Chapter 6: VIRTUES OF CONTENTMENT, PATIENCE, AND TAWAKKUL

FAZA ’IL-E-SADA QAA T

PART TWO English Translation of Urdu Book by Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi (May Allah be pleased with him) translated by PROF ABDUL KARIM and MALIK HAQ NAWAZ Revised by:

DR. MAZHAR MAHMOOD QURESHI

"EAWAJA IHSANUL HAQ

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. We praise Him, and we invoke His choicest Blessings on His noble Messenger (Rasul).

(The Faza’il-e-Sadaqaat, was originally designed as one comprehensive volume but, when it was being sent to press,. I thought that, for the convenience of readers, it would be better to publish the last two Chapters as a separate volume entitled Taza’il-e-Sadaqaat Part two)’.

CHAPTER SIX

NEED TO CULTIVATE CONTENTMENT, LIVING WITHIN MINIMUM MEANS AND AVOIDING ASKING FAVOURS

In the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith, these three subjects have been recurringly treated through examples, warnings and relevant stories. In fact, the allusions are so numerous that even a brief account would involve considerable details. We have observed, at the end of Chapter Two, that wealth is beneficial as well as harmful; it is both a cure as well as a poison. Rasulullah SaUaUaho alayhi wa sallam said. Tor every Ummah (People), there has been a trial and a temptation; the temptation of my Ummah lies in wealth’. Hence it is necessary to guard oneself against this temptation and its harmful effects. If someone possesses such a poisonous snake and he makes an antidote, it will be useful both for himself and for other people. Failing this, its poison will prove fatal for himself and will also harm others. It was in view of these harmful effects of wealth that Rasulullah ﷺ once remarked, This wealth is pleasant to see and inviting; it is beneficial for him who procures it by rightful means (in the manner prescribed by Shariah) and spends it property; but he who procures it by unlawful means is like one suffering from a diiwwo in which one goes on eating without being satisfied." (Miehkaat)

Tmaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes:"Worldly wealth can be at once beneficial and harmful for its possessor. It is like a snake. We see thirt whosoever knows the proper charms, can take hold of a snake, remove its fangs and prepare an antidote from it But if a layman were to catch hold at a snake, in imitation of the snakecharmer, it would certainly bite him to death. Similarly, in order to be immune from the harmful effects of wealth, a person must take particular care about the following points:-

1. He must consider and know, for certain, the real purpose for which wealth was created by Allah Ta'ala, bo that he may keep the same in view.

2. He should be vigilant about the sources of his wealth and beware of combining lawful means of earning with the unlawful ones, which include accepting a gift that may be suspected of being a bribe in disguise, or asking favours involving humiliation.

3. He should not put aside any amount beyond his actual requirements, and appropriately spend any such extra amount immediately.

4. He should also be vigilant about proper spending of money and bewire of extravagant or forbidden expenditure.

5. While receiving money, spending it or putting it aside to the permissible extent, he must be sincere of intention and should, in all circumstances, seek the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala. If he has to keep back something for personal use or spend it on his own needs, he should do so primarily with the intention of gaining sufficient strength for performance of A'maal. Whatever amount 1 of money exceeds his needs should be quickly given away as something useless or superfluous. If a person then retains wealth, fulfilling all the conditions laid down above, it will not be harmful for him. Ali Radhiyallahu anhu once remarked to the following effect: ‘If anyone were to acquire all the riches of the world to seek Allah's pleasure (but had no personal motive), he would still remain a true ‘Zaahid’ (an ascetic). On the contrary, if anyone were to renounce the world altogether, but not for Allah’s pleasure (aspiring to gain same recognition), he would still remain a man of the world". (Ihya) Another Hadith says:"This wealth is pleasant to see and sweet to enjoy, but only he who gets it by rightful means will be blessed in it."Still another Hadith says,"What an excellent abode is the world for him who makes it an asset for the life Hereafter and earns thereby the pleasure of Allah Ta'alal How evil an abode is it for him who is prevented by it from preparing for the Akhirah and so is negligent of seeking the pleasure of Allah Ta'alal’ (Kanz) In short, there are many Ahadith which assert that worldly wealth is not in itself bad; rather, a number of Traditions affirm its usefulness, as numerous worldly and spiritual benefits are gained through its rightful use. For the same reason there occur, in many Ahadith, exhortations to earn livelihood and acquire wealth. However, as wealth also possesses a harmful and poisonous content and as human beings are prone to unhealthy practices, frequent warnings and prohibitions occur at various places in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith against the accumulation of riches. Particularly, excess of wealth has been condemned as something undesirable-even fatal to human soul. Rasulullah ﷺ once remarked,"When Allah Ta'ala loves a person, He protects him from the world just as (in certain cases) one protects a 'patient from water". (Mishkaat) It is common knowledge that water is absolutely necessaiy for life and that no human being can live without it but, if a physician says that water is harmful for a patient, we adopt all possible means to protect him from it. The same is also true of wealth, the excess of which generally proves harmful to the soul, as our hearts are not enlightened enough to be immune from its intoxicating effect. Rasulullah ﷺ said, 'Can anyone of you walk on water without getting his feet wetT The Sahabah replied that no one could. He then said, "Similarly, it is difficult for a worldly person to protect himself from sins. (Mishkaal) We see that most of the deadly sins and cankers of the soul, viz. niggardliness, jealousy, pride, vanity, maliciousness, Bnobbery, haughtiness, etc., generally breed on excessive riches. Similarly, all the lustful sins— licentiousness, drinking, gambling, usury and the like-are also legacies of the excess of wealth. Moreover, human hearts are, by nature, so fond of money that the more they receive, the more covetously they struggle for its increase. There are numerous Ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ to the same effect, for example: Tf anyone were to possess wealth to the extent of two Wadies’ of gold, he would crave for a third." We observe and learn from experience that no one is content with any amount (however great) of wealth, excepting a few blessed souls. For the same reason, at many places in the Holy Qur'an and in Ahadith, there is earnest advice to cultivate contentment in order that man’s unending hunger for wealth should decrease to some extent Similarly, the true nature of the material wealth, its transience and its corrupting effect, have been explicitly stated, so that men should be less fond of wealth, realizing that transitory things are not worthy of human love and that man should set his heart upon things that endure eternally and whose benefits are everlasting. There are frequent exhortations in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith for remaining patient in adversity and not regarding it as sheer misfortune. For, very often, man is made to suffer poverty because Divine Wisdom decrees it for his ultimate benefit Allah Ta'ala says:

If Allah were to enlarge the provisions for His men, they would surely rebel in the earth. (as-Shuraa: 27) We all know from experience that places where men possess excessive wealth, are visited by riots and disruption. As excess of wealth is undesirable and, yet, people have a weakness for it Forbidding the seeking of favours and begging things from other people is a recurring theme in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith. For, men who covet increase in wealth would beg from people without being driven to it by necessity, as the act of begging involves little physical labour and one can get increase in wealth, however paltry, just for the mere asking. At this point, we quote a few Qur’anic Ayah and Ahadith on the three subjects referred to above viz:

(i) Virtues of contentment;

(ii) Need for exercising patience in affliction;

(iii) Deprecation of begging and seeking favours, from the people. SECTION (a)

Ayah IN PRAISE OF CONTENTMENT Beautified for mankind la the love of the joys (that come) from women and children, and stored up heaps of gold and silver, and branded horses and cattle and crops. But all these things are for enjoyment In worldly life. Allah, with Him Is a more excellent abode. Say (O Muhammad): Shall I Inform you of something better than all these things? For those who keep from evil, with their Lord are Gardens, underneath which rivers flow, and pure companions and pleasure of Allah; for in Allah’s sight are all His bondsmen. Those who say: ‘Our Lord, we believe (In Thee) so forgive us our sins and guard us from the punishment of Fire. Those who are steadfast, truthful, and obedient, those who spend (and hoard not), those who pray for pardon In late hours of the night. (Aal-e-Imnm: 14-17) In these Ayah, Allah Ta'ala considers.our love for these things to be, in reality, love for lustful pleasures that come from them. Imaam Ghazali writes:

"Passionate love is another name for excessive lust-a malady which preys upon idle minds. The disease should be treated at its early stage by striving not to show any interest and by trying to divert ones attention away from the object of attraction. Once the attachment grows strong, it is as difficult to suppress it as it was easy to subdue in the beginning. This is true of all passions: For example, lust for wealth, desire to win worldly honour and popularity, ambition for acquisition of property, love for children, even fondness for pet birds (like pigeons, etc.) and love of games like chess and other similar pursuits. After these passions become obsessions, they spell ruin for a person, both in this world and the Akhirah. The fact can be illustrated by a very simple example from everyday life: that of a horse-rider who, finding his animal taking a wrong course, immediately pulls the reins and turns it to the right path. If he allows it to go astray and enter a narrow doorway and only later thinks better of it, and tries to pull it back by gripping its tail, he will certainly experience great difficulty. Hence, it is imperative to be on one’s guard against these passions from the very beginning and keep them within the limits of moderation". (Ihya) The Ulama say that all worldly things fall into three broad categories: (1) the minerals (the inanimate things), (2) the plant life and (3) the animal life. In the Ayah quoted above, Allah Ta'ala has alluded, to all categories of worldly goods and warned His men against over indulgence in them. He Subhanahu Ta'ala mentions “women and children, thereby referring to man’s love for his wife, children, kinsmen and friends, etc., among one’s kind. Similarly, reference to “gold and silver’ includes all mineral wealth; ‘horses and cattle represent all kinds of animals, and mention c' “well-tilled land’ refers to all kinds of agricultural produce..Put together, all these things constitute the riches and valuables of the world. (Ihya) After recounting all these things and cautioning His men against their evil effects, Allah Ta'ala says that all thpse things are for temporary use in the short worldly life. That is to say, none of these are really worthy of being praised or loved. Only things that endure eternally and whose benefits are everlasting deserve to be valued. And, of course, the most sublime virtue is winning the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, which transcends every other bliss. At another place in the Holy Qur'an, after describing some bounties of Jannah, Allah Ta'ala says: The greatest bliss is the acceptance from Allah. This is the supreme triumph. (at-Taubah: 72) As a matter of fact, no other pleasure or bounty of Allah, neither of this world nor of the Akhirah, can vie with the bliss of winning Allah’s pleasure. In the above mentioned Ayah, Allah Ta'ala has given a detailed account of all the attractions and temptations of the world and then cautioned us against excessive indulgence in them, asserting that all these things are meant only for fulfilling temporaly needs of worldly life. Moreover, at various other places in the Holy Qur'an, the believers have been warned, in various ways, against the harmful effects of worldly riches. In some Ayah, greed and cove-tousness have been deprecated; in other, those who prefer worldly requirements to A'maal have been censured; in still other Ayah, men have been cautioned against the transitoriness of the world; while a number of Ayah assert that worldly wealth is a mere decep-tion. In short, it has been driven home that this world and all its goods are short-lived, created only for the fulfilment of temporary needs. This world is not eternal and, therefore, it does not behove a believer to set his heart upon worldly things. Given below are a few more Ayah on the same subject, which further emphasise this precaution:

Translation: 1. Such are those who buy the life of this world at the price of Akhirah. Their punishment will not be lightened, neither shall they be helped. (al-Baqarah: 86)

Translation: 2. But there are men who say; ‘Our Lord, give unto us the bounties in this world’ and they have no portion in the Hereafter. And there are men who say! ‘Our Lord, give unto us in this world that which is good and in the Akhirah that which is good, and guard us against the doom of Fire’. For them there is in store a goodly portion out of that which they have earned. (al-Baqarah: 200-201-202) 3.. And of mankind there are those who would sell their very self, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath compassion on (such of) His devotees, (aiBaqarah: 207)

Translation: 4. Alluring is the life of the world for; those who disbelieve; they make a jest of the believers. But those who keep their duty to Allah will J,e above them (in rank) on the Day of Resurrection, because Allah provides to whomsoever He will, boundless bounties. (al-Baqarah: 212)

Translation: 5. Such days (of varying fortunes) do we cause to follow one another for mankind. (Alt-lmran: 140) The Ayah means that, sometimes, one community gains domination over others; on another occasion, some other nation gains supremacy. The suggestion is that people should not worry too much about their being dominated, by others; they should rather be more concerned about the life of Akhirah, which is of far greater consequence. world is scant (short-lived); the Akhirah is better for him who fears Allah; you shall not be wronged (the measure of) a single date-fibre. Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you, even though you should be in strong and lofty towers." (an-NUaa: 77 78). (So, as death Is ihevitable, one should ever remain concerned about one's final fate.) 7. And say not to one who offers you a sutation, ‘Thou art not a believer, seeking the cherished goods of this life (so that you may despoil him). With Allah are plentious spoils."(an-Nisaa: 94) These Ayah were revealed as an admonition to some Muslims who in their fondness had killed, for war booty, a few non-believers who offered to profess Islam. Ayah condemn this heinous act committed for a paltry gain of the world. Many Traditions give detailed accounts of the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident A version has it that a Muslim attacked a non-believer who hastily recited the Kalimah (as a profession of Faith) but the Muslim, inspite of this, put him to death. The incident was reported to Rasul ull ah ﷺ who demanded an explanation from the Muslim. When he replied, by way of apology that the non-Muslim had made profession of faith only out of fear, Rasulullah ﷺ said, Did you look into his heart to see that he was doing this for fear of death?"It is related that, later, this particular Muslim died a miserable death. (J)urre Manthur) Under no circumstances does Allah Ta'ala allow His men to transgress the limits of justice and propriety. It should suffice to say at this point that the Islamic Law (Shariah) strictly forbids its votaries to wrong the non-believers for the sake of worldly gains. This forms the subject of a good many Qur’anic Ayah and Traditions. For example, in the opening Ayah of Surah al-Maaedah, the believers have been warned: And let not your hatred of a folk who stopped your going to the sacred place of worship lead you to transgression and hostility; but help ye one another unto righteousness and pious duty; help not one another unto sin and transgression. (al-Maaedah: 2) And, a few Ayah later, in the same Surah, Allah Ta'ala says: O ye who believe! be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity, and let not hatred of any people seduce you that you deal not justly. Deal justly, that is nearer to your duty. (al-Maaedah: 8) In short, in numerous Ayah, the believers have been warned against transgression, in all circumstances. The fact is that worldly love blinds the faculty of reason. sport. Better far is the abode of the Akhirah for those who keep their duty (to Allah). Have ye then no sense. (al-An'aam: 32) (In other words have you no sense to understand the plain truth that the diversions and pastimes of this world are nothing in comparison with the blissful life of the Akhirah?) pastime and a jest, and whom the life of the world beguiled. (al-An'aam: 70) 8. Naught is the life of the world, save a pastime and

Translation: 10. Now (after death), you have come to us alone as We did create you the first time; and you have left behind you all that we bestowed upon you. (alAn'aam: 94)

Note: Everyone is born naked, with no worldly effects on him. Similarly, after death, every person is laid in the grave, bereft of all his possessions. Only the portion of wealth that is spent in this life, for the cause of Allah Ta'ala, is stored up in the Divine Treasury of the Akhirah, and is paid back to him in full, with bountiful increase from Allah Ta'ala."m

11. The worldly life beguiled theml (al-A’raaf: 51)

12. So, (after the righteous people) there succeeded a generation who inherited the Scriptures but grasped the goods of this low life and who say; ‘It will be forgiven us’ (as we are the loved ones of Allah Ta'ala). (al-A'maf. 169) who ward off (evil). Have you then no sense? (alA'raaf: 169) And know that your possessions and your children are but a test, and that with Allah lies immense reward. (al-Anfaal: 28)

desireth (for you) the Akhirah. (al-Anfaal: 67) 13. And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those than in the Akhirah? The comfort of the life of the world Is but little, compared with the life in the Hereafter. (al-Taubah: 38) us, and are well-pleased with the life of the world, 4. and feel secure therein, and those who are heedless And know that your possessions and your children of Our admonitions— their abode will be the Fire because of the (evil) deeds they used to commit. (Yunus: 7-8) 8. O mankind! Your rebellion is only against yourselves; (you have) enjoyment of the life of the world (for a brief period); then unto Us you shall return and We shall proclaim to you what you used to do. The likeness of the life of the world is only as water which We send down from the sky; then, by its mingling with the earth, arises the produce of the earth (in thick profusion) of which men and cattle eat till, when the earth has taken on her (golden) ornaments and is (fully) embellished (i.e. the crops and greenery has reached its fullest bloom) and her inhabitants deem that they are masters of her,

(suddenly) Our commandment comes (upon it) by night or by day and We make it as reaped corn, as though it had not flourished the day before. Thus do We expound the revelations for a people to make them realise (the true nature of worldly life). And Allah summons you to the abode of (Eternal) peace and (He) guides whosoever He will to a straight path. TYunus: 23-24-25) After recounting, in the preceding Ayah, a number of excellent qualities of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala says:

Translation: 19. People should rejoice in this Bounty of Allah, and in His mercy. It is far better than (the worldly things) which they hoard. (Younus; 58) ments, We shall repay them (in foil) for his deeds herein, and they are not made to suffer loss therein. Those aVe they for whom there is naught in the Hereafter save the Fire. (All) that they contrive here will become vain and (the fact is that all) they are wont to do is fruitless. (Hud: 15-16). 20. Whoso desires the life of the world and its adornand straitens (it for whomsoever He wills). And they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of the world is but passing enjoyment, as compared with the life of Akhirah. (ar-Ra‘ 26)

Translation: We have granted to different categories of the nonbelievers to enjoy (for, they will just derive brief joy from worldly things which are doomed to perish soon). (al-Hijr: 88)

23. That (all worldly goods) which you have, shall waste Allah enlarges livelihood for whomsoever He wills away. But what is with Allah endures forever. (Nahl: 96)

Translation: 24. (The painful chastisement described in the foregoing Ayah will afflict them) That is because they were enamoured of this world rather than the Akhirah. (Nahl: 107)

Translation: 2. Do not (so much as) raise your eyes to look at w

25. Whoever desires that (life) which hasteneth away (i.e. recompense for his deeds in the present life alone). We hasten for him therein what We will, unto whomsoever We please (Le. such a one is not given all that he desires). (We grant worldly gifts to whomsoever We will and even We, rather grant him only as much as We please And, afterwards We have appointed for him Jahannam; he will endure the heat thereof, condemned, rejected. And whosoever desires the Akhirah and strives for it with the efforts necessary, being a Mu'min (true believer), fcr such, their efforts find favour (with their Lord). Each do We supply, both these and those, (the pious and the worldings) from the bounty of thy Lord. And the bounty of thy Lord (worldly gifts) can never be confined. Just beholdJ (How We prefer some of them over others (Muslims and non-believers alike in bestowing worldly gifts). But, verily, the Akhirah (prepared exclusively for the believers) will be higher in grades and be far more blessed. (Judgeing by this, you can see that the worldly gifts are being bestowed by Allah Ta'ala, and not being earned by people according to the measure of their struggle. For, some people struggle hard but derive less worldly gains than others who gain big fortune with little efforts). (Bani Israel: 18-21)

Translation: 26. And set before them the similitude of the life of the world as water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and then (after it has becdme green and luscious suddenly some calamity befalls it), it becomes (mutilated) dry twigs and the winds scatter it about. Allah is able to do all things. Wealth and children are (merely) the adornment of the life of the world; but good deeds! of the righteous) which endure are

Translation: (far) better in thy Lord’s sight for reward, and (also much) better In respect of hope. (Kahf: 45-46) (The-Ayah are preceded by an account of the Day of Resurrection and the blowing of the Trumpet (Sur). On that Day, the evil-doers shall be)

Translation: 27."Murmuring among themselves: ‘You have stayed (in the world) only for ten (days).‘We are best aware of what they shall utter when the soundest of opinion among them says: (No), you have tarried but a day."(In truth the entire span of one’s life is far shorter than even one-tenth of a day of the Akhirah. So brief is our sojourn In the temporal world, compared with the eternal life of the Akhirah). (Taha: 103-104)

Translation: 28. Do not so much as raise your eyes to look at what worldly things we have granted to different categories of people to enjoy it is merely the glamour of the life of the world (and We grant it to them) so that We may test them therein. And the bountiful provision of thy Lord (to be granted in Akhirah) is. far better and far more enduring. And enjoin upon thy kinsmen (people) to offer Salaat and be (thyself) constant therein. We ask not of thee (to find thine own) provision. (It is) We (Who) provide for thee. And the best future is for righteousness. (Taha: 131- 132)

Translation: 29. Reckoning has drawn nigh for mankind while they are turning away in heedlessness."(al-Anbiya: 1),

Translation: 30. When death comes unto one of them (wicked) he sayeth: ‘My Lord, send me back (to the world) so that I may do good (in that world) which I have left behind.’ (Allah Says;), ‘By no means! What he says is meaningless words. (Mo’minoon: 99-100) (to them to add to their grief and sorrow); (Tell us),"How long you tarried in the earth counting by years’? They will say: We might have tarried but a day or a part of a day. Ask of those (the angels) who kept an account of everything." He (Allah Vwill say: 'Indeed you tarried but a little, if you only knew (about the transience of worldly life). Did you think, then, that We had created you for a pastime? Still 31 (did you presume that) you would not be brought (on the Day of resurrection), He (Allah) would say back again to us’. (Mo'minoon: 112-115) living are, in reality, foolish. Don’t they know that):"Many a community have We destroyed who felt in solently proud of their luxurious life. (Look and see for yourself). Those are their dwelling-places, which have not been inhabited after them, except a little’. (al-Qasas: 58) use in the life of the world, and an adornment (of bath Allah life) and that which short-lived the same of the Akhiand rewards of bounties (in the form rah) is far better and much more enduring than all 60) (al-Qasas: Have you then no sense? things. these he will surely receive (in the Akhirah), like him whom We have given some paltry pleasure of this 2 (These people who take pride in their luxurious life and then, on the Day of Resurrection, he will be prosecuted (for his evil deeds). (al-Qasas: 61) 35 Those who were desirous of the life of the world said (as they saw Qaran (Korah) rolling in wealth): ‘Ahl would that we had been given the like of what had been given unto Qarun. Lot he is possessed of rare good fortune." (al-Qasas: 79)

Note: The detailed story of Qarun, together with a description of the examplary punishment meied out to him, has been given at serial No.3, in chapter 5 of part one of this book (sub-titled ‘On Not paying Zakaat’). The fact is that excessive wealth, unless it is made a means to win the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala through generously spending in His cause, leads its possessor to such horrible doom.

36 This life of the world is but a pastime and a game. Lot The Home of the Akhirah-that is the life (really worth its name); if only they knew (this fact for certain, they would certainly try hard for the bounties of the Akhlrah)". (Ankaboot: 64)

37 They know only some appearance of the present life, and are heedless of the Akhlrah (they do not aspire for the rewards of the Akhlrah; nor do they 38 "O, man-kind! Keep your duty to your Lord and fear a Day when the parent will not be able to avail the child in aught, nor the child to avail the parent. Lol Allah’s promise (concerning the Day of Judgement) is the very truth. Let not the life of the world beguile you, nor let the deliver (Shaitan) beguile you, in regard to Allah." (Inother words, let not the Shaitan seduce you into unconcern regarding the Divine Punishment; nor let him goad you into the wrong belief that you are not going to be punished for your misdeeds). (Luqman: 33) Commenting on these Ayah, Sa'eed Ibne Jubair Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Let not the deceiver beguile you with regard to Allah means, you should not persist in sinning, hoping to be granted forgiveness by Allah Ta'ala."(al-Durr al-Manthur) It behoves a person to beg forgiveness only after he has turned to Allah in sincere repentance and made up his mind to avoid sins in future. It looks absurd that a person should persist in disgracing himself in the sight of Allah, by sinning throughout the day and should, all the same, keep saying,"O Allah!. Grant me forgiveness."This subject will be treated in detail under Hadith No. 18 of this Chapter. There is also another Ayah of the same import in subsequent pages.

39 O Nabil Say unto your wives: If you desire the world’s life and its adornments, come! I will content you (give you some money and other worldly goods, dower, maintenance, etc.) and will release you with a fair release (divorce you with a fair deal and part from you in kindness). But if you desire Allah and His Rasul and the abode of the Akhirah, then, lo! (bear in mind) that Allah has prepared for the pious among you an immense reward. (al-Ahzab: 28-29)

“O O mankind! Lo! The promise of Allah is true. So let not the life of the world beguile you, and let not the

(avowed) beguiler (Shaitan) beguile you with regard to Allah. (Let him not deceive you into indifference towards Allah and the Divine Retribution). (al-Fatir: 5) Sa'eed bin Jubair Rahmatullah alayhi explains the Ayah as follows:"The beguilement arises out of excessive indulgence in worldly affairs, which makes a person negligent in his preparation for the Akhirah; the deception of Shaitan consists in his inciting a man to persist in sinning, in the hope of forgiveness by Allah Ta'ala."(al-Durr al-Manthur) who hid his faith, said to them)"O my peoplel Lol This life of the world is but a passing enjoyment and lol the Akhirah, that is the enduring abode, (al- M o' min: 39) him increase in the harvest. And whoso desires the harvest of the world (concentrates all his efforts on 41 (A believing man of the family of Firaun (Pharaoh), achieving worldly gains). We give him something thereof, and he hath no portion in the Hereafter. (ash-Shura: 20) short-lived enjoyment in the world; and that which Allah hath is far better and more lasting. It is only 42 for those 'who believe and put their trust in their Whoso desires the harvest of the Hereafter, We give Lord, and those who avoid the worst of sins and shameful deeds, and when they are angry, forgive; and those who answer the call of their Lord (obey His Commandments) and establish Salaat, and whose affairs are guided by mutual counsel. And who spend (generously) of what We have given them; and when a great wrong is done to them they defend themselves. (ash-Shura: 36-39) The Ulama have traced in these Ayah the chronological succession of the four Khulaf-e-Rashidin asubtle reference to certain important happenings in their periods of time and to their specific virtues has made a mention of by small numbers 1 -2-3-4- wealth) that they amass. (Zukhruf: 32) In the Ayah immediately following this text, a number of attractive features of the world have been described; and, then Allah Ta'ala says:

44 Yet all that (i.e. roofs, doors, etc., of gold and silver And the Mercy of thy Lord is far better than (the mentioned in the foregoing Ayah) would have been but a (temporary) provision of the life of the world. And the Akhirah with your Lord is for those who keep away from evil. (az-Zukhruf: 35)

Me. I seek no sustenance from them, might worship nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Lol Allah, He is the sole Sustainer, the Lord of unshaken might. (az-Zariyat: 56-58) pastime and show and boasting among yourselves and rivalry In respect of riches and children. These are like vegetation after rain, whereof the growth is it dries but afterwards to the husbandman, pleasing it becomes then yellow, up and you see it turning crumbled straw. And in Akhirah there is grievous punishment (which everybody should try to ward off by all means) and also forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure (which everybody should struggle to achieve in a manner and to an extent befitting this coveted ideal.) And (bear in mind) the life of the world is but a matter of Illusion. Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord and the Jannah whereof the breadth is like the breadth of the heavens and the earth, which is in store for those who believe in Allah and His Rasuls. Such is the bounty of Allah, which He bestows upon whomsoever He pleases, and Allah is of Infinite Bounty. (alHadid: 20-21) Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes:

"As soon as a child grows up into a sensible young boy, he feels naturally inclined towards fun and sports; because of a passionate attachment, nothing interests him more than games. Later, when he reaches adolescence, a fondness for the adornments of life, fine dress, etc., and love of pastimes like horse-riding, etc., occupy his mind. And he is so enamoured of these that the sports of boyhood seem absurd to him by comparison. Then follows the period of youth and of lustful desires. At this stage, all other diversions lose charm for the young man and he begins to value sensual pleasures above everything else-even above wealth and property, honour and glory. The next phase begins with the emergence of a sense of superiority, vainglory and the desire to have a say in state-craft. And these attachments overpower all other desires. Put together, all these constitute carnal pleasures of the world. What follows these phases, is the surging in the heart of a keen desire to seek a true knowledge of Allah. These feelings transcend all other pleasures. This is the only genuine passion, and the most powerful one, worthv of being cherished by a man. To conclude, everyone is tempted towards sports in boyhood; is swayed by lusts in early youth; and in the twenties, a passion for power is born in him. In the forties, everybody is more or less imbued with a desire to gain a true cognition of All'll! Ta'ala and a longing to acquire knowledge of the Ultimate Truth. We see that a boy loves games and sets little value by pursuits, such as associating with women and hankering after power. Similarly, the worldlings laugh at those engaged in gaining true knowledge of Allah because they have no idea of the spiritual bliss experienced by the latter. However, the mystics (Sufis) know that the worldlings are like young boys who have no idea of the pleasures enjoyed by grown up men. (Ihya) In these Ayah, Allah Ta'ala has made a mention of all manner of worldly pleasures and, then, has given a warning against indulgence in these, saying that all these joys are mere deception and that only the life of Akhirah is of permanent and lasting value. The pleasures of worldly life are like crops that flourish and please the eye for some time, but wither up soon to be blown away by the winds.

47 Lot These (people) love fleeting life, and put behind them (the remembrance of) a grievous Day (that lies ahead). (ad-Dahr: 27) They are not concerned about the Resurrection Day, nor do they prepare for the Akhirah. The love of worldly weatlh has made them blind to their own final fate and they are neglectful of such a fateful Day of woe and misery.

48 But when the great Disaster (Day of Catastrophe or the Resurrection Day) comcth, the Day when man will call to mind (the things) he endeavoured for (in this world); And Jahannam will stand forth visible to him who seeth. Then (it is the rule of the Day that) whosoever rebelled (against his Lord in this world), and preferred the life of the world, lot Jahannam will be his home. But as for him who (in this” world) feard to stand before his Lord (for Reckoning) and restrained his soul from (unlawful indulgence in) lust, lo! The Jannah will be his home. (an-Naziat: 34-41) 49"He is (really) successful who purifies himself (of sins); and remembereth the name of his Lord and observes prayers (Salaat). But (you do not take the counsel revealed in the Holy Qur'an and) you prefer the life of the world; although the Akhirah is far better (than the life of the world) and everlasting. Lol This is in the former Scriptures; the Sahaaif (Booklets) of Ibrahim and Musaa."(al-A'la: 14-19)

Note: There are numerous Traditions regarding the contents of these ‘revealed Sahaaif (Booklets). One of the Ahadith has it to the following effect:"Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that he once asked Rasulullah ﷺ about the total number of revealed Sahaaif. Rasulullah replied,"In all, a hundred Sahaaif and four Sacred Books were revealed. Fifty Sahaaif were revealed to Sheeth Alaihissalam, thirty to Idrees Alaihissalam, ten to Ibrahim Alaihissalam and ten to Musaa Alaihissalam before the Torah. In addition, four books i.e. the Torah, the Injeel(Gospel), the Zaboor (Psalms), and the Holy Qur'an were revealed respectively to Musaa Alaihis salam, ‘Isaa Alaihissalam, Dawood Alaihissalam, and Muhammad ﷺ.

"Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu then enquired about the contents of the Booklets revealed to Ibrahim Alaihissalam. Rasulullah ﷺ replied that they consisted of parables (containing admonitions). For example, one of these parables ran like this: ‘0 you domineering, proud king! I did not raise you to kingship to hoard wealth, but I granted you power in order that you might redress the complaints of the oppressed and prevent these from reaching Me. For, 1 do not reject the invocation of the oppressed person, even though he be a disbeliever! And another ran: it is incumbent upon a wise man, unless he loses sense, to divide his time in three parts: one part should be devoted to the worship of Allah Ta'ala and holding communion with Him in solitude;one past should be reserved for self- reckoning as to the time spent on good or bad deeds (the excellence of every good deed, the gravity of every bad action, and the time wasted in idle pursuits); and one part should be set apart for lawful earning of livelihood. The time spent in this last occupation should be of help to him in performing the other two, affording him fuller concentration and greater amount of leisure is also incumbent upon a wise man to make the best use of his time, to remain fully absorbed in his occupations and spiritual pursuits and to guard his tongue (against idle talk). For whoever exercises restraint in speech will not indulge in useless talk. Moreover a wise man should strive for three things: he should try to improve his means of earning livelihood, he should struggle to make provisions for the Akhirah and he should try to provide himself the lawful comforts of life (food, drink and sleep, etc). Time spent in any occupation other than these three is useless. So, before starting to do something, one should consider and make sure whether it falls under one of these categories. Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu then enquired about the contents of the Sahaaif revealed to Musaa Alaihissalam. Rasulullah ﷺ replied: They contained admonitions (such as): ‘I wonder how any person can take joy in anything, in spite of his belief in the inevitability of death!’ T am astonished at him who laughs in spite of his faith in the certainty of death’. ‘I am astonished at him who observes the vicissitudes of life and turns of fortune (for instance, a millionaire reduced, in a short while, to poverty and begging from people; or a gaol-bird, released from prison, rising to power and becoming a ruler) and, still, finds satisfaction in worldly pursuits!’ ‘I am astonished at a person who believes in predestination and, still, grieves over any misfortune’. ‘I am astonished at a person who believes that he will have to face Reckoning (on the Day of Judgment) for all his deeds and, still, does not perform good deeds’. (On the Day of Judgement, all financial and physical wrongs will have to be redressed through the transfer of his good deeds to the credit of the wronged. If his good deeds are exhausted before compensation for the wrongs, then the latter’s sins will be put in his account). ’Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu then asked whether anything of the subject-matter of these Booklets was also revealed to him. Rasulullah ﷺ replied."Yea, The Ayah beginning:

'Successful is he who purifies himself. (Quoted above)’. (al-Durr al-Manthur) Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu says: 'Allah Ta'ala says in Surah Najm, praising Ibrahim Alaihissalam: And Ibrahim who paid back (what he owed to Allah) in full". The Ayah means that Ibrahim alaihissalaam fulfilled all that Islam demands. These demands fall into thirty broad categories, termed as thirty ‘Sihaam’ of Islam. Ten of these Sihaam have been indicated in the Verses beginning: c ill ol (Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers (at-Taubah: 111- 112). Ten others have been recounted in Surah Ahzaab in the Verses beginning:

Lo! men who surrender to Allah and women who surrender, (alAhzab: 35) Six more have been described in the opening Ayah of Surah alMo’minoon and the description of four others occurs in Surah Ma'ary in the Ayah beginning:

And those who believe in the Day of Judgement) (al-Ma'ary: 26-35) Put together, these make thirty in all. Whosoever meets his Lord (On the Day of Judgement), after having fulfilled one of these obligations, will be deemed to have practised one-thirtieth part of Islam’. (al-Durr al-Manthur)

Translation: 50. Rivalry for increase (in worldly good) has diverted you (from remembrance of the Akhirah). Until you come to the grave. No! But you will soon (as soon as you enter the grave) come to know (the true nature of the world and the supreme value of the Akhirah). (You are warned once again; take heedl). (Nol These things are not worthy of your notice and you should not feel proud of them). Nay! But you will (soon) come to know (when you are resurrected on the Day of Judgement. You are warned a third time, that these things are not worth your concern and that they should not make you feel proud of yourselves). Nay, would that you knew (now) with a sure knowledge! (from your study of the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith tnat these things should not make one feel proud of oneself, as you will realize after death; then you would never have indulged in them). For, (by Allah!) you will behold the fire of Jahannam. By Allah! you will behold it with a sure vision. Then, on that Day, you will undergo reckoning concerning all the bounties of Allah. (at-Takathur: 1 - 7)

Note: There are numerous Ahadith which give extensive details of the reckoning on the Day of Judgement, regarding the bounties of Allah Ta'ala. These serve as illustrations giving an idea of the countless bounties of Allah Ta'ala, which are being showered upon all men, on all occasions day and night, in such large numbers as defy human calculation. Says Allah Ta'ala, and He speaks the Truth (beyond any doubt):

And if you would count the Bounties of Allah you cannot number them. (Ibrahim: 34 Nahl: 18) A Hadith says:"Once, Rasulullah ﷺ recited this Surah (Takathur)and when he came to the Verse, Then, on that Day, you will be questioned concerning all the Bounties (of your Lord). he remarked:"You will be questioned in the presence of your Lord regarding the cold water you drink; the protection provided by your houses"(Allah Ta'ala will say:"We granted you cool shade and protection from sun and rain); and regarding your having enough food to satisfy your hunger, and regarding the soundness of your limbs"(Allah Ta'ala will say, We granted you sound and healthy limbs hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, etc, what have you done to express your gratitude for all these gifts); and regarding the sound sleep you enjoy; and regarding your being able to win, in marriage, the hand of a woman of your choice, whom someone else also wanted to marry, but Allah Ta'ala married her to you as a special favour (he put it in the minds of her parents that they should marry her to you and not to the other person)". If we just consider the Bounties of Allah Ta'ala mentioned in the foregoing Hadith, we can realise how greatly everybody is indebted to Allah Ta'ala for His favours, which are being bestowed, at all times, upon his creatures, rich and poor alike. Is there a man howsoever poor and needy, who is not being constantly granted countless favours and blessings of Allah Ta'ala? Take, for example, the gift of physical health and soundness of limbs, which is, undoubtedly, a great blessing of Allah Ta'ala. Moreover, the capacity to breathe is an invaluable gift of Allah Ta'ala, which every living being epjoys at all times. Another Hadith says:"When this Surah (Takathur) was revealed, some of the Sahabah said,"O Rasulullah! What bounties are we enjoying? Our daily provision consists of just half a meal of barley bread, which is not enough to satisfy our hunger". Then came the revelation:"Ask them! Do not they possess shoes to wear? Do not they get cool water to drink? These are also bounties of Allah". Another Hadith says, to the following effect"The first question to be asked from a man about Allah’s bounties, on the Day of Judgment, will be: ‘Did we not make your body healthy and give you cold water to drink?". It is revealed in still another Hadith:"Of the Bounties of Allah to be accounted for, on the Day of Judgment are: the piece of bread eaten to satisfy one’s hunger, the water drunk to quench one’s thirst, and the piece of cloth used to cover one’s body."Another Hadith narrates:"Once, on a hot summer noon, Abu Bakr Radhiallahn anhu went to the Masjid-e-Nabawai. When Umar Radhiallahn anhu came to know of it, he also went to the Masjid and asked Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu what had brought him out of his house at that hour. He replied that it was intensity of hunger that had driven him to it Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said, ’By Him, Who is the master of my soul, it is the same with me'. Meanwhile, Rasulullah ﷺ also came there and asked what had brought them there at that hour. They replied that pangs of hunger had brought them out. Rasulullah ﷺ said,"That which brought you out has also brought me out". All the three then got up and went to the house of Abu Ayyub Ansaari Radhiyallahu anhu, but he was not at home. His wife was greatly pleased, and when Rasulullah ﷺ asked her where Abu Ayyub had gone, she replied that he would return in s short while. At that moment Abu Ayyub Ansaari Radhiyallahu anhu also turned up. On seeing them, he hurriedly went and brought a bunch of dates. Rasulullah ﷺ said to him, ‘Why did you cut off the whole bunch? You could have picked the ripe dates only". He respectfully replied,"O Rasulullah! I plucked the whole bunch so that dates of all kinds, the fully ripe, the half- ripe, the dried ones and the fresh should be before you and you should be able to select the particular kind you relish. So, they ate dates of all kinds. Meanwhile Abu Ayyub Radhiyallahu anhu slaughtered a small goat, roasted some of its meat and cooked the rest. He then presented it to them. Rasulullah ﷺ took some bread and a piece of roasted meat and, giving it to Abu Ayyub Radhiyallahu anhu, said,"Take this to Fatimah; she also has not taken anything of this sort for several days". He hurried to comply with it When all of them had partaken of it Rasulullah ﷺ said,"We have enjoyed so many Bounties of Allah Ta'ala: meat bread, the unripe and the ripe dates ' Saying this, Rasulullah ﷺ was moved to tears. These are the Bounties about which one shall be questioned on the Judgment Day!’ The Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum were shocked to hear this. It pained them to think that they would have to account for these bounties, in spite of the fact that these things had become available after suffering such pangs of hunger. Rasulullah ﷺ said,"You shall have to render an account, undoubtedly. And, to make amends, you should recite Bismillah (in the name of Allah, the Kind, the Merciful) before starting to eat; and recite the following Du’aa after you have finished:

‘All Praise be to Allah Who, in His Infinite Merry, made us to eat our fill and as a great favour bestowed upon us plentifully'. (al-Durr al-Manthur) There are a large number of Ahadith on these subjects, in the authentic collections, but I do not propose to make such a complete reference. My purpose is to indicate, to my readers, how numerous the references are, in the Holy Qur'an, on the subject of the transience of worldly life, its being unworthy of man's regard, its insignificance when compared to the values of the Akhirah and its power to make those who indulge themselves in its pleasure, suffer utter loss and damnation in the fire of Jahannam. Besides, I want them to realise how recurring the admonitions and warnings are against indulgence in worldly pleasures. Out of a large number of Ayah on the subject, I have selected only fifty which, I think, should suffice to give an idea of the extreme significance of this theme.

It is shocking to note that, the more Allah Ta'ala warns us against indulgence in worldly pleasures, the more shame-facedly do we ignore His admonitions. After such indifference towards His Commandments, how can we dare to face our Lord on the Day of Judgement!

'We complain to Allah] And it is He alone Whose help we seek’. xjjjyrrxxx

QURANIC AYAT ON THE VIRTUES OF REMAINING PATIENT IN AFFLICTIONS

"And surely We shall test you with something of fear (of the enemy or of impending adversities) and (something of) hunger and some loss of wealth and lives and fruits (so, if anything of the kind befalls you, you should bear it patiently); but give glad tidings to those who per severe patiently. Those who, when a misfortune strikes them, say: Lol We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return”. Such are they on whom are (showered choicest) blessings of Allah and His mercy; such are the rightly guided."(alBaqarah: 155-157)

Note: When one is stricken with a calamity, it is of great benefit to recite the Ayah,"Lo! We belong to Allah and Lo! Unto Him shall we return". The recital becomes more effective, earns greater rewards and endows one with a rare peace of mind if one also understand the meanings of the Ayah and, while reciting it, keeps in mind its true significance. Here is a fuller translation of the Ayah:

Verily we all of us (our lives and our possessions) belong to Allah. (And the Master has every right to make use of His belongings howsoever He pleases). We all have to return to Allah. (ol-Baqarah 156)

That is to say, we have to return to Him after we die; and He will bestow upon us liberal compensation for the loss and the hardships we have endured in this life. We observe that, if a person suffers a loss in the world but, at the same time, he is assured o! receiving a big fortune as compensation, be is not worried about tin loss. Similarly, if a man were to possess firm faith in the bounties U be bestowed by Allah Ta'ala in the Akhirah, he would never fe worried about the worldly loss. But, as we are weak in faith (Iman) even a slight loss or a little trouble becomes unbearable for us.

In many Ayah of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala ha admonished us through brief references to, or elaborate expositions of, the belief that the world is a place of trials and tribulations, where one has to go through various tests. Sometimes people are put to test through abundance of wealth, with regard to the sources of income and the manner of spending it At other times, Allah puts us to a trial through poverty and hunger, in order to distinguish those who face it with patience and Salaat, from those who grumble and complain.

Hence, there are frequent exhortations, in the Holy Qur'an, to remain patient and persevering, to turn to Allah Taola for help and to resort to Salaat in all adverse circumstances. Time and again, Allah Ta'ola reminds His men that they are under a test in this life and that they should beware of a failure in it Out of numerous Verses on the subject a few are quoted below, by way of illustration:

Translation: 1."And seek Allah’s help with patience and Salaat. (al-Baqamh: 45)

Translation: (Commenting on the Ayah) Qataadah Rahmatullah alayhi says;"The two things Salaat and patience represent help from Allah Ta‘ala. So, seek Allah’s help through these two virtues."

Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu relates:"One day, I was riding behind Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wosallam when he said to me,"Young man, I give you a few words of advice and, (I believe) Allah Ta'ala may help you to benefit by them". When I most humbly submitted, ‘Do tell me’, He said,"If you are mindful of Allah, (i.e. if you fulfil what Allah Taala demands from you), He will be mindful of you (i.e. He will grant you His protection). And if you arc mindful of Allah (i.e. if you fulfil what is due from you to Him), you will find Him readily available to help you at all times. If you are mindful of Him (i.e. remember Him) in prosperity, He will remember you (i.e. help you in adversity). Bear in mind that if a misfortune befalls you, it was pre-ordained, and, if a misfortune does not befall you, rest assured that if could not have visited you. Know that if all created beings were to unite to do you some favour that Allah Ta'ala had not decreed for you, they would never be able to do so. And if they were to unite to avert a misfortune, but Allah Ta'ala had willed it, they would never be able to do so. The pen of destiny has recorded all that has to happen till the Day of Resurrection. When you ask for anything, ask it from Allah Ta'ala and if you seek help, seek it from Him. When you put trust in anyone, do so in Allah alone. Perform deeds of devotion with a firm faith and a true belief in Allah, with feelings of gratitude to Him. Mind it well that patience in afflictions is a great virtue; that Allah’s help descends upon those who are patient, that with every suffering there is relief, and that adversity leads to prosperity. (That is to say, when you are in distress, be sure that it foreshadows days of ease and good cheer. Similarly, in straitened circumstances, you should be certain that days of prosperity lie ahead). It is related in a Hadith that Tf anyone is hungry or in need and he conceals it from others, it becomes due from Allah Ta'ola to grant him a year’s sustenance through lawful resources: Huzaifah Radhiyallahu anhu relates,"Whenever Rasulullah ﷺ happened to face any difficulty, he would at once resort to Salaat". Rasulullah remarked:"All the previous Ambiya Alaihimussalam also used to resort to Salaat in all difficult situations".

It is related that, once, Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu was tin a journey when he heard the news of the death of his son. He got down from his camel, offered two Raka'at of Salaat and recited: Lo! We belong to Allah and Lo! Unto Him we are returning. He then said, "I have done what Allah Ta'cda has, in His Book commanded us to do, i.e.

"And seek Allah’s help through patience and Salaat"

It is related that in the last hours of his life, Ubaadah Radhiyallahu anhu said to the people around him, ‘I forbid you, one and all, to wail over me. And, it is my desire that, when my soul departs, everyone should perform a perfect Wudhu (ablution), go to the Masjid, offer two Raka‘at of Salaat and then pray for my forgiveness and his own. After that, you should huny to put me in the grave’. (Durre-Manthur)

Translation: 2. O you who believel (In all manner of afflictions) seek help with patience and Salaat. (al-Baqarah: 153)

Translation: 3. And the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. (alBaqarah: 1 77)

The Ayah has been dted, in full, at No. 2 in Chapter one, part one of this book.

4. Allah is with those who persevere patiently, (olBaqarah: 249).

There are many Verses of the same import occuring at various places in the Holy Qur'an. Time and again, Allah exhorts His men to be patient, giving them the happy assurance that He will be with them if they persevere in the face of afflictions.

5. The patient and the truthful..,.."". (Ale, Imran: 17).

The Ayah has been quoted, in full, at No. 1 above in the same section. But if you persevere and keep from evil, their (the ("! 3 non-believers’) guile will never harm you. (Ale' Imran: 120)

7. Or deemed you that you would enter Jannah, while Allah knoweth not (i.e. Allah has not put you to trial and distinguished) those of you who really strove, nor knoweth (after trial) those (of you) who are patient and persevering. (Ale Imran: 142). (It should be borne in mind that, in this context, Jehaad or ’striving’ includes all manner of efforts made for promoting the cause of Islam).

But if you persevere patiently and fear Allah (it is an excellent virtue), as these (perseverance and piety) are the highly regarded commandments of Allah. (Ale'Imnm: 186)

Rasuls indeed have been charged with falsehood (by the non-believers) before thee and they remained under denial and persecution till our succour reached them. (Al-An'am: 34)

Translation: 10. And Musaa said unto his people: ‘Seek help in Allah and bear up patiently. Lo the Earth is Allah’s. He gives it for inheritance to such of His servants as He will. And lot the ultimate success is for those who fear Allah,. They said, "We have been oppressed before you came to us, and since you have been with us.’ He said, ‘May be that you Lord is going to destroy your enemy soon and make you his successors in the land so that He may see how you behave."(al-A’raf: 128-129)

Translation: 22. Lol Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their possessions because the Jannah will be theirs (as recompense). (at Taubah: 111)

NOTE: The believers have pledged their Jives and property to Allah Ta'ola in exchange for Jannah. As He Himself created them, He should be free to use them in whatever way He likes. It is incumbent upon the believers that they should be anxious to surrender their lives and property to the Buyer and should not feel grieved if Allah Ta'ala takes away what He Himself has purchased.

355 revealed unto you, and be thou patient (and constant in the face of persecution by the nonbelievers) until Allah gives His judgement (That is to say, they will either be ruined in this world or suffer punishment in the Hereafter). And He is the 12, Best of all Judges.11 (Yunus: 110) And (O Muhammad) follow that which has been Ourselves (by granting him comforts of life and ample wealth) and afterwards withdraw it from him, lol He is despairing, ungrateful, And if We cause him to taste one of Our bounties after some misfortune that had visited him, he is sure to say, ‘All evil has departed from me (i.e. the period of is now over). Then Lol He Is exultant, misfortune boastful; except those who endure with patience and do good deeds. Theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward. (Hood: 0-11) will not let perish the reward of such as do good. (Yousuf: 90). 13 And if We cause man to taste some mercy from which they Such as fulfil the pledge heed to counsel. the covenant. and do not break with Allah made has commanAllah that which Such as join together ded (Le. family relations) to be joined, and hold their Lord in awe, and fear the woeful reckoning (to be made on the Day of Judgment); such as persevere (in afflictions), seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah and they establish Salaat; and spend (for the cause of Allah) out of that which We bestowed upon them, secretly and openly and ward off evil with good (Le. even if anyone ill-treats them, they treat him with kindness). Theirs will be the recompense of (heavenly Home- Gardens of Aden — which they shall enter, alongwith such of their fathers and their wives and their off-spring who do right (and therefore deserve entry into Jannah). The angels will enter unto them from every gate (saying):"Peace (Salaam) be unto you; because you persevered firmly (in the practice of 'Deen') and were patient."How excellent will be the recompense of the (heavenly) Home (ar-Ra'd 19-24)

NOTE: Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu relates: The lowest in rank among the dwellers of Jannah will have a palace, made out of a single transparent hollowed pearl, consisting of seventy thousand apartments with seventy thousand doors to each apartment and, at each one of these doors, there will come seventy thousand angels to give Salaam (greetings) to him!"

Translation: 16. We verily sent Musaa with Our revelations (or clear signs), saying, ‘Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light and remind them of the Days of Allah (Le. remind them of the turns of fortune which the past generations had to go through and explain to them how excellent the rewards were that fell to the lot of the righteous and how grievous the punishments were which the disobedient were made to suffer). Lo! therein are clear signs (admonitions) for such as are firmly patient, grateful and appreciative."(Ibrahim: 5) cause of Allah, after they had been oppressed (by the non-believers), We verily shall give them goodly lodging in this world and surely the reward of the Akhirah is far greater, if they but knew (about its qualities and excellence); such as persevere in 17. And those who migrated (performed Hijrah) for the patience (in afflictions) and put their trust in Allah. (an-Nahl: 41 - 42) afflict them with as much pain as you were afflicted with. But if you observe (restraint and) patience (and do not take revenge), verily it is (far) better to be patient. (Then Allah says, addressing Rasulullah in particular) Endure patiently, (O, Muhammad) and thy patience is only by (the help of) Allah. And grieve not for them (i.e. do not grieve over their enmity for you) and be not in distress because of that which they devise (against you). Lo! Allah is with those who restrain themselves (to remain on the path of righteousness) and are good to others. (an-Nahl: 126-128) for it, and that We may put them to trial 18. adornment If you taka revenge (upon those who oppressed you), 7). (al-Knhf: of them are best in conduct." as to which Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu relates: 'When Rasulullah ﷺ recited this Verse, I asked him about its meanings, upon which he remarked, ‘So that Allah Taala may put them to trial and distinguish those who are wise, carefully avoid indulging in unlawful things and are prompt in obeying the Commandments of Allah Tatalam. Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi says:"The trial is meant to distinguish those who are more strict in their jgg indifference to the world: Sufian Thauri Rahmatullah alaiht says:"The trial is for distinguishing those who excel others in their indifference (non-attachment) to the world."(al-Durr al-Manthur). That is to say, the trial is mean to distinguish those who resist worldly temptations, and are attracted least by the sensual pleasures.

Translation: 20. Therefore, (O Muhammad) be patient with what they aay and celebrate (constantly) the praise of thy Lord and glorify Him (which includes both ‘Tasbih’ and observing five times ‘Fardh’ or obligatory Salaat) before the rising of the sun (which includes obligatory ‘Fejr or morning prayers) and before its setting (which includes both ‘Zuhr or noon Salaat and ‘Asr or afternoon Salaat) and glorify Him for some hours of the night (which includes ‘Maghrib’ or sunset prayers and ‘Ishaa’ or night prayers) and glorify Him at the two ends of the day (which refers again to ‘Fqjr’ and 'Asr’ Sa lasts and to the ‘Tasbihaat’ usually recited during these hours) so that thou may be pleased (in the Hereafter when thou shall receive bountiful rewards for these acts of devotion). (Tahaa: 130)

NOTE: The reiterated reference to Tajr’ and ‘Aar’ stresses the greater importance of these two Salaats, a fact that forms the content of numerous Ahadith.

Translation: 21. And, (O Muhammad) give good tidings (of the promise of Jannah and winning the pleasure of AJUah) to the humble (those who bow, in hum jlity, to the Comma udmento of Allah); those whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned (their hearts are awed by His Greatness); and those who persevere in the face of affliction; and those who establish Salaat and those who spend (as Sadaqah) of what We bestowed upon them. (Hajj: 34-35)

NOTE: These Ayah, with detailed commentary, have been quoted at No. 16, in the first Chapter of this book.

Translation: 22. Aiif-Laam-Meem. Do men imagine that they will be left (alone) on saying ‘We believe' and will not be tested (with all manners of afflictions). Loi We did test those who were before them. (And after the trial some were proved to be true to their claims about ‘Iman’ or Faith while others turned out to be false and insincere. Like wise, in their case) Allah will distinguish (after putting them to trial) those who are sincere in their profession of Faith and truthful in their claims of love (for Allah), from those who are feigning (false) and insincere. Or do those who do ill deeds imagine that they can outstrip Us? Evil is that which they decide! (al-‘Ankabut: 14)

NOTE: For, it is in such afflictions that the true Believers turn to Allah more devoutly, while the un-enlightened ones sink deeper into sheer despair, some few forsake Islam and fall prey to heresy, others begin to support the evil-doers for fear of suffering persecution at their hands.

Translation: 23. An excellent reward for those who do (good); who persevere and put their trust in their Lord and Cherisher (in straitened circumstances). And (if you are uncertain about the source from which your sustenance will be provided for you just consider) how many an animal there is (that beareth) not Ita own provision! Allah provides for it and for you. And He is the All-Hearing (He listens to everybody who prays to Him) and the All- knowing. (He knows what state or circumstances everybody is in, at all times) so always ask of Him your needs, (al-'Ankabut: 58-60)

Translation: 24. Surely the patient will be paid their reward, without measure. (az-Zumur: 10)

Translation: 25. The good deed and the evil deed are not alike; repel the evil deed with one which is better. Then Lo! He, between whom and thee there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. (That is to say, the act of taking revenge upon the wrongdoer does not dispel the feeling of enmity from his heart. It rather aggravates his animosity. It on the other hand, you generously forgive him his wrongs and treat him with kindness, he will, unless utterly mean or ignoble by nature, naturally be swayed by feelings of gratitude for ydu, cease to harbour ill-will against you and, eventually, become a sincere friend. However, as it is the most demanding act of moral excellence to recompense good for evil, or to show forgiveness towards one’s persecutors after gaining an upper hand, Allah says:) But none are granted it (this quality) save those who exercise patience (and self-restraint because they have cultivated a habit of remaining patient in afflictions), and none are granted It save persons of the greatest good fortune. And if evil promptings from the devil provoke thee (for example, should tle devil whisper into your ears: ‘It is a disgrace to be kind to such an enemy or, should he say to you’. ‘If you show kindness to the wrong-doer, it will encourage him to persist in oppression,) then, seek refuge in Allah. Lot He is the All-Hearing the Allknowing. (Ha-Mim as-Sqjdah: 34-36)

Translation: 26. Man tireth not of praying for good fortune. And if ill touches him, then he is disheartened, desperate (a believer should not despair of the Mercy of Allah). And, verily, when, We give him a taste of Mercy from Ourselves, after some hurt that hath touched him, he is sure to say. This is my due right, by merit. (Ha, Mim, as-Sqjdah: 49-50)

Translation: 27. And the recompense for an injury is an iqjuxy, equal thereto (in degree); (i.e. if somebody does wrong to another person, the wronged person has a right to inflict an equal injury upon the wrong-doer, provided that the act is otherwise lawful according to the Shari'ah i.e., Islamic Law). But if a person forgives the wrong-doer and makes reconciliation, his reward Is due from Allah, for Allah loveth not those who do wrong. And indeed if any person do defend (revenge) themselves after a wrong done to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrong-doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds, through the land (in defiance of what is right and just). For such, there will be a punishment, grievous. But, indeed, if any show patience (when oppressed by others), and foive (the oppressor), that would truly show great courage and resolution in conduct of affairs. (ash-Shura: 40 43)

Translation: 28. Blessed is He in Whose Hands is the Sovereignty (All kingdoms of the world are in His Power) and Hath power over all created things; He Who created death and life so that He may try you as to which of 21 you is the best in deeds (and conduct)”. (ol-Mulk: 1(Commenting on the Ayah) Qataadah Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Allah Ta'ala has created this world and made it an abode of life and death, and He has made the Akhirah a place for reward or punishment for the deeds (committed in this world) and an abode of Eternal Life!"(Durre-Manthur)

Translation: In other words, the sufferings of this world have an end at the death of the sufferer. And, as death is inevitable, the sufferings of this world are temporary, lasting, at the most till the death of the sufferer, while the sufferings of the other world (Akhirah) are eternal, because the life of Akhirah is everlasting, not limited by death, which is non existent in that world. x

Translation: 29. Has not there come upon man any period of time when he was a thing of no account. Verily, We created man from a drop of mingled sperm (out of an admixture of male and female seed) in order to try him; so We gave him (the gifts of) hearing and sight. (That is. We granted him eyes and ears, so that he should see, on his own, what is right or listen to others who might guide him on to the right path). Then, We showed him the way (of truth and goodness); (then mankind split into two broad divisions:) those who are thankful (and believe in Allah) and those who are ungrateful (or nonbelievers). (ad-Dahr: 1 - 5)

NOTE: This world is an abode of trials. So, before showing ingratitude at any turn of fortune, we must think a while how indebted we all are to Allah Ta'ala for His boundless flavours. Then, of course, we shall realize that it is more befitting to express our gratitude, rather than to complain to Him of misfortunes.

Translation: 30. Now as for a man, when his Lord tries him, granting him honour and gifts (these favours include affluence worldly honour, etc., and they are granted with a view to trying and judging to what extent the beneficiary is grateful to Allah, what good deeds he is performing as an expression of gratitude to Him, and whether or not he is spending money and employing his worldly honour for earning the pleasure of Allah), then says he: 'My Lord hath honoured ne; (i.e. he is puffed up by honour and respect among people, little knowing that these things should not make anyone proud. Although it is essential to be grateful to Allah Ta'ala for these favours, it is equally important to receive them with the apprehensions of a pqrson going through's test; it is Allah's wont to try His men after granting them bountiful favours. And when His Lord wants to try him in another way). He tests him by restricting his sustenance, (wherewith He means to try his patience and the measure of his acquiescence to the Supreme Will of Allah), he sayeth (in despair), 'My Lord hath humiliated meT (He wrongly thinks that it is his due right to partake of Allah’s favours. So, when his livelihood is straitened, he complains of being disgraced by Allah,- though the fact is that prosperity is not a sign of honour, in the sight of Allah nor do hunger and poverty signify disgrace, in His sight). Nay, Nay! (Insufficiency of provisions does not, at all, signify one's disgrace; it is only his evil deed that disgrace man in the sight of Allah. For example, it doe not become you) that you do not care for the orphans; nor do you encourage (one another) to feed the poor. And you devour inheritance all (with greed). (You usurp what is rightful property of others, especially the belongings of the orphans and the weaklings who cannot defend themselves against injustice). And you love wealth with inordinate love (which is the root cause of all evil deeds, all types of injustice and all taint of the soul. It is a pity that you take these sins lightly). Oh nol (But you must not take them lightly). When the earth is reduced to bits; and thy Lord cometh and His angels, rank upon rank (on the Day of Resurrection); and Jahannam is brought near (facing them), on that Day man will remember (realize)! But how will the remembrance

Translation: (realization) then avail him. He will say, “Ah!"Would that 1 had sent before me (good deeds) for this my (future) lifer (al-Fqjr: 15-24)

Translation: 31. By the (token oD Time (through the Ages, which reminds us that we should take a lesson from the variations of time or fortune i.e. occasions of joy and sorrow, prosperity and adversity, health and illness, etc These turns of fortune bear testimony to the fact that) verily man is in loss (in wasting away the invaluable hours of life apportioned to him), save those who have Faith (Iman) and do good deeds and (always) exhort one another to uphold Truth (and remain steadfast therein); and, (also) exhort one another to remain patient and persevering (which includes (i) cultivating constancy in devotions and a deep concern for pious deeds (ii) curbing one’s wanton desires and avoiding other forbidden things, and (Ui) observing patience in adversities). (Surah al-Asr, complete)

The foregoing thirty-one Ayah refer to the virtues of patient perseverance in afflictions. Obviously, a detailed commentary on each of the Ayah explaining various warnings would have made the discussion too lengthy for the scope of this book. All these verses have a few common themes, which may be briefly put as follows:proud of oneself. and humiliation.

(d) Prosperity, in as much as it demands an expression of one's gratitude to Allah Ta'ola, is a mode of trial.

(e) Poverty is yet another mode of trial, as it demands one’s (a) This world is a transitory abode created for the trial of man. patience and acquiescence in the Supreme will of Allah Ta'ala (‘Rad has’ or the state of being well-pleased with whatever is decreed by Allah Ta'ala). (b) Worldly wealth and honour should not make anyone vain or (0 Of the two, the affluence of wealth is a far more exacting ordeal; and there are few who can cope creditably with it, while there are many who fail to do so.

It was in view of these harmful effects of riches that Rasulullah (c) ﷺ once remarked to the following effect:"I Poverty and hunger should not be regarded as signs of disgrace have no fears as to (your behaviour in) poverty and hunger, but I am afraid that when you have abundance of worldly things, you will become absorbed in it as did those who lived before you; and it will similarly bring you to damnation: So, we should be very vigilant and cautious against alluring riches; and we should endure poverty and other afflictions with patience. For, these tribulations are sent by Allah Ta'ala to His men by way of trial.

32. (It goes without saying that) true believers (Mo’mineen) are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts. And when the revelations of Allah are recited unto them, these increase their Faith (Imaanh And they put their trust in Allah alone; those who establish Salaat, and spend (freely) of that which We have bestowed upon them. Such in truth are the Believers. For them, there are high ranks of honour with their Lord, and Forgiveness (of sins) and generous provision, (alAnfaal: 2-4)

Note: These Ayah have already been quoted at No. 13 above, in the first Chapter of this book. However, it is worthwhile re-quoting them at this place as they are very much relevant here for indicating that a Mu'min (true believer), according to these Ayah, puts his trust in Allah Ta'ala alone and entertains no hopes of getting help from any being other than Allah Ta'ala. As a reward for Attaining to this perfection of Faith, Allah Ta'cda promises that: (a) He will exalt the believers to high ranks of dignity (in Jannah), (b) forgive their sins and (c) grant them honourable sustenance.

Each one of these promised favours is of extreme value and, as such, each one should be taken as sufficient incentive for the cultivation of this supreme virtue i.e. ‘Tawakkul’. And, as Allah Ta'ala has promised three great favours for those who are charac tensed by this quality, no measure of struggle should be deemed too much for its achievement.

Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu says:"‘Tawakkul’ implies entertaining no hopes from anyone other than Allah Ta'ala Sa‘eed bin Jubair Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Tawakkul is the sum and substance of Iman i.e. Faith”.

In the entire Holy Qur'an, if there had been only one Ayah on the subject of faith and trust in Allah Ta'ala, it would have been sufficient. Nevertheless, there are frequent references-— far more frequent than allusions to any other subject-to keeping full trust in Allah Ta'ala, having sole reliance on Him and none else, seeking His help in all one’s needs and adversities and concentrating all one’s hopes on Him alone. And, by way of exhortation, reference has been made to the lives of the pious and favoured beings of Allah TaQla); who, possessed this virtue par excellence. As a matter of fact, Tawakkul’ is the fruit of Tauheed’ (the belief in the oneness of Allah Ta'ala, the more firmly grounded anybody is in his belief in Tauheed’, the more advanced he will be in ‘Tawakkul’. And, since Tauheed' is the fundamental creed of Islam and the essence of Iman (faith), no virtue is of any value in the sight of Allah Ta'ala unless it is based on a true belief in the oneness of Allah Ta'ala. The entire body of religious beliefs as well as the code of Islamic Law (the Shariah) is founded on Tauheed'. It is, obviously, owing to the extreme value of this quality that the subject has been treated, specifically and emphatically, at various plaees in the Holy Qur'an. As for Tawakkul’, Allah Ta'ala has promised His acceptance and pleasure to those who possess this virtue— a boon which for excels all other rewards— which everyone must aspire to achieve, even if he has to sacrifice his life for it.

Says Allah Ta'ala in the Holy Qur'an:

'Verily Allah loves those who put their trust in Him (Ale- Imran: 159)

Can any spiritual value excel the privilege of being loved by Allah Ta'ala. Imagine a human being rising to the status of becoming the loved one of Allah Ta'qla, Who is the Sovereign of the Universe, the Lord of this world and the Hereafter. Is there aiy other gloiy or pride, of this world or the Hereafter, which can exel this privilege? What is more, Allah Ta'ala Himself takes the responsibility and promises that He will suffice him who puts his trust in Allah (i.e. adopts ‘Tawakkul), Whose help should such a person require for the fulfilment of his needs? On the same subject, there is a Hadith to the following effect:

Rasulullah ﷺ says:"If you were to put all your trust in Allah as He should be trusted, He would grant you your sustenance, as He does to the birds". It has been narrated in another Hadith, to the effect that:"He who cuts off and turns himself away from the world (i.e. takes no thought of receiving help from any created being), and turns to Allah Ta'ala alone, Allah Ta'ala is sufficient (Protector) for him against all manners of afflictions, and He provides for him from sources he never could imagine".(Ihyaa-ul- Uloom)

AYAT ON TAWAKKUL AND DEPRECATION OF BEGGING

On the subject of ‘Tawakkul, many more Traditions have been given in the following pages, under Hadith one in the series of Ahadith on the foregoing subject. At this point, as usual, it is proposed to quote a few Verses from the Holy Qur'an, in which Allah Ta'ala exhorts His servants to put trust in Him and to turn to Him alone in all their needs. I have given only a few Verses, which typify many others of the same import. And, for the sake of brevity, I have omitted details and supplied suggestive hints (within parenthesis) in the translation of the text.

These Verses and Ahadith deserve our serious consideration and are worthy of concern for everyone who has any regard for Deen and about his future life, provided he can leave alone his idle worldly pursuits for a short while, to give thought to such important matters.

Translation: 1. And in Allah alone should the Faithful (ever) put their trust. (Ale Imran: 122)

Translation: The Ayah implies that the Mo’mineen should not at all put their trust in anyone other than Allah Ta'ala. There are frequent references to the subject in the Holy Qur'an and the same half Ayah has been repeated at various places e.g. in the Ayah at Ale- Imran: 160, al-Ma’idah: 11, al-Taubah: 51, Ibrahim: 11, Al-Mujadilah: 10, atTaghabun: 13, which refer to the same theme.

Translation: 2. Say: (O Muhammad) 'All bounties (which include one’s daily sustenance) are in the Hand of Allah. He grants them to whom He pleaseth. And Allah is AllEmbracing (His bounties are unbounded). Allknowing. (He knows how much should be granted to whom and at what time). And for the grant of His Mercy (and bounty). He (specially) chooseth whom He pleaseth. (For) Allah is the Lord of infinite bounties. (Aale’Imran; 73-74)

Translation: Verily Allah loves those who put (all) their trust (in Allah). (Aale-Imraan-59)

Note: How exalted is he who becomes the loved one of Allah Ta'ala Himself.

