Friday, January 9, 2015

Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday): Wealth vs. Enduring Good Deeds

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

If you want to make a lot of money, go for it, but don't forget to thank Allah, the Bestower of that money and spend the money for His sake only. Otherwise, it is not worth it to get held up at the gate of Paradise on account of that money you had worked so hard for because all of them will have to be accounted for on the Day of Judgment.

Bukhari reports from Usamah ibn Zayd that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "I stood by the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of those who entered were the poor and wretched. The rich [Muslims] were detained while the people of Hell were ordered to be taken to Hell".

Muslim reports from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said "The poor of the Muhajireen will enter Paradise forty years ahead of the rich". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/663, no. 5235)

Tirmidhi reported from Abu Sa'eed, and Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased him), that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "The poor of the Muhajireen will enter Paradise five hundred years ahead of the rich of the Muhajireen" (Saheeh al-Jaami).

The hadith quoted above stated that the poor will enter Paradise forty years ahead of other people while others state that the difference will be five hundred years. The two statements may be reconciled by pointing out that the poor are not all alike, neither are the rich.

al-Haakim reported from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Do you know who will be the first of my ummah to enter Paradise?" I said, "Allah and His Messenger know best". He said, "The poor of the Muhajireen. They will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and ask for it to be opened. The gatekeepers will say to them, "Have you been brought to account?" They will say, "What do we need to be brought to account for? We were carrying our swords and fighting for the sake of Allah until we died." Then the gates will be opened for them and they will stay there for forty years before anyone else enters". (Silsilah al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 2/532, no. 853, al-Haakim said it is sahih according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim).

Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Kahf,
ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَو‌ٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱلْبَـٰقِيَـٰتُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ خَيْرٌ‌ عِندَ رَ‌بِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ‌ أَمَلًا ﴿٤٦

Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life but the enduring good deeds (everlasting virtues) are better with your Lord in respect of reward and better to hope for. (46)
[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:46]

Wealth children are the adornment of the worldly life. This is like the Ayah:
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ ٱلشَّهَوَ‌ٰتِ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱلْقَنَـٰطِيرِ‌ ٱلْمُقَنطَرَ‌ةِ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ وَٱلْفِضَّةِ وَٱلْخَيْلِ ٱلْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَٱلْحَرْ‌ثِ ۗ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَو‌ٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلْمَـَٔابِ ﴿١٤

Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return. (14)
[Qur'an AleImran 3:14].

Allah Almighty says,
إِنَّمَآ أَمْوَ‌ٰلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجْرٌ‌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٥﴾ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ خَيْرً‌ۭا لِّأَنفُسِكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٦

Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. (15) So fear Allah as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allah]; it is better for your selves. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful. (16)
[Qur'an, At-Taghabun 64:15-16]

Turning towards Allah and worshiping Him is better for you than keeping busy with them, and accumulating wealth for them and going to extremes in feeling pity and compassion for them.

Allah Almighty says,

"...the everlasting virtues are better with your Lord in respect of reward and better to hope for."

What are the everlasting virtues (Enduring Good Deeds)?

Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr and others (may Allah be pleased with them) among the Salaf said that the everlasting virtues are the five daily prayers.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Accumulate 'everlasting virtues' as much as you can." It was said, "What are they?" He said, He said, "Saying: Subhanallah La illaha illahu Alhamdulillahi Allahu Akbar wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Pure is Allah. There is no god but Allah. All praise belongs to Allah. Allah is great and there is no power and no strength except with Allah). Hakim has called this Hadith - Sahih.

And al-'Uqaili reports on the authority of Sayyidna Nu'man ibn Bashir that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, Subhanallahi wa alhamdulillahi wa la illaha illahu wa Allahu Akbar (Pure is Allah and all praise belongs to Allah and there is no god but Allah and Allah is great): These are the 'everlasting virtues."' The same has been reported by al-Tabarani from Sayyidna Sa'd ibn 'Ubaidah.

And the Sahih of Muslim and Tirmidhi have reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, Subhanallahi wa alhamdulillahi wa la illaha illahu wa Allahu Akbar (Pure is Allah and all praise belongs to Allah and there is no god but Allah and Allah is great) better than everything under the Sun."

`Ata' bin Abi Rabah and Sa`id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), "The everlasting virtues are `Subhan Allah (glory be to Allah)', `Al-Hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah)', `La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah)', and `Allahu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).'"

The Commander of the faithful, `Uthman bin `Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was questioned, "'Which are the everlasting virtues? He replied, They are: `La ilaha illallah, Subhan Allah, Al-Hamdu Lillah, Allahu Akbar and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah hil-`Aliyil-`Azim (there is no strength and no power except with Allah the Exalted, the Almighty).'''

This was recorded by Imam Ahmad.

Imam Ahmad also recorded from a freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) that he said: (Well done! Well done for five things! (How heavy they will weigh in the balance! "La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah, and Al-Hamdu Lillah,'' and a righteous son who dies and his parents seek the reward of Allah.) And he said: (Well done! Well done for five things! Whoever meets Allah believing in them, he will enter Paradise; if he believes in Allah, the Last Day, Paradise and Hell, resurrection after death, and the Reckoning).

`Ali bin Abi Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with father and son) said, "This is the celebration of the remembrance of Allah, saying `La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah, Al-Hamdu Lillah, Tabarak Allah, La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, Astaghfirallah, Sallallahu `ala Rasul-Allah', and fasting, prayer, Hajj, Sadaqah (charity), freeing slaves, Jihad, maintaining ties of kinship, and all other good deeds. These are the everlasting virtues, which will remain in Paradise for those who do them for as long as heaven and earth remain.'' Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas: "They are good words.'' `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "They are all righteous deeds.'' This was also the view chosen by Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him.

May Allah bless our time and grant us righteous good deeds that last. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

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