Ilm4all

2021-10-05 14:16:28 7) ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا
❝And WE seek refuge with Allaah from the evils of our souls❞

G) Tazkiyah al-Nafs

ii) Types:

2) Disparaged:

This is when a person claims purity/sanctity for himself. As Allaah تعالى said:

﴿فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ﴾

{So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best who fears Allaah and keep his duty to Him}

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُم ۚ بَلِ اللَّـهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا﴾

{Have you not seen those (the People of the Book) who claim sanctity for themselves. Nay - but Allaah sanctifies whom He pleases, and they will not be dealt with injustice even equal to the extent of a Fateela (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone).}

iii) Purpose:

The aim of Tazkiyah is the moral development through which one tries to be firm in one’s faith and leaves bad manners behind, and to attain success and happiness in both the worlds. It is a continuous process of Purification to maintain spiritual health. As the body needs physical maintenance, so does the soul need spiritual maintenance.

The Nafs needs to be purified from Shirk, Bidah, Riya (showing-off), telling lies, greediness, malice, jealousy and envy, pride etc.

iv) What is actually happening:

The ultimate purpose of Tazkiyah is for seeking Allaah’s pleasure through self-purification. But these days the main purpose of Tazkiyah has become to seek commendations from scholars, and acceptance of the peers. The scholars give Tazkiyah to individuals based on their outer display of character. One might be truthful in the eyes of a scholar, but with Allaah he might be a liar.

Example from the Sunnah, as reported in the Saheehain: a person fought bravely in a battle and the people praised him. When this was informed to the Prophet ﷺ, he ﷺ said that that man is from the people of the Fire. And when the people investigated the matter, they came to know that he got wounded in the battle and because he could not bear the pain, he committed suicide and hence in the Fire.

- How many have degrees from the Universities but perhaps the one without a degree has better understanding of the Deen than them!

- Time and again we have seen many receiving Tazkiyah (commendation) and high praises from the scholars, only to be criticized by the same scholars later!

- How many receive Ijaazah (permission) to transmit narrations from a scholar who gave him the Ijaazah, yet he might be the most ignorant of people!

Some of the scholars have warned, saying: “One may sit with a scholar and read to him a few Ahaadeeth and receive Ijaazah from him, yet he won’t be able to distinguish one Hadeeth from the other, and can’t even pronounce the words properly.”
Conclusion:

Concentrate on fixing your relationship with Allaah, and Allaah will fix the relationship between you and the people. But if you will try to please the people, you will never be successful and end up wasting your time and effort. And when one of us seeks to please the people while displeasing Allaah, Allaah will be abandon him, and people will still not be pleased with. And this is what is happening around us.

Muaawiyah رضي الله عنه wrote a letter to Aaishah, that: “Write a letter to advise me, and do not overburden me (with a long piece of advice).” So Aaishah رضي الله عنها wrote to Muaawiyah, saying: “Assalaamu Alaik. To proceed… I heard the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ saying: ❝Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allaah while the people are displeased; then Allaah will protect him from the troubles caused by the people. And whosoever seeks the pleasure of the people while displeasing Allaah; then Allaah will leave his matter for the people (i.e., Allaah will not protect him from the harms of the people).❞ Wassalaamu Alaik.”

اللهم إنا نسألك العفو والعافيه والمعافاة الدائمة في الدين والدنيا والآخرة

[from the forth coming book, إن شاء الله , "Explanation of Khutbah al-Haajah"] Open / Comment

2021-10-04 15:41:25 7) ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا
❝And WE seek refuge with Allaah from the evils of our souls❞


G) Tazkiyah al-Nafs

i) Definition:

The word Tazkiyah is the verb of: “Zakkaa, Yuzakkee”, meaning: Purification.

ii) Types:

In the Qur’aan, Allaah تعالى mentioned two types (or ideas) regarding Tazkiyah:
1) Praiseworthy
2) Disparaged

1) Praiseworthy:

The Praiseworthy Tazkiyah is where a person works on purifying his self (Tazkiyatun-Nafs (self-purification)).

As Allaah تعالى says:

﴿جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ﴾

{(For the Believers will be) Adn Paradise (everlasting Gardens), under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves.}

This Purification is done in several ways:

a) Purification of the self by doing good deeds (Tawheed, Salaah and all that which Allaah has ordained); and Purification (freeing oneself) from acts of evil (Shirk, Bidah, Disobedience, and everything which Allaah تعالى has forbidden):

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾

{O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaitaan. And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaitaan, then, verily he commands al-Fahshaa’ [i.e., to commit indecency (illegal sexual intercourse, etc.)], and al-Munkar [Kufr, Shirk, and other evil deeds]. And had it not been for the Grace of Allaah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. But Allaah purifies (guides to Islaam) whom He wills, and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.}

b) Purification through Tarbiyah and Ta`leem (training and education), i.e. by learning and teaching the Ahkaam of the Deen:

﴿كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾

{Similarly (to complete My Blessings on you) We have sent among you a Messenger (Muhammad) of your own, reciting to you Our Aayaat and sanctifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur’aan) and the Hikmah (the Sunnah), and teaching you that which you used not to know.}

c) Purification of wealth. Since the Fitnah of this Ummah is wealth , then the purity of wealth (from hoarding) and the Nafs (from niggardliness) is through paying Zakaah and Sadaqah:

﴿خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾

{Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allaah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them, and Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower}

[from the forth coming book, إن شاء الله , "Explanation of Khutbah al-Haajah"] Open / Comment

2021-10-02 20:47:47 Beseech Allaah by these Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes of His to have your Duaas responded quickly:


Narrated Anas Ibn Maalik رضي الله عنه: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ and a man was praying, and when he bowed, prostrated and recited the Tashahhud, he then supplicated:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ [وَحْدَكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ] الْمَنَّانُ بَدِيعُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَا ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ يَا حَىُّ يَا قَيُّومُ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ...

“Allaahumma innee as-aluka bi-anna lakal-hamd, laa ilaaha illaa ant, [wahdaka laa shareeka lak], al-mannaan, badeeus-samaawaati wal-ardh, yaa dhal-jalaali wal-ikraam! Ya hayyu ya qayyoom! Inni as-aluka…”

(O Allaah, indeed I ask You since all praise is due to You, there is none worthy of worship but You, [and You have no partner or associate] the Bestower, the Creator of the heavens and earth, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, O Ever-living, O-Eternal, I ask of You…)

The Prophet ﷺ said: ❝Do you know what he has supplicated with?❞ They said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He ﷺ said: ❝By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, he called upon Allaah by His greatest Name, which, if He is called by it, He responds, and if He is asked by it, He gives.❞

[Sunan Abu Dawood (1495), Sunan al-Nasaa’ee (1300), and Sunan Ibn Maajah (3858) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. The wordings with the brackets are from Ibn Maajah. See al-Saheehah (3411)]




`Abdullaah Ibn Buraidah Al-Aslamee narrated from his father, who said: The Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicating, and he was saying:

للّهُـمَّ إِنِّـي أَسْأَلُـكَ بِأَنَّـي أَشْـهَدُ أَنَّـكَ أنْـتَ اللهُ لا إِلـهَ إِلاّ أَنْـت ، الأَحَـدُ الصَّـمَدُ الَّـذي لَـمْ يَلِـدْ وَلَمْ يولَـدْ ، وَلَمْ يَكـنْ لَهُ كُـفُواً أَحَـد

“Allaahumma innee as-aluka bi annee ashhadu annaka ant-allaahu, laa ilaaha illaa ant, al-aḥad uṣ-ṣamad, alladhee lam yalid wa lam yoolad, wa lam yakun lahoo kufuwan aḥad.”

