The men of dawn
Since 2012-11-11
Those are the men of dawn. They are the people who answered the caller of love when he called ‘come to success’; they gave their selves and sacrificed their lusts in order to reach to their Beloved One.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Protector, worthy of all Praise, Lord of the magnificent throne. And I bear witness that there is no God except Allah alone with no partner. Verily, He Who originates (the creation of everything) and then recreates (on the Day of Resurrection). And He is Oft-Forgiving, full of love (towards the pious who are real true believers of Islamic Monotheism). And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger; he is the master of mankind and the model of the slaves, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and upon his family, companions and whoever followed his path till the Day of Judgment.
It is about five or six o’clock after midnight in a rainy cold night drew a picture of faith.
The wind is cold, scorches the faces and the rain is heavy wetting the clothes, while people are in safe houses and calm atmosphere enjoy warm covers and luxurious beds in a time where sleep has special taste and pleasure nothing equals them.
Then in this moment of nice sleep where people are roving in the valley of rest and pleasure, in the mid of the warmth, surrounded by cold and rain, there comes the affliction and test. The caller calls from the house of Allah asking people to respond to Allah’s invitation to visit His house. He says: ‘come to prayer, come to success.’ and declares that the prayer is better than sleep. At this time, struggle occurs in the minds between the caller of the Most Gracious Who promises win and success and between the caller of Satan who says: ‘sleep, there is a long night ahead of you to sleep in.”
Just few moments later, the sounds of gates opening and the sounds of running cars are heard; here is a young man who comes from this direction and there is an old man coming from the other way with his faithful voice repeating “We have reached the morning and at this very time unto Allah belongs all sovereignty…” and there is another one who goes to the house of Allah with his young boy in his hand saying “we have been rained by the grace and the mercy of Allah”. Then a group of the righteous servants of Allah, who hope the promise of Allah and fear His threat, get together in the house of Allah. There are venerable old men, young men who try to defeat sleep and fight the desires of the self to satisfy the One the Irresistible and there are kids who are not obliged to come, but they are children of parents who know the meaning of responsibility and fulfill their duties. Furthermore; there are people with faces that do not show adhering to the rulings of Allah, but they have hearts that pump with the love of the Most Gracious and feel pleasure because of meeting Him and standing between His Hands. After few moments, the prayer is performed and the winners go back to their houses after passing the test and affliction.
Those are the men of dawn. They are the people who answered the caller of love when he called ‘come to success’; they gave their selves and sacrificed their lusts in order to reach to their Beloved One. They did that in satisfaction and Whole heartedly. Furthermore, they continued going to Him at night, morning and evening. By Allah, when they meet their Lord, they will praise their walking in the nights and will thank their Lord for His reward.
They are the men of dawn. They are people who loved Allah, and therefore they loved meeting Him and their selves yearned for remembering Him in one of His houses.
O men of dawn, what woke you up while people are sleep? What moved you while people are motionless? What made you desert the pleasure of the bed? What got you out the luxurious beds to face strong winds and heavy rain? By Allah, if you like, you can truthfully say “it is believing in Allah.”
Faith makes miracles, when it touches the hearts. When the heart becomes full of faith, suffering becomes sweet and souls become cheap (as sacrifice) and death becomes a good thing; it is just faith which gives the believer a goal greater than life and attracts him to values higher and superior than the worldly lusts. The believer who believes in Allah and Hereafter is the one who can be far above the lusts of life and turns his back to its charm and kicks its pleasures with his feet and says to it the saying of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): “O yellow and white life, go away; entice someone other than me. To me you prostrate yourself or for me you yearn? I divorced you an irrevocable divorce.”
Rather; he could say the saying of the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) when Omar entered upon him and found him lying on a hard straw mat had its stamp over his side and said: “O Messenger of Allah, if you just could get a softer mat?” the Messenger said: “what would I do with the worldly life! Me and the worldly life are like a traveler who traveled in a summer day, then he stayed in the shade of a tree for an hour, then he went and left it” [Declared authentic by Al-Albani 3283 in Sahih At-Targhib].
«مالي وللدّنيا، ما مثلي ومثل الدّنيا إلا كراكبٍ سافر في يوم صائفٍ، فاستظلّ تحت شجرة ساعة، ثم راح وتركها» صححه الألباني 3283 في صحيح التّرغيب
It is faith that gives its owner the ability to counter the worldly enticement and charm; he might own the worldly interests, but they cannot own him. It is the believer alone who heartily believes that the worldly life does not equal, in the sight of Allah, a mosquito’s wing. He knows that it is just a bridge to the eternal life and knows that two Rak’as for the sake of Allah, in submissiveness, is better in His sight than the whole world and whatever in it.
