A

Message
To Every
Youth
By the martyred Imām,
‘Abdullāh ‘Azzām

(may Allāh have Mercy upon him)

“…if you are too stingy with Allāh to give Him some
of your time at such an early age, the coming times
will prove you to be even stingier…”
 ‫ﷲ ﺍﻟ ﱠﺮﺣْﻤ ِﻦ ﺍﻟ ﱠﺮﺣِﻴ ِﻢ‬
ِ ‫ﺴ ِﻢ ﺍ‬
ْ ‫ِﺑ‬

Verily,1 all praise is due to Allāh. We praise Him, seek refuge with Him, and seek
His Forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allāh from the evils of our souls, and the
mistakes in our actions. Whoever Allāh Guides, there is none who can misguide
him, and whoever Allāh misguides, there is none who can guide him. And I
testify that there is none worthy of being worshipped except Allāh, and I testify
that Muhammad (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬is his servant and Messenger.

‫ﺴِﻠﻤُﻮ ﹶﻥ‬
ْ ‫ﻳَﺎ ﹶﺃﱡﻳﻬَﺎ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻳ َﻦ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮﹾﺍ ﺍﱠﺗﻘﹸﻮﹾﺍ ﺍﻟﹼﻠ َﻪ َﺣ ﱠﻖ ُﺗﻘﹶﺎِﺗ ِﻪ َﻭ ﹶﻻ َﺗﻤُﻮُﺗﻦﱠ ِﺇﻻﱠ َﻭﺃﹶﻧﺘُﻢ ﱡﻣ‬
{“O you who believe! Have taqwā of Allāh as He deserves, and do not die except
as Muslims.”}2

‫ﺲ ﻭَﺍ ِﺣ َﺪ ٍﺓ َﻭ َﺧﹶﻠ َﻖ ِﻣْﻨﻬَﺎ َﺯ ْﻭ َﺟﻬَﺎ َﻭَﺑﺚﱠ ِﻣْﻨ ُﻬﻤَﺎ‬ ٍ ‫ﺱ ﺍﱠﺗﻘﹸﻮﹾﺍ َﺭﱠﺑ ﹸﻜ ُﻢ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻱ َﺧﹶﻠ ﹶﻘﻜﹸﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ ﱠﻧ ﹾﻔ‬ ُ ‫ﻳَﺎ ﹶﺃﱡﻳﻬَﺎ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺎ‬
‫ِﺭﺟَﺎ ﹰﻻ ﹶﻛﺜِﲑﹰﺍ َﻭِﻧﺴَﺎﺀ ﻭَﺍﱠﺗﻘﹸﻮﹾﺍ ﺍﻟﹼﻠ َﻪ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻱ َﺗﺴَﺎﺀﻟﹸﻮ ﹶﻥ ِﺑ ِﻪ ﻭَﺍ َﻷ ْﺭﺣَﺎ َﻡ ِﺇﻥﱠ ﺍﻟﹼﻠ َﻪ ﻛﹶﺎ ﹶﻥ َﻋﹶﻠْﻴ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ َﺭﻗِﻴًﺒﺎ‬
{“O people! Have taqwā of your Lord, Who Created you from a single soul, and
Created from it its mate, and sprouted from it many men and women. And have
taqwā of Allāh, from Whom you demand your mutual rights, and do not cut off
the relations of the womb. Verily, Allāh is Ever‐Watching over you.”}3

‫ﺼِﻠ ْﺢ ﹶﻟ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ ﹶﺃ ْﻋﻤَﺎﹶﻟ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ َﻭَﻳ ْﻐ ِﻔ ْﺮ ﹶﻟ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ ﹸﺫﻧُﻮَﺑ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ َﻭﻣَﻦ‬

ْ ‫ﻳَﺎ ﹶﺃﱡﻳﻬَﺎ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻳ َﻦ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮﺍ ﺍﱠﺗﻘﹸﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﻠﱠ َﻪ َﻭﻗﹸﻮﻟﹸﻮﺍ ﹶﻗ ْﻮﻟﹰﺎ َﺳﺪِﻳﺪًﺍ ُﻳ‬
‫ُﻳ ِﻄ ْﻊ ﺍﻟﻠﱠ َﻪ َﻭ َﺭﺳُﻮﹶﻟﻪُ ﹶﻓ ﹶﻘ ْﺪ ﻓﹶﺎ َﺯ ﹶﻓ ْﻮﺯًﺍ َﻋﻈِﻴﻤًﺎ‬
{“O you who believe! Have taqwā of Allāh, and say that which is truthful. He
will rectify your actions for you and Forgive you your sins, and whoever obeys
Allāh and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great success.”}4

1This book was translated from the collection of Shaykh ‘Abdullāh ‘Azzām’s transcribed lectures
called ‘at‐Tarbiyah al‐Jihādiyyah wal‐Binā’’ (4/141‐154). All footnotes were added by the translator.

2 Āl ‘Imrān; 102

3 an‐Nisā’; 1

4 al‐Ahzāb; 70‐71
Verily, the most truthful of speech is the Speech of Allāh, and the best guidance
is the guidance of Muhammad (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬. The worst of affairs are those
that are newly introduced, and every newly introduced affair is an innovation,
and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire.

As for what follows:5

The book ‘al‐Fawā’id’ is from the best of Ibn al‐Qayyim’s books. It was written as
if he is a man who is eighty years of age, sitting and talking about his experiences
in life. And they are, as he titled them, ‘al‐Fawā’id’ (points of benefit). Everything
that Ibn al‐Qayyim has written is from the best of what was written for Islām. In
truth, Ibn al‐Qayyim is a ripened fruit that sprouted from Ibn Taymiyyah. Ibn
Taymiyyah is distinguished for his vast understanding and knowledge, and he
spent a great part of his life as a Mujāhid between one battle and another. One
time, he led a battle himself, when the rulers of Shām sat back from confronting
the Tatars, and said: “We are unable to confront them.” So, Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“We will confront them,” and Allāh gave them victory.

I say: Ibn Taymiyyah sprouted an inhuman, ripened fruit, and that fruit was Ibn
al‐Qayyim. Ibn al‐Qayyim is distinguished with his depth of soul, and constant
worship. One time, he passed though Makkah, and the people of Makkah were
amazed at the amount of worship he would engage in, and his constant
preoccupation with the remembrance of Allāh.6

From the books that he wrote are ‘al‐Fawā’id,’ and he also wrote books dealing
with tarbiyah, such as ‘Madārij as‐Sālikīn Sharh Manāzil as‐Sā’irīn ilā Rabb al‐
‘Ālamīn,’ and the book ‘I’lām al‐Muwaqqi’īn ‘an Rabb al‐‘Ālamīn’ ‐ and it is a book
combining the subjects of Fiqh and Usūl – as well as the book ‘Zād al‐Ma’ād fī Sīrat
Khayr al‐‘Ibād,’ regarding his (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, battles,

5This introduction of Khutbat al‐Hājah was included by the translator, and is not part of the
original text.

6 For biographical information on Ibn al‐Qayyim, see the following: Siddīq Hasan Khān’s ‘Abjad
al‐‘Ulūm’ (3/138), Ibn Kathīr’s ‘al‐Bidāyah wan‐Nihāyah’ (14/234), ash‐Shawkānī’s ‘al‐Badr at‐Tāli’’
(2/143), Ibn Hajar’s ‘ad‐Durar al‐Kāminah’ (4/21‐23), Ibn Rajab’s ‘Tabaqāt al‐Hanābilah’ (2/447), Ibn
‘Imād’s ‘Shadharāt adh‐Dhahab’ (6/168), ad‐Dāwūdī’s ‘Tabaqāt al‐Mufassirīn’ (2/93), as well as Bakr
Abū Zayd’s ‘Ibn al‐Qayyim al‐Jawziyyah: Hayātahu wa Athārahu.’
medical practices, etc., as well the book ‘ar‐Rūh,’ and ‘Badā’i’ al‐Fawā’id,’ and ‘al‐
Jawāb al‐Kāfī fī as‐Su’āl ‘an ad‐Dawā’ ash‐Shāfī.’7

Anyway, in his book ‘al‐Fawā’id,’8 he said:

“There are ten useless matters that cannot be benefited from:

• Knowledge that is not implemented

• An action that is empty of sincerity, and is not based on the correct
example
• Wealth that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life,
nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
• The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allāh, and of seeking
closeness to Him
• A body that does not obey and serve Allāh
• Loving Allāh without seeking His pleasure
• Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to
perform deeds of righteousness that will bring one closer to Allāh
• A mind that thinks about issues which bring about no benefit
• Serving those who neither bring you close to Allāh or benefit you in
your life
• Hoping and fearing one who is under the authority of Allāh, and
whose forehead is in His Hand, while he cannot bring any benefit,
harm, life, death, or resurrection to himself.

However, the greatest of these matters is the wasting of the heart, and the
wasting of time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the
Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hopes. All evil is in
following one’s desires and having incessant hopes, while all goodness is found
in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allāh, and Allāh is the
source of Assistance.”

Here, he summarized all evil in these two issues: wasting of the heart, and
wasting of time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the
Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hopes, and incessant
hopes and the following of one’s desires are the ultimate manifestation of evil.

7 In reality, Ibn al‐Qayyim has over thirty famous works that are still printed and read today.

8 p. 161‐162
The following of guidance and the preparation for the meeting with Allāh are the
basis of all that is good:

‫ﻑ َﻣﻘﹶﺎ َﻡ َﺭﱢﺑ ِﻪ َﻭَﻧﻬَﻰ‬

َ ‫ﺠﺤِﻴ َﻢ ِﻫ َﻲ ﺍﹾﻟ َﻤ ﹾﺄﻭَﻯ َﻭﹶﺃﻣﱠﺎ َﻣ ْﻦ ﺧَﺎ‬ َ ‫ﺤﻴَﺎ ﹶﺓ ﺍﻟ ﱡﺪْﻧﻴَﺎ ﹶﻓِﺈﻥﱠ ﺍﹾﻟ‬
َ ‫ﹶﻓﹶﺄﻣﱠﺎ ﻣَﻦ ﹶﻃﻐَﻰ ﻭَﺁﺛﹶﺮ َﺍﹾﻟ‬
‫ﺠﱠﻨ ﹶﺔ ِﻫ َﻲ ﺍﹾﻟ َﻤ ﹾﺄﻭَﻯ‬
َ ‫ﺲ َﻋ ِﻦ ﺍﹾﻟ َﻬﻮَﻯ ﹶﻓِﺈﻥﱠ ﺍﹾﻟ‬َ ‫ﺍﻟﱠﻨ ﹾﻔ‬
{“As for him who transgressed and preferred the life of this world, verily, his
abode will be Hell‐fire. And as for he who feared the standing before his Lord,
and restrained himself from impure desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his
abode.”}9

Preferring the life of this world over the Hereafter corrupts the heart, and the one
who fears will prepare the preparation that does not waste his time. These are
the two manifestations of rectification: fearing the standing before the Lord,
which results in the preparation for meeting Him, and not wasting one’s time.
This brings life to the heart, as the hearts are given life by avoiding the desires
and following the guidance.

