Islam, the Greatest of Blessings, and Its Opposite, the Greatest Loss

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Allâh  says: ﭽ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰ ﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮀ ﮁ ﮂ ﭼ Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudree narrated that Mu`aawiyah came upon a group in the mosque. He said, “What makes you sit here?” They said, “We sit and mention Allâh.” He said, “I adjure you by Allâh, is this the only reason you have for sitting here?” “By All... Allâh said to the seal of the prophets and the leader of mankind, It has been narrated in the hadith of Al-Haarith Al-Ash`aree that the Prophet said, “Whoever calls to the way of pre-Islamic ignorance, will be from the coals (fuel) of hell.” A man said, “O Messenger of Allâh, even if he performs salât and fasts?” ... Abu Hureirah narrated that the Prophet said, “The prophets are children - and in another narration - brothers from fellow-wives; they have different mothers but their religion is one.”P2F P Ibn `Abbaas explained “law and clear way” to mean “path and tradition or example of the Prophet.” However, the law given unto our Prophet Muhammad abrogates all the previous laws. It is obligatory to follow it, and it is impermissible to follow the ... Jaabir reported that the Prophet said: “I have been given five things which were not given to any of the Prophets before me...” He then mentioned, “…Every Prophet was sent exclusively to his nation, but I have been sent to the whole of mankind.”P4F P Indeed, Allâh took a pledge from all of the prophets – peace & blessings be upon them- from Adam to `Eesaa (Jesus) that should the Messenger of Allâh  come to them they would believe in and succour him Allâh  says, ﭽ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢ ﮣ ﮤ ﮥ ﮦ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩ ﮪ ﮫ ﮬ ﮭﮮ ﮯ ﮰ ﮱ ﯓ ﯔ ﯕﯖ ﯗ ﯘﯙ ﯚ ﯛ ﯜ ﯝ ﯞ ﯟ ﭼ When `Eesaa (Jesus)  descends before the hour he will rule according to the Law of Muhammad Bukhaaree and Muslim reported, on the authority of Abu Hureirah, that the Messenger of Allâh said, “By He whose hand my soul is in, `Eesaa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) is about to descend amongst you as a just ruler. He shall break the cross…” **(An-Nawawee commented in his exposition of Muslim: “Ruler” means that he will descend, not with his own message and abrogating laws, rather, he shall rule according to this sharia and be one of the rulers of this ummah (the Muslims).” Al-Haafith, in “Fat-hul Baaree”, made a similar explanation.) The hadith of Abu Hureirah is further proof; he said that the Messenger of Allâh said, “How will you be when the son of Maryam (Mary) (i.e. `Eesaa (Jesus)) descends amongst you and judges by the Law of the Qur’an (and not by the law of the Gospel).” P5F It has been narrated in Muslim (156): On the authority of Jaabir, that he heard the Prophet say, “`Eesaa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) will descend (upon the Muslims) and their emir will say, ‘Come and lead us in salât,’ but `Eesaa will reply, ‘No, you are to lead yourselves,’ as an honour from Allâh to this ummah (the Muslims).” At-Tabaraanee reported, in “Al-Awsat", on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Then `Eesaa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) will descend, confirming Muhammad and following his religion, a rightly guided leader and a just ruler who will kill the Dajjaal (Antichrist).” This chain of narration is hasan. The Qur’aan that was sent down upon Muhammad was sent down with truth, corroborates the scripture that preceded it, and is a trustworthy authority over it, as stated by Allâh, ﭽ ﭿ ﮀ ﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊﮋ ﭼ Islâm means submission to Allâh by singling Him out for worship, yielding to Him in obedience, and disassociating oneself from polytheism and its adherents He also asked him about eemaan (faith) and he answered: “It is that you believe in Allâh, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and believe in the (divine) pre-decree, be it good or bad.” He asked him about ihsaan (excellency of worship), to which he answered: “It is that you worship Allâh as though you see Him and if you do not see Him, then He certainly sees you.” The Prophet said in a hadith narrated by Ibn `Umar: “Islâm is built upon five (pillars): Testimony that nothing has the right to be worshipped but Allâh and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh, establishing the salât, giving