Advice after the First 10 Days of Ramadan

This is a quick translation of Sheikh Salah al Fowzan's daily talk before Taraweeh Prayer in his Masjid in Malz, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.



In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of His Mercy. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger Muhammad, and upon Muhammed's family and companions.

For that which precedes,

Verily in the slow passing of nights and days are a sign and lesson for those who take heed. This is the reality of life, it begins, and then becomes shorter and shorter until it ends. There is nothing that is everlasting in the dunya (life), rather everything continues toward decrease and conclusion. This is because this life is a passing life. But Allah has made this life and means of planting (obtaining) for the hereafter. This life is a chance for the pious and righteous individuals to gain through their righteous actions. This takes place for the one whom Allah has given success to take advantage of this opportunity. But as for the one who wastes this opportunity and is negligent of it, then verily this life will end and pass while that individual is upon non-righteous actions and sin. He will therefore move to the hereafter while in a state of loss, we seek refuge in Allah from this state. This person will not have righteous deeds in his book. Indeed this is a terrible loss. As for the one who benefits from this life, then he alone will benefit from his hereafter. But the one who wastes this life, he will waste his hereafter. (Sentence that I can't make out)... So be aware of this matter oh Muslim! And take advantage of your time, race toward repentance and righteous deeds before this chance slips through your hands. If you do not do so, you will knock on the door of the hereafter without having any good deeds, and you will bite your hands out of regret and sorrow. Allah says:

{When death comes to one of them, they will say: Oh my Lord return me!

Allah responds to this by saying:

{NO}

Meaning: There is no return.

Allah continues to say:

{Verily this is a statement that he has said}

Meaning: This regretful, destroyed individual must say such a statement, and he must feel sorrow once his time (death) has come.

Allah says (in another verse):

{Oh you who believe, do not allow your children nor wealth to distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does so, they will be lost}

Even if this person possessed the wealth of this dunya, if he is negligent and distracted from the remembrance of Allah, he will still be lost. This is because salvation is not based on gaining wealth, rather it is based on working for the hereafter and its happiness. This is the true beneficial trading.

Allah says:

{Should I not inform you of a trade that will save you from severe punishment?! Belief in Allah and His Messenger, and fighting in the way of Allah with your wealth and bodies. Indeed this is better for you if only you knew. Allah will forgive you for your sins and enter you into paradise underneath which rivers flow, and grant you comfortable homes in this everlasting paradise. Indeed this is great success}

Therefore, this is the beneficial trade. But as for gathering wealth in large amounts, if this is not done in obedience to Allah and seeking His pleasure, and if one does not use this wealth to perform righteous actions, and he does not spend it in the way of Allah, then this wealth will become a means of loss for its owners.

Allah says:

{Spend from that which We have granted you before death approaches, and then a person will say: Oh my Lord delay my death until a later time in order that I may give charity and be from the righteous! Allah will not delay a soul when its time (death) has approached. Verily Allah is all aware of what you do}

The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) mentioned that everyone will regret once death approaches. If a person was righteous, he/she will regret that they did not increase upon their good deeds. Once a person sees the great, wonderful reward for these actions, they will regret not having increased in good deeds. And if one is negligent and wasted his life, he will regret what he has wasted and neglected in this life.

Verily death and the end is close!

You began The Month of Ramadan, and now the first 10 days have passed. Now you are at the doors of the 10 middle days, and whomever Allah gives life to will reach the last 10 days, and then the month will end. The question is: What will these days end upon, and what will the hours pass upon? A Muslim should think and reflect. The businessmen and those who possess large amounts of wealth constantly review and monitor their wealth. They monitor whether they profited and not, and if they realize that they did not profit in a business deal, they will abstain from the sort of dealing and focus on another (seeking profit). Therefore, those that work and trade for the hereafter should more so do such monitoring. They should always monitor their actions and see where they have gained or not. They should increase in righteous deeds and repent from evil deeds. Allah says:

{Oh you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul look toward that which it has put fourth for tomorrow. And fear Allah, verily Allah is all aware of what you do. DO NOT BE like those who have forgotten Allah and as a result, Allah made them forget themselves}

When these individuals forgot Allah and forgot that which Allah has made obligatory upon them, Allah made them forget themselves. How can a person forget himself?! This is amazing. Does a person own anything more precious and valuable then himself? But if a person forgets himself, Allah will make this person forget himself, and he will not seek good for himself, nor will he safeguard himself from evil. This is the major loss. Verily the lost individual is the one who has lost himself and his family on The Day of Judgment. Verily this is the major loss.

Therefore, it is upon us all to think and reflect. All of us are sinners and wrong doers, but upon us is to increase in repentance and seeking forgiveness. And doing so is not merely with the tongue; rather it (repentance) should be done with the tongue, heart and with our actions. We should correct our actions. Verily repentance only with the tongue has no value. Due to this, some of the Salaf used to say: "Verily our repentance is in need of repentance"
Why? Because this was only done with the tongue, and indeed this is evil. Repenting only on one's tongue is evil and dangerous. Therefore, if one does such an act, he needs to repent once more.

