08. DELAYING THE REPENTANCE
Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad COSAN
Aùzu bi’llâhi mine’sh-shaytàni’r-rajîm.
I seek refuge with Allah against Satan
Bi’smi’llâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm.
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Mercy-giving
El-hamdu li’llâhi rabbil àlemîn... Wa’s-salâtu wa’s-selâmu alâ seyyidinâ muhammedin wa âlihî wa sahbihî ejma'în... Wa men tebiahû bi-ihsânin ilâ yewmi’d-dîn...
Praise is due to Allah, The Lord of the Universe. The Prayers
and peace be on our beloved Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and his sincere followers till the day of Resurrection.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Since you have gathered, here, I would like to read you a hadith.
Then I will describe the daily duty for those who like to be initiated
to the tariqa.
Let us read the hadith first as a good advice on this blessed day of Ramadhan. You may take notes and benefit from it later, too. The Prophet SAS said:
يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالٰى:
يَا ابْنَ اۤدَ مَ! اِ لٰى مَتٰى تَطلُـبُ الــتَّوْبـةَ وَتُسَــوِّفُ الاَوْقــَاتَ؟ وَ تَرْغَـبُ
فِى الآخِرَةِ، وَتَــتْرُكُ الْ عَمَ لَ، تَقُولُ قَوْلَ الْـعَـابِدِينَ، وَتَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ
الْمُنَافِقِينَ . إِنْ أُعْطِـيتَ لَمْ تـَ قْـنَعُ ، وَ إِنْ أُبْلِـيتَ لَم تَصْـبِرُ . تَأْمُرُ
الناسَ بِالْخَيْرِ وَلاَ تَفْعَلْهُ، وَتَنْهٰى عَنِ الشَّرِّ، وَلاَ تَنْهٰى عَنْهُ . وَ
تُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِينَ ، وَ لَسْتَ مِنْهُمْ، وَتُبْغِضُ الْمُنَ افِقِينَ، وَأَ نْتَ مِنْهُمْ.
تَقُولُ مَا لاَ تَفْ عَلُ، وتَفْـعَلُ مَا لاَ تُؤْ مَرُ . تَسْتَوْفِى حَقَّــكَ، وَلاَ
تُوَفِّى حَقَّ غَيْرُكَ . مَ ا مِنْ يَوْ م جَدِيد ، اِلاَّ وَالأَرْضُ تُــخـَ اطِــبُكَ
فـِيـهِ فَـتَ قُولُ لـَكَ : يَ ا ابْنَ اۤدَمَ ! تـَ مْـشِـى عَـلٰى ظَهْرِى، وَمَ صِيرَكَ
اِلٰى بَطْنِي، وَتضْحَكُ عَلٰى ظَ هْرِي وَغَدًا يَأْكُلُكَ الدُّودُ فِي بَطْنِي.
وَيـُنَادِيكَ الْقَـبْرُ:يَ ا ابْنَ اۤدَمَ! اَنَا بـَيْ ـتُ الْ مَسْئـَلَةِ، وَبـَيْ ـتُ الْوَ حْشَــةُ،
وَبـَيْـتُ الْوَحْـدَةُ، فَاعْـمُ ـرْنِى وَ لاَ تـُخَـرِّبْـنِى.
(Yaqùlu’llahu ta'âlâ) Almighty Allah said:
This is a Hadith Qudsî. The Prophet informed us with is own words what Almighty Allah revealed to the Prophet. We should
listen to it attentively.
a. Hurry up to Repent!
يَا ابْنَ اۤدَ مَ!
(Yabne âdem!) "O son of Adam!" This does not exclude the "daughters." We all are the children of Adam, and male and female,
all mankind is included in this address. It is the same as "O mankind!"
اِلٰى مَتٰى تَطلُـبُ الــتَّوْبــَةَ وَتُسَــوِّفُ الاَوْقــَاتَ؟
(Ilâ metâ tatlubut tawbete wa tusewwiful awqàt?) "For how long are you going to think about repenting yet neglect it? For how long are you going to think about doing something for the hereafter, yet delay doing it?" This is a question. The questions are asked to focus the attention and to get an answer. Almighty Allah knows that the believing servants want to repent; i.e., to turn to Allah, follow his path and become a good servant. Everybody wants this, yet they keep delaying it. For instance, a believer will go for Hajj: "I should get older and then go." He will do his daily prayers or spend for a charitable
cause, he says: "I will do this after such and such things, after my children get married, after I get older." If it is a good deed that comes to a person's mind, it should be carried out right away. One should hurry to do good deeds and not delay it. Yet, people keep
delaying their repentance. They keep postponing it: "Let me get older, be forty, after I do this and that..." They keep postponing it.
That is called taswif.
We had some friends in the university. They liked us, and we would sit and talk. I had helped them somehow. They were modern
people. Both husband and wife were faculty members in the university. They liked Muslims and prayers. When we say, "Start
offering your daily prayers regularly!" they would say: "Okay! I will start. I am aware of my fault. But, not now."
"If you are aware of your faults, then start the prayers now."
"I will."
This kind of postponing is called taswif. It is one of the tricks of Satan. Satan prevents a person from doing good deeds in man ways. It tries to have the person do bad things. If he cannot
convince the person, then it tries to prevent him from doing the good
works. If the person is determined to do the good thing, then Satan
tries to delay it: "Okay. You can do it, but why hurry? You can do it later. You can do it in a few years." Depending on the nature of the good deed, it finds ways to have it delayed.
Delaying the good work is a trick of Satan, and we must be aware of it. Especially, the repentance is a very important
phenomenon--turning to the Path of Allah. It is not merely getting
the rosary and saying "Astaghfiru’llàh… Astagfiru’llàh… Astaghfiru’llàh...-- O Allah I seek forgiveness. " Our beloved master Hadrat Ali was in a Masjid in Kûfa. He saw somebody who was saying istighfar at a corner: "O Lord! Forgive
me. Astaghfiru’llàh al-azîm wa etûbu ilayh. Astaghfiru’llàh al-azîm
wa etûbu ilayh." Hadrat Ali said, "Saying 'Astaghfiru’llàh al-azîm' by tongue only is the repentance of the liars." Tawba means
returning to Almighty Allah-- one cannot turn to Allah with words
only. The "state" of the person must turn to Allah in totality. Once
a person gets in to the straight path of Allah, that would be the true repentance.
Prof. Dr. M. Es'ad COŞAN, The College of Theology
Each person shall abandon the wrong practices and turn to the straight path. For instance, a woman shall observe hijab if she has not been. Each person shall start offering his daily prayers
regularly if he has not been. He shall fast in Ramadhan if he neglected fasting. He shall abandon ill code of conduct if he has had any. If he is negligent in fulfilling the orders of Allah, he will attempt to do them. He shall return to the path of Allah. His friends or associates will say, "This person has changed; he has turned to Allah's path."
Some have a desire to turn to the Path of Allah, yet they keep
postponing it. Almighty Allah is asking in this Hadith Qudsî: "For how long will you intend to repent yet postpone it?" Once in Fatih, Istanbul I got in a bus and sat down. A woman
got in the bus, too. She said "Audhu billâhi min esh-shaytan ir- rajîm, bismillâhir rahmânir rahîm" when she step on the bus. She was not observing hijab. She had the belief, yet she failed to observe
hijab. She should have observed it. Sometimes, some women see my wife and say, "MâshâAllah, mâshâAllah, how nice she is observing hijab." They appreciate it yet not practice it. Observing
hijab is an order of Allah, yet they fail to do it. They keep postponing
it. Their explanation goes, "We are used to not wearing it; may Almighty Allah forgive our faults." Allah is the most forgiving, yet He will not forgive if you insist on the fault. He forgives when the person gives up the faults or offenses.
That is why in the beginning of the Hadith Qudsî Almighty
Allah says: "Do your repentance if you intend to. Do not delay it.
For how long are you going to delay it o son of Adam?" One should
repent right away. That is why the prophet said in a hadith:
عَجُِّلوا بِالتََّوْبَةِ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ!
(Ajjilû bi’t-tawbati qabla’l-mawt) "Hurry up in repentance
before death." You never know when the death arrives. It comes
all of a sudden. There may be a traffic accident, a heart attack;
there could be some unpredictable accident that takes the life away.
Sometimes a young person dies, sometime an elderly person.
Sometimes the patient survives and the caretaker dies. The grandchild dies and the grandfather survives. You never know how the will of Allah takes place. That is why before the death arrives,
one must turn to Allah in repentance. The repentance should not be delayed.
In fact, we have passed the month of repentance. We should
have offered our repentance in the beginning of the three months
season. The month of Rajab and the special nights have passed
already. The month of Sha'ban, too, has gone. Rajab is the month
in which Almighty Allah forgives His servants.
The Prophet SAS said:19
رَجَبُ شَهْرُ اللهِ ، وَشَعْبَانُ شَهْرِي، وَرَمَضَانُ شَهْرُ أُمَّتِي
(أبو الفتح في أماليه عن الحسن مرسلاً)
RE. 289/2 (Rajabu shahru’llah) "Rajab is the month of Allah."
What does that mean? All months, all years, the whole world, the whole hereafter, and everything belong to Allah. It means, it is the month Almighty Allah forgives His servants and accepts their
repentance. That is why we should have repented in that month.
Nevertheless, a person must repent immediately. It should not be delayed even for a moment.
b. Human Interaction is Important
The Hadith Qudsî continues:
19 Deylemî, Müsnedü’l-Firdevs, c.II, s.275, no:3276; İbn-i Asâkir, Mu’cem, c.I, s.114, no:210; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.III, s.374, no:3813; Enes ibn-i Mâlik RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.XII, s.556, no:35164; Keşfü’l-Hafâ, c.II, s.341, no:1358; Câmiu’l-Ehàdîs, c.XIII, s.109, no:12682.
وَتَرْغَـبُ فِى الآخِرَةِ وَتَــتْرُكُ الْ عَمَلَ،
Wa targhabu fi’l-akhirati wa tatruku’l-'amel) "You desire the hereafter, you want to enter Paradise, yet you do not do the good
deeds." You have a desire for the good things in the hereafter, yet you do not do the deeds that would take you to Paradise. You have
not started the worship, giving for charity. How long are you going
to delay that? This is a Hadith Qudsî; the Prophet SAS told us what Allah has asked: "O My servants! For how long will you desire
Paradise yet delay turning to me in repentance? For how long will you desire the hereafter yet delay the good deeds that would lead to Paradise? How long will you maintain this unawareness? When
are you going to pull yourselves together?"
تَقُولُ قَوْلَ الْـعَـابِدِينَ، وَتَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ.
Teqùlu qawle’l-âbidîne wa ta'melu amele’l-munâfiqîn) "O son of Adam! What are you doing? You utter the words of the sincere
worshippers, yet you do the deeds of the hypocrites." People talk nicely as the elderly said:
اَلنَّصِيحَاةُ سَهْو وَالْمُشْكِلُ قَبُولُهَا
En-nasîhatu sehwin) "Giving advice is easy, (wa’l-mushkilu
qabûlehâ) and accepting it is difficult." Each person should accept
the advice when he understands it. People at the time of the Prophet would listen tot he prophet attentively and accept what he said. People of today listen to the advice, think about it "forty
times," realize that it is true, yet they delay doing it or not do it at all. When the verse that prohibited wine was revealed to the Prophet, people poured the wine to the streets to get rid of it. The
streets of Madina were flooded with wine. They complied with the verse that was revealed. Today, you see Muslim parents' children
who are addicted to alcohol and they do not give up drinking. You tell them that alcohol is haram; they disregard your words. You see some parents giving advice: "Do not smoke cigarettes!" However,
they keep the packages of cigarettes in their pockets. He tells the truth, yet he himself disregards it. Uttering the words of the sincere worshippers, yet leading a life of the hypocrites... what are the main characteristics of the hypocrites? A hypocrite lies when he speaks, fails to fulfill his promises, and betrays the trust when something is entrusted with him. He is an unreliable person. He says something and does something different. A believer is not like that at all. He keeps his promises, and stands behind his words.
Once a person came to the father of one of our friends who had a business in Istanbul. He was a blessed person—may Almighty
Allah bless his soul. His son spent what he inherited from him for the construction of a mosque. This person had request from this merchant:
"Hadji Baba! I desperately need some money. Could you lend me some?"
This blessed man responded:
"Son! The cash register/safe is right there. Go and get as much
as you want."
He did not even go to the safe. After some time, this person who borrowed the money came back:
"Hadji Baba! Remember I had borrowed money from you; I brought it back."
This blessed man responded:
"Son! The cash register/safe is right there. Go and put it there."
After he retired, once he visited his son's store. He noticed the IOU's, invoices, and other documents on the desk. He asked what
they were. The son explained him. The old man felt very sorry: "Oh no! Is this how you do business now? At our time, we could send
the whole store upon just one word, then the person would pay it back. Everybody would keep his promise. Is this how you do business now?" It sounded very strange for him. It was an indication that people do not fulfill their promises. People have left their iman and became hypocrites. When they talk, they say so many nice and soothing words, yet when it comes to the action, it is very disappointing.
I read a hadith on somewhere on the wall:
"If you see a person doing prayers and fasting, do not lower your guard towards him right away. Look at his actions and interactions. How does he deal with people?"
He could be offering his prayers and fasting, yet he may have a crooked way of dealing with people. He could be telling lies and fooling people.
I inquired before coming here: "How much does a prayer rug cost in Isparta [which is a province famous with its rugs]"
"Dear Khawaja, they started using bad material, then they lost the customers."
A customer could be fooled once only. They should have
produced the rugs with high quality material. They work on a piece
of rug for a month, and when it is produced with low quality
material, the whole work goes down the drain. If it had been
produced with the top quality material, it would have worth good
amount of money. Once the customer is cheated, he will not come
back. My friend told me that the rugs of Isparta are no longer
popular. The work is no longer the work of a believer; it is full of deception.
The words of our Lord is reproachful: "You utter the words of the sincere worshippers, yet you do the deeds of the hypocrites." All of our deeds and works have to be sincere and proper. Everything
we do should comply with the consent of Allah.
The Hadith Qudsî continues:
إِنْ أُ عْطِـيتَ لَمْ تـَقْـنَ عُ، وَ إِ نْ أُبْلِـيتَ لَمْ تَصْـبِرُ.
In u'tîte lem taqna') "When you are given something, you are not content; (wa in ublîte lem tasbir) when Allah tests you with a trouble, you lose your patience." A believer should be content with
the sustenance he receives. He should say, "Al-hamdu lillah for everything I have."
While I was in Çanakkale, I was told that there was an elderly
couple who were very blessed. They were poor. I decided to visit them. We went to their place. The couple had no house; they had a little box out of tin. Husband and wife were living in that small
box. The wife was very content; she kept praising Allah for all the blessings she had. She kept saying, "Look at us! We have all we need. We praise Allah for that." I felt embarrassed. One could not stand up in that tin box. These poor people kept praising Allah.
"Look we are nobody, but you came to visit us. We are not worth a visit, but you came here." They were content.
The contentment and the richness in heart make a person
happy. Lack of contentment keeps a person disturbed even if he lives in abundance. We thank Allah that we are not hungry and that we have clothing and homes. We praise Allah that we have
been blessed with so many things. We have seeing eyes and reasoning minds. There are no bombs exploding over our heads or destroying our minarets. It is not like Chechnia or Bosnia.
Alhamdulillah we live in peace with good things.
Then a person should appreciate all of the blessings and be content. Sometimes, he is subjected to tests; even the prophets
were subjected to the tests. Didn't they get sick? Didn't they get sad? They had so much saddening experience. They were falsely
accused with things. People did unimaginable cruelty towards the prophets. A believer should see all of these as tests and try to pass the test with flying colors.
تَأْمُرُ النَّاسَ بِالْخَيْرِ وَلاَ تَفْعَلْهُ، وَتَنْهٰى عَنِ الشَّرِّ وَلاَ تَنْهٰى عَنْهُ .
Te'muru ’n-nâse bil khayri wa lâ tef'aluhû wa tenhâ ani’sh- sher-ri wa lâ tunhâ anhu) "You ordain people the good deeds, but you do not do them yourself. You also tell them not to do evil deeds,
but you do them." This is not acceptable!
وَتُحِبُّ الصَّ الِحِينَ وَلَسْتَ مِنْ هُمْ، وَتُبْغِضُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَأَنْتَ مِنْهُمْ .
Wa tuhibbu’s-sàlihîn, wa leste minhum) "You like the righteous
people, but you are not one of them. (Wa tubghidu’l-munâfiqîn, wa ente minhum) You get angry at the hypocrites, yet you carry the characters of the hypocrites. This is not acceptable o son of Adam."
This is what our Lord says in a general sense. Each person takes
his share from these words.
In a hadith the Prophet said: "There are characters of hypocrites. If all of them are found on a person, he is a complete
hypocrite. If he has one of the characters only, he will be a partial
hypocrite." That is why we need to abandon the characters that belong tot he hypocrites.
Now we tell a child:
"Son! Be trustworthy! Do not utter a lie!"
Then the telephone rings and we tell the same child:
"If it is for me, tell that I am not home."
What happened here? Haven't we just told the child not to utter
a lie? Weren't we not to utter a lie? Of course, the child notices the contradiction and tells: "Haven't you told me not to utter a lie?" He confronts the parents: "Mom, Dad! How is it possible? You told me not to lie first, then you are forcing to lie." They the parents tell the child: "You shut up!" Well, the child is right, and the grownups are wrong.
The person who ordains the good must do it himself first. When
he does it first, his words will be more effective. It will be effective
spiritually, too.
Hadrat Abdulqadir-i Geylâni started a preach in the pulpit:
"Aùzu billâhi minesh-shaytànir rajîm. Bismillâhir rahmânir
rahîm." Before he started the main topic, he said some simple
words: "My wife at home did this and that..." The congregation was so joyous that they started crying in the beginning of his talk. He had so much spirituality. He was a blessed person.
His son was observant of all of this. He wanted to preach people,
too: "I want to tell them so many interesting things." Hadrat
Abdulqadir-i Geylânî told his son: "This week you are going to preach." The son prepared his speech. People listened to his speech, but there were no excitements or cries. Hadrat Abdulqadir- i Geylânî lived what he preached; that is why his words moved
people. When the preacher does not practice what he says, his words will be ineffective.
When a person gives advice about doing good things, he should
do it himself first. Again, when a person tells people not to do something, he should stay away from that first. If a person loves
the righteous servants--these are the beloved servants of Allah--he should try to be like them. If a person dislikes the hypocrites, he should try to get rid of any character that resembles those of the hypocrites
I want to mention one of the characteristics of the hypocrites as an example. The Prophet said: "Men should be keen about coming
to the mosque for the Isha and Fajr prayers because the hypocrites
do not come to mosque for these prayers." If a person fails to go the mosque for the Isha and Fajr, he should remember this hadith and say, "Oh no! I have a character of the hypocrites. I should not stay home but go to the mosque." Then he should go to the mosque. He should pay attention to attending the Fajr congregation in the mosque. Since we do not like the hypocrites and their characters,
we should try our best not to be like them. Since we like the
righteous people, we should try to be like them.
c. Take the Righteous as Role Models
We should get to know the righteous people. There are benefits
in reading, telling and listening to the anecdotes of these blessed
people because we can see the examples of a good person. We can see how they live and aspire to be like them. We have benefited
from them in a great deal.
An example for the righteous people is Hadrat Aisha-i Siddîqa,
the mother of the believers. Many things were brought to the house
during the day, but she gave them away. She instructed her maid:
"Take this to such family, and this to other family." She gave them
all for charity. They were fasting on that day. When they heard
the call for Maghrib prayer, the maid said: "Oh Mother of the believers! Why didn't you save some for us, too? You gave away
everything you received. You are fasting, and there is nothing to eat other than some stale bread and some dates."
Hadrat Aisha responded:
"If you had reminded me earlier, I would have done that, too."
Look! This is the state of the righteous people. Observe how they spend for the charitable causes.
Here is another example. Hadrat Ali RA and his family fasted
the whole day. They sat down for supper. A poor person knocked
at the door and begged:
"Please give me something to eat for the sake of Allah. I am hungry."
They gave their food to this person and stayed hungry. They
chose to be patient. The next day they again intended to fast. When
they completed their fast and prepared something to eat, an orphan
knocked at the door:
"We are hungry. Could you give us some food?" They gave the orphan all they had and stayed hungry.
The next day they intended to fast again. In the evening when
they were about to break their fast, a captive person knocked at the door and begged:
"We are hungry. Please give us something."
They gave their food to them and stayed hungry again.
Upon this incident, a verse was revealed:
وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا (الانسان٨)
(Wa yut'imûnet taâme alâ hubbihî miskînen wa yetîmen wa esîrâ.) "To earn the Love of Allah, they give their food to the needy,
the orphan and the captive." (Qur'an 76:8)
They say:
إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللهَِّ لاَ نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلاَ شُكُورًا (الانسان:٩)
(Innemâ nut'imukum li-wajhi’llâh) "We feed you for the consent
of Allah. (Lâ nurîdu minkum jezâen wa lâ shukûrâ) We wish not from you reward or gratitude." (Qur'an 76:9) They do that for the sake of Allah without expecting any money or thanks from them.
Hearing about these incidents, a person aspires to be like them.
That is why we ought to read about the lives of the righteous people.
We ought to try to be like them.
We have published books such as Examples from the Lives of the Companions. These books should be read. Who were the female
companions? How did they live? What are their characters? How
was their servitude? What was their mentality? We ought to read all of these and realize how a good Muslim should be.
d. Do Not Talk About Things You will Not Do!
Going back to the Hadith Qudsî' Almighty Allah continued:
تَقُولُ مَا لاَ تَفْ عَلُ، وتَفْـعَلُ مَا لاَ تُؤْ مَرُ .
(Teqùlu mâ lâ tef'alu wa tef'alu mâ lâ tu'meru) "O son of Adam!
You talk about the deeds that you cannot do and you do things that you are not ordered to."
Here two of the faults of the human beings are stated: (Teqùlu
mâ lâ tef'alu) "You say things that you will not do!" Some people
keep promising things without thinking much about it. It is not right for a person to tell things that he cannot fulfill. Each of us could only promise as much as he could fulfill. The words of the person should not go beyond his head.
(Wa tef'alu mâ lâ tu'meru) "You are doing something that you are not asked to do." We have to check and see if what we do is the order of Allah. We should ponder about our deeds and ask ourselves
if we are carrying out the orders of Allah or the tradition of the Prophet. We must pay attention to what we do. The hadith Qudsî continues:
تَسْتَوْفِى حَقَّــكَ ولاَ تُوَفِّى حَ قَّ غَيْرُكَ .
(Testewfî haqqake wa lâ tuweffî haqqa ghayrike) "If you have
some right on somebody, you demand it all, and when somebody has a right on you, you avoid paying it back."
For instance, the inheritance of a person is already divided, and there is somebody who has a share in it. In Islam, when a woman
dies, her nephews have a share in her wealth, yet they could
demand nothing according to present laws in Turkey. Suppose that two sisters will inherit their mother's wealth. According to the instructions in the Qur'an, the nephews get shares. They share the inheritance according to the present laws, so they do not give anything to the nephews. When they are reminded, they question:
"Who says there is such a rule?" Well, nobody says it--it is in the Qur'an. It is the order of Allah, and you have to comply with it. "O son of Adam! When somebody owes you anything, you get it all to the last penny. But when you owe something to somebody,
you are not as meticulous about paying it."
Try the fine needle on yourself before attempting to poke
somebody with a darning needle. Experience how it feels. Realize
how sad you will get when somebody deprives you of your right. You defend yourself like an attorney. You must pay the due rights to the respective owners.
e. Beautify Your Grave with Good Deeds!
مَا مِنْ يَوْم جَدِيد اِلاَّ وَالأَرْ ضُ تُــخـَ اطِــبُكَ فـِيـهِ فَ ـتَقُولُ لـَ كَ: يَا ابْنَ
اۤدَمَ! تـَمْـشِـى عَـلٰى ظَهْرِى، وَمَصِيرَكَ اِ لٰى بَطْنِى، وَتضْ حَكُ عَلٰى
ظَهْرِى وَغَدًا يَأْكُلُكَ الدُّودُ فِي بَطْنِي .
(Mâ min yewmin jedîdin illâ wa’l-ardu tukhàtibuke fîhi feteqùlu
leke:) "There is no new day in which the earth does not call on you."
In this Hadith, the Prophet is telling us that the earth calls on us and says these words:
(Yebne âdem!) "O son of Adam! (Yemshî alâ zahrî wa masîruke
ilâ batnî) Now you are walking on me, yet there will be a time that you will be buried in me." (Wa tadhaku alâ zahrî wa ghaden ye'kuluke’d-dûdu fî batnî) "You are enjoying life, having a good time on me, yet when you are buried, bugs will eat your flesh."
وَيـُنـَادِيكَ الْقـَـبْرُ: يَ ا ابْنَ اۤدَمُ ! اَنـَ ا بـَيْ ـتُ الْ مَسْــئـَلَةِ، وَبـَيْـتُ
الْوَحْشَـــةُ، وَبـَيْ ـتُ الْوَ حْـدَةُ، فَاعْـمُـرْنِى وَلاَ تـُخَـرِّبْـنِى .
(Wa yunâdîke’l-qabru) The grave will call on the person. (Yebni
âdem!) "O son of Adam! (Ene beytu’l-mes'eleti wa beytu’l-wahsheti
wa beytu’l-wahdeti fea'mirnî wa lâ tuharribnî) I am the house of interrogation." There will be an interrogation in the grave: "Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? What is your scripture? What is your qibla?" That is pointed out here.
(Wa beytu’l-wahsheti wa beytu’l-wahdeti) "I am the house were
you will be in solitary confinement. There will be no companion or helper for you." Each of us will be alone in the grave, yet our good
deeds will be our company. His prayers, fasting, pilgrimage, Qur'an
reading, his dhikr, and his charitable spending will be there to protect him.
It is stated in a Hadith that a person who is placed in the grave
will ask upon seeing a lovable person with an illuminated face: "O blessed person! Who are you? While I was having a difficult time
with the interrogation, you appeared. I like you. You have a bright
face. Who are you?"
The person will respond: "I am the Surah Tabâraka (Mulk) that you used to recite. Almighty Allah send me in this form to accompany you."
Because people like to have company, Almighty Allah shapes the Surah Tabâraka in that form and sends it to the grave. Our other
good deeds will appear in the grave in a pleasant form to accompany
us till the day or resurrection.
In the end of the hadith there are two orders: (Wa a'mirnî) "Try to beautify me, improve me! (Wa lâ tuharribnî) Do not destroy me." The beautification and improvement of the grave is done by the good deeds whereas its destruction takes place with offenses and sins. We must try doing good deeds and spend for the charitable
causes. We shall think about our comfort in the grave.
I see al-hamdu lillah some sisters reciting Qur'an, offering
prayers, and doing other good deeds. All of these are counted for the beautification of their graves.
This hadith is the address of Almighty Allah to us as human
beings. We should derive the following lessons from this Hadith
Qudsî: We shall turn to Allah in repentance and not delay it. Since
we have a love for the good things in the hereafter, we should work
to earn the Paradise. Our words and deeds should reflect the truth;
our deeds should not resemble that of the hypocrites and disbelievers.
Despite the instruction in the Hadith Qudsî, our clothes, our life styles, and everything else resembles that of the disbelievers. How
did they succeed having us look like them? How did this Muslim
nation change? How were our forefathers? How are our people
now?
When I go outside, in the market place or on the streets, I notice
the poor state of women. I avoid looking at them and look at where
my steps are as I walk. Yet, it is almost unavoidable. Women are much different from the daughters of Muslim grandfathers and grandmothers. They do not look like the hypocrites; they look like disbelievers! Here it is relatively cold; freezing temperatures and snow prevent many things. If you go to the south, e.g., Antalya, on a summer day, you will have a hard time walking on the streets
[because of the women displaying their bodies.]
One of our friends is from Antalya —his family is a native there.
He returned from the United States and had a nice house built in Antalya. They lived there for a while then realized that the future
of their children and their faith are threatened. He moved away
from the city because it has become unbearable place for a practicing Muslim family due to tourist infestation.
Aside from the tourists, our own people got worse than the tourists. Weren't we supposed to differ from the hypocrites? Many
people go beyond the lifestyle of the hypocrites and dress like the disbelievers. They groom themselves like the disbelievers; they put make up like them. They adorn themselves and live like the disbelievers. They do not pray, make wudu, ghusl, or do any worship. They disobey and have no mercy or sense of what is right
and what is wrong. Where is this leading?
We deserve more chastisement than these words: "You utter the words of the righteous servants and sincere worshippers, yet you do the deeds of the hypocrites." People do the deeds of the disbelievers,
and they are far away from the faith. They would not know how to say kalima-i shahadah. They do not know enough to perform the daily prayers. Somebody sent me a piece of paper with a question:
"My mother is going to start offering prayers regularly, yet she cannot pronounce the verses." Well, unfortunately the person has reached this age and still does not know how to pray. I suggested
for her to learn the short surah such as Surah Kawther and Ikhlas.
We are in a terrible state; may Almighty Allah help us.
f. Thankfulness for Blessings, Patience for Calamities
We shall be content with the blessings that Almighty Allah
sends us. If He sends us a test, we shall be patient. The tests could
be in the form of an illness, shortage of something, poverty, or other
difficulties. We shall be patient for the tests.
