Forty Hadith Qudsi

Introduction

The following is a collection of 40 Hadith Qudsi. But what is Hadith Qudsi and how do they differ from other Hadith? The following discussion is given in the introduction to the book titled "Forty Hadith Qudsi" published by: Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, Islamic Translation Center, P.O.Box 38130, Aldahieh, Kuwait.

Hadith Qudsi are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as revealed to him by the Almighty Allah. Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are so named because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are Prophetic Hadith, their authority (Sanad) is traced back not to the Prophet but to the Almighty.

Among the many definitions given by the early scholars to Sacred Hadith is that of as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani (died in 816 A.H.) in his lexicon At-Tarifat where he says: "A Sacred Hadith is, as to the meaning, from Allah the Almighty; as to the wording, it is from the messenger of Allah (PBUH). It is that which Allah the Almighty has communicated to His Prophet through revelation or in dream, and he, peace be upon him, has communicated it in his own words. Thus Qur'an is superior to it because, besides being revealed, it is His wording."

Hadith Collection

Hadith Qudsi 1:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 2:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah Almighty has said:
The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And he reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, it is his saying: He will not remake me as He made me at first (1) - and the initial creation [of him] is no easier for Me than remaking him. As for his reviling Me, it is his saying: Allah has taken to Himself a son, while I am the One, the Everlasting Refuge. I begot not nor was I begotten, and there is none comparable to Me.
(1) i.e., bring me back to life after death.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 3:

On the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhaniyy (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars.
(2) The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This Hadith draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things.
It is related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik and an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 4:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
Sons of Adam inveigh against [the vicissitudes of] Time, and I am Time, in My hand is the night and the day (1).
(1) As the Almighty is the Ordainer of all things, to inveigh aginst misfortunes that are part of Time is tantamount to inveighing against Him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).

Hadith Qudsi 5:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (glorified and exalted be He) said:
I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.
It was related by Muslim (also by Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 6:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to his His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 7:

On the authority of Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (PBUH) say:
Your Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain crag, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah (glorified and exalted be He) say: Look at this servant of Mine, he gives the call to prayer and performs the prayers; he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant [his sins] and have admitted him to Paradise.
It was related by an-Nasa'i with a good chain of authorities.

Hadith Qudsi 8:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2) He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din (5), Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in (6), He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin (7), He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
(1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.
(2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah.
(3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."
(4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate".
(5) "Master of the Day of Judgement".
(6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help".
(7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray".
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 9:

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
The fist of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad).

Hadith Qudsi 10:

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
Fasting is Mine and it I who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for my sake. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy whin he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 11:

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).

Hadith Qudsi 12:

On the authority of Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
A man from among those who were before you was called to account. Nothing in the way of good was found for him except that he used to have dealings with people and, being well-to-do, he would order his servants to let off the man in straitened circumstances [from repaying his debt]. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said that Allah said: We are worthier than you of that (of being so generous). Let him off.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 13:

On the authority of Adiyy ibn Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I was with the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there came to him two men: one of them was complaining of penury (being very poor), while the other was complaining of brigandry (robbery). The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: As for brigandry, it will be but a short time before a caravan will [be able to] go out of Mecca without a guard. As for penury, the Hour (Day of Judgement) will not arrive before one of you takes his charity around without finding anyone to accept it from him. Then (1) one of you will surely stand before Allah, there being no screed between Him and him, nor an interpreter to translate for him. Then He will say to him: Did I not bring you wealth? And he will say: Yes. Then He will say: Did I not send to you a messenger? And he will say: Yes. And he will look to his right and will see nothing but Hell-fire, then he will look to his left and will see nothing but Hell-fire, so let each of you protect himself against Hell-fire, be it with even half a date - and if he finds it not, then with a kind word.
(1) i.e. at the time of the Hour. It was related by al-Bukhari.

Hadith Qudsi 14:

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has supernumerary angels who rove about seeking out gatherings in which Allah's name is being invoked: they sit with them and fold their wings round each other, fillin that which is between them and between the lowest heaven. When [the people in the gathering] depart, [the angels] ascend and rise up to heaven. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h.) said: Then Allah (mighty and sublime be He) asks them - [though] He is most knowing about them: From where have you come? And they say: We have come from some servants of Yours on Earth: they were glorifying You (Subhana llah), exalting you (Allahu akbar), witnessing that there is no god but You (La ilaha illa llah), praising You (Al-Hamdu lillah), and asking [favours] of You. He says: And what do they ask of Me? They say: They ask of You Your Paradise. He says: And have they seen My Paradise? They say: No, O Lord. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Paradise! They say: And they ask protection of You. He says: From what do they ask protection of Me? They say: From Your Hell-fire, O Lord. He says: And have they seen My Hell-fire? They say: NO. He says: And how would it be were they to have seen My Hell-fire: They say: And they ask for Your forgiveness. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: Then He says: I have forgiven them and I have bestowed upon them what they have asked for,and I have granted them sanctuary from that from which they asked protection. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: They say: O Lord, among then is So-and-so, a much sinning servant, who was merely passing by and sat down with them. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said: And He says: And to him [too] I have given forgiveness: he who sits with such people shall not suffer.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 15:

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah the Almighty said:
I am as My servant thinks I am (1). I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
(1) Another possible rendering of the Arabic is: "I am as My servant expects Me to be". The meaning is that forgiveness and acceptance of repentance by the Almighty is subject to His servant truly believing that He is forgiving and merciful. However, not to accompany such belief with right action would be to mock the Almighty.
It was related by al-Buhkari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 16:

On the authority of son of Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), among the sayings he related from his Lord (glorified and exalted be He) is that He said:
Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it [by saying that] he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Hadith Qudsi 17:

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:
O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 18:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection:
O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink whin You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.
It was related by Muslim.

