FOUR MATTERS WORTHY OF OUR ACTIONS

.mer — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:53:07 +0000

Advice from Hujjatul-Islam Imam Ghazali Rahimullah:

My dear beloved son! Refrain from the [above mentioned] four things but the things that you have to do are also four in number and it will be appropriate that you take full care of them. [These four things to do are:]

1. THE METHOD OF DEVELOPING AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ALLAH

The first thing is that, every matter that is between you and Allah should be conducted [by you] in such a way that if your servant does the same for you then you, instead of being sad, will like it, commend it, and will not be in any way angry about it. Likewise, if there is anything you do not like about your servant doing it for you, you should also realize that if you fell short in your servitude to your Lord then your Creator will also not like it. The reality that needs to be mentioned here [and the fundamental point that needs to be driven home here] is that your servant is not created by you but only hired by you. But you been created, raised (cherished), and owned by your Real Creator and Owner [whom you are a slave of, therefore, your obligation to not in an way displease your Lord either in thought, word, or deed, is tremendous].

2. THE METHOD OF RELATING TO THE SLAVES OF ALLAH

The second thing is that every matter that is between you and other slaves of Allah should be conducted by you in such a way that if they do the same to you [what you are doing to them] then you will like it and will not be grieved by it. As it has been said [in a Holy Hadith (a tradition of Prophet Muhammad PBUH in which Allah is telling us something)]:

“Fala Yakmalu Eemanu ‘Abdi Hatta Yuhibba Lisaa-irin Nasi Ma Yuhibba Li Nafsihi.”

“My (Allah’s) slave’s faith (Iman) is never complete unless he/she likes for all human beings what he/she likes for himself/herself.”

3. AN INSISTENT ADVICE TO STUDY AND LEARN

The third thing is that if you want to increase your knowledge and want to read (study) a scholarly book then think that your lifetime will be over in no more than a week. In this situation, [think and realize] what kind of knowledge will benefit you, so only indulge in that kind of knowledge. If you have the knowledge that your life will last for no more than a week, then in that week (i.e. in the last week of your life) you will never read such scholarly books in which you will learn things like [the art of] religious debates, argumentation, dictionary, linguistics and grammar, poetry, poetic collections, and essay writing. The reason for doing that [in the situation when your life ends in one week] is that you have developed an understanding that such knowledge will provide no benefit to you. For this reason, you will keep yourself busy the whole week with contemplation of the heart and recognizing the faults in your Nafs (self) [so that you can make amends wherever you can in the short time that is left]. You will turn your face away from the world [and the life therein] and after purifying your heart from all evil qualities and embellishing (decorating) it (your heart) with the love of Allah and with beautiful noble [inner] qualities, you will get busy with Allah’s worship and servitude. It is [even] possible that in any day or night of that [last] week [of your life] you will not even visit anyone even though [you know that] there is no likelihood of you dying on that very day or night.

My dear beloved son! Listen to one more thing, remember it, understand its reality, contemplate on it, and act on it, so this way you will certainly earn your salvation. If you are given the news and told that the next week the king will visit your house, then certainly in the whole week, you will not do any work other than having the obsession that king’s glance should not fell on such-and-such thing so I should clean it. In this way you will clean everything in your house, decorate everything and that includes your body, your dress, the walls and floors of your house, etc. You will clean all of these things. Now you should yourself think and understand! What should I explain to you about this hint? You yourself are intelligent so a hint should be enough for you. That’s why, Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:

“InnAllaha La Yunzuru Ila Suwarikum Wa La Ila ‘Aamalikum Wa Lakin Yunzuru Ila Qulubikum Wa Niyyatikum.”

“Verily, Allah does not look at your faces and your actions but he looks at your hearts and your intentions.”

When the Supreme Ruler’s (Ahkamul Hakimeen) sight is on your heart then why do you not purify your heart? If your desire is to acquire knowledge of the matters of the heart then you should study [my book] “Ahya al-Uloom ad-Deen” (“Revival of the Knowledge of the Path to God” also known as “Revival of Religious Learnings”) and our other books, because to acquire such knowledge is personally obligatory (Fard al-‘ayn) on all Muslims. To acquire other knowledge is a communal obligation (Fard Kifaya – an obligation on an entire community which is discharged by the entire community if there is a single group within the community that fulfills the communal obligation). But this knowledge should be acquired to such an extent so that you can obey the commandments of Allah, the Exalted. If Allah, the Exalted, grants you the Tawfeeq (capability/motivation) then you should necessarily acquire this knowledge.

4. NOT STOCKPILING FOOD

The fourth thing is that you should not accumulate more than one year’s provision for your family from the possessions of the world. Because Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) accumulated one year’s worth of provision (food) for some of his wives and said:

“Allahumma Aj’al Quta Aale Muhammadin Kafafun.”

“O my Allah! Make this provision (food) sufficient for the family of Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”

But Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not accumulate provisions (food) for all of his wives (Azwaj al-Mutahharat), but instead, he accumulated provisions (food) for one year for those of his wives (Azwaj al-Mutahharat) only whose reliance (Tawakkul) on Allah was weak. And for those Ummahatil Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Believers – the wives of the Prophet), whose certitude [in Allah] was perfect and had strong Tawakkul (reliance on Allah), for them the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not even accumulate even one day’s worth of provisions. For instance, for ‘Aisha Siddiqa (May Allah be pleased with her) and for other Mothers of Believers like her.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركات

.mer — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:17:53 +0000

The Ways-السمت

FOUR MATTERS WORTHY OF OUR ACTIONS

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركات