Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #056 An Atoms Weight of Faith Prophetic Dua of Contentment Faith and Brotherhood Beginnin
AI: Summary ©
The importance of learning and finding one's own rights is emphasized in Islam, as it can lead to contentment and blessings. Representatives emphasize the importance of finding one's own rights and finding one's own satisfaction, as well as finding one's own success. The importance of learning and practicing to avoid embarrassment and loss is also emphasized. Visits to the organization and donating are encouraged, as it is beneficial for maintaining a habit and becoming an active part of one's life.
AI: Summary ©
Assalamu alaikum. We have just launched our fight
with light fundraising campaign for SeekersHub Global, where
our goal is to raise $60,000
in monthly donations by the end of the
year. And all of this money will go
towards fighting ignorance
and fighting hatred and fighting extremism
by spreading the light of knowledge
and the light of guidance and the light
of the way of our messenger
We hope that you'll join us in this
fight, and you can do so by becoming
a monthly donor at seekershub.org/donate.
You're listening to the daily
guidance for seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni, who
will be covering Imam Yusuf al Nabhani's beautiful
collection of 40 sets of 40 hadith of
the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
as well as imam Zarnooji's guidance for seekers
of knowledge regarding the ways of seeking knowledge.
We are continuing to look
at Sheikh Yousafan Nabhani's collection of 40 Hadiths
on the virtues
of
iman
iman and Islam.
And these are meant, amongst other things, to
grant us deeper appreciation
for the great blessings
of iman
and Islam, which
are the greatest of blessings as they say
All praises due to Allah for the blessing
of
faith and sufficient
it is
as
a blessing.
And we're on hadith number
22.
We didn't take hadith 21?
Okay. Hadith number 21
The prophet
said,
whoever
has
an atoms weight of faith in their heart
will leave the fire.
Said, so whoever doubts,
let them recite,
me the words of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
in the Quran.
Truly, Allah does not wrong
even to the extent
of an atom's weight of a grain.
It's related to him, and he deemed it
Sahih.
So
and and
this is mentioned elsewhere in in the Quran
as
well despite
whatever
wrong that they do. So some people get
confused. So but what about
a believer
who engage in ex in great wrongdoing?
Well, one of the dangers of is
that can result,
especially if you know it's active, ongoing,
unrepented from
is one of the of
the causes of a bad ending.
Right. So someone
could end up having a bad ending, they
they have Selbu Iman, they lose their faith
completely. And one of the causes for that
is,
particularly
to Allah's
creation, particularly
to those who are
most needy,
right,
most dependent,
those who have most rights.
And similarly, there are things that lead to
good endings.
Right? So we we don't we neither affirm
the absurd that someone was a great person,
they must have become a Muslim before they
died. We we leave that
to
to the just and merciful lord.
The next hadith beside
So he also relates that the Messenger of
Allah says whoever says
I am pleased with Allah
as Lord
and with Islam
as
my way or my religion
And with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon
him, as messenger,
paradise is incumbent for them.
It's related by Abu Dawood and in another
narration
as prophet, Nabiya. So
so one should join between the 2.
Right?
And this is, you know, in so many
of the scholars encourage saying that
as part of
once daily
Azkar.
Right?
It's in many collections of Urad, why? Because
this is something we're encouraged to say. Of
course, the saying of the tongue
is an indication of
the conviction
of the heart
as is obvious.
Because we both affirm these realities but we
are also obligated
to be content with them, ribah.
K? To have ribah.
And riba is very closely related
with gratitude.
And it is gratitude
that results
in
riba
from contentment.
Both
the riba,
the contentment of the servant with their lord,
because someone is grateful for blessings, they will
be content
with their lord.
And to the extent that one sees things
as blessings,
to that extent
one will be content with Allah. And similarly
to the extent that one is grateful, Allah
will be
content with us.
The 23rd
So
the messenger of Allah
said, if
if if a if a person,
literally a servant,
enters Islam
and makes good their Islam,
Allah
writes for them for every
good deed that they had done previously.
Right? He records it for them
and wipes away every ill deed that they
did before, meaning even before Islam.
And
and
and that is to the extent of the
reckoning
such that
every good deed, even past good deed,
will be recorded
tenfold up to 700 times,
whereas a bad deed
is only counted once
unless Allah overlooks it. And
Islam wipes away what came before it
with respect to sin.
Of course,
Islam
entering Islam does not wipe away
rights that are due.
Right? So you can't someone can't just steal.
So,
there's a sheikh I'm
I know,
this this woman came and
she became Muslim, but
she said,
she'd heard
that Islam wipes away
all that came before it. So she'd been
been a drug dealer and she'd made millions.
So what do I do?
I said, is there anything else?
And he looked up, said, well,
she
she broke several bones of her husband because
he used to work for her
in her enterprise.
And once he tried to cheat her from
some money, so she threw him onto the
sofa.
And she broke several limbs.
And it was only this lady and the
sheikh and, of course, other people around, but
they're not in here. So he he said
he got afraid. He said, you spoke the
truth.
I said, you have to make a You
have to return what you owe to the
people and and that's
that that all that earning was all from
the haram. You have to gradually take the
means to get rid of all of it.
Those you know, you have to return it
to those you know, and those you don't,
you have to give it away in charity
with the intention of ridding yourself of the
haram.
Right? And that's and that's the truth. Right?
But sometimes one has to emphasize, well,
enter first. Right?
But this is also the the the power
of making good ones Islam. Making good
for for Hasunah Islam or Hasunah
Islam To make good ones Islam
is
to one because one thing is to accept
to submit,
to affirm
the faith.
And the other is to then
take the means to be in a state
of submission to Allah Subha'ala,
Right? Which is we talk about there's the
there's mere faith
and there is
sound faith.
Right? And similarly there's mere submission
which is to accept to submit. And there's
sound submission
that you are
doing your best to be in a state
of obedience to Allah, in a state that
is pleasing to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And
then there's the perfection of iman, there's perfection
of Islam.
So if one does so,
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala writes
then not only the good deed they did
after Islam, but even whatever good they did
before and multiplies it.
And while Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and while wiping away all past sins. And
that's from the generosity
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This hadith was
related by Imam Bukhari Talikhan,
which is the the hadith al Mu'alak and
Bukhari are those hadiths that Imam Bukhari mentions
in his
chapter headings without a chain of transmission.
But when he mentioned them,
when he mentions them,
decisive that the messenger of Allah sallahu alaihi
wa sallam said,
they're invariably shown to be at least sound.
At least sound.
The ulama went and looked for the chains.
But,
but it's also mentioned with this chain of
transmission by Imam Nasai and others.
Hadith number 24.
So, Sayna Anas who
relates to the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam said, none of you believes
for their brother what they love for themselves.
Until they love for another
all that they love for themselves.
Is
it's a general expression, whatever.
They love for themselves.
So there there are levels of
they they say there's 2 types
of love.
And I'm not be able to say, there's
a rational love
and an emotional love, an emotive love.
The rational love is that you want
you incline
to the good for another.
And that's the love that is
required for others.
And there's the emotive love where you have
a feeling
of wanting
with respect to another
and you're not responsible
for that.
And this is
and an example of that is mentioned from
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
with when you when you know the command
of
Allah with respect if someone had multiple spouses
was to be
just
with each of them.
Right?
So it's it's related the prophet
Oh Allah, this is my apportioning in what
I
have control over.
And do not take me to account for
what I do not have control over. Right?
Which is
it's inevitable. You like some more than
than others.
Right?
But that's a useful demarcation. So you may
you may, you know, there's some people, sometimes
not there's not even because it's a problem.
You
just can't get along. Like, you know, you
don't
like, if things were the way you wanted
them, you'd probably press select, delete.
Yeah. But you can't. Like,
you know? So there's the rational love, which
is you incline,
and and there's the inclination with respect to
the person themselves.
