2005-06-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Helping Someone In Distress
By Shaykhul Hadeeth Muhammad Zakariyya

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said:
"Allah Ta'ala loves the help given to people in adversity."

The point mentioned in the above Hadeeth is that Allah Ta'ala loves the help given to people in adversity. A Hadeeth says that Allah Ta'ala will show no mercy to those who do not show mercy to other people.

Another Hadeeth reports Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam as saying, "He who helps the women in their distress, or the poor, is like one who is engaged in jihaad."The narrator says he thinks that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam also added, "Like one who offers nafl salaah the whole night without slackening, and he is like one who is always fasting without break."One Hadeeth says that whoever removes any suffering of a Mu'min (believer) in this life, Allah Ta'ala will save him from the distress of the Day of Judgement; and Allah Ta'ala will grant relief, both in this life and in Aakhirah, to anyone who relieves someone's hardship. Whoever conceals the shortcomings of a Muslim in this life, Allah Ta'ala will save him from the exposure of his shortcomings both in this life and in the Aakhirah.

One Hadeeth says, "When someone fulfils the need of a Muslim brother, his reward will be like that of a person who spent his whole life in the service (worship) of Allah Ta'ala."Another Hadeeth says, "If someone places the need of a Muslim brother before a person in power, he will be helped to cross the 'siraat' (the bridge over Jahannam) when feet will slip on it."

According to a Hadeeth, there are a number of men whom Allah Ta'ala has created for the sole purpose of meeting people's needs and helping them in difficulties; those men shall have no worries on the Day of Judgement and will have nothing to fear. Another Hadeeth says that whoever helps his brother in distress, Allah Ta'ala will keep him steady and firm when even the mountains will not be able to stay firm in their places, i.e. on the Day of Qiyaamah (Doomsday). One Hadeeth says, "If someone helps a Muslim by saying a few words in his favour, or takes a few steps to help him in any manner, Allah Ta'ala bestows on him seventy three blessings, one out of which will suffice him for his well-being in this life and in the Akhirah, while the remaining seventy-two will be reserved for exalting his rank and the status on the Day of Judgement". Besides these, there are several Ahadeeth on this subject quoted by the author of Kanzul Ummaal.

A Hadeeth maintains that the Muslims, by being kind to each other, by their close relationship with each other and being merciful to one another, are like a single human body, of which when one limb suffers, all its other parts become restless and share its suffering. For example if one of the limbs get injured, all the other limbs become uneasy; if one hand gets hurt, all other limbs are restless and the whole body becomes feverish. Likewise, all the Muslims must feel disturbed over the difficulties of any one Muslim.

A Hadeeth says, "Rahman (Allah Ta'ala) shows mercy to those who are merciful to others. Be merciful to those on earth, you will have the mercy of those who are in Heaven," (which includes Allah Ta'ala and the Angels).

One Hadeeth says that the best Muslim home is the one in whch an orphan lives and gets fair treatment, while the worst home is the one in which an orphan lives and gets bad treatment. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has said, "Whoever in my Ummah helps someone in his need to make him happy, he makes me happy and my happiness makes Allah Ta'ala happy, and when Allah is happy He grants that person entry in Jannah."

One Hadeeth says, "When someone helps an afflicted person, he becomes entitled to seventy three grades of forgiveness, one of which is enough for his salvation; the remaining seventy two will raise his rank and positions in Aakhirah." A Hadeeth says that the whole creation is Allah's family, and from amongst mankind He likes those most whose behaviour is good towards His family. `The entire creation is Allah Ta'ala's family' is a well-known Hadeeth quoted by several Sahaabah radhiyallahu anhum.

The ulamaa have explained that, just as a man is responsible for the provision of all needs of his family, so does Allah Ta'ala provide for the whole of His creation, which, for that reason, is here called the family of Allah Ta'ala. In this regard the Muslims do not have any special status. Muslims and non-Muslims are all alike, even the animals come in the same category; every species in the creation is here included in the family of Allah Ta'ala. Whoever metes out good treatment to the whole creation will thus become the loved one of Allah Ta'ala.

My life