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The Prophet ﷺ, An Angel, and An Orientation for the Ummah | Anchored Ep. 2
The 4 Decrees Written For You In Your Mother’s Womb | Anchored Ep. 3
Who Decides What Is Haram? | Anchored Ep. 4
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Why Your Du’a Isn’t Being Answered | Anchored Ep. 6
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Why Your Du’a Isn’t Being Answered | Anchored Ep. 6
“Allah is pure, and He only accepts what is pure.” That one line from Hadith 10 of the 40 Hadith reaches further than most of us expect, into what we earn, what we give and why some prayers seem to go nowhere.
In this episode, Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy discusses the traveler whose prayer was stopped by unlawful money, why charity can’t clean wealth that was never yours, and how a single date given honestly grows into a mountain. We also look at why admitting a sin can open more for you than a year of good deeds, and why a blocked prayer is never a reason to stop asking.
Tune in every Saturday at 9 AM CST/3 PM GMT for a new episode of Anchored!
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
00:00Imagine the man who travels so far, dusty and disheveled, raising his hands to the sky, saying, My Lord, my Lord, while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and his nourishment comes from that which is unlawful.
00:14He said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, how can someone like this get a response? How can we be hopeful for a prayer that we've blockaded its path with our sins? We blockaded it, nobody else. You continue making du'a.
00:27While you're making du'a, fix your condition with Allah Azza wa Jal, fix your status.
00:38So how does income impact our du'a, our supplication? That's our first hadith tonight in the 40 Nawawi series.
00:48This is hadith 10, which was narrated by Abdul Rahman ibn Sakhr, more famously known as Abu Huraira, radiyallahu anhu. He reports that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
01:01inna allaha ta'ala tayyibun la yaqbalu illa tayyiban.
01:06Certainly, Allah, the Exalted, is tayyib, and He only accepts that which is tayyib. So what does tayyib mean?
01:18Tayyib, ta'ba, ya'teebu, tayyiban, tayyiban, all of these share the same common root.
01:27You infer from them certain meanings, purity, so Allah is pure. Also wholesomeness. Also goodness in general.
01:42Also that which is beneficial or harmless is called tayyib. So Allah is pure of every defect, of every flaw. He is pure in His names.
01:56He is pure in His attributes. He is pure in His actions. He is pure in His judgments, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Everything about Him is pure and perfect. La yaqbalu, and He does not accept from His servants,
02:10except that which is good and wholesome, good and pure. So for instance, in the Qur'an, Allah says,
02:20wa mathalu kalimatin tayyibatin kashajaratin tayyibatin asluha thabitun wa far'uha fis samaa. And the example of a tayyib word, a good word.
02:34This word here is the greatest word. The word here is referring to la ilaha illallah, the purest, best word in the universe, statement in the universe. The example of this good word, what makes it so good?
02:47He says it's like the example of a tayyib tree, a good tree. What's so good about it? Asluha thabit. Its roots are deep into the heart of the believer, right? Like a deep-rooted tree.
03:01Wa far'uha fis samaa, and its branches extend into the heavens. And likewise are the deeds of the believer. They are eligible for ascending into and through the heavens. Elsewhere in the Qur'an, Allah says about Himself,
03:15ilayhi yas'adu al-kalimu al-tayyib. To Him, all good words rise. wal-'amalu as-salihu yarfa'uh, same verse.
03:29And righteous deeds are what raise them. It's not just cheap talk, it's tayyib talk that is matched by the deeds, which qualifies it for going up, at least in one interpretation of that verse. And at the end of our lives,
03:43the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the angel comes to the believer and says to it, the angel of death, ayyatuhan nafsu tayyibah, oh tayyib soul,
03:55because its actions were good, its words were good, tayyib deed and tayyib speech, he became defined by his deeds. So, oh you tayyib soul,
04:06come out to the pleasure of your Lord and His forgiveness. And then ultimately, at the end of the last day, if you will, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,
04:20wasiqa allatheena ittaqaw rabbahum ilal jannati zumara. And those who feared their Lord are brought to paradise in crowds. hatta idha ja'uha wa futihat abwabuha,
04:34until they arrive at its doors. May Allah promise us this moment, say ameen. Until they arrive at its doors and it opens up in front of them. And it is said to them what,
04:46waqeelahum salamun alaykum, peace be upon you. tibtum, you have become tayyib, you've been purged of all or forgiven for the rest. tibtum, you've become tayyib,
04:58fadkhuluha khalideen, so now enter it forever. Enter it, abiding therein eternally. May Allah grant that to us. So, Allah accepts that which is tayyib in every sense.
05:10But this particular hadith is referring to wholesome tayyib earnings, income, consumption in particular. How do we know that? The very next wording. Allah is tayyib and accepts only that which is tayyib,
05:24and He has commanded the believers with the same command. He addressed them in the same exact way that He addressed the prophets, His prophets or His messengers. By saying, and then He mentioned to us two verses, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
05:39ya ayyuhar-rusulu kulu minat-tayyibati wa'malu salihan O messengers, Allah's addressing them, eat from the tayyib things, the pure things and work righteousness. And then Allah addressed the believers by saying,
05:51ya ayyuhal-ladhina amanu, O you who have believed, kulu min tayyibati ma razaqnakum, eat, consume from the pure, the tayyib things we have provided you with. Thumma dhakara ar-rajul, and then he mentioned the man who traveled so far,
06:06dusty and disheveled, raising his hands to the sky, saying, my Lord, my Lord, while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, wa ghudhiya bil-haram,
06:19and his nourishment comes from that which is unlawful. He said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, fa anna yustajabu lahu? How can someone like this get a response? You know what this hadith is referring to?
06:32The very common major misconception in so many people's hearts, who believe because they want to believe, that you can have haram earnings,
06:44they're all right, they can be justified, unlawful income, just because you give some charity here or you give some charity there. And the reality is that's not going to work.
06:56Abu al-Darda radiyallahu anhu, the companion, he said, the example of this is like the example of someone who usurps the wealth of the orphan to clothe with it a widow woman, right?
07:11You know, like Robin Hood, it's a long story, but like Robin Hood would not necessarily be doing the right thing from the Islamic perspective. It's not that every rich person is supposed to get robbed and every poor person is entitled to enjoy stolen money.
07:28And even in the Qur'an, Allah tells you why. You know, in the ayat it says, ya ayyuhal-ladhina amanu, O you who have believed, anfiqu min tayyibati ma razaqnakum, spend from the tayyib things we have provided you with.
07:41wa mimma akhrajna lakum minal-ard and what we have brought out for you of the earth, the agriculture, right, the crops. And then he says, la tayammamul khabitha minhu tunfiqoon walastum bi-akhidhihi illa an tughmidu feeh
07:55Listen to this. And don't go reaching for the khabith. Khabith is the opposite of tayyib, by the way, right? Don't reach for the lousiest things that you can fetch and you donate those things
08:08and you yourself would never accept those things. If you needed charity, you wouldn't accept those things without closing your eyes. Meaning unless you were so desperate, you said, okay, fine, right?
08:20In other words, spend from that which is lawful and the goodly that Allah has provided you with and not the least of it either. So those are two levels. It's not just giving charity from respectable goods
08:32that you have or sort of the median of your wealth, but your wealth to begin with has to be tayyib and then you pick the median of it when you're giving. The ayah ends by saying, wa'lamu anna Allaha ghaniyyun hameed
08:47and know that Allah is ghani. Ghani means self-sufficient. In other words, make sure you're spending from what is tayyib and spend and don't worry about spending. Don't give Allah the leftovers because Allah doesn't need it to begin with, right?
09:02When you give in charity, Allah will take care of the birds in their nests. Allah will take care of the animals in their holes. Allah will take care of his creation. He's just giving you an opportunity right now to spiritually elevate yourself.
09:18He's giving you a chance to glorify your short little life, right? By allowing it to be a reason for you to dwell in his paradise forever. They had this little life and they made the most out of it.
09:32They gave what was tayyib, right? And that is why they are by my side. They are in my gardens for all of eternity. To turn your life, which is so transient, so little into something so special, that's what it's really about.
09:45So you're either going to do it right or else it may not count as a charity to begin with. He is saying, Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. It's clear? Like if your wealth is not permissible, is not lawful,
10:00it will not count as charity to begin with because charity has to be with wealth that is rightfully yours in the first place, rightfully owned by you. So let's say I have haram income really quickly
10:14and I want to get rid of it. Can't I intend charity with it? No, you can't, it's not yours. You don't have the right to have that money to begin with. That doesn't mean you won't be rewarded at all. You just don't intend charity with it.
10:27You may be rewarded a great deal for resisting the very real temptation of enjoying lots of money that I don't have the right to enjoy even though it's in my account, even though it's in my grasp.
10:43And if your entire income is haram and you have to get out of it, right? Get rid of it. But that's going to drive you into bankruptcy. Here's another important disclaimer. So you intend with it the reward of resisting the haram
10:57and that could be more rewardable than giving in charity by the way because resisting the haram is mandatory and giving in charity would not be, right? But the second disclaimer is if it's going to bankrupt you, then you are eligible at the same time
11:11to be a recipient of some of that just like any other recipient of charity. Is it clear? All right. I just wanted to put those disclaimers on the table before we move past them quickly.
11:26There is another hadith like this that is more elaborate and very illustrative. You know, like read it with your heart, obviously. The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said,
11:38man tasaddaqa, there is no Muslim essentially that gives in charity. bi idli tamratin min kasbin tayyib. The equivalent of a date in charity from tayyib earnings.
11:52wala yaqbalullahu illa attayyib. And Allah will not accept anything but that which is tayyib. He said, fa inna Allaha yatakabbaluha biyameenih.
12:04Then Allah accepts it with his right hand. thumma yurabbiha li sahibiha. And Allah develops it, he grows it for the donor.
12:17kama yurabbi ahadukum faluwahu aw fasilahu. The same way one of you raises their baby horse. You know that the baby horse, have you ever seen the image of the baby horse? It can't stand on its own two legs in the beginning, right?
12:30So this hadith is saying, like think about it, a date. If you would give someone a date, they'd probably spit in your face. What am I going to do with a date? One date, like are you making fun of me? Is this like a prank video? Like what do you mean a date?
12:45Allah who has no needs accepts from you a date, a charity that you would think doesn't stand on its own. And then he raises it for you like that baby horse that can't stand on its own.
12:57hatta takuna yawmal qiyamati kaljabal. Until it becomes on the day of judgment, like a mountain. Like you show up on the day of judgment and you see this huge mountain, like where in the world did that come from? That came from your date.
13:12Why? Because it was tayyib. And when it was tayyib, Allah accepted it in his right hand. It's a powerful idea, right? Even after you die and your grandkids die,
13:26but it was left in the place, the most blessed place in existence, right? The hand of God. So it doesn't go anywhere. Everything perishes and this world crumbles and your tayyib charity is continuing to thrive,
13:40continuing to grow. You know, and this idea of Allah receives the charity, like the Salaf, the early Muslims acted on this a great deal. You know, they would be very cognizant of the fact
13:52that Allah is the first recipient of this charity. I don't mean he's a beneficiary. He's not benefiting from it, but he receives it before the needy person receives it. And this is why some of the Salaf,
14:06because of that concept, they used to perfume their charity before they would give it to the poor. And they would say, I'm putting it in the hands of God, essentially. You know, like when you really want someone to be happy about your gift,
14:20you put a wrapper on it, you put some gift wrapping in it. They would perfume their charities to perfect the tayyib elements of the charity. They're trying to perfect it. And you know, there's a side point of sorts here
14:34that we will visit in a later hadith, but we should highlight it, which is that wealth in Islam is a great means of coming closer to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. That's not true in all faith traditions, by the way, right?
14:49Like you think of the 10 greatest companions. Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, Al-'Asharah Al-Mubashsharah, right? The 10 promised Jannah. They were all elites, by the way. And they earned nearness to Allah by their eliteness.
15:01Some of them had, you know, elite intelligence, sort of elite sociopolitical status.
15:09But most of them had elite economic power. Most of the 10 promised Jannah, think about it, were wealthy. Some of them were extremely wealthy, right? Abu Bakr As-Siddiq was wealthy, رضي الله عنه.
15:22Umar ibn al-Khattab, over periods of his life, he was quite wealthy. Uthman ibn Affan, رضي الله عنه, was extremely wealthy. Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam was wealthy. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was extremely wealthy. You see how that works?
15:36So it was of the means that they came close to Allah Azza wa Jal, was that the economic power of theirs was leveraged in that direction. And he told us, صلى الله عليه وسلم,
15:49نعم المال الصالح في يد الرجل الصالح. How excellent is good money in the hands of a good man. So good money means it comes from the right place.
16:02طيب earnings. That's tonight's hadith. And the hands of the good man means this good money lands in the right place, which is the hand, not the heart. In the hand.
16:13Because so long as it's in your hand, you can do with it the right things. Because if you let it own you, it'll break you, right?
16:25You see people who have tons of fortune and commit suicide, right? But once you own it, it doesn't define you and it doesn't devastate you. If you let it into the heart, when it comes out of the heart,
16:39it rips everything on the way out. It leaves you with these cuts and these wounds that you may not recover from. So you want طيب wealth, good money, in the hands of a good man or woman to get close to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
16:54That's how Islam frames it. Allah loves that person. You know, on the opposite side, there's a hadith where the Prophet ﷺ said, إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبْغِضُ
17:07كُلَّ عُتُلٍّ جَوَّاظٍ سَخَّابٍ بِالْأَسْوَاقِ
17:13Allah hates every heavy, overbearing shouter in the markets. Heavy here could mean overeating, but also overbearing.
17:26They're just imposing themselves. They're bullying people. They think their wealth defines them. That's why their wealth is what breaks them, right? سَخَّابٍ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ They're loud in the markets. They're always either calling attention to themselves or they're just bargaining over and over again
17:40about this price and that price. Shouter in the markets. He continued saying ﷺ, جِيفَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ حِمَارٌ بِالنَّهَارِ Like a dead carcass at night.
17:54Have you ever heard of an all-consuming career? Dead carcass, piece of meat, dead meat at night. There's no Isha prayer, right? There's no sort of family time. They live to make money.
18:07حِمَارٌ بِالنَّهَارِ Donkey by day. So a carcass by night, donkey by day. عَالِمٌ بِأَمْرِ الدُّنْيَا جَاهِلٌ بِأَمْرِ الْآخِرَةِ
18:17He's an expert at the affairs of this world. And they are oblivious to the affairs of the next world. That's when the wealth owns them. Makes them a deranged, deluded,
18:30forceful, overbearing, blind human being. And moving on now quickly. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned a man
18:44that had all the criteria for an accepted prayer, right? They were a traveler. They were exhausted, desperate. Their hands were raised. They were saying, "My Lord." All the criteria were there. Except one criterion. What was it?
