FOREWORD

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. In my sermons (preaching) correction of Wrong deeds and giving up of sins are emphasized because these are the foundations of piety and religiosity. From among these wrong acts are the prevalent customs of sending over recompense to the dead which happen to be contrary to the way of sending over recompense prescribed by Allah's Prophet (peace be with him) and which are an unapproved of innovation in the Islamic religion because of their being a novel practice in Islam. That is why I keep talking about the correction of these innovations also. Praise be to God that due to this humble effort several people have renounced different unacceptable deeds and unapproved-of innovations.
One recent event happens to be that a gentleman who was susceptible to committing innovations received guidance from a talk of mine and he repented from these innovations. Because of his forswearing of unapproved-of innovations his brethren ostracized him. However, he did not care for his brethren's approval in comparison with Allah's approval.

If the whole world gets angry.
One should not worry.
One should keep the wish of one's love in mind.
You should decide by using this criterion only as to what should be done and what should not be done.

The Muslim's character and his relation with his Creator demand that. If you are not mine, nothing belongs to me. If you are mine, everything is mine--the sky, the earth, everything belongs to me.

The sustaining beneficent God in all His mercy guided this man and blessed and directed him towards the right path. God saved this man
From the devil's ambuscade and took him to the kindness of Allah's Prophet, the master in the two worlds here and hereafter, the great benefactor, the mercy for all worlds (peace be with him). In gratitude for this blessing this gentleman wished that the discourse be published 'as much as possible as much as possible in the form of a booklet so it becomes a source of guidance for other brethren gone astray. He accordingly wrote out this discourse-from its taped version and asked for my_ permission to publish it. I grant the permission to publish it after having reviewed it from a critical point of view.
Oh God, we pray to you through that limitless mercy of yours--an emanation of which turned and changed the outlook or a heart and mine and through which a person gone astray came back to the right path--that you grant us--all the readers and audience of this discourse---the same aforementioned, blessing of yours, and that you help us, and make this discourse a means of guidance of your worshippers.
Oh God, accept our humble efforts, bless our deeds, make this work a source of continuing requital till the Day of Judgment for us, for our seniors and predecessors, and for your beloved Prophet, the great benefactor (peace be with him) and make it a means of your and your beloved Prophet's (peace be with him) pleasure and our proximity to you and to him (peace be with him).
Oh God, help us. Nothing can materialize without your help. You are the resort of broken hearts. We return to you. Only you can fulfill our aims.

May God bless His beloved Prophet, his people and companions, and bestow upon then benediction and peace---with your grace, oh the kindest of all.
(Mufti) Rashiyd Ahmad (mudda zilluhu) 30 Muharram, 1402 A.H.


In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the beneficent.

INNOVATIONS:

The sin that ensues from innovations in Islam in considered wrongly by some to be a virtue. How can a man repent from a vice, which he considers to be a virtue? One can eventually repent from a sin which one knows to be a sin. Supposing one does not repent from a particular sin, at least one recognizes oneself to be a sinner. If one confesses one's sin, professes it, is ashamed of it, may be God will take pity on that person. But one, who takes a vice to be a virtue, it is clear cannot repent, cannot feel ashamed in his heart of hearts. Instead having committed such like sins a man is overjoyed because he has done a deed of virtue. That is why the Holy Prophet (peace be with him) has said. "Every innovation is a deviation and every deviation is in the fire".
the Prophet (peace be with him) says: Everything I have not bidden nor have my companions (May God be pleased with them) bidden, and which we have not acted upon, is an innovation in case people begin to do it as a cause for recompense.

Every such innovation is a deviation and every deviation will lead to the fire of the Hell.

