Awwal Oyetunji Abū 'Utbah

22/08/2025

📌 Abū Ḥāzim Salamah Bn Dīnār رحمه الله said:

“If you see your Lord continually bestowing His favors upon you while you disobey Him — then beware of Him.”

📚 Siyar Aʿlām An-Nubalāʾ of Al-Imām Adh-Dhahabī (6/101).

Commentary:

Meaning:
Abū Ḥāzim warns that when blessings keep flowing despite ongoing sins, this could be a sign of istidrāj (gradual deception)—where ALLĀH gives a person worldly ease while leading him closer to sudden punishment.

Qur’ānic Support:

ALLĀH says:

“So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the doors of everything, until when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, and they were left in despair.”
(Sūratul-Anʿām vs 44).

Lesson:

Continuous blessings should not make one feel safe in sin.

Instead, they should increase gratitude and fear, knowing ALLĀH can withdraw them or seize a person at any time.

A believer should always balance between shukr (gratitude) in times of ease and tawbah (repentance) in times of sin.

Practical Takeaway:
If you notice your wealth, health, or status improving while your obedience decreases, don’t be deceived, return to ALLĀH quickly, as this may be a warning before punishment.

22/08/2025

One of the Best Deeds – Using the Siwāk before (when you want to stand in) Prayer:

The Prophet ﷺ was extremely keen on using the siwāk (tooth-stick). Had he not feared difficulty for the Ummah, he would have made it obligatory upon them. Abū Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of ALLĀH ﷺ said:

> “Were it not that I might cause hardship to my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwāk with every prayer.”
— Narrated by Al-Bukhārī.

Commentary:

Meaning of Siwāk: Siwāk refers to cleansing the mouth and teeth with a stick (often from the arāk tree), though any effective means of cleaning is included in the Sunnah.

Prophet’s Care: The Hadīth shows how much the Prophet ﷺ cared about cleanliness, oral hygiene, and preparing oneself for prayer.

Ruling: The use of siwāk is a strongly recommended Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah), not an obligation, because the Prophet ﷺ refrained from making it compulsory out of mercy for his followers.

Wisdoms:

1. Purifies the mouth and pleases ALLĀH.

2. Prepares a Muslim to stand before ALLĀH in the best state.

3. Encourages general hygiene, which modern science also confirms as vital for health.

Lesson: Islam connects spirituality with personal cleanliness. Just as prayer purifies the soul, siwāk purifies the mouth, showing that a believer should be clean both inwardly and outwardly.

22/08/2025

اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد

08/08/2025

Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr – may ALLĀH be pleased with her – used to suffer from headaches. She would place her hand on her head and say:

> “(it's) Because of my sin — and what ALLĀH forgives is more.”

Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Rajab (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) said:

"And headaches are among the signs of the people of faith and the people of Paradise".

03/08/2025

Imām Ibn Al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

💡 The Lord, Glorified be He, does not withhold anything of this worldly life from His believing servant except that He gives him something better and more beneficial in return. And this is not the case for anyone other than the believer.

However, due to the servant’s ignorance of what benefits him, and his ignorance of the generosity, wisdom, and kindness of his Lord, he does not realize the difference between what was withheld and what has been stored for him. Rather, he is obsessed with loving the immediate (worldly gain), even if it is lowly, and lacks desire for the Hereafter, even though it is lofty.

📚 Al-Fawā’id by Ibn Al-Qayyim (p. 57)

03/08/2025

✔️ Among the virtuous deeds:
Waiting for the prayer

▪️ Sitting in the mosque while waiting for the (next) prayer carries a great reward.
The Messenger of ALLĀH ﷺ said:
"The angels continue to send blessings upon one of you as long as he remains in his prayer place and does not break his wudu, saying: ‘O ALLĀH, forgive him. O ALLĀH, have mercy on him.’"
Narrated by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim.

03/08/2025

"Overlooking faults is Faults/Shortcomings!!"

It was said to one of the wise: “What is chivalry (murūʼah)?”
He replied: “It is overlooking the Faults/shortcomings of brothers.”

Source: Ghidhāʼ Al-Albāb (2/397)

19/06/2023

*•BISMILLĀHIR-RAHMĀNIR-RAHĪM•*

*📚 Topic: The first 10days of Dhul-Hijjah (3).*

Exalted is the Lord who created all that exists and peace and blessings upon his noble messenger who's the leader and most pious of who lived on earth.

In the previous part, I brought some Hadīth from the Prophet and his companions concerning these 10days of Dhul-Hijjah and give short satisfying explanations each. Here now I'm gonna end the discussion with some other things we need to know about these said 10days of Dhul-Hijjah as follows: 👇🏻

Ad-Dārimī in his Sunan (book of Hadīth) recorded that: *"whenever the 10days (of dhul-hijjah) arrives, Imām Sa`īd Bn Jubayr always make a lot or best of his efforts/zeal to perform a lot of worship".*

COMMENTARY:

Sa`īd Bn Jubayr was one of the greatest scholars among the Tābi`īn (i.e those who learnt from the prophet's companions) and thus He try to the best of his effort in these 10days coz of what he learnt and know of their virtues.

Thus, this is a case of study for everyone of us. We should try all our best to worship ALLĀH in these 10days of Dhul-Hijjah. *We should engage in things like "Nawāfil, Duā, Sawm (fast), Tilāwah (recitation of the Qur'ān, Adhkār, righteousness to the parents, charity and so on".*

And the easiest of all which has a great reward is *"Adhkār"* coz we can do it in any situation, whether sitting or standing or walking or driving or working or washing or even when lying down. And it was recorded from the prophet -(ﷺ)- in an authentic Hadīth that he told the man that asked him for what he can stick to that *"he should keep his tongue moistened with the remembrance of ALLĀH (i.e adhkār)".*

Let's all remember that these 10days are attributed great while they are in a great sacred month. Let's try all our best to please our Lord and be in the best state of purity on the Eid Day.

One of the saddening issues as said by some scholars is that; *"we found many of us striving hard in the last 10days of Ramadān but didn't even try hard in this 10days of Dhul-Hijjah not knowing that the last 10days of Ramadān are only great in terms of night while that of Dhul-Hijjah are great in terms of Daylight and Night while most of them are only striving hard in the daylight of Ramadān but not in its night and still slacking in this Dhul-Hijjah. That's Shaytān's deception, do not give him any chance so strive hard for the remaining days are still sufficient.*

I think I can just stop here.

*Bārakallāhu fīkum*

*✍🏼Abū `Utbah (Strategist).*

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