By: MuslimVillage
Source: MuslimVillage
By the grace of Allah, we are blessed to witness the bitter-sweet final moments of Ramadan as Eid approaches with its festivities and charity as well.
As these hours pass by, our hearts and minds turn to any final ways we can pursue the pleasure of our Lord before this blessed time is finished.
In this regard, one hadith stands out in pointing us to several connected means of attaining the supreme pleasure of Allah, in fact, of obtaining nothing short of His love!
The Hadith is related by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) who said that: “A man came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What kind of person is most beloved to Allah? And what kind of work is most beloved to Allah?’ So the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) responded, “The most beloved of people to Allah is he who is of the most benefit to people. The most beloved of works to Allah, Most High, is to bring joy to a Muslim, or to relieve him of some distress, or to pay his debt for him, or get rid of his hunger. So standing by a brother in need is more beloved to me than seclusion for a month in this mosque (i.e. the Prophet’s – Allah’s peace be upon him – Mosque in Madina)…” (Tabrani)
In this beautiful hadith we see that bringing joy to the heart of a Muslim, relieving hunger, and sorrow are all “beloved”, in fact of “the most beloved” of things to Allah. And what can bring all of these virtues together better than the blessed time of the end of Ramadan and Eid?
Scholars point out that Allah’s love for His servants consists in part of Allah’s honoring the servant, bringing about goodness and obedience through him, and keeping him away from disobedience and evil. Scholars also point out that this hadith shows very powerfully that worship is not only about ritual devotional acts but it very much involves looking into the welfare of people and seeing that their needs are met.
It therefore becomes clear that when we, whether as individuals or at the community level, encounter difficulties with being steadfast in goodness and obedience or when we find staying away from sin seems like a huge challenge it may be because of our neglect of those among us, like the orphans and other vulnerable groups, who are miserable and in need.
So let us not waste any of these precious final moments of this month. Look into the following opportunities to reap the benefits of Divine love mentioned by the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him): Provide Eid Clothing, Help an Orphan, or Give Zakat/Sadaqtul Fitr. See other general means of relieving distress and bringing joy here.
May Allah accept from us all. And may you have an Eid filled with joy and blessing.
This is the final article in a weekly series brought to you by Human Appeal International Australia during this blessed month to highlight merits of the month and remind ourselves of specific ways our charity and prayers can be put to use in seeking the pleasure of Allah, Most High.