‫ﻚ ﻋَﻦ َﺳﺒِﻴ ِﻞ ﺍﻟﻠﱠ ِﻪ‬

َ ‫ﻀﻠﱠ‬
ِ ُ‫ﺤ ﱢﻖ َﻭﻟﹶﺎ َﺗﱠﺘِﺒ ِﻊ ﺍﹾﻟ َﻬﻮَﻯ ﹶﻓﻴ‬
َ ‫ﺱ ﺑِﺎﹾﻟ‬
ِ ‫ﺽ ﻓﹶﺎ ْﺣﻜﹸﻢ َﺑْﻴ َﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺎ‬
ِ ‫ِﺇﻧﱠﺎ َﺟ َﻌ ﹾﻠﻨَﺎ َﻙ َﺧﻠِﻴ ﹶﻔ ﹰﺔ ﻓِﻲ ﺍﹾﻟﹶﺄ ْﺭ‬
{“Verily, We have placed you as a successor on Earth. So, judge between men
with truth, and do not follow your desire, for it will mislead you from the Path
of Allāh.”}10

Desires are the root of oppression, and they are the root of wastefulness, and
they are the root of indecent sins, and they are the root of all evil, because the one
who follows his desires has essentially pushed aside the guidance. So, our job is,
as Allāh Said:

‫ﲔ‬
َ ‫ﺤﻜﹸ َﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﹼ ُﻪ َﻭﻫُ َﻮ َﺧْﻴﺮُ ﺍﹾﻟﺤَﺎ ِﻛ ِﻤ‬
ْ ‫ﺻِﺒ ْﺮ َﺣﱠﺘ َﻰ َﻳ‬
ْ ‫ﻚ ﻭَﺍ‬
َ ‫ﻭَﺍﱠﺗِﺒ ْﻊ ﻣَﺎ ﻳُﻮﺣَﻰ ِﺇﹶﻟْﻴ‬
{“And follow that which is revealed to you, and be patient until Allāh Judges,
and He is the best of judges.”}11

9 an‐Nāzi’āt; 37‐41

10 Sād; 26

11 Yūnus; 109
The following of desires is from hastiness, and patience is to go against one’s
desires. The one who restrains his tongue is keeping his tongue patient from
invading the privacy of other people. The one who restrains his eyesight is
keeping his eyes patient from the inclination to look. The one who is patient from
zinā is resisting the inclination that is pushing him to commit an indecent act. The
one who breaks his fast in Ramadān is following the desires of his stomach, and
patience is to resist this desire. The one who remains firm in the midst of a battle
is resisting the desire to escape with his life. The one who remains patient in the
prisons of the tyrants will be faced with the desire of the dunyā that is open for
him outside of his prison cell. The one who is patient upon poverty is resisting
the desire that is whispering to him to take wealth which is forbidden for him, or
to work a job that is forbidden for him, in order to get money by any means.
Because of this, the basis of all evil – as was said – is to have incessant hopes,
resulting in the wasting of your time, while you do not know when your time
will come, and when the caller of the Lord of the Worlds will say: ‘Come, it is
time to go to Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic.’

The Messenger of Allāh (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬said:

ʺTake advantage of five things before five other things: from your youth
before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your
poverty, your free time before you become occupied, and from your life before
your death.ʺ12

Take advantage of your youth, because you are today able to perform optional
fasts, and tomorrow, when you are approaching old age, and you will need to
nourish and feed your bones and flesh, you will not be able to withstand the
pains of fasting. Right now, you are a youth who can get up and pray in the
middle of the night, staying up in the bowings and prostrations that you can
present to the Lord of the Worlds to bear witness for you, or to one day keep you
company in the loneliness of your grave. Today, you are in the early years of
your life, the years of your youth. The time of youth, O brothers, is the time of
struggle. It is the time in which you are supposed to exert yourself and sacrifice!
It is the time in which you are not tied down with many responsibilities, as you
are alone, or have just a wife and child. Tomorrow, as the years pass, the
responsibilities pile up, the problems of the world catch up to you, and you wish

12Narrated by ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Abbās in the ‘Mustadrak’ of al‐Hākim (7927), and he declared it to
be sahīh according to the conditions of al‐Bukhārī and Muslim, and adh‐Dhahabī agreed with
him, as did al‐Albānī (see his checking of ‘Iqtidā’ al‐‘Ilm al‐‘Amal’; # 170)
to solve the problems of your family, children, and relatives – this will take much
of your time.

So, now, you are in the stage of your youth, the stage of struggle and sacrifice. I
would often remark that I am amazed at the youth who is afraid! What is there
for him to be afraid of? And if he is afraid at this age, how will he be tomorrow?
This period is the prime period of one’s life. The youth is prepared to present his
very soul for the Sake of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic. Because of this, if we
look to the people who first gave victory to the Religion of Allāh, we would find
that they were all youths. In fact, most of them – three fourths, or four fifths of
them – were less then twenty years of age, because this is the period of exertion
and sacrifice.

In the ‘Sahīhayn,’13 ‘Abd ar‐Rahmān bin ‘Awf narrated:

“I was standing in the ranks on the day of Badr. So, a young boy approached me
– he was at the age of puberty, or recently past the age of puberty – and said: “O
uncle! Where is Abū Jahl?” So, I said to him: “What do you want with him?” He
is confused: this young boy is asking about Abū Jahl, the knight, the commander
of jāhiliyyah. The boy replied: “I heard that he insults the Messenger of Allāh
(‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬. So, by Allāh, if I see him, my shadow will not leave his until I
kill him, or he kills me.”

Then, another young boy approached me, who was of the same age as the
previous boy. He said to me: “O uncle! Where is Abū Jahl?” I asked him: “What
do you want with him?” He replied: “We heard that he would insult the
Messenger of Allāh (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬. By Allāh, if I see him, my shadow will not
leave his until I kill him, or he kills me.”

