What Does Anticipation Mean?
My beloved ones on the path of Allah,
Scholars have said that anticipation is: the initiative to seek reward and obtain it using different types of good actions, and doing them in the required manner in order to seek their reward.
In other words, anticipation is an intention to gain the fruits that are promised for a certain good deed, and this – naturally – is an action of the heart not the tongue, that leads the self to be keen, the heart to look forward to, and determination to seek the great rewards behind this good deed.
Allah has asked us to seek Paradise and to work for it. He says: And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it while he is a believer, then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allah).al-Isra 19
Therefore the striving which will be rewarded is the striving of he who desires the Hereafter.
He says: and whoever desires a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give him thereof. And We shall reward the grateful. [al-Imran 145]
Doing good deeds is promised to be granted great rewards in return, in order for the good servant to anticipate these rewards. In this way, the anticipation motivates us and drives us towards Allah, Exalted and Glorified is He.
My beloved brothers and sisters,
There are great benefits in anticipation, because it is:
(1) A form of compliance to the order of Allah and following His messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him.
(2) An evidence of good faith and perfect Islam.
(3) A path towards sincerity, away from hypocrisy; because one would not await thanking or appreciation from anyone in return for doing good deeds anymore.
(4) A sign of good trust in Allah.
(5) A way to make one satisfied, happy-hearted and confident in what the Lord is saving for His servants.
(6) A tool to purify the good deeds and add more blessing to them, so that one's account of faith increases.
(7) A reason to strengthen one's determination and charge one's will.
(8) A method to increases one's rank in the Eyes of his/her Lord. For the messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said to Saad bin Abi Waqqas, "Verily, any deed you do in which you sincerely seek Allah's pleasure will raise you in ranks and honor." [Bukhari]
(9) Finally, having anticipation all the time makes one's life full of acts of worship, and worship is a wide path leading to the love of Allah.
(10) Through anticipation you will be granted rewards of deeds you couldn't do for a legitimate excuse. The prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said,"If a servant falls ill or travels temporarily, he will be rewarded exactly the same as what he used to do when he was healthy and residing in his town."[Bukhari]
My friend,
The study of the intentions and _object_ives of good deeds is one of the most important things that should be addressed by any serious worker for the Hereafter.
It was reported that Yahya bin Abi Katheer said: "Learn your intentions; for they are more important than the deeds themselves."
We have to learn how to evoke the right intentions for our good deeds; this processed requires training which can be done through reading the wisdoms of the Salaf1 regarding the very special hints and secrets of worships, the collection of virtues that Islam brought in all aspects of life and then establishing these intentions inside the heart.
We may ask: Why can we not find - for example - in the words of the Salaf what should be anticipated in each deed if anticipation had this importance?
The answer: Because those people had clean, pure hearts; hearts that were so attached to Allah that light was coming out of them, therefore they were anticipating by their pure instinct.
Ubay bin Ka'b said,“There was a man from the Ansaar2 whom I did not know anyone who lived farther away from the mosque than he did. He never missed prayers, and so he was told once: if you bought a donkey to ride during the darkness and the heat.”
He replied, “I would not be pleased if my house was next to mosque. I want my footpath to the mosque and my return to be written in my records.” The prophet – may peace and blessings upon him – said, “Allah has collected all of that for you.”
In another narration, “and I went to him and said, 'why don't you buy a donkey to avoid the heat and the insects of earth?' He said, 'By Allah, I would not even wish to have my house next door of the Muhammad's house.' So I actually dragged him all the way until we reached the prophet – may peace and blessings be upon him – and I told him what the man said, and the prophet called the man and told him that he will get what he hoped for, 'You shall be given what you have anticipated.' said the prophet – may peace and blessings be upon him.” [narrated by Muslim and Ibn Maja – and the latter is the narrator in this way and was classified as Sahih by alAlbani]
This is how they lived - may Allah be pleased with them -. As for us, we still need to learn how to make intentions, how to anticipate the reward and how to struggle with ourselves to apply these meanings until they result in morals.
So, come join us... Let us all open the pages of good deeds that should be done in Ramadan on its two wings "faith and anticipation", while asking Allah for support and guidance; for He is the Owner of those and the most Capable to give them.
To be Continued: At The Athan of Maghrib Prayer On The Last Day of Sha'baan
____________
1Salaf (predecessors): Early Muslim generations, usually refers to the righteous Muslims in the first three generations. (the translator)
2Ansaar (Supporters): The Muslim citizens of the Medina who received the prophet and the immigrants with him from Mecca and supported them. (the translator)
My beloved ones on the path of Allah,
Scholars have said that anticipation is: the initiative to seek reward and obtain it using different types of good actions, and doing them in the required manner in order to seek their reward.
