Siam Al Jawareh from Moharramat (forbidden matters):

 Dear brother, we will continue tackling the topic “Siam Al Khosoos” (special Siam) which is “Siam Al Jawareh” (fasting of the senses and limbs) from all forbidden matters.
  We talked about Siam Al Ain (fasting of the eye), and how one should lower his gaze from looking at forbidden matters and everything which inauthors the lusts and desires in one’s soul.
  “Beware of the look (at women) outof curiosity for it might be your means to fall in love”.
  We talked about Siam Al Uthon (fasting of the ear):

((Whoever listens to a female singer, then molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Judgment))

[Ibn Asaker, by Anas]

 The ear is the sense of hearing, and Imam Al Ghazali deduced a very important ruling which goes as follows: “Everything that is forbidden from being done is forbidden from being looked at, and everything that is forbidden from being said is forbidden from being heard.”
 Therefore, he, who listens to backbiting, is a partner in committing this sin.
  I’ve told you before that the sin is a bad omen for the one who happens to be with the sinner, for if he taunted the sinner, he would be afflicted with the same sin, if he mentioned this sin in front of someone else, it would be backbiting and if he approved his sin, he would be a partner in committing it. Allah says:

﴾And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g. one's saying: "I have seen," while in fact he has not seen, or "I have heard," while he has not heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).﴿

[Al-Isra’, 36]

 A Muslim’s conduct should be very exalted, and upon showing good conduct to people he will be loved by them and that will encourage them to be like him and embrace Islam in crowds.
If only Muslims apply their religious orders one hundred percent, people will embrace Islam in crowds, however upon abandoning these orders and settling for only ritual acts of worship, people will leave Allah’s religion in crowds.
 Only Allah knows how much hostility there is between Muslims and non-Muslims, , and it is due to the abandonment of the good conducts by Muslims while they are so keen on the ritual acts of worship.
 Again: the sin is a bad omen for the one who happens to be with the sinner, for if he taunted the sinner, he would be afflicted with the same sin, if he mentioned his sin in front of someone else, he would backbite him and if he approved his sin, he would be a partner in committing it

Al Siam is a school of morals:

 We are still tackling Siam Al Jawareh. Abstaining from food and drink is well-known by all of us, for every Muslim on earth knows that Siam is to abstain from food, drink and intimacy from dawn till sunset preceded with the intention to observe Siam, and this is the definition of Siam, however this level of Siam is not enough to exalt people and they stay the way they are, so what makes Siam an act of worship which makes a difference ?
  Siam is a divine order, so can you believe that the creator of this universe would impose an ineffective act of worship which won’t exalt the one who offers it and won’t make a change in his conducts and tendencies?
This act of worship is not as we perceive it.
  When your senses abstain for thirty days from all sorts of sins, when your heart turns away from everything except Allah the Almighty and when you complete fasting this month by becoming a changed person in the full sense of the word whether in your values or morals, only then Siam will be considered an act of worship.
For example your wife should say after you observed Siam: What a forbearing man my husband became! What a merciful man my husband became! What a gentleman my husband became! This is the effect of Siam, for it is a school of morals. You are abstaining in your Siam from food and drink which are permissible:

((Every deed of the son of Adam is his except for fasting for it is mine and I reward it. And fasting is a protection so whenever one of you is fasting a day, do not argue and do not shout. And if anyone insults you or fights with you, say, "I am a man who is fasting." By the one in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the bad breath of one who is fasting is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk. The one who fasts has two pleasures: when he breaks his fast it is a pleasure and when he meets his Lord, he is pleased with his fasting.))

[Muslim by Abu Huraira]

 Abstaining from food, drink, other matters which break the fasting, violations and sins, the major and the minor ones, will make you feel the acceptance of Allah to your Siam.
 You should be submissive to Allah in your Salah, your eyes should weep and you should feel that Salah is a divine banquet, only then will you feel honored the same way one feels when he is invited to good food and is insistently asked by the host to eat from this dish or that dish. Salah is like this invitation and it is a scale so the one who lives up to it by being upright, will reap its fruits, for the religion is entirely Salah. Allah says:

﴾"And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat, as long as I live."﴿

[Maryam, 31]

((Salah (prayer) is the pillar of this religion, whoever performs it, will be establishing for this religion, and whoever leaves it will be demolishing this religion))

((There is no goodness in a religion without Salah))

((He, who abandons Salah, is a disbeliever.))