Hadith Qudsi 19:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Pride is my cloak and greatness My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them I shall cast into Hell-fire.
It was related by Abu Dawud (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad) with sound chains of authority. This Hadith also appears in Muslim in another version.

Hadith Qudsi 20:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled.
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik and Abu Dawud).

Hadith Qudsi 21:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said that Allah the Almighty said:
There are three (1) whose adversary I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a man who has given his word by Me and has broken it; a man who has sold a free man (2) and has consumed the price; and a man who has hired a workman, has exacted his due in full from him and has not given him his wage.
(1) i.e. types of men.
(2) i.e. a man who has made a slave of another and has sold him.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Ibn Majah and Ahmad ibn Hanbal).

Hadith Qudsi 22:

On the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Let not any one of you belittle himself. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how can any one of us belittle himself? He said: He finds a matter concerning Allah about which he should say something, and he does not say [it], so Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says to him on the Day of Resurrection: What prevented you from saying something about such-and-such and such-and-such? He say: [It was] out of fear of people. Then He says: Rather it is I whom you should more properly fear.
It was related by Ibn Majah with a sound chain of authorities.

Hadith Qudsi 23:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection:
Where are those who love one another through My glory? Today I shall give them shade in My shade, it being a day when there is no shade but My shade.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik).

Hadith Qudsi 24:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (on whom be peace) and says: I love So-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So Gabriel loves him. Then he (Gabriel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves So-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth. And if Allah has abhorred a servant [of His], He calls Gabriel and says: I abhor So-and-so, therefore abhor him. So Gabriel abhors him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah abhors So-and-so, therefore abhor him. He (the Prophet pbuh) said: So they abhor him, and abhorrence is established for him on earth.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, Malik, and at-Tirmidhi).

Hadith Qudsi 25:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.
It was related by al-Bukhari.

Hadith Qudsi 26:

On the authority of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favour is a believer who is of meagre means and much given to prayer, who has been particular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly (1), who was obscure among people and not pointed our, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (pbuh) rapped his hand and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant.
(1) i.e. he has not been ostentatious in his obedience.
(It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Majah). Its chain of authorities is sound.

Hadith Qudsi 27:

On the authority of Masruq, who said:
We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169). He said: We asked about that and the Prophet (pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them (1) and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be.
(1) i.e. at those who had been killed in the cause of Allah.
It was related by Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 28:

On the authority of Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled Me; I have forbidden him Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.

Hadith Qudsi 29:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:
My faithful servant's reward from Me, if I have taken to Me his best friend from amongst the inhabitants of the world and he has then borne it patiently for My sake, shall be nothing less than Paradise.
It was related by al-Bukhari.

Hadith Qudsi 30:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
If My servant likes to meet Me, I like to meet him; and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him. Prophetic explanation of this Sacred Hadith: He who likes to meet Allah, Allah likes to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah dislikes to meet him. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Prophet of Allah, is it because of the dislike of death, for all of us dislike death? The Prophet (pbuh) said: It is not so, but rather it is that when the believer is given news of Allah's mercy, His approval and His Paradise, he likes to meet Allah and Allah likes to meet him; but when the unbeliever is given news of Allah's punishment and His displeasure, he dislikes to meet Allah and Allah dislikes to meet him.
It was related by al-Bukhari and Malik. The Prophetic version is related by Muslim.

Hadith Qudsi 31:

On the authority of Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) related:
A man said: By Allah, Allah will not forgive So-and-so. At this Allah the Almighty said: Who is he who swears by Me that I will not forgive So-and-so? Verily I have forgiven So-and-so and have nullified your [own good] deeds (1) (or as he said [it]).
(1) A similar Hadith, which is given by Abu Dawud, indicates that the person referred to was a goldly man whose previous good deeds were brought to nought through presuming to declare that Allah would not forgive someone's bad deeds.
It was related by Muslim.

Hadith Qudsi 32:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He said to the earth: Produce what you have taken-and there he was! And He said to him: What induced you to do what you did? He said: Being afraid of You, O my Lord (or he said: Being frightened of You) and because of that He forgave him.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 33:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH), from among the things he reports from his Lord (mighty and sublime be He), is that he said:
A servant [of Allah's] committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari).

Hadith Qudsi 34:

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: Allah the Almighty said:
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.
It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.

Hadith Qudsi 35:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).
In a version by Muslim the Hadith ends with the words:
And thus He continues till [the light of] dawn shines.