O men of dawn, if you like, you can truthfully say: “we are wakening up by the desire of meeting Allah. Indeed, he who loves meeting Allah, Allah loves meeting him.
“And we are led to Allah’s house by loving Him, and the slave will never feel the sweetness of faith till he loves Allah and His Messenger more than anyone else. And if the tree of love is planted in the heart and irrigated by the water of sincerity and fellowship, it will produce its fruits all the time, by the will of Allah. And the sign of sincerity of love is to obey the beloved one.”
O men of dawn, if you like, you can truthfully say: “we got out the luxurious beds by the wish of having the promise of the Lord Who has power over all things.”
“We got out by the promise of Allah that the recitation of the Quran in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels in charge of mankind of the day and the night).”
“We got out by the promise of Allah’s Messenger and Beloved that whoever prays Dawn and Asr prayers would enter Paradise.”
“We got out by the warning of Allah at the tongue of His Messenger that he who slept till morning had surly Satan urinated in his ear.”
O men of dawn, if you like, you can truthfully say: “we got out for dawn prayer by our Islam. What does Islam mean without submission?! What does monotheism mean if the limbs are not submitted to the Creator the Glorious? We got out because of desiring success in the test and passing the affliction.
“We got out by the obligation of slavery to Allah. Actually, slavery means the complete love with the complete humiliation and submission to the Beloved One. Verily, he who wants the eternal happiness should hold fast to the borders of slavery.”
O men of dawn, by Allah, I know that you did not get out your houses in the darkness of the night because of some men or jinn; rather you are moved by Allah’s promise and threat; you got up by loving Allah and with the desire to meet Him.
O men of dawn, rejoice your live hearts that pulses by loving Allah and having faith in Him.
Rejoice responding to your Lord and submitting yourselves to His orders and holding fast to His religion {The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allâh (His Words, the Qur’ân) and His Messenger (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), to judge between them, is that they say: "We hear and we obey." And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise). (51) And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), fears Allâh, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful} [Surat An-Nur 24:51-52].
{إِنَّمَا كَانَ قَوْلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَنْ يَقُولُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (51) وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ} النّور: 51-52
Transliteration: Innama kana qawla almumineena itha duAAoo ilaAllahi warasoolihi liyahkuma baynahum an yaqooloo samiAAna waataAAna waolaika humu almuflihoona (51) Waman yutiAAi Allaha warasoolahu wayakhsha Allaha wayattaqhi faolaika humu alfaizoona
O men of dawn, you have abandoned the nice sleep and walked in the darkness, while cold hurts the bodies and rain gets down from the clouds. You came to the House of your Lord for few minutes and then returned with an assurance from the Most Gracious that you are safe and guarded. “He who prayed the Morning Prayer (in congregation) he is in fact under the protection of Allah” [Reported by Muslim 657].
«من صلّى الصبح فهو في ذمّة الله» رواه مسلم 657
O men of dawn, rejoice the little minutes that you gain the reward of praying a complete night because of them: “and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night” [Reported by Muslim 656].
«...ومن صلّى الصّبح في جماعةٍ فكأنّما صلّى الليل كلّه» رواه مسلم 656
O men of dawn, you got tired for some time, but you gained much; you gained the reward of your Lord by a promise (from whom speaks nothing but truth) that whoever prays Dawn and Asr prayers (in congregation) will enter Paradise. Furthermore, you won a promise (from the Prophet prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) that you will surly see your Lord.
Also, you won safety from Allah’s torture: “He who observed prayer before sunrise and its setting (i.e. the dawn prayer and Asr prayer) will not enter hellfire” [Reported by Muslim 634].
«لن يلج النّار أحد صلّى قبل طلوع الشّمس وقبل غروبها يعني الفجر والعصر» رواه مسلم 634
Furthermore, you gained testimony from the angels: “Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn and Asr prayers. Those (of the angels) who spend the night among you, then, ascend, and their Lord asks them, though He is the best informed about them: How did you leave My servants? -they say: We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying” [Reported by Al-Bukhari 7429 and Muslim 632].
«يتعاقبون فيكم: ملائكة بالليل وملائكة بالنّهار، ويجتمعون في صلاة العصر وصلاة الفجر، ثم يعرج الّذين باتوا فيكم، فيسألهم، وهو أعلم بكم، فيقول: كيف تركتم عبادي؟ فيقولون: تركناهم وهم يصلون ، وأتيناهم وهم يصلون» رواه البخاري 7429 ومسلم 632
And you have been secured from hypocrisy; because the prayers which are heavy most to the hypocrites are the prayers of ‘Isha and Dawn. Actually, if they were to know their excellence they would come to them, even by crawling.
