ICICE AL-NOOR MASJID KHUTBAH FOR FRIDAY 29/1/2021

THE VIRTUE OF WORKING TOWARDS GRANTING OTHER PEOPLE’S NEEDS

All praise is due to Allah, we seek His help and forgiveness, we seek refuge in Him from the evils of ourselves and the evils of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides cannot be misguided by anyone and whoever Allah sets astray cannot be guided by anyone. I bear witness that none deserves the right to be worshiped except Allah alone who has no partner and I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

Allah the most high says in his magnificent book: “And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” [06:165] and he says: “And We have made some of you [people] as trial for others – will you have patience? And ever is your Lord, Seeing.” [25:20]. Indeed the trial that is talked about in the above verses is a trial for every member of the society, it’s a trial for those that have bodily strength, positions, status, authority, wealth or any other blessing among the apparent and hidden blessings we possess. On the other hand, it is also a trial for those that possess none of the mentioned blessings. Would each of them be patient about this reality or not!

Indeed one of the greatest acts of obedience that the Quran and Sunnah have stressed upon is putting effort to grant people’s needs and helping them. A lot of prophetic traditions have enjoined us to embrace this virtuous deed. The messenger (peace be upon him) said: “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to (his satan or to his self which is inclined to evil). Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection”.

In another Hadith, the messenger (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. If anyone makes it easy for the one who is indebted to him (while finding it difficult to repay), Allah will make it easy for him in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and if anyone conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah helps His slave as long as he helps his brother.”

O servants of Allah, the tasks that every one of us needs to carry out on a daily basis are numerous especially if a person is in charge of a family, there are financial tasks, some are societal, others are administrative while some are related to health, among other tasks that every person carries out each morning and evening. It is likely that a person may be incapacitated from carrying out some of the above tasks, and in turn he/she falls into a worrisome situation. At this juncture, the role of this magnificent prophetic tradition (i.e. the tradition of granting other people’s needs) comes to play.

Some might think that helping people is only done through monetary assistance, some might think that if they give out money to help it suffices them from taking part in other non-monetary needs of their brothers/sisters. The reality is that working towards granting other people’s needs is one of the most pious deeds and greatest ones in the sight of Allah because that is more rewarding than staying in the mosque in seclusion to worship Allah. What is apparent here is the effort put in helping others by granting their needs or requests, and such needs/requests might be completing some legal formalities that need someone of status to help, buying some items, accompanying a friend to embark on a journey or visitation, making/repairing something or any other task that needs some effort.

Indeed people of high values are the ones who whenever they come across a distressed person; they respond positively, when they meet the needy; they help and when they meet a worried person; they rescue him/her from the situation of hardship. These are among the fundamentals with regards to high values as Maimun Ibn Mahran said: “The first of values is contained in maintaining a smiley face, the second is courtliness and the third is granting others’ needs”.

Indeed prophets and messengers of Allah, and on top of the list is our messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him), have perceived the greatness of this act of obedience, that’s why the story of their lives and those of their followers and companions are full of helping others; they were always keen to put effort in granting other’s needs/requests. For example, the Quran mentions a moment among the moments of prophet of Allah Musa which depicts the extent to which he was engaged in this great act. Allah says: “And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, “What is your circumstance?” They said, “We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man. So he watered [their flocks] for them;” [28:23-24].

When our prophet peace be upon him feared for himself amidst the first revelation he received from Allah, our mother Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.” What a beautiful set of manners he (peace be upon him) possessed before and after he was sent as a messenger!

Among the good values upheld by the pious predecessors as they are true followers of Allah’s messenger, is the fact that they engage in acts of kindness and granting other people’s needs by setting them free from their worries and trying to ease the hardships of those in hardship. Among what has been narrated with regards to their commitment to this high level of values are the following:

1. It was narrated that Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “For me to take care of a household among the households of Muslims for a month, a week or any period that Allah destines, is more beloved to me than performing Hajj after Hajj”.
2. Whenever there was a rainy night, Zaid Al-Yaamy used to take a piece of flame (i.e. for illumination and lightening purposes), he would go round the houses of the elderly and say: ‘Do you need fire’ (for heating and lightening of their houses). He would also go round the houses of the elderly around the area in the morning and ask: “Do you have any errands to the market?”.
3. It is narrated that Ibnu Shubrima carried out huge tasks for some of his brothers, one of them came to reward him with a gift then he asked him: What is this? He replied: This is the reward of the good thing you had done to me, he said: Take your money may Allah forgive you, whenever you ask your Muslim brother for a favor and he fails to make any effort towards granting it, then perform ablution for prayer, say four takberat (saying of Allahu Akbar) upon him and count him among the dead”.
4. Narrated that Abu Umar Az-zahid said: “Failing to grant the requests of your Muslim brothers (while you can) causes disgrace and in the effort, someone puts to grant others’ needs is elevation in status”.
5. It was narrated that Abdullahi Bn Ja’far gave some money as debt to a man from Madina amounting to fifty thousand, the man then sought for waiver from Abdullah through Ubaidullah Bn Abbas (to intervene). Abdallah said: “I have slashed the amount he owes me by a half, and the second half should be paid when he has the ability” Ubaidullah thanked him for that and left. Abdullah then sent someone to Ubaidullah telling him that: “I have waived the second half too for the man”. Where did Abdullah learn this kindness? Of course he learnt it from the Quran and Hadith. The messenger (peace be upon him enjoined us to be kind in that way when he said in a hadith narrated by Abu Huraira that: “There was a merchant who used to lend the people, and whenever his debtor was in straitened circumstances, he would say to his employees, ‘Forgive him so that Allah may forgive us.’ So, Allah forgave him.”

Finally, a Muslim should always put his effort towards granting others’ needs and he/she should purify their intention when doing that, they should seek for Allah’s countenance. Allah will surely reward them by helping them with their requests when they are in dire need, be it here in the worldly life by bringing forth others that would ease their affairs, or it might be in the hereafter by making their feet firm on a day a lot of feet loose balance on the path (sirat). It is apparent here that the person who benefits the most in this is the person putting effort to grant the request/need of those that need that and this is the main purpose of this great Sunnah. So be among those that always put effort to help others.

May Allah guides us aright.