. J '1 J (cont.)

?" "Am I staying away from any heresies and innovations in the religion, realizing full well that such acts will be rejected by Allah?" "Am I doing my best to avoid the doubtful matters so that I may make my religion pure and innocent and remain far away from falling into the forbidden acts? Am I avoiding those things that make me doubt and follow those things that are clearly permissible, correct and free of any doubts in my mind?" "Are my actions toward Allah, His messenger, His book and all other Muslims sincere and am I fulfilling all of my obligations toward them?" "Do I do what is within my means to do of the deeds that the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded? Am I doing my best to completely avoid what he has forbidden?" "Am I making sure that everything that I eat and sustain myself with is pure and wholesome according to the shareeah?" "Do I truly love for my brother what I love for myself? If not, can I truly consider myself a real believer?" Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "Do I make sure that when I speak, I speak only good and beneficial words? Am I kind and generous to my neighbors? Do I fulfill the rights of my visitor upon me?" "Do I, like a true believer should, keep myself from getting angry for the wrong reasons?" "Do I do all my deeds in the best way possible, thus pleasing Allah in all of my actions, even when slaughtering an animal?" "Do I understand what taqwa is and do I really have taqwa?" "Do I try to remove my evil deeds by performing better deeds after them?" "Do I behave toward others in the proper way, in the manners prescribed by this noble religion?" "Do I really put my trust in Allah? Do I really leave all of my affairs in His hand? Am I truly mindful of Him such that He will be there for me when I am in greatest need of Him?" "Do I honestly have the characteristic of hayaa', such that it keeps me from doing what is forbidden?" "Do I remember that every day I am actually either selling myself on Allah's behalf for Paradise or dragging myself into the Hell-fire?" "Do I do my best to avoid all types of zulm?" "Do I perform that charity that is required upon everyone of my bones on every day?" "Do I truly stick stubbornly to the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions, as ifbiting onto them with my molar teeth?" "Do I truly control my tongue?" "When I see an evil, what is my feeling toward that evil? Do I have any desire to remove it or have I become so complacent that I do not mind seeing the acts that are displeasing to Allah all around me?" "Do I truly respect and deal with my brothers and sisters in Islam the way that I am supposed to? If so, how could I be envious of them? How could I hate them? How could I cheat them? How could I lie to them? How could I wrong them? How could I violate their honor and backbite them or tell lies about them . . . ?" "Am I helping my brothers and sisters? Am I saving them from their calamities in this world so that Allah will save me from the greatest calamity in the Hereafter?" "Do I ever wrongfully show enmity to any of Allah's devoted servants, thereby opening myself up to war from Allah and His displeasure?" "Do I first and foremost get close to Allah by performing those acts that He has obligated upon me and that are most pleasing to Him? After that, do I get even closer to Him by the voluntary deeds such that He becomes my ears with which I hear. . . ? Can I really claim that for myself?" Epilogue "Am I in this world like a stranger or I have become so engrossed in this world that I cannot even think of leaving it, even if it means to meet Allah and enter Paradise?" "Do I realize my shortcomings and sins? Let me then tum to Allah and ask Him for forgiveness for all of those shortcomings related to my actions, as He is the forgiving, the merciful, and none can forgive sins but Him." These are just some of the many questions that a Muslim should ask himself just based on these few hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When the person thinks about these matters and acts appropriately upon them, Allah willing, he can look forward to Allah's pleasure and Paradise in the hereafter. Finally, al-Nawawi truly met his goal of collecting together some of the most fundamental sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that span the religion as a whole.