Ramadan Checker Day 26

O Tranquil Soul, Return to your Lord well pleased and pleasing to Him... 

There's a beautiful phrase the companions and better generations succeeding them would use concerning ibadah, they would say without sometimes giving a definitive number of an act, say, raka'at in salah. 

" He prayed as much as was written" for him" (in first person's term, the narrator says "I prayed as much as was written for me." The example of this is the Hadith of Bilal bin Rabbah RA transmited by Abu Hurairah RA;

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Bilal at the time of dawn prayer, “O Bilal, tell me of the most hopeful deed you practiced in Islam. I heard the scuffle of your sandals before me in Paradise.” Bilal said, “The most hopeful deed to me is that I do not perform ablution by day or night but that I pray along with it as much as Allah has decreed me to pray.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1149, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2458

Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِبِلَالٍ عِنْدَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ يَا بِلَالُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتَهُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ دَفَّ نَعْلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ مَا عَمِلْتُ عَمَلًا أَرْجَى عِنْدِي أَنِّي لَمْ أَتَطَهَّرْ طَهُورًا فِي سَاعَةِ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ إِلَّا صَلَّيْتُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهُورِ مَا كُتِبَ لِي أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ

1098 صحيح البخاري كتاب التهجد باب فضل الطهور بالليل والنهار وفضل الصلاة بعد الوضوء بالليل والنهار

2458 صحيح مسلم كتاب فضائل الصحابة باب من فضائل بلال رضي الله عنه

Many times we feel dismayed for having underperformed, having the niyya to do certain acts and not waking up in time for it, being held up by the buzz of daily activity, business, wanting to seclude to engage in ibadah and having familial or social responsibility drag us out. 

However, An niyyat (intention) precedes Al amal (action), and follows it through  its term, in the way a deed is performed and its reward, Alhamdulillah,though we could never worship Allah as He should be worshipped, He rewards our intention with the reward of a perfect execution of it in action.

The souls have been mentioned in accordance with  what the strive in,  and their nearness to or distance from their Lord. 

The souls are in three groups:

1. An Nafsul Lawwamah: This is the baser self that calls to the lowly desires and subjects the person to obey what evil and unhealthy pursuit it calls him to.

2. An Nafsul Al Lawwamah : Is the self reproaching soul, it slips and bears regret, becomes repentant and returns to its Lord. It has its weakness where it fails in its commitment to Allah, sometimes falling back into sins it resolves to steer clear of. It self blames when it falls into sin and reproaches itself when it falls short in doing and enjoining good. 

Ibn Jarir recorded from Sa`id bin Jubayr that he said concerning Allah's statement, in Surah Al Qiyamah

وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ

 (And nay! I swear by An-Nafs Al-Lawwamah)

"He criticizes himself in good and bad."

3. Nafsun Mutma’innah.

This is the stage where a person is at peace and content with dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Despite the state a person may be in physically, either in terms of worldly possessions or being subjected to weakness and illness of the body, his heart will forever be in a state of peace and contentment. This will continue till death, if the person remains on course. It is at this stage when the angels will say to him, "O Tranquil Soul! Return unto your lord pleased with him and He pleased with you."

 This was the case of prophet Ayub AS, he was tested with the loss of wealth, honorary rank in the society, the death of his children and the deterioration of his health. So much so it is said that he suffered emaciation in his body save in two organs that were left functioning, those were his heart and tongue with which he'd glorify and thank his Lord. 

The soul of the human transcends through these three until it attains the highest ranking, In sha Allah. An Nafsul Mut'mainnah being the reassured soul, one filled with contentment only when engaged in obedience and service of its Lord. As Sheikh ul Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah RH says ; "Dhikr is like water to fish, and what happens to the fish taken out of water...?" 

In suratul fajr, Allah سبحان وتعالى calls to a category of His slaves by referring to the state of their souls

﴿يأَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارْجِعِى إِلَى رَبِّكِ﴾

(O tranquil soul! Come back to your Lord.) meaning, to His company, His reward and what He has prepared for His servants in His Paradise.

﴿رَّاضِيَةٍ﴾

(well-pleased) meaning, within itself.

﴿مَّرْضِيَّةً﴾

(well-pleasing.) meaning, pleased with Allah, and He will be pleased with it and gratify it.

﴿فَادْخُلِى فِى عِبَادِى ﴾

(Enter then among My servants,) meaning, among their ranks.

﴿وَادْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ﴾

(And enter My Paradise!) This will be said to it at the time of death and on the Day of Judgement. This is like the angels giving glad tiding to the believer at his time of death and when he rises from his grave. Likewise is this statement here. 

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas concerning Allah's statement,

﴿يأَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ - ارْجِعِى إِلَى رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ﴾

(O tranquil soul! Come back to your Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing!) He said, "This Ayah was revealed while Abu Bakr was sitting (with the Prophet ). So he said, `O Messenger of Allah! There is nothing better than this!' The Prophet then replied,

«أَمَا إِنَّهُ سَيُقَالُ لَكَ هَذَا»

(This will indeed be said to you.)'' This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Al-Fajr, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah.

And such is the soul of Abu bakr As Siddiq RA, and the pious. May Allah bring us in their company,ameen.

Though no one is beyond sinning, the one who strives doesn't intentionally oppress his soul by transgressing against Allah's limits. The person of Ihsan is he who often repents and returns to his Lord and increases in good conduct. 

He charges himself with the good he does and feels it inadequate, yet hopes for Allah's mercy and acceptance, knowing his deeds will never amount as dowry for his salvation unless Allah chooses to grace him with forgiveness. 

He doesn't let the sins he's commited cripple him from doing good, and doesn't stop amassing the good he does. He forgets the good he does and sees every successive deed as a new start, and strives, competing with those who do good themselves, call others to it and warn against evil. 

Now let's glance at the life of the Ashara mubbashirun(the 10 promised paradise) 

Although they were given the glad tiding of jannah, their resolve to strive and give their all for the sake of Allah and His deen did not waver, neither did their fear of Him or His displeasure diminish in their hearts, Abu bakr would weep so much his beard would become wet, Umar would lament and wish he were an inanimate object out of fear of being brought to account by his Lord. And Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم would stand all night in prayer, being asked why he did so when his past and future sins had been forgiven, he responded "Shall I not be a grateful servant?" 

Actions are by their end, so strive. Don't slacken, when you feel yourself lacking in the way you perform ibadah, make sure you don't slacken in your commitment, learn better, go again, don't let the feeling die, long as it pushes you to do more, do better and hope that Allah elevates you from the baser station through the reproaching and makes your heart and soul tranquil in His worship. And remember the favour of your Lord, the way He grants ease to His slaves, from the comfort of your home you earn the hassanat of having performed umrah by remaining in a state of dhikr from dawn to the hour the sun positions itself on the horizon, how He commands the angels to give full record of ajr for missed ibadah you would normally do when sick or due to travel or due to some valid excuse or inconvenience. How He rewards the one who intends a good deed in full as if they'd indeed done it. And remember that you only do as much good as was written for you. May Allah have mercy on Bilal and all the companions of our Prophet and Messenger, Ameen. 

An-Nisa' 4:28

يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ ضَعِيفًا 

And Allah wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak.

 Have hope in Allah that He forgives your sins and ours and brings ease to the Ummah of His most beloved.

May we be among those to whom it will be said "Enter you, My servant." 

              "And enter My Paradise!"

Ameen Ya Rabbil jannah. 

! مع سالم