The seven under the shade of Allah

The Seven Under the Shade of Allah

A Khutba by Mufti Hussain Kamani

Introduction: The Speaker's Background

Today we have with us Mufti Hussain Kamani, who was born in Kentucky to a Hindu father. He started to memorize the Quran at the age of six and completed it in 1999. He studied a six-year curriculum covering Arabic language, then entered a post-graduate course in Islamic law and legal ethics, completing it in two years. He later obtained a post-graduate degree in business management and strategy at the University of Kentucky.

Currently serving as the Imam of the Islamic Centre of Chicago, he works on projects and programs catering to the needs of Muslims and the greater community. He is part of the Sharia Board of America's Fatwa Department staff and accompanies Hajj groups as one of their scholars.

Understanding the Value of Shade Through Personal Experience

As a child, I heard the narration about the seven under the shade of the throne of Allah many times, but it never truly impacted me. I never understood the value of being in one of these seven categories. It was just another honor mentioned in the Quran and Hadith about the hereafter - drinking from the hands of the Prophet ﷺ, Allah being pleased with you, receiving your book of deeds in your right hand, crossing the bridge with the speed of lightning. These things never made sense to me.

The Hajj Experience That Changed Everything

I had the chance to visit Saudi Arabia, particularly Makkah for Hajj. After Dhuhr prayer time, I thought to myself that people would be going for lunch and it would be less crowded for tawaf. Normally during Hajj season, a tawaf takes 55 minutes to an hour, so I thought I could complete it in 20-25 minutes if I beat the crowd.

I started doing tawaf, and the first 3-4 rounds were quick because people were still settling. But as I progressed, the crowd became jammed, and I could hardly take a step. I was under the beating heat of Makkah - it was like standing in an oven.

I stood there for an hour and finally finished 2 rounds, with 1 round left. That final round was extremely difficult, and I was being destroyed by the heat. Being tall, I could breathe over people, but I saw shorter people suffering - one woman almost fainted, and I had to help her to safety.

At that moment, the only relief I waited for was the part of tawaf where I would get the shade of the Kaaba. When I stood in that shade for a few seconds, I wanted to just stop there and rest. But as the crowd moved, I had to continue. Those few seconds of shade, compared to the hour or two in the heat, were the best moments.

That day, I understood the true value of shade. We forget its value because we're always in our cars, houses, or classrooms with protection from the sun.

The Lesson of Cold Water

There is a hadith where the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Source Name)

"O Allah, make Your love more beloved to me than cold water."

I learned this lesson during Juma prayer in Makkah. The Masjid al-Haram gets packed one and a half hours before the Adhan for Juma. I arrived early but was forced to pray on the roof under the scorching sun, waiting three to four hours for the prayer and khutba.

A person next to me, when I asked for water, said he would only give me one sip. I had never experienced someone rationing water to one sip before. I poured that precious sip on my hat to cool my head.

After Juma, I was extremely thirsty and needed water desperately. Getting to the water required half an hour of pushing through crowds. When I finally drank the Zamzam water, facing the Qibla as prescribed, I remembered the Prophet's ﷺ hadith about Allah's love being more precious than cold water.

The Hadith of the Seven Categories

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned seven categories of people who will be given shade under Allah's throne on the Day of Judgment:

"Seven whom Allah will shade with His shade on the day when there is no shade except His shade."

That day, there will be no other shade available except that divine shade. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned various categories, including:

• Two people who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting and parting for His sake
• A person who resists temptation, saying "I fear Allah"
• A person whose heart is attached to the mosque
• A just ruler
• One who loves Allah so much that when alone, with no exterior motive or show, remembers Allah and begins to cry

The Nature of Love (Mahabba)

In Arabic, we call love "hubb" or "mahabba." The root word "habba" means a seed. Allah says in the Quran:

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed that grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills."

The believers are described as:

"Those who believe are stronger in love for Allah."

The Process of Love Like a Seed

The parallel between love and a grain is profound. A grain only bears fruit when planted deep in the ground, hidden from sight. Similarly, love begins deep inside the heart, hidden and protected. Given the right environment - proper nourishment, care, and attention - this love grows slowly but surely.

Initially fragile, it can be easily uprooted. But as it matures, it becomes a strong tree that cannot be moved. Eventually, it provides shade for others and bears fruit that benefits all who encounter it. This process is gradual, slow, but solid and strong.

Love is not primarily about actions and statements - those are the end results. Love begins deep inside the heart, where you place the person you love and preserve them there.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever comes to Allah with a sound heart [will be accepted]." The heart is your place of love, preserved only for Allah.

Stories of True Love for Allah

The Story of Umar and the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet ﷺ once had a dispute with his wives and secluded himself. When Umar heard about this, he went to his daughter Hafsa (the Prophet's wife) to inquire, but she told him it was a private matter.

Umar then requested to meet the Prophet ﷺ. Realizing the delicate situation - that the Prophet ﷺ hadn't spoken to anyone in days - Umar knew he had to be careful. He made a light joke about how in Makkah women used to listen to them, but now they rule over them. This brought a smile to the Prophet's face.

When Umar saw the simple conditions in which the Prophet ﷺ lived - lying on a straw mat that left marks on his shoulder, with only a pot for ablution - he began to cry. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, you are the best of creation, yet Roman and Persian kings lie on silk sheets while my Muhammad lies on a straw mat."

The Prophet ﷺ responded:

"Are you not pleased, O Umar, that they have the world while we have the hereafter?"

The Story of Fatima and Her Father

Fatima lived behind the Prophet's house. One day, seeing her children and husband hungry after days without food, she obtained two pieces of bread. She gave portions to her children and husband, but before eating her share, she thought of her father and took her piece to him.

When she knocked, the Prophet ﷺ would always stand to greet his daughter - such was his love for her. When she offered him the bread, he began to cry and said: "Wallahi, your father hadn't eaten anything for three days straight, and I was hungry."

They sat together and cried out of starvation, yet the Prophet ﷺ never complained to anyone about his hunger.

The Teaching About the Sunnah of Starvation

A great scholar, Shaykh Zakariya, was once asked by visiting Arab scholars about the sunnah way to begin a meal - whether with water, salt, or something sweet. He began crying and said: "The sunnah is starvation. That was the Prophet's ﷺ real sunnah."

The Battles and Community Development

The Three Major Battles

After migration to Medina, the first year was spent developing the community - building the masjid, establishing the call to prayer (Adhan), creating brotherhood among companions, and teaching the Quran. The first Ramadan came in the second year, when fasting became obligatory, and this was also when the Battle of Badr took place.

The three major battles were:

• Second year: Battle of Badr (Muslims victorious)
• Third year: Battle of Uhud (Muslims faced defeat)
• Fourth year: Break year (no major battle)
• Fifth year: Battle of the Trenches (Khandaq)

After the Battle of the Trenches, the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Now we will attack them, and they will not attack us." Medina was never attacked again.

Preparation for Battle of Badr

Before the Battle of Badr, the companions lined up with basic weapons - sticks and branches. After Fajr prayer, the Prophet ﷺ gave a short khutba, reciting:

"O you who believe, when you encounter a [hostile] force, stand firm and remember Allah much that you may be successful."

The companions were not told to go to the gym and lift weights, but to remember Allah abundantly, because a Muslim's energy and fuel comes from loving Allah.

The Story of Abdullah Dhul-Bajadayn

One companion, before the battle, had his chest sticking out. When the Prophet ﷺ poked him with his staff to correct his posture, the companion said, "You hurt me." The Prophet ﷺ, upholding justice even moments before battle, gave him the staff and removed his shirt, saying, "Poke me back."

The companion threw down the stick, embraced the Prophet ﷺ, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, this is the last memory I needed before leaving this world. Now I'm ready to give my life for Allah." He was martyred in that battle, and the Prophet ﷺ cried, saying this man loved him so much that he hugged him before passing away.

This companion's name was Abdullah Dhul-Bajadayn. His story is remarkable: after accepting Islam secretly, his love eventually became impossible to hide - as love always does. When confronted by his father, he chose Islam over family, wealth, and comfort.