Hadith Qudsi 36:

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the talking of a life other that for a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will fell ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and HE will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Quran has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

Hadith Qudsi 37:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, not has it occurred to human heart. Thus recite if you wish (1): And no soul knows what joy for them (the inhabitants of Paradise) has been kept hidden (Quran Chapter 32 Verse 17).
(1) The words "Thus recite if you wish" are those of Abu Harayrah.
It was related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Hadith Qudsi 38:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah created Paradise and Hell-fire, He sent Gabriel to Paradise, saying: Look at it and at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he came to it and looked at it and at what Allah had prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to Him and said: By your glory, no one hears of it without entering it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by forms of hardship, and He said: Return to it and look at what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants. The Prophet (pbuh) said: So he returned to it and found that it was encompassed by forms of hardship (1). Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, I fear that no one will enter it. He said: Go to Hell-fire and look at it and what I have prepared therein for its inhabitants, and he fount that it was in layers, one above the other. Then he returned to Him and said: By Your glory, no one who hears of it will enter it. So He ordered that it be encompassed by lusts. Then He said: Return to it. And he returned to it and said: By Your glory, I am frightened that no one will escape from entering it.
(1) The Arabic word used here is "makarih", the literal meaning of which is "things that are disliked". In this context it refers to forms of religious discipline that man usually finds onerous.
It was related by Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and sound Hadith (also by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i).

Hadith Qudsi 39:

On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Paradise and Hell-fire disputed together, and Hell-fire said: In me are the mighty and the haughty. Paradise said: In me are the weak and the poor. So Allah judged between them, [saying]: You are Paradise, My mercy; through you I show mercy to those I wish. And you are Hell-fire, My punishment; through you I punish those I wish, and it is incumbent upon Me that each of you shall have its fill.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi).

Hadith Qudsi 40:

On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi).

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An Islamic Meltdown?

We have made ourselves a crisis nation and since our crisis has a global ramification, we are looked at as a source of all crises. This contemporary image of ours is quite contrary to the Quranic image wherein we are portrayed as Khair-u-Ummah, the chosen people of God raised specifically to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong:  كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ. Our prophet, we are told in the Quran, brought with him no communitarian project for the benefit of Muslim people alone. Instead, he was rahmatul lil ālamīn, a blessing and mercy unto mankind. And as a continuing legacy of our beloved Prophet, we Muslims are supposed to be a divinely ordained nation in whom all nations of the world must find solace and tranquility. 

But, contrary to our Quranic image, look what has become of us. We are a nation in ruins. From Iraq to Syria and further down to Lebanon, from posh urban centers in Pakistan to the rugged hills of Afghanistan, and from the devastated lands of Libya and Egypt to the Arab centre of Yemen, Muslims are pitted against fellow Muslims. Imagine the chaos! Muslims are bombing Muslims. The entire central land of Islam has turned into a battleground where the Ummah of the last Prophet is on a suicide spree. 

Brothers and Sisters!

Today we are facing an Islamic meltdown. The Muslim world is being depopulated at an alarming rate. According to a conservative estimate, in the 1991 Iraq war alone, ‘more than 80,000 tons of explosives dropped by coalition forces killed around 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and 350,000 innocent civilians. And in the aftermath of the bombing, another 111, 000 people died due to shortage of medicine, of whom 70,000 were children under 15’. The economic sanction that followed the war, according to UNICEF documentation, resulted into the death of over half a million children. In 2003, Iraq again became a battleground resulting into the deaths of 650,000 humans by June 2006, according to a survey published in Lancet. According to an OBR survey of Iraq war casualties, in just 4 years, from 2003 to 2007, more than a million people died. This is just about Iraq, a country of 30 million people. A civil war has gripped the neighboring Syria where some 250,000 people have perished so far, according to a UN report. As many as 11 million had to leave their homes, of whom 4 million seeking refuge in the neighboring countries. According to some rights group estimation, some 10 million people inside Syria do not have enough to eat. Imagine the scale of devastation! A country of 22 million people, with 11 million displaced, 4 million fled to neighboring countries and 10 million, who remain within, are starving. Muslims killing Muslims, with the help of foreign weapons and advisors, has become such a huge and established industry that today we have specific organizations devoted to counting our dead bodies. One such organization is Iraq Body Count that updates its website on a daily basis. Iraq and Syria are in total ruins. Taliban and other sectarian groups have wreaked havoc in Pakistan. Afghanistan, which lost 1.5 million Muslims during the Afghan Jihad, has become a gaping wound. Now, an all-out war is raging in Yemen. All indications lead to the conclusion that the flames of war may soon engulf the entire region. Here again Muslims are on both sides of the conflict; Zaidi Shias locked in a battle with their Sunni brothers. 

One might say that it is oversimplification to look at the entire conflict in Shia-Sunni paradigm, and that there are other more complex factors involved. But those aware of what is going on in the minds of young defenders on both sides of the conflict cannot deny that a mad sectarian frenzy lies at the heart of the conflict. Shia youth coming from far-off places to defend the Shrine of Syeda Zainab at the outskirts of Damascus are doing it as a religious obligation. Similarly, when Salafi jihadis bulldozed the tomb of Shaikh Ahmad Al-Refaei, they did so with full religious conviction. The Late Ayatollah Khomeini who championed the cause of the Islamic unity, who wanted to do away with the man-made Shia and Sunni identity and who vociferously claimed to be the upholder of La Shia La Sunnia, Islamiya Islamiya, painfully realized in his later years that the 8 year Iran-Iraq war, in which more than a million Muslims on both sides lost their lives, had eventually reduced Iran into a defender of the Shia faith, rather than Islam. Today, we talk of the looming Shia crescent, the increasing dominance of nuclear Iran; and the Sunni world is made to believe that the emergence of a nuclear Iran will be tantamount to a slap in the face of Sunni Islam. 
Dear friends! 

Make no mistake! It is our internal contradictions that allow others to occupy our lands, grab our resources, dishonor our women, kill our children, and depopulate our towns. They hire us for our own destruction. Call it Sunni al-Qaeda or Shia Hezbollah, or be they Taliban or Da’esh, Jaish al-Mahdi or Sipah-e-Sahaba. Weird mercenaries we Muslims are, who can be hired to kill our own sons and daughters. This is sheer madness, cannibalism of the worst kind.

Brothers and Sisters!

Today we are locked in the deadliest and the bloodiest internecine conflict of our history. Never before in our 1400 year long history did we ever have so highly sophisticated weapons, and at such a large scale, at our disposal to commit a collective suicide. Never before did the self-hating preachers enjoy the privilege of running hate shops on the internet or of streaming out venom and filth on the YouTube. Dear fellow Muslims! If we do not come back to our senses, the sectarian cannibalism will blot out our existence.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

The rise and fall of a nation is no big deal. God replacing a nation with another is a routine matter [وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ]. But, extinction of the Muslim Ummah is no ordinary concern. They are the upholders of the last message of God to humanity. Simply put, they are the continuing legacy of all the prophets and seers, and by virtue of being deputies of the last Prophet they have been entrusted with the task of leading history till end times. It is because of our ejection from the seat of authority and guidance that the world is in such disarray. And our ejection took place because contrary to the Quranic exhortationsوَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ ‘and hold fast the covenant of God together and do not get divided’, we preferred to look the other way. And so did God almighty, as our covenant with God was broken. God raised us as one nation: وَإِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً. He chose to call us Muslims: هُوَ سَمّٰکُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ, yet we kept on violating the covenant. Giving in to sectarian loyalties, we acquired un-Godly identities. We preferred, even blasphemously, to call ourselves Sunni and Shia, Isma’ili and Ibadi, Sufi and Salafi, Deobandi and Bareilvi and so on. And on and on and on …. The sentence is painfully long. The agony that we are in today is God’s judgment on us Who had very clearly warned us:  إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا لَسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ i.e., ‘Verily, as for those who have broken the unity of their faith and have become sects - you have nothing to do with them (O Prophet). Behold, their case rests with God: and in time He will make them understand what they were doing.’ 

O You Muslims!  

To get back to the seat of glory and guidance and to deserve God’s abounding Mercy once again, we need to get rid of false identities and return to the fold of original Islam, the fold of one Ummah. Today, the Muslim mind is terribly confused. A vast gap exists between what the Quran enjoins and what our sectarian preachers and cult leaders preach. The crisis in the Middle-East and elsewhere, where the Muslim is pitted against fellow Muslim, is a manifestation of the crisis in the Muslim mind. We know of the Sykes-Picot treaty, a secret deal that fragmented the world of Islam into many nation states leaving no room for any future unification of the Ummah, but we are not aware of, or at least not sensitive to, the many ideological, fiqhi and maslaki Sykes-Picots that have taken firm roots in the course of time; which have become sacrosanct, hence rendered any future unification of the Ummah impossible. It is time to declare that we reject all Sykes-Picots plots, be they political or ideological, and wrought by veteran enemies or naïve (or crafty) well-wishers. 

A new beginning cannot be made unless we muster enough courage to reopen the Book of God and let God’s voice speak direct to us without any human mediation. Remember! Islam is a gift of God to humanity. It is our collective heritage. If it gets blurred or adulterated, it must be everybody’s concern. We cannot leave it to any group of specialists or a band of clerics to tell us what God really wants from us. In Islam everybody is his own pope. Our Prophet came to liberate us from the shackles of clergy: وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ 

The two-day conclave at Aligarh which brings together some of the best minds from various sectarian affiliations is mainly intended to be an avenue for collective introspection. The conference is a befitting tribute to our beloved founder of the university who always used his head for hard thinking and rarely as a cap-stand. To quote Iqbal: “he was the first Indian Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it. We may differ from his religious views, but there can be no denying the fact that his sensitive soul was the first to react to the modern age. The extreme conservatism of Indian Muslims which had lost its hold on the realities of life failed to see the real meaning of the religious attitude of Syed Ahmad Khan.”

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I hope you won’t miss the symbolic significance of this historic seat of learning, a traditional abode for vibrant, dynamic and creative thinking in Islam, which is witnessing now an all-out revival under the visionary leadership of our vice-chancellor, Gen. Shah, to whom goes the credit for making this university number one in just two years’ time. With new roads and newer pavements, he has already fixed potholes on the ground, and if this conference is able to fix potholes in our minds, the all-out Aligarh renaissance would be achieved. 

