In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The story of our mother Eve.
O Eve.
I counsel you to remember Allah.
O Eve.
After Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, clarified the state of those who follow His guidance,
And that they shall neither go astray nor suffer,
He clarified the state of those who turn away from His remembrance, saying:
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
"My Lord, why have You raised me up blind,
While I was endowed with sight?"
“He will say: So (it must be). Our revelations came unto thee but thou didst forget them. In like manner thou art forgotten this Day.” (20:126)
"And likewise, today you are forgotten."
“Thus do We reward him who is prodigal and believeth not the revelations of his Lord; and verily the doom of the Hereafter will be sterner and more lasting.” (20:127)
“Thus do We reward him who is prodigal and believeth not the revelations of his Lord; and verily the doom of the Hereafter will be sterner and more lasting.” (20:127)
“Thus do We reward him who is prodigal and believeth not the revelations of his Lord; and verily the doom of the Hereafter will be sterner and more lasting.” (20:127)
O Eve.
Our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, has clarified
A great principle in His Book,
Which will make you certain that no one shall attain happiness in this world
Except those who walk in obedience to Allah.
The Almighty says:
"Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer,
We will surely cause him to live a good life,
And We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do."
O Eve.
All your enemies live in misery and a constricted life
Because of their war against this religion
And their distance from the obedience of the Lord of the worlds.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Indeed, He, may He be glorified, has ordained a constricted life for those who turn away from His remembrance.
For whoever turns away from Him,
Shall have a life of constriction in proportion to his turning away.
Even if he enjoys all kinds of worldly blessings,
There remains in his heart a sense of desolation, humiliation,
And regrets that tear the heart apart,
Along with false hopes and present torment.
This is only hidden from him by the intoxication of desires and passion,
And the love of this world and status.
Even if the intoxication of wine is not added to this,
The intoxication of these things is greater than the intoxication of wine,
For the one intoxicated by wine eventually recovers and becomes sober,
But the one intoxicated by whims and the love of this world does not recover,
Except when he is among the ranks of the dead."
Thus, a constricted life
Is inevitable for those who turn away from the remembrance of Allah, which He sent down to His Messenger, peace be upon him, in this world,
In the barzakh (the grave), and on the day of his resurrection.
The eye finds no coolness, the heart finds no tranquility,
And the soul finds no peace except with its God and true object of worship,
While every other object of worship is false.
Whoever finds the coolness of his eye in Allah, every eye finds coolness in him,
And whoever does not find the coolness of his eye in Allah,
His soul will be torn apart by regrets over this world.
Allah, the Almighty, has only granted a good life
To those who believe in Him and do righteous deeds.
O Eve.
Do not be deceived by what they possess of this world,
Or the joy, happiness, and luxury they display before people,
For their inner selves are shattered,
Because they do not remember Allah, the Almighty.
O Eve.
Your saying "SubhanAllah" (Glory be to Allah) and "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah),
And "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) and "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest),
Is better than what they have and more lasting.
The Almighty says:
“Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of the world. But the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better in respect of hope.” (18:46)
“Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of the world. But the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better in respect of hope.” (18:46)
"And the enduring good deeds" — such as these four phrases.
Sayyid Qutb, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"A life severed from the connection with Allah and His vast mercy
Is a constricted life, no matter how much breadth and enjoyment it contains.
It is a constriction due to the disconnection from Allah and the lack of reliance upon His protection.
It is the constriction of confusion, anxiety, and doubt.
The constriction of greed and caution:
Greed for what is in one's hand,
And caution against losing it.
The constriction of chasing the mirage of ambitions and the regret over everything that slips away.
The heart feels no tranquility of stability except in the presence of Allah,
And it feels no comfort of trust except when it is holding fast to the most trustworthy handhold,
Which has no breaking."
Indeed, the tranquility of faith multiplies life in length and breadth,
And in depth and scope.
And being deprived of it is a misery that the misery of poverty and deprivation cannot match.
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
And he was cut off from the connection with Me.
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
“But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.” (20:124)
That is a type of straying, just as he strayed in this world,
And that is a recompense for his turning away from the remembrance in the first life.
So when he asks,
"My Lord, why have You raised me up blind, while I was endowed with sight?"
The answer is:
“He will say: So (it must be). Our revelations came unto thee but thou didst forget them. In like manner thou art forgotten this Day.” (20:126)
"And likewise, today you are forgotten."
“Thus do We reward him who is prodigal and believeth not the revelations of his Lord; and verily the doom of the Hereafter will be sterner and more lasting.” (20:127)
“Thus do We reward him who is prodigal and believeth not the revelations of his Lord; and verily the doom of the Hereafter will be sterner and more lasting.” (20:127)
He who turned away from the remembrance of his Lord has indeed transgressed;
He transgressed by casting aside the guidance that was before him,
Even though it was the most precious treasure and provision.
He transgressed by spending his sight on things other than what it was created for,
So he saw nothing of the signs of Allah.
