. JI ದ : ; (cont.)

Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them beholden (unto You)" (al-Araaf 16-17). Furthermore, unbelievers, in general, will never be satisfied and will never rest until they eradicate as many forms of true obedience and worship of Allah as they can. Allah clearly states, "-1 -੸1L>."'1 I Ñ> ; ৚> !.>; ;;; ৙> ;. _>1 • • :.>. ; _>1 I;; ''; ੶ u ੷.;) if J.;)_r.. . ·ண ੵ ur .r.. :;iJ / @ \" - -; - .. / It...> .... "And they will not cease from fighting against you till they have made you renegades from your religion, if they are able to do so" (al-Baqara 217). Therefore, the only way that Allah's law, justice, right and truth will prevail on this earth is if the believers in Allah sacrifice their time, wealth and souls for the establishment of truth. In other words, Muslims must participate in jihad until the Day of Judgment since the ungodly forces will not rest until that time. "Shall I not inform you of what controls that? . . . " In previous hadith of al-Nawawi's collection, the importance of speaking good things and refraining from evil speech has been discussed. However, in these final words of teachings to Muaadh, the Prophet (peace be upon him) goes far beyond the aspects that were previously mentioned. Commenting on this part of the hadith, ibn Rajah stated, "This indicates that restraining, controlling and withholding one's tongue is the foundation of all good. The one who controls his tongue controls, restrains and commands all of his affairs."1 Hence, as Sultaan points out, the one who has been given control over his tongue and speech has been given a great blessing indeed. It is the key to happiness in both this world and the Hereafter. 2 The meaning of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells Muaadh in this portion of the hadith is that, in general, it is because of the deeds of one's 1 Ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 1 46. 2 Sultaan, p. 261 . Hadith #29: "Tell me an act which . . . " tongue that one is thrown into the Hell-fire.1 Someone might wonder why this is the case. Can the deeds of the tongue be that great and that harmful? Ibn Rajab has explained how that is the case. He wrote, The sins of speech include shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is the greatest sin in Allah's sight. It also includes speaking about Allah without knowledge, which is the companion of shirk. It also includes giving false witness, which can be equivalent to shirk. It also includes sorcery, calumny and other major and minor sins, such as lying, backbiting, tale-spreading. In fact, the other sinful acts, in general, are usually accompanied by speech that assists in those deeds. 2 Given ibn Rajah's explanation, it is simple to understand how the ability or lack of ability to controls one's tongue is directly related to one's entrance into Paradise or into the Hell-fire. Note the following hadith also, ..-o .... ,,,, ,,,. .... .... J /0 .... ,... J Cl u ,... ,.. ,,. "" ""' ৔I Jw ]81 h81 ij u ৗi ;;. ৕J ΦI ৖J 1JI J ,. o৓) ')1:U1 01)) > c.!ϋ On the authority of Abu Thalaba al-Khushani Jurthoom ibn Naashir (may Allah be pleased with him): On the authority of the Messenger of Allah (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) who said, "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, has prescribed the obligatory deeds, so do not neglect them. He has set the limits, so do not go beyond them. He has forbidden some things, so do not violate them. And He has been silent about some things, out of mercy upon you and not out of forgetfulness, so do not seek after them." A hasan hadith recorded by al-Daaraqutni and others. Selected Vocabulary - "he has made obligatory" - "obligatory deeds" - "neglect them," the I.A at the end is the female pronoun for the plural of things. The literal meaning of the word is close to, "lose, waste." So the meaning is actually, "Do not abandon those acts or be lazy concerning them such that their time passes and they are lost." - "he set" - "limits, boundaries" - "transgress them, overstep them, go beyond them," again the I.A at the end is the female pronoun in reference to the plural of things. - "things," plural ofĞɗ - "he was silent" - "mercy" Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi · l,,..j u . I • • >'¥ - "forgetfulness" - "you seek, search" Takhreej This hadith has been recorded through different chains as pictured in Figure 30. 1 . This hadith was recorded by al-Daaraqutni, al-Baihaqi, al-Khateeb in al-Faqeeh wa al-Mutafaqih, al-Haakim, ibn Battah al-Akbari in al-Ibaanah, ibn al-Jauzi in Dhamm al-Hawa, Abu Nuaim, al-Dhakwaani, al-Tai and ibn al­ Samaak.