07. TURNING AWAY FROM SIN
Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad Coşan
Eùdhu bi’llâhi mina’sh-shaytàni’r-rajîm.
Bi’smi’llâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm.
El-hamdü li’llâhi rabbi’l-àlemîne hamden kethîran tayyiben
mübâreken fîh... Kemâ yenbaghî li-jalâli wejhihî wa li-azîmi sultânih... Wa’s-salâtu wa’s-selâmu alâ seyyidinâ muhammedin wa alâ âlihî wa sahbihî wa men tebi'ahû bi-ihsânin ejmaîn...
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May Almighty Allah have all of you benefit from the blessings of this Blessed month of Ramadhan. May He accept our prayers, supplications, Tarawihs and fasts and make them means for earning His consent.
Our beloved Prophet informed in a Hadith Qudsî that Almighty Allah said the following:
يَقُولُالله تَعَالٰى: يَا ابْنَ اۤدَمَ ! هَلْ عَصَيْتُمُونِي، فَذَكَرْتُمْ غَضَبِي فَاَنْـتَهَـيْـتُمْ
عَنْ مَعْصِيَتِي؟ وَهَلْ اۤتَيْتُمْ فَرَائِضِي كَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ اۤتـَيـْتُمُ الْمَسَاكـِينَ
مِنْ اَمْوَالـِكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ اَحْسَـنْـتُمْ، اِلٰى مَنْ اَسَاءَ اِلَيْكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ عَفَوْتُمْ، لِمَنْ
ظَلَمَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ وَصَلـْتُمْ، لِمَنْ قـَطَـعـَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ وَفَـيْــتُمْ لِمَنْ خَانــَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ
اَدَّبـْتُمْ اَوْلاَدَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ اَرْضَيْتُمْ جِيرَانَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ سَئَلْتُمُ الْعُلَمَاءَ، عَنْ أَمْرِ
دِينِكُمْ؟ فَانِّى لاَ اَنْظُرُ اِلٰى صُوَرِكُمْ، وَلاَ مَحَاسِنُكُمْ، وَلٰكِنْ اَنْظُرُ اِلٰى
قُلُوبِكُمْ وَنِيَّاتِكُمْ، فَاَرْضَوْنِي بِهٰذِهِ الْخِصَالِ عَنْكُمُ.
(Yekùlü’llàhu teàlâ: Ye’bne âdem! Hel asaytumûnî fedhekertum ghadabî fenteheytum an ma'siyetî? Wa hel âteytum ferâidî kemâ emertukum? Wa hel âteytumul mesâkîne min emwâlikum? Wa hel ahsentum ilâ men esâe ileykum? Wa hel afewtum limen zalemekum? Wa hel Wasaltum li-men Qata'akum? Wa hel wefeytum limen hànekum? Wa hel eddebtum ewlâdekum? Wa hel erdaytum jîrânekum? Wa hel se-eltumu’l-'ulemâe an emri dînikum?
Feinnî lâ enzuru ilâ suwerikum wa lâ mehâsinukum. Welâkin enzuru ilâ qulûbikum wa niyyâtikum. Feerdawnî bihâdhihi’l-hisâli ankum.) Almighty Allah taught many things to His beloved Prophet. The prophet said:17
أَدَّبَنِي رَبِّي فَأَحْسَنَ تَأْدِيبِي (ابن السَّمْعانِي في أدب الإملاءِ عن ابن مسعود)
Eddebenî rabbî wa ahsene te'dîbî) [My Lord have trained me and made my training well.] Almighty Allah trained the "The Orphan Pearl" [i.e., Prophet Muhammed whose parents died when he was a child and grew up as an orphan] and blessed him with the knowledge of the past and the future. It feels like a person cannot study all of the ahadith of the Prophet that fills the libraries in a life time. His ahadith are like a treasure; a treasure of education in deed. Almighty Allah taught and showed him many things and elevated him to stages that no ordinary person could be. Allah granted His Prophet the Miraj and accepted him in His presence.
The Prophet was blessed with blessings that nobody ever
17 Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.XI, s.406, no:31895; Keşfül-Hafâ, c.I, s.70, no:164;
Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.II, s.88, no:959.
experienced, for he was the leader of the prophets and a chosen beloved servant of Allah. Almighty Allah informed him of many things. The hadith I read is an example of such information:
a. Withholding Self from Committing an Offense
يَا ابْنَ اۤدَمَ
Ye’bne âdem!) "O son of Adam!" said Almighty Allah. The Prophet has informed us about it. The words of Allah as stated by the prophet [which are not part of the Qur'an] are called Hadith- Qudsî. So this is a Hadith Qudsî.
Almighty Allah addressed us as "O son of Adam!" Since we all are descendants of Hadrat Adam AS, we are the Children of Adam (Benî Adem). In Arabic ibn means son while benî is the plural form: sons. We all are the children of Adam. Almighty Allah addressed us as "O son of Adam!"
I go into such detail because the last sentence contains a very good news: "You do these things, and I will be pleased with you." In other words, if we do the things mentioned in this Hadith Qudsî, we will earn the consent of Almighty Allah. In fact, this is the reason for me to select this hadith for today's discourse.
يَا ابْنَ اۤدَمَ! هَلْ عَصَـيْتُمُونِي، فَذَكَرْتُمْ غَضَبِي فَاَنْـتَهَــيْــتُمْ
عَنْ مَعْصِيَتِي؟
Ye’bne âdem!) "O son of Adam! (Hel asaytumûnî fedhekertum ghadabî fenteheytum an ma'siyetî?) Have you ever remembered My wrath and punishment and withheld yourself from committing an offense, a sin, a form of disobedience?" Have you ever been in a situation that you were about to commit a sin and you remembered Allah's commands and anger, then you decided not to commit that
sin? Here is an example: It is stated in the Surah Yusuf, bi’smi’llâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm:
وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِهَا، لَوْلاَ أَنْ رَأَى بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ (يوسف٤٢)
Wa leqad hemmet bihî wa hemme bihâ) Mother Zulaikha closed the door on Prophet Yusuf who was exceptionally handsome.
Another issue just came up, and I must state it. In fact Prophet Muhammed was more handsome than Prophet Yusuf AS. Once a companion made the following statement about Prophet Muhammad SAS:
"The face of the Prophet would shine like a sword." His face was so illuminated. The person thought of a bright and shiny object to describe that brightness. At that time, there were not many bright objects. For instance, the mirrors would be made out of polished silver.
Another companion objected the description: "What do you mean like a sword? His face was shiny like the moon and the sun." May Almighty Allah grant us the opportunities to see the beauty of the Prophet.
Mother Zulaikha had invited the ladies in her room and gave them knives and fruits to peel. When the ladies sow Prophet Yusuf, they were mesmerized by the beauty of Prophet Yusuf and they cut their hands in confusion. He had a stunning beauty.
فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ للهَِِّ مَا هَذَا
بَشَرًا، إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ (يوسف:١٣)
Qatta'nâ eydiyehunne) They cut their hands in that state of shock. They said: (Inne hâshâ lillâh, mâ hâdhâ besherâ) "Verily,
perfect is Allah! This is not a human being! (in hâdhâ illâ melekun karîm) This is none but a noble angel." (Qur'an 12:31)
Mother Zulaikha was attracted to Prophet Yusuf AS. He was a handsome young man. She was a noble lady, too. She wanted to seduce him. She closed the door and said, "Come, you!" Prophet Yusuf held himself back:
لَوْلاَ أَنْ رَأَى بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ (يوسف٤٢)
Lew lâ en ra'â burhâne rabbihî) "He would have inclined to her had he not seen the proof [i.e., signs] of his Lord." (Qur'an 12:24) It is told that Prophet Yusuf all of a sudden saw his father Prophet Ya'qub AS before him. Prophet Ya'qub was biting his fingertips.
Prophet Yusuf realized the gravity of the matter and said:
رَبِّ السِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ (يوسف٣٣)
Rabbi’s -sijnu ehabbu ileyye mimmâ yed'ûnenî ileyh) "My Lord!
