Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam told me:-

"O Abu Huraira, be scrupulous and you will be the most devoted of people, be content and you will be the most grateful of people, love for people what you love for yourself and you will be a believer, be a good companion to those in your company and you will be a Muslim, and decrease laughter, for truly, a lot of laughter kills the heart. "(Ibn Majah). 

Sayyadi Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, as having said:

"There is none whose final abode is not known to Allah from beforehand - whether it is going to be Hell or Heaven". 

The audience said, "Should we not then hang on to the scroll of destiny and suspend action?". 

The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:- "No, do your part for what is pre-ordained for one has been made easy for him. If he is fortunate, the path of goodness has been smoothened for him but if he is doomed, evil deeds are equally facile to him". 

He then recited the ayat/verse, "But as for him who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah), and accepts whatever is good, We surely will smoothen the path of happiness". (Bukhari and Muslim). 

Busr ibn Sa'ed, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:

"If the person who passes in front of another person in prayer, knew the magnitude of his sin, he would prefer to wait for 40 days rather than pass in front of him". (Bukhari, 510)

The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:

"May Allah brighten a man who hears a tradition from us, gets it by heart and passes it on to others. Many a bearer knowledge conveys it to one who is more versed than he is, and many a bearer of knowledge is not versed in it." (Abu Dawud, 3660). 

It is related on the authority of Abu Sa'id al - Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:

"Beware of the intuition of a believer, for the believer sees with the light of Allah". (Tirmidhi, 3127). 

Through the purity of heart, which is the fruit of constant Zikr and heeding, it quite often happens that a Sufi is able to perceive obscure spiritual truths. 

A branch of Kashf, or spiritual vision is known as intuition or firasa... mentioned in this hadith. The "light of Allah" mentioned above refers directly to the purity of heart which results from Remembrance, Zikr and heedfulness/Taqwa. 

From the Sunan Tirmidhi, it is mentioned that Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :-

"Indeed Sadaqa (charity) extinguishes the Lord's anger, and it protects against evil (bad) death." 

If Allah Ta'ala was angry with a servant who did something wrong, and he/she immediately gives a charity/Sadaqa, Allah loves that and He takes away His anger from that servant who does Sadaqa. 

And charity can be in any way : in money to those in need, a smile, in visiting homeless people and feeding or helping them, removing the sorrow of the sorrowful... things like that. 

The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:

"There are more than 70 branches of faith (Imaan). The best of them is Kalimat-Tayyib, the smallest is to remove obstruction from the path, and modesty (haya) is also a branch of faith". (Bukhari). 

Note that all good deeds are dependent on faith. Faith is in actual fact the root, and good deeds are its branches. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, in this hadith, indicated that faith (Imaan) has over 70 branches. The best is 'La-ilaha illallahu, in other words, in rewards it is most superior. This is because with it, a person negates all deities except Allah Ta'ala and believes in the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, as Allah's Messenger. Therefore recite that Kalima in abundance, remove harmful items from people's path and always observe shyness. May Allah Ta'ala guide us all. 

Sayyada Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, said :

"The Messenger of Allah passed by me one day and I said, 'Ya Rasulullah, I am old and weak, so command me something I can do sitting.' He said, 'Say:-

' SUBHANALLAH (Glory be to Allah) 100 times : it is equal to 100 slaves of the descendants of Isma'il you set free. 

Say: 'ALHAMDULILLAH (Praise be to Allah) 100 times : it is equal to 100 horses saddled and bridled and ridden in the way of Allah. 

Say :' ALLAHU AKBAR (Allah is the Greatest) 100 times :it is equal to 100 camels gardlanded and facing qibla. 

Say: 'LA-ILAHA ILLALLAHU (There is no god but Allah) 100 times : (I think he said) it fills up what is between heaven and earth. On that day, no one will have a better action presented than that which will be presented for you, unless he brings the like of what you bring. " (Ahmad, at-Tabarani, al-Bayhaqi). 

We should adopt this mode of Zikr everyday, accordingly whenever we sit to remember our Lord, Allahu, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala. 

Best Wishes. 

There is a direct hadith supporting the statement of the Sufis that Jihad, in addition to meaning fighting against the outward enemy, also means struggling against the ego-self (nafs), for the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-

"The Mujahid is the one who makes Jihad against his nafs and its desires for the sake of obeying Allah." (Tirmidhi No. 1594, Ibn Majah, 3924).

And this is exactly one of the basic principles of Ihsan (Tasawwuf).

Furthermore, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said to Umm Anas, may Allah be pleased with her:-

" Perform the ritual prayer, for it is the best Jihad. Abandon sins, for that is the best migration (hijra). And invoke Allah frequently, for that is the most beloved act with which you meet Allah". (Tabarani in his Mu'jam al-Kabir 25:129).

From this hadith, we learn that the act of Jihad is not exclusive to the battlefield... and that the regular performance of Sallah - - and fulfilling its conditions with perfection - - is a kind of Jihad against the lazy and erring self (nafs). 

Says the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam :

"There may be a disheveled, dusty person who, if he swears an oath by Allah, Allah will fulfill it." (Muslim). 

Someone from a forest or desert may be smelly, dusty with greasy hair, and you look at such a person and think he is homeless, but the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said 'there could be someone like that, but if he asks Allah Ta'ala for anything, He will immediately respond to his prayer'.  His Du'a is accepted like lightening! 

So, don't look at anyone with disgust, he might be coming to check you. Islam is purity, discipline and goodness. You may dress as beautifully as you want, but is your character good? Even where we may be good, we still need to improve. 

Best Wishes. 

In verse/ayat 37 of chapter 34 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Nuri, Allah Ta'ala says :-

"(People of perfect Imaan are those) men whom trade or business does not distract from the remembrance of Allah" (24:37).

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said that Allah Ta'ala ssys:. 'I treat My servant according to his opinion of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me, if he remembers Me privately, I remember him privately and if he remembers Me in public, I remember him in a gathering (of angels) better than his gathering". (Bukhari, Muslim Nisa'i Ibn Majah). 

Al-Tabarani related on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, saying :

"The Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : 'whoever sends upon me one prayer, Allah will reciprocate it by sending 10 prayers upon him. Whoever sends me 10 prayers, Allah will send 100 prayers upon him. Whoever sends prayers upon me 100 times, Allah will bestow upon him relief from hypocrisy and hellfire, and grant him the companionship of the martyrs on the Day of Judgement. "

This is indeed a great affair! Relief from hypocrisy reflects completeness in faith, and relief from Hell fire reflects an individual's refraining from disobedience. Companionship of the martyrs in Paradise reflects the attainment of Allah's immense satisfaction (ridwan-al-akbar) with them. 

In view of this, we should all be reciting lots of Salawaat ala Nabiy, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, regularly and in great numbers daily... when we sit/come to remember our Lord..Daily Zikr..

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported :-

"When a deceased starts to experience the intensity (of death), do not force him to read the Kalima, but give him Talqeen (ie read the Kalima of La ilaha illallah and let him hear you and this will remind him/her of it), because no munafiq (hypocrite) has died on this Kalima. "

Source: 'The Sharhus Sudoor', by Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti. 

It has been related by al-Tabaraani on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :

"Five are among the the supplications which are answered." He then mentioned them : "The supplication of a Muslim for his fellow brother who is absent, that of the just Imam, the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveller and a man who supplicates for his two parents". 

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported :

Allah's Messenger, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :

"THERE ARE 2 STATEMENTS THAT ARE LIGHT ON THE TONGUE TO REMEMBER (recite), HEAVY IN THE SCALE AND ARE DEAR TO THE MERCIFUL : 'SUBHANALLAHI WA BIHAMDIHI, SUBHANALLAH IL-AZEEM (Glory be to Allah and His is the Praise, and Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection) " /Bukhari and Muslim. 

This hadith affirms that man's actions carry weight, and on the Day of Judgement his actions will be cast into the Balance. At that time Allah endow these actions with weight, or records which register man's actions will be weighed. This is quite possible for the reason that Almighty Allah is capable of weighing things, without even their physical form. 

When actions will be cast into the Balance, the formula mentioned in the above hadith, the utterance of which is very easy, will prove weighty. Every Muslim should make it a practice to repeat them frequently. 

Best Wishes. 

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said :

"The Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, would often say 'Ya muqallaba-l-qulubi thabbit qalbi ala' dinik (O changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion) '

So I asked :' O Messenger of Allah, we believe in you and what you have come with, but do you fear for us? '

He replied,' Yes: Indeed the hearts are in between the 2 Fingers of Allah's Fingers. He changes them as He wills. "(Tirmidhi 3522)

Related to this is the hadith in Sunan Ahmad whereby the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :

" Shaytan comes to one of you and says: 'who created you?' He replies : 'Allah'. Then Shaytan says: 'who created Allah?' 

If that happens to anyone of you, let him say 'Amantu bi-llahi wa Rasulih' - - I believe in Allah and His Messengers. '

Indeed it will go away from him "(Ahmad, 25671). 

A man asked the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, "O Messenger of Allah! What is Imaan?" He replied, "When your good deeds please you and your evil deeds grieve you, then you are a believer." 

The man asked, "O Messenger of Allah, then what is sin?" Nabiy, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, replied, "When something causes a doubt in your heart, leave it out." (Musnad Ahmad, No. 22166). 

 The expression of joy and sorrow over our good and bad actions respectively are signs of faith (Imaan). 

So, let us allow our outward expression of feelings be the signal of existence of Imaan within us... and expressing sorrow over sin refers to feeling really guilty and sincerely repenting. 

In Sunan Tirmidhi is the Noble Hadith where the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, is asked:

"Where was Allah before the creation of the universe"? He replied :

"He was in the 'Ama." 

