Riyadul Haqq – Saving Others from Oneself
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of protecting others from physical and verbal aggression, suffering, and anger. They emphasize the need to be patient and cheerful in order to protect others from suffering and anger. The speakers also emphasize the importance of learning to live with oneself and spending time on oneself to save others from suffering and friendships. The speakers stress the need to revisit the concept of the mufless person and the importance of fearing legal action and not being sued. They also emphasize the need to avoid harms and not be sued.AI: Transcript ©
And others
relate hadith from
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'Aas
radiAllahu anhumma.
In which the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
said
The Muslim is 1
from whose tongue
and whose hand
Are the Muslims
remain
safe?
The word Muslim
means one who submits.
And the
word is related to the root letters
Seen, lam, meem, Selima.
And one of the meanings of Selima,
Salima
Islam,
is to be protected,
to be safe.
So
because because of this connection and relationship,
there's a play on the words.
So the prophet
says,
The Muslim
is 1
from whose hand
and from whose tongue
other Muslims
remain?
Salim.
Salim,
meaning safe and protected.
And this is similar to what the rest
of the hadith actually says.
So the full hadith is
The Muslim is 1
from whose tongue and from whose hand
other Muslims
remain
salim salim I. E. Safe and protected.
Walmuhajirumanhajiramanahuwahuan.
And the Muhajir,
the emigrant
is 1
who emigrates
or who leaves and shuns or who does
hijrah
from that which Allah has forbid.
So as I've explained before,
Muhajr
is related to the root letters or the
word stems ultimately from the root letters
Hajim Ra Hajira.
And Hajarayahjur
means to leave,
to shun, to abandon.
Originally, it doesn't mean to emigrate.
And as Allah says in the Quran, An
impurity shun, abandoned, leave aside.
So again there's a play on the words.
The
Muhaajir
I. E. The leaver'
is one who actually
leaves
what Allah has forbid.
And in a similar hadith created by Ma'am
Ahmed ibn Hanbal in his Muslim from Fadalaat
al Nur Bayd radiAllahu
an,
Prophet said,
Do you know?
So should I not inform you of who
is a Muslim?
Prophet
said, should I not He actually gave this
as part of his sermon on well,
as one of his sermons
in Hajjatul Wada'ar, the farewell pilgrimage.
That should I not tell you who is
a Muslim?
The Muslim is 1 from whose tongue and
from whose hand other Muslims
remain
Salim, Salim, I. E. Safe and protected.
And
the motmin, the believer. Again, there's a play
on the words because
motmin,
I. E. The believer,
the word
ultimately stems from and is related to the
root letters
alif, mim, nun, amina, amina yatmin, which again
means to feel protected,
to feel safe. So although mukmin means believer,
amun means safety and security.
So the message is the Mu'min is 1
from
whom
other believers, other Mu'mineen,
feel
Amin
protected and safe
for their
wealth, their property
and their lives.
And again, 1 mumajiruman
Hajirul Khattaya wazdanub.
And the muhaju, the immigrant, is one who
leaves aside and who emigrates
from and who shuns and abandons
ills or errors,
lapses and sins.
So
this most famous hadith
related by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As
Al-'Aas
that
prophet
said,
The Muslim is 1
from whom?
From
from whose tongue and from whose hand
are the Muslims
remain
safe.
This is this hadith is one of the
greatest teachings of Rasulullah
Also, although muslims are mentioned, this also extends
to non muslims, to the whole of creation,
to all of Allah's creation,
be they Muslim or non Muslim.
Now,
If one cannot do good,
then the least one can do and should
do is save others
from
one's
ills,
one's harm,
one's aggression,
one's pain.
And that's the
message behind the
title of this talk,
Saving Others from Oneself.
This is something we
must do
Because as human beings
we all carry
a lot of pain
and some trauma
and much sorrow.
And we bear many grievances.
Everyone does.
Everyone
feels
bettered,
slighted,
having lost out,
having been worsted,
having been ill treated,
having been
unfairly
treated.
Everyone feels like that. Everyone feels at some
stage or another
that things haven't gone the way
I wanted
in my life, in my childhood, in my
upbringing.
It's human nature.
We all have our
burdens,
sorrows,
grievances,
our anger,
our sense of
loss. And we all carry pain.
Unfortunately,
at times,
we
displace that pain.
We shift the burden of that pain.
And we try to transfer that pain
consciously or even subconsciously
onto
others. Those who are hurt will try to
hurt others.
Those who are bullied will bully others.
It comes out
the aggression,
the anger,
the pain.
We carry this pain and we
consciously,
subconsciously,
intentionally,
unwittingly,
we
inflict that pain
onto others
verbally,
mentally,
emotionally.
And one of the most sublime teachings of
Rasulullah
is
that religion isn't just about
doing good deeds.
It's also about
protecting others
from oneself,
saving others from oneself,
Saving others from one's
pain, one's aggression,
one's anger.
One's ill.
And this hadith says a lot about it.
That a true Muslim,
a true believer,
a true Muslim is one
from whom others
feel
Salim
and Salim,
meaning safe and protected.
Someone who was poisoned,
the Arabs,
anyone who was poisoned
by a snake or a scorpion,
in English would say a poisoned man.
The Arabs,
anyone who was poisoned,
they would name him Salim.
Not an official name, I. E. That was
a word they used.
So if someone was lying there in pain
and in agony
and another person came along and said, what's
wrong with him?
They know the person, his name is Zayd.
They will say, what's wrong with Zayd?
So
the those in attendance would say his salim.
So they wouldn't go through the trouble of
saying
that a snake has bitten him or a
scorpion has bitten him.
They just say he's Salim.
Salim means safe. Salim means protected.
So why would they use that word? They
would use the word tafa'ulal
as a good omen, as a good sign.
So if someone was bitten by a scorpion
or a
serpent
snake,
they would say salim, I. E. Protected and
safe in the hope that he will come
out of this safe and protected and well.
So
I'm just saying that salim means protected.
Salim means safe. So the prophet
says,
The Muslim is 1 from whose tongue and
from whose hand are the Muslims.
Feel and remain Salim,
safe and sunim protected.
And before the hand, the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam says tongue.
So even before we
think about
saving others
from our physical aggression,
we actually need to think about protecting others
from our tongue,
saving others
from the abuse and the aggression
of our tongue,
of keeping others safe
from our tongue.
And indeed
far more people
will vent their frustration
and their anger
and take out their hurt and pain on
others
verbally rather than physically.
Far more people. In fact, a minority
will become physically aggressive.
And we find that very alarming
and rightfully so.
But
emotional
abuse,
verbal abuse, psychological
abuse
is no less
harmful
and dangerous. In fact
psychologists
now
in the modern
how insidious
the effects of
non physical
abuse,
non physical aggression are.
Verbal abuse,
verbal aggression is extremely damaging.
And it can act the scars and the
wounds
of physical abuse can last a lifetime.
So
we need to learn
as the Hadith says,
to complete our Islam,
to be proper and true Muslims,
to spare others from the ills of our
tongues,
to protect others
from the aggression
and the abuse
of our tongues.
We really need to control our tongues.
Therein lies our own salvation
and the safety and protection of others.
This is a truly sublime teaching. Even if
we can't do much good,
the least we should do is
be self meditating,
self reflecting,
introspective,
concern ourselves with ourselves,
And spare others, save others from our own
pain and aggression.
And be patient.
Be cheerful
in ourselves.
We will feel rather than focus on our
negatives,
try to be positive. We will feel better
ourselves
and we will make our environment
better, our surroundings
better.
We will actually
beautify
the atmosphere in our own homes.
Imagine
how safe do
we feel
around others
and how safe do others feel around us.
There are phrases in English
people say, and even about family members,
that the rest of the family
is constantly
tiptoeing
around this individual,
Is forever walking on eggshells.
Books have been written with the title Walking
on Eggshells
as part of the title.
Walking on eggshells.
Forever tiptoeing around the other person. Why?
Anything.
A wrong glance,
a wrong word,
a wrong signal,
an incorrect posture,
a wrong shift
of movement.
Anything can actually trigger the other person
and
then they let loose with their anger, their
verbal aggression, their abuse.
If this
is the negativity
and the pain
with which this individual
is filling
the climate and the atmosphere,
even at home around their own family members.
How much of a Muslim are they?
When the prophet
says,
Others feel safe safe and protected
and secure around a Muslim and a Mopman.
Not tiptoeing. Not walking on eggshells all the
time. Not forever fearful.
And even before the hand, the Prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam says
are the Muslims.
The Muslim is one from whose tongue are
the Muslims feel safe.
SubhanAllah.
The teachings of Allah and Hisr Rasool Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam
require
reflection
and implementation.
And speaking of
hurting others,
inflicting pain on others even with the tongue.
Allah says in the Quran,
And those who hurt believing men and believing
women
for something other than what they have done
or without anything that they have done
then indeed they have
borne the responsibility
shouldered the weight and the responsibility
and the burden
of
a great calumny
and a clear sin.
And this verse means
ascribing
to people
or hurting ascribing to people
what they are not guilty of, making a
false allegation,
lying about people,
hurting people
through one's tongue.
Verbal abuse.
In fact, the Quran goes much further.
Far from
inflicting
pain and hurt
and abuse on others through one's tongue,
Allah actually says
not even publicly, but in private. Even in
your private conversations,
your hushed conversations and your
private secretive
whisperings.
You shouldn't say anything
that grieves others.
Allah says, O believers,
when you whisper amongst
yourselves. I even in your privates communication, in
your hushed conversation,
in your whisperings to one another, 2 friends,
2 family members,
when you whisper between yourselves,
even privately without anyone else knowing or hearing,
even then
do not whisper to each other of sin
and of transgression
or of the disobedience
of the messenger.
Rather,
watanajaubilbiriwat
taqwa
speak to each other, converse with each other,
even in a hushed manner, even in your
whisperings and your private conversation.
Speak to each other of what? Whisper to
each other of what? Bilbir,
virtue, wa taqwa and taqwa.
The weariness of Allah.
And be wary of that Allah and to
whom you shall all be amassed.
And then Allah continues with the words
Majwa,
meaning
whispering.
Whispering
is from the devil
so that it may grieve
those who have believed.
What's the meaning of
that? This is the point I wanted to
get to. That Allah
has instructed us in the Quran
that far from inflicting
pain on others through verbal abuse and aggression,
You shouldn't even innocently
converse
privately with another person in a manner which
causes
grief and discomfort,
sorrow and sadness to another person.
How is that
done?
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
explains.
Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim and others relate from
'Abdullahu Mas'ud That
the prophet
says,
when there are 3 of you,
then 2 of you should not whisper between
themselves,
lest
this grieves the 3rd person
and this saddens the 3rd person.
You shouldn't whisper amongst yourselves until you mingle
with the rest of the people.
I. E. If there are 3 people and
they are all sitting there
and suddenly 2 of them start whispering
privately
and having a conversation in a hushed manner
between themselves to the exclusion of the third.
They may be very sincere. They may
be entirely innocent.
It may genuinely be a private matter only
between them
and it has nothing to do with the
3rd person. They aren't talking about him. They
aren't whispering
about him.
It's human nature.
Instantly the other person will feel
either,
laugh a bit,
they're
they jump to they become suspicious,
fearful and jump to conclusions
and they feel that
they talking about me
or they may be talking about me. And
even if they are strong enough to overcome
such
a whisper and suspicion,
at least they will feel suddenly that
why am I being excluded?
Why are these 2 whispering between themselves
whilst excluding me?
It's bad manners as it is.
So whatever the case, whether
this third person
feels
victimized or targeted by their whispering, even as
a suspicion or a fear,
or they genuinely
feel that why am I being excluded?'
In any case or they're just left uncomfortable.
So even if they are
composed
and
aloof
and above all of these petty
considerations
and they are strong of character and they
don't care
that,
Oh, I'm not suspicious. They're not talking about
me. Oh,
I don't mind if I'm being excluded.
But it still leaves them in a very
uncomfortable position. They are sitting there twiddling their
thumbs
whilst being excluded.
Whatever the case.
Rasulullah
says when there are 3 of you,
2 of you should not whisper,
should not do najwa.
2 of you should not whisper between themselves
the same najwa that Allah mentions in the
Quran
to the exclusion of the 3rd
until you mingle with the people,
lest this grieves him.
And in one narration by Abdullah ibn Abbas
related bible You Allah al Musilean is Muslim,
The wording is
2 people should not whisper between themselves to
the exclusion of the 3rd, that's a general
meaning of the first part of the hadith,
because
this
hurts
the believer.
And Allah dislikes the hurt of a believer.
SubhanAllah. Imagine.
So 2 people talking between themselves whilst excluding
the third
not only grieves him but in the hadith
of Abdullah ibn Abbas
this hurts him. And Allah does not like
the pain of a Mu'min.
And that's just
a very innocent private whispering hush conversation between
2 individuals
where they are not even talking about that
person.
I have no intention of hurting him or
excluding him.
That is the extent to which Allah and
His Rasool Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said, others
should feel safe
from
your tongue.
And
this is why Imam Tirmidhi and Imam Abu
Muhammad
both relate to Hadith.
Control your tongue.
Withhold your tongue. Control your tongue.
Let your home let your home confine you.
And weep over your sins.
It's a very beautiful teaching.
Concern yourself with yourself.
Save others
from your pain, from your aggression, from your
grievances,
from your own burdens and sorrows.
Control your tongue.
Be introspective.
Be self meditating.
Self observant.
Reflect on your own ills and weep over
your sins.
Be repentant.
But the first words are therein lies salvation,
but the first of the three things that
the prophet
said to him in reply to the question,
what's his salvation?
He said, Umlik alayk alisernak.
Control your tongue.
And indeed,
that's what we must do. The second part
of the hadith
that the Muslim is one from whose
tongue
Other Muslims
and by extension as I explained
the whole of Allah's creation, even non Muslims,
feel
safe and protected.
And the second part is
waydih
and from his hand too.
And this is why in that hadith related
by Imam Ahmed Abu Hanbalin is Muslim from
Fadalaat al Nur Ubaid radiAllahu an.
Prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam in his sermon in the
farewell
well, in the farewell
pilgrimage said to the people,
'Should I not tell you, should I not
inform you who is a Muslim?
The Muslim is 1
from whose hand and from whose tongue
other muslims remain
safe.
And then the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam said, wal mumminaminaminumnaasawalah
And the believer
is one from whom
other Muslims,
other believers,
other Mu'mineen
remain
safe
and protected.
In respect, in relation to their lives and
their property and their wealth.
That's a mohmin.
That's a true Muslim.
Others should feel
safe
from our tongues,
from our hands.
They,
their homes,
their lives, their dignity,
their honor,
their property,
their wealth,
they and everything they love
and they possess
should all feel safe and protected from us.
That's the mark of a Muslim. That's the
mark of a Mu'min. That's the mark of
a believer.
Iman and Islam are not just about
prayer,
pilgrimage,
charity,
fasting,
private personal worship, and one's relationship with Allah.
Rather,
Iman and Islam
are also about creation.
And
even before the rest of creation,
our own neighbors
should feel safe from us. If our own
neighbour does not feel safe
from us,
from our tongue, from our hands,
from our ills. And every one of us
has ill
in us.
Then
what kind of belief, what kind of iman,
what kind of Islam is that?
By the testimony of Rasulullah
sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Imam Bukhari Rahmatullahi
relates hadith from the companion of Ushurayhi
who says the prophet
said listen to the hadith.
Imam Bukhari relates from Abu Shurayyah radiallahu
an
that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
Allah
By Allah, he does not believe.
By Allah, he does not believe. By Allah,
he does not believe. By Allah, he does
not believe. Thrice the prophet
said. By Allah he does not believe.
So it was said to him, who, oh
messenger of Allah, Prophet
said, 'Alladeela yatmanujaruhu
ba wa ikah'
That person
whose neighbor does not feel safe
from his
terrors,
from his calamities,
from his afflictions.
So in moderation the sahaba said, What's the
meaning of bawayk? What are his bawayk?
What are his calamities,
his
misfortunes?
His afflictions?
What are his
bowaik? So the prophet
replied, Sharru. His evil. His ill.
So that person is not a believer.
Thrice, he
said. Whose neighbor does not feel safe and
protected from his ills.
One has to learn to live and let's
live. Be and let be.
And work hard consciously
with a concerted and conscious effort on oneself
to save others from oneself.
To save others from one's tongue,
from one's suspicion,
from one's
abuse, from one's aggression, be it verbal or
physical,
from one's problems.
To overlook, to forgive, to let go. Even
about the neighbor. The prophet
said, if a neighbor wants to place the
beam
on your wall So it's well known
that
for beams that support the roof
or even
an upper floor.
The beam
needs to rest on
walls and unless it's a detached property.
At least one
part of the beam,
girdle, or even both
part or both sides of the beam
may rest on a shared wall.
And it won't just rest partially on a
shared wall,
but it extends slightly.
So
as is well known,
part of the beam
will be The main part of the beam
will be in
one's own property.
Part of it will cover the whole wall
and then a small part of it will
the end of it will actually extend
well into the neighbor's property.
And if
you regard the
homes
of the people of old and even in
this day and age, homes and villages and
rural areas. They aren't as sophisticated
and well designed and covered up and polished
as
town dwellings or city dwellings.
So I've seen this myself.
The beams and the girders
that protrude
into the
neighbor's property
actually are visible all the time. So they
come across the wall and they're there. They're
just there.
And either one can keep on looking at
the beam
and burning from within that. That's not mine.
And why is it intruding in my airspace?
And why is it an eyesore?
Well, one can just learn to live with
it. And that's what the prophet
says here. That if the neighbor wishes to
place a beam
on
one's
own wall, not even just a shared wall,
but one's own wall or part of the
wall, then let him do it.
That's a neighborly thing. It's a humane thing
to do.
It's good for you.
So in that hadith, Abu Shureih radiAllahu,
and by Allah he does not believe, by
Allah he does not believe, by Allah he
does not believe.
It was said, who, O Messenger of Allah?
He replied, alladilayaatmanujarubwaba
Iqa, One whose neighbor does not feel safe
from his calamities.
So it was said what are his calamities?
Prophet
sharrr.
So nothing major.
Sharr. He's ill. He's evil. And we all
have ill in us.
And Imam Ahmed Muhammed relates same hadith from
Abu Hurray radhiallahu an
in which
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
That person from whose neighbor does not feel
safe from his
That person whose neighbor does not feel safe
from his
calamities, I. E. His ill,
he will not enter gym.
He won't enter John.
So even before the rest of creation,
our own neighbor needs to feel safe and
protected
and at peace.
At peace.
Not only from our physical aggression
and our physical
ills,
but even from our
tongues.
And as I was saying,
prophet
has
taught us to focus on ourselves
and to spare others from our pain.
There's a famous hadith which
in one form or another we've all heard
and
it's
we can relate to it in many ways.
Imam Muhari
relates
from Abu Saeedr Khudri radiAllahu anha that the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said,
you shuka'anyaqoona
khayramadin Muslim.
It is nigh, it is close.
That the best wealth of a Muslim will
be.
It is nigh, it is close
that the best wealth of a Muslim
will be
a flock
of sheep or goats
with which
the Muslim follows
the peaks of mountains
or the locations
of rainfall meaning valleys.
Yafirubideenihimin
al Fitan
fleeing with his religion
from trials and tribulations.
I say we can really relate to this
hadith because
many a time
we thought to ourselves,
oh, I wish I could just go away
and retire to a mountaintop
or retreat
into the depths of a remote valley,
surrounded
by nature and animals.
But no humans,
for even the beasts are better than the
humans.
People are bad.
Times are bad.
Things have changed.
Society is corrupt.
There's too much fitna fitna fitna.
I just want to go away from all
of this
and be alone.
And why do we think that? Well, there's
a danger
that we may think
I'm good. Everyone else is bad.
I'm incorrigible.
Society is corrupt.
I am pious.
People are impious and sinful.
I lead a good life.
And I am good. And there's just too
much fitna around me.
So, subhanAllah,
all of these thoughts
betray an arrogance.
A haughtiness.
A delusion.
That I am good. Everyone else is bad.
My life is good. Everyone else's life is
corrupt.
I am good.
I am still the same. In fact, I'm
getting better and better.
Whereas
mankind is declining,
deteriorating.
Society is deteriorating.
Times have changed for the worse.
SubhanAllah.
And so
I need to protect myself from the ill
effects of others.
But,
and this is why
Imam Malik
ibn Malik ibn Anas
relates a hadith in his Mu'utta.
From Abu Hurayrah Radiallahu An.
That Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said,
When you hear a man say people have
perished,
I. E. People have perished.
They have been destroyed
imorally,
ethically, religiously.
Then the prophet
said,
when you hear a man saying people have
perished
then he is the one who is most
perished of all of them.
He's the worst of all of them.
And one way of reading this hadith is,
That they haven't perished.
He has
caused them to perish in his mind.
They haven't perished.
They aren't corrupt.
He's considered them corrupt in his mind.
They haven't perished. He's destroyed them, I. E.
In his own image, in his own mind,
in his own imagination.
So
And this is why that famous hadith as
I said of Abu Said al Khudri
which we've heard in one form or another
and which we are familiar with to some
extent
that
a time will come
when there will be many fitin, plural of
fitna. And I've spoken about fitna in detail
so please refer to those talks.
There will be many fitna. Fitna.
Plural of fitna.
Trials, tribulations,
distractions,
tests,
strife, discord,
confusion.
And a person may feel that I need
to flee from all of this.
And so I wish to retreat.
Retire to a mountaintop
or retreat to a remote valley.
Alone,
away from society,
away from people,
away from all of these fitan
But how should we understand that hadith? Well,
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim both and others
both relate from the same.
Abu Saeed Al Khudi
that the prophet
was asked,
who is the best believer?
Who is the best believer?
Who of the believers is the best?
So the
prophet
described
the best of believers.
And then at the end of the hadith,
he said, or a man
who is in one of these valleys, who
is in a valley of these valleys
worshiping his Lord,
fearing his Lord.
And he
spares the people his ill.
He saves others and he protects others
from his ills.
So that's the way we should understand the
hadith.
Not just
that he flees with his religion from fitna.
Not because he thinks that I'm good, everyone
else is bad and therefore I need to
get away from them.
So I'm protecting myself from them
rather.
In the words of Rasulullah
relate in the hadith related by the same
Sahabi, Usayid al Khudri
by the same authors, Imam Bukhari, Muslim and
others.
Rather he spares others from his ills.
So not so much that he's protecting himself
from the rest,
rather he's protecting others from his own ills.
And so how should we understand
the words then yafiru
bidinihimin al fitin that
he flees with his religion from fitna? Well
doesn't that suggest that
he's also fleeing from fitnah?
Well, the best way of understanding that is
that he should think:
I'm not good enough,
I'm not mature enough,
I'm not responsible enough, I'm not pious enough,
I'm not
wary enough,
I'm not such a good Muslim or a
strong Mu'min
that I will be able to cope
in all of these
fitan
and in this corruption.
Not because
I'm too good for this
and I need to flee. Rather he should
think that because I'm not mature and developed
enough, I am not good enough.
All this confusion,
this strife,
this corruption
will also bring out the worst in me.
It'll bring out the worst in me.
So because I am not good.
So imagine
we're in the period of the we're in
the period of Covid.
We're all in lockdown.
Now imagine someone
who is unhealthy.
Who's unhealthy.
Who has numerous underlying health conditions.
He has weak immune system.
He has
other underlying health conditions.
Allah protect us all. Maybe he has high
blood pressure, diabetes,
a weak immune
system.
Unhealthy.
Unfit.
Aged.
As a result of which this person is
extremely vulnerable.
He shouldn't just think that
I shouldn't venture out
because I'm good and healthy.
And this
virus
is so contagious.
It's so destructive
that I don't want it to afflict me.
And I don't want it to I don't
want to venture out because I'm too good
for it. Rather his thinking should be and
would be
or would be and should be
that I need to protect myself and isolate
myself,
not because I'm too healthy and good for
the virus,
but because
the virus will bring out the worst of
me.
It will afflict me
and hurt me
more than other people
because of my underlying health conditions.
So on what men should think the same?
That if he is fleeing from society, if
he is retreating
to a mountaintop
or the depth of a remote valley all
alone
and fleeing with his
religion from fitna.
His thinking shouldn't be that
I am too good for society or I
am too good for all this fitna and
rather he should think that because of my
other underlying
moral health conditions
and my sins and my corruption
and my ills and my shell.
This corruption, this strife, this fitna
will bring out the worst in me
and it will destroy me.
And when the worst of me comes out,
it will be bad for everyone else too.
So his thinking should be
I'm protecting myself to some degree,
But more so I am sparing
others my ills. I am protecting others from
my own
ills. That's how we should understand the hadith
by the categorical words of Rasulullah
that the best of believers is one who
is in one of these valleys
worshiping his lord,
fearing his lord, being wary of his lord.
Yataqirabbah.
Yabudurabbah
has is contained in different different narrations of
the same hadith. And
he is sparing the people his ill.
He's saving others from himself, from his ills.
That's how we should understand that hadith.
This is such a sublime teaching.
Spare others from oneself.
Even if we can't do other good things,
then this is the least we should do.
It doesn't make sense praying
a lot,
fasting a lot, giving in charity,
going on many pilgrimages,
doing so much good apparently
for oneself between oneself and
the creator.
But then also having a terrible relationship
with creation,
hurting others, verbally abusing others, inflicting pain on
others, being aggressive towards others, suspicious of others,
attacking the dignity and honour of others, the
person of
others, the property of others.
Is that better?
Or rather someone who doesn't do much good
apparently in terms of much prayer, much worship,
much charity, fulfils one's
obligations
but keeps oneself to oneself,
Spares others one's ills.
Saves others from oneself.
And this is why
Imam Bukhari
and Imam Muslim and others
relate to peaceful hadith from Abu Dhar al
Ghifari radiAllahu and that famous companion, the Aztec.
I've spoken on
some details of his life.
Refer to that. He was a remarkable companion.
So Abu Dharr Al Ghifari
said to the prophet
You Rasulullah.
Which
deeds are the best of faith?
So he said it in different ways. Which
deeds
of faith are best? What are the best
deeds in faith? So the prophet
mentioned some deeds, some good deeds.
And later,
Abu Dharrar Ghafari and having heard this,
he said, and what if I can't do
this? What if I can't do that? Prophet
mentioned something else. And what if I can't
do that?
Prophet
mentioned something about charity,
helping others. He said and what if I
can't even do that?
So the final words of advice
prophet
gave to him was,
If you can't do anything else then the
least you should do is spare people from
your ill.
Spare people from your ill.
Spare others
from your ills.
For if you do this for
This in itself is a charity with which
you are charitable unto yourself.
Can you imagine?
If you can't do much good otherwise,
then at least
do
this much charity.
Be charitable to this degree
that you
do not hurt others.