Upon a Muslim is to sincerely repent to Allah with one's heart. One should struggle with himself, monitor his actions, and look at them. That which is good, he should praise Allah for allowing him to do such good deeds, and he should increase in doing them. But that which is evil, the performer of those deeds should repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness; he should also stop those action and distance himself from them. As long as one is still alive, then he has the ability to do so, and he has the ability to repent and act, but once death approaches, then everything stops, as The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) said:

"If the child of Adam (mankind) dies, all of his actions stop except three..."

And once his time (death) has come, and the Angel of death rears, then repentance will not be accepted. The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salem) said:

"Allah accepts repentance as long as death has not approached"

Meaning: As long as the soul has not reached the throat. Once this takes place and nothing remains except the Angels pulling the soul from the body, at this moment Allah will no longer accept repentance. If it was accepted at this moment, then everyone would repent, even this disbeliever would repent at this moment, and the sinner also, but it is no longer accepted. Repentence has its specified time, which is before the approaching of death. And at this time a person still can think and reflect and knows that he/she has neglected his life, but he can no longer repent, and even if he were to repent with his tongue at that time, it would not be accepted from him. (In the ayat mentioned at the beginning of this talk) They will say:

{Oh our Lord, return us in order that we may do righteous actions!}

But this request will not be fulfilled.

Therefore, it is upon a Muslim to be aware of this matter, and reflect over the quick passing of days and nights. We have witnessed the passing of the first 10 days of Ramadan, at this point we should judge ourselves. What have we put forward in these 10 days?! And what have we left from that which we should have put forward?! We should judge ourselves and focus on the middle 10 days and the last 10 before those pass us as well and we waste this great month. Upon us is to judge and monitor ourselves. We should think about our direction, we should look at our faults. If you were to in fact count your evil deeds, you would not be able to count them all. There is no change nor might except with Allah. And if you were to count your good deeds, you would find that they are low in number and weak. Therefore, upon you is to repent to Allah. You need to repent! You need to seek forgiveness! You need to correct your actions! You need this life, it should not pass without benefit! This is your main source of wealth, your main wealth is not money because that will pass and end, rather your main source of wealth is your life and time in this life. This is your correct wealth, so preserve it and be diligent in increasing it and profiting. Verily this is the means of happiness or sadness on The Day of Judgment.

"A person's feet will not be moved on The Day of Judgment until he/she is asked about 4: His life, what did he do with it..."

Allah says:

{Did we not give them a life, where in it, the could have reflected, and reminders (Prophets and Messengers) came to them. Then taste the punishment, and the wrong doers will not have a helper}

Allah said in that verse: Did we not give you a life span? Allah gave you this life not for you to play, eat and enjoy like the animals. Rather, He gave you this life to work in it and with it. He gave it to you in order for you to work for your next life, and if you don't do so, it will be a means of torment against you on The Day of Judgment.

The Prophet continued to say in the aforementioned hadeeth:

"...and about his youth, what did you spend it doing, and about his wealth, where did he obtain it, and what did he spend it on, and about his knowledge, what did he do with it"

You will be asked about these 4 things on The Day of Judgment, so what will your answer be?!
In this life you were informed about these questions, so it is upon you to work for the answers and prepare them before you are asked. Children in school are taught the curriculums and they are informed that they will be questioned about what they learned, and as a result, the students study the materials word for word, they turn the pages and make certain they know the answers, and they prepare for the test, and this is in this life. But as for the next life and its test, rarely do you find a person preparing and focusing on it, except for those whom Allah has given success.

We ask Allah to make us and you from those who act for their hereafter and from those who make their religion sincerely for Him, and those who repent from their sins, and those who race toward good deeds before the ending of their lives and before the ending of their hours.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.


Translated by Mustafa George

Reliance on Allah

The Meaning of Reliance (Tawakkul) on Allaah
AUTHOR:
Shaikh Saalih bin Fawzaan Al-Fawzaan

SOURCE:
Haqeeqat-ut-Tawakkul ‘alaAllaah (pg. 7-14)

PRODUCED BY:
Al-Ibaanah.com

All praise be to Allaah, Lord of the all that exists, and may Allaah send His peace and praises on His Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, as well as on all of his family members and Companions, and those who follow his guidance, tread his methodology and adhere to his Sunnah until the Day of Recompense.

To Proceed: Relying on Allaah (tawakkul) is one of the greatest forms of worship. Allaah says: “So upon Allaah, put your trust if you are truly believers.” [Surah Al-Maa’idah: 23] So He made relying upon Allaah (tawakkul) a condition for Eemaan (Faith). Allaah said to His Prophet: “So when you have made a decision, then put your trust in Allaah.” [Surah Aali ‘Imraan: 159] So He ordered His Prophet to put his trust and reliance on Allaah. Allaah says: “O Prophet! Allaah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.” [Surah Al-Anfaal: 64] And He says: “And whoever is dutiful to Allaah, He makes a way out for him (from every difficulty). And He will provide for him from places he never could imagine. And whoever puts his trust in Allaah, He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish His purpose. Indeed, Allaah has set a measure for all things.” [Surah At-Talaaq: 2-3] And He says: “And whoever is dutiful to Allaah, He will make his matter easy for him. That is the Command of Allaah, which He has sent down to you. And whoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will expiate from him his sins and enlarge his reward.” [Surah At-Talaaq: 4-5]

Furthermore, Allaah has linked this reliance (tawakkul) to worship ( ‘ibaadah), as occurs in His statement: “So worship Him and put your trust in Him.” [Surah Hood: 123] Allaah orders us to put our trust in Him, and He praises those who do it. He also states in many verses of the Qur’aan that He loves those who put their reliance in Him. All of this indicates and shows the importance of putting one’s trust in Allaah. Relying upon Allaah is from the actions of the heart – so it is an act of worship of the heart. Therefore, putting one’s trust in Allaah is not to be done with one’s limbs and body parts. Rather, it is found in the heart, just like fear (khawf), awe (khashyah), longing (raghbah), dreading (rahbah) and dutifulness (taqwaa) of Allaah – all of these are acts of worship of the heart. The position of tawakkul (reliance on Allaah) is as some of the scholars have stated: “The position of tawakkul in the Religion is like that of the head on a body.” So a person that does not have tawakkul does not have Religion, just like a body that has no head. It is well known that if a body is missing its head, it will cease to live. This is the same case with the Religion – if it lacks tawakkul, it lacks correctness – meaning that one will not have a correct religion. Therefore, relying on Allaah has a great standing amongst the stations of servitude to Allaah. Allaah uses it to distinguish His believing servants from everyone else. So whoever doesn’t put his trust in Allaah at all is a disbeliever. And whoever puts his trust in Allaah and also on others besides Allaah (at the same time) is a polytheist. And as for the one who puts his trust in Allaah alone – he is a monotheistic believer whom Allaah loves and whose actions and statements He is pleased with.

This is since he has established his actions and statements upon a correct foundation. So what is the meaning of this tawakkul (reliance on Allaah), which holds such importance and high position in the Religion? The Meaning of Reliance (Tawakkul) on Allaah Tawakkul on Allaah means: Entrusting one’s affairs to Him and relying on Him in all matters. Entrusting one’s affairs to Allaah entails not turning to someone else for support. So reliance (tawakkul) upon Allaah can be with regard to matters of Creed, such that the servant’s heart does not turn to anyone else besides Allaah. Therefore, he is always putting his reliance in Allaah, entrusting all of his affairs to Him. The pagans did not fall into polytheism and disbelief except due to the fact that they put their reliance in other than Allaah, entrusted their affairs to other than Him, and believed in their hearts that someone besides Allaah was able to grant their requests, alleviate their worries and repel harms from them. So they relied on statues, idols, trees, stones, graves, shrines and the deceased. They put their trust in created beings to grant them things that only Allaah could do. So they began to ask them for help, offer sacrifices to them, make oaths to them, and direct various forms of worship to them. This is since they have relied on them apart from Allaah, thinking that they have the power to benefit them, harm them or grant their requests. Due to this, when they put their reliance in other than Allaah and directed their beliefs and worship to other than Him, they disbelieved in Him. The foundation of Shirk is: Entrusting one’s affairs and putting one’s reliance on other than Allaah. This is why Allaah says: “So upon Allaah, put your trust if you are truly believers.” [Surah Al-Maa’idah: 23] The scholars say: The object of the verb here “upon Allaah” denotes limitedness. Thus the ayah means: “Put your trust in Allaah alone and not anyone else.” So Allaah has restricted tawakkul to Himself alone apart from others. Upon Allaah” means not upon anyone else. The ayah continues: “…put your trust if you are truly believers.”

Allaah has made tawakkul (reliance on Allaah) here a sign of one’s Faith in Him and proof of one’s Tawheed. As for the one who claims to be a believer and an adherent of Tawheed, but yet then goes on to put his trust in other than Allaah, such as stones, trees, statues, graves, the deceased, and so on, then this person’s claim is false. And he is not a believer since he has entrusted his affairs to someone besides Allaah. Likewise, one can put his trust in Allaah in order to achieve his worldly needs, such as obtaining provision, preventing an enemy, and repelling harms and dangers from himself. Therefore, relying upon Allaah can be in religious matters as well as worldly matters. So you should rely on Allaah in your Creed and your Tawheed. And put your trust in Allaah for fulfilling your needs even if your needs are of a worldly nature, such as eating, drinking, clothing and accomplishing some set goals. Put your reliance and trust in Allaah for all matters. Reliance on Allaah is not limited to just matters of Creed and Tawheed. Rather, it even applies to worldly matters and seeking provision. When it comes to fulfilling any goal, do not rely on anyone besides Allaah. This is since all of the affairs are in the Hand of Allaah. The keys of the heavens and the earth are in His Hand, so we must put our trust and reliance in Him.

All of the needs and objectives of the servants lie in the Hand of Allaah. So how can a person put his trust and reliance in other than Allaah for his religious and worldly matters? No doubt this is from ignorance and turning away from Allaah. Therefore, relying on Allaah is one of the greatest stations of servitude.

Published: April 1, 2006