USMANI DISCOURSES. English translation and explanation of talks by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB.

The root cause of Takabbur   Hadhrat Thanavi RE said:    “the root cause of Takabbur is not being really cognizant of Allah Ta'ala's greatness.”

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   “A person's ego is a great barrier. It cannot be treated without crushing it.”

Hadhrat Thanvi RE has described a unique practical treatment for Gheebat. This treatment is very difficult, but if someone does it Insha'Allah he will be able to quit Gheebat within a few days. He said;   “A practical treatment for Gheebat is that whenever a person commits someone's Gheebat, he should let that person know that I have committed your Gheebat. Insha'Allah this illness of Gheebat will subside within a few days of this treatment.”

Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah be pleased with him) said;   “If there is a genuine religious need then Gheebat is permissible in those situations, for example, the way Muhaddithin (scholars of Hadith) have discussed the narrators of Hadith. However, if there is no pressing religious need, and the purpose behind Gheebat is only to do gossip and to enjoy it, then in those situations even telling someone's true flaws (behind his back) is Haraam (unlawful), and saying something untrue without any effort to find out the truth is ‘Buhtaan' (slander). The basis of what is said being a lie is not upon making an effort to confirm that it is a lie, but upon not making an effort to find out the truth.”  

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   “The real treatment of thinking ill of others (Badgumani), undue curiosity (Tajassus), and Gheebat (backbiting) is to adopt Tawazu' (humility) and remove Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity) from one's heart. But until one gets rid of these core spiritual illnesses, until such time he should treat his illness of Gheebat in the following way; (1) reflect and ponder before you say anything, (2) fix some fine on yourself if you do slip up (and commit Gheebat), and (3) divert your attention towards Allah Ta'ala's Dhikr (remembrance) when you get bad thoughts about others.” 

Allah Ta'ala says in the Noble Qur'an,    “O you who believe, abstain from many of the suspicions. Some suspicions are sins. And do not be curious (to find out faults of others), and do not backbite one another. Does one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful.” (49:12)

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) said;   “It has been narrated in a Hadith that if you hear that a mountain has moved from its place then accept it, but if you hear about a person that his internal attributes have changed then do not accept it. This tells us that with Riyazat (sustained effort) a person's internal attributes do not subside totally, they just become attenuated.”    What it means is that in the Hadith it has been negated that if you hear that a person's anger has subsided completely, do not accept it, because a person's internal attributes do not change completely. However, through Riyazat (sustained effort) and Suhbat (companionship) this anger can be brought under control. Then a person doesn't get angry all the time. He may get angry but only in situations where Shariah permits him to get angry, and even in that anger he does not cross limits set by Shariah. 

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) said,   “The crux of Tasawwuf is that when a person is finding it difficult to perform a commandment of Shariah because of a lack of motivation, he should fight that lack of motivation to obey that commandment, and when a person is finding it difficult to resist temptations to commit a sin because of lack of motivation, then he should fight that lack of motivation to refrain from that sin. This is what gives rise to a closer relationship with Allah, this is what makes that relationship stronger, and this is what sustains it.”

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) further used to say that the aim of treating bad moral values is not to get rid of them completely, as many of these are natural instincts and it is not possible to do so. The idea is to keep opposing them through one's thoughts and behaviours so much that they become so weak as if they do not exist anymore. This process of enhancing and further developing good moral values, and weakening and attenuating bad moral values, is called Tazkiyah and this is the primary goal of Tasawwuf.

Tazkiyah literally means purifying something. There are many commandments of Shariah which pertain to a person's body, as in they are carried out physically. Some of them are DOs (اوامر) for example, pray Salah, observe fasting, give Zakat, perform Hajj, etc., and some of them are DON'T's (نواہی), for example, do not tell a lie, do not do Gheebat(backbiting), do not drink alcohol, do not steal, do not commit robbery, etc.   In exactly the same way, there are many commandments of Shariah which pertain to a person's mind, or inner self. Some of these are DOs called Awamir (اوامر). Developing these good moral values is Wajib (necessary) and a person's Deendoesn't become complete unless he develops these good moral values. For example, it is Wajib (necessary) to perform Shukr (being thankful to Allah Ta'ala for His blessings upon us), observing Sabr (patience, steadfastness) if something undesirable happens, observing Tawakkul (placing one's complete trust in Allah Ta'ala), developing Tawazu (humility, believing others to be better than oneself), and developing Ikhlas (sincerity of intention, meaning whatever a person does, he does it solely with the intention of seeking Allah Ta'ala's pleasure and approval). Developing Ikhlas is Wajib as no act of worship is acceptable without Ikhlas. All these good moral values such as Shukr, Sabr, Tawazu and Ikhlas are called Akhlaq-e-Fazilah (اخلاقِ فاضلہ) and trying to develop them is Wajib (necessary).   Similarly, there are some bad or undesirable moral values in our minds or inner-self which are Haraam (impermissible) and we must try to remove them from our minds. These are called Akhlaq-e-Razilah (اخلاقِ رذیلہ). If these traits are present in us, then a person has to try to suppress and attenuate them so that they do not lead a person to commit sinful acts. The examples of such undesirable mental traits are Takabbur (تکبّر) (grandiosity, believing oneself to be superior to other people), Hasad (حسد) (envy, being jealous of the good things others have and wishing or making efforts that they lose them), Riya (ریا) (doing acts of worship with the intention of pleasing people, rather than pleasing Allah Ta'ala), and impatience (بے صبری) (not accepting what Allah Ta'ala has decided for us and keep complaining about fate), etc. Having the habit of becoming unduly or excessively angry without just reason is also one of these bad moral values. These bad moral values are as Haraam (impermissible) as committing a robbery or telling a lie.    In summary, there are some good or desirable moral values (Akhlaq-e-Fazilah) pertaining to our inner-self which it is incumbent upon us to develop, and there are some bad moral values (Akhlaq-e-Razilah) pertaining to our inner-self which we are required to attenuate and control. The role of a Sufi Shaykh is to inculcate and enhance the former, and attenuate and weaken the latter, in the minds of his spiritual pupils called Mureed (مرید). 

Hadhrat Thanvi RE further said;   “Along with apologizing, it is also necessary that you praise the person whose Gheebat you had committed, in front of the same people in front of whom you had committed his Gheebat, and clarify that you were wrong.”   This is because you have apologized to him, and have also done Istighfar in front of Allah Ta'ala, but the people in front of whom you had committed his Gheebat are still carrying that bad impression from what you had said. To negate that bad impression, now you should praise him in front of the same people and admit that what you had said may not have been completely true.    Hadhrat Thanvi then said;   “And if what you had said wasn't wrong, it was true, then say something like, ‘please do not start doubting that person because of what I had said because now even I am not 100 percent sure whether what I had said was true or not.' This will be توریہ because one cannot be 100 percent sure about anything without Wahy (Divine revelation).”   It means that if what you had said was true, now you cannot knowingly say that it wasn't true. Rather, say something like “do not start thinking bad of that person because of what I had said because now I am also not sure whether what I had said is 100 percent true or not.” For 100 percent certainty one needs either direct observation or divine revelation. There is no other way of having 100 percent certainty. Therefore, it is okay to make a statement like this. Insha'Allah it will atone to some extent for the Gheebat you had committed about that person.

Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   The Holy Prophet's ﷺ Sunnah in seeking forgiveness   Once the Holy Prophet ﷺ stood in front of a large gathering of his Companions and said, “if I owe some money to someone, he should tell me and take it from me. If I had hurt someone physically he can either take revenge for it, or forgive me.” One companion stood up and said, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ, one day you had hit me on my back.” The Holy Prophet said ﷺ, “If I had hit you on your back, then you have a right to hit me on my back.” When the companion came close to him he said, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ! When you had hit me, I didn't have a cloth covering my back, but there is a cloth covering your back.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ lifted his cloth. The real intention of the companion was not to take revenge, it was to kiss the seal of Prophethood and so he did. But the Holy Prophet ﷺ was prepared that if he owed a right to anyone, he was ready for that person to take revenge from him.

Hazrat Thanvi RE said;   “Otherwise, with Mujahidah (sustained effort), neither a greedy person's greed goes away completely, nor a miser's miserliness, or Mutakabbir's (person who has Takabbur in his heart) Takabbur (arrogance, grandiosity). However, they do get weakened.”

The bad moral values that exist in a person's inner-self are called Akhlaq-e-Razilah (اخلاقِ رذیلہ).    Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) has said;   “Salik (a mentee or pupil in Tasawuf) should get his bad moral values rectified one by one by the Shaykh. When one bad moral value becomes attenuated and comes under his full control, then he should start getting the next one rectified. He should not wait for the first one to go away or be eradicated completely as it is impossible. There are many benefits behind the existence of these bad moral values.” Hazrat Thanvi RE further said;   “The aim of attenuating bad moral values is to weaken them to an extent that they come under the person's control. ‘Weakening' means that after Mujahidah (sustained effort) it becomes easier to oppose those impulses.”

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) further said;   “A person will continue to need treatment (for spiritual ills) until and unless these internal desires are completely extinguished, and there is no way of completely extinguishing these internal desires.” Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) said;   “The cure of all negative attributes of a person's inner-self is reflection and forbearance. Whatever act he is going to perform, first he should reflect on whether it is permissible under Shariah or not. And he should not rush to do things, he should practice forbearance.”

Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) said that;   “Opposing the impulse and drive to commit a sin is called Mujahidah (مجاہدہ) (sustained effort). That impulse arises from some spiritual illness or weakness. The weakening or attenuation of that spiritual illness with sustained effort is called Riyazat (ریاضت).”

Imam Shafa'i's (RE) remaining quiet before replying   It has been written about Imam Shafa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) that when someone asked him a question sometimes he remained quiet for a period of time and did not reply immediately. Someone asked, “Hadhrat! It has been so long but you have not said anything.” Imam Shafa'i RE replied;   “I am quiet because I am reflecting on whether it is better for me to stay quiet or speak.”

In a Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said;   “The thing that will make people fall face down in Hell most often will be the words that have come out of their mouth.” It is narrated in a Hadith that a Companion (Sahabi) asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ, which is the most exalted act of worship?” He replied, “the most exalted act of worship is that your tongue always remains active with Allah's Dhikr (remembrance).” To protect oneself from Gheebat Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah have mercy on him) has described a general rule which is;   “Do not say anything before reflecting on it first. It will happen sometimes that you won't remember to think about it but if you keep reminding yourself about it, you will start remembering most of the time to think before you speak. Insha'Allah (God willing) you won't neglect it then. Whenever you are about to say something, think first whether what you are about to say will constitute a sin. Insha'Allah this will lead to improvement.”

In a Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said;   لا طاعة لمخلوق فی معصیة الخالق   “There is no disobeying the Creator in obeying the creation”.

It is permissible to do Gheebat in situations where the primary purpose is to save a person from coming to some sort of harm. For example, a person comes to you and asks that someone wants to marry his daughter, and asks you if you know what kind of person that man is. If you know something about that person which is important in relation to this marriage proposal, then if you tell that person about it with the intention that he and his daughter will be saved from coming to harm, then this is not included in Gheebat. Just like it is not permissible to do Gheebat of a pious person, it is not permissible to do Gheebat of a sinner.  Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) said;   “If a person commits Gheebat or some useless conversation in front of a Salik (a disciple on the path of purification of inner-self) and he does not have the power to stop him from doing so, then he should leave that sitting, and he should not care about hurting the other person's feelings, because not harming one's own Deen is far more important than hurting someone's feelings. If he is not able to leave that sitting openly then he should make some excuse to get up, or change the topic away from Gheebat.”

The Noble Qur'an says;   “…and do not backbite one another. Does one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it…” (49:12) Once a Sahabi (companion) asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ, “O Prophet of Allah! If I am doing Gheebat about someone but what I am saying is true, is it still a sin?” The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, “If what you are saying bad about a person is true and you are telling the truth, then it is Gheebat. But if what you are saying about him is not true and you are telling a lie, then you are also committing the sin of Bohtaan in addition to Gheebat.” In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has told us a remedy that can only come from a Messenger of Allah. If we follow this advice it would lead to peace and harmony in our society and abolition of all conflicts. That remedy is    احب لا خیک ما تحب لنفسک واکرہ لغیرک ما یکرہ لنفسک   It means that “like for your brother what you like for yourself, and dislike for your brother what you dislike for yourself.”

The Holy Companions used to say, “O Allah, if You had not granted us Taufeeq (motivation) we wouldn't have received guidance, we would neither have been inclined to give Sadaqah, nor to pray Salah. Whatever good deeds we perform is because of the Taufeeq You have given us, therefore, we thank You for this Taufeeq, and seek forgiveness for our mistakes.”  I heard the following saying of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) from my Shaykh that if a person says the following words after performing a good deed,   “Alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah), Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah),”   the Satan says that this person has broken my back. It is because by saying Alhamdulillah the person expresses his gratefulness to Allah Ta'ala for granting him the motivation to perform that good deed thus protecting himself from Takabbur, and by saying Astaghfirullah he does not focus too much on his mistakes under the influence of undue Tawazu'.

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that the person who says that everyone else has lost the right path, is the one who has lost the right path himself. 

Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   “It is permissible that you get angry with someone who commits a sin, but never think of them as being inferior to you. And if you are ever tasked with correcting someone's behaviour, never think you are better than them. It is possible that they are like the prince and you are just the prince's tutor. If the king orders the tutor to discipline the prince, it does not mean that the tutor has become superior to the prince.” (Infas-e-Essa) “Those who are traversing the path of Tazkiyah (purification of inner-self) get afflicted by two types of spiritual illnesses. The first is Kibr (grandiosity, arrogance), and the second is excessive Tawazu' (humility). Kibr is that if a person starts reciting some Tasbeehat, they start believing that they have become a great saint, if they start praying Salah they start looking down upon those who do not pray Salah. The treatment of this Kibr is to remind oneself that Kibr is one of the greatest sins and many a pious people lost their way because they had developed Kibr. Satan, who at one time was famous for his worship of Allah Ta'ala, was condemned for all eternity purely because of his Kibr.   (Unduly) Excessive Tawazu' is that a person starts denigrating himself to the extent that he starts rubbishing his prayers, for example, people start saying things like they pray Salah but there is no Khushu' (humbleness of heart) in it, they do Dhikr (remembrance) but do not get any spiritual benefit out of it, so their acts of worship are useless (Ma'az Allah). The treatment of this unduly excessive Tawazu' is to say to Allah Ta'ala that ‘O Allah! I am extremely grateful to you that you have given me the motivation to pray Salah and do Dhikr. Otherwise, it was not my station to worship You without You allowing me to do so.”

Hadhrat Thanavi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   Allah Ta'ala and the Holy Prophet ﷺ do not want delaying good deeds, rather they want people hurrying to perform good deeds. For example, it has been said in the Holy Qur'an; “…Strive, then, to excel each other in good deeds…” (2:148) and “…and hasten towards good deeds…” (3:114). Similarly, when it says in the Hadith that ‘thawab' (reward for good deeds) are multiplied in Ramadan, it implies that when we are in Ramadan, we should hasten to perform good deeds before it finishes. Do not delay it thinking you will perform these good deeds after Ramadan. It is because the reward for performing the same good deeds is much higher if performed in Ramadan. However, it does not mean that we should postpone performing good deeds waiting for Ramadan. For example, if the Zakat year finishes on 28 Sha'ban, then not paying Zakat during Sha'ban and to keep waiting till Ramadan in the hope of getting greater reward is not correct.

Tehdees-e-Naimah (acknowledging Allah Ta'ala's blessings upon oneself) is such an important act of worship that Allah Ta'ala has commanded the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the Holy Qur'an to perform it;   “And about the bounty of your Lord, do talk.” (93:11)   In obedience of this divine command the Holy Prophet ﷺ recounted Allah Ta'ala's blessings upon himself on many occasions. On one occasion he said;   “I am the leader of the sons of Adam. But I do not take pride in it.”   In obedience to Allah Ta'ala's command he acknowledged that Allah Ta'ala had made him the leader, the master, of all the progeny of Hadhrat Adam (peace be upon him). However, he was also mindful that this Tehdees-e-Naimah should not enter into the realm of Takabbur, so he immediately added that I am not proud of it, I do not boast about it. This is worth learning that even the Holy Prophet ﷺ was so careful that any of his words may not cross the line of Takabbur even in appearance. On the day of conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was entering that city as a conqueror the residents of which had forced him to leave his city of birth, had plotted to kill him, had thrown filth over him, had thrown stones at him. Had it been anyone else entering that city as a conqueror in those circumstances, he would have been holding his head high with arrogance, his neck would have been stiff, and he would have been shouting “there is no one like me”. But the Holy Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah in a fashion that his head was bowed to the extent that his chin was touching his chest, tears were running from his eyes, and he was reciting the following verses of the Holy Qur'an;   “Surely, We have granted you an open victory, so that Allah may forgive you of your previous and subsequent faults, and may complete His favour upon you, and may guide you to a straight path,” (48:1-2)   This is true Tehdees-e-Naimah because by reciting the verses “انّا فتحنا لک فتحا مبینا” the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reminding himself that this conquest has been granted by Allah Ta'ala and that it is Allah's blessing upon the Muslims. And this reminding oneself of blessings of Allah Ta'ala upon oneself leads a person to developing humility and gratefulness, and to orientating oneself even more towards Allah Ta'ala. These are signs that this is Tehdees-e-Naimah.

Hadhrat Thanvi (may Allah have mercy on him) said;   “Another treatment of Takabbur is to keep reminding oneself of Allah Ta'ala's greatness, especially at those times when there is a risk of Takabbur. What is even better is to set a time aside every day to reflect on Allah Ta'ala's greatness.”   What is also worth reminding oneself of is the reply a wise elder gave to a Mutakabbir person. He said to the wise elder, “Do you not know who I am?” The wise elder replied, “I know very well who you are. Your beginning was a drop of dirty water. Your end will be a foul-smelling carcass. You will reach a situation when even your loved ones will not be willing to keep you at home. Rather they will throw you in a ditch because if they keep you at home, your foul odour will pervade through the whole house. And in between this beginning and end, you are carrying kilos of sewage within your body at any given time.”

