Class 8
FORGOTTEN SUNNAHS RELATED TO
ATTITUDE & CHARACTER
Having Intention of doing things for the Sake of Allah
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah , Lord of the worlds.” (al-An‘aam 163).
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Deeds depend upon intentions, and every person gets but what he has intended.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
The one who understands the meaning of this will strive to keep in mind the intention of drawing closer to Allah SWT, in all aspects of his life. So when he sleeps, he seeks reward for his sleep with Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, because by sleeping and resting he will have the energy to worship Allah when he wakes up. When he eats or drinks, he intends thereby to have nourishment that will help him to fulfil his duty towards Allah. When he gets married, he aims to keep himself chaste and to be content with what is lawful so that he has no need of what is unlawful. When he seeks to have children, he seeks to have righteous offspring who will increase the number of those who adhere to the path of Allah. When he speaks, he speaks for a good reason, and when he remains silent, he does so to avoid saying anything bad. He seeks reward by spending on himself and his family. When he learns, reads and studies, he seeks reward for that too. Such are his intentions and aims in all his deeds.
GOOD CHARACTER
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The best of you are those who have the best manners and character.” (Sahih Bukhari)
“The dearest to me among you and the nearest to me on the Day of Judgement are those who have the best character.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
“There is nothing heavier than good character put in the scale of a believer on the Day of Resurrection.” (Abu Dawood)
One of the most beautiful things in Islam is the emphasis on good manners. This is something so many Non-Muslims have been attracted to, before eventually accepting Islam. Remember, A Muslim is made by manners.
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ was asked about that which will admit most people to Paradise. He said: “Taqwa of Allah and a good attitude.” (al-Tirmidhi;. classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).
This is a beautiful Hadeeth which shows the importance of doing good at everything, having Taqwa of Allah is between the Slave and His Lord but the manners is between people and so along with being a good Aa'bid (worshipper of Allah) being a well-mannered person can get us to Jannah by the Mercy of Allah!
A good attitude is the characteristic of the best of the Messengers and is the best action of the righteous. It is – no doubt – half of religion, the fruit of the efforts of the pious and the practice of the devoted worshipper. Bad characteristics are lethal poison and lead to shameful consequences.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “I have only been sent to perfect good manners.” (al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad & Ahmad).
We can reach great heights with good manners, The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By his good character a believer will attain the degree of one who prays during the night and fasts during the day”. (Abu Dawood, classed as Sahih by Albani)
Hence Islam paid a great deal of attention to laying down guidelines for treating diseases of the heart (i.e., spiritual diseases) and ways of acquiring good characteristics, which is regarded as one of the most important duties, because no heart will be free of sicknesses. If the heart is neglected, sicknesses will accumulate. No soul is free of inclinations which, if they are given free rein, will lead it to doom in this world and in the Hereafter.
Even the Prophet ﷺ used to pray for a good attitude, saying, “O Allaah, You have made my outward form beautiful so make my attitude good too.” [Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani].
Even though such great importance and rewards have been mentioned sadly nowadays something strange is going on.
Muslims are seen as the untidy ones when its said the Purity is half Imaan.
The Islamic schools are becoming known for bad manners— Students, Teacher & Parents all equally blame worthy.
It is the Muslim Communities where the neighbors do not help each other when there has been so much emphasis given to it.
The Muslim Areas are the dirtiest of all and so landlords (even Muslims) prefer to have Non-Muslims tenants.
The Muslim Business Man are trusted the least
The Muslim workers are seen as lazy, unreliable and deceiving.
Men with beard are seen and referred to as harsh people.
The Ummah is sleeping none has the courage to stand up for justice.
The Muslims are more into arguing and making their points to win rather than trying to simplify or making things easy.
It is usually a Muslim trying to pull down another brother when the non-Muslims are supporting each other to grow.
There’s clearly something wrong. Why is there such a massive difference between what Islam teaches us and what is being reflected in society? The answer is: manners. The answer is: Good Character has become a Forgotten Sunnah!
See the value of Manners and doing things for the Sake of Allah
Stop a moment and comprehend that your manners can be one of the reasons a person accepts Islam and his/her good deeds from there on will all in your accounts as well. Ponder on the fact that Manners will weigh so heavily on the Day of Judgment when every small thing can make a big difference, envision being nearest to the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgment, realize that manners could be one of the main reasons for Allah to enter you into His Gardens of Paradise.
Think that, why are almost all parents so keen on teaching saying please & thank you to their children? Because it is fitrah (natural inclination) for parents to want good manners from their children.
We should speak the truth, be honest, be brave, be just, not just because society considers it good manners; you we should because Allah ‘azza wajal has commanded us to do so! Allah (swt) has told us which manners are good.
So develop your good habits only for the sake of Allah, remembering your relationship with Him and seeking closeness to Him while focusing on your manners, this helps us to do more than we can for any worldly benefits.
We can go on and on about value, virtues and rewards of character but we finish this topics by making the dua…
O Allaah, You have made our outward form beautiful so make our attitude good too.
Please join our free online certificate course “THE LOST TRAITS”, to learn more about various traits that we should have as a Muslim and their respective virtues. https://learn-islam.org/lost-traits (available online now, register and learn).
Note these are not part of the ongoing course, it is an independent course that can be done at your own pace and at your own convenience.
SABR
Allah says,
And seek help in patience and As-Salah (the prayer) and truly, it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashiin (i.e., the true believers in Allah) (2:45)
you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salāt (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sābirīn (the patient ones, etc.). [Surah al-Baqarah 2:153]
After Allah commanded that He be appreciated, He ordained patience and prayer. It is a fact that the servant is either enjoying a bounty that he should be thankful for, or suffering a calamity that he should meet with patience.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Amazing is the believer, for whatever Allah decrees for him, it is better for him! If he is tested with a bounty, he is grateful for it and this is better for him; and if he is afflicted with a hardship, he is patient with it and this is better for him”. (Sahih Muslim)
Patience (sabr) is a comprehensive virtue in Islam that encompasses perseverance, endurance, forbearance, diligence, and restraint. It is a characteristic of enlightenment that develops in the heart of a Muslim.
Allah has made patience like a horse that never gets tired, an army that can never be defeated and a strong fortress that can never be breached. Patience and victory are twin brothers, for victory comes with patience, relief comes with distress and ease comes with hardship. Patience is of more help to the one who has it than men, as it helps without any need for equipment or numbers and its relationship to victory is like that of the head to the body.
If the slave of Allah considers the entire religion, he will see that it returns in its entirety to patience and gratitude,
The Sunnah to Deal with Calamity, Difficulty & Trials
The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, said, “Worship (prayer and supplication) during a time of widespread killing is like making an emigration to me.” [Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 7042]
The reward of the worshiper became like that of the migrant because the time of turmoil and fear may make one forget worship, even forget what Allaah The Almighty have obligated him to do and do much of the things other than that. This, and Allaah Knows best, is a clear proof that the servant is attached to his Lord in the most difficult condition and because of this, his reward is increased and multiplied. Narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ say: “There is no Muslim who is stricken with a calamity and says what Allaah has enjoined (the below) but Allaah will compensate him with something better.”Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: When Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) died, I repeated the same supplication as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had commanded me (to do).So Allah bestowed upon me a better substitute than him (i.e I was married to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ). [Sahih Muslim]
انا لله وانا اليه راجعون؛ اللهم آجرني في مصيبتي، واخلف لي خيرا منها
Inna lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’un. Allahumma ajurni fi musibati wakhluf li khayran minha.
"Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. O Allah! Reward me for my calamity, and replace it for me that which is better."
Please join our free online certificate course “PRINCIPLES OF PATIENCE”, to learn more about virtues types and rewards of Patince. The course is based on a book by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. https://learn-islam.org/principles-of-patience (available online now, register and learn).
Note these are not part of the ongoing course, it is an independent course that can be done at your own pace and at your own convenience.
MAKING THINGS EASY
Islam is the religion of mercy and kindness, the religion of tolerance and ease. Allaah has not burdened this ummah (community, nation) with more than it can bear. Whatever good it does, it will be rewarded for it, and whatever evil it does, it will have to bear the burden of that sin, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned” [al-Baqarah 2:286]
This very sad statement "Islam is Difficult" is uttered or at least believed by many Muslims around the world when we look at the teachings of Islam, finding ease and moderation is recommended in both the worldly as well as religious matters.
‘Aa’ishah R.A. said: "Never that the Prophet ﷺ , had to choose between two matters, but that he chose the easier of them as long as it was not a sin (i.e. a prohibited action). If it was a sin, he was the farthest of people from it….." (Al-Bukhaari)
The Sunnah is to make things easy he was sent to make things easy for us, show us the right way, the way that pleases the Lord and get to eternal bliss with the easiest deeds possible. Although Islam is a simple religion and not burdensome, this does not mean that life will be easy for a practicing Muslim as Allah has promised to test each and every one of us. So keep in mind that although Islam is easy to practice if you commit yourself, your level of commitment will be tested by Allah. But being moderate and making things easy for ourselves and for others is part of the Sunnah.
And then our generation has taken it on themselves to try and complicate things as much as possible rather than making it easy for eachother. When Allah and His Messenger both likes ease.
Allah said, “Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you [Surah al-Baqarah 2:185 – interpretation of the meaning]
The Prophet said,
“Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them ).” (Bukhari)
“Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 39).
Easy in Dealings
The Messenger of Allâh ﷺ said:
“...Whoever is easy-going with a debtor who is facing hardship, Allâh will make it easy for him in this world and in the Hereafter...” (Sahih Muslim)
“Whoever lets a Muslim off (a transaction), Allâh will relieve him of his distress on the Day of Resurrection.” (Abu Dawood & Ibn Maajah, classed as sahih by Albani) - This hadeeth is talking about, taking returns from someone we have sold something to someone.
“Whoever waits for one who is in (financial) difficulty (to pay a debt) or waives it for him, Allâh will shade him in His shade.” (Sahih Muslim)
"May Allah's mercy be on him who is lenient in his buying, selling, and in demanding back his money." (Sahih Bukhari)
Please join our free online certificate course “SIMPLE DEEDS… GREAT REWARDS”, to learn more of Simple deeds that have great rewards mentioned in the Sunnah. https://learn-islam.org/simple-deeds-with-great-rewards (available online now, register and learn).
Note these are not part of the ongoing course, it is an independent course that can be done at your own pace and at your own convenience.
ANGER MANAGEMENT
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not treat people but in the way you would love to be treated by them.” (Musnad Aḥmad, sahih).
Anger is one of the evil whispers of Shaytaan, which leads to so many evils and tragedies, of which only Allaah knows their full extent. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that a man said to the Prophet ﷺ, "Advise me." He ﷺ said, "Do not become angry." The man repeated his request several times, and each time the Prophet ﷺ told him, "Do not become angry." (Sahih Bukhaari)
According to another report, the man said: "I thought about what the Prophet ﷺ said, and I realized that anger combines all kinds of evil." (Musnad Ahmad, 5/373)
For this reason Islam has a great deal to say about this bad characteristic, and the Prophet ﷺ prescribed cures for this "disease" and ways to limit its effects, the ways mentioned in the Sunnah are
Seeking refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan : 'A'oodhu Billahi min al-Shaytan ir-rajeem' (Sahih Bukhari)
Keeping silent (Imaam Ahmad, sahih).
This is because in most cases, the angry person loses self-control and could utter words of kufr/disbelief (from which we seek refuge with Allaah), or curses, or the word of divorce (talaaq) which would destroy his home, or words of slander which would bring him the enmity and hatred of others. So, in short, keeping silent is the solution which helps one to avoid all that.
Changing position
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: "If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so his anger will go away; if it does not go away, let him lie down." Among the benefits of this advice given by the Prophet ﷺ is the fact that it prevents the angry person from going out of control, because he could strike and injure someone, or he could destroy possessions and so on. Sitting down makes it less likely that he will become overexcited, and lying down makes it even less likely that he will do something crazy or harmful that he would later regret.Do not become angry and Paradise will be yours
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Do not be angry and you will enter Paradise.” (al-Muʻjam al-Awsaṭ, sahih according to Al-Albani)
"Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allaah will fill his heart with contentment on the Day of Resurrection." (al-Tabaraani, saihh).
"Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allaah will call him before all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will let him choose of the Hur al-’Iyn whoever he wants." (Abu Dawud, and others, hasan).
Remembering what Allaah has promised to the righteous (muttaqeen) who keep away from the causes of anger and struggle within themselves to control it, is one of the most effective ways of extinguishing the flames of anger.
Knowing that resisting anger is one of the signs of righteousness
The righteous (al-muttaqoon) are those praised by Allaah in the Qur’aan and by His Messenger ﷺ. Paradise as wide as heaven and earth has been prepared for them. One of their characteristics is that they (interpretation of the meaning)
"spend (in Allaah’s Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, [they] repress anger, and [they] pardon men; verily, Allaah loves al-muhsinoon (the good-doers)." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:134]
". . . when they are angry, they forgive." [al-Shooraa 42:37]
Listening to reminders
Anger is a part of human nature, and people vary in their anger. It may be difficult for a man not to get angry, but sincere people will remember Allaah when they are reminded, and they will not overstep the mark.
Knowing the bad effects of anger
The negative effects of anger are many; in short they cause damage to one’s own self and to others. The angry person may utter words of slander and obscenity, he may attack others (physically) in an uncontrolled manner, even to the point of killing. In the worst cases, anger results in social disasters and the breaking of family ties, i.e., divorce. Ask many of those who divorced their wives, and they will tell you: it was in a moment of anger. This divorce results in misery for the children, regret and frustration, a hard and difficult life, all as a result of anger.The damage to health that results from anger can only be described by doctors, such as thrombosis, high blood pressure, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat) and hyperventilation (rapid, shallow breathing), which can lead to fatal heart attacks, diabetes, etc.
Du’aa’ (Supplication)
Du’aa’ is always the weapon of the believer, whereby he asks Allaah to protect him from evil, trouble and bad behaviour and seeks refuge with Him from falling into the pit of kufr (disbelief) or wrongdoing because of anger.
To not to Argue
The Messenger of Allaah – ﷺ – said; “I guarantee a house in lowest parts of Jannah for the one who leaves off argument even when he is right, and a house in the middle part of Jannah for the one who leaves off lying even if hes just joking, and a house in the highest part of Jannah for the one with good manners” (Abu Dawud, classed as Sahih)
Unfortunately majority of the times the first thing we see our youth do after gaining a little bit of knowledge is GET INTO ARGUMENTS, or start with refuting everyone from parents to scholars. The shaitaan tricks them to believe that this act of theirs is an Ibaadah when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned us by saying, “No people go astray after being guided except that they indulge in arguments.” Then the Prophet ﷺ recited the verse, {They strike an example for you only to argue. Rather, they are a quarrelsome people.} (Qur’an 43:58) [Sunan At-Tirmidhi]
If you want to discuss with someone about Islam who you have a difference of opinion with, then I recommend you establish these three facts before you guys start: -
First and foremost remember that you guys are doing this for the sake of Allah and there is no winner or looser in this. If you keep this in mind you will always have fruitful discussions and as a matter of fact these can be win-win situation by all means.
Either you will learn something from him/her.
Or he/she will learn something from you.
Or you keep quite even if you are right and be amongst those who the Prophet ﷺ guaranteed a house in Jannah to.
May Allah give us Sabr to withhold ourselves from getting into arguments.
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 virtues and rewards.
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
Implement any 5 of the Sunnahs covered in week 2. (10 Marks)
Talk about any 5 Sunnahs covered in this week’s classes with atleast 3 people. 10 Marks.
Inform a minimum of 15 friends/family about LEARN ISLAM (we have around 30 courses for adults and along with courses for children, all for free and certificates are also given) 5 Marks.
Pray for the Ummah at the Sunnah times mentioned in Class 4, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. Pray for this applying any three Sunnahs from class 4. - 5 Marks
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