Piety
Piety leads one to press onwards in spite of all obstacles
“What is piety (taqwa)?” Abu Hurayrah was once asked. “Have you ever passed along a thorny path?” was his rejoinder. “Why, yes,” replied the questioner. “And what did you do?” “I watched out for the thorns, kept clear of them and went on my way.” “Well then,” said Abu Hurayrah, “That is what is meant by piety.”
Giving oneself up to God and wishing others well
When Jarir came to accept Islam, the Prophet said, “Jarir, give me your hand,” and he bade him swear his allegiance. “To what am I swearing allegiance?” asked Jarir. “That you will surrender yourself to God, and show goodwill towards all Muslims,” replied the Prophet. Then as Jarir was actually swearing allegiance, he added, “In so far as I am able, Messenger of God.” Afterwards everyone was granted this concession.
(AL- TABARANI)
The self-destructiveness of worldly greed
The Prophet sent Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah to Yemen for the purpose of collecting taxes. When he had done so, he returned to Madinah with a large sum of money. Hearing of his arrival, the Ansar joined the Prophet for morning prayer in his mosque, and when he had completed the prayer, they came before him. Seeing them there, the Prophet smiled, “I think you must have heard that Abu Ubaydah has brought some-thing from Bahrain,” he said to them. “Yes, we have,” replied the Ansar. “Rejoice, and look forward to good tidings,” was the Prophet’s rejoinder. “By God, it is not poverty that I fear for you. I fear for you abundance in worldly things and that you should strive enviously towards their attainment, as those who went before you did. Then you will be destroyed just as they were.
(AL-BUKHARI, MUSLIM)
The true intellectual is a man of great piety
When Hasan ibn Ali relinquished the Caliphate in favour of Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, he spoke in the mosque of Kufa explaining his reasons for abdicating. On this occasion, he said, amongst other things, “The wisest of the wise is he who is most pious, the most vulnerable of all is the sinner.”
(IBN ABDIL BARR)
Showing no favouritism
According to Aslam, Abdullah ibn Arqam came before Umar ibn Khattab one day and said to him: “Commander of the Faithful, there are some ornaments and silver dishes among the articles that have come into the treasure from Jalula. Please look at them and tell us what to do with them.” “Remind me of this when you see that I am free,” replied Umar. A few days later, Abdullah ibn Arqam did so when the Commander of the Faithful appeared to have nothing to occupy his attention. Umar ibn Khattab then went to the Treasury and had the ornaments and dishes brought before him. The moment he saw them, he recited the fourteenth verse of the Chapter AI-Imran: “Men are tempted by the love of women and offspring, of hoarded treasures of gold and silver, of splendid horses, cattle and plantations. These are the comforts of this life, but far better is the return to God.” “We cannot help but rejoice in something that has been made tempting to us. Lord, may we spend it aright; protect us from its evil.” Just then, one of Umar’s own sons, Abdul Rahman, came along and asked his father for a ring. “Go to your mother. She will feed you barley soup.” It was thus that Umar gave him nothing.
(AHMAD, MUSNAD)
Self-appraisal first and foremost
A certain individual asked Abdullah ibn Masud for some advice. “You should stay at home, hold your tongue and remember your faults,” was the advice he gave him.
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Taking no advantage of one’s position
Once, when a messenger of Caesar’s came before Umar, the latter’s wife borrowed a dinar and bought some perfume which she poured into phials and sent as a gift to Caesar’s wife. When the Roman Empress received the gift, she emptied the phials and filled them with jewels, telling the messenger to take them to the wife of Umar ibn Khattab. The latter received the jewels, and extracting them from the phials, placed them on her bedding. When Umar came home, he asked where they had come from. His wife told him the whole story, whereupon Umar took the jewels away and sold them. From the proceeds he gave one dinar to his wife and the rest he put in the Treasury.
(AL-DAINAWARI)
Justice, even towards enemies
“If someone disobeys God in matters that concern you, the best thing to do in return is to obey God in matters that concern him.” So said Umar ibn Khattab.
