Lesson
1
Sincerity in Obedience,
Insincerity in Performing the Good Deeds,
and Priding Oneself in Obeying Allah
Sincerity (Ikhlas):
Sincerity in obeying Allah is among the obligations of the
heart. It is also one of the good characteristics.
Sincerity in obeying Allah
is doing the good deeds for the sake of Allah only. It is
not doing them seeking the praise and respect of people. Allah
made sincerity a condition for the acceptance of the good deeds.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
فَمَن
كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاء رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ
بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
Faman kana yarju liqa’a
Rabbihi falya^mal ^amalan salihaw wa la
yushrik bi^ibadati Rabbihi ahada.
Ayah 110 of Suratul-Kahf
means: {Let the one who believes in the Day of Judgment do good deeds
without seeking the praise of the people by doing so.}
The sincere person is the one who
performs the good deeds—be it praying, fasting, Hajj, Zakah,
or reciting Qur’an—seeking the reward from Allah,
and not for the sake of people praising and mentioning him. The one who is
praying should be performing obedience for the sake of Allah
only, not so that the people will say: “So and so prays, he does not miss
any obligation.” Also the one who is fasting should be fasting for the
sake of Allah only. The same applies to, the case of the one
who is giving Zakah, sadaqah, reciting
the Qur’an, or anyone who is performing a good deed.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
إِنَّ
اللهَ يُحِبُّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذا عَمِلَ عَمَلاً أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ،
قِيلَ:
وَمَا إِتْقَانُهُ يَا رَسُولَ الله؟ قَالَ: "يُخْلِصُهُ مِنَ
الرِّيَاءِ وَالْبِدْعَة"
Innallaha yuhibbu ahadakum
idha ^amila ^amalan ay yutqinah. Someone said: “Wa ma
itqanuhu ya Rasulallah.” The
Prophet said: “Yukhlisuhu minar-riya’i wal-bid^ah.”
Which means: “Certainly, Allah
loves for one of you when performing a deed to perform it properly.”
Someone said: “How is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He
replied: “One does it only for the sake of God and according to the rules
of the Religion.” (Narrated by As-Suyutiyy.)
Riya' (Insincerity):
Is the opposite of sincerity. It is doing the good deeds, such as fasting,
for the praise of the people and their admiration.
Insincerity nullifies the reward of
the deed. The performer of any deed that is done with insincerity receives
no reward, whether it was done for the praise of people only or coupled
with seeking the reward. Moreover, such a person commits an enormous sin.
Priding oneself for obeying Allah:
After performing certain types of obedience, some people feel conceitedly
proud of these actions. They feel they have a high status because of
performing these actions, forgetting that Allah is the One
Who inspired and enabled them to do these good deeds.
Insincerity and priding oneself for
obeying Allah are two sins of the heart. They are also two
bad characteristics that the pubescent person must avoid. One should be
sincere while obeying Allah to earn the reward from Allah.
Questions:
1.
What is meant by sincerity in
obeying Allah?
2.
What is the proof from the
Qur’an that sincerity is a condition for the acceptance
of the good deeds?
3.
Who is the sincere person?
4.
State a hadith
that encourages sincerity and leaving out insincerity in the obedience?
5.
What is meant by insincerity?
Will one receive reward for a deed he does seeking both the reward from
Allah and the praise of the people?
6.
What does priding oneself for
obeying Allah mean?
Lesson
2
Patience and Subjugating Oneself to Allah
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ إِنَّ
اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
Ista^inu bis-sabri
was-Salati innallaha ma^as-sabirin.
Ayah 153 of Suratul-Baqarah
means: {Strengthen yourselves by patience and prayer, and know that God
supports the patient people.}
Patience is among the obligations of
the heart. It is of three kinds:
1-
Patience in performing what
Allah made obligatory.
2-
Patience in avoiding what
Allah made unlawful.
3-
Patience with hardships and
calamities.
Patience in performing the
obligations: is forcing oneself to perform the obligations like
praying on time, fasting the month of Ramadan, attending the
circles of knowledge to learn the Islamic obligatory knowledge, and other
obligations, even if one feels lazy to do them.
Patience in avoiding what
Allah made unlawful:
is restraining oneself from committing the sins. It takes a lot of effort
to stop oneself from committing the unlawful, like leaving out the prayer,
drinking alcohol, stealing, and other unlawful matters. It is one’s nature
to lean towards laziness and easy coming pleasures, even if they are
unlawful.
Patience with hardships
and calamities:
is being patient—seeking the reward from God—with what bothers one, such
as pain, hardship, poverty, sadness, or other afflictions that befall the
person in this life, because this world is a place of calamities, tests,
and a workplace, while the Hereafter is the place for judgment. For this
type of patience to take place, one needs not to act or talk in a way that
reflects one’s impatience.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
إِنَّ
اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ: إِذا ابْتَلَيْتُ عَبْدِي بِحَبِيبَتَيْهِ
فَصَبَرَ عَوَّضْتُهُ مِنْهُمَا الْجَنَّةَ.
Innallaha ^azza wa jalla yaqul:
idha-btalaytu ^abdiya bihabibatayhi fasabara ^awwadtuhu
minhumal-Jannah.
Which means: “If Allah
inflicts on someone the calamity of losing one’s sight and one is patient
with it, then the reward of one’s patience will be Paradise.” (Narrated by
al-Bukhariyy.)
Subjugating oneself to
Allah:
It is obligatory upon the
pubescent person to refrain from objecting to Allah and to
be content with Allah's Decree and Will. Subjugating oneself
to Allah is among the obligations of the heart. Objecting to
Allah is a blasphemous act. Many people fall into blasphemy
because they do not subjugate themselves to Allah, rather,
they object to Him.
The Muslim should be patient and
should make an effort to train oneself in patience to get used to it. One
should also rely on Allah in all one’s matters.
Questions:
1.
State an ayah
from the Qur’an that points to the merit of patience.
2.
Which type of obligation is
patience?
3.
List the types of patience.
4.
What does it mean to be patient
with performing the obligations?
5.
What does it mean to be patient
with avoiding what Allah made unlawful?
6.
What does it mean to be patient
with hardships and calamities?
7.
Give a hadith
that shows the reward of the one who lost his sight.
8.
Among the obligations of the
heart is subjugating oneself to Allah. What does this mean?
Lesson
3
Loving Allah and His Messenger
Love and hate are among the actions of
the heart. It is obligatory upon the pubescent person to use these two
emotions in accordance with the rules of the Religion. One must love
Allah and what is in accordance with the rules of Islam.
Also, one must hate the devil and what he whispers of sinful matters.
1-
Loving Allah
and His Messenger, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam:
The pubescent person is obligated to love Allah, His Qur’an,
and His Prophet. This is done by following the orders of Islam
and avoiding its unlawful matters.
Allah, ta^ala
said:
قُلْ
إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللهُ
Qul in kuntum tuhibbun-allaha
fattabi^uni yuhbibkum-ullah.
Ayah 31 of Suratu
Al ^Imran means: {Say (O Muhammad): If you
love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will
love you.}
This is an essential part of believing
in Allah, what He revealed, and believing in the Prophet and
what he brought. The doubt in Allah, on the other hand, His
Qur’an, or His Messenger is among the sins of the
heart. In fact it is blasphemy, which takes one out of the Religion of
Islam.
2-
Loving the companions,
relatives (Al) of the Prophet, and the pious Muslims:
Among the obligations of the heart is loving the Companions, relatives (Al)
of the Prophet and the pious Muslims. Failing to love them is one of the
sins of the heart. Mocking or cursing them is among the sins of the
tongue.
The Companions: They are the
Companions of the Prophet. They supported the Religion of Allah
and spread it, especially the earlier ones who immigrated with the
Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and those who
received him in Madinah. The Companions are the people who
met the Prophet during his life and believed in him, whether they knew him
for a long or a short time, as long as they died on the correct belief.
The Relatives (Al) of
the Prophet: This term is given to the wives of the Prophet such as
Khadijah and ^A’ishah. It also refers to his
Muslim relatives, like Hamzah, al-^Abbas, ^Aliyy,
al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and their mother Fatimah
(may Allah raise all their ranks). Loving the Al
of the Prophet is an obligation because of the merit they have. If one
means by the term “Al” the God-fearing pious people, which
is one of its meanings, then loving them is an obligation, because they
are beloved to Allah due to their ideal behavior in obeying
Allah.
The Pious Muslims: They are the
ones who have performed all the obligations and avoided all the sins.
Among these categories are the scholars, and the highly righteous Muslims.
3-
Hating the Devil and
Sins: Among what is also obligatory on the heart is hating the
devil and the sins. Also, one must regret performing the sins.
Questions:
1.
List some of what a Muslim is
obligated to love.
2.
State from the Qur’an
the proof that an indication of a Muslim’s love of Allah is
his rightly following the Prophet.
3.
Who are the Companions? Why is
it obligatory to love them?
4.
Who are the Al?
Why is it obligatory to love them?
5.
Who are the pious Muslims?
6.
List some of what a Muslim is
obligated to hate?
Lesson
4
Arrogance, Enmity, and Envy
Arrogance and having enmity for and
envy of Muslims are all sins of the heart. These are bad attributes of
which many people are unaware, because they do not know what they are or
how to avoid them.
1-
Arrogance: It
is to reject the truth and to look down on people.
The Prophet, may God raise his rank,
said:
الْكِبْرُ بَطْرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ
Al-kibru batarul-haqqi
wa ghamtun-nas.
Which means: “Arrogance is rejecting
the truth and looking down on others.” (Related by Muslim.)
What is understood from this hadith
is that arrogance is rejecting what one knows is right, because the person
saying it is young, poor, a student, or weak. Looking down on people is
like being arrogant with a poor person, because he is poor. Thus, the
arrogant refuses to speak with him or talks to him in a haughty way.
2-
Enmity: It is
to hate a Muslim, to accept this feeling, and to act in accordance with
this feeling.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
أَرَادَ أَنْ يُزَحْزَحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَيُدْخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَلْتَأْتِهِ
مَنِيَّتُهُ وَهُوَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلْيَأْتِ إِلَى
النَّاسِ بِمَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْتَى إِلَيْهِ.
Man arada ay yuzahzaha
^anin-Nari wa yudkhalal-Jannata, falta’tihi maniyyatuhu
wa huwa yu’minu billahi wal yawmil-akhiri, wal ya’ti ilan-nasi
bima yuhibbu ay yu’ta ilayh.
Which means: “He who wishes to be
moved away from Hellfire, and be admitted into Paradise, let him die
believing in Allah and the Day of Judgment, and let him
treat people in the way which he would like to be treated.” (Related by
Ibn Hibban and al-Bayhaqiyy.)
3-
Envy: It is
to hate and feel bitter about the endowment of Allah on a
Muslim, whether it be worldly or religious, and to wish that it would be
taken from that Muslim and would be bestowed upon oneself. This is a sin
only if one does not hate this feeling and if one acts in accordance with
it. If one hates the envy one feels, and does not act accordingly, then it
is not a sin.
Questions:
1.
What is arrogance?
2.
State a hadith
from the Prophet that urges us to avoid arrogance. Who related it?
3.
What does looking down on
people mean?
4.
What does having enmity mean?
5.
Give a hadith
that urges us to treat people well.
6.
What is envy? When is it
considered a sin?
Lesson
5
Gossip, Fabrication, and Talebearing
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
مَا
يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ
Ma yalfidhu min qawlin
illa ladayhi Raqibun ^Atid.
Ayah 8 of Surat
Qaf means: {Whatever one says, be it good or evil, two angels
Raqib and ^Atid write it.} The wise person
should be keen to protect his tongue from everything that is evil.
Among what is evil is: gossip (ghibah),
fabrication (buhtan), and talebearing (namimah).
These three (3) matters are among the sins of the tongue and are bad
habits.
It is confirmed that one of the
Companions addressed his tongue by saying:
يَا
لِسَانُ قُلْ خَيْراً تَغْنَمْ وَاسْكُتْ عَنْ شَرٍّ تَسْلَمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ
أَنْ تَنْدَمَ، إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ: "أَكْثَرُ خَطَايَا ابْنِ آدَمَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ"
Ya lisanu qul
khayran taghnam waskut ^an sharrin taslam min qabli an tandam. Inni
sami^tu Rasulallahi, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, yaqul: Aktharu khatayabni Adama mil-lisanih.
Which means: “O tongue, say what is
good and you will gain, and keep silent about what is bad before you
regret it. I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: ‘Most of
the human’s sins are from his tongue.’ ” Related by at-Tabaraniyy.
1-
Gossip (Ghibah):
Means to mention a matter related to a Muslim in his absence in a way that
he hates. If a Muslim person was short, and hated for that to be said
about him, and someone else said in his absence, so and so is short, then
this is considered among the unlawful gossip that the Prophet prohibited.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
وَلَا
يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا
Wa la yaghtab ba^dukum
ba^da.
Ayah 12 of Suratul-Hujurat
means: {Do not make gossip against one another.}
2-
Fabrication (Buhtan):
This is mentioning untrue matters that a Muslim hates to be mentioned
about him. It is more sinful than gossip.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said, addressing some of the Companions:
"أَتَدْرُونَ
مَا الْغِيبَةُ؟" قَالُوا: اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، قَالَ: "ذِكْرُكَ
أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ"، قِيلَ: أَفَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا
أَقُولُ؟ قَالَ: "إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ وَإِنْ
لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ"
Which means: “Do you know what gossip
is?” They said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He
said: “Mentioning your Muslim brother with what he hates.” It was said:
“What if what I said was true?” The Prophet said: “If it was true, then
you have committed gossip about him. However, if it was untrue, then you
have committed buhtan against him.” (Related by Muslim.)
The one who listens to
the prohibited gossip has committed one of the sins of the ear. One must
forbid people to gossip.
3-
Talebearing (Namimah):
It is relating the words of one person to another with the intent of
making trouble between them. An example of this is relating inciting words
to two people who like each other, with the intent of breaking them up or
making them hate each other.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
هَمَّازٍ مَّشَّاء بِنَمِيمٍ
Hammazim mashsha’im
binamim.
Ayah 11 of Suratul-Qalam
refers to dispraising the person who slanders others and spreads
talebearing.
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
لاَ
يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ قَتَّاتٌ
La yadkhulul-Jannata qattat.
Qattat is a term
for the one who practices talebearing. This hadith
means that he will not be among the first people to enter Paradise;
rather, the qattat will enter it after receiving the
punishment that he deserves in Hellfire.
Questions:
1.
State an ayah
that orders us to protect our tongues.
2.
List three matters from which
one is obligated to protect his tongue.
3.
Give what was related from one
of the Companions about protecting one’s tongue.
4.
What is gossip? Give an
example.
5.
What is the proof from the
Qur’an that gossip is unlawful?
6.
What is fabrication? What is
the proof from a hadith that it is unlawful?
7.
Which is more sinful: gossip (ghibah)
or talebearing (buhtan)?
8.
What is tale bearing? What is
the proof from the Qur’an that it is unlawful?
9.
Give a hadith
that prohibits us from tale bearing? What does it mean?
Lying is among the sins of the heart.
It is to utter false information while knowing that what one is saying is
not the truth. It is sinful (haram) whether done
seriously or jokingly.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
لاَ
يَصْلُحُ الْكَذِبُ فِي جِدٍّ وَلاَ فِي هَزْلٍ
La yasluhul-kadhibu
fi jiddiw wala fi hazl.
Which means: “Lying is not good,
whether in seriousness or joking.” (Related by al-Bayhaqiyy.)
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, also said:
إِيَّاكَ
وَالْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْفُجُورِ وَإِنَّ الْفُجُورَ
يَهْدِي إِلَى النَّارِ، وَلاَ يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ يَكْذِبُ وَيَتَحَرَّى
الْكَذِبَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللهِ كَذَّاباً
Iyyaka wal-kadhib,
fa’innal-kadhiba yahdi ilal-fujur. Wa innal-fujura
yahdi ilan-nar. Wala yazalul-^abdu yakdhibu wa
yataharral-khadhiba hatta yuktaba ^indallahi
kadhdhaba.
Which means: “Do not ever lie, because
lying leads to very abhorrent sins, and those in turn lead to Hellfire.
One keeps on lying and seeks to do that until one is recorded as a liar in
some books of Allah.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah.)
There are many things that are among
the sins of the tongue and fall under the category of lying. They include:
swearing by Allah to a lie, false testimony, and falsely
attributing something to Allah and His Prophet.
1-
Swearing by Allah
to a Lie: It is one of the major sins. It is for one to swear
by Allah to something that is opposite to the truth. An
example is if one says, “By Allah, I did such and such”
while knowing that one did not do that action. Similarly, if one says, “By
Allah I did not do such and such” when one has done it. This
is considered using God’s name in vain, which indicates falling short of
glorifying Allah properly.
2-
False testimony:
This is one of the enormous sins. An example is for one to testify in
front of a judge that someone stole something while one knows that it did
not happen.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
عَدَلَتْ
شَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ الإِشْرَاكَ بِاللهِ
^Adalat shahadatuz-zuril-ishraka
billah.
Which means: “False testimony is
similar to claiming that Allah has partners.” (Related by
al-Bayhaqiyy.)
In this hadith
the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, likened
the false testimony to blasphemy, because both are serious sins. This
hadith does not mean that the one who testifies falsely
is no longer a Muslim. Rather, it means that such a person is a major
sinner.
3-
Falsely attributing
something to Allah and to His Prophet:
This is also among the major sins.
Allah,
ta^ala, said in the Qur’an:
وَيَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ تَرَى الَّذِينَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ وُجُوهُهُم
مُّسْوَدَّةٌ
Wa yawmal-qiyamati
tara-lladhina kadhabu ^alallahi wujuhuhum
muswaddah.
Ayah
60 of Suratuz-Zumar
means: {On the Day of Judgment, those who lied about Allah
will have black faces [out of shame].}
An example of this lying
is if someone says: Allah created in such and such a
direction a mountain of gold. Although we know that Allah
has the power to create it, if this mountain does not exist, this person's
claim is contrary to reality.
Falsely attributing
something to the Prophet is when someone lies and says that the Prophet
said a statement that he did not say.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
إِنَّ
كَذِباً عَلَيَّ لَيْسَ كَكَذِبٍ عَلَى أَحَدٍ، فَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ
مُتَعَمِّداً فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ
Inna kadhiban ^alayya
laysa ka-kadhibin ^ala ahad. Faman kadhaba ^alayya muta^ammidan
fal-yatabawwa’ maq^adahu minan-nar.
Which means: “Falsely
attributing something to me is not like falsely attributing something to
anyone else. Let the one who knowingly lies about me take a seat in
Hellfire.” (Related by Muslim.)
Attributing a false matter to Allah
may result in blasphemy, like if one claims that Allah made
something halal when one knows that it is haram,
or vice versa.
Questions:
1.
What is lying?
2.
Give a hadith
that indicates that lying is still unlawful, whether said seriously or
jokingly?
3.
What does swearing by Allah
to a lie mean?
4.
What is meant by the false
testimony? Give an example.
5.
To what did the Prophet liken
the false testimony? Give a hadith and explain its
meaning.
6.
Give an example of falsely
attributing something to Allah. State the proof from the
Qur’an that it is unlawful.
7.
Give a hadith
that indicates that falsely attributing something to the Prophet is
unlawful.
Lesson
7
The Merit of Knowledge and Abiding By It
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
طَلَبُ
الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
Talabul-^ilmi faridatun
^ala kulli Muslim.
Which means: “Seeking the [obligatory]
religious knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” (Related by
al-Bayhaqiyy.)
Learning the Religious knowledge is
among the best things that one may spend one’s time doing. The safe path
that protects a person and his family from Hellfire is by learning the
Islamic knowledge, i.e., learning what Allah made obligatory
upon us and learning what Allah ordered us to avoid.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ
دَرَجَاتٍ
Yarfa^illahu-lladhina
amanu minkum walladhina utul-^ilma darajat.
Ayah 11 of Suratul-Mujadalah
means: {Allah raises to higher ranks the believers and those
of (Islamic) knowledge.}
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
يُرِدِ اللهُ بِهِ خَيْراً يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ
May yuridillahu bihi
kayray-yufaqqihhu fid-din.
Which means: “The one for whom Allah
willed goodness, Allah guides him to become a knowledgeable
person in the Religion.” (Narrated by al-Bukhariyy.)
Knowledge and good manners: One
will not become pious except by learning and practicing that which one
learned. This means that one must learn the matters of the Religion and
follow what one learned. The one who does this is the person who knows how
to use one’s heart and other organs to obey Allah. By this,
one will have good manners. One uses one’s hearing to obtain the
knowledge, and one’s tongue to review and teach what one has learned.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً
Ballighu ^anni walaw-ayah.
Which means: “Convey from me, even if
it was one verse.” (Narrated by al-Bukhariyy.)
The sins of the tongue: Among
what one must avoid are the sins of the tongue. Among the sins of the
tongue are giving an Islamic judgment without knowledge, refusing to teach
the Islamic obligatory knowledge while there is a student who wishes to
acquire it, and refraining from ordering with ma^ruf
(obligations) and forbidding munkar (prohibitions).
1-
Giving judgment without
knowledge: It is sinful for one to give judgments in the
matters of the Religion out of one’s own opinion. This harms the one who
does it. For example if someone says: “Such and such is allowed or not
allowed,” while one does not know the Islamic judgment of whether it is
allowed or not, one commits a major sin.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
أَفْتَى بِغَيْرِ عِلْم ٍ فَعَلَيْهِ لَعَنَتةُ اللهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةِ
وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِين
Man afta bighayri ^ilmin fa^alayhi
la^natullahi wal-mala’ikati wan-nasi ajma^in.
Which means: “Let the damnation of
Allah, the angels, and all the people be on the one who gives
an Islamic judgment without knowledge.” (Related by As-Suyutiyy.)
2-
Refusing to teach the
Islamic obligatory knowledge while someone wishes to acquire it:
This is one of the sins of the tongue. An example of it is refusing
(without a religious excuse) to teach the personal obligatory knowledge to
a person who needs to learn it.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
سُئِلَ عَنْ عِلْمٍ فَكَتَمَهُ أُلْجِمَ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ بِلِجَامٍ مَنْ
نَارٍ
Man su’ila ^an ^ilmin fakatamahu
uljima yawmal-qiyamati bilijamim min-Nar.
Which means: “The one who is asked to
teach the religious [obligatory] knowledge and refrains from it (with no
excuse) will be bridled with a reign of fire on the Day of Judgment.”
(Related by Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, Ibn Hibban.)
3-
Refraining from ordering
with ma^ruf (obligations) and forbidding munkar
(prohibitions): This is among the sins of the tongue only if
one is able. So, if someone sees another person, who listens to advice,
leaving out the prayer, one is obligated to order him to pray.
Questions:
1.
State a hadith
from the Prophet that encourages acquiring the knowledge.
2.
What is the safe way to protect
oneself and one's family from Hellfire?
3.
Give an ayah and
a saying of the Prophet (hadith) that tell about the
merit of knowledge.
4.
Give a hadith
that requires one to teach the knowledge. Who related it?
5.
List some of the sins of the
tongue.
6.
State a hadith
prohibiting to give judgments without knowledge.
7.
State a hadith
that prohibits refusing to teach the knowledge.
Lesson
8
The Prohibited Games and Depicting that Which Has a Soul
Among the sins of the hand is playing
the many unlawful games. Among them are: dice, cards, and the like. These
games are prohibited because they rely on guessing, not on thinking and
calculating.
These prohibited games result in
fights among people and other evil things.
Throwing Dice: The die is also
called nardashir as it was made for the first Persian king.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدَشِيرِ فَكَأَنَّمَا غَمَسَ يَدَهُ فِي لَحْمِ خِنْزِيرٍ
وَدَمِهِ
Man la^iba bin-Nardashiri
faka’annama ghamasa yadahu fi lahmi khinziriw
wadamih.
Which means: “The one who plays with
dice is similar to the one who submerges his hand in the flesh and blood
of a pig.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.)
Playing Cards: Playing cards is
forbidden just like playing with dice, because every game that is based on
guessing (chance), but not on calculation and thinking, is haram.
Dominoes: It is among the games
that are played by guessing and chance.
Note: When the above-mentioned games
are played where money will be lost, playing them becomes gambling, which
is among the major sins.
Chess: It is not like dice,
because its basis is calculation and thinking before moving. What was
narrated from the Prophet dispraising chess is not confirmed. This game
was made to help in learning strategies, and good management. It is also
helpful with preparing for war and mathematical calculations. Still it is
disliked to play it.
To depict that which has a soul:
Among the sins of the hands is to depict that which has a soul, whether it
is sculptured, carved in a ceiling or a wall, drawn on a paper, woven in a
cloth, or otherwise. Exempted from this are the little girls’ baby dolls.
This prohibition stands as long as the living being is depicted in a way
that the depicted would live if it were real. An example is a full-body
drawing or sculpture of an animal.
Questions:
1.
List some of the prohibited
games.
2.
Why were these games
prohibited?
3.
What is nardashir?
What is the proof that it is prohibited?
4.
Why is it prohibited to play
with cards?
5.
What is the judgment of playing
chess? For what was it made?
6.
What is the judgment about
depicting that which has a soul? What is exempted from it?
Lesson
9
Immense Hurting of the Parents (^Uquq)
Hurting one's parents immensely (^uquq)
is among the major sins. Allah threatened the one who does
it with severe torture in Hellfire. This means to harm either or both
parents immensely (causing them a lot of pain). Hurting one’s parents is
unlawful whether it is severe or light.
Among the examples of
harming one's parents is to: curse, or insult them both or either one.
Among what is also considered unlawful
is if the son obeys his mother in doing injustice to his father or vice
versa. It does not benefit him if he obeyed his mother and yet harmed his
father, because there should be no obedience to a human by disobeying
Allah, the Creator. In summary, helping either parent in doing
injustice to the other is sinful.
Allah, ta^ala
said in the Qur’an:
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ
إِحْسَانًا إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ
كِلاَهُمَا فَلاَ تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلاَ تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا
قَوْلاً كَرِيمًا
Wa qada Rabbuka alla
ta^budu illa iyyahu wa bil-walidayni ihsana.
Imma yablughanna ^indakal-kibara ahaduhuma aw kilahuma
fala taqul lahuma uffiw wala tanharhuma
waqul lahuma qawlan karima.
Which means: {Allah
orders not to worship except Him and to treat one’s parents kindly. If one
of them is alive and old or both are alive (and old), do not say “uff”
to them and do not address them with harsh words. Be humble and
compassionate and address them with nice and gentle words.}
Allah, ta^ala,
made it unlawful to say to one's parents “uff ”, which indicates
one is bothered by them. Allah ordered one to say to one’s
parents a generous and gentle saying, more so when they are old. Also,
Allah orders to speak to one’s parents in a respectful manner.
The torture of one who
hurts one’s parents immensely:
The torture of the one
who hurts one’s parents immensely is very great, to the extent that one
will not be among the first people to enter Paradise. Rather, one will
enter it after being tortured, if Allah did not forgive one;
this is because it is among the major sins.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
لاَ
يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ عَاقٌّ
La yadkhulul-Jannata ^aqq.
Which means: “The one who harms one’s
parents immensely will not enter Paradise,” i.e., this means that one is
not among the first batch of people to enter Paradise. It does not mean
that one is a blasphemer and will not be admitted to Paradise. (Narrated
by al-Bukhariyy.)
The following are two ayahs
from the Qur’an that encourage treating one's parents
well:
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حُسْنًا
Wa wassaynal-insana
biwalidayhi hamalat-hu ummuhu wahnan ^ala wahn,
wa fisaluhu fi ^amayni anishkur li wa
liwalidayka ilayyal-masir.
Ayah 14 of Surat
Luqman means: {Allah urges one to treat
one’s parents nicely, for one’s mother carries one in her womb with all
the weakness that she receives from that, and she nurses one up to two
years. Hence, one needs to be thankful to God and thankful to one’s
parents.}
Allah, ta^ala,
also said:
وَاعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ
إِحْسَانًا
Wa^budullaha wala
tushriku bihi shay’aw wa bil-walidayni ihsana.
Which means: {Worship God
without associating any partner to Him, and treat your parents in a good
way.}
Know that no matter how
much one was keen to perform the five prayers, to fast, and to perform
similar acts of obedience, if one inflicts immense harm to one’s parents
by words or deeds, one will not be among the pious Muslims. So be careful
to treat your parents right and be keen to avoid harming them.
Questions:
1.
What does harming one's parents
immensely mean? What is its judgment?
2.
Give an example for harming
one's parents immensely.
3.
Give a proof from the Qur’an
that prohibits one to harm his parents immensely.
4.
Explain the saying of Allah:
Wa qada Rabbuka alla ta^budu illa
iyyahu wa bil-walidayni ihsana.
5.
Explain the saying of Allah:Waqul
lahuma qawlan karima.
6.
Give a hadith
that prohibits one from harming one’s parents immensely.
7.
Give three ayahs
that order one to be kind to one’s parents.
Lesson 10
Severing the Obligatory Ties of Kinship
Severing the ties of kinship is among
the sins of the body, and it is a major sin. This is done by breaking the
hearts of the relatives by refusing to be good-hearted financially if they
need money, or by leaving out visiting them without an excuse. If one
usually helps one’s relatives, then one lost the money, or one found a
more urgent need for it, then one would not be sinful for not offering it
to one’s relatives.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَن تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ
وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ
فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَى أَبْصَارَهُمْ
Fahal ^asaytum in tawallaytum an
tufsidu fil-ardi wa tuqatti^u arhamakum.
Ula’ika-lladhina la^anahumu-llahu fa’asammahum
wa a^ma absarahum.
Ayahs 22-23 of
Surat Muhammad dispraise those who blaspheme and cut off
the ties of kinship.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
لاَ
يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ قَاطِعٌ
La yadkhulul-Jannata qati^.
This means: “The one who severs the
ties with the relatives will not be among the first to enter Paradise.
Rather, this person will enter it after being tortured in Hellfire (i.e.,
if one dies as a Muslim).” (Narrated by al-Bukhariyy.)
Maintaining the ties of kinship:
Kinship includes the relatives: aunts, uncles, and their children.
A Companion asked the Prophet:
مَا
النَّجَاةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، قَالَ: "تَصِلُ مَنْ قَطَعَكَ وَتُعْطِي
مَنْ حَرَمَكَ وَتَعْفُو عَمَّنْ ظَلَمَكَ
“What is the way of saving oneself in
the Hereafter?” The Prophet said: “You maintain the tie with the one who
severed it with you, you give to the one who deprived you, and you forgive
the one who wronged you.” (Related by at-Tirmidhiyy.)
These three (3) traits
were among the traits and manners of the Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, one of which is maintaining relations with the kin
who severed ties with one. This means one has to observe the right that
the kin has on one by maintaining the ties with them. So it is not
permissible for one to treat a relative in a way in which the relative
feels cut off and deserted, even if the latter himself does not observe
one’s right of kinship ties.
One must not say so-and-so of my
relatives does not visit me, so I will not visit him. It is prohibited for
him to treat the one who severed ties with him likewise; rather it is an
obligation on him to maintain a tie, even with the one who severed the tie
with him.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
لَيْسَ
الْوَاصِلُ بِالْمُكَافِىءِ وَلكِنَّ الْوَاصِلَ مَنْ وَصَلَ رَحِمَهُ إِذََا
قَطَعَتْ
Laysal-wasilu bil-mukafi’,
walakinnal-wasila maw wasala rahimahu
idha qata^at. (Narrated by Muslim.)
This hadith
explicitly states that there is merit in maintaining a tie with the one
who severed ties with you and the one who did not, rather than maintaining
it only with the one who did not sever the tie with you. This is among the
good manners that the Religion has strongly urged us to practice.
Questions:
1.
What is the judgment of
severing ties with one's kin? Among what category of sins is it?
2.
How does one sever ties with
one’s kin?
3.
Give an ayah that
prohibits us from severing ties with our kin.
4.
Give a hadith
that prohibits us from severing ties with our kin. What does it mean?
5.
Who are one’s kin?
6.
State a hadith
concerning the merit of maintaining ties with your kin.
7.
How does maintaining ties with
your kin become complete?
8.
State a hadith
that shows the merit of maintaining a tie with the kin who severed his tie
with you?
Lesson 11
Respecting the Muslim
Allah created the human
being in the best of forms. He made him benefit from what is in the sky
and Earth. He endowed upon him a mind, tongue, lips, eyes and ears so that
one uses these organs in the accepted way to please Allah,
i.e., to obey him and perform obedience to Him.
Allah, ta^ala,
said in the Qur’an:
وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
Wa sawwarakum fa’ahsana
suwarakum wa ilayhil-masir.
Ayah 3 of Suratut-Taghabun
means: {Allah created you having a good shape. To Him is the
return.}
Allah gave the Muslim a
merit over others, because he has fulfilled the greatest obligation, which
is believing in Allah and stating that Allah
is clear of having partners. The Muslim has several rights. The Religion
has urged us to respect the Muslim and not to demean him. The Religion
also made hurting a Muslim a sin for which one deserves to be punished. If
one gossips about another without an excuse one commits a sin of the
tongue. If one hits him unrightfully, then one commits a sin of the body,
and so forth.
Some of the sins that one must
avoid:
·
Among the sins of the heart:
arrogance, enmity, and envy.
·
Among the sins of the eye:
looking down on a Muslim.
·
Among the sins of the
tongue: mocking a Muslim. Likewise, every word, action, or sign
that causes harm to a Muslim is a sin. Also, laughing at him with the
purpose of making fun of him in a way that hurts him is sinful.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
بِحَسْبِ
امْرِىءٍ مِنَ الشَّرِ أَنْ يَحْقِرَ أَخَاهُ
Bihasbi-mri’im minash-sharri
ay yahqira akhah.
Which means: “Belittling one’s fellow
Muslim is an act of great evil.” (Narrated by Muslim.)
·
Among the sins of the hand:
Hitting a Muslim without a right. Likewise, scaring him, and pointing a
weapon at him.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَنْ
أَشَارَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ بِحَدِيدَةٍ فَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تَلْعَنُهُ وَإِنْ
كَانَ أَخَاهُ لأَبِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ
Man ashara ila akhihi
bihadidatin fa’innal-mala’ikata tal^anuhu wa
in kana akhahu li’abihi wa ummih.
Which means: “The one who points a
knife at his brother will be cursed by the angels, even if he was his
brother from his mother and father.” (Related by Ibn Hibban.)
·
Among the sins of the foot:
to walk towards committing a sin, such as walking to the ruler to inflict
harm unjustly on a Muslim.
·
Among the sins of the body:
to imitate the believer mockingly, even if this was by saying, action, or
sign.
Allah, ta^ala,
said:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَومٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ
Ya ayyuhal-ladhina
amanu la yaskhar qawmum min qawm.
Ayah 11 of Suratul-Hujurat
means: {O believers, do not mock one another.}
Mocking a Muslim can be
by laughing at him if he makes a mistake while talking, or laughing at his
actions or his appearance. The believer should love his Muslim brother and
be kind to and help him.
The Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam, said:
مَثَلُ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ
الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ
بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى
Mathalul-mu’minina fi
tawwaddihim wa tarahumihim wa ta^atufihim
mathalul-jasadil-wahid(i), idhashtaka minhu ^udwun
tada^a lahu sa’irul-jasadi bis-sahari wal-humma.
Which means: “The Muslims with their
mutual love, mercy and care are like the body: when one of its parts is
ill, all of the other parts join to share the sleeplessness and fever.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim.)
Questions:
1.
What is the greatest right that
Allah has upon the humans?
2.
List some of the sins of the
heart.
3.
List some of the sins of the
eye.
4.
List some of the sins of the
tongue.
5.
List some of the sins of the
hand.
6.
List some of the sins of the
foot.
7.
List some of the sins of the
body.
8.
List a hadith
that encourages us to treat the believers well.
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