"... Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he saves himself from innovations even though the people are unanimous on innovations and novelties. He is rather diligent in studying the conditions of the Companions, their conduct and character and their deeds. They spent their lives in Jihad, meditation, avoidance of major and minor sins, observation of their outer conduct and inner self...
... Hazrat Huzaifa said a [] wonderful saying: 'Your good deeds of this age are the evil deeds of the past age and the evil deeds of this age will be considered as good deeds of the next age...' He said the truth, because most of the good deeds of this age were reprehensible at the time of the Companions. The good deeds of our age is the embellishment of mosques, excess in ablution and bath, huge expenses in the construction of buildings for mosques, spreading of soft and fine rugs in mosques etc..."
(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya-Ulum-Id-Deen)
The best of us is the one of learning,
harnessing passion with knowledge.
The best of us is the one free from blame,
following the way of the Companions.
The best of us is the one of good guidance,
firm in faith and silent toward doubt.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Visible Signs of the Learned Man of the Hereafter
"... Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he becomes humble and adopts silence. The effect of God-fear appears on his body, dress, character, movements, speech and silence. If any man looks at him, it reminds him of God, and his nature and character are proofs of his actions. His eyes are a mirror of his mind. The signs of the learned man of the Hereafter are recognised on his face; tranquility, modesty and freedom from pride and vanity. A certain wise man said, 'God has not given a man a garment better than the garment of God-fear. It is the garment of the Prophets, Siddeeqs (truthful), Pirs and the learned men'..."
(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya-Ulum-Id-Deen)
What do we say of a man
in whom God-fear has become ingrained,
a man who has acquired knowledge
and with it, tranquility and patience,
a man who has humbled himself
and whose knowledge has discouraged ignorance,
a man who rejoices at receiving the Mercy of God
whilst weeping secretly for fear of His punishment?
This man, the one who walks with modesty,
whose soul is in the earth but
whose wisdom is in the Hereafter,
he makes for a great companion;
he helps you when you remember God
and reminds you when you forget,
as the tradition goes.
This man, the one filled with God-fear,
who prepared for death before it came
and wept much in the world,
who remained silent
and did not mix with frivolous talks,
he will laugh most in the Hereafter.
Seek out his companionship.
(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya-Ulum-Id-Deen)
What do we say of a man
in whom God-fear has become ingrained,
a man who has acquired knowledge
and with it, tranquility and patience,
a man who has humbled himself
and whose knowledge has discouraged ignorance,
a man who rejoices at receiving the Mercy of God
whilst weeping secretly for fear of His punishment?
This man, the one who walks with modesty,
whose soul is in the earth but
whose wisdom is in the Hereafter,
he makes for a great companion;
he helps you when you remember God
and reminds you when you forget,
as the tradition goes.
This man, the one filled with God-fear,
who prepared for death before it came
and wept much in the world,
who remained silent
and did not mix with frivolous talks,
he will laugh most in the Hereafter.
Seek out his companionship.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
I do not know
"Hazrat Ibn Mas'ud said: 'He who gives opinion as soon as a question is put to him is mad.'...
Some wise man said: 'There are worshippers in the world. Their meal ends when they are still hungry. They sleep when it overcomes them. Their words end only in necessary talks.' In other words, they do not speak unless asked and they remain silent when sufficient reply is obtained from others...
Someone said that among the jurists, the greater number were men who used to say 'we don't know' than the numbers who used to say 'we know'..."
(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there
and do not commit yourself so soon.
For what will you answer on that Day
when asked
"From where did you get this?"
Verily, as the wise man said,
"I do not know" is half of learning,
and this is the shield of the learned man.
Such was the condition of the Companions (RA)
and those who preceded us in excellence,
who when asked,
would wish not except that someone else reply,
freeing them of their burden.
This is knowledge, and with its increase,
is the decrease of excessive talk.
As the wise learned (wo)men of the Hereafter knew.
Some wise man said: 'There are worshippers in the world. Their meal ends when they are still hungry. They sleep when it overcomes them. Their words end only in necessary talks.' In other words, they do not speak unless asked and they remain silent when sufficient reply is obtained from others...
Someone said that among the jurists, the greater number were men who used to say 'we don't know' than the numbers who used to say 'we know'..."
(Source: Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there
and do not commit yourself so soon.
For what will you answer on that Day
when asked
"From where did you get this?"
Verily, as the wise man said,
"I do not know" is half of learning,
and this is the shield of the learned man.
Such was the condition of the Companions (RA)
and those who preceded us in excellence,
who when asked,
would wish not except that someone else reply,
freeing them of their burden.
This is knowledge, and with its increase,
is the decrease of excessive talk.
As the wise learned (wo)men of the Hereafter knew.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
A lasting fruit - no preservatives required
"By God, know that the earth will consume flesh and fat but not faith."
(Attributed to Hazrat Hasan (RA) in Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-Id-Deen)
For certain, all is lost and nothing remains,
except faith and deed,
and so we smartly stock away
for a rainy relentless day.
(Attributed to Hazrat Hasan (RA) in Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-Id-Deen)
For certain, all is lost and nothing remains,
except faith and deed,
and so we smartly stock away
for a rainy relentless day.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Signs of the Learned Man
"... Another sign of the learned man of the next world is that he has got no attraction for various kinds of foods and drinks, luxury in dresses, furniture and houses, but rather he adopts moderate courses in all these things following the other sages and he is best satisfied with the least of everything. The less a man is attracted towards luxuries, the more he will be close to God and the more he will be in association of the learned men of the hereafter and in rank...
