Lessons from Riyadh As-Saliheen by Shaikh Mamdouh

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with them) said: Once we were sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, "O Muhammad ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam")! Tell me about Islam". He ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam")replied, "Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it." He replied: "You have spoken the truth". We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then enquired: "Tell me about Iman". He ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") said. "It is to believe in Allah, and His Books, and His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in foreordainment, its bad and good consequences." He said, "You have spoken the truth." He then enquired: "Tell me about Ihsan." He ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") said, "It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you". He enquired: "Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)". He ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") replied, "I have no more knowledge thereof than you". He said, "Inform me about some of its signs". He ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") said, "They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing one another in the construction of higher buildings". Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, "O 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better". The Prophet ("sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam") said, "He was Jibril (Gabriel); he came to you to teach you your religion".[Muslim]

Abu Dharr and Mu`adh bin Jabal (Radhi Allahu Anhuma) reported that: Messenger of Allah said,

"Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people". [At-Tirmidhi].

Ibn Abbas (Radhi Allahu Anhuma) said: One day, I was riding behind the Prophet when he said,

"O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had predestined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up". [At-Tirmidhi].

Another narration is: Messenger of Allah said,

 "Safeguard the Commandments of Allah, you will find Him before you. Remember Him in prosperity and He will remember you in adversity. Be sure that which you miss, was not to hit you; and what hits you, was never to miss you. Remember that the Help of Allah is obtained with patience, and relief emerges after distress, prosperity follows adversity, and hardship is followed by ease".

Anas said: You indulge in (bad) actions which are more insignificant to you than a hair while we considered them at the time of Messenger of Allah to be great destroying sins".  [Al-Bukhari]



Abu Hurairah reported: The Prophet said,  

'Verily, 'Allah, the Exalted, becomes angry, and His Anger is provoked when a person does what Allah has declared unlawful". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Shaddad bin Aus reported: The Prophet said, "A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires".  [At-Tirmidhi].


 


Abu Hurairah reported: Messenger of Allah said, "It is from the excellence of (a believer's) Islam that he should shun that which is of no concern to him".  [At-Tirmidhi].

`Umar reported that: The Prophet said,

"No man shall be asked for the reason of beating his wife".  [Abu Dawud]. (a weak Hadith)

Abu Hurairah reported: It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Who is the most honourable amongst mankind?'' He said,  

"The most honourable of them is one who is the most pious of them.''

They said, "We are not asking about this". He said,  

"Then, the most honourable of men was Yusuf (Joseph), the Prophet of Allah, the son of Allah's Prophet, who was the son of the Prophet of Allah, who was the son of the Khalil of Allah (i.e., Ibrahim   )'

They said, "We are not asking you about this.'' He enquired,

"Are you then asking me about the classes of the Arabs? The best of them in the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance are the best of them in Islam, provided they comprehend the religious knowledge".  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri reported: The Prophet said,

"The life of the world is sweet and green. Allah makes you generations succeeding one another so that He may try you in respect of your actions. So beware of the beguilements of the world and those of women. The first trial of Banu Israel was through women". [Muslim].

Allah, the Exalted, says:

"So hasten towards all that is good". (2:148)

"And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Rabb, and for Jannah as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqun (the pious)". (3:133)

Abu Hurairah reported: Messenger of Allah said,

"Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning and turn to disbelief in the evening, or he would be a believer in the evening and turn disbeliever in the morning, and would sell his Faith for worldly goods.'' [Muslim].




Uqbah bin Al-Harith said: Once I performed the 'Asr prayer in Al-Madinah behind the Prophet . He got up quickly after finishing the prayer with Taslim, and stepping over the people, went to one of the rooms of his wives. The people were startled at his haste, and when he came out and saw their astonishment at his urgency he    said,

"I recalled that there was left with me some gold which was meant for charity; I did not like to keep it any longer, so I gave orders that it should be distributed". [Al-Bukhari].

Jabir reported: A man, said to the Prophet during the battle of Uhud: "Tell me where I shall be if I am killed". When he replied that he would be in Jannah, the man threw away some dates which he had in his hand and fought until he was killed.  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].



Abu Hurairah said: There came a man to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, which charity is the most rewardable?'' He said,

"That you should give charity (in a state when you are) healthy and stingy and fear poverty, hoping to become rich (charity in such a state of health and mind is the best). And you must not defer (charity to such a length) that you are about to die and would be saying: 'This is for so-and-so, and this for so-and-so.' Lo! It has already come into (the possession of) so-and-so". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].



Anas said: Messenger of Allah took up a sword on the day of the battle of Uhud and said,

"Who will take this sword from me?''

Everyone stretched forth his hand saying: "I will take it; I will take it". He (the Prophet ) said,

"Who will take it with its full responsibility (i.e., to use it to fight Allah's enemies with it)?''

The Companions hesitated. Abu Dujanah said: "I shall take it;'' and with it he cracked the skulls of the pagans. [Muslim].




Az-Zubair bin `Adi said: We went to Anas bin Malik and complained to him of suffering at the hands of Al-Hajjaj. He replied: "Show endurance, for no time will come but will be followed by one worse (than the present one) till you meet your Rubb. I heard this from your Prophet ". [Al-Bukhari].

Abu Hurairah reported: Messenger of Allah said,

 "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.''

Then (giving a warning) he said,

"Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter".  [At-Tirmidhi].