Haaroon Ar-Rasheed, may Allah have mercy upon him, once stood looking at the sky when he saw a cloud passing by. He addressed it saying, “Rain wherever you wish, for your fruit will certainly come to me anyway.” This means that the cloud would have rained either on an Islamic land or on a non-Islamic one. In the first case, Muslims would have benefited from this rainwater in agriculture and in drinking; in the second case, Muslims would have also benefited from this rainwater in the form of Jizyah (a tax) that would be paid to them by non-Muslims. This example shows the state of glory, which the Muslims reached in the past when they applied their religion and worked for it. Nowadays, Muslims are certainly required to pursue the means of glory.
Glory here refers to power, victory, high standing and invincibility. It is a word which denotes that a person cannot be overcome or humiliated. Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
Some of the scholars of Tafseer (Qur’anic exegesis) said, “In the Qur’an, glory is used in three different senses.
It is used to signify might, as in the verse (which means):
• {“By the might of Pharaoh, indeed it is we who are predominant.”} [Qur’an 26:44]
• {By Your might, I will surely mislead them all} [Qur’an 38:82]
It is also used to signify honour, as in the verse (which means): {Do they seek with them honour [through power]? But indeed, honour belongs to Allah entirely.} [Qur’an 4:139]
Finally, it is used to signify dispraised pride as in the verse (which means):
• {And when it is said to him, “Fear Allah ,” pride in the sin takes hold of him.} [Qur’an 2:206]
• {But those who disbelieve are in pride and dissension.} [Qur’an 38:2]
From the above, it is noticed that there is praised glory and dispraised glory. Praised glory is that which pertains to Allah The Almighty, to His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), and to the believers. This is real and permanent glory since it is from and with the support of Allah The Almighty who cannot be defeated or resisted. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And to Allah belongs [all] Honour and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.} [Qur’an 63:8].
On the other hand, the glory of the disbelievers is, in fact, humiliation and disgrace. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they have taken besides Allah [false] deities that they would be for them [a source of] honour. No! Those “gods” will deny their worship of them and will be against them opponents [on the Day of Judgment].} [Qur’an 19:81-82].
Many people pursued the wrong way to glory, victory and enablement. Some of them pursued it through money and forgot that money is only a Fitnah (trial) and a loss if one does not give the right that Allah The Almighty has to it. Moreover, this money might be a means of humiliation. Al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “By Allah, Allah The Almighty humiliates whoever glorifies money.” Indeed, we have seen many examples of that in life.
Other people seek glory through their positions and prestige. This may enable them to achieve temporary glory. However, if this is not established on justice and good reputation, then it certainly will not last. Indeed, many a leader and president were enjoying glory and then became captives in prisons, and their glory turned into humiliation.
What is even more dangerous is when a person seeks glory through the disbelievers, i.e. by allying himself with them, even if this is against the Muslims’ interests. This is no more than an illusion. In fact, it is an instant humiliation, and the first people to turn against such people would be his ‘allies’ from the disbelievers. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment - Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honour [through power]? But indeed, honour belongs to Allah entirely.} [Qur’an 4:138-139] Consequently, throwing one’s self in the arms of the disbelievers is the shortest way to dishonour and humiliation because these disbelievers would not accept from us anything less than disbelief. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion.} [Qur’an 2:120].
Other people still seek glory through their ancestors and tribes, even if they were misguided. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Rayhaanah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “If a person attributes himself to nine of his disbelieving forefathers, seeking through them glory and pride, he will be their tenth in Hell.”
Hence, the unquestionable truth is that a person who seeks glory must demand it from Allah The Almighty through obeying Him and avoiding disobedience. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, summarised this wonderful meaning in a few words; He said: “We were the most humiliated people, but Allah The Almighty has honoured us with Islam. If we demand honour through any means other than Islam, Allah The Almighty will humiliate us.”
Ibraaheem ibn Shaybaan, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Honour lies in modesty, glory lies in piety, and freedom lies in contentment.” When a Muslim lives in obedience to Allah The Almighty, he lives in honor and dignity. He may be afflicted, but nevertheless he has a strong sense of honor. This appeared clearly in the life of the righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, even in the darkest moments and in the severest and hardest situations.
Situations which indicate the glory of the righteous predecessors
When Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, was tortured in Makkah in its hot desert and a great heavy boulder was put on his chest, not to make him abandon his faith but only to stop blaspheming his people’s false gods or to keep silent, the honour of faith showed in his words when he repeated, “Allah The One, Allah The One.” This remained as an eternal anthem which the generations have chanted throughout history. In addition, the words of Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, poured despair into the souls of those who tortured him. So, who was honourable in this scene? Was it this weak, tortured slave or the arrogant disbelievers?
The story of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah As-Sahmi, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was taken captive by the Romans is another example. The king of the Romans tried to entice ‘Abdullaah to abandon his religion, but he refused. The king offered him half of his money but he refused. Then, he imprisoned him, tortured him and did not give him any food or water except some pig meat and wine. After three days, they brought him out and found that he had eaten nothing of it. When he was asked why had he not eaten any of it, he replied, “By Allah, Allah The Exalted made it lawful for me because I was under duress, but I would never let you gloat over Islam.” Then, the king asked him to kiss his head in return for releasing him but Ibn Huthaafah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he would only do so if all the Muslim captives were released. The king accepted and Ibn Huthaafah, may Allah be pleased with him, kissed his head.
He then returned to the Commander of the Believers ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, with all the Muslim captives. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up and kissed the head of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah, and said: “It is a duty upon every Muslim to kiss the head of Ibn Huthaafah.”
Also, Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, was prosecuted and imprisoned. When he was thrown in prison, he recited the words of Allah The Almighty (which mean): {And a wall will be placed between them with a door, its interior containing mercy, but on the outside of it is torment.} [Qur’an 57:13]. This is the glory of faith and the pride of Islam which make a person the most honourable one through the obedience of Allah The Almighty. Even if all people on earth stood against such a person, he would still derive his honour and glory from Allah The Almighty who can never be defeated. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Whoever desires honour [through power] - then to Allah belongs all honour.} [Qur’an 35:10].
The state of humiliation which prevails in many aspects of our lives nowadays is the result of religious innovations, sins and remoteness from the Shari’ah of Allah The Almighty. This is supported by the Hadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, where he said: “Humiliation and disgrace are the fate of whoever disobeys my order.” A major reason behind this humiliation is the state of disagreement and disunity that the Muslims experience. Our enemies take advantage of us one by one; they strike one of us today and another tomorrow while Muslims take no action, as if what happens to our brothers does not concern us.
History testifies that we were never like this in the past. When a Muslim woman, who was taken as a captive by the Romans in ‘Amooriyyah, screamed for help uttering her famous scream, “Wa Islamaah” (Oh My Islam!), Al- Mu‘tasim, may Allah have mercy upon him, answered her call with full concern, “Labbayki [at your disposal]” and prepared an army which heavily defeated ‘Amooriyyah and rescued the Muslim woman from the hands of the disbelievers. We should ask ourselves here: what tie was there between Al-Mu‘tasim and that woman except the tie of faith?
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Thinking well of others relieves the heart
Nothing relieves the heart and makes one happy more than thinking well of others. It protects one from the harm of worrisome thoughts that disturb his peace of mind and exhaust the body. Thinking well of others leads to a sound heart, strengthens the ties of cordiality and love among the individuals of a community, and frees the hearts from hatred and rancour. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Beware of assumptions, for assumption is the falsest of speech, and do not be inquisitive, and do not spy upon one another, and do not vie with one another, and do not envy one another, and do not hate one another, and do not shun one another; be fellow-brothers and slaves of Allah.”
If only the members of the Muslim community would adhere to this sublime behaviour, their enemies would never dare to attack them and their famous policy of “divide and rule” will never succeed because the hearts are united and the souls are pure.
Ways to think well of others
There are certainly many ways that a Muslim can think well of others; some of which are:
1- Supplication
Supplicating to Allah The Almighty is the gate to every goodness. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, would ask his Lord to grant him a sound heart.
2- Putting oneself in the place of others
If each one of us puts himself in the place of his brother when the latter does or says something, this will help him think well of others. Allah The Almighty directs His slaves to this meaning in the verse where He Says (what means): {Why, when you heard it [the falsehood against ‘Ai’shah, may Allah be pleased with her], did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another?} [Qur’an 24:12]
In another verse, Allah The Almighty makes the believers feel as if they are one single entity, to the extent that when one of them meets his brother and greets him, it is as if he is greeting himself. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon yourselves - a greeting from Allah.} [Qur’an 24:61]
3- Interpreting the words of others in the best possible way
This was the habit of the righteous predecessors. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Do not think ill of a word that your believing brother utters as long as it can be interpreted in a good way.”
Imam Ash-Shafi‘i, may Allah have mercy upon him, was ill once, and some of his brothers came to visit him; one of them said, “May Allah strengthen your weakness [He intended to supplicate to Allah in order to eliminate his weakness].” Ash-Shafi‘i may Allah have mercy upon him said, “If Allah strengthens my weakness, it would kill me!” The man said, “By Allah, I intended nothing but goodness.” Ash-Shafi‘i, may Allah have mercy upon him, replied, “Even if you insulted me, I know that you sought goodness.” Thinking well of others is true brotherhood, even in things that cannot be interpreted in a good way.
4- Making excuses for others
When anyone says or does something that annoys or grieves one, he should try to find excuses for him and recall the status of the righteous who used to think well of their fellows and make excuses for them. They would say, “You should make seventy excuses for your brother.” Ibn Seereen may Allah have mercy upon him said, “If you come to know that a brother has harmed you with either a word or a deed, you should make an excuse for him; if you did not find one, you should say, ‘There may be an excuse that I do not know of.’” When you exert your utmost to make excuses for the words and deeds of others, you will save yourself the trouble of assuming and you will avoid blaming your fellows excessively.
