In the name of Allah
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
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Hadith 10
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated,
The Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said, 'Verily! Allah is God and He
therefore accepts
only that which is good. And Allah commands the believers as He
commands the messengers
by saying,
which means, '0 (you) Messengers! Eat of the all kinds of
legal foods which Allah
has made legal (meat of slaughtered eatable
animals, milk products,
fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.], and do righteous deeds.'
And
He says, which means, '0 you who believe (in
the Oneness of Allah - Islamic
Monotheism)! Eat
of the lawful things that We have provided you with.-
He (the Prophet, peace be upon him) then made mention of
a person who travels widely, his hair is disheveled and he is covered with dust.
He (this person) lifts his hand toward heaven (and thus makes the
supplication), '0 Lord, 0 Lord,' whereas his diet is unlawful, his drink is
unlawful, his clothes are
unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How then can
his supplication
ever be answered?"
(Recorded by Muslim)
Lessons Deduced
Creedal
Lessons:
"Verily! Allah is God and He therefore accepts only
that which is good."
Allah, the Exalted, is far above all blemishes. Glorified
and High be our Lord from nonexistence, destruction, extinction, need,
resemblance to His creatures, partnership with anyone, disability, aversion,
ignorance, death, deafness, muteness, and blindness. It is Impossible for any
of these things to occur to Allah, as all the attributes of perfection are
inherent in Him.
Allah only accepts good deeds. For He says, which means,
To Him ascend (all) the goodly words and the righteous deeds exalt it.
A 'righteous deed' is that in which two elements should
exist:
Firstly: It should be in accordance with the laws of Islam and not
contradict any of its fundamentals.
Secondly: It should be done with the sincere intention of seeking
the Countenance of Allah, the Exalted. Thus, the heart of the one doing the
deed should not bear any traces of hypocrisy nor should he be seeking any repute,
otherwise he will be intending other than seeking the Countenance of Allah, the
Exalted and Ever-Majestic. This being the case the deed will not be regarded as
a righteous one.
Behavioral
Lessons:
Allah the Exalted says, which means, -0 you who believe
(in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that
We have provided you with." (AI.Baqarah, 2: 172)
a. Thus whoever wants to attain psychological serenity
and an elevation of
his soul should start from the beginning of his life, i.e. from his early
childhood, eating that which is lawful, so that his organs may grow and his
body may be nourished with only lawful food. This will save his heart from
ever becoming hardened, instead his soul will be purified and his organs
will be motivated to perform whatever is good. It is narrated in a hadith
that (Moses, peace be upon him) passed by a man who stood
beseeching and imploring (Allah) for a long time, while looking at Moses
So Moses said, "0 Lord! May You answer Your servant?" Whereupon Allah,
the Exalted, inspired him saying, "0 Moses ( If he was to cry until his body
ailed or raise his hands until he reached heaven, I would not answer him."
his soul should start from the beginning of his life, i.e. from his early
childhood, eating that which is lawful, so that his organs may grow and his
body may be nourished with only lawful food. This will save his heart from
ever becoming hardened, instead his soul will be purified and his organs
will be motivated to perform whatever is good. It is narrated in a hadith
that (Moses, peace be upon him) passed by a man who stood
beseeching and imploring (Allah) for a long time, while looking at Moses
So Moses said, "0 Lord! May You answer Your servant?" Whereupon Allah,
the Exalted, inspired him saying, "0 Moses ( If he was to cry until his body
ailed or raise his hands until he reached heaven, I would not answer him."
He (Moses) said, ‘O Lord! Why is that? He said, ‘because
is in his belly, on his back, and in his, house are unlawful?'
b. The one who has attained the lofty rank of carefully
guarding himself gives up worldly pleasures and many of their lawful matters,
not to mention their unlawful matters Also. This is in an endeavor to empty his
belly as the saying goes "Gluttony
takes away intelligence." By adhering to this, he
would be following the Prophetic saying in which the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "We are people who do not eat except
when we are hungry, and when we eat, we never eat our fill."
Juristic
Lessons:
'Verily! Allah is Good and He therefore accepts only that
which is good?
a. A believer cannot get closer to his Lord through a
sinful act or through unlawful money gained from theft or usury interest.
Moreover, it is undesirable to give poor quality food in charity, or anything
whose legality is doubted, as Allah the Exalted says which means, "And do
not aim at that which is bad to spend from it...' (AlBaqarah, 2: 276)
This is in addition to the fact that giving charity from
money that is clearly illegal is unacceptable. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Neither does
Allah accept a prayer without purification nor does He accept charity from
ill-gotten gains.'"
The scholar Ahmad, may Allah be merciful to him, recorded
in his
authentic book a prophetic saying in which Ibn Mas'ud
(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said, 'If a servant (of Allah) earns unlawful money and spends from it, it will
never be blessed, and if he gives charity from it, it will never be accepted,
and if he leaves it behind (when he dies), it will he his victuals in the
Hellfire. Allah does not erase a bad (deed) with a bad (deed), but He erases a
bad (deed) with a good (one). Verily, wickedness does not erase
wickedness." Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about
one who used to perform work in which he oppressed others and took money
unlawfully, and then he repented and used his unlawful money to perform
pilgrimage, free slaves, and give in charity. He said, "Verily, wickedness
does not expiate wickedness." (i.e. good deeds carried out using unlawful
money are not accepted by Allah).
But how can the repentance of a usurper, a usurer, or
their like be accepted? Should they repent by disposing of all their money or
just the amount of unlawful money that they took?
Our scholars said, as to the one who possesses unlawful
money and wants to repent, if he took it in the form of usury (interest), he
has to return it to the person from whom he took it, and he has to look for
this person if he is not present. If he resigns himself to being unable to find
him, he should give the money in charity. If he took the money unjustly, he has
to do the same for the one whom he wronged. If he cannot distinguish the lawful
from the unlawful in his property, he should be as careful as he can about the
amount which he should return. In order to make sure that what is left is
entirely his, he should return the money from the actual money that he took to
the one whom he thinks he wronged or from whom he took the usurious interest.
If he is unable to find the person, although he has tried, he should give the
money in charity. If he has taken so much money unjustly that he cannot give it
all back, his repentance is that he should give up all that he possesses to the
poor or in whatever way serves the Muslims, but he should keep the amount that
will Just suffice him to be properly dressed for prayer and to meet his
everyday needs, as this is the
amount which he should take from others if he does not
have it."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned a
person who travels widely and his hair was disheveled and he was covered with
dust. From among the long journeys for worship is the journey for pilgrimage.
Can pilgrimage be valid if made with unlawful money? The scholars of the
religion disagree about one who travels for pilgrimage and similarly about one
who performs prayer while wearing a stolen garment. Can these obligatory acts
of worship be accepted from them or not? Most of the scholars say that the pilgrimage
will suffice, but the person is sinful. The scholar Ibn Al-'Araby says,
"Whoever fights in the Cause of Allah on a stolen horse shall have the
reward of his martyrdom and the sin of his misdeed." The phrase, He (this
person) lifts his hand toward heaven..." is an indication of the praised
type of supplication which comprises the following: seeking the lawful, never
asking for the unlawful, having a purified soul and heart, being sure that
Allah will answer, beginning the supplication with praising Allah and extolling
Him, and sending peace and blessings to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Social Lessons:
'Verily' Allah is good and He therefore, accepts only that
which is good."
Thus a true Muslim has to be good in his work and in
dealing with his fellow Muslims, so he should not utter anything except that
which is good, for he knows the power of words and what it- results from them.
Allah, the Exalted, says, which means, 'See you not how Allah sets forth a
parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its
branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high). Giving its fruit at all times, By
the Leave of its Lord and Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that
they may remember. And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree
uprooted from the surface of earth having no stability.- (Ibrahim, 14: 24-26)
Thus, he is not to accompany or associate with people,
except those who are good and righteous, for the messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said, "A person follows the religion of his companion, so every
one of you should be careful about whom he associates with. And there is also
the old saying, "Birds of a feather flock together.'
A good righteous believer should neither choose a pretty
woman of inferior descent as a wife nor should he choose a very rich woman who
has no morals, for his choice reflects his reality and directs the destination
of his children. Allah, the Exalted, says, which means, "Bad statements
are for bad people (or bad women for bad men) and bad people for bad statements
(or bad men for bad women). Good statements are for good people (or good women
for good men) and good people for good statements (or good men for good women),
such (good people) are innocent of (each and every) bad state, which they say,
for them is Forgiveness, and generous provision. (An-Nur, 24: 26)
The Exalted also says which means, The vegetation of a
good land comes forth (easily) by file Permission of its Lord, and that which
is bad, brings forth nothing but a little with difficulty.(Al-Araf, 7: 53)
Political
lessons:
a. And Allah commands the believers as He commands the
Messengers." This is so with regard to the prophets and messengers, so
what about the rulers? Both rulers and subjects are equal as regards lawful and
unlawful matters, thus, subjects cannot be ordered to do something from which
their ruler was exempted.
If the ruler or
one of his deputies took from the Muslims’ treasury what he had no right to
take, and then he gave from it in charity, or built a mosque, or did anything
else for the benefit of Muslims, Ibn 'Umar regarded such person as an
extortionist, even if he gave all that he had taken in charity. Such a judgment
was given on 'Abd-Allah bin 'Amir, the ruler of Basra, when the people gathered
around him while he was dying, praising him, and mentioning his righteousness
and piety, Ibn 'Umar was silent. He was asked to say something, so he related
the saying that says, "Allah does not accept charity out of ill-gotten
gains." Then Ibn 'Umar said to him, 'You were the governor of Basra."
Economic
lessons:
The verse, which means, "Eat of the lawful things
that We have provided you with." (Al-Baqarah, 2: 1 72) indicates that one
should eat moderately from the lawful things without excessiveness or
miserliness. Such excessiveness is that which we now see during the mealtimes
in Ramadan, especially at the tables of the elite and the upper class, who
spend much on their decoration and appoint the best of chiefs to prepare
different food. All of these extravagances are wasted. At the same time,
surrounding the spoiled rulers, there are oppressed starving people, and none
among the influential or religious scholars dare to remind the rulers of the
verses of the All-Knower and the All-Aware, specifically the verses, which means,
"and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, (Al-A'raf, 7: 31); and
which means, And those, who, when they spend are neither extravagant nor
miserly, but take a middle (way) between those (extremes)." (Al-Furqan,
25: 67); and which means, verily, squanderers are brothers of the devils."
(Al-Isra’,17: 27)
Such people always use the following verse as an excuse, which
means, "Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with.- (Al-Baqarah,
2: 172)
The enormous economic catastrophes from which we suffer
are all part of our enemies' plan, which is executed by our leaders and which
aims at holding this Muslim nation hostage for its daily bread.
Medical
Lessons:
This means, "Eat of the all kinds of legal foods
which Allah has made legal (meat of slaughtered edible animals, milk products,
fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.) (Al-Mu’minun, 23: 51)
a. What is important in eating is not the quantity, as
many people think, but rather the quality. Healthy food that contains proteins
and vitamins is enough to provide the body with its strength and vigor. Eating
excessively causes many dangerous diseases, with obesity being the main medical
problem of our modern age. The starches and fats that do not convert into
calories are stored and are turned into tens of kilograms of fat. An obese
person is unable to work or even move and his heart becomes strained. Medical
and health research has failed to solve this great problem, which has now
become an obsession, especially for many girls. But if they would all only seek
medical advice from this honorable verse, which means, "Eat of the lawful
things that We have provided you with." (Al-Baqarah, 2: 172) and also in
the Prophetic traditions related to this subject, they would be secure from the
dangers that they have indulged in and from what they are afraid of.
Al-Miqdam bin M’ad Ykarib (may Allah be pleased with him)
narrated, 'I heard the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying, No human
being has ever filled a container more evil than his belly. It is enough for the
son of Adam (i.e. any human being) to have few morsels to keep him strong. If
he cannot do but (eat more than) this, he should make a third (of his stomach)
for food, a third for drink, and a third for breathing.'" Abu-Juhaifah
(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, I once ate food made of bread and
meat, then I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and I kept belching.
Whereupon he (the Prophet, peace be upon him) said, '0 you! Spare us your
belching, for verily, the most satiated people in this life are the hungriest
of them on the (Day of Resurrection.'" It was narrated that 'A’ishah (may
Allah be pleased with her) said, The first affliction that happened to this
nation after its Prophet (i.e. after his death) was satiety; for verily when
people filled their stomachs, their bodies became fat, their hearts weakened,
and their whims went to extremes.'"
b- "And his nourishment is unlawful."
The unlawful is of two kinds, the inherently unlawful and
the incidentally unlawful, the latter being what is illegally taken as in
theft, usurped properly, bribery, and the like. In other words, it is whatever
leads to an inherently unlawful matter. We return to the inherently unlawful
and say that the purpose behind its prohibition by the jurists is its inherent harm;
like for example eating dead animals, drinking alcohol, and many other matters
that are related to preserving the five necessities, i.e. the body, the
lineage, the property, the intellect, and the religion. Most of the unlawful
foods, if not all of them, contain toxins or dangerous microbes that cause a
disturbance in the body or damage to one of its systems, and they also cause
many lethal diseases which battle the physicians.
Hadith
in Practice
-
Verily! Allah is
good and therefore accepts only that which is good.- As for what some ignorant
and misled people practice of heresies and superstitions which have no
authority from Allah, they cannot be called acts of goodness. Any word or deed
that contradicts the honorable tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
cannot be called an act of goodness.
-
In spite of the
lofty status of the prophets and the messengers and the dignified position that
they occupy in the Sight Allah, they were ordered to follow the same commands
as their followers. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to perform
the five obligatory prayers just as we do and fast the month of Ramadan just as
we do.
-
We are afflicted in
the present time with the spread of usury (interest) in numerous ways. For
example, there is the usurious interest given by banks in the Arab and Islamic
countries, which not many Muslims feel any harm in accepting. Some of them may
philosophize and spend it on building mosques, schools, and different
charitable projects. We say to such people, "Verily, Allah is Good and He
therefore, accepts only that which is good. Another aspect of usury nowadays is
the loans given to farmers, workers, and craftsmen that are to be repaid by
many times their worth. These are also of the unlawful money for which the repeated
performance of pilgrimage or successive prayers can never atone.
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