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said;   “That person will not enter paradise whose neighbour is not safe from being hurt by him.”   In another Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said;   “Keep the space in front of your home clean.” TREATING ONE'S NON-MUSLIM NEIGHBOURS WELL   Hazrat Mujahid (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him), who was a special pupil of Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him), narrates that once he was sitting with him. His servant was taking the skin off a slaughtered goat. Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar RAA said to him, “When you have taken the skin off, first send the meat to our Jewish neighbour.” A person who was sitting beside them exclaimed, “Sending meat to a Jew! May Allah show you the right path.”    Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar RAA replied, “I have heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ emphasize about treating one's neighbours well so much that we started thinking that neighbours will be given a share in inheritance.”

Part 4 of the talk “THREE SIGNS OF BEING FORTUNATE” By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB. It is a matter of having a great character that a person is mindful all the time that he does not hurt anyone with his words. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “A true Muslim is one whose tongue (words) and hands (actions) other Muslims are safe from.” This Hadith forms the core of all rules of Ma'ashrat (ways of living with other people). Hazrat Aisha (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) has narrated that one night it was her turn for the Holy Prophet ﷺ to spend the night in her home. Hazrat Aisha RAA wanted to prepare some special food for him out of her exceptional love for him. But how to cook special food as she spent in the way of Allah Ta'ala whatever came to her house? She cooked a roti from whatever flour was in the house. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ came, it was very cold. He said to Hazrat Aisha RAA that he was feeling cold. She arranged a warm bed for him. He lied down in it and fell asleep. Hazrat Aisha RAA was waiting for him to wake up so that she could serve him the roti she had cooked with such love. In the meanwhile, the neighbour's goat came to their house and took the roti that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) had cooked with such love and affection. Hazrat Aisha RAA was watching the goat take the roti, but because the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sleeping, she did not stop the goat from taking the roti even when it took the roti out of her home. She felt very sad. As soon as the Holy Prophet ﷺ woke up she ran towards the door to see if she could find that goat. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ saw her distressed, he asked what the matter was. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) told him the whole story that she had made that roti for him with such love and affection, and the goat had run away with it. That was why she was very sad. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “bring if any part of the roti is left. But do not hurt your neighbour because of that goat, and do not say anything harsh to them that your goat ate my roti. It is worth noting that the first thing the Holy Prophet ﷺ said was not to say anything hurtful to the neighbour, because it was not their fault that the goat ate the roti. And even if it was, maintaining relations with one's neighbours is much more important that one roti. These days we can't even imagine the value of that roti that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with her) had cooked. We live in such affluence that if we lose one roti, it doesn't make any difference to us. But if we think back of those days, Hazrat Aisha RAA had only a little bit of barley with which she could barely make one roti, and the goat takes away even that roti. In spite of that, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised her with emphasis not to say anything harsh to the neighbour.

Part 4 of the talk “THREE SIGNS OF BEING FORTUNATE” By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB. There is a Hadith which carries a grave warning. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “The thing which will make people fall face down in Jahannam (Hell) the most, is a person's tongue.”

Part 3 of the talk “THREE SIGNS OF BEING FORTUNATE” By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that there are so many rights of neighbours, and Jibrai'l (Gabriel) Amin (AS) kept stressing upon the rights of neighbours so much that I started thinking that neighbours will also get a share of inheritance. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated that someone asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ; “O Prophet of Allah. There are two women. One of them prays Tahajjud all night, fasts during the day, does many other good deeds, and gives Sadaqah. However, she also hurts her neighbours with her tongue (words). What is the judgment for this woman?” The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, “There is no Khair (good) in this woman. She is destined for (Hell) fire.” Then he was asked; “there is another woman who prays Fard (compulsory), but not Nafl, (supererogatory) Salah, and if she does give Sadaqah she only gives some pieces of cheese (meaning she doesn't give anything valuable in charity), but she does not cause harm to or hurt anyone.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ was then asked about the status of such a woman. He replied; “She will be one of the people in Jannah (paradise).”

Part 2 of the talk “THREE SIGNS OF BEING FORTUNATE” By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) has narrated a story in his sermons that there was person who had great treasures of gold and silver. He used to go to inspect his treasures every week. The padlocks of his treasures were such that they could be opened only from the outside. One day when he went to inspect his treasures and went inside, the door closed behind him. He made many efforts to open the door from the inside but was unable to do so. He was sitting among all sorts of treasure of gold and silver, but they could neither satiate his hunger, nor quench his thirst. Eventually he died of thirst sitting between all his treasures.

Part 1 of the talk "“THREE SIGNS OF BEING FORTUNATE” by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB The Holy Prophet ﷺ used to say the following prayer after Wudu; “O Allah! Please forgive my sins, please grant me spaciousness in my house, and grant me Barakah (blessing) in my sustenance.” In this prayer the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked for Barakah (blessing) in his sustenance. He did not pray for a great amount of sustenance, for example, he did not say, “O Allah Ta'ala, give me a lot of sustenance.” Rather, he said, “O Allah Ta'ala, grant me Barakah in my sustenance.” It means that he is asking that even if the sustenance is not large in numbers, even if the wealth is not too great, but it should have Barakah.

The last advice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Part 9. Once the Holy Prophet ﷺ was going somewhere. On the way, he saw Hazrat Abu Zar Ghaffari (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) scolding his slave. That slave was Habshi (of African origin) so he was saying to him, “O' Habshi, you are doing this.” When the Holy Prophet ﷺ heard these words, he said, “O' Abu Zar! It seems like you still have some habits from the days of Jahiliyah (ignorance). That is why you are addressing your slave as O' Habshi.” Hazrat Abu Zar Ghaffari RAA started crying upon hearing these words, and even later he used to remember again and again that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had said this about me. Once Hazrat Siddiq Akbar (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) was scolding one's slave and saying some curse words to him. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ heard this, he said; “You are a Siddiq and you also curse! By the God of Ka'abah both of these traits cannot be combined together.” Meaning that a person cannot be a Siddiq and also be cursing other people. If a person is a Siddiq he cannot curse other people, and the person who curses other people cannot be a Siddiq. Hazrat Siddiq Akbar RAA trembled upon hearing this and freed not just the slave he had been cursing but also many other slaves.

