Holding Fast to the Rope of Allah

 

[3:104] 當共同緊握安拉的繩索，莫要分開。追憶一下安拉對你們的這個恩德，當你們互相為敵時，他在你們的心中產生了親愛之情，結果你們賴他的恩德竟做成弟兄了；你們原在火坑邊緣上的，他從那裏拯救了你們。 Hold fast, all of you, by the rope of Allah, and be not divided. Remember the blessing of Allah upon you: When you were enemies to each other, and He brought your hearts together, so that, you became brothers through His blessing.

[22: 79] 要在安拉的道上全力奮鬥，因為他已選擇了你們，沒使你們在宗教教義方面遭受煩難。信仰的人啊！要奉行你們的父親伊布拉欣的宗教；安拉在從前和這部書裡給你們取名「穆斯林，」以便使者為你們作證，而你們為整個人類作證。你們要固守拜功、交納天課、緊緊地握著安拉。他是你們的保護者。這是多麼好的保護者、多麼好的幫助者啊！And strive in the cause of Allah, as it behoves you to strive for it. He has chosen you and has laid no hardship upon you in religion; so follow the faith of your father Ibrahim. He (Allah) named you Muslims both before and in this Book (Qur’an), so that the Messenger becomes a witness over you, and you become witnesses over mankind. Therefore, observe Salah, pay the Zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your Master. An excellent Mester and an excellent Helper!

Holding fast to Him protects one from doom and destruction, for the one who is journeying towards Allah is like one who is travelling on a path towards his intended destination. Hence he needs guidance on the road and he needs to be safe whilst travelling; he cannot reach his intended destination except after attaining these two things.

The guide will protect him from losing his way, and will guide him to the right path; and equipment, physical strength and weapons will help him to be safe from bandits and any other troubles he may encounter on the road.

So holding fast to the rope of Allah will lead him on the path of guidance and help him to follow the guide.

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: Adhere to the religion of Allah.

Ibn Mas‘ood said: It is the jamaa‘ah (main body of the Muslims). And he said: You should adhere to the jamaa‘ah, for it is the rope of Allah that He has enjoined us to hold fast to. What you may find of things you dislike when you are with the jamaa‘ah is better than what you may find of things you like when you are scattered.

Mujaahid and ‘Ataa’ said: It means adhering to the covenant of Allah. Qataadah, as-Saddi and many of the scholars of tafseer said: It means adhering to the Qur’an.

Then he said: As for holding fast to Him, it means putting one’s trust in Him, seeking strength with Him, seeking protection with Him, and asking Him to protect the individual, give him strength and ward off harm from him. For the result of holding fast to Him is that He will ward off harm from His slave, for Allah defends those who believe. So He will ward off from his believing slave, if he holds fast to Him, any cause that could lead to problems, and He will protect him from that. So He will protect him from doubts and desires, and from the schemes of his enemies both apparent and hidden, and from the evil of his own self. He will ward off from him the consequences of that which may lead to problems and troubles after the causes thereof are all present, commensurate with the strength with which he holds fast to Him, so that the causes of troubles and problems will be removed in his case, and thus Allah will protect him from what could result from that and the causes thereof. He may ward off from him something that He had decreed by means of another decree, and something that He willed by means of something else that He wills, thus protecting him from it. End quote from Madaarij as-Saalikeen (1/457-460).

Allah says: “Hold fast, all together, to the Rope of Allah.” The scholars mention five interpretations of the term, “rope”:

◆The Qur’an,

◆Being sincere with Allah

◆The whole religion of Islam

◆The pious and upright scholars

◆Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The ‘holding fast” that is mentioned in the Qur’an is of two types: holding fast to Allah, and holding fast to the rope of Allah.

The fifth meaning encompasses all the previous meanings mentioned. It is through our Prophet ﷺ that we are able to reach Allah, as Allah Himself has mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ is the door to Allah. May Allah give us the ability to follow the Prophet ﷺ and his guidance.

It is the responsibility of the Muslim Ummah to understand the reality of the rope of Allah and to spread this message to the people around us.

Our Prophet ﷺ is mercy, a blessing to all creation. Allah says:

“We have not sent you but as a mercy to all the worlds.”

Our beloved Prophet ﷺ not only showed mercy to the believers, but also to those who do not believe and even to those who showed enmity to him. Look at the hadith of the moths and the fire. One meaning of the fire here is the dunya, our lower selves and our desires. Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to save mankind from destruction and the Hellfire. When we give preference to things other than Allah, we are essentially bringing ourselves to destruction.

Look at the story of the Prophet ﷺ at Ta’if. The angels guarding the two mountains were ready to destroy the people of Ta’if who had cursed and stoned him, and yet our Prophet ﷺ had hoped that from their progeny would come forth people who worship Allah and would be close to Him. Similarly, at the battle of Uhud, when the Prophet ﷺ was injured, he prevented his Companions from cursing the Quraysh and instead prayed for their guidance.

No justice is like the justice that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ showed. No country exists today that treats prisoners of war the way Prophet Muhammad ﷺ treated his prisoners and those who showed enmity to him. People today champion human rights, yet the very same people violate the rights of many people in this world. The Prophet ﷺ taught us the reality of human rights. He commanded those in charge of the prisoners of war to feed them with food that was better than what everyone else, including what the high-ranking commanders ate. This was the kindness he displayed in his dealings with disbelievers who had showed enmity to him and fought against him. There is no doubt that he treated disbelievers who were not hostile towards him with more kindness and he treated Muslims with more kindness still.

The Most Beloved Words to Allah

 

Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah & Allahuakbar 33 times

 

What are benefits of Saying SUBHANALLAH ALHAMDULILLAH ALLAHU AKBAR 33 TIMES?

Three words, Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar are some of the best form of dhikr with extensive rewards that will raise your rank in the here after.

In hadith Riyad As-Salihin book 16, hadith 12 it mentions all the sins of a person will be forgiven even if it could cover the surface of the sea. This would be done for the person who recits Subhanallah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 33 times, and then recites la ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa ala kulli shai’in Qadir once for a total of 100 dhikr.

In Sahih Bukhari 3113, The Prophet (saws) said, “Shall I tell you a thing which is better than what you asked me for? When you go to your beds, say: ‘Allahu Akbar (i.e. Allah is Greater)’ for 34 times, and ‘Al hamdu Li llah (i.e. all the praises are for Allah)’ for 33 times, and Subhan Allah (i.e. Glorified be Allah) for 33 times. This is better for you than what you have requested.”

HADITH ON DHIKR

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “He who recites after every prayer: Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection) thirty-three times; Al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah) thirty-three times; Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greatest) thirty-three times; and completes the hundred with: La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent), will have all his sins pardoned even if they may be as large as the foam on the surface of the sea.”

 [Muslim].

Reference: Book 16, Hadith 12

Arabic/English book reference : Book 16, Hadith 1419

These are words for the remembrance of Allah.

Subhan Allah (Arabic: سبحان الله) means “Allah is free from imperfection”.

Al-hamdu lillah (Arabic: الحمد لله) means “All praise is due to Allah”.

Allahu Akbar (Arabic: الله أكبر ) means “Allah is Greatest”.

La ilaha illallah (Arabic: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ) means “There is no deity but Allah”.

Utter these words mindfully and inshallah Allah will be by your side.

Allah will not call you to account for that which is unintentional in your oaths, but He will call you to account for that which your hearts have earned. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Forbearing. (2:225)

Praising Allah: the Power of “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi”

Praising Allah: the Power of “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi”

There are many hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about the power of this phrase, “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi“, which means, “Glory to Allah and praise Him.”

1. Whoever says “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi” 100 times during the day, his sins are wiped away, even if they are like the foam of the sea. [Sahih al-Bukhari; #7:168, Sahih Muslim; #4:2071]

2. Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet (sws) said, “Shall I tell you the words that Allah loves the most?” I said: “Yes, tell me, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “The words dearest to Allah are: subhanAllah wa bihamdihi.

3. A palm tree is planted for the reciter [of the above] in Paradise. [at-Tirmidhi; 5:511, al-Hakim]

4. The Prophet Muhammad (sws) said: “Two words (subhanAllah wa bihamdihi) are light on the tongue, weigh heavily in the balance, and are loved by the Most Merciful One.”

Allah is so forgiving and gives us countless avenues to earn our forgiveness. Today, let’s have this phrase – subhanAllah wa bihamdihi – on our tongues, and let’s earn our forgiveness, and have entire groves of palm trees planted for us in Jannah, Insha’Allah.

When we have dhikr always on our tongues, we have this constant connection with God, even as we go about our daily routines. When things are going well, or when things are hard, we have this lifeline to Allah, this constant stream of praise going up, and blessings coming down. Our spirits are lighter, our hearts happier. We are grateful for everything we have, because we remember that every single little blessing – good health, the comfortable beds we sleep in, the orange juice we had for breakfast, even our beating hearts and the breath in our lungs – comes from Allah.

Dhikr is a guide to excellent character, and a light that keeps us on the path to Paradise.

With dhikr, we are using this principle for good. By constantly praising Allah, we keep Him in our minds and hearts. The more we do so, the more we come to desire His love, His forgiveness, and His presence. The more we think about Allah, the more we want to please Him. It becomes a beautiful cycle of remembrance and blessings, reinforcing each other.

“Who remember Allaah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides.” [3:191]

“…and the men who remember Allaah often and the women who do so – for them Allaah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” [33:35]

“O you who have believed, remember Allaah with much remembrance. And exalt Him morning and afternoon.” [33:41-42]

Zikr (紀念)