Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – 2 3 Ghazali’s Beginning of Guidance (Bidayat alHidaya)
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Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim
Al hamdu Lillahi wa salatu salam ala CL Mursaleen. While early he
was sabe. Here Baraka was delivered to Sleeman Kathira en la
yo, Medina, Amma birth.
So now we go into the book itself. Part one,
he speaks about two aspects and then there's an additional aspect
he will add at the end. But the two things that he speaks about
Part One on obedience. This is external obedience, external
expression, then part two is on refraining from disobedience. And
that is, in that he speaks about the sins that are committed by the
limbs, he deals with the eyes, the ears,
the tongue, and then within the tongue, he deals with just eight
points there. And then he deals with the stomach, the private
parts of the hands, the feet. And then within the desert, these were
all kinds of external disobedience says, Then he starts to deal with
internal disobedience, which are now because this is not a very
detailed book. He only deals with three things he says envy,
ostentation, conceit, arrogance, and pride. These are the three
major things that underpin all of the other problems. So he'll
discuss those, then, because he said in his introduction, that
that's what he's going to deal with the additional part three,
some orientalist, initially used to say that that is an addition to
his work, it's not really from his work, somebody added it on, but
according to the others, according to the majority, that is also part
of his book, because it's just so close to his style, and so on as
well. So the third part is about the etiquette of companionship
with the Creator and with creation. So there, he'll be
speaking about the etiquette with Allah, the etiquette of the
scholar, the students, children and parents. How do you deal with
people you don't know? And how do you deal with friends and
brothers, what to look for in a friend, and the etiquette of
friendship, acquaintances, and so on. So that's where he's going to
do it. So we're just going to be looking at selections from this.
Now let's move on to page 24.
Let's just read the beginning of this section.
And our mean Allah heater Allah Farah, it when our fill, know that
the commandments of Allah Most High pertain to the obligatory and
the voluntary, the obligatory acts can constitute the capital.
So now he's explaining the fora it's and their relationship with
the nonprofit, and how they impact on our life. So he's giving a
metaphor, he's giving an example of business, because we can relate
more to that. And profit, everybody likes profit. So he
says, the obligatory acts constitute the capital by which
salvation is attained the capital, you need that you need that seed
capital to get anything. The voluntary acts are the profits by
which are reached the high levels of success.
So you're not going to get high levels with just a bit of capital,
that bit of capital is going to establish you first. Then as you
make profits, you start paying off your debts, and you still have
money left over because you've got more profits, then with that
you'll be you'll be more adventurous with that you will be
you'll take more risks, and you can have more power of
expending your resources in different ways. So he's using that
very business kind of metaphor here. The voluntary acts are the
profits by which I reached the high levels of success. The
messenger of allah sallallahu sallam said Allah Most High says,
those who draw near to me, do not draw near to me with anything
better than the acts I made obligatory upon them.
If you want to get close to Allah, you're going to have to fulfill
the follow up.
The obligations have to be done, there is no negotiation there.
Then you get somewhat close, you get within a boundary. After that,
that's the most important boundary now you're in your part of the
club,
then it's just getting closer and closer and higher and higher and
higher. That's all done to no avail.
So that's what he says. The processor awesome said those who
draw near to me do not draw near to me with anything better than
the axe, I've made a blog obligatory upon them. And his
servant continues to draw nearer to me by voluntary acts of worship
until I love him.
By just fulfilling the obligatory acts, you're not going to become a
Willie, you have to do a bit more. Then when you get to a certain
level, you've done enough you've proven yourself to Allah. Then
Allah will start loving you. Because you're always there
showing. You have somebody for example, who maybe doesn't even
have the full qualifications but constantly coming in correctly.
concurrent research shows so much interest, it tries so much, but
you know that they don't have the ability.
Sometimes you just say, okay let them
so that is the same thing here. Now what happens when Allah begins
to love a person
and when I love him, I become the hearing with which he he is the
site with which he sees the tongue with which he speaks, the hand
with which he strikes and the foot with which he works. So I said, if
you want to be successful in the world, you have to be aware of
Allah, otherwise we will go down due to our weaknesses. If you want
to be successful, be wary of Allah and Allah will guide you every
way. I was
this after aitikaf I was sitting talking with a few brothers. And
we were speaking about a particular shake a particular
scholar, and what we had observed of just so perfect following of
the Sunnah.
Now following the Sunnah, is easy if you've got nothing else to do
except that, but if you're so busy, where you're dealing with
students, literally hundreds, calling you speaking to you,
writing to you, and just so busy managing so many religious
activities of earshot, how can you then still be so particular in
your will do and everything because you're in a hurry will do
is just like a means to solid Jellicle but no in everything.
