The Life of this World

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

The Life of this World

by Abu 'Abdir-Rahman Mohammad Navaid Aziz

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Truly, we were granted this life to be tested which of us would remain steadfast in the dhikr (remembrance) and shukr (gratitude) of Allah, the Sublime. Living in a landmine where every step you take can lead to your possible destruction, and not destruction of the body but rather of the soul, we see people being annihilated every single day.

This world is one big attraction, making those who in reality are meagre and full of weakness look strong and mighty, making those who are ignorant seem intelligent, and portraying those who have been misguided and enslaved to their own desires as being the most guided of people.

Know, that no one lives in this dunya (world) except that he will be eaten by it in its entirety or will leave bruised and scarred except for those whom Allah, the Most High, has mercy upon. Hasan al-Basree, may Allah have mercy upon him, had some wise words concerning the dunya when he said:

"So beware of this land (the dunya) that is falling down and is misleading and deceiving, being decorated by its deceit and having eluded (others) by its delusion, and having killed its people with its hopes. It looks forward with anticipation towards the one who proposes to it for marriage. Hence it becomes like the unveiled bride - all the eyes are looking towards it, and the souls are in love with it, and the hearts are captivated by it." [Related by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah (2/135-136)]

Indeed he was true in his words, as we are all guilty of the crime of being deceived by the dunya with its beauty and glamour. Some of us were fortunate to get out, praise be to Allah, while others have wandered off into the everlasting dark tunnel that had no light at its beginning and has no light at its end, and the only thing that will allow him to leave is death itself. Refuge is sought with Allah, the Most High, from such an evil ending.

And know for a fact that no matter how much good you may see in this dunya, in reality it is just a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. Had there been any good in it, then Allah, the Beneficent, would have made it a place of reward, and place of dissension of His mercy but rather Allah only sent one of His mercies upon the earth through which we are kind to one another, and rather He has made it a place of trial and tribulation and a true prison for the believer. Likewise, had there been good in it we would have seen the Prophet, peace be upon him, being attached to it and living in its luxuries but rather he sacrificed it all with full certainty in that which will come after is better and everlasting. Thus, he said:

"The dunya is cursed. Cursed is all that is in it except for the remembrance of Allah, and that which resembles it, a scholar, and a student (of knowledge)." [Related by Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah, and Bayhaqi. The wording is taken from Shaykh al-Albaanee's Sahîh at-Targhîb wat-Tarhîb (1/34)]

So do we need anymore proof that this dunya is an endless pit for the one who is not careful and falls into it?

One of the most beautiful words ever uttered were at the end of a sîrah lecture (a lecture of the Prophet's life) where the speaker said referring to the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"He had the world at his feet, yet not a dinâr to his name."

Indeed that’s what true zuhd (asceticism) and taqwâ (piety) is, having the dunya bestowed upon you from every angle imaginable and sacrificing it for the noble face of your Creator and Sustainer. Truly a noble attribute that most have lost, except those who have been encompassed by the Mercy of Allah. So let us abandon this dunya and its temporary beauty for the joys which will last for eternity. Let us be the children of the âkhirah (hereafter) and not of the dunya as 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

"Verily the dunya is coming to an end, and the âkhirah is coming to a beginning and they both have children. So be children of the âkhirah and don’t be children of the dunya. For verily today there is action with no account and tomorrow there’s account with no action." [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 15]

So let us wear the garments of imân (faith) and taqwâ (piety) as they are the only true garments the cover the 'awrah, and are the only protection from the tribulations of the dunya. Like Allah, the Most High, said:

"And take provision, verily the best of provisions is at-taqwâ." [Al-Qur'ân 2:197]

And as He says:

"Verily for the muttaqîn (people of taqwâ) is success (i.e. Paradise)." [Al-Qur'ân 78:31]

And as He says:

"Indeed successful are the believers." [Al-Qur'ân 23:1]

And as He, the Most High, says:

"Verily those who believe and do righteous deeds will have the gardens of al-firdaus (the loftiest form of paradise)." [Al-Qur'ân 18:107]

May Allah make us of these people - Âmîn.

Lastly, before I end off, I leave you with the words of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"Every man starts his day being a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin."

He who enslaves his soul to Allah has indeed liberated it and he who enslaves his soul to his whims and desires then let him prepare for a marriage to captivity till death do you part. Proving this point is the statement of the 'Allâmah of raqâ'iq (heart softening traditions) Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him:

"Verily the life of man is in the life of his heart and his soul. And there is no life in the heart except by knowing its creator, having love for him, worshipping him solely, turning to him in times of need, and seeking tranquillity with His remembrance. And he who loses this life has lost all good. Even if he attempts to substitute (this loss) with all that is in the world. For verily not even all of the world together would be able to replace this life. And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him." [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]

So take these two sayings, read them, understand them, and implement them to the best of your ability, and know, without a doubt, that Allah is the one who grants success.

- The statement of Fudayl bin 'Iyyaad: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him and his renunciation of worldly pleasures is equal to his desire in the Hereafter."

- Secondly, the advice of Sufyan ath-Thawree: "Work for the sake of this life within the extent of your stay in it, and for the Hereafter within the extent of your stay therein."

[Both quotes are related in Abdul-Malik al-Qaasim's Life is a Fading Shadow, (Dar-us-Salam)]

And Allah knows best.

May Allah make us of those people who benefit from admonition and of those who when they are given are thankful, when tested are patient, and when sin are repenting (as these are the keys to success in this dunya and the âkhirah) - Âmîn.

Completed on the 3rd day of Safar 1424H
By the Slave of Allah, the one most in need of His mercy
Abu 'Abdir Rahman Mohammad Navaid Aziz
From the Holy City of al-Madînah

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]

Allaah is Beautiful and Loves Beauty

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Allaah is Beautiful and Loves Beauty

Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahullaah

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From ’Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood radiallaahu ’anhu who said that the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said, “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.” [1]

Ibnul-Qayyim (d.751H) radiallaahu ’anhu said, commenting upon this hadeeth:

‘‘The phrase ‘Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty,’ includes the beautiful clothing which was asked about in the same hadeeth. It is included by way of generalization, meaning that beauty in all things is what is meant here. In Saheeh Muslim, it says: “Allaah is good and only accepts that which is good.” [2]

In Sunanut-Tirmidhee it says: “Allaah loves to see the effects of His blessing on His slave.’’ [3] It was reported that Abul-Ahwas al-Jashamee said: The Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam saw me wearing old, tattered clothes, and asked me, “Do you have any wealth?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “What kind of wealth?” I said, “All that Allaah has given me of camels and sheep.” He said, “Then show the generous blessings that He has given you.” [4]

Allaah, may He be glorified, loves the effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, for this is part of the beauty that He loves, and that is part of the gratitude for His blessings which forms an inner beauty (beauty of character). Allaah loves to see the external beauty of His slaves which reflects His blessings on them, and the inner beauty of their gratitude to Him for those blessings. Because He loves beauty, He sends down on His slaves clothes and adornments with which they may make their outward appearance beautiful and He gives them taqwaa which makes their inner characters beautiful. Allaah says:

“O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better.” [Sooratul-A’raaf 7:26]

And He says, speaking of the people of Paradise:

“…and He gave them Nadrataan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient.” [Sooratul-Insaan 76:11-12]

Their faces will be made beautiful with the nadrah (light of beauty), their innermost being with joy and their bodies with silken garments. Just as Allaah loves beauty in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance, so He hates ugliness in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance. He hates ugliness and its people, and loves beauty and its people. But two groups are misguided with regard to this issue: a group who say that everything that He has created is beautiful, so He loves all that He has created and we should love all that He has created and not hate anything. They say: whoever realizes that all that exists comes from Him will see that it is beautiful … these people have no sense of jealousy for the sake of Allaah or hatred and enmity for the sake of Allaah, or denouncing what is evil (munkar), or jihaad (struggle) for the sake of Allaah, or adhering His limits. They regard the beauty of images, male or female, as being part of the beauty that Allaah loves, and seek to worship Allaah through immoral acts. Some of them may even go so far as to claim that the One Whom they worship is manifested or incarnated in those images.

The second group, on the other hand, say that Allaah condemns the beauty of images, forms and outward appearances. Allaah says about the munaafiqoon (hypocrites):

“And when you look at them, their bodies please you…” [Sooratul-Munaafiqoon 63:4]

“And how many a generation have We destroyed before them. Who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance?” [Soorah Maryam 19:54]

In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds.” [5]

According to another hadeeth: “Shabbiness is part of faith.” [6] Allaah condemns those who are extravagant, which applies to extravagance in clothing as well as in food and drink.

In order to settle this dispute, we may say that beauty in clothing and outward appearance is of three types, one of which is commendable, one is blameworthy and one of which is neither. The kind of beauty which is to be commended is that which is done for the sake of Allaah, to help one to obey Allaah and fulfill His commands, such as when the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam made himself look beautiful (i.e. handsome) when meeting the delegations that came to him. This is like wearing armour or battle-dress when fighting, or wearing silk and showing off (in front of the enemy). This is commendable because it is done to make the word of Allaah supreme and to support His religion and annoy His enemies. The blameworthy kind of beauty is that which is done for the sake of this world, for reasons of power, false pride and showing off, or to fulfill some (selfish) desires. This also includes cases where beauty is an end in itself for a person and is all he cares about. Many people have no other concern in life. As for the kind of beauty which is neither commendable nor blameworthy, it is that which has nothing to do with either of the two purposes mentioned above (i.e., it is neither for the sake of Allaah nor for the sake of worldly purposes).

The hadeeth under discussion refers to two important principles, knowledge and behaviour. Allaah is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion (ikhlaas), love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity, by removing the hairs which should be removed, by circumcision, and by clipping the nails. Thus they recognize Allaah through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion. The hadeeth combines these two principles of knowledge and behaviour.’’ [7]

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Footnotes:

[1] Related by Muslim (no. 131)
[2] Related by Muslim (no. 1686)
[3] Hasan Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2963), who said it was hasan saheeh.
[4] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (no. 15323), at-Tirmidhee (no. 1929) and an-Nisaa‘ee (no. 5128)
[5] Related by Muslim (no. 1356)
[6] Saheeh: Related by Ibn Maajah (no. 4108), Aboo Dawood (no. 3630)
[7] al-Fawaa‘id (1/185)

SunnahOnline

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa'sallam said:

"The Muslim is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind:
Their Land is ONE, their War is ONE, their Peace is ONE,
Their Honour is ONE and their Trust is ONE."
[Ahmad]