In other words, anticipation is an intention to gain the fruits that are promised for a certain good deed, and this – naturally – is an action of the heart not the tongue, that leads the self to be keen, the heart to look forward to, and determination to seek the great rewards behind this good deed.
Allah has asked us to seek Paradise and to work for it. He says: And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it while he is a believer, then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and rewarded (by Allah).al-Isra 19
Therefore the striving which will be rewarded is the striving of he who desires the Hereafter.
He says: and whoever desires a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give him thereof. And We shall reward the grateful. [al-Imran 145]
Doing good deeds is promised to be granted great rewards in return, in order for the good servant to anticipate these rewards. In this way, the anticipation motivates us and drives us towards Allah, Exalted and Glorified is He.
My beloved brothers and sisters,
There are great benefits in anticipation, because it is:
(1) A form of compliance to the order of Allah and following His messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him.
(2) An evidence of good faith and perfect Islam.
(3) A path towards sincerity, away from hypocrisy; because one would not await thanking or appreciation from anyone in return for doing good deeds anymore.
(4) A sign of good trust in Allah.
(5) A way to make one satisfied, happy-hearted and confident in what the Lord is saving for His servants.
(6) A tool to purify the good deeds and add more blessing to them, so that one's account of faith increases.
(7) A reason to strengthen one's determination and charge one's will.
(8) A method to increases one's rank in the Eyes of his/her Lord. For the messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said to Saad bin Abi Waqqas, "Verily, any deed you do in which you sincerely seek Allah's pleasure will raise you in ranks and honor." [Bukhari]
(9) Finally, having anticipation all the time makes one's life full of acts of worship, and worship is a wide path leading to the love of Allah.
(10) Through anticipation you will be granted rewards of deeds you couldn't do for a legitimate excuse. The prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said,"If a servant falls ill or travels temporarily, he will be rewarded exactly the same as what he used to do when he was healthy and residing in his town."[Bukhari]
My friend,
The study of the intentions and _object_ives of good deeds is one of the most important things that should be addressed by any serious worker for the Hereafter.
It was reported that Yahya bin Abi Katheer said: "Learn your intentions; for they are more important than the deeds themselves."
We have to learn how to evoke the right intentions for our good deeds; this processed requires training which can be done through reading the wisdoms of the Salaf1 regarding the very special hints and secrets of worships, the collection of virtues that Islam brought in all aspects of life and then establishing these intentions inside the heart.
We may ask: Why can we not find - for example - in the words of the Salaf what should be anticipated in each deed if anticipation had this importance?
The answer: Because those people had clean, pure hearts; hearts that were so attached to Allah that light was coming out of them, therefore they were anticipating by their pure instinct.
Ubay bin Ka'b said,“There was a man from the Ansaar2 whom I did not know anyone who lived farther away from the mosque than he did. He never missed prayers, and so he was told once: if you bought a donkey to ride during the darkness and the heat.”
He replied, “I would not be pleased if my house was next to mosque. I want my footpath to the mosque and my return to be written in my records.” The prophet – may peace and blessings upon him – said, “Allah has collected all of that for you.”
In another narration, “and I went to him and said, 'why don't you buy a donkey to avoid the heat and the insects of earth?' He said, 'By Allah, I would not even wish to have my house next door of the Muhammad's house.' So I actually dragged him all the way until we reached the prophet – may peace and blessings be upon him – and I told him what the man said, and the prophet called the man and told him that he will get what he hoped for, 'You shall be given what you have anticipated.' said the prophet – may peace and blessings be upon him.” [narrated by Muslim and Ibn Maja – and the latter is the narrator in this way and was classified as Sahih by alAlbani]
This is how they lived - may Allah be pleased with them -. As for us, we still need to learn how to make intentions, how to anticipate the reward and how to struggle with ourselves to apply these meanings until they result in morals.
So, come join us... Let us all open the pages of good deeds that should be done in Ramadan on its two wings "faith and anticipation", while asking Allah for support and guidance; for He is the Owner of those and the most Capable to give them.
To be Continued: At The Athan of Maghrib Prayer On The Last Day of Sha'baan
____________
1Salaf (predecessors): Early Muslim generations, usually refers to the righteous Muslims in the first three generations. (the translator)
2Ansaar (Supporters): The Muslim citizens of the Medina who received the prophet and the immigrants with him from Mecca and supported them. (the translator)