And it was mind boggling. This hadith came to mind at that time,
that this person is on a level of Wilaya
where Allah is guiding their hand, their feet, and so on. So they
seldom make a mistake. So even though they're doing so much and
it's humanly difficult to be so particular about the small things,
they have a level of divine assistance. That's why when you
hear about Maulana ileus, or how to lay, for example, or these
other great scholars, man, the use of and so many others who, even
when they're on the last season, they can't even move properly.
They insist that even the person making will do for them does Hilal
saturates between the toes.
You think it's a high level of obsession? How can you think of
these things, but that's Tofik.
That is tofield. You can't do it at your own? Well, you have to ask
Allah for it. And that's the way you just continue to get closer
and closer to Allah and then He guides you in all of these things.
Once you cross a certain threshold, then you've made it.
And you and you do a seeker will not be able to rise to carry out
the commands of Allah Most High, until you monitor your heart and
limbs in every moment and every breath. From the time you wake up
until the time you sleep.
Every moment you're conscious as to whether you're setting your
foot right or wrong.
Know that Allah Most High is closely observing your innermost
heart, he beholds your inner and outer being no thought, moment or
step of yours escapes his regard.
Nor any of your moments of stillness or movement,
both in the company of others and in the solitude of yourself, you
are ever in his presence.
In both the hidden and manifest dominions, nothing is still
nothing that is still is still and nothing that moves, moves. But the
compiler of the heavens and earth is aware of it. That's Imam
Ghazali is theological hat.
This is where his theological persuasion is coming in,
is a man of many disciplines. So he could just invoke any of these
disciplines and just make it an enriching discussion.
That's why they say for example, that
some people are,
you can say,
inclined to the soul from the beginning, and then they spend
much of their time in that path. And they don't spend as much time
studying a lot. They study enough. They're not deviant. They know
what they're doing. They're helping others. But you have some
other individuals who were first scholars. First academics, they
first just pursued knowledge to a very high level then they decided
to focus on this way imminent hazard is one of them. Another one
is the rook sheiks route from North Africa. Again, another
amazing individual and the third one who just totally, really
amazes me is ignore RGB.
His name is RGB anyway, ignore RGB. Again, another great scholar
who's who has a commentary on the Buddha commentary on he has a
commentary on
HECM just amazing.
Just amazing. He outdoes by jury in his commentary on the border
and even though hudgell hate me, and the casita border that I'm
speaking about, but what what you learn about these two,
these three is that they were first scholars then then they took
away the path. So they enriched by all of this knowledge that they
have and they can just be way more convincing sometimes than others.
So elm, you know, go elm is very beneficial, as long as you just
use it in the right way.
He knows the treachery of the eyes and what is concealed in the
*, he knows the secrets, and what is still more hidden.
Therefore, oh destitute one, cultivate a deep courtesy with the
divine in your outer self, as well as your inner self, the courtesy
and bearing of a humble earning slave in the presence of a supreme
all powerful master, recognize your position, that we are earning
slaves that we make mistakes, we stumble,
we fail, we have shortcomings. And we are in front of our all
powerful Supreme Master. When you realize that positioning, then
things become easy. When you forget that positioning and we
become autonomous in our own right. That's when we start
getting making mistakes. You will never be capable of this unless
you manage your time and organize your routine of worship from
morning to night.
So pay attention to what is presented to you here concerning
the commands that Allah Most High has laid upon you, from the time
you awake from your sleep until the time you return to your bed.
And that's how he starts his book. And he discusses how you wake up,
and how you do all of these things.
So we're not going to go through this section, you can shall read
it yourself. But I'm going to just discuss a few different sections.
So in this one, he says when you wake when you're awake from your
sleep, try to awake before dawn, and let the first words in your
heart and on your tongue be the remembrance of Allah Most High.
Our first activity when we wake up is we we have an alarm on our
phones, we've just put it off, we get it, rub our eyes, and we just
check. Are there any text messages? Are there any messages,
any tweets or whatever? Okay.
That's the way we wake up.
That's the difficulty of Facebook and Twitter.
It's so difficult to refrain from the fame aspect of it,
to get more followers to get more likes.
And, honestly, the only reason I'm doing Twitter is because you know,
you have zamzam Academy, we have books and so on, you have to do
some promotion of your books and so on. And there's two ways to do
it. One is you pay for mailing lists, pay for emails and all that
kind of stuff, whether they get to people or not. That's one way of
doing it. The other way, which is the modern way is get a large
following of people then whatever. You You know, you tell I've
written this piece I've written this article, people will know
about
do you understand? It's this we're really living in a weird world, a
really weird world.
