Bismihi Ta`ala
*GRATEFUL ACTIONS TO THANK ON BOUNTIES OF ALLAH TA`ALA*
Daily there are many favours of Allah Ta`ala that are bestowed upon us. The Qur-aan says
وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ
And He gave you whatever you asked for. If you try to count the bounties of Allah, you cannot count them all. Indeed man is highly unjust, very ungrateful.(14:34) So the Qur-aan exhort us to be grateful upon the bounties of Allah Ta`ala. Hazrat Dawood a.s. was a great prophet, a king, he was father of prophet and King Salomon a.s. and also he had large family and he was self sufficient and wealthy as well. So Allah Ta`ala ordered the whole family to thank Allah Ta`ala by offering good actions in surplus:
اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُور
‘‘Do good actions O family of Dawood a.s., in thankfulness. And indeed, very few from my slave servants are thankful.’’(34:13)
So we are called to be Thankful to Allah Ta`ala by offering surplus good actions. If no good actions offered, then we are not thankful. In fact we are called to thank Allah Ta’ala on the bounty of 360 bone joints of our body by da’wa, tasbihs, social work or merely 2 rakaats of chaast salaahs in the morning.(Abu Dawood)
In fact, today Ashoura, we are fasting in thankfulness to the favours of Allah Ta`ala towards Moussa a.s. and Nuh a.s. and their respective people. As far as Hazrat Moussa a.s., it is mentioned in Bukhari. Whereas Hazrat Nuh a.s. is mentioned in an acceptable narration of Musnad Ahmad:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ شُبَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِأُنَاسٍ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ قَدْ صَامُوا يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ، فَقَالَ: ” مَا هَذَا مِنَ الصَّوْمِ ؟ ” قَالُوا: هَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي نَجَّى اللهُ مُوسَى وَبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنَ الْغَرَقِ، وَغَرَّقَ فِيهِ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَهَذَا يَوْمُ اسْتَوَتْ فِيهِ السَّفِينَةُ عَلَى الْجُودِيِّ ، فَصَامَ نُوحٌ وَمُوسَى شُكْرًا لِلَّهِ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” أَنَا أَحَقُّ بِمُوسَى، وَأَحَقُّ بِصَوْمِ هَذَا الْيَوْمِ “، فَأَمَرَ أَصْحَابَهُ بِالصَّوْمِ مسند احمد
So prophet Moussa and prophet Nuh a.s. fasted on 10th Muharram because of their victory in their respective career. It becomes a sunnah that other prophets used to fast on that day also. Reported in Musannaf ibn Abi Shaibah from a good narration:حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ غِيَاثٍ ، عَنِ الْهَجَرِيِّ ، عَنْ أَبِي عِيَاضٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : يَوْمُ عَاشُورَاءَ يَوْمٌ كَانَتْ تَصُومُهُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ ، فَصُومُوهُ أَنْتُمْ. ابن ابي شيبة
Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said: ‘’The day of Ashoura is a day that the prophets used to fast. So you people also do fast on that day.’’(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaibah)Allama `Aini commented this hadith as a ‘good narration’(Umdatul Qari):وروى ابن أبي شيبة بسند جيد عن أبي هريرة يرفعه يوم عاشوراء تصومه الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام فصوموه أنتمعمدة القاري
So fast like Rasouloullah Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam on Mondays in thankfulness of bounties bestowed upon him and our ummah that day. You may fast a nafil fast to thank Allah for a great favour that Allah Ta`ala has bestowed upon you.
In fact, the beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam used to stay away from his favourite young wife Aisha r.a. spending the whole night in crying in forgiveness in salaah. In fact, his feet would be swollen because of night vigil in prayers. When asked the why he would endure such hardship vigils and yet he was sinless. He answered: ‘*Shouldn`t I be a grateful servant?’(Bukhari)*عن أبي الأسود سمع عروة عن عائشة رضي الله عنهاأن نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقوم من الليل حتى تتفطر قدماه فقالت عائشة لم تصنع هذا يا رسول الله وقد غفر الله لك ما تقدم من ذنبك وما تأخر قال أفلا أحب أن أكون عبدا شكورا فلما كثر لحمه صلى جالسا فإذا أراد أن يركع قام فقرأ ثم ركع بخاري
Night prayers/ Tahajjud offered simply to thank Allah Ta`ala of his favours.
Crying in repentance, shed out tears and stand long in night salaahs as ‘Thankfulness’.
*Bring this model of 5 daily salaahs including night thankfullness salaahs in muslims today, sabr, staying away from sins alike the people of Nuh and Moussa a.s., then that same Allah will come forward vivid to help muslims. That same Allah will turn all the world meteo means in favour of helping muslims just like he helped prophet Nuh a.s. and his people. That same Allah will open seas, move mountains to help muslims just like he helped prophet Moussa a.s. and his people.We need 51% of muslims on this gratefulness model. Then the next minute is the reborn of the Islamic empire. This is the crux of Ashoura, 10th of Muharram.*
Mufti Mackoojee+23057921333