VIRTUES OF THE RIGHTEOUS

THOSE WHO PRAISE ALLAH IN EVERY STATE

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that the first people to enter Paradise will be those who praise Allah in every state. In another tradition, it is said, «Those who praise Allah in joy and sorrow.» The Prophet ﷺ also said, «The words ‘al-hamdu lillah’ are a manifestation of gratitude for every blessing.»

They say that as-Sari as-Saqati  said, «For thirty years, I have asked the forgiveness of Allah for the words ‘Praise be to Allah’ which I once uttered.» He was asked, «How can this be?» He replied, “There was a big fire in Baghdad. I met someone who informed me, «Your shop has survived intact.» Then I said, «Praise be to Allah.» And for thirty years now I have regretted these words, for I wanted to benefit myself while other Muslims suffered.”

They say that Hasan ibn Ali , stopping at the corner of the Ka`ba, turned to Allah with the words, “O my Allah, You endowed me with blessings but I did not show gratitude. You tested me with misfortunes but I did not show patience. You did not deprive me of blessings for my ingratitude and did not prolong hardships for my impatience. O my God, there is only generosity from the Generous One.”

CHAPTER 34

PROMOTION OF VIRTUE AND PREVENTION OF VICE

Know that enjoining good and forbidding evil is a command to contribute to the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice. It is conveyed from Ibn Abbas  that he asked the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, will the earth fail while there are pious people on it?” He replied, «Yes, if they begin to curry favor with others (i.e. to keep silent about the truth in order to put themselves in a better light) and are silent when something sinful is committed.»

The Prophet ﷺ also said, “On the Day of Judgment, people from my community will rise from the graves and appear before Almighty Allah in the image of monkeys and pigs because they flattered sinners and did not deter them from disobedience when they were able to do so.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ further said, “O Abu Huraira, enjoin good and forbid evil, and be patient for what has befallen you in doing so.”

Imam Abu Said al-Khadimi  said in his book “Al-Bariqah al-Mahmudah”, “Sycophancy in the Sharia denotes not changing evil while being able to do so, out of concern for the side of the perpetrator or the side of others, or for lack of indifference to religion.” Imam al-Barkawi , in the book “At-Tariqat al-Muhammadiya”, said, “Such ingratiation is prohibited.”

Silence should not be kept when it comes to revealing the truth and exposing falsehood. Whoever silences the truth is Satan’s mute. Those who are well-disposed towards sinners will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment in the image of monkeys and pigs. Command the doing of good, refrain from evil and benefit from the hadith, “One who guides doing something good has a reward similar to that of its doer.”

Do not fear reproach when it comes to fulfilling the commandments of religion. Pursue the acquisition of knowledge, though it be just a tenth part of it. At-Tirmidhi  conveyed from Abu Huraira  the utterance of the Prophet ﷺ, “You (companions) live at a time when whoever forsakes a tenth of that commanded him by religion will fall into perdition. The time will come when he who has done even a tenth of what he is commanded to do will be saved.”

There are people who bring change to what is condemned by the Sharia through the word; these are theological scholars. They transform such a situation for the better through politics and kindness rather than violence and arrogance. There are those who redress evil with their hearts — the sheikhs and perfect saints. My master Ibrahim al-Matbuli  said, “Changing evil by the hand is for rulers and those close to them, changing it with the tongue is for the practicing scholars and changing it with the heart is for the masters of insight.”

And know, my children, that the evil resulting from condemnation by one who is not worthy of disapproving is greater than the benefit resulting from it, and the murid should never take the lead in removing an evil (if there is no corresponding instruction).

They say that there was a certain group of young people who were occupied in the worship of Almighty Allah and consumed only what they earned by their own honest work. Whenever Satan wanted to get closer to one of them, he almost got burned. Once, when they were gathered to commemorate Allah, Satan set a group of nearby troublemakers against one another. They began to beat each other with sticks until they were bloodied. Satan’s objective was for the young people commemorating the Almighty to think that it would be better to save those persons from the evil of this fracas than to remember Allah - as there is benefit for others in the riddance of discord. So the young people stopped their remembrance of the Almighty and went to separate those who were fighting. The troublemakers fell upon them as they approached. As a result, the troublemakers distracted the righteous from the remembrance of Allah and other devotions. Satan then greatly rejoiced: his main goal had been to disrupt the gathering where the Almighty was being remembered - and nothing more.

In books it is written that someone came to one of the righteous in the past to complain about his neighbor committing sins. The righteous one asked him, “Have you held vigil even for a single night for his sake?” When he answered negatively, he continued, “Hold vigil for seven nights for his sake and address Almighty Allah with a beauteous prayer for him. Almighty Allah will grant him mercy. If he does not repent even after such an act as yours, know that you are worse than him - and then work on improving your nafs.»

CHAPTER 35

FEAR OF GOD

Know that the fear of God (taqwa) is when there is nothing in your heart but Allah. The fear of God has an exterior and interior aspect. Its exterior aspect is preservation of the Sharia boundaries and its interior aspect is in purity of intention and striving. Almighty Allah called the fear of God the best provision for eternal life. The Creator said (meaning), “And prepare provisions for verily the best provision is the fear of God.” (Sura Al-Baqarah, ayah 197)

Theological scholars noted, «There is no greater provision than the fear of God.» They considered it right to lament for hearts which are devoid of the fear of God. Scholars also said, “If the knowledge of a scholar does not contain the following four qualities, then they do not regard such to be a scholar and do not trust his knowledge, for he is like a donkey loaded with books: taqwa in what is between him and God, asceticism in what is between him and the world, humility in what is between him and people, and striving in what is between him and his nafs.»

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, “What most of all brings people to Paradise?” He replied, “The fear of God and a good moral disposition.” And then they asked, “And what causes people to enter Hellfire the most?” and he answered, “Two cavities: oral (the tongue) and abdominal (the genital organs).”

FROM THE BOOK “VIRTUES OF THE RIGHTEOUS”

BY SHEIKH AHMAD-AFANDI

MUFTI DAGESTAN