Keys to the Special Mercy of Allah

Series on the Speciality of Each Ten Days of Ramadhaan – Part Two

It is the belief of every single Muslim that the entire universe, and every creation in existence, is completely dependent upon Allah Ta‘ala, at every moment, for its continuity, while Allah Ta‘ala is absolutely independent of the creation. Everything that happens in the world only occurs with the permission of Allah Ta‘ala and through His power. Hence, not even a leaf can fall from a tree without the power and permission of Allah Ta‘ala.

Having understood that everything in existence relies upon Allah Ta‘ala, we must realize that we too are completely dependent upon Him at every moment. It is only through Allah Ta‘ala’s mercy that we breathe, that our hearts beat, that our brains function, and that our bodies and organs continue to operate correctly, ensuring our survival and comfort. If Allah Ta‘ala had to deprive us of His mercy for even a moment, we would be absolutely finished and destroyed, as we would simply cease to function.

Just as our physical continuity and progress is dependent on Allah Ta‘ala’s mercy, our Deeni and spiritual progress is likewise dependent on Him. It is only through His mercy that we feel inspired to perform salaah, feel motivated towards righteousness, feel encouraged to repent, feel inclined to obeying Him, etc. In essence, we are completely dependent on the mercy of Allah Ta‘ala, at every moment, for both our physical and spiritual continuity and progress. However, we must realize that the more we obey Allah Ta‘ala, the more He will bless us with His mercy and the more we will progress, and the more we disobey Him, the more we will be deprived of His mercy.

Nevertheless, there are certain actions which are ‘keys’ to the special mercy of Allah Ta‘ala, as Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had himself made du‘aa for the people carrying out these actions to be blessed with Allah Ta‘ala’s special mercy.

With the first ten days of Ramadhaan being the ten days of Allah Ta‘ala’s special mercy, we should try to commence practising on these actions during these ten days, thus making them a part of our lives thereafter as well. In this way, we will hopefully attract the special mercy of Allah Ta‘ala.

Some of these actions are:

1. To awake for Tahajjud Salaah, and thereafter wake one’s spouse to perform Tahajjud Salaah as well, even if one has to assist them to awaken by sprinkling a few drops of water on their face. (Sunan Abi Dawood #1450)

2. Performing the four sunnats before the ‘Asr Salaah. (Sunan Tirmizi #430)

3. Speaking words which are rewarding (i.e. speaking any words through which one will be rewarded e.g. encouraging people towards righteousness, or speaking permissible words that bring cheer to people’s hearts, etc.). (Shu‘abul Imaan #4589)

4. Remaining silent in the case where one’s words will cause one to become sinful (e.g. not engaging in backbiting, slander, gossip, carrying tales, etc.). (Shu‘abul Imaan #4589)

5. For a woman to dress in a manner that appropriately conceals her body. (Shu‘abul Imaan #7422)

6. Bing lenient and soft when purchasing, selling and claiming payment. (Saheeh Bukhaari #2076)

May Allah Ta‘ala shower His mercy upon us all, throughout our lives, and may He assist us all to adhere to these actions, Aameen.

The Window of Opportunity

Series on the Speciality of Each Ten Days of Ramadhaan – Part One

Time, comprising of miniscule moments, has always been regarded with great importance by man. Hence, man has always sought methods and means to measure and keep track of time. From ancient sundials and historical water clocks to the modern, digital timepieces and Swiss-precision clocks that we have today – man has come a long way in perfecting instruments of time.

More important than measuring time, however, is using it productively and efficiently. In this regard, it is an accepted reality that there are certain times that are more conducive to certain activities. In other words, an effort made for a certain goal in these times will yield more results than the same effort made at other times.

A simple example of this is business during the month of December. Every shopkeeper understands that while his business may do well in other periods of the year, it is in the month of December that his business will generate the highest turnover and profits. Hence, he makes the most of this month, opening early, closing late, employing extra staff, increasing his advertising and holding massive sales.

