Issues
and Questions
Seven Great Characters
By Dr Muzammil
H. Siddiqi
March
25, 2005
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet
- peace be upon him - said, “Allah will cover
seven people with His shade, on the Day when there
will be no shade but His: a just ruler, a youth
who has been brought up in the worship of Allah,
a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, two
persons who love each other only for Allah’s
sake and they meet and part in Allah’s cause
only, a man who refuses the call of a beautiful
and rich woman for illicit relation with her and
says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable
gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know
what his right hand has given, and a person who
remembers Allah while he is alone and his eyes are
flooded with tears.”
(Al-Bukhari, Hadith 620)
We all need Allah’s shade. To be under Allah’s
shade is to be protected by Him and be blessed by
Him. We need His shade in this life and in the Hereafter.
It is mentioned that the Day of Judgment will be
a very hard and difficult Day. On that every one
will be worried and will try to find some protection
and shade; but there will be no shade on that Day
except the special shade of Allah. This shade will
be granted to seven special types of people:
1. A just ruler or
a just leader: It could be any person who has some
authority and he/she uses this authority with justice
and fairness without any favoritism or prejudice.
Justice is the command of God for all people; but
the most critical is the doing of justice when one
has power and authority. More difficult is, of course,
dealing justly with those who show hate and animosity
towards you. A just person, especially a just leader
or ruler, is given number one place in this list
of seven.
2. A young person
growing up in the worship of Allah: Worship of Allah
is good for all people at any age and time; but
the worship of Allah from the tender young age has
special blessings. Many people become devoted to
Allah when they grow old. In the old age when the
body becomes weak, people start paying attention
to the spirit. However, to be conscious of one’s
spirit and growing up as a youth in the obedience
of Allah bring a special honor and blessings.
3. A person whose
heart is connected to the Masjid: Literally it says
that the heart is hanging (mu’allaq) in the
masjid. Imam Malik explained that it was a person
who when he leaves the Masjid, looks forward to
coming back again soon. Normally people’s
hearts are attached to their jobs, business and
home. Masjid is not the priority for many people.
However, those who love the House of Allah and keep
it as their priority are the blessed people and
they shall receive the special favor of Allah.
4. Two people loving
each other for the sake of Allah: One should be
friendly to all people and deal with all people
in a kind and courteous manner. However, the friendship
for the sake of Allah, for the reasons of piety
and goodness is a very blessed friendship. This
is a sincere friendship and when two or more people
become attached to each other for Allah’s
sake they bring a lot of good to themselves and
to those around them. This is a kind of friendship
that generates goodness in the world and is especially
blessed by Allah.
5. A person of solid
moral character: The Prophet gave an example of
this solid character. He said a man tempted for
illicit relationship by a woman who is beautiful
and rich, influential or of a prestigious family
(the word “mansab” means all these things
in Arabic) and he refuses. Imam Ibn Hajar says that
this is not limited to a man only who is tempted
by a woman; it equally applies to a woman who may
be tempted by a man who is very beautiful, powerful
and rich and she refuses and says “I fear
Allah.” It requires a lot of moral strength
to refuse temptation when the other partner is attractive,
rich,and not only consenting but persuasive. Those
who have such a strong character they are indeed
under the protection of Allah.
6. A person of charity
who does not show off his/her charity: A person
gives charity in such a way that even his left hand
does not know what his right hand has done. This
is a very powerful and beautiful way to say that
a person gives quietly, discreetly and with sincerity.
His/her purpose is not to show off,seek publicity,
name or fame; but only to please Allah. This is
the highest kind of charity and it has a special
reward and blessing from Allah.
7. A person who remembers
Allah privately with eyes filled with tears: Thinking
of Allah, repeating His Beautiful Names, thanking
Him and praising Him, these are the ways to remember
(dhikr) Allah. Doing the “dhikr” alone
in one’s privacy, when no one is watching,
with moving heart and tearful eyes is a sign of
sincere faith and deep love of Allah. Those who
have the love of Allah, they are indeed under His
shade and protection.
All these seven characters are deeply moral and
spiritual characters. They indicate a person’s
faith and sincere commitment. They are related to
feeling, thinking, speaking and action. These are
true characters of sincere believers. We pray to
Allah to bless us with these characters and with
his shade in this world and also in the Hereafter.
Ameen.
(Khutbah at ISOC - Muharram 30, 1426/ March
11, 2005)
- DrSiddiqi@aol.com
