5 Golden Pieces of Advice - Dr Ahsan Hanif

Five Golden Pieces of Advice

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ نَبِيَّنَا وَسَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ بِالْحَقِّ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَةِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ وَسَلَّمَ وَبَارَكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَخَيْرَ الْهُدَى هُدَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

The Hadith of Abu Hurayrah

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2305)

In this beautiful hadith narrated by the companion Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه and collected by al-Imam al-Tirmidhi, Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه says that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to them one day: "Who from amongst you will take these five pieces of advice from me, and he will act upon them, or at the very least he will teach them to someone who will act upon them?" So Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said: "I will, O Messenger of Allah." So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took the hand of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه and he began to count out these five pieces of advice:

1. Stay away from everything which is haram and you will be the most worshipful of people.
2. Be pleased with that which Allah has given to you from wealth and provision and you will be the most content — the richest of people.
3. Be good towards your neighbor and you will become a believer.
4. Love for others that which you love for yourself and you will be a Muslim.
5. Don't laugh too much, for indeed laughing excessively kills off the heart.

This beautiful hadith of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — often we find in the Sunnah that the companions would come and they would ask the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to simplify the religion for them, to encapsulate Islam within a few words. They would come and they would say: "O Messenger of Allah, teach us a single statement that, so long as we know it, it is enough for our success." They would come and they would ask him to summarize all of Islam within a few words. Why? Because for the average person, sometimes it's too much to remember all of the details. And so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — for my benefit, for your benefit, for the benefit of our younger brothers and sisters who today are sitting here in this masjid on this blessed day of Jumu'ah — to encapsulate Islam: what is Islam? How do I reach the highest levels and the pinnacle of Islam? The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is saying to his companions: five things, if you do them — who will implement upon them, or at the very least teach them to someone who will implement them? And I also, at the beginning of this khutbah, for myself and for you, I ask: who will take these five and implement them, or at the very least refer them to someone who will implement them?

The Eagerness of the Companions

From the eagerness of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, from their enthusiasm and zeal to learn about this religion — Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, when this statement was made to a group of companions, never hesitated. He didn't think: "Perhaps the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is going to mention something too difficult for me. This burden that I'm about to take, this responsibility — maybe I won't be able to fulfill it. Maybe there are other companions sitting amongst me who are more worthy, more able to do this. Let me remain silent, let them go ahead of me." And here we learn a very important lesson: that the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were eager and enthusiastic to learn about their religion, to come closer to Allah, to adhere to the commandments of his Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. So Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه never hesitated; he said: "I will do it, O Messenger of Allah," even though he never knew what was about to be said.

Today we often find that when it comes to good deeds in our religion, we have some sort of a misunderstanding. On the one hand we want to do good towards others, but on the other hand we sacrifice our own good deeds for this cause. You'll come to the masjid and you'll find that there's a space in the row in front of you, and you'll find that the two brothers behind this space in the next row are arguing amongst themselves as to which one should go forward, who should take that space in the row ahead — even though to stand in that row, which is the head of the row that they're in, is far better, far more virtuous, and far more rewarding. And so our religion is a religion of balance. Yes, as we will mention in this same hadith, to love for your brother what you love for yourself is an important element of Islam, but at the same time it does not apply when it comes to your own good deeds. You have more need of that reward than your brother. And although there are exceptions to this rule, the general rule is that when it comes to good deeds, you don't prefer others over yourselves. So when you see that space in the row in front of you, take that space. When you have the opportunity to go and study with the sheikh and there's only one space left, you don't give it to someone else — you take it for yourself. Why? Because you are more in need than anyone else. This is part of your Akhirah.

And so Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه never thought: "Let me give it to someone who is perhaps more virtuous amongst the companions" — and there were companions who were more virtuous. "Let me give it to someone who is older than me in age" — and there were companions who were older than him in age. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was once sitting in a circle with a number of his companions, and to his right-hand side was Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه, his cousin, one of the youngest companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had a cup of water and he began to drink, and after he finished drinking, the Sunnah is that you pass it to the one on your right, who was Ibn Abbas. But there were amongst those people in that circle people who were older, more virtuous, more knowledgeable than Ibn Abbas. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to Ibn Abbas: "Are you happy that I should give it to those other people before you, because of their seniority over you?" So Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه said: "No, O Messenger of Allah! I will never sacrifice this for myself. I'm not going to allow them to place their lips on the very place that you had your lips on — this cup of water — I won't sacrifice this for them." So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave it to Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه, even though there were older, more senior companions sitting within that circle.

So likewise, Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه was eager to take the good reward. "What are these five things, O Messenger of Allah?"

The First Piece of Advice: Stay Away from the Haram

So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم encapsulated Islam for him:

Number one: Stay away from everything which is haram — everything which Allah has made unlawful and prohibited for you in this religion — and you will be a'abadun nas, the most worshipful of people, the most submissive of people.

Reaching the pinnacles of servitude is something which Allah praised our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم for within the Quran. When Allah speaks about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — whether defending him, speaking of the miracles given to him, or the revelation of the Quran to him — He always refers to him as His servant, not as His messenger, not as His prophet, not by his name Muhammad, but as His servant صلى الله عليه وسلم. Why? Because of the honor of that station in the sight of Allah. And this is something which every single one of us share — we can never reach that level of servitude that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reached, yet still all of us are servants to Allah. And there is honor in being a slave of Allah, even though there is dishonor in being a slave to anyone else. When it comes to Allah, it is a source of honor.

To be from amongst the most worshipful, the most submissive people to Allah: stay away from everything which is haram. This religion is divided into two — halal and haram. If you stay away from the haram, then everything else is halal for you. And that's why in the Quran and in the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, you find that often Allah just mentions the haram: stay away from shirk, stay away from innovation, stay away from interest, stay away from adultery — just the haram. Why? Because it is far smaller in number than the halal. So if you know what the haram is and you stay away from it, and you know the sanctity of those laws that Allah has placed for us, then Allah will make you His most dutiful of servants.

"Thus, those who sanctify the laws of Allah and His prohibitions — then that is from the good that Allah has placed within them." So you stay away from the haram and Allah makes you أَعْبَدَ النَّاسِ.

In the hadith of Thawban رضي الله عنه, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4245; also reported by al-Tabarani)

In this hadith of Thawban, the freed slave of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Indeed I know of a group of people from my ummah who will come on the Day of Judgment with good deeds the likes of the white mountains of Tihama — they will have good deeds like mountains — but Allah on the Day of Judgment will make them into scattered dust." So Thawban رضي الله عنه said: "O Messenger of Allah, describe these people to us so that we will not be from amongst them without knowing." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Indeed they are from your brothers and they are from amongst you. They pray during the night just as you pray. But they are a group of people — when they are alone with the haram, they fall into those haram."

That is the description of these people. They come on the Day of Judgment with mountains of good deeds but Allah renders them all null and void. Why? Even though they pray during the night, even though they are Muslims — the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is saying they are your brothers, they are from amongst you — but they are people who, when alone, when no one can see them except Allah, no one hears them except Allah, no one knows of them except Allah, they fall into that which Allah has forbidden. And so Allah renders all of their deeds null and void.

Our religion, my dear brothers and sisters, is not just about doing the halal. It is not just about praying and doing what Allah has obligated upon us. For our religion is equally about staying away from the haram — learning about the evil, learning about what will make our deeds become rendered null and void, learning about that which displeases Allah and angers Him, and then staying away from it. And if you can do this, you will become a'abadun nas — the most worshipful of people.

The Second Piece of Advice: Be Content with Allah's Decree

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then went on to say:

Be pleased with that which Allah has decreed for you from your provision, from your rizq, and you will be the most content of people. Allah, when each and every single one of us were in the wombs of our mothers — after 120 days within that womb — Allah sent the angel and he was commanded to write a number of things. From those things that the angel wrote at that time was the provision, the rizq, that each and every single one of us will have.

But it is part of human nature to want more. It is part of human nature to crave wealth. And that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: every single ummah, every single nation has a fitna, and the trial and the fitna of my ummah is within money and wealth. And so people crave wealth. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is saying that in order to be the most content of people, in order to be the most pleased of people with the decree of Allah, just be happy with that which Allah has given to you.

Allah decrees that some from amongst us will be poor and others from amongst us will be rich and others from amongst us will be in between the two — that is what Allah has decreed with His infinite wisdom and His infinite knowledge. And He is just in every single one of His decrees. If Allah decreed that you will have a poor livelihood, that you will be a person who will just live from hand to mouth, a person who doesn't have much excess in terms of money, then Allah did so because it is better for you. Perhaps if you were to be given that wealth that you crave, it will be a means of your destruction, a means of your misery, a means for you to disobey Allah and incur His wrath.

And that's why in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

"Indeed wealth is not having much that you can display, but true wealth is the contentment of the heart." That is true wealth. Because Ibn Adam — the child of Adam — were he to have a valley of gold, he would never rest until he had two. And if he had two, he would never rest until he had three. And nothing will satisfy the child of Adam except death, or the dust of the earth.

In the hadith of Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him: "O Abu Dharr, do you think that the one amongst us who has much wealth is truly wealthy and rich?" So Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." And he said: "O Abu Dharr, do you think the one amongst us who has no wealth is a poor person, a person who is impoverished and needy?" He said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Reported by Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim; see also Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1051 for the principle)

"Indeed, true wealth — true richness — is the richness of the heart, and true poverty is the poverty of the heart." That person whom Allah has given much wealth — houses and cars and wealth and everything that most people would just dream of — that person is still poor. Because to them, they will never be satisfied. They will never have enough. They will be afraid that they will lose their money. They are so attached to the wealth that they have that if they were to lose it, some of them would take their own lives. Why? Because their lives revolve around this single principle: the principle of wealth.

And that's why in the Quran and in the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, we are taught to realize that wealth and money — the provision of Allah — is not necessarily a statement of Allah's love. Allah gave wealth to Pharaoh but He didn't love him. Allah gave wealth to Qarun but He didn't love him. Allah gave wealth to Haman but He wasn't pleased with him. Allah gave wealth to Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab and they were the archenemies of Islam. Yet many of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم were extremely poor — some of them were even homeless, some of them didn't have enough to live on a daily basis — yet in the sight of Allah they were more noble and honorable than any of those rich and wealthy people.

Wealth is not a sign of the love of Allah. Wealth is from that which Allah tests His slaves with. So if they use that wealth in the way that pleases Allah, and they stay away from the haram with regards to their wealth, and they're good with their wealth, and they're patient with the decree of Allah, then Allah will make that wealth a source of blessing for them. But if that wealth is something which causes them to become arrogant and proud and haughty, and it's something that they use to incur the displeasure of Allah, then that very wealth that they crave so much will be the very reason for their destruction on Yawm al-Qiyamah.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is establishing for us in these first two points important issues of our aqeedah — to know and to be pleased with the decree of Allah, to know the religion of Allah, the halal and the haram, and to stay away from the haram and to only do that which is halal.

The Third and Fourth Pieces of Advice: Perfecting the Muslim Character

In the third and fourth points, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم spoke about the Muslim character:

Be good towards your neighbor and you will become a believer. And love for others that which you love for yourself and you will become a Muslim.

From our religion, from the message of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, was to perfect the Muslim character — internally and externally. Internally, in the sense of the way that we think, the way that we feel, the way that we view others — with things like enmity, hatred, and jealousy, and with the way that we control our emotions. Internal character. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is saying: love for your brother that which you love for yourself — it is a sign of your religion of Islam.

In another hadith, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1844)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "If one of you wants to be saved from the fire and he wants to enter into Jannah, then let death come upon him whilst he believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and let death come upon him whilst he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself." That is a sign of your Iman. It is a sign of your Islam.

And once you perfect that internal character, you go on to perfect it externally as well — with the way that you deal with others, with the way that you interact with others, with your etiquettes towards your family, towards your children, towards your spouses, towards your parents, towards your neighbors, towards your teachers, towards all of those people that you come into contact with. Even with the way that you treat the animal on the street. Even with the way that you treat the environment around you. We know from the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that a woman will enter into the fire of Hell because of an oppression that she committed on a kitten. And we also know from the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that the lowest level of Iman is to see something harmful in the road and to take it away — to remove it. That is etiquettes with every single thing around you.

And that is why in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, a man came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and he said: "O Messenger of Allah, indeed there is a woman amongst us who is known for her prayer and she is known for her charity and she is known for her fasting, but she is a woman who speaks ill of her neighbor — speaks harmful things concerning her neighbor." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "She is in the fire of Hell." Then the man went on and said: "O Messenger of Allah, there is another woman who amongst us doesn't have much extra prayer, no much extra charity, no much extra fasting — but she is someone who preserves the honour of her neighbor." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "She is in Paradise."

Simple things that we take for granted. Those people around you who should be able to depend upon you — who should be able to depend upon your etiquettes, your kindness, your generosity, your sense of honour — they should be able to depend on you to keep things confidential about them, that they won't spread amongst the community. Those people we take for granted. Yet those people are the very signs of our Islam and our Iman. And that is why in many hadith, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would speak about the rights of the neighbor to the extent that he said that Jibreel عليه السلام came and he began to advise him concerning the rights of the neighbor, and he did so to the extent that he thought he would make him inherit — that he would be from the people who are heirs to you, that when you die, from the people that take your wealth and your estate is your neighbor — why? Because of the rights that they have in our religion.

This is a sign of your Iman. And if you can be good towards your neighbor, then it is a sign that you are already, inshallah, good towards those other people who have a higher status, who are closer to you, who have more priority within your lives. And so it is a sign of your Iman to perfect your character externally and to perfect it internally as well.

The Fifth Piece of Advice: Do Not Laugh Excessively

The fifth and final piece of advice that our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gave to the illustrious companion Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:

Don't laugh too much, for laughing excessively kills off the heart.

In the Sunnah of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, it is an established Sunnah and it is an established part of the Muslim character that the Muslim is the one who smiles, the one who is happy when he meets his brother, the one who meets people with a pleasant face. This is from the character and the etiquettes of the Muslim. It is also established in the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he would smile, and that he smiled on many occasions. And it is even established in our religion that our Lord and Creator — Allah — it is from our aqeedah that we believe that even Allah smiles. And so to smile in our religion is something which is allowed, to display joy and happiness and pleasure is something which is allowed. But also when you look in the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, you find that the extent of his smiling was that he would just simply smile to the extent that you could see his molar teeth — that is the most that he would ever smile. It is never reported that when he would smile, he would go into excessive laughing to the extent that he would be rolling around on the ground, or that tears would come from his eyes, or that sounds would emanate from his throat because of his excessive laughing.

And so again, Islam is a religion of balance. When you laugh and you think everything is a joke and everything is just something which you laugh about, you lose that servitude to Allah. You lose that seriousness that the Muslims should have when it comes to their every single day's daily affairs and responsibilities. And that is why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said in the hadith of Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2312; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4190)

"By Allah, I know that which you don't know, I see that which you don't see, and I hear that which you don't hear. Indeed the heavens have begun to creak, and so they should — for there is not a single space of four fingers except that there is an angel upon it in prostration to Allah, its forehead prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew that which I know, then you would laugh very little and you would cry much."

And so in Islam, even though it is allowed to be pleasant, it is allowed to smile, it is a part of good character — at the same time you have to keep it in check, be balanced. Why? So that you remember your priorities.

Conclusion

This hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — these five pieces of advice — that I inshallah want us to implement ourselves and to teach them to others and to teach them to our young children that we brought with us today into the masjid. Five things: the first two speak about our religion, our aqeedah, our belief in Allah and our worship of Him — to be pleased with the decree of Allah with that which Allah has given to us, and to know our religion, the halal and the haram, and to stay away from the haram and to only do the halal. And then the other two things: to perfect our character, both internally in the way that we are within ourselves, and externally in the way that we deal with others. And the final piece of advice is to know and to keep things in check — to know and to have sight of your vision: what is your vision in this life, where are you going? Death may approach you whether today or tomorrow. And to know that you have very little time in this world to attain the pleasure of Allah.

I ask Allah that He makes us from amongst those who are able to take these five pieces of advice of our Prophet ﷺ — that we can implement them, teach them to others, and help our families and our children implement them as well. I ask Allah that He makes us from amongst those who only do the halal and stay away from the haram, and that Allah protects us from the traps of Shaytan that cause us to fall into the haram. I ask Allah that He makes us content with His decree and that Allah makes us pleased with that which He has given to us, no matter how great or how small. That Allah perfects our character — the way that we are within ourselves and the way that we deal with others. And that Allah causes us to die as Muslims and resurrects us in the company of our Prophet ﷺ and enters us into Jannatul Firdaws al-A'la.