10 things void of any benefit

10 things you will never find benefit in:

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

Ibn ul Qayyim writes (this is a translated version):

There are ten things void of benefit:

The First: Knowledge which is not practiced upon.

The Second: Actions which are void of sincerity to Allah, and void of exemplification of the Sunnah. (Note: These two conditions constitute the act being accepted by Allah i.e. Ikhlaas and Ittiba`a)

The Third: Wealth which is not spent in the way of Allah, so the one who exhausted all of his energy amassing it will not benefit from it in this life, nor will he see the fruits of it in the hereafter.

The Fourth: A heart which is void of the love of Allah and the ardent desire to meet him.

The Fifth: A body which is void of obedience to Allah.


The Sixth: A love for other than Allah which is void of any boundaries. (i.e. unconditional)

The Seventh: Time which is void of benefit and the individual does not take advantage of it to do actions which would bring him closer to Allah.

The Eighth: A thought which goes through the individuals mind and will bring him no benefit.

The Ninth: Doing a favor for someone that does not bring him closer to Allah nor will it benefit him in the affairs of his livelihood.

The Tenth: Fear and hope of someone whose forelock is in the hands of Allah, like a captive in the company of his master, who can bring no benefit or harm to himself or others, nor can he give life to the dead nor does he have any power over resurrection.

The worse and most detrimental of these ten is two:

1) The Heart

2) Time

Firstly the heart, because it`s corruption stems from giving precedence to this transient life over the hereafter, and time because it makes the individual feel like he will live forever (which enables him to be even more negligent about his obligation to Allah)

The most amazing thing is when someone is presented with a situation and he turns all of his attention towards Allah to fulfill his needs, and never takes the time to ask Allah for the remedy he is need of to bring his heart back to life from the death of ignorance and negligence, and the cure he is in dire need of for his disease of Shahawaat (following his lowly desires) and Shubuhaat (doubts and misconceptions). Indeed if the heart dies, he will never be conscious of the sins which he commits and his disobedience to Allah.

Marriage part 4:

Alhamdulillah over the first few posts of our marriage series, we managed to discuss issues pertinent to the introduction of the topic. Given my long absence, i hope to jot down briefly further points pertinent to our introduction, so we can start over the next few weeks dealing with spouse selection, and how the Shari'ah has guided us in this regard...
As for our remaining points in our reduction in brief:
On an individual level marriage plays a role in:

1. Preserving one's faith!

Anas (RA) reports that our Prophet (SAW) said: "When Allah grants one a righteous wife, He has helped him to preserve half of his religion. Let him then fear and revere Allah in regards to the other half" (atTabaraani- and said to be 'hasan' (acceptable) by alAlbaani)


2. Preserving chastity:

Mankind has a natural desire for the opposite gender. This is from the completeness of one's natural disposition. In turn Shaitaan recognising this, uses this natural inclination to his advantage, by causing us to fall prey to this desire, causing us to act outside the boundaries set by our Creator, Allah Almighty.

Usama b. Zayd reports that Rasoolullah (SAW) said: "I have not left after me a trial more harmful to men than women" (Bukhari and Muslim)
Consequently from the way of our beloved Prophet (SAW) is a means that one can use to protect himself/herself from the evil of Shaitaan, and in the same breath earn great rewards from their Creator! That way is MARRIAGE!

3. Creating Love, Mercy and Security!

Love and mercy are important aspects that brightens one's life and give them a sense of reassurance, security and happiness. One of Allah Almighty's great favours amongst married couples is the love and mercy He instills between them.

Verse 21: ,Almighty says in the Chapter of arRoom Allah
"And amongst His signs is that He created for you from yourselves, spouses that you may dwell unto them, and He set between you love and mercy; surely in that are signs for those who reflect"

Increasing one's good deeds: 4.

For those who contemplate, a realisation would be reached that marriage is indeed also a means for one to earn valuable rewards for the hereafter! YES! How?
Well a married person worships Allah in a way a single person cannot! And this is a fact!
In a long hadith our Prophet (SAW) taught us that in fulfilling our desires with our spouses are rewards for us. Subhanallah, our shari'ah has taught us everything and not left out anything!
Also in the feeding of our spouses are rewards! And in our smiling in their presence are rewards! As well as in our loving, caring, supporting and guiding are rewards. In the children we have as a result are rewards! In upbringing our children correctly are rewards....and i can go on..
Does a single non-married individual have this luxury??

5. In marriage is an adherence to the way of the Prophets.

Last but not least . This point was discussed at the beginning of our series.

May Allah Almighty make our marriages the coolness of our eyes, and for those not married out there, may your special day arrive sooner, rather than later. Ameen.

And Allah knows best.

Until my next post,

Wasalam,

Sajid Ahmed Umar