Truth Always Prevails

(They say): "Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower," Aal-e-Imran [3:8]

By Dr. Ali Al-Halawani
Deputy Editor in Chief — English IslamOnline.net


`Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The reward of deeds depends upon intentions, and every person will get his reward according to what he has intended. So, [for] whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, his emigration was for Allah and His Messenger. And [as for] whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he had emigrated for" (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).


I have read the above hadith several times before, and each time I read it, many things come across my mind concerning my own intention when I carry out several duties — be they related to my profession or my social or academic life. However, in the last time I was reading this hadith, Prophet Yusuf (Joseph —peace be upon him) and Prophet Muhammad's Companion Khalid ibn Al-Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) were present in both my heart and mind. I remembered them, along with two deeds they had performed.

I tried to understand these two deeds in light of this hadith.Before addressing these two deeds, which stirred something in my bosom, let's first take a look at the general meaning of the hadith, as well as the connotations and interpretations of the majority of Muslim scholars regarding it.

Interpretation of the HadithBased on this hadith,

Muslim scholars are of the unanimous opinion that the real basis of a deed is the intention of the doer, and that everyone will eventually be rewarded or punished according to his or her intention. Truly, the intention is founded in the heart, which means that people have to first make up their mind before they proceed to make a deed.

The bottom line in this hadith is that sincerity is a must for every deed. In other words, with every righteous deed, a believer should seek only the pleasure of Almighty Allah. If a deed is intended for any other purpose besides the pleasure of Allah, the whole of that deed will definitely be rejected by the Almighty Creator.

Indeed, Allah is the One and Only God, with Whom no partner should ever be associated.The heart of a real Muslim should be purged of the lust for all worldly things, which destroy the righteous deeds. Among these are hypocrisy, lying, ostentation, and greed, all of which are ignoble attributes that should be avoided.

Along with sincerity in doing a deed, there is another condition that should be met in order for a deed to be accepted by Almighty Allah: righteousness. This means that a deed should be done sincerely for Allah's sake and according to what He has legislated and prescribed. In the Noble Qur'an, Almighty Allah says:
(And [for] whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord.) (Al-Kahf 18:110)

From the foregoing, one concludes that deeds derive their worth from the sincere intention lying in the doer's heart and from their compliance with the Shari`ah. Such deeds shall be accepted and rewarded by Almighty Allah, either in this present life, in the hereafter, or in both — in the way He, the Almighty, wills.

Let's learn from Prophet Yusuf and from Khalid how to exert ourselves in doing what is good. Let's learn when to step forward for leadership when the need arises.

However, if a deed is intended for some of the perishable vanities of this world, it will eventually prove worthless and thus be rejected by the Almighty Creator, Who may punish its perpetrator in this life, as well as in the hereafter.It is also worth mentioning that if deeds are done without one harboring a specific intention or purpose in one's heart, they will go in vain and be nothing but a waste of effort, time, and money.


Deeds Based on Sincerity

Given the above, one should also note that there are some deeds that may appear to be devoid of sincerity while they are actually not. For example, a person may declare him- or herself qualified for a particular duty or leading position. People may view such a person as one who seeks power and prestige, whereas he or she may be asking for the responsibility only because there is no one else who can properly afford to perform the task or shoulder its burden. The following two examples can help clarify this point.

Prophet Yusuf

The first example is about Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). After his innocence had been declared and he had been released from prison, the king of Egypt ordered that he should be brought to him, intending to make him one of his close aides. When the king spoke to Yusuf and further recognized his virtues, great ability, brilliance, good conduct, and perfect manners, he said to him [Verily, this day, you are with us high in rank and fully trusted] (Yusuf 12:54). Thereupon, Prophet Yusuf said, [Set me over the storehouses of the land; I am a skilled custodian] (Yusuf 12:55).

Commentators on the Qur'an say that Prophet Yusuf praised himself. They maintain that this is allowed when one's abilities are unknown and when there is a need to do so. He said that he was an honest guardian who had both wisdom and deep knowledge about the task he had asked to be entrusted with.

In modern terminology, Prophet Yusuf asked the king to appoint him as minister of finance so that he would be responsible for the harvest storehouses, in which the Egyptians would collect produce for the years of drought that, he told them, would come. He wanted to be the guard, so that he could dispense the harvest in the wisest, best, and most beneficial way. The king accepted Yusuf's application for the job, for he was eager to draw Yusuf close to him, to honor him, and to benefit from his outstanding skills and integrity.


Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed

The second example is derived from the experience of Khalid ibn Al-Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) during the Battle of Yarmouk. The Muslim army was then geographically divided into four groups: one under `Amr ibn Al-`Aas in Palestine, one under Shurahbil ibn Hasnah in Jordan, one under Yazeed ibn Abu Sufyan in the Damascus-Caesarea region, and the last one under Abu `Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah at Emesa (modern-day Hims or Homs, Syria). Exploiting the situation, Emperor Heraclius, leader of the Byzantines, intended to attack. He wanted to avoid a single pitched battle with a united Muslim army.

Meanwhile, Khalid, who was then in Iraq, was sent as reinforcement to the Muslim army. He caught up with the Muslim army in five days. Having seen the whole situation, he addressed the leaders of the four Muslim armies, commanding them to unite. He cautioned them against the consequences of breaking up and keeping the status quo. Consequently, the separate groups of the army united and rearranged their ranks in the face of their enemy.

In his very impressive speech to the united Muslim army, Khalid — after praising Allah — said:
Indeed, this is one of Allah's days in which neither boasting nor aggression will be acceptable. Devote your struggle to Allah and seek only His pleasure with your effort. Definitely, this day will have consequences: If we force them [the enemy] to retreat to their headquarters, we will eventually win the day. But, were it the other way round, we would never defeat them in the future. Therefore, let's lead the army by turns. Let one of us be the leader for today, another for tomorrow, and a third for the day after, and so on, until the turn befalls all of us. Let me be your leader for today.

The whole army accepted the scheme and appointed Khalid as their leader on that very day! The focus here is on a certain point in this speech: It is Khalid's calling upon the Muslim army to accept him as their leader on the first day. Usually, when someone formulates a plan in which he is going to play a role in terms of alternate leadership, they — as a sign of modesty — propose that they come last after all the others have taken their turns.

However, what happened here was the opposite. Certainly, there was a valid reason behind this: It is the fact that everyone knew about the exceptional military skills of Khalid, known as the Unsheathed Sword of Allah.

Throughout his whole military life, he had never been defeated, even in a single battle.


ConclusionProphet Yusuf and Khalid ibn Al-Waleed asked for authority and wanted to shoulder a responsibility. However, they did so only to improve a situation and ward off harm, at a time when there was no one else who could afford this in an appropriate manner.

In Hollywood terms, they tried to save the world, and they actually saved it. Prophet Yusuf saved Egypt from a devastating famine. Khalid saved the Muslim army from a massive defeat at the hands of the Byzantines. Their request for authority was by no means an indication of bad intention or something that casts doubt on their sincerity.

Let's learn from Prophet Yusuf and from Khalid how to exert ourselves in doing what is good. Let's learn when to step forward for leadership when the need arises, while maintaining our sincerity. Let each one of us try to be a Yusuf in civil work and a Khalid in action!

__________________________________________________
Dr. Ali Al-Halawani is managing editor of the Living Shari`ah section and deputy editor in chief of English IslamOnline.net. He holds a PhD in computational linguistics and translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. Over the last 15 years, he has been researching and translating Islamic texts from Arabic into English. He writes on a variety of issues: corpus linguistics, translation of the meanings of the Qur'an, heart softening, and biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), among many others. You can reach him at ali.halawani@iolteam.com.

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About this blog

"Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise"

Those who disbelieve and turn (men) from the way of Allah, He rendereth their actions vain. (1)
And those who believe and do good works and believe in that which is revealed unto Muhammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He riddeth them of their ill-deeds and improveth their state. (2) That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood and because those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus Allah coineth their similitudes for mankind. (3) -Muhammad [47:3]

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Relieve Your Heart! Think Well of Others!

“Beware of assumptions, for assumption is the falsest of speech, and do not be inquisitive, and do not spy upon one another, and do not vie with one another, and do not envy one another, and do not hate one another, and do not shun one another; be fellow-brothers and slaves of Allah.” (Al-Bukhari: Book 8 Vol. 73 Hadith 92)

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سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا‌ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡہَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡ‌ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرً۬ا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ‌ۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآ‌ۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَٮٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦)
Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk. (286)

اللهممقلبالقلوبثبّتقلبيعلىدينك

Allahumma muqallibul Qulub thabit qalbi 'ala deenek.

"O turner of the hearts! Establish my heart upon Your religion."

sayyidul istighfar


"If a believer says this with complete faith and sincerity in the morning and dies before that evening, he will enter paradise. If he says it during the night and dies before the morning, he will enter paradise."

"O Allah!

You are my Lord.

There is no God except You.

You created me and I am Your slave.

To the best of my ability, I will abide by my covenant and pledge to You.

I seek Your protection from the evil of my own creation.

I acknowledge Your favors to me and I admit my sins.

So please forgive me for no one

can forgive sins except You."

Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 52 :: Hadith 41

Narrated Abdullah bin Masud:

I asked Allah's Apostle, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the best deed?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, what is next in goodness?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." I did not ask Allah's Apostle anymore and if I had asked him more, he would have told me more.

`Ali ibn `Abu Talib.

"Do not ask these three kinds of people to statisfy your needs: the liar, for surely the will make things seem near when they are in distant; the fool, for surely he will want to help you, but will only harm you; and the man whose own need is linked to your needs, for surely he will use your need as a means to secure his own need"

Muhammed (PBUH)

Al-Anbiya [21:107]

And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).

Al-Fath [48:8]Verily, We have sent you (O muhammad SAW) as a witness, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner

Aal-e-Imran [3:31] Say (O muhammad SAW to mankind): "If you (really) love Allâh then follow me (i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur'ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

99 Names Of Allah


Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names."[Al Isra 17:110]

1

Allah (الله)

The Greatest Name

2

Ar-Rahman (الرحمن)

The All-Compassionate

3

Ar-Rahim (الرحيم)

The All-Merciful

4

Al-Malik (الملك)

The Absolute Ruler

5

Al-Quddus (القدوس)

The Pure One

6

As-Salam (السلام)

The Source of Peace

7

Al-Mu'min (المؤمن)

The Inspirer of Faith

8

Al-Muhaymin (المهيمن)

The Guardian

9

Al-Aziz (العزيز)

The Victorious

10

Al-Jabbar (الجبار)

The Compeller

11

Al-Mutakabbir (المتكبر)

The Greatest

12

Al-Khaliq (الخالق)

The Creator

13

Al-Bari' (البارئ)

The Maker of Order

14

Al-Musawwir (المصور)

The Shaper of Beauty

15

Al-Ghaffar (الغفار)

The Forgiving

16

Al-Qahhar (القهار)

The Subduer

17

Al-Wahhab (الوهاب)

The Giver of All

18

Ar-Razzaq (الرزاق)

The Sustainer

19

Al-Fattah (الفتاح)

The Opener

20

Al-`Alim (العليم)

The Knower of All

21

Al-Qabid (القابض)

The Constrictor

22

Al-Basit (الباسط)

The Reliever

23

Al-Khafid (الخافض)

The Abaser

24

Ar-Rafi (الرافع)

The Exalter

25

Al-Mu'izz (المعز)

The Bestower of Honors

26

Al-Mudhill (المذل)

The Humiliator

27

As-Sami (السميع)

The Hearer of All

28

Al-Basir (البصير)

The Seer of All

29

Al-Hakam (الحكم)

The Judge

30

Al-`Adl (العدل)

The Just

31

Al-Latif (اللطيف)

The Subtle One

32

Al-Khabir (الخبير)

The All-Aware

33

Al-Halim (الحليم)

The Forebearing

34

Al-Azim (العظيم)

The Magnificent

35

Al-Ghafur (الغفور)

The Forgiver and Hider of Faults

36

Ash-Shakur (الشكور)

The Rewarder of Thankfulness

37

Al-Ali (العلى)

The Highest

38

Al-Kabir (الكبير)

The Greatest

39

Al-Hafiz (الحفيظ)

The Preserver

40

Al-Muqit (المقيت)

The Nourisher

41

Al-Hasib (الحسيب)

The Accounter

42

Al-Jalil (الجليل)

The Mighty

43

Al-Karim (الكريم)

The Generous

44

Ar-Raqib (الرقيب)

The Watchful One

45

Al-Mujib (المجيب)

The Responder to Prayer

46

Al-Wasi (الواسع)

The All-Comprehending

47

Al-Hakim (الحكيم)

The Perfectly Wise

48

Al-Wadud (الودود)

The Loving One

49

Al-Majid (المجيد)

The Majestic One

50

Al-Ba'ith (الباعث)

The Resurrector

51

Ash-Shahid (الشهيد)

The Witness

52

Al-Haqq (الحق)

The Truth

53

Al-Wakil (الوكيل)

The Trustee

54

Al-Qawiyy (القوى)

The Possessor of All Strength

55

Al-Matin (المتين)

The Forceful One

56

Al-Waliyy (الولى)

The Governor

57

Al-Hamid (الحميد)

The Praised One

58

Al-Muhsi (المحصى)

The Appraiser

59

Al-Mubdi' (المبدئ)

The Originator

60

Al-Mu'id (المعيد)

The Restorer

61

Al-Muhyi (المحيى)

The Giver of Life

62

Al-Mumit (المميت)

The Taker of Life

63

Al-Hayy (الحي)

The Ever Living One

64

Al-Qayyum (القيوم)

The Self-Existing One

65

Al-Wajid (الواجد)

The Finder

66

Al-Majid (الماجد)

The Glorious

67

Al-Wahid (الواحد)

The One, the All Inclusive, The Indivisible

68

As-Samad (الصمد)

The Satisfier of All Needs

69

Al-Qadir (القادر)

The All Powerful

70

Al-Muqtadir (المقتدر)

The Creator of All Power

71

Al-Muqaddim (المقدم)

The Expediter

72

Al-Mu'akhkhir (المؤخر)

The Delayer

73

Al-Awwal (الأول)

The First

74

Al-Akhir (الأخر)

The Last

75

Az-Zahir (الظاهر)

The Manifest One

76

Al-Batin (الباطن)

The Hidden One

77

Al-Wali (الوالي)

The Protecting Friend

78

Al-Muta'ali (المتعالي)

The Supreme One

79

Al-Barr (البر)

The Doer of Good

80

At-Tawwab (التواب)

The Guide to Repentance

81

Al-Muntaqim (المنتقم)

The Avenger

82

Al-'Afuww (العفو)

The Forgiver

83

Ar-Ra'uf (الرؤوف)

The Clement

84

Malik-al-Mulk (مالك الملك)

The Owner of All

85

Dhu-al-Jalal wa-al-Ikram (ذو الجلال و الإكرام)

The Lord of Majesty and Bounty

86

Al-Muqsit (المقسط)

The Equitable One

87

Al-Jami' (الجامع)

The Gatherer

88

Al-Ghani (الغنى)

The Rich One

89

Al-Mughni (المغنى)

The Enricher

90

Al-Mani'(المانع)

The Preventer of Harm

91

Ad-Darr (الضار)

The Creator of The Harmful

92

An-Nafi' (النافع)

The Creator of Good

93

An-Nur (النور)

The Light

94

Al-Hadi (الهادي)

The Guide

95

Al-Badi (البديع)

The Originator

96

Al-Baqi (الباقي)

The Everlasting One

97

Al-Warith (الوارث)

The Inheritor of All

98

Ar-Rashid (الرشيد)

The Righteous Teacher

99

As-Sabur (الصبور)

The Patient One

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