Encouraging Patience.

The Shaykh :
(peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in
the Fire. Our last lesson ended with a commentary on the first part of the first hadith from the chapter on
Encouraging Patience. It is necessary to continue the commentary on the rest of this hadith, and before that, it is necessary to repeat it for your ears.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It was narrated from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Purity
is half of faith, and alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) fills the scale, and Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) and alhamdulillah fill, or fills, what is between the sky
and the earth, and prayer is light, and charity is proof, and patience is radiance, and the Qur'an is an argument for you or against you. Every person
goes forth in the morning either freeing his soul or destroying it. It was narrated by Muslim.
We spoke in the previous lesson up to the phrase "Subhan Allah and alhamdulillah fill, or fills, what is between the sky
and the earth." The scholars said regarding this phrase, "fills what is between the sky and the earth," if we assume that its reward
is weighed on the scale, and if we say it is in terms of volume, it is of such magnitude and greatness in that it fills what is between the sky
and the earth. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"And prayer is light, and charity is proof, and patience is radiance." Prayer is light, considering that it is as our Lord
(Blessed and Exalted is He) described it in the Qur'an: {Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing} (al-'Ankabut: 45).
So it guides its practitioner to do what Allah has made obligatory upon him and to refrain from what Allah has forbidden him. So it is light
in this regard. Here is a point that perhaps we can say that science today has discovered this point which people
were not able to know previously. That is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in this hadith that prayer is light
and he contrasted prayer with patience, saying "and patience is radiance." Many people think that the words "light" (nur) and "radiance" (dhiya') are
synonyms, so it is the same in meaning whether you say prayer is light or radiance, and likewise it is the same whether you say patience is light or
you say radiance. The word is different but the meaning is the same. This is what some people think. But there are some linguists
who stated that radiance (dhiya') is stronger than light (nur). This is what the Noble Qur'an indicates when it said: {And He made the sun a radiance and the moon a light} (Yunus: 5).
So this is strong evidence for that linguistic scholar who informed us that radiance is stronger than light. That is because it has been established today,
and some contemporary exegetes mentioned this in their interpretation of the previous verse. They said the point is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic)
described the sun as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) made it a radiance, and the moon a light, because the moon acquires its light from
the sun. So the sun is the one that supplies many of the planets, including our earth and the moon. Therefore, it was
from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) informing people, as a natural astronomical sign for this noble unlettered Prophet, that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) informed him
of this truth which was not known except in the modern era, namely that the moon only acquires its light from
the sun. Therefore, He described the moon as light and the sun as radiance. So I say, as my own understanding, it is as if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
the Messenger was quoting this apparent meaning between light and radiance. He described prayer
as light, and he described patience as radiance. That is because patience is the foundation of all the deeds by which
the believer is able to rise and to perform everything that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has made obligatory upon him. And therefore, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned
some of the obligations, He said: {And it is difficult except for the humble}! I did not mean this, but rather {And seek help through patience and prayer}.
So the seeking of help began with patience in it, just as here patience— and patience is radiance, which is stronger than light— he described
prayer as light because the one praying derives the performance of it from the patience that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) placed
in it. So the humility in prayer here is derived from the patience that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) placed in it. In this
, it appeared to me that we should note that describing prayer as light and patience as radiance is not as
is said in many places and phrases and expressions that it is a matter of variety in expression. It is not so; it is more precise
than that. Rather, this is from the divine knowledge that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
before humans reached the discovery of this knowledge through their long, prolonged practice. So prayer is light; we know it is
light because it guides to good and prohibits evil, as you heard. And charity is proof. Charity, when
it is mentioned, is intended to mean what is obligatory of it, and there is no harm in understanding it in the broader sense that includes what is obligatory of it and what
is not obligatory. This charity, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) considered it proof of what? Of
the truthfulness of this Muslim in his claim of Islam. Because many Muslims claim to be Muslims, but their deeds
indicate that their Islam is either nominal, formal, and purely outward, and these people generally do not have
a grain of faith in their hearts, or their Islam is deficient such that they are not able to be guided by this
light which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) described previously. First, they do not pray; they do not present before them a light by which they are guided.
Likewise, he considered zakah as proof of the truthfulness of this Muslim and his sincerity to his Lord (Mighty and Majestic). The reality is that prayer,
although from the legislative aspect it is more important than the other pillars after the testimonies, the reality is that zakah
and its payment is harder on the soul, because souls, as our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) described them in the Noble Qur'an:
{And the souls are made to love greed} (Al-Imran: 134).
