Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #108 Mutual Care and Love Between Believers Balancing Knowledge and Worship
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Muhammad.
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In which we look at
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In our daily look at
prophetic guidance, we are looking at 40 hadiths
on
loving for the sake of Allah.
Which our beloved messenger
described
powerfully
as
being from the best of faith that of
the qualities of faith and the faithful,
most beloved
to Allah
is loving
for the sake
of Allah.
Right? Loving Allah himself
and loving creation
for his sake.
So
this quality is a quality that the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam urged
that we embody actively.
That's why we have so many hadiths
regarding this high quality, loving for the sake
of Allah, right? The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
nurtured this quality in the companions.
Right? And this is one of the aspects
that sometimes we take religious guidance for granted.
It is not simply enough to know
what is true,
but
the sunnah shows us that we need
active
ongoing
reminders.
We need active and ongoing
reminders.
So today's hadith that we're beginning with
is
hadith number 26
of Sheikh Yusuf and Nabhanie's collection on
40 Hadith and Loving for Allah and Enesin,
The
Messenger
of Allah
said the believers
are for for for one another
of deep
concern
are of deep concern
for one another.
Right?
And of deep
care, deep concern, and deep love for one
another. Right? The believers
are for have for one another
deep
concern.
Right? Nosaha
from
or nasahatun.
Right?
They they are of deep
concern that you they you deeply want the
good for one another.
Right? And
they have
active
love for one another. They have
active
love for one another.
You have active
love for one another. Would. And what is
wood?
Wood
is love that is deep.
Okay?
So they have
genuine
concern for one another. You want the good
for one another?
But you could want the good for one
another
because
you want to do good.
Right? So nasihah,
right, you want good for one another but
with would.
Right? With would. And would is love that
is deep and unshakable.
Love that is deep and unshakable.
Even if
their
places of
residence are far from each other, meaning
that they are expressions
of
concern
and caring love.
Even if their houses are far apart.
Meaning that they visit one another.
They,
both socially
and if someone is sick or there's some
happiness
or sadness,
right, that they
visit one another and they
share in both the joys
and support in the sadness of one another.
Even if their houses are far apart and
even if they're
and if they live far apart, literally, if
their bodies are far apart.
And one of the expressions of that is
that one strives
to go and visit
others even if they live
in far places.
And this is one of the things that
the righteous would strive to do that if
you are
traveling to a land and you you know
people,
even if they're not on the way, you
do your best to go and visit them.
So this is the characteristics of the believers.
They have 2 essential qualities for one another.
They have
unshakable
concern for one another
and
Right? They have deep
care for one another. Loving care for one
another.
Even if they
live far apart,
even if their houses are far from each
other, and even if they live far away.
And the corrupt,
they
are deceptive
towards each other.
And they
cheat one another.
So the corrupt
deceive
are deceptive
and cheating of each other.
Even if they live close by,
and even if they're near one another.
Right?
So this is telling us about the nature
of that
corrupt people
don't have
sincerity of concern
nor sincerity of care, but rather they cheat
one another, gish,
and
they
don't trust one another.
Right? Rather they
engage in khyanah mutakawinoon.
They mutually
they cheat and they mutually deceive one another.
Right?
This is telling you insights that one that
don't
fear
the disbelievers
or the corrupt
or who are at enmity to 1 because
even if they appear strong, they're not. And
this is a message in the
in the Quran as well.
You imagine them together, but their hearts are
apart.
Their hearts are apart. So don't
that's
the sunnah of Allah with those at enmity
to truth.
But also, it's
saying that don't be enmity. Don't be.
Don't cheat other believers. The prophet said,
manrashah
falisa minna. Whoever cheats is not of us.
And in other narrations
Whoever cheats us is not of us.
And
the believer
There are certain qualities of believers cannot have.
One of them is khiyana.
Is to deceive one another, to let down
others when
trusted.
So we ask Allah to be characterized by
these noble qualities,
Right? To have deep concern and deep love
for one another.
And that really is the deen,
right?
Having
deep mercy for one another
as Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la describes the believers.
The metaphor of the believers are like a
wall, each part of which reinforces the other.
And this hadith is related by Ibn Hiban
and Abu Sheik.
Hadith number 27, Anabih Hurrat
So the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said in this Hadith
that
whoever visits a sick person
or visits
a brother of theirs for the sake of
Allah.
Right?
Who visits another for the sake of Allah.
A caller calls out to them from the
heavens.
Alright?
May you find good.
And may your steps
be of good.
Right? May
you
find good or may you become good.
And may your steps
be good
and be made good, meaning
in reward and divine acceptance.
And may you be
granted
a dwelling,
a high dwelling place
in paradise.
For what? For visiting a sick person.
For
visiting someone for the sake of Allah. And
this is a sunnah that all of us
should strive to renew. Right? It is an
innovation
simply to visit people formally.
Right? That we should find excuses
to visit other people.
Right?
And the sunnah of visiting
is adamut tafteel, not to make it heavy,
but rather
to make it brief and positive.
Right?
Brief
and positive. The sunnah of visiting a sick
person is for it to be brief and
positive. One of my teachers put it, Sheikh
Mohammed Kailesh, that he heard from his teachers
that visiting a sick person should be like
the ruku.
And his wife said 3 tasbihs.
Of course, that's not literally.
You can visit them for longer than that.
But the idea, you go visit the person,
you know, you, you know, make dua for
them, keep it positive, and then you respectfully
leave.
Right? And
this is good
for them, and it's good for you, and
it's good for the relationship between you. And
above all, it's a means of closeness to
Allah
Right?
As we know in the hadith Qudsi,
that's in the Sahih
that on the day of judgment, Allah
says to his servant, O my servant, I
was sick and you did not visit me.
And Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, it's part of
a longer hadith.
And the servants say,
You Rabb, how can I visit you?
How can you be sick when you're the
Lord of the worlds? And said, do you
not know that my servant so and so
was sick? Had you visited them, you would
have found me with them.
This is the spiritual potential of visiting someone
for the sake
of Allah
So these are practical expressions.
The sunnah, the beautiful
reality of the sunnah, as opposed to any
other standard of ethics,
is that it is not a theoretical framework
for ethics.
It's not a theoretical framework of virtue. It's
a practical
example
that is eminently
realizable
in its
steps.
Right?
That's the beauty of the sunnah. What is
the sunnah? A path that can be followed
towards
perfection.
And these are ways. How do you want
to grow in love for one another? Uphold
the sunnas
of relationships.
And
this is one of those.
Visit the sick.
Visit people for the sake of Allah. Find
excuses.
Underlying this, of course,
right? And this is
what either an Ishara of the text
or
what is Mu'tadammin
within it is that a believer is someone
who knows the affairs of other believers.
Because very often, you know,
we don't know who's sick. We don't know
who's struggling.
We don't know who's having a difficult time.
We don't know who's lost their job.
Right?
And one of the qualities of the believer
is they are wazool.
They remain in contact with people.
So they because if you're not actively in
contact with people, you wouldn't know who's sick.
You don't know who's going through a hard
time.
So that's something and now we have modern
tools.
Right? Each age has its facilitations.
In the old days, people would do there
were different types of facilitations they would have.
In
Damascus,
one of the righteous people that I used
to try to spend time with was the
personal attendant of Sheikh Ar Rahman and Shahuri,
Sidiye bumir.
And what they used to do was very
common.
Bunch
of them, they said we're gonna have breakfast.
Let's have breakfast together. And if they weren't
able to have breakfast together, they tried to
grab lunch together, even though they're working and
working hard.
And they would see, okay, so what's going
on? And you talk to one another
because there's a type of
social conversation that's gossip,
which is bad.
I sit back and what's going on with
Fulan wa Fulan?
But there is a concerned conversation
which is when you meet a believer, you
ask them about their affairs,
but through them, you connect to a network
of other people
that how is so and so, and how
is so and so, and how is so
and so. Not for the sake of gossip,
which is the way of the worldly,
but for the out of naseeha
and would, right, out of
sincere concern
and genuine love. How is brother so and
so? I haven't seen him for a while,
right? Where is he at? Etcetera. And use
that as an opportunity even mentally, like, if
you make a mental map, you see this
person, who do they know
that maybe they would be in touch with
that you might not be?
And use that as an opportunity. We have
technology. Now, you see somebody,
there's 4 or 5 people. You could send
quick text messages to people. Assalamualaikum.
I saw so and so.
And I was reminded that we haven't talked
for a while. How are you? Like this,
right? And to find ways of connecting. Same
with family. When we visit,
we have technology. Make.
Yeah. Take the means that Allah facilitates.
Have a list of people. If you're that
organized, have a list of people that you
try to stay in contact with.
Try to send them you know, contact them
on a monthly basis.
Relatives,
right? One of my teachers,
he seemed to be I noticed in Damascus,
he seemed to be in really amazing
relations with all the family members because I
noticed many times in his masjid, there'd be
relatives that would come by and they seem
to get along with him.
But I didn't see where he had the
time to spend time with his relatives because
what he'd do? If he got to the
masjid a few minutes before the adhan,
he'd call 1 or 2 relatives. Assalamu alaikum,
how are you doing? How is this and
that?
To take those moments to make these things,
and these are opportunities. But then, of course,
to bridge the technology
to make real connections with people. May Allah
facilitate
that for us and for you. We'll look
at one more hadith.
Hadith number 28,
So this hadith related by Al Hakim with
2 chains of transmission,
one of which is rigorously authentic.
The messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
said, Whoever would be
would be pleased
to find the sweetness of faith. Right?
Or you could translate it, Whoever
would be happy to find the sweetness of
faith,
then let them love another,
loving them only for the sake of Allah.
Loving them only
for the sake of Allah.
One of the signs of this, practically, the
Ulema say that one that do you love
people for the sake of Allah? One should
always have some people who are older than
you that you have relationships with.
And you should have some people who are
younger than you that you have relationships with.
And you should have some people
that you have relationships with with whom there
is no conceivable
worldly interest whatsoever.
There's no work situation.
There's no common interest. Nothing
except
the pleasure of Allah
And you should seek out such people.
Right?
One of the places that you can find
them is the Masjid.
Right?
Right?
Is the Masjid. You find someone elderly.
You know, these people who,
you know, who frequent
the Masjid. And you
at the very least, you greet them. And
very often, actually, elderly people who are at
the Masjid, they could be very alone.
Drop by.
Right? And there's many such possibilities. May Allah
facilitate for us the
pathways of good.
Then we're going to look just briefly
at some of the counsel of
Imam
Al Ghazali
on the path of seeking
knowledge.
And we
Yeah.
So, imam Al Ghazali in the in the
in his work, Ayuhal Walad,
my dear child gives advice
to the seeker of knowledge.
Right? And this is advice was directly to
a student a student of his and applies
to anyone who is striving to follow the
prophetic example of gaining beneficial knowledge and acting
upon it.
But he counsels
that knowledge will only benefit you if you
act upon it. So he says,
that you don't have to do anything except
gain
seek knowledge,
then and such that you didn't need anything
else, then the Allah's call
Is there anyone to ask? Is there anyone
to seek forgiveness? Is there anyone to repent?
It would be
a wasted call without benefit. And this of
course is referring to the hadith related by
both Bukhari and Muslim.
That the messenger
said
that
in the final
3rd of the night, Allah
descends to the lowest heaven and he calls
out
and he calls out.
Is
there anyone to ask so that I may
grant them? Is there anyone to seek forgiveness
so that I may
forgive them? Is there anyone
to repent
So that I may accept their repentance.
Right? In the final third of the night.
So the point isn't simply to know that
hadith
but to act upon it to attain its
benefit.
It's related that a group of the companions,
may Allah be well pleased with them all,
mentioned
Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be well pleased
with him, in the presence of the Messenger
of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
Faqala
alhisattu wassalam neamerajul
huwa.
Laukana yusallulayl.
What a good man he is.
If only he prayed at night.
And this is related by Bukhari and Muslim.
And they say there's a few
aspects to this. Right? One is that Ab
Sayna Abdullah ibn Umar was a young man.
Right? Was was young.
And
the young find it more difficult to get
up at night very often than those who
are slightly older
because they're, you know,
those, you know, when people are still growing,
they tend to need more more sleep.
Right?
The young also tend to be more active
so they get more tired,
So they need that rest.
Right? The young tend to also be more
restless.
So
when they do go to sleep, they tend
to sleep more deeply. All these different reasons.
Right?
Also, during the time of the the
of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
there were some companions who out of
the
their intense concern for the good of others,
they
would
be in intense hunger.
1, due to their intense concern for others.
The Muslims in the early Madinan period
were in extreme poverty
for a while. Not for the whole time
but for a while. Why?
Because the Muhajireen,
the people who came from Mecca, they migrated
and they left their wealth behind.
So
they didn't have wealth.
And then there's people migrating
and the preferred to support others who are
in need over themselves.
Say, no Abdulah ibn Umar was the son
of Umar ibn Khattab.
Right? And Sayyidna Umar was of those
who sacrifice and who instill the spirit of
sacrifice in his family.
So they sacrificed socially
to assist others. That's number 1.
Secondly,
the
the
the ulama of the Sahaba, the learned of
the Sahaba were so
deeply devoted
to the Quran
and to
knowledge
that it physically weakened them.
And you see this with a number of
the leading companions of the Prophet
amongst them Abu Hurairah
who would faint sometimes because of how little
he ate.
1, because he was of the Sahaba who
sacrificed for the sake of others.
Secondly,
because of how
devoted he was
to seeking knowledge
that he would forget to eat. Of course,
it's not a sunnah to forget to eat,
right?
Rather, the sunnah is to have balance.
The sunnah is to have balance.
So we should never think that, you know
So here,
Sayyidina Abu Alayb Al Umar was not being
remiss,
right? He was
sacrificing
for others.
He was
you know, Sayidna Abdullah ibn Umar,
like,
is one of the half dozen sahabah who
narrated the largest number of hadith from the
Messenger of Allah
He is one of the Abadeelah,
one of
the great Abulas
from
Abdule Ibn Mas'ud, who is, of course, an
older companion. He's one of the earliest Muslims.
And the other Abadillah,
who are they?
Abdullah
ibn Omar,
Abdullah ibn Abbas, and Abdullah ibn Amr
ibn al-'As.
These are the 4 most famous Abadeelah. Of
course, there's many Abadeelah amongst the companions,
but these 3 young Abadeelah,
right, Abdullah ibn Amr, Abdullah ibn Abbas and
Abdullah ibn Amr,
these with Abdullah ibn Mas'ud were of the
companions
who most narrated hadiths,
right? Along with, of course, the paragon of
Hadith Abu Hurairah,
Saydai'isha,
Jairib and Abdullah, and others.
So this is
why. But yet, the prophet
urged them to the higher standard
that, yes, what you're doing is good. And
he praised him.
What a good man he is. Right? So
he's not just saying, Oh, he's a slacker.
If only he did this. No.
Right? And this is something in the Quran
is used for a prophet.
What a great servant.
He's truly penitent. Right? What a great man
he is.
If he, if only he
prayed at night, meaning if only he also
prayed at night.
So it'd be It would be light upon
light.
But pointing to that even if you're doing
the best you can, we should always be
striving at least aspirationally
to do everything on the basis of what
we know. Right? And when you struggle with
implementing something, the very least you should do
is to make the intention for it.
To make the intention for it. And if
you can't do it consistently
yet, at least do it once in a
while.
At least do it once in a while.
Sometimes people have circumstances. Right? Their work schedules
may make it difficult to pray tahajjud,
pray the night vigil worship every night. So
one tries to do it at least
once in a week,
once a month,
Okay?
Special occasions.
But don't deprive yourself of it and keep
asking Allah to facilitate it. And you take
small steps towards
these central
The Messenger of Allah
said
to a man from his companions,
oh so and so, do
not sleep excessively at night
because excessive sleep at night
leaves
the one who does so
poor on the day of resurrection.
Right? The night
is an investment.
But one should seek to get returns on
that investment.
Right? Just as your day
is an investment.
You work during the day, most of us.
And you try
to earn the best you can during the
day for your worldly needs.
So, the day
is you invest the hours of your day
to
gain a return on that investment of time
for your worldly needs.
So the day has been made as your
world,
as your
theater of
for fulfillment of the good of this life
and you pursue it in a manner pleasing
to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But the night has been made as
the theater for your
investment in
the and the key, the highest return on
that investment is night worship.
And there's other things that you could invest
in.
But your
day is not over
when you finish your work.
The smart person
sees their day,
Is this what I need to do to
be able to invest in the akhirah?
Whose day is lived for their nights.
Right?
And of course, the night,
one needs to sleep in it and one
has to give the body its due,
but
one needs
to make the most of it. Even if
one works 10 hours a day, one has
14 other hours beyond that. How does one
maximize that time? Because if one
dispends it,
just of course, in our time, it's not
just sleep
but whatever one does instead of sleeping. Right?
Meaning here that do not
busy yourself
with the merely
worldly at night,
whether it be
sleep beyond need or socializing beyond need
or idling
without need, entertainment
without
need or benefit.
Okay? Because excessive
worldliness at night will leave you
bankrupt on the day of resurrection, right? Or
at least you will not have gained a
return on your
on the spiritual potential of the night. May
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant make us of
those
who
invest
our days and nights in the pursuit of
his pleasure
by gaining beneficial knowledge and striving to live
it by day and by night,
of those whose tongues are moist with his
remembrance, as
and whose hearts
are ignited in love for him, love for
his Messenger, and love for all that is
beloved to him.
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