From: jimas <mail@jimas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: education
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2000 4:06 PM
IN THE NAME OF ALLAAH THE MOST KIND THE MOST MERCIFUL
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14th Safar 1421:18th May '00 : Thurs:11.30 pm (UK time)
From Abu Muntasir,Assalaam 'alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu.
Innal hamdalillaah was-salaat was-salaam 'alaa rasoolillaah.
Sent by shakir: SRehman@compuserve.com
Taken with permission from the publisher al-Basheer from:
‘Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi’ by
Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo (variously from pp.729-738):
On the authority of Abu al-Abbaas Abdullah ibn Abbaas (ra’huma)
who said: One day I was riding behind the Prophet (saw) and he
said to me, "O young man, I shall teach you some words [of
advice]. Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be
mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you
ask, ask of Allah. If you seek help, seek help in Allah. Know
that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with
something, they would not benefit you with anything except that
which Allah has already recorded for you. If they gather to
harm you by something, they would not be able to harm you by
anything except what Allah has already recorded against you.
The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."
Recorded by al-Tirmidhi who said, "It is a hasan sahih hadith."
In a narration other than that of al-Tirmidhi, it states, "Be
mindful of Allah, you will find Him in front of you. Become
beloved to Allah during times of prosperity, He will know you
in times of adversity. Know that what has passed you by was
never to befall you. And [know that] what has befallen you was
never to have passed you by. And know that victory accompanies
perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease
accompanies hardship."
...The first narration mentioned above is sahih [authentic] due
to its numerous different chains and supporting evidences. It
has been graded sahih by al-Albaani, Ahmad Shaakir, ibn Muhammad,
al-Hilaali and Shuaib al-Arnaoot. [Refer to the footnotes for
complete referencing and a more detailed takhreej.]
Ibn al-Jauzi once said about this hadith, "I pondered over this
hadith and it amazed me to the point that I almost became
lightheaded... What a pity for the one who is ignorant of this
hadith and has little understanding of its meaning."
[Quoted in ibn Rajab, Noor, p. 35.]
...When the Prophet (saw) made this statement to ibn Abbaas,
ibn Abbaas was just about to enter the state of puberty. This is
truly a significant aspect of this hadith. The Prophet (saw)
taught ibn Abbaas some of the most fundamental aspects of the
religion. He taught them to ibn Abbaas at a time that he could
start practicing and implementing them...
In this hadith, the Prophet (saw) teaches this young man about
patience, victory, hardship, relief and so forth. Commenting on
this aspect, al-Baitaar wrote, "What is the relationship between
this young man and these teachings? What does he know about
victory, the need for victory and what are the means to victory?
How does he know what hardships, worries and concerns are or what
is difficulty or ease?... But the Messenger of Allah (saw) was
the real teacher. He intentionally taught this person at that age
and he intentionally taught him these words because he knew - an
he was receiving revelation - that a young person is more in need
of these teachings than an older person. This is because these
words are a portion of a Muslim’s belief. If a young man grows up
with these beliefs, they form part of his being and thinking,
they intertwine with his flesh and blood. If he is left without
them until his thought and behaviours become rigid, no matter how
much one will try to teach him and convince him later, his
background that he was brought up upon, of fear, despair and
relying upon humans, will drive his thought and actions.
Therefore, the Prophet (saw) directed these specific words to a
young man who was just about to reach the stage of puberty so
that he could live under these teachings and think in this manner
without any need for later convincing or teaching."
[Al-Baitaar, p.124.]
One can see examples of the Messenger of Allah (saw) teaching
youth in many hadith. He took the time to teach ibn Abbaas,
Abdullah ibn Masood, al-Numan ibn Basheer and many of the
other young Companions. He taught them essential matters while
they were still young. They grew up practicing them and
increasing their understanding of them every day...
This is how a Muslim child must be brought up in the religion of
Islam. He must be taught its essential aspects before he reaches
the age of puberty...Perhaps under the influence of the West,
many Muslim children behave as if they are not responsible for
their actions or are not adults until they are eighteen or
twenty-one...One will find at Muslim conferences, young Muslims
who are attending college - and can fathom physics and calculus -
sitting in the youth sessions with eight- and nine-year olds,
claiming that the lectures are too difficult for them...
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Wassalaam 'alaikum wa rahmatullaah.
--
"Take benefit of five before five: your youth before
your old age, your health before your sickness, your
wealth before your poverty, your free-time before your
preoccupation, and your life before your death."
[Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam - al-Haakim,
al-Bayhaqee, Saheeh]
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