Treating Doubts in One’s Faith: Imam al-Sa’di

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included the following hadith and explanation in his book of comprehensive hadith narrations:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «يَأْتِي الشَّيْطَانُ أَحَدَكُمْ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا؟ مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا؟ حَتَّى يَقُولَ: مَنْ خَلَقَ الله؟ فإذا بلغه فليستعذ بالله، ولينته» . وفي لفظ «فليقل: آمنت بالله ورسله» متفق عليه. وَفِي لَفْظٍ «لَا يَزَالُ النَّاسُ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ حَتَّى يقولوا: من خلق الله؟» . ـ

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said that Allah’s Messenger said:

The Shaytaan comes to one of you and says, “who created that?” and “who created that?” until he says, “who created Allah?” When it comes to that, then the person should seek refuge in Allah and give up such thoughts.

and in another narration:

The person should say, “I believe in Allah and His Messenger.”

This was reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim. And in another narration:

People will continue asking one another until they say, “Who created Allah?”

احتوى هذا الحديث على أنه لا بد أن يلقي الشيطان هذا الإيراد الباطل: إما وسوسة محضة، أو على لسان شياطين الإنس وملاحدتهم. وقد وقع كما أخبر، فإن الأمرين وقعا، لا يزال الشيطان يدفع إلى قلوب من ليست لهم بصيرة هذا السؤال الباطل، ولا يزال أهل الإلحاد يلقون هذه الشبهة التي هي أبطل الشبه، ويتكلمون عن العلل وعن مواد العالم بكلام سخيف معروف. ـ

This hadith indicates that the shaytaan will certainly employ this wicked scheme: either simply through whisperings, or through the speech of some of the human shayaateen and heretics. And it has happened exactly as he said it would, for both of these things do occur. The shaytaan continuously prods and pushes the hearts of those without clear vision with such futile questions, and the heretics continuously introduce these doubts, which are the most vile form of doubts, always talking about the causes of things and the make-up of the universe with patently absurd speech.

وقد أرشد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في هذا الحديث العظيم إلى دفع هذا السؤال بأمور ثلاثة: بالانتهاء، والعوذ من الشيطان، وبالإيمان. ـ

In this wonderful hadith, the Prophet guides us to repel such question with three steps:

1. Halting such questions
2. Seeking refuge from the shaytaan
3. Having eemaan

Two Joys for the Fasting Person: Imam al-Sa’di

In his collection of comprehensive statements of the Prophet (ﷺ), Imam ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Naasir al-Sa’di brought the following hadeeth:

الحديث الخامس والثلاثون: للصائم فرحتان

Hadeeth #35: There are Two Joys for the Fasting Person

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ: الْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ. فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ؛ يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ: فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ فِطْرِهِ، وَفَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ. ولَخَلُوف فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ. وَالصَّوْمُ جُنَّة. وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَصْخَبْ، فَإِنْ سابَّه أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ، فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صائم” متفق عليه . ـ

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ: الْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ. فَإِنَّهُ لِي، وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ؛ يَدَعُ شَهْوَتَهُ وَطَعَامَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِي. لِلصَّائِمِ فَرْحَتَانِ: فَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ فِطْرِهِ، وَفَرْحَةٌ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِ. ولَخَلُوف فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ. وَالصَّوْمُ جُنَّة. وَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ صَوْمِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَصْخَبْ، فَإِنْ سابَّه أَحَدٌ أَوْ قَاتَلَهُ، فَلْيَقُلْ: إِنِّي امْرُؤٌ صائم

Every deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied: a single good deed tenfold up to seven hundred times. Allah said, “Except for the fasting, for it is for Me, and I shall reward for it: he has left off his desires and his food for My Sake.” The fasting person has two occasions of joy: a joy at the time of his breaking the fast, and a joy at the time of meeting his Lord. And the smell from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the fragrance of misk. And fasting is a shield. And when it is a day of fasting for one of you, then do not engage in obscene speech nor raise your voice, then if anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say, “I am a fasting person.”

This is agreed upon [i.e. both al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded it].

ما أعظم هذا الحديث؛ فإنه ذكر الأعمال عموماً، ثم الصيام خصوصاً وذكر فضله وخواصه، وثوابه العاجل والآجل، وبيان حكمته، والمقصود منه، وما ينبغي فيه من الآداب الفاضلة. كلها احتوى عليها هذا الحديث. ـ

What is more magnificent than this hadeeth! For indeed it mentions deeds generally, then fasting specifically and it makes mention of its virtues and attributes and both its immediate and delayed rewards, and (also) an explanation of the wisdom behind it and the objective of it, as well as what is appropriate regarding it of honorable etiquettes. All of these things are included in this hadeeth!