Part 39

‘Abdullah ibn Khubayb said: “We went out one rainy and intensely dark night to look for the Messenger of Allah 3 to lead us in prayers, yet when we found him, he asked: ‘Have you prayed?’ However I did not say anything. So he said: ‘Say’, so I did not say anything. He # again said: ‘Say’, and I did not say anything. then he said: ‘Say’. So I replied: ‘What am I supposed to say?’ He 3 repliedd: ‘Say: (Say, He is Allah, One) and al-mu ‘awwidhatan three times in the morning and evening; they will serve you for every purpose.”””

‘Ugbah bin ‘Amir reported that the Prophet # said: “What wonderful verses have been revealed today, the like of which has never been seen! They are: (Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Daybreak) and (Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind)

‘Aishah 4 said: “During the Prophet’s illness, he used to recite almu’awwidhat (Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nas) and then blow his breath over his body. When his illness aggravated, I used to recite those two Surahs and blow my breath over him and make him rub his

hands for its blessings”.

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri # said: “The Prophet 3% used to seek refuge in Allah from the Jinn and the evil eye of men till al-mu‘awwidhatan were revealed, after which he made use of them and abandoned everything else.”*

' Recorded by al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi.

? Recorded by Abu Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi. 3 Recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Malik. * Recorded by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

The fifteenth shield: Observing the remembrance of Allah

Abu Hurayrah 2 reported that the Prophet 3% said: “If one says onehundred times in one day: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, Who has no partners, to Him belongs the Dominion, and to Him belongs all Praise, and He has Power over all things”, one will get the reward of manumitting ten slaves, and one-hundred good deeds will be written in his account, and one-hundred bad deeds will be removed from his account, and on that day he will be protected from the morning till evening from Satan, and nobody will be superior to him except one who has done more than that which he has done.”

Abu Dharr # reported that the Prophet 3% said: “He who recites ten times before standing up, after finishing salah — and before speaking: ‘There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner, to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him all praise is due; He gives life and causes death; and He is Potent over everything’, for him there would be recorded for every recital ten good deeds, and ten of his sins would be obliterated, and he would be raised ten ranks (in status). He is safeguarded against any unpleasantness, he is safeguarded against Satan, the accursed, and no sin would destroy him except associating anything with Allah.”

The sixteenth shield: Safeguarding one’s vision

One of the gravest intrusions of Satan in mankind takes place when a person lets one’s eyes roam freely to see the unlawful; therefore, safeguarding them breaks Satan’s evil aims. Ibn al-Qayyim said: “The curiosity behind one’s vision evokes an approval of looking, which allows the image seen to be stored in the heart, which generates a desire to obtain it. Therefore, the starting point of fitnah is the curiosity of the eyes, as stated by the Prophet #: ‘A glance is one of the poisonous arrows of /b/liss (Satan); so whoever lowers his eyes (from seeing the unlawful) for the Sake of Allah, Allah 3% would produce for him an act of worship, whose sweetness he will experience

' Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. ? Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

in his heart till the Day he meets Him 38’”'. Serious incidents begin with the curiosity of one’s eyés. Many looks (or glances) have indeed led to many grievance and sorrow.

The Prophet 3% prohibited allowing one’s eyes to see anything in one’s sight, since it entails evil for mankind; so he told ‘Ali 2: “Do not give a second glance, ‘Ali, because while you are not to blame for the first, you have no right for the second.”

Tbn Mas‘ud said: “There is in every glance an evil aspiration from Satan.”

Jarir ibn ‘Abdillah #% said: “I asked the Prophet 3 about a sudden glance that is cast on the face of a non-mahram, he #% commanded me that I should tum my eyes away.”

The Prophet 3 blocked the path of Satan, when he 3% commanded people of his Ummah, by saying: “Do not enter upon the (the company of) ladies.” A man from the Ansar said: “O Messenger of Allah, what about al-hamu (the in-laws of the wife, the brothers of her husband, his. nephews, etc)?” He # replied: “The in-laws of the wife are death itself.”

The prohibition of entering int the company of ladies follows on from the Hadith of the Prophet 4 in which he said: “Whenever a man is alone with a woman, the devil is the third.”

' Transmitted by al-Tabarani and al-Hakim, on the authority of Hudayfa. ? Recorded by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and Abu Dawud.

> Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

* Recorded by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud.

5 Recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.

The Prophet 4 prohibited a man from visiting a woman except in the presence of a mahram' to her.”” He 3 even forbade shaking hands with a non-mahram woman: “To be stabbed in the head with a needle is better for you than touching a non-mahram woman.”*

The Prophet 3 also said: “Whoever can guarantee the chastity of what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him.”

Allah %€ legislated that people should ask for permission before looking at other peope’s possession. Anas bin Malik reported, ‘A man peeped into the room of the Prophet #. Then the Prophet stood up, holding an arrow head, and said: ‘It is as if I am just looking at him, trying to stab the man.””

Sahl ibn Sa‘d 2 reported that a man stood facing the door of the Prophet #, so he 3 came out to him and said: “If I found out you are looking inside, I would stab you in your eyes. Asking permission is meant to avoid the gaze of an eye.”

' mahram: a Muslim with whom a woman cannot marry at all according to Islamic jurisprudence (such as her father, brother, etc).

> Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim

3 Al-Albani said the Hadith was narrated by al-Ruyani, with a good chain of authorities.

* Recorded by al-Bukhari.

> Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.

7 Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Thawban reported that the Prophet # said: “It is not lawful for any man to look inside the house of someone except if he is authorized to do so; for if he does, it is as if he had entered.”

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet 48 said: “Once one has looked into the house, then there is no need to ask for permission (to enter).””

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab 2 said: “Whoever looks closely and deeply inside a house before he is given permission, has sinned’. Nafi’ & also reported that “When the son of Ibn ‘Umar reached puberty, his father would only let him in after he had given him permission.”

Musa ibn Talha # said: “I entered the room with my father (while my mother was inside), so as I followed my father in, he pushed me in my chest, saying: ‘Do you want to enter without permission?””?

‘Ata’ 4 said: “I asked Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘Do I have to ask permission even to enter upon my sister?’ he said: ‘Yes’ I said: “But she is in my room’ he replied: ‘Do you wish to see her naked?’”*

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri 2 reported that the Prophet 4 said: “Beware! Avoid sitting by the roadside (ways).” The people replied: “There is no way out of this as these are our sitting places where we have discussions”. The Prophet 3 said: “If you must sit there, then observe the rights of way”. They asked: “What are the rights of way?” He replied: “They are the lowering of your gazes (on seeing what is illegal to look at), refraining from harming people, returning greetings, advocating good and forbidding evil.””

" Recorded by al-Bukhari, al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud. ? Recorded by al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud.

> Recorded by al-Bukhari, in “al-adab al-mufrad’.

T recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

5 Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

allurement of women; verily, the first trial for the People of Isra’il was caused by women.”

It was said that Satan says to a woman: “You represent half my army, you are my arrow which I throw and never miss; you are the place of my secret, and you are the messenger of my affairs”.

Tbn Mas‘ud - reported that the Prophet said: “A woman is ‘awra (so she should conceal her body), for when she goes out, the devil looks at her (i.e. oversees her).’”