The Musk of Gatherings

Narrated Ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) that seldom did it happen that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) arose from an assembly without praying for his companions in these words:

اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِن خَشْيَتِكَ ما تَحُولُ بَيْنَنا وَبَيْنَ مَعاصِيك ، وَمِن طَاعَتِكَ ما تُبَلِّغُنا بِهِ جَنَّتَك، وَمِن اليَقِينِ ما تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنا مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيا، وَمَتِّعْنا بِأَسْماعِنا، وَأَبْصارِنا، وَقُوَّتِنا ما أَحْيَيْتَنا، وَاجْعَلْهُ الَوارِثَ مِنَّا، وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنا عَلَى مَن ظَلَمَنا، وَانْصُرْنا عَلى مَنْ عَادانا، وَلا تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتِنا فِي دِينِنَا، وَلا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنا وَلا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنا، وَلا تُسَلِّطُ عَلَيْنا مَنْ لا يَرْحَمُنا 

Allahummaq-sim lana min khashiyatika maa tahoolu bainana wa bain ma’asiik, wa min ‘ta’atika maa tuballighuna bihi jannataka, wa min al-yaqeeni maa tuhawwinu bihi ‘alaina masaa’ibad-Dunia, wa matti’naa bi-asmaa’ina, wa absaarina, wa quwwatina ma ahyaytana, waj-‘alhul-waritha minna, waj-‘al tha’rana ‘alaa man dhalamana, wansurna ‘alaa man ‘aadana, wala taj-‘al musibatana fii dinina, wala taj-‘alid-dunia akbara hammina wala mablagha ‘elmina, wala tusallit ‘alaina man laa yarhamuna.   “O Allah! Deal out to us so much of Your fear as may interpose between us and disobedience to You; so much of Your obedience as may enable us to reach Your Paradise; so much of conviction as may lighten our worldly afflictions. O Allah! Allow us to enjoy the use of our ears (bless our ears); our eyes, and our strength as long as You keep us alive; and let each of these be our Warith (survivors). Avenge us upon him that oppresses us. Help us against him who is at enmity with us. Let not our misfortunes stand in the way of our faith. Let not the world be a matter of greatest concern to us, nor the utmost limit of our knowledge. Impose not upon us a ruler a person who will not show mercy to us.” [At-Tirmidhi # 3502: The Book of Du’aa and authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jamie’ no. 1268]

Explanation of the Musk of Gatherings

The statements are explained as follows:    [Seldom did it so happen that the Messenger of Allah]: Never did the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)arise from a gathering without invoking in these words.  [Deal out to us]: Make for us.   [Interpose]: Prevent   [Between us and disobedience]: If the heart is filled with fear of Allah, it will prevent the limbs from committing sins.   [Your obedience]: By making it easy for us to obey Allah’s commandments.   [Enable us to reach Your Paradise]: By including us among those who earn Allah’s Mercy, because our acts of worship alone do not guarantee us Paradise.   [of conviction]:  Means, believing in Allah and His Decree and that nothing shall ever happen to us except what He has ordained for us. And whatever He decrees is full of wisdom and is the best for us.   [Lighten with]: By this faith and certainty, Allah makes things easy upon us.   [Worldly afflictions]: Whoever knows with certainty that the worldly afflictions are means of attaining the divine rewards will never be sad for what has befallen him (and will bear the afflictions with patience and perseverance).   [Allow us to enjoy]: Make us benefit.   [Our ears, eyes, and strength]: i.e. by using them in Allah’s obedience till we die.   [As long as You keep us alive]: All our span of life. A greater deal of the knowledge we acquire of Allah’s Signs, the Qur’an, the universe, and our body is mainly through our faculties of hearing and sight. They are means of knowing Allah (Subhanaahu wa Ta’aala) and His Oneness.   The Prophet (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked Allah to bless these senses fearing the afflictions which befall upon those whose hearts Allah has sealed ( i.e. they are closed from the privilege of knowing and accepting Allah’s guidance), because on their hearings and on their eyes is a cover. By knowing Allah, one is able to worship Him as is due to Him. He (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)asked for the strength that enables him to worship his Lord.   [The strength]: Meaning the rest of the limbs and senses in general.   [Let each of these be our Warith (survivor)]: To remain with us in the following ways:   Preserve them for us till we die.   Let us enjoy the use of these senses and let it be the same for those coming after us.   To last perpetually till the day it will be needed, i.e. the Day of Judgment.   [Avenge us upon him that oppresses us]: Avenge us against those who oppress us only. Make us not of those who transgress Allah’s limit when taking revenge, such that we do not avenge against the innocent. Let us not become oppressors after being oppressed as was the practice in the Jahiliyya period. The origin of revenge is hatred and anger.   [Let not our misfortune stand in the way of our faith]: Do not afflict us with what might negatively affect our religion such as a decrease in our faith emanating from wrong belief, eating the unlawful, or being slack in performing the acts of worship.   [Let the world be neither a matter of the greatest concern to us]: Do not let the seeking of wealth and worldly positions be our greatest concern, but direct our efforts towards seeking the pleasures of the Hereafter. (Seeking a means of livelihood is allowed and desirable and may even be obligatory in some instances).   [Nor the utmost limit of our knowledge]: Do not limit our knowledge to worldly affairs only, but make us of those who equally know Allah and are conscious and apprehensive of the Hereafter as well.   [Impose not upon us as a ruler, a person who will not show mercy to us]: Do not empower disbelievers and oppressors over us, or do not let oppressors be rulers over us because they do not show mercy and compassion to their people.   Remember the statement of Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Those people who leave a gathering in which they have not remembered Allah, will leave it like leaving a corpse of a donkey and it will be a cause of grief to them.” [Abu Dawoud and authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jamie’ no. 5750]

Have You? ……. Again, Have You …..?   O Muslim! Have you asked why this Du’aa (invocation) characterizes almost every gathering of the Prophet (salla Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)?

Ponder its wordings and you may know the reason!   The Du’aa contains all that you may desire to achieve from obedience and performing the acts of worship that can earn you the pleasure of Allah in this world and in the Hereafter, the ultimate goal being Paradise. That is not all, in the Du’aa, you also seek refuge with Allah from the evils of this world (the unpleasant life) and the evil of the Hereafter (Hellfire).   Your continuous need of these demands, in every gathering supersedes your needs and cravings for food and drink. Before you, is the Sunnah of Al-Mustafa (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)that the Muslims may follow and for the mindful to take as a guide.   Will you then follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) or will you ignore it and be  Al-Maghboon (the loser)?   Shaikh Bin Uthaimeen (رحمه الله) said that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate these words most of the time. If anyone says this supplication during a gathering, at the beginning or at the end, he has acted upon the Sunnah which the Prophet (May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to practice.