ihdinā aṣ-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm Guide us to the straight path.
“the path” (aṣ-Ṣirāṭ): Regarding this word, there are two permissible recitations, one with the Arabic letter س (sīn) as in السِّرَاط and another with the letter ص (ṣād) as it is here in the verse: الصِّرَاط . The meaning of aṣ-Ṣirāṭ is the way or path. The meaning of “Guide us” refers to the guidance of showing and directing to the right path as well as the guidance of granting success. So, by reciting, “Guide us to the straight path”, you are asking Allah for beneficial knowledge (which is the guidance of direction) and righteous action (which is the guidance of success in following the knowledge).
“straight” (al-Mustaqīm): This means the correct path with no crookedness or deviation.
Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī’s book, “Jāmi’ al-‘Ulūm wal-Ḥikam,” is an explanation of the forty-two famous ḥadīth collected by Imām an-Nawawī. In this article, part of the twenty-fourth ḥadīth of that book explained.
“Oh my servants, each of you is astray except those I have guided, so ask me for guidance and I will guide you. Oh my servants, each of you is hungry except those I have fed, so ask me for food and I will feed you. Oh my servants, each of you is naked except those I have clothed, so ask me for clothing and I will clothe you.”
For whoever wills among you to take the straight path(Surah al-Takwir Verse 28)
Here, the Arabic noun for the verb used is اِسْتِقَامَة(istiqāmah) which means “moderation.” And there is nothing more moderate or just than the justice found within Allah’s legislated religion. Previous legislations were suitable for earlier nations, appropriate for their time, place, and circumstances. Likewise, after the mission of the messenger Muhammad ( صلّى الله عليه وسلّم ), the legislation he brought is suitable and applicable to those to whom he was sent – everyone from the beginning of his mission until the end of this world.
There is a well-known saying in our religion: The religion of Islam is suitable and ensures the well-being of every time, place, and circumstance. When people stick to it, Allah corrects the affairs of creation.
For whoever wills among you to take the straight path (Surah al-Takwir Verse 28)
“For whoever wills” is connected to what came before it, “It is only a reminder to the worlds, for whoever among you wills to take the straight path“. As for those who choose not to take the straight path, they neither accept the reminder, nor do they gain any benefit from it. Allah says about those who do accept the reminder:
In that is surely a reminder for whoever has a heart or listens while he is heedful.[Sūrah Qāf, 50:37]
For anyone who does not want to take this straight path, there is no way to benefit such a person with this Qur’an.
The Issue of Freewill:
Here is a question: Do people actually have freewill to do as they choose? Yes, people have the freedom to choose as they will. Allah (عزّ وجل) has allowed each person the freedom of choice and freewill; if he wants, he does something, if not he does not do it.
﴾When the sun is wrapped up﴿ This will happen on the Day of Resurrection. The name of the Sūrah التَّكْوِيْر (al-Takwīr) comes from the Arabic verb used in this verse which means to roll or wrap something… Despite the sun’s great expansiveness, its enormous size and mass, Allah, the Mighty, will wrap it up on the Day of Resurrection, rolling it upon itself until its light is lost.[2] He will then throw it into the fire, angering those who used to worship the sun instead of Allah, as clear evidence of the senselessness of their worship. He says:
Verily those for whom the good has preceded from Us, they will be removed far therefrom (Hell) [e.g. ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary); ‘Uzair (Ezra), etc.]. They shall not hear the slightest sound of it (Hell), while they abide in that which their ownselves desire.[4]
Verse 2
﴿وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انْكَدَرَتْ﴾
﴾And when the stars fall﴿ The stars will fall from their places just as another verse explains:
(al-Ḥamdu lillāhi Rabbil-‘Ālamīn) All praise and thanks are for Allah, the lord of all creations.
“All praise and thanks” (al-Ḥamd): This word الْحَمْدُ (al-Ḥamd) is used only to describe someone, out of love and honor, with complete perfection of self, attributes, and actions. So, Allah is perfect in his self, his attributes, and his actions. This praising, however, must be with a condition, it must be made with love and honor. The people of knowledge say that simply describing someone with perfection yet not out of real love and honor for the praised one is not called حَمْدُ (Ḥamd). Rather, in that case it would only be called مَدْح (Madḥ) (a lesser degree of praise or admiration). Therefore, this (second) type of praising occurs often from people while they may not really love the one they are praising. Often, they only want to gain something from them. For example, some poets stand before their government leaders and recite poetry of amazing praiseworthy descriptions of them yet void of any real love for them. The poets’ love is for the wealth they are given or they do this out of fear of the leaders. On the contrary, our praise for our lord is a form of praise out of love and honor. So, “All praise and thanks” is to praise the one described with total perfection out of love and honor for him.
“Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him in this life and the hereafter.”