Right? But there's inclination towards
what?
You that you incline
to want for them the good. Right?
So you give them
their rights.
So if they have a need, you'd help
them out.
If they ask for something, you'd give it.
If they're sick, you'd visit them.
And,
of course, there's there's levels of love, it's
superior
that one also nurture
the emotive love for others
so that it's
not only
a functional love,
but it's done out of
a genuine
caring for them. And that's the the kind
of,
and that's and that is from Kamal al
Mahaba,
from completeness of love.
They are merciful to one another. Right?
As Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala describes the believer,
the prophet
would not only go through the motions of
loving for the good for others, so he'd
visit the sick and so on, but we
have so many hadith if you look at
the crying of the prophet
that so many command when they're sick, he
cried
right he really felt for
them.
He's deeply concerned for you
And
the least of loving
the good for another is to wish them
no harm.
Is to wish them no harm and therefore
to do them no harm.
And from the harm, of course,
is that you don't you do not deny
them what is rightfully theirs
of the rights of a believer
or for rights of another
on a on a person. Right? So the
the believers
owe
rights to other people.
Right?
That you assist them when they're in need,
that you visit them when they're sick.
And these rights that you fulfill them because
in non fulfilling them, there's detriment to the
other party.
So you do them no wrong and from
that is
to not deny them what is rightfully theirs.
Either at the level of obligation or the
level of encouragement.
The second level is to do good
for them.
Is to do good for them.
Right? The first is.
Right? Is to be is to be just.
You don't wrong them,
and you fulfill their rights. What's rightfully there
is a level of obligation and the level
of recommendation.
But then to do good to them,
which is above that.
And the 3rd level is
is to prefer
others over oneself, which is what the Ansar
were praised for when
the Madinans
the the the Muhajidin
came.
And they prefer others to themselves
even if what they have is very little.
And that is the that is true friendship.
Right?
It's related from
from him
that
he said Your true friend is the one
who remains with you,
and who would hurt themselves to benefit you.
And if the trials of time
test you,
they would ruin themselves
to put you together.
And and this is a quality to know
the duties of brotherhood,
you know, of, you know, the of Uhua.
Imam Al Ghazali, if you want to gain
a little bit of humility about how you
are as a believer,
read Imam Al Ghazali's
chapter in the on the rights of brotherhood,
which is translated and summarized fashion very capably
by Mukhtar Holland,
but
the book in the on that
sets a high standard. In English, we also
have a wonderful work by Imam Abu Abdur
Rahman Sulami, one of the great early imams
called,
the book of chivalry,
which is,
you know, and chivalry this this quality
of and at the heart of chivalry of
virtuous,
noble, dignified
conduct
is.
Right.
Right.
Is
to be giving and preferring.
And we'll continue
from
Hadith number
25.
We're also looking,
in our
at
the
instruction
of the student on the ways of learning,
by imam
and
we reached the chapter
on
how one orders one's
studies. So he talked about what one prioritizes
in one's studies,
right, of how you give precedence to what's
most important,
etcetera, and begin with the with the basics,
etcetera. We looked at that and then having
high resolve in one study and how in
choosing teacher, etcetera. Now
The
sub is the lesson,
k, of how one begins one's
lessons
and the extent of the lesson and how
one orders it.
And so he says
Sheikh
Islam, meaning Al Marghinani, the author of the
Hidayah,
may Allah have mercy upon him, used to,
wait to begin
a new lesson.
You used to wait for Wednesdays to begin
a new lesson, and you used to relate
regarding that a hadith.
And the way he puts it that even
though it has weakness,
it does not mean that it does not
exist
or it's baseless.
Right? So there's no particular the the the
way,
you know, but the one who really wants,
you know
so,
like,
you know,
once used the example, it's that someone who's
in love,
right,
and they go shopping,
there's things that they know that that the
one they love likes, so they
they take those things on. They
but then there's some things that
this they may may well like this as
well. So they take that too. Why? Because
the one who loves wants to embrace all
that they can embrace.
So the condition of a weak hadith
to be accepted
is that it's it has
it's
not so weak that it would be fabricated,
it's not,
or baseless.
So there's weakness in it.
Weakness means so there's no transmitter in it
who's a liar or a fabricator,
but they may be weak. They may even
be very weak,
but there's no one in it who's a
liar or a fabricator, so it's not excessively
weak.
Number 2,
it
it accords with the established principles
of our religion.
Go it corresponds
with the values of our religion
and its and its teachings, it does not
go against any of them. And number 3,
one acts upon it
hopeful
of the virtue or the benefit
or out of caution to avoid the detriment
or the harm.
One acts upon it, hopefully and not decisively.
And he should take that as an evidentiary
basis.
That it's related
that the prophet
said nothing is begun
on a Wednesday except that it is completed.
And that used to do likewise.
Hadith.
And Imam
used to relate this from his great teacher.
Right?
And likewise, one of the great scholars,
Abu Yusuf Al Hamadani
or Hamadani
used to if he was going to do
something
of the good, he used to wait to
do it on a Wednesday.
And it and this is because
Wednesday is when light was created. It is
said.
The the basis for that is weak.
And it's a day of loss for the
disbelievers.
And so they will be blessed
for,
the believers.
So this is this considered from.
This is like the scholar many people did
it. They found benefit in it, so they
suggested it, but it's not it is not
a legal ruling. It this you cannot it's
it's not legally affirmed that this is.
It's from
experience. It's not a legal ruling that you
don't say it is legal religiously recommended to
begin on a Wednesday. No.
How much does one study?
So
the practice of Abu Hanifa
with respect to the extent of of a
lesson at the beginning of one studies, Abu
Hanifa used to say, and this is related
from
imam
Omar
ibn Abi Bakr as Zarnuji,
perhaps related to the author.
That our scholars have said relating from that
it is befitting
is befitting that the the extent of a
lesson in the beginning for a student should
be to the extent
that they can retain.
Is to retain.
Okay? By repeating it twice easily.
And then one gradually increases, even if it
be just one letter at a time, meaning
just a little at a time.
And one increases each day,
you know, a little bit, a letter. It's
not literally. Let's say,
say, well, we won't take the hat today.
Tomorrow, we say.
That's not in that way, a little at
a time until even if the lesson is
long
and extensive,
it is possible to retain it by reviewing
it twice.
And when increases gently and gradually.
But on the other hand,
if
the lesson is
too too lengthy
in the beginning
and it requires
lengthy meaning there's too much in it.
So that needs to be repeated 10 times.
It has to be repeated many times to
be understood and retained.
Then at the end,
it also will be like that. It'll be
difficult to retain.
Right? And that's the nature
and
of
that this part of the. One begins with
a little
and
one gets used and also one develops
the tools of learning in the beginning.
So someone may feel that, well, I've been
studying for several years. I've not made a
lot of progress,
but at the beginning, part of the challenge
is to learn
how to learn
and to make the habits of learning.
Right? And when learning really, if you look
at it, ultimately, you're not learning so much
at once. But as you build those habits,
then one can accelerate and you'll find you'll
be able to retain
much more.
And one will not be able to leave
this habit except with a lot of effort.
Meaning, if we gain a habit of being
able to retain
by just a little repetition,
and that'll become a habit. But if you
make it a habit to to make it
very difficult for yourself to retain it because
you're taking on so much at a time,
then
that too will become a habit. You always
want to do a lot of things,
and it'll be very difficult to break that
habit as well.
Right? It said and it's been said that
the lesson
is
like one letter
is worth one letter
and repetition is worth a 1,000.
K? Is also just a little bit.
That the lesson matters only a little
and repetition is priceless.
Right?