Meaning that souls are created with greed and stinginess. Therefore, the Muslim must present proof of
his Islam and that it is a name that corresponds to its reality, by paying the zakah of his wealth. So due to the difficulty of paying zakah on the soul,
the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that paying zakah is proof of the truthfulness of this one who pays zakah
in his Islam. This is from one aspect. And from another aspect, zakah was proof of his truthfulness in his Islam from another
side, which is that prayer becomes a habit for the person. So you find many of the praying people pray and do not
pray; they pray in form but not in reality and impact. That is, they do not achieve from it the goal that the
wise Lawgiver intended behind legislating prayer, which is the previous verse: "Prayer prohibits immorality and
wrongdoing." So this effect does not appear, and this goal does not appear in many of the praying people because it has become a habit for them;
they pray as a form and a routine. As for zakah, first, it does not repeat, because the primary purpose, as we said, zakah is obligatory,
so it is obligatory upon him to pay it once every year, or when the earth bears fruit, whenever it bears fruit... with the intervals
known in the books of jurisprudence and hadith. And therefore, in the Muslim paying zakah at intervals, the soul may incline in
that period in which he did not pay zakah and his soul was not purified by it, he may incline to what he was created with of greed
and stinginess. So when the time for paying zakah comes, it is necessary to renew the struggle; he must struggle his soul and struggle his desire
and pay the zakah of his wealth to purify his soul thereby. I think, and Allah knows best, that this is the secret in the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him)
description of charity as proof, meaning proof of his truthfulness in his Islam. And charity is proof, and patience is radiance,
since every obedience is established by patience. And as will come in some hadiths shortly, if Allah wills, the best of what is given to a person is patience. And the secret in this is that by patience, a person is able to perform his religious obligations,
and the stronger and more solid his patience is, the stronger and more solid his Islam is, and vice versa. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him)
said: "And the Qur'an is an argument for you or against you." Every Muslim believes in the Qur'an, and I find myself compelled to draw attention
to say: I hope that every Muslim believes in the Qur'an. And the reason for this hope and wish is that I know that
the science of theology (kalam) has entered the texts of many Muslim scholars and corrupted their creed. So all of them transmit, and all of them
agree that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). And when the truly striving scholars mention
I say, I hope that every Muslim who believes in the Qur'an, and the reason for this hope and expectation is that I know that
the science of theology (kalam) has entered the texts of many Muslim scholars and corrupted their creed, so they all transmit and they all
agree that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and when the truly striving scholars mention
And as for those who are patient in the face of trial, the one mentioned first among them is Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him), and that is only
because he was patient during the trial of the claim that the Qur'an is created. This trial, which the Caliph al-Ma'mun was subjected to before all others,
some scholars of the Mu'tazilah were able to convince him that the Qur'an is created, and since he held the power, he tested
the scholars, torturing many of them and killing a considerable number. And Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was among those whom he tortured,
imprisoning him for a long time, flogging him, and beating him with whips many times, demanding that he say their claim that the Qur'an is created, but he refused
and remained patient. Then Allah (Mighty and Majestic) saved him through his patience, and his call spread among the Muslims, except for those upon whom Allah has decreed
misguidance, namely the Mu'tazilah and the other sects of the Islamic groups. They were influenced
by them in a doctrinal way, and they opposed the Mu'tazilah in a formal, verbal manner. And unfortunately, the majority of scholars today oppose
the Mu'tazilah on the issue of the Qur'an. The Muslims say that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah and is not created, while the Mu'tazilah say
that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah, and the speech of Allah is created. So many scholars today agree with the Mu'tazilah in this
belief, but they differ with them in the wording. And here lies the great problem. This Qur'an which we recite morning and evening, and which
has been described with whatever Allah wills of great reward, includes the saying of His noble Prophet: "Whoever recites the Qur'an, for every letter
he has ten good deeds. I do not say: {Alif Lam Mim} is one letter. Rather, I say letter letter letter.
So these scholars who agree with the Mu'tazilah in their claim that the Qur'an is created, but differ with them in the wording, say:
No, the Qur'an is speech, and the speech of Allah is not created. That is what they say. They do not say the Qur'an is not created. They distinguish
between the Qur'an and the divine speech. And this secret is known by one who knows the difference between the Mu'tazilah and others among
those who agreed with the Mu'tazilah in belief but differed with them in expression and wording. This is because many of
these scholars we are referring to hold that the Qur'an is the true speech of Allah, but it is a psychological speech,
meaning that Allah did not speak, He never said: {Alif Lam Mim}. He did not say this. And they have a very dangerous philosophy, behind which
most students of scholars get entangled. I am not in the position to discuss this now. I want to say that it is obligatory for us to believe that the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)
is one of His attributes, and that this Qur'an is part of His speech, and that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) speaks whenever He wills and however He wills
and with whom He wills. And all of this which we are saying now is not believed by those who say that the Qur'an is the psychological speech of Allah. Therefore,
I say: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Qur'an is an argument for you or against you." So the Qur'an is the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), a true speech
befitting His status and greatness. So this Qur'an is an argument for you or against you. We hope that we are all truly believers that
the Qur'an is the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), a true speech befitting His majesty and greatness. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This
divine speech, the Noble Qur'an, is either an argument for you or an argument against you." And this meaning is clear
in this noble Prophetic expression. O Muslim, if you truly believe in the Qur'an as we said first, and then you act upon what is in
the Qur'an, what is obligatory for you to act upon, then it is an argument for you on the Day of Resurrection, defending you and interceding for you with your Lord, as
established in some authentic hadiths. And if, on the other hand, you believe in the Qur'an that it is the speech of Allah
(Mighty and Majestic), but you do not act upon it, then it is an argument against you. That is, when this Qur'an which you believed in, you did not benefit
from it at all, but it turned against you, whereas it was supposed to be for you and for your benefit. So when you believed in it and did
not act upon its texts, this Qur'an became an argument against you. Therefore, we must take a lesson from this authentic hadith,
which is that we should strive to act upon the Noble Qur'an and not limit ourselves to merely reciting it, because recitation
in relation to action is like a means to an end. A person performs wudu' to pray, so if he performs wudu' and does not pray, this wudu'
does not benefit him. So this is the meaning of the means and the end. Wudu' is the means for prayer, and prayer is the intended
end of this means. So what is the value of the means if the end behind it is not realized? Similarly, reciting the Qur'an
is only a means so that the Muslim understands through this recitation what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) wants from him in terms of action, abstention, or belief.
Therefore, it is not permissible to limit oneself to recitation without understanding, rather understanding is necessary, because we also say that
recitation in relation to understanding is also like a means in relation to an end. The intended purpose of recitation is understanding.
So if the Muslim recites the Qur'an and does not reflect! And does not ever try to understand the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), then he also does not benefit from it
at all. And I say, a significant amount. I do not want to say that he does not benefit at all, especially in the case of non-Arabs
and those among the Arabs who are like non-Arabs, into whom foreignness has seeped, so they read the Qur'an and do not understand it, or perhaps
they understand it with a distorted understanding, as is evident in many doctrinal issues, including that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah
and is not created. They understood that the speech of Allah is not created, but as for the Qur'an, they think it is created. This is due to their distance from their
original language with which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) revealed His Book and with which our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained this Book.
So the Qur'an must be recited with understanding and reflection, and one must not limit oneself to that, but one must act upon it within the limits
of a person's ability, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: {Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear}.
As for what one is able to implement and act upon, but then does not act upon, the Noble Qur'an is then an argument against him, not
an argument for him. And from this appears one of the reasons for the lagging of the Muslims, one of the manifestations of the lagging of the Muslims.
We find that Muslims today print millions of copies of the Noble Qur'an and they excel in decorating these
printed copies in a strange and very unusual way. And they also excel in reciting this Qur'an and in its recitation according to
the two, seven, and ten recitations, and with melodies that observe musical laws, all of this to achieve a Prophetic command
which they claim. And this Prophetic command is authentic, but they expanded upon it more than what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended, such as his saying: "Adorn
the Qur'an with your voices." So in their way of adorning this Qur'an, they excel in this excellence we mentioned, and the mushafs
spread in the mosques until the copies in some of the sacred mosques, the mosque of Mecca and Medina,
are piled up, and they find no way to dispose of them except by locking them in special warehouses, burning them,
and destroying them. So all of this is preoccupation with the means at the expense of the end. And therefore, this phenomenon indicates what has befallen the Muslims
of humiliation, because they focused on the means and transgressed, and forgot the ends. This great rush to print the Qur'an
and decorate it and recite it, etc. Where are the actions? You do not find action in it except a little, and very little. A person dies
and people rush to gather in the mosques and in the houses on the third day, on the fortieth day, on the first anniversary. I do not know, this innovation for which Allah has not sent down any authority,
they want to recite the Qur'an for the soul of the deceased.
They do not share in anything except recitation:
What was this deceased person's position regarding such a hadith? Do you think the Qur'an was an argument for him during his life,
or was it an argument against him? If it was the former, then by Allah, it will not harm him that the Fatihah or "Say: He is Allah,
One" or a short verse is not recited for his soul. That will not harm him. And if it was the latter, God forbid, meaning the Qur'an was an argument against him, then it will
not benefit him at all, even if the entire Islamic geographical world, numbering eight hundred million Muslims, gathers to recite
khatmahs for him night and day, it will not benefit him at all. Why? Because the Qur'an which we recite night and day and then do not
reflect upon it or understand it, but do not act upon it, says: {Or have they not been informed of what is in the scriptures of Musa
and Ibrahim who fulfilled [his covenant]? No bearer of a burden will bear the burden of another. And man will have nothing but what he has earned}. So these khatmahs which
are recited for the soul of the deceased, is any of it part of his effort? The answer is no. So these khatmahs go to waste, and he does not benefit
Among them, I wish to say something that may be dangerous for some people: they derive no benefit from it, not even the readers.
of the Qur'an. This is because they do not recite this Qur'an in the prescribed manner. Many of them do not complete a recitation of the Qur'an without a fee.
It is a fixed, known price, advertised in ways that have become known in the modern age regarding material matters.
and commercial goods. So these people have absolutely nothing from what they recite of the Qur'an, because what is in the Qur'an is: {And they were not commanded
except to worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion}.
And the one who recites the Qur'an for a hundred pounds, fifty pounds, or more or less, has nothing from this
recitation except fatigue and hardship, because he did not recite for the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, but for the face of the dirham and the dinar. So if he
does not have sincerity in that, he has no reward. And if the matter were only this, it would be easy to snatch away, but this reward which
he has forbidden himself turns against him as a burden, because he sought in a worship from among the legislated acts of worship other than the face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
And on the Day of Resurrection, it will be said to him: "Go and take your reward from the one for whom you recited, from the one for whom you worked," and so on. This is regarding
those who recite the Qur'an for a fee. As for those who volunteer, I do not assert, as I said earlier regarding those who recite
for a fee, but I also say I fear for these people that they may return from their recitation... two things. Why? Because they
gather for a gathering that was not from the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from the way of the righteous
predecessors. Among them were the four imams, the independent jurists. In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and in the
time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, hundreds of thousands of believers died. Some died as martyrs in the cause of Allah, and some
died in their beds, which is the Sunnah of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in His creation. Did a group of them gather in all these eras, the eras
of the righteous predecessors? Did a group of them gather in one of the houses of Allah to recite a recitation of the Qur'an for the soul of this
deceased, or in the house of the deceased, or the house of a relative of the deceased, also reciting the Qur'an for his soul? All of that did not exist.
And if the matter is so, then what comes back here first is the hadith that al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated in their authentic collections
from the hadith of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). She said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever introduces into our matter
something that is not part of it, it is rejected." So this recitation, as long as it is recited in a manner that is not prescribed, they also have
no reward for it, which Muslims have directed and taken care of. We must remember that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reminds us with such a hadith, and the reminder benefits the believers. We must act upon the Qur'an so that it becomes
a proof for us, and not contradict the Qur'an so that it does not become a proof against us. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned at the end
of the hadith this phrase: "A proof for you or against you." He said: "Every person is a seller of his soul, either freeing it or destroying it." Every person
who is engaged in his life is selling his soul, either to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, or to Satan. If he sells his soul, he is destroying it, meaning
ruining it with the Fire. If he sells his soul to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, he has freed it from the Fire. And if he sells his soul to Satan and follows his desires, he is
destroying it, meaning ruining it, and he has thrown himself into the painful punishment. So we ask Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to make us among the people who
recite the Qur'an for His face, and reflect upon it and understand it according to the Sunnah of his Prophet, and then act upon it as much as they are able to do so.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
a path, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.