All the rights of the Prophet S.A.W. are related to inward actions. But the Outward way of fulfilling his S.A.W.’s right is by patterning his Sunnah and sticking to it InshaAllah. If we just see the number of proved Sunnah one would never get time to think about Bidahs as SubhaanAllah there are so many Sunnahs a day. Insha’Allah these actions allow us to remember Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) more often.  

WAKING UP

1. Wipe the effects of sleep from the face with your hands. When the Messenger of Allah (woke up, he would sit up and rub away the effects of sleep from his face with his hand.

2. Say the supplication for waking up:

الحَمْـدُ لِلّهِ الّذي أَحْـيانا بَعْـدَ ما أَماتَـنا وَإليه النُّـشور
ALHAMDU LILLAAHIL-LATHEE AHYANA BA’DA MAA AMAATANA WA-ILAYHIN-NUSHOOR.
All praise is for Allah who gave us life after death (sleep) and to Him is the resurrection.

3. Use a Siwaak. When the Prophet (S.A.W.) woke up from the night (sleep), he used to clean his mouth with a Siwaak.

4. Snuff water. When one of you wakes up from sleep, then snuff water three times. For indeed, Shaytaan spends the night in the upper part of the nose.

5. Wash both hands three times When one of you wakes up from sleep, he must not dip his hand into a utensil until he washes it three times.

6. If some one wakes up in the middle of the night
The Prophet S.A.W. said : ‘Whoever awakes at night and then says:

لا إلهَ إلاّ اللّهُ وَحْـدَهُ لا شَـريكَ له، لهُ المُلـكُ ولهُ الحَمـد، وهوَ على كلّ شيءٍ قدير، سُـبْحانَ اللهِ، والحمْـدُ لله ، ولا إلهَ إلاّ اللهُ واللهُ أكبَر، وَلا حَولَ وَلا قوّة إلاّ باللّهِ العليّ العظيم.
LA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAHU WAHDAHU LA SHAREEKA LAH, LAHUL-MULKU WALAHUL-HAMD, WAHUWA ‘ALAA KULLI SHAY-IN QADEER, SUBHAANALLAH, WALHAMDULILAH, WALA ILAAHA ILLAL-LAH WALLAAHU AKBAR, WALA HAWLA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAHIL ‘ALIYYIL ‘ADHEEM.

‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone without associate, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable. How perfect Allah is, and all praise is for Allah, and none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, Allah is the greatest and there is no power nor might except with Allah, The Most High, The Supreme.
…and then supplicates:

رَبِّ اغْفرْ لي.
RABBIGH-FIR LEE
‘O my Lord forgive me.’
…will be forgiven’

Al-Waleed said, “or he S.A.W. said:
‘and then asks, he will be answered. If he then performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted.’

Insha’Allah we can use some of these to practice.

Jazakallah khair

Thus we have made you a just nation. (Qur ‘an 2: 143)

Both your conscience and your Religion demand that you be just, which means that you should neither exaggerate nor understate, neither go into excess nor do too little. Whoever seeks happiness should be just, regardless of whether he is in an angry, a sad, or a joyful mood. Exaggeration in our dealings with others is unacceptable. The best course is the middle course. Whoever follows his desires will likely magnify the importance of any given situation, always making a big deal out of nothing. He will feel jealousy and malice toward others. Since he lives in a world of exaggeration and imagination, he will envisage everyone else to be against him, even to the extent that he feels others to be always conspiring to destroy him. Because of this, he lives under a dark cloud, constantly overcome by fear and apprehension.

Living according to hearsay and superstition is prohibited in our Religion.

Being sad is not encouraged in our religion

They think that every cry is against them. (Qur’an 63: 4)

More often than not, what you fear will happen in the future does not end up taking place. Here is something you should try: when you fear something, imagine that the worst possible outcome takes place, and then train yourself to feel prepared and contented with that outcome. If you do this, you will find that you have saved yourself from apprehensions and superstitions that would otherwise have caused you much grief

Lend your attention to each matter in proportion to its importance. In any given situation do not exaggerate mountains from molehills; rather, keep in mind your objectivity and fairness. Do not follow false suspicion or the deceitful illusion of the mirage, but be balanced. Listen to the balance of love and hate as explained by the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him):

“Love the one who is beloved to you in due moderation, for perhaps the day will come when you will abhor him. And hate the one whom you detest in due moderation, for perhaps the day will arrive when you will come to love him.”

Perhaps Allah will make friendship between you and those whom you hold as enemies. And Allah has power [over all things], and Allah is Of-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’an 60: 7)

[Taken from the book Don't be sad By  By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni]

At this stage I can not find a better gift or greater masterpiece than to present to those who fast gifts from the Prophet of guidance, peace be upon him. They are those practical ahadith that have been mentioned in connection with rewards and blessings. Behold! They are the ahadith that lead to the doors of happiness and the paths of goodness in this world and the Hereafter. O you who fast! Record these gems and implement them.

The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said:

“Whoever says at daybreak: ‘There is no God save Allah alone, He has no partner, to Him belongs the dominion and the praise and He has power over all things’; such a person will have the equivalent of a slave from the son of Isma’il; ten good deeds will be written for him, ten misdeeds will be erased, and he will be elevated ten levels. He will be protected from Satan until evening, and if he says it in the evening, he would have the same rewards until morning.” [Recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah - authentic]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said:

“Whoever says in the morning or in the evening: ‘O Allah! You are my Lord. There is no God beside You. You created me and I am Your slave and I have taken a covenant to You and promised You what I am able to do. I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin. Forgive me because none forgives sins except You.’ If a servant died during the day or night after having said this prayer, he will enter Paradise.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nisa'i, ibn Majah, ibn Hibban and al-Hakim - authentic; Imam al-Bukhari transmits another version of this hadith]

Again the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

“Whoever says at morning or evening: ‘Glory and praise be Allah the Great’ one hundred times, no one will come forward on the Day of Judgement with better than he; except if someone said the same as him and added to it.” [Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

“Whoever says: ‘Glory and praise be to Allah the Great’, a date tree will be planted for him in the Paradise.” [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim - authentic]

“Whoever says: ‘Glory and praise be to Allah’, one hundred times in a single day his sins would be erased even if they were like the waves of the sea.” [Agreed upon]

“Whoever implements ten verses of the Qur’an will not be included among the negligent. Whoever implements one hundred verses will be considered among the obedient. And, whoever implements one thousand verses will be among the extremely rich.” [Abu Dawud and ibn Hibban - authentic]

“Whoever says in the evening: ‘In the name of Allah with whose name there can be no harm in the earth or in the heavens and He is the Hearer the Knower’, three times, he will not be afflicted with a sudden calamity before morning. And whoever says it in the morning three times will not be afflicted with a sudden calamity before evening.” [Abu Dawud, ibn Hibban and al-Hakim - authentic]

“Whoever says: ‘I seek refuge with the perfect words of Allah from the evil that He created’, three times in the evening will not be harmed by the bite of a serpent during that night.” [At-Tirmidhi, ibn Hibban and al-Hakim - authentic]

“Whoever says upon leaving his house: ‘In the name of Allah, I trust in Allah, there is no movement and no power except with Allah’, it would be said to him: ‘You have been contented and you took precaution’, and Satan will turn away from him.” [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, ibn-Hibban and ibn as-Sunni - authentic]

“Whoever says when he hears the caller to prayer: ‘And I bear witness that there is no God save Allah, He is alone and has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. I am pleased with Allah as Lord, Muhammad as Prophet and Islam as religion’, all his sins will be forgiven.” [Agreed upon]

“Whoever recites the Surah al-Ikhlas ten times, Allah will build for him a house in the Paradise.” [Ahmad - authentic]

“Whoever recites the Surah al-Kahf on a Friday, a light will be created for him until the next Friday.” [Al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi - authentic]

“Whoever recites the verse of the throne after every compulsory prayer will not be forbidden entrance to Paradise.” [Ibn Hibban and an-Nisa'i - authentic]

“Whoever recites Surah al-Ikhlas it is as if he read one-third of the Qur’an.” [Ahmad, An-Nisa'i and at-Tirmidhi - authentic]

This bouquet from Muhammad, upon whom be peace, we grant to all those who fast.

O Allah! Help us to remember You, thank You and worship You in the best way. Amin

by Shaykh ‘Aa’id Abdullah al-Qarni

Sunnahonline.com

Everything occurs according to preordainment and according to what has been decreed. Such is the belief of Muslims, the followers of Muhammad (Blessings and Peace be upon him). And nothing happens in the Universe except through Allah’s Knowledge, Permission, and Divine Plan.

No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees [Al-Lauh al-Mahfuz], before we bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah. (Qur’an 57: 22)

Verily, we have created all things with Qadar [Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees - Al-Lauh al-Mahfuz]. (Qur’an 54: 49)

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. (Qur’an 2: 155)

And in a hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:

“Wonderful is the affair of the believer! His affairs in their entirety are good for him: if good befalls him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. And if harm befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him. And this (prosperous state of being) is only for the believer.”

In an authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:

“If you ask, then ask of Allah, and if you seek help, then seek it from Allah. And know that if the whole of the nation were to rally together in order to bring benefit to you in anything, they would not benefit you except with that which Allah has written for you. And if they were to gather together in order to inflict harm upon you with something; they would not harm you except with that which Allah has written upon you. The pens have been raised and the pages have dried.”

The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) also said: “And know that what has befallen you was not going to miss you, and that which missed you was not meant to befall you.”

In another authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said: “Strive for that which will benefit you, seek help from Allah, do not be weak, and do not say: If I had done such and such, the situation would be such and such. But say: Allah has decreed and what He wishes, He does.”

And in another authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said: “Every matter that Allah decrees for His slave is better for him.”

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about sin: Is it good for someone? He said:

“Yes, with the condition that it is followed by being remorseful and repentant, by seeking forgiveness, and by being sincerely moved (to submission) on the inside.”

Allah, the Exalted, says:

And it may be that you dislike a thing, which is good for you and that you like a thing, which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know

Bukhari related that the Prophet (bpuh) said:

“Indeed, Allah extends His Hand in the night to forgive the one who sins in the day, and He extends His Hand in the day to forgive the one who sins at night, and this continues until the sun rises from the west.”

In another hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) relates that Allah said: “O’ my slaves, verily you sin by day and night, and I forgive all sins; so seek forgiveness from me and I will forgive you.”

In another authentic hadith, the Prophet (bpuh) said:

“By the One Who has my soul in His Hand, if you were not to sin, then Allah would remove you, and would bring another nation who sins, and who then seek forgiveness from Allah; and He would forgive them.”

And the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) also said:

“By the One, who has my soul in His Hand, if you were not to sin, then I would fear upon you that which is more severe than sin; and that is self-conceit.”

In another authentic narration, the Prophet (bpuh) said: “Every one of you is constantly doing wrong, and the best of those who constantly do wrong are the ones who are constantly making repentance.”

He (bpuh) also said in this authentic hadith:

“Truly, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you who is on his mount, and upon his mount is his drink and food; then he loses his mount in the desert, and he searches for it until he loses hope; so he sleeps and then wakes up to find that his mount is beside him, and he says, `O’ Allah, you are my slave and I am your Lord’. He pronounced this mistake as a result of his extreme happiness.”

He (bpuh) is also authentically reported to have said:

“Verily, a slave (of Allah) commits a sin and then he says, `O’ Allah, forgive me my sin, for indeed, none forgives sins except you’. Then he commits another sin, and he afterwards says, `O’ Allah, forgive me my sin, for indeed, none forgives sins except you’. Then he commits another sin, and he afterwards says, `O’ Allah, forgive me my sin, for indeed, none forgives sins except you’. Then Allah says, `My slave knows that he has a Lord, Who takes one to account for sins, and Who also forgives sins, so let my slave do as he wishes. ‘

The meaning of this is that as long as Allah’s slave is contrite and repentant, then Allah will forgive him.

[Taken from the book: Don't be Sad by By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni]

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

“Do they not see the birds suspended in mid-air up in the sky? Nothing holds them there except Allah. There are certainly Signs in that for people who have faith.” (Surat an-Nahl: 79)

A bird uses great energy when it takes flight because it has to lift all its body with its tiny wings. Yet, once it is up in the air, Allah has made it easy for it to remain aloft without expending too much effort. Birds can fly for a long time by allowing themselves to rely on the wind. This way, they hardly tire since they consume very little energy. When the effect produced by the wind diminishes, they begin to flap their wings again. By means of this feature Allah has given birds, they can cover very long distances and migrate to remote destinations.

It is interesting that birds’ legs, so slender and little in comparison to their bodies, can carry their entire bodies. It is amazing that so many muscles, veins and nerves can exist in such a slender leg! If birds’ legs were thicker and relatively more bulky, it would be more difficult for them to fly.

Almost all birds sleep on one leg. This does not upset their balance since their body weight is concentrated on this one leg. Allah has created birds with the features that enable them to maintain such a delicate balance.

The eyes of water fowl have been created for clear underwater vision. While we can’t keep our eyes open underwater for even 45 seconds, water birds can easily catch insects and molluscs in water as they plunge their heads into it. Since this is the only way for them to feed themselves, they must have clear vision underwater. For this reason, Allah has created a special structure in their eyes, which permits seeing underwater.

Taken from Islamcan.com

“Allaah will give shade to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His.”

(These seven persons are):

A just ruler,

A youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allaah, (i.e. worships Allaah subhanahu wa ta`alaa sincerely from his childhood),

A man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. he offers the five compulsory Salaat (prayers) in the mosques),

Two persons who love each other only for Allaah’s Sake and they meet and part in Allaah’s Cause only,

A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allaah,

A man who gives charitable gifts 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), and

A person who remembers Allaah in seclusion and his eyes become flooded with tears.”

[Reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. The text is that of Al-Bukhaaree: Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree, V.1, Hadeeth #629.]

If you contemplate about the seven whom Allaah will shade in the shade of His `Arsh wherein there is no shade but His, you will find that they deserved that shade because of their opposition to al-Hawaa. Indeed the Imaam having authority and power will not be able to establish justice except by opposing his Hawaa. And with respect to the youth who prefers the sincere worship of Allaah over the urge of his youthfulness, had it not been for the opposition of his Hawaa, he would not be able to accomplish this state of worship. As to the person whose heart is attached to the mosques, the thing that drove him to this condition is the opposition of al-Hawaa which invites him tot he places of lusts.

Concerning the person who gives charitable gifts secretly so that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, had it not been for his subduing of his Hawaa, he would not have been able to attain this state. And the person who was invited by a charming woman of noble birth (to have illegal sexual intercourse with her), feared Allaah and opposed his Hawaa. As to the one who remembers Allaah in seclusion and his eyes become flooded with tears for fearing Him, the thing that made him reach this state is the opposing of his Hawaa. Consequently, they were saved from being affected by the intense heat of the Al-Mawqif on the Day of Resurrection and the sweating therein. The people (adhering to) Al-Hawaa will experience the utmost degree of intense heat and sweating while they are waiting to enter the “Prison of Al-Hawaa”.

Allaah subhanahu wa ta`aala is the One to be petitioned to grant us protection from the Ahwaas; (Sing. Hawaa) of ourselves which are inclined to evil, and that He makes our Hawaa in accordance with what He loves and is acceptable to Him. He has power over all things, and He is most worthy of answering our petition.

by Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahullaah

Translated by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh and Published by Daar al-Bukhari

Sunnahonline.com

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

In a certain class of people there rages an internal war, one that doesn’t take place on the battlefield, but in one’s bedroom, one’s office, one’s own home. It is a war that results in ulcers or an increase in blood pressure. Everything frustrates these people: they become angry at inflation, furious because the rains came late and exasperated when the value of their currency falls. They are forever perturbed and vexed, no matter what the reason.

They think that every cry is against them. (Qur ‘an 63: 4)

My advice to you is this: do not carry the weight of the globe on your shoulders. Let the ground carry the burden of those things that happen. Some people have a heart that is like a sponge, absorbing all kinds of fallacies and misconceptions. It is troubled by the most insignificant of matters; it is the kind of heart that is sure to destroy its possessor.

Those who are principled and are upon the true path are not shaken by hardship; instead, hardship helps to strengthen their resolve and faith. But the reverse is true for the weak-hearted: when they face adversity or trouble, it is only their level of fear that increases. At a time of calamity, there is nothing more beneficial to you than having a brave heart. The one who has such a heart is self-possessed.  He has firm faith and cool nerves. On the other hand, during the course of any given day, the coward slaughters himself many times with apprehensions and presentiments of impending doom. Therefore, if you desire for yourself a stable life, face all situations with bravery and perseverance.

And let not those who have no certainty of faith discourage you… (Qur’an 30: 60)

Be more resolute than your circumstances and more ferocious than the winds of calamity. May mercy descend upon the weak-hearted, for how often it is that they are shaken by the smallest of tremors?

And verily, you will find them the greediest of mankind for life… (Qur’an 2: 96)

As for those who are resolute, they receive help from their Lord and are confident of His promise.

He sent down calmness and tranquility upon them. (Qur’an 48: 18)

[Taken by the book Don't Be Sad by By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni]

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

Allah, the Almighty, created His slaves so that they may worship and remember Him, and He provided sustenance for them so that they may be grateful to Him. Nevertheless, many have worshipped other than Him and the masses are thankful not to Him, but to others, because the characteristic of ingratitude is widespread among human beings. So do not be dismayed when you find that others forget your favors or disregard your kind acts. Some people might even despise you and make you an enemy for no other reason than that you have shown them kindness.

And they could not find any cause to hear a grudge, except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them of His Bounty. (Qur’an 9:74)

From among the ever-repeating pages of history is a story of a father and his son: the former raised him, fed him, clothed him and taught him; he would stay up nights so that his son could sleep, stay hungry so that his son could eat, and he would toil so that his son could feel comfort. And when the son became older and stronger, he rewarded his father with disobedience, disrespect, and contempt.
So be at peace if you are requited with ungratefulness for the good you have done. Rejoice in your knowledge that you will be rewarded from the One Who has unlimited treasures at His disposal.

This is not to say that you should refrain from performing acts of kindness towards others: the point is that you should be mentally prepared for ingratitude.

Perform acts of charity seeking Allah’s pleasure, because with this attitude you will assuredly be successful. The ungrateful person cannot really harm you: praise Allah that that person is the transgressor and that you are the obedient servant. Also, remember that the hand that gives is better than the hand that receives.

We feed you seeking Allah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. (Qur’an 76: 9)

Many people are shocked at the nature of ingratitude in others, as though they had never come across this verse and others like it:
And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying down on his side, or sitting or standing.

But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on his way as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him? (Qur’an 10: 12)

Hence do not be in a state of agitation if you give someone a pen as a gift and he uses it to satirize you, or if you give someone a walking stick to lean upon and he strikes you with it. As I pointed out earlier, most human beings are ungrateful to their Lord, so what treatment should you and I expect?

[Taken from the book Don't be sad by By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni]

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) is said to have married the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and certainly everyone gave her the same title of respect as the Prophet’s wives, ‘Umm al Muminin’ ‘Mother of the Believers’. Maria was born in upper Egypt of a Coptic father and Greek mother and moved to the court of the Muqawqis when she was still very young. She arrived in Medina to join the Prophet’s household just after the Prophet returned from the treaty with Quraish which was contracted at al-Hudaybiyya. Maria gave birth to a healthy son in 9 AH, the same year that his daughter Zaynab died, and the Prophet named his new son Ibrahim, after the ancestor of both the Jews and the Christians, the Prophet from whom all the Prophets who came after him were descended. Unfortunately, when he was only eighteen months old, Ibrahim became seriously ill and died. Even though he knew that his small son would go to the Garden, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) could not help shedding some tears. When some of his Companions asked him why he was weeping, he replied, “It is my humanness.” As Ibrahim’s body was being buried, the sun was eclipsed and it grew dark and gloomy. Some people thought this was connected with Ibrahim’s death, but the Prophet soon clarified this. “The sun and the moon are two of Allah’s signs,” he said, “they are not eclipsed because of anyone’s birth or death. When you see these signs, make haste to remember Allah in prayer.” Although the kafirun used to mock the Prophet Muhammad because he had no sons, and say that he was ‘cut off’ , Allah made it clear in the following surah that the station of the Prophet Muhammad was far above that of any other man;

In the name of Allah, The Merciful, the Compassionate: Surely We have given you AL Khawthar, so pray to your Lord and offer sacrifice. Surely he who mocks you is the one cut off. (Quran 108:1-3) Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah has knowledge of all things. (Quran 33:40)

Maria was honored and respected by the Prophet and his family and Companions. She spent three years of her life with the Prophet, until his death, and died five years later in 16 AH, (may Allah be pleased with her) For the last five years of her life, she remained a recluse and almost never went out except to visit the grave of the Prophet or her son’s grave. After her death, Umar ibn al Khattab led the prayer over her and she was buried in al Baqi.

Sahaba.net

From ’Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood radiallaahu ’anhu who said that the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said,

“No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.” [1]

Ibnul-Qayyim (d.751H) radiallaahu ’anhu said, commenting upon this hadeeth:

‘‘The phrase ‘Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty,’ includes the beautiful clothing which was asked about in the same hadeeth. It is included by way of generalization, meaning that beauty in all things is what is meant here. In Saheeh Muslim, it says:

“Allaah is good and only accepts that which is good.” [2]

In Sunanut-Tirmidhee it says:

“Allaah loves to see the effects of His blessing on His slave.’’ [3] It was reported that Abul-Ahwas al-Jashamee said: The Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam saw me wearing old, tattered clothes, and asked me, “Do you have any wealth?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “What kind of wealth?” I said, “All that Allaah has given me of camels and sheep.” He said, “Then show the generous blessings that He has given you.” [4]

Allaah, may He be glorified, loves the effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, for this is part of the beauty that He loves, and that is part of the gratitude for His blessings which forms an inner beauty (beauty of character). Allaah loves to see the external beauty of His slaves which reflects His blessings on them, and the inner beauty of their gratitude to Him for those blessings. Because He loves beauty, He sends down on His slaves clothes and adornments with which they may make their outward appearance beautiful and He gives them taqwaa which makes their inner characters beautiful. Allaah says:

“O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better.” [Sooratul-A’raaf 7:26]

And He says, speaking of the people of Paradise:

“…and He gave them Nadrataan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient.” [Sooratul-Insaan 76:11-12]

Their faces will be made beautiful with the nadrah (light of beauty), their innermost being with joy and their bodies with silken garments. Just as Allaah loves beauty in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance, so He hates ugliness in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance. He hates ugliness and its people, and loves beauty and its people. But two groups are misguided with regard to this issue: a group who say that everything that He has created is beautiful, so He loves all that He has created and we should love all that He has created and not hate anything. They say: whoever realizes that all that exists comes from Him will see that it is beautiful … these people have no sense of jealousy for the sake of Allaah or hatred and enmity for the sake of Allaah, or denouncing what is evil (munkar), or jihaad (struggle) for the sake of Allaah, or adhering His limits. They regard the beauty of images, male or female, as being part of the beauty that Allaah loves, and seek to worship Allaah through immoral acts. Some of them may even go so far as to claim that the One Whom they worship is manifested or incarnated in those images.

The second group, on the other hand, say that Allaah condemns the beauty of images, forms and outward appearances. Allaah says about the munaafiqoon (hypocrites):

“And when you look at them, their bodies please you…” [Sooratul-Munaafiqoon 63:4]

“And how many a generation have We destroyed before them. Who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance?” [Soorah Maryam 19:54]

In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds.” [5]

According to another hadeeth: “Shabbiness is part of faith.” [6] Allaah condemns those who are extravagant, which applies to extravagance in clothing as well as in food and drink.

In order to settle this dispute, we may say that beauty in clothing and outward appearance is of three types, one of which is commendable, one is blameworthy and one of which is neither. The kind of beauty which is to be commended is that which is done for the sake of Allaah, to help one to obey Allaah and fulfill His commands, such as when the Prophet sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam made himself look beautiful (i.e. handsome) when meeting the delegations that came to him. This is like wearing armour or battle-dress when fighting, or wearing silk and showing off (in front of the enemy). This is commendable because it is done to make the word of Allaah supreme and to support His religion and annoy His enemies. The blameworthy kind of beauty is that which is done for the sake of this world, for reasons of power, false pride and showing off, or to fulfill some (selfish) desires. This also includes cases where beauty is an end in itself for a person and is all he cares about. Many people have no other concern in life. As for the kind of beauty which is neither commendable nor blameworthy, it is that which has nothing to do with either of the two purposes mentioned above (i.e., it is neither for the sake of Allaah nor for the sake of worldly purposes).

The hadeeth under discussion refers to two important principles, knowledge and behaviour. Allaah is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion (ikhlaas), love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity, by removing the hairs which should be removed, by circumcision, and by clipping the nails. Thus they recognize Allaah through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion. The hadeeth combines these two principles of knowledge and behaviour.’’ [7]

Footnotes:

[1] Related by Muslim (no. 131)
[2] Related by Muslim (no. 1686)
[3] Hasan Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2963), who said it was hasan saheeh.
[4] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (no. 15323), at-Tirmidhee (no. 1929) and an-Nisaa‘ee (no. 5128)
[5] Related by Muslim (no. 1356)
[6] Saheeh: Related by Ibn Maajah (no. 4108), Aboo Dawood (no. 3630)
[7] al-Fawaa‘id (1/185)

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