Allah Almighty says: {Who sees you when you stand up [for prayer], and your movements among those who prostrate.} [Surat ash-Shu‘arā’: 218, 219] Allah Almighty also says: {He is with you wheresoever you are} [Surat al-Hadīd: 4] Allah Almighty also says: {Indeed, there is nothing hidden from Allah on earth or in the heaven.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 5] Allah Almighty also says: {Indeed, your Lord is ever vigilant.} [Surat al-Fajr: 14] Allah Almighty also says: {He knows the sneaky glances of the eyes and what the hearts conceal.} [Surat Ghāfir: 19] There are many other well-known verses in this regard.
1) The servant must be mindful of his Lord and know that Allah is watching him.
2) The attribute of Ma‘iyyah (Withness, or Allah being with His servants) that Allah attributed to Himself in the Noble Qur’an has multiple categories:
First: It means encompassing the creation in terms of knowledge, power, authority, and disposal of their affairs. This is meant in the following verse: {And He is with you [wih His Knowledge] wheresoever you may be.}
Second: it implies a threat and a warning as in the following verse: {They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah, and He is with them [with His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And Allah is All-Encompassing of what they do.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 108]
Third: it means granting victory, support, and steadfastness, as in the saying of Allah Almighty: {Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who do good.} [Surat an-Nahl: 128] One of the requirements of such Ma‘iyyah is to be mindful of Allah and be fearful of Him; so you obey Him, abandon what He prohibited, and believe what He revealed.
As for the relevant Hadīths:
60/1- First: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “One day, we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes, and had very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He came in and sat down opposite to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and rested his knees against his and placed the palms of his hands on the thighs of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He said: ‘O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Islam is to testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer (daily obligatory prayers), to pay Zakat, to fast (the month of) Ramadan, and to perform pilgrimage to the (Sacred) House if you are able to find a way thereto.’ He said: ‘You have spoken the truth.’ It surprised us that he asked him and at the same time he affirmed that he had told the truth. Then he said: ‘Tell me about Imān (belief).’ The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in Qadar (fate), what is good and what is bad thereof.’ Then, the man said: ‘You have spoken the truth.’ He then said: ‘Tell me about Ihsān.’ He said: ‘It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you.’ He said: ‘Tell me about the Hour.’ He said: ‘About that, the one questioned knows no more than the questioner.’ The man said: ‘Then tell me about its signs.’ The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and you will see the barefoot, naked, destitute herdsmen competing in constructing lofty buildings.’ Then the man departed. I stayed for a while, and then the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: ‘O ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said: ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said: ‘That was Jibrīl (Archangel Gabriel), who came to teach you your religion.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
“The slave-girl will give birth to her mistress: means that the female slaves will increase to the level that the slave will give birth to a daughter of her master, who would become her mistress. Other interpretations were also given for this sign of the Hour.
Herdsmen: shepherds of sheep and goats.
1) The Testimony of Tawhīd (there is no god except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) is the greatest pillar of Islam and is rather the foundation of one’s faith in Islam.
2) When the seeker of knowledge sits with a scholar in a gathering, he should ask questions of interest to the present audience even if he knows their answers already, just for the purpose of benefiting and teaching the audience.
3) One should always be mindful of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and that He is watching him and knows what he conceals and what he reveals. This knowledge leads to awe, fear, and veneration of Allah Almighty in the heart of the servant. It also drives the individual to be sincere in performing acts of worship and to perfect them to the best of his ability.
4) It shows the decorum of the Companions with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), as they ascribed knowledge to Allah Almighty and His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) during his life.
5) The Prophetic Sunnah is a divine revelation so it is impermissible to downgrade its capacity of legislation, because we are commanded to follow both revelations: the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
61/2- Second: Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junādah and Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good one so that it erases it, and deal with people with good manners.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
1) One must fear Allah Almighty – which is a consequence of being mindful of Him – in all words and deeds, in secret and in public.
2) Good deeds wipe out bad deeds, which reflects the mercy of Allah Almighty towards His servants.
3) It shows the lofty status of good manners, as they are the means to success in this life and the Hereafter; so, the believer should strive to improve his manners.
62/3- Third: Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: I was behind the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) one day, and he said: “O boy, I will teach you some phrases: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already decreed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already decreed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
In narrations by other than Al-Tirmidhi, the following was reported: “Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.”
Being mindful of Allah: it means be mindful of His religion by adhering to fear of Him, maintaining the limits and rights He set, and fulfilling the rights of the people.
The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried: it means no more writing because all destinies have already been written.
1) It prohibits asking other than Allah Almighty for things only Allah is able to do, such as provision, healing, forgiveness, and victory among others. The believer should be keen on correcting his Tawhīd of Allah Almighty through asking none but Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
2) Recognizing the incompetence of all created beings and their need to Allah Almighty drives the servant to attach his heart to Allah alone without any partner, while severing all attachments to created beings.
3) The servant cannot bring himself any good nor fend off any harm except with the permission of Allah. This requires that the servant worships Allah alone, seeks His assistance, and attaches his heart to none of the people regardless of their status or prestige because they are just as weak as he is and just as needy to Allah Almighty as he is.
4) Mindfulness of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and maintaining publicly and secretly the limits He set secure Allah’s preservation and protection of the servant, because the reward for a deed is of the same nature of the deed.
63/4- Fourth: Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “You people indulge in (bad) deeds that seem thinner (less significant) in your eyes than hair, while we used to consider them during the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as destructive sins.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
64/5 - Fifth: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, Allah Almighty gets jealous. The jealousy of Allah Almighty is when a person commits what Allah has made unlawful for him.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Underestimating a sin reflects the servant’s low level of fear of Allah Almighty. On the other hand, feeling overwhelmed by the sin reflects the servant’s high level of fear and mindfulness of Allah Almighty.
2) The servant must steer away from sins because they provoke the anger of Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
3) A sign of complete faith is to be mindful of Allah Almighty and be wary of disobeying Him.
The Hadīth of Anas shows that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) venerated the sanctities of Allah and feared sins, which indicates that no one surpasses them in their knowledge of Allah Almighty and in the perfectness of their piety and fear of Allah except the prophets. Therefore, one must follow their example and know that their understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) constitutes the sole criterion [in understanding Shariah] because it is the path of the believers. So whoever follows their path shall gain salvation whereas whoever veers away from their path shall perish and drag others with him.
65/6 - Sixth: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “There were three (persons) from the Children of Israel; a leper, a bald-headed, and a blind man. Allah decided to test them, so He sent an angel who came to the leper and said: What do you like most? He said: Beautiful color and fine skin and removal of that which makes me detestable in the eyes of people. He wiped over him and his illness was no more and he was given a beautiful skin color. The angel then said: Which property do you like most? The man said: Camels – the narrator doubted whether it was camels or cows. The man was given a camel in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and the angel said while giving it to him: May Allah bless it for you. Then he came to the bald-headed man and said: What do you like most? He said: Beautiful hair and that this (baldness) may be removed from me because of which people hate me. He wiped over him and it was removed and replaced with beautiful hair. The angel said: Which wealth do you like most? He said: Cows. So he was given a pregnant cow and while giving it to him, the angel said: May Allah bless it for you.
Then he came to the blind man and he said: What do you like most? He said: That Allah restores my eyesight so that I could see people. He wiped over him and Allah restored to him his eyesight, and the angel said: Which wealth do you like most? He said: Sheep. So he was given a pregnant sheep. Afterwards, all the three pregnant animals gave birth to young ones and multiplied and brought forth so much that one of the (three) men had a herd of camels filling a valley, and one had a herd of cows filling a valley, and one had a flock of sheep filling a valley.
The angel then came to the one who had suffered from leprosy in a form similar to the man’s old form when he was ill, and said: I am a poor person and my provision has run short in my journey and there is none to take me to my destination except with the help of Allah and your favor. I beg of you in His name Who gave you fine color and fine skin and wealth that you give me a camel to carry me in my journey. The man said: I have many responsibilities to discharge. Thereupon the angel said: I think I know you. Were you not suffering from leprosy and people despised you, and you were destitute and Allah gave you (wealth)? The man said: (No) I inherited this wealth from my forefathers. Thereupon the angel said: If you are a liar, may Allah turn you to what you were before.
He then came to the one who was bald-headed in a form similar to the man’s old bald-headed form and said to him the same that he said to the first and the man gave him the same reply as the first had given. The angel said: If you are a liar, may Allah turn you to what you were before.
He then came to the man who was blind in a form similar to the man’s old blind form and said: I am a destitute person and a wayfarer. My provisions have run short and today I have no means to reach my destination but with the help of Allah and then with your help, and I beg of you in the (name) of the One Who restored your eyesight to give me a sheep as provision for my journey. The man said: I was blind and Allah restored to me my eyesight; so take whatever you like and leave whatever you like. By Allah, I shall not stand in your way today for what you take in the name of Allah. Thereupon, the angel said: Keep your wealth. You (three) were put to test, and Allah is well pleased with you and angry with your companions.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
-- -- -- -- -- In another version narrated by Al-Bukhāri, it reads: “I shall not thank you today...” The intended meaning is that I shall not thank you for not taking something that you need. This is similar to the meaning of the poetic verse: ‘There should be no regret over long life’. The intended meaning is that there should be no regret over not living a long life.
1) Thanking Allah for His blessings is one of the reasons for their permanence and increase.
2) It shows the excellence of charity and encourages kindness, generosity, and fulfilling the needs of the weak.
3) Once something is blessed, it becomes abundant even if it is little; and once something is stripped of blessings, it becomes little even if it is abundant.
4) Recognizing the blessings of Allah in one’s senses and the fulfillment of his needs drives him to appropriate those blessings in the service of Allah’s obedience alone without a partner. In this manner, he utilizes those blessings in securing the pleasure of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, because He is the One who bestows them in this world and in the Hereafter.
5) Allah, Glorified and Exalted, grants success to His servant in the form of guiding him to good deeds and aiding him to perform them to gain His reward. The servant stands in need of Allah Almighty before, during, and after performing an act of obedience.
66/7- Seventh: Abu Ya‘la Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The wise person is the one who holds himself accountable and does good deeds for what comes after death. The foolish person is the one who follows his desires and expects from Allah to fulfill his wishes.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Hasan (sound)] [3]
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1) It encourages the individual to seize every opportunity to please Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
2) It states the obligation of preparing for what is after death by doing good deeds.
3) Laziness, negligence, and vain wishful thinking are causes for wasting deeds in this world and in the Hereafter.
67/8- Eighth: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Part of the excellence of a person’s Islam is that he leaves what does not concern him.” [A Hasan (sound) Hadīth narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and others]
68/9 - Ninth: ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man should not be asked why he beat his wife.” [Narrated by Abu Dawūd and others] [4]
1) The individual must concern himself with what benefits him in this life and the Hereafter, as well as keep himself away from what he does not need and, rather, may cause him harm. Doing so reflects the excellence of one’s commitment to Islam.
2) The believer must be mindful of his conduct, statements, and actions. He must internalize the feeling that Allah is watching him and that He knows his private undisclosed affairs. As a result, he will make sure that Allah sees him doing only what pleases Him.
The author (may Allah have mercy upon him) listed this last Hadīth following that of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) to provide an example of issues of no concern to the individual. It is part of a person’s good commitment to Islam that he does not interfere between a husband and his wife because it does not concern him.