(("That which differentiates us from the disbelievers and hypocrites is our performance of Salat. He who abandons it, becomes a disbeliever."))

 Siam is associated with Salah, Zakat is associated with Salah, Hajj is associated with Salah and Salah is associated with Salah (in the sense of connecting with Allah).
 This means that gestures, reciting, standing, bowing, sitting and prostrating in Salah should contribute to connecting with Allah, and if this connection is not established by your Salah, it will be as if you haven’t offer Salah, it is said:
  “Offer your Salah, for you haven’t, though you might think so”.
 It is about time to deal with facts, as the life time of the Muslim is very valuable and it is a waste to spend it in delusions.
  It is about time to stop offering the acts of worship outwardly only and brag about offering them like saying: “I offer Salah praise be to Allah”, “I have never broken my fast in Ramadan”, “I offered Hajj four times”, “I offered Umrah eight times” and so forth. Let us deal with facts, these are divine orders and very exalted acts of worship which are supposed to uplift you to better levels.

He whose two days are equal, is a loser:

 He, whose two consecutive months of Ramadan are equal, is a loser.
 Namely, if the previous Ramadan is like the recent one, then you are a loser. One should say instead: “This Ramadan I am a changed man, I enriched my information about the Exalted Allah, my morals are more exalted, I attained better characteristics, I abandoned bad habits and so forth. However, he who spends two months of Ramadan without any noticeable changes is a loser.
 This is a mere saying and not a Hadith, yet it is very much true, for he, whose two weeks or two days are the same, is a loser.
  If you were yesterday the same you are today then you are a loser.
  He, who is not getting better, is getting worse.
 Think about it, if the average life time is 73 years, eight months, three weeks, four days, eight hours, seven minutes, three seconds and four fractions of a second then the life ends, this means that the day is very valuable as a part of this life, and each day that passes takes part of man’s life with it, so it is about time for everyone to deal with facts.

Siam is to attain Taqwa (piety) which ranks faith over:
Siam is a divine order, Allah says:

﴾O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious).﴿

[Al-Baqarah, 138]

 This means Siam is for attaining Taqwa (piousness) and Taqwa ranks over faith, for Taqwa is the level of certainty and right perception, and when a man owns a right perception, is it rational that he chooses evil? Is it rational that he chooses what brings harm to him? Is it rational that he chooses what brings misery to him? Is it rational that he chooses what drives him away from Allah? Is it rational that he chooses the path of hellfire?
  Life is all about perception, and when your perception is right, then you are amongst the happy people, but when you don’t own it, then this is but blindness in the heart.
 Allah says:

﴾Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.﴿

[Al-Hajj, 46]

Ramadan is an occasion for purifying the soul from its flaws:

 Hence, Siam Al Jawareh is not to be satisfied with the meaningless fasting of common people through which they abstain from food and drink only, we seek refuge with Allah to fast that way.

((Many are the ones who fast, attaining nothing but hunger and thirst, and many are the ones performing Salah (prayers ) by night attaining nothing by it except the discomfort of staying awake at night))

 The true Sa’em (the one who offers Siam) is the one who offers Siam Al Jawareh, namely, he abstains from backbiting, the prophet PBUH said:

((Five things nullify the fast and break ablution; lying, Gheebah (backbiting), Nameemah (calumny), lustful gazes, and false oaths))

 Consider the example of a car which refuses to start in the middle of the road, so the driver predicts that the lack of fuel is the reason, however he finds out that the tank is full, then he predicts that the electricity is the reason, however he finds out that it is intact and each time he suspects something, it turns out not to be the reason of his car’s break down. Much in the same line, if there is a person who is offering ritualistic Salah (through which he doesn’t change for the better), so shouldn’t his soul be more valuable to him than his car? Shouldn’t he look for the reasons?  Shouldn’t he ask himself: “What is standing between me and between having the right Salah? Is it a sin I committed? Is it a sin I am still committing? Is it because I admire Kuffar? Is it because I like someone who turned away from Allah?
 There must be a reason behind not having the connection with Allah in your Salah.
Ramadan is a very suitable occasion for one to purify his soul from its flaws and it is an opportunity to make a self-review as if Ramadan is a crash course.

The divine orders in the Quran are deemed obligations:

  Last lecture, we talked about the fasting of the eyes, the ears and the tongue , and to continue this topic “Siam Al Jawareh” I would say that the true fasting is all about avoiding all that is forbidden by Allah.
However, in order to offer a right Salah, you should carry out what is divinely imposed upon you.
One might mistakenly think that the divine orders are restricted to Salah, Siam, Hajj and Zakat, however one should know that every order mentioned in the noble Quran entails obligation. Allah the Almighty says:

﴾And (remember) when We took a covenant from the Children of Israel, (saying): Worship none but Allah (Alone) and be dutiful and good to parents, and to kindred, and to orphans and Al-Masakin (the poor), [Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol. 10, Page 158 (Verse 9:60)] and speak good to people [i.e. enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, and say the truth about Muhammad Peace be upon him ], and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat. Then you slid back, except a few of you, while you are backsliders. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Vol. 2, Page 392).﴿

[Al-Baqarah, 83]

 This is a divine order which entails obligation. Allah says:

﴾Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do.﴿

[An-Nur, 30]

 This is also a divine order which entails obligation. Allah says:

﴾O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the Mahr you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. And live with them honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.﴿

[An-Nisa’, 19]

 It is another divine order which is not less in importance than Salah, for avoiding harshness in treating one’s wife is a great divine order. Upon reading Quran in Ramadan you can deduce the orders in respect of the wife and the forbidden matters as well. Allah says:

﴾O Prophet (Mohammad)! When you divorce women, divorce them at their 'Iddah (prescribed periods), and count (accurately) their 'Iddah (periods ). And fear Allah your Lord (O Muslims), and turn them not out of their (husband's) homes, nor shall they (themselves) leave, except in case they are guilty of some open illegal sexual intercourse. And those are the set limits of Allah. And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allah, then indeed he has wronged himself. You (the one who divorces his wife) know not, it may be that Allah will afterward bring some new thing to pass (i.e. to return her back to you if that was the first or second divorce).﴿

[At-Talaaq, 1]

 “Nor shall they leave” is a divine order. Allah says:

﴾"And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allah likes not each arrogant boaster.﴿

[Luqman, 18]

﴾But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupts).﴿

[Al-Qasas, 77]

 Read the Quran and pay attention to the divine orders within, then see if you are living up to these measures? Where do you stand from what Allah says?

﴾And speak good to people [i.e. enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, and say the truth about Muhammad Peace be upon him ], and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat. Then you slid back, except a few of you, while you are backsliders. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Vol. 2, Page 392).﴿

[Al-Baqarah, 83]

 A seller might harshly say to the customer: “If you don’t like my goods, leave it and get lost because I am Sa’em”, this statement is a sin, why should you be harsh with a customer (because you are Sa’em)? What kind of fasting is this? Should sellers be like this? Allah says:

﴾And speak good to people [i.e. enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, and say the truth about Muhammad Peace be upon him ], and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat. Then you slid back, except a few of you, while you are backsliders. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi, Vol. 2, Page 392).﴿

[Al-Baqarah, 83]

 Follow the divine orders of the Almighty Allah. Allah says:

﴾Then let man look at his food,﴿

[Abasa, 24]

 It is a divine order which entails obligation. Allah says:

﴾So let man see from what he is created!﴿

[At-Tariq, 5]

 It is a divine order which entails obligation. Allah says:

﴾Many similar ways (and mishaps of life) were faced by nations (believers and disbelievers) that have passed away before you (as you have faced in the battle of Uhud), so travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who disbelieved (in the Oneness of Allah, and disobeyed Him and His Messengers).﴿

[Aal-‘Imran, 137]

 It is a divine order which entails obligation. The Quran is in our hands and it descended in our Language (i.e. Arabic).
  Praise be to Allah the Lord of worlds.

The right of the husband upon his wife:

  This Hadith falls within the topic we started yesterday, the prophet PBUH said:

((The right a husband acquires over his wife is that she should not keep herself away from him [even] if they were on the back of a camel and he desired her and tried to take her. It is his right that she should not give anything belonging to his house except by his permission; if she does so [without his permission], she will be guilty and he will get the reward. It is his right also that she should not fast voluntarily except by his permission; and if she fasts and goes hungry and thirsty, it will not be accepted of her. If she goes out from his house without his permission, the angels curse her till she comes back to his house or repents even though he might be an oppressor))

[Abu Dawood by Abdullah Ibn Umar]

 This means that the wife’s Salah and Siam will not be accepted until she fulfills her husband’s rights even if he is an oppressor in his connection with Allah, but as for her relation with the Almighty Allah, her husband’s right over her is that she shouldn’t fast voluntarily except by his permission, she should not give anything belonging to his house except by his permission and she should not go out from his house without his permission, but as for him, he will be reckoned by Allah the Almighty.

((Narrated Abi Sa’id Al Khidri that the prophet PBUH said to a woman: “A woman should not fast except with the permission of her husband.”))

[Abu DAwood by Abi Sa’id Al Khidri]

 So when the wife is given the leave by her husband to voluntarily fast, her Siam will be accepted by Allah.

The right of the wife upon her husband:

 The wife’s right over her husband is to feed her from the food he eats, and it is impermissible that the husband eats with his friend all kinds of delicious food and feeds his wife poorly then after that he says: “I am Sa’em and I am a believer”. One should know that fulfilling other’s rights is part of his fasting. Also the husband is not permitted to leave the conjugal bed by sending his wife to her family house, for this is against Islam. Man is permitted to leave the conjugal bed but where should this happen? It should happen within the conjugal house, because keeping the problem inside the house gives hope of solving it in few days, however if he sends his wife to her family house, this might end up in divorce.

The right of the neighbor:

((It is the right of a neighbor to pay him a visit in sickness))

 Imam Abu Hanifa, May Allah be pleased with Him, used to have a neighbor who keeps singing at night and bsh3er Abu Hanifa who was so tired of his neighbor’s behavior, and the poem this neighbor used to sing is the following:

They failed to take advantage of me and what a big loss for them
For I am the reliable young man on days of hardship and wars

 This neighbor was apprehended by the Caliph’s men and was locked behind bars. Accordingly, Abu Hanifah went to the Muhtaseb (it is a position similar to the position of the minister of the interior in our recent time) and he interceded for his release, then he said to him: Did I fail you young man while you keep saying they failed me and what a big loss by failing me, so did we fail you?
  This neighbor embraced Islam after that incident because of the great Imam Abu Hanifa who fulfilled his neighbor’s right over him. Your neighbor has a right over you to visit him when he is sick.
  A story is narrated –and Allah knows if it is right- that the prophet PBUH used to have a Jewish neighbor who repeatedly hurt the prophet PBUH by putting garbage by his door, so one day the prophet PBUH didn’t see any garbage by his door so he thought to himself that his neighbor might be sick, and accordingly, the prophet PBUH visited him and the man bore witness that the prophet PBUH is the messenger of Allah and he embraced Islam.

((Do good unto he who is worthy of it, and unto he who is not worthy of it. For if he was not worthy of it, you would be worthy of it))

 If he was worthy to it then you did it with the right person, and if he was not worthy to it, then you will be got rewarded for it, and suffice for you that you are honored, whether he appreciated your deed or not, whether he thanked you or not and whether he responded or not, for you did your good deed for the sake of the Almighty Allah and don’t forget the previous Hadith. Allah says:

﴾(Saying): "We feed you seeking Allah's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.﴿

[Al-Insan, 9]

 He was a great person (Abu Bakr), and he had a chaste pious and upright daughter (Aishah), then the man whom Abu Bakr helped and gave money to (Mustah Ibn Athathah) spread a bad word and falsely accused her of adultery, so upon hearing him saying so and because of his wickedness and slandering, this great man, Abu Bakr, got hurt and took a vow (Nazr) that he would never give him a penny, but Allah blamed him in this Ayah for taking this vow, Allah says:

﴾And let not those among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give (any sort of help) to their kinsmen, Al-Masakin (the poor), and those who left their homes for Allah's Cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.﴿

[An-Nur, 22]

 Although this man (Mustah), who falsely accused Abu Bakr’s chaste daughter, didn’t deserve the help from Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr’s reaction was divinely disapproved, and he was divinely ordered not to stop helping him.

((Do good unto he who is worthy of it, and unto he who is not worthy of it. For it he was not worthy of it, you would be worthy of it))

 Offering your good deed to someone who is not worthy of it might be the reason behind him accepting Islam..
 This is Islam, this is the religion and praised is this religion.
  You should be so exalted to such extent that people must ask: Who taught this man Islamic knowledge? This is because they were so pleased with your treatment, morals, humbleness, chaste, honor, generosity, just and fairness and this is why they ask: Who taught this man his Islamic knowledge?
 Being that way is a Da’wah (Call to Allah) unto itself for which we (as Muslims) are in dire need to rather than the Da’wah by tongue.

((It is the right of a neighbor to pay him a visit in sickness, to attend his funeral procession, to lend him money in times of need))

  The prince Abdulkader Al Jaza’iri was a generous person, and a very poor man lived next to his house. One day this poor neighbor put his house for sale, and he was offered 30 gold lira for his house to which he said angrily: “By Allah I will never sell the prince’s neighborhood not even for one hundred gold liras hjnn.” Someone passed that to the prince who said to his neighbor: “Take thirty gold liras and stay as our neighbor and keep your house”.

((It is the right of a neighbor to pay him a visit in sickness, to attend his funeral procession, to lend him money in times of need, to congratulate him in happiness, to console him in sadness))

  Would you believe that I was looking for the house of a man once and I asked all his neighbors in the building but no one knew where his apartment is, even the neighbor next door? Neighborhood shouldn’t be like this.
In the past, the neighbors used to bring food to the one who has a guest in his house, so the latter would wonder: “when did you cook all this food?” Also in the past they used to ask about anyone who missed Salah in Masjed, and everyone would come and knock on his door.
  Allah says:

﴾Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.﴿

[Maryam, 59]

 And they were thrown in Hell.

((to avoid constructing your building higher than his, lest you should block up the wind blowing to his house (you take care that) the aroma of your cooking pot does not cause sorrow to him (and his children) except that you send some of it (the food) to him))

 These are the rights of the neighbor.

The best of religion is Al Naseehah (offering advice):

 You should be aware of your wife’s rights, children’s rights, neighbor’s rights, brother’ rights and your customers’ rights.
  If you were a seller and you are asked by your customer to give him the best, you shouldn’t sell him the stagnant goods instead; doing so is the reason behind the backwardness of Muslims.
The best of the religion is offering advice, and the seller, who sells his customer a disaster instead of a good commodity because this customer is wet behind the ears, will be reckoned by Allah:

((Whosoever deceives us is not one of us))

 This seller is not a Muslim even if he deceived an idol worshipper, furthermore, in such a case Allah’s punishment will be manifolds than His punishment if the customer is a Muslim, why is that?
Because when you deceive a Muslim the latter will say: “This seller is not an upright one”, but when you deceive a non-Muslim the latter will say: “Islam is bad, is Islam like this? Is this what Islam imposed upon you?”

((to avoid constructing your building higher than his, lest you should block up the wind blowing to his house and (you take care that) the aroma of your cooking pot does not cause sorrow to him (and his children) except that you send some of it (the food) to him))

 In another narration:

((If you buy fruits send some to him and in case you don’t send him bring it home secretly and don’t let your son provoke his son by eating it in front of him, and further, (you take care that) the aroma of your cooking pot does not cause sorrow to him (and his children) except that you send some of it (the food) to him))

  It is wrong to send expensive candy with your son to school, for eating it in front of his friends will cause sorrow to them, as their fathers can’t buy these snacks (despite all the harm and toxic ingredients within) on a daily basis like you are doing with your son.

((If you buy fruits send some to him and in case you don’t send him bring it home secretly and don’t let your son provoke his son by eating it in front of him, and further, (you take care that) the aroma of your cooking pot does not cause sorrow to him (and his children) except that you send some of it (the food) to him))

The right of the son upon his father:

 The right of the son upon his father is that he should give him a nice appellation.
 Some names are embarrassing, so if the child’s name is of that kind, he will get into psychological complications with his friends at school.
  The prophet PBUH used to change any name he disliked. Once he asked Zaid, who are you? He said: Zaid al Khail (of horses), so the prophet corrected that by saying: “No, your name is Zail Al Khair (of goodness). Also he asked Al Husain Bin Salam, who are you? He answered: Al Husain Bin Salam, so the prophet said: No, you are Abdullah Ibn Salam.

((…Is that he should give him a nice appellation and help him get married after his coming-of-age))

  If the father has the financial resources with which he can help his son to buy a small house and get married, this will be a deed which ranks over offering Hajj to the sacred house of Allah because he is keeping his son from being deviated from the right path:

((He who gets married owned half of his religion, so let him fear Allah in the other half)).

 The great Imam Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was on his way to offer Hajj, but a little boy attracted his attention, for he was ransacking the garbage till he found a dead bird and took it, so Abdullah followed him to his house to find out that they are a very poor family which can hardly find something to eat. He gave all the money he had to this family and he went back home and didn’t offer Hajj. I have read this story for another time, and to my surprise I read that people in Hajj that year saw Imam Mubarak circumambulating the Kabah (though he didn’t make it to Hajj), this means that a complete Hajj was divinely recorded in his favor that year.

The right of Allah upon every Muslim:

 Allah’s right upon every Muslim is to clean his entire body once every week, because you will not hurt people when you smell good, and water is the best perfume which can’t be found.
 Wearing perfume alone is not enough to diffuse nice odor unless the body is clean, and cleanness can be tested by smelling your skin and see if it smells good.
 The Almighty Allah’s creation is perfect and when the skin is clean it smells good.

The right of the Muslim granted by Allah:

  A Muslim’s right which is granted by Allah is to get him married when he is chaste.
 This is a real story which happened to a young man who works at a stationary. Once a playful bad mannered girl seduced him so he followed her, given he offered Hajj, he said to himself on his way: “I am wasting my Hajj with this act”, so he went back to his stationary and said: “I fear Allah the Lord of worlds”
 The next day, a dignified man came to him and said: “Are you married my son?”, the young man answered: “No sir”, so the man said: “I have a daughter who is perfect for you”.
 The young man thought that there must be a noticeable flaw in this girl to be offered by her father for marriage. The man said to him: “Send your mother to see her”. The young man sent his mother who admired the girl and recommended her to her son.
  When the man asked him the next day about his opinion the young man said: “She is perfect sir but I don’t own anything”, the man said: “This is not your business and don’t worry about that”. This man was one of the notable men in the neighborhood and he anticipated piousness in this young man, so he got him married to his daughter, he made him his partner in his business and this young man now is one of the wealthiest merchants. This wealth and this happy marriage are the results of one word this young man said once:
 “I fear Allah the Lord of worlds”
 Hence, he, who longs to get married, should be chaste and should say as Ayah taught us to say:

﴾For I fear Allah; the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists)﴿

[Al-Ma’idah’, 28]

 Allah has granted this right for His chaste servants who keep their chastity despite the housing shortage, expensive dowries and the high prices of furniture.
 All one has to do is to intend and ask Allah for it with an honest heart, and Allah will help him in getting married.
 There must be times when one of us sits alone and makes reviews for all his sins and asks Allah for forgiveness, namely, there must be a special session with the Almighty Allah.

((I am the companion of he who remembers Me, and whenever he seeks Me, he will find Me))

 There must be a special session with Allah in which you ask His forgiveness, you remember Him, you talk secretly to Him, you laud, you praise and you say: You are my destiny and pleasing You is what I am after. In this session you read Allah’s words, you talk secretly to Him, you role your forehead on the ground invoking Him and you ask for His forgiveness.

