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Slaves of the Most Merciful

C L A S S 4

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Introduction

Allah gives us the characteristics of Ibaad Ur Rahman. They are the ideal people. In the previous class we studied the major sins that the Ibaad Ur Rahman do not commit. And in case they commit the major sins they get double punishment and if they repent they will get double reward.

1st condition - Tauba Allah is watching our hearts. Allah knows the person who has tendency to commit sins. Allah will first deal with such a person with mercy so he realizes and clarify his heart. Allah will not punish the person immediately as He does not hasten the punishment. However if a person insists in committing the sin then he needs repentance. When a person wants to repent this feeling to repent is coming from Allah. The feeling to repent is the first seed from Allah. Allah will put the seed for the person, as it is provision from Allah. In the beginning Allah will give this feeling to everyone as Allah is pushing us for repentance. The Tauba is a provision from Allah to which different people will react differently. We have the following 3 groups:

1. 1st group is of those people who realize on feeling guilty that this feeling from Allah and they hasten to Allah to accept their repentance/

2. 2nd group comprises of people who will ignore the seed of repentance. Then gradually due to ignorance the seed will go away and then after a while they will not feel guilty or feel the need to repent. This is because the feeling is taken away as it is provision from Allah.

3. 3rd group comprises of people who realize they are guilty but they postpone the “Tauba”.

We need to straight away grab the opportunity for “Tauba” as it is a provision from Allah. “Tauba” is like heat in the heart to make us go to Allah. We should not postpone it, delay it or ignore it. Allah gives the provision to everyone and it is upto us to accept it, ignore it or to delay it.

We want to be among the group who hasten toward Tauba. When a person hastens towards repentance, Allah will test him for a short time to check if he is sincere and truthful in his repentance. The test will not last for forever but its purpose is to tell us if we are serious in our truthfulness. The different forms of test are as follows:

1. There will be a test from the people – e.g. if one choose to not go to a gathering where there is music, the people go against him. At that time he needs to return to Allah

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2. The other test can be prior to repentance a person may love the haram but doing anything haram was difficult for him and there were obstacles for him. However as soon as he repents there will be no struggle and it is very easy for him to commit sin i.e. the means to sin will be easy and without any obstacle. We need to understand how Allah is dealing with us. The Shaitaan tells us the sin comes easy so it is good, while in reality Allah is testing us for a short time. As soon as we will cross the test (obstacle) it will be over. This means if we quit the sin and return to Allah then the test will be over but if we are not sure then the test will prolong. It is we ourselves who prolong our exams by thinking. Allah is At-Tawab he is providing people with the seeds of Tauba but people are not benefitting.

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "Allah the Almighty said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.'" [At-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.]

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When a slave of Allah repents, Allah loves that his servant returns to him so Allah appreciates when one person repents. Allah accepts the Tauba if a person is sincere in his Tauba.

There is another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said: The Quraysh said to the Prophet , "Ask your Lord to turn As-Safa' into gold and we will believe in you.'' He said, (Will you really do that) They said, "Yes.'' So he asked his Lord, and Jibril came to him and said: "Your Lord conveys His Salam to you and says, `If you wish, I will turn As-Safa' into gold for them, then whoever of them disbelieves after that, will be punished with a torment the like of which has never be seen in creation; or if you wish, I will open the gates of repentance and mercy for them.''' He said, (Rather the gates of repentance and mercy

Therefore we must understand that it is a gift from Allah when He makes it easy for us to repent.

2nd condition - Renew the belief The second condition is that one needs to renew his belief as when someone commits a sin the faith goes down. We need to take care of our heart with belief as the sins spoil the faith. Sins make the fabric of faith torn. On the Day of Judgment people will be dressed according to their faith. Some will have very short dresses and some people will be dragging their dress due to its length.

Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 8.800B, Narrated Ikrima from Ibn Abbas

Allah's Apostle said, "When a slave (of Allah) commits illegal sexual intercourse, he is not a believer at the time of committing it; and if he steals, he is not a believer at the time of stealing; and if he drinks an alcoholic drink, when he is not a believer at the time of drinking it; and he is not a believer when he commits a murder." 'Ikrima said: I asked Ibn Abbas, "How is faith taken away from him?" He said, Like this," by clasping his hands and then separating them, and added, "But if he repents, faith returns to him like this," by clasping his hands again.

When one believes that Allah is All knower, he will not commit a sin.

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3rd condition - Righteous deeds

The third condition is we need to do righteous good deeds. These are deeds should be for the sake of Allah. The more we have the knowledge the more we want to do righteous good deeds

In the Quran Allah says that one of the things that we need to follow our repentance is good deeds. The righteous good deeds remove any stains left behind by the sin.

