Ability to Practice 5 Things
If You Have The Ability To Practice Five
Things, You Will Never Have To Worry
About Being Amongst The Sinners Again!!!
A man came to Ibrahim Ibn Adham (Rahimahullah), who was one of the scholars whose words were
profound cures for the heart, and said:
إني مسرف على نفسي فاعرض على ما يكون زاجرا لها
"I have repeatedly transgressed against myself by commiting sin; give me something that will inhibit
me from continuing like this?
So Ibrahim said: "If you have the capacity to practice five things, you will never have to worry about
being amongst the sinners again." The man was athirst for this admonition so he said: "Ibrahim give
me these five things!" So he said:
"Firstly: If you want to disobey Allah, then don't eat anything from the provisions He facilitated for
mankind!" The man was amazed at this comment and asked: "How can you say this Ibrahim while all
of the provisions are from Allah?!" So he said: "Well if you know this, then how do you have the
audacity to eat from His provision while you are disobedient Him?!!" So the man said: "No, you're
right, we shouldn’t have! Give me the second one!"
So Ibrahim said: "Secondly: If you want to disobey Allah, then don't live in His earth!" the man was
amazed at this comment, more so than he was the first comment, so he said: "How can you say that
Ibrahim when all of the earth belongs to Allah?!" So Ibrahim said: "If you know this, then how do
you have the audacity to live in His earth while you are disobedient to Him?! The man said: "No,
you're right, we shouldn't have! Give me the third one!"
ٍSo Ibrahim said: "Thirdly: If you want to disobey Allah, then choose a place to disobey Him, where
He can't see you!" The man said: "How can you say this Ibrahim, when Allah knows the secrets of the
heart and what is hidden! He hears the crawling of an ant on a smooth boulder in the depths of the
darkness of the night!" So Ibrahim said: "Well if you know this, then how can you have the audacity
to disobey Him?!" He said "No, you're right, we shouldn't have! Give me the fourth one!"
So Ibrahim said: "Fourthly: If the angel of death comes to take your soul, say to him: "wait on taking
my soul until a later time!" So the man said: "How can you say this Ibrahim when Allah says:
فإذا جاء أجلهم لا يستأخرون ساعة ولا يستقدمون
"When their appointed time comes it will not be delayed nor will it be hastened before its time" (Surah
Al A'raf 7:24)
So Ibrahim said: "Well if you know this, then how can you expect to be successful at the time of your
death when you are disobeying Allah?!" The man said: "Yes, you're right, give me the fifth one!" So
Ibrahim said: "Fifthly: When the Zabaaniyah i.e. the angels who guard the Hell Fire, come to escort
you to the Hell Fire, then don't go with them!" The man couldn't handle the fifth one and started
crying while he was saying: "Enough Ibrahim! Enough! I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in
repentance!!!" He remained steadfast on obedience to Allah until his demise.
________________________________________________________________________
_
Translator's Note: This narration is taken from a book called Hilyat ul Awliyaa by Abu Nu'aim Al
Asbahani (Rahimahullah) and it is a book filled with narrations about amazing events during the
time of the Salaf. Some of these narrations may not be authentic or we may not know
the authenticity of them, however the scholars use them in the realm of what is called At Targheeb
wat Tarheeb (i.e. encouragement (to be obedient to Allah) and discouragement (from disobedience to
Allah) and they have stipulated 4 conditions for using these narrations and I will provide them
below for the reader's clarification:
The First: The narration can not be used to establish and/or substantiate a legislative Islamic ruling.
As the Islamic rulings in Islam are established and/or supported by authentic unequivocal and
concrete texts from the Qur'an, Authentic Sunnah and the Ijma'a (i.e. Consensus) of the Sahabah and
the Salaf us Salih (i.e. Righteous Predecessors)
The Second: The narration can not be attributed to the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) or the narrator
unless the Isnad (i.e. chain of narrators) is affirmed by those scholars who are proficient in that
respective field. So that is why the scholars will say when narrating these types of narrations "It was
reported…." Or "it was mentioned about…" but they will never say such and such said.
The Third: The class of the narration has to be clarified when quoted so as not to mislead the reader
and/or listener to believe that it is authentic if it is not authentic.
The Fourth: It can only be used in the realm of what the scholars call At Targheeb wat Tarheeb, as it
was mentioned before.
