Praising Someone in their Presence

Imam an-Nawawi رحمه الله said:

‘These are Ahadeeth which prohibit praising a person in his presence, however there are many authentic Ahadeeth regarding the permissibility of doing this.

The scholars have said: The way we combine these (apparently opposing) Ahadeeth is:

If the one being praised has perfect Iman, certainty, is secure in himself, trains his soul and possesses awareness  to the extent that he will not fall in to a Fitnah or deceived by this praise nor will this praise play upon his conscience then in this circumstance it is not prohibited nor is it disliked to praise him in his presence.

If however, any of these above matters are feared and that person is not secure, then it is disliked to praise him in his presence, and it is disliked in the strongest terms. The differing Ahadeeth, are understood in this context and according to this explanation.

(Riyadh as-Saliheen)

If we analyse, there can be four scenarios for praising others in their presence:

The first scenario: That there is benefit in praising him and it is encouragement for him, motivating him to praiseworthy characteristics and noble manners. There is no harm in doing this because it is encouragement for your companion. Therefore if you witness generosity, being good to others, courage  and sacrificing and you mention his qualities in front of him to others in order to encourage him and make him firm in order to continue with what he is doing, then this is good.

The second scenario: That you praise him in order to make apparent his excellence amongst the people in order for this praise to spread amongst the people so they respect him, as the Prophet  –sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam– did with Abu Bakr, Umar and other Sahaba (RA).

The third scenario: To praise someone and to take it to an extreme and to describe him in a way that he is not worthy of. This is prohibited and it is lying and deception. For example mentioning a leader or minister or someone of this rank and extolling him and describing him with praiseworthy characteristics which he does not possess. This is not permissible and is harmful for the one being praised.

The fourth scenario: someone praises another person with that which he does posses however he fears that the person being praised will be deceived by this and become amazed of his own self and becomes conceited with himself, and raise himself above others. This is also prohibited and not permissible.

Summarised from https://abdurrahman.org/2014/10/08/the-dislike-of- praising-someone-in -their-presence-shaykh-uthaymeen/

Always Worried About Dunya and No Time for Allah?

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged us to free our time for worship and to turn to Allah Almighty, and discouraged from being concerned with the world and being consumed by it.

 See these Ahadeeth:

- “Your Lord Almighty said: ‘Son of Adam, be free for My worship. I will fill your heart with richness and fill your hands with provision. Son of Adam, do not distance yourself from Me, or else I will fill your heart with poverty and fill your hands with worthless distractions’.” [al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr 500, Grade: Sahih]

- "Allah Almighty said: ‘O son of Adam, be free for My worship and I will fill your heart with riches and alleviate your poverty. If you do not do so, I will fill your hands with problems and never alleviate your poverty’.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2466, Grade: Sahih]

- "Whoever is concerned about the world, Allah will disorder his affairs, make poverty appear before his eyes, he will not get anything from the world but what has been decreed for him. Whoever is concerned about the Hereafter, Allah will settle his affairs, make him content in his heart, the world will come to him although he is reluctant for it.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah 4105, Grade: Sahih , Similar hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2465]

- "Whoever focuses on only one concern, the afterlife, Allah will be enough for his concerns in the world. Whoever scatters his concerns among the matters of the world, it does not matter to Allah in which valley he meets his demise.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah 4106, Grade: Hasan]

May Allah give us Tawfeeq to set our priorities right. Aameen.

Hasad (jealousy, envy), its Stages and its Treatment

[Based on Mufti Taqi Usmani’s writings]

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Beware of envy, for it devours good deeds just as fire devours wood or grass.”

(Abu Dāwūd 4903; grade-Sahih)

Imam Ibn al-Malak commented, “Envy distracts one from engaging in good deeds, or the envier is not content with the decree of Allah, so perhaps he is overtaken by envy, malice, and enmity until he utters words of ingratitude, thereby invalidating his good deeds.” (Sharḥ al-Maṣābīḥ 5/327)

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ عنه said, “Do not be an enemy to the blessings of Allah.” It was said, “Who is an enemy to the blessings of Allah?” Ibn Mas’ud said, “Those who envy people for what Allah has given them by His grace.”

Imam al-Qurtubi commented, “Allah Almighty said in some of His scriptures: The envier is an enemy of My blessings, resentful of My decree, and not pleased with My distribution.” (Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī 4:54)

What is Hasad?

In the terminology of Shariah, Hasad means being so jealous of another person that if he sees that person happy or in comfort, then he feels really upset and unhappy, wishes for him to lose that happiness and comfort, and wants his good fortunes to be reversed. 

