Saturday, September 06, 2008

4th Ramadhan 1429


Hadith 2
كَانَ النَّبيُّ صَلّى اللهُ عليه و سلم يُعْجِبُهُ الْحَلْوَاءُ و الْعَسَلُ




Hadhrat Aishah رضي الله عنها mentions this Hadith which means:


‘The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم was fond of sweet dishes and honey'


Imam Bukhari رحمه الله has a specific chapter in his Sahih, al-Bukhari, by the name of باب الدواء بالعسل (chapter of seeking medication with honey). And as is the case of all the chapters, he begins the chapter with a relevant verse from the Qur’an:


فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ


'Within it (honey) is a cure for mankind'


[Surah Nahl:69]


This is just a part of the sixty-ninth verse of the Surah. The name of the Surah is Nahl which means a bee. In the previous verse Allah states:


وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ


'And your Lord inspired the bee'


[Surah Nahl:68]


The verse states the word وحي which is used for revelation as well as to inspire and many other meanings. It is as though the bee also talks and converses with Allah سبحانه و تعالى.

Insha Allah we will continue from here tomorrow as it is Thursday and there is also the collection for the Masjid to take place.

These are just a few words we mentioned as an excuse to present to Allah in order to beg from Him. You may have seen in third world countries such as India and Pakistan that there are beggars on the street doing many different things to attract the attention of the passersby. Some take glasses in the hand and clank them together whilst reciting some poetry; in reality they are not poets and neither is their poetry of any value. However, this is just an excuse to get present from the passerby, after which they say, for the sake of Allah give us something.

In the same manner we are also beggars who say a few words in front of Allah to acquire His attention and after which we beg Allah to accept a few words and forgive us. If the people of the world will give to a beggar then won’t Allah سبحانه و تعالى grant these beggars anything? Of course He will through His infinite mercy.

I end my talk with this and advice everyone to increase their recitation of Durood, especially tonight as it is the night of Thursday and this has been encouraged. A very beautiful Durood that we should include is:

اللّهُمَّ صَلِّي عَلَى نَبِيِّ الرَّحْمَة


'O Allah, send salutations and blessings upon the Prophet of mercy'


May Allah accept all that has been said and heard. Aameen.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

3rd Ramadhan 1429


Hadith 1
مَا أنْزَلَ الله دَاءً إلاَّ أنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً




For the past couple of days we have been discussing the above Hadith in which our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم clearly states that there is no illness without a cure. I have explained various different issues on this Hadith during the past couple of days.

This Hadith and many of its kind make it known to us that seeking treatment for any disease is not opposing the idea of Tawakkul (concrete trust in Allah). Some people become extreme in Sufism (spiritualism) and have a make-up belief that seeking treatment denotes that a man does not have trust in Allah and therefore had to resort to medication. This is a completely wrong notion and should be avoided.

It is necessary to always remain in the boundaries of Shari’ah; and to seek medication in within the boundaries of Shari’ah as well as Tawakkul. Even within the seeking of treatment there is the element of Tawakkul; if Allah wishes then this treatment will benefit and cure me and if Allah does not wish it then there is no possibility of recovery from any ailment.

Another simple example to explain Tawakkul is the matter of eating and drinking; when we feel hungry we eat and when we feel thirst we drink; neither of these activities defies or contradicts our trust in Allah. These are just means which even our beloved صلى الله عليه و سلم took aid of.

These means were used by our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم in order to educate the Ummah. On the occasion of Hijrah (migration) our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم took refuge in the cave whilst hiding from the enemies; this was also a means of safety which the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم took aid of.

The same applies to working; a person struggles to earn a Halal (permissible) livelihood to sustain himself and his family. This is not only a means but is also a necessity upon each person.

The scholars have stated that to seek treatment from minor and major illnesses and Mustahab (encourage) and Mandoob (recommended). The person who seeks treatment for any illness or disease, with the right intention, will be rewarded.

Imam Shafi’ee and Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal رحمهم الله have declared the seeking of treatment as Wajib (obligatory) for the simple reason that this body and soul is the property and Amaanah (belonging) of Allah; and no individual has the right to mistreat or neglect his body or soul. It is for this reason that suicide has also been made Haraam (forbidden) and its punishment is so severe that the person will continue to injure himself in the manner which he committed suicide. So if a person was to kill him self by drinking poison then he will continue to drink poison until the day of judgement and if a person was to commit suicide by stabbing himself then he will continue to, and experience the pain of, stabbing himself until he is resurrected. May Allah save us all. Aameen.

Therefore, true Tawakkul is to place your trust in Allah after having made all the arrangements and effort from your own self.

On the topic of Tawakkul I recall an incident which took place; a scholar once came to a town and gave a speech on Tawakkul to such an extent that one of the listeners was inspired by his speech. He therefore went into seclusion to submit himself to Allah whilst having complete trust in Him. However, his trust was flawed from the beginning as he chose to seclude himself in such an area where there was a well and shade of trees; a place where people would frequent and have picnics. Nevertheless, he sat there began his ‘Tawakkul’. After some time a person came and took out his lunch; seeing the person staring at him he was irritated and therefore took his food and walked away. After some while another person came who did the same thing; seeing that this man was staring at him he quickly ate his food and went away.

Now it was starting to get late and another person came have his food where this person had decided to sit. When this third person sat down to eat the man who was observing Tawakkul decided to do something as he knew there was no possibility of someone coming after this; therefore he started coughing and clearing his throat. The person who was eating saw this said, come and eat if you must but stop coughing, to which the person jumped at the chance.

After this incident, the person went back to the scholar and told him, ‘the talk you did on Tawakkul was very inspiring, but you forgot one thing, it should be توكل مع تنحنح (Trust in Allah with the aid of coughing).


As a poet rightfully says:


لَيْسَ لِلإنْسَانِ إِلا مَا سَعَى كو ياد ركہ
كر توّكل پهر تيري تدبير ہي تيري تقدير ہے


'And remember the verse, for man is only that for which he strives,
then striving will be your regarded as your fate'


So my respected brothers, this is not the name of Tawakkul and its reality is far from this. We should therefore take aid from the words of the Qur’an and treat ourselves with it. In fact, if there is no fear of Fitnah (sinning and immorality) and we cannot find a person of the same gender to treat us then we can acquire treatment from the opposite gender. But this is if there is no fear of Fitnah, which is usually the case as a person is worried about his health, life and treatment. This is for the sole reason that the aim is to save your life.

In summary, it should be understood that there is no harm in seeking treatment for any disease. Moreover, the treatment should be commenced early and from the beginning of the treatment we should have hope in Allah keep our attention towards him by continuously reciting Tasbeeh, the first Kalimah etc.

Furthermore, if there is a bodily pain or illness then our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has also given us a method and Du’a to recite:

1. First of all the right hand should be taken and placed on the area where there is pain.

2. Thereafter, بسم الله (Bismillah) should be recited three times.

It should be only بسم الله and not the complete بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. It should be remembered that whatever words our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has used it is those words we must also use. On one occasion our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم taught a Sahabi رضي الله عنه a Du’a in which the Sahabi رضي الله عنه replaced the word نبي with رسول, which is not a major change as our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم has both of these statuses. However, our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم refused the Sahabi رضي الله عنه from doing this and to use his exact words.

Therefore, the amount should be the same and also the words should be that as instructed.

3. Then finally the following Du’a should be recited seven times:


أعُوْذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللهِ وَ قُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أجِدُ وَ حَاضِرُ


“I seek refuge in the status of Allah and in His power from that evil which I am experiencing and that which is present”


Whilst reciting this Du’a one should keep a count with his right hand which he has placed over the concerned area.

It should be noted that this Du’a should be commenced from the day one fears an illness or feels a pain. This is what turning our attention to Allah means. Thereafter, let the x-rays and operations take place but remember to pray this Du’a continuously. Insha Allah it will be of great benefit.

May Allah give us all Shifaa (cure from diseases). Aameen.

Some may say, ‘why are you scared?’ We all have to return to Allah one day or another and the pious one is he who awaits the meeting of Allah. But it should be remembered that this eagerness to meet Allah is created by Allah alone; and a servant is granted this eagerness prior to his death, either hours before, days before or months before. But it is not something that is granted to a servant a long time before his death.

May Allah give us all the understanding. Aameen.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

2nd Ramadhan 1429


Hadith 1
مَا أنْزَلَ الله دَاءً إلاَّ أنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً




Continuing with yesterday’s Hadith, it is important to note what the Muhadditheen say in regards to this Hadith. The scholars have clearly mentioned that, like all other things in this world, it is necessary to search for this cure and شفاء in order to acquire it. It is a different matter that some a blessed with a cure whilst others are note. We have seen this on many occasions where two people have the same disease and take the same medication; whilst one is cured the other remains uncured, this is the wisdom of Allah.

May Allah save us all from the trials and difficulties of illnesses and diseases and may He give us Sabr (perseverance) if any illness is written for us. Aameen.

It has come in other Ahadeeth to the meaning that the seeking of a cure and remedy for one’s disease and illness is Mustahab and even Sunnah. Therefore, one should not remain negligent in seeking a remedy for his illness.

Hafidh Ibn Hajar states in his famous commentary of Saheeh Bukhari, Fathul Bari, that undertaking medication does not necessitate that the person becomes healthy regardless of whether the remedy was stated by our beloved Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم; only what Allah سبحانه و تعالى has decreed will take place.

Hadhat Jabir رضي الله عنه has also known to have a narration with the words باذن الله (with the will of Allah) stated within the Hadeeth. Therefore, the ailment will be cured only through the will of Allah.

This is similar to that statement of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani رحمه الله when he said قم باذن الله.

The episode takes place when a child enrols at the Madrasah of the Shaikh and an old women comes to visit him. She sees the child eating Daal (curry) and dried Roti (chapatti) and saw that he has become thin. She then approaches the Shaikh only to see that he is eating barbequed chicken.

I mentioned this term barbeque; this term did not exist in the earlier errors but its reality and existence is even in the Qur’an. In the twelfth Juz Allah states whilst relating the story of Hadhrat Ibrahim عليه السلام:


وَ لَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ بِالْبُشْرِے قَالُوْا سَلاَمًا.
قَالَ سَلمٌ فَمَا لَبِثَ اَنْ جَآءَ بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيْذٍ


“And indeed Our Messengers (angels) came to Ibrahim (عليه السلام) with the glad tidings; they said, Peace! He replied, Peace; and made no delay in bringing a roasted calf.”


[هود - 11:69]


When the angels refused to eat Hadhrat Ibrahim عليه السلام became worried, as in those days if a stranger cam to cause you harm he would not eat from your house; in today’s time people continue eating from you and causing you harm. Nevertheless, the angels informed Ibrahim عليه السلام not to fear them as they did not eat due to being angels.

To continue from where we left; the old women upon seeing the two contrasting situations she asks the Shaikh of when her child would be able to eat chicken like the Shaikh as he has become weak. Upon hearing this statement the Shaikh said قم باذن الله, stand with the will of Allah, to the remains of the chicken. It was at that very moment, with the will of Allah, the remains of the chicken reconstructed and became a chicken once more. The Shaikh then continued by saying, when your son is able to reach this rank then he shall have his fair share of chicken; upon seeing this the old women left.

Time is coming to an end, let me finish by saying that when the King keeps you in his service then don’t boast about being in service to the King; instead show gratitude towards the King for keeping you in his service. The same is with Allah, if we are in His service let us show gratitude towards Him.

May Allah accept our efforts and the time we have spent listening (reading) His words. Aameen

Monday, September 01, 2008

1st Ramadhan 1429


Hadith 1
مَا أنْزَلَ الله دَاءً إلاَّ أنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً





On the first night of Ramadhan, Hadhrat mentioned that there would be a gathering after Taraweeh for the duration of fifteen minutes to begin with. The topic would be Ahadith and the aim would be to complete forty Ahadith during the month of Ramadhan.

As an encouragement Hadhrat mentioned the following Hadeeth:


عن زيد بن ثابت قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول:
نَضَّرَ اللهُ اِمْرَأً سَمِعَ مِنَّا حَدِيْثًا فَحَفِظَهُ حَتّى يُبَلِّغَهُ غَيْرَهُ


[سنن ترمذي]


The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم has stated that ‘May Allah illuminate the face of a person who hears my Hadith, memorises it, understands it and teaches it’.


This is a Hadith which becomes true for that person who does the work of Hadith and this is not restricted to the teaching of Hadith but also for that person who listens to it.

On this note, let us begin the first Hadith and make an intention to complete forty Ahadith during the month of Ramadhan for we will be rewarded upon our intention also.


بـــــســــــم الله الرحـــمـــان الرحـــيـــم

عَنْ ‏ ‏أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏ ‏رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ‏‏عَنْ النَّبِيِّ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏قَالَ
‏مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاءً إِلَّا أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً ‏


‘Allah has not sent down any disease without its cure’


This Hadith informs us that there is s no disease without a cure. It is different matter that a person is not granted relief from his disease or the fact that man has not yet acquired the cure. For example, at one time tuberculosis (TB) was a life threatening disease which was ‘incurable’ and the same was true for malaria. However, now these diseases have become common and their threat has become minor as the cure for them is known and available. In today’s era the disease of cancer is a great example; once a life-taking disease that had no cure or any hope of survival is now very close to becoming curable through various treatments such as chemotherapy.

This is the statement of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم which he made over fourteen hundred years ago.

The study of medicine is known in Arabic as طِب and there are two types of medicine:

1. Spiritual Medication (Roohaani)
2. Physical Medication (Jismani / Abdaan)

1. Spiritual Medication

Every prophet عليهم السلام came as a spiritual doctor to cleanse people off spiritual illnesses through the religion of Islam. Even our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم was sent for this.

2. Physical Medication

However, along with spiritual medication our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم was also an expert in physical medication which related to the human body. This was another speciality of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم and one of his miracles.

Throughout the Saheeh Bukhari examples are found of our Nabi صلى الله عليه و سلم giving advice on treatment illnesses and diseases through honey, olives and other items.


The fundamental and essential medication and treatment is that of the soul as this is what remains with a person even after his body is buried and decayed.

In Fathul Bari, a famous commentary on Saheeh Bukhari, Imam Ibn Hajar رحمه الله has written many pages on this topic and chapter of طب and medication. This has also been the case with many other scholars who have shown in depth knowledge on the topic of medication.

Medication for the Bewitched

For example, one narration states that a person who has been bewitched then his cure is to take the fruit of the Lote Tree (Nettle Tree, Celtis Australis) and crush it with stones to an extent where it can be diluted with water; the water should then be poured over the person who has been bewitched and it will cure him.

When I was in Malawi I would wake up and see these trees daily; it was a time when Maulana Imran and Maulana Ahmed Ali were small children.

Time has come to an end and I would like to remind everyone that if you cannot wake up for Tahajjud then perform two Rakaats of Salaah prior to sleeping with the intention of Tahajjud and Insha Allah you will receive the reward of Tahajjud.

May Allah accept our efforts. Aameen