(( Abu Sa’id and Abu Huraira narrated that the prophet PBUH said: “Our Lord descends – glorified and blessed be He – every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains. He says, “Who is there supplicating to me so I can answer his supplication? Who is there asking me so I can give him [what he wants]? Who is there seeking forgiveness from Me so I can forgive him? Until dawn breaks))

[Bukhari by Abi Sa’id]

  Praying Isha’a and Fajr in the Masjed draws a line between the Muslim and the hypocrite:
And in another Hadith:

((Abu Huraira narratedvthat the prophet PBUH said: “If the people knew what (reward) is in the call (Adhan) and the first row, and they found no other way to get that except drawing lots, then they would draw lots, and if they knew the reward of offering the Zuhr prayer early (in its stated time), they would race for it and if they knew the reward for `Isha' and Fajr prayers in congregation, they would attend them even if they were to craw”))

[Muslim from Abi Huraira]

 Offering Fajr and Isha’a in congregational prayer draws a line between believers and hypocrites, for the latter are too lazy to wake up in order to offer Fajr Salah and it is beyond their scope.
 Muslims are obliged to wake up for Suhoor in Ramadan, but one should try the same afterwards, so ask the Almighty Allah for it and say: “O Lord, please wake me up at 4:30 in the morning”, and believe me you will wake up 4:30 sharp, for Allah will wake you up.
 According to psychologists, there is a watch in the head which will never fail you.
  One will set up his alarm clock to a certain time, and Allah wakes him up half minute before that time just to prove to him that He woke him up and not the watch.
 Ramadan is the season of offering Fajr at the beginning of its time, however after Ramadan your success\ lies in continuing offering this Faridah at the beginning of its time all year long.

((Don’t fall short of offering these two Rukaat before sun rise and I will take care of the rest of your day.))

 This means that you are in the divine care the rest of the day and will not face any surprises, problems, afflictions or accidents.
 Because you reconciled with the Almighty Allah in the morning (by offer Fajr Hader) and you established a connection with Him, Allah will make your connection with people successful , but on the other hand, if you disconnect yourself from Allah, He will fail you in your relations with people.
  He, who makes right his relation with Allah, Allah will make right his relation with people.

The stance of our Master Ibn Al A’as from Christian Aqbaat of Egypt:

  I will mention one stance of our master Amr Ibn Al A’as.
 Our master Amr Ibn Al A’as stood before Egypt’s Copt priests and the heads of their bishops and addressed them by saying:
  “Indeed Allah sent Muhammad with the truth and ordered him to teach it. The Prophet carried out his mission, and he died after leaving us on that path, the clear straight path. Among the things he ordered us to do was to be responsible to the people, so we call you to Islam. Whoever responds is of us. He has what we have and he has the same rights and obligations as we do.”
  -This is the method of Muslims.-
  “ And whoever does not respond to Islam, we enforce on him the payment of jizyah (money paid by non-Muslims in the Islamic State) and we offer to him defense and protection”
  - Jezyah in return of protection which means that those who choose to keep their religion will be excused from compulsory service in the army after paying Jezyah.-
  “Our Prophet informed us that Egypt would open for us and advised us to be good to its people, saying, 'Egypt will be opened to you after me, so you are advised to treat its Copts well, for indeed, they have a covenant of protection and kinship relations’.”
  -Where does kinship come from? It came from Hajer who was originally from Egypt, so will you reflect on this kind of loyalty? Mrs Hajar, the wife of Ibrahim PBUH, was from Egypt and Ibrahim is the father of prophets, thus those people have a blood-tie with us.-
  “So if you answer to what we call you to, you will have protection and security.”
 No sooner had ‘Amr finished his words, than some of the priests and rabbis shouted, saying, "Indeed the kinship, of which your Prophet advised you, is a remote kinship relationship, the like of which cannot be reached except by the prophets."
 Namely, this man (Mohammad PBUH) is absolutely a prophet because he asked you to be keen on this blood-tie.

