Supplication or the Sword? [oppressive rulers]

It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrî – Allâh have mercy on him – said:

If people called on Allâh when put to trial because of their rulers, Allâh would relieve their suffering; but instead they resorted to the sword, so they were left to it. And not one day of good did they bring.

Then he recited (Quran 7: 137):
And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, for the patience and perseverance they had, and We destroyed the works of Pharaoh and his people and what they had erected.

Ibn Abî Hâtim, Al-Tafsîr no. 8897.

April 17, 2010 - السبت 04 جمادى الأولى 1431 | Affairs of the Ummah, fitnah, supplication

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Dead Hearts and Empty Supplications

It is reported that Ibrâhîm b. Adham (d162H) – Allâh have mercy on him – once passed through the market of Basrah. People gathered around him and asked:

O Abû Ishâq, Allâh the Exalted says in his Book. ‘Call on me, I will answer your prayers’, but we have been calling on Him for a long time and He does not answer our prayers. [Ibrâhîm] replied, “O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten things: First, you know Allâh but you do not give Him His rights; second, you have read Allâh’s Book but you do not act by it; third, you claim to love Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – yet you abandon his Sunnah; fourth, you claim to be enemies to Shaytân but you conform to [his ways]; fifth, you say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it; sixth, you say you fear The Fire yet you put yourselves closer to it [by sinning]; seventh, you say death is true but you do not prepare for it; eighth, you busy yourselves with the faults of others and disregard your own; ninth, you consume the favors of your Lord but are not grateful for them; and tenth, you bury your dead but take no lesson from them.”

Abû Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ’ 8: 15, 16.

January 14, 2010 - الخميس 30 محرم 1431 | Gratitude, Paradise, Quran, The Fire, death, sins, supplication

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Wasted knowledge and rhyming prayers

Ibn ‘Abbâs – Allâh be pleased with him – said, “Address the people once a week, and if you must do so more often, then twice; and if you have to do even more, then three times; and do not make people tired or bored with the Quran. Let me not find you coming to the people to exhort them and tell them stories while they are speaking amongst themselves, thus interrupting their conversation and tiring them. Instead, listen, and when they tell you, address them when they desire to listen to your speech. And beware of making your supplications rhyme, stay away from this, for I found Allâh’s Messenger – peace and praise of Allâh be upon him – and his Companions doing nothing but [staying away from this].”

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh ‘What is hated about making supplications rhyme.’

Notes

In this narration, the illustrious Companion ‘Abdullâh b. ‘Abbâs gives some guidelines about being wise and aware of people’s condition when teaching them and calling them to Allâh. He advised that a person should not address the people and give talks to them too often, lest they become bored or fed up of hearing the Quran. This consideration is taken from the Sunnah of the Prophet – Allâh’s praise and peace be upon him – as related by Ibn Mas’ûd.

This tradition also expresses the dislike of trying to disseminate knowledge in a way that might be detrimental to its purpose. We are discouraged from spreading knowledge to those who do not desire it or those who are not enthusiastic to receive it and interrupting people while they are speaking. We are encouraged to teach knowledge to those who express their desire for it, because all this means it is more likely that the recipient will benefit from this knowledge.

The narration also warns against the practice of trying to make du’â (supplication) rhyme. This is because occupying oneself with putting together rhyming prayers conflicts with the state of being humble and imploring Allâh, which is how a person should be when supplicating. There is no contradiction between this disliked behavior and the fact that some of the Prophetic supplications and statements rhyme, because the Prophet never used to have to try and make them rhyme, but was effortlessly eloquent and at the same time fully humbled in front of Allâh.

Adapted from Ibn Hajr, Fath Al-Bârî.

September 17, 2009 - الخميس 28 رمضان 1430 | Manners and Conduct, da'wah, knowledge, supplication

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At the deathbed of Umm Habibah

It is reported that ‘Â`ishah – said, “Umm Habîbah called for me on her deathbed and said, ‘There used to occur between us the kinds of things that happen between co-wives (al-darâ`ir), so may Allâh forgive me and you those things.’ I said, ‘May Allâh forgive you all those things and release you from [all liability] for that.’ She replied, ‘You have made me happy, may Allâh make you happy.’ And she sent for Umm Salamah and said the same things to her.”

Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` Vol. 2 p223.

June 25, 2009 - الخميس 03 رجب 1430 | Character, death, family, supplication

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Supplicating for an Unbeliever

‘Uqbah b. ‘Âmir Al-Juhanî – Allâh be pleased with him – once passed by a man who looked like a Muslim, so he greeted him with salâm, and he replied, “And upon you [be peace] and the mercy of Allâh and His blessings.” A boy informed him, “He is a Christian!” So ‘Uqbah got up and followed the man, caught up with him and said, “The mercy of Allâh and His blessings are upon the believers; however, may Allâh give you a long life, and make plentiful your wealth and offspring.”

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad. Shaykh Al-Albânî grades its chain of narration hasan in Sahîh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad p444, and notes, “In this narration this illustrious Companion indicates that it is permissible to supplicate for someone to have a long life, even if he is an unbeliever, and so [this can be done for] a Muslim a fortiori…However, the supplicant should make sure that the unbeliever is not an enemy of the Muslims. It is also taken from this [narration] that such an unbeliever can be commiserated with what has been mentioned therein [i.e. the believers are the ones who will receive the mercy of Allâh and His blessings].”

June 18, 2009 - الخميس 25 جمادى الثانية 1430 | Manners and Conduct, da'wah, supplication

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