17. Story of Prophets Zakariyyā and Yahya

17. Story of Zakariyyā and Yahya

17.1 Glad Tidings Delivered to Zakariyyā عليه السالم

When Zakariyyā عليه السالم  saw this Karāmah, miracle happening to Maryam عليه السالم ا, he himself desired something from Allāh ﷻ. See, Zakariyyā, at the time was old, his hair was grey, and his wife was barren, she was infertile, she would not give birth, plus, she was old, so it’s even complicated further, and they had no children. When Zakariyyā عليه السالم  saw that, of Maryam عليه السالم ا is receiving Rizq in a time that is different because she’s getting Rizq of summer in winter and of winter in summer, when he saw that the time is different, he made a Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ to give him Rizq even though the time is passed. And the Rizq, Zakariyyā عليه السالم  wanted from Allāh ﷻ is a righteous son. With Maryam, it was different time, with him, it was past time. So, he decided he’s going to ask Allāh ﷻ to give him this Rizq. Allāh ﷻ immediately, following the Āyah, after Zakariyyā عليه السالم  visited Maryam and saw this Rizq with her, the following Āyah was, ‘Hunālika Da`ā Zakarīyā Rabbahu’. So, when he saw what is happening to Maryam, then he made Du’ā himself and Allāh ﷻ says,

“At that time Zakariyyā (Zachariya) invoked his Lord, saying: “O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the All-Hearer of invocation.”(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:38) Zakariyyā عليه السالم  notice here, he did not say, “Oh Allāh give me offspring”, but he said, “righteous”. He doesn’t just want to have a child, he wants to have a righteous child, and he made that Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, immediately the Du’ā was accepted. Allāh ﷻ says,

“Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room), (saying): “Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John),“(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:39) The angels called him [and] when did they call him? Wa Huwa Qā’imun Yuşallī Fī Al-Miĥrābi – When he was standing and praying in Al-Mihrāb. Al-Mihrāb is the place of worship. I think, you would get the meaning from this Āyah, when Allāh ﷻ says, that the angels called him when he was praying, it gives us the impression that Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم  was constantly in a state of ‘Ibādāh, and he received this good news from Allāh ﷻ when he was in that ‘Ibādāh. And this is interesting to notice because you could try many things, you could go to the hospital to try solving the problem, you could go and see a physician, you could take pills, you could try your best to solve this problem of infertility. But Zakariyyā عليه السالم  did not receive the news when he was trying one of these worldly means to solve the problem. He received the solution of the problem when he was standing and praying to Allāh ﷻ. He made the Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, and then he stood and was praying to Allāh ﷻ, and that’s when he received the good news. Even though, Zakariyyā عليه السالم  made the Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, and he entrusted it to Allāh ﷻ, that He ﷻ will accept the Du’ā, but it was astonishing, it was astonishing news to him. But before we get into the next Āyāh, what was the glad tidings that was delivered to Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم ? What did the angels tell him? They said,

Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), confirming (believing in) the word from Allah [i.e. the creation of ‘isa (Jesus) the Word from Allah (“Be!”- and he was!)], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among the righteous.(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:39)

Allāh ﷻ is giving the glad tiding of Yahyā. “Musaddiqan bi kalimatin min Allāh – [Yahyā] believing in the word of Allāh.” And what’s the word of Allāh ﷻ here? The word of Allāh, the word itself is general, but it has a specific meaning here and that is what? Who is the word of Allāh ﷻ? It is ‘Isā! Jesus is the word of Allāh ﷻ, “Kunfaya Kūn”, he is the word of Allāh ﷻ. So, Yahyā was born before ‘Isā. Nevertheless, Allāh ﷻ is saying that he will believe in him, believing in the Word of Allāh ﷻ. The word of Allāh ﷻ is ‘Isā عليه السالم .

