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Salman Al-Farsi, originally named Ruzbeh, was born into an affluent family in

Jayyan near Isfahan in Persia (now Iran).

His father, the town chief and a Zoroastrian priest loved his only son so much that he confined him to

the house. Salman was a follower of the Magian religion and became custodian of the “holy fire”,

which they worshipped. But Salman was not satisfied with this religion.

One day, his father sent him out to oversea the affairs of his estate. On his way, Salman passed a

Christian church and heard the sound of melodious prayer. He entered the church and was impressed

that a man was their guide and went home to tell his father about his feelings. His father, a staunch

Magian, then chained him up inside the house.

The Christians has told Salman that the grand priest lived in Syria, so Salman asked to be informed of

the next caravan leaving for Syria. When he got the news, he broke the shackles and escaped.

In Syria, he reached the big church where the bishop converted him to Christianity. Salman served him

for a long time, but later discovered that he was corrupt and greedy. The priest hoarded the charity of

his followers. When the bishop died, Salman showed his followers the bishop’s large jars filled with

gold and silver. The people then selected a pious bishop devoted to worship. When the bishop was on

his deathbed, Salman asked him whom he should serve. The dying bishop said he should go to Mosul

where he would find another pious man. Salman arrived in Mosul and found the bishop. When this man

was close to death, he guided Salman to a fourth priest, who in turn, sent him to another bishop at

Ammuriyah near Rome.

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When this bishop was close to death, he told Salman he had heard that a prophet was expected to

migrate to a “city full of palm trees” and that he would bear distinct features. Salman then paid people

from the Kalb, an Arab tribe in Ammuriyah, to take him to Arabia.

But the tribe broke the agreement and sold him as a slave to a Jew. The Jew sold Salman as a laborer to

his nephew of the Banu Qurayzah who took him to Yathrib (later called Madinah), the city of palm

trees as described by the priest in Ammuriyah.

When the Prophet Muhammad, peace on him, arrived in Madinah, Salman was overjoyed and wanted to see

him but his master hit him and refused to let him go.

When Salman eventually managed to see the Prophet, peace on him, he offered dates he said was meant for

charity, but the Prophet, peace on him, refused to eat it. Salman visited him again with some dates and

presented it to him as a gift. Then the Prophet, peace on him, accepted it and ate them with his companions.

Then when Salman went to look at the Prophet’s back, the Messenger of Islam, peace on him, lowered his

cloak so Salman could see the mark on his back. Realizing this was the Prophet, peace on him, Salman fell to

his knees, kissed the Prophet’s feet and started to cry.

The Holy Prophet, peace on him, then listened to Salman’s story and heard that his owner would free him in

exchange of 300 planted palm trees and 1600 silver coins. The Holy Prophet, peace on him, urged his

companions to contribute generously. When Salman was freed, he remained close to the Prophet, peace on

him. When some people inquired about his ancestry, Salman boldly replied: “I am Salman, the son

of Islam from the child of Adam.”

Salman proved to be an innovator during the Battle of Khandaq when he suggested that Muslims dig a

defensive trench on the front-lines against the large pagan force attacking Madinah. This helped keep

the Muslims safe and Allah later granted them victory.

Salman participated in all of the major campaigns of the Holy Prophet, peace on him. He was also with

Sa’ad during the conquest of Iraq and Caliph Omar chose him to select the site where the new Muslim

town named Kufa was built.

Salman Al Farsi was a good scholar. He had knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion, Christian scripture

and the Holy Qur’an. He was one of the first people to translate the Qur’an into Persian for new

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AL-WASIYYAT

“The Will” Translated in English by: Dr. Zahid Aziz

Muslims. Caliph Ali said he was like Hakeem Luqman. And Kaab Al-Ahbar said: “Salman is bursting

with knowledge and wisdom. He is like an ocean that does not dry up.” Salman led a very ascetic life

and had only one cloak, which he wore and slept on.

When he was appointed governor of Madayen Kisra (Ctesiphon) near Baghdad, he received a salary of

5000 dirhams, which he distributed to the poor as charity. “I like to eat from the work of my own

hands”, he said. He died in Ctesiphon during the Caliphate of Caliph Uthman.

{Abu Tariq Hijazi}

He shows

Himself by means of His power and

might and signs; only through these

can we find Him. He is ever manifesting

Himself to the righteous, and shows

them the wonders of His power. It is

from this that He is recognized, and the

path approved of by Him is known. He

sees, but without eyes; He hears, but

without ears; and He speaks, but

without a tongue. Likewise, to create

something out of nothing is also His

work. Just as you see that in a scene in

a dream He creates a whole world

without any matter, and shows non-

existent things to be existent. Thus

such are all the wonders of His power.

Unwise is the one who denies His

power, and blind is the one who is

ignorant of His subtle might. He does,

and can do, anything except that which

is against His dignity or contrary to His

promises. He is the only One in His

person, in His attributes, in His works,

and in His power.

To reach Him, all doors are closed but

the door which the Holy Qur’an has

opened. There remains no need to

follow separately all the prophethoods

and all the books which have gone

before, because the prophethood of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad includes and

encompasses them all, and other than

it all paths are closed. All truths which

lead to God are contained within it.

Neither shall any new truth come after

it, nor was there any previous truth

which is not to be found in it. Therefore,

with this prophethood have all

prophethoods ended, and so it ought to

have been, because whatever has a

beginning has also en end.

Nevertheless, the prophethood of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad is not devoid

of granting its own grace; in fact, it has

more grace in it than all other

prophethoods. Rendering obedience to

this prophethood leads to God by a

very easy path, and by following it the

blessing of God’s love and of His

revelation can be attained in greater

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measure than used to be received in

previous times. But it’s perfect follower

cannot be simply called ‘prophet’

because this would be derogatory to

the completely perfect prophethood of

the Holy Prophet Muhammad. however,

the two words ‘follower’ and ‘prophet’

may together be applied to him,

because that would not be derogatory

to the completely perfect prophethood

of the Holy Prophet Muhammad; on the

contrary, this benefit makes the

brilliance of the prophethood shine all

the more. {Nevertheless, it must be firmly borne in

mind that the door of prophethood with a Shari’ah is

completely closed after the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

After the Holy Qur’an, there can be no book which

should give new teachings, or abrogate any teaching of

the Holy Qur’an, or cancel the obligation to follow it. On

the contrary, the Holy Qur’an will remain in force till the

Day of Judgment.} And when that Divine

revelation, in terms of its nature and

abundance, reaches the degree of

perfection, so that there is no impurity

or defect in it, and it clearly contains

knowledge of matters unseen, this is

other words is called prophethood, as

agreed upon by all prophets. It was not

possible that a people of whom it was

said:

“You are the best nation raised up for

mankind” [3:110]

ة أخرجت للناس تأمرون كنتم خير أمبالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر

ولو آمن أهل الكتاب وتؤمنون باللهنهم المؤمنون لكان خيرا لهم م

وأكثرهم الفاسقون

and who had been taught to pray:

“Guide us on the right path, the path of

those whom you have favoured”

راط المستقيم اهدنــــا الص

that all of its individuals should have

remained deprived of this exalted

status, and not even one person attain

this rank. In that case, there was not

only the flaw that the Umma of the Holy

Prophet Muhammad would remain

spiritually defective and imperfect, all

of them being blind, as it were, but a

further drawback was that a blot would

be put on the Holy Prophet’s power of

giving grace, and his purifying power

would be shown to be defective. And

besides, it would be in vain to teach the

prayer which is required to be said in

the five daily prayers. On the other

hand, there was the difficulty that if a

member of the Muslim Umma cold

attain this accomplishment directly,

without following the light of the

prophethood of the Holy Prophet

Muhammad, the finality of prophethood

would be falsified.

So to avoid both these pitfalls, God the

Most High bestowed the honour of fully

perfect, pure and holy revelation upon

some persons who had reached the

highest degree of annihilation in the

Holy Prophet, where no evil remained

between them. The significance and

meaning of being a follower, and of

obedience, reached the most complete

and perfect stage in them, so that their

very being did not remain their own

selves, but rather, the person of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad was reflected

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in the mirror of their state of

engrossment. On the other hand, they

received Divine revelation in the most

complete and perfect sense like

prophets.

نفسا إال وسعها لها ما نا ال ال يكلف للاه كسبت وعليها ما اكتسبت ربنا وال تحمل علينا إصرا كما حملته على سينا أو أخطأنا رب تؤاخذنا إن ن

ا وا لنا ما ال طاقة لنا به واعف عن نا وال تحم غفر لنا الذين من قبلنا رب وارحمنآ أنت موالنا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين

Allah imposes not on any soul a duty beyond its scope. For it, is that

which it earns (of good), and against it that which it works (of evil). Our

Lord, punish us not if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not lay

on us a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us. Our Lord, impose

not on us (afflictions) which we have not the strength to bear. And pardon

us! And grant us protection! And have mercy on us! Thou art our Patron,

so grant us victory over the disbelieving people. [2:286]

This is how a Muslim views the duties Allah has imposed on him when He put him in charge of the

earth, the test He has set for him and the reward He has set for him and the reward He gives at the end.

He is certain of Allah’s mercy and justice in all that. He, therefore, does not complain or grumble about

his duties, nor does he think that he is overburdened with such duties. He knows that Allah who has

imposed those duties on him is fully aware of his own capabilities and that He would not have imposed

those duties on him if he is incapable of fulfilling them. Such a reassuring view is certain to provide an

incentive for the believer to discharge his duties. If he weakens or slackens, he knows that the problem

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is his own weakness, not that the task is too excessive. He can then motivate himself anew and

strengthen his resolve to discharge his duty.

The second part of this concept is embodied in this statement: To its credit shall be whatever good it

does and against it whatever evil it does. It is then a personal responsibility. Every individual is

credited with his or her own good actions and bears the consequences of his or her evil wants. Every

human being will return to Allah holding his own personal account, which shows everything, recorded

to his credit or against him. He cannot make any endorsement to anyone else, and he expects help from

no one. When people are fully aware of the fact that they return to Allah as individuals, every one of

them becomes a fully independent unit, which does not concede Allah’s right in him to anyone. Every

single human being will stand in Allah’s rights against any temptation, tyranny, transgression and

corruption. He is responsible to protect himself and to protect Allah’s right in him, which is to obey

Allah and to submit to Him alone in matters of faith and behaviour. If he, under the pressure of

temptation and seduction or coercion and tyranny, gives up that right ---- with the exception of one who

pretends to do so under pressure and by force while his heart remains genuinely faithful ---- he should

know that no person will be able to intercede on his behalf on the Day of Judgment or to protect him

against any punishment. No one shall help him with taking over any part of his burden, and no one

shall stand to defend him against Allah. Hence, every individual will fight as hard as he can in order to

defend himself and defend Allah’s right in him, since he will stand alone to receive his reward from

Allah. There is no danger from this type of individual responsibility. Faith requires that every

individual should fulfill his duty toward the community as part of his duty toward Allah. He is required

to maintain as part of the community in an exercise of complete and mutual social security which is not

confined to matters of earnings and finance, physical help and sincere advice, but also includes

working together in order to enforce what is right and to destroy what is evil. All this will either be

credited to or debited from his account when he faces Allah as an individual waiting for his reward.

We then have a prayer, which suggests an attitude of hope mixed with fear, as if the believers who

repeat that prayer have fully understood the preceding fact. This prayer describes the relationship

between the believers and their Lord. They are aware of their weakness, their need for Allah’s pardon

and forgiveness, and for His help and shelter, and the fact that their only proper course is to be on His

side and to reject any claim other than His, and to be ready to fight for His cause, seeking help and

victory only from Him. The prayer is characterized by its soft tone and fine rhythm.

Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or lapse into error. When a Muslim is overcome by his

human weakness, his actions are dictated by error and forgetfulness. He, therefore, prays to his Lord

seeking His forgiveness. He does not boast of his deviations, or deliberately contravenes Allah’s

orders, or imagines that he is too great to obey Allah and submit to His will. Nothing of this can be true

of the believer in his relationship with his Lord. No one who adopts such an attitude hopes for Allah’s

forgiveness unless he regrets his attitude and turns to Allah in repentance. Allah has answered this

prayer of His believing servants. The Prophet, peace on him, says:

“Allah has pardoned my nation anything they do genuinely by mistake, or out of

forgetfulness, or what they are forced to do.” (Al Tabarani)

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Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden such as that which You laid on those before us. This prayer results

from the fact that the nation of Islam is the heir of Allah’s message to mankind. The Muslims have

learned through the Qur’an of the behaviour of other nations which received messages and the burdens

Allah imposed on those nations in punishment for what they had done. He made certain good things

and luxuries forbidden for the Israelites. He also required them to kill themselves in atonement for

worshipping the calf, as related in the Surah. He had also forbidden them to trade or hunt on the

Sabbath. The believers pray to their Lord not to impose on them such burdens as He had imposed on

those nations before them. Allah has sent Muhammad ---- the unlettered Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah on

him, to relieve all those who believe in Him and His message of their burden and the chains with which

they were fettered. His faith is, therefore, an easy and tolerant one. It is in perfect harmony with human

nature. Allah says to the Prophet, peace on him: “We will facilitate your path to that which is easier.”

