Beneficial Knowledge

In one of his writings, ibn Taymiyah said: As for sins, no one should try to excuse himself by blaming them on Allah's qadr. Rather, they should not commit the sin, and if they do commit it then should repent from it just as Adam did.  In this vein, some scholars have said that there are two types of sins: the sin of Adam and the sin of Iblis. For Adam repented and then Allah turned to him in repentance, chose him and guided him. But Iblis persisted in sin and blamed his sin on Qadr.  So whoever repents from his sin resembles his father Adam, but whoever persists and blames it on qadr resembles Iblis. [Minhaj al-Sunnah 3/27]

'Abdullah said: Whoever recites fifty ayaat in a night will not be recorded as heedless. And whoever recites one hundred ayaat will be recorded as devoutly obedient. And whoever recites three hundred ayaat will have a mountain of good deeds recorded for him. And whoever recites seven hundred ayaat will have matters opened up for him. [Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah 7/177]

From Anas b. Mālik رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ passed by a tree with dry leaves, so he struck it with his staff making the leaves fall then the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “Indeed (saying) Alḥamdulillaah and SubḥaanAllaah and Laa Ilaaha Illallaah and Allaahu Akbar remove from the sins of the slave just like the leaves fall from this tree.” ● [سنن الترمذي رقم ٣٥٣٣ وصحيح الجامع رقم ١٦٠١ ، خلاصة حكم المحدث (الألباني) : حسن]

Ibn al-Mubarak related that ibn Shubrumah said, "I’m astounded by people who put themselves on a diet for fear of illness, but don’t impose the same limits on themselves when it comes to sins for fear of the hellfire." [Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’ 6/348]

Allah says in surah al-Shu'ara' [26]: [وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ] And place your reliance on al-'Aziz al-Rahim [217] Meaning: Entrust your affairs to Him, for He is al-'Aziz who cannot be defeated, al-Rahim who does not let His allies down. [Jaami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an 13/134]

Allah says in surah al-Nisa': [إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا ‎* إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا] The munafiqoon will be in the lowest level of the hellfire and you will never find a helper for them * except for those who repent, set things right, hold fast to Allah, and make their devotion exclusively for Allah - those ones will be with the believers. And Allah is going to give the believers a tremendous reward. [145-146] Hudhayfah said, "There will certainly be some people that used to be munafiqoon who will enter Jannah." 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said, "How do you know that?" This angered Hudhayfah, so he got up and left. Then when those in that gathering parted ways, 'Alqamah passed by Hudhayfah and Hudhayfah called him over and said, "Your teacher certainly knows about what I said," and then he recited: [ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا] "Except for those who repent, set things right, hold fast to Allah, and make their devotion exclusively for Allah - those ones will be with the believers. And Allah is going to give the believers a tremendous reward." [al-Nisa' ayah 147] [Tafsir al-Tabari 9/342. See also Tafsir al-Qurtubi 5/365 for a slightly different recounting of this event]

Yusay' al-Hadhrami said: Once when we were with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, a man said, "O Leader of the Faithful, what do you think about Allah's statement: ‎[وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا] "And Allah will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers" [al-Nisa' ayah 141]  and yet they fight us, defeating and killing us?" 'Ali replied, "Look before that, look before that!" and then recited: ‎[اللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا] "Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers" [al-Nisa' ayah 141] i.e. on the Day of Resurrection.  [Tafsir al-Tabari 9/328]

al-Hasan al-Basri said: This Qur'an is recited by slaves and children who don't understand its surface-level meanings nor do they know its more detailed implications. But the people most entitled to this Qur'an are those who the Qur'an can be seen in their actions. Allah has said: ‎[كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ] "A blessed Book which We have revealed to you so that those would do *tadabbur* over its ayaat and so that the people of understanding would be reminded." [Sad ayah 29] And doing *tadabbur* means to follow it in your actions. But instead one of them says to another, "Come, let me recite to you," but this is not how reciters act and they are not true reciters nor are they pious. May Allah not multiply such people, may Allah not multiply such people. [Sa'eed ibn Mansoor ibn his Sunan #135]

Maymūn ibn Mihrān said: “Remembrance (dhikr) is of two kinds: remembrance of Allah with the tongue is good, but better than that is that the servant remembers Allah at the time of sin, and so refrains from it.” (Reported by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā in al-Waraʿ, no. 49)

Allah says in surah al-Nisa': [وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ ۚ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا] And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's ayaat they are denied and ridiculed, so do not sit with them until they engage in another topic of conversation. If you did, you would be like them. Allah will gather up the munafiqoon and the disbelievers in the hellfire together. [140] In his tafsir of this ayah, Sheikh Faisal Aal Mubarak wrote: This is in reference to Allah's statement in surah al-An'am: [وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ] "And when you see those who speak about Our ayaat, turn away from them until they speak about another topic." [al-An'am ayah 68] And Hisham ibn 'Urwah said: 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz once caught some people drinking alcohol so he punished them. But there was one fasting person among them and they said, "This one was fasting," and he responded by reciting: [فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ ۚ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ] "So do not sit with them until they engage in another topic of conversation. If you did, you would be like them." [Tawfiq al-Rahman under surah al-Nisa' ayah 140. See also Tafsir al-Tabari 9/322]

Ibn 'Abbaas said: There are three ayaat that were sent down making three pairings, in each case one half of the pair won't be accepted without the other half.  The first is Allah's statement: [ أطيعوا الله وأطيعوا الرسول] "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger" for whoever obeys Allah but does not obey the Messenger, that obedience will not be accepted from him. The second is Allah's statement: [وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ] "And establish the pray and pay the zakah"  for whoever prays but does not give zakah, that prayer will not be accepted from him. The third is Allah's statement: [ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ] "... and that you would be grateful to Me and to your parents ..." [Luqman ayah 14] for whoever is grateful to Allah but not grateful to his parents, that gratitude will not be accepted from him. [Kitab al-Kaba'ir, ch 8]

Allah says in surah al-Nisa': [وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَنِيًّا حَمِيدًا * وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا] All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth belongs to Allah. We have certainly commanded those who were given the scripture before you and you to have taqwa of Allah. And if you disbelieve, then everything that is in the heavens and everything that is on the earth belongs to Allah. And Allah is Free of Need, Worthy of Praise. * All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth belongs to Allah. And Allah is enough of Disposer of Affairs. [131-132] In his tafsir of this passage, Imam al-Baghawi poses and then answers the following question: One might ask: What is the benefit of repeating His statement, "All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth belongs to Allah"? We could say: Each one of these instances is done for its own reason. As for the first: the message here is that all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth belongs to Allah and He is commanding you to have taqwa so respond to His command As for the second, Allah is saying: All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth belongs to Allah and Allah is Free of Need - i.e. He is Rich with great wealth, so seek whatever you are seeking from Him. As for the third, Allah is saying, "All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth belongs to Allah. And Allah is enough of Disposer of Affairs" - meaning: He owns is all, so take Him as a disposer of your affairs and do not place your reliance on anyone else besides Him. [Tafsir al-Baghawi 2/297]

After leaving the Battle of Uhud, Abu Safwan and the Quraysh regretted leaving before attaining a total victory, so they planned to return. Upon learning of this plan, the Prophet called those who had fought at Uhud to come out to meet the Quraysh again, which Allah mentions in surah Aal 'Imran by saying: ‎[الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَوْا أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ] Those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after they had suffered injuries. For those of them who did good and had taqwa there will be a tremendous reward. [172] 'A'ishah told 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr: O my nephew, I swear by Allah that your father and your grandfather - i.e. Abu Bakr and al-Zubayr - were among those about whom Allah said, "Those who responded to Allah and the Messenger after they had suffered injuries."   [Tafsir al-Tabari 7/403]

Allah recounts the story of the angels inquiring about Adam in surah al-Baqarah [2], including their statement: [قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ] They said, "Exalted are You, we have no knowledge except for what You have taught us. You are certainly the al-'Aleem al-Hakeem - All-Knowing, All-Wise." [32] Ibn 'Abbaas said: al-'Aleem whose knowledge is perfect and complete and al-Hakeem whose decisions are perfect and complete. [Tafsir al-Tabari 1/497]

The Command Of Allaah To Obey Him & Obey His Messenger Allaah said: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا﴾ «Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for [the Meeting with] Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much.» [Qur’ān, (33:21)] Ibn Katheer said: ❝This noble Ayaah is a major principle in taking the Messenger of Allaah [ﷺ] as an example to follow. Following him in his statements, his actions and his matters. This is why Allaah [تبارك وتعالى] commanded the people to take the Prophet [ﷺ] as an example on the day of Al-Ahzab [the battle of the trench when all the tribes gathered to fight the Muslims] in regards to his patience, forbearance, determination, his striving and waiting for relief from his Lord [عز و جل].❞ [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, (3/483)]

Allah says in surah al-Nisa': [وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ ۖ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَانِ وَأَن تَقُومُوا لِلْيَتَامَىٰ بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِ عَلِيمًا] They ask you for a ruling about women. Say: Allah gives you a ruling about them and what is recited to you in the Book about the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them, even while you desire to marry them, and about the downtrodden children, and that you should maintain things for the orphans fairly. And whatever good you do, Allah is All-Knowing of it. [127] Ibn 'Abbaas said about this ayah: The people of pre-Islamic ignorance used to only give inheritance to children once they had reached a certain age and they used to not give any inheritance to women. Then when Islam came, He said, "They ask you for a ruling about women. Say: Allah gives you a ruling about them and what is recited to you in the Book" - meaning the shares of inheritance that Allah had set for them which you hadn't been giving them, as mentioned in the beginning of this surah. [Tafsir al-Tabari 9/254-255]

In surah al-Nisa', Allah mentions: [وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيرًا] And whoever does righteous deeds - whether male or female - while being a believing, those ones will enter Jannah and they will not be wronged in the least. [124] This ayah shows the link between eman and good deeds, for one is not accepted without the other also being present. [Zad al-Maseer 4/296]

In surah al-Tawbah [9], Allah recounts the events of the Prophet's hijrah, describing his companion Abu Bakr by saying: [ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ] "... the second of two, when both of them were in the cave ..." [40] I heard our teacher, Imam Abu'l-'Abbaas Ahmad ibn 'Umar say:  The reason why Abu Bakr al-Siddiq deserved to be called "the second of two" is because after the Prophet's death he upheld the faith just as the Prophet had done before him.  That is because when the Prophet passed away, nearly all of the Arab tribes left the faith and Islam only remained in al-Madinah, Makkah and the surrounding areas. Abu Bakr took up the task of calling the people to Islam and fighting them so that they would enter the religion just as the Prophet had done. It is for this reason that he deserves to be called, "the second of two." [Jaami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an 8/79]

Allah describes the munafiqoon in surah al-Nisa' [04] by saying: ‎[مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ] Wavering between them, neither belonging to these ones or those ones. [143] Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said: The believer, the munafiq and the disbeliever are like three people who came to a empty river bed.  The first one went down into it and crossed to the other side.  The next person went down into it but when he reached the midpoint the person on the banks of the river bed called out to him, saying, "Woe to you! Where are you going? To your doom? Come back to where you started from!" Meanwhile the one on the far side called out to him, saying, "Come over here to safety!"  So the man in the middle kept looking back and forth at the two of them until a flash flood came and drowned him.  The one who made it across was the believer, and the one who was drowned was the munafiq - "wavering between them" - and the one who stayed on the bank was the disbeliever. [Tafsir ibn Abi Hatim #6144 - 4/1097]

In surah al-Nisa', Allah informs us: ‎[مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ] "... whoever commits a sin will be repaid for it ..." [123] al-Rabee' ibn Ziyad said: I said to Ubay ibn Ka'b: There is Allah's statement that "whoever commits a sin will be repaid for it" [al-Nisa' ayah 123]. I swear by Allah, if we were to be repaid for everything that we have done, we would be ruined!  Ubay replied: I swear by Allah, I used to think that you had better understanding than this! Any scratch or bump that happens to a person is a result of his sins, but Allah overlooks most things. [Tafsir al-Tabari 9/237]