IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
INTRODUCTION
He was the most beloved sahabah of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). His characteristics were so similar to prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that it was no surprise that Abu Bakr (RA) was such aN exemplary figure:
‘Abdullah b. Mas’ud reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: If I were to choose a bosom friend I would have definitely chosen Abu Bakr as my bosom friend, but he is my brother and my companion and Allah, the Exalted and Gliorious. has taken your brother and companion (meaning Prophet himself) as a friend. (Muslim)
‘Amr b. al-‘As reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent him in command of the army despatched to Dhat-as-Salasil. When ‘Amr b. al-‘As came back to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) he said: Who amongst people are dearest to you? He said: A’isha. He then said: Who amongst men? He said: Her father, and I said: And who next? He said: Umar. He then enumerated some other men. (Muslim)
Ibn Abu Mulaika reported: I heard A’isha as saying and she was asked as to whom Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) would have nominated his successor if he had to nominate one at all. She said: Abu Bakr. It was said to her: Then whom after Abu Bakr? She said: Umar. It was said to her. Then whom after ‘Umar ? She said: Abu Ubaida b. Jarrah, and then she kept quiet at this. (Muslim)
Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Who amongst you is observing fast this day? Abu Bakr said: It is I. He (again) said: Who amongst you has followed the bier today? Abu Bakr said: It is I. He (the Holy Prophet) again said: Who amongst you has served food to the needy? Abu Bakr said: It is I. He (again) said: Who amongst you has today visited the sick? Abu Bakr said: It is I. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He must get into Paradise who combines in himself (all these noble qualities and virtues). (Muslim)
Narrated Abu Huraira
I heard Allah’s Apostle SAW saying,
“Anybody who spends a pair of something in Allah’s Cause will be called from all the gates of Paradise, “O Allah’s slave! This is good.’ He who is amongst those who pray will be called from the gate of the prayer (in Paradise) and he who is from the people of Jihad will be called from the gate of Jihad, and he who is from those’ who give in charity (i.e. Zakat) will be called from the gate of charity, and he who is amongst those who observe fast will be called from the gate of fasting, the gate of Raiyan.”
Abu Bakr said, “He who is called from all those gates will need nothing,” He added, “Will anyone be called from all those gates, O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, “Yes, and I hope you will be among those, O Abu Bakr.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 57 Hadith 18
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Before Abu Bakar’s (RA) death when Umar (RA) was selected as the next ruler, Abu Bakar called Umar and gave him the following advice. He said:
Fear Allah o ‘Umar, and know that Allah has deeds to be done for Him in the day which He will not accept if done at night, and He has deeds to be done for Him at night which He will not accept if done during the day. He will not accept extra (nâfilah) deeds unless you fulfill the obligatory deeds. The scales of those whose scales will be weighty on the Day of Resurrection will only be weighty because they followed the truth in this life and it was weighty to them. And scales in which the truth will be placed tomorrow truly deserve to be heavy. And the scales of those whose scales will be light on the Day of Resurrection will only be light because they followed falsehood in this life and it was a light matter to them. And scales in which falsehood will be placed tomorrow truly deserve to be light.
Allah the Exalted has mentioned the people of Paradise and mentioned them in the context of their best deeds, and overlooked their evil deeds, so when I remember them I say to myself: I fear that I will not be included with them. And Allah the Exalted has mentioned the people of Hell and mentioned them in the context of their worst deeds and rejected their best deeds, so when I remember them I say: I hope I won’t be amongst them. Allah’s worshippers should always be in a state of hope and fear, they shouldn’t wish flimsy wishes about Allah and neither should they despair of Allah’s mercy.
WHAT LESSONS DO WE GAIN FROM THE ABOVE?
Here are some lessons that we can take from the above:
فَوَيلٌ لِلمُصَلّينَ
الَّذينَ هُم عَن صَلاتِهِم ساهونَ
So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers) (hypocrites), Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times, 107: 4-5
Alhamdulillah we are in London – there are prayer places everywhere – hospitals, schools, shopping areas such as Selfridges, Harrods, Bicester Village, Westfield, etc.
The very first question we all will be asked on the Day of Judgment is the prayer:
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels, although He knows best, ‘Look at My slave’s prayer, is it complete or lacking?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete, but if it is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether my slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he had done voluntary prayers, He will say, ‘Complete the obligatory prayers of My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be examined in a similar manner.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 770).
Although this is self-explanatory, let’s ensure that we strive to fulfill our obligations before the supererogatory deeds. For example, although praying Tahajjud salat (late night prayers) brings a lot of blessings, one shouldn’t start missing Fajar prayers at the expense of Tahajjud prayers. Also, the five obligatory prayers are more important than the Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan. Similarly, one can’t go and treat everyone nicely but be harsh with one’s own family members. What’s the use of treating the world with love and respect while one can’t treat one’s family in the same manner? As it’s said that charity always begins at home.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A Bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise, if I do it.” The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Worship Allah, and worship none along with Him, offer the (five) prescribed compulsory prayers perfectly, pay the compulsory Zakat, and fast the month of Ramadan.” The Bedouin said, “By Him, in Whose Hands my life is, I will not do more than this.” When he (the Bedouin) left, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever likes to see a man of Paradise, then he may look at this man.” (al Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Zur’a:
From the Prophet (ﷺ) the same as above.
