The Evidence for the Prescribedness of Seeking Nearness to Allah Through Righteous Deeds
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The Shaykh : Perhaps it is beneficial and useful to remind you, as some of you may not have heard the hadith regarding the prescribedness of a supplicant seeking nearness to Allah through his own righteous deeds, and not through the righteous deeds of others. It is the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Sahih al-Bukhari 2333 : a rock from the mountain: meaning a large mountain that blocked their way out of the cave, so they were in a predicament with no one to help them except Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). When they found themselves trapped in that cave : and I think you understand these words without explanation because they are pure Arabic Sahih Muslim 2743a : he remained standing, confused, wondering whether to wake his parents to start with them as was his custom, saying: "Perhaps this is best, but I do not want to disturb them. Should I start with the young children instead, who are crying: screaming from hunger? So I will start with them before my parents." He lived like this from the evening until the morning, and this is part of his complete reverence and prioritizing the rights of his parents over his young children. Therefore, he said: they see the signs of Allah and Allah's response to the supplication of His righteous servants with their own eyes, but the miracle is not yet complete until the third man stands up to say: : many years. It appears that a calamity befell the man, or hunger struck his people, so he remembered that he had a measure of rice with that man, the owner of the farm. He went to him and said to him: :
This is the third evidence for seeking nearness to Allah, which is the seeker seeking nearness to Allah through a righteous deed that fulfills the two conditions previously mentioned in the first speech, namely: it must be righteous. Because you see the first man concerned with serving his father more than his children, and the second man was preoccupied with committing fornication and zina with a woman who was not his wife, but when he was reminded of Allah, he remembered and stopped. And that rich man did not covet it, despite the fact that he exploited that measure and gathered a lot of wealth from it, yet he did not use this wealth for his own benefit but returned it to the original owner, which is the measure. So these are undoubtedly clear righteous deeds.
Then they said in their seeking nearness: "If You know that we did this seeking Your pleasure," and this is sincerity. And for that reason, Allah responded to them and saved them from that distress that befell them, for no one could relieve this hardship except Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).
While three men were walking, It started raining and they took shelter (refuge) in a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled down from the mountain and closed the mouth of the cave.
بينما ثلاثة نفر ممن قبلكم يمشون في فلاة ، إذ أصابهم المطر ، فأووا إلى غار في جبل فانحطت على فم غارهم صخرة من الجبل فانطبقت عليهمOne of them said: "O these men, call upon Allah with your righteous deeds. Seek nearness to Allah with a righteous deed of yours, perhaps Allah will relieve it for you." So one of them stood up supplicating and said: "O Allah, if You know that I had two old parents and a wife, and I had young children whom I grazed for
قال أحدهم : يا هؤلاء ادعُ الله بأعمالكم الصالحة ، توسلوا إلى الله بعمل لكم صالح لعل الله يفرجها عنكم ، فقام أحدهم داعياً فقال : اللهم إن كنت تعلم أنه كان لي أبوان شيخان كبيران وامرأتي ، وكان لي صبيةٌ صغار أرعى عليهمI had my parents who were old and my wife and my small children also. I tended the flock and when I came back to them in the evening, I milked them (the sheep, goats, cows, etc.) and first served that milk to my parents. One day I was obliged to go out to a distant place in search of fodder and I could not come back before evening and found them (the parents) asleep. I milked the animals as I used to milk and brought milk to them and stood by their heads avoiding to disturb them from sleep and I did not deem it advisable to serve milk to my children before serving them. My children wept near my feet. I remained there in that very state and my parents too until it was morning.
كان لي أبوان شيخان كبيران أرعى عليهم فإذا أرحت حلبت فبدأت بأبوي قبل بني ، فنأى بي ذات يوم الشجر ، فأرحت وقد أمسيت ، فوجدتهما قد ناما فحلبت كما كنت أحلب وجئت بالحلاب ، فقمت على رؤوسهما أكره أن أوقظهما من نومهما وأكره أن أسقي الصبية قبلهما ، والصبية يتضاغون مِن الجوع عند قدمي فلم يزل ذلك دأبي ودأبهم حتى طلع الفجرSo that remained my habit and their habit until dawn broke. He said: "O Allah, if You know that I did that seeking Your pleasure, then open for us an opening from it so we can see the sky." So the rock moved a little, but they could not get out until the second man stood up and said: "O Allah, if You know that I had a cousin whom I loved as much as men love women, and I asked her for herself, but she refused until I brought her a hundred dinars. He said: "So I labored until I gathered a hundred dinars for her. When it was between her feet, she said: 'O servant of Allah, fear Allah and do not open the seal except with its right.' So I stood up from her and left the hundred dinars for her. If You know that I did that seeking Your pleasure, then open for us an opening." So the rock also moved a little, but they could not get out
فلم يزل ذلك دأبي ودأبهم حتى طلع الفجر ، قال : فاللهم إن كنت تعلم أني فعلت ذلك ابتغاء مرضاتك فافرج لنا منها فرجة نرى منها السماء ، فانزاحت الصخرة شيئاً قليلاً ، ولكن لا يستطيعون الخروج حتى قام الرجل الثاني فقال : اللهم إن كنت تعلم أنه كان لي ابنةُ عم أحببتها كأشد ما يُحب الرجال النساء فطلبتُ منها نفسَها فأبت حتى آتيها بمئة دينار ، قال : فتعبتُ حتى جمعت لها مئة دينار ، فلما وقعت بين رجليها قالت : يا عبد الله اتق الله ولا تفتح الخاتم إلا بحقه فقمت عنها وتركت لها المئة دينار ، فإن كنت تعلم أني فعلت ذلك ابتغاء مرضاتك ففرج عنا فرجة ، فانزاحت الصخرة أيضاً شيئاً قليلاً ولكن لا يستطيعون الخروجO Allah, if You know that I hired a worker for a measure of rice (meaning a measure of rice), when he finished his work, I offered him his measure, but he was pleased with it. He said: "So I kept planting this measure until I gathered from it cattle and a herd. Then he came to me after a long time
اللهم إن كنت تعلم أني استأجرت أجيراً على فَرَقٍ من أرز -يعني كيل من أرز- فلما قضى عمله عرضتُ عليه فرقه فرغب عنه ، قال : فلم أزل أزرعُ هذا الفرق حتى جمعت منه بقرًا ورِعاءا ، ثم جاءني بعد زمن طويلO servant of Allah, give me my right. He said: "Look at those cattle, go and take them." He said: "O servant of Allah, fear Allah and do not mock me. I only have a measure of rice with you." He said: "Go and take them, for those cattle are from that measure." So he went and drove them away. O Allah, if You know that I did that seeking Your pleasure, then open for us what remains. So Allah opened for them what remained, and the rock moved and they walked out
يا عبد الله أعطني حقي ، قال : انظر إلى تلك البقر فاذهب وخذها ، قال : يا عبد الله اتق الله ولا تستهزئ بي ، إنما لي عندك فرق من أرز ، قال اذهب وخذها فإنما تلك البقر مِن ذاك الفرق ، فذهب واستاقها ، فاللهم إن كنت تعلم أنني فعلتُ ذلك ابتغاء مرضاتك ففرج عنا ما بقي ، ففرج الله عنهم ما بقي ، وانزاحت الصخرة فخرجوا يتمشونThis is the third evidence for seeking nearness to Allah, which is the seeker seeking nearness to Allah through a righteous deed that fulfills the two conditions previously mentioned in the first speech, namely: it must be righteous. Because you see the first man concerned with serving his father more than his children, and the second man was preoccupied with committing fornication and zina with a woman who was not his wife, but when he was reminded of Allah, he remembered and stopped. And that rich man did not covet it, despite the fact that he exploited that measure and gathered a lot of wealth from it, yet he did not use this wealth for his own benefit but returned it to the original owner, which is the measure. So these are undoubtedly clear righteous deeds.
Then they said in their seeking nearness: "If You know that we did this seeking Your pleasure," and this is sincerity. And for that reason, Allah responded to them and saved them from that distress that befell them, for no one could relieve this hardship except Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).