You do not inflict pain on others in
any way whatsoever, even verbally.
Do at least this much that you spare
others from your ills.
You
keep yourself to yourself.
And you have no relationship with others unless
it's good.
Unless it's good.
Imam Bukarima Muslim alhamdulillahi rayma relates hadith from
Abu Huraira radiAllahu an. Very famous hadith
in which prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said,
Whoever believes in Allah and in the final
day,
let him not hurt his neighbor.
He begins with this.
Let him not hurt his neighbor.
As I was speaking earlier that even before
the rest of creation,
our own neighbour needs to feel safe
from our tongue and our hands.
So in this hadith, he says, whoever
believes in Allah in the final day
Let him not hurt his neighbor.
And whoever believes in Allah in the final
day.
Then let him honor his guest.
And whoever believes in Allah and in the
final day.
For Yaqul Khairan oli Ismat, then let him
say something good. Otherwise,
hold his silence. Hold his peace.
Remain silent.
Such a beautiful
teaching.
Only part your lips.
Only wag your tongue.
Only exercise your vocal cords.
Only raise a murmur.
Only create a sound
if you have something good to say.
Otherwise, hold your peace. Control your tongue.
Hold your silence.
This is a mark of faith. Such a
beautiful teaching.
Whoever believes in Allah and in the final
day,
let him not. Let him say something good.
Oli asmuth.
Oli asmuth.
Different wordings
and different notations. Let him remain silent.
So our relationship
should be
such that with others it's only good. If
it can't be good, then no relationship.
Be neutral.
Try to
when speaking, try to say something good. Otherwise,
remain silent. You don't have to say something.
Think before you speak.
Control your tongue as prophet
said,
Control your tongue. They're in thy salvation.
Be good with others.
If you can't be good,
then keep your distance.
Leave people
alone
unless it's in a good way.
And this is why Abu Hurairah
in a hadith relates
from the Prophet That same Hadith of Abu
Sayyidl Khudri
That a believer is in one of these
The best of believers is one who is
in one of these valleys. The wording of
Abu Sa'id al Khudri radiAllahu an's hadith is
He spares the people
from his evil.
And in the wording of Abu Hurayrah narration
of the same hadith
and he leaves the people except in good.
So in he engages with people
only in a good manner, otherwise no engagement.
If you want to speak, speak good. If
you want to engage, engage in a good
manner. Otherwise, no engagements.
And Imam Muhari
relates
in his Sahih. It's not a hadith. It's
a saying
of 'Abdullaha wa muhammadu'am,
who was a Thabi'i, one of the students
of the Sahaba radiAllahu anhu.
It's very beautiful saying.
So Imam Bukhari actually relates this in his
Sahih in one of his darajim.
That
'Abdullahebmar'am
said Remember he's a darbi, I. E. One
of the students or the companions radiAllahu anhu.
So he learned from the best of people.
He said,
said there are 3 things which I love
for myself
and for my brothers.
So what are those three things?
Number 1.
That they learn
this Sunnah
and ask about
it. Number 2,
that they learn the Quran
and they ask about it.
So they learn and discuss the sunnah. They
learn and discuss the Quran. 2 things. And
the third thing so
Quran
sunnah.
And the third thing
that they leave the people except in good.
Such a beautiful,
distilled, summarised teaching
that he learned from the companions,
the Sahaba radiAllahu anhu that there are 3
things which I left for myself and for
my brothers. Quran,
learning and just learning and asking about the
Quran.
2, learning and asking about the sunnah of
the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. And number 3,
not engaging with the people accepting God. Leaving
the people accepting God.
One companion
came to the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Imam Abu al Muhammedal relates as hadith and
his musnad again. This was in the farewell
pilgrimage.
A companion came to the prophet
and held on to his reins.
The reins of his camel.
And he said, You Rasulullah,
tell me something
which will bring me closer to Jannah.
And
distance me from the fire.
So the prophet
said to him
so simple, SubhanAllah.
He said to him, Tell me something
which will
bring me close to Jannah
and distance me from the fire.
Prophet
said, Believe in Allah
alone
without associating
any partners with him.
Establish salah,
give Zakah,
fast in the month of Ramadan and
perform the pilgrimage of the house of Allah.
The 4 pillars, the 5 pillars of Islam.
And then
the prophet
only mentioned one more thing.
Approach the people
as you would they approach you.
And whatever you dislike yourself, spare the people
the same.
Simple.
What you want others to do to you,
with you,
how you want others to treat you,
you treat them.
What you want others to bring to you,
you bring to them.
And whatever you dislike
yourself,
spare others the same.
Save others from that.
So simple.
And as I was saying earlier,
what's better?
That's a person
does not do much good as in the
hadith of Abu Dharr al Ghifari
He says, You Rasoolullah, if I can't do
this, if I can't do that, if I
can't do this,
Prophet
said, in the least you should do. The
words aren't the least, but this is a
meaning that then I. E. If you can't
do
the aforementioned, then what should you do?
Save people
from your ill.
Spare people your ill.
For this is a charity with which you
should be charitable unto yourself.
Is this better?
I.
E. Not doing much good
but doing no harm either
or apparently doing a lots of good as
well as doing a lots of harm.
Well, the answer is contained in the hadith.
Imam Muslim Rahdulillahi relates to hadith.
From Abu Hurayrah Radiallahu An.
Prophet
said to the companions,
do you know what
is a mufless?
A penniless person? A destitute?
A good translation is penniless.
Because that's the meaning of mufless
for the students of Arabic.
A Khasiya
of
Bab Ifa'al
is ekdam.
Meaning one of the peculiarities
of
words
on the scale of ifraa.
Such as in this case, is
meaning
the feature of lacking the same thing.
So the meaning of
or
So Iflas means not even having fils, a
fils.
And what's a fils? A fils is a
piece of a coin.
So a mophilus is someone
who is so poor, so destitute that they
are literally penniless
in the sense that they don't even have
a pence. So a muflis is someone who
lacks even a fils meaning a pence.
So the prophet
said to the companions,
Do you know who is a muflis?
The companions replied that the mufless amongst us,
the destitute, the penniless one amongst us is
one who has no dirham
and no belongings, no possessions.
Truly a penniless person.
The prophet
reply was
was a curtain.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, You
say that the muflis, the penniless one is
one who has no dirham
and no possession.
Well the muflis, the true muflis,
again the true muflis,
the true penniless one.
This is how we need to shape our
thinking.
By
revisiting our concepts.
And time and time again we come across
this in the hadith.
The strong person is not the champion
who's always defeating others.
So who do we call strong?
A tough person who beats and defeats others.
Prophet
said, that's not a tough person.
The tough one, the strong one.
Is 1
who
controls his anger.
That's a tough man. That's a strong person.
So someone who lashes out wildly,
engages in road rage, beats up people.
They may be tough.
They may vanquish others. They may beat them
senseless.
They may overwhelm them, overpower them.
But in the sight of the Messenger
despite his aggression, despite his defeat in others,
despite his flooring others. That's what sura'a means,
one who floors others.
He is weak.
In the mashadidul ladiyamalikunafsahuw'injalghaddab.
The strong one, the tough one
is that person who controls his anger.
The Muslim is one from whose tongue and
hands others remain safe. The motmin is one
from
who's from whom
other believers feel Amin safe and secure.
The muhajil, the immigrant, the true leaver
is not one who leaves the place, but
rather is one who leaves behind sins
and errors.
And same here.
Who's the mufflers?
Who's the penniless one?
Oh, the penniless one who's destitute.
Said, no.
Just as Allah says in the Quran,
Allah says riba
meaning usury means
originally
interest usury
is in Arabic simply means an increase.
So Allah says in the Quran,
whatever you give
of
an increase in wealth.
Meaning Riba, usury, interest.
So that it may increase in the wealth
of the people.
This does not increase with Allah. So this
is why I said we need to revisit
our concepts, our thinking.
We have to look at it from the
perspective of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
It's very simple, isn't it?
According to us, £100
in the bank
earns 10 percent interest.
£110.
We are £10 richer.
A £100 in the bank,
give £10 in charity,
we are left with £90.
We are £10 poorer.
So simple.
Numbers don't lie.
Again, revisiting the concept. The prophet
came to Umun mumineen Aisha
There was an
animal,
a goat or a sheep. Prophet
said,
so it was parts of it were given
out in charity.
So the prophet
said to Ummun mumine Aisha
how much of it is left?
So the prophet
said that she replied, but everything's been given
away. Only this much is left. So the
prophet said no no no.
That's all left.
That's what remains.
I. E. Because that was given in charity.
What's given in charity is everlasting,
ever living,
secure.
Just as in the other Hadith, we need
to revisit these concepts. Prophet
said, man, Abdullah ibn Shihir, my Muslim relates
from both Abu Huraira
and Abdullah ibn Shihir
That man keeps on saying My
wealth my wealth my wealth. But he has
no wealth.
Except that which he has eaten and consumed.
Or which he has worn and worn out.
Or which he has sent forth in charity
and secured for himself.
And in the hadith of Bureya radiAllahu an
in Muslim, wuma siwadhalik
fahuwazaibunwataikuhulin
nas.
And whatever else there is besides these three
categories.
A man may be a millionaire, a billionaire.
He can only eat so much. What he
eats
and consumes
and causes to perish that belongs to him.
What he wears and wears out that belongs
to him. What he has given in charity
that belongs to him.
Even though it's no longer there.
But what remains doesn't belong to him.
Him. He's only safeguarding that for others.
And that's why the prophet
said, umasoo atharikfagaddahibunutharikkullinna.
So whatever
is besides these three things, he is about
to go and depart I. E. The man
and he's about to leave all of that
for the people. Allahu Akbar. So same here.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said,
Who is the penniless one? Sahaba said the
penniless one amongst us is one who has
no dirham or madar, possession to his name.
Prophet
The mouflless,
the truly penniless one, the the truly poor
and destitute individual
of my Ummah
is one who will come on the day
of judgment.
Is one who shall come on the day
of resurrection.
With what?
Bisolatin,
or Siamin, or zakatin.
With prayer,
with fasting,
with charity.
With all that reward of prayer, fasting and
charity.
Wayati.
But he will come in such a state
that in the dunya in the world
he will have Qatshepa Mehadha. He will have
verbally abused and sworn at this person,
Waqadha Fahaada
and he will have falsely accused this person.
Wa'akalamaalahaada
and he will have
unlawfully consumed the wealth of that person.
And he would have shed the blood of
that person.
And he would have hit this person.
Remarkably,
prophet
mentions murder and violence at the end.
And the misappropriation
and the unlawful consumption of wealth, 3rd.
But the first two are
the sins of the tongue, the aggression of
the tongue. He will have sworn up this
person, the first one, and he will have
falsely accused that person. So he will come
with these sins. What will happen?
What will happen to him?
So all the wronged individuals
will be compensated.
With his good deeds. So his salah, his
siyam, his zakah, his fast, his pilgrim sorry.
His fasting, his zakah, charity and his prayers
will go to all his victims.
His account will become depleted.
So if his good deeds perish and expire
if his good deeds expire before
the account is settled
of what he owes.
So what do you do then?
In the court of Allah, we fear being
sued in the world.
Everyone fears being sued.
Once,
I had agreed to go somewhere
with someone. Someone had promised to take me
and
another person
to Imams.
They promised to take us somewhere.
So
the night before, and this was agreed 2
weeks before, the night before they called and
said,
I'm sorry, but I won't be able to
come tomorrow.
So we'll have to reschedule
for another day. I said, Fine.
So he went on to explain
why he rang at night. He said, I'm
sorry but
where I work,
I have a very specialist job. And my
colleague, there's just the 2 of us,
In the entire company, only the 2 of
us are qualified to
operate that machinery
and to carry out that job. So it's
the company policy that only one of us
can be off work at the same time.
So I had taken the day off
but then my colleague
requested
me
to
forgo my
leave for tomorrow
and
be present so that he can take the
day off. And his explanation was
So his colleague's explanation was that I need
to go to court.
So they were friends, they said why? He
says well my mother-in-law came to visit me
some time ago. My mother-in-law,
his wife's mother,
she came to visit me and
where the fireplace is, where you've got some
brickwork around the hearth.
So she stepped on there
for some reason, maybe to look at something
on the mantelpiece or the mirror above the
mantelpiece.
But she stepped on the
the curvature of the brickwork on the floor
around the hearth and she slipped
and she slipped. She hurt her leg. So
she went back home and she sued her
son-in-law.
So he said, 'I have to go to
court tomorrow because my mother-in-law is suing
me.' So we fear being sued in the
world. Everyone's on the lookout.
One person, I've told you this before,
he said to me, Sheikh,
he had a good job
and he said,
I'm at peace
because
everything that I've earned
I haven't kept for myself.
And he worked in law.
So he said,
'I've got a house for my children
and my family.
The house is in their name.
I don't have any other possessions.
And my savings I've given in charity. So
I said, SubhanAllah. And he said, there's a
reason for that as well.
I've learned in my private life as well
as my professional life, remember he's the lawyer,
that if you have got money
everyone comes after you.
Friends, family
and the tax man
and the authorities.
These are his words.
Because remember
he is in law. And then he went
on to explain
that for the CPS
it costs
to pursue
cases.
So sometimes one of the reasons for saying
this is not in the public interest is
that even though the person is a
habitual criminal,
if he has no assets and he actually
costs more to prosecute,
Sometimes it's not
worth the effort,
and it's squandering resources.
So one of the arguments I'm only quoting
what he said, that one of the arguments
for
a prosecution not being in the public interest.
It's because financially, it's not viable.
It's a waste of money
because it can never be retrieved in any
way.
So he said, I've learned in my private
life and my professional life that if you've
got money,
everyone comes after you.
But if you've got nothing,
no one's interested in you. They leave you
alone.
It's just that I've given my money
to chat
A lot of other.
So
we are forever fearful of being sued.
And if we are sued to such an
extent, if we lose money,
then it's very easy. In developed countries,
people just plead bankruptcy.
They go bankrupt and fine.
Nobody gets their share. But in the court
of Allah on Yawmul Qiyamah there is no
bankruptcy.
1 cannot claim bankruptcy.
For in funny if his
good deeds expire before his account is settled,
then what will
happen?
Their sins will be taken from them and
placed thrown on his shoulders,
then he shall be flown into the fire.
So what's better?
Haditha udhar radiAllahu anwer a person does not
do much good, but the least he or
she does is save others from one's own
ills.
Or
as in the hadith of Wuhriyah radiAllahu an,
do a lot of good,
but then do not spare and save others
from oneself,
and in the end, actually
lose
out.
I pray that the last
enables us to understand.
May Allah be because amongst those who
save others
from ourselves,
who spare others
us from our
ills,
and
who are charitable
even by remaining
silent.
Even by not engaging
unless it's good.
And by remaining silent unless we have something
good to say. That in itself is an
act of piety,
an act of virtue, an act of worship,
an act of charity.
In fact, I'll end with one final hadith.
This all relate from Abu Ghrairah radiAllahu 'alayhi
wa
sallam said a man was walking
and he came across the branch of a
tree that was
inconveniencing
others.
So what did the man do? A simple
act.
He removed the branch from the path
so that it wouldn't hurt others. It wouldn't
bother others. It wouldn't inconvenience others. What did
Allah do?
In
In the wording of Bukhari,
Allah was grateful to that man
for his good deed. So Allah forgave.
And we learn from we learn from other
narrations that he entered Jannah.
For what?
For the one act
of
removing a branch
from the path because it was hurting others.
So to save oneself from sorry. To save
others, to spare others
and to protect others
from our hurt, our pain, our aggression.
Our ills is an act of virtue, piety,
worship, and charity.
And the
simple act of removing a branch from the
path, because it bothers inconveniences
others.
That in itself is such an act of
charity because one has
not inflicted pain, but removed pain.
And not even pain. How much pain can
a branch on a path cause others? It's
a nuisance. It's an inconvenience.
But that one single and simple act of
removing the
branch
leads a person to the forgiveness of Allah
and to jannah. I pray that Allah's crown
Allah enables us to understand. May Allah make
us amongst those who are true Muslims
and true Mu'mineen.
In that others
Muslim, Mu'min as well as non Muslim and
the whole creation of Allah
feel safe and protected
from this.
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