Persistence in attaining Istiqaamah.

n the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

Ash-Shaykh 'Abdul 'Azeez bin Baaz: Persistence in attaining Istiqaamah.

All praise is due to Allah and may peace and salutations be upon the messenger of Allah, his familiy, companions and whoever follows his guidance; as for what follows:

The topic of Istiqaamah (uprightness in the religion) is a magnificent topic. It is suitable for every male and female believer to have a great concern for it, strive in attaining it
at all times, to ask Allah the mighty and sublime (for it) and to implore oneself before him requesting success in achieving it.

And you! Oh slave of Allah, it is incumbent upon you to be dilligent with regards to good, to rush towards it and cling to it. And that you beware of evil and stay far away from it and the means and causes that bring it about. And it is on you to beseech your lord and beg him to grant you assistance and success (in that).

And this dunya (worldly life) is an abode of trials and tribulations. It is the abode of action and preperation for the Aakhirah (next life). So Allah created the creation to worship him, and sent to them messengers, and revealed to them books and has given them intellects, hearing and sight. And he tests them with shayaateen (devils) from mankind and jinn, and (tests them with) lusts and desires.

So that which is obligatory (for us to do) is to use what Allah has given us from protection in leaving off harmful matters from what Allah tests us with by way of callers to evil and from devils both jinn and men.

And this abode is the abode of action, it is not an abode of bliss, rather it is an abode of action and deceit. Allah says: (So do not let the worldly life decieve you, nor let the chief deciever (shaytaan) deceive about Allah) 31:33. The enjoyments therein are minute as Allah says: ( Are you pleased with the life of this world over the hereafter? Little is the enjoyment of the life of this world compared to the hereafter) 9:38.

Therefore it is mandatory upon those who are responsible from the men and women to strive (to attain) Istiqaamah. It's compulsory to pay heed to the truth and act according to it in performing those obligatory duties and forsaking the prohibited ones and the legitimacy of increasing in those recommended acts, because they strengthen and increase one's Eeman. And remaining far from those affairs that could harm the slave even if they are allowed or disliked.

So the slave must work hard in leaving off everything that will harm him and everything that it is feared (from doing this thing) a decrease in righteous actions or negligence in performing them even though they may be mubaah (permitted).

The One free from all imperfections says: (Verily those who say: Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they remain upright (Istiqaamah), on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! "We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) you ask for. "An entertainment from (Allah), the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.") 41:30-32. Meaning at the time of death, the time of resurrection and in the graves as a favor from Allah to us.

And in Surah al-Ahqaf we read the statement of Allah the mighty and sublime: (Verily those who say: Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they remain upright and firm (Istiqaamah), they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve. Those shall be the dwellers of Paradise, abiding therein forever, a reward for what they used to do.) 46:13-14. And the statement of Allah in Surah an-Nahl: (Whoever works rightousness, whether male or female, while he is a true believer, verily We will give him a good life and We shall certainly pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do)16:97. A pleasant life in the dunya and bliss in the hereafter.

And may peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

Taken from: http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/8624
Translated by: Abu Fouzaan Qaasim

What has happened to you is (nothing else), but as a result of your turning away ...

Sheikh Saaleh Al Fawzaan (hafidha-hullaah) stated:

The actions, disbelief and evil of the Yahood is well known, even (with regards) to (their relationship) with their Prophets. They killed their Prophets, and (also) is that which occurred with Kaleemul'laah- Moosaa (alayhis-salaam) such as what Allaah has related in the Qur'aan (regarding) the story of Moosaa and Haaroon (alayhimas-salaam).

The character, disbelief, misguidance and evil of the Yahood is well known, even towards their Prophets; but what is obligatory upon us (Muslims) is that we ponder and rectify our deviated affairs and repent to Allaah; because the Yahood have not gained the upper hand over us except due to our sins.

Why is it that we do not hear anyone addressing and admonishing the Muslims whilst saying to them: What has happened to you is (nothing else), but as a result of your turning away from the religion of Allaah and negligence in the affairs of the Deen. So repent to Allaah in order that Allaah may aid you and avert the plot of the plotters from you.

We do not hear except insult, abuse and supplication against the Yahood, but this should be substituted with supplicating to Allaah to rectify the Muslims and to make them steadfast. And to mention to the Muslims that they should repent and return to Allaah, and rectify their Deen for the sake of Allaah. This is the first obligation.

As for supplication against an oppressor-be it the Yahood or other than them, then there is nothing wrong with this. It is legislated to supplicate against the one who oppress you with the sharee'ah supplications-the supplications found in the Book and the Sunnah. But before supplicating against them, you should supplicate to Allaah to rectify the Muslims and to make the Muslims steadfast upon their Religion and return them to the truth. (And) advise, address and admonish (them) with regards to Allaah. This is what is obligatory. [1]

The Bible - Isaiah | verse 6

Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibnul Qayyim about:

The Bible - Isaiah | verse 6-9

6 For thus has the Lord said to me:
Go, set a watchman,
Let him declare what he sees.

7: And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen,
A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels,
And he listened earnestly with great care.

8 Then he cried, A lion, my Lord!
I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime;
I have sat at my post every night.

9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!
Then he answered and said,

Babylon is fallen, is fallen!
And all the carved images of her gods
He has broken to the ground.

Ibnul Qayyim:
"Both we and the Christians believe that the horseman(on donkey) is the Messiah, while the rider on the camel is Muhammad (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). He is more known to ride camels than what Messiah is known to ride on donkeys. And also, it was with Muhammad (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) the Babylon idols fell, not with the messiah. In Babylon have idols been worshiped since Ibraheem's time all the way until they fell with Muhammad (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam).

(Hidaayat-ul-Hayaaraa, p. 128)

Corruption of Mankind By: Sheikh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

Allaah has created his creation so as to worship Him and has prepared for them that which will aid them in this from His provisions. He ta'ala says


"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allaah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."[1]


The soul, if it is left upon its fitrah (natural state) affirms Allaah's divinity and has love for Allaah, worships Him alone, and does not ascribe partners to Him.

However the Shayaateen from the Jinn and the Ins (mankind) corrupts and deviates it from that with what they reveal to one another by way of beautification in speech and deceptions. Tawheed is centered in the fitrah. Shirk is foreign and inserted into it. Allaah ta'ala says:


"So set you (O Muhammad SAW) your face towards the religion of pure Islamic Monotheism Hanifa (worship none but Allaah Alone) Allaah's Fitrah (i.e. Allaah's Islamic Monotheism), with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalqilaah (i.e. the Religion of Allaah Islamic Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not" [2]


The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said "Every child born is born upon the fitrah, however his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Pagan"[3] So the root of the children is Tawheed.


The religion was Islaam from the time of Aadam (alaihi salaam) and until those who came after him from his progeny for many generations.


Allaah ta'ala says:


"Mankind were one community and Allaah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings" [4]


The first occurrence of shirk and deviance upon the aqeedah was with the people of Nuh (alaihi salaam)


"Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad SAW) as We inspired Nuh (Noah) and the Prophets after him;" [5]


Ibnu Abbaas said "There was between Aadam and Nuh (alaihima salaam) ten generations, all of them upon Islaam"


Ibnul Qayyim said "This comment (of Ibnu Abbaas) is clearly correct for the reading of Abi ibn Ka'b of the verse "So they differed and then Allaah sent the Prophets"


Allaah's statement affirms this when He says


"Mankind were but one community (i.e. on one religion - Islaamic Monotheism), then they differed (later), and had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord, it would have been settled between them regarding what they differed" [6]

The sending of the Prophets was due to the differing from that which they were upon from the correct religion. Just as the Arabs were upon the religion of Ibraaheem (alaihi salaam) until 'Amru bin Lahee al-Khazaa'ee surfaced and changed the religion of Ibraaheem. He erected idols in the land of the Arabs and in the land of al-Hijaaz in a specific manner until they were worshipped besides Allaah and shirk began to spread in the Holy lands and its surrounding it until Allaah sent His Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the Prophets (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam). He called the people to Tawheed and to following the path of Ibraaheem and fought the true Jihaad until the creed of Tawheed and the path of Ibraaheem was returned to and the idols were destroyed. Allaah completed with him His religion and completed His favor upon all of the worlds. This methodology continued through out the noble generations from the beginning of this Ummah until ignorance began to spread in the later generations. Many (false) ideologies infiltrated it and shirk returned to many of this Ummah because of callers to misguidance and building structures over the graves in an effort to glorify the Awliyyaa' and Saaliheen (righteous individuals) claiming love for them until monuments were built over their graves.

