*!* The Forty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!*

Khayal · *!* The Forty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* - 03-31-2008

The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi

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Hadeeth # 1

Actions are but by Intentions

On the authority of Ameer ul-Mu'mineen (the Commander of the Faithful), Aboo Hafs `Umar ibn al-Khattaab radiAllaahu anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam say:

"Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration (Hijrah to Madeenah from Makkah) was for Allaah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allaah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated."

It is related by the two Imaams of the scholars of Hadeeth, Aboo `Abdillaah Muhammad ibn Ismaa`eel ibn Ibraheem ibn al-Mugheera ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhaaree and Aboo-l-Husain Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim al-Qushairee an-Naisaabooree, in their two Saheehs, which are the soundest of compiled books [i.e. the most truthful books after the Book of Allaah, since the Qur'aan is not 'compiled'].

Explanation of Hadeeth 1

This is a saheeh hadeeth that has been agreed upon by the scholars, and is collected in both the collections of al-Bukhaaree (Hadeeth No. 1) and Muslim (Hadeeth No. 1907). This hadeeth is great in its benefit and importance, and it has been said that the religion of al-Islaam revolves around it. Some of the scholars have said that it is 1/3rd of Knowledge, because the actions of man involve his heart, his tongue and his limbs, and hence the intention in the heart is 1/3rd of that. Other scholars have said that the whole religion is encompassed in three hadeeth - this one, the hadeeth "The Halaal is clear, the Haraam is clear and between them are doubtful matters...", and the hadeeth "Whoever innovates in this religion that which is not from it will have his actions rejected [by Allaah]".
[Note: These other hadeeth will be covered later in shaa' Allaah]
Some of the scholars have said that this hadeeth should be mentioned at the beginning of every book, in order to establish that the seeking of knowledge is for the sake of Allaah alone, and not for anyone else.
In the hadeeth, when the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) says "actions are but by intention" then the 'by' here means that the acceptance and correctness of any action depends upon the intention behind it. An action which is apparently good, such as giving money in charity, will be rejected if the intention behind it is wrong, for example: to show off. Indeed, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has narrated from Allaah that if a person performs an act for Allaah's sake and also for the sake of someone else, then Allaah will reject the deed entirely and leave the whole of it for the partner that the person made. This shows us how grave the sin of shirk is - it is the only sin that Allaah will never forgive.
In the hadeeth, the words "shall have" means that the person will be rewarded for only that which he intended. So, as mentioned in the hadeeth, if a person performed the Hijrah, but did it with the wrong intention then he would not be rewarded for that action of Hijrah.
The word "actions" refers to those actions which are part of the Sharee'ah of Islaam. Thus, any action of the Sharee'ah - such as making wudoo', or ghusl, or making tayammum, or the prayer, or zakaat, or fasting, or the Hajj, or i'tikaaf in the masjid, or any other act of worship - will not be accepted and rewarded unless it is performed with the correct intention.

Summary

Everything we do has to be intended to be for Allaah, i.e., for anything we do we want to make sure that it will be acceptable to Him and will not in any way interfere with the upholding of His Deen. A good action with the wrong intention will not get us any reward in the Hereafter.

Source.

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Khayal · **Re: *!* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* -** 04-01-2008

Hadeeth # 2
An Explanation of Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan

Also on the authority of `Umar (radi Allaahu 'anhu), who said:
One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journey were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down in front of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), with his knees touching against the Prophet's (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs he said:
“O Muhammad, tell me about Islaam.”
The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Islaam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to perform prayers, to give zakaah, to fast in Ramadaan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.”
He said: “You have spoken rightly”; and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly.
He (the man) said: “Tell me about Eemaan.”
He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“It is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny (qadr), both the good and the evil of it.”
He said: “You have spoken rightly.”
He (the man) said: “Then tell me about Ihsaan.”
He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to worship Allaah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (knowing that) truly He sees you.”
He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.”
He said: “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.”
He said: “Then tell me about its signs.”
He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see barefooted, naked destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings.”

Then he (the man) left, and I stayed for a time. The he (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O `Umar, do you know who the questioner was?”
I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”
He said: “It was Jibreel, who came to teach you your religion.”
It was related by Muslim.

Explanation of Hadeeth 2

This is no doubt a great hadeeth, in that it includes within it all the outwardly apparent and inwardly actions, and all the Sciences of the Sharee'ah return back towards it due to its encompassing all the Knowledge of the Sunnah. Hence some of the scholars have termed this hadeeth the Mother/Core of the Sunnah (Umm as-Sunnah), just as soorah al-Faatihah has been termed the Mother/Core of the Qur'aan (Umm al-Qur'aan), due to its succintly containing all of the Message of the Qur'aan.
And in this hadeeth (from the mention of the white dress and black hair) is evidence for the beautification of ones appearance when entering upon the scholars, the pious and the kings, as Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam) came to teach the people by his appearance, his statements and his actions.
The fact that the 'man' had no sign of travel upon him, and yet no one had ever seen him before surprised the Sahaabah, as if he did not live amongst them then how did he just appear from 'nowhere'. In this way, Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam) was able to attract their attention to what he was to say next. His statement 'O Muhammad' rather than the respectful 'O Messenger of Allaah' that was obligatory upon the Sahaabah, also helped to attain the full attention of the Sahaabah.
His questions regarding Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan show us that these are three distinct levels, with the level of Ihsaan being the highest. It is important to note here that these terms when used together indicate specific meanings, whereas when used on their own they may encompass the meanings of the other terms. What this means will be explained in more detail below in shaa' Allaah.
The term 'Islaam' in its specific meaning refers to the outwardly apparent actions - such as the Shahaadah, the Prayer, paying the Zakaat etc. If a person has the basic amount of eemaan required of him and then performs these major outward actions then he is at the level of 'Islaam'.

The term 'Eemaan' in its specific meaning refers to the inward beliefs of the heart, and for a person to enter the fold of Islaam he must adhere to the basic beliefs mentioned in this hadeeth. However, in a more general sense the word Eemaan denotes the beliefs and actions in the heart (eg aqeedah and fear of Allaah), the statements of the tongue (e.g. dhikr of Allaah) and actions of the limbs (e.g. fighting jihaad in Allaah's cause). If a person achieves the basic outward actions of Islaam, and then increases upon that in terms of his belief and his other actions, then he rises to the level of Eemaan.

Having eemaan in Allaah means the attestation that Allaah - Glory be to Him - exists, and is described with the Lofty and Perfect Attributes, and is free from all deficient characteristics. And it includes the belief that He is One, The Truth, The Independent, and He is the Only Creator of all that exists, and He changes the creation as He wishes and He acts within His Kingdom whatever He wishes.
And eemaan in the Angels means attesting that they are His honoured slaves, and that they do not act except according to Allaah's command.
And eemaan in the Messengers involves attesting that they are Truthful in all that they have conveyed about Allaah, and that they were aided by Allaah in the miracles that they performed to prove their truthfulness, and that they conveyed and explained the Message of what Allaah has ordered us with. Also, we must respect and honour them all, and we must not differentiate between them.
And eemaan in the Last Day involves the attestation that we shall be brought back to life again after our death, and shall be collected together on the Day of Judgement, and on that Day will be the Accounting of our deeds, and the weighing in the Meezaan (Scales), and the crossing of the Siraat (Bridge), and finally the entry to either Paradise or Hellfire. And the belief that Paradise is the place for rewarding the doers of good, while Hellfire is the place for retribution for the doers of evil.
And eemaan in Qadr (Divine Preordainment) includes the belief that Allaah knows all that has happened and all that will happen, and that He has written this down in the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooz) which is with Him, and that nothing can happen except by Allaah's Will and Permission.
And the way of the Salaf and the Imaams of the later times has been that whomsoever attests to and believes in these matters with a firm conviction having no doubt in them, then he will be counted amongst true Believers, whether he arrived at these beliefs through detailed study of the intellectual proofs or not.
The term 'Ihsaan' refers to the third and highest level, and is attained as mentioned in the hadeeth when the person worships Allaah as though he sees Him, and if he does not see Allaah, then he worships Him knowing that Allaah sees him. The scholars have mentioned that the higher level of worshipping Allaah as though one sees him is the level of mushaahadah. This implies that the person worships Allaah seeing the effect of Allaah's Names and Attributes in all the things around him. For example, when he sees mercy shown by an animal to its young he sees this as the effect of the Mercy of Allaah upon His Creation, and so on and so forth. Thus whatever the slave sees around him he is reminded of the Perfect Attributes of Allaah 'azza wa jall. It does not mean that the slave sees Allaah with his eyes, as this ru'yaa (Seeing) is only for the Believers on the Day of Resurrection. The second and lower level of Ihsaan is where the slave is constantly aware of Allaah watching him at all times.
The statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that "the one questioned knows no better than the questioner" shows that even the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam had no knowledge of when the Last Hour shall be. This knowledge is with Allaah, and Allaah alone. Regarding the Signs of the Day of Judgement, then two are mentioned in this hadeeth.
The first states that a slave-girl shall give birth to her master. Some of the scholars have suggested that this could mean that the people will degenerate to the extent that they will sell their women slaves, from whom they have already had children. These children may then unwittingly buy their mothers as slaves, and thus become their masters. Others have suggested that it means that children will become so bad mannered and insolent towards their parents that they treat their parents as though they were their slaves - and this is what we see in todays society.
The second sign is that the poor, destitute shepherds will compete with one another in building tall buildings. We only have to look to the Arabian Peninsula to see how people who were desert bedouins only a few decades ago are now literally competing with one another in constructing lofty sky scrapers. And there are some ahaadeeth from the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam indicating that constructing tall buildings is hated, if there is no genuine need for doing so.
So this hadeeth contains an explanation of Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan. It has been narrated from the scholars of the past, such as Imaam Aboo al-Husain ibn Bataal al-Maalikee that Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah are united upon understanding Eemaan to consist of Beliefs, Speech and Action, and that Eemaan increases with the obedience of Allaah and decreases with His disobedience. This is contrary to the statement of some of the deviant sects that Eemaan is fixed or constant, and a person either has it or does not. So different people have different levels of Eemaan, and we are not all equal in this respect. Rather, we know from the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam that the Eemaan of Abu Bakr radiAllaahu anhu was greater than the eemaan of the rest of the people combined (excluding Allaah's Messenger, of course).
And we also learn from this hadeeth that the person who attests to the shahaadataan and displays the major outward aspects of Islaam is considered a Muslim, while the one who goes further than that and increases in actions and beliefs is called a Mu'min. Thus the Mu'min is at a higher station than the Muslim. And the one who achieves the level of Ihsaan is the best of the three and is called a Muhsin - may Allaah 'azza wa jall make us of them.

Summary

That the Angel Jibreel himself came to teach the fundamentals of the Faith to the Companions by asking questions to the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).
That one can teach others by asking about that which he already knows.
That if someone wants to know about Islaam generally, then he should be made aware of the pillars which constitute it.
That Islaam is built on the five pillars which have to be acted upon with eemaan and ihsaan. Denying any one of these pillars and not wishing to fulfill any one of them makes one a non-Muslim.
That belief in what Allaah has destined for us, whether it is perceived to be good, or bad, is part of eemaan, and without believing in it, our eemaan is incomplete and defective.
That one must accept the Messengers sent by Allaah.
That one must develop ihsaan in all that he does so that he is as much aware as he can be that Allaah is indeed watching every move that he makes.
That as part of the Islaamic manner the teacher should be ready to accept and say that he does not know the answer or that he does not know it better than the enquirer.
That the signs of the Last Hour are real and cocern how we live and behave.
That although the Companions were the best of the people and were the most knowledgeable, they did not interrupt with their own answers, nor did they show impatience at the questioner. Therefore as part of the Islaamic manners, if someone asks a question to the teacher in a group, then the others in the group should keep quiet until one of them is asked for help.
It is not permissible to say that there is a certain length of time left before the end of the world, for none knows but Allaah, not even the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).

Source.

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Khayal · **Re: *!* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* -** 04-05-2008

The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi

Hadeeth 3
The Pillars of Islaam

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On the authority of Aboo `Abd ir-Rahmaan `Abdullaah, the son of `Umar ibn al-Khattab radiAllaahu 'anhumaa, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say:
Islaam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, establishing the salaah (prayer), paying the zakaah (obligatory charity), making the Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadaan. [related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Explanation of Hadeeth 3

Aboo al-'Abbaas al-Qurtubee (rahimahu Allaahu) has said that this hadeeth means that these five matters are the foundation and basic principles upon which the religion of al-Islaam is built. With these five matters does Islaam make itself apparent. And the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam particularised these five matters and did not mention Jihaad along with them (even though it is through Jihaad that Islaam is made uppermost and the resistance of the Disbelievers is belittled) because these five matters are obligatory at all times upon all Muslims, whereas Jihaad is a Fard Kifaayah which may not be required during certain times. [Note: a Fard Kifaayah is an obligation that is required of the Muslims such that if a group of them fulfill it then the obligation is lifted from the community as a whole].
And in some of the narrations of this hadeeth (such as the one quoted above), mention of the Hajj is made before mention of the Fasting in Ramadaan. However, and Allaah knows best, the correct form is the placing of the Fasting before the Hajj, as is narrated from Ibn 'Umar that he corrected a narrator who changed the order and said "This is how I have heard it from the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)". This incident shows us the precision of the Sahaabah and the scholars of Hadeeth after them in preserving the words of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, and how can this not be when Allaah 'azza wa jall has said:
"Verily We have sent down the Dhikr and We shall preserve it"
and the Dhikr or Wahee sent down to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam includes both the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, as Allaah has said:
"Nor does he speak of (his own) desire; It is only an Inspiration that is inspired."
And it is also narrated from Ibn 'Umar radiAllaahu 'anhu that the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Islaam is built upon that you worship Allaah (alone) and disbelieve in (the worship of) all that is other than Him, and the establishment of the Prayer, ...(till the end of the hadeeth)"
And in the hadeeth occurs the phrase 'establishment' of the prayer (iqaam as-salaah), as opposed to 'performance' of the prayer. The scholars have mentioned how this indicates that the Prayer must be performed in the most perfect manner, after having completed the wudoo' in the most perfect manner, and in the Masjid with the jamaa'ah for the men, and so on and so forth. That is, simply performing the motions of the Prayer in the most minimal fashion is not what is desired from us - but rather we should exert ourselves in this affair, bearing in mind that the Prayer is the first matter that will be judged on the Day of Resurrection - if it is accepted then the rest of our actions will be accepted, and if it is rejected then the rest of our actions will also be rejected.

Summary

That Islaam is indeed built on the five principles of:
1) Witnessing that Allaah is our only deity and Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is His Messenger to show us how to fulfill our existence on this earth as Muslims,
2) Prayer,
3) Zakaah,
4) Fasting and
5) Hajj
So one must strive to fulfill these pillars with the utmost care, concern and priority, and one must do so normally before one gets involved with other aspects of the Deen.

