Bismillahi Rahmaanir Raheem
The word “watch” brings to mind “time” and a “timepiece”, since a watch measures time, and we often check it to see the time.
On another level, it is a verb and indicates to a
person who is viewing something, who is on guard, on the look-out, or who is
looking after something.
A friend mentioned some lessons to be
learnt from each letter of the word, “watch”. Inspired by those lessons, and considering
the different meanings attached to the word, “watch”, other lessons and
thoughts came to mind as well, with the Fadhl (grace) of Allah Ta’ala.
Each
letter of the word “watch”, 'W' 'A' 'T' 'C' 'H',
directs us to watch and be vigilant on various matters:
W
WORST ENEMIES
We have to watch our worst enemies, lest they get
the better off us, harm our Dien and Aakhirah or even worse, destroy our Dien and Aakhirah. We have
been told that our worst enemies are shaytaan and nafs. Allah Ta'ala identifies them for us and informs us.
إِنَّ
الشَّيْطٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِيْنٌ ◌
“…Verily shaytaan is an open enemy unto you.”
[Surah
Al-A`raaf 7 : 22]
إِنَّ
الشَّيْطٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوْهُ عَدُوّاً ط
“Surely
shaytaan is an enemy to you, so treat him
as an enemy…”
[Surah Fatir 35:6]
And
Allah Ta’ala directs us to turn to Him, and seek His protection when confronted
with the whisperings of shaytaan.
وَإِمَّا
يَنْزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰنِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللّٰهِ ط
إِنَّهٗ سَمِيْعٌ عَلِيْمٌ ◌
“And if an evil
whisper comes to you from shaytaan then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is The All-Hearer,
All Knower.”
[Surah
Al-A’raaf 7 : 200]
We are told to read “Ta-awwuz” اَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْم or “لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ اِلَّا
بِاللّٰه ” to overcome the attacks of shaytaan.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi
wasallam) said: “Your
worst enemy is your nafs which lies between your sides.”[1]
Not only are these the worst enemies, they are hidden enemies. Therefore greater
precaution needs to be exercised.
A
ACTIONS
We need to watch our actions. They must be in
conformity with the Qur’aan Sharief and Ahadith!
They must be undertaken with sincere intentions;
otherwise they will not be accepted in the Court of Allah Ta’ala. The rewards
will be lost and Allah Ta’ala will say: ‘Go to those who you showed off your actions
to, in the worldly life, then see if you can find any reward with them!’[2]
On accomplishing righteous actions, it must not be
that the nafs inclines to vanity, conceit and pride. A sincere Saalik keeps a
watch on his nafs and constantly reminds himself that all good actions, all achievements and all spiritual attainments
are due to the Grace and Kindness of Allah Ta’ala.
From another perspective: Our actions must also not hurt anyone wrongly, nor must they cause an
obstruction to anyone, etc.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “The Muslim is he from whose tongue and
hands other Muslims are safe”
T
Thoughts
We have to watch our thoughts because thoughts give
birth to actions. If thoughts are evil and they are given attention to and
entertained in the mind, evil actions are likely to follow. If thoughts are
good and pure, we can expect good actions to follow!
Tongue
We need to watch our tongue! There has to be care
and caution when using the tongue.
Hadhrat Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu)
said: Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "When the son of
Aadam gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue
and say: `Fear Allah for our sake
because we are with you: (i.e., we will be rewarded or punished as a result of
what you do). If you are straight, we will be straight; and if you are crooked,
we will become crooked.'''[3]
Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi ‘Alayh) would say
that the tongue is small, yet its sin is big.
On being asked how salvation can be achieved,
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Guard your tongue, let your house be enough for you, and weep for
your sins.”[4]
On another occasion, when advising the Sahabi,
Hadhrat Mu’adh ibn Jabal (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alayhi
wasallam), took out his tongue, held it with his fingers, and said: “Guard this.” – emphasizing by action
as well, that we have to carefully watch our words, lest they are a means of
punishment and ruin. May Allah Ta'ala protect us all.
Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (Radhiyallahu ‘anhu) related
that the Rasulullah (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: "The servant speaks words, the consequences of which he does not
realise, and for which he is sent down into the depths of the Fire further than
the distance between the east and the west."
Time
From the letter “t” we take lesson that we need to
also watch our time and make use of it constructively and productively, in
preparation for the Aakhirah.
In the Qur`aan Sharief,
Allah Jalla Jalaaluhu takes an oath by time, bringing attention to its
importance, greatness and excellence.
وَالْعَصْرِ ۙ
إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ ۙ
إِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا
وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ لا وَتَوَاصَوْا
بِالصَّبْرِ ◌
“I swear by the Time. Man is in a state of
loss indeed, except those who believed and did righteous deeds, and advised
each other with
the truth, and advised each other with patience.”
Allah Ta’ala is guiding
us as to how to capitalize on the bounty of time – with good deeds – which are
to be sent ahead of us, for our stay in the Hereafter.
C
Company
We must watch whose company we keep. You are and become, and you are judged by
the company you keep.
Rasulullah (Salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) captured
the influence and consequences of company in a beautiful analogy, saying:
"A good friend and a bad friend are
like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some
perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell
its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the
very least, you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace."[5]
Allah Ta’ala directs us to the company of the
righteous and pious ones; those who are truthful in their relationship to Him:
“O You who Believe, Fear
Allah and join the company of the Truthful ones
(the pious, the Auliya
Allah).”
[Surah
Taubah 9 : 119]
Moreover,
a good friend is he who speaks to you about Allah Ta’ala, and when you are not
there, he speaks to Allah Ta’ala about you – that is, he makes Dua for you.
We should also ask ourselves, if we offer good
company to others – if we are good friends and influence others in a good way,
which will profit them in Dien and Aakhirah? We should analyse if we are good
companions, in the light of the Hadith where Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi
wasallam) was asked: “Which of our companions are best?”
He (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) replied: “One whose appearance reminds you of Allah,
and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions remind you of
the hereafter.”
H
Heart
We need to keep careful
watch over our hearts. Our Sheikh, Hadhrat Moulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb
(Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) would say that the heart is like the capital of a country
and if it is not well fortified and protected, the enemy will easily infiltrate
– and when the enemy, shaytaan, infiltrates – he shows no mercy.
When a government is
overthrown, the enemy forces invade and capture the capital, to assert their
control. Similarly, if the spiritual heart is weak with sins, the person will
be vulnerable to the attacks of shaytaan. He will not have the security forces
of Taqwa and Allah Ta’ala’s Special Protection that comes on Taqwa, to offer a
shield against those attacks. …And if the heart is not guarded, shaytaan easily
invades and captures that heart – and sometimes, Dien and Aakhirat is lost.
(May Allah Ta’ala protect us all).
From another viewpoint,
the Muslim is watchful in keeping his heart sound and clean. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it becomes good (reformed),
the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoiled, the whole body gets spoiled
– and that is the heart.”[6]
A true Muslim would
never want to deliberately disobey his Kind and Beloved Master, Allah Ta’ala.
…However, when any sin is mistakenly committed, he immediately resorts to
Taubah and Istighfaar, because he “sees” and feels, the black spot of sin,
staining his heart – and he is never at ease with a heart that is dirty.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) explained: “When a Mu’min (believer) sins, a black dot
appears on his heart. If he repents and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, his heart
becomes cleansed and polished. If he continues to commit more and more sins
(without repenting), the spot continues to spread and ultimately covers all of
his heart.”
May Allah Ta’ala guide us to complete obedience and
grant us the Taufeeq of keeping a careful watch with regards to our worst
enemies – nafs and shaytaan, with regard to our actions, our thoughts, the
usage of our tongues, the valuable gift of time, our company, as well as our
hearts – and grant us Najaat and salvation in the Hereafter.
By Hadhrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Is`haq Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum)
[1] Kanzul Ummal
[2] Musnad Ahmad
[3] Tirmidhi
[4] Tirmdhi
[5] Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
[6] Sahih Bukhari
