Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
سلسلة علّمني ديني
By: Shaykh Muhammad bin Umar BÄzmÅ«l –hafidhahullah–
Translations and Annotations by Misbaah Olagunju (Abu Aamaal)
[6] My Religion Taught Me:
That whenever we aggrandize the ampleness of our concerns and fixate our attention on just a thing, then it becomes the most paramount of our concerns. Indeed there are people who overstate and glorify their concern on earth in business, in every matter he sees affairs of life. And from the people are those who venerate and extol their concern about making preparation for the hereafter, and working towards it.
As for the first, the utmost in their knowledge is this life and the greatest of their concern is this present life, and as for the second group, the utmost of their knowledge is the hereafter and the greatest of their concern is the hereafter and preparing for it. And this is exactly how we are expected to be.
At-Tirmidhi reported and Al-Albaani authenticated an Hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar –Allah be pleased with him and his father–:
وعن ابن عمر رضى الله عنهما قالâ€:†قلما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقوم من مجلس Øتى يدعو بهؤلاء الدعواتâ€:†â€
â€Ø§Ù„لهم اقسم لنا من خشيتك ما تØول به بيننا وبين معاصيك، ومن طاعتك ما تبلغنا به جنتك، ومن اليقين ما تهون به علينا مصائب الدنياâ€.†اللهم متعنا بأسماعنا، وأبصارنا، وقوتنا ما Ø£Øييتنا،واجعله الوارث منا، واجعل ثأرنا على من ظلمنا، وانصرنا على من عادانا، ولا تجعل مصيبتنا ÙÙŠ ديننا، ولا تجعل الدنيا أكبر همنا، ولا مبلغ علمنا، ولا تسلط علينا من لا يرØمنâ€Ø§
†â€â€â€
Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported:
"Messenger of Allah seldom left a gathering without supplicating with these terms:
"Allahumma-'qsim lana min khashyatika ma tahulu bihi bainana wa baina ma'sika, wa min ta'atika ma tuballighuna bihi jannataka, wa minal-yaqini ma tuhawwinu 'alaina masa-'ibad-dunya. Allahumma matti'na biasma'ina, wa absarina, wa quwwatina ma ahyaitana, waj'alhul-waritha minna, waj'al tharana 'ala man zalamana, wansurna 'ala man 'adana, wa la taj'al musibatana fi dinina, wa la taj'alid-dunya akbara hammina, wa la mablagha 'ilmina, wa la tusallit 'alaina man-la yarhamuna," (O Allah, apportion to us such fear as should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience; and such obedience as will take us to Your Jannah; and such as will make easy for us to bear in the calamities of this world. O Allah! let us enjoy our hearing, our sight and our power as long as You keep us alive and make our heirs from our own offspring, and make our revenge restricted to those who oppress us, and support us against those who are hostile to us let no misfortune afflict our Deen; let not worldly affairs be our principal concern, or the ultimate limit of our knowledge, and let not those who will not show us mercy rule over us)." – [At-Tirmidhi: 4502, As-Saheehah: 2783].
Translator's notes:
Here the Shaykh alluded to a prevalent misplacement of the priorities of life, when man gets enchanted by the glitters of life and chases after it, and how he is engulfed in chasing after worldly statuses and achievements, expending every of his breadth in that pursuit day and night without taking a pause to reexamine his primary purpose on Earth.
Allah the exalted said:
زÙیّÙÙ†ÙŽ Ù„Ùلنَّاس٠ØÙبّ٠ٱلشَّهَوَ ٰâ ت٠مÙÙ†ÙŽ ٱلنّÙسَاۤء٠وَٱلۡبَنÙینَ وَٱلۡقَنَـٰطÙیر٠ٱلۡمÙقَنطَرَة٠مÙÙ†ÙŽ ٱلذَّهَب٠وَٱلۡÙÙضَّة٠وَٱلۡخَیۡل٠ٱلۡمÙسَوَّمَة٠وَٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰم٠وَٱلۡØَرۡثÙÛ— ذَ ٰâ Ù„ÙÙƒÙŽ مَتَـٰع٠ٱلۡØَیَوٰة٠ٱلدّÙنۡیَاۖ وَٱللَّه٠عÙندَهÙÛ¥ ØÙسۡن٠ٱلۡمَـَٔابÙ
"Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life; but Allah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers, etc.) with Him." - [Surah Aal-E-Imran 14]
For another party, shaytaan exaggerates in their eyes; livelihood and thus it seem to them that they are absolutely responsible for their own provisions, so they made toiling day and night to get it the biggest of their concerns, yet they can't get beyond whatever Allah has alloted to them.
Imaam Shaafi'iy put this reality in a poetry line when he said:
ورزقك ليس ينقصه التأني # وليس يزيد ÙÙŠ الرزق العناء
And your provision is not reduced due to sluggishness # and neither will toiling add to provision
So these two parties made dunya the greatest of their concern and it's knowledge the most significant of what they pursue. Yet there are those who are certain of meeting with their Lord, therefore their greatest concern is their preparation to Him and the home of the hereafter, therefore they venerate most the knowledge of the hereafter but are at the same time conscious of their share of dunya, taking to Allah's injunction in Al-Qasas:
وَٱبۡتَغ٠ÙÙیمَاۤ ءَاتَىٰكَ ٱللَّه٠ٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡـَٔاخÙرَةَۖ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصÙیبَكَ Ù…ÙÙ†ÙŽ ٱلدّÙنۡیَاۖ ÙˆÙŽØ£ÙŽØۡسÙÙ† كَمَاۤ Ø£ÙŽØۡسَنَ ٱللَّه٠إÙلَیۡكَۖ
"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land." – [Surah Al-Qasas 77]
And lastly, this is not achieved only by individual will, but rather by grace, since Allah is the One with total control over the hearts of His slaves, and He turns them as He desire; some hearts He fill with the love of dunya and others he attach to the aakhirah. This is why Allah's messenger –Allah raise his rank and grant him peace– will supplicate with the following prayers, as reported in the hadith of Ibn Umar above.
ولا تجعل الدنيا أكبر همنا، ولا مبلغ علمنا
"And let not worldly affairs be our principal concern, or the utmost of our knowledge"
As-Shaykh Muhammad bin Al-Uthaymeen said regarding this: ""Rather make the hereafter our principal concern, and do not cause us to miss out on our portion from dunya (worldly life), because it is essential that a person have a share of the dunya, however the dunya should not be his ultimate concern, nor the utmost of his knowledge, rather he should beseech Allah to make the utmost of his knowledge be about the hereafter, as for the knowledge of this worldly life and all that relates to them, all of these regardless of what it is about, will eventually cease to exist, meaning if a person were to be knowledgeable in medicine, or knowledgeable in construction, or in geography, or in any other aspects of the sciences of this worldly life; they are all departing and vanishing knowledge, and speeches regarding the knowledge of the religion (Islam); the knowledge of the hereafter, then this is the most important (knowledge) – [Sharhu Riyaadu Saaliheen: 2/532]
Once again my religion taught me that there are two categories of people; as for the first, the utmost in their knowledge is this life and the greatest of their concern is this present life, and as for the second group, the utmost of their knowledge is the hereafter and the greatest of their concern is the hereafter and preparing for it. And this is exactly how we are expected to be.
And that ends the sixth lesson.
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