LESSON EIGHT | 40 Ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه

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• LESSON EIGHT • DOWNLOAD AUDIO > Hadith 7 | The Deen (Religion) is Sincerity/Good Counsel DOWNLOAD NOTES > PDF

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 EIGHT   |


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

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 7  |

The Deen (Religion) is Sincerity/Good Counsel

 

عَنْ أَبِي رُقَيَّةَ تَمِيمِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ الدَّارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم

 قَالَ: الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ. قُلْنَا: لِمَنْ؟ قَالَ: لِلَّهِ، وَلِكِتَابِهِ، وَلِرَسُولِهِ، وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ

[رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ]

 Abi Ruqayyah Tameem ibn Aus ad-Daaree Radiallahu Anhu narrates that : Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :

“The Deen (religion) is sincerity/good counsel”. We said : “To whom?”. He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said : “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk”. 

 [Saheeh Muslim]

|  BRIEF EXPLANTION  |

 

الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ |  Ad-Deen An-Naseehah

In this Hadith, ‘Ad-Deen An-Naseehah’, Deen (religion) is sincerity and good counsel.

The word النَّصِيحَةُ Naseehah has a very deep and broad meaning. The linguistic meaning of Naseehah means to purify. ‘Nasahtul~al‘asl’ , a verb from the same root word Naseehah means, ‘I purified the honey’ … ie : I filtered out the wax from it.

The word Naseehah could also mean : sincerity ; good counsel ; well-wishing or altruism.

The word Naseehah has different meanings when used in different contexts. When referred to, with regard to Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala and Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam the word has a different meaning, from when it is referred to with regard to leaders and the general public.

 

لِلَّهِ| Naseehah to Allah

In this Hadith, Ulema explain النَّصِيحَةُ لِلَّهِ ‘Naseehah to Allah’ (sincerity towards Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala) means :

Believing in the Oneness (Tauheed) of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala with all His excellent names and qualities ; to love and obey Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala ; to do those actions that will please Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala ; to praise Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala ; to deem Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala as being perfect and free from anything that is opposite to His perfect attributes and to intend only Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala when worshipping Him.

Imaam Ahmed bin Hanbal Rahmatullahi Alayh narrates a Hadith of Hazrat Abu Umaamah Radiallahu Anhu that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said : Allah Ta’ala says :

 أَحَبُّ مَا تَعَبَّدَنِي بِهِ عَبْدِي إِلَيَّ النُّصْحُ لِي

“The most beloved act, with which My servant worships Me is sincerity for My sake”.  [Musnad Ahmad]

Selfless sincerity towards Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala requires that one undertakes to discharge one’s obligations to Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala in the most perfect manner. This is the station of Maqaam-al-Ihsaan (Station of Perfection).

وَلِكِتَابِهِ ، | His Book 

Sincerity towards the Qur’aan-e-Majeed (the book of Allah) means : to believe in the Qur’aan being the Kalaam of Allah (the speech of Allah). One has to honour and respect and love the Qur’aan and recite it with Tajweed. One has to endeavour to understand the Tafseer (exegesis of the Qur’aan) and obey the injunctions found within the Qur’aan. One has to give Da’wah (pass on the message) of the Qur’aan.

وَلِرَسُولِهِ ، | His Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)

 Sincerity towards the Messenger of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala means : to believe in Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. After Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala, one must love Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam most dearly. Regarding this, Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned :

‏ لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِي

None of you has true Imaan, until I (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) become more beloved to him than his own parents, family, children and the entire mankind”. [Saheeh Bukhaari]

One has to exert one’s fullest effort to obey Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and imbibe in one’s life the Sunnah of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. One has to follow the footsteps of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and develop the beautiful Akhlaaq (character) of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. One has to send abundant Salawaat (Durood and Salaam) upon Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.

وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ، | and to the leaders of the Muslims

Sincerity towards the Leaders of the Muslims means : to obey the Ulema and leaders of the Muslim community (via good counselling) ;  wanting good for them ; making Du’a for them, advising them ; appropriately counselling them when required ; showing love and respect for the Ulema/Scholars and not searching for their mistakes ; to have trust and confidence in them ; helping them in whatever is good and beneficial ; obeying them in what is right ; reminding them should they err or forget ; being patient with them if they do anything we may dislike  and avoiding rising against them … so that the Ummah is united.

وَعَامَّتِهِمْ ، | and their common folk

Sincerity towards the common folk (the general masses/public) means : to direct them towards what is of benefit for them ; to teach them the affairs of Deen ; to veil and conceal their faults ; to help them in times of distress and calamity ; to fulfil their needs ; to help them against their enemy ; to defend them and protect them ; to avoid deceiving them and being jealous of them ; to love for them what one loves for oneself ; to dislike for them what one dislikes for oneself ; to observe all their rights ; to attend their Salaatul Janazah ; to visit them when they are sick ; to command them with good and forbid them from evil ; to advise and offer them sincere good counselling when asked.

Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned : وَيَنْصَحُهُ إِذَا اسْتَنْصَحَهُ When one asks his brother for sincere good counsel, then he should advise him”. [Al Adab Al Mufrad]

Al-Haafidh Abu Nu’aim Rahmatullahi Alayh mentioned (that this Hadith), ‘Ad-Deen An-Naseehah’ is tremendously important.

Ulema and scholars have also mentioned (that this Hadith), ‘Ad-Deenu Naseehah’ is one-quarter of the Deen.