As the convener of this high profile conference, it is my duty to make your stay comfortable and productive. I’m humbled by the huge and overwhelming response. Some six hundred people from across the world are here to take part in collective thinking. Around 200 of them have come from various Indian cities, and 20 of them from abroad; they have travelled all the way from Cairo, Islamabad, Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, Moscow, Maryland, Atlanta, Washington DC and other cities around the world. We warmly welcome our guests, especially foreign dignitaries, to the traditional Aligarh hospitality. It is modest, very basic and at times even challenging, but hopefully productive.  I pray to Allah that He makes this conference a great success!

Āmīn ya Rabbul Ālamīn!

- See more at: http://www.futureislam.com/inner.php?id=NjEy#sthash.8oeTok1u.dpuf

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21 Beautiful Duas From the Quran

Dua, an Arabic word that literally means supplication or invocation, is one of the most powerful tools a Muslim has at his or her disposal.

Making dua is a conversation with God.  It’s a time to ask God to grant your requests, both large and small, for both here and the hereafter.  The Prophet, pbuh, frequently encouraged his followers to make dua, saying “A slave becomes nearest to his Lord when he is in prostration. So increase supplications in prostrations.’’  [Sahih Muslim]

Another hadith finds the Prophet saying,  “The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say, `I supplicated my Lord but my prayer has not been granted’.’’ [Sahih Muslim, Sahih Al-Bukhari]

In the Quran, God Himself urges us to make dua.  In Surah Al-Fatiha, which we recite five times a day for our fard (obligatory) salat (prayers), it is mentioned of God, “You Alone do we worship and You Alone do we ask for help.” [Quran 1:5]

God also says, “And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the supplications of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.” [Quran 2:186]

Ramadan is a great time to increase our duas and ask God for whatever it is we desire–forgiveness, entrance to Jannah, children, a spouse, healing–nothing is too great or too small.

While we can certainly make dua in our own words, the Quran also contains countless beautiful duas we can use.

We’ve put together a list of 21 of our favorite duas from the Quran below.  May these benefit you now and in the future!

“Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!”  [SURAH AL-BAQARAH (201)]

“Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established.”  [SURAH IBRAHEEM(41)]

“Our Lord! Keep perfect our Light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Sirat (a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.”    [SURAH AT-TAHREEM (8)]

“O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the All-Hearer of invocation.”   [SURAH AL-IMRAN (38)]

“O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have Mercy on me, I will indeed be one of the losers.” [SURAH HUUD (47)]

“Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!”  [SURAH AL-KAHF(10)]

“O my Lord! Make me one who performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat ), and (also) from my offspring, our Lord! And accept my invocation. [SURAH IBRAHEEM (40)]

“O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness).  And ease my task for me.”  [SURAH TAHA (25-26)]

“O My Lord! Leave me not single (childless), though You are the Best of the inheritors.” [SURAH AL-ANBIYAA (89)]

“My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing-place, for You are the Best of those who bring to land.”  [SURAH AL-MU’MINUN (29)]

“My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves.” [SURAH AN-NAML (19)]

“My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.” [SURAH AL-QASAS (16)]

“My Lord! truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!”  [SURAH AL-QASAS (24)]

“My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my offspring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will).”  [SURAH AL-AHQAAF (15)]

“O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things.  You make the night to enter into the day, and You make the day to enter into the night (i.e. increase and decrease in the hours of the night and the day during winter and summer), You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give wealth and sustenance to whom You will, without limit (measure or account).”  [SURAH AL-IMRAN(26-27)]

“All the bounty is in the Hand of Allah; He grants to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.  He selects for His Mercy (Islam and the Qur’an with Prophethood) whom He wills and Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.”  [SURAH AL-IMRAN(73-74)]

“My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”  [SURAH TA-HA(114)]

“My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayatin (devils).  And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they should come near me.”  [SURAH AL-MU’MINUN(97-98)]

 “My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy!”  [SURAH AL-MU’MINUN(118)]

“Say: “I seek refuge with (Allah), the Lord of the daybreak, From the evil of what He has created, And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away), And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots, And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”  [SURAH AL-FALAQ]

“Say: “I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of mankind, The King of mankind – The Ilah (God) of mankind, From the evil of the whisperer (devil who whispers evil in the hearts of men) who withdraws (from his whispering in one’s heart after one remembers Allah). Who whispers in the breasts of mankind Of jinn and men.”  [SURAH AN-NAAS]

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Islam in Practical Life

The whole universe is in the Hands of Almighty Allah. He is the Absolute Sovereign. He grants kingdom or takes it away from whoso He wills. He may honour or abase anyone He wills. He has His own law and system. We all feel generally grieved at the deplorable condition of Muslims, and cry and pray to Allah to have mercy on them, because Kufr has pounced upon them like a hungry wolf, everywhere on the globe. But why don’t our grief, pain and prayers evoke any Divine response? Have we ever bothered to reflect, where the prayers of the whole lot of us that cry before Allah with sincerity and humility, finally get lost? No doubt this is a world of ‘cause and effect’ and there is always some cause for every event, but this is equally true that Du’a (supplication, prayer) is the most effective of all causes. When Prophet Ibrahim-as was cast in fire, the burning logs turned into green trees, and the fire, instead of burning him, turned into a beautiful garden for him. However, in his case, there was none else to pray for him; all others were either burners or spectators. Then why did this happen?

It is mentioned in the Ahadith quoted by learned scholars with reference to this incident that the Archangel Jibril, on behalf of all angles, submitted in the Divine Presence, ‘O Allah! Your friend, all alone at this moment, is being cast into fire by a power, which despite being a creature claims divinity for itself. The inferno extends for miles together. Please allow us, the angels, to help and save him.’ Allah replied, ‘Ask Ibrahim. If he agrees, do help him.’ The Archangel went to Prophet Ibrahim-as and explained the matter to him. He said, ‘Jibril! Is Allah seeing everything personally?’ Jibril-as replied, ‘Of course, and He can do anything He likes.’ Prophet Ibrahim-as said, ‘Then why do I need you? I am His slave; fire is also His creation and He is seeing everything Himself, then what is the need for anyone else to interfere?’ The fact that, he was totally attentive towards Allah; his life, death, profit and loss were all devoted for Allah, transformed the roaring fire into a lush green garden.

We do pray, but nowhere in any of the fifty-six Islamic states does Islam really exist. The holy Quran is recited everywhere, but nobody acts on it. The Salah are offered but they don’t bring any change. The holy Quran mentions that Salah prevents a person from lewdness and evil. We see that our mosques are full of innumerable people offering Salah. But is our Salah reforming us? Do we abstain from lewdness and evil after offering Salah? This is the immediate effect that we should have felt. Du‘a is like a fruit. First, it is the tree trunk that grows followed by branches; then leaves sprout, flowers blossom, and finally the fruit appears. Du‘a is like a fruit of worship. It is mentioned in the Hadith that Du‘a is the core and kernel of worship. The first effect of Sajdah (prostration) in the mosque is complete reformation. When the person goes out of the mosque, he should be a different man, bearing better conduct and speech. Explaining the effect of five times Salah, the holy Prophet-saws said that it is like bathing five times a day in the canal flowing through the courtyard of one’s house. ‘Can the body still remain dirty?’ ‘Nay, O Allah’s Messenger!’ ‘Similarly,’ he-saws said, ‘the five times Salah cleans the innerself.’

Hajj, as an obligatory worship, is to be performed only once in life, even by those who are wealthy and possess abundant resources. In the medication system, there is a medicine known as the life saving drug. It is the last medicine to save life and restore health. If this also fails, the patient is sure to die. Hajj is a similar medicine prescribed by Almighty Allah. Anyone who performs Hajj once, does not need to perform it again for the rest of his life. The holy Prophet-saws said that anyone who performs Hajj is purified from all sins, just like a newly-born. Now, what is the criterion to judge the acceptance of repentance and purification from sins? It is a simple thumb rule; the person, whose sins have been forgiven and his repentance accepted by Almighty Allah, will start hating vice and loving

virtue. His life would undergo a change; he would adopt the course of righteousness and would avoid evil. If, by virtue of human nature, he commits a mistake, he would lament for hours and finally repent before Almighty Allah. Of course, he would never become an angel; would remain a human being but the love for virtue would dominate his personality and he would develop hatred for sins. A total of four and a half million Muslims have performed Hajj, this year. That is half a crore; but can we quote how many of them improved and became better on return? The holy Prophet-saws was asked about the remedy of anger. He replied that, in the event of uncontrollable anger, one should perform Wudhu; it would calm him and soothe his overwhelming fury. But, we offer prayers and that does not change us; we perform Hajj and that doesn’t affect us either. Practical lives of Muslims suggest that, may God not, Islam has become impracticable during the present time. This is the logic used by non-Muslims: there are so many Muslim states, but Islam is not the law of a single one of them; if Islam was practicable during the present time, why don’t Muslims practise it themselves? When we adopt the ways of non-Muslims in our politics, economics, governance and ethics, we would have to face the consequences also. If a person starts eating rotten fruit, the effect on his health is obvious. Similar is the outcome of adopting the ways of non-Muslims. According to my guess, eighty percent of global natural resources are with the Muslims. Western intellectuals place this estimate at forty-seven percent; their maligned interests inhibit them from disclosing to Muslims that they own all the resources of life. You would find that the most fertile tracts are with Muslims; beautiful mountains, fruit growing areas, cattle breeding regions are with Muslims. Similarly, most of the warm water harbours, maximum oil reserves, mineral resources including coal, gold and precious stones are mostly with Muslims. Majority of life resources belong to Muslims, but they are living on the charity of non-Muslims. These resources are under the control of multinational companies, who grant their leftover to Muslims.

It is a law of nature that, Allah does not change the condition of any nation unless they try to change themselves. Now, what should be our condition, we who proclaim Islam, but practically side with Kufr? Results are always associated with actions and not with claims. A person who takes poison but prays for long life will doubtlessly meet his fate. The natural effect of his action is death and the ultimate result would be linked with his action and not with his prayers. Nature has its own laws that our wishes cannot change. The holy Quran has stated a simple principle: those who believed and migrated and strove in the Cause of Allah with their lives and property…What is the definition of a Muslim: the one, who receives the light of Faith and migrates. Although migration means leaving the homeland, and signifies the migration of the Companions from Makkah to Madinah, but its meaning is not limited to land migration only; it also denotes migration of character. A person departs from his present thought and conduct, and devotes his total effort in the Cause of Allah. His every act becomes Jihad in Allah’s way, because he endeavours to establish Allah’s Law on Allah’s land. He seeks justice for Allah’s creation and strives with his life and wealth to establish peace and justice on earth; and it is only Allah’s Law that can guarantee justice.

