Our final destination is the life of the Hereafter. Where we end up, Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell-fire) depends on what we worked towards in this life. Paradise is the aim and the hope of every Muslim. But like trying to attain any goal, in order to achieve success, one must have a well-defined plan, and it must be implemented to be successful.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Pious Man and the Shopkeeper
There lived a pious man all by himself, who
spent most of his time in praying, fasting and praising Allah. Almost
all his waking hours were utilised in meditation and devotions. He was
very happy with his spiritual progress. No wicked thoughts came to his
mind and no evil temptations entered his heart.
One night, he dreamt a rather disturbing dream. He saw that a shopkeeper in the town was far superior to him in spirituality and that he must go to him to learn the basics of true spiritual life.
In the morning, the pious man went in search of the shopkeeper. He found him busy with his customers, selling goods and collecting money with a cheerful face. He sat there in a corner of the shop and watched the shopkeeper carefully. No signs of any spiritual life at all, he said to himself. His dream could not be true. But then he saw the shopkeeper disappear to pray his Salah. When he returned, he was busy dealing with money matters again.
The shopkeeper noticed the pious man sitting in the corner and asked: "As Salamu Alaikum, would you like something, brother?"
"Wa Alaikum As Salam. Oh! No! No!" said the pious man. "I don't want to buy anything, but I want to ask you a question." He then related his dream.
"Well, that is very simple to explain," said the shopkeeper, "but you will have to do something for me before I answer your question."
"I will do anything for you," replied the pious man.
"All right! Take this saucer; there is some mercury in it. Go to the other end of the street and come back fast within half an hour. If the mercury falls out of the saucer, you will hear nothing from me. There you go now."
The pious man took the saucer and started running. The mercury nearly wobbled out of the saucer. He saved it just in time, and slowed down. Then he remembered he had to return within half an hour, so he started walking at a fast pace. At long last he returned puffing and panting. "Here is your mercury, safe and sound," he told the shopkeeper. "Now tell me the true interpretation of my dream."
The shopkeeper looked at the pious man's weary condition and asked him: "Well, friend, how many times did you remember Allah while you were going from this end of the street to the other?"
"Remember Allah!" exclaimed the pious man. "I did not remember Him at all. I was so worried about the mercury in the saucer."
"But I do remember Him all the time," said the shopkeeper. "When I am doing my business, I am also carrying mercury in a saucer. I am fair, honest and kind to my customers. I never forget Allah Ta'ala in my dealings with other men."
"Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing As‑Salaah (Iqaamat‑as‑Salaah) nor from giving the Zakaah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection). That Allaah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace. And Allaah provides without measure to whom He wills" [Al Quran, Surah an-Noor 24:37-38] :)
One night, he dreamt a rather disturbing dream. He saw that a shopkeeper in the town was far superior to him in spirituality and that he must go to him to learn the basics of true spiritual life.
In the morning, the pious man went in search of the shopkeeper. He found him busy with his customers, selling goods and collecting money with a cheerful face. He sat there in a corner of the shop and watched the shopkeeper carefully. No signs of any spiritual life at all, he said to himself. His dream could not be true. But then he saw the shopkeeper disappear to pray his Salah. When he returned, he was busy dealing with money matters again.
The shopkeeper noticed the pious man sitting in the corner and asked: "As Salamu Alaikum, would you like something, brother?"
"Wa Alaikum As Salam. Oh! No! No!" said the pious man. "I don't want to buy anything, but I want to ask you a question." He then related his dream.
"Well, that is very simple to explain," said the shopkeeper, "but you will have to do something for me before I answer your question."
"I will do anything for you," replied the pious man.
"All right! Take this saucer; there is some mercury in it. Go to the other end of the street and come back fast within half an hour. If the mercury falls out of the saucer, you will hear nothing from me. There you go now."
The pious man took the saucer and started running. The mercury nearly wobbled out of the saucer. He saved it just in time, and slowed down. Then he remembered he had to return within half an hour, so he started walking at a fast pace. At long last he returned puffing and panting. "Here is your mercury, safe and sound," he told the shopkeeper. "Now tell me the true interpretation of my dream."
The shopkeeper looked at the pious man's weary condition and asked him: "Well, friend, how many times did you remember Allah while you were going from this end of the street to the other?"
"Remember Allah!" exclaimed the pious man. "I did not remember Him at all. I was so worried about the mercury in the saucer."
"But I do remember Him all the time," said the shopkeeper. "When I am doing my business, I am also carrying mercury in a saucer. I am fair, honest and kind to my customers. I never forget Allah Ta'ala in my dealings with other men."
"Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing As‑Salaah (Iqaamat‑as‑Salaah) nor from giving the Zakaah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection). That Allaah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace. And Allaah provides without measure to whom He wills" [Al Quran, Surah an-Noor 24:37-38] :)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Sheikh Sayyed Habib Ali Al Jifri
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ALI ZAIN AL-ABIDIN AL-JIFRI |
Birth
Habib Ali was born in the city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia just before dawn on Friday 20th Safar 1391 AH (16th April 1971), from parents who are both
descendents of Imam Hussein son of Ali, peace be upon them.
Lineage
Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Abdul-Rahman son of Ali son of
Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ali son of Alawi son of Ali son of Ahmed son of
Alawi son of Abdul-Rahman Mawlah al-Arsha son of Muhammad son of Abdullah
al-Tarisi son of Alawi al-Khawas son of Abu Bakr al-Jifri son of Muhammad son
of Ali son of Muhammad son of the Ahmed son of the al-Faqih al-Muqaddam
Muhammad son of Ali son of Muhammad Sahab Murbat son of Ali Khali` Qassam son
of Alawi son of Muhammad son of Alawi son of Ubaidullah son of the Ahmed al-Muhajir
ila Allah (trans: the one who made an exodus to the Divine presence) son of Isa
son of Muhammad al-Naqib son of Ali al-Uraidhi son of Jafar al-Sadiq son of
Muhammad al-Baqir son of Ali Zain al-Abidin son of Hussein (the grandson of the
Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him) son of Ali son of Abu
Taleb, may God ennoble his countenance, the husband of Fatimah al-Zahra
daughter of the Messenger of God blessings & peace be upon him.
His noble mother is Marumah daughter of Hassan son of Alawi son of Hassan son of Alawi son of Ali al-Jifri.
His noble mother is Marumah daughter of Hassan son of Alawi son of Hassan son of Alawi son of Ali al-Jifri.
Educational Background
He began taking knowledge from his early childhood from his
first teacher, his mother’s great-aunt the scholar and knower of God Safiah
daughter of Alawi son of Hassan al-Jifri, she had an immense influence on him
and the direction he took in the pursuit of knowledge and spirituality.
As a continuation of the authentic methodology of receiving Sacred Knowledge, and wayfaring on the spiritual path, through an unbroken chain of masters, all the way back to the Messenger of God may God Bless him & his family and give them peace, a methodology the preservation and maintenance of which, the valley of Hadramaut and the city of Tarim are renowned, this work was continued in the intellectual Milieu of the Hejaz which became a meeting point for the Scholars of the School of Hadramaut when they were exiled from the South of Yemen during Communist Rule; he received his education in the Sacred Sciences and the Science of Spiritual Wayfaring at the hands of Scholars and Spiritual Educators, among them:
• The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Abdul-Qadir Bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf in Jeddah. With whom he studied the Authentic Hadith Compilations of Bukhari and Muslim, as well as the Revival of the Religious Sciences of Imam Ghazali and other important texts. He continued studying directly under his teacher from the age of 10 until he was 21 years of age.
• The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Ahmad Mashhur Bin Taha Al-Haddad the author of many famous books. Among the books he studied under this master was: ‘The Clarification of the Secret Knowledge known to those Brought Near to the Divine Presence’.