If we appeal to reason, reason is enough as a deciding factor, Is it reasonable to consider a virtue what God did not command to be a virtue, His prophet (peace be with him) did not announce to be a virtue, the Prophet's Companions (may God be pleased with them) did not. act according to nor called a virtue, the generation following the Prophet's companions (may God bless them) did not act according to nor informed about, the religious scholars (may God's mercy envelop them) did not tell about nor acted upon. If we commit such an act that we consider a virtue, let us think--when we rise from here, let us think---let us think real well, how it became a virtue. May God give us the ability to think about this problem?
Whenever I happen to think of this problem, by God I feel disturbed as to what happened to the Muslim nation. The Muslims gainsay the teachings of God and God's Prophet (peace be with him) and still call themselves Muslims.
It is painful to me--not painful in the same way as to see the sinful people---that some people who call themselves Muslims consider the disobeying and gainsaying of God's and His Prophet's (may peace be with him) commands to be a virtue.
It is very distressing. Please pray that God may grant me the ability to explain in such ways that we fully understand the issue, completely comprehend it, and then are blessed by God with the ability to act accordingly. Amen.
Think; Think also when you have risen here. If you think continuously for several days, you may understand to some extent. Think this that what God did not say, God's Prophet (peace be with him) did not say, the Companions of the Prophet (may God be pleased with them) did not say or do, the religious leaders (may God bless them) did not say or do, where did you learn from after several hundreds of years? We are forced to answer that the devil inspires some minds. It is said in the Holy Book that the devils do inspire their minions to dispute with you" (6:121).
There is a kind of revelation from God to His Prophets (peace be with then). The other kind of inspiration is from the devil in the hearts of the sinful disobedient people. The devil inspires evil ideas in the hearts of these people; to oppose the ways of God tries to present irreligion in the form of religion. If God has not ordained something which according to you deserve recompense, then what shall we say? By adopting an innovation you claim (God save me from the evil of that saying) more knowledge than God's. You claim that God did not know the virtue of what you knew. Or you can say that God knew its virtue but deliberately hid the way that pleases Him and did not reveal it. Now after such a long time you came to know of it. How did you, brother, come to know if it? When God had hidden something, how did you learn about it? You may alternatively suggest that God had told His Prophet (peace be with him) but God forbid, the Prophet (peace be with him) did not grasp it, or after grasping it forgot about it. In this way you may suggest that (God protect us from that) the Prophet (peace be with him) did not know about these things, his knowledge of these things (God save us from saying that) was imperfect, and he did not know that the things we claim have virtue had virtue, and if he knew will then say that (God protect us from saying that) the Prophet (Peace be with him) God forbid committed perfidy, or did not proclaim and impart religious ordinances completely. Or would you say that the Prophet's companions (may God be pleased with them) did not communicate the religion to their followers nor did they abide by it themselves. Think about each and everything what will your mind reply? Didn't God know? Didn't God's Prophet (peace be with him) know? Or would you say that God (God forbid) scrimped its propagation? Or would you say that God's Prophet (peace be with him) did not (God forbid) communicate all the ordinances? Or the Prophet's companions (may God be pleased with them) did not sure up to their responsibility? What will you decide? For God's sake think! Ponder! For God's Sake think again. The Most severe crime, the most heinous sin, the most profane person is less than this innovation, this sin which is a real vice but which you consider a virtue.
To consider something part of religion that actually does not belong to religion and to attribute something to God and God's prophet (peace be with him), which they did not ordain, surely leads to infernal Fires. God's Prophet (peace be with him) said, "One who intentionally lied about me, should take his abode from fire" That is, one who attributes mendaciously something to the Prophet (peace be with him) will go to hell.
Think! If you call those things credit worthy that God did not ordain, then are you not establishing your rule parallel to God's rule? You want to run your own rule in opposition to the rule of God and His Prophet (peace be with him). The faith belongs to God the rule belongs to God. Since God did not make such a rule as you want, it seems as if you wish to ordain law opposing God's law. This is known as high treason, establishing a parallel government. The biggest lawbreaker can be forgiven but hot the one who establishes a parallel government.
Sending Over Recompense: Yes, It is such a problem that its introduction became so lengthy. That is because I know that it is very difficult to reform the current methods. Only if God helps, then it will not be difficult. The process of sending over recompense to the dead is quite easy. But the methods of this process that are being currently adopted are such that neither God prescribed them or His prophet (peace be with him). These methods were opted for neither by the Prophet's companions (may God be pleased with them) nor by the religious leaders (may God have mercy on them).
Let me tell you the story of a religious person. Not only is this one religious, he is the proprietor of a religious institution. In other words he is that kind of a religious person who produces scholars on religion.
He is not only religious himself; he prepares others for religious careers. He is the proprietor of the institution where persons equipped with religious knowledge, where scholars or religion are produced. Also that religious person has been a student of mine. Not only that, he has been & student unlike today's (selfish) students. he is very sincere, most loving, most obedient, and most helpful. Recently when his mother passed away, he began to plan to follow the custom of sending over recompense on the third day of the death. I pointed out to him that the third-day custom was not proper, was against the tradition of our Prophet (peace be with him). There is no evidence in our religion of sending over recompense to the dead in this way. I told him he had better not do that. In spite of his being my most helpful obedient student as well as a religious scholar, he paid a deaf ear to my advice. Upon that I told him that if he still continued that, I would not be party to this sin. He insisted on my joining the ceremony, but I refused to participate in it. at last he said, If we do not do it, people will become angry with us. That is why we are forced to do it. I answered him by saying. " At first I thought you are doing an innovation. Now 1 have come to know what you are doing is not only an innovation in the religion, it is also idolatry. That is because what you are doing is not for God's sake. You dread people so much that you begin to worship them. That is idolatry perse. You are doing so to please people rather than God. I advised him a lot, but he did not accept my advice. He was so obedient that he had never turned me down. But now the devil taught him to insist to disobey me. At last he celebrated the third day of the death. People are afraid that their acquaintances will taunt them and say
"Mar Gaya Mardood Na Khatm Na durood"
This survivor has no regard for his deceased relative. They think that their honor will be lost in society. People try not to cut a sorry figure, even though one gets one's head chopped off.

To illustrate it the following story will help. A group of people whose noses had been cut off was sitting together. A man with an uncut nose joined them. Everybody began to laugh at him and mockingly say "The man with the nose came' The man with the nose came". This man with the nose was as courageous as that religious person who feared that his brethren will get displeased with him if he did not follow the third-day custom. So the man with the nose took out his knife and cut off his nose. Just imagine how much people are afraid of their brethren. These brethren on the other hand are so cruel that as soon as somebody's relative passes away, they get ready to enjoy themselves and feast at the deceased person's relatives' expense.

I tend to believe that these days should somebody fall sick his relatives might not be praying for his quick recovery, instead they might be praying for his instant death so they can enjoy a banquet. When they might be through with one's third-day or the fortieth-day ceremony, they might be praying that some else should fall sick and die so again they can feast. When they might be through with his fortieth-day ceremony, they might be wishing ill health to someone else. As soon as somebody should reach hospital, they must begin to indulge in overabundant merry-making and exclaim with joy: "The feast is ready: The feast is ready'" in the manner of vultures hovering over a corpse.

The shameless so-called Muslim of today as well as shame-faced members of society hover like vultures over the dead body exclaiming "Now we shall find food" Now we shall find food". If one does not fear God, if one does not think of the Day of Judgment, if one is not worried how one will account for one's deeds, and if one is not mindful of God and Islam, one should at least have some shame, some pity for the person whose relative died. This person is aggrieved with his relative's death and a lot of money was spent on the sick person's treatment before he died, but shameless society only thinks of feasting on what remains. The members of Society Says,

"Feed us with what is left in you house!"

Once in this area 1 noticed that big feast arrangements were being made. I took it to be somebody's wedding. But when I asked around. I discovered that it was somebody's death. These relatives are so heartless and cruel that they enjoy feasts on their relatives' deaths as if these were wedding occasions. My hair stands on end even imagining such shamelessness. I wonder how delicious food goes down the throats of these shameless relatives.