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

A man kissed a woman. So he came to the Prophet SAW and informed him about it. Then Allah revealed this Ayah: "And perform the Salat, between the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds efface the evil deeds (i.e., minor sins)." (11:114) The man asked the Messenger of Allah () whether this applies to him only. The Messenger of Allah () said, "It applies to all of my Ummah." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

When the three conditions are fulfilled Allah will then replace the sins with good deeds. There is hadith of the Prophet SAW that on the Day of Judgment one person will come and will be screened by Allah, Allah will talk to him and tell him his sins and the person will admit to his sins. Then due to his repentance in the Duniya Allah will say I will replace all the sins with good deeds. Then the person will say there are other sins you did not count for me.

Allah will give the replacement according to how big is the sin. The replacement will be in the Duniya and the Akhirah. How Allah will exchange in the Duniya? All the evil things that a person used to do will be replaced by good deeds. Therefore the person will be reformed as a whole and will be a new person in the Duniya and his sins will be replaced by good deeds in the Akhirah.

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Allah is Ghafoor and Rahim and we are benefitting from the names of Allah. Why does Allah exchange the bad deeds with the good deeds on o repentance? This is because He is Ghafoor (All forgiving) for those who seek his forgiveness and they are hastening towards his forgiveness. How much Allah is willing to forgive us can be seen in the following hadith related in Sahīh al-Bukhārī and Sahīh Muslim: Someone committed a sin and then said: “O Allah! Forgive me my sin.” Allah said: “My servant committed a sin, but knew that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes sins.” Then he committed the sin again and said: “My Lord! Forgive me my sin.” Allah said: “My servant committed a sin, but knew that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes sins.” Then he committed the sin again and said: “My Lord! Forgive me my sin.”

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Allah said: “My servant committed a sin, but knew that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes sins. Do as you will, for I have forgiven you.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (7507) and Sahīh Muslim (2758) Allah mentioned in the Quran that He is able to create us as angels but he wants that with our faults we return to him and he will perfect for us There is a Hadith of the Prophet SAW “I swear by Him in whose hand is my soul, if you were a people who did not commit sin, Allah would take you away and replace you with a people who would sin and then seek Allah’s forgiveness so He could forgive them.” [Sahīh Muslim In the Ayah it is mentioned Allah is Ghafoor and Raheem. Ghafoor means expiation of sins and Raheem means mercy. Ghafoor - We need Allah’s forgiveness to protect us from hell fire. Mercy - We need Allah’s mercy to go to Paradise. When we believe Allah is All Forgiving, our action of the heart is that we hasten for Tauba. When we know Allah is The Most Merciful we run to Allah hoping from his mercy. We need both the two things in order to be reformed.

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The next Ayah tells us after a person repents it maybe that he commits minor sins. First Tauba needs three things. The second Tauba for when one makes small mistakes is to repent to Allah and do good deeds. When one repents he wants to show Allah that he came to Him Our routine should be to do good deeds in our life. If one acquires the knowledge and joins the study circles for the sake of Allah then all his sins will be replaced with good deeds. This is trade with Allah

ا .means sincere, true, complete repentance متاب What makes a person to return to Allah even for small sins?

1. Fear / Khauf - he does not say small things are not a problem 2. Shyness from Allah - He does not want any stain when he is in front of Allah.

Outer Characterist ics of “Ibaad Ur Rahman” contd. .

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9 t h o u t s i d e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c – S o c i a l L i f e 1st Part - Don’t Witness Falsehood

The Ibaad Ur Rahman do not witness and are not present in وورر وورر What is .ٱٱلز ? ٱٱلز

وورر is falsehood. This means any gathering that are based on falsehood are not ٱٱلزattended by the Ibaad ur Rahman. This means Ibaad Ur Rahman

1. Do not indulge in any forbidden talk (backbite, slander, insult, mocking etc.) 2. Do not participate in any gathering where there is actions of falsehood (singing,

music, dancing acting etc.) this includes theaters, cinemas, TV etc Ibaad Ur Rahman avoid such gatherings because if one sits with people talking falsehood they will end up talking the same. 2st Part - Vain Talk There are three types of talk

1. Good 2. Falsehood – Haraam. 3. Idle Talk /Vain Talk (not sin)

وواا means pass by and not any intentional visit. This means the Ibaad Ur Rahman مرdo not intentionally go to gatherings where there is vain talk.

meaning vain/ idle talk ’لغو What is vain/ idle talk ? A talk that does not benefit Duniya or Akhirah.

.is allowed in a quantity as the amount of salt we allow in our food ’لغو

Prophet SAW aaid three things that are not beneficial but are not لغو’ 1. Playing with the children 2. Talking between husband and wife 3. When you take care of your horse

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The Ibaad Ur Rahman do not initiate vain talk and when they come across vain talk

they will pass it with (ا dignity and by honoring themselves. They don’t slip with (ڪراامsuch a gathering. They want to leave the conversation as soon as possible. This is because most of the time, vain talk leaves to falsehood. Additionally idle talk also hardens the heart.

How we get the honor / ا ?ڪراام Hadith of Prophet that the Ibaad of Rahman either talk good or keep silent.

K a l a a m o f I b a a d U r R a h m a n We need to see what is Khair Kaalam ? There are two conditions for Khair :

1. On the Outside we need to say good and choose right words 2. In the heart we should hope the reward from Allah.

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3rd Part – Reaction to the Reminder from Allah When they are reminded of Ayah Ul Quran they do not close their eyes and ears. Here it is said reminded which means they already they know about the Ayah and they are reminded again by their Rabb. They are not blind or deaf to this reminder. How will the Ibaad Ur Rahman take the Ayah Ul Quran.? When they are reminded of Ayat ul Quran, they are thirsty for more. They will be more attentive and they will long to hear it, as it is Kalaam Allah. They are excited about it even though it is a reminder. They are eager for it because he knows the more the same Ayah he hears he more he will have yakeen. The nurturing is not with new information but with repetition of the old information as our heart needs constant reminders.

1 0 t h o u t s i d e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c – D u a The Ibaad Ur Rahman make a dua for their partners, offspring and for themself. This Dua is reforming the whole society. They have a good impact on the society with the Dua.

.it is in the present tense, which means they make the Dua constantly – يیقولونن

.Allah is our reformer and He can reform the society – رربنا Dua from Quran and Sunnah should make us satisfied. The best Dua is what Allah and the Prophet SAW taught us

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1st Part - Gift of Spouse and Children Dua is about the Partners and offspring. Here Partners means companions as well as spouses. Offspring means children.

means “Grant us “ / “gift”. The Ibaad Ur Rahman are saying they want a gift from هھھھب Allah i.e. to make their Partners and offspring to be a coolness and comfort of their eyes. This means they are asking Allah to reform and guide our spouses and children. This is the coolness of the eyes. This is the best dua for the spouses and children. They are asking Allah; Ya Rabb you are the only one who knows to change them to be righteous Muslims and I ask you for this gift. We want to reform the society and we start the reform from ourselves. If everyone makes this Dua the whole society will be reformed. We need to say this Dua with assurance and faith. 2nd Part -

The Ibaad Ur Rahman have an ambitious dua for themselves in the end. This is highering the bar. Allah is here teaching us how to make dua. They ask Allah make them the leader for all the Muttaqeen. What does it mean to be leader of the Muttaqeen ? The leader is the best degree after messengers so indirectly they are asking for the status of the highest status after the messenger. What is the leadership in Islam?

1. Good example for the people i.e. asking Allah to reform them in such a way that the Muttaqeen follow their example

2. Ask Allah to give them the guidance to teach others and you pass the knowledge This is the last Dua of the Ibaad ur Rahman

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R e w a r d o f t h e I b a a d U r R a h m a n

Allah is telling us that the Ibaad Ur Rahman will be rewarded with the best and the highest place in Paradise. The description of their palace is very unique i.e. transparent. Whatever they desire they will have it. The key for all this is patience. How will the Ibaad Ur Rahman be welcomed to the Paradise? The angels will receive them with beautiful greetings. It will be land of peace; a place where one will never be disturbed or get hurt.

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The Ibaad Ur Rahman will live there forever. This will be the excellent and the best dwelling place for them. In the Duniya there is no rest. Peace is only in Paradise. When we are in study circle or when we do good deeds we get the peace. The Ibaad Ur Rahman are humble to Allah so they are submitting to Allah, they cannot reach to anything without Allah. The Kafireen are depriving them of Allah mercy by saying what is Ar Rahman??

After Furqan we expect the right and wrong be clear. If even after Furqan the Kafireen do not turn to Allah then they are themselves to be blamed. Allah will care about us as long as we invoke him. As long as our heart is attached to his Rahmah, Allah will surround us with his mercy. The last Ayah is a safeguard, as we want Allah to care about us. Allah will not care for anyone except for his or her Dua. Allah will care about us as long as we are making Dua to Him. Therefore this is a safeguard for all of us. Our value in front of Allah is determined by how much we make dua to him. If someone is not asking he will not get. With Allah we need to always beg and ask him. If a person does not cares about invoking Allah, then Allah will be angry on such a person because He wants us to feel weak so we ask Him. We cannot reach to Paradise by ourselves. A person lies when he says he is independent and he feels he can do himself.

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ا means attached to him. The punishment of hellfire will be attached to him لزاام We should not ever feel we can live without asking for Allah’s help. There is the Dua of the Prophet SAW ‘O Ever Living, O Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, by Your mercy I seek assistance, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye.’