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Allah has Apportioned deeds of Righteousness
Shaykh Saalih bin Humayyid [(Muharram 28, 1425 (March 19, 2004)]
All praise is due to
Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, his
household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Fear
Allaah as He should be feared. Let whoever wants to attain success be dutiful to
his Lord, for Allaah is the Protector of the pious. The most honourable person
in the sight of Allaah is the most pious and the abode of the Hereafter is made
for only the pious.
Brethren in faith! The seeker of others besides Allaah has gone astray and he
who thanks others besides Allaah will have his blessings withdrawn. Man will be
called to account on how he lived his life and all his deeds are recorded. Time
moves like a cloud and the appointed time is the Day of Reckoning. Fear Allaah,
for happy ending is for the pious.
Fellow Muslims! People
are different in their ambitions, indispositions and inclinations. In spite of
these differences, they complement one another and some are made subservient to
others. Allaah says,
"Is
it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord? It is We Who portion out
between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above
others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the Mercy
(Paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad) is better than the (wealth of this world)
which they amass."
(Az-Zukhruf 43:32)
Allaah's work in His creatures is wonderful.
He apportioned talents and capabilities among them as He has apportioned
provisions, dispositions and natures. He created differences in their intellect
as He did in their languages and their colours. Allaah says,
"And among His Signs is the creation of the
heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours."
(Ar-Room 30:22)
Allaah also says,
"Allaah has created you and what you make!"
(As-Saaffaat 37:96)
Brethren in Islaam!
Allaah created mankind to worship Him and obey Him. But He apportioned their
provisions and made them different in their efforts. He made some of them
inclined to prayers; He made some inclined to alms-giving and charity works; He
made some disposed to fasting; and He made some inclined to fighting in the
cause of Allaah. He opened for them gates of voluntary good deeds, so that those
among them who want to compete would find arena for competition. The more one
does an act of worship than others, the higher his degree in Paradise.
Dear brethren! I want you to ponder over the following hadeeth. Aboo
Hurayrah narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allaah saying,
"Whoever gives two kinds (of things or property) in charity
for Allaah's Cause, will be called from the gates of Paradise and will be
addressed, 'O slaves of Allaah! Here is prosperity.' So, whoever was amongst the
people who used to offer their prayers, will be called from the gate of the
prayer; and whoever was amongst the people who used to participate in Jihaad,
will be called from the gate of Jihaad; and whoever was amongst those who used
to observe fasts, will be called from the gate of Ar-Rayyaan; whoever was
amongst those who used to give in charity, will be called from the gate of
charity." Abu Bakr said, "Let my parents be sacrificed for you, O Allaah's
Apostle! No distress or need will befall him who will be called from all those
gates. Will there be any one who will be called from all these gates?" The
Prophet replied, "Yes, and I hope you will be one of them." (Reported by Al-Bukhaaree)
Listen also to this
narration from Imaam Maalik. 'Abdullaah Al-'Amree wrote to him encouraging him
to go into seclusion for worship and work alone. Imaam Maalik replied him,
"Certainly, Allaah has apportioned deeds as He has apportioned provisions. Many
are people whom Allaah made disposed to prayers and did not make disposed to
fasting; and He made some inclined to giving charity and did not make them
inclined to fasting. Spreading knowledge is one of the greatest acts of
righteousness. I am satisfied with what Allaah has made me inclined to. I do not
think that what I do is inferior to what you do. I hope that both of us are upon
good and righteousness."
Abdullaah Ibn Al-Mubaarak
said, "I have not seen anyone who has attained eminent position like that of
Maalik, though he had no much prayers or fasting to his credit except if he had
had some other righteous deeds he used to do in secret."
Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee
said, "What Imaam Maalik was upon in knowledge and spreading it is better than
supererogatory prayers and fasting for those who hopes for Allaah's pleasure."
Fellow Muslims! Means
of doing righteous deeds are many. Scholars said, "In most cases, all deeds of
righteousness cannot be opened for a single person. If he is made disposed to
some of them, he is not made disposed to others. Very few people are sometimes
made inclined towards many good deeds. It is in this context that our Prophet
told Aboo Bakr, "I hope you will be one of them."
The companions of the
Prophet, out of their fervent love for righteous deeds used to ask him about the
best act of worship and the most beloved act of worship to Allaah. This is
because of their knowledge that man cannot perform all righteous deeds.
Responses of Allaah's Messenger to these questions varied according to different
times and different situations in which these questions were asked.
Scholars have explained
the reasons why the Prophet's answers to the same question were different. They
said that it is because of the differences of the situations of the questioners
and the differences in the times in which the question was asked. The Messenger
of Allaah therefore replied each questioner with what he needed, with what he
was inclined to or with what was suitable for him.
Dear brethren! Ponder
the following answers that Allaah's Messenger gave:
'Abdullaah bin Mas'ood
narrated that he asked Allaah's Messenger about the most beloved deed to Allaah.
The Messenger of Allaah answered, "Performing prayer on its prescribed time."
Abdullaah said, "And then what?" He answered, "Being dutiful to parents." He
said, "And then what?" He answered, "Struggling in the way of Allaah." Abdullaah
then said, "Allaah's Messenger told me of these things. If I had asked him more
he would have told me." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
In the Musnad, Imaam
Ahmad reported on the authority of Maa'iz that he asked the Prophet about the
best deed. The Prophet answered, "Belief in Allaah alone, then fighting in His
cause, and then performing an accepted hajj. All these are better than
other deeds as wide as what is between the west and the east."
In another hadeeth, the
Prophet told Aboo Umaamah when he asked about the best of all deeds, "Adhere to
the observance of fasting, for nothing equals it." (An-Nasaaee)
Ahmad and Muslim
reported on the authority of Aboo Dharr, that he said, "I asked the Prophet,
"What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and to fight in His
Cause." I then asked, "What is the best kind of manumission (of slaves)?" He
replied, "The manumission of the most expensive slave and the most beloved by
his master." I said, "If I cannot afford to do that?" He said, "Help the weak or
help a person who cannot work for himself." I said, "If I cannot do that?" He
said, "Refrain from harming others for this will be regarded as a charitable
deed for your own good."
Zuraarah Ibn Abee Awfaa
narrated that Allaah's Messenger was asked about the best deed. He said, "Al-Haall
and Al-Murtahil [the coming and the going]." He was asked, "What is
Al-Haall and Al-Murtahil?" he said, "The reciter of the Qur'aan who
reads the Qur'aan from its beginning to its end and starts over again. Whenever
he arrives [at the end of the Qur'aan] he moves again [i.e. starts over from the
beginning]." (Ad-Daarimee)
'Aaishah narrated that
Allaah's Messenger was asked of the dearest deed to Allaah. He answered, "The
one done unceasingly even if it is little." He then said, "Perform those deeds
that you are able to bear." (Al-Bukhaaree)
Mu'aadh said, "I asked
Allaah's Messenger of the dearest deed to Allaah and he answered, "That you
should remember Allaah continuously." (Ibn Hibbaan)
Mu'aadh also narrated
that the Messenger of Allaah said, "Indeed, prayer, fasting and remembrance of
Allaah are seven hundred times greater in reward than spending in the way of
Allaah." (Aboo Daawood)
Fellow Muslims! When
the poor among the companions of the Prophet told him, "Allaah's Messenger, The
rich people have got the highest degrees of prestige and the permanent pleasures
(in this life and the life to come in the Hereafter). They pray as we pray,
perform fasting as we do and spend from their surplus wealth in charity."
The scholars said, "The
poor among the Prophet's companions thought that the only means to be charitable
is through money and they were incapable of that. So the Messenger of Allaah
told them that all kinds of good deeds are acts of charity. He said, "Has Allaah
not provided you with what you can do charity? Surely, every 'Subhaanallaah
[that you say] is an act of charity; every 'Allaahu akbar' is an act of
charity, every 'Alhamdulillaah' is an act of charity, every 'Laa
ilaaha illallaah' is an act of charity, enjoining good is an act of charity,
preventing evil is an act of charity and engaging in lawful intercourse with
your spouses is an act of charity."
Brethren in faith!
There are many ways of doing righteous deeds and there are wide ways of
attaining righteous knowledge. Even the same act of worship can be different in
its reward according to power of certainty, sincerity and purity of the doer.
Aboo Daawood and An-Nasaa'ee reported on the authority of Abdullaah Ibn Habashee
Al-Khath'amee that Allaah's Messenger was asked about the best deed. He
answered, "Faith in which there is no doubt, Jihaad in which there is no
stealing from the booty and hajj that is done perfectly." When he was
asked about the best prayer, he said, "The one in which you stand for a long
time." When he was asked of the best charity, he said, "It is the one given by a
poor person." And when he was asked of the best Hijrah, he said, "To
migrate from what Allaah has forbidden."
Aboo Daawood also
reported that Allaah's Messenger said, "Fighting is of two kinds: The one who
seeks Allaah's favour, obeys the leader, gives the property he values, treats
his associates gently and avoids doing mischief, will have the reward for all
the time whether he is asleep or awake; but the one who fights in a boasting
spirit, for the sake of display and to gain a reputation, who disobeys the
leader and does mischief in the earth will not return without blame."
Brethren in Islaam!
Look at different acts of worship that Allaah makes easy for His slaves, you
will see that He made some people disposed to reciting the Qur'aan in all their
situations, in prayers and outside prayers, during the day and during the night.
There are some whom
Allaah made inclined to teaching the Qur'aan. Their greatest preoccupation is to
teach the Qur'aan so that people could recite it as perfectly as possible.
There are some whom
Allaah made disposed to seeking for fields of knowledge like Tawheed, Hadeeth,
Fiqh and Tafseer while others are disposed to sciences like linguistics, history
and applied sciences.
Some are good at
teaching, some at giving sermons and some at authoring books.
Some are disposed to
and preoccupied with performance of prayers. It is in this, that they find their
joy day and night through long standing.
Some are inclined to
fasting voluntarily. They fast on Mondays, Thursdays and on the 13th,
14th and 15th of every month [Ayyaamul-beed]. Some
of them fast every other day.
Others are made
disposed to doing additional act of kindness to their parents and relatives.
They visit them, ask of their conditions and are kind to them in different ways
without expecting any reward from them or reciprocation.
There are others who
are made inclined to assisting the needy and aiding the afflicted locally or
outside their country. These people exert efforts to assist the widows, the
destitute, the wayfarer and the needy. They are never tired of collecting
donations and knocking the doors of the wealthy and the philanthropists. They
are never tired of bringing assistance to the deserved needy. They work
endlessly in bringing relief to the distressed and in paying debts on behalf of
debtors. They look after the orphans, console them, teach them and protect them.
Other people are made
disposed to building mosques and establishing trust funds. They discovered the
various means of healing that Allaah has made easy in contemporary times and the
medical equipments and drugs that Allaah has made their production easy, and
that go a long way in curing chronic diseases. So, they established trust funds
in this regard in order to bring medical services within the reach of the poor.
Others are made
inclined to encouraging good and preventing evils for the sake of Allaah and
hoping to get reward from Him. They bear whatever insult they face with patience
and therefore perform what other cannot do.
There are other people
who are disposed to mediate among people and making peace among them. They exert
efforts so that captives might be freed, lives might be spared, undesirable
things might be averted, rights might be given to whom they are due, falsehood
might be prevented and injustice might be blocked. Allaah says,
"Kind words and forgiving of faults are
better than charity followed by injury. And Allaah is Rich (Free of all needs)
and He is Most-Forbearing."
(Al-Baqarah 2:263)
Allaah also says,
"There is no good in most of their secret
talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allaah's Cause), or Ma'rûf (Islaamic
Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allaah has ordained), or
conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of
Allaah, We shall give him a great reward."
(An-Nisaa 4:114)
Fellow Muslims! Arenas of righteous deeds are
wide. They consist of all kinds of deeds of the heart, limbs and tongue. They
contain apparent and hidden deeds as they contain collective and individual
deeds. There is even reward in kindness done to animals. Whoever grows a plant
or a tree and a human, animal or bird eats from it, he will have a reward
thereof. Whoever equips a warrior has participated in that war.
Brethren in Islaam! A man is disposed to an
act when he loves it, frequently and perfectly does it and exerts his efforts in
doing it. Whoever does something incessantly will be known by it.
Therefore, compete with one another for good
deeds, for Angels love the righteous among humans and are happy with them.
Let your aims be high,
for there are people who will called from all the gates of Paradise as a way of
honour for them and because of their many prayers, fasting and excellent deeds.
They will be told to enter Paradise through any gate they like. Allaah says,
"That Day mankind will proceed in scattered
groups that they may be shown their deeds. So, whosoever does good equal to the
weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal
to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it."
(Az-Zalzalah 99:6-8)
Dear Muslims! There is another issue to which
people's attention must be called. Some people scorn their brethren because they
are not disposed to certain acts of worship, especially supererogatory prayers
and fasting. Let those who are disposed to these acts of worship thank Allaah
and adhere to them. However, they should not scorn others or look down upon
them. This is because; Allaah might have made your brother inclined to doing a
righteous deed which you do not know or see, like being extraordinarily kind to
his kith and kin or searching for knowledge or enjoining good and preventing
evil or helping others or interceding on their behalf.
'Abdullaah bin Mas'ood was told, "You rarely
fast." He answered, "It makes me weak in reciting the Qur'aan. Recitation of the
Qur'aan is dearer to me."
Imaam Ahmad said, "Al-Hasan used to talk and
conveyed knowledge, hoping to get reward from Allaah; and Ibn Seereen used to
keep silent, also hoping to reward from Allaah."
The clearest evidence in this regard is the saying of our Prophet Muhammad,
blessings and peace be upon him where he said, "The kindest man of this Ummah is
Aboo Bakr, the firmest of them as far as Allaah's command is concerned is 'Umar,
the most sincere of them in bashfulness is 'Uthmaan, the most knowledgeable of
them as far as matters of inheritance are concerned is Zayd Ibn Thaabit, and the
most knowledgeable of them about lawful and unlawful things is Mu'aadh ibn Jabal.
Every nation has an extremely trustworthy man, and the
trustworthy man of this (i.e. Muslim) nation is Abu 'Ubaidah bin Al-Jarraah."
(At-Tirmidhee and An-Nasaaee)
Dear brethren! Fear
Allaah and be dutiful to Him. Make sure that you perfectly perform your inner
acts of worship like fear for Allaah, sincerity and god-consciousness. Keep away
from backbiting, jealousy, malice, looking down upon others, evil planning and
attacking other people's honour, for all these eat up good deed and destroy
righteous acts, even if they are as huge as mountains.
Always remember the
saying of Imaam Maalik, "Each of us is upon good and righteousness." Remember
that your brother might even be performing deeds better than yours. So when you
see your brother inclined to acts of righteousness different from yours, say:
"Each of us is upon good and righteousness." Allaah says,
"As for those who strive hard in Us (Our
Cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allaah is with the
good doers."
(Al-'Ankaboot 29:69)
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