This is another point that is emphasized by other texts with similar meanings. Ibn Mājah recorded a ḥadīth from Ibn ‘Abbās ( رضي الله عنه ) that the prophet ( صلّى الله عليه وسلّم ) said:
Whoever conceals the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever exposes the faults of his Muslim brother, Allah will expose his faults even by revealing those he committed in (the privacy of) his home.[22]
It is reported that some of the Salaf said something similar:
I have met people having no shameful faults but they began to mention the faults of others, so the people began discovering their faults. And I met people who had faults, yet they used to conceal other people’s faults, so their own faults were forgotten.
Jibrīl came to me and said, “Oh Muhammad, live how you like for you will certainly die. Love whom you like for you will certainly leave him. Do as you like for you will certainly be compensated for it. And know that the dignity of a believer is his standing at night (in prayer), and his honor is his managing himself without need of other people.”[2]
Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī’s book, “Jāmi’ al-‘Ulūm wal-Ḥikam,” is an explanation of the forty-two famous ḥadīth collected by Imām an-Nawawī. The part of the ḥadīth explained in this article is ḥadīth number twenty-four of that book.
“Oh my servants, you will never be able to harm me, and you will never be able to benefit me.”
People are incapable of ever reaching a state in which they could benefit or harm Allah, for Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. He neither needs the obedience of his servants, nor does any benefit of such obedience reach him. It is only the servants who benefit from their obedience. Likewise, he is not harmed in any way by their disobedience, but it is they who harm themselves therewith. Allah ( تَعَالَى ) says:
You may have already studied Tawḥīd. However, to truly understand Tawḥīd, its opposite, Shirk, must also be understood. The greatest thing Allah has commanded us to do is worship him alone, and the greatest sin he has forbidden is Shirk as he says:
Worship Allah and do not make Shirk with anything along with him.[2]
So what is Shirk? Shirk (شِرْك) is an Arabic word which means sharing something with others that only Allah deserves. Worshipping others along with Allah is the main type of Shirk. The verse above means we must worship Allah and only him. So whoever worships someone or something instead of Allah, he is a disbeliever in Allah who has refused to worship him alone. If someone worships him but also worships someone else along with Allah, he is still a disbeliever in Allah, and it is this person who makes Shirk. As for someone who worships Allah alone, he is a Muslim who sincerely believes in Tawḥīd.
Question: Is the Basmalah (بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ) an actual verse of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah or Not?
Shaykh al-Uthaymeen:
The scholars hold differing opinions about this issue. Some say that it is definitely a verse from al-Fātiḥah and it should be recited aloud in those prayers which are recited out-loud. They believe it is not correct unless the Basmalah is recited since it is part of the entire chapter of al-Fātiḥah. Other scholars say that it is not a verse of al-Fātiḥah, but it is a separate verse from the book of Allah. This latter opinion is the correct one and is proven by other texts as well as the context of the chapter itself.
As for the textual proof, Abū Hurayrah ( رضي الله عنه ) narrated a ḥadīth in which the prophet ( صلّى الله عليه وسلّم ) said:
Allah ( تَعَالَى ) says,
“I have divided the prayer in two parts between myself and my servant.” When the servant recites, “All praise and thanks are to Allah, the lord of all creations”, Allah says, “My servant has praised me.” And when he recites, “The Most-Merciful, the Bestower of all mercy”, Allah says, “My servant has honored me.” When he recites, “The owner of the Day of Recompense”, Allah says, “My servant has glorified me.” When he recites, “You alone we worship and from you alone we seek help”, Allah replies, “This is two parts between my servant and I.” When he recites, “Guide us to the straight path…” until the end of the chapter, Allah replies, “This is for My servant and he will have what he asks for.”
Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī’s book, “Jāmi’ al-‘Ulūm wal-Ḥikam,” is an explanation of the forty-two famous ḥadīth collected by Imām an-Nawawī. In this article, last part of the twenty-fourth ḥadīth of that book explained.
“… So whoever finds good, let him thank Allah, and whoever finds other than that, let him blame only himself.”
This indicates that anything good is from Allah as a favor from himself to his worshipper even though the latter may not actually deserve it. And anything evil is from the children of Adam, from following their inclinations and desires as Allah ( عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ) says:
The Arabic word commonly used here, مُحَاسَبَة (muḥāsabah) or حِسَاب (ḥisāb), “judging,” “reckoning,” or “taking to account” is when people will be called to recollect, admit, and be judged on the Day of Resurrection for the actions they did in this life.
As far religious evidence for this event, it is confirmed by the Qur’aan, the Sunnah, the consensus of mainstream Muslims, and even suggested by one’s intellect.
People’s books of deeds will be distributed, open for them to read. An individual’s book of deeds is the register with every action he did in life written inside. These deeds are being written now by the angels entrusted with recording the actions of all the children of Adam. Allah (تعالى) says:
And indeed, (appointed) over you are keepers, honorable recorders. They know whatever you do. [Surah al-Isrā, 82:10-12][69]
These angels record in a book everything a person does because they are always with him. And on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will bring forth this book, making it known to the person as he says:
Every person, we have imposed his fate upon his neck. And we will produce for him, on the Day of Resurrection, a record which he will find spread open. (It will be said to him,) “Read your book. You are sufficient today as a reckoner against yourself. [Surah al-Isrā, 17:13-14.]