If you really want to send the recompenses of good deeds to your relatives, if you really love the dead soul, if you really feel sympathetic and merciful towards the dead person, then why isn't the way prescribed by the greatest benefactor of humanity God's Apostle (peace be with him) enough for you? Listen, what is the essence of sending over the recompense of good deeds?

If you do any good deed that you normally do for yourself with the intention of sending over its reward to others, they will receive the reward of this good deed. If you intend in whatever virtues you do whether you offer voluntary prayers, whether you keep fast of your own accord, whether you recite al-Qur'an or bid God's name, whether you give out charity and alms, perform the pilgrimage, visit the Holy Mosque, perform circumambulations, in short in whatever voluntary good deed that you perform for yourself--chat its reward be given over to such and such a relative of mine, he will receive it if you have so intended. Only this is called the sending over of the recompense of good deeds to the dead. The full reward that was to come to you will come to you as well as to those who you intended should receive the reward. There is another widespread misunderstanding. People think that only the dead can receive the reward of good deeds. Please understand clearly that as you can send over the reward of good deeds to the dead, in the same way you can send over this reward to the alive. I published in my will that recompense of good deeds should continually be sent over to me. A question came to some
People’s minds that this man was still alive so how could the reward of good deeds be sent over to him?
That is why I am explaining that even an alive person could be given the reward of virtuous deeds. Intend in whatever virtues you do for yourself what so and so should also receive the reward and he will receive the reward. God's prophet (peace be with him) said:

"There is seven types of people whom God will put will put in the shade on the day when there will be no shade except God's shade. (Prophet's saying) (Peace be with him). These seven kinds of people are those whom God will grant shade in His mercy when there will be no shade anywhere else. People will be drenched in their sweat because of their sins. The more the sins, more the perspiration. Some people; will be drowned in their sweat up to the knee, other up to the belly-button, others up to the chest, others up to the lips, and thee will be quite a few who will be completely drowned in their sweat."
God's Prophet (peace be with him) says that on that day God will grant seven groups of people shade in His mercy that will be spared the sweat and heat of that day. Mentioning here all seven will make this talk long. Praise be to God that 1 read this saying of the Prophet (peace be with him) everyday without exception. It is one of my usual activities. I read this saying from the viewpoint of checking as to in which groups I already am and into which groups; I can enter so 1 make an effort to enter into them. What good news this saying of the Prophet (peace be with him) contains. We should think as to which groups we can become part of but are not becoming because of our negligence. Once in a lecture I explained in detail the method of joining all seven groups. May God bless us all and include us in all seven groups. Amen'

One of those seven in God's shade is one who hides giving charity from the people to the extent that his left does not know when his right hand gives the charity as to whom the right hand gave and how much it gave. It is said that this act has so much credit that God will protect such a person on the Day of Judgment from the heat of that day and will give him shade in his mercy. Let us think now that since concealment of distributing. Charity earns such a great reward, why do you make such a public occasion when you give out charity to send its recompense at somebody's death. Why - do you not hide your alms? Yes, one thing did not get mentioned. I enquired of that religious scholar as to how much he would spend on his mother's third- day -after-death ceremony. He mentioned a certain sum. I told him to spend twice as much if he wished but not publicly. He could have privately distributed the money among his students or he could have given it to the poor of his area. We do not stop people from giving away alms. Give more give double. But why do you insist on holding a banquet? Give away as much charity as you wish, but in accordance with the tradition of the Holy Prophet (peace be with him) But other's taunt keep people from doing the right thing. They are afraid of being accused of not caring for their relatives as per the Urdu Proverb
that is "the cursed person died and nobody cried". They fear that society will calumniate, People deify society will you be able to get away with this answer in front of God on the Day of Judgment. On that day you will have to account for all your deeds and nobody will be able to help anybody else:
That will be the day when a person will run away from his brother, his mother and father, his wife and sons.
God has said that on that day the husband will run away from his wife and the wife from her husband, the father from the son and the son from the father, the brother will run away from his own brothers. Only God in His mercy will help people otherwise nobody there will help anybody else. For God's sake think: Will this society for which you are putting your life hereafter at stake help you on that occasion? The hidden charity has such a great credit. Will you still say: No, we must throw out a banquet instead .

There is another thing with relation to this that should be pointed out. It a man has a little bit of reason, he can understand that it is better to give money to a poor person instead of holding of a banquet for him. The poor person can use money for any of his needs. The poor person is in need of clothes to put on, house to live in, blankets to use in the winter, books and school supplies to study in addition to school fees, medicine if he gets sick, fare if he needs to travel and lots of other needs. Anything he needs in the world he can buy with money. In case a person is not in need of something today, he may put aside money for tomorrow's need. Even food can be bought with money. That is why it is better to give alms in the form of money. Anything that is a greater use to a poor person will have greater reward. Another advantage in giving the money is that it is hidden and does not require a ceremony. Giving in hiding credits shade in God's mercy on the Judgment Day. The second merit in giving money in hiding is that money is more useful to a poor man and that is why it has greater reward. But the Devil has suggested to them to distribute food only. Even though the poor man has a stomachache, still give him food and more food. Only then, they presume, one will get credit otherwise one will get nothing. The strangest things that while the reward of the virtue comes from giving alms to the poor, in holding a banquet nobody lets a poor person get near; the relatives eat all of it. It is presumed that the reward of the alms given to the poor is to be sent to the dead person, but instead of alms the money is spent on the food to be gulped by the relatives. Even the rich people on such occasions present themselves as if they are poor. How do they accept to so shame-faced? When it is time for the third-day ceremony or the tenth day or the fortieth day ceremony and God knows for what other baseless things, well-to-do rich, wealthy people participate in eating as if they are quite poor on such occasions they make themselves extremely poor. That is great injustice. That is opposing God's Prophet (peace be with him). What cheating and what shame-faced ness it is that one should wrongly show ourselves to be poor and in that guise eat up what belongs to the poor.
When there is more credit in giving the money, also, it is hidden, and the money fulfils the need of the needy, and the money in the form of alms will go to the poor only, then why do people not adopt the method of giving out money? Why do people insist on holding a banquet? Another disadvantage is appointing the time and the form is restricting and limiting what has no restrictions. God says that you can send the credit of virtue in any form, whatever you can, wherever you can, whenever you can, and however you can. God in His great mercy accepts every voluntary act of virtue performed with sincerity. God is everywhere with us, He sees us. He accepts our good deeds. God listens to us and looks at us. God knows us and is aware of our conditions. But the Devil has taught the lesson of holding the credit-passing ceremony on the third-day alone neither before nor after. Also it is done in the house of the dead person. If they send the credit of their virtues from their own respective houses, will God not accept that? Also if they send the credit individually. What will happen? Why does it have to be done collectively? If they send the reward of their good deeds individually, will their leader, their lord "Devil" not accept it? They consider the Devil their lord and that is why they follow the Devil's teachings in preference to the teachings of God and His Prophet (peace be with him).
God's mercy is vast. Wherever and whenever you send the reward of your virtues, God will accept. People themselves have imposed so many restrictions as to it should be done only on the third, the tenth and the fortieth day, must be done at the dead persons house, must be done collectively, and the same thing must be recited by everybody. People usually recite al-Qur'an from the beginning to the end. If somebody says on such an occasion that he will stand in prayer to God during that time or will repeat God's name and send its reward to the dead person's soul, * people will not permit that. Everybody has to do what everybody else is doing. God may save us: once I joined such ceremony. I did not know ahead of the time what would happen there. I thought that people would be forwarding the reward of their good deeds in the right way, so I joined. No sooner did they finish the recitation of Al-Qur'an, one gentlemen stood up as their leader. The leader began to recite. Although the whole al-Qur'an had been read, the leader again read, first "Suwrah al Fatihah then the first part of Surah al-baqarah then