For people who don't care, it's okay you just follow the trend or
for people who care then you have to really think why you're doing
this. Because the justification is your justification really
justified.
It's a really difficult thing to do.
So the first words on your tongue is the remembrance of Allah mo sai
say at this time Alhamdulillah Hilah the idea and bury them a
mountain our era Hindu showed us Bana was Muhammad Kula, while
other motto was Salta and hula. Well is to Al Qudra Tula so
powerful.
Praise be to Allah who has brought us back to life after causing us
to die and to whom shall be the resurrection. We've entered the
mourning as has the entire dominion, the entire coming. The
entire kingdom, belonging to Allah, grandeur and mite belongs
to Allah. magnificence and power belong to Allah. We have entered
the morning upon the natural faith of submission upon the word of
sincerity in the religion of our Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu
sallam, and the nation of our father, Abraham Ibrahim, a pure
monotheist and one who submitted to God who was not of the
isolators just doesn't do justice. The English translation doesn't do
justice, a spanner and a fifth rattle Islam
what are the Kennametal Eclass while our dean in Vienna Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa salam, wa ala miletti abena Ibrahima, Hanifa.
Muslim and Wanaka and Masha keen Allahumma because BANA will become
Cena where we cannot hear or we can move to LA I can assure you
Allahumma in nearness, and Luca and Tabatha Nafi heavily on EDA
Cooley. Hi.
Oh Allah.
We asked that. We asked you to send us to every good thing on
this day. And when our other big understudy haffi. He saw an owner
Jura who Isla muslimin Oh, yeah, Judah who had on Elena, we ask you
for the good of this day and the best of what it holds and we seek
refuge with you from the evils of this day and the evil that it
holds. That's alcohol. Has anyone played a mafia? When are they
becoming Sharia? Where should the mafia and then he says thereafter
when you dress make your intention, obedience to Allah's
command by covering yourself appropriately. So everything down
to the intention you should have, even when putting on your coat
clothing. Now let's move forward to page 48.
He takes you through all the procedure, you're in the masjid
now. So on page 48, what you've done is you've just performed fajr
prayer, you've done some tests we had, etc. Now what is going to
tell you is
second paragraph, page 48.
Your time from after the morning prayer until sunrise. When you're
waiting for a schlock prayer. What do you do between that time
should be divided between four types of spiritual work try to get
four things into that time is a very practical
number one dua supplication whether that's your own dua or get
a book of do as I call husband out of them or something like that
with meaning so you know what you're asking.
So do us number two, remembrance and clarifications which you can
repeat on prayer beads, this we Subhanallah Al Hamdulillah, Allahu
Akbar Allah Allah, Allah Allah. So this be hot dua a number three,
recitation of the Quran and some Quran reading.
And number four, reflection.
So if anybody does anything we do test me hard First, I would say,
then we do some dua. This too we do. recitation of the Quran. Some
people do, some people do later, some people don't do. But
reflection, hardly anybody does, unfortunately. And that's very
powerful maraca.
There's many types of Morocco that you could do, you know, whether
that's Morocco, of death of how it's going to be Morocco above the
bounties of Allah upon us and how ungrateful we are the bounties of
all the problems, if sorry, the Morocco of how many sins we've
committed, how our life is going, Are we any better than we were
last year, and so on and so forth. It's just just introspection.
Even if you can do that for five minutes, it will be extremely
beneficial. The biggest malady today is that people don't think
about themselves except in terms of the dunya.
They check how much money they have, they check whether they're
going to buy that new car or whatever. But they never checked
as to what our situation is with Allah, the only time we do that is
when we suffer a loss, an accident, a setback, a demotion,
or anything or, or some other kind of loss, then we start in, how's
our connection with Allah subhanaw taala.
So that Baraka is extremely important.
And then he says, which you should repeat, which you can repeat on
prayer beads. So he's promoting the TSB.
And
you know, that this be is such a beautiful thing. Because what
happens is, we're so distracted as individuals. And we live in a very
distracted world, that if you don't have a DSB, then you start
Subhan, Allah Subhanallah Subhanallah SubhanAllah. And then
your mind starts wandering, and then after that, you come back to
and you don't know where you were. But if you've got the speed that
you're holding, and you know, you're half you know, your fingers
are going to move, unless you become so professional that your
fingers will even move then
some people are speaking to you and then moving that as the beads.
Right. In fact, in some Arab cultures, like in Syria, and in
some other places, it's a tradition to carry at the speed
with you.
