Monday 12 July 2010

A Lost Sunnah- How the Prophet Behaved in his Home


A Lost Sunnah- How the Prophet Behaved in his Home

In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

“May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You”

Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam ‘ala Rasulillah.

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
A Lost Sunnah ,
How the Prophet Behaved in his Home.

Since childhood we men see our mothers and sisters working in the kitchen , doing the daily routine household chores of our home.

After we grow up , we behave in the same way and like the “King who enters in his house” (and does nothing) , we start commanding thing and start getting it done by the wife or the servant.

We only remember the ayat from the Quraan “wherin men are allowed to have 4 wives…” but easily forget how the Prophet behaved when he was in his home.

So what did Prophet do when he would spend time in his home. ?
Order everyone to clean the house ?? NO
Lie down on the bed and leave as it is ?? NO
Order nicest dishes to be prepared ?? NO
Eat and Sleep ?? NO

So what did Prophet do when he would spend time in his home. ?

The Apostle of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) occupied himself at his home like a common man.

As Aishah relates, he used to clean his clothes, milk the sheep and himself do his odd jobs. She also says that he would mend his clothes, repair his shoes and do similar other works.

When asked how the Prophet occupied himself at home, she replied, “He used to keep himself busy in household chores and went out when the time for prayer came.”

In another report related on her authority, she is reported to have said,
“The Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to repair his shoes, mend his clothes and occupied himself at home even as any of you occupy yourself.”

Aishah relates, “Allahs Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was very softhearted, the kindliest of all. He laughed often and smiled much.”

Anas says that “he had not seen a man who was more clement and nice to his household members than the Apostle of Allah.”

It is related on the authority of Aishah that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The best of you is one who is most nice to his wife and children and I am the nicest among you.”

Abu Huraira said that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) never expressed disapproval of any food, if he desired he ate it, and if he disliked he left it alone.”

A Man who killed 100 People


A Man who killed 100 People

A Man who killed 100 People

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (Radi Allah Anhu) reported
Allah’s Messenger (sal-allahu- alleihi-wasallam ) as saying:

“There was a person before you who had killed
ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry
about the learned persons of the world
(who could show him the way to salvation).

He was directed to a monk. He came to him
and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons
and asked him whether there was any scope
for his repentance to be accepted.
He (monk) said: No. He killed him also
and thus completed one hundred.

He then asked about the learned persons of the earth
and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that
he had killed one hundred persons and asked him whether
there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted.
He (scholar) said: Yes;
what stands between you and the repentance?
You better go to such and such land;
there are people devoted to prayer and worship
and you also worship along with them and do not come
to the land of yours since it was an evil land (for you).

So he went away and he had hardly covered
half the distance when death came to him
and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy
and the angels of punishment.

The angels of mercy said:
This man has come as a penitent and remorseful to Allah
and the angels of punishment said:
He has done no good at all.

Then there came another angel in the form of
a human being in order to decide between them.
He said: You measure the land to which he has drawn near.
They measured it and found him nearer to the land
where he intended to go (the land of piety),
and so the angels of mercy took possession of it.

Qatada said that Hasan told him that it was said to them that as death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip in the land of mercy.”

{ Sahih Muslim }
{Book 37, Book Name Kitab Al-Tauba Number 6662}

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Qatida (Radi Allah Anhu)
with the same chain of transmitters but (with this variation of wording):

“Allah commanded the earth (from where)
he wanted to come out to move itself away
and to the other earth (where he wanted to go)
to draw nearer.”

[Sahih Muslim : Book 37, Book Name Kitab Al-Tauba Number 6664]

Abu Huraira (Radi Allah Anhu) reported
Allah’s Messenger (sal-allahu-alleihi- wasallam) as saying:

He who seeks repentance (from the Lord)
before the rising of the sun from the west
(before the Day of Resurrection) ,
Allah turns to him with Mercy.

[Sahih Muslim : Book 35, Book Name Kitab Al-Dhikr Number 6525]

Abu Mu’sa (Radi Allah Anhu) reported Allah’s Messenger (sal-allahu-alleihi- wasallam) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand during the day so that the people may reprint for the fault committed from dusk to dawn. (He would accept repentance) before the sun rises in the west (before the Day of Resurrection)

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Those who cry


There are many reasons why we should cry: Fear of Allaah, regret for our sins, fear of Allaah’s punishment in the Hereafter, etc. In fact, the Prophet [sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] said, “Had you known what I know, you would have laughed only a little, and cried a great deal.” If our eyes remain dry, signifying the hardness of our hearts, then that certainly was not the case for the pious Muslims from the early generations of Islam. Let us look at some examples of our pious predecessors, so that perhaps we might follow in their footsteps.

Abu Yunus bin ‘Ubaid said, “We used to enter upon Al-Hasan, and it was [frequently] the case that he would cry for so long, that we would [always] end up having mercy on him [i.e., feeling compassionate and concerned for him].” That Sa’id bin Jubair eventually suffered from weak eyesight was attributed to his frequent fits of crying. [1]

‘Ata’ As-Salimi was once asked, “What is it that you desire?” He answered, “I want to cry [from the fear of Allaah, for my sins, etc] until I am no longer able to cry.” He was often seen with tears flowing down his cheeks.

Constant crying and constant flowing of tears left black marks on the cheeks of Malik bin Dinar. And he used to say, “Had I been able to control my tears, I would have cried throughout the days of my life [i.e., there is so much to cry over].” Would, then, that we would cry even for a part of the night!

Thabit Al-Bunnani cried so much that he eventually was on the verge of losing his eyesight. It was said to him, “We will give you some treatment [perhaps an ointment] for your eyes so that you will no longer shed any tears.” But he demurred, saying, “There is no goodness in an aye that does not shed tears.”

When ‘Ata As-Salimi was reproached for his frequent fits of weeping, he said in his defence: “Indeed, when I remember the dwellers of the Hell-fire and the punishment they will receive from Allaah [subhaanahu wa ta’aala], I imagine that I am one of them. When a person’s hands are shackled, and when he is being dragged to the Hell-fire, how can you expect him not to cry?”

And when Budail Al-‘Uqaili was reproached for the same reason, he said, “I cry because I am afraid of being thirsty for along time on the Day of Resurrection.” [2]

A woman named Burdah used to cry very frequently, so much so that some of her companions feared that her crying would weaken her eyesight, or perhaps even lead to blindness. When someone reminded Burdah of these possible outcomes, she said, “Leave me as I am, for if I am from the dwellers of the Hell-fire then it matters not if I lose my eyesight. And if I am from the dwellers of Paradise, then Allaah will compensate me with eyes that are better than these eyes.” [3]

Footnotes:

[1] Hilyatul-Awliya’ 4/272 and Sifatus-Safwah 3/49
[2] Sifatus-Safwah 3/179
[3] Sifatus-Safwah 4/30

This article has been taken from http://dailyreminders.org/those-who-cry/ May Allah reward the authors with good. Ameen.

Thursday 1 July 2010

Muhammad (P.B.U.H) Simplicity


Muhammad (P.B.U.H) Simplicity

Our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a very simple person and spent all his life in simplicity. He (pbuh) was very unceremonious and informal in his habits. He (pbuh) ate whatever he was given, wore very thick and coarse cloth, even when he (pbuh) was the ruler of a state and undisputed leader of the people. He (pbuh) sat on the floor, bare ground or a mat without any hesitation, alone or in the company of other people. He (pbuh) ate bread made from coarse flour and even spent days on mere dates. He (pbuh) wore simple clothes and did not like display or show. He (pbuh) was by nature simple and liked simplicity and informality in everything.

Ibn Masud (ra) said that God’s Messenger slept on a reed mat and got up with the mark of it on his body. He (pbuh) said, “O God’s Messenger! I wish you would order us to spread something out for you and make something.” The Prophet (pbuh) replied, “What have I to do with the world, I am like a rider who rests for a while under the shade of a tree, then goes off and leaves it.” Ubaid-Allah bin Muhsin (ra) reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone among you is secure in mind in the morning, healthy in body and has food for the day, it is as though the whole world has been brought into his Possession.”

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Look at those who are inferior to you and do not look at those who are superior to you, for that is more likely to keep you from despising God’s Favour on you.” Abu Talha(ra) said, “When we complained to God’s Messenger of hunger and raised our clothes to show we were each carrying a stone over our belly, he (ra) raised his clothes and showed that he had two stones on his belly.”

He liked simple living and wanted his family to lead a simple life and abstain from ostentatious living. He often wore thick clothes. His bed was sometimes of rough blanket sometimes of skin filled with palm fibres and sometimes of ordinary coarse cloth.. In the ninth year of Al-Hijrah, when the Islamic state had extended from Yemen to Syria, its ruler had only one bed and one dry water-bag of skin. A’isha (ra) reported that when he (pbuh) died, there was nothing in the house to eat except some barley.

Once Umar (ra) entered Muhammad’s (pbuh) house and noticed the state of the furniture in it. Muhammad (pbuh) himself had only one sheet of cloth round him to cover the lower part of his body. There was one simple bed, with one pillow filled with nut fibre; on one side of the room was some barley and in one corner near his feet was an animal skin. There were some water-bag skins hanging beside his bed. Umar (ra) said that on seeing this tears came into his eyes. God’s Messenger (pbuh) asked the reason for his tears. He replied, “O God’s Messenger! Why shouldn’t I cry! The strings of the bed have left marks on your body. This is a small room with all your furniture, I can see what there is. The Kaiser of Rome and Kisra of Persia enjoy luxurious living while you, God’s Messenger (pbuh), and the Chosen One, live like this.” He (pbuh) said, “Ibn Khattab! Don’t you like that they choose this world and we choose the Hereafter?”.

In short, Muhammad (pbuh) lived and liked a simple life and enjoyed every minute of it. He (pbuh) taught his companions, through his personal example, to lead a simple life and not to be ostentatious.