A Khuṭbah by Sheikh
ʿAbdul Ḥamīd Kishk[1]
Translated by Mahdi
Lock[2]
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all Creation…Praise be to
Allah for the guidance that He has granted, and for making the purified Sunnah
an example for us to emulate, The One Who has created and given life.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the
King, The Clear Truth, The One and Unique, The Peerless and Eternal…Glory be to
You, My Lord…Glory be to You.
I bear witness that our master, our beloved, our
intimate friend and our ʿaẓīm is Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers be upon
him and all His Companions and Household.
To proceed; indeed there is a copious number of
authentic aḥādīth that illustrate the manners that The Prophet, may Allah’s
prayers and peace be upon him, was sent with, and here we are, the ones
mentioning a portion of these aḥādīth in order to seek blessings by way
of The Prophet’s statements, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, just as
we seek blessings by way of the clear āyāt from the Book of Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
What did our Prophet, may Allah’s
prayers and peace be upon him, say about birr?
On the authority of Al-Nawās ibn Samʿān Al-Anṣārī, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ‘I asked The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, about birr and ithm,
and he responded: “Birr is good manners, while ithm is what
troubles your heart and you would hate for people to know about it.”[3]
Thus, ithm is what wavers in the heart and the
heart is not at ease with it, and you would hate for people to see it. Birr
is good manners, and the best thing that has been said regarding it is that: ‘It
is to fulfil one’s obligations, refrain from what is forbidden and smile at
people and be good towards them.’
Wābiṣa ibn Maʿbad said: ‘I came to Allah’s
Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and asked him about birr,
so he said: “You have come to ask about birr?” I said: ‘Yes.’ He
said: “Birr is what puts the soul at ease and puts the heart at ease,
while ithm is what troubles the soul and makes the heart waver, even if
the people have repeatedly given a fatwa in favour of it.”[4]
What did our Prophet, may Allah’s
prayers and peace be upon him, say about birr al-wālidayn?
It is on the authority of Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with
him, who said: ‘A man came to The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and
peace be upon him, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who amongst people is most
worthy of my good company?’ He said: “Your mother.” The man said: ‘Then
who?’ He said: “Your mother.” The man said: ‘Then who?’ He said: “Your
mother.” The man said: ‘Then who?’ He said: “Your father.”’[5]
Again on his authority a man said: ‘O Messenger of
Allah, who amongst people is most worthy of good company?’ He said: “Your
mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, and then those
who are closest to you and so on.”[6]
He, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him,
mentioned the mother three times and then mentioned the father because of the
magnitude of her right, which is due to her suffering through thirty months of
pregnancy and suckling[7],
her sleepless nights looking after the child and the burning of her heart for
the sake of raising it.
And again on his authority, The Prophet, may Allah’s
prayers and peace be upon him said: “Let him be humbled into dust, then let
him be humbled into dust and then let him be humbled into dust.” It was
said to him: ‘Who, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: “Whoever sees one or both
of his parents in old age and then doesn’t enter Paradise.”[8]
Asmāʾ, may Allah be pleased with her, said: ‘When the Quraysh made the treaty
with The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, my
mother, who was an idol-worshipper, came to see me, so I asked The Prophet, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him: ‘My mother has come and she wants to see
me. Should I keep relations with her?’ He said: “Yes, keep relations with
her.”[9]
It is on the authority of Bahz Ibn Ḥakīm, from his father, from his grandfather, may Allah be
pleased with him, that he said: ‘I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who is most
worthy of being shown birr?’ He said: “Your mother, then your mother,
then your mother, then your father, and then your closest relatives and so on.[10] No man asks his master
for a favour that he has and his master denies him except that this favour that
he withheld is asked of him on the Day of Resurrection in the form of a snake.”[11]
It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who is most worthy of
being shown birr?’ He said: “Your mother, your father, your sister,
your brother, and then your remaining relatives. It is an obligatory right and
it is maintaining the ties of kinship.”[12]
It is on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with both
of them, that a man from the Bedouins met him on the way to Makka. [Ibn ʿUmar] gave him the greetings of
peace, let him travel on the donkey that he was riding on and gave him the ʿamāma that was on his head. Ibn Dīnār said: ‘May Allah rectify you. Indeed they are Bedouins and
they are pleased with ease and simplicity.’ ʿAbdullah [Ibn ʿUmar] responded: ‘Indeed the father of this man was beloved
to ʿUmar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb, and indeed I heard The Messenger
of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, saying: “The best form
of birr for the son is to maintain ties with those whom his father
loved.”[13]
A man came from the Banī Salama and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, is there any
way to show birr towards my parents after they have died? He said: “Yes,
pray over them, seek forgiveness for them, fulfill their pledges after they
have gone, maintain the ties of kinship that one has through them and be
generous towards their friends.”[14]
It is on the authority of Abū Al-Ṭufayl, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: ‘I
saw The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, dividing up some
meat in Al-Jaʿrāna and at that time I was a boy
carrying the bone of a slaughtered camel. Then a woman approached and came near
to The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and he stood up for
her, laid out his cloak for her and she sat on it. I said: ‘Who is she?’ They
said: ‘That’s his mother who suckled him.’[15]
What is meant by ‘his mother who suckled him’ is Ḥalīma Al-Saʿdiyya.
It is on the authority of ʿAbdullah Ibn ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with both
of them, that he, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “The
pleasure of the Lord is found in the pleasure of the father, and the
displeasure of the Lord is found in the displeasure of the father.”[16]
It is on the authority of Al-Barāʾ, may Allah be pleased with him, from
The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him: “The maternal aunt
has the rank of the mother.”[17]
A man came to The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and
peace be upon him, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a grave
sin. What can I do to repent?’ He said: “Do you have a mother?” He said:
‘No.’ He said: “Do you have a maternal aunt?” He said: ‘Yes.’ He said: “Show
her birr.”[18]
What did The Prophet, may Allah’s
prayers and peace be upon him, say about children?
If The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and
peace be upon him, has clarified for us the rights of parents over their
children, then indeed he has constantly accustomed us to establish a balance
with justice so that the scales are not imbalanced. Thus, he clarified for us
the rights of children over their parents, and Allah, Blessed and Exalted is
He, addresses the believers by saying: “O you who believe! Save yourselves
and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones.” [Al-Taḥrīm 66:6]
Therefore, the responsibility of every human being
towards his family is equal to his responsibility towards himself, and the
proof is that Allah the Exalted connected the family to the self in this āya when He said: “Save yourselves
and your families…” [Al-Taḥrīm 66:6] So, what did The Prophet of Mercy say in this regard?
It is on the authority of Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with
him, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon
him, kissed Al-Ḥasan
Ibn ʿAlī and he had Al-Aqraʿ Ibn Ḥābis
Al-Taymī sitting with him, and he said: ‘I
have ten children and I’ve never kissed any of them.’ The Messenger, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, looked at him and then said: “Whoever
doesn’t show mercy will not be shown mercy.”’[19]
Usāma Ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: ‘The Messenger
of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, used to take me and sit me
on his thigh, and he would sit Al-Ḥasan on his other thigh and then put them together and say: “O
Allah, show them mercy, for indeed I show them mercy.”’[20]
The Messenger increases the rank of mercy towards
children one mercy after another. It is on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, may Allah be pleased with her,
who said: ‘A Bedouin came to The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon
him, and said: ‘Do you kiss children? We don’t kiss them.’ The Prophet, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “What can I do for you if Allah
has removed mercy from your heart?”[21]
The Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be
upon him, would make people desire pleasure with what God had decreed if He had
provided them with daughters, and indeed the believer must be in a state of
gratitude and patience and never despair or lose hope of God’s mercy.
It is on the authority of ʿĀʾisha, who said: ‘A woman came to me
and begged me, and she had two girls with her. She found nothing with me except
for one date, so I gave it to her and she split it between the two girls. Then
she stood up and left. The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him,
came and I told him what had happened, and he said: “Whoever is tried with
these girls and is good to them, they will be a barrier for that person from
the Fire.”[22]
In Muslim and Al-Tirmidhī there is: “Whoever takes care of two girls until
they have grown up will enter Paradise with me like these [two fingers].” The
meaning is that whoever provides for them and takes care of them until they
have grown up, i.e. become independent of him by way of earning or marriage,
will enter Paradise with The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon
him.
The sphere of treating women goes beyond daughters and
indeed includes sisters, so it’s the same whether there are two daughters or
two sisters. On the authority of Abū Saʿīd
Al-Khudrī, may Allah be pleased with him, The
Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Whoever has three
daughters, or two daughters, or two sisters, keeps good company with them and
fears Allah regarding them, will have Paradise.”[23]
Indeed, Allah’s mercy and generous reward comprises
those who are good to their daughters, even if they have only one. It is on the
authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with both of
them, that The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “If
someone has a daughter and does not oppress her, does not demean her and does
not prefer his sons over her, Allah will enter him into Paradise.”[24]
The meaning of ‘not oppress here’ (lam yaʾidha) means that he does not bury her
alive, as was the disgusting custom of the Jāhilī
Arabs. As for not preferring his sons over her, this means that he should be
equally good to all the children in his life.
If this is the side of mercy towards children, then
the side of disciplining has its own rank in Islam, just as it has its own
positive effects. There isn’t the slightest doubt that there is no
contradiction between mercy and discipline. Rather, discipline is a part of
mercy, and you cannot separate one from the other. Just as The Messenger, may
Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, urged mercy towards children, at the
same time he also urged that they be disciplined.
It is on the authority of Jābir Ibn Samra, may Allah be pleased
with him, that The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “For
a man to discipline his child is better than him giving a ṣāʿ[25] in charity.”[26]
It is on the authority of Ayūb Ibn Mūsā, from his father, from his grandfather, may Allah be pleased with him,
that The Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “There is
no gift that a father can give to his child that is greater than the gift of
good manners.”[27]
The meaning of good manners is that he teaches him how
to eat and how to drink, how to treat people, how to strive in order to make a
living amongst them and improve their relations, his obligations towards his
Lord and His creation, and then he also teaches him what is suited to the time
and place with regards to the bounds that Allah has set, and tawfīq is in the Hand of Allah the Exalted; He grants it to
whom He wills.
Second Khuṭbah
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all creation…may the most
generous gifts be for His Friends…may He bless them with His blessings…thus
they shall have no fear, nor will they grieve.
O Allah, we ask You to keep us away from the places of
the oppressors…and to make us from amongst those who are safe from the agony of
death, the darkness of the grave and standing in order to be reckoned.
Dear brothers, how great is our need to raise our
children according to the creed. How great is our need in a time in which
values are lost, principles are not adhered to and there is very little
sincerity.
Indeed I am saying this with great sorrow, regarding
the loss of morals that has happened amongst us in these days, and we are the
cause of it. If we fear that our children will deviate, then we must return to
the morals of our Dīn
and we must expel Shayṭān
from amongst us.
O Lord, indeed I am asking you in this hour, which may
be the hour of response, indeed I ask You to grant might to Islam and victory
to the Muslims. O Allah, by Your grace, exalt the words of the Truth and the Dīn.
O Allah, give abundantly to your sincere slaves…cure
those amongst us who are sick, have mercy on those of us who have deceased,
destroy our enemies, unite our ranks, gather together those of us who are
separated, take charge of our affair, beautify our deliverance and allow us to
fulfill those hopes of ours that please You.
“Indeed Allah commands to justice and
doing good, and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong,
and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed.” [Al-Naḥl 16:90]
[1] (1933-1996) A renowned Shāfiʿī
scholar and preacher from Egypt, Sheikh Kishk was a graduate of Al-Azhār University and a specialist in creed, ḥadīth
and Sīrah. From the late 1960s to
the early 1980s, his khuṭbas in Cairo
regularly drew crowds of about 10,000 people. He delivered more than 2000 khuṭbas
over a forty-year period and it is reported that never once did he make a mistake
in the Arabic language. At the age of 13, Sheikh Kishk lost the use of one of
his eyes and became completely blind at the age of 17. As a result, Sheikh
Kishk was known to often quote a line of poetry from Ibn ʿAbbās:
إن يأخذِ الله من عينيّ نورهما
ففي فؤادي
وعقلي عنهما نورُ
Allah has taken the light from each of my eyes
And thus, in their place, there is light in my heart and my
mind
Due
to his harsh criticism of the Egyptian regime, Sheikh Kishk was imprisoned
twice, once in 1965, for two and a half years, and again in 1981. He was
released the following year on the condition that he refrain from preaching, so
from that time onwards he concentrated on writing a tafsīr. Amongst the many things he criticized was the assertion
that Islam and socialism were compatible, as well as the modern bureaucratic
state.
