The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,600 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 27 trips to carry that many people.
Abū Huryarah رضي الله عنه reports that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله سلم once asked, “Have you heard of a city, one of the ends of which is on land, and the other on sea?”
The Companions رضي الله عنهم replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allāh!”
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The [final] Hour will not arrive until seventy thousand soldiers from the progeny of Ishāq (عليه السلام) advance towards it. When they shall arrive, they shall set up camp, and will not fight with any weapons; nor will they strike an arrow. They shall say, ‘Lā ilāha il-lal-lāh, wallā-hu-akbar!’ upon which one of its end will fall; they will then say a second time, ‘Lā ilāha il-lal-lāh, wallā-hu-akbar!’, upon which the other end will fall. They will then say a third time, ‘Lā ilāha il-lal-lāh, wallā-hu-akbar!’, upon which the path will open up for them, and they shall enter it and take the spoils…” (Muslim)[1]
The scholars of hadīth have mentioned that the city mentioned in this hadīth is Constantinople, which shall be conquered before the coming of Dajjāl. It is apparent from this hadīth that the power of the takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) will suffice them from combat with weapons.
If only our spirituality and trust in this powerful phrase was anywhere near that of those people at that time! #AllahuAkbar!!
[1]روى الإمام مسلم رحمه الله قال: حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ ثَوْرٍ وَهُوَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ الدِّيلِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي الْغَيْثِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «سَمِعْتُمْ بِمَدِينَةٍ جَانِبٌ مِنْهَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَجَانِبٌ مِنْهَا فِي الْبَحْرِ؟» قَالُوا: نَعَمْ، يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ: ” لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَغْزُوَهَا سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْحَاقَ، فَإِذَا جَاءُوهَا نَزَلُوا، فَلَمْ يُقَاتِلُوا بِسِلَاحٍ وَلَمْ يَرْمُوا بِسَهْمٍ، قَالُوا: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، فَيَسْقُطُ أَحَدُ جَانِبَيْهَا – قَالَ ثَوْرٌ: لَا أَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا قَالَ – الَّذِي فِي الْبَحْرِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُوا الثَّانِيَةَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، فَيَسْقُطُ جَانِبُهَا الْآخَرُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُوا الثَّالِثَةَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، فَيُفَرَّجُ لَهُمْ، فَيَدْخُلُوهَا فَيَغْنَمُوا، فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ يَقْتَسِمُونَ الْمَغَانِمَ، إِذْ جَاءَهُمُ الصَّرِيخُ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الدَّجَّالَ قَدْ خَرَجَ، فَيَتْرُكُونَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَيَرْجِعُونَ.
Imām Al-Bukhārīرحمه الله has recorded a hadīth in his Sahīh in which three people were sat near the Ka‘bah – either two Qurashīs[1] and one Thaqafī[2], or two Thaqafīs and one Qurashī – their bellies were big, but their intelligence was little. One said, “Do you think Allāh hears what we say?” One replied, “He hears if we talk out loud, and does not if we speak in hushed tones.” The last one said, “If He hears when we speak out loud, then He indeed hears when we speak in hushed tones also!”[3]
Upon this, Allāh revealed the āyah:
وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
‘And you had not been hiding your selves (when committing sins) from your ears and your eyes and your skins that would bear witness against you, but you thought that Allah did not know much of what you did.’ (41:22)
Hāfiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله mentions in his Fath-Al-Bārī:
فيه إشارة إلى أن الفطنة قلما تكون مع البطنة…
‘There is an indication in the statement that intelligence is rarely found with obesity.’
Doctors and scientists may tell you that being fat and obese has nothing to do with your intelligence. However, this statement of Hāfiz Ibn Hajar is not to be taken lightly; he was a man of great wisdom, and when he spoke on a hadīth, others listened and still listen.
It is not a rule of thumb that being obese automatically means a person is intellectually challenged. What is being implied here is the obesity which is a consequence of neglecting one’s health and living a life of extravagance. Such a person lacks intelligence, for he/she is not living the way Allāh and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم have taught.
In another hadīth, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that towards the end of time, nearer to the Day of Qiyāmah, there shall be an excessive number of people on whom obesity will be apparent. (Al-Bukhārī)[4]
These also, will be people who will become negligent of their religious duties and indulge in lives of luxury. Those who are overweight due to medical reasons do not fall under this statement of Hāfiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله, nor the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, as they themselves are not to blame.
May Allāh save us all from neglect and extravagance.
[1] People from the Quraysh tribe
[2] A person from the Banū Thaqīf tribe
[3]روى الإمام البخاري في صحيحه قال: حَدَّثَنَا الحُمَيْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: ” اجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَ البَيْتِ ثَقَفِيَّانِ وَقُرَشِيٌّ – أَوْ قُرَشِيَّانِ وَثَقَفِيٌّ – كَثِيرَةٌ شَحْمُ بُطُونِهِمْ، قَلِيلَةٌ فِقْهُ قُلُوبِهِمْ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ: أَتَرَوْنَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْمَعُ مَا نَقُولُ؟ قَالَ الآخَرُ: يَسْمَعُ إِنْ جَهَرْنَا وَلاَ يَسْمَعُ إِنْ أَخْفَيْنَا، وَقَالَ الآخَرُ: إِنْ كَانَ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا جَهَرْنَا، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ إِذَا أَخْفَيْنَا، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلاَ جُلُودُكُمْ} [فصلت: 22] ” الآيَةَ
قال الحافظ ابن حجر في الفتح: فيه إشارة إلى أن الفطنة قلما تكون مع البطنة…
[4] وروى البخاري أيضاً قال: حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو جَمْرَةَ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ زَهْدَمَ بْنَ مُضَرِّبٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «خَيْرُكُمْ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ» – قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: لاَ أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدُ قَرْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثَةً – قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّ بَعْدَكُمْ قَوْمًا يَخُونُونَ وَلاَ يُؤْتَمَنُونَ، وَيَشْهَدُونَ وَلاَ يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ، وَيَنْذِرُونَ وَلاَ يَفُونَ، وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ»
Al-Ḥikmah wal Maw‘iẓah Al-Ḥasanah 