They just carry it with you. So it's not like having a pocket
clock watch. Or, you know, the other accessories that you have a
DSB is an accessory but I'm assuming that if you're going to
display and you are going to read something what I did notice in
Syria when I was studying there is that the amount of dollars they
give to each other is amazing. They spread to us like you call
the you know that I remember once he called up the phone directory,
Allah tickle Afia so and so Allah your tickle Afia I go to buy milk
and the guy gives it to me. He says, Well, Dean, may you be
rewarded, just do on everything. We don't give to our
our Indian Pakistani culture dua is a formal thing for us. You have
to sit down
Raise your hands and do it.
Even when people tell you make dua for me, you'll say, Okay, I'll do
it for you. And then you forget, that's what I noticed that I
forget. Then you have to say, Oh Allah give you no reward. All of
those people have asked me because you can't even remember. I
remember he was Mauritanian scholar, I said, please make dua,
you know, not me. So minimal to the rolana, immediately starts
door
immediately starts door, and then out of habit with, He's given us
the dua for about, you know, 5782 hours for about, you know, like 50
seconds or something. And then you meet him again, and then you say,
out of habit, please make dua for us, and then he'll start again.
So they give straightaway to and that's inculcate that in your
life, somebody asked you for dua immediately, say something. Now,
if you're not used to it, you'll find it difficult to say, though,
because it's kind of weird embarrassment you have, because
there seems to be so such a private thing. So sit down on
there and just figure out, okay, you know, somebody says die, and
they've just told you about the loss. May Allah subhanaw taala
makes things easy for you, may Allah grant you patients, right,
so just think of certain doors that you can use, if it's about
some happiness or something, may Allah subhanaw taala give you
greater happiness in your life, may Allah give you Tofik. So have
these two hours that you know that you can give immediately you
fulfilled your responsibility.
But that's a very good, Adam, that and that's why Imam Shafi says
that you should travel, because suffer travel has five benefits.
And one of them is that you you will learn things that you don't
know in your own culture.
Not every culture is perfect. Every culture is good and bad.
When you travel, and you pick the good, unless you're looking for
the bad of other cultures. There's people who go and they they they
find the evil in all cultures, you know, where the dealers are, and
where this or
sometimes people tell you and you think How did you know this is not
your you know?
So
data is very important.
So going back to this after fajr, spend time doing this, and, you
know, for HANA fees there, if they bring Fudger in the masjid, then
they're going to have probably about half an hour, 25 minutes,
based on the tradition of this country, people, their Jamaat is
about half an hour, maximum 40 minutes, with the chef is is much
longer because they pray earlier. But regardless, if you if you
spend five minutes in each of these five minutes on da, five
minutes on reading the Quran, maybe do a bit more reading of the
Quran, but five minutes on reflection, and five minutes on
the speed. So that's the benefit of the DSP, that he reminds you
even when you're traveling, you're on a coach, you're in a car just
sitting there. If you use a DSP, the benefit is that, and I believe
that these actually better than those digital ones, digital ones
are more, you know, you know, walking on the street with this
big screen and looking like a pious guy. But it's if you want to
remind yourself that this is even better, because with that one, it
suddenly becomes so second nature to you that you forget you even
got it on your own, it becomes an accessory like a rink. So there's
benefits and harms everybody can do what they feel is better. But
the benefit of the TSP is that you will remember that you can carry
on where you left off.
So that's what he says. And the only way this will become better
is if you think it's sooner to use this particular tsp. Because we
have a basis in God or the Allah one has Hadith where she sat and
she was counting on beads. So the different beads, and they're
probably not strong like this, but there's a basis for it. So that's
why even many have accepted that fact. And it's just the kind of
extreme ones that be the arbiter on everything.
Okay,
so spend on these four things, and I think Inshallah, from tomorrow
we can start doing this 20 minutes, that's all we're asking
for.
And what I would suggest for women, who, and even for men
really, is that if you just get up 15 minutes before Fajr time, you
see men have to worry about
sorry, they have to worry about Jamaat in the masjid, and Gemma in
the masjid in the Hanafi places is well after the hijab time. So you
have to wake up at the hygiene at least 2030 minutes there, then you
have to wait all the way to Fudger. Then afterwards, you have
to wait until sunrise. Otherwise our brothers will say you know
you're not doing your work. Right. So then that's a lot.
For women, it's easy. They just have to get up at home, right? So
get up 20 minutes before Fajr. Five minutes, we'll do et cetera.
1015 minutes DADGAD and dA. Soon as scheduled time comes in, do
your Fajr go to sleep.
You're going to get up for Fudger anyway, why don't you just get up
1520 minutes before. So you can do Fajr and tahajjud together and
it's actually for women. It's
better to do it in that duck in that initial period anyway. So
start doing tahajjud and Fajr. Together.
That's really beneficial.
I think, you know,
in our especially concentrated communities like this, we should
have some massages where the future is early.
Because there's also this survey of Madina Munawwara, that there
were some massages with the Fajr was early. And that's why there's
the active half of when, you know, the, because the Hanafis essay
should pray later, when it becomes brighter it's far, but we should
have at least one or two places where the Fajr is early. So those
who want to do tahajjud, they can actually go and do Fajr and then
go to sleep. They get their Jamara. And they get that agile.
Because I'm assuming in this area, if all of the masajid are doing
their Fajr late, then it's difficult, isn't it for people. So
it might be an idea that those who are Imams or community committee
members that they could consider this to have one of the messages
that are earlier, like in Batley as well in other places, it'll be
something to think about.
Because yes, it's mostly have to wait too late. But tahajjud is the
strongest sooner than the most the hub of Isvara I would think.
Right tahajjud is way more valuable than delaying your Fajr
I'm not, I'm not diminishing the status of budget being delayed.
But tahajjud if we can get that and if people are being put off
from paying federal because then they have to wait for Fajr Gemma
then they think Jamaat is very important, which is it is it is.
So that's why it's to is to do both Walla, Harlem.
Reflect upon your mistakes and sins and the shortcomings and
deficiencies in your worship of your master. And how you have
exposed yourself to Allah's painful punishment with his great
anger. This is the reflection This is a type of introspection, Baraka
organize your regular duties of worship for the entire day by
means of careful planning in the hope of redeeming your past
failings and shortcomings and in the hope of guarding yourself. By
this means from exposure to the anger of Allah Almighty most
majestic during the day. So think what you're going to do have a
schedule setup a future time of what you're going to do in your
day.
Make your intention, general intention of having goodwill
towards all Muslims and resolve that your entire day will be
occupied only with obedience to Allah Most High. If you start off
like that, you're less we're less likely to, to do the wrong things.
Because when you start off with a good foundation intention, then
even though we will have challenges it'd be easier to deal
with.
detail in your heart, the acts of obedience of which you are
capable, then choose the best of them. Consider how to prepare the
conditions to bring about such acts. So you can occupy yourself
with them do not neglect to reflect upon the nearness of your
end upon the approach of death, that cut short all hopes upon the
removal of matters from the domain of your free will. And the
possibility of reaching a state of sorrow and deep regret due to
prolonged delusion. And then there are $10 that he mentioned
afterwards. Now we move to page 56.
So as he's going through the day, he's giving his providing advice.
Actually.
PAGE 54. Just just before that
he speaks about the the ways you can spend your day, the main focus
of your day. So he speaks about worship, good works, earning a
living and protecting your religion. As I said, he's very
begrudgingly allowing people to go on and they're living, right
because he is at the level of Tawakkol, which obviously we're
not.
The fourth state is that lacking the strength for these things, you
occupy yourself with your own needs, earning a living to take
care of yourself and your family.
But you do this in such a way that Muslims are safe from your tongue
and your hand and your religion is safe because you would not be
committing sins. In this way you will reach the levels of the
people of the right the US How will you mean even if you cannot
be of those who rise to the level of the foreigners, so even though
you may not be from the Serbia Kuhn, you will still be from the
US herbal Yameen which is the second category.
And this meaning the level of the people of the right is the lowest
of the levels of religion for below it other grazing grounds of
devils,
which you would enter as a result of working May Allah protect us in
that which ruins your religion so be careful what job you do.
I give you an example of some of the pitfalls in this. Somebody
asked the question
One that I work outside the city in this remote town where there's
no Muslims to village, for example, and I'm only the I'm the
only Muslim worker there. So I'm going out on consultation or
something like that. Do I have to do Joomla? So I asked him okay, he
said any even knows he says it's beyond 48 miles. So technically
speaking, once you're beyond beyond 48 miles, you're a Musashi,
you're a traveler, and thus you don't have to do opera, you can do
that.
Then I asked him, I said, How long is this job voice is well, it's
well, you know, 234 foreseeable future I'm going to be working
there every Friday. So then the question that arises Okay,
according to the fic you can miss your Joomla but ethically
speaking, how do you feel about a life without Joomla for two years?
How do you feel about that? As a Muslim
Joomla is so important. You miss three Joomla has taken it lightly
as the Hadith says then a seal is placed on your heart. So our
mosyle We shouldn't just look at them theoretically. And
technically, oh, the beard according to the chef is is just
this or that only this size. It's not worthy because only sunnah
Maka and you go into these gymnastics, you know this juris
juristic gymnastics. What is What does Allah want from you? How was
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salam. Once you start feeling like
you want to be like him, then it doesn't matter whether it's for
the word mazahub or sunnah.
Because that's my goal. Okay, today I might not be able to have
a beard or put a niqab or cover my hair even. We've got sisters who
are very good, they want to be good, but they can't cover for
whatever reason, social pressure, family pressure, husband pressure,
whatever it may be. Right?
