When Religion is Used to Hate and Despise Others

When Religion is Used to Hate and Despise Others

Allah the Exalted said:

وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

Which meanse:

And tell My servants to say that which is best. Satan certainly seeks to sow discord among them. Satan is indeed a sworn enemy to humankind. (Al-Isra'/53)

Do NOT forget your greatest enemies -Yourself and the satan and I will remind your of this verse at the end of this article so continue reading!

Fist of All let me begin by reminding you that religion is easy as stated by Allah's Messenger ﷺ

"‏ إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ، وَلَنْ يُشَادَّ الدِّينَ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ غَلَبَهُ، فَسَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالْغَدْوَةِ وَالرَّوْحَةِ وَشَىْءٍ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ ‏"

It means:

"Indeed, this religion is easy, and no one will overburden himself in religion, except that it will overpower him. So seek what is appropriate, and come as close as you can, and receive the glad tidings (that you will be rewarded), and take it easy; and gain strength by worshiping in the mornings, afternoons, and during the last hours of the nights."

Narrated by Al-Bukhari and others

Allah didn't burden us beyond our ability as stated in The Quran

وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ ۚ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ ۚ

It means:

(And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty) Al-Haj/78.

So always remember these points and don't be mislead.

Moreover the great scholars and Awliya have been loved by people for their humility, manners and devotion to Allah, and you don't see them using religion as a tool to terrorize people, spread doubts, and raise endless conflict in pursuit of establishing the teaching of prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was loved by the companion and even the non-believers testified to his great manners let alone the stories of many Animals from camels, wolfs, pigeon and others whom have longed for him and asked for his assistance.

Hence, the stories I am about to present is Not the true Islam but often people with limited knowledge, inflicted with fanaticism and with very little exposure to the books of the scholars. They may tell you so and so said such and such but they themselves have never opened those book and read the full content, so they are just repeating what they have been told based on trust. This is not intended to make fun of the so called salafies but for seeking understanding. Because when you understand the dilemma a person's mind is stuck in you will be more merciful!

I have always been interested in learning why people think the way they do, and specially when they go into heated debates believing they know when in reality they know very little. I have wondered how something so clear can be manipulated and people would believe otherwise. At the end I came to realize people are very similar regardless of their faith, that is in terms of the way think. And more over you will also realize most people are not good listeners and many have selective hearing and reading, that is they focus on what they like and try to ignore the unfamiliar specially if its shakes their foundation or comfort zone. Also, emotions play a major part in their decision making and at times more than clear logic.

I had once followed the speeches of a previous Wahhabi or salafi as they like to be called. He used to be one of their respected shaikhs until Allah guided him to leave them and got his doctorate from Azhar. I listened to over 30 hrs of his speeches while marveled of how they think and what keeps them on that path. And here are some major points that comes to my mind as I write this also I will have "note" section underneath each point hinting of what they missed.

1) They believe people are lost in a world of innovation and worshiping other than Allah such as the grave worshipers as they like to call them.. and its their duty to defend the religion

Note>If only they new how previous scholars including Hanbalis defined worship and had they a boarder clear understanding of Innovation stated in previous books the would have found the solution but only if they are willing to listen with an open mind!!!

2) They call themselves student of knowledge and after 20 or 30 years of listening to their shaykhs tapes, attending circles of knowledge, many of them are repeating the books written by their recent shaikhs and for the Majority they never get to the core famous books of Sunni mainstream but only settle for what their shaikh teach them.

Note>The safest why to learn religion is from the Major well known books that scholars have praised and Muslims for centuries relied upon. Had they been exposed to traditional teaching focused with proofs to challenge their mistakes their might have been some hope for them but guidance is from Allah.

3) When they begin to learn religion they focus on refutation more than self discipline.

Note> Refutation is need but needs to be balanced and its typically the duty of those with a wider exposure and understanding in religion. If one takes that path without sufficient understanding and self discipline it can damage him/her. I once read in the writing of Imam Al-Hadad that the knowledge of Suluk (self discipline/Sufism) is like food if you take a large amount it will not harm you and the knowledge of Kalam (the creed with its intellectual arguments) is like medicine if you take too much it will kill you. That is your take it a proper dosage if you are laymen. So you take enough dosage to take away a confusion you might have. However it is a communal obligation for some of the Muslim scholars to Master it to defend the religion against false beliefs and philosophy. hence those with good grasp in Islamic knowledge may seek further knowledge in the great books of Al-Amidy , Fakhrudeen, Al-Ghazali, in such areas of studied, but always with caution so you don't develop attributes of Arrogance or insincerity.

Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi said:

واعلم أن المناظرة الموضوعة لقصد المغالبة والمباهاة منبع الأخلاق المذمومة ، ولا يسلم صاحبها من كبرٍ ؛ لاحتقار المقصرين عنه ، وعجبٍ بنفسه لارتفاعه على كثير من نظرائه ، ولا يسلم من الرياء ؛ لأن جمهور مقصود المناظر اليوم علم الناس بغلبته ، وإطلاق ألسنتهم بشكره ومدحه ، فهو يُذهِب عمره في العلوم التي تعين على المناظرة مما لا ينفع في الآخرة ؛ كحسن اللفظ وحفظ النوادر " - مختصر منهاج القاصدين

It Means:

"And know that argumentation with the sole intention of boasting and defeating others is the source of evil manners. And such person is never free from arrogance, for he looks down to those he defeats, and brides himself for being higher than many of his opponents, and he's never safe of insincerity because the majority of debaters today seek people to recognize their wining, and to be thanked and praised. Thus, he will waste much of his life in the sciences that support debating and that which will not benefit in the hereafter..." (Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasidin)

This is a dangerous area if you are not always checking your heart and questioning your purpose, and a result you find those engaged in such path hateful, insulting, very often calling people ignorant, damned, filthy among many other foul languages and yet they present themselves as shaikhs may Allah protect us and all of this is unwise and destructive to the Muslim unity.

Allah the Exalted said to prophet Muhammad:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

It means

(So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah . Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]) Ali'Imran/159

For added benefit Imam Alghazali said:

بيان آفات المناظرة وما يتولد منها من مهلكات الأخلاق

اعلم وتحقق أن المناظرة الموضوعة لقصد الغلبة والإفحام وإظهار الفضل والشرف والتشدق عند الناس وقصد المباهاة والمماراة واستمالة وجوه الناس هي منبع جميع الأخلاق المذمومة عند الله المحمودة عند عدو الله إبليس ونسبتها إلى الفواحش الباطنة من الكبر والعجب والحسد والمنافسة وتزكية النفس وحب الجاه وغيرها كنسبة شرب الخمر إلى الفواحش الظاهرة من الزنا والقذف والقتل والسرقة وكما أن الذي خير بين الشرب والفواحش وسائر الفواحش استصغر الشرب فأقدم عليه فدعاه ذلك إلى ارتكاب بقية الفواحش في سكره فكذلك من غلب عليه حب الإفحام والغلبة في المناظرة وطلب الجاه والمباهاة دعاه ذلك إلى إضمار الخبائث كلها في النفس وهيج فيه جميع الأخلاق المذمومة وهذه الأخلاق ستأتي أدلة مذمتها من الأخبار والآيات في ربع المهلكات ولكنا نشير الآن إلى مجامع ما تهيجه المناظرة.

Means"

ON THE EVILS OF DEBATE AND THE CHARACTER DESTROYING INFLUENCES RESULTING THEREFROM

You should know and be sure that debates which are designed for the purpose of overcoming and silencing an opponent as well as for displaying one’s excellence and honor, bragging before men, boasting, and being contradictory, or for the sake of winning popular favor, are the source of all traits which are blameworthy before Allah and praiseworthy before His enemy, the Devil. Its relation to the inner sins of pride, conceit, jealousy, envy, self-justification, love of power, and others is like the relation of drinking to the sins of the flesh such as fornication, foul play, and murder. Just as the person who has been given the opportunity to choose between drinking and the other sins, deemed the former harmless and took to it only to be led by his drunkenness into committing all the other sins, so is he who succumbs to the lures of overcoming and silencing opponents in debate, and falls victim to the urge for power and boasting; these things have led him to conceal all wickedness in his bosom and stirred in him all blameworthy traits. Proofs of the blameworthiness of all these will be discussed in the Quarter on the Destructive Matters in Life although we shall now allude to the major evils which are inspired by debate. Of these we may enumerate the following....”

4)Their fears and religious struggle are founded on arguments stated in the writing of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and Ibn Taymiyah.

