Tawheed is the key

 “then why arent we like this dead person?”

Al Hasan Al basri attended a funeral prayer. When they had buried the dead person he said to a man from the gathering: ” do you think that this dead person would wish to come back to the earth to increase his deeds from thikr, good actions and istighfaar from his sins?” the man replied yes, so al Hasan said, “then why arent we like this dead person?”

[Taken from the book 'al Hasan al Basri' by Ibn al Jawzee]

 Women and the fear of Allaah

Suwaid bin Amr Kaibi RadiYallaahu anhu says that three was a devout worshipping lady in the town of Ghuna who hardly used to sleep. When someone critisiced her for that she said: “ death and the long rest in the grave will be enough sleep for the believers”

Aminah RadiYallaahu anha the daughter of Abu Wara’ RadiYallaahu anhu was among the devout and fearing. Whenever the fire was mentioned to her she would cry and say: “ They will be forced into Hell; they will eat fire; they will drink of the fire and live!” she would cry as if she was being fried in the pan.

Hakim ibn Sinan Bahili RadiYallaahu anhu says that a woman who served Muadah Al-‘adawiyah RadiYallaahu anha said: “she would keep vigil for most of the night in prayers. When sleep would overcome her, she would tell herself: O self! Sleep is in front of you. If you let it overcome you, you will end up regretting that in the grave.”
One of her quotations was: “ i am amazed at an eye that sleeps while it knows of the long rest in the darkness of the grave.”

‘Ajradah al’Ammiyah RadiYallaahu anha used to saty awake from early in the night until fajr. On fajr, she would announce in a sad voice: “it is for You that the worshippers have spent their time in bringing the darkness of the night. They have stayed up for Your Mercy and Grace. So it is You and not anyone besides You that I ask to make me amongst the leaders of those who rush towards You; to elevate me to the rankts of the close ones and to recruit me among Your pious servants. For You are The Most Noble of The Noble; The Most Merciful of The Merciful and the Greates of The Great, O Generous One”. She would then fall down in prostration, pray and weep until fajr.

‘Ufairah Al-Abidah RadiYallaahu anha says: “sometimes i want to sleep but am unable to do so. How can i sleep when my record keeping angels do not sleep?”

Khalid Ibn Warraq RadiYallaahu anhu says: “I had a maid who was very strict on herself so i told her one day that Allaah was understanding and would accept the easiest of deeds. She cried and said: “I have placed upon Allaah such whims and fancies that the mountain would not be able to bear thei burden, just as they were not able to bear the burden of the Trust. I am aware that there is a resort in the grace of Allaah for the sinners, but how can i stand the remorce of not being among the winners?”

“And what is that,” i enquired.

“tomorrow, on the day of resurrection, when everything in the graves will be overturnd, the good people will ride their mounts of deeds and rush to the path. My Master! No lazy person can outrun the competitors, even if many gifts are presented. Or how can i face death of sorrow and dullness when i see everyone riding their mounts, raising the banners of the good people and those who yearn cross the path and those who love Allaah meet Him, while I lag behind with the wrongdoers and the sinners?”

she then cried and said: “Beware! Do not allow anybody to prevent you from competing in the race of deeds, for there is not in either world any house where sercants can make up for their lost time, Woe unto those who fall short of serving their Lord and yet keep up false hopes. Why can’t these hopes wake them up when the champions sleep?

We will quote imam Ghazali rahimahullah for the final advice in this matter:

These were the fears of the pious. We need to be even more apprehensive than they were. Our desires lead us and our misfortune dominates us while no examples of the predecessors move us, nor does the threat of death dirsturb us. We ask Allaah to reform our actions through His Grace. What is even more strange is that when we want wealth in this world, we farm, we do buisness and we board all sorts of vehicles on land and in the sea. When we seek the ranks of knowledge, we try to understand and we tire while memorising information.
Then, when we look towards the Eternal Kingdom, we are content by saying:” O Allaah! Forgive us and have mercy upon us.”Whereas the One Whom we should long for says: “Man will only reap what he strives for.” [Surat An-Najm: 39] and: “O man! What has deceived you about your Generous Lord?”

[Taken from the Book “Ten Frightening Things For Women”]

From ‘Abdah bin abi shawwal who was the servant of Rabi’ah al-adawiyyah Rahimahallaah. She said, “Rabi’ah used to pray the whole night. And then she would sleep until the fajr would appear. I would hear her say ” O nafsi, how long will you sleep? And until when will you wake up? Soon you would sleep and not wake up from it before the day of resurrection!”

[From Siyar A'laam an-Nubalaa']

 

A wise woman

The righteous slave Shu’ayb Rahimahullaah wanted to get married. When he saw her he liked what he saw and she agreed on him aswell. But he feared she wouldnt be patient on his temper and ‘akhlaaq, so he said to her:” know that im of bad akhlaaq (temper)”. She replied to him as a wise, mature and patient wife and said:” worse than you in akhlaaq, is the one who causes you to be bad tempered”(i,e if i make you angry, then i have worse than your akhlaaq). He liked her reply and told her immedietly, “your my wife” (i,e i dont want other than you as a wife).”

[the book al-Athkiyaa' by Ibn al-Jawzee]

-.-

Among the Qurashiyyeen was a noble and righteous woman. A male servant owned by her husband, and who was of no desire in women at all entered upon her while she wasnt wearing her headcover. She shaved off her hair completly and said, ” I dont want to have hair that was seen by non-mahrams”

[From 'Uyoon al-Akhbaar by Ibn Qutaybah]

-.-

A good start

From Umm Hameed Rahimahallaah who said:”The women of al-Madeenah al-Munawwarah used to send the bride before leting her into her new husband on the wedding night to ‘Aaishah bint abi Bakr radiyallaahu ‘anhum. Then she Radiyallaahu ‘anha would put her hand on the brides head and make duaa for her for everything good! she would advise her to fear Allaah and to give the husband the rights he has on her.”

[from "al-musannaf" by ibn abi shaybah]

-.-

The Best of Women

A bedouin was asked about women, and being a man who was experienced with them he said:

“The best woman is the tallest when she stands, the most prominent when she sits, and the most truthful when she speaks. She is the one whose anger subsides quickly, and whose laugh is a beautiful smile. When she does anything, she does it well. She obeys her husband and adheres to her home. She is honored among her people, yet insignificant in her own mind - affectionate and fertile, and all of her affair is good.”

A Karamah to a righteous woman

Sa’d bin Ibraheem said: ” Zinneerah was a roman slave and became a muslimah. The mushrikeen tortured her until she lost her sight because of the severe torture. The mushrikeen said “the laat and ‘uzzah took her sight”. She said, ” i disbelieve in al-laat wal ‘uzzah” and Allaah returned back her sight”.

In another narration:” Abu Bakr Radiyallaahu anhu freed zinneerah from slavery and she lost her sight when she was freed. Quraish said:” its only laat and ‘uzzah that took her sight”. She said, “By Allaah they have lied, al-laat wal ‘uzzah neither harm or benefit“, and Allaah returned back her sight”

['Al-'Isaabah fee tamyeez as-Sahaabah', by Ibn hajr al-'Asqalaani]

I remember Imam anwar Awlaki (fa) mentioned this story in the abu bakr series. he said it was Allaah testing for her if she would remain strong even if she lost her sight. and when she did she passed the test and Allaah returned back her sight.

so everything we go through is a test on wether we would stick to this path even thou its getting tough or back off? and if we hold on the test would be over and we would be the winners InShaa’Allaah

“And stay in your homes”

Al-Imaam Abu Bakr ibn al-’arabee Rahimahullaah said: “I entered more than 1000 small towns and i didnt see better kids or more chaste women than the women of Naablous (a known city in Filasteen). I stayed in it a whole month and i didnt see a woman in the streets at daytime, except on friday when they came out to attend the Jum’ah prayer until the street was full of them. When the prayer had finshed and they returned to their homes my eye didnt see any of them until next friday.”

[The Book 'ahkaam al Qur'aan' by ibn al-'arabee al-maaliki]

Comment by another author:”What if the imaam Ibn al-’arabee lived in our time, and saw the roads, streets and malls filles with women and young girls day and night, what would he say?”

وقرن في بيوتكن ولا تبرجن تبرج الجاهلية الأولى وأقمن الصلاة وآتين الزكاة وأطعن الله ورسوله إنما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيرا [33:33

"And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance, and perform As-Salat (IqamatasSalat), and give Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah wishes only to remove ArRijs (evil deeds and sins, etc.) from you, O members of the family (of the Prophet SAW), and to purify you with a thorough purification"

- .-

Ibn Kathir Rahimahullah said about Faatimah bint Nasr al-'attar Rahimahallaah:" she was among the worshippers who stayed in their homes because of their chastity and modesty. It is said that she didnt leave her home except for 3 occasions.

-First time, from her fathers house to her husbands.
-Second time, from her husbands house to perform hajj.
-And third time, from her husbands house to her grave."

[From al-bidaayah wan-Nihaayah by Ibn kathir]

Know that time dont settle at one state. As Allaah [swt] says:”And so are the days (good and not so good), We give to men by turns“[3:140] A period its poverty and a period its richness. A period its honour then its disgrace. A period its joy for the Awliyaa’ of Allaah and then the enemy strikes. The honoured is he who sticks to the ‘asl at all times, and that is the taqwa of Allaah ‘azza wa jall. For if hes rich, he conitnues like that. And if hes poor it opens the door of patience for him. If hes safe, the blessings will continue for him and if hes tested it gives him strength. It wont harm him if time brings him down or raise him up. If something is taken away from him, if hes hungry of hes fed. All that will fade away and will change, taqwa is the ‘asl for safety and a guard that dont sleep. It takes you by the hand so that you wont stumble. The evil is for those who are deceived by an enjoyment that was achieved without taqwa, for it will change and leave him as a loser. So stick to the taqwa of Allaah in every state, for it will give you good health after sickness.

The Courageous Mujahidah

Ibn Hajr al-’Asqalaani mentioned about the Sahabiyyah Umm Musa al-Lakhmiyyah, the wife of Nusayr al-Lakhmee, the father of Musa bin Nusayr the ameer who is known for the opening of al-Andalous.

She attended the battle of Yarmouk with her husband and that day she killed a roman soldier and took whatever he had from money and weapon!

She narrated that incident herself saying: “We were a group of women and while the men took a round i saw a roman soldier who was dragging a muslim man with him. I took a pole from he tent and got closer to him and hit him on his head! I dragged him with me and the men helped me with that.”

['al-Isaabah fee tamyeez as-Sahaabah', by Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaani]

What a small deed can do!
[How he repented from selling videos]
A young man from Jordan came to Saudi Arabia to search for a job. He found that and found something else that he wasnt thinking about- he found the sweetness of imaan! He narrated his own story saying:“Im a young man from Jordan and i came to Saudi Arabia to seach for work. At that time i wasnt a real muslim, i was only a muslim because i had muslim parents as it is with many muslims in our time.

The Righteous Sahaabiyyah “Umm Waraqah Bint Nawfal al-Ansaariyyah” May Allaah be pleased with her, when the prophet went for the ghazwah of Badr she said,”Grant me permission to go with you, i can treat the sick and maybe Allaah will grant me Matyrdom“, the prophet said to her:”Stay in your home, for Allaah will give you martyrdom“, and she was therefore called “the Shaheedah“!She May Allaah be pleased with her used to read the Qur’an so she asked for permission from the Prophet to have a Mu’athin in her house, and he gave her permission. She Had two slaves (a male and a female) that would be freed when she died. They got up one night, covered her and strangled her until she died (because they wanted to be freed quickly) and ran away!The news reached the khaleefah of the muslims Umar Ibn al-Khattab May Allaah be pleased with him, he stood up and said to the people:”Who have knowledge about these two, or the one who saw them, bring them.”

O Women of the Ummah!By: Umm Azzam, Sawt al-JihaadI entered a large society. I walked through its districts and roamed its squares. I wanted to explore its condition and discover its hiding places. I realized that there is no need to explore or to discover, for its doors are open and its secrets exposed. So i asked about my fellow sisters.

I saw them deceived by fake appearances, tried with attractive looks, running after new trends with fake slogans, competing with each other so each one could say, “I am the best.”

You see them walking freely in the markets, lost in the streets, wasting money; and at weddings they are clothed but naked, everyone of them shows off her expensive dress, her high heels, and her diamond jewelry set. You see them wearing a new dress at every gathering, and with every dress a new phone, and they vie with each other with their phones, and in their brilliant colors, and their advanced styles.