The heaviest burden, however, of which Allah has relieved the nation of Islam, after having imposed it

on other nations before them for contravening the terms and conditions of His covenant by which they

are put in charge of building the earth, is that of having to submit themselves to fellow human beings. It

is an enslavement of one man by another, represented by one man enacting legislation and others

submitting to him personally or to his group or class. Those who believe in Allah have been relieved of

this the greatest burden of all. This relief is embodied in Allah’s requirement that they worship and

obey Him alone and receive their legislation from Him alone. In this way He has released their spirits

and minds and their lives from submission to fellow human beings.

Submission to Allah alone, as represented by deriving legislation, laws, values and standards from Him

only, is the point of human liberation from submission to the authority of tyrants, priests, superstitions,

customs and traditions, caprice and every other false authority which imposes a burden which makes

people hang down their heads in submission to someone other than the Almighty.

The prayer of the believers: Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden such as that which You laid on those

before us, reveals their gratitude for their release from being enslaved by other people as well as their

fear from sinking back into that abominable depth.

Our Lord, do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. This is a prayer, which

emphasizes the fact that those believers have submitted themselves to Allah. They do not intend to

neglect any duty Allah imposes on them. They only pray to Him to consider their weakness and not to

charge them with what they cannot fulfill. Their attitude is one of total obedience and submission,

colored with the hopes entertained by a weak servant for mercy by the Supreme Master. They are only

asking Allah to extend to them what He extends to His servants of benevolence, compassion and easy

duties.

This is followed by an acknowledgment of weakness and fear of their own shortcomings, which cannot

be removed except by Allah’s grace: Pardon us, forgive us our sins, and have mercy on us. This is the

only guarantee for passing the test and winning Allah’s pleasure. No matter how hard a human being

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What Can the Prophet Do For Us In This

World?

tries to fulfill his duties, he falls short of what is required of him. Allah shows him His grace and

extends to him His pardon and forgiveness. Ayesha, the Prophet’s wife, quotes him as saying: “None

of you shall enter heaven on the basis of his actions alone.” When his companions asked

the Prophet, peace on him: “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah.” He answered: “Not even me,

unless Allah showers His mercy on me.”

To the believer, this is the crux of the matter. He works as hard as he can, but he always feels his

weakness. He compensates for his weakness by his ever-present hope that Allah will have mercy on

him.

Finally, the believers seek Allah’s help as they intend to fight for His cause in order to establish the

truth and implement His law on earth so that there be no strife, and submission remains to Allah alone.

The believers seek help from the only source of strength and lift the banner, which shows that they

have their allegiance to Allah alone. They seek victory from Him since He is their Lord Supreme, and

since they fight the non-believers under His name: You alone are our Lord Supreme: Give us, then,

victory over the non-believers.

It is a summary of the concept deeply rooted in the minds of the

believers and their relationship with their Lord at all times.

Could you please comment on the practice of many people who appeal to the Prophet, peace on him,

when they visit his grave in Madinah, addressing him as ‘Ya Muhammad’ or ‘Ya Rasool Allah’, or ‘Oh Shah-e-Madinah’, etc., and then ask him to accomplish certain things for them such as solving some problems or curing some diseases, or giving them children, etc. Many believe that the Prophet, peace on him, is still alive inside his grave and that he is able to pray to Allah on behalf of those people.

There is no doubt that the Prophet Muhammad,

peace and blessings of Allah on him, was the noblest soul to

walk this earth. God has given him the greatest

position in the history of the human race when

He required every believer to bear witness to

the truth of His message at the same time as he

declared his firm belief in the Oneness of God.

Thus, every believer is required to declare:

“I bear witness that Muhammad is

Allah’s messenger.”

God has ensured that the Prophet Muhammad,

peace on him, would be held with the greatest respect

by all believers in all generations until the Day

of Judgement. There is no need, then, to try to

add to this honor by inventing anything that

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God has not sanctioned or the Prophet, peace on him,

has not outlined. No addition is admitted in

matters of religion. Islam makes it very clear

that the Prophet, peace on him, was only a human

being, a good servant of God who delivered His

message in full, as he received it from on High.

Therefore, he ahs only the position of a human

being and all the limitations of human beings

apply to him. That is the reason why his life on

earth ended in the same way, as is the case with

all human beings. He died and was buried. He

will be resurrected with the rest of mankind at

the appointed hour. The honor God will bestow

on him on that day is also well identified. But

in the intervening period between his death and

his resurrection, he has no function or power to

do anything for those who are alive. His noble

life was certainly a great blessing for all

humanity in his generation and for the rest of

time. Those who follow his teachings will be

able to enjoy happiness in this life as well as in

the life to come. But at this moment in time, he

is a dead human being. It is a great affront to

the Prophet Muhammad, peace on him, to try to give

him the position of partnership with God or to

bestow on him attributes that belong to God

alone. For example, it is God alone who has an

eternal life. That is the reason why ‘The

Eternal’ is one of the main attributes of God. To

say that the Prophet Muhammad, peace on him, is

still alive and will continue to be alive until the

Day of Judgement is to make him share that

attribute which belongs to God alone. That is

unacceptable.

What is the status of the Prophet Muhammad,

peace on him, now? Just like any human being whose

life is over, he is dead. But death is a stage

between two forms of life. The Prophet, peace on

him, has told us that after his death he would be

in some sort of a state that is unlike this life of

ours or the life to come after resurrection. We

do not know anything about that status except

that it is not one where the Prophet, peace on him, is

able to respond to any appeal or fulfill any

need. To suggest that he is, means giving him

power that belongs to God alone. Besides, the

Prophet, peace on him, strove harder since the day he

began to receive divine revelation to the last

day of his blessed life to establish the concept

of the Oneness of God as it should be held by

believers. He has told us that we must only

appeal to God, pray to Him in all situations, ask

His help and fear His punishment. So, to try to

give the Prophet Muhammad, peace on him, the

status of a partner with God is to destroy him

and to contradict everything he did to establish

the concept of God’s Oneness. As I have

already said, that is certainly an affront to him.

There is no doubt that those who stand at the

Prophet’s burial place and appeal to him to

fulfill certain needs, such as to give them babies

or to cure them from disease or to solve

problems, are guilty of a sin that takes them

outside the place of Islam altogether. Such

requests can only be fulfilled by God and must

always be addressed to Him alone. But people

do this also with so many human beings that

they elevate to the positions of saints, making

the grave of each one of them a shrine which

they visit regularly, particularly on death

anniversaries. They go there to pray, eat, spend

days in what they consider to be worship and

appeal to those dead people to grant them their

wishes. They hold their marriages there because

they believe that would ensure the success of

such marriages. Married couples try to have a

pregnancy conceived on such occasions. All

such activities fly directly in the face of what

the Prophet, peace on him, has taught us. All these

practices are aspects of shirk which is gravest

of sins a human being can commit. Shirk is to

associate partners with God. People who are

involved in such practices are guilty of such

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shirk. They create of those dead people partners

with God and believe that they are able to

benefit them. Those dead people have no power

to benefit their own souls. Indeed, it is the

living that can benefit the dead by praying to

God for them.

We must always be clear in our minds that God

is One who has no partners in any shape or

form. There is no intermediary between us and

God. We can address our supplication to Him

and He has promised to answer us. Therefore,

why put any intermediary between us and Him?

Why disobey Him when we are in need of His

help? Imagine that an employee has a request to

make and he wants his boss to grant the request.

Suppose that the boss has made specific

instructions on how such requests should be put

to him. Can we imagine that the employee

would act in total disregard of those

instructions and put his request in the very

method that his boss has made it clear he would

not accept? That is exactly what human beings

do with God Himself.

He has told them that He accepts no partners;

he is quoted to have said:

“I am the least in need of any partner. If any

of My servants attributes a partner to Me, I

abandon him to that partner.”

What happens when people address their

supplication to God through a saint is that God

abandons them to that dead person to answer

them. God makes it clear in the Qur’an that

those who are dead in their graves cannot hear.

He tells His messenger:

“You certainly have no ability to make those

in the graves hear you.”

Yet people continue to go to these graves and

put their cases to their dwellers. Their requests

will remain there, unheard and unanswered.

Continuance For Old Time’s Sake

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah on him, was very loyal to everyone who had something to do with his

upbringing, or had some good relation with him or with his family. There are several Hadiths that speak

of him demonstrating such loyalty and care. While this is a highly commendable quality which all people

appreciate, the Prophet, peace on him, was the perfect example in truly caring for his old acquaintances,

particularly those who looked after him when young.

Once, a woman was taken captive by a Muslim army. She said to the soldiers that she was the

Prophet’s sister through breast-feeding. They took her to him and he asked her for evidence. She

mentioned a mark on his body, and he recognized that. He extended the best treatment to her, although

her relationship with him was no more than that she was the daughter of his wet nurse. He then offered

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her the choice of staying with him or returning to her people. When she chose the latter, he gave her

gifts and ensured her safe journey.

Abu Al Tufail, a young companion of the Prophet, tells another example. He says: “I saw the

Prophet, peace on him, distributing meat at Al-Ji’ranah [a place between Makkah and Taif, which is also pronounced as

Al-Ji’irranah]. At the time I was a young lad and could carry a camel’s bone. A woman came to him, and he

put his own robe for her to sit. I asked who the woman was, and I was told that she was the one who

breast-fed him when young.” [Al Bukhari], Abu Dawood]

This is the impression of a young lad who saw the Prophet, peace on him, honoring and welcoming an

old woman that was not known to the people around. The gesture he did indicated that he honored her

and gave her the position suitable to a mother. Her visit to him is recorded in other Hadiths as well. One

such Hadith mentions that the woman’s husband, who is considered his father through breast-feeding,

came first, and the Prophet, peace on him, honored him, placing part of his robe for him to sit on. Then came

Haleemah, his breast-feeding mother, and he placed the rest of his robe for her to sit. Then came her

son, i.e. his breast-feeding brother, and the Prophet, peace on him, stood up to greet him and sat him

next to himself.” [Abu Dawood] Other Hadiths mention that when Haleemah approached, the Prophet,

peace on him, stood up to welcome her, shouting with delight: “My mother, my mother!”

The Prophet’s action on such occasions impressed on his companions the need to honor old

friends and acquaintances. While this is natural, some people may show reluctance to extend any warm

feeling toward old acquaintances, thinking that they belonged to days gone by. But the Islamic practice

is that old friendship and old relations should be honored and welcomed warmly.

Al Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah was a companion of the Prophet, peace on him, who was appointed

governor of Kufa and other areas by different caliphs, such as Omar, Othman and Mu’aawiyah. Once a

man said to him: “May Allah give you what is best. Your doorkeeper knows certain people and he gives

them preference when it comes to giving audience with you.” Al Mugheerah said: “May Allah excuse

him. Old friendship is useful even with a biting dog or with an aggressive camel.” [Al Bukhari-Al Adab Al Mufrad]

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In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent

He said, “Do you see those which you have been worshipping --- you and your

forefathers of old? They are my enemies, except for the Lord of all the worlds. It is He

who has created me, and is the One who guides me. He is the One who gives me to eat

and to drink. When I fall ill, He is the One who restores me to health, and will cause me

to die and then will bring me back to life. It is He also who, I hope will forgive me my

faults on the Day of Judgement. My Lord! Grant me sound judgment, and join me with

the righteous, and grant me the advocacy of the truth in later generations, place me

among those who will inherit the garden of bliss! Forgive my father, for he is among the

ones who have gone astray. Let me not suffer disgrace on the Day when all shall be

raised from the dead; the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit,

but only the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart (will be happy).” {Al-Shu’ara .... 26:75-89}

These verses represent an episode of Ibrahim’s

story. Here he outlines the attitude of his Lord

and the bond that exists between them at all

times and in all situations. As we listen to his

description we feel the close, inspirational

relationship that acknowledges God’s hand in

everything that happens in life: “It is He who has created me, and is the One who guides

me. He is the One who gives me to eat and to drink.

When I fall ill, He is the One who restores me to health,

and will cause me to die and then will bring me back

to life. It is He also who, I hope will forgive me my

faults on the Day of Judgement.”

Ibrahim’s description of his Lord and the bond

between them imparts a feeling that every part

of his constitution feels this bond. Hence, all his

aspirations look up to God with love and trust. It

is as if Ibrahim actually sees his Lord and feels

his grace with all his heart. As the Qur’an quotes

Ibrahim’s description, it gives it a melodious

tone that enhances a very relaxed atmosphere

and spreads a soothing, tranquil ambience.

“It is He who has created me, and is the One

who guides me.” He has originated me from

where He knows but I do not know. This means

that He knows everything about me, my

constitution, nature, functions, feelings and

ultimate destiny. He is the one to guide me and

provide me with the line I should follow in life. It

is as if Ibrahim feels himself like an elastic

material, which God shapes the way He likes,

giving it whatever form He chooses. He submits

himself to God with full trust, perfectly assured

that he is on the right course.

“He is the One who gives me to eat and to

drink. When I fall ill, He is the One who

restores me to health.” These are the aspects of

he direct, compassionate and loving care

Ibrahim feels his Lord takes of him in all

situations of health and sickness. Ibrahim

demonstrates the utmost standard of politeness

with his Lord by not attributing his illness to

G U I D A N C E From Q U R’ A N

No End to God’s Blessings

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Him, although he knows well that both sickness

and health occur by God’s will. He only

attributes to Him the blessings he enjoys and

the care he receives, his food and drink as well

as his health. When he is afflicted will illness, he

does not attach this to God.

Again, it is God who “will cause me to die and

then will bring me back to life.” This signifies

faith that it is God who deals death, and that He

is certain to bring the dead back to life.

“It is He also who, I hope will forgive me my

faults on the Day of Judgement.” Ibrahim, a

Prophet and a messenger of God, peace on him, who

knows his Lord and feels his presence and care

in such a way, acknowledging such a close

relationship with Him, expresses his dearest

hope that on the Day of Judgement, God will

forgive him his faults. He does not entertain any

thought that he is without fault. Indeed he

acknowledges that he has. But hopes to receive

more of God’s grace. He does not feel that his

deeds, good as they may be, deserve any credit,

but hopes for God’s mercy and forgiveness. This

is the best to hope for.

This statement combines feelings of God-

consciousness, politeness and self-affecting,

which is the right combination to truly

appreciate the grace God bestows on us, which

is great indeed, and the value of our actions,

which is definitely petty.

In this description of his Lord, Ibrahim combines

all the elements of the true faith: God’s oneness,

acknowledgement that He conducts all affairs

of human life on earth including its minute

details, resurrection after death, reckoning,

God’s grace and man’s failings. His people

denied these, as do all those who associate

partners with God.

Now, Ibrahim addresses a long, comprehensive

and humble prayer to his Lord:

“My Lord! Grant me sound judgment, and

join me with the righteous, and grant me the

advocacy of the truth in later generations,

place me among those who will inherit the

garden of bliss! Forgive my father, for he is

among the ones who have gone astray. Let me

not suffer disgrace on the Day when all shall

be raised from the dead; the Day when neither

wealth nor children will be of any benefit, but

only the one who comes to God with a sound

heart (will be happy).”

Nothing in Ibrahim’s prayer concerns any aspect

of the comforts and pleasures of this world, not

even physical health. It looks to higher aspects,

motivated by pure feelings. It is a prayer made

by a heart which has true knowledge of God

and, as a result, gives little value to everything

else. He has known God’s grace and prays for

more of it, and he entertains hopes and fears in

accordance with his experience.

سلمة لك ة م تنا أم ي نا واجعلنا مسلمين لك ومن ذر ربحيم اب الر وأرنا مناسكنا وتب علينآ إنك أنت التو

Our Lord, and make us both submissive to Thee, and (raise) from our

offspring, a nation submissive to Thee, and show us our ways of

devotion and turn to us (mercifully); surely Thou art the Oft-

returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

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The Prophet’s companions were able to develop

a keen insight into Islam, its constitution and

method of dealing with human life. The best

among them were even able to attain a highly

refined understanding of the basic Islamic

concepts, which made their judgement both

accurate and mature. Let us consider the

following Hadith, which has been related by

Ahmad and Al Bukhari:

“A man came to visit Abu Ubaidah

ibn Al Jarrah when he was ill. He

asked him: ‘How is the reward of the

Ameer getting on?’ In reply Abu

Ubaidah asked him: “Do you know

what earns you a reward?” The man

said: “What befalls us of things which

we dislike?” Abu Ubaidah said: “You

earn reward for what you spend or

get to be spent on your behalf for

God’s cause. [He then enumerated all articles of a

horse’s equipment, even including the horse’s rein.]

What you complain of physically is

credited to your by God in order to

erase some of your past sins.”

Perhaps it is important first to say a few words

about Abu Ubaidah, who has made this

distinction between what earns a reward and

what, erases past mistakes and sins.

Abu Ubaidah was one of the very early

companions of the Prophet, peace on him. The

Prophet, peace on him, sent him on several missions,

some of which involved fighting or chasing the

non-believers. His leadership qualities were

manifest to the extent that Abu Bakr appointed

him as one of the principal commanders of

Muslim armies fighting in Syria and Palestine. At

the time of Omar, he was appointed

Commander-in-Chief of all Muslim armies in

those two important provinces, which were at

the time under the Byzantine Empire. The

Prophet, peace on him, gave him the title of “The Trusted Man of the Muslim Community.” Moreover, he was one of the ten companions of

the Prophet, peace on him, who were given the

happy news of assured admission into heaven.

It is not uncommon to confuse earning a reward

with the forgiveness of sins. Abu Ubadiah’s

visitor made this common error, and asked him

about his illness in an indirect but highly

comforting manner. He asked about his reward,

meaning that if the illness were very severe, his

reward would be greater. To a Muslim, this is

most comforting. He is reminded that what he

suffers does not go in vain.

However, Abu Ubaidah felt that he should

correct his visitor. He pointed out to him that a

handsome reward is earned by donating one’s

money to further the cause of God. He

enumerated every article of equipment a

horseman needs, no matter how cheap it might

be. This example is only to be expected from an

army commander. To him, the most important

thing is to concentrate his soldiers’ attention on

their duty to sacrifice. On the other hand,

physical complaints, pains and illness erase

some of one’s past sins.

Someone may suggest that it will eventually

come to the same thing, since one’s reward is

Guidance from The Prophet {Peace and Blessings of Allah on him}

Enduring Patiently Earns

Purge of Sins

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weighed up against one’s sins to determine his

destiny in the Hereafter. The fewer his sins are,

the higher his position in heaven is. Again, the

greater his reward, the better his position. The

two will be weighed against each other and the

side, which is preponderant, determines the

outcome.

Nevertheless, the distinction is real. When we

examine the Prophet’s Hadiths on this point, we

find that they concur in stressing the erasing of

sins as a result of illness or calamities and

reversals, which one may have to endure in life.

Abu Saeed Al Khudri and Abu Huraira, both

companions of the Prophet, quote him as saying:

“Whatever befalls a Muslim of

physical weakness or complaint or

worry or distress or harm or

despondency, even a thorn in his

finger, is used by God to erase some of

his sins.” [Al Bukhari, Muslim & Others]

Here the Prophet, peace on him, enumerates all

prospects of misfortune, going down to having a

thorn in one’s finger. All these would be used to

forgive him some of his past sins. When he

endures whatever happens to him with patience

and perseverance, his reward is much greater.

This is because he combines the misfortune with

patience, which is in itself a virtue.

This is indeed an aspect of God’s grace, which

many people tend to overlook. The Prophet,

peace on him, tells us that when illness and

misfortune continue for some length of time,

the person who endures them may come on the

Day of Judgement without a sin to account for.

He would have been already forgiven. This is

illustrated by the Hadith in which Abu Huraira

quotes the Prophet, peace on him, as saying:

“Misfortune may continue to befall a

believer in his body, family or

property until he meets God, the

Almighty, with no sins whatsoever.” [Al Bukhari, Ahmad, Tirmithi]

When we consider all these Hadiths, we are no

longer surprised at the patience and fortitude

shown by early Muslims in the face of calamities.

They treated whatever befell them as part of life

and were happy to earn forgiveness of past sins.

This continues to be the attitude of those of us

who know what we stand to gain in return for

enduring misfortune with patience. Again the

companions of the Prophet, peace on him, provide

us with a good example to follow.

Hudhayfah ibn Al Yaman was a

companion of the Prophet, peace on him,

from the Ansar. He was appointed as

a commander of a Muslim army

fighting against the Persian Empire.

He was at Al-Mada’in when he was

seriously ill. His people learnt that

his illness might be terminal, so they

came to visit him during the night or

just before dawn. He asked them:

‘What hour is it?’ They said: ‘Late

night or nearly dawn [as the case might

be].’ He said: ‘I seek shelter with God

against a morning of fire.’ He then

asked them whether they brought a

cloth for him to be wrapped in. When

they answered in the affirmative, he

said: ‘Do not spend over much of such

cloth. If I am to meet a happy end, my

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wrapping will be replaced by

something better. If mine is the other

type of destiny, I will lose these

wrappings very quickly.’ [Al Bukhari]

What we learn, from all these Hadiths and

reports, is that we should face up to any

misfortune with courage and patience. When

we do so, we earn the forgiveness of much of

our sins. Our position in the Hereafter is thus

enhanced. We stand a better chance of being

admitted into heaven.

حمة قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم ال تقنطوا من رحيم ه هو الغفور الر نوب جميعا إن يغفر الذ إن للا للا

“Say: O My servants who have been prodigal regarding their souls, despair not of

the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives sins altogether. He is indeed the

Forgiving, the Merciful”. [Az Zumar .... 39:53]

You have just finished reading

the last edition of

Noor-i-Islam

we hope that we contributed something

towards explaining and understanding the real Ahmadiyyat [because Ahmadiyyat is the real Islam]

as the editor of Noor-i-Islam, i would like to thank each

and every individual who helped, guided, motivated and

encouraged me to continue this work.

we request everyone to please remember us all in your prayers

May Allah Be With You All.

Sadiq Noor