Remember, if two principles are made separately with different parameters and it is claimed that both provide equal justice, no wise person would ever believe. How can two principles with different basis, different modalities and different results provide justice at the same time? One of them would be right while the other would certainly be wrong. Allah has granted us the light of Faith, but we don’t adopt Islamic principles in life and instead follow the doctrines of non-Muslims. We may not denounce Islam verbally, but aren’t we denying it practically? What kind of Muslims are we? We offer Salah, recite the holy Book, observe Saum, perform Hajj, give Zakat, but our economic system is un-Islamic, our political system is un-Islamic, our judicial system and even law of evidence is un-Islamic; infact not even a single system of our practical life is governed by Islamic principles. Do we consider Islam to be a set of worships only? While, the place of worship in Islam is as much that, it develops, in a man, the strength to abide by the religion. As I have already stated, Salah develops in a person the strength to abstain from evil and immorality, and to adopt virtue; that is, Salah cleans the innerself, the heart and the conscience. A man stands before Allah five times a day, saying 'Allah-o Akbar' he cuts himself form the whole world and submits his requests before Allah; performs 'Ruku' (bending) and 'Sujood' (prostration), and promises with Allah We worship only You and seek Your help only. But, by the time, he leaves his prayer-mat he has already forgotten everything. And for those who remain loyal to their promise with the Lord of the worlds, it is said: They rank high with their Lord and they are the ones who are successful. They are the victorious and successful people, who have achieved their objectives. Not only are they successful in this life, but Allah gives them glad tidings that they would be rewarded with Allah’s Mercy. Allah’s Jannah, with innumerable blessings, would be their abode, where they would dwell forever; and there are even greater rewards with Allah. But remember, O believers, keep no relationship with your fathers or brothers, who prefer Kufr to Iman.

The first relationship is this world is with the father. As soon as a person comes of age, he regards his father to be the best person in the world and expects greatest love from him. Then is the brother, whom he trusts the most. All other relationships follow. Allah has mentioned these two relationships as the basis; even if your real fathers or brothers prefer Kufr to Iman, don’t keep any friendship with them. Anyone of you, who keeps friendship with such people, will be a wrongdoer in Allah’s view. You can see how strongly the holy Quran has forbidden friendship with a non-believer, under this principle. The religious scholars explain, that this principle does not command us to wage a war against all non-believers in the world. It implies that relationship and trade with a non-believer are permitted, so long as they don’t affect a Muslim's adherence to Islam. It is a simple principle: relationship with a non-believer, that affects adherence to Islam, is not permitted; relationship as a human being is permitted as long as it doesn’t influence Islamic laws and principles. If a non-believer is sick, a Muslim may cure him; if he is hungry or thirsty, a Muslim should feed him; if he is in need, he should be helped; similarly, if he requires justices, he should be facilitated to obtain justice. But, this relationship should not extend to a limit where it starts influencing Islamic principles. Individually, there may be innumerable Muslims who don’t like such relationship, but can we quote the example of a single nation or Gov't in the whole Islamic world that hasn’t adopted the non-Islamic economic system or whose economy is interest free? No doubt, there are innumerable Muslim hearts ripped with pain, innumerable lips murmuring prayers and innumerable hands raised in supplication, but we should never forget that there is a definite decorum, manner and etiquette for supplication. Almighty Allah has said, When My slaves ask you where I am, tell them I am near. I am the nearest to him, I am nearer to him than his own self; he is not as near to himself, as I am to him; he doesn’t know himself as much, as I know him; each cell of his body is under My control; he is not with himself, as much as I am with him! And tell him this also: I accept the prayer of the prayerer, when he prays to Me. If that be it, then, where are our prayers going to? Further, He said, there is, however, a small principle for acceptance of the prayer: you should also accept what I say. If you, helpless and worthless creatures, don’t accept what I say, how do you expect Me to accept what you pray for; what can be the worth of your prayers? Believe Me and obey Me! In actual fact, Islam is not a set of mere beliefs; it is a complete code of life. Religious scholars of very high eminence, including leaders of Tafsir, Hadith and Fiqh maintain that Faith is represented by deeds. Imam Bukhari strongly asserts that Faith signifies deeds and not mere proclamation. Imam Abu Hanifah maintains that proclamation of Faith is also an act, therefore the person should be considered a believer, but even he doesn’t disagree that Faith signifies deeds. He elaborates that when a person says, ‘I believe’, his claim is also an act; now, the truth of every claim is established by the credibility of its witnesses; if the witnesses are false, the claim stands disproved. The claim is ‘I believe’ and deeds are the witnesses: I consider unlawful all things that Allah has prohibited; I consider as lawful everything that Allah has permitted; I consume Halal and abstain from Haraam; I adhere to the law ordained by Allah and refrain from what Allah has stopped me from. Our conduct is the witness to our claim. Each one of us, from commoners to our rulers, should examine our witnesses; do our witnesses also substantiate our claim? And, what shall be the position of our claim, if none of them supports it? In my personal opinion, our loud slogans, rallies and meetings cannot ameliorate the deplorable condition of Muslims as much as our repentance and self improvement. Our conduct and character from individual to the national level is totally against the Quran and Sunnah. It has started bearing fruit: countless innocent lives are being lost, honours are being molested, and innumerable women, children, young and old men are being slain.

I feel that, first of all, we should sincerely make repentance, ‘O Allah! Forgive us all our mistakes. We promise that we shall sincerely follow the Path defined by You and Your Prophet-saws.’ If the system of government doesn’t change, don’t bother; we can change at least ourselves. If we change, He may accept the repentance of any one of us and deliver all Muslims from troubles. How lucky are those who are standing fast, with full determination, by Allah’s Grace, in front of Kufr! Although the propaganda of Kufr is more intense, but even innocent children, lying on hospital beds, with half cut torso, display victory symbols when brought before the camera. A feeling of trust and confidence in Allah and a strong enthusiasm for Jihad has developed in a common man, as reaction to the oppression perpetrated by Kufr. May God, this motivation proliferate and spread throughout the Muslim world, and every Muslim stands up as a Mujahid and Ghazi! This monster of Kufr would otherwise stop short of nothing. When USA attacked Afghanistan, I had said that even the US president has admitted that ‘The tiny state developing in Afghanistan could wipe out our civilization from the map of this world; their civilization, principles, laws and form of govt are diametrically opposite to our systems and are so strong intrinsically that if this state was allowed to exist, it would pose a potent threat to our civilization.’ I have quoted his words many times, “They were going to finish our culture around the globe.” It is because both things i.e. light and darkness, water and fire, Islam and Kufr cannot exist together. It was a small state created in the Name of Allah, signifying a revival of Khilafat and was founded on the principles of Quran and Sunnah. One of our diplomats told me that he was sitting with the governor of Herat when a person came to see him. Their rulers and ministers were not like ours; they were like ordinary people in simple dress and everyone could meet them easily. This visitor had once been a class fellow of the governor, who ordered a cup of green tea and asked him the purpose of his visit. The visitor said, “Such and such a person has been sentenced to death by the court. His mercy appeal has been sent to you. I have come to request you for a favourable consideration.” The governor replied, “Relax and sip your cup of tea. This is a small matter, certainly not big enough to bring you here in person.” After tea, the governor ordered his office assistant to bring the relevant file and the holy Quran. He brought both. The governor said, “My brother, I don’t expect you to advise me to act against this Book. Here is his file alongwith the evidence and here is the Book of Allah. Decide his case yourself according to the Book.” The visitor replied, “Decision, according to the Quran, has already been given.” The governor said, “You shouldn’t expect me to go against the Quran and shouldn’t have come to me for that.”

This is the motivation and commitment! Insha Allah (God willing!), no one on this earth, not even USA, has been able to overcome; neither can anyone defeat nor shall anybody ever be able to subdue it. Despite their claims of conquering Afghanistan, they are still facing death and humiliation there. Insha Allah, they would continue getting killed and the Islamic state shall get restored. Kufr is doomed to destruction! Even in Iraq, their achievements are still limited to verbal claims only. The war has yet not begun in full intensity. Iraqis have adopted a better style; instead of fighting in the open, they have preferred to fight in the built up area, because the coalition troops used tanks, artillery and aerial bombardment against them in the open. May Allah help them! Now the tanks can’t go inside the streets, and the soldiers have to go themselves. They are received by bullets and welcome by death in all streets that they try to peep in. They are now crying that they are facing heavy resistance. There may be any number of wars and corruption may spread to any extent, but ultimately the Truth shall triumph. Insha Allah, Islam shall once again prevail all over the globe, shall save humanity from Allah’s anger and lead them onto the path of His Pleasure. This is a totally different story that we are not with Islam as much as we should be. The holy Quran has declared Islam a strong fortress and has said, “Enter Islam completely.” It has defined the principle that when you enter Islam completely, you would defeat death, because within Islam, your death is also your life.

Kafirs have full media support and they are propagating white lies and falsehood. Even their own people have started criticizing them that, there is a limit to even falsehood; how many lies can you tell? By Allah’s Grace, His men are fighting against Kafirs with full vigour. May Allah grant strength to all Muslims, especially the Muslim rulers! It is time that all Muslims forget trivial personal differences and unite together. Even within Muslim states, the government and opposition should drop all differences and unite under the holy Quran and the holy Prophet-saws. After all, everyone is a Muslim alike, and requires funeral prayers, whether he is the president, premier or a general. So, what is the harm, if he returns to the shade of Islam before his funeral prayers? We take refuge with Kufr, instead of Islam. Why shouldn’t we seek refuge with the holy Prophet-saws? Our prayers would be accepted and our actions would also be effective. It would be a great event if the whole Islamic world unifies. As the first step, we should seek Allah’s forgiveness, ‘O Allah! Pardon us our previous mistakes; now we pledge to remain faithful to you and to your holy Prophet-saws.’ Whenever the Muslims make this promise, they are destined to victory. Islam can never be defeated; defeat is the lot of the infidels. May Allah grant us correct understanding, we repent and turn towards Allah and seek help from Him! Pray, to Allah with sincerity, to help Muslims. May Allah make your prayers effective! Ameen!

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