The lamp

A man narrates:

My father once narrated [a story to me] about an old man who had a dream. In this dream, he met Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah in one of the markets of 'Unayzah; It was one of the markets which leads to the assembly (a gathering place) – a well known place in 'Unayzah.

During this meeting, Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah handed a lamp to this old man.

When the old man [later] enquired about the [meaning of his] dream, he was told that he will have a child who would [grow up to] be pious (saalih) and he would have [an elevated] stature in [islaamic] knowledge.

So, a child was born to this old man, and he was set upon naming him Saalih, in the hope that his dream would be true and specific to this child.

So, Saalih was religious and devout, and loved the people, [just] as they loved him [too]. He would recite the Qur.aan and stand the night in prayer, however, he was not a student of knowledge.

Saalih then got married and had a son, whom he named Muhammad; He was Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen.

And in reality - and we consider him as such - he was the lamp which Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah had given the old man [in the dream].

And [as for] this old man, [well, he] was the grandfather of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen – may Allaah have mercy upon him.

Narrated by: The Shaykh's son, 'Abdullaah ibn Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen.

Will Allah Punish Me for Praying? [Bidah]

Imām Sa’īd b. Al-Musayyib – Allāh have mercy on him – once saw a man praying more than two rak’ah after the beginning of Fajr, making many bows and prostrations, and so he forbade him. The man said, “O Abu Muhammad, is Allāh going to punish me for praying?” Sa’īd said, “No, but He will punish you for contradicting the Sunnah.”

Al-Bayhaqī, As-Sunan Al-Kubraa 2:466. graded sahīh by Shaykh Al-Albānī. See Irwā Al-Ghalīl 2:236.

Shaykh Al-Albānī writes:


This is one of the superb answers given by Sa’īd b. Al-Musayyib - Allāh have mercy on him. It is a strong weapon against heretics (mubtadi’ah) who recommend many different types of religious innovation in the name of them being dhikr and prayer. They then criticize the followers of the Sunnah for criticizing them, and accuse them of censuring dhikr and prayer, when in fact [Ahl Al-Sunnah] are only criticizing the contravention of the Sunnah in matters such as dhikr and prayer.

How the Salaf were (and weren’t) when hearing the Quran and Dhikr

It was said to ‘Â`ishah – Allâh be pleased with her, “There are people who faint when they hear the Quran.” She said. “The Quran is nobler than to have people lose their minds from it. Rather, it [should be] as Allâh the Mighty and Sublime said:

Those who fear their Lord tremble with fear by it, then their skins and hearts settle to the remembrance of Allah. (Sûrah Al-Zumar: 23)

Abû ‘Ubayd Al-Qâsim b. Sallâm, Fadâ`il Al-Qur`ân p214.

It is reported that ‘Abdullâh b. ‘Urwah b. Al-Zubayr said, “I asked my grandmother Asmâ` (bint Abî Bakr) – Allâh be pleased with her, ‘How were the Companions of Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh peace and praise be upon him – when they heard the Quran?’ She replied, ‘their eyes would shed tears and they would tremble (with fear), as Allâh described them (in the Quran).’ I said, ‘There are some people here who, when they hear the Quran, fall down unconscious,’ She said, ‘I seek refuge with Allâh from the accursed Shaytân.’”

Al-Bayhaqî, Shu’ab Al-Îmân 3:417; Ibn Al-Mubârak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqâ`iq 3:54 with a slightly variant wording.

It is also reported that Asmâ` was asked, “Did any of the Salaf used to faint out of the fear of Allâh?” She replied, “No, but they used to cry.”

Al-Qâsim b. Salâm, op. cit. p214.

It is reported that Ibn ‘Umar – Allâh be pleased with him – once passed by a man from Iraq who had dropped unconscious. He asked, “What is wrong with him?” [People] replied, “When the Quran is recited to him or he hears the remembrance of Allâh he falls unconscious out of his fear of Allâh.” Ibn ‘Umar said, “We fear Allâh and we do not drop unconscious!”

Ibid p214; Al-Baghawî in his Tafsîr, Sûrah Al-Zumar: 23 with a slightly variant wording.

It is reported that Anas b. Mâlik was asked about people who drop unconscious when the Quran is recited to them. He said, “That is the behavior of the Khawârij.”

Al-Qâsim b. Salâm, op. cit. p215.

It is reported that Muhammad b. Sîrîn said, having been asked about a man who drops unconscious when the Quran is recited to him, “Make an appointment between us and him, we will sit on a wall, and the Quran – from beginning to end – will be recited unto him. If he falls off the wall, he is as he claims.”

Ibid., Al-Baghawî, op. cit.

Truth and Falsehood, Praise and Blame

It is reported that Khālid b. Ma’dan – Allāh have mercy on him – said:

Whoever seeks praise by going against the truth, Allāh will throw it back upon him as blame, and whoever faces blame in order to conform to the truth, Allāh will return it as praise for him.

Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:540.

The sensible person

Ibnul Jawzee (rahimahullaah) said:

It is incumbent upon the sensible person to make preparations for his departure (from this world), for indeed he neither knows when the command of his Lord will descend nor when he will be called back. Indeed, I see many people deceived by youthfulness, forgetful of the loss of companions and infatuated with prolonged expectations.

And it may be that a scholar who is solely interested in himself says, ‘’I will seek knowledge today and act upon it tomorrow.’’ So he becomes lackadaisical with regards to committing mistakes due to comfort and delayed by the hope that he will accomplish repentance, and he neither keeps away from backbiting nor from listening to it. The one who falls into something that resembles the truth but is not entirely the truth, then let him wipe it away by staying away from the things he fears will ruin the affairs of his afterlife.

And he forgets that death will descend unexpectedly; therefore, the sensible person gives every moment its right with regards to what is obligatory upon him, so that when death suddenly arrives he is considered prepared, and if the (things) hoped for are received, then this is increased goodness.  

[Source: Saydul Khaatir: page18]

The quest of knowledge

عن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم‏: من سلك طريقا يلتمس فيه علما سهل الله له طريقا إلى الجنة ، و إن الملائكة لتضع أجنحتها لطالب العلم رضا بما يصنع ، و إن العالم ليستغفر له من في السماوات و من في الأرض ، حتى الحيتان في الماء ، و فضل العالم على العابد كفضل القمر على سائر الكواكب ، و إن العلماء ورثة الأنبياء ، إن الأنبياء لم يورثوا دينارا و لا درهما ، إنما ورثوا العلم ، فمن أخذه أخذ بحظ وافر

Abu Hurairah ( رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "He who follows a path in quest of knowledge, Allah will make the path of Jannah easy to him. The angels lower their wings over the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depth of the oceans seek forgiveness for him. The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars (i.e., in brightness). The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.' 

                                                                      [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi]

I won’t be affected

It is reported from Sufyân Al-Thawrî – Allah have mercy on him – that he said:

A person who sits with a heretic (an adherent of bid’ah) will not escape one of three things:

Either he will become a trial (fitnah) for others, or some deviation will occur in his heart and he will slip and be cast into the Fire by Allah, or he will say to himself, ‘By Allah, I don’t care what they say, I am confident about myself;’ but whoever feels secure from Allah about his religion even for the blinking of an eye, Allah will take his religion away from him.

                                                                                                                                   Ibn Waddâh, Al-Bida’ p125