- Islamic Fiqh / Rituals
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- Fasting (Siyam)
The definition of Siam (fasting):
Dear brother, last lecture we started with the topic of Siam, and today we will tackle some of its rulings.First, the definition of Siam is to abstain from entering anything, whether willfully or by mistake, inside the stomach or any of its extensions and to abstain from intentional conjugal sexual intercourse. This definition is sufficient and inclusive. Abstaining means to stop eating and drinking, willfully or by mistake, during the day, for in the evening it is permissible to eat and drink. By mistake means if someone exaggerates in rinsing the mouth with water (while fasting) and some water enters the stomach unintentionally, this water breaks his fasting, but he should continue his Siam the rest of the day and should make up this day after Ramadan. Siam also is abstaining from intentional conjugal sexual intercourse with one's wife. The intention is the decisive line between performing something as an act of worship or as a habitual activity. The woman in postpartum period and the one who is menstruating should not observe Siam. The reason behind being an obligatory act of worship is to be present in Ramadan, so even if someone embraces Islam on the day fifteen of Ramadan, he should observe Siam the rest of it, because he is present at part of it.
Every day of Ramadan is a reason to observe its Siam, and it is Fard (obligatory) Ada' upon those who have the ability to observe Siam during Ramadan, or it is Qada' upon those who are unable to observe Siam due to valid reasons. For example, the husband cannot ask his wife while she is making up the fasts she missed in Ramadan to break her fasting, because her Siam in this case is obligatory, and she should go on fasting since it is mentioned in the following Hadith that:
((There is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah)).
Hence, Siam is Fard Ada' and Qada' upon every adult Muslim, male or female, who has reached puberty, who is sane and who embraced Islam in Dar Al-Harb (territory of war or chaos) and is aware of the obligatory nature of Siam. Do know what this means? It means that if during a battle one of the Kuffar embraces Islam and offers the Shahadatain (La Ilaha Illa Allah and Muhammad is Rasool Allah [There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.]), but he is not informed that he should observe Siam in Ramadan, so he is not aware of the obligatory nature of Siam in Ramadan. Thus, being aware of the obligatory nature of Siam is one of the preconditions for offering Siam.
I repeat again, Siam is Fard Ada' and Qada' upon every adult Muslim, male or female, who has reached puberty, who is sane and who embraced Islam in Dar Al-Harb and is aware of the obligatory nature of Siam. As for those who live in Islamic countries, being unaware is an invalid excuse, because it is irrational that someone in an Islamic country says to you in Ramadan, "I have not told that I should fast". This is absolutely unacceptable.
The preconditions for Siam:
The preconditions required for observing Siam in Ramadan is to be healthy, in purity (for women, i.e. they should not be in postpartum period or menstruating) and Moqeem (settled and not traveling), and concerning those who are on a travel, Allah says:﴾And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).﴿
There are three Arkan (integrals) for Siam validity. The first integral is the intention which is a must (as I mentioned previously), for the intention draws a line between the habits and the acts of worship. The second integral is that the woman should not be in postpartum period, in monthly period or in any other thing that nullifies Siam. However, Janabah (when a man sees the signs of sexual discharge impurity on his clothes) is not a reason for not fasting, and the person who is Junub (it is an Islamic term meaning ritually impure due to sexual intercourse or seminal discharge. A person in such a state needs to take a bath in order to become ritually pure and be able to perform his prayers. A person while in a state of janaba cannot offer his/her daily salat (prayer) or enter a Masjid) is allowed to begin fasting in this state and his Siam will be valid, and all he has to do is to offer Ghusl (full body ritual washing ablution) and continue his Siam. The Third Rukn (Singular of Arkan) of fasting is to abstain from eating, drinking and intimacy from dawn till sunset.
Siam Hukm (ruling purpose): It is to fulfill the Wajib (obligatory) and to be on the right side in the Hereafter, and Allah knows better. Siam is Fard (obligatory), so it is indispensible to perform it. Its Hukm is that when you fast, you are fulfilling this Fard, and you will be rewarded in the Hereafter. There are other purposes for Siam which are mentioned in the Noble Quran, and Allah knows better.
These rulings are clear and essential, but today we will shed the light on some of them of which we are in dire need. First, he who eats and drinks by mistake should repeat his Siam of this day after Ramadan. It is recommended to exaggerate in rinsing your mouth during Wudu unless you are in Siam, and if you do so while you are fasting, and some water enters your stomach, you should make up thatfast after Ramadan, but you should stay in a state of fasting the rest of that day.
The impermissible nature of the deliberate breaking of Siam is well-known to all people. The intention is required for the validity of Siam, and being able to observe Siam is required, for the person should be healthy, the woman should not be in her monthly period or postpartum period and one should not be on travel. If the believer missed a fast during Ramadan, he should keep fasting the rest of the month, for each day is a reason for its fasting.
Ignorance of the pillar of Siam Ramadan is unaccepted in Islamic countries, but if someone is living in Dar Al-Harb and is new to Islam, he fasts only when he is aware of this pillar, as being aware of Siam Ramadan is an essential precondition for fasting. As I said earlier, Janabah does not break Siam.
Next lecture, insha' Allah (if Allah wills), we will continue talking about the six types of Siam, which are: The Fard (a religious duty, or an obligatory action and neglecting a fard will result in a punishment in the Hereafter), the Wajib (mandatory), the Masnoon (The Siam reported in the Prophetic Sunnah), the Mandoob (commendable or recommended), the Nafl (An optional, supererogatory Siam) and the Makrooh (Means "detested", though not haraam (forbidden)). As for the intention, it is located in the heart, but some scholars stress on uttering the intention with the tongue, while sh3er consider that the heart intention is enough.
* * *
Taharah (purity):
Purity is the selected chapter for today from the book "Ihya' Ulum Ad-Deen" by Imam Al-Ghazali. He wrote, "Purity has four stages: The first stage is the purification of the body from excrements, impurities, and bodily growths, and discharges. The second stage is the purification of the bodily senses from crimes and sins. The third stage is the purification of the heart from blameworthy traits and reprehensible vices. The fourth stage is the purification of the inmost self (sirr) from everything except Allah. This last stage is that of the Prophets and saints."He continued, "He who has a pure insight, his soul will exalt to the fourth stage, and he whose insight fails to distinguish between these different stages will not perceive of them except the lowest." In fact, this phenomenon prevails amongst Muslims, for most of them are so keen on the purification from outside only. Moreover, some of them are psychologically infected with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) by which their lives turn into living Hell, and I was informed of many of these cases. The person with OCD offers Wudu, and then repeats it, or he goes to the bathroom and doubts his purity, then he goes again to the bathroom. Some of those who suffer from this disorder repeat their Salah for having doubts that a little boy stepped on the place of Salah. These mental diseases need treatment in psychological facilities. When man is satisfied with the first stage of Taharah, which is the purification of the body from excrements, impurities, and bodily growths and discharges, and forgets about all the rest, he is actually overlooking the gist of Taharah, but do you know why?
Islam is based on purity, but not only on the physical aspect of it. Let me elaborate this point by this comparison. The mechanic's overall is blue but since it is always stained with oil, grease, coal and mud, it is turned into black. This man lies down on his back in order to repair your car, and he does a great job, then he asks you for a fair charge for it, and this job according to Islam is extremely clean. On the other hand, if someone works at a luxurious office which is furnished in extravagance, it has central air conditioning and it is geared with all comfort means, but this job is based on harming people through this office, this job is dirty.
Cleanness in general is not about the physical one only, for the mechanic (in my example) has a clean job. The Prophet PBUH praised those who work with their hands in order to have Halal income. Our Master Umar said, "I admire the physically strong man, but once I know that he is jobless, I disrespect him." Therefore, if someone is good at his job, he is valuable in the Sight of Allah, because he is contributing to his society through his job. Hence, cleanness (purity/Taharah) is more about the cleanness from inside, so, the liar is dirty, the swindler is dirty, the backbiter is dirty, the arrogant is dirty, the one who despises people is dirty and every job that is based on harming people, taking their money and terrifying them, is a dirty job. Unlike those people, whose career needs a special uniform because of the dirty nature of it, it is considered clean in the Sight of Allah and in the sight of people, and this kind of jobs are praised.
Islam is based on cleanness. You might find cleanness of the highest levels in Europe when you travel over there, but when you get to know them very well and live amongst them, you will see indescribable dirtiness due to their social dissolution, immorality and Ikhtilat Al-Ansab (confounding of lineages). According to a recent statistic, which was run in the United States few months ago about incestuous affairs, 30 percent of women over there have been into sexual intercourse with fathers or brother. Do you know why such affairs take place? They take place due to the confounding of lineage. Men there do not recognize their daughters or sisters since the married women do not have Iddah (Iddah is the period a woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man) which is a wise ruling in Islam. As a result, the brother might think that this woman is his sister, while she is not, and the father might think that a young woman is his daughter, but she is not. This is the real dirtiness, which is dissolution, immorality, wickedness, ill-gotten money, lying, cheating and backbiting. These wrong doings are the outcome of the soul dirtiness.
Al-Ghazli said, "He who has a pure insight, his soul will exalt to the fourth stage, and he whose insight fails to distinguish between these different stages will not perceive of them except the lowest which is equivalent to the last and outermost husk of the desired fruit. He will therefore concentrate upon it and will go to the extreme in the study of its rules, wasting all his time in abstersion (istinjay, washing clothes…etc.)" Pay attention to his use of "all his time", which means that this life time you are consuming is very valuable in every minute of it. The worth of its every minute is like the one of each minute a spaceship spends in the space, and which costs 13 million dollars for example, so what does that mean? It means launching this spaceship and sending it to the space required using all the science in the world, such as mathematic, astronomy, physics or chemistry, and all these sciences combined and contributed to this spaceship. Therefore, if you calculate the expenses of it, you will come up with a very big figure. Part of this big figure is spent on the days, the hours and the minutes during which it will stay in the space, and this is why they said that every minute cost 13 million dollars.
Your life is valuable:
Do you believe, dear brother, that every second of your life costs thousands of thousands of millions of dollars in order to drink a glass of water? That is very much true, for this glass of water needs the sun, clouds and seas. Also, in order to eat you need all the seasons during the year, for you need hot weather, rains, snow, clouds, shining sun and cloudy days, as all these elements contribute to making your food, water, vegetables, crops and fruits.In order to replace your heart valve with an artificial valve or to have a kidney transplant, you should pay 200-300 thousand liras. This means that when your organs are intact, you do not have to pay these amounts of money for medical operations, so every second of your life costs thousands of millions. In fact life is valuable, and whoever spends his life time in trivial matters, in amusement, in falsehood, in working for the incorrect purposes, in deadlock ways, in fruitless jobs, in playing, in boasting and rivalry in respect of wealth and children, is a the great loser amongst people, because on the Day of Resurrection one will regret every hour he wasted in the worldly life during which he did not remember Allah. Therefore, man should be keen on how he spends his time, shouldn't he?
The past is over, and the future is the unseen, so what matters is your present. The past has already gone whether you prayed in it or not, fasted or not, reflect or not, offered good deeds or not and wronged people or not, so thinking about the past is a waste of time. The future, on the other hand, is the unseen, and wishful thinking will do you no good. Thus, saying, "I will do so and so the day after tomorrow", "I will repent at the end of winter, at the beginning of the academic year or after finishing this matter" is worthless, for wishful thinking belongs to the unseen future, and the main thing is the hour you are living in, so if you get acquainted with the Almighty Allah, start promptly obeying Him before the unknown future takes you aback.
Let us go back to Al-Ghazali's book, "wasting all his time in abstersion, (istinja [cleaning oneself with stones], washing clothes, cleaning his body, and outdoing himself in the use of running water), thinking, as a result of a constant fear with which he is obsessed and of a hallucination which dwells in his mind, that the desired and noble purity comprises only such outward and external cleanliness, and revealing thereby a complete ignorance of the life of the early Muslims: how they expended all their energy and thought on the purification of the heart." You might meet a very clean Muslim, yet he bears grudge towards other people, and who is arrogant and very envious, so is this external cleanness worthwhile? One must purify his heart. Our Master Umar said, "Look after your heart." You should look after your heart and should check what it conceals towards people. Does your heart conceal love or hatred? What does it conceal? Allah says:
﴾The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail* Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)].﴿
Purity at all levels is half of faith:
Al-Ghazali went on saying, "But the situation has now come to such a pass where a certain group of people who consider their makeup (ru'unah) equivalent to cleanliness and say that it is the foundation of religion. They spend the greater part of their time in beautifying their bodies, just as the hairdresser does with the bride, but neglect their hearts and leave them desolate, stuffed with the foul impurities of pride, conceit, ignorance, hypocrisy, and deceit; and neither disapprove of them nor show any amazement at them. They consider cleanness is mere make-up and ornamentation and this exists only in the limited perception." The Prophet PBUH said:
((Purity is half of iman (faith)))
Some scholars interpreted purity in this Hadith as the one which embraces all its aforementioned four stages. "In every one of these stages purity is half the activities it entails. For the supreme aim of the activities of the inmost self is to have the majesty and Greatness of Allah revealed unto it. But the knowledge of Allah will never actually descend into the inmost self unless everything other than Allah is removed therefrom. As to the activities of the heart, their supreme purpose is to adorn it with the praiseworthy traits and the doctrines established by the Law. No one who has not cleansed his heart from their opposite, namely the false doctrines and the reprehensible vices, has ever been described by these traits. Hence the purification of the heart comprises one half of its activities."
Islam is pure outwardly and inwardly:
In another Hadith, the Prophet PBUH said:((… the key to prayer is ritual purity (tuhur).))
Of course we should consider the apparent meaning of the Hadith; the physical purity is a precondition for the validity of Salah. However, we should not narrow down the meaning to be restricted to the physical cleanliness. The deep meaning of the Hadith is that the key for an accepted Salah is to be pure from inside. Thus, who cheats Muslims, who backbites them, who slanders them, who feasts his eyes on Awrat (The parts of the body of a male or a female which must be covered in public) and who deceives Muslims in selling and buying, cannot offer Salah. Pay attention to the following Ayah:
﴾O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying and going round (the Tawaf of ) the Ka'bah, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).﴿
Some interpreted the adornment as the good deeds. The apparent meaning is to put on clean clothes and to wear perfume, but the deeper meaning is to offer a good deed before you offer your Salah, so if you help someone who is in dire need of your help, donate money to a poor man, offer Sadaqah, pay a visit to a sick person or meet the need of someone who seeks your help, then you offer Salah, this deed you offer will help you connect with the Almighty Allah. Allah says:﴾So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."﴿
Anyway, all these other interpretations do not negate the apparent meaning of purity. Islam is clean from outward and inward, and if you meet someone who is only clean in his appearance, invite him to clean his soul, because the external cleanliness is not enough.* * *
Masajid and Markets:
I would like to move now to some Prophetic As7adeth. The Prophet PBUH said:((The best patches [of earth] (to Allah) are the masājid and the worst (to Allah) are the markets.))
The word "Khair" (best) is a superlative adjective in Arabic and it should be "Akhiar", but because of the abundant use of it, it has become "Khair". In the Masjid your heart is purified, your soul is exalted, your determination is strengthened, your heart becomes lenient, you turn to Allah with repentance, you long for being amongst the people of Paradise, and you live in serenity. Furthermore, the Masjid wards off tension and hardship from your heart. In Masjid, you will be in a state the Prophet's companions described as follows:
((When we are in the company of Messenger of Allah (SAWS), and he reminds us of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from Messenger of Allah (SAWS), we attend to our wives, our children, our business, most of these things (pertaining to life Hereafter) slip out of our minds.))
When you go shopping, and you see something you long for, but you cannot afford it, you may think of borrowing money to buy it. However, you will be in a disgraceful debt, and if you abstain from buying it, you will feel deprived. Not to mention, you will curse every woman who exposes her body and walks in an enchanting and seductive way. Consequently, being in the market will divert you from your destiny. The Prophet PBUH said:
((The best patches [of earth] (to Allah) are the masājid and the worst (to Allah) are the markets.))
Do not go shopping unless you need to buy something urgent, because the market is a place of seduction whether that comes from commodities or women. The Prophet PBUH said:
((Beware of looking (at women) out of curiosity, for it might be your means to follow your desires.))
Also, avoid looking at the things which you do not need, lest you long to get it. The following is a Prophetic guidance for us, so whenever we set eyes on something of the worldly vanity, we say:
((O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter.))
This Du'a reminds you of the Hereafter and its everlasting delights, and it indicates how the people of Paradise enjoy these delights forever. Hence, whenever you are tempted by the vanity of the worldly life, remember the Hereafter with all its great happiness.
The best of deeds and friends in the sight of Allah:
The Prophet PBUH said:((The best of deeds in the Sight of Allah is (performing) Salah at the beginning of its time"))
This refers to the fact that the prayer at the beginning of its time brings happiness to the person who offers it, whereas the one who postpones it will miss benediction in his life. Namely, he will not enjoy time. When you pray Zuhr and Isha' at the beginning of their time, you are comfortable, for you can sleep at once if you get sleepy since you have already prayed.. However, postponing Isha' prayer then getting sleepy makes the prayer a heavy burden on one's shoulders. Hence, the best deed is performing the obligatory prayer at the beginning of their times.((Once Prophet Muhammad (saw) was asked, "What person can be the best friend?" "He who helps you remember Allah (SWT), and reminds you when you forget Him," the Prophet Muhammad (saw), counseled.))
Their encouragement will be embodied in encouraging words like saying, "This is wonderful; please carry on", so they encourage you to talk more about religious issues. Thus, if you are with them in a picnic or on a travel, you will spend your precious time in getting acquainted with Allah. On the other hand, there are companions who say to you upon remembering Allah, "I am not interested in discussing such an issue, so do not befriend those people, because they might be the reason behind your corruption and heedlessness.
Those people may also say upon reminding them of a religious matter, "We are too young to consider these matters, so stop talking about them", "Who died and told us what happens after death?", "Allah is generous, so when we perform Hajj, we will repent to Him and He will accept our repentance." If someone says something like these words, you should not befriend him. Therefore, befriend those who encourage you to go on talking about religious matters and be keen on their friendship. The Prophet PBUH said:
((The best of companions to Allah is the who is best to his companions.))
If there are two friends, the one who is the best to the other is the best in the Sight of Allah. Some friends build their friendship on taking only, so if one of those friends is in a restaurant, he waits for his friend to pay for him, and he pretends to pay, but he takes his time while doing so in order to let his friend pay for him. He will do the same thing if they take a taxi. This kind of friends is the worst. Unlike those friends, the best friend is the one who takes the lead in being generous to his friend. The Prophet PBUH said:
((The best of companions to Allah is the one who is best to his companions, and the best of neighbors to Allah is the one who is the best of them to his neighbors.))
Tawheed (monotheism) brings joy to souls:
The Prophet PBUH also said:((The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah. and the best of what I and the Prophet before me have said is: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things. (La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu, Lahul-Mulku Wa Lahul-Hamdu, Wa Huwa Ala Kulli Shai'in Qadir).))
This saying indicates that the best thing man could say is: La Ilaha Illah Allah, for it is the word of Tawheed (monotheism), and "Tawheed is the best thing a servant of Allah would ever learn." By Tawheed the heart is purified. On the other hand, polytheism (Shirk) is the main reason behind people's problems, because Shirk is accompanied with fear, despair and hopelessness, whereas Tawheed is accompanied with glad tidings, hope, tranquility, comfort, happiness and sufficiency.
When you seek the help of this or that person who might be mean to you, you will be in great misery, because this person does not know the Almighty Allah. Therefore, you should seek the help of Allah only, and you should believe that all matters are in His Hand, that you are His servant and that if you obey Him, He will relieve you from worldly hardship and will protect you from the worst of His creations. This is the gist of Tawheed with which souls become happy:
Obey Our Orders, so that you will not be veiled from Us
As we grant Our Content to whoever love Us Seek refuge with Us and resort to Our shelter
In order to protect you from the worst of Our creations
***
Life is scary, for danger might come from all directions. For instance, while someone is driving his car, and though he is following the traffic laws, another driver who is asleep might kill him in an accident. Hence, you might face evil things in your daily life. However, when you are with the Almighty Allah, He will protect you from such dilemmas.
((The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah. and the best of what I and the Prophet before me have said is: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things. (La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu, Lahul-Mulku Wa Lahul-Hamdu, Wa Huwa Ala Kulli Shai'in Qadir).))
Trusting in Allah and submitting to Him bring happiness to man's heart:
The best Du'a (supplication) is Istighfar (asking for Allah's forgiveness). Istighfar is the destination towards Allah by which the soul is purified from all its sins, wrongdoings or desires that pollute it, so when the Divine Light appears, the soul will be purified from all sins and filthiness.((The Prophet PBUH said: The best form of litany is remembering Allah in privacy, and the best daily bread is sustenance in adequate))
This means if the heart submits to Allah, the senses and limbs will submit thereof. Sometimes people shout after the Quran recitation in the Masajid by saying "Allah" out of admiring the Ayah or the voice of the one who reauthors it, but if only their hearts are submissive, their voices will be submissive as well, and instead of the gleeful shouting, they should weep. The best form of litany is remembering Allah in privacy, and the best daily bread is sustenance in adequate. This is mentioned in a Prophetic Hadith:
((O Allah, make the sustenance for those who love me sufficient.))
The Noble Prophet PBUH wished for those who love him to have enough sustenance, so that there would be no extravagance, haughtiness, wasting of money, arrogance, too much pride, snobbery or lordliness.
"The best provision is piety" and "The best state of heart is certainty." The provision for the Hereafter has nothing to do with owning a house which is well-furnished and well-serviced and is full of provision of the most delicious food, because when death comes, these possessions are worthless, and what really counts is the good deeds, and if they are so many, they will be the best provision when the angel of death comes. The Prophet PBUH said:
((The best provision is At-Taqwa [piety, righteousness, etc.]))
The Prophet PBUH also said:
((The best state of heart is certainty))
What kind of certainty does the Hadith refer to? It is the certainty of meeting Allah, the certainty of Allah's Justice and of Allah's Mercy, the certainty that the Words of Allah are true and that the Divine Promises will be fulfilled and the certainty that the pious people will be rewarded, while the people of falsehood will be doomed. I read two days ago the following Ayah in the Noble Quran:
﴾Or have they plotted some plan? Then We too are planning.﴿
This means that if people of the worldly life plot some plan, given Allah exists, His plan will be executed (not theirs), and His Order will be implemented. Thus, if there are two plans, one is plotted by people and the other is a Divine Plan, which of the two will take place? Allah's Plan will be implemented. Accordingly, if the western world plot against the weak countries for example, and they have their plans to harm them, Allah is planning as well. Allah says:
﴾Until when the earth is clad with its adornments and is beautified, and its people think that they have all the powers of disposal over it, Our Command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus do We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, laws, etc.) in detail for the people who reflect.﴿
Allah's Plan will take place not theirs. The greatest feeling the believer can ever have is to believe that Allah the Almighty is his Lord, his Merciful Allah and the One who is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing and the Ever-Affluent. Therefore, he will put his trust in Him, will prefer Him over everything else and will submit to Him. This brings joy to the heart of the believer.
Uwais Al-Qarani:
There is another Hadith which starts with "The best":((A man from the people of Sham called on the day of siffin: "Is Uwais Al-Qarani amongst you?" They said, "Yes." He then said, "I heard the Prophet PBUH call Uwais the best of the Tabieen (successors)".))
About two years ago as long as I remember, I narrated the story of Uwais, but some people asked me to narrate it again because it is right to the point and full of morals, so I will fulfill their request and will narrate it again since it also starts with "the best of Tabieen (successors)".
﴾And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).﴿
"When the caller proclaimed the Hajj to people, they came on foot and on every lean camel to the Old House and the safe sacred territory where Ibrahim and his son Ismael, peace be upon them, raised the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah) which is circumambulated by angels and purified by the Prophet PBUH. Makkah was crowded with comers, and its reefs were scented by the breaths of the bowing and prostrating worshippers. The earth became close to heavens, purity met purity and the great day came, so Mount Arafah got prepared, hearts became submissive and faces were humbled before (Allah), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists, only then you cannot hear anything but the sound of those who were invoking Allah, lauding and talking secretly to Him while they were scented with obedience.
It was the Great day of Islam (the Day of Arafah) when one should not have a sexual relations (with his wife), nor should he commit sin, nor dispute unjustly with sh3er, as it is a day of faith and purity and exalting above worldly affairs while longing to the heaven. But what was wrong with Umar Ibn Al-Khattab the Commander of the Faithful, and what was wrong with the knight of Quraish and its knowledgeable man Ali bin Abi Talib? What was wrong with both of them? They were wandering around checking the Arabs comers nicely especially the pilgrims from Yemen who visited the Kaabah on the pilgrimage season, for it was obvious that they were checking every man of them to such an extent that they drew people's attention.
Umar blended with the people who came from Yemen asking about their men, checking every face and asking about their names and ancestries, while Ali, with all his loftiness, was checking the features of the people from Yemen, asking about their news and joking with their youth as if he was seeking revenge or affinity. Both Ali and Umar looked at one another, and they both smiled, for each one of them knew the secret of the other and what he was after. They stayed that way for ten years but to no avail, for they could not find what they were looking for, and their hopes were not yet fulfilled.
This whole thing started when the Prophet PBUH told both of them secretly an important thing to which they hold on firmly, but years passed, and they were getting old and still their wish was not accomplished yet. Both Umar and Ali remembered the face of the Prophet PBUH, the truthful and the faithful, when he said to them, "O Umar and Ali, if you met with Uwais Al-Qarni ask him to pray for (Allah's) Forgiveness for you, for Allah will respond to his supplication! However, ten years passed and during each Hajj season they asked, checked, looked for and sought Uwais but to no avail. The description of Uwais was so clear in their mind. The Prophet PBUH described him to them as follows:
"He is dark skinned, wide shoulder, and of average height. His complexion is close to the color of earth. His beard touches his chest. His eyes are always looking downwards to the place of prostration, and his right hand is on his left hand. He weeps about himself with such a flow of tears that his lips are swollen. He wears a woolen garment and is known to the people of the heavens. If he makes a promise in the Name of Allah, he keeps it. Under his left shoulder there is a white spot. When the Day of Resurrection comes and it is announced to the slaves, "Enter the Garden," it will be said to Uwais, 'Stop and intercede.' Allah, Mighty and Exalted be He, will then forgive them to the same number as are the people of Rabi'a and Mudhar. (These are the two tribes that Uwais, (RA), belonged to). So, O Umar and O Ali, if you can find him, ask him to intercede for you. Then Allah will forgive you."
Umar and Ali were in the quest of Uwais for ten years trying to fulfill the Prophecy of the Prophet PBUH that they would meet him in Hajj season, and who is more truthful than the Prophet PBUH?
The discourse between Umar, Ali and Uwais Al-Qarani:
One day, a man came to Umar to inform him of a new small convoy from Yemen, so Umar bounced and ran towards it in order to warm his heart with hope again. However, he found Ali arrived first, and he was talking to a man with a radiant face in a white garment, and he seemed to be a leader in his tribe, after a while he heard Ali talking loudly to him, "Are you sure there is not any other men in your convoy than those you told me about?The leader of the tribe said, "Yes, O cousin of the Prophet PBUH, there is a person whom I forgot to mention to you; he is a low profile shabby man who grazes our cattle for few Dirhams, and I do not think he is the one you are looking for." At that moment Umar shouted, "Is he of medium height and his head held high despite being poor with very dark skin?" The Bedouin was astonished and looked at Umar (unaware that he is Umar) and said, "You perfectly described him. Did you see him before?"
The hearts of Umar and Ali lightened up, for they knew that they were tracking the right lead, so they asked the Bedouin to show them the way to meet with Uwais, and they raced to meet him. Umar and Ali, (RAA), then went quickly to Arafat where they found Uwais praying under a tree with camels grazing around him. They approached him and greeted him, saying, "As-salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmut Allahi wa Barakatuh." Uwais cut his prayer short, and when he had finished it, returned their greeting. They asked him, "Who are you?" He replied, "A herdsman of camels and a hired workman for a tribe." They said, "We do not ask you about your tending of animals, nor about your being a hired worker, but what is your name?" He answered, "Abdullah." They said, "All the people of the heavens and the earth are the slaves of Allah, but what is the name in which your mother named you?" He said, "O you two, what do you want from me?"
They said, "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) once spoke to us about Uwais Al-Qarani. He gave us a description of the bluish-black color of his eyes, and he told us that he has a white mark under his left shoulder. So please show us if you have this mark, for then it is you for whom we are searching." Uwais then bared his left shoulder, and they saw a white mark. They then embraced him and kissed him and said, "We declare that you are Uwais Al-Qarani, so ask for forgiveness for us and May Allah forgive you."
He answered, "I cannot even forgive myself, nor one of Adam's children. But there are on land and in the seas believing men and women, Muslim men and women, whose invocations to Allah are answered." They replied, "Surely this is so." Then he said, "O you two, you know about me and I know about my state, but who are you?" Ali, (RA), answered, "This is the Commander of the Faithful (amir al-muminin), Umar ibn al-Khattab, and I am Ali ibn Abi Talib." Uwais stood up straight and said, "As-salaamu alaikum ya 'amir al-mumminin. And you, O Ali, may Allah repay you with goodness for this Community (Ummah)." They said, "May Allah repay you for yourself and your goodness."
The giant of Islam (Umar) asked Uwais for a piece of advice because he believed in the words of the Prophet PBUH. Uwais said, "Seek Allah's Mercy when you obey Him, beware of His Wrath when you sin and do not lose hope in Allah between these two situations."
This is a sufficient piece of advice: Seek Allah's Mercy when you obey Him, beware of His Wrath when you sin and do not lose hope in Allah between these two situations. He who seeks Allah's Mercy while he is sinning is a fool, and he who fears Him while he is obeying Him is in despair.
They said to him, "You are the best of the Tabieen (successors), so how do you describe the Prophet PBUH O Uwais?" He had never seen the Prophet PBUH, but he answered them saying, "O Ali, you had the privilege, the honor and the pleasure of looking at him, while I missed that honor and privilege. Yet, I see him PBUH with my insight differently from the way you saw him with your eyes, for I see him as a bright light which fills the space, travels in the existence and I see his honored head reaching or close to the Divine Throne while his feet are firmly standing on the seventh earth". Upon listening to him saying so, Umar and Ali cried out of missing the Prophet PBUH, then Umar said, "How are you doing in life O Uwais?" Uwais said, Uwais replied, "Do not ask about the state of a man who, when he wakes up in the morning thinks that he will not see the evening, or when he is alive in the evening thinks that he will not wake up in the morning. Death and its mentioning and remembering do not leave the believer any space for happiness."
This is a very high level of faith, and this man is free from all concerns because he feels so close to death.
Umar asked, "How did you reach this high rank?" Uwais answered, "I live in a continuous status of fear (of Allah), and this status is not reached except by someone who feels, out of fearing Allah, the guilt of killing all mankind."
In fact, unless one has fear of Allah, he will be in a big problem. You should be keen on your rank in the Sight of Allah, you should worry about your destiny and you should be worried that you may not be as Allah wants you to be. This fear is the most effective motive for you to offer good deeds, to be religiously committed and to be upright.
