Thursday 7th March 2013
Hadith 23: continued......How to free Oneself part 4
Lecture by Sister Eman al Obaid
www.alhudasisters.wordpress.com
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) said, “Purity is half of iman (faith).‘Alhamdu lillah (praise be to Allah)’ fills the scales, and
‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every
imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (praise be to
Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth.
And the salah (prayer) is a light, and charity is a
proof, and patience is illumination, and the Qur’an is
a proof either for you or against you. Every person
starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it
or causing its ruin.” It was related by Muslim.
and the Qur’an is a proof either for you or against you
In order to free oneself Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentioned some important
things;
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






The purity
Al-HamdulILlah – to be grateful to allah
SubhanaAllah, Al-HamdulILah – Free Allah from all imperfections & La illaaha illa Allah
Salat – is a light
Sadaqa – is a burhan
Sabr – is dhiy’a
Qur’an – How the Quran will intercede for you or be against you on the Day of Judgement,
Last time we looked at teaching the Qur’an. Your Quran has a responsibility on everybody, to read, to
ponder, to understand, to listen, to apply, to follow, to teach the people the Qur’an. This is the
responsibility of everybody with the Qur’an.
The Qur’an will with you when you follow the Qur’an Alone
Intabatahu Wahdahu - Following the Qur’an Alone.
Don’t follow something else with the Qur’an. The Qur’an should be sufficient for you.
Chapter (6) sūrat l-anʿām (The Cattle)
6:155 And this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah
that you may receive mercy.
That makes you to follow what is in the Qur’an and for the Qur’an to be sufficient for you. You have this
book and you don’t want to look at something else. You take the Qur’an as the one manual for your life
and your akhirah.
Kituban Mubarak
A blessed book. Any other books will not give you insight or faith. The only book which will increase your
faith is the Qur’an. Make the Qur’an your guide, it will take you to Paradise.
When on the road to paradise it is far and there are so many obstacles. To be saved and in order not to
fail on the Day of Judgement, the Qur’an should be your driver and guide.
How will the Qur’an be your driver and guide on the Day of Judgement?
Now in the life you should make only the Qur’an sufficient for you. When you read the Qur’an you need
to open your heart to receive the Kalmullah. It will change your life 180 degrees unlike any other book.
If you make the Qur’an infront of you it will take you to Paradise, if you make the Qur’an behind you it
will take you to hellfire. But people don’t pay attention to what Allah subhana wa ta'ala tells them. You
are how you think with the Qur’an.
Haqq ul Qur’an is when you only follow the Qur’an.
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The Qur’an will be against you if you follow the Qur’an and you follow something else with the
Qur’an.
Some people think the Qur’an is not very clear and they read other books. If you read a thousand books
they will not be sufficient for you. All the knowledge which you need in your life is in the Qur’an. When
you read other books, even religious books, if they don’t say anything about the Qur’an maybe you will
busy your mind with other theories. The way of reforming is in the Qur’an so it should be sufficient for
you not to take something else with the Qur’an.
Chapter (29) sūrat l-ʿankabūt (The Spider)
29:51 And is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book which is recited to them?
Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe.
If you don’t believe in the Qur’an it will not be sufficient for you. It is a matter of faith. For the people
who believe
only the Qur’an can guide me,
Only the Qur’an will be a mercy for me.
Don’t underestimate Kalamullah. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala never deprive us from the Qur’an.
Ameen.
All your problems will be solved in the Qur’an. We don’t want anything else. Everything should go
around the Qur’an. The Qur’an is sufficient for you because it is Kalamullah – imagine how would you
feel if your daughter took advice from someone else. Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants us to feel satisfied
with the Kalam.
The Barrier
We say the Qur’an is not in my language, but Allah subhana wa ta'ala made the Qur’an easy.
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The Qur’an is Sufficient for us
in Usool ul Deen
We need to follow the Qur’an
alone
The Qur’an will be sufficient for
us - sufficient in what?
The Qur’an will be sufficient for
us in Usool ul Deen – The
Fundamentals of the Faith.
What are the Fundamentals of your Religion?
The fundamentals of your faith are the three questions of the grave. The answers to these three
questions should be divine, the answers should be sufficient for you.
 Who is your Lord?
 What is your religion?
 Who is your messenger?
When you read the Qur’an try to find the answers to these three questions – this will make you to
ponder upon the Qur’an. My test in the grave will be these three questions. Usool ul Deen – the
foundation of your faith, the Usool ul Deen is in the Qur’an.
The Problem
We feel satisfied reading other books and we don’t find the answers from the Qur’an. Allah subhana wa
ta'ala made the Qur’an easy, don’t be scared from the Qur’an, the Qur’an is not difficult. Allah subhana
wa ta'ala will make it easy for you.
You will be like a date palm, a believer with three strong roots;
 Who is your Lord?
 What is your religion?
 Who is your messenger?
The Qur’an is the food for the roots, Kalamullah. You take it from the source straightaway. You don’t get
the reward by reading other books. By reading the Qur’an everything gets the reward straight away.
Within the ayat you see the treasures and you see the jewels by searching in the Qur’an.
The Qur’an is the Spring of my Heart
Think of every ayah of the Qur’an as a different colourful flower, a different patterned flower which will
satisfy you in your life. We need to follow the Qur’an in Usool ul Deen to make the Qur’an sufficient for
you.
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Chapter (14) sūrat ib'rāhīm (Abraham)
14:1 Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you
might bring mankind out of darknesses into the light by permission of their Lord - to the path of
the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy –
The Usool ul Deen will take you out of the darkness into the light. The Usool ul Deen can be in the dunya
– imagine if you don’t know your Lord, you don’t know your religion, you don’t know your messenger,
this is all darkness. The Qur’an can take you out of all the darkness’s. The Qur’an will answer all these
three questions and take you out of the darkness into the light.
Answering the three questions of the grave depends on how much knowledge you have, so in your life
you need to focus on these three questions. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will not ask you why so and so was
bad to you, why you are angry, etc. anything else is not important. Don’t worry about it. Worry about
these three questions.
When you have these three questions they will take your from darkness into light in life and in the grave
from the darkness in the grave to the lights in the grave. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you the light
according to how you answer these three questions. All of this is in the Qur’an.
by permission of their Lord
The time Allah subhana wa ta'ala shows you all this is according to His Permission. Allah subhana wa
ta'ala knows when is the time that you will appreciate it. When you are learning about the Three
Fundamentals of Faith, this is a good time for you.
But you may ask yourself if only I knew this before. But this is a very noble knowledge. May Allah
subhana wa ta'ala open for us all the gates of good and the lights. Allah subhana wa ta'ala will give you
the knowledge according to how much you want the knowledge – the movement of your heart, your
intention.
Which way, which path?
The path to Allah subhana wa ta'ala is through the Qur’an. The Qur’an will be with you if you follow
Him, and you are satisfied with the Qur’an, you know the answers to the three questions of the grave.
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If you don’t follow the Qur’an and are not satisfied by the Qur’an what will you follow?
Those who do not follow the Qur’an and are not satisfied with the Qur’an they will follow the word of
the shaytan. The Qur’an is Kalamullah, your Lord spoke the Qur’an, Your Lord knows what is good for
you.
Shaytan will snatch you
You go to a crowded place with a small child, the child will hold on
to you otherwise you will lose the child in the crowds. We are in
this dunya are like this small child.
We are tiny compared to the whole Universe. We need to hold
onto the Qur’an to get through the trials and tests. You cannot take
a vacation from the Qur’an. If you do shaytan will snatch you up as
you are without a guide to keep you on track.
Read at least one ayah a day, or one ayah after each prayer. Don’t
forsake the Qur’an, have it with you all the time.
Chapter (22) sūrat l-ḥaj (The Pilgrimage)
22:3 And of the people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge and follows every
rebellious devil.
They are not taking the Qur’an as the source to know Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Philosophy is a
misguidance, it is what people minds say. You cannot take philosophy to know Allah subhana wa ta'ala.
If you want to know Allah subhana wa ta'ala don’t dispute regarding Allah subhana wa ta'ala without
knowledge (following the shaytan). Shaytan will take you to Hellfire and once there Shaytan will say ‘you
are the one who followed me’.
Be with the Qur’an, follow the Qur’an, be satisfied with Qur’an otherwise who will be there, shaytan.
Don’t use the aqal (mind) about the unseen matters.
To know the answers of the grave you cannot use the mind alone.
People easily take their mind – for some people their god whom they
follow is their mind.
Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you a mind:
 To know Allah subhana wa ta'ala .
 To see Allah subhana wa ta'ala’s signs
 To ponder upon the Qur’an
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Don’t follow the desire
A person who is not making the Qur’an their guide something else can
very easily snatch them. Very easily a person can take their desire –
desire can take you to a far place like the parables in the Qur’an i.e.
snatched by the birds and falling in a far place.
I cannot follow a desire in knowing who is Allah subhana wa ta'ala,
what is my religion, as I will choose something else.
Chapter (38) sūrat ṣād
38:26 do not follow [your own] desire
Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you the aqal and desire – but don’t let your aqal drive you, don’t go with
your desires. You need the Qur’an which is divine to be a balance between your aqal and your desire.
The Qur’an will keep you on track. Fake religions are based on desires – they like stone, they will
worship the stone.
Islam is the submission to the will of One god. Musa & Isa and Nuh etc. all submitted to Allah subhana
wa ta'ala. Islam means submission to Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Don’t make the way in your life just to be
following your desires, following what you like.
Don’t follow opinion (ra’i)
Can you ask someone what is the opinion regarding ‘Who is Your
Lord?’ No, as this is unseen.
You cannot have opinions in the religion. You cannot have opinions
of the Qur’an.
Chapter (53) sūrat l-najm (The Star)
53:23 They follow not except assumption and what [their]
souls desire, and there has already come to them from their
Lord guidance.
Allah subhana wa ta'ala gave you the Qur’an very easily. The answers to the questions of the grave
cannot be based on guessing, the answers need to be based on the divine knowledge which is from
Allah subhana wa ta'ala.
Don’t follow the fasiqeen.
So many people can misguide you so when you are not holding onto
the Qur’an you will easily follow the ones who are misguided. They
can talk, write, influence, so people will be attracted to those
misguided and follow them.
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Chapter (5) sūrat l-māidah (The Table spread with Food)
5:77 and do not follow the inclinations of a people who had gone astray before and misled many
and have strayed from the soundness of the way."
If you follow the desire of those who are misguided they are very far away from the guidance.
Don’t follow the Forefathers
Listen to them but don’t follow them if they are doing bid’ah or shirk.
The Qur’an says religion is not an inheritance and there is a parable in
the Qur’an about people who do as their forefathers did.
Hadith: Every new born baby is born on the fitrah – to worship Allah.
Everybody needs to submit to Allah subhana wa ta'ala themselves,
you cannot submit through the inheritance. People are born in
societies which do not practice Islam, societies which are not
believers, or born into families practicing bidah. What will I do? Follow the Qur’an, this is what will save
you and take you to Paradise.
Before you do anything make sure it is in the religion. Who is my Messenger? By yourself you need to
renew your knowledge, don’t rely on what was taught to you previously.
Be dutiful to your parents except when they tell you to disobey Allah subhana wa ta'ala, to sin or to do
bid’ah. Your guide is Allah subhana wa ta'ala and your guidance is the Qur’an. You need to renew your
knowledge. Don’t depend on the knowledge taught to you as you don’t know, you continuously need a
renewal.
The Qur’an says you need to be dutiful to your parents except with one condition – when they tell you
to disobey Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When your parents tell you to disobey Allah subhana wa ta'ala,
when your parents tell you to commit sin or bid’ah, don’t listen to them. Your guide is Allah subhana wa
ta'ala and the Qur’an – Kalamullah. His Kalam is above anybody’s else’s Kalam.
