Sijjin: Reward for Those Who Boasts

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

We had just came across the word سجين sijjin in surat al-Fiil which talks about Abrahah and Elephant armies. What is more important in the surah? Is it the history of Abrahah to be proven right or wrong or is it for fun where we could laugh to Abrahah? Is it for us to curse Abrahah after his misfortune? Or is it the moral teachings that we should absorb from what had been told?

For a believer and faithful Muslim, Quran is not a book of history! We do not treat Quran as history books, scientific books, and etc! We treat it as His Word where moral teachings and conducts being taught by the God to His servants as the sign of His Mercy and Love to the universe.

According to the Qudsi Hadith it was narrated that Muhammad s.a.w had passing the word of the God through Archangel Gabriel which says: "When a servant of the God is arrogant in claiming merits of his practices in the hereafter, the God will answer them: 'Didn't I had made wide (easy) for you, your position and rank in the ceremony of teaching lessons? Didn't I made you a leader of the world? Didn't I made easy for you, your business? Didn't you being respected in the world?!'" 

The hadith implies that a boasting person will never get any special treatment in the world nor in the hereafter. The Arabic term for this evil characteristic is رياء riyaa'. As what had been mentioned in the glorious Quran about Abrahah. Although he had build up a church which is a religious matter and a meritorious deeds but he didn't build it because of Him. He build it because he wanted to the people to acknowledge on how powerful he was in making the people turning to the church build by him. He had to bear humiliation while in the world where he died once he arrived in Sana'a. The madzmumah characteristics which is boasting had made all the meritorious deeds being wiped away.

What I would like to also emphasize in this post to missionaries no matter of Christian faith or of Islamic path and it of course include myself though I am not a missionary... When we perform the evangelical work or da'awa, had we really asked our heart? What exactly is our intention? We want for example a Muslim to be an apostate just to satisfy our heart because we could make he or she turn away from their religion solely because of the God or simply to prove and boast around that our path is true and could not be defeated? The same goes to Muslim and Jews and everyone who call themselves human with the faith toward the God...

The point is where is our sincerity because of the God when we did such an act? Many people looks like devoting themselves to the God and they look down to others as if others are ungodly but who we are to determine everyone's fate in the end? We read many stories from Bible or from Quran. But what had we learned? Is it only history part like what is shown in National Geography and some discussion by "scholars" or "historians" or "archeologists"? About radiocarbon tests? Are these things making a human behaving like a human-being? Or is it morality teaching passed by the God through His prophets and messengers by revelation?

In other hadiths, Muhammad s.a.w mentioned: "Indeed the paradise is talking. "Says paradise: "I am illegal for those who are skinny, a boast, slanderer and spite."

Scholars of Islam had divided arrogance into two which are the peculiar boasting and mixed boasting. Perhaps everyone including myself, pastors, evangelists around the world could also take this with consideration and by heart even if we consider each other as infidels : )

Peculiar Boasting 

It refers to someone who intended to get worldly benefits from his or her practices.

Mixed Boasting

Refers to a person who does everything with the intention to get benefits of world and hereafter. How many God that we want to serve and asking for benefit? LOL

Scholars also explained that there is no specific measurement for merit being decreased because of boasting. On the other hand, certain thing is that meritorious deeds could be decreased or rejected because of boasting. The reward for those who have this characteristic is being cast down into the Sijjin as what had been mentioned by a hadith which means: 

"When angels bringing the record of servants to the heavens with happiness, but the God suddenly says: 'Cast those practices into the Sijjin. The person is not performing those practices because of Me but for others.'"

In other narrations, it has been explained that during the Resurrection, there will be a calling which every creatures could listen to it... It sounds: "Hey you who worship human-being! Stand up! Take back all of the merits from what you did because of them. I refuse to accept anything associated with others (those who did that are polytheists!)."

Imam al-Ghazali said in the Ihyaa' Ulumuddin explained that a boast who will be rewarded with the consequences are those who boast in the meaning of the most evil boast. The person who boast are hypocrites showing that he or she is a faithful person and claimed that they are the believer of only the God orally or verbally, but the fact is that they actually never believe in Him nor even fear His torments. This characteristic is classified as a kind of hypocrisy. The boast of hypocrites will be rewarded the same as those who are stingy. It means that the person is stingy in the testament toward the God and His prophets and messengers.

This characteristic also contains a light polytheism in which if we keep it and exhibits it before the God, it will be worse and leading to greater polytheism, associating the God with others. Imam al-Ghazali further mentions, those who are still clinging to this characteristic will be dumped with evil consequences and will be classified as ingrates (infidels). If it still happens, a person then has no right to receive peaceful paradise or even smell the paradise. Muhammad s.a.w advised the nations of the period of the end, not to mention our own goodness or our people or our family because it could lead us to boasting and showing off. When a person boasts, it will lead to other soul diseases such as feeling surprised of ourselves or proud of our self. Then we begin to look down to others and we have 'supremacy' thoughts.