Therefore, it is inevitable
That he lives a constricted life,
And is raised on the Day of Resurrection blind.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was keen
On teaching women the remembrance of Allah in many hadiths,
And I counsel you with them,
Just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, counseled you.
O Eve.
Maintain your glorification (tasbih) before sleeping,
For it will help you in your daily tasks.
On the authority of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
That Fatimah complained of the pain she felt from the hand mill she used to grind grain.
She heard that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had received captives,
So she went to him to ask for a servant, but she did not find him.
She mentioned it to Aisha,
And when the Prophet, peace be upon him, came,
Aisha told him about it.
He came to us while we had already entered our beds.
We started to get up,
But he said, "Stay where you are."
Until I felt the coolness of his feet on my chest.
He said, "Shall I not guide you both to something better than what you asked for?
When you go to your beds,
Say 'Allahu Akbar' thirty-four times,
'Alhamdulillah' thirty-three times,
And 'SubhanAllah' thirty-three times.
For that is better for you both than what you asked for."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, came to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Asking him for a servant.
He said to her:
"Say:
O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne,
Our Lord and the Lord of everything,
Revealer of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an,
Splitter of the seed and the date stone,
I seek refuge in You from the evil of everything whose forelock You hold.
You are the First, and there is nothing before You.
You are the Last, and there is nothing after You.
You are the Manifest, and there is nothing above You.
You are the Hidden, and there is nothing beyond You.
Pay off my debt,
And enrich me against poverty."
Narrated by Muslim.
O Eve.
You should use the comprehensive supplications of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
For they save you time,
And their reward is great.
On the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
From Juwayriyah, may Allah be pleased with her,
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Left her early in the morning when he prayed the dawn prayer,
While she was in her place of prayer.
Then he returned after the sun had risen, and she was still sitting there.
He said,
"Are you still in the same state as I left you?"
She said, "Yes."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said,
"I have said four phrases after you, three times,
If they were weighed against what you have said since today,
They would outweigh them:
'SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi' (Glory be to Allah and I praise Him),
By the number of His creation,
And the pleasure of His Self,
And the weight of His Throne,
And the ink of His words."
Narrated by Muslim.
O Eve.
When you have performed the obligatory prayer,
Do not rush to get up until you have said this dhikr.
On the authority of al-Fadl ibn al-Hasan al-Damri,
From Umm al-Hakam or Duba'ah,
The daughter of Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib,
Who narrated to him from one of them that she said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, obtained some captives,
So my sister, I, and Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, went,
And we complained to him about our situation,
And asked him to grant us something from the captives.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,
"The orphans of Badr have preceded you,
But I will guide you to what is better for you than that:
Say 'Allahu Akbar' after every prayer thirty-three times,
And 'SubhanAllah' thirty-three times,
And 'Alhamdulillah' thirty-three times,
And 'La ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah' (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner),
“All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth Sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is Able to do all things.” (64:1)
And He is capable of all things."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
O Eve.
Keep your tongue moist with this dhikr wherever you are,
In your room or in your kitchen,
With people or alone,
For it is the counsel of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, to you.
On the authority of Yusayrah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to us,
"You must perform tasbih (glorification), tahlil (proclaiming oneness), and taqdis (sanctification),
And count them on your fingertips,
For they will be questioned and made to speak.
And do not be heedless, lest you forget mercy."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
O Eve.
When you grow old and weak,
And you have no wealth to give in charity,
Remember that Allah has gifted you a tongue with which to remember Him,
So say this dhikr.
On the authority of Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said,
"O Messenger of Allah,
Guide me to a deed,
For I have grown old, weak, and heavy."
He said:
Proclaim the greatness of Allah one hundred times,
Praise Allah one hundred times,
And glorify Allah one hundred times;
This is better than one hundred horses, bridled and saddled, in the cause of Allah,
And better than one hundred camels for sacrifice,
And better than freeing one hundred slaves.
It was narrated by Ibn Majah.
O Hawwa,
If the world feels narrow for you and your worries multiply,
Then hold fast to this dhikr.
On the authority of Asma' bint 'Umays, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to me:
"Shall I not teach you words to say during times of distress or hardship?
Allah,
Allah is my Lord; I do not associate anything with Him."
It was narrated by Abu Dawud.
Finally, O Hawwa,
You must frequently seek forgiveness (istighfar),
For it is your salvation from the Fire.
On the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"O assembly of women,
Give charity and seek forgiveness often,
For I have seen that you constitute the majority of the people of the Fire."
A sensible woman among them asked:
"And why, O Messenger of Allah, are we the majority of the people of the Fire?"
He said:
"You curse frequently,
And you are ungrateful to your spouses.
I have not seen anyone more deficient in intellect and religion, yet more capable of overcoming a man of sound mind, than you."
She asked:
"O Messenger of Allah,
What is the deficiency of intellect and religion?"
He said:
"As for the deficiency of intellect,
It is that the testimony of two women is equivalent to the testimony of one man;
This is the deficiency of intellect.
And you spend nights without praying and do not fast during Ramadan;
This is the deficiency of religion."
It was narrated by Muslim.
We shall continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The story of our mother Hawwa.