Dars-e-Hadith by Mufti Zahid Hussain | Dars 3 | Ramadan 1445

The teachings presented in this discourse center on the requirements of faith, the nature of religious practice, and the signs of a believer. The work emphasizes that the kalima of la ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah is the key to Paradise, but like any key, it must possess the correct "teeth" to function. These teeth represent the comprehensive adherence to the fundamentals of Islam, including the correct beliefs regarding the oneness and transcendence of Allah, the finality of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, and his being granted vast knowledge of the unseen. The text warns against the introduction of bid'ah (innovation), which is described as an addition that renders the key ineffective, and advocates for the moderate path of the ummah.

Beyond the foundational creed, the work details the immense mercy of Allah in the recording of deeds. It explains that a believer's good actions are multiplied from ten to seven hundred times or more, while evil deeds are recorded as only a single sin. The discourse concludes by defining the internal sign of faith: a believer experiences joy and satisfaction upon performing good deeds and feels distress and discomfort when committing sins.

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Key topics & takeaways

The Kalima as a Key

• The necessity of the correct creed — the kalima is the key to Paradise, but it must be accompanied by the correct "teeth" to unlock the door ▸0:03
• The definition of the teeth — the teeth of the key represent the entirety of the religion, including the fundamentals of faith and the avoidance of innovations that contradict the Qur'an and Sunnah ▸0:03
• Beliefs regarding Allah — the kalima necessitates the belief that Allah is one, transcendent, free from all faults, and beyond time and space ▸1:44
• Beliefs regarding the Prophet — the kalima includes the belief that the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, is the final prophet (khatamun nabiyyin), the master of all prophets, and was granted vast knowledge of the unseen (ilme ma kana wa ma yakun) ▸3:01
• The prohibition of disrespect — any form of disrespect toward the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, constitutes kufr ▸3:01
• The moderate path — the religion of Islam is a middle path, and the believer is instructed to avoid excess and deficiency ▸4:16
• Alternative interpretations of the teeth — some scholars hold that the teeth of the key refer to the five pillars of Islam: salah, siyam, zakah, and hajj ▸4:16
• The structure of faith — the shahada is described as the middle pole of the tent of faith, without which the other pillars cannot stand ▸4:16

Rewards and Deeds

• Beautifying one's Islam — performing good deeds, even small acts like removing harm from a path, is a means of beautifying one's religion ▸5:53
• Multiplication of rewards — for every good deed, Allah records between ten and seven hundred times the reward, or even more as He wills ▸7:14
• The nature of the number seven — in the Arabic language, the number seven is often used to express exaggeration or a vast quantity rather than a specific limit ▸7:14
• Recording of sins — every evil deed committed by a Muslim is recorded as only one sin ▸7:14

Signs of Faith

• The sign of a believer — the internal indicator of faith is that a person feels pleasure when performing good deeds and discomfort when committing bad deeds ▸10:12
• The definition of iman — true faith consists of believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, the decree of good and evil, and the resurrection after death ▸10:12

Warnings and Clarifications

• The danger of bid'ah — introducing new practices that contradict the Qur'an and Sunnah is considered a bad innovation (bid'ah sayyi'ah) and a deviation (dalalah) ▸3:01
• The path of the Prophet — the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, identified his path as the straight, middle path, distinct from the paths of shaytan ▸4:16
• Sectarianism — the mention of 73 sects in hadith literature is understood by the majority of scholars as an indication of a large number of groups rather than a literal count ▸7:14