zakât, performing Hajj, and the fast of Ramadhân.P7F P” It is incumbent upon every Muslim to have the same understanding of Islâm as the Companions (of Muhammad) did They remained unblemished (in their religion), as stated by the Prophet, “This Ummah of yours (the Muslims) has had its well-being granted to it in its early days; its latter days shall be smitten with trials and affairs which you shall denounce.P8F ... It has been narrated on the authority of `Abdullah ibn Mas`ood that he said, So it is in no way a proof for those who condone innovation. All innovations are deviations as stated by the Prophet, “Every innovation is a deviation.” Allâh praises the Companions profusely both in the Qur’aan and on the tongue of His Prophet. Allâh made them a general promise of ‘the best reward’. The best reward is nothing but Jannah (Paradise). Allâh says, ﭽ ﭑ ﭒ ﭓ ﭔ ﭕ ﭖ ﭗ ﭘ ﭙ ﭚ ﭛ ﭜ ﭝ ﭞ ﭟ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭼ Allâh informs us that He is pleased with the aforementioned ‘foremost’ and those that follow them in faith, be they in temporal proximity to them or not. He has prepared for them gardens (of Paradise). This shows that they are adherents of the trut... Allâh says, ﭽ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿ ﰀ ﰁﭼ “What else can there be, after the truth, save error?” Allâh says, ﭽ ﭑ ﭒ ﭓﭔ ﭕ ﭖ ﭗ ﭘ ﭙ ﭚ ﭛﭜ ﭝ ﭞ ﭟ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭫﭬ ﭭ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹ ﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮀ ﮁﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﭼ The Companions (of Muhammad) – may Allâh be pleased with them – are a source of security for this Ummah (i.e. the Muslims) The Prophet said, “The stars are a source of security for the skyP11F P; when the stars disappear, the evil which it has been promised shall befall it. I am a source of safety and security to my Companions; when I go, the evil which (my Companions) have been promised ... (Narrated by Muslim, on the authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ash`aree.) Allâh says, ﭽ ﭞ ﭟ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩﭪ ﭫ ﭬ ﭭ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰ ﭱﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶ ﭼ The Prophet said, “The best of people are my generation, then those that follow them, then those that follow them…P12F P” For this reason Allâh made faith like unto theirs a prerequisite for attaining guidance. He says, ﭽ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑﮒ ﮓ ﮔﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﭼ He then mentions that whosoever turns away from their path will be in opposition - that is, in opposition to the truth and its adherents. He says, in completion of the previous verse, “but if they turn away, then they are only in opposition, so Allâh will suffice you against them. He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” Allâh also says, ﭽ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰ ﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹ ﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿﮀ ﮁ ﮂ ﭼ This verse is a dire warning to whoever follows a path other than that of the Companions – may Allâh be pleased with them Allâh says, ﭽﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟﭼ “…follow the path of those who turn to Me in repentance and obedience.” The most eminent of those who turn in repentance and obedience, after the Prophets, are the Companions (may Allâh be pleased with them) So whoever strictly adheres to the path of the Prophet and his Companions and is upon the likes of what the Messenger of Allâh and his Companions were upon in creed, methodology, worship, and conduct, then, he is from the succoured faction about whi... “A faction of my followers will remain obedient to Allâh's orders. They shall remain unharmed by those who forsake or oppose them, till Allâh's order comes upon them while they are still prevailing over the people.”P13F He will be from the saved sect regarding which the Prophet said, Thus was it narrated on the authority of Mu`aawiyah and others. The meaning of “jamaa`ah” is that they group upon implementation of the Book and Sunna in accordance to the methodology of Allâh and His Messenger. This is made clear in the hadith of ... “Whoever is upon what I and my Companions are upon today.” This hadith, despite having been narrated by Al-Afreeqee (a weak narrator), is substantiated by other corroborative narrations. So this sect, by the permission of