(These Ayah refer to a particular incident that took place during the times of Rasulullah Scdlallaho alayhi wa sallam) Allah Ta'ala says:

Translation: 4. Those unto whom men said. Lot The people (your enemies) have gathered (arms, etc., to fight) against you: therefore, fear them. But the news (threat of war only) increased their Faith and they said, ‘Allah is Sufficient for us (Allah will suffice us as a Protector against all clangers). He is the best disposer of affairs. So they returned (from the expedition) with grace and bounty from Allah; no harm ever touched them. For, they followed the pleasure of Allah! And Allah is the Lord of infinite bounties. It is Shaitan who would make (men) fear his partisans. Be you not afraid of them, but fear Me, if you are true believers. (Aale'Imran: 1 73-1 75)

Translation: The Ayah warn the believers that, in all such circumstances, when they hear the news of an impending attack by the enemy, they should not feel terrified. Instead, they should prepare for the enemy as best they can, keeping full trust in Allah Ta'ala and counting on His succour. Their only concern should be to guard themselves against such deeds as incur the displeasure of Allah Ta'ala; that alone can bring about their utter ruin in this world and eternal damnation (for sure) in the Akhirah. The believers should entertain no other fears. For, the worst harm that people threaten to do a person is to take his life, but death is preordained and it must come to everybody at its appointed time, which can neither be hastened nor put off.

Translation: 5. And Allah is sufficient as a Protector and Allah is sufficient as a Helper. (an-Nisa: 45)

Translation: 6. And put thy trust in Allah; and Allah is sufficient as Trustee. (an-Nisaa: 81)

Translation: 7. So, in Allah put your trust. If you are indeed believers (Mo’mineen). (al-Maidah: 23)

Translation: 8. Say (O Muhammad), shall I take for my projector anyone other than Allah, the Originator of heavens and the earth? And He, it Is that, feedeth but is not fed (because He does not stand in need of being fed). (al-An'aam; 14)

Translation: 0. If Allah touch thee with affliction, there Is none that can relieve thee from it except He. And if He touch thee with good fortune (there is none that can prevent Him from doing so), for He hath Power over all things. (al-An ‘aam: 17)

Translation: 10. Whoso puts his trust in Allah (is often triumphant be- cause), verily Allah is Almighty, Wise. (al-Anfaal:

Note: And He exalts those who trust Him (above others). Sometimes, however, such people are not granted immediate success because the Divine Wisdom has ordained it so, for their ultimate benefit Remember, in all His actions, He is Wise. and knoweth. (He listens to the invocations of His men and knows, better than anyone else, their circumstances). (al Anfal: 61)

Us (in all postures) while reclining on his bed, on his side or sitting or standing. But when We have relieved him of the trouble (out of Mercy over his 11. weeping and crying), he passeth on his way (in And trust in Allah] For, He is the one that heareth proud unconcern) as if he had never cried unto Us for (relieving) a trouble that touched him. (This is height of folly). (Yunus: 12) grants you your sustenance from the sky and from the earth? Or, Who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And Who Is it that brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And, Who is it that rules all things? They will (definitely) 2. When an affliction toucheth a man, he crieth unto sayx ‘Allah’. Then say: ‘Will you not theq fear Him and keep your duty unto Him? (why do you, then, feel afraid of any other being). (Yunus: 31) do (sincerely) believe in Allah, then in Him put your trust, if you have indeed surrendered to Him. They said (in reply), 'In Allah we put our trust’. (Yunus: 84- 85)

If Allah afflicts you with some hurt, there is none can remove it but He. If He desires some good for thee, there is none can keep back His favour. He causeth it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth. And He is the oft-Forgivlng. Most Merciful. (Yunus: 107) sustenance dependeth on Allah. (So, everybody should ask for his sustenance from Him alone). (Hood: 6)

Translation: 17. Say (O Muhammad), He is my Lord (my Sustainer). There Is no God but Hel In Him do I put my trust and unto Him is my recourse. (ar-Rad: 30)

Translation: 18. They (whose good qualities have been recounted in the preceding Verses) are those who persevere patiently (In afflictions) and put their trust in their Lord. (They do not feel worried as to the sources from where they will get their daily provisions of 6. There is no creature (beast) on earth but its food, etc., after they have made Htyrah). (an-Nahl: 42)

Translation: (proLord In their trust and put their who believe they in Allah, trust and belief in their vided that,: 99) (an-Nahl are true to the core). it a (source of) guidance to the children of Israel saying Take none other than Me as your Guardian’. (Bani Israel: 2)

20. And We gave Musaa the Book (the Torah) and made the sea all unto whom you cry (for succour) besides Himself, fail you. But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away (from Him). True man has ever been ungrateful. (Bani Israel: 67) does He share His command with any person (or group of persons) whatsoever, (al-kahf: 26) 21. And when distress (tempests etc.) touches you on He calls on such deities (worships them) besides Allah, as ran neither hurt nor profit him; that is straying far Indeed (from the Right Path). (al-Hqij: 12) dieth not. (al-Furqaan: 58) ill it Is He Who cures me. (ash-Shura: 79-80) 2. They have no protecting friend other than Him: nor (Allah) the Merciful. (ash-Shura: 21 7) tiuj 27 Then seek thy sustenance from Allah (as He is the sole sustainer for all), worship Him and be grateful to Him To Him will be your return (on the Day of Resurrection). (al-Ankabut: 17) its own sustenance. It is Allah Who feeds (both) them and you. (And He alone is worthy of trust). For, He hears and knows (all things). (al-Ankabut: 60)

Trustee. (al-Ahzab: 3)

28. And how many an animal there is that carries not from Allah if It be His wish to give you punishment (harm or loss of any type); or (who can prevent to grant you Mercy (If all the Him) if He intends Him, they could not people were to unite to prevent they will never find for themdo so). Remember, (alAllah, any protector or helper. selves, besides Ahzab: 1 7)

9. And put your trust in Allah; enough is Allah as a 36) (az-Zumar: you invoke (worship) besides Allah, can they, if Allah wills some hurt for me, remove His hurt? or, if He wills some grace (bounty) for me, can they restrain His grace?” Say:"Sufficient is Allah, for mel 0. Say (O Muha In Him do trust (all), those who put their trust, (azZumar: 38)

Translation: 33. Such Is Allah, my Lord; in Him do I trust and to Him do I turn (for help in all my needs). (ash-Shura: 10)

Translation: 34. Gracious Is Allah to His bondsmen; He gives sustenance to whom He pleases (and as much as He pleases) and He Is the Powerful the Mighty. (ashShura: 19)

Translation: 35. Nor have you, besides Allah, anyone to protect or to help. (ash-Shura: 31) lasting for those who believe and put their trust in: 36) their Lord. (ash-Shura

Translation: 37. And in heaven Is your sustenance, as (also) that which yon are promised (that Is to say your sustenance Is pre-destined and recorded In the Lauhe-Mahfooz). (Az-Zariyat: 22)

Translation: 38. (So prayed Ibrahim): Our Lord, in Thee do we trust and to Thee do we turn (for help In all our needs); to Thee Is our final goal (on the Day of Resurrection). (al-Mamtahanah: 4) who say, spend nothing on those who are with 6. But that which Is with Allah Is fa Allah’s Rasul so that (for fear of starvation) they may disperse. (The fact is that the hypocrites have no sense. Don’t they know that) to Allah belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the hypocrites understand not. (They foolishly think that the sustenance of the believers depend upon what they give them in Sadaqah). (al-Manafiqun: 7)

Translation: 40. And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way (out of danger to safety; out of difficulty to ease and comfort). And He provides for him from (sources) he never could Imagine. And if anyone puts his trust In Allah, Sufficient is Allah for him. For, Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily, for all things, has Allah set a measure. (at-Talaq 2-3)

Note: The Verses allude to an incident related in the following pages under Hadith one of the series of Ahadith (on ‘TawakkuT).

Translation: 41. 1 e is the Lord of the East and the West; There is i one to be worshipped but He. Take Him alone, i iierefore, as your Defender and Trustee, (al- I fuzammil: 9)

Translation: The forty-one Ayah quoted above should serve as a sample of many others with similar meanings. As a matter of fact, (in a vaster sense) the entire subject-matter of the Holy Qur'an comprises exhortations to cultivate a firm belief in the Oneness of Allah Ta'ala (Tauheed). And, as ‘TawakkuT is the essence of ‘Tauheed’, the more firmly grounded anybody is in his belief in ‘Tauheed’ the more advanced will he be in ‘TawakkuT and the more averse to seeking the help of anyone other than Allah Ta'ala (in hours of need). It is well-known that when Ibrahim Alaihissalaam the friend of Allah, was going to be put into the fire, Jibrael Alaihiasalaam came and implored him thus: T am at your service and ready to do your bidding if there is aught I can do for you". Ibrahim Alaihissalaam replied,"No, I don’t need your help in any matter". (Ihya-id-Uloom) It is said that once a Dervish went into a Masjid and sat there with the intention of observing Ttikaaf. He had no provision of food or drink with him. The Imaam of the Masjid advised him that as a destitute person, it was better for him not to observe rtikaaf; he should rather do some job to earn his daily bread. The Dervish made no reply; the Imaam again insisted that he should go and earn his living, but he remained silent After the Imaam had repeatedly asked him to do so for the third and the fourth time, the Dervish said,"Beside the Masjid, there is a shop owned by a Jew, Who has promised to send me two loaves of bread everyday". The Imaam said,"If he has promised to provide you food, it is well and good. Then you may observe 'I'tikaaf. The Dervish reprimandingiy said,"It would be far better if you did not lead the prayers; with such a weak faith in Tauheed', how can you dare to lead the prayers? You have great reliance on the promise made by an unbelieving Jew but you put little trust in the promise made by Allah Ta'ala to provide sustenance (to all living things). (Raudh)

The Ayah quoted above deserve our serious consideration. We should try our utmost to keep in mind only Allah Ta'ala, at all times, expecting His favours. We should have absolute confidence in Him and ask Him alone for help in all our needs. We should beg Him alone and should, in no circumstances, ask any person for anything. Rather we should not even think, in our minds, of asking for anything from anyone other than Allah Ta'ala. We should make Him— and Him alone — our sole resort for seeking help in hours of need, believing from the core of our heart that Allah Ta'ala alone can do us good or harm. We often talk in such words about our faith and trust in Allah Ta'ala, but what is really needed is a firm belief that neither kings nor the rich can do us any harm or grant us any favour, unless Allah Ta'ala wills it so.

We may remind ourselves about this obvious fact that the hearts of all men all over the world are controlled by Allah Ta'ala. However humbly we entreat someone, he will not be moved (because his heart is not in his own control) unless He, in whose Hands the hearts of all men are, wills it so. If, on the other hand, Allah Ta'ala, who reigns over the hearts of all men, decrees it to happen, He will inspire the hearts of men to accept what we say. And whatever disregard we may show to a person, he will be obliged to listen to us, because at the promptings from within. So, it is Allah Ta'ala alone whose help should be sought in the hour of need. And it is His Court alone where we should ever bow in humility and submit our entreaties. His will reigns supreme over the hearts of all men, all over the world. He is the Sovereign Lord of all the treasures of the world. O, Allah? grant me, by virtue of your Infinite Bounties and without my deserving it, something of this essential (the invaluable) quality of Tawakkul. For, your favours are bestowed both upon those who deserve and upon those who are unworthy of your bounty. An Urdu poet says:

Poetic Translation: "Go and ask Musaa Alaihissalaam how bountiful the rewards are of Allah Taala. For he went to fetch fire, but lo! There (on the Mount) he was granted 'Nabuwwat' from Allah Ta'ala."Here, I would like to quote a few Ahadith (with brief explanatory notes) on the subjects contained in the foregoing Ayah SECTION (d)

AHADITH ON THE FOREGOING SUBJECTS

(CONCERNING THE EXCELLENCE OF TAWAKKUL)

Translation: HADITH: 1 (Jfli Ibne Mas’ud Radhiyallahu anhu relate that Raaulullah If one who suffers ﷺ said, 4 from starvation approaches other men, his suffering will not come to an end; but if he approaches Allah Taala (and beseeches His favour), He will provide livelihood for him sooner or later.

Note: The sentence, 'If one who suffers from starvation approaches other men, his suffering will not come to an end, means that he will ever remain needy. If, through begging from people, one of his needs gets fulfilled and the state of neediness appears to have vanished for the time being, he will soon find himself facing another need, even more urgent than the one he faced before, and will be obliged to beg from people again, thus continuing in a state of neediness. On the other hand, if he places his need before Allah Ta'ala, He wijfl definitely fulfil his present need without letting other needs arise, and also provide against the needs which might arise in future.

Under Hadith Eight in Chapter One, Part One of this book, we have already quoted a Hadith related by Abu Kabshah Radhiyallahu anhu to the effect that he heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying;"There are three things which I swear to be true". Among these, he mentioned, 'When a man opens a door for begging Allah Ta'ala opens for him a door to want and poverty.1 In the same context, we have also quoted another Hadith on the authority of Abdur Rahman Ibne'Auf Radhiallako anhu. That is why we see that those who beg from door to door alwayB remain needy and destitute. In another Hadith, it has been related that"If one who suffers from starvation and poverty, approaches Allah Ta'ala, He will soon grant him relief either by an early death or by timely provision. 'Early death’ has been interpreted as meaning the death of the afflicted person himself, who is granted death as a relief. According to another interpretation, early death means the death of someone else which becomes an occasion for the grant of provisions lor the starving man who, for example, inherits a large fortune or receives a handsome legacy from the property of the deceased person. We have seen and heard about many such cases in which a person dying in Makkah left a will to the effect that all his properly should be sold and the amount remitted to such and such a person living in India There was once a notorious robber among the Kurds (the name of a tribe in the Middle East). He narrates his own story: Once 1 was going with my gang of robbers with the intention of a dacoity. We stopped to take rest at a place where we saw three date-palms, of which two were laden with fruit but the third was dry and barren. Time and again, a sparrow came to one of the green trees, took some fresh dates in its beak and flew across to the dry palm. We were greatly surprised. After I had counted ten trips of the bird, it occured to me that I should climb the tree and see what it was doing with the dates.

I climbed up to the top of the palm and saw a blind snake lying there with its mouth wide open: the sparrow had been putting fresh dates into the mouth of this blind snake! The sight (of a sparrow feeding a blind snake) awakened my conscience and I was moved to tears. I cried unto Allah is‘aZa, "O Allah! When this snake, which Your Rasul Sallalloho alayhi wa sallam Hah commanded us to ki!1; became blind, you appointed a sparrow to provide sustenance for it And I, who am Your slave and believer in Tauheed’, have been destined to loot the people. At this, I heard a voice speaking to me, from within my heart, thus: The door towards repentance is open to every body, at all times: Instantly I broke the sword with which I used to rob the people and (in the frenzy of remorse), began to throw dust on my head. I wept and cried unto Allah,"Forgive me, O Lord!’ A Voice from the Unseen whispered in my heart,"We have forgiven you! We have forgiven you!’ After a short while, I rejoined my companions. They wanted to know what had happened to me. I said, "I was led astray and was estranged from My Lord. Now I have made peace with Him’. And 1 told them the whole story. They said, We also will make peace with our Lord’, and they broke their swords, too. We abandoned all our looted property there, put on ‘Ihraam’ (the white garb of a pilgrim) and set out to Makkah for Hiqj. After travelling for three days, we reached a village where we came across a blind old lady. She asked, ‘Is there any Kurd among you, so and so by name? (here she named me), On being told that there was, she took out some garments and said, ‘My son died three days ago and these clothes were his property. Ever since he died, I dream every night that 1 see Rasulullah ﷺ commanding me to give these garments to such and such a Kurd!’ I took the garments from her and we all put them on. (Roudh).

In this story, there are two incidents with a deep moral lesson. Firstly, the providential arrangement for providing sustenance to the blind snake and, secondly, the gift of garments granted by Rasulullah ﷺ to the Kurd. When Allah Ta'cda wants to favour someone, it is quite easy for Him to create means to that end, as it is He alone Who creates all means, both of prosperity and adversity. And, it was by virtue of their sincere repentance that these Kurds were granted the gift of garments from Rasulullah ﷺ, which is in itself a great honour and a worthy privilege. Moreover, the story illustrates how, sometimes, Allah Taala grants favours to a needy person through a speedy death! We have heard about many such cases in which a dying man made a will leaving a portion of his property to a particular person.

Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu relates in a Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ once said: Tf anyone is hungry or in need and he conceals it from others, it will be due from Allah Ta'ala to grant him a years provision from lawful sources". (Mishkaat)

It is related in another Hadith that"If anyone is hungry or in need but conceals it from others, and asks Allah Ta'ala for help, Allah Taala makes arrangements for him, through which he gets a year’s sustenance from lawful (Halal) sources". (Kanz)

In still another Hadith it is said: ‘Whosoever begs ample prbvisions from Allah Ta'ala, these are granted to him; and whosoever asks for self-control of ones desires and passions, Allah Ta'ala grants him the same; and the upper hand (the hand of the giver) is better than the lower hand (the hand of the receiver); and no one opens the door towards begging, without having the door opened for him by Allah Ta'ala towards poverty.

Once Ali Radhiyallahu anhu, on hearing a person begging from people in the plain of ‘Araiaat, struck him with a whip and said,"On this day and in this place, do you beg from anyone but Allah Ta'ala"Rasuicllah ﷺ is reported to have said,"Whosoever opens a door towards begging, Allah Ta'ala opens for him a door towards want and destitution, both in this world and the Hereafter. And whosoever opens a door for granting favours, seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, opens for himself a door for abundance both in this world and in the Hereafter.”

Another Hadith says,"Whosoever opens a door for begging, Allah Ta'ala opens for him a door towards want and poverty. It is better for one of you to take a rope and bring a load of firewood on the back, sell it and thereby earn the daily bread than that he should beg from people, whether they give him anything or refuse him!"Another Hadith says,"Whosoever opens a door for granting favours, be it by way of charity to the poor or through spending money for joining bonds of relationship, Allah Ta'ala grants him plenty of everything (i.e. increase in wealth). And whosoever opens a door towards begging, with the intention of increasing his own wealth, it only leads him to a worse destitution: Imraan bin Husain Radhiyallahu anhu reported Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"He who turns to Allah Ta'ala alone for help, Allah Ta'ala takes upon Himself the responsibility to fulfil all his needs and provides for him from sources he could never imagine; and he who makes this world his sole concern, Allah Ta'ala leaves him to the world (i.e. he is left to toil on his own, without help from Allah Ta'ala, and reap worldly benefits according to the extent of his labour).

Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu relates that Rasulullah' ﷺ once said to him:"I counsel you to observe fear of Allah Ta'ala, both secretly and openly; when you fall into a sin or do any wrong, do a good deed (to atone for it). Do not ask anyone for anything; do not accept a trust and do not agree to be a Qadhi between two persons (as the job of a Qadhi is delicate, not everybody can be equal to it)”. It is related in another Hadith,"He who is pleased with the little that he gets, cultivates contentment and puts his trust in Allah Ta'ala, is saved from the labour of earning livelihood"

It occurs in another Hadith,"Let him, who wishes to become the most powerful person, put his trust in Allah Ta'ala; let him, who wishes to become the richest person, place more reliance on what Allah Ta'ala possesses than he places on what he himself possesses; let him, who wishes to become the most honoured person, observe piety". (We often observe that a man's piety influences people more than anything else. The more advanced anybodv is in oietv the greater is the regard and esteem for him in the hearts of people).

Wahb Rahmatullah alayhi relates that Allah Ta ‘ala says,"When my bondsman puts his trust in Me, I would find a way out for him, even if the skies and the earth were to join together in treacheiy against him."Ibne Abbas Radhicdlaho anhu says,"Allah Ta‘ala sent a revelation to Ibss Alaihissalam, ‘Put absolute trust in Me, for I shall take upon Myself the responsibility to fulfil all your needs. Choose no one as your protecting friend other than Me, lest I should forsake you’"It has been narrated in many Ahadith that when the son of Auf Ibne Maalik Radhicdlaho anhu was taken prisoner (by the nonbelievers), they bound him tightly with leather-straps so that he should not escape. He was kept without food and most harshly treated. He, however, managed to send word to his father, informing him about his sad plight and requesting Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasQllam to pray for his release. When Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wosallam was told of this, he said,"Send someone to him with the word that he should observe piety (Taqwaa), put his trust in Allah Ta'ala and make a point of reciting this verse every morning and evening."

There hath come unto you a Rasul from amongst yourselves, grievous unto him is ought that distresses you, full of concern for you, for the believers full of pity, merciful. Now if they turn away (O, Muhammad) say: Allah sufficeth me. There is no God save Him. In Him have I put my trust, and He is Lord of the magnificent Throne. (at-Taubah: 128-29)

When the message reached him, he began to recite this Ayah with the result that, one day, the straps broke of themselves. He escaped from their captivity and also brought home with him some animals of the non-believers captured as booty.

Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu says that whosoever recites this verse, at a time when he fears injustice from a ruler, attack by a wild animal or getting drowned in a river, will escape any harm, in-shaaAllah (if Allah wills it so). A version of the Hadith says that the Sahabi Radhiyallahu anhu was also advised to recite the following Du'aa frequently:

There is no might and no power except in Allah The following Ayah were also revealed concerning this incident:

And for him who fears Allah, (observes 'Taqwaa') Allah Ta'ala ever appoints a way out; and He provides for him from quarters whence he has no expectation; And who soever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice for him. (at-Talaq: 2-3)

Little could this Sahabi Radhiyallahu anhu imagine that Allah Ta'ala had decreed any part of this sustenance from the property of those (non-believers) who were persecuting him so cruelly.

A Dervish narrates his own story: I lived on the side of a hill with one of my friends and we spent most of our time in prayers and devotions. My friend lived on grass, etc., but for me Allah Ta'ala had so arranged, as a special favour, that a doe would visit me everyday.

It would come and stand beside me, with its legs wide apart; I would suck its milk and it went away. Time went by, but the doe never failed to come and I sucked its milk daily. One day, my friend who lived a little farther away from my place came to me and said,"A caravan of travellers has come to stay at a nearby place. Let us go to them We might perchance get some milk and other food from them". At first, 1 refused to go with him but, when he insisted on going, 1 agreed. We went there ani they entertained us with food. Then we came back to our places. Since that day, I waited in vain for the doe to come at its usual time, but it never turned up. Many days passed but the doe did not come. Then I realised that, owing to the evil effect of my (sinful) failing in Tawakkul, Allah Ta'ala had discontinued the sustenance which used to reach me without my having to bother about it".

The author of ‘Raudh’ writes:"Apparently there were three sins involved in his going to the caravan: first, failure to observe the Tawakkul to which he was committed; secondly, greediness and failure to be content with the sustenance which he got without any bother; thirdly, taking doubtful food which deprived him of good food."The story is quite instructive. Sometimes, we lose the bounties of Allah Ta'ala owing to our greed and avarice. Although seeking help from people brings immediate apparent benefits, its evil effects deprive us of many bounties of Allah Ta'ola, which are being bestowed upon us without our asking for them and without our feeling obliged to Him. So, Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi used to pray: r-J cr-"V Allah! Thou has protected my head from bowing to anyone other than Thyself; so guard my tongue, O Allah, against asking favours from anyone other than Thyself (Aameen! O Lord!)

HADITH: 2 Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu relates that Rasulullah ﷺ said, He who begs from people to Increase what he possesses, is asking for live coals of Jahannam; so let him ask little or much”, (Mishkaat)

Note: Hadith one quoted above is about seeking favours from people at the time of need and, therefore, the threat contained therein viz. the seeker being deprived of help from Allah Ta'ala, is not as severe as the one given in this Hadith, which is about a person begging from people without being driven to it by necessity, but simply to increase his own possessions. Such a one is, in reality, gathering for himself as many live coals of Jahannam as he pleases.

Once, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said to Rasulullah ﷺ, ’Two such and such persons were praising you because you bestowed two (gold) Dinaars upon them."Rasulullah ﷺ said,"As for so and so, I gave him ten to hundred Dinaars but he never made any mention. Then he added,"Some people ask me for something, I give them what they ask and they cany it home, hidden under their arms; though the fact is that they cany nothing but hell-fire.” Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said, ”0 Rasulullah! Why do you grant them what they desire, when you know that it is like Hell-Fire for them”? Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"What should I do? They do not refrain from asking and Allah Ta'ala does not like me being niggardly towards anyone". Qabeesah Radhiyallahu anhu said that once when he was committed to pay an indemnity, he went to Rasulullah ﷺ to seek his help in this matter, he said,"Wait till 1 receive the Sadaqah from somewhere and I shall help you”. Rasulullah ﷺ then said,"Asking financial help from people is permissible only to these three (classes of) persons: a man who has become a guarantor for a payment; his seeking help from people is permissible only to the extent of the amount involved. Secondly, a man who loses his possessions in an accident or mishap; he may ask from people what will provide him a reasonable subsistence. Thirdly, a man who has gone without food for several days and three members of his own tribe confirm this fact; he may seek help till he gets what will support life. To any person, other than these three classes, begging is forbidden, and if one does so he is consuming something which is forbidden (Haraam)”.

It has been related in another Hadith that: Begging is not permissible to two persons: a well-to-do person or one who is in good health and can earn his living; it is permissible only to one who finds himself in humiliating poverty or is involved in severe debt. And, if anyone begs in order to increase thereby his own possessions, his face will appear lacerated on the Day of Resurrection and he shall be devouring Hell-fire; so let him beg for little or beg for more.

Another Hadith has it to the effect that: Acts of begging will cause facial lacerations, on the Day of Resurrection, which will disfigure his face. So, let him who so wishes preserve his good looks or get his face disfigured. Exempted from the above punishments is the person who seeks favour from a ruler as a share out of the Baitul-Maal, provided he can rightfully claim it or is driven to begging by sheer necessity.

Still another Hadith says: When a man is always begging from people, he will appear on the Day of Resurrection with no flesh on his face". Mas‘ud bin ‘Amr Radhiyallahu anhu relates that, once, the bier of a person was brought to Rasulullah Saliallaho alayhi wa sallam for funeral prayers. He asked,"What property did he leave behind?"People said,"Two or three Dinaars (gold coins)". Rasulullah Saliallaho alayhi wa sallam said,"Those are two or three brandings of Hell-fire". The narrator of the Hadith says, T asked about it from Abdullah Ibne Qaasim Radhiyallahu anhu, the bondsman of Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu, who said, ‘The person used to beg money from people, thereby to increase his wealth’. Many such incidents have been related in the collections of Ahadith, in which Rasulullah Saliallaho alayhi wa sallam threatened-with brandings of Hell-fire and other severe punishments of the kind-those who died leaving behind very small amounts. The Ulama say that these punishments are meant for such people who, although they possess money, tell lies, pretending to be needy, and beg from people and insist on being treated like the poor people.

Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi writes:"A good many Tradi tions (Ahadith) prohibit asking favours and begging from people, and threaten the beggars with severest punishments in the Akhirah. Some other Traditions, however, refer to the permissibility of seeking monetary help from people under certain circumstances. Obviously, begging in itself, is not permissible for a believer, it becomes permissible only for a person who is driven to it by necessity or faces a pressing demand. In all other circumstances, begging is forbidden. The reasons for its being unlawful are that it involves three things, all of which are unlawful in themselves. First, it involves a tacit complaint against Allah Ta'ala Himself, Who is not, as it were, showing due favour to the person, thus making it necessary for him to turn to others for help. For example, if a slave begs money from people, it will be taken as if his master is hard on him. This state of affairs demands that begging should not be allowed, except when absolutely necessary, just as it is permissible to eat even carrion at the time of utter necessity. Secondly, begging involves humiliating oneself before someone other than Allah Ta'ala. It is below the dignity of a Mu'min to humiliate himself before any person other than Allah Ta'ala. In fact showing ones helplessness and humility to Allah Ta'ala is highly desirable and is blessful, as is abasing oneself before the Loved One. Thirdly, begging often causes vexation to the person from whom a favour is requested. In most cases, the person does not grant a favour, of his own sweet accord, but he does so because he feels ashamed (of saying ‘No’ to anyone asking a favour). Now, if a person gives something to a person, to avoid being ashamed or for the sake of show, the thing becomes unlawful (Haraam) for the receiver and, even if he refuses, to help, very often, the person feels remorseful afterwards over, his seeming niggardliness towards the beggar. So in both cases, there is likelihood of the beggar being a nuisance to the one from whom he begB a favour, and this is not desirable, unless one is driven to it by sheer necessity. Now that the reasons for unlaw-fulness of begging have been brought home to us, it will be easy to see why Rasulullah ﷺ has indicated dire consequences for those who beg favours from people.

It is said that Rasulullah ﷺ once remarked,"Whosoever begs a favour from us, we shall grant him what he desires. Why should we refuse him the thing he wants? It is his responsibility to make sure whether asking a favour is permissible for him or not And he who remains contented and does not ask favours (or, according to an alternative reading, asks Allah Ta'ala to make him independent of people), Allah Ta'ala grants him sufficiency and makes him independent of people. And the one who does not ask us favours is dearer to us than the one who does so". Rasulullah ﷺ says in another Hadith:"Try to remain contented and abstain from asking favours; the less you ask from people, the better".

Once 'Umar Radhiollaho anhu came upon a beggar who was begging from people, after Maghrib (evening) prayers. He told someone to give him some food. The orders were instantly carried out and he was served a meal. After a short while, when 'Umar Radhiollaho anhu again heard him begging, he demanded an ex-, planation from the person who had been told to give him food, who explained that he had served him a meal. ‘Umar Radhiollaho anhu then saw that the beggar had hung a bag under his arm, which contained a lot of bread. He said to him,"You are not a beggar; you are a dealer in bread", meaning that he was not a needy person but he was begging from people in order to collect bread and sell it in the market. Saying this, Umar Radhiollaho anhu snatched the bag froth him and put the bread before the camels which had been given by people as ‘Sadaqah’ to the Bait-ul-Maal. He then struck the beggar with a whip and said,"Never do this again". v ' Commenting on the incident, Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi writes:

If begging had not been an unlawful (Haraam) act, Umar Radhiollaho anhu would never have struck the beggar with a whip, nor would he have snatched his bread. Some people have taken exception to what Umar Radhiallah anhu did to the beggar. They contend that, though whipping can be justified as a lawful admonition as a Corrective measure, taking his property (bread) was an act of injustice and wrong-doing as the Shariah (Islamic Law) disallows taking the property of another person.

But this objection is based on ignorance of certain facts. For, who can match Umar Radhiollaho anhu in the understanding of Islamic Law (Shariah)? Can we imagine that a man of his position and understanding was unaware of the fact that the Shariah disallows taking of other’s lawful property? Or, can we imagine that, notwith standing his awareness of the Islamic Law regarding such matters, Umar Radhiollaho anhu could not contain his anger at the sight of the unlawful act of begging and he snatched the bread in a fit of rage? Or, should we presume that he willfully adopted an unlawful measure as an expedient to prevent this man from begging in future? In that case, the act of snatching bread was not justified.

The truth is that the beggar was begging without his being needy, while people gave him bread believing him to be a needy person. Therefore, the bread was not his rightful possession, because it had been acquired through deceiving others. Now as it was difficult to locate the lawful owners of this property, it had to be treated as ‘Luqtah’ (i.e. things whose owners are not traceable): such -things are used for the welfare of the deserving sections of the community (Ummah). Umar Radhiyallahu anhu, therefore, fed it to the camels received in the Bait-ul-Maal as Sadaqah. The beggar was a sinner as, under false pretences, he extorted Sadaqah from the people. If they had known the facts, they would never have given him Sadaqah.

Now that it has been established that asking favours from people is permissible only in a state of real necessity, it should be understood that there are four gradations of necessity; the first stage is that of dire necessity; the second, that which is a hard necessity but is not as acute as the first one. The third stage is the common state of neediness and the fourth is not being needy at all.

As for the first stage— that of dire necessity, it is being in a state in which one fears death from hunger or from a fatal disease; or being in a state' in which one has no clothes to cover one’s body. In such circumstances, begging is permissible provided that: (a) it is otherwise correct to use the thing asked for, (b) the person whose favour is requested should grant it willingly; (?' the one who is asking a favour should be incapable of earning a living. For, he who begs from people, inspite of his having enough strength to earn a competence, is a worthless person. However, it is permissible for a person engaged in acquiring religious knowledge to ask favours from people, with a view to devoting all his time to the pursuit of knowledge. In the fourth stage, (which is the other extreme), it is unlawfull (Haraam) for a person to ask for so file thing which he already possesses; that is to say, if a person possesses cloth sufficient his present need, it is unlawful for him to ask for cloth from Otter people.

The two stages in between these two extremes are, (ii) the state bordering on dire necessity but not as acute as the first stage and.

(iii) the state of less acute necessity. In the second stage, the state bordering on necessity, begging is allowable with certain reservations but, in this stage also, it is better not to beg from people. The instances of this condition are: (1) a person suffering from a disease that is not a fatal one, and (2) a person possessing clothes but not having sufficient warm clothes to protect himself against cold weather.If such a person begs favours from people, he will not be considered to have committed an unlawful (Haraam) or an uncommendable (Makrooh) act. He must, however, state the true nature of his need to the person of whom he is asking a favour. For instance, while asking for cloth, he should say, 'I have got clothes but they are not sufficient to keep me warm in winter. He should not pretend to be in greater need than he actually is.

The third stage is that of necessity of a lower degree. The instances of this condition are: (1) a person possessing enough money to buy plain bread but not enough to buy him curry or soup, or (2) a person having worn-out clothes wanting to buy a new shirt, for use when going outdoors, so that the worn-out clothes should not betray his state of neediness. Asking favours from people is also allowable for such a one, but uncommendable (Makrooh), provided that he clearly states the degree of his necessity to the person of whom he is asking a favour, provided further that, in asking a favour from a person, he should avoid the three unlawful things described above viz. (1) There should be no tacit complaint against Allah Ta‘ala implied in the manner of asking a favour (2) He should not humiliate himself before people while asking a favour, and (3) he should not be a source of trouble to the person whose favour he is requesting. A question arises: how can one avoid these three situations? My answer is that one can avoid complaining against Allah Ta'ala if, at the time of asking a favour from people, he expresses his gratitude towards Allah Ta'ala and also states that he is not pressed by any want That means he should not ask for things like beggars. For example, he should say,"I do not need it in particular. I am grateful to Allah Ta'ala for granting me what suffices for my needs. But my heart craves for fine clothes,etc."And to avoid humiliating oneself before others, one should place one’s needs only before one’s parents, brothers or intimate friends who, he is sure, possess such noble feelings for him that asking favours from them will not degrade him in their eyes. Another way of avoiding humiliation is asking a favour of a person who is large-hearted and gives away in Sadaqah profusely and feels happy when approached for favours. In order to avoid embarrassment to people, one should not ask for anything in particular, but express his wish for help in general terms or describe it in such a manner that the person should find it easy to decline his request if he so desires.

It should be borne in mind that the Ulama are unanimously agreed on the unlawfuDness of receiving a thing from a person who is giving it against his own will or just to avoid embarrassment or simply because it is begged of him with importunity. Extorting money from people, through begging persistently, is like robbing them by force. Mental torture through censure and slander is also similar. However, he who is forced by necessity may accept a thing given even without the giver’s own accord. But the true facts in each case are known to Allah Ta‘alay Who alone can judge whether a person is really in a state of dire necessity. There is however no harm in asking favours of such friends who, one feels, will be happy if one asks them for help. (Condensed from 1 Ihya Ulum al-Din)

Allama Zubedi Rahmatullah alayhi says:"All these warnings against seeking favours are meant for a person who asks for himself and not for one who asks for the sake of someone else; the latter is motivated by a desire to help others. Similarly, he who seeks the help of his own relatives and friends is not in this category, because they would feel happy when a relative or a friend asks for help". (Ithaafl (The author adds:) However, this is only true of such relatives who are really pleased to grant such wishes. Otherwise, causing vexation to one’s relations is strictly forbidden. It is a fact that the relations who are of generous disposition, feel happy to grant the wishes of their relatives. I say this, on the authority of my own experience, and many incidents testify to the truth of this statement.

One of my father’s aunts, who is still alive, used to give me two Paisas as a gift (to spend) whenever she came to visit us in Kandhla. It had been her routine since my childhood. Later, when I grew up to be a family man, and she also started giving two Paisas each to my children, I insisted that my share should be raised to four Paisas. I said that I would not be treated at par with my children, to which she agreed. I shall ever remember the loving pleasure with which she used to grant my demand; I still feel happy with the joy it gave her. Sometimes, when 1 saw that she had nothing with her to oblige me, I used to present to her some money just to enable her to give me my four Paisas. I did this because the joy of giving made her forgetful of the fact that she was just returning me what I had given her myself.

Similarly, Maulana Shams ul Hasan Rahmatuilah alayhi, my father’s maternal unde, used to give me one Rupee as a gift whenever he visited us, in Kandhlah. When I grew up to be a family man, he transferred this favour to my children. 1 insisted that my gift should not be discontinued saying, It is between you and my children whether you give them anything or not, but I must get my share!"I shall ever remember the feeling of joy with which he used to meet my demand. He would laugh heartily and repeat my words, ‘My gift-money should not be stopped’, and I said, It never would". Whenever I remember the conversation, I pray to Allah Ta'ala to grant him forgiveness and to bestow on him such bountiful rewards as are worthy of His Glory. On many other occasions, 1 experienced similar treatment from other relatives. I have mentioned this because, nowadays, family bonds are becoming weaker and it may seem unimaginable these days that a relative should feel happy over a demand for help, made by a near one.

As for the second remark of Allama Zubedi Rahmatuilah alayhi about the permissibility of asking favours from people for helping others, it is self-evident and the various Ahadith (given in Chapter one of this book), on the subject of helping and favouring others, serve as valid arguments in favour of this observation. Likewise it is imperative for a student to devote himself to religious studies, even at the expense of humiliation in seeking help from others.

Mulla Ali Qari Rahmatuilah alayhi writes: For anyone who has the capacity to earn his living, but does not do so for the sake of devoting his entire time to the acquisition of religious knowledge, it is permissible to receive Zakaat as well as voluntary Sadaqaat from people. But receiving Zakaat is not allowable for one who does not earn his living, notwithstanding his capacity for work, owing to his devotion to Nafl and other prayers, although be can ask help from people out of voluntary Sadaqaat, this last act also being undesirable (Makrooh) in his case. And, if there are some people who live together, engaged in practices for seif purification, it is desirable that they should depute someone to arrange for their food and clothing. (Mirqoat)

Pursuit of religious knowledge, be it related to external practices or to spiritual purification, is of paramount importance and those who are engaged in it should not take up other occupations. Nor should they take up in any part-time job, for fear of reproach and censure by the ignorant and foolish people. For, it amounts to wasting their invaluable treasure for fear of being reproached by the ignorant who have ever been finding fault with the Divines and even Rasuls of Allah Ta'ala.

Nowadays many people are of the view that religious scholars should also learn a trade for earning their daily bread. This notion is gaining ground and quite a few Ulama, disgruntled at the reproaches hy men of the world, have come to regard it as a necessity. Some religious institutions have launched programmes for training the students in various technical skills. The truth is that this practice is detrimental to the cause of knowledge. Those who favour this practice, present (in support of their views) instances from the lives of the great Divines of the past who, in order to earn their living, used to do business, etc., notwithstanding their devotion to the cause of knowledge and their great services for the cause of Deen (Islam). It is truly the best way to serve the cause of Deen if one can, with the help of Allah Taala, afford to adopt this course. But with weak minds and bodies in the troubled times of today, we cannot do both things at a time. Besides, our greed and love of the world will not allow us to devote sufficient time to the pursuit of knowledge and the cause of Deen for the pleasure of Allah Taalay when we find we have the means to increase our earnings. I have seen many cases in which both the pursuits were started simultaneously but, before long, the wish to earn more money overpowered the pursuit of knowledge.

Explaining the ten guidelines for students, Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes: The fourth rule is that the student should spend minimum time in worldly pursuits, leave his family and go farther away from his home town, because numerous social requirements make demands on one's time and distract one from the acquisition of knowledge. Allah Ta'ala has not assigned two hearts to any man (so that he should engage one heart in academic pursuits and the other in earning money). The reference here is to an Ayah from the Holy Qur'an:

Allah Ta'ala has not assigned two heartu to any man in his breast (ol-Ahzab: 4)

If you busy your mind in various pursuits of the world, you cannot get at the truths of knowledge. That is why they say that something of knowledge is granted only to the one who devotes himself whole-heartedly to the acquisition of learning. As for the person who is scatter-brained, his mind is like a water-channel filled with a leaking bucket, which does not water the fields properly because of the leakage of water. Ghyaa)

It is also important that a student should be really, devoted to learning and least concerned about his meals or collecting alms which are, in reality, the dross of people's earnings.

After recounting what occurs in the Ahadith regarding the punishments meant for the wicked Ulama, Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullahi alayhi writes: It is evident from the above that, generally speaking, the Ulama who are enamoured of this world are the worst and the meanest among men and that, in the Akhirah, their punishment will be far more severe than that of the ignorant people. Successful indeed are those Ulama who always keep the Hereafter in view! And there are certain distinguishing signs of such true Ulama, the first of those being that such an Aalim does not want to acquire worldly wealth through his learning. Even the lowest in rank among the Ulama are fully aware that this material world is contemptible, mean, polluting and shortlived and that the life Hereafter is everlasting and glorious beyond imagination, the bounties whereof are absolutely pure. Besides, a true ‘Aalim fully understands that this world and the world Hereafter are like two wives married to one and the same husband-when one is pleased, the other is naturally displeased. There is also a Hadith to the same effect He who loves his present life does damage to his Akhirah and he who loves his Hereafter does damage to his present life; so prefer what is lasting to what is short-lived. The present life and the Akhirah are, so to speak, like two scales of a balance- -when one goes down, the other goes up automatically. And he who does not understand that the material world has low value is not of a sane mind How can such a one be a scholar of Deen.

Hasan Basari Rahmatullah alayhi says,"The punishment of theft Ulama is the death of their souls; and the death of the soul consists in one seeking worldly gains in lieu of acts of virtue, that is to say, serving the cause of Deen (Islam) with a view to acquiring worldly wealth, honour, fame or status in life'Yahya bin Mu'aaz Rahmatullah alayhi says that the value of knowledge and learning is lost when one employs it for earning worldly benefits. Saeed Ibne Musayyab Rahmatullah alayhi says that when you find an Aalim knocking at the doors of the rich people, he must be dishonest Umar RadhiaUaho anhu says. When you find an Aalim in love with worldly wealth, he cannot be blameless in religious matters, for everybody occupies himself with things which are dear to him. (Condensed from Jhyaa)

It is, therefore, important that the Ulama should always be on their guard lest the love of the world, which is the root-cause of all evils, should imperceptibly enter their minds and take root therein. When one develops a disregard-rather a dislike— for the material world and gets it firmly rooted in one’s mind, there is no harm in asking favours from people or receiving Zakaat and Sadaqaat (charities). It is rather the responsibility of the charitable persons that, while paying Zakaat, etc., they should give preference to the students and scholars devoted to religious knowledge. (We have already discussed this point in the Chapter on the manner of paying Zakaat, in Chapter five, part one of this book).

I pray to Allah Ta'ala to protect me from being enamoured of this world. For, love of the world is a disease of the soul that grows gradually and imperceptibly and it does not consist in greediness alone, but also includes love for status and popularity. In the latter form, its encroachment on the soul is more rapid; especially in religious environments where the desire for worldly recognition and status is far stronger than the lust for wealth.

HADITH; 3 Hakim Ibne Hintm Radhiyallahu anhu said that he asked Rasulullah ﷺ for something and he gave It to him. Later, he asked again and Rasulullah ﷺ, after giving him something, said, ” Hakim, this wealth looks desirable and sweet, and he who receives it with a generous heart will be blessed in It; but he who receives it with 'IshraaT Onward greed) will not be blessed In it. He would be like one (suffering from a disease) who goes on eating without being satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower one (The hand of one who gives is better than that of one who receives it)". Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu stated that he replied,"O Rasulullah, by Him Who made you an apostle of truth, 1 shall not bother anyone after this till 1 leave the world”.

Note: ‘I shall not bother anyone, means I shall not ask anyone for anything till 1 die. Some versions of the Hadith add: After this, Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu used to call Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu during the time of his caliphate, in order to bestow upon him his portion of the Fai (the tribute from the territoiy which the Muslims had conquered), but Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu would not accept it Umar Radhiyallahu anhu also called Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu to give him his share of the booty but he refused to accept it Umar Radhiyallahu anhu called people to witness, but Hakim did not accept anything from anyone till he passed away. (Targheeb)

Another Hadith has the following effect Rasulullah ﷺ received some valuables from Bahrain. He first gave something out of it to Abbaas Radhiyallahu anhu. Then he called Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu and gave him a handful. Hakim Radhiyallahu anhu asked Rasulullah ﷺ whether or not it was good for him to receive it On receiving the reply that it was not, he returned the gift and swore that he will not accept from anyone any such thing till his death. Then he said,"O Rasulullah, pray for me to Allah Ta'ala that He may bless me in my earnings". Rasulullah ﷺ, then prayed to Allah Ta‘ala to bless him in what he had earned with his own hands. (T arghteb)

Mu'awiyah Radhiyallahu ortho reported Rasulullah Sallallahu aktihe wasoUam as saying"‘Do not beg importunately, for I swear by Allah Ta'ala that anyone of you who gets out of me what he asks, against my own will, will not be blessed in what I have given him. Another Hadith says, ‘(Anyone of you) Whom 1 give something of my own sweet accord, will be blessed in it; but the one who gets something out of me against my will (simply because he is greedy or because he has asked for it), will be like (a person) who goes on eating without being satisfied."Ib ne- Umar Radhiyallahu anhu reported Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"Do not ask for favours importunately, for whosoever gets something from us, after having begged it importunately, will receive it without blessing,". (Targheeb)

There also occurs a prohibition, against begging importunately, in the Holy Qur'an. Says Allah Ta'ala:

They do not beg of men with importunity. (al Baqarah: 273)

Aishah Radhiyallahu anha relates that Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"This wealth is attractive and sweet; so whomsoever we give something of our own sweet accord, while he is in a condition that justifies his receiving it, and does not have any greed for it, he will receive blessings of Allah Ta'ala concerning what he gets out of us. And, if we give something to a person against our own sweet will, while he does not deserve to receive it and is greedy for it, he will not be blessed in what he gets out of us". (Targheeb)

‘Barkat’ or Allah’s blessings are, indeed, a great and invaluable bounty. A small amount of something invested with blessings (Barakat) suffices for a surprisingly large number of needs, as happened on many occasions during the times of Rasulullah ﷺ. For example, onoe a bowl full of milk, simply because of such blessings, sufficed for a large number of the ‘Ashaab-us-Suffah’. We also experience this effect of Barakat in several cases, even in our own times, though not to the same extent as occurred during the times of Raul ullah Sallallahu alayhi wasoUam. A thidg divested of Allah’s blessings (Barakat) has different effects. The money earned by a person, if it is not blessed, is always insufficient for his needs; the more he earns, the greater are his requirements; he is like a person, mentioned in the Hadith above, who goes on eating without being satisfied.

Here, I relate a personal experience to illustrate how one’s leisure hours, when divested of Allah’s blessings, seem to slip away at an unimaginably Cut speed. In my boyhood days, I was very fond of holding a sort of poetic quiz competition, in which two teams competed with each other in reciting verses from memory. As my father Rahmatullah alayhi, who was otherwise a stern parent, did not object to these contests, our fondness for them increased as we advanced in years. I knew by heart, without any exaggeration, thousands of verses from the poetry of various languages (though many have now escaped my memory). It was my favourite hobby and, whenever my best friends and relatives got together, we began reciting verses, and started a contest Daring the early days of my youth I happened to visit Kerana and stayed there for the night with one of my cousins who lived there and practised law. He was also very fond of this recreation or rather, one might say, it was his weakness. Some cither relatives of mine, who heard of my visit, also assembled there. After ‘lshaa (night) prayers, the pastime began. It was winter and my cousin bought three seers of milk because he thought we would need it for making tea several times during the night, as the competition usually lasted throughout the night We were busy in our pastime and the first course of tea had not yet been served when 1 felt like going to the toilet and got out of the room. We thought that it was the beginning of the game and that only two or three quarters of an hour had elapsed. Looking eastward, I saw a white radiance on the horizon and wondered what this white glow could mean. I called my companions. They came out and were also astonished to see the light Everybody was making conjectures when, to our utter amazement, we heard the Azaan from all the four corners of the city. Then, of course, we realised that it was dawn. So, that long winter night had passed so swiftly and so imperceptibly! Throughout that dqy, 1 remained in a strange mood of amazement and, even today, whenever I remember it a strange sensation runs through my body. That night had been so frightfully divested of 'Barakat’ (blessings) that it looked unimaginably short in duration. And now with age, my feelings of amazement at the incident have given way to a deep sense of remorse and self-admonition. I imagine that, like that night of Kerana, my whole life span, when viewed in retrospect after death, would seem to have slipped away so swiftly. The following night, my cousin dreamt that he saw his father (my node), Maulana Razryy-ul-Hassan Rahmatullah alayhi, who had learnt Hadith from Qutb-ul'Aalam, Maulana Gangohi Rahmatullah olaike, saying to him,"It looks strange that a pious man like Zakariyya should spend all night in such idle pursuits.” Perhaps it was owing to his blessed wishes and concern for my spiritual wellbeing that, since that day, I have never indulged in this pastime. The memory of that night spent in Kerana has filled me with astonishment, ever since. I have, however, drawn two conclusions from this incident, based on dear conceptions; Firstly, I realised the truth of those incidents about some Divines who would stand in Nafl (supererogatory) prayers throughout the night and others who, after their wudhu for Ishaa prayers, did not need to make a fresh Wudhu (ablution) for Fqjr prayers, as they remained busy in their devotions, supplications, etc., to Allah Ta'ala during the entire night. All such incidents are true and stand to reason. As a matter of fact, when one is rapt in a mood of heavenly bliss, the long hours of night slip by unnoticed and sleep has no power over such raptures; as a special favour from Allah Talalat such pious beings derive a peculiar delight from their devotions. Obviously, those who are denied this bliss find it hard to stay awake during the night Secondly, my experience of that night testifies to the truth of what has been said in a Hadith regarding the Day of Qiyamah (Resurrection), the span of which is fifty thousand years,but which will be made so short for some believers that it will be equal in duration to the time spent in performing one Salaat or (according to an alternate version) the time that elapses between two Salaats. Certainly, the virtuous men who have no sins reckoned against them shall have no fears and, by virtue of their A‘maal (good deeds), they will enjoy the privileges promised to such people in the Quranic Verse: Lo! Verily, the friends of Allah are those on whom fear cometh not, nor do they grieve. (Yunus: 62)

They will be seated in the shade of the 'Arab (the Throne of Allah Ta‘ala), absorbed in enjoying the fruits of their A‘maal. So, the length of their Day will appear to them like brief moments of fleeting joy.

Translation: HADITH: 4 Khalid Ibne All Radhiyallahu anhu reported Rasulullah SdUallaho alayhi wa sallam as saying; If anyone hap pens to receive something from his brother Muslim, without his asking for it and without his feeling inwardly greedy for it, he should not reject it but rather accept it, for it is his sustenance which has been sent by Allah Tq'qIcl Note.: There are quite a number of Ahadith to the effect that, if anyone receives a gift from someone, without asking for it and without being greedy for it, he should accept it; for its nonacceptance amounts to a reaction of the Bounty of Allah Ta'ala and implies ingratitude towards Him. That is why most of the Sheikhs (Divines) accept gifts from people, even against their own sweet will Abdullah Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu relates:"At times when Rasulullah SaUallaho alayhi wa sallam gave me some gift, I would say,4 O Rasulullah, give it to someone who has more need of it;" but be said,"Take it Take what comes to you from these worldly things when you have neither openly asked for it, nor have had any greed for it Then make use of it if you can; and if you do not like to use it, give it away as Sadaqah. And, in no circumstances, desire anything that does not come to you on its own". Saalim son of Abdullah Bin Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says:"It was on account of this Hadith that Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu would not ask anything from anyone, but if something came to him unasked, he would not refuse it” A similar incident has been reported of Umar Radhiyallahu anhu: when Rasulullah SaUallaho alayhi wa sallam granted him some gift, but he gave it back to him. When Rasulullah asked him why he had done so, he submitted,"O Rasulullah, yon have told ns that it is better for us not to take anything from anyone."At this Rasulullah SaUallaho alayhi wa sallam said,"What I meant was that you should notask for things from people; but if anything comes to you without asking, it is your sustenance from Allah Ta'ala, bestowed upon you by Him", At this, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu submitted,"By Him Who holds my soul in His hands, if anything comes to me without asking, I shall accept it”. Once Abdullah bin Aamir Radhiyallahu anhu sent, through a messenger a certain amount of money and some cloth as a gift to Aishah Radhiyallahu anha She refused to accept it, saying, ”It is not my custom to take anything from anyone. But when the messenger was leaving and had just gone outside the house, she called him back, took the gift from him and said, I have been reminded of what Rasulullah ﷺ said to me once; ”0 Aishah, if you happen to get something without your asking for it, do accept it, for it is your sustenance that has been sent to you by Allah Ta'ala Probably this incident pertains to the early period of her life. After this, Aishah Radhiyallahu anha used to accept gifts from people. It has been related in various Ahadith that many Sahabah used to present large sums of money to her, which she accepted but, instantly, distributed them among people as Sadaqah.

Translation: Wasil Ibne Khattaab Radhiyallahu anhu says that he asked Rasulullah ﷺ about his prohibition against asking anything from anyone. Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"I forbade you to ask anything from anyone, but if Allah Ta'ala bestows upon you something without your asking for it, do take it; for it is your sustenance sent to you by Allah Taialam. Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu relates that Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"Anyone who is granted some bounty by Allah ta'ala (through someone offering it to him as a gift) should accept it; for it is his sustenance sent to him by Allah Ta'ala Aabid bin Umar Radhiyallahu anhu relates that Rasulullah ﷺ said: ‘Anyone who is presented some gift without having asked for it and without ‘Ishraaf lurking in his mind (i.e. without feeling inwardly greedy for it), should accept it and spend liberally on his needs. And, if he does not need it, he should give it to someone who has greater need of it”. Abdullah, son of Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi, says,"I asked my father, What is ‘Ishraaf?’ He replied, it consists in your having expectations of receiving a gift from someone or wishing inwardly that such and such person should send you a gift”. (Targheeb)

Literally the Arabic word, ‘Ishraaf means to peep. Here it means: a state of mind in which one's greedy self is on the watch for something to come to him. For example, as Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi puts it, a person who may desire that so and so should do him a favour, is said to have ‘Ishraaf. It is in view of this definition of the term that many Ulama interpret 'Ishruaf as something tantamount to avarice and greed because, in this state also, one is anxious to get something from people. Allama ‘Aini Rahmalullah cdaihe says,"Some Ulama say that ‘Ishraaf signifies excessive greediness; others are of the view that 'Ishraaf indicates getting something from a person who gives it away with a heavy heart".

Explaining the guidelines for accepting a gift that comes without asking for it, Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes: Three things should be taken into consideration; the gift itself the intention of the giver and the intention of the person receiving it". In the first place, one should consider and make sure about the nature of the gift. A gift may be refused if one is sure that it has been procured from un-lawful or questionable sources. Secondly, one should make certain about the intention of the giver. That is to say, one should make sure whether he is

(i) presenting the thing as a ‘Hadiyyah’ (gift), in the true sense of the word, thereby seeking merely to please his brother Muslim and to win his love for himself;

(ii) intending it to be a ‘Sadaqah’; or,

(iii) giving it simply for fame and ostentation, or for some evil designs. (A reference to these motives will be made in a Hadith, in the following pages).

Now, if it is a 'Hadiyyah (gift), in the true sense, it is part of the Sunnah to accept such gifts; there occur, in the Ahadith, many exhortations to present gilts to one another and to accept them. Such a gift should be accepted, provided there is no likelihood of the receiver coming under heavy obligation; in such a case, he may decline; alternatively he may keep a portion of the gift and return the rest to allay the sense of obligation: Once, a person presented Rasulullah ﷺ with a ram, some Ghee (butter-oil) and some cheese. He accepted the Ghee and the cheese, but returned the ram. It was a revered custom of Rasulullah ﷺ that he accepted gifts from some persons and declined these from others. Once, he said,"I feel inclined to accept a present only from a Quraishi, an Ansari, a Thaqafi, or a Dausi”. This remark was occasioned by the following incident Once a desert Arab presented Rasulullah ﷺ with a young she-camel, in return for which he gave him six young camels, it being a custom with him to make very liberal returns for the gifts. The person was displeased because he thought the return was less than what he had expected. When Rasulullah ﷺ heard about it, he gave a sermon in which he told the people about the incident and said that he felt inclined to accept presents only from people mentioned above. He exempted these tribes because he was confident of their sincerity and devotion to him. (Bazl)

It hqs been reported in many Traditions that the Followers (Tabi'een) of the Sahabah used to accept presents sometimes and declined them on other occasions. It is said that Fatah Ibne Shakhraf Mausle Rahmatullah alayhi was given a present of a bag containing fifty Dirhams (silver coins). He said, I have heard that Rasulullah ﷺ once said, 'Whoever receives a provision, without his asking for it, but refuses to accept it, is like one who is rejecting his provision sent to him by Allah Ta'ala. He then took a Dirham out of the bag and returned the rest to the donor. Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi (a well-known Tabi‘ee) is also one of the narrators of the Hadith quoted above. Once, however, he declined to accept a bag of Dirhams and a bundle of fine cloth made in Khurasan, which were presented to him as a gilt, saying, Whoever is in my position i.e. entrusted with the task of giving sermons, admonishing people, affording spiritual guidance, etc, and still receives such presents from people, will have nothing to expect when he meets Allah Ta'ala (on the Day of Judgement). For, in accepting such gifts, there is a semblance of receiving worldly gains in recompense for the work of Deen Ubaadah Radhiyallahu anhu narrates: T taught the Qur'an to some persons of the ‘Ashaab-us-Suffah. ’ One of them presented me a bow as a gift I said to myself, 'This cannot be reckoned as worldly gain and I may make use of it for fighting in the Path of Allah Taalan. Still, I thought I must ask Rasulullah ﷺ about it. When I asked him about it, he replied, ‘If you want to have a necklace of Fire put on you, accept it.' (Abu Dawood). It becomes manifest from this Hadith and from what Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi said on the subject that the Ulama and the Sheikhs, who are engaged in delivering sermon and doing other tasks of spiritual guidance, should be far more cautious and strict in the matter accepting gifts. Notwithstanding his strict attitude regarding the acceptance of gifts, Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi used to accept gifts from his intimate friends as, in such cases, there was no likelihood of the gift being in lieu of the work of Deen. It is reported of Ibrahim Taimi Rahmatullah alayhi that he would accept one or two Dirhams from his intimate friends but declined the offer of hundreds of Dirhams from other people. It is said about certain Divines that when one of them was offered a gift he (the donor) was told to keep it with him and consider whether, after accepting his gift, he would hold him (the Divine) in higher esteem than he did before accepting it. If so, he would accept the gift otherwise not.

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi says:"The sign of this (higher esteem) is that the donor should feel dismayed if his gift is not accepted. And, he should feel happy if it is accepted. The giver should regard the recipient as his benefactor". Bishr Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I have never asked a favour from anyone other than Sirri Saqati. I always ask from him because I believe that he is a perfect ‘Zaahid’ (an ascetic). I know for certain that he takes pleasure in giving away things and it weighs upon his mind to retain worldly goods. So, I partake of his favours simply to increase his pleasure". It is said that a man from Khurasan came to visit Junaid of Baghdad Rahmatullah alayhi and brought, with him, many valuables as a gift for the Sheikh. When Junaid Rahmatullah alayhi said, 'Well, I will take it and distribute the things among the needy people, he said,"I am not presenting it to you for this purpose; I wish you would spend it on your own requirements (food, drink, etc.)"Junaid replied,"How can I expect to live long enough to exhaust all this fortune? The man said, "I do not want you to spend it on vinegar and vegetables. (These are cheap and so it would take long to spend the entire amount of money). I wish that you would spend it for buying sweets and other delicdcies of food". Junaid Rahmatullah alayhi then accepted the gift. At this the Khurasanite said,"My debt of gratitude to you is greater than what I owe to anyone else in Baghdad, to which the Sheikh replied, 'One must accept a gift presented by a person like you."(the discourse on gifts is concluded here).

The second category of material favours are those which fall under the heads 'Zakaat’ (the obligatory poor-due) and Sadaqaat’ the supererogatory charities. If what is offered, falls under the head ‘Zakaat’ the receiver should, before accepting it, make sure whether it is lawful for him to take it. (This subject has been treated, in some detail, at the end of the section on Zakaat in the first part of the book). And if the thing presented falls under the head of ‘Sadaqaat’, the receiver should make sure why the person is giving it to him. If he is giving it to him because he considers him to be a pious man, the receiver should examine himself to see whether he is secretly committing a sin which, if known to the donor, would have caused such repugnance in his mind that he would never have given him anything. If this is so, it becomes unlawful for him to accept this ‘Sadaqah’. For, it is like an ignorant person being presented a gift because people regard him an Alim, or a non-Sayyed (a Sayyed is a descendant of Rasulullah). In such cases, it is strictly forbidden to receive gifts or Sadaqaat from people. And, if a person is giving something just for show or for fame, one should, in no circumstances, accept his gift. Rasulullah ﷺ forbade taking the food of vain-glorious persons.- Sufyaan Thauri Rahmatullah alayhi declined to accept certain presents, saying, ”I would accept it if I were certain that the donor would not talk of it boastfully, afterwards."Some Divines when they were criticised for not accepting gifts, said, We decline gifts out of pity for the donors, because if we accept their gifts, they talk of it boastfully to the people and thus they lose their reward in the Akhirah. So, why should we allow their wealth to be wasted, without earning them any Heavenly rewards". The third point to be considered is the intention of the person receiving the benefit If he is a needy person, and the property is not tainted as mentioned above, it is better for him to accept it. For, Rasulullah ﷺ once remarked to the effect that;"The one who receives a material benefit (from a brother Muslim), provided he is really in need of it also earns blessings, his share of blessings being no less than that of the giver."

Rasulullah ﷺ also said,"He who is granted some material things by Allah Ta'ala (through a person presenting it to him), without his asking for it and without Tshraaf in his mind, should accept it for it his own sustenance which has been bestowed upon him by Allah Taala I have just quoted a number of Ahadith on this subject. The Ulama say,"It is feared that the one who does not accept a gift which comes to him without his asking for it would, on other occasions, feel obliged to ask for things which will not be given to him.’

It is said that Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi would often send presents to Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi, which he would gladly accept Once, however, the Imaam declined to accept his gift Sirri Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Ahmad, the burden of rejecting a Hadiyyah is greater than the one in accepting itM The Imaam Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Could you repeat what you have just said". The Sheikh repeated his remarks. The Imaam then said, T did not accept it as I had sufficient provisions for a month. Kindly keep it with you a month, after which you can bestow it upon me."Some Ulama are of the view that whoever declines a favour, notwithstanding his need, is punished by Allah Ta'ala, one way or the other, such as becoming greedy or being forced to accept these things of questionable origin or some other affliction of the kind. If the person who is offered a ‘Hadiyyah’ does not need it, he may consider, that in case he lives by himself and has no social obligations, whether he should keep with him more than what suffices him for his present needs. For, keeping things in excess would amount to yielding to one’s selfish desires and it could lead him in to a trial and some mischief. If such a person is at all obliged to accept a gift, for one reason or the other, he should distribute it among others.

(As stated above), Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi declined the gift presented by Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi because he did not need the money himself, and also, he did not like to occupy himself in distributing it among the people. The Imaam was fully aware of the difficulties involved in such matters and prudence demands that one may keep away from possible perils, as no one can feel secure anytime from the treachery of Shaitan.

A resident of Mafckah Mukarramah narrates his story thus:"I had some Dirhams which I had kept for spending in the Path of Allah. 1 happened to listen to the invocation of a Dervish who, after having made Tawaaf (rircumambulation of the Ka’bah) was clinging to the curtains of the Ka'bah and praying to Allah TataLa in very low tones, thus: ‘O Allah! Thou knowest that I am hungry. Thou knowest that I have no clothes to put on. O! Thou Who seest everyone but to Whom no one can see! 1 turned round to look at him and saw that he was wearing two worn out and ragged sheets of cloth, which only just covered his body. I said to myself Who can be more deserving than this Dervish for receiving my Dirhams! I went over to him and presented to him my entire collection, out of which he took only five Dirhams and returned the rest saying,"Four Dirham can buy me two sheets of cloth and one Dirham is sufficient to buy me food for three days”. The following night I saw him again, dressed in two sheets of new cloth. I felt suspidous of him. He also noticed me and caught me by the hand. We began to make Tawaaf together while I felt that, in the course of all the seven rounds of Tawaaf we were walking over mineral wealth-like gold, silver, rubies, jewels, diamonds, etc. I could see and feel these valuables moving under my feet, though all the other people could not see them. The Dervish then said to me,"Allah Ta'ala has bestowed all these bounties upon me but 1 do not like to spend out of these treasures. I always receive Hadiyyah (a gift) from the people and spend them on my needs, because it is beneficial for their souls and, by virtue of giving away things as Sadaqah, they earn blessings of Allah Ta'ala I have related all these incidents to show that accepting, from people, more money than what one needs, may lead one into trials and temptations. Extra wealth is always granted by Allah Ta'ala as a test to see whether or not the person receiving it will spend it with propriety. But receiving as much as only just suffices for one's needs is a blessing of Allah Ta'ala and one should learn to distinguish between the trials and blessings of Allah Ta'cda Who say:

"ho! We have placed all that is on the earth as an ornament thereof that We may try them, which of them are best in conduct. Lo! And We shall make all that is therein a barren mound (without growth or herbage). (The trial is meant to distinguish those who perform virtuous deeds from those who do not Le. Allah Ta'cda puts them to trial to see whether they will be fascinated by the glamour of the world and become forgetfid of their Creator or turn away from the adornments of the world and engage in devotion to Allah Ta'cda). (al-Kahf: 7) Rasulullah ﷺ said: The son of Adam has a right only to the following three: sufficient food to keep his back straight, a garment with which to cover his body and a house to live in (which only just suffices for his needs). Whatever exceeds these three is wealth (regarding which he will have to face reckoning on the Day of Judgement).' So, anyone possessing enough money for these three necessities of life will earn virtues in the Hereafter and the one keeping in excess will, at least face a reckoning, even if he has not disobeyed Allah Ta'ala in procuring it or spending it And he who keeps extra amount and also disobeys Allah Ta'ala with regard to it will have to suffer punishment in the Hereafter. Whatever exceeds one’s needs should, therefore, be distributed among the needy people.

These prohibitions and precautions are meant for those who live alone by themselves. For a person having many social obligations, or one possessing a generous nature or one who associates with a number of Dervishes and pious people and, therefore, feels obliged to provide for their needs, there is no harm in accepting donations from people, even though these exceed his immediate requirements. Such persons should, however, distribute the donations among the needy people, immediately after receiving them. Keeping extra amount of money in possession, even for a night, may breed temptation, distract one’s mind from devotions or make one niggardly in spending money for the cause of Allah Ta'ala. Such a person may also borrow money from people and spend it for collective needs-trusting in Allah Ta'ala and feeling confident that Allah Ta'ala will arrange for, the payment of his debts. (Ihyaa)

HADITTL 5 Anas Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi waaallam said, 'When one of you makes a loan to someone and the borrower sends him a present or provides him an animal to ride, he must neither ride the animal nor accept the gift, unless It is a practice they followed previously.

Note: The Hadith means that, if they were previously accustomed to exchange gifts or borrow things from each other, there is no harm in accepting gifts, etc, from the borrower. But if they were not on such terms and the debtor is presenting things to the creditor simply because he owes him some money, he must not accept it, for it amounts to usuiy. In another Hadith, Abu Burdah says that Abdullah Ibne Salaam Radhiyallahu anhu said to me,’"You live in a land where usuiy is common, so when anyone owes you anything and presents you with a load of straw or a load of barley or a load of grass, do not accept it, for it is usuiy."So, before accepting a gift, the receiver should ascertain that the donor has no such evil intention in his mind; for example, if a debtor presents a gift to his creditor so that the latter should not demand payment of his debt, it (the gift) becomes c. bribe, besides being usuiy.

It has been narrated in a number of Ahadith that Rasulullah ﷺ cursed the one who bribes and the one who accepts bribes. Abdullah Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ invoked the curse of Allah Ta'ala on the one who bribes and the one who takes bribes. It has been narrated in another Hadith that the curse of Allah Taala befalls the one who bribes and the one who takes bribes. It has been related in still another Hadith that the one who gives bribes and the one who accepts bribes will both go to Jahannam.

Another Hadith says, 'A community among whose members usuiy is common are afflicted with famine; and a community whose members practice bribery is haunted by awe and fear of other people.' There are many Ahadith stating that Rasulullah ﷺ cursed the one who takes bribes, the one who bribes others and the one who acts as go-between regarding a bribe. Rasulullah ﷺ sent a man to collect Sadaqah (Zakaat and voluntary Sadaqaat). He on his return said, This part of the collection is Sadaqah and this was presented to me as a gift". On this Rasulullah ﷺ admonished the people thus,"I employ some people to collect Sadaqah and yet one of them comes and says,"This is Sadaqah and this is a gift which was presented to me". Why did he not sit in his father’s or his mother’s house and see whether the gift would be given to him or not (to the end of the Hadith)". (Mishkat)

We have observed that, according to the foregoing Ahadith, a creditor can accept a gift from his debtor only if they have been previously accustomed to exchange presents. Similarly, the admonition contained in this Hadith implies that if a person, who is not a ruler (or a collector of Sadaqah), is presented with something while sitting at home (not holding any office), it is really a gift. On the other hand, if anyone receives something by virtue of his office as a ruler, it is not a gift.

Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said:"If anyone intercedes for someone and that one gives him for it a present, which he accepts, he enters a big door among the doors of usury (i.e. becomes guilty of a serious type of usury)". (Mishkoat). Ma(az Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Rasulullah ﷺ sent me to Yemen, but when I set off he sent a person after me and I was brought back. Rasulullah ﷺ then said,"Do you know why I sent after you? Do not take anything without my permission, for it is dishonest dealing", and (says Allah Ta'alaY:

"And he who acts dishonestly will come on the Day of Resurrection with the dishonest deeds Goaded on his back)". (Aale Imran: 161)

Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu reported,"Rifa’ah Radhiyallahu anhu presented Rasulullah ﷺ with a slave called Mid’am who accompanied him on the expedition to Khaiber. On one occasion, Mid’am was taking down the saddle of Rasulullah’s camel when a stray arrow struck him and he died. The people said, Congratulations to him! He died a martyr.1 (It was really an occasion for congratulations becuase he was a slave-boy of Rasulullah and he was blessed with martyrdom). But Rasulullah ﷺ said, ‘Not at all! The blanket that he took dishonestly has become a fiery wrapping around him: Zaid bin Khalid Radhiyallahu anhu narrates:"One of the Companions of Rasulullah died at the battle of Hunain. When his funeral was ready, Rasulullah ﷺ was requested to lead his funeral prayers, but he said,"Do it yourself. At this, they looked dejected. Rasulullah ﷺ noticed their anxiety and said, Tour companion was dishonest (about booty in the path of Allah)". Zaid Radhiyallahu anhu said that they searched his belongings and found some Jewish beads not worth even two Dirhams. (al-Durr al-Manthur). Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said:"Allah is pure and accepts only what is good and pure, and He has given the same command to the Mo’mineen (believers) as He has given to His Rasul saying:

4 O Rasuls! Eat of what is good and pure and act righteously (cd Mu’minun: 51)

And He said to the believers:

”0 you who believe! Eat of the good and pure things We have provided for yon”. (al-Baqarah: 172)” Then Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi was all am mentioned a man who makes a long journey (and the Du‘aas or supplications of those who are making a journey are accepted) with his hair dishevelled and his body covered with dust (a state which speaks of his being very humble and poor), who stretches out his hands to Heaven, in supplication (Du'aas) saying, ‘O Allah!’, when his food, drink and clothing have come to him from unlawful (Haraam) sources and he has been nourished by what is unlawful (Haraara). He then asked how the supplications (Du‘aas) of such a one could be accepted."In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has been reported as saying:"A time will come when a person will not care whether what he gets has come to him from a lawful (Halaal) or an unlawful (Haraam) source". (Mishkaat)

In the books on Ahadith, there are many more Traditions on various subjects, which admonish people to be vigilant about the sources of their income, and advise them to beware lest they should be swayed by avarice, and choose not to notice the unlawful nature of their income. In this connection, the Ulama are especially required to keep vigilant and guard the sources of their income. Their responsibility is greater than that of common people because they can, by themselves, distinguish the lawful from that which is unlawful. Particular care should be taken, in these matters, by the Ulama. who are responsible for running Madrasahs (free schools for imparting religious knowledge) or other such people who collect funds in the form of donations and contributions, etc.

Our spiritual leader and guide, Maulana Shah Abdur Rahim of Raipur, who was an illustrious descendant of the great personages of our spiritual line, used to say,"1 feel more afraid (of having to make use) of the funds of these Madrasahs than of the money individually owned by someone". For, if anyone has been careless in handling money owned by an individual, he can ask that person to pardon him; (if he does so) the sin of misuse is expiated. But the funds of Madrasahs consist of donations and subscriptions of so many people; and those who manage their finances are trustees in charge of these funds. Therefore, if anyone makes an unlawful or dishonest use of these funds and the trustees pardon his guilt, the sin is not expiated. Rather, the trustees also become accomplices in the guilt, by the very act of pardoning him. May Allah, in His infinite Mercy and Compassion protect us from sinning against His Laws regarding the rights of His men! One has to be very cautious in these matters because of their gravity.

Rasulullah ﷺ said:"On the Day of Judgment, there will be three courts. There is one in which forgiveness is out of question viz. the one for deciding matters relating to oneness of Allah Ta'ala and ascribing partners to Him. Says Allah Ta'ala Who is great and glorious.

La! Allah pardoneth not that partners should he ascribed unto Him. (an-Nisa: 116)

There is one court in which Allah Ta'ala will not leave without reckoning, till requital is made among the people viz. people’s wrong-doing to one another (i.e.inflicting physical and mental torture, like abusing, slandering people, casting aspersions on their character, etc., or usurping the property belonging to others). And then there is one for matters relating to the rights of Allah Ta'ala over His people. That is in the Hands of Allah Ta'ala: if He wishes, He will punish them, but if He wishes He will pardon. (Mishkaat)

I have quoted this Hadith to stress the point that one should he very cautious and strictly watch the sources of one’s income. For, if a person earns unlawful (Haraam) property, his supplications to Allah Ta'ala are not accepted (as mentioned above). Nor does Allah Ta'ala accept the Sadaqat (charities) taken out of unlawful money (as stated in numerous traditions quoted in the Chapter on Zakaat, in Part one of this book). What is more, we have quoted a few Ahadith to this effect: ‘Fire of Jahannam is more fitting for all flesh which has grown out of what is unlawful (HaraamV. The same subject is further elucidated in the commentary on Hadith Six that follows. May Allah, in His bounteous mercy, protect us from dovouring unlawful (Haraam) property Ameen!

Translation: HADITH: 6 Rasulullah ﷺ said:"On the Day of Resurrection, the feet of the son of Adam will be powerless to move away (from the Place of Reckoning) till he is questioned about five matters (and gives a resonable account): (1) on what he spent his life, (2) in what pursuits he passed his youth, (3) whence he procured his wealth, (4) on what he spent it, and (5) what he did regarding the knowledge he possessed".

Note: In this Hadith, which has been narrated by a number ol Sahabah, Rasulullah ﷺ has briefly enumerated all of the matters of which everybody will have to render an account on the Day of Resurrection. Each one of these subjects (of reckoning) has been specifically treated in various other Ahadith and men have been forewarned against the Reckoning they will have to face on the Day. First and foremost, everybody will have to render an account of his entire lifetime, every second of Which is an invaluable asset for man. He will be required to answer the question: in what pursuits did you spend your life? What were we created for? Is there any serious purpose, any important motive behind the creation of mankind? Or, were they created for nothing? Allah Ta'ala Himself admonishes His men to take this life seriously:

Deemed you then that We had created you in jest (for nothing) and that you would not be returned to Us (for rendering an occount of your life)? (al-Mu'minun: 115) What is more, Allah Taala Himself has, at another place in the Holy Qur'an, explained the purpose for which this life was created:

7 created the Jinn and humankind only that they may obey Me, (az-Zariyat: 56)

So, everybody should consider and see how many precious moments of his life time are being spent on the occupations for which he was created by Allah Ta ala- -on the struggle to achieve the aim and object-of his life— and how much time is being spent on the socalled necessities of life, recreations and other pursuits that bear no relation to the real purpose of his life.

Suppose you employ a builder to do some construction work. You will naturally take notice of the time he spends on construction and the time wasted in smoking or taking meals, etc. So it is only fair that you allow for yourself only the same concessions as you deem fit for your subordinates. Or, take the case of a person employed at your shop whom you pay for this service. If the man remains away most of the time, doing his own household work and attends to the shop only for a short time at long job-intervals, would you like to give him his full pay? If not, then what excuse can you offer for your own behaviour in respect of your commitments to Allah Ta'ala, Who created you only that you might obey Him constantly. He is your Lord and Creator and showers His blessings on you all the time, but you waste your time in idle pursuits, beguiling yourself with the belief that your performing the Salaat regularly should suffice. Please consider whether you would tolerate such a reply from your servants?

An instructive incident hm been related” about this Ayah in a Had.th: A Sahabi anhu) narrates that Raauhiliah (SaJlallaho alayhi wa sallam) mi them on an advised them in recite this Ayah morning and evening They kept reciting.t and the com sequence was that they returned Trom the expedition, quite safe and sound. aiW gamine lot of booty. (Durre-Manthur).

It is sheer mercy and benevolence of Allah Taala that He has not made it obligatoiy for us to devote all our time to His worship. He has eiyoined upon us to devote only a fraction of our time for it How uqjust of us is it that we are negligent of our other duties to Him?

The second question on the Day of Judgement will be, ‘How did you spend the vigour of your youth? Was it spent in performing good deeds that win the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, such as prayers or redressing grievances of the oppressed or assisting the weak and disabled ones? Or, did you spend your youthful energy in acts of disobedience, like wasteful and wanton living or wrongdoing and cruelty to the helpless or strengthening the hands of the oppressor or in amassing unlawful wealth or in useless pastimes, which are neither beneficial in this world nor in the Hereafter?’ Bear in mind! You will have to appear for reckoning in a Court where no one would dare to plead your case. Nor would lying, deceiving or eloquence avail you. The"secret service"of that Court (the Recording Angels) accompany you at all times. And, besides, the limbs of man’s own body, with which he commits misdeeds, will bear testimony to his sins and confess to the crimes:

This Day (The Day of Resurrection) We seal up mouths and the hands speak out and feet bear witness as to what they used to perform. (Yaseen: 65)

That is to say, hands will speak out and name the persons wronged and mention the misdeeds committed through them. The feet will bear witness to the immoral gatherings which they attended. Allah Ta'ala says, in another context:

And (make mention of) the Day when the enemies of Allah Ta'ala will be gathered together unto the fire. They will be driven on in ranks, till, when they reach it (and the reckoning starts) their ears, their eyes and their skins will testify against them as to what they used to do. And they will say unto their skins and limbs: Why did you testify against us?’ These will say 4 Allah hath given us speech; He Who giveth speech to all things and Who created you and unto Whom you have to return (after rebirth). (Here Allah admonishes His men). You were not ashamed of your ears and your eyes and your skins testifying against you. (Forf obviously nobody can hide his misdeeds from his own limbs). But you deemed that Allah knew not much of what you did. (You used to say to yourselves,"Do what you will. No one can possibly call you in question). Your notion that you had of your Lord (that He is unaware of your deeds) hath ruined you and you find yourselves (this Day) among those who are utterly lost. (Ha Mim as-Sqjdah: 19-23)

In the Books of Hadith, there are many Traditions on the subject of testimony of the limbs.' A Hadith says: Anas Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that they were once sitting in company with Rasulullah ﷺ when he smiled and his blessed teeth became visible. He then asked if they knew why he had smiled. They replied that Allah and His Rasul knew best. He then told them that, on the Day of Judgment, a man will say to his Lord, "O Allah! Have you not granted me protection against iijustice?" Allah Ta'ala will reply, ‘certainly’. The man will then say,"I do not trust any outside witness, concerning myself. Allah Ta'ala will reply, ’Well, We shall make you a witness to yourself. His mouth will then be sealed up and the parts of his body will be ordered to speak. They will recount all his deeds and, when he is allowed to speak again, he will say to his limbs, ‘May you be cursed and suffer for it! It was for your sake that I indulged in all these things’. (Mishkaat). (That is to say, it is through the limbs that one derives sensual pleasures from sins but, on that Day, these very limbs will become witnesses against themselves. The fact is that the parts of the body will also be helpless as, on that Day, all things will be rendered incapable of telling lies.)

Another Hadith says that, of all the parts of the body, the first to speak out will be the left thigh, which will disclose what misdeeds it was made to commit All the other limbs will be made to speak afterwards. In short, each part of the body will speak out and recount all the deeds, good or bad, committed by itself. That is why Rasulullah ﷺ, remarked once, in another Hadith,"Recite the Kalimah Xllah is beyond all imperfections and ("diiijf) (All praise be to Allah) and count them on your fingers for, on the Day of Judgment, the parts of the body will be granted the power to speak and they will have to face questioning”.

This Hadith means that, when these limbs are given the power of speech and they reveai all the sins, they will also recount the many good deeds performed by them. While the hands bear testimony about misdeeds and acts of violence and disobedience, they will also stand witness to the reciting and counting of sacred Names of Allah Ta'ala and the giving of Sadaqat and participating in other good deeds. The subject is too vast to be treated at full length. However, the gist of the matter is that, in youth, one should not be swayed by passions and must guard oneself against wrong-doing, cruelty and other sinful deeds. Rasulullah ﷺ says:

'Youth is a kind of madness and women are the snares of the haitann. That is to say, in the frenzy of youth, one is easily caught in these snares. We listen to these words in every Friday sermon, as they form part of the ‘Khutabah’. But, intoxicated by the passions of youth, we never think that we shall be questioned about our youth. We are wasting our youthful energy by spending it on sinful deeds or utilizing it for earning worldly wealth, and do not realize that this boon has been granted to us so that we may spend it in performing such good deeds as are beneficial for the Akhirah. Fortunate are those young people who remain constantly absorbed in striving for the cause of Allah Tatala and keep away from sins!

The third question to be asked on the Day of Resurrection (about which the above-mentioned Hadith says that nobody will be allowed to leave his ground until he has answered it), will be about his wealth. He will have to explain whether the sources through which he acquired it were lawful or unlawful. We have touched upon this subject, somewhat briefly, under the preceding Hadith. Rasulullah ﷺ says:"If a man acquires wealth by unlawful means and gives it in alms (Sadaqah), it will not be acceptable, neither will he be blessed in it ‘if he spends it on his needs; and if he dies, leaving it behind as inheritance, it will be his provision for Jahannam."

Another Hadith says:"Flesh (of a man’s body), which has been nourished with food procured by unlawful means, is more fitting for Jahannam’."Still another Hadith has been quoted,"If anybody buys a garment for ten Dirhams (silver coins) and among these ten there is one Dirham unlawfully acquired, his Salaat will not be acceptable as long he wears it." (Mishkaat) There are numerous Ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ which state that:"Do not regard your means of sustenance as something beyond your reach. For, a person will not die until he has received the entire provisions apportioned for him under Divine Decree. So, adopt the best means for earning your livelihood. Procure lawful provisions only, shunning all that is unlawful". It occurs in many Ahadith that a man’s sustenance pursues him in the same way as his hour of death. Just as death is inevitable, similarly, everybody’s provision, decreed for him by Allah Ta'ala, must inevitably reach him. Another Hadith says,"No one, even if he tried, can miss his destined provision, as nobody can escape death". Still another Hadith has it"The sustenance for everyone has been preordained. If all mankind and the Jinns were to unite and try to deprive him of his provision, they could not do so."

Rasulullah ﷺ says, in a Hadith:"If you possess four qualities, you should not grieve over missing any worldly benefits: trustworthiness, truthful speech, good habits and pure means of livelihood ".

There is another Hadith that narrates: 'Blessed is the man whose livelihood is honestly earned, whose heart is pure, whose outward behaviour (observance of rituals, manners’ etc.) is noble, and people are safe from the evil in him. Blessed is the man who acts upon his knowledge, who spends all that exceeds his needs for the cause of Allah Ta'ala, and who guards his tongue against unnecessary talk.’

It has been narrated in a Hadith that once Sa‘d Radhiyallahu anhu asked Rasulullah ﷺ to pray to Allah Ta'ala that He might make him ‘Mustajaab-ud-Da’waat’ (i.e. a pious person whose supplications are fulfilled). Rasulullah ﷺ said, 'Make your means of livelihood pure (i.e. do not partake of doubtful things), you will always have your Du'aas

(supplications) fulfilled. By Him Who holds the soul of Muhammad in His Hands, a man takes a morsel of Haraam food into his stomach. which renders his forty days’ devotion unacceptable to Allah Ta'ala. And a person befits Jahannam if he has been feeding himself with Haraam food." There are many more Traditions on the subject cited in Targheeb. Therefore, one should be very cautious with regard to the sources of one’s income. On the face of it, this caution might restrict one’s financial gains. But this seeming loss turns out to be very beneficial in the long run, in as much as one is blessed in one’s honestly earned money and is also protected from ultimate harm.

The fourth question to be asked from a person on the Day of Resurrection (as mentioned in the Hadith quoted above) will be about the things on which he spent his wealth. As a matter of fact, the very question forms the subject matter of this book. It behoves a man to spend his wealth for the cause of Allah Ta'ala. And, the loss of hoarding money is two-fold: one does not make use of it for one’s own benefit, and it is left behind as a dead weight. Various other harms of hoarding wealth have been described at the end of chapter two of this book (part one). Obviously, the greater a man’s possessions are, the longer will it take him to go through the Reckoning. And the reckoning is to be made on the Day of Resurrection, which would be a terrible Day; everybody will be frightened out of his wits and will be drenched in sweat, owing to intense heat of the Day; he will be out of his senses as if be is drunk, though he will not be actually drunk. Says Allah Ta'ala regarding that Day:

"O mankind, fear your Lord. Lo! The earthquake of the Hour (of 'Doom) is a tremendous thing. On the Day when you behold it, every mother giving suck will forget her suckling baby and every pregnant female shall drop her (unformed) load (in terror); and thou (O Muhammad) will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not (really) be drunken, but the punishment of Allah will be 2) severe (the terror whereof will make them senseless)! (al-Hajj: 1- Allah Ta'ala says in another Ayah:

"Their reckoning draweth closer and closer to mankind. (The Day of Resurrection is rapidly drawing closer to mankind)r while they turn away in heedlessness (are least prepared for their reckoning)". (al-Ambiyaa; 1)

A few Rukus later, there is another Verse on the subject:

And we set a just balance for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul is wronged in aught. Though it (good or bad deed) be of the weight of a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it to account. And We suffice, for reckoners. (al-Ambiyaa: 47)

And in Surah ar-Ra‘d, Allah Ta'ala says:

For those who respond to the call of their Lord (fulfil His Commandments) is bliss (in Jannah); but those who do not respond to Him (do not obey Him), even if they had (on the Day of Resurrection) all that is on the earth and as much more, (in vain) would they proffer it as ransom (to buy their release from the punishment). For them will be a woeful Reckoning. (ar-Ra'cL 18)

There are quite a number of Verses in the Holy Qur'an which contain admonitions regarding the Reckoning to be made on the Day of Resurrection, the severity, the grievousness and the extreme significance of that Day. ‘Aishah Radhiyallahu anha narrates that once Rasulullah ﷺ said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection, the one who undergoes Reckoning will be ruined (because it will be difficult to render a perfect account of all the deeds).' She then asked whether Allah Ta'ala had not said (in Surah al-Inshiqaaq), ‘He will receive an easy Reckoning,' to which Rasulullah ﷺ replied, ‘That (the Reckoning mentioned in the Surah) is just a passing review of the deeds, but those who are subjected to a close examination will perish.'

In another Hadith, ‘Aishah Radhiyallahu anha relates that Rasulullah ﷺ used to say, in the course of his prayers: ‘O Allah! grant me an easy Reckoning!, She asked, ‘O Rasulullah what is an easy Reckoning, to which he replied:"That one's book of Deeds would be presented and Allah Ta'ala would say: T for give you’. As for him who is examined closely, he will surely perish".

Abu Hurairah Radhiallah anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"Whosoever possesses three characteristics will receive an easy Reckoning, Allah Taala will bless him and grant him entry into Jannah. Those three characteristics are: bestowing favours upon those who are not kind to you, forgiving those who do you wrong and joining ties of relationship with those who sever relations with you. (Durre-Manthur)

It has been narrated in another Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ once said:"To everyone of you, Allah Ta‘ala will speak in such a way that there will be no interpreter between you and Allah Ta'ala, nor any concealing veil. He will look to his left and right and see nothing but the deeds(good or bad) he had done in the worldly life; and he will look in front and see nothing but blazing fire of Jahannam. So, protect yourselves from the fire of Jahannam by means of Sadaqah (which is the best protection against the fire of Jahannam), even though it should be with a half date". In still another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said:"Jannah was shown to me and I saw that those on exalted stations in Jannah were the poor ones among the ‘Muhryireen’ (the emigrants). There were very tew wealthy persons and very few women among the inhabitants in Jannah. I was told that the rich were still going through their accounts at the gates of Jannah, and the women -folk had been held back owing to their love for gold and silver".

A Hadith narrates:"! stood at the doors of Jannah and I saw that the majority of those who entered it were the poor ones, the rich being engaged in reckoning. And I stood at the gates of Jahannam and I saw that the majority of those who entered it were the women folk It occurs in another Hadith, that: There are two things which a man fears, but both of them are good for him: he fears death, though death is his protection against trials and temptations; and he fears decrease in 'wealth, though the less he possesses the lighter the Reckoning (on the Day of Resurrection). (Targheeb) It has been narrated in a Hadith that once Rasulullah ﷺ was sitting in company with his Sahabah when he said, 'Last night Jannah was shown to me and I saw your ranks in it; he turned to Abu Bakr Siddiq, Radhiyallahu anhu and said 'I saw a person who, to whichever gate of Jannah he went, was welcomed with greetings of ‘Marhabaa’, 'Marhabaa!’ (most welcome).(For each virtuous deed, there is a particular gate in Jannah and the invitation to enter by any gate indicates that he possessed all the virtues par excellence). Salman Radhiyallahu anhu submitted, ‘O Rasulullah, such a one must be a very virtuous person, exalted above others (in spiritual stature).’

Rasulullah ﷺ said, 'It was Abu Bakr’ Radhiyallahu anhu; then he turned to Umar Radhiyallahu anhu and said, 1 saw a palace in Jannah, built with a single brilliant white pearl inlaid with rubies. I asked whose palace it was and I was told that it belonged to a young man of the Quraish tribe. I thought that such a brilliant and magnificient palace must be mine, because I am the Leader of all Rasuls; I was just going to enter the palace when I was told that it belonged to Umar!’ Rasulullah ﷺ then told them about the ranks in Jannah attained variously by Uthman, Ali and many other Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum. After this, Rasulullah ﷺ turned to Abdur Rahman Ibne Auf Radhiyallahu anhu and said, 'Of all my Sahabah, you came to join me after much delay and I felt afraid that you might have been undone. When you did come at last, I saw that you were all wet with perspiration. When I asked you why it had taken you so long, you said that you had been busy rendering an account of your numerous belongings. You were questioned as to how you had procured your wealth and how you spent it.’ Hearing this, Abdur Rahman Radhiyallahu anhu burst into tears and said ‘O Rasulullah, last night I received a caravan of a hundred camels loaded with merchandise. I give all these goods as 'Sadaqah' for distribution among the orphans and poor people of Madinah Munawwarah. I hope that by virtue of this Sadaqah, Allah Ta'ala will grant me a lenient Reckoning? (Targheeb)

According to another Hadith, once Rasulullah ﷺ said to Abdur Rahman Ibne 'Auf, 'Abdur Rahman, you are one of the wealthy persons of my Ummah and you will go to Jannah, crawling on your knees (you will not be able to walk straight). Advance loan to Allah Ta'ala, so that you could walk easily."Abdur Rahman Radhiyallahu anhu said, "O Rasulullah what should I lend to my Lord?’ Rasulullah ﷺ replied, 'Give all your wealth as Sadaqah. At this, Abdur Rahman Radhiyallahu anhu got up from his seat and went out to fetch all his fortune and present it to Rasulullah who, when he was gone, sent a messenger after him who called him back. Rasulullah ﷺ then said to him, Jibrael Alaihissalam just came to me with the message that I should advise you to entertain your guests, to feed the poor, to grant the wishes of those who ask your favours and to start with your own relatives. These acts of generosity will suffice to purify you.1 (Haakim) t Abdur Rahman Ibne Auf Radhiyallahu anhu was one of the highly esteemed Sahabah and a man of great merits: he is one of the ‘Asharah Mubassharah’ (The ten fortunate ones whom Rasulullah ﷺ gave the glad tidings of Jannah in their lifetime). Besides, he was one of the six eminent Sahabah to whom Umar Radhiyallahu anhu had, before his martyrdom, assigned the responsibility of choosing his successor, remarking on this occasion,"These are the Sahabah with whom Rasulullah ﷺ was pleased when he passed away". What is more, it was Abdur Rahman Ibne Auf Radhiyallahu anhu whose opinion was finally accepted by all the other members and, consequently, Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu was chosen as the third Khalifah of the Muslims. He is counted among the ‘Saabiqoon-al-Awwaloon’ (The vanguarc of Islam, the first entrants into the Faith) and Allah Ta‘ala speak highly of these favoured ones, thus:

The vanguard of Islam, the first to lead the way, of the Muhqjireen (the emigrants from Makkah) and the Ansaar (The Muslims of Medinah who welcomed the emigrants and helped them with their wealth and defended them with their lives) and also those who follow them in good deeds-Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. For them has He prepared gardens underneath which riverp flow wherein they will abide for ever. This is the supreme triumph (at-Taubah-100) Abdur Rahman fane Auf Radhiailaho anhu performed Hijra twice. He participated in the Ghazwah of Badr (Battle of Badr) and all the other expeditions led by Rasulullah Sallcdlaho alayhi wa sallam; even during the times of Rasulullah, he was esteemed as a man of learning and a man of ‘Fatwah’ (a legist capable of giving verdicts on matters relating to Islamic Law). In some important matters, Umar Radhiailaho anhu accepted and acted upon his jouradvice. Once Rasulullah ﷺ was on a ney when he offered Tjr Salaat’ as a ‘Muqtadee’ (one who is led in prayers). It so happened that Rasulullah SallQllaho alayhi wa sallam had gone away to relieve himself when the Sahabah, with common consent, chose Abdur Rahman Radhiailaho anhu as their Imaam. When Rasulullah came back, one Rak’at had already been completed, so Rasulullah ﷺ joined the congregation (Jama'at) and offered his Salaat as a Muqtadee. During the first year of his Caliphate, Umar Radhiailaho anhu deputed him as Amir-ul-Hajj on his behalf. (I sabah)

In short, despite his numerous merits and virtues, Abdur Rahman bin Auf lagged behind the other Sahabah Radhiailaho anhum, of his rank, owing to his excessive riches. All this fortune had been bestowed upon him by Allah Ta'ala, as a special favour and a kind reward; for, the Traditions relate that he was very poor in the early period of his life.

During the early years after Hyrah, Rasulullah ﷺ established fraternity’ among the Muhjireen and the Ansaar, so that the Ansar should help the poor ones among the Muhajireen especially on the grounds of this sacred bondage. Rasulullah established the bond of brotherhood between Abdur Rahman fane'Auf and Sa'd bin Ar-Rabi Ansaari. Sa'd Radhiailaho anhu said to him."By the Grace of Allah Ta'ala, I am the wealthiest person in Madinah Munawwarah. I give you half of my entire property. Besides, I have two wives. I shall divorce anyone of them, you like, and you can marry her after the expiry of the ‘Iddat’ (mandatory period of waiting, during which a woman may not remarry)”. But Abdur Rahman Radhiailaho anhu, prompted by nis magnanimity, replied ‘May Allah bless you in your family and your property. I do not want any of these, just show me the way to the market.’ Then he went to the market' and started doing business. In the evening he had made some profit of condensed dry yoghurt and butter oil. In this way, he was gradually able to save up sufficient money and got married after a few days. (Bukhari)

Then a time came when Rasulullah ﷺ exhorted his Sahabah to give Sadaqah, and Abdur Rahman Radhiyallahu anhu presented half of his property as Sadaqah. We can have an idea of the extent of his fortune from the foregoing Hadith, which says that he offered hundred cameloadsof merchandise as Sadaqah; and this was just a contingent of his merchandise from Egypt alone. On another occasion, he gave forty thousand Dinars in Sadaqah. On still another occasion, he contributed five hundred horses and five hundred camels for Jihaad and emancipated thirty thousand slaves. Another version of the Hadith says that he emancipated thirty thousand families of slaves. Who knows how many men, women and children there might have been in each such family! (Mustadrak)

Once he sold an estate for forty thousand Dinaars and distributed the entire amount among the destitute, the Muhajireen his own relatives and the Azwafy-e-Mutahhraat; i.e. the wives of Rasulullah. (Mustadrak)- On his death-bed, Abdur Rehman Radhiyallahu anhu made a will, leaving four hundred Dinaars as a legacy to each one of those Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum who had participated in Badr. There were one hundred participants of Badr living at that time. (Isaabah). He also willed that a garden of his be presented as a gift to the wives of Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallamy which was sold for forty thousand Dinaar, With regard to the expenditure on personal needs, a Tradition says that once he took a bath and sat for dinner and a bowl of Thareed’ (bread crumbled and mixed with soup, with pieces of meat in it) was brought to him. Seeing this, he began to weep. Someone asked him what made him weep. He replied, ‘Rasulullah ﷺ passed away from this world and he did not have enough barley bread to satisfy his hunger. This prosperity that we witness now does not augur well for us (extracted from Isaabah). He meant to say that, if this prosperity had been beneficial for our soul and our ultimate good, it should have been granted to Rasulullah ﷺ. As all these worldly pleasures were not granted to Rasulullah, they do not seem to be beneficial for us. The least is that a man will have to face Reckoning for his worldly goods.

The fifth question to be asked on the Day of Resurrection (according to the Hadith quoted above) will be how far did one practice the knowledge bestowed by Allah Ta'ala on a person. Ignorance about a crime is no excuse and ignorance of law is not accepted as a valid excuse in any court of law. For, it is one’s duty to have knowledge of the law. And, ignorance of the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala is in itself a crime and a sin. Therefore, Rasulullah ﷺ said,"The search for (religious) knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim. Obviously, committing a crime knowingly, in sheer defiance of law, is a far more grievous offence. Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Keep giving good counsel to one another in the light of the knowledge you possess. For, dishonesty in matters relating to knowledge is worse than dishonesty in financial matters and you will have to account for your knowledge". There are numerous Ahadith to the effect that: Whosoever is asked about something he knows and conceals it, a bridle of fire will be thrust into his mouth on the Day of Resurrection.

Once, Rasulullah ﷺ delivered a sermon, in the course of which he praised certain tribes. He then said 'What is the matter with the people who do not instruct their neighbouring tribes in Deen, nor give them good counsel; they do not inculcate in them a proper understanding of ‘Deen, nor persuade them to do good deeds; nor do they forbid them to do evil deeds? And why is it that some people do not wish to learn

(religious) knowledge from their neighbouring tribes, nor do they desire to have a proper understanding, nor do they take counsel from their neighbours. Let those (who are learned) instruct their neighbours in 'Deen," admonish them and inculcate in them a proper understanding of Deen and let those (who are ignorant) learn all these things from the learned ones. I swear by Allah, if they failed to do so, they would be punished severely even in this world (in addition to the punishment in the Hereafter)". Saying this, Rasulullah ﷺ got down, from the pulpit. People began to talk about the tribes which he meant. Rasulullah ﷺ said that b; was referring to the Asharites (people of the al-Ash'ari tribes) who were possessed of knowledge and a proper understanding of ‘Deen, while the tribes living in their neighbourhood were ignorant of religious knowledge.

When the news reached the Ash'arites, they came to Rasulullah ﷺ and submitted,"O Rasulullah! we have come to know that you praised certain people but you said such things about us". Rasulullah ﷺ repeated his words before them: ‘Let them instruct their neighbours in ‘Deen admonish them, and inculcate in them a proper understanding of Deen, persuade them to do good deeds and forbid them to do evil deeds; and let the others learn all these things from the learned ones. If they failed to do so, I should punish them severely even in this world. They submitted, ‘0 Rasulullah! How should we inculcate an understanding of ‘Deen in their minds?" Rasulullah ﷺ again repeated the same words. The tnbesmen asked the same question a third time and Rasulullah reiterated the same admonition. Then they submitted,"O Rasulullah, grant us respite for a year”, so he granted them a year’s time for the education of their neighbours. (Targheeb & Majma'-uz-Zawa'id)

This Hadith, containing the severe admonition of Rasulullah ﷺ, clearly indicates that it is incumbent upon those who possess knowledge and understanding of ‘Deen to educate the ignorant people living in their neighbourhood. It does not absolve them of their responsibility to presume that those who really want it will acquire knowledge, of themselves. True, the ignorant will be questioned about their negligence in learning ‘Deen, which is a sin by itself. But it is also the responsibility of those who know to instruct the ignorant in ‘Deen. They should, therfore, make efforts and adopt proper means for the religious education of the people. In doing so, they will be making a practical use of their knowledge. For, man’s practice of his own knowledge partly consists of his imparting it to others.

Of the invocations (Du‘aas) of Rasulullah ﷺ, which have been transmitted through many different chains of narration, the one is quite well-known: ‘O Allah! I seek your protection against knowledge that profiteth not.

Rasulullah ﷺ once said:"On the Day of Resurrection a person will be thrown into Jahannam and his entrails will come out of the his body. He will go round his entrails as an ass goes round while turning a mill. The inhabitants of Jahannam will assemble around him and ask him,"What has happened to you? You used to command us to do good deeds and were forbidding the evil deeds."He will say,"I enjoined you to do good deeds, but did not practise them myself.

In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said:"On the night of Miraaj (the Ascension), I saw a group of men whose lips were being clipped with scissors of Fire. On asking who they were, Jibrael Alaihissalam told me that they were those preachers of my Ummah who commanded others to do good deeds but did not do so themselves: Still another Hadith narrates that Rasulullah Sallallako alayhi wa sallam once said:"The Zabaaniyah (the guards of Jahannam) will apprehend the wicked ularaa even before apprehending the nonbelievers. When they say, “How is it that we are being punished even before the non-belivers, they will be told thus, The learned and the ignorant cannot be treated alike (i.e. you committed all these misdeeds, inspite of the fact that you possessed knowledge of ‘Deen’". (Targheeb). The Zabaaniya are the Angles deputed by Allah Ta'ala for casting people into Jahannam. A reference to them occurs in Surah Iqra. A Hadith has the following narration: Some of the inhabitants of Jannah will visit some in-habitants of Jahannam, and ask them,"What has happened to you that you are here? Indeed we have been granted entry into Jannah by virtue of what we learnt from you”. They will reply, ‘We did not practise ourselves what we preached to others'. Maalik bin Dinar reports on the authority of Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alaihima that Rasulullah Sallallako alayhi wa sallam once said: ’’Whoever delivers a sermon will be questioned by Allah Ta'ala on the Day of Resurrection, about the motive behind his sermon (i.e. he will have to explain whether it was meant for gaining worldly advantages- such as wealth, fame, worldly honour and glory, etc.- or for winning the pleasure of Allah Ta'alaY.

A student of Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi says that whenever he related this Hadith, he wept bitterly, so that his voice choked with tears. Then he said,"You think that I take pleasure in giving sermons, though I am aware of the fact that, on the Day of Resurrection, I shall have to explain what motivated my sermons". (Targheeb)Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon every ‘Alim to deliver sermons (as explained in the foregoing pages). For, it is his responsibility to instruct others in religious knowledge, and there are many Ahadith to that effect (like the Tradition concerning the Asharites mentioned above).

Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu used to say,"What I fear most is that Allah Ta'ala should call me on the Day of Resurrection and I should say. ‘At your service, my Lord and Sustained Then Allah Ta'ala should command me to explain how far I acted upon my knowledge". In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said,"The one who would have to suffer the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection would be a learned man (an ‘Alim) who did not profit from his knowledge".

Ammaar bin Yaasir Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Rasulullah ﷺ sent me to the people of the Qais tribe to instruct them in Deen. I found that they were like wild camels; all the time they were concerned about their camels and goats, taking no heed of anything else. So, I had to come back. Rasulullah ﷺ asked me, ‘What did you do about your errand?7 1 told him about their condition and their indifference to Deen. Rasulullah ﷺ said, ‘Ammaar, more astonishing is the condition of the people who possess knowledge and, still, are as heedless towards Deen as these ignorant people,.

It occurs in another Hadith that some people will be cast into Jahannam and their foul and putrid smell will be too disgusting even for the inhabitants of Jahannam. They will ask them. 'What misdeeds did you commit, the evil effect whereof has caused you to give off such offensive odours? We were already in untold misery; you have added to our torment". They will reply."We did not put our knowledge to any use".

Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says,"The person I fear most for in this Ummah is the hypocritical Alim."When someone asked what he meant by a hypocritical ‘Alim, he replied, ‘One who acts like the ignorant people, but talks like the Ulama"This is to say, a learned man who speaks eloquently but does not practise what he preaches to others is a hypocrite. Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Don't be like one who treasures up learning of the scholars and gleans rare wisdom of the sages, but acts like the ignorant fools '. Sufyaan Thauri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Knowledge calls for action. He who acts upon what he knows is allowed to retain his knowledge, while he who does not act upon it is not entitled to retain it". Fudhail Rahmatullah alayhi says:"I feel great pity for three persons: the leader of the people who has been disgraced, a wealthy man reduced to poverty and a learned man (‘Alim) who has become a play thing of people, for his worldly interests"

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says:"The Ulama are punished when their soul become dead; and death of the soul consists in seeking worldly compensations for acts of virtue, as against the rewards in the Hereafter A poet says:

Poetic Translation: "I am astonished at a person who seeks to go astray at the cost of true guidance (Hidaayat); more astonishing is the case of a man who barters away his 'Deen ’ for a worldly gain. But far more astonishing is the case of a person who barters away his own Deen ' for the worldly advantage of others (that is to say, he does harm to his own spiritual/religious career for the worldly benefit of other people).

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes: An Alim who is enamoured of the world is meaner and lower in spiritual status than an ignorant person; he will be punished in the Hereafter more severely. Sucessful indeed are the Ulama who have been favoured with nearness to Allah Ta'ala and who are ever concerned about the Hereafter. There are certain distinguishing signs of such Ulama:

The First and foremost, a true Alim is one who does not try to acquire wealth through his learning. The lowest of rank among the Ulama is one who is fully aware that. this material world is despicable, mean, polluted and evanescent;and that the life Hereafter is vast, everlasting and glorious beyond imagination, the bounties whereof are absolutely pure. Besides, every true ‘Alim fully understands that this world and the Hereafter are opposed to each other. They are, so to say, like two wives married to one and the same husband: when one is pleased with him, the other is naturally displeased. To give another example, they are like two scales of a balance-when one goes down, the other goes up automatically.Indeed, the present world and the world Hereafter are poles apartThey are like two wives of a person: if you seek to get closer to one, it will be at the expense of the other. And he has not a sane mind who does not realise that this material world has low value and is impure, the pleasures whereof are gained at the cost of hardships in this world and in the Hereafter. It is a common experience that all worldly joys involve taking pains in this world and unavoidable sufferings in the Hereafter. How can a person of such insane mind become an ‘Alim? Furthermore, a person who has no idea of the magnificence of the Hereafter and its everlastingness, is not a true believer. How can such a one become an ‘Alim? Ifa person does not realise that this world and the next have opposing interests and wishes to combine both, he is trying to do something which is undesirable. Such people are infact ignorant of the code of life of all the ‘Ambiya’ (Apostles) of Allah Ta'ala. And if a person knows all these facts and, still, gives preference to his worldly interests, he is a slave of Shaitaan (Devil), ruined by lusts and facing an evil Fate. Obviously, such a lost soul cannot be counted among the Ulama (divines).

Dawood Alaihissalam relates that Allah Ta'ala says:"If an Alim prefers worldly desires to My love, the least I do to him is that I deprive him of the bliss of having communion with Me. (He cannot experience the sublime joys inherent in the Remembrance or ‘Zikr’ of Allah Ta'ala and in invocations to Him). O Dawood, have no regard for an ‘Alim who has been intoxicated by his lust for this material world, for he would lead you astray from My love. Such people are, in reality, deceitful plunderers. O Dawood, if you find someone who really seeks My countenance, be thou a servant to him. O Dawood, if anyone comes to Me running, I record his name as a ‘Jahbaz’ (a sane wise person) and I do not punish a man who has been recorded as such?

Yahya bin Mu'aaz Rahmatullah alayhi says: When knowledge and wisdom are employed for gaining worldly advantages, these are divested of lustre and glory? Sa‘eed bin al-Musayyab Rahmatullah alayhi says: ‘If you find an ‘Alim associating with the princes, he must be a dishonest impostor?

Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says:"If you find an Alim enamoured of this materia] world, he must be blameworthy in religious matters, for everybody occupies himself with things which are dear to him?

Someone asked a divine"Can anyone who takes pleasure in sinful deeds become an ‘Arif (a pious being with intimate knowledge) of his Lord"? The divine replied, '1 can say, without hesitation, that no one who prefers this world to the next, can be an ‘Arifi relishing sins is a far greater evil!"It should also be borne in mind that no Alim can be regarded as one concerned about the Hereafter merely for his rejection of worldly wealth, unless he also has no ambition for worldly honour or status. For, these ambitions are more harmful to the soul than the lust for wealth.

The Second distinguishing characteristic of a true‘AJimis that there should be no contradiction between his knowledge and his practice of 'Dean,. That is to say, he should, of necessity, practice what he preaches to others. Allah Ta'ala says:

Do you erjoin righteousness upon mankind while you yourselves forget (to practise) it? And you recite the scriptures. (al-Baqarah:

And, in another context:

It is most hateful in the sight of Allah that you say what you practice not (as-Saff: 3)

Haatam Asamm Rahmatullah alayhi says:"On the day of Resurrection, none will be more grieved than an ‘Alim who imparted knowledge to others, which they acted upon and were granted eternal success, while he himself did not act upon his knowledge and, therefore, failed miserably". Ibne Simaak Rahmatullah alayhi says:"There are many who enjoin ‘Zikr’ (Remembrance of Allah) upon others, but do not remember Him themselves; they admonish others to fear Allah, but they themselves disobey Him most audaciously; they persuade others to cultivate proximity with Allah, but are remote from Him themselves; they invite others unto Allah, but themselves flee from Him".

Abdur Rahman Ibne Ghanam Rahmatullah alayhi says that ten Sahabah Rodhialloho anhum related to him the Hadith:"We were once sitting in the Masjid Quba and learning (religious) knowledge when Rasulullah ﷺ came and said to us, ‘Acquire as much knowledge as you will but Allah Ta'ala a will not reward you unless you act upon what you know."

The third distinguishing characteristic of a true ‘Alim’ is that he is always concerned with such branches of knowledge as are beneficial for the Hereafter and which exhort one to perform good deeds. He is least interested in that branch of knowledge which has little or no use for the Akhirah. The fact is that it is unwise to regard these as true ‘Ilm or learning. It is sheer ignorance to regard oneself as an ‘Alim simply because one is possessed of worldly knowledge; the pity is that such a person is not particular about learning religious knowledge. An illiterate person, on the other hand, is conscious of his ignorance and, therefore, tries to acquire religious nowledge. Great indeed is the spiritual loss of a man who believes himself to be an ‘Alim though he is steeped in (sheer) ignorance. Haatam Asa mm Rahmatullah alayhi was a renowned Sufi and a favourite pupil of Shaqiq Balkhi Rahmatullah alayhi. Once the Sheikh asked him,"Haatam, how long have you been here, in company with me?"He replied, 'Thirty-three years". The Sheikh said. What did you learn during these thirty-three years of association with me?"Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi replied,"I have learnt eight lessons". At this, Shaqiq Rahmatullah alayhi out of sheer disappointment recited:

'Lo! We are Allah s and lot unto Him we are returning He said regretfully,"You learnt only eight lessons during long years of association with me? I have wasted all my life in associating with you". Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi submitted most respectfully, I have learnt only eight lessons: I cannot lie to you". The Sheikh said, Tell me, what are those eight lessons?1 Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi answered thus:

(a) I have found that everybody loves someone or something (wife children, property, friends, etc.), but I know that, as soon as he is laid in the grave, the loved ones part company with him. Consequently, I have cultivated love for good deeds so that, when I die and pass into the grave, my loved ones should also accompany me into the grave and I should not be left alone.’ Shaqiq Rahmatullah alayhi said, You have done well".

(b) I have read in the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala says:

4 But as for him who feared (in this world) to stand before his Lord (in the Hereafter) and restrained himself from (unlawful indulgence in) lust, Lot Jannah will be his home,. (an-Naaziaat: 40-41).

I know that whatever Allah Ta'ala says is true. Therefore, I have restrained myself from worldly desires and I have become steadfast in devotion to Him. precious to men are preserved with great care and protected with diligence. Then I read in the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala says:

That which you have (in the world) wasteth away (either you will die and leave it behind or it wiil be wasted away in your life; it is all one to you); and that which Allah has, remains (eternally). (an-Nahl: 96)

Accordingly, whenever I came by something which was of great value to me, or which I prized above other things, I consigned it to the custody of Allah (spent it for the cause of Allah Ta'ala), so that it should be preserved for ever. (c) I know that, in this world, things which are dearest and most wealth, nobility of parentage and other things of pride. That is, they etc., and assert their supertake pride in wealth, high parentage, iority over others. But I have read in the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala says:

'Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in piety. ’ (al-Hujurat: 13)

I, therefore, have cultivated piety in myself, so that I should become the noblest of men in the sight of Allah Ta'ala. that Then, I read in the Holy Qur'an fault with them out of jealousy. Allah Ta'ala says:

We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and (in this apportionment) we have raised some of them above others in rank, (so) that some of them (should) take labour from others, (az-Zukhruf: 32)

(That is to say, if all men were alike and equal in rank, no one would work for others or serve anybody and, consequently, there would be disorder and chaos in the affairs of the world).

Therefore, I have restrained myself from jealousy and ceased to concern myself with other people’s affairs. I know for certain that the distribution of livelihood is entirely in the hands of Allah Ta'ala and He grants as much as He pleases to whomsoever He likes. 1, therefore, ceased to harbour enmity against anyone, realising that a man’s personal effort has little to do with his prosperity or adversity. It has rather been foreordained by Allah Ta'ala, Who is the Sovereign Lord of the worlds. So, I do not feel angry with anyone.

(0 I have observed that, in this world, everybody is hostile to someone or the other. I have considered this in the light of what Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an: ho! Shaitan (the devil) is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy (Do not be friends with him). (at-Fatir: 6)

So, I have directed all my hostilities against Shaitan alone and I always try to keep away from him, by all possible means. And, as Allah Ta'ala has commanded us to treat him as an enemy, I bear no enmity against anyone other than Shaitan.

(g) I have observed that all people are struggling hard to seek their livelihood, so much so that they disgrace or abase themselves before others and adopt unlawful means for procuring their daily bread. But I have read in the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala says:

And there is no living being that moves on earth, but his sustenance depends on Allah Ta'ala. (Hood: 6)

Considering that I am also one of the creatures (that move on earth) whose sustenances depends upon Allah Ta'ala. I occupied myself with paying what I owe to Allah Ta'ala and ceased to worry about what Allah Ta'ala has taken the responsibility to provide.

(h) I have observed that all men have faith upon and put their trust in things which have themselves been created by Allah Ta'ala. Some have faith in their estates or business concerns, others in their own skill or craftsmanship, and there are still others who trust their own physical power and energy. In short, all people have put their trust in things which have been created by Allah Ta'ala, like themselves. I have read in the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta'ala says:

'And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him (atTalaaq: 3)

Therefore, I have put my trust and faith in Him alone.

Shaqiq Rahmatullah alayhi thereupon said, ‘Haatam, may Allah bless you with ‘Taufiq’ (Divine aid for performance for good deeds)! I have viewed the teachings of the Torah, the Injeel, the Zabur and the Holy Qur'an, and I believe that these eight moral lessons form a gist of all that is realy good and beneficial for man. Therefore, anyone acting upon these precepts will be deemed to have practised the learning contained in all the four Scriptures revealed by Allah Ta'ala The fact is that such a learning can only be attained by those Ulama who are really concerned about the Hereafter. These truths lie too deep for those (so-called) Ulama who are ambitious for material wealth and who hanker after worldly honour and recognition.

The Fourth Distinguishing characteristic is that such Ulama are least interested in the elegance of dress or delicacies of food. Such an Alim should, rather exercise moderation in these matters, and follow the example of his seniors. He should bear in mind that simplicity, in dress and food, will be helpful to him to advance in nearness to Allah Ta'ala and place him at a high rank among the Ulama-e-Aakhirat' (The divines concerned about the Hereafter alone).

Quite relevant here is an amazing episode about Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi narrated by one of his pupils, Abu Abdullah Khawas Rahmatullah alayhi. He relates,"Once, we were with our sheikh in a village called ‘Raye There were three hundred and twenty persons with us and we were all going for Hajj. We were a ‘Jama'at (group) of ‘Mutawokkeleen’ and we had no provisions or any kind of equipment but had faith in Allah to look after our needs. In the village, we came across an ordinary businessman who, though he looked rather a dry sort of person, invited the entire group to dinner and we stayed there for the night Next morning he said to Abu Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi that he was going to enquire after the health of an Alim who was ill, and that the Sheikh could accompany him if he liked. Haatam Rahmat ullah alayhi said, ‘Very well, I would be pleased to accompany you; it is a blessed deed to enquire after an ailing person and visiting an Alim is an act of devotion. This Alim was Sheikh Muhammah bin Muqaatil, the Qadhi of that village. When Abu Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi reached his house and saw its magnificence, he was lost in thought. He exclaimed to himself, ‘Allah-o-Akbar! An Alim living in such a grand house!’ ‘Anyhow, we requested entry and walked in. We saw that its interior was most magnificent, neat, clean and spacious, with curtains hanging all round. Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi gazed upon all these things in amazement. Soon we reached the Qadhi s room, who was lying in a fine, soft, fluffy bed. A slaveboy stood above at his head, fanning him. The businessman greeted him by saying, ‘Assalaam-o-Alaikum, sat beside him and enquired about his health. But Haatam kept standing. The Qadhi motioned him to sit down, but the Sheikh refused to take a seat. The Qadhi said, '‘Have you got anything to say?"The shiekh said,"I want to ask you about a religious matter". The Qadhi said,"Well what is it? Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi said, ‘Would you mind sitting up in bed?" At this, the servants helped him (because ue was too weak) and the Qadhi sat up in bed. After this, the following conversation took place:

Haatam: From whom did you acquire your knowledge? Qadhi: I learnt it from the trustworthy Ulama! Haatam: ‘Who transmitted it to the Ulama?’ Qadhi: ‘The Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum transmitted it to them’. Haatam: Who imparted it to the Sahabah? Qadhi: ‘Raculullah Sallallahv alayhi wa sallam imparted it to them. Haatam: ‘Who conveyed it to Rasulullah ﷺ. Qadhi: ‘Jibra’il Alaihissalam conveyed it to him. Haatam: Who revealed it to Jibra’il Alaihissalam? Qadhi:"Allah Ta'ala, Jalla Shanohu, revealed it to him’. Haatam: ‘Is there any indication, in the entire body of knowledge revealed by Allah Taala to Rasulullah Sallallaha alayhi wa sallam through Jibra’il Alaihissalam and transmitted to you through the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum and the trustworthy Ulama, to the effect that the more splendid a man’s house the more exalted he is in the sight of Allah Ta'ala? There is no such indication in that knowledge Qadhi: Haatam: If not, what occurs in that body of knowledge (in this regard)? Qadhi: It occurs that, in the sight of Allah Ta'ala, only those are exalted to positions of honour who abstain from the worldly joys, concern themselves with the Hereafter, love the humble and the poor ones, and spend for the cause of Allah, thereby treasuring up their charities with Allah Ta'alay for the Hereafter. Haatam: Then, whose example are you following? Are you following the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ? Are you imitating the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum and the trustworthy Ulama (divines)? Or, are you following in the footsteps of Fir‘aun and Namrud? ‘O wicked scholars of Islam! The ignorant worldlings say, when they notice men like you, ‘If such is the plight of the Ulama, we cannot be blamed for being in a similar condition.

Saying this, Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi went away. This severe admonition had a bad effect on the Qadhi’s health and he grew worse. It was rumoured that the sheikh had been severe with the Qadhi. Someone said to Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi, “Tanafasi, another Alim who lives in Qazween, a city situated at a distance of eighty-one miles from Raye, is leading a far more luxurious life". So, Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi set out on a journey to Qazween, with a view to admonishing him. On reaching there, he said to Tanafasi,"I am a man from a non-Arab country. I beseech you to ihsturct me in ‘Deen’, beginning with its rudiments. That is, I would like you to demonstrate to me how Wudhu (ablution) is performed, for, Wudhu is the key to Salaat". Tanafasi said,"With great pleasure", and asked someone to fetch water. He then performed Wudhu before the Sheikh to show him how it is performed.

Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi said, ‘Allow me to perform Wudhu before you, so that I may learn it properply. At this, Tanafasi got up and the Sheikh sat in his place. He began to perform Wudhu and washed his hands four times. Tanafasi said, This is ‘Israaf (extravagance); you should wash every limb thrice only.Whereupon Haatam said ‘Subhan-Allahil-IAzeem! (Allah, the Most High is beyond all imperfections!) It is extravagant of me to use a little extra water for Wudhu, but is it not extravagant of you to make use of all these accessories and accoutrements that you possess?"Then, of course, Tanafasi realised that Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi had not come to learn, but to admonish him.

After this, Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi went to Baghdad. When Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal Rahmatullah alayhi learnt about him and his affairs, he came to see the Sheikh. The Imaam asked him,"How can one be safe from the taint of the world?" Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi replied,"You cannot protect yourself from the evil influence of the world unless you possess four qualities":

(i) You should forgive the people who behave towards you rudely or stupidly.

(ii) You should not behave towards them in the same manner.

(iii) You should spend on others whatever you have.

(iv) You should not feel greedy for what other people possess Later, when Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi reached Madinah Munawwarah and people heard of him, t they came to see him and gathered round him.He said, ‘What city is this?" People said, ‘It is the city of Rasulullah ﷺ Haatam said,"Which is the palace of Rasulullah? I would like to pray two Raka'ats in his palace". They said that Rasulullah ﷺ had not lived in a palace, but in a humble low-roofed house. Haatam Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Show me then the palaces of the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum' The people said,"he Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum also had no palaces to live in; they lived in small houses with low roofs a little above the ground". Haatam said, Then, this must be the city of Fir'aun". The remark gave offence to the people who seized the Sheikh and presented him before the ‘Ameer’ (governor) of Madinah. For, they thought, he was guilty of sacrilege in calling MadinahMunawarah the city of Fir'hun. When the ‘Ameer’ (gover nor) demanded an explanation, Haatam said, ‘Don’t be in such a hurry. Listen to what I say til] I have finished. I come from a nonArabic country. When I entered this city, I asked what city it was and they said that it was the city of Rasulullah ﷺ. The Sheikh then repeated the entire conversation that had passed between him and the people of Madinah and thereafter recited the following Ayah from the Holy Qur'an:

Verily you have, in Rasul of Allah, a good example for him whose hope is in Allah and who fears the Last Day, and who engages much in the remebrance of Allah (i.e. for him who is a perfect 4 Mu'min 9 (believer). (al-Ahzaob: 21)

The Ayah means that, in all circumstances, one should follow the example of Rasulullah ﷺ. Afterwards, he said, ‘Allah Ta'ala commands us to follow in the footsteps of Rasulullah. Now tell me whether you are following the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ or the ways for Fir’aun." At this, the people released him.

In this connection, it is worthy of note that it is not forbidden to enjoy things that are ‘Mubaah’ (permissible) according to Shariah, nor is it unlawful to have an abundance of such things in one’s possession. However, the affluence of such luxuries creates a strong liking for them, to such an extent that it becomes difficult to do without them. Consequently, one has to busy himself in providing these things for oneself, and in increasing one’s means of income. And, whosoever demotes himself to increase his wealth, often adopts a compromising attitude towards his religion. What is worse, such people often commit sinful deeds. If it had been easy to involve oneself in worldly affairs without getting contaminated, Rasulullah ﷺ would not have so seriously admonished his Ummah to abstain from absorption in worldly pursuits, nor would he have been so particular personally about avoiding worldly taint to the extent that he refused to wear an embroidered gown.

In a letter to Imaam Maalik Rhmatullah alayhi, Yahya bin Yazid NaufaB Rahmatullalah alayhi wrote, after praising Allah Ta'ala and invoking His Choicest Blessings on Rasulullah: ‘I have come to know that you put on fine clothes, take fine bread and sleep in a soft bed. You have also appointed a door-man at your house. AH this looks odd, considering that you are one of the great and renowned Ulama and people come to you from far off places, for learning religious knowledge. You are our Imaam (leader) and preceptor and people follow your example. I suggest that you should be very cautious in these matters. I am submitting these lines merely as a sign of my sincerest regards for you and no one except Allah Ta'ala knows about this letter. The end. Assalaam-o-Alaikum.’

In reply to this letter, lmaam Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi wrote: ‘I received your letter, which contained much advice and admonition for me, besides being a sign of your kindest regard for me. May Allah bless you with piety and righteousness! May Allah grant you best rewards for this advice! May Alah grant me ‘Taufeeq’ (Divine aid) to act upon your advice! Indeed, nobody can perform good deeds or protect himself against bad deeds without help and favour from Allah Taala what you have heard of me is true. I am in the habit of using all these things. May Allah grant me forgiveness! However, all these things are allowable under ‘Shariah’ (Islamic Law). Allah Ta'ola says:

Say: Who has forbidden the adornments of Allah (clothes, etc) which He has brought forth for His servants and the good and pure things (food and drinks) that He has provided for sustenance? (al-A'raf: 32)

‘I am fully aware that, notwithstanding their permissibility, it is far better not to make use of these adornments. 1 should hope that, in future, you would be kind enough to write to me from time to time. I shall also continue to write letters to you. ‘With regards’. (Assalaam-o-Alaikum)f lmaam Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi has made a very subtle point. He has given a legal opinion (Fatwa) about the religious permissibility for the use of good things of life and, at the same time, admitted that it is better to abstain from them.

The Fifth distinguishing trait of the Ulama who are concerned about the hereafter is that they keep away from the company of the princes, lords and rulers, and do not associate with them unless it becomes unavoidable. The Ulama should rather avoid their company, even if the princes come to visit them, of themselves. For, their companionship may involve seeking their pleasure and winning their goodwill. Besides, the princes often indulge in cruelty, injustice and other sinful deeds. And, it is incumbent upon an ‘Alim to forbid them to do evil deeds, to expose their injustice or cruelty, and to admonish them against transgressing the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala. Observing reticence in such matters (instead of voicing one’s disapproval) amounts to compromising one’s religion.Furthermore, if one is obliged to praise the princes and lords, with a view to winning their favours, it amounts to telling lies. And, if one feels greedy and inwardly inclined towards what they possess of material wealth, it is covetousness forbidden by Law (Shariah). In short, associating with the’princes leads on to many forms of evil practices. Rasulullah ﷺ said that whosoever lives in the jungle becomes hard-hearted; one who is fond of hunting becomes neglectful (of everything else); and one who visits the kings frequently falls into temptations!

Huzaifah Radkiallaho anhu said:"Beware of the seats of temptation!"On being asked what the seats of temptation were, he said, 'The house-doors of the princes and lords. For, whosoever visits them will have to approve of their misdeeds and (by way of praise) he will have to attribute to them such qualities as they do not possess!

Rasulullah ﷺ once said that the worst among the Ulama are those who visit the princes and lords and the best among the rulers are those who visit the Ulama.

Samnoon Rahmatullah alayhi, one of the companions of Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi, narrates that if you hear about an ‘Alim as being enamoured of the world, consider him at fault in his religion. I experienced it myself. Whenever I went to see the king and, on coming back, looked within my heart, I found the ill-effects of the visit effecting my soul, in spite of the fact that I talk to the kings with severity, contradict their views sternly and do not partake of anything that belongs to them, to the extent that I abstain from even drinking plain water, so long as I am with the king. Our worldyminded Ulama are worse than the Divines of Banu Israeel. For they go to the rulers and tell them how to evade the Law (Shariah) and, thereby, seek to win their favours. If the Ulama were to tell the rulers about their responsibilities in plain words, they would never like them (the Ulama) to visit their courts frequently, but their truthfulness will be a means of eternal salvation in the sight of Allah Ta'ala. Indeed, the Ulama’s visits to the princes’ courts expose them (the Ulama) to temptations and help the Shaitan in leadng them astray. Especially those who can speak eloquently fall an easy prey to the evil promptings of the Shaitan, who whispers into their ears: Your visiting the princes is good for them. For, they will be reformed by your speech and you will be saving them from falling into tyranny and injustice. And, it will also be helpful for preserving the ‘Sha'aair’ of Islam (Institutions like Salaat, Jihaad, etc., which serve as symbols of religion). Consequently, such people are led to the belief that visiting the Sultans is also an act of virtue-though the fact is that, if one visits them, one will have to compromise one’s Deen and one will become obliged to praise them, which is fatal to one’s Deen.

In a letter to Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi, Umar Bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi wrote: Please send me the names and addresses of suitable persons whom I should ask to assist me in the affairs of Khilafat (Caliphate). Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi replied:"Pious people will not come to you and you will not select the worldly people. And, of course, the greedy and avaricious persons should not be entrusted with such tasks, for they would corrupt the affairs of the government. So I suggest that you should employ persons of noble descent, becuase their sense of honour will not allow them to tarnish their inherited nobility by dishonest deeds". Just imagine! This was the reply sent by Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi to Umar bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi who is renowned for his excellent qualities of piety, equity and justice, so much so that he is surnamed as a ‘Second Umar’ (for his similarities with Umar bin Khattab Radhiyallahu anhu, the second Khalifah of Islam).

This view is held by Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi, but this humble author (Sheikh Muhammad Zakariyya Rahmatullah alayhi) is of the view that unless it becomes necessary to decline such offers for religious reasons, there is no harm in accepting the responsibility (to assist the Khalifah) in affairs of the Caliphate, provided that one is watchful and capable of protecting oneself (against temptations). Rather, sometimes, it becomes imperative to accept such responsibilities in the interest of ‘Deen’ (religion) or because necessity demands it. However, it is very important that one should not accept such tasks for personal motives, personal interests, material gains or worldly honour and glory. One should, instead, keep in view the needs of the Muslim community. Says Allah Ta'ala:

And Allah Ta'ala knows him who spoils (does not try to improve the lot of the people) from him who improves (the lot of the Muslims). (al-Baqarah: 220)

The Sixth distinguishing sign of the virtuous Ulama is that they do not take hasty decisions when giving verdicts in religious 1 1 at (Fatwas) and are very careful in giving advice on religious matters. As far as possible, they refer the cases to someone else whom they consider to be capable of giving such decisions.

Abu Hafs Naishapuri Rahmatullah alayhi says, ‘A true Alim is one who, while giving an opinion in religious matters, is afraid and thinks that he will have to explain, on the Day of Resurrection, as to the authority on which he had given a decision in such and such cases’. Some of the Ulama have said that the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum were reluctant to accept four responsiblities:

1. The office of an Imaam (one who leads the obligatory prayers).

2. The guardianship of a deceased person (i.e. the responsibility to distribute his property according to the will made by him).

3. Accepting a trust.

4. Giving decisions (Fatwaas) in religious matters.

And their five great interests in life were: (1) Reciting the Holy Qur'an. (2) Frequent stay in Masjids; (3) Remembrance of Allah Ta'ala. (4) Enjoining what is good; and (5) Forbidding the evil.

Ibne Husain Rahmatullah alayhi says: ‘Some people hurriedly pronounce a decision (Fatwa) of religious law in such important matters about which, if they had been presented to Umar Radhiyallahu anhu, he would not have given his decision without gathering together and consulting all the leading Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum who had participated in the Badr expedition,’ Anas Radhiyallahu anhu was one of the illustrious Sahabah who had the privilege to have served Rasulullah ﷺ for ten years; still, whenever he was asked to give his opinion about an issue, he would refer it to Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi who was a Tabi'ee but a renowned mystic and a celebrated scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh). Similarly, Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu, who was an illustrious Sahabi surnamed ‘Raees-ul-Mufassireen’ (the ‘Foremost among the interpreters of the Holy Qur'an) would direct the people to solicit the opinion of Jaabir bin Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi who was a TabPee, well versed in giving religious law-decisions (Fatwas). While Abdullah Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu, himself an illustrious Sahabi and a profound scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqah) referred cases to Saeed Ibne-al Musayyab Rahmatullah alayhi, a Tabi ee.

The Seventh distinguishing characteristic of the true Ulama is that they are seriously interested in the deeper aspects of religious knowledge which relate to Suluk (i.e. initiation in the Paths to Ultimate Truth). They are constantly engaged in the struggle to reform and purify their own souls, realizing that reforming one’s inner self helps one in gaining deeper understanding of the formal aspects of knowledge. Rasulullah ﷺ said"Whosoever acts upon his knowledge, Allah Ta‘ala will grant him knowledge of things which he has not acquired It occurs in the Scriptures of the former Rasuls Alaihimussalam:"O Children of Israel! Say not! knowledge lies in the skies above; who can make it descendupon us? ‘Nor should you say: ‘Knowledge lies in the bowels of the earth, too deep for us to dig out’. Nor say: ‘knowledge lies across the seas too far away for us to reach it’. No! The fountains of knowledge spring from within your own hearts. If you remain in My presence, observing proper etiquette in the manner of great spiritual beings and cultivate th pious manners of the varacious believers (Siddiqeen), I shall cause the fountains of knowledge to spring forth from your hearts. So much so, that you will overwhelmed by knowledge.” Experience shows that the pious beings who have attained nearness to Allah Taala are granted access to such subtleties and profundities of knowledge as lie beyond the reach of an ordinary scholar depending only on books.

Rasulullah ﷺ says that Allah Ta'ala has said: ‘No means whereby My servant seeks My Favour are more pleasing to Me than the observance of Faraaidh (obligatory rites) (such as Salaat, Zakaat, Fasting, Hajj or Pilgrimage etc.). That is to say, no other means of seeking nearness to Allah Ta'ala can compare with the proper performance of ‘Faraaidh (Obligatory duties). And, My servant ceases not to seek nearness to Me by Nafl (optional practices of Salaat, Sadaqaat, etc) until 1 make him My favourite, and when I make him My favourite, I become his ears wherewith he hears, his eyes wherewith he sees, and his hands wherewith he holds, and his feet wherewith he walks. And, if he asks Me for something, I fulfil his desire, or if he seeks refuge against anything, I grant him refuge. (Bukhari)

(This Hadith means that, when a man becomes a favourite of Allah Ta'ala, he fully submits to the will of Allah Ta'ala in his walking, seeing and hearing, and in each and everything he does.) Some other versions of the Hadith add: ‘Whosoever despises or bears enmity against anyone of my friends (favourites) has declared war against Me.

Since the great saints are the Favourites of Allah Ta'ala, they are constantly and whole-heartedly engaged in contemplation, meditation and rememberance of Allah Ta'ala, and thus the subtle and deeper meanings of the Holy Quran are revealed unto them, and the divine mysteries are made manifest to their souls. Especially, the hearts of those who always remain absorbed in remembrance of Allah Ta'ala are inspired with the deeper significance of the Quranic Ayah. Everyone can acquire spiritual knowledge with Divine Aid (Taufeeq) from Allah Ta'ola, the portion of his knowledge being commensurate with his concern for good actions and his diligence in devotions.

In a comprehensive Hadith quoted by rbne Qayyim Rahmatullah alayhi in his book, ‘Miftaaho Danis Sa‘adah' and by Abu Na‘eem Rahmatullah alayhi in his book, ‘Hilyah, Ali Radhiyallahu anhu is reported to have given the following thorough account of the qualities of the Ulama who are concerned only about the Hereafter:Human hearts are like vessels and the best hearts are those which are containers of all that is good; it is better to preserve knowledge than to accumulate wealth. For, knowledge gives you protection while wealth needs protection by you; knowledge increases by use while wealth decreases by spending. The benefits of wealth do not remain after it has been spent, but the benefits of learning are eternal (people continue to benefit from the sayings of a learned man even after his death)

He then heaved a deep sigh and added,"Within my bosom, I hold true knowledge; I wish I could find people who would be capable of receiving this knowledge. It is a pity that either I find men who employ religious pursuits for amassing wealth, or I find people who indulge in sensual pleasures, and are after amassing worldly wealth (For the sake of brevity, I have quoted here a few sentences from a detailed discourse on the subject).

The eighth distinguishing characteristic of the virtuous Ularna is that their faith in Allah Ta'ala Shanohu is ever-increasing. Such Ulama are deeply concerned about their Iman and Yaqeen, because they are fully aware that an unshakable faith and belief in Allah Ta'ala is the most valuable asset for a Mu'min.

Rasulullah ﷺ said:"Perfect faith is nothing but true beliefTAnd also said,"Learn how to believe truly. The Hadith means that one should be very particular about associating with the people who possess a strong belief and should try to follow their example so that, by virtue of their blessed companionship, one can attain perfect faith.

A true Alim should have perfect belief in the Absolute Power of Allah Ta'ala and His Attributes, just like his belief in the existence of the sun and the moon. He should have a perfect belief that Allah Ta'ala Alone is the Doer of all thing; all the various material means are under His sole control and He employs these means as He wills. All material things are as helpless in His Hands as a stick in the hands of a person who beats someone with it, but nobody holds the stick to be responsible for it. When this belief gets firmly rooted in the heart, it will become easy for him to cultivate the qualities of ‘Tawakkul’ (trusting in Allah alone), ‘Ridhaa’(Willing acceptance of what has been decreed by Allah Ta'ala) and ‘Tasleem’ (Submission to the Supreme Will of Allah Ta'ala).

A true ‘Alim should also have perfect belief that Allah Ta'ala has the responsibility to provide sustenance for all living things. every creature must get whqt is his lot; similarly, no one can get what has not been ordained for him. When this belief becomes firm, one will exercise moderation in the struggle to earn one’s livelihood. Such a belief checks greed and avarice and one does not feel grieved if one has failed to achieve something.

A true ‘Alim should also have firm belief that Allah Ta'ala is watching all our deeds, good or bad, at all times, that he knows even an insignificant good or evil deed and that man will get reward or punishment due for it. He should strongly believe that all virtues are rewarded, just as he believes that eating bread satisfies one’s hunger. Similarly he should believe that evil has consequences for certain, just like snake bite. In short, he should be attracted by good deeds, as a hungry person is by food. And, he should feel afraid of sins just as he is scared of a snake or a scorpion.

The ninth distinguishing characteristic of the virtuous Ularna is that, under all conditions, they should wear a true expression of being inspired with fear of Allah Ta'ala: it should be manifest from every gesture they make, from the style of their dress, from their personal habits, from their speech and even from their silence. A mere look at such an 'Alim’s face will inspire you with the remembrance of Allah Ta ala. He is calm and serene, noble and dignified, humble and modest. He abstains from idle or meaningless talk and his manner of speaking is natural and unassuming. For, artificial and unnatural style of speech is born of pride and haughtiness, and indicates lack of fear of Allah Ta'ala. Says Umar Radhiyallahu anhu:"Acquire knowledge along with proper poise and dignity; behave respectfully towards those who impart knowledge to you, and do not earn the reputation of being hard-hearted ".

Rasulullah ﷺ says; ‘The best of my Ummah are those who, in public life look happy thinking of the infinite mercy of Allah Ta'ala but, in private weep and cry for fear of His punishment. They are bodily on earth, but their hearts are absorbed in thinking of heavenly matters". Someone asked Rasulullah ﷺ"Which is the best virtue?” He replied,"Abstaining from what is unlawful and keeping your tongue occupied forever with Zikr of Allah Ta'ala."Someone asked, “Who is the best companion?” He replied,"He who warns you for negligence in good deeds and aids you in performing them". Someone asked,"Who is a bad companion?” Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"The one who does not warn you when you are negligent in your good actions, nor helps you when you want to do them."Someone asked,"Who is the greatest ‘Alim"? He replied,"The one who lives in greatest awe of Allah Ta'ala"Someone asked,"With whom should we associate most frequently?"He replied,"Those who inspire you with ‘Zikr’ of Allah Ta'ala Rasulullah Scllallaho alayhi wa sallam said:"The care-free person, in the life Hereaftonwill be the one who remained concerned in this life; the happiest person,in the Hereafter, will be he who wept most in this life (for fear of Allah Ta'alaY.

The tenth distinguishing feature of the virtuous Ulama is that they are more concerned about those regulations of Islamic Law which pertain to religious practices and to what is lawful and unlawful. That is to say, they are interested in actions that it is obligatory to perform and are very keen to know things which it is necessary to avoid. Similarly, they are very particular in learning about things which may undo any virtue, for example, things which make Salaat invalid, the virtues of using a ‘Miswak’ fa twing used as a tooth-brush), etc. And, they do not indulge in discussions relating to abstruse branches of knowledge for the sake of being regarded as a sage, a profound scholar or a great philosopher.

The eleventh distinguishing characteristic of avirtuous Alim is that he has studied, with deep insight, various branches of knowledge; he does not blindly accept the opinions of others. For, we are bound to follow Rasulullah ﷺ and seek guidance from his sayings alone. We follow the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhu anhum simply because they closely observed and followed the ways of Rasulullah. And, since following the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ is of fundamental value, a true Alim should be very particular about collecting the Ahadith of Rasulullah and should make them the object of his serious consideration.

The twelfth distinguishing feature of the virtuous Ulama is that they are particularly strict in their ravoidance of innovations ‘Bid‘aat’ in Deem If something becomes a common practice, it does not follow that the thing is a truely religious practice. For, true religion consists in following the Sunnah of Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wassallam. So, in all circumstances, we should ascertain what the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum did in such matters. Hence it is imperative for a true ‘Alim to undertake a thorough study of the ways and manners of the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum and the course of action followed by them under various circumstances.

Hasan Basri RahmStullah alayhi says:"Two types of person are innovators and they have introduced two kinds of innovations in Islam: (1) He who thinks about Iftbmv, that true religion consists only in his view, that only those who agree with him will attain eternal succes, and (2) the one who prefers this material world, seeks its gains, likes those who struggle to achieve worldly things and dislikes those who do not try to earn worldly wealth. Leave both of them alone, for they will go to Jahannam. As for him whom Allah Ta'ala has protected from these wrong notions, he takes care to follow in the footsteps of the Divines of early times, adopts their manners and practices. It is such who will be generously rewarded, in the Akhirah, by Allah Ta'ala".

Abdullah Ibne Mas'ood Radhiyallahu anhu has said: Tours is the age in which desires are restrained by (religious) knowledge; a Ome will soon come when knowledge will be subservient to desires. People will try to justify whatever pleases their fancy with the help of their knowledge". Some Divines have said: During the times of the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum, Shaitan (the Devil) sent forth his detachments to all four corners of the world. They roamed the world and came back, disheartened and exhausted. The Devil asked,"How did you fare?"They said,"These people (the Sahabah) have defeated our designs. They are not at all affected by our temptations; they made our task very hard."Shaitan said,"Don’t worry. These people are companions of their Rasul ﷺ; you cannot tempt them to evil. But soon, you will have people who will do what you desire." Then, once again, Shaitan sent forth his detachments in all directions, during the times of the followers (TabKeen) of Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum. The devil’s disciples again came back, worn out and cast down. When he asked them about their achievement, they said,"They annoyed us a good deal; they are strange people. During the day, we do succeed, to a certain extent, in tempting them into evils. But as soon as the evening falls, they repent of their sins so sincerely that all our labours are lost". Shaitan again said, 'Don’t worry. A time is soon coming when people will behave in a manner most pleasing to you: they will follow their own desires, taking them to be a sacred religious duty. They will not think of repentance; they will rather give religious sanction to their own innovations (Bid’aat) in Islam". After some time, Shaitan introduced into Islam such innovations as were accepted as a part of religion. How could they possibly repent of such a sin when thev believed themselves to be on the right path?

This is a brief account of the twelve distinguishing characteristics of the virtuous Ulama, which have been thoroughly discussed by Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi. The Ulama should, therefore, particularly fear the Day of their Reckoning. They will be questioned more severely because they have a greater responsibility. And the Day of Resurrection, on which this Reckoning will take place, will be the most grievous Day. May Allah Ta‘ala, in His Infinite Bounty and Mercy, protect us all from the severity of that Day!

Translation: HADITH: 7 Rasulullah Sallailaho alayhi wa sallam has stated that Allah Ta ‘ala demands:"O son of Adam, devote yourself to my worship I shall make you feel contented and remove your poverty. But if you do not do so, I shall keep you busy with worldly engagements and will not remove your poverty."

There are many more Ahadith on the same subject. Imraan bin Husain Radhiyallahu anhu reported Rasulullah Sallailaho alayhi wa sallam as saying,"He who reserves his devotion to Allah alone, making himself subservient to Him alone, Allah Ta'ala Himself fulfils all his needs and provides for him from such sources as he could never imagine; and he who makes the worldly gains his sole concern, Allah Ta'ala leaves him alone to deal with the world."Anas Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallailaho alayhi wa sallam once said"A person whose sole concern is for worldly interests, undertakes journeys for the same and remains preoccupied with it all the time, Allah Ta'ala always makes him fear the impending poverty and hunger. (He remains in constant worry, thinking his income to be too small to make both his ends meet.) Thus, much of his time is wasted in such idle cares, because he can only get as much as has been decreed for him. And, if someone concentrates on the Hereafter, makes it the sole aim of his life, undertakes journeys for the same and remains preoccupied with it all the time, Allah Ta'ala protects him from worldly cares, grants him self-sufficiency and bestows upon him an unconcern about material things. He is blessed with perfect peace in his life and the world demeans itself before hm."(Tagheeb). The vorId demeaning itself means that, as everyone must inevitably get what has been ordained for him, his apportioned share comes to him of itself. (We have already quoted a number of Ahadith to the effect that a man’s livelihood pursues him in the same way as his hour of death. It is bound to reach him under all circumstances and if he receives it with an air of indifference, it would look as if the world is demeaning itself before a person who does not care for it.

In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said, 'Whoever seeks what Allah Ta'ala has in store for him (in the Hereafter), living with nothing except the skies as a cover and using the ground as a bed and having no anxiety for worldly things, will have food without having to till the land and get fruit to eat, without having to plant a garden. He is the one who puts his trust in Allah Ta'ala and always struggles to win His pleasure, so, Allah Ta'ala appoints the skies and the earth to procure him his livelihood; never do they hesitate to bring him the sustenance He desires. In this way, he gets all his provisions without the fear of reckoning on the Day of Judgement.1 (al-Durr al-Manthur)

According to another Hadith, Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu is reported to have said: ’Rasulullah ﷺ delivered a sermon in Masjid-al-Khaif at Minaa, in which he said, after praising Allah Ta'ala,"Whoever makes this world his only concern, Allah Ta'ala causes his affairs to be disturbed with a variety of worries, he is all the time haunted by the fear of privation and, yet, he cannot get more than his allotted portion of worldy goods."Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying, 'He who hankers after this world, loses Allah Ta'ala.' s concern for him; he who does not care for (the welfare of) the Muslim community, loses their regard for him. We have no concern for a person who demeans himself of his own accord (for worldly gaiiTs). Indeed it is not befitting for a Mu'min to demean himself before others, for some money or for any other paltiy gains of this world.'(Undoubtedly such a person is not aware of his own worth as a Mu'min and he tarnishes the good name of his noble ancestors.) And his noblest connection is that of belonging to the Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ, the pride of all Rasuls.

Anas Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying: ‘Four things are signs of misfortune:

1. Tearless eyes (eyes that do not shed tears from fear of Allah Ta'ala);

2. Hard-heartedness (i.e. having a heart that is not softened by the thoughts of the Akhirah, nor moved to sympathy for others);

3. High hopes about distant future.

4. Greediness about worldly gains. (Targheeb)

Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu once exhorted people, thus: uO people! What is the matter with you? I see that(because of death)the number of Ulama among you is decreasing day by day, and the ignorant among you do not care to acquire knowledge. Start acquiring it lest, because of the death of Ulama, a time should come when you may find no one to instruct you in religious knowledge properly. I see that you are greedy for hoarding provisions, even though your share is pre-ordained. But you neglect acquiring knowledge and performing good deeds, for which you have been made responsible. I see the worst among you are those who look on Zakaat aa fine, do not observe Salaat at the proper time and neglect recitation of the Holy Qir'an”(TanbeeHul-Ghaafileen)

Translation: HADITH: 8 He who loves this world, does harm to his Akhirah; and he who loves his Akhirah does (seem to) harm his worldly interests. So, give preference to what is everlasting over that which is short-lived. (Mishkaat)

Translation: However long a man may live, his life must end inevitably and however big a person's fortune may be, he will have to lose it one day. It will either be spent and wasted during his life or he will die and leave it behind. The life Hereafter on the other hand is everlasting and its bounties are eternal. Hence everybody, if he has a little sense, should prefer the eternal to that which is shortlived. It is the height of foolishness to hanker after something which, even if one can attain it, does not remain in one's possession forever. Still, as our reason has been blinded by heedlessness, we have become enamoured of the beauty and adornment of this world, which, in reality, is like the waiting room of a railway station where the travellers stop for a short whiletill the train comes and they board it, bound for their destinations. The best use of this short time is to spend it in making preparations for the journey, in arranging things which will be of use during the journey or after reaching the destination. During this brief stay, if someone were to spend his precious time in roaming about or in cleaning the waiting room and arranging its furniture properly or worse still in decorating the room with mirrors and other ornamental designs, leaving his luggage scattered about, he would naturally lose all his precious things.

In this Hadith, there is a warning against love of this world. For, love is the strongest of passions and if you love someone or something, by and by the object of love takes possession of your entire being. That is why Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wdsallam has persuaded us to cultivate a true love for the Hereafter and warned us against adoring this world. Indeed, one who loves this lowly world, may sometimes perform virtuous deeds for the Hereafter but, soon, the passion for the world asserts itself and gradually the man becomes negligent ip practices valuable for the Akhirah. Our elders have advised,"He who is enamoured of this world cannot be guided into the right path, even though all the great Divines and Sheikhs make a united effort to reform him. Similarly, he who renounces this world and shuns it, cannot be led astray, even though all the corrupt people make a united effort to tempt him away from the right path!' (Mazaahir-e-Haqq)

Baraa Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"He who indulges in a lustful life will be deprived of fulfilling his wishes in the Hereafter; he who looks greedily towards the ease-loving life of the well-to-do is regarded as a mean person in the kingdom of heaven; he who is contented with the minimum provision, from Allah Ta'ala,will be allotted an abode in ‘Jannat-ul-Firdaus". (al-Durr al-Manthur).

Luqman (the wise) alaihissalam is a well-known sage, whose advice to his son has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. It is said that he was a dark-complexioned slave from Abyssinia. Allah Ta'ala bestowed His favours upon him and he came to be known as Luqman the wise. According to some Traditions, Allah Ta'ala gave him a choice between kingship and wisdom. He said that he prefered wisdom. Another Hadith says:"Allah Ta'ala asked Luqman whether he liked to be a king and justly rule over the people."He submitted, O my Lord, if it is a command from You, I must obey; for, in that case, 1 shall be assisted by You. But if I am granted the choice to accept or to decline, I would rather be excused; I do not like to undertake this onerous responsibility"The angels questioned him about it; he said to them,"A ruler is always in a difficult situation. Tyranny and other evils surround him on all sides, and everything depends upon whether he is Divinely aided or not. If he rules justly, he can attain to salvation, if not, he is led astray from the path leading to Jannah. And, it is far better to lead a humble life rather than to lead an easy life in this world and do harm to one’s life in the Hereafter. He who prefers this world to the Hereafter suffers a double loss: this world forsakes him, sooner or later, and he has no value in the Hereafter."‘The angels were greatly surprised at his remarks. After this, Luqman went to sleep and Allah Ta'ala bestowed wisdom upon him. (al-Durr al-Manthur)

Luqman’s sayings and the words of advice, he gave to his son, contain rare wisdom, and quite a number of Traditions refer to ‘Luqman’s advice to his son! One of these runs like this:"O my dear son, sit in the company of the Ulama frequently and listen carefully to what the wise men say, for Allah Ta'ala gives life to the dead hearts by the ‘Nur’ of wisdom, just as He revives the dead earth by heavy life-giving rains". They relate that once a stranger passed by Luqman alaihissalam while he was sitting among his followers. The man said, addressing Luqman,"Aren’t you the bondsman of such and such tribe”? He replied, 'Yes, I was a slave boy of that tribe". The stranger asked again, Aren’t you the one who used to graze the goats near such and such hill?"Luqman replied,"Yes, I am the same person". The man said, ‘Then what has brought you to this noble position?"Luqman alaihissalam replied,"I was very particular about a few things and l observed them on all occasions, viz. fear of Allah Talalay truthfulness in speech, fulfilling a trust and avoiding useless talk".

He says:"My son entertain good expectations from Allah without losing fear of His punishment. A fear of His punishment should not make you despair of His Mercy". His son said,"The heart is one; how can it contain hope and fear at one and the same time'? Luqman alaihissalam replied,"A Mu'min is such as if he possessed two hearts: one teeming with hope and the other equally full of fear."He advises his son to recite uL,j (O my Lord, forgive my sins) frequently. For, there are certain hours during which Allah’s special favours descend upon His men and everybody is granted whatever he asks from Allah Ta'ala.” He says:"My dear son, no one can perform good deeds unless he possesses a firm belief in Allah Ta'ala. If a person’s belief is unsound, he is very weak in performing good actions. My dear son, if Shaitan (the Devil) were to create doubts in your mind, let your firm belief overpower him and silence his whispers; and if he tempts you to be negligent in virtues, defeat him by remembrance of the grave and the Day of Resurrection; if he (the Devil;) tempts you towards joys of this world or makes you afraid of the hardships of this life, say to him, ‘One must inevitably leave this world’ (neither the luxuries nor the hardships of this life are enduring). He says:"My dear son, he who tells a lie loses the freshness of face, he who cultivates bad habits will ever remain sad; it is far easier to move huge mountains from one place to another than to reform the ignorant stupid."He says:"My dear son, abstain from telling lies; for lies soon arouse enmity and hatred for the liar. My dear son, be veiyparticular about attending funeral prayers and avoid attending festivities. For, funerals remind one of the Hereafter and festivities divert one’s attention towards this world. My dear son, do not eat anything when your stomach is full; it is better to put food before a dog than to overeat. My dear son, don’t be so sweet that people swallow you up, nor so bitter that they spit you out My dear son, do not be less capable (in devotions) than a cock which starts crowing at early dawn and you be lying asleep in bed. My dear son, don’t delay Taubah (Repentance), for death may take you unawares. My dear son, do not make friends with stupid people, lest you should develop a liking for their foolish talk. And do not incur the enmity of a wise man, lest he should turn away from you in disgust (and you should be deprived of getting benefit from hi; wisdom). My dear son, let no one but the pious partake of your fooc and always consult Ulama in your affairs".

Someone asked Luqman Alaihissalam,"Who is the worst o men?"He replied. The one who does not mind being watched whili doing an evil deed".

He says: 'My dear son, associate frequently with the pious for, in this way alone, you can attain to the virtues that they possess Besides, when Allah’s special favours descend upon these beings you will also be able to receive your share of blessings; for when it rains, its showers fall on all sides of the house. My dear son, avoid the company of the wicked people, for no good can be expected to come out of associating with them. Moreover, if at any time, Allah’s punishment befalls them, you will also be affected by it". He says:"A father’s punishment is as beneficial for a child as is the water for the fields'’. He says:"My dear son, since the day you were born, everyday, you are getting closer to the Hereafter with your back towards this world. So, your abode in the Hereafter is far nearer to you (because you are advancing towards it everyday, at all times) than your house in this world (because you are moving farther and farther away from it day by day)".

He says,"My dear son, avoid incurring debts; for a debt is a humiliation by day and a grief by night. (One is disgraced when the creditors make demands by day, and one spends the night in grief, worrying about his debts). My dear son, entertain hopes of mercy from Allah Ta'ala, but let not your hopes make you bold in committing sins; be fearfull of Allah but let not your fear make you despair of His mercy. My dear son, if someone comes to you with the complaint that so and so has taken out both his eyes and you actually see both his eyes missing, do not form any judgement about the person until you have heard the other side. For, this man might have hit the other person first and taken out four eyes earlier". (al-Durr al-Manthur)

The legist (Faqih) Abu-ul-Laith Rahmatullah alayhi relates that, when the last hour came for Luqman, he said to his son,"My dear son, I have given you a lot of advice during my life-time; now that I am leaving the world, I would like to advise you about six points:-

(a) Busy yourself in the affairs of this world to the extent of the remaining period of your life (which is nothing when measured up against the eternity of the Akhirah).

(b) Worship Allah Ta'ala according to the measure of your dependence on Him (and, obviously, one needs His help in everything).

(c) Make preparations for the Hereafter according to the extent of your stay in that world (and, obviously, one shall h"‘ to stay there entema!ly,for there is no other place to go to afftfr death).

(d) Continue to struggle for redemption from Hell-fire till you are sure you have attained it. (It is common knowledge that, if someone is under trial for a grievous offence, he continues to make efforts for his acquittal till he is sure that the case is going to be decided in his favour).

(e) If you have the audacity to indulge in sins, do so to the extent that you can endure Hell-fire (for, punishment of sins is dictated by law and you are never sure whether the Sovereign, however infinite His mercy may be, will grant you mercy petition);

(f) When you want to commit a sin, look for a hiding place that is not being watched by Allah Ta'ala and His angels (for, everybody knows the consequences of engaging in a revolt before the eyes of the Sovereign Himself or in the presence of His secret agents). (Tanbeeh-ul-Ghafileen)

These words of advice by Luqman have been mentioned here, as they bear upon the subject contained in the foregoing Hadith viz. 'He who loves this world does harm to his life in the Akhirah’.

‘Arfsyah Thaqafi Rahmatullah alayhi says that he asked Abdullah Bin Mas'ood, Radhiyallahu anhu to- recite the Surah beginning:

Glorify the Name of thy Lord,the Most High.

Ibne Mas‘ood Radhiyallahu anhu began to recite the Surah and when he recited the verse:

But you prefer the life of the world, although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (al-A‘ala: 16-17)

He stopped short and said"No doubt, we prefer the life of the world to the Hereafter". The alidience sat silent. He again said,"We prefer the life of the world, because we see its beauty and adornments, its women, its food and drinks, while all the bounties of the Akhirah are veiled from us. So, we give preference to this world and lose sight of the.Hereafter". Anas Radhiallahn anhu relates that Rasulullah Sallaliaho cilaihe wa sallam said, ’’The Kalimah ‘Laa Illaha mallahrf"(There is none to be worshipped but Allah) protects men from the displeasure of Allah, so long as they do not prefer their worldly business to the requirements of the Akhirah; and if they value worldly business more than the Hereafter, and recite the Kalimah Laa Ilaha Dlallaho, it is not accepted from them and it is said, 'You are liars (i.e. you are not sincere in your profession of faith; these are just empty words). Another Hadith reports Rasulullah Sallaliaho alayhi wa sallam as saying, ‘Whoever meets Allah Ta'ala testifying:

There is no God but Allah, Who is Alone and Who has no partners; He will enter Jannah unless he mixes it up with other things'. After he had repeated his words thrice, one of the companions said,"O Rasulullah, I would (love to) offer my parents for sacrifice in lieu of you, what is meant by ‘mixing it up with other things". He replied, Love for this world, prefering it to the Hereafter, hoarding money for this life, taking pleasure in worldly possessions and behaving like the proud peopled Another Hadith reports Rasulullah Sallaliaho alayhi wa sallam as saying,"This world is a coveted abode for him who has no abode (in the Hereafter) and a much-desired property for him who has no property (in the Hereafter); and he who has no sense gathers provisions for the world". (al-Durr al-Manthur). Rasulullah Sallaliaho alayhi wa sallam said, “Accursed is this world and all that it contains is accursed, except that which is for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala."(Jamius-Saghir)

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes, in deprecation of the world:"All praise be to Allah Ta'ala Who has made His friends aware of the dangers of the world and its baneful influences. He has 46 1 revealed to them its secrets and warned them of it 6 defects. The divines have realized the true nature of the world’s various phases and have, after comparing its merits and demerits, realized that its harms are much more than its benefits. They understand that the hopes one entertains of this world are nothing in comparison with the dreadful consequences of worldly pursuits. The world is like a pert woman, of worthless character, who seduces people through its beauty and adornments, and leads to the damnation of all those who desire to enjoy its company. It runs away from those who adore or admire it and is most niggardly in returning their advances. Even when it gives attention to its admirers, its attention leaves them no peace in the midst of their trials. If the world perchance does one good turn to somebody, it goes on doing evil to him for a whole year. He who is fascinated by it, ultimately suffers humiliation; he who takes pride in his worldly achievements, has to reproach himself for his sorrowful end. It runs away from its admirers as it runs after those who shun its advances. It disregards those who serve it and advances towards those who turn away from it Even its purity has a taint of impurity. Its joy is mingled with sorrow; its luxuries have an aftertaste of remorse and sorrow.

The world is like a deceitful treacherous woman; it adorns itself for its admirers but, when they have become enamoured of it, betrays them and upsets their plans.lt bewitches them with its enchantments and, afterwards, gives them a taste of its fatal poison. The world is an enemy to Allah Ta'Qla and it is an enemy to His friends and foes alike. It is an enemy to Allah Ta'ala in as much as it waylays those who undertake a journey to Him: it is an enemy to the friends of Allah because it adorns itself to fascinate them, and then forsakes them to taste bitter sorrow. It is also hostile to the enemies of Allah, for it deceives them with its treacherous pranks and, When they begin to trust its friendship, it forsakes them when they are in dire need of help, thus causing them to suffer endless sorrow’!

There are many Ayah of the Holy Qur'an and quite a number of Ahadith on deprecation of worldly attachments. All Ambiya (Prophets) Alaihimussalam were sent to mankind for warning them of such attachments. Once Rasulullah ﷺ came upon the dead body of a kid. Addressing the Sahabah he said,"Do you think this dead body is of any value to its master?". The Sahabah replied,"Obviously, it is of no value to him. That is why he has thrown it away."Then Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said;"The world is more contemptible in the sight of Allah Ta'ala and of far less value than this dead kid is to its master. If the world was equal, in value, to a gnat’s wing in the estimation of Allah Ta'ala He would not give a non-believer draught of water out of its resources'. Rasuluilah ﷺ once said, 'Love of the world is the basis and the source of every sin".

Zaid bin Thaabit Radhiyallahu anhu says,"Once we were sitting in company with Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu when he asked for water and was presented some water mixed with honey. He held it to his mouth and was about to drink it when he broke into tears and began ic weep. He wept so bitterly that those who were sitting beside him were also moved to tears and everybody wept most bitterly. He again held the cup to his lips, but put it back again and began to weep and cry. At long last, he wiped his tears and said, T was once sitting in company with Rasuluilah ﷺ when I saw that he was pushing something away from himself with both his hands, though I could not see anything. I asked, ‘O Rasuluilah, what is it that you are driving away from yourself?" He replied, ‘The world presented itself to me, but I drove it away. It came to me once again and said, You have guarded yourself against me, but there will follow people who will not be able to protect themselves against me.’ It occurs in another Hadith that once Rasuluilah ﷺ said,"Most astonishing is the case of a person who believes that the life Hereafter is permanent and everlasting and yet struggles to achieve (the gains of) this world, which is an abode of deception'.' Once Rasuluilah ﷺ came upon a dunghill where there lay some decayed bones, droppings of animals and rags of worn-out cloth. He stopped there and said,"Look, this is what the world, its beauty and adornments come to in the end".

There is another, rather detailed, version of this Hadith, though Allama Iraaqi Rahmatullah alayhi and other scholars say that they have not been able to trace its source. However, Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi has made a reference to it and the author of ‘Qoot’ has related it, in a ‘MursaT form, on the authority of Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi. (A ‘MursaT Hadith is one in which a man in the generation following the Sahabah directly quotes Rasuluilah ﷺ). It reads: Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that once Rasuluilah ﷺ said to him,"Shall I show you the true nature of this world?"He submitted,"Certainly, O Rasulullah, Whereupon he took him to a dunghill outside Madinah Munawwarah, where there were lying some human skulls and excrements, rags of worn-out cloth and bones, etc., and said,"Abu Hurairah, these are skulls of men. Their brains were full of greed as you are today for (the things of) this world. They used to build up high hopes about the distant future, as you do todays. But now the empty skulls are lying on the ground and, in a few days, they will turn to dust. These excrements are, in reality, those delicacies of food which were bought with hard-earned money, cooked with diligence and eaten (with relish). Now they are lying here, in a state repulsive to men. These rags are, in fact, pieces of fancied dress which people used to wear and feel proud. Now they have become rags scattered about by the winds. These are the bones of beasts, on which people used to ride and roam about proudly in the world. Let him who cares weep and ciy over these circumstances". Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu says,"At this all of us wept most bitterly". i In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said,"This world looks fresh and sweet and Allah Ta'ala has made you heirs and successors of your forefathers in this world, in order that He might watch your conduct in it When worldly goods were lavishly given to the children of Israel, they were fascinated by the beauty and adornments of this world and they fell into temptations concerning women and ornaments."

Isaa alaihissalam says, Do not make the world your master or, else, it will enslave you; deposit your possessions with Allah Ta'ala where no harm can come to them. The wealth lying in the treasuries of the world may go waste at any time, but no mishap can occur to the Treasury of Allah Ta'ala. He also says, 'One sign of the depravity of the world is that acts of disobedience to Allah Ta'ala are commited in it and another such sign is that no one can attain to the Hereafter without forsaking worldly gains. Take heed and mind it well that love of the world is the source of every sin and that a little while spent in following one’s vain desires may lead to a long period of suffering. He also says; aThere are people whom the world seeks and othere who seek the world, it goes after those who seek the Hereafter and unwillingly lets them have their means of sustenance. As for those who seek this world, the Hereafter does pot care for them till death lays its hand on them (they die without having achieved any gains of the Akhirah) It is said that once Sulaiman Alaihissalam was flying on his throne with his armies, while birds spread their wings above him to protect him from the sun, and the courtiers from among the jinns and men sat with him on either side. He came upon a saint, who said,"Subhanallah, Allah Ta'ala has bestowed upon you such a vast kingdom". Sulaiman alaihissalam thereupon said, 'The credit entered in a believer’s book of deeds for reciting () 'Subhanallah’ once is far greater in value than the entire kingdom of Sulaiman, for, this kingdom shall come to an end soon enough and the blessings of ‘Subahanallah’ (yi) will endure permanently."

Rasulullah ﷺ says,"He who seeks this world, making it his ultimate aim (in life), Allah Ta'ala, has no regard for him and afflicts him with four things; (1) an anxiety that has no ending (i.e.r he always remains anxious to increase his income); (2) an occupation, leaving him no spare time; (3) a neediness which deprives him of any feeling of contentment (when his income increases, the expenses also increase and the income always seems to be insufficient); (4) unending hopes about the distant future, which can never be fulfilled."

It occurs thus in the ‘Sahaaif (revealed booklets) of Ibrahim alaihissalamr"O world, how contemptible you are, in the sight of the pious men for whom you adorn yourself. I (Allah Ta'ala) have inspired their hearts with enmity for you and made them turn away from you (in disgust). I have not created anything more contemptible than you. Your grandeur amounts to nothing, because it vanishes very soon. I decreed on the very day I created you that you would not remain with anyone forever, nor would anyone keep you with himself forever, howsoever unwilling he might be to part with you. Blessed are the pious persons who apprise Me of their wholehearted acceptance of what I have decreed for them, and tell Me about the truth of their true and strong faith. This is the eternal prosperity! When they rise from their graves and come to Me. I shall grant them a radiance (Nur) which will shine forth before them and the angels will be there on their right and on their left; and, to crown all, I shall fulfil all their hopes and grant them everything that they expected of Me."

Rasulullah ﷺ says, '‘On the Day of Resurrection, some people will have good deeds weighing as much as all the mountains of Arabia; but they will be thrown into Jahannam."When someone asked,"Will they be observers of Salaat?"He replied, Yes they will have observed Salaat, kept fasts and been regular in Tahjjud (Nafl’ or superrogatoiy midnight Salaat). But, in spite of all this, they were such as would rush for any worldly gain, wealth or honour, etc (without caring whether it is lawful or unlawful)' Says Isaa Alaihissalam; ‘Love of this world and love for the Akhirah cannot be cherished by one in the same heart, just as no vessel can hold both fire and water at the same time’

Rasulullah ﷺ says,"Keep away from this world; It is a sorceress more deceitful than ‘Haaroot’ and ‘Maaroot’." Another Hadith says, ‘Once Rasulullah ﷺ came upon a company of Sahabah and said to them, ‘If any one of you wishes that Allah Ta'ala should remove his blindness of the heart and open his eyes to the instructive aspect of things, let him remember that whosoever loves this world and entertains excessive hopes about the distant future, Allah Ta'ala makes his heart blind in proportion to the extent of his longings. And whosoever shuns this world and restricts his hopes, Allah Ta'ala shall grant him knowledge without his having learnt it from anyone else and lead him to the right path, without being guided by anyone else. Soon there will arise people who shall rule through slaughter and oppression, who will amass sufficient means by niggardliness and vanity and who will win the hearts of the people through submission to their wanton desires. If anyone of you witnesses such times and remains contented with his insufficient means, though he could become rich; and endures hatred of the people, though he could command their love by following their desires; and remains contented with humble position though he could win popularity through fulfilling their desires, in short, if he endures all these things only for the sake of Allah Ta'ala, he will get a reward equal to that of fifty ‘Siddiqeen’ (Siddiqeen is the plural of ‘Siddiq’, the one who gives bis sincerest support to the Nabi).

Another Hadith has it to the following effect, ‘Once a lot of wealth was received by Rasulullah ﷺ from Bahrain. When the needy among the Ansaar of Madinah Munawwarah heard about it, a large number of them came to offer Ftyr Salaat with Rasulullah. When the Salaat was over, Rasulullah ﷺ looked at the gathering and smiled; he then said,"I think you have come because you have heard of the wealth I have received from Bahrain. They submitted, ‘O Rasulullah, It is true; we have come for the same thing Rasul uD ah ﷺ then said, T give you glad tidings that soon there will be abundance of wealth: you can hope to gpt what would please you. I have no fears of your going astray through poverty or hunger, but rather I am afraid that worldly wealth may come to you in abundance, as happened with previous generations, and as a consequence you may set your hearts upon the world, as they did, and that it would ruin you as it ruined them.

Another Hadith says that Rasulullah ﷺ once said;"What I fear most on your account is that Allah Ta'ala should bring forth for you the blessings of the earth". Someone asked,"What are the blessings of the earth". He replied,"The attractive fruitfulness of the earth."

Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu reports that Rasulullah ﷺ once said;"If you knew what I know, you would laugh less and weep more often and the world would become contemptible in your sight, and you would not prefer it to the Hereafter". After relating the Hadith, Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu added on his own account:"If you knew what I know, you would go out to the jungle, weeping and crying and leave your property unguarded. But your hearts are heedless of the requirements of the Hereafter and you have, before you, worldly hopes and aspirations That is why the world has become your master and all your activities are directed towards it; you have reduced yourself to a condition of stark ignorance. What is worse, some of you have become like the animals, indulging in lustful activities, not minding the evil consequences. What has happened to you that you do not love one another, nor admonish one another, though you are brothers in Islam? There is discord among you because of your wrong desires, arising out of the corruption within you. If you are united in the cause of ‘Deen, and affairs of ‘Deen your bonds of mutual relationship will be strengthened. What has happened to you, that you counsel one another about affairs of this world, but do not do so about affairs of the Akhirah? You are incapable of admonishing those whom you love and do not give them good counsel about the affairs of the Hereafter. This is only because of your weak faith. If you had faith in the good fnd evil things of the Hereafter, like your belief in the good and el things of this world, you would certainly give preference to the Akhirah. The Akhirah should have greater control over your affairs. You may say that the needs of this world are immediate, while those of the Hereafter are remote. Just imagine how many activities there are, in this world, of which the fruits have to be reaped later. Still you toil and fret and struggle hard for them! For example, you work hard in the fields, for months together, hoping to reap crops in the end. Similarly, you take pains to plant trees in the garden, hoping to pick the fruit after years of hard labour and patient waiting. You have deteriorated, in matters of faith, so much that you do not care to gauge the level of your lmaan

(faith) by doing things that would reveal it".

’If you have any doubts about the revealed knowledge conveyed to us by Rasulullah ﷺ, please come to us,so that we may show you the truth of this knowledge and make it abundantly clear to you. Come, we will show you the light by which you will be able to see, for yourself, that whatever Rasulullah ﷺ said is absolutely true. You are no fools that we should regard you incapable of understanding it. For, you hold sound views about worldly affairs and act upon them most carefully. Then, what is wrong with you that you do not exercise wisdom, nor act with due care in affairs of the Akhirah. What has happened to you? Why is it that you feel very happy over a paltry gain of this world and feel very sad over a little loss, to the extent that its effect is reflected in your faces. You complain of your ‘sufferings', calling a little trouble a ‘suffering' and hold meetings to console one another. Butyou are not grieved, nor feel sadjwhen you happen to miss an important religious requirement your faces do not wear an expression of sorrow. When I see your indifference towards Deen’, I feel inclined to think that Allah Ta'ala has forsaken you. You greet one another happily but everyone avoids saying anything which may be unpleasant, though true, to the other. He fears lest the other person should say to him something in return, which would displease him. So, you live amicably, keeping all dark thoughts to yourselves. Thus you have become corrupt from within though, outwardly, you seem to be enjoying life. And you seem to have all agreed not to think of death. I wish Allhh Ta'ala would grant me death and relieve me of sorrow on your account! And, I wish to join the company of those I love most dearly (meaning Rasulullah ﷺ and the Sababah Radhiyallahu anhum). If they were alive, they would not have liked to associate with you, even for a short while. If there still remains an iota of good in you, take heed. For, I have told you what I think of you clearly and without hesitation, and I have spoken the truth, ft is quite easy to achieve. that which Allah Ta'ola has got in store for you (the boons of the Hereafter). And I seek help from Allah Ta‘ala, both for you and myself’. (Here ends the Exhoration given by Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu.)

This admonition by Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu deserves deep consideration, because he was showing his displeasure to those persons with whom we, today, cannot stand comparison. If Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu were to see our present-day deplorable indifference towards Deen,’ he would certainly have died of sorrow and grief. Surely for people like him, the sight of our present-day sad plight in religious matter would be most unbearable.

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"May Allah have mercy upon those who were given this world as a trust and they, in turn, entrusted it to others and passed away, freed from the worries of the world!" He also says, “If anyone prevents you from observance of ‘Deen defy him; but if anyone hinders you from gaining a worldly advantage, leave it for him and have no careH. Abu Haazim Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Protect yourself from worldly attractions! On the Day of Resurrection, a man will be summoned and the announcement shall be made, 'He is the man who set great value upon things which had been condemned by Allah Ta'ala. Abdullah ' Ibne Mas'ood Radhiyallahu anhu says;"Everybody is, so to say, a guest in his own house; and all his possessions arc like borrowed things. The guest shall go back home (to the Hereafter) and the borrowed things shall have to be returned".

Once Rabi‘ah Basriyyah Rahmatullah alaiha was sitting in company with some people who were talking of the world reproachfully She said, “Do not talk of the world. Do not talk of it even disparagingly. For, your talking of it shows that you consider it to be worth talking about, and something of consequence. If it were of no consequence in your sight, you would never have liked to make’ a mention of it. (For, who would talk about the filth that men excrete?)” Luqman Alaihissalam said, in the course of his last advice to his son, ‘ Barter this world for your Deen you will reap the benefits (of the bargain) both in this world, and the Hereafter; but do not barter away your ‘DeeiT for the sake of this world, or else you will suffer loss in this world and the next". Mutarrif bin Shikheer Rahmatullah alayhi says, rtDo not look admiringly at the luxurious life of the kings and their fine dress. Consider what shall be the end of all this."

Abu Umamah Radhiyallahu anhu says,"When Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was sent as a ‘Nabi’ to mankind, Shaitan (Satan) sent forth his detachments to take stock of the situation. They came back and told him that a 'Nabi had been sent to mankind and that he had a large number of followers. Shaitan then asked them to make sure whether they (the followers) loved the world. His disciples replied,"Yes, certainly. Shaitan then said, "I do not mind, even though they shun idol-worship, for I shall seduce them with three things: (1) earning money by unlawful means, (2) spending it in an unlawful manner, and (3) refusing to spend it on things on which it should be spent."

Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Man shall have to render an account of his lawfully earned money and he will have to suffer punishment for the money earned unlawfully."Maalik bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Beware of this sorceress (the world), because its magic works even upon the hearts of the Ulama".

Abu Sulaiman Darani Rahmatullah alayhi says,"He whose heart is occupied with love of the Hereafter cannot be at peace with the life of the world; for the latter will go on struggling to take possession of his heart.. On the other hand, he whose heart is occupied by the love of this world, need not worry about any hindrance from the Hereafter. For, the life of Akhirah is like a being of noble disposition, least willing to take possession of homes occupied by others. And this world is meat) by nature, imbued with the desire to occupy others houses by force". Maalik bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi says,"The more you worry about this world, the less concerned will you be about your Hereafter. And the more concerned you are about the Hereafter, the less worried will you be about this world."

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I have known people to whom the worldly benefits were of less importance than the earth on which you walk and they did not care a whit for the gain or loss of those benefits -Nor did they care to notice who was receiving them and who was being deprived. Someone asked him, Wfcat do ycu think of a person whom Allah Ta'ala has granted abundance of wealth and he spends it, giving it away as Sadaqah or spends it on his relations? Is it advisable for him to partake of delicious food and lead a sumptuous life? Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi replied, ‘No, even if he were to possess all the treasures of the world, it would be advisable for him to spend on his own needs only as much as was absolutely necessary. He should remit all that exceeds his barest needs to the next world, where it will be treasured up for him to be utilized on a Day (the Day of Resurrection) when he is in dire need of help."Fudhail Rahmatullah alayhi says,"If I were presented all the riches of the world, with the assurance that no reckoning will be made for it, I would not accept it; for me, it is disgusting like carrion, which you avoid for fear for polluting your clothes". Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Bani Israel, though they worshipped Allah Taalay became degenerate and began to worship idols because of their love of the world". He also says,"Man always considers his wealth to be little, but he never regards his virtues to be few. He does not care if any calamity befalls his religion but feels upset if any harm comes to his worldly life."

Fudhail Rahmatullah alayhi says;"It is quite easy to join worldly pursuits, but very difficult to extricate oneself from them."A Divine says, i am astonished at him who believes that death is inevitable and that it mdy come to him at any time but, still, he takes pleasure in worldly pursuits. I am astonished at him who believos that Jahannam is a reality and that nobody knows what his last abode in the Hereafter is going to be but, still, finds occions to laugh I am astonished at him who views the shifts of fortune occuring in this world at all times but, still, feels satisfied on receiving a worldly gain. I am astonished at him who believes in the Divine Decree (the belief that everything is preordained and that everyone must get his alloted share), but still takes pains for worldly gains!

They say that an old Sheikh, whose age was about two hundred years, came from Najran city to see Ameer Mu‘aawiyyah Radhiyallahu anhu. The Ameer said to him, “You have seen a good deal of this world in your long life. What is your opinion about it?" The Sheikh replied,"A few years of ease and a few years of pain. There are births, and deaths every day and night. If there were no births, the world would come to an end. Likewise, if there were births only, there would be no room left for the people to live in the world. (Hence, both births and deaths should continue to occur, to keep the world population within moderate limits)."Ameer MU'aawiyyah Radhiyallahu anhu said,"Do you want any thing from me.? Tell me if I can do you any service?’ The Sheikh said, ‘Recall my past life for me or postpone my death indefinitely”. The Ameer said,-I cannot do that The Sheikh said,"Then I have nothing to ask from you".

Abu Sulaiman Rahmatullah alayhi says.

"No one can restrain himself from pleasures of this world, except he whose heart is preoccupied with things of the Akhirah."

Maalik bin Dinaar Rahmatullah alayhi says:"We have, as it were, agreed among ourselves to love this world; that is why no one gives good counsel to another, nor forbids him from evil things. But Allah Ta'ala will not leave us to our fate for ever. The punishment of Allah may descend upon us unawares in any form, at any time!"Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi says:"When Allah Ta'ala wishes well for anyone, He grants him a small amount of worldly wealth, then holds it back from him and, when he has exhausted his provisions, Allah Ta'ala grants him a little bit more. But he t who is considered contemptible by Allah Ta'ala, is granted abundance of worldly goods."One divine used to make Du‘aa (supplication), thus, b Allah! O Sacred Being, Who possesseth the power to hold back the heavens from falling on the earth, prevent this worldly wealth from coming to me".

Muhammad Ibne Munkadir Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Suppose a man fasts persistently, spends the whole night in Tahajjud salaat without taking rest, gives away generous amounts of money as Sadaqah, engages in Jihaad and avoids sins; nevertheless, he will be summoned on the Day of Resurrection and made to appear before Allah Ta'ala. He will then be required to explain why he set great value upon a thing (the world) which had been declared as worthless by Allah Ta'ala, and why he regarded as insignificant a thing (the Akhirah) which had been declared by Allah Ta'ala to be of great value. Imagine how miserable and helpless he will feel! Then, what about ourselves who suffer from the same disease (love of the world) and also commit sins?

Abdullah Ibne Mubaarak Rahmatullah olaihe says. Love of the world and indulgence in sins have made our hearts wild and insensible to anything good". Wahab Ibne Munabbeh Rahmatullah alayhi says:"He who takes pleasure in anything of this world strays from the path of wisdom; while he who tramples his lusts underfoot, never allowing them to raise their head, Shaitan is scared of even his shadow."

Imaam Shafi’ee Rahmatullah alayhi, advising one of his brothers in Islam, said: ‘This world is full of mud and slush where many persons slip. The world is an abode of humiliation. Its bustling life will give place, in the end, to desolation, its dwellers will have to travel alone to their graves, its gathering disperses, its affluence turns to poverty; its riches involve taking pains and lack of them means an easeful life. So, turn to Allah Ta'ala with single-minded concentration. Be content with whatever sustenance Allah Ta'ala has apportioned for you and do not borrow for this world out of your stock of virtues meant for the Akhirah (i.e. do not indulge in things which may have to be paid for in the Akhirah out of virtues which may run short on that Day of dire necessity (the Day of Judgment). The life of the world is like a shadow which vanishes in no time or like a leaning wall which is going to collapse very soon. Perform plenty of good deeds and entertain few worldly hopes about the distant future.

Ibrahim Ibne Adham Rahmatullah alayhi asked someone, ' Which would you prefer: seeing somebody, in a dream giving you a Dirham (silver coin) or receiving a Dinaar (gold coin) while awake?." The man replied that, obviously, receiving a Dinaar was preferable. At this, Ibrahim Rahmatullah alayhi said, 'You lie. For, if you love anything of this world, it is like taking pleasure in a thing you see in a dream. And, when you turn away from a boon of the Akhirah, it amounts to declining it while awake."

Yahya Ibne Mu'aa x Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Three persons are wise: (1) he who forsakes the world before being forsaken by it; (2) he who makes preparation for the grave before the time comes for him to enter it; (3) he who wins the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala before he (dies and) goes to meet Him'.' He also says:"This world is accursed to such an extent that merely longing for it makes you neglectful in devotion to Allah Taala what will happen when you become engrossed in worldly affairs."Bakr Ibne Abdullah Rahmatullah alayhi says:"He who, after achieving worldly benefits, feels secure against their evil effect, is like one who covers fire with dry grass, in order to extinguish it." Bundaar Rahmatullah alayhi says: 'When you hear worldly people talking about renunciation of worldly pleasures, be sure that Iblees (Shaitan) befools them."

A Divine says; uO people, perform good deeds during these days of respite (lifetime) and fear Allah! Do not be deceived by high hopes for the distant future and forgetfulness of death. Take no thought of this world, for it is a deceitful wretch. It beautifies and adorns itself and beguiles you by fanciful hopes about the future but, in the end, lands you in temptations. It adorns itself for its admirers so that, after make-up, it looks like a newly-married bride on her weddingday. So, people fix their gaze upon her face, the hearts are fascinated by its charms and many men become enamoured of its (fake) beauty. But this wretch has killed many of its admirers and forsaken, most helplessly, many of its lovers who counted upon its loyalty. Just consider and try to comprehend the reality of this world. It is a place abounding in things that are fatal to the soul and it is so contemptible that its Creator has Himself condemned it. (Suppose a physician prepares a medicine and says that it contains poison and that you may take a very small dose of it only when it becomes absolutely necessary. Now, if a foolish person were to take a much larger quantity in a single dose, it would be fatal for him. And, for someone not to heed the physician’s warning, would be the height of foolishness. All things of the world which are new today, will wear out and become old. Sovereignty in this world is short lived-, those who are in power will end in humiliation; affluence will ultimately change into poverty; friendships will not last for long. In short, all that looks good in the world is doomed to perish. May Allah bless you all! Woke up from lethargy and inaction.

,vRise from the slumber of negligence before it is too late, before it is rumoured about, ‘So-and-so has fallen ill and there is little hope of recovery. Direct us to some good physician. Call in some efficient doctor. Then the doctors will be sent for, the physicians will be called in, time and again, but everyone will say that there is no hope of life. Then it will be whispered about; the man is making his will his voice has become hoarse, rather it has choked he does not recognise, anyone he is heaving deep breathshe is moaning with pain, his eyelashes droop. This is the time when the circumstances of the Next World will be revealed unto you, but your voice will fail you and you will stutter, unable to express yourself or speak a word. Your kinsmen your son, your brother, your wife will be standing near your bed, all weeping with bitter sorrow. You will look at their faces but will not speak a word. And then the soul will begin to depart from the parts of your body, one after the other, till at last it leaves the body altogether and dies to the heavens above. The kinsmen will hurriedly arrange for the burial, and the mourners will be consoled, their grief lightened with weeping. The enemies will rejoice over your death, the heirs will divide up your property and you will be left to reap the consequences of your deeds. (This is the real significance of this life)'.

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi wrote in a letter to Amir-ulMo’mineen Umar Ibne Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi, after praising Allah Taala and invoking His choicest blessings (Salaat on Rasulullah ﷺ):"The world is a transitory place, where men stay for a brief while,and go on a journey again, bound for the Unknown. It is not a permanent abode. Adam Alaikissalam was sent down to this world as a punishment (1) for a lapse that he happened to commit in Jannah, i.e. it is a prison-house where man has been sent as a punishment. So, you should be on your guard. One’s most valuable asset for the journey is nonattachment to the world and its pleasures; and the really rich are those who, though poor, possess a sublime unconcern for worldly attractions"(Those who seem to be poor but have contented minds are really rich). This world is all the time busy leading men to thei; ruin: it humiliates those who hold it dear, it leads into dependence (on others) all those who wish to amass its wealth. It is like a poison which men take unknowingly and die.

"So, live in the world as though you were a wounded patient who is careful and cautious about everything so that he may regain his health; and takes bitter medicines, lest his disease should drag on longer. You should beware of this treacherous, deceitful tricksy that adorns itself for seducing people and lands them in misery. It visits people with fanciful hopes and beguiles those who try to win its favours. It beautifies itself for its admirers and, after make-up, looks like a bride, on whom people fix their eyes and become ena moured of its false beauty, but this wretch is hostile to everybody. Still, one wonders why the survivers do not learn a lesson. Nor do the scholars, who know the word of Allah, learn a lesson from His sayings (on deprecation of this world). The admirers of the world are deceived when they see their chance of worldly desires getting fulfilled.

They become engrossed in the world and ignore the Akhirah. And what follows is sheer remorse and utter sorrow, for death overpowers them with its agonies and harrowing pains, and, in addition, there is grief over parting with the world and it prized possessions. The fact is that he who craves for the world can never see the fulfilment of his desires; nor does he find peace and respite from labour till he departs from the world, without having prepared for him eternal life. O Ameer- ul-Mo mi neenl ‘Be on your guard against worldly attractions especially during the hours of joy and prosperity, for, the world drags those who trust it, into some misfortune as soon as it finds them experiencing brief moments of joy. He who is happy in the world is suffering from an illusion and he who is after making (excessive) profit will come to harm.

The ease and comfort of this world is mixed with hardships and life in it is destined to perish. Its joys are mingled with sorrow; whatever is past cannot be recalled, and all that lying ahead, is uncertain. The hopes of this world are false. Whatever seems to be pure in this world is, in reality, polluted; its luxuries are gained with hard labour and man, in this world, is in danger at all times. If he had sense, he would find the pleasures to be perilous and constantly haunted by misfortunes. Even if Allah Taalay Who is the Creator of this world, had not warned mankind against its evils, the treacherous nature of the world itself would have served as a sufficient warning. Nevertheless, Allah Ta'ala Himself has advised that it is of no value in His estimation and that, although He has created it, He has never looked at it with appreciation.

The world presented itself, with all it treasures, before Rasulullah ﷺ, who did not accept it, nor showed any interest in it For, he did not want to approve a thing rejected by Allah. That is why Allah Ta'ala has purposely turned the hearts of His pious men away from it and granted it, in abundance, to His enemies (the non-believers). But some people who have set their heart on the world, see the Kaafirs in affluence and wrongly think that they have been favoured by Allah Ta'ala. They do not realise how little, in the world, was grafted by Allah Ta'ala to Rasulullah ﷺ who had to tie up stones over his belly in order to numb the pangs of hunger."

A Hadith says that once Allah Ta'ala said to Musaa Alaihis salam:"When you find worldly riches coming to you, be sure it is a punishment for your sins; uid if you see poverty and hunger coming, welcome it and say, this is the distinguishing mark of the pious: And, let him who wants to follow the example of EisaeJUaihissalam mark his words:"Hunger is my curry (when one is hungry, even plain bread tastes as delicious as the bread taken with curry); my distinguishing mark is fear of Allah; my dress is of coarse wool; I bask in the sun for warmth and the light of the moon is my lamp; my feet are my riding-beast; my food and my fruit is the grass that grows on the earth; 1 rise in the morning with nothing with me and when the evening comes I have nothing in my possession.But there is no one in the world richer than myself. (Contented in mind and with a sublime sense of self-sufficiency).

On this subject, many other sayings of the Ambiya alaihi rnnssalamj the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum and great saints Rahmatullah alaihim are found in religious books. One point, however, should be clearly understood: Undoubtedly, truly virtuous and commendable is the life of devotion and austerities indicated in the sayings and biographical accounts of these pious souls. Nevertheless, one should make allowance for one’s own infirmity and lack of capability and try to emulate them only to che extent of one’s capacity. These glimpses from the lives of the pious beings are meant to impress our readers with the true standards of (virtuous) life. One may lead a less austere life, if it becomes necessary to do so, in consideration of one’s ill health or bodily infirmity.

This can be illustrated by a familiar example, that of a patient who does not fast during the Holy month of Ramadhan. Obviously, fasting is obligatory during this month but, if someone cannot fast owing to weak health or because the doctor says it is injurious to his health, he will not observe fasting. It is obvious that fasting is, for every Mu'min, a highly appreciated obligation during this month. The patient, though exempted from fasting, would love to observe it like every true Muslim. Similarly, as we cannot fully live up to the austerity demanded by pious life, owing to our weak will-power and poor health, we are obliged to attach ourselves to worldly efforts, to the extent of our needs. But we should be conscious of own weaknesses which have prevented us from living up to the standards; and believe sincerely that true religious life is the life led by Rasulullah 9 allallaho alayhi wa sallam the life of Ambiya Alaihimussalam. and that of the great Divines Rahmatullah alaihim whose sayings have been quoted above.

Besides, we should develop a true awareness of the insignificance of this world, of its being unworthy of our affection, as a temporary abode. Although we are weak and feel obliged to indulge in worldly matters, we should try so that these truths about the world may get rooted in our minds. And, we should not only talk of them, but believe that these facts are absolutely true. For, there are no reasons to regard this wretched world as of any real consequence.

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi says;"The world is going to perish very soon. It will not endure; it makes false promises and never fulfils them; it seems to be at rest but, in reality, it is fleeting, though its motion is not perceptible to the senses. People become conscious of its fleeting motion when it forsakes them altogether. It is like a shadow that is in motion all the time but its movement is not perceptible-. Once, when there was a mention of the world, before Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi, he stated,"It is like a dream that the people have, in sleep; or like a shadow always in motion. The wise cannot be deceived by things like this". Imaam Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu used to recite this couplet frequently:"O people who are given tp the pleasures of the world; which wont endure; remember it is mere folly to be deceived by a moving shadow!"

Yunus Ibne Ubaid Rahmatullah alayhi says that he has suggested to himself the following similitude about the world:"A man is asleep and dreams many things, good or bad. Suddenly he wakes up and the dream is shattered. Similarly, all men in the world are asleep; and all that they see or do is a dream. When they die, they wake up from the slumber and there is no substance in the worldly joys or sorrows."

They say that, Eisaa Alaihissalam was shown the reality of this world in a vision. He saw it as a very old toothless woman who was shown wearing a bright dress, with all kinds of ornaments, and finery, to look like a bride. When Eisaa Alaihissalam asked,"How many times have you already been married?"She said,"Too numerous to be counted."Eisaa Alaihissalam then asked her,"Did your husbands die or did they divorce you?"."No! I killed them all", she replied. He said,"Cursed be your remaining husbands who do not learn a lesson from the fate of those who have been killed by you, one after the other". Indeed, the world is like an old hag who adorns herself with gorgeous clothes. People are deceived by her appearance,but they are soon disillusioned when they uncover its face to see its ugliness and real nature.

Alaa Ibne Zayaad Rahmatullah alayhi says:"I saw an old hag, in a dream, who was wearing fine clothes, ornaments etc., and was adorned with all manner of beautiful things. There was a big crowd of people around her who were watching her with great interest. I went close to her bubwhen I looked at her face, I was astonished at all those who stood there, watching. I asked her (in the dream),"Who are youTShe said,"Do’nt you recognise me?"I replied,"NoJ do not", She said,T am the worldV’May Allah guard me against you'I prayed. She said,"If you want to be safe from me, abhor Dirhams (wealth)". Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu says:

"On the Day of Resurrection, the world will be brought before the people. It would look like an old hag, with blue sunken eyes and protruding teeth. People will be asked,"Do you recognise her". They will say,"May Allah protect us all! Who is this monster?"Then they will be told, 'This is the world the world for which you killed one another, severed blood relationship, felt jealous of one another, nourished grudge against others; it is the world that deceived you all."Then this old hag will be hurled into Jahannam. She will cry,"Call my admirers! Send my followers with me to Jahannam". Then Allah Ta'ala will give the command:"Send to Jahannam all those who followed this world".

There are three stages for every individual in the world: (1) from the beginning of creation to the time of his birth;(2) the period stretching from the time of his death to eternity; (3) the intervening period between his birth and death. Now, if we measure this third period against the long vistas of eternity, our life-span is indeed a very short period. On the same subject, there is a Hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ: 'What interest can I have in the world? I am just like a traveller who sits in the shade of a tree for a while at noon, then walks ahead and leaves the tree behind". Undoubtedly, he who regards the world in the manner of F'sulullah ﷺ, will be least interested in it; little will he care whether this short period is spent in joy or sorrow, in comforts or in hardships.

It occurs in another Hadith that: Once when Rasulullah ﷺ saw that a Sahabi Radhiyallahu anhu was building a house with mortar, he said,"Death is nearer to you than this building". According to the other Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"The man devoted to worldly interests is like a person walking on water. Can anyone walk on water without getting his feet wet?"This Hadith shows the ignorance of those who are heard saying,"Our bodies derive sensual pleasures out of worldly things, but our souls are not coptaminated by it, neither are our hearts enamoured of it". Such people are tricked by Shaitan into holding such views. The fact is that, if worldly things are snatched away from these people, they will get upset at the loss. Then, as a person walking on water cannot, in any way, prtrtect his feet from getting wet, a man who indulges in worldly pursuits does, of necessity, affect his soul adversely.

Eisaa Alaihissalam Says: 'Let, me tell you the truth! Just as a patient, when he is seriously ill cannot enjoy food, so a worldlyminded person cannot experience devotion in his prayers. And, as a riding-beast gets stubborn if nobody has ridden it for a long time, similarly, the hearts of men, if they are not softened with the remembrance of death and rigorous devotional practices, become hard and not disposed to worship. And let me tell you another truth about life. A goat skin bag proves a good container for honey (or water, etc.) as long as it is not torn. But when it is torn, honey is not put in it any more. Similarly, the human heart can contain wisdom as long as it is not torn by lusts, corrupted by greed or hardened by indulgence in good things of life. Besides, there is another point worthy of note: the lusts of this world have a honeyed taste-But, in the end, at the time of death, they become noxious and disgustful."

Some Divines have written that the more absorbed a person is in worldly life, the greater will be his disgust for it at the time of death. They illustrate the point by means of an example: if a person takes sumptuous food, i.e. rich in fats, his stools are more foul-smelling than those of a person who eats plain food.

After what has been said against the world it is very important to consider what the term ‘world’ signifies, for there are many Verses of the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith deprecating the world, ft should be borne in mind that the term Vorld (Dunya) applied to all the circumstances of man’s life before death: all that he does, thinks or feels. Similarly, the circumstances of the life after death are called ‘Akhirah. Now, things concerning life before death may be subdivided into three broad categories:-

1. Things which, as soon as a man dies, are carried on to the next world with him. These are his knowledge of Deen and the good deeds performed purely for winning the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala. These two, knowledge and good deeds, are related to the Akhirah and they constitute one’s Deen and cannot, therefore, be called worldly things, even though one may derive pleasure out of them, and such people may have no relish for food, drink sleep or even marriage.

2. Sensual pleasure of sinful deeds and exclusive indulgence in things that are lawful to indulge only to a restricted extent-far example, piles of gold and silver, gorgeous clothes good-looking beasts for riding, lofty palaces, delicious food. All these things are purely worldly things, which have been condemned in the foregoing pages.

3 In between these two extremes — the purely religious and the exclusively worldly — there are the bare necessities of life, which help a person in performing good deeds for the Akhirah, for example, food that sustains life, sleep, plain dress which is necessary for protection against heat or cold. All such things, which are necessary for life or good for health or which help a person in his preparation for the Akhirah, are also excluded from the category of ‘Worldly things’, as they form a part of religion and pertain to the Akhirah, provided that one indulges in them to the extent of necessity and for the sake of gaining strength for religious duties. On the contrary, if these things are indulged in for the sake of sensual pleasures or for the fulfilment of the heart’s desires, they will also be termed as worldly pursuits. My father (May Allah brighten his grave with heavenly light) used to narrate to us a story very often:"There was a person who wanted to go to Panipat on some urgent errand. Between his village and Panipat dty, there flowed the river Jamna which was, as it chanced, in flood at that time and could not be crossed even with a boat He was greatly worried and did not know what to do. People told him that there lived a Divine in such and such jungle and that if be went there and told him about his difficulty, the pious man would find a way out and suggest some means of going across the river. They said that the Divine would be greatly annoyed and would refuse to help but, if he persisted, not giving way to despair, the Divine would be moved and grant him some assistance.

So, the man went to the forest and met the saint who lived in a small cottage, with his wife and children. The man wept and cried and said he was in great difficulty as he had to appear in the court and there were no means to cross the river. At first, the Divine took him to task, as usual, and said he could do nothing as he had no power over the river. But when theman showed great humility, he was moved and he said,"Go and say to the Jamna, I have been sent to you by a person who nevereven once, ate anything throughout his life, nor had intercourse with his wife". The man did as he had been told. The river suddenly stopped in its course and the man went across. As soon as he had crossed over, the Jamna began to flow again.

But back in the cottage the wife of the Divine, who had heard him talk to the man, began to weep and cry, horrified by the slander implicit in his words. She said,"You have put slander on my chasity and humiliated me before this man. You said you ate nothing. Then how did you grow fiat and fleshy like an elephant? You may lie about yourself as you please, but how dare you speak thus about me being your wife and knowing only too well that there is not a grain of truth in it? Is it not a sheer slander on me? Does it not imply that these children are not your legitimate issue"? The Divine said,"This is no concern of yours when I declare them to be my legitimate children". But the lady would not be persuaded. She continued to cry in hysterics, You have called me an adulturess, At this, the divine said,"Take heed and listen carefully. Eversince I came of age, I have never eaten anything to satisfy my own desire; but whatever I ate I did so, with the sole intention of gaining strength for obeying the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala. And, whenever I made love with you, I did so with the pure intention of fulfilling my obligations to you, never even once have I done so for the satisfaction of my own passion". The following is another Hadith, in which Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said,"Every man has been created with three hundred and sixty joints and, every morning, he should give Sadaqah for every joint in his body (in gratitude for the soundness of his joints)". When the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum asked, “O Rasulullah, Who can give away so much Sadaqah everyday?". Rasulullah ﷺ said, “To put some earth over some spittle, etc., lying in the Maqid is Sadaqah; If you remove, from the road, something that may harm people, it is Sadaqah; and if you observe Dhuha Salaat’ (forenoon Nafl Salaat), it will suffice you as Sadaqah for all these.' (Mishkat). Since every joint is engaged in devotion, while observing Salaat, it counts as Sadaqah for all the joints of the body. In another Hadith, many other examples of such virtues have been given; it says:"When you greet someone (i.e say Assalamo alaikum) or eqjoin what is good, or forbid what is evil, or have intercourse with your wife, it counts as Sadaqah for you; and observing two Rak'aat of forenoon (Dhuha) Salaat suffice you for various acts of Sadaqah, as it counts as Sadaqah for all joints of your body". The Sahabah asked, '"O Rasulullah! In the intercourse with his wife one satisfies his passion, how will it be treated as Sadaqah?" Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Would it not be a sin if he indulged in something forbidden?"The Hadith means that it is an act of virtue to have intercourse with one’s wife with the intention of protecting oneself from unlawful indulgence in sex. Similarly, all such acts like eating food, drinking water, sleeping, wearing clothes, etc., are counted as acts of Sadaqah, if they are performed with the pure intention of fulfilling the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala concerning these things.

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi says:"It is not unlawful or forbidden to indulge in the worldly pursuits; these become unlawful when they prevent a person from attaining nearness to Allah Ta'ala. Similarly, poverty is not desirable in itself but it is commendable because there is nothing in it to distract a person or to lead him away from the path of nearness to Allah. However, there have been many rich persons whose riches could not prevent them from attaining nearness to Allah Taalay such as the Prophet Snlaiman Alaihissalam, the Khalifah Uthman, Abdur Rahman Ibne ‘Auf and many others. Likewise, there are many people who are poor and their poverty prevents them from attaining nearness to Allah Ta'nla; because poverty, when it is combined with greed for wealth, leads one astray from the path of virtue. Hence, it is the greed for wealth which is really unlawful or forbidden. And, it makes little difference whether the person who has this weakness achieves the object of his desire and becomes rich or he has not achieved it, like a worldlyminded poor man.

As a matter of fact, the world is loved by those who, rich or poor, are negligent towards remembrance of Allah Ta'ala: the poor man enamoured of the world is like a forsaken lover, ever pining for it and yet unable to attain it; the rich man is like a lover united with his beloved, too anxious for its preservation and too engrossed in enjoying it to engage himself in remembrance of Allah Ta'ala. However, as a general rule, the poor ones are less exposed to trials and temptations than the rich who have fallen a prey to its temptations. This fact also explains what the SahafoahRadhiallaho anhum used to say, about themselves:"We were tried with the afflictions of poverty, we exercised patience (and we were successful). Then we were tried with the abundance of wealth, but we could not keep ourselves from temptation."

It is true that, in prosperity, most people cannot protect themselves from the harmful effects of wealth and such instances are extremely rare where we find a person capable of guarding himself against the evil influence of the wealth inspite of his possessing it That is why there are numerous Ayah in the Holy Qur'an and many Ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ which admonish men against the harmful influence of involvement in worldly pursuits. At any rate, it is beneficial for everybody to avoid indulgence in wealth. That is why the divines have said that fondling money (turning over coins, currency, etc, in the hands) sucks out sweetness from one’s faith (Iman).

Rasulullah ﷺ has said,"For every people (Ummah), there has been a ‘calf (idol-god or false deity) that they worshipped; the ‘calf (idol-god) for my Ummah is money and gold. (i.e. they adore it just as other people worshipped their idols), and the ‘Calf of the Ummah of Musaa Alaihissalam was also moulded out of gold and silver ornaments. (Ihyaa). And, it is the privilege of the Ambiya Alaihimussalam and the great saints alone that gold, silver, water and stones are of equal value in their sight, an attitude which is strengthened further by austerities and rigorous acts of selfmortification. In this matter, when the world, with its beauty and adornments, presented itself before Rasulullah ﷺ, he said to it,"Keep yourself away from me."

Ali Radhiyallahu anhu once said,"O yellow ore (gold)! O white ore (silver)! Beguile someone else! (I will not be deceived by you)". As a matter of fact, true riches consist only in possessing. a heart unattached to the worldly wealth. There is a Hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ to the effect that:

Riches do not come from abundance of wealth, but true riches consists in having a heart with a sublime sense of Self-sufficiency. Since every body cannot attain to this perfect state of mind, so, it is safer to keep away from wealth. For, if a person possesses wealth, his heart will inevitably become attached to it, even though he be accustomed to give away things as ‘Sadaqah’ and this attachment is fatal to the soul. As a rule, the more involved a person is in the world, the farther and the more estranged he is from Allah Ta'ala. On the other hand, if somebody is less attached to worldly wealth owing to his poverty, and he is a Muslim, he will be inevitally intimate with Allah Taala. For, the human heart must of necessity be occupied and inspired with love of one thing or the other: if a heart’s connection with all created things is severed, it will naturally seek nearness to Allah Ta'ala.

A rich man is often deceived by believing that he is not in love with wealth; it is a big fallacy and mere illusion. The fact is that love for the world is latent in his heart, but he is not conscious of it. When something of the world is lost or stolen, he realises how deeply he loves worldly goods. If someone wishes to verify it by experiment, let him distribute his property among the people. If he becomes worried after giving it away, he must certainly be in love with property; but, if after having given it away, he does not even so much as think of it and forgets about it altogether, then his heart is assuredly free from love of the world.

Furthermore, the less enamoured of the world a person is, the greater will be his reward for the acts of devotion; the reason being that all hymns (glorifying Allah Ta'ala) and devotional practices are not mere exercises of the tongue or the body, but are meant to exert spiritual influence on the heart; if a person’s heart is not occupied with the thoughts of the world, he is more capable of receiving deeper impressions.

Dahhaak Rahmatullah alayhi says:"He who goes to the marketplace, sees something, and wishes to buy it, but cannot do so for want of money, but still remains patient, his reward will be greater than that of a person giving away a thousand Dinaars (gold coins) as ‘Sadaqah’ for the cause of Allah Ta'ala". When someone asked Bishr BinHarith Rahmatullah alayhi to offer Du‘aa (supplication) for him, as his family was large and he was in straitened circumstances, the Sheikh replied, “When your wife tells you that there is no food left in the house (and you are worried about it), that is the most opportune hour for making Du'aa (supplication) and your Du’aa at that time will be far more acceptable to Allah Ta‘ala than my Du'aa for you at this time.

Besides on the Day of Resurrection, the least a man will suffer (for his riches) is that he will have to render an account of his abundant property, which will take him a long time. We have quoted above a Hadith to the effect that Abdur Rahman Ibne Auf Radhiyallahu anhu was allowed to enter Jannah much later than his own companions, owing' to (the prolonged accounting of) his abundant wealth.

Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu once said on this account:"I would not like to do business even if my shop were at the gate of the Masjid, enabling me to join congregational prayers and to engage myself in meditation and remembrance of Allah Ta'ala; nor even if the shop brought me a profit of fifty gold coins everyday and I ga away the entire amount as Sadaqah". Someone asked?What harm could come to a person doing such business"He replied, Even so, it will take a long time to render an account of it on the Last Day".

Suiyaan Rahmatullah alayhi says: The saints have chosen three things and the rich people have also chosen three things; The saints have chosen: (j) a body relaxed comfortably (ii) a care free heart and

(iii) an easy reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. The rich have chosen: (i) bodily toil (ii) a heart occupied with worries and (iii) a prolonged reckoning on the Day of Resurrection". (Ihya)

There is an oft-quoted Hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ to the effect that;"(On the Day of Resurrection) A man will be with those whom he loves”. It is said that the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum were never so happy about anything, after their acceptance of Islam, as they were when they heard this Hadith. They had every reason to be happy because their hearts were inspired with great love for Allah Ta'ala and His Rasul ﷺ, which was manifest in their faces even more brightly than the sun in the skies.

Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu says;"He who is granted a taste of love for Allah Ta'ala, becomes free from the cares of seeking the world and shuns the society of people". Abu Sulaiman Daarani Rahmatullah alayhi says:"There are men, created by Allah Ta'ala, who are so whole-heartedly attached to Him that even Jannah, with all its bounties and eternal bliss, cannot distract their minds from contemplation of Allah Ta'ala. How can the temporal world engage their attention?"

It is said that once Eisaa Alaihissalam came upon a group of people who were thin and weak in body, pale of face. He asked,"What has happened to you?"They replied, Tear of Jahannam has reduced us to this condition Eisa Alaihissalam, said,"Allah Ta'ala (in his infinite bounty) has made it incumbent upon Himself that He will protect from Jahannam all those who are fearful of it"Then he went a few steps further and came upon another group of people who were in worse condition, weaker in body and with more worried faces. He asked, ‘‘What ails you?” and they replied that their fondness for Jannahand longing for its bounties,had made them so weak. He said, Allah Ta'ala has taken upon himself the responsibility to bestow upon you (and the like of yoy) what you expect from Him? He then went still further and came upon another group of people who seemed to be weaker still. They were weighed down and bent double with grief but their faces were radiant like a mirror, with Divine radiance (Noor). Eisa Alaihissalam put them the same question and they answered,"It is our love for Allah Ta'ala (and craving for reunion with Him) that has reduced us to this state", Whereupon Eisaa Alaihissalam said repeating the words thrice,"You are the intimate ones! You are the favourites of Allah!”

Yahyaa Ibne Mu‘aaz Rahmatullah alayhi says:"In my estimation, the love for Allah Ta'ala — even to the extent of a grain of mustard-seed r is far superior to seventy years of worship without

Translation: HADITH: 9 Rasulullah ﷺ has said. The heart of an old man always remains youthful with regard to two things: love of the world and inordinate longing (about distant fiiture)". (Mishkaat)

Note: We have discussed in detail, under the preceding Hadith, that the term ‘Dunya’ or the world’ signifies love for wealth, which has been repeatedly condemned in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith. In this Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has admonished us about another very important matter, the truth of which can even be verified by experience. It is a common observation that love of the world increases with old age, and one begins to entertain much higher hopes regarding distant future. The older a person grows and the nearer his hour of death approaches, the stronger his ambitions grow, concerning the marriages of his children, the building of lofty mansions, increase in property and extension in the estate, etc. It is therefore, necessary to guard oneself against one’s own greed especially at this age.

In another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said"Man grows old but two things remain young in him: greed for wealth and desire for long life". (Mishkaat). Desire for long life is just another name for the high hopes and expectations about distant future. For, as a man grows old and his hour of death approaches nearer, he engages himself in preparations for his life even more desperately, as though he were to live here forever, and he is least prepared to meet his death.

Once Rasulullah ﷺ drew a square (by way of illustration). In the middle of the square, he drew a long line which went out even beyond it Then on both sides of the middle line, he drew some small lines reaching up to it The Divines (Ulama) have given various descriptions of this diagram, of which the following diagram is easy to understand:

The Holy Prophet then said, pointing to the middle line,"This is man and this, (the square) which is surrounding him on all sides, is his death: he can by no means escape it This, which goes beyond the square, is his hope; he entertains hopes that go even beyond his fixed period of life. And these small lines are the misfortunes, ailments, accidents, turns of fortune, etc., that haunt him at all times, each small line representing a misfortune; if one.misses him, the other seizes him and, above all, death surrounds him on all sides. Bui hope goes even beyond the period of life destined for him. Another Hadith says that once Rasulullah Sallallahu alnihe wasailam put his hand cn the back of his head and said,"This is his death hovering over him". He then stretched out his other arm and said, 'These are his hopes stretching farther and farther". According to another Hadith, Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasailam once said, Tn the beginning the well-being of this Ummah was based on its firm belief in Akhirah and disregard for worldly things; and the first thing to cause its corruption will be niggardliness and inordinate longing about the distant future". (Mishkaat) There is another Hadith on the same subject, to the following effect:"The early period of this Ummah attained salvation by virtue of its firm belief in Allah Ta'ala and disregard for worldly things; the last of it will be damned through niggardliness and high hopes regarding distant future."(Targheeb)

Still another Hadith has it to the following effect:"A time is approaching when people will invite one another to destroy you (the Muslims), as people invite one another to partake food served for eating"(i.e. every nation will persuade and invite others to join hands tyith them for destroying the Muslims somehow). When the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum asked,"O Rasulullah!, Will it be because of our small numbers at that time"? Rasulullah replied,"No, you will be in large numbers at that time; but you will be like the froth on flood water. Allah Taala will take away fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and put ‘Wahn (enervation) into your own hearts. The Sahabah asked him,"What is rWahn’ (enervation) and he replied,"Love of the world and dislike of death”. (Mishkaat X Umme Waleed Radhiyallahu anha daughter of Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says that one evening Rasulullah ﷺ came out of his house and said,"Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"When the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum asked what the matter was, he replied,"You store up more food than you eat; build more houses than you live in; and entertain such hopes as you can not fulfill. Are you not ashamed of such behaviour? (Targheeb) That is to say “You build houses much larger than you need? One should build a house only as big as is necessaiy for one’s requirements, The Hadith also admonishes not to store up things in excess of one’s needs, for v’hat exceeds one’s needs is not to be stored up, but should be spent for the cause of Allah. Aishah Radhiyallahu anha narrates that once, when Rasulullah ﷺ was seated on the pulpit while the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum were sitting around him in a circle, he said:"O people, observe due modesty in your attitude towards Allah Ta'ala (Take care not to do or say anything which might cause you to be ashamed of yourselves in the presence of Allah Ta'ala. The Sahabah submitted,"Certainly, O Rasulullah, we do not do anything unsuitable in the presence of Allah Ta'ala. Rasuluallah ﷺ then said,"Whosoever among you has this modestyli.e. is afraid to indulge in things that might shame him before Allah Ta'ala), must keep death in view during every night; must guard his belly and what it surrounds; must guard his head and what it contains; and must remain in constant remembrance of death and decay; and must forsake the adornements of the world."(Targheeb)

The Ulama say that the injunction to guard his head’ means that he must not bow his head before any one except Allah Taala, neither for worship nor out of reverence; nor should he make a deep bow while giving salutation to anyone. Similarly, the phrase, guard what the head contains means that he must guard his eyes, ears, tongue, etc. And 'guarding the belly’ means protecting oneself against eating unlawful or doubtful things; that which the belly surrounds indudes all parts of the body close to the belly, like hands feet, heart, private parts; he should guard all these against disobedience.

Imaam Nawawi Rahmalullah alayhi says that it is comendable (Mustahab) to redte this Hadith frequently. Abdullah Ibne Masud Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"O people, observe due modesty in your attitude towards Allah Ta'ala We submitted,"Certainly O Rasulullah, we all have this modesty. Allah be praisedfRasulullah ﷺ then said, 1 do not mean modesty in the ordinary sense; but he who observes due modesty towards Allah Ta'ala must guard his head and what it contains, must guard his belly and what it surrounds (private parts, etc.); must remain in constant remembrance of death and decay; and he who desires the Akhirah must forsake this world."Since, by frequent remembrance of death, one is sure to develop a feeling of disregard for this world and a tendency to restrict one’s hopes and ambitions, so Rasulullah ﷺ has enjoined upon us to keep death in constant remembrance.

Once, a person came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said,"O Rasulullah, who is the greatest ‘Zaahid? (i.e. one least concerned about worldly good)". Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"He who never forgets his own death and decay, abandons the adornments of the world, prefers the Hereafter to this life, never feels sure that he will live till tomorrow, and counts himself among the dead, that he is going to die soon and join the dead '(Targheeb)

Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"Have constant remembrance of death, the cutter- off of pleasures; for him who, remembers it in straitened circumstances, it brings ease and consolation (he can console himself with the thought that death is inevitable and will put an end to his hardships); and he who remembers it in prosperity, is restrained from spending lavishly."(He cannot find much pleasure in the luxuries of the world, because his mind is distracted by thoughts of death).

Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu has also narrated a Hadith to the effect that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Keep in continual remembrance the cutter-off of pleasures, which is death". Anas Radhiyallahu anhu says that once, when Rasulullah ﷺ came out and saw the Sahabah laughing, he said,"Keep in frequent remembrance the cutter-off of pleasures, which is death; it restrains him who remembers it in prosperity (from indulging in passions etc.) and it brings ease and consolation to him who remembers it in straitened circumstances". Abu Sa'eed Khudri Radhiallako anhu narrates that once Rasulullah ﷺ came to the Masjid and saw some people who were laughing, whereupon he said,"If you keep remembrance of death, the cutter-off of pleasures, it would restrain you from indulging in things that give rise to laughter. For, everyday, the grave of everyone announces, I am the house of desolation, I am the house of loneliness I am the house of worms When a Mu'min (believer) is buried in it, it says ’ to him, “Most welcome! Blessed be your coming to me! How happy I am to receive you! You were indeed to me the dearest of all the people who walked upon the earth. You have been entrusted to me today and you will see how well I treat you". Then it grows wide for him, as far as his eyes can see; and a door to Jannah is opened for him.

And when an evil-doer orai(Non-believef)is buried in the grave, it says to him,"Accursed be your coming to me! How annoyed I am with you! Of all the people who walked on the earth, you were the most hateful to me. I have been put in charge of you today and you will see how I treat you". It then presses in upon him so that his ribs are crushed together and run into one another. The narrator says that, here, Rasulullah ﷺ interlaced his fingers to indicate how the ribs run into each other. Rasulullah ﷺ then added,"Seventy dragons are set over him to bite him. So full of venom are these dragons, that if one of them were to breathe upon the earth, it would grow no greenery till the last Hour. They will continue to bite him till the Day of Resurrection."The narrator also reports that Rasulullah ﷺ said after this,"The grave of a man is either one of the gardens of Jannah or one of the pits of Jahannam".

Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu relates that someone asked Rasulullah ﷺ,"Who is the wisest and most prudent of men, O Rasulullah". He replied,"He who keeps death frequently in his remembrance, and remains ever engaged in preparations for meeting his death; it is such people indeed who are granted honour in this life and who will be honoured in Akhirah."(Targheeb)

It is related that once Umar Ibne Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi accompanied a bier to the funeral but, on reaching the graveyard, he went over to a solitaiy place and sat silent, lost in thoughts. Someone asked,"O Ameer- ul-Mo’mineen, you are the guardian of this funeral and you are sitting here alone?M He said, “I heard a grave calling me and it said, 'O Umar Ibne Abdul Aziz, do you not ask me how I treat those who come to me?' I said, ‘Do tell me’ and it said, 'I tear their shrouds, I crush their bodies to pieces, I suck all their blood, I eat all their flesh. And, shall I tell you what I do to their joints? Oh, I disjoin their arms from their shoulders and the wrists from their arms! I disjoin the hips from their bodies, the thighs from their hips, the knees from their thighs, the calves from their knees, and the feet from their calves Saying this, Umar Ibne Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi began to weep and at length he added:

'O brief is our stay in this world and great is its illusion! Those who are noble and proud in this life will be humbled in Akhirah; those who are rich will be made poor and destitute. The young will soon grow old and the living shall meet death. Let not the smiles of the world (favours of the world) beguile you! Don’t you see how soon it turns away from its admirers? Oh, where are the great admirers of the world, who built great cities, dug big canals, planted beautiful gardens? They stayed here but little and were gone, leaving everything behind! Their sound health and the strength of their bodies deceived them, breeding in them a zeal for lustful life, and induced them to sinning. By Allah Ta‘alaMost High, they were envied in the world for their abundant wealth and people were jealous of them. But, in spite of obstacles, they earned big fortunes which roused jealousy in the minds of the people, but they were unmindful of the hindrances that stood in their way to affluence and prosperity and they bore, with pleasure, the hardships that they had to face for amassing wealth. But see now, what the earth has done to their bodies, what the worms have made of their joints and their bones! They used to recline on rich couches and diwans, and rested on soft fluffy beds raised above the ground, surrounded by their servants and attendants, with their kinsmen and neighbours to keep them pleasant company. But what is happening now! Just call them and ask them: ‘How are you faring in your graves?’everybody, rich or poor, is lying under the same ground: Ask the rich among them, What use were the riches to you? Ask the poor, What harm did the poverty do to you?’ Ask them, What about your tongues that chirped and chattered pleasantly? What happened to your eyes that kept looking in all directions?What about your smooth skins; and your beautiful, charming faces; and your tender, delicate bodies? Ask them what worms have made of them all! They have made their complexion black, eaten up their flesh, covered their faces with dust, disjoined their limbs, broken their joints to pieces! Alas! Where are their attendants who ran at their commands, calling out, ‘At your service, my lord. Where are their canopies and their apartments to which they retired for rest? Where is the wealth they amassed, the fortunes they treasured? Alas! Their servants could not provide them any food for their journey through the graves, nor gave any pillow, nor planted any tree or garden, but laid them on the ground! Ah! There they lie buried all alone, in the darkness of the graves; their days as dark as the night! They can see their friends no more, nor invite anyone to their places! Ah! among the inmates of these graves, there might have been many men with tender bodies, and delicate ladies of dainty disposition! But now their bodies have decayed, their limbs lie apart, their eyes have come out of the sockets and fallen on what had been their cheeks! Their necks have been disjointed! Their mouths are filled with pus and putrid water, and worms are running over their bodies!" 'Ah! while they lie there, resigned to death and decay, their widows have long since remarried, and are enjoying themselves; their sons have taken possession of their houses; their heirs have distributed their property among themselves! Nevertheless, some fortunate ones there are, among the inmates of these graves' who are having a blissful time, partaking of the bounties of their Lord, with faces fresh and radiant. They were not beguiled by this world, but kept the Akhirah in remembrance; they sacrificed their worldly desires for their requirements in Akhirah and treasured up rich assets (good deeds) for the life to come, sending forth, as though in advanceithings they thought they would need in the Akhirah.

"O you who must inevitably pass on to the grave tomorrow, what has beguiled you about this world? Do you think this wretched world will not betray you? Do you hope to live in the world forever, where men come and go and no one ever stays? Oh, no! You will have to depart from this world, leaving behind your spacious bungalows and your ripening fruit-gardens, and your soft couches, and your suits for summer and winter! Take heed, when the ‘Malak-ul-Maut’ (Angel of Death)comes and gains control over your body, none can send him away! Then you will perspire profusely. A severe parching thirst will torment you. And you will toss and turn in bed, in the agony of death! Alas! Alas! O you who close the eyes of your brother today (when you find him in the throes of death), you who dose the eyes of your son, or your father, you who bathe this dead body today, put a shroud on another one tomorrow, accompany the bier of this one, bury that one in the grave, don’t you think the same things may happen to you, any day?"Umar bin Abdul Aziz continued to discourse in this vein for quite some time and then recited two couplets, the purport of which is as follows:"Man t"kes joy in things which vanish very soon;.and beguiles himself with worldly hopes and inordinate longing about the future, O fool, it is foolish to be deluded by fanciful dreams of joy; your days are spent in utter heedlessness. And you sleep your nights away in dreams though death haunts you, as grim as ever, all the time!

'You are busy today, doing things which will cause remorse and make you grieve tomorrow! Yours is the life of animals, eating and drinking as they dof They relate that hardly a week had passed after this incident when Umar-bin-Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi passed away to te mercy of Allah Ta'ala (May Allah be well pleased with him f)(Musaamiraat)

Rasulullah Sallcdlaho alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said once, “Four things are signs of misfortune: (i) tearless eyes (eyes that do not shed tears of repentance over one’s sins or from remembrance of anything regarding the Akhirah) (ii) hardheartedness; (iii) inordinate longing, extravagant hopes about distant future; (iv) greediness and avidity for life."

Abu Sa'eed Khudri Radhiyallahu anhu says,"Once Usaamah bought a slave-girl and promised to pay the price after a month. When Rasulullah ﷺ came to know of it He said, T am astonished at Usaamah. He made a bargain on credit and promised to pay after a month. Even Usaamah' entertains long hopes of his life! (i.e. he is certain that he will live till the end of the month, t least). By Him who holds my soul in His Hand, I am not sure that; may live till the twinkling of an eye; and when I take up the bowl to drink water, I do not feel sure whether I shall live till I have put it back; and when I take a morsel of food, I am not sure whether I shall swallow it before 1 die. I swear by HinuWho is the Master of my soul, the things you have been promised (death, the Resurrection Day, the Reckoning, etc.) will surely come to pass and you cannot prevent your LordjAllah Ta'ala from doing things"

Abdullah bin Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says, “Once Rasulullah ﷺ took me by the shoulder and said,"live in the world as if you were a stranger or a way-farer and count yourself among the inmates of the graves"; then he added (and some versions say that Abdullah Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu himself made this statement), “When the morning comes, do not expect that you will live to see the evening and when evening falls do not expect to live till morning; when you are in health, do good deeds to serve you in the time of illness (meaning, either, 'do good deeds in advance to compensate for the possible loss of virtues in ill-health’ or; 'make a habit of performing good deeds when you are healthy) for the same will be recorded for you when you are ill and incapadtated);prepare something in your life to serve you when you die; for you never know among whom you will be counted tomorrow (i.e. whether you will be counted among the Wretched ones or the blessed ones. Allah Ta'ala says; Some among them will be wretched, others blessed,.

Mu'aax Radhicdlaho anhu once asked, "O Rasulullah, give me some advice". Rasulullah ﷺ said, 'Worship AUah Ta'ala as though you see Him and He is in front of you; count yourself among the dead; make remembrance (Zikr) of AUah Ta'ala near every stone and every tree (so that there may be many witnesses in your favour on the Day of Resurrection)'And when you faU into a sin, do some act of virtue to atone for it; if the sin is committed in secret, the virtue should also be performed in secret and if the sin is committed openly, the repentance and the virtue in atonement should also be performed openly".

Ibne Mas'ood Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasaham as saying,"The Day of Resurrection is drawing near; but people are advancing in their avidity for worldly things and moving farther away from AUah Ta'ala"Once Rasulullah ﷺ came out of his house and said to the Sahabah,"Is there anyone among you who wishes that Allah Ta'ala should grant him knowledge without having to learn it from others, and lead him to have the right path without having to seek guidance of others? Is there anyone who wishes that Allah Ta'ala should remove bUndness of his heart and grant him proper insight into the reality of things? If so, let him have no concern with the world and restrict his hopes about the future. For only then, will Allah Ta'ala grant him knowledge without having to learn it from others and lead him to the right path without having to seek guidance from others". (al-Durr al-Manthur)

(A detailed version of this Hadith has already been discussed in the foregoing pages). Jaabir Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"The things I fear most for my Ummah are: too much of worldly desires and expectations regarding the distant future; for desires lead one away from Truth and expectations about distant future make one forgetful of Akhirah. This world is moving and getting farther and farther away while Akhirah is drawing closer everyday"(i.e. one’s remaining life is decreasing every minute and death is drawing nearer and nearer). As an Urdu poet has put it: "O you, who are heedless, take heed! In the ticking of the clock there's a warning: Another hour of your life is 4 gone 1 (i.e. it sounds as though the words, 4 gone 4 gone were being echoed in the ticking of the clock,y Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Both this world and the Akhirah have sons. Try, if you can, to avoid being sons of this world (and be the sons of the Akhirah). This day is the time for deeds (sowing seeds) and not a time for Reckoning, but tomorrow you will be in the abode of Akhirah where no deed is possible (Tomorrow is a time for harvest, when you will reap the harvest of your deeds)? (Mishkaat)

Poetic Translation: Salman Farsi Radhiyallahu anhu says,"Three (types of) persons seem so odd to me that, when 1 think of them, I cannot help laughing; he who entertains hopes about the distant future, while death is after him; he who is heedless of Allah Ta'ala, though Allah Ta'ala keeps a guard over him; he who laughs heartily though he does not know whether Allah Ta'ala is pleased or displeased with him. (As a matter of fact, the fear of displeasure of Allah Ta'ala should always prevent a person from laughing loudly). And three things keep me in constant sorrow to such an extent that sometimes I burst into tears: separation from my friends (i.e. Rasulullah ﷺ and Sahabah), anxiety about death and apprehension of appearing before Allah Ta'ala on the Day of Resurrection when He will command me to go to Jannah or Jahannam, I know not where I will have to go." Someone dreamt that he saw Zurrarah -bin-Aufaa Rahmatullah alayhi after his death and asked him, 'Which is the best of virtues?"He replied,0 Keeping trust in Allah (Tawakkul) and restricting one’s hopes". Sufyan Thauri Rahmatullah alayhi says, Zuhd’ (asceticism) i.e. renouncing sensual joys and worldly things, consists in restriction of hopes and not in eating thick bread or wearing rough and coarse clothes.

Dawood Taai Rahmatullah alayhi says:"If I hoped to live till the end of a month, I would regard myself a great sinner; how can I hope to live so long when, day and night, I see people being afflicted with sudden disasters?"It is related of Shaqiq Balkhi Rahmatullah alayhi that once he went to visit Sheikh Abu Haashim Rummani Rahmatullah alayhi who was his spiritual mentor. The Sheikh saw that he had something tied up in a corner of hi, winding-sheet. On his asking what it was, Shaqiq Rahmatullah alayhi replied,"These are a few almonds gifted to me by a friend and I wish you to break your fast with these, this evening."Abu Haashim Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Shaqiq, do you expect to live till the evening? I never thought you would think like this Til never speak to you again", saying this, he went inside and closed the door behind him.

Qaqaa bin Hakim Rahmatullah alayhi says,"For thirty years, I have been waiting for death to come; when it comes, I shall have no desire to have it postponed Sufyan Thauri Rahmatullah alayhi says, T met a Divine in a Masjid at Kufah who said to me, Tor thirty years, I have been waiting for death to come; when it comes, I shall have nothing to say to anyone; nor will anyone have anything to say to me. For, neither 1 owe anything to anyone nor anyone else owes anything to me’". Abu Muhammad Zaahid Rahmatullah alayhi says that he accompanied a funeral, and Sheikh Dawood Taai Rahmatullah alayhi was also accompanying it When they reached the graveyard, the Sheikh went over to a solitary place and sat there. Abu Muhammad Rahmatullah alayhi also went and sat beside him, when he said, It is easy for him to understand this journey to distant lands (Akhirah) who heeds the warnings given by Allah Ta'ala, but he,who entertains long hopes about the future in this world, becomes negligent in performance of good deeds. That which is bound to come (death) is imminent My dear brother, take a word of advice from me; accursed is the thing that turns your attention away from remembrance of your Lord (Allah Ta'ala). One word more; all those who walk on earth must inevitably enter the grave and, at that time, they will grieve over what they have left behind just as they will rejoice over the things that they have sent abroad in advance (to the Hereafter). Now, just think! The survivors (the heirs) quarrel over the very things that cause remorse to the dying man, and file law-suits against one antoher”. (Ihya)

Faqeeh Abul-Laith Samarqandi Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Allah Ta'ala bestows four honours upon a person who restricts his worldly hopes, (i) He grants him the power to exert in devotions, (ii) grants him relief from worries, (iii) makes him content with small provision and (iv) illumines his heart."

The Ulama say that four things illumine a man’s heart (with Noor). (i) an empty stomach, (ii) associating with the pious, (iii) remorse over past sins and (iv) restricting worldly hopes. And Allah punishes him who entertains high hopes about distant future with four types of afflictions: (a) makes him neglect the acts of devotion,

(b) increases his worries about worldly things, (c) makes him ever greedy and anxious for increase in wealth, (d) deprives his heart of mercy and compassion. The Ulama say that four things breed hardheartedness: (a) eating too much, (b) bad company, (c) forgetfullness of ones own sins, (d) high hopes about distant future. Therefore, man must not have great expectations about the distant future; he should rather fear lest he should breathe his last the very next moment.

A Hadith says that once Rasulullah ﷺ said to Aishah,"If you wish to live with me"in the Akhirah.be content with as many things of this world as are sufficient for a rider going journey, who stops a while on his way; and do not sit with the on a rich people, and do not regard a garment as useless till you have patched it". Abu Uthmaan Nahdi Rahmatullah alayhi says that he saw Umar Radhiyallahu anhu on the pulpit delivering the khutbah, wearing a patched garment with twelve patches. (Tanbih-ulGhafileen)

HADITH: 10 A Sahabi Radhiyallahu anhu came to Rasulullab Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said,"Direct me to an act of virtue, after performing which, I should be loved both by Allah Ta'ala and His men". He replied,"If you renounce this world, Allah Ta'ala will love you; and if you abstain from desiring what people possessrthey will love you".

In the foregoing pages, we have quoted a number of Ahadith to the effect that Allah Ta'ala loves those who practise abstinence in this world and that, in the Akhirah, they will be raised to positions of honour. This Hadith, in addition, lays down that, as a rule, he who does not regard others' wealth enviously, nor feels greedy for it, can command their love and veneration. Everybody can verify this from his own experience. It is a common observation that some people have the most intimate mutual relations but, as soon as one of them asks something from the others, the relations are affected and the respect for each other vanishes from their hearts. It has been related in a Hadith that once Jibra'el Alaikissalam came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said, "O Muharbmad, however long you may live, death must inevitably come to you; and whatever deed (good or bad) you perform youwill receive for it an equal recompense; and with whomsoever you develop your relations (in the world), you will be disunited and separated from him one day (i.e. either he will die and forsake you, or you will die and forsake him). Take heed; the nobility of a person consists in his observance of Tahjjud Salaat and his respect depends on a sublime in disregard for what others possess". (Targheeb)- That is to say, a person commands the respect of others so long as he does not regard others' wealth enviously. But as soon as he becomes envious, all his honour and prestige is lost.

Urwah Rahmatullah alayhi says,"When anyone of you looks at the beauty and adornment of this world (and is fascinated by it), he should go home at once and ask his family members to stand in prayers (Salaat). For, Allah Ta'ala has commanded His Rasul ﷺ in the Holy Qur'an.

"And strain not your eyes in longing for that We have given to the people indulging in the world to enjoy, the splendour of the life of this world, so that We may try them thereby. The provision of your Lord (Promised to be given in the Akhirah) is better and more enduring. And enjoin Salaat upon your people (relations) and be constant therein". (Taha: 131-132)

And, in another context, Allah Ta'ala says:

And strain not your eyes in longing for what We have bestowed upon certain people among them to enjoy (i.e. the beauty and adornment of the world)". (al-Hjr: 88)

Commenting on these Ayah,Sufyaan Ibne ‘Uyainah Rahmatullah alayhi says,"If a person who has been favoured with the knowledge of the Qur'an, looks enviously towards anything of the world (granted to someone else) he belittles the Holy Qur'an (i.e is showing disrespect to the Holy Qur'an)."

Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi says: Poverty is commendable indeed, but only for him; who possesses a contented mind, does not feel greedy for wealth, takes no thought of what other people possess and has no desire to acquire property. And all of these qualities can only be achieved by a person who is frugal in his expenditure, spends on his food, dress and lodging only as much as is absolutely necessary, within the humblest possible means. If he requires something, he provides himself with as much of it as may suffice him, at the most for a month, never giving thought to what he may possibly require after the month. For, he who thinks beforehand of what he may possibly need after a month, is deprived of the honour of contentment and falls a prey to greed and avarice. And greed (for man is greedy by nature) makes him addicted to bad habits and induces him to indulge in forbidden things. Rasulullah Sallallahu ala! he wa sallam once said,"If man were to possess two ‘Wadis (valleyfl)full of gold, he would desire a third".

Abu Musaa Ashari Radhiyallahu anhu says,"A surah equal, in extent to surah ‘al-Bara‘at was revealed to Rasulullah ﷺ, which was abrogated later. I still remember the following out of its contents: “Sometimes Allah Ta‘ala assists this Deen (Islam) through the people who have no concern with it (non believers and evil doers.); and also, if man were to possess wealthto the extent of two Wadis (valleys) full of gold, he would crave for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of a man (satisfy his greed) but the dust of the grave; but he who turns to Allah in repentance, Allah Ta'ala accepts ws repentance".

Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"Two greedy persons are never satisfied: the man of learning who is greedy for knowledge (when a man tas acquired a taste for knowledge, he is never satisfied but always craves for more) and the man who is greedy for money". Since greed is a fatal malady, which man has in his nature, Allah Ta'ala and His Rasul have repeatedly emphasized the importance of contentment. In a Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has been reported as saying; “Blessed is the man whom Allah Ta'ala has favoured with Islam, and provided him with a bare sustenance, with which he is content"It occurs in another Hadith that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"On the Day of Resurrection, everybody, rich or poor, will wish he had been given just as much provision in the world as barely sufficed for his needs". For the same reason, Rasulullah ﷺ has admonished us against greediness and against exerting much for earning money.

Rasulullah ﷺ once said;"O people, adopt good means for earning (i.e. do not adopt unlawful means). For, nobody can get more than what has been apportioned for him which must reach him inevitably; and no man will die until he has received the entire amount of his provision". Rasulullah ﷺ also said,"If you observe Taqwa (i.e. guard yourself against all forbidden things), you will be the most devout of men; if you are content with your provision, you will be the best of those who are thankful to their Lord; and if you like your brother Muslim to have what you like for yourself, you will be a perfect Mu'min".

Abu Ayyub Radhiyallahu anhu says that a person came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said,"O Rasulullah, give me some brief advice (so that I may hold fast to it)". Rasulullah ﷺ said:"When you perform Salaat, do so as though it were your last (when a man thinks a Salaat to be his last, he will obviously perform it with great sincerity and devotion and will take pains to make it perfect); and do not speak a word for which you will have to express regret (and tender an apology); and, with a firm mind, do not desire to get what other people possess(do not even turn your eyes to what men possess)”

Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says,"Greediness is poverty (and makes one needy) and true riches consists in not coveting what others possess". That is, he who gives up all hopes of what other men possess, becomes independent of them. A sage was asked,"What is wealthAnd he answered,"Restriction of hopes and being content with what suffices for one’s needs"Muhammad binWaasay Rahmat ullah alayhi used to eat dry bread soaked in water and say:"He who is content to eat this is never obliged to depend upon anyone’. Some asked a sage,"What are your possessions?"He replied,"Wearing an expression of self-sufficiency in public, restriction of hopes and moderation in private; and entertaining no hopes of what others possess". According to a Hadith Rasulullah ﷺ has informed us that Allah Ta‘ala says:"O son of Adam! If you were to possess the whole world, you would not be able to eat more than what can satisfy your need. So, count it My favour to you that I did not grant you more than what suffices for yourt needs, so that you may not have to answer for it".

Abdullah bin Maft'ud Radhiyallahu anhu says:"If anyone asks a brother to help him in his need, let him express his desire in plain words. For if you eulogize him widely, you will do him great harm (make him proud) while you will not get more than your portion allotted by Divine Decree". It is related that the Umayyid king Sulaiman Ibne Abdul Malik wrote a letter to Abu Hazim Rahmatullah alayhi in which he requested, most earnestly, that the Sheikh should ask anything he needed at any time, from the king, who would be pleased to provide it for him. The Sheikh replied,"I put all my needs before Allah Ta'ala and I am content with what He has granted me for their fulfilment".

A sage has said,"I never saw anyone in greater sorrow than the jealous person, nor anyone leading a happier life than a contented person, nor anyone more patient than the greedy man (he is greedy for almost every thing, which he cannot achieve and, therefore, he has to exercise patience). And I never saw anyone leading a finer and more peaceful life than the person who has renounced the world, nor anyone more regretful than an Alim (scholar of divinity) who transgresses the limits of propriety ' It is said that once Abdullah rbne Salaam Radhiyallahu anhu asked Kab Ahbaar Radhiyallahu anhu, What causes knowledge to be taken away from the hearts of the Ulama (divines), despite their having gained a proper understanding of it and having retained it in their minds?"Ka'b Radhiyallahu anhu replied,"Greed, and asking favours from people".

Someone asked Fudhail-bin,Ayaadh Rahmatullah alayhi to explain the above mentioned remark by Kalb Radhiyallahu anhu. He said,"When an 'Alim (Divine) becomes greedy for a worldly thing, he exerts his powers for achieving it and, thus, seriously harms his ‘Deen’ (religion). That is to say, he occupies himself with worldly cares at the expense of religious pursuits. Before long, his covetous nature is fascinated by each and everything of the world and he desires to possess all the things that catch his eye. Then he asks favours from men and bows to anyone who helps him in the fulfilment of his desires, obeys him, serves his designs humbly, salutes him when he passes by and visits him when he falls ill. And these salutations and visits are not motivated by the desire to please Allah Ta'ala, but by worldly designs. (For which, obviously, no reward is to be expected in the Hereafter). In the end, Fudhail Rahmatullah alayhi said,"This remark is of greater benefit than a hundred others, as it is a good exhortation to practise contentment".

Sa'd bin Abi Waqaas Radhiyallahu anhu says that a person came to Rasulullah Sallallako alayhi wa sallam and said,"0 Rasulullah, give me some advice and make it brief (so that I may hold fast to it)T Rasulullah Sallallako alayhi wa sallam said,"Give up all hopes of getting what other people possess (do not even turn your eyes to what men possess), and ward off greed, for greediness is instant poverty (when you are greedy and want to have a thing, you become needy even before the need actually arises); and do not do or say a thing for which you will have to make an excuse tomorrow". (Targheeb)

We have earlier quoted a Hadith, on the authority of Abu Ayyub Radhiyallahu anhu, in which the same question with a similar answer has been reported. Both Traditions have a common theme, except for a piece of advice in each, specifically meant for the person asking the question in each case and, therefore, at variance with the other. Some versions of Sa'd’s Tradition mention four items of advice Oike the one given above), of which three items are similar to those mentioned in Abu Ayyub's version, and there is one more regarding greediness. (Targheeb)

As regard the advice to give up hopes of what others possess, which is common to both Traditions, this is very important indeed. For, only such people (who do not hope to get anything from others) are safe from anxiety and humiliation before others. Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"If anyone is living at. peace in his house, has been granted bodily health by Allah Ta'ala and possesses enough food for the day, it is as if he possesses the whole world. (Targheeb). True, if anyone possesses all these things, he has no reason to regard enviously any other thing of the world.

Abdullah Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu has also narrated a similar incident about a person who asked Rasulullah ﷺ for some brief advice. He replied,"When you observe Salaat, observe it as though it were your last (and you were standing before Allah Ta'ala); for, He sees you, though you do not see Him; and give up all hopes of what others possess, you will be the richest of men;and do not do or say anything for which you will have to make excuses tomorrow". (Targheeb) It is related that someone asked Sa‘d Radhiyallahu anhu to give him some advice and he said,"When you get up to observe Salaat, perform the ‘Wudhu (ablution) perfectly, for Salaat without ‘Wudhu’ is not accepted, and there is no faith (Iman) without Salaat; them when you begin to observe Salaat, observe it as though it were your last; and do not make frequent demands, foijit is instant poverty; and give up all hopes of what other people possess, for true riches consists therein; and do not do or say anything for which you will have to make excuses and apologize tomorrow". (Athaaf-us Salaat)

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Some people think that he who renounces worldly wealth is an ascetic (Zaahid); though it is not true. For, it is quite easy for any one"who hankers after public fame, status and prestige, to eat less food and to wear rough and coarse clothes. There are many pretenders to asceticism and renunciation (zuhd) who are content to eat little food and who keep their house-doors closed to the public or live in houses which have no entrance gates (i.e. refuse to associate with people). And by all this, they aim to achieve nothing but worldly fame. There are many who wear fine clothes and claim to have renounced the world (become Zaahids). They say that they wear fine clothes in order to follow the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. They also say that they do not wear fine dress of their own accord, but because their friends and admirers insist on it and wish to see them well-dressed. The fact is that, when they say so, they are indirectly asking people to send them gifts of fine garments. These two categories of people want to gain worldly benefits through their religion. For, worldly benefits do not consist in acquisition of wealth alone; desiring the high status and good name of an ascetic (Zaahid) is also a worldly motive. There are three distinguishing characteristics of a true ‘Zaahid’ (an ascetic), which one should try to develop in himself

1. He does not take pleasure in what he possesses in the world; nor grieves over being deprived of the things he does not possess. Or, better still, he grieves over having worldly things in his possession and feels happy when he is bereft of such things.

2. In his sight, the one who praises him and the one who berates him are alike. Of these two, the former characteristic signify renunciation of wealth, the latter signifies renunciation of status and worldly renown.

3. He is possessed of a trub love for Allah Ta'ala, enjoys intimacy with Him, and is capable of experiencing a peculiar bliss and sweetness in acts of devotion. (Ihya)

At this point, I would like to narrate two anecdotes from the lives of my own spiritual leaders, which serve as illustration of the perfections listed above.

First, I quote here a letter by our spiritual mentor and guide, Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rahntatullah alayhi, written to his own spiritual leader, Sheikh of the Arab and the non-Arab world, Hqji Imdaadullah Rahmatullah alayhi; May Allah raise him to still higher spiritual stations! It reads:"Your honour has deigned to ask this undeserving servant of yours about his spiritual condition. O you, who are my protecting lord in the two worlds! What am I and what is my spiritual state! What good have I got to present to you who have reached the zenith of perfection! By Allah! I am ashamed to talk to you about my own humble attainments because I am the most insignificant of your servants. But since you have commanded me I must comply with your behest"My esteemed preceptor and guide, so far as the externals oi

(religious) knowledge are concerned, during the seven years of my absence from your blessed companionship, more than two hundred students have received their final degree of proficiency in Hadith through this humble servant of yours. Most of these have opened their own institutions for teaching of Hadith and have devoted themselves to the revival of Sunnah of the 'Rasul ﷺ and propagation of ‘Deen’ (Islam). I deem it to be the greatest honour, if it meets with acceptance by Allah Ta'ala.

"As for the fruits of inner perfections gleaned from my spritual association with and service of your august self, I should add in brief: In my moods of divine ecstasy, I take no thought of receiving any benefit, or coming to harm through anyone other than Allah Ta'ala. So much so that, by Allah, I sometimes fear I have been detached from my own spiritual leaders. And I am least concerned with the praise or blame of anyone, considering my spiritual state to be far removed from praise or dispraise of people. And I abhor the sin s and feel inclined by nature towards devotionsand I owe all these effects to the illuminating benedictions of my association and spiritual link, at once imperceptible and asserting, which binds me to your illustrious self. It would be impudent and audacious of me to dilate further on this subject I, therefore, request to be excused.

"Pardon me, O Allah! I have written this in compliance with the behest of my sheikh. I am a false pretender, the most insignificant of Your creatures. All these are Your favours to me. Only You exist What am I? A nonentity! I owe my very existence to You! I am because You will to be so. To think in terms of You and T is also an intricate way of ascribing partners to You in Your Attributes. I seek refuge in Allah! I seek refuge in Allah, There is no might and no power except in Allah Kindly accept this from me with my excuses. Was-Salaam. 1306

A.H This letter was written seventeen years before the Sheikh passed awqy to the vicinity of Allah; one cannot imagine the spirtual heights which he might have attained after this period, considering that he felt beyond the praise or dispraise of people and that he did not even think of receiving any benefit or coming to harm through anyone except Allah, long before his death.a The other incident has been narrated by Amir Shah Khan in his book ‘Ameer-ur-Riwayaat. He writes, TnSikandarabad sub-division, there is a village, which is called Hasanpur.I have also visited it-It is quite a large village-author). There was a time when this village used to be an estate owned jointly by Maulana Mohammad Ishaaque of Delhi (who was a well-known authority on Hadith) and Maulana Muhammad Yaqoob Rahmatullah alaihima. Maulana MuzafFar Hussain Kandhalwi says that these two brothers were very generous by nature and spent liberally. The consequence was that they seldom remained in easy circumstances and often looked worried.

It so chanced that, one day when they were living in Makkah Mukarramah, Maulana MuzafFar Hussain visited them at their house and was greatly surprised to see them unusually happy. They walked about in the house, carried books from one place to the other and talked to each other in very happy tones like people who cannot contain themselves for joy. Maulana Muzaffar conjectured that some large remittance from India might have occasioned this unusual mood of felicity, but he, thought it worth while to learn the real cause. As he could not muster courage to ask the elder brother, he said to the younger,"Maulana l How is it that you look so happy today?" He replied,"Our estate at Hasanpur has been confiscated. We are happy because, so long as it remained in our possession, we did not have perfect trust (Tawakkul) in Allah Ta'ala; from now on we shall put our trust in Allah alone”. Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawai Rahmatullahi alaike, commenting on this incident, writes:"The incident is reminiscent of another similar anecdote from the life of Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilaani Rahmatullah alayhi who expressed great joy on being told, by one of his attendants, that his costly mirror had broken. The attendant said, timidly; f a The China-made mirror has broken by chance, but the Sheikh added a rhyming line, quite extempore:"It's good! The means of looking at ourselves (with pride) have been shattered".

HADITH: 11 Aishah Radhiyallahu anha narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ did not ever take enough barely bread to satisfy his hunger on two consecutive days, till he passed away,

Note: Such was the life of Rasulullah ﷺ! There are hundreds of Ahadith that give a similar account of his mode of life. Nowadays, we hear a lot about the poverty and starvation of the Muslim community but, one wonders, how few men there might have been who could not get enough plain bread to satisfy them on two consecutive days throughout their life The ‘Shamaael-e-Tirmizi, quotes another Hadith on the authority of Aishah Radhiyallahu anha to the effect that even the family of Rasulullah ﷺ did not get enough barley bread to satisfy their hunger on two consecutive days till he passed away.

Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu says: HOn many consecutive nights Rasulullah ﷺ and his family had nothing to eat in the evening and they had to go without food for the whole night; and Rasulullah ﷺ lived on barley bread”.

Someone asked Sahl Radhiyallahu anhu,"Was not Rasulullah ﷺ accustomed to eat bread made from sifted flour?"He replied,"I am not sure whether Rasulullah ﷺ ever saw sifted flour in his lifetime’! He then asked, Didn’t you have sieves during the times of Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi u;wa sallam?Sahl Radhiyallahu anhu replied that they were not accustomed to use sieves those days. At this, the person asked (in surprise), MHow could you eat unsifted barley flour"? Sahl Radhiyallahu anhu answered,"We used to shake and blow the flour; thus the (big particlesfchaflflew away and we baked the rest". (Shamaael e-Tirmizi)

Note: Today, we find it hard to eat wheat bread made from unsifted flour. The Sahabah Radhiyallahu onhum used to eat barley bread made from unsifted flour and, even of that, they could not get enough to eat their fill.

Aishah Radhiyallahu anha says,"When I have a full meal, I cannot contain my sorrow and burst into tears". Someone asked her the reason and she said,"I am reminded of the times of Rasulullah ﷺ when he could never have a full meal of meat or bread twice a day till he passed away". (Shamaael) Sateed Maqbari Rahmatullah alayhi says that once Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu came upon some people who had a dish of roast chicken in front of them and were having dinner. They invited him to share the food, but he refused to do so and said,"Rasulullah ﷺ passed away from this world without ever having enough barley bread to satisfy his hunger. How can I eat chicken?"(Mishkaat).

Note: This is a general remark by Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu and not a legal prohibition. For, there are authentic Ahadith to prove that Rasulullah ﷺ himself did eat chicken-meat Another Hadith says that Rasulullah ﷺ often remained hungry, even without being driven to it by necessity. That is, sometimes he ate very little, despite there being sufficient food to eat For, the Divine light (nur) descends bountifully upon the hearts of those who keep their bellies hungry. Still another Hadith says that Allah Ta'ala takes pride in him who eats and drinks little in this world, and He says to the angels, ‘Look! I tried him with want (of food and drink) and he remained patient Bear witness; for every morsel of food that he could not eat, I grant him a high grade in Jannah. (Ihya).

However, one should not, of ones own choice, eat so little food as to leave him insufficient strength for the performance of religious duties. For the same reason, eating of ‘Suhur’ (a meal taken shortly before dawn) has been made a Sunnah for the month of Ramadhan, as it protects a person from growing too weak while fasting. And taking a short mid-day nap has been made a Sunnah, as it is helpful for staying awake by night and observing Tahqjud Salaat. Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"No full vessel is as bad as a belly replete with food. (i.e. filling of no other vessel is as bad as filling one’s belly with food). But, since one cannot do without food, one third of the stomach may be filled with food; one third should be kept empty for water and one third for the air". It has been related in a Hadith that once Fatimah Radhiyallahu anha brought a loaf of bread to Rasulullah ﷺ who asked her what it was and she said, 'O Rasulullah, 1 baked some bread today, but I did not like to eat it without your sharing it with me". Rasulullah ﷺ said,"This is the first thing your father is putting into his mouth after three days". (That is to say, ‘I have not taken any food for three days together).

According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ once said, “Only those who remain hungry in this world will be repleted with food in the Akhirah and Allah Ta'ala greatly dislikes a person who eats so much that he suffers from indigestion; and he who wishes to have something but does not eat, will be raised to higher stages in Jannah". Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says,"Avoid eating to repletion; for it causes heaviness in the world; and decay and putrefaction at the time of death". Shaqiq Balkhi Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Devoutness is a profession, whose workshop is solitude, and whose instrument (with which a man of profession works) is hunger."Fudhail Rahmatullah alayhi used to say, addressing himself,"Fudhail, you feel afraid of hunger, though it is not a thing to be afraid of. Insignificant man! Think of Rasulullah ﷺ and the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum who had to suffer from hunger"(despite their sublime spiritual ranks). He would say, sometimes,"0 Allah! You kept me and my family without food, and without light during dark nights. I know it is Your way with the pious ones among Your men. What virtue of mine moved Your bounty to bestow upon me such a great favour?'(He wondered if any virtue of his was so pleasing to Allah Ta'ala that He had, in spite of the fact that he was not a pious man (in his own estimation), granted him the favours which fall to the lot of the pious ones alone).

Kahmas Rahmatullah alayhi used to say, 'O Allah! You kept me without food, and without clothes, and without light during dark nights (I am not worthy of these favours). What moved Your bounty to bestow upon me all these favours?"Fatah Musili Rahmatullah alayhi used to say, when he was afflicted with some painful disease or, was suffering from pangs of hunger."O Allah! You tried me with the affliction of hunger and disease and these are the things with which You try Your pious men. What good deed should I perform to show my gratitude to You for all these favours?"

Once, Maalik-bin-Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi said to Muhammad Ibne Wasi Rahmatullah alayhi,"Blessed is the man who gets a little produce (from land etc) which affords him a bare sufficiency and makes him independent of begging from people". Muhammad bin Wasi Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Blessed is the man who remains hungry in the morning and goes without food in the evening and, still, is well pleased with Allah Ta'ala."It occurs in the Torah to the effect that, 'When you have a full meal, call to your mind the people who are hungry. Abu Sulaiman Rahmatullah alayhi says, “If I take a morsel less than what I usually have at night, I deem it to be more rewarding (for my soul) than a whole night of standing in devotions.’

He also says: ‘Hunger is a Divine Treasure available only to those who are the favourities of Allah Ta'ala S Sahl bin Abdullah Tustari Rahmatullahi alayhi was accustomed to going without food consecutively for more than twenty days and his expenses on food were estimated at one Dirham (silver coin) a year. He often gave exhortations and talked at length on the merits of remaining hungry, so much so that he would say, “No other virtue can compare with that of eating only as much as is barely necessary, for. in that alone consists the compliance with the Sunnah (Way) of Rasulullah ﷺ in matters of food."He also says: '‘Wisdom and knowledge is gained through starving the belly: ignorance and sins are centred in repletion."He also says: ‘No one can attain to the station of the ‘AbdaaT (a very high rank of sainthood) until he cultivates the following habits: starving the belly, observing reticence in speech, waking up at night for devotions, love of solitude? He also says,He who remains hungry is least disturbed by the whispering and evil promptings of the Shaitan".

Abdul Wahid bin Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi would say: ‘I swear Allah! Nobody’s soul can be purified unless he starves his belly; and it is by virtue of hunger that the saints used to walk on water and are granted the miraculous power to traverse thousands of miles in a few steps (the charismatic power called ‘Tayy-ul-ardh).

Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi says that there are ten great advantages of eating less food:

The first Advantage, (of eating less food) is that it helps to purify one’s soul produces alacrity of spirit and deepens one’s insight; for, repletion causes dullness of mind and makes one’s heart devoid of spiritual light (Noor). When the stomach is full, gases and vapours (rising from it) gather up round the brain and also affect the heart, with the result that one’s mind becomes cloudy and slow in thought If a young boy begins to eat too much, his memory grows weak and his brain becomes dull. Abu Sulaiman Darani Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Make a habit of keeping your stomach empty; for this subdues the evil nature, softens the heart and helps in acquiring spiritual knowledge". Shibli Rahmatullah alayhi says, “Whenever I remained hungry, meaning thereby to earn the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, I found, opening up within myself, a new vista of knowledge and a deeper insight into the reality of things was granted to me.”

It also explains, Luqman Alaihissalam advised his son, thus: “Sonny, when a person's belly is full, his faculty of reason becomes dormant, his wisdom becomes still and ineffective, and his limbs become slow in performance of acts of devotion”. Abu Yazid Busts mi Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Hunger is like a cloud; when one is hungry it sends down showers of wisdom upon one's heart”.

The second advantage is that hunger softens a man's heart and makes it sensitive to ‘Zikr’ (Remembrance of Allah Ta'ala) and other acts of devotion. Sometimes a person recites the hymns with great concentration of mind, but his heart does not experience the bliss and other effects of Zikr. But when the heart becomes sensitive to softer feelings, it can experience the rppture of Zikr’ the joy and bliss of importuning His favours. Abu Sulaiman Darani Rahmatullah alayhi says, "I derive greatest pleasure from my devotions when I am starving, with my belly totally empty”. Junaid Baghdadi Rahmatullah alayhi used to say, “How can a person who hangs a bag of food between his heart and his Lord (Allah Ta'ala) experience the blias of solitary communion with Him. (filled belly is compared to the beggar’s bag, full of food).”

The third advantage of hunger is that it produces meekness and humility in a man, and sublimates his pride and vanity that would induce him to become heedless and transgress the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala. Nothing mortifies the baser self of man more than hunger. And, no one can have a vision of the Grandeur and Majesty of Allah Ta'ala unless he humbles himself, feeling insignificant in comparison with Allah. Therefore, everybody should make a habit of remaining hungry often, so that he can concentrate his thoughts on his Lord, intuitively. It was in view of this effect of hunger that, when Allah Ta'ala offered to Rasulullah ﷺ that the entire land of Makkah be turned into gold for him, he replied,"No, but I would like, O Allah! to be hungry and have enough to eat on alternate days; so that when I am hungry, I shall be patient and bow to You in humility (supplicate Your favours), and when I have enough food, I shall be thankfld to You".

The fourth advantage of being hungry is that one is never forgetful of those who are suffering from misery and starvation. A person replete with food can have no idea of the sufferings of the starving and the needy. Someone asked Yousuf Alaihissalam,"You are the custodian of all the treasures of this land and still, you remain hungry". He replied,"I fear lest repletion should make me forgetful of those who are starving. And, hunger and thirst in this world also helps to keep in remembrance the hunger and thirst that men will be made to suffer on the Day of Resurrection. A hungry man fears the punishment of Allah Ta'ala; he can call to mind how the inmates of Jahannam will suffer from severe thirst and hunger, how they will be given food that will be hard to swallow, and how they will be given as drink, the blood and the pus running from the wounds of those burning in Fire. p The fifth and most important advantage of hunger is its effect of protection against sins. For, all lusts stem from repletion, while hunger takes the edge off one’s passions. A person’s blessedness consists in his subduing his evil self, while his misfortune comes from being over powered by evil passions. As a wild horse is made docile through hunger, and becomes defiant and rebellious if it is given too much to eat, similarly, the evil nature of man can be subdued only by starving the belly.

Someone asked a Divine,"You are old and weak in body and, still, you do not take care of your health (you need to take invigorating foods). He replied,"Man’s innate evil nature is quickly excited by passions; I fear, lest it should drag me into the bane of some sinful deed. So, I prefer to keep my nature subdued by mortifications, lest it should tempt me into a sin leading to damnation".

Aishah Rad hi alia ho an ha says,"The first innovation (Bid’at) in Deen that started after the times of Rasulullah ﷺ is the habit of people to eat to the extent of repletion. When the bellies of men are full, their psyches are inclined towards the world”.

And this advantage of hunger being a protection against sins includes so many other advantages, the least of which is one’s protection against lusts of the sex and the desire for idle talk. A hungry man would never like to indulge in idle talk and, thus, he would be safe from the sins of back-biting, telling lies, obscene talk, maligning and vilifying others. On the other hand, a full-bellied glutton desires recreation and chit-chat and our gossip generally consists of slanders about the chaste and virtuous people. Rasulullah ﷺ said,"(Mostly) people are condemned to Jahannam for the harvests of their tongue". There is no denying the fact that indulgence in sex is most fatal for the soul. Now, when a person's belly is full, he finds it difficult to contain his sexual desire; and even if he is capable of restraining it, through fear of Allah Ta'ala, he may not be able to avoid the sin of lustful gazing (at the person of opposite sex). Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"The eye commits fornication, as do the private parts". Suppose a man is able to close his eyes to avoid sinful gazing, the image of the persons on whom he chanced to cast a glance will still haunt his mind, and lustful thoughts will deprive him of the bliss of Communion with Allah Ta'ala, and may even distract his attention when engaged in observance of Salaat. Sins of lust and sins of the tongue have been mentioned by way of illustration; as a matter of fact, all sins committed by various parts of the body have their origin in a belly replete with food, which provides the necessary strength.

The sixth advantage of eating less food is that those who eat sparingly do not sleep long, but are granted the privilege to stay awake at night and engage themselves in devotions. He who eats much needs to drink plenty of water and so remains asleep for long hours. The divines say,"Do not eat much food, or you will have to drink plenty of water, then you will fall asleep and go on sleeping for long hours, which will cause you great spiritual loss."They say that seventy famous physicians are agreed upon the fact that drinking a lot of water cause a person to sleep for longer durations,and so a greater portion of his lifetime is wasted, not to speak of the spiritual loss of missing Tahajjud Salaat. Too much sleep also causes hardheartedness and dullness of the mind. Moreover, if a man leading a celibate life or living away from his wife, sleeps for long hours, he will frequently be subject to night pollution and, in case there are no proper arrangements for taking a bath, he will often miss his Tahajjud prayers.

The seventh advantage of eating less food is that it facilitates standing in devotion for long hours: a heavy stomach makes a person lazy and incapacitates him from standing in devotions. The very act of eating takes a lot of time; and, if a person has to cook for himself, it involves a greater wastage of time. Then, after taking the meal, you wash your hands, pick your teeth (to remove crumbs from the teeth), get up from your seat time and again and go out to take water. If you add up the time spent on these various acts, you will realise how much time is wasted in taking food. How much more beneficial would it be if all this time were spent in remembrance of Allah Ta'ala and other acts of devotion?

Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi says that he saw Ali Jurjani Rahmatullah alayhi eating a sort of mash made from barley flour and asked him how he had got used to that food! The Sheikh replied, 1 calculated the time spent in eating a morsel from putting it in the mouth upto chewing, and swallowing it, and I saw that during this time, I could say: (Allah be glorified) seventy times. For this reason, I have not taken bread for the last forty years but have been eating this mashed barley flour alone". The fact is that every second of a man’s life is an invaluable jewel, which must be deposited with Allah Taala in the treasury of Akhirah so that it may not be wasted. And the only way of preserving it, is to spend it in the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala or in other acts of devotion.

Besides, a full belly is a hindrance which prevents a man from remaining in the state of ritual purification (Wudhu) for long duration. He has to go to the privy and cleanse himself more often (perform Istinjaa) and, besides wasting his time, he cannot stay in the Masjid (continuously) for longer hours. Moreover, fasting becomes much easier for those who are used to remain hungry. In short, there are innumerable advantages of eating less food, for example, its helpfulness for fasting, for observing I’tikaaf (seclusion), for staying -in the state of ritual purification (wudhu) for longer hours, for spending more time in acts of devotion. But all these advantages cannot be appreciated by the worldly-minded, who are heedless, who regard ‘Deen to be of little value, who are content with the transitory life of the world, knowing only about this world, with little knowledge of the Akhirah.

The eighth advantage of eating less food is that it is good for bodily health. Most diseases are caused by repletion and surfeit, for, eating too much causes such deposits to accumulate in the belly, and gn the veins and arteries, which are harmful for the health of the body and which breed various diseases. Ailments and diseases, besides being irjurious to health, prevent a person from exerting himself in devotions, distract him and divert his attention from contemplation and remembrance of Allah Ta'ala. Moreover, diseases bring in their wake a host of worldly encumbrances and worries, including medicines, precautions, visits to doctors and physicians, to undergo operations, or (as in olden times) getting a leech to suck one’s blood, thus causing great botheration and a lot of expenses, whereas hunger serves as a sure protection against all maladies. They relate that once Haroon Rashid, the Caliph, invited to his court four expert physicians from India, Constantinople, Iraq and Sawad.... and asked them to name a medicine which did no harm to any organ of the body. The Indian said it was the black emblic (myrobalan), the Iraqi named the wild rue (called ‘Habb-ur-Rashad’ in Arabic, ‘Sipand’ in Persian and ‘Haloon’ in Hindi) and the Roman suggested it was hot water which was totally harmless. The expert from Sawad said, ’That is all wrong. Emblic is harmful for the stomach. (It is also harmful for the liver-Author). The wild rue is sticky and also harms the stomach, and hot water causes looseness of bowelsI’At this, all of them asked him to name something which was perfectly harmless and he replied, MIf you want to keep out of harm’s way, you should not take anything until you have a good appetite and stop eating while you still feel like having some more". All the three doctors agreed with his opinion.

It is said that a philosopher doctor was told about a Hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ, which says that one should fill one third of one’s stomach with food, keep one third of it for water and one third empty for the air. He was greatly surprised and said,"I do not know of a sounder and saner view about eating less food. These are, undoubtedly, the words of a great sage".

The ninth advantage of eating less food is the economy in expenses. A person who eats less food spends less money than the one who eats more. The latter, in order to provide himself with larger quantities of food sometimes adopts unlawful means or suffers humiliation through begging from people. (We have just given an account of Sahl Tustari Rahmatullah alayhi whose expenses on food amounted to one silver-piece a year).

A sage has said,"I often dispose off my wants merely by abandoning the idea of fulfilling them, which gives me peace and safety from distraction in devotion."Another sage says,"When I feel the need to borrow money, I borrow it from myself saying (to my own -self) that! undertake to fulfil this desire at another time". Whenever Ibrahim hin Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi asked the price of something and was told that it was very expensive, he would say to his friends, MDo not buy that thing, as that will make it cheap", (i.e. if you decide not to buy a thing,, it is all one to you whether it is cheap or expensive and you do not bother as to how it is selling) In most cases, it is greed that brings about man’s damnation; and greed results from excessive indulgence in erjoyments of food and sex. Sexual desire is also an outcome of eating rich food. And in eating less food, there is protection against all these evils; may Allah Ta'ala grant protection to whomsoever He wills The tenth advantage of eating less food is that it enables a person to offer help in sympathy with others and to give away large amounts in Sadaqah. For, a person who saves on food can spend his savings as Sadaqah on the orphans, the poor and the destitute. This Sadaqah will provide him Shade on the Day of Resurrection, as stated earlier in a Hadith.

The excessive amount of food a person consumes turns into waste, while whatever is spent as Sadaqah is deposited in the Treasury of Allah Ta'ala for his eternal benefit. We have already quoted a Hadith in the foregoing pages to the effect that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Man says, ‘My wealth, my wealth," though what is really his, consists of three things: what he gives as Sadaqah and preserves for use in Akhirah, what he eats and uses up, and what he wears and makes wornout. All the rest is not his property, but is left behind for his heirs and he has no share in it". Besides, we have already quoted numerous Ahadith on the virtues of Sadaqaat. Each one of the ten advantages of eating less food, described above in brief, includes numerous other advantages.

One point, however, is worth considering, to which we have made frequent references in this book. Of course that there is no doubt about the virtues of taking less food, and, the fortunate ones are those who have, as a special favour from Allah Taalat achieved this merit and epjoy perfect peace in their worldly and religious life; besides, these virtues will also help them to attain numerous benefits in the Akhirah. Still, every one should make allowance for his own weak body, lest, in trying to achieve too much, he may lose what he may have already achieved. So, a person should keep persuading himself to achieve these merits and consider them of high value but, at the same time, he should observe only such practices as his own humble powers permit. A patient who carries heavy loads hastens his own death. We have diseases of the soul and our limbs and faculties are quite weak. Therefore, though we should continually aspire for perfect spiritual health and do our utmost to gain it we should not do anything which might cause further deterioration in our spiritual health.

Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah ala the writes:"One should cultivate the habit of eating less food gradually. For, if a person accustomed to eat a lot abruptly reduces his food, he will find it hard to bear and will lose his health. So, one should cultivate this habit gradually and conveniently. For example, if a person is accustomed to eat two loaves of bread everyday, he should reduce his food by twenty eighth part of a loaf everyday, so that, after a month, his daily provision of food will be reduced to one half of the amount being consumed by him previously. And, if even this reduction is too much for him, he may reduce a fortieth part of a loaf everyday.

Sahl Tustari Rahmatullah alayhi was asked, AHow did you start your austerities in matters of food?” He replied, '‘In the beginning, I used to spend three silver-pieces (Dirhams) on food every year. I bought a syrup made from dates or grapes for one Dirhamrice -flour for one Dirham and butter (or oil) for one Dirham. I made a thick mixture of these three and prepared three hundred and sixty sweet balls of dough. I fasted during the day and ate one such ball in the evening when the fast was broken". Some one asked him,"What is your practice now?"He replied, There is no set routine; I just take something, at times". We have earlier referred to his habit of going without food for twenty days at a time.

Abu Zarr Ghifari Radhiyallahu anhu is reported to have said:"During the times of Rasulullah ﷺ. I used to consume one Saa‘ (approximately 3-1/4 Kg) of barley every week. By Allah! I shall never increase it till I die. For I heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying, ‘Of you, the dearest and the nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who remains, till death, in the same condition as he is today? It was in view of this remark of Rasulullah ﷺ that Abu Zarr Ghifaari Radhiyallahu anhu used to criticise some Sahabah to whom he would say,"You have abandoned the ways of life followed during the days of Rasulullah. You eat sifted barley flour, though it was not sifted during those times; you eat thin loaves of bread and I see many kinds of curries in your feasts, though you were not accustomed to such things during the times of Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says: “A Mu'min (believer) is like a small goat; a handful of dates, a handful of barley flour with a little water suffices him for food. A hypocrite is like a wild animal, who devours everything he can come by; he has little regard for his neighbours nor does he prefer anyone else’s needs to his own. Give away, (O, Believers) whatever exceeds your needs as Sadaqah and send it before you to the Akhirah, (for it will benefit you)v. Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu would go without food, consecutively for six days and Abdullah bin Zubair Radhiyallahu anhu could go without food consecutively for seven days. It is said that once a Sufi Sheikh came across a Christian monk and held conversation with him. In the course of their talk, he also invited him to embrace Islam. The monk said,"Eisaa Alaihissalam would sometimes go without food consecutively for forty days; it is obviously a miracle and only a Nabi is granted such powers". The Sheikh saidvuDo you promise to embrace Islam if I go without food consecutively for fifty days. The monk said, 'Certainly. The Sheikh stayed with him for fifty days and did not take anything. He then said, These fifty days were in fulfiment of my promise; now, I shall do it for another ten days. So, he did not eat anything for ten days more and took food after sixty days of starvation. The monk was greatly surprised and embraced Islam.

A Hadith says that: 'If Rasulullah ﷺ took a meal in the morning, he would not have food in the evening. And, if he took a meal in the evening, he would not take food in the morning.' (Jami-us-Saghir). (That is it was his custom on some occasions.) The saints of earlier times also used to take food only once during the day. Imaam Raazi Rahmatullah alayhi says. If anyone is accustomed to taking food once during the day, he should eat it before dawn so that he may earn the blessings of fasting during the day, and be better able to engage in devotions during the night when his stomach is empty. They say that Maalik bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi desired to have milk, but he restrained his desire and did not take milk for forty years. Once some one presented to him some fresh dates, but he gave them to his friends saying, Have these dates, for I have not tasted one.for, the last forty years. (Ihya)

Imaam Ghazaali.Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated many such incidents about the self-denials of the great Divines. In fact, it was by virtue of these hardships that they were sometimes blessed by Allah Ta'ala with supernatural powers. Nowadays, everybody aspires to possess them, but few can endure such rigorous self-mortification. How can we, who are accustomed to enjoy delicacies of food, think of such self-denials and hardships! It is said that a Sufi Sheikh invited a friend to a feast and put some loaves of bread before him on the table cloth. The guest began to turn over the loaves to select for himself a fine piece. The Sheikh said, “What are you doing? The loaf that you have rejected has such and such benefits in it; besides, so many workers toiled and laboured at it to make it reach here. The wind blew, caused the douds to be filled with water, then it rained, the earth grew crops, men and animals worked in the fields, etc., to bring this bread and then it reached you. And, now you are selecting some loaves and rejecting others as bad ones".

It is said that a loaf of bread does not reach a person until three hundred and sixty hands have worked at it. First of all, Mikaaeel Alaihissalam measures out a set quantity from the bounteous Treasures of Allah Taalaf then the angels incharge of the douds drive them to the fields; then the moon, the sun and the sky cause the crops to grow; then the angels inchaige of the fields; and finally, the bakers work to prepare bread. Says Allah Ta'ala, winds cause the douds totnove; them the animals work in doud and with absolute truth:

"And if you consider a bounty of Allah and its details, you cannot reckon it. (Ibrahim: 34)

Another noteworthy point about eating less food is that it should be done with the purest of motives, only to earn the pleasure of Allah, and not for show or winning worldly recognition, otherwise a person suffers from pangs of hunger but his soul becomes more corrupt, instead of being reformed. The Divines say that the one who abandons the joys of food, but falls a prey to the desire for show and recognition, is like a person who escapes from the scorpion but runs into the dragon's mouth.

In short, eating less food is commendable, as it is benefidal both for one's religious and worldly life, but one should take care lest it makes him too weak and guard oneself against other fatal dangers like hypocrisy etc. And, it is imperative to keep in view the way of living of Rasulullah ﷺ, his social behaviour, his poverty and his voluntary starvation. One should have sincere preference for the life led by Rasulullah Sallallho alayhi wa sallam believing a life of austerity not because he was obliged to live in poverty, but by his choice, made with"his owji sweet will and pleasure. A Hadith says that once Aishah Radhiyallahu anha said to Rasulullah ﷺ, ‘O Rasulullah, why you do not ask Allah Ta'ala to increase your sustenance and she burst into tears because she could not bear to see Rasulullah in pangs of hunger." At this, Rasulullah said, ‘Aishah, I swear by Him Who holds my life in His Hands, if I so wished, Allah Taala would grant me mountain of gold which would go with me wheresoever I went. But I have preferred hunger in this world, I have preferred poverty in this world to riches and I have preferred sorrows of this world to joys. Aishah, this world is not suited for Muhammad and his family. Allah Taala has commanded perseverance and patience to the most resolute and determined among His Ambiya, amidst sufferings of this world, and ordered them to keep away from the ease and comforts of this life. And Allah Taala wants me to observe patience like them. He has said in one Ayah:

Have patience, then, even as the resolute of heart among the Rasuls; had patience (Ahqaf: 35)

And I cannot but obey the commandments of my Lord. Soj by Allah, I shall observe patience to the extent of my powers, as they did, and truly it is Allah Taala alone Who grants the power".

It has been stated that during the caliphate of Umar Radhiyallahu anhOy when so many territories were conquered by the Muslims, his daughter, Hafsah Radhiyallahu anha once suggested to him, that, when he received envoys from foreign countries, he should wear fine clothes and entertain them with good food and share it with them on the Maaidah. Umar Radhiyallahu anhu replied:"Hafsah, you know that the members of a person’s family know more about his private life than anybody else. She said, ‘certainly’. He said,"I put you on oath to confirm that during his Nabuwwat, Rasulullah ﷺ and his family used to starve by day, if they had food the previous night, and that they would not eat anything at night if they had taken food during the day. Tell me, whether you do not know that Rasulullah ﷺ lived for so many years after being granted Risalat by Allah, but he and his family did not have a full meal of dates til] the conquest of Khyber. I put you on oath to confirm that once you laid his food on a sort of table raised above the ground, and when he saw it, his blessed face showed marked disapproval until it had been laid on the ground. I put you on oath to tell me whether you remember how Rasulullah ﷺ used to fold his ‘Abaa (cloack-like woolen wrap) and sleep on it during the night; how one night you folded it twice (to make four layers) for him and how, the following day, he told ypu to fold it once only, saying that its four layers had well-nigh prevented him from getting up for Tahajjud prayers. The four layers of the wrap made it softer and comfortable enough for sound sleep. I put you on oath to tell me whether you do not know that Rasulullah ﷺ used to take off his clothes and wash them himself; and that if Bilal Radhiyallahu anhu came to call him for Salaat when he was washing clothes, he would have no other clothes to wear and that he would go to the Masjid and lead the Salaat only after the clothes were diy enough to wear. I put you on oath to tell me whether you do not know that once a lady from the Banu Zafar (a tribe) prepared two pieces of cloth for Rasulullah ﷺ and sent one piece before the other was ready; and that he wrapped it round his entire body, binding it in two knots round his neck (so that it should not slip), and went to the Masjid to offer Salaat, wearing only one piece of cloth because he had no other clothes to wear on that day.”

Thus, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu went on to recount incidents from the life of Rasulullah ﷺ, till she burst into tears and he also cried so bitterly that it was feared; lest he would die of anguish.

Another narration has it that once Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said: HI had two companions, (Rasulullah ﷺ and Abu Bakar Radhiyallahu anhu) who followed one and the same path. If I deviate from the path followed by them and follow any other course, I shall not be treated (by Allah) as they were. By Allah, I shall bind myself to lead a hard life as they did in this world, so that I may attain to the pleasant life being enjoyed by them in the Akhirah."

It occurs in ‘Fatawaa Alamgiriyyah’ (edicts of the Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir) that there are several grades of taking food: The first is eating as much food as is essential for life. This is ‘Fardh’ (obligatory). If a person abstains from food altogether or eats less than necessary to sustain life, he will be regarded a sinner. The second grade is taking as much as can afford sufficient strength for observing Saiaat while standing, or for fasting without much trouble. Eating this much food is commendable, and one earns blessings from Allah Ta'ala. The third grade is that of admissibility i.e. eating more than the comendable amount, specified above, to the extent of filling the belly for the strength of the body, which is neither a sin nor a virtue to be rewarded by Allah Ta'ala, though such a person will have to go through some reckoning, provided that he procures his food through lawful (Halaal) means. The fourth degree is that of overeating, which is Haram (unlawful) for everybody, except for two persons; the one who eats much to gain strength for fasting during the day, and the one who is taking food with a guest and goes on eating to allow the guest to have his fill.

It is not permissible to eat so little that one grows too weak to perform one’s obligatory (Fardh) duties. And, if it is not so, then there is no harm in eating less; for it reforms one’s soul and a person relishes his food more if he takes it only when he is feeling very hungry. Similarly, it is allowable for a young man to eat less food more for controlling his sexual desires. (Alamgiriyya). The author of ‘Durre Mukhtar’and some other scholars have modified this gradation, to the extent that it is obligatoiy (Fardh) to take as much food as affords sufficient strength to observe Saiaat while standing. The last paragraph o the extract from the book ‘Alamgiriyyah (quoted above) also supports this view.

Translation: HADITH: 12 Ali Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ says: “If a person is content with small livelihood from Allah Ta'ala, Allah will also be pleased with fewer A'maal from him.' (Mishkaat) The Hadith admonishes us to regard limited livelihood as a special favour from Allah Ta'ala. For, in such a case Allah, the Sovereign of the universe, is pleased with fewer good deeds from him. On the other hand, if a person is granted bounteous favours, and grows impatient at any decrease, Allah Taalat also demands from him that he should exert himself excessively in the fulfilment of his obligations and pay off what he owes. Obviously, if a servant is paid as much salary as he demands and, still, does not do his duties properly, everybody will call him disloyal and ungrateful. Strangely enough, the poor among us do turn to Allah and devote some time to His remembrance and offer Nafl Salaat; but the rich and those who have prospects of getting rich find it hard to observe even ‘Fardh’ Salaat.

Translation: A person can be content with limited livelihood if he is particular about five things:

1. He should cut down his expenses and never spend more than what is absolutely necessary. The Ulama say that a single person should have only one suit of clothes; he need not have more than one in his possession. Similarly, one can do with plain bread and a simple curiy. Rasulullah ﷺ said:"He who observes moderation in expenditure, will not become poor".

2. If he has as much money or food as suffices for his present needs, he should not worry about his future requirements and trust in the promise of Allah Ta'ala to provide sustenance to all living beings. Shaitan (Satan) tries to keep a person constantly worried about the future and whispers into his ears,"One must have some money in reserve for what may happen, demanding immediate attention and expenditure; one may suddenly fall ill; unforeseen needs may arise; and you may find yourself in trouble... and so on". Thus, Shaitan keeps a man worried about his future and puts him to hard labour, and he befools and ridicules a man saying to himself, ‘Look at this fool; he is presently suffering pains from real hardships for fear of problems which are imaginary and absolutely uncertain,.

A Hadith says thatonce Rasulullah ﷺ said to Abdullah Ibne Mas'ud Radhiyallahu anhu:"Do not keep yourself occupied with too many cares and worries; for, whatever has been decreed must happen; and whatever provision has been apportioned for you must reach you. ‘He also said:"Allah Ta'ala gives a Mu'min (believer) his provison from unimagined sources". This subject forms the content of an Ayah from the Holy Qur'an.

3. He should consider the fact that, being content with little provision from Allah Ta'ala, one develops a sense of self-sufficiency and feels honoured for not being dependent on others. On the other hand a greedy and covetous person has to humiliate himself before others. So, one has to carefully choose between the two alternatives, both rather unpleasant, namely the choice in between begging from people and abstaining from good living. And the one who prefers a simple and contented life is rewarded by Allah Ta'ala, while he who begs from people will be punsihed in the Akhirah. Besides, if you beg favours of a person, you cannot dare to speak the truth in his face and, very often, you have to adopt a compromising attitude in religious matters.

Rasulullah ﷺ said,"The honour of a person consists in his being independent of people". And there is a well-known maxim: Tf you do not depend upon a person, you are his equal; if you ask favours of him, you are his bondsman; if you do him a favour, you are his master?"

4. He should consider the fateful end of the rich who were enamoured of this world i.e. the Jews, the Chirstians and the irreligious persons who lived in affluent circumstances. And, at the same time, he should think of the glorious future of the Ambiya and the saints of Allah Ta'ala and consider howblissful their lives were. Then he should ask himself:

‘Do You prefer to be counted among the fortunate ones who enjoyed nearness to Allah Ta 'ala or do you wish to be like those irreligious fools who epjoyed riches of the world?

5. He should keep in view all the harmful effects of excessive wealth, described in the foregoing pages If a person keeps these five points in view, he will be easily satisfied with a small provision from Allah Ta'ala. (Ihyaa)

Abdullah Ibne Amr Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah Sallal, laho alayhi wa sallam as saying, 'He is successful who is a Muslim, whom Allah Ta'ala has granted small provision and made him content with it". Fadhaalah Ibne ‘Ubaid Radhiyallahu anhu relates that once Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Blessed is the man who, by the grace of Allah, has accepted Islam, whose income is as much as suffices for his needs and who is content with it."(Targheeb) Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallal laho alayhi wa sallam said, ''When the sun rises, it has two angels on either side of it who call out, ‘O people, turn to your Lord and Sustainer. The provision that is limited and yet sufficient is better than the abundant wealth which keeps you occupied with the worldly affairs and causes negligence towards Allah Ta'ala

Translation: HADITH: 13 Mu'aaz Ibne Jabal Radhiyallahu anhu says that when Rasulullah ﷺ sent him (as a governor) to the Yemen, he said,"Beware of living in comfort and luxury, for the pious bondsmen of Allah do not live in comfort and luxury”.

Note: When someone is appointed as governor or ruler, he can afford to provide himself liberally with comforts and amenities of life and it becomes easy for him to epjpy all kinds of comforts and luxuries. Therefore, Rasulullah ﷺ warned himin advance against indulgence in luxuries, when sending him to the Yemen as governor. There are numerous such instructions given by Rasulullah ﷺ and the Khulafaa-e-Rashideen to the governors, which stress the need for abstaining from a life of comforts and luxuries.

Fadhala Ibne Ubaid Radhiyallahu anhu was appointed by Mu'a- wiyyah Radhiyallahu anhu as 'Qadhi’ (chief justice) of Egypt (Misr). Once a Sahabi visited him at his place, in connection with the verification of a Hadith. He saw that the Qadhi’s hair was dishevelled and he was barefooted. The Sahabi asked him, ‘Why is it that 1 see your hair dishevelled though you are the 'Qadhi’ of this province?"Fadhala replied,"Rasulullah ﷺ forbade us to indulge in self-adoramentt He then said,"Why is it that I see you barefooted"? The Qadhi replied, Rasulullah ﷺ advised us to walk barefoot at times”. Abdullah bin Mughaffal says that Rasulullah ﷺ did not approve of combing the hair everyday. (Abu Dawood)

Translation: HADITH: 14 Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said,"Allah Ta'ala has not sent me any revelation commanding me to become a merchant and amass wealth. What He has revealed to me is, 40 Muhammad, hymn the praise of your Lord and be among those who prostrate before Him; And keep worshipping your Lord till the inevitable (death) comes unto you,.

Note: The revelation referred to in this Hadith is the last Ayah of Surah al-Hijr. The Hadith has been related through different chains of narration, by many Sahabah RadhiaUaho anhum. AQama Suyuti Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated it in his book. al-Durr al-Manthur, on the authority of Abdullah Ibne Masud, Abu Dardaa RadhiaUaho anhumtL and Abu Muslim Khaulani Rahmatullah alayhi. Another Hadith says that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"The best among men are two: the one who goes in the path of Allah, holding the bridle of his horse, seeking a chance of sacrificing his life; and the other who owns a few goats and lives unknown in a forest or on the hillside (where one can live in peace), observes Salaat, pays Zakaat and remains engaged in worshipping his Lord, till death comes to him and people receive nothing from him but that which is good". (al-Durr al-Manthur) Those who have studied the life history of Rasulullah ﷺ know how he acted upon this commandment of Allah Taalaf till he left the world. When Allah Ta'ala increased his blessings upon him, he exerted himself more diligently in his devotions. Aishah Radhiyallahu anha relates that when Surah alFath was revealed, Rasulullah ﷺ began to exert himself more diligently in his devotions. Someone asked him,"O Rasulullah, this Ayah of Surah testifies that Allah Ta'ala has forgiven all your former and latter lapses, but still you take pains and exert yourself in devotions". He replied,"Should I not be a grateful bondsman". Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that when Surah alFath was revealed, Rasulullah ﷺ began to spend such long hours in ‘Naff’ Salaat that his feet became swollen, and he increased his worship so much that he grew weak and thin like an old and dried water-skin. When he was asked why he took such pains, He replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant? Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi said that Rasulullah ﷺ was so diligent in devotions that he had become weak like a dried old water-skin. He then mentioned someone else asking the same question and receiving the same reply. Abu Juhaifah says that Rasulullah ﷺ used to stand in Salaat so long that his feet had become cracked. Anas says that Rasulullah ﷺ stood in Salaat so long that his feet became swollen.

There are many Ahadith to the same effect, and most of them relate that people were surprised at his diligence in devotions and asked him why he took so much trouble, in spite of the fact that Allah Ta'ala had given him a categorical assurance of forgiveness in the Holy Qur'an, to which he replied, '‘Should I not be a grateful bondsman?"(al-Durr al-Manthur)

Have we ever thought of offering two brief Rak'aat of Salaat, in gratitude to Allah Ta'ala for doing us a special favour? There are numerous Ahadith which relate that, when Rasulullah ﷺ got news of a victory or heard of anything that delighted him, he would make a Sajdah in gratitude to Allah Ta'ala. Notwithstanding all this devotion, he had such fear of Allah Taala that, as Imaam Bukhari Rahmatullah alayhi has related it, he once said,nI swear by Allah! I swear by Allah that I do not know, though I am a Rasul of Allah Ta'ala, what He will do with me or with you, on the Day of Judgment. 9 (Mishkaal) ‘I do not know’ means; I am unaware of the circumstances we shall have to face on the Day of Judgement because Allah Ta'ala, the Sovereign with absolute power, has every right to do with people as He wills.

It occurs in a narration that Umme Dardaa Radhiyallahu unha asked her husband,"Why is it that you do not go after money as so and so does? (He earns money; you do not bother about it)". Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu replied,"I have heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying, In front of you would be a difficult valley on the Day of Resurrection, and those who have a heavy burden will be required to render an account of all their worldly possessions, and they will not be able to do it easily. I, therefore, want to have a light burden i.e. I do not want to be involved in things of which I might have to render an account, so that I may easily pass through this valley."(Mishkaat)

These great people felt extremely afraid of what might happen to them on the Day of Judgement and, therefore, they were greatly concerned about the Akhirah and remained ever busy preparing for it We, on the contraxy, are constantly worried about this world and never,for oncedhink of the difficult valley referred to in the Hadith. They say that once Hassaan bin Sinaan Rahmatullah alayhi was going somewhere when he saw a house which had not been there before. He asked, “When was this house built?” But instantly he thought better of it and began to admonish himself saying, Why did you ask this idle question? It is no concern of yours when the house was built. Now you will have to do penance for that and fast for a year". And he fasted for one complete year to atone for indulging in useless talk.

Maalik Ibne Zaigham Radhiyallahu anko relates: Once Rabaah Qaisi Rahmatullah alayhi came to visit us after Asr Salaat and asked whether my father was at home. On being told that he was asleep, the Sheikh said,"Is this the time for sleep", and went away. I sent a man after him with the word that, if he liked, I would wake him up, but before he could catch up with him, the Sheikh had entered a graveyard and was admonishing himself thus,"You said: Is this the time for sleep?1. What did you mean by it? everybody is free to go to bed when he likes. How do you know that such and such time was not suitable for him to sleep? I swear by Allah that I shall not allow you, for a year, to lie on the ground to sleep, unless you fell 31 or go mad; for in that case, I shall be helpless. Woe to you! How long will you go on upbraiding others? What a pity, you refuse to mend your ways!"He went on talking in this vein, weeping and crying in bitter remorse. When the saw him in this state, he could not take courage to speak to him and came back.

Talha Radhiyallahu anhu says that once a Sahabi took his clothes off and began to roll himself on the burning sand of the desert He was saying to himself, 'Taste it and know that Jahannam is far hotter than this. You Ue sleeping at night like the dead, and while away your time by day’! Rasulullah ﷺ saw him in this condition and went over to him. He submitted, "O Rasulullah, I felt within myself an urge to do like that I can say no more,! Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “You need not have done that; all the gates of the heavens have been opened for you and Allah Ta'ala is speaking proudly of you to the angels'. He then said to the Sahabah,"Take your share of blessings from your brotherand they asked him to make Du‘aa for all of them. And Rasulullah ﷺ also advised him to make Du‘aa for them.

Huzaifah Ibne Qatadah Radhiyallahu anhu says that someone asked a saint, “What do you do when your Wafa’ (carnal self) desires to have something?- replied,"I abhor my ‘Nats’ more than anyone else in the world. How can I fulfil the desire of one whom I regard to be my worst enemy.’ They relate that once Mqjammi happened to look towards the roof of a house and his eyes fell on a non-'Mahram’ lady (aMahram’is a blood relation not within permissible marriage limits). He thereupon swore that he would not raise his head to look up as long as he lived.

There are many other incidents about these pious beings, narrated by Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi, which describe how severely they punished themselves for the slightest lapse. The reason was that they were afraid of the perils of the ‘difficult valley’ about which Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu was talking to his wife. But we, today, seem to assure ourselves that the Sahabah alone would have to cover this ‘difficult valley’ and we shall fly over it by ‘plane’. We are doing a grievous wrong to our own souls and neven for a moment think of the ‘difficult valley’ lying before us.

After narrating the anecdotes, Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi writes:"Strangely enough, you punish your servants and your children when they do anything wrong and say to yourself; Tf I do not punish them, they will become disobedient and rebellious. But you do not care for your 'self and never fear that it is growing rebellious. Don’t you know that rebelliousness in others is not going to do you as much asihann as rebelliousness of your own Nats”. For, if others are rebellious, they can do harm to your worldly interest alone, but your own rebellious nature is doing harm to your life in the Akhirah, which is eternal and the bounties thereof endure permanently. What a heavy loss would it be, if you did harm to your Akhirah. Our forefathers were aware of this tact and, therefore, if anyone of them missed an opportunity to do a good deed for his eternal life, he would be very anxious to atone for it.

Once, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu could not join the congregational Salaat for ‘Asr’ and, in order to atone for it, he gave away, as Sadaqah,a fruit-garden whose value was estimated at two hundred thousand ‘Dirhams’ (silver-pieces). Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu would keep awake and stand in devotion for the whole night, if he chanced to miss the congregational Salaat on any day. Once, he became late for Maghrib Salaat and, in order to atone for it, he emancipated two of his slaves. If anyone is lazy or sluggish in devotions, he should associate himself with a pious person with deep devotion in the worship of Allah Ta'ala. If he cannot have such a privilege, he should study,with a receptive min(Lthe life histories of such pious people, with a view to instructively learning moral lessons. Many such anecdotes have been narrated by the author of ‘Raudh-ur-Rayaheen’ which has been condensed and translated into Urdu under the title, ‘Nazhat-ul-Basateen A great saint has stated, 'Whenever I feel that I have become less active in my devotions, I study the incidents from the life of Muhammad Ibne Waasay Rahmatullah alayhi consecutively for a week' (likewise, it is beneficial to study biographies of the other saints, provided these have been written by trustworthy Ulama). An account of their diligence in devotions inspires a person with the desire to follow their example. Moreover, one should consider that all the labours and the pain they tookdn their devotions and other facets of life, have cotne to an end. And, they are now enjoying eternal bliss, living in everlasting peace and never-ending ease. How regratable that we, notwithstanding our knowledge of their piety and devotion, are busy in worldly pursuits and in deriving pleasure out of the material world! It is pity we do not follow the example of those who have attained to a 'state of everlasting bliss.

Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says (Some authorities attribute the saying to Rasulullah ﷺ himself) May Allah have mercy upon those whom people regard as invalids but they are not invalids, in reality”. Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi comments on this; They look like invalids because of their constant devotional practices.

He is also reported to have said, I have known and associated with people who did not care a bit for the gain or loss of the world and to whom the worldly riches were of less consequence than the dust that settles on the shoes. I have known people who never had any spare garment, to be folded and put away for use at a later time. They never expressed a desire for any special dish nor did they need a bed to sleep on; they would rather he on the bare ground and go to sleep. They fulfilled the commandments of Allah Ta'ala contained in the Holy Qur'an and followed the ways (Sunnah) of Rasulullah. They would stand awake during the nights observing ‘NafT Salaat, standing before Allah Ta'ala. or lying prostrate before Him, while tears trickled from their eyes down their cheeks. Thus, they would stand their nights conversing with their Lord and Sustainer (an authentic Hadith says that he who observes Salaat converses with Allah Ta'ala), beseeching His protection against punishment For every good act that they performed, they would bow in gratitude to Allah Ta'ala, take joy in it and beseech Him to accept it And, if they happened to go wrong, they felt intense remorse, turning to Allah in repentance, and asked His forgiveness. Such was their routine all through life!” OnceiUmar bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi fell ill and many people came to visit him. One of the visitors was a young man, thin and weak in body, pale in face. Umar Rahmatullaha alayhi asked him:

Why are you so weak and emaciated?"He said,"It is because of diseases and ailments whereupon Umar Rahmatullah alayhi asked for the real cause of his weak health. At this, the young man spoke thus,'! have tasted the joys of the world and found them to be awfully bitter. In my view, the beauty and adornment of the world, its pleasures and comforts are of no consequence at all. Its gold and its stones are equal in value for me. Methinksdsee before me the ‘Arsh’ (The throne of Allah); I visualize the piouft people being led to Jannah, and the impious being hurled into the Fire of Jahannam. Therefore, I pass my days without watertfn fasting)and keep awake during nights in devotion; and I know that these amount to nothing when they are measured up against the bounteous rewards promised by Allah Tatalay or set against possible punishment".

It is said that DaVood Ta’ee Rahmatullah alayhi used to take crumbs of bread soaked in water, that being the only meal be took everyday. On being asked why he did so, he replied, “By drinking this liquid food, instead of chewing and swallowing bread, I can save enough time to recite fifty Ayah of the Holy Qur'an’.' Once a visitor came to see him and told him that the beam of his room had cracked. He said, 'I have not looked up at the ceiling of this room for the last twenty years Not only did these pious beings avoid indulging in idle talks,but also abstained from idle gazing. Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi says that he remained with Sheikh Ahmad Ibne Razeen Rahmatullah alayhi from morning till Asr (after noon) and saw that the Sheikh never looked this way or that Someone asked him about it and he said,"Allah Ta'ala has granted us the gift of eyes in order that we may take a lesson from seeing His Majesty and Grandeur,manifested in all created things. He who cannot do so is not making a proper use of his eyes."The wife of Masrooq Rahmatullah alayhi says that his legs became swollen through standing in Salaat throughout the night She says that, while he stood in devotions, she would sit behind him and weep, out of pity for him.

Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu says:"If three most enjoyable things were not there, I could not bear to live in the world, even for a day: (1) the joy of spending a hot summer noon in thirst (while fasting); (2) the bliss of lying prostrate before Allah Ta'ala, in the later part of the night; and (3) the pleasure of sitting in company with the pious beings, whose conversation is interspersed with wise saying, that are picked like fruits of one’s choice from a fruit-garden". Aswad Ibne Yazid Rahmatullalah alayhi took much pains in devotions and fasted in the intense heat of summer, so much so that his complexion became dark. Alqamah Ibne Qais Rahmatullah alayhi asked him, “Why do you put your body to so much torture?’ He replied, '"I want it to attain a position of honour, on the Day of Resurrection,!

The story is told of a saint who used to’ offer a thousand Rak'aat of Nafl Salaat standing everyday; when he felt exhausted, he would offer another thousand Rak'aat while sitting. And after Asr Salaat, he would sit in his place, with his head bowed in humility, and say, “O Allah! I am astonished at those people, how can anything other than You interest them. I wonder how their hearts welcome anything other than ‘Zikr’ of Allah Ta'ala ” Junaid Baghdadi Rahmatullah alayhi says that he never came across anyone more painstaking in devotions than Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi; nobody ever saw him lying on a bed during the ninety eight years of his life, except at the time of the illness in which he died. Abu Muhammad Jariri Rahmatullah alayhi observe 1‘tikaaf in the Holy Maqid at Makkah Mukarramah for a year and, during this period, he did not sleep or talk to apyone, nor leaned against a wall or a piece of wood, etc. Abu Bakr Kattani Rahmatullah alayhi asked him how he had gained the strength to undertake such a rigorous performance. He replied,"Allah Ta'ala looked within me and seeing the soundness of my determination granted me physical strength for this devotion". When Abu Bakr Rahmatullah alayhi heard this, he thoughtfully bowed his head for a while, and then went away, absorbed in thought.

A person who passed by Sheikh Fatah Sa'eed Musali Rahmatullah alayhi saw him standing, with both hands stretched out, in supplication to Allah, weeping bitterly, his tears trickling through his fingers. The man saw that the tears had a reddish tinge. He said to the Sheikh,"T put you on oath, tell me what calamity has made you shed tears of blood". The Sheikh replied,"But for your oath, I would never have told you about it These are tears of remorse; I am weeping tfor I have tailed to fulfil what was expected from me by Allah Ta'ala The man said, “How is it that your tears are tinged with blood?"The Sheikh said,"I fear lest my ciying should be mere affectation and a hypocritical show of false feelings". The man further added that he saw the Sheikh in a dream after his death and asked him. How did you fare during the Reckoning in the grave?"The Sheikh replied, T was granted forgiveness". The man said,"What about your tears?"The Sheikh replied,"Allah Ta'ala summoned me and asked me why I shed tears". I replied that I wept out of remorse at not fulfilling my obligations to Him. Allah Ta'ala asked me,"Why my tears were tinged with blood. I replied that I was afraid lest my crying should be hypocritical. He then asked me what I expected through all that weeping and crying. and swore by His Honour that the ‘Kiraman Kaatibeen’ (recording Angels) had been presenting my book of deeds before Him for the past forty years, with never a sin recorded in it.

Abdul Wahid Ibne Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi narrates his own story, thus: Once I passed by a church where a monk lived in seclusion. I greeted him, calling him a monk, but he made no reply. After I had greeted him three times, every time calling him a monk, he turned to me and said, “I am not a monk. A monk is a person who is fearful of Allah Ta'ala and who is awed by His Majesty; who remains patient in afflictions; who submits to what Allah Ta'ala has decreed for him; who is grateful to Allah Ta'ala for His bounties; who bows in humility, keeping His greatness in view; who considers himself contemptible before the Absolute Honour of Allah Ta'ala who surrenders to His Absolute Power, who humbles himself before His Sublime Glory, who lives in awe of Him; who is ever concerned about the Reckoning and punishments awarded on the Day of Resurrection; who fasts by day and stays awake by night, engaging himself in devotions; and who cannot sleep for fear of Jahannam and for fear of the Reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. He who possesses these qualities can claim to be a monk. I am not a monk at all; I am rather like a mad dog, confined in a lonely place so that I might not hurt other people’! I asked him ’Why is it that people have dissociated themselves from Allah Ta'ala, though they are aware of His Greatness”. He replied,"Love of the world and its glamour have beguiled them and caused an estrangement between them and their Lord. The world is an abode of sins. The really wise man shuns this world, turns whole-heartedly to Allah Ta'ala and he performs such deeds as may help him to be nearer to Allah Ta'ala."Uwais Qarni Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a celebrated saint, would say,"Tonight is the night of Ruku (position of bowing in Salaat); and spend the whole night in one Ruku. On another occasion he would say,"Tonight is the night of Sajdah (Prostration)’ and spend the whole night in one Sqjdah. Utbah Rahmatullah alayhi, was a slave. After he repented of his past sins, he would remain so much engrossed in devotions that he would not care for food or drink. His mother once said to him, Take pity on your self and rest for a while He replied, I am taking pains out of pity for my own soul; a few days’ labour in this world may win for it everlasting ease and comforts in Akhirah’! Abdullah Ibne Dawood Rahmatullah alayhi says that, when one of these great people attained to the age of forty years, he would roll his bedding and put it away.

Kahmas Ibne Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi used to offer a thousand Raka'at of Nafl Salaat every night. When he stood for Salaat he would say to himself, get up, you who are the root cause of all evils and offer Salaat.' When he grew very weak in his old age, he would offer five hundred Rak'aat every night Thereafter he would weep and say, “I have been deprived of a precious half of my devotions," Rabee Rahmatullah alayhi says,"One day I went to visit Uwais Qarni Rahmatullah alayhi after Fajr Salaat and saw that he was engaged in ‘Zikr’. Not liking to disturb him, I sat there waiting for him to finish his devotions. The Sheikh remained absorbed in ‘Zikr till it was time for ‘Zuhr’ Salaat He got up from his place, offered his Zuhr Salaat and then engaged himself in performing Nafl prayers, continuing in this state till Asr Salaat He resumed his Zikr after Asr and sat in place till Maghrib. After Maghrib Salaat, he started performing Nafl Salaat again and continued to do so till ‘Isha After ‘Isha, he kept offering Nafl prayers till Fqjr Salaat Next morning, he sat in his place as usual and engaged himself in Zikr after Fagr Salaat It so happened that, while the Sheikh sat there, engrossed in Zikr, he dozed off. Instantly he woke up and said, uO Allah; I seek Your refuge from the eye that sleeps again and again; I take refuge in You from the stomach which is never satisfied with eating,? When I saw this state of affairs, I came back saying to myself,"What I have seen is a sufficient admonition for me." Ahmad Ibne Harb Rahmatullah alayhi says: I am astonished at one who knows that Jannah is being embellished for him in the heavens above and also Jahannam is ablaze beneath him, and yet he goes to sleep". Once a person visited Sheikh Ibrahim bin Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi in his place and saw that, after Isha Salaat, the Sheikh went to bed wrapped in his woollen cloak and remained in that position till morning, he neither, moved nor turned in bed throughout the night Next morning, he got up and offered Fqjr Salaat without fresh Wudhu. The man said to him, “May Allah have mercy on you! You kept lying in bed all night and yet you have offered Fjr Salaat without fresh Wudhu? The Sheikh replied, “I did not sleep at all; I have been roaming in the Gardens of Jannah or walking in the depths of Jahannam all night long.

They say that Sheikh Abu Bakr bin ‘Ayyash Rahmatullah alayhi did not go to bed for forty years. He once advised his son saying,"Do not commit any sin in this small room; for, in here, I have recited the Holy Qur'an twelve thousand times. And when lying on his deathbed, he said pointing to a corner of the room,"I used to recite the Holy Qur'an while sitting in that corner, I have made twenty four thousand complete readings of the Holy Qur'an? Samnoon Rahmat ullah alayhi used to offer five hundred Rak’aat of ‘Nafl’ Salaat eveiyday. Allama Zubedi writes that once a rich man of Baghdad distributed forty thousand Dirhams (silver piece) among the poor and the destitute. When Samnoon Rahmatullahi alayhi heard of it, he said to himself, “I have no Dirhams, let me offer one Rak'aat of Nafl Salaat for each Dirham that he gave away. So, he went to Madain city and there offered forty thousand Rak‘aat of Nafl Salaat.

Abu Bakr Mutawwa’ee Rahmatullah alayhi says that, during his youth, it had been his custom to recite Surah al-Ikhlaas thirty-one thousand times daily or may be forty thousand times; the narrator is doubtful. A person says that he associated with Sheikh ‘Aamir Ibne Abdul Qais Rahmatullah alayhi for four months and, during this period, he never saw the Sheikh sleeping, neither by day nor at night A pupil of Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Once Ali Radhiyallahu anhu led people in Fjr Salaat. At the end he turned his face to the right and sat there facing the people till sunrise. He looked cast down. At last, he turned the palms of his hands up as a gesture of regret and spoke to the people thus: ‘By Allah! I have been an associate of the Sahabah of Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallami it’s a pity that nowadays I find men who do not resemble them in any respect. When the Sahabah Radhiyallahu an hum got up in the morning, they looked dishevelled, pale in face and covered with dust. During the night they would prostrate before Allah Ta'ala or stand in devotion reciting from the Holy Qur'an. They would spend the whole night standing. When tired they would lean to the right or left for respite, shifting the weight of their bodies from one leg to the other. When they recited lines glorifying Allah, they swayed in ecstasy, as the trees do, when the wind passes through them. And they wept (for fear or love of Allah Ta'ala) shedding tears so profusely that their clothes would become weL Alas! men of today, spend their nights in utter heedlessness. s Abu Muslim Khaulani Rahmatullah alayhi had a whip hanging on the wall of the ‘Masjid’ of his house. He would say to himself,"Get up, for I shall keep you engaged in Salaat till you are tired and exhausted". And when he found himself slackening, he would lash himself with the whip on the calves of his legs and say,"My own calves deserve whipping more than my riding- horse". He would also f say, “The Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum might have thought that they have excelled everybody and attained to all the highest grades of Jannah. No, we shall follow their example and exert ourselves to attain to a similar position, so that they might know that their followers were also valiant people.

Qasim son of Muhammad Ibne Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu says; “One morning I went for a visit to my aunt, Aishah Radhiyallahu anha and saw that she was engaged in offering Dhuhaa

(forenoon) Salaat. She was reciting the following Ayah:

But Allah has been Gracious unto us and has saved its from the torment of the breath of fire. (at-Toor 27)

1 saw she was reciting the Ayah again and again and weeping bitterly. I waited for a long time but then I thought I had better go to the market first, get the things I needed and pay my respects to her on my way back home. So I went to the market, but when I came back I saw that she was still standing in Salaat reciting the same Ayah again and again, weeping bitterly! Muhammad Ibne Ishaque Rahmatullah alayhi says that when Abdur Rahman Ibne Aswad Rahmatullah alayhi came to Makkah Mukarramah for Hajj, he had some trouble in the foot. After ‘Isha Salaat, he stood in Nafl Salaat, leaning to one side and balancing himself on one leg, and continued to observe Nafl Salaat till dawn. He then offered Fajr Salaat without performing a fresh Wudhu.

A Divine has said:"1 fear death simply because, then I shall not be able to offer Tahajjud ‘(i.e. thus be deprived of the bliss of standing in Tahfyjud prayers)". Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says"There are four signs of pious men: their faces are pale from staying awake during the nights, their eyes look bleared with weeping during the nights, their lips are dry from excessive fasting and their faces betray fear of Allah Ta'ala."Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi was asked,,TWhy is it that the faces of those who frequently stand in prayers are invested with a peculiar grace?"He replied,"When they hold intimate converse with Allah Ta‘ala during the lonely hours of the night, He, in His Infinite Beneficence, illuminates their faces with His Divine light (Noor)".

K Qasim bin Raashid Rahmatullah alayhi says that Sheikh Zamhh Rahmatullah alayhi was staying with his wife and daughters, in their neighbourhood at Muhassab (a place near Makkah Mukarramah) They saw that the Sheikh was accustomed to stand in Salaat for long hours of the night He used to awake his wife and children for Tahajjud in the latter part of the night saying,"Wake up, O travellers! Let us proceed. Will you lie sleeping the whole night through?"At his call, all of them would wake up and engage in different activities. One of them would perform Wudhu and offer Nafl Salaat another would sit in a corner and weep from fear of Allah, still another would sit and recite from the Holy Qur'an. They continued in this state till dawn, when the Sheikh called them and said,"Rest a while, for those who travel by night take rest in the morning".

A Divine narrates his own story,"Walking through the hilly areas of Bait-ul-Muqaddas, I once heard the voice of a person reciting something. 1 turned and began to walk in the direction of the place wherefrom the voice was coming. Before long, I reached a grassy place and there I saw a person standing under a shady tree, observing Salaat. He was reciting this Ayah again an again.

On the Day (of Resurrection), when every soul will find itself confronted with all that it has done of good. (Every soul) will long that there may be a mighty space of distance between it and that (evil) (so that it may not see the evils of its own doing). Allah bids you to beware of Him. (Allah bids you beware of the Reckoning to be made, the explanation to be demanded on the Day of Resurrection and the Punishment meant for the evil-doers). (Ale-Imran: 30)

I sat behind him. I saw that he was reciting the Ayah again and again and was weeping bitterly. Suddenly, he uttered a loud cry of pain and fell unconscious on the ground. It was very distressing to me, as I thought that the pious man had fallen unconscious owing to the evil effect of my presence there. At long last, he regained consciousness and said, "O Allah. I seek refuge in You against those who shed false tears and make a show of feelings. (He modestly thought that his weeping and recitation were feigned and affected). 0 Allah, I seek refuge in You from acting like irresponsible idlers who are heedless, who turn away from You in sheer listlessncss. (Again, he thought that all his good deeds, his weeping, and crying, his recitation of the Holy Qur'an were defective and were performed heedlessly; he was modest enough to look upon himself as the most insignificant idler). O Allah! The hearts of the fearful bow to You alone in humility; and those who are negligent in devotions hope to receive mercy and forgiveness at Your hands alone; and the hearts of the gnostics (those who ‘know’ their Lord) are bowed with the true awareness of Your Majesty. He then clapped hi hands, in the manner of a person shaking dust off his hands, and said, “What concern have I with the world, or the world with me? O world, go thou to thy sons, to thy admirers, to those who set value upon thy riches and pleasures! Go and beguile them with thy treacheries! Go away and do not vex me". He went on to say, after a pause, '"O, where are those who lived in the past ages? They have all gone to dust, have crumbled and decayed and become dust; and as time passes by, more and more persons are creeping to death and decay!"At this, I said to him,"I have waited long for you to be free from your devotions". He replied, How can a person like me have time to spare, while he knows that time is running against him. Naturally, such a one should make the best use of his time and should perform good deeds before it is too late, before death overtake him. Time is fleeting fast and the hour of death is approaching nearer. How can a person be free while he sees death before him, while he is aware that his lifetime is limited and the sins he committed have been recorded in his book of deeds". He then said, in an invocation to Allah, “O Allah, I seek refuge in You against the present disaster (the sins recorded in my book of deeds) and You alone are my resort against all disasters of the next world. (My only hope of salvation lies in Your Infinite Mercey). He continued to invoke the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala in this manner for some time and then recited the next Ayah:

And there will appear unto them, from their Lord that which they could never have counted upon. (az-Zumr: 47)

The complete Ayah, of which the above phrase forms a part, is as follows:

' And though those who do wrong possess all that is in the world and therewith as much again, they verily will seek to ransom themselves therewith And there will appear unto them, from their Lord that which they could never have counted upon: (az-Zumr: 47)

While reciting this Ayah, he again uttered a loud cry of pain and fell unconscious on the ground. I thought that his soul had departed from the body. I went near him and saw that he was writhing in severe pain. At length, he came to his senses and, once again, began his invocation to Allah, thus:"O Allah, when the time comes for me to stand before You on the Day of Resurrection, have mercy on me and grant me forgiveness; and keep my sins a secret, veiling me under Your veil! O You Who veil all unseemly sins of Your men from the sight, forgive me my sins in Your Infinite Mercy!"'

I said to him,"O Sheikh, I beseech you in the Name of Him Whose Mercy you are invoking, to talk to me a while.' He replied, Please go and converse with someone whose words may benefit you. It is little use talking to a person (like me) whose sins have ruined his soul. ‘He added, ‘I have lived here for a long time which is best known to Allah and I am engaged in a combat with Shaitan. I defy him and he defies me. (He is all the time trying to distract my attention from contemplation of Allah Ta'ala. As he (Shaitan) could not think of any other device to distract me, he has sent you here. Please go away and do- not be deceived by Shaitan. Don’t you see that you have interrupted my intimate converse with my Lord? You have turned my attention to yourself and caused me to turn away from the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala. I seek refuge in Allah Ta'ala against the evil inherent in your soul and I do hope that Allah Ta'ala will guard me against His Wrath.’ When I heard this, I felt afraid lest 1 should have to suffer punishment from Allah Ta'ala for distracting the attention of His pious man from the contemplation of Allah Ta'ala. So, I came away, leaving him there, occupied with his devotions.

It is said that Sheikh Kuraz bin Wabrah Rahmatullah alayhi used to recite the entire Holy Qur'an three times daily. In addition, he remained absorbed in devotion. Some one said to him,"You are giving yourself excessive trouble- He asked,"What is the age of the world?"The man replied, ‘Seven thousand years". ‘The Sheikh asked,"What is the length of the Day of Resurrection?"The man said,"Fifty thousand years". ‘The Shiekh said,"How can anyone of you refuse to work for one seventh part of a day in return for which he is promised ease and comfort for the rest of the day:? So, it will be a profitable bargain for anyone who is granted ease and comfort on the Day of Resurrection in return for a lifetime spent in devotions, even though he were to live for seven thousand years, not to speak of the fact that the lifetime of a man is an infinitely small fraction and the life of Akhirah is eternal, continuing beyond the Day of Resurrection.'' We have given above a few anecdotes from the lives of the pious beings, by way of illustration.

Commenting on the stories, Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi writes: Such were the ways and manners of living of the great saints of early times. If you are reluctant to bow to Allah in devotion, study the history of the devout people who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Allah Ta'ala. Weigh in your mind whether it is better to follow in the footsteps of our pious forefathers who possessed a profound knowledge of ‘Deen’ and a deep insight into the Akhirah, or follow the example of the ignorant in our own times who are negligent of their religious obligation. Do not leave the path of the wise and follow the example of the fools! If you think it hard to emulate these pious beings, regarding them to be men of exceptional strength, consider the following anecdotes from the lives of the pious ladies and try to equal them in devoutness. For, how unworthy as the man who cannot emulate even women in the observance of ‘Deen?. Now listen carefully:It is related of Habibah Adawiyya that when she had finished her Ishaa Salaat, she used to cover herself properly and stand on the roof of her house. She would then engage herself in Du‘aa (Supplications) and cry aloud to Allah Ta'ala, “0 Allah! The stars are shining in the sky and all the people are asleep. The kings have shut their doors and every body has retired to his private room, with his loved one. And here I am, standing before You, in humility.0 Saying this, she would start performing Nafl Salaat and continue in this state the whole night through. When the day dawned, she again said, in an invocation to Allah, “The night has passed and the day has dawned. I wish I knew whether you have accepted my devotions of the night. If so, I would have felicitated myself; if not, I would have mourned my loss. By Your Honour, I shall persist in devotions, even though You turn me away from Your door, and shall never be disappointed, for,I know Your Magnanimity and Your Forgiveness They say that ‘Ujrah Rahmatullah alaiha. was blind, and yet she used to stay awake during the whole night and when the day dawned, she said to Allah, in very sad tones, “O my Allah! A number of Your devout men must have spent the lonely hours of this dark night in devotions, seeking nearness to You and trying to excel one another in the struggle to win Your Blessings and Your Forgiveness. O Allah! 1 beseech You and no one else, to count me among those who have excelled others and grant me entry into the choicest places in heaven. O Allah! Raise me to the rank of Your favourite beings who haye attained intimacy with You and count me as one of Your pious servants. O Allah! You are the most Merciful of all who show mercy, You are far above all others who have high ranks. You are the most Magnanimous of all who show magnanimity, OThou! Who art the Lord of Infinite Bounty, have mercy on me. Saying this, she would lie prostrate before Allah, and her weeping could be heard She continued in this state till it was dawn.

Yahya bin Bastaam Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated the follow ing story about a pious lady, “We used to visit Sha'wanah Rahmatullah alaiha and saw her weeping bitterly. Once, I suggested to one ol my friends that we should see her alone and persuade her not to weep so much. He agreed and we met her when she was alone. We said to her, If you have mercy on yourself and do not cry so much, it will be better for the strength of your body and you will be able to employ it in devotions for a longer time". Hearing this, she burst into tears and said,"I wish I could weep till my eyes become dry and then, if I could, I would shed tears of blood. I wish that I could weep till all my blood flowed through the eyes in tears! Ah! I do not know how to weep and cry unto Allah! I do not know how to weep and cry". She went on repeating the words again and again, till she fell unconscious on the ground.

Muhammad bin Mu'az Rahmatullah alayhi says that a devout lady narrated to him the following story: I saw in a dream that I was going to enter Jannah and when I reached the entrance, I saw that so many people had assembled there. I asked, “Why have they assembled at the gate?"A man replied,"A lady is coming to Jannah and they have decorated it for her sake; they have come to receive her into the Jannah’f I asked who the lady was, and the man said,"She is a dark-complexioned bonds-woman from Aikah town, called Sha'wanah. 1 said,"By Allah! She is my sister". Meanwhile, I saw that Sha'wanah was coming to us. She was riding a handsome highbred she-camel, which was flying in the air. I called out her name and said, “My dear sister, you know that we are related to each other. Make Du‘aa (supplication) to your Lord that He may grant me your companionship. She smiled and said,"The time has not yet come for you to join me; but do take a few words of advice from me; make Akhirah your constant worry and take it to your heart; let your love for Allah overpower all other passions and desires; and do not bother about your hour of death i.e. be prepared to meet death at any time".

A Divine narrates,"One day I went to the Bazar with my Abyssinian bondswoman. When we reached there, I left her in a place saying, 'I will be here soon; please sit here and do not go away’. But when I came backj after a while, I found that the maid was not there. I was greatly annoyed and I returned in an angry mood. When I reached home, I found that she was already there. She saw my angry look and said, ‘O master, don’t be so quick to take offence. Just listen to what I have to say. As a matter of fact, you left me in the midst of people who were absolutely negligent in the remembrance of Allah. I feared lest they should be swallowed up by the ground; a place where no one is engaged in the remembrance (Zikr) of Allah is likely to be visited by a calamity at any time’. 1 wondered at her talking like that and I set her free. She said, ‘O master, you have not treated me fairly’. ‘How is that?’, I asked, and she replied, When I was a bondswoman, I was receiving double reward from Allah Ta'ala. Now that you have set me free, my reward has been reduced by one half. A Hadith says that, if a slave is obedient to Allah Ta'ala and also serves his master, he is granted double reward for his virtuous deeds."

Khawas Rahmatullah alayhi, who is a well-known spiritual leader, has narrated the following story,"Once we visited Rahlah Aabidah Rahmatullah alaiha in her place. We saw that her complexion had become dark with excessive fasting, her legs had been disabled and she used to pray while sitting. Her eyes had become blind with ciying unto Allah Taala. While we sat there, we began to talk of the Meny and Forgiveness of Allah Ta'ala, so that she might take less pains and reduce her austerities. But she burst out crying and said, ‘My knowledge of my own state pains my heart and torments my soul. Would that I had not been born? Saying this, she began her Salaat again,4’ We have selected a few anecdotes, by way of illustration. Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated many such stories about the pious ladies and, thereafter, he says:"If you want to guard yourself against heedlessness, you must make a profound study of the lives and circumstances of these devout men and women who laboured so diligently at their devotions. For, the accounts of their devotional practices, if read carefully, will create Wfchin you the devotional spirit and make you work harder. And do not take notice of the poor condition (in religious matters iof your own contemporarieaFor, most of them are so far gone, that to follow them is to move away from the path of virtue. There are numerous other incidents about the pious men who laboured at their devotions, but we have narrated only a few stones which should suffice for those who take heed and want to follow their example: If you want to learn more about their lives, 1 suggest that you should study, from time to time, the book entitled ‘Hilyat-ul-Auliya’ (Ornaments for the Saints) which contains detailed accounts of the lives and devotions of the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum, the Tabi’een (i.e. the Followers of the Sahabah) and the saints of latter days.

Some other instructive anecdotes appear in the ‘Commentary on Ihyaa-ul-Uloom A glance at their lives will reveal to you by contrast, how far removed you and your contemporaries are from the true religion. But you might say, “Those were the blessed times of abundant virtue and it was easy for people to occupy themselves with such devotional exercises, but anyone trying to follow their example in the present age is sure to be called mad. We should not, therefore, go against the spirit Of our own age, for, we are going to meet the same doom as everybody else will; and nobody can escape a disaster when it is widespread". Now this sort of reasoning is sheer delusion and one is led into such WTong notions by ones evil self. Just consider the following example' Suppose a village is suddenly engulfed by flood-water and people are being swept away by the flood. One of the villagers knows how to swim or can escape death by some other means. Do you think he will not try to save himself, simply because he finds everybody else in misery? Now compare the suffering caused by the flood which is short-lived and lasts, at the mostitil] the death of the sufferer, with the everlasting punishment in Akhirah. You should tty to understand this example dearly and should always keep it in your mind”. (Ihyaa)

Someone asked Ibrahim bin Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi,"Could you spare some time for us, so that we might sit in your company and listen to your blessed discourse?” The sheikh replied,"At present, I have no time to spare, because I am deeply concerned about four things which keep my mind occupied viz:-

(i) When the Covenant was made on the first day of creation, Allah Ta'ala decreed that a section of mankind will go to Jannah and a section will go to Jahannam; I am constantly worried as to which of these two sections I belong to.

(ii) When a baby is formed in its mother’s womb, the angel,who has been put in charge of the sperm, asks Allah Ta'ala, ‘Shall I record it as a blessed soul or an accursed one?’ The thought whether or not I have been recorded as a blessed soul keeps me constantly worried.

(iii) When the Angel of Death takes away the soul of a person, he (the angel) asks Allah Ta'ala, ‘Shall I place it with the souls of the Mo’mineen (believers) or with those of kafirs (nonbelievers)? I am deeply concerned about my own self, because I do not know what command will be given to the angel with regard to my soul.

(iv) A proclamation will be made on the Day of Resurrection:

Its J ‘Get yourself apart, O you who are guilty (Yaa-Seen: 59)

I am very much concerned about my own fate, because I do not know whether I shall be found guilty or innocent”. (This story has been extracted from ‘Tanbeeh-ul-Ghaafileen). The Sheikh meant to say that, so long as his mind was preoccupied with these constant worries, he could not afford to sit in company wjth his friends and have care free conversation. He could not live in peace until he was free from these cares.

HADITH: 15 i Abu Hurairah Radkiallaho anhu narrates that Rasulullah Sallcdlaho alayhi wa sallam says that true riches (Ghinaa) do not consist in abundance of wealth, but result from a contented mind. (Mishkaai)

Note: The meaning of the Hadith is quite dear; however rich a person may be, if he does not possess a contented mind, he would be even less willing than the poor people to spend money. And the richer he grows, the more covetous he becomes and always remains more deeply worried than the poor. On the other hand, if a person possesses a contented mind, a bare sufficiency may keep him free from worries and he is least concerned about increase in the little wealth he possesses. Imaam Raghib Rahmatullah alayhi writes:"In Arabic, the word ‘Ghina is used to convey various meanings. It may mean absolute independence in this sense, ‘Ghina’ is an Attribute of Allah Taala, Who Alone is ‘Ghani’ or 'Absolutely free from want? because He does not stand in need of anything whatsoever. In the following Ayah from the Holy Qur'an, the word has been used in this sense:

”0 mankind! You are the needy in (your) relation to Allah. And Allah! He is Absolute (Ghani), the Owner of Praise. (al-Faatir: 15)

The word may alsoydenote ihe state of having few needs’, and it has been used in this' sense in the Surah Ad-Dhuha, wherein Allah Ta'ala says, addressing Rasulullah ﷺ:

'He, Allah, found you destitute and bestowed 4 Ghina ’ upon you ’. (ad-Duha: 8)

In the aforesaid Hadith, the word carries the same meaning (viz. true riches consist in possessing a contented mind). 'Ghina’ may also mean ‘affluence and abundance of worldly goods’, as exemplified in the following Ayah from the Holy Qura’n: (Sadaqah) is for the poor who ore in straitened circumstances in the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land. The unthinking man regards them to be well off (possessing Ghina), because of their restraint (in not begging of men). (al-baqarah: 273)

Abu Zarr Ghifari Radhiyallahu anhu narrates,"Once Rasulullah ﷺ asked me, 'Abu Zarr, do you think riches (‘Ghina’) consist in abundance of wealth?’ I replied, ‘Certainly’. He then asked, ‘Do you think poverty consists in having little money?' and I again replied, ‘Certainly’. Then Rasulullah ﷺ said, ‘True riches (self-satisfaction regarding money) arises out of a contented heart and poverty consists in possessing a discontented heart’. (Targheeb) Indeed, true riches consist in contentment Blessed are those who have been granted this excellence by Allah Taaala; therein lies the essence of asceticism and renunciation. A person whose heart is not enamoured of wealth is really a ‘rich’ man; he is the perfect ‘Zahid (an ascetic) and it makes little difference whether he possesses money or not. And he who is enamoured of worldly wealth is in fact poor because he is always desiring more, and it makes little difference how much money he possesses.

Faqih Abdul-Laith Rahmatullah alayhi narrates that a sage once said to hlm;"We searched for four things, but we went astray in our quest for them. We sought ‘Ghina’ (Self-satisfaction) in wealth, but we discovered that it consisted in contentment; we expected to find easiijnd comfort in affluence, but we found that real ease and comfort lay in having few possessions; we sought to achieve prestige and honour through the people (tiying to please them for winning their favour and recognition), but we discovered that one can command respect of the people only through piety; we sought the Bounties of Allah Ta'ala, thinking wrongly that they consisted in delicacies of food and drinks, but we discovered that the great Bounties of Allah Ta'ala are two: (i) His guiding a person to embrace Islam (ii) His veiling the sins of His servants from the eyes of the people. (Those who have been granted these two blessings are the most highly favoured men of Allah Ta'alaY. In the foregoing pages, we have quoted a Hadith to the following effect: “He who makes this world his ultimate aim in life, Allah Ta'ala afflicts him with three things:-

(a) an anxiety that has no end, (b) an occupation that leaves him do spare time (c) a poverty which keeps him discontented forever"(Tambeeh-ul-Ghafileen)

According to another Hadith, Raulullah ﷺ once said, AWhen you see the person whom AUah Taala has granted a disregard for worldly things and reticence in speech, associate with him, for he has been granted wisdom! (Mishkaat)

Translation: HADITH: 16 Rasulullah ﷺ said,"When anyone of you looks at someone who is superior to him in wealth or in good looks, he should also look at someone who is inferior to him in these respects”.

Translation: The Hadith may be explained further by an example: Suppose you come across a millionaire and feel envious of his fortune, saying regretfully to yourself, '‘This man has been granted abundant wealth, while I have but little money! Then, at the same time, you should also think of a person who is even poorer than yourself and has often to go without food. If you do so, your regret for your poverty will be replaced by gratefulness to Allah Ta'ala for having saved you from starvation.

Another Hadith says:"Do not look at those who are superior to you in wealth, but look at those who are inferior to you; that will keep you from belittling those favours that Allah Taala has bestowed upon you". (Mishkaat)

Abu Zarr Ghifari Radhiyallahu anhu narrates:"My dearest friend Rasulullah ﷺ advised me to observe seven things: (1) he commanded me to love the poor and keep their company;(2)he commanded me not to look at those who are superior to me (in wealth) and advised me to look at those who are inferior to me in this respect; (3) he commanded me to join ties of relationship, even when the relatives turn away from me; (the version in T argheeb-wa-Tarheeb has: even when the relatives do me wrong);

(4) he commanded me not to ask anyone for’ anything; (5) he commanded me to speak the truth even if it is bitter; (6) he commanded me not to care for the reproach of anyone while I am engaged in seeking the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala; (7) he commanded me to recite this phrase frequently:

There is no might and no power except in Allah, for, he said, these words have come down from a Treasure just under Allah’s Throne (The ‘Arsh’)." (Mishkaat) There are several narrations regarding the importance of reciting this Ayah frequently.

It has been narrated in another Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"A person who possesses two characteristics will be counted by Allah Ta'ala among those who are patient and grateful to Him: he who looks up to his superiors in religious matters and tries to follow their example; and he who looks at those who are inferior to him in worldly matters and feels grateful to Allah Ta'ala for bestowing His Bounties. Such a person will be recorded as a patient and grateful person. But he who looks at his inferiors in matters of religion (and considers that so-and-so is not half as good as I am, in performance of virtues’) and is jealous of those who are superior to him in worldly matters, grieving over what has not been granted to him, such a one will not be recorded by Allah Taala as a grateful or patient person."(Mishkaat) Aun bin Abdullah Rahmatullah alayhi says that he used to sit in company with rich people and was always grieving. The reason was that when he saw someone dressed in fine clothes, or riding an excellent horse, better than his own, he was filled with grief because he felt inferior to other people. Then he began to associate with poor people and this painful feeling of inferiority disappeared, because he saw that his own dress and riding beast, etc., were superior to theirs. (Ihya)

The Ulama advise that one should many a woman who is poorer than oneself, and not a wealthy woman. For, he who marries a prosperous woman, will have to bear many hardships, for example:

(i) He will have to settle a large amount as a dower, (ii) It will take a long time before she joins her husband, because her parents will delay sending her to his house and offer many excuses, (iii) He will feel shy of asking her to serve him. (iv) She will demand large amounts of money for expenses, (v) If he wants to divorce her, he will not be able to do so, for fear of losing the fortune that she possesses. They say that a wife should preferably be inferior to her husband in four things, or else he will not command her respect: age, height, wealth, lineage. And she should be superior to her husband with regard to four things: beauty, manners, peity, good habits. (Ihyaa)

Once a person came to a Sufi Sheikh and complained to him about his own poverty, saying that he was in great distress and would prefer death to such a life. The Sheikh said to him, Are you willing to have your eyes taken out in exchange for ten thousand Dirhams."He replied, “Certainly not” The Sheikh said Would you like to have your tongue plucked out and get ten thousand Dirhams in return?” The man said,"Of course not The Sheikh said,"Would you agree to having both your hands and feet cut off in return for twenty thousand Dirhams"‘The man said that he would not The Sheikh asked, "Are you willing to be made a mad man and get ten thousand Dirhams in return?"The man said that he was not willing. At this, the Sheikh said to him, “Are you not ashamed of yourself? You admit that Allah Ta'ala has granted you so many precious gifts, the value whereof, in your own estimation, exceeds fifty thousand Dirhams (counting only a few gifts, by way of illustration) and yet you complain of poverty!"It is said that once Ibne Sammak Rahmatullah alayhi paid a visit to a king. It so chanced that, when the Sheikh greeted him, the king was holding a tumbler of water in his hand. He said to the Sheikh, “Give me a word of advice,. The Sheikh said, “Supposing this tumbler of water could be had only at the cost of your entire kingdom and you had to choose between dying of thirst and giving your kingdom away, which one would you prefer?” The king replied, “I would naturally prefer a tumbler of water and part with my entire king- dom,! The Sheikh said, 'Then, I do not understand why anyone should take joy in a kingdom which is worth only a tumbler of water,! These two incidents show that each one of us has been granted, by Allah Ta'ala, such precious gifts, the value whereof cannot be determined in terms of millions and billions. The bounties referred to above have been bestowed upon almost everybody but, if we consider carefully, we shall see that each one of us has been granted, by Allah Ta'ala, certain special favours as an exclusive privilege. Of these, there are three things in which everybody claims to excel others. First, there is the faculty of reason; even the dullest fool considers himself to be the wisest of all men and boasts of his own superior understanding. This claim to distinction, true or false, proves that the man believes himself to be specially favoured by Allah Ta'ala. Is it not incumbent upon him to be thankful to Allah Ta'ala more than anybody else?

Secondly, everybody considers himself to be superior to others in good habits. Each one of us can pin-point, in everybody else, some habit which he considers to be undesirable. In other words, everybody believes himself to be perfect in manners and thinks that everybody else is suffering from some flaw. For, no one is willing to give up his habits, nor does anybody think any of his own habits to be questionable. Some people do occasionally acknowledge their bad habits, but it is mere affectation, not from their heart. Is it not then incumbent upon the man, who praises his own habits to be graceful to Allah Ta'ala for granting him this favour, even though he finds someone else superior to himself in some other respect?

Thirdly, everybody knows better than others about his personal affairs and about his own inner state, and no one else can claim to excel his knowledge in this respect Besides, there are certain facts about everyonek personal and inner life, which he wants to conceal from others, at all costs. So, it is a great favour of Allah Ta'ala that He has put a veil over all that is unseemly in us. Thus, Allah Ta'ala has, so to say, fulfilled the desire of everybody to keep his weak points concealed from others. And for this great favour also, everybody should be grateful to Allah Ta'ala. Likewise, there are thousands of gifts and privileges bestowed by Allah Ta'ala upon everybody, which he values above everything else and which he is not willing to exchange for other bounties of the same or of a different kind. Take, for example, the privilege of being a human being: nobody would like to be changed into a monkey. Similarly, few men would like to lose their masculinity and become a females; no Mu'min can think of losing his Iman (faith) and become a nonbelievero Hafiz (one who knows the Qur'an by heart) would like to change his lot with that of a non-Hafiz; no scholar of divinity (Alim) would prefer any other status for himself; nobody who is handsome would like to be deprived of his good features; no parent would like to be made childless, and so on. In short, each one of us is enjoying certain special privileges in matters relating to manners, appearance, character, family connections, prestige, social status, etc., which he is most unwilling to exchange for any other thing. Is it, then, not correct to say that each one of us has been granted, by Allah Ta'ala, thousands of special favours which have been denied to others? And, is it not unbecoming of a person to be ungrateful to Allah Ta'ala and to look enviously at another one who is possessed of some other bounty? So if you find someone possessing abundant wealth, you should think of the numerous bounties (mentioned above). You will find that, on the whole, you are more highly favoured than the object of your envy (or jealousy). (Ihyaa)

As regards the wealth in his possession, nobody knows what is going to become of it; whether it will be a source of ease and comfort for him or cause trouble for him. For, Rasulullah ﷺ once said, ‘Do not feel envious of a wicked person for his possessing a bounty; for you do not know what misery he is going to encounter after his death. Allah Ta'ala has decreed for a wicked man a damnation i.e. Jahannam that knows no ending. (Mishkaat). We shall discuss this subject, in detail, under the Hadith that follows immediately.

Translation: HADITH: 17 Rasulullah ﷺ says: When you see Allah Ta'ala granting abundance to a disobedient person despite his sinful deeds, it may be just ‘Istidraaj’ (a way of bringing him to his damnation gradually). Rasulullah ﷺ then recited the Ayah which means, 'Then when they forgot that whereof they had been admonished. We opened unto them the gates of (abundance in) all things till, even as they were enjoying that which they were given, We seized them unawares and lo! they were stunned,.

Note: The Ayah cited in the Hadith occurs in Surah (al Anlam: 44). The preceding two Ayah briefly described how Allah Ta'ala treated the past generations of mankind. A brief translation of these Ayah is given below:

"And Rasuls of Allah visited the peoples in the generation before you, (but they denied them) and We inflicted upon them tribulations and diseases (and other afflictions) in order that they might grow humble (but they persisted in evil behaviour). It only, when any adversity fell on them, they had repented, wept and cried unto Us (We would have forgiven them their sins); but their hearts remained hard as ever and the Shaitan made all that they used to do, seem fair unto them! Then, when they forgot that whereof they hod been warned. We opened unto them the gates (of affluence) in all things. So they felt proud of their excessive wealth rejoicing in their luxuries. Then, We seized them with an unexpected punishment and lo! they were stunned! So (with this sudden punishment) the last remnant of the people who did wrong was cut down. And praise be to Allah, the Lord and Sustainer of the worlds (for having finished the last remnant of the wrong-doers)". (al-Anam: 42, 43, 44, 45)

In this Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ has admonished us not to envy the evil-doers, if we find them in affluent circumstances in spite of their disobedience and indulgence in sins. For, in this manner, the transgressors are driven, gradually, to ultimate damnation. This state is a kind of latitude or ‘Istidraj’, as mentioned in these Ayah There are many other Ayah in the Holy Qur'an on ‘Istidraj’ which forewarn men against such circumstances. Indeed it is a very. dangerous situation, for the sinner is suddenly seized with the punishment, amidst his rejoicing, and he is too bewildered by being suddenly overtaken by his miseiy to find any means of escape. One should, therefore, be on one’s guard against such dangerous situations.

Ubaadah Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"When Allah Ta'ala wills that a community should prosper and grow, He grants its members the qualities of moderation and chastity; when He wills to destroy a community, a door to dishonesty is opened for them and, when they begin to rejoice in their dishonest deeds, He seizes them unawares, with punishement". He then recited the Ayah (44) quoted above. Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu says: He who finds himself in affluence but does not deem it to be foreboding his doom, is not a wise man; and he who finds himself in straitened circumstances but does not consider it opportune for turning to Allah Ta'ala in repentance, is not a wise man, either-. (al-Durr al-Manthur)

A Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ supplicating Allah Ta'ala, thus:"O Allah! Grant less wealth and fewer children to him who believes in me and in the truth of the Commandments revealed to me, and grant him, a strong desire to meet You -As for him who does not believe in me and in the truth of the commandments revealed to me, grant him O Allah!, Abundant money and numerous children; and decree for him a longer life". In any case, if a person is being granted excessive bounties in spite of his persistence in disobedience to Allah Ta'ala, he is in a very dangerous situation. Such a one should repent, beg forgiveness of Allah Ta'ala and turn to Him. For the same reason, Rasulullah ﷺ has warned his followers not to feel envious of a wicked person for his enjoying any bounty of Allah Ta'ala; they should know that miserable is his fate after his death. (The text of the Hadith has been given above, under Hadith XVI.

Translation: HADITH: 18 Rasulullah 'ﷺ said: The wise man is he who has moulded himself to perform such deeds as are pleasing to Allah Ta'ala and performs deeds which are of value after death, and an incompetent and silly person is he who follows his baser desires and puts false hopes in Allah Ta'ala.

Note: The Hadith means that it is a folly to follow one’s sensual desires without bothering about what is lawful (Halaal) or unlawful (Haraam) and yet entertaining high hopes that Allah Ta'ala, Who is the Lord of Infinite Mercy, will forgive one’s sins, thus beguiling oneself with vain hopes. It occurs in another Hadith that, A wise man is he who earns virtues for the life after death and a naked

(helpless) person is he who has no faith. O Allah! The true life is only the life of Akhirah."(Jami us-Saghir). That is to say, the life of Akhirah is eternal and he who passes into the next world without any virtues to his credit, is like one who has wasted his lifetime. We should learn to distinguish between two different attitudes with regard to the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah Ta'ala: (1) the attitude of a person holding true expectations of Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness, who craves for His Mercy and begs it of iHim and (2) the attitude of an impudent sinner who persists in sins and beguiles himself with vain hopes of forgiveness.

Imaam Razi Rahmatullah alayhi says. The following two Ayah of the Holy Qur'an should suffice to deprecate Gharoor’ (the beguilement: the attitude of those who are deceived by vain hopes of Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness, despite their persistence in sins)1, Let not the life of the world beguile you (lest you should indulge in worldly pursuits and neglect the other worldly gains), nor let the deceiver (Shaitan) beguile you with regard to Allah. (Luqman: 33 h

Translation: 2. You tempted yourself into error, and hesitated, and doubted, and vain desires beguiled you". (al-Hadid: 14)

Translation: Commenting on the first Ayah, Sa'eed bin Jubair Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Shaitan beguiles a person, with regard to Allah; through seducing him to persist in sins and giving him false hopes of forgivenesss". The second Ayah occurs in Surah al-Hadid: 14. The preceding Ayah describes a spectacle of the Day of Resurrection when the Mo’mineen (believers) will come to the Bridge (Siraat) laid over Jahannam, with a kind of Nur (light) shining forth before them (to help them on the way across the Bridge). And, in the following Ayah, Allah Taala says:

On that Day when the hypocrites among men and women will say unto the believers: wait for. us that we may borrow from your light. It will be said: Go back and seek for light (Noor)!. Then there will separate them a wall wherein is a gate, the inner side whereof contain mercy, while the outer side thereof is toward the doom. They (the hypocrites) will cry unto them (saying): Were we not with you? They (the believers) will say: Yes, verily; but you tempted yourselves (into error), awaited (evil turns of fortunes for the Muslims) and doubted (the truth of Islam), and vain desires beguiled you till the ordinance of Allah (about death) came to pass and the deceiver (Shaitan) deceived you concerning Allah. (al-Hadeed: 13-14) Abu Sufyan Radhiyallahu anhu is reported to have said by way of com m entary on this Ayah:"'You tempted yourselves (into error)’ means, 'You (the hypocrites) were led astray owing to your persistence in sins and you were beguiled by false hopes, for you used to say: 'Allah will forgive us our sins. (Durr-e-Manthur)

The author of ‘Mazahir’ writes that Sheikh Ibne Abbad Shazli Rahmatullah alayhi has said in his explanatory discourse on ‘Hikam’ (a famous book on mysticism),"The Divines say that ‘Rajaa’ (hopefulness about Allah’s Mercy) does not consist in entertaining false hopes of Allah's Mercy which beguile a person into neglect of virtues, and lend him the audacity to commit sins: Such hopes are, in reality, vain desires, employed by Shaitan as a means of deceiving people". Ma'roof Karkhi Rahmatullah alayhi says:"It is sinful to crave for Jannah without performing good deeds; it is a kind of selfdeception to entertain hopes of intercession by a pious being, without having any affinity, or spiritual link with him; and holding hopes of Allah’s Mercy without obeying His Commandments is mere folly and sheer ignorance".

Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Some people neglect virtuous deeds and entertain vain hopes of Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness, so much so that they leave the world without having performed any acts of virtue. You will hear one of them saying, ‘I have strong faith in the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala who is the Most Forgiving; I would say to him, You are lying! For, if you had faith in Allah’s Mercy, you would have performed good deeds’. He also said on another occasion:"O servants of Allah! Beware of entertaining vain desires and false hopes of Allah’s Mercy. For, those who hold such hopes (without performing good deeds) are living in a fool’s paradise. By Allah, no person was ever granted good reward by Allah Ta'ala, neither in this world nor in the next, merely for having vain hopes of His Mercy". (Mazahir-e-Haq)

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi says:"The key to good fortune lies in mental alertness and thoughtful behaviour. All manners of misfortunes are rooted in conceit (Gharoor) and heedlessness. No bounty of Allah Ta'ala can excel the blessing of Faith (Iman) and a true cognition of Allah Ta'ala. And, the only means to achieve them lies in having one’s heart illumined by spiritual insight Similarly, no punishment of Allah Ta'ala is more tormenting than Kufr (infidelity) and disobedience. And the only thing that causes a man to stray into Kufr is the darkness of ignorance, which blinds his inward eye. And the hearts of those who are wise and enlightened are like niches, wherein there are bright lamps spreading light. The similitude of their hearts is given in the Holy Qur'an:

Like a niche wherein there is a lamp. (an-Noor: 35)

The hearts of those who have been beguiled into ‘Gharoor’ (vanity and vain hopes of Allah’s Mercy) are lost in abysmal darkness, where there are layers upon layers of darkness and they can hardly see anything. Their similitude is also given in the Holy Qur'an:

‘As darkness on a vast, abysmal sea There covers him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness (an-Noor: 40).

Now that we know ‘Gharoor’ to be the root-cause of damnation, it is worthwhile explaining it in detail"so that we may guard ourselves against this spiritual bane. There are many Ayah of the Holy Qur'an and numerous Ahadith on deprecation of ‘Gharoor'. Rasul uU ah ﷺ said: The wise man is he who observes self control and performs acts of virtue for the life after death; and the foolish person is he who follows his vain desires and entertains false hopes in Allah Ta'ala In fact, what has been said in the Ahadith on deprecation of ignorance also applies to 'Gharoor (vanity); and the threats of punishment for the ignorant are also aimed at those imbued with ‘Gharoor. For ‘Gharoor’ is born of ignorance; it is rather part of ignorance; and though every kind of ignorance cannot be termed as ‘Gharoor’, every kind of ‘Gharoor is ignorance. And the yorst form of ‘Gharoor’ or ignorance is exemplified in the (attitude of the) Kaafirs (infidels), the profligates and the lewd ones. who say, “The pleasures of this world are like cash currency (i.e. available at the moment) and those promised in Akhirah are like entries of credit made in a person’s account, to be realised later". And, they pay,"No sensible person would prefer credit to cash currency". Now this is a foolish idea rooted in sheer ignorance.

The rule (of preferring cash over credit) applies only in such cases where the cash and credit are equal both in quality and quantity. But if someone were willing to buy a thing on credit for hundred rupees, for which another person offered only one rupee as ready money, even a fool would sell it on credit, not caring a whit for the principle of preferring cash to credit What is more, the immediate pleasures of this world can in no way compare with the eternal bliss of Akhirah. For, a man might at the most live for a hundred or a hundred and fifty years, which bears no comparison with the everlasting life of Akhirah.

To give another example, suppose a physician forbids a patient to eat a certain variety of fruit because it might prove fatal for him. Now, the patient cannot say to him, The pleasant taste of this fruit is its immediate benefit while the benefits, from avoiding it accrue later and one should not forego cash rewards for the promised ones. Some fools say that the pain and suffering of this world are certain, while the punishments and rewards of Akhirah are uncertain and so one should not bear real hardships in the hope of winning what is uncertain. This notion is also a fallacy, born of utter ignorance. For, we see that businessmen take pains, and bear real hardships hoping to gain profit, which is uncertain. Similarly, a patient takes bitter medicines and undergoes surgical operations thus suffering instant pain, in the hope of regaining health which is uncertain. Another false notion is entertained by the people who say,"The life of Akhirah is unseen; no one has experienced its joys and sufferings and we know little about the reality of that lifer This reasoning is also rooted in ignorance. For, a layman should put his trust in the views of the learned ones who have the experience of working in a field of specialization.

A patient trusts what the exprienced and learned doctors tell him about the treatment and cure of his disease and does not refuse to take a medicine simply because he does not know its effects. Nor does he ask the doctor to explain to him how the medicine works; if anyone did ask such a silly question, he would be looked upon as a fool. Likewise, we should have faith in what the Ambiya, saints, sages and divines have said about the Akhirah, because people the world over have, through the ages, testified to the truth and trustworthiness of these sacred beings. And, it makes little difference if a few ignorant fools deny having any knowledge of the next world or feel sceptical about it; such suspicions about the Akhirah usually arise in the minds of the Kaafirs (infidels). The Muslims, by virtue of their verbal assertion of faith, do not voice their suspicions about Akhirah. But when they transgress the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala, commit sins, follow their lusts or indulge in worldly pleasures, their evil actions betray that, inwardly, they are also sceptical about the life after death. In fact, their actions belie what they claim to believe by word of mouth. Had they believed, from their hearts, in the reality of Akhirah, they would never have preferred this world to the eternal Akhirah. Such people are conceited (imbued with ‘Charcor’) as they say,"Allah Taala is the Lord of Infinite Bounty; He is All Foigiving and most Merciful. We have faith in His Mercy and Forgiveness and He will definitely forgive our sins. And it is a commendable virtue and a praiseworthy quality to entertain hopes of Mercy. His Mercy is infinitely vast! And our wrongs, however grievous they may be, seem insignificant against the measureless oceans of His Mercy and Forgiveness. Allah Ta'ala says, as reported in a Qudsi Hadith: ‘I treat My servant according to his expectations of Me; so, he should have good expectations of Me Now this is an authentic Hadith and Allah Tcfala does treat His men according to thier expectations of Him. But it should also be borne in mind that, sometimes, Shaitan leads people astray through misinterpretation of an authentic text Had it not been so, he would have found it hard to deceive people. Jtasulullah ﷺ has referred to this treacheiy of Shaitan in the Hadith quoted above, '"The wise man is he who subdues his self (for obeying the commandments of Allah Ta'ala) and performs virtuous acts for the life after death; and the foolish person is he who follows his vain desires and still entertains hopes in Allah Ta‘alaTheae are the false hopes to which Shaitan gives a semblance of good expectations of Allah’s Mercy.

In the following Ayah of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala has Himself explained what is meant by ’having good expectations of Allah's mercy:

‘ Lo! Those who believe, and those who emigrate (to escape the persecution) and strive in the way of Allah (which included all manner of efforts made for the cause of Deen). These have hopes of Allah's Mercy'. (Al-Baqarah: 218)

One of the recurring themes of the Holy Qur'an is that Jannah and its bounties will be awarded to those who perform good deeds. Let us consider a simple example, which will serve to explain the true significance of ’the expectations of Allah’s Mercy,. Suppose a worker is employed to make utensils by a very generous employer who promises to pay him high wages and even more in excess. He is also popularly known as very liberal-minded, for he does not take notice of minor faults and also pays for the spoilt or sub-standard pieces made by his workers. But the worker, instead of making utensils, breaks the tools supplied to him and tats waiting for his wages and rewards and says that he has perfect faith in the magnanimity of his master. Is there a man who will regard such a fool to be a sensible person? One reason why people hold such absurd views is that they cannot see the difference between true expectations and vain hopes. Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi was asked, ’What do you think of the people who do not perform good deeds but say that they have expectations of Allah’s Mercy?” The Sheikh replied, They are deluded by vain hopes. For, he who expects to gain a thing must struggle to achieve it, and he who fears a thing (e.g. punishment fay Allah Ta'ala) must struggle hard to escape it” One day Sheikh Muslim Ibne Yasaar Rahmatullah alayhi laid prostrate so long in Sajdah that his teeth began to bleed and two of them fell out because of the pressure. Someone said to him, ‘I am not capable of such devotions but I do have expectations of Allah's forgiveness” The Sheikh said,"You are far from entertaining hopes of forgiveness, very far indeed! For, he who expects to gain something must struggle to achieve it and he who fears a thing also tries to escape it"For instance, if a person expects to get a child but does not get married or, having married, does not have intercourse with his wife, everybody will call him a fool. Similarly, if a person entertains hopes of Allah’s forgiveness but does not have faith, or having Faith (Iman), does not practice virtues, nor gives up evil deeds, he will also be regarded as a fool. On the other hand, a sensible person will get married, have intercourse with his wife and, still, will not feel certain of getting a child. Yet he will never cease to hope that Allah Ta'ala, in His infinite bounty, will grant him a child. He will adopt all measures for protecting the mother’s womb from diseases, etc., and observe all necessary cautions til) the baby is born. Likewise, a sensible person is he who believes in Allah Ta'ala y practises virtues, shuns evil deeds, hopes that Allah Ta'ala (in His infinite Mercy) will find his good deeds acceptable and remains in fear that his deeds might not be found acceptable till he meets his end. Only such people are really wise. All others, who have vain hopes of Allah’s Mercy without performing good deeds, are fools. And Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an, about such foolish people:

Could fit thou hut see when the guilty hang their heads before their Lard, (and say): Our Lord! We have now seen and beards so send us back; we will do right, now we ore sure, (as- Sajdah: 12)

That is, they will say,"Now we have realised that, as no one can get a child without getting married and having intercourse with his wife, nor can anyone get a harvest without ploughing the field and sowing seeds; so it is also not possible for anyone to win heavenly rewards without performing acts of virtue: However, hopes of Allah’s Mercy and Fotgiveness are desirable for a person who is deeply sunk in sins but feels remorse and wants to repent, though Shaitan whispers into his earsJUow can you, who are so far gone and. so deeply immersed in sins, repent of your misdeeds? And, even if you repent, how can your sins be forgiven?Addressing such people, Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an:

(O Muhammad) Say: O My slaves who have wronged yourselves (indulged in Kufr Shirk ’ and other sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Ip! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Turn unto Him repentant, and surrender unto Him, before there come unto you the doom, when you cannot be helped. And follow the better (guidance) of that which is revealed unto you from your Lord, before the doom cometh on you suddenly when you know not. (And you are being commanded to turn in repentance to Him) Lest any soul should say, (on the Day of Resurrection): Alas! My grief that I was unmindful (of what was due from me to Allah) and I was indeed among those who used to make fun of His Commandments. Or should say: if Allah had but guided me, I should have been among the righteous ones! Or should say when it seeth the Doom. Oh, that I had but a second chance (to live in the world) that I might be among the righteous! (az-Zumur: 53-58)

In these Ayah, Allah Ta'ala has promised to forgive all the sins of His servants if they turn to Him in repentance. And in another Ayah, Allah Ta‘ala says:

And lo! Verily I am Forgiving toward him who repenteth and believeth and doeth good, and afterwards followeth the same path of righteousness. ’ (Taha: 82)

In this Ayah, forgiveness is promised only to those who repent, have faith, do good and follow the path of virtue. Hence, he who does so is sincere in his expectations of Allah’s mercy. But he who persists in sins, but claims to have hopes of Allah’s forgiveness, is a foolish person, beguiled by Shaitan into vain expectations.

In the early days of Islam, people exerted themselves in prayers, took pains to avoid sins, tried hard for a high standard of piety, abstained from doubtful things, worshipped Allah Ta'ala day and night and, still, wept bitterly for fear of Allah Ta'ala. Nowadays, everybody follows his lusts (indulges in sensual pleasures), hankers after worldly wealth, takes no thought of turning to Allah in repentance and, still, everybody feels happy and unafraid of Allah’s punishments; everybody says that he has good hopes of Allah’s mercy and a perfect faith in the forgiveness of Allah Tacday Who will forgive all his sins. Do such people think that all the Agibiya Alaihimusslam, the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum and the saints, who took great pains in their devotions, had no such hope of Allah’s Mercy? Allah forbid that we entertain such absurd notions!

Translation: HADITH: 19 Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu says: Once ten of us, including myself, visited Rasulullah ﷺ. t when a man from the Ansaar stood up and said,"O Rasulullahl Who is the wisest and the most prudent of men?"Rasulullah replied, '‘The wisest of men are those who remember death more than everybody else, and who are occupied in making preparations for the Akhirah more than everybody else. It is such people, indeed, who win distinction in this world and who will be raised to positions of honour in the Akhirah". It occurs in many Ahadith that Rasulullah ﷺ used to exhort people, in various ways, to remember death most often. Some of these Ahadith have already been quoted under Hadith 9, on restraining hopes. We have also quoted a Hadith in the same context, in which Rasulullah Sollollaho alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said,"Remember very often the cutter-off of pleasures i.e. Death.' The insistence on the importance of remembering death makes it worthwhile treating the subject exclusively in the following pages. For, remembering death very often has many advantages: it helps a person to avoid high hopes; it motivates preparation for life after death; it causes a man to develop nonattachement to worldly pleasures (which is a necessary ideal), it dissuades one from hoarding money needlessly; it persuades one to perform acts of virtue for the Akhirah; it induces a person to repentance; it prevents from doing wrongs and denying people their due rights. In short, meditating on death has many spiritual benefits. So the Divines particularly advise most of their disciples to spare some time daily for meditation on death. A Hadith says that once a man, standing in the presence of Rasulullah Sollollaho alayhi wa sallam, said,"O Rasulullah! Who is the wisest of all the believers.1' Rasulullah Sollollaho alayhi wa sallam replied,"He who keeps death much in his remembrance and who makes good preparations for it". (lthaaf)pX has been narrated in another Hadith that once Rasulullah Sollollaho alayhi wa sallam recited the following Ayah from the Holy Qur'an:

Translation: And whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, He expands his heart for Islam. (al-An'am: 125) and said,"When the ‘Noor (light) of Islam enters his breast, it expands."Someone asked,"Is there any sign (by which one might know that the ‘Noor' has entered one's breast r Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam replied, Tes, one develops dislike against this world full of false hopes (this world), and begins to long for the eternal (Akhirah), and starts making preparation for death before it comes". (Mishkaat)

Translation: Rasulullah Sollollaho alayhi wa sallam once said,"I asked permission of Allah Taala to visit the grave of my mother and I was allowed; so visit graves, for it helps in keeping death in mind."(According to an alternative reading, it is a source of admonition’) Another Hadith has it to the effect that:"Visit graves; for it helps to develop indifference to worldly interests and makes one mindful of Akhirah". Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu says that once Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him,"Visit graves from time to time; for, it serves as a reminder of the Akhirah; wash the dead, for it is a cure for a person who is devoid of virtues and helps him to take heed; attend funeral prayers, for it might make you feel concerned for the Akhirah; and those who have this concern remain in the shadow of Allah’s Mercy and seek a virtuous life". (Targhib)

Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"Visit the sick and follow funerals, for these make one mindful of Akhirah". Once a divine was following a bier when he came upon some people who were expressing their sorrow for the deceased. Ha said,"I suggest that you should grieve on your own account; for it will be more beneficial. This man passed away and has become immune from three afflictions; he need not fear to face the Angel of Death again; he will not have to suffer the throes of death again; he is no longer in danger of facing a bad end."Once Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu was following a bier, when a wayfarer asked him,Whose bier is this. The Sahabi said,"It is your bier; and if you resentjt is my." Saying so, ‘it is my bier", he meant to say that this was no occasion for idle talk; one should rather think of one’s own death on such occasions.Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I am greatly amazed at the people who have been commanded to make preparations for the journey to Akhirah, the call to embark on which has been announced, and yet they are engaged in worldly activities that are but a pastime."It is said of him that when he saw a bier passing by, he looked so deeply grieved that one might think he had just returned from the graveyard after burying his own motherr (Tanbeeh-id-Ghafileen)

Aishah Radhiyallahu anha says,"A Jewess once visited me and, after 1 had obliged her with something, she said, 'May Allah protect you from punishment in the grave 1 asked Rasulullah ﷺ, cls there punishment in the grave? And he replied, 'Yes, the punishment in the grave is real'. After this, Rasulullah ﷺ used to seek Allah’s protection from the punishment in the grave? at the end of every Salaat, as a lesson for his followers. According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said,"The dead are punished in the graves so severely that their cries are heard by the animals. Another Hadith has it to the following effect, “Were it not for my fear lest you should stop burying the dead, I would ask Allah Ta'ala to let you hear the punishment in the grave". It has been reported about Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu that, when he would stand over a grave, he would weep so bitterly that his beard would get wet with tears. Someone asked him,"You do not weep so sorely when you remember Jannah and Jahannam as you do when you are reminded of the grave". He replied,"I have heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying, “The grave is the initial stage of the Akhirah; if one escapes punishment in it, all the next stages are much easier; but if one does not escape punishment in the grave, all the next stages are severer than it,! And I have also heard him saying,"! have never seen a sight more horrifying than that of the grave."A Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying, In the grave, the abode into which a man will move after the Day of Resurrection is shown to him every morning and evening; if he is destined for Jannah, he is shown his abode in Jannah, to his great relief and jay, while if he is destined for Jahannam, he is shown his abode in Jahannam (and the fear and anticipation of the impending doom adds to his pain and misery)." Aishah Radhiyallahu anha says:"Once a Jewess came to my door and asked me for some food. She then said, 'May Allah grant you protection against the temptation of the Dqjal and save you from the punishment in the grave!"I asked her to wait Meanwhile Rasulullah ﷺ came and 1 told him what the Jewess had said about the Dqjal and the punishment in the grave. Rasulullah ﷺ said,"There has been no Nabi or Rasul among the Ambiya of the past who did not warn his people against Dcjal and his temptations, but I tell you something about Dsjal which no Nabi or Rasul has told his Ummah: he is one-eyed; the word 'Kaafir’ (infidel) is written on his forehead, which every Mu'min will be able to read. As regards the ordeal in the grave: when a pious man dies, the angels come to his grave and make him sit up. He sits up fearless and without grief. He is first asked about Islam and then his opinion about the man (i.e. Rasulullah) who was sent to them and he replies that he is Muhammad ﷺ) who was sent by Allah Ta‘ala as a Rasul to His men, with the clear guideline, and that he believed him to be a true Rasul and believed in the truth of his message. After this, a place in Jahannam is shown to him, where he sees that people are huddled together, attacking each other, and he is told to look at the horrors from which Allah Ta'ala has protected him. Then he is shown a place in Jannah; he looks at its beauty and adornments, and feasts his eyes on the scenes of eternal bliss. lie is told that this will be his abode after the Day of Resurrection, as he had belief in Akhirahtdied in that belief and will be holding the same belief on the Day of Resurrection.

But when an evil person dies, he is made to sit up in the grave and he sits up, disheartened and terrified. He is asked the same questions mentioned above. He replies that he does not know and says that he held the same opinions as were expressed by other people. Then a door is opened for him in the direction of Jannah and he looks at its beauty and adornments and the bounties therein. After this, he is told that this was the abode which had been prepared for him initially, but he has been deprived of it. Then Jahannam is shown to him and he looks at the inmates of Jahannam huddled together, as though they were fighting against one another. He is told that this is going to be his resting-place, for, he had doubts about the true religion, died in doubts and will be resurrected in the same condition on the Day of Resurrection." (Targheeb)

Abu Qatadah Radhiyallahu anhu says:"When a funeral passed by Rasulullah ﷺ, he looked at it and said, 'He is relieved or others are relieved of him He then said," A Mu'min feels relieved by escaping the toils and sufferings of the world, through his death, and enjoys the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala. He is relieved. But when a persistent sinner dies, men, habitations, trees and animals find relief in his death.” (Mishkaat)

For, owing to the evil influences of a wicked man’s misdeeds: catamites befall the earth, rains are stopped, commotion arises in the villages, trees wither up and the animals find it hard to feed themselves. Therefore, when such a person dies, his death brings relief to all those who have been under the evil influence of his sins. Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said,"Once Rasulullah ﷺ gripped me by the shoulder and said,"Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a wayfarer.". Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu also says,"When the day dawns, do not expect to see the evening and when it is evening, do not expect to see the morning; when yon are in health, provide something for the time of illness i.e. if yon perform good deeds when in health, the rewards will accrue to yon even in your illness, and make provisions while living to serve you at the time of death”. (Mishkaat)

Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu says,"We went to a funeral in company with Rasulullah ﷺ, and on reaching the graveyard, he sat by the side of a grave and said,"Everyday the grave announces, in dear words, 'O son of Adam, you have forgotten me. I am an abode of loneliness,.I am the house of estrangement (where you wo’nt find any one familiar), I am the house of horrors, I am full of worms, I am extremely narrow but I am expansive for a person for whom Allah Ta'ala wills me to be so.""He then said,"The grave may be a garden of Jannah, or a pit of Jahannam". Sahl Radhiyallahu anhu sajrs that one of the Sahabah died and they began to praise him and spoke highly of his devotions. Rasulullah ﷺ kept silent and listened to what they spoke and, after they had finished, said,"Did he keep death in remembrance?"They replied that he seldom talked of it He then asked,"Did he abstain from a thing he desired to have?"On receiving the reply that he did not, Rasulullah ﷺ said,"He cannot, then, attain to the grades of excellence which you can attain".

Another Hadith says, 14 Mention was once made of a Sahabi in the presence of Rasulullah, and the Sahabah spoke highly of his devotions and his diligence in self-mortification. Rasulullah ﷺ asked, 'How often did he remember death?’ The Sahabah replied that they had not heard him talking of death. Rasulullah ﷺ Baid, 'He cannot, then, attain to such a high spiritual rank (as you consider him to have attained)’. Baraa Radhiyallahu anhu narrates,"Once we went out with Rasulullah to attend the funeral and burial of a person. When we reached there, Rasulullah ﷺ sat by the side of a grave, wept so profusely that the ground became wet with his tears, and then said,"Brothers, prepare yourself for (your entry in) the grave."(Targheeb)

Shaqique bin Ibrahim Rahmatullah alayhi says: People seem to agree with me when they say that they believe in four things, but their actions belie what they claim to believe:-

(i) they say that they are slaves (Bondsmen) of Allah Ta'aia, but their actions betray that they regard themselves to be freemen;

(ii) they say that Allah Ta'ala has taken upon Himself the responsibility to give us our sustenance, but they never resl content until they hoard enough of worldly provisions;

(iii) they say that Akhirah is preferable to this world, but they are ever engaged in amasaing wealth, and are least concerned about Akhirah.

(iv) they say that death is inevitable, but they are absorbed in worldly activities as though they were to live here forever!

Abu Haamid Iafhaf Rahmatullah Alai he says,"He who keeps death much in his remembrance, Allah Ta'ala bestows three favours on him: 1. he readily turns to Allah Ta'ala in repentance; 2. he is granted contentment; 3. he shows greater interest in devotion in all his modes of worship. And, he who is heedless and unmindful of death is punished by Allah Ta'ala in three different ways: 1. he persists in sins and hesitates to offer ‘Taubah’. 2. he is not contented with his income; 3. he becomes sluggish in the performance of his devotions. m(Tanbih-ul-GhafUeen) Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes: All Praise be to Allah Ta'ala Who has twisted the necks of powerful tyrants in the tight strangle-hold of death and broken the back of mighty kings with the sudden blow of death; Who has dashed, through death, the hopes of those who possessed rich treasures of wealth! Ah! These people did not even like a mention of death. But when the appointed hour (of death) came for them, they were carried away and buried in the dark pit of the grave, leaving behind their profusely lighted high palaces, where they used to lie reclining on soft couches! No more could they eijoy the company of their beautiful slave-girls or have their slaves waiting upon them, but were forced to live with the worms! They could no longer feast upon rich varieties of food and drink, but were made to roll in dust! Nor could they sit in company with their friends, but were made to suffer the horrors of lonesome death! Were they able to build any castle to protect themselves against death? Could they escape death by any other means? Glorified be Allah, the Supreme, Vanquisher and Stibduer of all, Who has no partner in His Attributes! He Alone is Eternal, Who has no equal. We all know for certain that death is inevitable and that it must come to all; that everybody is destined to go into the dust and live with the worms in the grave; that everybody shall have to face Munkar and Nakeer (the two angels who examine the dead in their graves as to their faith); that everybody after spending a long time in the grave must see the horrible spectacle of the Day of Resurrection and must go either to Jannah or to Jahannam, which will be his eternal abode thereafter. Therefore, it is only wise that each one of us should be constantly worriejl about his death, should keep it in constant remembrance, should talk of it often and occupy himself with preparations for it, even at the cost of worldly pursuits. We should also anticipate our death all the times, lest it should take us unaware. For, no one knows the time when his death may occur. Rasulullah ﷺ said. The wise man is he who subdues his ownself and remains occupied with what will be of use to him in the life after death (to the end of the Hadith)". And no one can make preprations for a thing unless he remains concerned about it all the time, keeps it in his remembrance and talks of it most of the time. Naturally, if a person is engrossed in worldly pursuits, ib beguiled by the glamour of this world, and is enamoured of lusts and passions, he must be unmindful of death. And, even when people talk to him to death, he will feel disconcerted and show resentment. Allah Ta'ala says of this:

Say (unto them, O Muhammad)? Lo! the death frQm which you shrink will surely meet you, and afterward you will be returned unto the Knower of the invisible and the visible, and then He will tell you wfud you used to do (and give you befitting recompense). (al-Jum'ah:

The Ulama say that men may be divided into four broad categories, with regard to their attitude towards death:

Firstly, there are people who are so deeply absorbed in worldly activities that they do not even like to listen to a mention of death, for, they know that the death will put an end to their sensual pleasures. Such people do not remember death; and, when they do talk of it, they condemn it because it will cause them to forsake this world and these feelings fill them with sorrow.

Secondly, there are people who want to turn to Allah Ta'ala in repentance, but are still in the initial stage. When they think of death they feel afraid of Allah Ta'ala, which fear, in turn, causes them to repent more deeply. They are afraid of death, not because they do not want tcf leave this world,but because their repentance is not perfect Such persons do not want to die because they want to reform themselves and are worried on that account They cannot be blamed for this fear or dislike of death, and the following Hadith of Rasulullah Sollallaho alayhi wa sallam does not apply to them: If anyone does not want to meet Allah Ta'ala then Allah Ta'ala does not want to meet him. For, in reality, they do not dislike their meeting Allah Ta'ala, but only feel shy, owing to their own sins and shortcomings. Their case is like that of a person who wants to prepare beforehand for meeting his loved one, so that he may see his beloved in a condition which is most pleasing to him.However, it is necessary that they should be constantly Concerned about preparations for death and should not occupy themselves with any other pursuit; otherwise they will also be counted as belonging to the first category of peopled. e. those absorbed in worldly pursuits.

Thirdly, there are the Divines who know their Lord intimately and are perfect in their repentance. Such people love death and pine for it, for, what hour can be more blissful for a lover than the hour of his meeting with the loved one? The hour of death, for such people, is the hour of meeting with Allah Ta'ala. A true lover is always mindful of the promised hour of meeting and he can never forget it. It is such people who crave for death to come soon; they always anticipate death and wait for it impatiently, for they want to leave this worldly abode of sins. A Tradition says that, when the hour of death drew near for Huzaifah Radhillaho anhu, he said,"The coveted hour (of death) has come at last; and at a time when I needed it most, He who does things which make him feel ashamed is not successful. Thou knowest, O Allah! that I have always loved poverty better than riches, and sickness better than health, and death better than life! O Allah! Grant me death immediately, for I love to meet You."Fourthly, there are people who are perfect in their attitude towards death; they are reconciled to the will of Allah Ta'ala and desire nothing except what Allah Ta'ala has chosen for them. Thus they wish niefher to live nor to die of their own accord. This symbolizes the height of love for Allah Ta'ala, which consists in complete surrender (Tasleem) and acquiescence (Ridha)

At any rate, remembrance of death enables a man to earn rewards and blessings of Allah Ta'ala, even if he is engrossed in the world, because it disconcerts his moods of lustful pleasure and causes him to withdraw a little from the material world. It was in view of this effect of remembering death that Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Remember death which shatters lustful pleasures."Another Hadith narrates,"If the animals had as much knowledge of death as you have, you would not find a fat animal for your food". Aishah Radhiyallahu anha once asked Rasulullah ﷺ"Can anyone attain to the rank of the Shuhdaa (Martyrs) without sacrificing his life for the cause of Allah TaalaT Rasulullah ﷺ replied, Yes, he who remembers death twenty times everyday." Another Hadith says that he who recites the following Duaa (supplication) twenty-five times everyday can attain to the rank of the Shuhdaa (Martyrs):

"O Allah! bestow on me blessings when I meet my death, and bless me in what follow death".

These blessings accrue because the remembrance of death causes a person to disregard worldly pursuits and incites him to prepare for the Akhirah. Forgetfulness of death, on the other hand, causes a person to indulge in passions and lustful pleasures of the world.

Ataa Khurasani Rahmatullah alayhi says: Once Rasulullah ﷺ came upon some people who were sitting together and laughing loudly, and said to them,"In your meetings, do include talk of the shatterer of lustful pleasure: On being Asked what he meant by it, Rasulullah replied, ‘Death’. According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"Keep death much in your remembrance, for it removes sins and causes a person to renounce the world". (Ihyaa)- It occurs in another Hadith that once Rasulullah ﷺ said,"If you knew what circumstances you would have to face after death, you would not relish your food, nor enjoy the taste of water". Rasulullah ﷺ once admonished one of the Sahabah thus:"Keep death very much in your remembrance; it will cause you to turn away from things of the world". Still another Hadith has it thus: “Keep death very much in your remembrance; for, it strengthens the heart of man and makes it easier for him to face death’! Once a Sahabi said to Rasulullah,"O Rasulullah, I have no love for death. What should I do to cure my sell"Rasulullah ﷺ asked him if he possessed any property and, on his replying that he did, told him,"Send it forth to the nextworld for, a man's heart is attached to his possessions. After he has sent forth his property (given it away as Sadaqah etc.), be himself desires to be with it. And if he has left his properly behind, he himself desires to stay with it". (Ithaafl.

A Hadith says:"When two third of the night had passed, Rasulullah ﷺ would say, ‘O people, remember Allah! remember Allah! The quake of Doomsday will occur soon! The time for the blowing of the Trumpet (Soor) is drawing near! And everybody's hour of death, along with its pangs and throes, has come!"(Mishkaat). It was the custom of Umar Ibne Abdul. Aziz Rahmntullah alayhi to invite a number of Ulama every night, who would discourse on death, the Day of Resurrection and the circumstances of Akhirah. And thereupon lie wept so bitterly that one might think he was weeping over a dead body laid before him. Ibrahim Taimi Rahmatullah alayhi says"Two things have caused me to turn away from sensual pleasures of the world; death and the fear of reckoning before Allah Ta'ala."Ka'b Radhiyallahu anhu says, He who realises what death signifies will find that, by comparison, all the sufferings of this world are easier to tolerate."Ash'ath Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Whenever we visited Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi and sat with him, we heard him talking to his companions of death and of the circumstances of the Akhirah! Once a woman came to Aishah Radiallaho an ha and complained to her of her own hard- heartedness ’Whereupon Aishah advised her to keep death much in remembrance to soften her heart The woman did so and came again after a few days, to express her thanks to Aishah Radhiyallahu anha. (Ihya).

Imaam Ghazaali Rahmatullah alayhi says."Death is a tremendous thing to fear, but most people are heedless of it Many people do not even talk of death, owing to their absorption in worldly affairs. A few talk of death but their minds are occupied with other things and, therefore, it does them little good. It is important that, from time to time, one should concentrate upon death, to the exclusion of all other things and imagine that death is staring one in the face. One should think of one's friends and relatives and recall to one's mind how they were placed on the bier, carried to the grave and buried under mounds of earth. One should imagine their faces and think of their high ambitions and the changes that dust might have wrought in their handsome faces, and how their bodies might have decayed, how their children were orphaned, their wives were widowed how their relatives were left to weep over their loss. One should think how their fortunes were distributed and how their clothes were left behind (never to be worn by them again)! One should, then, say to one-self, ‘1 shall have to suffer the same fate one of these days. How these people, who are lying in their graves, used to laugh and talk in meetings. How they indulged in lusts, but are now lying in the dust! They did not like to talk of death but have fallen a prey to it! They were intoxicated by their youthful vigour, but are lying today in the graves, forsaken and uncared for! How deeply absorbed they were in the affairs of the world but now their hands and feet are scattered apart and worms are crawling on their tongues! Their bodies have become food for worms! How heartily they laughed, but now their teeth have decayed and fallen out, They made ambitious plans and arrangements for many years to come, though death loomed over their heads; little did they know, on the last day of their life, that they were destined to spend that very night in the grave! The same is the case with me. Though I am busy making arrangements for years to come, I do not know what is going to happen tomorrow (Ihyaa), An Urdu poet says; No human knows about his hour of death; though man may plan to live for a hundred years, he never knows what may happen tomorrow!

The angels deputed by Allah Ta'ala, are issued instructions for the whole year on one particular night of the year, they are assigned duties for the year and informed that such and such things have been decreed for such and such person. The Ahadith vary as to whether these orders are issued on Lailat-ul-Qadr’ (one of the last ten nights of Ramadhan) or on the middle night of Sha'ban (Shab-e- Bara’at) but are in agreement about the fact that, on one night, the lists of those destined to die during the year are handed over to the angels. Many a man is engrossed in sports and pastimes while, in the heavens above, orders have gone out for his arrest; it has been decreed that he will suffer death and no one can intercede with Allah Ta'ala, or appeal to Him, to change His decree! Nor can the decreed hour of a man’s death be delayed a mihute! Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu commenting on Surah ‘ad-Dukhan’ says"On the night called ‘Lailat-ul-Qadr’, the decrees of Fate are transcribed from the ‘Lauh- e-Mahfooz’ (the Guarded Book of Fate) and a record is made of all that is decreed for the year. A decree is issued about the amount of the provisions to be sent down, the persons destined to die, the persons to be born and the amount of rains to be sent down during the year. So much so, that a list is prepared of the names of the persons who are going to perform Hajj in that years". A Hadith reports Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu as saying,"You will notice that a person is walking about, in the bazars, though his name has been recorded in the list of those who are destined to die in that year."Abu Nadhrah Rahmatullah alayhi says,"On this night, the angels are assigned their duties for the whole year. And, orders are issued about the means of welfare apportioned for the year, about the evils to be suffered, about the sustenance to be provided, about the persons destined to die, about the afflictions and about the cheap ness or dearness of commodities."‘Dtramah Radhiyallahu anhu says,"On the middle night of Sha'ban (Shab-e-Barat), all the events decreed for the year are assigned to the angels; the lists of the persons destined to die, and of those who will perform Hajj during the year are handed over to the angels; and no changes can be made in the lists According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"(On this night), the angels are given the names of persons who are going to die during the year from one Sha'ban to the next, with the specific hours of death ’ destined for each. And, many a man gets married in this world and a child is born to him while, in the heavens above, his name has been recorded in the list of the dead”.

Aishah Radhiyallahu anha says:"Rasulullah ﷺ used to fast very frequently during Sha'ban, for, it is in this month that a list is prepared of those who ore destined to die during the year. And many a man is engaged in getting married while, in the heavens above, his name has been recorded among the dead; or, again, a man is preparing for Hiqj while his name has been enlisted among the dead."Another Hadith reports that once Aishah Radhiyallahu anha asked Rasulullah ﷺ why he fasted more frequently in the month of Sha'ban, to which he replied,"In this month, a record is made of those who are destined to die during the year and I wish that, when my name is recorded in the list of the dead, I should be observing a fast A Hadith says that, every year, on the middle night of Shaban, Allah Ta'ala informs Izraeel Alaihissalam, the Angel of Death, about all those who are destined to die during the year.

It occurs in a Hadith that Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasaUam once said, 'Everyday, at sunrise, the sun proclaims; ‘Do whatever good you can, today; for, this day will never return in your life And every morning, two angels proclaim from the heavens above, one of them saying, ‘O seeker of virtues, rejoice and go ahead The other saying ‘O doer of evils, desist from evil-doing.' (Do not accumulate causes of your damnation) Two angels also proclaim, one of them saying, “O Allah! Grant any person a return to what he spends for good’; the other saying, "O Allah, Cause ruin for the person who withholds money niggardly. Ataa Ibne Yapaar Rahmatullah alayhi says: 'When the middle night of Shaban comes the angel of death is given a list of aQ the persons who are destined to die during the year, with orders that their souls should be taken out of their bodies at such and such time of the year. And, on many occasions, it so happens that a man is busy in decorating his house, or making arrangements for his marriage, or constructing a house, while his name has already been recorded among the dead.” (al-Durr al-Manthur)

Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi writes,"Even if the poor human beings were destined to endure no afflictions, no miseries, no pains and no horrors in this life, the anticipation of death alone,with its associations of harrowing pangs and throes and agonies, should suffice to disconcert their sensual enjoyments to deprive them of their ease and comforts, and to cure them of their heedlessness. Death is such a painful experience that one should always be concerned about it and engage oneself in preparations for meeting death. And one should be more cautious about it, particularly because nobody knows the time when it may come to pass.” A sage has said,"Man is like a puppet moving on strings and the strings are in the hands of someone else, Who may pull them at any time (and cause him to fall to the ground....and meet sudden death). Luqman, the wise, advised his son thus,"Death is an occurrence of which the exact time is not known to anyone. Be prepared, then, to meet death at any time, lest it should take you unawares and unprepared.”

Indeed, it is not possible for a person to etgoy himself in the company of merry-makers when he knows that he is wanted by the police (sayt in a criminal case) and that, after arrest, they will flog him. Actually such a person loses his peace of mind and can not participate in joyful pursuits; the mere knowledge that the police has a warrant of arrest upsets all his pleasures and can cause him sleeplessness.

It is sheer heedlessness not to be mindful of Izraeel, the angel of death, who may visit a person at any time and cause him throes of death, far more painful than thousands of stripes put together. In fact, no man can have an idea of the severity of death-pangs until he himself goes through them, or witnesses people who are experiencing them. It is common knowledge that we can cut off a limb that is 'dead, without causing pain to the body; similarly, the 'dead’ skin can be cut off without causing pain. But if a person is hurt or pricked in those parts of his body that are not 'dead’ he feels severe pain. Thus, the pain suffered by a person, when a part of his body is cut, wounded or burnt, is actually felt by his soul controlling all parts of the body; for the soul permeates through the entire body. When a part of the body is hurt, the extent of pain is proportionate to the size and situation of the affected area of the body. But when a man is in the throes of death, it is his soul, rather than the body,which is directly experiencing pain. One can form an idea of the severity of death-pangs by considering the fact that death drags forth the soul from all parts of body through which it (the soul) permeates. Thus each and every limb of the body feels severe pain, as though it were being cut apart When a part of the body is cut apart, the soul is there abiding in other parts of the body and the man is strong enough to cry and writhe in agony. But when the entire soul is being dragged forth from the body of a person, he is too weak to moan or cry and, thus, get relief through cries. If the body of the dying man is strong, a sound of hard and painful breathing is heard in the very last hour, but if the body is weak, even the breathing is inaudible. Then the soul begins to depart and the limbs grow cold, one after the other. First of all the feet become cold, for the soul is dragged forth from the body, feet-foremost and then leaves through the mouth at the end and the eyes lose their lustre.

It was in view of these death-pangs that Rasulullah Scdlallaho alayhi wosallam used to make a specific supplication to Allah Ta'ala,"O. Allah! Make my death easy for me and lighten for me the pangs of death”. As followers of Rasulullah Scdlallaho alayhi wosallam, we also supplicate Allah Ta'ala to make death easy for us, but we take it lightly. Dot realising how severe the pangs of death are! The Ambiya Alaihimussalaam, and all the saints were terribly afraid of death. Eisa Alaihissallam once said to his companions:"Supplicate Allah Ta'ala to protect me from the agony of death. For the fear of death has well-nigh brought me to the brink of death? It is said that a group of the pious and devout persons from the Bani Israel went to a graveyard. After consultation among themselves, they prayed to Allah Ta'ala to raise a person from among the dead, so that they might ask him about his experience of death. Their wish was granted, and a dead man arose from a grave. He seemed to be a pious man, because his forehead bore the mark of Sajdah (prostration). He said,"What do you want to know? I died fifty years ago, but 1 still feel the pain that I experienced at the time of death’? - It occurs in a Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ said, 'OtAllah, O.Thou, Who draggeth forth the soul from muscles, the bones and the fingers, lighten for me the pangs of death". 'Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu says that Rasulullah ﷺ once on the severity of death said,"The agony of death is as severe as three hundred blows of the sword struck on various parts of the body."Ali Radhiyallahu anhu when exhorting people to go for Jihaad, would say, If you are not killed (in Jihaad as martyrs), you will surely suffer death in your beds. And, by Him, Who holds my soul in His Hands, the death in bed is far more severe, in pain, than a thousand blows of the sword struck on various parts of the body, at one time”. Auzaa'ee Rahmatullah alayhi Beys:"We have heard it from the Divines that the dead will continue to feel the after-effects of death-pangs until they rise from the graves on the Day of Resurrection".

Shaddad Ibne Aus Rahmatullah alayhi says,"The agony of death is more severe than all the agonies of this world and the Hereafter. It is more painful than being sawed in two, being cut into pieces with shears or being boiled in a cauldron. If the dead were to rise from the graves and tell people about the pangs of death, no man would take pleasure in this life; nor could anyone enjoy sound sleep". They say that when Musaa Alaihissalam passed away from this world and met Allah Ta'ala, he was asked about his experience of death. Musaa Alaihissalam replied,"I felt as though I was being burnt alive like a sparrow caught in a flame of fire, without being granted the mercy of death". A version has it,I felt as though I was like a goat being skinned alive". Aishah Radhiyallahu anhu says: When the hour of death drew near, there was a bowl of water lying beside Rasulullah ﷺ; he would put his hands into the water and wipe his face with them, again and again, saying, ‘0,Allah! Grant me relief in the throes of death"‘Umar Radhiyallahu anhu asked Ka‘b Radhiyallahu anhu about the agony of death and he replied;"O Amir-ul-Mo’mineen! It is as though a branch of a tree, that is all overgrown with thorns, were thrust into a man’s body so that it should entangle with every part and then the branch should be pulled out violently. Such is the anguish experienced by a dying man, in the throes of death!”

So much for the pangs and throes of death, which we have described briefly in the foregoing pages. Besides, a dying man must also go through the ordeal of facing the Angel of Death (Izraeel Alaihissalam and the other angels under his command. So horrible is the appearance of Izraeel Alaihissalam, when he comes to take the souls of the sinners and the non-believers, that the strongest of men cannot bear the sight. It is said that once Ibrahim Alaihissalam asked Izraeel to show him the aspect that he wears while taking the souls of the wicked. The angel told him that he would not be able to bear the sight, but Ibrahim Alaihissalam said that he could stand it. The Angel then asked him to turn aside and he did so. After a short while the Angel said, ‘Now, look here” and Ibrahim Alaihissalaam turned round to him. What met his gaze was a most horrible giantlike figure dressed in black, dark-complexioned and long-haired, with each hair standing stiffly on end, giving off a most disgusting smell, with flames of fire leaping up from his mouth and nostrils! Ibrahim Alaihissalam could not bear to look at the sight and swooned. When he regained consciousness, Izraeel Alaihissalaam had resumed his normal form. Ibrahim Alaihissalaam then said,"Even if there were no other affliction for the wicked, the terrible ordeal of facing Izraeel, in such a horrible form, should suffice for their punishment." This is the form in which the Angel of Death appears when he visits the wicked people. But when he comes to take the souls of the pious and the devout servants of Allah Ta'ala, he appears in the most handsome form, wearing a very pleasant look. When Ibrahim Alaihissalam asked Izraeel Alaihissalam to appear before him in the form that he adopts while visiting the pious people, he saw, standing before him, a handsome young man elegantly dressed, with perfumes all round his body. Ibrahim Alaihissalam said,"Even if there were no other joy for the believer than the bliss of seeing the handsome face of Izraeel Alaihissalam at the hour of death, it should suffice for his pleasures."

A Hadith has it to the following effect: When Allah Ta'ala is pleased with a man, He says to the Angel of Death (Izraeel Alai hissalaam"Bring forth the ‘Rooh’ (spirit) of My servant, so and so; I want to give him ease and comfort. I have tried him and found him as I liked him to be". Then Izraeel Alaihtisalam goes to him, accompanied by five hundred angels, and each one of them gives him the glad tidings of a bliss not mentioned by the others. They are carrying boughs of sweet basil and roots of saffron and they all stand in two rows on both sides. When the Devil (Shaitan) sees this sight, he holds his head and begins to wail and ciy. When his servants and disciples come running to him and ask,"What has happened, our lord?"He replies, “You wretched ones! Can’t you see what has come to pass? A soul has attained salvation. What have you been doing all the while?"They say,"Our lord, we tried our best to lead him astray, but he would not indulge in sins". It is said that when the hour of death drew near for Jaabir Ibne Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi someone asked him,"Have you any desire?"He said,"I want to see Hasan Basri. When Hasan was called in and Jaabir Rahmatullah alayhi was told about it, he said,"My dear brother, I am leaving the world forever and I do not know whether I shall be sent to Jannah or to Jahannam". (lhyaa)

Tamim Daari Radhiyallahu anhu.says: Allah Ta'ala says to the Angel of Death,"Go to My friend, so and so, and bring forth his soul, I have tried him both in joy and in sorrow and found him as I liked him to be. Bring his soul to Me, so that he may be free from the pains of the world". The Angel of Death then visits the man, accompanied by five hundred Angels; each of them is cariying a shroud of Jannah and holding a vase of sweet basils in his hands. Every basil flower has twenty colours, each colour giving off a different variety of fragrance. They also bring with them the sweetest musk wrapped up in white silk. Izraeel Alaihissalaam sits at his head and all the other angels surround him on all sides, gently stroking his limbs, put the musk-scented handkerchief under his chin and open a door to Jannah before his eyes. Then various bounties of Jannah are made visible, to comfort his heart, just as the men of a family put numerous things before a ciying baby to soothe its heart; now his houris appear before him and now the fruits and fine clothes of Jannah are shown to him. In short, various bounties of Jannah are presented before his eyes; and the houris (his future wives) begin to dance with joy. When the dying man looks at these scenes, his soul begins to flutter in the body, anxious to free itself. Then the Angel of Death says to him.

'Come out, blessed soul, to the thornless lote-trees, and bananatrees growing layer upon layer, and cool spreading shades, and water gushing forth.0 (The reference is to the scenes of Jannah described in) these Ayah(Waqi‘ah. (28-37), The Angel of Death speaks kindly to him, like a mother speaking to her child. For, he knows that the soul is a favourite of Allah Ta'ala and that, if he treats it kindly, Allah Ta'ala will be pleased with him (the angel). So, the soul is taken out of the body with perfect ease, like pulling a hair out of the dough; and when the soul departs from the body, all the Angels greet it and give glad tidings of entry into Jannah. lire Holy Qur'an described the scene of a Mu'min’s meeting with death in the following Ayah Those whom the angels cause to die (in a state of purity), saying to them, ' Peace be unto you. Enter Jannah because of what you used to do. (an-Nahl; 32) ". If the man is a favourite servant of Allah Ta'ala, he is treated as:

'If he is of those brought nigh (unto Allah), Then, rest and pure sustenance and a Garden of delight. (al-Waqi'ah: 88-89)

The departing soul says to the body,"May Allah Ta'ala bless you with the best of rewards! For, you were always quick to obey Allah Ta'ala and to perform acts of devotion; always anxious to avoid disobedience. I congratulate you on this day for, you have been saved from punishment and you have also saved me". The body also speaks the same words to the soul when it is about to depart The places where he was accustomed to worship Allah Ta'ala, weep over separation from him the gates of Heaven through which his good deeds Used to ascend, and the gates through which his provision used to descend, also weep for him. After this, the five hundred angels gather around the deceased body and, hen the people who are washing the body turn it from side to side, the angels turn it over even before them; when they begin to shroud him, the angels shroud him in the clothes of Jannah even before them; when they put perfume on his body, the angels put on it the perfume of Jannah, even before them. Then, the angels stand in two rows stretching from his house-door to the grave, and receive the bier, invoking Allah’s blessings and forgiveness for the deceased. When Shaitan (the devil) sees this spectacle, he wails and cries so bitterly that his bones begin to ache and he says to his disciples,"Woe to you! How did this man escape you?"They reply that he was infallible. After this, the angel of death escorts the soul to the heavens above, where it is received by Jibrael Alaihissalam, in company with seventy thousand angels, each one of whom gives him glad tidings of a favour from Allah Ta'ala. Then the Angel of Death accompanies the soul to the ‘Arch’ (The throne) of Allah Ta'ala and, on reaching there, it lies prostrate (in Sqjdah) before Allah Ta'ala, Who says.

"Take the soul of my servant to the thornless lote-trees and clusters of banana-trees". (al-Waqi'ah: 28-29). When the body (of the deceased) is laid to rest in the grave, the Salaat that he used to observe stands on his right side, the Fasts stand on his left, his Recitation from the Holy Qur'an and Zikr stand above his head, the steps that he used to take while going for congregational Salaat stand by his feet, and the patience that he observed (in afflictions or while resisting evil temptations) stands in a corner of the grave. So, when the Retribution enters the grave and stretches its neck to attack the deceased from the right side, the Salaat says to it,"Get away! By Allah! The poor fellow has been through much suffering in his life and he has just gone to sleep!"Then Retribution tries to approach him from the left side, but the ‘ Fasts push it away; and then it tries to go from the head, but the Recitation and ‘Zikr’ (Remembrance of Allah) prevent it from advancing, saying,"You cannot go this way". In short, from whichever side punishment may approach, it finds its way 'blocked by one of the good deeds surrounding the friend of Allah on all sides. So, the punishment, recedes defeated and dismayed. Now patience, which has been standing in a corner, says to these virtues, “1 stood waiting; for I meant to assist you in repelling the punishment, if I found any aide weak or inadequately guarded. Allah be praised! You have escaped punishment, all by yourselves. Now, I shall help him on the Day when the balance is set up for weighing the deeds of men,". After this, two angels come to the deceased: their eyes shine like lightening; their voices are like rambling thunder, their molar teeth, like the horns of a cow; flames of fire rise from their mouths as they breathe; they have long hair falling to their feet; the distance between their shoulders is such that it can only be traversed in many days; they are Car from being lenient or kind to men. Though they do not treat the Mo’mineen harshly, their very appearance is repulsive and horrible. They are called ‘Munkar’ andNakeer Each one of them is carrying a big hammer, so heavy that all the men and the Jinns of the world together cannot lift it They command the man to sit up and he sits up instantly, while the shroud slips from his head and Calls to his hips. Then they ask him,"Who is your Lord? What is your religion? What is the name of your Nabi?". He replies,"My Lord is Allah, of Great Majesty! He is One, with no partner in His Oneness, the sole Sovereign of all, Who has no rival. My religion is Islam Qnd my Nabf is Muhammad ﷺ, who is the last of all the Ambiya (the seal of Nabies)” The angels then say to him,"You have spoken the truth"! They push away the walls of the grave, which expands above him, on his right side and on his left, in the direction of his head and in the direction of his feet. becoming spacious on all sides. Then the angels say to him,"Raise your head". He does so and sees before him a door through which Jannah is made visible to him. They say to him,"0 friend of Allah, this is your resting place; for, you have been a devout servant of Allah Ta‘ala 7 Rasulullah ﷺ has said,"By Him, Who holds my soul in His hands, at this moment, the Mu'min experiences an ecstasy of joy that will never return". Then the angels ask him to look towards his feet He does so and sees a door opening into Jahannam (and some of its horrors are made visible to him). They say to him,"O! Friend of Allah, you have been saved from entering (Jahannam) by this door". Again, he experiences such an ecstasy as will never return. Then seventy seven gates are opened in his grave for him into Jannah, so that its fragrance comes to him and its cool breezes are blown in upon him. And this will last till the Day of Resurrection.

Now we shall describe what happens to the non-believers and the profligate when they are on the point of death. Allah Ta'ala says to the Angel of Death, “Go to My enemy (so and so) and bring forth his soul. 1 granted him plenty of everything and showered My bounties upon him from all sides, but he did not desist from disobeying Me. Let Me punish him this day. So, the Angel of Death comes to him in the most horrible form, with twelve eyes and carrying a sledge hammer made from the Fire of Jahannam, all covered with sharp-pointed thorns. He has five hundred Angels under his command. They bring with them a big copper-blade and each one of them is carrying big live coals and fiery whips made from the Fire of Jahannam-all blazing hot As soon as the Angel of death reaches there, he strikes the man with the sledge-hammer, the thorns whereof pierce and penetrate to every vein and every joint of his body. And then he pulls out the hammer with full force. All the other Angels begin to strike him with the whips, on his face and on the hips. They go on whipping him till he swoons. After that they drag forth his soul from the toes and bring it to the heels, all the time whipping and beating him. They pause for a while and then pull it to the knees and from there, after another pause, bring it up to the stomach. (They draw it out little by little, in order to keep it in the agony of death for a longer time). And from the stomach,they drag it up to the breast. Then they put the copper-blade and the burning coals under his chirp the Angel of Death says to him,"Come out, cursed soul and proceed to Jahannam”:

In scorching winds and scalding water and shadows of black smoke, neither cool nor refreshing (but extremely painful). (al Waqi'ah: 42-44)

And when the soul departs, it says to the body,"May Allah punish you with the worst retribution! For, you always hastened to transgress the Commandments of Allah Tacda and were always slow to perform acts of devotion; you have ruined yourself and also caused my ruin". The body also speaks the same words to the soul. And those parts of the earth, where he used to commit sins against Allah Ta'ala, curse him. The legions of Shaitan's disciples come running to him and say, “Glad tidings to you, our lord, for we have sent a soul to Jahannam"And when his dead body is laid in the grave, the earth closes in upon him so that his ribs are crushed together and run into one another. Then black dragons start biting and stinging him, some of them beginning with his nose and going down to the waist, others beginning with the big toe and coining up to the waist, till they all meet in the middle of the body.

The two angels, called ‘Munkar’ and ‘Nakeer’ come to him and ask, 'Who is your Lord?' What is your religion? Who is your Nabi?" But to each question that they ask, he replies, ‘T do not know,"And each time he says so, they beat him with the hammer so violently that the grave is filled with sparks flying off from the hammer, all scattered about Then, the angels command him to look up; he does so and sees a door opening into Jannah, through which some of its beauty and luxuriance is made visible to him. They say to him,"O enemy of Allah, this could have been your abode had you been obedient to your Lord”. Rasulullah ﷺ, has declared, 'By Him Who holds my sou) in His Hands, the dead man feels such deep remorse, at this time, as will never be experienced by him again". Then a door is opened for him into Jahannam and the angels say to him, ‘O enemy of Allah! ‘This is your abodetfor you have been disobedient to Allah Ta'ala. After this, seventy-seven gates are opened for him into Jahannam, through which the black smoke and scorching winds of Jahannam will continue to blow in upon him, till the Day of Resurrection. The spectacle of death and that of punishment in the grave should always be kept in mind for, it is the most horrible spectacle. There are many other Ahaditk which describe the scene of death and the circumstances of the grave, but we have quoted only the above Hadith.

The great scholars of Ahadith have criticised the Tsnad’ (line of transmission) of this Hadith, but its subject-matter is corroborated by so many other Ahadith. (Ithaaf) Particularly, the Ahadith transmitted in Mishkaat on the authority of Baraa Ibne ‘Aazib Radhiyallahu anhu and on the authority of Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu anhu in the Chapter ‘On the confirmation of the punishment in the grave and in the ‘Book of Funerals’, are 'very similar to this Hadith, in content An Urdu translation of all these Ahadith can be seen in the book entitled Mazahir-e-Haqq for the sake of brevity. Aishah Radhiyallahu anhu says, “Woe upon the sinners among the inmates of the graves! For, black dragons are given power over them and they bite and sting them, one beginning with the head of the man and coining down to his waist, the other beginning with the feet and going up to the waist, till they meet in the middle of the body!" It is, indeed, the retribution in the grave that has been given the name of punishment of'Barzakh’ (intermediary world) in the following Ayah of the Holy Qur'an:

And behind them is a ‘ Barzakh ’

(partition) till the Day when they are raised (al-Mu'minun: 100)

Therefore whenever Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu made mention of the grave, he wept so bitterly that his beard became wet with tears. And Rasulullah ﷺ, even though

(himself) righteous and absolutely immaculate, constantly sought the protection of Allah from the punishment in the grave, so that people should follow his example and make a hab;t of frequently seeking protection of Allah from this retribution (in the grave). For the same reason, Rasulullah ﷺ said, ’'Were it not that you would cease to buiy your dead ones, on account of fear, I would ask Allah Ta'ala to let you hear the punishment in the grave." (This Hadith has been quoted above). As a matter of fact, the retribution is dictated by the demands of justice. For, man has been sent to this world for the sole purpose of obeying Allah Taala and He has, after recounting His favours to man (in the form of physical powers or worldly fortunes), reminded him again and again, in the Holy Qur'an, that he has been sent to this world solely for obedience to Allah Ta'ala, viz.

I created the jinn and the humankind only that they might worship Me. (Az Zariyaat: 56)

And, He has also warned man that the life has been granted to him only for a test and a trial to see how he behaves himself after receiving all these bounties, the hour of death being the time of announcement of the result of this trial. Says Allah Ta ala in the Holy Qur'an:

Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the Sovereignty and He is Able to do all things. Who has created life and death that He may try you, - 2). which of you is best in conduct' (ol-Mulk: 1 Doubtless'the world is an abode of trial, the underlying reason for creating the jinn and the humankind is that Allah Ta'ala. wants them to obey Him, and all the pleasurable things, amenities and necessities of life, have been granted to men so that they should use them to fulfill their dire needs and spend the rest for the cause of Allah Ta'ala, which goes to their own ultimate credit, being (as it were), deposited in the Treasury of Allah Taala. Therefore, it is sheer heedlessness, culminating in utter loss and remorse, on our part to indulge in worldly activities to the extent of neglecting the Commandments of Allah Taala, forgetting the purpose of our creation and taking no thought as to why these bounties have been granted. And one feels real sorrow and compunction when the time comes for him to part with all his wealth, hard-earned and saved up with stringency in spending on ones personal needs, leaving it for others and pass away, empty-handed, into the Next World. If we possess a little bit of sense, let us resort to a lonely place and contemplate, for a brief moment, what our fate would be if the Angel of Death came to us unaware at this very moment, and what would become of the wealth and property, earned and hoarded after long years of labour.

Wahb Bin Munabbah Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated the following story:"A king once decided to tour his dominions and survey his kingdom. He ordered out his stately robes and was presented a suit, but it did not please his fancy. He called for another, and still another and, after rejecting so many, found one that was to his liking. He wore this most elegant suit, and ordered his horse. A fine horse was brought, but he did not like it and sent it back. Then two more horses were presented to him, one after the other, but he did not like them either. At last, the whole stable of riding-horses was brought before him and he selected the best steed. The king then mounted the horse. The accursed Shaitan infused pride and vanity into his mind and he rode off proudly, followed by his courtiers, attendants and armed-men, in a mighty cavalcade. But the king was too full of disdain to take notice of them. As he rode on, he came upon a decrepit old man, dressed in rags, who greeted him, but the king paid no attention. At this, the ragged man took hold of the horse’s bridle. The king flew into a rage and said to him threateningly, Off with you! How dare you catch hold of my horse’s reins? The man said, ‘I have some business with you’. The king said, (Be patient and wait till I come back and dismount; for, then I shall have time to listen to what you have to say’. The man said, "I must say it just now’ and saying this, he gave a voilent tug to the bridle and snatched it away. The king said, “Well, what do you want to say?"The man said, it is a secret; I must whisper it in your ears’. The king bowed his head and the man whispered into his ears, T am Izraeel, (the Angel of Death), come to take your soul'. And then, of course, the king turned pale and his voice quavered, and he said in a faltering voice, ’Could you give me a brief respite, to go home, meet my people and arrange my affiainf The angel said, ’No, you shall have no respite. Never again shall you meet your kinsmen or see your possessions'. Saying this, the angel pulled out the soul from his body and he fell down from the horse like a log of drywood.

"After this, the Angel of Death went to a pious Mu'min (Believer) who was also going on a journey. He greeted the man saying, ' Assalaam-chAlaikum 9 (peace be upon you!) and the man returned, 'Wa'Alaikum-us-Salaam' (And upon you be peace!). The angel then said to him, 1 want to say something into your ear,. The Angel whispered into his ears, 'I am Izraeebthe Angel of Death’. The man said, 'Most welcome! Blessed is your visit! For, you have come after I have waited so long. Of all the persons who are far away from me, you are the one I was most anxious to see’. The angel said, 'Go and hasten to do the task for which you have undertaken the journey". The man said, 'I would dearly love to meet my Allah, more than anything else in the world". The angel said,"Choose for yourself any state in which you would like to meet death and I shall draw out your soul when you are in that state."The man said, “I leave it to your choice". The angel said,"I have been commanded to do as you please". The man said,"If so, let me take Wudhu (ablution) and stand in Salaat; when I lie prostrate (in Sqdah) before my Lord, you can pull out the spirit from my body". So, the pious man was engaged in Salaat, lying in Sqjdah, when his soul was taken out of the body.Ghyaa).

It was one of the numerous favours of Allah Ta'ala to the humble author of this book (who considers himself to be the most insignificant.person) that his eldest daughter (who was the privileged wife of his illustrious cousion, Maulana Muhammad Yousuf (May Allah increase his virtues) also passed away to the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala when she was in Sqdah. She had been ill for a Maulana Muhammad Yousuf (HahmatuUah alayhi) ako paand away to the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala on 29th Zul-qa'dah; 1384. A.H. (n Lahore long time and was too weak even to sit up in bed for Salaat. She, therefore, used to make gestures instead of performing Ruku’ or Sqdah etc. On Monday night, the 29th of Shwwaal, 1366 A.H, she was.performing Maghrib Salaat, and was in the state of Sqjdah when her soul parted to meet her Lord and Creater. This humble author is incapable of expressing gratitude to Allah Ta'ala for His innumerable favours to him.

Abu Bakr Ibne Abdullah Muzani Rahmatullah alayhi narrates"When the hour of death drew near for a wealthy person from among the Bani Israel, who had hoarded a lot of wealth, he said to his sons,Bring forth all my belongings before me'. So, all his possessions were hurriedly brought before him; there were numerous horses, camels, slaves and plenty of wealth. When he looked at these things, he began to weep and ciy in bitter sorrow, for he knew that he was going to part with all this. Meanwhile Izraeel alaihissalam appeared before him and said, ‘It’s no use weeping at this moment. By Him who granted you all these bounties, I must take your soul away’. The man said, 'Could you grant me a short respite so that I might distribute all these things’. The angel said,"! am afraid no respite can be granted now! You should have distributed your things before this hour: Saying this, he pulled out the soul from the man’s body".

Another such story is related of a person who amassed great wealth and provided for himself all manners of comforts and constructed a grand palace, with two entrances, on each of which he appointed a guard of his slaves. He arranged a sumptuous feast to, celebrate his moving into the new palace, to which he invited all hist friends and kinsmen. When the company sat to dinner, he himself was seated comfortably on a grand throne and was saying to himself, I have a good stock of everything to last for years and I won’t need to buy anything. As he sat there, musing on his own sufficiency, a ragged old man, with the beggar’s gourd hanging in a sling round his neck, appeared at the gate outside and began to knock at the door. So loud was the knocking that the sound disturbed the rich man sitting on the throne. The slaves rushed to the door, wondering who this discourteous old man could be. They asked him what he wanted and the old man said,"Send your master to me. They said, “Do you think our master would come out of his palace to receive a beggar like you?" The man said," He will come, go and tell him They went to their master and told him about it The rich man said, “Why did n't you teach him a lesson, for his impudence?" As he said so, there was a still louder knock at the door and the door men rushed to the gate. The old man said, “Tell your master that I am Izraeekthe angel of death'! Hearing this, the servants were stupefied and, when the rich man was told about it, he was stunned and implored in utter humility, “Ask him to take the life of someone else as ransom for my own,! But the angel, who had meanwhile entered the palace, said to him, “Do what you will, 1 cannot go back until I have taken the soul out of your body The rich man gathered all his wealth and said, ‘Curses upon you, you damned wealth! You kept me too busy to worship my Lord and left me no time to concentrate on the remembrance of Allah"Allah Ta'ala in His Infinite Power, granted his wealth the power to speak and it said to him, “Why do you curse me? It was on account of my being in your possession that you were granted entry into the courts of great emperors during the hours when the poor ones were driven away from their doors. It was on my account that you associated with delicate damsels and derived sensual pleasures, living in luxniy like royalty. Ah! you spent me on unlawful things and I was helpless in your hands. Had you spent me on noble needs, I would have benefited you." And, in the midst of this dialogue, the Angel of Death suddenly pulled out the soul from his body.

Wahb bin Munabbih Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Once, Izraeel Alaihissalam took away the soul of a mighty tyrant, the like of whom the world had never seen. As he was carrying the soul, he passed by some angels who asked him, ‘Have you ever felt pity for any person whose soul you were commanded to pull out?' The Angel of Death replied, Yea, once I was moved to great pity when commanded to take the soul of a woman who was all alone in a jungle and had just given birth to a baby son. When I was taking out her soul, 1 was filled with pity for her and her new-born child, for I did not know what would happen to the innocent baby left alone in that wilderness! The angels said, “Do you know who this tyrant is whose soul you are carrying now? It's the same child who was left alone." The remark greatly surprised the Angel of Death, who exclaimed, “Glorified be Thou,0 Lord! Thou art beyond all imperfections! Most Kind and Most Merciful! And Thou doest as Thou wilt." Hasan Basri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"When a person dies and members of his household begin to weep and cry, the Angel of Death stands in the doorway and, addresses them, T did not deprive him of his livelihood (he has already exhausted his decreed portion), I did not cut short his life time. I have been commanded to visit this house again and again, until none of its inmates is left alive". Hasan Rahmatullah alayhi says,"By Allah! If the mourners could see the Angel at that time and listen to his talk, they would forget about the deceased and start worrying about themselves". Yazid Raqqaashi Rahmatullah alayhi has narrated the following story: 'Once a cruel person of Banu Israel was sitting in privacy with his wife when he saw a stranger entering his house through the door and coming straight towards him. The man flew into a rage and rushed towards the stranger asking, Who are you and who gave you permission to enter my house?1 The stranger replied, ‘The Owner of the house commanded me to visit you and I am a person whom nothing can prevent from entering a house, nor do I need permission before entering the palaces of kings. I am not awed by tyrants, nor can anything prevent me from meeting those who are proud, vain or selfconceited'. On hearing this, the man was seized with sudden fear, a shudder ran through his body and he fell upon his face. At last he said in abject humility, 'That means you are the Angel of Death,. The stranger said, ‘Yes, I am the Angel of Death. The man said, 'Could you give me a brief respite, so that I might write out my will?' The Angel said, It is too late now; It is a pity that you have exhausted your lifetime and taken the exact number of breaths apportioned to you, under the Divine Decree. Your end has come and it cannot be delayed even for a moment’. The man asked, Where are you going to take me?" The Angel replied, cYou shall be in the company of your own deeds that you have sent forth to the Akhirah. And you will get an abode in the Akhirah, which you have built for yourself, with the help of your own deeds: The man said, ‘I never performed good deeds, to deserve a good abode in the Next World: The angel said, ‘Then, I shall take you to:

The fire of Jahannam; eager to roast the skin, it will call forth the one who turned and fled (from truth in this world)! (al-Ma'aary: 15-17)

Saying this, the angel dragged forth the soul from his body and everybody in the house began to wail and cry aloud: Yazid Raqqashi Rahmatullah alayhi adds,"If people knew what happens to a person when he is in the throes of death, they would weep more bitterly on his suffering than on their own loss"(lhyaa).

Sufyan Thauri Rahmatullah alayhi says,"When the Angel of Death touches the heart-vein of the dying man, he ceases to recognize people, cannot speak and forgets about everything of the world. At this moment, were it not for the shock of death-pangs, he would take a sword and attack those sitting around him in the frenzy of severe pain.'Some Ahadith have it that, when the soul of a dying man comes up to his throat, Shaitan tries his best to lead him astray and rob him of his faith. A Hadith says that Izraeel alaihissalaam visits people during the hours of Salaat, notices them and keeps track of them; and, when the hour of death comes for anyone of those who have been particular about the timely performance of Salaat, he himself prompts him to recite the Kalimah and drives the Shaitan away from him. Mujahid Rahmatullah alayhi says,"When a person is about to die, the faces of his friends and companions are made visible to himv if he used to associate with men of piety, he finds himself in company with the pious; and if he associated with the wicked and the profligate, he finds himself among such people”. Yazid bin Shajarah Radhiyallahu anhu has also related a Hadith to the same effect Rabi'bin Bazah Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a devout and pious man living in Basrah, has related that, Once a person was about to die and people were reciting the Kalimah, Laa Daaha Dlallaho () prompting him to recite it with them. But all he could say was, ‘Have one (a glass of wine) for yourself and let me have one! Have one for yourself, let me have one Similarly, there was another person in Ahwaz who, when at the point of death, was prompted to recite the Kalimah, ‘Laa Ilaaha Dlallaho’ (), but he went on crying out, “Ten rupees a piece, eleven rupees a piece, twelve rupees a piece...V(Jttehaaft On the other hand, there have been many beings who kept death constantly in remembrance, prepared for it and performed great deeds of virtue for the life of Akhirah. They received death like a person receiving a gift, as a Hadith says: “Death is a gift to a Mu'min"When the hour of death drew near for Bilal Radhiyallahu anhOy his wife said,"Alas Alas! You are departing’1! But Bilal Radhiyallahu anhu said,"What a bliss it is to die! For tomorrow we shall meet our loved ones, Muhammad ﷺ and his companions!. When the time of death came near for Mtraaz Radhiyallahu anhu, he said,"O Allah! Thou knowest that I wished to live long, not because I loved this world or wanted to dig canals and plant gardens. In fact, I longed to fast and remain thirsty during the hot summer afternoons; I loved to face hardships and strive for the cause of Deen and to associate with those who remember Thee and make ‘Zikr’ in their company."Salman Radhiyallahu anhu began to weep and cry when he was at the point of death. Someone said to him,- What makes you ciy? When you die, you will meet Rasulullah ﷺ, who expressed his appreciation for you when he breathed his last."Salman Radhiyallahu anhu replied, ‘I am not weeping for fear of death, nor because I am leaving the world. What makes me ciy is that we made a covenant with Rasulullah ﷺ that we would use things of this world in the manner of a traveller who keeps the bare minimum to last him during the journey, but I am afraid I have not been able to live up to the instructions". Yet when he died, he was found to possess what amounted to ten Dirhams. Just imagine; This was all he possessed in the world, which he considered to be an excess. He then called for some musk, asked his wife to mix it with water and sprinkle it on his bed for, he said, “I am expecting a party of visitors who are neither men nor jinns” (Ittehaf) When the last hour came for Sheikh Abdullah Ibne Mubarak Rahmatullah alayhi he was smiling and said, 'For the like of this, then, let the workers work"(as-Saffat: 61) v (He might have glimpsed some of the bounties and joys of Jannah). It is also said that, when the Sheikh was at the ‘point of death, he said to his servant named Nasar,"Lay my head on the ground". The servant began to ciy. The Sheikh asked him,"What makes you ciyT and he replied,"It grieves me because you lived in comfort but you are dying like a beggar, with your head lying on the ground!"The Sheikh said,"Say no more! For, I supplicated Allah Taala to grant me life as a rich man and cause me to die like the poor' Ataa bin Yasaar Rahmatullah alayhi says, 'A person was about to die when Shaitan came and said to him. You have escaped my snares. The man said, ‘ l still do not feel secure from your evil designs ’. Jariiy Rahmatullah alayhi says that he was present when Sheikh Junaid Rahmatullah alayhi was in the throes of death and be saw that the Sheikh was reciting Ayah from the Holy Qur'an. Some one asked him,"Is it the time to recite from the Holy Qur'an?"(He meant that the Sheikh was very weak and was experiencing difficulty in recitation). The Sheikh replied,"What time can be more opportune for recitation? At this hour, my Book of Deeds is being completed. (I would like its last entry to be the Ayah of the Holy Qur'an)!’ Someone asked J unaid Rahmatullak alayhi,"How was it that Abu Sa'eed Khazzaaz Rahmatullak alayhi was in such joy at the point of death?"Junaid Rahmatullah alayhi replied,"He was so fond of meeting his Lord that one could expect his soul to fly to heavens even before the time of death to meet his Lord."When the last hour came for Zun-Nun Misri Rahmatullah alayhi, someone asked him if he had any wish. The Sheikh replied, “My only wish is that I should attain a true knowledge iMarifat) of Allah Taalam. A man narrates:"I was sitting in company with Sheikh Mamshaad Dinavari Rahmatullafu' alayhi when a Dervish came to him and said, ‘Is there any neat, clean spot nearby where a poor man could meet his end?' The Sheikh pointed to a place where there was a spring of fresh water. The man went there, took Wudhu (ablution) and observed his Salaat. When he finished, he laid himself down full length on the ground and breathed his last"Fatimah Rahmatullah alayhi relates that when her brother, Abu Ali Rudbari Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, his head was in her lap. She says that he opened his eyes and said,"The gates of heaven have been opened and Jannahbas been decorated. I can hear someone saying: Abu Ali, you did not aspire to attain high grades in Jannah, but We have granted you high grades."He then recited two couplets, meaning: By Thy right over me, never did I turn my eyes away from Thee, to look (lovingly) at anyone other than Thee; when I see Thy beauteous Countenance flushed with modesty, 1 become restless for Thee.1’ When Sheikh Junaid Rahmatullah alayhi was at the point of death, someone recited to him the Kalimah, Taa Daaha niaUabo'f). He said, “I have never been forgetful of this Kalimah, so I don’t need to be reminded of it at this hour’!

JaTar bin Nasir Rahmatullah alayhi asked Bakran Dinwari Rahmatullah alayhi the privileged disciple in attendance of Shibli Rahmatullah alayhi,"Could you describe to me the spectacle of Sheikh Shibli’s meeting with death?"Bikran replied,"In the throes of death, I heard him saying, ‘Once I wrongfully took a Dirham (silverpiece) from a person, to atone for which I have given away thousands of Dirhams as Sadaqah on his behalf but, still, my heart is weighed down by the feeling of remorse and consciousness of wrong doing;' He then said,"Please help me to take Wudhu (ablution)". I made him perform Wudhu but forgot to comb out his beard with the fingers (i.e. perform ‘Khaki’). The Sheikh was too weak to do it himself and, being speechless with pain, he caught my hand and thrust it into his beard as he did so, his soul deparatedr"Wben Ja’far Rahmatullah alayhi heard about it, he began to weep and said,"The Sheikh was ever so particular about the details of the Shariah (Islamic Law) that he insisted on observing a jMustahab (commendable act) in thq throes of death!' Sheikh Kattani Rahmatullah alayhi was asked, when he was lying on death-bed,"What devotions have you been practising as a routine"? The Sheikh replied, "If it wasn’t my last hour, I would not tell you about it. The fact is that, for the last forty years, I have been constantly guarding my heart against all that is other than Allah Ta'ala; whenever something other than Allah is about to enter my heart, I close its gates". Sheikh Mu'tamar Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I was with Hakam (a nobleman) when he was at the point of death and I was supplicating Allah to make easy for him the throes of death, for he possessed such and such qualities. I was recounting his virtues and invoking Allah’s Mercy for him while he was in a coma. When he came to himself, he said,"Who was speaking such and such words?"When I said that it was I, he said, ‘Izraeel alaihissalaam (the Angel of Death) was telling me that he always treats, gently and kindly, those who are generous'. And with these words on his lips, the Divine gave up his soul.’ When the hour of death drew near for Sheikh Mumshaad Dinawari Rahmatullah alayhi, another saint was sitting with him and suppli-cating Allah, "O Allah! Grant him entry into Jannah'. The Sheikh smiled and said, “For the last thirty years, Jannah has been presenting itself to me, with all its beauty and adornments. But never have I cared to look at it (because I crave a vision of Allah Taala Who is the Owner of Jannah)'. (Ihya). When the hour of death drew near for Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi, the physician attending him said, u Amirul-Mo’mineen has been poisoned and I am not very hopeful about his survivaFUmar bin Abdul Aziz said,"You should not be hopeful either about the life of a person who has not been poisoned". The physician asked, 'Did you feel the effect of poison before I told you?". Umar bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi said, "I came to know of it when the poison went into my stomach". The physician said, ‘Let someone treat and cure you or you will die". Umar Rahmatullah alayhi said,"But my soul will go to my Lord and SustainerAVho is the Best of all whom people should meet. By Allah! Even if I knew that something was lying beside me, which could restore me to health, I would not extend my hand to take it". He then prayed, “O Allah! choose Umar for a meeting with youf and he died a few days after this incident. Maimun bin Mehran Rahmatullah alayhi adds:"During these days, Umar bin Abdul Aziz Rahmatullah alayhi used to supplicate Allah Taalay frequently, to grant him death. Someone said to him, ‘Don’t wish for death; for Allah Ta'ala has revived so many Sunnan (ways of Rasulullah) through your efforts and abolished so many innovations (Bid;aat) that had come into vogue ‘Umar Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Shall I not be like Yousuf Alaihissalaam, the virtuous slave of Allah Ta'ala, who supplicated Allah Ta'ala, thus: t 'O Allah! Make me to die submissive (unto Thee), and join me to the righteous.r(Yousaf: 101).

Maslamah Rahmatullah alayhi said to Umar bin Abdul Aziz when he was at the point of death, “The money you gave us for your shroud was just enough to buy some cloth of very inferior quality; please allow us to spend a little bit more". Umar Rahmatullah alayhi desired that the shroud (of the same cloth) should be brought to him. He looked at it for some time and then said, "If my Lord and Sustainer is pleased with me, He will at once order a better shroud for me, if He is not pleased with me, I shall be stripped of the shroud I am wearing and made to wear a fiery shroud of Jahannam". He then asked to be propped up in bed and said while sitting, in an invocation,"O Allah! I could not fulfil Thy commandments and did not desist from doing things forbidden by You; still I declare that there is no god but Allah"(reciting the Kalimah). And with these words on his lips he passed away to the Mercy of Allah. He also said at this hour, T can see an assembly of creatures who are neither human beings nor jinns". Another version adds,"‘At the last hotir, he told people to leave him alone and, after everybody had left, they saw through the chinks of the door that he was saying, 'Most welcome! Most blessed is the visit of those who are neither human beings nor jinns’. Then he was heard reciting this Verse from the Holy Qur'an:

As for that Abode of the Hereafter, We assign it unto those who seek not oppression on the earth, nor yet corruption. (al- Qasas: 83) (Ithaaf)

A Divine says,"I prayed to Allah to reveal to me what happens in the grave. One night,I dreamtthat the Day of Resurrection had come and the dead were rising from their graves. I saw that some of them were reclining on couches of rich silk brocade, some were sitting on silken sofas, some were seated on raised thrones and some were lying on flowers; some of them were laughing and others were weeping. I said (in the dream), ‘O Allah! I wish all of them were in the same state! At this, some one said, This discrimination is due to our own deeds (A'maal); those reclining on brocade are men of good behaviour, those on silk cushions are ‘Shuhadaa' (martyrs); those lying on the flowers are the men who used to fast frequently; those who are laughing are the men who repented of their sins; those who are weeping are the sinners and those raised to positions of honour are the people who loved one another for the sake of Allah Ta'ala." (Raudh)

Sheikh Abu Ya'qub Sanusi Rahmatullah alayhi says: One of my disciples came to me and said,"I shall die tomorrow in the afternoon". The following day, the man came -to the Holy Masjid at Makkah, observed his Zuhr Salaat, made Tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Holy Ka'bah, then went a little farther away from the Ka'bah and gave up his soul. I washed his body and arranged his buried. When I laid him in the grave, he opened his eyes. I asked him in surprise,"Is there life after death?"He replied, T am alive and he who is a true lover of Allah Taala never dies."(Raudh)- Sheikh Ibnul-Jalaa Rahmatulah alayhi, who is a well-known Sufi Sheikh, says that when his father died and his body was laid on a wooden board for washing, he (the Sheikh’s father) began to laugh. The people who had come to wash his body were terrified (to see a dead man laughing) and ran away. After a while r one of his father's friends came and bathed him. (Raudh)

Id his book entitled ‘al-Isti'ab’, Hafiz Ibnu Abdil Barr Rahmatullah alayhi has related some anecdotes about the pious beings who were heard talking after their death. He writes about Zaid bin Kharyah Radhiyallahu anhu: ‘The Divines are agreed about the fact that he talked after his death. He also relates that some other Sahabah talked after their death.

When the Sahabah were going out on the expedition to Mu’tah, people began to pray for their safe return after the enterprise. On this occasion, Abdullah bin Rawaha Radhiyallahu anhu recited three couplets which meant:

Safe return? Oh, no! I would rather my Lord granted me forgiveness; And with this a mighty blow of the sword, That cleaves my body asunder! Or a pike pierced through my body, That should cut through the liver and the entrails. Thus would I love to die a martyr in the path of Allah.

On reaching the battle-field, the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum learned that the enemy was advancing with a formidable army of two hundred thousand soldiers, against their own small army numbering three thousand. So, the Sahabah held a ‘Mashwarah’

(consultation) and decided that Rasulullah ﷺ should be informed of the situation and, if he still commanded them to fight, they would start the battle. When Abdullah bin Rawaha Radhiyallahu anhu learnt this, he came and said to his companions, “How strange! You are holding consultation to decide whether or not we should receive an honour that we were so anxious to attain. We came here merely to win the honour of Shahadat, we have never fought battles relying on our physical power, the force of weapons or the weight of numbers; we have always fought on the strength of our faith in Islam, our religion. Rise, my friends, and let us go forward to the field of battle; we are sure to win one of the two triumphs, victory or 'Shahadat and, for us, both are equally glorious". Exhorted by these words, all of them resolved to fight and the battle started. Before their departure from Madinah, Rasulullah ﷺ had appointed Zaid bin Harithah Radhiyallahu anhu as their commander (Ameer) and said;"If Zaid is killed, JaTar bin Abi Taalib will be your ‘Ameer’ If Jafar is killed, Abdullah Bin Rawaha will be your Ameer and if he is also killed, the Muslims should appoint one of themselves their ‘Ameer’, by mutual consultation". So, when Zaid Radhiyallahu anhu and Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu had been killed one after the other, people called out Abdullah’s name, for, it was now his turn to command. At that time, he was on the outskirts of the army, with a piece of baked meat in his hands, for, he had not been able to taste any food for three days. Someone told him that Ja'far had been killed, at this Abdullah bin Rawaha Radhiyallahu anhu began to scold himself,saying,"You are still busy with the world (taking food)fHe then threw away the piece of meat, took the flag and fell upon the enemy lines. Someone struck him a blow with the sword that cut off one of his fingers. He chanted three couplets, meaning:

0, You are nothing but a little finger cut off! Is there anything else the matter? And what has happened? You have come in the path of Allah; Which is, indeed, a great honour and a blessing!"O Abdullah (addressing himself), if you do not die a martyr, You must die any how, for, there is no escape from death. Look! There looking you in the face is Shahadah, Your long-coveted honour! If you go forward and embrace martyrdom, Even as Zaid and Ja'far did, You will be among those who are truly guided; And if you shrink back, you will be among the wretched."

He then addressed his own heart and said,"O heart, what makes you hesitate? Is it the love of your wife? If so, I divorce her this very moment. Is it your slaves; I set them all free. Is it your garden? I give it away as Sadaqah. Don’t you love to enter Jannah? By Allah! You will have to go forward, willingly or unwillingly! You have long been in peace and comforts of life. And now you hasitate! Just think of your own reality! Wasn’t there a time when you were just a drop of fluid?’ After exhorting himself in this manner, Abdullah Radhiyallahu anhu made a brave attack on the enemy and laid down his life as a martyr. (We have given a detailed account of this expedition in the ‘Stories of the Sahabah’, together with many other stories on the same subject).

When the hour of death came for Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith Radhiyallahu anhu who was the son of a paternal uncle of Rasulullah ﷺ, men of his household began to weep and cry. He said,"Do not weep for one (meaning himself) who, since he embraced Islam, has never committed a sin with his tongue, nor done any wrong with his body.” (For such a person, death is an experience of extreme felicity). Sunabihi Rahmatullah alayhi relates, ”1 was with Ubadah Radhiyallahu anhu when the time drew near for him to die and I was moved to tears. He looked at me and said, ‘What makes you weep? By Allah! If I am called to testify for you on the Day of Resurrection, I shall give the best evidence in your favour, If I get permission, I shall intercede for you and tty to do as much as I can for your benefit’ He then added: ‘I have transmitted to you all that I heard from Rasulullah ﷺ, which I considered beneficial for you, except for one Hadith, which I am going to relate to you now that I am leaving this world I have heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying, ‘If anyone testifies sincerely;"There is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Rasul of Allah", he will be declared immune from the Fire of Jahannam". When Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu was at the point of death, his daughter began to weep and cry. He soothed her saying,"Do not cry, my dear child". She said,"Dear father, if I do not weep to see you dying, whose death can move me to tears?"Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu said,"At this hour, I would dearly love to have my soul taken out, rather than that of any other living thing, even though it were as insignificant as a fly."He then said to Ham ran,"Still I feel afraid, lest I should fail to keep hold of Islam, at the time of death,!

When the time drew near for Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqaas Radhiyallahu anhu to die, he said to the people around him,"Bring me my woollen cloak". When it was brought, he saw that it was old and worn out. Sa‘d Radhiyallahu anhu said,"When I die, shroud me in this doakfor, I was wearing it when I fought in the battle of Badr". When the hour of death came for Abdullah bin Aamir bin Kuraiz Radhiyallahu anhu and he was in the throes of death, Abdullah Ibne Zubair Radhiyallahu anhu and Abdullah bin ‘Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu were staying with him as guests. He said to his men,"My two brothers are fasting. Take care, lest you delay their evening meals owing to my death, and delay their breaking the fast."When Abdullah bin Zubair Radhiyallahu anhu heard this, he said,"Even the severity of death-pangs could not prevent you from entertaining your guests and showing magnanimity!! When he breathed his last, dinner was being served to his guests. 'Amr bin Aus says, "I went to see Utbah bin Abi Sufyan Radhiyallahu anhu when he was in the throes of death and I heard him saying,"Now that I am leaving this world, let me relate to you a Hadith that was narrated to me by my sister, Umme Habibah Radkiallaho an ha. She narrated that she had heard Rasulullah ﷺ saying, ‘If anyone observes twelve Rak‘aats of Nafl Salaat in the forenoon (Dhuhaa) sincerely, for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala, Allah will build for him a palace in Jannah.” ’It was owing to his devotion to Ahadith, and his zeal for the propagation of Islam, that he related a Hadith even on his deathbed. When Muhammad bin Munkadir Rahmatullak alayhi was in the throes of death, he began to weep. Someone asked him what made him weep and he replied, ’I am not weeping because of committing some sin, though I do not remember committing a sin during my entire life; I am weeping, because I fear that I might have done something that I counted as a trifle, but which was a grievous wrong, in the sight of Allah!’ He then recited this Ayah:

And there will appear unto them, from Allah, that which they could never have counted upon. (az-Zumr: 47) and then said, ’My only fear is, lest I may have to face such circumstances as I never anticipated.’ When Aamir bin Abd-e-Qais Rahjnatullah alayhi was in the throes of death, he began to weep. Someone said to him,"You have lived a rigorous life and still, you are crying?’ The Sheikh replied, ’I am not weeping for fear of death nor for the love of the worldly things. I am weeping because, this day, I am going to be deprived of the joy of fasting in hot summer days and the bliss of Tahajjud (standing in Nafl Salaat), in the late hours of cold winter nights’. When Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu was lying on his death-bed, there were some people sitting by him. They asked him for some last words of advice. He said, ’I advise you to observe three things. Listen carefully, and leave me alone when I have finished, for, I love to pass away to where I am destined to go, in solitude and perfect peace. He then gave them three pieces of advice:-

1. before advising others to do a thing, start practising it yourself;

2. before forbidding others to do a thing, avoid doing it yourself;

3. remember, every step that you take is either credited for you"or against you, for, every step brings you closer to Jannah or to Jakannam. So, before taking a step, think where it is going to carry you.

When Rabi Rahmatullah alayhi was going to die, his daughter began to weep. He said,"My dear child, this is no occasion for weeping. You should rather say, What a joy! My father has been granted bountiful rewards on this day". When Makhool Shami Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, people saw that he was laughing. They asked,"Is this an occasion for laughing."He said,"Why shouldn't I laugh? For, I am going away forever, from those whom I wanted to shun and I am hastening to Him in Whom are centred all my expectations". When Hassaan bin Sinan Rahmatullah alayhi was in the throes of death, someone said to him,"You may be experiencing severe pain, at this moment?"The Sheikh replied,"Death has pangs, no doubt, but, at this moment, a Mu'min does not feel the severity of death-pangs, because of the joy that the anticipated meeting with Allah Ta'ala brings to him". When the hour of death drew near for Ibne Idrees Rahmatullah alayhi, his daughter began to weep. He said,"Do not cry, my child; I have made four thousand complete readings of the Holy Qur'an in this house". Hasan Ibne Hayye Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I was with my brother, Ali Rahmatullah alayhi, on the night when his soul departed from this world. Once, during the night, he called for water while I was observing Salaat; when 1 had finished, I brought him a cup of water but he told me that he had already taken water. I asked, in surprise, Who brought you the water? There is no one in the house, except you and me’. He replied, 'Jibra'il alayhissalaam brought me some water, which I drank just before you came, and he was saying to me, ‘You and your brother are with those unto whom Allah Ta'ala has shown favour." (The reference is to the following Ayah from the Holy Qur'an:

Whoso obeyeth Allah and His Rasul, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, amongst the Ambiya (Messengers of Allah), the Siddiqeen, and the Shohadaa (martyrs) and the righteous. (an-Nisaa: 69) Abdullah bin Musaa Rahmatullah alayhi says, ’When Ali bin Salih Rahmatullah alayhi died, I was away on a journey. When I came back, I visited his brother, Hasan bin Salih to condole with him. I could not contain myself with grief and began to cry. Hasan said, 'Let me first tell you how he gave up his soul; for, that might soothe your grief. Just think, how blessed was his hour of death! When he was in the throes of death, he called for water. I brought him some water, but he said to me that he had already taken water. I asked him ‘How?’ and he replied, ‘Rasulullah ﷺ visited me, with a host of angels following him in long rows, and he gave me some water to drink? Fearing, lest he might be talking in a delirium, I asked him, ‘How were the rows of the angels?" He indicated by a gesture of his hands that they were one above the other”. When Sheikh Abu Bakr bin Ayyaash Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, and his sister began to weep, he said to her,"Do not cry, for, I have made twelve thousand complete readings of the Holy Qur'an in that (pointing to a) corner of the house.

Amr bin Ubaid Rahmatullah alayhi says:"When Sheikh Abu Shu‘aib Salih bin Ziyyad Rahmatullah alayhi was taken ill, I visited him and saw that he was in bed in the throes of death. He said to me,"Happy news! I just saw a stranger with odd looks,"and when I asked him who he was, he replied that he was the Angel of Death. I asked him to treat me gently and fie said that he had been commanded to treat me so". The son of Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal Rahmatullah alayhi says:"I was sitting by my father’s side when he was in the throes of death. I had a piece of old cloth in my hands to bind his jaws together after death to keep them in place. He would faint and regain consciousness at short intervals and, when he swooned, we thought that he had expired. Each time he came to himself, he would say, ‘No, no, not yet. When he repeated the same words for the third time, I asked him what he meant. He replied,"Dear son, don’t you know? The accursed Shaitan is standing beside me, gnawing his finger with rage and sorrow, and telling me that I have escaped from his treachery. I say to him not yet! I still fear his deceit."

When the hour of death drew near for Adam bin Abi Iyaas Rah matullah alayhi, he was lying in bed, wrapped up in a sheet of cloth, reciting Ayah of the Holy Qur'an. After completing a full reading of the Holy Qur'an, he said, “I beseech Thee, O Allah, in the name of my love for Thee, that I may be treated gently in the hour of death. O Allah! I cherish good wishes from Thee for this day’! He then recited:"Laa Daha Qlallaho,"and his soul departed from the body. When Maslamah Ibne Abdul Malik Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, people saw him weeping. When someone asked what made him weep, he said,"I am not weeping because I fear death; for, I have perfect faith in the Mercy of Allah. I am weeping because I participated in Jehaad thirty times, but 1 was not granted the privilege of Shahadah (Martyrdom) and now I am dying in bed, like women.”

One day, Sheikh lyaas bin Qatadah ‘Abshami Rahmatullah alayhi looked into the mirror and saw a few grey hair on his head. He said,"When one’s hair, turn grey, one should not occupy oneself with any pursuit except preparation for the Akhirah. The time has drawn near for me to leave this world."After this, he began to engage himself strenuously in prayers. One Friday afternoon, after he had observed Salaat and was coming out of the Masjid, he looked up into the sky and said,"Most welcome! I have been anxiously waiting for you for a long time!"He then said to his companions,"When I die, take my body to Malhoob (name of a place) and buiy me there". After this, he gave up his soul and fell on the ground. When the hour of death came near for Ibrahim bin Hani Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a disciple of Imaam Ahmad bin Hambal Rahmatullah alayhi, he asked his son, Ishaque,"Has the sun gone down?"He replied,"No, father, the sun has not set yet. But you know that a person, when he is seriously ill, can even break the obligatory (Fardh) fast and you are observing only a Nafl fast Why don’t you break your fast?"Ibrahim Rahmatullah alayhi said, “Just wait". After a short while, he exclaimed (he might have seen something which was invisible to others),"For the like of this, then, let the doers do good deeds". (The reference is to the following Ayah of the Holy Qur'an:

Lo! This is the supreme triumph; For the like of this, then, let the workers work. (as-Safat: 60-61)

After this, his soul departed to the Heavens above. Once"Abu Hakim Heiri Rahmatullah alayhi was sitting and writing?: something. Suddenly, he put his pen aside and said,"If this is what they call death, by Allah! It is so pleasant to die". Saying this, he breathed his last. When Abu) -Wafas bin ‘Aqil Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, men of his household began to weep. He said, I have been avoiding it for the last fifty years; it (death) cannot be postponed any further. Now leave me alone; I welcome it on its arrival".

One Monday morning, Imaam Ghazali Rahmatullah alayhi, who is famous for his book, Ihyaa-ul-Uloom, performed Wudhu (Ablution) and observed his Fjr Salaat Then he called for his shroud, kissed it and put it to his eyes. After this he said,"With pleausre I appear before the King-of-kings. Saying this, he lay full length on his back, facing the Qiblah, and passed away to the Infinite Mercy of Allah. Ibn-ul-Jauzi Rahmatullah alayhi says,"When the hour of death drew near for my spiritual mentor, Abu Bakr bin Habib his disdple asked him for a few words of advice. He said,"I advise you to observe three things: (1) fear Allah; (2) meditate on the fear of Allah, in private; (3) fear what I am facing at this moment (death)."He. then added, ‘I have spent sixty one years of my life and, still, I feel as though 1 had seen nothing of this world’. After this, he asked a person who was sitting by his side, ‘Look, do you see the sweat on my brow?’ The man said, 'Yes’, and the Sheikh said, 7 am so grateful to Allah, for, this sweat on the brow is the sign of a person dying with his faith (Inman) intact (as stated in a Hadith)". When Abul Waqt Abdul Awwal Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a pupil of Imaam Bukhari Rahmatullah alayhi, was about to die, the last words that he spoke were:

"Would that my people knew with what munificence my Lord hath pardoned me and put me among the honoured ones". (Yaa Seen: 26-27)

Muhammad bin Haamid Rahmatullah alayhi says,"I was with Ahmad Ibne Khudrawiabe Rahmatullah alayhi when he was on his death bed. The ninety five year old Sheikh was in the throes of death, when somebody asked him a question. He replied, with tears in his eyes, Tor the last ninety-five years, I have been knocking at a door, wkich is now going to open; and I am anxious to know whether it will open on to good or bad fortune for me. I am too much preoccupied to answer any questions at this time. When his creditors heard that the Sheikh was lying on his deathbed., they gathered round him because his debts amounted to seven hundred Dinars (gold pieces). The Sheikh said, in an invocation to Allah Ta'ofa,"O Allah! Thou hast allowed the practice of pledges, as a security for the claims of the creditors. My life was, as it were, a pledge for my creditors and, so long as I lived, they were sure that their claims would be satisfied. Now that Thou art calling back my soul, pay off my debts! He had hardly finished when someone knocked at the door and said, “Where are the creditors of Sheikh Ahmad?"The visitor then settled all their claims and the Sheikh's soul departed from the body." A Sufi Sheikh was at the point of death when he said to his disciple, who was waiting on him,"Bind my hands together and let me lie down with my face touching the ground!"The disciple did so. When the Sheikh said,"The time has come for me to embark on a journey to the unknown; I am not free of the taint of sins, nor do I have any excuse to offer as an apology, nor is there any power to help me". He then exclaimed, repeating his words over and over again, '‘Suffice it for me that Thou art mine! Thou alone art mine!"Saying this, he uttered a loud cry and his soul departed from the body. A voice proclaimed from no where,"This man showed humility towards his Lord and He accepted it from him". A certain man has narrated the story of a saint who was sobbing in the throes of death. His mouth was all covered with flies. The man took pity on him and began to drive away flies from his face. The saint opened his eyes and, staring hard at the man, said,"Throughout the long years of my life, I have sought in vain to have one hour of exclusive intimacy with my Lord. Now that I have got it, you have come to veil me from Him. Leave me alone: may Allah bless you". Abu Bakr Rahmatullah alayhi says that he was with Sheikh Abu Bakr Zaqaaq. In the morning when he was saying,"O Allah! How long art Thou going to detain me in this world?"And the Sheikh died the same day, before Zuhr Salaat When Makhool Sbami Rahmat ullah alayhi was taken ill, a visitor said,"May Allah grant you health!” The Sheikh said,"Oh no! To be reunited with Allah, of Whom nothing can be expected but that which is good, is far better than living with the people whose evil may be feared, at all times'! Abu Ali Rudbari Rahmatullah alayhi says: A poor and ragged old man once came to me on Eid day and said,"Is there any neat clean place around where a poor man could meet his death?"I thought he was not talking sense and said, with unconcern,"Come in, and lie where you like, and give up your soul". The man came in, performed ‘Wudhu’ (ablution) and observed a few Rakaat of Salaat. He then laid on the ground and his soul departed from the body. I washed his body, shrouded him and arranged his burial. When I was going to put him in the grave, I thought that I should uncover his face and lay him on his face, so that Allah Ta'ala might have mercy on him, because of his poverty and for his dying away from his home. As soon as I uncovered his face, he opened his eyes. I asked him in surpirse,"My lord, is there life after death"? He replied, Yes, I am alive and so is everybody who truely loves his Lord. InshaAllah, 1 shall intercede for- you on the Day of Resurrection, by virtue of the distinction granted to me by Allah Ta'ala".

Ali Ibne Sahl Asbahani Rahmatullah alayhi used to say to his friends,"Do you think 1 shall die like common people? Do you think I shall fall ill and people will visit me in bed before I die? Oh no! I shall hear someone calling me by name and I shall depart from the world.'’ And that was what actually happened. One day the SheiKh was going somewhere when he suddenly exclaimed,"At Thy service, my Lord (Labbaik),"and his soul departed from the body. Abul Hasan Muzani Rahmatullah alayhi says, ’"When the hour of death drew near for Sheikh Abu Ya'qub Nahrjuri Rahmatullah alayhi, and he was in the throes of death, I began to recite the Kalimah, ‘Laa-Ilahaniallaho to him to prompt him to recite it after me. The Sheikh looked at me, smiled and said, (Do you think I need to be reminded of this Kalimah? By the Honour of Allah, Who is Enternal, I see Him manifest, but He is veiled from me only by reason of His sublime Majesty and Supreme Power’. And with these words on his lips, his so ul departed to meet his Lord"- After the Sheikh's death, Muzani Rahmatullah alayhi used to weep with remorse whenever he recalled this incident He would say to himself, “Shame on you! A wretch like you reminding a Sheikh like Abu Ya'qoob Rahmatullah alayhi to recite the Kalimah at the hour of death!"

Abul Husain Maliki Rahmatullah alayhi says that he associated with Sheikh Khair Nurbaf Rahmatullah alayhi for severel years. The Sheikh said to him, eight days before his death,"I shall die on Thursday evening, at the time of Maghrib Salaat, and I shall be buried on Friday after Jumah Salaat". Although die advised me not to forget, but, I forgot about it and, on Friday morning, a man told me about the Sheikh’s death. I immediately went to his place to attend his funeral prayers. On the way, I met people coming back from his house who told me that the burial would take place after Jum'ah Salaat. Nevertheless, I went to his house and asked people the details of the Sheikh’s experience of death. A person, who had remained with him till his last breath, narrated to me that the Sheikh swooned for a while just before Maghrib Salaat Then he recovered somewhat and said to someone in the corner of the room, who was invisible- to all others,"Stop for a while; you have been commanded to do a thing and I have been commanded to do a thing. That which you are commanded to do (viz. to take my life) will not escape you, but that which I am commanded to do (viz.to observe Maghrib Salaat) will escape me. Let me do as I am commanded."He then called for water, made a fresh Wudhu and performed Maghrib Salaat. After this, he laid himself on the bed, closed his eyes and gave up his life. They say that, on the same night, someone saw him in a dream and asked him,"How are you?"The Sheikh replied,"Do not ask me of. this, but I have gained release from your rotten world."Abu Sa’eed Khazzaaz Rahmatullah alayhi says that he was once staying in Makkah Muazzamah. One day, on coming out of the Bab-e-Bani Shaibah (a gate), he saw a very handsome man lying dead on the ground. He was looking at his face in surprise, when the dead man opened his eyes, smiled at him and said,"Abu Sa'eed, don’t you know that the friends of Allah (those who love Him truly) do not die; they are just transferred from this world to the next."

When Zun-Noon Misri Rahmatullah alayhi was about to die, someone asked him to give him a word of advice. The Sheikh said,"Do not disturb me at this hour, I am looking in amazement at the wonders of His Infinite Bounty". Abu Uthman Heiri says:"When Abu Hafs Rahmatullah alayhi was in the throes of death, someone asked him to give him one last word of advice. The Sheikh said (or indicated by a gesture) that he was powerless to speak. After a while, he looked relieved and I asked him for a word of counsel, adding that I would convey it to the people. The Sheikh said,"Bow in sincere humility to Allah Ta'ala, for having failed to do what you should have done (This is my last word of advice to you)."Junaid Baghdadi Rahmatullah alayhi says:"I stood above Sheikh Sirri Saqati Rahmatullah alayhi when the last hour drew near for him and he was in the throes of death. With tears dripping from my eyes, I kissed his lips. Wljen my tears dropped on his face, the Sheikh said,"Who are you?"I said in humility,"It is your servant, Junaid)!"He said,"Most welcome! It was so good of you to visit me". I asked,"Give me a last word of advice,"and the Sheikh replied,"Avoid associating with the evil-doers, and take care, lest your association with others should cause you to be estranged from Allah To ala. m It is said that Sheikh HabibAjami Rahmatullah alayhi, who is one of the renowned spiritual leaders, looked gravely concerned atthe time of death. Someone said to him, ‘It is strange that a Divine like you should feel so disturbed at the hour of death; we have never seen you in such great worry". The Sheikh replied,"The journey (to the Unknown) is far too long for my scanty provisions (the store of virtues). I do not know the way, for, I have not traversed it before. I shall have to face my Lord and Sustainer, the Master of my soul, Whose Countenance I have not seen before. I shall have to see such horrible spectacles as I have never seen before. I shall be laid in the grave under the ground and be there, till the Day of Resurrection, all alone, without any friend or comforter. I shall then be required to appear before Allah Ta'ala for Reckoning and, if I am told to present one act of virtue like the act of reciting ‘Subhaan- Allah,’ once performed during the sixty years of my life, which should be untarnished by the evil influence of Shaitan, I fear that I may not be able to produce one". The Sheikh was saying so in modesty though, in truth, he had remained least concerned with the world, throughout the sixty years of his life. We should consider how we shall face the reckoning, for, in addition to our preoccupation with the world, we are never free of sins, and most of our actions only please Shaitan. Abdul Jabbaar Rahmatullah alayhi says:"I remained under the tutelage of my Sheikh, Fath bin Shakhraf Rahmatullah alayhi for thirty years and, during this period, I never saw him looking up to the sky. One day, he turned his eyes towards the sky and said,I have waited so long, to be reunited with Thee, and I have no patience left in me. O Allah! Call, me back to Thyself?.' And within a week after this incident, the Sheikh passed away, to be reunited with Allah Ta'ala."

Abu Sa'eed Musali Rahmatullah alayhi says,"Fath bin Sa‘eed Rahmatullah alayhi observed his Eid Saiaat, on the occasion of Eidul-Adhaa, and came back from the place of congregation, rather late in the forenoon. When he was coining back, he saw the smoke rising from the houses where people were cooking the sacrificial meat. He began to weep and said, ‘People have sacrificed animals to gain nearness to Thee. Dear Lord! I wish I knew what to sacrifice for this purpose". Saying this, he fainted and fell on the ground. I sprinkled water on his face and, after a while, he recovered and resumed his walk. When he reached the streets of the city, he looked up to the sky and said, ‘Dear Lord, Thou knowest how long l have suffered frqip grief and sorrow, being estranged from Thee. And, Thou kfiowest how long I have been wandering iiJHhe streets. My Allah! How long will you detain me in this world, away from Thee??Saying this, he fainted again. I sprinkled water on Jhis face and his condition improved. A few days later, the Sheikh breathed his last." Muhammad bin Qasim Rahmatullah alayhi says,"My spiritual guide, Sheikh Muhammad bin Aslam Tusi Rahmhtullah alayhi said to me, four days before his death, ‘Come, there is good news for you. Allah Ta'ala has done a great favour to your friend (meaning himself). The hour of my death has drawn near and, as a special favour of Allah Ta'ala, I do not own a single Dirham to be accounted for on the Day of Resurrection. Now shut the door of my room and do not let anyone come near me till I die. And remember that I have no possessions to bother you about the distribution of my inheritance. My sole property consists of this sheet of cloth, a piece of rug, a container of water for ‘Wudhu’ (ablution) and my books, all of which you can see here. And there are thirty Dirhams in this bag, which do not belong to me, but are the property of my son, given to him by a relative of his. What can be more lawful for me than this money? For, it belongs to my son and Rasulullah ﷺ has said, ‘You and your property belong to your father’. With these Dirhams, buy just as much cloth as should suffice to cover my body, not more than that. I mean, you can buy one undergarment for the shroud with this money, and you can set this piece of rug and this sheet as upper garments, thus making three garments of shroud according to the Sunnah. And give away this container, as Sadaqah, to some poor man who might use it for Wudhu’. Having thus made his will, the Sheikh died on the fourth day after this incident"Abdul KhaliqRahmatullahalaihe says that he was with Yousuf bin Husain Rahmatullah alayhi when he was in the throes of death and he heard the Sheikh saying,"O Allah! I preached virtues to the people, in public, but myself was not without falsehood. As such, 1 was insincere to my ownself. O Allah, pardon my insincerity by virtue of what I preached to Thy creation". The Sheikh went on repeating the same words till he breathed ‘his last. May Allah, in His Infinite Mercy, shower His blessings on all of them. (Ithaaf)

How fortunate were these pious beings who experienced death in such circumstances! May Allah, in His Infinite Bounty, giant, something of the benedictions associated with their persons to the present author, who believes himself to be the most insignificant of His men. Verily, Allah is the Most Bountiful; His Bounty transcends everything.

HADITH: 20 Aishah Radhiyallahu anka narrates that a person once came and sat down in front of Rasulullah ﷺ. He then said,"O Rasulullah, I have many slaves who tell lies to me, cheat me and disobey me, and I scold them and beat them. How shall 1 be treated with regard to them on the Day of Resurrection?” Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"On the Day of Resurrection, their offences, of disobedience, deceit and lying to you, shall be weighed in the Balance (for, on that Day, everything, whether it is something possessing a physical existence or otherwise, shall be weighed in the Balance) and the retribution determined according to their offences If your punishment for them would equal their offence in weight, you will be on even terms; If your punishment weighed less than the offences, the difference will be added to your credit. But if your pupishment of them be more than they deserved, you- shall have to pay for the excess: The man went aside, wailing and weeping with sorrow. Rasulullah ﷺ then said,"Do you not recite this Ayah in the Holy Qur'an?"

And We shall set a just Balance for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul is wronged in aught. Though it be of the weight of a grain of mustardseed, We shall bring it; And We suffice for reckoners. (al-Anbiya: 47)

The man said, TO Rasulullah, I can think of nothing better, both for myself and my slaves, than to separate from them; I call upon you to bear witness that they are all free".

Note:

‘Facing the Reckoning on the Day of Judgment will be a great ordeal and there are frequent references to it, in the Holy Qur'an and Ahadith, giving details of how the Reckoning will be made and forewarning men against its severity. We quote below a few Ayah and Ahadith, by way of illustration:And guard yourself against a Day in which you will be brought back to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it has earned, and they will not be wronged. (al-Baqarah: 281)

Translation: 2. Vn the Day when every soul will find itself confronted with all that it has done of good, and all that it has done of evil; (every soul) will long that there might be a mighty chasm (distance) bewteen it (the soul) and that (evil). Allah biddeth you to beware of Him.- And Allah is full of pity for (His) bondsmen 9 (Aal-e- Imraan: 30) (Out of consideration for you, He forewarns you againts His punishment, lest you should have to suffer it).

Translation: 'Whoso deceivetk will bring his deceit with him on the Day of Judgement. Then every soul will be paid in full what it kas earned; and they will not be wronged ’. (al-e-Imraan: 161)

4 Every soul will taste of death. And you will be paid, on the Day of Resurrection, only that which you have fairly earned (good or bad)". (Aal-e-Imraan: 185)

'Lo! Allah is swift to take account!

This Ayah is frequently repeated in the Holy Qur'an. It means that everybody will soon be taken to account and recompensed in full for his deeds.

Translation: 6. ‘ The weighing, on that Day, (of deeds) is a reality. As for those whose scale is heavy (with good deeds), they will be successful. And as for those whose scale is light, those are they who will lose their souls because they did not pay the attention that was due to our revelations ' (al-A'raf: 8-9)

Translation: 7. Lo! Our messengers (angels) write down all the evils) that you plot (Yunus: 21)

Translation: (And then retribution will be enforced on you for all your misdeeds on the Day of Resurrection, when your book of deeds is placed before you).

Translation: 8. ‘ And those who earn ill deeds, (for them) there is requital of each ill deed by the like thereof; and disgrace will overtake themThey have no protector from Allah, (their faces will be so dark) as if they had been covered with a cloak of darkest night (Yunus: 27)

Translation: 9. ' There shall every soul experience (or, discern) that which it has done aforetime (in the world i.e. will know whether his deeds were good or bad), and will be taken to' account’. (Yunus: 30) good recompense); and for those who did not answer His call, even if they had all that is in the earth, and therewith the like thereof they would proffer it as ransom. Such will have a woeful 'd:18) ReckoningXar-Ra ' (ar-Ra'd: 40) message); Ours the Reckoning (Mo'mineen) on the Day when the Reckoning is establsihed.’. (Ibrahim: 41)

Translation: 10. This was the invocation to Allah Ta'ala by rbrahim ‘ For those who answered Allah’s call (obeyed Him) is bliss (a (Alaihissallam)

Translation: 13. ’You will see the guilty on that Day, linked together in chains, their raiments will be made from pitch (highly inflammable resin of pines) and Fire will be coverig their faces, so that Allah may repay each soul what it has earned. Lo! Allah is swift at reckoning '. (Ibrahim: 49-51)

Translation: 14. ‘ And every man's augury (good or bad deeds) have We fastened to his own neck, and We shall spread forth for him, on the Day of Resurrection, the book of his deeds wide open. (And it will be said unto him): Read your book, your soul suffices as reckoner against you this day (Make your reckoning for yourself; you need not be reckoned by anybody else). (Bani Israel: 1314)

Translation: 15. ‘ Nay Cit is not as theTCaafirs think,), but We record that which anyone says (and We shall produce before him his book of deeds, on the Day of Resurrection). (Maryam: 79)

Translation: 16. ' Their Reckoning draweth near for mankind, while they one heedless and turn away (from preparation for it).' (al-Anbiya: 1)

Translation: 17. ‘And when the Trumpet (Soor) is blown (on the Day of Resurrection, people will be in great terror) so that there will be no kinship among them (they wilt become strangers to one another in the stupor of terror, as an Ayah says in another context: 'On the Day when a man flees from his brother,.,..) nor will they ask of one another. (And the balance will be raised for them). Then those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales are light, those are who will lose their souls, in hell abiding. The Fire will burt] their faces, which will become distorted'. (al-Mo'minun: 101-104)

Translation: 18. ' Those who disbelieve (are away from the light of true Guidance or Noor of Hidayat), their deeds are as a mirage in a desert: the thirsty one supposes it to be water (from distance), till he comes unto it and finds it to be nothing and finds in place thereof, Allah, Who pays him his account. And Allah is swift to take account. 9 (an-Nur. 39) an awful doom, for as much as they forgot the Day of Reckoning. 9 (Saad: 26) that which it has earned no wrong (will be done on) this Day. Lo! Allah is swift at reckoning! (al-Mo ’min: 1 7) 19. l of Those who wander (astray) from the path of Allah will have crouching (on their knees, in terror), each nation summoned to its Record (of deeds). (And it will be said unto them): This Day you will be requited what you used to do. Our Book (in which your deeds are recorded) pronounces against you with truth Lo! We have caused (all) that you did to be recorded (by the angels 28-29) and this is now before you)9 (al-Jaathiah: 20."This Day (the Day of Resurrection) shall each soul be requited said or done, record his doings), seated on the right everything hand and on the left He utters no word but there is with him an observer ready (who makes a record of what he says; this is the Record of deeds)! (Qaaf: 17-18)

Translation: 1. a secret of yours will be hidden. (Your Record will be given in! And (on the Day of Resurrection) you will see each nation your hands.) Then, he who is given his Record in his right hand, will say (rejoicing): (See and) read my book! Surely I believed that I should have to face my Reckoning. (And I was preparing for this Day, in the world). Then, he will be in a blissful. In a high garden' (Jannah). Whereof the clusters (of fruits) hang low, are easy to reach (And it will be said to those therein): ‘ 4 Eat and drink at ease (enjoy yourselves) in return for what you sent on before you in past days. But as for him who is given his Record in his left hand, he will say (in utter remorse and sorrow): Oh, would that I had not been given my book, and knew not how my account stood! Ah! would that (Death) had made an end of me! Ah, my wealth has not been of any use to me! (Ah), my power (prestige) has perished. (It will be said) Take him, fetter him and then expose him to the fire of Jahannam, and then bind him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits: (al-Haaqqah: 18-32) We have already quoted a part oi this Ayah in the Chapter ‘On Miserliness’, at no.13.

Translation: 24. Verily there are above you, guardians (the angels that remember what you say or do); kind and honourable (writting down all your deeds). They know (and understand all) that you do. (And the same Record will be brought before you on the Day of Resurrection)! (al-Infitaar: 10-12)

Translation: 25. ' Then he who is given his Record in his right hand, he truly will get an easy Reckoning, and will return unto his pepple,in joy. But whoso is given his Record behind his back, he surely will invoke destruction (as men do when they are desperate, in sheer suffering) and he will be thrown into the fire of Jahannam. Truly, he lived among his people rejoicing (in the world). Truly did he think that he would not have to return (to Us), (alInshiqaaq: 7-14)

Translation: 26. kLo! unto Us is their return; and (when it will be) for Us to call them to account (al-Ghashiya: 25-26)!

Translation: 27. When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion (how tremendous will the convultion be when the entire earth is shaken in a sudden earthquake); and the earth throws up her burdens (hidden treasures and dead bodies); and man cries out (in bewilderment), what is the matter with it?' On that day shall it relate its chronicles (the accounts of good or bad deeds committed on the earth's surface). For (on that Day), thy Lord will have given it inspiration. On that Day, will men proceed in scattered companies to be shown their deeds (there will be companies of those 4 near to Allah', companies of the pious ones and the companies of those condemned to go to Jahannam; each company will be sub-divided into various sections; there will be groups of the riders, groups of the pedestrians and the groups of those being dragged to Jahannam, on their faces, etc). Then anyone who has done an atom's weight of good(in the world) shall see it; and anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (al-Zilzal, 1-8)

Translation: The above mentioned twenty seven Verses, about Reckoning and the compensation of deeds, have been given here as a sample. There are hundreds of other Verses which treat this and similar subjects in different ways. Similarly, there are thousands of Ahadith, too numerous for the scope of this book, about the severity of the Day of Reckoning. It is, therefore, imperative that we should spend part of our time (being wasted in earning worldly benefits) in deeds that will be useful for us in our eternal life. It is not too late, and we can do something before the time comes when we can only feel remorse. Some Ahadith:

At this point, we shall recount a few Ahadith on these subjects:

Once,Aishah Radhiyallahu anha thought of Jahannam and began to weep. When Rasulullah ﷺ asked her about it, she replied,"My thought of Jahannam has moved me to tears. Will you ever think of your family members on that Day?"Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"There are three occasions at which no one will think of others: (1) when the Balance is setup, till one knows whether the weight of one's good deeds is light or heavy; (ii) when the Book of deeds is handed to everybody, until he knows whether his Book of deeds comes into his right hand, or the left behind his back; (iii) and when Bridge of Siraat (the Pathway) is laid across Jahannam (and he is commanded to go across it), till he goes across successfully."(Mishkaat)

Ibne Abbas Radhialllaho anhu says,"Men will face a reckoning of deeds on the Day of Resurrection: he whose virtues exceed his evil deeds (even by a single act of goodness) will go to Jannah; and he whose evil deeds exceed his virtues (by a single misdeed) will go to Jahannam". He then recited the Verse, 'As for those whose Scale is heavy ’ (given at No: VI above) and added, The Scale will become heavy even with the addition of an atom’s weight of virtue. He whose virtues are equal to his evil deeds, will go to the ‘A'raa f (the interspace between Jannah and Jahannam).’

Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says:"The scale (of virtues) of a person whose outer behaviour is better than his inner naturevwill be lighter than the scale of a person whose innerself is better than his outer behaviour". Anas Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ said,"An angel will be deputed at the.scale who, when he finds a person’s scale (of virtues) to be heavy, will announce in a voice loud enough to be heard by all.the creatures, ‘So-and-so, son of so-and-so,;has been blessed with eternal success, after which there is no misfortune’. And if the angel finds someone’s Scale (of virtues) to be light, he will likewise proclaim him to be a wretched person, condemned to eternal misery."There are many Ahadith which relate to weighing of deeds. One relates that,"So huge will be the Balance that each of it’s scales will be vast enough to contain the heavens and the earth and all that is there between them."

Jaabir Radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasulullah ﷺ said, “The first thing to be put in the scale (of virtues) will be the expenditure of a man on his family."Rasulullah ﷺ once said to Abu Zarr,"Let me tell you about two virtues which are easy to perform, but very heavy in the scale (of good deeds). They are: (i) good habits, and (ii) observing silence (i.e. not indulging in loose talk)."A Haditb says:"There are two expressions, which are very dear to Allah Talalay very light on the tongue but very heavy on the scale. They are:

"Glory be to Allah! All praise be to Him, Glory be to Allah, Who is Incomparably Great!)"According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ said,"If anyone fulfils the need of one of his Muslim brothers, I shall stand by his side at the Scale (on the Day of Resurrection). If his virtues exceed his sins, well and good; if not, I shall intercede with Allah Ta'ala for him."Another Hadith says:"The ink of the Ulama and the blood of the martyrs will also be weighed on the Day of Resurrection and the inkv Wtil out- weigh the blood,” Eesaa (Jesus) Alaihissalaam has said,"The virtues of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will be far heavier in the Scale than those of other people, because their tongues will be well accustomed to the recitation of the Kalimah,"Laa-ilahaillallah."Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu says,"The scale (of virtues) of a person, who all the time thinks of his stomach (food and drinks)and sex, will be light"(al-Durr al-Manthur)

Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"The angel who records the virtues of a person on his right hand sideband is the ‘Ameer’ (commander) of the angel who records his evil deeds, and is on his left hand side. When the man performs an act of virtue, the angel on the right instantly records it with tenfold reward thereof, but when the man commits a sin, the angel on the left, being a subordinate, seeks permission of his ‘Ameer’, before recording it (in the Book). The angel on the right says to him:"Wait for six or seven hours". So, if the man repents of his sin during this time, the ‘Ameer does not allow the other angel to record it But if the man does not repent, the angel on the left side makes a record of it"(al-Durr al-Manthur) A number of Ahadith relate that Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Mankind will faee reckoning three times, on the Day of Resurrection. At the first two reckonings, they will be asked to render an account of certain things, they will answer questions and offer excuses.etc., but at the third, the Book of their deeds will be given into their hands, some receiving them in their right hands and others, in their left. (al-Durr al-Manthur). It has been narrated in another Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ said,"Whoever possesses three qualities, Allah Ta'ala will subject him to an easy reckoning, and bless him with entry into Jannah through His mercy: (i) that you should show favour to him who is unkind to you; (ii) that you should join kinship with him who severs relations with you; and (iii) that you should forgive him who wrongs you."(al-Durr al-Manthur)

Rasulullah ﷺ has said. If you knew what I know of the circumstances of the Hereafter, you would laugh little (out of fear)and cry a lot, and not take delight in women in bed, but would take to the jungle crying (unto Allah)11. When Abu Zarr Radhiyallahu anhu heard this, he said,"I wish 1 were a tree to be cut down! (i.e. I wish that I were not a human being and, thus, would escape such trials). Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"On the Day of Resurrection, a (dead) man will rise from his grave in the same Condition in which he died. (In whatever action, good or bad, a man is engaged at the time of his death, he will be in the same state when he rises from his grave on the Day of Resurrection). (Mishkaat y Once Rasulullah ﷺ delivered a sermon, in the course of which he said,"Listen carefully; this world is just a temporary benefit, of which everybody, the righteous and the wicked, take their share (taking greater benefits does not indicate a man’s righteousness). The Akhirah is a definite event whose occurrence at a definite time is certain and in which a King Who is All-Powerful wQl pass Judgment, Infinite are His Powers. All that is good is there in Jannah, in its entirety; man should do whatever good he can, for"it leads to Jannah. And evil in its entirety is in Jahannam; one should, therefore, avoid the least bit of evil, and should not take it lightly, as.it may lead one to Jahannam. Be very particular about pejforming good deeds, for you stand in great dagger of displeasing your Lord (you should ever be mindful of incurring the displeasure of Allah Ta'ala and should have due fear of Him). Bear in mind that you will be confronted with your deeds (and you will have to account ior them). He who does an atom’s weight of good will see itand he who does an atom's weight of evil will also see it"(Mfshkaat).

Ali Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Everyday the world is turning away, i.e. getting farther, and Akhirah is coming nearer and both of them (the world and the Akhirah) have their devotees (adherents). So, do not be a seeker of the world, rather be a seeker of the Hereafter, for. the present is the time for deeds and not for rendering an account, but tomorrow is the time for rendering an account and not for deed."(Mishkaat)

Rasulullah ﷺ has said,"There will be three courts on the Day of Judgement: In one there is no pardon at all. This court will be held for cases of associating partners to Allah Ta'ala (i.e. in this court, a verdict will be given regarding Iman

(faith) or Kufr (dis belief) of a person; and for ‘Kufr’ there is no pardon). In the other court, the persons who had wronged others will have to compensate them as a matter of due right. (Either a compensation will be taken from the wrong-doer or Allah Ta'ala will grant the wronged one a recompense from His Own Treasuiy). There will be a third court, which will decide the cases of Allah’s rights over His creatures (i.e. what is obligatory for men to theii Lord, like Faraaidh, etc.). In this court, Allah Ta'ala may be a bil lenient to the wrong doers; for this is a matter between them and their Lord; it is His discretion. If He wishes, He may demand His rights, or He may grant them a paidori.'CMishkaat) Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying: Tie who has violated the honour, or harmed the property (of a brother Muslim) should better seek forgiveness from the aggrieved today; for a time is soon coming when he will have neither Dinaar nor Dirham(and, on that Day, all reckoning will be made in terms of virtues and sins). If a wrong-doer is found to possess some virtues, a proportionate amount of these will be taken away from him and given to the wronged person as a compensation; but if he is found to possess no virtues, a proportionate amount of the wronged person’s evil deeds will be added to the account of the wrong-doer."Thus, the wrong-doer may have to remain in Jahannam for a longer time, for"he will also have to do penance for the sins of the wronged person. (Mishkaat) Another Hadith says:"On the Day of Resurrection, the due rights will have to be paid to those to whom they are owed. So much so that the hornless goat will be avenged from a homed goat"(Mishkaat). Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"Do you know the truly destitute."The Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum replied, To us.he is the one who has neither Dirham nor property". Rasulullah ﷺ said,"The destitute among my Ummah is he who will come, on the Day of Resurrection, with abudant virtues like Salaat, Fasting and Zakaat, but he will have abused some one, put a false blame on another, forcibly taken the money of another person or killed or beaten another. Then,some of his good deeds will be given to the aggrieved persons. Now, if his stock of virtues is exhausted before he has settled all the claims, a proprotionate amount of his evil deeds will be taken from him and added to his account and the man will thus be cast into Jahannam, notwithstanding his abundant virtues, to do penance for the wrongs done to others.” (Mishkaat), Faqih Abul Laith Rahmatullah alayhi says:"On the Day of Resurrection, when people rise from their graves, they will keep standing, waiting for seventy years, but no one will pay heed to them. They will weep bitterly, till their eyes become dry and drops of blood begin to drip from their eyes. Then they will be summoned to the Doomsday audience (Hashr) and the angels will begin to descend from the heavens: angels from each heaven will stand round the plain in a separate circle, one (circle) after the other”. The Holy Qur'an describes this scene of the Assembly in the following Verses:

A Day when the heavens with the clouds will be rent asunder and the angels will be sent downa grand descent. The Sovereignty on that Day will be the true Sovereignty belonging to the Beneficent One (ar-Rahman) (Le. nobody will have any say in the matters regarding the Reckoning, rewards or punishment of deeds). And it will be a hard Day for the Kaafirs. On the Day when the wrong-doer will gnaw his hands, he will say: Ah, would that I had chosen a way shown by the Rasul of Allah. Alas for me! Ah, that I had never taken such a one for friend] He verily led me astray from the Reminder (from following the good counsel) after it hod reached me. Truly, Shaitan was ever man's deserter in the very hour of need."(alFurqaan: 25-29)

(A detailed account of how Shaitaan deserts a person at the hour of need occurs in Surrah Ibrahim.) According to another Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"At that time when people assemble on the Day of Resurrection, Allah Ta'ala will address the gathering of Jinn and men, telling them of His commandments and admonitions for life in the world and the entry of their actions in the Book of deeds, and further inform them that if they find virtues recorded in their Book they should be thankful to Allah Ta'ala; and those who do not find virtues recorded in their Book should blame none but themselves (for not heeding His commandL-ments)". Allah Ta'ala will then command Jahannam so that its punishment will be made visible to the people, on seeing which everybody will fall on his knees. Allah Ta'ala says regarding thisJl)

And thou will see every nation crouching, each nation, summoned to its record (of deeds) (al-Jathiya: 28)

Then Allah Ta'ala will start adjudicating between men, and even the case of the animals will be taken up. A horned goat will be required to compensate the hornless goat, whereafter the animals will be commanded to turn into dust. At that time, the non-believers will crave for death, saying:

‘ Would that I were (also changed to) dust ' (an-Naba: 40) Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying:"Mankind will be assembled on the Day of Resurrection, naked as they were at brith. Aisha Radhiyallahu anha asked,"When people will be naked and looking at one another, would they not fed ashamed of themselves. Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"Their suffering on that Day will be far too severe for them to think of looking at one another, their eyes will be fixed on the heavens above and everybody will perspire according to his evfl deeds, the sweat reaching the feet of some, the beDy of others, while still others will have their sweat covering even their mouths. The angels will stand encircling the ‘Arch’ (Throne) of Allah Ta'ala. Then a person’s name will be called out, whereupon he will come out of the multitude and will be made to stand in front of Allah Ta'ala and a proclamation shall be made: ‘Let those who have any claims upon this man come forward.' Then those who have claims against him, or have been wronged by him, will be called forth, one after the other, and his virtues will be given to them in compensation for what he owed them. If his good deeds are exhausted before he repays what he owes them, some of their sins will be put in his record. After he has been laden with their sins, together with his own, he will be commanded to go into ‘Haviyah’ i.e. the hungry raging fire of Jahannam (as mentioned in Surah aCQaariJah). Seeing this strictness in reckoning and the severity of punishment, every Nabi and every angel, however intimate he may be with Allah, will feel afraid on his own account, except those whom Allah Ta'ala has protected from all such fears, as a special favour. At this hour, everybody will be questioned about four things: how did he spend his life? how did he use his body? What be did regarding the knowledge that he possessed? How he acquired his property and on what he spent it?' (A detailed acccount of this questioning has been given under Hadith No: VI, in the same Chapter.).

Ikramah Radhiyallahu anhu says,"On that Day, a father will say to his son, ‘I am your father; and the son will acknowledge his favours to him, but when the father will ask him to give him one virtue, be it an atom's weight, so that his scale (of virtues) might possibly tilt the balance, the son will reply, “I am myself in a dangerous situation. I do not know what might happen to me, so I cannot afford to part with a single act of virtue The man will then go to his wife, remind her of his relationship with her and of the favours he has been doing her, but she will also refuse to oblige him. In short, he will go to everyone, asking for a virtue The Holy Qur'an describes this scene in the following verse:

And no burdened soul can bear another's burden (of sins) andyif one heavily laden cries (for help) with his load (of sins), nothing of it will be lifted even though he (unto whom he cries) be of kin Cue. he will not help hie relatives). (Tanbeh ul-Ghafileen)

The version of ‘ al-Durr al-Manthur’ describes the same spectacle more explicitly: A father will say to his son,"How did I treat you in the world?"And the son will praise his kind behaviour towards him. The father will then ask him for one act of virtue and say,"I hope that it might be of help to me."The son will say to him,"Dear father, you have asked for a trifle, but I am helpless, for I am in an equally dangerous situation"The man will then go to his wife and ask her for help, but she will similarly refuse to oblige him, as mentioned in the Verses O mankind! Keep your duty to your Lord and fear a Day when the parent will not be able to avail the child in aught, nor the child to avail the parent. Lo! Allah's promise is the very truth. (The Day is bound to come). Let not the life of the world beguile you (lest you should be too engrossed in the life of tne world to keep the Hereafter in mind)f nor let the deceiver (Shaitan) beguile you, with regard to Allah (let not the Shaitan lead you astray and make you forgetful of that Day). (Luqman: 33)

But when the (deafening) Shout comes (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), On the Day when a man flees from his brother and his mother and his father and his wife and his children. (No one shall be able to help anybody else). Every man that Day shall have concern enough to make him heedless (of others). CAbasa: 33-37)

Qataadah Rahmatullah alayhi commenting on these Verses says,"On the Day of Resurrection, nobody would like to come across any one of his kin or any person acquainted with him, for fear, lest he should demand something from him (al-Durr al-Manthur). This subject forma the content of many Verses of the Holy Qur'an. It occurs so, in Surah al-Baqarah: mAnd guard yourselves against the Day when no soul will in aught avail another (for example, the Salaat performed by one man will not be accepted on behalf of another person), nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation (in terms Of money) be received from it, nor will they be helped. (I t will not be possible for anyone to avert their punishment by use of force)." (al-Baqarah: 48)

In this Verse, Allah Ta'ala, after recounting the various ways in which people help one another, has warned us that, in no way will anybody be able to help anyone else. There are four ways of helping a person:

1. A powerful person may intervene and thus, avert the punishment by use of force; this may be termed as 'Nusrat. Allah Ta'ala has ruled out any such possibility.

2. A man may avert the punishment of another person, even without the use of force, in two ways:

(a) Without paying any compensation i.e. through intercession Cb) By paying compensation, which, again, can be of two kinds viz.

(i) physical compensation, or (ii) material compensation.

The Verse rejects all these possible ways of helping one another. Similarly, the same subject has been treated in many other Verses of the Holy Qur'an with slight variations. In this connection, it should be borne in mind that the sinners, among the Muslims, would not be treated at par with the nonbelievers. The Ulama are agreed that the non-believers cannot escape their punishment even though a Nabi, saint or angel (however close he may be to Allah Ta'ala) should intercede for them. As for the case of sinners among the Muslims, the above mentioned Verses and Ahadith indicate that, after a specific time on the Day of Reckoning, the pious men, Ambiya and others, will be allowed to intercede for them. Many Verses of the Holy Qur'an testify to the truth of this statement For example, it occurs so in Surah Taa Haa 109):

"On that Day no intercession shall avail, save (that of) him unto whom (i.e. a Nabi or a saint) the Beneficent has given leave (in favour of a person) for whom He is pleased to accept (intercession)m.

But it is worthy of note that nobody knows. for certain whether or not Allah Ta'ala will allow His pious men to intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection. One should, of course, entertain good expectations of the Bounty of Allah Ta'ala, but no one can be sure of being forgiven through the intercession of the pious beings. We should, therefore, be fearful of the Day of Resurrection, which is the severest Day; and try to protect ourselves against its severities, which can only be done now, in the present time. Giving Sadaqah, plentifully, is very beneficial for protection against the severity of that Day. We have quoted a large number of Verses and Ahadith, on this subject, in Chapter One of this book. There is a well-known Hadith which reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying,"Guard yourselves against the Fire of Jahannam, even though it be with half a date (given as Sadaqah)"and again,"Sadaqah finishes sins, as water extinguishes fire;"so also,"On the Day of Resurrection a person shall be in the shade of his Sadaqah."(Jthaaf)

The Hadith means that, on that Day, when the intensity of heat will cause a person to sweat profusely"the perspiration reaching even up to their mouths, people will be in the shade of their Sadaqah, the coolness of the shade being in accordance with the extent of his Sadaqah; the greater the amount of Sadaqah, the cooler and the more pleasant will be the shade. Rasulullah ﷺ has also said,"Sadaqah appeases the wrath of Allah Ta'ala and also averts a bad end'l (Mishkaat) Luqman advised his son,"Whenever you happen to commit a sin, give something away as Sadaqah". We have already narrated the story of an unchaste woman who was granted forgiveness for giving some water to a thirsty dog (Chapter 1 - Hadith: 10)

Ubaid bin Umair Rahmatullah alayhi says:"On the Day of Resurrection, mankind will be assembled in utter hunger, parched with thirst and stark naked. Then Allah Ta'ala will feed one Who has fed someone for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala; and give a drink to him who has given a drink to someone for pleasure of Allah Ta'ala; and clothe one who has clothed someone, for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala (Ihyaa). We have already quoted a Tradition in Chapter one, under Hadith Eleven, to the following effect,"On the Day of Resurrection, the dwellers of Jahannam will be drawn up in a row line and when one of the pious and perfect Muslimspasses by them, one of the Jahannamia will ask the pious man to intercede for him with Allah Ta‘ala. The man will ask him who he island he will reply, 'Do you not recognise me? I am one who gave you a drink on such and such day: Another Hadith mentions that"On the Day of Resurrection when the Jaiinatis (dwellers of Jannah) and the Jahannamis (the dwellers of Jahannam) will be drawn up in two separate rows (lines?" a man among the Jahannamis will happen to see a person standing in the rows of the Jannatis and remind him of a favour he had done him in the world. The Jannati will catch him by the hand and take him to the presence of Allah Ta'ala, and say, fO Allah, this man did me such and such favour in the world, ' and Allah Ta'ala will grant him forgiveness, in His Infinite Mercy: Another Hadith indicates thus:"On the Day of Resurrection, an announcement will be made: ‘Where are the poor among the Ummah of Muhammad? Rise, go about in the Assembly (Moidan-e Hashr) and look for those who have given you a morsel of food or some drink or a piece of new or worn-out cloth for my pleasure. Hold all such people by the hand and bring them into Jannah’. At this, the poor ones among this Ummah will rise, go about the plain, search out all such people and bring them into Jannah". Another Hadith has it to the following effect: On the Day of Resurrection; someone will make an announcement,"Where are those who honoured the poor and the humble ones? Let them go to Jannah this Day, without fear or grieving any more."We have mentioned another Tradition under Hadith Thirteen in t be same Chapter which is as follows:"If anyone removes a brother Muslim’s hardship, Allah Ta'ala will remove, from him, one of his hardship on the Day of Resurrection; and if anybody covers up a brother Muslim’s shortcoming, Allah Ta'ala will cover up his shortcomings, on the Day of Resurrection."And, under Hadith Fourteen, we have quoted the following Tradition:"He who helps one who is in distress will be firm and steadfast on a Day when even, the mountains will be shaken to their very foundation". We also quoted the following Verse at No. Thirty four in Chapter One:

"And (they) feed the needy one, the orphan and the prisoner (among the Kaafirs), for the love of Him (Allah Taala), (saying),"We feed you for the sake of (Allah only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. ho! We fear from our Lord a Day of frowning and of wrath. Therefore, Allah has warded off from them the evil of that Day and has made them find brightness (of face) and joy. H (ad-Dahr, 8, 9, 10,11)

To conclude, we have discussed the subject in detail in Chapter One (Volume one) of this book, viz. that Sadaqah, when it is given in large quantities and frequently, proves to be very beneficial for protection against the severities of the Day of Resurrection. In this Verse, Allah Ta‘ala has promised protection to those who give away Sadaqah for the love of Him. What can be more reassuring than a promise from Allah Taala?