18:58Hmm? They were not glorifying Allah above being disobeyed. Right? So all of those criteria they had going for them. These supporting documents, if you will, for their application
19:12didn't cut it. Why? Because they were so disobedient to Allah ﷻ. That's why their prayers were getting rejected over and over and over again. The poet, he says,
19:24نَحْنُ نَدْعُو الْإِلَٰهَ فِي كُلِّ كَرْبٍ ثُمَّ نَنْسَاهُ عِنْدَ كَشْفِ الْكُرُوبِ كَيْفَ نَرْجُو إِجَابَةً لِدُعَاءٍ قَدْ سَدَدْنَا طَرِيقَهَا بِالذُّنُوبِ
19:34We call upon God at every distressing moment. And then we forget God again as soon as He removes our distress. How can we be hopeful for a prayer
19:47that we've blockaded its path with our sins? We blockaded it. Nobody else. Right? And then a person asks, why isn't my du'a getting accepted? You see,
20:01our brokenness in front of Allah ﷻ isn't just saying, "Ya Allah, give me what I need." Right? It is showing Allah that I am your subject. I am subservient to you between the asks.
20:14This is a big part of the acceptance of our prayer. You know, du'a is a huge part of that brokenness. That's why the Prophet ﷺ said, الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ The essence really of worship is encapsulated in calling upon God.
20:27You're showing that brokenness to Allah. And that is why every single one of those four, by the way, is a criterion. Like the traveler, people when they're away from home, they're anxious, they're uncomfortable.
20:40They have so many uncertainties. Right? Even in this day and age, SubhanAllah. And then the person is dusty and disheveled, meaning they're in a state of desperation, a state of exhaustion. This also humbles you. Why is the fasting person's prayer also accepted?
20:54You're in that state of fragility. You feel your own fragility. And then hands are raised. This is also a display of brokenness. Right? You're extending like the beggar, someone who wants to say, I am entitled. I'm in need.
21:08And then you're saying, Ya Rabb, Ya Rabb. The du'a of the Qur'an is always what? Ya Rabb, Rabbana, Rabbana, Rabbana. All the prophets taught us to speak to Allah with that word Rabb
21:21because the Rabb is the murabbi. The Rabb is the caretaker. You're saying, Ya Allah, you're my sustainer. You're my caretaker. I can't take care of myself. I can't fend for my own. I have nobody to turn to but you. All of that is in place.
21:34So when you do make du'a, in addition to you working on yourself and being more compliant between your du'as, make sure these items are also in place. You know, of the ways to show brokenness in your du'a
21:48since we're listing them here, this hadith gets us started: is to constantly make du'a. You know when Yunus Alayhi Salaam was swallowed by the whale and he called upon Allah, Allah said to us,
22:02فَلَوْ لَأَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ لَلَبِثَ فِي بَطْنِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ Had he not previously, been of those who always glorified Allah. See how that works?
22:16The Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said to us, Get to know Allah. In times of ease, He will know you. In times of difficulty, تَعَرَّفْ إِلَى اللَّهِ فِي الرَّخَاءِ يَعْرِفْكَ فِي الشِّدَّةِ And another narration,
22:29when you call upon Allah, the angels step in. And they say, Our Lord, صَوْتٌ مَعْرُوفٌ This is a familiar voice. مِنْ عَبْدٍ مَعْرُوفٍ From a familiar servant.
22:43And then they intercede, Ya Allah, accept his du'a. Ya Allah, give him what he asks for and more. Give her what she wants and more, Ya Allah. This is the familiarity that you build in the down times between desperation,
22:55if you will. And Subhanallah, you know, the last statement here, How could he be answered? It doesn't say he will not be answered. The scholars actually pointed this out.
23:08It is said in a rhetorical sense, How could he be answered? It doesn't mean it's impossible for such a person to be answered. You need to remember that. It means it is a remote possibility
23:22that this person be answered. It's less likely. But Allah may answer the du'a of the disbeliever. So long as he calls upon Allah sincerely. Allah has answered the du'a of so many disbelievers. Rather, Shaitaan himself
23:35made a request of Allah after he defied Allah. And Allah granted him his request, at least in part. He said, Let me live until the Day of Judgment. He said, you will live until the end of time. Meaning you're still going to have to die before the Day of Judgment.