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Khayal · **Re: *!* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* -** 04-07-2008

.The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi

Hadeeth 4
Deeds are by their Final Actions

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On the authority of Aboo `Abd ir-Rahmaan `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood (radiAllaahu anhu), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and he is the Truthful, the Believed, narrated to us:
Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's womb for forty days in the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an 'alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul into him and who is commanded with four matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy (i.e. whether or not he will enter Paradise). By the One, other than Whom there is no deity, verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus enters it; and verily one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and thus he enters it.
[Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.]

Explanation of Hadeeth 4

The statement of ibn Mas'ood that the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam was "the Truthful, the Believed" means that he was Truthful in his speech and that he was Believed in whatever he came with of the the Wahee (inspiration).
Regarding the statement that "the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's womb for forty days ..." then some of the scholars have commented that this means that the sperm and egg are initially separate within the mother's womb, and it is Allaah who brings them together (to form the zygote) and they remain in this 'basic' state for a period of forty days. [Please note that this comment was made before the 8th Century Hijree, showing the knowledge of the 'Ulemaa at that time - and further evidence of the Truthfulness of what the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam came with]
The further description of the embryo in the various stages of 'alaqah and mudghah are also incredibly accurate - and in our times Dr Keith Moore has described this in detail in his books on Human Development.
The angel that is sent to the embryo is the angel who is deputised with the Responsibility of the Womb.
Regarding the statement "verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise ..." then we understand that this means that a person may perform good actions correctly until he is an arms length away from Paradise, but then what has been previously written about him (i.e. his Qadar) will override that and he will perform evil deeds and thus enter the Hellfire. And this is in conformance to the hadeeth that "Deeds are by their final actions".
And it is understood and seen that the changing of a person from good to evil is rare and is not the norm, whereas the changing of a person from evil to good is far more common - and this is from the Kindness and Mercy of Allaah subhaanahu, the One whose Mercy knows no bounds, and we thank and praise Him for that. And we know from the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam that Allaah has said: "Verily My Mercy precedes My Anger" and in another narration "Verily My Mercy overcomes my Anger".
And in this hadeeth is the establishment of the Belief in Qadar, and this is the belief of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah. We believe that all occurrences are by the Pre-ordainment of Allaah (i.e. everything that occurs has already been decreed by Allaah) and everything that happens is only by His Will - both the good of it and the evil of it. Allaah 'azza wa jall has said concerning Himself in His Noble Book:
"He is not asked about His Actions, but they (the creation) are asked"
[Soorah al-Anbiyaa', aayah 23]

Allaah Acts as He Wishes in His Kingdom, and no one else may act except by His Will.
Imaam as-Sam'aanee said:
The path to understanding this subject [of Qadaa' and Qadar] is through the guidance of the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and not through analogy and bare intellect. So whoever turns away from the guidance of these two [the Qur'aan and Sunnah] then he is misguided and astray in a sphere of confusion, and he does not achieve the purification of the soul, nor does he attain that which contents the heart. [This is] because al-Qadar is something Hidden from amongst the Hidden Secrets of Allaah ta'aalaa, which He has kept for Himself only, and has veiled from the minds and understanding of the creation. And Allaah ta'aalaa has veiled the knowledge of al-Qadar from all of creation, so that not even the angels or the Messengers comprehend it. And it has been said that the secrets of al-Qadar will be revealed to them when they enter Paradise, but not before that.
And in other ahaadeeth it is established that a person should not leave performing good actions, depending upon what has already been written for him in his Qadar, but rather he should act according to whatever has been prescribed for him in the Sharee'ah. For whoever is of the People of Bliss then Allaah will make easy for him the actions of the People of Bliss, whereas whoever is of the People of Sadness then Allaah will make easy for him the actions of the People of Sadness, as is mentioned in the hadeeth. And also there is the saying of Allaah 'azza wa jall in His Noble Book:
"And We shall make easy for him [the righteous one] the path of Good ... And We shall make easy for him [the wicked one] the path of Evil"
[Soorah al-Lail].

Some of the Scholars have said : It is obligatory to have eemaan [faith] in the Book of Allaah, and the Lawh (Protected Tablet) and His Pen [which was ordered to write down everything in the Lawh], but as for the precise nature of these and their modality or 'howness' (kayfiyyah) then this knowledge is with Allaah alone, and no one attains any of His knowledge except what He wishes, and Allaah knows best.

Summary

That the angel of life blows the soul into the foetus after it is 120 days old, so without doubt, terminating the life of a foetus when it is over 4 months old is definitely murder.
That each child which is born has its sustenance, how long it will live, what it will do and how it will fare, recorded before birth since Allaah knows the past and the future and allows the child to be what it will be.
That since life, sustenance, ability and existence is in the Hands of Allaah and taken care of by Him, one who knows this will not become deceitful or desperate about these things, but worship Allaah constantly and patiently.
That the results are in the Hands of Allaah and one must do what one knows is best according to His Deen.
That one never knows how a person will change, either for the good or the bad, so one should not give up trying.
It is permissible to say "By Allaah" to emphasise something.
One should seek refuge with Allaah from lapsing into evil.

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Khayal · **Re: *!* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* -** 04-08-2008

The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi

Hadeeth # 5

Rejection of Evil Deeds and Innovations

On the authority of the Mother of the Faithful, Umm `Abdillaah `Aaishah (radi Allaahu 'anhaa) , who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaau alayhi wa sallam) said:
“He who innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e. Islaam] that is not of it will have it rejected [by Allaah]”. [Related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
In one version by Muslim it reads:
He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected [by Allaah].

Explanation of Hadeeth Number 5

This hadeeth is a Great Principle from amongst the Principles of the Religion, and it is an example of the Perfect and Concise Speech of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam, as in it is found a clear rejection of every innovation (bid'ah) and every innovator. And this hadeeth is also used as a proof of the invalidity of every contract prohibited by the Sharee'ah, and also by some of the scholars of Usool ul-Fiqh when they say that a prohibition implies the invalidity of that action.
And in the second narration which states that "He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected" there is a clear and unequivocal command to leave all things which are newly introduced into the religion, whether the person invents that action himself or whether he follows someone else who has preceeded him. For verily some of the obstinate innovators give as a proof for their innovation the fact that they themselves have not introduced the innovation, but rather they are following the action of someone else - and they use the first hadeeth above to show that they are then not blameworthy.
And this hadeeth should be acted upon meticulously in all our affairs, and it should be preserved and spread amongst the people and used as an evidence to show the invalidity of all innovations and evil actions, for verily it includes in its meaning all of that.
However, as for the Furoo' (branches) of knowledge which are established from the Usool (basic principles) and which do not depart from the Sunnah, then these are not referred to by this hadeeth. For example, the writing down of the Qur'aan as a Mus-haf by 'Uthmaan (radiAllaauh 'anhu), or the establishment of the various madhhabs in Fiqh (Schools of Jurisprudence), which are from the understanding of the Mujtahid scholars of Fiqh, those who built the matters of Furoo' upon the Usool (which are the statements of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And also, from amongst the matters not included in this hadeeth is the writing of books on subjects such as Grammar, or Arithmetic, or the Laws of Inheritance, and other than that from the sciences that are built upon the statements and commands of the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.

Summary

That anything new introduced in the matter of worship, which has not already been given sanction from the Qur'aan and the Sunnah will not be accepted by Allaah.
That anything new incorporated into the Deen must be thrown away and rejected by the Muslims.

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Khayal · **Re: *!* The Forty Sayings- by An Nawawi *!* -** 04-12-2008

The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi

Hadeeth # 6
Lawful (Halaal) is The Clear and the (Unlawful) Haraam is Clear

On the authority of Aboo `Abdillaah an-Nu`maan the son of Basheer (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say:

That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour, but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allaah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart.

[Related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.]

Explanation of Hadeeth 6

This hadeeth is a great Principle from the Principles of the Sharee'ah, such that the well known Muhaddith Aboo Dawood as-Sijistaanee said, "al-Islaam revolves around four ahaadeeth" , and he then mentioned this hadeeth amongst them. And there is consensus amongst the People of Knowledge upon the great status of this hadeeth and its immense benefits.

The statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters" implies that matters are of three types.

Whatever Allaah has established to be permissible in a text, then it is the 'clear' Halaal, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:

"Made lawful to you this day are AtTayyibaat [all kinds of lawful foods, such as meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk, vegetables and fruits, etc.] The food of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them."

[al-Maa'idah 5:5]

And whatever Allaah has established to be forbidden in a text, then that is the 'clear' Haraam, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:

"Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, your sisters ..."

[an-Nisaa 4:23]

And also such as the forbiddance of fawaahish (evil lusts and desires), that which is apparent of it and also that which is hidden of it. And every matter concerning which Allaah has established upon it a limit or associated with it a punishment or a threat, then that matter is also included amongst the 'clear' haraam.
As for the the 'doubtful matters' then they are those issues in which there appears (to the layman) to be opposing evidences from the Book and the Sunnah, and so in this case restraint from them is from piety.
And the scholars have differed regarding the ruling upon the doubtful matters mentioned by the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam in this hadeeth.
So one opinion is that they are all Haraam, due the saying of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam "[he] clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour", as whoever does safeguard his religion and his honour has definitely fallen into the Haraam.
Another opinion is that they are Halaal, due the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary", so this indicates that these actions are permissible, but leaving them is from piety.
And a third opinion is that we make no ruling regarding the doubtful matters, and do not say that they are Halaal nor that they are Haraam, as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayi wa salaam placed them between the clear Halaal and the clear Haraam. Hence it is required that we refrain from passing judgement and this too is from piety.

And in the hadeeth from 'Adiyy ibn Haatim that he said to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam:

"O Messenger of Allaah! [Sometimes] I send my hunting dog after game, after pronouncing 'bismillaah' upon it, but when I reach the catch I find another dog there too (upon which I had not pronounced the name of Allaah)." So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam replied: "Do not eat from it (the catch), for verily you pronounced the name of Allaah upon your dog, but not upon the other dog."

So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam gave a verdict based upon a doubt, fearing that the dog which killed the game was the other dog upon which the name of Allaah had not been pronounced, hence making the kill slaughtered for other than Allaah. And Allaah has said about this:

"Eat not of that (meat) on which Allaah's Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering), for surely it is Fisq (a sin and disobedience of Allaah)."

[al-An'aam 6:121]

So this verdict contains evidence for taking care regarding those actions or events that involve some judgement regarding what is Halaal or Haraam, due to the similarity between the different situations. And this is encompassed in the meaning of the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam: "Leave that which causes you doubt, for that which does not cause you doubt."
[narrated by an-Nasaa'ee]
And some of the scholars have said the doubtful matters can be divided into three types:
1) That affair which a person knows to be Haraam, but which he then doubts as to whether its forbiddance still continues or not. For example, a person cannot eat from an animal until he is sure that is has been slaughtered Islaamically, and so if he has doubts about this then the forbiddance to eat continues until certainty of the correct slaughtering is achieved. And the origin of this is in the hadeeth of 'Adiyy mentioned above. [Note: this is referring to a situation similar to when 'Adiyy came upon the dogs next to the kill - and not when your butcher says the meat is Halaal and you doubt it!]
2) The opposite of this, where the affair is originally Halaal, and the person has doubts regarding whether it has become Haraam. And whatever is of this type then it is considered permissible until its forbiddance is clearly established. And the origin of this is the hadeeth of Abdullaah bin Zayd, regarding the doubt in ones wudoo' if one is sure that previously he had made wudoo'. [i.e. one continues upon the assumption of being with wudoo' until it becomes clear that the wudoo' has broken]
3) The third type is where one has doubts about a matter and one does not know whether it is Halaal or Haraam, and the matter could be of either of the two, and there is no clear evidence to establish either ruling. Then in this situation the best course of action is restraint. For example, once the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam found a date in his house, but did not eat it for he feared that it may have been from that given as sadaqah (as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam was forbidden from taking of sadaqah).
However, if a person chooses the opposite of what is clearly apparent due to an imaginary doubt which has no evidence, then restraint in such a situation is foolishness, and is from the whisperings of shaytaan. For example, a person may restrain from praying in a place which has no visible traces of filth, simply out of a fear that maybe some urine had fallen there and since dried. Or a person may wash a dress simply out of a fear that some filth (najaasah) came upon it but which he did not actually see upon it. So in all such situations where there is no 'real' doubt then it is required that one does not leave the action.
And the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "about which many people do not know" means that many people do not know the shar'ee ruling upon these matters. However, the People of Knowledge may be able to associate such matters with other principles that they must follow, and thus achieve a ruling upon them as to whether they are Halaal or Haraam, and thus they cease to be doubtful matters.
As for the statement "but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful" then this is from two angles:
1) The one who does not fear Allaah and indulges in doubtful matters, eventually begins to practise the Forbidden actions too, and becomes lenient in these affairs. And this is as some of the 'ulemaa have said that minor sins lead to major sins and major sins lead to kufr.
2) The one who often indulges in doubtful matters oppresses himself as his heart is deprived of the Light of Knowledge and the Light of Piety, so he ends up falling into the Haraam and does not realise it.
And just as a King has a sanctuary, which the shepherds must keep their sheep away from, so too has Allaah specified certain things as Forbidden for his slaves, which they must refrain from - such as murder, interest (ribaa), theft, drinking alcohol, backbiting and tale-carrying, and other such things, all of which we should keep well away from for fear of falling into them.
As for the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole ... ":

Allaah ta'aalaa has blessed only man and the animals with this special organ - the heart - and through it we find that even the animals recognize that which benefits them and that which harms them. Then, Allaah has singled out al-Insaan from amongst all the animals with the faculty of the intellect, and additional faculties within the heart. Allah says:

"Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear?"

[al-Hajj 22:46]

And the various limbs of the body are subservient to the heart, so whatever the heart decides upon, that action appears upon the limbs. So if the heart is good then the actions of the limbs are good, and if the heart is corrupt then the actions of the limbs are also corrupt. And if this fact is understood then the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "if it be whole, all the body is whole, and if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased" becomes clear.

We ask Allaah the Majestic to cleanse the corruption of our hearts. O Changer of Hearts, establish our hearts upon Your Deen! O Controller of Hearts, turn our hearts towards Your obedience!

InshaAllaah $Aameen!

Summary

That those things which are Haraam are clear and need clear evidence.
That one who does doubtful things may well be doing what is Haraam.
That it is difficult to live honorably when doing the doubtful.
That Allaah is the King; The King of kings.
That it is understandable that Allaah should have things prohibited for us.
That the sanctuary of Allaah which we must not enter is all those things which He has made Haraam for us. Thus we must know what is Haraam and definitely avoid them.
That doing the doubtful or what is forbidden adversely affects the heart.
That it is important to make and keep the heart pure, since it affects the rest of us. Thus we should look for ways to purify and preserve our hearts from being stained.

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	! The Forty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 03-31-2008 The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi . Hadeeth # 1 Actions are but by Intentions On the authority of Ameer ul-Mu'mineen (the Commander of the Faithful), Aboo Hafs `Umar ibn al-Khattaab radiAllaahu anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam say: "Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration (Hijrah to Madeenah from Makkah) was for Allaah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allaah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated." It is related by the two Imaams of the scholars of Hadeeth, Aboo `Abdillaah Muhammad ibn Ismaa`eel ibn Ibraheem ibn al-Mugheera ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhaaree and Aboo-l-Husain Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim al-Qushairee an-Naisaabooree, in their two Saheehs, which are the soundest of compiled books [i.e. the most truthful books after the Book of Allaah, since the Qur'aan is not 'compiled']. Explanation of Hadeeth 1 This is a saheeh hadeeth that has been agreed upon by the scholars, and is collected in both the collections of al-Bukhaaree (Hadeeth No. 1) and Muslim (Hadeeth No. 1907). This hadeeth is great in its benefit and importance, and it has been said that the religion of al-Islaam revolves around it. Some of the scholars have said that it is 1/3rd of Knowledge, because the actions of man involve his heart, his tongue and his limbs, and hence the intention in the heart is 1/3rd of that. Other scholars have said that the whole religion is encompassed in three hadeeth - this one, the hadeeth "The Halaal is clear, the Haraam is clear and between them are doubtful matters...", and the hadeeth "Whoever innovates in this religion that which is not from it will have his actions rejected [by Allaah]". [Note: These other hadeeth will be covered later in shaa' Allaah] Some of the scholars have said that this hadeeth should be mentioned at the beginning of every book, in order to establish that the seeking of knowledge is for the sake of Allaah alone, and not for anyone else. In the hadeeth, when the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) says "actions are but by intention" then the 'by' here means that the acceptance and correctness of any action depends upon the intention behind it. An action which is apparently good, such as giving money in charity, will be rejected if the intention behind it is wrong, for example: to show off. Indeed, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has narrated from Allaah that if a person performs an act for Allaah's sake and also for the sake of someone else, then Allaah will reject the deed entirely and leave the whole of it for the partner that the person made. This shows us how grave the sin of shirk is - it is the only sin that Allaah will never forgive. In the hadeeth, the words "shall have" means that the person will be rewarded for only that which he intended. So, as mentioned in the hadeeth, if a person performed the Hijrah, but did it with the wrong intention then he would not be rewarded for that action of Hijrah. The word "actions" refers to those actions which are part of the Sharee'ah of Islaam. Thus, any action of the Sharee'ah - such as making wudoo', or ghusl, or making tayammum, or the prayer, or zakaat, or fasting, or the Hajj, or i'tikaaf in the masjid, or any other act of worship - will not be accepted and rewarded unless it is performed with the correct intention. Summary Everything we do has to be intended to be for Allaah, i.e., for anything we do we want to make sure that it will be acceptable to Him and will not in any way interfere with the upholding of His Deen. A good action with the wrong intention will not get us any reward in the Hereafter. Source. . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	*Re: !* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 04-01-2008 Hadeeth # 2 An Explanation of Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan** Also on the authority of `Umar (radi Allaahu 'anhu), who said: One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journey were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down in front of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), with his knees touching against the Prophet's (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs he said: “O Muhammad, tell me about Islaam.” The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Islaam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to perform prayers, to give zakaah, to fast in Ramadaan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.” He said: “You have spoken rightly”; and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly. He (the man) said: “Tell me about Eemaan.” He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny (qadr), both the good and the evil of it.” He said: “You have spoken rightly.” He (the man) said: “Then tell me about Ihsaan.” He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to worship Allaah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (knowing that) truly He sees you.” He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.” He said: “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.” He said: “Then tell me about its signs.” He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see barefooted, naked destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings.” Then he (the man) left, and I stayed for a time. The he (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O `Umar, do you know who the questioner was?” I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It was Jibreel, who came to teach you your religion.” It was related by Muslim. Explanation of Hadeeth 2 This is no doubt a great hadeeth, in that it includes within it all the outwardly apparent and inwardly actions, and all the Sciences of the Sharee'ah return back towards it due to its encompassing all the Knowledge of the Sunnah. Hence some of the scholars have termed this hadeeth the Mother/Core of the Sunnah (Umm as-Sunnah), just as soorah al-Faatihah has been termed the Mother/Core of the Qur'aan (Umm al-Qur'aan), due to its succintly containing all of the Message of the Qur'aan. And in this hadeeth (from the mention of the white dress and black hair) is evidence for the beautification of ones appearance when entering upon the scholars, the pious and the kings, as Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam) came to teach the people by his appearance, his statements and his actions. The fact that the 'man' had no sign of travel upon him, and yet no one had ever seen him before surprised the Sahaabah, as if he did not live amongst them then how did he just appear from 'nowhere'. In this way, Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam) was able to attract their attention to what he was to say next. His statement 'O Muhammad' rather than the respectful 'O Messenger of Allaah' that was obligatory upon the Sahaabah, also helped to attain the full attention of the Sahaabah. His questions regarding Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan show us that these are three distinct levels, with the level of Ihsaan being the highest. It is important to note here that these terms when used together indicate specific meanings, whereas when used on their own they may encompass the meanings of the other terms. What this means will be explained in more detail below in shaa' Allaah. The term 'Islaam' in its specific meaning refers to the outwardly apparent actions - such as the Shahaadah, the Prayer, paying the Zakaat etc. If a person has the basic amount of eemaan required of him and then performs these major outward actions then he is at the level of 'Islaam'. The term 'Eemaan' in its specific meaning refers to the inward beliefs of the heart, and for a person to enter the fold of Islaam he must adhere to the basic beliefs mentioned in this hadeeth. However, in a more general sense the word Eemaan denotes the beliefs and actions in the heart (eg aqeedah and fear of Allaah), the statements of the tongue (e.g. dhikr of Allaah) and actions of the limbs (e.g. fighting jihaad in Allaah's cause). If a person achieves the basic outward actions of Islaam, and then increases upon that in terms of his belief and his other actions, then he rises to the level of Eemaan. Having eemaan in Allaah means the attestation that Allaah - Glory be to Him - exists, and is described with the Lofty and Perfect Attributes, and is free from all deficient characteristics. And it includes the belief that He is One, The Truth, The Independent, and He is the Only Creator of all that exists, and He changes the creation as He wishes and He acts within His Kingdom whatever He wishes. And eemaan in the Angels means attesting that they are His honoured slaves, and that they do not act except according to Allaah's command. And eemaan in the Messengers involves attesting that they are Truthful in all that they have conveyed about Allaah, and that they were aided by Allaah in the miracles that they performed to prove their truthfulness, and that they conveyed and explained the Message of what Allaah has ordered us with. Also, we must respect and honour them all, and we must not differentiate between them. And eemaan in the Last Day involves the attestation that we shall be brought back to life again after our death, and shall be collected together on the Day of Judgement, and on that Day will be the Accounting of our deeds, and the weighing in the Meezaan (Scales), and the crossing of the Siraat (Bridge), and finally the entry to either Paradise or Hellfire. And the belief that Paradise is the place for rewarding the doers of good, while Hellfire is the place for retribution for the doers of evil. And eemaan in Qadr (Divine Preordainment) includes the belief that Allaah knows all that has happened and all that will happen, and that He has written this down in the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooz) which is with Him, and that nothing can happen except by Allaah's Will and Permission. And the way of the Salaf and the Imaams of the later times has been that whomsoever attests to and believes in these matters with a firm conviction having no doubt in them, then he will be counted amongst true Believers, whether he arrived at these beliefs through detailed study of the intellectual proofs or not. The term 'Ihsaan' refers to the third and highest level, and is attained as mentioned in the hadeeth when the person worships Allaah as though he sees Him, and if he does not see Allaah, then he worships Him knowing that Allaah sees him. The scholars have mentioned that the higher level of worshipping Allaah as though one sees him is the level of mushaahadah. This implies that the person worships Allaah seeing the effect of Allaah's Names and Attributes in all the things around him. For example, when he sees mercy shown by an animal to its young he sees this as the effect of the Mercy of Allaah upon His Creation, and so on and so forth. Thus whatever the slave sees around him he is reminded of the Perfect Attributes of Allaah 'azza wa jall. It does not mean that the slave sees Allaah with his eyes, as this ru'yaa (Seeing) is only for the Believers on the Day of Resurrection. The second and lower level of Ihsaan is where the slave is constantly aware of Allaah watching him at all times. The statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that "the one questioned knows no better than the questioner" shows that even the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam had no knowledge of when the Last Hour shall be. This knowledge is with Allaah, and Allaah alone. Regarding the Signs of the Day of Judgement, then two are mentioned in this hadeeth. The first states that a slave-girl shall give birth to her master. Some of the scholars have suggested that this could mean that the people will degenerate to the extent that they will sell their women slaves, from whom they have already had children. These children may then unwittingly buy their mothers as slaves, and thus become their masters. Others have suggested that it means that children will become so bad mannered and insolent towards their parents that they treat their parents as though they were their slaves - and this is what we see in todays society. The second sign is that the poor, destitute shepherds will compete with one another in building tall buildings. We only have to look to the Arabian Peninsula to see how people who were desert bedouins only a few decades ago are now literally competing with one another in constructing lofty sky scrapers. And there are some ahaadeeth from the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam indicating that constructing tall buildings is hated, if there is no genuine need for doing so. So this hadeeth contains an explanation of Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan. It has been narrated from the scholars of the past, such as Imaam Aboo al-Husain ibn Bataal al-Maalikee that Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah are united upon understanding Eemaan to consist of Beliefs, Speech and Action, and that Eemaan increases with the obedience of Allaah and decreases with His disobedience. This is contrary to the statement of some of the deviant sects that Eemaan is fixed or constant, and a person either has it or does not. So different people have different levels of Eemaan, and we are not all equal in this respect. Rather, we know from the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam that the Eemaan of Abu Bakr radiAllaahu anhu was greater than the eemaan of the rest of the people combined (excluding Allaah's Messenger, of course). And we also learn from this hadeeth that the person who attests to the shahaadataan and displays the major outward aspects of Islaam is considered a Muslim, while the one who goes further than that and increases in actions and beliefs is called a Mu'min. Thus the Mu'min is at a higher station than the Muslim. And the one who achieves the level of Ihsaan is the best of the three and is called a Muhsin - may Allaah 'azza wa jall make us of them. Summary That the Angel Jibreel himself came to teach the fundamentals of the Faith to the Companions by asking questions to the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). That one can teach others by asking about that which he already knows. That if someone wants to know about Islaam generally, then he should be made aware of the pillars which constitute it. That Islaam is built on the five pillars which have to be acted upon with eemaan and ihsaan. Denying any one of these pillars and not wishing to fulfill any one of them makes one a non-Muslim. That belief in what Allaah has destined for us, whether it is perceived to be good, or bad, is part of eemaan, and without believing in it, our eemaan is incomplete and defective. That one must accept the Messengers sent by Allaah. That one must develop ihsaan in all that he does so that he is as much aware as he can be that Allaah is indeed watching every move that he makes. That as part of the Islaamic manner the teacher should be ready to accept and say that he does not know the answer or that he does not know it better than the enquirer. That the signs of the Last Hour are real and cocern how we live and behave. That although the Companions were the best of the people and were the most knowledgeable, they did not interrupt with their own answers, nor did they show impatience at the questioner. Therefore as part of the Islaamic manners, if someone asks a question to the teacher in a group, then the others in the group should keep quiet until one of them is asked for help. It is not permissible to say that there is a certain length of time left before the end of the world, for none knows but Allaah, not even the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). Source. . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	*Re: !* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 04-05-2008 The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi Hadeeth 3 The Pillars of Islaam** . On the authority of Aboo `Abd ir-Rahmaan `Abdullaah, the son of `Umar ibn al-Khattab radiAllaahu 'anhumaa, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say: Islaam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, establishing the salaah (prayer), paying the zakaah (obligatory charity), making the Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadaan. [related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim] *Explanation of Hadeeth 3* Aboo al-'Abbaas al-Qurtubee (rahimahu Allaahu) has said that this hadeeth means that these five matters are the foundation and basic principles upon which the religion of al-Islaam is built. With these five matters does Islaam make itself apparent. And the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam particularised these five matters and did not mention Jihaad along with them (even though it is through Jihaad that Islaam is made uppermost and the resistance of the Disbelievers is belittled) because these five matters are obligatory at all times upon all Muslims, whereas Jihaad is a Fard Kifaayah which may not be required during certain times. [Note: a Fard Kifaayah is an obligation that is required of the Muslims such that if a group of them fulfill it then the obligation is lifted from the community as a whole]. And in some of the narrations of this hadeeth (such as the one quoted above), mention of the Hajj is made before mention of the Fasting in Ramadaan. However, and Allaah knows best, the correct form is the placing of the Fasting before the Hajj, as is narrated from Ibn 'Umar that he corrected a narrator who changed the order and said "This is how I have heard it from the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)". This incident shows us the precision of the Sahaabah and the scholars of Hadeeth after them in preserving the words of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, and how can this not be when Allaah 'azza wa jall has said: "Verily We have sent down the Dhikr and We shall preserve it" and the Dhikr or Wahee sent down to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam includes both the Qur'aan and the Sunnah, as Allaah has said: "Nor does he speak of (his own) desire; It is only an Inspiration that is inspired." And it is also narrated from Ibn 'Umar radiAllaahu 'anhu that the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Islaam is built upon that you worship Allaah (alone) and disbelieve in (the worship of) all that is other than Him, and the establishment of the Prayer, ...(till the end of the hadeeth)" And in the hadeeth occurs the phrase 'establishment' of the prayer (iqaam as-salaah), as opposed to 'performance' of the prayer. The scholars have mentioned how this indicates that the Prayer must be performed in the most perfect manner, after having completed the wudoo' in the most perfect manner, and in the Masjid with the jamaa'ah for the men, and so on and so forth. That is, simply performing the motions of the Prayer in the most minimal fashion is not what is desired from us - but rather we should exert ourselves in this affair, bearing in mind that the Prayer is the first matter that will be judged on the Day of Resurrection - if it is accepted then the rest of our actions will be accepted, and if it is rejected then the rest of our actions will also be rejected. *Summary* That Islaam is indeed built on the five principles of: 1) Witnessing that Allaah is our only deity and Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is His Messenger to show us how to fulfill our existence on this earth as Muslims, 2) Prayer, 3) Zakaah, 4) Fasting and 5) Hajj So one must strive to fulfill these pillars with the utmost care, concern and priority, and one must do so normally before one gets involved with other aspects of the Deen. . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	*Re: !* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 04-07-2008 .The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi Hadeeth 4 Deeds are by their Final Actions** . On the authority of Aboo `Abd ir-Rahmaan `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood (radiAllaahu anhu), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and he is the Truthful, the Believed, narrated to us: Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's womb for forty days in the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an 'alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul into him and who is commanded with four matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy (i.e. whether or not he will enter Paradise). By the One, other than Whom there is no deity, verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus enters it; and verily one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arms length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and thus he enters it. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.] *Explanation of Hadeeth 4* The statement of ibn Mas'ood that the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam was "the Truthful, the Believed" means that he was Truthful in his speech and that he was Believed in whatever he came with of the the Wahee (inspiration). Regarding the statement that "the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's womb for forty days ..." then some of the scholars have commented that this means that the sperm and egg are initially separate within the mother's womb, and it is Allaah who brings them together (to form the zygote) and they remain in this 'basic' state for a period of forty days. [Please note that this comment was made before the 8th Century Hijree, showing the knowledge of the 'Ulemaa at that time - and further evidence of the Truthfulness of what the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam came with] The further description of the embryo in the various stages of 'alaqah and mudghah are also incredibly accurate - and in our times Dr Keith Moore has described this in detail in his books on Human Development. The angel that is sent to the embryo is the angel who is deputised with the Responsibility of the Womb. Regarding the statement "verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise ..." then we understand that this means that a person may perform good actions correctly until he is an arms length away from Paradise, but then what has been previously written about him (i.e. his Qadar) will override that and he will perform evil deeds and thus enter the Hellfire. And this is in conformance to the hadeeth that "Deeds are by their final actions". And it is understood and seen that the changing of a person from good to evil is rare and is not the norm, whereas the changing of a person from evil to good is far more common - and this is from the Kindness and Mercy of Allaah subhaanahu, the One whose Mercy knows no bounds, and we thank and praise Him for that. And we know from the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam that Allaah has said: "Verily My Mercy precedes My Anger" and in another narration "Verily My Mercy overcomes my Anger". And in this hadeeth is the establishment of the Belief in Qadar, and this is the belief of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah. We believe that all occurrences are by the Pre-ordainment of Allaah (i.e. everything that occurs has already been decreed by Allaah) and everything that happens is only by His Will - both the good of it and the evil of it. Allaah 'azza wa jall has said concerning Himself in His Noble Book: "He is not asked about His Actions, but they (the creation) are asked" [Soorah al-Anbiyaa', aayah 23] Allaah Acts as He Wishes in His Kingdom, and no one else may act except by His Will. Imaam as-Sam'aanee said: The path to understanding this subject [of Qadaa' and Qadar] is through the guidance of the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and not through analogy and bare intellect. So whoever turns away from the guidance of these two [the Qur'aan and Sunnah] then he is misguided and astray in a sphere of confusion, and he does not achieve the purification of the soul, nor does he attain that which contents the heart. [This is] because al-Qadar is something Hidden from amongst the Hidden Secrets of Allaah ta'aalaa, which He has kept for Himself only, and has veiled from the minds and understanding of the creation. And Allaah ta'aalaa has veiled the knowledge of al-Qadar from all of creation, so that not even the angels or the Messengers comprehend it. And it has been said that the secrets of al-Qadar will be revealed to them when they enter Paradise, but not before that. And in other ahaadeeth it is established that a person should not leave performing good actions, depending upon what has already been written for him in his Qadar, but rather he should act according to whatever has been prescribed for him in the Sharee'ah. For whoever is of the People of Bliss then Allaah will make easy for him the actions of the People of Bliss, whereas whoever is of the People of Sadness then Allaah will make easy for him the actions of the People of Sadness, as is mentioned in the hadeeth. And also there is the saying of Allaah 'azza wa jall in His Noble Book: "And We shall make easy for him [the righteous one] the path of Good ... And We shall make easy for him [the wicked one] the path of Evil" [Soorah al-Lail]. Some of the Scholars have said : It is obligatory to have eemaan [faith] in the Book of Allaah, and the Lawh (Protected Tablet) and His Pen [which was ordered to write down everything in the Lawh], but as for the precise nature of these and their modality or 'howness' (kayfiyyah) then this knowledge is with Allaah alone, and no one attains any of His knowledge except what He wishes, and Allaah knows best. *Summary* That the angel of life blows the soul into the foetus after it is 120 days old, so without doubt, terminating the life of a foetus when it is over 4 months old is definitely murder. That each child which is born has its sustenance, how long it will live, what it will do and how it will fare, recorded before birth since Allaah knows the past and the future and allows the child to be what it will be. That since life, sustenance, ability and existence is in the Hands of Allaah and taken care of by Him, one who knows this will not become deceitful or desperate about these things, but worship Allaah constantly and patiently. That the results are in the Hands of Allaah and one must do what one knows is best according to His Deen. That one never knows how a person will change, either for the good or the bad, so one should not give up trying. It is permissible to say "By Allaah" to emphasise something. One should seek refuge with Allaah from lapsing into evil. . . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	*Re: !* The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 04-08-2008 The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi Hadeeth # 5 Rejection of Evil Deeds and Innovations** On the authority of the Mother of the Faithful, Umm `Abdillaah `Aaishah (radi Allaahu 'anhaa) , who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaau alayhi wa sallam) said: “He who innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e. Islaam] that is not of it will have it rejected [by Allaah]”. [Related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim] In one version by Muslim it reads: He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected [by Allaah]. Explanation of Hadeeth Number 5 This hadeeth is a Great Principle from amongst the Principles of the Religion, and it is an example of the Perfect and Concise Speech of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam, as in it is found a clear rejection of every innovation (bid'ah) and every innovator. And this hadeeth is also used as a proof of the invalidity of every contract prohibited by the Sharee'ah, and also by some of the scholars of Usool ul-Fiqh when they say that a prohibition implies the invalidity of that action. And in the second narration which states that "He who does an act which we have not commanded, will have it rejected" there is a clear and unequivocal command to leave all things which are newly introduced into the religion, whether the person invents that action himself or whether he follows someone else who has preceeded him. For verily some of the obstinate innovators give as a proof for their innovation the fact that they themselves have not introduced the innovation, but rather they are following the action of someone else - and they use the first hadeeth above to show that they are then not blameworthy. And this hadeeth should be acted upon meticulously in all our affairs, and it should be preserved and spread amongst the people and used as an evidence to show the invalidity of all innovations and evil actions, for verily it includes in its meaning all of that. However, as for the Furoo' (branches) of knowledge which are established from the Usool (basic principles) and which do not depart from the Sunnah, then these are not referred to by this hadeeth. For example, the writing down of the Qur'aan as a Mus-haf by 'Uthmaan (radiAllaauh 'anhu), or the establishment of the various madhhabs in Fiqh (Schools of Jurisprudence), which are from the understanding of the Mujtahid scholars of Fiqh, those who built the matters of Furoo' upon the Usool (which are the statements of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And also, from amongst the matters not included in this hadeeth is the writing of books on subjects such as Grammar, or Arithmetic, or the Laws of Inheritance, and other than that from the sciences that are built upon the statements and commands of the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam. Summary That anything new introduced in the matter of worship, which has not already been given sanction from the Qur'aan and the Sunnah will not be accepted by Allaah. That anything new incorporated into the Deen must be thrown away and rejected by the Muslims. . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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Khayal A tHoUgHt Status: Offline Posts: 4,728 Reputation: 11656 Rep Power: 37 Join Date: May 2005 Location: iN tHoUgHtS Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	*Re: !* The Forty Sayings- by An Nawawi ! - 04-12-2008 The Fourty Sayings- by An Nawawi Hadeeth # 6 Lawful (Halaal) is The Clear and the (Unlawful) Haraam is Clear** On the authority of Aboo `Abdillaah an-Nu`maan the son of Basheer (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say: That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour, but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allaah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart. *[Related by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.]* Explanation of Hadeeth 6 This hadeeth is a great Principle from the Principles of the Sharee'ah, such that the well known Muhaddith Aboo Dawood as-Sijistaanee said, "al-Islaam revolves around four ahaadeeth" , and he then mentioned this hadeeth amongst them. And there is consensus amongst the People of Knowledge upon the great status of this hadeeth and its immense benefits. The statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters" implies that matters are of three types. Whatever Allaah has established to be permissible in a text, then it is the 'clear' Halaal, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa: "Made lawful to you this day are AtTayyibaat [all kinds of lawful foods, such as meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk, vegetables and fruits, etc.] The food of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them." [al-Maa'idah 5:5] And whatever Allaah has established to be forbidden in a text, then that is the 'clear' Haraam, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa: "Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, your sisters ..." [an-Nisaa 4:23] And also such as the forbiddance of fawaahish (evil lusts and desires), that which is apparent of it and also that which is hidden of it. And every matter concerning which Allaah has established upon it a limit or associated with it a punishment or a threat, then that matter is also included amongst the 'clear' haraam. As for the the 'doubtful matters' then they are those issues in which there appears (to the layman) to be opposing evidences from the Book and the Sunnah, and so in this case restraint from them is from piety. And the scholars have differed regarding the ruling upon the doubtful matters mentioned by the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam in this hadeeth. So one opinion is that they are all Haraam, due the saying of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam "[he] clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour", as whoever does safeguard his religion and his honour has definitely fallen into the Haraam. Another opinion is that they are Halaal, due the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary", so this indicates that these actions are permissible, but leaving them is from piety. And a third opinion is that we make no ruling regarding the doubtful matters, and do not say that they are Halaal nor that they are Haraam, as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayi wa salaam placed them between the clear Halaal and the clear Haraam. Hence it is required that we refrain from passing judgement and this too is from piety. And in the hadeeth from 'Adiyy ibn Haatim that he said to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam: "O Messenger of Allaah! [Sometimes] I send my hunting dog after game, after pronouncing 'bismillaah' upon it, but when I reach the catch I find another dog there too (upon which I had not pronounced the name of Allaah)." So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam replied: "Do not eat from it (the catch), for verily you pronounced the name of Allaah upon your dog, but not upon the other dog." So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam gave a verdict based upon a doubt, fearing that the dog which killed the game was the other dog upon which the name of Allaah had not been pronounced, hence making the kill slaughtered for other than Allaah. And Allaah has said about this: "Eat not of that (meat) on which Allaah's Name has not been pronounced (at the time of the slaughtering), for surely it is Fisq (a sin and disobedience of Allaah)." [al-An'aam 6:121] So this verdict contains evidence for taking care regarding those actions or events that involve some judgement regarding what is Halaal or Haraam, due to the similarity between the different situations. And this is encompassed in the meaning of the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam: "Leave that which causes you doubt, for that which does not cause you doubt." [narrated by an-Nasaa'ee] And some of the scholars have said the doubtful matters can be divided into three types: 1) That affair which a person knows to be Haraam, but which he then doubts as to whether its forbiddance still continues or not. For example, a person cannot eat from an animal until he is sure that is has been slaughtered Islaamically, and so if he has doubts about this then the forbiddance to eat continues until certainty of the correct slaughtering is achieved. And the origin of this is in the hadeeth of 'Adiyy mentioned above. [Note: this is referring to a situation similar to when 'Adiyy came upon the dogs next to the kill - and not when your butcher says the meat is Halaal and you doubt it!] 2) The opposite of this, where the affair is originally Halaal, and the person has doubts regarding whether it has become Haraam. And whatever is of this type then it is considered permissible until its forbiddance is clearly established. And the origin of this is the hadeeth of Abdullaah bin Zayd, regarding the doubt in ones wudoo' if one is sure that previously he had made wudoo'. [i.e. one continues upon the assumption of being with wudoo' until it becomes clear that the wudoo' has broken] 3) The third type is where one has doubts about a matter and one does not know whether it is Halaal or Haraam, and the matter could be of either of the two, and there is no clear evidence to establish either ruling. Then in this situation the best course of action is restraint. For example, once the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam found a date in his house, but did not eat it for he feared that it may have been from that given as sadaqah (as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam was forbidden from taking of sadaqah). However, if a person chooses the opposite of what is clearly apparent due to an imaginary doubt which has no evidence, then restraint in such a situation is foolishness, and is from the whisperings of shaytaan. For example, a person may restrain from praying in a place which has no visible traces of filth, simply out of a fear that maybe some urine had fallen there and since dried. Or a person may wash a dress simply out of a fear that some filth (najaasah) came upon it but which he did not actually see upon it. So in all such situations where there is no 'real' doubt then it is required that one does not leave the action. And the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "about which many people do not know" means that many people do not know the shar'ee ruling upon these matters. However, the People of Knowledge may be able to associate such matters with other principles that they must follow, and thus achieve a ruling upon them as to whether they are Halaal or Haraam, and thus they cease to be doubtful matters. As for the statement "but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful" then this is from two angles: 1) The one who does not fear Allaah and indulges in doubtful matters, eventually begins to practise the Forbidden actions too, and becomes lenient in these affairs. And this is as some of the 'ulemaa have said that minor sins lead to major sins and major sins lead to kufr. 2) The one who often indulges in doubtful matters oppresses himself as his heart is deprived of the Light of Knowledge and the Light of Piety, so he ends up falling into the Haraam and does not realise it. And just as a King has a sanctuary, which the shepherds must keep their sheep away from, so too has Allaah specified certain things as Forbidden for his slaves, which they must refrain from - such as murder, interest (ribaa), theft, drinking alcohol, backbiting and tale-carrying, and other such things, all of which we should keep well away from for fear of falling into them. As for the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole ... ": Allaah ta'aalaa has blessed only man and the animals with this special organ - the heart - and through it we find that even the animals recognize that which benefits them and that which harms them. Then, Allaah has singled out al-Insaan from amongst all the animals with the faculty of the intellect, and additional faculties within the heart. Allah says: "Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear?" [al-Hajj 22:46] And the various limbs of the body are subservient to the heart, so whatever the heart decides upon, that action appears upon the limbs. So if the heart is good then the actions of the limbs are good, and if the heart is corrupt then the actions of the limbs are also corrupt. And if this fact is understood then the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "if it be whole, all the body is whole, and if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased" becomes clear. We ask Allaah the Majestic to cleanse the corruption of our hearts. O Changer of Hearts, establish our hearts upon Your Deen! O Controller of Hearts, turn our hearts towards Your obedience! InshaAllaah $Aameen! *Summary* That those things which are Haraam are clear and need clear evidence. That one who does doubtful things may well be doing what is Haraam. That it is difficult to live honorably when doing the doubtful. That Allaah is the King; The King of kings. That it is understandable that Allaah should have things prohibited for us. That the sanctuary of Allaah which we must not enter is all those things which He has made Haraam for us. Thus we must know what is Haraam and definitely avoid them. That doing the doubtful or what is forbidden adversely affects the heart. That it is important to make and keep the heart pure, since it affects the rest of us. Thus we should look for ways to purify and preserve our hearts from being stained. . __________________ Even a Smile is charity!

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