In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful, may Allah send blessings upon the Noble Prophet

This is a work of the learned ascetic pious and righteous Asma’, the daughter of the Mujaddid, our spiritual guide, Uthman ibn Fuduye`, may Allah engulf him in His mercy – Amen. All praises are due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. To continue: this book we have named:

The Awakening of the Heedless and Reminder to the Intelligent Regarding the Path to Paradise

I have arranged it into four divisions:
﴾1﴿ The first is mentioning the fields that lay between a person and Paradise;
﴾2﴿ The second is mentioning the destructive traits;
﴾3﴿ The third is mentioning the redemptive traits;
﴾4﴿ And the fourth is regarding the signs of following the Sunna.

Regarding the Fields Laying Between a Person and Paradise

﴾1﴿   They are nine: the first is death which actually refers to the pangs of death which every soul must endure. Allah ta`ala says: “Every soul must taste of death.” As for its remedy, they are: [1] abandoning all acts of disobedience; and [2] giving abundant charity; as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said: “Reduce your sins and death will be made easy for you.”

﴾2﴿   The second is the questioning of Munkar and Nakeer in the graves as Allah ta`ala says: “Allah will establish those who believe with a firmly established pronouncement.” As for its remedy it is to be persistent in reciting: [1] surat’l-Mulk; and [2] surat’l-Ikhlaas.

﴾3﴿   The third is the actual sitting in the graves with its darkness and its desolateness. As for its remedy they are: [1] excellent character; and [2] always being in a state of ritual purity.

﴾4﴿   The fourth is the Day of Standing and its terrors. As for its remedy it is much sending of blessings upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

﴾5﴿   The fifth is the Reckoning. As for its remedy they are: [1] loving good to befall all the Muslims; [2] hating harm to befall them; and [3] abandoning three things, which are: envy, hatred and showing-off; as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said: “Envy consumes good deeds as the fire consumes dry wood. Hatred spoils the religion just as vinegar spoils honey. As for showing-off, Allah will never accept any action in which there is even the weight of a mustard seed of showing-off.”

﴾6﴿   The sixth is the giving of books of deeds as Allah ta`ala says: “As for the one who will be given his book in his right hand”, regarding the believers: “he will be reckoned with an easy reckoning and will return to his family joyous. As for the one who will be given his book from behind his back” regarding the disbelievers: “he will be summoned to destruction and will arrive at the blazing inferno.” As for its remedy they are: [1] following the Sunna, and [2] abandoning heretical innovations.

﴾7﴿   The seventh is the Bridge over Hell. As for its remedy they are: [1] being swift to rush to repentance during acts of disobedience; and [2] seeking forgiveness of Allah.

﴾8﴿   The eighth is the Kawthar. As for its remedy, they are: [1] maintaining the ties of kinship; [2] showing excellent sociability with one’s neighbors; and [3] establishing the Sunna; as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said: “Those who altered and changed things will be driven from it.”

﴾9﴿   The ninth is the Heights. As for its remedy, they are: [1] loving the People of Allah, the scholars, and those who follow the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; [2] following them; [3] serving them; and [4] honoring them.

Mentioning the Destructive Traits

﴾1﴿   They are eight traits: the first is having enmity towards a believer and turning away from him;

﴾2﴿   The second is disputing regarding something other than the rights of Allah and His Messenger. Allah ta`ala says: “Allah will not guide an unjust people.”

﴾3﴿   The third is greediness as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said: “Greediness blinds and deafens.”

﴾4﴿   The fourth is hoarding wealth, as Allah ta`ala says: “Hoarding preoccupies you until eventually arrive at your graves.”

﴾5﴿   The fifth is boasting as Allah ta`ala says: “Indeed Allah does not love every swaggering boaster.”

﴾6﴿   The sixth is consulting sorcerers as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer, and then believes in him, has denied what Allah revealed to Muhammad.”

﴾7﴿   The seventh is following the Devil which is named Bori. Allah ta`ala says: “O gathering of jinn you have become more numerous than mankind, and some of their friends from human beings will say: Our Lord some of us gave ear to others and our appointed time which appointed for us has reached us. He will say: ‘The Hell Fires is your final destiny in which you will abide forever’.”

﴾8﴿   The eighth is magic as Allah ta`ala says: “The magician will never prosper wherever he goes.” Allah ta`ala says: “And they followed what the devils transmitted to the kingdom of Sulayman. It was not Sulayman who disbelieved but it was the devils who disbelieved, teaching mankind magic, and what was revealed upon the two Angels in Babel”; up until His words: “…he will have nothing in the Hereafter.”

Regarding the Redemptive Traits

﴾1﴿   They are eight: the first is repentance as Allah ta`ala says: “Repent to Allah all together O you who believe so that you may be successful.” Allah ta`ala says: “Indeed Allah loves those who are repentant and He loves those who have a care for purity.” Allah ta`ala says: “Repent to Allah with a sincere repentance.”

﴾2﴿   The second is being persistent in worship along with seizing the times of the early morning, the evenings and something from wee hours of the night, as Allah ta`ala says: “I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship.”

﴾3﴿   The third is remembrance as Allah ta`ala says: “And the remembrance of Allah is greater, and Allah knows what you do.” Allah ta`ala says: “And remember Allah abundantly so that you may be successful.”

﴾4﴿   The fourth is voluntary charity as Allah ta`ala says: “O you who believe expend from what We have provided for you before there comes a Day in which there will be no commerce, no property, intercession.”

﴾5﴿   The fifth is fasting, and the least one should fast is three days in every month. The intermediate level of fasting is every Thursday and Monday of the week. The most one should fast is the fast of Dawud, upon him be peace, as it has been transmitted in the prophetic traditions.

﴾6﴿   The sixth is being patient as Allah ta`ala says: “And Allah loves those who are patient.” Allah ta`ala says: “Indeed Allah is with those who are patient.”

﴾7﴿   The seventh is maintaining the ties of kinship, as Allah ta`ala says: “And give the nearest of kin their rights.”

﴾8﴿   The eighth is excellent companionship with one’s family, which comprises showing excellent generosity towards them, bringing benefit to them, and warding off harm from them.

Regarding the Signs of Those Who Follow the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace

They comprise: [1] absolute belief in all that he came with; [2] obedience to him in that; [3] adhering to love of him by imitating him in his words, deeds, and character; and [4] having sincerity of intention in that.

Among the signs of love for the Messenger are by: [5] obeying his commands; [6] avoiding what he has prohibited; [7] giving preference to the Sunna; [8] keeping away from heretical innovations and customs which contradict the Sunna; and [9] endeavoring in the recitation of Qur’an, comprehending its meanings and living in accordance with it.

And among these signs are: [10] being compassionate towards the Umma by striving to ensure their welfare and repelling harm from them; [11] being austere towards this world; [12] giving preference to the Hereafter; [13] showing humility during the mentioning of the name of the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace; [14] acknowledging the immensity of the People of his household, his Companions and his places in Mecca and al-Medina and yearning for arrival at them. Among these signs are: [15] sending abundant blessings upon him; [16] behaving in accordance with his character by undertaking only that which pleases Allah and being in opposition to one who opposes the religion of Allah, even if he be one’s father, son or brother, while at the same time: [17] being compassionate towards them; [18] being forbearing towards them; and [19] pardoning them despite one’s ability to punish them.

And among these signs are: [20] making the soul endure what it dislikes; [21] being humble towards the believers; [22] avoiding showing discrimination between them; [23] showing excellent companionship with one’s family, servants and companions by: [24] showing cheerful countenance towards them; [25] loving good to befall all of them; [26] by rendering service to them; [27] by avoiding seeking an elevated position with them; [28] by consulting with them in important matters; [29] by rendering assistance to them with one’s wealth and body; [30] by avoiding having greed for what is in their hands; [31] by concealing what becomes apparent of their blameworthy circumstances; and by providing excuses for them in that; [32] by avoiding boasting around them of one’s wealth, position or the coming and going of the prominent people to one’s home; [33] by visiting their sick; [34] and by teaching them with good counsel without making apparent their ignorance.

Among these signs are: [35] having much shame and modesty because the most evil of people is the one who is not ashamed when people see him doing evil. Among these signs is: [36] being exceedingly generous, because the miser is far from Paradise, and distant from the hearts of people. Among these signs are: [37] taking the middle course in food, drink and attire without resorting to elegance or extravagance; for the dragging of the waist-wrap, the shirt or any other clothing on the ground is in contradiction of the Sunna with regard to men, but it is a Sunna for women to let them drag the length of a hand span or an arms length.

And among these signs are: [38] taking the middle course in sleep by first sleeping the first part of the night and then standing in prayer for the second half of it; [39] by cleaning the teeth with a siwak; performing ablution and then praying; [40] by then sleeping on the right side; [41] remembering Allah ta`ala; without the stomach being full; and [42] by laying on a bed, grass mat, or the earth.

Among these signs are exerting all one’s efforts towards the obedience of Allah by: [43] making diligent effort to rectify one’s beliefs; [44] by learning first all that Allah has made obligatory upon you; [45] by adhering to repentance of all outward and inwards sins, so that the acceptance of one’s repentance can occur; [46] by making up all the obligations that were neglected; [47] by freeing oneself from violating the rights of the servants of Allah with regard to their wealth, soul, honor, womenfolk and their religion; and [48] by making effort in repelling those things that obstruct worship, such as worldly things, the company of people, Satan and the corrupt soul. This can be accomplished by [49] being abstinent in worldly matters outside of necessities; [50] by isolating oneself from the company of people except during necessary religious or worldly circumstances; [51] by making war with Satan, taking recourse to Allah, seeking refuge with Him, by abundant remembrance of Allah, by repelling the whisperings of Satan and being acquainted with his tricks; [52] by bridling the soul with the bridle of fearful awareness of Allah by preventing it from following it’s own passions along with strictly observing the times of worship and seeking the help of Allah; [53] by protecting the eyes from gazing at forbidden things and excess; [54] by protecting the tongue from forbidden utterances; [55] by protecting the heart from false hope, haste, showing-off, arrogance, and anger; [56] by protecting the ears from listening to obscene speech and slander; [57] by protecting the private parts from adultery, fornication and homosexuality; [58] by protecting the feet from walking to what is forbidden; [59] by protecting the entire body from abandoning the prayer; [60] from disrespecting parents; [61] from fleeing from an army; and [62] from violating the wealth of the people. Finally, [63] small sins are forgiven by simply avoiding the major sins, as long as one is not persistent in committing them.

This is the end of what we desired to put down in writing regarding this. May Allah provide us and you with the ability of following the Sunna until death. All praises are due to Allah the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The book of Asma’ bint Shehu Uthman, the Mujaddid, the pious spiritual guide, the Amir’l-Mu’mineen who was known as Ibn Fuduye`, may Allah engulf him in His mercy – Amen – has been completed with the praise of Allah, and the best of His assistance. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.