The story of Amr Ibn Al A’s embracing Islam:

 Our master Amr Ibn Al A’as spent his life taking many stances of his own, and now he is narrating his journey to Islam.
  The Abyssinian ruler (Najashi) asked ‘Amr, "How could you not believe in him and follow him, when he is truly a Messenger from Allah?" 'Amr then asked An-Najaashiy, " Is he thus?" An Najaashiy answered, "Yes, so obey me, 0 'Amr, and follow him, for indeed, by Allah, he is on the path of truth and he will surpass those who stood against him as Musa surpassed Firaun”. Amr Ibn Al A’as gave his Baya’a to An-Najashi to obey Rasoolullah and to accept Islam. The prophet PBUH valued the Najashi’s embracing Islam and when his delegation came to him, the prophet PBUH insisted to serve them himself as an act of honoring An-Najashi, and when Najashi died, the prophet PBUH prayed Salat Al Gha’ib on him (the Islamic funeral prayer for those who have died in a distant place). Amr traveled, taking the sea route, immediately returning to his country and turning his face in the direction of Al-Madiinah to surrender to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. On the road leading to Al-Madiinah, he met Khaalid Ibn Al-Waliid coming from Makkah, going also to the Messenger to swear allegiance to Islam. No sooner did the Messenger see the two of them coming than his face beamed with joy and he said to his Companions, "Makkah has gifted you with its most noble leaders," Khaliid approached and swore allegiance. Then ‘Amr approached and said, "Indeed, I swear allegiance to you provided that you ask Allah to forgive my previous sins." So the Messenger answered him saying, "O 'Amr, swear allegiance, for indeed Islam disregards whatever preceded it."

The shrewdness of Amr Ibn Al A’s:

  ‘Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) was sharp-witted with strong intuitive understanding and deep vision and it is reported that Muawiyah once asked him: “How witty are you Amr?” Amr said to him: “By Allah, I have never been into something but was able to get out of it”, to which Muawiyah said: “You are not witty enough, as for me, I have never been into something from which I have to find a way out”.
  ‘Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) was sharp-witted so much so that whenever the Commander of the Faithful (Umar Ibn Al Khattab) saw a person incapable of artifice, he clapped his palms in astonishment and said, "Glory be to Allah ! Indeed, the Creator of this and the Creator of 'Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas is one God!"
 Death caught up with ‘Amr Ibn Al-Aas in Egypt, where he was ruling. He recaptured his life in the moments of departure, saying, "In the first part of my life I was a disbeliever, and I was one of the fiercest people against the Messenger of Allah, so if I had died then, the fire would have been my fate. Then, I swore allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, and there was no person dearer to me and more glorious in my eyes than he. If I wanted to describe him, I could not, because I was not able to fill my eyes with him on account of being in awe of him. If I had died back then, I would have wished to be of the inhabitants of Paradise. Then after that I was tested with command and with material things. I do not know if they were for me or against me."
 Then he raised his sight to the sky in awe, calling upon his Lord, the Merciful, the Magnificent, saying, "0 Allah, I am not innocent, so forgive me. I am not mighty, so help me. And if Your mercy does not come to me, I will surely be of those destroyed."
  Any person should know how worthy the companions of the prophet PBUH were. Life is all about taking stances, and when one of us takes the honorable and moral stance, he will be happy forever. Everything save morals will pass. What we have eaten, where we have lived and how much we made in trading? All of this will pass.

((Do you own of your wealth other than what you eat and consume, and what you wear and wear out, or what you give in Sadaqah (charity) (to those who deserve it), and that what you will have in stock for yourself))

 One of the wealthiest men in Egypt died, so his rich family asked a poor wood porter to stay in their father’s grave and keep him company in return of 10 thousand Egyptian pounds.
 He said: When the porter lied back in the grave next to the deceased, the two angels found two bodies, one is dead and the other is moving so they said: let us start with this man who is moving, and they said: Where did you get this rope that you are wrapping around your waist, from? How much did you pay for it? Who sold it to you?
 The man couldn’t take it anymore and he came out of the grave scared and said to the deceased’s sons: “O brother, for a piece of rope I was asked fifty Questions, so may Allah help your father.
  Your gain is after death, and richness and poverty are after reckoning not before that, so don’t say in the worldly life I am rich or I am poor.

((O Lord, a soul which is comfortable and satisfied in worldly life, might be hungry and naked on the Day of Resurrection, O Lord a soul which is hungry and naked in worldly life, might be comfortable and satisfied on the Day of Resurrection, O Lord a man might treat his self with honor while actually he is humiliating it, O Lord a man might be humiliating his self while actually he is honoring it, O Lord for a man, who is enjoying and wading into what Allah had given to His Apostle, there will be no portion in the hereafter))

[Assuyooti by Abi Jubair]