Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (21) | Chapter 3: Struggle

0:00 Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: Striving against the Self (Mujahada).

0:14 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:21 My uncle, Anas Ibn al-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him, was absent

0:25 from the Battle of Badr.

0:27 He said, "O Messenger of Allah,

0:30 I was absent from the first battle you fought against the polytheists.

0:34 If Allah allows me to witness a battle against the polytheists,

0:38 Allah will surely see what I do."

0:42 Then, when the day of Uhud came,

0:44 and the Muslims were forced to retreat,

0:46 he said,

0:48 "O Allah, I apologize to You for what these people have done,"

0:52 meaning his companions,

0:54 "and I am innocent before You of what these people have done,"

0:58 meaning the polytheists.

1:00 Then he advanced,

1:02 and Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh met him.

1:04 He said,

1:06 "O Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh,

1:08 by the Lord of al-Nadr, [I smell] Paradise!

1:10 I find its scent coming from before Uhud."

1:14 Sa'd said,

1:16 "I could not do what he did, O Messenger of Allah."

1:20 Anas said,

1:22 "We found him with over eighty wounds from a sword,

1:26 or a spear thrust,

1:28 or an arrow shot."

1:30 We found that he had been killed and the polytheists had mutilated his body,

1:34 so no one recognized him

1:36 except his sister, by his fingertips.

1:38 Anas said,

1:40 "We used to think or believe

1:42 that this verse was revealed regarding him and those like him:

1:46 “Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least;” (33:23)

1:52 to the end of the verse.

1:54 Agreed upon.

1:56 "The Muslims were forced to retreat":

2:00 The Muslims were forced to retreat.

2:02 Meaning: they left their positions and were defeated.

2:05 "From before Uhud":

2:07 Meaning: from a place closer than it.

2:09 "Mutilated":

2:11 Meaning: they disfigured his face.

2:13 "Fingertips":

2:15 The ends of the fingers.

2:18 "I apologize to You for what the Companions have done":

2:21 Meaning: for fleeing.

2:23 "I am innocent before You of what the polytheists have done":

2:27 Meaning: for fighting the Messenger, peace be upon him.

2:31 From the benefits of the hadith:

2:35 The expedition to Badr

2:37 was not an individual obligation (fard 'ayn),

2:39 because the Messenger, peace be upon him,

2:42 only called upon them to intercept the caravan of Quraysh.

2:45 That is why those who were absent among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were absent.

2:50 The desirability of sacrificing one's soul in jihad for the sake of Allah,

2:54 and calling Allah to witness that.

2:56 The believer is true to his promise

3:00 and fulfills his covenant,

3:02 even if it is difficult for him,

3:04 until he reaches the point of sacrificing his life for the sake of Allah.

3:08 The intensity of the certainty of Anas Ibn al-Nadr

3:11 and the perfection of his faith.

3:13 Perfection of faith is the middle path between negligence and extremism.

3:17 That is why he apologized to Allah for the negligence of the Muslims

3:21 and disassociated himself from the actions of the polytheists.

3:24 His speech here is among the most eloquent and expressive of speech.

3:29 The sincere mujahid who turns toward Allah,

3:33 and is eager to reach the stations of the martyrs,

3:36 may smell the scent of Paradise,

3:39 which serves as an encouragement to continue jihad.

3:42 This is a strengthening from Allah the Almighty for His sincere servants.

3:47 The permissibility of judging by physical signs (qara'in).

3:51 You find this in the recognition of Anas Ibn al-Nadr by his sister through his fingertips.

3:59 On the authority of Abu Mas'ud 'Uqba Ibn 'Amr al-Ansari al-Badri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

4:06 When the verse of charity was revealed,

4:09 we used to carry loads on our backs [for wages]

4:12 so a man came and gave much in charity.

4:16 They said, "He is showing off."

4:19 Another man came

4:21 and gave a sa' (a measure) in charity.

4:23 They said, "Allah is surely in no need of this man's sa'."

4:28 Then [the verse] was revealed:

4:30 ﴾Those who criticize the contributors among the believers in [their] charities...﴿

4:35 “Those who point at such of the believers as give the alms willingly and such as can find naught to give but their endeavours, and deride them - Allah (Himself) derideth them. Theirs will be a painful doom.” (9:79)

4:39 to the end of the verse.

4:40 Agreed upon.

4:42 "Carry loads":

4:44 That one of us would carry [goods] on his back for a wage

4:48 and give it in charity.

4:50 "Showing off":

4:54 That one performs an action so that people may see it.

4:57 It is a form of showing off.

4:59 Those who were saying that were the hypocrites.

5:04 "A sa'":

5:05 It is four Prophetic mudds.

5:08 And the mudd

5:09 is a large handful.

5:11 "Criticize":

5:12 Meaning: they find fault with them.

5:14 "Contributors":

5:16 Meaning: those who perform voluntary acts of worship.

5:18 "Their effort":

5:21 From the benefits of the hadith:

5:26 The verse of charity mentioned in the hadith

5:29 is His saying, the Almighty:

5:31 “Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them. Lo! thy prayer is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower.” (9:103)

5:37 A person must obey his Lord to the extent of his ability

5:42 and give in charity what he can, even if it is little.

5:46 A Muslim should not pay attention to the words of the hypocrites who hinder others,

5:52 or the people of evil propaganda and those who spread rumors.

5:56 The encouragement to give charity, even if it is a small thing,

6:00 for it has a great reward.

6:03 Do not belittle any good deed, even if it is small.

6:07 From Sa'id Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,

6:12 from Rabi'a Ibn Yazid,

6:14 from Abu Idris al-Khawlani,

6:16 from Abu Dharr

6:18 Jundab Ibn Junada, may Allah be pleased with him,

6:21 from the Prophet, peace be upon him,

6:24 in what he narrates from Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He,

6:28 that He said:

6:30 "O My servants,

6:32 I have forbidden injustice for Myself

6:35 and have made it forbidden among you,

6:38 so do not oppress one another.

6:40 O My servants,

6:42 all of you are astray except those whom I have guided,

6:46 so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you.

6:49 O My servants,

6:51 all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed,

6:55 so seek food from Me and I shall feed you.

6:58 O My servants,

7:01 all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed,

7:04 so seek clothing from Me and I shall clothe you.

7:07 O My servants,

7:09 you commit sins by night and by day,

7:13 and I forgive all sins,

7:16 so seek My forgiveness and I shall forgive you.

7:19 O My servants,

7:21 you will never attain the power to harm Me so as to harm Me,

7:25 and you will never attain the power to benefit Me so as to benefit Me.

7:29 O My servants,

7:31 if the first of you and the last of you,

7:34 and your humans and your jinn,

7:36 were to be as pious as the heart of a single man among you,

7:41 that would not increase My kingdom in anything.

7:45 O My servants,

7:47 if the first of you and the last of you,

7:50 and your humans and your jinn,

7:52 were to be as wicked as the heart of a single man among you,

7:57 that would not decrease My kingdom in anything.

8:01 O My servants,

8:03 if the first of you and the last of you,

8:06 and your humans and your jinn,

8:08 were to stand in one place

8:11 and ask of Me,

8:13 and I were to give every person what he asked for,

8:16 that would not decrease what I have,

8:19 except as the needle decreases [the water] when it is dipped into the sea.

8:24 O My servants,

8:26 it is only your deeds

8:28 that I record for you,

8:30 then I shall recompense you for them.

8:33 So whoever finds good,

8:35 let him praise Allah,

8:37 and whoever finds otherwise,

8:39 let him blame no one but himself."

8:42 Sa'id said:

8:45 Abu Idris used to,

8:47 when he narrated this hadith,

8:49 kneel on his knees.

8:51 Narrated by Muslim.

8:53 And we have narrated from Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him,

8:57 that he said:

8:59 "There is no hadith for the people of the Levant more noble than this hadith."

9:03 "Injustice":

9:06 It is placing something in other than its proper place.

9:09 "Astray":

9:10 Meaning: heedless of the laws before the sending of the messengers.

9:14 "Guided":

9:16 Meaning: I directed him to what the messengers brought

9:19 and granted him success in it.

9:21 "Seek guidance from Me":

9:24 Meaning: ask Me for guidance.

9:27 "One place":

9:29 Meaning: one land.

9:31 And the 'sa'id' is the surface of the earth.

9:33 "Needle":

9:35 The sewing needle.

9:39 From the benefits of the hadith:

9:41 Allah has honored the people of faith and exalted their mention

9:45 by attributing them to Himself with His saying:

9:48 "O My servants."

9:50 Allah has declared Himself free of injustice

9:53 and has forbidden it for His servants.

9:55 The legitimacy of striving to seek guidance,

9:59 coupled with supplication and humility before Allah.

10:04 Provision is from Allah and in His hand,

10:07 so it should be sought by taking the means of lawful earning

10:11 And supplicating to Allah to facilitate and ease it.

10:15 The servant is in need of his Master in all of his affairs.

10:19 Both the major and the minor ones.

10:21 The significant and the trivial ones.

10:24 Thus, he must necessarily take refuge in Allah.

10:27 For in that lies the perfection of humility before Allah.

10:30 Which is the ultimate height of the servant’s status.

10:34 Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

10:36 Neither is He benefited by obedience nor harmed by disobedience.

10:40 Yet He loves faith for His servants.

10:44 And He dislikes for them disbelief, wickedness, and rebellion.

10:48 The vastness of Allah’s mercy.

10:51 For if He were to take people to task for their wrongdoing and sins.

10:55 “If Allah were to take mankind to task for their wrong-doing, he would not leave hereon a living creature, but He reprieveth them to an appointed term, and when their term cometh they cannot put (it) off an hour nor (yet) advance (it).” (16:61)

10:58 But He grants them respite until an appointed time.

11:02 So He records their deeds for them in order to recompense them accordingly.

11:06 Allah loves for His servants to ask of Him and to beseech Him.

11:11 And to be persistent in their supplication.

11:14 Indeed, the treasuries of Allah are full.

11:18 Riyad al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (21) | Chapter 3: Struggle

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