Adorning Knowledge with Actions

MashaAllaah we have been meeting here twice a week for quite some time now. That is really an accomplishment because it is so easy to start doing something and then after a few times lose interest in it and then it’ll be nothing. And mashaAllaah we have been talking about many different topics during these gatherings. Like tawheed, tawbah, taqwah, ikhlas and we have also mixed these theoretical subjects with more practical ones about how to act in certain situations or times of the year, mashaAllaah tabarakAllaah. So I just mentioned some words in Arabic and it might be difficult to understand them but to explain shortly, tawheed is the unity of Allaah, subhanaho wata’ala, it is the foundation of our religion and it is the message that all of the prophets, aleyhom salaam, came with. To worship only one God. And it is the reason for the creation, as Allaah says:


وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ

And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). (51:56)



This is what everything comes back to. Whatever we talk about that has to do with islam comes back to this. To worship The God, Allaah, and worship means so much more than our five daily prayers and so on. It means to submit ourselves to God, to obey Allaah, to have taqwa, which means to be mindful of Allaah, to be aware of Him, knowing that He is al-Baseer, the All-Seer, as-Sami’, the All-Hearer, al-Aleem, the All-Knower. And it means to love Him and to fear Him. To be able to have complete tawheed and complete taqwa we need ikhlas, we need to be sincere in all our actions, sincere in the way that we do them for the sake of Allaah, to please Allaah, alone. And to achieve all this we need knowledge. We must strive to see knowledge and increase in our knowledge. That was what I talked about last time. Because to fully know Allaah, and understand Him and to be able to love Him the way He deserves to be loved, to fully worship Allaah the way he deserves to be worshipped, we must know Him. And as I mentioned last time, knowledge isn’t only about religious matters, but also about what we call worldly matters. In that way we can fully understand the miracle of Allah’s creation and that will makes us draw closer to Allaah, and it will make our hearts soft and open for the truth inshaAllaah. If we look at the scholars of the past, we will see that they not only had a vast understanding and knowledge of the deen, the religion, but also did they have great knowledge about worldly things, like medicine, mathemathics, physics and so on. Ibn Taymiyyah for example was also very knowledgeable in subjects like Arabic literature and gained mastery over grammar and lexicography as well as studying mathematics and calligraphy. And his student ibn ul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah was an astronomer and a chemist. Just to mention two out of many.

But, it isn’t enough to have knowledge. We must also act upon the knowledge we have and we must also share it with others.

So todays topic is about adorning knowledge with actions. To live as we learn and teach.

I mentioned last time a hadeeth where the Prophet, aleyhi salato wasalaam, said: "The two feet of the son of Aadam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgement until he is asked about five (matters):- 1) about his life - how he spent it; 2) about his youth - how he took care of it; 3) about his wealth - how he earned it; 4) and where he spent it; 5) and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired."

From this hadeeth we learn that we can’t escape these questions subhanAllaah. We will be questioned about the knowledge we have and how we acted upon it. This tells us we must transform our knowledge into righteous actions and good behaviour. Some of us might think, maybe it is better that I don’t learn anything, because if I know only little, then I don’t have to do as much and I wont be questioned that much on Judgement day. Well. This we talked about last time. For example Allaah says in soorah az-Zumar, ayah 9

قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِى ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡلَمُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ


Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allâh's Signs and Verses). (39:9)

And in soorah al-Mujadilah, ayah 11:

يَرۡفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ دَرَجَـٰتٍ۬‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ۬


Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. (58:11)

Also , in a hadith, the Prophet, aleyhi salato wasalaam, says, "When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding of the deen."(6) He, aleyhi salato wasalaam, also said, "Allah makes the way to the Garden easy for whoever treads a path in search of knowledge."(7)

So these are a few proofs that we should and must seek knowledge, inshaAllaah, and not be satisfied with knowing little only to avoid being held responsible for our actions or lack of actions.


And we should always remember that ayah…. SubhanAllaah you will be so bored with me soon for repeting this… in soorah adh-Dhaariyaat:


وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ ٱلۡجِنَّ وَٱلۡإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُونِ


And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). (51:56)

And this should pervade or characterize all our actions inshaAllaah ta’ala. Because it is the actions that will determine where we will end up in akhirah, in the life after this.
Allaah says in the quraan, in soorah al-Zalzalah, ayah 7, 8:

فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيۡرً۬ا يَرَهُ ۥوَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِثۡقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ۬ شَرًّ۬ا يَرَهُ



So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. (99:7-8)

There are ayaat, verses in the Qur’aan about our actions and the reward for them. For example Allaah says in the Qur’aan:

In soorah al-Araaf, ayah 43:

وَنُودُوٓاْ أَن تِلۡكُمُ ٱلۡجَنَّةُ أُورِثۡتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

And it will be cried out to them: "This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do." (7:43)

And in soorah al-Nahl, ayaat 31, 32:

كَذَٲلِكَ يَجۡزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُ طَيِّبِينَۙ يَقُولُونَ سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ


"Thus Allah rewards the pious, those whose lives the Angels take while they
are in a pious state saying: Peace be upon you, enter you Paradise because of
that which you used to do." (16:31, 32)


And in soorah at-Tahrim, ayah 7:


يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَا تَعۡتَذِرُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ إِنَّمَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

"(It will be said in the Hereafter): O you disbelievers! Make no excuses this Day!
You are being requited only for what you used to do." (66:7)

And in soorah an-Naml, ayah 90:


وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتۡ وُجُوهُهُمۡ فِى ٱلنَّارِ هَلۡ تُجۡزَوۡنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ

"And whoever brings an evil deed they will be cast down on their faces in the Fire
(and it will be said to them): Are you being recompensed for anything except for what you used to do?" (27:90)

There are many more ayaat talking about this, subhanAllaah.

So we must look at the knowledge that we have, and see how we act upon it. For example I have talked about du’aa here, so what I should ask myself is, am I improving in my relation with Allaah in the way I make du’aa. Have I acted upon the knowledge that du’aa is worship, or do I the same as before? If not, then I have to study that subject more so that I understand how to act better. And for example if we read about the importance of lowering the gaze like in soorah an-Noor, ayah 30 and 31.

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do. (30) And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) (24:30, 31)

So are we amongst those who lower their gaze from that which Allah the Glorified has made haram? If the answer is no, then we need to either read more about it to fully understand it, and if we understand, we must do what we can to implement it in our lives. And before we act upon what we know, there is no further need to learn about other topics or subjects. What I am trying to say is, that now is the time for us to check up on ourselves. What do we really know? And what do we really do? We don’t know when we will die, and I am sure we will have as little as possible to be questioned about on the Judgement Day. So it is better for us to hold ourselves accountable now, for what we know and don’t know, for what we do and don’t do, before we are held accountable by Allaah.

We should hurry to get rid of our desires that will keep us preoccupied with this world and all in it that will removes us from the straight path and we should leave off injustices and oppression in all its different types and forms.


And we shouldn’t forget, that we should hasten towards doing whatever we are able to of good and righteous actions. So we shouldn’t delay and not procrastinate and be careful of saying "soon, soon", because that will only make shaytaan happy. If we hear that somebody is calling to good actions, such as, contributing towards building a masjid or joining ties of relations, or to make peace between two disputing parties, or visitng a sick person, we shouldn’t think twice about responding, and we shouldn’t delay it. We must be aware of that the best time to act is the moment we hear the call. There are no guarantees of how long we will live, so we really don’t have any time to waste when it comes to do good deeds. Whispers of Shaytaan continue in increasing the will to procrastinate, and this will make us weaker the longer we procrastinate, and the result will in the end be that it is impossible for us strengthen our faith and will leave no room for doing good and make amends for our sins and shortcomings.

The basic principle is also that we first make sure that we do those actions that is fard, obligatory for us, first then can we start doing the voluntary actions. It is like we don’t pray the five daily prayers but we spend the night praying qiyyam ul-layl, the voluntary but oh so good night prayer. Or we don’t fast during Ramadhaan but we fast the 6 days of Shawwal. I think you agree with me that it is a very logical principle, alhamdulillaah.

We should also always look at ourselves first before we start criticizing or correcting our sisters and brothers. If I see a sister who is behaving in a way that isn’t good or according to islam, I have to check with myself first. Am I doing what I am going to tell her not to do? Or f I want to advise someone to do a certain action, do I do that myself?

Before we think about spending time amongst our sisters or brothers either for the sake of knowledge, action or inviting to Allah, we should contemplate and think about a few things:

* How is my relationship with Allah swt?


* How is my humbleness in prayer?


* Read about that which will better my condition and that of my prayer, increase my humbleness in it and soften my heart.


* Am I one whose supplications are answered or do I notice most of my supplications not being answered?


* Look into my aqeedah and the level of my certainty and reliance upon Allah swt and observe closely my food and drink - are they from that which is halal or haram, or is there some doubt about their source?


