of iman."
They are heedful in all these not to cause any harm that is more severe than the evil that they are trying or assuming to change!
And it is haraam to change an evil with some thing that is more evil!

6.They will resort to Quran and Sunnah in all aspects and disputes in their lives irrespective of whether the issue is silly or serious.
And this is necessary for a believer as Allah has stated in Quran
(the meaning of which is )
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. (surah anNisaa 65)
At this point shaikh abdulhameed says that these points was actually benefited from shaikh yahya alhajooree hafidahullah's dars on the 14th night of safar 1427AH , and the following are the benefits that shaikh abdulhameed has added to that.

7.They warn from all kinds of partisan-ships and dissociation s as they contradict with religion of Allah
Abubakr Ayyash was asked as in lalakaai reports(53)
"who is a sunni?" He replied " He is the one who will not be partisan to any of the hawaa "

8.Their severe warning from imitating the disbelievers in all the affairs that are specific to them including the dress, democracy and elections, and other than that.
They also warn from the evil of allying with disbelievers.

9.Their unity upon truth. AbulQasim alAsbahanee stated in alMahajjah "they follows the book and sunnah through narrations. And this caused them to unite"
(2:226)

10.And it is from their characteristics , their immense love for the imams of sunnah like imam Ahmad, Imam Malik, Awzaee, shaikhul islam Ibnuthaymiyyah, Shawkanee , ibnu baz, ibnu uthaimeen, our shaikh muqbil and shaikh alAlbanee may allah have mercy on them. And likewise is theit love for all others who followed their footsteps in following the book and the sunnah.
In addition to this love they are hating the people of falsehood like jahm, maabad aljuhanee, almarReesee, Raafidah, Khawaarij, Ikhwanul muslimeen, Soofees, Thableegees and suroorees.
Abu Uthman asSaboonee said in "aqeedathusSalaf ahlil hadeeth"
"one of the signs of the people of sunnah is their love for the imams of sunnah and its scholars and supporters.And also their hatred towards the people of bidaa and the callers who guides their followers to the hellfire. Allah has lighted the hearts of the people of sunnah with the love for the ulamaa of sunnah"
(page 171)

11. Another trait of them is that they revive the methodology of jarh wa thaadeel- disparagment and recommendations, so that the people of falsehood can be identified and bewared of and the people of truth can be identified and benefitted from. And every single one who is in the folds of falsehood are vigorously opposing thils methodology. Because they are either
*criticised by ahlussunnah or
*They are ignorant about the manhaj

12.They abstain totally from the khurooj- revolts against the rulers. And warn from that too whatever may be the form of that revolt- protests or demonstrations.
Because Allah has said in Qur'an
(in the meaning)
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.
(surah anNisaa 59)
And their obedience to the rulers is in the matters that are not disobedience to Allah and nothing other than that. The proof for that is the hadeeth
"The obedience is in righteousness alone"
Suhail athusthuree was asked "when a man can be called as on sunnah?"
he said "...... he doesn't revolt against this ummah with sword"

13. The rules that the photography of living objects is forbidden for the known proofs in this regards. And they announces the television as Haraam for it contains photos, many corruptions and music.

14. They are keen to spread the knowledge of book and sunnah in the masaajid the houses of Allah. Because Allah says (in the meaning)
[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings
(soorah anNoor 36)
And the messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said in the meaning "The masaajid are the sitting places of anbiyaa and they are safeguard from shaithan" (Aljaami liakhlaaq arRaawi 1181)
Umar ibnu abdil azeez may allah have mercy on him commanded the scholars to teach the knowledge in the masaajid
As reported in almuhaddith alFaasil (601)
If the masaajid are not available they will teach wherever they find room for that.

15. They discard the blind following totally.
The nutshell summary of all the aforementioned distinguishing characters is that they apply the Ayah in Qur'an which means
O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
(albaqarah 208)

I -shaikh abdulhameed - have elaborated these points in the book titled "The magnificent means to aid the salafi call"

There are some more beneficial points that the noble shaikh abdulhameed alhajooree mentioned regarding the converse- the distinguishing features of ahlul bidaa- the people of innovations in deen.
That too is worth reading and if any of our brothers in the aloloom website could translate that portion from shaikh's book it will be a highly beneficial service bi idhnillahi thaala

Soorah ash-Shura Shaykh Sudais


Sheikh Sudais: Dua Qunoot [Eng. Trans]