Tahir Wyatt – Exquisite Pearl #06
AI: Summary ©
The transcript discusses the importance of the "has" in the sermon of Allah, including the importance of actions and hopes in achieving Allah's love, fear, and love. The segment also covers the concept of "ro obering
AI: Summary ©
Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen, wa ash'haru an la
ilaha illallah wa alihi wa saliheen, wa ash
'haru anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu sallallahu alayhi
wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam wa
tasliman kathiran ila yawm al-deen, amma ba'd.
Today, bi idhni Allah ta'ala, we will
commence with the sixth lesson of the exquisite
pearl, al-durra al-fakhira, which is the
explanation of Abdurrahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di's, manzooma
fissayir ila Allahi wa al-daar al-akhira,
the journey to Allah and the hereafter.
And these are stations, that is, a'mal al
-quloob, things, stations in your heart or of
the heart that bring you closer to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala and to salvation and
the next life.
Today, bi idhni Allah, we'll continue with last
week's or we'll finish last or the last
lesson's discussion on those things which bring about
the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So the author mentioned six, but there were
ten that were mentioned by Ibn Qayyim, so
we're going to complete those inshallah ta'ala.
Before we get there, we have some warm
-up questions to recall what was covered in
the last lesson, bi idhni Allah ta'ala.
So with that, inshallah ta'ala, we'll begin
with the questions.
Alhamdulillah rabbil alamin, wa salamu ala masool Allah.
We have some warm-up questions.
Number one, define the station of fear.
What are some of the ways a person
can reach this station?
Somebody.
The heart's flight to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala that is driven by panic and dread.
What's the difference between panic and dread?
At the onset.
So panic is at the onset.
Dread is a more exaggerated form of the
panic, right?
So panic is what puts a person into,
makes their heart fleet to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
What are some of the ways that a
person can reach this station?
Yeah.
Only ashab al-yameen, huh?
Say that again.
Ta'ib, expecting one's own faults and shortcomings.
So what happens when a person expects their
own faults and shortcomings?
How does that lead to fear?
Because you recognize that you're falling short of
fulfilling the duties that you owe to who?
Only to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and
to his creation.
That there's going, that you recognize that there's
some shortcomings.
So you, that helps you in that station
of fear and not to, not to be
too hopeful, right?
Even though hope is good.
Yeah, go ahead.
Pondering over Allah azawajal's names of majesty.
What's that mean?
What are names of majesty?
I mean the categorization of it.
What does that actually mean?
Allah didn't say he has names of majesty.
Allah azawajal said, Allah has the most beautiful,
the most perfect names.
So call upon him and worship him through
those names.
So Allah didn't say he has asma'ul
jalal.
Yeah, go ahead.
Names of severity of his punishment.
So those names that indicate his magnificence, his
ability.
Okay.
As opposed to what?
What's that?
How do you translate that?
Benevolent names.
Okay.
Which are more?
Asma'ul jalal or asma'ul jamal?
Jamal.
How do you know?
You counted them?
Because Allah's mercy, Allah's mercy outweighs his anger.
And Allah azawajal introduces himself to the creation.
From surah al-fatiha, With bismillah ar-rahman
ar-rahim, alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen, ar-rahman ar
-rahim.
So rabbil alameen, ar-rahman ar-rahim are
considered to be what?
Asma'ul jamal.
Okay.
The beautiful names of Allah azawajal, those benevolent
names.
Maliki yawm al-deen, which would be?
Which would be jalal.
Okay.
Because this one is more magnifying Allah azawajal,
introducing Allah azawajal to the creation in a
manner that would cause them to fear.
And fear, by the way, as we mentioned
before, this is healthy for a person to
be scared.
That's a healthy thing.
Unless it goes, unless it goes beyond the
limit.
And a person should have a healthy fear
of those things which are going to bring
harm to them.
And that way, a person avoids them.
Otherwise, a person may do things that will,
like, it's like a child who has a
key.
And they're about to stick it in a
socket.
Because they don't have any what?
They don't have any fear.
They don't have any fear of electricity and
those type of things.
They don't really understand.
Right?
But is that good for them or bad
for them?
Not having fear in this instance is actually
not a good thing.
It's a bad thing.
Having fear in its proper place is a
good thing.
Alright?
So, number two.
What is the difference between hope and wishing?
What's the difference between the two?
Yeah, go ahead.
No, you got to raise your hand.
I can't even see you.
Go ahead.
Move a little bit over this way.
To many, it's more like doing anything to
make it happen.
And Rajat, it's more, it's wishing.
You want it to happen, but you're doing
it in action to make it happen.
Okay.
So, the difference is action.
Right?
Rajat, hope, is not real.
It's not actually hope unless it is accompanied
with action.
And that is by consensus of the scholars.
Alright?
As we mentioned in the definition.
Whereas, wishing, to many, is somebody just, right?
It's almost like you say, wishful thinking, where
a person is not doing anything to make
it, whatever it is that they are hoping
for, come to reality.
Or whatever it is that they are wishing
for, in this sense, come to reality.
True or false?
True or false.
Believers should always have fear and hope.
Whether they are obeying or disobeying Allah, explain
your answer.
True or false, when it says explain your
answer, is always the worst kind of question.
Alright?
Because true or false, you've got a 50
% chance of getting it right, whether you
know it or not.
Until you get to explain your answer, then
it's, yeah, go ahead.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Let's start with true or false.
It is true.
Okay.
So, believers should always have fear and hope.
So, even if they are disobeying Allah, they
should have hope.
And even if they are obeying Allah, they
should have fear.
Explain your answer.
No.
No.
No.
And I'm not, I'm not, I'm not saying
your answer is right or wrong, by the
way.
I'm saying whether it's true or false, yes?
Okay, so when they're being obedient, they should
have what?
Hope that the action is accepted by Allah,
but have fear that what they're doing may
not be accepted by Allah.
What's the proof for that?
Right.
Those who give what they give, but their
hearts are still filled.
What are they doing?
They're giving what?
They're giving for the sake of Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Like they're giving in charity.
But their hearts are still shaking.
Their hearts still have fear that what?
That it won't be accepted by Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And that is because, subhanallah, ikhlas aziz, right?
That real sincerity is actually a rarity, right?
And I didn't mean to rhyme, just because
we're doing a poem.
But it's true.
Real sincerity is a rarity.
It's not, and as we talked about before,
we talked about ikhlas.
Ikhlas is a spectrum.
So it doesn't necessarily mean that a person
is doing something for other than the sake
of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But that purity of intention, okay?
Because some people give charity, and their intention
inside is to make themselves feel good.
And so this is why you find that
there are atheists who totally disbelieve in Allah,
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But you'll find them charitable.
Why?
Because it makes them feel good.
It makes their nafs feel good.
Not necessarily that they're showing off.
But it's something that just makes them feel
good.
You've not seen the one who takes his
own nafs as his deity, as his ilah,
the one that he worships.
But if they're disobeying Allah, how do they
have fear and hope?
Hope that Allah will have mercy on them,
that Allah will forgive them.
For the disobedience to Allah.
So it's actually that they have hope that
they'll be guided to, to Tawbah.
Right?
And the disobedience of Allah, or to at
a minimum, istighfar.
What's the difference between istighfar and Tawbah?
Yes.
Correct.
So Tawbah is not valid without what?
Without that firm resolve that you are not
going to commit that sin again.
Other than that, it's not Tawbah.
Okay?
Because you've actually, Tawbah is to what?
Turn or to, or to return.
All right?
So until a person has turned their back
on the sin that they're committing, then that's
not considered to be Tawbah.
They have to have firm resolve.
And istighfar is what?
Sorry?
Say it again.
Love.
Yeah, okay.
So istighfar is just what you say with
your tongue.
It should come from the heart.
But seeking forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, even though that person may not have
fully committed to not going back to the
sin for whatever weakness they had inside of
themselves.
Last one.
What is the danger of exceeding the limit
in each of the following fear, hope, and
love?
And that's what you were talking about earlier.
So what's the danger of exceeding the limit
in...
Yeah, go ahead.
Too much fear will make someone despair.
Yes, too much fear will make a person
despair from the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala, which is a major sin.
It's a major sin.
It's not just a minor sin.
Too much hope.
Yeah.
Yeah, it makes a person too comfortable from
Allah azawajal's plan.
Right?
They feel safe and secure from Allah azawajal's
punishment.
And too much love.
There always has to be a trick question.
There's no such thing as too much love.
There's no such thing as too much love.
It is the foundation of all of the
acts of the heart.
And it's the driver.
Right?
It is the driver.
So what we talked about, what I mentioned,
inshallah, is that we would finish this particular
section here, which deals with how does one
gain the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
We covered the first six in the last
class.
And then I also mentioned that we would
cover the combination of love, fear, and hope
and their importance in the deen type.
So read the additions from Ibn Qayyim.
Let's go back over.
Let's go back over.
Number one.
Number one, refraining from obstacles.
Okay.
What does that mean to refrain from obstacles?
That is to refrain from anything that would
come between you and Allah azawajal loving you.
Okay?
And then that kind of goes back to
all of these things that we're going to
mention.
Be aware of the opposite.
So number two, which is?
Abundant dhikr of Allah.
And by the way, today's class is going
to be on dhikr of Allah azawajal.
So abundant dhikr of Allah azawajal is one
of the main ways that a person gains
the love of Allah azawajal.
And if we look at number one, which
is refraining from obstacles, that is to do
what?
To refrain from anything that would keep you
from the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, which will be the last thing that
we discuss in class today.
Reflecting on the Quran.
So reciting the Quran and reflecting, tadabbur, reflecting
over the meanings of the Quran.
And why is this so important?
Because the Quran is the kalam of Allah
azawajal.
It's his speech.
And it is what he revealed, the best
book that he revealed to the best prophet,
Muhammad ibn Abdullah salallahu alayhi wasalam.
It contains the final guidance for mankind.
And it is that book of instructions for
our lives.
It informs us of who Allah azawajal is,
what we are required to do to draw
close to him in this life and to
gain salvation in the next.
And spending time daily with the book of
Allah azawajal is extremely important for those who
want to gain Allah azawajal's love.
Recognizing Allah's speakers.
Right, and that's because a person who contemplates
the favors of Allah azawajal upon him will
do what as a result?
Be grateful.
Be grateful.
He'll be thankful.
He will show gratitude to Allah azawajal.
And that is one of the ways to
gain Allah azawajal's love.
Presence in salah.
That is that a person stands in front
of Allah azawajal, recognizing that he is standing
in front of Allah.
Not turning to the left and the right,
not looking around in his salah.
As we mentioned before, I mean, this is
one of the things that a person when
they actually recognize the deficiency in their own
ibadah.
The prophet sallallahu alayhi wasalam called the person
who looks in the salah, right?
Looks up, looks around, doesn't even, not necessarily
even look around.
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, That is the
type of thievery shaitan is stealing from, from
your salah.
I mean, subhanAllah, you think about it.
You get on a subway and somebody sticks
their hand in, crafty, stick their hand in
your pocket, take something out and they steal
from you.
You feel after you get off the train,
you feel like, man, somebody, they got me.
Well, that's what's happening in the salah, except
it's worse because shaitan is taken away from,
from your good deeds.
It's the type of thievery that is done
by the shaitan.
So being present in salah is a way
that you love Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
more and that is reciprocal.
And Allah azawajal loves you more, right?
Because you get this opportunity to stand in
front of the king.
Accompanying the pious.
And this is one of the major ways
that a person draws closer to Allah azawajal
and gains his love.
Because these people, those who are true in
their love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
will model for you how to love Allah
azawajal.
They'll model that for you, subhanAllah.
And it's, it's actually amazing, subhanAllah, when you,
when you are able to accompany people who
are higher in Iman than you, who you
believe love Allah azawajal, to watch how they
respond in certain situations, to watch their preparation
for the salah.
I guess it's different.
It's different to watch the way that 10
minutes before the salah, they're already khalas.
Whatever it is that they did, they're wrapping
it up.
Because they're not just trying to get to
the messenger for the salah.
They're trying to be there to hear their
then, for example.
This is how they live their lives, the
entirety of their lives.
That's something different than what most people are
doing, right?
But you learn that, that's model behavior that
you have to get from being around those
people, being in those circles and accompanying those
people who you believe are close to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
I'll tell you, all of those were mentioned
by Ibn al-Qayyim, by the way.
All of those were mentioned by Ibn al
-Qayyim.
And there are four more that we've added
here now.
Addition from Ibn al-Qayyim.
Number 7, Performing Nawaafi.
Yeah, so supererogatory worship.
That is to draw closer to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala through those acts that are
not obligatory after having fulfilled your obligatory duties
to Allah azawajal.
This is based on the hadith of the
prophet, alayhi salatu wasalam.
The hadith al-Qudsi, where he says that
Allah azawajal says, Not the beginning of the
hadith, huh?
No, I'm not going to tell you the
beginning of the hadith.
Whoever takes a friend of mine as an
enemy, right?
Whoever shows enmity to a friend of mine,
to a wali of Allah azawajal, then I
have announced war on that person.
And this is important for us as Muslims.
And of course, I mean, this first and
foremost applies to the enemies of Allah azawajal
in general, who would take those Muslims who
are close to Allah azawajal as enemies, right?
But it's also a warning for us because
sometimes, I mean, we may speak about somebody.
We may do something to harm somebody who's
actually a friend of Allah azawajal.
So you have to be careful because that
may put you in harm's way with Allah
azawajal.
قَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِ مِنِ
شَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَبْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ And there's
nothing that a servant can draw close to
me, that a slave can draw close to
me, with that is better or more beloved
to me than that which I have, what?
Made an obligation.
This is also important because some people are
very keen on doing mustahab acts of worship
or those things that are loved to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala but not an obligation
and they don't have the same attention to
the obligations.
They don't have the same attention to obligations.
This is super important, right?
So the best thing that a person could
do are those things that Allah made what?
That Allah made obligatory.
So you'll see a person that's...
You see them keen on trying to pray,
يعني قيم الليل or make sure they pray
with salatul isha and this.
Yet during the day, during the day they
may even delay some of their salawat.
Pray dhuhr and asr together because they were
busy at work.
But after salatul isha, he's not leaving the
masjid until he prays with it, for example.
Or he makes sure he's trying to get
up before salatul fajr, but during the day
he doesn't have that same attention.
That's as it relates to the rights of
Allah azzawajal.
Or you'll see them, they don't care how
they talk to their parents.
They don't care how they deal with their
parents.
They don't...
None of that.
They don't care anything about بير الوالدين.
But mashallah, يعني he would not miss his
fiqh dars, right?
And he makes sure that he reads the
Quran every day.
I tell you, those things are mustahab.
And when it comes to how you treat
your parents, then that's wajib, من أوجب الواجبات,
right?
From the greatest acts of obedience to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Which is really important, especially for those who
are to level in, by the way.
Especially for those who are young and seeking
knowledge.
And especially for those whose parents don't like
them seeking knowledge, right?
Because they want them to make sure that
he's a doctor or engineer.
Because you can be anything you want as
long as it's a doctor or engineer, right?
So then when they start seeking knowledge, right,
you'll find that their parents are not with
it.
It's like, why are you spending all of
this time studying this and you're missing out
on extracurricular activities that are going to get
you into the college of choice and all
of that?
And then at the same time, they treat
their parents not so well, right?
So it looks like it's the knowledge that's
causing them to treat their parents badly.
So they only add to the case that
you really shouldn't be spending all of this
time studying D.
Anyway, then Allah Azawajal says in this Hadith
Al-Qudsi, وَمَا يَزَالُ الْعَبْدِ يَتَقَرَّضُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ
حَتَّى أُحِبَّ And a servant will continue, the
slave will continue to draw closer to me
with نوافل, right, doing acts that are extra,
right?
That's why they call them like supererogatory, right?
Because they are above being obligatory, right?
Until what?
Until I love him, until I love him.
So one of the ways to draw, to
gain Allah Azawajal's love is to perform those
extra acts of Ibad.
Yeah.
Number eight, preferring that which Allah loves.
Yeah, so this here is to prioritize what
Allah Azawajal loves over your own desires.
There are things that you might like to
do, that you might want to do, but
you know that this other thing is more
beloved to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And so you start breaking your own hoa.
You break it.
For what purpose?
To show that you love Allah Azawajal more
than you love yourself.
And that's not easy.
It's easier said than done, right?
But this is how you begin that process
of what's going to be mentioned at number
nine, which is coming in front of Allah
Azawajal broken, all right?
So how do you get there?
It's that you keep fighting against those things
that you want to do.
Fight.
Anybody have an example of that?
You said what?
Video games.
What do you mean?
Somebody wants to hang out with their friends.
But they have what?
Class.
Okay, but there's adults at the same time,
right?
Which one do you pick?
It's an easy choice.
You know, honestly, once a person tastes the
sweetness of ilm, there's actually nothing that tastes
sweeter, including video games, by the way.
I'll give you an example just because it
happens every year, right?
All right.
So a person lives a distance away from
the masjid, they would not make it wajib
for them to pray in the masjid, right?
But wouldn't make it wajib.
Because there's a certain distance that a person
lives from the masjid is wajib, without a
doubt, right?
Like, but it's the Super Bowl.
You got wings and pizza and everybody's hanging
out.
And it's like, ah.
And if I go pray Salat al-Isha,
I'm going to miss a portion of it.
Because it's not always lined up like halftime
and Salat.
So what do you do?
You miss the jamaat.
No.
Oh, okay.
You're saying if a person doesn't do what
they prefer, correct.
No, you do what's preferable.
In this case, even if it's not wajib,
even if it's not.
You do what is more beloved to Allah,
subhanahu wa ta'ala, and forget what you
like.
And this is beyond those things that are
haram.
I mean, I'm not even talking about the
things that are haram.
If it's haram, then it becomes wajib for
you to prefer what Allah loves over your
nafs, right?
So this, this now makes you beloved to
Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى We're not going to compare
anyone to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But if you think about it in human
terms, it'll become very clear to you.
When you know that somebody really doesn't want
to do something, but they do it because
they know that that's what you want done,
doesn't that make them more beloved to you?
Subhanallah, you know that this person, if it
was their preference is not to do whatever
it is, but they're doing it because they
know that you love it.
They know that you like this thing.
You know that they're going out of their
way.
That makes them beloved to you because like,
subhanallah, right?
Like, man, this person really loves me.
And then you begin to love them because
of their love for you.
وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى Right?
Type.
Yes, next.
The heart's complete humility.
Yeah, and this is what Ibn Qayyim says
is the number one way to gain Allah's
love.
It's to show your absolute submission and brokenness
in front of him, subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Because this is when the annihilation of the
ego, right?
Where you, I mean, you know when a
person, subhanallah, is throwing themselves at the mercy
of somebody else.
And they're begging them and you're just like,
man, this is totally humiliating.
Why would a person do that, right?
But, I mean, they've let go of themselves,
right?
And they are begging and all.
And to do that with the creation is
not what a Muslim does, right?
That's humiliating.
But to do that for Allah, subhanahu wa
ta'ala, it shows that you, as we
would say, get over yourself.
It shows that a person has literally gotten
over themselves.
And that they're ready to stand in front
of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, broken.
And this, when a person gets to that
level, they will gain the love of Allah,
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Yeah.
Number ten, taking advantage of the divine descent.
So, this, you could also put here private
devotion.
But this is that last third of the
night when Allah, azawajal, descends.
That a person takes advantage to have that
najwa, or those private conversations with Allah, subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And this, bi indi lahi ta'ala, will
lead to Allah, azawajal, loving them.
Now, read the title.
Joining Love, Fear, and Hope.
Right.
So, we covered those stations of fear, hope,
and love in that order.
And they should be joined, and they have
been joined, as Allah, azawajal, says in the
Quran, أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَجْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ الْوَسِيدَ
أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابًا إِنَّ عَذَابَ
رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا Those whom they invoke are
themselves seeking a way to approach their Lord,
striving to be nearest, hoping for His mercy,
and fearing His punishment.
Indeed, your Lord's torment is fearsome.
So, Allah, azawajal, is talking about the mushrikeen,
or those who call upon other than Allah,
azawajal.
And He says, أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَجْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ
رَبِّهِمْ الْوَسِيدَ Those whom they invoke are themselves.
That is what?
The objects of that dua, the ones that
are being called upon.
They themselves, right, are seeking a way to
approach their Lord, striving to be nearest.
They want to be close to Allah, azawajal.
Hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment.
Indeed, your Lord's torment is fearsome.
What did Ibn al-Qayyim say about this
ayah in Tariq al-Hijratain?
Ibn al-Qayyim said, Fear is one of
the three pillars of faith and spiritual excellence,
ihsan, upon which the stations of all those
journeying toward Allah are based.
In this verse, Allah has combined the three
stations of what?
Love, fear, and hope.
And we call these what?
The arkan of al-ibadat al-qalbiya.
So all of the, every action or every
devotional act of the heart is built on
these three.
Love, fear, and hope.
Not just the actions of the heart, but
actions in general in Islam.
Like even your external actions are based on
these three.
Now, seeking the means to draw closer to
Him, which is achieved through love and by
doing what He loves.
Right, so this is love here, right?
So, ayyuhum akrab.
So this is done through what?
Through loving Allah by doing what He loves.
So that's the first pillar, if you will.
Yeah.
Then He says, they hope for His mercy
and fear His punishment.
Mentioning both hope and fear.
Yeah, so that's very clear.
They hope for His mercy and they fear
His punishment.
Yeah.
The meaning is that those whom you call
upon, i.e. the angels, prophets, and the
righteous themselves, seek to draw nearer to their
Lord, fear Him, and hope in Him.
They are His servants just as you are.
So why do you worship them instead of
Allah when both you and they are His
servants?
Right, so this ayat combines between those three.
Yeah.
Ibn Qayyim said, the heart in its journey
towards Allah is like a bird.
Love is its head, while fear and hope
are its wings.
As long as the head and wings are
intact, the bird flies well.
But if the head is severed, the bird
will die.
And if it loses its wings, it becomes
vulnerable to every predator and hunter.
So, love, fear, and hope.
What's the driving factor?
The love.
What needs to be balanced?
Fear and hope.
Right, that's why fear and hope are the
wings.
And the love does not, and the wings,
again, it's got to be balanced.
So if it's tilted too far, then it's
not going to fly straight.
Right, if there's too much fear or too
much of...
But the love, no.
The love, there's not going to be too
much of that.
There can't be too much of love.
But we'll move on inshallah ta'ala and
cover the station of remembrance.
The author, rahmatullahi alayhi, he says, وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ
قَدْ أَكْثَرُوا مِن ذِكْرِهِ فِي السِّرِّ وَالْإِعْلَامِ وَالْأَحْيَانِ
نعم.
Those who remember and do so abundantly, in
private, public, at all times, in continuance.
Read the one at the bottom, they are
the ones who?
They are the ones who remember Him abundantly,
in private, in public, and at all times,
continuously.
There you go.
So, in this station, the station of dhikr.
Now, fear and hope are actions of the
heart.
Love is an action of the?
Heart.
Ikhlas is an action of the?
Heart.
Dhikr is an action of the?
Heart.
Right.
The tongue is a manifestation of the action
of the heart.
But the dhikr starts where?
Dhikr starts in the heart.
And I wanted this to be important because
if you look at all of the stations,
they are all as they'll come.
We're going to cover, for example, next week,
we'll cover sabr.
And we'll cover shukr.
All of them are actions of the heart.
So you look at the remembrance and you
think, oh, this is like an anomaly out
of, you know, what was mentioned.
But no, it's because dhikr is actually an
action of the?
Of the heart.
So we'll talk about it.
This is a normal station which each person
is in need of.
Indeed, it is a need which ranks above
all other needs.
The remembrance dhikr of Allah is the edifice
of one's time.
Yeah, stop.
Okay, stop there because we're going to have
to in order to make the time.
So inshallah ta'ala in the wrong place.
Alhamdulillah.
Thank you.
I was looking at the wrong city.
All right.
Alhamdulillah.
I was trying to check to see what
time salat is.
All right.
We're good then.
Alhamdulillah.
So alhamdulillah, if you can, there's not going
to be slides that like actually spell out
everything.
So you're going to have to write stuff
down.
The first is the definition of dhikr.
The definition of dhikr.
So the root meaning of dhikr in the
Arabic language from Dal, Kaf, Ra.
It is used to either signify magnifying something,
elevating it, venerating it, those type of terms.
Okay, so that's the one.
Or recalling something and witnessing it.
All right.
So it actually has those two means.
What do we mean when we say dhikrullah,
dhikrullah?
You can write this down or you can,
if you know Arabic, it's اعظام الله وحضوره
بالقلب واللسان او احدهما Which means magnifying Allah,
being conscious of his presence or being aware
of him.
Okay, magnifying Allah and being aware of him
or being conscious, cognizant of his presence.
In both the heart and on the tongue,
in both the heart and on the tongue
or one of them.
So there are three levels to dhikr.
There are three levels to dhikr.
The highest of them is dhikr of Allah
Azawajal with both the heart and the tongue.
The next level below that level is the
dhikr of Allah Azawajal in the heart.
And the lowest level of dhikr is dhikr
of Allah Azawajal with the tongue, right?
Without the heart.
Like what?
When you just do tasbih.
Just to get it over with.
Right, so person is not even thinking about
what they're saying.
They just say, Maybe they even have a
counter.
They look at the end, it gets to
a thousand.
If you ask him what he was saying
the whole time, he doesn't remember anything, by
the way.
Is that okay?
It's actually better than not saying anything.
Right?
And it's definitely better than ghiba and namima
and anything else that a person's tongue might
be busy with.
So it is actually a good thing to
just get used to saying, If you're riding
in your car, right?
And as opposed to just saying nothing, right?
You're saying, You know why?
Because what's going to happen eventually is that
the tongue is going to remind the heart.
Okay?
And you get used to saying good things,
then you get used to thinking good things.
Right?
So zikr, even with the tongue, is not
a bad thing.
It's like a person.
Think about it like this.
Say somebody doesn't know English, right?
They don't know any English.
At all.
Right?
They're from some, you know, foreign place, whatever.
