Yusuf Circle Sheffield

Preparations for the Akhirah (S2) The Messenger ﷺ: “Visit the graves, but do not say any falsehood there”. Umar رضي الله عنه: “Make these snakes that enter your homes fear you, before you fear them. The Muslims amongst the jinn never appear before you”. The Shayateen play games in our homes. They put things on our beds (sticks, stones etc) to make us angry at our family. The Shaytaan doing this is called Daasim.

Preparations for the Akhirah (S1) The Messenger ﷺ said Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى Has given a cure to every illness except old age. A dua to make for someone who is ill: Abu Nuhayla رضي الله عنه supplicated: “O Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, decrease the illness, but do not decrease the reward”. When Abdullah Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهم would visit the sick, upon leaving he رضي الله عنه would say: “May Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى grant you what is better”. Death is a gift for the believer. We will meet Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى only after we die.

Character (S6) If a disbeliever initiates the Salaam to you, you can return it. However you cannot initiate the Salaam to them, you must initiate with another greeting (e.g good morning, etc). Onto preparations for the akhirah: Ahmed Ibn Harb (r.h) said if you want to taste the sweetness of the company of the righteous, you have to give up the company of the wicked. One must beware of the weapons of mass distraction. In the modern era there is countless things which take us away from our true purpose.

Character (S5) Abdullah Ibn Abaas رضي الله عنهم: “The most beloved of the people to me are those who sit with me”. Linked to good company is good council. Umar رضي الله عنه: “The person I love the most is the one who informs me of my faults”. One must strive to keep good company, who with love and affection will give you heartfelt advice, pushing you to be better.

Character (S4) From the words of the previous Prophets (a.s): If you have no shame, then do whatever you want. If you keep the company of the righteous, good deeds become easy and sins become hard to do. Zayd Ibn Thaabit رضي الله عنه: “Whoever has no shame before the people, has no shame before Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى”.

Character (S3) The Messenger ﷺ said whatever you wouldn’t like the public to see, don’t do it in private. The Messenger ﷺ: “Lewdness does not appear in anything except it blemishes it. Haya does not appear in anything except it beautifies it”. The Messenger ﷺ: “Every religion has a manner/characteristic, the characteristic of Islam is haya”.

Character (S2) Mujahid (r.h) said Surah [55:46] refers to the one who is alone and is about to sin, but he remembers that he’ll stand before his Lord سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, thus doesn’t sin. Imam Ahmed (r.h): “Chivalry is when you leave what you desire for what you fear”. The more sins you commit, the less respect people have for you, the more of a coward you become and the less sociable you become. Muhammad Ibn Sireen (r.h) would lower his gaze even if he saw a woman in his dream.

Character (S1) Having a good character ensures you a long life. The scholars (r.h) mention that a long life here could mean, literally, a long life or it could mean extra blessings within your life. Our good deeds should be performed purely for the sake of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى. This is similar to how milk is described in Surah [16:66], milk comes out from between the excrement and blood of cattle, however it is pure. A glimpse into the sincerity of those before us: Hasan al-Basri (r.h) said that the Salaf (r.h) would sit in gatherings and if they were going to cry, they’d get up and leave. Another trait of the Muhsineen is that they perform righteous deeds in private. The Messenger ﷺ told us to do this.

Family (S1) To start with the mother: Umm Qais bint Mihsan’s رضي الله عنها son passed away. When they were giving him ghusl, she رضي الله عنها said don’t wash him with cold water or he’ll die (motherly love). Umm Qais’s brother, Ukashah رضي الله عنهم (the Badri) heard this and went to tell the Messenger ﷺ. The Messenger ﷺ smiled and said: “May Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى prolong her life”. She رضي الله عنها lived longer than all the women. The Messenger ﷺ: “Do not have a dislike for daughters, for they are the cheering and dear ones”. In Surah [42:49] Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى first mentions daughters before sons. What an honour for daughters. This is the complete opposite to how the Jahilliya Arabs treated daughters. They treated them like nothing. Glad tidings to the one who has daughters.

Health (S1) The Messenger ﷺ was once in an area and was conversing with a group. The Messenger ﷺ described the variety of dates from that area. The people were shocked and said: “Even if you grew up here, you couldn’t have told us this much”. The Messenger ﷺ then said their best dates are the dry ones, they contain shifa against diseases. Ali رضي الله عنه said the best dates are Barni dates. The Messenger ﷺ said they take away illness and have no illness within them. One should try and eat one of these dates in the mornings on an empty stomach. Doing this kills stomach bacteria and Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said doing this prevents appendicitis. The Messenger ﷺ: “Leave those medicines that cause disease to the healthy body”.

Virtues of Salawat (S1) The Messenger ﷺ: “Whoever invokes blessings upon me, then he has opened for himself 70 gates of Divine Mercy. The people will love him and anyone who hates him does so out of hypocrisy”. A companion رضي الله عنه used to send Salawat in abundance. The Messenger ﷺ said he رضي الله عنه will intercede for 100,000 people on the Day of Judgement. Hafiz Ibn Hajr (r.h) said that Salawat is not rejected and is accepted from us. Onto another priceless blessing: our health. The order of priority is Iman, then health, then wealth.

