A Mercy for the Worlds
The Prophet [SAW] — A Mercy for the Worlds
Delivered by Shaykh Riyadh Ul Haq at the Zakariyya Jame Masjid, Bolton, England
Intending a Good Deed
Sayyiduna Khuraym ibn Fatik رضي الله عنه narrates: Nabee صلى الله عليه وسلم said: (as part of a longer narration)
“Whomsoever intends doing a good deed, his heart is set on carrying it out and Allah Ta’ala is aware that he wants to carry it out, then Allah Ta’ala will record for him one good deed”
(Musnad Ahmad)
The above narration explains that a person will be rewarded merely for having a firm intention to carry out a good deed, although he has not carried it out yet. When he carries it out, he will be rewarded tenfold as Allah Ta’ala mentions:
“Whosoever carries out a good deed, will receive ten times as much”
(Surah Al An’am, verse: 160)
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was born in the city of Baghdad during the month of Rabi-ul Awwal 164 A.H. His father passed away either before he was born or shortly afterwards, and it was his mother who diligently brought up the Imam.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Education
He acquired his childhood education through the Maktab but even there his piety and scholarly character were recognised. Abu Afeef (r.a) has reported, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (r.a) was within our learning group at the Maktab. At that time he was very young, and we, as students were aware of his piety. Having completed his basic education at the age of 16, the Imam went on to study ahadith by attending the study circles of Qazi Imam Abu Yusuf (r.a).
Having acquired knowledge from the scholars of Baghdad, his zeal for learning took him to different parts of the world including Kufa, Basra, Yemen, Makkah, Madinah and Syria, to benefit from their great scholars. Sometimes, during long and difficult journies to acquire ahadith, the Imam had to resort to manual work in order to cover his expenses.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Teachers
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal had many teachers, amongst the most prominent was Imam Shafiee (r.a) whom he met on several separate occasions and each time he took full benefit of the opportunity. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal commented, ‘Only after sitting in the Majlis of Imam Shafiee (r.a) did I understand and comprehend nasikh and mansukh hadith.’ One should remember, the Imam was an accomplished scholar even before he met Imam Shafiee.
It was only at the age of forty, in 204 A.H., the Imam began formally teaching hadith. Whilst his teachers were still alive he refused to teach and narrate hadith out of humility and respect for them. Imam Ahmad was acknowledged by the Ulama of his time as the Imam ul Hadith.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s books
Amongst his publications, the more famous are Kitab ul Musnad (based upon 30,000 ahadith), Kitab ul Tafseer, Kitab us Salaah, Kitab us Sunnah, Kitab un Nasikh and Mansukh and others.
The Imam dressed very simply and disliked clothes which created a false awe. He wore a turban, white clothes and a shawl. He never accepted gifts offered by rulers and the affluent out of caution.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal died on the blessed day of Friday in Rabi ul Awwal 241 A.H at the age 77, after a period of illness which lasted nine days. The news of the Imams death soon spread and after Jumuah more than 850,000 people performed his janazah prayer with the rows formed in the city, streets, bazaars and even on boats on the river Tigris. Even the non-Muslims mourned the passing away of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
Virtues of Durood
There are many ahadeeth narrating the benefits and virtues of Durood, below are a selected few shared to encourage the believers to send abundant durood upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Definition: Durood – the uttering of specific phrases to compliment the Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings upon him) when his name is mentioned or read in a text. It is usually to praise and honour him with great love and compassion.
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ وَمَلـٰئِكَتَهُ يُصَلّونَ عَلَى النَّبِىِّ ۚ يـٰأَيُّهَا الَّذينَ ءامَنوا صَلّوا عَلَيهِ وَسَلِّموا تَسليمًا ﴿٥٦﴾
Surely Allah Ta’ala and his angels send Durood (blessings) upon Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), O you who believe! You also send Durood and Salaams upon Hazrat Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) in abundance.
In the above mentioned verse, Allah Ta’ala commands the believers to send Durood and Salaams upon Hazrat Nabi-e-kareem (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Allah Ta’ala says I myself and my pure creation; the Malaaikah continuously send Durood (blessings) upon Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Hence, you should also send Durood and Salaams upon my beloved Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).
Virtues of Durood
Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he who invokes blessings on me once, Allah sends ten blessings upon him.’
Al-Nasa’i narrated in ‘Invocations of the day and night’, from ‘Umar bin Dinar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he of my community who invokes blessings upon me sincerely, Allah will bless him ten fold and raise him ten degrees, and he will have written for him ten good deeds, and erased from his record ten bad deeds.’
Tirmidhi narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said ‘Verily, supplications are stalled between the heavens and the earth, and are not lifted up until the supplicant invokes blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).’
Tirmidhi related from Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘the closest people to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who invoked the most blessings upon me.’
Tirmidhi narrated from ‘Amir bin Rani’ah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he who invokes blessings upon me, the Angels send blessings upon him equal to that which he invoked, so let the worshipper invoke some, or increase upon that.’
Perfect moments in Marriage
There are no perfect wives and no perfect husbands. But if you keep believing and investing in each other, there will be plenty of perfect moments in your marriage.
Always remember, support, respect and help each other.
Maulana Imtiyaz Sidat
Recipe for a Successful Marriage
“Our Lord! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a comfort to our eyes, and give us the grace to lead those who are conscious of You” (Furqaan 74).
Q: Every human being by nature has an instinct to dispute. This instinct becomes more manifest between the husband and wife, thus leading to marital disputes. How can this instinct be controlled?
A. Consider the following ten points to control the instinct of dispute and maintain a happy marriage.
1. Fear Allah: It was the noble practice of Nabi salallahu alayhi wasallam to conscientise the spouses about the fear for Allah before performing a Nikah by reciting the verses (Nisa v14, Ahzab v69, Aali-Imraan v101) from the Quraan. All the verses are common in the message of Taqwa (fear of Allah). The spouses will be first committed to Allah before being committed to their partner. There can be no doubt in the success of a marriage governed by the fear of Allah.
2. Never be angry at the same time: Anger is the root cause for all marital disputes. One Sahabi came to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam and sought some advice. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam replied, control your anger. The same advice was rendered three times. (Mishkaat pg.433; HM Saeed)
3. If one has to win an argument, let it be the other: Nabi salallahu alayhi wasallam said: “Whoever discards an argument despite being correct shall earn a palace in the centre of Jannah. (Ibid pg.412)
4. Never shout at each other unless the house is on fire: Luqman (AS) while offering advice to his son said: ” and lower your voice for verily the most disliked voice is that of a donkey”. (Surah Luqman v19)
5. If you have to criticize, do it lovingly: Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, ‘A Mu’ min is a mirror for a Mu’min.’ (Abu Dawud vol.2 pg.325; Imdadiyah) Advise with dignity and silently.
6. Never bring up mistakes of the past: Nabi salallahu alayhi wasallam said: “Whoever conceals the faults of others, Allah shall conceal his faults on the day of Qiyaamah.” (Mishkaat pg.429; HM Saeed)
7. Neglect the whole world rather than your marriage partner:Nabi salallahu alayhi wasallam confirmed the advice of Salman to Abu-Darda [RA] for neglecting his wife. “Verily there is a right of your wife over you.” (Nasai Hadith2391)
8. Never sleep with an argument unsettled: Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu resolved his dispute with his wife over-feeding the guests before going to bed. (Bukhari Hadith 602)
9. At least, once everyday, express your gratitude to your partner: Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘Whoever does not show gratitude to the people has not shown gratitude to Allah.’ (Abu Dawud pg.662; Karachi)
10. When you have done something wrong, be ready to admit it and ask for forgiveness: Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said, ‘All the sons of Aadam commit error, and the best of those who err are those who seek forgiveness.’ (Tirmidhi Hadith 2499)
by Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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