‘How Can The Answer Not Be Delayed?’

Wahb bin Munabbih (rahimahullaah) also said, “He who supplicates without good deeds is like one who shoots an arrow without a bow.”

Some of the Pious Predecessors said, “How can the answer not be delayed when you have blocked its path with sins.”

A poet reiterated the same meaning saying: 

“We pray to God in every distress,

                      And forget Him when our distress is lifted.

                                 How can we hope that our prayer will be answered,

When we have blocked its paths with sins?”

Imaam Ibn Rajab | Jaami’ al ‘Uloom wal Hikam

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The Effect of Giving Advice & Admonition

On the authority of Hakeem ibn Hizaam radiallaahu ‘anhu who said,

“I asked the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (for charity), and he gave me. Again I asked and he gave me. Once again, I asked and he gave me, then he said, “O Hakeem! Verily this wealth is like a sweet fresh fruit, whoever takes it without greediness is blessed in it and whoever takes it with greediness is not blessed in it, just like the person that eats yet is never satisfied, and the upper hand is better than the lower hand”. Hakeem added, “So I said, “O Messenger of Allah, by the One who sent you with the Truth I shall not accept anything from anybody after you until I leave this world”. Later Abu Bakr radiallaahu ‘anhu used to call Hakeem in order to give him his share of war booty but he would refuse. Also ‘Umar would call him to give him his share but he would refuse to take anything from him. On that ‘Umar said, “O Muslims! Verily I hold you as witnesses that I offered to Hakeem his share of the booty, but he refuses to take it”. He never took anything from anybody after the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam until he died”. (alBukhari, Eng. trans. vol.2, p.320, hadith no.551).

Hakeem would ask from the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and he would give to him – this happened three times, upon which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then directed him to contentment, self-respect and to refrain from begging. What was Hakeem’s radiallaahu ‘anhu reaction to that? He vowed by Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that he would never return to such a thing, and that he wouldn’t take anything from anyone until he parted from the world.

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The Battle of Uhud

The Most High says, “Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met (i.e. the battle of Uhud), it was Shaytaan who caused them to backslide because of some of the sins they had earned.” (Soorah Aal-Imraan (3):155 )

In the battle of Uhud when the archers who had been ordered by the Prophet (sallAllaahu alaihi wa sallam) to remain on the mountain, evacuated and forgot their orders, Shaytaan tempted them to leave their positions.

These aayaat describe what happened in the minds of the archers, imagine then the whole of mankind and their state of mind when they commit a sin. They lose their confidence in their power thus weakening their connections with Allaah.It upsets their equilibrium and firmness becoming subjected to the whisperings of Shaytaan and weakening the connections with Allaah.The confidence of Allaah’s Pardon and Pleasure are reduced.That is when Shaytaan finds a way into his mind driving him to make error upon error becoming further away from safe protection and intense support.

• Taken from the Book: “Protection Against the Plots of Shaytaan”
  by Shaikh Saleem Ibn Eed Al-Hilaalee

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