A Sahabi once said, "0, Rasulullah, (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM), I know that the commandments of Sharee-at are many, but of these tell me the one that I may practice assiduously throughout my life." The Prophet, (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM), replied, "Keep your tongue always moist (i.e. busy) with the zikr of Allah." According to another Hadith, Harat Mu'aaz (Radhiyal-laho anho) has said, "Once at the time of my departure from Rasulullah (Sallallahu ALAIHI WASALLAM), I asked him to advise me of that action which is most pleasing to Almighty Allah: whereupon he replied, "At the time of your death, your tongue should be busy with zikr of Almighty Allah."
Note: By "my departure", Hadhrat Mu'aaz (Radhiyal-laho anho) refers to the occasion when he was appointed by the Holy Prophet (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM) as the Governor of Yemen and sent there for teaching and propagating Islaam. It was at the time of that farewell that Rasulullah (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM) had given him some parting instructions. By saying that "the commandments of Sharee-at are many", the Sahabi had meant that although observance of every commandment is imperative, to specialize and attain perfection in each and every one is difficult; and so he wanted that Rasulullah (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM), may recommend him something of over-riding importance which he might hold fast to, and practice at all times and in all conditions of sitting, standing or walking. According to another Hadith, a person who possesses the following four things is truly blessed, from the worldly as well as spiritual point of view: 1. A tongue ever absorbed in the zikr of Almighty Allah. 2. A heart filled with gratitude of Allah. 3. A body capable of undergoing hardships. 4. A wife who does not betray her husband's trust in respect of her chastity and his wealth. The phrase "moist tongue" according to some Ulama means excessive utterance (of zikr) and, idiomatically, it is used to convey excessive glorification and praise. But in my (the author's) humble opinion it can have another meaning as well. It is always very sweet and pleasant to talk of one's beloved, as is the common feeling and experience of every lover. On this basis, the phrase "moist tongue" would, therefore mean that one should glorify with love the name of Almighty Allah, so as to feel love's sweetness in the mouth. I have observed many times that when some of my religious elders do zikr aloud, the flavour of the sweetness enjoyed by them is so transmitted to the listeners that their mouths also feel the sweetness and they share the ecstasy likewise. But this phenomenon is possible only where there is a genuine yearning for zikr, and the tongue is accustomed to excessive zikr. It is stated in one Hadith that the proof of one's love for Almighty Allah lies in one's love for the zikr of Allah, and in the same way lack of zikr betrays lack of attachment with Almighty Allah. Hadhrat Abu Darda (Radhiyallaho anho) said that those who keep their tongues wet with the zikr of Allah, will enter paradise smiling. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