But never be satisfied with your status quo. Always want to get
better so tomorrow, I can't do it today, inshallah tomorrow.
These guys want beards but their wives complained that it is
prickly.
You have that? My wife keeps complaining they say
I don't know if that's a masculinity crisis. Or if that's a
feminine, feminine crisis. I don't know.
People come with all sorts of excuses. At the end of the day,
the mind knows how to make excuses.
The main thing is be objective. Have your goal as the Prophet
salallahu alayhi salam, and that's how you want to be like, in his
behavior in in everything.
So I can't do it today, but inshallah tomorrow I'll do it.
Then the Tofik will come.
Know that a servant is that one of three levels in terms of his
religion.
Imam Ghazali. As you notice, he likes typologies
he loves his typologies he categorizes everything.
Which makes it easy for us to understand.
It says there's three levels, the safe one,
the one who profits and the loser. The safe one is the one who
suffices with doing the basic obligatory acts and does not
commit sins. As that individual came to the school, allah
sallallahu sallam said, I'm only going to do this law as he do it,
whether Uncas and the province of Assam said of law will be in
Sadhak. That he is he's a winner.
If he is truthful in in practicing this, and he's a winner. So that's
one who suffice isn't that there's lots of layers to that discussion
there. But one who suffices with doing the basic obligatory deeds
and does not commit sins.
Number two, the one who profits is the one who voluntary performance,
good deeds and voluntary acts above the obligatory and number
three, the loser is the one who falls short even in his
performance of the obligatory acts.
Therefore, if you cannot be one of the profiting ones, then at least
put your effort in being among the safe ones. At least break even.
And beware of being among the losers.
In terms of his relationship with his fellows, a servant is one of
three levels another typology
the highest, the middle, and the lowest, he's got three classes
here. Right? We shouldn't have two classes, we should always have
three classes, because there's always going to be a third class.
What's the I in the Quran?
I mean, homework does it. So I mean, humbly Molina FC, people who
are inherit a inheritance of our book among them. This just shows
the Quran is telling us Allah is telling us the three categories of
people that will always be around for minimum volume on Linux, those
that will be oppressors to themselves, meaning those who are
doing wrong and then
women who mocked us those who are on the path of moderation.
And then
and those who are going ahead with extra goodness. So you've got the
three classes that I mentioned in the Quran. That's why I mentioned
to somebody I was talking about to somebody who's from a particular
Sufi group. And I said, but among your group, you've got a lot of
people who are degenerated like this. And that, and this was the
response he gave, to me says that's quite natural.
It's quite a normal thing you have that in every category of people,
you'll have that in every vocation, you will have the
valuable enough, see, you'll have those who are on moderation. And
you'll have those who go beyond that, and who who do more. So the
highest is that he acts with in terms of his relationship with his
friends, how do you deal with people this is a brief section in
the end, he has a more detailed section. But here he says that the
highest level in this is that he acts with them as the Reverend and
noble Angels do this is by striving to help with their needs
out of kindness to them and by bringing happiness to their
hearts. So you're a happy Muslim, making other people happy? You're
like the angels with a high level of compassion. You've got a lot of
Shafique within you and and and you feel softness towards people
altruistically, helping people for the sake of Allah subhanho wa
taala. Can altruism exists with Islam.
That's the thing I've been thinking about. It depends on how
you define altruism, because altruism is like a selfless act of
kindness for others with no motive whatsoever to gain anything. But
our motive is always for the sake of Allah. So that's our altruism,
I would say.
Number two, the middle that he'd be with them as an animal or an
inanimate object would be
my sound very crude to people, but that's what the reality is, if you
can't benefit them, then act like a dumb animal with them. What that
means is, you may not bring them any good, you can't help them. But
he doesn't do them any harm a cow or
a sheep. They just walk around, do their own stuff.
And you do get a few aggressive cows, by the way, but in India,
they're walking on the streets and sometimes you just have to be a
bit careful if they're taking a liking for you. Right?
So
just be like an inanimate objects, you're not benefiting them. He
didn't make them an inanimate object. He gave them the level of
animals at least. Right? In that inherently what he's saying is
don't be like this be like the angels. You don't want to be like
an animal. So look at it positively or negatively. It's
just it's just too good. It's just too good.
Number three, the lowest that he be with them a scorpions, serpents
are wild beasts would be no one holds so good from him and evil is
feared of him. You're constantly ravaging people arguing with them,
disputing them, even when you try to follow this, what Allah
subhanaw taala says we're either hardtop or Honda hero in a call to
cinema. I remember there was his brother, who had an argument with
another brother and then it became Ramadan. So he comes out of the
masjid and he says to him, a Salam Alikum
because the Quran says that, you know, when an ignorant person
confronts you and say salaam to them, what it means is that deal
with it peacefully move along peacefully, like just kind of
don't engage. This person took it literally to show the other person
is ignorant. He said, a Salam aleikum, I'm doing what the Quran
is telling me to do.
That's just personality problems.
Therefore, if you cannot reach the horizons of the angels,
then beware of following fall falling below the level of animals
and inanimate objects down to the level of scorpions and snakes.
This is what I like most about the man was that he really makes you
think where are you? Who are you what status are you in? What's
your action? Where are they taking you? So he builds that typology
first and then after that, he makes you think where are you if
you are content for yourself to come down from the highest of
levels? Okay, fine, you don't want to be on the highest levels then
do not accept for yourself to be hurled down to the lowest of the
low
for hopefully you will be saved by doing just enough neither
achieving much nor losing all again in Arabic. This sounds much
better for in Northern Italy in Africa and Missoula. I mean, a
lien for the third dolla Bill House Bill Hawaii in a very
serene, Florida and then joueur Kapha fun la laka wala Alec
Have you seen the beauty of it? Check the sentence this is a
facing translation. The last paragraph for in more detail
enough sick
it's well if you are content with yourself that takes about four
lines of English and only one and a half lines of Arabic. The Arabic
script
which Allah chose the Quran for is so beautiful, that you can say so
much in a small amount. And one of the things that you can notice
immediately is that the vowels in English are letters, they take a
whole TextBlock, right whole word, place a, e, I owe you the only
small, the smallest one is probably the if you write it just
like that, but if you've got the top and bottom bars on it, then
that becomes big as well. But with Arabic, you got your Fatah, Casa
and Dhamma and a sukoon. You know, little Fatah, Casa de mon, the
letters and you just add them on. So you know, you can say, you can
say the word and with just three letters. And you just put the
vowels wherever you want.
Just a beautiful language down to its script, not just the way it
sounds not to its effect.
And its rhythm, its cadence. It's not them a composition, down to
the letters that it comes from. And it's formulation.
Therefore, by the light of your day, you should occupy yourself
only with what benefits you in your afterlife. And with gaining
these provisions in this life, which you cannot dispense with to
assist you towards your afterlife. So he's saying only earn enough to
get you through the life. So he wants the perfect human being, we
won't be able to survive with this.
Then if you cannot manage to fulfill the rights of your
religion while associating with people, and you cannot remain
safe, then solitude is better for you. You should adopt solitude for
energy safety. If you can't help arguing with people, whatever,
then just stay in your house.
If now, somebody is going to stay in his house, is he before you
could shut fitna out of your house. But now it gets beamed
right down to your hand. So how can you shut fitna out of your
house? You close your doors. But then you have your phone, your
smartphone, and it gets beamed right down to that.
It's very difficult now we live in a very strange time.
May Allah protect us?
So then he's saying that okay, fine, you've agreed to be in
solitude, you've chosen to be alone.
If in your solitude, though devilish insinuations draw you to
that which is displeasing to Allah.
And you cannot root them out with the duties of worship,
then you should go to sleep.
This is the part I was talking about.
After trying all of that goes to sleep.
That is the best state for you and for us.
For everybody,
when we are unable to gain any spoils of battle, we are at least
content with safety in defeat.
But,
you know, just in case people are getting happy with that, how sorry
is the state of one who can only save his religion by making his
life non functional.
After all, sleep is the brother of death.
It is to suspend progress in life and join company with inanimate
things. Heed this and you will be divinely guided. If Allah wills
Allah help us We waste so much time we waste so much time.
Let's look at page 60. Now.
This is I think the height of this chapter, this this particular
second third paragraph
your time you know people are complaining about how to organize
their time no Baraka in time, this is when it gets to the crux of it.
He says your time should not be without any structure.
Such that you occupy yourself arbitrarily with whatever comes
along.
You've got no plan
this, that or the other you just do this, then you do that then do
this.
Rather you must take account of yourself in order your worship
during the day and the night assigning to each period of time
and activity that must not be neglected, nor replaced by another
activity.
By this ordering of time, the blessing in time will show itself
a person who leaves himself without a plan as animals do.
He has to slip things in like that, doesn't he?
Not knowing what he is to do at any given moment. We'll spend most
of his time fruitlessly you know how we do that.
You check your whatsapp, you've got about five or six groups
you're on
Which is quite less, you know, five groups you're on. And in each
of these groups, you've got 50 people, or something. That's the
maximum is a 70. Now, right? So
people don't stop talking.
So you've just cleared all of your groups, you've read everything.
And then suddenly, you get another notification. Somebody just said
something, you have to check it out, just.
I mean, then again, I mean, I mean,
that's a moment of your time.
It's a good thing. I mean, it's a good thing. But to read those
means.
And you've done that, then you go on to your Twitter,
then you have to check on your Twitter, how many people retweeted
you?
How many people have responded to you? What other saying, that's
what I don't follow many people on Twitter, because I just can't
handle it.
There's people who follow 500 people, how do you do that?
If 500 people are tweeting just one tweet, that's 500 tweets that
you have to go through? How do you do that? That's in addition to the
Facebook notifications, and I'm not even on this, I don't even
know how bad that is. But I know that is worse than Twitter. That
much I know.
So you're, you're checking that you're checking this, you're
checking that, then within all of that is not just checking it,
they're gonna tell you watch this YouTube video, check this article
out. So you can ignore some of them. But how many of you are
going to ignore and you're going to start going and looking at
others. That YouTube video when you get onto YouTube, YouTube
doesn't let you finish does it after you finish shows on what
I've seen on my phone, and the computer is different. It's
advertisement solar on on the phone, it can't. So it gives you
your window. When you finish it minimizes and gives you all these
other options, like really fast.
So then, that looks interesting. And it's so intelligent. Because
the the,
the way it's been programmed algorithms that have been placed
in there, they know exactly what you want.
If you really want to know what you watch on YouTube, then just go
and look at what it suggests to you. And they'll tell you, you
wonder why is that? And it's probably because you've looked at
it before or something like that. So how are we going to escape from
the district's one to two hours there are people you tell them to
do vicar Have you done your maraca have you done yet the sweetheart I
don't get time. Then you see I'm online responding to people
responding to the silly things being part of the discussion.
You can go on if if somebody was to tell you to do 20 minutes on
the vicar, maraca whatever they could you do on your masala that
is so difficult. Then once you get on your YouTube or whatever and go
from one thing to the other. And wow 50 minutes have passed one and
a half hours have passed. You feel bad about it, but you still do it
again. Because it goes so, so fast so easily. That's the life we're
living in.
But it's such a hobbyist thing that you know you have to you have
to use it.
You have to use it.
I'm not of those that ban Facebook banned is banned, that there's a
lot of good that's on all of these things.
That is just discipline.
The only way you can get discipline is to connect yourself
with Allah subhanaw taala by doing vicar by doing some serious
liquor.
Otherwise you there's no escape from it.
Your time should not be without any structure. So then he says by
this ordering of time, the blessing in time will show itself
a person who leaves himself without a plan as animals do, not
knowing what he is to do at any given moment will spend most of
his time fruitlessly Your time is your life. Your life is your
capital. By it you make your trade your life is your money, your
capital, which you're going to make your business with. And if
you're if if your father or somebody with a bank loan haram
loan gave you 10,000 pounds to start a business and then you
start having party after party with that business with that
10,000 What business are you going to do? You think? Oh great. I've
got 10,000 Let me let me do this.
So that's why he's saying your time is your life your life is
your capital. Right? So Malik buy it you make your trade and buy it
you reach the eternal bounties in the proximity of Allah every
single breath of yours is a priceless jewel, because it is
irreplaceable. Once it is gone, there is no return for it. So do
not be like fools who rejoice each day as their wealth increases
while their lives decrease.
Why couldn't we be good? Why can't we be given most of our money in
our early life so
You can enjoy it. Then as we get older then we have life then we
become more stingy then we start thinking about others
and then you can't really enjoy it. What's the point?
What good is there in wealth that increases while while one's
lifespan decreases
hasn't been bossy Rahim Allah He said,
money can only benefit you when it leaves you.
Money can't benefit you. If it doesn't leave you you can have as
much money as you want but what benefit is going to give you until
you start spending it whether in the good or the bad, then you buy
things with it to eat to where to do or you spend it investing for
your hereafter otherwise they won't benefit keeping it is not
going to benefit you you become a miser. Become stingy and people
find that despicable.
Do not rejoice accepting an increase of knowledge or an
increase of good works. Truly they are your two friends who will
accompany you in your grave. When your spouse your wealth your
children, and your friends will remain behind.
Then when the sun turns red, make your effort to return to the
masjid before the sunset and occupy yourself in glorifying
Allah and seeking forgiveness. The special merit of this time is
comparable to the special merit of the time before the sunrise. Allah
Almighty most majestic says glorify Your Lord with praise was
a bit behind the rock big copula toleration see a couple of who
Rubia
before the rise of the sun and before it's setting.
So then he ends the daytime like that. Now let's have another only
two minute break this time just to relax our minds.
Bla Allah