Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 1 of 10
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (1) | Chapter: Sincerity and having intention in all clear and hidden words and actions (1)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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*Riyad al-Salihin* from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Chapter on Sincerity and Having an Intention in All Outward and Inward Actions and Words.
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Allah the Exalted said:
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“And they are ordered naught else than to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature upright, and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. That is true religion.” (98:5)
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"And to establish prayer and give zakat,
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and that is the correct religion."
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And the Exalted said:
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“Their flesh and their food reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good.” (22:37)
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“Their flesh and their food reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good.” (22:37)
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And the Exalted said:
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“Say, (O Muhammad): Whether ye hide that which is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knoweth it. He knoweth that which is in the heavens and that which is in the earth, and Allah is Able to do all things.” (3:29)
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On the authority of the Commander of the Faithful, Abu Hafs,
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'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
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"Actions are judged only by intentions,
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and every person will have only what they intended.
1:13
So whoever's emigration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger,
1:17
their emigration is for Allah and His Messenger.
1:20
And whoever's emigration was for a worldly gain they might acquire,
1:24
or for a woman they might marry,
1:27
their emigration is for that which they emigrated."
1:31
Agreed upon.
1:33
Sincerity (Ikhlas)
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is an act of the heart
1:38
by which the Countenance of Allah the Exalted alone is sought.
1:42
It is a prerequisite for the acceptance of righteous deeds.
1:45
The intention (niyyah)
1:48
is the resolve to do something, coupled with its performance.
1:51
Emigration (hijrah),
1:53
linguistically, means abandonment;
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and legally in the Sharia,
1:56
it is departing from the abode of disbelief to the abode of Islam
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out of fear of religious persecution.
2:02
Lessons from the hadith:
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An intention is indispensable for all actions,
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whether they are sought for their own sake, like prayer,
2:12
or serve as a means to an end, like ritual purification.
2:16
The locus of the intention is the heart, not the tongue.
2:20
Actions become righteous only through righteous intentions,
2:24
and a good intention
2:26
can never turn a forbidden act into a good deed,
2:28
nor an innovation into Sunnah.
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For how many people seek good yet never attain it!
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Sincerity to Allah is a condition for an action's acceptance,
2:39
for Allah does not accept any deed
2:42
unless it is done with the utmost sincerity and correctness.
2:44
As for its sincerity,
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it must be done solely for Allah;
2:48
and as for its correctness,
2:49
it must conform strictly to the authentic Sunnah.
2:53
On the authority of the Mother of the Believers,
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
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"An army will attack the Ka'bah,
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and when they reach an open desert plain,
3:10
the ground will swallow them, from the first of them to the last."
3:14
She said:
3:15
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
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how will the first and the last of them be swallowed,
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when among them are their market-goers
3:23
and those who are not actually part of them?"
3:25
He replied:
3:26
"The first and last of them will be swallowed,
3:29
and then they will be resurrected according to their intentions."
3:33
Agreed upon.
3:35
*Al-Bayda'* (the desert plain)
3:38
refers to any level, barren expanse of land
3:40
where nothing grows.
3:42
"Their market-goers" (*aswaquhum*)
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means the people of their markets,
3:46
or the commoners among them,
3:48
who are subjects rather than rulers or commanders.
3:50
"They will be resurrected according to their intentions"
3:53
means that Allah will raise them from their graves
3:56
and call them to account based on their underlying aims;
3:59
so they will be requited accordingly,
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distinguishing between the unwilling, the compelled,
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the purposeful participant, and the mere passerby.
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Lessons from the hadith:
4:12
Keeping away from the people of injustice,
4:14
and warning against sitting with them,
4:17
as well as sitting with rebels and similar proponents of falsehood,
4:21
lest one be struck by the punishment that befalls them.
4:24
Whoever voluntarily swells the ranks of a sinful group
4:28
will inevitably share in their sin and punishment.
4:31
Deeds are judged according to the doer's intention.
4:35
The reporting by the Messenger, peace be upon him,
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of matters of the unseen that Allah disclosed to him;
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these are matters of faith that one is obligated to believe.
4:47
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"There is no emigration after the Conquest,
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but only jihad and righteous intention;
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and when you are called upon to mobilize, march forth."
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Agreed upon.
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The meaning of "no emigration from Mecca"
5:12
is that it has become an abode of Islam.
5:15
"The Conquest" refers to the Conquest of Mecca.
5:21
"Intention" refers to sincerity of action for Allah the Exalted.
5:26
"Mobilize" (*istanfartum*)
5:28
means when the ruler calls upon you to march out and fight the enemy.