After a while, I spotted Abū Jahl from afar. So, I said: “This is your companion
(i.e. the man you seek),” and I wished that I could be between the ribs of this
youth – i.e. I wished that I could be in the chest of this youth, and that my heart
could be like the heart of this youth: zealous and energetic, and looking forward
to death. So, they dashed towards him. Shortly after, they returned, saying: “O
Messenger of Allāh! We killed him!” The Messenger of Allāh (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬

13
al‐Bukhārī (3988), Muslim (1752), al‐Hākim (3/425), at‐Tabarī, in his ‘Tārīkh’ (2/454), and al‐
Bayhaqī, in ‘Dalā’il an‐Nubuwwah’ (3/83)
asked: “Which one of you killed him?” Mu’ādh bin ‘Amr bin al‐Jamū’14 said: “I
did,” and Mu’ādh bin ‘Afrā’15 said: “I did.” He (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬then asked them:
“Have you wiped your swords clean yet?” They said: “No.” He (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬
said: “Show them to me.” So, he (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬found blood on both swords,
and said to them: “You both killed him.”16

‘Abdullāh bin Mas’ūd then searched through the corpses, found Abū Jahl
breathing his last breath, and sat on his chest. Abū Jahl opened his eyes to see Ibn
Mas’ūd on his chest, and said, in a degrading fashion: “Were you not one of our
shepherds in Makkah?” Ibn Mas’ūd said: “I certainly was, O enemy of Allāh.”
Abū Jahl then said: “You have put yourself in a difficult position, you camel
shepherd. You sit on my chest? Nobody has ever sat themselves down on such
an honorable thing.” Ibn Mas’ūd then said: “Whose day is it today? Who is the
victorious one? Allāh and His Messenger (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬.”17 Of course, there are
other narrations, whose authenticity cannot be confirmed, that he said: “Inform
Muhammad (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬that I will remain his enemy until my last breath.”
There is also a narration that when ‘Abdullāh bin Mas’ūd was in Makkah, Abū
Jahl hit him, injuring his ear. So, when Ibn Mas’ūd was sitting on the chest of
Abū Jahl, he cut off his head. It was narrated that he then pierced a hole in Abū
Jahl’s ear, tied a rope through it, and dragged his head by this rope. It seems that
Abū Jahl’s head was quite large, and Ibn Mas’ūd was a frail, weak person. So,
when the Messenger of Allāh (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬saw Abū Jahl’s severed head, he
fell into prostration out of gratitude to Allāh, and said: “By the One besides
Whom there is none worthy of worship, there is a Fir’awn for every ummah,

14He is Mu’ādh bin ‘Amr bin al‐Jamū’ al‐Ansārī al‐Khazrajī as‐Salamī. He witnessed Bay’at al‐
‘Aqabah, as well as Badr. He died during the reign of ‘Uthmān. (see Ibn Hajar’s ‘al‐Isābah fī Tamyīz
as‐Sahābah’; 3/429)

15ʹAbd ar‐Rahmān bin ʹAwf said that Muʹādh bin ʹAfrāʹ was not given the spoils of Abū Jahl
because he was himself killed later that day. (see ʹMishkāt al‐Masābīhʹ; 2/352)

16Muʹādh bin ʹAmr bin al‐Jamūʹ narrated: ʺI made Abū Jahl my target on the day of Badr. So,
when he was finally in my sights, I went for him and struck him, cutting through the middle of
his thigh. Suddenly, his son ʹIkrimah sliced through my shoulder with his sword, leaving my arm
hanging from my body by a piece of skin. This left me hindered from fighting for the rest of the
day, as I had to drag my arm behind me! Finally, when I could take it no more, I put my foot
down on my arm and jerked my body back until my arm came off.ʺ (see adh‐Dhahabī’s ‘Siyar
A’lām an‐Nubalā’’; 1/250‐251)

Narrated by Anas, and reported by al‐Bukhārī (3963), Muslim (1800), Abū Dāwūd (2709),
17

Ahmad (3/115, 129, 236), and al‐Bayhaqī, in ‘ad‐Dalā’il’ (3/86‐87)

and this is the Fir’awn of this Ummah.”18 This is the narration in the ‘Sahīhayn,’
and it is also said that the Messenger of Allāh (‫)ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬, after he saw the
rope tied through the hole in Abū Jahl’s ear, remembered the day that he had
injured Ibn Mas’ūd’s ear in Makkah, and then said to Ibn Mas’ūd: “An ear for an
ear, and the head is extra.”19

I say: this is Abū Jahl, whose existence the people were relieved of by two young
boys in the early part of their lives. They were around seventeen years of age,
which would put them in high school! Each one of them faced and killed the elite
knight of Quraysh, Abū Jahl, giving the Messenger of Allāh (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬the
glad tidings of having finally gotten rid of him. And if you look to the battles of
Badr, the Trench, Mu’tah, etc., you would not find except youths.

In the two World Wars, Britain and the other powerful nations used to depend
on the youth who were seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen years of age for the
carrying out of the most dangerous operations, because they were prepared to do
anything, and they do not stand for a long time to think. The Chinese would
train their suicide fighters, and advise them to depend on people of such age to
carry out their operations, saying: “The operations that require putting one’s self
in great danger should not be carried out by those who are older in age, as they
might delay the entire operation, because they will stand and think to
themselves: ‘What will the outcome be? What is the benefit in this?’” So, such
philosophy and rationale will prevent them from exerting themselves and
sacrificing, and movements and calls are not given victory in their early stages by
those who stand and think too much. Rather, they are given victory by the
people with emotion and heart. 20 So, the heat of emotion and the incitement of
the heart are what result in sacrifice. As for so‐called rational thinking, this is
what says to the person: ‘Do not exert yourself, and do not sacrifice.’ The mind is
generally cold and stagnant, and does not incline towards sacrifice. It inclines

18 Reported by al‐Haythamī, in ‘Majma’ az‐Zawā’id’ (6/79), and he said: “Reported by at‐Tabarānī,

and its men are the men of the ‘Sahīh,’ except for Muhammad bin Wahb bin Abī Karīmah, and he
is trustworthy.” So, it is hasan, and Allāh Knows best. It was also reported by at‐Tabarānī (8468‐
8476), and al‐Bayhaqī, in ‘ad‐Dalā’il’ (2/261‐262), and al‐Bukhārī (3961) and Abū Dāwūd (2772)
both reported a shorter version of this.

For the entire story of the killing of Abū Jahl, see ‘Fath al‐Bārī’ (7/342‐354), and ‘Sharh Sahīh
19

Muslim’ (12/159‐160).

20This is true in the case that the action in question is established to be correct according the
Sharī’ah, not when one uses emotion and zeal as a trigger for acts that oppose the Sharī’ah.
towards contemplation. So, if one’s emotion says to him: ‘Exert yourself. Allāh
will compensate you,’ the mind then says: ‘Do not reduce your wealth.’ If the
emotion says: ‘Sacrifice yourself,’ the mind says to him: ‘If you remain, you will
be of greater benefit to Islām,’ and so on.

Because of this, you would find that with the thinkers and philosophers, their
words are in the sky, while their actual lives are stagnant at the foot of a
mountain. There is a huge difference between what they call to and the reality
that they live. So, we must pay special attention to the years of one’s youth. Anas
bin Mālik said: “The Messenger of Allāh (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬came to Madīnah with
his Companions, and there was not a single man with white hair in his head
except for Abū Bakr, who had dyes his beard with henna and saffron.”21 Not a
single person had a white hair on his head except for Abū Bakr, and Abū Bakr
was 51 at the time, and ‘Umar was 41, and this was after the Prophethood by
thirteen years. As for when the Messenger of Allāh (‫ )ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و ﺳﻠﻢ‬was first sent
forth and the people believed in him, Abū Bakr was 38, and all of those who had
accepted Islām were between 15 and 25, in addition to those who were children.

Allāh – the Mighty and Majestic – will ask a specific question to the youth on the
Day of Resurrection: “The two feet of a servant will not move from their places
until he is asked about four things: about his life and what he did with it,
about his youth and how he spent it, about how well he acted upon his
knowledge, and about his earnings ‐ where he obtained it, and what he spent
it on.”22

Allāh – the Mighty and Majestic – will ask about his life. Then, He will ask the
second question, which is in regards to his youth, despite the fact that the period
of youth is itself part of the life that he was just asked about! Regardless, Allāh
has singled out the period of youth for questioning:

‫ﺿ ْﻌﻔﹰﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻒ ﻗﹸ ﱠﻮ ﹰﺓ ﹸﺛﻢﱠ َﺟ َﻌ ﹶﻞ ﻣِﻦ َﺑ ْﻌ ِﺪ ﻗﹸ ﱠﻮ ٍﺓ‬ ٍ ‫ﺿ ْﻌ‬ َ ‫ﻒ ﹸﺛﻢﱠ َﺟ َﻌ ﹶﻞ ﻣِﻦ َﺑ ْﻌ ِﺪ‬ٍ ‫ﺿ ْﻌ‬ َ ‫ﺍﻟﱠﻠ ُﻪ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻱ َﺧﹶﻠ ﹶﻘﻜﹸﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ‬
‫ﺨﻠﹸﻖُ ﻣَﺎ َﻳﺸَﺎﺀ َﻭﻫُ َﻮ ﺍﹾﻟ َﻌﻠِﻴ ُﻢ ﺍﹾﻟ ﹶﻘﺪِﻳ ُﺮ‬ْ ‫َﻭ َﺷْﻴَﺒ ﹰﺔ َﻳ‬

21 al‐Bukhārī (3919 & 3920); see ‘Fath al‐Bārī’ (7/302‐303)

22at‐Tirmidhī (2417), and al‐Albānī declared it sahīh in ‘Sahīh at‐Targhīb wat‐Tarhīb’ (1/126) and ‘as‐
Silsilah as‐Sahīhah’ (946)
 {“Allāh is He Who created you in a state of weakness, then gave you strength
after weakness, then, after strength, gave you weakness and grey hair. He
Creates what He Wills, and He is the All‐Knowing, the All‐Powerful.”}23

Of course, you are at an age in which Satan will enter upon you by way of your
studies, and by way of your incessant hopes. If it is said to you to call to Allāh –
the Mighty and Majestic – or to give some of your time for Allāh, Satan enters
upon you, saying: ‘Right now, you are still in school. Tomorrow, when you get
your degree ‐ your weapon in the society – you can work for Allāh.’

First of all, you do not know when you will graduate, and you do not know
when you will die, and you do not know how you will meet your Lord. So,
beware of having these incessant hopes.

Secondly, if you are too stingy with Allāh to give Him some of your time at such
an early age, the coming times will prove you to be even stingier. What a
difference there is between those who are infused with Islām at an early age, and
those who get old and enter into Islām at an old age. What a difference! This is
because to be nurtured upon Islām from a young age is much easier. Islām
becomes a part of your life if you are young, and your limbs, soul, and life are
transformed into a part of Islām. In fact, you are transformed into a part of the
body of Islām, just like the small tree and the large tree: the large tree has an
established trunk and dried up bark, making it hard to change the direction in
which its branches are pointed. The small tree, on the other hand, can be moved
in whatever direction you wish, as it is still able to be manipulated by your
hands. Because of this, the Lord of the Worlds will shade this youth who was
raised in the obedience to Allāh on the day in which there will be no other shade:
“There are seven whom Allāh will shade beneath the shade of His Throne on
the day in which there will be no shade but His shade…(including) a youth
who was raised upon the obedience to Allāh.”24

In truth, I have noticed that those who enter into the Da’wah at a young age are
much different than those who do so at an old age. The Islāmic Da’wah, when a
student enters it from his early years in school, and lives within its fold until the
end of his life, such a person becomes infused with it, and he becomes an
inseparable part of Islām.

23 ar‐Rūm; 54

24 Part of a longer hadīth reported by al‐Bukhārī (1423) and Muslim (1031)

As for the older person, with his social positions, affluence, children, etc. –
especially if the world comes crashing down on his head – and he decides to
repent, he seeks to enter into Islām with conditions. So, if he was a minister, he
demands to be respected, and to enter into Islām living at the same level in the
society that he was living beforehand. So, it is impossible for him to become fully
infused with it. He enters into Islām with many jāhilī customs, including the love
of this world, and the love of being praised. He wants the people to respect him.
It is not easy for him to sit with the proper manners and learn this religion as it
was revealed by Allāh. Additionally, there are many roots that have been
implanted in the customs of jāhiliyyah that surrounded his life. For example, here
is his wife who is now used to dancing at parties, and this is his daughter who is
now used to walking with boys, and this is his relative who is now used to
getting drunk in his presence, and this is his other daughter who is now used to
shaking hands with arriving male guests, and this is his sister who is now used
to welcoming these guests, sitting in front of them with one leg on the other, and
drinking tea and coffee with them. All of this must be changed. If he wishes to
live a truly Islāmic lifestyle, he will come across extreme hardship in attempting
to infuse the life described above to be in accordance with the Dīn.

This is different from if he had been young when entering into the Islāmic
Da’wah, knew Islām, had long been engaged in this battle with his household,
and had not married except a true Muslim girl, since he is a Muslim, and seeks
Islām as the primary condition for marriage. As for the one who has lived much
of his life without the Islāmic lifestyle, he is the one searching for a girl of
affluence, the daughter of this prince, the daughter of that minister, the daughter
of this wealthy person – this is because he is getting married simply to climb up
the social ladder on his wife’s back. He wishes to be mentioned when she or her
family is mentioned, or to be able to attend a gathering and say: ‘I am now
related to this minister, I am now a part of this family.’ Because of this, if he then
wishes to push all of this away and return to the crucible of Islām, he will find
great hardship. What will he do with his company that was established with
ribā? What will he do with the land he owns that was purchased with bank
loans? What will he do with his worldly‐oriented friends who control the land?
What will he do with all of this? He will cut himself off from all of this; he will
cut himself off from his friends, he will cut himself off from his companions, he
will stop having the night parties and dances – all of this will end. It is not easy
for a man to simply kick all of this to the side with his foot and return to Allāh.

The period of one’s youth is from the most important periods of one’s life.
Believe me, brothers: I have seen some of those who were guided by Allāh to
being acquainted with regular prayer and paying Zakāh at an old age, and one of
them said to me: “I feel as if I am a hypocrite, because I cannot operate my
company except by dealing in ribā, as the monthly requirements on my part
exceed hundreds of thousands. When I get up to pray, I feel inner pain, and I am
unable to rid myself of it. At the same time, I wish to turn towards Allāh.” So,
there is great hardship associated with the return to Allāh – the Mighty and
Majestic – at this old age.

I remember that we used to arrange a gathering in ‘Ammān which was attended

by those with high social positions, company owners, the elite, etc. So, one of the
attendees asked me: “What do you think about a man who has never fasted in
his life, and is 40 or 50 years old?” So, I said to him: “There is a fatwā from the
Hanafīs that the expiation for one deed of a certain type expiates for all of that
deed that one has missed. So, if one fasts for two consecutive months, this will
expiate for him all of the fasting that he owes.” One of the other attendees ‐who
was in his forties, and had never prayed nor fasted in his life ‐ liked this fatwā
very much, and decided to repent to Allāh. So, I gave this lesson, and lost contact
with them for some time.

Afterwards, I visited the house in which I had given this lesson, and I was
startled to find the man who had asked the original question sitting in the house,
and said to me: “Don’t you know?” I asked him: “Know what?” He said: “For
some time now, such‐and‐such famous person heard the fatwā you had
mentioned, and the next day, he began to pray and fast, and he was a
businessman. He would fast in the middle of July, and his family became
worried at his situation, because he began fasting. So, they went to ask another
scholar, and he said: “If he has repented, he should fast as much as he is able.”” I
replied: “No, I did not know about this.”

This man who repented later said to me: “The people would come to me in the
midst of the heat that month. I mean, in these three or four days in July, ‘Ammān
never witnessed heat like this,” and he was a businessman who owned three
shops: one in Mt. ‘Ammān, one in Mt. Husayn, and one in Mt. al‐Wubaydah. He
continued: “So, the people would come to me to take water from my refrigerator
while I was fasting. All throughout the day, my saliva would drip inside my
mouth as if it were sūs,” and sūs (licorice) is a beverage we use to quench the
thirst, because it does so very quickly. Indeed, it is his fasting! He is now serious
about the affairs of his religion! In the women’s clothing stores that he owned,
the women would come to try on the clothes. They would try on outer garments,
under garments, etc. So, he felt that this type of work was not in accordance with
his new Islāmic lifestyle. So, he insisted upon quickly putting an end to his
businesses. He purified his three shops, and came to me with a huge amount of
these clothes, saying to me: “Here. Give these away to the poor.” He wished for
nothing more than to end this business that was attracting women, and he
transformed his business to that of selling carpets. He said: “Carpet stores do not
attract women.”

After a while, I asked him: “How do you find yourself at this point?” He replied:
“I used to sell between two and three thousand Jordanian dinārs’ worth of
merchandise per day, which equals about six to seven thousand American
dollars,” and of course, about a half or third of this was profit. “However, I never
felt that I was really wealthy. Now, I sell one tenth of this amount, and I feel that
my pockets are filled with wealth. I feel blessed.”

I gave this example to clarify for you the fact that repentance at an old age is a
difficult and tiring task to undertake. This very individual, after he took care of
his fasting, he turned towards his business. After he purified his business, he
moved on to his household to carry out a revolution in rectifying it. His wife
would not wear long clothing, and his daughter would not wear long clothing –
they were living the modern life in ‘Ammān, and he had lived much of his life in
Germany. Eventually, problems erupted between he and his wife, and he was
able to overcome her and put forth some choices: either a life with me and Islām,
or you leave me and return to your parents’ home. As I said to you, this person
was insistent, and this insistence was done stubbornly. However, this attempt at
change cost him dearly.

As for you, all of your affairs are in your hands. You can choose your wife, your
path in life, and your job that is in accordance with the Sharī’ah of Allāh and
Pleases your Lord. So, from now, establish your connections in life based on
Islām. If you do so, you will not face any problems in the future. So, when you
take advantage of the opportunity of your youth, you will relax tomorrow in
your time of old age. As your age progresses, it will become more difficult for
you to learn Islām, and it will become more difficult for you to implement the
religion of Islām. Because of this, ‘Umar would say: “Learn, before you are given
positions in life.” ‘Abd al‐Malik bin Marwān was considered to be from the
boldest of the scholars of Madīnah: he knew Fiqh, Hadīth, and Arabic. ‘Āmir ash‐
Sha’bī, who was known for his knowledge of Fiqh and Hadīth, was unable to
compete with ‘Abd al‐Malik bin Marwān, despite the fact that he was also from
the memorizers of the Qur’ān, Hadīth, and was a master of the Arabic language.
When Marwān died, the news came that it was now time for ash‐Sha’bī to take
over the position of leadership. So, ash‐Sha’bī held the Mushaf, and said to it:
“Farewell!” He tearfully and intensely bid the Mushaf farewell, for he knew that
leadership and the problems that came with it would preoccupy him from
studying, reciting, and memorizing.

So, my brothers:

You are now in the prime of your lives! This is the period of exertion, and this is
the period of worship, and this is the period of Da’wah, and this is the period of
movement and activity! So, it is upon you to turn towards Islām, learn it,
implement it, and call to it. Knowledge, action, and propagation! If this chance
passes you, it is a golden opportunity that can never be repeated. How plentiful
is the free time during the university days, and how wonderful are the university
days for turning towards Allāh, and how wonderful are the university days for
worship, and how wonderful are the university days for Da’wah to your
colleagues and friends, those you know and do not know!

‫ﺼْﻴ ِﻄ ٍﺮ‬
َ ُ‫ﺖ َﻋﹶﻠْﻴﻬِﻢ ِﺑﻤ‬
َ ‫ﺴ‬
ْ ‫ﺖ ُﻣ ﹶﺬ ﱢﻛ ٌﺮ ﻟﱠ‬
َ ‫ﹶﻓ ﹶﺬ ﱢﻛ ْﺮ ِﺇﱠﻧﻤَﺎ ﺃﹶﻧ‬
{“So, remind them, as you are only a one who reminds. You are not a dictator
over them.”}25

“Take advantage of five things before five other things: from your youth
before your old age, your health before your sickness…”

Today, you are able to stand up during the prayer, and tomorrow, you will not
be able to pray except while sitting. Today, you are able to fast, and tomorrow,
you will get sick and will not be able to fast. Such is the health for which Allāh
requires from you some charity. The tax of the health, or the charity of the health,
is worship, which purifies the body, purifies the limbs, and preserves them from
destruction. The more it gives, the more the benefit increases, and the health does
not decline with the increase in worship. Rather, it increases and is perfected:

‫ﺴﻤَﺎﺀ َﻋﹶﻠْﻴﻜﹸﻢ ﱢﻣ ْﺪﺭَﺍﺭًﺍ َﻭَﻳ ِﺰ ْﺩﻛﹸ ْﻢ ﻗﹸ ﱠﻮ ﹰﺓ ِﺇﻟﹶﻰ ﹸﻗﻮﱠِﺗ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ‬

‫ﺍ ْﺳَﺘ ْﻐ ِﻔﺮُﻭﹾﺍ َﺭﺑﱠ ﹸﻜ ْﻢ ﹸﺛﻢﱠ ﺗُﻮﺑُﻮﹾﺍ ِﺇﹶﻟْﻴ ِﻪ ﻳُ ْﺮ ِﺳ ِﻞ ﺍﻟ ﱠ‬
{“…Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and then repent to Him. He will send upon you
abundant rain, and add strength to your strength…”}26

25 al‐Ghāshiyah; 21‐22

26 Hūd; 52
So, strength increases with repentance and obedience of Allāh, the Glorified. This
is natural, since worship relaxes the body and nerves, and this further builds the
body.

One Afghani said to me that his father is 120 years old, and not a single one of his
teeth have fallen out to this day! He prays the five daily prayers in the mosque,
especially the Fajr and ‘Ishā’. Such preservation of the body in this manner can
only be the result of the preservation of Allāh27: “…be mindful of Allah, and He
will take care of you...”28 So, worship is what preserves the body, and as long as
the connection with Allāh is good, it will preserve the body: “…be mindful of
Allah, and He will take care of you…”

“Take advantage of five things before five other things: from your youth
before your old age, your health before your sickness, and your wealth before
your poverty…,” because, as ‘Alī bin Abī Tālib said: “I am amazed at the stingy
person who runs from the wealth that he sought out, and seeks the poverty that
he has run from.” He lives the life of a poor person in this world, and he will be
taken to account in the next life as a wealthy person. He hoards this wealth to
that he would buy his sons alcohol with it, or cars, or to make it easy for them to
chase after girls, and he will eventually be crushed under the iron hammer of
Munkar and Nakīr, and the Angels of punishment in his grave. And the Angels
that follow Mālik in Hell will take him to account for every bit of wealth that he
ever owned!

There is a story that, while being merely symbolic, is deeply affecting. The story
is that a wealthy person died, and his children said: “We wish for a man to keep
our father company in his grave for just one night.” So, they dug two holes, and
connected each with the other. In one of the holes, they put their father, and they

27Ibn Rajab al‐Hambalī said: ʺWhoever is mindful of Allāh when he is young and strong, Allāh
will take care of him when he is old and has become weak, and will bless him with good hearing,
eyesight, strength, and intellect. One of the scholars who lived beyond the age of one hundred
years and enjoyed good strength and reasoning jumped up in a lively manner one day, and was
asked about that. He said: ʺI kept these physical faculties from sin when I was young, and Allāh
has preserved them for me now that I am old.ʺ The opposite also applies. One of the Salaf saw an
old man begging from people, and said: ʺThis is a weak man who ignored Allah when he was
young. So, Allāh is ignoring him now that he has grown old.ʺʺ (‘Jāmi’ al‐‘Ulūm wal‐Hikam’; 1/186)

Part of a longer hadīth narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās, and reported by at‐Tirmidhī (2516), and al‐
28

Albānī declared it sahīh in ‘Dhilāl al‐Jannah’ (316‐318), as well as his checking of ‘Mishkāt al‐
Masābīh’ (5302)
left the other hole empty. They then searched for someone who would be brave
enough to lay himself next to his corpse. So, they eventually found a servant, and
said to him: “We will give you a thousand dinārs if you spend one night next to
our father.” He replied: “I will take the money, and if I die, my children can live
off of it. If I live, I will start a business with it.” The Angels of punishment then
descended, saying: “These are two people. One of them is alive, and the other is
dead. One is spending one night here, and the other is with us for good. Since
this person is leaving tomorrow, let us begin by questioning him.” So, they asked
him: “Who are you?”

He replied: “My name is such‐and‐such.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I am a servant who carries things for people.”

“You carry things for people? What do you use to carry these things?”

“I use a rope made of fiber.”

“Were you sure that this fiber was pure, and was not najas? And how did you
earn the ten shillings with which you purchased the rope?”

“I worked for such‐and‐such a person.”

“Were you sure that his wealth was acquired by permissible means, and not by
forbidden means?”

Anyway, they continued questioning him about the rope and his work from
sunset to the next morning, after which he exited the grave. So, the children of
the dead man came to him, asking about what had happened. He replied: “Your
father will not cease to be punished until the Day of Resurrection.” They asked
him: “Why?” He replied: “Because I did own except this single piece of rope that
I carry things with, and the Angels spent the entire night asking me about it,
where I got it, where I went with it, etc. So, how would it be for your father, who
owned all of these gardens, palaces, and buildings? When would they finish
taking him to account?”

In truth, this is simply a symbolic story. However, it carries deep meaning and
cause for reflection.
Being taken to account is intense. Being taken to account by Allāh is intense. The
issue is not light. So, prepare your proper provisions from now, and make
yourself ready for the accounting with your Lord, and know that tomorrow, you
will be standing between the Hands of Allāh, and will be questioned about every
one of your actions:

‫ﺐ ﻳَﻨ ﹶﻘِﻠﺒُﻮ ﹶﻥ‬

ٍ ‫ﻱ ﻣُﻨ ﹶﻘﹶﻠ‬
‫َﻭ َﺳَﻴ ْﻌﹶﻠﻢُ ﺍﱠﻟﺬِﻳ َﻦ ﹶﻇﹶﻠﻤُﻮﺍ ﹶﺃ ﱠ‬
{“…And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will
be overturned.”}29

So, my brothers:

How many times have I said to you that you are now in the prime of your lives,
and that you must turn towards Islām with knowledge, action, and propagation!
It is easy for you to learn, to act, and to teach. If you do not do this within this
period, you have let an opportunity pass you by that will never show itself again.
Free time is not replaceable! You might never again experience a period in which
you have this amount of free time, so, take advantage of it! Beware of having
incessant hopes and following your desires! Incessant hopes waste your time,
and following your desires corrupts your heart, and I advise you to read the
Noble Qur’ān every day! I advise you to read at least half of a juz’, so that you
would complete the entire Qur’ān every two months, at least.

I also advise you to be constant with the remembrances and supplications of the
morning and evening. Recite them after the Fajr prayer, and attend the Fajr and
‘Ishā’ prayers in the mosque: “He who prays ‘Ishāʹ in congregation is as if he
has prayed for half the night, and he who prays the Fajr in congregation is as if
he has prayed all night.”30 Also, there is the hadīth reported by at‐Tirmidhī:
“Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation, then sits remembering
Allāh until sunrise, then prays two units of Duhā prayer, has a complete
reward of Hajj and `Umrah, has a complete reward of Hajj and `Umrah, has a
complete reward of Hajj and `Umrah.”31

29 ash‐Shu’arā’; 227

30 Muslim (656) and at‐Tirmidhī (221)

31 at‐Tirmidhī (586), and al‐Albānī declared it hasan in ‘at‐Ta’līq ar‐Raghīb’ (1/164‐165)

So, pray the Fajr in the mosque, recite some Qur’ān afterwards, seek Allāh’s
Forgiveness until the Sun rises, pray two units of Duhā prayer, then go to your
university. Prepare your class notes for school day by day, and do not put any of
this off. Beware of having incessant hopes, resulting in your time being lost.
Prepare everything day by day. You will be asked about every second of your
life, as on the Day of Resurrection, every breath that you took will tear itself
apart out of sorrow and regret. So, Fajr prayer, Qur’ān recitation, istighfār,
congregational prayers, fasting two days of every week, having good, righteous
friends at school – look for the good, sincere friends who will help you to fulfill
the Da’wah of Allāh, Islām32: “…for Allāh to guide one man through you is
better for you than the best type of camels,”33 and you are responsible in front
of Allāh for relaying His Religion, as Allāh has made you a Muslim, and has
made you from the best nation brought forth for mankind, because:

‫ﻑ َﻭَﺗْﻨ َﻬ ْﻮ ﹶﻥ َﻋ ِﻦ ﺍﹾﻟﻤُﻨ ﹶﻜ ِﺮ َﻭُﺗ ْﺆ ِﻣﻨُﻮ ﹶﻥ ﺑِﺎﻟﹼﻠ ِﻪ‬

ِ ‫َﺗ ﹾﺄ ُﻣﺮُﻭ ﹶﻥ ﺑِﺎﹾﻟ َﻤ ْﻌﺮُﻭ‬
{“…you enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and believe in Allāh…”}34

32Ibn Jamā’ah said: “The student of knowledge should not mix except with either those he can
benefit, or can benefit from. And if he is offered the friendship of one who will waste his time
with him, will not benefit him, will not benefit from him, and will not assist him in reaching his
objective, he should politely end the relationship from the start before it progresses to something
deeper, as when something becomes established, it becomes more difficult to change it. There is a
phrase that is constantly on the tongues of the Fuqahāʹ: ʹRepelling something is easier than
removing it.ʹ So, if he requires someone to befriend, let that person be righteous, religious, pious,
wary, intelligent, full of benefit, having little evil, good at complying, rarely conflicting,
reminding him if he forgets, cooperating with him when he is reminded, helpful if he is in need,
and comforting if he is in distress.ʺ (see ʹTadhkirat as‐Sāmiʹ wal‐Mutakallimʹ; p. 83)

33 al‐Bukhārī (4210)

34 Āl ‘Imrān; 110
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