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In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Fear Allah wherever you are
This is your relation with Allah the Almighty
Do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
This is your relation with yourself.
And behave decently towards people
This is your relation with the society
Your relations are of three kinds, no matter how much they varied or increased in numbers: Your relation with Allah, with yourself, and with your society.
The above Hadith is a sufficient, inclusive, and summarized advice which included the basic rules of dealing with Allah the Almighty, dealing with one’s self, and dealing with other people.
Fear Allah wherever you are
Where are you?
You are in the kingdom of Allah, and under His control.
Wherever you go, in any country and any place, you should know that Allah is with you (by His Knowledge), Allah says:
(And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be)
[Al-Hadid, 4]
Scholars of interpretation said: The general accompaniment of Allah means: His knowledge.
Hence, one is within Allah’s kingdom and under His control. No human being, even if he/she was Kafir (atheist), is out of the reach of Allah’s fate.
(Or those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)?)
[Al-Ankabut, 4]
The meaning of “outstrip us” is that they thought they were far from Allah’s control, and that they were free to do whatever they likes, without being held accountable for their deeds, and without punishment, which is the opposite of the meaning of this ayah.
Dear brothers:
You should believe with no doubt that you are under Allah’s control, in Allah’s kingdom. Allah knows all your conditions, He hears all your words as He is the All-knower and the All-Hearing. He knows what chests conceal, he hears you when you whisper to yourself, and He is aware of every move you make as he is the All-Seeing.
You meet the minimum limits of faith when you believe that Allah is with you wherever you are and when you know for sure that He Knows, He will hold you accountable, and will punish for sins.
Dear brothers, this is a very critical Ayah which indicates that Allah is with you (by His Knowledge) :
(And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be)
[Al-Hadid, 4]
However, when Allah says:
(And know that Allah is with Al-Muttaqun (the pious))
[Al-Baqarah, 194]
This is the exclusive accompaniment and it means that Allah is with you protecting, helping and supporting you, giving you triumph and prosperity.
The prophet PBUH showed us those levels of faith:
• The lowest of which is to be submissive to Allah’s method.
• Then comes the level of faith: which is to draw closer to Allah and connect with Him.
• The highest is the level of Ihsan (doing the best): which is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and to believe beyond doubt that though you can’t see Him, He sees you.
Dear brothers, the true believer never doubts that he is watched (by Allah):
If someday you are alone never say I am alone*** But say: I am watched
You will submit and abide by Allah’s method when you know for sure that Allah is with you in privacy, publicity, and when you speak out or talk to your inner self. Allah is the One who knows the secrets and what is more hidden, and is Aware of what you speak, hide, or what is hidden from you.
Some scholars said:
Allah knows what took place, what is taking place, what will take place and what never takes place, how would it have been if it were to take place?
Allah knows everything hidden from you, hence, Allah says:
(So invoke not with Allah another ilah (god) lest you be among those who receive punishment. And warn your tribe (O Muhammad) of near kindred. And be kind and humble to the believers who follow you. Then if they disobey you, say: “I am innocent of what you do.” And put your trust in the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, Who sees you (O Muhammad) when you stand up (alone at night for Tahajjud prayers). And your movements among those who fall prostrate (along with you to Allah in the five compulsory congregational prayers).)
[Al-Shu’ara, 213-219]
You submit and abide by Allah’s method when you know that Allah is with you knowing all about you whether you are alone or with others, at home or at work, on travel or in your residence, happy or sad, and He knows the slightest details of your relation with your wife. When you know that, you keep disciplined and obedient.
However, dear brothers, the Prophet PBUH assured us of Allah’s mercy by saying:
Allah the Almighty overlooks my nation’s inner self talks, unless they bring them to action or talk about them
[Bukhari and Muslim]
We won’t be held accountable for our thoughts or inner speech unless they turn into acts or words, as both are considered of man’s actions, and when you believe with no doubt that you are accountable for your words exactly like your deeds, you watch your mouth:
A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and west
[Bukhârî and Muslim]
Accusing a chaste woman of fornication annuls the acts of worship of a whole year
[Tabarani and Bazzar]
You watch your mouth when you know that you will be held accountable for your words (which are the actions of the mouth) as well as your deeds (which are the actions of the body), and you should know that the faith of a man cannot be straight unless his heart is straight, and his heart cannot be straight unless his tongue becomes straight.
