What is Sincerity in Seeking Knowledge?

Sincerity in seeking knowledge is by making the following intentions:

First: Let your intention in seeking knowledge be to comply with the order of Allaah, because Allaah has enjoined that. He said: “So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allaah and ask forgiveness for your sin…”  [Soorah Muhammad: 19]. Allah the exalted has exhorted seeking knowledge and an exhortation towards something necessitates that He loves it, approves of it and enjoins it.

Second: Your intention should [also] be to preserve the Sharee’ah of Allaah, because preservation of the Sharee’ah of Allaah is through learning and retention in the chest as well as through writing.

Third: Let your intention be to protect and defend the Sharee’ah, because if not for the scholars, no one would have protected and defended the Sharee’ah. That was why the likes of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and others among the people of knowledge checked the people of innovations and clarified the futility of their call. We believe that they have attained abundant good [on account of that].

Fourth: [Further], your intention should also be to follow the Sharee’ah of Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) because it is impossible to follow his Sharee’ah unless you know this Sharee’ah.

Fifth: Finally, your intention in seeking knowledge should be to remove ignorance from yourself and others.

Source: Kitaab al-‘Ilm, p. 130-131 by Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)

The Neglected Sunnah of Fajr Adhaan

There are many abandoned Sunan in our time. One of them is with regard to the Adhaan of Fajr prayer. The Sunnah is that two Mu’adhdhins should be appointed for the first and second adhaan of Fajr. One calls the first Fajr adhaan and the other calls the second. This is what is established in the authentic hadeeth. Abdullaah bin ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated, ‘The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Bilaal pronounces the adhaan at night, so keep on eating and drinking (pre-dawn meal) till Ibn Umm Maktum pronounces the adhaan.”  Recorded by al-Bukhaaree. May Allaah the exalted reward whoever revives this Sunnah.

Source: Refer to Tamaamul-Minnah, p.148 by Shaykh al-Albaanee (may Allaah have mercy on him)

Rarely Performed Sunnah of Salaah

One of the things that a worshipper should strive to do after entering the masjid is to perform his voluntary prayer towards a sutrah and he should move close to it. Sutrah is legislated with respect to the Imaam, a worshipper praying alone and the person who misses part  of the prayer with the Imaam when he stands up to make up what he has missed of the prayer. [This Sunnah should not be neglected] even if the worshipper is praying in a place where it is not feared that someone would pass due to the generality of the proofs, which indicate that every worshipper should pray towards it. This is because the one passing in front of a worshipper may be among the class that human being cannot see like the devil.

As regards the legality of praying towards a sutrah, there is no difference between men and women; yet there is negligence concerning it. There are some people who perform voluntary prayers [in the masjid] without praying towards a sutrah. Rather, they observe their prayers in the middle of the masjid or at the back of it without a sutrah. This is due to ignorance and lack of understanding in the religion. Women are also negligent regarding the sutrah. You can hardly find a woman praying in her house towards a sutrah except in rare cases.

There are statements and actions in the Sunnah, which indicate that praying towards a sutrah is important. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) did it regularly and he did not abandon it whether in residence or while on a journey; and he enjoined it in a number of ahaadeeth so much so that some of the people of knowledge opined that it is obligatory. This is the view of Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaymah, Badar ad-Deen al-‘Aynee, ash-Shawkaanee and others (may Allah have mercy on all of them). This is a strong view even though the majority of scholars said it is Sunnah. This is because the command to make use of sutrah is a general one which has no inference that would change it from being an obligation. Below are some of these texts:

Aboo Sa’eed al Khudree (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “When one of you prays, he should pray towards a sutrah and he should be close to it. He should not allow anyone to pass between him and it. If anyone tries to pass, he should fight him for he is a devil.”[1] Ash-Shawkaanee said: This contains a proof that praying towards a sutrah is obligatory.[2]

Sahl bin Abee Hathmah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhin wasallam) said: “When one of you prays, he should pray towards a sutrah and he should get close to it so that the devil will not cut off his prayer.”[3]

Sabrah bin Ma’bad al-Juhanee (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) of Allah said: “When one of you prays he should make a sutrah for his prayer even if it is with an arrow.”[4]

Source: Ahmaam Hudoor al-Masaajid, p. 117-118 by Shaykh Abdullaah bin Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him). See also Sunan Mahjoorah, p. 32-33 by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’eed Raslaan (may Allaah preserve him)

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[1] Recorded by Aboo Daawood and others; it is in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (654, 664)

[2] Naylul-Awtaar (3/2)

[3] Aboo Daawood, and graded saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah and an-Nawawee

[4] Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaymah and at-Tabaraanee in al-Kabeer. Its isnad is good.

Allah Will Treat You as You Treat Others

According to an authentic hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah is one (odd number) and loves odd (number).”[1] And He – blessed and exalted be He – is merciful and loves those who are merciful and He only shows mercy to those slaves of His who are merciful to others. He conceals faults and loves those who conceal (the faults) of His servants. He is Oft Pardoning and loves those slaves of His who pardon others among His servants. 

He is Oft Forgiving and loves those who forgive. He is Courteous and loves those who are courteous among His servants; and He hates those who are rude, harsh and merciless to His servants. He is Gentle and loves gentleness; He is Forbearing and loves forbearance; He is Righteous and loves righteousness and its people.

He is just and loves justice. He accepts the excuses of His slaves and He loves those who accept His servants’ excuses. He rewards His slave in proportion to the amount of the presence or absence of these attributes in him. Hence, whoever pardons others will be pardoned by Him and he who forgives others will be forgiven. He who accepts excuses from others will also be excused by Allah and whoever is gentle and mild to others Allah will be gentle and mild to him as well. 

Whoever is merciful to His creatures, Allah will be merciful to him and whoever is good to them He will be good to him. Whoever is generous to them, He will be generous to him and whoever benefits them, He will benefit him. Whoever conceals their fault He will conceal his fault. He will expose the one who exposes the fault of His servants and disgrace the one who disgraces His slaves.

Whoever deprives them of good, He will deprive him of good; and whoever puts His servants into hardship, He will put him into hardship. He plans against the one who plans against His slaves and deceives the one who deceives them. Whoever treats or deals with His creatures in a particular manner, Allah will also treat and deal with him in the same manner both in this world and in the Hereafter.

Therefore, Allah is to His servant the same way His servant is to Allah’s creatures. As such, it is stated in a hadeeth that: “Whoever conceals the fault of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his fault in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever removes one of the anxieties of this world from a believer, Allah will remove one of the anxieties of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever makes things easy for the one distressed, Allah will make his accountability easy.”[2]

Source: Al-Waabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyib p. 47-48 by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

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[1] Recorded by al-Bukhaaree (6410) and Muslim (2677)

[2] Recorded by Muslim (2699), al-Bukhaaree (2442)

How to Increase Your Knowledge

 ‘Alee bin Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Knowledge increases by spending while wealth decreases by spending.” Whenever a scholar offers his knowledge to the people and spends from it, its spring will gush forth thereby growing in abundance, strength and visibility. Through his teaching, he will gain the preservation of what he had learnt and acquire the knowledge he does not previously possess. An issue may be unclear to the scholar or within the scope of complication, but when he talks about it and teaches it, it may become clear and simplified to him, which may open up other forms of knowledge to him.

In addition, the reward for an action is from the type of action; just as he taught the people what they did not know, Allah will reward him by teaching him what he did not know. The proof is contained in Saheeh Muslim from the hadeeth of ‘Iyaad bin Himaar who reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said in a lengthy hadeeth: “Allah said to me, ‘Spend I will spend upon you.”[1] This includes spending knowledge by conveying it, awakening it or mentioning its essence.

There are two paths to the growth and development of knowledge: the first is by teaching it and the second is acting upon it. Indeed, acting upon it will also cause it to grow, increase it and open its doors and its hidden assets for the one acting upon it. This is because teaching it and acting upon it is trading in it; just as wealth grows by trading with it, the same is applicable to knowledge.

Source: Miftaah Daar as-Sa’aadah wa Manshoor Wilaayah Ahl al-‘Ilm wal-Iraadah by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.

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[1] Recorded by al-Bukhaaree (4684) and Muslim (993)