(O Allaah, indeed, I ask you by my testifying that You are Allaah, there is none worthy of worship except You, the One, as-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need), the one who does not beget, nor was begotten, and there is none who is like Him)

So he ﷺ said: ❝By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Allaah by His Greatest Name, the one which if He is called upon by it, He responds, and when He is asked by it, He gives.❞

[Sunan Abu Dawood (985, 1493), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3475), Sunan al-Nasaa’ee (1301), and Sunan Ibn Maajah (3857) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee.]




Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: ❝Recite frequently:

يا ذا الجلال والإكرام

“Yaa Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam!
(O (Allaah), Possessor of Glory and Honor).❞

[Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3524, 3525) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. See al-Saheehah (1536)]

Meaning: ❝Increase your saying: “Yaa Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam” in your supplications, make it binding upon you, hold on to it, and recite it frequently and persistently.❞

[Tuhfatul-Ahwadhee (9/359)] Open / Comment

2021-10-02 10:48:00 7) ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا
❝And WE seek refuge with Allaah from the evils of our souls❞


C) The soul is inclined towards evil:

﴿إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي﴾

{Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills)}

When Moosaa عليه السلام asked Saamiree why he had made the cow, he replied:

﴿وَكَذَٰلِكَ سَوَّلَتْ لِي نَفْسِي﴾

{and thus did my inner self suggested to me}

So that is why we should constantly seek Allaah’s refuge from the evil of our souls.


Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaymeen رحمه الله commented:

وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا

“We seek refuge in Allaah from the evil of our own souls”

❝العوذ
means seeking Allaah’s refuge/shelter; i.e., seeking Allaah’s refuge from the evil of our own souls.

Question: Are our souls evil?
Answer: Yes.

﴿وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي﴾

{And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy.}❞

D) The issue regarding the evil soul revolves around two things:
1) either pushing (the person) towards doing sins or
2) discouraging him from doing good deeds.

E) The things which restrain these two are:
1) having complete Imaan in Allaah عز وجل (and the other articles of Faith) and
2) having complete knowledge (and understanding).

This is because the emotions upon which the soul is carried, is controlled by these two things: complete faith in Allaah غز وجل and knowledge, which will make the person to take into consideration of the (evil) consequences and punishments arising thereof, so that he leaves off sinning and he stops (his habit of) abandoning good deeds.

F) Take control of your Nafs lest it takes control of you:

Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaymeen رحمه الله said: ❝As for the Nafs (self) – and we seek Allaah’s refuge from its evil – it hijacks the person and makes him chase his desires so that he becomes the slave of his desires. And when the desires become dominant, the intellect fades away.❞

As Allaah تعالى said:

﴿أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّـهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ﴾

{Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilaah (god), and Allaah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allaah? Will you not then remember?}

[from the forth coming book, إن شاء الله , "Explanation of Khutbah al-Haajah"] Open / Comment

2021-10-01 23:33:23 Photo from Fahad Barmem Open / Comment

2021-10-01 21:07:05 Photo from Fahad Barmem Open / Comment

2021-10-01 19:29:39 When you rely on Allaah!

In the saying of Allaah تعالى:

‏" كذلك كِدنا ليوسف "
{Thus did We plan for Yusuf}
[Surah Yusuf (12): 76]



Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
"In this there is a clear warning to the creation that if they plan against a Believer who relies on Allaah, then Allaah سبحانه وتعالى will plan for him, and give him victory without that person having the ability or power of his own."
الفتاوى الكبرى ٦ / ١٣٢ Open / Comment

2021-10-01 14:42:14 When the Qadr of Allaah takes place (i.e. when a calamity befalls), the sight is blinded and the caution is thrown to the wind

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

If Allaah تعالى has written for a thing to happen, will it happen or not?

It will happen!

Irrespective of how much one tries, and no matter what he does, and irrespective of how rich he is and how much he spends to avert it, he cannot avert the Qadr of Allaah, it is impossible!

Look at the story of Moosaa عليه السلام and Firaoun. Some of the fortunetellers or those who saw the dream approached Firaoun and said to him that your destruction will be at the hands of the child from Banee Israaeel.

Regarding dreams there are two occurrences, either it is false and it will not harm you, or it is true and it will happen no matter what you do.

So Firaoun, his intelligence deceived him and he started killing all the male infants from the tribes of Banee Israaeel so that the one who will be the reason for his destruction is killed and the threat eliminated.

But that child (Moosaa عليه السلام) was born, and was nurtured and raised in the house of the one who tried to kill him - Firaoun; and he (Firaoun) spent on him from his wealth, and let him live in his palace.

Then when Moosaa عليه السلام grew up, he went to Madyan and stayed there for as long as Allaah Willed him to stay there. Then he returned to Egypt. So, the reason for the destruction of Firaoun was at the hands of whom?! At the hands of the same child whom he had tried to kill!

Nothing can avert the Qadr of Allaah.

There are things which Allaah plants deeply in a person’s heart and that person cannot remove it except by doing it.

When Moosaa عليه السلام along with the Banee Israaeel left the land of Egypt, where was Firaoun? He was in Egypt, the land which he ruled, and those in Egypt used to worship him. The best for him was to let Moosaa عليه السلام go away, as he was already leaving, and Firaoun would have his kingdom for himself, and he would live therein, and the people to worship him.

Irrespective of all this, something lingered in his heart. So, he and those who were with him and his army were made to leave their land and chase Moosaa عليه السلام. As Allaah تعالى said:

فَأَخْرَجْنَاهُم مِّن جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ * وَكُنُوزٍ وَمَقَامٍ كَرِيمٍ

{So We removed them from gardens and springs; and treasures and honorable station...}
[Surah al-Shuaraa (26): 57-58]

Allaah تعالى did not send Angels to force Firaoun and his people to come out of their houses. Rather, Allaah instilled the desire in the heart of Firaoun and those who were with him and made it easy for them to go on the chase for Moosaa عليه السلام and the Banee Israaeel. So, they did not go out to benefit themselves, but they went out to their own destruction and certain death.

Similarly, when Allaah wishes good for his slave, He تعالى instills love in his heart to do good.

Sometimes, you see a person is more desirous than you to do good, even though you are stronger than him physically. The question is not about: “from where he got this strength?” Rather, the question is: “from where did he get this desire to do good?”

Allaah creates the desires in the hearts of His slaves and assists them in doing good, when He تعالى knows the sincerity of their intentions, and truthfulness of their faith.



Note:
Abu Hurairah reported: The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: ❝A strong believer is better and dearer to Allaah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allaah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: “If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such”, but say only:

قَدَّرَ اللَّهُ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ

Qaddara-llaahu, wa maa shaa’ fal

(It is the decree of Allah and what He wills He does)

The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts.❞
[Saheeh Muslim] Open / Comment

2021-09-30 16:36:01 Acting upon Bidah is like eating bad food:

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“The Legislated matters (Shareeah) are the nourishments of the hearts. So, whenever the hearts are nourished upon Bidah, there is no space left for the Sunnah. Its similarity is like a person being nourished upon bad food (which is neither good in taste nor beneficial for the body).”
[Iqtidhaa’ Siraat al-Mustaqeem (2/104)]

And the person who acts upon a Bidah will only get tired, with no reward for his efforts. As the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whosoever does an action which we have not commanded then it will be rejected."
[Saheeh Muslim] Open / Comment

2021-09-29 04:47:46 Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said (paraphrased):
❝When Allaah تعالى intends good for His slave, He تعالى removes from his heart the remembrance of the good deeds that he had done (so that pride doesn't overtake him), and He تعالى prevents his tongue from speaking about his good deeds (so that he doesn't boast about it to others), and He تعالى keeps him preoccupied with remembering his sins (so that he frequently seeks Allaah's forgiveness for his actions), and this feeling (of remorse for his misdeeds) remains with him till he enters the Jannah.❞

طريق الهجرتين ص٣١٠ Open / Comment