Narrated Abu Aiyub:
A man said to the Prophet (ﷺ) “Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise.” The people said, “What is the matter with him? What is the matter with him?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He has something to ask. (What he needs greatly) The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (In order to enter Paradise) you should worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, offer prayer perfectly, pay the Zakat and keep good relations with your Kith and kin.” (See Hadith No. 12, Vol 8).- Al Bukhari
Allah Warned the children of Israel – and Allah Warned us in the Qur’an surah 2 verse 85:
أَفَتُؤمِنونَ بِبَعضِ الكِتابِ وَتَكفُرونَ بِبَعضٍ ۚ فَما جَزاءُ مَن يَفعَلُ ذٰلِكَ مِنكُم إِلّا خِزيٌ فِي الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۖ وَيَومَ القِيامَةِ يُرَدّونَ إِلىٰ أَشَدِّ العَذابِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغافِلٍ عَمّا تَعمَلونَ
“…Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.”
وَلا تَلبِسُوا الحَقَّ بِالباطِلِ وَتَكتُمُوا الحَقَّ وَأَنتُم تَعلَمونَ
And mix not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth [i.e. Muhammad Peace be upon him is Allah’s Messenger and his qualities are written in your Scriptures, the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] while you know (the truth) . 2: 42
The matter of truth and falsehood and the importance to keep that distinction has been made repeatedly in the Quran and Hadith. How many times do we compromise on Allah’s commands and the guidelines mentioned in the Quran and Hadith only because truth may seem more inconvenient to follow? Allah tells us in Surah Al-Baqarah in the Quran:
الحَقُّ مِن رَبِّكَ ۖ فَلا تَكونَنَّ مِنَ المُمتَرينَ
“The truth is from your Lord, so never be among the doubters.” — Quran (Surah Al-Baqarah:147)
يا أَهلَ الكِتابِ لِمَ تَلبِسونَ الحَقَّ بِالباطِلِ وَتَكتُمونَ الحَقَّ وَأَنتُم تَعلَمونَ
“O People of the Scripture, why do you mix [i.e., confuse] the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?” — Quran (Surah Aal-e-Imran:71)
The “Siddiqoon” or truthful ones is placed even in a higher category that a martyr, as stated in the Qur’an surah 4 verse 69:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسولَ فَأُولٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذينَ أَنعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيهِم مِنَ النَّبِيّينَ وَالصِّدّيقينَ وَالشُّهَداءِ وَالصّالِحينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولٰئِكَ رَفيقًا
And whoso obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!
And there are other numerous Quranic verses on the need to be clear about the truth. Let’s start by ensuring that we are crystal clear about the messages of truth in our heart and once we address it in our hearts, then the rest will follow. Let’s be clear about the truth even if we are somehow guilty of not following it. By staying with the truth, we have a better chance of correcting our behaviors even if we happen to be not following that message at the moment for one reason or another. A smoker who actively expresses the ill effects of smoking despite him or her being addicted to it has a better chance of quitting one day than the one who silently accepts it.
We must all be fearful of Allah and NOT have too much confident that we will certainly enter Jannah – forgetting that all of us will enter Jannah ONLY upon Allah’s Mercy:
Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Follow the right course, seek nearness to Allah, and give glad tidings. Verily, none of you will enter Paradise by his deeds alone.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said, “Not even me, unless Allah grants me his mercy. Know that the most beloved deed to Allah is that which is done regularly, even if it is small.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6099, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2818
At the same time, we must never de despair of Allah’s Mercy, as stated in the following verse, mentioned by Prophet Ya’qub (AS) in Qur’an surah 12 verse 87:
إِنَّهُ لا يَيأَسُ مِن رَوحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا القَومُ الكافِرونَ
“…Certainly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve.”
At the same time, we MUST understand Tawheed – where as part of Tawheed we must believe His Names and Attributes: Ar Rahman, Ar Raheem, etc
Also, Allah will never lie when He Informed us in the Qur’an in surah 39 verse 53:
قُل يا عِبادِيَ الَّذينَ أَسرَفوا عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم لا تَقنَطوا مِن رَحمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغفِرُ الذُّنوبَ جَميعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفورُ الرَّحيمُ
“Say: “O ‘Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
As Muslims, although we believe that Allah is merciful and will forgive our sins if we repent sincerely, we can’t use this fact alone to continue sinning and staying on the wrong path. Once we come to know the truth, we should immediately launch a serious endeavor to correct our sinful behavior. Because if we don’t we WILL be held accountable for that behavior. So, let’s always be conscious of Allah and of our behavior and should try to correct it as much as possible.
In this context, let’s also adopt certain acts of worship, which can help us with potentially getting automatic forgiveness from Allah. One of the ways we can do that is to become steadfast in our prayers / salat. Consider this hadith of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam):
“Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.” — Related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad).
We should also get into the habit of constantly asking Allah for His forgiveness. Consider what Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the following hadith:
‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “By Allah, I ask Allah for forgiveness and I repent to Him more than seventy times every day.”’ — Narrated by al-Bukhari (6307).
Imagine — If the Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was asking Allah for forgiveness seventy times a day, how many times should we be asking Allah for His forgiveness?
Let’s pray to Allah to help us learn Islam properly and to keep us on the path of truth. Al-Buhuti reported that Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say:
“O Allah! Show us the truth as truth, and bestow adherence to it on us. Show us the evil as evil, and make us stay away from it.” — Source: Sharḥ al-Muntahá al-Irādāt 3/497.
