Allah subhaanhu wa ta’ala says in the Qur’an (the meaning of which is):

“(It was said to his son): “O Yahya (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)].” And We gave him wisdom while yet a child. And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins [i.e. Yahya (John)] and he was righteous, and dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents). So Peace on him the day he was born the day that he dies and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)! [19:12-15]

Here we see that Allah gives certain people over others honour and nobility. Allah begins by telling us that Yahya alayhi salam is given knowledge, understanding, and adherance to the scripture. On top of that, he is given wisdom. In this is a great lessons for mankind. Verily, knowledge of scriptures is useless without the ability to excercise wisdom in teaching it and learning from it. Thus we see that in knowledge and wisdom is true nobility and status.

Ibn Kathir rahimuhallah says in his tafsir:

This means he (Yahya alayhi salam) was given understanding, knowledge, fortitude, diligence and zeal for good and the pursuit of good. He was blessed with these characteristics even though he was young. Then Allah mentions: “And (made him) hananan from Us”. Ibn Abbas radhiAllah anhu and others such as ‘Ikrimah and Qatada rahimuhumallah said: ”This means mercy from Us.” Ad-Dahhak rahimuhallah added, “Mercy that no one would be able to give except Us.”  This means that he (Yahya alayhi salam) was a compassionate man, who was righteous.

After Allah mentioned Yahya’s obedience to his Lord and that Allah created him full of mercy, purity and piety, He attached to it his obedience to his parents and his good treatment of them. Allah mentioned that he refrained from disobeying them in speech, actions, commands and prohibitions.

Then, after mentioning these beautiful characteristics, Allah mentions his reward of security and safety in three circumstances. Sufyan bin `Uyaynah rahimuhallah said, “The loneliest that a man will ever feel is in three situations. The first situation is on the day that he is born, when he sees himself coming out of what he was in. The second situation is on the day that he dies, when he sees people that he will not see anymore. The third situation is on the day when he is resurrected, when he sees himself in the great gathering. Allah has exclusively honored Yahya, the son of Zakariyya, by granting him peace in these situations.”

SubhanAllah! What beautiful qualities for us to follow! Here’s a quick recap of the 8 characteristics mentioned about Yahya alayhi salam:

1) He was given knowledge and understanding of the scripture
2) He was granted wisdom
3) He was compassionate to mankind
4) He was pure (i.e. from sins)
5) He was righteous (i.e. was aware of Allah, had taqwa)
6) He was dutiful of his parents
7) He was not arrogant towards Allah or his parents
8) He was not disobedient towards Allah or his parents

May Allah give us the ability to follow the guidance given to us by our Lord. Ameen.

Surahs are usually named by something unique in their content. But the sun (ash-shams) is mentioned in several surahs; so why is this one called Surah Shams?

The reason is because, in it, the sun is mentioned four times..

Yes, I said four times. Count ‘em. Allah says:

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا

Translation:By the sun and its brightness, and [by] the moon when it follows it. And [by] the day when it displays it, and [by] the night when it covers it. [Surah Ash-Shams, verses 1-4]

You notice “it,” “it,” “it,” … in Arabic, the pronoun used is haa (هَا), which is feminine. And “coincidentally,” all the other nouns referred to are masculine; which only leaves Ash-Shams–the sun–which is a feminine word; that’s the “it” referred to in the first four ayaat.

What’s even more amazing is that Allah testifies by himself:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

Translation: And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, … [verse 7]

Wow! Allah really wants us to pay attention here. What is He testifying to? What’s the maqsoom ‘alayh?

The answer is:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا

Translation: And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness. He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]. [Verses 7-10]

The phrase “qad” (قَدْ) is a form of emphasis. Notice there is testification after testification, and emphasis on top to boot! That should really make you stop and think and ponder about the meaning–that’s the maqsoom ‘ayah, verses 9-10.

He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].

And the word translated as “instills it,” dassaahaa (دَسَّاهَا) means to step on something to hide it–like someone hiding something shameful behind their back or stepping on it.

