Qur'an: The desires of the heart

"Beautified for people

is the love of that which they desire;

of women and sons,

heaped-up sums of gold and silver,

fine branded horses,

and cattle and tilled land.

That is the enjoyment of the worldly life.

And God has with Him the best return."

(Surah 3, Verse 14)

How lucky man is
to have in the desires of his heart

a means
to distinguish himself:

to realise the temporariness of his wants;

to act on them only in what is necessary;

to overcome them for deeds eternal.

Desire

Obeying desire
you'll see
is like watering a plant
or feeding a pet.
It grows!!

No alcoholic,
no gambler,
no banker,
ever had his fill,
ever consumed his want.

Consumed he was.

Congratulations resistant soul...

Congratulations for the one who never found pleasure praying,
never throughout his life,
yet he persisted
in obedience to God's command.

Congratulations on him who continued praying
through compulsion and heaviness,
finding no enjoyment,
of an increased reward.

Congratulations
for enthusiasm was never demanded,
nor a condition for the acceptance of deeds,
only sincerity.

O Allah, accept from us our deeds. Indeed You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Enjoying Bad Dreams

I had a sequence of bad dreams last night:
Things in my life falling apart.
It didn't feel too good at the time.
And then I woke up.
And I thought to myself:
It's not as bad as it seems;
Things make us stronger.
I had a pleasurable experience.

Dodging the Haram

Turn away from the unlawful.
Face piety.

Step forward from the doubtful.
Approach piety.

God-fear within reach,
duck under the doubtlessly lawful,
that which clotheslines into the doubtful.

Spring up a final leap,
leaving all that is not for God,
landing in the company of the truthful.

Recommended Reading: Ihya Ulum-id-Din, Chapter of Halal and Haram

Your stomach is your foundation...

... base it on good spiritual nutrients.

"Hazrat Omar drank the milk of a camel intended for Zakat by mistake. He thrust his fingers into his throat and vomited it."

"The limbs of a man who eats lawful food become obedient to him and help him in doing good deeds." (and vice-versa)

(Source: Ihya Ulum-id-Din, Chapter of Halal and Haram (Lawful and Unlawful Things))

Knight of the night

You do a sin.
You think,
"What's done is done.
I'll rise in the night to atone".

You sleep through.
It dawns on you,
"Prayer in the night is an honour,
for he who sins not in the day".

12.1, Uprightness and Steadfastness

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Who says in the Qur’an,

"Verily, those who say: 'Our Rabb is Allah (Alone),' and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): 'Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!

'We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.

'An entertainment from (Allah), the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'

And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah and does righteous deeds, and says, 'I am one of the Muslims.'" (41:30-33)

The topic of this article is the mark of perfect of faith; uprightness and steadfastness. I intend to cover this topic in two parts: In the first part, to highlight the need to couple faith with actions. In the second part, to make clear that there is another element beyond faith and actions that is necessary to achieve salvation.

Sufyaan bin 'Abdullah (RA) reported: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something of Islam which I will not ask anyone else about it."

He (SAW) said, "Say, 'I believe in Allah' and then be steadfast." (Muslim)

The advice here is twofold: Firstly, to express belief in Allah and, secondly, to be steadfast upon this belief. But what does this mean, to be steadfast?

Steadfastness means to cling firmly to the instructions of Islam, to do that which we have been commanded to do and to leave that which we have been prohibited from doing, to perform dutifully our obligations and to avoid completely that which is unlawful for us.

It is important to understand that faith is not just an expression of the tongue. Real faith is that which is coupled with practice (i.e. actions). Indeed, the practice of religion is the fruit of faith. Just like a tree that it supposed to bear fruit but does not, has no value, similarly; faith becomes meaningless without practice. Steadfastness is the mark of perfect faith.

From Earth to Sky

Consumed, over the shoulder discarded
Buried in humble dust, trampled and retarded
Out of sight, out of mind
Non-existent, if defined

Deep in dirt, sunk underground
Alone, darkness does surround

Nourished by soil and earth,
Reflections and contemplations are given birth
Steadfastness and patience begin to grow
Wisdom and experience in abundance do flow

Spread far and wide the sky is reached
Providing fruit and shade, a parable is breached

Where are the discarders, where are the trampling feet
scratching their heads in bitter defeat

-----

The above poem was written by a young man currently going through a testing time. My interpretation of his words is as follows: It is a "parable" of a man (the author I would assume) gaining "nourishment" (developing as a person in many unimaginable ways) from the very plots and plans of those intending to defeat, "discard" and "trample" him. The closing two lines are a taunt to the "discarders" and "trampling feet" to let them know that his spirit has not been broken, not in the least.

May Allah alleviate his burden, pour forth upon him patience and make him firm in the face of difficulty.

Taqwa

"The root meaning of Taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Al-Khattaab asked Ubayy bin Ka'b about Taqwa. Ubayy said, 'Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it?' Umar said, 'Yes.' Ubayy said, 'What did you do then?' He said, 'I rolled up my sleeves and struggled.' Ubayy said, 'That is Taqwa.'" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Guidance to know the path, Taqwa to walk its rugged stretch.
Struggling through, Shunning doubt.
Holding out, Having faith.

3.2, Patience and Perseverance (Khutbah)

Abdullah bin Mas’ud (RA) reported: I can still recall as if I am seeing the Messenger of Allah (SAW) resembling one of the Prophets whose people scourged him and shed his blood. While he wiped blood from his face, he said: “O Allah! Forgive my people, because they certainly do not know.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This Hadith mentions the refined character and compassion of the prophets, which is an important lesson for those who preach righteousness. We should be prepared to face hardships in inviting people to the right path and, instead of retaliation, forgive our audience and pray for their guidance.

Further, any hardship that we do face, in any aspect of life, we should remember the words of Allah’s Messenger, “Never is a believer stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins on account of his patience.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Such is the special Grace and Mercy of Allah: The hardships and troubles suffered by a Muslim are turned into a means of expiation (atonement) for his sins. But this is only possible if the believer exercises patience. If, on the other hand, he starts cursing and swearing instead of showing patience then besides suffering hardship, he would also be deprived of the reward which lies in bearing it patiently. Thus, on top of the hardship he faces he shall have to take the burden of additional sins also. This is also an indirect reason why we must make our tongues moist with the remembrance of Allah; constantly reciting Qur’an and saying words like “Alhumdulillah” and “Subhaana-Allah”. So that when something goes wrong, instead of instinctively responding with a curse or a swear word, we respond with a better response, which is the praise and glorification of Allah.

I end by reminding myself and those before me that difficulties in the path of Faith are irrespective of time and place. People devoted to their religion have passed through trials and tribulations everywhere and in every age, and have emerged purified as does the gold after passing through the furnace.

3.1, Patience and Perseverance (Khutbah)

Allah, the Glorified and Exalted says in the Qur’an, “O you who believe! Endure and be more patient…” (3:200)

In another place, Allah says, “And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruit, but give glad tidings to As-Saabiroon (the patient).” (2:155)

Further, Allah says, “Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.” (39:10)

And Allah says, “And verily, whosoever shows patience and forgives, that would truly be from the things recommended by Allah.” (42:43)

And Allah says, “Seek help in patience and As-Salaat (the prayer) Truly, Allah is with As-Saabiroon (the patient).” (2:153)

And if you open the pages of the Qur’an you will find no shortage of verses calling to patience and highly praising it. After all, patience is that strong weapon which provides the Muslim with steadfastness in every aspect of his life.

What about the sayings and actions of Allah’s Messenger (SAW)? Again, the reminders and examples are numerous; however, time will only allow us to go through a few.

To begin, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” (Muslim)

A Muslim is required to behave in poverty and prosperity, ease and hardship, in the manner stated in this Hadith. It means not to forget Allah in times of prosperity and ease; rather to be continually grateful and thank Him for His Favours. Similarly, not to tend to weeping, complaining and grieving against the Will of Allah in times of trouble and turmoil; rather to patiently endure it. For example, at the time of death it is permissible to express the trouble and restlessness which one feels in a natural way. However, to begin wailing, moaning and tearing off clothes is not right.

The Messenger of Allah said, “Allah, the Exalted says: ‘I have no reward other than Jannah for a believing slave of Mine who remains patient for My sake when I take away his beloved one from among the inhabitants of the world’.” (Al-Bukhari)

It is a great sign of faith to accept the death of someone dear to us as the Will of Allah; to bear their loss with patience. After all, wailing and saying nonsense things shows weakness of faith. The reward of patience on such tragedies is Jannah while the result of impatience is the displeasure of Allah.

As for death itself, none of us should forget the advice of the Messenger of Allah, “Let not one of you wish for death because of a misfortune which befalls him. If he cannot help doing so, he should say, ‘O Allah, keep me alive as long as You know that life is better for me, and make me die when death is better for me’.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Since we have no knowledge of our future, whether it is good or bad, we should never desire for death because of the troubles and turmoil that we find ourselves in. This is because desire for death is sheer impatience. If, however, one has to express wish for his own death, he should do so in the words quoted in this Hadith.