O men of dawn, since you got out your houses leaving the warm beds behind you (although there is no man to promise or threat you), you became among those who feared Allah and disobeyed their whims: {But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts. (40) Verily, Paradise will be his abode} [Surat An-Naziat 79:40-41]
{وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَى (40) فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَى} النّازعات: 40-41
Transliteration: Waama man khafa maqama rabbihi wanaha alnnafsa AAani alhawa (40) Fainna aljannata hiya almawa
{But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise)} [Surat Ar-Rahman 55:46].
{وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ} الرّحمن: 46
Transliteration: Waliman khafa maqama rabbihi jannatani
O men of dawn, since you got out to Masjids at the darkness, you could rejoice the glad tidings of having the complete light on the Day of Judgment. It is a promise will never be broken; Allah will never break a promise. And since you neglected the pleasure of sleep, because of wishing the reward of the King the All-Knower, you could rejoice (by the will of your Lord) having, on the Day of Judgment, a Paradise has pleasures no eye had ever seen or ear had ever heard or mind had ever imagined. And he who neglects something (desirable) for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate him with something better.
Allah does not need to torture His slaves by getting them out the soft beds to counter the rain and cold wind and darkness; rather it is affliction and test: {Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed} [Surat Al-Mulk 67:2].
{الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلا} الملك: 2
Transliteration: Allathee khalaqa almawta waalhayata liyabluwakum ayyukum ahsanu AAamalan
O men of dawn, rejoice following the example of the Master of mankind (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) who cared most for prayer; even at his death. When he became very sick, he took a bath, then he fainted, then he woke up and took a bath again, then he fainted for the second time, then he woke up for the third time and took another bath in order that he may gain power enabling him to attend the congregational prayer in the Masjid.
O men of dawn, if you could gain an example from those who were before you, you would know that the person from among them may be carried, by two men, to the Masjid till he reaches his position in the row. Abu Ad-Dardaa said at his last illness: “carry me,” so they carried him to the Masjid, and then he said: “listen and tell those who are behind you, keep observing these two prayers; ‘Isha and Dawn. And if you had known their rewards, you would have come to them albeit crawling on your knees and elbows.”
O men of dawn, rejoice the day in which you became far above the desires, abandoned what may humiliate you to people and satisfied the Lord of the earth and skies. Hence, may Allah bless these lofty selves that raised far above the low desires and ascended to the glories of Hereafter.
O men of dawn, hold fast to this way and do not be misled by seeing that the inattentive people are many, because it is just suffering for a moment will be followed by eternal pleasure at Hereafter.
Verily, your date is the Day of mutual loss and gain: {On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done} [Surat Al-Imran 3:30];
{يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُحْضَرًا} آل عمران: 30
Transliteration: Yawma tajidu kullu nafsin ma AAamilat min khayrin muhdaran
On the Day in which it will be said to the good doers: {enter you Paradise, because of that (the good) which you used to do (in the world)} [Surat An-Nahl 16:32].
{ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ} النّحل: 32
Transliteration: odkhuloo aljannata bima kuntum taAAmaloona
Dear Muslim brothers, truly, in the time of dawn the signs of faith are drawn and a sign of hypocrisy are cleared. O men of dawn, rejoice. O men of midday, face your failure.
When the sun sends its rays and life receives a new day men get out their houses, between seven and eight clock after midnight, with open chests and happy mien to receive their day with happiness, optimism, endeavor and determination; because they passed the test of the first hour when they defeated the self’s enticement and the caller for the desires they responded to the call of Allah for prayer and success.
On the other hand, other men get out their houses while Satan’s urine drops from their ears. They would get up “in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning”, as it is mentioned by the Chosen Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) [Reported by Al-Bukhari, 3269 and Muslim, 776].
«أصبح خبيث النّفس كسلان» رواه البخاري 3269 ومسلم 776
They get out with the heavy burdens of the three knots which were tied by Satan at the back of their necks. They get out with gloomy faces and desperate souls and constricted chests, because they began their day with disobeying Allah; {whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’ân nor acts on its teachings.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection} [Surat Taha 20:124].
{وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا} طه: 124
Transliteration: Waman aAArada AAanthikree fainna lahu maAAeeshatan dankan
They have hearts wherewith they understand not the promise and threat, and they have ears wherewith they hear not the call of the truth, and they have eyes wherewith they see not the scenes of faith in the houses of Allah,
It is very strange to see people are honored by Islam and accepted Allah as Lord and Islam as religion and Muhammad as prophet, then when they are called by the caller of the truth to the house of Allah, a group of them refuse to respond!
How strange Muslim people are! They are content to be with the women who sit behind at home! They regard going few minutes to the house of the Owner of the earth and heaven, the One who Bestows the grace and boons, too much; although they will return with grants and rewards!
O Muslims, because of loving our brothers who stayed behind and neglected the prayer and followed the desires (and because of feeling sympathy for them), we say to them the following words:
O men of midday, why did you stay behind while others were responding? Why did you sleep while others were praying? Why do the houses of Allah feel bitterness because of your absence? Why do you have this disaffection? Why do you say nothing?
By Allah, if you like, you may say: “we stayed behind by the weakness of faith and not fearing the Most Gracious and not feeling the greatness of the Lord (the Exalted the Glorious). We did not go to pray because of temporary desires and passer pleasures.”
O men of midday, if your selves were to speak on your behalf, it would say: “you do not hope having reward from Allah and you do not estimate Allah with estimation due to Him.”
O men of midday, what is wrong with you that you turn away from receiving admonition?! Respond to Allah’s caller and believe in him; then He will forgive you of your sins, and will save you from a painful torment.
Answer Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life. And whosoever does not respond to Allah’s Caller, he cannot escape on earth, and there will be no Awliyâ’ (lords, helpers, supporters, protectors) for him besides Allah; those are in manifest error.
O men of abandonment and midday, Do you not think that you will be resurrected (for reckoning) on a Great Day? The Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)?
O men of midday, you did not respond to the call of Allah because of the pleasure of sleep! Actually, the pleasure of obedience and the sweetness of worship (that you neglected) are better and permanent, while your pleasure is a passer that will lead to sin and shame. Indeed, there is no good in a pleasure that leads to Hellfire!
O men of midday, you think wrong, if you think that Allah needs the prayer of His servants. Indeed, if all men and jinn were as pious as the most pious one among them, this would increase nothing in the Kingdom of Allah; rather it is just affliction and test to know the truthful and the liars.
O men of midday, by Allah, when we tell you this; we do not seek status through you or being honorable because of you; rather it is just the trust and loving good for you. Then if you obey, Allah He will give you a fair reward; but if you turn away as you did turn away before, He will punish you with a painful torment.
O men of midday, did you accept having one of the characteristics of hypocrisy?
Did you count it easy to have the eye of Allah angered and the eye of Satan delighted: {Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared to the Hereafter} [Surat At-Taubah 9:38].
{أَرَضِيتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الآخِرَةِ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الآخِرَةِ إِلا قَلِيلٌ} التّوبة: 38
Transliteration: aradeetum bialhayati alddunya mina alakhirati fama mataAAu alhayati alddunya fee alakhirati illaqaleelun
O Muslims, earth, sky and angels, witness that we sent the message to the men of midday and conveyed the trust to those who stay behind; we said to them: {Answer the Call of your Lord (i.e. accept the Islâmic Monotheism, O mankind, and jinn) before there comes from Allâh a Day which cannot be averted (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). You will have no refuge on that Day nor there will be for you any denying (of your crimes as they are all recorded in the Book of your deeds)} [Surat Ash-Shura 42:47]. Indeed, Allah is the best witness.
{اسْتَجِيبُوا لِرَبِّكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ مَلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ نَكِيرٍ} الشورى: 47
Transliteration: Istajeeboo lirabbikum min qabli an yatiya yawmun lamaradda lahu mina Allahi ma lakum min maljain yawmaithin wama lakum min nakeerin
Observe prayer and defeat the power of the whims {Lest a person should say: "Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allâh (i.e. I have not done what Allâh has ordered me to do)} [Surat Az-Zumar 39:56].
{أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطتُ فِي جَنبِ اللَّـهِ} الزّمر: 56
Transliteration: An taqoola nafsun ya hasrata AAala ma farrattu fee janbi Allahi
Observe prayer and fight the desires. Indeed, he who gives priority to a passer pleasure over permanent one is loser.
This is our message to you. We sent it to you because of loving you and feeling pity for you. We just want to present advice and we cannot avail you against Allah at all.
O Allah, guide our people because they do not know. O Allah, open their hearts that are sealed by the desires. O Allah, purify their hearts from the rust of inattentiveness and neglect. O Allah, grant prayers and peace upon the one who conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust and advised the nation. O Allah, be pleased with all his companions and with us too; indeed You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
Compiled by: Ahmed Abdel-Aziz Turki Ash-Shawi
Al-Qasim House
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