the last part of the same "Suwrah" many other verses from al-Qur'an which I do not now recall. He was reciting and all the rest were listening to him. He was their leader and the others were his followers and were listening to him. After that they made some long requests to God and then the food began to be served. I told them that if they were not offering that food for credit but only for fear of the community, even then that food was not in order, although it was not an innovation. But if they were considering this way of offering food as a religious ceremony, which will gain them credit from God, then it was innovation on their part. This way of doing things is against the ways prescribed by God and His prophet (peace be with him) and is inventing a system in opposition to Islamic system. Those people said: If we did not consider it a virtuous act, then why shall we do it. We are doing it because we consider it virtuous. I said: then it is an open innovation. If you do not consider offering food after death a virtue then we may say that you are doing it for fear of people. People do not fear from God as much, instead dread other people more. But when you say that you do it because you consider it a virtue, means that you rebel against God and His Prophet (peace be with him) and oppose them. Who are you to consider as virtuous what God and His Holy Prophet (peace be with him) did not make virtuous. How can a worthless humble person oppose God and his Holy Prophet (peace be with him). For God's sake take pity on your souls. Be thoughtful. God has created facilities for his creatures. You can do voluntary virtuous deeds whenever and wherever you want, and in whatever condition you want. Whether you are; among the people, or in the market peace, at home or in your shop, in the mosque or whichever other place, whether you are walking or sitting, whether standing or lying down, in whatever condition you are whatever good deeds you do God will accept them. If you only intend, God will reward the dead person with your good deeds. Only have the intention that the reward of your virtuous deed reach so-and-so and it will reach the person you intended. But you have determined that un-less all of you exert collectively; the reward of a good deed will not reach the dead person. There should be a good gathering along with a driver and a guard. In order to convey the reward of good deeds the driver should read in all directions., front and back, right and left. Only then the reward will be conveyed. God save us there is an assumption that without all this it will not capture God's attention.
God protect us from the avaricious hell of belly, which never gets filled. Self-acclaimed religious charlatans have deceived people to make a living and fill their bellies with food. The need of a driver is conveying the reward of good deeds arises from the necessity of making money. The deception takes several forms and is practiced in different ways. The illusion is created that only the religious charlatan can convey the reward of good deeds to the dead person and only he can give a final wash to dead body.
That reminds me of an event that took place when the uncle of a knowledgeable pious friend of mine passed away. He started giving a bath to his uncle. Although he is a very rich man, materially speaking, and owns several factories and sundry companies, he himself gave a bath to the dead body of his uncle. As my friend was giving a bath to the dead body, a so-called religious quack reached there and said that he would give a bath to the dead body. My friend said to him, "Do not Worry". I shall give you the money, but I will give a bath to my uncle myself". Even so this quack tried to dominate the, situation. My friend who was the head of this household was praying the bath prayer with a low voice, but this quack began to shout with the prayer, and said so many different prayers that even we did not know. I do not know from where he had collected these prayers. I told him and my friend told him that he did not have to worry, as he will get the money anyway. It was better for him to relax and not work hard in this way. As soon as we became free, we would pay him. But he was shouting with his prayers. He was afraid that if he did not work hard, he would not get the money. He worked real hard. When the dead body was laid in the grave, he again began his job there. Again he was told that he would get the money and he should not interfere in that way. But that quack did not stop. 1 remarked that if he were given two to four hundred rupees at the outset, he would have remained quiet. But my poor friend was busy in his work and thought that he would pay money when he is free. This man on the contrary took it upon himself to show off how hard he worked.

