|
Friday Talks |
 |
|
131 |
|
Friday Talks |
|
|
131 |
|
|
|||
God Fearing
Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa
23 Jumada Al-Awal 1431
07 May 2010
Slaves of Allah,
Allah may He be exulted says: {but this who feared to stand before his God, and restrained his soul from Lust. Then Paradise will be his home} 79:40-42. Fear is Allah’s whip keeping the strayed off His path. Do fear Allah alone dear brothers and sisters, and do not fear anyone else other than He. Allah says: {and do not fear people and fear Me}. Allah also says: {Do not be afraid of them, and fear Me if you have faith}. Allah also says: {Therefore flee unto Allah; lo! I am barely warn you from him} 51:49. One scholar (Tho-Noon Al-MAsri) said: “People are on the right track as long as they have not lost fear. If they loose fear then they go astray”.
The true good fear is that fear which keeps the individual from what Allah forbids. A scholar said: “Truth in fear is piety against all sins public and private”.
What made me (the Imam) talk about fear of Allah this Friday is the reality of Muslims today. Going far away from Allah, and daring against Allah with all types of sins and acts of disobedience, without any shame or shyness or timidity. That is due to the weakness of God fearing in the hearts of those disobedient individuals. As the saying goes: “Do not look at how small the disobedience act is, but look at how big this whom you defied”. People only commit sins and become disobedient because the inattention and forgetfulness about Allah and about the next life.
God fearing is the safety valve in the face of falling into disobedience and sinful lust and desires. God fearing is what ignites the sense of piety in the heart which pushes the individual to do good deeds and give up deeds of evil. And the more the faith increases within the heart of a believer the more piety and fear will increase in that heart. Faith increases with obedience and faith decreases with disobedience.
The messenger ppbu was the most God fearing of all people and when he stood praying at night his tear drops used to be heard just like the drops of rain. When ever the wind blew differently his face would change in fear from Allah’s anger. He used to be fearful about his nation from Allah’s torment. The messenger ppbu said: {Each and every time Gabriel came to me; he was shivering in fear of the Almighty}. Fear of Allah is directly proportional with the faith into Allah and with the knowledge of Allah. Allah says: {for certain, the scholars (or scientists) of his slaves fear Allah}. Fearing is a higher and a special state of being frightened. The messenger ppbu said: {I am more knowledgeable about Allah than any of you, and I am the most fearing of Him than any of you}. The messenger ppbu said: {If you knew what I know then you would’ve laughed a little and cried a lot, and you wouldn’t have spent time enjoying women on mattresses, and you would have gone out to roads screaming and crying to Allah}. Imam Ahmed said: “Those who know Allah more fear Him more”.
Prophet Abraham ppu used to cry a lot. When he stood to pray a sound like the sound of a boiling large saucepan used to be heard off his heart. This is the level of fear prophets and messengers used to have, those who were infallible against committing sins and against temptations. Muhammad ppbu all his sins past and future were forgiven yet he still stood the nights in prayer till his feet swelled, and used to cry till his tears wetted the earth beneath him. When he was reminded that all his sins were already forgiven; he used to answer: {and would I not be a thankful slave}.
Allah says: {the (true) believers whose hearts fill with fear when Allah is mentioned, and when revelations of Allah are recited unto them they increase their faith, and who trust in their Lord}8:2. The faithful has the characteristics of being God fearing when Allah is mentioned, and humble when hearing verses from the Allah’s book. Also trusting in Allah, and always obeying Him, and being generous with what Allah has given him. The messenger ppbu said: {No one who ever cried out of fear of Allah shall go into hell fire. Not until the milk goes back into the udder}.
God fearing in the heart of a slave will stop him or her from falling into the forbidden. Fear will stop the slave from committing sins, the slave would not feed from money came through wrong, and would not bare false testimony, and would not backbite nor slander, and would not make an oath lying, and would not break a promise, and would not betray a covenant or an agreement or a treaty, and would not cheat in an interaction or a transaction, and would not con a partner, and would not betray a trust, and would not commit adultery, and would not use or abuse a forbidden material, and would not drink alcohol and all that drug the body or the mind, and would not abandon mosques of Allah and would not abandon praying in congregation. And would not waste his time messing and in negligence. On the contrary, you would find him active and diligent in the obedience of Allah. The messenger ppbu said: {who has feared then will be vigorous and energetic, and who ever has been energetic will reach the target. Remember Allah’s commodity or good is expensive. Allah’s good is Paradise}.
The messenger ppbu said on behalf of Allah: {I make an oath with my honor I shall not put two fears or two forms of security on to a slave of mine: if my slave fears me in the first life I will give him security on the day of resurrection. And if my slave felt secure from me in this life I will give him fear in the day of resurrection}. The messenger ppbu said: {if the faithful knew what punishment Allah has, then no one ever would dare expect his paradise}. And he said describing hell fire: {Fire in the first life is one part of seventy parts of the fire in hell}. The early Muslims used to have fear of that; to the point that Al-Ahnaf used to put his finger over the flame of the lamp and used to say to himself: “waw, Hunayef, what made you do such and such today”. He was brining himself to account. Omar Ebn Al-Khattab used to put his hand close to the fire and say: “Could you stand this Ebn-Al-Khattab?”
Bring your self to an account before you are brought to it, and weight your deeds before they are weighed against you. And remember that prophet Muhammad used to preach his followers and warns them from fire, and puts the fear into their hearts, and to keep judgment day right in front of their eyes. He said once to his companions: {I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. A sound fills the skies and the heavens of all the angels putting their heads down prostrating to Allah. For the heavens has the right to have that sound, for there isn’t enough place for a foot between one angel and the next in prostration to Allah. O if you knew what I know you would laugh a little and cry a lot. And you would have given up enjoying women in beds and you would have gone out into the streets crying to Allah. By God, I wish if I were a tree which is being cut and removed}. The companions had never had a worst day than that day when he told them that. Many of them cried. Imagine the difficulty of that day when the messenger ppbu himself wishes he was a tree to be cut and used and seizes to exist, then how should we feel? I am only surprised from the lack of fear we show, and we forget or we are ignorant that death comes sudden. And grave is the box of deeds.
The messenger ppbu said: {I have never seen anything like hell fire and the one escaping it falls asleep, nor anything like paradise and the one seeking it falls asleep}. Reason for that is lack in fear of Allah with us. Aesha asked the messenger ppbu about the verse in the Koran which says: {and those who would commit what they commit and their hearts are shy and shamed, that they will return to their Lord} she asked: “does that refer to the adulterer, and the thief and one who drinks alcohol? The messenger ppbu said: {no, daughter of Siddiq, it refers to the man who would fast and pray and pays charity and fear that it may not be accepted from him}. The believer has deeds of perfection combined with fear of Allah, while the hypocrite has evil deeds combined with lack of fear or security of Allah’s side. I ask Allah to make us with those who fear Him and obey Him and those who stay away from deeds of disobedience.
Notes:
Adhan - The call to prayer.
- The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.
Ansar (or Al-Ansar):
Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.
- is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.
Aya (or Ayah):
- is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.
Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat):
Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.
Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)
Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.
Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.
Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.
- talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.
Duaa: a prayer in the form of
Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.
Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.
Fiqh - Religious law.
Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.
Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.
Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.
Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.
Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.
Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.
Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.
Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.
Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.
Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.
Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.
Iman: belief or faith
Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.
Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.
Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.
Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."
Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.
Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.
Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".
Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.
Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.
Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)
Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.
Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.
Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act
Mecca or Makkah: is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).
Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.
Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.
Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah
Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.
Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.
Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.
Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.
Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.
PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.
Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.
Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.
Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.
Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.
Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.
Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.
Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.
Siam or Soam- Fasting
Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.
Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.
Surah - A chapter of the Koran.
Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.
Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)
Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.
Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.
Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.
Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.
Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.
Zaboor - The Psalms
Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.
Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is : faheemfb@gmail.com
|
|
|||