Prison is more to my liking than to which these women invite me to." He preferred the prison over the desires of the women which were sinful. (Qur'an 12:33) He was a perfect servant of Allah, a chosen servant, a noble servant, a prophet, and a son of a prophet.
In this Hadith Qudsî, Almighty Allah asks us, children of Adam: "Have you ever held yourselves back when you were about the commit an offense while all the conditions for that offense existed, yet you thought about the punishment of Allah in the hereafter?" If you give up committing a sin in this manner, Almighty Allah will be pleased with you.
As a matter of fact, Almighty Allah had Hadrat Yusuf released from the prison and be a vizier for the ruler of Egypt. Almighty Allah also had Hadrat Yusuf marry Zulaikha in a legitimate and wholesome way. It was in their destiny; they had one another not in an unlawful way, but in a legitimate and pleasant way.
b. The Sustenance is Predetermined
We keep moving from one topic to another as it is called for.
Once I read an incident in a book and enjoyed very much. Let me tell you that, too: Hadrat Ali and his servant came to a masjid in Kûfa. They dismounted the horse and asked a man to hold the bridle of the horse until they offered their prayers. They performed the prayers.
Hadrat Ali got five dirhams out of his money purse to tip the man who watched the horse. He was going to give it to the man outside. As they got outside, the man and the horse were gone. they looked around and found the horse roaming. The bridle of the horse was missing. Apparently, the man stole the bridle. He could not steal the horse, but he stole the bridle. Hadrat Ali handed the five dirhams to his servant and sent him to buy a bridle.
The servant went to a merchant and spotted a bridle. He recognized the bridle and claimed it back. The owner said: "I paid five dirhams for it. If it belonged to you, just pay me five dirhams." The servant paid five dirhams and returned to the masjid.
People gathered around Hadrat Ali and his servant. There were curious. Hadrat Ali said:
"O people! This is an important event to heed. I had intended to pay this man five dirhams for his service. This money was going to be his with my consent. If he had been patient, he would have earned five dirhams lawfully. Yet he was not patient! He still received the same amount of money, but he received it unlawfully.
He stole the bridle, sold it and got five dirhams. He was going to receive five dirhams from me lawfully. He chose to receive it unlawfully. Almighty Allah sent him five dirhams and showed tow ways: lawful way and unlawful way. If he had been patient, he would have received it lawfully. His sustenance was five dirhams for today, yet he got it unlawfully."
If we look at the purse of Hadrat Ali, it did not matter: He was
going to give five dirhams to the man, yet the money had to go the merchant. The money in the purse decreased by five dirhams. If you consider the merchant, he paid five dirhams to the thief and received five dirhams. He did not earn or lose money.
The money was destined to go to the man who was entrusted the horse. He was meant to receive five dirhams on that day. However, he received it in an unlawful way. The way one earns money can be lawful or unlawful; the reward, too, could be Paradise or hellfire.
Hadrat Yusuf were patient, did not give in to haram. He stayed away from haram and preferred imprisonment over haram. In the end, Almighty Allah rewarded him with marriage with the same woman in a lawful and honorable way.
This has been an example of how a person should hold himself back from committing an offense. A person could have opportunities; he could have desires. The apple could be in his reach, yet he should say, "I should not touch that apple, it is not mine. It is unlawful." If he does that, another person could bring him a plate full of apples. If it is in his destiny to eat apple, he would get it anyway. Nevertheless, one has to hold himself back from the unlawful ways. If a person does that, Almighty Allah loves him.
c. Fulfilling the Obligations
In the hadith I read, things that Almighty Allah likes are stated in the question form. You should be aware of then--that is why I explain them. We have to control ourselves and avoid looking at haram. We have to control ourselves not to listen to haram. We have to control ourselves not to support the haram. We shall control ourselves not to go to places where haram is committed.
What is taqwa? Almighty Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an, Bi’smi’llâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَعَلَيْكُمْ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ
مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (البقرة٣٨١)
Yâ eyyuhelledhîne âmenû kutibe 'aleykumus siyâm, kemâ kutibe alelledhîne min qablikum le'allekum tetteqùn) (Qur'an 2:183)
"O believers! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who lived before you so that you may attain taqwa." The taqwa would mean holding back from committing an offense or avoiding a sin.
Here Almighty Allah has asked about that: "Have you remembered Me and My anger and then turn away from committing sin?" We must learn how to control ourselves and how to stay away from offenses. We have to practice our training that we have acquired in Ramadhan. We must not touch haram, look at haram, say haram, eat haram or approach haram.
وَهَلْ اۤتَيْتُمْ فَرَائِضِي كَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ؟
(Wa hel 'alteytum ferâidî kemâ emertukum?" Have you fulfilled the obligations that I have ordered for you in the way they should be carried out?" Have you offered the daily prayers, pay the Zakah?
"Aqîmus-salâh" says Almighty Allah: "Establish the prayer in a complete sense." He does not say simply, "Sallus salâh--offer your prayer!" instead He says, "Establish the prayer in a complete sense." One has to offer the prayer in the best way. Again, Almighty Allah does not say simply, "wa lâ teznû--do not commit adultery!"
instead, He says "wa lâ taqrabuz zinâ--do not come close to adultery!" We have to stay away from adultery; we should not pass through its neighborhood. We should avoid all that would lead to adultery; we should not look or talk. To provide all of this abstinence, men and women should not mingle freely, There should be separate places for man and women. There should be covering of the body. All of these are orders of Allah and precautions to keep people away from haram.
Almighty Allah asks: "Have you fulfilled the obligations that I ordered for you? Did you pay your dues? Did you carry out what had to be carried out?" The hadith continues:
وَهَلْ اۤتـَيـْـتُمُ الْمَسَاكـِينَ مِنْ اَمْوَالـِكُمْ؟
(Wa hel âteytumu&l-mesâkîne min emwâlikum?) Have you allocated some of what you have for the poor and needy? Have you spend for charitable causes?
As you know, paying Zakah is not a virtue--it is an obligation. It is the right of the poor on the rich.
وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَعْلُومٌ . لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ (المعارج:٤٢-٥٢)
(Welledîne fî emwâlihim haqqun ma'lûm) "There is a known amount of right in the wealth of the rich." To whom does this right belong? This portion is (li’s-sâili wa’l-mahrûm) "for the beggars and the deprived and the destitute." (Qur'an 70:24-25) That portion of the wealth does not belong to the rich, and it is to be given to the poor. If you consider yourself generous, then give away more than the required amount. Generosity is not limited by 2.5 % that is required for Zakah.
Did Hadrat Abu Bakr-i Siddîq limit his generosity to 2.5 %?
When the Prophet asked for, he gave everything he had. The Prophet asked: "O Abu Bakr! What did you leave for your household?"
Hadrat Abubakr responded: "Allah and his Messenger suffice for them." He was at the stage of siddîqiyat, and that stage had that kind of honor. He would give everything he had without a tinge of hesitation. He would not be afraid of death. The prophet was not afraid of poverty or deprivation, neither was Hadrat Abubakr because he was the top of his Ummah.
d. Generosity of the Prophet
Once a Bedouin came to the Prophet. I like this incident and I can visualize it. A flock of sheep was brought to the Prophet as spoils of a battle.
Sometimes we see some sheep and lambs on the side of the road as we drive on the highway. They look healthy and well fed. The labs looks so cuddly. The season has plenty of rain, and the grass has grown. They enjoy it very well.
The Bedouin was from a tribe that lived in the desert. He liked the sheep very much. "O Prophet of Allah! How nice these sheep are!" they must have been a special kind of sheep and well fed. He
liked them very much.
The Prophet asked, "Did you like them?"
"Yes, O Prophet of Allah. They are beautiful."
"They are yours. Take them all!"
If it were us, we would give one sheep or a leg of the lamb. Or we would give the head and feet of the animal because it would be
difficult for our wives to prepare it at home. Who is going to skin the head or torch the feet? That would be our mentality.
The Prophet said, "Take them all!"