(IBN KATHIR, TAFSIR)
The feelings inspired by faith are misinterpreted by the profane
Abu Salma and Abu Hurayrah tell of one occasion when the Prophet, intending to despatch a force, urged the people to offer their contributions. A merchant, Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, who was among them, spoke up: “Messenger of God, I have four thousand. Two thousand are for my household. The other two I lend to God.” “God bless you in what you have given and in what you have kept,” said the Prophet. Abu Aqeel Ansari, on the other hand, was a poor man, who had spent his whole night working in an orchard, for which he was paid just two sa’a of dates. One sa’a he kept for his household, the other he presented to the Prophet. The Messenger of God prayed for blessings upon these two. As far as Abdur Rahman ibn Auf was concerned, they said he was just being ostentatious. And as for Abu Aqeel, they said, “Couldn’t God and the Prophet have done without his one sa‘a?”
(AL-BAZZAR)
Self-Reliance
The Prophet once asked: “Who will pledge to me that he will never ask anything of anyone?” Thauban said that he would; and from then on, he truly never asked anything of anyone.
(AHMAD, MUSNAD)
Preferring God to riches
An angel of God once visited the Prophet and brought him greetings from God. “If you wish the rocky tracts of Makkah to be converted into gold, it will be done,” said the angel. The Prophet raised his face to heaven and said, “No, Lord, I prefer to eat my fill one day and go hungry the next. When I go hungry, I humble myself before You and remember You. When I have my fill I offer thanks and praise you.”
(AL- TIRMIDHl, SHAMA’IL)
No affliction is worse than hardness of heart
“There is no affliction worse than hardness of heart,” observed Malik Ibn Deenar.
Unwillingness to make sacrifices leads to self-destruction
Abu Imran, who went on an expedition commanded by Abdur Rahman ibn Khalid ibn Walid, tells of how an individual Muslim soldier single-handedly broke the ranks of a large Byzantine army, which was advancing upon the Muslims. Some of the Muslims commented that he had put himself in danger of his own volition, referring to the verse of the chapter Al-Baqarah in which Muslims are warned not to cast themselves, of their own volition, into destruction. Abu Ayyub Ansari, however, said: “We Ansaries can better appreciate the meaning of that verse, because it was revealed with reference to us.” He went on to explain that when God had helped the Prophet and made Islam dominant, some of the Ansar had said to one another: “Come let us remain with our properties now, and consolidate our wealth,” that was when this verse was revealed: “Give for the cause of God and do not with your own hands cast yourself into destruction.” (2:194) “What, in fact, was meant by casting ourselves with our own hands into destruction was our sitting on our properties, consolidating them and forsaking the struggle for God’s cause.”
(IBN KATHIR, TAFSIR)
Do not become unbalanced by love or hate
Umar once cautioned: “Do not become mad with love for anyone, nor seek to destroy with your dislike.” Aslam asked Umar that what this meant. “It means that when you love anyone, there is the danger of falling head over heels, like a child, and when you dislike someone, you become bent upon destroying him.”
(AL-ADAB AL-MUFRAD)
No Paradise without the sacrifice of life and property
When Bashir ibn Khasasiyah went to the Prophet to swear his allegiance, he asked him on what conditions it must be given. The Prophet stretched out his arm and said, “Bear witness that there is no God save God, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, pray five times a day at the appointed times, pay zakat, fast during Ramadan, make a pilgrimage to the House of God and carry on the holy struggle.” Bashir replied, “I shall do everything. But there are two things, which are beyond my capacity. One is zakat. The truth is, I have just ten she camels. Their milk provides food for my household and they are our only means of travel and transportation. Secondly, there is the holy struggle. I am a faint-hearted man. It is said that those who turn away from the field of battle bring down upon themselves the wrath of God. I am afraid that if I have to do battle, I shall be overcome with fear and run away, thus incurring the wrath of God.” The Prophet withdrew his hand, saying: “Bashir, without giving alms or taking part in the holy struggle how will you enter heaven?”
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
Things asked for and things given freely are in two separate categories
The Prophet sent a gift to Umar, which he returned. Asked by the Prophet why he had done so, Umar replied: “Messenger of God, did you not tell us that we had best not take anything from anyone?” The Prophet then explained, “That is when you ask for something. When you have not asked for anything, what you receive is God’s bounty.” Umar then swore an oath: “By the one who has control over my soul, never will I ask anyone for a single thing. But if something is given to me without my asking, I shall not refuse it.”
(MALIK MUWATTA)
Keeping out of the limelight
In his later days, Saad ibn abi Waqqas took to grazing goats. One day he was far from Madinah with his goats, when his son Amr ibn Saad came riding up. “Does it make you happy that you have turned yourself into a Bedouin with your goats while affairs of State and government are being discussed in Madinah?” his son asked him. Saad smote his son on the chest: “Be quiet! I have heard the words of the Prophet: God loves such of His servants as are God-fearing, detached and retiring.”
