8.2, Calling to Islam and Giving Counsel

In the Name of Allah, the Most Glorified and Exalted, who says in the Qur’an, “The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion).” (49:10)

Allah also informs us in the Qur’an, “(Nuh said) I give sincere advice to you.” (7:62)

And in another place, “(And Huud said) And I am a trustworthy adviser (or well-wisher) for you.” (7:68)

Islam is a religion that teaches unselfishness. We want what is best not only for our selves but also for those around us; our family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and everyone else in contact with us, and what better treasure to share than that of Islam; a complete system of life that brings with it the ultimate contentment of heart, mind and soul.

Tameem bin Aus Ad-Daaree (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Ad-Deen is sincerity.” We asked, “For whom?” He (SAW) replied, “For Allah, His Book, His Messenger and for the leaders of the Muslims and their masses.” (Muslim)

This short conversation stresses the importance and merits of general sincerity.

The goodwill (i.e. sincerity) for the Muslim rulers stands here for co-operating with them in their lawful orders. If they deviate from the Straight Path they should be counselled and persuaded to return to virtue.

The goodwill (i.e. sincerity) for the Muslim masses means that we should work for the betterment of their life in this world and the Hereafter. They should be provided right guidance, induced to perform good deeds and deterred from evils.

So important is this concept of giving counsel to one another that Jareer bin ‘Abdullah (RA) reported: "I made my covenant with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) on the observance of Salah, payment of Zakah, and giving counsel to the Muslims." (Bukhari and Muslim)

This Hadith emphasizes the importance of goodwill to all the Muslims to the extent that the Prophet (SAW) would require his Companions to vow for their goodwill giving counsel to each other in the same way as he did in the case of Salat and Zakat.

Lastly, Anas (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “None of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

We learn from this the importance and virtue of mutual love among the Muslims. If we were to act upon the injunctions mentioned in this Hadith we would be purged immediately of the evils like exploitation, bribery, dishonesty, falsehood, cheating, forgery, etc., which are rampant in our societies. Islam has taught us golden principles but because we do not live according to them and assist one another to do so we lead lives of disgrace and moral shame. May Allah guide us to the Straight Path.

8.1, Calling to Islam and Giving Counsel

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious, who says in the Qur’an, “And invite (men) to (believe in) your Rubb (i.e., in the Oneness of Allah).” (28:87)

In another place, Allah says, “Invite (mankind, O Muhammad (SAW)) to the way of your Rubb (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation, the Qur’an and fair preaching).” (16:125)

Also, Allah says, “Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety).” (5:2)

And Allah says, “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam).” (3:104)

We see in these verses commandments for us to call one another to the submission of One God and to help one another in living according to the way that He has prescribed. The reward for doing so is as the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action.” (Muslim)

Similarly, Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “If anyone calls others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being diminished in any respect, and if anyone invites others to follow error, the sin, will be equivalent to that of the people who follow him (in sinfulness) without their sins being diminished in any respect.” (Muslim)

‘Invitation’ or ‘Call’ here stand to mean that we induce others to virtue or seduce others to sin by means of our speech or actions.

How we induce others to virtue or seduce others to sin by our speech is easy to understand; it could be by explaining the merits of a particular action, persuading about the goodness of a particular action, stating the joys that some action brings, and so on.

How we induce others to virtue or seduce others to sin by our actions is a little bit trickier to understand and best explained by example. Suppose you have children and are always telling them that they should pray, but you yourself do not pray, then your action, or lack of it, will speak volumes in their decision as to whether to pray or not. On the other hand, if from a young age your children see you praying and gaining much satisfaction from your prayer then there is a very good chance that they will also adopt the prayer in their lives. Similarly, a celebrity-type figure that others look up to can convince thousands to start or stop smoking, to give to a certain charitable cause, to dress a certain way, to speak a certain way, or to generally act a certain way by simply being seen doing that act, and that is the essence of modern day advertising.

We come to know from the previous Hadith that one who becomes a medium for either virtue or sin is given a reward or punishment accordingly by Allah.

On the day of the Battle of Khaibar when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) conferred upon Ali (RA) the banner, Ali (RA) said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight against them until they are like us?” Thereupon he (the Prophet (SAW)) said, “Advance cautiously until you reach their open places; thereafter, invite them to Islam and inform them what is obligatory for them from the Rights of Allah, for, by Allah, if Allah guides even one person through you that is better for you than possessing a whole lot of red camels.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

We see here the huge reward for assisting towards righteousness and piety, and it is just as Allah, the Exalted, swore in the Qur’an, “By Al-‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience.” (103:1-3)

7.2, Moderation and Constancy in Worship

Anas (RA) reported: The Prophet (SAW) came into the mosque and noticed a rope stretched between two poles. He enquired, “What is this rope for?” He was told: “This is Zainab's rope. When during her voluntary prayer, she begins to feel tired, she grasps it for support.” The Prophet (SAW) said, “Untie it. You should perform prayers so long as you feel active. When you feel tired, you should go to sleep.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Besides enjoining moderation in worship and forbidding undue strictness in prayer, this Hadith enjoins that such times should be fixed for worship when we are fresh so that we feel pleasure in performing our prayers. Again, it is important to understand that this principle is for optional and voluntary prayers only. The obligatory Salah is the obligatory Salah. It is to be performed at the prescribed times. We should not shift our prayers around our desires and sleep patterns but rather model our sleep patterns around our prayers. So if Fajr is in the early hours of the morning, or if Eisha is late at night, this is the time that we have to get up and perform it.

Hanzhalah Al-Usayyidi (RA), who was one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), reported: I met Abu Bakr (RA). He said: “How are you O Hanzhalah?” I said, “Hanzhalah has become a hypocrite.” He said, “Far removed is Allah from every imperfection, what are you saying?” I said, “When we are in the company of Messenger of Allah (SAW) and he reminds us of the Hellfire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from the Messenger of Allah (ASW), we attend to our wives, our children, our business, and most of these things (pertaining to the life hereafter) slip out of our minds.” Abu Bakr (RA) said, “By Allah, I also experience the same thing.” So Abu Bakr (RA) and I went to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and I said to him, “O Messenger of Allah (SAW), Hanzhalah has turned hypocrite.” Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “What has happened to you?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds.” Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “By Him in Whose Hand is my life if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your roads; but Hanzalah, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer).” He (the Prophet (SAW)) said this thrice. (Muslim)

We see in this example the attitude and self-doubt of the Companions (RA). This incident deals with the natural instinct of man to think differently in different situations. This condition has nothing to do with hypocrisy. For Islam is a Deen (a way) of Fitrah (pure nature) and takes the middle course in everything. It combines the benefits of this world and those of the Hereafter, and satisfies the needs of the body as well as that of the soul.

Another point to note is that although the performance of voluntary acts of worship is highly meritorious, it should not be done at the cost of obligations; such as the obligations that we have to our families. We owe a duty to our Rubb (Lord), we owe a duty to our bodies, and we owe a duty to our families. So we should give to every one his due.

Lastly, Aisha (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) liked that act of worship most in the performance of which a person was regular and constant. (Muslim)

For instance, fixing a certain number of voluntary prayers as part of our daily routine, or fixing a number of pages to recite of the Qur’an, or performing some other noble deed on a regular basis.

However, we should bear in mind that which the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-Aas, “O Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so. He used to get up at night for optional prayer but abandoned it later.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

If we start a good deed, we have to continue and endure it indefinitely because its perpetuation is liked by Allah.

When starting a good deed, we should keep it small at first and increase gradually as it becomes easy for us. For example, if you haven’t opened your Mushaf (copy of the Qur’an) in years, start by fixing a very small portion to recite every day, or even set a target to just open and close your Mushaf every day. As this becomes routine and easy for you, increase a little, and then a little more, and then a little more. Insha-Allah before you know it you will have developed an intimate relationship with the Qur’an.

As alluded to earlier this method applies equally well to life in general; sports, martial arts, studies, kicking a bad habit, and so on. Keep it minimal but consistent, and increase your targets gradually as you grow in strength.

7.1, Moderation and Constancy in Worship

In the name of Allah, the Most Glorified and Exalted, who says in the Qur’an, “Ta-Ha. We have not sent down the Qur'an unto you (O Muhammad (SAW)) to cause you distress.” (20:1, 2)

In another place, Allah says, “Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you.” (2:185)

Balance, moderation and constancy; these are concepts that we have great difficulty understanding. We struggle to strike that balance between our Dunya and our Aakhirah; we find ourselves jumping from one extreme to another; when we need something we are plentiful in our prayers, but at other times we are neglectful; and so on. So how do we find this balance, moderation and constancy? As with all matters, we refer to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (SAW) for our answer.

Aishah (RA) reported: The Prophet (SAW) came in when a woman was sitting beside me. He asked me, “Who is she?” I said: “She is the one whose performance of Salah (prayer) has become the talk of the town.” Addressing her, he (SAW) said, “(What is this!) You are required to take upon yourselves only what you can carry out easily. By Allah, Allah does not withhold His Mercy and forgiveness of you until you neglect and give up (good works). Allah likes the deeds best which a worshipper can carry out constantly.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

This Hadith prohibits acts of worship that are beyond our capacity lest we get tired of them and stop them altogether. Of course this is in reference to voluntary additional worship and does not include the five daily compulsory prayers. In this respect, i.e. additional worship, we should be moderate but constant. Allah likes that good action which is done regularly, even if it is a small one.

This is a principle that not only helps in a religious sense but is easily applicable to other spheres of life. For example, someone who doesn’t study throughout the academic year will have a lot of sleepless nights playing catch-up in the days coming up to the exams. On the other hand, someone who keeps up to date with lectures and courseworks, and works constantly throughout the year will sleep confidently in the days coming up to the exams.

That is constancy. What about balance? Anas (RA) reported: Three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (SAW) to inquire about the worship of the Prophet (SAW). When they were informed, they considered their worship insignificant and said: “Where are we in comparison with the Prophet (SAW) while Allah has forgiven his past sins and future sins.” One of them said: “As for me, I shall offer Salah all night long.” Another said: “I shall observe Saum (fasting) continuously and shall not break it.” Another said: “I shall abstain from women and shall never marry.” The Prophet (SAW) came to them and said, “Are you the people who said such and such things? By Allah, I fear Allah more than you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I observe fast and break it; perform Salah and sleep at night and take wives. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

In following the Prophet’s (SAW) footsteps do we find the right balance: Taking wives; sleeping a part of the night and rising in prayer for a part of the night; observing fast on some days and breaking fast; and so on. There is neither virtue nor reward in deviating from this religion. All the blessing and rewards lie only in the obedience and following of the conduct of the Prophet (SAW); a way of life which is simple and clear for the one who seeks it.

What about moderation? Ibn Mas`ud (RA) reported: The Prophet (SAW) said, “Ruined are those who insist on hardship in matters of the Faith.” He repeated this three times. (Muslim)

Also, Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Prophet (SAW) said, “The religion (of Islam) is easy, and whoever makes the religion a rigour, it will overpower him. So, follow a middle course (in worship); if you can't do this, do something near to it and give glad tidings and seek help (of Allah) at morn and at dusk and some part of the night.” (Bukhari)

These two Hadith show disgust against exercises and practices which deviate from the conduct of the Prophet (SAW); such as making forbidden for oneself that which has not been forbidden by the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW), and making compulsory upon oneself that which has not been made compulsory by the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). Those who insist on such unnecessary hardship will be overpowered and ruined.