Nawawi #23 Narrated Abu Malik al-Harith bin ‘Asim al-Ash’ari. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Purification is half of iman (faith). Saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ fills the scales. Saying ‘Subhanallah walhamdulillah’ fills the space between the heavens and the earth. Salah (prayer) is a light. Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur’an is an argument either for you or against you. Everybody goes out in the morning as a vendor for themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves.” Commentary: The hadith shows the importance of these great deeds in Islam through which every Muslim can free him or herself from the punishment of Allah subhana wa ta’ala in the Hereafter or in the Day of Judgment. One has to free oneself from any kind of enslavement except to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. One has to be a servant and slave of only Allah and not anyone or anything else. Imam Ibn Rajab mentions that there are different views and interpretations of the term ‘al- tuhur’ or purification. He says that some scholars have interpreted al-tuhur as to mean ‘avoiding sins’. But Ibn Rajab disagrees with this and points out that there is another version of the hadith which says that wudu’ or ablution is a ‘half of iman’. So he is in favour of this meaning. That is, the term al-tuhur refers to the ritual purification by water (wudu’). He also says that this is the view of the majority of the scholars and only a few scholars have interpreted al-tuhur as to mean ‘avoiding sins’. Ibn Rajab actually mentions two reasons why the term al-tuhur is interpreted as wudu: As mentioned earlier that it has been stated in another version of the hadith to mean wudu’ or purification. Imam Muslim and some other scholars have recorded this hadith in chapters related to ablution or wudu’. The hadith mentions that the phrase al-Hamdulillah fills the mizan (scales) and Subhanallah and al- Hamdulillah each fills (or both together fill) the space between the heavens and earth. The hadith shows the importance, greatness and significance of dhikr Allah or remembrance of Allah subhana wa ta’ala. For example, merely reciting one phrase such as Subhanallah gives rewards that fill the heavens! It shows just how important these phrases are for every Muslim. Al-Haithamy, one of the great Muslim scholars, stated that the full reward of reciting dhikr will be given to the person who recites them while thinking of their meaning and submitting to their implication. The hadith actually indicates the greatness of these phrases: al-Hamdulillah, Subhanallah wa al- Hamdulillah. The phrase Subhanallah can be recited alone or together with al-Hamdulillah as stated in the text of this hadith. This shows the worthiness of what is called al-Tasbih, glorifying Allah and al-Tahmid, praising and thanking Allah. Ibn Rajab stated that al-Tahmid is greater than al-Tasbih. It means that to be grateful and thankful to Allah is better than being in a state of Tasbih or glorifying Him and denying imperfection towards Him. The phrase ‘al-Hamdulillah’ shows gratitude and thankfulness to Allah. It is a positive concept while al-Tasbih is to deny any negative traits towards Almighty Allah and so al- Tahmid is better than al-Tasbih. Also, al-Hamdulillah is not just thankfulness to Allah. It involves more general aspects because it can be expressed both in words and actions. For example, when you do good deeds, it means al-Hamdulillah, just as when you say good words. Ibn Rajab says that in the hadith al-Tasbih actually came with the al-Tahmid – it is usually mentioned with al-Tahmid. But al-Tahmid can be stated alone without al-Tasbih as found in the hadith and other hadiths, as well as in many verses of the Qur’an. So although each term has its own significance, al-Hamdulillah is better and more important than Subhanallah. According to Sheikh al-Sa’di, one of the contemporary Mufasir, a person who maintains these three types of adhkar regularly is considered among those who remember Allah a lot, as mentioned in many verses of the holy Qur’an. So one has to read and preserve this kind of dhikr Allah but al-dhikr, in general, can be freely recited and there is no limit to the amount of dhikr that one can recite. Sheikh al-Sa’di, while commenting on the Ayah in Surah al-Ahzab further said that dhikr Allah is an obligation and we must fulfill this obligation. Another important thing about dhikr is that one has to understand the meaning of the dhikr that he or she recites. Ibn al-Haitham stated that al-dhikr should be recited with full awareness of its meaning and not just read by the tongue without understanding it. If a person reads the adhkar with full comprehension, he or she will get more rewards. And he/she will feel the pleasure of iman and also the iman itself will increase. So from these statements we can understand that there are three conditions for getting more rewards in our dhikr. The first one is to read the three types of dhikr in their specific occasions. Secondly, to recite the dhikr with full awareness and understanding of its meaning. And finally, to continue and maintain the recitation of these dhikr regularly everyday. In Surah al-Shams Ayah 9-10, Allah subhana wa ta’ala mentions the same meaning. He says: “Truly he succeeds that perfects it (the soul) and fails that corrupts it”. Imam Ibn Rajab, while commenting on this meaning, said the person who struggles to worship Allah and obeys Him is the one who frees himself and the person who indulges in sins is the one who destroys himself. According to the hadith, every morning when people go out of their houses they are either gaining rewards and profit or getting losses. If they work for Allah and obey Him they are winners, but if they violate the rules of Allah and disobey Him then they gain nothing but loss after loss. This was also clearly explained in the Qur’an, in Surah al-Zumar Ayah 15. Conclusion: This hadith guides us in how to gain great rewards in our lives and also how to save ourselves from Allah’s punishment. For example, practicing the acts of purification, dhikr Allah, prayer, charity and also many other deeds are very important ways to free oneself from the punishment of Allah. Please comment below with your reflections and thoughts from this great hadith. May Allah grant us beneficial knowledge and Jannatul Firdaus, ameen. Source: alicamarata/nawawi-23
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 11:36:08 +0000
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