There was a girl among our students. She got married and had a beautiful baby. The baby was truly beautiful. It was the "queen
of babies." She and her husband were very happy. They had some
problems conceiving the child, so they were very happy to have the baby. In a week, Almighty Allah took the bay away from them. The infant died. What can we do? It was Almighty Allah Who gave the child and also Who took the child. We shall accept this fact patiently.
Unfortunately, the mother of the baby uttered unpleasant words
towards Allah. I was truly scared to hear those words. She lost her mind. We cannot do anything about it because it was Allah who granted the child and also who took the child away. We shall learn
how to be patient.
There was an imam in our village. He and his wife would have
a baby, yet the baby would not live long. You know sometimes there
would be blood mismatch and the infant dies. The imam would shed
tears for the loss of the infant and feel extremely sorry. He lost many infants like that. One day a sage visited the village. On that day the imam lost another infant. When the sage saw the imam
crying out-loud, he pulled the imam to the side and asked:
"Who is giving you these babies?"
"Almighty Allah."
"Who is taking them away from you?"
"Allah."
"Then, what is the matter with you? Be patient! You are an imam, you are a man! You should be a good example for people. Be patient, for Allah is testing you."
Then the imam promised him that he will be patient. He stopped the mourning. The next baby survived. Look at the test! We ask for afiyah (well being) from Allah. May Allah grant
afiyah for all of us in this life as well as in the hereafter. May all of your days be happy; and your business, as you hope. What if it is not like that? Then you be patient. It will not be summer all the time; sometimes it snows. There will not be affluence all the time,
sometime we experience the shortage of something. We will not be healthy all the time, sometimes we get sick. We have to be patient
for all of these.
A good Muslim shall be patient, and raise no voice of objection
towards almighty Allah. He shall be aware that it is from Allah and endure the hardship. He will earn rewards for being patient and endurance. A person earns rewards for two things:
1. On calamities, one remains patient and endure the hardship;
thus, he earns rewards.
2. On the blessings, one remains thankful and earns rewards.
A believer earns rewards from being thankful and being patient.
If he receives blessings yet fails to be thankful, he loses the rewards
and commits an offense. If he is subjected to a test yet fails to be patient, he loses the rewards, suffers the hardship, and he may commit an offense.
A woman was mourning by screaming and pulling her own hair.
The Prophet was passing by. He went to the woman and said: "Oh Lady! Be patient. Whatever happened to you is what Allah
ordained in your destiny. You need to be patient."
The woman chose not to be patient and raised her voice: "Do you know what kind of a calamity fell on me?" She kept screaming at the Prophet. The prophet walked away without saying anything
else. Some of the companions witnessed this and asked the woman:
"Did you know who that person was?"
The woman said, "No I did not!"
"He was the Prophet of Allah."
"O, really?"
She ran after the Prophet and apologized: "O Prophet of Allah! I could not recognize you. Forgive me please."
The Prophet responded:20
20 Buhàrî, Sahîh, c.I, s.438, no:1240; Müslim, Sahîh, c.II, s.637, no:926; Ebû Dâvud, Sünen, c.II, s.210, no:3124; Tirmizî, Sünen, c.III, s.314, no:988; Neseî, Sünen, c.IV, s.22, no:1869; İbn-i Mâce, Sünen, c.I, s.509, no:1596; Ahmed ibn-i Hanbel, Müsned, c.III, s.130, no:12339; Tayâlisî, Müsned, c.I, s.272, no:2040; Taberânî, Mu’cemü’l-Evsat, c.VI, s.222, no:6244; Ebû Ya’lâ, Müsned, c.VI, s.176,
الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الأُولٰى (خ. م. د. ت. ن. ه. حم. ط. طس. ع. هب. ق. عد. عن أنس؛ ع. عن أبي هريرة )
(Assabru inde sadmetu’l-ûlâ) "The patience has to be at the beginning. If you are patient after the calamity has passed, it has no value." After some time passes, the person gets used to the calamity and accepts it regardless of being patient or not. Is there
anything that fell off the sky and the earth rejected it? That is why if a person remains patient and calm at the beginning, he will earn
rewards; if he loses his control, then he loses the rewards.
The lesson we learn from this hadith is that we ought to be patient. If we are tested, we ought to realize that it is a test and remain calm and patient.
It is good to advice the good to people, yet we ought to do the good things ourselves first. It is also a duty on us to prevent the evil and tell people not to do the evil, yet we have to avoid the evil ourselves first.
If we like the righteous people, we should try to become like them. If we get angry at the hypocrites and disbelievers, we should
try not to be like them.
The Prophet said:21
خَالِفُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارٰى!
no:3458; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.VII, s.119, no:9702; Beyhakî, Sünenü’l-Kübrâ, c.IV, s.65, no:6919; Abd ibn-i Humeyd, Müsned, c.I, s.362, no:1203; İbnü’l-Ca’d, Müsned, c.I, s.208, no:1368; Kudàî, Müsnedü’ş-Şihâb, c.I, s.172, no:249; İbn-i Esîr, Üsdü’l-Gàbe, c.I, s.1477; İbn-i Adiy, Kâmil fi’d-Duafâ, c.III. s.356. no:799; Begavî, Şerhü’s-Sünneh, c.III, s.99; Bezzâr, Müsned, c.II, s.352, no:7373; Deylemî, Müsnedü’l-Firdevs, c.II, s.415, no:3842; Enes ibn-i Mâlik RA’dan.
Ebû Ya’lâ, Müsned, c.X, s.453, no:6067; Ukaylî, Duafâ c.III, s.463, no:1519; Ebû Hüreyre RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.III, s.272, no:6510, 6511; Keşfü’l-Hafâ, c.I, s.246, no:647; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.VII, s.355, no:6462 ve c.XIV, s.52, no:13769.
21 İbn-i Hibbân, Sahîh, c.V, s.561, no:2186.
(Khalifu’l-yehûde wa’n-nasàrâ) "Differ from the Jews and the Christians, do not be like them!" We should be different from them
even when it comes to the worship and not do it at the time they do it. We should never do the things they do in disobedience, in entertainment and other things that are not pleasing to Allah.
Then a person should not utter the words that he himself cannot
do. He should not promise things that he cannot fulfill. He should
not take a responsibility that he cannot carry out. He should not do the things he is not ordered to. He should do everything for the sake
of Allah. He should do everything that Allah ordered. He should
have the intention every morning: "I shall do whatever Allah has asked me to." He should try to fulfill the what Allah ordered and what the Prophet ordered throughout his life. As a person tries to get all his rights from others, he should pay the due rights to others. He should not get anything that belongs
to the others.
Try to remember the other part of the hadith. Every day the earth calls us, but we are unaware: "You are walking on me today,
yet tomorrow I will take you in." What does the earth mean? It means there is death and we should be prepared for death.
How does one prepare for death? Time to time we describe
Tasawwuf in different ways. Here I will say something that has not been said before: "Being a dervish is the art of preparing for the death." A dervish is always ready to depart from this life. If his time expires and the Angel of Death comes to him, he would say: "All right! I am ready!" How is it so? He would have wudu and do dhikr all the time. He would not owe anything to anybody. He would carry out all of his obligations without missing or delaying
any. He would be on the path of Allah. He would say, "If I am called, I will comply with the order." Being a dervish means being
prepared to depart from this life. Being a dervish requires imagination of one's own death; it is a duty for the dervish. While imagining it, we should try to hear the
call of the earth: "O son of Adam! Today you are walking on me, yet tomorrow, I will take you in. You enjoy life and have fun today, yet tomorrow the bugs will feed on your body."
The grave calls on the person: "O son of Adam! I am a house of interrogation. I am a place that you will be all alone and terrified.
You will be in solitary confinement. There will be none to accompany you. So, you should try to beautify me and not destroy
me." This is the Hadith Qudsî. We would not know the true nature
of the grave. Once we learn these facts, we have to work for it.
Ibrâhim ibn-i Edhem was a ruler in the city of Balh who was the son of another ruler. His anecdotes are in books. He left his palace
and throne to earn the consent of Allah. He left his fame behind.
He was asked for some advice. He gave six beautiful advises. One of them is the following:
إِذَا اشْــتَ غَـلَ النَّ اسُ بِعِمَ ارَ ةُ الْقُ صُورِ، فَ اشْتغِ لْ أَ نْتَ بِعِمَ ارَةِ الْ قُبُورِ؛
Idheshteghale ’n-nâsu bi-imârati’l-qusùr, weshteghil ente bi- imâreti’l-qubûr.) "While people are busy beautifying their
mansions, you try to beautify your grave." People build nice houses,
marble palaces, mansions with pools. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for that purpose. You see them often in the large cities. For instance if you go to the Lara beach and Kemer
districts in Antalya, you cannot believe how much money is spent
for the buildings. Everybody is trying to improve what belongs to this world.
(Idheshteghalen nâsu bi-imârati’l-qusùr) While people are building palaces and mansions, (weshteghil ente bi-imâreti’l-qubûr)
you try to illuminate your grave; try to fill it with rewards.
A poet said once:
اَلْقَبْرُ صُنْدُوقُ الْعَمَلِ .
(Al-qabru sandùqu’l-'amel) The grave is like a chest that girls prepare before getting married. They make various kinds of embroidery, napkins, covers for tables, and many other kinds of handicrafts to use them in their house when they get married. They
keep them in the chest. The grave is a chest for every person. The person does the deeds and sends them to the grave to feel comfortable in there.
I had intended to read a hadith from the book, and this hadith
was drawn. Its meaning is a bit bitter, yet it is the order of Allah
with the words of the Prophet. I only read and explained it to you. May Almighty Allah have us benefit from these advices and become His beloved servants.
With the secrets of Surah Fâtihah!
February 4, 1995 - ISPARTA
Ramadhan 4, 1415