Allâh, shall be safe in this world, from associating anything with Allah in worship, ... Fine indeed is the statement of Imam Malik, Islâm dominates and is not dominated Allâh says, ﭽ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭫ ﭬ ﭭ ﭮ ﭼ This has also been narrated directly from the Prophet on the authority of several Companions: Of the proofs that show us the ascendancy and superiority of Islâm is that whoever adheres to it shall establish ascendancy and superiority. Allâh says, ﭽ ﮫ ﮬ ﮭ ﮮ ﮯ ﮰ ﮱ ﯓ ﯔ ﭼ When Moosa (Moses) petitioned his Lord to send his brother, Haaroon (Aaron), with him as a helper and aide in his proselytization of Fir`aun (Pharoah) and his people Allâh said (to him), ﭽ ﯰ ﯱ ﯲ ﯳ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶ ﯷ ﯸ ﯹﯺ ﯻ ﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿ ﭼ Ibn `Abbaas narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allâh and said, “Last night I saw in a dream an umbrageousP15F P cloud, dripping butter and honey. I saw the people gathering the butter and honey in their hands; some in plenty and others in... Thawbaan said that the Prophet said: ‘A group from my Ummah (the Muslims) shall continue to prevail on the truth; they shall remain unharmed by those that forsake them until the decree of Allâh comes and they are in that state.”P19F Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu`bah said, “I heard the Messenger of Allâh say, ‘Some people from my Ummah (the Muslims) will continue to prevail over the people until the decree of Allâh comes upon them in that state.”P20F Jaabir narrated that the Prophet said, “A group of my Ummah (the Muslims) shall continue to fight for the truth, in ascendancy, until the Day of Resurrection.”P21F The monotheistic religion of Islâm is the most beloved religion to Allâh As narrated in the hadith of Ibn `Abbaas, who narrated that the Prophet said, “The most beloved of religions to Allâh is the facilitated haneefiyah (Islâmic monotheism).” P22F Islâm is the religion of easiness and facilitation Allâh describes the Qur’aan by saying, ﭽ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢﮣ ﮤ ﭼ Bukhaaree reports in his “Saheeh”, on the authority of Abu Hureirah, that the Prophet said: “The religion (of Islâm) is easy but whoever is excessive in the religion (of Islam) shall be overcome. So adopt a middle accurate way (in worship), do your utmost, and receive glad tidings (that you will be rewarded), and gain strength by worshipping... Ahmad and others narrate, on the authority of Bureidah ibn Hasseeb Al-Aslamee that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Take the middle way, for verily, whoever is excessive in the religion shall be overcome.” (5/ 350). He repeated, “Take the middle way” ... Al-Haafith explained in “Fat-h Al-Baaree”, in his exposition of the hadith of Abu Hureirah: The excessiveness (in worship) condemned by the Prophet is mentioned in the hadith of Anas ibn Maalik who said: “Three men came to the houses of the Prophet’s wives asking about his worship. When they were informed about it, they considered (their own worship) insufficient and said, ‘Who are we in comparison to the Prophet? His past and future sins have been... Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allâh entered the mosque (and found) a rope tied between two pillars. “What is this?” he asked. They said, “It is for Zainab. She prays and when she slackens or feels tired she holds it.” The Prophet said, “Unti... There is also the hadith narrated by `Aai’shah – may Allah be pleased with her- who said: “The Prophet entered upon me while I had a woman in my company. He said, ‘Who is she?’ I replied, ‘So and so; she does not sleep at night but prays.’ The Prophet said, ‘Work deeds within your capacity; for verily, Allâh does not get tired (of giving... In another narration Muslim reported that `Aa’ishah, wife of the Prophet, informed him about Hawlaa’ bint Tuwait ibn Habeeb ibn Asad ibn `Abdil-`Uzzaa. Hawlaa’ passed by while the Prophet was with her. She said, “This is Hawlaa’ bint Tuwait. They ... There is also the hadith narrated by Abu Hureirah from the Messenger of Allâh who said, “If any of you stands at night in prayer and finds that he is unable to recite the Qur’an and knows not what he is saying, let him lie down.”P26F Excessiveness and exaggeration may manifest themselves in any one of several ways: It is mandatory for the slaves of Allâh to cling to Allâh’s law Allâh  has said, ﭽ ﮫ ﮬ ﮭ ﮮﮯ ﮰ ﮱ ﯓ ﯔ ﯖ ﯗ ﯘ ﯙﯚ ﯛ ﯜ ﭼ This is the quintessence of righteousness, the reward of which Allâh does not suffer go to waste. As He has stated, ﭽ ﯺ ﯻ ﯼ ﯽ ﯾ ﯿ ﰀ ﰁ ﰂ ﰃ ﭼ It is mandatory for the slaves of Allâh to hold fast to the religion with intensity of purpose Allâh  says, ﭽ ﭑ ﭒ ﭓ ﭔﭕ ﭖ ﭗ ﭘ ﭼ Allâh said, regarding Moosa (Moses), ﭽ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭫ ﭬ ﭭ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭼ The Prophet said: “Hold fast to my Sunna and the Sunna of the rightly guided Caliphs who shall succeed me. Bite on to it with your molars. And beware of new affairs (in religion), for verily, every innovation is a deviation.” It is upon the slaves of Allâh to take upon themselves that which they are capable of performing (in worship) as stated in the aforementioned hadith of `Aa’ishah and in the following statement of Allâh, ﭽ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩ ﮪ ﭼ It is upon the slaves of Allâh to strive in attaining sincerity for the sake of Allâh and in emulating the Messenger of Allâh in their acts of worship This is the middle accurate way that we have been ordered to adopt in the aforementioned hadith of Abu Hureirah. It is not, however, permissible to be remiss in implementing the Sharia proofs under the pretext of “easiness” or “facilitation”. Amongst the proofs regarding Islâm’s facilitation is the aforementioned hadith of `Abdullah ibn `Abbaas. There is no religion better than Islâm Allâh  says, ﭽ ﮐ ﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔ ﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ ﭼ “Allâh negates that any religion should be better than this religion and contests any who would affirm the existence of a religion better than it, for this is an interrogative disapprobation. It is a prohibitive and condemnatory disapprobation upon a... The religion of Islâm is all virtue Whoever Allâh wants good for, He will bring Islâm to him. It has been narrated in hadiths, “Whose Islâm is the best?” and “What sort of deeds (or what qualities) of Islâm are good?”, such as in the hadith of `Abdullah ibn Al-`Aas ibn `Amr wherein a... In the hadith of Abu Moosa Al-Ash`aree some people asked the Messenger of Allâh, ‘what is the best in Islâm?’ He replied, ‘He whose hands and tongue the Muslims are safe from.”P29F P Abu Hureirah narrated that the Prophet said: “Faith consists of sixty odd branches; the uppermost is to state that nothing has the right to be worshipped but Allâh and the lowermost is the removal of anything harmful from the path.” (Agreed upon) Imam Ahmad reported on the authority of Kurz ibn `Alqamah Al-Khuzaa`ee, that a man asked, “Messenger of Allâh, will Islâm know an end? The Messenger of Allâh replied, “Any house Allâh wants good for, be they Arabs or Non-Arabs, Allâh shall place Isl... The religion of Islâm is upright and straight with no crookedness in it Allâh  orders His Prophet , ﭽ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢ ﮣ ﮤ ﮥ ﮦ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩ ﮪ ﮫﮬ ﮭ ﮮ ﮯ ﮰ ﭼ `Abdullah ibn Mas`ood reported that the Messenger of Allâh traced a line with his hand then said: “This is Allâh’s straight path.” He then traced lines to the right and left and said, “These are the (other) paths; there is not one of them except there is a shaytaan (devil) on it calling to himself.” He then recited, “And verily, this (i.e. Allâh... In Surah Al-Fatihah Allâh says, ﭽ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭼ The straight way is Islâm An-Nawwaas ibn Sam`aan Al-Ansaaree narrated that the Messenger of Allâh said: “Allâh sets forth a parable of a straight path; on either side of the path there is a wall with unlocked doors covered by drapes. On the gate of the path there is a caller calling, ‘O people, enter the path and do not halt’. Whenever a person wishes ... The religion of Islâm is a religion of guidance and truth Allâh  says, ﭽ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ ﭪ ﭫ ﭬ ﭭ ﭮ ﭼ Abu Moosa narrated that the Prophet said, “The example of the guidance and knowledge with which Allâh has sent me is like unto a deluge of rain falling on the earth; some of the soil is fertile and absorbs the water bringing forth vegetation and grass in abundance. Another tract of it is hard... Allâh  has guaranteed to preserve the religion of Islâm The Prophet said to `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, “Boy, I shall teach you some words: Keep Allâh’s commandments and He shall have you in His keeping. Keep Allâh’s commandments and you shall find Him before you.”P35F Whilst the Prophet was mounted on a journey he dozed off three times and nearly fell off (his mount) on the third. Every time, it was Abu Qataadah that held him up. The Prophet said to him, “May Allâh have you in His keeping for having had His Pr... **(Safeguarding the Prophet of Allâh is part of safeguarding the religion of Allâh.) Whoever acts according to Islâm is rightly guided Allâh  says, ﭽﮥ ﮦ ﮧ ﮨﭼ Whoever is pleased with the religion of Islâm as Allâh is pleased with it for His slaves shall savour the taste of faith and its sweetness It is reported in “Bukhaaree” and “Muslim”, on the authority of Anas, that the Prophet said: “Whoever possesses three qualities shall savour the sweetness of faith: he to whom Allâh and His Messenger are dearer than all else, he who loves a man for the sake of Allâh alone, and he who has as great an abhorrence of returning to disbelief after... Whoever implements Islâm shall have a good, happy life Allâh  says, ﭽ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﭼ Ibn `Abbaas explained, “He shall neither go astray in this world nor fall into misery in the hereafter.” Allâh says, ﭽ ﭚ ﭛ ﭜ ﭝ ﭞ ﭟ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭼ Whoever implements Islâm shall be successful in this world and the next Muslim reported (1054), on the authority of `Abdullah ibn `Amr, that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Successful is he who accepts Islâm, is provided with that which is sufficient for his wants, and is content with what Allâh gives him.” Toobaa to whoever implements Islâm Tirmithee reported, with an authentic chain of narration, on the authority of Fadhaalah ibn `Ubayd, that he heard the Prophet say, “ToobaaP38F P to whoever is guided to Islâm, is provided with that which is sufficient for his wants, and is content.” Whoever has his breast opened by Allâh to Islâm is upon light from his Lord He that is not given this light is deprived Islâm is a protection for the blood, honour and wealth of the Muslims Ibn `Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allâh said: Abu Hureirah narrated that the Messenger of Allâh said, “I have been ordered (by Allâh) to fight the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh and believe in me and in that which I bring. If they do so, they will have protected their lives and property from me - except fo... Islâm recognizes and protects the rights of both Creator and creation, as befits them, as demonstrated by abundant evidences Whoever is pleased with Islâm and practises it will be of the inhabitants of Paradise The Prophet ordered Bilal to announce, “Abu Sa`eed, whoever is pleased with Allâh as his Lord, Islâm as his religion and Muhammad as his Prophet will enter Paradise.” Abu Sa`eed marveled and said, “Messenger of Allâh, repeat it to me!” The Messenger of Allâh did so and then said, “Ther... Whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm will never have it accepted of him, and he shall be of those who lose and perish (in the hereafter) Anyone in such a situation has reached the extreme of falsehood, ingratitude, and loss Allâh  says, ﭽ ﯧ ﯨ ﯩ ﯪ ﯫ ﯬﯭ ﯮ ﯯ ﯰ ﯱ ﯲﯳ ﯴ ﯵ ﯶ ﯷ ﯸ ﯹ ﯺ ﯻ ﭼ He goes on to say, ﭽ ﭮ ﭯ ﭰ ﭱ ﭲ ﭳ ﭼ Likewise, any Muslim that renounces Islâm and embraces another religion, or no religion at all (otherwise known as secularism) or commits that which invalidates his Islâm, becomes a disbelieving, deviant, apostate, loser, whose deeds are invalidated. ... Allâh  says, ﭽ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠ ﮡ ﮢ ﮣ ﮤ ﮥﮦ ﮧ ﮨ ﮩﮪ ﮫ ﮬ ﮭ ﭼ Ibn `Abbaas narrated from the Messenger of Allâh that he said, Abu Burdah narrated that Mu`aath ibn Jabal arrived in Yemen to find Abu Moosa with another man. He asked, “Who is this?” Abu Moosa answered, “A Jew that embraced Islâm then returned back to Judaism. We have been trying to bring him back to Islâm ... Ibn Mas`ood narrated that the Messenger of Allâh said, So embracing a religion other than Islâm or renouncing Islâm is the greatest loss Allâh has informed about the losers and their end. He says, ﭽ ﭲ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶﭷ ﭸ ﭹ ﭺ ﭻ ﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮀﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌ ﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐﮑ ﮒ ﮓ ﮔ ﮕ ﮖﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﭼ Finally, I ask Allâh to grant us and all the Muslims refuge from tribulations, be they apparent or hidden, and to keep us firm with the word that stands firm in this world (i.e. to keep on worshipping Allâh alone and nothing else), and in the hereafte...