23:49But he gave him a lot of what he asked for. Didn't he? And so, regardless of your station, regardless of where you are in your journey, if you will, you continue making du'a. While you're making du'a,
24:02fix your condition with Allah Azza wa Jall. Fix your status. We find this in multiple prophetic stories, by the way. Sulaiman Alayhi Salaam said in his du'a, Rabbighfirli wahabili O my Lord, forgive me
24:16and grant me a kingdom you've never granted anyone. Same sentence. To teach us. Yunus Alayhi Salaam said what in his du'a? La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minal dhalimeen
24:29None is worthy of worship, but you, O Allah, are glorified. I messed up. He's asking to be saved. But in light of something he should not have done, so he's apologizing in the ask. So the fact that you owe an apology
24:43should never bar you from asking. In fact, the Prophet Alayhi Salaam said, if you did not sin, I would fear for you what is more dangerous than sins. What's that?
24:56He said al-ujb al-ujb to get full of yourself, to get full of yourself. Sometimes the sin is actually what will generate in you that brokenness that will get your du'a accepted better than anything else.
25:09It is from Allah's rahma. You know, there's actually multiple stories from Banu Israel in this regard. One of them is that as narrated by Wahb ibn Munabbih rahimahullah
25:23He says there was a man, a worshipper in Banu Israel in the nations before us, a believer from Banu Israel who wanted Allah to show him how to escape from the traps of Shaitaan.
25:37I want to become immune to Shaitaan. So he fasted for 70 weeks. That's what a year and change, right? For 70 weeks, only breaking his fast one day every week,
25:51meaning six out of every seven days for a year and a half, he was fasting, right? And he still could not get any sort of disclosure from Allah, inspiration, guidance, a dream,
26:05nothing was coming. So he said to himself, there's probably something that I am underestimating in my relationship with Allah that is inappropriate. There's some sin that must be happening
26:19between me and my Lord. And so an angel came to him that evening and said to him, Allah has heard what you said. And that statement of yours, "it must be something wrong I'm doing,"
26:33was weightier than all of your 70 weeks of good deeds. Sometimes it is recognizing your sin that can actually unlock for you so much more than your good deeds because that's what it's about. The Salaf, the early Muslims,
26:47they would say, the brokenness of the sinner is more beloved to Allah than the haughtiness of the obedient person. Sometimes you're on a streak or something and you think, you know,
27:00like you're deserving. The sin comes and tells you, by the way, it is not you. This is My favor upon you. No one owns their streak. And so these hiccups, and they humble us.
27:13That humility is what unlocks your dua. The other account, quickly, so we move on to the second hadith. It was said that Banu Isra'il during the leadership of Musa Alayhi Salaam had suffered a very difficult drought.
27:27And they all came out to one field to make dua to Allah to open the skies, bring the clouds, and quench us. And Allah Azza wa Jal revealed to Musa Alayhi Salaam that I will not give you water
27:40because there is one man among you that has been defying me for 40 years straight without any shame. So long as he is in your midst,
27:53I will not give you water. So Musa Alayhi Salaam delivered a khutbah and said to the people, Allah has said to me, there is one man amongst us that we are being withheld from our water because of him.
28:07Leave us be so that we don't all die. Like you've ruined your own life. Let the one good deed you do in your life be saving everyone else's life. Just walk out. Separate from us. Some time passed,
28:21and then the rain came. And so Musa Alayhi Salaam said, Ya Allah, nobody left. He said, Oh Musa, the man repented to me. The man redeemed himself
28:35and sincerely repented to me. And I only gave you rain because of this man. He became the reason.
28:47So Musa Alayhi Salaam said, Oh Allah, allow me to see this righteous slave of yours. This guy just outdid all of us in this moment. He said to him, Oh Musa,
29:00I concealed him for 40 years while he was defying me. I'm going to expose him today after he has come back to me. This is our Lord, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
29:12Even our moments of faltering are a path back to Him, Azza wa Jal. So just because you're committing a sin and the actions aren't tayyib, that doesn't mean you ever stop calling upon Allah.
29:26You just make sure you factor that in among everything else. And Allah Azza wa Jal knows best.