His father stripped him of everything, including his clothes. His mother secretly gave him her head covering (khimar), which he tore into two pieces to cover himself minimally. He arrived at the Prophet's masjid bruised and barely clothed, having sacrificed everything for his faith.

The Prophet ﷺ welcomed him, promised him Paradise, and cared for him. During a later military expedition, Abdullah became ill and was dying. The Prophet ﷺ came to him, placed his head in his lap, stroked his hair, and performed talqeen (saying (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ - la ilaha illallah). Abdullah passed away smiling while looking at the Prophet ﷺ.

Umar said: "Wallahi, I was there that day, and I wished I could trade my entire life to pass away in the lap of the Prophet ﷺ."

The Reality of Testing Through Love

Anyone who claims to love Allah will be tested. There is not a single verse in the Quran that promises an easy life for believers. Rather, the Quran explicitly states:

"Do people think they will be left alone because they say 'We believe' and will not be tested? We tested those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are truthful and those who are liars."

The poet Iqbal wrote about the contrast between the early Muslims who built beautiful masajids with burning faith, but noted that today the masajids are solid while the men have become weak. The Prophet's ﷺ masjid was structurally weak, but the men were spiritually solid.

The Nature of True Love and Its Effects

When someone falls in love, they lose interest in everything else - they can't eat, sleep, or focus on studies. They think constantly about the beloved. This is exactly what happened to the Prophet's companions, but their love was for the Creator of all creation - infinite beauty, mercy, and love that would never abandon them.

This love would be with them in this world, in their graves, in the hereafter, giving them their book of deeds in their right hand, water from the Prophet's hand, safe passage across the bridge of Sirat, shade under Allah's throne, entry into Paradise, and ultimately the vision of their Lord.

The Story of Imam Abu Dawood's Love

Imam Abu Dawood, the famous compiler of Sunan Abu Dawood, was once sitting by the seaside when he heard someone sneeze and say "Alhamdulillah" from across the water on a small island. Knowing his Islamic responsibility to respond with "Yarhamukallah" but being too far for the person to hear, he paid a boatman 10 dirhams to take him across, said "Yarhamukallah" to the person, and returned.

On his way back, he heard a voice saying: اشترى أبو داود الجنة بعاشر رحيم - "Abu Dawood just purchased Paradise for 10 dirhams."

The Response of True Believers

The Quran describes true believers:

"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, they increase them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely."

When they heard Allah's name, their hearts would tremble and shake. When they heard Allah's verses, their faith would increase, and they depended completely on Allah.

The Call to Action: Crying for Allah

The Prophet ﷺ said that two drops are beloved to Allah:

1. The drop of blood that falls from one martyred in Allah's path
2. The tear that falls from the eye of one who loves Allah

Some narrations suggest that this tear will extinguish the fires of Hell for that person.

One scholar wrote that the greatest crime a human being can commit is to not enjoy saying the name of Allah. Allah is like a mother who lives 29 days to hear her child's voice on the 30th day. Allah is saying:

"Just give me a few tears, and I'll accept everything. Just give me a few tears, and I'll give you everything you can ever dream of."

Conclusion: The Path to Divine Love

Spend time creating love for Allah in your heart. Learn how to cry for Allah. If you've cried for everyone else in your life, try crying for Allah. Trust that one tear will be your ticket to stand in the shade of Allah's throne.

The greatest investment anyone can make is to love Allah. When you sit alone and cry because someone broke your heart, imagine how Allah must feel when He continuously shows His love, but we remain distant. When will we turn back to Allah and say: "O Allah, I love You"?

A true believer is one whose heart is filled with love for Allah, who enjoys remembering Allah, and who finds peace in His remembrance.

May Allah give us all the ability to act upon this knowledge. May Allah give us true understanding of the religion. May Allah make us among those who sacrifice for the faith. May Allah give us His true love and fill our hearts with deep love for His greatness. May Allah keep us in His love in this world, give us death with His love, resurrect us with His love, and keep us in His love throughout the hereafter.

Subhana rabbika rabbal izzati amma yasifoon, wa salamun alal mursaleen, wal hamdulillahi rabbil alameen.