5:34
Lessons from the hadith:
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The abrogation of the obligation to emigrate from Mecca to Medina,
5:40
because it became an abode of Islam.
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A Prophetic glad tidings
5:45
that Mecca will remain an abode of Islam forever.
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Emigration never ceases as long as there remain in the world an abode of disbelief and an abode of Islam;
5:55
thus, whoever resides in an abode of disbelief
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and is able to leave it for an abode of Islam,
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emigration remains an obligation upon them.
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The virtue lost with the cessation of emigration from Mecca
6:07
can be attained through jihad and a righteous intention.
6:11
The obligation to march out for battle
6:14
whenever the ruler calls for it.
6:16
In this is a clear proof that jihad must have a legitimate leader and a unified banner.
6:22
On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah Jabir ibn 'Abdillah al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
6:30
We were with the Prophet, peace be upon him, on an expedition when he said:
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"Indeed, in Medina there are men:
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you did not travel any distance nor cross any valley
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but that they were with you;
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they were only detained by illness."
6:48
And in another narration:
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"except that they shared with you in the reward."
6:54
Related by Muslim.
6:56
And al-Bukhari reported it on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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We returned from the Battle of Tabuk with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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and he said:
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"Indeed, behind us in Medina are people:
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we did not traverse any mountain pass or valley
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but that they were with us;
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they were only detained by a valid excuse."
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"On an expedition":
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this was the Battle of Tabuk.
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"Shared with you in the reward":
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meaning they shared in the spiritual recompense.
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*Al-Shi'b* is a path between two mountains.
7:32
*Al-Wadi* (the valley)
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is the low ground where water flows
7:37
between mountains, hills, or mounds.
7:41
Lessons from the hadith:
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“Those of the believers who sit still, other than those who have a (disabling) hurt, are not on an equality with those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and lives. Allah hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary. Unto each Allah hath promised good, but He hath bestowed on those who strive a great reward above the sedentary;” (4:95)
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are superior in degree to those who remain behind.
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There is no blame upon the disabled, such as the blind, the sick, and the lame.
7:56
Whoever is detained by a valid excuse
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has the same ruling as the disabled.
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Whoever holds a sincere intention among the excused and the disabled
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will attain the reward of the warriors.
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The hadith demonstrates the vastness of the mercy of the Lord of the Worlds
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and the ease of Islam.
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No Muslim is ever exempt from the responsibility of jihad,
8:19
the lowest degree of which
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is to have the sincere intention and resolve for it.
8:23
On the authority of Abu Yazid,
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Ma'n ibn Yazid ibn al-Akhnas, may Allah be pleased with them—
8:31
he, his father, and his grandfather were all Companions—
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who said:
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My father Yazid took out some dinars to give them in charity,
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and placed them with a man in the mosque.
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Then I came and took them,
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and brought them to him.
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Thereupon he said:
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"By Allah, it was not you that I intended!"
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So I took the dispute before the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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and he said:
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"You have what you intended, O Yazid,
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and you may keep what you took, O Ma'n."
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Related by al-Bukhari.
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"Then I came and took them"
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from the man authorized to distribute the charity with his permission,
9:17
not by way of wrongful seizure.
9:19
"And brought them":
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I brought those dinars to my father.
9:25
"So I took the dispute":
9:27
meaning we sought a legal judgment together.
9:29
"You have what you intended":
9:31
this address was to the father,
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meaning: you have its reward,
9:35
because you intended to give it as charity to someone in need,
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and his son was in need, even if he had not specifically intended him.
9:42
"And you may keep what you took":
9:44
this address was to the son,
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meaning: you own what you took,
9:48
because you received it through a legitimate legal means.
9:53
Lessons from the hadith:
9:57
It is permissible to mention divine gifts and speak of Allah's blessings.
10:03
It is permissible to appoint an agent to distribute charity,
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especially voluntary charity,
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because this contains an element of secrecy.
10:12
It is permissible for a father and son to litigate before a judge.
10:17
It is permissible to give voluntary charity to one's descendants.
10:21
The giver of charity receives the reward of what they intended,
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whether it ends up with the deserving person or not.
10:27
A father has no right to revoke a charitable gift given to his child,
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unlike an ordinary gift.
10:33
On the authority of Abu Ishaq,
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Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
10:41
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came to me
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to visit me during the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage
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on account of an illness that had grown severe.
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I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
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my illness has reached the severity that you see,
10:57
and I am a man of wealth,
10:59
yet none inherits from me except a daughter of mine.
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"May I give two-thirds of my wealth in charity?"