So, every believers must also realize that every good deed being performed actually comes from the God as He is the Creator Who decides the journey of servants in the life. Although we are encouraged to perform charity, we are reminded to avoid from polluting it with boasting. A person who is grateful to the God are actually a person who strive for goodness and charity while those who boast to others always think that they are better than others. 

Scholars had suggested that only sincerity could kill boasting characteristic in one self. As what had been mentioned by the God recorded in the glorious Quran: "And they are commanded to worship (serve) the God and sincere for Him in religion which is straight and to perform prayers and (serving the poor with) tithe. And that is the precious law (religion)." (Surah al-Bayyinah verse 5) 

The God further says which means: "Indeed We revealed to you the scripture (Quran) with truth, thus worship the God and purify obedience only for Him! 2 Remember that, pure (of polytheism) is the religion (and law) of the God. Whoever takes other than that and says: 'We are not worshiping them but only hoping for them to make us closer to the God.' Despite, the God will decide among them on what they had problematized. Indeed the God never guides those who are lying and not grateful 3." (Surah al-Zumar)

I wish that this is not only a good lesson for myself but for others no matter of what religion we are. Because each time we always see people who claim themselves as zealots and we could see people chopping each others head, attacking here and there not only in the real world but also in the net. So, what kind of characteristics that lead people to this? Then ask ourselves are we really monotheists who believe solely in the God? This is the core of Islamic Creed... The Creed toward the God which leads us to morality and civilized human-being. 

Our Lord please be in contact with noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family as You had been in contact with our patriarch Abraham a.s and his family. Dear Lord, please bless noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family as You had blessed our patriarch Abraham a.s and his family. In the universe, only You dear the God who worth the Praise and Glory. Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!

Cure for the Heart : First Section on Eyes

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Says the God in surah Ghaafir verse 19 : "He knows the betrayal of eyes and and whatever hidden in the chest (heart)." It means that the God knows that our eyes are trying to see or watch something illegal while nobody sees us. The God knows whatever we think and have in our heart either the vision to commit evil or do charities.

Said the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w : "Indeed gazing at parts of women (and men) which could stimulate is like poisonous arrows from the arrows of Devil as it is greatly destructive. Those who leave it (the act) behind due to the fear to the God the Most Highest will be granted the feeling of enjoyment in acts of worship and devotion to Him." The hadith is narrated by al-Hakim reported from Hudzaifa r.a. The source of the hadith is valid.

Said the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w : "For every sons of Adam some parts of adultery. Eyes are committing adultery, and adultery happens when a person looks at things which he or she should not see. Hands are committing adultery, and adultery of hands happens when they touched or slapping something which is illegal. Legs are committing adultery when they walk to illegal places. Mouth committing adultery when it holds something which is illegal and 'heart and soul' is the place where all of illegal things related to adultery happens." Hadith is narrated by Abu Hurairah r.a and it explains that beginning adultery of genital is from the eyes as the portal to the illegal act.

Use your eyes only for necessary things such as when you do your work, your studies, and protect your body parts from stains of the world. Do things which is longed by those body parts. If you're doing a big work, then the responsibility to protect the parts of body is also big. Hands are longing to pluck fruits of the paradise and holding the drinks in the paradise. The eyes are longing to see the God from the paradise and it is not the same as seeing new or created "things." The grace of seeing the God appearance is incomparable to other graces in the world or in the hereafter. So, it is the responsibility of the body to protect the eyes and fulfilling their ambition for they are longing to see the God. Protect eyes with noble things for them to see Noble appearance and do not pollute them with obscene and dirty matters.

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!       

Matan Arba'in Hadith: First Hadith

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Today we learn about the matan hadith arba'in or the forty root hadiths. This is the first hadith of the matan (source) where I still can recall its original Arabic. It is a very interesting hadith and it is related to tasawwuf dimension of Islam. I'm not going to put the Arabic text nor sound but only the meaning in English.  I would like to apologize if the explanation is a bit clumsy because the source text is in classical Malay.

This is for our beloved brethren in faith who are interested to learn some basic hadiths for Islamic jurisprudence or daily life but finding it hard to check the Arabic text.  It would be best for brethren to check it with teachers who speaks in English for better understanding. If you have teachers speaking in your mother tongues, it would be better for you.

I assure brothers and sisters that this is also important and we are lucky if we can memorize these hadiths in any language that we understand because they could be useful in our daily life. Important thing is not in our certificates but the faith in our heart, understanding and its implementation in our daily life. May everyone receives salvation from Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. 

We would just share with anyone who are willing to learn in order to please our beloved Lord, Allah 'Azza wa Jalla and I also need to remind myself to only be devoted to Him because He is my beloved Friend may He not leaves me. If He leaves me, it would be the real death for me :'(

Reported by 'Umar b. al-Khattab may the God be pleased with him: "I heard that the messenger of the God, Muhammad peace be upon him had said; indeed that the act is determined by your intention. And indeed for all of the matters done by a person is based on his or her intention. Whomever migrate to other place for the sake of the God and His messenger, his migration is counted because of the God and His messenger. And those who migrate for the sake of worldly matters or the woman that they want to marry, thus his migration is for the sake of what he is pursuing for. - narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim

Explanation of the Hadith:

1. This hadith shows on the importance of intention in the validity of certain act (religious or worldly). 

2. If the intention for certain act or practice are good, then the act and the practice performed are also good.

3. If the intention for certain act or practice are evil, then the act and practice performed are also evil.

For the practices or the act of worship accompanied with intention there are few categories:

1. The act of worship performed by a person due to his fear to the God the Most Highest is counted as the worship of every slave.  

2. A person who performed a certain act of worship due to the merits and paradise promised by the God is counted as the worship of merchants.

3. A person who performed the act of worship because he is shy to the God and fulfilling the rites of slaves and the servants of the God or being a thankful slaves. He realizes that he could be reckless in his worship or not sure that his act of worship is accepted by the God so he performs it with sincerity and with all of his heart and soul devoted only to the God. This act of worship is counted as the act of worship of the people who are free from the worldly slavery. He is not a slave of anyone but only the slave and the servant of the God. A life of a Muslim is a life of a worshiper of the God.

Further explanations:

We have to avoid feeling that we are holier than others only because we had done certain act of worship more than others, while in the same time we only perform that to show off to others. We are not doing the same act while we are alone and vice versa. That is not the act of worship to the God, but counted as the act of worship to others. This is what we call as riyaa'. It means showing off. The act of worship is performed because of human. Not because of the God. 

From a report of the mother of the faithfuls, 'Aisyah may the God be pleased with her, she saw that the messenger of the God, Muhammad s.a.w stands up for prayer service until his two legs shivering because of he stands too long. She later asked the messenger of the God. "O messenger of the God, why are you burdening yourself with this long prayer service while the God had already promised you that your sins in the past or in the future had already be forgiven by Him?" He answered: "I just wanted to be a grateful slave of the God the Most Highest." The answer spontaneously popped out implies that the worship is done because of the devotion to the God and it comes out of sincerity to Him.

According to some scholars' fatawa (guides), when a person who does his act of worship with the intention for worldly matters and the hereafter, his acts of worship will be rejected by the God and will not be accepted. They have this fatawa based on a Hadith Qudsi (announcement from the God), where the God says: "I am richer than all of the gods (taken by human to be their god). Those who perform their act of worship while associating me with others, I will leave them to what they are eager to take as their gods!!!"

From the Hadith Qudsi, al-Harith al-Muhasibiy in his book, ar-Ri'ayaat had issued a guideline that the sincerity begins with the obedience is performed solely for His sake and not because of others. In relation to showing off, it implies that the intention for the act of worship and obedience must be purely because of the God. Never mix the intention because of the God with other intentions.

Says as-Samarqandi may the God be merciful to him: "as many as the obedience of a slave for the sake of the God being accepted  and as many obedience done because of human will be rejected." For example, a man who performed prayers because it is his responsibility, but he bows and stands nicely in front of others because he feels shy to others if his prayers is incomplete. Thus his prayer service is initially accepted by the God but the acts such as bowing and standing because of other fellow human are rejected because he is doing it because of his fellow human and not because of the God. So, it is important to check the intention when we do something even in prayers as to make sure that we are devoted only to the God and not to other gods.  

How about leaving the acts of worship because afraid of being accused as showing off? Says al-Fadheel: "Whoever leaves the act of worship because of human is counted as showing off and whoever performs the act of worship because of human is counted as a polytheist. Beginning sincerity is when the God cures you from both of those diseases."

There are many other explanations for this hadith regarding sincerity. It is important for us to understand that we have to be devoted only to the God the Most Highest in obedience and services to Him. How is it? It is through our intention or niyyah. Everything that we do in our life is counted as the worship to the God if it is good. Thus, when we do that, we must be sincere to Him. When we are doing our job, we must begin with the intention because of Him and with His holiest Name. Our life is only because of Him as what we recite in our prayer services, "indeed our life and death is only because of the God, the Lord of the Universe." 

This hadith applies in every aspect of our life as a Muslim and a faithful servant of Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. It also could be applied to determine criminal cases. Please help me brothers and sisters if you come across this humble sharing in this post, please chant salawat to prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family and his companions and his nation of this period of near resurrection, may you be blessed by Allah 'Azza wa Jalla.

May Allah be in contact with prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family. May Allah cure us from evil diseases and purify our heart and soul. May Allah bless my brothers and sisters in faith with His love and always be with my brothers and sisters. Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love for brothers and sisters in faith, amin!!!