Words, Actions & Intentions

Imam Sufyan bin Thawrî (rahimahullâh) is reported to have said :

'Words without actions are baseless. Words and actions are baseless without sincere intentions. Words with action and sincere intentions are baseless if they are not in accordance with the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam .'

The Accuser & The Accused

Once the beloved Prophet of Allah salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was seated among his noble companions radiya’llahu ‘anhum and they saw him smile so widely that his teeth were revealed.

Sayyiduna Umar radiya’llahu ‘anhu inquired : “why are you smiling, Ya RasulAllah, more precious are you to me then my father and mother.”

The noble Prophet salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam responded :

Two believers will one day kneel before the Lord of Power, may He be exalted. The accuser will pray, “O my Lord! Grant me compensation for the harm this brother has inflicted upon me.”

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will then address the accused : Offer compensation to your brother for the harm that you have caused him.

The accused will reply, “O Lord! I have not a single good deed left to offer him.”

“Then let him carry some of my burdens,” the accuser will pray.

The eyes of the beloved Prophet of Allah salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam filled with tears, and he interjected :

That will truly be a terrible day when human beings will need someone else to carry their burdens.

The Prophet of mercy salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam continued :

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will then address the accuser : Raise your eyes and gaze into the Gardens of Paradise.

The accuser will lift his head and exclaim, “O Lord! I see cities of silver and palaces of gold crowned with pearls. To which prophet or martyr do those beautiful abodes belong?”

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will reply : They belong to the ones who pay Me the full price.

The accuser will ask, “O Lord! Who is able to do that?”

You are able to do that.

“How, O Lord?”

By forgiving your brother.

“O my Lord! I forgive him instantly.”

The All-Merciful Creator will continue : Now take the hand of your brother, and allow him to enter Paradise.

The merciful Prophet of The Glorious Creator salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then remarked :

Be in loving awe of Allah Most High and make peace among yourselves, for Allah Almighty will establish His Own Peace among you on the Day of Resurrection.

As narrated by the noble companion Anas ibn Malik, radiya’llahu ‘anhu.

Adopted from Mishkat al-Anwar of Shaykh ul Akbar Muhiydeen ibn al-‘Arabi as translated by Nur al-Jerrahi in ‘101 diamonds’

Kalimah at-Tayyibah

The first and the most important pillar of the deen is the shahadah or the ‘Kalimah at-Tayyibah’ :

La ilaha illAllahu Muhammadur RasuluAllah

‘There is no god except Allàh, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allàh’

It is well worth a reminder for believers to know the following about the ‘Kalimah at-Tayyibah’ :

1. This holy formula is (not was) the kalimah of all the Ambiya from sayyiduna Adam (alaihis salam) to sayyiduna ‘Isa (alaihis salam).

2. This kalimah is written on the gates of jannah and on the Arsh of Allàh subhanahu wa ta’ala.

3.
a) There are two sentences in this kalimah, the first one (tawheed) is in a negative form and the second one (risalah) is in an affirmative form. When a mumin believes in the two (tawheed and risalah), the light (nur) of Islam descends in his/her qalb (heart).

b) Allàh combined both those two sentences into one, He did this to show the prestige, importance and honour He has confirmed upon His beloved Prophet, our master, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

c) One who believes in the Oneness of Allàh yet does not believe in the prophethood of Muhammad salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will forever remain a kafir and cannot demand half the reward from Allàh, i.e. that of tawheed alone.

4. There are 24 letters and 7 words in this Arabic kalimah (it’s lost in the English translation), a mumin must remember and obey Allàh and His Prophet salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week. This kind of perfect obedience is seen best amongst His Awliya, who are the elite of the Sufis.

5. This kalimah is the ruh (soul) of the dunya (world), when it is changed or forgotten, the dunya will be destroyed.

To be free from the punishment of jahannam does not depend on tawheed alone, but depends on Iman, which includes tawheed and risalah as Allàh Himself testifies in the noble Qur’an (4:136) :

O you who believe! Believe in Allàh and His Prophet, and the Book, which He has sent down to His Prophet, and the Book, which He sent down in former times, whoever disbelieves in Allàh, His angels, His Books, His Prophets and the Last Day, has wandered far, far astray.

And tawfiq is from Allàh alone.

Wasallallhu ‘ala sayidina wa maulana muhammadin wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa awliyâi wa ahle sunnatihi wa ummatihi ajma’in, bi rahmatika ya arhamar rahimin, amin.

Adopted from ‘The Book of Iman’ by Maulana Muhammad Azizur Rahman with slight revision.

O Disciple!

Hujjat ul Islam Imam al-Ghazzālī said :

O disciple! Live as long as you want, but you must die;
love whatever you want, but you will become seperated from it;
and do what you want, but you will be repaid for it!

From ‘Letter to a Disciple’ (Ayyuhā’l-Walad)

Hadith of the Heart (Qalb)

The Prophet of Mercy, Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said :

‘Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart’.

Related by Imam Bukhārī in his sahih