However, if we ignore much of these whispers and thoughts, and if we turn a blind eye to them, they might turn into potential, which would turn into a will that will turn into an act, and we get into trouble.
Though we are not going to be held accountable for bad thoughts and whispers, we should resist them, for, if a thought was the gate to an act, it would turn into a sin.
A thought could lead to an idea which leading to a potential leading to a will and finally turning into an act.
If such thoughts were in creed, the thought could turn into an idea which could turn into a potential leading to a will causing into doubt and leading eventually to Kufr (Atheism) and deviation from the religion.
Hence, we should resist ideas that don’t please Allah the Almighty, though we are not going to be held accountable for them, for, if these ideas thrive, they will turn into acts, leading to polytheism (Shirk), or to deviation in the religion.
Dear brothers, Allah says:
(And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).)
[Al-Isra’, 36]
You should sift what you hear and check what you see, because the prophet PBUH said that Allah the Exalted said:
…And My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks…
[Bukhari]
This means that he won’t walk but to a good destination, won’t strike but in Allah’s cause, won’t hear but what is accepted in Allah’s method, and won’t accept less than that, not to mention that his vision will be inspired by the light of Allah.
Dear brothers:
(Verily! The hearing, the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).)
[Al-Isra’, 36]
Fear Allah wherever you are
Wherever you are, whether in your country, between your relatives, with so many people around you, or in a travel where no one can see you, and you are able to do whatever you wish, you should fear Allah.
Lots of countries force their citizens to perform Salah, but when they travel abroad, they stop praying and indulge themselves in sin. This is not an accepted practice.
Fear Allah wherever you are
In privacy, in public, in prosperity, in adversity, in your home country, in a distant country, or wherever you exist, you should fear Allah.
Some scholars added to this meaning: In any position you occupy, i.e. in any high position you might occupy, you should fear Allah.
Fear Allah if you are rich, powerful, working in guiding people, or whatever you are. Hence, wherever you are, whatever your position is, you should fear Allah, because the Ayah says:
(Wheresoever you may be, Allah will bring you together (on the Day of Resurrection))
[Al-Baqarah, 148]
Arrows of death keep penetrating
The shielded body in armor
Yet you are not cautious or attentive
Like the lumberjack who works at dawn
You seek safety without attaining its requirements
Verify, ship never sails on dry land
Dear brothers, feeling that Allah is with you wherever you exist and in any position you occupy, is a sign of your faith.
Some are taken up with power sometimes to the extent that they forget fearing Allah, and wealth does the same as well.
Hence, if you were powerful, wealthy, in a position that puts you in the spot of light, poor, weak, sick, in your home country, or in a distant country, you should fear Allah.
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
Dear brothers, Allah installed desires in each one of us so that we sublime, either by being patient (when we can’t fulfill our desires according to Allah’s method) or by being grateful (when we fulfill our desires in the clean channels that Allah made for us), to the Lord of earth and heavens.
Dear brothers, these desires have neutral nature, as you have the ability to express them in a range of 180 degree angle, yet, Allah’s method restrict your movement by limits, and you are asked to fulfill those desires according to Allah’s method. The evidence is in the following Ayah:
(And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?)
[Al-Qasas, 50]
The opposite meaning will be: If you fulfill your desires according to Allah’s guidance, then you are on the safe side. Therefore, these desires are neutral, and they are either steps to sublime or to fall down. The Noble Ayah says:
(Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life;)
[Aal-‘Imran, 14]
However dear brothers, man is between ups and downs, once he glows, and once he fades, and then he might slip into sins. Therefore, the prophet PBUH said:
All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent frequently
[Tirmisi, Hadith Hasan]
The prophet PBUH is the only infallible person. However, pious people are infallible in a different way, as sins don’t hurt them because they retreat promptly and repent quickly.
Hence, prophets are infallible and the pious are protected because they know how to repent quickly, and what marks the believer is his repentance, namely, he is oft-repentant.
Therefore, if one slips into sins he/she should repent. Allah tells us, giving a glad tiding to the believers:
(And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad) are amongst them.)
[Al-Anfal, 33]
As long as they abide by Allah’s method in their lives, houses, in raising their children, in their earning, in choosing their wives, in their movements in life, in giving and withholding, in anger and content.
And as long as Muslims abide by the Prophetic Sunnah in their lives, they are safe from Allah’s torment. However, Allah’s mercy gives you another kind of safety if you repent and ask Allah’s forgiveness when you sin:
(Nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah’s) Forgiveness)
[Al-Anfal, 33]
Hence:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
One should seek Allah’s forgiveness when he/she commits a sin, and he should follow the sin with a good deed. However, the first repentance is easy, yet when you sin again, you realize that a veil is drawn between you and Allah, therefore, you should add to your repentance and forgiveness seeking a good deed in order to mend the shortcoming which occurs because of that sin.
Therefore:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
In other words, repenting again when you sin again is not enough because of the veil drawn between you and Allah, and that requires a good deed to mend the shortcoming.
Alms-giving is one of the good deeds that mend the shortcoming, and volunteer fasting is another good deed. This explains the saying of the Prophet PBUH:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
Because Allah says:
(Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins))
[Al-Hud, 114]
All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent frequently
[Tirmisi, Hadith Hasan]
Therefore, the gate to repentance is wide open. Better yet, Allah says:
(Allah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path.)
[Al-Nisa’, 27]
The second sentence of the Hadith means that you should look after your heart, watch yourself, think over your situation with Allah asking yourself: Is there a veil between me and Allah? Is the path to Allah passable? Is your submission to Allah good? Do you perform salat properly? Do you feel any veil between you and Allah?
Allah says:
(The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)])
[Al-Shu’ara, 88-89]
Scholars said: the clean heart is the one free of desires which don’t please Allah, the one free of creed which contradict with Allah’s revelation, the one free of resorting to other than Allah’s law, and the clean heart is the one free of worshiping other than Allah:
(The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [pure from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)])
[Al-Shu’ara, 88-89]
The clean heart is the heart that is free from forbidden desires, wrong ideologies, following other than Allah’s legislation, and worship to other than Allah.
The first idea in this noble testament is to worship Allah, to fear Him wherever you are and in any position you occupy.
The second idea is to look after your heart, to meditate in order to know whether you are submissive to Allah or not, connected with Allah or not, and whether the path to Allah is passable or not, whether Allah is pleased with you or not?
What should you do in respect of the second fact?
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
You might sin, slip, or incline the right path, in these cases you should be alerted before it is too late. That is why some of the prophet’s followers: Each one of the forty companions I met thought he was a hypocrite (because they held themselves accountable). Moreover, some of them said: A believer is between ups and downs more than forty times per day, whereas the hypocrite is in a status quo for forty years, because he/she doesn’t look after his/her heart, doesn’t care about his/her connection with Allah, and isn’t punctilious in his behavior, hence, he is absentminded, distracted and heedless.
And behave decently towards people
This is about your relation with the society.
Dear brothers, there is an inevitable concomitance between commitment to religion and straight behavior, and the prophet PBUH defined the main purpose of his delegation and the method of his mission saying:
I was sent as an educator
[Al Harith]
The prophet PBUH said:
I was sent to complete good manners
[Al Hakem]
The prophet PBUH defined this religion, which is the last divine message as good manners.
Dear brothers, it is out of profound wisdom that the prophet PBUH was sent as an educator, and for that he said:
Teach and don’t repulse, as the teacher is better than the repulse
[Al Harith]
The Ayas confirms this truth:
(Have you seen him who denies the Recompense? That is he who repulses the orphan (harshly))
[Al-Maa’oon, 1-2]
There is a tight connection between the right commitment to religion and good behavior:
(But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts)
[Al-Qasas, 50]
Dear brothers:
The prophet PBUH said:
He who is not trustworthy has no faith, and he who does not keep his promise has no religion
[Ahmad]
There is also an tight connection between the straight behavior and the true faith.
And in another Hadith:
Indeed hayaa’ (modesty) and Iman (faith) are Companions. When one of them goes away, the other away as well
[Al Hakem, Hadith Sahih]
Dear brothers, faith is the foundation of morals, the leash of lusts, and the core of consciences.
Dear brothers, I will read some authentic Ahadith of the Prophet PBUH about morals and their relation with faith. The prophet PBUH said:
The believer with the most complete faith is the one who has the best manners
[Tirmizi]
Having noble manners is the peak of Islam and faith, and the most beloved to Allah among people is the owner of the best manners.
The closest among people to the prophet PBUH on the Day of Resurrection is the owner of the best manners.
Good manners are the best blessing that man gains, and are the great boon that Allah might give a slave.
The prophet PBUH said:
Nothing is heavier on the scale of a believer on the Day of Judgment than good manners
[Abu Dawood, and Tirmizi]
The prophet PBUH said also:
A believer will attain by his good behavior the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day
[Abu Dawod, By Aisha]
Praying all night and fasting all day long are hard acts of worship, yet you can gain twice the benefit by having good manners.
Furthermore, one can attain by his good behavior the best place in paradise, not to mention that morals erase sins just as water melts ice, and bad manners corrupt deeds as the vinegar corrupts honey.
The prophet PBUH said:
Do you know who is the bankrupt?” They said: “The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property”. He said, “The real bankrupt of my Ummah is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum and Sadaqah (charity), (but he finds himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be given to those he hurt. If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be put on him and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire.
[Muslim and Tirmizi]
You should believe that what the prophet said is the absolute truth, and that he doesn’t speak out of desire. The Prophet PBUH said:
A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She did not give it to eat or to drink when it was confined, nor did she set it free so that it might eat the vermin of the earth
[Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Huraira narrated that a person once told the Prophet PBUH about a woman who spent the day fasting and the night praying but who used to hurt her neighbors with bad words. He said: “she is in hell”. Then the man told him about another woman who didn’t perform much prayer or fasting nor paid much charity, but she never hurt her neighbors. The Prophet PBUH replied, ‘She will enter Paradise.’
[Al Hakem]
Can you see the status of morals in Islam through the previous Ayat and Ahadith.
Some scholars said:
Faith is all about morals, and whatever increases your morals will indeed increase your faith
Wisdom, mercy, modesty, gentleness, altruism, justice, and piety are what attract people to this religion. Two Rak’as ( units of prayer) performed by a pious person are better than a thousand rak’s performed of one who mixes good deeds with bad ones.
Dear brothers:
Fear Allah wherever you are
Fear Allah wherever you are, in any position, in any condition, in wealth or poverty, in weakness or power, in prosperity and in adversity, and whether you have a high academic degree or a low one
Fear Allah wherever you are
In other words, you should obey Allah and abide by His method.
Whenever a brother seeks any advice before traveling abroad I offer him one advice only: Obey Allah the Almighty.
Fear Allah wherever you are
This is your relation with Allah.
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
If you slipped and sinned rush to repent, and if you realize that repentance is not enough to bring you back to the right path because the sin is repeated, then follow your sin with a good deed, as the latter will wipe out the former.
Repentance, seeking forgiveness, and good deeds are soap that washes out sins, and you feel pure again, your shortcoming can be fixed, and the crack in your relation with Allah can be mended.
Dear brothers, one more thing:
And behave decently towards people
If harsh people carry this great religion in preaching or dealing with others, people will reject it, and the proof to that is the perfection, morals and eloquence of the Master of mankind, the beloved to Allah, the infallible, the best of sons of Adam, the One who was given miracles, and the one who was given the revelation (the prophet PBUH), as Allah said to him:
(And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you)
[Aal-‘Imran, 159]
Despite the revelation, the miracles, and the eloquence, had you beeb severe and harsh-hearted, people would have broken away from you:
(And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah’s) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah)
[Aal-‘Imran, 159]
Dear brothers,
Believers owned hearts because of their perfection, and powerful people owned the necks because of their power, and the difference between the two is huge.
Thousands of years passed after all the prophets died, yet, every time the prophet PBUH is mentioned, hearts moves with love to him, because he owned hearts, whereas powerful people owned the necks while they were still alive amongst their kindred, yet, hearts broke away from them.
The triumph is to own hearts not necks. People are either followers to a prophet or to a powerful person. The followers of the prophet PBUH use modesty, justice, kindness, perfection, mercy and faithfulness, whereas those who follow powerful people use their power only.
Dear brothers:
The prophet PBUH was the most merciful of mankind towards mankind, and He was a good example for all believers:
(Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow)
[Al-Ahzab, 21]
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
Fear Allah wherever you are
This is your relation with Allah the Almighty
Do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
This is your relation with yourself.