The Qur’an (S1) The Messenger ﷺ: “Recite the Qur’an with grief, for it descended with grief”. Grief here is in a positive context, it refers to the longing we have to meet our Lord سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى and the longing we have for our true and eternal home, Paradise. Whoever gives his own interpretation of the Qur’an (I.e ignorantly) will have a bridle of fire on his neck on the Day of Judgement. One gift within the Qur’an is Ayatul Kursi, Surah [2:255]. One report mentions that if you recite it after every obligatory prayer, it’s like you’ve defended 70 Prophets (a.s) on the battlefield and you’re covered in your own blood.

The Pillars (S8) Onto Zam Zam water: Hafiz Ibn Hajr (r.h) said Zam Zam is the most blessed water, as it was chosen to wash the blessed heart of the Messenger ﷺ. According to another scholar (r.h) Zam Zam water is superior to the water of Kauthar. One might ask how can water of Earth be superior to that of Paradise? But Zam Zam water is from Paradise. The Messenger ﷺ said: “There is no suroora in Islam”. The scholars (r.h) mention that suroora here refers to abstaining. In this context it refers to abstaining from marriage and Hajj. One must not put away these deeds and if he has the means should get them done as soon as possible - for there is no tomorrow.

The Pillars (S7) The reward for throwing stones at Shaytaan during Hajj is stored for you in a chest. This reward is saved for you when you need it most. Located in Mina is Masjid al-Hayf. 70 Prophets (a.s) prayed there, one of which was Prophet Musa (a.s). The reward for each step you take during Hajj is x70,000,000.

The Pillars (S6) The black stone is [metaphorically] like the right Hand of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى. Kissing the black stone thus is symbolically like kissing the right Hand of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى. Exalted be our Lord سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, there is nothing like Him سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى. When the black stone came from Paradise it descended onto mount Abu Qubais which is adjacent to mount Safa. It remained on mount Abu Qubais for 40 years. Regarding the Yemeni corner: The Messenger ﷺ said whenever I pass by it, I see Jibraaeel (a.s) there and he (a.s) supplicates for the forgiveness of the one who touches the Yemeni corner. Regarding the Shaving of one’s hair: for every hair you shave, a sin is forgiven. If you have more hair than sins, then the extra hair you shave off will be saved for you as a treasure. Every hair you shave off will be a light for you on the Day of Judgement.

The Pillars (S5) The purpose of Hajj is that we may benefit by seeing the signs. One of the blessed signs we see is the Maqaam-e-Ibraaheem (a.s). The black stone and the Maqaam-e-Ibraaheem (a.s) [i.e the stone there in] are both from Paradise. They initially shone so bright they could light up everything between the East and West, but Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى removed the light. Prophet Ibraaheem’s ﷺ blessed footprint remains etched within the Maqaam-e-Ibraaheem (a.s) today. One of the signs of the hour is that the black stone and the Maqaam-e-Ibraaheem (a.s) will be taken back.

The Pillars (S4) Is a Nafl Hajj superior to Sadaqah? According to the majority of scholars, the Nafl Hajj is superior. However a minority do mention that Sadaqah is superior. Another question people pose is can Hajj be performed with Haram wealth? Imam Ghazali (r.h) breaks down the process if one performs Hajj with Haram wealth. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى is The Most Merciful. Another whisper people get is that Hajj will make you lose your wealth. This is incorrect. In reality, it is the opposite. The Messenger ﷺ said: “If you perform the Hajj, you will be independent”.

The Pillars (S3) Umar رضي الله عنه: “Mount your saddles for Hajj, for indeed this is one of the two jihads”. The Messenger ﷺ was asked: “What is the best deed?”. He ﷺ replied: “Belief in Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, Jihad in the path of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى and an accepted Hajj”. The Messenger ﷺ made the dua: “O Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى, forgive the Hujaaj and forgive those who the Hujaaj seek forgiveness for”. The signs of Hajj Mabroor: Good character. Feed and speak kindly to others, spread the Salaam and control your tongue.

The Pillars (S2) Abu Zharr رضي الله عنه asked the Messenger ﷺ which is the most rewarding fast? The Messenger ﷺ replied: “The fast of Ramadan. It has with Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وتَعَالَى an immense reward”. (The reward is so great that the Messenger ﷺ didn’t even mention it specifically here). The Messenger ﷺ: “Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan, with Iman and expecting reward, his past and future sins will be forgiven”. Onto Charity: One must make sure he does not just simply give money. Abdullah Ibn Abaas رضي الله عنهم recited Surah [34:39] and said it refers to spending without extravagance and miserliness. A just measure must be met between your capacity and others’ needs.

The Pillars (S1) The Messenger ﷺ: “When you intend to pray, pray like the one who is about to depart from this world. Avoid saying things for which you’ll have to excuse yourself from tomorrow. Do not be eager to gain people’s possessions”. Most of us will not taste the sweetness of worship - this isn’t the end of everything however. There is immense goodness in continuing to worship even if we dislike it. Persevere, until it becomes a habit. The Messenger ﷺ: “Steadfastness is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise”.