40 Hadith on Community Service & Activism

Mohannad Hakeem

• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781847741608
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

Activism and civic engagement are increasingly discussed in the inner and outer circles of the Muslim community. This is a natural consequence of more than a decade of Islamophobia (predominantly since 9/11) and particularly after the election of the previous president of the United States, Donald Trump, based on a clear anti-Muslim, anti-Immigration campaign. It goes without saying that Muslims should seek guidance from the Quranic principles and prophetic tradition, and ensure that our activism supports our bigger picture of being vicegerents on earth, and not as a reaction to a very specific political situation. This discussion is not only relevant to a Muslim audience, since the teachings of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him provide universal principles for all peaceful activists, community members, and agents of change

CHAPTER 1

THE WHY

THE SPIRITUALITY OF AN ACTIVIST

THE FIRST QUESTION that Muslim activists and community workers should ask themselves is why. Why did I choose to volunteer for this event or that cause? Clearly, volunteering does not involve getting paid, while activism goes beyond that to include multiple layers of risks and challenges.

One could find multiple reasons to join this line of work, such as a personal experience that may have shaped our worldview, or an inherited passion from a family member towards a certain cause. For a Muslim, such reasons are valid as long as they fit under the umbrella of seeking to please Allah. A sincere intention is what causes our deeds to either be accepted and heavily rewarded by the Almighty, or otherwise rejected due to other worldly desires, such as showing off or seeking praise from people. In Surah al-Insān, Allah describes what the intention behind every act of service, for a believer should be:

And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive; they tell them: ‘We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude. Indeed, we fear from our Lord a Day austere and distressful.’ So Allah will protect them from the evil of that Day and give them radiance and happiness. And will reward them for what they patiently endured with a garden in Paradise and silk garments. (al-Insān 76: 8–12)

The spirituality of activism starts with the why question, from having pure intentions, and continues to accompany us throughout our whole journey. It ensures that the how (the qualities and values that we adopt) and the what (the services that we offer) are also aligned with the why, or what pleases Allah. In addition, answering why helps a group to refine its mission, vision and metrics of success. It helps us consider both the spiritual and the material dimensions when defining and refining our why. For example: we can write a personal or a group slogan, goal, and why as follows: ‘When I (we) meet Allah, I (we) want to be proud of …’.

HADITH 1
BEGIN WITH THE VERY END IN MIND

إنَّما الأعمالُ بالنِّيَّاتِ وإنَّما لِكلِّ امرئٍ ما نوى فمن كانت هجرتُهُ إلى اللَّهِ ورسولِهِ فَهجرتُهُ إلى اللَّهِ ورسولِهِ ومن كانت هجرتُهُ إلى دنيا يصيبُها أو امرأةٍ ينْكحُها فَهجرتُهُ إلى ما هاجرَ إليْهِ (البخاري و مسلم)

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said:Deeds are bound by the intentions behind them, and each person will be rewarded according to his intention. So, whoever migrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, then his migration will be accepted as one for the sake of Allah and His Messenger; and whoever migrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, then his migration would be rewarded based on what he migrated for. (Bukhārī and Muslim)

COMMENTARY

This hadith has always been the introductory hadith to most of the 40 hadith collections compiled by our scholars, such as the famous 40 hadith collection by Imam Nawawī. This comes as no surprise as having a pure intention to please Allah should be the foundation of every Muslim’s deeds and actions. In this worldly life, a pure intention is the only way to keep oneself motivated in tough times and stay humble in moments of glory and success. In the Hereafter, a pure intention is one of the main reasons for why some deeds are rewarded by Allah multiple times, up to 700 times, while others are considered worthless and of no value.

For Muslim activists, we begin every deed by considering the very end in mind, which is the moment we shall meet our Lord and present our deeds on the Day of Judgement. The ‘end’ is not when we raise our first million, get a plaque to honour our contributions, or open another branch of our organization. While these may be decent milestones and opportunities to celebrate success, the real celebration for a Muslim is the moment of meeting Allah, in the hope that the worship and the service that he or she offered will be accepted. This sincerity check should be done before, during, and after the action. An early scholar, Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥusayn, used to say:

‘Sincerity is the rarest commodity in this world, and many times I try to remove the thought of showing off from my heart, but it feels like it keeps growing inside my heart in a different format and colour.’1

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, mentioned on another occasion how certain individuals who did honourable deeds with the wrong intentions will be held accountable and even punished for them on the Day of Judgement.

Abū Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said:

Verily, the first of the people to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who was martyred. He will be brought forth for Judgement and reminded of all the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him, and he will acknowledge them all. Allah will ask: ‘What did you do about them?’ The man will reply: ‘I fought in Your cause until I was martyred.’ Allah will respond: ‘You have lied, for you fought only so it would be said you were brave, and thus it was said.’ Then, Allah will order him to be dragged on his face until he is cast into Hellfire.’ (Muslim)

The hadith goes on to describe two other individuals: a charitable person who donated a lot of money, and a teacher of the Qur’an who taught it to the masses. Unfortunately, both have done such deeds with the wrong intentions. According to the hadith, such corrupt and insincere intentions caused all three to be held accountable and even punished instead of being rewarded.