And then comes an excerpt from the story of Prophet Salih (alayhi salaam):

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا
إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا

Translation: Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression, When the most wretched of them was sent forth. And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.” But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them]. And He does not fear the consequence thereof. [verses 11-15]

This was the sign of Prophet Salih (alayhi salaam)–they said, “Tell your God to make a she-camel come out of that mountain and then we’ll believe.” So he (alayhi salaam) asked.

And Allah sent a camel. But not just any camel, but a huge she-camel, like a mountain.

And Salih (alayhi salaam) said: Naaqata Allah! Allah’s she-camel! And everytime Allah links something to Himself, that shows the great honour and majesty of it. And he said: leave it alone! (verse 12)

And the camel was so huge, they would take turns drinking from the water sources. One day, Thamud drinks. The next day, the she-camel drinks. And then Thamud. And then the she-camel. And so on.

So then everybody believed, they all accepted Islam, and everybody went home happy and, eventually, to Jannah. Right?

Wrong.

Not only did they disbelieve–Allah says “kadh-dhabat” (كَذَّبَتْ), with shadda on the dhaal, a more intense form of lying than just kadhaba–but they, the person whom they sent, hamstrung it. Hamstrung means you cut down the back of the person’s (or camel’s, in this case) legs, forcing it to the ground. Because, again, it was huge, tall, and great.

And then they killed it.

And then Allah says: fa damdama. The fa indicates IMMEDIATE and SWIFT punishment, right on the heels of their killing of the she-camel. If I said “Muhammad entered, fa-Ahmed,” it means Ahmed entered right on the heels of Muhammad.

So Allah didn’t waste any time; but he sent their punishment, immediately. And he utterly obliterated and annihilated them.

And in the final verse, Allah says: he does not fear retaliation. Like the Jews in Israel–whenever they bomb a Muslim school, or a hospital, or a village, they close down their shops and houses and hide out of fear of retaliation.

Well, Allah says, He does NOT fear retaliation. Because nobody can harm Allah even an atom.

Nice story, huh? Well, it’s not just for passing time. There’s a very, very clear lesson here–above and beyond just obedience to Allah and His messengers. Think about this:

Only one person killed the she-camel. But ALL of them were wiped out.

“But wait,” you say, “I know some ‘aqeedah! Isn’t Allah Al-’Adl, the All-Just? Why would He wipe out one whole nation, for only one guy killing the she-camel?”

And the answer is, because they knew about the plans, but they didn’t stop him. “Oh he’s going to kill the she-camel. That’s nice. Let’s see what else is on TV.”

Think about it. Connect the dots! You have a responsibility to stop evil. If you don’t, you can be held accountable in the court of Allah.

Which raises the question of, in your country, what kind of sins are happening? What are people doing to disobey Allah? Are you doing your part? Are you advising the people, guiding the people, calling the people to Allah and away from evil?

Well, you might be accountable if you’re not. Just like Thamud. They were wiped out.

Think about it.

May Allah give us all the tawfeeq to live and implement these lessons in our lives (ameen). Wallahi they’re not just stories for entertainment. They’re deep, real-life lessons from history.

Action Plan:

• Hold Them Back. Think of one person in your family, near or extended, who’s doing something against Allah and His messenger. Now, come up with a plan to correct them. Do it gently; take the time to build rapport, and find the best way to correct and advise them, without humiliating or hurting them. Then play your move.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

This is post #24 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

How would you feel if someone you love corrected you, in public, in front of everyone else? Would you feel condemned, or criticized? Would you take it more seriously than someone you don’t like criticizing you?

And what if Allah, the Lord of the Universe, criticized you … in public?

Imagine, now, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) sitting in his house, waiting for revelation–revelation he can use against the Quraysh. Revelation in his favour. Revelation to change the world.

And Allah reveals …

عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى
أَن جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَى
وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّى

Translation: He frowned and turned away. Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting]. But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified? [Surah Abasa, verses 1-3]

Ibn Zayd said: “if there was a single surah that the Prophet would’ve hidden, it would’ve been this one–a reprimand, albeit polite, against him.” And this proves the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah and the companions–if any of them would’ve hidden something, something to make themselves (or the Prophet) look better, it would’ve been this surah.

But they didn’t. And that in itself is a miracle and a testification to their sincerity to deliver the whole message to us.

And the reprimand is polite. Compare two company memos–one says “such-and-such broke X protocol and resulted in us losing $1M. Don’t do this again.” versus “our X protocol was broken, and we lost $1M. Don’t do this again.” Which is kinder? The third-person one!

And Allah says … abasa. He frowned and he turned away. And incidentally, to abasa is the minimum frown possible–a crinkling of the forehead, no more.

And Allah revealed Qur’an. This should exemplify to you how much Allah loves his Rasool–and how intimate their relationship his. How close they were–that Allah even comments on a crinkled forehead! Subhanallah!

And this is not just anyone, but the Messenger of Allah, who went to the Quryash to give them da’wah so that all of Mecca could accept the message. This was his chance for the Conquest of Mecca, without a single drop of blood shed. And still, Allah reprimanded him.

Realize that he went to speak to the head-honchos of Quraysh. This was finally a chance they gave him to speak. And Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom is from the Muslims, from his relatives–someone he has 24/7 access to.

And of all things, this surah shows the great status of Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom, radiallahu anhu, the blind man mentioned in verse two. Being blind, he didn’t even see what was going on–it shows his innocence of what he was doing.

And this is a key point: Allah says about Abdullah ibn Umm Maktoom, that “huwa yakhshaa,” that he fears Allah. Imagine if this was said about you, how would you feel? To know, for sure, that you have khushoo’, real and true khushoo’ of Allah. To Allah, status is taqwa, not dunya status. The Quraysh, for all their high and lofty status, meant nothing to Allah; while the companions, many of them miskeen and fuqara, are among the best. Is that not why Abu Lahab, who’s syed (from the family of the Prophet), who’s Quraysh, who’s noble in status–is in naar, while Bilal, formerly a black African slave, is in jannah?

We should therefore pursue status with Allah, in taqwa and deen, and NOT run around after dunya. Because dunya status is fleeting; while the hereafter is eternal.

Arabic Analysis

• Jaa’a (جَاءَ): he came. Similar to ataa (أتى), but more grand and majestic.
• Yadh-dhakkaru (يَذَّكَّرُ): This is on the pattern of yaffa’alu (shadda on the fa and the ‘ayn). This is similar to yatadhakaru; but the latter means a partial remembering, while what Allah used is a complete remembrance. It’s a very strong present-tense form of dhakara, to remind.
• Adh-Dhikraa (الذِّكْرَى): Dhikr is a reminder. Dhikraa, with alif-maqsoorah, is a powerful reminder. And here, Allah is saying, that this is a powerful reminder–not just any old reminder.
• Maa akfara hu (مَا أَكْفَرَهُ): this is ta’ajjub (amazement); Allah is showing amazement at how ungrateful humans are. The root word of kaafir is kafara, which means to cover, or to be ungrateful to.
• Amaatahu (أَمَاتَهُ): in verse 21, Allah concludes talking about the kaafir by saying: He makes him die. It’s almost a mercy that this person is killed. Subhanallah!
• Aqbara (أَقْبَرَ): Like the word “qabr” (grave), aqbara means to put someone into their grave. The person is not left out as a rotting carcass, to be eaten by animals.

Action Items:

• Pursue Taqwa: Find a way to increase yourself in taqwa–whether by doing more good deeds, or charity, or prayer, or anything. And share it with us in the comments!

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.
• Tafseer of Surah Abasa. By Nouman Ali Khan – Bayyinah Institute

What a beautiful month in which we can come together and build our salat. Ramadan Mubarak! We ask Allah to accept all our deeds from this blessed month and to give us the tawfeeq to push ourselves in pleasing Him, Subhana. To begin our journey, we remind ourselves of the saying our our beloved Prophet alayhi salatu wa salam; may not be directly related to prayers, nonetheless it is important:

“Seek out that which benefits you, seek help only from Allah and never say you can’t do it…” - Saheeh Muslim

GEMS

• If you are sincere and you want to really increase the quality of your salat – seek out the means of doing so!
• Don’t forget that help comes only from Allah…so trust in Him and Him Alone
• Having trust in Allah means working, rolling up your sleeves, and grinding it out
• You can increase the quality of your prayers, know you can, regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way

A basic rule: You cannot reach your destination if you don’t know where you are! How are you going to get to Toronto if you don’t where you’re starting from? Therefore, follow the steps below to get yourself started on this journey.

Step 1: Take the time right now to give yourself a rating from 1-10 on the quality of your salat.

Step 2: Brainstorm factors (~10) which are necessary for you to attain ihsan in your prayers. For example:

• fard prayers
• sunnah prayers
• punctuality
• concentration
• praying in masjid w/ congregation

Step 3: Give your self a rating from 1-10 on each factor.

Step 4: From the list, choose 2-3 factors you want to work on for the next two weeks

Step 5: Monitor these factors and your overall quality of salat frequently until you reach your g17oal.

Don’t brush this off as nothing! If you are committed and sincere…do the exercise now…work comes with the territory.

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

Truly, patience is a characteristic of the Muslim that is required on many levels:

1. Patience in worshiping Allah
2. Patience in abstaining from wrong actions
3. Patience at times of trials

These are the three levels we should constantly be monitoring, for verily it is these levels of patience that will bring us success. My dear brothers and sisters, Ramadan is only days away. Truly, it is a month full of blessings. Lets use the month to train ourselves to be patient in these three levels.

Patience in worshiping Allah

This essentially means to carry out the commands of Allah regularily with full sincerity to Him and Him Alone and to do so with the correct understanding and methodology shown to us by our beloved sallalahu alayhi wasalam.

و ما أمروا إلا ليعبدوا الله مخلصين له الدين حنفاء و يقيموا الصلاة و يؤتوا الزكاة و ذلك دين القيمة

And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight [Surah Bayyina V.5]

Patience in abstaining from Wrong

This can be achieved in two ways: 1) fear the punishment which follows the wrong action 2) feeling of haya (shyness or shame) before Allah for using His blessings in disobeying Him

Now the question to ask is, which one is better?

Truly, both have their place, however the one who resists from the wrong due to the feeling haya in front of the Lord of the heavens and the earth is better. This is because the one who restrains himself out of fear is focused on the punishment and is scared of it, his only concern is saving himself from the punishment. Whereas, the person who restrains himself out of haya is focused on Allah Himself, the main concern is Allah and His Glory and His Majesty. This is why some of our beloved scholars have said:

“Do not look at the size of the sin you are committing. Rather, look at the greatness of the One you are sinning against”

Nonetheless, both levels are accepted and reach the level of eman (faith). However, restraining out of haya reaches the level of ihsan.

Patience at times of Trial

There are many ways one can be patient in regards to trials we face:

1. Reward – Be certain that your patience will not go in vein. Rather, with every second you walk and deal with patience, inshallah there is reward waiting. We as humans are very selfish, always thinking about the “whats in it for me?” If you think short-term, you will limit your thinking to this life, and thus may not resort to patience. However, if you think of the long-term, you will expand your thinking to the Hereafter, and thus may resort to patience. And certainly, patience is the best route for the believer.
2. Expecting a time of ease – Allah has promised that after every difficult comes relief. So be certain that the trial is only a period of time and relief is coming.
3. Recounting the blessings – When you sit back and ponder about the infinite blessings our Lord has bestowed upon us, our problems don’t seem so bad. You realize, in comparison to the blessings, the trial is like a drop of water out of the ocean.
4. Recounting previous blessing - When you are able to sit back and ponder about how Allah took care of you and brought you to light from darkness in the past, you will be able to expect the same in the current time.

يا أيها الذين آمنوا اصبروا وصابروا ورابطوا واتقوا الله لعلكم تفلحون

O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful. {Surah ale Imran V.200]

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

My dear brothers and sisters in this beautiful religion of Islam, sometimes we have to sit back and ponder about life and ponder about the purpose of it. Sometimes we know the purpose, yet we fall of track due to the play and amusement of this world. Nonetheless, we should never despair of the mercy of our Lord, for verily He is the Most Merciful and Most Forgiving.

Patience is a beautiful characteristic and with it comes victory. Some people have very strong levels of patience when it comes to doing what is good for them, but their patience is weak with regards to restraint from harmful things. This is especially true in times we are living in today; we have the utmost patience to strive and to worship Allah however we lack it when it comes to restraining ourselves from our desires. The opposite case is also very true, some people may have strong levels of patience in staying away from evil things but have a weak level of patience when it comes to worshiping Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

My dear brothers and sisters, it is only beneficial for us to examine ourselves and increase our level of patience in regards to worshiping Allah and in staying away from that which is prohibited. What great month to do this in than Ramadan? Lets make the most of it! Only a few days left so lets make the intention now to truly make this Ramadan one of patience in all that is pleasing to Allah.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِين َالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ أُولَـئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e. blessings, etc.) from their Lord, and receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones [Surah Baqarah V.155-157]

Asalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatahu,

I start by asking a very simple question: Where does patience stand within our lives today?

SubhanAllah, what a beautiful trait it is yet we rarely see the implementation of it. Such a beautiful tree by which the sweetest of fruits cultivate and bless our lives, yet we just let it slip away as a “thing of the past”.

Sabr (patience) comes from a root word meaning to detain, refrain, and stop. Applying this to our lives as Muslims, it means to stop ourselves from despairing and panicking and to stop our tongues from complaining. O Slave of Allah! Why do you despair when you know your Lord is the Most Merciful? Why do you panic when you know Allah is your Protector? O Slave of Allah! Why do you complain to the people, when your Lord is All-Hearing and is able to do all things? O Slave of Ar-Rahman! Be like Yaqub alayhi salam when he said:

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

He said: “I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you know not.” [Surah Yusuf V.86]

Or be like Musa alayhi salam who prayed to Allah azza wa jal saying:

“O Allah! All praise is due to You, and complaint is made only to You, and You are the only One from whom we seek help and in whom we put our trust, and there is no power except by Your help”

Or be like our beloved Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam:

“O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness and helplessness”

These were the greatest of people that ever stepped foot on this earth and they were a people who only complained to the Lord of all the worlds. Why? Because complaining to Allah is of great benefit while complaining to people is of no benefit. Complaining to Allah is a form of true patience, worship, and great reward while complaining to the people is the opposite.

May we use this blessed month which is approaching us in a few days to truly come closer to Allah by practicing true patience.

Translation: Narrated ‘Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: Truthfulness (sidq) leads to righteousness (birr), and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes and is written as a truthful person (siddeeq). And Falsehood/lying (kithb) leads to Al-Fajoor (wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajoor (wickedness) leads to the Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar (kathaab). [Saheeh Bukhari, Book of Manners, #116]

Birr is from ba-ra-ra and it literally means a vast and open piece a land, with so many types of herbage and fruits. Birr means vastness of good deeds. Someone who is baarun (one who does birr) does all types of good deeds, and these people, al-abraar (plural of baarun), are those who are truly righteous. Next time you read the Qur’an, look for this word “al-abraar” (الابرار)and see which context these people are mentioned.

The hadeeth says that whoever is truthful, they will be lead to do these vast good deeds and then eventually they will be written as a “siddeeq”. Notice this word, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not say a ’saadiq’, but he said ’siddeeq’. A ’siddeeq’ is way better than a saadiq. They not only tell the truth, they always speak the truth, and they stand by it and live by it until it becomes their nature. All they do is tell the truth, again and again. Think of Abu Bakr as-siddeeq (رضي الله عنه‏) and how he earned this name.

On the other hand, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said that the man who lies will be lead to “fujoor” and then is written as a kathaab. Al-Fujoor is from fa-jeem-ra and it means to break open, cross, and deviate (significance of words beginning with fa). Fujoor is also intensified and it shows that causing corruption and wickedness is embedded in this person’s nature. Their actions are based on it and it is part of their character. Also, the word for liar used is a “kathaab”, which is not just a kaathib (a liar), but a huge liar. One who is always lying until it’s just second nature for lies to come out of his mouth. All they do is lie, again and again. Think of Musaylimah al-kathaab and how he earned this name.

So the question is, where do we stand with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? How are you written with Him? As a siddeeq or a kathaab? This reminder is for myself first and foremost.

Allahumma ijalnaa min as-siddeeqeen, wa la tajalnaa min al-khaathibeen. O Allah, make us among those who are always truthful, and do not make us among those who are liars. Ameen!

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an,

Translation: It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom although they were before in clear error. [Suratul Jumu'ah, verse 2]

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to do four things:

1. Recite the verses
2. Teach the Qur’an
3. Teach the Wisdom (sunnah)
4. Purify his followers.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) nurtured the sahaba and taught them in such a way that the whole of Arabia drastically changed in a matter of 23 years. He had six amazing qualities of teaching that inshaAllah we can implement and follow as teachers, parents, siblings, and any other roles we have in our communities.

Mu’awiyah ibn Al-Hakam said, “I have never seen a teacher before him (Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) or after him better in teaching than he.”

The attributes of a good teacher:

1. Desire and keen for goodness for students: In surah At-Tawbah, Allah says, in the translation of ayah 128, “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.” Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) also advised Abu Dhar (رضي الله عنه‏), “I see that you are weak, and I love for you like I love for myself, so if someone gives you a position of leadership, don’t take it”.
2. Kindness. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “Allah is Kind (Rafeeq) and He loves kindness, and confers upon kindness which He does not confer upon severity, and does not confer upon any thing besides it (kindness).” [Muslim] We see his kindness throughout his life (صلى الله عليه و سلم), when he would pass by children in the street he would play with them–unlike nowadays, where people think it is righteousness to never smile. Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that whenever the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would pass by children he would smile fondly and greet them. [Bukhari and Muslim].
   Anas also narrated, “I served him for ten years, and he never said “uff” (an expression of disgust) to me. He never said, ‘why did you do that?’ for something I had done, nor did he ever say ‘why did you not do such and such’ for something I had not done.” [Bukhari and Muslim].
3. Hikmah (wisdom). Hikmah is defined as saying the right thing at the right time to the right people in the right manner. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed.” A man inquired: “O Messenger of Allah! I help him when he is oppressed, but how can I help him when he is an oppressor?” He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “You can keep him from committing oppression. That will be your help to him.” [Bukhari]. Another example is the story of the bedoin who urinated in the masjid. SubhanAllah, while all of the sahaba ran to admonition him and beat him, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) simply said, “Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.” [Bukhari]
4. Humilty and humbleness. Abu Rifa’a (رضي الله عنه‏) narrated that, “I came towards the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) while he was giving the khutba. I said ‘O Messenger of Allah, an estranged man has come asking about his religion, he does not know what his religion is.’ The Messenger of Allah came towards me and left his khutba until he reached me, and was brought a chair, I thought the legs were made of iron. The Prophet sat on it and started teaching me from what Allah had taught him. Then he returned to his khutba and completed it.” [Bukhari]
5. Saying “I don’t know” if you don’t know the answer. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would only answer a question if Qur’an had been revealed answering it, or he would wait for revelation. Once, Jaabir ibn Abdillah (رضي الله عنه‏) came and asked the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سل) about inheritance, and Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) stayed quiet until Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) revealed the ayah in Surah an-Nisaa.
6. Speaking slowly. ‘Aishah (رضي الله عنها‏) reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not summarize his speech, and he spoke in such a way that if one were to count his words, they could be counted. [Bukhari] Anas ibn Malik also reported that Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would repeat his words three times.

These are only a few of the qualities of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) as a teacher, indeed in him we have an excellent pattern–as Allah Himself says:

Translation: There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often. [Surah Ahzab, verse 21].

References

AbdulBary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib Institute. Chain of Command: Hadeeth Sciences. University of Maryland, Rockville. July 2007.

As a good reminder to the sincere heart, even if you have been blessed with guidance to the Sunnah and hold yourself to be from Ahlul-Haqq, the Shaytaan will not leave you alone. Perhaps he may destroy your deeds by wrecking your character and making you heedless and blinded by the fact that you ‘ascribe yourself to the correct way.’ We ask Allah to make us people of upright character, firstly with Allah, His Messenger, his companions, the scholars of Islam, our families, and our brothers and sisters in Islam.

1314. Narrated Ibn Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Adhere to truthfulness, indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness (editor’s note: birr) and righteousness leads to paradise, and if a man continues to speak the truth and makes truth his object, he will be recorded as truthful before Allah. Avoid falsehood, indeed falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the hellfire, and if a man continues to speak falsehood and makes falsehood his object, he will be recorded as a liar before Allah.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1315. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Avoid suspicion, for indeed suspicion is the worst form of false speech.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1316. Narrated Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Avoid sitting by the roadside, they (the Companions) asked ‘O Allah’s Messenger, we cannot do without those meeting places in which we converse,’ so he said, “Well if you insist (on that), give the road its dues.” They asked, ‘what are the road’s due?’ He replied, “Lowering the eyes, abstaining from anything offensive, returning salutations, enjoining good, forbidding the evil.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1317. Narrated Mu’aawiyyah (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever Allah wishes good for, he gives him understanding of the Religion,” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1318. Narrated Abu ad-Dardaa (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “There isn’t anything, which will be put on the scales (on the day of resurrection), heavier than good character.” [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmidhi reported it, and the latter graded it saheeh]

1319. Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Modesty is a part of Faith.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

1320. Narrated Abu Mas’ood (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “One of the things people have learned from the earlier prophecies is, ‘If you do not feel any shame, do whatever you like.’” [Bukhari]

1322. Narrated Iyaad Ibn Himar (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Allah, the Most High, has revaled to me that you should be humble, so that no one transgresses against another, and no one boasts to another.” [Muslim]

Note: we see hear that both transgression and pride are blameworthy characteristics, it is reported in a hadeeth that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) stated that transgression is one of the worst of the criminal acts that are punishable in this world as well as in the hereafter. Surely, a lack of humbleness fosters and breeds both transgression and pride.

1323. Narrated by Abu ad-Dardaa (رضي الله عنه‏), the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever defends his brother’s honour in his absence, Allah will protect his face from the hellfire on the day of resurrection.” [At-Tirmidhi reported it, and graded it hasan. Ahmad has something similar from the hadeeth of Asmaa', daughter of Yazeed]

Note: If someone backbites a third person before somebody, the listener must stop him on the spot; and if possible one should mention his virtuous deeds and qualities instead.

1326. Narrated Tameem ad-Daree (رضي الله عنه‏) Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said three times: “The religion is naseehah (sincerity).” We asked, ‘who is it (directed) to, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common-folk.” [Shaeeh Muslim]

1327. Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه‏); Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “The Fear of Allah and Good Character are the major things that lead to paradise.” [At-Tirmidhee reported it, and al-Haakim graded it saheeh]

Note: Good Character here includes treating people well, refraining from causes them any harm and maintaining a cheerful appearance whilst interacting with them. The Arabic word “taqwa” stands for one’s compliance with the divine commands and avoiding the prohibitions.

1330. Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه‏); Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “The believer who mixes with the people and patiently endures their harms, is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not endure their harm.” [Ibn Majah reported it with hasan chain of narrations, and At-Tirmidhee also reported this hadeeth, but did not mention the name of the companion.]