Hasad is Haraam (unlawful).

The Psychology of Hasad: Why does Hasad arise?

Imam Ghazali Rh has written that Hasad usually arises either from Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity); the person thinking that it was his ‘right’ that all good things should have come to him, and how come did this other person get them? Or, from crookedness of his heart or enmity towards another person, that he feels miserly towards Allah’s blessings, and thinks that just like he does not give anything good to anyone, similarly, Allah Ta’ala should not have given anything good to anyone.

The three degrees of Hasad

Hadhrat Thanavi Rh has said that there are three degrees or stages of Hasad. 

• The first stage of Hasad is just an unhappy feeling in the heart that a person develops when he sees something good befalling someone he has an enmity with. To some extent this is beyond a person’s control, and is not a sin as long as the person does not actively start thinking about it.

• The second stage of Hasad is that the thoughts are not passive anymore, rather a person actively starts thinking bad thoughts that why did these good things happen to this person, I wish he loses all these good things, I wish he comes to harm, meaning he now intentionally wants this person to come to harm. This is clearly a sin.

• The third stage of Hasad is that a person not only wants bad things to happen to the person he has an enmity with, but he also starts acting on such thoughts, for example, he starts backbiting against him in front of people to ruin his reputation, plotting to make him lose his job or be denied a promotion, or takes more practical steps to cause him harm.

Treatment of Hasad:

Hasad has a cognitive and a behavioural treatment.

• Cognitive (thought) treatment of Hasad

The cognitive treatment of Hasad is that the jealous person should reflect on the fact that his Hasad is harming only him, it is not causing any harm to the person he is jealous of. Rather, the other person is getting the thawab of the good deeds of the jealous person without making any effort. On the other hand, the jealous person is both miserable and unhappy in this world, and is harming his Aakhirat as well.

The harm to the jealous person’s Deen is that it destroys his good deeds, he loses the thawab of his other Ibadat to the person he is jealous of, and Allah Ta’ala is greatly displeased with him because he is being miserly with Allah Ta’ala’s blessings and does not want anyone else to share Allah Ta’ala’s blessings with him.

• Practical treatment of Hasad (jealousy)

The behavioural treatment of Hasad is that even though his heart desires to malign the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone and bring them harm, but he should suppress this urge ad do the exact opposite of what his Nafs (inner self) wants him to do. He should praise the person he is jealous of, in front of everyone, he should behave with humility in front of him, he should express happiness and pleasure at all the blessings the other person has been granted by Allah Ta’ala, and he should pray regularly that Allah Ta’ala grants the other person even more blessings. When he does all of these initially, he would feel that his heart is being crushed, but when he keeps doing these for a period of time, then he would develop positive feelings for the person he was jealous of, and as his feelings of enmity towards the other person subside, the Hasad will subside too.

Dua and Destiny (Taqdeer)

Abu Khuzamah رضي الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ عنه said:
“I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (SAWS), the Ruqyah (healing with supplications and the Qur’an) that we use, the medicine we take and the prevention we seek, does all this change Allah’s appointed destiny?’ He said: ‘They are a part of Allah’s appointed destiny.’’ [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]

The Logic of Interconnectedness

Think of it not as a sequence of events where your dua changes a pre-written destiny, but as a single, holistic, and interconnected divine plan.

1. Allah Knows the Entire Picture: Allah's knowledge is not linear like ours. He doesn't see a "before" and "after" your dua. He knows the entirety of the timeline at once. He knows that at a certain point in your life, you will make a specific dua, and He also knows the outcome that will result from that dua. Your supplication and its effect are not separate events; they are part of the same predetermined divine flow.
2. Dua as the Cause: In this framework, dua is the divinely ordained cause for a specific effect. Just as Allah has decreed that fire will burn and water will quench thirst, He has also decreed that sincere supplication is a means of attracting His mercy and altering a conditional part of our destiny. Your act of raising your hands in prayer is the very trigger that Allah has placed within His system to bring about a change that was always destined to occur due to your prayer.
3. No Contradiction, Only Completion: Therefore, the dua doesn't "change" Allah's knowledge; it fulfills it. Allah, in His infinite wisdom, knew you would supplicate, and He knew what He would grant you as a result. The change you experience in your life is not a surprise to Him; it is the very outcome He had already planned in response to your sincere prayer.

The beauty of this perspective is that it empowers us without contradicting the absolute nature of Allah's knowledge. It means that our efforts and prayers are not meaningless; they are essential cogs in the magnificent, all-knowing plan of the universe. It encourages us to pray because we are an active, conscious part of the unfolding of our own destiny.

Psycho-Spiritual Benefits of Belief in Taqdeer

Belief in Taqdeer is one of the six pillars of Imaan without which one cannot be a Muslim.

This belief in Divine Decree offers profound spiritual and psychological benefits.

The belief in Taqdeer ensures that one does not consider his own actions to be really effective in themselves. This fosters humility, deep acceptance, contentment (Ridha), Sabr, Shukr, spiritual resilience and trust (Tawakkal) in Allah and protects against arrogance in success and hopelessness and depression in failure.

Belief in Taqdeer fosters deep acceptance and contentment with whatever occurs, as it is understood to be within Allah's knowledge, will, and command.

Belief in Taqdeer thus gives peace of mind, makes it easy to recognise the futility of unlawful actions to achieve success, strengthens Taqwa and forges a deeper connection with Allah.

A person who truly believes in Taqdeer will not panic during hardships and misfortune, maintaining a strong heart and emotional stability.

Acceptance of Divine Decree mitigates feelings of frustration and hopelessness even when difficulties persist, helping to banish weakness and prevent despair.

The believer in Taqdeer avoids unnecessary stress by not relying solely on material means and instead finds hope by turning to Allah and recognizing the futility of unlawful actions when facing adversity. 

Belief in Taqdeer prevents unhealthy attachment to outcomes, allowing gratitude without excessive elation at success or debilitating distress at loss

The essence of Tilawat of the Qur’an (recitation) - Imam Shah Waliullah Dehlavi

 Imam Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on him), while explaining the essence of Tilawat of the Qur’an (recitation) in Hujjatullah al-Baligha, says:

“The spirit of reciting the Qur’an is that one turns towards Allah with longing and reverence, reflects upon His admonitions, feels the spirit of submission before His commands, takes lesson from its parables and stories, and whenever he comes across a verse about the Attributes of Allah or His Signs, he should say: SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah); and when he comes across verses of Paradise and mercy, he should ask Allah from His bounty; and when he comes across verses about Hell and wrath, he should seek refuge in Allah. This is what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prescribed in training the soul through admonition.” (Vol. 2, p. 106)

In this passage there is a phrase: "ويستشعر الانقياد في أحكامه".

In Misbah al-Lughat, one usage of istish‘ar is cited as: istash‘ara khawf Allah — “make the fear of Allah the constant garment of your heart.” Based on this, the phrase may also be translated as:

“Make obedience to Allah’s commands the constant habit (or inner emblem) of the heart.”

In Al-Fawz al-Kabir, Shah Sahib (رح) uses the term tadhkir (reminder/admonition) alongside three of the five sciences of the Qur’an.

 From this it becomes evident that the predominant characteristic of the Qur’an is tadhkir (remembrance and admonition). In the above excerpt too, this element of tadhkir is dominant.

Ahadeeth on Haya (Modesty) Being the Distinguishing Character of Islam:

Haya (Modesty) is the Distinguishing Character of Islam:

1. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 
“Verily, every religion has a distinguishing characterist and the distinguishing characterist of Islam is modesty.”
(Sunan Ibn Mājah 4182 - Sahih li ghayrihi and Muwatta of Imam Malik)

2. Qurrah ibn Iyas reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when modesty was mentioned to him. They said, “O Messenger of Allah, is modesty part of the religion?” 
The Prophet said, “Rather, it is the entire religion.” 

(Sunan al-Kubrá lil-Bayhaqī 20808 - Sahih)

3. “Modesty is part of faith and faith is in Paradise. Shamelessness is part of insolence and insolence is in Hellfire.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2009 - Sahih)

4. Imran ibn Husayn reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Modesty does not bring anything but goodness.”
In another narration, the Prophet said, “Modesty is good in all things.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6117, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 37)

5. "Modesty is a branch of faith.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 9, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 35)

6. “Allah loves modesty” 
(Sunan al-Nasā’ī 406 - Sahih)

7. ⁠Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Be modest before Allah, as is His right.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah, surely we have modesty, all praise is due to Allah!” The Prophet said, “It is not so. Rather, modesty before Allah, as is His right, is to guard the mind and what runs through it, to guard the stomach and what fills it, and to reflect upon death and trials. Whoever desires the Hereafter, let him abandon the embellishments of worldly life. Whoever does so has been modest before Allah, as is His right.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2458 - Hasan)