Short temper A person may complain: I get very angry very quickly.

If there is the slightest provocation, I quickly explode and start to break things, swear, curse and issue threats of divorce. This problem has caused me so much embarrassment, and has made most people hate me, even my wife and children and closest friends. What can I do to rid myself of this awful disease and extinguish this devilish fire? Anger is a tendency that comes from the Shaytaan. Only Allaah knows how much evil and sin results from it. Hence Islam has a great deal to say about this negative characteristic and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described remedies for ridding oneself of this problem and limiting its effects. These include the following: Seeking refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan. Sulaymaan ibn Sard said: I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there were two men swearing at one another. One of them was red in the face and the veins of his neck were standing out. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I know a word which, if only he would say it, this [anger] would leave him. If he said, Aoodhu billaahi min al-shaytaan (I seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan),, this [anger] would leave him. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, alFath, 6/377). He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: If a man gets angry and says Aoodhu billaah (I seek refuge with Allaah), his anger will cease. (Saheeh al-Jaami al-Sagheer, no. 695). Keeping quiet. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you gets angry, let him keep quiet. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, alMusnad, 1/239; Saheeh al-Jaami, 693, 4027). Anger usually makes a person lose control, often to the extent that he may utter words of kufr (Allaah forbid), or curses, or the word of divorce (talaaq) which will destroy his family, or foul language that will earn him the enmity of others. Keeping quiet is the way to avoid all of these evils. Keeping still. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you gets angry, let him sit down if he is standing. If his anger goes away, (that is good), otherwise let him lie down. The narrator of this hadeeth was Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him), who told the following story: he was watering his animals at a trough, when some other people came along. He said, Who among you will help Abu Dharr to water his animals and....? A man said, I will, but he broke the trough. Abu Dharr was standing, so he sat down, then he lay down. Someone asked him, O Abu Dharr, why did you sit down then lie down? He said, Because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said [and quoted the hadeeth]. (The hadeeth with the whole story is reported in Musnad Ahmad, 5/152. See also Saheeh al-Jaami, no. 694). According to another report, Abu Dharr was watering his animals at a trough when another man made him angry, so he sat down (Fayd al-Qadeer al-Mannaawi, 1/408). One of the benefits of this Prophetic teaching is that it prevents the angry person from doing something crazy and out of control. An angry person could inflict harm or

even kill as we shall see shortly or he could destroy property and so on. Sitting down makes it less likely that he will explode in this fashion, and lying down makes it even less likely that he will do something reckless or harmful. Al-Allaamah alKhattaabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on Abu Dawood: The one who is standing is ready to move and destroy things. The one who is sitting is less likely to do so, and the one who is lying is not able to do anything of the sort. It seems that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the angry person to sit down or lie down in order to prevent him from doing anything that he would later regret. And Allaah knows best. (Sunan Abi Dawood wa maahu maaalim al-sunan, 5/141) Remembering the advice of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: Advise me. He said: Do not become angry. The man repeated his request several times, and each time the response was, Do not become angry. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, 10/465). According to another report, the man said, I thought about what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had said, and I realized that anger is the source of all evil. (Musnad Ahmad, 5/373). Do not get angry, and Paradise will be yours. (A saheeh hadeeth. Saheeh alJaami, 7374. Ibn Hajar attributed it to al-Tabaraani. See al-Fath, 4/465). Remembering what Allaah has promised to those who avoid the causes of anger and strive to control themselves is the best way to extinguish the flames of anger. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has told us about this great reward: Whoever suppresses his anger at the time when he could express it openly, Allaah will fill his heart with contentment on the Day of Resurrection. (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 12/453; Saheeh al-Jaami, 176). Another immense reward is described in the hadeeth: Whoever suppresses his anger when he is able to vent it, Allaah will call him before all the people on the Day of Resurrection and let him choose whoever of the hoor al-iyn he wishes. (Reported by Abu Dawood, 4777, and others. Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6518). Knowing the high rank and distinction that is bestowed upon the one who controls himself. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, The strong man is not the one who can wrestle another to the ground; the strong man is the one who can control himself when he is angry. (Reported by Ahmad, 2/236. The hadeeth is agreed upon). The more angry a person gets, the more highly valued is his self-control. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The real strong man is the one who gets intensely angry, so that his face reddens and his hair stands on end, but he suppresses his anger. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/367; classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami, 3859). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used an incident that took place in front of his Sahaabah as an opportunity to reinforce this lesson. Anas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by some people who were wrestling, and asked, What is this? They told him, So-and-so is a strong man. No one challenges him but he beats them at wrestling. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, Shall I not tell you who is stronger than him? A man who is mistreated by another, but suppresses his anger, has defeated

his own shaytaan and the shaytaan of the one who mistreated him. (Reported by alBazzaar. Ibn Hajar said that its isnaad is hasan. Al-Fath, 10/519). Following the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with regard to anger. He is our example, and his attitude towards anger is clearly demonstrated in many ahaadeeth, of which one of the most famous was reported by Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: I was walking with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he was wearing a Najraani cloak with a stiff collar. He was accosted by a Bedouin who pulled his cloak roughly. I looked at the Prophets neck and saw the marks left by the collar. The Bedouin said: O Muhammad, give me some of the wealth of Allaah that you have! The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to him and smiled, and ordered that he should be given something. (Reported by al-Bazzaar. Ibn Hajar said that its isnaad is hasan). Another way in which we may follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is by making our anger for the sake of Allaah, when the limits set by Allaah are violated. This is the worthy kind of anger. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) became angry when he was told about the imaam who was putting people off praying because his recitation was too long. He became angry when he saw a curtain decorated with pictures of animate creatures in Aaishahs house. He became angry when Usaamah spoke to him about the Makhzoomi woman who was guilty of theft, and said to him, Are you interceding concerning one of the punishments prescribed by Allaah? He became angry when he was asked questions he disliked. His anger was only for the sake of Allaah. Knowing that suppressing anger is one of the signs of taqwa (piety). Allaah has praised certain people in His Book, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) highly commended them. There have been prepared for them Gardens as wide as the heavens and the earth. One of their characteristics is that they spend (in Allaahs Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, [they] repress anger, and pardon men; verily, Allaah loves al-muhsinoon (the good-doers) [Aal Imraan 3:134 interpretation of the meaning]. These are the people whose good qualities Allaah has mentioned, people whom others admire and want to catch up with. Another of their characteristics is that when they are angry, they forgive [alShoora 42:37 interpretation of the meaning]. Paying attention when one is reminded. Anger is something natural, with regard to which people differ. It may be very hard for a person not to get angry, but a sincere person, if he becomes angry and is reminded about Allaah, will remember Him and will stay within the limits that He has prescribed. Some examples of this follow. Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that a man asked permission to see Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), and permission was given. The man said, O son of al-Khattaab, by Allaah, you are not giving us much, and you are not ruling us fairly! Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) became so angry that he was about to hit the man, but al-Hirr ibn Qays (who was among the people sitting with Umar) said, O Ameer al-Mumineen, Allaah said to His Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e., dont punish them) [al-Araaf 7:199 interpretation of the meaning], and this man is one of the foolish. By Allaah, Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) did not take the matter any further when this was recited to him. He adhered to the words of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 8/304). This is how the Muslim should be, not like the evil hypocrite who, when he got angry and was told about the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and was advised by one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan, said, Do you think there is something wrong with me? Do you think I am crazy? Go away! (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 1/465). We seek refuge with Allaah from failure. Knowing the bad effects of anger. The bad effects of anger are many, harming both the self and others. A person may swear and utter obscenities, and may hit others, lashing out with no control. It may even lead to killing. The following story contains a lesson. Alqamah ibn Waail reported that his father (may Allaah be pleased with him) told him: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when a man came along, leading another by a twisted rope. He said, O Messenger of Allaah, this man killed my brother. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, Did you kill him? He said, Yes, I killed him. He asked, How did you kill him? He said, He and I were hitting trees to make the leaves fall (so we could use them for animal fodder). He swore at me, so I got angry and hit him on the side of the head with an axe, and I killed him. (Reported by Muslim in al-Saheeh, 1307). Even if anger does not go as far as this, there may still be broken bones and injuries. If the person with whom a man is angry runs away, he may turn his anger upon himself, tearing his clothes, slapping his cheeks, falling unconscious, or breaking dishes and furniture. One of the worst things that result from anger and cause social ills and family breakdown is talaaq (divorce). Ask many of those who have divorced their wives how and when it happened, and they will tell you, It was in a moment of anger. Lives are shattered and children are lost as a result. Feelings of regret and failure haunt peoples minds, and life becomes bitter all because of anger. If only they had remembered Allaah and come back to their senses, restrained their anger and sought refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan, what happened would not have happened. Going against shareeah only ever results in loss. The physical harm that results from anger is very serious, as the doctors describe, such as thrombosis, high blood pressure, fatal heart attacks, diabetes, etc. We ask Allaah for good health. The angry person should think about himself at the time of anger. If the angry person could see himself in the mirror at the time of anger, he would despise himself and how he looks when his colour changes, he shakes uncontrollably, his face reddens, the veins of his neck stand out and he behaves like a crazy person.