SUGGESTED ACTION ITEMS

1. It helps if you keep a private journal to document and reflect on your intentions and your deeds. Write your intentions behind all the activities that you engage in, and use your imagination to describe your dreams, expectations, and spiritual benefits from your community involvement. By the same token, reflect on and write down how regretful you would be if such intentions were not purely for the sake of Allah. Try to be as specific and descriptive as possible, instead of using a generic in the way of Allah (fī sabīl Allāh) comment. For example, one could write:

‘I am teaching this hadith to this group of students in the hope that it will inspire and influence their thoughts and actions as the exact words of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and give him peace, influenced the Companions.’

2. This hadith inspires us to have the proper intention in everything we do, even beyond known acts of worship and community service. Muʿādh ibn Jabal once said, ‘I hope to be rewarded for my sleep as much as I hope for the reward of getting up for the night prayer’ (Bukhārī and Muslim). Ibn Ḥajar commented on this by saying, ‘He seeks for the reward in his resting time as he seeks it for his hard work, because if the intention from rest is to strengthen one’s commitment to worship, then the reward will be given.’ 2

In addition, one could have multiple intentions behind each deed. Such an example is to pay charity for the sake of purifying one’s money, softening the heart, helping a family in need, and maintaining the ties of kinship.

3. One could be sincerely working for the sake of Allah and receive some worldly materialistic rewards in return. We should not feel guilty when this happens, especially if we did not ask for worldly recognition or compensation. Abū Dharr reported that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and give him peace, was asked, ‘What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds while receiving praise from the people?’ The Prophet said, ‘It is the immediate glad tidings for a believer.’ (Muslim)

Community workers who do not understand this subtle point may assume that Islam requires extreme selflessness from them; some may dissociate themselves from any positive feedback or worldly gains. This may work against human nature as a healthy dose of positive reinforcement might be needed to keep our motivation and direction. This can also result in either one of two extremes: either stopping the work altogether, or shifting their intention to solely seek people’s praise. Also, we should differentiate between the different types of glad tidings that we receive. A praise of the likes of ‘you’re so amazing’ is not the same as ‘your good works have helped me become a better person’. The effect varies with the type of praise or encouragement offered.

HADITH 2
WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏’‏ تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّينَارِ وَعَبْدُ الدِّرْهَمِ وَعَبْدُ الْخَمِيصَةِ، إِنْ أُعْطِيَ رَضِيَ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطَ سَخِطَ، تَعِسَ وَانْتَكَسَ، وَإِذَا شِيكَ فَلاَ انْتَقَشَ، طُوبَى لِعَبْدٍ آخِذٍ بِعِنَانِ فَرَسِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، أَشْعَثَ رَأْسُهُ مُغْبَرَّةٍ قَدَمَاهُ، إِنْ كَانَ فِي الْحِرَاسَةِ كَانَ فِي الْحِرَاسَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي السَّاقَةِ كَانَ فِي السَّاقَةِ، إِنِ اسْتَأْذَنَ لَمْ يُؤْذَنْ لَهُ، وَإِنْ شَفَعَ لَمْ يُشَفَّعْ (البخاري)

Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said:

Wretched is the slave of gold, silver, and fine clothes. If he is given, he is pleased, but if he is not given, he is displeased. May he perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, may this thorn stay in his body forever! May Allah bless with Paradise another slave, who holds the reins of his horse to strive in the path of God, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust. The one who, if appointed in the vanguard, he is perfectly satisfied with his post of guarding, and if he is appointed at the rear of the army, he is fine with his position. He is so humble in the eyes of people, so much so that if he asks for permission to be with the elite, he is not permitted, and if he intercedes for someone, his intercession is not accepted.’ (Bukhārī)

COMMENTARY

This hadith is a follow-up to the previous one and paints a picture of two contrasting people: the first one is the slave of money, fame, self-image, and prestige. The second one is a selfless person who—in the context of the hadith—joins an army to fight for a noble cause in the path of God. He does not care which position he is chosen to serve in, at the front or in the rear, and does not mind whether he gets any exposure or praise. The hadith is beautifully phrased in a form of supplication that praises the sincere servant of Allah and rebukes the servant of the materialistic life.

To put things in perspective, a Muslim who works for the sake of Allah is not in need of the spotlight, because he or she aims for excellence (iḥsān) in deeds, as defined in the famous hadith of Jibrīl: ‘To worship Allah as though you see Him, for if you cannot see Him, then know that He sees you.’ (Bukhārī and Muslim)

When we aim for iḥsān in activism and worship, we will always feel complete and satisfied. We should be assured that we worship a Master who sees all situations and intentions. We will have our hearts filled with Allah’s recognition and attention. Whatever people observe or admire in us after that is just the surplus that flows from a heart that is filled with Allah’s love.

Why is this essential to an activist’s spirituality? Community work has a lot of glamorous aspects that usually accompany it: the mass following on social media, the big stage in major events, and receiving praise. All these factors may have an impact on one’s sincerity and reduce or eliminate the spiritual benefits and blessings of wh...