... In short, use of ornamentation in permissible things is not unlawful but it creates fondness for these and to give them up at the end becomes difficult..."
(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Let us ponder:
The learning of the learned man goes back to whom?
The Companions of the Apostle of God.
The learning of the Companions goes back to whom?
The Apostle of God.
The Apostle of God erected palaces for himself where?
Not in this world.
The Companions erected palaces for themselves where?
Not in this world.
And so we ask:
Who is our master and our teacher?
The likes of Pharaoh and Namrud?
Nay, rather, in the Prophet of God do we find an excellent example, Sallallahu 3alayhi wa sallam.
... In short, use of ornamentation in permissible things is not unlawful but it creates fondness for these and to give them up at the end becomes difficult..."
(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Let us ponder:
The learning of the learned man goes back to whom?
The Companions of the Apostle of God.
The learning of the Companions goes back to whom?
The Apostle of God.
The Apostle of God erected palaces for himself where?
Not in this world.
The Companions erected palaces for themselves where?
Not in this world.
And so we ask:
Who is our master and our teacher?
The likes of Pharaoh and Namrud?
Nay, rather, in the Prophet of God do we find an excellent example, Sallallahu 3alayhi wa sallam.
Saturday, 22 March 2008
The Height of Foolishness
"... The learned man who does not act up to his knowledge is like a patient who describes the qualities of a medicine without using it or like a hungry man who describes the taste of a food without eating it..."
"... He who shuns the learning of practice and remains busy in arguments is like a sick man who suffers from many diseases, but when he fears death, he goes to an experienced physician and asks him many questions of the qualities of drugs and complexities of medical profession but he does not ask him about his diseases. This is the height of foolishness."
(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Strange, one who dangles on the branches of a tree,
the stem of which cannot carry him.
Strange, one who delves into the complexities of knowledge,
the beginning of which, God and death, has eluded him.
"... He who shuns the learning of practice and remains busy in arguments is like a sick man who suffers from many diseases, but when he fears death, he goes to an experienced physician and asks him many questions of the qualities of drugs and complexities of medical profession but he does not ask him about his diseases. This is the height of foolishness."
(Source: Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-id-Deen)
Strange, one who dangles on the branches of a tree,
the stem of which cannot carry him.
Strange, one who delves into the complexities of knowledge,
the beginning of which, God and death, has eluded him.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
13.2, Weeping out of fear and yearning for Allah
Allah, the Most Glorified and Exalted, says in the Qur’an, “Do you then wonder at this recitation (the Qur’an)? And you laugh at it and weep not, wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements.” (53:59-61)
From the first part of the article, insha-Allah, we now understand the importance of weeping out of fear and yearning for Allah. In this part I hope to provide two examples from the Prophet (SAWS) himself - examples from which we can draw inspiration insha-Allah.
The first example: Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (SAWS) said to me, “Recite the Qur'an to me.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Shall I recite the Qur'an to you, when it has been revealed to you?”
He (SAWS) replied, “I love to hear it recited by others.”
So I recited to him a portion from Surat-an-Nisaa'. When I reached the Aayah (verse): “How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad (SAWS)) as a witness against these people?” (4:41)
He (SAWS) said, “Enough for now.”
When I looked at him I saw his eyes were shedding tears.
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith tells us that besides reciting the Noble Qur’an alone, we should also recite it with others and listen to it being recited by others so that we can contemplate further on it.
A second lesson we take from this Hadith is that reciting the Qur’an and listening to the Qur’an being recited should penetrate our hearts, so much so that it causes our eyes to shed tears.
The second example: Abdullah bin ash-shikhkheeri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I came to the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) when he was performing prayers. He was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.
(Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)
This Hadith tells us how the Prophet (SAWS) sometimes wept in prayer out of fear of Allah, and as discussed in the first part, to weep in the course of supplication and at the thought of our appearance before Allah reflects piety.
We ask Allah to unite our hearts, to fill our hearts with the light of the Qur’an, and to beautify our character with understanding of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the final Messenger (SAWS).
From the first part of the article, insha-Allah, we now understand the importance of weeping out of fear and yearning for Allah. In this part I hope to provide two examples from the Prophet (SAWS) himself - examples from which we can draw inspiration insha-Allah.
The first example: Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (SAWS) said to me, “Recite the Qur'an to me.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allah! Shall I recite the Qur'an to you, when it has been revealed to you?”
He (SAWS) replied, “I love to hear it recited by others.”
So I recited to him a portion from Surat-an-Nisaa'. When I reached the Aayah (verse): “How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad (SAWS)) as a witness against these people?” (4:41)
He (SAWS) said, “Enough for now.”
When I looked at him I saw his eyes were shedding tears.
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This Hadith tells us that besides reciting the Noble Qur’an alone, we should also recite it with others and listen to it being recited by others so that we can contemplate further on it.
A second lesson we take from this Hadith is that reciting the Qur’an and listening to the Qur’an being recited should penetrate our hearts, so much so that it causes our eyes to shed tears.
The second example: Abdullah bin ash-shikhkheeri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I came to the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) when he was performing prayers. He was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.
(Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)
This Hadith tells us how the Prophet (SAWS) sometimes wept in prayer out of fear of Allah, and as discussed in the first part, to weep in the course of supplication and at the thought of our appearance before Allah reflects piety.
We ask Allah to unite our hearts, to fill our hearts with the light of the Qur’an, and to beautify our character with understanding of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the final Messenger (SAWS).
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