Don’t follow al Hamas
Before you jump or get excited by any worship you need to
have the keys – how to perform the worship.
People sometimes get excited when they see people doing
good deeds - they will do it because the people are doing it,
not because they want to follow the Qur’an.
You can’t take the religion like this. You need the keys – you
need to understand step by step.
During the time of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam there were three people who were extremists, people
who exceeded the limits. You cannot be more strict than Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa
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sallam. One person said he prayed all night, one said he fasted everyday, the third said he will never
marry. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told them ‘Somebody who is not following my
Sunnah is not among me’.
This often happens with the youth so you need to be gentle with them. Follow the Qur’an, don’t follow
al hamas. The Qur’an teaches you gradually.
We need to follow the Qur’an, it should be sufficient for you. If one does not follow the Qur’an and does
not make the Qur’an their guide they will follow other things;
Shaytan
Aqal
Desire
Opinion / Guessing
Fasiqeen
Forefathers
Al Hamas
May Allah subhana wa ta'ala save us and may Allah subhana wa ta'ala make for us only the Qur’an.
Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or causing its ruin.”
How to free Oneself?
‫َي ْغ ُدو‬
All the people are busy, coming and going,
going and coming. Someone is running for
business, someone is running to drop the
children, someone is running to learn, somebody is
running for the provision, running to shop etc. All these
people are running for different things in life. Prophet
Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam divided them
into two;
- People who are running towards the Pleasure of Allah
- People who are running towards the curse / wrath of Allah subhana wa ta'ala
We are all in a race so better to go to our destination for the
Pleasure of Allah.
There is a transaction here, all of us are buying and selling. The
hadith are pearls of wisdom.
People are running – wasting time, this is as if you are selling
yourself.
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Selling oneself – occupied with work, everybody is busy from morning to evening. Then everyone is
tired. If you are getting tired, your energy is less = you sold yourself.
One person frees himself and the other puts themselves
in jail.
Everybody is running doing their job. Some people are
running for the Pleasure of Allah;
You are running because you want Allah subhana
wa ta'ala to love you.
You are running because you want to attain the
Pleasure of Allah.
You are running because you want to be in
Paradise.
When your goal is for the Pleasure of Allah, you are
running to free the chain around you. All of us have a
chain, we are in prison, but we need to come and go, we
need to free ourselves from the chain. Either way you are running, so make your running towards the
Pleasure of Allah. When you are running in your life towards the Pleasure of Allah you are freeing
yourself. The real freedom is to:
free your heart from desire
free your heart from attachment to other than Allah subhana wa ta'ala
free your heart from listening to the shaitan
free your heart from listening to the aqal, the opinions
This is how you will free yourself.
If a person follows shaytan, they are in jail.
If a person follows their desire they are in a jail.
If a person follows their aqal they are in a jail, if guessing, if following culture, forefathers etc.
they are in jail.
The real freedom in life is when you are running towards the Pleasure of Allah.
The real freedom is when you are a Slave of Allah.
In Islam this is the freedom. It is not how people think that when you are a Muslim you are restricted.
The freedom is when you are a Slave of Allah because you don’t worry and nothing is a big deal except
Allah subhana wa ta'ala. For you your main concern is Allah subhana wa ta'ala so you will free yourself
from all the cultural chains, the chain of shaytan. Desire is a chain – if you like it you will do it, if you
don’t like it you will not do it. But when you are a Slave of Allah this is how you will free yourself and this
is the freedom.
Everybody wants the freedom, to be as free as a bird. The freedom is when you are a Slave of Allah.
The love of Allah is directing you. Hoping from Allah subhana wa ta'ala and fearing Allah subhana wa
ta'ala, this is what will take you to Paradise, this is how you will get the freedom. The worshipper is
always resembled to a bird – a worshipper is like a bird free to go.
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Already you are running in life. Everybody is running and selling themselves so better to sell myself for
Allah’s Sake. This is better than selling myself to shaytan or to the desire or to the people. Selling myself
to Allah is the real freedom. Everyday from morning to night you are running, doing something so make
you run towards the Pleasure of Allah, this is the real freedom. But when you run towards yourself, you
are going for yourself, you are enjoying for yourself, this will be the cause of your own destruction
because you are wasting time.
You run, you do, but your hope is for Allah subhana wa ta'ala, you are doing for Allah subhana wa
ta'ala. Nothing is wasted even if you are picking up your children, going shopping, taking care of yourself
etc., anything else you are doing for Allah subhana wa ta'ala you are freeing yourself from the traps as
you are going towards the Pleasure of Allah.
Free yourself from the chain which is Hellfire by going towards Allah subhana wa ta'ala , I am selling
myself for the Sake of Allah – doing everything for the Sake of Allah.
If a person is running but not for Allah subhana wa ta'ala , for their own pleasure, for somebody else, for
their our own desire or the desire of someone else – they are causing their own destruction. You are
selling yourself not for Allah subhana wa ta'ala, you are selling yourself for somebody else other than
Allah subhana wa ta'ala.
This hadith is very deep,
how you will get the freedom with the Quran?
how everybody is running selling themselves losing their energy?
Better to ‘do’ for the Sake of Allah and this is how you will free yourself from Hellfire.
If you do something for the Sake of Allah you will find the happiness and satisfaction because you don’t
‘do’ for the people or yourself. When you do anything for Allah subhana wa ta'ala, Allah subhana wa
ta'ala will appreciate it and make it grow. When you do for other people or for your own desires it will
never last. You decide where you want to be in the end.
Live your life how you want to live in the akhirah – I want to be in Paradise, I want to live with Allah
subhana wa ta'ala. Live your life based on the Pleasure of Allah.
Al-HamduliLlahi Rabbil Alameen
May Allah free our nafs from Hellfire. This is what matters,
anything else is not important, is not a big deal.
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HAQ UL QUR’AN
The Qur’an will be with you
To know what is the Qur’an - Kalamullah – Allah’s
Attribute (13:19)
When you recite the Qur’an (29:49)
When you memorize the Qur’an with your heart
(2:21)
When you understand the Qur’an (incl translation)
When you ponder upon the Qur’an (38:29)
When you listen to the Qur’an (7:204)
When you act upon the Qur’an (17:107-108)
When you teach the Qur’an (3:79)
When you believe in the whole Qur’an (3:119)
When you are reminded of the Qur’an and
remember (69:48)
Follow the Qur’an Alone (6:155)
The Qur’an is Sufficient for you in Usool ul Deen
(14:1)
The Qur’an will be against you
When you don’t know the Qur’an
When you forsake the Qur’an (20:100)
When you don’t memorize the Qur’an with your
heart (25:30, 20:124)
When you don’t understand the Qur’an (recite
without meaning (2:78)
When you do not ponder upon the Qur’an (47:24)
– Lock on the Heart
When the Qur’an is recited and you do not listen
(45:8) - burden
When you do not act upon the Qur’an (62:5)
When you do not teach others what you know
(2:159)
When you do not believe in the whole Qur’an
(2:85) is as if you are disbelieving in Allah subhana
wa ta'ala
When you do not take the Qur’an as a reminder
(17:41)
Follow something other than the Qur’an (29:51)
If the Qur’an is not sufficient for you:
- Shaytan will snatch you
- Don’t use the mind about unseen matters
- Don’t follow the desire
- Don’t follow the opinion (ra’i)
- Don’t follow the misguided (fasiqeen)
- Don’t follow the forefathers
- Don’t follow al hamas (your excitement)
Ya Rabbi, increase me in guidance and keep me on the way of guidance until the last moment of my life. This is a transcript of a lecture
given by Sister Eman al Obaid. We ask Allah subhana wa ta’ala for His forgiveness and His Mercy. Anything that is good from these notes is
from Allah subhana wa ta’ala. Any mistakes & misrepresentations are my own. I ask Allah subhana wa ta’ala for His forgiveness and to put
forgiveness in the hearts of those who read them. JazakAllah Khairan.
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