(MUSLIM SAHIH)
True knowledge is fear of God
According to Abdullah ibn Masud “Knowledge does not consist of the memorizing of large numbers of traditions: Knowledge is to fear God.”
Lost to the world
“I have seen people among the Prophet’s companion to whom the world meant less than the dust under their feet.” Thus spoke Hasan Basri to his awed contemporaries. He was well qualified to judge, for he had met a large number of them, seventy of whom had fought at Badr. He told them of how they wore simple, homespun camel hair garments, and were so preoccupied with righteous living that they seemed lost to the world. “Were they to see the best among you, they would think: “These people do not believe in the Day of Judgement.”
Conceit: the most evil trait
Speaking of three saving graces and three destructive traits, the Prophet observed that the former were “fear of God both in public and in private; speaking the truth whether calm or angry; and moderation whether one is rich or poor.” The three destructive traits he mentioned as being the satisfaction of one’s own desires, miserliness and conceit. “And the last one, that is the worst of all,” he said.
(AL-BAIHAQI, AL-SUNAN AL-KUBRA)
Fearing God in matters that concern the weak
After the Battle of Badr (624 AD) seventy idolaters were taken prisoners and brought to Madinah, one of them being Suhayl ibn Amr. The Prophet was told that Suhayl indulged in fiery oratory in which he used to give vent to his antagonism for the Prophet, and it was suggested that his teeth be broken. “My own teeth would be broken by God if I were to do such a thing, even though I am His Prophet,” was the rejoinder of God’s Messenger. The captives were looked after in the homes of the Companions and the Prophet issued instructions to care for them well.” One of them, Abu Aziz by name, said that the Ansar in whose house he stayed used to serve him bread morning and evening, while he himself made do with dates. When Thumamah ibn Uthal, chieftain of the Yamamah tribe was taken prisoner, he was given fine food and milk on the orders of the Prophet.
(IBN HISHAM, SIRAH)
Remaining detached from the material side of life
One day, when Umar came to see Abu Ubaydah, he found him lying on a piece of the sacking used to saddle camels, with a bundle for a pillow. “So you have not done as your companions did?” Umar remarked, and Abu Ubaydah replied: “Commander of the Faithful, this is enough to take me to my final resting place.”
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
When pleasures seem empty
Abu Darda was a trader by profession, but, after accepting Islam, his commercial activities came to an end “By the One who has control over Abu Darda’s soul,” he once said, “I would not even like to have a shop at the door of the mosque, where I would not miss a single congregational prayer. No, not even if I made a profit of forty dinars a day and gave it all away in charity.” Abu Darda was asked what had made him feel this way. “The rigours of the Day of Reckoning,” was his reply.
(IBN ‘ASAKIR)
Man proposes, God disposes
When Abdullah ibn Masud had built himself a house, he asked Ammar ibn Yasir to come and have a look at what he had built. So Ammar went and saw the house. “You are planning a long way ahead, but soon you will die,” was his only comment.
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Retribution here and now
Uthman ibn Affan, the third Caliph, said one day to his slave, “Once I twisted your ear. Now take your revenge.” The slave caught hold of Uthman’s ear and the latter told him to twist it as hard as he could. “How good that retribution should be meted out in this world and not left to the next world,” said the Caliph.
When death is nigh
Bilal ibn Rubah’s household gathered to lament his imminent death. “There is no cause for grief,” Bilal told them. “How good to think that tomorrow I will meet my friends Muhammad and his Companions.”
When death drew near Umar ibn Khattab, the second Caliph of Islam, he exclaimed, “I shall consider myself successful if everything balances out and I receive neither punishment nor reward.”
Salvation is all
One day the Prophet heard his wife, Umm Habibah, utter the following prayer: “Lord, long may I be blessed by the shadow of my husband, the Prophet of God, my father, Abu Sufyan, and my brother, Muawiyah.” “Umm Habibah,” said the Prophet, “life-spans are all decided by God. When you pray to God, you had best ask for salvation from Hell-fire.”