And behave decently towards people
This is your relation with the society
Your relations are of three kinds, no matter how much they varied or increased in numbers: Your relation with Allah, with yourself, and with your society.
The above Hadith is a sufficient, inclusive, and summarized advice which included the basic rules of dealing with Allah the Almighty, dealing with one’s self, and dealing with other people.
Fear Allah wherever you are
Where are you?
You are in the kingdom of Allah, and under His control.
Wherever you go, in any country and any place, you should know that Allah is with you (by His Knowledge), Allah says:
(And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be)
[Al-Hadid, 4]
Scholars of interpretation said: The general accompaniment of Allah means: His knowledge.
Hence, one is within Allah’s kingdom and under His control. No human being, even if he/she was Kafir (atheist), is out of the reach of Allah’s fate.
(Or those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)?)
[Al-Ankabut, 4]
The meaning of “outstrip us” is that they thought they were far from Allah’s control, and that they were free to do whatever they likes, without being held accountable for their deeds, and without punishment, which is the opposite of the meaning of this ayah.
Dear brothers:
You should believe with no doubt that you are under Allah’s control, in Allah’s kingdom. Allah knows all your conditions, He hears all your words as He is the All-knower and the All-Hearing. He knows what chests conceal, he hears you when you whisper to yourself, and He is aware of every move you make as he is the All-Seeing.
You meet the minimum limits of faith when you believe that Allah is with you wherever you are and when you know for sure that He Knows, He will hold you accountable, and will punish for sins.
Dear brothers, this is a very critical Ayah which indicates that Allah is with you (by His Knowledge) :
(And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be)
[Al-Hadid, 4]
However, when Allah says:
(And know that Allah is with Al-Muttaqun (the pious))
[Al-Baqarah, 194]
This is the exclusive accompaniment and it means that Allah is with you protecting, helping and supporting you, giving you triumph and prosperity.
The prophet PBUH showed us those levels of faith:
• The lowest of which is to be submissive to Allah’s method.
• Then comes the level of faith: which is to draw closer to Allah and connect with Him.
• The highest is the level of Ihsan (doing the best): which is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and to believe beyond doubt that though you can’t see Him, He sees you.
Dear brothers, the true believer never doubts that he is watched (by Allah):
If someday you are alone never say I am alone*** But say: I am watched
You will submit and abide by Allah’s method when you know for sure that Allah is with you in privacy, publicity, and when you speak out or talk to your inner self. Allah is the One who knows the secrets and what is more hidden, and is Aware of what you speak, hide, or what is hidden from you.
Some scholars said:
Allah knows what took place, what is taking place, what will take place and what never takes place, how would it have been if it were to take place?
Allah knows everything hidden from you, hence, Allah says:
(So invoke not with Allah another ilah (god) lest you be among those who receive punishment. And warn your tribe (O Muhammad) of near kindred. And be kind and humble to the believers who follow you. Then if they disobey you, say: “I am innocent of what you do.” And put your trust in the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, Who sees you (O Muhammad) when you stand up (alone at night for Tahajjud prayers). And your movements among those who fall prostrate (along with you to Allah in the five compulsory congregational prayers).)
[Al-Shu’ara, 213-219]
You submit and abide by Allah’s method when you know that Allah is with you knowing all about you whether you are alone or with others, at home or at work, on travel or in your residence, happy or sad, and He knows the slightest details of your relation with your wife. When you know that, you keep disciplined and obedient.
However, dear brothers, the Prophet PBUH assured us of Allah’s mercy by saying:
Allah the Almighty overlooks my nation’s inner self talks, unless they bring them to action or talk about them
[Bukhari and Muslim]
We won’t be held accountable for our thoughts or inner speech unless they turn into acts or words, as both are considered of man’s actions, and when you believe with no doubt that you are accountable for your words exactly like your deeds, you watch your mouth:
A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and west
[Bukhârî and Muslim]
Accusing a chaste woman of fornication annuls the acts of worship of a whole year
[Tabarani and Bazzar]
You watch your mouth when you know that you will be held accountable for your words (which are the actions of the mouth) as well as your deeds (which are the actions of the body), and you should know that the faith of a man cannot be straight unless his heart is straight, and his heart cannot be straight unless his tongue becomes straight.
However, if we ignore much of these whispers and thoughts, and if we turn a blind eye to them, they might turn into potential, which would turn into a will that will turn into an act, and we get into trouble.
Though we are not going to be held accountable for bad thoughts and whispers, we should resist them, for, if a thought was the gate to an act, it would turn into a sin.
A thought could lead to an idea which leading to a potential leading to a will and finally turning into an act.
If such thoughts were in creed, the thought could turn into an idea which could turn into a potential leading to a will causing into doubt and leading eventually to Kufr (Atheism) and deviation from the religion.
Hence, we should resist ideas that don’t please Allah the Almighty, though we are not going to be held accountable for them, for, if these ideas thrive, they will turn into acts, leading to polytheism (Shirk), or to deviation in the religion.
Dear brothers, Allah says:
(And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).)
[Al-Isra’, 36]
You should sift what you hear and check what you see, because the prophet PBUH said that Allah the Exalted said:
…And My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks…
[Bukhari]
This means that he won’t walk but to a good destination, won’t strike but in Allah’s cause, won’t hear but what is accepted in Allah’s method, and won’t accept less than that, not to mention that his vision will be inspired by the light of Allah.
Dear brothers:
(Verily! The hearing, the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).)
[Al-Isra’, 36]
Fear Allah wherever you are
Wherever you are, whether in your country, between your relatives, with so many people around you, or in a travel where no one can see you, and you are able to do whatever you wish, you should fear Allah.
Lots of countries force their citizens to perform Salah, but when they travel abroad, they stop praying and indulge themselves in sin. This is not an accepted practice.
Fear Allah wherever you are
In privacy, in public, in prosperity, in adversity, in your home country, in a distant country, or wherever you exist, you should fear Allah.
Some scholars added to this meaning: In any position you occupy, i.e. in any high position you might occupy, you should fear Allah.
Fear Allah if you are rich, powerful, working in guiding people, or whatever you are. Hence, wherever you are, whatever your position is, you should fear Allah, because the Ayah says:
(Wheresoever you may be, Allah will bring you together (on the Day of Resurrection))
[Al-Baqarah, 148]
Arrows of death keep penetrating
The shielded body in armor
Yet you are not cautious or attentive
Like the lumberjack who works at dawn
You seek safety without attaining its requirements
Verify, ship never sails on dry land
Dear brothers, feeling that Allah is with you wherever you exist and in any position you occupy, is a sign of your faith.
Some are taken up with power sometimes to the extent that they forget fearing Allah, and wealth does the same as well.
Hence, if you were powerful, wealthy, in a position that puts you in the spot of light, poor, weak, sick, in your home country, or in a distant country, you should fear Allah.
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
Dear brothers, Allah installed desires in each one of us so that we sublime, either by being patient (when we can’t fulfill our desires according to Allah’s method) or by being grateful (when we fulfill our desires in the clean channels that Allah made for us), to the Lord of earth and heavens.
Dear brothers, these desires have neutral nature, as you have the ability to express them in a range of 180 degree angle, yet, Allah’s method restrict your movement by limits, and you are asked to fulfill those desires according to Allah’s method. The evidence is in the following Ayah:
(And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah?)
[Al-Qasas, 50]
The opposite meaning will be: If you fulfill your desires according to Allah’s guidance, then you are on the safe side. Therefore, these desires are neutral, and they are either steps to sublime or to fall down. The Noble Ayah says:
(Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life;)
[Aal-‘Imran, 14]
However dear brothers, man is between ups and downs, once he glows, and once he fades, and then he might slip into sins. Therefore, the prophet PBUH said:
All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent frequently
[Tirmisi, Hadith Hasan]
The prophet PBUH is the only infallible person. However, pious people are infallible in a different way, as sins don’t hurt them because they retreat promptly and repent quickly.
Hence, prophets are infallible and the pious are protected because they know how to repent quickly, and what marks the believer is his repentance, namely, he is oft-repentant.
Therefore, if one slips into sins he/she should repent. Allah tells us, giving a glad tiding to the believers:
(And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad) are amongst them.)
[Al-Anfal, 33]
As long as they abide by Allah’s method in their lives, houses, in raising their children, in their earning, in choosing their wives, in their movements in life, in giving and withholding, in anger and content.
