Hadith no.19 “Fear Allah Wherever you are” Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith no.19 “Fear Allah Wherever you are”

Text of Hadith

Translation: On the authority of Abu 'Abbaas 'Abdillaah bin 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa) who said : One day I was behind the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) [riding on the same mount] and he said : O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be Mindful of Allaah and Allaah will protect you. Be Mindful of Allaah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allaah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allaah [alone]. And know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allaah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allaah had already prescribed against you. The Pens have been lifted and the Pages have dried. It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said it was a Good and Sound Hadeeth. Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhee, reads : Be Mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognise and Acknowledge Allaah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will Remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that Victory comes with Patience, Relief with Affliction, and Hardship with Ease.

Explanation General Comments about this Hadeeth: Ibn –al-Jauzi once said about this hadeeth: “I pondered over this hadeeth and it amazed me to the point that I almost became light-headed…what a pity for the one who is ignorant of this hadith and has little understanding of its meaning” Some of the most important aspects of the religion are covered in these words of the Prophet (SAS) If one were to follow the advice of the Prophet (SAS), he will find strength in this life and success in the Hereafter. “One day I was riding behind the Prophet (SAS)” Proof for the permissibility of two people to ride on one animal if it has the strength to carry them Shows the humility and the modesty of the Prophet

Explanation “O Young Man” Ghulam – Used for boys up to about 10 years of age until he becomes Shabaab (meaning young manhood) Significant that the Prophet gave this advice to a person who was just about to enter puberty Taught the boy some of the most fundamental aspects of the religion: Patience Victory Hardship Relief Examples of teaching youth in many hadith He taught them essential manners and they grew up practicing them and increasing their understanding of them daily This is how a Muslim child must be brought up in Islam

Explanation They must be taught its essential aspects before they reach puberty Perhaps under the influence of the west, Muslim children behave as if they are not responsible for their actions or are not adults until they are eighteen We have to make our children realise that once they reach puberty, they are responsible for all their actions – they are no longer children By teaching them about the concept of accountability for our actions in front of Allaah at an early age is what this hadith is telling us We as adults must take the time to make sure that our children are taught these elementary, yet essential teachings of Islam

Explanation “I shall teach you some words [of advice] The arabic of the expression implies a few not many statements thus putting the young listener’s mind at rest and encouraging him to listen and retain In another narration it states “Allah will benefit you by them” which means ibn Abbass would by now be completely attuned to what the Prophet (SAS) had to say which shows the wisdom of the Prophet (SAS) “Be mindful of Allah” Be mindful of the limits set by Allah Minding His rights Minding what He has ordered and minding what He has prohibited This means the person is to implement whatever Allah has commanded and refrain from what Allaah has forbidden

Explanation “and Allah will protect you” How Does Allah Protect you? When one protects Allah’s rights, then Allah protects him “Fulfill [your obligations to] My Covenant (with you) and I shall fulfill [My obligations] your covenant [with Me]” (al-Baqarah 40) “Therefore remember Me and I shall remember you” (al-Baqarah 152) How Does Allah Protect you? Protects the person’s worldly interests and needs, such as protecting his body, wife, children and wealth” Performing good deeds and having faith are the keys to being mindful of Allah “Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he or she is a believer, verily, to them We will give a good life” (al-Nahl 97) It is said that due to a person’s piety, his children and even grandchildren are protected and guarded by Allah “and their father was a righteous man” [al-Kahf 82] “Doing what one can to one’s children from the Hell-fire includes bringing them up properly, but it also includes making oneself pious as the children will benefit from that

Explanation Protects the person from any evil coming from any Jinn or mankind: “And whosover fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way from him to get out (from every difficulty)” [al-Talaaq 2] Protects a person by protecting his religion from Onslaught of misconceptions Lies about the religion Forbidden desires Guards the person’s religion until his death Part of Allah’s protection and preservation of one’s religion is to turn the person away from something he likes, because it would be harmful for his religion Only Allah knows where a person’s true welfare or harm may lie so this is a truly great blessing A person may desire some kind of business or position and may be close to it but Allah will send His angels to turn him away from it as, had he achieved that goal, it would have led him to the Hell-fire” “Allah is the Protector and Guardian of those who believe, He brings them out of darkness into Light [al-Baqarah 257]