He would be put off by his own appearance, but it is well known that the ugliness that exists inside a person is even worse than any that may appear on the outside. How happy the Shaytaan must be when someone is in this state! We seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan and from failure. Duaa. This is the believers constant weapon. He asks his Lord to rid him of evils, problems and bad characteristics, and he seeks refuge with Allaah from falling into the pit of kufr and wrongdoing caused by anger, because one of the three qualities which will save a person from Hellfire is being just and fair both at times of contentment and at times of anger. (Saheeh al-Jaami, 3039). One of the duaas of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was: Allaahumma bi ilmikal-ghaybi wa qudratika alal-khalqi aheeni ma alimtalhayaata khayran li, wa tawaffani idha alimtal-wafaata khayran li. Allaahumma wa asaluka khashyataka fil-ghaybi wal-shahaadah, wa asaluka kalimat al-ikhlaasi filridaa wal-ghadab, wa asalukal-qasda fil-faqri wal-ghinaa, wa asaluka naeeman la yanfad, wa qurrata aynin la tanqati, wa asalukal-ridaa bil-qadaa, wa asaluka bard al-aysh bad al-mawt, wa asaluka ladhdhat al-nadhr ila wajhika wal-shawqa ilaa liqaaik, fi ghayri darraa mudirrah wa laa fitnati mudillah. Allaahumma zayyinnaa bi zeenatil-eemaan wajalnaa hudaatan muhtadeen (O Allaah, by Your knowledge of the Unseen and Your power over all creation, keep me alive so long as You know life is good for me, and bring about my death when you know death is good for me. O Allaah, I ask You to make me fear You in secret and in the open, I ask You to make me speak sincerely at times of contentment and at times of anger, I ask You to make me be moderate in poverty and in wealth, I ask You for a blessing that does not end, contentment that never ceases, and for acceptance of Your decree. I ask You for a good life after death, and I ask You for the joy of looking upon Your face and the longing to meet You, with no harmful adversity or misleading trial (fitnah). O Allaah, adorn us with the beauty of faith, guide us and let us be a means of guidance for others). (Reported by al-Nisaai in al-Sunan, 3/55; and by al-Haakim. Saheeh alJaami, 1301). Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.

I Want to Fight My Soul, so What is the Way? By Nawwl Bin Abdullh Adapted with slight modifications from a translation by Ab Iyd Amjad Rafq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All Praise is due to Allh the Rabb of all the Worlds and prayers and peace upon the best creation of Allh.

To proceed: We hear many complaints from the people. Most of their complaints are related to their souls, which command them what is evil. They also complain about the evil of their actions. One of them says: Indeed I have been put to trial with four, they did not afflict me Except due to my misfortune and wretchedness Ibls, the world, the soul and the desire How will this end when they are my enemies, all of them So we find some of them saying I have tried many times, repeatedly, to turn my soul away from committing these specific acts of disobedience but my efforts have failed. Another one says: I tried to get my soul to perform acts of obedience (to Allh), good and righteous deeds but I am not able to remain firm upon them, I leave them so quickly. And we hear a third one say: I have repented from many evil actions and promised myself that I would not commit them again. However after the passing of time and being occupied much it did not take long before I returned to them. In fact I fell into others and increased in them. If we were to look at the condition of these people we would realise that among the reasons for their not being able to dominate and control their souls and not being able to remain firm upon what they have promised themselves is their lack of striving against their souls. In fact they have left the fetters and reins for the soul so that it leads them and plays with them however it wills. The soul is such that if it is not fought against and controlled it commands its possessor to commit evil and obscene deeds. These people, because they have not fought against their souls and controlled them in that which Allh loves and is pleased with, are not able to remain constant in their (good) actions. For this reason it is necessary for them to control their souls for Allh's pleasure and His obedience. Not that it should control them and as a result destroy them It is vital that a person launches a war against his soul. One which is not haphazard or aimless but rather a firm and determined one in which he uses the weapons of faith (mn), sincerity to Allh (ikhls), patience (sabr) and supplication (du). He uses them until he is able to overcome this mischievous enemy which is concealed between the two sides of his body [the soul, which commands the evil]. As a result he tames and pacifies it and makes it obedient, humble and submissive to the command of Allh. For this reason we find that Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) says: Since the jihd against the enemies of Allh outwardly (i.e. physically) is a branch of the jihd of the servant against his own soul for the sake of Allh... The jihd that is greater and mightier than the jihd against the disbelievers and pagans is the jihd of a person against his own soul for the sake of Allh, just as the Messenger of Allh said: The Mujhid is the one who struggles against his own soul in Allhs obedience. [Tirmidh who said it was Hasan Sahh and Al-Albn said: Its isnd is good]

And when a person is not able to struggle against his own soul and overcome it in that which Allh loves, he will not be able to fight against the external enemy, nor overcome it. How can he, when he is defeated and weak, both mentally and spiritually, and cannot even gain control of his own feeble soul? Before entering into the discussion of how to fight against the soul it is necessary to mention a little section about the soul and its nature. Then we shall mention the cure for the soul and the way to purify it from its desires and lusts, if Allh wills. The Reality of the Soul The soul continuously calls its owner to transgression, preference of the world, the desires and love of the delights and pleasures. But Allh calls His servant to fear of Him, awe of Him and forbids the soul from its whim. He has prepared a mighty reward for the one who follows His command. The Exalted said: And as for the one fears the standing in front of His Lord and restrains the soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode. [Srah Nzit 79:40-41] The soul in its essence calls and commands the evil. Allh the Exalted said: Verily the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whomsoever He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful. [Srah Ysuf 12:53] The soul was originally created ignorant and given to transgression. Knowledge, guidance and righteousness are things that befall it due to inspiration from its Lord and then by the struggle against it by its owner and his nurturing it and engaging it in jihd. Allh the Exalted says: And those who strive in Our way We shall guide them to our paths and verily Allh is with the doers of good (muhsinn). [Srah Ankabt 29:69] Allh Azzawajall guaranteed the one whom He found trying and striving (against his soul) that He will be with him, will help him and will bring into reality his wish or desire (of domination over his soul). What then can a man desire after that? And Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) said: The travellers to Allh, in all their different paths and diversity of their ways are agreed that the soul is a barrier between the heart and Allh and that it (the heart) will not come close to Him, the Sublime, or arrive to Him except after killing his soul, abandoning it by opposing it and being victorious over it For this reason, it is obligatory upon us to fight and strive against it in order to travel (by this striving) in the straight path and to the clear success which Allh Azzawajall has prescribed for us and which the best of the creation of Allh, Muhammad has explained to us. Know that striving against the soul does not occur except by four ways. Whoever follows them and applies them to his soul will have fought against it and protected it

with the help of Allh. Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) has mentioned these ways and they are as follows: Firstly: By holding the soul to account Secondly: By opposing it and not following its whims and desires Thirdly: By making it patient in Allhs obedience Fourthly: By making it patient in refraining Allhs disobedience

The First Way: Holding the Soul to Account The destruction of the soul and the heart and their corruption is due to the neglect of calling the soul to account. There are very few amongst Allhs servants whom you will find calling their souls to account. One will ask it constantly: What did I intend with that word of mine, or that advice I gave, or when I called unto Allh or when I commanded the good and forbade the evil (on a particular occasion)? Was that word which my tongue engaged upon and which my mouth uttered a word sincerely for Allh? Did I desire the Face of Allh with it? Or did I desire a portion of the world with it? What did I desire with that action, whether it was prayer, charity, fasting or putting and end to a certain evil? What did I hope for from it and what was the desire behind it? Did I hope for reward from Allh for it and His pleasure, or was my hope for reward and praise from Allhs creation, showing off and seeking to be heard of? In such a way does he question his soul and hold it to account for every word, movement and moment of rest. What did I hope for from it? And what did I desire by it? May Allh show mercy to Al-Hasan al-Basr who said: You will not find a believer except that he is (constantly) holding his soul to account. What did I intend with that word of mine? What did I intend with my food? What did I intend with my drink? Imm Ahmad wrote: The intelligent person is the one who controls his own soul (calls it to account) and acts (in preparation) for what comes after death..., and what is after death? After death is the barzakh. After death there is accountability and punishment. After death are the Scales (upon which the deeds are weighed) and the Sirt (the bridge over Hellfire) and then it is either Paradise or Hellfire. So what have we prepared for what comes after death?! ...and the incapable person is the one who makes his soul follow its whim and has many expectations from Allh. Such a person is the one who says Allh will forgive me, Allh will show mercy upon me, he covets all these things from Allh and yet he does not perform the righteous actions and falls into many sins and acts of disobedience. Righteous actions are one of the means of entering Paradise. It is not sufficient for someone to have expectations (from Allh) without making some effort and sacrifice and striving with his soul to perform righteous actions. Allh Azzawajall frequently links mn with righteous actions and it is also one of the ways of entering into Paradise. We ask Allh to grant us His Gardens. Umar ibn al-Khattb said: Call your souls to account before you are called to account and weigh your souls (i.e. your actions) before you are weighed for it will

make the accountability easier for you tomorrow if you call your selves to account today [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad] Mlik ibn Dnr (rh) said: May Allh show mercy to a servant who said :Are you not the perpetrator of this action? Are you not the perpetrator of that action? Then he rebukes it, strikes it and confines it to the Book of Allh and is becomes its master and guide. How many souls are their who control and lead their owners into the darkness and then into destruction and refuge is sought from Allh! Let a person therefore, be the leader, the commander and the forbidder of his soul and not the soul of him. And Al-Hasan (rh) said: A believer is a guardian over his soul. He calls his soul to account for the sake of Allh. The reckoning on the Day of Judgement will be light upon a people who call themselves to account in the world and the reckoning on the Day of Judgement will be hard on a people who take this matter lightly. And Ibn Kathr (rh) said: The believer (constantly) returns to his soul (holding it to account) so he says: What did I intend by this action?! What is for me and what is for it?! By Allh I shall never return to it. If it is an act of disobedience for example, it is a way of guarding his soul. He asks it constantly and calls it to account with an intense and hard reckoning in this world so that the reckoning on the Day of Judgement is easy. How Do I Call Myself to Account? Holding oneself to account is of two types: One before the action and the other after the action. The First Type: It is necessary for the one who calls himself to account before he engages upon saying something particular or a particular action or any action for that matter, that he stops and looks with clear insight, not with his whim or desire, at this action. Is this action in itself good for him, will he acquire recompense and reward for it from Allh? Or is this action disobedience which will lead to earning evil and increasing ones burdens? If he sees that this action is good and there is benefit in it for his religion, his life and the Hereafter he then moves onto another matter. And this is to see whether Allhs Face, His pleasure and the home of the Hereafter is desired by this action or is it merely for showing off, fame and seeking to be heard of? If he had desired Allhs Face by it then he should proceed with this action, whilst relying upon Allh and seeking help from Him. When he has finished from his action it is still necessary for him to call himself to account after he has acted. This enables him to see whether he made it sincerely and purely for Allh or whether he was deceived (into thinking that it was) and satisfied with just merely performing the action, perhaps due to the praise of people. Then he forgets his initial desire and intention which was seeking the Face of Allh. Was it better for him to perform that action or to fall short in executing it and abandoning it?

For this reason we find that the Prophet has strongly encouraged us to be quiet if we do not find any good and useful words to speak. He said: Whoever believes in Allh and the Last Day let him speak good or remain silent. [Reported by Bukhr and Muslim] Imm an-Nawaw said: When a person desires to speak, if there is definite goodness in his words for which he will be rewarded then let him speak and if it does not appear to him that there will be good in his words and that he will be rewarded then he should refrain from speaking. When a servant is strict and hard upon himself in such a way he will travel upon the path of goodness and success as a result of it. However, if he abandons his soul and neglects it he will be lead to the path of destruction and ruin by it, and into committing sins very easily without having the desire to seek forgiveness and repent from them. The Second Type: Calling the soul to account after the action has been completed. This itself is of three types: The first: A person brings the soul to account for an act of obedience which was performed and which fell short in fulfilling Allhs right. This means that it was not performed in the best possible way. The right of Allh upon the servant in every act of obedience consists of six matters: Sincerity in the action (for the sake of Allh alone), Pure devotion to Allh in it, Following and imitating the Messenger in it, Seeing and observing excellence in it Seeing Allhs Benevolence in it Seeing ones shortcomings (in performing this action) after all of this. So a person will call himself to account. Has he considered all these things with care and attention, the way they ought to be? And did he fulfil them all in this action? The second: A person calls himself to account for every action that he did, the abandonment of which would have been better for him than actually doing it. The third: A person calls himself to account for a matter that is mubh (permissible with no reward or punishment resulting from it). Why did he do it? And did he desire the Face of Allh and the home of the Hereafter by it so that he will have profited and succeeded? Or did he desire by it, the world and its temporary rewards and delights as a result of which he loses that success A person will call himself to account so that one day when he is sixty years old he will be counting his days and will find that they are twenty-one thousand and sixhundred in number. He lets out a scream and says: Woe be to me, I will meet my Lord with twenty-one thousand sins. How will it be when there are thousands of sins in a day?! Then he falls to the ground unconscious, and dies. Let us therefore, look at the strictness and intensity of the way he called himself to account and the way in which he saw his sins to be against him. What then, will our condition be?! One amongst the Salaf would choose a certain time, late at night, to call his soul to account. He would ask himself about the obligatory duties first and if he found any

deficiency in them, he would complete them, either by fulfilling them or by making up for them. Then he would call his soul to account with respect to the forbidden matters since he did something which the Shareeah has forbidden or which the Prophet () warned against. So he would make up for it by seeking forgiveness from Allh and then being remorseful and repenting from it. Then he would hold his soul to account for its heedlessness. If he had been heedless of what he had been created for he would make up for it with the remembrance of Allh, directing his attention towards Him and performing His worship. If he had been heedless with respect to a certain sin and went on to commit it, he would return to Allh, seeking forgiveness from Him, repenting to Him. He then goes on to call himself to account about what he said and uttered on a certain day, or to what his feet walked towards or what his hands grasped or what his eyes saw or what his ears heard and so on. He would therefore, see whether his action was in agreement with what Allh is pleased with and whether he desired Allh with his action and made it sincerely and purely for Him. Or did a blemish or impurity mix with his action such as showing off or seeking to be heard of, or opposing the command of Allh (in the way that he performed his action). Therefore, he throws against every one of his actions or his words two questions: For whom did I do it?! Was it for Allh or other than Him? This a question about sincerity to Allh. The other question: How did I do it?! Was it in agreement with the Book of Allh and the Sunnah? Was it in agreement with the Sharah or did it oppose and contradict the Sharah (this is a question about following and imitating the way of the Messenger of Allh . There are Great Benefits in Calling the Soul to Account Amongst them are: 1. Realising the shortcomings and weaknesses of the soul. Whoever does not know the weaknesses of his soul will not be able to put an end to them. We can observe this quality in our Pious Predecessors. Due to the intensity with which they called their souls to account, they knew all their shortcomings and faults. Ynus bin Ubaid said: Indeed, I know of a hundred characteristics from among the characteristics of goodness and I do not know whether I possess a single one of them. Therefore, we find him to be the most knowledgeable of people of his own self. He knows what his soul is in need of and what it hopes for and other such matters. And Muhammad bin Wsi said: If sins were to produce a smell, no one would be able to sit next to me 2. Knowing the right of Allh upon oneself. This will instill in the servant hatred of his own soul and its contempt. It will purify him from being amazed with his actions and also from showing off. Ibn al-Qayyim said: Verily, hatred of the soul for the sake of Allh is one of the characteristics of the Siddqn (the truthful and the sincere).

Imm Ahmad has mentioned in his book az-Zuhd that Wahb (ibn Munabbah) said: It has reached me that the Prophet of Allh, Ms, passed by a man who was calling upon Allh and was humbling himself. He (Ms) said: O my Lord, show mercy to Him as I have shown mercy to Him. Then Allh inspired to him: If he calls upon me until his...... I would not respond to Him until He looks at My right over Him. Looking at the right of Allh opens the door towards submission, humility and defeat in front of Allh. The one who reflects about the condition of the people nowadays will find that most of them do the opposite of this. They look at their own rights upon Allh, at their needs from Him but do not look at the right of Allh upon themselves. We will find one of them when he is inflicted with a calamity or misfortune on account of what his own hands have committed, angry, irritated and grumbling. He does not even ask his ownself: What is the cause of this misfortune, this calamity? And he is not aware that it is due to his sins and his disobedience to Allh. Likewise we find that many amongst mankind have been cut off from Allh and their hearts have been veiled from knowing Him. To Allh then, is the complaint and there is no power nor movement except by Allh.

The Second Way: Struggling Against the Soul by Opposing it and not Following its Desires Ibn Taymiyyah (rh) says: And this is by not following its desires and opposing what the soul desires. Opposing the soul occurs by opposing its desires and its desires do not arise except by following Shaytn. Therefore it is vital to oppose Shaytn and seeking refuge in and recoursing to Allh from his whisperings and his plans. Shaytn enters upon the soul and penetrates into it with two matters or from two doors. It is necessary for us to know them, oppose them and to close them tight in the face of Shaytn the Accursed and Rejected: The First: Due to excessiveness and squandering. This happens by giving ones soul whatever it desires of food, speech, sleep and other such matters which the soul makes its owner aspire for, what it cannot do without and what it loves. Therefore it is incumbent upon a person that he does not give his soul its need and desire in its entirety. He should not be extravagant and excessive in giving it food, sleep and other such delights and pleasures. When he shuts this door, against his own soul and against Shaytn he will acquire peace and security. Thus, we will find that a person has been forbidden from excessive food and speech, letting the gaze wander too much, mixing with people and accompanying them in excess since giving the soul whatever it desires is among the things which if done excessively and continuously hardens to heart and makes it heedless. This leads to the hearts death and refuge is sought from Allh! Thus, the door of fasting has been opened and we have been urged to fast. Even voluntary fasting has been strongly encouraged. Fasting puts an end to the desire and excessive eating. Thus Islam has encouraged fasting and made it beloved to its adherents. Likewise, there is an excellence attached to the night prayer (tahajjud). It prevents a person from excessive sleep. A person will strive against his soul and wage war against it in order to pray during the night and fast during the day. He will continue

in this until his soul submits and humbles itself to these acts of worship. The soul will then find the joy and delight of fasting and praying at night. It is also, from the wisdom of Islm that urges the Muslim to be silent unless he has something beneficial to say. The Messenger of Allh said: Whoever believes in Allh and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent. Perhaps, due to his excessive speaking and shouting he will not be on his guard from the danger of falling into backbiting, lying, slandering and other such matters. The Second: Being ignorant and heedless of Allhs remembrance. Shaytn exhausts himself in gaining mastery over the soul so that he can prevent it from Allhs remembrance. The one who remembers Allh is in a strong fortress, protected from Shaytn as long as he does not forget or become heedless. Whoever becomes heedless, he will open up a small gap for the enemy by which he can get to him and then penetrate into his soul and whisper to it. This is why there is a strong encouragement and recommendation for making the various supplications and reciting portions of the Quraan during every moment and in every place until they become a sanctuary and a preventive measure for the one who uses them. There exist, for example, supplications for the evening, the morning, for entering into the house and leaving it, for sleeping and awakening and others besides them. Fighting against the soul occurs by checking and curbing the defiance of its desires and its lusts. And with the abundant remembrance of Allh a preventive barrier is set up against every destructive lust or transgressing desire. Ab Hafs said: Whoever does not oppose his soul at every moment and situation and does not make it perform those things which it dislikes, at all times, is deceived and has destroyed it (his soul). Al-Hasan (rh) said: A believer becomes amazed with something (that he likes) and says: By Allh, I desire you and you are certainly one of my needs. But by Allh, there is no way towards you. How far you are, there is a barrier between me and you! A person knows what his soul wants and desires. It is therefore, essential for him not to give it everything that it covets and desires. It is also vital for him to confine and straiten his soul so that he does not go to excesses in giving it what it seeks. We know that Umar (ra), when his wife desired a sweet (dish), forbade her from it because he knew than if she asks for a sweet (dish) today, she will ask for something else tomorrow which is greater. So he closed the door upon her at the very beginning. The condition of most people however, is that a person will be generous to his soul and shower upon his soul whatever it asks of him and even what it does not even ask of him. So his soul becomes tired and fed up due to his extravagance and excess. What is our condition then, when compared to that of our Pious Predecessors? We direct our complaint to Allh!!

The Third Way: Making the Soul Patient in Allhs Obedience The soul runs away often from some acts of worship because they are amongst the things it does not desire. This continues due to certain causes prevent a person from

desiring these acts of worship. Amongst them are laziness in performing acts of worship (such as prayer) and the love of sleep. As a result, the opportunity to perform much worship passes him by. It can also occur due to miserliness. A person will not give the obligatory charity or other things which are required of him so that they become endeared to the soul and the soul begins to aspire for them after it had been fleeing from them. It is vital that there is a spiritual war, which can be intense and hard, but with a strong will, turning to Allh, making continuous du (supplication) to Allh and requesting His help in this act of obedience to Him, this matter will be made easy for him. And Allh will lighten his burden for him until these acts (of worship) are beloved to the soul. All of this cannot occur except after fighting and struggling against the soul. A person will find himself in many trials and intense battles along with his capability of avoiding such actions. This means that a person, even though he is in need and capable of fasting, will not fast due to following his whims and even though he is capable he will not pray and as a result please his desires and his soul which commands the evil. However, we find that another person fasts voluntarily, although he is not in need of fasting voluntarily (to curb his desires) and neither does his soul aspire towards fasting. Yet he still declares war upon his soul and fights against it (with fasting and prayer) so that he makes it do what he desires and not let it make him do what it commands and desires. Therefore, patience when accompanied with performing those actions (such as prayer and fasting) upon which the soul perseveres is considered the greatest and most perfect form of patience as Ibn Taymiyyah (rh) has explained. And Ibn alQayyim (rh) said: Verily, having patience in obedience (to Allh) occurs by performing an act of obedience, then guarding it and being persistent in (performing) it. This is the thing which very few amongst us are able to do, that we show patience in continually observing obedience to Allh and persisting in such obedience. This is because the soul gets bored with it and does not have the desire to perform it another time. At this stage showing patience and realising the great excellence this action has in the sight of Allh is required. The actions most loved by Allh are the ones which are performed continuously, even if they are small actions. The Messenger of Allh used to love, when he performed an action, that he remained constant upon it. The saying of the Prophet to Abdullh bin Umar: Do not be like so and so who would pray during the whole of the night and then abandoned it, was nothing but a means of encouraging him to be constant in his good actions. It is also necessary that along with being continuous in ones actions, a person also beautifies them and excels in them and this occurs with having Ikhls (sincerity) and dings them in accordance with the command of Allh and His Messenger . The Fourth Way: Fighting Against the Soul and Making it Patient in Refraining from Allhs Disobedience

This means that a person holds his soul to account in order to make himself distant from falling into disobedience while also bearing in mind that the reasons and motives of falling into the sin are numerous. Among such reasons are the strength of ones youthfulness and manhood, since the youth are known to love the pleasures and joys of this world. When a person turns away from an act of disobedience even though he has the opportunity and is capable of performing it, he has turned his soul away from the unlawful and has opposed his soul, pleasing Allh thereby, and being obedient to Him. He has struggled with his soul and fought against it with a strong and intense battle. As a result of this he overcomes and dominates it and he will receive success and prosperity in this world and the Hereafter with the permission of Allh. And Shaikh-ul-Islm (rh) said: Showing patience in (avoiding) the unlawful things is more excellent than showing patience in calamities and afflictions. Whoever abandoned an act of disobedience although he was capable of performing it is one whose fight against his soul is most intense and most excellent. This is because he left a thing which his soul tempted him with and made him aspire for. So he opposed it and was capable of defeating it. This is why the youth who is tempted by a women of rank and beauty and says to her: I fear Allh will be amongst the seven whom Allh will shade on the Day when there will be no shade except for His, because he prevented his soul from committing what it desired and wanted and at the same time he was capable of performing it. Likewise, the one who lowers his gaze although he has the opportunity and capability to look at something unlawful is amongst those who fight against and deter their souls. Along with that he will receive a mighty reward in this world and the hereafter. Also, the one who keeps his hearing away from the forbidden things such as music and singing, backbiting, slandering and lying, is a fighter against his soul and he will obtain a reward from Allh if his action was to please Allh. A similar analogy can be made for every matter that makes a person distant from his Lord or earns His anger. It is vital for a person to be far from it and to oppose his soul in performing it. And how excellent is the saying: Oppose the soul and shaytn and protect it (the soul) They (seem to) give you sincere advice, so restrain them both Therefore, a person must oppose his soul and call it to account constantly. As a result of this he must make it patient in doing acts of obedience and refraining from acts of disobedience. He should also make it patient in being continuous in performing the righteous actions so that he ascends with them, to the highest of positions, to the pleasure of Allh and to everlasting happiness. I ask Allh, the Most High and the Powerful to benefit us with what He has taught us and to teach us that which will benefit us and that He forgives our mistakes. We ask him to help us against our souls and that He does not leave us to rely upon ourselves for a single moment, verily, He is capable of that and Allh knows best.

Prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family. Written by Nawwl bint Abdillh May Allh forgive her, her parents and all the Muslim men and women.

What will your excuse be tomorrow before Allaah? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Praise be to Allaah Who has created us to worship Him and has prescribed His religion and shareeah for us to adhere to, and Who accepts our excuses for our mistakes and for what we forget or are forced to do. Allaah has commanded us to adhere firmly to His religion, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): Hold fast to that which We have given you [al-Baqarah 2:63]. Religion is a serious matter that distinguishes truth from falsehood, it is not a thing for amusement [cf. Al-Taariq 86:13]. Many people do not take the matters of their religion seriously, and they offer feeble excuses. This is one of the signs of the Munaafiqoon (hypocrites), who take their religion for mockery and fun [cf. AlMaaidah 5:57], and when they are rebuked or advice is offered to them, they come up with excuses which in fact are worse than the sin for which they are offering these excuses. Often we hear strange responses from people when we seek to offer advice or confront them about their evil actions and sins. For example: Why do you not give up this sin? These are difficult times, and everyone is like this. I have not been guided yet.

The joke you told is a serious matter, and it is making a mockery of Islam. My intention is sound, and I only meant to have some fun.

How can you work in this haraam job? I cant find any other job. Do you want me to die of starvation?

How could you shake hands with a woman who is a stranger to you (non-mahram)? My heart is pure.

Why do you not wake your child up to pray Fajr?

Poor kid, he didnt get enough sleep and he has to go to school.

Your daughter has passed the age of ten and she is still wearing short clothes; why dont you tell her to wear hijaab? She is still young. When she reaches the age of puberty we will tell her to wear hijaab. Wear the correct Islamic hijaab. It doesnt look good on me. What will people say about me? The cover restricts my breathing. Fear Allaah and do not wear abaayahs (outer garments) that are colourful or have patterns. This is what is available in the stores.

How can you bring the means of forbidden entertainment (TVs etc.) into your home? Our wives and children put too much pressure on us.

Why dont you pray in the mosque? The Imaams voice is off-putting, and there are too many offensive smells.

Why do you shave off your beard, my brother? Because it doesnt look nice, I cant grow a full beard.

Thus people come up with excuses one after another, for major and minor sins alike, in a failed attempt to avoid feeling guilty and avoid the advice of sincere people. In order to find out the rulings on this matter and to learn more about this dangerous phenomenon, we will refer to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the words of the scholars. Some of the incidents of false excuses referred to in the Quraan: Allaah has mentioned in His Book some examples of false excuses, many of which were made by the Munaafiqoon, such as their excuses for failing to perform obligatory duties, the chief of which was jihaad for the sake of Allaah, and other duties. (1) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): They (the hypocrites) will present their excuses to you (Muslims), when you return to them. Say (O Muhammad) Present no excuses, we shall not believe you. Allaah has already informed us of the news concerning you. Allaah and His Messenger will observe your deeds. In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the

unseen and the seen, then He (Allaah) will inform you of what you used to do. [alTawbah 9:94] Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Here Allaah states that when the Muslims returned to Madeenah, the Munaafiqoon would offer excuses. Say (O Muhammad) Present no excuses, we shall not believe you means, we will not accept it as true. Allaah has already informed us of the news concerning you means, Allaah has already told us about you. Allaah and His Messenger will observe your deeds means, your actions will be made known to people in this world. In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allaah) will inform you of what you used to do means, and He will inform you of your deeds, both good and bad, and will requite you accordingly. Kab ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) explained what happened when he stayed behind from the campaign to Tabook. He said: When I heard that (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was on his way back from Tabook), I was filled with remorse and I began to think of a lie that I could tell so as to escape his anger and I consulted some of my relatives to ask for their advice. But when I heard that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was close at hand, thoughts of falsehood left me and I knew that I would never find a way out by lying, so I resolved to tell the truth. In the morning, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered (Madeenah), and whenever he returned from travelling he would always go to the mosque first. So he prayed two rakahs there, then sat down to await the people. When he did that, those who had stayed behind came and began to make excuses, swearing oaths. There were eighty-odd of these men. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) accepted their public declarations and oaths of allegiance, and prayed for forgiveness for them, referring their secret thoughts to Allaah. Then I came to him and greeted him with salaam, and he smiled as a person who is angry smiles, then he said: Come here. So I came and sat down before him. He said, What kept you back? Did you not buy a mount (riding animal)? I said, Yes. By Allaah, if I were sitting with anyone else in this world, I would think that I would be able to escape his wrath by making some excuse, for I am skilled in argument. But by Allaah, I know that if I told you a lie that you would accept, then soon Allaah would provoke your anger against me. But if I tell you the truth, which will make you angry with me, I hope that Allaah will forgive me for it. By Allaah, I had no excuse. I have never been stronger or richer than when I stayed behind. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: As far as that is concerned, he has told the truth. Get up (and wait) until Allaah decides concerning you. So I got up, and some men from Banu Salimah got up and followed me, saying, By Allaah, we have never known you to commit any sin before this. How come you were unable to offer an excuse to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as the others who stayed behind did? It would have been sufficient if the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had asked for forgiveness for your sin. By Allaah, they kept at me until I wanted to go back and give the lie to myself. Then I asked them, Is there anyone else who is in the same position as I am? They said, Yes, there are two men who said something like what you said, and the same answer was given to them. I said, Who are they? They said: Muraarah ibn al-Rabee al-Amri and Hilaal ibn Umayyah al-Waaqifi. They had told me the names of two righteous men who had been present

at Badr and who were exemplary characters. I remained silent when they mentioned them to me. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4066). When Allaah mentioned those who told lies to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and offered false excuses for staying behind, He mentioned them in the worse way that they could ever be mentioned: They (the hypocrites) will present their excuses to you (Muslims), when you return to them. Say (O Muhammad) Present no excuses, we shall not believe you. Allaah has already informed us of the news concerning you. Allaah and His Messenger will observe your deeds [al-Tawbah 9:94 interpretation of the meaning]. (2) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And when a party of them said: O people of Yathrib (Al‑Madinah)! There is no stand (possible) for you (against the enemy attack!) Therefore go back! And a band of them ask for permission of the Prophet saying: Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy). And they lay not open. They but wished to flee. [al-Ahzaab 33:13] This is the excuse that the Munaafiqoon used when they wanted to stay behind from the campaign of al-Ahzaab and go back to their houses, claiming that the houses were unprotected. Their excuse was unacceptable, because they did not really want to protect their houses; what they actually wanted to do was to run away. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And they lay not open. They but wished to flee. And a band of them ask for permission of the Prophet. It was narrated from Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that they said: We are afraid that our houses may be robbed. This was stated by more than one (of the scholars). They used the excuse of going back to their houses, claiming that they lay open (to attack), i.e., there was nothing to protect them from the enemy, so they were scared that the enemy may attack their houses. Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): And they lay not open it was not as they claimed. They but wished to flee i.e., to run away from battle. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer). (3) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And among them is he who says: Grant me leave (to be exempted from Jihaad) and put me not into trial. Surely, they have fallen into trial. And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers. [al-Tawbah 9:49] Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy upon him) said: Allaah says, and among the Munaafiqeen are those who will say, O Muhammad, Grant me leave to stay behind and do not put me into trial by making me go out (to fight) with you, because of the young women of the Romans. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Surely,

they have fallen into trial meaning, they have fallen into trial (fitnah) by their saying that. Muhammad ibn Ishaaq narrated that Az-Zuhri, Yazeed ibn Roomaan, AbdAllaah ibn Abi Bakr, Aasim ibn Qutaadah and others said: One day, when he was preparing to go out [to fight the Romans], the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Al-Jadd ibn Qays, the brother of Bani Salimah, O Jadd, how do you feel about going to fight Banil-Asfar (the Romans)? He said, O Messenger of Allaah, will you grant me leave to stay behind and not expose me to trial (fitnah)? For by Allaah, among my people there is no man who is more tempted by women than I am, and I fear that if I see the women of BanilAsfar I will not be able to control myself. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned away from him and said, I give you leave (to stay behind). Then there was revealed concerning al-Jadd ibn Qays the following words (interpretation of the meaning): And among them is he who says: Grant me leave (to be exempted from Jihaad) and put me not into trial. i.e., because he feared the temptation of the women of BanilAsfar. But this is not the case. The trial into which he fell by staying behind from accompanying the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and preferring his life to the life of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was a far greater trial And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers means, they will not be able to find any way out or means of escape from it. (4) Allaah also says concerning the excuses of the Munafiqeen (interpretation of the meaning): If you ask them (about this), they declare: We were only talking idly and joking. Say: Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimoon (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals). [al-Tawbah 9:65-66] Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If a person says words of kufr or divorce (talaaq) in jest, his wife is thereby divorced and he is counted as a kaafir, even if he was only joking, because when he said it he meant to say it. The fact that he was joking is not an excuse. This is unlike the case when a person is forced to do something, or he makes a mistake, or he forgets all of which are excused. A person who is forced to say something is excused, and what he said may be deemed as allowable, but the one who jokes is not allowed to utter in jest words of kufr or of divorce. When he said the words, he meant to say them, and he cannot claim that he was forced or that he made a mistake or said it out of forgetfulness or ignorance. Allaah and His Messenger do not accept joking as an excuse that will ward off the punishment; indeed, the one who jokes is more deserving of punishment. Do you not see that Allaah accepts the excuse of the person who is forced to speak words of kufr if his heart is filled with true faith, but

He does not accept any excuse from the one who jokes. On the contrary, He says (interpretation of the meaning): If you ask them (about this), they declare: We were only talking idly and joking. Say: Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed [al-Tawbah 9:65-66] (Ilaam al-Muwaqqieen, 3/63) We say to every heretic and hypocrite who propagates kufr and clearly makes statements of kufr in works of fiction or journalistic articles and song lyrics, then gives that excuse that he did not intend to insult religious symbols or the things that Islam holds sacred or the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we say to these munaafiqeen in every place and time: Present no excuses, we shall not believe you [al-Tawbah 9:94 interpretation of the meaning]. We say to them: wait until the Day comes when it will be said to you: O you who disbelieve (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism)! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do [al-Tahreem 66:7 - interpretation of the meaning]. (5) Another of the foolish excuses of which Allaah has told us in His Book, is that which the Children of Israel made to their Prophet Moosa (peace be upon him) when he was leading them towards the Holy Land (Palestine). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning these Jews: One of the ways in which the Shaytaan played with them is when Allaah had saved them from the tyranny and oppression of Pharaoh, and had parted the sea for them, and had shown them the signs and miracles, and had helped them and protected them and granted them glory, and given them what He had not given to any other among the Aalameen (mankind and jinns, in the past) (cf. Al-Maaidah 5:20), Then He commanded them to enter the town which Allaah had decreed was to be theirs. This included the glad tidings for them that they would prevail and conquer the land, and that that town would be theirs, but they refused to obey his orders, and they responded to this command and these glad tidings by saying: So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here [al-Maaidah 5:24 interpretation of the meaning]. Think about how kind the Prophet of Allaah Moosa (peace be upon him) was towards them, and how gently he treated them, and how he reminded them of Allaahs blessings towards them and His promise that the town would be theirs. He told them not to disobey him by turning on their heels, and warned them that if they disobeyed him, they would be losers. So he combined commands and prohibitions, glad tidings and warnings, encouragement and threats, and a reminder of previous blessings. But they responded in the worst manner and rejected the command of Allaah by saying: O Moosa! In it (this holy land) are a people of great strength [al-Maaidah 5:22 interpretation of the meaning]. They showed no respect to the Messenger of Allaah, the one with whom Allaah had spoken, and they even addressed him by his first

name, instead of saying O Prophet of Allaah. They said that there were strong people dominating that town, and they forgot the power of the One Who dominates the heavens and the earth, Who could subjugate those tyrants to the people who obeyed Him. Their fear of those tyrants, whose forelocks were in the Hand of Allaah, was greater than their fear of the Compeller, the Most High, may He be exalted, and they had more fear in their hearts of them than of Him. Then they clearly stated their disobedience and their refusal to obey: and we shall never enter it till they leave it [al-Maaidah 5:22 interpretation of the meaning]. Thus they confirmed their disobedience in several ways: (1) They stated the reason for their disobedience: In it (this holy land) are a people of great strength. (2) They stated that they would not obey; the sentence starts with the word inna which signifies affirmation (e.g., verily, indeed), followed by the word lan, a negation which implies never, i.e., we will not enter it now or in the future. Then they stipulated a condition for their entering the town, which was that the tyrants should leave. Then Two men of those who feared (Allaah and) on whom Allaah had bestowed His Grace [al-Maaidah 5:23 interpretation of the meaning] by obeying His command, from among those who feared Allaah this is the view of the majority and this is correct. [They] said: Assault them through the gate [alMaaidah 5:23 interpretation of the meaning], i.e., the gate of that town: attack them, for they are filled with fear of you. for when you are in, victory will be yours [al-Maaidah 5:23 interpretation of the meaning]. Then they guided them to that which would bring them victory, namely putting their trust in Allaah. But the peoples response was to say: O Moosa! We shall never enter it as long as they are there. So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here. [al-Maaidah 5:24 interpretation of the meaning] Glory be to the One Whose patience was so great that when they responded to His command in this manner and addressed His Messenger in this way, He was forbearing towards them and did not hasten to punish them. His patience and kindness was so great that the worst punishment He gave them was to make them wander in the desert for forty years, with the clouds shading them from the heat and with manna and quails sent down for them. (Ighaathah al-Lahfaan, 2/313). Having read the aayat in which Allaah mentions the false excuses and responds to them, we should go back and think about our duties and what is required and expected of us. We should think of our own shortcomings and the excuses that we have in mind or that we give to others. Allaah has sent down His Book to us Muslims and He has obliged us to obey Him and follow His commands. We have no excuse not to follow the shareeah, and we have no option when it comes to Allaahs commands.

Let us remember what Sad ibn al-Rabee said to Zayd ibn Thaabit with his dying breath: Tell my people the Ansaar that they have no excuse before Allaah if some harm reaches the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and their eyes are still blinking (i.e., they are still alive). Then his soul slipped away; may Allaah be pleased with him. Peoples excuses for not adhering to Islam There are many things that a lot of people say to excuse themselves for not obeying the commands of Allaah and His Messenger: The rulings are too difficult; these are difficult times; I havent been guided yet and other examples such as those given above. Another thing that they say is: we are afraid of people! They fear the people, but Allaah is more deserving of being feared. Is He not the One Who says to us (interpretation of the meaning): so fear them not, but fear Me [al-Maaidah 5:3] Therefore fear not men but fear Me [al-Maaidah 5:44] Is it not a form of Shirk for a person to fear other people as he fears Allaah or even more so? Muaawiyah wrote to Aaishah Umm al-Mumineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) saying: Send me a letter and advise me, briefly. So Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) wrote to Muaawiyah saying: Peace be upon you. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, whoever seeks to please Allaah by making people angry, Allaah will protect him from people; whoever seeks to please people by making Allaah angry, Allaah will leave him to the people. Peace be upon you. (Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 2414). People come up with many foolish reasons for not implementing the commands of Allaah and His Messenger, in an attempt to make excuses so that they will not feel guilty, and in order to justify what they are doing by saying that they are under pressure or by misinterpretating things to suit themselves. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, refuting that: No one has any excuse whatsoever for disobeying Allaah and going against His commands when he knows of them and is able to do what he is commanded and avoid what is forbidden. If there (really) was an excuse, he would not deserve to be punished and blamed, either in this world or in the hereafter. (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/189) Blame yourself, done not blame someone else * and die of regret, for you have no excuse. Some people use the Shaytaan as an excuse. Some people use al-qadaa wal-qadar (divine decree) as an excuse.

This is the worst kind of excuse. Allaah connected the adornment of this world and sin to the shayaateen, as He said (interpretation of the meaning): and Shaytaan (Satan) made fair‑seeming to them that which they used to do [al-Anaam 6:43] And so to many of the Mushrikoon (polytheists) their (Allaahs so‑called) partners have made fair-seeming the killing of their children [al-Anaam 6:137]. This does not contradict the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): Thus We have made fair‑seeming to each people its own doings [al-Anaam 6:108] because when this is connected to Allaah, it means that it is the matter of al-Qadaa wal-Qadar (divine decree), but when it is connected to the Shaytaan it means that he is the means by which it happens. Moreover, when sin is made attractive, this is a punishment for them liking and accepting that which the Shaytaan made fairseeming to them, because the punishment for sayiaat (bad deeds) is more bad deeds, and the reward for hasanaat (good deeds) is more good deeds. What is meant is that using al-qadar as an excuse contradicts the idea of repentance, and it is not an acceptable excuse at all. In some reports it is stated that if a person commits a sin, then says, O Lord, this was Your decree and this is what You ordained for me, Allaah says, You did this, you earned it, you wanted it and you strove for it, and I will punish you for it. If he says, O Lord, I did wrong and I erred and I transgressed, Allaah says, I decreed it and ordained that it would happen, and I will forgive you for that. If he does a good deed and says, O Lord, I did it and I gave in charity and I prayed and I fed others, Allaah will say to him, I helped you and I guided you. And if he says, O Lord, You helped me and supported me and blessed me, Allaah will say, You did it and you wanted it and you earned it. So there are two kinds of excuses: those in which a person does not admit that he was wrong which contradicts the idea of repentance, and those in which a person does admit that he was wrong which makes repentance complete. (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/184) Some people may have some kind of excuse, but it is very slight and it will not be of much use if they want to use that excuse before Allaah. If you want to know how valid an excuse is, ask yourself, will this be of any benefit to me before Allaah? And fear The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to Zaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah). Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode (i.e. painful torment in Hell‑fire) [Ghaafir 40:52 interpretation of the meaning] Each person knows best about himself and whether his excuses are genuine or false. On the Day of Resurrection all matters will become clear, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

Nay! Man will be a witness against himself [as his body parts (skin, hands, legs) will speak about his deeds], Though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds) [al-Qiyaamah 75:14-15] Acceptable excuses On the other hand, there are some sincere people who Allaah knows that they did not do some of the things that were enjoined upon them because of something that prevented them from doing so. These are some examples: It was reported from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was on a campaign and he said: There are some people in Madeenah and we did not travel through any valley or mountain pass but they were with us, and they were prevented from coming with us for a genuine reason. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2627). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And those who made excuses from the Bedouins came (to you, O Prophet) asking your permission to exempt them (from the battle), and those who had lied to Allaah and His Messenger sat at home (without asking the permission for it); a painful torment will seize those of them who disbelieve [al-Tawbah 9:90] Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allaah explained the situation of those who had excuses not to go out for jihaad and who came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to make their excuses and explain to him that they were weak and unable to go out for jihaad. They came from Arab tribes who lived around Madeenah. Ad-Dahaak said that Ibn Abbaas used to recite it jaaa al-madharoon without a shaddah meaning those who had excuses This meaning is more apparent, because Allaah then says: and those who had lied to Allaah and His Messenger sat at home meaning, others from among the Bedouin stayed at home and did not come to offer excuses. Then Allaah warned them of a painful torment and said: a painful torment will seize those of them who disbelieve. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer). It was reported from Ibn Abi Maleekah that Ibn Abbaas recited (interpretation of the meaning): Except the weak ones among men, women and children [al-Nisaa 4:98] He said: my mother and I were among those who were excused by Allaah (Narrated by alBukhaari, 4222). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to accept the excuse of those who had valid excuses. It was reported that al-Mugheerah ibn Shubah said: I ate garlic then I came to where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray, and I had already missed one rakah. When I entered the mosque, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) noticed the smell of garlic. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

finished his prayer, he said, Whoever has eaten from this plant, let him not come near us until the smell has gone away. When I finished my prayer, I came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allaah, give me your hand. And I put his hand inside the sleeve of my shirt so that he could feel the wrapper around my chest. He said, You have an excuse. (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3330. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him; Saheeh Abi Dawood, 2/726). the wrapper around my chest their custom was that when a person was hungry, he would wrap something tightly around his stomach, and sometimes they would place a stone beneath the wrapper. (Awn al-Mabood, Kitaab al-Atimah; transmitted from al-Nihaayah by Ibn al-Atheer). Excuses have a great impact on the soundness of good deeds and the application of the rulings. Some texts were narrated concerning those who have excuses, and if these texts are not connected to people who have excuses they will be open to misinterpretation. An example of this is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which states that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said; Whoever catches up with one rakah of Subh (Fajr) prayer before the sun rises has caught up with Subh, and whoever catches up with one rakah of Asr prayer before the sun sets has caught up with Asr. (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah is a saheeh hasan hadeeth). This is the hadeeth on which our companions and al-Shaafai and Ahmad and Ishaaq based their opinion. They interpreted this hadeeth as referring to a person who has an excuse, such as a man who sleeps and misses the prayer, or forgets it and then wakes up and remembers it just before the sun rises or sets. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 545; al-Tirmidhi, 171 this version was narrated by him). Another example of how excuses affect the ruling on a matter: Permissible excuses for missing prayer in jamaaah: It was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I nearly decided to tell my servants to gather firewood, then I would have told them to give the iqaamah and start praying, then I would have burned the houses of people who did not attend the prayer. (Narrated by alTirmidhi, 201; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him; Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1/69). Abu Eesaa said: the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah is a also narrated from other companions of the Prophet be upon him) that they said: Whoever hears the respond, his prayer does not count. Some of the emphasis: there are no concessions for not praying who have valid excuses. saheeh hasan hadeeth. It was (peace and blessings of Allaah call [to prayer] and does not scholars said: this is a strict in jamaaah, except for those

What are the valid excuses for not attending prayer in jamaaah? There are several valid excuses for not attending prayer in jamaaah, including the following: 1. Sickness.

Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I do not know of any difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that the sick person may not attend prayers in jamaaah because of his sickness. Ibn Abbaas narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever hears the call (to prayer) and has no excuse not to respond to it - They said: What excuse could he have, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: Fear or sickness, otherwise the prayer that he performed will not be accepted. (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 464; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him , without the phrase What excusecould he have?, in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1/110) Whatever the case, the sick person has a legitimate reason which means that he is excused from doing acts of worship or may make them up later. In al-Bukhaari it was reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was terminally ill, Bilaal would come to him and call him to pray, and he would say, Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. But not every sickness is an excuse for not praying in congregation. What is referred to here is debilitating sickness. Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-Uthaymeen said in al-Mumti (4/438-439): the sickness which excuses a person from attending prayers in jamaaah and Friday prayers is the sickness which will cause him great hardship if the person goes to pray. The evidence (daleel) for that is as follows: 1. The aayah (interpretation of the meaning): So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can [al-Taghaabun 64:16] 2. The aayah (interpretation of the meaning): Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope [al-Baqarah 2:286] 3. The aayah (interpretation of the meaning): There is no restriction on the blind, nor any restriction on the lame, nor any restriction on the sick [al-Noor 24:61] The second excuse: heavy rainfall or strong winds: Naafi said: Ibn Umar gave the adhaan on a cold night in Dajnaan, then he said: Pray where you are. He told us that on a cold or rainy night during a journey, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would to tell the muezzin to give the adhaan, then immediately afterwards he would say: pray where you are. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 596). It was reported that Jaabir said: we went out with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a journey, and it rained, so he said, Let whoever among you wishes, pray where he is. (Narrated by Ahmad, 13827; Muslim, 1127; Abu Dawood, 899). It was reported that Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to his muezzin on a rainy day: After you have said Ashhadu anna Muhammadan RasoolAllaah (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah), do not say

Hayya alal-salaah (come to prayer); say Sallu fi buyootikum (pray in your houses). It was as if the people found that strange, so he said: Do you find it strange when someone who is better than I did that? meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) Calling people to pray Jumuah is emphatically obliged, but I did not want to make you come out to walk in the slippery mud. (Agreed upon. AlBukhaari, 850; Muslim, 1128). According to a hadeeth narrated by Abu Awaanah from Ibn Umar: a cold or windy night. The third excuse: fear Because of the hadeeth of Ibn Abaas quoted above if it is saheeh in which it says (the excuse of) Fear or sickness. Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (1/631): Fear is of three types: fear for oneself, fear for ones wealth or property, and fear for one's family. 1. Fear for oneself: when a person fears that he may be seized by a tyrant, enemy, thief or wild animal, etc., which would cause him harm. 2. Fear for ones wealth or property: when a person fears a tyrant or thief and the like, or he fears that his house may be robbed or burned down etc., or he has bread in the oven or something cooking on the stove and he fears that it may burn if he goes and does something else, or he has some good which he left with another person, and if he does not catch up with him, he may disappear with his good. These and similar cases are valid excuses for not attending Jumuah prayers or prayers in jamaaah. 3. Fear that ones child or family may be lost, or a persons child is lost but there is the hope of finding him at that time, or he has a sick family member who needs him or he has to stay close to the sick person. Ibn al-Mundhir said: It was reported that Ibn Umar called upon Saeed ibn Zayd in the late morning, and he came to him in al-Aqeeq and missed the Jumuah prayer. This was the view of Ataa, al-Hasan, al-Oozaai and al-Shaafai. The fourth excuse: when food is ready. Ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If any one of you is eating, let him not hasten (to finish eating) until he has eaten his fill, even if the iqaamah is being given. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 633) Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (1/629): If dinner is ready at the time of the prayer, it is mustahabb to eat first and then pray, because then ones heart and mind will be more focused. Ibn Umar ate even though he could hear the imaam reciting (in the prayer). Then he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Our companions said: eating dinner takes priority over the prayer in congregation if one is desperate to eat. Al-Shaafai also said something similar. But this excuse will not be accepted from someone who deliberately serves food at the time of the prayer in jamaaah, because this is a trick. The fifth excuse: urgent need to pass urine or stools. Muslim (869) reported from Aaishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: You should not pray if there is food ready or if you need to pass urine or stools. Ibn Qudaamah (al-Mughni 1/630) said: this means, if a person is suppressing (the urge to pass urine etc.), it is makrooh for him to pray until he has answered the call of nature, whether he fears that he will miss the prayer in jamaaah or not. What this means is that if he stands up to pray and there is something that will distract him from having the proper attitude of humility and presence of mind, and he goes against that and prays anyway, his prayer will still be valid. This is the case in this situation (the need to pass urine or stools) and in the situation referred to above (when food is ready and one is very hungry). The sixth excuse: when one feels very drowsy Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen (al-Mumti, 4/447) said: If a person feels very drowsy, he is excused if he does not attend Jumuah or a prayer in jamaaah. An example of that is a man who is very tired because of work or travelling, and he is overcome with drowsiness. He can do one of two things: either he can go and pray in jamaaah even though he is so sleepy and does not know what he is saying, or he can sleep so that the drowsiness will pass and then he can pray in a refreshed and relaxed manner. We say, do the latter, because you have a valid excuse. For some people, doing wudoo gets rid of the drowsiness and refreshes them; in this case a person should not miss the prayer in jamaaah. The hadeeth is talking about overwhelming drowsiness. The seventh excuse: strong cold winds on a dark night. There are two conditions attached to this excuse: 1. The wind should be so cold that it is difficult to go out in it.

2. It should be a strong wind, because a gentle breeze does not cause any difficulty. The excuse of ignorance Islam excuses the person who is ignorant just as it excuses a person who forgets, or more so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) excused a person who did not pray well because he did not know how to pray with the proper composure, and he did not order him to repeat his past prayers. He excused a pregnant woman who was experiencing istihaadah (irregular non-menstrual bleeding) because she did not know that prayer and fasting were obligatory upon her

even though she was bleeding [because it was not menstrual blood], and he did not order her to make up what she had missed. He excused Udayy ibn Haatim for eating in Ramadaan when he thought that he could distinguish between the (black and white) threads which he had placed beneath his pillow (to determine when the time to start fasting had come), and he did not command him to make up what he had missed. He excused Abu Dharr for not knowing that it was still obligatory to pray even when there was no water; he commanded him to do tayammum but he did not order him to make up what he had missed. He excused those who rolled in the dust like animals when they heard the command of tayammum, and he did not order them to repeat those prayers. He excused Muaawiyah ibn al-Hakam for speaking deliberately during the prayer, because he did not know that this was forbidden, and he did not order him to repeat the prayer. He excused the people of Qubaa for praying in the direction of al-Quds after this had been abrogated because they were unaware of this abrogation, and he did not order them to repeat their prayer. The Sahaabah and the imaams after them excused people for committing anything that was haraam if they were unaware of it being forbidden, and they did not impose any punishment for that. (Ilaam al-Muwaqqieen, 1/273) Allaah excused the man whose joy, when he found his camel in a desolate land after he had despaired of seeing it again, was so great that he said, O Allaah, You are my slave and I am Your lord! He did not count him as a kaafir because of that, because he made a mistake that was due to his great joy. (Shifaa al-Aleel, 1/138) But we must note here that the ignorant person does not have a permanent excuse. Whoever is able to learn and does not do so, or is able to ask and seek fatwaas and deliberately does not do so, has no excuse. After looking at these excuses made by sinners and hypocrites, I thought that to complete the benefit (of this discussion), we should look at some of the excuses which good people make for not taking part in or doing things that are mustahabb, or even waajib. Some examples of that are: In the field of dawah and seeking knowledge: Some people give excuses for not attending worthwhile gatherings of good people and lessons by saying things such as the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Study and homework Boredom Not feeling comfortable with the other participants Travel Fear of making an ongoing commitment These gatherings and activities are viewed as being like going to school

7. Conflict between the time of the activity and something else that a person likes to do 8. 9. Poor leisure program Distractions at home

10. No variety in the program 11. Too many people attending the activity 12. The presence of new students whom the person does not know 13. Parents do not let the student go out 14. Attending to family needs 15. There is no one available to take care of younger siblings 16. Family visits 17. Attending courses for work 18. Have to do overtime at work 19. Do not want to stay overnight outside the home 20. Sickness 21. Vague excuses such as I have some problems 22. No means of transportation 23. Emergencies 24. Not convinced that the activity or class matters 25. Busy with private tuition 26. Sleep 27. Watching sports matches 28. Appointment to meet a friend 29. Do not feel that there is any benefit in the class 30. Has friends who are not involved in the activity and does not want to leave them 31. Needs of ones wife and children 32. Claim that the class is a repeat

33. The sports/exercise program is limited and is not enough 34. Too few contests and cheap prizes 35. Not interested These excuses vary in strength and validity. Some of them are valid, such as #s 14, 20 and 22; some of them are feeble, such as #s 9, 27, 32. The problem is that many of those who do not attend do not appreciate how much they have missed and how much reward they have lost by not being there. If they understood what they have missed, they would do their utmost to resolve their situation and strive to remove the obstacles that are preventing them from attending. Problems must be dealt with according to each individual case. 1 In the case of those who have weak excuses: They must be confronted, advised and dealt with according to the level of their excuses. Some peoples excuses may be accepted straight away, whilst still pointing out to them how much they are missing. Others may need to be questioned further in order to make them realize that their excuses are flimsy. Sometimes keeping quiet when a person makes an excuse may be the best response. It may also be useful to combine clear statements with hints. It is also necessary to advise adults such as businessmen and employees who keep away from lessons and meetings for the purpose of worldly gains, and remind them that that which is with Allaah is better and more lasting. They should be reminded that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Nay, you prefer the life of this world, Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting [al-Alaa 87:16-17] They should be told how dangerous it is to be distracted by worldly things: Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present worlds life; but Allaah has the excellent return (Paradise with flowing rivers) with Him [Aal Imraan 3:14 interpretation of the meaning] Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allaah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allaah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allaah guides not the people who are Al‑Faasiqoon (the rebellious, disobedient to Allaah). [al-Tawbah 9:24 interpretation of the meaning] They should be reminded that being too busy with their family and children to learn the religion of Allaah is a great loss. Allaah has warned us against that: O you who believe! Verily, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you (who may stop you from the obedience of Allaah); therefore beware of them! But if you

pardon (them) and overlook, and forgive (their faults), then verily, Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful [al-Taghaabun 64:14 interpretation of the meaning] We have to be frank but polite. We can say to them, If you wanted to come you would have prepared yourself and removed all obstacles. Pray to Allaah that you will not be one of those whom He discourages and forsakes and to whom it will be said Sit you among those who sit (at home) [al-Tawbah 9:46]. 2 Those who have valid excuses There has to be cooperation between the daaiyahs and those whom they are calling, between the teachers and those whom they are teaching, in order to remove and overcome the obstacles. There are different things that may be done to overcome the problems, including the following: 1Explaining the importance of time and how to make the most of it. And He it is Who has put the night and the day in succession, for such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude [al-Furqaan 25:62 interpretation of the meaning]. 2Always having a plan to help achieve a balance between the various interests of shareeah as far as possible, because shareeah is based on achieving interests and achieving a balance between them as far as possible. 3Paying attention to priorities. Things which are fard ayn [obligatory for each individual] come before those which are fard kafaayah [obligatory upon the community, and if some people fulfil them the others are not held accountable]; things which are fard kafaayah come before those which are generally recommended (mustahabb). We should know which things are more important than others so that we can give priority to those which are greater in virtue and reward when there is too much to be done. 4Convincing parents that Islamic activities do not conflict with studies, by striving to achieve a high level in one's studies. 5Helping students to overcome their shortcomings in their studies so that they will be able to attend activities. 6Trying to bring forward or delay some family commitments so that one can attend Islamic activities. 7Appropriate direct intervention on the part of the teacher or daaiyah with the parent or guardian of the student, and intervening by seeking permission for the child to attend. 8Coordinating timetables and seeking to reconcile family commitments with Islamic activities, such as taking a student to the activity after a family commitment or bringing him back from the activity before the commitment starts, so that although he may miss part of it he does not miss all of it.

9- Convincing the student that time is too precious to be wasted in gatherings in which there is no benefit, and that he should teach the people around him about how important time is to him so that they will not distract him with things that are of no benefit to him. 10-Explaining that attending these activities is a form of relaxation and a means of dispelling boredom, in addition to the benefits of increased faith and knowledge that they bring. 11-Preparing programs well and filling them with useful lectures and lessons and moving talks so that the people who attend will feel that they are really benefitting. 12-Using means of motivation in the program such as telling stories, giving examples and paying attention to exciting things that are permissible. 13-Striving to organize a schedule that will leave no room for excuses, such as reducing the number of days that the activity takes up, e.g. making it three or four times a week instead of every day. 14-Not going to extremes by making things obligatory that are not obligatory in shareeah, and accepting valid excuses. 15-Striving to resolve sensitive issues among friends and promoting an atmosphere of love. Teaching the participants about the brotherhood of faith by exhorting them and by setting the example. 16-Turning to Allaah and asking Him to make things easy and to help us. O Allaah, we seek refuge in You lest on the Day of Resurrection we may be among those who will not be permitted to put forth any excuse (cf. Al-Mursalaat 77:36). We ask You to make us adhere firmly to Your commands and to follow Your guidance resolutely. May we make the most of all good activities and be safe from sin. Grant us the victory of Paradise and save us from the Fire. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.