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
The joys of a pious household
Miqdad, explaining the state of affairs in the Prophet’s time, told of how, in a single household, there would be some who accepted Islam and some who did not. A believer would see his father, his son or his brother in a state of faithlessness and this would cause him great distress. With his own heart having been opened to faith by God, he felt certain that were his kith and kin to remain in a state of unbelief, they would be doomed to Hell-fire. It, therefore, gave no joy to believers to see certain of their relatives remain unbelievers. It was with reference to this predicament that the following verse of the Quran was revealed: “Lord give us joy in our wives and children, and make us an example to those who fear you.” (25:74)
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
The call of paradise
Bashir relates that when the Muslims of Makkah first emigrated to Madinah, the water of their new dwelling place did not agree with them. There was a well, however, known as Beir Rumah, owned by one of the Bani Ghefar tribe, the water of which was to the liking of the emigrants. The owner used to sell them a flask-full in exchange for one mudd (half bushel) of grain. The Prophet suggested to the owner that he should sell it to him “in exchange for a spring in Paradise.” “I and my household have no other source of livelihood,” the man explained. “I can’t just give it away to you like that.” Hearing of this incident Uthman ibn Affan bought the Well of Rumah from its owner for 35,000 dirhams, then came to the Prophet. “Shall I also have a spring in paradise in exchange for this well”, he asked. “You will indeed!” said the Prophet. Uthman then donated the well to the Muslims.
(AL-TABARANI)
Take what is gladly given; do not ask for more
After the Battle of Hunayn, the Prophet gave Hakim ibn Hizam part of the spoils. But Hakim was not satisfied with his share, so the Prophet gave him still more. “Which of your gifts was better?” asked Hakim. “The first,” replied the Prophet and then he added, “O Hakim, the material things of this world are very attractive, but he who takes such things out of greed and uses them badly will not be blessed therein. He will be like a man who eats, but is never filled. It is only he who takes a thing with a pure heart and uses it well who will be blessed. And remember that the hand that gives is better than the hand that receives. “Even in your case, Prophet of God?” asked Hakim. “Yes, even in my case,” was the Prophet’s reply.
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
Preoccupation with prestige can lead straight to perdition
Muawiyah, the first Umayyad Caliph went over to where Abdullah ibn Amir and Abdullah ibn Zubayr were seated. Abdullah ibn Amir got to his feet on seeing Muawiyah approach, but Abdullah ibn Zubayr remained seated. ‘I recall these words of the Prophet,’ remarked Muawiyah: “One who likes people to stand up for him might as well build for himself a home in the Fire.”
(AL-ADAB AL-MUFRAD)
Giving up this world for the next
When it was time to give a meal to some visitors from Iraq, Umar, the second Caliph brought them a bowl of food-some coarse bread and olive oil-and requested them to eat. Slowly reluctantly-they complied. Seeing what tiny morsels they were taking, Umar said to them, “You know, if I wished, I could also prepare for myself fine, rich food of the kind to which you are accustomed. But it is our practice here to be sparing of things in this world so that we may receive them in the next. Have you not seen how Almighty God has chastised a people for having received good things in their worldly life?” By another account, Umar asked them what they wanted: “Things which are sweet and spicy, hot and cold? Whatever you eat will go to waste in your stomachs.”
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Selflessness in worldly matters
Younus ibn Maysirah once observed: “Denying oneself lawful things is not the essence of abstinence. Neither is it ridding oneself of wealth. What is meant by abstinence is relying less on what one has oneself and more on what God has; it means preserving the same attitude whether beset by adversity or not; it is to be impartial in all matters of justice, making no distinction between those who praise and those who blame.
(JAMI‘ AL-ULUM WA AL-HIKAM)
No Islamic revolution without Islamic individuals
There was once a brave warrior-albeit an idolater-who asked the Prophet Muhammad for permission to join in the Battle of Badr along with the Muslims. Before giving his assent, the Prophet asked him if he believed in God and His Prophet. The man said that he did not. “I cannot accept the assistance of an idolater,” said the Prophet. The man then swore his allegiance as a Muslim and joined in the battle along with the rest of the Muslims.
There are times to remain silent and times to speak freely
The Prophet Muhammad once observed: “Blessed is he who keeps superfluous words to himself, but expends whatever superfluous wealth he has.”
Two eyes that shall be saved from the Fire
“There are two eyes that the Fire shall not touch,” said the Prophet Muhammad. “One is an eye that has wept in fear of God, and other is an eye that has spent the night keeping a vigil in the path of God.”