17.2 Attributes of Yahyā عليه السالم

‘Wa Sayyīdan’ – Noble, ‘Wa Hasūran’ – keeping away from sexual relations with women, ‘Wa Nabiyyan minas Salihīn’ – a Prophet from among the righteous. These are some of the attributes of Yahyā عليه السالم . So, he believes in ‘Isā عليه السالم ., and he is a Sayyīd, Sayyīd is noble man, and he is ‘Hasūr’; ‘Hasar’ is when you in imprison or when you withhold something, that’s called ‘Hasr’. So, he was withholding all of his desires, sexual desires. It implies that he was a very strong man, in terms of controlling these desires which are natural in the human being. He had that strong control over these desires. And as mentioned in the books of Tafsīr, Yahyā عليه السالم  never had any relation with women because he never got married. ‘Wa Nabbiyyan mina Sālihīn – and a Prophet from among the righteous. Zakariyyā عليه السالم , when he received this astonishing news, he asked a question. Allāh ﷻ says,

“He said: “O my Lord! How can I have a son when I am very old, and my wife is barren?”(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:40) His wife is barren, so, she never had children and he is very old at the time. So, he’s wondering, how could this happen. The answer was given to him. Allāh ﷻ says,

“Thus Allah does what He wills.“(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:40) And if we think about it deeply, we would find that the creation of Yahyā عليه السالم , is not more astonishing than our creation. The only thing is that we got used to a certain way of reproduction, but Allāh ﷻ is the one who made the law this way and Allāh ﷻcan change it. So, this is the answer that Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم  received. Sayyidnā Zakariyyā wanted a sign from Allāh ﷻ that will indicate to him that his wife is pregnant. Allāh ﷻ says,

“He said: “O my Lord! Make a sign for me.” (Allah) said: “Your sign is that you shall not speak to mankind for three days except with signals.“ (‘Āli `Imrān – 3:41)

The meaning of the sign is that Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم  would not be able to speak, except Dhikr and this phase would continue for three days. So, he speaks fine and then suddenly for three days he lost the ability to speak, and he was only able to make the Dhikr of Allāh ﷻ. So how can he communicate with people? He communicates with them by signs, he would make signs, ‘Illā Ramzā’ – except through signs/ signals.

17.3 Timings of Adhkār

And Allāh ﷻ told him during these three days,

And remember your Lord much (by praising Him again and again), and glorify (Him) in the afternoon and in the morning.(‘Āli `Imrān – 3:41) And these are the times of Adhkār. When do we make the Dhikr of As-Sabāh? We make it after Fajr, and when do we make the Dhikr of night-time? We do it after ‘Asr. And this is in this Āyah; ‘Wa Adhkur Rabbaka Bil-`Ashīyi Wa Al-‘Ibkār – And remember the name of Allāh in the afternoon and in the morning.’ These were the Āyāt from Surat Ali-‘Imrān. Let’s read the Āyāt, which are talking about the same story from Surat Maryam. Allāh ﷻ says,

2(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya (Zachariah). When he called out his Lord (Allah) a call in secret, Saying: “My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head, And I have never been unblest in my invocation to You, O my Lord! “And Verily! I fear my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir,“(Maryam – 19:2-5)

Allāh ﷻ says about Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم , he said, “my Lord! Indeed, my bones have grown feeble, (he is very old) And grey hair has spread on my head and I have never been unblessed in my invocation to you. He said, oh Allāh you always respond to my Du’ā. Zakariyyā said, ‘Wa ‘Innī Khiftu Al- Mawāliya Min Warā’ī‘ – I verily fear my relatives after me. Zakariyyā, being the Nabi, he was the one responsible for the religious affairs of Banī Isrā’īl.

Sayyidnā Zakariyyā, when he became old, he was worried that there is no one qualified to take over after him, therefore, he wanted to have a child, that would be strong and capable to lead Banī Isrā’īl, to teach them and to bring them back to the straight path. So, he said, ‘Fahab Lī Min Ladunka Walīyāan‘ – So give me from Yourself an heir.

17.4 Inheritance of Prophets is Sadaqāh

Allāh ﷻ says, “Who shall inherit me, and inherit (also) the posterity of Ya’qub (Jacob) (inheritance of the religious knowledge and Prophethood, not the wealth, etc.). And make him, my Lord, one with whom You are Well-pleased!”(Maryam – 19:6) What inheritance of, are we talking about here? What is the inheritance? It is Prophethood, it is not wealth, because the Ambiyā; Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Inna ma Sharal Anbiyā lā Nūrith, Ma Taraknā Sadaqah – We, the Prophets, we do not leave behind any inheritance, whatever we leave behind is a Sadaqāh (charity).”(Sahih al-Bukhari 4035, 4036, 6727, – Musnad Ahmad 172, 336)

So here Zakariyyā wants to inherit to his son, Prophethood. Allāh ﷻ said,

“O Zakariya! Verily, We give you the glad tidings of a son, His name will be Yahya (John). We have given that name to none before (him).”(Maryam – 19:7-9)

Here we have another attribute of Yahyā. Allāh ﷻ says, “We have given that name to none before him, his name is Yahyā.” The first person to be named Yahyā, in the whole history of the world was Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , this was a new name, that was chosen for Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , before he was delivered, and this name was given to him by Allāh ﷻ. The name Yahyā, was not chosen by Zakariyyā or his wife. Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “My Lord! How can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have reached the extreme old age.”(Maryam – 19:7-9)

And he asked the same question, “How can this happen when I’m old and my wife is barren”. Allāh ﷻ says here,

He said: “So (it will be). Your Lord says; It is easy for Me. Certainly I have created you before, when you had been nothing!”(Maryam – 19:7-9)

Allāh ﷻ said, “it’s easy for me to create Yahyā this way, you were nothing before.” Just like you were nothing, it is easy to create Yahyā عليه السالم . Now, the following Āyāt or actually, these Āyāt are also similar to the Āyāt of Āli ‘Imrān in terms of his inability to speak, but what is different here is that even though he was unable to speak, he never stopped calling the people to making, Amr bil Ma’rūf wa Nahī ‘anil Munkar. Zakariyyā عليه السالم , even though he was unable to speak for those three days, he did not discontinue enjoining good and forbidding evil. Allāh ﷻ says,

Then he came out to his people from Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room, etc.), he told them by signs to glorify Allah’s Praises in the morning and in the afternoon.(Maryam – 19:11)

17.5 Importance of Amr bil Ma’rūf wa Nahī ‘anil Munkar

So even though he was unable to speak, he still was giving the people orders by using signs that they should make Dhikr to Allāh ﷻ. And this is an indication to us that we are in our full physical abilities, and we are withholding Amr bil Ma’rūf wa Nahī ‘anil Munkar, we are withholding Dawah, even though we are fully capable of doing it. Sayyidnā Zakariyyā عليه السالم , was not capable of speaking for three days, that did not deter him from fulfilling his duties of Dawah to his people. And this is amazing, this shows you the amazing devotion that the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ had. Allāh ﷻ in the next four Āyāt talks about Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم .

17.6 Meaning of ‘Qūwa (Strength)

Allāh ﷻ says, (It was said to his son): “O Yahya (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)].” And We gave him wisdom while yet a child.(Maryam – 19:12)

‘Oh Yahyā! Hold fast, the Scripture – Khuzil Kitāb ‘Biqūwat. What does this word Qūwat mean? Here it says, ‘Hold fast’, but what is the meaning of the word ‘Qūwat’? ‘Qūwa’ is power and strength, that’s the meaning of Qūwat. What this means is that you hold fast to all of the commands of Allāh ﷻ and you don’t let go of them! So, you never give up, and you never buckle down. You’re always holding fast, holding strong to the commands of Allāh ﷻ. Yahyā عليه السالم , because we need to understand the position of Yahyā. Yahyā عليه السالم  is young, and he is going to be the Nabi of Banī Isrā’īl, Banī Isrā’īl, who have gone corrupt and went astray and this young man will be responsible for this Ummah, for this nation [of Banī Isrā’īl]. Therefore, he must have that strength and confidence and power, otherwise, he would not be able to function, and he would be swept away by the ocean of corruption that was existing in the time. Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم  never gave up this order of Allāh ﷻ, and the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ, they never give up the orders of Allāh ﷻ, they fulfil them. So Sayyidnā Yahyā received this order from Allāh ﷻ and that is that he should hold fast and strong to the religion, so, Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم  held strong to the religion of Allāh ﷻ. That was the end of the life of Sayyidnā Yahyā. It was a life of struggle, a life of striving, a difficult life but Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم  was able to hold throughout that period with patience until he faced Allāh ﷻ as a Shahīd.

17.7 Tools Given to Yahyā عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says, now even though Allāh ﷻ has given him this very strong responsibility or very heavy responsibility, but Allāh ﷻ gave him the tools and the ability to fulfil it. So Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa ‘Ātaynāhu Al- Ĥukma Şabīyāan – and We have given him (the judgment and the understanding and) the wisdom, when he was young.” Because Allāh ﷻ does not overburden a person, Allāh ﷻ will not ask you to do something you’re uncapable of doing. Since Allāh ﷻ has put a very heavy responsibility on Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , Allāh ﷻ also equipped Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم  with the tools to carry on with that responsibility, and that is “Al- Ĥukma Şabīyāan”. Allāh ﷻ has given him this understanding very very early on, and the Mufassirīn mention some things for example, they say that Yahyā عليه السالم  was a kid, was a child, and the children came to him and said, “let’s go and play”, [he was yet a] very young child, so Yahyā عليه السالم  said, “Ma’lil la’ī bi Khuliqna – We were not created to play”. So, he was serious from his childhood. Allāh ﷻ says,

And (made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins [i.e. Yahya (John)] and he was righteous,(Maryam – 19:13, 14) He was sympathetic and don’t understand that strength means (because sometimes we misinterpret words), don’t think that strength means being extreme or being rude or being rough, that’s not the meaning of the word strong. Rasūlullāh ﷺ was the strongest, but he was still the most merciful.

‘Bil Mu’minīna Ra’ufur rahīm – With the believers, merciful and compassionate’ Because sometimes we think that strong means that you have [to have] a very rough heart, insensitive, have no sympathy, no mercy, that’s not what is meant by strength. What is meant by strength is that you’re holding to the commands of Allāh ﷻ, completely. Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , [and] all of the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ were sympathetic, but with Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , that was a strong attribute of him. Some of the Mufassirīn say, it means sympathetic towards his parents, some of them say it’s general, he was sympathetic towards all people. ‘Wa Zakāatan – and he was pure, Wa Kāna Taqīyāan – and he was righteous. Allāh ﷻ says,

And dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents).(Maryam – 19:13, 14)

17.8 The three Transition Phases of a Human Being

Security and peace are important for us in our life. The most difficult phases are the transition phases that we go through, and we go through three transition phases:

1. Womb of mother

When we’re in the wombs of our mothers, we spend nine months in the comfort and warmth of the mother’s body. It’s very cosy, small room and warm. So, the child is comfortable, you never hear the child crying in the womb of the mother. When the child is delivered, the child is going through a completely different stage of their life, they’re going from the nine-month stage in the womb to a completely different world. So, the warmth and small cosiness of the womb of the mother disappears. Suddenly you come in a completely open space, so, the first reaction of the child is what cry, it’s a difficult transition. That phase of transition is difficult, because you are going into an entirely different stage, you’re going to the unexpected and the unknown. And then we live in this Dunyā, and we get used to it. Unfortunately, some of us get too much attached to it, we spend here some time.

2. Death (Sakkarātul Mawt)

And then it’s time for us to move to the next stage. So, we go through another transition phase, and that is “Death”. In Sakkarātul Mawt, the last moments, define that the person is going through consciousness and unconsciousness and that alternates. That person is actually going back and forth in Dunyā, in and out. And that transition phase is slowly taking the person out of the realm of this world. Slowly slowly he is leaving this Dunyā, and the person is aware that he’s leaving and that’s much much more difficult than the transition phase that we talked about before because you spent a long time in this Dunyā, and now you’re leaving to a completely unknown world and that is “Al-Barzakh – the grave”. And those are very difficult moments and Rasūlullāh ﷺ has spoken about them in the Ahādīth and the Āyāt of the Qurān,

“And the stupor of death will come in truth: “This is what you have been avoiding!”(Qāf – 50:19) “Now the moments of death have approached you. That is what you’re trying to run away from.” You can’t run away from it, now you’re facing it. And here you are, you’re going to cross the line, and as soon as you cross it there’s no way back. That’s another very critical and difficult phase of the human being. And then you are living in your grave, you have awareness, even though your body can’t move but you’re still conscious.

3. Resurrection Phase

And now it’s time for you to go through the third transition phase, and that is the ‘Resurrection’ and this is the worst, because now you suddenly have a grave that is popped open, you crawl out of that grave and you come and see an entirely different world: the sky above your head is cracking, the stars are falling down, the moon is knocked out of its orbit, the Sun right over your head, mountains are exploding and turning into dirt, the oceans are catching fire and burning, there’s an earthquake and it’s cracking open, and you see people running around you as if they’re drunk. So, that is the worst, that is the worst of the three transition stages. And this is when we need security and peace most because these are the most difficult moments. When you read the description of what happens in “Al-Ba’ath” (the Resurrection), it is something unbelievable, if we are able to comprehend it.

17.9 A Great Blessing Given to Yahyā عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم , a very interesting blessing,

“So Peace on him the day he was born the day that he dies and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!“(Maryam – 19:15) See in these three difficult moments, these critical moments, when you are in great need, in dire need of peace, Allāh ﷻ has given that peace to Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم . Allāh ﷻ has given him peace the day he was born, Allāh ﷻ gave him peace the day he died, and Allāh ﷻ will give him peace, the day he will be resurrected again. We ask Allāh ﷻ to give us peace – Allāhuma Amin.

17.10 The Five Commandments of Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم

Sayyidnā Yahyā عليه السالم  was a Nabī of Allāh ﷻ. There is a Hadīth narrated by Imām Ahmad, and Tirmidhī, and Al-Nasā’ī, Ibn Habbān and Al-Hākim, and the Hadīth is Sahīh. I’ll read the Hadīth and translate it as we go through it. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, ‘Allāh ﷻ commanded Yahyā bin Zakariyyā with five commandments to perform in his self, and to command Banī Isrā’īl to perform. So, it seems that he delayed conveying the message. So, he received the five commandments from Allāh ﷻ, and he didn’t hasten in conveying them. Allāh ﷻ revealed to Sayyidnā ‘Īsā عليه السالم , that he either conveys them, or you convey them, because Yahyā has received the order, and until now he didn’t convey it.’

So Sayyidnā ‘Īsā عليه السالم  went to Sayyidnā Yahyā. ‘Īsā went to him and said, “Allāh ﷻ has given you five commandments. You either convey them, or I’ll convey them myself.” Sayyidnā Yahyā said, “Oh spirit of Allāh”, and why did he call Sayyidnā ‘Īsā ‘the spirit of Allāh – Rūhullāh’? Because Allāh ﷻ calls him in Qur’ān, that he’s the spirit of Allāh, and it means that the Rūh of Sayyidnā ‘Īsā was created by Allāh ﷻ. It doesn’t mean that he is the actual spirit of Allāh ﷻ, it means that Allāh ﷻ created the spirit of Sayyidnā ‘Īsā عليه السالم . He told him, “Oh spirit of Allāh, I’m afraid that if you convey them, I will be punished, or the Earth would swallow me.”

It is very important to convey the message, especially when it’s needed, and that’s why the ‘Ulamā say, “It is not allowed to delay conveying the message beyond the time it’s needed.” So Sayyidnā Yahyā said, ‘I’m afraid that if you go and do it, and I don’t do it myself, I would be punished, and Allāh ﷻ could, even maybe, make the Earth swallow me.’ So, he went forth and decided to convey the message. Yahyā gathered the Children of Isrā’īl to Jerusalem, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Until the Masjid was full.” So Yahyā sat on a high place – Shurufāt. Al-Shurfah can mean window, and it could also mean a high place. So, he sat on a high place to speak to them. So, he praised Allāh ﷻ, and he thanked Him and he said, “Allāh ﷻ has commanded me five things to perform myself, and you should perform. He said,

Number one, “You worship Allāh ﷻ, and you associate no gods beside Him, and the analogy of someone who’s worshipping a god besides Allāh ﷻ, is like one of you who bought a slave.” So, you have a slave, and you paid for that with your money in gold or silver, and then you say to that slave to work for you. So, the slave would go and work, and instead of giving you the harvest, he would go and give it to someone else. Sayyidnā Yahyā said, “Who would accept that?” And then he said, “Allāh ﷻ is the One who created you, and the One who is giving you, so you should worship no one but Him;” meaning that we are the slaves of Allāh ﷻ. We are owned by Allāh ﷻ; He’s the One who created us, so we shouldn’t worship anyone beside Him. And He is the One who is sustaining us, therefore we should thank Him, because we are the slaves of Allāh ﷻ.

Number two, “I command you to pray.” And then he said, “And when you stand to pray, don’t turn your face around because Allāh ﷻ is facing you, and as long as you’re facing Him, Allāh ﷻ will face you. And as soon as you turn your face away, Allāh ﷻ will turn His face away from you.” It’s a common mistake; turning the eyes around in Salāh, and that is something unacceptable in Salāh. One should not stare around and keep track of everyone who is coming in and out, and what is going around. That distracts you from Salāh, and as soon as you do that, Allāh ﷻ will turn His Face away from you. One should stare at the place of Sujūd throughout Salāh.

Number three, and then he said, “And I command you to fast, and the analogy of that, is like someone walking with a sack of musk and everyone is able to smell it.” And then he said, “The smell of the mouth of the person who’s fasting, is better in the Eyes of Allāh ﷻ, than the smell of musk.”

Number four, “And I command you to give Sadaqāh – charity.” And then he gave them an analogy. He said, “The analogy of that, is like a man who was captured by the enemy, and they tied his hands to his neck; he’s hopeless, and they forwarded him to execution. So, this man was tied up, he has no way to run around, no way to defend himself, his hands are tied to his neck, and they are forwarding him to chop his head. So, this man, during, when he’s going towards death, he is bargaining with them to release him, and he’s trying to ransom himself with money. So, he’s giving them money and more money and more money, until they release him. The meaning of this analogy is that, by giving Sadaqāh and continuously giving Sadaqāh, we are ransoming ourselves from Hellfire. We might be in a hopeless case; hands tied to the neck, going towards the direction of Hellfire. Give Sadaqāh, throughout the way, until you die. And we hope that Allāh ﷻ, and we ask Allāh ﷻ to free us all from Hellfire. Sadaqāh is a way of ‘Iqt Min Al-Nār – it’s a way to free oneself from Hellfire. So, give, and Allāh ﷻ will give you more.

Number five, “And I command you to remember Allāh ﷻ; make Dhikr. And the analogy of that, is like a man who is pursued by the enemy. They’re pursuing him, so he finds a very protective fortress, so he goes in it, and he protects himself. So, imagine this man running away, and the enemy is pursuing him, and he finds this castle, this strong fort, and he goes in, and he closes the door, and he’s safe.” And then Sayyidnā Yahyā says, “And you are in the safest place from Shaitān, when you are remembering the Name of Allāh ﷻ. You are in the safest place, you are protected from Shaitān when you remember the Name of Allāh ﷻ, so remember the Name of Allāh ﷻ frequently.”

Allāh ﷻ says, O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.(Al-Ahzāb – 33:41)

Remember the Name of Allāh ﷻ a lot.

17.11 The Five Commands of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

These are the five commandments of Sayyidnā Yahyā, and this is a Hadīth. Then Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “And I have five commands to give you.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ spoke about five commands of Sayyidnā Yahyā, now Rasūlullāh ﷺ wants to give his five commands. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “And I command you five things:

Number one, “Jamā’ah – be with the community, the community of the Muslims.” And this means that you stick to the Muslims who are going to support you on Al-Sirāt Al-Mustaqīm. You need to be part of that community.

“Wa Al-Sam’i Wa Al-Tā’ah – and you listen, and you obey.” ‘You listen’ means, whenever the Commands of Allāh ﷻ are given, you listen attentively, with the intention to follow; not with the intention to argue against them, or to find a way out. “You listen, and you obey – Al-Sam’i Wa Al-Tā’ah.” You hear the Command of Allāh ﷻ, and you say, “I obey, and I accept.”

“Wa Al-Hijrah – you make Hijrah”, and this is Mansūkh – this order is abrogated, because after the Fath of Makkah [opening of Makkah], there is no more Hijrah, it is struggle Fī Sabīl Lillāh.

And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Wa Al-Jihād Fī Sabīl Lillāh – and struggle in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, in the path of Allāh ﷻ.”

And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “And whoever leaves the Jamā’ah, the Muslim community, a span of a hand, he has taken out Islām from his neck.” If you imagine Islām as a collar, then you have taken it out, and then Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Except if he comes back.”

And then he says, “And whoever raises the banners, and the slogans, and the mottos of Jāhilliyah, then he will be in Hellfire.” Da’wah Al-Jāhilliyah – is the nationalism and Al-’Asabiyyah – the zealousy of nationalism and tribalism. Islām is now a new identity, it’s a new identity for us. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Call them with their name: Al-Muslimīn Al-Mu’minīn ‘Ibād Allāh – give them the identity of Muslims, and Mu’mins – believers, the servants of Allāhﷻ.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2863) That is who we are; we are Al-Muslimīn Al-Mu’minīn ‘Ibād Allāh, and that is the identity we are proud with.

And Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Whoever brings up these banners of Jāhilliyah – these nationalisms or tribalism’s or whatever you are going to call them, or sectarianism, is Juthā Jahannum – will be part of whatever is dumped in Hellfire.” So, it is a matter of faith, this gets into the central belief of Al-Walā Wa Al-Barā – that our loyalty goes to the faithful and the believers, and we have nothing to do with the ones who reject the Message of Allāh ﷻ.

Leave a comment