• The Scholar and Master Muhammad Bin Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani, the Hadith Master of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Under whom he studied Hadith Terminology, Legal Principles and the Biography of the Prophet.
• The Scholar and Educator Al-Habib Attas al-Habshi.
• The Scholar Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashhur al-Adani, the author of numerous works.
• The Scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ba-Sheikh.
• He enrolled in the College of Islamic Studies in Sana’a Yemen from 1412 AH/1991 AD, until 1414 AH/1993 AD. During this time he was given the opportunity to study directly under Habib Muhammad Bin Abdullah al-Hadaar who was in his last days, so he went to the Habib’s Centre of Learning in the City of Baeda in Yemen. It was during this phase that he began to move from theoretical studies to the work of calling to God, as he benefited greatly from the late Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s methodology of living his knowledge, and making it impact his reality.
• During that phase the link between him and the Great Scholar & Educator Habib Omar Bin Muhammad Bin Salem Bin Hafiz, (who was one of the foremost people in Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s Centre of Learning) was strengthened He later went to the City of Sheher to be with him.
• He settled in Tarim in the Companionship of Habib Omar Bin Mohammed Bin Hafiz from 1993 to 2003.
As a continuation of the authentic methodology of receiving Sacred Knowledge, and wayfaring on the spiritual path, through an unbroken chain of masters, all the way back to the Messenger of God may God Bless him & his family and give them peace, a methodology the preservation and maintenance of which, the valley of Hadramaut and the city of Tarim are renowned, this work was continued in the intellectual Milieu of the Hejaz which became a meeting point for the Scholars of the School of Hadramaut when they were exiled from the South of Yemen during Communist Rule; he received his education in the Sacred Sciences and the Science of Spiritual Wayfaring at the hands of Scholars and Spiritual Educators, among them:
• The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Abdul-Qadir Bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf in Jeddah. With whom he studied the Authentic Hadith Compilations of Bukhari and Muslim, as well as the Revival of the Religious Sciences of Imam Ghazali and other important texts. He continued studying directly under his teacher from the age of 10 until he was 21 years of age.
• The Scholar and Spiritual Educator Habib Ahmad Mashhur Bin Taha Al-Haddad the author of many famous books. Among the books he studied under this master was: ‘The Clarification of the Secret Knowledge known to those Brought Near to the Divine Presence’.
• The Scholar and Master Muhammad Bin Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani, the Hadith Master of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Under whom he studied Hadith Terminology, Legal Principles and the Biography of the Prophet.
• The Scholar and Educator Al-Habib Attas al-Habshi.
• The Scholar Habib Abu Bakr al-Mashhur al-Adani, the author of numerous works.
• The Scholar Sheikh Muhammad Ba-Sheikh.
• He enrolled in the College of Islamic Studies in Sana’a Yemen from 1412 AH/1991 AD, until 1414 AH/1993 AD. During this time he was given the opportunity to study directly under Habib Muhammad Bin Abdullah al-Hadaar who was in his last days, so he went to the Habib’s Centre of Learning in the City of Baeda in Yemen. It was during this phase that he began to move from theoretical studies to the work of calling to God, as he benefited greatly from the late Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s methodology of living his knowledge, and making it impact his reality.
• During that phase the link between him and the Great Scholar & Educator Habib Omar Bin Muhammad Bin Salem Bin Hafiz, (who was one of the foremost people in Habib Muhammad Al-Hadaar’s Centre of Learning) was strengthened He later went to the City of Sheher to be with him.
• He settled in Tarim in the Companionship of Habib Omar Bin Mohammed Bin Hafiz from 1993 to 2003.
Professional Background
• 1426 AH/2005 – present: General Director of Tabah Foundation.
• 1424 AH/2003 – present: Member of the Board of Director of Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.
• 1428 AH/ 2007 – present: Active member of The Royal Aal al-Bayt Foundation for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan.
• 1428 AH/ 2007 – Present: Secretary General to the Board of Trustees for the Al Mahabbah Awards.
• 1424 AH/ 2003 – Present: Member of the Board of Trustees of the European Academy for Islamic Culture and Science in Brussels, Belgium.
• 1418 AH/1997 – Present: Visiting Lecturer (summer program) at Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.
• 1424 AH/2003 – present: Member of the Board of Director of Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.
• 1428 AH/ 2007 – present: Active member of The Royal Aal al-Bayt Foundation for Islamic Thought in Amman, Jordan.
• 1428 AH/ 2007 – Present: Secretary General to the Board of Trustees for the Al Mahabbah Awards.
• 1424 AH/ 2003 – Present: Member of the Board of Trustees of the European Academy for Islamic Culture and Science in Brussels, Belgium.
• 1418 AH/1997 – Present: Visiting Lecturer (summer program) at Dar Al-Mustapha for Islamic Studies in Tarim.
Jazakallah Khair everyone :)
For detailed information: -
Facebook Page: -
Monday, May 7, 2012
How i came to Islam? - Dr.Gabriel Fouad Haddad -
I was born and raised in a typical middle-class Lebanese Catholic
family in Beirut, Lebanon. Two years into the war I was forced to leave, and
completed high school in England. Then I went to Columbia College in New York.
After my BA I went back to Lebanon and taught at my old school. Two years later
I left Lebanon again, this time of my own free will, although it was a more
wrenching separation than the first. I left behind my war-torn country and made
for my new land of opportunities. I was demoralized, and spiritually at a
complete impass. With my uncle's support I went back to graduate studies at
Columbia. This is the brief story of my conversion to Islam while there.
While in Lebanon I had come to realize that I was a
nominal Christian who did not really live according to what he knew were the
norms of his faith. I decided than whenever the chance came I would try my best
to live according to my idea of Christian standards for one year, no matter the
cost. I took this challenge while at Columbia. A graduate student's life is
blessed with the leisure necessary for spiritual and intellectual exploration.
In the process I read and meditated abundantly, and I prayed earnestly for dear
guidance. My time was shared literally between the church and the library, and
I gradually got rid of all that stood in the way of my experiment, especially
social attachments or activities that threatened to steal my time and
concentration. I only left campus to visit my mother every now and then.
Certain meetings and experiences had set me on the road
of inquiry about Islam. During a scholarship year spent in Paris I had bought a
complete set of tapes of the holy Qur'an. Back in New York I listened to its
recitation for the first time, as I read simultaneously the translation,
drinking in its awesome beauty. I paid particular attention to the passages
that concerned Christians. I felt an inviting familiarity to it because
undoubtedly the One I addressed in my prayers was the same One that spoke this
speech, even as I squirmed at some of the "verses of threat". After
some time I knew that this was my path, since I had become convinced of the
heavenly origin of the Qur'an.
I was reading many books at the same time. Two of them
were Martin Lings' "Life of Muhammad" and Fariduddin Attar's
"Book of Secrets" (Persian "Asrar-Nama", in French
translation). I found extremely inspiring Lings' account of Shaykh Ahmad
`Alawi's life in his book "A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century." I
did not finish the latter before I became a Muslim; but I am jumping ahead. At
any rate, it now seemed my previous experience of religion had been like
learning the alphabet in comparison, even my early morning and late night Bible
readings and my past studies in the original Latin of Saint Augustine, who had
once towered in my life as a spiritual giant.
I began to long almost physically for a kind of prayer
closer to the Islamic way, which to me held promises of great spiritual
fulfillment, although I had grown completely dependent on certain spiritual
habits -- particularly communion and prayer -- and could hardly do without
them. And yet I had unmistakable signs pointing me in a further direction. One
of them I considered almost a slap in the face in its frankness: when I told my
local priest about the attraction I felt towards Islam he responded as he
should, but then closed his talk with the words: allahu akbar. "Allahu
akbar"? An Italian-American priest?!
I went to two New York mosques but the imams there wanted
to talk about the Bible or about the Middle East conflict, I suppose to make
polite conversation with me. I realized they did not necessarily see what drove
me to them and yet I did not find an avenue where I would pluck up the courage
to declare my intention. Then I would go home and tell myself: Another day has
passed, and you are still not Muslim. Finally I went to the Muslim student
group at Columbia and announced my intention, and declared the two shahada: The
Arabic formula that consists in saying "I bear witness that there is no
god but Allah" -- the Arabic name for God -- "and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His Prophet." They taught me ablution and salat (prayer), and
I gained a dear friend among them. Those days are marked in my life with letters
of light.
Another close friend of mine played a role in this
conversion. This devout American Christian friend had entered Islam years
before me. At the time I felt in my silly pride that it was wrong for an
American to enter into the religion of the Arabs and for me, an Arab, to stand
like a mule in complete ignorance of it. It had a great effect on me from both
sides: the cultural one and the spiritual, because he was -- is -- an honest
and upright person whose major move meant a great deal to me.
I had also come to realize that my early
education in Lebanon had carefully sheltered me from Islam, even though I lived
in a mixed neighborhood in the middle of Beirut. I went to my father's and
grandfather's Jesuit school. The following incident is proof that there is no
turning away of Allah's gift when He decides to give it. One year, when I was
12, a strange religious education teacher gave us as an assignment the task of
learning the Fatiha -- the first chapter of the Qur'an -- by heart. I went home
and did, and it stayed with me all my life. After parents complained he was
fired -- "we do not send our children to a Christian school in order for
them to learn the religion of Muslims" -- but the seed had been sown,
right there in the staunch Christian heartland, inside its prize school. Now
here I was in the United States, knocking at the door of the religion of the
Prophet, peace be upon him!
Days after I took shahada I met my teacher and the
light on my path, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani of Tripoli, after which I met his own
teacher, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani of Cyprus. May Allah bless and grant them long
life. Through them, after some years, my mother also took shahada and I hope
and pray every day that my two brothers and stepfather will soon follow in
Allah's immense generosity. Allah's blessings and peace on the Prophet, his
Family, his Companions, and all Prophets.
Special Thanks to Sister Syedha Ihsana Shah :)
Friday, May 4, 2012
Holy Hair of Muhammad Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) in India
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| Sacred hair of Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) with certificate of authenticity is being handed over to Shaikh Aboobacker Bin Ahmad |
It is quiet sensational! Words can’t
express the feelings if one is given possession authority of sacred
hair of Rasoolullah(صلى الله عليه و سلم), verily Allah’s beloved. The
emotion is paramount if one loves Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and
he is offered to keep the sacred traces with full authority.
The sacred hair handing over event held during Markaz
Conference was really emotional. Shaikh Ahmad Al Khazraji, Abu Dhabi,
UAE handed over one hair of Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to
renowned Indian Scholar Shaikh Aboobacker Ahmad during the conference
with a massive crowd watching virtually breathless with tears in their
eyes. The event was telecasted live over internet allowing many to
witness glimpse of it round the world.
The Sacred Hair was handed over
after reading names of greats who inherited it starting from era of
Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) till date. Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و
سلم) during his Hajj pilgrimage (الحجة الوداع) had distributed his
hairs to his companions. The companions kept them sacredly and passed
over to next generation. Passing from generations to generations many
such hairs are available now kept with high dignity in many parts of the
world.
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| The document of authenticity relating to the sacred hair is being signed by Shaikh Aboobacker Bin Ahmad |
Shaikh Ahmad Al Khazraji, son of
Shaikh Muhammed Al Khazraji, former Minister of Endowments and Islamic
Affairs, United Arab Emirates inherits many traces belonging to
Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم). He is a descendant from Khazraj
tribe, one of the prominent tribe in Yathrib (Madinah) at the era of
Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم). They are ‘Ansars’ as they welcomed
and offered unmatched helps to Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and his
companions migrated from Makkah.
Shaikh Ahmad Al Khazraji used to
exhibit his sacred collections to general public in his home in Abu
Dhabi on 12th night of Rabiul Awwal. He dips the hairs in water and
presents bottles of that water to the keen visitors on the day.
Shaikh Ahmad Al Khazraji, has
mentioned that he got order from Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم)
through dream to hand over the hair to the leader of pious Muslims in
Kerala. Markaz already keeps one hair of Rasoolullah (صلى الله عليه و
سلم) which was collected from another source.
Markaz conference
is conducted biannually or tri annually to grant certificates to young
Islamic Sharia graduates and Quran Hafizs. A huge crowd of around a
million people were present at the vicinity of Markaz Conference. Markaz
is an Islamic educational center located in south Indian city
Kozhikode, Kerala which teaches principles and practices of Ahlu Sunnah
wal Jamaa’h. Markaz also offers quality education to thousands of
students on various trades and skills apart from its rudimentary ethics
of teaching Islamic Sharia.
 |
| Dr.Sheikh Ali Gumaa , Egypt Grand Mufthi |
Another notable incident during the
conference was presentation given by Dr. Ali Jomaa to Scholars of
Markaz. Dr. Ali Jomaa, Grand Mufti Egypt is a dignitary respected by
Muslims all over the world. He is a noted preacher and author of many
books on Islamic faith and jurisprudence. He presented ‘sanad’ the
certificate of authenticity he has being keeping relating to various
scholars of Madhab of Imam Shafii to Shaikh Abubacker Ahmad during the
conference.
Markaz
with more than 30 years of experience in breeding Islamic pundits has
started spreading its wings to other states of India like Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Andamn Nicobar Islands and Kashmir.
Shaikh Aboobcker Ahmad, one of the founders of this unparalleled
institution is a famous scholar, author of many books and a good
preacher. His long term vision and hard work in setting up the Markaz has paid off with the sort of appreciations Markaz getting from worldwide Scholars.
Special Thanks to Al-Badr Online
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Concept of Companionship and friendship in Islam
We should
choose the friend that believes in and abide by our religion
(Islam) and gives great respect to what Allah (SWT) and Prophet
Muhammad (saw) had ordered us. And we should stay away from the one who is
not well mannered and gives no attention to what Islam is about or what
pleases or displeases Allah (SWT), for he will surely affect us negatively.
There is no good if the companion drowns us in sins and displeasing Allah
(SWT). The bases for the actions of those who follow the evil ways are
corrupt; their actions are built upon misguidance and deviation.
Good friends are those who share
with their companions both happiness and sadness. If we share our feelings
with the wrongdoers whose actions are worthless and based on corruption, then
we are following the same ways and standards as they are doing, and we will
end up being as corrupt as they are, and then we are in a big trouble, how
can we face Allah's (SWT) dissatisfaction and displeasure? Instead of making
friends with the misguided ones we should befriend the righteous, yet treat
the rest in a gracious and just manner. Staying at sufficient distance is
necessary; yet treating everybody in a noble and kind manner is required.
The danger of having corrupt
friends isn't confined to the worldly life. Such friendships produce
repentance on the Day of Resurrection, too!
Allah
(SWT), the Exalted says in the Noble Qur'an: "And (remember)
the day when the unjust one shall bite his hands saying: O! Would that I had
taken a way with the Messenger! O woe is me! Would that I had not taken such
a one for a friend! Certainly he led me astray from the reminder after it had
come to me;" (Surah Al-Furqan, 25:27-29)
The two main regrets on the day of
judgement are (1) Not following Prophet Muhammad (saw) on the path of
guidance and (2) Befriending a person who diverted one from the truth.
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) has
said: "The felicity of this and the next world lie in two things:
firstly, keeping secrets; and secondly, friendship with the good. And the
miseries of this and the next world are summed up in two things: firstly, divulging
secrets; and secondly, friendship with wicked persons."
So take heed before the inevitable
day of judgement comes and we are reckoned for our acts.
Allah (SWT), the Exalted says in
the Noble Qur'an: "Friends on that Day will be enemies one to another, except
al-Muttaqun (i.e. those who have Taqwa/Piety)." (Surah Az-Zukhruf,
43:67)
It is wise to choose moderation in
dealing with friends. Excessive love and confidence in friends are
unacceptable since it happens that a friend may change into an enemy and use
the secrets that he had shown as weapons.
Allah (SWT), the Exalted says in
the Noble Qur'an: "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not
cooperate in sin and aggression." (Surah Al-Maeda, 5:2)
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said:
"When you cherish someone you should cherish him moderately for he may
be your enemy someday, and when you hate someone you should hate him
moderately for he may be your friend someday." Also said: "If you
intend to cut yourself off from a friend, leave some scope for him from your
side by which he may resume friendship if it so occurs to him some day."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said:
"The secrets that you must show before your friends are only those
through which your enemies cannot harm you, for a friend may change into an
enemy."
|
When choosing our
friends we should ask ourselves first: Are they going to help us achieve the
purpose for which we were brought to life? Or will they take us away from it?
Will they desire for us Allah's (SWT) pleasure or is that completely
irrelevant to them and not their concern at all? Are they leading us to
Paradise or to the Hell?
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as)
narrates from his father who said, "O my son don't befriend five types
of people:
1. Don't befriend a liar (Kadhib).
For a liar is like a mirage. He shows the distant as near and the near as
distant. He will always deceive you and trouble you.
2. Don't befriend a transgressor
(Ghasib). For he will forsake you for a paltry sum and make your sins appear
very alluring to you. He will make you a victim of Allah's chastisement
through his petty sins and take you farther away from His obedience and
satisfaction. He will make Allah's worship appear as His disobedience, and
His disobedience as His worship. He will drag you along with himself in the
fire of hell.
3. Never befriend a miser
(Bakheel/Kanjus). For in your time of need and distress, he will withhold his
wealth from you, while he is in a position to assist you. (He values his
wealth more than anything else. And to that end he is prepared to forsake
even his friends)
4. Do not befriend a fool (Ahmaq).
For (in his foolishness) he will harm you while he intends to help you. (That
is why it is said, 'A shrewd enemy is better than a foolish friend')
5. Don't befriend the one who
breaks relations (with his relatives/Khata Rahmi). For, such a person has
been cursed in the Noble Qur'an in three places. He is engrossed in his own
affairs with scant regard for others. (Friendship with such a person will
eventually lead the individual towards sins and disobedience of Allah)"
Imam
Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Do not befriend a sinner
(Fasiq/Fajir) because he will sell you for a morsel."
Imam Sajjad (as) said: "Do
not make anyone your enemy even though you consider him harmless and do not
turn down a person's friendship even if you think he will not benefit
you."
The Noble Qur'an says, "The
hypocritical men and the hypocritical women are all alike; they enjoin evil
and forbid good and withhold their hands; they have forsaken Allah, so He has
forsaken them; surely the hypocrites are the transgressors." (Surah
Al-Tawba, 9:67)
On the other hand, Noble Qur'an discusses
the believers in the following manner, "And (as for) the believing men
and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they enjoin good
and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and
His Messenger; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is
Mighty, Wise." (Surah Al-Tawba, 9:71)
The two Qur'anic verses mentioned
above only go to show how critical a role friendship can play in our lives. A
true friend then, is the one who takes us closer to Allah's (SWT) compassion
and grace.
Having deliberated at length on
who should not be befriended, we shall now see what kind of people should be
befriended. Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) narrates, "Friendship entails certain
trusts and duties. Then the one who observes these obligations is a true
friend and the one who breaches this trust is unworthy of friendship. These
obligations are as follows;
1. He should be the same outside
as he is inside. In other words, he should not have a dual personality. (In
this age however, we often come across people who are exceptionally humble
and modest on the outside, with little, if any humility, on the inside)
2. He will consider your virtues
as his virtues and your misdeeds as his misdeeds. (In other words your virtues
will cheer him and your faults will grieve him. God forbid, he must not feel
relieved after observing some vice in you, and take solace from the fact that
he himself is above that vice.)
3. If he acquires a position of
power and authority, it must not bring about a drastic change in his
attitude. In other words, prosperity must not transform the individual
adversely. (There are some people who make the best of friends in adversity.
But a positive change in their financial condition reveals a dark, hitherto
unknown side of their personality. On the other hand we see some people who
make good friends in prosperity, but misfortune transforms them, disclosing
their fickleness.)
4. He must give his friendship
(with you) priority over all his worldly possessions. In other words in times
of adversity, he must be willing to give his all to redeem you.
5. He must never leave you alone
in times of misfortune and distress."
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Those that are
necessary like nourishment and you cannot live without them; those that are
like medicine and are beneficial, so you need them sometimes; and finally,
those that are like a sickness and you do not need them at all!
Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said,
"The believer is like a mirror to other believers (in
truthfulness)." Like a mirror, your friend gives you an honest image. He
forgives your mistakes, but does not hide or exaggerate your strengths and
weaknesses.
Once Prophet Muhammad (saw) was
asked, "What person can be the best friend?" "He who helps you
remember Allah (SWT), and reminds you when you forget Him," the Prophet
Muhammad (saw), counseled.
Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said:
"A friend cannot be considered a friend unless he is tested on three
occasions: in time of need, behind your back and after your death."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) also remarks, "My
best friend is the one who gifts me my weaknesses and shortcomings." In
other words one who brings to your notice your defects and flaws is indeed
your true friend.
However, there is one very
imperative point in the above-mentioned tradition of Imam Jafar Sadiq (as).
When one presents an offering to a close friend, he does so with utmost care,
not willing to overlook anything. He offers the gift with total respect and
regard. For, even the most valuable gift if not presented with correct
etiquette, can look very ordinary. While presenting the offering, the friend
tries to make the most expensive gift seem very ordinary so as to not
embarrass the recipient. On the other hand, the recipient of this gift tries
to make even the most ordinary gift seem very precious, so as to please his
friend. Similarly, when we wish to point out certain shortcomings to a
friend, we must do so with a degree of respect and sincerity. Our sole
intention must be to reform the friend and there should be no hint of any
malice and self-righteousness. Likewise, when a friend highlights for us, our
defects, we must acknowledge the same with respect and gratitude without any
ill will and hostility.
Imam Hassan Askari (as) Says:
"Those who advise their friend secretly are respecting them, and those who
advise them openly are humiliating them."
Indeed if we establish these as
the standards of friendship, the believers shall soon find themselves
enveloped with friends who will take them closer to Paradise and farther away
from the fire of hell.
Allah (SWT) says in the Noble
Qur'an: O you who believe! Take care of your souls; he who errs cannot hurt
you when you are on the right way; to Allah is your return, of all (of you),
so He will inform you of what you did. (Surah Al-Maeda, 5:105)
There are certain tips to remember
if you wish to keep a stable friendship.
Do not dispute with him and do not
be hostile to him.
Do not ridicule him. Do not
quarrel with him. Instead accord friends the respect they deserve.
Imam Hassan (as) Says:
"Befriend people in the same manner you would like them to befriend
you."
Do not hold him in contempt nor
consider him to be lower than you. Instead guard the honor of your friends
during their absence and after their death.
Do not claim precedence and
supremacy over him. Instead forgive the short-comings of your friends,
because everyone makes mistakes in life.
Do not crack indecent jokes
with him.
Finally, we ask Allah (SWT) to
make us of the righteous ones and give us companions that will take us away
from His Wrath and lead us to His Pleasure and Paradise..Ameen.. :)
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