The last advice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Part 8. English translation of a talk by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB Hazrat Anas (may Allah Ta'ala be pleased with him) remained in the service of the Holy Prophet ﷺ for about ten years. About how the Holy Prophet ﷺ treated him during all this time, he himself says; “I served the Holy Prophet ﷺ for ten years. During all this time he never even said ‘uff' (an expression of exasperation) to me, neither scolded me, nor told me off, and never said ‘why did you do this do this', or ‘why did you not do this'.” This seems simple enough in saying, but if someone tries to follow this Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, only then they will realise what supreme self-control it will require to consistently do this for ten years! We are happy following the easy Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, but this is also a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and we must try to follow it too. May Allah Ta'ala grant us the motivation to follow all these Sunnah too. Aameen

The last advice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Part 7. English translation of a talk by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB In a Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “Your employees are your brothers. Allah Ta'ala has made them your subordinates. Give them to eat the same food that you eat yourselves, and give them to wear what you wear yourselves.” It is narrated in a Hadith that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ passed Hazrat Abu Masud on his way. He was being angry with his slave and telling him off. It looked as if he was close to hitting him. Upon seeing this the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “Allah Ta'ala has more power over you than you have over this slave.”

The last advice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Part 6. English translation of a talk by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB The third advice the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave at the time of his parting from this mortal world, was related to the (Huqooq al-Ibad) Rights of People. He said; وما ملکت ایمانکم By using this word, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has cautioned people to be especially mindful of the rights of those people who are your subordinates, and who Allah Ta'ala has given you some sort of authority over. He emphasized it because people who are equal in status, do not hesitate in demanding their rights. But the person who is someone's subordinate, cannot always demand his rights forcefully because of the status difference between him and his bosses. Sometimes he believes in his heart that he deserves more, but cannot demand so because of fear of consequences. Therefore, unless you have fear of Allah Ta'ala in your heart, and you are mindful that you have to fulfil his rights, then you will not be able to discharge his rights due towards you fully and completely.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said; “When it is morning time, do not wait for the evening, and when it is evening, do not wait for the morning. Consider yourself to be one of those people who are in their graves.” It means that keep thinking that you may be going to your grave any moment, therefore, do not postpone things you need to do, for tomorrow. Satan has unique ways of deceiving people. So, it won't try to convince a Muslim to give up praying Salah, or try to convince him that it is not important. It puts thoughts into a Muslim's mind that “Salah is very important, but I will start praying it at a time when I know I will keep praying it regularly from then on. I don't feel I am ready for that today, so what is the point of praying just one Salah or praying it for just one day. I will start from tomorrow.” When the chore for which a person had postponed his plan of starting Salah is finished, he comes across another chore, another commitment, and then another. And this way the Satan makes him keep postponing starting Salah to ‘tomorrow', but tomorrow never comes.

The last advice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Part 4. English translation of a talk by Mufti Taqi Usmani DB The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said; “When it is morning time, do not wait for the evening, and when it is evening, do not wait for the morning. Consider yourself to be one of those people who are in their graves.” It means that keep thinking that you may be going to your grave any moment, therefore, do not postpone things you need to do, for tomorrow. Satan has unique ways of deceiving people. So, it won't try to convince a Muslim to give up praying Salah, or try to convince him that it is not important. It puts thoughts into a Muslim's mind that “Salah is very important, but I will start praying it at a time when I know I will keep praying it regularly from then on. I don't feel I am ready for that today, so what is the point of praying just one Salah or praying it for just one day. I will start from tomorrow.” When the chore for which a person had postponed his plan of starting Salah is finished, he comes across another chore, another commitment, and then another. And this way the Satan makes him keep postponing starting Salah to ‘tomorrow', but tomorrow never comes.

The proper way of performing Qada-e-Umri is to start praying a Qada prayer with every Fard (compulsory) prayer, for example, Fajr with Fajr, Zuhur with Zuhur, and Asr with Asr. The way of praying an individual Qada prayer to make a Niyyah (intention) before praying it that, for example, I am praying the first Fajr Qada Salah that is due towards me, and the same with all other prayers. And then keep doing it every day. The person should also write a will that he is starting to pray Qada-e-Umri from that date, and will be praying one Qada(missed) Salah with every Fard (compulsory) Salah, and that he has three years of Qada Salah due towards him. However, if he dies before praying all the Qada Salah, then the Fidyah (compensation money) should be paid to needy people from his estate. If a person does not leave such a will, then it is not Wajib (necessary) for his inheritors to pay that Fidyah. In Shariah, a person has full disposing authority over his assets only in his life, and before any terminal illness starts. If someone develops a terminal illness then they can dispose of only up to a third of their assets. It is not permissible for them to dispose of more than a third of their assets. So, if a person does not make a will for paying Fidyah while still alive and not suffering from a terminal illness, against his remaining Qada Salah upon his death, then it is not Wajib (necessary) for his inheritors to pay the Fidyah for his Qada Salah even if he has left behind hundreds of thousands of rupees. However, if they wish to do so out of their own free will, then they have the right to do so. That is why everyone should make a will as soon as possible that if he dies before he is able to pray all the Qada Salahdue towards him, then the Fidyah (compensation) for the remaining Qada Salah should be paid from his inheritance. And he should also start praying the Qada Salah one by one from today. If a person starts doing these two things, then if he dies before he can pray all his Qada Salah, Insha'Allah he will be forgiven. But if a person doesn't do these two things, neither he starts praying the Qada Salah, nor does he make a will for his remaining Qada Salah in case of his death, then he is being neglectful of one of the greatest Ibadah.

The Holy Qur'an and Hadith are full of commandments about praying Salah. The commandment to establish Salah comes more than 60 times in the Holy Qur'an. It has been narrated in a Hadith that in the Aakhirah (Hereafter) the first question we will be asked, will be about Salah. We will be held accountable for how many Salah we prayed, how many we have missed, and how many we prayed after their time had passed. When a person starts preparing for Aakhirah the first thing they need to do is to take account of their Salah, as to how many they have not prayed since it became incumbent upon them after attaining puberty. It is for the reason above it has been the practice of our wise elders that whenever someone came to them seeking to establish Islahi Ta'alluq (mentoring relationship for self-improvement), the first teaching they received was in performing Taubah (repentance) from previous sins. There is a general or in principle Taubah, and a specific or detailed Taubah. For general or in principle Taubah, a person should pray two raka't with the intention of Salah of repentance (صلوٰة التوبہ), and then with a humble heart should pray to Allah Ta'ala that “O' Allah! I beg You for forgiveness for all the sins I have committed in my previous life. Please forgive me for all the sins I have committed, major or minor. Please forgive me for all the Faraid (compulsory commandments) and Wajibat (necessary commandments) that I have neglected or not performed. O' Allah! Please forgive me and accept my Taubah.” This is general or in principle Taubah. Once a person has done general Taubah, the next step is to do specific Taubah. Specific Taubah means that they look at their entire past life critically as to what wrongs they have committed in that life. Then they should reflect on which of these wrongs they can atone for now. For example, they should make a list of all the people they have hurt in their past life. Then they should try to ask for forgiveness from all those people who are still alive and they can contact, and pray for forgiveness from Allah Ta'ala in favour of all those people who have passed away or they are unable to contact any more. In terms of Salah, a person needs to estimate how many Salah, if any, they have not prayed (done Qada) since Salah became compulsory for them. That time starts from the age when an individual attains puberty. If they do not remember the exact age, then they should estimate it from the age of 14 years as that is the age when children usually become mature. Then they should estimate how many Salah of which time (for example Fajr or Asr) they may not have prayed since then. If they do not remember exactly, then they should make a conservative estimate. If, for example, they estimate that they had not prayed all the five Salah for 3 years. They should write that down in a copy, and then start praying a Qada Salah with each regular Salah. This is called Qada-e-Umri (قضائے عمری).

This Hadith has been narrated by Hazrat Ali (کرم اللّٰہ وجہہ). In this narration he has described the events around the time of the Holy Prophet's ﷺ last few days before he passed away from this mortal world. Hazrat Ali RAA has narrated that on the last day when the Holy Prophet ﷺ fell really unwell, he said to Hazrat Ali RAA, “Ali, bring a tray (تھال) in which I write that advice after which my Ummah (community) doesn't go astray.” In those days paper wasn't very common. Sometimes people wrote on leather, on leaves of a tree, on bones, and sometimes on clay pans. Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says that at that time the Holy Prophet ﷺ was so unwell that I feared that if I went to get something to write on, he may pass away in my absence. That is why I told him that whatever you tell me, I will remember it and write it down later. Hazrat Ali RAA says that his revered head was in my arms. The words he was saying were, “Be mindful of Salah, be mindful of Zakat, be good to the slaves you own, and be steadfast to the witness of “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (ﷺ) is His subject and Messenger.” Allah Ta'ala will declare Jahannam (Hell) Haraam for whoever remains steadfast to this testament.” These were the advices the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave in his last moments of life. The real purpose of quoting this Hadith is to highlight those advices the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave at such a crucial time and what he emphasized. It seems like these advice are the essence of the commandments of Deen (religion) that the holy Prophet ﷺ preached his entire life. These are the summary of entire Deen. There is another Hadith which has been narrated by Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he said that during the last moments of the Holy Prophet ﷺ when the volume of his voice had become really low, when I put my ear to his mouth these were the words he kept saying till the very last moment; “Be careful about Salah and be careful about your subordinates.” This Hadith tells us that among all the commandments and teachings of Deen the one among Huqooq Allah (rights of Allah) the Holy ﷺ Prophet placed the greatest emphasis on was Salah. In another narration, the words “Salah, Zakah, and rights of subordinates” have been mentioned. This tells us that among all the Rights of Allah the Holy Prophet ﷺ placed the greatest emphasis on two sorts of rights, one physical and one financial, the physical one being Salah, and the financial one being Zakat. And among the Rights of People (Huqooq al-Ibad) he placed the greatest emphasis on rights of one's slaves, servants and subordinates. The Holy Prophet ﷺ was worried whether his Ummah will falter in following these commandments of Shariah after him, and that being neglectful of these commandments will lead to Jahannam and wrath of Allah Ta'alah, and that is why he emphasized about following these specific commandments even in his last moments in this mortal world.