It goes on to say that it had no aboveness or belowness. In other words it was a primordial non-spatiality in non-time. 

Sayyadi Ali, may Allah ennoble his face, was asked the same question and after a long silence he said :

" To ask where was Allah is to ask of a place. Now Allah was- but there was no space. Then He created time/space and He is now as He was before time/space." 

From this, we note that 'Ama is incomprehensible. 

As recorded in Abu Nu' aim's 'Hilyat al-Awliya', Hammad ibn Salaam reported that on the authority of Talqa ibn Habib, Sayyadi Abdullahi ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said : - 

The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "Four matters are such that whoever is given them is given the good of this world and the Hereafter : a grateful heart, a tongue busy with remembrance of Allah (Zikr), a body patient with trial and faith in that which Allah has guaranteed." 

"Do not drink alcohol for it is the key to all evil" (Ibn Majah) 

"The beauty of one's Islam requires his leaving all things that do not concern him" (Ibn Hibban) 

"Livelihood seeks a person out in the same way that his death seeks him out" (Ibn Hibban) 

"Feed the hungry, visit the sick and free captives" (Bukhari) 

"The key to Paradise is Sallah and the key to Sallah is Wudu" (Tirmidhi). 

In Hadith, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :-

"Verily, Allah does not look at your appearances and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds". (Muslim). 

Allah Ta'ala does not look at your outer forms or apparel, but looks at your inside, which must be clean from : gossiping, holding grudges, lying, killing, harming others, spreading fitna.. 

Afterall, in the grave we have no clothes, no turban, no hat, no perfume.. we only have our inside: our soul, amal, manners. 

The Noble Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, mentioned that "the most beloved words to Allah are four:- SUBHANALLAH, ALHAMDULILLAH, LA-ILAHA ILLALLAH and ALLAHU AKBAR. It makes no difference with which one you begin" (reciting) /Sahih Muslim. 

And very much related to this is the Prophet's saying : "To say 'Subhanallah and Alhamdulillah and LA ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar' is more beloved to me than that from which the sun rises". (Muslim) 

In other words, reciting these phrases/words is more valuable than all this dunya and this universe. Indeed, this dunya does NOT weigh more than a wing of a mosquito in Allah's eyes as we learnt in the Hadith where the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :

"If the value of this dunya weighed the wing of a mosquito, Allah would never give a cup of water for the unbelievers to drink". (Tirmidhi) 

So, let us be constantly reciting those words as part of our daily Zikr. 

Many Regards. 

Bukhari reported on the authority of Ubada ibn al-Samiti that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :-

"Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah will love to meet him. And whoever dislikes meeting Allah, Allah will dislike to meet him". 

A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, or perhaps another one of his wives, said: "We do hate death". The Prophet replied: "This is not what I mean. But, upon death, a believer will get glad tidings from Allah that He is pleased with him and there upon he will love to meet Allah, and Allah will love to meet him. 

And as for the unbeliever, when he is dying, he gets news of the punishment of Allah and thus hates what he hears about and hates meeting Allah, so Allah hates meeting him." (Hadith Sahih). 

Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, once came forth to meet a group of the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with them. He said, "What has caused you to congragate here?". 

They replied : "We have congragated here to remember Allah Ta'ala and to praise Him for guiding us to Islam and blessing us with it. He said : By Allah! Is this the only reason for your gathering? They replied : By Allah! This is the only reason for our gathering. 

He said : I had not made you swear an oath because I disbelieve you but Jibril came to me and informed me that Allah Ta'ala is boasting about you before the angels. "(Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nisa'i and Ahmad). 

Mulla Ali Qari, may Allah be Merciful to him, explains that Allah boasts about these people despite having worldly engagements, natural desires, temptations and the Shaytan trying to mislead them, they do not neglect and turn away from Allah's Remembrance... on the other hand angels who are also always engaged in Zikr, are not faced with any of these obstacles. 

It is related that Jabir Ibn Abdullahi, may Allah be pleased with him, said to the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam:-

"O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things. He said," O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet, from His light, and that light remained (literally turned) in the midst of His power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, He divided that Light into 4 parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, (and from the fourth everything else). " (Alusi: 'Ruh al-Ma' Ani 8:71).

Interpretation on this Hadith may vary among scholars, but whatever the variation, we  agreed that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, being a Mercy to all, is linked to the fact that he is the intermediary of the Divine outpouring over all contingencies - ie all created things without exception. 

Ibn al-Hajj al-Abdari (d. 736) cites Jabir Hadith in his book 'Al-Madkhal'.. citing it from Muhammad ibn Layth's book "Shifa al-Sudur' where he says:

" The first thing Allah created is the light of Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and that light came and prostrated before Allah. Allah divided it into 4 parts and created from the first the Throne, from the second the Pen, from the third the Tablet and then similarly He divided the fourth into parts and created the rest of the creation... "