* If the situation was on that requires enjoining the good and forbidding evil, what would you do?


It is very important that we take our souls to account. The prophet, aleyhi salato wasalaam, said: "Whoever wants to know what Allaah has prepared for him, should look at what he has prepared for Allaah”.(Abu Nu'aym, in al-Hilyah and others. Silsilah as-Saheehah, no.2310) so we should ask ourselves:

· Are we prepared for the meeting with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
* Have we fulfilled the rights of the creation, one to another? Or are we in a constant state of postponing and deferring?
* Have we converted our knowledge of repentance into crying and penitence?
* Have we turned whatever we have read about the loving for the sake of Allah, into real love for our Muslim brothers or sisters?
* Do we often visit them, and overlook their faults? Do we aid the needy amongst them, feel delight for their happiness and grieve for their sorrow?
* Do we taste the sweetness and delight of iman?
·
If the answer is in the negative then go back to the hadith of the Prophet saw:
"There are three attributes whoever is characterised by them will relish the sweetness of faith: he to whom Allah and His Messenger are more beloved than anyone else; he who loves a person solely for the sake of Allah; and he who has as great an abhorrence of entering into disbelief after Allah has rescued him from it, as he has of being thrown into the Fire." (Ahmad, Musnad, al Bukhari, Engl. trans. vol.1, p.20, no.15); Muslim (Book of Iman, vol.1, p.30, no.67) and others).

* Is Allah and His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam more beloved to you than anybody else?
* Do you give precedence to the love of Allah over wealth, business, whims and desires?

So how do we achieve this state of mind? The first action we should do is to contemplate about what it really is we are reading in the Qur’aan. By reading the quraan and understand it and think about the message in it. And by absorbing the beautiful message in the quraan, inshaAllaah we will let it affect us and our actions and behaviour.

The second action we should do is du’aa. As we know from our previous reminders the evidence that du’aa is worship are very clear subhanAllaah. By making du’aa we attain the love and pleasure from our Creator, Allaah, just as He says in soorah al-Furqaan, ayah 77:

قُلۡ مَا يَعۡبَؤُاْ بِكُمۡ رَبِّى لَوۡلَا دُعَآؤُڪُمۡۖ
Say: My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him". (25:77)

There are a few ahadeeth about the punishment of not acting upon ones knowledge, I will mention a few inshaAllaah:

On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd (ra) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) sitting, "A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown into the Fire. His intestines will be hanging out, spilling onto the ground, and he will go around like a donkey goes around a millstone. The inhabitants of the Fire will gather around him and say: "O so and so! What is your affair? Didn't you used to order us to do good deeds and forbid us from doing bad deeds?" He will reply, "Yes I used to order you to do good deeds, but I did not do them myself, and I used to forbid you from doing bad deeds, yet I used to do them myself". (al Bukhari, Engl. trans. vol.4, p.315, no. 489; Muslim and others).

The Messenger (saw) also said in a hadith, "During the night of my ascension, I passed by a group of people. Their lips were being severed with scissors of fire. I said, "O Jibreel (as)! Who are these people?" He said, "They are the preachers from your Ummah that would say other than what they would do". (Ahmad in his Musnad, 3/120, 231, and 239; Ibn Hibban and others, Sahih at-Targheeb, no.120).

On the authority of 'Umar ibn al Khattab (ra) who said that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Islam will dominate so that traders frequent the seas and horses enter into the path of Allah. Then there will appear a people who will recite the Qur'an saying, "Who amongst us had memorised the most Qur'an? Who is the most knowledgeable of us? Which of us has the most understanding?" Then he (saw) asked his companions, "Is there any good in them?" They replied, "Allah and His Messenger (saw) know best". He(saw) said, "They are from you and from this ummah and they are from the fuel of the fire". (at-Tabarani, in al-Awsat and al-Bazzar, Sahih at-Targheeb wa at-Tarheeb, no.131).

Also in the hadith, "The Qur'an is either a proof for you or against you". (Muslim, Engl. trans. vol.1, p.148, no.432; and others).
So with these heavy statements will I end todays reminder inshaAllaah. May Allaah increase our knowledge and give us beneficial knowledge that we can apply in our lives and by that draw closer to Allaah, amin.


What is good and correct is from Allaah, and whatever I said that is wrong and evil is from myself


Subhanaka allahomma wa bihamdik
ashhado anla ilaha illa ant
wastaghfirooka waatoobo ilayk