Our Dying Days

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

عَنِ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: «ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ أَيَّامٌ، كُلَّمَا ذَهَبَ يَوْمٌ ذَهَبَ بَعْضُكَ

Hasan Al-Basri said: “Son of Adam you are only made up of days. Every time a day passes so does a part of your life.”[1]

Life lessons from this Subject:

• Imam Al-Basri’s speech teaches us that we really don’t have a lot of time and that we mustn’t be tricked into thinking we do.

• This narration tells us that we are running out of time in the life of this world with every second that passes.

• This narration refutes the capitalistic approach towards time. They say :”Time is money.” Their focus on time is how much you make per hour, per year a day , and so forth.

• Allah created time. He swears, by the Time: Asr and Fajr, the Sun, the Moon, the Night, and the Day. This shows their significance and their value of importance.

• The wisdom found in these words inform us that with every hour, minute and second to pass we are older in age, and closer to death.

• The insight mentioned in the words of Imam Hasan reiterates the fact time is the origin of a man’s life. Allah (تعالى)said:  And He has made the sun and the moon, both constantly pursuing their courses, to be of service to you; and He has made the night and the day, to be of service to you.[Ibrahim 33]

• Allah connects times of worship to the time. He(تعالى) said:  Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.[An-Nisa’:103].Allah made prayers attached to certain time periods. Likewise, there are times throughout the day, the month, or the year when other acts of worship are more superior when performed therein compared to other parts of time. For example, remembering Allah after Fajr until sunrise is equal to that of Hajj, or Umrah. Dua on Wednesday between Thur and Asr is answered. Worship during Layatul Qadr is better than 1,000 months, and fasting on Arafat expiates sins, etc.  

• These words of insight from Hasan Al-Basri teach us that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

• Hasan Al-Basri said: Today is a guest and when it departs it either praises you or criticizes you.” Accordingly, make the most of today!

• These words coach us to make short-term goals in life. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: I hate a man to see a man living meaninglessly. He’s not working  towards attaining anything in this world, or anything of the hereafter.”[2]

• The language Hasan Al-Basri conveys in these words shows the stupidity of those who celebrate birthdays. People celebrate birthdays with total heedlessness to the day they are going to die.

• This statement urges us to be charitable every day we live. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Every joint of a person must perform a charity each day that the sun rises: to judge justly between two people is a charity. To help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity. And the good word is a charity. And every step that you take towards the prayer is a charity, and removing a harmful object from the road is a charity.[3]

Prepared by the one in need of Allah’s Mercy

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Jakarta , Indonesia 1445©

Dhul-Hijjah 21^st.

The Life of this World is Only 3 days : The Abu Aaliyah Gazette

Your Life hasn’t begun yet, you have Only One Shot at It : The Abu Aaliyah Gazette

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[1] Hilyah 2/148

[2] Az-Zuhd,Imam Ahmed ,847

[3] Collected by Al-Bukhari/Muslim

The Life of this World is Only 3 days

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، قَالَ: ” الدُّنْيَا ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ: أَمَا أَمْسِ فَقَدْ ذَهَبَ بِمَا فِيهِ، أَمَا غَدٌ فَلَعَلَّكَ لَا تُدْرِكُهُ، وَالْيَوْمُ لَكَ فَاعْمَلْ فِيهِ “

Hasan Al-Basri said: “The Life of this World is 3 days. There’s yesterday which is gone and everything in it. Then there is tomorrow, and there is a chance that you won’t live to see it , and then there is today and it’s yours , so work in it.”[1]

Lessons from this narration:

• These words teach us to place an importance in living in the present, yet at the same time preparing for tomorrow, by doing things today. Whatever you can do today that’s positive, do it!

• This narration molds us to have acceptance of our past, to embrace change and to focus on the present.

• This Athar aids our faith to avoid resorting to fortune-tellers and reading horoscopes. Allah (تعالى)said: “None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah.[2] Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said: “Whoever tells you that he knows what will happen tomorrow is lying.” Then she recited, “No person knows what he will earn tomorrow.” [3]

• The words, “There’s yesterday which is gone and everything in it..” that is concluded by, “and then there is today and it’s yours , so work in it.”, highlights the importance of knowing that your past doesn’t always define who you are.

• These words teach us how to value our time. Abdullah ibn Munazil said: “Whoever preoccupies himself with the past and the future wastes his time.”[4]

• Hasan Al-Basri’s words, “and then there is today and it’s yours, so work in it.” inspire us to be grateful for today. Umar ibn Thar said: “Everyday a believer lives is a reward.”[5]

• These words encourage us to do good deeds today for tomorrow when we meet our Lord. This is similar to the statement of the Most High. “And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do .[Al-Hashr:18].

• These words lead us to repent for what we’ve done in the past.” There’s yesterday which has gone and everything in it…” Hence, whatever wrong you did yesterday, you can fix it today by repenting to Allah.

• Imam Hasan Al-Basri’s word call us to take account of our actions that we did. Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said,” Call yourself to account before Allah does. Weigh your deeds before Allah does. “[6]

• This statement of Hasan Al-Basri teaches us to take advantage of our time and to avoid wasting it. The Prophet(ﷺ)said: The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: About his life and what he did with it…[7]

• These words warn us from procrastination. We must make the most of the time we have right now. Don’t put off something you can do today for tomorrow. Abu Al-Jald Al-Basri said: Procrastination is a leading solider in Satan’s army.”[8]

• The words in this statement, “Then there is tomorrow, and there is a chance that you won’t live to see it…” inform us that tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. We must prepare for death today. Ad-Daqaq said: Whoever forgets about death will procrastinate repentance, stop being content with his subsistence, and will become lazy in his worship.”[9]

• This statement trains us to not beat ourselves up  regarding the past, as what is done is done, but we have today; consequently, we can begin it with a fresh start right now.

• These words of Imam Hasan Al-Basri prepare us with an antidote for dealing the stress and anxiety of living in the past and worrying about the future. Some modern-day psychologists refer to today as the present calling it that as it is a gift from Allah the Most Merciful.

• The text of these words leads us to set ourselves up to have a good ending in this life. Look at it like this, the past was once the present and the present will soon be the past, accordingly your future will be your present. In view of that, any good you are doing by teaching people about the Quran and the Sunnah as understood by the Salaf, writing books, giving charities will develop and spread as your legacy. The Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ), said, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”[10]

•   Hasan Al-Basri’s words inform us to be obedient to Allah and avoid shouldering the tension and fear of the future. In another statement Imam Al-Hasan said: “Son of Adam, do not burden the worry of a year over a day. Your day is sufficient for what is in it. If it is a year of your life, Allah will provide you with your provision, otherwise you will be among the poor. Hunting and asking for what you do not have.”[11]

Prepared by

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Jakarta, Indonesia

Eidul-Adha 1445©

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[1] كلام الليلي و أيام , أبن أبي الدنيا

[2] Al-Naml:65

[3] Al-Bukhari:4477

[4] Zuhd, by Imam Al-Bayhaqi #478

[5] كلام الليلي و أيام , أبن أبي الدنيا #54

[6] Collected by Ahmed in (Az-Zuhd 2/ 30) isnad Hasan

[7] At-Tirmithi #2415

[8] قصر الأمل  ,Ibn Abi Dunya ,207

[9] Adad Ad-deen wa Dunya

[10] Shu’ab al-Imān lil-Bayhaqī 10250,Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

[11] كلام الليلي و أيام , أبن أبي الدنيا

Your Life hasn’t begun yet, you have Only One Shot at It

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

قال الله (تعالى) يَقُولُ باليتني قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي!(الفجر:24)

Allah (The Most High) said: “Alas! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my life!” (Al-Fajr:24)

Lessons from this verse:

• This is one of the times where Allah mentions the word life without attaching it to the word (Dunya).

• Nowhere in the Quran does Allah praise the life of this world, or speak about it with high regard.

• Allah used ل  which means for and not في which means in . Plainly put, Allah said (لحياتي and not في حياتي ) meaning: for my life, and not in my life.

• Another evidence that ties into this is the statement of the Most wise : Verily, the home of the Hereafter, that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end),[ Al-Ankabut:64]

• There are some scholars of Tafsir who say the meaning of , “For my life” refers to the life in the grave, which some people deny and doubt the resurrection. While the majority say it refers to the eternal life.[1] Even so, both don’t include the life of this world, which is ever vanishing day by day.

• This verse teaches us the life that must be sought after and pursued is the eternal life  as it’s the life of stability and permanence.

Prepared by

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah Battle

Jakarta, Indonesia 1445©

3^rd, Dhul Hijah

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[1] Tafsir Ibn Atiyah

The Blessings of Faith Compared to Worldly Luxuries

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” اللَّهَ يُعْطِي الدُّنْيَا مَنْ يُحِبُّ وَمَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ، وَلَا يُعْطِي الْإِيمَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَحَبَّ

The Prophet(ﷺ) said: Allah bestows the luxuries of this world to those whom He loves and hates; however, He Only bestows faith to those whom He loves.[1]

Lessons from this Hadith

• This hadith establishes the attribute of, “Love” for Allah in manner that befits His Majesty.

• Having wealth along with the opulence of this vanishing world isn’t a sign that Allah loves you, or that you are blessed.

• Being chosen by Allah to be an upright Muslim with correct speech, belief in the hearth, and actions are evident signs Allah loves you.

• Those who are deceived by the wealth they amassed, and believe that this is evidence of their dignity, then they are the disadvantaged. They are the ones who hastened the reward of their deeds in this world and believed that what was granted to them from Allah provides them with evidence of their dignity, their virtue, their honor, along with their superiority to others. Similarly, this happened to  others from the previous nations. For that reason Allah mentioned Qarun said” This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess…”[Al-Qasas:78]

• Those people who are ignorant about the way Allah works are duped into thinking the wealthy are truly successful and favored. For that reason they say, “ “Ah, would that we had the like of what Qarun (Korah) has been given? Verily! He is the owner of a great fortune.”[A;-Qasas:79] These are the ones whose outlook is worldly, and they do not know that Allah gives this world to those whom He loves and  to those whom He doesn’t, yet He only gives the eternal life to those whom He loves.[2]

• A questioner might ask then why does Allah allow those whom He doesn’t love to enjoy the riches of this world ? The answer is found in the hadith, “Were this world worth a wing of mosquito, He would not have given a drink of water to an Kafir.”[3]

• Allah (تعالى ) has ordered the believers to be grateful during times of ease and patient during times of hardship.

Translated and prepared by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah Battle

Jakarta, Indonesia 1445H, Dhul -Qi’dah 26^th

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[1] Muʻjam Asāmī 342 graded as being Sahih by Imam Al-Albani

[2] Explanation of Aqeedah At-Tahawiyah, by Shaykh Al-Jibreen

[3] At-Tirmithi #2320 . Imam At-Tirmtihi graded this hadith as being Sahih