Explanation Protects the person by Angels as long as the person does not turn to sin or disobedience “For each perosn there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the permission of Allaah. Verily, Allah does not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goddnesss themselves [ by committing sins and so forth]. But when Allah wills a punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector [ar-Ra’ad 11] one can also conclude from the fact that Allaah protects and guards those who fulfill His rights that any harm or evil that comes to a person, in general, is going to be as a result of his own deeds and disobedience to Allaah: “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much [al-shoora 30] This protection and guardianship is a very important thing thus the Prophet (SAS) taught his companions to beseech Allaah to protect them and guard them ie when going to bed.

Explanation “Be Mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him in front of you” This sentence emphasises the previous statement and it sheds some new light on the phenomena that occurs when one is mindful of Allaah. It means that if a person fulfills Allah's rights upon him, then Allah will be with him in all of his affairs. He will support him, protect him, guide him and strengthen him in his actions. He will guide him to what is best for him and steer him away from everything that is harmful to him. “And He is with you [by His knowledge] wherever you may be. And Allaah is the All-Seer of what you do” [al-Hadeed 4] However, this hadith is describing a special type of closeness to Allah. This special type of closeness and protection from Allah is granted to those who have taqwa of Allah and work righteousness. “Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who do good” [al-Nahl 128]

Explanation “Be Mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him in front of you” As the person obeys Allah more and more and comes closer to Him, Allah protects him in an even greater fashion: “My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the obligatory religious duties I have imposed upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory deeds so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. [Bukhari] “If you ask, ask of Allaah” A true muslim should do his best not to rely on others but to realise that only Allah is able to truly grant his needs.

Explanation “If you ask, ask of Allaah” There is a big difference between asking someone who is reluctant to be asked for favours, giving up their time and wealth for others and the One who states when He descends in the last part of the night: “Is there anyone supplicating to Me so that I may respond to him?” Allaah is close to every servant. If the person turns sincerely to Allaah and asks of Him, Allah will respond. “And when My slaves ask you [O Muhammad] concerning Me then [answer them]: I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me” [al-Baqarah 186] Asking from others is of two types: Forbidden: To ask of another person what is typically not within the ability of a human being ie ask them for guidance, or asking from them things related to the unseen and unknowable such as the occurrence of future events. This includes praying to people who are dead and in their graves. They cannot hear or possibly respond to the prayers of the people.

Explanation “If you ask, ask of Allaah” The second type is where people ask of each other what is normally within the ability of the human being. This is the kind of mutual assistance and help that takes place all the time amongst mankind. One should realise that the request will only be satisfied by them if Allah guides them to that decision ie they may refuse to help or they may help, or they may even try to help but not be able to. Everything is in the Hands of Allah Begging or soliciting financial assistance from others is also disapproved and should only be resorted to in the case of necessity: “O Qabeesa, begging is not permissible but for one of three classes of people: one who has incurred a debt, for him begging is permissible until he pays that off, after which he must stop; a man whose property has been destroyed by a calamity which has smitten him, for him begging is permissible, till he gets what will support life or will provide him reasonable subsistence; and a person who has been smitten by poverty, the genuineness of which has been confirmed by three intelligent people, for him begging is permissible until he gets what will support him. O Qabeesa besides these three, begging is forbidden, and one who engages in such consumes that which is forbidden [Muslim].

Explanation “If you seek help, seek help in Allaah” The Prophet guide his companions to seek help in Allah We should understand that without the help of Allah, we cannot accomplish things on our own If Allah does not give us the ability to accomplish any task, we would not be able to accomplish it We need Allaah’ help in fulfilling the obligatory deeds, avoiding the forbidden acts and having patience with what has befallen us.