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 Thirty |
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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
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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 29 |
The Doors to Paradise
عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قُلْت يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ وَيُبَاعِدْنِي مِنْ النَّارِ، قَالَ: “لَقَدْ سَأَلْت عَنْ عَظِيمٍ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسِيرٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَسَّرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ: تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَلَا أَدُلُّك عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْخَيْرِ؟ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ، وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ، وَصَلَاةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ، ثُمَّ تَلَا: ” تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ ” حَتَّى بَلَغَ “يَعْمَلُونَ”،[ 32 سورة السجدة / الأيتان : 16 و 17 ] ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَلَا أُخْبِرُك بِرَأْسِ الْأَمْرِ وَعَمُودِهِ وَذُرْوَةِ سَنَامِهِ؟ قُلْت: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلَامُ، وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ، وَذُرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَلَا أُخْبِرُك بِمَلَاكِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ؟ فقُلْت: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ! فَأَخَذَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَقَالَ: كُفَّ عَلَيْك هَذَا. قُلْت: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ؟ فَقَالَ: ثَكِلَتْك أُمُّك وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ فِي النَّارِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ -أَوْ قَالَ عَلَى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ- إلَّا حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ؟!
رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ [رقم:2616] وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
On the authority of Hazrat Muadh bin Jabal Radiallahu Anhu who said:I said, “O Rasullullah [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam], tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hellfire.”
He [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah without associating any partners with Him; establish the prayer; pay the Zakaat; fast in Ramadaan; and make the pilgrimage to the House.”
Then he [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “Shall I not guide you towards the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the praying of a man in the depths of the night.”
Then he [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] recited: “[Those] who forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [Surah As-Sajdah16-17]
Then he [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its peak?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its peak is jihad.”
Then he [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “Shall I not inform you of the foundation of all of that?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He [Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam] said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces — or: on their noses — except the harvests of their tongues?”
It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound Hadeeth
| BRIEF EXPLANTION |
From this Hadith we learn about the actions which lead a person to paradise and save him from Jahannum.
We understand, in reply to an excellent question that Hazrat Muadh bin Jabal Radiallahu Anhu had posed to Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, the type of righteous deeds that would lead one to Jannah.
It is indeed the overflowing Mercy and Bounty of Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala upon His servant, that Allah Ta’ala directs him towards doing these good deeds that ultimately enter him into Paradise.
Like the previous Ahadeeth, we were clearly shown that admittance into Jannah is consequential upon presenting the 5 pillars of Islam, namely ; Tauheed, Salaah, Zakaat, Saum and Hajj. Similarly, in this hadith as well, the same has been mentioned, that these are the obligations and duties of a Muslim.
Further, Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam points out the ‘doors of good’ consisting of Nafl (optional) actions, that draw a person closer to Allah Ta’ala. The ‘doors of good’ (good deeds) specifically mentioned :
(a) Nafl fasts : which are a shield for a person
Just like a shield protects a person in times of war, similarly fasting protects a person who uses it, from acts of disobedience in this world, and, it will become a shield against the fire of Jahannum in the hereafter.Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned : الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ مَا لَمْ يَخْرِقْهَا “Fasting is a shield, so long as you do not pierce it.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i] … meaning ‘piercing it with evil speech’.
(b) Sadaqah : which extinguishes the sins of a person
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned :وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ “Charity extinguishes bad deeds just as water extinguishes fire” [Tirmidhi]
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned : “Charity in secret extinguishes the wrath of the Lord and protects against an evil death” [Tirmidhi]
(c) Tahajjud Salaah : … the praying of a man in the depths of the night.
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned :
عَلَيْكُمْ بِقِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّهُ دَأْبُ الصَّالِحِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ وَإِنَّ قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ قُرْبَةٌ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَنْهَاةٌ عَنِ الإِثْمِ وَتَكْفِيرٌ لِلسَّيِّئَاتِ وَمَطْرَدَةٌ لِلدَّاءِ عَنِ الْجَسَدِ
“Hold fast to Qiyam al-Layl, for (1) it is the practice of the righteous before you, and indeed Qiyam al-Layl is (2) a means of nearness to Allah, (3) a means of prevention from sin, (4) an expiation for bad deeds, and (5) a barrier for the body against disease.” [Tirmidhi]
We have been encouraged to read Tahajjud Salaah, in the last portion (of the middle) of the night. Some commentators explain what is meant by this, is the middle of the second-half, which is the fifth portion of the six portions of the night. This is the time when the Divine Mercy of Allah Ta’ala descends.…
In conclusion, Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned some pertinent advices.
• He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلَامُ ‘The head of the matter’ meaning: The head of the matter (Deen) is Shahaadah, so whomsoever does not affirm them inwardly and outwardly, has nothing to do with Islam.
• And, وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ ‘its pillar is the prayer’ meaning : in the same way a large tent stands upright because of it’s central pillar, the subsistence of Deen by means of which it stands upright is Salaah.
• And, وَذُرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَاد ‘it’s peak is jihad’ meaning : in the same way a camels hump is raised at it’s peak, the uppermost part of our Deen is Jihaad (striving in the path of Allah Ta’ala)
Lastly, Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned : “Shall I not inform you of the foundation of all of that?” … and that is to ‘guard one’s tongue’ prudently, keep it within bounds, control the tongue and be cautious with regards to the usage of the tongue. The harvest of the tongue is the recompense for saying things which are forbidden. On the day of Qiyaamah, he will reap what he has sowed …