Translation: And whoever is blinded from remembrance of Ar-Rahman, we appoint for him a qareen, and he is to him a companion. [Surah Az-Zukhruf, verse(s) 36]

Why is this important? You should know that you have an enemy; someone who's always watching you, taking notes on you, recording what you do; his goal is to mislead you and misguide you and drag you into the Hellfire. That's his full-time job, no vacation time and no breaks! Subhanallah! The Prophet says:

Translation: The Messenger of Allah once told his companions: Everyone of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn. They asked: Even you, O Messenger of Allah! He replied: Yes, except that Allah has helped me against him, fa aslam. Now he only tells me to do good. [Saheeh Muslim]

What does fa aslam mean? Scholars give it two meanings. One meaning is that the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه و سلم) qareen became Muslim. Imam Nawawi and other scholars say, it means the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was protected from his qareen.

Does this mean we, too, can make du'a and give da'wah to our qareen and try to make him or her Muslim? Unfortunately, scholars say it's specific to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

So what's the conclusion? Know you have an enemy. Recognize it. And struggle against it; because the one who has an enemy and struggles and overcomes him is better then one who has no enemy and is just "ok." Think about it! For every waswasa you turn away, you get a hassanah. For every sin you change your mind on, Allah credits you a good deed. For every sin you commit, you can repent, and scholars say the one who sins and repents is better than the one who never sinned.

So brighten up! Allah appointed you a qareen, yes; but this is a great and wonderful opportunity for you to attain mountains of deeds! Allahu akbar!

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) allow us to overcome our qareens and become people of Jannah, ameen!

Waleed Basyouni. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rays of Faith.

The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

Translation: Indeed, Allah has 99 names (one hundred minus one); whoever memorizes them will enter Jannah. [Agreed Upon]

This hadith is talking about the elite 99 names of Allah. Although all of Allah's names are husna, some of them stand out above others.

So which names are the elite 99? Virtually every single scholar of Islam has a different opinion on this. And realize that the common version that we know--like the one in this nasheed--is da'eef.

Why is it da'eef? It comes from the same hadith as we stated above--except at, at some point, one narrator added "And this is what I think those names are." So it's someone's opinion.

And realize that most of the names they've mentioned there are ok--but some are definitely negative (which goes against Allah's names being husna), and some are definitely not Allah's names.

But the good thing is, about 80-90% of the names there are ok. And even among the scholars of Islam, they agree on the vast majority of which names are THE elite 99--but they differ in a few names.

And why is this important to know--aside from for tawassul? Because this is your key to jannah! Another wording of this hadith, instead of using hadifha (to memorize, to protect), uses the word "hisaa" (with saad). The root word has something to do with intelligence and intellect; the meaning is that whoever knows and acts upon these names will enter Jannah.

Having said all that--if these 99 names are so important, why didn't Allah just tell us which are His 99 names?

But think about it--if He (سبحانه وتعالى) told us--would anyone bother with the other names? Probably not. Would anyone try to investigate the meanings of and learn the names? Not really--we'd just have a common list of names passed around, and nobody would do more than memorize.

Instead, by not telling us, He (سبحانه وتعالى) has created a situation like Laylatul-Qadr. Nobody knows when Laylatutl-Qadr is, except Allah--so people strive the last ten days of Ramadan, doing extra nawafil acts, in the hopes that it's Laylatul-Qadr.

And these elite 99 names are like that--you have to work hard, and strive above and beyond just learning 99, if you want to know them for sure.

So learn these names--with their meanings! Subhanallah, nothing will increase your eman quite like this will.

To start you off, you can check our List of Allah's Names post, and also check God Names, a site that details 99 names, with a great explanation of meaning.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) help us to learn and memorize and act upon His 99 names, and become those of Jannah by it--ameen ya rabbi!

Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light Upon Light: Fundamentals of Faith 102. Metro Toronto Convention Center, July 2007.

Rays of Faith is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Waleed Basyouni. Rays of Faith focuses on the pillars of Emaan: belief in the Angels, the Books, the Prophets, the Day of Judgment, and the Divine Decree (Qadr wa Qadaa'). This course will also go over the creation and realm of Jinns. These matters to us, are matters of the unseen but why is it so important? Because the most important characteristic of a believer is that they believe in the unseen (think of Suratul Baqarah, verse 3), so to believe in the unseen is the base of our eman.

Among the many benefits of this class, the most important is to soften our hearts with eman and to its pillars. Sufyan ath-Thawri would teach about the hereafter as if Hell-fire and Jannah were right before you. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: it was like he went to the Hereafter and back when he would teach about it. Among other benefits: it provides clear information about the unseen world, it teaches us how to deal with matters of the unseen, to be satisfied with the Decree of Allah, and it give ways to prepare for the REAL life--the next one.

When learning 'Aqeedah, there are many issues of weak narrations and baseless statements, however this class only teaches what is found in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as the early scholars reviewed Aqeedah only as what Allah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said.

This course is very detailed, and as shaykh Waleed said: the more details we know, the more we strengthen our faith. So don't be surprised at the size of the binder!

Ibn Taymiyyah said: the foundation of anything is correct belief (aqeedah).

• Al-Qantarah
• AlMaghrib
• Qareen
• Rays of Faith

• Aqeedah

Waleed Basyouni. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rays of Faith.

The heart in its journey towards Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is like a bird; its head is love, and its two wings are hope and fear. When the head and the two wings are sound and healthy, then the bird will fly well. If the head of the bird is cut off, it immediately dies, and when either or both wings are deficient, the bird cannot fly properly and it may become the victim of a hunter that passes by.

From this analogy we learn that without love of Allah we cannot successfully "journey towards Him," and without hope in Allah’s mercy or fear from His punishment, we may be easy victims for Shaytaan (أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم).

So the Muslim, then, with resolute love for Allah [1] (سبحانه وتعالى), lives between hope and fear. He "call[s] upon Allah out of fear and hope," [2] and he "forsake[s] [his] bed, to invoke [his] Lord in fear and hope, and [he] spend[s] (charity in Allah's Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them." [3]

Fear

Imam Ahmad recorded from 'A'ishah (رضي الله عنها‏): I said: "O Messenger of Allah, 'And those who give that which they give with their hearts full of fear, because they are sure to return to their Lord,' [4] are these the ones who steal and commit zina and drink alcohol while fearing Allah?" Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "No, O daughter of As-Siddiq, they are the ones who pray and fast and give in charity, while fearing that it will not be accepted from them," (i.e. it is these who hasten in the good deeds.) At-Tirmidhi recorded something similar.

'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه‏) said: If an angel had come down and announced that everyone would enter paradise except one person, I would fear that I would be that person. This is 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second khalifa, and one of the ten promised paradise! Subhanallah!

And how do we increase our fear of Allah’s punishment?

Ibn Mas'ood (رضي الله عنه‏) said: "If a person has knowledge, he will fear Allah." So we should increase our knowledge. And The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, as narrated by Anas (رضي الله عنه‏): "I swear by The One in Whose Hand my soul is, if you saw what I saw you would laugh little, and cry excessively." The people said, "O Prophet of Allah! What did you see?" He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) replied, "I saw Paradise and Hell." [Saheeh Muslim]. So we should reflect on the punishment of "him who 'tagha' (transgressed all bounds, in disbelief, oppression and evil deeds of disobedience to Allah), and preferred the life of this world. Verily, his abode will be Hellfire," [5], the "Fire whose fuel is men and stones." [6]

Hope

Anas reported that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) entered upon a young boy who was dying. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) asked: "How are you?" The boy replied: "O Messenger of Allah, I am in-between hoping in Allah and fearing for my sins." The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: "The like of these two qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared." [a hasan hadith - Collected by at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah, and authenticated by Al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa'iz (no. 2).]

'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه‏) also said: and if the angel had come down and announced that everyone will enter Hellfire except for one person, I would hope to be that person.

And Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

وَلاَ تَيْأَسُواْ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

Translation: and never give up hope of Allah's Mercy. Certainly, no one despairs of Allah's Mercy, except the people who disbelieve." [Surah Yusuf, verse 87]

And so "to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your intentions and hopes and) your invocations." [7] And ask yourself:

مَّا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا

Translation: What is the matter with you, [that you don't fear Allah (His punishment), and] you don't hope for reward (from Allah, or you believe not in His Oneness)? [8]

References

Abdul-Bary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Purification of the Heart: Love, Fear & Tears. Part 2: The Two Wings of the Believer.

Abu Iyaad As-Salafi. Salafipublications.com. On Eeman, Ibaadah and Tawheed: Their Link and Interrelation. Lesson 3: Love, Hope and Fear.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Abu Sa’eed al Khudree (رضى الله عنه) reports that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “when the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering the paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in Whose Hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they know their ways to their homes in dunya." [Saheeh Al-Bukhari] [1]

Al-Qantarah is a small bridge after the Siraat that the believers will have to cross before entering Jannah. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will ask the believers to settle their issues here.

There is a hadith narrated in Mustadarak al-Haakim with an authentic chain that states that there will be two men from this Ummah that will come before Allah (عز و جل). One man will say, "so and so has transgressed against me and I want from his good deeds." Allah will tell him, "do you see this great palace in paradise?" And the man will look at the palace, and Allah will say to him, "it will belong to you if you forgive your brother today." And the man will forgive him. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said at the end of this hadith: اتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم ، فإن الله يصلح بين المؤمنين meaning "safeguard yourselves from Allah, and reform and reconcile amongst yourselves, indeed Allah will reconcile between the believers (on the Day of Judgment)." [2]

If Allah will reconcile among you on that Day, our role today should be to reconcile between ourselves.

Imagine a person standing at the Qantarah, right before the gates of Jannah. Then they are dragged back to Hell because they lost their good deeds. What would you call this person? Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) called him a "muflis", one who is bankrupt.

He (صلى الله عليه و سلم) asked the Companions, "do you know who the bankrupt is?" His Companions replied, "The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property." The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, "The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with much of prayer, of fasting, and sadaqah, but he will find himself bankrupt on that Day as he will have exhausted the funds of virtues--because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others; so his virtues would be credited to the account of those who suffered at his hand. If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the Hellfire. [Saheeh Muslim] [3]

Any sin that is related to someone else is very serious in Islam, so why would anyone with any bit of intellect allow themselves to become a muflis? Remind yourself of the muflis in the hadith. He had mountains of good deeds but because he wronged others, those good deeds did nothing for him. How about the few deeds we have? Why give them up when they are so little?

Imagine the pain of standing before Jannah, being able to see its gates after just having passed the Siraat, and yet being dragged back to the Jahannam because he could not control his tongue or hand. Surely, the Fire will be even more painful after having been so close to Jannah.

Seek forgiveness of those whom you have wronged today, before the Day comes when the currency will be good deeds.

May Allah protect our deeds from being wasted, and may He make us among those whom other Muslims are safe from their tongue and hand. Ameen.

And Allah knows best, and for Him is all praise.

Waleed Basyouni. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rays of Faith. University of Maryland, Maryland. March 2007.

[1] ‏أن ‏ ‏أبا سعيد الخدري ‏ ‏رضي الله عنه ‏ ‏قال ‏ قال رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏يخلص المؤمنون من النار فيحبسون على قنطرة بين الجنة والنار فيقص لبعضهم من بعض مظالم كانت بينهم في الدنيا حتى إذا هذبوا ونقوا أذن لهم في دخول الجنة فوالذي نفس ‏ ‏محمد ‏ ‏بيده لأحدهم أهدى بمنزله في الجنة منه بمنزله كان في الدنيا

[2] فعن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال : بينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جالس إذ رأيناه ضحك حتى بدت ثناياه ، فقال له عمر: ما أضحكك يا رسول الله بأبي أنت وأمي ؟ فقال : رجلان من أمتي جثيا بين يدي رب العزة ، فقال أحدهما : يا رب خذ لي مظلمتي من أخي ، فقال الله ـ تبارك وتعالى ـ للطالب : فكيف تصنع بأخيك ولم يبق من حسناته شيء ؟ قال : يا رب فليحمل من أوزاري ، قال : وفاضت عينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالبكاء ثم قال : إن ذاك اليوم يحتاج الناس إلى من يُحمل عنهم من أوزارهم ، فقال الله تعالى للطالب : ارفع بصرك فانظر في الجنان ، فرفع رأسه فقال : يا رب أرى مدائن من ذهب وقصور من ذهب مكللة باللؤلؤ... لأي نبي هذا ؟ أو لأي صديق هذا ؟ أو لأي شهيد هذا ؟ قال : هذا لمن أعطى الثمن ، قال : يا رب ومن يملك ذلك ؟ قال : أنت تملكه ، قال : بماذا ؟ قال : بعفوك عن أخيك، قال : يا رب فإني قد عفوت عنه ، قال الله عز وجل : فخذ بيد أخيك فأدخله الجنة ، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند ذلك " اتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم ، فإن الله يصلح بين المؤمنين " رواه الحاكم وقال : صحيح الإسناد

[3] ‏عن ‏ ‏أبي هريرة ‏ أن رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏أتدرون ما المفلس قالوا المفلس فينا من لا درهم له ولا متاع فقال إن المفلس من أمتي يأتي يوم القيامة بصلاة وصيام وزكاة ويأتي قد شتم هذا ‏ ‏وقذف ‏ ‏هذا وأكل مال هذا وسفك دم هذا وضرب هذا فيعطى هذا من حسناته وهذا من حسناته فإن فنيت حسناته قبل أن ‏ ‏يقضى ما عليه أخذ من خطاياهم فطرحت عليه ثم طرح في النار