Transcribed from the Islaahi Majlis conducted on 05/10/2023
Last week we discussed the Hadith wherein a person is permitted to stand and drink water, viz.
1) If it is Zam Zam water
2) The leftover water in the Mudd that was used to make Wudhu
3) If there is no place to sit, or the place is Napaak, then one can stand and drink in all these instances.
The second Hadith we discussed was the prohibition of eating and drinking out of gold and silver utensils.
Another prohibition while drinking, is that one should not breathe into the utensil while drinking. A person should take a sip, stop, take a breath, and then resume drinking. We have been taught to drink in three sips. But there are some instances where this is not possible. For example, a person is served Zam Zam water in a tiny glass which makes it difficult to drink in three sips. So, if a person drinks it in one gulp, that will be permissible. Or a person is drinking tea out of a mug; he would need to take more than three sips due to the volume of liquid and due to the liquid being hot. So, where a person can drink in three sips, he should do so, and where it necessitates either less or more than three sips, it will be permissible to do so.
Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam would never refuse a request
This being the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, we discussed the Seerah of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and the various qualities that he possessed, like the mercy of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
A poet has written:
“Had it not been for Tashahhud, The word لا (no) would not have existed in the vocabulary of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.”
In Tashahhud, we attest to the Oneness of Allah by saying,
“اشهد الا إله إلا الله…”
“I bear witness that there is No Diety except Allah…”
Had it not been for this word “No”, Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam would have only said, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam never refused any request of any person as long as it was within the parameters of Shariah.
On one occasion, a boy came to Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and said that his mother asked for the Kurta of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam told him that he possessed only the Kurta that he was wearing. So, the boy went back and told his mother that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam only had one Kurta, and when he gets another, he will give it to her. But she insisted that she wanted the Kurta. So he returned to Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam with the same request. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam went into his room and removed the Kurta and handed it over to the boy.
A little while later, Hadrat Bilaal Radiallahu Anhu called out the Adhaan for Asr Salaah. When he noticed that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam was not presenting himself for Salaah, he approached the room of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and enquired about him. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam told him that he did not have any clothing. The Sahaaba Radiallahu Anhum then arranged some clothing for Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
At this juncture, Allah Ta’ala revealed the following verses,
وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ وَلاَ تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَّحْسُورًا
“Your hand should not be fastened to your neck and do not spread it out fully else you will it reproached, empty-handed.” [Verse 29; Vol.17]
Meaning that don’t be so miserly that you can’t spend even a cent in the Path of Allah, nor should you be so generous, that you are left empty-handed.” Meaning that, you give everything you own and have nothing left for yourself. This teaches us that in Deen a person shouldn’t go to extremes, but rather opt for moderation. A moderate person goes very far in life.
The Leader of the Munaafiqeen
Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool, the leader of the Munaafiqeen, was such a terrible person, that Allah Ta’ala revealed an entire chapter in regard to him, Surah Munafiqoon. However, his son approached Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam asked him his name and he replied that it was “Hubab”. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that this was the name of Shaytaan and changed his name to Abdullah. So, his name was Abdullah and his father’s name was Abdullah, viz. Abdullah Bin Abdullah Bin Ubay Bin Sulool.
There are people whom we have met that have the name Muhammad Muhammad, after their father’s name. There is nothing wrong with this. In some places, great virtue has been attached to the name Muhammad that, there are cemeteries wherein people by the name of Muhammad are buried. So, we learn that we should keep good names for our children as it will have an effect on the child.
So, this Sahaabi came to Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam and informed him that his father, Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool was in the pangs of death. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam got up and gave the Sahabi his Kurta. Such was the mercy of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam towards the greatest enemy of Islam. Nifaaq (hypocrisy) is more detrimental than kufr. In Surah Baqarah, Allah Ta’ala mentions the Mu’mineen in two verses; Allah Ta’ala speaks about the Kuffaar in two verses; but approximately 13-15 verses were revealed in regard to the Munafiqeen.
Allah Ta’ala then revealed the following verses, “O Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, you have a choice in seeking forgiveness for the Munaafiqeen or not seeking forgiveness for them. If you seek forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah Ta’ala will never forgive them, as they disbelieved in Allah Ta’ala and the Rasul of Allah.” Because of this, they will never be forgiven.
اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لاَ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللّهُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِاللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (سورة التوبة – اية 80)
Hadrat Abdullah Bin Abbas Radiallahu Anhu mentions that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said after this verse was revealed, that Allah Ta’ala had given him a choice in seeking forgiveness for them or not. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that he will seek forgiveness for them more than 70 times and there is a chance that Allah Ta’ala might forgive them. On this, Allah Ta’ala revealed verses of the Quraan.
When Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool passed away, Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam attended the Janaazah and made Dua for him.
Allah Ta’ala then revealed the following:
وَلاَ تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلاَ تَقُمْ عَلَىَ قَبْرِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِاللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَاتُواْ وَهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (سورة التوبة – اية 84)
“Do not perform the Janaazah Salaah upon any of them who have passed away, and don’t even stand over their graves. Verily they disbelieved in Allah and His Rasul and passed away as sinners.”
After these verses were revealed, Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam never performed the Janaazah Salaah for a Kaafir again. When a Kaafir passes away, one cannot attend his funeral nor visit the graveyard. A question arises here, can one console his Kaafir neighbour on the demise of his close one? Yes, a person can console his neighbour by saying, “May Allah Ta’ala grant you a better replacement.” Meaning that, may Allah Ta’ala replace this person with a person of Imaan in this family.
Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam went out of his way for this Munaafiq-he took out his Kurta for him, led his Janaazah etc. The Ulama have written that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam did all this as his son, Hadrat Abdullah Bin Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool was a Mukhlis (sincere) Sahaabi, and Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam did not want to break his heart, so he led the Janaazah Salaah to make the Sahaabi happy.
The second reason being that, according to a narration in Bukhari Sharif, 70 people were taken as captives in the Battle of Badr. One of the captives was Hadrat Abbas Radiallahu Anhu, who was the uncle of Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. When he was brought to Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam requested Sahaaba to give some clothing to him as he didn’t have clothing. Hadrat Abbas Radiallahu Anhu was very tall and had a very loud voice. The only person who’s clothing would fit Hadrat Abbas Radiallahu Anhu was Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool. And so, the leader of the Munaafiqeen took out his Kurta and gave it to Hadrat Abbas Radiallahu Anhu. Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam never forgot this favour of Abdullah Bin Ubay bin Sulool towards his uncle Hadrat Abbas Radiallahu Anhu. Hence, on his dying day, Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam took off his Kurta and handed it to him. This was the level of Rahmah that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam possessed.
The Mercy of Allah is Far-reaching
It is the nature of the human being, that they, very quickly forget people who have showered their kindness towards them in the past. May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq to be loyal to those who favour us. We should make Dua to Allah Ta’ala to bless us with the quality of Rahmah.
Previously, I always used to say, “O Allah! Grant us just a little, even a fraction of it,” referring to the quality of Rahmah. A senior Ustaadh of Hadith advised me, “Why do you ask for a little when the Khazaanah (treasures) of Allah Ta’ala are unlimited? Ask Allah Ta’ala for a lot; ask for all the mercy that was given to Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam to be given to you. And then, according to the decision of Allah, you will be blessed.
Hadrat Aisha Radiallahu Anha asked Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, “No person can enter into Jannah except by the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala?” Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam replied, “Nobody can enter into Jannah except by the mercy of Allah Ta’ala!” Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam repeated this three times. Hadrat Aisha Radiallahu Anha then asked, “Not even you O Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam?” He replied, “Not even me! Except that Allah Ta’ala has enveloped me in His Mercy.”
Hadrat Abu Hurairah Radiallahu Anhu narrates that once a Sahabi was walking and noticed a branch on the road. So, he moved the branch to prevent inconvenience and injury to others. Because of this, Allah Ta’ala forgave him. A decision of Jannah just for moving an object from the road!
Baayazid Bustami Rahmatullahi Alaihi appears in a dream
Hadrat Baayazid Bustami Rahmatullahi Alaih was a great Buzurg and friend of Allah Ta’ala. He passed away in the year 261 AH. Someone saw him in a dream and asked him about his condition. He replied, “Allah Ta’ala asked me what I had brought with me. When I thought of my Salaah, my acts of worship, I felt it wasn’t perfect to present to Allah Ta’ala. Then I thought that I have Imaan. All my A’maal may be destroyed but I have my Imaan. So, I presented this to Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala said, “Don’t you remember the night of the milk?”
This night refers to when Baayazid Bustami Rahmatullahi Alaihi experienced some stomach pain and attributed it to drinking milk.
So Allah Ta’ala asked him, “Where was your Imaan then? All illnesses comes from Me but you attributed it to the milk.” So, Allah Ta’ala asked him again, “Baayazid, what have you brought?” This time he replied, “O Allah! I have nothing!” Allah Ta’ala told Baayazid Bustami, “There is one action of yours that I Loved! There was a cat out in the cold one night. You took it inside your home and took care of it. Because of that, I have forgiven you and will enter you into Jannah.”
A lifetime of Wilaayat – friendship of Allah and A’maal upon A’maal – a great deal of good deeds, but just one action for the pleasure of Allah outweighed everything. This makes us totally dependent on the Rahmah of Allah Ta’ala and it is this Rahmah that Nabi Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam was blessed with.
The incident of Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi and the Shoemaker
Next to the home of Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi, lived a shoemaker. The shoemaker was a singer as well. After returning from work, he would start entertaining and partying. This caused a lot of inconvenience to Imaam Sahib and the rest of the local Muslims. One day, he came out of his house in a drunken state and was arrested and put into jail. A day or so passed and Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi hasn’t heard the usual noise coming from that man’s house. So Imaam Sahib enquired from the locals and found out that he was arrested and put in jail. We would have been happy at this news and relieved that peace was restored. But Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaih got everyone ready and proceeded to the jailhouse to have the shoemaker freed.
When Imaam Sahib arrived at the Governor, the Governor was so pleased to welcome Imaam Sahib and honoured him greatly. He held him by his hand and ushered him to sit on an elevated place. Then he asked Imaam Sahib Rahmatullahi Alaihi the reason for his visit. Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi told the Governor that his neighbour was arrested, and he has come to plead for his freedom on behalf of himself. The Governor responded by telling Imaam Sahib that not only would he free the shoemaker, but through Imaam Sahib, he would free all the prisoners as well. Then the Governor asked Imaam Sahib why he took the trouble to come himself instead of sending someone on his behalf to ask. Imaam Abu Hanifa replied, “Allah Ta’ala reward you!” Then he called all the prisoners and told them to thank Imaam Abu Hanifa as it was through his Sheikh that they are being freed. Imaam Abu Hanifa took hold of the shoemaker’s hands, and then addressed him, “We didn’t forget you!” The shoemaker replied, “Definitely you did not forget me, O master! I pledge today that I will never inconvenience you again. They made their way home and upon arriving at the house of Imaam Sahib, he tells his son to bring 10 gold coins. Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi handed it to the shoemaker saying that it was for the difficulties he endured in prison. The shoemaker landed himself in prison through drinking, but this was the Rahmah of Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi. Imaam Sahib then sent him home saying that your family will be waiting for you. Thereafter, the shoemaker started attending the Majlis of Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullahi Alaihi. This is how the pious predecessors won the people over. This shoemaker later became a great jurist.
If this mercy enters our hearts, there will be no dispute left in our businesses, no dispute in our homes, no dispute amongst our families, between father and son, and amongst siblings! This Rahmah would not allow us to cause inconvenience to another human being. We are all in need of it and we ask Allah Ta’ala to grant it to us. May Allah Ta’ala grant us Taufeeq, Ameen!
