One is Comforted at the Onset of Calamity & Hardship

 

By: Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee  رحمه الله

One is faced with trials and difficulties in every moment of life, but having faith and certainty serves to comfort and console one of them. Strong faith, reliance upon Allaah, hope in the reward of Allaah and desire for His beneficence are the basic constituents that help bring this state about. The sweetness of the reward lessens the bitterness of patience. Allaah, Exalted is He says:

“If you feel pain, they too are feeling it just as you are, but you hope for something from Allaah which they cannot hope for.”

[Soorah an-Nisaa, 4:104]

Only Allaah Can Remove Harm - Shaykh AbdurRahman as-Sa’dee

This is one of the greatest proofs that Allaah alone is worthy of worship, for verily He is the One who grants benefit or harm, the One who provides and the One who prevents.

If any harm such as poverty and sickness etc. befalls you ‘there is NONE who can remove it except Allaah’. This is because if all (those from) the creation gathered together in order to bring forth any type of benefit they would be unable to do so unless Allaah wrote it for them (thus allowing it). Likewise if (those from) the creation of Allaah gathered in order to cause harm to anyone, they would be unable to do so unless Allaah allowed it.

Pondering Upon Creation

 By: Al-’Alaamah ‘Abdur Rahmaan as-Sa’dee (rahimullaah)

Pondering upon the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, upon the amazing variety of creation and the creation of man himself is a potent invigorator of faith. This is because the greatness of this creation points to the greatness of the Creator and His Omnipotence, its conformity and harmony points to the vastness of Allaah’s Knowledge and His All-Encompassing Wisdom, its innumerable blessings and bounty point to the expanse of Allaah’s Mercy, His Generosity and His Kindness. All of these factors lead one to exalt its Creator, give thanks to Him, resort to His remembrance and make the religion sincerely for Him Alone. This is the essence and very spirit of faith.   

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 6

                      Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                              From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

The disbeliever knows nothing of tawakkul, nor does he look to other than his own weak, humiliated self. Allaah has given him abilities that he uses only to benefit his self, and thus caused them to become useless. If he attains some things that he loves, then he is only being led into a gradual punishment. 

The believer meets all blessings that come his way with thankfulness, and he uses them to benefit himself in a way that will cause more good to come.

The disbeliever meets blessings with exuberance and pride, busying himself with the blessing rather than the One who gave it to him, and thus does not offer any thanks. He uses the blessings for his lowly goals. With all his exuberance, his blessings are quick to part from him. 

The believer meets calamities with patience and counts on Allaah's Reward, hoping for Allaah to remove the difficulty. The goodness and the reward that Allaah gives him in place of his loss is greater than the beloved thing he lost or the hardship he endured. 

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 5

                         Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'adi
                                    From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

The disbeliever is rash, harsh, and full of worries and dismay. He lies and is not trustworthy. He is quarrelsome with an aggressive temperament. 

The believer does not render himself completely to other than Allaah. Both his heart and face have become safeguarded against submitting fully or rendering themselves to other than their Lord. He is virtuous, strong, brave, and generous. He has integrity, and chooses what is good.

The disbeliever is upon the opposite of that. His heart is attached to the created beings. He fears their harm and hopes to benefit from them, expending all of his energies for them. He is not virtuous, nor is he strong or brave, unless it is to achieve his lowly motives. He has no integrity, nor does he care if what he earns is pure or filthy.

The believer combines seeking after the means that benefit him and placing his trust in Allaah, relying on Him, and seeking help from Him in all his affairs. He finds that Allaah the Most High helps him. 

To be contd.. bi'ithinillaahi

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 4

                       Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                                From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

However, the disbeliever has pride and looks down upon the Truth. He looks down upon other people, too. He is amazed at himself, and does not make a practice of being sincere to anyone.

The believer has a clean heart that is free of deception, rancor, and jealousy. He loves for the Muslims what he loves for his own self, and he hates for them what he hates for his own self. He dedicates himself to working in their best interests. He carries the burden of being harmed by them, and does not oppress them in any way. 

The disbeliever's heart is boiling with rancor and jealousy. He does not want any good or benefit for anyone else, unless there is some worldly goal in it for his own self. He does not mind oppressing others when he is able, while he is the weakest of them in bearing their harms that reach him.

 The believer has a truthful tongue and interacts with people in a good manner. He is gentle, calm, peaceful, merciful, patient, and trustworthy. He is easy to be around and a good host to his guests. 

To be contd.. bi'ihnillaahi

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 3

                      Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                                From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

The disbeliever has no concern other than gathering and enjoying material things. His heart is always in a state of unrest, afraid that he may lose the things he loves, afraid that affairs he does not like will reach him. He does not have the Eemaan that makes facing difficult things easy and lightens the weight of calamities. 

The disbeliever has been deprived of the delight of Eemaan, the sweetness of drawing close to Allaah, and the fruits of Eemaan in this life and the Next. 

The disbeliever does not hope for any reward from Allaah, nor does he fear any punishment. His only hope and fear is connected to the cravings of his lowly, materialistic, worldly desires.

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 2

                     Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                              From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

The believer scoffs at the materialistic fancies of this worldly life, as he is focused on the delight of repenting to Allaah, and turning completely to Him alone. With this, he takes an ample share of worldly delights and enjoys them, but not as the disbelievers or heedless ones do. He indulges in them in a way that assists him in establishing the Rights of Allaah and the rights of His servants.

By contenting himself in this way and hoping for the reward from Allaah, the believer fulfills his desires, his heart rests peacefully, and he finds tranquility. He does not become saddened if some affairs reach him that he does not like. With this, Allaah has combined for him the happiness of this worldly life and the happiness of the Hereafter.

The Characteristics of the True Believer – 1

 

                         Al-'Allaamah 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir As-Sa'dee
                                    From the book: Essential Q&As about Eemaan (p.58-63)

[In the Name of Allaah, the All-Merciful... ]

What are the characteristics of the believers that make them distinct from the disbelievers?

This is a great question indeed. By knowing the difference between the believers and other people, the difference between Truth and falsehood becomes distinctly clear, as does the difference between the people of eternal happiness and the people of eternal misery. 

Know that the true believer is the one who believes in Allaah and all of His Names and Attributes that are found in the Book and the Sunnah, upon their proper understandings. They must be fully acknowledged. Furthermore, the believer exalts Allaah, declaring Him free of anything that contradicts the perfection of His Names and Attributes. Thus, his heart becomes full of Eemaan, knowledge, conviction, serenity, and becomes totally concerned with Allaah.

The believer repents to Allaah alone, performing acts of worship for Him that He has legislated upon the tongue of his Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), with sincerity to Allaah, hoping for His Reward and fearing His Punishment.

Both

“And We gave him (back) his family, and along with them the like thereof, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for those who understand.“
~ Surah Saad, 38:43

Shaykh ‘Abd ur-Rahmaan as-Sa’dee (rahimahullaah) comments:

“{We gave him (back) his family}: it is said that Allaah, ta’aala, brought them (back) to life for him, {and along with them the like thereof } in this world, and Allaah gave him great wealth; {as a mercy from Us} on Our slave Ayyoob since he was patient, so We rewarded him out of Our Mercy (both) in this world and in the Hereafter; {and a reminder for those who understand}: meaning, so those of intellect will remember the condition of Ayyoob and take it as a lesson, and know that whoever is patient upon adversity, then Allaah, ta’aala WILL reward him in this world and in the Hereafter, and respond to his supplication when he calls upon Him.”

Source: Tafseer as-Sa’dee

Patience in Times of Calamities

                             Imaam Abdur Rahman As-Sa’dee (rahimahuAllaah)

“And We will surely test you with something of fear, hunger, and loss of wealth, lives, and fruits…But, give glad tidings to the patient. Those who, when they are afflicted by a calamity say: ‘Indeed we belong to Allaah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are Salawaat from their Lord, and they receive His mercy. And it is those who are the rightly guided.”

 [al-Baqarah: 155-157]

Allaah informs us that His slaves must be tested with trials, in order to manifest and differentiate between those who are truthful and those who are liars, between those who are patient and those who are impatient. This is the way Allaah deals with His slaves, because if the people of faith (Imaan) were not tested and they were left to remain in good times and happiness there would be confusion which is corruption. However, the wisdom of Allaah necessitates differentiating the good people from the evil people. This is the lesson and benefit of trials. So these trials are not to lose the Imaan of the believers, nor to turn them away from their religion. Never would Allaah cause the believers to lose there Imaan.

These calamities, tests, and trials MUST occur, as The All-Knower, All- Acquainted has informed us. And just as He informed us, they happen. Whenever they befall, people are divided into two categories:

A Warning from Wasting away the Prayer !!

Sheikh ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Naasir as-Sa’dee (may Allaah have mercy upon him) said in one of his Friday sermons:

“ Oh Mankind! Fear Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى, & beware of being from those who Allaah mentioned concerning them:

“Then, there had succeeded them a generation who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times, etc.] & have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell.”  

(Maryam 19:59)

They disregarded the prayer by not praying it at its correct time & were negligent concerning the juma’ (Friday prayers) & congregational prayers. They did not fear there Lord nor were they heedful of His punishments. When they offered the prayer it was like the pecking of a bird not consisting of any tranquility, serenity or hope of a reward. You would think they were being propelled when they began to pray & you see them careless about its pillars & conditions, unconcerned about its completeness. They forgot Allaah, therefore He forgot them & they wasted the worldly & religious benefits.

From the Beneficial Affairs is to know….

Imaam Sa'adi (rahimahullaah) said:

 

“And from the beneficial affairs is to know that the harm of the people on you, especially with regards to evil speech does not harm you; rather it harms them. (It does not harm you) unless you preoccupy yourself in giving it importance & allow it to dominate your emotions, then it will harm you as it harms them. Indeed, it will not harm you in anyway if you pay no attention to it.” 

[Source: Al-Wasaa-il Al-Mufeedah: page:30|By: Markazus Salafi]