Why?

There are people in society who like you. However, they will not dare to help you if the government is angry with you. Isn’t this so?

Believe me, during the time that Egypt was unleashing its wrath on Sayyid Qutb and his family, nobody was able to lend them even a single dirham at a time when the women in the family could not even afford the cost of their weekly visits to Sayyid and Muhammad Qutb. They wouldn’t dare. I heard them saying: “The people have cut themselves off from us. We went to some people to borrow money from, our friends. They said “We don’t know you. Don’t come to us, and we won’t come to you.””

…So, as a da’i, if you stand up to the government, the only ones who will stand by you are those who are ready for death or some sort of sacrifice. True men are known in times of hardship. No da’i will stand by you unless he is willing to give up his family, children, wealth, and job…So, nobody will stand by you in harsh circumstances except true men, and they are few – men who live by their beliefs and have principles they stick to.

When the Messenger made the pact with Quraysh, over 8,500 became Muslim in the less than two years that followed. And when Quraysh was defeated in Ramadan of 8 AH and Hawazin was defeated after them in Shawwal of 8 AH, only then did the delegations begin coming to Hunayn from all corners of the Arabian Peninsula to enter Islam in waves: {“When the victory of Allah and the conquest comes, and you see the people enter Allah’s Religion in waves.”} [an-Nasr; 1-2]

So, during difficult circumstances in which you are confronting the massive jahiliyyah around you, don’t expect people to accept your call. None will accept it except those are are prepared to sacrifice everything they own, even their lives.

Quraysh and Hawazin were finished in the 8th year AH. Two years later, in the 10th year AH, the Prophet made Hajj along with 124,000 people. How many were there during the conquest of Makkah? There were 10,000. This means that in the two years between the two, there were 114,000 who became Muslim. However, the core of this society and its essence and foundation and nucleus was the mere thousand who participated at Uhud or the 1,400 who witnessed Bay’at ar-Ridwan. These, if they were to have been removed them from the picture, the entire society would’ve collapsed.

Because of this, the governments are smart when they fight Islam. They are very smart. They don’t come and kill everyone and have this held against them. Rather, they come and remove the five, six, or seven leaders who are the nucleus and essence and solid foundation and kill them off. While they only took out six, they really took out an entire ummah by taking out these six! {“Indeed, Ibrahim was a nation unto himself…”} [an-Nahl; 120]

And how often is one man equal to a thousand * And how often are a thousand men equal to none…”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 50-54]

“Whoever amongst you wishes to follow someone, then let him follow those who have died, as you cannot be sure to protect yourself from the fitnah of those who are alive. These are the Companions of Muhammad: they were the best of this Ummah, were the purest of it in heart, the deepest of it in knowledge, and were the least of it in burdening themselves. Allah chose them to accompany His Prophet and to establish His Religion, so realize their virtue and follow in their footsteps, as they were upon the upright guidance.”

[Ibn al-Qayyim's 'Ighathat al-Lahfan'; 1/159]

2 – Ibn Mas’ud also said:

“Beware of exagguration and digging too deeply into matters, and follow the original path.”

[Ibn Rajab's 'Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/270]

3 – Anas bin Malik narrated:

“We were with ‘Umar, so I heard him say: “We were forbidden from burdening ourselves.””

['Ighathat al-Lahfan'; 1/159]

4 – ‘Amr bin al-’As narrated:

“I had a wet dream on a cold night on the expedition of Dhat as-Salasil, so, I feared that I would die if I took a bath. So, I performed tayammum, then prayed the morning prayer with my companions. They mentioned this to the Prophet, so he said: “O ‘Amr! You led your companions in prayer while you were in a state of impurity?” So, I informed him of what had prevented me from taking a bath, and said that I heard Allah’s Saying: {“And do not kill yourselves; verily, Allah is Merciful to you.”} [an-Nisa'; 29]

So, the Messenger of Allah smiled and did not say anything.”

[Reported by Abu Dawud (334), and it is authentic]

5 – ‘Abdullah bin Shafiq narrated:

“Ibn ‘Abbas once was preaching to the people from after the time of ‘Asr until the Sun had set and the stars appeared, and the people began to cry: “The prayer! The prayer!” Then, a man from Banu Tamim came to Ibn ‘Abbas and said: “The prayer! The prayer!” So, Ibn ‘Abbas said to him: “Are you going to teach me the Sunnah, may you be deprived of your mother? I saw the Messenger of Allah combine between the Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and between the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ without being on a journey or in a state of fear. This was because he did not want to put his Ummah to hardship.” This statement of his did not sit well with me, so, I went to Abu Hurayrah and asked him about it, and he confirmed it.”

['Sahih Muslim'; # 705]

6 – It was also narrated:

“One time it rained, so, Ibn ‘Abbas said to the one calling to the prayer: “When you say “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” then say after it: “Pray in your homes.”” The people were uneasy with this, so, he said: “One who was better than me (meaning, the Prophet) did this. Verily, the Friday prayer requires effort, and I did not want to make you come out in the mud.””

['Sahih al-Bukhari'; # 901]

7 – It was narrated of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar:

“One time, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar was asked about a type of cheese that was produced by the Magians, so, he said: “Whatever I find in the marketplace of the Muslims, I buy and do not ask about.””

['Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/269]

8 – It was narrated:

“‘Umar bin al-Khattab was out riding with ‘Amr bin al-’As when they came across a water fountain. ‘Amr said to the owner of the fount: “O owner of this fount! Does your fountain attract any beasts?” So, ‘Umar said: “O owner of the fount! Do not tell us, as we come across beasts and they come across us.””

[az-Zarqani's explanation of Malik's 'Muwatta''; 1/70]

9 – al-Imam ash-Sha’bi said:

“If you are faced with two (permissible) choices, then the easiest of the two is the closest of them to the truth, due to Allah’s Saying: {“Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you.”} [al-Baqarah; 185]

[al-Qasimi's 'Mahasin at-Ta'wil'; 1/427]

10 – Sufyan ath-Thawri said:

“Verily, knowledge is to accept an allowance of ease from one you trust. As for extreme strictness, then anyone can be good at this.”

['Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih'; p. 255]

11 – Ibrahim an-Nakha’i said:

“If you are faced with two (permissible) choices, then assume that the most beloved of them to Allah is the easiest.”

[Ibn Qudamah's 'al-Mughni'; 3/150]

12 – ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz, Mujahid, and Qatadah said:

“The best of two options is the easiest of them, due to His Saying: {“Allah desires ease for you…”}.”

['al-Mughni'; 3/150]

13 – It was narrated:

“Imam Ahmad bin Hambal was asked about wearing clothing made by the disbelievers and the People of the Book without first washing them, so, he answered: “Why do you ask something that you have no reason to ask? The people – since we have been living amongst them – have had no problems with this (wearing the clothes without washing them).””

['Jami al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/269]

He was of the most well-known and knowledgeable of the Tabi’in. Above that, he was of the scholars who acted upon their words, as he spent most of his life on the frontlines guarding the Muslim lands against the Romans. He would alternate between making Hajj one year and battling the enemy the next. Just to get an idea of his character, check out the following narration from ‘Abduh bin Sulayman:

“We were on an expedition with Ibn al-Mubarak in the lands of the Romans, so the enemy approached us. When the two armies met, a man from the enemy came out and called for a duel, so a man from the Muslims came out and killed him. Then, a man from the enemy came out and killed him and called for another duel. So, a man from the Muslims came out with his face covered with his shirt and duelled with him for an hour or so, finally striking him and killing him. The people came to see who he was, so I went up and pulled the cloth from his face and saw that he was ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak.”

['Tarikh Baghdad'; 1/167]

So – by the Permission of Allah – here are some selected authentic narrations from this book that he compiled, ‘Kitab al-Jihad’ - the first of its kind ever authored about the topic.

 Abu Salih al-Madani narrated:

“A group of the Companions said: “If only we knew which actions were the best and most beloved to Allah.” So, the verse was revealed: {“O You who believe! Shall I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful torment? That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive hard and fight in the Path of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That will be better for you, if only you knew!”} [as-Saff; 10-11]

So, they became averse to this. Then, the following verse was revealed: {“O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Path in rows as if they were a solid structure.”} [as-Saff; 2-4]

Abu ad-Darda’ said: “Being killed in the Path of Allah washes your filth from you. Being killed in such a way does two things: expiates your sins and raises your rank.”

‘Utbah bin ‘Abd as-Sulami narrated that the Prophet said:

“Those who are killed in the Path of Allah are of three types: a believer who who strives with his life and his wealth in the Path of Allah until he meets the enemy and fought them until he was killed, and this is the martyr who is pure, and he is in an encampment of Allah underneath His Throne, and the Prophets are not better than him except on account of their Prophethood. The second is a man who had fallen into sins and mistakes who fought with his life and his wealth in the Path of Allah until he met the enemy and fought them till he was killed. This is a martyr who has become purified, as his sins and mistakes were wiped away, and the sword wipes away one’s sins. He will be entered into any of the gates of Paradise that he pleases, and Paradise has eight gates, while Hell has seven gates, all of them placed one on top of the other. The last is a hypocrite who fought with his life and his wealth in the Path of Allah until he met the enemy and fought them till he was killed. He will be in Hell, as the sword does not wipe away hypocrisy.”

Al-Hasan al-Basri narrated:

“The Prophet sent out an army including ‘Abdullah bin Rawahah, so they went forth and attacked in the morning. ‘Abdullah, however, stayed to perform his prayers with the Messenger of Allah. When the prayer was over, the Messenger of Allah said to him: “O Ibn Rawahah! Are you not part of this army?” He replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah, but I loved that I stay and pray with you, but I know the position of this army, and I will go catch up to them now.” So, the Prophet said: “By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, if you spent all the wealth on the Earth, you would not be able to attain the virtue of their expedition.”“

‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubayd bin ‘Umayr al-Laythi (a trustworthy Tabi’i) said:

“When the two armies meet, Allah sends down the Hur al-’Ayn to our sky, so if they see a man advancing towards the enemy, they say: “O Allah! Keep him firm!” and if they see him retreat, they cover their faces from him out of shyness, and if he is killed, they descend to him and wipe the dust from his face, saying: “O Allah, pour dirt upon the one who put dirt on him, and pour dust upon the one who put dust on him.””

Yahya bin Abi Kathir narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

“The best martyrs with Allah are those who are at the foremost part of the ranks, but do not turn their faces from the enemy until they are killed. These will rejoice in the highest rooms in Paradise, and their Lord will Laugh to them. Verily, your Lord – if He Laughs to a people – then there is no accounting of deeds for them.”

‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubayd bin ‘Umayr narrated:

“It was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, which Jihad is the best?” So, the Prophet said: “The one in which one’s horse becomes injured and his blood is spilt.”“

 Thabit al-Binani narrated:

“(On the day of Yarmuk), ‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl dismounted his horse so that he could fight the Romans, so Khalid bin al-Walid said to him: “Do not continue, for your feats on the battlefield are too difficult for the Muslims to keep up with!” So, ‘Ikrimah said to him: “Leave me, Khalid! You had a past with the Messenger of Allah, and my father and I were of the severest people against the Messenger of Allah!” So, he went forth and fought until he was killed.”

Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrated:

“‘Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl used to press the Mushaf to his face and cry, saying: “The Book of my Lord! The Words of my Lord!””

Ibn Jurayj narrated:

“Mujahid (the noble Tabi’i) recited the verse: {“Do not think of those who are killed in the Path of Allah as being dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, and they are provided for.”} [Al 'Imran; 169] and said: “They are served from the fruits of Paradise and they smell its scent, even though they are not yet in it.””

 ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan said to his people:

“It has become clear – by Allah – that I have kept you busy from Jihad, and it is an obligation upon me and you. So, whoever would love to make it to Sham, then let him do so, and whoever would love to make it to Iraq, then let him do so, and whoever would love to make it to Egypt, then let him do so, for verily, a single day for a Mujahid in the Path of Allah is like a thousand days for the one who fasts continuously and the one praying continuously.”

Yunus bin az-Zuhri narrated:

“‘Urwah bin az-Zubayr mentioned that ‘Amir bin Fuhayrah was killed on the day of the events of the Well of Ma’unah, and that when they came to look for his body to bury it, it was nowhere to be found, and they concluded that the Angels had buried his body.”

Sa’id bin al-Musayyab narrated:

“On the day of Uhud, ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh said: “O Allah! I swear to you that we will meet the enemy, and if we do so, they will kill me, then, they will tear open my stomach, then, they will mutilate my body. Then, if I meet You, You will ask me: “For what purpose did this happen?” Then, I will say: “This was for Your Sake!”

So, he met the enemy and was killed, and they did to his body exactly what he said they would do to it.”

Sa’id bin al-Musayyib then said: “I hope that Allah makes the last part of his oath come true just as He did for the first part of it.”

Sa’id bin al-Musayyab narrated:

“When it was the time of the khilafah of Abu Bakr, Bilal decided to prepare himself to go out and fight in Sham, so Abu Bakr said to him: “I never thought that you would leave us in such a manner, O Bilal! If only you stayed here and assisted us in our affairs here.” So, Bilal said to him: “If you had freed me from slavery for Allah, then leave me to go to Allah. If you freed me for your own self, then keep me here.” So, Abu Bakr allowed him to leave, so he went out to Sham and died there.”

‘Ali bin Rabah narrated:

“We faced the Romans on a day in which their ranks were swelled with Romans and Arab Christians including Yunaq al-Bitriq, so some of the people said: “We are indeed faced with a mighty group to fight, so if you are able to delay the fighting and move to Birin (near Homs, in Sham) or Qiddis (near al-Qadisiyyah, Iraq) and write to Abu Bakr to send you some assistance, then do so!” So, Hisham bin al-’As said: “If you know that victory comes from the All-Mighty, the All-Wise, then fight these people. If you await victory from Abu Bakr, then I will mount my horse and ride all the way to where he is.”

So, the people said: “Hisham bin al-’As has left no room for discussion!” Then they fought intensely, and many Muslims were killed, and Hisham bin al-’As was killed, and Allah defeated the Romans and killed Yunaq al-Bitriq. A man then passed by the corpse of Hisham bin al-’As and said: “May Allah have Mercy upon you. This is what you were after.””

‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubayd bin ‘Umayr narrated:

“‘Amr bin al-’As came to the Ka’bah and began to cirumbate it, and a group of individuals from Quraysh were sitting and chatting. When they saw him approach, they said: “Who do you think was better: Hisham or ‘Amr bin al-’As?”

So, when ‘Amr finished his tawaf, he came and stood over them and said: “I know that you said something when you saw me, so what did you say?”

They said: “We were mentioning you and Hisham, and discussing which of you is better.”

‘Amr then said: “I will inform you regarding this. We both witnessed the battle of Yarmuk, and we both spent the night in the Path of Allah and asking Him for it (martyrdom). So, when we awoke the next morning, he was granted it and I was prevented from it. This should clarify for you his virtue over me.””

Abu al-Jahm bin Hudhayfah al-’Adawi narrated:

“On the day of the battle of Yarmuk, I went out to find my uncle on the battlefield, and I had with me a container of water. I said to myself that he had some life left in him, then I would quench his thirst with the water and wash the dirt from his face. Suddenly, I came across him, and he was going in and out of conciousness. I asked him: “Do you want me to give you some water?” so, he nodded his head. Suddenly, he heard another wounded man in the distance calling out in pain. So, my uncle motioned for me to go tend to him. I went to him and saw that he was Hisham, the brother of ‘Amr bin al-’As. I came to him and asked if he wanted me to give him some water, and suddenly, we heard the sound of another man calling out in the distance in pain. So, he motioned for me to go tend to him. I came to him to find that he had already died. So, I went back to tend to Hisham only to find that he had died as well. Then, I went back to tend to my uncle only to find that he, too, had died.”

Sa’id narrated:

“I passed by Abu ‘Ubayd on the day of the Bridge [*] and his hands and feet had been cut off, and he was reciting: {“…in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous – and how excellent these companions are!”} [an-Nisa'; 69]

Some of those who passed by him asked him: “Who are you?” He answered: “I am a man from the Ansar.””

[*] The day of the Bridge of Abu ‘Ubayd bin Mas’ud ath-Thaqafi, who crossed the Euphrates River with his companions to go fight in Nahrawan, so, the enemy cut down the bridge behind them, and he and his companions were all killed.

Ibn Abi ‘Utbah narrated:

“We went to see Nawf al-Bikali, and a man came to him while I was with him and said: “O Abu Yazid! I saw you in a dream.” So, he said: “Narrate it to me.” He said: “I saw you leading an army, and you had a long spear with a candle on its tip that lit the way for the people.” So, Nawf said: “If your dream is true, then I will be martyred.”

So, it was not except that he went out with the army of Muhammad bin Marwan the following summer. So, when he fastened his feet to the mount of his horse, he said: “O Allah! Make my wife a widow and my children orphans, and grant Nawf martyrdom!” So, the battle started and when they ended up at Qabaqib (a river that leads into the Euphrates), the enemy came out to them, and Nawf was the first to arm himself to fight them. As soon as he saw them, he raced towards them on his horse. He killed one man after the other, then he himself was killed. Those who were present testified: “We finally got to him to find that his blood had mixed with that of his horse – they had both been killed.””

Humayd bin ‘Abd ar-Rahman narrated:

“There was a man from the Companions of the Prophet named Humamah who went out to fight in Asfahan (in present-day Iran) during the rule of ‘Umar bin al-Khattab. When Asfahan was finally conquered, Humamah said: “O Allah! Humamah claims that he loves to meet You! If Humamah is truthful in this claim, then grant him what he wishes! If he is not truthful in this claim, then grant him this even if he dislikes it! O Allah, do not send Humamah home from this trip!” So, he was overtaken by a disease in his stomach, and died iin Asfahan.

So, upon hearing about this, Abu Musa got up and said: “O people! By Allah, we have heard nothing from your Prophet, or from what we have been informed of, except that Humamah is a martyr!””

‘Abd ar-Rahman bin Yazid bin Mu’awiyah narrated:

“We were in the lands of the Romans when we passed by a garden with some grapevines. So, we said to man who was with us to take a pouch we had enter the garden and and fill it with grapes. We waited and waited, until he finally came out with nothing. So, we said to him: “What is wrong with you? Have you gone mad?” We looked at him and saw that he was in a completely different state than when he had left us, as there was light emanating from his face and he appeared to be in a very good mood. So, we asked him what had prevented him from packing the grapes, but he remained silent. Finally, we were able to get him to tell us his story, so, he narrated:

“When I entered the garden, I immediately saw a woman laying on a bed made of gold, and I realized that she was from the Hur al-’Ayn, and I lowered my gaze from her and looked in the direction of the grapevines, only to see another woman just like her. So, I lowered my gaze from her, as well. She then said to me: “Both I and the one that you just saw are your wives from the Hur al-’Ayn, and as of today, you will be with us.””

Afterwards, we all rode off into battle. Suddenly, he went forth ahead of the rest of us in hopes of becoming martyred, and he ended up being the first of us to be martyred on that day.”

As-Sirri bin Yahya al-Binani narrated:

“A young man once went out to fight seeking to become martyred, but he was not granted martyrdom. One day, while he was with his companions, he went to take a nap in a nearby canopy. When it was time to pray Dhuhr, his companions went to wake him up. When he awoke, he began crying so intensely that his friends thought that something had happened to him. When he saw this, he said to them: “Nothing is is wrong with me.” Then, he narrated to them what had happened:

“Rather, what happened was that while I was asleep, a man came to me and said: “Let us go visit your wide-eyed wife.” So, I got up went with him to a white piece of land – so white and pure. We arrived at a garden, the likes of which I had never seen before. Sitting in this garden were ten young women with beauty the likes of which I had never seen before. I hoped that this wife he had told me about would be one of these women, so, I asked them: “Is the wide-eyed one among you?” They replied: “She is within close reach, and we are her servants.”

So, I continued with my companion to another garden that was more beautiful than the one we had just left, with twenty young women sitting in it who were more beautiful than the ten that we had just left, and I hoped that my wife would be one of them. I asked them: “Is the wide-eyed one among you?” They replied: “She is within close reach, and we are her servants.”

We continued until we arrived at a large domed building made of red rubies that was surrounded by light, so, my companion told me to enter. So, I entered to find a woman whose light outshone that surrounding the domed building. I sat and spoke with her for an hour.

Suddenly, my companion told me to get up and leave. I could not disobey him, so, I got up and began to leave. The woman grabbed at the edge of my cloak and said: “Stay and break your fast with us tonight!” At that point, you woke me up to pray, and when I realized that it was just a dream, I began to cry.”

As soon as he finished narrating his story, the call was made to mount the horses and head to the battlefield. As soon as the Sun had set – the time for the one fasting to break his fast – he was killed, and he had been fasting.”

Al-Qasim bin ‘Abd ar-Rahman al-Mas’udi narrated:

“We were invading the lands of the Romans with Fudalah bin ‘Ubayd from the seashore – and it was the first time for Fudalah to fight on the seashore – so, while we were travelling, Fudalah began to ride faster, and he was the leader of the group. Back then, the leaders used to listen to those whom Allah – the Mighty and Majestic – chose to advise them, so, one of them said: “O, our leader! The people have become split up, so, let us wait for a while until they catch up to us.” So, we waited in an area that was near a cliff with a castle situated atop it, surrounded by a fortress. Some of us were standing, and some were sitting.

Suddenly, a red-hued man with a long mustache approached us. We brought him to Fudalah and said: “This is a man who approached us from the direction of the fortress of the Romans. He has no agreement or covenant with us. What should be done with him?”

The man then said: “Before today, I would eat the flesh of swine and drink alcohol. Last night, when I came home to my family and fell asleep, two men approached me in my sleep, washed out my stomach, and married me to two women – none of them being jealous of the other. The two women said to me: “Accept Islam, for we are reserved only for the Muslims.””

He did not even finish his story when we were suddenly attacked with stone projectiles from the fortress. The man was struck above his neck while he was standing between us. Fudalah then said: “Allah is the Greatest! His actions were few, but his reward is great! Pray over your brother.” So, we prayed over him and buried him where we were standing, and went on our way.”

The Messenger of Allah said:

“There will be from my Ummah a group that mans the frontlines; their rights will be taken from them, and they will not be given their rights. I am from these people, and they are from me! I am from them, and they are from me!”

 ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr said:

“There will come a time when there will not be a single believer except that he goes to Sham.”

‘Ali bin Rabah said:

“The Messenger of Allah used to pray for the one that he would see serving his companions.”

Mujahid said:

“I accompanied ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar in order to be his servant, and he ended up serving me.”

‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr said:

“Whoever serves his companions in the Path of Allah – the Mighty and Exalted – then he will be preferred over the rest of humanity with a mountain’s worth of reward.”

‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-’As said:

“A good action that I perform today is more beloved to me than a good action I performed in the past, because, we were with the Messenger of Allah and our only concern was the Hereafter, and we did not care about the worldly life, while, today, the worldly life has overtaken us.”

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

“For me to donate even a whip in the Path of Allah – the Mighty and Exalted – is more beloved to me than performing one Hajj after another.”

The Messenger of Allah said:

“Do you not wish that Allah Forgives you and enters you into Paradise?” It was said: “Of course.” He said: “So, fight in the Path of Allah.”

Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “The glance at the woman is a poisonous arrow from the arrows of the Devil. Whoever leaves it out of the fear of Allah, then Allah will reward him with faith whose sweetness he will taste in his heart.”

[Reported by Ahmad in his 'Musnad,' and it is authentic]

Malik bin Dinar said: “The Gardens of Delight are between the Gardens of Firdaws and the Gardens of Eden. In them one has servants made out of the roses of Paradise. They will be inhabited by those who were about to engage in a sin, but then remembered Allah – the Mighty and Exalted – and stopped themselves from doing so, and bowed their necks out of the fear of Allah.”

al-Hasan al-Basri narrated:

“There was a fornicating woman who had exceeded the people of her era in beauty, and would not let any man sleep with her unless he paid her one hundred dinars. One day, a man saw her and was attracted to her, so he went and worked until he earned the one hundred dinars and came to her. She told him: “Pay it to the man at the door so that he may count it and weigh it.” When he did this, she told him to enter. She had a luxurious home and a bed made of gold. She told him: “Come to me.” When he was about to have intercourse with her, he suddenly remembered his standing before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, so it was as if he was struck with lightning and his desire was put out.

He said to her: “Allow me to leave you, and you can keep the money.”

She replied: “How can you do this now, when you saw me and was attracted to me, and went and worked hard to collect the one hundred dinars, and when you are finally with me, you do what you did?”

He said: “By Allah, I did not do this out of anything except for the fear of Allah, and the thought of my standing between His Hands.”

She said: “If you are truthful in what you say, then I want to marry nobody except you!”

He told her: “Let me leave.”

She said: “No, not unless you promise me that you will marry me!”

He said: “I cannot do anything until I leave first.”

She then said to him: “You must promise Allah that if I come to you where you live, then you will marry me!”

He said: “It might be so. We will see.”

So, he put on his clothes, left her, and travelled back to his land. She later travelled to his land with all that she owned – regretting the circumstances under which they had met each other – until she arrived and asked about him. When she arrived at his home, it was said to him: “The queen herself has arrived and asked about you!” When he saw her, he was in such a state of shock that he collapsed and died.

His body fell into her arms, so she said: “As for him, then I have missed out on the chance to be with him. Does he have any close relatives?” It was said to her: “Yes, his brother, but he is a poor man.” So, she said to him: “I will marry you out of my love for your dead brother.”

She married him and bore for him seven righteous sons.”

['At-Tawwabin' by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi; p. 41-42]

Wahb (bin al-Munabbih) said: “When Allah Created the Garden of Eden, He looked to it and said: “You are forbidden for every arrogant person!”“

al-Ahnaf bin Qays used to sit with Mus’ab bin az-Zubayr on his sleeping mat and talk. One day, he came to find Mus’ab extending his feet forward, so, he pushed his legs aside to make room for himself to sit. When he saw the signs of displeasure on Mus’ab’s face from this, he said: “How strange is the son of Adam! He is arrogant while he was originated from an organ that transports urine!”

al-Hasan (al-Basri) said: “I wonder at the son of Adam! He uses his hand to wash himself from his waste once or twice a day, yet he seeks to compete with the All-Mighty?”

Muhammad bin al-Husayn bin ‘Ali said: “The heart of a person is never afflicted with the slightest bit of arrogance except that his intelligence and sanity is decreased because of that in accordance with how much of that arrogance has entered his heart.”

Sulayman was asked about a bad deed that cannot be wiped away with a good dead, so he replied: “Arrogance.”

‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz went for Hajj before he became the khalifah, and Tawus saw him walking with a slight swing in his walk that he thought looked boastful. So, he went up to ‘Umar and nudged him in his side, saying to him: “Is this the walk of one whose stomach carries waste?”

Muhammad bin Wasi’ saw his son acting boastful, so, he called him over and said: “Do you know who you are? As for your mother, then I purchased her for a mere one hundred dirhams. As for your father, then may Allah not increase his likes amongst the Muslims!”

Mutraf bin ‘Abdullah saw al-Muhallab walking in a new overcoat he had bought, looking pleased with himself. So, he said to him: “O Abu ‘Abdullah! This is a type of walking that is hated by Allah and His Messenger!” So, al-Muhallab said to him: “Do you have any idea who I am?” So, Mutraf replied: “I know exactly who you are: your beginning is in the form of a tiny clot of sperm and egg, and your end is in the form of a rotten corpse!” So, al-Muhallab abandoned that type of walking from then on.

['Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din'; 3/400-402]

These are collected in al-Ghazzali’s ‘Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din’ (2/195 onwards):

1 – ‘Umar bin al-Khattab said:

“If one of you is blessed with affection from his brother, he should hold onto that as tightly as possible, as it is quite rare for one to be blessed with this.”

2 – ‘Umar also said:

“Nobody is given anything besides his Islam better than a righteous friend.”

3 – ‘Ali bin Abi Talib said:

“Tend to your brothers, as they are your sustenance in this world and the next. Do you not hear the saying of the people of Hell: {“Now, we have neither intercessors nor close friends to help us!”} [ash-Shu'ara'; 100-1]?”

4 – ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said:

“By Allah, if I fasted all day without eating, prayed all night without sleeping, spent all of my wealth in the Path of Allah, died the day I died, but had no love in my heart for those who obey Allah, and no hatred in my heart for those who disobey Allah, none of this would benefit me in the least.”

5 – ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

“If a man were to stand for seventy years worshipping Allah between the Yemeni Corner and the Maqam of Ibrahim (at the Ka’bah), he would still be resurrected on the Day of Judgement with those whom he loved.”

6 – Ibn as-Sammak said, on his deathbed:

“O Allah! You Know that, even if I had disobeyed You, I loved those who obeyed You! So, make this for me a means of nearness to You!”

7 – Mujahid said:

“Those who love each other for Allah’s Sake, when they smile at each other, their sins fall from each other, just as the leaves fall from a tree before the winter.”

8 – al-Ghazzali said, commenting on the saying of the Prophet: “The strongest bond of faith is to love for Allah and to hate for Allah”:

“Because of this, it is a must that a person have those that he hates for Allah’s Sake, just as he has friends and brothers that he loves for Allah’s Sake.”

9 – Abu Hurayrah said:

“The slave will be brought between the Hands of Allah – the Exalted – on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will Say to him: ‘Did you love one of my awliya’, so that I can join you with him?’“

10 – al-Hasan al-Basri said:

“Being harsh against a fasiq brings you closer to Allah – the Exalted.”

From the chapter on the rights of the parents:

1 – Ibn ‘Abbas said:

“There is not a single believer who has two parents and wakes up while he is good to them except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Paradise, and if he makes one of them angry, Allah will not be Pleased with him until that parent becomes pleased with him again.” It was asked: “Even if that parent was oppressive and in the wrong?” It was replied: “Yes, even so. And he never wakes up while he is bad to them except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Hell.”

2 – as-Samarqandi said:

“If Allah – the Exalted – had not mentioned the position and sacredness of the parents in His Book, and did not admonish regarding it, then it would have been realized by simple logic. So, it is obligatory upon the one with logic and intelligence to realize their sacredness and to fulfill their rights. How is it, then, when Allah – the Exalted – has mentioned this in all of His Books: the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms and the Qur’an, has commanded this in all of His Books, and revealed this to all of His Prophets and advised them regarding the honorable position of the parents and their rights, and has made His Pleasure dependent on their pleasure, and His Anger dependent on their anger?”

3 – Farqad as-Sabakhi said:

“I have read in many books that it is not for the son (or daughter) to speak in the presence of the parents except with their permission, or to walk in front of them, or to their right or left, unless they call him to walk next to them. Rather, he should walk behind them as a slave walks behind his master.”

4 – It was said by a group of the Tabi’in:

“Whoever supplicates for his parents five times in a day has fulfilled their rights, since Allah has Said: {“…to thank Me and your parents. To Me is the final return.”} [Luqman; 14], and you thank Allah – the Exalted – by praying five times in a day. Likewise, you would thank your parents by praying for them five times in a day.”

5 – It was said by a group of the Companions:

“To leave off praying for one’s parents results in a tight and constricted life for the son.”

And let’s not forget about the rights upon the parents:

6 – as-Samarqandi related that Abu Hafs al-Iskandrani – one of the scholars of Uzbekistan – said that a man came to him and said:

“My son hit me and hurt me!” The scholar said: “Glory be to Allah! A son hitting his father? Have you taught him manners and knowledge?” The man said: “No.” “Have you taught him the Qur’an?” The man replied: “No.” “So, what does he know how to do?” The man replied: “Farming.” “Do you know why he hit you?” The man replied: “No.” The scholar then said: “It might have been that when he woke up in the morning, he went to the fields, was riding on a donkey, had a stick between his hands, had a dog behind him, and did not have any knowledge of the Qur’an (because you failed to teach him any of it). So, he started singing, you came out to him at that moment, he thought you were a cow, and hit you with the stick. So, thank Allah that your skull was not fractured.”

7 – It was narrated by one of the early righteous people:

…that he would not order his son with something, and if he needed something, he would ask someone else for it. When he was asked about this, he said: “I fear that if I were to command my son with something that he wouldn’t be able to bear, he would not carry it out and would therefore be disobedient to me and would deserve Hell as a result, and I do not want to be the cause of my son burning in Hell.”

And this type of strangeness can occur in one location in exclusion to another, and in one era in exclusion to another, and amongst one group of people in exclusion to another. However, those who are described with this strangeness are the true people of Allah. This is because they do not lean towards anything but Allah, do not ascribe themselves to anyone besides His Messenger, and do not call to anything other than what he was brought with. They are the ones who abandoned the people when they needed them most. So, when the people go about behind their deities on the Day of Resurrection, they will remain where they are, and it will be said to them: ‘Will you not go along with the people?’ And they will reply: ‘We abandoned the people when we were more in need of them than we are today, and we are instead waiting for our Lord Whom we used to worship.’

So, this strangeness does not result in any loneliness for its possessor. In fact, he is as happy and sociable as can be when he abandons the deviant people, and as lonely as can be when he socializes with them. So, his allies are Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, even if the majority of the people oppose him and push him aside…

…And al-Hasan al-Basri said: “The believer in this world is like a stranger: he does not become upset when it puts him down, and he does not compete for it to make him honorable. The people are in a certain state, and he is in another state: the people are relieved of him, and he is exhausted of himself.”

And from the characteristics of these strangers who were praised by the Prophet are:

• holding tightly to the Sunnah, even if the people abandon it;

• leaving what they have introduced into the Religion, even if it is something good in their eyes;

• freeing oneself completely and purely for Tawhid, even if most people criticize him for this;

• not ascribing oneself to anyone other than Allah and His Messenger – not a shaykh, a path, or a group. Rather, these strangers ascribe themselves to Allah by serving Him, and to His Messenger by following only what he came with;

And such people are the ones who are truly holding onto the burning piece of coal, and most people will criticize them. Due to their strangeness between the Creation, these people consider them to be odd and innovators, and accuse them of separating themselves from the majority…

…And how can it not be that this one sect (the people of the Sunnah) be very small and strange between seventy-two other sects who have followers and leaders, position and alliances, and do not gain power except by going against that which the Messenger came with? The essence of what he came with goes against their whims, and what they are upon of the doubts and innovations that are the end result of their actions, and the desires that are their goal and intention.

So, how can the believer who is travelling to Allah upon the road of adherence to the Sunnah not be strange between those who have followed their whims, obeyed their lusts, and have each become impressed with their own opinion? And because of this, Allah will give to the truthful Muslim in such a time – if he holds tightly to his religion – the reward of fifty of the Companions, as both Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi report that the Prophet said: “After you, there will be days that require much patience, such that the one who holds onto his religion in such a time will have the reward of fifty of you.” And this great reward is due only to their strangeness between the people, and the fact that they held tightly to the Sunnah despite the dark clouds of desires and whims they were surrounded with.

So, if the believer who has been provided by Allah with insight into His Religion, understanding of the Sunnah of His Messenger, comprehension of His Book, and has been shown what the people are upon of desires, innovations, deviance, and turning away from the straight path that the Messenger of Allah and his Companions were upon – if such a person wishes to traverse this path, he must prepare himself for how the innovators and ignorant people will criticize him, insult him, turn the people away from him, and warn against him, just as their predecessors from the kuffar used to do with the one he has chosen to follow, peace and blessings be upon him…

…So, he is strange in his practice of the Religion because of the corrupt manner in which they practice it, and he is strange in his firm adherence to the Sunnah because of their adherence to innovations, and he is strange in his beliefs because of the corruption in their beliefs, and he is strange in how he prays due to the bad manner in which they pray, and he is strange in his ways due to the misguidance and corruption of their ways, and he is strange in what he has ascribed himself to because of what they have ascribed themselves to, and he is strange in how he deals with them because he does not deal with them in accordance with what their desires dictate.

Basically, he is strange in both the matters of this world and the next. He does not find any of the common people who will help and assist him. He is a learned one amongst ignorants. He is a person of the Sunnah amongst people of innovation. He is a caller to Allah and His Messenger amongst callers to desires and innovations. He commands that which is good and forbids that which is bad amongst people who see the good as being bad, and the bad as being good…”

['Madarij as-Salikin'; 3/182-185]

{“It is only Satan that suggests to you the fear of   his  allies. So, do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.”}

[Al 'Imran; 175]:

“So, this verse proves that Satan makes his allies sources of fear, and he causes people to be afraid of them. And the verse shows that it is not permissible for the believer to fear the allies of Satan, and he should not fear people, as it was Said: {“So, do not fear the people, and fear Me…”} [al-Ma'idah; 44] So, we are commanded to fear Allah, and we are prohibited from fearing the allies of Satan. Allah Said: {“…So that men may have no argument against you except those of them that are wrong-doers. So, fear them not, and fear Me!”} [al-Baqarah; 150] So, He prohibited the fear of the wrong-doer, and He commanded us to fear Him.

He also Said: {“Those who convey the message of Allah and fear Him, and fear none except Allah…”} [al-Ahzab; 39] And He Said: {“…and fear Me, alone…”} [an-Nahl; 51]

And some people say: ‘O Lord! I fear You and I fear those who don’t fear You.’ These are nonsensical words, and it is not allowed to say them. Rather, one should fear Allah alone and not fear any person, since whoever does not fear Allah is too low to be feared, as he is a wrong-doer and is from the allies of Satan. So, Allah has forbidden us from having fear of such a person. If it is said that ‘such a person can hurt me,’ the response is that he is only hurting you because Allah has set him loose on you, and if Allah seeks to repel his harm from you, He can easily do so. The affair is all with Allah, and He sets people loose upon a person because of his sins, and if you fear Allah and keep your duty to Him and rely on Him, He will protect you from every evil there is and will not allow anyone to have power over you, as He Said: {“And whoever relies on Allah, He is sufficient for him.”} [at-Talaq; 3] The fact that someone is given power over you is the result of your sins and your fear of that person. So, if you fear Allah and repent from your sins and seek His Forgiveness, nobody can overpower you, as Allah Said: {“…and Allah will not punish them while they seek His Forgiveness.”} [al-Anfal; 33]

And a narration states that Allah Said: “I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship except Me! I am the King of kings! The hearts and foreheads of all kings are between My Hands. So, whoever obeys Me, I will make the hearts of all kings merciful to him, and whoever disobeys me, I will make them a source of agony for him. So, do not preoccupy yourselves with the abilities of the kings. Rather, repent to Me and obey Me, and I will make them support you.”“

In ‘Ighathat al-Lahfan’ (1/94), Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“From the plots of the enemy of Allah (i.e. Satan) is that he makes the believers afraid of his soldiers and allies. So, they do not strive against them, they do not enjoin what is good, and do not forbid what is bad. This is from his greatest plots for the believers, as Allah has informed us by Saying: {“It is only Satan that suggests to you the fear of his allies. So, do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.”}

…Qatadah explained this by saying: “He makes them great and powerful in his heart. This is why Allah Said: {“…So, do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.”} So, the stronger your faith becomes, the weaker the fear in your heart will be of Satan’s allies, and the weaker your faith becomes, the stronger the fear in your heart will be of them.””

In ‘al-Fawa’id’ (p. 78), he also said:

“There is nothing that exists that can affect something else completely independently and of its own accord. Rather, nothing can affect something without another factor somehow contributing to that effect and an obstacle is removed that prevents that effect from taking place. This applies to matters that can be seen by the eye. It also applies to the invisible and metaphysical, such as the Sun affecting livestock and plants, as this depends on other factors such as the presence of fertile ground, as well as other factors in addition to this factor. Likewise, childbirth depends on many factors besides intercourse, and this rule applies to everything that affects something else. So every creature that is feared or hoped in is at best simply one of many factors that can affect something else, and nothing can affect something in a completely independent fashion except Allah, the Overwhelming One. So, none should be hoped in or feared except He.

This is a concrete proof that attachment, hope, and fear of any but Allah is null. If we were to assume that one can affect something on his own, we would still have to accept that he did not derive this power on his own, and was rather granted it by someone else. So, he has no power of his own, as there is no might nor power except with Allah. He has all might and power in His Hand. So, the might and power for which people are feared are in reality in the Hand of Allah. So, how can we fear and hope in those who have no might or power? In fact, fearing someone and hoping in him is a reason for being afflicted by that very person and being prevented from his mercy, because the more you fear someone other than Allah, the more that person will overpower you, and the higher your hopes are in that person, the more you will be prevented from his mercy.”

ٌRegarding this verse, Sayyid Qutb said in ‘Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an’ (1/521):

“Indeed, it is Satan who tries to make his allies a source of fear and terror, and to dress them up with the appearance of power and awe. As a result, the believers should be aware of the plot of Satan and impede his attempts. They should not fear these allies of his. Rather, they should fear Allah alone, as He alone is the Mighty, Overwhelming, and Able who should be feared: {“It is only Satan that suggests to you the fear of his allies. So, do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.”}

Indeed, Satan is the one who inflates the reputation of his allies and dresses them up with the illusion of power and ability, and implants in our hearts the idea that they have the ability to do this and that, and that they can bring about benefit and harm. He does all this to fulfill his own interests: to use them to spread evil and corruption on Earth, as well as to cause people to bow down to them and submit their hearts to them so that nobody would say a word of opposition to their faces, and that nobody would even think of criticizing them or preventing them from evil and corruption.

Satan has an interest in falsehood and evil becoming widespread, and that he appear strong, capable, overwhelming, aggressive, and tyrannical so that no opposition stands to his face, nobody repels him, and nobody overpowers him. Satan has an interest in maintaining things this way. So, under the umbrella of fear, terror, and aggression, his allies carry out on Earth that which brings joy to his eyes! They make good appear as evil and evil appear as good. They spread corruption and falsehood and deception. They stifle out the voice of truth, guidance, and justice. They set themselves up as gods on Earth to support evil and kill off good without anyone daring to confront them or stand up to them or expel them from their positions of power – in fact, without anyone pointing out the falsehood that they have beautified or beautifying the truth that they have painted as ugly.

And Satan is a deceptive plotter who hides behind his allies and spreads fear through them into the hearts of those who fail to protect themselves from his whispers. Here, Allah exposes him and stands him naked without any covering for his plots, and makes his reality plain and clear to the believers – the reality of his plots and whispers – so that they are aware of them. So, they do not fear the allies of Satan, as they are too weak to be feared by a believer who relies on his Lord and His Power.

Indeed, the only power that is to be feared is the power that has the ability to bring about benefit and harm. It is the Power of Allah, and it is the Power that the believers in Allah fear. When they fear it alone – the greatest Power of all powers – no force on Earth can stand in front of them – neither the power of Satan nor the power of the allies of Satan…{“It is only Satan that suggests to you the fear of his allies. So, do not fear them, and fear Me if you are believers.”}”

…By Allah, the crisis of the disbeliever and the rebellious sinner in this life and the next truly is a crisis! For us, when we are stricken with some problem, one of us gets up during the night, humiliating himself before Allah – the Mighty and Exalted – saying: ‘O Lord! Relieve me of this! O Lord! Make this easy! O Allah! Make for us a way out of every grief and sadness, and make for us a way out of every tight situation!” You supplicate! As for the American, and the Brit – where does he go? That is why their problems pile on top of each other, until this results in psychological complications: {“Verily, those who oppose Allah and His Messenger will be disgraced, just as those before them were disgraced.”} [al-Mujadilah; 5]

Complications and disgrace. That is why you see that they cannot arrive at anything. They walk around, eating, enjoying themselves, not knowing how to rid themselves of these pains that they are living in. So, they do not find anything but the path of alcohol, the path of drugs. These drugs, such as marijuana, that these Americans use, and heroin, etc. – this heroin costs $1,000 for a gram! A kilogram costs a million dollars! You constantly see them with a needle – a syringe, for their drug use…They cannot sleep! Constant anxiety, sadness! 54 million Americans – one quarter of the American population – suffers from mental and psychological problems. You see one of them, a millionaire, in the newspapers: ‘Such-and-such killed himself…threw himself in front of a train…put himself underneath a train…threw himself off of a rooftop…’ – all in order to rid himself of this anxiety and sadness. He can find no escape! Where will he go? There is no escape from Allah, except to Him!

…One time, one of the brothers from the Mujahidin in Palestine said to me: “A Communist from the PDFLP (People’s Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and I were surrounded for three days by the Jews. Finally, when we felt impending doom upon us, as a result of our scarce food and water supply, he said: “Supplicate to your Lord.” I said: “No. You supplicate to Stalin, so that he could save us”” – the Muslim is sarcastically telling this Communist to pray to Stalin or Marx. The Communist replied: “Where is Marx? Where is Stalin?” So, the brother called out: “O Allah,” and Allah saved them.

And I have said to you that even these Russian Communists who descended upon the town of Jatral (a Pakistani border town, near Afghanistan) in their aircraft, it was said to them, by the locals: “What is it that frightens you most?” The Russians replied: “The Stinger missiles. However, we have memorized some texts from your holy book (the Qur’an) that were taught to us by the Afghans. We recite these texts, and we are saved from these Stingers.”

They recite the Qur’an in order to save themselves! Do Marx or Gorbachev save them?

{“…They invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him, saying: ‘If You deliver us from this, we shall truly be of the grateful.’”} [Yunus; 22]“

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 503-505]