Original subtitles

In the first Ḥalaqah we took a brief biography of the author, in the second Ḥalaqah we went

over his introduction, in the third Ḥalaqah we went over the first cause of ʾIstiġfār

that he mentions, and today In schā' Allāh we'll go over the second cause of ʾIstiġfār which

he called al-Taqsīru fil A'mal, shortcomings in deeds.

Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala ordered us with some obligations and worships that are set

and known.

No one who performs those known deeds performs them the proper, full, complete way either

because they're unable or due to ignorance or because they're mindless or heedless or

careless or negligent, among other reasons.

The author said shortcomings are inseparable from deeds.

We will always have shortcomings in our ‘Ibadat and deeds, some being worse than others of

course.

And that statement is backed by plenty of Hadith, like the one on the authority of Ammar

ibn Yasir radiAllāhu anhu in Sunan Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i and Musnad Ahmad and Ibn Hibban,

inna arrajula layansarifu wama kutiba lahu illa ushru salatit, tus'uha, thumunuha, sub'uha,

sudusuha, khumusuha, thuluthuha, nisfuha.

A man finishes his Salāh and all that he gets out of it of reward is a tenth of it, a ninth

of it, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a fourth, a third, a half.

That's due to neglecting matters of the Salāh, like tuma'nina, khushu'a, humility.

One may lose ‘Ajr for not having tranquility of the limbs in the various positions of the

Salāh.

And there's other matters as well.

Sometimes the reward may be less than the range in that Hadith even.

It could be less than a tenth, it could be zero, like the Hadith in Saḥih Muslim about

somebody who goes to a fortune teller and asks them.

If he asks them, his prayer is not accepted for 40 days.

He must make his Salāh but no reward for 40 days.

And of course if he believes it's kufr.

Some of those shortcomings which the author said are inevitable invalidate the deed and

some diminish the deed.

A prime example on shortcomings that invalidate the deed is the Hadith that became known as

the Hadith of the one who prayed incorrectly before the Messenger ﷺ.

It's in Bukhāri in Muslim, in Musnad Ahmed, and in the four sunan.

And it's on the authority of four sahaba that a sahabi radiAllāhu anhu performed Salāh

at a distance where the Messenger ﷺ was watching him.

And after he completed his Salāh, he went to the Messenger ﷺ to greet him.

The Messenger ﷺ said, go back and pray for you haven't prayed.

Irja fa salli fa innaka lam tu salli.

Three times, every time he makes Salāh and then greets the Messenger ﷺ, the Messenger

tells him, irja fa salli fa innaka lam tu salli.

Go back and pray, you haven't prayed.

After the third time the man said, fa a'limni, O Messenger of Allāh teach me, teach me how

to pray.

The Prophet ﷺ taught him how to pray and it became, this Hadith became a reference

on the details of Salāh.

Had the Messenger ﷺ not seen him, he would have thought it was a complete full Salāh

as many do today.

And that happened when Salāh was freshly revealed and taught to those who wholeheartedly

were attentive and focused on learning.

Imagine now 14 centuries later, when there are those who downplay the importance of emphasizing

and teaching and learning the details of Salāh and wudu, for example.

How many you see today are worthy of being told, go back and pray, you haven't prayed.

Sahabi radiAllāhu anhu made that Salāh, clearly had good intentions, but that's not sufficient

when performing deeds because they must be in accordance as well.

In Saḥih al-Bukhāri, Hudayfa saw a person who wasn't doing his ruku and sujood properly.

He told him, you haven't prayed, like similar to what the Messenger ﷺ said,

وَلَوْ مُتَّ مُتَّ عَلَىٰ غَيْرِ الْفِطْرَ الَّتِي فَطَرَ

اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَىٰ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَامًا

And if you die with that kind of Salāh, you die on a fitrah other than that of the Messenger

ﷺ.

Meaning, you die on a religion other than the religion of the Messenger ﷺ.

That's an example in one of the most important ibadat, which is Salāh, and how shortcomings

in deeds nullify the deed.

The author said ibadat may be diminished in reward or even nullified by riya during their

performance or ujb after it.

So the author gave an example of riya and ujb.

Riya would be performing deeds to show off, it's duplicity or eye-service deeds.

People are the main factor and drive behind the deed that's done, and not Allāh ﷻ.

That's why Ibn Taymiyyah said, الرياء من باب الإشراق بالخلق

Riya is a form of shirk in creation.

Why?

How?

Because the individuals offer acts of ‘Ibādah with the intention of making people notice

or for admiration or praise or to get commanded or for other reasons.

That ‘Ibādah should have been totally for Allāh ﷻ so that person is associating who he was

trying to impress or show off to with Allāh ﷻ.

Similar to riya is ujb.

Ujb is to have internal pride.

It's having vanity.

The author is referring here to the ujb of one who sees himself high and above with an

eye of honor and self-glorification after he does ‘Ibādah or due to ‘Ibādah that he did.

There's people of ujb who regard their Salāh or their da'wah or ‘Ibādah in general as a

favor to Allāh.

They don't recognize that Allāh ﷻ is the one who has done them a favor by allowing

them to perform those ‘Ibādah.

That feeling could be internally in the heart or expressed verbally or shown by actions

and a person could have that disease at different degrees.

Allāh ﷻ said,

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيْيَ

أَسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ

لِلْإِمَانِ إِن كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

They regard their acceptance of Islam as a favor to you.

Some ulema said the verse was revealed because of a Bedouin tribe, a tribe from the Arab

who went to show favor over the Messenger ﷺ because they believed without the Messenger

having to fight him.

يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا

عَلَيْيَ أَسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّوا عَلَيْكُمْ

You're not doing Allāh a favor.

Allāh said to the Prophet,

Tell them, do not regard Islam as a favor to me.

بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِمَانِ

It's Allāh who has done you a favor by guiding you to the faith if you are truthful.

It is Allāh who has done you a favor by honoring you to give da'wah, or to get up for night

qiyam, or f’Ajr Salāh, or to wear niqab and hijab, or to do the fara'id and nawafil.

So get that ujb out.

I stated that Ibn Taymiyyah said,

رِيَاء الشِّرْكِ إِنْ أَوْذَرْسِ وَالْعُجْبِ مِن بَابِ الْإِشْرَاقِ بِالنَّفْسِ

Because the individuals offer an acts of ‘Ibādah with internal vanity and conceit of his own self.

Ibn Taymiyyah said,

The one with riya' does not fulfill iyyaka na'bud.

You alone we worship.

How can he say, you alone we worship?

When he showed off to others what belongs to Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He gave a portion or all of his ‘Ibādah to others, so he didn't fulfill iyyaka na'bud.

You alone, alone we worship.

Ibn Taymiyyah said,

The one with ujb does not fulfill wa iyyaka nastaeen.

You alone we ask for help.

Instead of seeking full aid from Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala, he included his own self with his internal pride.

Whoever fulfills iyyaka na'bud will be free of riya', whoever fulfills iyyaka nastaeen will be free of ujb.

Ibn Hazm said,

إِنَّ الْعُجْبِ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الذُّنُوبِ وَأَمْحَقُهَا لِلْأَعْمَالِ

Ujb is among the biggest sins and among the biggest destroyer of deeds.

Struggling to free yourself from ujb and riya' may be difficult in the beginning,

but keep fighting and resisting that temptation and it'll be very easy at the end.

You may find someone who has much less ‘Ibādah than a person with ujb and plenty of deeds,

yet that person with a little bit of ‘Ibādah feels sorrow and humbleness and shortcoming towards Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He has constant regret over his past or shortcomings,

and he has love and desire to complete his shortcomings and achieve more.

And that concept may attain him a higher status with Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala

than a person with more deeds yet afflicted with ujb.

Feeling regret and shortcoming with deeds and ‘Ibādah is a blessing one always needs

and one should thank Allāh for it if he feels that.

If pride and ujb and riya' seep into the heart of a da'ia or a abid or a reciter of the Quran or a mujahid,

it ruins his hard work.

Ujb and riya' don't penetrate anything but ruin them.

The ultimate success is that Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala not leave you to yourself.

With ujb, you're basically asking to be left to yourself.

The ultimate letdown is for Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala to abandon you to yourself

and you never want to be left to yourself not even for a blink of an eye or even less than that.

With ujb, you're placing yourself in charge of yourself.

The Messenger sallAllāhu alayhi wa sallam sought refuge from that.

Oh Allāh, don't leave me to myself for the blinking of an eye,

not even for a moment, not even for an instant.

اللهم رحمتك أرجوك فلا تكلني إلى نفسي طرفة عين

When Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala wants good in one,

he opens the gates of humility and humbleness with constant resorting and returning to Allāh,

feeling poor and powerless and in desperate need of Allāh subhanahu wa ta'ala

no matter how much one excels in his ‘Ibādah.

If ujb penetrates a deed you did, ask yourself,

can I be sure I'll die on that deed or a similar deed?

Once you contemplate and figure the correct answer to that question,

you will be free of ujb In schā’ Allāh.

Before we drift off any further, I just want to mention

one more point about riya as it pertains to nullifying deeds.

If someone starts his ‘Ibādah in riya, in shawaf, that nullifies the reward.

If the individual starts off sincere to Allāh in that ‘Ibādah,

but shawaf develops during the ‘Ibādah,

that ‘Ibādah is either among those that are considered separate or connected.

If it's separate, take an example, you'll understand it better.

Taraweeh, he went to pray two rak'ah taraweeh sincerely,

he saw someone walking in after the first two,

and he began to do the next two for shawaf.

The first two are accepted, the second two are the deeds are nullified.

Because they're separate, like somebody stands in front of a charity box,

gives ten dollars, nobody sees him, he saw somebody walking in,

he puts in another ten dollars.

The first are accepted In schā’ Allāh, the second are nullified.

Why? Because they're separate ‘Ibādah, he got reward for the one he did properly,

and he didn't get reward for the one he did for shawaf.

If the ‘Ibādah is one whole connected ‘Ibādah,

and riya seeps in after he started off sincerely,

while he's in ‘Ibādah, that he started off sincerely,

and he gives into shawaf, meaning he doesn't ward it off and resist it,

that entire Salāh will be invalid,

even though he started off sincerely, because the first part is connected to the last.

If he wards off the idea, and doesn't give into it,

he turns away from it, he hates it, he resists the temptation of riya and shawaf,

he doesn't like it, that entire Salāh will be accepted In schā’ Allāh.

And if he's truly sincere, he may even get ‘Ajr for resisting the thought that came to him of riya.

Now, after completing the ‘Ibādah, if riya seeps in,

it doesn't affect it or invalidate it, because it was done properly,

and that came afterwards. In fact, Ibn Rajab in Jamia Al-Uloom Al-Hikm said,

if one does a good deed, then some good mention comes to him about it,

and he gets happy with the bounty of Allāh upon him, it does not harm him.

The author then said ʾIstiġfār was legislated after ‘Ibādah to compensate the shortcoming in them.

He gave specific examples where ʾIstiġfār was legislated after ‘Ibādah,

some of them I mentioned actually in the introduction,

like Hadith Thawban,

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا صرف من صلاة استغفر ثلاثة

In Saḥih Muslim Thawban said,

when the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم finished his Salāh,

he would beg forgiveness three times.

After ifadah and hajj, and some ask what's ifadah?

Ifadah is the tenth day of hajj,

when one is completing the final tasks of hajj.

Allāh سبحانه وتعالى says about it,

ثم أفيدوا من حيث أفاد الناس واستغفروا الله إن الله غفور رحيم

Depart from the place where all people depart and ask Allāh سبحانه وتعالى for his forgiveness.

The author said the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم

also did ʾIstiġfār after returning from hajj in Umrah.

And I'll add what's in another narration that even after jihad,

after returning from jihad as in Saḥih Muslim and the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar,

when the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم came back from a battle or expedition,

or from hajj in Umrah,

he would say,

آيبون، تائبون، عابدون، ساجدون، لربنا حامدون

We're returning, repenting, worshiping, prostrating before Allāh and we praise Him.

رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم returning from hajj and then asking Allāh to forgive him.

That deserves a lot of thought right there.

At the end of Qiyam al-Layl,

Allāh سبحانه وتعالى combined the verse with ʾIstiġfār.

والمستغفرين بالأسحار وبالأسحاري

In another verse وبالأسحاري مستغفرون

Shaykh Nasser said, some scholars said that it's ʾIstiġfār after Qiyam al-Layl.

And in the verse in Surah al-Muzzammil, the long verse about Qiyam,

at the end Allāh says,

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

The Messenger concluded his life that was full of deeds and goodness and jihad

that no one can beat or even compete with.

He concluded his life with ʾIstiġfār

as in the Hadith of Aisha رضي الله عنه and Saḥih Muslim

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يكثر أن يقول قبل أن يموت

سبحانك وبحمدك استغفرك وأتوب إليك

The Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم before he died would constantly recite

Glory and praise to you O Allāh,

I seek your forgiveness and turn to you in repentance.

The Hadith that I mentioned in the introduction on the authority of Aisha as well رضي الله عنها

She said, I heard and listened to the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم before his death

while he was leaning his back on me saying اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني والحقني بالرفيق الأعلى

O Allāh forgive me and have mercy on me and join me with the highest companions in Jannah.

The proof on ʾIstiġfār after deeds is plenty

so to summarize this Ḥalaqah in one line we say

Your ibadat are inseparable from shortcomings

so you need constant ʾIstiġfār as a reparation for them.

And that's what the author called التقصير في الأعمال shortcomings in deeds.

Another side issue that relates to ʾIstiġfār and ujb

is that ʾIstiġfār after deeds in addition to being a reparation for the deeds

it humbles and helps remove ujb

You're performing the deed

and then begging Allāh سبحانه وتعالى and pleading that Allāh سبحانه وتعالى forgives you

That's a treatment to kill the cells of ujb.

جزاكم الله خير

وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم