(Article written for Issue 17 of the Noor Magazine)
In the Name of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, who says in the Qur’an, “And keep yourself (O Muhammad (SAW)) patiently with those who call on their Rubb (Lord) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face; and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of this world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lust, and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.” (18:28)
Here we are, a new year approaching (coincidentally, according to both the Christian and Muslim calendars) and a nice time to think about change, for the start of the Muslim Hijri calendar signifies just that: a change, a move from oppression in Makkah to liberation in Madinah.
The choice, ultimately, that each of us faces is twofold. On the one hand, we can rise in pride, chin raised, chest puffed, conforming to the masses we can walk the earth as kings; you are your own boss and free to do as you please. On the other hand, the more difficult option, we can step back, reflect upon, regret and refrain from past mistakes, and decide that there is a purpose more meaningful; you humble yourself with those who recognise and call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His Face.
That is the topic of my article: The superiority of those who humble themselves before God and the excellence of those who choose the path of modesty. To demonstrate the point I have selected just three Ahadith (sayings of the Prophet). The list is by no means exhaustive and there is definitely no shortage of teachings on the matter.
(1) Harithah bin Wahb (RA) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying, “Shall I not inform you about the people of Jannah? It is every person who is modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he calls upon Allah, Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, rude and proud man.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
We see here the distinction of such modest and humble persons who, despite not having any important position in society, are so eminent in piety and trust in Allah that if they were to take an oath for something, Allah Almighty would fulfil it. Not only does this Hadith highlight the importance of modesty, it condemns pride, miserliness and lust for name and fame.
(2) Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: There was a dispute between Hell and Jannah.
Hell said: “The haughty and proud are my inmates.”
Jannah said: “The modest and the humble are my residents.”
Thereupon, Allah the Exalted and Glorious (addressing Jannah) said: “You are My Mercy, through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish.”
(And addressing Hell), He said: “You are (the means) of My punishment by which I shall punish such of My slaves as I wish and each one of you would have its fill.” (Muslim)
In this Hadith the people who are termed as ‘modest’ and ‘humble’ are those who are rich in faith and piety, who lead a life of patience and contentment. This Hadith gives glad tidings to such noble people. On the contrary, this Hadith has a threat of Hell for those who disobey the commandments of Allah out of haughtiness and pride, who refuse to bow down their faces in submission of their Lord, Most High. Now, it is entirely our own choice which way we go, and as the old saying goes, there is no time better than the present.
(3) Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, there will be brought forth a bulky person whose value to Allah will be less than that of the wing of a mosquito.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The manifestation of power and splendour, which we consider to be so important, will be of no value to Allah on the Day of Account. In the Hereafter, Allah will judge a person by his faith, devotion and piety. Therefore, over and above all else, it is essential that we concentrate on the reformation of our hearts, and it is vital that we develop a relationship with our Lord, the Most Glorified and Exalted. This Hadith makes it abundantly clear that what really matters with Allah is faith and piety; not lineage nor pomp nor show.
Summary
These Ahadith prove many points. The one that concerns us most here is that we must avoid copying those who are haughty and proud no matter how attractive their appearance is. The pleasure that comes with such imitation is deceptive and short-lived. True success lies instead in humbling ourselves before Allah. We must try to emulate those of virtue, humility and modesty, because seeking the pleasure of people is nothing but a fad. The very people whose pleasure we seek, like us, will be gone tomorrow, leaving this world to stand before their Lord, the Most Great, on a Day when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.
Subhaana-Allah, those very people whose praise we seek and strive for, will forget us the day we are laid down and flattened in our graves. When that last piece of soil is placed on your grave, the people will all turn around, walk away and return to their jobs and their bills, leaving you alone, all alone, with nothing but your deeds, to answer the question, O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, Most High? O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, the most deserving of submission?
O Allah, just as You have made our external features beautiful, make our character beautiful as well, and make our faces forbidden for the Hellfire. Ameen.
Rceommended Reading: Riyadh-Us-Saliheen, a compilation of Hadith by Imam An-Nawawi
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Sunday, 7 October 2007
10.2, Superiority of the Humble and Modest
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, there will be brought forth a bulky person whose value to Allah will be less than that of the wing of a mosquito.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The manifestation of power and splendour, which we consider to be so important, will be of no value to Allah on the Day of Account. In the Hereafter, Allah will judge a person by his faith, devotion and piety. Therefore, over and above all else, it is essential that we concentrate on the reformation of our hearts, and it is vital that we develop a relationship with our Lord, the Most Glorified and Exalted.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “None spoke in the cradle but only three (persons)..."
The Hadith then continues and after mentioning the first two, the Prophet (SAW) told of the third baby who spoke in the cradle:
“… There was a baby who was sucking at his mother’s breast when a person dressed in fine garment came on a priceless riding animal’s back. The child’s mother said: ‘O Allah, make my child like this one.’
The baby left suckling, looked at the man and said: ‘O Allah, don't make me like him.’
He then returned to the breast and resumed suckling… There happened to pass by them a slave girl who was being beaten and the people were saying: ‘You have committed fornication and theft.’
The girl was saying: ‘Allah is enough for me and He is my Good Protector.’
The baby’s mother said: ‘O Allah, don't make my child like her.’
The baby left suckling, looked at her and said: ‘O Allah! Make me like her.’
This was followed by a conversation between the mother and child. She said: ‘A good looking man happened to pass by and I said: O Allah, make my child like him, and you said: O Allah, don’t make me like him, and there passed a girl while the people were beating her and saying: You committed fornication and theft, and I said: O Allah, don’t make my child like her, and you said: O Allah, make me like her.’
The child said: ‘That man was a tyrant, and I said: O Allah don't make me like him; and they were saying about the girl: You committed fornication, whereas in fact she had not committed that and they were saying: You have committed theft, whereas she had not committed theft, so I said: O Allah, make me like her.’” (Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith tells of three babies who spoke in the cradle. All three babies were from Banu Israel and their story is mentioned in Sahih Muslim in the story of AsHaab-ul-Ukhdud.
The Hadith proves many points. The one that concerns us today is that we must avoid copying those who are haughty and proud no matter how attractive their appearance is. The pleasure that comes with such imitation is deceptive and short-lived.
True success lies instead in humbling ourselves before Allah. We must try to emulate those of virtue, humility and modesty, because seeking the pleasure of people is nothing but a fad. The very people whose pleasure we seek, like us, will be gone tomorrow, leaving this world to stand before their Lord, the Most Great, on a Day when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.
Subhaana-Allah, those very people whose praise we seek and strive for, will forget us the day we are laid down and flattened in our graves. When that last piece of soil is placed on your grave, the people will all turn around, walk away and return to their jobs and their bills, leaving you alone, all alone, with nothing but your deeds, to answer the question, O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, Most High? O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, the most deserving of submission?
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, there will be brought forth a bulky person whose value to Allah will be less than that of the wing of a mosquito.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The manifestation of power and splendour, which we consider to be so important, will be of no value to Allah on the Day of Account. In the Hereafter, Allah will judge a person by his faith, devotion and piety. Therefore, over and above all else, it is essential that we concentrate on the reformation of our hearts, and it is vital that we develop a relationship with our Lord, the Most Glorified and Exalted.
Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, “None spoke in the cradle but only three (persons)..."
The Hadith then continues and after mentioning the first two, the Prophet (SAW) told of the third baby who spoke in the cradle:
“… There was a baby who was sucking at his mother’s breast when a person dressed in fine garment came on a priceless riding animal’s back. The child’s mother said: ‘O Allah, make my child like this one.’
The baby left suckling, looked at the man and said: ‘O Allah, don't make me like him.’
He then returned to the breast and resumed suckling… There happened to pass by them a slave girl who was being beaten and the people were saying: ‘You have committed fornication and theft.’
The girl was saying: ‘Allah is enough for me and He is my Good Protector.’
The baby’s mother said: ‘O Allah, don't make my child like her.’
The baby left suckling, looked at her and said: ‘O Allah! Make me like her.’
This was followed by a conversation between the mother and child. She said: ‘A good looking man happened to pass by and I said: O Allah, make my child like him, and you said: O Allah, don’t make me like him, and there passed a girl while the people were beating her and saying: You committed fornication and theft, and I said: O Allah, don’t make my child like her, and you said: O Allah, make me like her.’
The child said: ‘That man was a tyrant, and I said: O Allah don't make me like him; and they were saying about the girl: You committed fornication, whereas in fact she had not committed that and they were saying: You have committed theft, whereas she had not committed theft, so I said: O Allah, make me like her.’” (Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith tells of three babies who spoke in the cradle. All three babies were from Banu Israel and their story is mentioned in Sahih Muslim in the story of AsHaab-ul-Ukhdud.
The Hadith proves many points. The one that concerns us today is that we must avoid copying those who are haughty and proud no matter how attractive their appearance is. The pleasure that comes with such imitation is deceptive and short-lived.
True success lies instead in humbling ourselves before Allah. We must try to emulate those of virtue, humility and modesty, because seeking the pleasure of people is nothing but a fad. The very people whose pleasure we seek, like us, will be gone tomorrow, leaving this world to stand before their Lord, the Most Great, on a Day when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.
Subhaana-Allah, those very people whose praise we seek and strive for, will forget us the day we are laid down and flattened in our graves. When that last piece of soil is placed on your grave, the people will all turn around, walk away and return to their jobs and their bills, leaving you alone, all alone, with nothing but your deeds, to answer the question, O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, Most High? O Son of Adam, why did you not humble yourself before your Lord, the most deserving of submission?
10.1, Superiority of the Humble and Modest
In the Name of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, who says in the Qur’an, “And keep yourself (O Muhammad (SAW)) patiently with those who call on their Rubb (Lord) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them.” (18:28)
Here we are, the start of another academic year, and for those beginning their first year, the start of three or four or more very important and decisive years. And there is no doubt about that. After all, this is the bridge between your years as a youth and your years as an adult. This is the time and this is the place wherein you decide who it is you want to be for many years to come.
For many, you will be starting university alone. Hardly anybody, perhaps no-one, will know you or the years that have preceded you. And so you are faced with an opportunity, a great opportunity, to regroup and to redefine yourself.
The choice, ultimately, is twofold. On the one hand, you can rise in pride, chin raised, chest puffed, conforming to the masses you can walk the university campus as a king; you are your own boss and free to do as you please.
On the other hand, the more difficult option, you can step back, reflect upon, regret and refrain from past mistakes, and decide that there is a purpose more meaningful; you humble yourself with those who recognise and call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His Face.
That is the topic of my Khutbah today: The superiority of those who have humbled themselves before God and the excellence of those who have chosen the path of modesty.
Harithah bin Wahb (RA) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying, “Shall I not inform you about the people of Jannah? It is every person who is modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he adjures Allah, Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud man.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
We see here the distinction of such modest and humble persons who, despite not having any important position in society, are so eminent in piety and trust in Allah that if they were to take an oath for something, Allah Almighty would fulfil it.
Not only does this Hadith highlight the importance of modesty, it condemns pride, miserliness and lust for name and fame.
Sahl bin Sa3d As-Saa3idi (RA) reported: A man passed by the Prophet (SAW), so he (the Prophet) asked a man who was sitting near him, “What is your opinion about this man?”
That man replied: “He is one of the noblest men. By Allah he is certainly a proper person for (a girl) to be given in marriage if he seeks to marry, and his recommendation is fit to be accepted if he recommends.”
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) remained silent. Then another man passed. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) enquired, “What is your opinion about this man?”
The man replied: “O Messenger of Allah, he is one of the poor Muslims. He is not a proper person (for a girl) to be given in marriage to, and his recommendation would not be accepted if he makes one; if he speaks, he is not to be listened to.”
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “He is better than the former by earthfuls.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith contains the following two important points:
Firstly, the distinction and greatness of such poor Muslims who are neither known nor respected in society because of their poverty, but due to their faith and piety, each of them is better in the sight of Allah than those who look down upon them. This Hadith makes it abundantly clear that what really matters with Allah is faith and piety; not lineage nor pomp nor show.
Secondly, for marriage purposes, men and women of noble character should be selected even if they are poor because, at the level of religion, they are on par with other Muslims. Thus, the principle underlined here is that preference is given for religion over worldly wealth and richness.
Abu Sa3eed Al-Khudri (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: There was a dispute between Hell and Jannah.
Hell said: “The haughty and proud are my inmates.”
Jannah said: “The modest and the humble are my residents.”
Thereupon, Allah the Exalted and Glorious (addressing Jannah) said: “You are My Mercy, through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish.”
(And addressing Hell), He said: “You are (the means) of My punishment by which I shall punish such of My slaves as I wish and each one of you would have its fill.” (Muslim)
In this Hadith the people who are termed as ‘modest’ and ‘humble’ are those who are rich in faith and piety, who lead a life of patience and contentment. This Hadith gives glad tidings to such noble people.
On the contrary, this Hadith has a threat of Hell for those who disobey the commandments of Allah out of haughtiness and pride, who refuse to bow down their faces in submission of their Lord, Most High.
Now, it is entirely our own choice which way we go, and as I said in the beginning, there is no better time than the present.
Here we are, the start of another academic year, and for those beginning their first year, the start of three or four or more very important and decisive years. And there is no doubt about that. After all, this is the bridge between your years as a youth and your years as an adult. This is the time and this is the place wherein you decide who it is you want to be for many years to come.
For many, you will be starting university alone. Hardly anybody, perhaps no-one, will know you or the years that have preceded you. And so you are faced with an opportunity, a great opportunity, to regroup and to redefine yourself.
The choice, ultimately, is twofold. On the one hand, you can rise in pride, chin raised, chest puffed, conforming to the masses you can walk the university campus as a king; you are your own boss and free to do as you please.
On the other hand, the more difficult option, you can step back, reflect upon, regret and refrain from past mistakes, and decide that there is a purpose more meaningful; you humble yourself with those who recognise and call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His Face.
That is the topic of my Khutbah today: The superiority of those who have humbled themselves before God and the excellence of those who have chosen the path of modesty.
Harithah bin Wahb (RA) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying, “Shall I not inform you about the people of Jannah? It is every person who is modest and humble (before Allah), a person who is accounted weak and is looked down upon but if he adjures Allah, Allah will certainly give him what he desires. Now shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? It is every violent, impertinent and proud man.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
We see here the distinction of such modest and humble persons who, despite not having any important position in society, are so eminent in piety and trust in Allah that if they were to take an oath for something, Allah Almighty would fulfil it.
Not only does this Hadith highlight the importance of modesty, it condemns pride, miserliness and lust for name and fame.
Sahl bin Sa3d As-Saa3idi (RA) reported: A man passed by the Prophet (SAW), so he (the Prophet) asked a man who was sitting near him, “What is your opinion about this man?”
That man replied: “He is one of the noblest men. By Allah he is certainly a proper person for (a girl) to be given in marriage if he seeks to marry, and his recommendation is fit to be accepted if he recommends.”
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) remained silent. Then another man passed. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) enquired, “What is your opinion about this man?”
The man replied: “O Messenger of Allah, he is one of the poor Muslims. He is not a proper person (for a girl) to be given in marriage to, and his recommendation would not be accepted if he makes one; if he speaks, he is not to be listened to.”
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “He is better than the former by earthfuls.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith contains the following two important points:
Firstly, the distinction and greatness of such poor Muslims who are neither known nor respected in society because of their poverty, but due to their faith and piety, each of them is better in the sight of Allah than those who look down upon them. This Hadith makes it abundantly clear that what really matters with Allah is faith and piety; not lineage nor pomp nor show.
Secondly, for marriage purposes, men and women of noble character should be selected even if they are poor because, at the level of religion, they are on par with other Muslims. Thus, the principle underlined here is that preference is given for religion over worldly wealth and richness.
Abu Sa3eed Al-Khudri (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: There was a dispute between Hell and Jannah.
Hell said: “The haughty and proud are my inmates.”
Jannah said: “The modest and the humble are my residents.”
Thereupon, Allah the Exalted and Glorious (addressing Jannah) said: “You are My Mercy, through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish.”
(And addressing Hell), He said: “You are (the means) of My punishment by which I shall punish such of My slaves as I wish and each one of you would have its fill.” (Muslim)
In this Hadith the people who are termed as ‘modest’ and ‘humble’ are those who are rich in faith and piety, who lead a life of patience and contentment. This Hadith gives glad tidings to such noble people.
On the contrary, this Hadith has a threat of Hell for those who disobey the commandments of Allah out of haughtiness and pride, who refuse to bow down their faces in submission of their Lord, Most High.
Now, it is entirely our own choice which way we go, and as I said in the beginning, there is no better time than the present.
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