Of course, less this is just by
by the way of emphasis in that
What does it matter? So Hamda, I attended
Sheikh Walid's
seminar on Surah Al Kahf. So what,
what did he cover? Well, he covered the
4 stories. What were they
the ones that are mentioned in Surah Al
Kahf. You don't remember. So what was the
main point about the first one? I don't
remember.
What was the point made right?
So it is
what really counts in knowledge.
Like, so the the lesson is the foundation,
but it is repetition that retains it, is
a support. And without the support,
the foundation disappears.
And it it's befitting that one begin with
something that is close
that is closer to one's understanding,
Meaning that one doesn't take on all the
big complicated issues all at once.
So the mashaikh in Damascus is coming. The
westerners come to damask, come here, and they
still can't speak a complete sentence in Arabic,
and they want to solve all the world's
problems and all the contemporary fiqh issues and
all the contemporary
theological questions.
But they still don't if you ask them,
so what is the definition of fiqh? They
don't know.
Who is Allah? They couldn't tell you. They
want to solve
the, you know, the problem of evil and
atheism
and Islamic finance and this and that. Right?
And
you won't get that unless you get the
foundation
correct.
Right?
So he said and so this sheikh, Sharafuddin
al Aqili, said that what's correct
according to me, to my understanding,
is that what our what our teachers used
to do, which is that they used to
choose for the students,
the the short,
clear works.
Right?
Right?
Right? The short,
clear
books.
Right?
Or the the
the
the small works
that are that summarize
the larger works,
the
being is expansion.
Right? It's the small works
based on the large works,
Right?
Because they're closer to understanding.
Right? They're closer to understanding.
And is
and they are more easily retained
And more distant from
is
to to become,
tired of it.
And
and they contain the issues
and they contain the issues that occur most
frequently to people.
And then he gives some practical tips about
the lesson, so he says
Says, it it's proper to hang to hang
up one's lesson
after one has understood it, made made of
it, and repeated it a lot.
Because that's very beneficial.
Meaning
that
there's several aspects. 1,
to to to
hang it,
you know, meaning to put it away. This
one time, put it away. Don't over repeat.
Because after all, if you're just sitting there
repeating a a hundred
times, you're then tired of it, so you're
just going through the motions, but you're not
really understanding.
So every once in a while, you you
put it away.
Right? So that so it's like exercise. You
know, you you you do repetitions, but then
you
you you have to regain your energy. Right?
And one of the ways is you switch
to another subject.
When you find your mind tiring, then you
then you come back to it or you
take a brief break, but not a long
break, a brief break. So you refresh your
mind and you come back to it with
a fresh mind.
You'll retain. That's 1.
The other of
is also put it up in a place
where you keep can keep seeing it. Right?
So you make a diagram for example or
whatever. So you you can
keep, you know, keep seeing it. Right? Or
you keep track of it. So, okay, these
are the things I'm working on. Right? So
you have like a, you know, it's there
visually for you.
So that's very beneficial.
Also, it refers to, you know, that that
visual thing, to hang it, is to do
a,
to summarize it. Right? So whether you diagram
it
or visualize it in some way, etcetera,
that's very beneficial. And the ulema, classically,
used to do a lot of different ways
of visualization.
Right? The,
the Ottomans
had entire published books of
diagramming,
especially the rational sciences,
grammar, and,
that is book
Tari Fethal Azizi, I think it's called. The
diagramming
Nahu and Sarf and Montik and Balava and
all these things. Like, you can diagram any
subject.
But thing is you it's not very beneficial
to buy someone else's diagram or just download
okay. I've got diagrams for all of,
the.
But can you diagram it yourself? No.
Right?
That's what's like saying, oh, you're studying Fiqh.
Say, oh, I bought a Mufti's turban.
Right? But, like, become a Mufti, and then
the turban will fit. But if you don't,
like,
right, like, what are you gonna do with
it?
And then he says
It says, and the students should not write
down
anything that they don't understand
because that gives a weak
learning temperament.
Is
you you just become like
a you become foolish. Meaning that
when you take notes, try to understand them.
And if you do write something you don't
understand, don't leave it there until you understand
it. Either by looking it up
and then confirming
or asking.
So there should be nothing in your notes
that you don't understand.
Or at the very least, you should make
indication that I don't understand this.
And part of review
is to cover all areas of that you
don't understand.
Otherwise, it just makes you neglectful of knowledge.
Right? And it it and it does away
with
sharpness of intelligence.
And it wastes
one's time.
And it befitting for the student that they
strive their utmost.
Right?
In understanding
one's teacher.
Or by reflecting,
by thinking and reflection.
And by repetition.
Because if the lesson is brief
and there's extensive repetition and reflection,
then
the lesson will be under
will be attained and understood.
Because it's been said that learning
that retaining 2 letters,
2 words
is better than hearing
2
great containers
of knowledge.
But understanding 2 words
is better than memorizing
2 great containers.
Right? And the,
it's a large container.
And if one is lax about understanding and
doesn't strive in it time after time,
they'll become accustomed to it. You just show
up, you write some things, you go, and
it becomes sort of laxadaisical.
And then one will become such that you
won't even understand
obvious, easy speech.
So it is befitting that one not be
lax about understanding.
But rather one strives one's utmost. Right? That
is your part.
Right? And one should make du'a to Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And
and humble oneself to him
in asking.
Because he answers those who call upon him.
And he does not let down those who
place their hopes in him.
So we don't just ask Allah for next
for spiritual things
and worldly things. Right? We also ask Allah
for the means
by which we attain his pleasure,
and from that is knowledge.
Because sometimes people ask Allah, Allah ask you
for Jannah
and ask you for, you know, for things
in the after and here, I want,
you know, you want the new MacBook Pro
because your computer was ruined and you have
a generous husband and he'll get you the
MacBook Pro with a new,
magic bar or whatever.
So you're making dua for that.
But as for your studies,
you don't make dua for them. Right? But
rather, these things, one should be asking for,
not just in general, and one should make
a regular habit of the sunnah, duas, etcetera,
related to knowledge, and you can find them
in
in Kitab al Athkar and elsewhere, but also
with that,
the specific things.
If you begin a lesson, make dua for
that lesson. If there's difficult concepts,
ask Allah for understanding of them. You're studying
aqidah, and you come to.
Right?
You ask Allah for understanding. You begin a
chapter,
etcetera, and you thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
That's that's very that's very, very key. And
it says for he answers those who call
upon him and does not let down those
who hope in him. Similarly,
one makes
make dua. 1 of the adab, a lot
of the olima, what they used to do,
you know, the prophet
said,
or is for whatever for whatever it's drunk
for. So it's one of the sunnah that
we know from the prophet. So when you
drink zamzam,
you
make dua
for the highest of matters. So you drink
it with that intention.
And the ulama used to drink with
high intentions of knowledge. 1 in terms of
attainment.
So many of the scholars say that they
ask many of the hadith scholars, for example,
say, O Allah, I ask you that I
attain the rank of so and so in
hadith.
Right?
Or
the
that Allah
make me understand.
Make me master
the
and its commentaries.
Like this you make particular attention or the
text that you're
studying make me understand it and benefit from
it and be able to benefit others through
it. So that
this should be an active part
of your
of your duas.
Right? And then and that's part of the
the the spiritual engagement
with with knowledge. And, of course, that
that extensive dua for something is also conducive
to nurturing, sincerity, and trueness.
Right? Because they say,
dua. Right?
Dua
gathers one's concern.
And they say if you want if you
wanted to read your own heart,
to know
how much you care,
right, ask what what do you make dua
for?
Right? What do you make dua for? Because
you
are the sum of your duas.
Thank you for listening to
the daily guidance for seekers with Sheikh Farozra
Benny. Help SeekersHub give light to 1,000,000 around
the world by supporting us through monthly donations
by going to seekershub.org/donate.
Your donations are tax deductible in the US
and Canada.