Being mindful of Allah is of utmost significance for us striving to live our lives as devout Muslims, and this is emphasized in a hadith reported from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbās who said,

“One day I was behind the Prophet ﷺ [riding on the same mount] and he said, ‘O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah has already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.’” Narrated by at-Tirmidhī who said it is a good and authentic ḥadīth. Another narration, other than that of al-Tirmidhī, reads: “Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah 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.” [Hadith 19, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi]

Importance

Regarding this ḥadīth ibn al-Jawzī (r) writes, “I pondered over this ḥadīth and it amazed me to the point that I almost became lightheaded…what a pity for the one who is ignorant of this ḥadīth and has little understanding of its meaning.”¹Ibn al-Jawzī, Ṣayd al-Khāṭir, 9 This statement is enough to show how important, profound, and powerful this particular narration is. 

Explanation

Ibn ʿAbbās starts the narration by describing the situation and context in which he heard these words from the Prophet ﷺ. He says, “One day I was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ.” Meaning that Ibn ‘Abbās was riding behind the Prophet ﷺ on the same animal. The reason why he mentions this specific detail is to stress that he heard these words directly from the Prophet ﷺ, and he remembered them so well that he even remembered the circumstances in which he heard them.

The Prophet ﷺ grabbed his attention by calling out to him, “O young man!” When the Prophet ﷺ gave this advice to ibn ʿAbbās he was just about to enter the age of puberty. This is significant because it shows the methodology of the Prophet ﷺ in teaching youth. What can be derived from this is that one of the most important things to teach youth is a proper understanding of faith and īmān; planting the seed of faith in their hearts from a very young age so that they always have a strong relationship with Allah ﷻ – literally instilling within their hearts and minds the concept of who Allah ﷻ truly is.

The Prophet ﷺ continues, “I shall teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you.” Being mindful of Allah ﷻ means being conscious of the limits set by Allah , being aware of His commandments and obeying them, and being mindful of His prohibitions and staying away from them. If a person is mindful, conscious, and aware of Allah ﷻ then He will provide protection both in this world and the next. He will provide protection in this world from various trials, difficulties, and problems. He will also protect them by safeguarding their religion. He will protect them in the next world from the punishment of Hell. 

Allah ﷻ Himself says in the Quran,

“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.” [Surah An-Nahl; 16:97]

However, if a person is not careful of the limits set by Allah ﷻ, then they are not guaranteed any such protection. As a matter of fact, a lot of the trials and tribulations in this life are a result of ignoring the rules of Allah ﷻ. He tells us in Sūrah al-Shūra,

“Whatever hardship befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed, while He overlooks (many of your faults).” [Surah Al-Shura; 42:90]

The Prophet ﷺ emphasizes his advice by saying, “Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you.” The Prophet ﷺ is repeating the importance of obeying Allah’s Commands and staying away from His prohibitions. If a person does so, then, not only will Allah ﷻ protect them, but He will also help them in their affairs, support them, and guide them. He will be there to help in times of difficulty, hardship, trials, tribulations, sorrow, and sadness.

“If you ask, ask Allah.” [PC: Masjid MABA (unsplash)]

The Prophet ﷺ then teaches ibn ʿAbbās about the importance of relying upon Allah ﷻ alone and asking Him for all of one’s needs. He ﷺ says, “If you ask, ask Allah.” With this statement, the Prophet ﷺ is advising believers to turn towards Allah ﷻ and to ask Him alone for all of their needs. People should be completely dependent upon Allah ﷻ and not His Creation because it is Allah ﷻ and Allah ﷻ alone who is able to take care of all needs. There is a world of difference between asking others to fulfill their needs and asking Allah ﷻ. Others don’t like to be asked for favors or bounties; whereas, Allah ﷻ loves to be asked. A famous scholar once said, “Do not ask one who runs from your requests, instead ask the One who has ordered you to ask Him.” 

Essentially the Prophet ﷺ is advising ibn ʿAbbās to make asking Allah ﷻ a regular habit. In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Ask Allah from His grace, for indeed Allah loves to be asked.”²Tirmidhī, k, al-daʿwāt ʿan Rasūlillah ﷺ, b. fī intiḍār al-faraj wa ghayr dhālika, 3571 Similarly the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah becomes angry with one who doesn’t ask Him. So you should ask your Lord for all your needs, even the strap of your sandal if it breaks.”³Tirmidhī, k, al-daʿwāt ʿan Rasūlillah ﷺ, b., 3604

The Prophet ﷺ then emphasizes the concepts of supplication and tawakkul (reliance upon Allah ) by saying, “If you seek help, seek help from Allah.” In this portion of the ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ is advising ibn ʿAbbās to rely solely on Allah ﷻ for help, support, and assistance. These two phrases spoken by the Prophet ﷺ echo the same message of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah that is recited by believers multiple times a day. At least seventeen times a day Muslims recite in prayer “You alone do we worship and from You alone we seek help.” The Prophet ﷺ is informing his Companions about the importance of duʿā, the importance of asking Allah ﷻ, and the importance of seeking help from Him in all of our affairs.

The Prophet ﷺ then tells ibn ʿAbbās something extremely profound and powerful. He says, “Know that even if the Nation (or the whole community) were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” In this last portion of the ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ is explaining the concept of qadr. Having a proper understanding of the concept of qaḍā and qadr, the divine decree and will of Allah ﷻ, is the source of true happiness and contentment in the life of this world. Being pleased with the divine decree of Allah ﷻ is the key to living a stress-free, worry-free, and anxiety-free life. It brings peace of mind and clarity. 

The Prophet ﷺ is explaining to a young ibn ʿAbbās that every single thing that happens in this world, both the good and the bad, happens according to the divine will, decree, plan, and wisdom of Allah ﷻ. Everything that happens in this world has some deep divine wisdom behind it. The Prophet ﷺ wants ibn ʿAbbās to realize from a young age that nothing and no one has the ability to cause benefit or harm without the decree, will, and permission of Allah ﷻ. Everything comes from Allah ﷻ. Recognizing this is an essential part of īmān. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Indeed everything has a reality. No servant will recognize the reality of faith until they know that what has befallen them would not have missed them, and what has missed them would not have befallen them.”⁴Aḥmad, Musnad Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, 27490

Imam al-Nawawī (r) then brings another version of the same ḥadīth with slightly different wording and some additional advice. The Prophet ﷺ says, “Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognize and acknowledge Allah 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.” 

In this version of the ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ advises ibn ʿAbbās [ra] to always remember Allah ﷻ, in times of ease and in times of difficulty. Oftentimes, when people are living a life of comfort and ease they tend to forget about Allah ﷻ, but as soon as they are afflicted or tested with hardship or difficulty they turn to Allah ﷻ asking for help and assistance. A believer should be mindful of Allah ﷻ in all circumstances. In times of ease, comfort, and prosperity they should be mindful of Allah ﷻ through gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation, and in times of difficulty and hardship they should be mindful of Allah ﷻ through patience, strength, and perseverance. A believer should be flowing between the states of shukr and ṣabr. 

The Prophet ﷺ then consoles the young ibn ʿAbbās reminding him to always keep a positive outlook and to be optimistic about the future. “And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.” This same message is mentioned by Allah ﷻ in Sūrah al-Sharḥ,

“Truly with difficulty comes ease, and truly with difficulty comes ease.” [Surah Al-Sharh; 94-5-6]

Lessons and Benefits

1) Tarbiyyah and Education – One of the most important aspects of raising children, educating them, and nurturing them is to instill the greatness of Allah ﷻ within their hearts from a very young age. To teach them about Allah ﷻ so that they can recognize and internalize His existence, oneness, might, power, glory, magnificence, and omnipotence from a very young age. Instilling the love of Allah ﷻ within a child’s heart is one of the most important things a parent and teacher can do. Planting the seed of faith in their hearts from a very young age so that they always have a strong relationship with Allah ﷻ. Literally, instilling within their hearts and minds the concept of who Allah ﷻ truly is.

Instilling love of Allah from a young age [PC: Aldin Nasrun (unsplash)]

2) Be Mindful of Allah – In this ḥadīth the Prophet ﷺ mentions two very powerful benefits of being mindful of Allah ; 1) protection and 2) assistance. If a person is mindful of Allah ﷻ in their daily lives, in their speech, behavior, attitude, and conduct, then Allah ﷻ will protect them from all types of harm and will grant them His divine support and assistance.

3) Duʿā – As discussed above, duʿā is one of the most powerful tools a person has. It is a direct line of communication between a person and their Lord. The Prophet ﷺ described it as the weapon of a believer and the essence of worship. 

4) Tawakkul – The reality of tawakkul is recognizing with absolute firm conviction and certainty that nothing and no one in this world can cause harm or benefit, give or take, without the decree, will, and permission of Allah ﷻ. It includes relegating the consequences of one’s affairs to Allah ﷻ, relying upon His help, and trusting and accepting His decisions. 

5) Qaḍā and Qadr – This concept has been discussed before in detail. Being content and pleased with the decree of Allah ﷻ is one of the most difficult things to do, but once internalized it leads to a life of true happiness and contentment.

6) Optimism – People of īmān are people of optimism; they always keep a positive outlook and recognize that everything that happens in this universe happens according to the Divine will, decree, and wisdom of Allah ﷻ.

Related:

– From The Chaplain’s Desk: The Power Of Dua

– He Is One: Truly Knowing Allah