Note> That's why its imperative to learn from well known traditional sources recognized and accepted by the masses and keep away from controversial sources.

5) In the 90's they made an effort to push people away from following the four schools (specially the proponent of Al-Albany) and they resulted in becoming Albanis or Binbazis

Note>The four schools existed during the time frame of As-Salaf (which means people of the past) and this is in particular the first three centuries of Islam. So following the four school is following the teaching of the Salaf, but ironically their misguidance caused them to say one thing and do something else..SubhanAllah May Allah guide them and guide us.

6) Their shaikhs will wrong great Muslim scholars thereby causing their student to think higher of them.

Note> Psychologically speaking, when a person who's thirsty for knowledge goes to a teacher and all he's focused is refutation and wronging others including famous scholars of the past you will get three reactions

a) Those seeking guidance will feel burdened by All of this conflicts and will leave and might lose their religious motivation as a consequence or Allah will lead them to someone who will boost their moral

b) Those who will leave Islam and become atheist (or develop other beliefs) and Among the wahhabis you will find the greatest number of those who became atheist/agnostic.

c) The hardcore followers whom will start thinking very highly of their shaiykh specially since he's refuting and correcting great scholars which means in their mind he must be the real deal!!!

that is until they find flaws in hims and some will start to refute him. Thus, because of this you have a greater number that will reject their shaykh and refute him like the old saying what goes around comes around.

However, in classical traditional Islamic circle you find the scholars are not keen upon finding flaws from previous or present scholars and if something seems as such they try to find a proper reasoning and when its clear its an error they will humbly and mannerly state the correction. As a result, when traditional students of knowledge sees these manner exemplified from their teachers they become careful not to rush and learn to think positively.

7) In Egypt they call their mosques Masjid As-Sunnah and the other mosques Masjid Al-Awqaaf, therefore they tell their follower to avoid other Masjids and this way they would not listen to other shaykhs and in their logic they are protecting them from false teachings which also caused them to isolate themselves from the masses.

Note: Isolating the crowds might be seen as a means of protection, but equally can be used to shelled a person from learning the truth and it can server also as a mind control and casting doubts about other (sometime done knowingly and other times out of genuine fear of those they see as misguided)

8) Isolating oneself, casting doubts, and calling many other Muslims disbelieves is exhausting so they comfort their follower by telling them a saying of Prophet Muhammad that says (roughly translated from memory) "religion began strange and it will return strange as it has began and blessed are the stranger and these are the once whom will fix what others have ruined after me." Therefore they view themselves as the strangers as stated in the hadith, and that gives them a comfort and something to hold on in their isolation.

Note> It is true that sinning and ignorance will be, and are, prevalent, but they have taken it to the extreme. Moreover add to this the fact that the majority are not exposed to classical Islamic text and settle for what their current shaikh give them thereby causing them to be trapped in a bubble. Therefore, anything outside of this bubble is a great cause of worry and might cause one lose his faith. May Allah protect us from such predicament and show us that which is good as good and enable us to follow and that which is falsehood as false and enable as to stay away from it.

This gives you a basic illustration of how one's mind can be trapped in a bubble where he/she will argue to guide you but when you want to present your evidence, it's NOT an equal ground and fear will strike and the person will refuse to listen when he/she realizes strong counter arguments. It happened to me several times, in the past, where one of them would present his proof and when I started explaining fear strikes and I was told its a sin to continue talking to the people of innovation (me that is) or to the people of Kalam and one person told me I don't have enough knowledge to speak to you so its a sin to continue talking to you. Mind you, In all of these examples they instigated the talk to make da'wah to me and when they realized they are being challenged, fear strikes.

You see this is what their shaiykh tell them. This will further ensure that they will not work their logic. I am not saying this to make fun of them or anyone else because as I stated at the beginning of this article our collective greatest enemy is ourselves and the the devil. And I pray to Allah to guide us All, but this is to illustrate the psychological factor, and the dilemma. of how your mind can be stuck and how a simple logical dialog is mountainous, how people misunderstand each other, and the fact people are selective listeners. This is why your should be merciful and have pity and learn to talk to people in the manners its easy for them to understand, and before you go on to guide the word start guiding yourself first and exemplify the manners of the prophet and his companion in your daily life.

And finally remember that religion is easy and least intelligent sane person can learn his obligation and can reach high status, paraphrasing what Ibn 'Ataa`ullah Al-Sakandari said in his Al-Hikim. So think good of your lord and pray to him for He hears and don't be overly confused. And don't be negligent of our collectives greatest enemy ..satan

Allah the Exalted said:

وَقُل لِّعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

Which means:

And tell My servants to say that which is best. Satan certainly seeks to sow discord among them. Satan is indeed a sworn enemy to humankind. (Al-Isra'/53)

And Allah knows best.

Would you like to build a houses in Jannah

Wouldn't you like to build a house in Jannah?

Umm Habiba, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (and her name is Ramlah daughter of Abu Sufyan and the sister of Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan the Kaliph, May Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُسْلِمٍ يُصَلِّي لِلَّهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً تَطَوُّعًا غَيْرَ فَرِيضَةٍ إِلاَّ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَوْ إِلاَّ بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏"
 قَالَتْ أُمُّ حَبِيبَةَ فَمَا بَرِحْتُ أُصَلِّيهِنَّ بَعْدُ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَمْرٌو مَا بَرِحْتُ أُصَلِّيهِنَّ بَعْدُ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ النُّعْمَانُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏
It means: [If any Muslim servant (of Allah) prays for the sake of Allah twelve rak'ahs (of Sunan) every day, over and above the obligatory ones, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise, or a house will be built for him in Paradise (i.e. that's she heard the prophet saying either Allah will build for him or will be built for him)

Umm Habibah said  I have not abandoned observing after (hearing it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ), so said also 'Amr and Nu'man.] Narrated by Muslim 

Just think for a moment how hard people struggle in this world to buy a house that is not even guaranteed to deliver happiness to them.  I recently heard of someone who worked hard for years in North America and finally completed the building of a nice house in Ethiopia but died while he was planning to move in soon.  Another Canadian person worked for some thirty years for a good pay, took little vacation saving it for his retirement, and invested his money in one of the investment offers within his company and when he was near retirement he had about a million dollars in his investment and several months of vacation he didn't take; He wanted to go into retirement earlier and travel the world with the vacation he saved.  He got his trip plan ready and purchased his airline tickets but died before he could ever realize his dream.  You have no guarantee in life so why not get accustomed to adhere to the advice of Allah's messenger, and how much time and effort it takes to pray the 12 rak'ah of the sunnah of the obligatory prayers.  If you are not accustomed and never made a habit you will struggle until it becomes a habit and then you will start feeling shy and guilty within if you leave them. At least start with the 2 Raka'ha before Subh and make a habit of it and slowly build yourself.

'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ as saying: 

"‏ رَكْعَتَا الْفَجْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا ‏"‏

[The two rak'ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains. ]  

Narrated by Muslim.  And this is the 2 Raka'h you pray before the subh (dawn) prayer.

Also, it was narrated in At-Tarmidy from the rout of Umm Habibah that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

"‏ مَنْ صَلَّى فِي يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ ‏" 

"Whoever prays twelve Rak'ah in a day and night, a house will be built for him in Paradise: Four Rak'ah before Duhr, two Rak'ah after it, two Rak'ah after Maghrib, two Rak'ah after Isha, and two Rak'ah before Fajr in the morning Salat."

Moreover,It was narrated that Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَنْ ثَابَرَ عَلَى اثْنَتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً فِي الْيَوْمِ وَاللَّيْلَةِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ ‏"‏ ‏

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever persists in praying twelve rak'ahs each day and night will enter Paradise: Four before Duhr and two after, two rak'ahs after Maghrib, two rak'ahs after Isha' and two rak'ahs before Fajr.'' Narrated by Ibn-Maajah.

So let's follow the guidance of Allah's messenger ﷺ  and the habit of the companions and the righteous once in this limited life before we regret. Pray your sunnah along with your obligation, don't go into things that don't concern your, be busy in your matters and don't be nosy about others, be merciful, think positive of others and avoid situations of conflict and fitnah, and remember in your grave you are alone and none of those with you today with be their with you, but it's your deeds that will accompany you in your grave and aid you to pass the bridge in the hereafter. 

2 before subh

4 before Duhr and 2 (You may also pray 4 before and 4 after or 2 before and 2 after as stated in other hadiths)

[Not mention in this hadith but taken from other hadith you can pray 4 (or 2) before 'Asr]

2 After Maghrib [you may pray 2 before also]

2 After 'Isha` ( you may pray 2 before also from the hadith that states that between every Adhan and Iqaamah there are 2 raka'ah)

Finally, pray 3 witr, or you can pray 3 witr immediately after 'Isha` unless you intend to pray the night prayer then delay the 3 witr raka'ah to end your night prayer

There are several Ahadith that talks about the sunnah of the five prayers a portion of that sunnah are what scholas considered as sunnah Mu`akadah.  That is the 2 before Subh, 4 before Duhr and 2 after, 2 after Maghrib and Two after 'Isha` and also witer is Sunnah Mu`akadah and Hanafis consider them Wajib and the five prayers they call them Fard, Therefore in Hannafy one must pray the witr, its considered Wajib and the five prayers are considered Fard (in Hanafi terms) and in other schools, it is highly recommended sunnah mu`akkadah.

These prayers the prophet, in spite being guaranteed Jannah never abandoned them.  

As reported by Imam Alghazali that some of the Salaf addressed some people by telling them that they are at a time where people perform deeds more than they talk and there will come people who speak more than they perform.  So strive to be among those who live Islam by action, Sunnah, Quran, going to the masjid, and beautify your manners and don't be among those who are attracted to talking while leaving the fruits of performance, or even worse focusing and argument, and negative thinking while putting little effort to exemplify the sunnah of Allah's messenger in their day to day activities.  Pray to Allah to grant you a clean tongue and a pure heart and Allah knows best.

The Meaning of Friendship and The rights of A Muslim.

The Meaning of Friendship and The rights of A Muslim

It was Said by Imam Ash-Shafi'iy

سلام على الدنيا إذا لم يكن بها

Farewell to the world, if there is no one in it that is

صديق صدوق صادق الوعد منصفا

A (genuine) friend who's honest, just, and keeps a promise

(continue reading for the full poetry)

Muslims are not all obligated to become buddies and best friends, and finding an honest, reliable, trustworthy friends is rare nowadays. And, if you go with the standards stated by some scholars like Ibn Aljawziy of what renders a person a genuine friend you will start referring to your friends as an acquaintance rather than calling them real friends.

There are several types of Friendship and the best is the Friendship between two Muslims for the love of Allah. That's they meet to do the good deeds, such as at a Masjid, in a gathering to recite Quran, visit the sick, da'wah...etc. They help each other in that which is good and they carry the traits of good friends that are described by Al-Ghazali, Ibn Qudamah or Ibn Aljawziy among other scholars in their books. Such friends will be under the shade of the 'Arash in the hereafter may Allah grant us such status and such friends.

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In poetry attributed to Imam Ash-Shafi'iy about the meaning friendship he said:

اذا المرء لا يرعاك الا تكلفا

If the person is not caring to you, but only when burdened

فدعه ولا تكثر عليه التاسفا

Then leave him, and don’t be sad for long

ففي الناس ابدال وفي الترك راحة

There are substitutes in people, and relief in letting go

وفي القلب صبر للحبيب ولو جفا

And there is patience in the heart for the loved one despite his harshness (i.e. coldness).

فما كل من تهواه يهواك قلبه

Not all those you desire (love)

desire you (i.e. love you)

ولا كل من صافيته لك قد صفا

And not all those you are sincere with are sincere to you

اذا لم يكن صفو الوداد طبيعة

If sincere affection is not in one's nature

فلا خير في ود يجيء تكلفا

Then there is no good in a forced affection

فلا خير في ود يجيء تكلفا

There is no good in a friend who deceives his friend

ويلقاه من بعد المودة بالجفا

And treats harshly just after being loving

وينكر عيشا قد تقادم عهده

And denies the life previously cherished

ويظهر سرا كان بالامس قد خفا

And discloses a secret kept yesterday enclosed

. سلام على الدنيا إذا لم يكن بها

Farewell to the world, if there is no one in it that is

صديق صدوق صادق الوعد منصفا

A (genuine) friend who's honest, just, and keeps a promise

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There are many types of Friendship

Nevertheless, there are certain right Muslims have upon each other regardless if they are friends or not and these are stated in the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ), and in this hadith narrated by Imam Muslim Allah's messenger (ﷺ) counted six of these rights.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ سِتٌّ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قِيلَ مَا هُنَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِذَا لَقِيتَهُ فَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَإِذَا دَعَاكَ فَأَجِبْهُ وَإِذَا اسْتَنْصَحَكَ فَانْصَحْ لَهُ وَإِذَا عَطَسَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَسَمِّتْهُ وَإِذَا مَرِضَ فَعُدْهُ وَإِذَا مَاتَ فَاتَّبِعْهُ ‏"‏

‏

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:{" The rights of Muslim over another Muslim are six".

It was said to him: What are they O Messenger of Allah ﷺ ?

he said: "When you meet him, offer him Salam (i.e. greetings by saying As Salamu 'Alaykum); when he invites you to a feast accept it. when he seeks your council give him, and when he sneezes and says: Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah) say YarhamukAllah (may Allah be merciful to you); and when he fails ill visit him, and when he dies then follow his burial.}

Narrated by Muslim

And Allah knows best.

You can benefit people unless they become fanatic-Part 4/4

You can benefit people unless they become fanatic-Part 4/4The Advice

It took me many years after I left the Ideology of Wahhabism to understand why the leadership would lie, and it took discoveries after discoveries of books and statements they claimed it supported them and once I got to the source I found it to be otherwise. This is the result of fanaticism for it validates for one to lie in support of one's movement and it makes the person arrogant from accepting the truth; most people talk about the arrogance of feeling superior but tend to pay less attention of the arrogance of rejecting the truth, once its known clearly, as stated in the hadith, Allah's messenger صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:
الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس
It means "Arrogance is rejecting the truth and the belittlement of people" narrated by Muslim.

But make no mistake, for this is not a Wahhabi disease only, but even among the Sunnis, you'll stumble upon those who willfully spread wrong agendas to further their cause.

Once someone warned me about a person I didn't know. This brother was just conveying what he's told out of trust, but once I got the warning I felt sad for all these bad people out there. However, as it has become my habit, I searched for the book of this person I was warned against and started reading the areas in questions and I was very surprised at the evidence he was bringing. Next, I went to the books of other highly respected scholars of the past he was stating one buy one, and there were many, to investigate and found out he was being truthful. I then listened to a speech given by one of my favorite shaykhs cursing him and miss coating what he was saying to the point you will most likely judge him as a kaffir. Someone who's neutral would have figured out very easily, after being provided with evidence from both sides that the Shaykh I loved was deceiving and extremely manipulative. However, when you have so much trust in someone what is obvious isn't clear to you, and you might choose to turn a blind eye not to disturb your comfort zone, or for the sake of an organization, or for the fear that greater harm might result if you acted. However, I went back again to the books of the scholars I searched earlier just to confirm and listened to this shaykh's speech again and again and again just hoping to find a reason to excuse him, because his attack on this person, whom I never cared for, was also an attack on the majority of past scholars, and the majority of the audiences listening to him are touched by his speech, but they have no clue of the reality. After listening many times and trying to excuse him, I started praying to Allah for guidance and took over a month and then I realized that I was following my emotions and not being objective, and after that day I have not listened to a single lesson or speech this shaykh gives, I have lost trust in him completely. This was a major turning point, for I no longer have trust in Individuals simply based on affiliation to a group but rather based on the individual's characteristics, just as previous Muslims deed when they sought knowledge. And these are the type of discoveries that are heart-wrenching and causes you to lose sleep.

Times are tough and I am not suggesting to weigh people as Al-Bukhari or Malik did because the examples like the scholars of the past are very few nowadays. Therefore, do your best that your source of knowledge is trusted, and don't be a faultfinder, but do your best to excuse others and think positive. Having said that I will seek knowledge from someone who might have once stolen or was lored by a woman and repented because none of us is perfect. And, I will forgive the one who purposely was dishonest like the Shaykh I mentioned, but what I can NOT bring back is the trust that was lost, and therefore I would completely avoid him. The two types of personality I have the most difficulty with are arrogant and dishonest in relaying religious information. I have been told that I am very good at doing research and at smelling a rotten fish, but I am very slow at taking action because I fear misjudging people, but its when the judgment is very clear that I can never return to the one that was purposely dishonest, for my personal knowledge and guidance.

Honesty is comforting and soothing to the heart, so be honest with others and be honest with yourself. Know may Allah guide us and unite our Ummah that guidance is only from Allah. Guidance is the light that Allah casts in one's heart thereby realizes the truth from falsehood. Guidance is not because of who you follow, how much knowledge you have, how smart you are, or how much effort you're putting into worship.

The best of the creation is prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and few of those who have seen him and believed in him later disbelieved in him, even after declaring to be Muslims.

And, If intelligence and knowledge were sufficient for guidance than Imam Al-Ash'ary would not have joined the Mu'tazila part of his life before returning to Ahlu-Sunnah. Moreover, throughout history, you'll find examples of those who memorized the recitation and Hadiths and were outstanding in the Arabic language and mastered so many sciences but went astray.

And, if the great effort in worship was the key than the Khawarij would have been guided but the prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ told his companion "one of you will belittle his worship compare to their worship," and the Khawarij were deviant.

Henceforth, the key is to return to Allah, beg Him for guidance, and pray Allah to show you the truth as the truth and enable you to follow and to show you that which is a falsehood as falsehood and enable you to stay away from it.

Beg for Allah's guidance and listen to your heart and don't be constrained by affiliation, leadership, society, race, organization, movements, money or anything else when it comes to follow the truth and be honest. The ultimate goal is to obey Allah and His messenger beyond anything else, so let this be your compass and don't stray away from it. Also, leave out being egotistic, and concern yourself with your shortcomings.

And, learn to be a good listener and put your emotions aside and remember the old saying If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Also, when you seek knowledge, realize that knowledge is vast so at any point in your lifetime don't hesitate to be corrected or advised and don't be arrogant from accepting the truth, for life is a struggle and we are not infallible, and the wise one will keep on correcting and making himself better until he/she departs from this Dunya.

Also remember, that religion is easy as said by Allah's messenger صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and Allah is merciful and he stated in the Quran:
وجاهدوا في الله حق جهاده هو اجتباكم وما جعل عليكم في الدين من حرج ملة أبيكم إبراهيم هو سماكم المسلمين من قبل وفي هذا ليكون الرسول شهيدا عليكم وتكونوا شهداء على الناس

Which means:
Struggle for (the sake of) Allah, a struggle that is owed to Him. He has chosen you and did not impose any hardship on you in the religion, the faith of your father Ibrāhīm. He (Allah) named you as Muslims earlier and also in this (Qur’ān), so that the Messenger becomes a witness to you, and you become witnesses to (other) people. (Al-Haj/78)
And Allah said:
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ
This means: Allah doesn't burden oneself more than it can bear. (Al-Baqarah/286)

When you seek knowledge don't only focus in one area but be skillful in all major areas and that includes beliefs (Tawhid), acts of worship and rules (fiqh) and manners (Suluk-Tasawuf).

Abu Bakr Alwaraaq said
من اكتفى بالكلام دون الزهد تزندق ، ومن اكتفى بالزهد دون الكلام والفقه ابتدع ، ومن اكتفى بالفقه دون الزهد والورع تفسق ، ومن تفنن في هذه الأمور كلها تخلص

Which means: "The one who's satisfied with Kalam (Theology) without (seeking) zuhd (asceticism) becomes a zindiq (heretic-disbeliever), And he who's satisfied with Zuhd (asceticism) without theology and fiqh becomes an innovator, and he who's satisfied with fiqh without zuhd (asceticism) and theology becomes a major sinner (fasiq) and he who become skillful in all these matters is safe"

Start with the knowledge you need the most and that is Tawhid (beliefs) fiqh and manners (i.e tasawuf/suluk).

Tawhid teaches you the essentials of beliefs so your worship is accepted, Fiqh teaches you how to do your worship properly so it's valid and Suluk teaches you true sincerity and humbleness and protects you from diseases such as arrogance, insincerity, and many of the symptoms that lead to fanaticism.

And, for those of you who are active in Da'wa realize that when you have sincerity, good character, and your heart is clean your advice will penetrate the hearts of others. A shaykh was once telling his audience to have good manners, and don't be caught sinning because this is counterproductive of our da'wah. These type of statements hurts my ears because you should have good manners for the sake of Allah regardless if you are involved in da'wah or not, and don't forget that the border between sincerity and insincerity is a very thin line. And when someone is genuine his impact is greater and lasting than the one who pretends. Therefore, concern yourself with your own flaws, rather than looking into the defects of others, so that you can purify yourself.

Allah's messenger said ﷺ: “...Be obedient in the Ma^ruf (the well known good) upon one another and forbid one another to do evil, but if you see overwhelming stinginess being adhered to, desires being followed, this world being preferred (to the Hereafter), every person with an opinion feeling proud of it, and you realize that you have no power to deal with it, then be keen to yourself (i.e. better yourself, purify your heart...etc) and leave the common folks (to their own devices). Fore, After you will come days of patience during which patients will be like grasping a burning ember(i.e. coal), and one who does good deeds will have a reward like that of fifty men doing the same deed.”Narrated by Ibn Majah
in another narration, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked by the companions "Oh messenger of Allah the reward of fifty from us or from them," Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said "No, the reward of fifty from you" Narrated by At-Tirmidhi

Advising other is great, but don't be among those who are worried for others, but neglect themselves, and know that there is no path better than the path drown by the messenger of Allah ﷺ. Hence, from the start of your day until you sleep learn how to spend your day following the Sunnah of Allah's messenger صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. For that, you need a schedule based on the Sunnah of Allah's messenger صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. Something you can bear and increase step by step. The scholars also say you also need a guide (Murshid), but such shaykhs are becoming rare, and if you can't find a Murshid then let the messenger of Allah be your guide, as you are also learning, and you do so by clinging on making salah and salam upon the messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ, day and night, so increase your salawaat upon him صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ may Allah strengthen us, and make us firm in doing so.

And I would strongly advise you to learn to recite the Quran if you haven't, and have a daily recitation schedule. The attachment to the Quran used to be a notable character of previous Muslims. And, The habits of the masters are the masters (best) of habits.

And remember as stated in these series (and in part 2/4 in particular), that feeling hate for a Muslim because he's not part of your Movement, organization, or not following your leader are among the symptoms of fanaticism.

When you meet a Muslims and you want to talk about da'wah, start with the Quran and the hadith, the common ground the unites us, and next you may go to the saying and the books of the well knows scholars where there is little dispute about them if any, and not by your favorite shaykh whom you follow or the organization you belong to. Focus on what Allah obligated among the pillars of Islam, focus on the things we are going to be asked in the hereafter, and know that we have been ordered to be united as Muslims.

I remind you again to always return to Allah for guidance, tirelessly, in order to show you that which is good as good and to enable you to follow and that which is evil as evil and to enable you to stay away from. And, before you make a decision for your dunya or akhira always return to Allah and make istikhara. Don't engage in something because you wanted to succeed rather because Allah's pleased with. And be pleased with what Allah granted you and think good of Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. Before you decide anything, take time to prays two raka'a and ask for guidance and repeat the supplicate from time to time and you may due Istikhara for one, three, or seven days and the du'a is good to do anytime

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي

which means:
“O Allah, verily I seek the better [of either choice] from You, by Your knowledge, and I seek ability from You, by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For indeed You have power, and I am powerless, and you have the knowledge and I know not; and, you are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then enable me, facilitate it for me, and grant me the blessing in it. And if You know that this matter is not good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then turn it away from me and me from it; and decree for me better than it, wherever it may be, and make me content with it.”

So often people follow their emotions and forget that somethings may look good and convincing but may not be their best choice, and something may look bad but could be good for them, and the one that knows is Allah. Always, and pray to Him, and be humble and honest and don't be distracted from your compass of obeying Allah and His messenger.

Be wise and balanced and don't be hyped into something because once you go to your grave you will be alone, and all those who hyped you will be concerned with themselves on the day of judgment. And if you are not sure of something, feel bothered or have noticed some strange behavior, then be careful and don't get tangled in something you might regret in the future. Relay on Allah, return to Him and pray for guidance.

We are not perfect but little by little, and day by day we all need to improve ourselves. And in these troubled times look no further for the cure then the way of Allah's messenger صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and the way that was exemplified by his companion, and if you think you have new a short-cut that can validate your laziness, then know that your nafs (yourself) and the shaytan are fooling you, so wake up from your dream and get to work and don't forget the purpose of our creation which is to know and worship Allah.

May Allah guide us, and grant us the joy in this life, in our graves, and make us stand with those who are joyful on the day of judgment, and admit us into paradise without prior punishment, Ameen, And Allah knows best.