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Our mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.

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“O ‘A’ishah, they are those who pray, give charity, and whose hearts are fearful.”

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In these blessed days, people turn toward acts of obedience and increase in them.

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This is part of Allah’s grace upon the people.

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It is also due to what Allah has specifically favored this virtuous month with,

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such as the chaining of the devils, the closing of the gates of Hell, and the opening of the gates of Paradise.

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As people turn toward various forms of obedience,

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such as prayers, charity, and the recitation of the Qur’an,

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you find them also supplicating, asking Allah to accept these deeds from them.

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This is the characteristic of the believer:

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the fear of non-acceptance.

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Allah the Exalted said:

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“Lo! those who go in awe for fear of their Lord.” (23:57)

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“And those who believe in the revelations of their Lord,” (23:58)

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“And those who ascribe not partners unto their Lord,” (23:59)

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“And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord,” (23:60)

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“And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord,” (23:60)

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“These race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race.” (23:61)

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When ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, read this verse,

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she thought it referred to the disobedient.

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So she asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about the verse.

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She said, “O Messenger of Allah,

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“And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord,” (23:60)

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are they those who commit errors and perform sins?”

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He replied, “No, O ‘A’ishah.

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They are those who pray, give charity, and whose hearts are fearful.”

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Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat.

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Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“They give their charity

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while fearing that it will not be accepted from them,

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because of their fear that they may have fallen short in fulfilling

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the conditions of giving.”

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This is a matter of compassion and caution.

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The people of faith perform righteous deeds,

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yet they fear that their deeds will not be accepted

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due to their shortcomings or a lack of sincerity.

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Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“The fear of those among the salaf who feared

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that their deeds would not be accepted

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stemmed from their fear that they had not performed the deed

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in the manner commanded.”

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Al-Hasan al-Basri said:

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“By Allah, they performed acts of obedience

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and strove in them,

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yet they feared that they would be rejected.”

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Indeed, the believer combines excellence with fear,

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while the hypocrite combines wrongdoing with a sense of security.

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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“Allah the Exalted described the people of felicity

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as having excellence coupled with fear,

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and described the wretched as having wrongdoing coupled with a sense of security.”

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This fear of the non-acceptance of deeds

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led them to hasten toward good works,

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just as Allah the Almighty described them.

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“These race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race.” (23:61)

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Al-Sa‘di, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“Meaning, in the arena of hastening toward acts of goodness,

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their concern is what draws them closer to Allah,

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and their intent is directed toward what saves them from His punishment.”

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So, every good deed they heard of,

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or for which an opportunity arose,

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they seized it and hastened to perform it.

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This fear is praiseworthy,

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because it led them to hasten toward good works.

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Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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“His fear of falling short in obedience

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is a sign of the perfection of his obedience.”

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This instruction from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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to ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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left its mark on her life

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and on her hastening toward good works.

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Whoever enjoys reading her fragrant biography

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will find confirmation of this in many examples from her life.

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Indeed, she said at the time of her death, out of the intensity of her fear:

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“I wish I were a thing forgotten and out of sight.”

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Narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzaq in al-Musannaf.

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Studying the life of our mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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increases our love for our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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and our attachment to him and his method of teaching his household.

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It also increases our certainty regarding the intensity of the Prophet’s love for ‘A’ishah,

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and the intensity of her love for him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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We love those whom the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, loved.

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We love ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, we pray for her, and we name our daughters after her.

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We ask Allah to grant us fear of Him in private and in public,

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and to make us among those who hasten toward good works and are foremost in them.

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We shall continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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Our mother ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.