In a similar manner, the month of Ramadhaan is the believer’s equivalent of the businessman’s December in regard to generating massive ‘profits’ in reward. In the month of Ramadhaan, a believer exerts himself more than he does at any other time, trying his best to earn forgiveness and rewards. Nevertheless, the month of Ramadhaan itself has been divided into three portions, each portion offering a window of opportunity for the believers to acquire some special benefit.

On the final day of Sha’baan, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) delivered a sermon to the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) regarding the immense virtues and importance of the month of Ramadhaan, together with advices to be followed during this blessed month. In the course of this sermon, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned the following regarding Ramadhaan, “This is a month, the first of which brings Allah Ta‘ala’s mercy, the middle of which brings His forgiveness, and the last of which brings emancipation from the fire of Jahannum.” (Saheeh Ibni Khuzaimah #1887)

Accordingly, during the first ten days of Ramadhaan, Allah Ta‘ala showers His abundant favours upon the believers. Then, those who express gratitude to Allah Ta‘ala are blessed even further, with more favours and bounties from Allah Ta‘ala. During the second ten days, Allah Ta‘ala showers His forgiveness upon His servants, and this is in reward for their fasting during the first ten days. Finally, the last ten days bring immunity from entering the fire of Jahannum.

Shaikhul Hadeeth, Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahimahullah), has explained the abovementioned hadeeth in the following manner: Ramadhaan has been divided into three portions because the believers are of three types. The first type of believer is the one who is not burdened by sins. Since he is free of the obstacle of sins, the very moment Ramadhaan commences (from the first ten days), he is able to benefit from the mercy and blessings of Allah Ta‘ala. The second type of believer is the one who is burdened by sins, but his burden is not too heavy. After fasting and exerting himself in ‘ibaadah during the first ten days, he gains forgiveness from Allah Ta‘ala after the first ten days, and thus begins to receive the special mercy and bounties of Allah Ta‘ala in the second ten days. The last type of believer is the one who is heavily burdened by sins. On account of the heaviness of his burden, he only gains forgiveness after two thirds of Ramadhaan have passed, and thus he only begins to receive the special mercies during the last ten days.

From this explanation, we understand that the first type of person, who enters the month of Ramadhaan without a burden of sin to bear, is the most fortunate, as he receives the greatest amount of blessings and mercies from Allah Ta‘ala in this most sacred month. Hence, the effort should be to engage in abundant istighfaar and repentance, in the few days left until Ramadhaan, so that we can try to acquire forgiveness before the month commences. In this way, we too can commence receiving the special mercies and bounties of Allah Ta‘ala from the very beginning of Ramadhaan.

Insha-Allah, in the weeks to come, we will discuss methods through which we can achieve the aforementioned benefit for each of the ten days. Hopefully, with the help of Allah Ta‘ala, we will make this Ramadhaan the best Ramadhaan of our lives thus far, aameen.

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part Two

Spontaneous Modesty

The Expedition of Banul Mustaliq occurred during the month of Sha’baan 5 A.H. Together with the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who accompanied Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) on this expedition, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) also took his respected wife, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) along with him.

On the return journey, they had halted for the night at a place close to Madeenah Munawwarah. Prior to the time of departure, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) went some distance away from the camp site to take care of her physical needs. However, when she returned, she realised that her necklace had fallen off and therefore went back in search of it. In the process of finding her necklace, she was delayed, and upon returning to the camp site, she found that the army had already departed.

Since Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was very light in weight at that time, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) who had lifted the hawdaj (a curtained carriage) and placed it on the camel’s back did not even realized that she was not inside.

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) relates, “I proceeded to the place in which I had initially been, realising that they would soon discover that I was missing and return for me. I then covered myself with 

my shawl, and fell asleep.

“Safwaan bin Mu‘attal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was appointed by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), as per his own request, to follow behind the army. Hence, when the army would depart, he would remain in the camp, performing salaah. After some time, he would follow behind the army, recovering lost items, such as a waterskin or utensil, that any person in the army had left behind, so that he could return it to the owner.

“As Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) proceeded, he came to the place where I was, noticed the figure of a person sleeping, and recognized me (as the shawl had fallen from my face, while I was asleep). Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was able to recognize me as he had seen me in the era before the laws of hijaab (purdah) were revealed.

“As soon as he saw me, he loudly recited, ‘innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaji‘oon’, causing me to awaken. On awakening, my spontaneous reaction was to cover my face and conceal it from him. By Allah! We did not speak anything to one another, nor did I hear any word from him besides his reciting of ‘innaa lillaah’.

“He then brought his camel to me, made it kneel, and then turned his face away, allowing me to climb onto the camel. He then led the camel, until we reached the army.”

(Saheeh Bukhaari #4750 and Fat-hul Baari)

Lessons:

1. Before she fell asleep, Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) covered herself, and as soon as she awoke, her spontaneous reaction was to cover her face as well. Hence, it is clear that the aspect of purdah was so deeply ingrained in Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) that it was her second nature. It is thus very clear that the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), despite the high level of their piety, purity of their hearts, and deep consciousness of Allah Ta‘ala, did not regard purdah and the covering of the face to be a trivial matter or something insignificant – rather they showed it utmost importance, as they knew that hayaa is directly linked to imaan.

2. When Sayyiduna Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) discovered Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), he woke her by loudly reciting ‘innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon’, in order to avoid any direct conversation. When a Sahaabi exercised this level of caution when interacting with his ‘mother’ in a situation of dire necessity, due to her being a non-mahram, what level of caution should we be exercising, in a time that abounds with lust and illicit behaviour. While this applies to physical meetings and verbal conversations, it equally applies to interacting via social networks or any other media.     

3. Sayyiduna Safwaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had to fulfil the necessary duty of transporting Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) back to the army, as he could not leave her alone in the wilderness. However, he did so with utmost hayaa. While she was climbing onto the camel, he turned away completely, and after she was mounted on the camel, he did not walk beside her, but walked in front, where he could not see her. In essence, both these Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), on this occasion, displayed the highest levels of hayaa and purdah, despite the difficult situation, thus setting the standard for the Ummah to follow.

A Letter to the Nile

During the khilaafah (rule) of Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the Muslims conquered the land of Egypt. Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had appointed Sayyiduna ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) as the governor over Egypt.

After the Muslims began to rule, when the month of Baoonah (the tenth month in the Coptic calendar) commenced, the people of Egypt approached Sayyiduna ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and said, “O leader! The Nile has a special ritual that must be performed. Without performing this ritual, the river will not rise (and we will not be able to farm).” Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked them, “What is this ritual?” The people answered, “When it is the twelfth night of this month, we go to a young, virgin girl. We then make her parents happy (by remunerating them greatly so they may consent us taking her away), after which we adorn her with the best of jewellery and dress her in the finest of garments. We then cast her into the Nile (as a human sacrifice).”

When Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) heard this, he said, “This ritual cannot be carried out in Islam, as Islam has abrogated and cancelled all customs and rituals of jaahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era).” The people thus desisted from performing this ritual. However, the remainder of Baoonah passed, as well as the next two months, without the water level of the Nile rising. Eventually, the people resolved to leave the area and move elsewhere.

When Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saw that the situation had reached this point, he wrote a letter to Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), informing him of the predicament in Egypt. On receiving his letter and reading it, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) sent him the following reply, “You have acted correctly (in refusing to carry out this custom), as Islam has cancelled all rituals and customs from jaahiliyyah.” Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) also wrote a small note, on a separate piece of paper, and included it within the letter. Regarding this note, he instructed Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), “I have sent a note to you, included with your letter. Cast this note into the Nile.”

When Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) received the letter, he took the note and saw that Sayyiduna ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had written the following, “From the servant of Allah Ta‘ala, ‘Umar, Ameerul Mu-mineen, to the Nile of Egypt. If your flowing is of your own accord, then you may abstain from rising. However, if it is that Being, who is One and All-Powerful, that causes you to flow, then we ask Him Who is Alone and All-Powerful to make you flow.”

Sayyiduna ‘Amr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) cast the letter into the Nile one day before Holy Cross Day (a day celebrated by the Christians). At that time all the people had prepared to migrate elsewhere, as they could not live in the region and see to their needs without the water of the Nile. The following morning, when the people awoke, they found that Allah Ta‘ala had caused the level of the Nile to rise by almost seven meters in a single night!

In this manner, Allah Ta‘ala brought an end to that bad custom of human sacrifice for the Nile, and it has never again been practiced till this day.

(Taareekh Ibni ‘Asaakir vol. 44, pg. 337)

Lessons:

1. No matter what difficulty the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) faced, even if it was the difficulty of drought due to the Nile not flooding, they were NEVER prepared to compromise their Deen. They understood that Allah Ta‘ala alone is in control of everything, and His assistance can NEVER be gained through disobeying Him and turning away from Him. Hence, in our current situation, while abiding by the lockdown regulations, we should remain committed to Deen and be loyal to Allah Ta‘ala by being steadfast on the five daily salaah, abstaining from sins, etc.

2. Islam is a complete Deen. Hence, a Muslim will never adopt customs from other cultures, such as birthday parties, nor will he invent his own customs and rituals and try to make them part of Deen.

Sayyidah ‘Aa'ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) – Part One

The Most Beloved of the Most Beloved

Allah Ta‘ala had blessed multiple women with the honour of becoming the Azwaaj Mutahharaat (pure and chaste wives of Rasulullah [sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam]). However, from all the Azwaaj Mutahharaat, perhaps the one who is most well-known is Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha).

Not only was Sayyidah Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) the most beloved of the Azwaaj Mutahharaat to our most beloved Rasul (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), but among all his wives, she was blessed with many special virtues that were unique to her alone.

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) once mentioned the following to the other Azwaaj Mutahharaat:

“I was favoured over you with ten special blessings – and I do not say this with pride (but rather to express gratitude to Allah Ta‘ala. These ten special blessings are that) I was the most beloved to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) from all his wives and my father was the most beloved to him (from all the Sahaabah [radhiyallahu ‘anhum]).

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) married me as a virgin, whereas he did not marry any other woman who was a virgin besides me. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) married me at the age of seven, and I went to live with him when I was nine.

(When I was falsely accused of zina,) my exoneration and the declaration of my innocence descended from the sky (as revelation to be recorded in the Qura'an Majeed).

When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was in his final illness, he asked his wives permission saying, ‘It is difficult for me to continue moving between your homes (giving each of you your due turn). Hence, allow me to remain with one of you.’ When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said that, Ummu Salamah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) said, ‘We understand what it is that you wish – you wish to stay at the home of ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). We have given you permission to do so (as this is what pleases you).’

The final thing to be placed in the blessed mouth of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the world was my saliva. A miswaak was brought to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and he asked me to chew it for him and soften it for him, which I did (and he then used the miswaak, due to which my saliva was in his blessed mouth when he departed from this world).

(Finally,) Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) departed from this world while reclining on me, (with his blessed head) between my lap and my chest, and he was buried in my home.” (Siyaru Aa’laamin Nubalaa vol. 2, pg. 147)

Sayyidah ‘Aaishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was blessed with many other special virtues and bounties by Allah Ta‘ala. Nevertheless, from these great virtues, we can understand the high rank and status that Allah Ta‘ala had blessed her with.

Insha-Allah, in the following weeks, we will take glimpses into the blessed life of this outstanding personality so that she may serve as an inspiration to us all.