And as long as Muslims abide by the Prophetic Sunnah in their lives, they are safe from Allah’s torment. However, Allah’s mercy gives you another kind of safety if you repent and ask Allah’s forgiveness when you sin:
(Nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah’s) Forgiveness)
[Al-Anfal, 33]
Hence:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
One should seek Allah’s forgiveness when he/she commits a sin, and he should follow the sin with a good deed. However, the first repentance is easy, yet when you sin again, you realize that a veil is drawn between you and Allah, therefore, you should add to your repentance and forgiveness seeking a good deed in order to mend the shortcoming which occurs because of that sin.
Therefore:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
In other words, repenting again when you sin again is not enough because of the veil drawn between you and Allah, and that requires a good deed to mend the shortcoming.
Alms-giving is one of the good deeds that mend the shortcoming, and volunteer fasting is another good deed. This explains the saying of the Prophet PBUH:
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
Because Allah says:
(Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins))
[Al-Hud, 114]
All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent frequently
[Tirmisi, Hadith Hasan]
Therefore, the gate to repentance is wide open. Better yet, Allah says:
(Allah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path.)
[Al-Nisa’, 27]
The second sentence of the Hadith means that you should look after your heart, watch yourself, think over your situation with Allah asking yourself: Is there a veil between me and Allah? Is the path to Allah passable? Is your submission to Allah good? Do you perform salat properly? Do you feel any veil between you and Allah?
Allah says:
(The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)])
[Al-Shu’ara, 88-89]
Scholars said: the clean heart is the one free of desires which don’t please Allah, the one free of creed which contradict with Allah’s revelation, the one free of resorting to other than Allah’s law, and the clean heart is the one free of worshiping other than Allah:
(The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart [pure from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifaq (hypocrisy)])
[Al-Shu’ara, 88-89]
The clean heart is the heart that is free from forbidden desires, wrong ideologies, following other than Allah’s legislation, and worship to other than Allah.
The first idea in this noble testament is to worship Allah, to fear Him wherever you are and in any position you occupy.
The second idea is to look after your heart, to meditate in order to know whether you are submissive to Allah or not, connected with Allah or not, and whether the path to Allah is passable or not, whether Allah is pleased with you or not?
What should you do in respect of the second fact?
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
You might sin, slip, or incline the right path, in these cases you should be alerted before it is too late. That is why some of the prophet’s followers: Each one of the forty companions I met thought he was a hypocrite (because they held themselves accountable). Moreover, some of them said: A believer is between ups and downs more than forty times per day, whereas the hypocrite is in a status quo for forty years, because he/she doesn’t look after his/her heart, doesn’t care about his/her connection with Allah, and isn’t punctilious in his behavior, hence, he is absentminded, distracted and heedless.
And behave decently towards people
This is about your relation with the society.
Dear brothers, there is an inevitable concomitance between commitment to religion and straight behavior, and the prophet PBUH defined the main purpose of his delegation and the method of his mission saying:
I was sent as an educator
[Al Harith]
The prophet PBUH said:
I was sent to complete good manners
[Al Hakem]
The prophet PBUH defined this religion, which is the last divine message as good manners.
Dear brothers, it is out of profound wisdom that the prophet PBUH was sent as an educator, and for that he said:
Teach and don’t repulse, as the teacher is better than the repulse
[Al Harith]
The Ayas confirms this truth:
(Have you seen him who denies the Recompense? That is he who repulses the orphan (harshly))
[Al-Maa’oon, 1-2]
There is a tight connection between the right commitment to religion and good behavior:
(But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts)
[Al-Qasas, 50]
Dear brothers:
The prophet PBUH said:
He who is not trustworthy has no faith, and he who does not keep his promise has no religion
[Ahmad]
There is also an tight connection between the straight behavior and the true faith.
And in another Hadith:
Indeed hayaa’ (modesty) and Iman (faith) are Companions. When one of them goes away, the other away as well
[Al Hakem, Hadith Sahih]
Dear brothers, faith is the foundation of morals, the leash of lusts, and the core of consciences.
Dear brothers, I will read some authentic Ahadith of the Prophet PBUH about morals and their relation with faith. The prophet PBUH said:
The believer with the most complete faith is the one who has the best manners
[Tirmizi]
Having noble manners is the peak of Islam and faith, and the most beloved to Allah among people is the owner of the best manners.
The closest among people to the prophet PBUH on the Day of Resurrection is the owner of the best manners.
Good manners are the best blessing that man gains, and are the great boon that Allah might give a slave.
The prophet PBUH said:
Nothing is heavier on the scale of a believer on the Day of Judgment than good manners
[Abu Dawood, and Tirmizi]
The prophet PBUH said also:
A believer will attain by his good behavior the rank of one who prays during the night and observes fasting during the day
[Abu Dawod, By Aisha]
Praying all night and fasting all day long are hard acts of worship, yet you can gain twice the benefit by having good manners.
Furthermore, one can attain by his good behavior the best place in paradise, not to mention that morals erase sins just as water melts ice, and bad manners corrupt deeds as the vinegar corrupts honey.
The prophet PBUH said:
Do you know who is the bankrupt?” They said: “The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property”. He said, “The real bankrupt of my Ummah is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum and Sadaqah (charity), (but he finds himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be given to those he hurt. If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be put on him and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire.
[Muslim and Tirmizi]
You should believe that what the prophet said is the absolute truth, and that he doesn’t speak out of desire. The Prophet PBUH said:
A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she had confined until it died. She did not give it to eat or to drink when it was confined, nor did she set it free so that it might eat the vermin of the earth
[Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Huraira narrated that a person once told the Prophet PBUH about a woman who spent the day fasting and the night praying but who used to hurt her neighbors with bad words. He said: “she is in hell”. Then the man told him about another woman who didn’t perform much prayer or fasting nor paid much charity, but she never hurt her neighbors. The Prophet PBUH replied, ‘She will enter Paradise.’
[Al Hakem]
Can you see the status of morals in Islam through the previous Ayat and Ahadith.
Some scholars said:
Faith is all about morals, and whatever increases your morals will indeed increase your faith
Wisdom, mercy, modesty, gentleness, altruism, justice, and piety are what attract people to this religion. Two Rak’as ( units of prayer) performed by a pious person are better than a thousand rak’s performed of one who mixes good deeds with bad ones.
Dear brothers:
Fear Allah wherever you are
Fear Allah wherever you are, in any position, in any condition, in wealth or poverty, in weakness or power, in prosperity and in adversity, and whether you have a high academic degree or a low one
Fear Allah wherever you are
In other words, you should obey Allah and abide by His method.
Whenever a brother seeks any advice before traveling abroad I offer him one advice only: Obey Allah the Almighty.
Fear Allah wherever you are
This is your relation with Allah.
And do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter
If you slipped and sinned rush to repent, and if you realize that repentance is not enough to bring you back to the right path because the sin is repeated, then follow your sin with a good deed, as the latter will wipe out the former.
Repentance, seeking forgiveness, and good deeds are soap that washes out sins, and you feel pure again, your shortcoming can be fixed, and the crack in your relation with Allah can be mended.
Dear brothers, one more thing:
And behave decently towards people
If harsh people carry this great religion in preaching or dealing with others, people will reject it, and the proof to that is the perfection, morals and eloquence of the Master of mankind, the beloved to Allah, the infallible, the best of sons of Adam, the One who was given miracles, and the one who was given the revelation (the prophet PBUH), as Allah said to him:
(And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you)
[Aal-‘Imran, 159]
Despite the revelation, the miracles, and the eloquence, had you beeb severe and harsh-hearted, people would have broken away from you:
(And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah’s) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah)
[Aal-‘Imran, 159]
Dear brothers,
Believers owned hearts because of their perfection, and powerful people owned the necks because of their power, and the difference between the two is huge.
Thousands of years passed after all the prophets died, yet, every time the prophet PBUH is mentioned, hearts moves with love to him, because he owned hearts, whereas powerful people owned the necks while they were still alive amongst their kindred, yet, hearts broke away from them.
The triumph is to own hearts not necks. People are either followers to a prophet or to a powerful person. The followers of the prophet PBUH use modesty, justice, kindness, perfection, mercy and faithfulness, whereas those who follow powerful people use their power only.
Dear brothers:
The prophet PBUH was the most merciful of mankind towards mankind, and He was a good example for all believers:
(Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow)
[Al-Ahzab, 21]
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds