Islam is A Global Religion
Allah has sent
His Prophet Muhammad to address humanity at all times and everywhere. He fits
multiple human races and energies.
As the Prophet
has been a magnet for all his significant contemporaries: the genius of war,
the genius of management, the genius of youth, the genius of wisdom, and the
genius of Sufism, also Islam has been the same. It is still a magnet for those
of action with different abilities and tendencies.
Some of them can
only perform obligations perfectly, some others exceed performing obligatory
prayers to perform also regular Sunnah prayers, and others accept nothing but
being from those of high rank.
And out of God’s mercy that He does not refuse
any of them; instead, He accepts all their deeds regardless their values, on
two conditions:
¨The
doer is a Muslim.
¨His deed
is only for the sake of God.
This is according
to God’s saying ﴾Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and Garden whose
width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who
believed in Allah and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He
gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty﴿
Chapter
of Iron (Surat AL-Hadeed) Verse NO 21
Allah has put His servants into ranks according to their deeds;
i.e., some of them are Muslims, some are believers, and others are doers of
good and pious.
This has been provided in the tradition, in which the
Prophet has defined Belief, Islam, and the doing of good: https://sunnah.com/urn/181120
God
says ﴾They are [varying] degrees in the sight of Allah, and
Allah is Seeing whatever they do﴿
Chapter of Family of Imran. Verse NO 163
An
example of the least active persons:
●Abu-Suhail
narrated from his father: That he heard Talha ibn ᶦUbaidallah say:
“A man from
Najd with dishevelled hair came to the Messenger of Allah asking about Islam.
The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Five prayers every
day and night.’
He said: ‘Do I
have to do any more than that?’
He said: ‘No,
but whatever you do out of your own free will.’
The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Fasting the month of Ramadan.’
He said: ‘Do I have to do any more than that?’
He
said: ‘No, but whatever you do out of your own
free will.’
Then the Messenger of Allah told him about charity (Zakah).
He said: ‘Do I have to do any more than that?’
He said: ‘No, but whatever you do out of your own free will.’
The man left saying, ‘I will not do any more than
that or any less.’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘He
will succeed if he is telling the truth.’”
Reference:
Sunan AL-Nasaᶦi 5028 Book 47, Hadith
44
Note that: The Prophet did not
mention pilgrimage in the previous tradition as it has not been made obligatory
at that time yet. It has been made obligatory in the ninth year of Hijrah.
An
example of the most active persons:
●It was narrated
from Abi- Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said, “Who amongst you is fasting today?” Abu-Bakr said: “I am.”
He said: “Who amongst you followed a funeral procession today?” Abu-Bakr said:
“I did.”
He said, “Who amongst you fed a needy
today?” Abu-Bakr
said: “I did.”
He said, “Who amongst you
visited a sick man today?” Abu
Bakr said, “I did.”
Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger said: “Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly enter Paradise.”
Reference:
Sahih Muslim 1028b Book 44, Hadith
13
●Abu-Hurairah (May
Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Some of the poor
Emigrants came to the Messenger of Allah and said to him, “The wealthy have
obtained all high ranks and everlasting bliss.”
He asked, “How is that?”
They
replied: “They perform prayer as we do, and fast as we do, but they give alms (Sadaqah)
and we do not, and they free the slaves but we cannot.”
He said, “Shall I not teach you something with which you will
catch up with those who have preceded you and will get ahead of those who
follow you, and no one will surpass you unless he does the same as you do?”
They said, “Surely, O Messenger of Allah.”
He said: “Say:
‘Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar and AL-Hamdu Lillah’ thirty three times at
the end of every prayer.”
They returned to him and said: “Our
brothers, the possessors of wealth, having heard what we are doing, have
started doing the same.”
The Messenger said, “This
is Grace of Allah which He gives to whom He wishes.”
Reference:
Riyad As-Saaliheen. The Book of
Miscellany [AL Bukhari and Muslim]
¨Thus,
Islam has offered grades in Paradise and opened doors for those who want to do
more good deeds. This is by volunteering or optional worship beside performing
obligations.
For example:
*Beside five
obligatory prayers, we can perform the regular Sunnah prayers.
*Beside fasting
the month of Ramadan, we can perform voluntary fasting.
*Beside
obligatory charity (Zakah), we can give alms (Sadaqah).
*Beside
pilgrimage, we can perform ᶦUmrah.
*Beside
inheritance, we can make a bequest.
●Abu-Hurairah
(May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of
Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Allah, the Exalted, has
said:
‘The most beloved thing with which My servant comes nearer to
Me is what I have enjoined upon
When I love him I become his hearing
with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he
strikes, and his leg with which he walks; if he asks My Protection (refuge), I
protect him.’”
Reference: Riyad As-Saaliheen. The Book
of Miscellany [AL-Bukhari].
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Women compete with men
Even
women in the days of the Prophet were not distracted, with childbirth and
raising this large number of strivers, from looking for means of reaching high
levels in Paradise, as they believed in justice of Allah Who says ﴾Never will I allow to be
lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or
female; you are of one another﴿
Chapter of Family of Imraan. Verse NO 195
=========================
●Mujahid reported: Umm Salamah said, “Men fight and
women do not fight, and we only get half the inheritance.” So, Allah revealed ﴾And wish not for things
in which Allah has made some of you excel over others…﴿
Chapter of Women. Verse NO 32
Mujahid
said: “And the following was revealed about that: ﴾Verily the Muslim men and the Muslim
women….﴿
Chapter of the Confederates. Verse NO
35
And
Umm Salamah was the first camel-borne woman to arrive in AL-Madinah as an
emigrant.”
Reference: Jamiᶦ AL-Tirmidhi. Book 47, Hadith
3295
=========================
●ᶦAᶦishah
(May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I said: “O Messenger of Allah! We
consider striving (Jihaad) as the best deed, should we not then go for Jihaad?
The Messenger said: “The best Jihaad for
you women is accepted pilgrimage (Hajj Mabrur).”
Reference:
Riyad As-Saaliheen. The Book of Hajj [AL-Bukhari].
=========================
●Abu Saᶦid
AL-Khudri reported: Some women requested the Prophet to fix a day for them as
the men were taking all his time.
On that he promised them one day for
religious lessons and commandments. Once during such a lesson the
Prophet said, “A woman whose three children die
will be shielded by them from the Hell fire.”
On
that a woman asked, “If only two die?”
He replied, “Even
two (will shield her from the
Hell fire).”
Reference: Sahih AL-Bukhari Book 3,
Hadith 43