On
the 26th of Rajab, 1417 (December 6th, 1996), the Sheikh
returned to Allah while praying two nafl rakaʿāt before the Friday
prayer. In the second rakaʿ
he completed his first prostration, sat up, prostrated the second time, and
never got up again. He was sixty-three. May Allah have mercy on him and all of
us, amīn!
[2] Translated from Ṣarkhāt
fawq Al-Minbar: Khutab Al-Sheikh Kishk, fī Al-Jumuʿa wa Al-ʿĪdayn wa Jamīʿ
Al-Munāsabāt (Cairo: Ar-Rawḍah li an-Nashr wa at-Tawzīʾ, 2010), p.25-31
[3] Related by Muslim and
Al-Tirmidhī
[4] (tn): This ḥadīth has been
related by Imam Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ, Imam Aḥmad in his Musnad and
Imam Al-Dāramī in his Sunan. It is also the 27th ḥadīth in Al-Arbaʿīn
Al-Nawawiyyah.
[5] Related by Al-Bukhārī and
Muslim
[6] Related by Muslim
[7] (tn): See Sūrat Luqmān
31:14: “
[8]
Related by Muslim and Al-Tirmidhī
[9] Related by al-Bukhārī and
Muslim
[10]
(tn): Imam Al-Nawawī said that this ḥadīth is urging one to show birr to
one’s relatives, and one’s mother is the most deserving of them. (Tuḥfa Al-Aḥwidhī Sharḥ Jāmiʿ At-Tirmidhī (v.11, p.17) by
Abū Al-Qāsim Al-Āmidī)
[11] Related by Abū Dāwūd and
Al-Tirmidhī
[12] Related by Abū Dāwūd
[13] Related by Muslim, Abū
Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhī
[14] Related by Abū Dāwūd and
Al-Bayhaqī
[15] Related by Abū Dāwūd
[16] Related by Al-Tirmidhī
(tn): This ḥadīth is also in Imam Al-Bukhārī’s Adab Al-Mufrad, and other
collections. In his commentary on the Sunan of Imam Al-Tirmidhī (Tuḥfa
Al-Aḥwidhī Sharḥ Jāmiʿ At-Tirmidhī
(v.11, p.21)), Imam Al-Āmidī says: ‘Regarding his statement (the pleasure of
the Lord is found in the pleasure of the father), the same applies to the
mother, and indeed she takes priority. Al-Ṭabarānī
relates [this ḥadīth] with the wording: “The pleasure
of the Lord is found in the pleasure of the parents, and His displeasure is
found in their displeasure.” (The displeasure of the Lord) i.e. sakhaṭ, is the opposite of pleasure (is found
in the displeasure of the father) because He the Exalted has commanded that the
father be obeyed and honoured, and whoever obeys him has obeyed Allah and
whoever angers him has angered Allah, and this is a severe threat indicating
that al-ʿuqūq [i.e. harming, disobeying and
rebelling] is an enormity.’
[17] Related by Al-Tirmidhī
[18] Related by Al-Tirmidhī
[19] Related by Al-Bukhārī,
Abū Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhī
[20] Related by Al-Bukhārī
[21] Related by Al-Bukhārī and
Muslim
[22]
Related by Al-Bukhārī, Muslim and Al-Tirmidhī
[23] Related by At-Tirmidhī
and Abū Dāwūd
[24]
Related by Abū Dāwūd
[25] (tn): The meaning of ṣāʿ,
according to the Hans Wehr dictionary, is a cubic measure of varying magnitude, but in the
fiqh of zakāt, it is 2.75 kilograms approximately. [at-Taqrīrāt as-Sadīdah: Qism al-ʿIbādāt (Tarīm, Dār al-Mīrāth an-Nabawiyyah, n.d,.) p.419]
[26] (tn): Related by Imams
Abū Yaʿlā and Al-Tirmidhī.
[27] Related by Al-Tirmidhī
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