Shade of Allah By Riyaaz Ali Innalhamda lillahee, nahmaduhu wa nasta'eenuhu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa na'oodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa min sayyiaati a'maalinaa. Mainyah dihillaahu falaa mudillilahu, wa mainyudlil falaa haadiya lah. Wa ashhadu anlaa ilaaha illalaahu, wahdahu laashareeka lahu, wa ash hadu anna muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasooluh. "Alhumdulillah. Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His Help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils our. He whom Allah guides, no one can misguide; and he whom He misguides, no one can guide." "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah- alone without any partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His 'abd (servant) and Messenger." As for what will follow, Allah s Messenger Mohammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) mentioned in Bukhari, reported by, Abu Hurayrah (R) that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: As for the first one (1) A just ruler; look at our rulers today! (2) A young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood), (3) A man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque); (4) Two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only; (5) A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah; (6) A person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity). (7) A person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears." Brothers and Sisters imagine you are standing on a hot day on in the field, the sun is shining down on you, you wearing only basic clothing, imagine what will be your state, how much sweat will pour from you face. It will be so un-comfortable that you will run to the nearest shade. In this beautiful Hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has spoken about small acts of worship which result in a huge reward: And as we will see later how our everyday actions will impact this tremendously on providing a blessing on the day when their will no shade except the shade of Allah (SWT) This may not seem like much at first but when we reflect upon the following Hadith reported by' (al Miqdaad ibn Aswad & collected in Saheeh Muslim. The Prophet SWS said while placing one had to his mouth 'On the Day of Resurrection, the sun would draw so close to the people that there would be left a distance of only one mile. The people will be submerged in perspiration according to their deeds, some up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to the waist and some would have the bridle of perspiration.
And in another Hadith reported by, (Abu Hurayrah and collected in Bukhari, some will be submerged in sweat 'seventy arm-lengths in the earth.' Allah Akbar Let us examine now the characteristics and virtues of these seven categories of people who will be worthy of such an exalted position on the Day of Gathering, one can say that these types of people are islamicly unique. 1. 'A Just Ruler' The concept of Justice in Islam is very important and it is something which the Muslim - Ruler and the ruled - must apply in all matters without exception. Justice means to give each the right he deserves: Muslim or non-muslim, relative or stranger, friend or enemy. Allah says: '...Surahtal (al- Maa'idah 8). And do not let hatred cause you to act unjustly, that is nearer to piety Unfortunately, even if we admit this in theory, we quickly forget it in practice. So we find that when we speak about our friends and loved ones, we praise them beyond reason and when we speak about those whom we hold difference with, we can find no good in them and we just capitalize on their bad points. This is far removed from the justice which Allah loves and gives great reward for, as mentioned in the following Hadith: 'The doers of justice will be on thrones of light - those who were just in their Ruling, with their families and in all that over which they were given authority. We should all aspire to be rulers as Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. These were the true example after Muhammad SWS. What about the time Umar Khatab was arriving in Jerusalem with his servant, upon arriving at the gate way it was the servants turn to ride the camel as their were only traveling with one camel for the journey, the servant said Oh Amir mumineen, I give my turn, as it would look awkward to see me ride and the leader of the believers walking What was Umar Khatab reply? By Allah the honor of Islam is sufficient for me, it is your turn, you ride! Look at this brother and sisters this is justice in Islam. Brother and Sisters look at our Muslim Countries today, what state are we in, our leaders today are thinking of themselves then the people under their authority. Look at Egypt, Libya. The concept of justice is most important for the Ruler, since he is in charge of his people, his flock and the primary disposer of justice in the land. For this reason, the Ruler is given special mention as one of the seven who will be honored with Allah's Shade on day when their will be no shade except the all might Allah (SWT) 2 'A youth who grew up in the worship of Allah' Indeed, it is a great blessing from Allah for a youth to be guided towards worship and be befriended by the righteous, since it is in youth that a person is most vulnerable to the temptations of life and liable to drift away from the Islamic Path. This becomes apparent when we look at society around us and we see that most of the worldly distractions, such as music, games, clubs, fashion etc. are all specifically targeted at the young. "You're only young once!" they are told, which is why many Muslims nowadays waste their youth thinking that they will pray, wear Hijaab and go to Hajj. When they are old, as if they have a guarantee of longevity from Allah SWT for their life. In a Hadith reported by Ibn Abbaas in the Sahih, that the Prophet provided advice when he said:
'Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied and your life before your death. My dear brothers and sisters our youth our children are one of the greatest gifts from Allah SWT, we must as parents as Muslims ensure we nurture them to the straight path. We must if we are parents ensure we monitor what there are doing, where they are doing on the internet, who are their friends, what do they eat, as we will be questions on the day of Judgment for the up bringing these children by Allah SWT. 3. 'A man whose heart is attached to the Masjid There is great encouragement in the Sunnah for men to pray in the Masjid and the reward associated with it is tremendous. Not only does it make the person eligible for Allah's Shade on the Day of Judgment, but, 'he does not take a step towards the mosque except that because of it, he is raised by one rank and one sin is removed from him. Then when he prays, the Angels do not cease supplicating for him (for) as long as he remains at his place of Prayer The Angels say O Allah send blessings upon him, O Allah have mercy upon him. And this was collected in Sahih al-bukhari on the authority of Abu Hurayrah You know brother and sisters if we love someone we like to be in their presence every time and if we truly love Allah SWT we will attend in the places that Allah SWT loves. It must be emphasized here however, that all the Hadith encouraging the men to be attached to the Masjid are not intended to lead one to the conclusion that Islam is a religion which should be confined to the Masjid, as many people would imagine today. Nonetheless, the Masjid should be at the heart of the Muslim community, and the role of those in authority of the Masjids is vital here. They are the ones mainly responsible for making the Masjid a welcome refuge for the Muslims, rather than an arena for politics and power struggles as many seem to have become these days. What was the Prophets SWS S Mosque like; it was just something to protect the worshiper from the rain and wind. It was made out leaves and tree branches and mud. What are we building our mosques with today, spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on carpets tiles bricks, on furniture. Some Etiquette s of the Masjid: Upon entering one should say the dua Bismillaahi, wassalaatu. Wassalaamu 'alaarasoolillaahi. Allaahum-maftah lee 'abwaaba rahmatika." I seek refuge in Almighty Allah, by His Noble Face, by His power, from Satan the outcast. And peace be upon the Messenger of Allah SWS. O Allah, open before me the doors of Your mercy. One should offer two rakah Salat al Masjid, one should strive to be in the front line closer to the imam, One should not talk about worldly affairs, One should not sell or trade in the Masjid, selling is for the market place, this is the market place for the hereafter. One should not raise his voice, In a hadith it was mentioned that a man shouted out that he had lost his camel, Allah s Messenger replied May you never find it If we really love Allah SWT we will remain in constant supplications and Dua s.
We ask Allah SWT to forgive our short comings when in the Masjid. 4. 'Two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that' Having mutual love for the sake of Allah is one of the great doors leading to the good of the Hereafter and a cause of tasting the sweetness of Eemaan in this world. Loving one another for Allah's sake means that the Muslim does not love another except for the correctness of his Deen. So it does not matter what the person looks like, what he wears, how rich or poor he is, where he comes from, or what the color of his skin is - perhaps you dislike everything about him, but you love him for his Eemaan: this is loving for Allah's sake. In a hadith in Sunan Tirmidhi, The prophet mentions that Allah SWT Says: 'Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent says: 'Those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory will have pillars of light and will be envied the by the Prophets and martyrs.' Subhan Allah! Imagine being envied by Allah's chosen Messengers and those who were slained in His Path! Such is the reward of those who love one another for Allah's sake. The Messenger of Allah (SWS) said, On the Day of Resurrection, Allah, the Exalted, will say: `Where are those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory? Today I shall shelter them in My Shade when there will be no shade except His. Mentioned in Muslim and Tirmidhi] In another hadith the Messenger of Allah (SWS) said, Allah, the Exalted, has said: For those who love one another for the sake of My Glory, there will be seats of light (on the Day of Resurrection), and they will be envied by the Prophets and martyrs In another Hadith mentioned in. [At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]. The Prophet (SWS) said, When a man loves his brother (for Allah s sake) let him tell him that he loves him and we know this through when the Prophet SWS Held Mu adh s hands and said O Mu`adh, By Allah, I love you and advise you not to miss supplicating after every Salat (prayer) by saying: ` Allahumma a`inni `ala dhikrika wa shukrika, wa husni `ibadatika, (O Allah, help me remember You, expressing gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner). Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i We Muslims are one whole body, if one gets hurt the other feels pain, if one is oppressed, the other feels his frustration. A great example of this in the Hadith of Bukhari. When the Prophet Muhammad SWS defeated a whole Jewish tribe, he matched with his companions and elite companions who would cause the mountains WalaAllahi to crumble due to their unshakable faith. Their siege on this tribe of bano kanikar for firth teen days casting in their hearts extreme fear, leaving them no choice but to differ to, Muhammad judgment in their affairs. Allah s Messenger SWS banished the tribe from Arabia to Syria and thus they stayed there until their were perished. But question here is why did this happen?
Because of one reason, when one Muslim lady, one Muslim flower entered the store of a goldsmith, thus this evil infidel tied her edge of her garment to her back, and un-veiled her. Their happen to be a Muslim man outside the store whom saw this, He entered the shop and slained him (SLICE). He saw one of his sister in Islam being harassed being provoked by pig, by a swine, by a Satan. That s how their then. And thus the Jews heard of this and their retaliated by slaying this Muslim Man. Allah Akbar, Shaida, Shaida most honorable death for him. And thus the Muhammad SWS heard of this and him and his companions matched out and defeated a whole tribe OVER ONE MUSLIM LADY. Brother and Sisters let us all rejoice and proclaim the Love for another through actions and speech. 5. 'A man who is called by a woman of beauty and noble birth but he says: 'I fear Allah' This world is full of temptations which lead to burning in the Fire and amongst them is that which comes from women. Many a man has been led his soul into destruction on account of the lure of a woman which is why the Prophet warned his Ummah specifically about this. He said, "The world is sweet and green and verily Allah is going to install you as successors upon it in order to see how you act. So avoid the allure of women: verily the first trial for the Children of Israa'eel was caused by women." (Aboo Sa'eed al-khudree & collected in Saheeh Muslim) The most important provision which we need to protect ourselves from this and all other temptations in life is the fear (khawf) of Allah. This fact is alluded to in the following Quranic Ayah: "And as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from impure evil desires, verily Paradise will be his abode." (An- Naazi'aat:40-41) The greatest of examples was of Prophets Yousaf AWS S when he masters wife locked herself with Yousaf inside a room and side come on, come on for what? For un-islamic relations, at this point Yousaf AWS mentioned I fear Allah SWT. The Prophet SWS said in the hadith I have not left anything more serve to man then the allure of women and the desires of the heart. 6. 'A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity' This describes the type of person who goes to great lengths to protect himself from ar-riyaa. Ar- Riyaa means to do deeds in order to earn the praise of people. This sin destroys all the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on a serious punishment for the one who commits it. It is particularly dangerous because it is in man's nature to desire and enjoy the praise of others. Thus, great care has to be taken to ensure that one's intentions begin and remain pure whenever good actions (such as charity) are being done. Not like what we see today where we have mosque notice boards announcing who gave what to whom, why and when! Allah warns: "O you who believe! Do not render vain your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men and he does not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day." (Al-Baqarah: 264). May Allah preserve us from this. A righteous successor use to say, I use to give constant charity to the students of knowledge, who were known to be poor, but in order to save the embarrassment I would wait until their enter the mosque, and once the enter mosque I would place the money in their slippers and he did this until he died, and the only time their knew it was this person is when he died and the charity stopped.
We ask Allah SWT to conceal our charity and shade us on the day when their will be no shade but his. 7. 'A man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.' Our noble Prophet (SWS) informed us in the hadith of Bukhari, reported by Hurayrah and Anas "If you knew what l knew, you would laugh little and weep much." Crying is not a weak or girly thing to do. The Prophet, who was the best of all creations, would weep as would all of his Companions. Tears are a genuine expression of fear of Allah's Punishment and of our sincere love for Him. But how often do we remember Allah in seclusion and are we then moved to tears? How much do we laugh and how little do we weep? The Prophet SWS said, 'There is nothing more beloved to Allah than two drops and two marks: A tear shed due to fear of Allah, and a drop of blood spilled in the path of Allah. And as for the two marks, then a mark caused in the path of Allah, and a mark caused by fulfilling one of the duties made obligatory by Allah." May Allah SWT give us the strength the guidance and the blessing to be under his shade on the day when their will no shade except his. In another narration collected by Abu Dawud that Abdullah bin Ash (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he was performing prayers. He was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle. Alhamdulillaah, through these seven types of people mentioned, we have been given clear signs of the way to attain Allah's pleasure and satisfaction. So dear brothers and sisters in Eemaan, devote yourself to being amongst one of these seven blessed people, for indeed fortunate will be those who are granted Allah's Shade on the Day when there will be no shade but His. I ask Allah to forgive me if I may have said, mentioned anything incorrect or if I have lead any one astray through my lecture, I ask him to guide me and every Muslim to the correct path. I ask Allah to inspire me, enlighten me and others to walk along side the ummah to complete the work of Dawah through only from the Quran and Sunnah. Wasalaam.