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He replied, "No."
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I said, "Then half, O Messenger of Allah?"
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He said, "No."
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I asked, "Then a third, O Messenger of Allah?"
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He said, "A third, and a third is much—or great.
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Indeed, to leave your heirs wealthy
11:26
is better than leaving them destitute, begging from people.
11:31
And you will never spend anything seeking thereby the countenance of Allah
11:36
without being rewarded for it,
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even the morsel you place in your wife's mouth."
11:43
He continued,
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so I asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
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will I be left behind after my companions depart?"
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He said,
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"You will not be left behind to do any deed seeking thereby the countenance of Allah,
11:56
but that you will be raised by it in degree and status.
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And perhaps you will survive so that some people may benefit by you,
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while others are harmed by you.
12:07
O Allah, complete the emigration of my companions,
12:11
and do not turn them back upon their heels."
12:14
But the unfortunate one was Sa'd Ibn Khawlah;
12:18
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, grieved for him
12:22
because he died in Mecca.
12:24
Agreed upon.
12:26
"Visits me" (ya'uduni)
12:30
means: visits me during illness.
12:32
"Ash-Shatr"
12:33
means: half.
12:36
"Tadhar"
12:37
means: you leave behind.
12:38
"'Aylatan"
12:39
means: impoverished.
12:41
"Begging from people" (yatakaffafuna an-nas)
12:43
means: asking people for charity with their palms outstretched.
12:47
"Will I be left behind after my companions depart?"
12:49
means: will I be left behind in Mecca after they depart from it?
12:54
"Perhaps you will survive"
12:56
means: perhaps Allah will prolong your life
12:59
so that some people benefit through you,
13:01
while others are harmed through you.
13:04
This was from his foretelling, peace be upon him;
13:08
for Allah indeed conquered Iraq at the hands of Sa'd,
13:12
and through him nations were guided,
13:14
the Muslims gained abundant spoils,
13:17
and disbelievers were slain at his hands,
13:20
thereby meeting ruin.
13:23
"Amḍi"
13:24
means: bring to completion.
13:26
"The unfortunate one" (al-ba'is)
13:27
is one whose distress has intensified
13:29
and whose grief has deepened.
13:31
Sa'd Ibn Khawlah
13:33
was among the early Emigrants;
13:35
he witnessed Badr,
13:37
died during the Farewell Pilgrimage,
13:40
and was buried in Mecca.
13:42
The saying of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
13:45
"But the unfortunate one was Sa'd Ibn Khawlah,"
13:48
was an expression of sorrow and pity for his plight,
13:51
because he died in Mecca;
13:54
for they disliked residing in the land from which they had emigrated and left behind,
13:59
despite their love for it, solely for the sake of Allah.
14:02
And the relevance of mentioning this
14:04
in the presence of Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas
14:06
was to comfort his heart that his emigration was accepted and fulfilled for him,
14:10
unlike his namesake, Sa'd Ibn Khawlah.
14:13
"He grieved for him" (yarthi lahu)
14:15
means: he felt sorrow for him and was pained on his behalf.
14:19
Among the benefits of the hadith:
14:22
It is prescribed for the leader and those under him to visit the sick,
14:26
and it is especially emphasized when the illness becomes severe.
14:29
It is permissible to mention one's illness for a valid purpose,
14:33
such as seeking medicine or the supplication of a righteous person,
14:37
and doing so does not contradict beautiful patience.
14:41
It is permissible to place a hand on the forehead of the sick,
14:44
to wipe his face and the limb causing him pain,
14:48
and to pray for him to have a long life.
14:51
Reward for spending
14:53
is conditioned upon a sound intention and seeking the pleasure of Allah.
14:58
It is permissible to accumulate wealth on the condition that it is from halal sources,
15:03
and it is not considered hoarded treasure (kanz)—
15:05
it is not hoarded treasure if its owner fulfills its due rights.
15:09
A bequest is not permissible for more than one-third of the estate.
15:13
Spending on one's dependents earns a reward,
15:16
provided the servant intends thereby the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic.
15:20
Encouragement to maintain ties of kinship and treat relatives well,
15:24
and that maintaining ties with nearer relatives takes precedence over distant ones.
15:28
Prohibition of transporting the deceased from one land to another;
15:32
for had that been prescribed,
15:35
he would have commanded the relocation of Sa'd Ibn Khawlah
15:37
and would not have lamented his dying in Mecca.
15:39
The obligation to consider the welfare of the heirs
15:43
and to maintain justice among them.
15:46
Riyad al-Salihin.