Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, the Truthful and the Faithful.
Dear brothers, people sometimes misunderstand religion, which makes them adopt the wrong idea about the truth of religion. Thus, it is deemed important to rectify these misconceptions, given Allah took upon His Deity the responsibility of sending someone to rejuvenate Islam (in the sense of rectifying misconceptions in it) every 100 years.
(( Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (PBUH) said: At the beginning of every century Allah will send to this Ummah someone who will renew its religious understanding." ))
[ Abu Dawod, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
"Who" here refers to many individuals, so whoever takes incumbent on him to correct any misconception in Islam is included in this Hadith.
Here is an example of having a misconception: One might mistakenly assume that gaining weight is healthy, but this is a wrong conception, because obesity brings about so many diseases, some of which are intractable and very serious. The right conception is that having a healthy body does not lie in putting on any extra weight. This misconception about the healthy body needs to be rectified.
Having a misconception is also manifested in assuming that extra salt in food decreases blood pressure, so whoever believes in this needs to correct this misconception.
Reasonable proofs for correcting concepts:
Let us now start our topic. If someone assumes that such and such person is religious, and upon asking him about the proof, and he says that he performs Salah, performs Hajj or pays Zakat, we say to him that these are obligatory acts of worship, but they are not sufficient requirements to sustain a religious status. Correcting wrong concepts is a must, because when man knows the truth, his movement will become right, but any misconception will be reflected on misbehavior, and any mistaken perception will be definitely followed by a wrong action.
An authenticated Hadith which corrects some mistaken concepts in Islam:
Dear brothers, I will read for you the following authenticated Hadith which is reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari, and if we comprehend this Hadith correctly and embrace all its dimensions, we will be in a better situation. The Prophet PBUH used the interrogative style with his companions in order to educate them, so pay attention to what he said, please:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Do you know who the bankrupt is?" ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
Most of you are merchants, and you know better than anyone else how tough it is to be broke, and how hard it is on someone to declare bankruptcy.
(( They said: "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property". ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
Generally speaking, the one who loses his capital money, he is indebted, he is under tremendous pressure, his financial scandal spread among other merchants, his balances are exposed to other merchants and he is chased by his loaners is the bankrupt. This Hadith is an example of the like of Ahadeeth which correct misconceptions, and it indicates that the Prophet PBUH seemed to realize by his insight, or Allah revealed to him that people at times (like our time) would assume that the one who offers the five daily prayers is considered a religious person.
(( He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat,… ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
This is the real bankruptcy, and it leads to Hellfire.
(( He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Sawm and Sadaqah (charity), ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
Pay attention to the following Ayah where Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH). ﴿
They disbelieved as it is mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ And that they came not to As-Salat (the prayer) except in a lazy state ; and that they offer not contributions but unwillingly. ﴿
[ At-Taubah, 54
]
They are disbelievers although, as Allah the Almighty tells us, they perform Salah and offer contributions.
(( He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Sawm and Sadaqah (charity), ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
This is why I said earlier that performing Salah is not enough to consider someone a religious man, and the same goes for Hajj and Zakat, as they are obligatory acts of worship, yet they are not sufficient conditions to sustain a religious status of someone.
(( But he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire". ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah
]
Will Salah be accepted by Allah if the one who performs it earns ill-gotten money? By Allah, it will not be enough in such a situation. Will Hajj be beneficial to its performer if he badmouths people and slanders them? Will paying Zakat save its payer if he is a tale-bearer? Just watch the behavior of Muslims (the majority of them), and see how they are indulged in lies, calumny, slander, unlawful earning, forbidden affairs and mixed-gender meetings whether in picnics or in places where wine is served, most of them are half-naked and they look at one another without having the minimum levels of virtue or decency.
Misunderstanding religion:
Dear brothers, the Muslims who comprehend religion as merely offering Salah, Sawm, Hajj and Zakat have terribly misunderstood Islam. In order to comprehend Islam rightly, we should use the words of our Master Ja'far as a reference when An-Najashi asked him, "Tell me about your religion", and Ja'far at that moment said:
(( O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds. breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah. He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed. ))
[ Ibn Khuzimah in Sahih
]
Dear brothers, I hope that none of you will assume even for one second that if he offers the five daily prayers, observes Ramadan, pays his Zakat and offers Hajj, will fully fulfill his religious duties and become religious. These are obligatory acts of worship, and they should be performed by every Muslim, but performing all of them is not enough for someone to be considered religious.
In fact, the way man deals with Dirham and Dinar tells a lot about him, and it proves if he is religious or not. Our Master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked someone, "Do you know that person?" He answered, "Yes I do." Then, Umar asked, "Have you ever traveled with him?" The man replied, "No, I have not". Umar asked, "Have you ever neighbored him?" He said, "No, I have not." After that Umar asked, "Have you ever dealt with him by money?" The man answered, "No, I have not", so Umar said, "You do not know him then!"
This means we should not assume that if we offer the five daily prayers, if we observe Ramadan, if we perform Hajj and if we pay our Zakat, we fulfill our religious duties completely; this is not exactly true, for your religious status will be explicitly manifested in the way you act in selling and buying and in the way you talk.
