Watchfulness

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
Once we were sitting in the company of Messenger of Allah ﷺ when there appeared a man dressed in very white clothes and having extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on him and he was known to none of us. He sat down facing the Prophet ﷺ leaning his knees against the knees of the Prophet ﷺ and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, "O Muhammad ﷺ! Tell me about Islam". He ﷺ replied, "Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah; that you observe Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it." He replied: "You have spoken the truth." We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the correctness of the answers. He then enquired: "Tell me about Iman." He ﷺ said: "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in preordainment (destiny), its bad and good consequences." He said, "You have spoken the truth." He then enquired: "Tell me about Ihsan." He ﷺ said, "It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and although you do not see Him, He sees you." He enquired: "Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection)." He ﷺ replied, "I have no more knowledge thereof than you". He said, "Inform me about some of its signs." He ﷺ said, "They are - that a bondswoman gives birth to her own master, and that you will find the barefooted, naked, poor shepherds competing one another in the construction of higher buildings." Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for a while then he said to me, "O 'Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." The Prophet ﷺ said, "He was Jibril (Gabriel), he came to you to teach you your religion."

[Muslim].

وأما الأحاديث ؛ فالأول: عن عمر بن الخطاب، رضي الله عنه ، قال " بينما نحن جلوس عند رسول الله، ﷺ ذات يوم إذ طلع عينا رجل شديد بياض الثياب ، شديد سواد الشعر، لا يرى عليه أثر السفر، ولا يعرفه منا أحد، حتى جلس إلى النبي ،ﷺ ، فأسند ركبتيه إلى ركبتيه، ووضع كفيه على فخذيه وقال: يا محمد أخبرني عن الإسلام، فقال: رسول الله ﷺ: الإسلام أن تشهد أن لا إله إلا الله ، وأن محمداً رسول الله وتقيم الصلاة، وتؤتي الزكاة ، وتصوم رمضان ، وتحج البيت إن استطعت إليه سبيلاً. قال صدقت. فعجبنا له يسأله ويصدقه! قال : فأخبرني عن الإيمان. قال أن تؤمن بالله، وملائكته، وكتبه ورسله، واليوم الآخر، وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره. قال صدقت. قال فأخبرني عن الإحسان . قال أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه؛ فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك. قال: فأخبرني عن الساعة. قال: ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل. قال : فأخبرني عن أماراتها قال: أن تلد الأمة ربتها، وأن ترى الحفاة العراة العالة رعاء الشاء يتطالون في البنيان. ثم انطلق، فلبثت ملياً، ثم قال: يا عمر أتدري من السائل؟ قلت: الله ورسوله أعلم. قال: فإنه جبريل أتاكم يعلمكم أمر دينكم" ((رواه مسلم)) .

Abu Dharr and Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with them) reported that:
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people".

[At- Tirmidhi].

الثانى: عن أبي ذر جندب بن جنادة، وأبي عبد الرحمن معاذ بن جبل، رضي الله عنهما، عن رسول الله ﷺ، قال: " اتق الله حيثما كنت واتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها، وخالق الناس بخلق حسن" ((رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن )).

Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said:
One day, I was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ when he said, "O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you), and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up".

[At- Tirmidhi].

Another narration is: Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Safeguard the Commandments of Allah, you will find Him before you. Remember Him in prosperity and He will remember you in adversity. Be sure that which you miss, was not to hit you; and what hits you, was never to miss you. Remember that the Help of Allah is obtained with patience, and relief emerges after distress, prosperity follows adversity, and hardship is followed by ease".

الثالث: عن ابن عباس، رضي الله عنهما، قال: " كنت خلف النبي، ﷺ، يوماً فقال: " يا غلام إني أعلمك كلمات: "احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده تجاهك، إذا سألت فاسأل الله ، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله، واعلم: أن الأمة لو اجتمعت على أن ينفعوك بشيء، لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيء، لم يضروك بشيء إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله عليك؛ رفعت الأقلام، وجفت الصحف" ((رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن صحيح)) .

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
You indulge in (bad) actions which are more insignificant to you than a hair while we considered them at the time of Messenger of Allah ﷺ to be great destroying sins".

[Al-Bukhari].

الرابع: عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: "إنكم لتعملون أعمالاً هي أدق في أعينكم من الشعر، كنا نعدها على عهد رسول الله ﷺ من الموبقات" ((رواه البخاري )) (21).

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Verily, 'Allah, the Exalted, becomes angry, and His Anger is provoked when a person does what Allah has declared unlawful".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

الخامس : عن أبي هريرة، رضي الله عنه ، عن النبي ﷺ، قال: " إن الله تعالى يغار، وغيرة الله ، تعالى، أن يأتي المرء ما حرم الله عليه" ((متفق عليه)) .

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that:
He heard the Prophet ﷺ said: "There were three men among the Banu Israel, one leper, one bald and one blind. Allah wanted to test them. He therefore, sent to them an angel who came to the leper and asked him what he would like best. He replied: "A good colour, a good skin and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people". He (the angel) rubbed him and his loathsomeness vanished and he was given a good colour and a good skin. He then asked him what type of property he would like best. The leper replied that he would like camels - [or perhaps he said cattle, for Ishaq (one of the subnarrator of the Hadith) was uncertain, either said: 'Camels,' or: 'Cattle']. He was given a pregnant she-camel. The angel invoked for Allah's Blessing on it. The angel then went to the bald man and asked him what he would like best and he replied: "Good hair and to be rid of what makes me loathsome to people". The angel ran his hand over him and he was given good hair. He then asked him what property he would like best. He replied that he would like cattle, so he was given a pregnant cow. The angel invoked Allah's Blessing on it. The angel then went to the blind man and asked him what he would like best, and he replied: "I wish that Allah restore my sight to me so that I may see people." Thereupon the angel ran his hand over him and Allah restored his sight. The angel then asked what property he would like best. He replied that he would like sheep, so he was given a pregnant ewe. Flocks and herds were produced for the three men, the first having a valley full of camels, the second one, a valley full of cows and the third one full of sheep. Then the angel came in the form of a leper, to the one who had been a leper, and said: "I am a poor man and my resources have been exhausted in my journey, and my only means of reaching my destination are dependent on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who gave you the good colour, the good skin and the property, for a camel by which I may get to my destination". He replied: "I have many dues to pay." The angel then said: "I think I recognize you. Were you not a leper whom people found loathsome and a poor man to whom Allah gave property?" He replied: "I inherited this property through generations". The angel said: "If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition". The angel went in the form of a bald man to the one who had been bald, and said the same as he had said to the former and received a similar reply. So he said: "If you are telling a lie, may Allah return you to your former condition". The angel then went to the one who had been blind and said: "I am a poor traveller and my resources have been exhausted in my journey. My only means of reaching my destination are dependant on Allah and then on you, so I ask you by Him Who restored your eyesight for a sheep by which I may get to the end of my journey". He replied: "Yes, I was blind. Allah restored my eyesight, so take what you wish and leave what you wish. I swear by Allah that I shall not argue with you today to return anything you take, as I give it for Allah's sake". The angel said: "Keep your property. You have all simply been put to a test, and Allah is pleased with you and displeased with both of your companions".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

السادس : عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أنه سمع النبي ﷺ يقول: " إن ثلاثة من بنى إسرائيل : أبرص ، وأقرع، وأعمى، أراد الله أن يبتليهم فبعث إليهم ملكاً، فأتى الأبرص فقال: أي شيء أحب إليك؟ قال : لون حسن، وجلد حسن ، ويذهب عني الذى قد قذرني الناس؛ فمسحه فذهب عنه قذره وأعطي لونا حسناً. قال: فأي المال أحب إليك؟ قال: الإبل-أو قال البقر-شك الرواي- فأعطي ناقة عشراء، فقال: بارك الله لك فيها. فأتى الأقرع فقال: أي شيء أحب إليك؟ قال: شعر حسن، ويذهب عني هذا الذى قذرني الناس ، فمسحه فذهب عنه وأعطي شعراً حسناً. قال: فأي المال أحب إليك؟ قال: البقر، فأعطي بقرة حاملاً،وقال بارك الله لك فيها.فأتي الأعمى فقال: أي شيء أحب إليك؟ قال: أن يرد الله إلي بصري فأبصر الناس، فمسحه فرد الله إليه بصره. قال: فأي المال أحب إليك؟ قال: الغنم، فأعطي شاة والداً. فأنتج هذان وولد هذا، فكان لهذا واد من الإبل، ولهذا واد من البقر، ولهذا واد من الغنم.ثم إنه أتى الأبرص في صورته وهيئته، فقال له: رجل مسكين وابن سبيل قد انقطعت بي الحبال في سفري، فلا بلاغ لي اليوم إلا بالله ثم بك، أسألك بالذي أعطاك اللون الحسن، والجلد الحسن، والمال، بعيراً أتبلغ به في سفري، فقال: الحقوق كثيرة. فقال : كأني أعرفك، ألم تكن أبرص يقذرك الناس فقيراً، فأعطاك الله ؟! فقال : إنما ورثت هذا المال كابراً عن كابر، فقال: إن كنت كاذباً فصيرك الله إلى ما كنت.وأتى الأقرع، فقال له مثل ما قال لهذا، ورد عليه مثل ما ردّ هذا، فقال إن كنت كاذبا فصيرك الله إلى ما كنت .وأتى الأعمى في صورته وهيئته، فقال: رجل مسكين وابن سبيل انقطعت بي الحبال في سفري، فلا بلاغ لي اليوم إلا بالله ثم بك، أسألك بالذي رد عليك بصرك شاة أتبلغ بها في سفري؟ فقال: قد كنت أعمى فرد الله بصري، فخذ ما شئت ودع ما شئت، فوالله ما أجهدك اليوم بشيء أخذته لله عز وجل فقال: أمسك عليك مالك فإنما ابتليتم، فقد رضي الله عنك، وسخط على صاحبيك" ((متفق عليه)) .

Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet ﷺ said, "A wise man is the one who calls himself to account (and refrains from doing evil deeds) and does noble deeds to benefit him after death; and the foolish person is the one who subdues himself to his temptations and desires and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires".

[At-Tirmidhi].

السابع: عن أبي يعلى شداد بن أوس رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال: " الكيس من دان نفسه، وعمل لما بعد الموت ، والعاجز من أتبع نفسه هواها، وتمنى على الله الأماني" ((رواه الترمذي وقال حديث حسن)).

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "It is from the excellence of (a believer's) Islam that he should shun that which is of no concern to him".

[At-Tirmidhi].

الثامن: عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ : " من حسن إسلام المرء تركه ما لا يعنيه" ((حديث حسن رواه الترمذي وغيره))