As for conveying the recompense of good deeds to the dead, the religious charlatans have created the misunderstanding that by intention alone no credit will go to the dead. They claim that, not to talk of intending, even though you recite the whole al-Qur'an and pray for hours, unless you hire the driver the credit will not reach the dead. It sounds to them logical that a driver is needed to haul a commodity like that to the souls 1 of the dead. That is why ttj'e driver is hired at a very high rate.

There was a mosque, in which people gave food on Friday evenings to the leader of prayers, the "Imam" to deliver to their dead relatives.-It seems that the "Imam" was given the job of a driver to convey the reward of good deeds. The "Imam" was not only the leader and driver of the prayers but also the driver of conveying the reward to the dead. Once some travelers had stopover in the mosque. People gave some food to them instead of the "Imam" to be given to the souls of their dead relatives. The "Imam" sensed the danger of losing his weekly supply of food. Before the morning prayers he closed the doors of the mosque and began to beat the mosque walls with a stick. Sometimes he hit this wall and sometimes that leaving the marks on walls. As he damaged the walls, he was shouting: "Get out of here" What noise are you making" Get out of here". He continued hitting with the stick sometimes the doors and sometimes the walls. People came along, knocked at the door of the mosque, and enquired, "What is the matter?" The "Imam" answered that the souls were there and that he knew each one. He knew all the families because he had long been there. The "Imam" claimed to distribute the credit to the appropriate relative. But as the travelers among whom people distributed the food, did not personally know these souls, they did not distribute the credit of the food properly. That is why the souls came to the mosque and kept making hue and cry all night. Now that it is time for the morning prayers, I was chasing these souls away. The souls were fighting one another, each one claiming a part of credit its own. These souls were fighting while the 'Imam' claimed to disperse them. People remarked that the 'Imam' was right and promised never to give food to a poor person or travelers in the future. People told the 'Imam' that they would bring food only to him because he knew their relative individually. The gluttonous avaricious stomach motivates all these acts. May God save us all.
Another wrong belief needs to be rectified. If something is given to the poor, that thing exactly does not go to the dead, instead its credit reaches the dead. The belief of the common people that exactly the thing given in charity reaches the dead is wrong.

Another point that needs to be clarified is this. If a family is accustomed to unauthentic ways of sending over responses of good deeds to the dead, and one of the members of that family is blessed with mending his ways and finding out the right path, this person should advise every member of his family not to indulge in innovations upon his death and instead the recompense of good deeds should be sent over to him in the right way. Making this will is incumbent upon the member of the family who has mended his ways. If he does not leave a will and unauthentic innovations are committed after his death, the sin and burden of these misdeeds will reach the dead person also. It has been mentioned before that the sin and burden of an unauthentic innovation is greater than the greatest sin even.
Hearing my sermon one lady got so impressed that she emphatically and repeatedly advised her children not to celebrate the third-day or the fortieth-day ceremony after her death. For further emphasis she insisted that her will should be tape recorded that upon her death no food should be cooked in an unauthentic innovated way. Instead she wanted the credit of good deeds
Forwarded to her in accordance with the Prophet's (peace be with him) tradition. She felt satisfied only when her children promised solemnly to keep away from the unauthentic innovations. A few days ago that lady passed away Praise be to God that no unauthentic innovation was committed on her death. May God forgive her and make her holy effort a source of guidance and determination to others.
Whatever number of people gains guidance from her determinedness; their reward collectively will be written in the record of this lady also if God so wills. One who follows the tradition, of the Prophet (peace be with him) in the environment where unauthentic innovations prevail, is promised the reward of one hundred martyrs.
There is a contrast between the story of my former student who did not give up the unauthentic innovation in spite of my repeated advice, and the account of this lady who after hearing only one sermon followed God's path in such a way as to insist on getting her will taped. May God grant us a submissive heart that eagerly accepts God's commands? May God protect us from the impervious density of the heart that is not influenced even by the lucid enjoining of God's and His Holy Prophet's (may peace be with him) May God grant our hearts a concern for life hereafter and a worry in His way that relieves us from the frights of this world.
PRAYER Oh God. Grant us the true love of yourself and of your Prophet (peace be with him), the real respect, the firm obedience' Give us the ability to follow your Prophet's (peace be with him) tradition. Oh God, make us such Muslims with whose faith you are pleased: Oh God, we believe in you as our sustainer, we believe in your messenger (peace be with him) as our Prophet, we believe in Islam as our religion! Oh God protect us from the deceptiveness of the devil. Oh God, enable us to follow that religion and keep us away the ways prescribed by-the devil. May God bless the best of His creatures Muhammad, and his family and his companions all of them in His utmost mercy.