الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَلَمِينَ
وَالصَّلَوٰةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّنَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوذُ
بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَنِ الرَّجِيمِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Fear of Allah
Excellence of Sending Salawat
Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman
al-Sakhawi رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ
narrates: Allah Almighty revealed to Sayyiduna Musa Kalimullah عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام: "I created ten thousand ears within
you through which you heard My speech, and I created ten thousand tongues
through which you spoke to Me. You will become most beloved to Me and nearest
to Me when you remember Me abundantly and frequently send Salawat upon Muhammad
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّم."1
صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيبِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد
Martyred by the Sword of the Fear of Allah
A pious elder once saw a young boy
crying outside a madrasah. When he asked him why he was crying, the boy
replied: "Our teacher wrote some verses of the Qur'an on our writing board
today, and they have made me cry." As he said this, he showed the elder
his writing board. Written on it were the verses:
أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ
الْمَقَابِرَ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ
The desire of amassing wealth has made you heedless. Until
you see the graves, you will certainly soon come to know. Then, certainly, you
will soon come to know. Of course, had you known with certain knowledge, you
would not have loved wealth. 2
The child continued weeping. Seeing
his deep emotion, the elder was greatly moved and said, "My son, today's
lesson is not yet complete. The remaining verses will probably be taught to you
tomorrow."
He then recited the remaining verses
of Surah al-Takathur:
لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ ثُمَّ
لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ ثُمَّ لَتُسْئَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ
النَّعِيمِ
You will most certainly see Hell. Then you will see it with
the eye of certainty. Then on that Day, you will most definitely be questioned
about blessings. 3
On hearing the mention of Hell, the
boy shuddered, he collapsed to the ground, writhed in fear, and shortly
thereafter passed away. His teacher rushed over and grabbed the elder. A crowd
gathered, and the boy's parents also arrived. The elder was taken to court as
though he were responsible for the child's death. When the judge asked him to
explain what had happened, he narrated the entire incident. Upon hearing it,
the judge declared, "This child was truly fortunate. He was martyred by
the sword of the fear of Allah." The elder was then honorably acquitted.4
May Allah Almighty have mercy upon
him, and through his blessings, grant us all forgiveness without
accountability.
Themes of Surah al-Takathur
The central theme of Surah
al-Takathur, found in the 30th Part of the Holy Qur'an, is the condemnation of
living solely for worldly gain while neglecting preparation for the Hereafter.
Its message can be summarized as follows: At the beginning of the Surah, Allah
Almighty informs us that the desire to accumulate more wealth ever distracts
people from preparing for the Hereafter. This obsession remained with them
until death overtook them. It then explains that those consumed by the desire
for worldly wealth will realize its true outcome at the time of death. Had they
possessed certain knowledge of its reality, they would never have become
attached to wealth. Finally, the Surah declares that those who remain
preoccupied with worldly possessions will certainly see Hell after death, and
on the Day of Judgment, every person will be questioned about the blessings
they were given.5
Whoever Weeps Will Enter Paradise
Sayyiduna Jarir ibn Abdullah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ narrates that the
Final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ said to us: "I am about to recite
Surah al-Takathur to you. Whoever among you weeps will enter Paradise."
The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ
وَسَلَّمَ then recited the Surah. Some of us wept, while others could
not. Those who were unable to cry said: "Ya Rasulallah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّم! We tried to weep,
but we could not." The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ replied: "I will recite it again.
Whoever weeps will have Paradise, and whoever cannot weep should at least adopt
the appearance of one who is weeping."6
Would that we memorize the
translation of this blessed Surah so that whenever we recite or hear it, Allah
Almighty grants us tears out of His fear. This narration also beautifully
demonstrates the unique and moving way our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ invited people
towards righteousness. It further teaches us that, by the bestowal of Allah
Almighty, our Master صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ
وَسَلَّمَ grants whatever he wills to whomever he wills. That is why he
declared: "Whoever weeps will enter Paradise."
The Reward of Reciting One Thousand Verses
O lovers of the Messenger! The one
who recites Surah al-Takathur receives the reward of reciting one thousand
verses. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ
عَنْهُمَا narrates that the Noble Prophet صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ said: "Is any one of you incapable of
reciting one thousand verses every day?" The noble Companions رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ asked: "Who has
the ability to do that?" The Prophet صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ replied: "Is any one of you unable to
recite أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ?" (Meaning:
Reciting this Surah carries the reward of reciting one thousand verses.)7
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ, while explaining
this Hadith, writes: "Reciting this Surah earns the reward of reciting and
acting upon one thousand verses. The Holy Qur'an contains approximately 6,666
verses. If the fractional amount is disregarded, there remain 6,000 verses, and
the objectives of the Qur'an can be divided into 6 major themes. One of these
is awareness of the Hereafter, which is fully contained within Surah
al-Takathur. Thus, this Surah represents nearly one-sixth of the Qur'an in
terms of its objective. Reflecting upon it creates detachment from the world
and attachment to the Hereafter, causing the soul to turn away from sins and
become inclined towards righteous deeds."8
The Wealth of the Son of Adam
Sayyiduna Mutarrif رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ narrates from his father: I once came into
the blessed presence of the Noble Messenger صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ while he was reciting أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ." He صَلَّى
اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاَلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ then said: "The son of Adam says: 'My
wealth! My wealth!' O son of Adam! Your wealth is only that which you consumed
and exhausted, wore until it became worn out, or gave in charity and ahead for
yourself."9
References
1
Al-Qawl al-Badi', pp. 275–276
2
Al-Quran, Surah al-Takathur, verses 1-5; translation from Kanz al-‘Irfān
3
Al-Quran, Surah al-Takathur, verses 6-8; translation from Kanz al-‘Irfān
4
Nuzhat al-Majalis, vol. 2, p. 94, summarized
5
Tafsir Sirat al-Jinan, vol. 10, p. 808
6
Nawadir al-Usul, vol. 4, p. 81, Hadith: 862
7
Mustadrak, vol. 2, p. 276, Hadith: 2127
8
Mir'at al-Manajih, vol. 3, p. 262
9 Muslim, p. 1210, Hadith: 7420
