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AL-ISLAM BOOK 3
THE MESSAGE OF THE CRESCENT A COLLECTION OF SAYINGS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD, (peace be upon him), AND VERSES OF THE HOLY QUR’AN
BY
MUHAMMAD FAROOQUE KEMAL
B. Pharmacy (Punjab) Masc. Pharmaceutical Technology (Univ. of London)
DEFENDERS OF ISLAM TRUST 28 - SHAHRAH-E-BIN-BADEES EMPRESS ROAD, LAHORE – PAKISTAN
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All Copyrights Reserved
First Edition : Second Edition : Third Edition : No. of Copies :
Composing at
October, 1992 December, 1997 April, 2004 500
: Muhammad Saleem Lahore - Pakistan.
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Dedicated to
Muhammad
(peace be upon him)
the Beloved of Allah
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The author is greatly indebted to Mrs.
Khair-un-Nisa
Dastgir
(mother)
Mrs. Shahla Farooque (wife), Miss Sophia Kamal (daughter), Tariq Kamal (brother), Muhammad Ali Pir (cousin) Lt. Col. Zulfiqar Ali Janjua (cousin) for their assistance and useful suggestions during the preparation of this book.
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 9-28 Prophecies from the Old Scriptures about the advent of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and views of some eminent scholars about him, his mission and his achievements. BIBLIOGRAPHY, SOURCES
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Chapter 1 I AM MUHAMMAD 28-43 Opening prayer Muhammad, peace be upon him, as King of the world. God created this universe and the Hereafter for him. His names in the Old Scriptures Parable of an attacking army Parable of fire and insects Parable of rain Parable of cornerstone Cp Luke 20:17, Mark 12:10’ Matthew 21:42 Parable of Noah’s Arc Cp Luke 17:26 Matthew 24:37 Parable of Chiefs dinner Cp Luke 14:16 Matthew 22:1 Parable of three labourers Cp Matthew 20:1 Of blessings upon the Prophet Allah’s reminder Outline of faith of Islam
Chapter 2 WHAT IS BELIEF IN ALLAH
43-51
Chapter 3 OF KNOWLEDGE
52-59
Chapter 4 OF PARENTS
60-63
Chapter 5 OF FAMILY
64-77
Chapter 6 OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
78-108
Of Love and Brotherhood,
78
Of Good Morals
82
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6 Of Honesty
86
Of Modesty
86
Of Speech
87
Of Backbiting
90
Of Anger and Tolerance
91
Of Generosity, Greed, Jealousy
91
Of Pride, Haughtiness
95
Of Cruelty, Injustice
96
Of Hypocrisy
98
Of Consolation
99
Of Hospitality
101
Of Friendship
102
Of Neighbours
104
Of Orphans
106
Of Servants
107
OF DEADLY SINS
108-114
Chapter 7 Of Theft
109
Of Adultery
110
Of Killing
112
Of Drinking, intoxication
113
Of Cleanliness and dress
115-118
Chapter 8 Chapter 9
119-125 Of Eating Food
120
Of Salutation
121
Of Congregation
123
Of Travelling
123
Of Debts
124
Of Music
125
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7 Of Inheritance
125
Of Suicide
126
Chapter 10 OF PLANNING, PROFESSION, USURY
126-134
Of Planning
127
Of Profession
127
Of Usury
134
Chapter 11 OF SOCIAL WELFARE
135-137
Chapter 12 OF HOLY WAR JEHAD
138-145
Chapter 13 OF UNITY
146-150
Chapter 14 OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
151
Chapter 15 OF FASTING
155
Chapter 16 PREDESTINATION
159
Chapter 17 OF PATIENCE
163
Chapter 18 OF CHARITY, ZAKAT
166
Chapter 19 OF PRAYER
171
Chapter 20 OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS
185
Chapter 21 OF LOVE OF GOD FOR THE SPIRITUAL GOAL
189
Chapter 22 OF TREATMENT TO ANIMALS
200
Chapter 23 LIFE AFTER DEATH
202
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Chapter 24 DOOMSDAY AND RESURRECTION
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Chapter 25 ADMONISHMENT OF THE HOLY QURAN
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Chapter 26 A REMINDER TO THE JEWS
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Chapter 27 A REMINDER TO THE CHRISTIANS
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Chapter 28 A REMINDER TO IDOLATORS
256
Chapter 29 A REMINDER TO THE MANKIND
261
Chapter 30 THE LAST SERMONS
272
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9 INTRODUCTION Islam has ruled as a world’s most popular religion for more than fourteen centuries. It is undoubtly the greatest spiritual force existing at the present time. As different Muslim countries are getting freedom from the shackles of imperialist West, the freed Muslims have started to rebuild their Islamic heritage. Many organisations in these countries have started Jehad against their still Westernized rulers. Many countries are being revolutionized to Islam inspite of the severest resistance from the West. What has given such a strong spiritual force to Islam? Millions and millions of Muslims have been massacred during this century by the enemies of Islam such as in U.S.S.R, China, Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Algiers, Libya, Burma, Thailand, Phillipines, many African countries and others, just to weaken the Muslim Ummah and to strengthen their hold. The Muslims are profoundly proud to lay their lives for their faith; and their belief is not at all shaken. All Muslims evermore want the establishment of Islamic ideology and culture in their individual life as well as in the society. How come that Islam has such a profound appeal while all other religions have become non-existent more than thousand of years ago ? The reason is the dynamic personality of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the Holy Quran. In this book, attempt has been made to convey the same message, though concise, through the mouth of the Prophet. Thus our readers will be revealed that message which has captivated a large part of mankind for centuries who are ever ready to sacrifice their lives, properties, families, everything for its sake without any regret but with a feeling of great pride. The Prophet’s message is as powerful today as it was thousand of years ago. Kings, poor, saints and masses all earnestly visit Medina to bow with reverence and pay homage with their blessings to this superman, Muhammad, peace be upon him. People of the West have mostly been ignorant of his teachings and achievements due to systematic anti-Islam propaganda by the enemies of God. This is an attempt especially to introduce these people with the spirit of Islam, and also it is written for those Muslims who are not well-versed with Islam. Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a unique personality in human history. As a preacher, moralist, legislator, judge, general, leader, reformer, friend, family man, he was outstandingly great with great personal qualities of truthfulness, honesty, generosity, humility, steadfastness, boldness and chivalry par excellence,
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10 unfaltering faith in Allah and His fear, and most of all, love and compassion for all mankind whether good or evil. It was with the exercise of these qualities which were all perfected in him that he transformed most insignificant country Arabia, populated by illiterate pagans divided into factional tribes, the Jews, the Christians, the Parsis, atheists etc. into a superpower which toppled the greatest and most fearsome powers of his time, the Byzantine and the Persian, to relieve the world forever from their wickedness and tyranny. Then the Muslim armies went on to conquer upto China, Russia, major part of Africa and a part of Europe. This was Allah’s mercy upon the mankind which ended iniquity and brought peace to mankind. Then the period of dark ages came to an end except a part of Europe. With the establishment of Muslim rule, peace prevailed over major part of the earth, era of science, reason, knowledge dawned dispelling ignorance and superstition; prosperity took over from poverty; this all was due to direct teachings of the Prophet and the Holy Quran. But alas! the Christian churches, seeing their existence in danger, were busy in fabricating bizzare stories about the Prophet of Islam and the Muslims to create hatred , prejudice among the masses. This ungodly propaganda was a reason for the Crusades which brought collossal loss of life and property to mankind. This antiIslam propaganda is still at peak among the Westerns, and is a reason for their anti-Muslim feelings and prejudice! Some people with vested interest have been successfully using this prejudice and hatred against the Muslim world. This book is an attempt to dispel that Satanic propaganda and let the people know that the Islam stands to create a society of God-fearing, peace-loving people, to create a society in which people of all the religions can live together in peace as a unified group without any compulsion, and showing respect and tolerance to each other’s beliefs, customs and religious practices. Islam stands for a society free from permissiveness, indulgence, drugs and intoxicants, gambling and pastimes, prostitution and all that leads to sin and transgression. Islam exhorts people to use their energy as an individual as well as collectively to fight against the crimes against humanity and injustice irrespective of race, colour, religion, language. All the religions of the past i.e. the Hinduism, the Buddhism, the Judaism, the Christianity, the Zoroastrianism (the Mithraism, the Parsis) dreamt the coming of the Saviour of the world who would unify the world under one banner and relieve the world of transgressions,, lawlessness, ungodliness and bring
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11 justice to downtrodden slaves, captives, women etc, and bring people to the worship of one God. Let us examine some prophecies about the coming Saviour 1. In Deuterronomy 18:15 we have, “The Lord thy God will raise unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren (Ishmaelites) like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” (Also see Deuterronomy 18:18). This clearly indicates an Arab prophet, descendent of Ismael (peace be upon him) who was brother of Isaaq (peace be upon him). Muhammad (peace be upon him) was from the tribe of Ismael, brethren of Israelis, and he brought a fiery law like Moses too. 2. In Deuterronomy 33:2 we have, “And he (Moses) said, ‘The lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran and he came with ten thousands of Saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them’.” In this verse it is undoubtly established the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) because he was a law giver and preached most of the time in Paran. Paran is a wilderness of Arabia where prophet Ismael (peace be upon him) and his descendents dwelt (see Genesis 21:20). Every student of history knows that Muhammad, peace be upon him, led an army of exactly ten thousand people, all saints, when he conquerred Mecca. 3. In the prophecies of Habakkuk 3:3 we have, “God came from Teman and the holy One from mount Paran, Selah. His glory covered the heaven, and the earth was full of his praise.” Now Paran is the wilderness where Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived. Teman is a name derived from Tema, son of Ishmael (see I Chronicles 1:30), forefather of Muhammad, (peace be upon him). Thus Teman is the place where tribe of Teman, Qureishite and Hashmite lived; and that, Muhammad (peace be upon him) belonged to these tribes is commonly known. 4.
Here is another astonishing prophecy:
For the Most High will arise, the Eternal God alone, And He will appear to punish the Gentiles, And He will destroy all their idols. Then thou, O Israel, shall be happy. And thou shalt mount upon the necks and wings of the eagle,
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12 And they shall be ended, And God will exalt thee, And He will cause thee to approach to the heaven of the stars, In the place of their habitation And thou shalt look from on high and shalt see thy enemies in Gehenna, And thou shalt recognize them and rejoice, And thou shalt give thanks and confess thy Creator. And do thou, Joshua (the son of) Nun, keep these words and this book; for from my death [assumption] until His advent there shall be CCL times. And this is the course of the times which they shall pursue till they are consummated. And I shall go to sleep with my fathers. Wherefore, Joshua thou (son of) Nun, (be strong and) be of good courage; (for) God hath chosen (thee) to be minister in the same covenant. CCL times, i.e. 250 year-weeks, or 1,750 years. Sanh, 97, a Jewish sacred book also gives the above date for the coming of the Last Prophet, the Messiah. (TESTAMENT OR ASSUMPTION OF MOSES, 10:7-15) According to Moses, peace be upon him, the last Prophet was to appear after 1750 years after his death. Moses, peace be upon him, died in 1180 B.C. according to latest calculations by the Western historians, so date of birth of the last Prophet comes out to be 570 AD. This is the date of birth of Muhammad, peace be upon him. 5. Jesus answered: The name of the Messiah is ‘Admirable’ for God himself gave him the name when He had created his soul, and placed it in a celestial splendour, God said, “Wait Muhammad (peace be upon him) for thy sake I will create paradise, the world, land, a great multitude of creatures, whereof I make thee a present, in so much that whoso shall bless thee be blessed and whoso shall curse thee shall be cursed.” (THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BARNABAS, PAGE 103 B) 6. When the Helper (Paraclete) arrives, that I will send you from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one will bear witness about me, and you, in turn, are
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13 to bear witness, because you have been with me from when I began (John 15:26,27) The equivalent of Paraclete in Hebrew is Menahem, which is still a common name among the Jews. The exact rendering of Menahem in Arabic is Ahmed. BHAVISHYA PURANA PARV 3, KHAND 3, ADHYA 3 SHALOK 5-8 (THE HINDUS’ SCRIPTURE) A foreigner (malechha) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Muhammad (peace be upon him). Raja after giving this Maha Dev (of angelic disposition) a bath in the Panchgarya, and the Ganges water offered him the presents of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, “I make obeisance to thee, O Ye! the pride of mankind, the dweller in Arabia, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil and you yourself have been protected from the malechha opponents, ‘O Ye! the image of the Most Pious God, the biggest Lord , I am slave to thee, take me as one lying on Thy feet.” This prophecy clearly depicts an Arabian prophet, a warrior one. KALKI PURAN,VISHNU PURAN (AVATAR KRISHNA’S PROPHECY, THE HINDUS’ SCRIPTURE) As the present age of the world (kali age) goes on, iniquity will more and more prevail. Wealth and piety will decrease day by day until the world will be utterly depraved. The people will seek refuge among the valleys of the mountains by the fear of their Kings who would impose heavy burdens upon them, and will be forced to eat wild honey, herbs, roots, fruits, flowers and leaves. They will wear ragged garments, made of leaves and the bark of trees, and they will have too many children, and they will be forced to bear cold, wind, sun and rain. A man’s age span will not exceed twenty three years. Then the last prophet of salvation (KALKI AVATAR) inspired by God (VISHNU) will appear in the form of a warrior, mounted on a white horse brandishing a flaming sword shining like a comet in his right hand. Associating thousands of holymen (Brahmins) with himself, he will utterly destroy all scorners, all neglectors of religions and all the enemies of virtuous people, all the foreign elements (Malechchas) thieves and all those people whose minds are accustomed to evil acts and thoughts. He will declare himself King of Kings and perform the horse sacrifice expected of an emperor. From the fact of the horse playing an important role in his life, he will be known as ASVAVATARA i.e. horse loving prophet. And so the age of
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14 righteousness, SATYA YOGA or Krta age will return; the minds of the people will become pure as flawless crystal and they will be as if awakened at the conclusion of a night. All these men, the residue of mankind, will thus be transformed. Inspired by the prophet’s (Avatar’s) personality, men will imitate him. His father’s name will be VISHNUYASAS (i.e. Abdullah (peace be upon him) in Arabic literally, name of father of Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him) and mother’s name will be SOMATI (i.e. Amina (peace be upon her) literally in Arabic, name of mother of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In this prophecy, the most renowned Hindus’ Avatar Krishna enumerated many ruler who would come after him like Nanda dynasty (422 to 322 BC), Mauryas (322-185 EC), Sungas (185 to 73 BC), Kanvas (73 to 28 BC.) Andhra (28 BC to 225 AD), Abhiras (255 to 320 AD) Maunas (320 to 472 AD). After mentioning these dynasties, Krishna said that India will be divided, Suraj Bansi and Chander Bansi will fight among themselves, to weaken their states. Then the king of Shak deep i.e. Iran and Khurasan, will attack and destroy them. (This happended in 567 AD, when Nousherwan conquerred a part of India), Then Krishna said that just after this attack, Kalki Avatar will be born. Kalki mean one who is loving or praising, its exact rendering in Arabic is Ahmed. We do not need to remind our esteemed readers that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born just after 567 AD as per Krishna’s prophecy i.e. in 570 AD. This is one of the most marvellous prophecy which is present in the Old Scriptures even today. PROPHECY IN THE PARSI SCRIPTURE DASATIR NO. 44 When the Persian should sink so low in morality, man will be born in Arabia whose followers will upset their throne, religion and everything. The mighty stiff-necked ones of Persia will be overpowered. The house which was built (Holy Kaaba) and in which many idols have been placed will be purged of idols, and people will say their prayers facing towards it. His follower will capture the towns of Persia and Taus and Balka and other big place round about. People will embroil with one another. The wise men of Persia and others will join his followers. According to Avesta and other Zoroastrian scriptures, the last saviour was to come one thousand years after the death of
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15 Zoroastera. His name will be Astavetereta (an exact rendering of it in Arabic is Muhammad, peace be upon him) Zoroastera died in the year 480 BC according to all modern historians. He was a compatriot of the Buddha Sakyamuni, both died in the same year. Thus the coming of Astavatereta is predicted to be after the year 520 A.D., 570 A.D. is the date of birth of Muhammad, peace be upon him. PROPHECY IN THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES Ananda asked the Blessed One “When you are gone who will then teach us.” The Blessed One (Buddha Sakyamuni) replied: I am not the first prophet (Budhha) who has come upon the earth nor am the last one; another prophet (the last Buddha) will come at the appointed time, he will be the most Blessed, the most knowledgeable, the most Enlightened One, wise in actions, the most Exalted, a leader of men par excellence having all the knowledge of the universe (including after life) a master of angels, genii and men; he will reveal to you the same everlasting truth which I have been teaching, he will propagate his religion, a religion which is great and praiseworthy in essence, with splendid highly commendable ideals; he will proclaim a way of life which would be complete and pure like the one which I preach; his followers will number hundreds of thousand while my followers are in hundred. Ananda asked, “How will we recognise him?” The Blessed One replied, “He will be called MAITREYA (i.e. Metteya in Pali, Amida or Amitabha; meaning Loving One or Beloved One or Blessed One which is literally Ahmad and Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Arabic). His father’s name will be SUBRAHMA (literally Abdullah, peace be upon him, in Arabic, name of father of Muhammad, peace be upon him, Brahma is Allah in Arabic) and mother’s name will be “Brahmavati,” i.e. protected woman of Brahma or Amina peace be upon her, in Arabic, the name of the mother of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This prophecy is only one of many hundreds which are mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures. The Buddha, Sakyamuni prophesied the coming of the last Buddha after one thousand years after his death. According to all modern historians, the Buddha died in the year 480 BC, thus the Last Buddha should be born after the year 520 A.D. Accordingly, in the year 570 A.D., Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born.
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16 Thus from different sources, we have confirmed the name of the Last Prophet, his father’s name, mother’s name, date of birth, country of origin, name of his family and tribe There are hundreds of other prophecies too about other signs of the Prophet. I am sure that our esteemed readers will be now fully convinced that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the awaited coming one, Saviour of all the religions. Unfortunate are those who still do not put faith in him! As our non-Muslim readers will read this book, they will find a great prophet speaking to them with missionary zeal and compassion. I hope that their hearts would become humble enough to accept the truth and embrace Islam. Their hearts would surely acknowledge, yes, Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the true awaited Saviour. Whatever Muhammad, peace be upon him, has spoken in this book, he himself was true interpreter of his message by his own example, he was not just a soothsayer but a practical man, a living miracle of Allah, what a great man was he! Muslims are not alone in praising him, but Allah and His angels praise him all the time and also unbiased Christian scholars too. Here are some glimpses of what they say about him, the Holy Quran and the Islam. 1. “Is it possible to conceive, we may ask, that the man who effected such great and lasting reforms in his own country by substituting the worship of the one only true God for the gross and debasing idolatry in which his countrymen had been plunged for ages; who abolished infanticide, prohibited the use of spirituous liquors and games of chance (those sources of moral depravity), who restricted within comparatively narrow limits the unrestrained polygamy which he found in existence and practice. Can we, we repeat, conceive so great and zealous a reformer to have been a mere impostor, or that his whole career was one of sheer hypocrisy? Can we imagine that his divine mission was a mere invention of his own of whose falsehood he was conscious throughout? No, surely, nothing but a consciousness of really righteous intentions, could have carried Muhammad so steadily and constantly without ever flinching or wavering, without ever betraying himself to his most intimate connections and companions from his first revelation to Khadijah to his last agony in the arms of Ayesha. In acquiring and using power, Muhammad did but follow the example of Moses, who could not have effected the deliverance
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17 of the children of Israel out of Egypt, had he not assumed the authority of a leader and a head—the maker or dispenser of the laws; and surely no man ever yet upbraided him with making ambition the end and design of that achievement, since without that power he could not have accomplished the mission upon which he had been sent by Jehovah. And thus it was in the case of Arabia, which being divided into many tribes, frequently at war with one another Muhammad had no other way uniting them into one body, and of establishing his religion among them, than by making himself their head or leader, a circumstance which fully exonerates him from the charge of personal ambition. As to the term imposture, meaning falsehood or forgery which has been so unsparingly bestowed upon Muhammad’s doctrine, the fact that his first principle was the unity of the Godhead—a principle preached by Jesus Christ himself—sufficiently shows its injustice. The word imposture, however, may be meant to apply to his pretension of being a prophet. Now, it is certain that the abolishing of idolatry and the setting up of the worship of the one true God, among a people lost in the first, and ignorant of the latter, was an errand worthy of a mission from heaven. It is also certain that Muhammad did establish the worship of one God in Arabia, and so effectually abolished idolatry in that country that it has never reappeared there, in any shape, for above one thousand years, whereas idolatry no sooner got footing again among the Christians, than that section of them that had gained the ascendancy condemned the Iconoclasts as heretics, solely for demolishing the idols that had been set up by them.” John Davenport “An Apology For Muhammad And The Quran.” 2. “To seek knowledge is duty of every Muslim man and woman. Seek knowledge even though it be in China. The savants are the heirs of the Prophets. These profound words of the great reformer are an indisputable contradiction to those who seek and exert themselves in putting the responsibility of the intellectual degradation of Muslims upon the spirit of the Quran-—they will read that the Prophet incessantly called the attention and the meditation of his people to the splended marvels, to the mysterious phenomenon of creation.” (Dr.A.Bertherand, “Contribution des Arabies an Progress de Sciences Medicales”, Paris 1883). 3. “We must not be surprised to find the Quran the fountainhead of the sciences. Every subject connected with heaven
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18 or earth, human life, commerce and various trades are occasionally touched upon.” (Hartwig Hirschfeld, Ph.D.M.R.A.S. “New Researches into the Composition and Exegesis of the Quran”, London 1902). 4. “The Koran did not contain a single statement that was assailable from a modern scientific point of view,” (Dr.Maurice Bucaille, ‘The Bible, The Koran and Science’). 5. “Europe was darkened at sunset, Cordova shone with public lamps; Europe was covered with vermin, Cordova changed its undergarments daily, Europe lay in mud, Cordova’s streets were paved, Europe’s palaces had smoke-holes in the ceiling, Cordova’s arabesques were exquisite; Europe’s nobility could not sign its name, Cardova’s children went to school; Europe’s monks could not read the baptismal service, Cordova’s teacher created a library of Alexandrian dimensions.” (Victor Robinson, “The Story of Medicine.”) 6. ‘Take away that black man! I can have no discussion with him,” exclaimed the Christian Archbishop Cyrus when the Arab conquerors had sent a deputation of their ablest men to discuss terms of surrender of the capital of Egypt, headed by Negro Ubaidah as the ablest of them all To the sacred archbishop’s astonishment, he was told that this man was commissioned by General Amr, that the Moslems held Negroes and white men in equal colour, —— Islam knowns no ‘colour line’.” (S.S.Leeder, “Veiled Mysteries of Egypt,” London, 1912). 7. “Islam is a great religion, a high and noble faith. We must, not lose Mohammed the prophet in looking at Mohammed the history-maker and organizer. He left a code of ethics which was a tremendous step forward for his time. Islam became one of the world’s great civilizing force. It stopped infanticide of girls, restricted slavery, and imposed a kindlier treatment of slaves. It opposed drunkenness and gambling, almost ended tribal feuds, and limited free polygamy. It advanced women’s rights by restricting divorce, and imposed severe penalties for prostitution. It extended religious tolerance to the sister faiths of Christianity and Judaism, and gave to the Arabs an ideal of unity. Among the Moslems today we find no taverns, no brothels, no gaming houses, no profanity. Modern Islam has seventy-two sects with some animosity among them, but nothing like the fierce bitterness and intolerance found among Christian sects. Islam today is followed by one-fifth of mankind, and is continually making new converts.
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19 For the Arab, it was a birth from darkness to light.” Gerald L. Berry, “Religions Of The World” Barnes & Noble, Inc. N.Y. 1965) 8. “If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and West is to be replaced by cooperation, the Mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition.” (H.A.R.Gibb “Whither Islam,” London, 1932) 9. “It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy.” (Serojini Naidu, “Lecture on The Ideals of Islam” vide speeches and writings of Sirojini Naidu, Madras 1918). 10. “The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam.” (A.J.Toynbee, Civilization on Trial, New York 1948). 11. “The nobility and broad tolerance of this creed, which accepts as God-Inspired all the real religions of the world, will always be a glorious heritage for mankind. On it could indeed be built a perfect world religion.” (Duncan Greenlees, M.A.(Oxen), “The Gospel of Islam, “Adyar 1948). 12. The brotherhood of Mohammedanism is no mere word. All believers are equal and their own high-priest, Zeid, the exslave, led Muhammad’s troop.... The Ghaznavide dynasty was founded by the slave.... The cruel treatment of slaves has been the reproach of Europeans rather than of Eastern nations.” (Dr. Leither, “Muhammadanism,” 1893). 13. “I have studied him, the wonderful man, and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him (Muhammad, peace be upon him) were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the needed peace and happiness. If any religion has the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe, within the next hundred years it can be Islam.” (George Barnard Shaw in “A Collection of Writings of Some of the Eminent (Christian) Scholars,” 1935). 14. “Four years after the death of Justinian, AD 569 was born at Mecca, in Arabia, the man who of all men, has exercised the greatest influence upon the human race.” (Le Comte de Boulainvilliers, “La Vie de Muhammad,’/’ Amsterdam 1731). 15. “To be the religious head of many empires, to guide daily life of one third of the human race, may perhaps justify the title of
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20 Messenger of God.” (John William Draper. M.D.L.I. “A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe,” London 1875). 16. “To suppose Muhammad (peace be upon him) an imposter poses more problems than it solves, Moreover, none of the great figures.of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad (peace be upon him). With essential honesty and integrity of purpose, if we are to understand him at all, if we are to correct the errors, we have inherited from the past, we must in every particular case hold firmly to the belief in his sincerity until the opposite is conclusively proved.” (W.Montgomeiy Watt, “Muhammad at Mecca” Oxford 1953). 17. “Our use of the phrase ‘The Dark Age’ to cover the period from 600 to 1000 marks our undue concentration on Western Europe .... From India to Spain, the civilization of Islam flourished. What was lost to Christendom at this time was not lost to civilisation, but quite the contrary..... To us it seems that WestEuropean civilisation is civilisation, but this is a narrow view.” (Bertrand Russel, “History of Western Philosophy” P.419). 18. “It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.” (M.K.Gandhi, “Young India”). 19. “To thoroughly comprehend the spirit of Muhammad, peace be upon him, or the soul of Islam, the student himself..... must at the outset recognize that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was no mere spiritual pedlar, no vulgar time-serving vagrant, but one of the most profoundly sincere and earnest spirit of any age or epoch. A man not only great, but one of the greatest (i.e. truest) men that humanity has ever produced.” (Major A. Glyn Leonard “Islam-Her Moral and Spiritual Value,” London 1927). 20. “Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” (Lamartine, “Histore de la Turquie,” Paris, 1854). 21. “Muhammad is by many seen only through the fog which dread and ignorance have spread around him. To them he is an
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21 object of horror against which anything evil might be said.... But now the mists of prejudice have cleared away, we can afford to see the founder of Islam in a fairer light.” (“The Permanent Element in Religion” by Bishop Boyd Carpenter), 22. “Mohamet himself, after all that can be said about him, was not a sensual man. We shall err widely if we consider this man as a common voluptuary, intent mainly on base enjoyments, nay no enjoyments of any kind.... No emperor with his tiaras was obeyed as this man in a cloak of his own clouting.” (Thomas Carlyle, “On Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History,” London 1888). 23. “It is strongly corroborative of Muhammad’s sincerity that the earliest converts to Islam were his bosom friends and the people of his household, who, all intimately acquainted with his private life, could not fail to have detected those discrepancies which more or less invariably exist between the pretentions of the hypocritical deceiver and his action at home.” (John Davenport, “An Apology for Muhammad and the Koran,” London). 24. “Later he became head of the state, and the testimony even of his enemies is that he administered wisely. The wisdom he displayed in judging intricate cases became the basic for the religious law that governs Islam today. He lifted women from the bondage in which desert custom held them and preached general social justice.... Western writers have based their charges of voluptuousness mainly on the question of woman.. Before Muhammad, however, men were encouraged to take innumerable wives; he limited them to four only and the Koran is explicit that husbands who are unable to maintain strict equality between two or more wives must confine themselves to one.’’ (James A. Michener, “Islam: The Misunderstood Religion”). 25. “Head of the State as well as of the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretension, Caesar without the legions of Caesar. Without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue, if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Muhammad, peace be upon him, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports.” (Bosworth Smith, “Muhammad and Muhammadanism”). 26. “In the little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal and temporal ruler of Medina, with his hand on the lever that was to shake the world.” (John Austin, “Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah” 1927).
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22 27. “It seemed then the great civilization which it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order was unknown.... It was among these people that the man (Muhammad, peace be upon him) was born who was to unite the whole known world of the East and South.” (J.H.Denison, “Emotion as Basis of Civilization” London 1928). 28. “Muhammad was the greatest revolutionary leader known to us. He has left an imprint on the whole course of human history which no man after him has been able to effiace. Indeed he appeared at the crossroads of human history and changed the course of human history. I hope it will now be realized that the Holy Prophet provided practical guidance for balanced living at all levels including physical, mental, emotional and metaphysical.” (Professor Le Bon on “Critical Study of Message of God”). 29. “Islam had the power of peacefully conquering souls by the simplicity of its theology, the clearness of its dogma and principles.” (Jean L’heureax, “Etude Sur L’lslamism”). 30. “Two features in the creed of Islam have always specially attracted me. One is the God conception, the other is its unquestionable sincerity.” (Major Arthur Glyn Leonard, “Islam-Her Moral and Spiritual Value,” London 1927). 31. “Sense of justice is one of the most wonderful ideals of Islam, because as I read in the Quran I find those dynamic principles of life, not mystic but practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited to the whole world.” (Sirojini Naidu, Lecture on “The ideals of Islam” vide Speeches and Writings of Sirojini Naidu, Madras 1918). 32. “The rise of Islam is perhaps the most amazing event in human history springing from a land and people alike previously negligible, Islam spread within a centuiy over half the earth shattering great empires, overthrowing long established religions, remoulding the souls of races, and building up a whole new world....the world of Islam. The closer we examine this development the more extraordinary does it appear.... Forgetting the chronic rivalries and “blood feuds which had consumed their energies in internecine strife, and welded into a glowing unity by the fire of their new found faith, the Arabs poured forth from their deserts to conquer the earth for Allah, the one true God.... For the
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23 first three centuries of its existence (circ. AD 650-1000) the realm of Islam was the most civilised and progressive portion of the world.” (A.M. Lothrop Stoddard, Ph.D. “The New World of Islam,” London 1932). 33. “There can be no question but that, with its pure monotheism and a code founded in the main on justice and humanity, Islam succeeds in raising to a higher level races sunk in idolatry and fetishism, like those of Central Africa, and that in some respect, notably in that of temperance, it materially improves the morality of such people.” (Sir William Muir, “Mohamet and Islam,” London 1895). 34 “It may be boldly asserted that no people in the world give the impression of being so religious-minded as do Moslems. All of life is saturated with the consciousness of God.” (Charles R.Watson, “What is this Moslem World?” London 1937). 35. “On the whole we find in it (the Quran) a collection of wisdom which can be adopted by the most intelligent of men, the greatest of philosophers and the most skilful of politicians.” (Laura Veccia Vaglieri, “Apologie de L’lslamisme”). 36. “It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder, the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and Medina is preserved after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran.” (Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, “History of the Saracen Empire” London 1870). 37. “His creed is equally suited to the despotism of Russia and to the democracy of the United States.” (Joseph J. Nunan, “Islam and European Civilization,” Demerara 1912). 38. “Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this terms considered etymologically and historically. A creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected of possess and does indeed possess a marvellous power of winning its way into the consciences of Men.” (T.W. Arnold “The Preaching of Islam,” London 1913) 39. “As a religion the Mohamedan religion, it must be confessed, is more suited to Africa than is the Christian religion, indeed, I would even say that it is more suited to the world as a whole.” (Lancelot Lawton, “The Sphere,” London 1928). 40. I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a
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24 uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.” (Napoleon Bonaparte in “Bonaparte et I, Islam,” Paris by Cherfils). 41. “The totally erroneous statements made about Islam in the West are sometimes the result of ignorance and sometimes of systematic degeneration.... It is disturbing to read balatant untruths in eminently respectable works written by authors a prior are highly qualified.” (Dr. Maurice Bucaillee, “The Bible, The Koran and Science”). 42. “The Koran is remarkably down-to-earth in its discussion of the good life.” (James A. Michener, “Islam: The Misunderstood Religion”). 43. ‘ To the Arab nation, it (Islam) was birth from darkness into light, Arabia first became alive by means of it.... within one century afterwards Arabia is at Granada on this hand, at Delhi on that; glancing in valour and splendour and the light of genious, Arabia is shine through language over a great section of the world.” (Thomas Carlyle, “Heroes and Hero-Worship”). 44. “Classical Islam, at its highest was a religion admirably conceived to give courage, dignity, and serenity to man facing a life of adversity, and to give him charity towards his fellowmen.” (Wilfred Cantwell Smith “Modern Islam in India”). 45. “Islam emerged into the civilized outer world, not as the crude superstition of marauding hordes, but as a moral force that commanded respect and a coherent doctrine that could challenge on their ground the Christianity of East Rome and the Zoroastrianism of Persia.” (Prof. H.A.R. GIBB, “Muhammadanism”). 46. “Further, where Islam is in competition with Christian missions run by Europeans, even when the rulers are Christians, it still spreads because it offers more understandable religious, social and economic values than Western Christianity, which only allows its adherents religious but no social equality.” (Spencer Trimingham, “Islam in the Sudan”). 47. “The Quran spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well-organised body, animated by the ideas far beyond that which had .until then ruled the Arabian mind.” (Von Kremer, “Culturgeschichte de Orients”). 48. “The Quran condemns cruelty, pride, arrogance, extravagance, calumny, games of chance, the use of intoxicants
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25 and other vices which debase man and destroy social life. It recommends faith in God and resignation to His will This meant, as will appear in the sequel, as subversive neither of human activity nor of moral freedom.” (Dr. Well, “Ges Chichteder Islamis Chen Volker”). 49. “It is one of the glories of Islam that temples are not made with hands and that its ceremonies can be performed anywhere upon God’s earth or under His heaven.” (“Our Indian Musulmans” Hunter). 50. “The Muhammadan Law which is binding on all from the crowned head to the meanest subject is a law interwoven with a system of the wisest, the most learned and the most enlightened jurisprudence that ever existed in the world,” (Edmund Burke, “Impeachment of Warren Hastings”). I am sure that our readers must now be satisfied that the Islam is the only religion which is worth calling the true living religion of Allah. No doubt, the Islam is the only religion which has enough force .to appeal to the hearts of the people and heal the ailments of souls. It has all the qualities to bring back the long denied spiritual peace to mankind_it is a healer of mind and self, and a practical solution for worldly problems too. It is a living guide for men in all the affairs of life. It not only say if you pray to God you are redeemed but also it says, ‘if you work for your family, your neigbours, your society, for widow, for orphans, for needy, it is even more meritorious, in the sight of God, than just praying, almsgiving, fasting.’ This book is aimed at to bring an awareness of Islam among the Muslims as well as the non-Muslims and to appeal all, to shun anti-Islam propaganda, to accept the truth of Islam even more and acclaim Muhammad, peace be upon him, as their true last Saviour. Muhammad Farooque Kemal _________
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BIBLIOGRAPHY – SOURCES 1.
BOKHARI
IMAM ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD BIN ISMAIL AL-BOKHARI A.H. 194-256
2.
MUSLIM
IMAM ABUL HASAN MUSLIM BIN AL-HAJJAJ ALQUSHARI A.H. 204-261
3.
MAJA
IMAM ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD BIN YAZID BIN MAJA AL-QAZWINI A.H. 209-273
4.
DAWOOD
IMAM ABU DAWOOD SULEMAN BIN AL ASHUS AS-SAJISTANI A.H. 202-275
5.
TIRMZI
IMAM ABU ISA MUHAMMAD BIN ISA AT-TIRMZI A.H. 209-279
6.
NISAI
IMAM ABU ABUR-RAHMAN AHMED BIN SHOAIB AN-NISAI A.H. 214-303
7.
MOTA
IMAM ABU ABDULLAH MALIK BIN ANAS A.H. 93-179
8.
AHMED
IMAM AHMED BIN HANBAL
9.
DARMI
ABU MUHAMMAED RAHMAN AD-DARMI
10.
AL-ADAB AL-MAFRAD
IMAM ABU ABPULLAH MUHAMMAD BIN ISMAIL AL-BOKHARI A.H. 194-256
11.
DARQATNI
ABUL HASAN ALI BIN UMER AD-DARQATNI A.H. 305-385
12.
ABU NAEEM
ABU NAEEM AHMED BIN ABDULLAH BIN AHMED AL-ISBAHANI A.H. 336-430
13.
BAHEEQI
ABU BAKR AHMED BIN AL-HUSSAIN ALBAHEEQI A.H. 384-456
14.
TIBRANI
ABUL QASIM SULEMAN BIN AHMED TIBRANI DIED A.H. 360
15.
HUJVERI
ABUL HASAN SYED ALI BIN SYED USMAN BIN SYED ALI DIED A.H. 465
ABDULLAH
A.H. 164-241 BIN ABDUR A.H. 181-255
SOURCE: KASHFAL-MEHJOOB 16.
MASTADRAK HAKIM
ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD NESHAPURI BIN ABDULLAH A.H. 321-405
17.
KHATEEB
ABU BAKR AHMED BIN ALI BIN THABIT A.H. 392-463
18.
BAZAZ
ABU BAKR AHMED AL-BAZAZ BIN OMERO BIN ABDUL KHALIQ A.H. 292
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27 19.
GHAZALI
IMAM ABU HAMED MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI BIN MUHAMMAD A.H. 450-505 SOURCE. AHYA ULOOM FID-DIN, CHEMIA-ESAADAT.
20.
JILANI
ABU MUHAMMAD ABDUL QADIR JILANI BIN SYED ALI SALEH A.H. 470-561
21.
AL-SHIFA
QAZI AYAZ MALKI BIN UMER
22.
AL-WAFA
ABUL FARAJ ABDUR RAHMAN BIN ALI AL-JOZI A.H, 517-597
23.
MISHKAT
WALI-UD-DIN ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAED BIN ABDULLAH
A.H. 476-544
SOURCE: MISHKAT AL-MASABIH. 24.
MAS NAD
MUHAMMAD BIN MUHAMMAD AL-BAQIRI. SOURCE: MASNAD AHLE-E-BAIT
25.
ANEES AL-WAAZEEN
ABU BAKR BIN MUHAMMAD ALI AL-QARSHI
26.
ZAAD
SHAMS-UD-DIN ABU ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD A.H, 690-751
AL-MAAD IMAM BIN QAYYAM AL-JOZI
27.
IBNHAJAR
ABUL FAZALSHAHAB-UD-DIN AHMED BIN ALI A.H. 773-852
28.
MADARAJ
SHEIKH ABDUL HAQ DELHVI BIN SHEIKH A.H. 958-1052
AN-NABAWWAT SAIF-UD-DIN
29.
HUJJATULLAH SHAH WALIULLAH BIN ABDUR RAHIM ALBALIGHA A.H. 1114-1176
30.
NEHJAL FASAHAT
ALLAMA NASEER AL-IJTIHADI
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Chapter 1
I AM MUHAMMAD All the praises are only for Allah Whom we praise, from Him we seek help and in Him we put faith and upon Him we lay reliance. Whomsoever He guides to the right path, no one can lead him astray and whomsoever He leads astray, no one can show him the right path. I give testimony that there is no god save Allah, the One, and no one is His associate. (Muslim) My name is MUHAMMAD, son of Abdullah son of Abdul Mutalib. Allah has exalted me above all in my ancestry, parentage and family lineage. (Bokhari, Muslim)
O people! I am a messenger to you all from Allah to Whom belongs kingdom of heavens and earth, save Him no one is worthy of worship. He is the One Who gives life and He is the One Who causes death. I have come to you from Him as a Warner and to give you happy tidings. (Al-Furqan 25-57) I am ‘His last word’ for perfect morals.
(Ahmed, Baheeqi)
I am the prophet for all the people of the world whether whites or blacks. (Bokhari, Muslim) I am the prophet for all genii as well as mankind. (Abdullah Ibn Abbas-Alwafa)
Before I came, each prophet was sent only for his own people, but I have come as a prophet for all the people of the world. (Bokhari, Muslim)’
I am the promised ‘Prophet of the Gentile:
(Al-Aaraaf 7-158)
God has bestowed on me understanding, comprehensiveness and perfection of speech: (Abu Huraira Al-Wafa) I have been protected by Allah for all errors past and future.
(Al-Quran, Bokhari)
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(Al-Aaraaf 7-159)
29 I have been granted perfect knowledge and understanding of God, and I have imparted the same divine knowledge to my followers in a perfect manner. Prophet Abraham is the ‘Friend of Allah’, Moses is the ‘Confidant of Allah’, Adam is the ‘Holy one of Allah’, Jesus is the ‘Spirit from Allah’ and ‘His word’, but let it be known that I am ‘the Beloved of Allah’.
(Tirmzi, Ahmed, Darmi)
I was prophet even when Adam was between body and the soul and God had then chosen me as ‘the last of the prophets’. Let me tell you, the first prophecy (in the Bible) about me was the prayer of prophet Abraham, and the last prophecy was the good news of Jesus (about coming of AHMED, PERICLETOS, COMFORTOR, PARACLETE, coming of Kingdom of God). (Muslim, Tirmzi)
On the Day of Judgment, I will be the King of all human beings and the most respected before God. (Muslim, Tirmzi, Darmi)
I say this not out of pride that on the Day of Judgment, holiness, the keys of everything and the standard of praise will be in my hands. (Tirmzi) On the Day of Judgment Adam and all the prophets of the world will assemble under my banner. (Muslim, Tirmzi) On the Day of Judgment, I will be the first to be raised from the grave, seventy thousand angels will surround me and I will be carried to the Throne of God in glory, just as the friends of a bride take her to the house of the groom, and I will be seated on
the right side of the Throne of God.
(Muslim)
There is no pride in it when I say that I will be the first to intercede for people to seek forgiveness for their sins. (Muslim, Tirmzi) I will be the first to open the door of Paradise.
(Tirmzi)
I am the one who brings to an end the line of prophets; there is no prophet after me, I do not say it out of pride. (Tirmzi) On the Day of Judgment, I will be the Speaker and the Leader of all the prophets and I will intercede on their behalf. (Tirmzi, Darmi)
I feel no pride in saying that I will console and give good news to the people at a time when all would have lost any hope of forgiveness. (Gilani)
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30 I take no pride in being King of the world but, my pride is in God Who has bestowed upon me this honour. (Gilani, Jabir Ibn Abdullah)
I have moments of such closeness to God that even the Holiest Angels and prophets do not have. (Hujveri) The first thing which God ever created was my divine light (Noor) and then through this divine light the whole universe was created. (Jabir Ibn Abdultah, Madaraj-an-Nabawat) Regarding creation, I am the First of all the prophets but as for coming into the world, I am the last of them all. (Abu Huraira) I am from God and all the believers are from me. (Abu Huraira)
God has created all the creations only for the acknowledgment of my graciousness, dignity and status. (Abu Huraira)
If I were not created, God would not have created this world; He would not have shown upon the creation His godhood. (Maktobat Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi, Imam Abu Haneefa, Ibn Jozi)
All prophets are like brothers who have one father but different mothers; our religion is the same. (Bokhari, Muslim) On the Day of Judgment, Prophet Abraham will say to me, O Muhammad! You are an answer to my prayer and my offspring, pray count me as your follower. Jesus would say, “You are my brother and there is no prophet between you and me, and as compared to the other prophets, I am the nearest to you, pray count me as your follower.� (Al-Shifa)
I have many names. I am Muhammad (Praised One, Loved One); I am Ahmed (Praising one, loving one, Paraclete); I am Mahi, the one with whom God will efface the disbelief; I am Hasher, the one, under whose feet all the people of the world will be raised on the Day of Judgment; I am Aqib, the last prophet after whom no prophet will come; I am Prophet Toba, the Prophet of Forgiveness (the prophet destined to make people repent their sins); I am Prophet Rehmat (The Prophet of Mercy, destined to bring love and peace to the World). (Bokhari, Muslim) I have brought for you such enlightened system of life and principles of living that if even Prophet Moses were living, he would have had no choice but to be my follower.
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31 I have been sent into the world for perfecting the morals of the people. (Mishkat) You should convey to others everything I say and do; the acts which you see me doing in secrecy, proclaim to the people openly. Whatever I say, even in the heat of anger is nothing but truth. (Mishkat) I have been given words full of wisdom and comprehensiveness. I have been sent not to preach celibacy but a way of life, a religion, simple and full of peace and righteousness. (Mishkat)
O my followers! Enjoy due share of life but, do not lose sight of divine proscriptions. God has taught you His Book and shown you His way so that the truth is differentiated from falsehood. (Mishkat)
Anyone who follows a way of life different from Islam’s, God will not accept it. (Al-Quran) When a person embraces Islam, all his past sins are forgiven. (Al-Quran, Mishkat) Religion is something simple and easy; when a person introduces hardship into his religion, the religion overpowers him. Therefore, always show moderation, act according to your capacity, be happy and seek the help of God in morning, evening and in some part of the night. (Bokhari) The action most dear to God is a good deed, done persistently, even though it be small. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do not put yourself to hardship, or else God too would be hard on you. See! A nation (of the past) put themselves to extreme hardships, so God also treated them severely. The people found in synagogues, hermitages, and monastries are in fact ramnants of those people. (Dawood)
The people have themselves invented monasticism; God never ordained so. (Al-Quran) God has given me a message for you through the Holy Spirit Gabriel.
He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth that He may cause it to prevail over all
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other religions even if those who worship partners with Allah hate it. (Al-Saff 61-10)
Verily, God has shown great grace to the believers that He has raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, who recite to them verses of God, purifies them morally and teaches them the Book (Quran) and Wisdom; and before that the people were manifestly astray. (Al-Imran 3-165) Those (the people of the Book i.e. the Bible) who follow the Messenger, the prophet of Gentile, about whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel, he preaches to them good and forbids them evil, permits clean things and prohibits unclean ones and relieves them from their burdens and the shackles that were upon them. Therefore, those who believe in him, and honour him and support him and follow the divine light that has been sent down with him, such are those who shall have salvation. (Al-Araf 7-158)
And he (the Prophet) does not speak any word from himself but revelation which is revealed to him. (Al-Najam 53-4) Surely, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves, it is grievous to him that you should fall into hardships and he is sincerely desirous of your welfare; for the believers, he is particularly compassionate, merciful (Al-Tauba 9-128) Surely, you have in the Messenger of Allah, an excellent example of good morals. (Al-Ahzab 33-22) And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it and whatsoever he forbids you, refrain from it. And fear Allah. (Al-Hashr 59-8)
He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah.
(Al-Nisa 4-81)
And whoever opposes the Messenger after the guidance (of Allah) has become clear to him and follows a way other than that of the Muslim’s, I shall appoint for him the way he is pursuing and throw him into Hell, and it is an end too evil (Al-Nisa 4-116) And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His statutory limits, He will throw him into Fire where he will live forever and upon him will be disgraceful chastisement. (Al-Nisa 4-15)
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But, if they turn away, then your responsibility is only to deliver the message clearly. (Al-Nahl 16-83) And it befits not a believer man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger adjudge a matter, that there should be an option for them in the matter concerning them. And whoso disobeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed gone astray straying manifestly. (Al-Ahzab 33-37)
O people of the World, I can be likened to a person who comes to a nation and warns, “O people! I have seen with my own eyes an army coming to attack and destroy you. I am a selfless man, forewarning you, take measures for your safety�. Then some of the people believed and left the place secretly under the cover of the night and were thus saved. But those who disbelieved him, remained in their houses. In the morning, the army attacked and slaughtered them and wiped them out. Similar is the case of a person who believes me from his heart and follows my directions fully and the other, who is disobedient and denies the truth that I reveal. (Bokhari, Muslim) And I can be likened to a man who, when someone lit a fire and its light spread all around and moths and other insects attracted by the fire started coming and falling into it, tried to stop them but, they would not stop and made his efforts futile and kept falling into fire. Similarly, I stop you from falling into the fire of Gehenna but, you try with all your might to fall into this fire. (Bokhari, Muslim)
And the knowledge and guidance given to me by God can be likened to rain which when falls on the ground, a fertile piece of land absorbs water and thus dry grass turns green and a great amount of new grass also grows. There is another piece of land which is harder, so it becomes a reservoir of water; thereby God benefits a multitude from it, people drink it themselves and offer it to others too and also irrigate their fields with it. Then there is a certain piece of land which is plain and barren; neither does it store water nor does it bring forth fresh grass. So, one is the case of a person who acquires the knowledge of faith and benefits from the guidance which God has sent through me. There is another who not only learns it himself but teaches it to others. And yet there is one who neither acquires knowledge of religion nor accepts the guidance which God has sent through me. (Bokhari, Muslim) My prophethood and that of other prophets can be likened to a building that had a splendid structure but, space for a single
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34 brick was left out in a wall. People walked around this building and showed great surprise on seeing the empty space, I am the one to fill that space for the final brick and thus, I am the one to complete this building and I am the last of the prophets. (Bokhari, Muslim) My presence is likened to Noah’s Ark in the flood of this age; whosoever got in was saved and whosoever refused was drowned. (Maulana Roomi) There is another parable of mine. A chief built a house and prepared food and sent his servants to invite guests. Those who accepted the invitation, entered the house and had excellent food at his table. The chief was pleased with them. Those who did not accept the invitation, could not have this food and the chief was angry with them. In this parable the chief represents God and I represent the servant, the house represents the religion of Islam and the table represents Paradise. (Bokhari) Your example and the example of those before you who were Jews and Christians, is like the story of a man who engaged three labourers and fixed wages of one dirham each. One labourer worked from morning till afternoon; the second labourer worked from afternoon till evening; the third labourer worked from evening till sunset. When the time for payment came, the three labourers stood up and. said, “How is it that our labour is different but the award is equal.” The employer replied, “I have given you what I promised. The rest is my grace.” The first labourer in this parable represents the Jews, the second labourer represents the Christians and the third labourer (who worked the least) signifies you, upon whom the One God has shown mercy. (Bokhari) God has sent this message through the Holy Spirit Gabriel for you people:
Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet. O believers! You too send blessings on him and salute him with due reverence. (Al-Ahzab 33-57) Whosoever sends blessings upon me, all the angels send their blessings upon him. (Abu Talha in Al-Wafa) If you send your blessings upon me before praying to God,
your prayers will be accepted by Him.
(Tirmzi)
On the Day of Judgment, the nearest to me will be those who send blessings upon me the most. (Dawood; Baheeqi)
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35 When a person sends blessings upon me, God conveys it to my spirit and respond to him. (Tirmzi, Darmi) God bestows His mercy ten times on those who bless me. (Tirmzi, Darmi)
Verily, God has spread angels all over the earth whose only duty is to convey the blessings of my followers to me. (Tirmzi, Darmi)
When a person is sending blessings upon me, the angels in the heavens also send their blessings upon him; so it depends upon a person how much blessings of the angels he wants to receive. (Aamer bin Rabbiya in Al-Wafa)
When you send blessings upon me, you must include other
prophets.
(Ahmed)
Such a person is an extreme miser who hears my name and then does not send blessings upon me. (Ahmed, Tirmzi) Whosoever blesses me, I am bound to intercede for him. (Ahmed)
O people! Struggle for the religion of God with all your vigour and strength. God has chosen you and has named you Muslim so that whosoever is not saved, he would suffer for sound reasons, and whosoever gets everlasting life with God, he would be rewarded also for sound reasons. (Zaad Almaad, Al-Quran) God does not accept any good act at all unless it is done
purely for His sake.
(Muslim, Ahmed)
In the days of ignorance and darkness, people prayed to other gods; they will be punished for their deeds and on the Day of Judgment they will undergo torments. God, in spite of His authority and powers, gave them a chance but the stronger started ruling over the weak, and the rich started oppressing the poor and deprived the poor of their rights. Remember! God is Great and the Most Holy; the murders, adultery and acts of atrocities that you had committed in the days of ignorance have been forgiven but, whosoever repeats these acts now, will certainly be punished by God. (Nehjal Fasahat) Whosoever does good deeds for the sake of the Hereafter, God will fill his heart with peace and richness (satisfaction) and make him satisfied and the goodness of the world will come to his door but, when a person lives only for this world, God will disgrace
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36 him, he will always have the fear of poverty and helplessness. Remember O people! A person gets only what is written in his fate. (Baheeqi)
Angel Gabriel, the Truthful has told me that nobody will die till he has partaken of what is destined for him; so fear God, do not use unfair means to earn your livelihood. It should not happen that a delay in procuring means of livelihood make you to commit sins. Remember! Things lying with God can be obtained only by submitting to His will. (Gilani) Fear God because, fear of God is the sum of all virtues. It is binding upon you to keep struggling, this is the monasticism of Islam; always remember God because, this is divine light for you. (Mishkat)
The real criterion for the right belief is that, in the face of love for God and His prophet, love for everything else should become insignificant. (Bokhari, Muslim) Whosoever believes me as a slave (servant of God) and a prophet, and also believes Jesus son of Mary to be a slave (servant of God), His prophet and His order and a spirit from God will certainly go to Paradise. (Bokhari, Muslim) God has sent this message for all the people of the world through the Holy Spirit Gabriel:
Mankind were followers of one belief (one Ummah) so Allah sent His prophets who gave good news (of kingdom of God, Paradise, for the righteous acts) and warnings (of Gehenna for the wrong acts) and also the Book containing the truth. (Al-Baqarah 2-214)
O people! I have created you from one male and a female and formed you into different tribes and sub-tribes so that you can recognize each other (so all people are equal and brethrens). Verily, the most honourable among you with Allah is he who is the most God-fearing among you. (Al-Hujurat 49-14) This religion, Islam, is actually the same religion (which earlier prophets preached). I am your God, so worship Me only. (Al-Anbiya 21-93)
This religion of yours is actually the same way of life (of earlier prophets), I am your God, fear Me only. (Al-Muminun 23-53)
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37
O people!’ Fear your Lord, Who created you from one person (Adam) and from him was created his spouse (Eve) and then from the two were spread a multitude of men and women. (Al-Nisa 4-2) O prophet! Say: I believe in the truth of all the Books (the Bible & others) revealed by Allah and I have been ordered to judge justly between you. Allah is our Lord (Sustainer) and your Lord (Rab). Our deeds are for us and your deeds are for you; there is no dispute between us and you. Allah will gather us together, and to Him we return. (Al-Shura 42-16) Whosoever believes in this reality he does it for his own sake, and whosoever refuses to believe in it, tell him that my duty is only to warn. (that consequences of refusal are terrible). (Al-Naml 27-93) There is no compulsion in religion.
(Al-Baqarah 2-257)
Are they not informed that whatsoever opposes Allah and His Messenger, for him is the Fire of Gehenna, abiding therein forever? And this is a great humiliation. (Al-Anam 6-21) Those to whom I have given the Book (the Jews, the Christian), recognize him (that Muhammad, peace be ‘upon him, is the true last prophet) as they recognize their own sons, but those who have chosen to ruin their souls, such ones do not believe. (Al-Anam 6-21)
Say: O people of the Book! Let us compromise on one commandment, which is common between us and you, that we shall worship none save Allah and that we associate not anything with Him and that some of us shall not take others for Lords besides Allah. But, if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we have submitted to Allah. (Al-Imran 3-65) And recollect when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, indeed I am Allah’s Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the Torah, and giving good news of a Messenger who will come after me whose name will be Ahmed (Paraclete, Menahem).” (Al-Saff 61-7) O children of Israel! recollect My bounties which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me, I will fulfil My covenant with you and Me alone should you fear. And believe in what I have revealed, which confirms that which is with you, and be not the first to disbelieve therein and barter not My verses for a paltry price, and Me alone should you fear. And do not confound truth with falsehood nor conceal the truth, and you know it. (Al-Baqarah 2-41)
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Those people who conceal the message which God has revealed in the Book (the Bible) and take a paltry price in exchange for that, they fill their bellies with nothing but fire. (Al-Baqarah 2-175)
I am the last prophet, the prophet of Gentile (last saviour messiah of the whole world) I am the prophet Malahim, the prophet of sword, the Holy warrior, I am the prophet Ahmed, the Saviour from the fire of Gehenna. O people! Every man is like a brother to other man. (Hakim Matdarak, Mishkat)
Talk nicely and kindly to everyone.
(Mishkat)
Greatest of all sins is to say that the One God has associates and partners. After that, the greatest sin is to disobey parents; and next is to give false testimony. (Mishkat)
mood.
Always say what is just, even if you are angry or in good (Al-Quran)
Always speak the truth. The deadliest of all sins is a false tongue.
(Mishkat)
If you make a promise, then fulfil it.
(Al-Quran)
Always show humility.
(Mishkat)
Nobody shall show arrogance nor be highhanded towards others. All people are equal just like one measure is equal to another measure. (Muslim) Nobody has superiority because of black or white colour; the better is the one who fears God the most in his actions. (Mishkat)
The best among you is the one who treats well his parents, wife, children, kinsmen, neighbours, friends, servants and orphans. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi)
God loves His people just like you love your children. The most beloved of God is the one who loves and serves His children most. (Baheeqi) Cleanliness is one half of faith. Keep your body and dress absolutely clean.
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(Muslim) (Zaad Almaad)
39 The best quality which a man possesses is good conduct (Bokhari, Muslim, Baheeqi)
Bad conduct is a sin which God will never forgive. (Mishkat) There is no nobility better than good morals and ethics. (Mishkat)
Whoso deprives you, send him a gift, whoso treats you badly, treat him with love in return. (Ghazali) Do not insult your fellow brother and do not be critical and faultfinder. (Tirmzi, Dawood) Do not put your brother to shame by mentioning his weaknesses. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do not abuse. Do not call another by a bad name or appellation. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do not backbite.
(Bokhari, Muslim)
Do not be jealous.
(Bokhari, Muslim, Dawood)
Do not criticise others.
(Al-Quran)
Do not pry into secrets of others.
(Bokhari, Muslim, Al-Quran)
Do not be happy at the misfortune of others.
(Mishkat)
Do not mention the favours you do to others.
(Al-Quran)
Control your tongue.
(Mishkat)
Do not accuse falsely.
(Mishkat)
When you intend to speak evil of someone, refrain from it, remembering that you too have faults. (Baheeqi) Do not quarrel.
(Mishkat)
Do not be a flatterer and a sycophant.
(Mishkat)
Do not get angry.
(Mishkat)
Be honest.
(Mishkat)
Do not have false suspicions and distrust for others. (Al-Quran)
Do not beg.
(Mishkat)
If somebody apologizes, accept the apology.
(Mishkat)
Develop intimacy with good persons only.
(Mishkat)
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40 Help widows and the poor.
(Mishkat)
Exhort upon people to do good work (social work etc.) and forbid them from doing wrong. (Gilani) Acquire knowledge and impart it to others.
(Gilani)
Earn your livelihood by fair means.
(Muslim)
Do not be miserly; be generous.
(Muslim)
Do not be a spendthrift and wasteful.
(Al-Quran)
Give charity in the way of God.
(Al-Quran)
Give Zakat (compulsory alms).
(Al-Quran)
Whatever is in excess of your needs give it to your needy brother. (Bokhari, Muslim, Al-Quran) Get married and do not remain unmarried like monks. (Baheeqi)
Do not commit excesses on each other.
(Al-Quran)
Do not demand interest on lent money.
(Al-Quran)
If somebody is ill, visit him.
(Mishkat, Bokhari, Muslim)
Beware of hypocrisy.
(Mishkat)
Do not take intoxicating liquors and anything which produces intoxication, not even a small quantity. (Maja, Dawood, Mishkat)
Drinking of liquor is the root of all evils. Do not gamble.
(Maja, Mishkat) (Mishkat, Al-Quran)
Do not steal.
(Mishkat)
Do not take or give bribe.
(Maja, Dawood, Al-Quran)
Do not kill anybody.
(Al-Quran, Mishkat)
Do not commit suicide.
(Al-Quran, Mishkat)
Do not be proud and haughty over anything at all. (Al-Quran, Mishkat)
O my believers! Keep fasts in the month of Ramadan, say your prayers five times a day at the specified time. (Mishkat, Ahmed, Tirmzi)
If you have means, then perform Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah). (Al-Quran)
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41 Remember, whoso is not honest, he has no faith nor any religion. (Mishkat) Whoso does not fulfil his commitment, he too is without faith. (Mishkat) Struggle against infidels with all your strength, your possessions and tongue. (Al-Quran, Mishkat) Do not commit adultery. That is a deadly sin; it is immodesty, shamelessness. Adultery of hands is to hold a strange woman; adultery of feet is to walk for that purpose; adultery of the mouth is to kiss a strange woman; adultery of the ear is to hear the voice of a woman with lust. (Muslim) God has a reward for all kind acts you do to animals and any living thing (Mishkat). Do not hit them on faces, nor give pain to them, (Muslim). Do not involve them fight (Tirmzi). Be considerate for their comforts and food. (Dawood) O people! Eat and drink only the clean things which God has permitted. Always start eating with the pronouncement of the name of God; whoso thanks God with every morsel he eats and every draught he drinks, God is pleased with him. (Mishkat, Muslim) Respect your guests; who does not entertain guests is one having no virtues and no goodness. Be generous with guests. (Gilani)
The best deed which a Muslim does is to offer food to others and say ‘Assalaamoalaikum’ (greetings) to everyone whether acquainted or not. (Mishkat, Bokhari, Muslim) I have been ordered to destroy all musical instruments. Curse of God on the singers and the ones for whom they sing. (Ahmed, Mishkat)
If anyone of you sees a wrong being done, then stop it with all your power. If you cannot, then stop it with your tongue. If this is not possible, then hate this in your heart; this is the least of the faith. (Muslim) The fear of others should not stop you from saying the truth when you know it. (Tirmzi) Do not say anything to others which you yourself do not do. (Al-Quran)
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42 People who preach what is good and forbid what is wrong, will be rewarded with an exalted place in the Kingdom of God (i.e. Paradise), which even prophets and martyrs will envy. (Mishkat) God loves a person who has mild temperament and is tolerant and modest. (Muslim, Tirmzi) O people! Beware of greed and avarice; this is an everlasting poverty which gives heartburn all the times. (Muslim) Remember, a simple living is an indication of good faith. (Dawood)
A greedy and avaricious person is never satisfied with worldly gains. (Bokhari, Muslim, Tirmzi) Perform every act with good planning and thinking. There is no wisdom equal to good planning. (Mishkat) Do your work with persistence because there is no virtue better than persistence. (Ghunia) If you commit a sin, ask God for forgiveness with a true heart. If you commit a sin again, ask forgiveness again, the graciousness of God greatly exceeds your sins. (Gilani) A Muslim is an embodiment of love; such a Muslim who does not love others nor people love him has no goodness. (Ahmed, Baheeqi)
Four foundations of Islam are steadfastness (patience), firm belief, struggle in Allah’s way, and commitment to truth and justice. (Masnad) _________
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Chapter Two
WHAT IS BELIEF IN ALLAH? O people of the world! Believe in God. Belief means that you believe in God, His angels, His revealed Books, all His prophets, and in that good or bad fate is from Allah; and in the life Hereafter. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Faith has more than seventy branches; the most important of all is to believe truly that no one is worthy of worship except God, and the least one is to clear some obstacle lying on a path. (Bokhari, Muslim) A good believer is the one from whose hands and tongue, people get peace. (Bokhari, Muslim) Whoso believes with true heart that save Allah there is no other god and Muhammad is the Prophet of God, God will save him from the fire of Gehenna and such a person will (ultimately) enter the kingdom of God, Paradise, even if he is an adulterer or a thief. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Faith and acts go together; they cannot be separated from each other. (Nehjal-Fasahat) The best signs which reflect faith are good morality, patience, generosity; also being attired in old dress, forsaking the worldly adornments and moral courage. (Mishkat) Allah may give bounties to anyone, whether a friend or not but, He bestows faith only to the one whom He befriends and loves. (Ahmed, Baheeqi)
When a good deed gives you pleasure and a bad deed makes you displeased, then doubtlessly you have faith. (Ahmed) The best faith is that you love somebody only for the sake of God, you hate an evildoer again for the sake of God and do remembrance of God all the time. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood)
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44 No person can be a perfect believer unless he loves me more than his own life, his parents, wife and children and all other people (Bokhari, Muslim)
Whoso, whether a Jew or a Christian, hears about me and does not believe in the message of God which has been revealed to me, he will, without any doubt, enter the fire of Gehenna. (Muslim) What you choose for yourself, like it for others too, and what you think is bad for you, dislike it for others too. (Ahmed) When a man commits adultery or theft or dishonesty or murder or take liquor, his faith leaves him. So beware of all these evils. When a person repents and asks for forgiveness with a true heart, faith returns to him. (Bokhari, Muslim) The real pleasure of faith is enjoyed by one who loves God and His Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) more than anything in the world and loves others only for the sake of God; one who, after entering into the light of Islam, hates the darkness of faithlessness as much as going into fire; one who refrains from quarrelling when he realises that other person is right; one who does not tell a lie even if he is in danger and is being compelled to do so; one who believes with true heart that what has befallen him could not have been averted. (Maja, Ahmed, Dawood) These things are also part of the faith that a person spends in the way of God, even if he is poor; that he struggles to his utmost to spread peace and security in the world and he always does justice even if he is the loser. A good man with faith is the one in whom people have such a confidence that they place in his custody their lives and their belongings. Belief is in the heart but, the real test of being a Muslim is his actions. There is no way of life better than Islam’s and no religion has any superiority over it. Patience and thanksgiving are two parts of the faith; show patience in the times of distress and thank God in all circumstances (whether good or bad). If a person has faith in God in the manner it should be, then even the mountains would move if he so prays. (Nehjal Fasahat) Allah has revealed this message for the people of the world: And your God is only One God, there is no god but He, the Beneficent and the Merciful. Verily, there are miracles for the people who are intelligent, in the creation of the heavens and the
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45 earth, and in the alternation of the night and the day, and the ships that sail in the sea with that which are useful for men; and in the rain that Allah sends down from the sky, then gives life to the earth with it after its death, and scatters herein all kind of animals, and in the change of the winds and the clouds made subservient between the heaven and the earth. And there are some among the people who take for themselves such deities besides Allah whom they love as they should love Allah; but those who believe are very strong in love for Allah; and only if these profaners could now visualize what they are going to know when they shall see the chastisement, that all the power is wholly Allah’s and that Allah is severe in chastising. And at that moment, all those who were followed will disown their followers and then they will see the chastisement and all their ties will be cut asunder. (Al-Baqarah, 2-164)
Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, He is the EverLiving; the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep. Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him save by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they cannot comprehend any thing out of His knowledge except what He desires; His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He is not tired by the care of them; and He is the Most High, the Great. (Al-Baqarah 2-256) Verily, there are Signs for men of understanding in the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the alternation of the night and the day. They are regardful of Allah all the time, standing and sitting and lying on their sides, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and pray) “O our Lord! You have not created this in vain; glory be to You! Save us then from the chastisement of the Fire�. (Al-Imran) Surely, Allah does not forgive that anything be called His associate, but besides this, He forgives to whomsoever He desires; and whosoever associates anything with Allah, has indeed strayed far away. (Al-Nisa 4-117) It is Allah indeed Who causes the grain and the date-stone to sprout, He brings forth the living from the dead (as plants from seeds, and birds from eggs) and the dead from the living. Such is Allah. How are you then misled? He is the cleaver of day break, and He has made the night for your rest, and the sun and the moon for reckoning time. This is the decree of the Mighty, the
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46 Knower. And He it is Who has created for you the stars so that you may guide our course with their help in the darkness of the land and the sea. See! I have explained My Signs for people of knowledge. And He it is Who has brought you into existence through a single soul and then there is a home and a repository. See! I have explained My Signs for people of understanding. And He it is Who pours down rain from the heaven, and then brings forth through this water, vegetation of every kind, also I create through it, green foliage (trees) wherefrom I bring forth the thickclustered grain, and from the date-palm, out of its pollen, spring pendant bunches hanging low, and gardens of grapes and olives and pomegranates, alike and unlike (in shape and taste). Look at the fruit when they bear it and observe its spectacular stages of ripening, indeed there are Signs in it for the people who believe. (Al-Anam 6-96) He it is Who made the sun emit a brilliant light and the moon a light and decreed stages for it that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create it but with purpose, He makes His miracles manifest for the men of knowledge. Indeed, in the variation of the night and day and what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are proofs (of a creator, Allah) for God-fearing people. (Yunus 10-6) Say, ‘Who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls the hearing and the sight? And who brings forth the living from the dead and creates the dead from the living? And who is schemer of all affairs?’ They will admit, ‘Allah’. Then say, ‘Will you not then fear Him?’ (Yunus 10-32) There is no creature in the earth but Allah is responsible for its sustenance and knows its habitation and its repository. This is all clearly recorded in the Book. (Hud 11-7) Allah is He who raised the heavens without any visible pillars and then He took His Seat of power, and He made the sun and the moon subservient to you; each one pursues its course until an appointed term. He plans it all, He clearly manifests to you His miraculous power that you may have a firm belief in the meeting with your Lord. And He it is Who spread out the earth and made in it mountains and rivers; and He created two sexes in all the fruits; He causes the night to cover the day, most surely there are many miracles in this for men of philosophy. And in the earth, there are tracts side by side and gardens of grapes and corn-fields and date-palms having one root and sometime having more than one root, they are watered with same water, yet I make some of
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47 them excel others in fruit, no doubt, there are proofs (of God) in this for people who are intelligent. (Al-Raad 13-3) Allah knows what every female bears and that which remains incomplete in the wombs, and that which they grow; with Him every thing is well-calculated. He is the Knower of the invisible and the visible, the Incomparably Great, the High Exalted. Whether a person speaks secretly or speaks loudly, hides in the darkness of night or goes forth openly by day, to Him all is alike. There are angels following one another for his sake, before him and behind him, who guard him under instructions from Allah. (Al-Raad 13-9) He it is Who shows you the lightning which causes fear and hope, and He raises the heavy cloud, and the thunder glorifies Him with His praise and also the angels for fear of Him. (Al-Raad 13-13) Say, ‘Allah is the Creator of all things and He is the One, the Almighty. He sends down water from the heaven, so that water courses flow according to their capacities and the torrents bear on its surface swelling foam; and also a similar foam arises from what they melt (metals) in the fire for the sake of making ornaments and utensils.’ (Al-Raad 13-17) Surely there are hidden miracles for such people who take heed in the things which He has created for you in the earth, varying in colours. And He is the One Who has made the sea subservient to you so that you may eat fresh meat therefrom and bring forth from it ornaments which you wear. (Al-Nahl 16-14) And surely in the cattle, there is something to ponder for you. I give you to drink of what is in their bellies, from betwixt the refuse and the blood, pure milk pleasant to the drinkers. And of the fruits of the date-palm and grapes, you obtain from them intoxicating and goodly provisions, most surely there is proof (of powers of Allah) in this for intelligent people. And your Lord inspired the bee, saying, “Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in the trellises which they build. Then eat of all the fruits and follow the way of your Lord submissively.” There comes forth a beverage of many colours from their bellies, in which there is healing for mankind, most surely there are miracles in it for thoughtful people. (Al-Nahl 16-67) And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers that you did not know anything, and He gave ears and eyes and hearts that you might be grateful. Do these people not
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48 watch the birds obedient in the space? None withhold them but Allah; most surely, there are proofs (of existence of Allah) in it for a people who believe. And Allah has given you homes, a place of rest for you, and has made for you tents of the skins of cattle which you find light to carry on the day of your travel and on the day of pitching camp; and of their wool and their fur and their hair, He has given you household goods and articles of use for a while. And of His created things, Allah has made for you such things which afford shelter from the sun, and He has given places of refuge in the mountains, and He has made for you such garments which protect you during wars; thus does He perfect His bounties upon you so that you may submit to Him. But if they still deny you, then O prophet, you are responsible only for the clear deliverance of the Message. They know the favour of Allah, yet they deny it; and most of them are sacrilegious. (Al-Nahl 16-79) The seven heavens and the earth and those who are in them declare His glory; and there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you understand not their glorification. Verily, He is Clement, Most Forgiving. (Bani Israel 17-45) Say, ‘If the ocean were ink for writing the acts of my Lord, the ocean would indeed be used up before the acts of my Lord are fully recorded, even though the like of that ocean were brought to add thereto.’ (Al-Kahf 18-110) And whoever associates others with Allah, it is as though he had fallen from the heaven and the birds had snatched him away or the wind had blown him to a far distant place, (Al-Hajj 22-32) Then through water (of rain) I cause to grow gardens of date-palms and grapes for you; there are abundance of fruits and you eat from them; and a tree which grows out of Mount Sinai, it produces oil and a sauce for the eaters. And in the cattle also, most surely there is something to ponder for you. I give you a drink from their bellies, and you have many benefits in them and also you eat them; and on them and on the ships yon travel. (Al-Muminun 23-20) Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a chandelier. The chandelier is as it were a shining star. It is lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth of itself though fire touch it not. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whomsoever He desires; and Allah speaks to the people in allegories, for Allah is the Knower of all things. (Al-Noor 24-36)
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49 Do you not see that Allah is He Whom all who are in the heavens and the earth glorify and the birds with their wings expanded? Each one knows its own way of worship and glorification, and Allah is fully aware of their deeds. The kingdom of the heave and the earth belongs to Allah, and to Allah shall everything return. Do you not observe that Allah drives along the clouds, then gathers them, then piles them up, so that you see the rain coming forth from their midst? He sends down from the heaven mountains (i.e. clouds) wherein is hail and He smites therewith whom He desires and protects from it whom He desires; the flash of His lightning almost takes away the sight. Allah alternates the night and the day, most surely there is a lesson in this for the people with insight. Allah has created every living creature from water; there are some of them that move on their bellies, and there are some which walk upon two feet, and there are some which walk upon four; Allah creates what He desires; most surely Allah has power over all things. Indeed, I have manifested clear miracles, and Allah guides whom He desires to the straight path. Have you not observed the work of your Lord, how He extends the shade? And if He had desired so He could have made it stationary, then I have made the sun an indication of it; then I draw it towards Myself, drawing little by little. And He is the One Who made the night a covering for you and the sleep a rest, and has made the day for rising up. And He is the One who sends the winds as glad tidings before His mercy; and I send down pure water from the heaven, so that I may give life to a dead land by it, and give it to My creation for drink, cattle and men in great numbers. And indeed I. have repeated this to them so that they may take an advice from it, but the majority of the people do not assent to it, but disbelieve. (Al-Furqan 25-46)
And He is the One Who has made the two seas to flow, one palatable and sweet, and the other saltish and bitter; and between the two He has formed a barrier and an inviolable partition. (Al-Furqan 25-54)
Do they not look at the earth, how much of every fruitful kind I have caused to grow in it? There are indeed proofs (of a creator) in that but most of the people are not convinced. (Al-Shuaraa 26-8)
Is it not He Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the heaven for you, wherewith I cause to
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(Al-Noor 24-42)
50 grow beautiful gardens whose trees were not in your power to grow? (Al-Naml 27-61) And one of His miracles is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. In that are indeed proofs for scholars. (Al-Rum 30-23) Do you not observe that Allah has made subservient everything in the heavens and the earth, and has accomplished to you His favours open and hidden?
(Luqman 31-21)
And if all the trees in the earth were made into pens to write and the sea were ink, with seven more seas to help it, this will not suffice to record the acts of Allah, surely Allah is Mighty Wise. Your creation and resurrection are, for Him, only as the creation and resurrection of a single soul, indeed Allah is the Hearer and the Seeing. No woman conceives nor does she brings forth a child but it is with His consent; no one lives a long life or a short life but it is already written in a Book (of predestination), and for Allah that surely is extremely easy. (Al-Fatir 35-12) Do you not observe that Allah sends down water from the heaven, therewith I bring forth fruits of different colours; and in the mountains are streaks, white and red, of various shades and others intensely black? And also there are various colours, in like manner, among men and beasts and cattle; only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah, surely Allah is Mighty, Most Forgiving. (Al-Fatir 35-28) Does not a man observe that I created him from a mere life-germ? And lo! he disputes openly and coins parables about Me and forgets his own origin; and says, ‘Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?’ Say to them that they will be given
life by the same One Who created them the first time and He is Knower of all the processes of creation; He Who creates fire for you
from the green trees with which you kindle from it. Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create again the like of them? Why not! when He is the Supreme Creator and the AllKnowing. When He decides to do anything He just says, ‘Be!’ and that happens instantly. Therefore Glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things and to Him shall all return. (Yasin 36-78) He created the heavens and the earth with truth; and He shaped you and made good your shapes; and unto Him is the return. (At Taghabun 64-4)
50
(Luqman 31-28)
51 He knows the treachery of the eyes and that which the breasts hide. (Al-Mumin 40-20) Do you not see that Allah has knowledge of all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth? Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, not between five persons but He is the sixth of them, nor of less than that, nor of more but He is with them wheresoever they are. (Al-Mujadilah 58-8)
Have you ever thought about the life-germ? Is it you that create it or are We the Creator? (Al-Waqiah 56–59) Have you ever thought about the seeds you sow? Is it you who grow them or are We the Grower? (Al-Waqiah 56-64) Have you thoughtfully seen the water which you drink? Is it you who send it down from the clouds or are We the Sender? If We had so pleased, We could make it bitter. (Al-Waqiah 56-69) He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden and He is Knower of all things. (Al-Hadid 57-4) He is Allah save Whom there is no God, the Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is Allah save Whom there is no God; the King the Holy, the Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Compeller, the Exalted. Allah is glorified far above that what they associate with Him. He is Allah the Creator, the Maker out of nothing, the Fashioner (the Designer), His are the most excellent names, whatever is in the heavens and the earth all glorify Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (Al-Hashr 59-23) Say that Allah is One; Allah is free from needs; neither He begets nor is He begotten; none is like Him. (Al-Ikhlas 112)
_________
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Chapter Three
OF KNOWLEDGE To seek knowledge is the duty of every Muslim woman and man.
(Maja, Darmi)
Seek knowledge from birth unto death.
(Mishkat, Ahmed)
Whoso walks in the way of knowledge, God makes the way to Paradise easy for him. (Muslim) When a person undertakes journey for the sake of knowledge, he is on the way to Paradise and angels spread their wings over him and seek forgiveness; everything in heavens and earth, even the fish in water pray for him. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood, Darmi, Maja)
A scholar excels over a devout worshipper as the full moon excels over the stars. (Mishkat) A scholar is heir of the prophets. The heritage of the prophets is not money but knowledge of which a scholar is the heir, so whoso acquires knowledge gains the complete faith. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Darmi)
One who goes out in the search of knowledge is like the one in the Holy War (or way of God) till he comes hack. (Tirmzi, Darmi) Whoso seeks knowledge, it becomes an atonement for his past sins. (Tirmzi, Darmi) Impart knowledge to others, be kind, make them take interest, do not tire them off; if you get angry, remain quiet. (Mishkat)
Anyone who endeavours to learn and then acquires it, will have double reward; and the one who endeavours but fails, will still have single reward from God. (Darmi, Mishkat) The one who dies while seeking knowledge, so as to impart new life to the faith (Islam), will be ranked just one step below the prophets in the Paradise. (Mishkat, Darmi)
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53 Excessiveness in knowledge is better than excessiveness in the prayers. (Mishkat) A lover achievements.
of
knowledge
is
never
content
with
his
(Darmi, Baheeqi)
There is no man more wanting than a lover of knowledge, while no man is more satisfied than an illiterate. (Nehjal Fasahat) The word of wisdom is a stray of the wise, so wherever he may find it, it is his by right. (Darmi, Tirmzi) A believer shall never be satisfied with true knowledge till he enters Paradise. (Tirmzi) A person who does not seek knowledge nor teaches others for the sake of God, should be ready to go into Gehenna. (Mishkat) Whoso is granted wisdom, has the best of the world. (Al-Quran)
If you convert a single person to the true faith, that is better than all the riches of the world. (Muslim) A small act with knowledge is acceptable to God, while a large number of acts with ignorance are of little significance to Him. (Nehjal Fasahat) Help each other in acquiring knowledge. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
Never try to conceal knowledge from others, because concealment of knowledge is a much greater sin than embezzlement of money. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) Ask the refuge of God against such knowledge which is not beneficial (for human being). (Maja, Mishkat) Knowledge is a treasure whose keys are inquiry and asking of questions; so you must ask questions for improving your knowledge; by this, four people have reward from God; the first one is he who questions, the second one is he who answers, the third one is he who listens, and the fourth one is he who loves such people. (Abu Naeem, Mishkat) An intelligent question knowledge itself.
for
knowledge
is half
the
An uneducated and uncivilised person should not be content with ignorance nor a learned person should stick to his achievements in knowledge. (Mishkat)
53
(Mishkat)
54
. Learn science (knowledge) because striving for it is the fear of God, endeavouring for it is worship; teaching of it is adoration of God, its teaching to the uneducated is like almsgiving; its discussion is like waging war in the way of God (i.e. Jehad), its teaching to the deserving is nearness to God. It is learning and knowledge which, in solitude is a friend in journey, it is a companion in loneliness, it is the one to converse with. Learning and knowledge are the guide of the faith. It is a source of light in affluence and poverty. It is an assistance in the company of friends. It is a cause of friendliness with the strangers. It is a weapon against the enemy. It is a tower in the path to Paradise. It is due to knowledge and learning that God gives honour and high ranks and creates leaders and guides for noble deeds; others find the true way and guidance from them; people walk in their footsteps and make their deeds as model, the angels long for their friendship and nearness and cleanse them with their wings and every living thing on the land and in water asks forgiveness for them, even as much as that the fish in the sea, the insects, the wild animals, the domestic animals and the heaven and all the stars, all pray for them. An effort for learning and pondering over it, is just as good as fasting. (Gilani) This world as well as everything in it is execrated except the remembrance of God and an act like it, and the teacher and the student. (Tirmzi, Maja) There is a foundation of everything; a believer’s foundation is the wisdom and the learning. The perfectly intelligent among you is the one who fears God the most. Excellence of man is due to his intelligence, because a man performs good actions only that much which his intellect allows. The knowledge is friend of a believer, learning is his guide; deeds are his controller, toleration is his minister (wazir), patience is his commander, kindness is his parents, mercy is his brother. Negligence in learning is a curse of life. A person who acquires more knowledge but his love for the world is not lessened, then he will be far from God. The fundamental of the knowledge is to understand the authoritativeness of God, and the utmost is to leave everything to God and to believe that neither I am anything nor anything can be really mine. (Gilani)
54
(Gilani)
55 There is no poverty more than poverty of knowledge and there is no gain greater than the gain of wisdom and the knowledge. (Masnad) Along with learning, it is a must to act accordingly too; if you act, then the knowledge will remain with you, otherwise it will leave you. (Gilani) Sometimes Satan overpowers you under the cover of knowledge; he says, “Learn, and do not act till you learn it fully;� so the man postpones his actions according to his knowledge, till he dies without acting. (Gilani) When a man acts according to his knowledge he is gifted by God with more knowledge which he had not possessed earlier. (Gilani)
When God desires goodness to a man, he imparts him the understanding of the religion. I am only Distributor, God is the Giver. (Bokhari, Muslim) There are two persons who can be envied, the first is that man whom God has given riches and the power to spend in His way; the second is the man whom God has given wisdom and he acts and decides accordingly and teaches others. (Bokhari, Muslim) When a man dies his actions cease too, except the knowledge which he imparted to others; this action is rewarded ever after. (Muslim) When some people gather in a mosque and recite the Quran and teach others, God sends His peace over them, His blessings cover them; the angels surround them; God mentions them to the angels close to Him. (Muslim) After I depart from this world, whenever you see some students, pay them reverence and welcome them. (Tirmzi, Maja) O God! Whatever you have taught me, make it beneficial for me, give me the strength to act upon it; increase my knowledge. Verily, God is praiseworthy always. (Mishkat) Whoso of my followers learns forty of my sayings pertaining to religion, for teaching others, he will be raised as a scholar on the Day of Judgment and I will be his intercessor and a witness on his side.
55
(Baheeqi)
56 I pray that whoever develops understanding in religion, God may save him from all worries and give him livelihood from unexpected sources. (Gilani) I wish that a day may not pass wherein there is not an increase in such a wisdom which brings me closer to God. If somebody learns a chapter so as to teach it to others, he will have reward equal to the deeds of seventy prophets. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) The best gain and fine gift are words of wisdom which you remember and teach to your Muslim brother; you will get a reward of one year’s worship. (Tibrani, Mishkat) A boy who grows up so that he is seeking knowledge and worshipping, will have reward equal to the deeds of seventy two of the most truthful believers. (Gilani) Education at an early age is like a mark on the stone, but education at the old age is like a print over water. (Gilani) Get education and develop self-respect and gentleness, be humble before the teacher, and show meekness. Be nice and kind to your students, do not be proud. (Gilani) O Muslims! Sit with your elders, question the scholars, and meet wise people. (Tibrani, Mishkat) Whoso makes a wrong statement without having full knowledge, then all the sin will be upon him. (Dawood) When a man does not know something, he should not feel shy to say, “I do not know”, when questioned by some one. (Masnad) God is the Most Beneficent of all, and among sons of Adam I am the most beneficent; after me is the man who acquires knowledge and teaches to others; such a person will be raised like a king on the Day of Judgment. (Baheeqi) The similitude of knowledge from which one doesn’t benefit is like a treasure which is not spent in the way of God.(Ahmed, Darmi) A student who gets education will have the reward (from God) of the teacher too in his account. (Maja) The best charity is to teach your Muslim brother who then teaches another one. On the Day of Judgment, the ink of the scholars will be weighed against the blood of the martyrs. (Gilani)
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57 Between a scholar and a worshipper, there is a difference of seventy grades; grade (in Paradise) has as much distance as the fastest horse travels in seventy years. (Gilani) A scholar excels over a worshipper as I have excellence over an ordinary man. (Tirmzi) A scholar is harder on Satan than thousand worshippers. (Tirmzi, Maja)
On the Day of Judgement, God will raise the people and gather the scholars and say, “O scholars! I placed in you My knowledge and wisdom not to punish you, I forgive you all.” (Tibrani, Mishkat)
On the Day of Judgment God will say to the worshippers and the fighters of Holy Wars, “Enter into My Kingdom, Paradise.” The scholars will then say, “O God! It is due to our teachings that they worshipped and fought.” God will say, “You are dear to Me like My holiest angels, you will intercede for the people and I will accept it.” Then they will intercede and enter into Paradise. (Tibrani, Mishkat)
Do not go after every scholar but the one who imparts in you a confidence instead of doubt, preaches you abstinence instead of love for worldliness, teaches you humility and servitude instead of pride, advocates love instead of hate, teaches you sincerity instead of hypocrisy. (Mishkat, Abu Naeem) Make friendship with the one who reminds you of God, whose acquaintance reminds you of the life hereafter, whose conversation increases your knowledge. (Gilani) Show respect to the scholars (Gilani); they are the heirs of the prophets; whoso respects them, respects God and His Prophet. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Darmi)
In this world, scholars are like stars in the heaven, from which you get the guidance, on land and seas, at night. If stars disappear, then there are chances of losing the way, so likewise if the scholars are not present, the people will be in danger of losing their true path too. (Gilani) An old man among the people is just like a prophet to his followers. (Anees al Waazeen) Stability of the world is due to the grace of the scholars. (Anees)
A scholar is a trustee of God on earth.
57
(Gilani)
58 The best virtue is to educate the uneducated ones.
(Hajveri)
Having the company of the scholars is like an act of worship. (Gilani) A man is competent to preach good and forbid evil only when he knows fully all aspects of the act which he orders, and knows fully well what he forbids; whatever he says, he says kindly and gently; he is patient, mild, tolerant, humane and humble. (Gilani)
An ignorant man will be punished (in the Hereafter) once; but for the same sin, a scholar will be punished ten times. (Gilani) Among the people, the real fear of God lies with the scholars. (Al-Quran) It is a great calamity for the learning, if a scholar thinks himself virtuous and holy. (Tibrani, Baheeqi, Mishkat) Those scholars who are jealous (of each other) will be put into Gehenna unconditionally. (Ghazali) Those who learn with the intention of being called a scholar or a great reciter will be put into the Fire with their faces downwards. (Muslim) There are two types of scholars among my followers. The first type is the one whom God gives wisdom which he imparts to the people and does not expect any wordly gain in return, and expects just a little (enough for simple living); upon such a scholar, all the fowls, the fish, the animals and the holy angels of writing (who write man’s actions) send their blessings; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a lord and shall enjoy great honour and will be among the prophets. The second type of scholars are those whom God gives wisdom but they conceal it from the people and desire wordly gains in return and thus get small reward in exchange, such scholars will be raised with the rein of fire, and an angel will call out before the people, “He is the son of such and such man whom God gave knowledge but he concealed it and sold it for wordly returns,� he will be chastised till all peoples are rewarded for their deeds. Whoso conceals a fact of science which he knows, he will be given rein of fire in his mouth. (Tirmzi, Maja, Ahmed, Dawood) Whoso learns to show pride among scholars, or to dispute with the illiterate ones, or to draw the attention of people to him, God will put him into the Fire. (Tirmzi, Maja)
58
(Gilani)
59 Whoso acquires knowledge just to gain material things, he will not even enjoy the smell of Paradise. (Ahmed, Maja, Dawood) I pray to God to shower His blessings upon the one who listens to my words, and remembers these, and then remembers; forever and tells to others; some people having knowledge of faith are not very intelligent, but some of them tell my words to the ones who have more insight and understand the depth of my message. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Darmi)
God will send a man at the turn of the new century for my followers, who will revive my religion. (Dawood) Teaching for a short while at night is better than worshipping the whole night. (Darmi) The one who preaches good is like the one who has done good.
(Muslim)
Sober is the one who has faced hardship in his life, and wise is the one who has gained experience. The death of a tribe is less calamitous than the death of a scholar.
(Tibrani, Mishkat)
A scholar should be wary of the desire that people should sit around him. (Nehjal Fasahat) Faith is without covering, its dress is the fear of God, its adornment is modesty, and its fruit is knowledge. (Gilani) Keep your thoughts well-composed, and search the facts of wisdom for it, otherwise mind gets weary the way people get weary, so ponder into the knowledge and science thoughtfully and search for new facts and ideas. (Masnad) You shall try to be a scholar or a student or a listener to the words of wisdom or a lover of the scholars, but do not be the fifth one, otherwise you will perish. (Jamia Sagheer) _________
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Chapter Four
OF PARENTS God has revealed to me a message for you through the Holy Spirit, Gabriel:
Your God has strictly ordained that you shall not worship anyone save He, and always treat your parents nicely, and if any one or both of them reach old age, never say to them a word expressive of disgust nor reproach them, and always talk to them respectfully and bow before them, showing humility and great kindness; and pray for them, “O God! Show Your kindness to them just as they brought me up with affection and kindness in my childhood.� (Bani Israel 17-24) And God gives strict order to man regarding his parents; remember! How your mother kept you in her womb with repeated pains and then for two years she gave you milk to suck, so be thankful to Me and your parents. (Luqman 31-15) The pleasure of God lies in the pleasure of your parents and the anger of God lies in the anger of your parents. (Tirmzi) O Muslims! Treat your parents well so that your children also treat you well. (Aladab Almafrad) Making your parents sorrowful is like disobeying them. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Give best treatment to your parents. If they have a different religion, even then you cannot forsake good treatment towards your parents. (Bokhari, Muslim) Speaking truly, no one has the power to fulfil the rights of parents truly, even if you pay to get their freedom from slavery. (Gilani)
The superiority in the eyes of God which is achieved by serving and giving good treatment to parents, cannot be achieved by any other means not even by fasting, praying, pilgrimage and struggling in the way of God. (Gilani)
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61 Whoso is disobedient to parents but follows my commandments fully is disobedient towards me; and whoso obeys parents and fulfil their rights is obedient towards me, even if he has a shortfall in following some of my commandments. (Aiadab Almafrad, Gilani)
Be good to your parents, your brothers, and sisters and servants. The deeds which God loves the most are praying at the appointed times, good treatment to parents, and facing hardship in the way of God. (Tirmzi, Zad Almaad) Abusing parents is the greatest of all sins; do not abuse parents of others, else he will abuse your parents in return; so it is like abusing your own parents. (Bokhari, Muslim) The best deed which you can do to your father after his death is to treat his friends nicely. (Muslim) Verily, a disobedient of the parents will not enter into Paradise. (Nisai, Darmi, Mishkat) Do not disobey your parents, even if they order you to leave your house. (Ahmed) The parents are your Paradise and Hell.
(Maja, Mishkat)
I feel extremely sorry for that man who finds his parents or one of them in old age and yet he does not enter into Paradise by being dutiful to them. (Muslim) If your father is in need, then remember that you and your property all belong to him, because children are the best assets of parents; you have a right to take from your children’s earnings without hesitation. (Maja, Dawood, Nisai) Whoso is nice to his parents, servants and old persons, God makes death easy and comfortable for him. (Mishkat) Your God has very strictly forbidden the disobedience and teasing of mothers especially. (Bokhari) If you have committed a great sin, then it can be pardoned by asking forgiveness of God with true heart and serving your mother well; if your mother is not alive, then serve her sister Because she is like your mother. If mother is alive and there is no proper arrangement for her care, then a person should not go to fight a holy war, but instead he should stick to her mother because Paradise lies under the feet of your mother. (Ahmed, Nisai, Babeeqi)
61
62 Remember! The rights of a mother are twice the rights of a father.
(Gilani)
The most deserving of your good treatment is your mother, after it again your mother, after it again your mother, after it your father, then your close relatives and then other near relatives. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Whoso desires an increase in his livelihood and an increase in his age, he should give good treatment to all his relatives even if they are blasphemous (idolaters). (Bokhari, Muslim) If your parents are not alive, even then you can do good to them by praying for them, by asking pardon for them, by fulfilling their promises, by giving good treatment to their friends, by showing their friends a special respect. (Maja, Dawood, Baheeqi) If somebody was disobedient when the parents died, and then he feels sorry for his misbehaviour and prays and asks pardon for them; verily, God will count him among the righteous people. (Baheeqi)
When a son looks at his parents once with love and kindness, God will award him a reward equal to a pilgrimage; yes, every time, even if he looks affectionately hundred times a day, God is Holy and Supreme. (Baheeqi) It is a worship of the highest order if children look at their parents with affection. (Baheeqi) Disobedience of the parents is an unpardonable sin; except this sin, all sins are pardonable; and God vows that a disobedient of the parents will be punished severely in this world. Whoso gets up early in the morning and is obedient to his parents, two doors of Paradise are open for him; if only one of the parents is alive then only one door is open. The one who gets up in the morning and is disobedient to the parents, then two doors of Gehenna are open for him, if one of the parents is alive then one door of Gehenna is open for him. (Baheeqi) Do not disobey your parents even if they are cruel, yes, even if they are cruel to you. (Baheeqi) One who pays debts of parents after their death, fulfils their promises and commitments, is an obedient person in the sight of God even if he was disobedient in their lifetimes; but the one who does not pay their debts after their death, nor fulfils their
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63 promises and commitments, such a man is a disobedient person to his parent-in the sight of God even if he was an obedient person to his parents in their lifetime. (Al Adab) One who endeavours to earn livelihood for his old parents and takes pain for their comfort is like a fighter in the way of God; one who works hard for his little children is also like a fighter in the way of God, one who struggles for his own livelihood so as to avoid begging from others is also like a fighter in the way of God. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A man who is obedient to God and his parents will be seated among the holiest of the holies on the Day of Judgment. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Blessed people will smell the perfume of Paradise from a distance of five hundred years’ travel, but one who is disobedient to the parents and one who breaks away relations with people will not smell it at all. (Ghazali) When you give charity, give it in the name of your parents so that they get reward from God, and no reward will be taken away from you. (Gilani) When you decide to go out for a journey, get the approval of your parents and elders; please your uncles and aunts; if someone is unhappy with you, make him happy; put somebody in command to look after your family, their needs and your business. (Gilani) The best gift which a father can give to his child is to teach good manners and respect for others. (Mishkat) Elder brother is like a father to younger brothers. (Baheeqi) One who does not show respect to the elders and does not show kindness and love to the young ones, is not one of us. (Tirmzi) Whoso respects an elderly man due to his old age, God will surely appoint for him someone, to give him the same respect when he is old. (Tirmzi) _________
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Chapter Five
OF FAMILY The best among you is the man who gives best treatment to his family. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi) The best spending which a man spends is that which is spent on his family. (Muslim) When a Muslim spends on his family with an intention of reward from God, it is just like almsgiving. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do spend on your family according to your resources. (Mishkat)
When you get money, start spending first on your own family.
(Muslim)
A wife has a right over her husband, that when he eats he should give food to his wife too, when he wears, he should give clothes to his wife too. Under no circumstances a man shall hit his wife on her face, nor be abusive to her; if you have some dispute, keep it within your home. (Ahmed, Maja, Dawood) O people! obey my commandments regarding wives for their welfare; they are like captives in your possession. You have no right to do anything forcibly to them unless they commit fornication. Women are the trust of God with you and they have been made lawful to you due to the words of God. (Maja) The best of my followers is the one who treats his wife best; and also the best woman among my followers is the one who treats her husband best; such a woman is rewarded, each day and night, by a reward equal to a patient, faithful martyr; such women have superiority over the heavenly women in Paradise as I have excellence over any one among you. Among my followers, the best woman is the one who works for the will of her husband with great pleasure, except in the matter of sin. Among my followers, the best man is the one who is kind to his family, just as a mother is kind to her child; he is rewarded each day, a reward equal to that for a patient, faithful martyr. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
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65 A woman has greater capacity for ensuring reward from God for her husband, God raises rank after rank in Paradise for a husband due to his wife’s happiness and her prayers for her husband. Beware! After suggesting an associate to God (Blasphemy), the greatest sin for a wife is to disobey her husband. (Gilani)
Beware O men! Fear God; God will question about the rights of two weak people; the first one is an orphan and the second one is your wife; whoso treats them well, he comes to God Who is very pleased with him; the one who mistreats them will face the wrath of God. (Gilani) The rights of a husband over his wife are just as I have the rights over you. Whoso denies me my rights denies the rights of God and whoso denies the rights of God deserves the wrath of God and Gehenna. It is my commandment that never deny rights to these two who are weak ď‚ž an orphan and a wife. The wives have equal and similar rights over the husbands as the husbands have over them. (Gilani) A man who has two wives but does not deal equitably between them, will be raised on the Day of Judgment with half his body fallen off. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood Nisai, Darmi) Everyone of you is a ruler over his subjects, and everyone will be questioned by God about them. A husband is responsible for his wife and children, so he will be asked about them; a wife is responsible for the home of her husband, she will be asked about it. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A wife is never the same at all times, so if you desire to live a comfortable life with your wife then leave her to herself, otherwise if you try to impose yourself upon her, then you will break her, that means a divorce. (Muslim) Remember! A gentleman is the one who shows respect to women; and a base person is the one who shows disrespect to them. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Whoso shows great care for his wife and his daughters is the best among you; and the one who annoys his family is the worst of all. Fighting with sword is not the only way of the Holy War, but to endeavour for the well-beings and needs of the parents and
65
(Bokhari, Muslim)
66 the family is also a holy war. A man who earns his livelihood by fair means for the sake of his family and for helping his neighbours and to save himself from begging, he will be raised on the Day of Judgment, with face shining like a full moon. (Gilani, Abu Naeem, Mishkat)
God befriends a hardworking man with a family.
(Gilani)
A man who shows patience over the annoying acts of his wife is like a holy warrior, a Ghazi. (Gilani)
A man should strictly refrain from singing verses before strange women because there is every chance of women, who are softhearted by nature, going astray. (Bokhari, Muslim) Curse of God be upon the man who looks at a strange woman and also upon the woman who is pleased to be looked at. (Mishkat)
It is a sort of worship to look at the face of your wife with love.
(Anees al Waazeen)
When the husband or a relative is not present, never spend night in the house of a married woman, nor one should visit her house alone; if necessary, take one or two persons along with you. (Muslim)
First of all, one should correct oneself and then take care of his family. (Gilani) When a man does not teach his wife and children to obey God, and does not teach them the principles of faith, and does not care how he earns his livelihood for them (by fair means or not), and is cruel to his wife, then God is angry with such a person and he will be punished in this life, otherwise the Gehenna is for him after resurrection. (Gilani) One who teaches his wife principles of religion will have a reward equal to a worship for eighty years; one who calls his spouse with complimentary names to please her, God will save him from the Fire, and for every word he uses to address her, he will have a reward. (Anees al Waazeen) If some one has pearls, he should give it to his wife because the adornment is for her; and for the man is the riches. (Anees al Waazeen)
If husband gives perfume to his wife, then the angels go on writing merits for him till the smell of the perfume lasts. And if a
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67 wife uses perfume out of her own pocket to please her husband, then the same merits will be for her. (Anees al Waazeen) If you come back from a journey, do not forget to bring gifts for your wife, because this is the way to Paradise. (Anees al Waazeen) Whoso respects his wife for the sake of her wealth is far from the smell of Paradise. (Anees al Waazeen) A man who enters into the house saying, ‘As salaam o alaikum’ to everyone, is under the protection of God. (Mishkat) A woman who dies in a state that her husband is happy with her, will indeed enter Paradise. (Tirmzi) A woman who says her prayers five times a day, keeps fasts in Ramadan, keeps herself chaste, obeys her husband, then such a woman will have full authority to enter Paradise from any door she desires. If I were to allow any person to prostrate another person, then I would have ordered a wife to prostrate before her husband. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood)
If a husband orders a wife to lift a stone from a yellow mountain and carry to black mountain and then from black mountain to yellow mountain, she ought to obey it. (Ahmed) The prayers of a woman whose husband is angry with her are not accepted. (Baheeqi) The best woman is the one who pleases her husband (with a smile and kind looks) whenever he looks at her; complies with his wishes and does not do anything displeasing to him in her behaviour and with his money. (Dawood, Nisai, Baheeqi) The best of all the worldly riches is a virtuous wife who helps her husband to bid good for the Hereafter. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja) O woman! Be charitable, because I have been shown that majority among you belongs to Gehenna, the reason being that you do too much scolding, (Mishkat) and you are unthankful to your husbands; even if they (husbands) are good to you all their lives and then if you find anything in them against your desire, you immediately say, “I have never seen any good in you.” (Bokhari, Muslim)
Modesty and decency is binding upon women just as holy war is binding upon men. A woman who has faith and is patient
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(Mishkat)
68 for the sake of God, is equal to a martyr in the reward of Hereafter. (Nehjal Fasahat)
No woman shall travel for a day and a night without the company of a rightful relative (or husband). (Mishkat) In the pleasure of husband is the pleasure of God. If a woman prays as devotedly as Miriam, the daughter of Imran, but her husband is angry, God will not accept her prayer. (Mishkat) A virtuous woman is better than thousand unvirtuous men. (Anees al Waazeen)
Among the deeds of a woman, the weightiest is obedience to her husband. (Mishkat) Regarding a woman, her husband has the greatest rights over her; while for a man, his mother has the greatest right over him. (Nehjal Fasahat) God will not look at a woman, on the Day of Resurrection, who is unthankful to her husband, though a woman is never independent of her husband. (Nisai) Surely, such are the women of Paradise who are loving, have many children, are peaceful, and if they make some mistake (which annoys the husband), they hold the hands of their husbands and say, “I will not sleep unless you are pleased with me.” (Nehjal Fasahat, Hujjatullah At Baligha)
The best woman is the one who has modesty as well as passion; modesty from strangers but passion for her husband; and also the women who help their husbands in the hour of need and distress. Fashionable and proud women are hypocrite; and in the Paradise, their numbers will be as little as whiteness over the neck of a crow. (Nehjal Fasahat) A woman who goes out of the house without the knowledge or the permission of her husband is under the wrath of God till she comes back. (Anees al Waazeen) If a woman takes her clothes off in a stranger’s house (for adultery), God will not keep her secret. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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69 I was shown Paradise and found in it a very small number of women; on enquiring I was told that they are being questioned about their ornaments and colourful clothes. (Gilani) Of all the things granted to human beings, there is nothing worse than a reviling tongue. (Ghazali) The righteous women are those who help their husbands, are content with small means; while sinful women lead their husbands to sins and sorrow. (Gilani) Good women love their children very much in their childhood; take good care of the valuables of their husbands; and do not give things (money) to others secretly. (Bokhari, Muslim) A woman who suckles her child will get a reward for each suck, and the one who is awake whole night to calm her baby will have a reward equal to setting the slaves free. (Nehjal Fasahat) A wife who picks up things to clean house or to decorate her home will have reward for each act, her sin is pardoned and her grade (in Paradise) is raised. (Gilani) When a husband holds the hand of his wife while he walks, he has one reward, if he puts his hands around her neck then ten rewards. (Gilani) O women! If you obey your husbands and fulfil their rights then you have a reward equal to a man fighting in the way of God; but alas! There are very few among you who act upon it. A woman’s holy war is to please her husband and look after the children. (Gilani) A person who does not have a wife is a poor man even if he has great wealth; a woman without a husband is a poor woman even if she has great wealth, yes, still she is poor. A woman’s holy war is to struggle against her own-self; if women show patience, they are in the holy war, if they are pleased then it is like preparing for the holy war; so they have two rewards. A wife who looks after her ailing husband for seven days, will have reward equal to praying for seven hundred years. (Gilani) A woman who spends one dirham from her own pocket on her poor husband will have a reward as if wealth equal to a mountain (of Ohad) were given in charity. (Anees al Waazeen) A wife who meets her own expenses by working herself is a woman of Paradise. (Anees al Waazeen)
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70 A woman who passes through a gathering of men well perfumed is as sinful as an adulteress. (Ahmed, Dawood, Nisai, Nehjal Fasahat)
A woman who imitates men in her appearance, and a cuckold husband who has knowledge of fornication of his wife but does not forbid her, will be away from the benevolence of God. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Women who do not hide their hair will be hanged by their hair in Hereafter; an abusive wife will be hanged by her tongue; a wife going out of the house without permission will be punished by hanging by feet; a fashion-loving woman and a backbiter will eat their own bodies by tearing it; women who show their bodies to attract people, and like those people who admire them, will cut their own bodies with the scissors of fire; women who do not fast (in Ramadan) and do not take bath after sexual acts will be punished in such a manner that their hands will be bound to the feet and snakes and scorpions will crawl over them; the backbiters and liars will have their heads as swines and their bodies like asses; a trouble shooting wife who annoys her husband will be raised as a bitch; one who doesn’t listen the Book of God (the Quran) and my commandments (the Sunnah), and doesn’t obey them, but instead acts against them will be raised as a deaf, dumb and blind. (Masnad) Women who wear such garments which show their bodies, walk proudly, set their hair like hump of a camel will not smell the perfume of Paradise. (Muslim) It is one of the two riches to have a small family and it is one of the two poverties to have a large family. (Gilani) The best gift which a father gives to his children is good education and good manners and this is like charity of the highest order. (Tirmzi, Baheeqi) You should give equal treatment to all you children and never differentiate between them, (Tibrani) so much so that even show equality in kissing them. (Nehjal Fasahat) Bid your children to say their prayer when they are seven years old; when they are ten, be strict to them; after this age they shall sleep on separate beds. (Al-Tarheeb wal Targheeb) When a child is born, father should give him a nice name, give him good education, and teach him good manners; when he is
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71 an adult, get him (or her) married; if he does not do it and they (son or daughter) commit a sin, the blame will be upon the father. (Mishkat)
Well-behaved children and a good wife are a sign of good luck.
(Nehjal Fasahat)
A son is a representative of the secrets of his father. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Teach your children self-respect, good manners, good behaviour. (Nehjal Fasahat) Anyone who docs not want his son to be disobedient, should educate him to be good from his childhood. (Nehjal Fasahat) Education at an early age is like a mark on the stone while educating an old man is like a print on water. (Nehjal Fasahat) It is a duty of a father to teach his child writing, swimming and archery. (Nehjal Fasahat) When a person has a number of sins in his account, then God will put him into worries about children (these worries become penitence for the sins). (Ghazali) There are some sins which are not pardoned except by worrying for earning of livelihood. (Ghazali) Running away from children is like a slave running away from his master. (Ghazali) Less means and a large family are a great calamity. (Nehjal Fasahat)
The parents who show patience over the death of their young children will find these children interceding for them, and God will not be satisfied to give a reward less than Paradise. (Mishkat)
A father must exercise command and authority over his family.
(Mishkat)
When a daughter is born, God sends angels to that house, who say, “O people of the house! Blessings be upon you.” Then they put the child under the shade of their wings, and put hand on her head and say, “This is a small weak soul which has come out of a weak soul (mother); whoso will look after her, God’s favour will be with him till the Day of Resurrection.” (Tibrani, Mishkat)
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72 Husbands should strictly tell their wives to look after their daughters; the mothers should educate them about the relevant problems and ups and downs of life. (Nehjal Fasahat) When a father brings some new fruit from the market, it is like charity. He should start distributing it first from the daughter and then to the son, because whoso pleases his daughter is like a man who weeps before God for his sins and for such a person, fire of Gehenna is forbidden. (Ghazali) A Muslim who teaches good manners to his daughter, gives her good education, spends on her to bring her up, he will be saved from the fire of Gehenna. (Mishkat, Tibrani) A man who is put into the test of looking after a girl (due to death of her mother or divorce) and is loving and kind to her, will find his daughter as a screen against the wrath of God, Gehenna on the Day of Judgment; if a father brings up two daughters till they are young, then his rank will be only slightly lower than me in the Hereafter. (Bokhari, Muslim) Such a person will surely enter Paradise who brings up two daughters or two sisters, teaches them good manners, and love them till they are grown up. (Mishkat) Whoso among you have means to get married, he must get married because marriage protects your eyes and saves from immodesty. (Bokhari, Muslim) A man who does not have resources to marry, he should keep fast (which will weaken his sexual desire). (Al-Quran) A woman is selected for marriage for four reasons; money, family, beauty and faith; whoso marries for the sake of faith follows the true path. (Muslim) Marriage shall be an open affair; difference between rightful marriage and a wrong one is open proclamation and drum beating. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai) Women who marry without witnesses are like prostitutes. (Maja)
A girl marrying without the consent of the guardian or parents is a wretched person; her marriage is wrongful, it is wrongful, it is wrongful. (Tirmzi)
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73 A father shall ask the permission of his virgin daughter for her marriage, while a widow has more right over herself than her guardian. (Muslim) The best thing which a believer chooses for himself, after virtue, is a woman of good character as his wife, whom, if he asks for something, she obeys with pleasure, if he looks at her, she gives him pleasure of heart (by her loving looks); if he commands strictly by swearing, she complies; in the absence of her husband, she keeps herself chaste and protects his property. (Maja) Whoso gets married, he fulfils half of the faith; now for the other half, he shall fear God and save himself from wrongful deeds. (Baheeqi)
Whoso marries at the beginning of his youth, protects his faith from Satan. (Nehjal Fasahat) O Muslims! Do not remain single like monks.
(Baheeqi)
You must give a feast after marriage and invite not only the rich people but also the poor ones. (Bokhari, Muslim) I have married women, so whoso turns away from my way is not from me. (Mishkat) Get married, do not divorce except when the wife commits flagrant actions. (Nehjal Fasahat) Marrying many times for the sake of lust is forbidden. (Hujjatultah AI-Baligha)
God hates such a man who marries a number of women and also such a woman who marries many men. (Nehjal Fasahat) Curse of God be upon all such men or women who are desirous of carnality and so divorce their partners. (Hujjatullah Al-Baligha)
Divorce shakes the pillars of the throne of God, Arsh. (Nehjal Fasahat)
If a man sends a proposal for marriage for someone (for daughter or sister etc) in your family, then accept the proposal if there is nothing objectionable in his faith and character, otherwise great trouble will arise on the land. (Tirmzi) Giving your daughter for marriage is just like giving her for slavery, so you must check and ascertain fully the character
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74 and the reputation of the man whom you give your daughter for marriage. (Ghazali)
A man who shows patience over the foul tongue and bad temperament of his wife will have a reward equal to prophet Ayub who persevered with patience the trouble which fell upon him. A woman who bears with patience bad temperament of her husband, will have a reward equal to Aasia wife of Pharaoh. (Ghazali) Satan loves that of his accomplices most who bring about a divorce between a couple; this is a calamity of the highest order. (Mishkat)
God does not like such men who follow different women like a bee who moves from one flower to another flower. (Nehjal Fasahat) A man who marries a woman for the sake of her wealth and beauty, neither enjoys her wealth nor her beauty; but whoso marries for the sake of her high morals and piety, God gives him both her wealth and beauty. (Ghazali) It is more rewarding to bring about the union of two hearts than fasting, almsgiving and prayers; because break up of two hearts is a cause of great ruin. (Darmi, Mishkat) A woman who asks divorce from her husband without any sound reason will not smell the perfume of Paradise and she is cursed by God, the angels and all the human beings. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
The most hateful of all lawful things in the world, in the sight of God, is divorce. (Dawood) There are four evils which if enter into a house will destroy the peace and blessings; these are dishonesty, theft, drinking and adultery, (Nehjal Fasahat) O people! Keep your dresses scrupulously clean, manage your hair with comb, keep your teeth clean with brush and be smart; the people of Israel did not observe this commandment so their women became adulteresses. (Nehjal Fasahat) Beware of nudity because there are angels with you who leave you only when you go to the toilet; be mindful of them and pay due regard to them. (Tirmzi) Do not be nude even alone because God is looking at you. He has more right to be shown respect. (Hujjatullah Al-Baligha)
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75 The curse of God be upon the one who looks at a nude person and also upon the one who allows to be looked at. (Baheeqi) There is nothing more dangerous for men than the lust for women.
(Bokhari, Muslim)
Those women who wear dresses which show their body, those who arouse lustful desires among men, those who have attraction for other men, are all women of Gehenna and I will not even like to look at them on the Day of Resurrection. (Mishkat) A time will come upon the people when the ruin and calamity to a man will come through the hands of his wife, parents, and children who will be desirous of things from him by ridiculing and disgracing him, which he doesn’t have means to provide, thus he will be compelled to perform certain deeds which will destroy his faith and he will be ruined. (Baheeqi) No woman shall make effort to bring about divorce to her sister so as to empty her cup, and marry herself. (Bokhari, Muslim) A temporary marriage and a marriage in exchange (of sister or daughter) is forbidden. (Bokhari, Muslim) A divorce given under compulsion is invalid. (Maja, Dawood) If there arises great differences between a husband and a wife, then the husband and the wife shall appoint two persons among their relatives as their representatives who are just and unbiased. These representatives should discuss the whole affair and decide whether marriage can survive or must dissolve, whatever they decide is binding upon the couple. (Gilani) A man who incites a wife against her husband for seduction is not my follower. (Dawood) Such a woman will be only slightly below my rank in the Hereafter, who was beautiful when young and had a good social status and respect; but after the death of her husband, she (at young age) did not get married just to look after her children properly; and she struggled and worked hard for their well-being so that her complexion changed, till the children became young enough to stand on their feet, or died. (Dawood) On the Day of Judgment, I will open the gates of Paradise and a woman will try to come forward to enter Paradise even before me, I will ask, “Who are you,” she will reply, “I am a widow and I had orphan children.” (Dawood)
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76 God has revealed to me through the Holy Spirit, Gabriel:
You shall not marry polytheist women until they believe (in one God and Muhammad, peace be upon him). A believing woman is better than a polytheist woman even if you like her very much. (Al-Baqarah 2-222)
An adulterer shall not many but an adulteress or a polytheistic woman; and also an adulteress shall not marry but an adulterer or a polytheistic man; for the believers it is strictly forbidden. (Al-Noor 24-4) Evil women are for evil men and evil men are for evil women, virtuous men are for virtuous women and virtuous women are for virtuous men. (Al-Noor 24-27)
And chaste believing women are lawful for you and also the chaste women from among the people who were given the Book before you (the Jews, the Christians etc. if they are not polytheist) provided you pay them their dowries and marry them; not that you start immoral relations with them openly or make secret relations with them. (Al-Maidah 5-6) If you fear injustice to the destitutes then among the women you like, you may marry two or three or four of them, but if you feel that you will not be able to do justice to them then marry only one woman. (Al-Nisa 4-4) O people who believe! It is not lawful to become master of the women against their will, nor is it lawful to detain them wrongfully with intentions to take back part of that which you have given them except when they openly commit fornication. Live with them in a decent way. If you dislike them, it is possible that you dislike one thing but God may have given them many other good qualities too. (Al-Nisa 4-20)
Men are more steadfast than women because Allah has made some of them excel others and because men spend of their wealth; virtuous women are those who are obedient and safeguard interest of their husbands in their absence with Allah’s supervision. (Al-Nisa 4-35)
And say to Muslim women that they restrain their eyes and guard their chastity and that they show not their beauty
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except what is manifested unwillingly and that they draw their head-coverings over their bosoms. (Al-Noor 24-32) As to elderly women who can’t hope marriage, there is no sin on them if they lay aside their extra clothing without displaying their beauty. But it is better for them if they abstain from that even. (Al-Noor 24-61)
And do not covet that whereby Allah has excelled some of you over others. For men is what they have earned and for women is what they have earned. (Al-Nisa 4-33) Say: My Lord has only forbidden fornication (i.e. adultery, permissiveness, immorality etc.) whether open or secret, and sinful acts, and transgression without a right. (Al-Araf 7-34) _________
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Chapter Six
OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF LOVE, BROTHERHOOD Every Muslim is a brother of another Muslim; whoso endeavours to fulfil the needs of his brother, God will fulfil his needs; whoso relieves his brother of his afflictions, God will, in return, relieve him of his afflictions in the Hereafter; whoso connives at the faults of his brother, God will connive at his faults on the Day of Judgment. (Bokhari, Muslim) Every Muslim is like a mirror to another Muslim; he points out his weakness (gently) to correct him, and in his absence protects his honour. (Bokhari, Dawood) All Muslims should be like one body in showing kindness, love and affection to others, such as if one part of the body has an ailment, all the parts of the body feel feverish and discomfort. (Bokhari, Muslim)
All the Muslims are like one body such as if eye is sore, the whole body feels the pain; if there is headache, the whole body is in pain. A Muslim strengthens other Muslim like a wall whose one part is strengthened by the other part. (Bokhari, Muslim) A similitude of two Muslim brothers is like two hands who wash each other. (Ghazali) Every part of a Muslim is forbidden to the other Muslim; his blood, his property and his honour. For a man there is no sin more grievous than to disgrace and dishonour his Muslim brother and despise him and treat him with disdain. (Muslim) A Muslim shall never do wrong to another Muslim, nor leave him helpless in the time of need. (Bokhari, Muslim) You must help your brother whether a wrongdoer or the wronged one; help the wrongdoer by stopping him from doing the wrong. (Bokhari, Muslim)
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(Muslim)
79 Help each other in good and virtuous deeds but do not help in sinful deeds and committing excesses on others. (Mishkat) Shall I tell you an act which is better in reward than fasting, praying and almsgiving, that is to re-establish relations between different persons. (Mishkat) A breach between the hearts is a sign of calamity and ruin. (Mishkat)
The most virtuous of all the acts, after embracing the faith of Islam is to love all the human beings, to re-establish the friendship between two Muslims. (Tirmzi, Dawood) The best among you is that person from whom the people have good expectations. (Tirmzi, Baheeqi) Whoso fulfils the need of someone among my followers in order to please him, has actually pleased me, and he who pleases me, pleases God. (Mishkat) None among you is a perfect believer unless he likes for others what he likes for himself and he loves other people for the pleasure of God. (Bokhari, Muslim) All creatures are children of God; God will love most who benefits His children the most. (Baheeqi) If a man can’t present his problems, do help him to solve his problems. Whoso leads a helpless person to one who can help, God will stabilize him on the Bridge of Sirat (bridge over Gehenna). (Nehjal Fasahat)
After faith in God, the basis of wisdom is in keeping the company of people, because no man is above advice; whoso thinks his own opinion to be sufficient will go astray. (Gilani) The leader of the people is the one who is their servant. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Do not visit a person every day, meet him at times so that the desire for meeting persists. (Nehjal Fasahat) Do not try to pry into the private affairs of other people, nor go after the secret affairs of other people. Do not find fault with others. Do not undo the business dealings of others. Do not be jealous of one another. Do not have grudge against others. Do not indulge in backbiting. All people should live like brothers. (Bokhari, Muslim)
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80 There are three ways which promote love between two Muslim brothers. First is to say, ‘As salaam o alaikum’ on meeting. Second is to make room for him to sit in a gathering. Third is to greet cordially with a smile and best appellations. Strengthen your friendship by giving utmost respect to your brother because your God is kind and is displeased that Muslims should be punished due to the wrong done to each other. (Hujveri) Anyone who supports a poor man among the creation of God, who do not have anybody to support, will in return be supported by God. (Khateeb) Anyone who relieves a worried person of his worries will be given seventy-three merits, only one of which will be enough to regularize all his worldly affairs, and the rest of seventy-two merits will raise his rank in Paradise. (Baheeqi) Best charity is to feed a hungry person to his bellyfull. (Mishkat)
God is not merciful to a person who is not merciful. (Bokhari, Muslim)
The sin of afflicting a believer (Muslim) is fifteen times more grievous than the destruction of the Holy Kaaba. (Gilani) Every Muslim is a friend of God. God has given distinction and dignity to the Holy Kaaba, but if somebody destroys it and demolishes every stone of it, and burns it, the crime of doing so is less grievous than to look at a friend of God with indignation. (Ghazali) One who afflicts a Muslim dares to declare war with God. (Hujveri)
If somebody likes a thing and knowing that his brother likes it too and he sacrifices it for him, verily, God will save him (enter him in Paradise) for this sacrifice. (Hujveri) God is very kind and He likes kindness. Whoever is not merciful, will not receive mercy (from God) in return. (Muslim) Whoso is blessed with kindness, he has as if, been granted all the goodness of the world and the Hereafter. Whoso is deprived of kindness, he is, as if, deprived of all the goodness of the world and Hereafter. (Muslim) A believer shall be tolerant, considerate and kind-hearted. (Tirmzi, Ahmed)
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81 Any act having kindness becomes beautiful, and that which lacks kindness becomes ugly. (Muslim) There are some who by kindness, gentleness and forgiveness acquire the rank of the people who fast and pray all the time; and there are others, who are written as cruel though they rule none but their families. (Ghazali) Be gentle, kindhearted and mild tempered.
(Ahmed, Tirmzi)
Your wealth cannot benefit all, so try to benefit people with your good deeds. (Nehjal Fasahat) Remember! You cannot create a place in the hearts of people by use of force, but with humbleness and virtuous deed, you can win their hearts. A person who endeavours to help a widow or a poor man is like a fighter in Holy War in the sight of God, he is ranked equal to those who always keep fast during day and pray whole night. (Bokhari, Muslim)
It is enjoined upon every believer to feel pain and sorrow of others like his own, just as the pain of the body is felt by the head. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Do not do anything to evoke fear in a person.
(Mishkat)
Do not throw stones just for fun because somebody may get hurt.
(Bokhari, Muslim)
Do not hit on the face of a man because man is created in the image of God. (Mishkat) I was shown a person enjoying in Paradise as reward for cutting down a tree which obstructed a road. (Mishkat) God has divided His mercy into hundred parts, out of which He has kept ninety-nine parts with Him and has given only one part to this world; this is due to this one part that people are merciful to each other, a horse does not put his hoof over its colt so that it is not hurt, all the animals, the birds, the wild animals treat each other with love and affection. (Mishkat)
OF GOOD MORALS God hates a person who is fretful, ill-tempered and frowning. (Nehjal Fasahat) Bad conduct is a sin which is not pardoned, and distrust and suspicion are sins which lead to other sins. (Ghazali)
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82 In every deed, the best way lies between the two extremes. Moderation is the best habit. If a negro slave is kind to you, be humble to him; and if somebody does injustice to you, you must ask for justice from him even if he is a free Qureshi (i.e. a man of status). (Nehjal Fasahat) Whoso is not thankful to men, is not thankful to Allah. (Ahmed, Tirmzi)
Virtue of a Muslim is in being self-dependent.
(Mishkat)
Such people who do not care for property and wealth are no good because it is with money that you can fulfil your obligations towards your relatives, pay your dues and be selfdependent. (Baheeqi)
O Muslims! Sit in the company of your elders, put questions to scholars and meet men of wisdom. (Mishkat, Tibrani) When a person performs his deeds in a better way, he has tenfold reward with God for each deed, and for the best performed acts, the reward may be seven hundred times. (Nehjal Fasahat) When an honourable man of a community visits you, give him due respect. (Mishkat) When a person does you a favour, return him that favour; if you are unable to do so, pray regularly for him till you are convinced that you have done justice to him. (Gilani) When a man asks protection in the name of God, give him; and when a man invites you, do accept his invitation, except an invitation from the evildoers (for doing sins). (Mishkat) Never belittle a good action even it be to greet with a smile. (Dawood, Tirmzi)
Such are charitable acts; to do justice between two people, to help a person for riding, to help in lifting a load, to advise to do good, to remove an obstacle from the road, to forbid people from doing evil. (Dawood, Tirmzi) When a man plants trees and grows a field and men, or birds or animals eat (or benefit) from it, it is a charity; to put water in your brother’s bucket from your bucket is a charity, to guide a person to the right direction is a charity, to hold hand of a blindman or of the one whose eyesight is weak, is also a charity. (Darmi, Mishkat)
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83 If you borrow a thing, return it yourself to the owner. (Mishkat)
It is enough for a man to be called wrong, when people criticize his faith and worldly affairs. (Baheeqi) Whenever you want something or need help, seek only from God.
(Tirmzi)
A believer who is strong is better than a weak believer. (Muslim)
Save yourself from distrust and suspicions because suspicion is the worst lie. (Al-Quran) Suspicion is a sin from which other sins originate. (Mishkat) The worst of usury is to insult and disgrace a Muslim. (Dawood, Baheeqi)
God likes a tolerant man.
(Muslim)
A considerate man is he who had committed mistakes; wise is one who had experience. (Ahmed, Tirmzi) A good act is never old, and a sin is not to be forgotten. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Have connection with the behaviour of people but do not interfere in their personal affairs. (Nehjal Fasahat) Of all the qualities which a man possesses, good character is the best, quality. (Bokhari, Muslim, Baheeqi) I have been sent by God to all the people of the world to perfect their morals, and I am the model and the last word on it. (Ahmed, Baheeqi)
Allah loves deeds of lofty ideals.
(Mota Malik)
Goodness means good morals; and sin is what pricks your heart and you dislike its revealment to people. (Muslim) On the Day of Resurrection, the weightiest thing in ‘the Balance’ would be good morals.
A man with low morals, ill-temperament and hardheartedness will not enter Paradise. (Dawood, Baheeqi) A believer can acquire the rank of those people who worship whole night and keep regular fasts, by his high morality. (Dawood)
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84 A believer is innocent and virtuous while a man with bad character is deceitful and immoral. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood) High morality is best gentality.
(Tirmzi, Mishkat)
Nice habits, good manners and moderation are twenty fifth part of prophethood. (Dawood) Do you know what usually leads a man into Paradise, that is the fear of God and good moral character. (Tirmzi, Maja) Ask yourself, what is a good action? A good action is one which pleases your heart, gives peace to your conscience; but the acts which prick your heart and conscience are sins. (Mishkat) A man who mixes up with the people and shows patience over their misbehaviour is better than the man who does not mix up with people and does not show patience over their misbehaviour. (Nehjal Fasahat)
God is beautiful and likes beauty, loves high morals and hates low morality. (Tibrani, Mishkat) There are some deeds whose reward continue to reach a man even after his death, and is a means of his redemption and elevation of his grade in Paradise; such deeds are knowledge which he imparts to others; a mosque which he builds; a book which he leaves to inherit (i.e. the Quran or which he has written); righteous offsprings which he leaves behind; a house for homeless people which he builds; an act of charity which he has done out of his wealth while he is healthy. (Mishkat) A true believer is one whom people trust so much that they give their life and property in his custody. It is a sign of faith to show moral courage and patience. (Mishkat)
If you have power to benefit your Muslim brother, do so. Good behaviour melts away sins as sun melts ice. (Nehjal Fasahat) If these three qualities are not present in a person, even a dog is better than him; first is the fear of God with which he keeps away from prohibited things, second is patience with which he bears misbehavior of others, and third is good morals with which he deals nicely with other people. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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85 An excellent man is one who is magnanimous and a man of word. A magnanimous man is one who refrains from evil deeds, has no ill will in his heart, has no hatred or jealousy for anyone. (Maja) Dignity lies in the fear of God, nobility lies in humbleness, and real wealth lies in perfect faith. (Ghazali) God loves a young man who avoids wantonness of youth. (Nehjal Fasahat)
There are three persons who will not enter Paradise; he who reproaches after giving charity, he who is disobedient to his parents and a habitual drinker. (Darmi, Mishkat) Whoso saves a Muslim from the evil of a wicked person, God will appoint an angel who will save him on the Day of Judgment from the fire of Gehenna. (Dawood) When a person does a good deed and does not thank God for enabling him to do so, God will not accept such an act. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Beware of small sins too, its parable is like a caravan which stopped in a valley and collected small pieces of wood so much so that a great fire was lit by them and they even cooked their food. Remember! If God would take account of little sins too, nobody will be saved. (Mishkat) If God is not satisfied with the words of a person, He is not satisfied with his deeds too. (Mishkat) Graceful is that man who walks with dignity, keeps his eyes down, keeps his voice low, does not look here and there (as a bad manner), all these are parts of gracefulness and respectability. I swear by God in Whose hands is my soul, there is nothing better than a combination of knowledge and toleration. God has not created a friend of Him (saint) who is not generous and of good morals. (Masnad) A bad person is the one who eats alone, does not offer anything to others, goes out on journey alone; even worser is the one from whom people fear due to his mischiefs and do not expect any good from him; the worst one is he who sells his religion for worldly gains of other people; and a still worst is he who uses religion as a tool for achieving riches (as priests of most religions do). (Nehjal Fasahat)
OF HONESTY
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86 Unless a man has modesty, honesty and truthfulness, it is useless to expect anything good from him. (Nehjal Fasahat) When you make a promise, do fulfil it.
(Al-Quran)
If somebody puts trust in you, do not be dishonest to him; if somebody is dishonest to you, even then you shall not be dishonest for him. (Nehjal Fasahat) Faith is not complete without honesty and keeping your promise. (Mishkat) A man who is not honest is a faithless person.
(Mishkat)
Whosoever fulfils his promise, has a reward with God; and he, who does not, is a person without faith. (Mishkat) A deceitful man has nothing to do with me.
(Bokhari)
God does not look at your faces and your wealth, but looks at your hearts and the deeds. (Muslim, Mishkat) A person who has no honesty has no faith, and whoever has no regard for his words and commitments has no religion.(Mishkat) I swear by the One in Whose hand is soul of Muhammad, no man is true in religion unless his tongue is truthful, and tongue cannot be truthful unless heart is truthful. (Mishkat) Honesty can never be forsaken, even if you deal with a nonbeliever. (Nehjal Fasahat) Dishonesty is repugnant to Islam. Do return people their trust.
(Gilani) (Al-Quran)
Whoso is dishonest to you, do not be dishonest to him, instead, use lawful means to get your right. (Mishkat, Tirmzi) Any man who gives a wrong advice to his brother intentionally, is a dishonest man. (Dawood)
OF MODESTY Every faith has a code of conduct, the code of Islam is modesty. (Maja, Malik) Modesty is nothing but goodness and virtue. (Bokhari, Muslim) Words of wisdom, which people have found in the sayings of the prophets of old times, are: if you cease to be modest, do whatever like. (Bokhari)
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87 Modesty and faith go together, if you choose one, the other is chosen too. (Baheeqi) Modesty is a part of faith and a man with faith will go into Paradise; immodest is an evil and an evildoer will go into Gehenna. (Ahmed, Tirmzi)
He who is immodest, and the one who publicizes immodesty are equally sinful. (Al-Adab Al-Mafrad) Be modest before God; the correct way to be modest before God is to control your heart and head and keep them pure. Be careful about stomach and the things therein, and remember death and the life in grave; whoso works for the Hereafter will abstain from the comforts of this world and will strive for a redemption in the Hereafter rather than comforts of this short life; so those who faithfully act upon this, are truly modest before God. (Tirmzi, Ahmed)
OF SPEECH The most God-fearing man is the one who does not fear anybody to speak the truth. (Nehjal Fasahat) Do not put false accusations or blame upon anyone, this is an act which has no penitence, such people will be punished in the Hereafter by hanging from their tongues. (Nehjal Fasahat) All the matters of the believers are settled by mutual discussions. (Al-Quran) Talk to the people only what they can understand. Would you like that they deny the Prophet and God? (Masnad) Do not speak too much because the reward of silence is more than worship for sixty years. (Baheeqi) To do good is better than to keep silent, but silence is better than to bid wrong. (Baheeqi) Do not utter anything from your mouth for which you may have to apologize afterwards. (Hujveri) Do not accuse or defame anyone and keep people away from your mischiefs. (Mishkat) Any person, who makes a deal with me that he will control his tongue and carnal desires, I give him a guarantee for entry
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88 into Paradise. Make it your habit to speak the truth because truth leads to the right path and the right path leads to Paradise. (Mishkat) Do not tell a lie; a lie leads to evil.
(Mishkat)
It is enough for a man to be called a liar if he hears something and then relates it to others without verification. (Mishkat) The worst people are those who are double faced; when they talk to a person, they say what he likes; and when they talk to another person they talk what this fellow likes. On the Day of Resurrection, such persons will have two reins of fire in their mouths and their tongues will be of such a length that they would drag them and trample them under their feet. (Bokhari, Muslim) When an evildoer is being praised, God is extremely angry and the throne of God (Arsh) is shaken. (Baheeqi) On the Day of Resurrection, the worst people would be those, from whom people keep away for fear of evil and foul language. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do not scold or abuse others.
(Dawood)
If somebody abuses you and puts you to shame for your defects in his knowledge, do not put him to shame in return for his defects which are in your knowledge. (Mishkat) If a man is wronged by someone, and he keeps quiet for the sake of God, God helps him strongly. (Ahmed)
A man who controls his anger, in spite of having power to avenge, God fills his heart with peace and faith. (Tirmzi, Dawood) When a man is kind and gentle, God bestows upon him such things as cannot be gained by harshness, but by kindness, and these cannot be gained by any other means. Beware of harshness and immodesty. (Muslim) God is enemy of foulmouthed, abusive and obscene talkers. (Gilani)
The easiest worship is to keep quiet.
(Nehjal Fasahat)
A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hands, people get peace. (Bokhari, Muslim) A person who tells lies to make people laugh, is pitiable because this makes him small (dishonoured), his words become unreliable and everybody thinks that his truth and lies are the same. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood, Darmi)
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89 When person tells a lie, a bad smell (metaphysical) emits out of his mouth, due to which, angels run away from him to a distance. (Tirmzi) The worst dishonesty is to say something to a Muslim, who thinks it to be true, but actually it is a lie. (Dawood) The worst among you is he who is a mischief maker, and talks by mixing lies with truth, and tries to make people suspicious and aggrieved. (Ghazali) Of all the organs of the body, tongue will be tormented the most. The tongue will ask, “O God! Why is it that You have not punished any part of the body as much as me?” God will say, “Because you used to utter something which spread from East to West, I swear by My Honour, I will punish you the most.” (Mishkat, Abu Naeem)
Do not be critical.
(Mishkat)
To taunt someone for personal imperfection is such a bad thing that if mixed in a sea, will spoil it. (Mishkat, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood)
If two persons call each other in a foul manner, then sin would be upon the one who started, and he is the wrongdoer while other is the wronged one, till the wronged one does not transgress limits. (Mishkat) My followers are the beloved ones of God, but not those who publicize their sins; what a pity it is that a man commits a sin at night and in the morning, when God had covered his sin, he tells people about it that he did such and such thing at night; the sin which God covered at night, in the morning he throws away the cover of God. (Bokhari, Muslim) Do not curse anyone, not even wind because it is under the command of God. (Tirmzi) Beware of abusive and obscene language. On the Day of Judgment, when some people will be taken into Gehenna, an extremely bad smell will emit from their mouths, due to which even the people of Gehenna will shout and ask, “Who are these people?” They will be told that they are the people who were foulmouthed and were fond of going to such places where people talked obscenely. (Ghazali)
OF BACKBITING
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90 Do not indulge in backbiting, a backbiter will not enter Paradise. (Bokhari, Muslim) Backbiters will be tormented in their graves. (Anees al Waazeen)
Backbiting is to speak about your brother of what you dislike in him; if it is not in him, then it is false accusation. (Muslim) One who pays ear to backbiting is like the one who backbites. (Mishkat, Tibrani) Backbiting is like a cannon ball for good deeds. (Anees al Waazeen)
When a man backbites, God defames him too.
(Baheeqi)
Backbiting is more grievous than adultery. If a man commits adultery, and prays for forgiveness, it is forgiven by God; God does not pardon a backbiter unless that fellow who is backbitten pardons him. (Mishkat, Baheeqi) If a person finds some weakness in a Muslim and he keeps it a secret, its reward is as if he saves the life of a little girl burried alive. (Mishkat) I was shown on the night of my Ascension to God, that backbiters were eating their own flesh by scratching with their nails. (Dawood)
O Muslims! Men shall not ridicule other men, who may be better than they are, nor women shall ridicule other women, who may be better than they are. Do not taunt each other nor nickname others. O Muslims! Beware of most of suspicions because some suspicions are sin, and be not inquisitive (spy) nor backbite each other. Would anyone of you like to eat the flesh of your dead brother, and find it hateful? (Al-Hujurat 49-13) Cursed be every backbiter, slanderer, and the one who collects riches and counts it time after time thinking that his riches will keep him (alive) forever. (Al-Humazah 104-2)
OF ANGER, TOLERANCE It is not rightful for any Muslim to be angry with another Muslim for more than three days; better of the two is the one who greets the other first. A person, who is angry with his Muslim brother for one year and does not reconcile is like his murderer.
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(Al-Hujurat 49-12)
91 (Bokhari, Muslim)
Do not get angry; a strong man (wrestler) is not he who defeats his opponents, but strong is the one who controls his anger. (Bokhari, Muslim)
People who quarrel over petty matters; who are shorttempered, money mongers, misers, proud and haughty, are people of Gehenna. (Bokhari, Muslim) Anger spoils faith like aloe spoils honey.
(Baheeqi)
Anger is from Satan and Satan is from fire.
(Dawood)
One who controls his anger, God will save him from the Fire on the Day of Judgment. (Baheeqi) A person who shows patience and calmness at the time of anger, God fills his heart with the divine light of faith. (Dawood) The hest among you is he, who gets angry and then calms down quickly and the worst is a person who gets angry quickly and then calms down slowly. (Tirmzi)
A beloved of God is he who forgives people in spite of having power (to avenge). (Baheeqi) O my followers! Never look down upon a person; if he is elder than you, he is your father; if he is of your age, he is your brother; if he is younger than you, he is your son. (Masnad)
OF GENEROSITY, GREED, JEALOUSY No man shall be jealous of others. Jealousy destroys good deeds like fire destroys wood. (Dawood) A jealous man is like a man at war with God. (Anees al Waazeen)
When a person offers help to the needy ones, God increases his wealth due to this deed; and whoso resorts to beggary, God increases his poverty due to this deed. (Mishkat) For some people, God shows His bounties as long as they are not fed up helping other people, when they are fed up, He gives His bounties to others. (Mishkat) Spend (charity) and do not count, otherwise God will also count for you. Do not keep your things away from the needy,
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92 otherwise God will keep His things away; give in the way of God as much as you can afford. (Bokhari, Muslim) Beware of avariciousness because avariciousness killed those people who lived before you; it was for avariciousness that they committed murders and made the forbidden things lawful. (Muslim)
God has given this message through Gabriel for you:
People whom God has provided generously, and they behave: miserly should not think it a good thing for them. Not at all, this is extremely bad for them. The riches which they are collecting by their miserliness, will be the collars in their necks on the Day of Resurrection, God is the Master of everything in the heaven and the earth and whatever you people do, God knows it very well. (Al-Imran 3-181)
God does not like the people who are avaricious and also teach others to be so, and whatever God has given to them by His grace, they conceal it. For them, I have prepared a wrathful indignation. (Al-Nisa 4-38) A generous man is near to the blessings of God, and the hearts of people; while an avaricious man is away from the blessings of God and the hearts of people, but near to the fire of Gehenna. (Tirmzi) In the sight of God, an uneducated but a generous person is better than an avaricious worshipper. (Mishkat) Do have trust in God that by almsgiving, wealth will not decrease. (Mishkat) Do spend in God’s name, even if it is as little as a piece of date.
(Bokhari)
By almsgiving, God stops many afflictions destined for that person. (Mishkat) A man with faith can never have these two qualities: miserliness and bad character. (Mishkat) The people who are deceitful and avaricious will not enter Paradise. (Mishkat) The slavery of avariciousness kills a man. (Anees al Waazeen) Pity be upon him who is disgraced for the greed of wealth.
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93 (Mishkat)
Those who mention the favour after helping a poor man will not enter Paradise. A person who spends in the name of God or sets free a slave at the time of death, is like a person who sends food to someone after his own stomach is full. (Mishkat) There is more reward with God for almsgiving at a time when a person is in good health, has a desire for wealth, and fears poverty. (Mishkat) Never delay to spend in the way of God.
(Mishkat)
If a person spends one dirham when in health, it is better than spending hundred dirhams at the time of death. (Dawood) There does not pass a day but two angels transcend in the morning; one says, “God may bless the wealth of a generous person,” while the other one says, “God may destroy the wealth of an avaricious person.” (Bokhari, Muslim) O people! No neighbour should consider the gift of his neighbour negligible, even if it be as little as the hoof of a goat. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A Muslim who gives a dress to another Muslim without dress, God will give him a dress from the green dresses of Paradise; a Muslim who feeds a hungry Muslim brother, God will give him fruit from the fruits of Paradise; a Muslim who gives water to a thirsty Muslim brother, God will give him a divine drink. When a Muslim gives a dress to a Muslim brother, he will live in the protection of God till a shred of the dress remains. (Mishkat) The worst thing in a man, which causes vexation, is greed. (Dawood, Mishkat)
Faith and greed cannot go together.
(Nisai)
Beware of greed because it has destroyed many nations before you, it was greed which compelled people to kill each other, and made the forbidden as lawful; they broke their mutual relationships. Due to this greed, they were avaricious and were compelled to be wicked and then debauchee. (Muslim, Dawood) A person who is content with small provisions, God is content with his few deeds. (Baheeqi, Mishkat)
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94 As a man grows old, two desires multiply; the greed for wealth and the desire for a longer life; if a man were to have two valleys full of riches, even then he will wish for a third one; a man’s stomach is never filled but by the dust of grave.(Bokhari, Muslim) A man who has wealth, and knowledge, and fears God while spending his wealth, and, is beneficent to his kinsmen and spends righteously for the good, such a man has a very high place in the sight of God; another man who has knowledge only, but truly, have ambitions to spend like the man (mentioned above) if he were to get wealth, he will have a reward equal to the first man; there is a third man who has wealth but no knowledge, so he spends his wealth wrongfully, he does not fear God in spending, neither helps kinsmen nor pays the dues of God and the dues of people, such a man is a very bad person; there is a fourth man whom God has neither given wealth nor knowledge but he says if I were to have wealth, I would have spent (wrongfully) like such and such man; this man is a slave of his desires and he is sinful like the third man. (Tirmzi)
Beware of greed because it is an everlasting poverty. (Nehjal Fasahat)
These wordly goods are very attractive; a person who strives for them with open heart, God blesses them, but whoso strives with greed, there is no blessing, and he is like a person who eats but his stomach is never full. (Bokhari, Muslim) O sons of Adam! You have such a strange character that if you have sufficient for your needs, you still crave for more to indulge in transgressions; you are not content with less, and never satisfied with more. Do not mix up with rich people too much, so that, you may not despise the bounties of God. Remember death, it will make you forget all worries. Remember death because its remembrance is a penitence for sins, and lessens the worldly desires. Thought of death, when you are wealthy, lessens the love for wealth, while thought of death during the time of poverty makes your life happy and peaceful. Remember death because it makes abundance look less, and less look abundant. This world is beautiful and attractive and God has sent you here to watch how you act. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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95 Be modest before God, duly modest. If you are really modest, then why you strive to collect so much riches which you can’t spend in your lifetime? (Ghazali) Two hungry wolves in the herd of goats cannot do as much damage as the greed of man for his wordly honours and riches does to his religion. A person, who is greedy for the worldly riches is never satisfied with it. (Tirmzi, Darmi) God has given this message through Holy Spirit Gabriel.
Do not be covetous for what Allah has given superiority to one over another. (Al-Nisa 4-33) Eat and drink but do not become extravagant, verily God does not love extravagant persons. (Al-Araf 7-32)
OF PRIDE, HAUGHTINESS Those rich and wealthy people, who are proud of their wealth, will be thrown into Gehenna in the Hereafter without being asked any question and no account of their deeds will be asked from them. A person who has faith as little as a mustard seed will enter Paradise, while a person who has pride as little as a mustard seed will not enter Paradise. (Muslim) God has spoken to me, “Greatness is My upper covering, Honour is My lower covering; whoso tries to rob Me one of these (by showing pride), I will throw him into Gehenna,” (Muslim) Whoso thinks of himself as holy and great, and keeps away from people, his name is written as ‘the tyrant’ and he will suffer the torments like them. (Tirmzi) Whatever God has given you, do not be proud of it. (Al-Quran)
Proud people will be resurrected as ants and they will be caught with insults and disgrace, and will be taken to the prison of. Gehenna, and upon them will be the fire of fires, and they will be given for a drink the excretion of the people of Gehenna. (Tirmzi) Be humble and meek.
(Mishkat)
There is nothing in your ancestry due to which you may look down upon others. You are all children of Adam, just like one measure is equal to another measure (of same weight). None has
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(Ghazali)
96 any excellence over the other (by birth or colour or race); excellence is only due to piety. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) It is enough for a man to be called bad if he is impudent, abusive and miserly. (Mishkat) O people! Stop being proud of your forefathers, who after death are now the coal of Gehenna, or they are more disgraceful in the sight of God than a black beetle which rolls filth by its nose. Verily, God has now taken away from you the vainglory of the days of ignorance and boasting of forefathers. Now you are either a pious believer or a wicked sinner. All men are children of Adam and Adam was raised from dust. (Tirmzi, Dawood) If a man is proud when taking part in the Holy War or at the time of giving charity, God likes it, but if someone takes pride in nonsense and sinful acts, God hates it very much. (Ahmed, Dawood, Nisai)
OF CRUELTY, INJUSTICE Beware of cruelty because cruelty will be the cause of darkness on the Day of Resurrection. (Bokhari, Muslim) Such a person is very bad who is violent and cruel to the people and forgets God the Wrathful and Omnipotent. (Tirmzi, Baheeqi)
God sometimes delays (chastisement) for a wrongdoer but then catches him strongly and spares him not. (Bokhari, Muslim) If any Muslim has a right of another Muslim, he should ask pardon just now in this very world before the Day arrives when there will be no dirham, or dinar (money); if he is pardoned then it is all right, otherwise rewards equal to the wrong will be debited out of his account and credited to the wronged one, if there are not enough good deeds in his account, bad deeds of the wronged one will be transferred into the account of wrongdoer.(Bokhari) A person who supports a wrongdoer so as to strengthen him, he is out of my religion. (Baheeqi) In the sight of God, to give trouble to a believer is fifteen times more grievous sin than the destruction of the Holy Kaaba. (Gilani)
On the Day of Resurrection, there will be a voice (from God or an angel) saying, “Where are those who were cruel, unjust and tyrants? Where are those who prepared pen for them? Where are
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97 those who prepared ink for them? All these be arrested and put into the box of fire.� Then they will be locked and thrown into the worst part of Gehenna. (Gilani) Those rich people, who oppress the poor, will be thrown into Gehenna due to their sins and no account of their deeds will be asked from them. (Ghazali) Only those people will go into Gehenna who are hardhearted and refuse to say, ‘There is no God but Allah.’ (Mishkat) You should never say that if people are good to us, we will be good to them too, and if people do wrong to us, we will do wrong to them too; but you should say that if people do good to us, we will do good to them, if people do wrong to us, we will not do wrong to them. (Tirmzi) The account of deeds of people is of three types. The first one is that which God will never pardon, and that is, to call any deity or an associate with God. The second one is the wrong done by one to another, such sins will not be pardoned, the wronged ones will have their justice from the wrongdoers, or they both become mutually satisfied. The third ones are those which God will not care much, these are the rights of God, it depends upon the will of God to punish or to pardon. (Baheeqi Whom do you think is a poor man? You think that a poor man is he who does not have dirham or wordly riches, but among my followers, on the Day of Resurrection, the poor will be he who will come before God with prayers, fastings and all types of good acts but also he would have abused or accused falsely or taken things unlawfully from other, or killed or beat somebody; then a wronged person will be given his rights out of his rewards, then a second one will come and take away more rewards such that all his good rewards will finish, and still, some people will claim their dues from him; then the sins of wronged people will be credited to his account, and as such he will be thrown into Gehenna. (Muslim) After me, there will come rulers; whoso approves of their wrongs, affirms them to be true, and even helps them in their wrongful acts, such a person does not belong to my faith and I have nothing to do with him and he will not come to my pond (Hoz-e-Kausar). Whoever does not go to such rulers, neither calls their lies to be truths, nor helps them in their acts of cruelty, he is mine and I belong to him and he will come to my pond. (Nisai)
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98 God has given this message for you through the Spirit of Truthfulness, Gabriel:
O believers! Do not take away each others’ possessions unlawfully (Al-Nisa 4-30) Whoever takes revenge (within just limits) after being subjected to wrong he is not to be blamed. Those people who oppress and do wrong to the people and spread wickedness over the land are to be blamed and for them awaits a painful chastisement. (Al-Shura 42-42)
OF HYPOCRISY God does not look at your appearance and your riches but your hearts and your deeds. (Muslim) Whoever performs an act to show it off to the people, to get publicity, God will expose his weaknesses. (Bokhari, Muslim) God will defame a hypocrite on the Day of Judgment; whoso puts himself or others into troubles, God will put him into troubles on the Day of Judgment. (Bokhari) Whoever appoints someone or himself stands to tell people of his virtues, God will Himself stand to show people his weaknesses on the Day of Judgment. (Dawood) God does not accept the words of a wise person, but his intentions and motives. (Darmi, Mishkat) If a person performs a good act for the sake of God and other deities, God will say on the Day of Judgment, “This person should go to the deity and get reward from him, God is disgusted with His association with other deities.” (Ahmed) Whoso says his prayer to show off commits blasphemy; whoso gives charity to show, off too commits blasphemy. (Ahmed, Mishkat)
Wise is the man who controls his self and works for the Hereafter; but helpless is the man, who follows his desires, then says, “God is very Gracious, He is Merciful.” (Mishkat) When a person closes his door, puts curtains and hides from people to commit a sin, God says, “O son of Adam! Of all who could see you, you have thought of me the least of them.” (Gilani) Some people will appear before God with their good actions equal to the mountain of Tahama but God will blow them away
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99 like dust; such people will be those among you, who will pray vigorously at night, but in privacy they will perform such sinful acts which they will be ashamed to perform before people. (Maja) Sometimes a man goes out with faith, then he praises and flatters a person to fulfil his needs, but God becomes angry with him, and he returns without faith. (Dawood)
OF CONSOLATION It is obligatory upon a Muslim that if someone is ill he should visit him to inquire about his well-being. (Bokhari, Muslim) God will say on the Day of Judgment, “O son of Adam! I was ill but you did not turn up to inquire My well-being.” The man will reply, “O God! How could I inquire Your well-being, You are the Master of both the worlds.” God will reply, “Don’t you remember that such and such man was ill but you did not go to inquire his well-being, if you had done so, you would have found Me there.” When a Muslim proceeds to ask well-being of his ailing brother in the morning, seventy thousand angels ask pardon for him till the evening, and whosoever proceeds in the evening, seventy thousand angels ask pardon for him till the morning, and also a garden is built in Paradise for him. (Tirmzi, Dawood) When you visit some patient to enquire about his health, give him consolation and alleviate his worries; this consolation will not change the decree of God but it does make the patient happy. (Tirmzi, Maja)
The best manner of visiting a patient is not to stay too long with him. (Baheeqi) When you visit a patient, pray for his long life, though his life will not prolong, he will be happy. (Mishkat) When you go to see a patient, ask him to pray for you, because his prayer is like the prayers of angels. (Maja) When somebody consoles a patient, it is like picking the fruits of Paradise. (Muslim) When you visit anyone who is ailing, put your hand on his forehead, console him and pray to God for his good health. Pray to God, “O Master of mankind! Relieve him of his ailment and give him good health; You are the only One Who has the power to heal,
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(Muslim)
100 and apart from Your healing, there is no healing; bestow upon him such a healing which completely cures him of his ailment. ” (Bokhari, Muslim)
A person who condoles his brother in distress, God will dress him with a dress of honour; whoso consoles his brother in distress, will also have the same reward. (Maja) God has not created any ailment for which He has not created a cure. For every disease there is a cure, when the medicine conforms to the disease, the patient is healed by the command of God.
(Mishkat)
You must use medicines for ailments, but do not use the forbidden things as medicines. Always consult a competent doctor and take preventive measures too. An unqualified person shall not practice medicine otherwise if the patient is harmed, all the responsibility will be upon him. (Mishkat, Zad-al-Maad) When a Muslim suffers with some grief, or trouble, or pain, or worry, even so much so as a thorn pricks him, God pardons his sins due to it, just as dry leaves fall off a tree.(Bokhari, Muslim) An ailing person should be comforted to learn that fever is a kind of fire of God which God imposes over a believer to be an exchange for the Fire. (Maja, Baheeqi) God has said, “I swear by My Honour and My Greatness that whomso I wish to lift from the world pure and sinless, I will give full punishment of his sins in this very world so that I will make him sick and reduce his provisions.” (Mishkat) If someone has some kind of suffering, for example, he forgets after putting something in his pocket and thus is bothered (in finding it), then that much trouble is a penitence for his sins, and such as man becomes free from sins just as gold is purified by the fire. (Tirmzi) When a Muslim suffers infliction and says, “We all are from God and shall return to him; O God! Give me reward in exchange for my troubles, and bestow upon me something better than this,” then God will give him a better thing. (Muslim) When God makes a believer sick and he thanks God for his sickness, he leaves bed sinless as if born from his mother’s womb. (Ahmed)
Do not call fever bad, it purifies man from sins just as fire purifies dirt from molten iron. (Maja)
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101 When those people, who had afflictions in this world, will be rewarded by God on the Day of Judgment, then such people who were living in peace and comfort would wish ‘only if their skins been cut with scissors during their worldly life’. (Tirmzi) Stauncher a man is in religion, more are his hardships, weaker a man is in religion, lesser are his hardships, so a person with a strong faith walks over the land free of any sin. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi)
When a man offers his prayers properly and gets sick, Allah orders the angel deputed to write his deeds to go on recording the acts which he used to perform while healthy till the time He heals him or raises him up to Himself. (Bokhari, Muslim, Ahmed)
OF HOSPITALITY A man who is not hospitable, has no goodness in him. Be cordial to your guest; not doing so is like showing enmity towards him. He who is hostile to the guest, is hostile to Allah and whoso is hostile to Allah, Allah is hostile to him. (Ghazali) The most intelligent is the one who is most hospitable to the people. (Nehjal Fasahat) A house where guests do not come, is not visited by the angels and such a house is damned. (Ghazali, Nehjal Fasahat, Whoso believes in Allah and the Hereafter should honour his guest. The period for which special regards ought to be shown is for one day and night, and the period for a guest’s entertainment is for three days and three nights, after this it is charity. It is not rightful for a guest to stay with his host too long as to make him weary. If somebody does not show hospitality to you, even then, show hospitality to him. (Bokhari, Muslim) Eat together with your guest, do not eat alone because eating together has the blessings of Allah. (Dawood) Talk nicely to your guest during the meals and do not look at his mouth. Do not finish your meals quickly nor do an act which is bad, for example, do not erk your hands in the utensil, do not carry your mouth over the plates such that pieces fall from your mouth into the plates, do not put slices of bread into vinegar, the portion which is bitten with teeth should not be put back into the plates. (Mishkat)
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102 Do not produce a noise which is awkward for the ears; nobody shall get up from the dinning place unless other people finish their food even if your stomach is full; if you cannot sit any longer you should apologize to others and leave, otherwise the rest of people will feel embarrassed and will stop eating. A host who fulfils the wishes of his guest is awarded one thousand merits, and one thousand sins are pardoned, and his rank in Paradise is raised by a thousand grades. (Nehjal Fasahat, Maja, Baheeqi) A guest brings his own provisions, and when he leaves, sins of the host are pardoned. If someone is invited to a party and he refuses the invitation then he disobeys Allah and the Prophet. (Mishkat, Nehjal Fasahat)
Do not go to a party without invitation.
(Mishkat)
If a Muslim goes to his brother’s house, he should eat and drink whatever is offered and should not enquire how it was obtained. (Mishkat) A host should welcome his guest by coming out of the house; and when the guest leaves, he should accompany him to the gate; if the guest’s house is near, then accompany him to his house, this is the best of manners. (Maja, Baheeqi) There is charity of everything. Charity of the house is to invite a guest and treat him cordially. (Hajveri)
OF FRIENDSHIP A person is upon the religion of his friends.
(Mishkat)
When you choose your friend, you must be careful and judge whom you are seeking for friendship. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Baheeqi)
When you make a friend, you shall ask his name his father’s name, his caste and tribe, these informations strengthen love and brotherhood. (Tirmzi) The best people are the ones who remind you of Allah. (Maja) Whosoever loves somebody for the sake of Allah, he honours Allah. (Ahmed) If a person loves his Muslim brother, he should inform him so.
(Dawood)
A strong branch of faith is to love people for the sake of Allah and dislike people for His sake only. (Mishkat)
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103 On the Day of Judgment, Allah will say, “Where are those people who loved each other for My sake, today I will place them under My shade, and there is no shade except Mine.” (Muslim) Everyone will be raised in the Hereafter alongwith the person whom he loves. (Bokhari, Muslim) A parable of a good and a bad friend is likeness of one who sells musk, and the one who blows a match. Then as to him who carries musk, he will either make a present of it to you, or you will buy from him or at least its perfume will please you; and as to the blower of the match, he will either burn your clothes or you will receive a bad smell therefrom. (Bokhari, Muslim) Allah loves those people, who love each other for the sake of Allah, who sit together for Allah’s consideration and meet each other for His praise, and spend their money for Him, Allah loves them, and they will reside upon the pulpits of light on the Day of Judgment, which even martyrs and the prophets will envy. (Tirmzi) When a Muslim makes a journey to see another Muslim, the angels pray and ask pardon for him and say, “O Allah! This man has met just for Your consideration, so bestow upon him Your Kindness and Love.” (Baheeqi, Mishkat) Do not love your friend more than a moderate limit because may be he is against you someday; do not cross a limit in disputing with your opponent because may be he is among your companions someday. (Aladab Almafrad) Do not show superiority over your friend nor make enquiries about him. (Bokhari, Muslim, Nehjal Fasahat)
OF NEIGHBOURS A person who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment should respect his neighbour and should not disturb him. (Bokhari) A person should not despise a gift sent by him even if it be so little as the hoof of goat. (Bokhari) Be nice to your neighbour, if you do so, you are a perfect believer. (Tirmzi) Do you know the rights of neighbours? These are, if he is in need, help him; if he asks for a loan, give him; if he is poor, fulfil his requirement; if he is sick, visit to console him; if one of them dies, accompany the burial procession; if he celebrates, join him in his moments of happiness and congratulate him; if he has
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104 affliction, join him in his moments of sorrow; do not raise the wall of your house to stop his ventilation; if you bring some fruit or vegetable in your home, send him too, if this is not possible, do not let him know (that you brought things); the smoke of your kitchen should not trouble your neighbour, but if you send him occasionally what you cook, it is another matter. If you cook something, put more water in it and send some of it to him. If your neighbour does not have clothes, give him some. You just cannot imagine how many rights a neighbour has over you, I swear by Allah in Whose power is my soul, the rights of a neighbour can be rightfully fulfilled only by the one on whom is Grace and Favour of Allah. (Tibrani, Mishkat, Ghazali)
The best of the neighbours is one who is well-wisher of his neighbours. (Mishkat) For the sake of a virtuous neighbour, Allah saves hundred neighbours from troubles. (Nehjal Fasahat) Such a person is not a believer who eats to his full while his neighbour is hungry. Holy Spirit Gabriel used to advise so much (as a message from Allah) about the rights of neighbours that I used to think that he (Gabriel) will soon bring a commandment (from Allah) that neighbours shall also share the inheritance as heirs. (Bokhari, Muslim, Dawood)
The limit for neighbourhood is forty houses.
(Ghazali)
On the Day of Judgment, the first to seek justice from Allah will be the neighbours. (Ahmed) When you find your neighbour speaking highly of you, you are good; if you find him speaking against you, you are bad. (Maja) A person who cannot indicate his needs, do assist him; a person who escorts a needy person to a man of prosperity, Allah will keep him stable on the bridge of Sirat (a bridge of Gehenna over which every man is bound to pass before entry into Paradise). (Nehjal Fasahat)
Show equality among yourselves, do not show distinction among yourselves so that your hearts are not disunited but united, and be kind and loving to one another. (Mishkat) Your money cannot benefit everyone, but do try to benefit everyone with good morals. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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105 Why is it so that people do not teach their neighbours about the principles of faith, and tell them about the terrible consequences of ignorance and do not stop them from the wrong? And why is it so that people do not ask their neighbours about the principles of faith and do not get instruction about religion, and do not learn about the terrible consequences of ignorance? By Allah, people must teach religion to their neighbours, explain it to them, tell them to bid good and forbid them to bid wrong. People shall learn the morals (religion) from their neighbours and seek their advice. By Allah, either people shall teach religion to their neighbours, ask them to bid good and forbid evil, and the neighbours shall learn about their religion, otherwise Allah will send His chastisement upon them in this very world. (Mishkat, Tibrani, Nehjal Fasahat)
The best among you is the one from whom everyone has good expectations and people are safe from his mischiefs; and the worst among you is he from whom no good is expected and nobody is safe from his mischiefs. (Tirmzi) There is a neighbour who has a single right over you and that is a non-Muslim neighbour; there is another neighbour who has double rights over you, that is a Muslim neighbour; there is a third neighbour who has triple rights, that is a Muslim neighbour who is your kinsman too. (Ghazali) If someone keeps fast everyday and says prayer every night but gives trouble to his neighbour, his place is in Gehenna. (Mishkat) The right of a neighbour is not only that he is not troubled by you, but also that you do good to him. (Ghazali) On the Day of Judgment, a poor neighbour will quarrel with his rich neighbour and pray to Allah, “O Allah! Take an account from him. Why did he refrain from doing me a favour and why were his doors closed to me?” (Ghazali) Do not allow your children to go out and tease your neighbour’s children. (Ghazali) It is like doing a wrong to your neighbour if you throw a stone towards his dog. (Ghazali) Do send presents and gifts to one another, this takes away grudge from the hearts. (Mishkat, Tirmzi, Malik) If a person is being sent a gift, and he has means to return it, he must return the favour; the one who does not have the
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106 means, he should praise and thank the one who sent the gift, whoever praises, has thanked; whoso hides the favour, he is an unthankful person. (Mishkat) When you meet a Muslim brother, say, ‘Assalamo Alaikum’ to him; if somebody invites you, accept his invitation. (Mishkat) The neighbour whose door is nearer has more rights. (Bokhari)
A person who despises his neighbour, he deprives himself of lot of benefits. (Ibn Hair Makki)
OF ORPHANS The best home is the one in which an orphan is being treated nicely, and the worst one is that in which an orphan is illtreated. A person who puts his hand over the head of an orphan for the sake of Allah, shall have merits from Allah equal to the hair he touches. (Ahmed, Tirmzi) Those who embezzle the possessions of orphans will be raised from the grave such that flames will come out of their mouths. (Mishkat) If you wish that your heart becomes mild and your needs are fulfilled, then be kind to orphans, put your hand with affection over their heads and ask them to join with you in your meals. (Ahmed, Mishkat)
The one, who brings up and takes care of orphans, will be near to me like two adjacent fingers. (Bokhari) Allah has revealed this message through the Holy Spirit Gabriel:
Give to the orphans their (inherited) property and do not exchange the bad for the good, nor devour their property with your own. (Al-Nisa 4-3) People ask you about ordinances regarding the orphans; say: Do to them what is the best for them. (Al-Baqarah 2-221) When you hand over the property of the orphans to them, you must make people witness over it. (Al-Nisa 4-7) People should think with fear that if they had left their innocent children behind them, what would be their worries and anxieties, so they shall be afraid of Allah and say the right word;
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(Maja)
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those who devour the property of the orphans unjustly, they fill their bellies with fire. (Al-Nisa 4-10)
OF SERVANTS You should treat your slaves (servants) just as your own children; whoever maltreats his slave will not enter Paradise. (Tirmzi, Maja)
If somebody beats his servant without reason or he hits him on the face, penitence of the sin is to set that slave free.(Muslim) Be kind to your slaves and forgive their faults seventy times a day. Of all the things which Allah has created on this earth, the best thing I love is to set a slave free. (Tirmzi, Dawood) It is binding upon a master to give food and clothes to his slave and make him work only that much which is within his power; if you ask him to do something exceeding his power, then you yourself help him. (Muslim)’ Slaves are your brothers whom Allah has given in your custody. Whomso Allah makes a master over his brother, it is binding upon him to give him the same food as he himself eats and give him the same clothes as he himself wears. (Bokhari, Muslim, Ahmed, Dawood)
If your servant cooks food for you and brings it before you, think of the trouble he has taken with all that heat and smoke while cooking, and so he deserves that you make him sit and eat with you; if the food is short and the guests are many, then do give him some morsels out of it. (Muslim) Eating with a servant makes a man humble. (Nehjal Fasahat) Whoso sets free a slave or helps in his freedom, will certainly enter Paradise. (Bokhari, Muslim, Baheeqi, Mishkat) _________
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(Tirmzi)
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Chapter Seven
OF DEADLY SINS OF THEFT Do not commit a theft. A thief is not a believer when he commits a theft; but when he asks for pardon with true heart, his belief returns. (Mishkat) Theft is forbidden; Allah and His Prophet has forbidden it; but stealing from ten houses is less sinful than to steal from your neighbour’s. (Mishkat) Whoso steals a thing worth more than a quarter of dinar, his hand shall be cut; whoso commits decoity is not from us. (It is maximum punishment for a confirmed thief; if people find the thief as poor, ignorant, or insane, they can leave him; if the judge finds the thief poverty stricken, he can forgive or give a lesser punishment). (Mishkat) If a slave steals a petty thing, his hand is not to be cut, as he is your helper. (Malik) If someone picks fruits from trees, his hand is not to be cut but if he collects a lot of them and its price equals a shield’s price, his hand is to be cut. (Bokhari, Muslim) Many nations of the past were destroyed due to injustice that if an influential man committed theft, he was spared but when a poor person would steal, they would punish him; even if your son or daughter commits a theft, do cut his hand, Whoso interferes in the justice of Allah, he is an enemy of Allah. (Mishkat) On the Day of Judgment, the joints of a thief will be cut one by one and when all are cut in such fashion, they will be healed, and cut again the same way. (Mishkat) Allah has given me this message for your through Holy Spirit Gabriel:
Those who fight against Allah and His Prophet and commit tyranny over the land (deceits and robbers), a deserving
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punishment for them is to slay them or crucify them or their hands and feet be cut off on alternate sides or they should be sent into exile, this is a disgrace for them in this world, and in the Hereafter they will be tormented greatly, but if they ask for pardon before they are arrested, then know that, Allah is Most Forgiving Merciful. (Al-Maidah 5-34)
OF ADULTERY Do not commit adultery. Adultery leads to misery and poverty. When a believer commits adultery, he has no faith, but if he asks for pardon with true heart, his faith returns to him. (Mishkat)
Adultery is forbidden; Allah and His Prophet have forbidden it, but it is ten times more grievous a sin to intercourse with the wife of your neighbour than with some other woman. (Mishkat)
There is no blame upon that woman who is forcibly molested. (Mishkat) Allah is an enemy of an adulterer even at old age. (Mishkat) Those who are homosexual, kill both of them.
(Mishkat)
A nation in which adultery becomes common will suffer a drought. (Ahmed) The benefit of enforcing a law of Allah is as if spared from the raining for forty days over the cities as chastisement from Allah. (Maja, Nisai) Enforce all the Statutory limits (Hadood) of Allah without consideration of blood relations or friendship; and do not be intimidated by the accusers. Allah has given me this message through Holy Spirit Gabriel:
The adulteress and the adulterer should be scourged with hundred lashes each and let not pity for the couple withhold you from following the law of Allah, if you really believe in Allah and the Hereafter. (Al-Noor 24-3) “Do you know what causes most for entry into Gehenna, that is tongue and hidden parts. Adultery of hand is to hold a strange woman, adultery of feet is to walk for adultery, adultery of mouth is to kiss a strange woman, adultery of ears is to hears woman’s voice lustfully. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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110 Remember that being given to lust momentarily may cause a lasting sorrow. (Nehjal Fasahat) It is a deadly sin to falsely accuse an innocent woman of adultery. (Mishkat, Al-Quran) There is no room for prostitution in Islam. If somebody has full power over a needy woman but spares her chastity (for God’s sake) Allah will definitely save him. (Mishkat, Anees al Waazeen)
On the Day of Judgment, when there will be no shadow except the shadow of Throne of Allah, Allah will place such a man under His shade whom a respectable beautiful woman invited for sexual connection but he refused saying, “I fear Allah. ” (Nisai, Dawood)
A woman who begets an unlawful child into a family to which it does not belong, Allah has no connection with her and Allah will never enter her in Paradise. (Mishkat) All the seven heavens and the earth curse an old adulterer or adulteress. (Nehjal Fasahat) Those people who do not control their lust will be punished in Gehenna by hanging from their private parts and an obnoxious smell will come out of them which will even make the people of Gehenna restless. (Nehjal Fasahat) I was shown how the fornicators will be punished in the Hereafter. I saw that there was a hole like an oven, whose upper portion was narrow but the lower portion was wide; there was fire ablaze in that; and there were many nude men and women in that; when the flames of the fire rose, these people also rose along and it seemed as if they would come out; but the fire diminished a little and they fell down. (Mishkat, Tibrani, Bazaz) On the Night of my Ascension, I came across the people who had some nicely cooked meat in a cooking pot and a badly cooked, burnt meat in another pot; they would not look at the nicely cooked food but were eating from the smelling meat. I asked, “Who are they?” Gabriel, the Spirit of Truthfulness said, “They are those of your followers who had, in their houses, chaste and lawful wives but they would go to strange women, and also there are those women who would go to strange person instead of their nice, lawful husbands.” (Mishkat)
OF KILLING
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111 In the sight of Allah the destruction of the whole world is less grievous a sin than the killing of an innocent Muslim. (Tirmzi, Nisai)
If everyone in the heaven and earth joins to kill a Muslim, Allah will put them all in Gehenna. (Tirmzi)
A Muslim always moves to the path of righteousness till he commits a murder. (Bokhari, Dawood) It is expected that Allah will forgive all the sins except associating a deity with Allah and the murder of a Muslim. Any person who kills, will not smell the perfume of Paradise. (Dawood) Whoso kills a slave, we will kill him; whoso will cut parts of his body, we will cut his parts too; whoso will castrate him, we will also castrate him. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi, Nisai) A person who helps to kill a Muslim with only half the word, will appear before Allah such that, he will have an inscription on his forehead, “This man has no hope of mercy from Allah.” (Maja) When a person holds a person and the other one kills him, the killer shall be killed in exchange, while the helper shall be imprisoned. There is no penitence for killing an innocent person. (Mishkat, Darqatni)
If a man kills another man intentionally, the murderer should be given in the custody of the heirs of the murdered man; now it is upto them whether to accept money in exchange for blood or kill him. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) A person who is injured but forgives in spite of having power to take revenge, Allah will forgive his sins and raise his rank. (Tirmzi, Maja)
On the Day of Judgment, the first judgement will be about murders. (Bokhari, Muslim) On the Day of Judgment, a murdered man will bring murderer by holding, his forehead and hair in his hand while bleeding, and will say to Allah, “O Allah! This man killed me” and as such, he will take him near the throne (Arsh) of Allah. (Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai)
A Muslim, who is killed for the sake of his religion, or while protecting his belongings or family is a martyr. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Nisai)
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112 Fighting for the protection of your belongings and killing (decoit) while doing so is not forbidden. (Mishkat) If somebody is killed innocently in the West, and someone in the East agrees to it, he is like the killer. (Ghazali) Whoso kills people, for the sake of a king or a ruler, is a man of Gehenna. (Nisai, Mishkat) If someone give protection to a person and then kills him; I have nothing to do with him, even if the killed person is an infidel. (Nisai, Mishkat)
Curse be upon the man who kills another person instead of the killer; or who hurts another person to avenge instead of the one who hurt him. (Masnad) Allah has sent me this message through Holy Spirit Gabriel:
O people who are believers! Retaliation is enjoined upon you in the matter of the murdered, the free man for the free man, and the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. And for him who is granted remission somewhat by his brother, prosecution (for the blood money) should be done with fairness and redemption money be paid in a handsome manner. This is a concession and a mercy from your Lord. And whoso transgresses thereafter, for him there shall be a painful chastisement. There is a life for you in this retaliation law, O men of understanding! It is hoped that you will avoid disregarding it. (Al-Baqarah 2-179)
OF DRINKING, INTOXICATION Do not take liquors (intoxicant). Drinking is the key of all wickednesses.
(Al-Quran) (Maja, Mishkat)
Drinking is a sum of all the sins and the root of all the evils. Beware of drinking; it is precursor of a large number of sins; just as trees grow from another tree, likewise, evils grow from the evil of drinking. The simile of drinking is that evils are locked in a house and drinking is the key of it. (Maja, Nehjal Fasahat) Drunkenness is just like being in the fire. The most, forbidden thing, after the worship of idols and calling upon deities in sight of Allah is drinking, and to slander the people. (Nehjal Fasahat)
A person who drinks liquors is like a worshipper of idols, Laat and Azza (two deities of ancient Arabia). Drinking is the
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113 mother of all evils and is a deadly sin. A person who drinks liquor, loses the sense of judgment as to whether a woman is his mother, mother’s sister or father’s sister. Everything which intoxicates or deranges brain is strictly forbidden. Any drink which intoxicates after drinking about 8 litres, its use as little as a spoonful is prohibited. (Dawood) Every drink (or thing) which intoxicates is forbidden. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Do not use an intoxicant, even as a medicine, because it itself is a disease. (Muslim) Anything which intoxicates in larger quantity, its smallest quantity is also forbidden. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood) Whoso drinks, give him lashes.
(Tirmzi)
A person who drinks (but does not ask pardon and stop it) will not enter Paradise. (Ahmed, Darmi)
A man who believes in Allah and the Hereafter should not even sit on the table where liquors are being served. (Mishkat) A person who drinks, Allah does not accept his prayers for forty days. If he asks for pardon He accepts it, but on the fourth occasion, even the pardon is not granted. (Mishkat, Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai, Darmi)
Whoso takes liquor, Allah will make him drink the sweat and the pus of the people of Gehenna. (Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja Nisai, Darmi)
Whoso will stop drinking due to the fear of Allah, Allah will offer him a divine drink from the pond of Paradise. (Muslim) Intoxicating liquors are prepared from five things: grapes, dates, wheat, barley and honey. (Liquors prepared by other means are also prohibited). (Bokhari) I swear by Allah the One, Who has sent me as the righteous Prophet, a person who takes liquors has been cursed in the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Quran. (Anees al Waazeen) Curse be upon the one who prepares the liquor, also upon the one who orders for such extraction, also upon the one who drinks, also upon the one who offers drinks, also upon the one who carries drinks, also upon the one for whom it is carried, also upon the one who sells liquor, also upon the one who gets its profits,
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114 also upon the one who buys it, and also upon the one for whom it is bought. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) Allah has sent me this message though Gabriel, Holy Spirit for all the people of the world:
People ask you about the Liquor (intoxicant) and gambling, say that there is a great sin and means of profit for the people but their evils are much greater than their profit. O believers! The use of. liquor and gambling and idols and diving arrows are only an abomination of devil’s hand work. So shun each one of them in order that you may have salvation. The devil only desires to create enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and gambling, and to keep you off from the remembrance of Allah and the prayers. Will you then stop it now? Be cautious, if you do not, let it be known that the duty of My Messenger is only to convey the message clearly. (Al-Baqarah 2-220)
_________
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Chapter Eight
OF CLEANLINESS AND DRESS I (Muhammad, peace be upon him) am just like a father for you people. (Maja, Darmi) Cleanliness is half faith.
(Muslim)
Allah is clean and likes clean ones; He is kind and loves kind people. He is generous and loves generous persons; so keep your houses and verandas scrupulously clean. (Zaadumaad, Bazaz) O Muslims! Keep your body clean. Always be clean, then your Guardian will keep you healthy. (Hajveri) Always remain scrupulously clean so that you may have a longer life; wash your body and hair well, because there is dirt at the root of every hair. (Gilani) Allah has based Islam upon purity and cleanliness. Only those will enter Paradise, who are clean and pure. (Mishkat) When a Muslim performs his ablution and washes his face, all those sins are washed away which his eyes had committed; when he washes his hands, all those sins which were committed by the hands are washed away with the last drop of water; when he washes his feet, all those sins for which the feet walked, are washed away with the last drop of water; thus he becomes free from all sins. Ablution is the key to prayer. Without ablution, prayer is not accepted. (Ahmed) If somebody awakes from sleep, he should perform fresh ablution; if he touches his hidden parts, again he should perform ablution. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat) A person who performs fresh ablution, he is bestowed from Allah a new faith. (Ghazali)
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(Muslim)
116 While performing ablution, do not waste too much water; there is extravagancy in this too, even if you are washing from a running stream. (Ahmed, Maja) While performing ablution, pronounce the name of Allah, this purifies whole body; but do not exaggerate in the act of purification. Make it your habit to brush your teeth because it cleanses mouth and brighten eyes. (Darqatni, Mishkat) If I had not thought it difficult for my followers, I would have made it obligatory with every prayer to brush teeth. (Mishkat) The brushing of teeth is the act of prophets.
(Tirmzi)
A prayer after brushing of teeth is better by seventy grades than the one without it, (Baheeqi) On the Day of Judgment, my followers will be called as the people with glittering foreheads and white limbs. This light and whiteness will be due to ablution. (Bokhari, Muslim) When you urinate, do it after sitting, select a soft ground so that it does not splash. (Dawood) Do not urinate while standing. The people who do not take care while urinating will be tormented in the grave life. (Tirmzi, Maja) Do not urinate in a hole or in standing water. (Dawood, Nisai) Do not urinate at a place of bath because bathing and washing at such place will become doubtful. (Tirmzi, Dawood) Do not urinate or answer the call of nature at riverside, nor at a place for bathing or washing nor at the passage of people, nor at a place for shade. (Maja, Dawood, Muslim) Thank Allah like this, “All praises and honour are for Allah, Who rescued me of dirty things and gave me comfort, I ask Your forgiveness.� (Maja) When you take a bath, put on a cover.
(Dawood, Nisai)
Whosoever comes for Friday prayer, he should take a bath. Whoso takes a bath, he should try to achieve maximum of purity, oil his hair and use a perfume; if he does not have a perfume, he should borrow it from his wife. (Mishkat) Angels do not come near an unclean person.
(Mishkat)
Bath should be taken with the underwear on, and when you take bath in a river or a pond, or go there to fetch water, you
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117 should cover yourself because many creations of Allah live in water for whom you should exercise modesty too. (Gilani) In the sight of Allah, the best virtues of a believer are to wear clean dress and be content with minimum provisions. (Madaraj an-Nabawwat)
Wear white dress because it looks very nice. Men shall not wear satin, silk, fine linen clothes, nor wear pink and red (i.e. gaudy) dresses. Whoever forsakes costly dress for the sake of Allah and be humble in spite of having means, Allah will call him before people on the Day of Judgment, and give him the authority to choose whatever dress he wishes, out of the dresses for believers; Allah will give him the dress of greatness and holiness. (Mishkat) Whoever wears dress in this world to show and impress people, Allah will dress him with a dress of disgrace. Remember! To wear old clothes is a sign of faith. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) Whoso resembles other nation in dress, he is one of them. (Ahmed, Dawood)
Do not wear a dress against traditions of your family and people of the city. (Gilani) Curse of Allah be upon those women who imitate men, and upon those men who imitate women, and also curse be upon those women who dress like men and those men who dress like women. (Dawood)
Women shall not manifest their beauty unlawfully. (Ahmed, Maja, Nisai, Mishkat, AI-Quran)
Do not conceal you age (by hair colour) The best hair dye is Henna (Indigo leaves) (Dawood, Tirmzi, Nisai) Do not pluck white hair because it is a divine light for a Muslim (man). (Dawood, Mishkat) The best among young men is the one who resembles like elderly man and the worst amongst old men is the one who resembles a young man. (Ghazali) A Muslim whose one hair turns grey, has one merit with Allah and one sin is forgiven and his rank is raised by one grade. (Dawood)
Old age will be a source of divine light on the Day of Judgment. (Tirmzi, Nisai) Arrange your hair properly.
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(Mishkat)
118 All men shall be circumcised.
(Mishkat)
Cut the hair over your lips. Keep moustaches short and beard long. Keep your nails clean. Men should not show their body from the navel to the knee. (Mishkat) Allah has cursed those women who mix the hair of another women with their own, and those who perform such jobs, and those who tattoo the bodies, and those who get their bodies tattooed, and those who grind teeth with a file, and those who pluck hair from their faces. (Bokhari, Muslim) _________
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Chapter Nine
OF EATING FOOD, SALUTATION, CONGREGATION, TRAVELLING, DEBTS, MUSIC, INHERITANCE, SUICIDE OF EATING FOOD When you eat, eat with your right hand, and when you drink, drink with right hand. (Muslim) Pronounce the name of Allah before eating.
(Mishkat, Darmi)
When you eat, eat peacefully with your shoes off; this gives comfort to your feet. (Mishkat) Do not leap upon food, nor blow your breath over hot food, nor smell it like beasts. It is good to allow hot food to cool down. Eat only when you feel hungry, take a small portion at a time, and masticate it very well before swallowing, and stop eating when you still have a desire for more. (Mishkat, Ghazali) Eat from your side; do not start eating from middle or from farther side. When you eat a bread or some other thing, start eating from sides and not from middle. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) Do not drink too much water during meal. When you drink water, drink it peacefully while sitting (if possible, preferably), do not breathe in water, nor blow on it. Do not drink water at once like a camel, but drink peacefully in two or three breaths (pausing in between). When you start drinking then say, “With the name of Allah.” When you drink a second time then say, “All the praises are for Allah.” Do not clean your hands with bread nor put utensils over it. (Mishkat, Ghazali) Allah is very happy with a man who eats a morsel and then praises Allah; drinks a draught of water and praises Allah. (Muslim)
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120 A person who thanks Allah after eating is like a man who keeps fasts with patience. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) When you eat food, you should pray, “O Allah, Your blessing be in this food and bestow us better food than this.” But when you drink milk, you should say, “O Allah, Your blessing be in it and give me more,” because milk suffices both for a food and a drink and what can be better thing than that? (Tirmzi, Dawood) Do not eat and drink in utensils of silver and gold; these belong to nonbelievers in this world and for you is the goal of Hereafter. If you eat in these utensils,, it will inflame the fire of Gehenna in your stomachs. (Bokhari Muslim) A lawful thing is what Allah has ordained in His book, and an unlawful thing is what Allah has forbidden, and those things which are not spoken of, they are permissible. (Tirmzi, Maja) Gabriel has brought message for you people from Allah, to me; So eat of the lawful and pure things which Allah has provided for you and give thanks for Allah’s bounty if it is Him you worship. He has forbidden for you only dead animals and the flesh of swine and that on which the name of any other than Allah has been pronounced. (Al-Nahl 16-115) All the good things are lawful for you from this day; the food of the people of the Book is lawful for you, and your food is also lawful for them. (Al-Maidah 5-6)
OF SALUTATION O people! Make it a habit to say ‘As salaam-o-alaikum’ to each other. (Muslim) The best deed in Islam is to offer food to others and say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to all, whether acquainted or not. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Full salutation (or greeting) is to shake hand after saying, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ this increases love and decreases grudge. (Ahmed, Tirmzi)
Send gifts to each other, this increases love and decreases enmity.
(Malik)
When two Muslims meet, and shake hand with each other, they are forgiven by Allah before they separate. (Mishkat, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja)
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121 You must say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ before starting a conversation. When you wish to enter a door, say, ‘As salaam-oAlaikum’ first, and then ask permission to come in. (Tirmzi) Do not enter even in your mother’s room without permission. (Mota, Malik) When you go in a gathering, say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ when you leave, say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ again. (Ahmed, Dawood) A rider shall say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to the one on foot, younger man shall be the first to say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to an elder, a smaller group of people shall be the first to say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to a larger group. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat) In the sight of Allah, the more honourable is he who says, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ first. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood) When a group of people passes and anyone of them says, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to a person or a group of persons, this suffices for the whole group, so likewise, if only one person greets back, this is enough for the whole group. (Dawood, Mishkat, Baheeqi) When you enter a house, say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ if you go out say, ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’. Whoso says, ‘As salaam-oAlaikum’ he has ten rewards; and whoso says, ‘As salaam-oalaikum wa rehmatullah-e-wa barakatuhu (Peace on you and mercy of Allah and His blessings), he has thirty rewards. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Baheeqi)
If some people are playing chess or draughts or beads, or drinking liquor, do not say ‘As salaam-o-Alaikum’ to them. Gabriel has given me this message of Allah for you:
O people who believe! Do not enter in any house without permission from their residents, except your own house, and say’ ‘salaam’ (peace on all) first, this way is very good for you. (Al-Noor 24-28)
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OF CONGREGATION If, in a gathering, two people are sitting together, do not separate them without their permission. (Tirmzi, Dawood) No person should ask any other person to get up from his seat, but to make a little space by moving aside. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat)
If somebody goes out for a while from an assembly, and then comes back, he has more right to his seat; it is better to leave some piece of cloth as an indication. (Muslim) Do not rise up before me as foreigners do.
(Dawood)
Whoever desires people to stand before him, he should choose a place in Gehenna. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) I do not like to be outstanding in an assembly, and Allah dislikes it too. (Tirmzi, Dawood) Curse be upon the one who likes to sit in the middle of a circle.
(Tirmzi, Dawood)
When you sneeze, put your hand or handkerchief on your face, and keep it down and do not sneeze over the edibles; and say, ‘All praises be to Allah,” the one who hears should say, “The Mercy of Allah be upon you.” If you yawn, try to stop it if you can, and put your hand over your mouth, and do not make a loud sound, nor open your mouth. (Bokhari, Mishkat)
OF TRAVELLING When you want to travel, start at night, or early in the morning, because at night, you can travel faster. (Dawood) Do not make a journey alone if possible, there should be three people; appoint one as your leader. (Dawood) A leader during a journey is the one who serves you the most or who tries to excel others in serving, and the reward for such a person is only next to that of a martyr. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) When the purpose of travelling has been achieved, return to your house immediately; because to be away from home for a long time is troublesome and uncomfortable. (Muslim) A traveller must be mindful of rest and comforts of his animal.
(Dawood)
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123 You should park away from road at night because there is a possibility of wild animals passing there. If some beloved of yours or a respected person comes back from a journey, welcome him warmly. Don’t forget to bring a present for your wife, be it a small one. (Dawood, Mishkat)
OF DEBTS O Muslims! Beware of debt, because it brings anxiety at night, and a disgrace during day. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) If someone puts patches after patches in his dress and wears old clothes, it is much preferable, than to take a loan, and then not being able to return it. (Ahmed, Mishkat) A person who dies without any pride, dishonesty and a loan, he will enter Paradise. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi) Whoso takes a loan with no intention to pay it back, Allah will destroy his riches. (Bokhari, Muslim) All the sins of a martyr are pardoned due to martyrdom, except debt. (Muslim) And a martyr will not enter Paradise unless his debt is paid. (Ahmed)
Soul of a believer remains hanging because of debt, till his debts are paid by his heirs. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja) An indebted person will be imprisoned due to his loans and on the Day of Judgment, he will complain loneliness. (Mishkat) I will not lead a funeral prayer of him, who has not paid his debt, till his debt is paid. (Bokhari, Muslim) If a person lends to someone, then each day which he delays to ask back his loan is charity. Whoever will overlook a poor indebted person, Allah will overlook his sins. (Ahmed, Mishkat) He, who desires that Allah may save him from the hardships of the Day of Judgment and give him place under His shade, he should give more time to the indebted one or forgive his loan. (Muslim, Mishkat) When a person gives loan, then the reward of each day is as if given in charity till the day to return the loan arrives; after
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124 that, if he gives more time, then each day has a reward as if double the amount were given as loan. (Mishkat) When you return a loan, thank Allah and praise the one who gave loan, and pray, “Allah may bless your riches and your family.” (Mishkat) The best person among you is he who returns his debt nicely; and if he gives loan, then, he demands its return gently; and the worst person is he who is bad in returning, or strict and foulmouthed while asking back. (Tirmzi Mishkat) It is extremely bad for a person of means to delay the return of his loan. (Bokhari, Muslim)
OF MUSIC I have been ordered to destroy all drums and musical instruments which people play or blow. With every musical instrument, there is a Satan. (Tirmzi, Mishkat, Madaraj-an-Nabawwat) Do not beat drum, nor flute.
(Mishkat)
Any house, which has instruments to blow or play, angels of mercy do not enter it. Allah has strictly forbidden me two nonsenses; the first is to raise a voice to sing and, the second is shouting at the time of distress. (Mishkat, Madaraj-an-Nabawwat) Curse be upon singing girls, and the ones for whom they sing. Music breeds hypocrisy in hearts just as water grows vegetation. (Baheeqi, Mishkat, Gilani) Men shall never sing verses in the presence of strange women because women are softhearted, and so there is every chance of their becoming corrupt. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat)
OF INHERITANCE If a Muslim has a ‘will’ about some matter of business, he must write it down positively before two nights pass. Do not make a will for your property more than one third, even this is too much, because it is better to leave your heirs well-off than to leave them poor, so that they may have to beg. Whatever you spend for the sake of Allah, will be rewarded, so much so that any morsel which you put in your wife’s mouth has a reward with Allah. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Those people who make a will so as to harm their heirs are sure to enter into Gehenna. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
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125 Allah has revealed to me this message through Gabriel, the Holy Spirit:
It is strictly ordained for you that when someone of you is dying and leaves behind some property he must make a will for his parents, and relatives with fairness; this is an obligation of pious people; anyone who alters this will after hearing it, the whole sin is upon them who alter. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Al-Baqarah 2-181)
Men have a right in the property which is left by their parents and relatives, and women have the right in the property which is left by their parents and relatives; whether the share is little or much, share of everyone is fixed. At the time of distribution when poor kinsmen and orphans and the poor also come, give something out of it and talk to them nicely. (Al-Nisa 4-8)
OF SUICIDE Suicide is unlawful and forbidden. (Al-Quran, Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat)
Whoso kills himself by jumping from a mountain, he will be made to fall likewise repeatedly in Gehenna and will reside there forever; whoso kills himself by eating poison, he will have a cup of poison in Gehenna and live there forever; whoso kills himself with some metal tool, that tool will be in his hand in Gehenna and he will thrust it in his belly and live there forever; whoso kills himself by strangling, he will be in Gehenna, strangling himself likewise. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat)
The penitence for the sin of suicide is to set free a slave on his (or her) behalf; Allah will set free every part in exchange for every part of the slave from Gehenna. (Mishkat, Dawood)
_________
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Chapter Ten
OF PLANNING, PROFESSION, USURY OF PLANNING It is from Allah to work attentively and it is from Satan to make haste. To wait, and to pay attention and to think, is always good except for an act for the Hereafter; so do not wait to perform a good act. (Mishkat) Good disposition, right thinking and moderation are twenty fifth part of the prophethood. (Mishkat) There is no wisdom equal to good planning.
(Mishkat)
Allah loves two qualities, the first is toleration, and the second is to perform an act after thoughtful attention, (or after thorough investigation). (Mishkat) A believer cannot be bitten twice from the same hole. (Mishkat)
Do your work after planning well; if you find the end good then do it, if not, leave it. (Mishkat) There is no piety like abstinence; and there is no ancestry better than good character. O Muslims! Develop the habit of thinking in your heart; and be thoughtful about the bounties of Allah but do not ponder over essence of Allah. (Mishkat)
OF PROFESSION, BUSINESS There is no livelihood better than that earned by working with hands. (Bokhari, Mishkat) Charity of a person, who earns unlawfully is not accepted by Allah, and what he spends and saves has no blessing from Allah and his savings lead him to Gehenna. You cannot be pardoned for your evils by committing another evil, but evil is pardoned by good deeds.
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127 Unclean does not clean unclean. If some person forsakes unlawful means to earn, it leads to Paradise. (Ahmed, Mishkat, Darmi) A flesh nourished by forbidden earnings, is fit for Gehenna only and not Paradise. (Ahmed, Baheeqi, Darmi, Mishkat) After the obligatory commandments, earning of livelihood by fair means is binding upon all Muslims. (Baheeqi) If a person purchases a dress for ten dirhams, and out of it one dirham is earned by unlawful means, Allah will not accept any of his prayers till that dress is on his body. (Ahmed, Baheeqi) Allah has commanded you to struggle; so you must struggle. There are some sins which are not pardoned even by praying, fastings, pilgrimage, but your worries to earn livelihood pardons it. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Do not leave today’s work till tomorrow, because you are responsible for today, and not for tomorrow. (Nehjal Fasahat) All cities and all creation belongs to Allah; so wherever you find it better, reside there. (Nehjal Fasahat) Get up early in the morning because it is better. Sleeping in the morning lessens your livelihood. (Nehjal Fasahat) Whoso endeavours, will meet success.
(Nehjal Fasahat)
It is must for every person to learn some professional art because all the prophets followed some profession, so learning of a profession is an act of the prophets. (Anees-al-Waazeen) Trader is like a holy warrior; search for livelihood is like fighting a Holy War against brave people; and whoso sleeps after endeavouring for his livelihood, Allah is happy with him. (Anees-af-Waazeer’
Allah likes very much seeing His man struggling and taking pains for his livelihood. (Tirmzi) For earning your livelihood, start early in the morning because it is favourable and you have more time to perform a job. (Mishkat, Tibrani)
A person who does not like wealth has no goodness, because it is wealth with the help of which a person can fulfil his responsibilities towards his kinsmen, debts are paid, and a man becomes independent of other people. (Mishkat, Baheeqi)
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128 The face of a person, who works to save himself from begging, spends on his family, and helps his neighbours, will shine like a full moon on the Day of Judgment. (Gilani) A person who earns by lawful means, but intends to impress people and hoard riches and show pride, he will find Allah angry with him on the Day of Resurrection. (Gilani) Allah befriends a man who has a family and is hard working, but Allah does not befriend one who is healthy and strong but is not engaged in any trade or work for the religion. (Gilani) Be moderate about worldly riches because, whatever is written in your fate certainly you will get. (Gilani) If a door of benevolence is opened for someone, he should happily avail it, otherwise nobody knows when it will be closed. (Tirmzi)
To have a house to live, a dress to cover body, and a bread to eat, and water to drink is the basic right of all human beings. (Tirmzi)
The doors for earning livelihood are open upto the heaven. (Kanooz-al-Ha’qaiq)
Seek the help of an expert in every trade.
(Gilani)
When a person eats food for forty days such that it does not have any thing of unlawful earnings, Allah fills his heart with a divine light, and the streams of wisdom spring out of his heart, and his heart is averse to the love of worldliness. (Ghazali) Eat of what is earned lawfully, then all your prayers will be accepted. There are many people who eat unclean, and wear unclean, and then raise their hands in prayers. How can such prayers be fulfilled? Out of ten parts of worship, nine parts are in endeavouring for a lawful livelihood. When a person returns home at night tired because of endeavouring for his livelihood through legal means and goes to sleep, he is pardoned (of all sins) by Allah. When he gets up in the morning, blessings of Allah are with him. (Ghazali)
Do not get involved so much in your wordly professions such that you are absorbed in wordliness (and forget the Hereafter). (Ghazali) Less but enough provisions are better than such riches which make a person unmindful of Allah. (Baheeqi, Hakim, Zaad al Maad)
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129 An extremely bad person is he who uses his faith for another person’s wordly gains; even worser person is the one who uses his faith to get wordly gains. (Ghazali) On the Day of Judgment, a person will appear who spent his unlawful earnings in wrongful ways, there will be an order (from Allah) to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a second person will appear who spent his lawful earnings in wrongful way, there will be an order to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a third person will appear who spent his unlawful earnings in lawful ways, there will be an order to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a fourth person will appear who spent his lawful earnings in lawful ways, there will be an order, “Stop him! May be he made some mistakes in his earnings or in ablution or in bowing and prostrating before Allah or in saying his prayers at its ordained times.” The man will reply, “O Allah! I earned lawfully, spent in rightful place and according to requirement and made no error in performance of Your commandments, and also that I was never proud and haughty over riches.” Allah will say, “May be you showed yourself to be magnificent and dignified by the display of grand rides and splendid dresses or may be you did not ride with humility.” The man will say, “O Allah! I never even showed such a pride.” Then Allah will say, “May be you did not give full rights to an orphan or a needy or a neighbour.” He will say, “O Allah! I never even made any lapse in this regard too,” Then many people will gather around this man and will say, “O Allah! Demand our rights from this man.” Allah will say to him, “Reply, what you have to say.” He will answer each one for their objections and if found innocent in every respect, Allah will say, “Stop! Tell whether you gave thanks for every morsel from My provision which I bestowed upon you. (Ghazali) You should do business because nine out of ten parts of provisions are in this. (Ghazali) A truthful and honest business man will be raised among prophets, the most truthful believers and martyrs. (Tirmzi, Darmi, Darqatni)
A person who buys grains and sells it in another city at prevailing price (not at higher rate by taking advantage of a short supply), it is like giving all the grains in charity. (Ghazali) Measure and weigh correctly. A person who hoards is a sinner.
(Al-Quran) (Mishkat)
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130 A business man is blessed with provisions, while a hoarder, is a cursed person. (Mishkat, Muslim, Maja, Darmi) Whoso hoards grains for forty days waiting for escalation of price, he breaks his covenant with Allah, and Allah is alienated with him. (Mishkat) How evil is a hoarder! If Allah brings price down, he is worried; and if price is escalated, he is happy! (Mishkat, Baheeqi) A person who hoards grains for forty days intentionally so as to sell it after escalation of price but then (realizing the sin) he gives all the grains in the way of Allah, even that is not a penitence for his evil intentions. (Ghazali) A person who brings saleable goods in a market is like a holy warrior, and a hoarder is an atheist. (Nehjal Fasahat) When you want to sell a thing, tell a fixed price, now it is upto a buyer to buy it or not; similarly when you want to buy, tell your last price, now it is upto the seller’s pleasure to sell or not. (Mishkat)
When a dispute arises between a buyer and a seller, the seller’s words are authentic but the buyer enjoys the right to uphold the deal or not. (Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi) An adulterator (of food stuff) is not from us. (Madaraj-an-Nabawat)
Business of those men is commendable who always speak the truth; are never dishonest; they never back out of their promises; the things they sell, they do not praise exaggeratedly; they do not delay payments when they buy things; if someone owes them a loan, then they are not harsh to him. (Baheeqi) Allah may have His Mercy upon a person, who is kind and well-behaved while doing business and asking his outstanding amounts from others. (Mishkat, Bokhari) The earnings of such businessmen are highly commendable and pure, who do not criticize the quality of goods they buy; do not exaggerate the quality of goods they sell and do not conceal its defects, and do not swear. (Mishkat) All businessmen will be raised as reprobates except those who showed piety, good behaviour and honesty. (Tirmzi, Maja, Baheeqi, Darmi, Mishkat)
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131 The earnings of a prostitute and singing girls are unlawful. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat)
The earnings of a fortune teller, price of blood and the profits of a usurer upon the lent money are unlawful. To get tattoo, and the earnings of tattooer and a painter (of living objects and images, not designer) are also unlawful. (Mishkat) It is strictly forbidden to sell liquor, dead animals, swine and idols. (Mishkat) Do not sell your goods by swearing falsely, although goods are sold but the blessing of Allah goes out from the profit (Mishkat) None of you shall approach a caravan coming to the city unless it reaches the market and unloads the goods. If someone does so, then the seller has the right to cancel the deal after coming to the city. (If the deal was deceitful by giving wrong impression about the prevailing market price) (Bokhari, Muslim) No person shall quote a higher price to compete his brother, nor shall sell his own goods by spoiling the deal of his brother. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A thing which is not in your possession shall not be sold. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
Whoso is deceitful is not from me.
(Muslim)
Honesty increases wealth while dishonesty increases poverty. (Nehjal Fasahat) Whoso sells defective goods without informing the buyer is always under the curse of Allah and His angels. Whoso buys things at higher rates to give an impression to another buyer for his truthfulness, and then charges him inflated price, the buyer has the right to return the goods if he comes to know this malicious alliance. (Ghazali) Businessmen, who are dishonest in their dealings, will be thrown into Gehenna without being asked to give an account of their deeds. (Ghazali) Unless fruits are ready on trees and are free from disease, they shall not be sold; if you do so and then a calamity falls upon them and are destroyed, you have no right to take any money from
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132 your brother (buyer); and how can you take money from your brother unlawfully? (Bokhari, Muslim, Nisai) It is forbidden to make a deal with a helpless person or to deal deceitfully. (Masnad) If you have a power to help, help your Muslim brother, and never increase his misery to kill. (Masnad) A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. He neither dismays nor deprives him. (Masnad) Allah will not look at such a man, and for him awaits a terrible chastisement of Allah, who speaks falsely that goods were bought at such and such rates (exaggerates) and the buyer thinks that to be true. (Nisai, Mishkat) Wages of a labourer shall be paid before his sweat dries. (Maja, Mishkat)
Allah will be a solicitor for a labourer on the Day of Judgment. Rich people should raise up goats (or dairy animals) and poor people should raise up hens so as to become self-sufficient in food. (Maja, Mishkat) Whoso cultivates barren fields, he has a reward for it from Allah.
(Darmi, Mishkat)
Allah has given me this message for you through the angel Gabriel:
O believers! When you deal with each other, contracting a debt for a fixed term, write it down. Let a scribe record it in writing between you faithfully; and no scribe should refuse to write as Allah has taught him, so he should write; and let him who owes the debt dictate, and he should fear Allah his Lord, and not diminish anything from accord, but if the debtor is uneducated, less intelligent and is unable to dictate, then his guardian or representative shall dictate with justice and then make two men witness over it, and if two men are not available, then one man and two women shall be the witness, so that if one woman forgets other may remind her, and these witness shall be such people who are acceptable persons as a witnesses; when the witnesses are asked to give their testimony they shall not refuse; the accord, whether small or big, must be written with full particulars, mentioning precise dates; do not be negligent in writing the document In the sight of Allah, this method is just for you and this
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helps as a witness and there are less chances for you to be in doubt; but those business dealings which you do hand to hand may not be written but while making a deal make somebody witness over it. The writer and the witness shall not be teased (or threatened), if you do so, you are sinful. Beware of the wrath of Allah. He teaches you the best way and He is the Knower of all. If you are travelling and cannot find someone to write then make the deal by mortgage with possession. If someone makes a deal by putting trust in you, then the trusted person must pay back the trust and fear Allah, his Lord. (Al-Baqarah 2-283)
O believers! Do not devour each others’ property by unlawful means; except that it be trading by mutual consent, and do not kill yourselves. (An-Nisa 4-30) And do not devour each others’ property by unfair means neither offer it as bribe to the authorities, so that you may devour a part of the property of the people knowingly with injustice. (Al-Baqarah 2-189)
OF USURY Do not charge usury over a loan.
(Al-Quran)
Curse be upon the one who is fed by the earnings of usury, also upon the one who charges usury, also upon the one who writes documents for usury and also upon the one who is a witness to it; all are equal in sin. (Muslim, Tirmzi, Mishkat) To charge wilfully even one dirham as an interest, is more sinful than committing adultery thirty six times. (Ahmed, Baheeqi, Darqatni)
The end result of the usury is a decrease in riches. (Ahmed, Maja, Baheeqi)
When a person lends money to someone then he should not even accept a gift from the debtor. (Maja, Baheeqi) The worst usury is to insult a Muslim wrongfully. (Ghazali) I was shown an event of the Hereafter that a man was swimming in a canal of blood and there was another person standing at the side with a stone in his hand; when the person in the canal desired to come out being tired, the second person would throw a stone with such skill that his mouth opened and the stone went straight into his stomach and the man was pushed back.
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134 Gabriel told me that this man who is swimming in the blood canal is an; usurer. (Bokhari) Allah has sent me this message for you all, through Holy Spirit Gabriel:
Those who devour usury do not rise, except rises he, whom Satan has made insane by touch. That is because they (the Jews) say, ‘Trade also is like usury’, whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden usury, so to whomsoever the admonition has come from his Lord and then he desists, he can keep the profits which he received in the past and his affair is with Allah. And those who revert to usury they are the inmates of the Fire, therein they will abide. Allah has abolished usury and made charity fruitful. And Allah loves not a confirmed disbeliever, an arch sinner. (Al-Baqarah 2-276)
O believers! Fear Allah and whatever from usury remains with people, relinquish it, if you are really believers, but if you do not act upon this commandment, beware that Allah and His Prophet are at war with you. And if you repent, then you have your principal amount (without interest), thus you shall not wrong, nor shall you be wronged. (Al-Baqarah 2-280) _________
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Chapter Eleven
OF SOCIAL WELFARE If anyone of you finds a wrongful act being committed, he shall stop it with his hand, if he has no such power, then forbid verbally; if he has no such power even, then he should condemn it in his heart, this is the weakest form of faith. (Muslim) Beware! The fear and horror of people shall not desist a person from telling the truth which he knows. (Tirmzi) The greatest of Holy Wars is to speak truth before a tyrant ruler.
(Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
No person shall feel despised that if there is an occasion to speak truth about Allah, he desists. Allah will ask such a person on the Day of Judgment, “What stopped you to say such and such thing about Me.” He will say, “Fear of people.” Allah will say, “I was the fittest to be feared.” (Tirmzi) When people find some wrongdoer committing the wrongful act, they shall hold his hand and stop him ; otherwise Allah will show His vengeance upon them. I swear by Allah in Whose hand is my soul, you will not escape the wrath of Allah unless you stop wicked people from doing wrongful acts. Do not let it happen. I appeal to you in the name of Allah, you shall bid people to do good and forbid evil, hold the hand of wicked ones, and force them to accept what is just, and to be mindful of justice in future. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
You should preach people to do right and shun wrong, otherwise the wrath of Allah will come upon you, and then you will pray to Allah but your prayers will not be listened. (Tirmzi) In a nation, when people are committing evil and the number of such people is not great, and the nation having power to eradicate evil does not do it, the whole nation will face the vengeance of Allah (in this world).
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136 When evil are done on a land and a person condemns it in his heart, then even if he is present there, he is like a person who is not present there; and if a person is not present but he assents it in his conscience, then he is like the evildoer. (Dawood)
A person who remains silent but loves those who are righteous and hates those who are wrongdoers, he will also be saved due to faith. (Dawood) The similitude of people, who show negligence to these commandments are like the people who drew lots among themselves to travel in a ship; those who were on the upper deck felt inconvenience when the people of lower deck would come up to fetch water from the upper deck. When the people of the upper deck were too much troubled, they stopped the people from the lower deck to come up. Then one day, a man among the people of the lower deck lifted an axe and started breaking the floor of the ship. The people of the upper deck approached him and admonished him for what he was doing. He replied, “You are troubled by me coming upstairs, but I am compelled to get water.� So now either people shall stop him from breaking the floor and save themselves or leave him as such to let him die alongwith all the rest. (Bokhari) A person who helps in a charitable act is just like the one who performed that act, and a person who guides others to rightful way, is like the one who acts upon the advice. (Nehjal Fasahat) Whoso starts a new good tradition in Islam or revives any of my forgotten traditions will have his reward and the rewards of all those who acted upon it, but the rewards of those who acted will not be lessened; whoso starts a bad tradition, he will get the reward of his sin and the sins of all those who followed him, and the reward of those who acted upon it will not be lessened. (Mishkat) A person who preaches people to bid good and forbid evil should have these qualities; what he bids he must have full knowledge about it; what he forbids, he must fully understand it; he should advise softly and kindly in a dignified manner; he should show patience, kindness tolerance, humility and, shall have self-control, he should be courageous with good temperament. (Gilani) Your good actions, as compared to fighting Holy Wars are like a small drop compared to a big river. I recognize those people who are neither a prophet nor a martyr, but on the Day of Judgment even prophets and martyrs will envy their high ranks in
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137 Paradise, these are they who truly love Allah and whom Allah loves too, they preached to bid good and forbid wrong.(Mishkat, Ghazali)
Do not say what you do not do.
(Al-Quran)
On the Night of my Ascension to heavens (Meraj), I was shown that the lips of some people were being cut with the scissors of fire, I asked Gabriel, “Who are they?” Gabriel replied, “They are those of your followers who preached; they preached others to bid good but forgot themselves, asked others to do something which they themselves did not do. They recited the Book (Quran) but did not act upon it.” (Baheeqi) There is no person who is free of mistakes, open or secret; so you must tell others to do good and forbid to do wrong even if you are not yourself perfect. (Gilani) It is obligatory upon every person to stop others from doing wrongful acts. (Muslim) Allah has revealed to me this message through Gabriel, the Holy Spirit:
You (Muslims) are the best of nations chosen for the mankind, instructing what is good and forbidding what is bad and believe in Allah. (Al-Imran 3-111) If you refrain from the deadly sins which you have been forbidden, your little sins will be pardoned and you will enter into a place of great honour. (Al-Nisa 4-32) The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Prophet, and never doubt it, and struggle hard in the cause of Allah with their wealth and lives, such are indeed most truthful. (Al-Hujurat 49-16)
There shall always be among you a party who preach people righteousness and forbid the evils; for such people is surely salvation. (Al-Imran 3-105) _________
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Chapter Twelve
OF HOLY WAR JEHAD Never a prophet was sent to a nation but he had helpers and friends among the people, who believed in his religion and obeyed his commandments; but after a passage of time, there came undutiful people who would preach what they themselves would not do, and would perform acts for which there was no sanctions from Allah. So when this happens after me, whoso fights against such people with the use of power, he is a believer; whoso opposes them with his words (by arguments, speeches, and by writing), he is a believer; whoso condemns them in his heart, he is a believer whoso is not even that good, he is not a believer. (Muslim) Allah has sent me as a mercy and a guide, a leader for all the worlds (this and the Hereafter) and my Lord has commanded me to destroy all the instruments of music and idols, and the Cross and all the traditions of days of ignorance. (Ahmed, Mishkat) Also my Lord has ordered me to fight with the people till they pronounce that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is a messenger of Allah and then they shall say prayer and pay Zakat (poor-rate). (Mishkat) My religion has come to stay forever and a group of Muslims will always fight the Holy War (with sword or preaching). (Mishkat, Muslim, Dawood)
O Muslims! Fight against infidels with your lives and riches and words. (Dawood, Nisai, Darmi) I swear by Allah in Whose hand is my soul, I wish earnestly to be martyred in the way of Allah, and then come to life again and again be martyred. (Bokhari, Muslim) A person can achieve all the goodness of this world and the Hereafter by fighting against the infidels. (Nehjal Fasahat) A person who dies without struggling in the way of Allah or even having the desire to do so, is a sort of hypocrite. (Mishkat)
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139 When you come to fight against the infidels, then put before them three conditions, if they accept even one, then do not fight them;. the first condition is to invite them to embrace Islam, if they do not accept it, then ask them to pay capitation tax, if they accept it, then do not fight them; otherwise (as the third choice) start war with the name of Allah. (Muslim) O people! Do not be enthusiastic to fight with your enemies, but ask Allah for peace, but when there is no choice except war, then fight a pitched battle with full patience; be sure that Paradise is under the shade of swords. It is the deadliest sin to run before nonbelievers, it is a sin with no penitence; refrain yourself from running (retreating) even if people are dying in the battlefield. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Allah is most happy with that person who fights only for the sake of Allah and then runs away from the battlefield along with his friends, and then realising the sin of doing so, and remembering the great reward for fighting, he comes back and fights the enemy and gets martyred; then Allah looks at him with pleasure and says proudly to His angels, “Look! My man who shed his blood, he came back just for that (Paradise) which I have, and fearing that (Gehenna) which I have.� The affairs of religion cannot be put aright just by wellwishing; only whoso struggles, meets with success. (Ghazali) Allah likes a courageous man even if he shows courage to kill a snake. (Nehjal Fasahat)
Prepare yourself to fight with nonbelievers with all your resources. (Al-Quran) Beware! Arrow shooting is a great power. Beware! Arrow shooting is a great power. Beware! Arrow shooting is a great power; so you should never show relaxation in playing with arrows. (Muslim)
Whoso learns the art of archery and then stops it, he is not one of us and he has disobeyed me. (Muslim, Dawood, Darmi) The best hobbies which are dear to Allah are to learn the art of archery, to train your horse (in peace and war), and strolling with your wife; besides these, all hobbies are wrong. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Darmi)
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140 The horses which earn reward for a person from Allah are those which he raises for use in the Holy War and keeps them in a stable and feeds them in a pasture and meadow. Whatever the horses eat out of this pasture and meadow, the person is rewards accordingly. (Muslim) It is incumbent upon you to fight a Holy War under the command of any commander, whether good or bad, even if he performs the deadly sins. (Dawood) If a ruler is posted upon you who is coloured, roundheaded, without ears and nose, and foolish, you must obey him. (Mishkat) Whoso fights just for the sake of his ruler or king, he will go into Gehenna. (Nisai) A person is not from us who fights for the sake of racialism and dies as a racialist. (Dawood) It is not racialism to love your tribe, but racialism is to side with your tribe even in a unjust cause. (Ahmed, Maja) The best among you is he, who fights on the side of his people till they do not commit excesses. (Dawood) If a Muslim gives protection to someone, then it is from every Muslim. (Tirmzi) And whoso gives protection and then kills, I have nothing to do with him, even if the killed person is a nonbeliever. (Maja) When a nation breaks the covenant of Allah and His Prophet, Allah posts upon them alien rulers. (Maja) Whoso harms a protected person, (i.e. non-Muslim subjects) he harms me. (Mishkat) Do not follow an enemy who runs away from the battlefield, do not attack an injured enemy, do not kill a captive, whoso closes his door is to be spared, whoso lays down arms is also to be spared and a no one shall loot their property. (Masnad, Mishkat) The goods sought by looting are worser than dead animal. (Madaraj-an-Nabawwat)
Do not kill women or children or old men, or labourers in a war. Beware! Do not tease monks in their monasteries, do not destroy any building, do not close springs of water, do not cut trees except those which cause obstruction between you and the infidels
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141 during a battle; do not mutilate your enemy, do not deceive nor be dishonest. (Masnad, Muslim, Dawood) Do not kill a messenger; but kill a secret agent. (Ahmed, Dawood, Muslim)
The best of money (dinars) which a person spends, is that which he spends on his family, and on the animals for use in the Holy War, and on the friends busy in the Holy War (Muslim). Whoso prepares the luggage for a warrior he is just like warrior, and whoso serves the families of warriors, he is too like warriors. (Bokhari, Muslim)
The honour of the wives of the holy warriors is like the honour of your mothers, as compared to those women whose husbands stayed back. (Muslim) A person who stays back and spends money (for the Holy War) has a reward seven hundred times (as in normal days), and he who takes part in the Holy War and also spends money will have a reward of seven lakh dirham for each dirham. (Maja) A person who fights for the sake of Allah, obeys his commander, spends good things, is kind to fellows, avoids quarrels, then his sleep and awakening all will have reward. A person who fights for his fame, disobeys his commander, creates troubles, he will return with no reward at all. (Dawood, Nisai, Malik) A true fighter in the way of Allah is the one who fights solely for the cause of religion and not for material gains, fame or honour; a man is rewarded what he sought for. (Bokhari, Muslim) The fighters are guests of Allah. Allah is their guardian till they come back from the battlefield. (Bokhari, Muslim, Tirmzi, Baheeqi) A holy fighter is like the one who fasts, worships and recites the Holy Quran without tiring. (Bokhari, Muslim) A person who is a watchman for one night in Allah’s way, its reward is better than the world and everything in it; it is even better than to fast and worship at night for a month. (Muslim, Mishkat)
If a man’s feet become dusty in the way of Allah, the fire of Gehenna will not touch them. (Muslim, Mishkat) The dust in Allah’s way and the smoke of fire of Gehenna cannot enter together in the nostrils. (Tirmzi, Nisai)
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142 Fire of Gehenna will not touch the eyes, which kept awake for watching in the way of Allah. (Tirmzi) A person who seeks martyrdom with a true heart, or desires truly to be martyred, will have the reward of a martyr from Allah, even if he dies in his bed. (Muslim) A person who dies such that he did not struggle in the way of Allah, nor it occurred in his heart to do so, nor he prepared the luggage of holy warriors, nor he looked after the families of the holy warriors, then Allah will put him into great troubles before the Day of Judgment. (Muslim, Dawood) A man who is wounded in the way of Allah and Allah knows very well who really is wounded for His sake, he will be raised, on the Day of Judgement, such that blood will be coming out of his wounds, the colour of blood will be like blood but smell will be that of musk. (Bokhari, Muslim) After entering in Paradise, no one will ever have a desire to come back to the world once again and get something out of it except martyrs; they will wish to go back to the world and get martyred ten times because now they know the honour and the greatness of martyrdom. (Bokhari, Muslim) A martyr who shows patience, fights for a reward in the Hereafter, does not turn his back to enemy but presses forward, all his sins are forgiven except a debt. (Muslim) When a man dies, then reward of actions ceases, but the reward of actions of such person grows forever who dies in the way of Allah for His cause, and he will be protected from the torments of grave life. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Darmi) There are hundred grades in Paradise which Allah has prepared for holy warriors, the distance between any two grades is as the distance between heaven and earth. (Bokhari) The holy warriors will be called in Paradise through ‘The Door of Holy Warriors’. (Mishkat)
A martyr is forgiven immediately, he is shown his place in Paradise, he is saved from the chastisement of grave life, he will be protected from tribulations of the Day of Resurrection; he will be crowned with a crown of honour, one ruby of which is more precious than all the things in the world; he will be given in for marriage seventy-two heavenly ladies, he will be given the right to intercede for seventy of his kinsmen. (Tirmzi, Maja)
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143 Soul of martyrs reside in the bodies of green birds, and for them hang chandeliers under the seat of Allah (Arsh), and they eat the fruits of Paradise whatever they like, and then go back to their chandeliers. Allah says to them, “Do you need anything?” They reply, “What can we need? We eat the fruits of Paradise whatever we like.” Allah asks this question three times and when they find that they are being asked again and again, they say, “O Lord! We wish that our souls be returned to our bodies so that we fight in Your way and be martyred again.” When Allah sees that they do not want anything, He leaves them on their own. (Muslim, Mishkat) There are four types of martyrs, the first type is that perfect believer, who fights with enemies of Islam and fulfils his covenant with Allah, until he is martyred; this is the martyr whom people will look with their raised heads on the Day of Judgment, just as you people look at the sky. The second type is that perfect believer who fights with enemies, but has a fear in his heart as if thorns were pricking his body, then suddenly an arrow comes and kills him, this is a martyr of second grade. Third type is that believer who performs good as well as bad deeds, and fights with enemies and fulfils his covenant with Allah and gets martyred, he is a martyr of third grade. Fourth type is that believer who has done some mistakes and fights with enemies till martyred, this is a martyr of fourth grade. (Mishkat, Tirmzi) There is another who is a hypocrite and fights with his power and riches, and he fights enemies very well till he dies, he will go straight into Gehenna, because sword does not blot out hypocrisy. (Darmi, Mishkat) A martyr who fought for fame, will be brought forward on the Day of Judgment and Allah will remind him His bounties and all will come to his memory, then Allah will say, “What have you done to show thanks for My bounties?” He will reply, “I fought in Your way till I was martyred.” Allah will say, “You are a liar, you fought so that people should call you a brave man; and so were you called.” Then Allah will order, ‘Throw him into Gehenna headlong.” (Muslim, Mishkat) Allah has revealed this message, through the Holy Spirit Gabriel, for you:
You have been commanded to wage Holy War and this may be unpleasant for you, but you may dislike a thing when actually it is good for you and also you may like a thing when actually it is bad, Allah knows it all but you do not know. (Al-Baqarah 2-217)
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Wage a Holy War against those people of the Book who do not believe in Allah and the Hereafter and do not treat that unlawful what Allah and His Prophet have forbidden, and do not believe in this religion of the truth, until they pay the tax with their hands, being brought low. (Al-Tauba 9-29) Those who sell their lives for the price of a life hereafter, shall fight in the way of Allah, and whoso fights in the way of Allah and gets martyred or is victorious, I will soon give them a great reward. And what reason you have not to fight in the way o for the sake of those helpless men, women and children, who are praying, “O Lord! Take us out from this town whose people are oppressors and send for us some friend from Thyself and send for us from Thyself some helper? (Al-Nisa 4-75) Surely Allah has purchased the lives and the properties of the Muslims for the price of Paradise, such people fight in the way of Allah and slay and are slain, Allah has a firm covenant for them, the one in the Torah, in the Gospel and in the Quran too; now who can be there more faithful to his promise than Allah; so rejoice in the bargain which you have contracted with Him; and that is the greatest triumph. (Al-Tauba 9-112) O believers! When you confront an army then be firm and remember Allah much, so that you may have salvation. And obey Allah and His Prophet, and do not dispute, for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart, and be steadfast, surely Allah’s help is with steadfast people. (Al-Anfal 8-46) And fight them until mischievousness (persecution) is no more, and religion is for Allah, but if they desist then no hostility is allowed except against the oppressors. (Al-Baqarah 2-194) And do not speak of those as dead who are slain in Allah’s cause, nay, they are alive, only you perceive not. (Al-Baqarah 2-155) Verify, Allah loves those who fight for His cause in ranks as if they were a strong wall cemented with molten lead. (As-Saff 61-4) O believers! When you confront an advancing army of disbelievers, turn not your backs to them. Whoso turns his back to them on that day, unless manoeuvering for battle or withdraw to a company, then he truly becomes deserving of Allah’s wrath and his abode shall be Hell which is an agonizing goal. (Al-Anfal 8-16) And prepare against them with all force whatever you can and horses tied at the frontier so as to frighten the enemy of Allah
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and your enemy, and others besides them (hypocrites, spies, traitors etc.), whom you don’t know but Allah knows them. And whatever thing you will spend in the cause of Allah it will be repaid to you fully and you will not be dealt with unjustly. (Al-Anfal 8-61) Say, “Flight will not avail you if you flee from death or killing, and even then you will enjoy but a little.” (Al-Ahzab 33-17) And no soul can ever die except by Allah’s permission and at an appointed time. (Al-Imran 3-146) _________
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Chapter Thirteen
OF UNITY O Muslims! Be united, do not differ among yourselves. (Al-Quran)
Whoso departs from the community of Muslims, he will go into Gehenna. (Muslim) Allah will not unite my followers upon heresy; Allah’s blessings are upon the majority. (Tirmzi) If anyone tries to disperse your unity, kill him. (Nisai, Muslim)
Such a person is damned one of Allah, who initiates a new tradition in the religion which does not belong to it. (Bokhari, Muslim)
I fear Allah more than you people and I am more pious than you, sometimes I fast and sometimes do not fast; sometimes I say prayers at night and then also I find time to sleep too; I marry women too; so whoso forsakes my traditions is not from me; you should like exactly what I like. I swear by Allah that, I understand His will more than you and I fear Allah more than you. (Bokhari, Muslim)
None of you can be a perfect believer unless his desires are governed by my Sunnah (traditions) and that I become more dear to him than his own life and family, his parents and everything else. (Bokhari, Muslim) Fear Allah; I advise you to listen and obey even if you have to obey a black slave. (Muslim) Whoso obeys me, obeys Allah; whoso obeys his leader obeys me; and whoso disobeys his leader, disobeys me. (Bokhari, Muslim) It is enjoined upon every Muslim to listen and obey the command of his leader, whether you like the order or not, unless he orders for a sinful act. (Bokhari, Muslim)
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147 If a person finds something unpleasant in his ruler, he should show patience. Whoso deviates from the community by few inches and dies, he dies a death of a nonbeliever. (Muslim) I leave among you two things, you will not go astray if you stick to these, the first is the Book of Allah, and the second is my Sunnah (acts). (Malik) It is a great responsibility to hold an office or to become a leader. Whoso is keen to hold a position, do not appoint him. (Muslim, Bokhari)
The leader of a nation is actually the servant of them. (Mishkat)
The best ruler is the one whom you love and he loves you, you pray for him and he prays for you; the worst ruler is the one whom you dislike, and he too dislikes you; you curse him and he too curses you. If a ruler says his prayers, it is enjoined upon you to obey him. I strictly admonish you that if a person is a ruler over you and you find something which he does is a disobedience to Allah, then you shall only dislike his deeds but do not refuse to obey his orders. You have the right to speak to him what is wrong, then your duty is over. (Muslim) The best of Holy War is to speak the truth before a tyrant ruler.
(Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
A person who condemns a wrong deed of a ruler in his heart, he is on the true path; but whoso assents or follows it, he is a party to it; but do not start quarreling with a ruler when he says his prayers, I repeat it again, do not quarrel with him if he says his prayers. A ruler, is answerable (to Allah) for the acts which his position appropriates, and you are responsible for those acts which appropriate you. (Muslim) A commander or a leader is like a shield behind which you fight battles and under whose flag you get peace. A ruler who rules according to the commandments of Allah fearing Him, and is just, will get a great reward otherwise a great sin will be upon him. (Bokhari, Muslim)
If a slave without a nose is appointed over you and he rules according to the Book of Allah, listen to him and obey him. (Muslim, Mishkat)
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148 Whoso leaves his leader and disobeys him, on the Day of Judgment, will have neither argument nor explanation. (Muslim, Mishkat)
Do not argue with your ruler unless he commits fornication openly. Do not scold your rulers but pray for them to Allah for their well-being, because in their well-being; lies your well-being. (Tibrani, Mishkat)
If a head of state rules with justice for one day, its reward is greater than a worship of sixty years. (Ghazali) A head of state, who is just, is the most beloved friend of Allah; while an oppressor is His great enemy and will receive the worst chastisement. (Tirmzi) A just ruler is rewarded every day with rewards, which are equal to the total good actions performed by his subjects, and his one prayers is equal to seventy thousand prayers. (Ghazali) O Allah! When a person is appointed an officer over my followers and if he puts them into hardship, then You also put him into hardship and whoso is loving, You too be loving to him. (Muslim)
Allah will neglect the needs of a ruler (or an officer) who neglects the needs of people. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood)
A ruler who betrays his people will go into Gehenna. (Ghazali)
A head of state who is not sincere to the affairs of common men like his own affairs, will not smell even the perfume of Paradise, and will be thrown into Gehenna headlong. (Ghazali) On the Day of Judgment Allah will ask the rulers and the rich people, “You were the custodians of My treasures. Did you keep in touch with the poor? Did you take care of the orphans? Did you fulfil the obligations which I enjoined upon you?� (Gilani) A ruler who does not treat his people like his own children should be told to choose a place in Gehenna. (Ghazali, Nehjal Fasahat)
A ruler (or a Judge) who gives a decision according to the status of a person, makes Allah angry with him, He will punish him in this world or in the Hereafter. (Ghazali)
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(Muslim, Mishkat)
149 Allah will ask rulers on the Day of Judgment, “You were shepherds of My lambs and custodians of My wordly treasures, then why did you punish people more harshly than what I had commanded?” They will say, “O Allah! We acted due to rage because they were Your transgressors.” Allah will say, “Was your rage greater than Mine?” Then Allah will ask another group of rulers, “Why did you punish less harshly than what was proscribed by Me?” They will reply, “O Allah! We felt pity for them.” Then all those who deviated from the commandments will be caught and put into different parts of Gehenna. (Ghazali) Those leaders who commit atrocities will be thrown into Gehenna without any account being asked of them. (Ghazali) A cruel ruler will be raised on the Day of Judgment such that an angel will be holding him by hair, with raised eyes. Then Allah will order, “Throw him.” The angel will throw him into a pit of Gehenna of such a depth that he will keep falling into it for forty years.
A ruler who prefers people’s satisfaction than the will of Allah, makes Allah angry with him and also makes people angry with him. (Ghazali) Those who will be the first to stand under the shade of the throne of Allah (Arsh) will be those who accepted the truth whenever spoken to them and when they were asked for the rights (of the poor), they spent, and ruled upon the people the way they wished to be ruled upon themselves. (Ahmed, Mishkat) The greatest of martyrs is the one who gets martyred while asking justice from a tyrant ruler. (Ghazali)
A ruler shall give good news to people and shall not make them sad, shall lessen their burdens, and not put any hardship upon them. (Bokhari, Muslim) A ruler who is just, kind and bids good will enter into Paradise.
(Mishkat)
When your rulers are virtuous, and rich people are generous, and the affairs of people are settled by mutual discussions, earth will bring out all its blessings; but when your rulers are mischievous, and rich people are miserly, avaricious, and the affairs of the people are settled in secrecy, earth will hold back all its blessings. (Mishkat, Tirmzi)
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(Ahmed, Maja, Baheeqi)
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A nation who disobeys the statute of Allah and His Prophet, Allah puts in power over them foreigners, who rule over them and all their wealth is in their possession. (Maja) And When a Muslim ruler seeks a law other than the law of Allah, He raises differences among them. (Maja, Mishkat) _________
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Chapter Fourteen
OF SOCIAL JUSTICE Allah has revealed to me this message through the Holy Spirit Gabriel:
O believers! Always be steadfast to give a true witness for the sake of Allah and a hatred of any people shall not incite you to be unjust. Do justice because justice is near to piety. And fear Allah, surely Allah is aware of your actions. (Al-Maidah 5-9) O believers! Be steadfast for justice, and be witnesses for the sake of Allah even if you or your parents or near relatives are to suffer by it; if the matter is between rich and poor then Allah is more regardful of them, therefore do not follow your low desires so that you may do justice. And if you lapse or evade it, surely Allah is informed of your actions. (Al-Nisa 4-736) Do not offer your money as bribe to the authorities, so that you may devour a part of the property of the people knowingly, with injustice. (Al-Baqarah 2-189) If there is a quarrel between two groups of Muslims, try to make peace between them; but then, if one group tries to transgress against the other, then fight against the transgressors till they return to the command of Allah and when they accept it, bring about the peace between them equitably and do justice between them. Verily Allah loves the people who are just. (Al-Hujurat 49-10) Unless a judge is unjust intentionally, the blessings and assistance of Allah is with him, hut when he is unjust, the blessings and assistance of Allah is withdrawn, and Satan is with him. (Tirmzi, Maja)
A person who himself desires the post of a judge, is given to the mercy of his post; and whoso is assigned this post by others, Allah sends an angel for his help who keeps all his affairs in order. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood)
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152 A person whose justice exceeds injustice, he will enter Paradise, and whose injustice exceeds justice, he will enter into Gehenna. (Dawood) When a ruler wants to decide a case, he shall ponder over it; if the decision is just then he will have double reward, but if he tries his best but the decision is wrong, he will still have a single reward. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Do not make a judgment when you are in a rage. (Bokhari, Muslim)
And do not give a verdict in the favour of a plaintiff unless you hear the statement of the respondent because the reply of the respondent will greatly help you in reaching the correct judgment. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Mishkat)
It is also necessary for the respondent to take an oath (before making the reply). (Baheeqi, Mishkat) Both the parties (plaintiff and respondent) should sit equally before the judge. (Dawood, Ahmed, Mishkat) Witness of a kinsman, a family man, an adulterer,, a dishonest man, and an enemy even if be a brother, is not acceptable in the law. (Dawood, Mishkat) False witness is a deadly sin. Hear O people! False witness is a deadly sin. Those who give false witness will be tormented in Gehenna by hanging them by their tongues. The sin of false witness is as if one commits blasphemy. (Bokhari, Mishkat, Anees-al-Waazeen, Maja, Dawood, Darmi)
A man who begets other person’s belongings by swearing falsely, Allah will be enraged over him on the Day of Judgment and will turn His face away. A person who usurps the right of other Muslim, how little it may be, even if it be a little piece of wood from a peelo tree, Allah has ordained Gehenna for him. (Muslim) The people who give false witness will be defaced as swines during the grave life. (Gilani) A lie shakes the throne of Allah. A lie is repugnant to the faith.
(Gilani)
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153 A person who makes a recommendation to a ruler (or an officer) and then sends a gift which he (the office) accepts, he enters into a big door of usury (a deadly sin). (Dawood) It is for the plaintiff to bring the witness while the respondent has to take an oath. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) The best witnesses are those who give witness before they are asked for it. (Muslim) Accept a true statement whether you get it from a poor or a rich or even from an enemy, but reject false witness even if it be from your beloved friend. (Nehjal Fasahat) Show respect to the witnesses because they are the ones with the help of whom Allah maintains justice and relegates injustice. (Nehjal Fasahat) Unless and until a judge does injustice intentionally, Allah is with him. (Tirmzi, Maja) There are three types of posts of judges; only one leads into Paradise while two leads to Gehenna. A judge, who will go into Paradise is he who discerns the truth and then decides with justice; whoso discerns the truth but decides with injustice or/and the one who decides between the people ignorantly, both will go into Gehenna. (Dawood, Maja, Mishkat) When a person is assigned a position and a pay is fixed for him, if he takes anything from the public funds (or the people) he is dishonest. (Dawood) The one who accepts bribe, and the one who offers bribe, and the one who arranges the deal, all are cursed by Allah. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood, Baheeqi, Mishkat)
If an officer accepts bribe, this is a roguish act, but if a judge accepts bribe then he is an atheist. (Nehjal Fasahat) Do not carry an innocent person (by falsely instituting a case against him) to a ruler so that he may kill him or be cruel to him. (Dawood, Ahmed, Nisai, Mishkat) The blame of one person cannot be put upon another. (Mishkat)
Try to forgive hadood (punishment for a crime) among yourselves because once the matter is before me (or any judge) for decision, then my decision will be surely according to the law. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Mishkat)
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154 If there is some doubt in a case, it is better for a judge to make mistake by forgiving than to make mistake by punishing an innocent person. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) In a case of doubt, do not award hadood (the maximum punishment ordained in the Quran). (Tirmzi, Dawood) _________
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Chapter Fifteen
OF FASTING Allah has revealed to me this message for you through the Holy Spirit Gabriel:
O believers! Fasting is made obligatory for you during the specified days (Ramadan) as it was obligatory for those before you so that you may acquire piety, but whoever among you is sick or on a journey, he shall fast a like number of other days. (Al-Baqarah 2-184) Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed, which is a guidance for mankind and clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion, so whoso begets this month (of Ramadan), he shall keep fast during this whole month; and whoso is unwell or on a journey, he shall fast the same number of other days. (Al-Baqarah 2-186)
And eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the darkness of the night at dawn, then keep the fast till night (sunset). (Al-Baqarah 2-188) Whoso does not keep fast in Ramadan, without an excuse or illness, then even fasting for whole of life can’t be a compensation for it. O people! A greatly honoured and greatly blessed month has arrived upon you. Allah has made obligatory upon you to keep fast during the month of Ramadan. If a person stands before Allah during its night, its reward is equal to supererogatory prayer; whoso says supererogatory prayers during this month for the sake of love and nearness to Allah, Allah will reward it as obligatory prayers during other months; whoso says obligatory prayers during this month, he will be rewarded seventy times more than the normal reward. This is a month of patience and the reward for patience is Paradise. This is a month in which you should assess your deeds. This is a month in which provisions of a person are increased. (Bokhari, Muslim)’
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(Bokhari, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Dawo
156 Whoso keeps the fasts of Ramadan and says supererogatory prayers at night with full faith and self-discipline, all of his sins are forgiven and he is free from the sins as if born from his mother’s womb just that day. (Bokhari, Muslim) There is one auspicious night in this month which is better than one thousand months, whoso deprives himself from its blessings he deprives himself from every blessing. (Ahmed, Maja, Nisai) Any person who offers food to a fasting man at the break time, will be pardoned of his sins and will be saved from Gehenna, and he gets reward equal to that of the fasting man, but the reward of the fasting man is not lessened; Allah rewards equally to that person too, who offers a fasting man just a draught of a soft drink or one date or one draught of water; whoso offers full meals to a fasting man, Allah will give him a drink from the pond Kausar (the Prophet’s pond) so that he will never feel thirst again till he enters into Paradise. This month is so auspicious that its first part (first ten days) is full of mercy (of Allah); the middle of it is full of forgiveness (of Allah); and the last part is liberation from Gehenna. A person who asks his servant to work less and shortens his responsibilities, Allah will forgive him and save him from Gehenna. (Baheeqi, Mishkat)
When the night of Qadar arrives, Gabriel descends with the holy angels (to the world) and they send blessings, and pray for forgiveness of every person who is doing remembrance or worship of Allah, sitting or standing; and when the day of Eid (celebration after Ramadan) arrives Allah is proud of His people (who fasted) before the angels and says, “O my angels! What should be the wages of a labourer who performed his job fully well?” Angels reply, “O Allah! They should be given full reward.” Allah says, “O My angels! My devotees (men and women who fasted) have done their job fully and now they have come out of their houses for Eid prayer, I swear by My Honour and My Majesty and My Mercy and My kindness and My Highness and My Greatness that I will accept their prayers.” Then Allah says, “Return to you homes, I have forgiven your sins and your sins are exchanged with good rewards.” (Baheeqi, Mishkat)
The gate to worship is fasting, so even the sleep of a fasting man is a worship. (Ghazali)
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157 If people had known the blessings of Ramadan, my followers would have wished that the whole year be Ramadan. Whoso is pleased with the coming of Ramadan, Allah will save him from the tribulation of the Day of Reckoning. Whoso shows respect to Ramadan, he respects the Praiseworthy (Allah). (Anees al Waazeen)
The excellence of Ramadan over other months is like the excellence of Allah over His creation. (Anees al Waazeen) In Ramadan, the doors of Paradise are opened, and the doors of Gehenna are closed, Satans are chained. (Bokhari, Muslim) In the nights of Ramadan, Allah calls thrice, “Is there anybody who prays to Me for anything so that I may fulfil it? Is there anybody to ask forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone to asks salvation from Me so that I may save him? And who is there to give loan to a Rich (Allah) Who is not needy at all, Who returns the full amount and does no injustice.� (Gilani)
When you keep fast, keep fast of your ears, eyes, tongue, hands and every part of the body. (Hujveri) There is no man who fasts and his lips get dried in the afternoon but there will be a divine light in his eyes on the Day of Judgment. (Masnad) The smell of the mouth of a fasting man is dearer to Allah than the smell of musk. (Masnad) Whoso keeps a fast in Ramadan for rewards from Allah, all the unclean flesh from his body melts away and Allah draws him near to His mercy and he is bestowed upon the award of best deeds and is saved from hunger and thirst; the torments of the grave life will be lessened, and he will be given a divine light on the Day of Judgment which will help him to cross the Bridge of Sirat (bridge over Gehenna, leading to Paradise) and his ranks in Paradise are raised. Woe to him who witnesses Ramadan but it passes without redeeming him. (Masnad) There is a charity of everything and the charity of a body is fasting. (Maja) Keep fast, it will keep you healthy.
(Mishkat, Tibrani)
Fasting is a shield against the Fire for a man who gets up in the morning while fasting and do not commit any absurdity; if
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158 anybody is impolite to him, he does not revile but says, “I am fasting, Sir.” (Bokhari, Muslim) Fasting is a shield till you do not make a hole in it, and the hole is made with falsehood and backbiting (and other bad actions too). (Mishkat) The sleep of a fasting man is a worship, his respiration is a remembrance of Allah. Whoso keeps fast in the morning, all his body parts say remembrance of Allah; heavens are lighted for him with a divine light, and all angels in the heavens ask pardon for him. (Masnad) A person who does not refrain from lying and bad deeds, Allah has no need of him to stop eating and drinking. (Bokhari) Whoso commits a sin in Ramadan, he will be punished double; whose bids good in Ramadan, he is rewarded ten times by Allah. (Anees al-Waazeen) When a man performs a good action, its reward may be enhanced ten times to seven hundred times (depending upon sincerity). (Bokhari, Muslim) Allah say, “Fasting is for Me only and only I will give its reward because a fasting man refrains from lustful passions and food just for My sake.” (Bokhari, Muslim) A fasting man has two moments of happiness, the first is when he breaks his fast, and the second will be when he will meet his Lord. (Bokhari, Muslim) On the Day of Judgment, people would say, “O our Lord! How is it that we all are caught in the reckoning of our deeds, but some people are busy in eating?” Allah will reply, “These people fasted for a long time in the world while you were without fast, these people used to stand for My worship at night while you were asleep at that time.” (Gilani) _________
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Chapter Sixteen
PREDESTINATION Allah has revealed to me this message through Gabriel, the Spirit of Truth for all the people of world:
No calamity befalls on the earth (e.g. earth quake, floods, femine etc.) nor in your own persons but it is already pre-written in a Book (of Fate Loh-e-Mehfooz) before I cause it to happen; verily, for Allah, it is very easy to do so. So if you lose anything, do not be distressed and if you receive anything, do not become exultant, Allah does not like any arrogant boaster. (Al-Hadeed 57-23) Verily, I have created everything according to fate. (Al-Qamar 54-50)
Verily, Allah attains His purpose; Allah has appointed a measure for everything. (Al-Talaq 65-4) Allah creates a thing and then makes it perfect. And verily, He is Who creates according to a measure and then guides (to their goal or fate). (Al-Aala 87-4) The day of death, actions, the place to live, the place to return, and provisions, all are predestined. When Allah destines a man to die in another country He creates urgency for him to travel to that place. (Mishkat, Ahmed, Tirmzi) Allah wrote the fate of all His creation before the creation of heavens and earth, and everything depends upon the fate even the intelligence quotient of the offspring. When a baby is in the womb of his mother, Allah sends an angel who writes his actions, time of death, the means of livelihood and good or bad disposition. (Bokhari, Muslim)
The actions of a person are decided by the sincerity of faith at the time of death; now do not stop working by relying on predestination, but do work and act. You shall work because the work for which each man is born, is made easy and interesting for him; whoso is good, good actions are easy for him, and whoso is bad, evil actions are easy for him. Whatever adultery Allah has
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160 destined for each person, that must be performed by him; adultery of eyes is to look lustfully at a strange woman; the adultery of tongue is to talk sinfully with a strange woman (or any lustful talk), adultery of a heart is to wish for a sin; and the sexual parts finally confirm it. (Bokhari, Muslim)
The hearts of all people are between two fingers of Allah; He turns heart with His fingers in whatever direction He likes. (Mishkat)
O Turner of hearts! Turn our hearts to Your obedience and service.
(Mishkat)
Whoso will discuss fate, Allah will reckon him on the Day of Judgment. Whichever nation of the past discussed fate, they went astray. I put you under oath of Allah, and once again I put you under oath of Allah that do not argue and quarrel about fate. (Maja, Tirmzi, Mishkat)
If Allah were to chastise everyone in heavens and earth, even then He cannot be blamed as wrongful, and if He shows mercy upon them, His Mercy much exceeds their deeds. If you spend gold equal to a mountain in the way of Allah, even then your act of charity will not be acceptable to Allah unless you believe in fate; and understand without doubt that whatever reaches you, under no circumstances it could be stopped or could miss you; and whatever does not reach you, under no circumstance it could reach you; and if you believe against this belief and you die such, then verily, you will go into Gehenna. (Ahmed, Maja, Dawood, Mishkat) Whatever thing benefits you, you should endeavour for it with your full strength and seek the help of Allah and show no hesitation to acquire it (of course with lawful means); and try to excel each other in achievements. If you suffer a loss or a misery, do not say that if I had done such and such or if it had happened this way (then it would have happened differently) but you shall say, ‘It happened what Allah desired for me.’ (Muslim) Every child is born upon the straight path but his parents make him either a Jew or a Christian or a Zoroastrian. (Muslim, Bokhari)
Whatever Allah has destined for you, be content and thankful if you do so, then you ought to be called as one of the richest men in the world.
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161 Whatever Allah bestows upon His men, He tests them by it, if they are content with their fate then He increases their provisions and if they are not content, their provisions are not enhanced. (Ahmed, Mishkat) A person who is content with little means Allah will be content with his little actions. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) Cursed be the man, who relies upon men like himself (instead of Almighty Allah). (Gilani) Allah has given me this message, “I am Allah the One, besides Me there is no god, so any man who cannot endure the afflictions sent by Me and is not thankful for My bounties, and is not content with My decree, tell him to choose some other god in place of Me.� (Ghazali) A person who likes to become most honourable, he must acquire the fear of Allah; whoso likes to become most powerful, he must put trust in Allah; and whoso likes to be the richest man, he must show more trust in the things in His possession than the things in his hand. (Mishkat, Gilani) Whenever you wish to ask, ask only from Allah, whenever you seek help, seek only from Allah; be sure that if all the creation join together to do you any benefit, they would not be able to do it but only that much which Allah has destined for you. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Mishkat)
It is a great blessing for a man to be content with what Allah has destined for him. Whoso ceases to ask favours from Allah and is unhappy with what is destined for him, is bad. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Mishkat)
For whatever job Allah has achievements are made easy for him.
created
a
thing,
its
(Bokhari, Muslim)
Whoso puts trust in Allah and leaves his work to Him, Allah accomplishes all his work. (Mishkat, Maja) No person dies unless he consumes all his provisions. (Mishkat)
Beware! Fear Allah and be moderate while endeavouring for your livelihood; any delay in the achievement of livelihood shall not compel you to commit a sin; whatever is with Allah, it can only be achieved by His obedience. (Mishkat)
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162 Allah has given a message, “I have created fate, and issued the plans and have enforced My Will; now only that will happen which I have decreed; whoso is satisfied with it, I am satisfied with him, and whoso is dissatisfied with it, he shall prepare himself to face My vengeance when he presents himself before Me (in Hereafter).” (Ghazali) If you claim to have a faith, put your trust in Allah. (Al-Quran)
Allah says, “I swear by My Majesty and Greatness that if a man puts hope in anyone other than Me, I will end his hopes, and I will dishonour him among the very ones upon whom he puts in his trust, and I will turn him away from My nearness. Can you hope from any man except Me that he may relieve you of your hardships at the time of afflictions? Whatever hardships are, all are in My power, and you are such that you hope from others instead of Me, and knock the doors of others for your needs as if they have powers; even their doors are locked and its keys are in My possession. If someone renounces My creation and turns to Me, and I know what his intentions are, then if all the creation of heavens and earth join together to harm him even then I am the only One to save him, and if anyone puts reliance on any of My creation for his needs instead of Me, I will close down all the ways leading to its fulfilment from heaven, and whatever land is below him, I will turn it to become full of troubles, and then I will send afflictions for him in this world and he will die while fighting them.” (Gilani) When Allah wants His decree to be implemented, then wisdom of a wise deserts him, and when His decree is fulfilled, wisdom returns to the wise with a feeling of regret. (Nehjal Fasahat) If you put trust in Allah the way true trust should be, He will give you provisions the way He gives to birds, so that, they get up hungry in the morning and in the evening their stomachs are full. (Tirmzi, Maja, Mishkat) ********
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Chapter Seventeen
OF PATIENCE (To show calmness with courage in hardships, submitting to the will of God to overcome problems bravely). Patience is the light and the key to happiness and a treasure from the treasures of Paradise. (Ghazali) Waiting for a better time with patience is a worship. (Ghazali)
Whoso does not manifest patience, has no faith. In all affairs, the value of exercising patience is just as a head is for a body; when a head is cut off from a body, body dies, likewise, in the affairs of religion, if patience is not exercised, then all affairs are vain. There is no faith greater than modesty and patience. Lack of patience is the biggest calamity. (Masnad) The best form of patience is to keep eyes open in a time of distress and to keep the tongue shut. Whoso prays to Allah for self-sufficiency Allah bestows upon him self-sufficiency; and whoso prays for patience, Allah gives him patience. (Mishkat) Allah has not blessed any person with a better gift than patience. Whoso faces a loss of life or property, and then he neither lets other know nor complains to people, it is a promise of Allah to enter him into Paradise. (Tibrani, Mishkat) It is the act of prophets to wear old clothes and keep stomach half empty. (Ghazali) Whoso shows self-restraint at the time of anger, Allah fills his heart with a divine peace. A great goodness lies in keeping your problems to yourselves. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Mishkat) O Allah! Give us such a belief that all the afflictions of the world may become light. (Ghazali)
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(Masnad)
164 There are many ranks in Paradise which no man can achieve by his own struggle, but Allah bestows upon him that rank by sending afflictions to him (which he faces with patience and courage). (Ghazali) Sometimes a person achieves a very high place in Paradise by showing forbearance at a time when a sudden calamity befalls him, and this auspicious place in Paradise is in no other way attainable, even by prayers, by fasting, by pilgrimage, even by Holy War. Allah sends hardships to His friends to entertain them, just like you people entertain your friends by offering food and drinks. (Ghazali)
Best act which Allah likes is to show patience at the time of misery, and facing afflictions with courage. (Anees-al-Wazeen)
A believer has a strange character. All his deeds are righteous, and high morality belongs to him who thanks Allah when he begets prosperity, if he encounters adversity he shows forbearance. (Muslim) A person who is content with poverty, there are three ranks which are not attainable by rich persons (First:) He will have an elevated palace in Paradise that the people of Paradise will look at it in envy like people of earth look at stars, and this high rank can be achieved either by a poor prophet, or a poor believer or a poor martyr. (Second:) Poor people will indeed enter Paradise five hundred years before rich people. (Third:) When a poor person says, “Allah be sanctified and all praises are for Allah, there is no God except Allah, Allah is the Greatest,� and a rich man also utters the same prayer and gives charity of sixty thousand Dinars, even then the reward for the poor is much greater than the reward of the rich person. (Tirmzi, Mishkat, Ghazali) There is a key for everything; the key to Paradise is friendship of the poor as they will be the companions of Allah on the Day of Judgment. (Ghazali) O poor people! Show forbearance with true heart so that you may get the reward of your poverty, otherwise you will lose that reward. (Ghazali) Allah says, “O son of Adam! If I were to give you the whole world, even then you will get (or consume) only that much which just fills your stomach, then, if you are given just enough, and the
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(Anees-al-Waazeen)
165 reckoning of ‘abundance’ is left to others, what can be a better favour to you than that. When I send afflictions upon a person whether upon his body, or property or family, and he bears that with full patience, then I feel reluctant even to ask an account from him, or examine his deeds or weigh his acts.” (Ghazali) Allah has revealed to me this message through Gabriel for you people:
And I will test you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast (i.e. who face the test with courage) who say, when a misfortune befalls upon them: “Surely we are Allah’s and to him shall we return.” Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and such are they who are rightly guided. (Al-Baqarah2 156)
There is a divine decree for every event Allah effaces what He wishes and keeps what He wishes and with Him is the Book of Destiny. (Al-Raad 13-39) _________
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Chapter Eighteen
OF CHARITY, ZAKAT Charity destroys sins just like water extinguishes a fire. (Mishkat)
Charity is a proof (of faith) and lessens the heat of grave. (Mishkat)
It is a protection against the anger of Allah and bad death; it stops afflictions (destined for a person). (Tirmzi) Charity is in the hand of Allah before it reaches the hand of a needy. (Mishkat, Ghazali) If you distribute things in excess of your needs to others, it is good for you but if you hold it then it is very bad; whatever provisions are necessary for you, you are not blamed to posseses it. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
Do not destroy its (charity) reward by mentioning it. (Al Quran)
Upper hand (which gives alms and charity) is better than the lower hand (which receives). (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat) Whatever you spend to seek the pleasure of Allah, surely you will be rewarded for it, so much so that if you put a morsel in the mouth of your wife, this has a reward too. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) If you fulfill the need of your wife this is also a charity. (Mishkat)
The reward is doubled if you give charity to your relatives, and it increases your life if you do good to them. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai, Darmi)
The anger of Allah is vanished by charity which is given secretly. (Mishkat) It is not desirable to give charity to others when your own kinsmen are needy. (Gilani)
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167 The food which you do not like for yourself, do not give it to a poor.
(Nehjal Fasahat)
It is better to spend one dirham with pleasure in the way of Allah than to spend one thousand dirham with displeasure. (Anees-al-Waazeen)
Give charity from your dinars, from your dirhams, from your clothes, from your measures of grains, from measures of dates; must give charity even if it be only a piece of date. (Mishkat) When you cook, put a little more water and take care of your neighbours. (Mishkat) Sometimes a man gives a charity with sincere heart, just a piece of loaf, and in the sight of Allah, it becomes as great as a mountain. (Nehjal Fasahat) A better charity is the one which a person with less means gives after hard work. (Dawood) Sometimes one dirham is greater than hundred thousand dirhams, it happens such that a person has only two dirhams in all and he gives one dirham as charity, while a second man goes to his treasure and takes out one hundred thousand dirhams, and gives it as charity. (Mishkat) First of all, begin charity with those whose care is your responsibility. (Bokhari) A good charity is that recommendation which saves a human life. (Mishkat) Each day, which you delay in the demand for an unpaid debt, is a charity. (Ahmed) It is a charity to educate a Muslim brother.
(Mishkat)
It is an act of charity to do justice between two people, to help a person to ride, to lift the luggage of someone, to speak something good, to stop others from something bad, to walk for prayer, to lift some obstacle from the road, to hold the hand of a blind man, to look at a Muslim brother with a smile, to put water from your bucket into the bucket of your brother, these are all acts of charity. (Bokhari, Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Mishkat) Begging is an injury which a beggar inflicts on his face, now it depends upon him to keep his honour and respect on his face or not.
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(Nisai, Tirmzi, Dawood)
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A person who has food to suffice for one day, it is not right for him to beg. (Dawood) A person who does not have anything to eat, he shall labour and work and as such create livelihood for himself, he should not only get benefited himself but also give charity to others too; whoso does not have this power he shall help a needy, if he cannot do it he shall bid good or refrain from evil, this is also a charity for him. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A person who always begs, will be raised, on the Day of Judgment, that there will not be a piece of flesh on his face. So it is better for you to take a rope and put a heap of wood on your back and sell it so that Allah may save your honour by it; it is much better this way than to beg people who sometimes give alms and sometimes refuse. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat) A person who opens the door of begging with an intention to get rich, Allah will increase his hardships. (Mishkat) A person who begs without a genuine reason is as if he puts hand in fire. (Muslim) If a wife gives charity from the food of her house provided she is not extravagant, then she will have a reward and also her husband will have a reward, because he earned, and the servant will also get an equal reward and the reward of none will be lessened. (Bokhari, Muslim) Whoso give charity to show and impress people so as to be called generous, will be put headlong into Gehenna. (Mishkat) Allah has revealed to me this message for you through the Holy Spirit, Gabriel;
Who is among you who wants to give a good loan to Allah so that He may increase it for him manifold (in this life as well as in the Hereafter), and Allah receives and amplifies and to Him you shall return. (Al-Baqarah 2-246) And they ask you (O Prophet) as to what they should spend. Say: Whatever is in excess of your need. (Al-Baqarah 2-220) Those people who spend their property in the way of Allah, the parable of their spending is like a grain growing seven ears, each ear bear hundred grains; so likewise Allah multiplies the reward, of good deeds for whom He wishes and Allah is the Amplegiving and the Knower. Those people who spend their property in
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the way of Allah, and then do not mention the favour with reproach or harm, they shall have their reward from their Lord and neither they shall have fear nor shall they grieve; kind words and forgiveness is much better than a charity followed by harm (by reproaching) and Allah is Self-Sufficient and Tolerant. O Believers! Do not destroy the reward of your charity by mentioning the favour with reproach and harm like a person who spends just to show people and does not believe in Allah and the Hereafter. (Al-Baqarah 2-262) O believers! Spend of the good things that you have earned (lawfully) and of the things I have brought forth for you out of the earth; and do not select bad things out of it while you would not have liked to receive it (if you were poor recipients) except conniving at it. Remember! Allah is Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy. Satan threatens you with poverty and teaches you immorality but Allah promises you His forgiveness and favour, Allah is Bountiful, the Knower. (Al-Baqarah 2-268) If you give your alms openly, it is good but if you give alms to the needy secretly that is even better for you, and your many sins are forgiven and Allah is aware of your actions; (O Prophet) it is not your responsibility to make them guided, but Allah guides whosoever He wishes and whatever good things you spend, it is to your own good, and you do not spend except to seek the favour of Allah, and whatever you spend of good things, you will be fully rewarded for it and no injustice will be done; and especially those poor people are particularly deserving who are detained in the way of Allah (i.e. preachers, warriors etc.) so that they cannot endeavour for their sustenance in the land and an ignorant person thinks them to be well-off on account of their abstaining for begging; you can recognize them by their appearance; they do not beg men with importunately and whatever good thing you spend, certainly Allah has knowledge of it. (Al-Baqarah 2-272) Zakat is enjoined upon you, which shall be collected from rich people and distributed among needy people. (Bokhari, Muslim) Allah has ordained zakat so as to purify your remaining riches, zakat is a proof (of belief). (Dawood) Whoso is given zakat, shall not be despised.
(Al-Quran)
A person from whom zakat is due but he does not give, his prayers are not accepted. (Anees-ul-Waazeen)
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170 Those rich people, who do not pay zakat, their wealth will cling to them as a bald snake (poisonous) on the Day of Judgment and will say, “I am your treasure.� (Bokhari, Mishkat) And for them, their treasurers will be formed into slates and then heated in fire and with those slates, their sides and the foreheads will be scarred, when they will get cool they will again be heated in the fire of Gehenna and scarred again and this will go on and on. (Muslim, Mishkat)
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Chapter Nineteen
OF PRAYERS Allah has ordained five prayers, so whoso performs ablution for them carefully and says the prayers at their proper time and bows in a good manner and says it with the presence of mind and heart, then for him, there is a firm promise of salvation from Allah and whoso does not do it, for him, Allah has no such promise, it is upto the pleasure of Allah to save him or not. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood)
Prayers which are said after brushing the teeth have excellence by seventy degrees. (Baheeqi) A prayer is the key to Paradise.
(Mishkat)
Prayer is a penitence for all the sins except the mortal sins: and sins fall away just like leaves fall away from trees. (Mishkat, Ahmed)
On the Day of Judgment, prayer will be the divine light, a proof of the faith and a cause for forgiveness. (Ahmed, Baheeqi, Darmi)
Never forget to say your prayers wilfully, otherwise Allah and Muhammad have no responsibility for you. (Ghazali) The difference between a believer and a nonbeliever is the saying of prayers, and forsaking of them ends that difference. (Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai)
The five prayers, and Friday prayer till next Friday prayer, the fasts of Ramzan till next fasts of Ramzan will beget forgiveness for all the sins which are committed between this period. (Muslim) Allah accepts the faith of Islam with prayers only, whereas He does not accept by any other way. (Gilani) On the Day of Judgment, the first reckoning will be about the prayers. (Mishkat)
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172 Tell me, if there is a canal near your door and you take bath in it five times a day, will there by any dirt upon you? This is exactly the simile of praying for five times, Allah cleanses away the gins due to prayers. (Bokhari) When your children are seven years old, teach them to say prayers; when they are ten years old, be stern to them. (Mishkat) Saying of a prayer at its early hours is cause for the favour of Allah, while saying of prayer at the last hours is a cause for the forgiveness of Allah. (Bokhari, Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Gilani) When time of a prayer arrives, do not delay at all.
(Tirmzi)
When you wait for the next prayer, the whole time is counted as if in prayer. (Bokhari, Muslim) During the prayers, there is shower of blessings from the heaven over the head of a worshipper and the angels descend from the heavens and surround him from his feet upto the heaven. (Gilani)
If people could really know the reward of a prayer, then they would have come running for the prayers. (Dawood, Nisai) An angel raises a voice at the time of prayer, “O people! Get up and extinguish the fire of your sins with your prayers.” (Nehjal Fasahat)
When a man strictly says all his five prayers, Satan is afraid of him, when he does not, Satan overpowers him and makes him commit greater sins. (Masnad) A Muslim who does not say even Friday prayer for three consecutive weeks without a reason, is written as hypocrite in the book, whose record can never be erased nor changed. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Nisai)
Say prayer as though you are looking at Allah and if you cannot do it, then imagine that as if Allah is looking at you and be fully attentive towards Him and do not look hither and thither. (Mishkat)
When you are praying, you are talking to Allah, and when a person looks here and there, Allah says, “Where do you look? Is there someone better than Me in your sight? Look towards Me;” Allah says it a second time too; but on the third occasion Allah turns way from him. (Gilani)
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173 Remember Allah the way you remember your fathers, even more than that. (Al-Quran) Say prayers with such enthusiasm as if you are dying and leaving the world today. (Ahmed, Mishkat) The more wholeheartedly a person says his prayer, better is his reward; sometimes half, sometimes only tenth part. (Gilani) Whoso says his prayer halfheartedly he will do less good and more harm. (Gilani) Two portions (rakats) of a prayer of a virtuous person may be more rewarding then the thousand rakats of a person whose heart is not present during the prayer. (Anees-al-Waazeen) The parable of a prayer is like a businessman who does not count his profit unless he gets his capital investment, likewise, supererogatory prayers of a worshipper are not counted unless the obligatory prayers are fully said. (Anees-al-Waazeen) Two of my followers may stand for prayers, they bow and prostrate alike but their prayers are different a lot (in reward due to presence and sincerity of heart). (Ghazali) It is a must to show humility and meekness (before Allah) during the prayer. (Mishkat) The biggest thief among the thieves is he who steals a prayer (says his prayer too quickly and improperly). (Ahmed, Mishkat) A man is near to Allah at the time of prostration, so you shall pray to Allah more vigorously at the time of prostration. (Muslim, Mishkat)
Allah is pleased with a man who sleeps during prostration, He says to the angels, “See My man, his soul is with Me while his body is on the ground.� (Hajveri)
A man whose prayers do not refrain him from doing evil acts, then such a prayer will make him farther from Allah. (Ghazali) A person who hears the call for prayer and then does not come (to the mosque), his prayer does not rise higher than the head. (Masnad) A prayer is pleasing to Allah, dear to angels. It is an act of the prophets. It is the divine light of mysticism. It is the root of faith. It is a cause for the acceptance of supplications. It is a cause of blessings in livelihood. It is a weapon against Satan. It is a light
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174 in the darkness of grave and becomes his bed. It is an answer to the accounting angels, (Munkar and Naqeer, angels appointed to test the faith of a man in the beginning of the grave life). It will be a consoler in the loneliness of the Day of Judgment and will become a shade over him and will be a jewelled crown upon his head, and elegant dress, and it will shine before and after him as a light in the darkness of Day of Judgment. It will be a curtain between a worshipper and Gehenna. It will be a testimony before Allah. It will make the weight of deeds heavier, and will help to pass over the Bridge of Sirat (Bridge over Gehenna leading to Paradise). It is a key to Paradise because a prayer consists of adoration, praising, sanctification, glorification, recitation of the Quran and asking Allah for His guidance. Verily, the best of all acts is a prayer at its appointed times. (Gilani, Masnad) Praising and eulogy are the best hours of believers. (Madaraj-un-Nabawat)
Prayer has a healing power too.
(Maja)
Do not say your prayers all the night but say a prayer at night and then sleep too; so keep a fast and remain without fast too, because your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right, your guests have a right, your wife has a right too. (Mishkat) A person who does remembrance of Allah as compared to the one who does not do remembrance is like a living man and a dead man, or a green tree among dry grass, or a fighter among the deserters. (Ghazali) Before the coming of the Day, when you will be asked to give an account of your deeds, you should take account of yourself, before your acts are weighed, weigh your acts yourself. (Gilani) Whoso says night prayer and morning prayer in a mosque, he has if said the prayer all the night. (Zaad-almaad) When few people gather to do remembrance of Allah, then angels encircle them, His mercy spreads over them, a complete peace is bestowed upon them and Allah mentions them proudly among His dearest angels. (Muslim, Mishkat) Remember! The remembrance of Allah gives a body that which is enduring in the time of hardships. (Anees-al-Waazeen) Do recite the Quran and do remembrance of Allah as this is a cause for your remembrance in the heaven and is a divine light on the earth. (Baheeqi, Mishkat)
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175 There is a burnisher of everything, the burnisher of a heart is the recitation of the Quran. (Hujjatulla al-Baligha) Do not make the Quran like pillow or a support of yours, but recite it day and night, the way it is appropriate for it, publicize it and read it with great interest and ponder into it, it is hoped that you will be saved. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) A bearer of the Quran should not worry. about worldly rewards at all because he is going to receive a great reward from Allah. (Baheeqi) Allah has sent this happy news, “Whoso is busy with the Quran so much so that he is unable to do remembrance of Me, is unable to seek from Me, then I will reward him more than what I reward by asking; and compared to all other deeds, words of Allah, the Quran has as much excellence and greatness, as Allah has over His creation.” (Tirmzi, Baheeqi, Darmi) The bearers of the Quran will be under the shade of throne of Allah on the Day of Judgment when there will be no shade except His (throne’s) shade. The bearers of the Quran will be among the highest ranking people of Paradise. (Mishkat) Your tongue shall do remembrance of Allah all the time; when a person sits somewhere and does not do His remembrance, that sitting will be a reason of great regret for him on the Day of Judgment, likewise when a person lies down somewhere, then that lying will be a reason of great regret too. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) When you die, die while doing remembrance of Allah. (Mishkat)
By Allah, there are some people who do remembrance of Allah in their soft and smooth beds, and Allah will award them very high places in Paradise. (Mishkat) Those houses in which the remembrance of Allah is done, residents of heaven (angels) look at them as the people on earth look at the stars shining brightly. (Nehjal Fasahat) Allah is greatly pleased with a person who parts with his soft bed and beloved wife at night for prayer, Allah says to His angels on seeing this, “Look at My man, who has parted away from his soft bed ancl beloved wife for My prayer and for the desire of that which is with Me (Paradise) and the fear of that which is with Me (Gehenna).” (Mishkat)
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176 Allah says: When a man does remembrance of Me, I am with him; when he does remembrance in his heart, I do his remembrance in My heart. (Bokhari, Mishkat) A reward of attending a meeting where remembrance of God is being done, is more rewarding than a thousand rakats of prayer and visiting a thousand sick persons. (Anees-al-Waazeen) Whoso says late night Tahajjad prayer, I guarantee him to enter into Paradise. (Anees-al-Waazeen) Woe to the people who are awake whole night for the sake of immoral acts (sexual), gambling, pastimes stories, and likewise fun and sport. O believers! Such awakening is a great sin, beware of it, and prepare yourself for awakening in the obedience of Allah because this is a sign of companionship of Allah and sincerity to Him; Allah is most near to a man in the late hours of night, and if possible, then you must do remembrance of Him in those hours. (Anees-al-Waazeen)
A person who is not hindered by the cold of winter, and the heat of summer and goes to a mosque, he will be saved from the fire of Gehenna. (Anees-al-Waazeen) When a person performs ablution and then comes to a mosque, then Allah rewards with one merit for each step and equal number of sins are erased off, and his rank is raised, and He is as happy as a friend is happy to meet a friend after a long time. (Gilani) Winter season is good for a believer, because days are short and nights are long so a believer may keep a fast during the day and pray during the night (for longer hours). (Gilani) You must give a share to your eyes while praying that you recite the Quran with your tongue, contemplate with your mind, and observe the miracles and wonders of the nature with your eyes. (Ghazali)
Intelligent is he who distributes his time into four parts; in the first part, he should assess his actions; in the second part, he should worship Allah; in the third pair, he should plan to earn his livelihood; in the fourth part, he should enjoy the things made lawful in the world. (Ghazali) Mosques are the gardens of Paradise; whoso builds a mosque to win the favour of Allah, Allah will make a similar house for him in Paradise. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
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177 When Allah sends a calamity from heavens, the builders of mosques are protected from it. (Nehjal Fasahat) Make mosque in your neighbourhood and keep it clean and well perfumed. (Tirmzi, Maja, Dawood) Give the happy tidings, to the ones who go to the mosques in the darkness of night, that they will be bestowed upon Noor (divine light) on the Day of Judgment. (Tirmzi, Maja) Whoso recites the Quran and acts upon it, his parents will be crowned on the Day of Judgment, the brightness of the crown will be better than the brightness of the sun which you have in your worldly houses, then what do you think about the reward of that person who acts upon the Quran too? (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Mishkat) A prayer which is said in a congregation is twenty seven degrees better than the one said alone. (Bokhari, Muslim) Supplication is the cream of prayer; nothing can change the fate except by supplications and nothing increases life except good actions. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) There is nothing more magnificent to Allah than a prayer. (Tirmzi, Maja)
Whoso does not supplicate to Allah, Allah is angry with him.
(Tirmzi)
For whom the door of prayer is opened, for him in fact the door of love is opened. (Tirmzi) When a man prays to Allah, either Allah fulfils his requests or immunes him from evils equal to the prayer, unless he prays for a sin or a break of relationship. (Tirmzi) Always pray to Allah with full confidence that it will surely be accepted, and keep in mind that Allah does not accept a careless and negligent prayer. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) When a man stretches his hand before Honourable and Majestic Lord and prays for something good, then your Lord feels shy to return his prayers unheeded. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Baheeqi) Every prayer of a man is accepted unless he does not hurry (he should persist in praying) and say, ‘I prayed but it was not heeded,’ and then he is frustrated and gives up the prayer. (Muslim, Mishkat)
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178 You should always ask Allah for all your needs so much so that if your shoe lace breaks, seek it from Allah, even it be a pinch of salt. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) When you pray, do not say, “O Allah, if you wish you save me, if you wish have mercy upon me,” but be definite and determined in the prayer because Allah does whatever He wishes nobody is superior to Him. (Bokhari, Mishkat) Nothing can save you from a divine decree; but prayers to Allah helps in that case too when misery has already befallen or is, going to befall. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) A prayer which is accepted soon is the one which an absentee prays for an absentee. The prayer of a fasting man at the break of fast, the prayer of a just ruler and the prayer of a wronged person is never unheeded. (Tirmzi, Dawood, Mishkat) Doors of heaven are opened for the prayer of a wronged person and Allah says, “I swear by My Honour, I will surely help you even if it be after sometime.” (Tirmzi, Mishkat) Allah does not accept those prayers which are in the manner of singing. (Gilani) Always pray to Allah for faith, safety and peace, because after faith, there is nothing better than safety and peace. (Madaraj-an-Nabawat)
Whoso says in the morning that all the praises are for a nice morning, then verily, he has thanked Allah for night and day. O my daughter Fatima! What refrains you from listening to my advice, you shall always pray, “O Everliving. Everlasting, I seek refuge in Your mercy, please do not leave me to my self even for a twinkle of an eye and take care of all my affairs.” (Masnad) In Paradise, there are such abodes in which one can view all the things inside and outside; these abodes are for such persons who talk gently, exercising forbearance, give food to the poor, and keep fast persistently, and say the night prayers (Tahajjad) in those hours when everyone is deep asleep. (Masnad) Allah has sent me this message through the Holy Spirit, Gabriel:
O believers! When you get up to say prayer, wash your faces and your hands upto the elbow and wipe your heads with hands and wash your feet to the ankles; if you have had intercourse, take bath.
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179 (Al-Maidah 5-7)
Say your enjoined prayers constantly and the middle prayers (i.e. praying with moderation; remembrance of Allah in heart, and stand before Allah obediently. But if you are in danger, say prayer while standing or riding but when you have peace, do the remembrance of Allah the way you have been taught (by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), what you did not know. (Al-Baqarah 2-239)
I have, created the genii and human beings for no other purpose than to worship Me, I do not want any sustenance from them nor I expect them to feed Me. (Al-Zariat 51-57) Allah has created the life and the death to test which one of you performs good deeds. (Al-Mulk 67-3) O people who believe! Do remembrance of Allah excessively and glorify Him morning and evening (all the time). He it is Who sends His blessings on you and also His angels, so that He may bring you forth out of the darkness into the light And to the believers He is Merciful. On the day when they will meet Him, their greeting will be ‘peace’ (Salaam), and He has prepared a great honourable reward for them. (Al-Ahzab 33-41) Learn the Quran and teach it to others. The parable of those who are awake in the night and recite the Quran is like a bag full of musk whose perfume is everywhere; the parable of those who sleep at night but teach the Quran to others is like a bag full of musk but closed. (Tirmzi, Maja, Nisai)
STANDARD PRAYER OF THE PROPHET Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, You are sanctified, all the praises are for You; blessed is Your name, Your majesty is exalted, there is no god save You. I ask the refuge of Allah from the Satan the rejected and damned. I commence with the name of Allah, Most Beneficent and Most Merciful, (Most Loving). All praise are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Beneficent and the Most Loving; Master of the Day of Requital. Only You we worship and only from You we seek help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You bestowed bounties, neither of those upon whom You were wrathful, nor of those who went astray.
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180 Say, Allah is One; Allah is free of all needs; neither He begets nor He is begotten; there is none equal to Him. (Before bowing) Allah is the Greatest. (While in the state of bowing) Sanctified is my Lord the Great; O Lord! I bow before You; I put my trust in You, I present myself as Your servant; before you, O Lord! My ears, my eyes, my flesh, my bones, and my sinew bow; You are the Purest, the Most Sanctified; Holy is my Lord, and the Lord of Angels and the Holy spirit; Glory be to Allah, the All powerful, All Authoritative, the Most Grand, the Most Magnificent. (Standing after bowing:) Allah certainly hears whoever praises Him, O our Lord! All praises are only for You, Your praises have no bounds, the praises which are pure and auspicious; the praises which fill all the heavens and the earth and also fill whatsoever You wish, You are Praiseworthy and Holy; of all whom a man admires, You are the most deserving for admiration, we are Your devotees whatever You desire to bestow on, none can stop it, and whatever You do not desire to bestow on, none can give it; and the wealth of a wealthy man cannot help before You. Allah is the Greatest. (While in prostration:) Glory be to my Lord, the Most High. O Allah! I prostrate only before You, I put my trust in You, I present myself as your servant; my face is prostrated for the One Who created it and designed it and what a nice design He has created! The Best designer of all; my ears, eyes, blood, flesh, skin, bones, muscles and all that which my legs are carrying prostrate before Allah. Allah is the Greatest. (After prostration, while sitting:) O Lord! Forgive me, have mercy upon me, bestow upon me comfort, give me guidance, give me sustenance, heal my infirmities and afflictions, and raise my rank (in Paradise). Allah is the Greatest. (While prostrating the second time:) Glory be to my Lord, the Most High, O Allah! Forgive my all sins, big and small, sins of past and future, hidden and open. O Allah! I prostrate before You with my body and mind, I indeed
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181 believe in You, I acknowledge all Your bounties upon me; and I confess my transgressions which I have done to myself. O Admirable! O Admirable! Save me because only the Lord, the Admirable can forgive major sins. O Allah! Fill my heart with the divine (Noor) light, fill my ears with the divine light, fill my eyes with the divine light, bestow on the divine light in my front and behind my back and below me and upon me; Allah is the Greatest. (Note: five prayers consists of two, three of four sets (i.e. of Rakats) of the above prayer with slight variation depending upon the time of prayer. After two sets, it runs like this). My prayers and worship rendered through words, actions, and wealth are for Allah. O Prophet, salaam be on you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Salaam be on us and also on those servants of Allah who are virtuous. We bear testimony that there is no god save Allah and also I bear testimony that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. (If a Prayers consists of three or four Rak’ats, when we sit after the second Rak’at only the above invocation is recited, and, at the end of the last Rak ‘at, the Durood Sharif and prayers are also added to it which run as follows): O God, bless Muhammad and his posterity and his followers as You blessed Abraham and his posterity and his followers. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, the Majestic. O God, magnify Muhammad and his posterity and his followers as You magnified Abraham and his posterity and his followers. Verily, You are the Praiseworthy, the Majestic. O Allah! I beseech Your protection against helplessness, laziness, cowardice, old age, debts and sins. O Allah! I beseech Your protection against the chastisement of Gehenna, the tribulation of Gehenna and the tribulation and torments of grave life, the trials of riches and the trials of poverty and the wickedness of false Christians (i.e., Anti-Christ, Masih-ud-Dajjal). O Allah! I beseech Your protection against the hardness of heart, from ignorance, disgrace and abjectness; and I beseek Your
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182 protection against poverty, sins, quarrels and the acts of show and hypocrisy. O Allah! I beseech Your protection from such knowledge which is not beneficial, and such a heart which is not humble, and a self which is not satisfied, and a prayer which is not granted. O Allah! I beseech Your protection against the hold of enemies upon me, and that which pleases my enemies. O Allah! I beseech Your protection against bad morals and lustful desires and bad diseases. O Allah! I pray You for security in this world and the Hereafter. O Allah! I pray You for forgiveness; and security in my faith and worldly affairs and my family and my property. O Allah! Cover my mistakes and turn my fear and sorrows into peace and security. O Allah! All the praises are for You, You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everything in it. O Allah! All praises are for You and You are the King of the heavens and the earth and everything in it. O Allah! All the praises are for You, You are the One Who gives light to all which lies within the heavens and the earth. You are the Truth, Your covenant is true, Your meeting (in the Hereafter) is true, Your commandments are true, Your promise of Paradise is true, Gehenna is true, all the prophets are true, Muhammad is true, the Day of Resurrection is true. O Allah! I bow my head before you, I truly believe in You, I put my trust solely in You, I truly turn to You, I argue with Your power and might, and to You I pray, You are my sustainer and to You we all are going to return, so pardon all my sins of the past and the future and that which I did secretly or openly, and also pardon that which You know more than me. You are the One Who goes forward, You are the One Who retreats, You are my God and save You there is no god, there is no power to avert or to accomplish but Allah’s; forgive all my sins which I did knowingly or frivolously or intentionally or unintentionally and I accept full responsibility for them. O Allah! O Turner of hearts! Turn our hearts towards Your obedience. O Allah! Forgive us and have mercy upon us and be pleased with us and accept our deeds and let us enter Paradise and save us from Gehenna, and set all our affairs aright.
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183 O Allah! Put love in our hearts, and make our relations happy and show us the path of peace, and deliver us from the darkness, and guide us to the light, and save us from immodesty, open or hidden; and bestow Your grace and blessing upon our ears, and our eyes, and our hearts, and our wives, and our children; and accept our apologies, indeed You are the Most Forgiving and the Most loving; and make us thankful and praiser of Your bounties’ make us deserving of Your blessings and accomplish them upon us. My prayer and my sacrifices and my life and my death, all are for Allah, Who is the Lord of all the worlds and He has no associate. O Allah! You are the King and there is no god besides You, You are my God and I am your humble servant, I committed excesses upon myself and I confess my sins, so forgive my sins, no doubt, no one has the power to forgive sins except You and keep away from me bad deeds and no one can change my morals except You. O Allah! I beseech from You help for perseverance in doing good, and seek guidance to the right path, and beseech a heart grateful for Your bounties, and pray to You for a worthy worship, and also I pray You to bestow on me a truthful tongue and a right thinking heart and good conduct; and also I beseech Your protection against those evils which are only in Your knowledge and also I beseech from You that goodness which is only in Your knowledge, You are the Knower of the unknown; O Allah! Save me from the evils of my self and grant me steadfastedness for good works; O Allah! Grant us Your fear, a fear with which You become a screen between us and the sins; and grant us such an obedience on account of which, You enter us into Your Paradise;. bestow upon us such a confidence and faith with which all the trials of the world look easy; I seek from Allah security and peace in both the worlds, this world and the Hereafter. O Allah! Make for me Your love dearer than my own life and my family and cold water; I seek Your love and the love of those who love You and seek from You a conduct which brings me near to Your love. O Allah! Help me in Your remembrance, and Your thanksgiving and worthy prayers. O Allah! Whatever You have bestowed upon me, make me content with it. O Allah! I beseech You for the ability to supplicate in the best manner, the best request, for the best prayer, the best
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184 success, the best actions, the best rewards, the best life and the death. O Allah! Make me steadfast. O Allah! I seek Your grace and favour in my power to hear and see; and in my soul and my appearance and my conduct and my family and my life and my death and my deeds; please accept my good actions and I pray to you for a high rank in Paradise. O Allah! Make me forbearing and thankful and make me humble in my eyes but great in the eyes of others. Note: Though the Prophet prayed for hours, the above is only a short account. When he would. pray alone (not in congregation), then sometimes he would recite from the Holy Quran for hours. _________
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Chapter Twenty
OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS Every man is sinful but better are those who ask for pardon.
(Tirmzi, Maja, Darmi)
A person who asks pardon with true heart is like a sinless man; to persist sinning wilfully is to make a fun of Allah. (Mishkat) The wordly punishment of sins is that such a man is careless about prayers, and his life becomes full of problems. Real fun and pleasure is lost; even if he fulfils his sexual desires lawfully, then such offsprings are born who snatch peace and comfort from him. Sometimes a person is deprived of livelihood destined for him due to sins. (Maja, Mishkat) If a person commits sins seventy times a day and then asks pardon with a true heart, he becomes like a person who does not commit a sin at all. (Tirmzi, Dawood) Whoso asks pardon or apologizes to Allah, Allah accepts it. (Bokhari, Muslim)
A sense of shame after committing a sin, pardons the sin. (Maja, Ghazali)
If anyone of you commits as many sins so as to reach upto the heaven, and then asks for forgiveness, Allah will forgive all his sins. (Tirmzi) If you commit a sin, ask pardon, if you commit a sin again, ask for pardon again because forgiveness of Allah exceeds your sins. (Gilani)
Sometimes a man commits a sin and that sin remains before his ayes all the time, and he feels sorry and asks Allah for it’s forgiveness all the time, then this sin become a cause for his entry into Paradise. (Nehjal Fasahat)
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(Masnad)
186 When a man says, “I ask pardon from the Holy Lord save whom there is no god worthy of worship, and He is Ever-Living and Self-Sufficient and I bow to Him, and asks for pardon three times, then all the sins are forgiven even if it be as much as froth over a sea. Allah has said, “O Son of Adam! If you come to Me for pardon with as many sins as fill the earth, even then I will forgive you.” (Tirmzi, Mishkat) A person commits a sin and then says, “O Allah! I have committed a sin, please forgive me,” then Allah says, “So My devotee knows that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and has a power to reckon him for sins! I forgive My devotee.” (Bokhari, Muslim) Allah says, “You people are sinners except the ones whom I save from sins, only they can be safe from sins; ask from Me forgiveness, I will forgive you; whoso asks forgiveness from Me having faith that only I have the power to forgive, then I surely forgive. O My devotees! You are astray, except those whom I guide, so ask guidance from Me, then I will guide.” (Bokhari, Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja)
Allah is more loving to a man than a mother is to her child.
(Bokhari, Muslim)
When a man asks for forgiveness, Allah is happy like a person who finds his animal with food, water and other provisions in a wilderness, disappeared on awakening, and after a hectic search he lies down under a tree without hope, waiting for death and falls asleeps while aggrieved, but on getting up, he finds that his faithful animal is standing near the tree, what do you think how happy he will be? So likewise Allah is happy with that man who asks forgiveness. (Bokhari, Muslim) When a believer commits a sin, there is a black spot on his heart; if he sins again then this spot grows bigger and bigger till his heart is covered; but if he seeks forgiveness and gives up committing sins, his heart becomes spotless again. (Tirmzi, Maja) Allah says, “I swear by My Honour and Majesty, until a man breathes his last, I will accept repentance from him.” (Ahmed, Mishkat)
When a person repents and Allah accepts that all the sins prior to it are caused to forget by Allah from the mind of the guardian angels, and those parts of the body which committed those sins, and the places where those sins were committed; and
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(Gilani)
187 also the heaven forgets the places where those sins were committed. (Gilani) The guardian angel on the right hand is superior over the guardian angel on the left hand; so when a man bids good, the angel on the right writes ten awards. When a man commits a sin the angel on the left starts writing one demerit, but the angel on the right says, “Stop and wait,” he stops and waits for six or seven hours. During this period if the man asks pardon from Allah he is forgiven and nothing is written in his account, but if he does not ask pardon, only one demerit is written. So when there are such five demerits, and then he commits one good deed, the angel on the right says to the angel on the left, “We have been informed that the merit of one good deed is equal to the demerit of ten sins,” so here are five good merits in exchange for five sins, and the rest of five good merits are written in his account; then Satan shouts, “How can I overpower a man (believer) whose one good act destroys all my efforts.” (Gilani) When there are too many sins in the account of a person, Allah puts that man into worries which becomes a penitence for his sins. Whatever harm comes to a person say, fever, anxieties about the property, even if a thorn pricks, these all become penitence for his sins. (Mishkat) My followers are the beloved of Allah.
(Dawood, Mishkat)
Allah has said, “Let this happy news be known to all the sinners that if they will repent to Me, I will forgive; and warn all the most truthful believers that if I do justice, then they will be punished.” (Ghazali)
Allah has given me this message for all the people of the world through Holy Spirit, Gabriel: If you love Allah, obey and follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Al-Imran 3-31)
Your Lord has committed Himself to show mercy, so whoso among you commits a sin ignorantly and then repents and reforms himself, then He is Forgiving, Merciful. (Al-Anam 6-55) Those who repent and believe (in Me and the Prophet) and do the right, for as to these Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds, and Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. (Al-Furqan 25-71)
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Only those people have a right over Allah for the acceptance of a repentance who commit an evil ignorantly and then immediately they ask for forgiveness, towards such people Allah is inclined and Allah is the Knower and the Wise. But repentance is not for those who go on committing sins and when one of them falls death he says, “Surely I repent now,� nor for those who die while they are nonbelievers. These are the people for whom I have prepared a painful chastisement. (Al-Nisa 4-18) _________
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Chapter Twenty One
OF LOVE OF GOD FOR THE HIGHEST SPIRITUAL GOAL I forewarn you that this world is execrated and whatever is inside the world is also execrated too, except the remembrance of Allah and the things which Allah likes, a man of knowledge and a seeker of knowledge. (Tirmzi, Maja, Mishkat) If the importance of this world in the sight of Allah were even as little as the feather of a mosquito, then He would not have given anything to a nonbeliever, (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja) I swear by Allah, the parable of this world as compared to the Hereafter is as if someone puts his finger in a river and then see what is on the finger. (Muslim) By God, this world is less honourable in the sight of Allah than what the corpse of a dead animal is to you. (Muslim, Mishkat) For me, the similitude of the world is like a rider who stands under the shade of a tree for a while and then travels on leaving the tree there. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja) O Allah! Do not give me wealth, I wish that I shall eat to my fill one day, and the next day I remain hungry; when I am hungry I will be meek and humble before You and will do remembrance of You; and when I will eat my bellyful, I will praise You and thank You. Whoso abstinates in the world, Allah fills his heart with the words of wisdom with which he speaks, and He shows him the vices of the world, and its remedies, and then carries him safely through the world to the Abode of Peace (Dar-us-Salaam). (Ghazali) The love of the world is the root of all sins. (Ghazali, Baheeqi, Mishkat)
Do not be a son of the world; today, you are in the world of action, so act; there is no reckoning now, but tomorrow you will be in the Hereafter when there will be no action. (Bokhari, Mishkat)
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(Ahmed, Tirmzi)
190 Work for the affairs of the world as if you are going to live forever but work for the Hereafter as if you will die tomorrow. (Darmi, Mishkat)
This world is an unstable, short-lived merchandise from which both good ones and bad ones are benefited but the promise of the Hereafter is true, whence the Just, All Powerful King will stay the right and destroy the evil. Be a son of the Hereafter and not a son of the world, because every son is a follower of his father. (Mishkat)
This world is a pleasant place and Allah has made you as His successor to test what you do; beware of the lust for women! (Nehjal Fasahat)
If you want to join me soon, you shall possess only as much as a traveller’s necessaries from the world, refrain from meeting the rich people, and do not wear a new cloth unless your old clothes are patched. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) Who is among you who is blind and desires to have sight? Remember! Whoso is inclined to the woild and has too many hopes from it, Allah makes his heart blind correspondingly, and whoso is inclined to piety, and his hopes are few, he is bestowed upon with a knowledge from Allah without any (human) guidance, this knowledge is his guide. (Ghazali) Leave the world for the people of the world, whoso collects goods more than his needs, he is perished by them, and strangely, he is not even aware of it. (Ghazali) Allah says, “O son of Adam! If the whole world is given in you possession, even then you will be able to benefit only that much which is enough to fill your stomach, then if you are given only just sufficient and the account of excess is left to others, then what can be a better favour to you than that?” (Ghazali) The dignity of a Muslim is to be self-sufficient.
(Ghazali)
You should live in this world just like a traveller, or the one who just stops for a while on a way; and think yourself to be among the people of graves. (Maja, Mishkat) On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will speak to believers, “You gave priority to the Hereafter than wordly life and gave to My worship than your lustful desires, so I swear by My Honour and Majesty that I created Paradise for you only.” Allah will say this to the believers, but to those who are His beloved ones, He
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191 will say, “You gave priority to Me over all My creations and the world and the Hereafter even, and you kept your hearts aloof from the creation and kept yourself away from them, so My sight is for you, My nearness is for you and you are My true servants.� (Gilani) The real joy is only the joy of the Hereafter, this world is a place full of pains and sorrows. (Hajveri) What is this world? Only a temporary abode of those who are homeless; and this wealth? this is for those who are poor. Those who are mad for the collection of the riches are those who have no sense at all. For the sake of the riches only those can renounce religion who are completely deprived of learning; and only those can be jealous for such a paltry thing, who have no knowledge of the principles, and the search of it can be taken out only by those whose faith is not strong. (Ghazali) A person who wakes up in the morning and then immediately runs after the world, he cannot be counted as a man of faith because his place is in Gehenna; and even during the search for the world, he is under four curses; firstly, he has an everlasting anxiety with no escape; secondly, he has an occupation from which there is no respite; thirdly, he has an everlasting worry of poverty with no chance of achieving abundance; and fourthly, he has unending desires and hopes with no chance of being fulfilled. (Ghazali)
On the Day of Resurrection, some people will come to be seen such that their actions will be as great as a mountain but they will be sent straight into Gehenna; these are those who prayed regularly, fasted regularly and were awake at nights for worship but they lived their whole lives such that they were infatuated and fascinated by everything in the world throughout their lives. (Ghazali)
See this heap of litter and rubbish in which bones and rags and human skulls are scattered; these skulls were once full of greed and lust like yours, but today, they are without flesh, just a heap of bones and in a shortwhile even this will not remain as such and will become dust; and this rubbish and refuse you see, are those foods of different sorts for which people left no stone unturned but now it is not only thrown away but also nobody likes to go near it and everyone runs from it; and these rags which are flying away here and there are splendid garments and gaudy
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192 dresses; and these bones are the bones of those animals which were once used for riding and upon whose back, people went around the world; so this as the whole reality of the world which I have shown to you and if anyone of you weeps for it being unable to achieve it, then let him weep because this is an occasion for weeping. A son of Adam does not have a right more than a house to live in, a dress to wear and a dry bread to eat and water to drink. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
If you have to fill your stomach, you shall divide your stomach into three parts, fill one with food, the second with water and leave the third to respire. (Tirmzi)
A person who gets up in the morning such that he is in safety from his life, is healthy, has food for one day, then he has all the blessings of the world and possesses all the world. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
The riches of the world are beautiful, and delightful; whoso endeavours for it by lawful means, and spends in a lawful way, these riches are his best helpers (for salvation) and whoso endeavours for it by unlawful means, it is like that man who eats but his stomach is never full and those riches will be a testimony against him. (Bokhari, Muslim) By Allah! I do not fear about you for poverty but I fear that world will be opened before you the way it was opened to the people before you, and then you will show inclination towards it and you will perish the way your ancestors were perished. (Bokhari, Muslim) O Allah! Give my family and my followers only that much provisions which can just save their lives and keep the strength of the bodies. (Bokhari, Muslim) Whoso embraces Islam and is content with just sufficient provisions, surely he is saved. (Muslim, Mishkat) A man says throughout his life ‘my goods, my goods’ but in reality his goods are of three types: firstly which he eats away; secondly, which he wears down; and thirdly, which he gives away as charity in the way of Allah and so store it for the Hereafter, the rest of all the goods belong to your heirs. (Muslim, Mishkat) Tell me which one of you loves the goods of his heirs more than his own (so be charitable). There are three things which go
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193 along with the dead body, two of them return, that are relatives and the goods; but the actions (third one) go along. (Bokhari, Mishkat) Whoso loves the world, he harms his faith, so go after the thing which is immortal and leave what is mortal. (Ahmed, Baheeqi) No wordly man can be free of sins.
(Baheeqi, Mishkat)
O people! Incline towards your Lord and remember that less but sufficient goods are much better than those which make a person indulge in fun and sport. (Mishkat) Abstinence is not to make a lawful thing a forbidden one and waste your goods, but abstinence is to rely more in what is in Allah’s control than what is in your control; and that you feel more happy with the reward (from Allah) for what you lose, than to feel unhappy over the loss. (Tirmzi, Maja) After me, there will be some of my followers who will arrange their table cloths with delicious and delightful foods of various sorts, and wear beautiful and costly dresses, and will have beautiful and pretty women in their harems, and will keep very costly horses in their stables; their stomach will never be full with little nor they will be content with much and all their efforts and energy will be spent in the accumulation of wealth, and they will proclaim to believe in Allah only for the sake of the world; the world will be their sole interest. O people! Hear you all, I, Muhammad, strictly enjoin upon you that if you or your descendants, come across any of such people or meet them then you need not say ‘salaam’ to them, and need not visit them if they are ill, and shall not join their funeral processions, nor respect their elders; and whoso acts against this commandment of mine, he will be counted as a friend of them and will be equally responsible for the downfall of Islam. (Ghazali) There is no harm in being rich if a man fears Allah. (Ahmed, Mishkat)
Those who are worshippers of wealth and wear beautiful garments, consider them to be base (mean). (Hajveri) Nonbelievers are just like animals when they make merry and eat; and their place is in Gehenna. (Al-Quran) I was shown Gehenna and I found that majority of the people were those who were rich in the world and then I was shown Paradise, there I saw that majority of the people were those who were poor. (Ghazali)
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194 On the Day of Resurrection when a poor believer will be brought before Allah, Allah will apologize to him just the way you people apologize to each other and then He will say, “O My devotee! I kept the world away from you not because I wanted you to be humiliated but because I wanted to elevate you in My Kingdom and bestow upon you the Robe of Honour and Grandeur; now you have the authority to enter into the rows of the masses and all those who gave you something to eat in My name, catch hold of their hands and their fate is in your hands.” Then on that day, when all the creations will be wet with perspiration, poor people will enter into the rows of the people and search out all those who treated them kindly in the world, (Ghazali) Be nice to poor because the wealth of the Hereafter is in their way. (Ghazali) There is a key for everything and the key of Paradise is in the friendship of the poor who are forbearing, because these are the ones who will have Allah’s company. O poor! Be content and patient over your poverty, otherwise you will be deprived of its reward. (Ghazali)
It is a great treasure to hide your poverty.
(Ghazali)
A poor man shall not keep the company of rich people neither shall ask or beg or show humility to them nor flatter them. (Ghazali)
O Allah! Give me a life of poor and raise me among the poor.
(Tirmzi, Baheeqi)
You shall search for my favour in the poor, the old and the weak.
(Dawood, Mishkat)
And you are bestowed sustenance due to them (i.e. the poor. (Bokhari)
Richness is not in the wealth and the abundance of goods, but the real richness is in the contentment of heart. (Bokhari, Muslim) Gehenna is veiled with lust and greed and Paradise is veiled with afflictions. (Mishkat) Do not indulge in the affairs of the world so much as to get absorbed in the world. (Tirmzi, Baheeqi)
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195 Whoso strives for the Hereafter, Allah fills his heart with contentment and He relieves him from the affliction and imparts peace to him; world comes to him but he looks at it with contempt; whoso strives for the world, Allah brings the fear of poverty and misery before his eyes and makes his life full of problems, he begets the world only that much which is predestined for him, Wise is the one who conquers his self and works for the Hereafter; and a helpless is the one who follows his self and then says, “Allah is Kind and Forgiving.” (Mishkat, Maja) Show humility and meekness so much so that none of you shall show pride nor commit transgression. (Mishkat) The true path is between the two extremes, that is moderation which is the best of all. (Nehjal Fasahat) Allah loves a person who keeps in mind the consequence of his deeds at the time of his low desires, and selects the right path from the doubtful one. (Nehjal Fasahat) A wicked man is he who follows his self and then hopes from Allah. (Tirmzi, Maja) Allah has said, “O son of Adam! Make your heart peaceful and free and then come to worship Me, then I will fill your heart with contentment, serenity and peace; but if you will not do so, then I will fill your hands with occupation.” (Ahmed, Maja) When you say your prayers, say it such that you leave everything aside except Allah; and do not utter anything for which you have to apologize tomorrow; and do not put hope in what is in the hands of others. (Ahmed, Mishkat) When you see a pious man who is very quiet, try to be near him because wisdom is bestowed upon him. (Baheeqi, Mishkat) Whoso spends his youth in the obedience of Allah, will become the beloved of Allah. (Nehjal Fasahat) If a tear comes out of an eye by the fear of Allah, may that be as little as a fly, Allah will protect him from the fire of Gehenna. (Maja, Mishkat)
Whoso shows obedience to Allah, verily, he has remembered Allah even if his prayers, fasts and the recitation of the Quran are little. Whoso is disobedient to Allah, verily, he has
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196 forgotten Allah even if his prayers, fasts and the recitations of the Quran are excessive. (Gilani) Keep your stomachs empty, and the livers thirsty, and your bodies (unarranged and) undecorated (i.e. simply dressed), and the hopes to a minimum, so that Allah may watch your hearts in the very world. (Hajveri) A person whose belly is full, cannot find the way to the realm of the heaven. The leader of all the good deeds is fasting. (Ghazali)
Thoughtfulness and contemplation is half the worship while festing is full worship. In the sight of Allah, the man who contemplates Allah has excellence, but a glutton is an enemy of Allah, and also the one who sleeps too much. (Ghazali) Allah is proud of an abstemious and says proudly to the angels, “See! I created him with the desire for eating and drinking but he has preferred hunger for My sake; so be My witness that less morsels he eats, more I will raise his rank in Paradise.� (Ghazali) Do not kill your heart by eating and drinking excessively the likeness of a heart is like fields which wither by watering too much. (Ghazali) O Ayesha! Always avoid to eat twice in a day because eating twice a day is extravagance. (Ghazali) My followers will be under the protection and kindness of Allah until the scholars will go to rich people; and the pious ones will go to wicked people; good people will fear bad people; when this happens, Allah will lift His hand of benevolence and mercy from them, and will make them suffer from hunger and famine, and their hearts will be full of fears, and cruel people will become their rulers who will chastise them. (Gilani) O Allah! Whoso loves you, he becomes blind to the wordly things.
(Gilani)
The people who will be the first to enter into Paradise will be those who were the praising ones; they praised Allah over the losses and thanked for the bounties. (Gilani) If two qualities are present in anyone, Allah writes him as forbearing and thankful; the first is, if he finds someone more virtuous than himself, follows him; the second is, if he finds someone poorer, then he thanks Allah that he is better than him. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
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197 Allah says, “If anyone of you desires to save himself from the fire of Gehenna, he should keep himself in such a way that whenever and wherever the death approaches, he shall be invoking, ‘There is no god except Allah,’ and have good expectations from Him.” Allah says, “My friends are under the veil of My mercy which nobody knows except Me, but My friends know it.” (Hajveri) There is only one way to win honour in the sight of Allah, and that is, you should not think yourself to be honourable in your own eyes. (Ghazali) Allah says, “If a man fears Me in the world, then I will protect him from the fear in the Hereafter.” (Ghazali) Whoso fears Allah, the whole world fears him and whoso does not fear Allah, he fears everything. (Ghazali) I am the most God conscious but I swear by Allah, I fear Allah more than anyone of you. (Ghazali) The rank equal to martyrs, without being martyred, can be achieved by the one who remembers death twenty times a day. (Ghazali)
Allah says, “My beloved servants are extremely impatient to meet Me and I am very eager to meet them too.” (Ghazali) The greatest way to Paradise is to be content with the decree of Allah. (Ghazali) Do not envy the riches of wicked ones, because you do not know what vengeance they are going to beget, and for them Allah has a killer which will not let them die, and that killer is the fire of Gehenna. (Mishkat) Remember the death frequently, because this not only makes you pious, but is also a penitence for your sins, (Ghazali) The greatness in the world and the honour in the Hereafter belongs to those who remember death frequently, and impatiently endeavour to collect the goods for the life hereafter in this world. (Ghazali)
Tell me truly! Is this death not destined for you too? Are not those biers, which people carry over their shoulders, are of those passengers who will never return? Will not all those accompanying them, after they come back from their burial into
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(Ghazali)
198 dust, start eating their hereditary estate themselves, and then forget this inevitable truth that they are also the travellers of the same destination? When you get up in morning, do not think that you will live till the evening, and in the evening do not think that you will get up alive in the morning. O people! If you are intelligent then think that you are one of the dead ones because I swear by Allah in Whose hand is my soul, whatever covenant He has made with you, it will surely be fulfilled, and you cannot escape it anyway. (Ghazali) Death is a bridge which brings about the union of a friend to his friend (Allah). (Anees-al-Waazeen)
Allah is a friend of the pious people.
(Al-Quran)
The acts of a man of Paradise, are like the one who climbs over a hill through a difficult route, and the acts of a man of Gehenna, are like the one who comes down the hill by an easy route. (Nehjal Fasahat) Every stone and every tree manifests the greatness and the powers of Allah, so adore Allah at every place. Those people who say prayers, keep fasts, and give charity, should not put their trust in them because there is none whom only his deeds can save but Allah’s Mercy and Grace. (Mishkat) Those sins which you think to be minor should also be avoided. (Mishkat, Tirmzi) I have not seen a more horrible thing than Gehenna but those who ought to escape it are asleep. And I have not seen anything as beautiful and wonderful as Paradise, but those who ought to seek it are asleep. The things which I see, you people cannot comprehend; what I hear, you people cannot perceive; the heaven raises a voice and it has the right to raise voice, I swear by Allah in whose possession is my soul, there is not even a space of four fingers in the heaven where angels are not prostrating before Allah; if you had known what I know, then you will laugh less but weep more; nor will you get joy from women on beds, instead you will run to the wilderness, wailing and lamenting. (Tirmzi, Mishkat)
A person who fears an enemy in the late hours of night will run for safety at the earliest hours of the night; and whoso runs in the early hours of the night reaches a safe destination. Beware! The possessions of Allah are very valuable. Beware! The possession of Allah is Paradise. (Mishkat, Tirmzi)
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199 Among those who fight Holy Wars, say prayers, or keep fasts, or perform pilgrimage, or give charity, the highest rank is for him who remembers Allah the most. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Baheeqi)
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Chapter Twenty Two
TREATMENT OF ANIMALS There is a reward for bidding good to the animals and every living thing. (Bokhari) There is a reward for treating a stray camel nicely, or a thirsty living creature, and any living thing. It is a great sin to kill an animal without a reason. (Mishkat) Do not slap on the face of animals, nor hit there with a whip, nor make a scar on their faces. (Muslim) Do not make animals fight with one another; they are pained by the injury uselessly. (Tirmzi, Dawood) Do not tease small birds by catching their little ones and let the birds rest peacefully in their nests; do not remove eggs from their nests and thus make them upset and troubled. (Mishkat, Dawood)
Do not kill an ant, a honey bee, a woodpecker and a sparrow (other similar harmless living creatures too). (Mishkat) When traveling, be considerate for the rest and the comfort of the animals; do not rest over them nor perform jobs while sitting over them because Allah has given these animals in your possession solely for the reason that they may carry you to a place where you could reach only after great hardships, and the land has been created to perform jobs over it. When you want to say a prayer, put aside the luggage during that time. (Mishkat) Be kind and merciful upon these poor, dumb animals, and fear Allah. Ride over them only when they are fit for riding and leave them to rest while they are not yet very tired. (Mishkat, Dawood) When you travel at a time, when verdure is there, then let the camels (or other animals for riding) benefit from it and when you travel during a famine, then make them travel fast (to reach early at the destination where comforts are available). (Mishkat) Cursed is the one who inflicts injury to an animal.
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201 (Bokhari, Muslim)
Cursed is the one who cuts away the parts of the body of a living animal. (Mishkat) Do not eat anything by cutting a part from a living animal, it is like a dead animal’s meat. (Mishkat) Do not kill small birds purposelessly. Set free the offsprings of the sparrows (if you have caught). (Mishkat, Ahmed, Nisai, Darmi)
Do not hit any animal after tying.
(Tirmzi, Mishkat)
It is rightful to keep a dog for the protection of domestic animals, or for the protection of fields, but if a person keeps just for fun then a reward equal to one carat is deducted from his account every day. (Bokhari, Muslim)
I was shown an incidence of the life hereafter that a women was tormented for the sake of a cat; she tied the cat and did not give anything to eat nor set it free to eat till it died. (Muslim,. Mishkat) A prostitute was pardoned (i.e. entered into Paradise) who passed through a road and saw a dog near a well with its tongue out due to thirst, and was near to death; she took out her socks and tied it to her shawl, and took out water for the dog. (Bokhari, Muslim) I forewarn you, I have been revealed the Quran and also other commandments like the Quran; be aware, a time will come when a well to do (bellyful) man, sitting on his chair will say, “Only the Quran is sufficient for you; whatever is sanctioned in it consider it lawful and whatever is forbidden in it consider it as unlawful,” though my commandment to forbid anything is as good as forbidden by Allah. _________
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Chapter Twenty Three
LIFE AFTER DEATH O people! What do you rely on while sitting idle and what is it that you are waiting for? By Allah, this world will pass away as if it never existed; and the life hereafter, which is your destination is eternal, so make preparations here for migration over there and prepare the things for use therein; remember that, whatever you send forward for the life hereafter, you will certainly get a reward for it, but whatever you leave behind, you will be sorry for it. (Al-Bayan Wan Nabiyeen)
This is a dreadful news which you people do not believe, by Allah there is no doubt in the coming of the doomsday. (Al-Quran) DEATH OF A TRUE BELIEVER When a man is near death, angels appear before him; if he is a pious man, the angels of mercy appear with coffin of white silk cloth, their faces glittering like sun. They bring with them the perfumes of Paradise, and they sit around him to the limit of the sight, then the angel of death says, “O innocent soul! Come out of body, that you have been praised by Allah and His creation, congratulation to you for the eternal peace and the pure food of Paradise, and the meeting with Allah Who is pleased with you; these angels utter this repeatedly to the man at the death bed till the soul comes out of the body happily; its odour is like the musk, the best one on earth, and the soul comes out just like a drop of water comes out from the water-skin; the angel of death receives this soul and then other angels take the soul from the angel of death in a twinkling of an eye, and put the soul in the coffin and the perfume which they had brought. Then the angels ascend to the heaven, and whenever they pass by any group of angels, each group asks, “Who is this noble soul?” The angels carrying the soul say that the holy soul is of such and such man, son of so and so, and then they pronounce for the soul the best honorific names which are ever addressed for anyone, till the angels reach the heaven and there they get opened for him, the gate of the heaven.
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203 The gate-keeper asks. “Who is he? What a nice perfume he has brought!” The angels reply that he is such and such a man. The gate-keeper says, “Welcome O innocent soul of a chaste body. Enter into the heaven that you are praised, and congratulations to you for the comfort, the sustenance of Paradise and the pleasure of Allah.” This is said repeatedly till the soul reaches the heaven where there is a special favour of Allah. (Ahmed, Mishkat, Dawood, Muslim) It happens likewise at the gates of all the heavens, and the gates are opened and the angels of each heaven accompany upto the next heaven, till the soul reaches the seventh heaven. Then Allah says, “Keep the record of deeds of My man in the place of the holiest, and take back the soul to the earth. I have created the bodies from the earth and from there I will raise again.” (Mishkat, Ahmed)
Angels take the soul to the souls of the true believers. The souls of the true believers become extremely happy just like anyone of you is happy when his close relative comes back from a journey or a lost kin is found. Then the souls of the true believers enquire, “What are the affairs of such and such person? How is he?” The souls of the believers say among themselves, “Leave him because he was a prisoner of the worries of the world,” Then the soul asks, “Such and such man died. Has he not come to you?” They reply, “The angels have taken him to his mother (Gehenna),” After that, the soul is put back into his body. (Mishkat) Then two angels appear and ask the question, “Who is your God? What is your religion?” He replies, “My. God is Allah and my religion is Islam.” Then the angels ask “What is your faith about Muhammad?” He replies, “He is a messenger of Allah and he brought the true religion for us.” The angels ask again, “Who told you all these things?” He replies, “I studied the Quran, I have a faith in it and I believe it to be true.” (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Dawood) A virtuous man is surrounded in the grave by his good deeds such as acts of prayers, fastings, almsgiving, charity, pilgrimage and acts of struggle in Allah’s way; when the angels of torture proceed towards his feet, the prayers speak, “Keep away from him because this man used to stand for the sake of Allah.” Then the angels proceed towards his head, the fasts speak, “I will not let you come this way because this man suffered hunger and thirst for the sake of Allah.” Then the angels proceed towards his body, the pilgrimage and the acts of struggle in Allah’s way speak, “Keep away from here because this body has suffered a lot of hardships for pilgrimage and fought Holy Wars, so you will not
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204 find a way from this side.” Then the angels proceed towards the hands, the alms and the charity speak, “Leave this nice man because he gave lot of alms and charity with these hands which Allah accepted, and it was given for the sake of His pleasure only, so you will not find a way from here.” There comes a voice (of Allah), “My man is righteous, lay for him a bed of Paradise, and dress him with the garments of Paradise, and open for him a window toward Paradise.” So a window is opened, and from it enters the air of Paradise and the perfume; and the grave is made as spacious as far an eye can see. (Mishkat, Ghazali) Then a handsome man well-perfumed appears to him, wearing elegant dress and addresses him, “Congratulation to you for the thing which will please you (i.e. Paradise), and this is the Day which you were promised.” The deceased person asks, “Who are you O handsome and graceful man? You have brought blessings and given happy news.” He replies, “I am your good deeds.” When a deceased person hears this, he says, “O my Lord! May the Day of Resurrection come early, so that I may return to my people and my belongings (reward, Paradise).” (Ahmed, Mishkat) DEATH OF A NONBELIEVER: When an infidel or a disbeliever is at the point of death, the dark-faced angels of torture appear to him; they bring rags with them and sit around him as far as eye can see. Then the angel of death appears and sits down beside his head and says. “O wicked, wretched, dirty soul in the body! Come out and proceed towards the wrath of Allah, such that you have been proclaimed mischievous and wicked, and there is news for you for hot water of Gehenna, and of pus, and torments of Allah.” The angels repeat the words repeatedly, while the angel of death pulls out the soul from the body painfully, and succeeds in pulling out the soul, and in a twinkle of an eye, other angels who are accompanying him snatch the soul from the angel of death; and a bad smell comes out of the soul which is worser than the worst smell of a dead body anywhere in the world. Then the angels carry the soul to the heaven. As they pass along the groups of angels, they ask, “Whose dirty, unclean soul is this?” The angels reply that this is soul of such and such person, son of such and such man and then they introduce the soul with the worst names which are ever addressed for someone in the world, till they reach the heaven and there they make a request for opening of the of heaven, but the gate is not opened. Allah orders, “Place the record of deeds of this fellow where the records of cursed ones are placed.” (Ahmed, Mishkat)
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205 Then the soul is put back into the body. Two angels appear and make him sit and put question, “Who is your Lord.” He shouts and cries loudly and says, “I do not know.” Then he is asked, “What is your religion?” He again shouts and says, “I do not know;” again he is asked, “Who was that man (Muhammad, peace be upon, him) who was sent among you?” Again he shouts and replies, “I do not know.” Then a voice comes (from Allah), “This man is a liar, prepare for him a floor of Fire, and open for him a door towards Gehenna.” So a door is opened towards Gehenna; the heat and the hot air of Gehenna comes; and the grave is squeezed for him so much so that his ribs are crushed together. (Ahmed, Dawood, Mishkat) Then an ugly man with dirty clothes and horrible smell appears to him and says, “I congratulate you for the things which you will shortly come across (Gehenna), and this is the Day which you were promised.” The deceased man asks, “Who are you?” You are an ugly horrible person, bringing bad news.” He replies, “I am your bad deeds.” On hearing this, the deceased says, “O Allah! The Day of Resurrection may never come.” (Ahmed, Mishkat) When the corpse is being tormented, the neighbouring corpses say to the corpse, “O the one, left behind by the beloved ones and the neighbours! Did not you get warning and learnt a lesson from our end? Did not it ever occurred to you what happened to us? Our actions ceased with our death, but you had an ample time (to learn and act rightfully), then why did not you safeguard yourself from what was lacking in your beloved ones and kinsmen? (who died earlier).” (Ghazali) When the corpse of a wicked man is laid in the grave, the grave says, “O wretched man! What deceived you from me? Did not you know that I am a place of trial and test? I am a place of darkness! I am a place of loneliness and solitude! I am a residence of the insects! What deceived you from me so that you walked proudly upon me? Now I am a place of torments for you.” If the corpse is of a good man, then a reply comes on his behalf, “Do not you know that this man used to preach the people to bid good and forbid evil.” (Ghazali) A dead man is like a person who is drowning and trying his best to save himself; so a dead man anxiously awaits for the prayers of his wife and children and friends because the prayers of these living people reach him like the mountains of Noor (the divine light; and are presented to him in a tray of light and he is
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206 told that this is a gift from such and such person, and he is pleased with it just like the living people are pleased on receiving the gifts. (Ghazali, Mishkat)
My followers will mostly suffer during their grave lives and a long stay in the graves will purify them from their sins. (Hujjatultah al-Baligha)
O people of graves! Salaam and the blessings be upon you; Allah may forgive us and you too, you have departed before us and we too will follow you very soon. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter; if this stage is passed with ease and without much difficulty, then all the next stages will be easy, but if this stage is difficult, then all the next stages will be difficult too. (Mishkat, Tirmzi, Maja) Verily, people are asleep, they will wake when they die. (Khutbat Nabwi)
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Chapter Twenty Four
DOOMSDAY AND RESURRECTION O people! Beware of the wrath of Allah, truly, the quake of the Doomsday is an extremely terrible reality; when every feeding mother will forget her breasting child, every pregnant women will have a miscarriage, people would look giddy though they will not be drunk, the torments would be really that grave. (Al-Quran) Fear the Day when the earth and the heaven will be completely changed altogether. This is a very terrible and a frightening news which you people do not believe, by Allah, this is all true, when the siren will be blown (on the Doomsday) then the land and the mountains will shake, mountains will become like the heaps of sand, the land will crack down into pieces with repeated jostles and shocks. There will be a big knock, you just cannot imagine what a loud knock that would be! The land and the mountains will be battered to pieces with just one blow, the mountains will become as if carded and will look like colourful carded wool, and the mountains will fly like clouds, the seas will be on fire, the moon will be eclipsed, the sun will become dark, the stars will fade out, the sun and the moon will join together as one, the stars will fall apart, the heaven will be opened and become like a red skin, and will be like molten silver, and the heaven will be folded just like papers are folded in a scroll. (Reconstructed from Al-Quran)
This is the message of Allah, “The one who disbelieves, the example of his deeds is like a thirsty person in a wilderness who thinks a mirage as water and goes there but finds there nothing.� (Al-Quran)
Majority of people are such that they believe in Allah but are polytheist. (Al-Quran) Has not the time arrived for the believers that their hearts should melt with the remembrance of Allah and by the one revealed from Allah (the Quran). (Al-Quran)
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Do not be like those people of the Book who were given the Book prior to you, but after a long time passed over them, their hearts became hard and now they are evildoers. (Al-Quran) Those people who are nonbelievers, for them is Gehenna where neither they will have a death nor the chastisement of Gehenna will ever be lightened; and I (Allah) will put every ungrateful person into such a chastisement; and they will repeatedly shout in Gehenna, “O our Lord! Take us out, we will bid good in future and would not do the like we did in the past.” Then a reply will come from Allah, “Were not you given enough time in life to think if you really wanted to think, I also sent you a Warner Muhammad, peace be upon him). Now face it, there will be no helper for the ungrateful people.” (Al-Quran) When these people are told, “There is none worthy of worship except Allah,” they reply proudly, “Shall we leave our idols just by the saying of a mad poet?” (Al-Quran) This Prophet of Mine (Muhammad peace be upon him) has come with a true message and he confirms all the prophets to be true and verily, you will face a very terrible chastisement. (Al-Quran) Will you not believe in the Day which will change a child look like an old man, when the eyes will become like a stone, there will be just one utterance of Mine with rebuke and immediately everyone will be watching with one’s own eyes and the people will come out of the graves to appear before their Lord and will say in anxiety, “Oh! Who has raised us from our resting place? This is the same hour which Allah the Beneficent had promised, the words of the prophets were true.” (Al-Quran) When the people will come out of the graves, they will rush as if they had already known their places (where to stand). (Al-Quran)
The people will walk like scattered moths with naked feet and naked body; and with everyone, there will be one driver and one witness (angels). (Al-Quran) First of all, my grave will be opened and I will come out first of all the mankind, I will be raised among the multitude of the angels and the angels will carry me to Allah like a bride is carried to a bridegroom and I will be made to stand near the throne of Allah where none will stand, and everyone whatsoever will envy me for this great honour, and Allah will dress me with a green dress; and I will be holding the flag of praise (Lo-alhamd)
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209 and all the prophets and the virtuous people will stand under this flag. (Muslim, Tirmzi)
Allah will say to the people, “O men! This is the hour about which you were negligent, now I have raised the curtain which was upon you, do you see it clearly now?” (Al-Quran) The (new) earth will be like white silver, it will be even, with no building or bend or hillock. All the angels, the genii, the human beings, the satans, the animals will be gathered. There will be a terrible heat with no shade except the shade of the throne of Allah and no one will stand under this shade except the blessed, trusted men. (Bokhari, Muslim, Mishkat) There will be complete darkness all over, and that darkness will be such that no one will be able to see the other; people will perspire perfusely, some will drown in their own sweat upto the ankles, some upto half the legs, some upto half the thigh, some upto the mouth and some will drown completely in it. (Mishkat, Muslim)
No friend will ask the affairs of his intimate friend, though they will recognize each other; every guilty person will wish to give in exchange his offsprings, his wife, his brothers, his most beloved friend in the family who used to protect him, and all the people of the world to save himself from the chastisement. (Al-Quran) On that day, a cloud will appear from the heaven, and the detachments of angels will come down, and all of a sudden in this darkness, Allah will make Himself manifest to the angels, and the Land of Resurrection will brightly shine and glitter with the Noor of Allah, and the darkness will disappear and the Noor of Allah will be everywhere; the angels will be circling the throne of Allah at that time and will be busy in the praise and adoration. (Gilani) Allah will say, “Who is the King today? Allah, the One, the Wrathful One is the King.” (Al-Quran) At that moment, all the creations of Allah will draw up in ranks; the followers of each faith will stand respectfully, and as such they will receive the record of their deeds. The balance of justice for weighing the deeds will be brought there and an angel will hold it and weigh the deeds. Suddenly the curtain of Paradise will be raised and it will draw near to the Land of Resurrection; a wind of Paradise will blow over it and it will scent the Muslims like musk; then the curtain of Gehenna will be raised, and the air and the terrible smoke will spread and only sinners will smell it. (Gilani)
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210 The Lord, Who needs no interpreter, nor a guard, will put question to all the human beings, “Did My Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) came to you with My commandments? Did not I bestow upon you the bounties? So tell Me what deeds have you done?” (Bokhari, Muslim) “Where are those who called themselves kings?”
(Bokhari)
“Where are the tyrants? Where are the haughty ones?” (Muslim)
Each person will look on his right and left in surprise and bewilderment, but he will not see anything. Then he will look in front and there he will see nothing except the fire of Gehenna. So whosoever desires to save himself from the Fire, if he has power to give as charity only one date, he should give it in the way of Allah; who does not have that power, he should give a portion of date in the way of Allah. (Bokhari, Muslim) If he has not that much power even, then he should save himself from the wrath by talking nicely, because every good action will be rewarded from ten to seven hundred times. O people! Whatever is in excess of your need, distribute that among the needy ones. Give a Saa (a measure of grains) or half of it and if this is not possible, then give one or half handful. (Nehjal Fasahat) OF GEHENNA Then Gehenna will be brought close, and will be brought by pulling with a big chain. There will be nineteen caretaker angels over it, and with each caretaker there will be seventy thousand helper angels, and as such Gehenna will be placed between Paradise and the people. Then it will look at the multitude with its eyes up, and it will appear as if it is going to attack the multitude and swallow them; but the caretaker angels will control Gehenna and will keep its chain pulled. If they would not do so, it would swallow all the believers as well as the disbelievers. When Gehenna will see that it has been stopped from attacking the masses, it will start boiling with rage and the fury of its rage will be such that it would appear that it is going to burst; then it will make a shout a second time, and will gnash its teeth with anger. When the people will hear the noise of the gnashing of teeth, they will tremble with fear, and their hearts will be out of control, and their intelligence, and wits will fail them and they will feel giddy. (Gilani, Mishkat, Muslim)
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211 At that moment, Gehenna will make a request to Allah that it should be given the honour to prostrate before Him, Allah will grant permission, and it will prostrate, and will remain such, as long as Allah will wish; then Allah will say, “Get up from prostration.” So it will raise its head obediently and pray, “I praise that Lord Who created me so that He may take His vengeance from disobedient ones, and has created nothing who can take revenge from me. The praise is worthy of the Lord.” Then it will start shouting loudly, so much so that all the holy angels, and the prophets, and the messengers, and all the others, who will be standing there will fall on their knees with fright and none will be left standing. After that Gehenna will shout a second time, so much so that everyone will weep so much that no tear will remain. Then again, Gehenna will shout the third time, so much so that all those human beings and genii, whose good actions equal seventy two prophets will imagine that Gehenna is going to overpower them and they will not escape from it. Then again Gehenna will shout the fourth time; at this stage, everyone will become dumb with fear, and none will be able to speak. At this time the Holy Spirit Gabriel, Michael, Israfiel and Abraham, the friend of Allah, all will be holding the throne of Allah, and will cry, “Save me only save me.” Then the fire of Gehenna will start throwing sparks, whose count will equal the stars in the heaven, and each spark will have the size of a big cloud from the west, and these sparks will shower upon the heads of the people. When the people will be on their knees, Gehenna will be anxious to attack them like a drunken camel; then a voice will call loudly, and all the prophets, the most truthful ones, martyrs and virtuous people will stand up, and then all the creations will be made ready for attendance. (Gilani) Allah will say, “Why does not everyone follow that whom he worshipped?” Then immediately there will appear a Cross for the worshippers of the Cross, and idols will appear for the idolaters, and a fire will appear for (Zoroastrian) fire-worshippers, and all will stand behind the one they worshipped; only Muslims will be left (and also those virtuous ones who believed truly in One God and His Saviour before the advent of Muhammad, peace he upon him). (Bokhari, Muslim, Tirmzi)
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212 OF RECKONING First of all, Allah will ask the account of prayers from the people.
(Gilani)
Allah will put the questions: “Did not I bestow upon you health and quenched your thirst with cold water?” And after reminding other bounties and favours, Allah will put questions: (Tirmzi) “How did you spend your life?” “How did you spend your youth?” “How did you earn your livelihood? And then where did you spend your wealth?” “How did you act after the attainment of knowledge?” (Tirmzi)
Allah will put question to the kings and the rulers (and the rich people), “You were caretaker of My treasures, then did you keep friendly relations with the needy ones? Did you patronize and nourish the orphans? Did you take out the right (alms) from your riches, which I enjoined upon you?” (Gilani) At that moment a poor neighbour will quarrel with his rich neighbour and will cry to Allah, “O my Lord! Call this man to account and penalize him because he refrained from doing good to me and ask him, why his doors were always closed for me?” (Ghazali)
In the court of Allah, first of all the affairs of the neighbours will be presented. (Mishkat) Then Allah will address to the people and say, “O son of Adam! I was ailing, then why did you not visit me?” Man will reply, “O my Lord! How could I inquire Your health, You Yourself are the Lord and Sustainer of the universe.” Allah will say, “Do you not remember that such and such man of Mine was ailing and you did not visit him; if you had visited him then you would have found Me there.” Then Allah will ask, “O son of Adam! I asked food from you but you did not feed Me.” Man will reply, “O my Lord! How could I feed you; You are the Lord and the Sustainer of the universe.” Allah will say, “Do you not remember that such and such man of Mine came to you to ask for food, but you did not feed him, if you had fed him, you would have found its reward with Me.” Then Allah will say, “O son of Adam! I asked water from you but you did not give Me water.” Man will reply, “O Allah! How
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213 could I give you water, You are the Lord and the Sustainer of the universe.” Allah will say, “Such and such man of Mine asked water from you but you did not give him water, did you not know that if you had given him a drink, then you would have found its reward with Me.” (Muslim) Then Allah will put a question to a man, “At such and such occasion you ought to have spoken the truth, why did you refrain from it?” He will reply, “I feared people.” Allah will say, “You ought to have feared Me the most.” (Tirmzi) Everyone of you is a ruler, and everyone will be asked about those under his rule. A husband is a ruler of his family, and he will be questioned about his subjects. A wife is a ruler of the house of her husband and his children, so she will be questioned about those under her care. A servant (slave) is a caretaker of the property of his master, so he will be questioned about what was entrusted to him. Allah will put question to the rulers, “You were the shepherds of My lambs and the custodians of My treasures of the earth, then why did you award a harsher punishment to the transgressors of My law?” They will reply, “O Allah! We got angry over Your transgressors.” Allah will say, “Is your anger more than My anger?” Then Allah will put question to another group of the rulers, “Why did you punish less severely than what I had ordained?” They will reply, “O Allah! We became compassionate.” Allah will say, “Do you think, you are more compassionate than Me?” (Ghazali) Then Allah will recall to mind His blessings and the bounties to a hypocrite scholar and ask, “How did you thank for My bounties?” He will say, “I acquired the knowledge and taught it to others and I studied the Quran for Your sake.” Allah will say, “You are a liar, you acquired the knowledge so that people should call you a scholar, and you studied the Quran so that people should call you a reciter of the Quran, so were you called both a scholar as well as a reciter.” (Muslim, Gilani) Allah will recall to mind His blessings and bounties to a martyr who fought for fame; he would remember all, then Allah will say, “What did you do to thank My bounties?” He would say, “I fought in Your way till I got martyred.” Allah will say, “You are a
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(Mishkat)
214 liar, you fought so that people should call you a brave man and so were you called.” (Muslim, Gilani) Then a man would be presented, who spent his lawful riches in the wrongful ways, there will an order from Allah to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a second person will be presented, who spent his unlawful riches in the wrongful ways. There will be an order to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a third person will be presented, who spent his unlawful earnings in the lawful ways, there will be an order to put him straight into Gehenna. Then a fourth person will be presented, who spent his lawful earnings in the lawful ways; there will be an order to stop him, may be he had made some lapses in his earnings, or cleanliness, or prostrating before Allah, or in saying his prayers at its ordained times. That man will reply, “O Allah! I earned lawfully, I spent in the rightful place according to the need and made no error or lapses in the performance of the commandments, and also that, I was never proud and haughty over my riches.” Allah will say, “May be you showed yourself to be magnificent and dignified by the show of grand ride and splendid dress, or may be you did not ride with humility and meekness?” The man will say, “O Allah! I never even showed such a distinctive act.” Then Allah will say, “May be you did not give full right to an orphan or a needy or a neighbour?” He will say, “O Allah! I never even made any mistake or lapses in this regard too.” Then many people will gather around this man and say, “O Allah! Demand our rights from this man.” He will answer each one for the objections and if found innocent in every respect, then Allah will say, “Stop! Tell if you thanked for each morsel from My provisions which I bestowed upon you?” (Ghazali) A murdered man will come forward, holding the forehead and hair of his killer and will cry to Allah, “O my Lord! This man killed me.” The first decisions will be about the matters of murders. (Nisai, Tirmzi, Maja)
A worker will appear before Allah and will complain to Allah about the injustice of his employer, Allah will be a solicitor on his behalf. (Bokhari, Muslim) Scholars who were jealous, will not be reckoned on the Day of Judgment, and they will be put straight into Gehenna. (Because in spite of knowledge, they interpret and interpolate scriptures out of jealousy to earn fame and riches defying the decree of God). (Ghazali)
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215 Those people who, throughout their lives, envied everything in the world, will be sent straight into Gehenna (i.e. they were never content). (Gilani) Those rich people who were proud and haughty over their riches, will be sent to Gehenna due to their sins, without any reckoning. (Ghazali) Those rulers and rich people, who oppressed the people, will be sent straight into Gehenna due to their sins, without reckoning. On the Day of Judgment, a voice will call, “Where are the tyrants and the oppressors? Where are those who made pen for the oppressors? Where are those who made ink for the oppressors? Collect all their helpers too and put them into the box of Fire.� The angels will search for those people with great fury. (Ghazali) Those men who performed unnatural acts with women or men; all their good actions will be destroyed and they will be sent straight into Gehenna. Dishonest businessmen will be sent into Gehenna without reckoning due to their sins. (Ghazali) On the Day of Judgment, there will be no shade except the shade of throne of Allah, the people whom Allah will give place under His shade are the just rulers; the ones who spent their youth for the worship of Allah; the ones who found the peace of heart nowhere except mosques; those who did remembrance of Allah in secrecy and their eyes flowed with tears by His remembrance; those who loved each other just for the sake of Allah; the one whom a beautiful woman of high status invited for adultery but the man refused, saying that he feared Allah (also a person who refrained from adultery in spite of power due to the fear of Allah); the one who gave charity so that his left hand did not know what his right hand had given; those who proceeded to the mosques in the darkness of night; those who performed ablution even if it was hard for them; those who fed the hungry ones. (Mishkat, Gilani, Ghazali) On the Day of Judgment, the prayers and charity will become a shade over a man to save him from the terrible heat. The worshippers will be given beautiful garments and decorated jewelled crowns over their heads, and the prayers will become a light in their front and back in the darkness. On the Day of Judgment, when there will be complete darkness, every Muslim will be bestowed upon a divine light according to his good deeds;
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216 the divine light will move to his right and in front, but the nonbelievers (i.e. non-Muslim, disbelievers in Muhammad, peace be upon him) will see darkness everywhere and they will be blind. (Mishkat, Gilani)
The parents of the bearers of the Quran will be given crowns whose light will be more dazzling than the sun, and the bearer of the Quran will have even a higher status. (Ahmed) The face of a person, who endeavours for lawful livelihood so as to save himself from begging, to spend on his household, and neighbours, will shine like a full moon. (Gilani, Abu Naeem, Mishkat) A teacher of knowledge will come to the court of Allah like a king and Allah will say to him, “I did not put My knowledge in you so as to put you under My wrath, but you are like My holy angels. You may intercede, and I will accept your intercession.� (Ghazali) The obedients of Allah and their parents will be placed in the rank of the holiest. (Ghazali) Those who console people, in their time of distress, will be given a dress of greatness. (Mishkat) Those who wore simple dresses due to humbleness, in spite of having the means, will be given the dress of greatness and holiness. Muslims will be called, on the Day of Judgment, as the people with shining foreheads and white-limbed; this shine and whiteness will be due to ablution. (Bokhari, Muslim) The people who kept fast will have a shining divine light in their eyes. The people who did not rely on magic words, and did not believe in augury, but put faith unconditionally in Allah, will be sent straight into Paradise without any reckoning. Those people who always praised and thanked Allah when they received anything or lost anything, will be the first ones to enter into Paradise. Those people who loved Allah regardless of the worldly gains, will be placed on the pulpits of divine light with their faces glittering. (Muslim, Tirmzi, Hajveri) Those people who were exceedingly good and leaders in the performance of good deeds will be sent to Paradise without reckoning.
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217 Those who exercised forbearance in the time of adversity will be asked no account of their deeds. Those who woke up at night for prayer (i.e. Tahajjud), will be sent to Paradise without any reckoning. (Baheeqi) O people! If you have done any wrong to your Muslim brother, you should ask for forgiveness from him today, otherwise on the Day of Judgment, the good rewards of a wrongdoer will be given to the wronged one, and if the wrongdoer will not have any good reward left, demerits of the wronged one will be transferred to the wrongdoer. (Bokhari) The people who kept fasts will get their rewards, and the pilgrims will get their rewards, and the holy warriors will get their rewards; and then the afflicted people will be presented but for them there will be no weighing of balance nor their deeds will be reckoned, but they will be given such rewards that those who lived a life of comfort would cry, “Would that we were in their places (in the world).” (Tirmzi) Allah will adduce an argument (an example for criteria for judgment) from four persons, for four groups of people; the rich people will be argued (judged) by prophet Soloman, the servants will be argued by prophet Joseph, the ailing people will be argued by prophet Job, and the poor people will be argued by prophet Jesus. (Ibn Hajar) On the Day of Judgment when a poor Muslim will be presented before Allah, Allah will apologize to him just like men apologize to each other and He Will say, “O My man! I kept the world away from you not so that I wanted to disgrace or humiliate you but I wanted to raise your status in My court and award you the robe of honour, now you are given authority to go into the ranks of the people, and all those who offered you something to eat and drink in My name, hold their hands and I give their fate in your hands.” Then, on that day, when all the people will be drenched in their sweat, these Muslims will enter into their ranks and search out all those who were kind to them in the world. (Ghazali)
After the reckoning, all people will be presented, and then the souls and the bodies will struggle with each other, but ultimately the bodies will overpower the soul. (So every soul will have a divine body, not like this world’s but in its likeness). (Gilani)
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ENTRY OF NON-MUSLIMS AND SINNERS INTO GEHENNA Then again a third time, the people will be presented before the Lord, then the results of their deeds will come flying in their hands. Few people will receive the award in their right hand (the fortunate ones), while some will receive the award in their left hand (the sinners) and others will receive from behind (infidels and enemies of Muhammad, peace be upon him). Those people who will receive the award in their left hand or from behind, their faces will become dark, and their eyes will become blue, their chests will burn, their bodies will be swollen, their skins will be inflamed; these people will pray death for themselves. When these people will see the awards and the sins mentioned therein, they will come to know that all their sins, big or small, are mentioned in it; then their hearts will be darkened (sink with grievance) and they will be overwhelmed with apprehensions and their fear will be at peak; these people will be in a disgraceful position, their eyes will be dazed, their necks will be low, they will look at the Fire in bewilderment, but they will not be able to turn away their eyes from the Fire, because a great calamity will be imminent, so they will stare with a fixed look. At that moment, these people will admit that they are really the slaves of Allah only; and they will confess their sins, and this confession will make them deserving that their objections be overruled, and thus will become deserving for the damnation; they will not be able to raise voices due to fright, and all the relations between them will come to naught, and no one will care for his kinsmen, nor will ask their affairs. (Gilani) When the people will be in such a state, Allah will order the caretaker of Gehenna and his helper angels, “Come out of Gehenna with your weapons, the chains, the yokes, the whips, the teeth of those angels will be protruding out, their eyes will be glowing like live coal, their colour will be like the flames of fire, smoke and flames will come out of their nostrils. When these wretched people will see the chains, the yokes and the whips, they will bite their hands in despair, and chew their fingers, and cry for their death, and the tears will come out of their eyes, their hands and feet will tremble. They will have no hope at. all. Then Allah will order, “Catch hold of these reprobates, put yokes in their necks and push them into Gehenna.� And then they will be stringed in a chain, seventy hands long, because they
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219 did not believe in the Greatest Lord, and did not persuade others to feed the hungry. On hearing this order, seventy angels will rush, and catch hold of the damned people; and will fasten them firmly with strong chains; and will put heavy yokes around their necks; and will put chains in their nostrils; and will pull their hair on their foreheads; and will gather them by dragging; and will pull their legs from behind with such a fury that their backbones will break; and their necks will be inflamed, and the flesh of their necks will burn; and the flesh of the veins will fall apart; and by the heat of yokes of fire in their needs, their brains will start boiling, and the brains will melt away, and come out of the body, and flow down to their feet; their skins will not and fall down; their bodies will be beaten black and blue, and will suppurate, and pus will come out of them; their ears will burn down, and the lips will be cut; and these people will make so much hue and cry that their tongues and teeth will come out of their mouth; flames will come out of those yokes, and its heat will penetrate their veins, muscles, and blood; these yokes will be hollow and there will be a fire burning within them, the heat of it will reach the heart and will burn its covering. Then Allah will order the angels of Gehenna, “Dress these people with the garments of Gehenna.” Immediately after the order, the angels will appear with the garments of Gehenna, and will dress them with these. These clothes will be black, smelling horribly, very coarse and pricking; they will be so hot that if they were placed on a mountain of this world, it will melt right away. (Gilani)
Allah will order the treasurer of Gehenna, “Carry them to their respective place of residence.” Then more chains will be brought for them, longer and thicker than the previous ones, and each angel will be holding one chain, and will fasten firmly with it each group of people (people whose crimes are of similar nature), and one end of the chain will be rolled around the neck of the angel; and the angel will turn his back towards the damned people, and then will start marching towards Gehenna with the damned people being dragged behind. The damned people will drag behind him with their faces down on account of their crimes; there will be seventy thousand angels following each group of people, and these angels will have iron whips with which they will go on beating them, till they reach at the gate of Gehenna. The angels will stop them there and say, “This is the same fire which you people denied in the world. Now tell, is it a magic? Do you see
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220 it now or not? Now you will enter in this fire and get punished for your deeds. Whether you show forbearance or not, you will have to suffer chastisement for your deeds.� When these people will be standing at the gate of Gehenna, the gates of Gehenna will be opened, and the curtain will be raised from it; Gehenna will start boiling with rage and its flames will rise high, and a very terrible smoke will come out of it, and the sparks of fire will come out of the flames, whose number will be equal to the stars of the heaven, and those sparks will rise up, showering fire over them, as high as the distance of one year, and will then fall back on the heads of those damned ones as a heavy shower; this will burn all their hair, and their skulls will become visible. The Gehenna will call out loudly to the damned people, O damned people! Come to me, O damned people! Come to me now, I swear by the honour of Allah that I will take full revenge from you I praise and adore the Lord Almighty, Who has created me so furious and wrathful and has made me His medium to take revenge from His disbelievers. O Allah! Increase my heat and make it even hotter, and increase my burning power.� Then the angels will come out of Gehenna and will take hold of these people, group after group, and then throw them into Gehenna headlong; they will fall down into the depth of Gehenna till their heads strike the mountains of Gehenna violently, and then they will fall away to a distance of seventy years; during this interval, their skin will be changed seventy times. The first thing which they will eat on the mountain of Gehenna will be thorny cactus, very bitter and hot; when they will be still chewing these morsels, the angels of chastisement will appear holding iron whips in their hands, and will start whipping; their bones will break due to violence, and they will not be able to swallow and this morsel along with heart will choke the throat; they will cry due to suffocation, and will cry for water. There are rivers and streams of water in the mountain valleys, their water falls into Gehenna. In such a state, all the damned people will rush to these streams, and will fall down headlong into them due to extreme thirst; and when they will drink water, it will be so hot that the skin of their face will melt and fall down into the stream, they will not be able to drink it. At last, when they will drink water and this will reach the intestines of the damned people, it will cut it down, the intestine will melt due to its heat, and will
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221 come out flowing from the back part; and whatever water will be left behind it will penetrate into veins, and will burn down their flesh, and will also breakdown and melt the bones too; pus will come out; their bodies will be full of worms; the worms will eat the body and become fat like an ass. These worms will have nails like eagles and vultures, and these nails will pierce into the skin and flesh easily, and will cut it, and their bodies will be wounded, and pus will ooze out of it; their eyes will come out and hang over the cheeks. Then they will be imprisoned with the Satan and the false gods whom they used to worship and seek help in a closed chamber. At that moment, they will pray, “O Lord! Kill us.” Then Allah will order, “Bring their treasures, and heat it in the fire of Gehenna.” The treasures will be brought and heated in the fire of Gehenna, and then their foreheads and sides will be burnt with it, and these hot treasures (in a form of slabs) will be placed over their backs, and these will pierce through their backs, and pass to the other side through their stomachs. Their bodies will become enlarged, so that they have more capacity to suffer the chastisement; a man will have a height equal to a distance of one month’s journey. Molten brass will be put on the head of the damned people such that, the flames of fire will be coming out of it. Then angels will drag these damned people headlong over the live coal and stones; these live coals will be sharp and pointed like an arrow, and the angels will carry them to the river of Gehenna as such, and throw them into the river of fire. This river is so deep that no one can measure its depth, and its depth is known only to the One Who created it. When the damned people will undergo this chastisement, they will say that the punishments which they have already suffered are just like a dream compared to this one. After dipping them into the river, angels will throw them while burning, to a distance of seventy kalahs. Then these angels will bring them back, whipping them with the iron whips, and will drown them deep in the river to a distance of seventy years’ journey; during this period they will eat and drink from this river of fire. These people will stay in this river of fire for such period as Allah will desire for them. After this, the river will throw them out on its dry banks. There are seventy thousand caves on its banks, and every cave has seventy thousand fissures, and each fissure has seventy thousand dragons, and each dragon is seventy yards long, and there are seventy wasps in the head of each dragon, and each wasp has a mound of poison; there are one thousand scorpions in the mouth of
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222 these dragons, there are seventy vertebras at the back of each scorpion, and each vertebra has a mound of poison therein; these dragons and scorpions will fall upon the damned people. There are homes for the damned people in Gehenna according to their deeds; its length and breadth will equal to the fire lighted for them, and they will be tormented according to the size of their homes; some people will be tormented while lying flat, some while sitting, some while sitting on knees, some while standing, some while lying down over their bellies. One day, the damned people will gather at the bottom of Gehenna, except this occasion they will never gather again, and they will counsel among themselves. The weak and helpless people (of this world who blindly followed their wicked priests) will say to the haughty people, “.We were your followers and subordinates in the world, can you request Allah to lighten our torments?” (This is a good advice and a warning for those nonMuslims who follow their religious leaders blindly, and do not use their own conscience and sense and study religion themselves, but depend on their greedy priests). The haughty damned people will reply, “We are ourselves arrested in our troubles; what Allah commanded to His men through Muhammad (peace be upon him) was absolutely right (so we are helpless).” Then the weak and helpless people will pray, “O Lord! Please chastise them double than the chastisement what we are getting, and curse them exceedingly; because of them, we are suffering now.” The haughty damned leaders will reply, “If Allah had shown us the true path, then we would have shown you the same.” The weak people will say, “You are liars. You tricked and deceived days and nights, and also told us to be ungrateful to Allah, and call other gods with Him.” Then the damned people will speak to their nearest Satan and curse him and say, “You misled us and brought us to this wrath.” The Satan will reply loudly, “O damned people! Allah promised you truly and called you to Himself, but you thought His covenant to be false, and you did not pay heed to it; the promise which I made with you was false; and I had no power over you except to invite you to sin, it were you who obeyed me, so it is unjustified to reproach me, do not reproach me but reproach yourselves for your deeds.” At this, the damned people will make a request, “Those who led us astray be brought before us, so that we may crush them with out feet, and make them lowly and disgraced.” (Gilani)
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223 Now these damned people will say to each other, “Let us go to the treasurers of Gehenna, perhaps they can intercede to Allah for us to lighten our torments only for one day.” The treasurers of Gehenna will reply them after seventy years, “Were not the prophets of Allah sent to you?” The damned people will reply, “Yes, they were sent indeed.” The treasurers of Gehenna will say, “We cannot do anything now, you can pray to Allah but the prayers of the ungrateful ones are nothing but vanity.” When these people will come to know that the treasurers of Gehenna cannot help, they will proceed to the chief of the treasurers, who is also the Master of Gehenna; and they will say, “O Master of Gehenna! Please pray to Allah for us that He may grant us death.” The Master of Gehenna will delay in the reply for a time equal to the total life of this earth, and when he will finally reply after that delay, he will say “You will stay here for a long time you will not taste death.’ When the damned people will be in despair by the reply of the Master of Gehenna, they will cry to Allah, “O our Lord! Take us out of Gehenna; if we do any sin again we are surely transgressors, and if we disobey You again, we are wicked indeed.” Allah will not make a reply to them for seventy years, and finally, when He will make a reply after that period, that will be such as people rebuff dogs. “Go away, do not talk to Me.” When they will come to know that even Allah is not willing to show any mercy upon them, they will say to each other, “Whether we weep due to the pains of the torments or keep enduring, it is same now, there is no hope of our escape, there is no one to intercede for us, nor there is any sympathizer.” Immediately afterwards, the angels will catch hold of them and take them to their homes; when they will reach there, their feet will be trembling, no argument will be left, and they will see wrath after wrath which Allah would have decided for them, and they will be in despair from the mercy of Allah, and a great grief and sorrow will overcome, a great disgrace and abjectness will be upon them, and they will be extremely sorry for the time which was lost (in the world), and then they will lower their necks to lift the weight of sins of their own, and of those followers whom they led astray (N.B. a good warning to those non-Muslim religious leaders who led astray the masses willfully knowing the truth, but following wrong presumptions of their own) because there will be no other choice for them; this weight will not be light nor it will ever be lightened.
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The different types of punishments of the damned people number more than the particles of the earth, and the drops of the rivers. The adulterers will be punished by hanging through their hidden parts, and a terrible smell will come out of it, such that it will even make the damned people restless. (Gilani) The joints of the thieves will be cut, one by one, and when all the joints are cut, they will be healed again, and then cut again, and this will happen forever. (Mishkat, Gilani, Tirmzi) The people who drink intoxicated liquor or use other intoxicants will be made to drink the sweat and the pus of the damned people. (Maja, Nisai, Darmi, Muslim, Ahmed, Tirmzi) The people who listen to the secrets of other people will be put molten lead in their ears. The people who look at strange women with lust, molten lead will be put in their eyes. The people who use foul language and talk of obscenity, an extremely bad smell will come out of their mouths, even the damned people will shout due to its severity. (Ghazali) The lips of those preachers will be cut with the scissors of fire, who do not act upon what they preach. (Tirmzi) Those people who give false evidence will be tormented by hanging by their tongues. (Gilani) The tyrants, oppressors, cruel, wicked and proud people will be imprisoned in a box of fire, and locked, and thrown into the worst part of Gehenna. So all the damned people will be given different punishments according to their deeds. (Gilani) Woe be upon those faces! Who do not endure the heat of the sun. Woe be upon those ears! Which get joy by hearing obscene talks and stories. Woe be upon those necks! Which start complaining of pains just by little burden. Woe be upon those skins! Which do not show patience to a coarse dress. Woe be upon those stomachs! Which are not patient over a little pain. Wee be upon those feet! Which will not walk barefooted. (Gilani) I asked Gabriel, “I have never seen angel Michaiel smiling.” Gabriel replied to me, “O Prophet of Allah! Whence Allah created the fire of Gehenna, after that day, he stopped smiling.” (Ghazali)
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225 If a believer had known what chastisement is with Allah, he would never desire for Paradise (but will ask protection from Gehenna) and if an ungrateful nonbeliever had known that how boundless is the mercy and forgiveness of Allah, he would never give up the hope of Paradise. I swear by Allah in whose hand is my soul, if you had seen that scenes which I was shown (about Paradise and Gehenna), you would laugh less and weep more. (Bokhari) If Allah had not created Paradise and Gehenna, no one would have worshipped his Creator. (Gilani) OF MY INTERCESSION On the Day of Judgment, all the believers will gather, and Allah will put it in their heart,’ and they will consult among themselves as to whom they should ask to intercede, so that their grief and dejection may come to an end. The people will first go to Adam, then Abraham, then Moses, everyone will refuse to intercede Saying that they do not have such a power (abbreviated). Then people will go to Jesus, he will say, “Go to Muhammad who is the only Lord’s servant whose all the sins, the first and the last are forgiven.” (i.e. he is sinless). Then people will come to me, I will say, “I can act as intercessor.” Then I will accompany them for intercession, and I will ask permission from Allah; I will be granted the permission, and I will appear before Allah, and when I will see the elegant beauty of Allah, I will immediately prostrate before Him, and will stay as such, as long as Allah will desire so. Then Allah will say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak. Whatever you say, I will listen. Whatever you ask, I will grant. For whomso you intercede for salvation, I will accept.” On hearing this, I will raise my head from prostration, and will praise and adore Allah in such a beautiful manner, which He will Himself put into my mind, then I will say, “O my Lord! Save my followers. O Lord! Save my followers. O Lord! Save my followers.” Allah will make a limit for my intercession; He will order, “All those who said, ‘there is no god besides Allah’ and have faith equal to a grain of barley, be saved from Gehenna.” Then I will come out of the court of the Honourable Lord and will take out all those people from Gehenna, and will enter them into Paradise. Then I will appear again, and on seeing my Master, I will prostrate before Him, and will stay such, as long as Allah will desire. Allah will say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak. Whatever you say, I will listen. Whatever you ask, I will grant. For whomso you
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226 intercede for salvation, I will accept it.” On hearing this, I will raise my head from prostration and will praise and adore Allah in such a beautiful manner which He Himself will put into my mind, then I will say, “O my Lord! Save my followers! O my Lord! Save my followers, O my Lord! Save my followers.” Allah will make a limit of my intercession, He will order, “All those who said ‘there is no god besides Allah’ and they have faith equal to a grain of wheat, be saved from Gehenna.” Then I will come out of the court of the Honorable Lord and will take all those people out of Gehenna, and will enter them into Paradise. Then I will appear for the third time before Allah, and on seeing Him, I will prostrate before Him, and will stay there as long as Allah will desire. Then, Allah will say, “O Muhammad! Raise your head and speak. Whatever you say, I will listen. Whatever you ask, I will grant. For whomso you intercede for salvation, I will accept it”. On hearing this, I will raise my head from prostration, and will praise and adore Allah in such a beautiful manner which He Himself will put into my mind, then I will say, “O Lord! Save my followers. O Lord! Give me the permission to take out those people from Gehenna who only said, ‘there is no god besides Allah’.” Allah will say, You do not have the right to intercede for them. I swear by My Honour, My Glory, My Greatness, My Holiness, and My Exaltedness, that only I will take them out; the angels have interceded, the prophets have interceded, the true believers have interceded, now that One is left Who is the Most Merciful and Compassionate of all.” Then Allah will take out from Gehenna all those people who never committed good deeds (But believed in One God and Muhammad, peace be upon him). (Bokhari, Muslim)
Verily, Allah will not forgive the sin to call associate with Him, (blasphemy, shirk) except this sin, He will forgive every sin whatsoever, for whom He wishes so. (Al-Quran) (N.B. A good warning to the Christians, the Hindus and the Buddhists who worship the Cross, images and make their prophets equal or associate of Allah). Allah has hundred parts of His mercy, and He has kept ninety nine parts for Himself for the Day of Judgment. Can you expect that a mother who dearly loves her child will herself put her child into a fire? Allah is more merciful for His men. (Mishkat)
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227 On the Day of Judgment, Allah will be so merciful and compassionate that no heart can ever guess it, so much so that even Satan will look hopefully at those heights of mercy with his head raised.
(Ghazali)
On the Day of Judgment, Allah will speak to me, “O Muhammad! I delegate all My rights to you, except those rights which one person has against another. So forgive one another and have a joy in Paradise.� (Ghazali) Among my followers, some people will intercede for a group of people, and some will intercede for a tribe, some will intercede for his family and some will intercede for only one person; so ultimately all my followers will enter into Paradise. (Tirmzi) All the prophets of the past have finished their prayers in the world, but I have kept my prayer for the Hereafter for my followers. (Maja) My intercession will be accepted for all those people who had. proclaimed with the sincerity of heart that Allah is One, but not for those who call associates with Allah, (As people call Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary as equal or associates of Allah, or Allah himself or reincarnation of Allah and also make their images for worship). (Ahmed, Tirmzi)
My intercession will be particularly for those who had done deadly sins; and after my intercession, only those will be left in Gehenna for whom the Quran has forbidden (i.e. those who associate with Allah). (Mishkat) These damned people, who will live in Gehenna forever and will neither taste death therein nor will be living (in the real sense), but those people whom the fire of Gehenna will touch due to certain sins, (i.e. sinful Muslims) will become unconscious for sometime, also they will burn, and then I will get permission to save them. The angels will be ordered to take them out; the angels will recognize these believers of One God by the sign that there will be a mark on their forehead due to prostration. Allah has forbidden the fire of Gehenna to touch the part of prostration on the forehead of son of Adam, so fire will not burn it. They will come out in small numbers, and will spread along the stream of life in Paradise; the people of Paradise will be asked to sprinkle water over them; then they will grow as wild seeds grow along the sides of a running water.
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(Bokhari, Muslim)
228 All the prophets, and the scholars with divine knowledge, and the martyrs will have the right to intercede. (Tirmzi) _________
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ENTRY OF MUSLIMS INTO PARADISE I am greater than all the prophets and my followers are better than all other communities. Allah has forbidden the entry of any community into Paradise till the least of my followers enter into it. (Ghazali) There are seven bridges over Gehenna (leading to Paradise); each bridge is at a distance of a journey of seventy years from one another. The breadth of a bridge is like the edge of a sword. (Gilani, Mishkat) When people pass over it, the first group (most virtuous ones) will pass over it in a twinkling of the eyes; the second group will pass over it like a lightning; the third group will pass like a storm; the fourth group will pass like birds; the fifth group will pass with a speed of horse; the sixth group will pass like running of a man; the seventh group will pass like walking of a man. (Muslim, Darmi, Tirmzi, Gilani)
When all will pass, there will be left a man (the least of the blessed people, his experience in Paradise is allegorically narrated by Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the following pages) and he will be asked to pass over the bridge, but he will start trembling, and when he will put his feet on the bridge, his legs will start shaking and he will fall on his knees; he will start crawling on his knees and thus will start to cross the bridge; the sparks from the fire of Gehenna will touch (and burn) his feet and the skin; then he will start moving over his belly, and will stagger while going so; then he will reel and cling to the bridge with his both hands and the fire will even catch his hands too and he will try his best to save himself from it, so he will drag himself over his belly, and will pass over Gehenna as such; and then, he will look back towards Gehenna and say, “Glorified be Allah Who saved me from you, and there is no doubt that the Merciful Allah is Most Gracious and Kind to me, and He has not shown such a kindness to anyone as He has shown to me by saving me from the Bridge of Sirat.� (Gilani) No man will enter into Paradise unless he is shown that place in Gehenna which he would have earned if he were a sinner, so that he becomes more grateful; and no man will be sent into Gehenna unless he is shown the place in Paradise which he would have earned if he were a righteous man so that his despair and sorrow may increase. (Bokhari)
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230 After passing over the Bridge of Sirat, he (the least in the kingdom of heaven, Paradise) will first go to the springs. He will first enter into a spring and take bath. The water of the spring will be more perfumed than musk. He will become young like Jesus, he will become handsome like Joseph son of Jacob. Then he will go to another spring and drink its water, Lord will free his heart from hypocrisy and jealousy, and no anxiety and sorrow will remain, and when he comes out of this spring, his heart will be as pure as the heart of prophet Job (Ayub). (Nehjal Fasahat)
OF POND (HOZ) OF KAUSAR There will be a pond for every prophet, and the prophets will take pride in the number of people who come to their pond. My pond is as wide as the distance from Makkah to Jerusalem, and it’s water is as white as milk, and sweeter than honey, and its goblets will be of gold and silver, and its number will be like the stars in the heaven; the dust of pond is the best musk and its stones are of pearls and ruby; whoso drinks water from my pond only once, he will never feel thirst again. (Muslim, Bokhari, Tirmzi) On my pond, the first one to arrive will be the poor refugees whose hair are unarranged and clothes are unclean. Yes, the same poor refugees whom women of status are not given in marriages, and doors are not opened for them. (Ahmed, Tirmzi, Maja)
I will recognize my followers by the sign that their hands, feet and foreheads will shine due to purification. (Muslim) O people! Prepare yourself with obedience to your Lord and wear upon you the shawl of contentment and always worry about the Hereafter, and you must know that in a short while, you are going to appear before the Lord, and there, nothing will be of help except your actions and you will receive its reward. It may not happen that the pomp and show of the world deprives you from achieving high ranks in Paradise; the curtain over the truth has been raised, and every shadow of doubt has disappeared, and now every person can judge his position very clearly. (Nehjal Fasahat) Allah has prepared for His virtuous people bounties of such a goodness that no eye has even seen anything like that, nor ears have ever heard of it, even it cannot come into imagination. (Bokhari, Muslim)
Then, the breeze of Paradise will blow over the man of Paradise, this will change his face to shine brightly; then the angels will carry him to the gate of Gehenna and will make him
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231 stand there and say, “Stay here till there is an order of the Lord about you.” This man will have a look at Gehenna, and will hear from it voices like the barking of dogs; he will start weeping on hearing it and will say, “O Lord I Please turn my face away from the damned people, after that I will not make any more request.” The same angel will appear from Allah and will turn his face away from Gehenna to Paradise. He will be standing only a step away from the gate of Paradise. He will observe the spaciousness of Paradise, and find his friends standing at it’s gate, the distance from them will be like that of the distance which a fast bird travels in forty years. This man will request Allah, “O Allah! You have been extremely kind to me, that You saved me from Gehenna, and then turned my face away from the damned people towards Paradise and the distance between me and Paradise is only one step. O Allah! For the sake of Your Honour, just take me into Paradise, I will not make any request after that, please just make the gate of Paradise a screen between me and the damned people, so that I may not hear their cries, and may not see them.” The same angel will appear to him from Allah and say, “What a liar you are! Did you not make a request earlier and said that you would not ask anything after that?” The man will say, “I swear by the Greatness of Allah, after this request, I will not make any more request.” Then the angel will hold his hand and take him into the Paradise, and will go back to the Court of Allah, leaving him there. That blessed man will look to his right and left in the Paradise, there will be an open space of one year’s journey. He will see nothing but the trees of fruits, and the distance between him and the trees will be only one step (by heavenly measures); and when he looks at the trees, he will find that its roots are made of gold, and its branches are made of white silver. Its leaves will be like a most beautiful jewellery which any man has ever seen, and its fruit are softer than butter and sweeter than honey and more scented than musk. The blessed man will be bewildered to see all this, and say to Allah, “O my Allah! You saved me from Gehenna and entered me into Paradise and also You have been very kind to me, the distance between this tree and me is only one step, please send me near that tree, then I will not ask anything more after that.” Then again the same angel will appear and say, “You are a big liar; you said it earlier that you will not make any more request, now you are asking for more and this act is against your vow; are you not ashamed of breaking your vow?” Then the angel
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232 will hold his hand and will carry him towards an ordinary house. When the blessed man will have a look at it, it will seem to him as if built of pearls, and it will be at a distance of one year’s journey. When the man will look at this palace in front of him, then he will consider all the things which he had seen earlier as a dream, and will become impatient with fondness. (Muhammad, peace be upon him has adopted a marvous way of explaining the unexplainable by an allegory, to the understanding of human mind, creating suspense in stages). He will say, “O Lord! I will not ask anything more, only take me to this palace. Then an angel among the angels will appear and say: (Even now you are not sticking to your vow. Did you not promise that you will not ask anything more?� But the angel will not blame him realizing that the heart of the blessed man is not in his control and he is not within himself after looking at the wonders. (Gilani) _________
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OF PARADISE Then the angel will say, “This is your palace and you are it’s owner. The blessed man will look here and there, he will think that he is just dreaming, he will keep quiet and will be unable to speak. Then the angel will say, “Do you intend to ask more from Allah?” He will reply, “O my guide! I have vowed to Allah, so I am afraid to ask for more, and I am feeling ashamed.” Allah will say, “Are you satisfied now? I will bestow upon you bounties ten times more than what I created from the creation of the universe to the Day of Destruction.” That man will say, “O my Lord! Why do You joke with me? You are the Sustainer of all the universe.” Allah will say, “I have all the power to do it, ask Me whatever you wish.” The blessed man will say, “O Lord! I only request You to send me among the people.” Then the angel will hold his hand and take him inside the Paradise and there he will see such wonderful things which he had never seen before. On seeing all this, he will prostrate and say, “O Lord! You showed me the light.” An angel will call, “Raise your head, this is your residence and this is the least of all your residences.” Then the man will say, “If Allah had not protected my eyes, I would have become blind by the dazzling light of this palace.” Thereafter he will enter into the palace, and as soon as he enters in it, he will come across a person. When the blessed man will look at his face and his garments, he will become standstill and would think that he is an angel. That person will come to him, and say, “Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you even more, now the time has arrived for you to enter in this palace.” The blessed man will reply the greetings and ask, “O resident of the palace, who are you?” He will reply, “I am a watchman of your palace, and there are thousand other watchmen too, and each one is a watchman of your different palace, and in each palace resides an exquisitely beautiful hourie, your wife and now you are entering your second palace.” Then suddenly, he will pass through his second palace built of white pearls. There will be seventy rooms in that, and each room will have seventy doors, and in each door will stand a dome, formed of pearls. The blessed man will enter this palace and stroll there. No man would have opened this palace before, there he will see a pavilion built of red jewels; its length will be seventy yards, and seventy will be it’s doors, and each door will lead into a room of red jewels, and these rooms will be parallel to its length, and each room will have seventy doors,
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234 and each room is built of red stone of one kind, and in each room will be sitting one of his wives dressed like a bride, sitting on a throne. When he enters the room, he will meet an exquisitely beautiful hourie. She will greet him and he will reply her greetings and then stand there struck with consternation. That woman will’ say to him, “Now the time has arrived when you can see me and enjoy my company, I am your wife.” When he would look at her face, her face will be so clean and pure that he will see the reflection of his own face just like you people see in a mirror. This woman will be wearing seventy garments of Paradise, and each garment will be different in colour and shape, and these garments will be so transparent and glittering that the bone marrow of the hourie will be visible through it. His eyes will be fixed over her, he will not be able to turn away his eyes because there will be thousands of coquetry and marvels in her each splendid manifestation; every hourie will be like this one. (Gilani)
This palace has three hundred and sixty doors and each door has three hundred and sixty palaces of pearls above it, and these are built of pearls, rubies, diamonds and jewels of every sort. So this blessed man (and others of equal rank) will live in such palaces and enjoy himself. When he will come out of his palace, he will be strolling in his own kingdom, and to whatever distance his sight reaches, he will see his own kingdom; the length of this palace is equal to hundred year’s journey. When he arrives at the gate of any of his palaces, the angels will be present, and will give their greetings and deliver a gift from Allah; each angel will hold a gift, and each gift will be different and incomparable; also in the latter hours of the day, the angels will appear daily with gifts. The blessed people of Paradise will call this man as ‘Poor’ and this is because their palaces will be much more in numbers, though this ‘Poor’ blessed man will be having eighty thousand servants just to serve him food. When he will feel it proper to eat, they will bring the food in red ruby trays, each tray will be made of ruby, pearl and emerald, it’s legs will be of pearls and it’s length on one side will be twenty five miles; in these trays there will be different dishes of seventy varieties. When he starts eating, the servants will be in attendance before him, and each servant will stand holding a dish of food, and a cup of a drink. Every dish and cup will have food and drink different in taste and sweetness; and when he takes a morsel, it will have the same taste as the other
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235 morsel had, but the colour and shape will be different. When the food is taken away, the servants will have their share from the food and the drinks. (Gilani) Those people who will have higher ranks than this ‘Poor’ man, will come to visit him, but he will not be able to visit them in turn. All these blessed people of the high ranks will have eight lakh servants to serve them and every one of them will have a dish and a drink, and these foods and drinks will be different; when the food is taken away, the servants will have their share too. Each of the blessed people of the high rank will have seventy hourie and two wives of human kind, and each wife will have a palace built of green stones with decoration of red stones, and each palace will have a dome of pearl, there will be no woman without seventy thousand garments, and each garment will have seventy thousand colours of different shades. (Gilani) Each wife will have seventy thousand maids to serve her, and also seventy thousand will be there for her companionship, none of these maids will be negligent in her duty, and when the food is laid for each wife, seventy thousand maids will be in attendance with dishes of food and the cups of drinks, and these foods will be different from one another. Whenever a person desires to know the affairs of one of his friends with whom he had friendship in the world for the sake of Allah, he will just think in his heart, what are the affairs of my such and such brother, might not be he is dead (damned). Allah will be aware of his desire and He will send a message to the angels and order, “Carry My man for a walk and take him to his brother.” A camel will be brought, and upon this camel will be a packsaddle with a saddle cloth of divine light. The angel will offer greetings to him, and he will make reply to it, then the angel will say, “Come and ride on this camel, and let us go to see your brother.” The blessed man will ride on the camel and will travel a distance of a thousand years’ journey in a time, which you people take to travel one and a half mile on a fast camel. This man will reach his brother and greet him. He will reply back and say ‘welcome’ and ask, “O my brother! Where have you been so long, I was always worried about you.” Then they will embrace each other and say, “Thanks to Allah that He united us together,” and they will praise and glorify Allah in a very melodious voice, which no human being had ever heard. Then Allah will say to them, “O My men! This is not a time to worship, but a time to make requests, if you want to request anything, speak out; whatever you request, I
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236 will fulfil it.” They will reply, “O our Lord! Keep both of us in this rank together.” Allah will accept this request, and He will appoint for them a lounge there, and this will be a. tent of a pearl; and in addition to this, their wives will have a place too, they will eat and drink and be merry together. The ground of Paradise is built of soft white stones like silver, and its dust is musk, and its embankments are of saffron, and its walls are of pearls, ruby, silver and gold, and the walls are so luminous and clear that inside can be seen from outside, and outside can be seen from inside; and all the palaces in Paradise are like that There will be no man in Paradise without a trouser and a shawl; these dresses will be formed without cutting and sewing; and everyone will have a crown of pearls, jewelled with gems, rubies and topaz; and he will have two locks of gold; and there will be a necklace of gold, jewelled with pearls and green ruby; and each man will have in his hand, three bangles, one of gold, second of silver, and third of pearls. The crowns over their heads will have a frill of pearls and ruby hanging below it; upon their garments of Paradise, they will wear a short coat, and over it, there will be another coat of silk, and also nice undercoats. The blessed people will sit on their thrones, resting against the pillows, whose lining will be of brocade, and outer fold will be very beautiful, and decorated with paints. The thrones will be upon the floor, formed of red ruby, and their legs will be of pearls. Upon each throne, will be thousand carpets of seventy colours each, and these colours will be different from one another, and on the right side of the throne, there will be seventy thousand chairs of sandalwood, and same number will be on the left side. In Paradise, a voice will call which will be heard by the blessed people of the high ranks as well as by the lower ranks, it will say, “Are you happy and content now in your residences?” All will reply, “The Kind God has placed us in a very nice and respectful place, we are extremely happy here, and do not wish to go anywhere else nor we request for anything in exchange for it. O God! Whatever the voice has said, we have heard it, the only thing we wish now is that we may see Your divine face, please show us because it is a great honour and also a great favour to see You.” (Gilani)
VISION OF ALLAH The name of the Paradise, where Allah will hold the meeting, and meet the people, is called the House of Peace (Darus
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237 Salaam). Allah will order that place to prepare itself by decorating, and be ready to receive His men. On hearing this order, the Paradise will act upon it and will immediately decorate itself, and finish it’s work. Allah will order the angels, “Call My men to see Me.” On hearing this order, the angels will come out of the court of Allah , and call loudly and melodiously, “O friends of Allah and His beloveds! Come to see the Kind God.” When the blessed people will hear this happy news, each one will ride on his camel, or horse and stand under the shade of the embankments. These embankments are made of white musk and yellow saffron. The blessed people will lower their heads near the gate, and say the greetings, and ask the permission of Allah to enter. The permission will be granted. When they prepare to go in and start going inside, a wind will blow from the base of the throne of the Lord, this is named as Masheera. It will carry mounds of musk, and saffron, and will enter as such, in the breasts and heads of the blessed people. Then the people will look at the throne of Lord, there they will see a dazzling light, and this will be without the manifestation of the Lord. Then the blessed people will say, “O our Merciful Lord! You are sanctified and Lord of angels and spirits, all the honour, greatness and highness are for You alone; give our eyes the power, and manifest Yourself to us.” Then Allah will order, “Raise the curtain of light.” The curtain will be raised; one curtain will be raised after another, and so seventy curtains will be raised, each curtain will be shining seventy times more than the first one; after that Allah will manifest himself to His men. As soon His reflection and splendur reach them, they will all prostrate, and stay as such as long as Allah will wish; they will invoke while prostrated, “You are sanctified; all the praises and glorification and adoration are for You always. You saved us from the fire of Gehenna and entered us into Paradise, and what a nice abode You have bestowed upon us? we are fully pleased, You also be pleased with us.” (Gilani) These people will not speak but will wish in their mind that whatever they have been granted, it should remain with them eternally. Allah will say, “Whatever you have been granted, it is yours forever, and I will increase it too.” When the blessed people hear this, they will raise their heads with a loud praise of Allah, but will not be able to raise their eyes before Allah, because the intensity of the divine light will
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238 glare their eyes. Allah will say, “O My men! O My neighbours! O My chosen ones! Be happy.” There will be pulpits of divine light before the throne of Allah and along these pulpits will be the chairs of divine light; and near these chairs there will be the carpets, and upon these carpets will be large pillows, and before these will be thrones. Allah will say “Come and sit on your anointed seats.” The messengers will come forward and sit on the pulpits (the highest rank) and then prophets will come forward and sit on their own chairs, and then the virtuous people will come forward and sit on the carpets. I will be dressed with a garment from the garments of Paradise, and then, I will stand on the right hand of the throne of Allah; and at this place, nobody among the creations will stand (so Muhammad peace be upon him, will have the highest position after Allah). (Gilani) Then the trays of light will be put before the blessed people; upon every tray will be table cloths of seventy colours, jewelled with pearls and ruby; then Allah will order the divine servants, “Serve food to My guests.” The servants will put dishes, made of pearls and ruby, numbering seventy thousands; each dish will contain a food of seventy varieties. Allah will say, “O My men! Start eating.” All people will start eating, and then say to each other, “What we have been eating in the world is nothing as compared to this food, and that looks like a dream.” Then Allah will order the servants, “Give My guests a drink. The people will say, “Our worldly drinks were nothing as compared to this divine drink.” Then Allah will say, “Serve My guests with the fruits of Paradise.” The blessed people will enjoy and say, “The fruits, which we ate in the world were nothing, as compared to these.” Then Allah will order the servants, “Dress them with the garments of Paradise and ornaments.” On seeing these garments and the ornaments of Paradise, the blessed people will say, “Our wordly dresses and ornaments were nothing as compared to these.” (Gilani) When these people will be sitting on the chairs, Allah will blow a cool breeze coming from the base of His throne; this is named as Masheera; this wind will carry with it musk and camphor and will fill the garments, the breasts and the heads of the blessed people with it. Then Allah will say, “O My chosen people! If you want o ask anything, ask it, I will not hesitate in granting it, I will grant you immediately, and whatever you ask, I will give more than that.” On hearing this, the people will say, “O Lord! We make no request but one that You be happy with us.”
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239 Allah will say, “O My Men! I am pleased with you and you have a faith too that I am free of any need, I do not eat and drink and whatever are human needs, I am above all.” The people will prostrate, and will adore, glorify, and praise Allah loudly. When they are still prostrated, Allah will say, “O My Men! Raise your heads, this is not a time to worship, but a time to rejoice.” The” blessed people will raise their heads; their faces will shine brightly by the reflection of Allah, then Allah will say, “Now you go back to your places.” (Gilani) There are hundred grades in Paradise and each grade has as much distance as the earth is from the heaven. (Tirmzi, Mishkat) The blessed people will eat and drink but they will neither pass out bowels nor urinate, spit, blow their nose, nor they ever will be sick or feel headache. (Bokhari, Muslim) There will be days and nights too in Paradise, but the darkness of night will be seventy times brighter than the day of this world. The blessed people will adore their Creator morning and evening naturally, so likewise act of adoration and glorification will be in built in their minds. (Muslim) People will meet each other and eat together, but no one will feel hunger nor there will be nudity. There will be the palaces and the gardens with four canals of sweet water, milk, honey and the divine drink (non intoxicating liquor). (Tirmzi, Darmi) In Paradise, the lowest man will be such that if all the genii and the mankind were to be his guests, he will have, in his own palace, enough chairs and carpets and pillows for them to sit, and there will be servants, with food and drinks, ready to serve, and he will not face even that much botheration as you people face with the entertainment of a single guest. (Gilani) The stems of the trees of Paradise will be of gold, some stems will be of silver, some of ruby, some of emerald; the branches will be just like the stems, and the leaves will be like very fine clothes which you ever had seen anywhere; the fruits will be softer than butter, sweeter than honey, each tree will be of the length of five hundred miles journey, each tree will have fruits of seventy thousand varieties and will differ in taste and colour. When the blessed people will wish to eat the fruit, they will be
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(Gilani)
240 able to eat in whatever position they are, standing, sitting or lying, because the tree will bend down according to their wishes and when they will finish eating, the trees will become straight again. (Gilani) If a woman from Paradise were to appear on the earth there will be neither an anointed angel nor a messenger of Allah who would not have fallen in love with her due to her beauty. When, a man will look at the breast of his wife, he will see the black shade of liver behind her flesh and bones; the liver of the woman will be like a mirror for the man, and the liver of the man will be a mirror for the woman. (Bokhari, Muslim) The liver of the heavenly wife will be visible in the body like you see a thread through a transparent ruby, and it’s whiteness is like the whiteness of coral, and its transparency is like ruby. (Gilani) The birds of Paradise will have seventy thousand wings, and each wing will have a different colour. Every bird will be a mile long and a mile in breadth; if a blessed man will wish to eat any, the bird will fall into his dish by itself. (Gilani) The people will ride on camels and horses, whose hooves will be of pearl and ruby; and their nose-strings and reins will be of pearl and topaz. The animal will be of white pearls. (Gilani) The brightness of colours and tenderness of the garments of Paradise will be more than tulip’s. (Gilani) The blessed people will have so much power to see that they will be able to observe the things far and near alike. (Gilani) In Paradise, sweet-voiced birds will sing songs with such a melody that it will be more pleasing than all the music of the world. The hourie will gather and sing for the blessed people and their voices will be so fascinating and charming that no man has ever heard any of its like. (Gilani) In Paradise, there are such wonderful things that no one has the power to express and explain its wonders and beauties completely, nor people can even perceive and imagine their like in their hearts, nor any ear has ever heard of it fully; there are such things that none of the creations has ever seen a like of such things. (Bokhari, Muslim, Gilani)
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241 Allah gave every prophet the right of acceptance of one prayer which they availed in their lifetime. But I have kept my prayer for my ummah for their redemption in the Hereafter. (Al-Wafa)
Author’s Note: This last paragraph and also the other details of the experiences in Gehenna and Paradise should make clear, once for all, that all the explanations are allegorical; but they are the best and the closest to what will actually happen; just as there is conscious and a body during a dream but actually it differs from the reality, so there will be a new experience after death which is not comprehensible during this life, except by illustrations. Though the torments and the joys of the afterlife appear exaggerated, but when we know that the afterlife is everlasting, even a lesser torment or joy will become much greater than what has been described in the preceding pages. Whatever it is, Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) detail is most precise and elaborated than what all the earlier prophets told and that’s what was predicted about him that, the last Saviour will tell the secrets which are not permitted to be told at the moment. See John 16: 12 “I have many things yet to tell you but you are not able to hear them at present. However when that one arrives, the Spirit of the Truth, will guide you to all the truth.” So it was left upto the last Messiah or the Saviour or the Christ or the Buddha or the Avatar, whatever you may call him, to tell the details. If we study the details thoughtfully, free of any grudge, the ultimate motives are to make people bid good, and refrain from the evil. A similar method of explaining the coming events in material form was also adopted by Jesus, Buddha Sakyamuni, Zoroaster, and many other prophets too. See our book ‘Vindication of the Crescent’.
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Chapter Twenty Five
ADMONISHMENT OF THE HOLY QURAN REVELATION OF GOD IN THE HOLY QURAN Allah has revealed to me through the Holy Spirit, Gabriel a message for all the people of the world. I have sent you, to give the good news (of Kingdom of Allah, Paradise) and as the Warner, with the knowledge of the truth. (Al-Baqarah 2-120)
I have, made you, (the Muslims), an ideal nation (as a model against which all the people will be judged) so that you are witness over the people of the world and the Prophet is witness (model) over you. (Al-Baqarah 2-144) As I (Allah) have raised among you a prophet (Muhammad peace be upon him) who recites to you My verses, makes you virtuous, teaches you the Book and the Wisdom and also teaches those commandments which you did not know. Therefore, remember Me, and I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, do not be ungrateful to Me. (Al-Baqarah 2-152) Those people who have refused to believe (the message of Muhammad, peace be upon him) and die while they are disbelievers, upon them is the curse of Allah, and His angels and all the men and in this state of damnation they will live forever (in the Hereafter), their chastisement will never be lightened nor shall they be given respite. (Al-Baqarah 2-162) There is no compulsion in religion, truly the right way has become clearly distinct from the wrong way. (Al-Baqarah 2-257) Say: I (the Prophet) believe in all the Books which Allah has revealed; (the Bible, etc.) and I have been ordered to settle (all the religious differences) among you; Allah is our Lord and your Lord too, our deeds are for us and your deeds are for you and there
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243 is no unsurmountable difference between you and us. Allah will gather us together, and to Him we all return, (Al-Shura 42-16) Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, Ever-living SelfSustaining, Sustainer of all. He has revealed to you the Book (the Quran) containing the truth, verifies the message of all the Books revealed earlier (the Bible), and He revealed the Torah and the Avengeel (the Gospel) earlier for the guidance of the people, and He sent the real Criterion, Furqan (acts of Muhammad, peace be upon him, from which the wrong is to be differentiated from the right). Surely those people who refuse to believe in the commandments of Allah will have severe chastisements; Allah is the Mighty and Inflictor of retribution. (Al-Baqarah 2-256) Allah Himself bears witness that there is no god save He, and also the angels and the people who possess knowledge believe, with justification, this to be the truth that there is no god but He Who is the Mighty and the Wise. The only religion acceptable to Allah is Islam; all those people of the Book who have opposed (Islam) after the arrival of the knowledge (teaching of Muhammad, peace be upon him) are doing so out of mutual envy. And whoso disbelieves the words of Allah, surely Allah is quick at reckoning. (Al-Imran 3-19)
And your duty is only to deliver the message of Allah, and Allah is to see to the affairs of His servants. (Al-Imran 3-21) (O Prophet) Say, “If you really love Allah then obey me (the Prophet), Allah will love you and forgive your sins, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” Say to them, “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him),” if they refuse this, then verily, Allah loves not the disbelievers. (Al-Imran 3-32) O My Prophet, let the nice pomptuous living of the disbelievers in the cities shall not deceive you, because they are having a joy which is short-lived, thereafter their abode is Gehenna which is very evil resting place. But those people who fear their Lord, they will enter the Gardens, canals will flow beneath them, they will live there forever and this is the entertainment from Allah, and the nice things with Allah are the best for the virtuous people. (O Prophet!) The people who disbelieve your message enjoy themselves and eat just as the cattle eat and the Fire is their resort. (Muhammad 47-73)
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(Al-Imran 3-197)
244 Allah gives His witness that whatever He has revealed to you (the Prophet), He has done it with full knowledge; and the angels are also witness to it; though the witness of Allah is sufficient. Those people who disbelieve the message (leaders of the people of the Book and idol worshippers) and stop others from the path of Allah have certainly been led astray, far departed from the true path. All those who have refused (the message of Islam) and commit atrocities, Allah will never forgive them and will show them no way except the way to Gehenna, and they will reside there forever and this is easy for Allah to do. (Al-Nisa 4-167) O believers! Bow down and prostrate and obey your Lord and bid good, so that you may have salvation. Endeavour in the way of Allah with all your power as is due to Him. He has chosen you (Muslim) and He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion, follow the path of your father Ibraham, He named you Muslims in the past and also at present so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witness over mankind. Therefore observe Prayer and pay the Zakat and hold fast to Allah. He is your Friend. An excellent Friend and an excellent Helper! (Al-Hajj 22-78) Those people who do not believe in the meeting with Me, and are pleased with the wordly life and are fully content with it, are heedless of My Words and Signs; those are the people who will abide in the Fire because of what they earned. (Yunus 10-8) In the beginning all the men were but a single community (ummah) but afterwards, they created different beliefs. (Yunus 10-20)
People ask you (Muhammad, peace upon him), “Is it really true what you are telling (about Day of Judgment)?” Tell them, “I swear by my Lord, this is most surely the truth, and you do not have power to avert it. If a person, who is transgressor, had all that is in the earth, he would be prepared to give it for ransom; when those people will see the chastisement they will regret in their hearts but they will be done justice, no injustice will be done. Hear you people! Whatever is in the heavens and the earth, belongs to Allah. Hear! The promise of Allah is true, but most people do not know it. He is the bestower of life and causes death, and to Him you shall be brought back. O people! A good admonition has come from your Lord, which is a healer for what is in the breasts (i.e. low desires); whoso believes in this, for him it is a guidance and mercy. Say: It is a grace and a favour of Allah that
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245 He has sent this (the Quran), people should rejoice on account of it; and this is much better than the things which they gather. (Yunus 10-54) O Prophet! I have sent you as a Witness (as a perfect model for the whole world), the Giver of good news and a Warner, and inviting the people, under the instructions of Allah, towards Him and a source of light (divine guide for the whole world). (Al-Ahzab 33-46)
But he (the Prophet) is a messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets. (Al-Ahzab 33-41) He (the Prophet) does not speak anything of his ownself, but it is a revelation which is sent to him. (Al-Najm 53-4) Surely, Allah and His angels send their blessings on the Prophet. O believers! You too send your blessings on him and adore him reverently. (Al-Ahzab 33-57) O Prophet! You can warn only those people who fear their Lord, without seeing Him, and keep up their prayers; whoso purifies himself, he purifies for his own soul; and eventually everyone is to return to Allah. A blind and a seeing are not alike, nor the darkness and the light, nor the shade and heat, neither are the living and the dead alike, surely Allah causes him to hear whom He wishes; but you (the Prophet) cannot make those people hear who are in the graves (i.e. disbelievers are just as good as dead, senseless). (Al-Fatir 35-20)
O People of the world! The truth from Lord has come to you, now whoso goes aright, he goes only for the good of his own soul, and whoso goes astray, he goes astray only to the detriment of it and I (the Prophet) am not a custodian over you. (Yunus 10-109) Allah amplifies the means of subsistence for whom He wishes so (irrespective of the faith), and straitens for some; and the people are happy with the wordly life while in fact this wordly life is but a brief comfort as compared to the Hereafter. (Al-Raad 13-27) I have sent you as a prophet to a nation before which many nations have already passed so that you recite to them the divine message revealed to you; but these people are such that they deny the Beneficent God. Tell them, “He is my Lord, save Him there is no god, I put faith in Him and He is my trust. (Al-Raad 13-31) O Prophet! I have revealed this Book to you so that you bring forth the people out from darkness into light, by their Lord’s permission, to the way of the Mighty, the Praised One. (Ibrahim 14-2)
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246 When someone asks them (imposters and disbelievers), “What is it that your Lord has revealed?” they reply, “All are stories of the ancients,” these people say it so that they may bear the burden of their sins entirely, surely evil is what they bear on the Day of Resurrection and also a portion of burden of those whom they lead astray by their ignorance. Behold! Evil is that which they bear!
(Al-Nahl 16-25)
When the people are recited My clear verses, then the disbelievers say to believers, ‘Tell us which of the two parties has good position (status) and better gathering,” in spite of the fact that I have destroyed many generations in the past who were more prosperous and greater in glamour. (Maryam 19-74) I have not sent you (the Prophet) but as a Giver of happy news (that kingdom of Allah has come) and as a Warner. Tell them, “I do not ask from you any reward in return, save that whoso wishes he may take the way to his Lord.” (Al-Furqan 25-57) Say, “I exhort you about one thing, for Allah’s sake, you rise up alone or in two’s, then ponder. There is no insanity in your fellow citizen. He (My beloved Prophet) is only a Warner to you before the coming of a severe chastisement. O Prophet! Say to them, “If I have asked for any reward, let it be yours; my reward is only with Allah, and He is Witness over everything.” (Saba 34-47) Say to people, “I do not ask any reward for my mission nor I am an imposter, my message is but a reminder for all the people of the world, and after a short while you will certainly know the truth of it.” _________
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(Sa’ad 38-87)
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Chapter Twenty Six
A REMINDER TO THE JEWS O children of Israel! Think of My bounties which I bestowed upon you, now fulfil your covenant with Me so that I may fulfil My covenant with you, fear Me only and believe in this revealed Book (the Quran), this verifies the Book which you already possess (Old Testament) so do not be the first to deny it and do not reject My words just for a mean price and Me alone should you fear. And do not mix up the truth with falsehood and do not hide the truth purposefully. And say prayers, give Zakat (compulsory alms) and join those who bow down before Me (i.e. Muslims), What! You preach others to bid good but neglect yourself in spite of the fact that you recite the Book; have you then no sense? (Al-Baqarah 2-41) O children of Israel! Think of My bounties which I bestowed upon you, and that I chose you among the people of the world; and fear the Day when no soul will be of any avail for others, neither shall intercession on its behalf be accepted nor any compensation will be taken from it, nor shall they be helped. Remember the day when I delivered you from the tortures and the persecution of people of Pharaoh, who used to kill your sons and spare your women, this was a great trial from your Lord. Remember the time when I parted the sea for you and delivered you and drowned the people of Pharaoh before your eyes. And when I made Moses a promise of forty nights; but in his absence you started the worship of the calf; and you were transgressors but I forgave you after that so that you might be thankful to Me. (Al-Baqarah 2-48) And I gave Moses the Book and the outstanding signs (miracles to differentiate truth from the lie) so that you are guided to the path of Allah. (Al-Baqarah 2-54) And I caused the clouds over you for shade and I sent to you Manna and Salva and commanded to eat the clean things which I provided; but what they (your forefathers) did was no
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248 harm to Me, but themselves they harmed. And when Moses prayed for water for his people, I told him to strike his rod on the rock, and there flowed from it twelve springs of water; every tribe knew their place of drinking. They were ordered to eat and drink the provisions of Allah and not to commit iniquity in the land by making mischief. (Al-Baqarah 2-58, 61)
Pharaoh said to Moses, “If you believe in a god besides me, I will most certainly put you in prison.” Moses said, “What, even if I show you some miracle as a proof!” Pharaoh said, “All right show me the miracle if you are true.” Moses cast his rod down and lo! it was a real serpent; and then Moses drew forth his hand and lo! it was white for the viewers. Pharaoh said to his courtiers, “He is most surely a skilful magician.” (Al-Shuara 26-30) Pharaoh’s people said to Moses, “Whatever miracles you may show us, so as to charm us with it, we will never believe in you.” Then I sent over them the storm, and the locusts and the lice and the frogs and the blood, all these miracles were very clear but they behaved haughtily and were a nation of great criminals. Whenever the punishment of Allah was upon them, they would say to Moses, “O Moses! Please pray to your Lord for us as He has promised you; if you rid us of this misery, we will surely believe in what you say, and also we will certainly send the children of Israel away with you,” When the misery was removed, for a term, for which they were destined, lo! they broke their promise. So at last I took My revenge and drowned them all in the sea, because they rejected My signs and were heedless of them. And those people who were regarded meek, I made them the ruler of the land from the east to the west, the land which was blessed by Me.(Al-Araf 7-134) And they (the Jews) claim that the fire of Gehenna will not touch them except for a short time. Ask them, “Do you have such undertaking from Allah?” then Allah will not fail to fulfil His promise, or you assign to Allah a proclamation for which you have no knowledge at all (from Allah). Why not? Those who commit sin and are encompassed by their sins, they are all people of Fire; therein they shall abide forever. (Al-Baqarah 2-81) Remember! I made a covenant with the children of Israel, “Do not worship anyone but Allah, and be kind to parents and to kinsmen and to the orphans and the needy and speak to people nicely, and observe prayer and give alms,” with the exception of a few, you all turned away and even now you turn
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249 aside. Remember! When I made a covenant with you, “Do not shed your blood, or turn your people out of your cities,” then you accepted it and you admit it (even now) but now you are the ones, who kill your own brethren and turn out a section of your people out of their homes backing up each other against them unlawfully and exceeding the limits; when they are captive, you ransom them while their very expulsion was unlawful for you. (Al-Baqarah 2-84) Certainly I sent My Book to Moses, and after him I sent many prophets, one after another, I gave Jesus, son of Mary, manifest signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. What! Whenever a prophet came to you with teachings against your desires, you behaved insolently, treated some as liars and others you killed. And they (people of Israel) say, “Our hearts are protected.” Nay! on account of disbelief, Allah has cursed them, so they believe very little. Now they deny this Book, the Book which has come to them from Allah, verifying the one already with them, and they used to pray for victory over the disbelievers by it’s mediation, (i.e. the Quran and the Prophet) but when it has come, and they have recognized it too, they disbelieve it; curse of Allah on the disbelievers. Evil is that for which they sell their souls. They disbelieve the revelation of Allah, out of grudge, that Allah should send down His grace on whom He pleases of His servants. So they have made themselves deserving of wrath upon wrath, and for such disbelievers is disgraceful chastisement.(Al-Baqarah 2-88) When it is asked to them, “Believe in what Allah has revealed,” they reply, “We believe in what has been revealed to us,” and they disbelieve what is besides that, in spite of the fact that it is the truth fulfilling that which is with them. Then, O Prophet ask, “Why they killed so many prophets of the past if they were indeed believers?” And Moses came to you with so many clear miracles but you were such wrongdoers that you started worship of the calf after he was away. (Al-Baqarah 2-92) Remind these people of the Book, the covenant, which Allah had with them, “You must promulgate the teachings of the Books to mankind and do not hide teaching,” but they have completely forgotten the covenant, just for little wordly gains, so evil is that which they have gained thereby. (Al-Imran 3-188) (O Jews! Allah showed you miracles so that you may learn. But even after seeing so many Signs). Then your hearts remained hard, became as a rock and even harder than rocks; because, of rocks, there are some out of which streams burst forth, and indeed
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250 there are some of them which split asunder and water flows out of them and there are others which fall down for the fear of Allah. (Al-8aqarah 2-75)
Among them, there had been some of them who heard the words of Allah and then knowingly altered it. (Al-Baqarah 2-76) Indeed I have sent unto you a prophet who will bear testimony against you just as I sent a prophet (Moses) unto Pharaoh. (Al-Muzzammil 73-16) _________
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Chapter Twenty Seven
A REMINDER TO THE CHRISTIANS Remember when a woman from the tribe of Imran (mother of Mary, peace be upon her) called, “My Lord! I vow this child, which is in my womb to you to be dedicated to Your service, You, please accept it from me, only You are the Hearer and the Knower.” When a girl was born to her, she said, “My Lord! I have given birth to a female” though Allah knows best what she had delivered, and a male which she hoped was not like a female. “And I named her Mariam and I commit her and her offspring to Your protection from the accursed Satan.” And Lord accepted gladly the girl and raised her up as a very nice girl and appointed Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found with her something to eat. He would ask “O Mariam! From where has it come?” She would answer, “From Allah.” There did Zachariah prayed to his Lord, “Lord! Grant me a good child by Your grace, You are the Hearer of prayers.” And the angels called to Zachariah when he was praying in the sanctuary, “Allah gives you the happy news of Yahya (John, peace be upon him) who shall confirm the truth of a word from Allah, and he shall be lordly and chaste and a prophet of the righteous.” Zachariah said, “How shall I have a son, my Lord, when I am an old man and my wife is barren?” There came a reply from Him, “Such is the way of Allah, He does whatever He wishes.” He said, “My Lord, give me a sign.” There came a reply, “The sign is, you will not be able to speak to the people, except by signs for three days, during this period, do remembrance of your Lord and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning.” Then the time arrived when the angels said to Mariam, “O Mariam! Allah has chosen and sanctified you and chosen you among all the women of the world. O Mariam! Obey your Lord and prostrate before Him and join those who bow before Him.” (O Muhammad) I am revealing these tidings of events of the past to
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252 you otherwise you were not present among them at the time when they (servants of the Sanctuary) were casting their pens to decide which of them should be the custodian of Mariam, nor were you present when they disputed among themselves. When the angels spoke, “O Mariam! Allah gives you happy news of an order (word) from Him, his name shall be the Messiah Jesus (Isa) son of Mariam, he will be among the dear ones of Allah, he shall talk to the people in the cradle as well as when young, he shall be an extremely virtuous and pious man.” After listening to it Mariam said, “My Lord, how shall I conceive a child when no man has even touched me.” Reply came, “Such is the way of Allah, He creates whatever He wishes, when He wants to do something, He only utters ‘Be’ and it happens; and Allah will teach him the Book and the wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel (Injeel) and will appoint him a messenger to the children of Israel.” (Jesus, peace be upon him, said to people of Israel) I have come to you from your Lord with a sign, I make a bird of clay and then I blow into it and it becomes a real living bird by the order of Allah, I tell what you eat and what you store in your houses; indeed there is a sign for you to believe, and I have come to confirm the teachings of the Torah and make lawful for you certain things which were previously forbidden for you and I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear Allah and obey me. Allah is my Lord (Rab, father) and your Lord too, so worship Him, this is the true path. (Al-Imran 3-36) And because of their disbelief and their utterance against Mariam a grievous calumny, and because of their saying, “We have killed Messiah Jesus son of Mariam (Mary), messenger of Allah,” in fact they never killed him, nor crucified him but the whole matter was made dubious to them, and those people who differ in this matter are only in doubt about it, and they have no certain knowledge thereof, they just follow a conjecture; nay, they did not kill him for certain. But Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah is Mighty and the Wise. Among the people of the Book (the Jews etc.) no one shall die unless he believes in this and on the Day of Resurrection, he (Jesus, peace be upon him) will be a witness against them. (Al-Nisa 4-157) Verily, they commit blasphemy who say ‘Allah is the Messiah son of Mariam’ in spite of the fact that Messiah himself said, “O children of Israel! Worship Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord too.” Surely whosoever associates someone with Allah,
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253 Allah has forbidden Paradise for him and he will abide in Gehenna and the evildoers will have no helpers. Verily, they commit blasphemy who say, “Allah is the third person of the three;” in spite of the fact that save the One God there is no god. If these people desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement will fall on those of them who disbelieve; will they not ask pardon from Allah and seek forgiveness of him? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Messiah son of Mariam was no other than a messenger, many messengers had indeed passed away before him too. His mother was the most truthful woman, they both used to eat food. See, how I explain My revelation clear for them and see how they are going astray from the truth! O Prophet! Tell these people, “Why do you worship besides Allah who possess no power of his own to harm you or do good to you, and Allah is He, All-Hearing and All-Knowing.” Say to them, “O people of the Book! Do not exaggerate your religion contrary to the truth and do not follow the vain desires of the people who went astray before and led many astray and lost the right path.” (Al-Maidah 5-73) On the Day of Judgment, Allah will say, “O Jesus, son of Mariam! Remember the bounties which I bestowed upon you and your mother, I assisted you with the Holy Spirit, you talked to men in the cradle as in maturity, I taught you the Book and the wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel, you used to make a bird of clay by My order and then breathed into it and it became a real living bird by My order, you used to cure the born blind people and the lepers with My order and when you came to the children of Israel with extraordinary miracles, those people who disbelieved you said that these miracles are nothing but clear magic, then I protected you from their mischiefs. (Al-Maidah 5-111) Then Allah will ask, “O Jesus son of Mariam! Did you say to people ‘take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?” He will reply, “Glory be to Thee! It was not mine to say something to which I had no right, if ever I had said it, then You would have surely known it, You know what is in my mind, but I do not know what You think, You are the Knower of all the hidden things; I said nothing more than what You ordered me to say, ‘Worship Allah, Who is my Lord and your Lord too.’ I was informed of their deeds when I dwelt among them, but when You raised me up, You were Watcher over them and verily, You are Witness over all things; if You punish them You can do it because they are Your servants and if You forgive them, You indeed are the Mighty, the Wise.”
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254 (Al-Maidah 5-117)
I sent messengers one after the other (among the Jews) and the last of all, I sent Jesus son of Mary and I gave him the Gospel (the Avengeel); the people who followed him, I put in their hearts kindness and mercy, but they invented monasticism themselves I did not prescribe it for them only to seek the favour of Allah, then they could not observe it with due observance; among them who were really true believers, I have reward for them, but most of them are sacrilegious. (Al-Hadid 57-28) The case of (Birth of) Jesus is like that of Adam (both without fathers) whom He created out of dust and said, “Be” and he became. This is the real truth, being revealed from your Lord, so be not of the disputers. (Al-Imran 3-60) Surely, there are some people among them who, while reading the Book, twist their tongue as to distort it, that you may think what they say is a part of the Book while it is not a part of the Book. They say that whatever they are reading is from Allah but actually it is not from Allah. They intentionally tell a lie against Allah. No man has the authority that Allah should give him the Book and the orders and prophethood, and then he should say, “Be my servants instead of Allah’s,” but rather he would say, “Be true worshippers of Allah” which is also the message of this Book (the Quran) which you recite and teach others. And he will never say, “Take the angels and the prophets for lords.” (Al-Imran 3-79) Remember, when Allah made a covenant with all the prophets that I have given you the Book and Wisdom, if in latter days a prophet comes to you, verifying the teaching which is with you, then you must believe in him and must aid him; after this Allah asked, “Do you agree and accept the responsibility to take up My burden?” They said, “Yes, We agree to this covenant” Allah said, “You bear witness to it and I am with you among the witnesses too;” and whosoever turns away after this covenant, then those are certainly sacrilegious. Now do they seek some way other than Allah’s when everything in the heavens and the earth submit to Him willingly or unwillingly, and everything will return to Him. (Al Imran 3-82)
Say, “We believe in Allah and the commandments revealed to us and the commandments revealed to Abraham, Ismael, and sons of Israel and also those commandments given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets, from their Lord, make no distinction
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255 between any of them and we are Muslims. Whosoever desires a way of life (religion) different from Islam’s, shall not be accepted and he will be one of the losers in the life hereafter. How shall Allah guide those people who become disbelievers after believing; and also they had borne witness that the Prophet was true, and they have seen clear miracles too. Allah does not guide transgressors; and then rightful recompense is the curse of Allah and of angels and of all the men upon them and they will live under the damnation which will not be lightened nor will they be given respite, but those people will be saved who now ask for forgiveness and amend themselves, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Verily, those people who disbelieve after they have believed and then increase in disbelief, their repentance will not be accepted; those are the people who have gone astray. As for those who disbelieved (Muhammad, peace be upon him) and die as disbelievers, even the earth full of gold would not be accepted as a ransom from anyone of them, they will have a painful chastisement and there will be no helpers for them. (Al-Imran 3-85) Those people who hide those verses and the guidance, which I revealed after I have made it clear for the people in the Book, are the people on whom is Allah’s curse and, of those who curse, but if they repent and amend themselves and reveal the people what they concealed then I will forgive them, I am the. Relenting and the Merciful. (Al-Baqarah 2-160) _________
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Chapter Twenty Eight
A REMINDER TO IDOLATORS (i.e. THE HINDUS AND THE BUDDHISTS) And among them are gentiles (non-Jewish) who have no knowledge of revealed Book, they follow false notions and nothing but conjectures. Woe to those who write a book with their hands and then say, “This is from Allah” so that they may get a small gain by it.
(Al Baqarah 2-79)
And on the Day of Resurrection, I will gather them all and ask those who associated others (with Allah), “Where are those associates of yours whom you use to assert (as gods)?” Then they will have no contention, save that, they would say. “By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.” See, how they will create a lie against themselves and all the things which they fabricated will fail them.
(Al Anam 6-23)
Behold! Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth belongs to Allah. Those who call on others besides Allah, do not follow His associates but they follow only a conjecture and act upon their guess and speculations. (Yunus 10-67) Unto Him is the real prayer. All those whom they call besides Him, give no reply to their prayers; parable of their prayer is like a man who requests for water with his two hands stretched forth, that it may reach his mouth, water will never reach it, so the prayer of these disbelievers is but a wasted thing. And before Allah, everything in the heavens and in the earth makes obeisance willingly or unwillingly and their shadows too in the morning and the evening. Ask them (O Prophet), “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” (they will) Say, “Allah,” then ask again (O Prophet), “Then why you have created for Him helpers (false gods) who have no power even to do good or do harm to themselves?” (O Prophet) Ask, “Are the blind and the seeing equal? Or can the
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257 light and the darkness be equal? If not, then do they assign to Allah such associates who have created creation like His creation, so that the two creations appear alike to them?” Say, “Allah alone is the Creator of everything and He is the One, the Wrathful.” (Al-Raad 13-15)
When these people are told (by Muhammad peace be upon him), “Follow the commandment which Allah has revealed,” they say, “Nay, we will follow only what we found our forefathers doing.” What! Will they, if their forefathers had no sense at all nor were they rightly guided? All these people who have refused to believe, their parable is like the shouts of the herdsman to that (animal) which hears nothing but a call and a cry; deaf, dumb and blind they are, so they understand not. (Al Baqarah 2-171) Allah cites a parable, there is a slave, the property of another, and has no power of his own over anything, and then there is another man whom, I have given a fair provision and he spends out of it openly and secretly (alms), are these two equal? All praises be to Allah! But most of them do not understand it. Allah cites another parable, there are two persons, one is dumb and is not able to do anything, is a burden to his master, wherever he sends him he cannot do any good; and there is the second one who is such that he orders with justice and himself follows the right path, are they equal?
(Al-Nahl 16-76)
O Prophet tell them, “Just call those, whom you assert are your gods besides Him, they cannot remove any misfortune from you nor avert it.” Those whom these people call upon are themselves seeking the means of nearness to their Lord, even the nearest ones, and they hope for His mercy and fear His chastisement. Indeed the chastisement of your Lord is a thing to be feared.
(Bani Israel 17-57)
Ask them, “Shall we call and pray those besides Allah which do not have any authority to do us any good or harm?” (Al-Anam 6-72) It is Allah indeed Who causes the grain and the datestones to sprout, He brings forth the living from the dead (as plants from seeds and birds from eggs etc.) and the dead from the living. Such is Allah. How are you then perverted? He is the cleaver of day break and He has created the night for your rest, and the sun and the moon for reckoning time, this is the decree of the Mighty, the Knower. And He it is Who has created for you the stars so that you may guide your course with their help in the darkness of the land and the sea. See! I have explained My Signs
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258 for the people of knowledge. And He it is Who has brought you into existence through a single soul and then there is a home and repository. See! I have explained My Signs for the people of understanding. And He it is Who pours down rain from the heaven and then I bring forth through this water vegetation of every kind and also I create through it green foliage (trees) wherefrom I bring forth thick clustered grain, and from the date-palm, out of its pollen spring pendant bunches hanging low. and gardens of grapes and olives and pomegranates alike and unlike (in shape and taste). Watch the fruit when they bear it and observe its spectacular stages of ripening, indeed there are signs in it for the people who believe. And they call the Jinn the associate with Allah, while He created them and they falsely attributed to Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Glory be to Him and High Exalted is He above what they attribute to Him; what a wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when he has no wife, and He created everything and He has knowledge of all things. Such is Allah your Lord, there is no god but He, the Creator of all things, therefore pray only to Him and He is Supervisor (Caretaker, Guardian) over all things. Vision cannot comprehend Him but He comprehends all visions, and He is Incomprehensible and Well-Informed. See, the divine knowledge has arrived from your Lord, whoso understands it, is for his own good and whoso becomes blind, is to his own loss and I am not a keeper over you. (Al-Anam 6-96) O Prophet tell them, “My Lord has surely shown me the straight path, a right religion, the faith of Abraham, the upright one and he (Abraham) was not of the polytheists.” Say (O Prophet), “Indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are only for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. He has no associate, and this is what I have been ordered to believe and I am the first of those who submit.” Further say to them, “What! Shall I seek some other Lord besides Allah, while He is the Lord (Rab, Holy Father) of everything? And no soul acts but is responsible for it, no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. All will return to your Lord and then He will inform you the truth of that wherein you differed.” (Al-Anam 6-162) Surely, those whom you call for your help besides Allah are just servants like you, just pray to them for something, and if you are true, see if they can fulfil your prayer. Do they have such feet with which they walk, or do they have such hands with which they hold any thing, or do they have such eyes with which they
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259 see, or do they have such ears with which they hear? (O Muhammad peace be upon him, challenge them) Say, “Call your associates with God, then struggle you all to harm me and give me no respite. Verily, Allah is my friend, Who has revealed this Book (the Quran) and He befriends the righteous. And they whom you pray besides Him have no power to help you nor can they help themselves. And if you invite them to guidance they do not hear even; and you see them looking towards you but actually they see nothing.” (Al-Araf 7-195) These people worship those, instead of Allah, who can neither harm them nor do good to them and they say, “They are our intercessors with Allah,” O Prophet tell them, “Are you telling Allah of something He does not know in the heavens and the earth?” He is Holy, Supremely Exalted above all that what they associate. (Yunus 10-19) And when (on the Day of Judgment) I will gather them all together and order those people who called associates to Me, “Stop you and your associates too/’ and then I will raise the curtain, then their associates would say to them, “You people never worshipped us, Allah is sufficient witness between us that we had no knowledge at all of your worship.” Then every soul will become acquainted with the deeds what it sent before and they shall be brought back to Allah, their real Master, and whatever they fabricated shall be lost to them. O Prophet ask them, “Who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth? And who has power over hearing and sight? And who creates the living from the dead and creates the dead from the living? And who is schemer of all the deeds?” They will admit ‘Allah’. Then say, “Will you not then fear Him?” This then is Allah, your real Lord, And what is there after discarding the truth but error! Then how are you being turned away? Thus the word of your Lord is proved true against the sacrilegious people that they shall believe not. (Yunus 10-29) Ask them O Prophet, “Is there anyone of your associates (of Allah) who can originate the creation and then repeat it again?” Say to them, “Allah alone is responsible for the creation in the first instance and then He will recreate it again, where are you then turned away?” Ask them, “Is there any of your associates (gods) who can lead to the truth?” Say, “Allah is He Who leads to the truth.” Then who is more worthy to be obeyed, He Who guides to the truth or he who cannot find the way unless he is guided? What has happened to you? How do you make conclusions? And most of the people obey nothing except conjectures, and conjectures will
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260 surely avail nothing against the reality and indeed Allah has full knowledge of what they do. And this Quran is not such a book which could have been created by forgery, by someone other than Allah, but it is a verification of that which was before it, and a clear exposition of the Book and there is no doubt whatsoever that it is revealed from the Lord of the worlds. (Yunus 10-35) Say, “Tell me if Allah were to make for you incessant night till the Day of Resurrection, who is there a god besides Allah who could bring light for you? Do you not listen to it? Say, “Tell me if Allah were to make for you incessant day till the Day of Resurrection, who is there a god besides Allah who could bring night for you, in which you could rest? Do you not see it?” (Al-Qasas 28-72)
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Chapter Twenty Nine
A REMINDER TO THE MANKIND O People of the Book (the Jews and the Christian and others)! Do not exaggerate (hyperbole) your religion and do not assign to Allah a statement of your own making except what is the truth. Verily, the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary is only a messenger of Allah, an order from Allah (Word from Allah) which was sent to Mary (Mariam) and a beloved spirit from Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers and do not say, “Three are One”. Stop it now, this is better for you. Allah is only One God and far be it from His glory to have a son, everything in the earth and in the heavens belongs to Him. And Allah is sufficient for a Protector. The Messiah has never disdained (during his lifetime) to be called a servant of Allah nor the angels (the Holy Spirit and other angels) who are near. And whoso will disdain His worship and is proud, then all such will be gathered before Him (for reckoning).(Al-Nisa 4-172) Those people who say, “Allah is Messiah, son of Mary” (i.e. Messiah is a person of Allah) are indeed sacrilegious, infidels. (Al-Maidah 5-73)
The Jews say, “Azra is the son of Allah,” and the Christians say, “The Messiah is the son of Allah.” These are all false conclusions, which they say imitating those who uttered blasphemy earlier. Destruction of Allah be upon them! What is deceiving them? Indeed they have taken their learned men and their monks for Lords besides Allah and also they have given this status to the Messiah, son of Mary too; though they were ordered to worship One God only, there is no god but He; far from His glory be what they associate with Him! (Al-Tauba 9-30) All the praises are for Allah, Who has revealed this Book on His servant and has put therein nothing ambiguous, a Book which directs to truth and warns people of severe chastisement from Him and gives good news to the believers who did good deeds that they will have a good reward wherein they will stay forever; and gives a stern warning to those who say that Allah has taken a son, neither these people have any true knowledge of it nor had
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262 their forefathers. And extremely sacrilegious utterance is it that comes out of their mouths. They speak nothing but a (dreadful) lie. (Al-Kahf 18-2)
They (the Jews, the Christians and idol worshippers) say, “Rehman (Gracious God) has taken a son to Himself.� Certainly this is a most abominable assertion which you have created; and it is expected that the heavens may burst and the earth cleave asunder and the mountain fall down in pieces on account of such a monstrous claim that the Beneficent God has a son. It is unworthy for Rehman to take to Himself a son. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth is going to be present before the Beneficent God as His servants (on the Day of Judgment). (Maryam 19-89) The most blessed is He Who has revealed the Criterion (Furqan) upon His servant so that he is a Warner to all the worlds; He is the King of the heavens and the earth, He has taken to Himself no one as His son, no one is His partner in the Kingdom and He has created everything and has decreed for them their fate. And (what a pity that) the people has taken besides Him such gods who do not create anything but are themselves created (by Allah) and do not have any power to benefit or harm even themselves, and they control neither death nor life nor resurrection. (Al-Furqan 25-2)
Whosoever associates with Allah, he has, as though fallen from the heaven, then either the birds snatch him away or the wind carries him off a far distant land. (Al-Hajj 22-32) In the beginning, all the people were one ummah (having one religion) then Allah sent the prophets giving the people good news (for the good deeds) and warnings (for the evil deeds), and also they were revealed the Book telling the truth so that it might resolve between the people their differences. The people who created differences were none but those who had the true knowledge in fact, but after they received the clear commandments, they parted out of grudge towards one another (to make money, do innocent killing in the name of religion, the history of the religion of the past does very well prove it). (Al-Baqarah 2-214) Those people (the Jews and the Christian, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Parsis etc.) who hide the true revelations of Allah (by interpolation in the Book or by false interpretations) in the Book and just for paltry price they sacrifice them (true teaching), they eat nothing but in fact are filling fire into their bellies, and
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263 Allah will not even talk to them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He sanctify them (even after purgatory in the hell fire), for them is a painful chastisement. These are the (unfortunate) people who preferred unrighteousness instead of guidance, and chatisement instead of forgiveness, what a great courage these people have that they are prepared even to encounter the Fire (but would not embrace true religion, Islam). This so happened that Allah sent His Books full of truth but the people who created differences went far from the truth in enmity. (Al-Baqarah 2-175) O believers (the Muslims)! Many of the priests and the monks (among the people of the Books) are of such character that they devour the wealth of the people treacherously and hinder them from following the true path of Allah. (Al-Tauba 9-34) You will see that, most of them (the Jews and the Christians) try to excel each other in the way of sin and transgression and eat the unclean food (swine, liquors etc.). This is extremely evil what they are doing. Why their rabbis and priests do not prohibit them from saying the sinful utterances and eating the unclean things? Certainly extremely evil is what they are trading. (Al-Maidah 5-63)
The Jews and the Christians say, “We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.” Ask them, “Then why does He punish you for your sins? In fact you are only human beings as others are.” He saves whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. And Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; and everything will return to Him. (Al-Maidah 5-19) They (the Jews and the Christians) say that no person shall enter into the Paradise unless he be either a Jew or a Christian: these are only their vain desires. Ask them, “Bring your evidence if you are truthful.” Nay, whosoever turns himself to Allah and is a doer of good too, for him is a reward from his Lord, and he shall have no fear (in the Hereafter) nor shall he grieve.(Al-Baqarah 2-112) They (the Jews, the Christians) say, “You will have right path only if you convert to the Judaism or the Christianity.” O Prophet tell them, “Nay, instead embrace the religion of Abraham the upright one and he certainly was not a polytheist (worshipper of images like the Jews and the Christians).” (Al-Baqarah 2-136) O people of the Book (the Jews and the Christians)! Believe in the Book (the Quran) which I have revealed, which verifies the one already with you (the Bible), believe in this before
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264 I disfigure your faces and turn them on your back, or curse you as I cursed the violators of the Sabbath, and be sure that the order of Allah shall always be executed. (Al-Nisa 4-48) O people of the Book! Indeed My Prophet has come to you and he unfolds to you many commandments of the Book that you used to hide, and forgiving much. Indeed a divine light from Allah has come to you and also a Book of the Truth (the Quran) with which Allah guides those to the path of peace who seek His pleasure, and with His will, brings them out of darkness and leads them into light, and guides them to the straight path. (Al-Maidah 5-16)
What! Do you really bear witness that there are other gods alongwith Allah? O Prophet say, “I cannot bear such a testimony.” And also say, “He is One and only God and certainly I am blameless of what you associate with Him.” Those people whom I have given the Book (the Bible) recognize him (that Muhammad peace be upon him, is true Prophet of Allah) as they recognize their own sons, but those people who have chosen for themselves to be losers, are those who do not believe. (Al-Anam 6-20) Those people who will follow the Messenger, the Gentile Prophet, about whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Ingeel (the Gospel, the Book of Jesus. According to the Muslims the Gospel according to Barnabas most truly qualifies for it though other Gospels have much truth too) he preaches them to bid good and forbid them evil, allows them the clean things and forbids the unclean ones, and lifts from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So those people who believe in this prophet and honour him and assist him and follow that divine light which has been revealed to him, are the ones who will have salvation. O Prophet! Say, “O people of the world! I am Messenger of Allah to you all, from the One Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and save Him there is no god, Who gives life and causes death.” So believe in Allah and His messenger, the Gentile Prophet who believes in Allah and His commandments; follow him so that you are guided (to the true path). (Al-Araf 7-158) O people of the Book! My Messenger has come to you and explains to you the codes of religion, when for a long time the Messengers had ceased coming (so true teachings were lost and the dark ages over the world prevailed) lest you say that no one came to us to give us good news and warnings. Now indeed there has come to you a Giver of good news and a Warner, and Allah has power over all things. (Al-Maidah 5-20)
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265 If these People of the Book had believed (i.e. embraced Islam) and become God-fearing, then I indeed would have forgiven all their evil deeds and entered them in Paradise full of bounties. Alas, only if they had acted upon the Torah, the Ingeel and other Books which were sent to them from their Lord. If they had done so then indeed good things would have come upon them from the heaven and from beneath their feet. Some of them are moderate too, but most of them are evildoers. (Al-Maidah 5-66) O Prophet! Say to them, “O People of the Book! You stand nowhere if you do not strictly believe and act upon the Torah, the Ingeel and what has now been revealed to you from your Lord.” (Al-Maidah 5-69)
(After the coming of Muhammad, peace be upon him, all the Books of the past are abrogated, now belief in Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a must for God’s blessings and forgiveness). “O believers! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him), He will give you double the share of His blessings, and will bestow upon you a divine light in which you will walk, your sins will be forgiven. Verily, Allah is Most Forgiving and Merciful, so the People of the Book shall know that they have no monopoly over the blessings of Allah and that the blessings are entirely in the hands of Allah, which He bestows upon whomsoever He desires. Allah is the Lord of Immense Grace. (Al-Hadid 57-29)
Say, “O People of the Book! Let us unite together upon a proposition which is common between us and you that we shall not worship any but Allah and we shall not associate anything whatsoever with Him and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah”. If they refuse to accept this proposition, then say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we have submitted to the proposition).” (Al-Imran 3-65) (That is because) They (some Jews) claim that they are not liable to blame (not answerable to Allah) in the matter of gentiles (non-Jews); this statement is false which they assign to Allah and they know it very well. Nay, but whoso keeps his promise and is God-fearing, surely Allah loves the God-fearing. (Al-Imran 3-76) When an affliction befalls people, they start praying to their Lord, but when He makes them taste of His mercy, then a section of them begin to give credit for it to associates besides their Lord; so they become ungrateful. Enjoy yourselves for a while, soon you will be taught (a lesson). (Al-Rum 30-34)
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266 Do their earthly gods have power to raise some one up? If there had been other gods beside Allah, surely there would have been great chaos and confusion; so Allah the Lord of the Thrones is free of all that which they attribute to Him; He cannot be questioned for His doings but everyone shall be questioned by Him. Have they taken other gods besides Him? O Prophet tell them, “Let me know your reasoning! You have this Book which is an advice for my people and also the Book too which was an advice for the people of the past.” Nay! Most of the people are ignorant of this truth, that is why they are denying it. Whichever Messenger I sent before you (Muhammad, peace be upon him) he was given no other revelation but that ‘There is no god except I, so worship Me alone.’ And these people claim, Rehman has taken to Himself a son, Glory be to him! Nay, they are only His respectable servants, who do not transgress in speech and they act according to what they are commanded. He knows what is before them and what is behind them and they do not intercede for anyone except for whom He assents; and they tremble for fear of Him; and if someone of them should say, “I am a god besides Him,” I will punish him with Gehenna. And this is My reward for the transgressors. (Al-Anbiys 21-22) O people! I cite a parable, listen to it carefully. Those to whom you pray beside Allah cannot create a fly, even if they all join together to do so. And if a fly should snatch away something from them, they cannot take it back; weak are those who seek help and those from whom the help is sought. (Al-Hajj 22-74) He (Allah) cites another parable for you concerning yourselves. Is. there any slave among the slaves which you possess who shares equally with you in the sustenance which I have provided you, and you care for them as you care for others (of your equal status)? (Al-Rum 30-29) He plans all the matters from the heaven to the earth, and every matter will be presented to Him in a day which is a thousand years by your measure. Such is He, the Knower of the hidden and the visible, He is Mighty and Merciful; whatever He has created He has created marvelously perfect, and He began the creation of man from clay. (Al-Sajdah 32-6) No woman conceives, nor does she brings forth a child but it is with His consent. No one lives long life or a short life but it is prewritten in a book (of predestination). And for Allah that is surely easy. (Al-Fatir 35-12)
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267 And say men, “What! After I am dead shall I truly be raised alive again?” Does not man remember the time when he had no existence and then I created him? (Maryam 19-67) There surely passed over man a long period when he was nothing worth mentioning. (Al-Dahr 76-7) O people! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, remember that I created you (in the beginning) from the dust, then from a small sperm-drop, then a clot, then a lump of flesh which is partly formed and partly formless, so I remind you (of your origin); and for whom I wish, I keep him in the womb till an appointed time and then I bring him forth as a baby and thereafter he becomes a mature person; some die early and others reach abject age which is the worst part of life when he knows and then he does not know (man loses sense of good thinking at a very old age and becomes forgetful). Also you see a piece of land lifeless, then wherever I pour rain, it stirs and swells and puts forth every lovely kind of herbage. This is because Allah is the Truth and He is the One Who gives life to dead and He has full power over everything. All the more, surely without doubt, the Hour will come, and because Allah will resurrect all those who are in the graves. (Al-Hajj 22-6) Have these people not seen that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and did not get tired by their creation, has all the power to give life to the dead? (Al-Ahqaf 46-34) And He is the One Who sends forth the winds bearing glad tidings before His mercy (rain) and then the winds bear a laden cloud, I drive them to a barren land and pour the rain on it and then through this process I bring forth fruits of all varieties. This is how I will raise the dead, perhaps you understand this now. (Al-Araf 7-58)
Does not a man recollect that I created him from a mere sperm-drop? And lo! He disputes openly and coins parables about Me and forgets his own origin. And says, “Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?” Reply to them that they will be given life by the same One Who created them for the first time and He is the Knower of all the processes of creation; He Who creates fire for you from the green trees, with which you kindle from it. Is not He, Who created the heavens and the earth, able to create again the like of them? Why not, when He is the Supreme Creator and the All-Knowing. When He decides to do anything He just says “Be” and that happens instantly. Hence glory be to Him to Whom
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268 belongs the kingdom of all things and to Him shall all be brought back. (Yasin 36-78)
Now ask, O Prophet, from these people, “Is the recreation of these things more difficult or the things which He has already created?” (Al-Saffat 37-11) In the variation of the night and the day, and the sustenance that Allah sends down from the heaven (rain) and gives thereby life to the land after its death, and changing pf the winds, are marvels for men of understanding. (Al-Jathiyah 45-6) Have you thought about the sperm-drop? Is it you who create it or am I the Creator? (Al-Waqiah 56-59) Have you ever thought about the seeds you sow? Is it you who grow them or am I the Grower? (Al-Waqiah 56-64) Have you thought about the water which you drink? Is it you who send it down from the clouds or am I the Sender? If I had so pleased, I could have made it bitter. (Al-Waqiah 56-69) Have you ever thought about the fire which you kindle? Is it you who raise the tree or am I the Raiser? (Al-Waqiah 56-72) Now, if these people disregard you, O Prophet, then you have no responsibility other than to deliver My message plainly. These people recognize all the favours of Allah, yet they deny it, and most of the people are sacrilegious. (Al-Nahl 76-83) If I were to wish I could certainly make them blind, then if they try to find the way, how will they see? If I were to wish, I could certainly dismember them at the spot where they are, such that they would not be able to move forward or backward. (Yasin 36-67) How can you people be unthankful to Allah? And He gave you life when you were lifeless, and again He will cause your death and then will give you life, and to Him you all are going to return? He is the One Who has created for your benefit all the things on the earth, and then He directed Himself to the heaven and He perfected them as seven heavens. And He is the Knower of all things. (Al-Baqarah 2-29)
The very man, when faces a trouble, prays to Me and when I bestow on him with My favour, he says, “I have got this due to my own knowledge,” Nay, this is only a test but most people do not understand it. (Al-Zumar 39-50)
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269 And certainly I have created the man and I know even the doubts arising in his heart; I am nearer to him than his jugular vein; two divine writers sitting on his right and his left, are writing everything. There is not a word which a man utters but is recorded by a vigilant guardian angel. (Qaf 50-17) I sent My messengers for no purpose other than to give the people good news and warnings, but the disbelievers make a false contention so that they may rebut the truth by it; they have taken My orders and warnings for a mockery. And who is more evil than the person to whom Lord’s verses are recited to give advice but he turns away from them and forgets what his hands have sent for the Hereafter? (Al-Kahf 18-57) O Prophet! Make these people understand the reality of this worldly life by the parable that if today, I pour rain from the heaven, the herbage of the earth becomes luxuriant, but after some time, the same herbage becomes dry, turned into pieces, such that the wind scatters it away; Allah has power over all. This wealth and children are temporary adornments of this worldly life; that, which is better in reward in the sight of your Lord, are enduring good actions, and only these you can better trust. (Al-Kahf 18-45) Allah has a covenant with the people among you who believe (embrace Islam) and do good deeds that He will most certainly make them rulers in the world, just like He made rulers those before them (i.e. Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon etc., peace be upon them), and that He will most certainly make the religion stand on very strong footings which He has liked for them, and that He will change their life full of fears into a life of peace (as promised in the Bible, i.e. the Torah, the Isaiah, the Gospel etc). So they shall worship Me and they shall not associate aught with Me. And whoso commit blasphemy after that, such people are really sacrilegious. Say your prayers, give Zakat and obey the Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) so that I may show My mercy upon you. (Al-Noor 24-56)
Have you (the Prophet) seen the person who treats his own evil desires as his god? Will you then be a guardian over him? Do you (the Prophet) think that such people even listen or really understand anything? They are nothing but cattle. Nay, they are worst astray from the right path. (Al-Furqan 25-44) Those people who refuse to believe (the Prophet) and oppose him in the way of Allah, He renders their deeds vain. But
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270 those people who believe in him and do good deeds and believe in that which has been revealed to Muhammad, and it is the Truth from their Lord He pardons all their sins and improves their state. (Muhammad 47-2)
All those people of the Book and the idolaters who have refused (to embrace Islam) will definitely go to the Fire of Hell, abiding therein forever, and these people are the worst of creatures. (Al-Bayyinah 98-7)
Most of the people do not believe in Allah without attributing partners to Him. (Yusuf 12-707) Has not the time yet arrived for the believers that their hearts should be humble at the remembrance of Allah and the Truth which has been revealed? Do not become like those people who were given the Book before but when a long time passed over them, their hearts became hard, and now most of them are wicked (sacrilegious). (Al-Hadid 57-17) The servants of Rehman (Beneficent God) are those who walk over the land humbly and if some ignorant person addresses them, politely they say, ‘Salaam’. And these people spend their nights by prostrating and standing before their Lord, they pray, “O our Lord! Save us from the chastisement of Gehenna, for the chastisement thereof is a lasting torment, and that (Gehenna) is a very hostile place of rest and as an abode.” These people, when they spend, are neither spendthrift nor miserly, but their spending is moderate. They do not call any god besides Allah, do not kill a person that Allah has forbidden except for just cause, nor they commit adultery, and whoso does that he will have the reward of it, and on the Day of Judgment he will get double the punishment and will live there disgracefully forever except the one who repents and believes and does good deeds, for such people Allah will change their sins into the good deeds, for He is really Most Forgiving and Merciful, And those who ask pardon and do good works afterwards, they indeed turn to Allah with true repentance. And such ones do not bear witness to what is false, and when they pass by what is vain, they pass by like a gentleman. And when they are advised by reciting verses of their Lord, they do not become deaf and blind to them. And they who pray, “O our Lord! Give us joy of eyes (peace) from our wives and our children and make us leaders of virtuous people.” Those are the people who will be rewarded with very high ranks (in Paradise) because they exercised forbearance and therein, they will be welcomed (in
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271 Paradise) with ‘salaam’ and greetings and they will live there forever; what a nice place is it to rest and live! Say, “If you do not call Him, my Lord does not care for it, now, because you have rejected the truth, therefore chastisement will cleave to you.” (Al-Furqan 25-64) Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him (the Muslims) are hard against the infidels but compassionate among themselves; whenever you look at them, you will find them bowing and prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and His pleasure; due to the effect of prostration, marks are upon their foreheads and this is their description in the Torah; and in the Gospel, their parable is like a seed-produce that puts forth its sprout, then it grows strong and becomes stout and then stands erected firmly on its stem to the delight of the farmers. (Al-Fath 48-29)
Say (O Prophet), “O disbelievers! I do not worship that which you worship nor you worship Him Whom I worship. Nor I am going to worship that which you worship nor you are going to worship Him, Whom I worship. Your religion is for you and my religion is for me. (Al-Kafirun 109-2) O believers! Remember Allah frequently and glorify Him morning and evening. He sends His blessings on you and so do His angels so that He may bring you out of utter darkness into the light, and He is Merciful to the believers. (Al-Ahzab 33-42) O believers! Respond to the call of Allah and the Prophet; the Prophet calls you that he may give you life (i.e. a man is as good as dead without embracing Islam). (Al-Anfal 8-25)
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Chapter Thirty
THE LAST SERMONS All the praises are for Allah, to Whom we all praise, and from Whom only we seek help and from Him we ask for forgiveness, we beseech the protection of Allah from the evils of our selfish desires and actions. Whom Allah guides to the right path, no one can lead him astray, and whomso He leads astray, no one can show him the right path, I bear testimony that there is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. His is the Sovereignty and all praises are due to Him, He grants life and causes death and has power over all things. There is no god but Allah, the One; He fulfilled His promise and granted victory to His servant, and He alone routed the confederates (of the enemies of Islam). O servants of Allah (mankind)! I enjoin upon you and persuade you to be obedient to Allah, and I take lead in it; now O people! Listen to me attentively, I want to tell you everything very clearly, may be after this year, you may not ever meet me again at this place (Makkah) (Mohammed, peace be upon him, died the same year as he said). O people! Your lives and your properties and your honours are as sacred as the sacred inviolability of this day this month and this very town (Makkah). Verily, you will soon meet your Lord, and you will be accounted for your actions. If someone is in possession of a trust, he must return it to it’s owner. All the interest (usury) of the days of ignorance are wiped out from now on, and first of all, I forgive all the interest claimed by my uncle Abbas, son of Abdul Muttalib, and also remember that, all the interest of the days of ignorance stand remitted entirely, you have only the right to take the principal sum, neither you shall do wrong nor will you be wronged.
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273 Beware O believers! I have conveyed the message of Allah. O Allah! Be my witness to it. Behold! All the acts of the days of ignorance, and customs, and rites are hereby buried under my feet and are trampled herewith; every blood revenges of the days of ignorance are forgiven, and the first claim which I abolish is the blood of Rabiya bin Haris bin Abdul Muttalib (a near relative of Muhammad, peace be upon him); for every intentional shedding of blood, there is retaliatory law (Qisas); the doubtful murders are those which happen with the below of a club (stick) or stone and its qisas is hundred camels; watch out that, whosoever commits a crime, only he is the one to be accounted and penalized for it; a father is not to be accounted for his son, nor a son is to be accounted for his father. O people! Satan is disappointed that he (Satan) will not be worshipped in this land, but he is happy and content that though he will not be worshipped, but he will be followed in other vices and evil deeds which you may be disposed to think insignificant, so beware of him in your matters of religion. O people! Fear Allah about women; women have certain rights over you as you have certain rights over them. Your wives shall not allow strange men on your beds, and also they shall not allow anyone to enter your houses whom you dislike; and the women shall not do acts of impropriety, if they do so, you can separate them from your beds, you are allowed to chastise them but not severely; so if they refrain from the immoral acts and become obedient then their food, and clothes is your responsibility according to the proper living standard. Note: This is a remarkable commandment to save women from divorce, and give the couple a chance to renew relations; beating a woman in all circumstances except fornication is strictly forbidden, The light beating has been allowed as the. only maximum punishment; so the usual custom to kill or beat violently, or divorce without a chance to amend is prohibited. Beating for little faults is prohibited, even for a slave. Treat your wives kindly, since they are your helpers, and are not in a position to manage their affairs themselves. You have taken them as trust from Allah, and in His name, their persons have become lawful for you. So whatever you do to them, do it fearing Allah and always think for their best interest. O people! I have commanded you in this matter. O Allah! Be witness. O people! All Muslims are one brotherhood, and every Muslim in the world is brother of another Muslim. It is not lawful
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274 for a Muslim to take the property of his brother against his wish. So see! I have preached. O Allah! Be my witness. And be mindful of servants (slaves etc). Be just to them. Make them eat the same what you yourself eat, what you wear, dress them with the same, and do not make them work more than their strength. O people! Do not become astray after me and do not strike one another’s necks. You all are certainly going to appear before Allah and He will definitely take a full reckoning of your deeds. Beware! Even if a Mongol Abyssinian slave is appointed leader over you and he orders you according to the Book of Allah (commandments of the Quran and Muhammad, peace be upon him), you must obey and listen to him. I leave behind a thing among you, if you act upon it and stick to its teachings, then you will never be led astray and that is, the Book of Allah. Be cautious, I have preached you. O Allah! Be my witness. O people! You have one Lord, and the father of you all is also one, and you all are from Adam and Adam was made from the dust. Verily, in the sight of Allah, the greatest and the most honourable is the one who is the most virtuous and pious among you, no Arab is superior to non-Arab, no white man is superior to a black man, nor a black man is superior to white man, if there is any superiority at all that is due to piety. O people! I have preached, O Allah! Be my witness. O people! Worship your Lord, and say prayers five times a day, keep fast in Ramadhan, give Zakat gladly, perform pilgrimage of Holy Kaaba, and obey my commandments, you will certainly enter the Paradise. O people! Allah the Mighty and the Exalted has fixed the share of each heir; nobody has the right to bequest more than one third of his property; a child belongs to the one to whom the woman (the mother) is married, and for an adulterer (or adulteress) are stones. Reckoning of their deeds rests with Allah Peace of Allah and His Mercy be upon you. There are three things in which a believer is never dishonest Firstly is to work solely for the sake of pleasure of Allah, secondly is to be sincere for the rulers by pointing their mistakes and obey them, thirdly is to remain united with the community of the Muslims, because prayers of the community redeem him.
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275 Beware to transgress the limits set in the matter of religion; for it was transgression of statutory limits that brought destruction to nations before you. It is enjoined upon you that you shall not allow such people to raise heads among the people and in the cities of Allah, who are arrogant, headstrong and haughty; the kingdom of God belongs to those who are meek and humble, who do not create disturbances and troubles, the good end in the Hereafter is only for the pious ones. I am foreseeing the great conquest which you are going to achieve in near future. I have no fear that you will worship other gods, but I do fear that the love and the temptation of the world may not destroy you the way it destroyed the followers of the previous prophets. Blessings and benedictions be upon you and all the people till the end of the world, who embrace Islam and become my followers. There had been a nation before you who used to make the graves of the prophets and the virtuous men as their object of worship and prostration. See! You do not become like them; O Allah! Do not let my grave become like an. idol, such that it is worshipped. Curse and the wrath is upon the nation who made the graves of the prophets a place to worship. See! I always forbade you about it. See! I have preached so. O Allah! Be my witness to it, O people! God will ask about me in near future, what will you reply? (The people replied, “We will give testimony that you delivered us all the commandments and messages and you did justice with the mission of prophethood and left no stone unturned in advising the followers and lifted all the veils of ignorance and doubts and delivered the trust of Allah very efficiently and perfectly).� (On hearing this, the light of the world, the perfect man, the Prophet of the prophets, the king of both the worlds said) O Allah! Be my witness, O Allah! Be my witness. O People! Those who are here shall convey my message to those who are not here, because there are people who listen the word of wisdom but themselves do not have much understanding, and some of them convey the message to those who are more wise and have better understanding and can understand the deep-
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276 rooted and hidden meaning of the message; there is no prophet after me, and there is no religion after me. Do not attribute the lawful and the unlawful to me, I have declared only that one as lawful which the Quran has declared so and I have forbidden only that which Allah has forbidden. Do not let remain any infidel in Arabia. You shall respect and play host to the ambassadors and representative groups of other nations. The debts must be paid up; the loans must be returned; the gifts must be reciprocated; and a guarantor must pay the loss to the assured; the women shall not give the wealth of their husbands to anyone without their consent. I am going before you to the Hoz-e-Kosar (the Pond of Abundance) the dimensions of this pond are as from Ela (Jerusalem) to Hajaz. I will take pride in your large numbers than the followers of other prophets. Do not bring disgrace to me and remember it well that for some people I will intercede to save, but some people will be snatched away from me, I will say to Allah, “These are my friends.” Reply will come, “You do not know what they did after you,” I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the world, I do not fear that you will worship other gods, but I have fear that you may not start shedding blood of one another by falling into the trap of the temptation of the world, and then you will be ruined as the other communities were ruined. O People! Do not exaggerate in the matters of religion, the nations before you were destroyed due to it. O People! If anyone has any right over me, he must demand it and whoso demands his right, I will love him even more or otherwise he should forgive me his right, so that I can meet Allah happily. No one should expect that I will have a grudge due to the demand of his right, this is not my conduct. Whoso has a right over me he must demand it. O Muslims! I leave you to Allah, under His protection and His assistance. May Allah be your guardian after I depart. Now I am soon going away from the world, so Allah’s blessings and mercy and favours be upon you all.
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277 Gabriel, the Holy Spirit has brought the message from Allah: Today, I have perfected your religion for you and I have
accomplished My favours upon you and I have given My consent and approval for Islam. _________
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INDEX A Ablution, also see cleanliness. Purification 115, 116 Abraham 36 Abstinate 186 Abstinence 126, 190 Abuse, Abusive 88, 89, 95 Accuse, Accusation 87 Adam 95, 249, 269 Adulterer, Adultress 44, 83 Adultery 41, 45, 77, 89, 109, 110, Affection, see also Love 78, 79, 80 Afflict, Afflicting 161 Affliction 161 Almsgiving, see also Charity 80, 102, 163, to 167 Anger Angry 39, 68, 88. 90,91, 160 Animal 196, 197 Arrogant, Arrogance 39 Avarice, see also Greed, Covet 42, 91, 92. to 94, ******** B Backbite, backbiting 39, 80, 89, 90, Beg, Begging 40, 165 Blood shedding, see also killing, Murder 41 Bible, the 33 Bribe 149, 151 Brotherhood 78 Brushing of teeth 115 Business, Businessman 126 to 133 C Charitable acts 68 Charity, see also Almsgiving, 80, 102, 154, 163, to 167,211 Chaste Chastity 76, 77 Cleanliness, see also Purification, Cleanliness 39, 115 to 188 Commitment, see Promise 41 Condole, Condolence 99 Congregation 122, Console, Consolation 98, 99 Contemplation 192 Content, Contentment 158, 161. 194, 225 Covenant 166, 218, 295, 301, 319, 247, 264 Covet, 77 Critical 39, 89 Criticize 40 Cruel, Cruelty 96D Deadly sins 108
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279 Debt, see also Loan 119, 123, 124, 271 Divorce 75, 76 Dress 115 to 118 Drinking, Drunk 112, 113, 114 E Educate, Education 72 Endeavour 56 Envy, Envied 194 Evidence, see Witness 149,151,251,269 F Faith 44 to 52 Fast, Fasting 152 to 155 Fate, see also Decree 156, 157, 158 Forgiveness 42, 182, to 185 Fornication, Fornicator, see also Adultery 41, 45, 77, 89, 109, 110 Foulrnouthed 220 Friendship, of Friends 102 G Gamble, Gambling 41 Generous 40, 44 Gift, see, also Present 105, 121 Greed 42, 91, 92,93 Greetings see also Salutation, Salaam 42 Guest 42, 233 H Hadood 109 Haughty, see Pride, Proud 41, 206, 236 Hoard 128, 129, 130 Holy War see Jihad 67, 60, 95, 127, 138 to 144, 195 ' Homosexual 109 Honest, Honesty 40, 85, 86 Hospitable 100, 101 Humble, Humility 39, 95, 192 Husbands 65-77 Hypocrisy, Hypocrite 41, 97.. 225 I Idolaters, Idols Immodest, Immodesty 86 Intercede, Intercession 220, 221, 222 Intoxicate Intoxicant, Intercession, see also Liquor 41, 112, 113, 114, 219 J Jealous, Jealousy 39, 91, 225 Jesus 247, 248, 249 Jews 244, 245 Jihad, Struggle in God's Way: Holy War 67, 138 to 144 Journey, see Travelling 53, 122, 123 Judge 149, 150, 151 Justice 150, 151 K Kill, Killing 41, 111, 112 Kindness 80, 81,88, 196,224 L Labour, Labourer 132 Liquor 112, 113, 114,219 Loan, see Debt also 119, 123, 124 Love see also Affection 78, 79, 80 Loving 78 Lust 220 Lustful Desires 220 M Magnanimous 84 Marriage, Marry 40, 73
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280 Martyr 194, 222 Mary, Miriam 247 Meek, Meekness 192 Merciful 52, 80, 196, 222, 224 Mercy 80, 81,222 Messiah 236, 248, 256 Miserliness, Miserly 92 Moderation, Moderate 84, 192 Modest, Modesty 42, 68, 69, 86, 87, 94 Morals, good 44, 82 Moses 242, 243' Murder, see also killing 45 Music also Singing 42, 119, 124 N Neighbour 103, 104, 105, 106 Nude 75 Nudity 75 O Obscene, Obscenity 89, 220 Oppress, Oppressor 97, 220 Orphan 105, 106 P Paraclete 30 Parents 39, 61 to 64 Patience, Patient 44, 45, 91, 160, 161, 220 Permissiveness 77 Penitence 125 Pharaoh 243 Pilgrimage, Hajj 62 Planning 126 Prayer, Praying 168 to 181, 269 Present, also see gift 105 Promise, see also commitment 39, 64, 85 Pride, Proud see Haughty also 95, 123 Prostitute, Prostitution 73, 110, 197 Publicize 89, 172 Purity, Purification, see also Ablution Cleanliness, 115, 116,225 Q Quarrel 40, 149 Quiet 88 R Resurrection, the Day of 203 Ridicule 90 Revenge 97 S Salutation see Greeting, Salaam 119, 120, 121 Scholar 54, 60 Servant, see also Slave 106, 107, 269 Singing girl 67 Slander, Slanderer, Slandering 90 Slaves, Slavery see also Servants 106, 107, 269 Speech, see Tongue 87, 88, 89 Steadfast, Steadfastness 43, 149 Steal, Stealing see also Theft 41 Suicide 41, 119, 125 Suspicion 83, 89 T Taunt 89 Testimony, see also Witness 245 Thief, Theft 44, 45, 108, 219 Tolerant, Tolerance 42, 83, 90 Toleration 126 Tongue see also Speech 40, Travel, Traveller, Travelling also
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281 Journey 119, 122, 123, 196 Truth 39, 43 Tyranny, Tyrant 206, 220 U Usury, also Interest 133 Unity 145 to 148 V Virtues, Virtuous 68, 77, 79, 84, 103 Visiting the Sick 41 W War, see Jihad, Holy war 138-144 Wantonness 85 Wealth 93 Welfare social 135 to 137 Wife, Wives 65, 77 Wisdom, Wise also Knowledge 54 to 60, 79 Witness see also Testimony 149, 151, 251, 269 Women 65, 77 Z Zakat, see also Charity, Almsgiving 40, 163 to 167,269 _________
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