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In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him)

On Spiritual Striving

From ‘Gardens of the Righteous’ (Riyad al-Salihin)

(Ustadha Ayesha Bewley’s Translation)



11. Chapter: On Striving (Mujahada)

Allah Almighty says, "As for those do jihad in Our Way, We will guide them to Our paths. Truly Allah is with the good-doers," (29:69) and the Almighty says, "And worship your Lord until what is Certain comes to you." (15:99) The Almighty says, "Remember the Name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him completely," (73:7) and the Almighty says, "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it" (W99:8; H99:7) The Almighty says, "Whatever good you send ahead for your yourselves, you will find it with Allah as something better and as a greater reward." (W73;18; H73:20) The Almighty says, "Whatever good you give away, be Allah knows it." (W2:272; H2:273)

95. Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah Almighty said, 'I have declared war on anyone who shows enmity to a friend of Mine. My slave does not draw near to Me with anything I love more than what I have made obligatory on him. And my slave continues to draw near to Me with supereroogatory actions until I love him. When I love him, I become 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. If he were to ask Me for something, I would give it to him. If he were to ask Me for refuge, I would give him refuge.'" [al-Bukhari]

96. Anas reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in what he reported from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. He said, "When the slave comes towards Me a hand-span, I go an arm-length towards him. When he comes towards Me an arm-length, I go a fathom towards him. When he comes towards Me walking, I go towards him running." [al-Bukhari]

97. Ibn 'Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There are two blessings which deceive many people: health and free time." [al-Bukhari]

98. 'A'isha reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray at night until his feet became cracked. "I said to him, 'Why do you do this. Messenger of Allah, when Allah has forgiven you all your past and future wrong actions?' He said, 'Do I not want to be a grateful slave?'" [Agreed upon. This is the variant of al-Bukhari]

99. 'A'isha said, "When the last ten nights [of Ramadan] began, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would stay up during the night praying, and wake up his family, strive and devote himself to worship." [Agreed upon]

100. Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer although there is good in each. Desire that which will bring you benefit, and seek help from Allah and do not give way to incapacity. If something happens to you, do not say, 'If only I had done such-and-such.' Rather say, 'The decree of Allah. He does what He will.' Otherwise you will open yourself up to the action of Shaytan." [Muslim]

101. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Fire is veiled by indulgence of appetites and the Garden is veiled by things people dislike." [Agreed upon]

The variant of Muslim has "surrounded" instead of "veiled" meaning there is this veil between him and it. When he does it, he enters it.

102. Abu 'Abdullah Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman said, "I prayed with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one night, and he began with al-Baqara. I said, 'He will go into ruku' after a hundred verses.' But he continued and I said, 'He will pray with all of it in the rak'at,' but he continued. I said, 'He will do the ruku' after it,' but he went on and then began an-Nisa' and recited it and then began Ali 'Imran and recited that, and he recited with deliberation. When he recited a verse containing glorification, he would glorify. When he recited a request, he would ask, and when he recited a verse seeking refuge, he would seek refuge. Then he went into ruku' and began to say, 'Glory be to my Lord, the Immense.' His ruku' was about the same length as his standing. Then he said, 'Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, praise is Yours.' Then he stood for a long time, about as long as had bowed. Then he prostrated and said, 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.' His prostration was about as long as his standing." [Muslim]

103. Ibn Mas'ud said, "I prayed in the night with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he stood so long that I wanted to do something awful." He was asked, "What did you want to do?" He said, "I wanted sit down and leave him." [Agreed upon]

104. Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Three things follow a dead person: his family, his property and his actions. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and property return and his actions remain." [Agreed upon]

105. Ibn Mas'ud said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Garden is nearer to you than the strap of your sandal, and the Fire is the same." [al-Bukhari]

106. Abu Firas Rabi'a ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, the servant of the Messenger of Allah and one of the People of the Suffa, who said, "I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I would bring him his wudu' water and whatever he needed. He said, 'Ask of me.' I said, 'I ask you for your friendship in the Garden.' He said, 'Something else as well?' I said, 'I only want that.' He said, 'Help me against your self by means of a lot of prostration.'" [Muslim]

107. Abu 'Abdullah (or it is said Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman) Thawban, the client of the Messenger of Allah, said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'You must do a lot of prostration. For you do not do a single prostration to Allah without Allah raising you up a degree by it and shedding a wrong action from you.'" [Muslim]

108. Abu Safwan 'Abdullah ibn Busr al-Aslami reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of people is the one who lives a long life and whose actions are good." [at-Tirmidhi]

109. Anas said, "My uncle, Anas ibn an-Nadr, missed the fighting at Badr and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I missed the first battle in which you fought the idol worshippers. If Allah gives me the opportunity to fight the idolaters, Allah will see what I shall do!' On the Day of Uhud, the Muslims were routed and he said, 'O Allah, I apologise to You for what these people have done (i.e. his companions) and I declare myself innocent to You of what those people have done, (i.e. the idol worshippers).' Then he went forward and Sa'd ibn Mu'adh met him. He said, 'O Sa'd ibn Mu'adh! The Garden, by the Lord of the Ka'ba! I smell its fragrance from below Uhud!' Sa'd said, 'Messenger of Allah, I could not do what he did.'" Anas said, "We found him with about eighty wounds, sword thrusts or spear stabs or arrows. We found that he had been killed and the idol worshippers had mutilated him. No one could recognise him except for his sister by his fingertips.' Anas said, "We used to think or suppose that this ayat was sent down about him and his like, 'Among the believers are men who have been true to the contract they made with Allah.' (33:23)" [Agreed upon]

110. Abu Mas'ud 'Uqba ibn 'Amr al-Ansari al-Badri said, "When the ayat of sadaqa was sent down, we were working as porters. A man would come and give a lot of sadaqa and they would say, 'Just showing-off!' Another man would come and give a sa' in sadaqa and they would say, 'Allah has no need of the sa' of this person!' So it was revealed, 'As for the people who find fault with those believers who give sadaqa spontaneously, and with those who can find nothing to give but their own efforts ...'"(W9:80; H9:79)" [Agreed upon]

111. Sa'id ibn 'Abdu'l-'Aziz from Rabi'a ibn Yazid from Abu Idris al-Khawlani from Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada reported from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in what is related from what Allah the Blessed and Almighty said, "O My slaves! I have forbidden injustice to Myself and I have made it unlawful between you, so do not wrong one another. O My slaves! All of you are misguided except those that I guide, so seek My guidance and I will guide you. O My slaves! All of you are hungry except those that I feed so ask me for food and I will feed you. O My slaves! All of you are naked except those that I clothe so ask me for clothing and I will clothe you. O My slaves! You make mistakes by night and by day and I forgive all wrong actions so ask for My forgiveness and I will forgive you. O My slaves! You will never attain to My harm so as to be able to harm Me and you will never attain to My benefit so as to be able benefit Me. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most god-fearing man among you, that would not increase My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, possessed the heart of the most evil man among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in any way. O My slaves! If the first and last of you, all the jinn and all the men among you, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, I could give to every man what he asks without that decreasing what I have any more than a needle when it enters the sea. O My slaves! It is your actions for which I call you to account and then repay you in full. So anyone who finds good should praise Allah and anyone who finds something else should blame none but himself."

Sa'id said, "When Abu Idris related this hadith, he knelt."

Muslim related it and we related it from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, who said, "The people of Syria do not have any hadith nobler than this hadith."