Deep in the woods somewhere.
All right.
And somebody goes and they teaches them all
the four-letter words, huh?
As they say.
The ones your kids not supposed to say.
All right?
And they just, that's how they learn English.
They just keep saying bad words all the
time.
Right?
And then they start learning what, okay?
What they mean, but they just say it
because they just got used to saying it,
even though they don't actually know what the
words mean.
Eventually, what's going to happen, after they start
learning what it means, then it's going to
actually have an impact.
Because they're so used to saying bad things.
Right?
And then it has an impact on their
minds, on their hearts.
Because that's the way they, that's what they
learned.
Similarly, if you just say good things.
SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allah.
Even if you don't know what they mean
and you don't know the full content.
What's the difference between SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah?
I don't really know.
All right.
But you know it's something good.
Eventually, as you start learning the meanings and
you know that they're good, it's going to
have a larger impact.
So it's like those who memorize the Qur
'an.
In many nations, where they don't speak Arabic.
I remember, I remember my first class learning
Arabic.
There were 18 students.
Six of them had memorized the Qur'an.
From Pakistan, from somewhere in West Africa.
And they didn't know the Arabic.
Like they were just.
But as they learned the Arabic, the Qur
'an had a deeper impact.
And they would recite the Qur'an all
the time and not really know.
Not really know what it means.
But it had an impact nonetheless.
So what I'm saying is the dhikr with
the tongue is still a good thing.
Even if a person isn't really thinking about
what they're saying.
So that's the lowest level.
Higher than it is.
Thinking, remembering Allah Azawajal with your heart.
But not saying anything with your tongue.
Right?
Because now your soul is preoccupied with Allah
Azawajal.
Right?
And then when it comes with the tongue.
As Ibn Al-Qayyim says, the one is
in harmony with the other.
The tongue and the heart.
Then that is the best form.
That is the best form of dhikr.
So it says here, it is a need
which ranks above all other needs.
So your need for remembering Allah Azawajal is
actually greater than your need for air.
Your need for air is greater than your
need for drinking.
Your need for drink is greater than your
need for food.
And these are like primary needs that everybody
has.
Food, drink, air.
Right?
But your need for remembrance of Allah Azawajal
is even greater than that.
Because what happens when a person does not
have food for long enough time or drink
for long enough time?
Or they run out of air.
What happens?
They die.
Physically.
Right?
But then, assuming that these people are believers
in Allah Azawajal, their home is Jannah.
What happens when a person does not remember
Allah?
The heart dies.
Whoever turns away from my dhikr, from my
remembrance, then he will have a miserable life.
And then what happens?
That is in this life.
He is going to be miserable regardless.
Even if he can numb his pain.
Even if he can numb his pain, he
is still going to be miserable.
And on the day of judgment he is
going to be raised blind.
So at the end of the day, this
person is going to be from the losers.
Right?
But that's, that's what happens if a person
forgets.
And that's why he says that that need
is greater than all other needs.
And you need to remember Allah Azawajal in
every decision that you make, in every step
that you take.
Wallahi subhanallah, if we could just remember.
I mean especially when it comes to, let's
just say medium level important decisions.
Right?
To make istighara.
Remember Allah Azawajal.
Put it in the hands of Allah Azawajal.
Wallahi, we would be in such a better
place mentally.
You know, and I say this because all
of the attention that is given to the
mental health industry.
And it's not that it's not a real
thing.
But much of this is because we have
become a godless society.
And it's not just the Muslims I'm saying
that.
I'm saying that society in general has turned
away from the remembrance of God.
Not the specific type of remembrance that we're
talking about as Muslims.
And if, yeah of course from a data
standpoint correlation does not mean causation.
So just because as people have gotten further
away from Allah Azawajal.
They've had more mental health crisis.
Crisis does not mean that that one is
the cause of the other.
But when you see it repeated and a
person should take heed.
A person should take heed.
Alright, so he says that that need is
above all other needs.
He says the remembrance of Allah Azawajal is
the edifice of one's time.
Just give me one second.
He says, Okay, so it is the
edifice of one's time is an interesting way
to translate that.
But it's basically the best thing that you
can do in the time that you have.
It's the best thing that one can do
in the time that they have.
By it grief, anxiety, and distress can be
dispelled.
With it joy and happiness can be obtained.
He says here that grief, anxiety, and distress
can be dispelled.
And before him others have mentioned that the
best form of dhikr is what?
That the best form of dhikr is reciting
Allah Azawajal's book.
There is a dua that the prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam said that if one makes
it, Allah Azawajal will remove their anxiety and
their sadness.
Okay, right.
So part of the dua where the prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to say what?
Oh Allah make the Quran the springtime rain
of my heart.
And the illumination, the light of my chest.
Okay, what's the significance between mentioning the
springtime and the light?
The springtime here if we look at it
as being that springtime rain, growth.
Because in order for the earth to produce
the crops, beneficial crops, it needs what?
Water and light.
It needs water and light.
So you're asking Allah Azawajal to make the
Quran that for your heart.
To be that which replenishes and brings that
rain and the light to your heart.
So here what he says is by grief,
anxiety, and distress can be dispelled.
That these things are lifted with the dhikr
of Allah Azawajal.
Alright, so here I mean there's multiple things
that can be said, But let's, I'm actually,
I'm going to slow down and just deal
with some of these.
Because I do think that they're important and
I don't, I think that one of our
issues is, I'm just saying as a, as
a people, it is our lack of dhikr.
And Sa'di himself, he's going to mention this
at the end of his own poetry.
He's going to say even after all of
this knowledge that we have of its fadl,
We still don't memorize, excuse me, we still
don't remember Allah Azawajal enough.
And some of the salaf said, do dhikr
of Allah until the people say he's crazy.
Meaning what?
Angels walking down the street.
They're like, oh my God, this guy's talking
to himself, right?
And honestly, in the Muslim world, you don't
have that problem.
Because people just know, okay, he's making dhikr.
Here, they literally will think that what?
That you're talking to yourself, which is perfectly
fine.
I mean, as long as it's not like
going to make you lose your job or
something.
But other than that, but then one of
the best form, if we're talking about other
than the book of Allah Azawajal, then the
absolute best dhikr is, La ilaha illallah, which
does not require that you move your lips.
All right, which is one of the things
that Ibn Hajar Rahim Allah Ta'ala, He
mentioned that it is the what?
What do we call it?
What do we call La ilaha illallah?
Kalimatu Al Ikhlas, right?
It is the statement of purity and sincerity.
It's the statement of purity and sincerity.
And from the purity of it and the
sincerity of it is that you can say
it without anybody knowing, even though they're sitting
there looking at you.
You can just say what?
La ilaha illallah.
And you do not, it doesn't have any
of the the letters that cause one's lips
to move.
All right.
So he says with it joy and happiness
are attained.
It is those, the empty hearts, barren hearts
are filled with the remembrance of Allah subhanahu
wa'ta'ala.
And it brings happiness as Allah Azawajal says,
It is what is where hearts find his
peace and tranquility through the remembrance of Allah
subhanahu wa'ta'ala.
And then he says in it, interesting.
It's not translated here.
I don't see.
He says, he says, Kama annahu ghirasul jannah.
He did.
It makes hearty.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So this is not translated, but you can
write this in.
He says.
So after it says the barren hearts, it
cultivates barren hearts.
It has here makes healthy hearts resplendent.
You can cross that out because that's that's
not there.
He says, Kama annahu ghirasul jannah.
Right.
And even I listen to different explanations and
I have different versions of the Arabic.
None of, I don't remember that being in
any of them.
But this is there.
Ghirasul jannah, which is the, Ghars is when
you is when you're planting, cultivating.
Okay.
The garden type.
What is this referring to?
He's actually referring to a Hadith.
You know that Hadith?
No, not that.
He's referring to the Hadith in Termathy.
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, ascended
to the heavens and he met Ibrahim, peace
be upon him.
And Ibrahim said to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam, أَقْرِئْ أُمَّتَكَ مِنِّي أَلسَّلَامَ Right?
Give my salams to your ummah.
Give my salams to your ummah.
وَأَخْبِرْهُمْ وَإِنْفُرْمْهُمْ أَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ قِيَعَنَ Right?
That Jannah is a open plain.
Okay?
طَيِّبَةٌ تُرْبَتُهَا It's earth, it's dirt if you
will.
It's طَيِّبَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ It's good for cultivating.
Alright?
It's soil if you will.
It's good for cultivating.
عَذْبَةٌ مَأُهَا And it's water is fresh.
Okay?
So in other words, it's ready for what?
It's ready for being cultivated.
وَغِرَاصُهَا ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ Alright?
And it's planted.
It's plants come from the ذِكْرِ of Allah
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى طَيِّبَةٌ So, and in some narrations
it says, وَغِرَاصُهَا لَا إِلَيْهِ لَا اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ
لِلَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالسُبْحَانَ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ Alright?
Those four specifically.
يعني, the point is that through ذِكْر, through
ذِكْر, you get good crops in your heart,
but also good crops are being built for
you or being planted for you in the
hereafter.
And that is something to pay a lot
of attention to because the ذِكْرِ of Allah
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى As many trees and bushes and
plants and flowers and fruit that you want
in the hereafter, you build that here.
You plant that here, right?
There's no planting once you get to the
hereafter.
That's all planted here.
And that planting is done through the ذِكْرِ
of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى He says that the
ذِكْرِ of Allah is the easiest of all
acts of ibadah on the jawareh, meaning the
physical acts of worship.
And that the tongue can go all day
in the remembrance of Allah عز و جل
and if there was any muscle that needed
to be used the way that the tongue
would be used, it would be exhausted in
a much, in a fraction of the time
that it would take the tongue to be
exhausted.
So you can do ذِكْرِ of Allah عز
و جل hour, two hours, three hours straight
and your tongue is still fine, right?
Whereas if you did that with anything else,
anything else you would be exhausted.
So plant as much as you can for
the hereafter.
This is how you're building your real estate
for Jannah.
A lot of people are really into real
estate in this life.
It takes a lot of work and it
takes a lot of thought and it takes
a lot of money and everything else.
But building for the hereafter is through that
ذِكْرِ of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى We're going to
finish this part inshallah and then we'll stop
for Salat.
In it are benefits and virtues that cannot
be enumerated.
Allah is all it needs to say.
They cannot be enumerated.
The best book that I know of, Wallahu
ta'ala alam, that talks about the benefits
and virtues of ذِكْرِ is Ibn Qayyim's الوابل
الصيب الوابل الصيب where he mentions over 70
virtues and benefits of the ذِكْرِ of Allah
عز و جل الوابل الصيب is actually translated
into English by the way.
And الوابل الصيب but I forget the name
of it honestly in English.
So if somebody knows they can let me
know.
But الوابل الصيب is an explanation of what
book?
Very important book, Wallah.
الكذن الطيب by Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى
which is a very important book on ذِكْرِ
of Allah عز و جل.
Meaning, what does he do?
He mentions the, what we will call it
ذِكْرِ المقيد that restricted or specific forms of
ذِكْرِ.
Meaning, the ذِكْرِ of Allah عز و جل,
okay, just to back up, is two types.
There's مطلق which can be done anytime.
So you're just walking down the street, driving
in your car, whatever.
سبحان الله و الحمد لله، لا إله إلا
الله، والله أكبر Okay.
Then there's مقيد which means the specific types
of ذِكْرِ that the Prophet صلى الله عليه
وسلم would do at specific times.
So what would he say after he finished
wudu?
شادوا لا إله إلا الله شادوا أنا محمد
رسول الله For example, okay.
So this is after wudu.
What would the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
say when he's coming to the masjid, when
he's exiting the masjid, when he's walking to
the bathroom, when he's coming out?
Those are مقيد, specific times or specific places
or specific situations where a person is making
a specific ذِكْرِ.
All right.
So Shaykh Al-Islam رحمه الله تعالى in
Al-Kalim Al-Tayyib, he tried to mention
as many of those as he could.
Okay.
Sorry.
Remembrance of the most precious.
That's what Al-Wa'ib Al-Sayyib is?
No, who's the translator?
I remember it being something else.
Maybe that's what it is.
It's the sunnah.
No, no, okay.
So there are sunnah, but there's another one.
There's another one.
They call, inshallah, next week, inshallah, next week.
And by the way, I'm just letting you
know now, bi-idni laa ta'ala, we
will finish this, even if we have to
do a marathon.
We'll finish it, maybe, wallahu a'adam, on
the 10th of November, that Sunday.
Bi-idni laa ta'ala.
Like I said, even if we have to
do a marathon, we gotta be done.
And a heads up, just in case I
forget, we will probably also do class on
November 3rd, as opposed to November 5th, all
right?
November 5th is a very interesting day in
this country.
Tuesday.
It's the invocation of God?
That's it.
Yeah, that's it.
The invocation of God, that one.
Who's the translator?
Who published it?
All right, maalish.
Next week, we'll talk about it, inshallah.
Finish, let's finish.
Oh, you who believe, remember Allah abundantly and
glorify Him morning and evening.
Play it.
Naam, naam.
Oh, you who believe, remember Allah.
Udhkurullaha dhikran kathiran.
And that's what comes in the Quran, by
the way.
When Allah Azawajal has commanded us to remember
Him, it's always remember Him what?
Abundantly.
And the praise is for those wadhakireena allaha
kathiran wadhakirat.
Those who remember Allah a lot in abundance
and the male and female.
That is important.
And we'll talk next week, inshallah ta'ala,
about what it means to remember Allah abundantly.
Like who qualifies for having remembered Allah abundantly?
Not just to remember Allah, because what?
Because the hypocrites remember Allah.
Naam, the hypocrites remember Allah.
And they pray.
And they pray.
But they don't remember Allah a lot.
All right?
And they don't pray with purity of intention.
They pray lazily.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam advised a man
who asked, the duties of Islam are many
for me, so instruct me.
He replied, never let your tongue cease to
be moist with the remembrance of Allah.
So this man came to the Prophet alaihi
salatu wasallam.
He wasn't asking the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
to reduce the amount of obligations.
He's asking the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam for
something comprehensive that's going to help them in
fulfilling those obligations to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
And this is why the ulema mentioned that
the more you remember Allah azawajal, the easier
it is to obey Him.
The easier the obligations become.
And that's because the more you remember Allah
azawajal, the more you are going to love
Him.
And if you love Him, it becomes easy
to serve Him.
Allah ta'ala a'lam, na'am.
He, sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Oh, we lost it.
But last but not least, from the statement
of the author that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said, Sabaqa al-mufarqidoon.
The loners lead the way.
The loners won the race, actually is the
way that I would translate that, Allah a
'lam.
They asked the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, Man
hum al-mufarqidoon?
Who are these?
What does it mean?
Who is al-mufarqidoon?
Those loners.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, Adh-dhakireen
Allaha kathiran wa-dhakirat.
Those who remember Allah.
Those men and women, male and females who
remember Allah abundantly.
So Ibn al-Qayyim rahim Allah ta'ala
also, he says to think about this as
a actual, like you're on a racetrack, okay?
And you are racing to get to Jannah.
Who is it that wins the race?
They are those who remember Allah much, male
and female.
Those who remember Allah much.
We've come to our time.
It's time for Salat al-Isha.
So we'll stop here with Ibn al-Qayyim
ta'ala and we will finish the station
of remembrance.
What I would like you to do is
note that the author has poetry directly related
to the dhikr of Allah a'zawjal and
it's beautiful.
It's beautiful poetry.
He mentions it in his explanation.
And so inshallah ta'ala, we'll go over
a brief explanation of that poetry next week,
being Ibn al-Qayyim ta'ala, as we
finish the station of remembrance.
Wallahu ta'ala alam, wa sallallahu wa sallam
wa barak ana nabiyyina Muhammad.