Angels In Their Presence | Season 2
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All four khulafa’ had beautiful interactions with the angels, but Companion Uthman ibn Affan’s (ra) connection with them was unique. Though he was known for his recitation of the Qur’an and his giving hands, it was his haya’—modesty and shyness—that was so unparalleled that even the angels changed their demeanor around him.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Every one of the four khulafa has a connection to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and an interaction with the angels that fits exactly what they are famous for. So with Abu Bakr radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, it is he is as-siddiq. The highest name that you could be written with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with is as-siddiq, right? And there's even a hadith, حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ صِدِّيقٍ that a person continues to tell the truth and do the actions of truth until they're written with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as a person of truth. So this name comes down from Jibreel alayhi salam to the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam. And this is what he's known by and Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu is a celebrity of sorts amongst the angels, right? On the day of judgment, they're all calling him to their gate of Jannah. And Umar radiAllahu ta'ala anhu is the one who's in touch with the truth, right? The one who subhanAllah is speaking to the angels and the angels speak through him in regards to his judgment, in regards to his perception because the shayateen would be nowhere around him. And then Ali radiAllahu anhu, right? Who is a man of courage, bravery, who is so courageous and so dedicated and relentless in his dedication that he would be blessed with Jibreel alayhi salam and Mikail alayhi salam next to him as he goes forth carrying the banner of Islam. Now with Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, there is something very special about Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu because usually we talk about the angels inspiring goodness in us, meaning the angels in our presence change our demeanor. In the case of Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, this man reached such a level that he changed the demeanor of the angels and that's not known with anybody else. And this goes back to a famous story with the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam with Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu that Aisha radiAllahu anhu narrates that the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam was sitting at home
and as Abu Bakr radiAllahu ta'ala anhu came to visit the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, he was reclined. And so his leg was a little bit exposed. The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam was in a relaxed state. Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu came in the house kind of stayed as it was. He sat with the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam for some time. He asked the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam when he had to ask him and then he left. Umar radiAllahu ta'ala anhu came in as the order always is. And the same thing happened. The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam remained in his place and the house remained as it was. And Umar radiAllahu anhu asked what he had to ask and then he left when he got what he wanted. And then Uthman radiAllahu anhu came. And Aisha radiAllahu anhu says the strangest thing happens that the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam suddenly starts to say fix up the house, you know, put the blanket here and he sits up radiAllahu anhu and he fixes his garments. And Uthman radiAllahu anhu comes in and the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam receives him in a very unique and special way. Now Aisha radiAllahu anhu is watching this and when Uthman leaves, she says I was very curious. You know, we know the status of Abu Bakr. We know the status of Umar. Why did the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam act this way with Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu? I asked the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, Ya Rasulullah, Abu Bakr came in, Umar came in. You didn't do what you did when Uthman came in. And the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam said, ala astahi mimman yastahi minhu al-mala'ika Should I not be shy of someone whom the angels are shy from? Should I not be shy from someone whom the angels are shy from? Even the angels have hayat around Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu. So subhanAllah, Uthman changes the demeanor of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, the best of all creation, and he changes the demeanor of the angels by just being who he is. Now let's break this down because most people have heard this hadith about Uthman radiAllahu anhu, but there is wisdom to it. Number one, Uthman radiAllahu anhu we know is dhun nurain.
He is the possessor of two lights. Someone who is so beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blessed him by sending Jibreel alayhi salam to command the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam to marry not one but two of his daughters to Uthman, right? So when Ruqayya radiAllahu anha passes away, the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam receives a command through Jibreel alayhi wa sallam to marry Um Kulthum radiAllahu anha to Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu as well. So he's the possessor of two lights. But think about all the ahadith about what the angels praise a man for and compare that to Uthman radiAllahu anhu. Uthman is known for his lengthy recitation of the Quran, finishing an entire khatm in one raka'ah, right? Amongst those who would have said that he would read the Quran more than once a day sometimes, the entirety of the Quran. And he said if the hearts are in a good place with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then they are never full of the recitation of the Quran. They never get to a point where they're tired or they feel like they've reached their fill from the recitation of the Quran. He loves the Quran. So he recites the Quran constantly. Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu is the man who comes forth with sadaqah that is unparalleled, with charity that's unparalleled. So when you think about the angels that descend for the Quran, the angels that descend for sadaqah, right? For charity, crying out, Allahumma a'ti munfiqan khalafa that, oh Allah, give to the one who gave and, oh Allah, withhold from the one who withheld. Think about Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu coming forth every single time the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam asks for anything. And the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam holding the coins of Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu and saying, nothing will harm Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu after what he did today. But there is a particular trait, al-hayya, al-hayya. The concept of shyness, the concept of bashfulness. And there are multiple narrations about this concept of hayya.
The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned al-hayya minal iman. Bashfulness is from faith. It's a form of iman. The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said, al-hayya la ya'ti illa bikhayr. That anything that comes through hayya, through this concept of modesty and shyness and bashfulness, anything that comes through it is good. Al-hayya khayrun kullu. Hayya is all good. It is the main characteristic of Islam. And Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu embodied hayya. Now, what makes it so impressive with Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu that he was so shy? First of all, his shyness was in public and in private. And it was with his family and it was with the community. And more than all of that, it was with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He had a shyness to sin, a shyness to do anything that would be displeasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He had this modesty, this humility, this shyness that he carried throughout every facet of life. But the thing that makes it even more impressive is that Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu had every reason to not be shy. Okay. You think about the things that make people a little arrogant, that make people a little boastful, that cause people to degrade others. Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu had beauty. Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu had wealth. Uthman radiAllahu anhu had the look. He had the wealth. He had the clothes. He had the status in society. And with all of that, Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu was the most humble and shy person that you would meet. And the ulama say, subhanAllah, the haya of the mala'ika with Uthman is not that they would be shy to be in his presence. No, it's that they longed for his presence, but that their demeanor changed in the presence of Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu. And they were shy in his presence, including Jibreel alayhi salam. And part of that was what? They said, Ya Rasulullah, a man that will be killed by his people. Despite all this goodness that he does for the people, the shyness of Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu is a contributing factor to his assassination.
Because he refused to use his position with the people or his previous good deeds to enforce authority over the people. Uthman radiAllahu anhu instead held back. And so the angels knowing what is with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for Uthman radiAllahu ta'ala anhu also caused them to have a shyness in his presence radiAllahu ta'ala anhu.
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