All praise is due to Allah The Exalted, and
may Allah raise the rank of our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, his
kind
The context of the hadith: “Shall I not direct you to what
is more beneficial for you than having a servant?”
Ayah 17 Surat Al-A^la means: {The Hereafter is more beneficial
and everlasting}.
There is no doubt and no question about the
rewards in the hereafter being magnificent and everlasting. This means that the
pleasures of Paradise are superior in quality and quantity and longer lasting
than the pleasures of this world. Also undoubted is the fact that the one who
is clever and intelligent will discipline one’s self and work towards gaining
the pleasures of life after death, applying the traditions of goodness urged by
the Prophet of Allah,
peace be upon him.
On that note, it was related that our master ^Aliyy, may Allah reward him greatly said:
“Fatima complained about the unpleasant traces that
making dough and kneading it had left on her hands, so she went to the
Messenger of Allah [her father] asking him for permission to
obtain a servant, but she did not find him home. She mentioned her problem to
Lady ^A’ishah (may Allah raise her rank) who then mentioned it to the
Prophet when he returned home. The Prophet then came to ^Aliyy’s house as Fatima and ^Aliyy were lay in bed. ^Aliyy wanted to get up off his bed, but the Prophet
said to him: ‘Stay in your
place’, then he sat between them and
said: “Shall I not direct you to what is more beneficial
for you than having a servant?”Every night you go to bed recite 33 times the
phrase-‘Subhanallah’ (i.e. ‘Allah is Exalted and clear of imperfection’), 33
times - ‘Al-Hamdu lillah’ (i.e. ‘All praise is
due to Allah) and 33 times - ‘Allahu Akbar’ (i.e. Allah is the Greatest). This
will be more beneficial for you than having a servant. (Related by Al-Bukhariyy, Muslimand Al-Bayhaqiyy). The word servant in
Arabic can refer to a female or a male servant, however, in this case it is
referred to a female servant.
The hadith of
the Prophet of Allah is undoubtedly in agreement with the Qur’an.
The servant is a worldly benefit, but to praise and glorify Allah in the manner described will bring the
person a greater and everlasting benefit in the Hereafter, evidenced in the
meaning of the previously mentioned Ayah of the Qur’an: {The Hereafter is more
beneficial and everlasting}.
In those early days, people used to grind the
wheat and knead the dough at home, to make their bread. It was not as easy as
today. Even Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet,
complained of the effects that grinding the wheat and kneading, had left on her
hands.
Some scholars who explained the meanings of
the Holy Qur’an interpreted the Ayah in the context of the hadith and added that Fatimah will experience as a result of the
habitual recitations a physical power that will enable her to fulfil the chores
more efficiently than a servant.”
Allah has the Power over everything. Absolutely
nothing incapacitates Him. Isn’t it related as a fact that the righteous
steadfast Muslim (at-Taqiyy), by virtue of that
Muslim’s religiosity, will not feel hunger when the sedition of famine will
spread during the time of Ad-Dajjal? Yes, it is. So,
there is no doubt in the truthfulness of the directive of Prophet Muhammad, may Allahraise his rank.
Indeed beautiful is the family who is reliant
totally on the Lord of the worlds. Today, in the current economic circumstances
obvious to all, most men have become unable to hire an in-house maid for their
wives. The wife finds herself patiently fulfilling the chores in the house day
and night. Hence it is proper and timely for the husband to remind his wife of
what the Prophet advised and what is more in her favour for the Hereafter. It
is indeed proper and timely for both the husband and wife to aid one another in
acts of obedience like awaking for night prayers.
Despite the fact that Prophet Sulayman was not one who used to sleep for long
hours at night, his mother still reminded him of the better deed. The Prophet,
may Allah raise his rank said in a hadith: “The mother of Sulayman
Ibn Dawud said to Sulayman, ‘O son, do not sleep for long
hours at night as sleeping for long hours at night leaves the person poor on
the Day of Judgement” (Related by An-Nasa’iy, Ibn Majah
and Al-Bayhaqiyy).
So, wake up at night and awaken your wife to
perform prayers. Definitely, the number of breaths is limited and life will
inevitably end. The honest and truthful Prophet, may Allahraise his
rank, said in a hadith: “Allah will bestow mercy
upon the husband who wakes up at night and prays as well as awakens his wife to
pray and if she is overcome by sleep, he sprinkles water on her face” (i.e.
sprays a few droplets of water to help her wake up).
Similarly, he, may Allah raise his rank said in a hadith: “Allah
will bestow mercy upon the wife who wakes up at night and prays as well as
awakens her husband to pray and if he is overcome by sleep, she sprinkles
water on his face” (Related by Ahmad,
Abu Dawud,
An-Nasa’iy, Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim).
O Allah,
aid us to habitually mention You, to praise You and be pious Ameen
We humbly ask Allah to enlighten us with the light of Knowledge, and keep us steadfast to the path of truth and righteousness.
We humbly ask Allah to enlighten us with the light of Knowledge, and keep us steadfast to the path of truth and righteousness.