They were taken as idols of worship besides Allaah by many ways this included du'a, seeking assistance, slaughtering, and sacrifice at their locations.

They called shirk Tawassul (means of drawing closer to Allaah thru worship) with the righteous and expression of their love for them and not worship of them as they claimed.

They have forgotten that this was the excuse of the pagans before them when they said,


""We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah" [7]


Even with this shirk falling upon the mankind past and present you found the majority of them believing in Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah but ascribing partners to Allaah in their worship as Allaah ta'ala says:


"And most of them believe not in Allaah except that they attribute partners unto Him"


They do not deny the existence of their Lord; only a small number of mankind did, such as Phir'awn, atheists, and the communists present in this era. Their denial is from their being blatantly arrogant. They are still compelled to testify this inside (their hearts) as Allaah says:


"And they belied them (those Ayah) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof" [8]


Their intellects know full well that every creation has to have a creator, every thing in existence has to have one who brought it into existence, and the order of this great disciplined and complicated matter has to have one who has power over it , wise, and maintains its order possessing all knowledge of it. Whoever denies these facts then he is either void of any intellect or blatantly arrogant and has limited his intellect and suppressed himself and this of course has not goal to it. Kitaabut Tawheed
Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan bin Abdillaah al-Fawzaan
Originally Produced By Daru Ahlil Athar

What is the difference between the Jinn and the Shaytaan?

What is the difference between the Jinn and the Shaytaan?
Response:
‘The Jinn’ are the kind, they are the second type of creation, like man-kind. Allaah the Glorified said:

And I (Allaah) created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). [Adh Dhariyaat: 56]
So the Jinn are a class amongst the creation, created by Allaah to worship Him like mankind. The Shayateen are the rebellious amongst them. So the Shayateen are from the Jinn as well as mankind, both the Shayateen from the Jinn and mankind are included in the category of Shayateen, Allaah the Elevated said:

And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies – Shayateen (devils) among mankind and Jinn, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception). [al An’aam: 112]
The point is that the Shayateen are from the Jinn as well as mankind, they are the rebellious, those who transgressed over Allaah’s boundaries.

‘The Shaytaan’ who is the forefather of the Jinn, is their leader, and whoever rebelled from his progeny and transgressed over the boundaries is a Shaytaan. Those amongst them who are steadfast upon worshiping Allaah are not from the Shayateen, rather they are belivers, as Allaah stated concerning the Jinn:

'There are among us, those who are righteous, and those to the contrary; we are groups having different ways (religious sects). [Al jinn: 11]
He also said about them:

'And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted to Allaah, after listening to this Qur-aan), and of us some are Al-Qaasitoon (disbelievers who deviated from the Right Path).' And whosoever has embraced Islaam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting to Allaah), then such have sought the Right Path." And as for the Qaasitoon (disbelievers who deviated from the Right Path), they shall be firewood for Hell [Al Jinn: 14-15]
So amongst them is the Muslim, the non-Muslim, the innovator, the Sunnee, the Raafidee, the Shuyoo’ee, the Mu’tazilee, the Jahmee, just like mankind, we ask Allaah for safety. Reference: http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/10416

Lessons from earthquakes and calamties...

Allaah's Greatest Name

Some people believe that Allaah’s greatest name is a specific name is unknown except to those whom Allaah has specified with a Karaamah that is out of the ordinary. This is incorrect, for indeed Allaah the Elevated encouraged us to know His names and attributes and praised those who know them, understand them and supplicate to Allaah with them, whether it is a supplication of worship or a supplication of request. There is no doubt that Allaah’s greatest name is amongst them, rendered by Allaah for this reason. For Indeed He, the Lofty, is most generous without restriction, there is no limit to His generosity and graciousness, and He loves to be generous to His servants. Amongst His greatest generosity, is that he made Himself known to His servants with His beautiful names and lofty attributes.

It is correct that all His names are beautiful, and all of them are great, but His greatest name is:

-Every solitary name

-or every name that is combined with another

if they allude to all His Dhaatee attributes, Fi’lee attributes, or all the attributes.

For example; Allaah [solitary name], for it combines all the meanings of Uluheeyyah and all the attributes of perfection.

Al Hameed al Majeed [combined name], for al Hameed combines all the meanings of praiseworthiness and perfection for Allaah the Elevated. And al Majeed alludes to all the attributes of grandeur and majesty. Similar to it is; Al Jaleel al Hameed and al Ghanee al Kareem.

Likewise is; al Hayy al Qayoom, indeed al Hayy is one who has the perfect, grandest life which combines all the meaning of the Self. Al Qayoom is one who is self sufficient, not in need of all the creation, created all that is in existence, it is the name that combines all the attributes of action. Likewise is; al ‘Adheem al Kabeer, one who posses all the meanings of grandeur and loftiness, in His Self and names and attributes. He posses all the meanings of grandeur specified to him.

Similarly is your statement; yaa Dhal Jalaal wal Ikraam. For indeed al Jalaal are the attributes of magnificence, grandeur and perfection. And al Ikraam is His deveservance of love, humility and so on from His servants. So it is known by this that Allaah’s greatest name is a group noun [for lack of better translation: Ism Jins].

This is what the texts of the legislation and derivation signify, as is narrated in as Sunnan, that the Messenger of Allaah heard a man saying:

“O Alllah, I ask by that I bear witness that there is no deity worth of worship in truth other than You, al Ahad, as Samad, You beget not, nor were you begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable to you…”
So the Messenger - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:

“By the One whom my soul is in His hands, you have asked Allaah with His greatest name, the name in which is He is supplicated with, He responds, and if it is requested of Him, He gives.” [At Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and others]

There is another Hadeeth where a man supplicated saying:

“O Allaah I ask you, with that all praise if for You, there is no deity worthy of worship in truth other than you, al Mannaan, Badee’ as Samaawaat wal Ard, Dhul Jalaal wal Ikraam, Yaa Hayy, Yaa Qayoom…”
So the Messenger - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:

“By the One whom my soul is in His hands, you have asked Allaah with His greatest name.” [At Tirmidhee, an Nasaa-ee and others]

The Coldness of Zamhareer

Ibnul Qayyim stated:

Allaah’s statement:

Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink. Except boiling water, and Ghasaaqaa” [Al Naba: 24-25]
It is Zamhareer, it burns them with its extreme cold just as it burns them with its heat. It was also stated by Mujaahid and Muqaatil that it is the peak of coldness.
[Badaa’i al Fawaa-id: 2/244]



Al Haafidh stated:

Allaah the Elevated rendered what is in this world, in terms of heat and cold, related to the heat and cold of the Hell fire, and an evidence for it, and this is why it is recommend to seek refuge from the Hell fire when one experiences this [i.e. the heat and cold].

As was narrated by ‘Uthmaan ad Daarimee and others, the Hadeeth of Daraaj, on the authority of Abu Haytham…that Abu Hurayrah narrated to him that the Prophet- صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:

If a man says on a hot day; ‘There is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allaah, how hot it is today! O Allaah! Save me from the heat of Jahannam [the Hell fire].’
Allaah would say to Jahannam; “Indeed a servant of Mine has asked Me for salvation from your heat, indeed I hold you as a witness that I have granted him salvation.”

And if a servant says on an extremely cold day; ‘There is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allaah, how cold it is today! O Allaah! Save me from the Zamhareer of Jahannam.’

Allaah would say to Jahannam; “Indeed a servant of Mine has sought refuge with me from your Zamhareer, indeed I hold you as a witness that I have granted him refuge.”

The companions asked: “What is the Zamhareer of Jahannam?

He replied: “It is an abode where the disbeliever is thrown, he would be torn apart by its extreme cold.”

[Fat-h al Baaree: 3/71]



Al ‘Aynee stated:

There is nothing to prevent Zamhareer from emitting from the same Hell fire, because what is meant by ‘the Hell fire’ is its place, which is Jahannam, and there is a level of Zamhareer in it.

It was said that there is no contradiction here in combing between heat and cold in the Hell fire, because the Hell fire is Jahannam, and it has been narrated that parts of it are fire and other parts are Zamhareer, and they are not in the same place, it is impossible that they are combined in one place.

I say [Al ‘Aynee]: The One who created the dominion including ice and fire, is able to combine two opposites in one place. In addition, the Hell fire is from the affairs of the unseen, and the affairs of the unseen are not to be compared to the affairs of this world.

[‘Umdat al Qaaree: 7350]