Characteristics of a Pure and Sound Heart

A pure heart is the heart that has submitted to its Lord and His command without entertaining any resentment to His command or opposition to His saying. It is free from anything besides Allah and His injunction; it does not desire anything save Allah and it does not do except what Allah has ordered. Hence, Allah alone is its goal, His order and law are its way and path, and no doubt comes between it and believing the information of its Lord.  An iota of doubt will never pass through it except that the heart surmounts it knowing that there is no dwelling for it therein, and no lust comes between it and following the pleasure of its Lord.

Whenever a heart is in this state, it will be free from shirk, free from innovations, free from oppression and free from falsehood as well as all the sayings whose explanations have been abrogated. The truth is that this heart has submitted to the servitude of its Lord out of modesty, fear and hope; it is absorbed in His love, His fear and His hope alone. Indeed, it has acquiesced to the order of Allah and His messenger out of faith and obedience as preceded. Besides, it has surrendered to the decree and preordainment of Allah without panning Him or wrangling with Him.

It does not become angry at the decree of Allah but surrenders to Him out of submission, humility and devotion. It has submitted all its state of affairs, sayings, actions, inclinations and likings, inward and outward, to whatsoever come from the niche of His messenger and it has subjected any other thing to the niche of the messenger; it accepts whatever conforms to it and rejects whatever contradicts it.

It will suspend or defer anything that is not clear to him as to whether it is in   conformity or inconsistent until it becomes readily apparent to him. Equally, it makes peace with the friends of Allah and His party, the successful party who defends His religion and the Sunnah of His Messenger and implements it. On the other hand, it shows enmity to His enemies who go against His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, those who rebel against the two and invite to what is contrary to them.

Source: Miftaah Daar as-Sa‘aadah wa Manshoor Wilaayah Ahl al-‘Ilm wal-Iraadah by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Taking Money for Teaching the Qur’aan

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him)

The Shaykh was asked, what is the ruling on accepting wages for teaching the noble Qur’aan in schools of memorizing the Qur’aan?

He responded: There is no harm in that according to the most correct view. This is because accepting wages would assist a person to continue to teach and be patient upon it, because a lot of people may not be able to do it without something (that is payment) if they do not have income with which they would take care of themselves so as to devote their time to the teaching.

Therefore, if a person is given payment for that he will dedicate himself to teaching and benefit the people. Al-Bukhaaree recorded in his authentic collection from Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “The most deserving thing that you take a wage for is the Book of Allaah.” This includes teaching.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)

Shaykh Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen said:  It is permissible to employ a person to teach the Qur’aan. The following are proofs of that.

Firstly: The statement of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) in an authentic hadeeth: “The most deserving of thing that you take wages for is the Book of Allaah.”

Secondly: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) permitted taking of wages for healing as contained in the hadeeth of the man who was stung by a scorpion.

Thirdly: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) married a woman to a man who did not have dowry and considered her dowry teaching her the Qur’aan that he has memorized. So he made it a compensation. Therefore, the correct opinion is that it is permissible to take wages for teaching the Qur’aan. We have mentioned three proofs. One of them is verbal proof while the other two are practical proofs.

Shaykh al-Albaanee (may Allaah have mercy on him)

Commenting on the hadeeth of Aboo Sa’eed al-Khudree who narrated that a Companion took a herd of sheep for healing somebody by reciting Soorah al-Faatihah, Shaykh al-Albaanee said:

“This hadeeth is clear with regard to the permissibility of accepting wages for healing by reciting Soorah al-Faatihah. As regards, accepting wages for teaching the Qur’aan, it is not permissible according to the correct view among the sayings of the scholars due to the ahaadeeth that have been reported from him (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) condemning the one who takes wages for teaching the Qur’aan. I have mentioned a good number of them in Silsilah ahaadeeth as-Saheehah (256 – 260)

Source: al-Eejaaz fee Ba’di Maa Ikhtalafa  feehi al-Albaanee, wa Ibn Uthaymeen wa Ibn Baaz, vol. 1,  p. 691-692 compiled by Sa’d bin Abdullaah

The Sunnah that makes Lectures Beneficial

Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Every sermon that is devoid of tashahhud is like an amputated hand [that is devoid of benefit].”  As-Saheehah, no. 169

Shaykh al-Albaanee (may Allaah have mercy on him) commented on the above hadeeth thus: “I believe that the intended meaning of tashahhud in this hadeeth is Khutbatul-Haajah (the Sermon of Need), which Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) used to teach his companions:

إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله

‘Indeed, all praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from our souls’ evils and our wrong doings. He whom Allaah guides, no one can misguide, and he whom He misguides, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allaah, the One Who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) is his servant and messenger’

Perhaps, this is the reason or at least one of the reasons why most of the lessons and lectures that are delivered to students lack benefit, since they are not commenced with the aforementioned tashahhud in spite of the eagerness of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) to teach it to his companions…”

Source:  Nudhum al-Faraa’id mimma fee Silsilati al-Albaanee min Fawaa’id, vol. 2, p. 356-357 by Abdul-Lateef bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Abee Rabee’

The Reality of this World

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

…If the world makes you laugh a little, it will make you weep much; if it gives happiness for one day, it will cause sorrow for a year; if it gives little enjoyment, it will deny it for a long period. No house will be filled with fortune without it being filled with tears; and if it gives someone happiness for a day, it will conceal joy from him for a day.

Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “For every moment of joy, there is a moment of sorrow, and no house is filled with joy except that it will be filled with sadness.” Ibn Seereen (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said: “No laughter comes except that weeping follows it.” Hind bint Nu‘maan (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “I remember when we were the most powerful people and strongest in kingdom; then it was not long before we became the most insignificant of people. It is the promise of Allah the exalted that He will not fill up a house with blessing except that He fills it with tears.”

Then a man asked her to inform him about her condition, so she said: “We woke up one morning and there was none among the Arabs except that they admired us. Then in the evening, there was none among the Arabs who did not feel sorry for us.” Her sister Hurqah bint Nu‘maan cried while she was in her glorious days. She was asked: “Why are you crying? Perhaps, someone hurt you?” She replied: “No, but I saw affluence in my family; and hardly is a house filled with happiness without its being filled with sadness.”

Ishaaq bin Talhah said: “One day I entered upon her (that is, Hurqah bin Nu‘maan) and said to her: “How do you see the tears of kings?” She answered: “Our condition today is better than our situation yesterday. We find in the books that no household lives in affluence except that it will be followed with tears thereafter. And time will not display to a people a day they love without concealing for them a day they will dislike!”  Then she said:“When we ruled the people and the authority was ours, all of a sudden we became among the subjects demanding justice. Horrible is the world whose bliss is not permanent; it changes and fluctuates many times with us.”

Source: Zaad al-Ma‘aad fee Hady Khayr al-‘Ibaad by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah