Class 5
SINCERITY TOWARDS THE MUSLIM LEADERS
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Religion is sincerity, religion is sincerity, religion is sincerity.”
They said; “To whom, O Messenger of Allah?”
He ﷺ said: “To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the imams of the Muslims and to their common folk.” (Sahih Muslim)
In this class we will study about being Sincere to the Leaders of the Muslims.
Sincerity towards the leaders
This means assisting them in the tasks with which they are assigned, alerting them when they are heedless, covering their unintentional mistakes, uniting people upon their obedience, and guiding straying hearts back to them. The greatest sincere advice that a person may give to them is to prevent them - in the best way possible - from oppression.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
There are three traits by which the heart of a Muslim will not be deceived (or consumed by hatred): sincere deeds for Allah, offering goodwill to the leaders of the Muslims, and keeping to their community. (Tirmidhi, classed as sahih by Albani)
The phrase “by which the heart of a Muslim will not be deceived” means that his or her heart will not be penetrated by malice or treachery.
Thus, one is in danger of falling into such destructive vices and traps without the protection offered by the virtues of sincerity to Allah and goodwill to people. A sincere Muslim is not full of hatred and malice towards the leaders; any expressions of ill will towards other Muslims especially the scholars is a warning sign of deficient faith.
Who can we consider as Leaders?
Apart from the Muslim rulers, our scholars are also considered as our leaders. And on a broader perspective, parents, husbands & employers are also due the sincerity of Muslims as they have the right to obedience on us and we are obliged to assist and fulfill the tasks that are assigned by them.
OBEDIENCE
TO RULERS, PARENTS & HUSBANDS
Islam is built on the basic thing which is to obey, obey Allah and His messenger in matter that we understand and those we do not. Sincerity towards leaders first and foremost requires us to be obedient and not defiant.
What the Muslim has to do when he learns the ruling of Islam, submit to it and believe in it, even if he does not know the wisdom behind it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error” [al-Ahzaab 33:36]
He should be certain that there is the utmost wisdom behind all the rulings of Islam, but that wisdom may be hidden and we may not understand it. In that case we should realize that this is due to our lack of knowledge and the shortcomings of human intellect, which is not free of defects.
Although the way the people put it to practice can differ but there is no doubt in the hearts of the Muslims about the obedience to Allah & His Messenger where they miss out on is that Allah has enjoined obedience to some for us.
To our Parents
To our rulers (who rule according to the Quran & Sunnah) if they don’t then obey to the level they do not ask us to disobey Allah.
To the Husbands.
All five are conditional to the fact that obeying them does not result in disobeying Allah and doing things that are not permissible in the Shariah. As the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator.” (Bukhari)
Obedience to Parents
People tend to find a great difficulty in obedience, specially parents when one is independent they tend to disobey them at will. Hundreds & thousands of books, articles lectures, khutbahs have been given on parents, their virtues and the obligation on obeying them, but the youth of today even though are good with their duties towards Allah and others are falling in the great sin of mistreating their parents.
Allah says, “Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents.” (Al-Isra’: 23)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said
“The major sins are: associating others with Allah, disobeying parents, killing a souls (murder) and swearing a false oath knowingly.” (Nasai’i & Tirmidhi; classed as Sahih)
“There are three whom Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will not look at on the Day of Resurrection and will not enter Paradise" amongst them He ﷺ mentioned "the one who disobeys his parents" (Nisa’ai; graded as Hasan)
Ahmad (24299) narrated that ‘Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, I offer the five daily prayers, I give zakaah and I fast the month of Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who dies in that state will be with the Prophets, the siddeeqs and the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection like this”– and he held up his two fingers – “so long as he does not disobey his parents.” (Classed as Sahih by Albani)
Obedience to Rulers
To the one who rules by the Book and Sunnah we give full obedience but otherwise we obey to the level we are not asked to disobey Allah. Also one thing is to be understood is that there will be things that we might dislike and we are allowed to dislike them but that doesn’t mean we disobey or revolt against them unless they are committing Kufr.
“Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: {O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger, and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger, if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.} [Surah an-Nisaa’ 4:59]
The Prophet ﷺ said,
"Whosoever obeys the ruler has obeyed me and whoever obeys me had obeyed Allaah; and he who disobeys the ruler has disobeyed me and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allaah". (Bukhari and Muslim)
"Whoever sees from his leader something of disobedience to Allaah, then he should dislike [in his heart] what he does of sinning against Allaah, but he must not remove even a hand-span away from obedience (to him)". (Muslim)
Obedience to Husbands
Ibn Hibbaan narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “If a woman prays her five (daily prayers), fasts her month (Ramadaan), guards her chastity and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: ‘Enter Paradise from whichever of the gates of Paradise you wish.’” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 660.
Ahmad (19025) and al-Haakim narrated from al-Husayn ibn Muhsin that his paternal aunt came to the Prophet ﷺ for something and he dealt with her need, then the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do you have a husband?”
She said, “Yes.”
He said: “How are you with him?”
She said, “I do not neglect any of his rights except those I am unable to fulfil.”
He said: “Look at how you are with him, for he is your paradise and your hell” – i.e., he is the cause of you entering Paradise if you fulfil his rights and the cause of your entering Hell if you fall short in that. (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani)
The warning given to women whose husband is angry with her reaches, such an extent that it would shake the conscience of every righteous wife who has faith in Allah and the last day.
A wife's duty as a good wife is to obey her Husband with love and affection and not to leave her husband and to choose for liberty and Freedom (like she was before Marriage).
Being Sincere towards the Scholars
It is an obligation for all Muslims to esteem, respect, honor the scholars, to know their rank/rights, obey and be polite with them.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
‘Whoever treads a path due to which he seeks knowledge, Allaah will make him tread one of the paths towards Paradise. And the angels lower their wings out of contentment for the seeker of knowledge. And verily all those in the heavens and in the earth, even the fish in the depths of the sea ask forgiveness for the scholar. And verily, the virtue of the scholar over the worshipper is like the virtue of the moon on the night of Al-Badr over all of the stars. Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, for the prophets do not leave behind a dinar or a dirham for an inheritance, but rather, they leave behind knowledge. So whoever takes hold of it, has acquired a large share (i.e. of inheritance).’” (Abu Dawood, At-Tirmidhee and Ibn Hibbaan, and this is the wording found in his collection, in abridged form. Al-Bukhaaree mentioned in his Saheeh Collection)
“He is not one of my Ummah (Muslims community) who does not respect our elders, who does not have mercy on our young, and who does not know (respect) the right of our scholar.” [Imam Ahmad, and Sheikh Al-Albani classified it as Hasan]
“It is out of glorification of Allah, the Almighty, to honor the gray-haired (old) Muslim, and the bearer of the Quran who neither exaggerates concerning it nor neglects it, and to honor the just ruler.” [Abu Dawood; Sheikh Al-Albani classified it as Hasan]
Sincerity towards your Employer
Whoever is an employee should be loyal to employer and work for the welfare of the employer. He should be sincere in his work, honest in handling the affairs and fufil the obligations set in the contract to his employer.
Employee must not neglect his work nor harm employer whether he sees or not. He should work sincerely and take care of property of the employer. Allah said: “Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds and (so will) his messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to the “all knower” of unseen and the seen. Then he will inform what you used to do” (Quran: Surah 9: Verse 105)
And the Prophet ﷺ
"The slave who is excellent in the worship of his Lord and fulfils the duties of obedience and counsel which he owes to his master, has two rewards." (Bukhari in Adab Al Mufrad)
“Best earning is what is earned by the labor of hand with sincerity” (Ahmed, Hadith No. 83 93)
“When an employee looks to the welfare of his employer and worship Allah, he has two rewards for him” (Sahih Muslim)
“When an employee fulfills obligations of Allah and obligations of his employer he has two rewards for him” (Muslim, books 15, chapter 11, No.4100)
Honesty & Sincerity path to success
The cornerstone of success, whether personal or professional, is to trust and be trusted. Without honesty and integrity, there is no foundation to build a meaningful relationship with someone. Honesty and integrity, in turn, foster trust; without trust, we cannot create a positive personal impact on people and provide strong leadership.
Honesty, integrity, and generosity are characteristics of successful people who create their personal brands. Undoubtedly, the most honest person to ever walk the earth was the Prophet ﷺ. He was known as Sadiq, “The Truthful,” and Al-Amin, “The Faithful.”
Honesty is an excellent virtue and a defining characteristic of most successful people. If we truly respect ourselves, we will choose to be genuine and show our true selves to others. Honesty is the essence of our faith and engenders strength on every level. And honesty will be of immeasurable benefit to us in this world and the Hereafter. “Allah will say, ‘This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness.’ For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment.” (Al-Maidah:119)
Armed with the above five highly desirable traits, anyone can acquire the right attitude to transform and create the successful life they truly want. And these qualities will not only help one to cope with everyday challenges but also will help transform their challenges into opportunities to grow and thrive.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the rights of obedience
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Talk to 5 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
III. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
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