There is one more thing to know about taking or giving advice. First, we need to understand what the purpose of consulting someone is that we get an opinion from another person who has some experience and knowledge of that particular area. However, if someone has sought our opinion about a matter, he is not bound to act on our suggestion, he has full right whether he chooses to act on it, or not. If he feels that what we have suggested is not the best course of action to suit his circumstances, then, from the point of view of the Shariah, he is well within his rights not to act on it. Sometimes people feel upset and angry if they suggested something which wasn't then acted upon. They feel that their opinion was devalued or ignored. This is not correct. The purpose of consulting someone is to find out their opinion about the matter. This opinion then doesn't become binding on the person who sought it. There is another great lesson we learn from the event of Hudaibiyah. It is that Deen (religion) is not the name of fulfilling one's own wishes, it is not the name of following one's emotions and desires. In fact, Deen is the name of obeying the orders and commandments of Allah Ta'ala and the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Even when we are very emotional about something, and our emotions are tempting us to do something, Deen is the name of bringing our emotions under control at that time, and obey the will and command of Allah Ta'ala and the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Before the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed, the emotions of Muslims dictated that they fight the non-believers and do not accept the humiliating conditions that the non-believers were forcing on them. But once they saw what the Holy Prophet ﷺ was doing, their temperaments cooled down and they followed the example of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful. “…So, pardon them, and seek Forgiveness for them. Consult them in the matter and, once you have taken a decision, place your trust in Allah. Surely, Allah loves those who place their trust in Him.” (3:159) Consulting other people is a very important aspect of Deen (religion). While describing the characteristics of Muslims in the Noble Qur'an, Allah Ta'alah says; “…and whose affairs are (settled) with mutual consultation between them…” (42:38) In the verse recited at the beginning, Allah Ta'ala has commanded the Holy Prophet ﷺ; “…Consult them in the matter…” (3:159) When a person of the stature of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is being commanded by Allah Ta'ala to consult his Companions (Sahabah), then it is much more incumbent for people like us to do so. There are a few principles about consulting others. 1. The first principle is that we should only take an expert opinion from a person who has a full understanding of the matter we want their opinion on. When we consult such a person then Allah Ta'ala will Insha'Allah (God willing) grant us Barakah (blessing) in that matter. 2. The second thing to know regarding consulting others is what type of matters should one consult others about. We are not allowed to consult others about matters which have been Fard (compulsory), Wajib (necessary) or Haraam (unlawful) by Shariah. This is because we are bound to do what Shariah has declared Fard or Wajib, and we are required to abstain from matters that Shariah has declared Haraam. For example, it would be completely senseless if a person starts consulting other people whether he should pray Salah or not, or whether he should drink alcohol or not. 3. The third important point is that there are some duties of a person who is being consulted. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “The person whose advice has been sough, has been entrusted.” (Tirmidhi) That is why, if a person is being consulted about something and he knows nothing about that area, he should clearly say that I know nothing about this matter and therefore I am unable to give you any advice. 4. There is another meaning of the Hadith “the person whose advice has been sought, has been entrusted” which is that the person who has come to us to seek our advice, has made us his confidante. He has shared his personal secrets with us, has told us their personal difficulties. He has placed his trust in us. Now we must not start sharing his personals secrets with everyone and start telling everyone what he told us in private. When someone has entrusted us with his sensitive information, and made us his confidante, then his personal information is an Amanah (entrustment) with us, it is our duty to keep his secret private. Sharing that secret with others would be a breach of his trust and humiliating a person publicly, both of which are great sins.

Allah Ta'ala says in the Noble Qur'an; “…and those who control anger and forgive people. And Allah loves those who are good in their deeds,” (3:134) Allah Ta'ala tells us in the Noble Qur'an what the reward for those will be who do not take revenge and observe Sabr (patience); “…Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure.” (39:10) The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Silah Rehmi (fulfilling rights of one's relatives) is not that one gives back what one receives. Silah Rehmi is that even if the other person cuts off relationship with him, he still fulfills the other person's rights.” In a Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “Allah Ta'ala does not like any sip a person drinks more than the sip of his own anger (meaning suppressing his anger and not expressing it)” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "if a person harms someone, and then the person who was harmed forgives him, then Allah Ta'ala will forgive the forgiver on the day he will need forgiveness most, that is, in the Aakhirah (Hereafter).”

Imam Bukhari (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) has written a book in which he has collected those Ahadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ which relate to Islamic etiquettes related to different walks of life which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has taught us through his own practice. One of these etiquettes, and a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, is that a person keeps mingling with people and greets them with a smile. Even though the Holy Prophet's (ﷺ) every Sunnah is lovable, but there is one particular Sunnah which has been reported in Tirmidhi Sharif which seems to be the most difficult to follow, even though it was his usual habit. It has been narrated that when someone was talking to the Holy Prophet ﷺ, he never turned his face away from that person until he turned away first, and never cut him off while he was still talking. When a person has hundreds of demands on his time, someone is asking him a religious question, someone is describing his difficulties, someone is making another demand, only then it is possible to appreciate how difficult it is to follow this Sunnah in one's daily life. Then there are some people who, once they start talking, never stop. While listening to such people, not moving away until that person finishes is a very difficult task. But the Holy Prophet ﷺ who lived only for 23 more years after he was granted Prophethood, had to perform Jihad, had to perform Tableegh (preaching), how to teach his Sahabah about Deen, who was sent for betterment of the whole world, even despite all of these demands on his time, if an old woman stopped him on the way, he did not turn his away from her until he had satisfied her fully. Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), recited the following verses from the Torah; “He will come as a deliverer for the illiterate (امی)”. The Arabs of the time were called ‘illiterate' because they did not have a tradition of reading and writing. “And you are my subject and my Messenger”. Further on, Allah Ta'ala has described the characteristics of that Prophet; “Neither will he speak harshly, nor will he have a harsh temperament.” “And he won't be one to make noise in the Bazar.” “And he won't respond to bad behaviour with bad behaviour.” “Rather, he will be forgiving and will let go of things.” “And God will not recall him to Himself until he straightens this misguided nation in that they say ‘There is no God but Allah'.” “and through this kalimah of Tauheed (oneness of Allah) He will open their blind eyes, and will open their deaf ears, and those hearts which are covered in wraps will open through this kalimah.”

We should thank Allah Ta'ala who blessed us with a guide like the Holy Prophet ﷺ who has provided us with solutions for all our problems through his own Sunnah. If a person comes to realize that he has made many mistakes and violated many people's rights in his past life, and wants to atone for it, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has shown us the way how to do so. One day he stood in masjid Nabvi in front of a gathering of Sahabah (his companions) and said; “If I have hurt anyone or have caused anyone harm in any way, then I present myself before him. If he wants to take revenge for the hurt I caused him, then I am prepared for him to hurt me in return, if he wants any compensation against it, then I am prepared to pay him that compensation, and if he wants to forgive me, then I request him to forgive me.” This pronouncement was made by the perfect being about whom Allah Ta'ala has said in the Holy Quran; “so that Allah may forgive you of your previous and subsequent faults…” (48:2) And about whom it was said; “So, never by your Lord! Never shall they become believers, unless they make you the judge in the disputes that arise between them, then find no discomfort in their hearts against what you have decided, and surrender to it in total submission.” (4:65) So, he is the person about whom such statements have been made in the Noble Quran, and about whom it has been clearly declared that he cannot cause any unjust harm or hurt to anyone, but despite all this he is standing up in Masjid Nabvi and making this declaration in front of all his companions that if he has hurt someone unjustly, they should come and take their revenge from him. It has been reported in traditions that after listening to this announcement by the Holy Prophet ﷺ, one companion stood up and said, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ! I want to take revenge.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked, “what sort of revenge?” He replied, “One day you had hit me on my back. I want to take revenge for that.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “I do not remember hitting you, but if you do remember, come and take your revenge.” The Holy Companion said, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ. When you hit me, my back was not covered.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ removed his covering sheet from his back and the mark of Prophethood became visible. That Companion stepped forward, kissed the mark of Prophethood, and said, “O Prophet of Allah ﷺ! I had said this only to be able to kiss the mark of Prophethood.” Anyway, the Holy Prophet ﷺ presented himself before all his Companions so that they could take revenge from him if they wanted to. Hazrat Thanvi (may Allah Ta'ala bless him) wrote a booklet on this topic, got it published, and then distributed it to everyone he knew. In this booklet he wrote, “Because I have come across and have been acquainted with numerous people in life, I do not know whether I violated someone's rights, or did injustice to them. Today I present myself. If someone wants to take revenge from me for what wrong I did to them, then please do so. If I owe any financial rights to anyone, please remind me and I will pay it back. If I have caused any physical hurt or harm to anyone, then I am prepared for them to hurt me in kind. Otherwise, I request them to please forgive me.” Along with this letter, Hazrat Thanvi RE also wrote this Hadith; “The Holy Prophet ﷺ said that if a Muslim says sincerely to another Muslim that he had made a mistake and requests him to forgive him, then it is the duty of the other Muslim brother to forgive him. If he doesn't forgive him, then in the Hereafter he should not harbour expectations towards Allah Ta'ala to forgive him.”

It has been narrated by Hazrat Sufyan ibn Usaid Hazrami (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet ﷺsaid; “This is great Khiyanat (breach of trust) that you tell your brother something which he believes to be true, but you are lying to him.” This is an act which leads to animosity, discord, and hatred between people. Telling a lie is a great sin anyway, but in this Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ is specifically mentioning that lie in which someone places their trust in you and believes that you will tell him the truth. But you breach his trust and tell him a lie. This act carries the sin of not just lying, but also of Khiyanat (breach of trust). It is Khiyanat (breach of trust) because the person who is seeking your opinion is doing so because he believes you to be trustworthy and truthful. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “The person whose opinion is sought, has been entrusted.” It means that the person who is seeking your opinion and advice is trusting you to tell him the truth and what you consider to be your best option. But you have deliberately lied to him, and knowingly misguided him, therefore, you have also committed breach of his trust.

Similarly, when a person applies for the citizenship of a country, he gives an undertaking that he will obey all the laws of that country, except for any laws that may force him to break any laws of Shariah. For example, the government of UK gives an unemployment benefit. This is an allowance to support the unemployed till they can find a job. This is a great source of support for people who are struggling financially. However, some of our brothers who have gone there have made this unemployment into a profession. These people work covertly, hide their incomes, and also claim unemployment benefits. Even people who are quite religious and regularly perform Salah, are also engaged in this practice. Once someone asked me whether this practice was permissible or not. I told him it is completely impermissible and Haraam (unlawful under Shariah). “First of all, you are telling a lie that you are unemployed when you are not. Second, you are breaking a law of the country you live in. When you have entered this country after vowing to follow its laws, then it is incumbent upon you to follow all those laws of this country which do not force you to do something in contravention of the Shariah.” That gentleman replied that this is a non-Muslim government and it is allowed to take money from a non-Muslim government by whichever means and spend it. (May Allah protect us). O' brother. When you entered this country, you gave an undertaking that you will follow the laws of this country, therefore, it is not permissible for you to break the laws of this country. Just like it is not allowed to break a promise one has made to a Muslim, similarly, it is not allowed to break a promise one has made to a non-Muslim, and any money obtained as result of that breach of promise will be Haraam (unlawful).

The second commandment the Holy Prophet ﷺ has issued in this Hadith is; “Do not joke with your brother.” The joking that is referred to in this Hadith is that kind of joking which hurts someone's feelings. If a person is making jokes which are within the limits of Shariah, being told with the intention of making the other person happy, and the listener is enjoying it too, then there is no harm in making such jokes. In fact, if that joke is not a lie, and the intention of telling that joke is making the other person happy, then the person will also get thawab (reward) on it. One type of fun is having fun with someone. Another type of fun is making fun of someone. It is completely alright to have fun with friends. However, making fun of someone which includes ridiculing him, or saying things that he doesn't like and which hurt his feelings, is Haraam (impermissible under Shariah). Some people identify other people's weak spots and deliberately mention these again and again in front of that person so that he would become angry and they would enjoy it. It is this kind of jokes that the Holy ﷺ Prophet has prohibited. It is narrated in a Hadith that once, while doing Tawaf of Baitullah (Masjid al-Haraam), the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “O Baitullah (house of Allah)! How exalted you are. Your status is so exalted that Allah Ta'ala deemed you His house on this earth. How grand your honour is. But O Baitullah! There is one thing the honour of which is even greater than your honour, that is a Muslim's life, his property, and his honour.” The third commandment the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave in this Hadith is, “Do not make a promise that you cannot fulfil.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “That person is a hypocrite who has these three attributes; when he talks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, when he is entrusted with something he breaches that trust.”

It has been narrated by Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said; “Do not fight with your brother. Do not do inappropriate jokes with him. Do not make a promise to him that you cannot fulfil.” Hazrat Imam Malik (may Allah Ta'ala have mercy on him) has said; “Unnecessary arguments destroy the Noor (divine light) of knowledge.” Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Qur'an; “The duty of Our Messenger is only to convey the Message…” (5:99) In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, “Make as much effort for this world as you are going to live here, and make as much effort for the Aakhirah (Hereafter) as you are going to live there.”