- Prophetic Hadith / Explanation of Prophetic Hadith
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- Giving good knowledge to Muslims
The Rank of the Noble Hadith in Islam:
Dear brother, the text that comes in second place after the Quran, with regard to composition, expression and authentication is the Prophetic texts. The more we comprehend the Prophet's words accurately, inclusively, comprehensively and deeply, the higher rank of success we reach.
The meanings of Tawheed is referred to in these two narrations:
The following Hadith is one of the all-inclusive and sufficient As7adeth:
((On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) [riding on the same mount] and he said, "O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."))
((Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhi, reads: Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.))
As I see it, this Hadith includes so many fundamentals in Islam, and thus it is considered a pillar in the Prophetic Sunnah.
How can we deduce a ruling from this Hadith?
Let us start with the first words of this Hadith:
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
Allah says:
﴾So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path). ﴿
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
Allah also says:
﴾Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you﴿
﴾O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you﴿
This connection and accord between the protasis and the apodosis in the conditional sentence in the Ayah is inevitable. Furthermore, this connection can be a law, just like physical laws when the connection between the introduction and the result is inevitable. For instance, in physics we say that all metals expand by heating, so this is a law which regulates the connection between heating and expanding, and it is an inclusive inevitable one. The same goes for the conditional sentences, like the one in the following line of poetry:
If you offer good deed, you will be rewarded
Good deeds are appreciated by Allah and by people
This is the structure of the conditional sentence. For instance, if you study well, you will succeed in the exam. Hence, when you come across such a structure, you should know for sure that the connection between the introduction and the conclusion (the protasis and the apodosis) is inevitable.
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
The verb of the action and the one of the reaction are derived from the same root (hafiza); "Ihfaz Allah" (be mindful of Allah), and Allah will "Yahfazk" (He will protect you, or "Uzkur Allah" (remember) Allah and He will "Yazkurk" (remember you). Allah says:
﴾Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you﴿
﴾O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you﴿
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
The conclusion is inevitable because there is a definite connection between the introduction and the conclusion, and it is just like cause and effect relationship. Hence, who declines being protected by Allah the Almighty? Who does not wish from the bottom of his heart to be included in the Divine Providence? Who does not wish from the bottom of his heart to be included in His Care? Allah is the Ever-Powerful, and when you resort to a Powerful side you feel secured more than ever. On the other hand, if you resort to a powerful person, and you find thatthere are more powerful people than him, you will be disappointed, so how would it be when you resort to the Ever-Powerful (i.e. Allah)? How would it be when you resort to the Creator of the heavens and the earth?
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
Interpreting the first part of the Hadith: "Be mindful of Allah…":
Let us comprehend the following:
((Be mindful of Allah))
The first manifestation of this Prophetic order is refraining from violating of Allah's Limits, Rights and Orders and refraining from His Prohibitions. 'Who is the Wali (the singular of Auliya') of Allah O Junaid? Is it he who flies in the air?' He answered, 'No, he is not.' Then he was asked, 'Is it he who walks on the surface of water?' He replied, 'No, he is not. The Wali is he who does whatever is Halal (all kinds whatever Allah has permitted) and avoids whatever is Haram (whatever is forbidden). Applying one standard only is enough to elevate you in the Sight of Allah; it is to abide by His Orders, to refrain from His Prohibitions and to avoid violating His Limits. Allah says:
﴾These are the limits ordained by Allah, so do not transgress them﴿
﴾ These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not ﴿
[Al-Baqarah, 187]
When the believer is keen on rejecting whatever is suspicious, when he does not approve anything that might violate Allah's Limits, when he does not sign a contract that he doubts, when he refuses a job that does not please Allah, when he does not attend a mixed-gender assembly, when he does not use twisted ways in selling his goods and when he rejects doing something that might harm other people, this will be the meaning of:
((Be mindful of Allah))
It means to mind Allah's Limits and to refrain from His Prohibitions. Therefore, the believer is described as follows:
﴾ It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. ﴿
This hesitation is condemned. Who are you to hesitate in applying something decreed by the Messenger? Who are you to become reluctant before a Divine Order or a Prophetic one. When you give it a thought and hesitate in doing it or not this means that you are not a true believer:
﴾ It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. ﴿
Being mindful of Allah means to obey His Orders, such like performing Salah, lowering your gaze, speaking good to people, maintaining kin ties, being just with people, reciting the Quran and being good to all creatures. Also, it means to refrain from committing what Allah has forbidden. I repeat what "Being mindful of Allah" means: it is to obey His Orders, refrain from His Prohibitions and avoid violating His Limits, and whoever does so will be among those who are mindful of Allah.
If any disagreement occurs between you and your wife, you may rebuke her or turn away from her, but you should not divorce her, because the only reasons that are enough to divorce the wife are having bad moral or betraying her husband. Only then she deserves to be divorced, but if she is angry with her, or she falls short in her duties, it is enough to admonish her, leave the conjugal bed or stop speaking with her, but divorce requires more serious reason. Allah says:
﴾(It will be said): "This is what you were promised, - (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered, and worship none but Allah Alone, i.e. follow Allah's Religion, Islamic Monotheism).﴿
Who is the one who preserves his covenant with Allah? He is the one who does not violate Allah's Limits, who follows Allah's Orders and who refrains from Allah's Prohibitions. Allah says:
﴾(It will be said): "This is what you were promised, - (it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant with Allah (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered, and worship none but Allah Alone, i.e. follow Allah's Religion, Islamic Monotheism)* "Who feared the Most Beneficent (Allah) in the Ghaib (unseen): (i.e. in this worldly life before seeing and meeting Him), and brought a heart turned in repentance (to Him - and absolutely free from each and every kind of polytheism),﴿
Manifestations of being mindful of Allah that are mentioned in the Hadith:
1- Performing Salah regularly:
Dear brother, what is the most significant Divine Order to mankind? All scholars agreed upon naming Salah the most significant Divine Order, for whoever preserves performing it is preserving Islam, and whoever abandons it is wrecking Islam, and there is no goodness in a religion without Salah. Allah says:
﴾Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salat (i.e. the best prayer - 'Asr).﴿
Allah also says:
﴾Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers);﴿
((Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mention prayer one day and he said, "Whoever guards his prayers will have light and clarity and salvation on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever does not guard his prayers will not have light nor clarity nor salvation, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be with Qarun and Pharaoh and Haman and Ubay ibn Khalaf."))
2- Maintaining Wudu (ablution):
The other significant Divine Order is ablution (Tuhur):
((And only a mumin (a believer) is constant in his wudu))
The believer always maintains his Wudu, so if he gets out of his house, he is in a state of Wudu, and in case the time of Maghrib (for instance) arrives, he is ready to enter the Masjid and offer Salah. Furthermore, if he is in a place where offering Wudu is difficult, and the people he is with decide to offer Salah, he is ready because he is in a state of Wudu. Hence, maintaining an ongoing state of Wudu is a part of preserving Salah as long as you are keen on performing it on time and perfectly, and this entails staying in a state of Wudu all the time.
((Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Try to go straight, although you will not be able to do so. Act, and the best of your actions is the prayer. And only a mumin is constant in his wudu."))
A Hadith is referred to most scholars, though I have a reservation with regard of parts of it:
(("Allah the Almighty said: 'Whoever after termination of ablution does not perform it again has been unfaithful to me,' whoever after performance of ablution does not offer two units of prayer has done oppression, and whoever after performance of ablution offers prayer and requests for his worldly and spiritual needs -if I do not grant them, I have oppressed him. But I am not the oppressor Allah.))
Therefore, preserving Salah and Wudu is among being mindful of Allah which will result in being protected by Allah.
3- Protecting one's oath:
The third matter that should be minded by the believer is:
﴾ And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much)﴿
People swear for trivial reasons, and they keep repeating their oath many times. Allah says:
﴾ And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much)﴿
Swear only in crucial matters.((Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Swearing produces a ready sale for a commodity, but blots out the blessing."))
Allah says:
﴾ And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much)﴿
4- Refraining limbs and senses from committing sins:
I repeat the beginning of the Hadith:
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you…))
(('Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "Have Haya' for Allah as is His due." [He said:] We said: "O Prophet of Allah! We have Haya', and all praise is due to Allah." He said: "Not that, but having the Haya' for Allah which He is due is to protect the head and what it contains and to protect the insides and what it includes, and to remember death and the trial, and whoever intends the Hereafter, he leaves the adornments of the world. So whoever does that, then he has indeed fulfilled Haya', meaning the Haya' which Allah is due."))
((…to protect the head and what it contains…))
To protect the head and what it contains means to control your tongue (from wronging), your eye (from looking at Haram) and you ear (from listening to Haram). Apparently the tongue expresses what the eye sees and what the ear hears, so we should protect our eyes and preserve our ears by stop listening to backbiting, calumny, Munkar (that which is not recognized as good), Fuhsh (dirty and ugly things), forged oaths, forged testimonies and songs.
You preserve your tongue when you do not talk falsehood with regard to people's honor, and when you do not say that which does not please Allah. This is the way of protecting the head and what it contains.
Protecting the inside and what it includes means what is in the belly, so what is in the belly? Before we start with what in it is, let us talk about what above it is, which is the heart. What is the sin committed by the heart? It is to insist on ignorance and arrogance or to have bad thoughts about Allah. Thus, you should protect your heart from the diseases of the soul such like arrogance, haughtiness, being self-conceited, bitter feelings and selfishness. Then, we have the stomach, which is included in protecting the belly, so we should protect it from earning ill-gotten money.
((O' Sa'd! Purify your food (make you living through Halal ways), your supplication will be accepted.))
Let me repeat again what I have mentioned so far concerning the things we should protect. We should preserve Salah, Wudu, Ablution (state of purity), oaths, the head and what it contains and the inside and what it includes, and all that are derived from the Prophetic order of being mindful of Allah in the Hadith
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
As for the heart, Allah says:
﴾And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him.﴿
It was narrated in the relic:
((O My servant, you have cleaned your appearance before people for years, why do not you purify your heart before Me at least for an hour?))
Allah the Almighty always looks at your heart, but what is there in the heart? The heart is sometimes full of grudge, bitter feelings, enmity, hatred, tendencies to break kin ties and arrogance towards Allah's creations. Allah says:
﴾And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him.﴿
Allah the Almighty gathered all that in one Ayah, so He says:﴾Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).﴿
((Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whomever Allah protects from the evil of two things will enter the Garden." A man said, "Messenger of Allah, do not tell us!" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, repeated what he had said the first time. The man said to him, "Do not tell us, Messenger of Allah!" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said the same thing again. The man said, "Do not tell us, Messenger of Allah!" Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said the same thing again. Then the man began to say what he had said previously and a man at his side silenced him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whomever Allah protects from the evil of two things will enter the Garden. They are what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, what is between his jaws and what is between his legs."))
Two things are enough to admit man to Hellfire: they are his tongue and his private parts. The Prophet PBUH said:
((Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Jannah.))
The tongue is the muscle with which people backbite, gossip, speak slanderously, speak falsely, cheat, badmouth sh3er and speak the words of arrogance and degradation besides other thousands sins.
((It was narrated that Mu'adh bin Jabal said: "I was with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on a journey. One morning I drew close to him when we were on the move and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action that will gain me admittance to Paradise and keep me far away from Hell.' He said: 'You have asked for something great, but it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything in worship with Him, establish prayer, pay charity, fast Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House.' Then he said: 'Shall I not tell you of the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield, and charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the middle of the night.' Then he reauthord: "Their sides forsake their beds" until he reached: "As a reward for what they used to do."[32:16-17] Then he said: 'Shall I not tell you of the head of the matter, and its pillar and pinnacle? (It is) Jihad.' Then he said: 'Shall I not tell you of the basis of all that?' I said: 'Yes.' He took hold of his tongue then said: 'Restrain this.' I said: 'O Prophet of Allah, will we be brought to account for what we say?' He said: 'May your mother not found you, O Mu'adh! Are people thrown onto their faces in Hell for anything other than the harvest of their tongues?'))
The tongue alone is enough to admit man to Hellfire. If someone jokes with a husband by saying, "Look out for your household", this husband will doubt his wife's morality, and he might divorce her unjustly and throw her out of her home, so the children will become shattered, and the entire household will be destroyed, and all of that is because of a joke or a word said groundlessly. It was narrated in the relic that the Prophet PBUH said:
((Accusing a chaste woman of fornication annuls the acts of worship of a whole year))
Is talking falsely about sh3er' honor and sowing dissension between two partners, couples, two brother, two neighbors or two believers among the conducts of the true believers?
((Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Jannah.))
This means that he has the strong will to control his tongue and private parts (from fornication):
﴾Successful indeed are the believers* Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness* And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden)* And those who pay the Zakat* And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts) Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then, they are free from blame* But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors;﴿
In fact, the path of protecting man's private parts from fornication is to lower his gaze, simply because Allah gives precedence to lowering gaze over protecting the private parts from fornication in the following Ayah:
﴾Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.).﴿
Since Allah mentions lowering gaze before protecting the private parts, then this is strong evidence that the path of protecting one's ownself from fornication is to lower his gaze. Allah the Almighty praises the believers who have these traits as mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾The men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues (while sitting, standing, lying, etc. for more than 300 times extra over the remembrance of Allah during the five compulsory congregational prayers) or praying extra additional Nawafil prayers of night in the last part of night, etc.) Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).﴿
Yearning to the opposite gender is a desire installed in every human being, and even in Prophets, peace be upon them, but the only way to fulfill this desire is through marriage. Therefore, Allah approves fulfilling it lawfully but forbids fulfilling it unlawfully.
((Iblis (Satan) observes and awaits, and one of the most effective traps of his for the righteous people is women))
((Abu Sa'id Al-Khidri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The life of the world is sweet and green. Allah makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions. So beware of the beguilements of the world and those of women. The first trial of Banu Israel was through women".))
In my opinion the young man can be seduced by the woman more easily than by ill-gotten money, given money and women are the two shortcomings in man's life. Hence, when you protect yourself from earning ill-gotten money, and when you protect yourself from unlawful affairs with women, you will protect your entire religion, for nine tenth of sins are related to women and money. Narrated Abu Hurairah that the Prophet PBUH said:
((Allah, the Exalted, takes pride in a worshipping young man before the angels and says: look at My servant; he gave up his lust for the sake of Me))
Uqbah bin Amer narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:
((Allah wonders at a young man who does not incline towards Haram affair))
Allah never wastes a reward for the obedient servant, and the man who guards his chastity before getting married, his first Divine Reward will be a successful marriage that will grant him happiness the rest of his life, whereas the one who is not so keen on his chastity before marriage, will be punished with unsuccessful marriage. Allah will not waste a deed.
((It was related in relic that the Prophet PBUH was asked by one of the companions, "How can I maintain my chastity?" The Prophet PBUH answered, "By protecting your private parts from Haram affairs (fornication)."))
In the famous book Al-Jame' As-Sagheer of the Hadith of the Warner and the Bearer of Glad Tidings (i.e. the Prophet PBUH), the Prophetic As7adeth are categorized according to the initial word. Accordingly, more than 15 As7adeth are listed under the word Haqq (the right of). Some of them are the right of a Muslim over another Muslim, and you all know the Hadith, The right of the father over his son, the right of the son over his father, the right of the husband over his wife and the right of the wife over her husband". One Hadith of those gives me the chills upon reading it:
((It was related in relic that the Muslim is Divinely granted the right of being helped by Allah when he aims at maintaining his chastity by getting married.))
When the Muslim aims at fulfilling his desire through marriage, Allah grants him help and will facilitate matters for him amazingly by finding him the house, the furniture and the pious wife. A young man used to work in a small store in one of the avenues in Damascus, and that neighborhood was full of tall and luxurious buildings which are dwelled by very rich families. The beautiful women were wandering all the time in and out those buildings, so that young man longed to get married, but he owns nothing to offer. He asked his mother to propose to one of those women, but his mother made fun of him, so he said to her, "O mother, I am chaste and I never knew Haram in my life." He was so proud of his chastity, yet he owned nothing to offer the girl he wanted to propose to. When he insisted, his mother paid a visit to one of those families, and she was pretty sure that she would be let down, but she went anyway for the sake of her son. Well, her point of view is realistic, for her son owned nothing so it was impossible for any family to accept such a man as a husband, but that young man put tremendous trust in Allah in that regard.
One day a man paid him a visit in his store and asked him, "Are you married?" He answered, "No I am not sir", then the man said, "My daughter is young and she is suitable for you, so send your mother to our house", and he gave him the address. During that visit, his mother loved the girl and found her suitable for her son, but since her son owned nothing she could not open her mouth or propose.
The father of the girl paid him another visit, and asked him about his opinion, so the young man told him that his daughter was very suitable but he owned nothing. Then, the father said to him, "I will give my blessings to your marriage from my daughter, and I will give you a house as well." That young man refused to fulfill his lust unlawfully, so he was honored by Allah.
When you are keen on fulfilling your desires lawfully, and when you guard your chastity from any Haram affair, Allah will honor you, and this is a right granted to you by Allah according to the following Hadith:
((It was related in relic that whenever someone complained to the Prophet PBUH about of a tight livelihood, he would say to him, "Get married".))
Obeying Allah is your fortune; when you are obedient to Allah, Allah will look after you. Strive little, and Allah will help you abundantly. Also, move towards your purpose, and Allah will grant you prosperity, and work hard, and Allah will provide you with livelihood. Some people misunderstand Tawakul (putting trust in Allah) thinking that it is staying at home (and livelihood will come to them).
(('Umar said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: 'If you were to rely upon Allah with the reliance He is due, you would be given provision like the birds: They go out hungry in the morning and come back with full bellies in the evening."))
Man should strive, and in his movement lies the Barakah (benediction), so man should strive and inquire other people. The following Hadith is wonderful:
((Narrated Awf ibn Malik: The Holy Prophet (PBUH) gave a decision between two men, and the one against whom the decision was given turned away and said: For me Allah sufficeth, and He is the best dispenser of affairs. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: Allah, Most High, blames for falling short, but apply intelligence, and when the matter gets the better of you, say; For me Allah sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs.))
You should not stay without striving, because this is not one of the traits of the believer, so you should move, inquire sh3er, look for a job, look for a house and so on, and when you do that, Allah will facilitate things for you since He is the Arranger of all affairs, and He will suffice you the trouble of the rest.
((Allah, Most High, blames for falling short, but apply intelligence,))
Applying intelligence means striving, endeavoring, searching and using the available means then put your trust in Allah
((…and when the matter gets the better of you, say; For me Allah sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs.))
As I said earlier, the Muslim should be keen on performing Salah, should be in a state of Wudu, should avoid oaths, should protect his head and what it contains and his inside and what it contains. These are some of the As7adeth and Ayat in this regard. Let me repeat:
((Be mindful of Allah…))
The Divine Response will be…
((…and Allah will protect you))
What is the exact meaning of (He will protect you) as mentioned in the Hadith?
What is the meaning of "and Allah will protect you"?
Allah protects His servant twice: once in his interests in the worldly life, like protecting his body and his children from all the dangerous things inside the house. Being burnt with hot water might cause the misery to the entire family, so Allah protects your children and keeps them healthy, which spread happiness in the family.
If the Botal foramen (The orifice of communication between the two atria of the fetal heart) is not closed properly in the baby's heart, he must go under the knife in a surgery that will cost his family 800.000, and the chances of having a successful surgery is 30%. This health condition puts the entire family in a very critical situation. Therefore, when Allah protects your health, your wife's health and your children, this will be a great Divine Grace. Allah's Protection to man will be in his body, children, family and money.
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
This protection will include your body, your children, your wife, your family and your money which is as precious as the soul. For trivial reasons man (who is not mindful of Allah), might lose his wealth if it is confiscated, and he might cheaply lose a house he paid lots of money for, because the government took possession of it due to Urbanism, and the owner is given only 10.000 of its real price which might be 800.000. Also one might lose fruits after being damaged on the road due to a breakdown in the refrigerator of the truck, given they might cost him millions, and in this case they are thrown in the desert and the owner loses all his money.
The stories of bankruptcies are so many and they happen for insignificant reasons. A man sent his fruits with a truck, but driver was ignorant, and he entered his village and stayed in it for three days after shutting down the refrigerator of the truck. As a result, all the fruits were spoiled, and the owner had to pay for them. Thus, be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Indeed it is one of the most remarkable Prophetic As7adeth:
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
I think everyone wishes from the bottom of his heart to be himself, his wife and children healthy, and to have his money protected. This wish is able to come true if he is mindful of Allah's Limits, Orders and Prohibitions. If he does not violate Allah's Limits, if he abides by Allah's Orders, if he refrains from committing any prohibition, if he performs Salah regularly, if he keeps himself in a state of Wudu and purity, if he protects his oaths, if he protects his head and what it contains and if he protects his inside and what it contains, Allah will protect him in return. This is an all-inclusive Hadith. Listen to the following Ayah:
﴾For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah.﴿
The believer occupies a very exalted rank in the Sight of Allah, and thus Allah guards him before and behind him. Allah says:
﴾For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah.﴿
Allah the Almighty says:﴾They guard him by the Command of Allah.﴿
Allah gives instructions to His angels to protect this person, and so he will not take a certain direction, for example, because a deadly accident is awaiting or he will not buy a certain bargain after feeling straitened, for this bargain might put him in a very critical situation that is beyond his scope.
﴾They guard him by the Command of Allah.﴿
When you are mindful of Allah, Allah will direct you to the right direction in your life, relations, trade, industry and agriculture. The following Ayah is outstanding:
﴾For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah.﴿
Ibn Abbas said, "Those angels are the guardians who protect man by the Command of Allah." When you are mindful of Allah, you are accompanied with guardian angels who protect you by the Command of Allah from every danger that might jeopardize your precious life or safety since you are so dear to Allah.
Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "With every man there are two angels who protect him from everything that is not decreed; when the decree comes, they withdraw and do not stand between him and it. A man's decreed lifep is his protection." As long as man is alive, he will be in Allah's Protection.
A female patient was told by her doctor that she has got an intractable disease and that she will die in few days. He was very frank with her, so she collapsed, but she decided to see a believing doctor, and the minute she saw him, she said, "I will die", so that doctor said, "Indeed, you will die, and I will die. Well, I might die before you." For very profound wisdom, Allah decreed that her cure will be on the hand of that doctor and she did not die.
Mujahid said, "There is no person who does not have an angel appointed to protect him when he is asleep, and when he is awake, from the jinn, men and wild beasts. There is nothing that comes to him but the angels tell it to clear off, except for that which Allah grants permission for it to befall him." Man might go to sleep in a tent in a place that is full of snakes and scorpions, but if he is a true believer, he should not be afraid of sleeping after taking the needed cautions, and he sleeps putting his trust in Allah.
((It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar said: "The Messenger of Allah (saas) never abandoned these supplications, every morning and evening: Allahumma inni as'alukal-'afwa wal-'afiyah fid-dunya wal-akhirah. Allahumma inni as'alukal-'afwa wal-'afiyah fi dini wa dunyaya wa ahli wa mali. Allahum-mastur 'awrati, wa amin raw'ati wahfazni min bayni yadayya, wa min khalfi, wa 'an yamini wa 'an shimali, wa min fawqi, wa 'audhu bika an ughtala min tahti (O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in my religious and my worldly affairs. O Allah, conceal my faults, calm my fears, and protect me from before me and behind me, from my right and my left, and from above me, and I seek refuge in You from being taken unaware from beneath me).)) Waki' (one of the narrators, explaining) said: "Meaning Al-Khasf (disgrace)."
How should putting trust in Allah be?
((O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in my religious and my worldly affairs. O Allah, conceal my faults, calm my fears, and protect me from before me and behind me, from my right and my left, and from above me, and I seek refuge in You from being taken unaware from beneath me))
Amongst the constant rules is that the one who minds Allah in his youth and prime life, Allah will protect him in his old age and weakness, and will preserve his hearing, sight, body, strength and mind.
A scholar I know lived over 100 years, and he had all his senses sound and healthy. Once, he leaped like a young man leaving all the attendants of the incident in shock, so he said, "We controlled our senses and limbs from sinning when we were young, so Allah preserved them for us in our old age. Indeed, he who lives piously lives physically healthy."
A scholar saw an old man begging people, so he said, "This weak person did not protect his senses and limbs from sinning when he was young, and so Allah did not preserve him in his old age". The believer in his old age is in his best shape, for he enjoys dignity, sound reasoning, wisdom and an exalted social standing though he might be in his eighties.
I met a scholar once, and he said to me, "I am 85 years old", then I asked him, "How is your health?" to which he answered, "By Allah it is excellent, despite small problems here and there, but it is sound in general in this age." That person was a manifestation of the previous saying, "We controlled our senses and limbs from sinning when we were young, so Allah preserved them for us in our old age. Indeed, he who lives piously lives physically healthy." There is one more glad tiding that is mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾and their father was a righteous man﴿
This means that the believer's offspring are protected by Allah as well. Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib said to his son once, "I am offering more Salah for you hoping that Allah will honor me by protecting you (after my death), and then he reauthord the Ayah, "and their father was a righteous man" [Al-Kahf, 82]."
Our master Umar bin Abdul Aziz said, "There is no believer, who died, but will be Divinely protected in his offspring and in many generation to come of his offspring." Another scholar said, "Allah protects the son of the righteous person and the people around him, and they are kept in Allah's protection and providence."
Even beasts are sometimes domesticated by Allah in the favor of man, and there are so many stories in this regard. A man said once, "I know when I sin, for I see the outcome of my sin in the behavior of my servant and camel."
Conclusion:
Next lecture insha' Allah we will continue tackling this topic. The most distinguished part of the Hadith is its start, and one should use it as a motto:
((Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you))
In concise, being mindful of Allah is achieved by abiding by His Orders, refraining from His Prohibitions and avoiding any violation of His Limits. By doing so man is entitled to Allah's Protection to him, and he will be Divinely preserved in his health, children, wife and money.
We will talk in the coming lecture about the more exalted sort of Divine Protection which includes man's religion and uprightness. Namely, protecting man from destructive lusts and misleading doubts. This Hadith is fundamental in Islam, and it is all-inclusive and sufficient one, so I hope that Allah will help me explain it more next lecture.
