Hadeeth #19 from Sharh al-Arba`een al-Nawawee by Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen

On the authority of `Abdullaah bin `Abbaas who said: One day I was (riding) behind the Prophet
( on the same mount) and he said: O young man, I shall teach you some words
[of advice]: Be mindful of Allaah and Allaah will protect you. Be mindful of Allaah and you will find Him in
front of you. If you ask, then ask Allaah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allaah [alone].
And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not
benefit you except with what Allaah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together
to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allaah had already prescribed
against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried. [Sunan al-Tirmidhee (2516) and graded
as Saheeh by Shaikh al-Albaanee]
In another narration, other than that of al-Tirmidhee, reads: Be mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him
in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allaah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember
you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not
going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory
comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease. [Mustadrak of al-Haakim (6304)]

Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen comments:

The saying of Ibn `Abbaas : I was behind the Prophet can mean that he was either
riding with the Prophet ( on the same mount) or it could be that he was walking behind him.
Whatever it was, the important point is that he instructed him with this magnificent advice.
O young man!, because Ibn `Abbaas was young at that time. The Prophet died
when Ibn `Abbaas had just reached the age of puberty, meaning between fifteen or sixteen years of age or
even younger.
He said: I will teach you some words, he said this in order to grab Ibn `Abbaas attention.
Be mindful of Allaah, and Allaah will protect you, these are amazing and great words. Be mindful,
meaning: take care of the limits (set) by Allaah and His Sharee`ah by doing what He has commanded
and shunning that which He has prohibited, and by learning the Deen by which you can establish (and
perfect) your `Ibaadah (worship) and manners, and through which you can invite people towards Allaah
.
The second thing he said: Be mindful of Allaah, and Allaah will protect you, He will
protect you in your Deen, your family, your wealth, and you (as well). For Allaah rewards the good
doers out of His Grace and the most important of these is that He protects you in regards to your Deen

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and safeguards you from deviation and misguidance; for whoever accepts guidance, Allaah increases
him in guidance:

{While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance, and bestows on them their piety.}
[Surah Muhammad (47): 17]
And from this (Hadeeth) it is known that whosoever is not mindful of Allaah (and fails to keep his duties),
then he does not deserves Allaahs protection; and in this there is encouragement for us to safeguard
the limits set by Allaah .
He further said: Be mindful of Allaah and you will find Him in front of you. The meaning of
Be mindful of Allaah is same as we explained earlier. And the meaning of you will find Him before of
you (or) in front of you, the meaning of both these is the same; i.e. you will find Allaah in front of
you, leading you towards every goodness, making you closer to Him, guiding you towards Him and
safeguarding you from every evil, especially when you seek Allaahs help in being mindful of Him. If a
person seeks Allaahs help and relies (Tawakkul) upon Him, then Allaah would suffice him; and
after Allaah he would not be in the need of anyone else. Allaah says:

{O Prophet (Muhammad)! Allaah is Sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.} [Surah alAnfaal (8): 64]
i.e. sufficient for you (O Muhammad) and sufficient for the Believers who follow you. So if Allaah is
supporting a person, then no harm will afflict him, thats why he said: Be mindful of Allaah,
and you will find Him in front of you.
The third thing he said: If you ask, then ask Allaah [alone]. If you are in need, then ask no
one except Allaah ;do not ask the creation for anything. But if the need arose and you had to ask
someone (for something) which he was capable of providing*, then know that he was one out of the many
means and that the real provider is Allaah . For had Allaah Willed, He would have not provided you
what you had asked; so one should rely upon Allaah (for all his needs).
*[: While seeking help from someone, always remember two things: 1) the person you are calling to
should be present (someone who is alive and can hear you). 2) He should have the ability to do what you
are asking.]
The fourth thing he said: and if you seek help, then seek help from Allaah [alone]. If you
need help (or any assistance), then seek Allaahs help alone and no one else. For it is Allaah in Whose Hands
is the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and it is He who helps you if He Wills. So if you sincerely ask
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Allaah for help and trust Him (completely), He would help you. But if one sought help from anyone in
which he was capable of providing, then know that he was (only) a means and Allaah is the one who made
it to happen for you.
And in these two statements there is evidence that it is from the deficiency in Tawheed that a person asks
other than Allaah (for help)*; and that is why it is disliked that a person asks other than Allaah ( for
help) in the matter big or small. When Allaah Wills to help you, He will make help easy for you (to
reach), whether the means are known or unknown. It maybe that Allaah might help you in ways
unknown to you; He may remove from you some harm which no one else has the strength to remove it;
and Allaah can also help you through one of his creations He may subdue a person in helping you.
But remember that through whatever means Allaah helps you, dont forget that He is the One who
made it possible.
*[: Asking help from some who is alive and capable of providing/doing it for you is not Shirk. Example:
asking a living person for some financial assistance. But it is Shirk to as a person who is not present (either
dead or is not able to hear you) for a thing which he cannot provide. Example: going to the grave of a
saint and asking him to bestow wealth upon you or rain or children etc.]
The fifth thing he said: And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you
with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allaah had already prescribed for you. The
Ummah (nation) here is everyone from the first one to the last. Even if they all gathered together to
benefit you with something, they will not be able to do so except with what Allaah has already
prescribed for you. So according to this, whatever benefits a person receives through the creation, then in
reality it is from Allaah , for it is He who had prescribed it for him. In this there is encouragement
for us that we should rely on Allaah ever more; and to know that the Ummah cannot bring us any
good except by the Will of Allaah .
The sixth thing he said: And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they
would not harm you except with what Allaah had already prescribed against you. And according to this,
if you receive any harm by someone, then know that Allaah had already prescribed it to happen. So be
content (and patient) with what Allaah has preordained and Willed. There is no problem if one tries (to
seek the means)* to remove the harm that has afflicted him, for Allaah said:

{The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof.} [Surah al-Shooraa (42): 40]
*[: Seeking the means to remove the harm can either be by: 1) Beseeching Allaah to remove it. As
Allaah said:

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{Is not He (Allaah) (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and
Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any
ilaah (god) with Allaah? Little is that you remember!} [Surah al-Naml (27): 62]
2) Doing good deeds, as has been mentioned in the long Hadeeth of the three who got stuck in a cave.
[Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]
3) Seeking help from someone who has the ability to do so (which is explained by the Shaikh further into
the topic).]
The seventh thing he said: The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried. Meaning:
whatever Allaah wanted to write has been completed. The pens have been lifted and pages have dried
and there can be no change to the Words of Allaah .
*[: The Messenger of Allaah said: The first thing Allaah created was the pen. He
said to it: {Write}. It asked: What should I write, my lord? He said: {Write what was decreed about
everything till the Last hour comes}. [Sunan Abu Dawood (4700) and Sunan al-Tirmidhee (2155, 3319) and
graded as Saheeh by Shaikh al-Albaanee]]
In another narration, other than that of al-Tirmidhee, it reads: Be mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him
in front of you. This has already been explained earlier.
Recognize and acknowledge Allaah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times
of adversity. Meaning: establish the rights of Allaah in the times of ease, good health and prosperity
and He will remember you in the times of adversity, when your health and wealth are declining and
when things have become difficult - He will remember you for the good deeds which you had sent forth
(and will ease your tasks for you).
And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and
what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. Meaning: Whatever befell you, there was nothing
you could do to avert it; and whatever passed you by (or whatever you missed), you could not have
obtained it (or it was never going to befall you). And it means that whatever Allaah had Willed that it
should befall you, it would never have missed you. Rather, it was going to happen as Allaah had
preordained it to happen.*
*[: The subject of time travel is one of the most often depicted subjects in recent movies,
documentaries, books and especially in cartoons. Even though the Kuffaar only know it in theory, but they
try to present it as if it is an actual reality and that one day man will go back in time and alter the
present/future. But little do these Kuffaar know that it is not at all possible to alter the past, the present or
the future. This and other similar Ahaadeeth are clear about this and we should therefore guard ourselves
and our children from letting them affect our `Aqeedah.]
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And if Allaah has prescribed that something should not befall you, then it will never harm you. The
matter is in the Hands of Allaah, and this only teaches that a person should have (strong) reliance upon his
Lord, the perfect and complete reliance.
Thereafter, the Prophet said: And know that victory comes with patience. In this statement
there is encouragement towards being patient; because if victory comes with patience, then it is incumbent
upon a person that he should be patient so that he would receive victory. And Sabr (patience) here
includes: being patient in following the commands of Allaah , being patient while avoiding sins, and
being patient in what Allaah has preordained (of the harm that befalls a person), this is because the
enemy tries to harm the person in every way possible. And it may occur to a person that he may not be
able to confront the enemy, and gets exhausted and abandons the Jihaad; or he did strive against his
enemy in Jihaad, but when harm befell him, he stopped it. Rather he should patiently continue and if his
enemies harm him, then he should show patience, as Allaah says:

{If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others.}
[Surah aal-`Imraan (3): 140]

{And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy; if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too)
are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allaah (for the reward, i.e.
Paradise) that for which they hope not, and Allaah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.} [Surah al-Nisaa (4):
104]
So if a person is patient and endures and is stationed against the enemies (and fears Allaah), then Allaah
will provide him victory (over his enemies).
And his statement: (and know that) relief (follows) affliction, and hardship with ease.
Relief is removing of hardship and suffering. So if a person faces some harship, then (he should know) that
relief is nearby because Allaah says in His Book:

{Is not He (Allaah) (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and
Who removes the evil.} [Surah al-Naml (27): 62]

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After every hardship there is relief, rather the hardship is surrounded by two ease ease which precedes it
and ease which follows it. Allaah says:

*
{So truly with hardship comes ease, truly with hardship comes ease.} [Surah al-Sharh (94): 5-6]
Ibn `Abaas said: Hardship will never overcome two ease.

Some benefits from this Hadeeth:

1) The kindness the Prophet showed to those who were younger than him when he said: O
young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice].
2) The one who has something important to say, should begin in such a way to attract the attention of the
listener, as the Prophet did when he said: O young man, I shall teach you some words [of
advice].
3) Whoever is mindful of Allaah, Allaah will protect him, as the Prophet said: Be mindful
of Allaah and Allaah will protect you.
4) From forgetting about Allaah is: forgetting and giving up on Allaahs Deen. So Allaah will let him go to
ruin and will not protect him. Allaah said:

{And be not like those who forgot Allaah (i.e. became disobedient to Allaah) and He caused them to
forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds). Those are the Faasiqoon (rebellious,
disobedient to Allaah). } [Surah al-Hashr (59): 19]
5) Part of Allaahs protection (for His creation) is that He guides them and leads them towards
that which is beneficial for them. And from Allaahs protection is that He prevents them from
committing evil deeds.
6) If a person is need of help, he should seek Allaahs help. But there is no problem in seeking help from
someone in the things which he can help in, as the Prophet said: and to help a man
concerning his riding animal by helping him to ride it or by lifting his luggage on to it, is also regarded as
Sadaqah. [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (2891, 2989) and Saheeh Muslim (2204)]
7) The Ummah will never be able to benefit anyone except if Allaah has already preordained it (to
happen), and they will never be able to harm anyone except if Allaah has already preordained it (to
happen).
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8) It is incumbent that a persons hope should be upon Allaah alone and his hope should not depend
upon the creation, as the creation has no power to harm or benefit.
9) And all the affairs have already been written down, as has been authentically reported from the Prophet
: Allaah ordained the measures of the creation fifty thousand years before He created the
heavens and the earth. [Saheeh Muslim (6416)]
10) As per the second narration, if a person remembers Allaah ( and is obedient to Him) during the
times of good health and ease, Allaah will remember him during his hardship, will be compassionate
towards him, will help him and will remove his difficulty.
11) A person should (always remember) that if Allaah has preordained that something should happen to
him, then there is nothing to prevent it. Similarly, if Allaah did not preordain it, then it will never befall
him.
12) In this there is great glad tiding for those who are patient and steadfast and that victory is the product
of Sabr.
13) In this there is also great tiding that easing of distress and the removal of hardship is tied with hardship;
that whenever a person faces some trouble, Allaah will relieve him from it.
14) In this there is also glad tiding that whenever a person faces some hardship, he should wait for the ease
from Allaah. As Allaah has mentioned it in the Quraan:

*
{So truly with hardship comes ease, truly with hardship comes ease.} [Surah al-Sharh (94): 5-6]
So if things become difficult for you, then you should turn towards Allaah , waiting for ease from Him a
promise from Him that will never fail.
15) Being relaxed when some harm befalls a person and when something he liked did not reach him is one
of the meanings when he said: And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed
to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. The first
statement is about being relaxed when some hardship befalls a person; and the second statement is about
being relaxed when a person does not receive the thing which is liked.

And Allaah is the One who grants success.

[Sharh al-Arba`een al-Nawawee by Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen ]

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