"You mean all of them, o Prophet of Allah?"
"Yes, all of them!"
The Bedouin took the whole flock to his tribe. People who saw him returning with a large flock of sheep could not believe what they saw: "Allahu akbar! What is this? You left your tribe in the morning with nothing, and now you return with a flock of sheep.
What did you do--steal a flock of sheep?"
He responded: "Mohammed gave them to me. He gave me them in a way that he was not afraid of poverty. He is extremely generous."
We would be afraid of poverty. When we want to give away something, we worry about our children and household. The Prophet SAS gave away the whole flock without any tinge of fear of poverty. The whole tribe were amazed and mesmerized. They all came to the Prophet SAS and accepted Islam.
Now you tell me which is better: a flock of sheep or a group of believers? The Prophet gave a flock of sheep, yet he got a groups of believers. It was an excellent deal.
The Prophet would give away things without the fear of falling into the poverty. So would Hadrat Abubakr. He said, "Allah and His Messenger suffice for my family." He meant that Allah would suffice for all their needs so long as they follow the path of the Prophet. He trusted in Allah in the absolute sense.
Almighty Allah asked in the Hadith Qudsî:
"Did you give some of your wealth to the needy?"
We shall do that because they have rights on our wealth. When we give their share, our wealth becomes purified. When the wealth is cleared of other people's rights, then it will be pure.
The literal meaning of the Arabic word Zakah is "cleansing." When the portion of Zakah is given away, the remainder of the
wealth becomes pure. Paying Zakah is a sign that a person is not stingy. However, it is the lowest level of generosity. The top level of generosity is the giving without the fear of falling into poverty, at the level of siddiqiyyet. One could give away everything he has for the sake of Allah--including his own life. One Ottoman poet said:
Jân-i jânân dilemish, vermemek olmaz ey dil,
Ne nizâ eyleyelim, ol ne senindir ne benim!..
The beloved has asked for the soul, o my heart we cannot refuse
Why should I argue for that, it is neither mine nor yours!
How could one refuse when the beloved asks for the soul? This soul is not mine, nor is yours. It belongs to the beloved.
Almighty Allah is asking if we give away something for the poor and the needy. If we do that, He will be pleased with us.
One of the characteristics of the Ramadhan is pointed out by the Prophet:18
وَشَهْرُ الْمُوَاسَاةِ،
(Shahru’l-muwâsâti) "It is the month of muwâsât." Muwâsât means giving somebody some money or goods as charity. In Ramadhan we shall recite Qur'an, offer Tarawih prayers, and fast during the day. In addition, we shall open the money purse and the gate of the storehouse, and give some to the poor. We shall give them money and goods to make them happy. Then Almighty Allah will be pleased because winning the hearts is rewarding just as
18 İbn-i Huzeyme, Sahîh, c.III, s.191, no:1887; Beyhakî, Şuabü’l-İman, c.III, s.305, no:3608; Heysemî, Müsnedü’l-Hàris, c.I, s.412, no:321; İbn-i Şâhin, Fadàilü Şehri Ramadàn, c.I, s.18, no:16; Selmân-ı Fârisî RA’dan.
Kenzü’l-Ummâl, c.VIII, s.757, no:23714 ve s.961, no:24276; Câmiü’l-Ehàdîs, c.XXIII, s.176, no:25782.
building the walls of Ka'bah. Likewise, breaking somebody's heart, offending somebody is as grave as destroying Ka'bah.
Once our beloved Prophet turned to Ka'bah from a distance and said: "O Ka'bah! You are so beautiful and blessed. You are so precious, yet by Allah, the heart of the believer is dearer to Allah than you are."
The heart of the believer is more precious than Ka'bah. Can you imagine how much reward you would earn by making a poor believer's heart happy?
I was told in Istanbul once, and I liked it very much: A rich man got out of the mosque after the Eid prayer on a day of Eid al Adha.
He grabbed the arm of a poor man who was big and tall yet humble.
He told the white-bearded poor man, "Come along!" Well, he was a respectable rich man--may Allah bless his soul. They all are gone yet remembered by their good deeds. This rich man took the poor man to the area where the animals were sold for sacrifice. He instructed: "You would understand which lamb or sheep is better and tastier. Could you please choose the best of the animals for me?"
The poor man knew that he was rich and money was not the issue. He was not going to be thrifty about buying the sacrifice. He picked the best of the sheep and brought to the rich man: "Sir, this is the best. You can purchase this one."
The rich man said: "All right! Move it to the side." He paid the vendor for the sheep and turned to the poor man: "Take this to your home. Enjoy it with your family."
The poor man thought that the rich man was going to buy it and keep it to himself. He thought the rich man was asking him a favor and help him choose the best one. If he had known that the rich man was going to give it to the poor man, he would have picked a small animal which would cost less. He would have said, "This is sufficient, Sir. No need for a better one." He picked the best animal for the rich to take home. Yet the rich man paid the money and
asked the poor man to take the lamb.
This is very good and unforgettable. It has nothing with me, yet I have heard about it and keep praying for that generous man. The generous rich person has left this life, yet people still pray for him on this day of Ramadhan. Man would die, yet his fame continues to live. People are remembered for the good things they do.
e. Good Treatment in Return to Mistreatment
وَهَلْ اَحْسَـنْـتُمْ اِلٰى مَنْ اَسَاءَ اِلَيْكُمْ؟
(Wa hel ahsentum ilâ men esâe ileykum?) Here is another question: "Have you well treated a person who had mistreated you before?"
In general, we do not treat a person well if the person mistreats us. If somebody punches us, we would punch him back. It has been like this in the society. We would say: "What can I do? He started it." We take our jacket off, hit him with our head, punch him, kick him, grab him, take him down, roll on the ground... Why? He started it!
As the Prophet SAS informed us, Almighty Allah is asking: "Have you well treated a person who had mistreated you before?"
I was told that once in Pakistan a blessed man, who was a white- bearded dervish, a mujahid, went to a farmer who was plowing the soil. The dervish called the farmer to the edge of the field and advised him on Islam. The farmer got angry: "Is that why you called me here and kept me away from my work?" He punched the dervish on the face. While wiping the blood on his face, the dervish apologized: "I am sorry, I was wrong; I should not have interrupted your work. I should not have kept you away from your work." The farmer realized that the dervish was a blessed man. He apologized and cried while he sought forgiveness from the dervish.
In the Hadith Qudsî, Allah asks: "Have you well treated a person
who had mistreated you before?" You think about your own life and visualize the time that somebody treated you wrong and deserved to be punished. You should not wait at a corner and say: "I will teach him a lesson when he passed from our neighborhood."
Have you done something good for such a person? If you have, Almighty Allah loves you. If you do like this, love and affection will be cultivated. That would heal the wounds. If one tries to take revenge, the enmity and grudge continues.
Imagine a man running away from Diyarbakir to Bursa or Istanbul to escape from the blood feud. He tries to leave no traces so that he is considered lost. His opponents could follow him like the police detectives and kill him as soon as they find him. It is for the revenge of a murder case that was committed by another person in the family. Now an innocent member of that family is murdered for revenge. In Islam there is the principle:
وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى (فاطر:٨١)
(Wa lâ teziru wâziratun wizra ukhra) "No bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another." (Qur'an 35:18) Nobody can be held responsible for something that is committed by somebody else. If you would find the murderer, you punish him. In Islam, the parties involved cannot issue the jurisdiction or the punishment; the judge issues the verdict. One cannot inflict harm on the other; there is no "muqabala biz-zarar--reciprocation with harm" in Islam. This is an important rule in Majallah.
Almighty Allah says in this hadith: "If you well treat a person who has mistreated you, you will earn my consent. If you give away from your wealth and earnings, you will earn My consent. If you fulfill your obligations, you will earn my consent. If you turn away from committing an offense or a sin by remembering my anger, you will earn my consent."
I remembered another Hadith Qudsî: On the Day of
Resurrection, Almighty Allah will ask one of His servants:
"O My servant! I got sick, but you did not come to visit Me!"
"Subhanallah! My Lord! You are the Lord of the Universe. How could you get sick? I do not understand."
"One of my servants was sick. If you had visited him, you had earned rewards as though you have visited Me."
"O My servant! I was hungry, but you did not feed Me!"
"Subhanallah! I glorify Thee o Allah! My Lord! You are the Lord of the Universe. You would not get hungry! You are above all of these needs. I fail to understand what You mean."
"One of my servants was hungry, and you did not feed him. If you had fed him, you would have earned rewards as though you had fed Me."
We infer from this Hadith Qudsî that Almighty Allah is pleased when we do good things to His servants.
Continuing with the first hadith,
f. Forgiving the Oppressor
وَهَلْ عَفَوْتُمْ لِمَنْ ظَلَمَكُمْ؟
(Wa hel afewtum li-men zalemekum?) "Have you ever forgiven someone who had oppressed and wronged you?" Imagine a person who definitely have ill treated you and deprived you of your rights.
Have you ever forgiven such a person? Forgiving earns great rewards for the person. It is praised in the following verse:
وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنْ النَّاسِ (اۤل عمران٤٣١)
(We’l-kâzimîne’l-ghayza we’l-'âfîne 'ani’n-nâs) "who restrain anger and who pardon people..." (Qur'an 3:134) These are the attributes of people who have taqwa. Remember, we are acquiring taqwa in Ramadhan; we are taking a one-month training course on taqwa, remember the verse,
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (البقرة٣٨١)
(Le allekum tetteqùn) "So that you may acquire taqwa--become righteous." (Qur'an 2:183) What are the characteristics of people who have taqwa?
الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالعَافِينَ
عَنِ النَّاسِ (اۤل عمران:٤٣١) )
(Elledhîne yunfiqùne fi’s-serrâi wa’d-darrâ') "They spend in the cause of Allah during the time of ease and hardship..."(Qur'an 3:134) They are generous; they open the money purse, the safe, the sack, and the storehouse... (Wa’l-kâzimine’l-ghayz) "They restrain anger, keep control of themselves. (We’l-'âfîne 'anin nâs) They forgive people." What can we do? People do things that are upsetting. We should control our anger and forgive them. As Yunus Emre --may his abode be Paradise in the hereafter--said:
Yaradilani hosh gör,
Yaradan'dan ötürü!
Be tolerant towards the creatures becuase of their Creator.
He suggests overlooking minor and insignificant matters.
Nazar eyle itürü,
Bazar eyle götürü
Yaradilani hosh gör
Yaradan'dan ötürü
When you look, look carefully
Do not deal with bits and pieces, look at the whole
Be tolerant towards the creatures
Because of their Creator
He recommends looking at the matter at hand carefully. One should handle the matter as a whole, not in bits and pieces. People have shortcomings. They may fail to keep their promises and forget the favors done for them. We ought to be tolerant towards them because Almighty Allah created them.
Also, when you forgive somebody who has done something wrong to you, the wounds heal and the society gets better. Bad people regret their offenses, and the order is established. Otherwise, one cannot prevent the demoralization in the society.
وَهَلْ وَصَلـْتُمْ لِمَنْ قـَطَـعـَكُمْ؟
(Wa hel wasaltum li-men qata'akum?) "Have you visited somebody who has distanced himself from you?" He ignores your friendship, never comes to your neighborhood, and never asks how you are. He has cut off all the ties between you. Do you go and visit him? This is very important.
Our late master Mehmed Zahid Kotku RhA was a blessed man whom people loved and observed his miracles. While I was traveling with him, in a town he suggested:
"Let's go and visit brother x."
The person he wanted to visit was a younger person who was a disciple of our shaikh, yet who would talk negative things about our master. He was known to gossip about him. I approached to our master and said: "Father! That person has been talking against you behind your back. He does not like you, he is against you!"
Despite my remarks, our master insisted about going and visiting this person. He did not turn his back to him. Later on this person stopped backbiting and became a good dervish of our master.
The hadith Qudsî continues:
وَهَلْ وَفَـيْــتُمْ لِمَنْ خَانــَكُمْ؟
(Wa hel wefeytum li-men khànekum?) “Have you been truthful to somebody who had betrayed your trust?”
وَهَلْ اَدَّبـْتُمْ اَوْلاَدَكُمْ؟ وَهَلْ اَرْضَيْتُمْ جِيرَانَكُمْ؟
(Wa hel eddebtum ewlâdekum?) “Have you trained your children to have good manners? (Wa hel erdaytum jîrânekum?) Are your neighbors happy with you?”
وَهَلْ سَئَلْتُمُ الْعُلَمَاءَ عَنْ أَمْرِ دِينِكُمْ؟
(Wa hel seeltumu’l-'ulemâe an emri dînikum?) "Have you consulted with scholars to make sure that you learn the truth in your religion and not deviate from the truth?"
The Hadith Qudsî continues:
Mehmed Zâhid KOTKU Rh.A
g. Almighty Allah looks at your Hearts
فَانِّى لاَ اَنْظُرُ اِلٰى صُوَرِكُمْ، وَلاَ مَحَاسِنُكُمْ وَلٰكِنْ اَنْظُرُ اِلٰى
قُلُوبِكُمْ وَنِيَّاتِكُمْ،
(Feinnî lâ enzuru ilâ suwerikum wa lâ mehâsinukum.) “I do not look at your physical shape or beauty." Almighty Allah says that He does not look at a person's physical appearance, wealth, lineage. The worldly values and virtues are not of His concern. He says: "(Welâkin enzuru ilâ qulûbikum wa niyyâtikum) Yet I look at your hearts and intentions."
The Hadith Qudsî ends wit the following words:
فَاَرْضَوْنِي بِهٰذِهِ الْخِصَالِ عَنْكُمُ.
(Feerdawnî bihâdhihi’l-hisâli ankum.) "You should earn My consent by doing these good deeds."
Lets summarize it and conclude the discourse:
The Hadith Qudsî started as "O son of Adam! Have you turned away from committing a sin as you were about to do it yet you remembered my wrath?" We a have to stay away from sins and offenses. This is one of the things we shall do.
Next, "Have you fulfilled the obligations as I ordered?" To fulfill the obligations, we ought to learn about them. In the past, scholars formulated the obligations as "Thirty-two Obligations" and "Fifty- four Obligations." They had children memorize them.
(Hel âteytumu’l-mesâkine min emwalikum?) "Have you give from what you have to the poor and needy?" We must be generous.
The generous is closer to Paradise while the stingy is closer to Hell.
(Wa hel ehsantum ilâ men esâe ileykum?) "Have you well treated somebody who had mistreated you before?"
(Wa hel afewtum li-men zalemekum?) "Have you forgiven one
who had done injustice to you?"
(Wa hel wasaltum li-men qataakum?) "Have you visited those who had cut their ties with you?" Are you in touch with your relatives and friends?
(Wa hel wefeytum li-men khànekum?) "Have you been loyal and constant for one who had betrayed your trust before?"
(Wa hel eddebtum ewlâdekum?) "Have you trained your children to have good manners?"
(Wa hel erdaytum jîrânekum?) "Have you pleased your neighbors? Are they happy about you? Do they say good words about you?"
(Wa hel seeltumu’l-ulemâe an emri dînikum?) "Have you consulted with the scholars on religion to avoid doing anything wrong."
The hadith ends as, "I do not look at your physical appearance, your faces, or worldly virtues; I look at your hearts and intentions.
Pay attention to these points and earn My consent."
May Almighty Allah guide us to his straight path in this Ramadhan, the month of spiritual training, worship, and mercy.
The beginning of this month is mercy; the middle, forgiveness; the end, freedom from the fire. May He grant us the ability to see the truth as truth and follow it. May He grant us the means to benefit from the blessings of this month and become a righteous servant.
May He grant us the means to abandon our ill characters and acquire good manners.
May He keep us on His straight path as his beloved righteous servants.
With the secrets of Surah Fatihah!
February 7, 1995 -- ISPARTA
Ramadhan 7, 1415