We see the the extravagance and wastefulness, and the heedlessness without any reminders. They closed the doors upon themselves and pulled their curtains so they do not get disturbed by hot air or dirtying dust; or by disturbing wailing, painful cries, loud noise or burning fire.

It is like they were created for themselves, they’ve been deceived by the dunya and its fancy glitter and its temporary enjoyments, and forgotten or were made to forget that they have a family other than their real family, brothers other than their real brothers. They are tied to them by the best humanly bonds; those who are expelled from their homes, their hearts defeated and their money stolen. We see men killed and imprisoned by an oppressive oppressor, and a destructive order. We see women who live lives of fear and hunger, in homes that are lifeless after the parting of the loved one, and the absence of the guardian; darkened environments as a result of the cut off light and the destruction.

She fears that the enemy’s soldiers will break down the door, and tear up the protective cover of the loved one. She wipes away the tears of a desperate, poor child. Violent hunger is in his stomach. He sleeps in the open air without cover and can’t find anything warm except his mothers embrace. He cannot sleep without being awoken by the noises of the tanks and explosions. All this is the result of the enemy who ran over our lands with oppression and force, with power, hatred and enmity; stealing and robbing…

We see blood and limbs, imprisonment, persecution and destruction; and still, these women have closed their balconies, and they have turned away their hearts. Until when this turning away and desertion? And until when this heedlessness and forgetfulness?

O sister, how do sleep nicely while there are eyelids kept awake by the enemies’ hands?

And how do you enjoy living while your brothers go through what they go through from tragedies and severe trials?

How do you enjoy life when your sisters go through what would rob the bedfellow of sleep and disturb the ears that hear?

O descendant of Khadeejah, ‘Asmaa’ and ‘Aa’ishah… isn’t it time for you to realize that in the dunya there is life and death, truth and falsehood, trials and ease, fitnah and revenge, Islaam and Kufr?

Who from among the women today carries the worries of the Ummah? Who among the women cried over the massacres of Jineen, Nablous and Rafah?

Which one among the women cried over the fall of Kaabul? Or which among them cried over the fall of Baghdaad?

By Allaah, you don’t see among the women except those who cry over their love, and are not the least pained over that which befalls this Deen and its people!! (Illaa Man rahima Rabbee)

O sister, you have to wake up the hearts of the men, and elevate the determination of the heroes, and say, “We refuse humiliation and subjection, misery or subserviance; and we want to be free from having to bow to the cross worshippers.”

You have to push your loved ones to the battlefield. The Most Beloved, The Lord of the lords, is more deserving that we sacrifice what is most beloved to us for His sake, from our lives, and our wealth.

I say to you my Muslim sister, the least that is expected from you is when the men leave for Jihaad, that you stay silent and are pleased by Allaah’s orders. And [that you are] cautious that you do not repel others from the Path of Allaah, and that you do not become an obstacle on their way to paradise or Allaahs’ pleasure.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), “Those who prefer the life of this world instead of the Hereafter, and hinder (men) from the Path of Allah (i.e.Islam) and seek crookedness therein - They are far astray.” [Surat Ibraheem, verse 3]

So be like Al-Khansaa’, Nusaybah Bin Ka’b and Safiyyah Bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib whose examples still can be found in our time, those who sought to lift the humiliation and shame from the forehead of the Ummah, and raise the banner of victory for Islaam and the Muslims with the blood of their sons, and the piercing of their livers, and sought to stop the spread of the kaafir communism in the lands of Islam and its people.

O sister, why dont you become like the example of Umm Suraaqah? And what do you know about Umm Suraaqah? She sent her son for Jihaad in Afghanistaan, and when he was martyred, they [the mujahideen] said, “how do we inform her about her son’s death?” So they said, “if Shaikh Abdullah ‘Azzam talks to her it will lighten her burden.” So Shaikh ‘Azzam called her and gave her the glad tidings of her son’s Shahaadah and he told her words of comfort and patience, but she didn’t need those words at all, and it was as if she was waiting for this news with longing. So she replied to the shaikh saying, “Alhamdulillaah for Suraaqahs’ martyrdom. In a week I will send you his brother to replace him.”

[this story was mentioned in the book Dour al-Nisaa' fil jihaad al 'adaa' by Sheikh Yousef 'Uyayri Rahimahullaah]