Sunday, February 23, 2014

Excellence of Poverty, Making Do with Little

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Ka'b ibn 'Iyad said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Every community has a trial, and the trial of my community is wealth.'" [at-Tirmidhi]

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, "One day the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sat on the minbar and we sat around him. He said, 'Part of what I fear for you after I have gone is the beauty and attraction of this world which will be opened up to you.'" [Agreed upon]

Allah Almighty says,
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ ﴿١﴾ حَتَّىٰ زُرْتُمُ ٱلْمَقَابِرَ ﴿٢﴾ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣﴾ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤﴾ كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ ﴿٥﴾ لَتَرَوُنَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ ٱلْيَقِينِ ﴿٧﴾ ثُمَّ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ ﴿٨

The mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly things) diverts you, (1) Until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die). (2) Nay! You shall come to know! (3) Again, Nay! You shall come to know! (4) Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have been occupied yourselves in worldly things) (5) Verily, You shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! (6) And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! (7) Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delights[] (you indulged in, in this world)! (8)
[Qur'an At-Takathur 102:1-8]

Ibn 'Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took hold of my shoulders and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller on the road.' Ibn 'Umar used to say, 'In the evening, do not anticipate the morning, and in the morning do not anticipate the evening. Take from your health for your illness and from your life for your death."[al-Bukhari]

Allah Almighty says,
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَآ أَنَّهُمْ قَـٰدِرُونَ عَلَيْهَآ أَتَىٰهَآ أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَـٰهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿٢٤

The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought. (24)
(Qur'an Yunus 10:24)

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Three things follow a dead person: his family, his property and his actions. Two of them go back and one remains. His family and property go back and his actions remain." [Agreed upon]

Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went through the market with people on both sides of him. He passed the dead body of a deformed sheep, took it by its ear and then said, "Which of you would like to have this for a dirham?" They said, "We would not like to have it for anything. What would we do with it?" He said, "Would you like to have it?" They said, "By Allah, even if it was alive, it would be defective since it is deformed, and now it is dead." He said, "By Allah, this world has less value with Allah than this has with you." [Muslim]

Sahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idi reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If this world had been worth as much as a gnat's wing in the eyes of Allah, no unbeliever would have had a single drink of water from it." [at-Tirmidhi]

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "That one among the people of the Fire who was wealthiest person in this world will be brought on the Day of the Fire, dipped once into it and then asked, 'Son of Adam! Did anything good ever happen to you? Did you ever experience any blessing?' He will say, 'By Allah, no, my Lord.' That one among the people of the Garden who was the most wretched person in this world will be brought and dipped once into it and then asked, 'Son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery ? Did you ever undergo any hardship?' He will say, 'By Allah, no. I never experienced any misery and I never underwent any hardship.'" [Muslim]

'Amr ibn al-Harith, the brother of the Umm al-Mu'minin, Juwayriyya bint al-Harith, said, "When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died, he left neither dirham nor dinar nor slave nor slave girl nor anything other than his white mule which he used to ride, his weapons, and some land that he made sadaqa for travelers." [al-Bukhari]

'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal said, "A man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I love you.' He said, 'Be careful of what you say.' He said, 'By Allah, I love you,' three times. He said, 'If you love me, then prepare yourself for poverty. Poverty comes swifter to the one who loves me than a flood to its destination.'" [at-Tirmidhi]
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ‌ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ ﴿٣١

"Say: 'If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins; Allah is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.'
[Qur'an AleImran 3:31]

A man asked the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), "When will the Hour be established O Allah's Apostle?" The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) asked, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "I haven't prepared for it much of prayers or fast or alms, but I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "You will be with those whom you love." [Bukhari]

You will be with the people you love on the Day of Judgement. If you love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you will be with him in the Day of Judgment and you will follow him to Paradise, inshaAllah. Look into your heart who or what it is that you really love. This will tell you where you will be on the Day of Judgement.

On the Day of Judgement “Allah will tell the people, ‘Follow the gods you used to worship.’ So whoever used to 'worship' other than Allah will follow that thing. What Allah is telling us is that if somebody didn’t worship Him, they shouldn't expect the Reward from Him either. They should go to the gods they worshipped for their reward, and when the false gods are thrown in Hell, the followers will have to follow them. That’s the justice of Allah. And there is no god besides Allah.

Abu Hurayra stated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The most truthful phrase ever said by a poet is the words of Labid: 'Everything except Allah is false.'" [Agreed upon]

May Allah forgive our sins and grant us steadfast. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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