You alone we worship, and from you alone we seek help.
“You alone” (iyyāka): This is a case in grammar when the direct object comes before the verb, “we worship” (na’budu). In Arabic grammar, when the direct object precedes the verb, it gives a sense of restriction, so the meaning would be, “We do not worship anyone or anything except you alone.”
“we worship” (na’budu): Meaning: We humble ourselves to you in complete humility.
In this way, you find the believers placing the most honorable part of their bodies (their faces) at the level of their feet in humility to Allah (عزّ وجلّ). They prostrate on the ground, covering their foreheads with dirt. This is from their humbleness before Allah. And if another person were to say, “I will give you the whole world and what it contains, just prostrate to me once,” you will never find true believers accepting this because this type of humility is a form of worship specifically for Allah alone.
(Some) faces that day will be radiant, looking at their Lord. [Sūrah al-Qiyāmah, 75:22-23]
To explain the verse, “faces that day” means on the last day, the Day of Resurrection. “radiant” here includes beauty because the word used in the verse comes from the Arabic word نَضَارَة (naḍārah) which means beauty. This meaning is also indicated in the statement of Allah (in which a similar form of the same word is used):
Our Lord, the blessed and exalted, descends every night to the sky of this world when the last third of the night remains. He asks, “Who is calling on me so I can answer him? Who is asking me (for anything) so I can give (it to) him? Who is asking for my forgiveness so I can forgive him?”
[Recorded by al-Bukhārī (no. 1145) and Muslim (no. 758)]
This ḥadīth is a proof confirming the descent of Allah to the lowest heaven, the sky of this world.
And there is none of you except that he will pass over it. This is with your Lord a decree which must be accomplished.[Sūrah Maryam, 19:71]
‘Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd, Qatādah, and Zayd Ibn Aslam explained this verse to mean the crossing of the bridge. Others, including Ibn ‘Abbās, explained that it describes those who will enter the fire but will be saved from it.
And those whose scales are heavy (with good deeds), it is they who will be successful.[Sūrah al-Muminūn, 23:102]
The verse contains a conditional clause; the condition is “those whose scales are heavy“, and if that condition is met, the consequence is “it is they who will be successful.” By “scales are heavy“, what is meant is that one’s good deeds outweigh his bad. “Successful” here describes an individual who achieves what he hopes for and is saved from what he fears. So he is given safety from what he hates and rewarded with what he loves. Allah also says:
an-Nasaaee authored a collection which he titled: “as-Sunan al-Kubraa” in which he gathered authentic Hadeeth as well as those with defects in their chains. He then summarized his collection which is known as “as-Sunan as-Sughraa” although he actually called it “al-Mujtabaa”.
In this summarized collection, he gathered only those Hadeeth which he considered to be authentic; it is this collection that is referred to when a Hadeeth is generally attributed to anNasaaee. “al-Mujtabaa” has the least number of weak Hadeeth out of the other four collections (excluding “Saheeh al-Bukhaaree” and “Saheeh Muslim”). It also contains the least amount of chains including narrators that have been criticized (regarding their Hadeeth narrating). It occupies a status right after “Saheeh al-Bukhaaree” and “Saheeh Muslim”. From the point of only relying upon narrators that are completely void of any criticism, this collection exceeds “Sunan Abu Daawood” and “Sunan at-Tirmithee” due to an-Nasaaee’s severe scrutiny of narrators within his writings. al-Haafith Ibn Hajar said, “How numerous are the narrators that Abu Daawood and atTirmithee relied on, yet an-Nasaaee shunned recording their Hadeeth. He even avoided recording Hadeeth from some of the narrators relied upon in the two authentic collections (“Saheeh al-Bukhaaree” and “Saheeh Muslim”).”
In summary, the conditions of an-Nasaaee in “al-Mujtabaa” are the strongest after the two authentic collections.
an-Nasaaee
He is ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Ahmad Ibn Shu’ayb Ibn ‘Alee an-Nasaaee, and it is said his name is anNaswee, referring to Nasa, a famous place in Khuraasaan. He was born in 215 Hijrah in Nasa. He then traveled in search of Hadeeth, eventually hearing from and studying from the people of the Hijaaz (lands such as Syria, Palestine, etc.), Khuraasaan, ash-Shaam, the Arabian Peninsula and other lands. He resided for a long time in Egypt and his writings spread throughout there. Later he journeyed to Damascus where he met with trials and tribulations. He died in 303 Hijrah in Ramlah, Palestine when he was eighty-three years old.
He left behind him many great works of Hadeeth and the study of their defects. May Allaah have mercy on him and reward him on behalf of his contribution to the Muslims.
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