Advice to the Strangers (Within Islâm)

Abdul-Wahid bin Abdullaah al-Muhaidib
Wasiyyatu Ghareeb

Verily allpraise belongs to Allâh, we praise Him, seek His Aid and HisForgiveness. Whomsoever Allâh guides there is none to misguide andwhomsoever Allâh misguides there is none to guide. I testify that thereis none deserving of worship except Allâh alone without any partnersand I testify that Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is Hisservant and His Messenger.




Allâh the Exalted said in His Mighty Book:

Knowthat the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement, glitter,mutual boasting and rivalry amongst yourselves in (the accumulation of)wealth and children. Just like the example of the rain and the growthit brings which brings delight to the tillers. Then it withers and yousee it become yellow. Then it dries and crumbles away. But in thehereafter there is an intense punishment as well as forgiveness fromAllâh and His good pleasure. And this life is nothing but a deceivingentertainment. Be foremost in seeking forgiveness from your Lord and agarden whose width is as the width of the heavens and the earth,prepared for those who believe in Allâh and His Messengers. That is thebounty of Allâh and He gives His bounty to whomsoever He pleases, andAllâh is the Possessor of great bounty and grace.

My brother andsister for the sake of Allâh, in compliance with what Allâh the Exaltedhas enjoined upon the Muslim regarding the giving of advice to hisMuslim brothers and sisters, I present this advice to you. PerhapsAllâh will bring about benefit on account of it.

Jareer ibn Abdullaah radiallaahu 'anhu said: Wegave the pledge of allegiance to the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu'alayhi wa sallam for establishing prayer, giving the zakah and givingadvice to every Muslim.
My brother and sister for the sake of Allâh, this is advice to astranger which I present to you (as a gift) that you may be amongst thestrangers.

Thestrangers who do not see themselves needless of this advice whichcontains an increase (in goodness) for you in this life. It isextremely important due to the benefits it contains, which makes aperson strive and run towards the home of the hereafter with all hiseffort.

Therefore, be eager in reading repetitively, seeking to understandit and let your concern become knowledge. acting upon this knowledgeout of sincerity and following the Prophet of the strangers. Convey italso to others so that you succeed with Toobaa (a tree in Paradise).

The Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: 'Verily, Islâm began as a stranger and shall return as a stranger as it began, so Toobaa (is) for the strangers.'

The Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also said to Abdullaah bin Umar:
'Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveller in his path.'

The stranger is the one who clings to what al-Mustafaa sallallaahu'alayhi wa sallam was upon in terms of belief, worship, manners andlegislation by whatever had Allâh has ordered and who then remainspatient upon that. The Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallamsaid:
'There will be after you days which willrequire (much) patience from the one who clings firmly (to thereligion). There will be (for the one who clings to the religion) thereward equal to fifty of you in those days.'
They said: Or do you mean fifty amongst them? He said:
'No. From amongst you.'

This is what the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said my dear brother and sister.

Know - my brother and sister - that I do not desire anything fromyou and yet do you have power over anything. I desire only the face ofAllâh the Exalted so that He may be pleased with the stranger.
Thesestrangers who have been praised and who are fortunate and enviable havebeen so called due to their scarcity amongst mankind. The majority ofmankind have not been described with such characteristics.

The people of Islâm are strangers amongst mankind, then the peopleof Eemaan are strangers amongst the people of Islâm, then the people ofknowledge are strangers amongst the people of Eemaan, then the peoplesticking to the Sunnah, those who take care to distinguish it fromdesires and innovations, are strangers, then those who call to it whilebeing patient in face of the harms caused by those who turn away arethe most strange.




However they are the people of Allâh in truth. There isno strangeness between them but the strangeness is in the midst of themajority of mankind about whom Allâh said:

And if you were to follow most of those upon the earth they would mislead you from the path of Allâh.

These people are strangers from Allâh, His Messenger and His religion. Their strangeness is one of desertion.

Amongstthe characteristics of the strangers, the strangers with which theProphet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was pleased with, is clinging tothe Sunnah when the rest of people aspire for something other than it,abandoning what others have invented and innovated, even if it wasconsidered something good by them, manifesting Tawheed even thought therest of mankind pay no heed to it and refuse it and abandoning theattachment to anyone besides Allâh the Exalted, the Messengersallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, his Companions radiallaahu 'anhum andthe Pious Predecessors rahmatullaah 'alayhi 'anhum. These are thestrangers who attach themselves to Allâh by enslavement to Him aloneand to the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam by following andimitating him alone in regard to whatever he came with. These are theones who cling onto the burning embers in truth.
The true Islâm is very strange and its real adherents are the moststrange of people amongst mankind. And how can one single and minutegroup not be strange amongst seventy-two groups. Seventy-two groupsconsisting of followers, leaders, possessors of rank (amongstthemselves) and all sorts of loyalties and friendships amongstthemselves. Their movement cannot be maintained except by opposing whatthe Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam came with. Theessence of what he sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam came with opposes andcontradicts their desires, tastes, whims, doubts, innovations and falseways and means and all in all of this lies their actions, their meritsand their desires which make up their goals and intentions.


How can a believer who is pure inwardly and outwardly in hisspeech, his actions, his food, his drink, who emigrates to Allâh in allmoments in his life, while imitating and following (without inventingand innovating) not be a stranger amongst these people. These peoplewho have followed their desires, who have obeyed their covetousness,and who become amazed with their own opinions.


When the believer desires that which Allâh has alreadysustained him with: an insight into his religion, understanding of theSunnah of His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, understanding ofHis Book, showing him the desires, innovations and misguidances whichpeople are upon, the people whom the Straight Path which the Messengersallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and his companions were upon has causedto deviate - when the believer desires to travel upon this StraightPath, let him prepare himself (mentally) for the criticism, censure andrebuke of the ignorant and the people of innovation, for theirslanders, their contempt, from seeing people running away from him andfrom seeing them warn others about him just like their predecessorsfrom amongst the disbelievers used to do with the his imaam and the onewhom he follows sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

Therefore he is a stranger in his religion due to the corruption oftheir religion. He is a stranger in clinging to the Sunnah due to theirclinging to the ways of innovation, he is a stranger in his belief dueto the falsity and corruption of their belief, he is a stranger in hisprayer due to the deficiency in their prayer, he is a stranger in hispath due to the misguidance and corruption of their paths, he is astranger amongst his relatives due to their turning away from him, heis a stranger in living with them because he will not live with whattheir souls desire.


In essence he is a stranger in the matters of the world and thehereafter. He will find from the common people neither happiness norone who would offer him help. He is a scholar amidst ignorant, a personof the Sunnah amidst people of innovation, a caller to Allâh and HisMessenger amidst callers to desires and innovations, a commander ofgood and forbidder of evil amidst a people commanding evil andforbidding good.


Then:

All of mankind are strangers in this world. Thereis no position for them in this world and neither is this the home forwhich they were created. The Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallamsaid to Abdullaah ibn Umar radiallaahu 'anhu:

'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller in his path.'

Thus(mankind) has been commanded to look into this matter with his heartand o truly acquaint himself with it. How can a servant not be astranger in his life while he is on a journey and when he will not comeoff his riding beast until he is amongst the inhabitants of the graves?Therefore he is a traveller who is actually seated. It has been said:

The days are but stages (in a journey)
By which the caller to death approaches in a short and smooth journey
And the most amazing thing - if you were to reflect - is that
The stages pass quickly while the traveller remains seated


It hasbeen mentioned that a group of righteous people were sitting andamongst them was a person of Eemaan. He desired to make them hold theworld in contempt and and bring to mind the hereafter. What did he do?He took a leaf and placed something insignificant into it. He took thisthing and began to go round showing it to all of them. Every time oneof them looked at the leaf he did so with surprise and began to laughat it yet they did not understand its significance.


Then he said: This small and contemptible thing which I showedyou is a dirty wing of a fly and this world with all its people,possessions, desires, rivers, lands, days and nights is morecontemptible and insignificant to Allâh than this filthy wing.


Those righteous people who were in the gathering said: Afterthat we recovered from our heedlessness and felt a strong blow to theheart which shook our souls and we realised that his intent was toremind us of the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhiwa sallam:

'If this world was equal (in value) to thewing of a fly in the sight of Allâh He would never have given a sip ofwater to the disbeliever,'

So my brother and sister,when we belittle the wing of a fly - in fact the fly itself - and wedislike it because it is worthless then it is more befitting that we donot become over-concerned with this world since it is moreinsignificant and contemptible to Allâh than the wing of a dirty fly.


Let us then put this world under the various powers andcontrols we have over it so that we can make it as a field that isbeing cultivated for the hereafter.



My brother and sister in Islâm, the speech of Allâh is our methodologyin this very short span of time in which we live. Allâh Azzwajall says:

Thereis no good in most of their secret conversations except the one whocommands charity or a good deed or conciliation between men. Andwhoever does that while seeking the pleasure of Allâh We shall soongive to him a great reward

Remember well - O brother and sister muslim - the speech of Allâh the Exalted:

Never does he utter a word except there is (an angel) ready to record it

Thereforeit is essential - my brother and sister - that you make your tongue,your eyes and the whole of your life poised for Allâh the Sublime. Makeyour tongue busy in His remembrance, giving advice, commanding good andforbidding the evil. Make your tongue as if it is paralysed at theplaces of backbiting, slander, cursing, mocking and singing.


Turn your vision constantly to acts of goodness such asreciting the Qur'ân, reading beneficial books or towards a matter whichis very important in achieving the desired goal: To look at the mightand grandeur of the heaven and the earth and all the various types ofcreations contained therein such as the sun, the moon, the animals, themountains, the seas, the clouds and men and how Allâh the Mighty theSublime and Exalted created all these wonderful things. Do this atlength and think deeply and profoundly at the absolute might of Allâh.
Withhold your eyesight from everything which Allâh has forbidden, suchas looking at women and other such trials, looking at things whichcontain no benefit. If you do this Allâh will give you three qualities:The sweetness of Eemaan, khushoo' in your heart and keen insight.


If however you fall into that then seek forgiveness from Allâhwith your heart and your tongue and follow this slip with a good deedyou will find Allâh Oft-Forgiving and Merciful.


Guard thesupplication which is to be uttered upon leaving a gathering and whichserves as an expiation for it: Glory be to you O Allâh and by YourPraise, I testify that there is none worthy of worship except You(alone), I seek forgiveness from you and repent to You.

My brother and sister for the sake of Allâh, it is essential foryou to increase in actions of goodness in every place and at everytime. Do not hold any action in contempt whether it is small or large,as long as it is an action of good and by the permission of Allâh - mybrother and sister - you will never become tired of performing theseactions so long as you drink from the delicious fountain which willincrease your love for such actions. That is the fountain of Ikhlaas(sincerity) and Ihtisaab (seeking or expectation of reward) from Allâhthe Subime and Exalted.
Beware of every matter which brings you closer to the Hellfire and runtowards every matter which will steer and direct you to the gates ofParadise by the Mercy of Allâh and His Favour.

Itis also essential for you - my brother and sister - to set right and tomake up for whatever has passed you by in your life: hours, days,weeks, months and Ramadans, the excellence of which people are heedlessof. The blessed month of Ramadan in which there is great bounty. Ifonly they knew that whoever found Lailatul-Qadr in this blessed monthwill have his supplication answered. He will be (after having passed itwhile engaged in prayer, repentance, and forgiveness) from among thebest of Allâh's righteous servants. His heart will become attached toAllâh and will find find comfort in with Him when he is alone.

He will also know that this world is a deception and that there isno pleasure, delight, ease or happiness except by obedience to Allâhand following the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam inall of his affairs.

His heart will become attached to Allâh and he will soon loverighteousness and its performers and be very eager for it. He will alsohate evil and those who fall into it and be eager in distancing himselffrom it….