Advice of Allah's Book [Part 2]

Read part one here

All praise be to Allah.

Beware of Zhulm (injustice), for it has bad consequences. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The Muslim is inviolable for their Muslim brother, as for their blood and wealth.” ¹

Do not attack or betray anyone, whether poor or rich, and avoid Zhulm in transactions and in everything. Do not do injustice to workers, if you are a company owner; if you have workers at home give them their rights and fulfill their conditions, whether you are a company owner or just hiring workers at home. Fear Allah and do not betray them thinking that they are vulnerable. This applies to all your affairs; do not be a liar or a cheater in your transactions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A person who deceives is not of us (is not my follower).” ²

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says, “Verily, Allâh commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due [al-Nisa: 58]

He (Glorified be He) says about the Mu’mins (believers), “Those who are faithfully true to their Amanât (all the duties which Allâh has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;” [al-Mu’minun: 8]

He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says,”O you who believe! Betray not Allâh and His Messenger, nor betray knowingly your Amânât (things entrusted to you, and all the duties which Allâh has ordained for you).” [al-Anfal: 27]

If you are an agent for someone in a farm or a company, you should not betray their trust; you should rather give them advice, fulfill your duty, and do not take anything of their rights except with their permission. This applies to everything, whether authorization in commercial transactions, renting, selling fruits and everything else. Allah (Exalted be He) says, “Those who are faithfully true to their Amanât (all the duties which Allâh has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;” [al-Mu’minun: 8]

If you are indebted, you should fear Allah as He should be feared in repayment of the debt. Do not lie and say that you cannot repay it. You should rather fear Allah and fulfill the debts to their owners, as you are required to fulfill your rights and obligations, according to Allah’s saying, “Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salât (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allâh has forbidden). And those who pay the Zakât.” [al-Mu’minun: 1-4] Whether financial or spiritual Zakah.

“And those who guard their chastity (i.e. private parts, from illegal sexual acts) Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are free from blame;” [al-Mu’minun: 5-6] i.e. They abstain from Zina (adultery), homosexuality and the rest of immoral sins.

“Except from their wives or (the slaves) that their right hands possess, - for then, they are free from blame; But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors; Those who are faithfully true to their Amanât (all the duties which Allâh has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;” [al-Mu’minun: 6-8] They fulfill their Amanahs and covenants in the way prescribed by Allah.

Secrets are considered part of Amanah as well; you should not reveal the secrets with which you are entrusted. If a person tells you to do so and so and tell no one, this is considered a secret between both of you, so you should not betray that trust which harms nobody. If a person makes a will to you to take care of his children or his farm, you should fulfill that right and fear Allah, as Allah is the Ever-Watcher. If you borrow anything from a person, you should return it to them; do not betray them and fear Allah. You can return its price if you have bought it. Do not deny it if they forget it, but rather remind them that you owe them the price of so and so.

Allah (Exalted be He) says, “Those who are faithfully true to their Amanât (all the duties which Allâh has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants; And those who strictly guard their (five compulsory congregational) Salawât (prayers) (at their fixed stated hours).” [al-Mu’minun: 8-9]

Salah (Prayer) is the greatest and most important obligation after Tawhid (monotheism). It is a pillar of Islam, the greatest Rukn (integral Pillar) and the most important Fard (obligation) after the two Shahadahs (Testimonies of Faith). You should fear Allah and keep it in congregation, according to Allah’s saying, “Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawât (the prayers)” [al-Baqarah: 238]

He (Glorified be He) also says, “…and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and give Zakât. He (Glorified be He) also says, …and perform As-Salât (Iqamât-as-Salât). Verily, As-Salât (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshâ’ (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed)” [al-Ankabut: 45]

He (Glorified be He) also says, “And those who guard their Salât (prayers) well. Such shall dwell in the Gardens (i.e. Paradise), honoured.” [al-Ma’arij: 34-35]

He (Glorified be He) says about the hypocrites, “Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allâh, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salât (the prayer), they stand with laziness” [al-Nisa: 142]

Do not be like them, too lazy to offer Salah, as if you are forced to do it, but rather be active and strong, and hasten to offer it, whether the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer or others. Do not prefer sleep to the Fajr Prayer or others; and be patient and watchful of Allah all the time. The same applies to your wife and children; be firm with you wife, your children and your servants in this issue, and yourself before them. Be a good model for them to follow in goodness; whenever you hear the Adhan (call to Prayer), hasten to offer Salah, whether in the Fajr, Zhuhr (Noon), ‘Asr (Afternoon), Maghrib (Sunset) or ‘Isha (Night) Prayers, as ordained by Allah (Glorified be He) and His Messenger. Allah (Glorified be He) says, “Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawât (the prayers) especially the middle Salât (i.e. the best prayer – ‘Asr).” [al-Baqarah: 238]

The middle Salah is the ‘Asr Prayer, which Allah mentioned in particular for its great rank. He (Glorified be He) also says, “And perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and give Zakât and bow down (or submit yourselves with obedience to Allâh) along with those who bow down (in prayer).” [al-Baqarah: 43] Performing Salah means offering it as ordained by Allah.

Paying Zakah means giving it to the ones who deserve it as ordained by Allah. You should pay the Zakah due on your money as enjoined by Allah; do not be miserly and fight yourself until you give Zakah to those who deserve it, whether of your money, sheep, camels, cows, or commercial commodities such as clothes, utensils, cars or other items that can be sold. Whenever a Hawl (one lunar year calculated from the time a property reaches the minimum amount upon which Zakah is due) passes, you should pay 2.5% of it as Zakah, which corresponds to 25 of every 1000, or 2500 of every 100.000. If you have grazing livestock for a Hawl, you should give one of them for each forty to one hundred and twenty i.e. A one-year-old goat. If they range between one hundred and twenty one and two hundred, you should give two of them. If they are two hundred and one or more, you should give three of them. Then, you should give one sheep for every hundred sheep. You should give four sheep on every four hundred; and five sheep on every five hundred.

As for Zakah on camels, it was clarified in details by the Prophet (peace be upon him). If you have five camels that have been grazing for a Hawl or most of it, you should give a goat as Zakah; and for ten camels, two goats are to be given; for fifteen camels, three goats are to be given; and for twenty camels, four goats are to be given as Zakah. If they reach twenty five camels, you should give a Bint Makhad (a one-year-old she-camel). If not found, you can give an Ibn Labun (a two-year-old he-camel). This applies until thirty five camels. If more than thirty five, you should give a Bint Labun (a two-year-old she-camel), until they reach forty five camels. If they are more than forty five, you should give a Haqqah (a three-year-old she-camel) until they reach sixty camels. If they exceed sixty, you should give a Jadh’ah (a four-year-old she-camel) until they reach seventy five camels.

If more than seventy five, you should give two Bint Labuns until they reach ninety camels. If more than ninety camels, you should give two Haqqahs until they reach a hundred and twenty camels. If more than a hundred and twenty, you should give a Bint Labun for every forty camels and a Haqqah for every fifty camels.

Similarly, the cows; if they are grazing for a Hawl or most of it, you should give a Tabi’ or Tabi’ah (a one year-old cow) for every thirty cows; you should give a Musinnah (a two year-old cow) on every forty cows; you should give two Tabi’ahs for every sixty cows; you should give a Tabi’ and a Musinnah on every seventy cows; you should give two Musinnahs on every eighty cows; you should give three Tabi’ahs on every ninety cows; you should give two Tabi’ahs and a Musinnah in every hundred cows; and you should give three Musinnahs or four Tabi’ahs on every in every hundred and twenty cows. Then, the number is fixed; you should give a Tabi’ or Tabi’ah on every thirty cows; and a Musinnah on every forty cows.

As for the grains and the fruits that can be measured and saved, you should give 5% of them if they are irrigated with machines. If they are watered naturally by rain or rivers, you should give 10% of them if they reach five Wasqs (1 Wasq = 60 Sa’s =130,320 kg), according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him). “On a land watered by rain or by natural water channels, one tenth (10%) is compulsory (as Zakah) and on the land irrigated by machines 5% is compulsory (as Zakah on the yield of the land).” Related by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith. ³

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “No Zakah is due on less than five Wasqs of dates or grains.” (Agreed upon by Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim). ⁴

As for Sawm (fast) in Ramadan, it is the fourth Rukn of Islam. You should fear Allah and observe Sawm in Ramadan as ordained by Allah and abstain from idle talk, Ghibah (backbiting), Namimah (tale-bearing) and other sins. You should preserve your Sawm from all sins, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Whoever does not give up false statements and evil deeds, Allah is not in need of their abstinence from food and drink.” Related by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih Book of Hadith. ⁵

You should also earn your living through lawful means and beware of unlawful money. When you observe Sawm, all your limbs should abstain from what Allah prohibited. This is the perfect Sawm; abstinence from eating, drinking and all the prohibitions of Allah. During Hajj, you should not also behave in an obscene manner or commit a sin. When you perform Hajj, you should avoid all sins in all cases, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not have sexual relations with his wife or commit sins will return (after Hajj free from all sins) as if they were born anew.” (Agreed upon by Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim). ⁶

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, “The performance of ‘Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one); and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing except Jannah (Paradise).” (Agreed upon by Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim). ⁷

The accepted Hajj is the one that contains no obscenity or Fisq (flagrant violation of Islamic law).

In all your transactions, you should avoid deception, betrayal and lying. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once passed by a man who had a heap of food in the market. He felt something strange about it, so he thrust his hand in that (heap) and his fingers were moistened. He said to its owner, “What is this?” He replied, “O Messenger of Allah! These have been drenched by rainfall.” The Prophet said, “Why did you not place this (the drenched part of the heap) over other eatables so that the people could see it? A person who deceives others is not one of my followers.” Related by Muslim in his Sahih (authentic) Book of Hadith. ⁸

This means that Allah’s Book includes guidance, light, call for every form of goodness, and warning against every evil. The same applies to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him); it includes a call for every form of goodness and warning against every evil.

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