Translated by Abu Az Zubayr Shadeed Muhammad on Tuesday December 29, 2009
1431H./1/12 in the city of Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia
Things, You Will Never Have To Worry
About Being Amongst The Sinners Again!!!
A man came to Ibrahim Ibn Adham (Rahimahullah), who was one of the scholars whose words were
profound cures for the heart, and said:
إني مسرف على نفسي فاعرض على ما يكون زاجرا لها
"I have repeatedly transgressed against myself by commiting sin; give me something that will inhibit
me from continuing like this?
So Ibrahim said: "If you have the capacity to practice five things, you will never have to worry about
being amongst the sinners again." The man was athirst for this admonition so he said: "Ibrahim give
me these five things!" So he said:
"Firstly: If you want to disobey Allah, then don't eat anything from the provisions He facilitated for
mankind!" The man was amazed at this comment and asked: "How can you say this Ibrahim while all
of the provisions are from Allah?!" So he said: "Well if you know this, then how do you have the
audacity to eat from His provision while you are disobedient Him?!!" So the man said: "No, you're
right, we shouldn’t have! Give me the second one!"
So Ibrahim said: "Secondly: If you want to disobey Allah, then don't live in His earth!" the man was
amazed at this comment, more so than he was the first comment, so he said: "How can you say that
Ibrahim when all of the earth belongs to Allah?!" So Ibrahim said: "If you know this, then how do
you have the audacity to live in His earth while you are disobedient to Him?! The man said: "No,
you're right, we shouldn't have! Give me the third one!"
ٍSo Ibrahim said: "Thirdly: If you want to disobey Allah, then choose a place to disobey Him, where
He can't see you!" The man said: "How can you say this Ibrahim, when Allah knows the secrets of the
heart and what is hidden! He hears the crawling of an ant on a smooth boulder in the depths of the
darkness of the night!" So Ibrahim said: "Well if you know this, then how can you have the audacity
to disobey Him?!" He said "No, you're right, we shouldn't have! Give me the fourth one!"
So Ibrahim said: "Fourthly: If the angel of death comes to take your soul, say to him: "wait on taking
my soul until a later time!" So the man said: "How can you say this Ibrahim when Allah says:
فإذا جاء أجلهم لا يستأخرون ساعة ولا يستقدمون
"When their appointed time comes it will not be delayed nor will it be hastened before its time" (Surah
Al A'raf 7:24)
So Ibrahim said: "Well if you know this, then how can you expect to be successful at the time of your
death when you are disobeying Allah?!" The man said: "Yes, you're right, give me the fifth one!" So
Ibrahim said: "Fifthly: When the Zabaaniyah i.e. the angels who guard the Hell Fire, come to escort
you to the Hell Fire, then don't go with them!" The man couldn't handle the fifth one and started
crying while he was saying: "Enough Ibrahim! Enough! I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in
repentance!!!" He remained steadfast on obedience to Allah until his demise.
________________________________________________________________________
_
Translator's Note: This narration is taken from a book called Hilyat ul Awliyaa by Abu Nu'aim Al
Asbahani (Rahimahullah) and it is a book filled with narrations about amazing events during the
time of the Salaf. Some of these narrations may not be authentic or we may not know
the authenticity of them, however the scholars use them in the realm of what is called At Targheeb
wat Tarheeb (i.e. encouragement (to be obedient to Allah) and discouragement (from disobedience to
Allah) and they have stipulated 4 conditions for using these narrations and I will provide them
below for the reader's clarification:
The First: The narration can not be used to establish and/or substantiate a legislative Islamic ruling.
As the Islamic rulings in Islam are established and/or supported by authentic unequivocal and
concrete texts from the Qur'an, Authentic Sunnah and the Ijma'a (i.e. Consensus) of the Sahabah and
the Salaf us Salih (i.e. Righteous Predecessors)
The Second: The narration can not be attributed to the Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) or the narrator
unless the Isnad (i.e. chain of narrators) is affirmed by those scholars who are proficient in that
respective field. So that is why the scholars will say when narrating these types of narrations "It was
reported…." Or "it was mentioned about…" but they will never say such and such said.
The Third: The class of the narration has to be clarified when quoted so as not to mislead the reader
and/or listener to believe that it is authentic if it is not authentic.
The Fourth: It can only be used in the realm of what the scholars call At Targheeb wat Tarheeb, as it
was mentioned before.
Translated by Abu Az Zubayr Shadeed Muhammad on Tuesday December 29, 2009
1431H./1/12 in the city of Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia