Hadith

Abu Huraira (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Do not turn your houses into graves. Shaitan is barred from any house in which Surat al-Baqarah is recited." [Sahih Muslim]

Commentary:
Some houses have a happy, welcoming feel to them while others have a depressing, desolate aura about them. A house that is haunted inspires in the person who enters it, the feeling that one should not be there and makes one feel like running away from it. One of the ways to keep Shayateen (devils) out of your house is by reciting Surah Baqarah in it frequently. When a house is free of Shayateen you will feel peaceful and comfortable in it.

Hadith

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The strong man is not the one who wrestles others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself at times of anger.” [The Book of Al-Birr: Sahih Muslim]

Commentary:
That is why we see that people with weak characters suppress their anger when dealing with their superiors but take it out on those weaker than them. A weak man will take his frustrations out on his family, a woman on her children, the rich on the poor. Giving free rein to one’s anger results only in crime against Allah’s creatures. It is natural to feel anger in certain situations but the successful person is he who is able to control the expression of his anger. Not all crimes in Islam are recognized as crimes in secular law, but what matters to a Muslim is how their action is viewed by Allah. Anger is justified when the crime is against Allah and his Messenger, but even then it is best handled with a cool mind.

Hazrat Ali (radi Allahu anhu) said: “A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a thousand moments of regret.”

Hadith

As one of the minor signs before the Day of Judgment, Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) mentioned: “There will be women who will be dressed but they will be naked. Their heads will be like the humps of camels. They will not enter Jannah and will not even smell the scent of Jannah while it can be smelt from a far distance.” [Sahih Muslim] Another hadith mentions that one can smell the scent of Jannah from a distance traveled in seventy years.

Commentary:
This hadith is about Muslim women as those without eman wouldn’t be entering Jannah anyway. Muslim women will have clothes on but they will be so tight and figure hugging that all parts of their bodies will be on display. Today we see clothes marketed that are so tight that all they conceal is the color of the skin (ex: 'skinny jeans'). This hadith also applies to very thin and see-through clothes. The head looking like the hump of a camel probably means some sort of hair style.

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Modesty brings nothing but good.” [Sahih Bukhari] Hazrat Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) was well known for his modesty. So much so that even the angels were mindful of it. Hazrat Fatima (radi Allahu anha) is also well known for her sense of haya and modesty.

Hadith

Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) narrated that when the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) would sneeze, he would cover his face with his hand or with his garment, and muffle the sound with it. (Hasan) [The Chapters on Manners: Jami at-Tirmidhi] Commentary: The good habit and example of the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) teaches that a person should keep the sound minimal and suppressed whilst sneezing, particularly when he/she is in a gathering. They should cover their face with a hand or a cloth, not only to muffle the sound but also to avoid spraying other people. The culture of Islam is a culture that has been washed in the rivers of Paradise. Therefore, to leave the culture of Islam for anything else is a gross error, regardless of what reason people give to adopt something contrary to it.

Hadith

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “If my Ummah bears fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.” Someone asked, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit; when paying Zakat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk; when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones - then let them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.” [Tirmidhi] Commentary: This hadith lists some of the evils that will befall the Ummah in its last days. Because of our committing these sins we will deserve to be punished. It is scary to see how many of these sins are now rampant amongst Muslims. The first sin mentioned is that the wealthy will keep wealth among themselves exclusively, not letting it circulate and benefit the poor. Look at current tax laws and you will see this to be true. Another manifestation of this sin is the invitation of rich relatives to celebrations but not poor ones. This is also a way of keeping good things among the rich only, as it excludes the poor from even benefiting from a meal. When people hold certain positions but only do their job when they are bribed, this amounts to using a trust to make a profit. Holding a position of responsibility is a trust/amanat, but we see politicians, government servants and many others, instead bent on profiteering. Another example of using a trust to make a profit is the practice of banks loaning out to others on interest the money that people keep as safekeeping with them. The third trait mentioned in this hadith is that zakat will become a burden. This is also evident today. How many people happily give zakat, despite it being a purification of wealth and source of great reward with Allah (subhana wa ta’ala)? A man obeying his wife in preference to his mother is also a sin. This is provided that neither of them is asking him to do something haraam or that which compromises any other’s rights. There is no obedience if that obedience entails disobedience of Allah’s prescribed rules and laws. Unfortunately, we also see among Muslims today that friends take precedence over family, although rights through kinship are highly stressed in Islam. We also see people raising their voices in mosques in argumentation and quarrels. The worst of a people being the leader of that nation also appears to be the case in many Muslim majority countries around the world. Consequently, people are afraid of the evil of their leaders and despite their wickedness thus treat them with respect. As for the last four traits: Many members of the Muslim Ummah are gripped in the vice of drinking alcohol; many don’t think much of the sin of men wearing silk; female singers and music are entrenched in the popular culture of Muslims; and some deviant sects also engage in the repulsive sin of bad mouthing the first generation of Muslims. We need to seriously repent and ask Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to save us from the punishments that befall the sinful.

COLLECTION OF HADITH

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi WA sallam) said: “Keep away from ill- thinking/suspicions because ill-thinking is the greatest falsehood.” [Sahih Bukhari] Commentary: During the Abbasid period one of the scholars in Baghdad was greeted by an acquaintance who said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?" Scholar: "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test." The Man: "Triple Filter Test?" Scholar: "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" The Man: "No, actually I just heard about it and ..." Scholar: "All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?" The Man: "No, on the contrary..." Scholar: "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?" The Man: "No, not really." Scholar: "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?" Allah (subhana WA ta’ala) asks us: "O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh (meat) of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful." [Quran 49:12] Let's pass our intended speech through the triple filter test before we madly utter our every thought. And lets subject others to the triple filter test too before we hear any number of damaging things from them.

COLLECTION OF HADITH

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, ‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshiping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.’” [Tirmidhi]

Commentary:
Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) loves it when people ask Him to forgive their sins. He is overjoyed with their repentance, since He hates to punish anybody. At the slightest excuse He washes people’s sins away. The only condition is that the human being must truly regret in his/her heart that they did what they did. The sinner should be ashamed of their misdeeds, and discontinue committing such sins. If the resolve to avoid the sin is not there then one has not actually repented.

In this hadith, Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) tells us that no matter how many a person’s sins are, should they even reach the sky in heaps, Allah would forgive the sinner if they were to turn to Allah in repentance. In a different hadith, the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told us that Allah’s bounty is so vast that He would actually convert all the sins into good deeds, should the person truly repent. We should not postpone repenting of our sins and reforming ourselves to when we become old, since nobody knows when they will die.

COLLECTION OF HADITH

1500. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was asked: "At what time does the supplication find the greatest response?'' He (PBUH) replied, "A supplication made during the middle of the last part of the night and after the conclusion of the obligatory prayers.''
[At-Tirmidhi].

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Ask, and you shall be given it; and you shall be given it.” [Tirmidhi]
Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Let everyone of you ask of His Lord all that He wants.” [Tirmidhi]

Commentary:
We were informed by our Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) fulfills everybody’s wishes so long as a person does not get impatient and say, ‘I asked Allah for so and so and I still haven’t received it.’ We are told never to despair of the mercy of Allah (subhan wa ta’ala).

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) informed us that there are several forms for the acceptance of dua. One is that you are given what you ask for. Another is that you are given better than what you asked for. A third is that some calamity that was about to befall you has been averted instead. The fourth is that the dua is saved up for you as sawaab/reward for the Day of Judgment. In all cases, asking Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) for things is beneficial.

COLLECTION OF HADITH

“Alqamah (radi Allahu anhu) was a very pious person. He spent his time in prayer and fasting. At the approach of death he was unable to proclaim the Kalima Shahada, in spite of repeated instruction by those present. Alqamah's wife sent a messenger to Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) to inform him of Alqamah's grave condition.

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) enquired whether the parents of Alqamah were alive. He was informed that Alqamah's mother was alive. Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) asked the aged mother about Alqamah. She replied: ‘Alqamah is a very pious person. He passes his time in Salat and Saum. He performs Tahajjud, but he always disobeys me for the sake of his wife. I am, therefore, displeased with him.’

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: ‘It will be best for him if you forgive him.’ However, she refused. Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered Bilal (radi Allahu anhu) to gather firewood. On hearing this order, Alqamah's mother asked in consternation: ‘Will my child be burnt in the fire?’

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: ‘Yes! Compared to the punishment of Allah, our punishment is light. I take oath by Allah that as long as you remain displeased with him, neither his Salat nor his Sadaqah is accepted.’

The old lady said: ‘I make you and all people present witness that I have forgiven Alqamah.’ Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) addressing the gathering, said: ‘Go and see if the Kalima is on the tongue of Alqamah or not.’

After returning from Alqamah the people informed him that he was reciting the Kalima. Thus, he left this world with the Kalima on his lips. After burying Alqamah, Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: ‘The curse of Allah is on the one who causes difficulty to his mother. The curse of the angels and the curse of mankind be on him. Allah Ta'ala neither accepts his Fardh nor his Nafl Ibadat as long as he does not repent and obey his mother. He has to gain her pleasure as best as he can. Allah's Pleasure depends on the mother's pleasure and His Wrath is concealed in her wrath.’” [Ahmad]

Commentary:
This hadith is a sober reminder for us to be respectful and obedient to our parents and try to keep them happy with us. It is not a small matter to upset them for the sake of our friends or others who we value more. The only time that we are allowed to give preference to others is in the matter of others’ Allah-given rights, since no obedience can supersede obedience to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and His Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam).

