Watchfulness

Imam Al-Nawawi’s Riyad-us-Saliheen
Chapter 5
Watchfulness

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“Who sees you (O Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)) when you stand up (alone at night for Tahajjud prayers). And your movements among those who fall prostrate (to Allah in the five compulsory congregational prayers)”. (26:218,219)

“And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be”. (57:4)

“Truly, nothing is hidden from Allah, in the earth or in the heaven”. (3:5)

“Verily, your Rubb is Ever Watchful (over them)”. (89:14)

“Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal”. (40:19)

60. ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with them) said: Once we were sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, “O Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)! Tell me about Islam”. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)replied, “Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it.” He replied: “You have spoken the truth”. We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then enquired: “Tell me about Iman”. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said. “It is to believe in Allah, and His Books, and His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in foreordainment, its bad and good consequences.” He said, “You have spoken the truth.” He then enquired: “Tell me about Ihsan.” He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees  you”. He enquired: “Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)”. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) replied, “I have no more knowledge thereof than you”. He said, “Inform me about some of its signs”. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “They are – that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing one another in the construction of higher buildings”. Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, “O `Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?” I replied, “Allah and His Messenger know better”. The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “He was Jibril (Gabriel); he came to you to teach you your religion”.
[Muslim].

61. Abu Dharr and Mu`adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with them) reported that: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people”.
[At-Tirmidhi].

62 Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said: One day, I was riding behind the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) when he said, “O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted  and the ink had dried up”.
[At-Tirmidhi].

 Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “Safeguard the Commandments of Allah, you will find Him before you. Remember Him in prosperity and He will remember you in adversity. Be sure that which you miss, was not to hit you; and what hits you, was never to miss you. Remember that the Help of Allah is obtained with patience, and relief emerges after distress, prosperity follows adversity, and hardship is followed by ease”.

63. Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: You indulge in (bad) actions which are more insignificant to you than a hair while we considered them at the time of Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) to be great destroying sins“.
[Al-Bukhari].

64. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Verily, ‘Allah, the Exalted, becomes angry, and His Anger is provoked when a person does what Allah has declared unlawful”.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

65. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that: He heard the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “There were three men among the Banu Israel, one leper, one bald and one blind. Allah wanted to test them. He therefore, sent to them an angel who came to the leper and asked him what he would like best. He replied: “A good colour, a good skin and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people”. He (the angel) rubbed him and his loathsomeness vanished and he was given a good colour and a good skin. He then asked him what type of property he would like best. The leper replied that he would like camels – [or perhaps he said cattle, for Ishaq (one of the subnarrator of the Hadith) was uncertain, either said: ‘Camels,’ or: ‘Cattle’]. He was given a pregnant she-camel. The angel invoked for Allah’s Blessing on it. The angel then went to the bald man and asked him what he would like best and he replied: “Good hair and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people”. The angel ran his hand over him and he was given good hair. He then asked him what property he would like best. He replied that he would like cattle, so he was given a pregnant cow. The angel invoked Allah’s Blessing on it. The angel then went to the blind man and asked him what he would like best, and he replied: “I wish that Allah restore my sight to me so that I may see people.” Thereupon the angel ran his hand over him and Allah restored his sight. The angel then asked what property he would like best. He replied that he would like sheep, so he was given a pregnant ewe. Flocks and herds were produced for the three men, the first having a valley full of camels, the second one, a valley full of cows and the third one full of sheep. Then the angel came in the form of a leper, to the one who had been a leper, and said: “I am a poor man and my resources have been exhausted in my journey, and my only means of reaching my destination are dependent on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who gave you the good colour, the good skin and the property, for a camel by which I may get to my destination”. He replied: “I have many dues to pay.” The angel then said: “I think I recognize you. Were you not a leper whom people found loathsome and a poor man to whom Allah gave property?” He replied: “I inherited this property through generations”. The angel said: “If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition”. The angel went in the form of a bald man to the one who had been bald, and said the same as he had said to the former and received a similar reply. So he said: “If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition”. The angel then went to the one who had been blind and said: “I am a poor traveller and my resources have been exhausted in my journey. My only means of reaching my destination are dependant on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who restored your eyesight for a sheep by which I may get to the end of my journey”. He replied: “Yes, I was blind. Allah restored my eyesight, so take what you wish and leave what you wish. I swear by Allah that I shall not argue with you today to return anything you take, as I give it for Allah’s sake”. The angel said: “Keep your property. You have all simply been put to a test, and Allah is pleased with you and displeased with both of your companions”.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

66. Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires”.
[At-Tirmidhi].

67. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is from the excellence of (a believer’s) Islam that he should shun that which is of no concern to him”.
[At-Tirmidhi].

68. `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “No man shall be asked for the reason of  beating his wife”.
[Abu Dawud].