They talked for a long time. Then Umar, (RA), said to Uwais, "Your place is here until I return to Madinah, and may Allah have mercy upon you. Then I will bring you help from my provision and some of my clothes. This has been the meeting place between you and me." But Uwais, (RA), answered him, "O Commander of the Faithful, there will be no other meeting place, in the knowledge of Allah, between you and me, but this one. So tell me, what should I do with your provision, and what should I do with your clothes? Do you not see that I am wearing a woolen gown and a woolen wrapper, so when do you see me tearing them? Or do you see that my sandals are worn out and torn? When do you see me out wearing them? I am paid 4 Dirhams for tending camels, when do you think I would spend them? Between your hand and mine there is a higher barrier which cannot be crossed by a weighty person, so leave these things, and fear the Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, and Allah will have mercy upon you." When Umar, (RA) heard these words, he struck the ground with his stick and shouted out at the top of his voice, "O would that Umar had not been born by his mother, and that she had been sterile!"
When Uwais was about to leave, Ali asked him to stay and said, "We came to you in order to get amiable."Uwais answered, "O Ali, he who knows his Lord will never be amiable with other than Him." Then he left.
Of course the Prophet PBUH was reported talking about Uwais though he did not see him, but Allah told him about Uwais, and the Prophet PBUH asked Umar if he met with him to ask Uwais to pray for his own forgiveness. Therefore, Umar was so keen on meeting our Master Uwais, so he and Ali kept looking for him till they met him and had that discussion with him.
The facts derived from this story:
We should keep some of the main points of this story in our mind, so it does not matter if we forget some of its details as long as we remember some of the key sayings of Uwais. One of them is when he said, "Seek Allah's Mercy when you obey Him, beware of His Wrath when you sin and do not lose hope in Allah between these two situations." Accordingly, whoever seeks Allah's Mercy while he is sinning is a fool, and he who fears Him while he is obeying Him is in despair. The right thing to do is to seek His Mercy when you obey Him, and beware of His Wrath when you sin, and you should never lose hope in Allah between these two situations.The second thing we should keep in mind from this story is that the worldly life is the reason behind every sin, and because Uwais Al-Qarni stayed away from the worldly life, he attained this high rank. The third thing is we should always remember his saying, "Do not ask about the state of a man who, when he wakes up in the morning thinks that he will not see the evening, or when he is alive in the evening thinks that he will not wake up in the morning. Death and its mentioning and remembering do not leave the believer any space for happiness." The fourth thing is that the high rank in the Sight of Allah "is not reached except by someone who feels, out of fearing Allah, the guilt of killing all mankind."
Let me repeat again, the four points we should derive from this story are: fearing Allah as if we killed man race, being certain of death makes us stay away from the worldly life, and keep hope in Allah when you swing between the situation of obeying Allah and the one of fearing His Wrath when we sin as Uwais said, "Seek Allah's Mercy when you obey Him, beware of His Wrath when you sin and do not lose hope in Allah between these two situations." Thus, one of these points is that fearing Allah should make you feel as if you killed the entire man race. another point is that remembering death makes man stay away from the pleasures of the worldly life, "Do not ask about the state of a man who, when he wakes up in the morning thinks that he will not see the evening, or when he is alive in the evening thinks that he will not wake up in the morning. Death and its mentioning and remembering do not leave the believer any space for happiness." The fourth point which is the last one as well is the high rank that he attained, and it is manifested when he said, "O Commander of the Faithful, there will be no other meeting place, in the knowledge of Allah, between you and me, but this one. So tell me, what should I do with your provision, and what should I do with your clothes? Do you not see that I am wearing a woolen gown and a woolen wrapper, so when do you see me tearing them? Or do you see that my sandals are worn out and torn? When do you see me out wearing them? I am paid 4 Dirhams for tending camels, when do you think I would spend them?"
In his view, having one more gown meant being in affluence, but nowadays, one of us has food which is enough for one year, and he has seven or eight suits in his closet, yet he says to you, "I do not have anything to wear this year".
Follow the steps of our Master Uwais, for when man has light weight over his shoulders in the worldly life, his soul will become pure, and when he does without means of the worldly life, the Divine means will be available to him, but if the worldly life is his main concern, then this is what will happen to him:
((For the one whose concern is this world, Allah will scatter his affairs, place poverty between his two eyes and he will not get from the world except what is written for him. As for the one whose intention is the Hereafter, Allah will gather for him his affairs, place contentment in his heart and the world will come to him willingly))