5- Abstaining from judging the intentions of others
This is one of the greatest causes that help one think well of others. One leaves the intentions to the only One who knows them: Allah The Almighty, for He did not command us to check each others’ hearts and intentions, and thus we have to avoid harboring ill-thoughts about others.
6- Recalling the harmful consequences of evil assumptions
The one who thinks ill of others lives in endless trouble and grief, to say nothing of the fact that he loses all those who socialise with him, even the closest people to him. It is natural that people make mistakes, even unintentionally. Accusing others along with thinking well of oneself is one of the evil consequences of thinking ill of others. This is one way a person may be guilty of ascribing purity to oneself that Allah The Exalted forbade in His Book. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.} [Qur’an 53:32] In another verse, Allah The Exalted criticises the Jews when they ascribed purity to themselves. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Have you not seen those who claim themselves to be pure? Rather, Allah purifies whom He wills, and injustice is not done to them, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].} [Qur’an 4:49]
Thinking well of others requires extensive training and striving against one’s self, particularly because the devil is inseparable from man like the blood that runs through his body. He never stops his attempts to sow dissension within the Muslims and stir up disputes among them. Thinking well of others is one of the greatest means to block this way before the devil. We ask Allah The Almighty to Grant us sound hearts and Help us to think well of our brothers and sisters.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Warning against despair of the Mercy of Allah
One should never despair of the Mercy of Allah because this is a grave major sin. We can see so many verses in the Qur’an that Allah the Almighty remind us about this grave sin. Here, let’s see some of it.
Allah the Almighty Says (what means):
{And who despairs of the Mercy of his Lord except for those astray?} [Qur’an 15: 56]
{Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.} [Qur’an 12:87]
{And do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction.} [Qur’an 2: 195]
Commenting on the verse, some scholars said that when the slave of Allah commits a sin and then thinks that his sin will not be forgiven and, therefore, he abandons seeking forgiveness and repentance to Allah, this is the destruction meant in the verse. We seek refuge in Allah from that.
In a Qudsi Hadith (sacred narration), the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), narrated that Allah the Almighty Said: “A slave committed a sin and he said, ‘O Allah, Forgive me my sin.’ Allah The Almighty Said, ‘My slave committed a sin and came to realise that he has a Lord Who Forgives sins and Calls to account (the sinner) for the sin.’ He then again committed a sin and said, ‘My Lord, Forgive me my sin.’ Allah, The Exalted, Said, ‘My slave committed a sin and came to realise that he has a Lord Who Forgives sins and Calls to account for the sin.’ He again committed a sin and said, ‘My Lord, Forgive me for my sin.’ Allah, The Exalted, Said, ‘My slave committed a sin and came to realise that he has a Lord Who Forgives sins and Calls to account for the sin. O slave, do what you like. I Have Granted you forgiveness.’” [Muslim]
There is also the example of that man who used to drink alcohol and was brought to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: “During the lifetime of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, there was a man called ‘Abdullah whose nickname was Himar (donkey), and he used to make the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, laugh. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, lashed him because of drinking (alcohol). One day, he was brought to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, for the same charge and was lashed. On that, a man among the people said, ‘O Allah, Curse him! How frequently he is brought (to the Prophet for such a charge)!’ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, ‘Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know that he loves Allah and His Messenger.’” [Al-Bukhari]
The wording of another narration reads: A man said: “‘Why does he do so? May Allah Fail him.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said, ‘Do not support the devil against your brother.’” [Al-Bukhari]
Hence, a slave should never despair of the Mercy of Allah, The Almighty. Rather, whenever he commits a sin, he should ask for forgiveness and repent to Allah. None is infallible. Regarding the righteous people who are promised Paradise, Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.} [Qur’an 3: 133]
Indicating the characteristics of the righteous people, Allah Says (what means): {And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - And [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.} [Qur’an 3: 135-136]
Even a righteous person may commit a grave major sin or do an immorality. Nevertheless, he immediately gives up the sin and returns to his Lord, seeking forgiveness and repentance.
Here is also the example of the Messengers, may Allah exalt their mention. Allah the Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, in My presence the messengers do not fear. Otherwise, he who wrongs, then substitutes good after evil - indeed, I Am Forgiving and Merciful.} [Qur’an 27: 10-11]
Moosa (Moses), may Allah exalt his mention, who was directly addressed by Allah, killed a person and then said as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so Forgive me,” and He Forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.} [Qur’an 28: 16]
Allah the Almighty tells us about the righteous people who made mistakes, Allah Says (what means): {And the one who has brought the truth and [they who] believed in it - those are the righteous. They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good. That Allah May Remove from them the worst of what they did and Reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.} [Qur’an 39: 33-35]
The verses stand as evidence that they did bad actions.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