((Narrated Sufyan Ibn Asid Al-Hadrami: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: It is great treachery that you should tell your brother something and have him believe you when you are lying. ))
[ Abu Dawod, on the authority of Sufyan bin Asid Al-Hadrami ]
((One of the companions was involved in a deal which opposed the method of Allah's Messengers PBUT and the orders of the Prophet PBUH, so Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "Tell him that he nullified his Jihad with the Prophet PBUH." ))
[ Ziyadat Razin
]
Believe me dear brothers, some Muslims behave in a way that makes you say to them, "Please, do not offer Salah, Sawm, Hajj or Zakat, because they are meaningless (comparing to your bad manners)."
When man lies, he abandons his faith. Also, when people cheat, earn unlawful money, sow dissension among other people or plant hatred, their hearts will be harder than rocks. There are many people who deprive their daughters of the heritage they are entitled to, aren't there? If you worship Allah for 60 years, but in your old age, you deprive one of the heirs of the heritage, all your acts of worship will be in vain.
(( Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (PBUH) said: A man or a woman acts in obedience to Allah for sixty years, then when they are about to die they cause injury by their will, so they must go to Hell. ))
[ Abu Dawod and At-Tirmizi ]
Religion in its gist is a method which regulates your life starting with your body, your relation with your wife, children and customers, your selling, your buying, your entertainment and your travels and ending with your dwelling.
A man finished his Hajj, and then he headed to Germany to attend a huge exhibit, but where do you think he spent his time at night? He spent it in a street which was full of nightclubs. We understand that he was attending an exhibit in Germany for commercial purposes, and that took place during the day, but what about spending his nights? How can you cover that O pilgrim? When man deflects away from the Right Path, he will have no weight in the Sight of Allah, so will his prayers, Hajj and Zakat:
﴾ Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) ﴿
(( If the Salat of a person does not stop him from Fahsha' (evil works) and Munkar (sins), his Salat gets him away from Allah ))
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If one does not eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his food and his drink." ))
[ Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawod and At-Tirmizi, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
﴾ Say: "Spend (in Allah's Cause) willingly or unwillingly, it will not be accepted from you. Verily, you are ever a people who are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." ﴿
(( As soon as a pilgrim sets out for Hajj with a provision which is unlawfully gained, and puts his foot in the stirrup (rides his mount) and calls out: 'O Allah! Here I am in response to Your call,' an announcer from the heavens above answers him back, saying: 'Your call is not accepted; nor are you welcome; your food is unlawful; your provisions are unlawful; and your pilgrimage is not free of sin and is unacceptable. ))
[ Mentioned in the relic
]
We are in dire need of correcting wrong concepts. Thousands of people may say to you, "This person is religious, but he lies." Well, he is not religious if he lies, and you may watch him praying, but Salah is not an accurate detector of man's religious status, because Salah for some people is mere moves and stills, and they assume that they fulfill their duties by offering these moves. Pay attention to the following Ayat, please:
﴾ And they (Jews) say, "The Fire (i.e. Hell-fire on the Day of Resurrection) shall not touch us but for a few numbered days. ﴿
This is what the Jews said:
﴾ These are their own desires ﴿
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH), "Produce your proof if you are truthful." ﴿
﴾ Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are dwellers of the Fire (i.e. Hell); they will dwell therein forever. ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 81
]
(( O assembly of Quraysh, save yourselves from (the punishment) of Allah, I cannot do anything for you (to protect you from Allah). O Saffiyah the (paternal) aunt of the Messenger of Allah, I do not have anything (with which to protect you) from Allah. O Fatimah bint Muhammad, Ask me of what I have of wealth anything you wish; I do not have anything (with which to protect you) from Allah. ))
(( …Whoever is delayed (slowed) by his own deeds, will not be hastened (pulled up) by his lineage ))
[ Muslim by Abi Hurairah ]
(( O Bani Hashim, do not come to me (on the Day of Judgement) without (righteous) deeds because of your lineage (to me). ))
[ Ahkaam Al-Qur'an Al-Jassas
]
(( 'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying; I shall be there at the Cistern before you, and I shall have to contend for some people, but I shall have to yield. I would be saying: "My Lord, they are my friends, they are my friends", and it would be said: "You do not know what innovations they made after you." ))
[ Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
The main point of today's topic:
I intended in this lecture to highlight the essential points the following Hadith contains:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Do you know who the bankrupt is?" They said: "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property". He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Sawm and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire". ))
[ Muslim and At-Tirmizi ]
Do you know that more than 8000 lawsuits in the court are groundless, and they are maliciously filed? Most of those people are Muslims, and the parties against whom the lawsuits are filed are Muslims as well, which means that one of the parties follows falsehood.
Dear brothers, being obedient in the full sense of the word what really counts.
(( Two Rak'at (of Prayer performed) by a pious person are far better than a thousand Rak'at by someone who mingles (good deeds with evil ones). ))
[ Al-Jame' As–Sagheer, by Anas ]
Allah will not consider the deeds of the one who lacks righteousness which prevents him from disobeying Allah.
(( "Do you know who the bankrupt is?" They said: "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property". He said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Sawm and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand). If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire". ))
This Hadith is among the Ahadeeth which rectify misconceptions.
(( Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: A man asked: 'O Messenger of Allah (PBUH)! There is a woman who prays, gives charity and fasts a great deal, but she harms her neighbor with her speech (by insulting them).' The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "She will go to Hell." ))
(( A tattler will not enter Paradise ))
(( It is reported from Hudhaifah that news reached him (the Noble Prophet PBUH) that a certain man carried tales. Upon this Hudhaifah remarked: I heard Allah's Messenger (PBUH) saying: The tale-bearer shall not enter Paradise. ))
[ Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawod and At-Tirmizi ]
Believe me, most of people's talks involve in tale-bearing whether in their meetings, banquets, picnics or parties, and during these meetings someone will say to another one, "This person said so and so about you." Also, if someone badmouths another person behind his back, the tale-bearer will tell the latter about the former though he offers Salah and observes Sawm, given the tale-bearer will never enter Paradise.
In fact, you will not be connected with Allah unless you follow His Right Path, unless you reconcile with Him and unless you turn to Him with sincere repentance. It is said that the one who turns to Allah with sincere repentance, Allah will make people, angels and the lands on earth forget his/her sins.
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions. Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter". ))
[ Al-Hakim in Mustadrak ]
What are you expecting in the worldly life? If someone pursuits the gains of the worldly life, money, women, houses, farms, pleasures and vanity, what does he expect to get in his old age? What is awaiting him in his forties, fifties, sixties or seventies? It is poverty, which will make him unmindful of devotion. How many are the people who turned poor after being rich all their lives? Does man wait for prosperity which will make him corrupt? Do you know that money is a curse in most cases, because it is the reason behind people's corruption?
The Prophet PBUH himself called money "a disaster", but does man expect poverty which will make him unmindful of devotion or prosperity which will make him corrupt, or does he expect a disease which will disable him? Do you know that the lives of so many people turn into living Hell because of diseases? Intractable diseases turn man's life into a nightmare. Who among you guarantees that he will not be afflicted with a disease for even an hour?
Have you forgotten the Du'a (supplication) of the Prophet PBUH? The Prophet PBUH said:
(( O Allah! I seek refuge in You against the declining of Your Favours, passing of safety, the suddenness of Your punishment and all that which displeases You. ))
In another Du'a he PBUH said:
(( I seek refuge in the light of Your countenance, by which all darkness is illuminated. And the things of this world and the next are rightly ordered that your anger does not fall on me, nor your displeasure descends on me. To you is all supplications until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except in You. ))
Dear brothers, let me repeat the main facts of the Hadith we are discussing:
(( "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death…". ))
Dear brothers, unless man spends his youth in obeying Allah, unknown ending is awaiting him in his old age.
﴾ And of you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). ﴿
A story and a moral lesson:
I would like to tell you a story that happened 70 or 80 years ago. A physician never went out of his house to serve patients unless he was paid one gold Lira, and unless there was a carriage to give him a ride to his destination. He used to have a ruthless heart, and he collected hefty wealth. He built a mansion in Damascus in the most luxurious neighborhood, where he was able to view the capital from his house, which was decorated and adorned with marbles.
One day he had a stroke, and his wife got tired of serving him, so she put him in the basement, and sent food to him every now and then. That physician used to ask the maid, "Where is my wife?", but she refused to come to him. One day, she came to him, and she badmouthed him and exaggerated in her cruelty. As time passed, she moved him to a distant house though he was the one who built the house she lived in. Hence, who among you guarantees a peaceful senescence?
One of the notable scholars in Damascus reached age 96, and in that old age his posture was upright, his sight was perfect, his hearing was intact and his memory was sharp, and whenever his students asked him, "How could you maintain this healthy body you are blessed with?", he would answer, "O son, we preserved it in youth, so Allah maintained it in old age. He who lives piously will remain healthy." Furthermore, whoever memorizes the Quran will enjoy an intact mind until he dies.
A friend of mine told me that he tied his mother's hands and legs to her bed, and upon asking him about the reason he said, "If I set her hands free, she will eat her own excrement."
﴾ And of you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). ﴿
The Prophet PBUH said:
(( "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions. Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter". ))
[ Al-Hakim in Mustadrak ]
The religious man is the one who abides by what is Halal and refrains from what is Haram, who takes the money he is entitled to and leaves what belongs to others and who is found where Allah orders him to be and is missed where Allah forbids him to be.
Being religious means being pious, so the religious man is the one who does not deflect away from Allah's Method, and as for Salah, Sawm, Hajj and Zakat, these are obligatory acts of worship, but they are not enough for someone to be religious.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord (the One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, the Truthful and the Faithful.
O Allah, increase us [in Your Blessings] and do not decrease us, honor us and do not humiliate us, give us [from Your Gifts] and do not deprive us, be in favor of us and not against us, and make us satisfied and be satisfied with us.
May Allah reward our Prophet PBUH abundantly as he deserves, and may Allah reward Ustaz Rateb as he deserves, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