One has to lose in order to gain
Kaab ibn Ujrah relates how one day he came before the Prophet and, noticing the marks of strain on his face, he asked him what was troubling him. The Prophet replied that for three days his stomach had had nothing to fill it. Kaab then went out and found employment with a local Jew. He had to give water to the Jew’s camel and in return for each bucketful, he received one date. When he had a collection of dates he came before the Prophet, who asked him where he had found them. After he had explained how he came by them, the Prophet said, “Kaab, tell me, have you any love for me?” Kaab’s answer was that he would sacrifice his own dear father and mother for the sake of the Prophet. “Do you know the fate of one who loves God and His Prophet?” asked the Prophet. “Poverty, which will overtake him even more swiftly than flood waters streaming down a hillside.”
(AL-TABARANI)
Worldly attachment hinders acknowledgement of the truth
A party of Christians from the Yemen visited Madinah ten years after the Muslim emigration to that town. Their group was led by one Abu Harithah ibn Alqamah, a priest. On the way back to Yemen, he was riding on a mule, when the animal stumbled, throwing him to the ground. His brother, Karz ibn Alqamah, who happened to be present at the time, exclaimed, “Damn that wayward one!” (meaning the Prophet Muhammad.) “Damn your mother!” retorted Abu Harithah. “Why do you say that?” asked his brother in astonishment. “By God, well, do we know that this is the Prophet we have been waiting for, the one prophesied in our Scriptures,” replied Abu Harithah. “If that is so,” said Karz, “Why do you not proclaim your belief in the Prophethood of Muhammad.” Abu Haritha, attempting to explain himself, said, “These kings have showered upon us much wealth and honour. If we were to believe in Muhammad, they would take everything away from us.”
(AL-TABARANI)
Beyond the call of duty
Along with his Companions, the Prophet set forth for the field of Badr. Reaching a place called Rauha, he addressed the Muslims and asked them for their views. Abu Bakr spoke up, but the Prophet did not give him his attention. Again he asked them what they thought. And when Umar spoke his mind, the Prophet paid him no attention either. Once again he put the question. This time Saad ibn Muadh Ansari arose. “Perhaps your question is directed at us,” he said, to which the Prophet replied in the affirmative. The reason for the Prophet’s concern was that the Ansar had sworn what was known as the Protection Oath, according to which it was incumbent upon them to protect the Prophet within the walls of Madinah. Their oath did not, however, oblige them to travel to far-off places in order to fight the Prophet’s enemies. Miqdad ibn Amr then reassured the Prophet by saying: “Messenger of God, do as God has shown you. We will not say unto you as the children of Israel said unto Moses: ‘Go, you and your Lord, and fight; we will stay here’.” (5:24) To this Saad ibn Muadh added, “We have sworn oaths to you, which bind us to hear and obey. Therefore, do as you will, Messenger of God, and we are with you. By Him who has sent you with the truth, if you bade us cross the sea and plunge into it, we would do just that. Not one man of us would stay behind.” The Prophet was extremely pleased at hearing this from the Ansar. “Onward!” he said. “God has decreed that victory and succour shall be yours!”
To live, one must come to terms with dying
Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam, once offered this piece of advice to a Muslim commander, by the name of Khalid ibn Walid: “Khalid, be desirous of death. That way, you will find life.”
True religion brings about radical changes in one’s life
Abu Hurayrah tells of how the Prophet addressed these words of wisdom to him: “Abu Hurayrah, be abstemious, and you will be the most devout of men. Be content with what you have and you will be the one most thankful to God. Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be a man of faith. Be good to your neighbour and you will be a true Muslim. Laugh less, for too much laughter deadens the heart.”
(IBN MAJAH, SUNAN)
Repentance is to be ashamed of what one has done
“Shame is the stuff of repentance,” said the Prophet.
Have dealings with men as if they were dealings with God
One day when Abu Masud Badari was beating his slave with a stick, he suddenly heard a voice behind him, calling him by name. According to Abu Masud, he was so furious that he failed to recognize the voice. But when the man came closer, he saw that it was none other than the Prophet. “Abu Masud,” he said, “You should know that God has more power over you than you have over this slave.” Hearing this, Abu Masud was gripped with fear, and the stick fell from his hand. “Prophet of God,” he said, “from today, this slave is free.” “If Abu Masud had not done this he would have been engulfed by the fire,” said the Messenger of God.
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