Therefore, it is important to find out what the rights of our children, spouses, relatives, friends, and other Muslims are, so we know what Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) wants us to do in case there is a clash between what different people want from us. This is the only proper way to balance relationships as it seeks Allah’s pleasure. Otherwise, mothers deserve our utmost attention, respect and obedience.
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COLLECTION OF HADITH

The Prophet of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah accepts the repentance of the servant so long as his ruh(soul) has not arrived at his throat.” [Tirmidhi]

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) says: “If you could see when the wrongdoers taste the pangs of death and the angels stretch their hands out, [saying], 'Deliver up your souls. This day you will be awarded a degrading punishment.'” [Al-Quran 6:93]

“When an unbeliever is about to depart from this world, angels with black faces descend from the heavens carrying rough hair-cloth, and sit around the dying person in throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at the head of the unbeliever and says: 'O foul soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allah!' The soul inside the disbeliever's body does not want to deliver itself up and divides up in the body of the dying person, whereupon the Angel of Death violently pulls it and it is dragged out like a skewer is pulled out of wet wool.” [Ar-Ruh: The Soul’s Journey after Death, by Imam Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jauziah]

“Then the Angel of Death takes hold of the soul. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling of an eye. They take it and wrap it in the rough hair-cloth and a stench emanates from it like that of the most evil smelling corpse on the face of the earth.” [Ar-Ruh: The Soul’s Journey after Death, by Imam Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jauziah]

Then the angels ascend with the depraved soul, and they do not pass with it by any group of angels but the angels ask: "What is this wicked soul?" They are told (he is) "such" the son of "such", choosing the most hated of the names he used to be called by in this life. For instance, Abu Jahl (Father of Ignorance), whose actual name was Umar, would have been called Abu Jahl by the angels. The evil soul is cursed by all the angels between the earth and the sky and by all the angels in the sky.

When the angels reach the lowest heaven, they ask permission to enter, but they are not granted entry because of the evil soul with them. “No opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the Garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle.” [Al-Quran 7:40] Then Allah, Exalted and High, says: "Write the book of my servant in Sijjeen in the lowest earth.” The evil soul is thereafter flung down with a mighty hurl. It is cast back into its body and its trial in the grave then begins. [Ar-Ruh: The Soul’s Journey after Death, by Imam Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jauziah]

Collection of Hadith

1500. Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was asked: "At what time does the supplication find the greatest response?'' He (PBUH) replied, "A supplication made during the middle of the last part of the night and after the conclusion of the obligatory prayers.''
[At-Tirmidhi].

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Ask, and you shall be given it; and you shall be given it.” [Tirmidhi]
Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Let everyone of you ask of His Lord all that He wants.” [Tirmidhi]

Commentary:
We were informed by our Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) fulfills everybody’s wishes so long as a person does not get impatient and say, ‘I asked Allah for so and so and I still haven’t received it.’ We are told never to despair of the mercy of Allah (subhan wa ta’ala).

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) informed us that there are several forms for the acceptance of dua. One is that you are given what you ask for. Another is that you are given better than what you asked for. A third is that some calamity that was about to befall you has been averted instead. The fourth is that the dua is saved up for you as sawaab/reward for the Day of Judgment. In all cases, asking Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) for things is beneficial.

COLLECTION OF HADITH

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Verily Allah says: O son of Adam, free yourself for my worship, I will (in turn) fill your chest with satisfaction and remove your poverty, and if you don't, I will fill your hands with distraction and will not remove your poverty." [Ahmad, Ibn Majah] Commentary: The explanation of this in Fayd ul Qadeer is: "Free yourself of your interests in order to worship Me and do not busy yourself in earning that which exceeds your needs and the needs of those under your care." In other words, when a person has earned enough to fulfill his needs, the needs of those he is responsible for and whatever else is necessary, he should not busy himself in acquiring beyond that, but should busy himself in obedience to Allah (subhana wa ta'ala), otherwise he will be establishing his worldly life but destroying his Hereafter. Fayd al Qadeer, by al Manaawee, is a scholarly piece of work explaining al-Jaami as-Saghir by al-Haafidh as-Suyuti. It is surprising to find people with large bank accounts running madly after this world and by so doing, placing upon themselves difficulties and hardships. If this extra effort were to go into seeking Allah's pleasure, it would be much more beneficial for them. This hadith warns us that if we act as though we do not have enough to meet our daily needs and we do not take time out to serve Allah’s Deen, then Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) will truly make poverty our condition. If, on the other hand, we don't forget Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) then He will not forget us either. We should thank Him for providing us with enough to meet our needs and spend our extra time and effort in seeking the Hereafter.