Pre Exam/Ramadan/Missing my sister Zuhud
I need something to take my mind off studying and to get some good deeds in before Ramadan and my exam. And of course I desperately need something that will absolve me of sins - “Truly good deeds wipe out bad deeds”. So here’s a translation of what Shiekh Mustapha Bugha and Shiekh Muhy Deen Mistaw wrote concerning one of the 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi’s famous collection.
The commentary is from their book Al Wafi Fe Sharh AlArba’in Al Nawawi “The Consummate Concerning the Explanation of Nawawi’s Forty.”
I have only translated some of their comments.
The Reality and Fruits of Zuhud
Abu-l Abbas sahl ibn Sa’d as-Sa ‘idi said,
“A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, tell me an action which if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me.’ He said, ‘Do without the world and Allah will love you, and do without that which people have and people will love you.”
A good Hadith which Ibn Majah and others narrated with good chains of transmission.
(Translation of hadith taken from “The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdon” of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali translated by Abdassamad Clarke Turath Publishing, London, 2007.
This Hadith comprises of two great pieces of advice from the body of advice of the Prophet, God Bless him and sent Peace upon him.
The first: Zuhud (translated as ‘doing without’ by Clarke) concerning the world and how it is a means to achieve God’s love (He be Exalted).
The second: Zuhud concerning that which is in the hands of people and how that is a means to attaining their love.
One of the things which can be said definitively of Islam is that a person will only be among the felicitous and successful in both this world and the next if:
§ He can attain God’s love through preferring the permanency of the life to come over the fleeting life of this world.
§ He can attain the love of the people after raising himself above the morsels that they have and with dignity and denial ascend to the reaches of al Baqiyat al Salihat the Remaining Goodness.
For these things are in the hereafter better and ever lasting.
It is for this reason that ibn Hajar al Haitami said concerning this hadith:
“It is one of four hadith on which Islam revolves”
The meaning of Zuhud
There are numerous terms which the Righteous Predecessors and those that followed them used in explaining Zuhud in this World. However all of these sayings return back to what Imam Ahmed narrated from Abu Idris al Khaulani, may God be pleased with him, that he said, “The state of Zuhud isn’t in making the lawful unlawful nor wasting of property. The state of having Zuhud in the world is when that which is in God’s Hand is more certain than that which is in your hands. That if some adversity befalls you, you would be the more concerned with its reward and provision than the adversity itself, even if it remained.”
In this explanation there are three things to note all of which are from the acts of the heart and none from the acts of the limbs. For this reason Abu Sulaiman al Darani used to say: “do not testify to someone’s Zuhud, for Zuhud is in the heart”.
These three items are:
1. That which is in the Hand of God is more certain to the servant of God than that which is in his hand.
This comes from sound trust and certainty in the provision that God has warranted for His servants. God says:
“And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof dependeth on Allah. He knoweth its habitation and its repository. All is in a clear Record”. Hud 6
And He, the Glorified says:
“And in the heaven is your providence and that which ye are promised;” al - dhariyat 22
2. If adversity befalls a servant in this world, such as losing property or offspring, he concerns himself more with the rewards of the hereafter than wishing that that which he lost in this world would remain.
This again comes from complete faith and it indicates Zuhud in the world and thinking little of that which is in it.
It is narrated from ibn Umar concerning the Messenger of God, God bless him and send upon him Peace, that he used to say:
“O Allah, apportion to us enough fear of You to interpose between us and acts of disobedience to You, and enough obedience to You to make us reach Your Garden, and enough certainty for You to make the afflictions of the work seem little to us.” (Translation from Clarke)
3. When on the truth, it should be the same to a servant if he is praised or censured.
This is among the signs of Zuhud in the world and detesting it and placing little importance to it.
Ibn Mas‘ud said: “Certainty (yaqin) is not pleasing people by means of displeasing God.”
From among the accounts used to explain Zuhud is the saying of Hasan Al Basri: “The one who has Zuhud is the one who if he sees another says ‘he is better than me’.”
There is also the saying of Wahab ibn al Ward, may God have mercy on him, “Zuhud in the world is that you do not loose heart about losing out on something from it and do not become content with getting something from it.”
There is also the saying of al Zahri when he was asked about Zuhud, where upon he said “He who unlawful things (haram) do not overcome his patience, and he who lawful things (halal) do occupy him from thankfulness”.
There is also the saying of Sufwan ibn ‘Uyainah, “The one with Zuhud is he who if blessed with some favour gives thanks, and if tried with something is patient.”
And the saying of Rab‘iyah “The fountain head of Zuhud is gathering things with its rightfulness and putting things down with its rightfulness”.
And the saying of Sufyan al Thauri “Zuhud in the world is shortening aspirations. It is not the eating of uncouth things and not the wearing of cloaks.
And the saying of Imam Ahmed, “Zuhud in the world is shortening of aspirations and giving up on that which is in the hand of others”.
The commentary is from their book Al Wafi Fe Sharh AlArba’in Al Nawawi “The Consummate Concerning the Explanation of Nawawi’s Forty.”
I have only translated some of their comments.
The Reality and Fruits of Zuhud
Abu-l Abbas sahl ibn Sa’d as-Sa ‘idi said,
“A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, tell me an action which if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me.’ He said, ‘Do without the world and Allah will love you, and do without that which people have and people will love you.”
A good Hadith which Ibn Majah and others narrated with good chains of transmission.
(Translation of hadith taken from “The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdon” of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali translated by Abdassamad Clarke Turath Publishing, London, 2007.
This Hadith comprises of two great pieces of advice from the body of advice of the Prophet, God Bless him and sent Peace upon him.
The first: Zuhud (translated as ‘doing without’ by Clarke) concerning the world and how it is a means to achieve God’s love (He be Exalted).
The second: Zuhud concerning that which is in the hands of people and how that is a means to attaining their love.
One of the things which can be said definitively of Islam is that a person will only be among the felicitous and successful in both this world and the next if:
§ He can attain God’s love through preferring the permanency of the life to come over the fleeting life of this world.
§ He can attain the love of the people after raising himself above the morsels that they have and with dignity and denial ascend to the reaches of al Baqiyat al Salihat the Remaining Goodness.
For these things are in the hereafter better and ever lasting.
It is for this reason that ibn Hajar al Haitami said concerning this hadith:
“It is one of four hadith on which Islam revolves”
The meaning of Zuhud
There are numerous terms which the Righteous Predecessors and those that followed them used in explaining Zuhud in this World. However all of these sayings return back to what Imam Ahmed narrated from Abu Idris al Khaulani, may God be pleased with him, that he said, “The state of Zuhud isn’t in making the lawful unlawful nor wasting of property. The state of having Zuhud in the world is when that which is in God’s Hand is more certain than that which is in your hands. That if some adversity befalls you, you would be the more concerned with its reward and provision than the adversity itself, even if it remained.”
In this explanation there are three things to note all of which are from the acts of the heart and none from the acts of the limbs. For this reason Abu Sulaiman al Darani used to say: “do not testify to someone’s Zuhud, for Zuhud is in the heart”.
These three items are:
1. That which is in the Hand of God is more certain to the servant of God than that which is in his hand.
This comes from sound trust and certainty in the provision that God has warranted for His servants. God says:
“And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof dependeth on Allah. He knoweth its habitation and its repository. All is in a clear Record”. Hud 6
And He, the Glorified says:
“And in the heaven is your providence and that which ye are promised;” al - dhariyat 22
2. If adversity befalls a servant in this world, such as losing property or offspring, he concerns himself more with the rewards of the hereafter than wishing that that which he lost in this world would remain.
This again comes from complete faith and it indicates Zuhud in the world and thinking little of that which is in it.
It is narrated from ibn Umar concerning the Messenger of God, God bless him and send upon him Peace, that he used to say:
“O Allah, apportion to us enough fear of You to interpose between us and acts of disobedience to You, and enough obedience to You to make us reach Your Garden, and enough certainty for You to make the afflictions of the work seem little to us.” (Translation from Clarke)
3. When on the truth, it should be the same to a servant if he is praised or censured.
This is among the signs of Zuhud in the world and detesting it and placing little importance to it.
Ibn Mas‘ud said: “Certainty (yaqin) is not pleasing people by means of displeasing God.”
From among the accounts used to explain Zuhud is the saying of Hasan Al Basri: “The one who has Zuhud is the one who if he sees another says ‘he is better than me’.”
There is also the saying of Wahab ibn al Ward, may God have mercy on him, “Zuhud in the world is that you do not loose heart about losing out on something from it and do not become content with getting something from it.”
There is also the saying of al Zahri when he was asked about Zuhud, where upon he said “He who unlawful things (haram) do not overcome his patience, and he who lawful things (halal) do occupy him from thankfulness”.
There is also the saying of Sufwan ibn ‘Uyainah, “The one with Zuhud is he who if blessed with some favour gives thanks, and if tried with something is patient.”
And the saying of Rab‘iyah “The fountain head of Zuhud is gathering things with its rightfulness and putting things down with its rightfulness”.
And the saying of Sufyan al Thauri “Zuhud in the world is shortening aspirations. It is not the eating of uncouth things and not the wearing of cloaks.
And the saying of Imam Ahmed, “Zuhud in the world is shortening of aspirations and giving up on that which is in the hand of others”.
posted by Saqib at 11:28 PM
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