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Al-Kahf - 18:46
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Between Wealth and Good Deeds
Allah says
الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا
Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world
This is like the Ayah:
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَتِ مِنَ النِّسَأءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَـطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ
Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, vaulted hoards of gold
(3:14)
Allah says:
إِنَّمَأ أَمْوَلُكُمْ وَأَوْلَـدُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
Your wealth and your children are only a trial, whereas Allah! With Him is a great reward (Paradise).
(64:15)
Turning towards Allah and worshipping Him is better for you than keeping busy with them, and accumulating wealth for them and going to extremes in feeling pity and compassion for them.
Allah says:
وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا
But the good righteous deeds that last, are better with your Lord for reward and better for hope
Ibn Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubayr and others among the Salaf said that; the good righteous deeds that last are the five daily prayers.
Ata' bin Abi Rabah and Sa'id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn Abbas, "The good righteous deeds that last are
Subhan Allah (glory be to Allah)',
Al-Hamdu Lillah (praise be to Allah)',
La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah)', and
Allahu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).'"
The Commander of the faithful, Uthman bin Affan was questioned, "Which are the good righteous deeds that last"
He replied, "They are:
La ilaha illallah,
Subhan Allah,
Al-Hamdu Lillah,
Allahu Akbar and
La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah hil-'Aliyil-'Azim (there is no strength and no power except with Allah the Exalted, the Almighty)."'
This was recorded by Imam Ahmad.
Imam Ahmad also recorded from a freed slave of the Messenger of Allah that he said:
بَخٍ بَخٍ لِخَمْسٍ مَا أَثْقَلَهُنَّ فِي الْمِيزَانِ
لَاا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ
وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ
وَالْحَمْدُ للهِ
وَالْوَلَدُ الصَّالِحُ يُتَوَفَّى فَيَحْتَسِبُهُ وَالِدُهُ
وَقَالَ بَخٍ بَخٍ لِخَمْسٍ مَنْ لَقِيَ اللهَ مُسْتَيْقِنًا بِهِنَّ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
يُوْمِنُ بِاللهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ الاْاخِرِ
وَبِالْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ
وَبِالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ
وَبِالْحِسَاب
Well done! Well done for five things! (How heavy they will weigh in the balance!
"La ilaha illallah,
Allahu Akbar,
Subhan Allah, and
Al-Hamdu Lillah," and
a righteous son who dies and his parents seek the reward of Allah.
And he said:(Well done! Well done for five things! Whoever meets Allah believing in them, he will enter Paradise; if he believes in:
Allah,
the Last Day,
Paradise and Hell,
resurrection after death, and
the Reckoning.
وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ
The good righteous deeds that last
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,
"This is the celebration of the remembrance of Allah, saying;
La ilaha illallah,
Allahu Akbar,
Subhan Allah,
Al-Hamdu Lillah,
Tabarak Allah,
La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah,
Astaghfirallah,
Sallallahu 'ala Rasul-Allah', and
fasting, prayer, Hajj, Sadaqah (charity), freeing slaves, Jihad, maintaining ties of kinship, and all other good deeds.
These are the righteous good deeds that last, which will remain in Paradise for those who do them for as long as heaven and earth remain."
Al-Awfi reported from Ibn Abbas: "They are good words."
Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "They are all righteous deeds."
This was also the view chosen by Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him
Al-Kahf - 18:47
The Major Terrors of the Hour
Allah tells;
وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ الْجِبَالَ
And (remember) the Day We shall cause the mountains to pass away, and you will see the earth as a leveled plain, and We shall gather them so that We will leave not one of them behind.
Allah tells us of the terrors of the Day of Resurrection, and the awesome things that will come to pass, as He says elsewhere:
يَوْمَ تَمُورُ السَّمَأءُ مَوْراً
وَتَسِيرُ الْجِبَالُ سَيْراً
On the Day when the heaven will shake with a dreadful shaking,
And the mountains pass moving away.
(52:9-10)
Meaning, they will move from their places and will vanish.
As Allah says:
وَتَرَى الْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ السَّحَابِ
And you will see the mountains and think them solid, but they shall pass away as the passing away of the clouds.
(27:88)
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ
And the mountains will be like carded wool.
(101:5)
وَيَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّى نَسْفاً
فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعاً صَفْصَفاً
لااَّ تَرَى فِيهَا عِوَجاً وَلاا أَمْتاً
And they ask you about the mountains, say:"My Lord will pulverize them scattering (their dust).
To leave them as a barren plain.
You will not see in it crookness or curve.
(20:105-107)
Allah tells us that He will cause the mountains to vanish and be leveled, and the earth will be left as a smooth plain, a level surface with nothing crooked or curved therein, no valleys or mountains.
So Allah says:
وَتَرَى الاَْرْضَ بَارِزَةً
And you will see the earth as a leveled plain
Meaning clear and open, with no features that anyone may recognize and nothing for anyone to hide behind. All creatures will be visible to their Lord, and not one of them will be hidden from Him.
Mujahid and Qatadah said,
وَتَرَى الاَْرْضَ بَارِزَةً
(and you will see the earth as a leveled plain) "No one will be hidden or absent."
Qatadah said, "There will be no buildings and no trees."
وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
And we shall gather them, so that We will not leave one of them behind
Means, 'We shall gather them all, the first of them and the last of them, and We shall not leave anyone behind, young or old.'
As Allah says:
قُلْ إِنَّ الاٌّوَّلِينَ وَالاٌّخِرِينَ
لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَى مِيقَـتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ
Say:"(yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times.
All will surely be gathered together for an appointed meeting of a known Day.
(56:49,50)
ذلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّجْمُوعٌ لَّهُ النَّاسُ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمٌ مَّشْهُودٌ
That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all will be present.
(11:103)
Al-Kahf - 18:48
وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا
And they will be set before your Lord, aligned
This may mean that all of creation will stand before Allah in one row, as Allah says:
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الرُّوحُ وَالْمَلَـيِكَةُ صَفّاً لاَّ يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلاَّ مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَـنُ وَقَالَ صَوَاباً
The Day that Ar-Ruh (Jibril) and the angels will stand aligned, they will not speak except him whom the Most Gracious (Allah) allows, and he will speak what is right);
(78:38)
Or it may mean that they will stand in rows, as Allah says:
وَجَأءَ رَبُّكَ وَالْمَلَكُ صَفّاً صَفّاً
And your Lord comes with the angels in rows.
(89:22)
لَّقَدْ جِيْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ
Now indeed, you have come to Us as We created you the first time
This is a rebuke to those who denied the Hereafter, a reprimand before all creation.
This is why Allah says to them:
بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا
Nay, but you thought that We had appointed no meeting for you (with Us)
Meaning, you did not think that this would happen to you or that it would come to pass
Al-Kahf - 18:49
وَوُضِعَ الْكِتَابُ
And the Book will be produced
The Book of deeds, which contains a record of everything, major or minor, significant or insignificant, great or small.
فَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ
And you will see the criminals, fearful of that which is therein
Of their evil deeds and reprehensible actions.
وَيَقُولُونَ يَا وَيْلَتَنَا
They will say, "Woe to us!"
Expressing words of regret for having wasted their lives.
مَالِ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ لَاا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَاا كَبِيرَةً إِلاَّ أَحْصَاهَا
What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a large thing, but has recorded it with numbers!
It has left no sin, major or minor, and no action, no matter how small, but it has recorded it with the utmost precision and accuracy.
وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا
And they will find all that they did, present
Everything, both good and evil, as Allah says,
يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُّحْضَرًا
On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done.
(3:30)
Allah says:
يُنَبَّأُ الاِنسَـنُ يَوْمَيِذِ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ
On that Day man will be informed of what he sent forward, and what he left behind.
(75:13)
And Allah says:
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَايِرُ
The Day when all the secrets will be exposed.
(86:9)
Meaning, everything that is hidden in people's hearts will become known.
Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas that the Prophet said,
لِكُلِّ غَادِرٍ لِوَاءٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُعْرَفُ بِه
Every traitor will have a banner on the Day of Resurrection, by which he will be known
It was also narrated in the Two Sahihs, where one narration says,
يُرْفَعُ لِكُلِّ غَادِرٍ لِوَاءٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عِنْدَ اسْتِهِ بِقَدْرِ غَدْرَتِهِ يُقَالُ هَذِهِ غَدْرَةُ فُلَنِ بْنِ فُلَن
On the Day of Resurrection, for every traitor a banner will be erected by his backside, and it will be said, "This is the betrayer of so-and-so the son of so-and-so."
وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا
And your Lord treats no one with injustice
Means, He will judge between His creatures for all of their deeds, and He will not treat any of His creatures with injustice. He will overlook and forgive and have mercy, and He will punish whomever He wills by His power, wisdom and justice. He will fill Hell with the disbelievers and those who have been disobedient. Then He will rescue the disobedient, and leave the disbelievers there for eternity. He is the Judge Who never wrongs or oppresses.
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَـعِفْهَا
Surely, Allah wrongs not even of the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it.
(4:40)
وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَازِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ فَلَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْيًا فَلَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْيًا
وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَاسِبِينَ
And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything.
And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And sufficient are We to take account.
(21:47)
And there are many similar Ayat.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil heard Jabir bin Abdullah say, "I was told about a Hadith which a man heard from the Prophet, so I bought a camel and put my saddle on it, then I traveled on it for a month until I came to Ash-Sham, where Abdullah bin Unays was. I said to the doorkeeper, 'Tell him that Jabir is at the door.'
He said, 'Jabir bin Abdullah!'
I said, 'Yes.'
So he came out, still putting his garment on, and embraced me, and I embraced him, and said:
'I heard a Hadith narrated by you, that you heard from the Messenger of Allah about reciprocal punishments. I was afraid that you or I would die before I could hear it.'
He said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
يَحْشُرُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ النَّاسَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَوْ قَالَ الْعِبَادَ عُرَاةً غُرْلاً بُهْمًا
Allah will gather the people, or His servants, on the Day of Resurrection, naked, uncircumcised and Buhman
I asked, 'What is Buhman?' He said,
لَيْسَ مَعَهُمْ شَيْءٌ
ثُمَّ يُنَادِيهِمْ بِصَوْتٍ يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ بَعُدَ كَمَا يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ قَرُبَ
أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَنَا الدَّيَّانُ لَا يَنْبَغِي لاَِحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ النَّارَ وَلَهُ عِنْدَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَقٌّ حَتَّى أُقِصَّهُ مِنْهُ وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لاَِحَدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَهُ عِنْدَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَقٌّ حَتَّى أُقِصَّهُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى اللَّطْمَة
They will have nothing with them.
Then a voice will call out to them that will be heard by those far away just as easily as it will be heard by those near:
"I am the Sovereign, I am the Judge. None of the people of Hell should enter Hell if he is owed something by one of the people of Paradise, until I have settled the matter, and none of the people of Paradise should enter Paradise if he is owed something by one of the people of Hell, until I settle the matter -- even if it is only the case of a slap."
We said, 'How will that be, when we have come before Allah barefooted, naked, uncircumcised and having nothing with us?'
He said,
بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّيَات
By (merit for) good deeds, and (recompense) for evil deeds
Shubah narrated from Al-Awwam bin Muzahim from Abu Uthman from Uthman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said:
إِنَّ الْجَمَّاءَ لَتَقْتَصُّ مِنَ الْقَرْنَاءِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة
The animal who lost a horn will settle the score with the one that has horns on the Day of Resurrection
It was recorded by Abdullah the son of Imam Ahmad, and there are corroborating narrations through other routes
Al-Kahf - 18:50
The Story of Adam and Iblis
Allah points out to the Children of Adam the enmity of Iblis towards them and their father before them, and rebukes those who follow him and go against their Creator and Master. It is He who created them from nothing and sustains and nourishes them by His kindness, yet they still took Iblis as their friend and declared their enmity towards Allah.
So Allah says:
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَإيِكَةِ
And (remember) when We said to the angels
Meaning all the angels, as was mentioned in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah.
اسْجُدُوا لاِدَمَ
Prostrate yourselves unto Adam
A prostration of respect and honor, as Allah says:
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـيِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـلِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَـلٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ
فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَـجِدِينَ
And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to create a human (Adam) from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.
So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him.
(15:28-29)
فَسَجَدُوا إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ
So they prostrated themselves except Iblis. He was one of the Jinn;
Meaning, his original nature betrayed him. He had been created from smokeless fire, whereas the angels had been created from light, as is stated in Sahih Muslim where it is reported that A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said that the Messenger of Allah said:
خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَيِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ
The angels were created from light
وَخُلِقَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ
Iblis was created from smokeless fire, and
وَخُلِقَ ادَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم
Adam was created from that which has been described to you
When matters are crucial, every vessel leaks that which it contains and is betrayed by its true nature. Iblis used to do what the angels did and resembled them in their devotion and worship, so he was included when they were addressed, but he disobeyed and went against what he was told to do. So Allah points out here that he was one of the Jinn, i.e., he was created from fire, as He says elsewhere:
أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
I am better than he. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.
(38:76)
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "Iblis was not one of the angels, not even for a second. He was the origin of the Jinn just as Adam, upon him be peace, was the origin of mankind."
This was narrated by Ibn Jarir with a Sahih chain.
فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ
He disobeyed the command of his Lord
Meaning by stepping beyond the bounds of obedience to Allah.
Fisq (disobeying) implies going out or stepping beyond. When the date emerges from its flower, the verb used in Arabic is Fasaqat; the same verb is used to describe a mouse coming out of its hole when it comes out to do damage.
Then Allah says, rebuking those who follow and obey Iblis:
أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَاء مِن دُونِي
Will you then take him and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me!
Meaning, instead of Me.
وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ
While they are enemies to you
This is why Allah says:
بِيْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلاً
What an evil is the exchange for the wrongdoers
This is like the Ayah in Surah Ya Sin where, after mentioning the Resurrection and its terrors, and the ultimate end of the blessed and the doomed, Allah then says:
وَامْتَازُوا الْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ
(It will be said):"And O you the criminals! Get you apart this Day (from the believers). until;
أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ
(Did you not then understand).
(36:59-62)
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