First ten days of Dhul Hijjah

K’ab Ibn Malik Radiallahu anhu says:

The period most beloved to Allah is the four sacred months, (i.e. Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab). And from these four sacred months Allah admires the month of Dhul Hijjah. And (although the entire month of Dhil Hijjah is blessed and sanctified), Allah has additionally favoured the first ten days of this month.

Lata-i-ful M’aarif

لطائف المعارف – (ج 1 / ص 295)
و قال سهيل بن أبي صالح عن أبيه عن كعب قال : أحب الزمان إلى الله الأشهر الحرم و أحب الأشهر الحرم إلى الله ذو الحجة و أحب ذي الحجة إلى الله العشر الأول

Thunder

When `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr RA used to hear thunder, he would stop talking and would supplicate, “All praise is to He Whom Ar-Ra`d (thunder) glorifies and praises, and so do the angels because of His awe.” He would then say, “This is a stern warning to the people of earth.”

[Malik collected this Hadith in Al-Muwatta’, and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad.]

All praise is due to Allah Whose hearing has encompassed all voices…

`A’ishah said, “All praise is due to Allah Whose hearing has encompassed all voices! By Allah, she who came to complain about her husband to the Messenger of Allah was speaking while I was in another part of the room, yet I did not hear some of what she said. Allah sent down,

[قَدْ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ قَوْلَ الَّتِى تُجَادِلُكَ فِى زَوْجِهَا وَتَشْتَكِى إِلَى اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَسْمَعُ تَحَاوُرَكُمآ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ ]

(Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you concerning her husband and complains to Allah. And Allah hears the argument between you both. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Seer.)[58:1]

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Words Of Imaam Ahmad Regarding The Companions

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said:

“It is from the Sunnah to mention the good qualities of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (saw), all of them, without exception…

So whoever insults the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (saw), even one Companion from among them, then he is an innovator, a filthy, bankrupt Raafidhee. Allaah will not accept even one of his deeds…

Rather, loving them is Sunnah,
Supplicating for them is a good deed that brings one close (to Allaah),
Following their example is a means (to success),
And embracing their ways of guidance is a virtue…

And the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (saw) – after the four caliphs – are the best of the people, and it is not permissible for anyone to … speak ill of any of them, blaming them for deficiencies and shortcomings.

It is indeed obligatory upon the ruler to reprimand and punish whoever does that, and he should not be pardoned.“

[Kitaab As-Sunnah, p. 77-78 & Manaaqibul Imaam Ahmad, of Ibnul Jawzee, p. 170]

Khushoo’ of the Sahaba

Mujahid-rahimahullah- said:

“When one of them (sahaba) stood in prayer, he would be too fearful of his Lord to allow his eyes to be drawn to anything, or to turn aside or to fidget by playing with pebbles or anything else or to think of any worldly matter. unless he forgot during prayer.”

[Al Khushoo’ fis-salah by Ibn Rajab al hanbali]

When ‘Abdullah Ibn Zubayr-Allah be pleased with him- stood up to pray, he would be like a stick (ie immobile) with Khushoo’. Once he was prostrating when a missile from a catapult was launched at him, when Makkah was being beseiged, and part of his garment was torn away whilst he was praying, but he did not even raise his head.

S’ad Ibn Mu’adh- Allah be pleased with him- said:

“I have 3 qualities which I wish I could keep up all the time, then I would really be something. When I am praying, I do not think about anything except the prayer I am doing; If I hear any hadith from Messenger of Allah- SAW- I do not have any doubts about it; and when I attend a Janazah(funeral), I do not think about anything except what the Janazah says and what is said to it.

[Majmoo’ al Fatawa li-Ibn Taymiyah]

Hatim-RA- said;

“I carry out what I am commanded; I walk with the fear of Allah in my heart; I start with the (correct) intention; I magnify and glorify Allah; I recite at a slow and measured pace, thinking about the meaning; I bow with Khushoo’; I prostrate with humility; I sit and recite the complete tashahhud; I say Salam with the (correct) intention; I finish with sincerity towards Allah; and I come back fearing that (my prayer) has not been accepted from me, so I continue to strive until I die.”

[Al Khushoo’ fis-salah by Ibn Rajab al hanbali]

When the time for prayer came, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib- Allah be pleased with him- would be visibly shaken, and the colour of his face would change. It was said to him, “What is the matter with you?”

He said, “By Allah, there has come the time of the [Trust]:

…إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الاٌّمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الإِنْسَـنُ

Truly, We did offer the Amanah to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it. But man bore it…”  Al Qur’an 33:72

Source: 33 ways of developing Al Khushoo’

The Three Men and the Valley [example of the munafiq]

It is reported that ‘Abdullâh b. Mas’ûd – Allâh be pleased with him – said:

The example of the believer, the unbeliever and the hypocrite is that of three people who arrived at a valley. One of them descended and passed through to the other side. One of them descended until he reached half way, when the third man on the edge of the valley called to him, “Woe to you, where are you going? You will die. Come back.” The man who made it to the other side called to him, “Come and be saved.” So [the man in the middle of the valley] kept looking back and forth at the two [on each side of the valley], when a flood came into the valley and drowned him. The man who passed through to the other side is the believer; the one who drowned is the munâfiq (hypocrite) – 

[The Hypocrites] sway between this and that, neither [fully] with the believers nor with the unbelievers.

Quran 4:143

And the one who remained at the edge of the valley [not  able to escape the flood and pass] is the kâfir (unbeliever).

Ibn Abî Hâtim, Al-Tafsîr article 6144.

Source

His knowledge is above the knowledge of every knowledgeable person

`Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said, “We were with Ibn `Abbas when he narrated an amazing Hadith. A man in the audience said, `All praise is to Allah! There is an all-knowing above every person endowed with knowledge.’ Ibn `Abbas responded, `Worse it is that which you said! Allah is the All-Knowing and His knowledge is above the knowledge of every knowledgeable person.’

Musannaf Abdur Razzaq

Whenever I used to hear a narration from the Messenger…

Commander of the faithful, `Ali bin Abi Talib, said, “Whenever I used to hear a narration from the Messenger of Allah (), Allah would cause me to benefit by it however He willed. If anyone informed me of any statement that he said, I would make him swear (by Allah) that the Prophet said it. If he swore by Allah, then I would believe him. Abu Bakr once told me — and Abu Bakr was truthful — that he heard the Messenger of Allah say,

«مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا فَيَتَوَضَّأُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ إِلَّا غُفِرَ لَه»

(There is not any Muslim who commits a sin, then he makes Wudu’ and prays two units of prayer, except that he will be forgiven (that sin).)

Ahmad

“The life of this world has announced its departure…

خطبنا عتبة بن غزوان . فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ثم قال : أما بعد . فإن الدنيا قد آذنت بصرم وولت حذاء . ولم يبقى منها إلا صبابة كصبابة الإناء . يتصابها صاحبها . وإنكم منتقلون منها إلى دار لا زوال لها . فانتقلوا بخير ما بحضرتكم . فإنه قد ذكر لنا أن الحجر يلقى من شفة جهنم . فيهوي فيها سبعين عاما لا يدرك لها قعر . ووالله ! لتملأن . أفعجبتم ؟ ولقد ذكر لنا أن ما بين مصراعين من مصاريع الجنة مسيرة أربعين سنة . وليأتين عليها يوم وهو كظيظ من الزحام . ولقد رأيتني سابع سبعة مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم . ما لنا طعام إلا ورق الشجر . حتى تقرحت أشداقنا . فالتقطت بردة فشققتها بيني وبين سعد بن مالك . فاتزرت بنصفها واتزر سعد بنصفها . فما أصبح اليوم منا أحد إلا أصبح أميرا على مصر من الأمصار . وإني أعوذ بالله أن أكون في نفسي عظيما وعند الله صغيرا . وإنها لم تكن نبوة قط إلا تناسخت ، حتى يكون آخر عاقبتها ملكا . فستخبرون وتجربون الأمراء بعدنا . الراوي: خالد بن عمير العدوي المحدث: مسلم – المصدر: صحيح مسلم – الصفحة أو الرقم: 2967

Khalid ibn ‘Umayr Al-Adawi reports, ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan رضي الله عنهما once gave us a sermon. He praised Allaah, then said:

“The life of this world has announced its departure and is quickly turning away, and nothing remains of it save the likes of the last drop of water in a vessel as its possessor tries to catch it. You are moving on to an abode that has no end, so move on with the best (of deeds) that you have. For it has been said to us that a rock can be dropped from the edge of Hell and fall for seventy years without reaching the bottom. Yet, by Allaah, it will be filled. Do you not then wonder? And it has been said to us that a single entrance to Paradise is as wide as a journey of forty years, yet there will come a day when it will be crowded. I have seen myself as the seventh of seven (of) Allaah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم; we had no food save the leaves of trees which put sores round our mouths. I once got a cloak which I tore in half to share with Sa’d ibn Malik: I used half as my waist-wrap and he used the other. And yet today, there is not one of us except he has become a governor over some city – and I seek refuge with Allaah that I consider myself great and important when I am small in front of Allaah. Verily there was never Prophethood except that it gradually changed until it ended up being a kingship, and verily you will see what the governors after us are like.”

Saheeh Muslim

Beware of Khushoo’ of hypocrisy

Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman- Allah be pleased with him- used to say: “Beware of Khushoo’ (humility and devotion in prayer) of hypocrisy.” He was asked, “What is Khushoo’ of hypocrisy?” He said, “When the body shows Khushoo’ but there is no Khushoo’ in the heart.”

Fudayl Ibn ‘Ayad – Rahimahullah- said, “It was disliked for a man to show more Khushoo’ than he had in his heart.” One of them saw a man showing Khushoo’ in his shoulders and body and said, “O so and so, Khushoo’ is here” — and he pointed to his chest, “and not here” and he pointed to his shoulders.

[Al-Madarij]