Ahmad Kutty – Spiritual Ascent Stations On The Path To Ehsan #02

AI: Summary ©
The importance of achieving excellence and achieving forgiveness in Islam is emphasized in a course on Islam. Consistent practices and values are essential for achieving optimal behavior and avoiding harm. The importance of psychological and psychological dimensions in achieving forgiveness and deception is also emphasized. Consistent practices and values are essential for achieving spiritual well-being and avoiding waste of time on social media. Representatives and guidance are emphasized in achieving spiritual well-being and avoiding negative behavior.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.
Wassalatu wassalamu ala sayyidil anbiya wal mursaleen.
Muhammadin wa alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een.
Rabbi shrah li sadri wa yassir li yamri
wa ahlil lughdutan min lisani yufqahu qawli.
Once again we ask Allah subhana wa ta
'ala to bless us in this hour.
Allahumma allimna ma yanfa'una wunfa'una bima
allamtana wa zidna alma.
Ya Allah, teach us that which is beneficial
for us.
And bless us in the knowledge you have
granted us and increase our knowledge.
Brothers and sisters, it's my pleasure to welcome
you to another episode in this course on
spiritual ascent, maqamat or stations on the path
to Ihsan, journey to spiritual excellence.
This is the second episode in the series.
It's a great honor for me to welcome
you to this very very important course.
It is all about realizing excellence, attaining excellence
in our practice of Islam so that we
come clearer, closer and closer to Allah subhana
wa ta'ala, our Creator, Lord and Sustainer.
By doing so, we are in for ecstasy,
blissful state and tranquility and peace and joy
beyond any definition, beyond words.
So join me in this course.
This is a reminder for myself.
I am not perfect.
I want to improve myself.
I'm aware of my limitations.
So let's proceed.
But before doing so, I would urge everyone
to continue to pray for our brothers and
sisters who are oppressed, persecuted in Gaza, Palestine,
Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, everywhere, wherever they are persecuted,
whether Muslim or non-Muslim.
May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give them
victory over the oppressors.
May Allah defeat the oppressors and give our
brothers and sisters, allow them to live freely
with dignity and freedom.
Now, all praises to Allah subhana wa ta
'ala and peace and blessings on his chosen
messenger, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and all
the companions, the family, and all those who
strive hard to follow the footsteps of Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Now, last time we left off on this
slide, Imam Ghazali's view of Tauba.
We were discussing how the Quran and the
Sunnah and these great Sufi authors, Imam Ghazali,
Qushayri in his Risalah, and Imam Ghazali in
his masterpiece, These are the most outstanding treatises
for books on Tassawuf, spirituality in Islam, and
we should cherish these sources.
Although I warn that Imam Ghazali's Rihya contains
some spurious and doubtful traditions, you can disregard
them, but look at the main thesis of
Imam Ghazali.
He has produced a masterpiece that is very,
very important.
The same way, Risalah of Qushayri is also
available in English translation.
You can download the PDF and you must
study it, and Inshallah, this course will help
you in distilling the wisdom from these sources,
Inshallah.
So Imam Ghazali, in his Rihya, described Tauba
more than an emotional response to sin.
You know, often we think about Tauba as
a response.
We feel that remorse, but Imam Ghazali looks
at it as the first stage.
You know, the journey to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala is a journey of different starts
with one step and miles to go in
the first ladder.
First step on that journey is Tauba, repentance.
It is the key to our success.
You know, everything else is dependent on this.
This is the first step and we must,
we cannot skip it.
It's a transformative process.
You know, Tauba should change us from within
and without.
We need to break our ties with sins
and we have to return to the path
of obedience.
And also we need to nurture that deep
love for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the
creator.
Because Tauba is you have gone away from
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and you are
now coming back to him.
So in order to do that, in order
to realize the depth of your experience, you
need to have that deep love for Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
There are three stages for Tauba.
First is knowledge.
Knowledge is, you know, this is the principle
Imam Ghazali always emphasizes.
You know, in order to get rid of,
in order to develop a good habit, a
virtue, you need to see the benefits of
it.
And the harm you will do to yourself
by not developing that virtue.
So in the case of Tauba, in order
to practice Tauba, we need to know what
Tauba, the value of Tauba and the benefit
you accrue from it and the harm you
will do to yourself, inflicting upon yourself by
not resorting to Tauba.
So the serious impact of seriousness of sin,
you know, Tauba is repenting from sin.
And so you have to understand the ugly
nature of sin.
Just like you want to quit smoking, you
need to see, you need to visualize, you
know, what smoking does to people even if
you were to try to go to that
cancer ward and see those suffering from various
kinds of complications of cancer because of their
addiction to smoking.
The same way visualize the harmful effects of
sin.
And by indulging in sin, what you are
losing and the pain you are inflicting and
the benefit you are skipping.
And then acknowledge another aspect of it is
knowledge of Allah's majesty and mercy.
Allah is Al-Aziz, He is mighty, He
is watchful, He is just and He is
also merciful.
So know this and then motivate yourself.
Understand how sin harms the heart and soul,
destructive effect of sins.
Emotional response, this is high.
You have to visualize, you have to experience
remorse from within for what you have done,
the sins that you have committed.
And this should come out because you love
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
When you love somebody, you don't want to
displace him.
You would go out of your way to
do everything to sustain that love, to keep
that love.
So love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
cannot be compared to loving anything or anyone
in this world so imagine that.
Then action, the next step is take immediate
action to stop the sin and seek Allah's
forgiveness and also making amends and corrections.
You have to compensate for the victims, for
those you have harmed.
And then practical methods is rectification, correcting wrongs,
returning stolen goods or apologizing as forgiveness, devotion,
performing acts of worship.
So on top of that we need to,
you know our Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
said Allah will not remove dirt with dirt,
the sin with sin.
The sin are washed.
Good deeds wipe out the bad deeds.
So follow it up with doing acts of
obedience, acts of worship, extra prayers, fasting and
charity to atone the sins.
Then on top of that you know you
have to avoid situations or companions that led
you, that motivated you, that took you to
sin because often bad company.
You know we may be good but then
we get into bad company and slowly we
take on those habits.
You know Imam Ghazali beautifully says, When you
sit with a bad person you steal from
him, that character.
You take on that bad trait and that's
why Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said avoid
bad company.
You know it's like if you sit with
a bad company it is like sitting an
ironsmith where he is you know hitting you
know with the iron and the smoke and
the that powder that's all in the pollution
there you get affected by it with the
smoke and the smell that's exactly but on
the other hand if you keep company with
good people it is like keeping company sitting
near a perfume cellar.
You smell that fragrance and he may also
give you something of it rub on your
hand or your cross a little bit, spray
and you will benefit from it.
And of course the next thing is dua
and istighfar.
Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said in a
beautiful hadith it tells us something about the
nature of Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam as
a person who is always returning to Allah,
always seeking forgiveness of Allah even though he
is masoom, he is protected by Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala from sins.
He says, ya ayyuhan naas tubu ila Allah
fa inni atubu fi l-yawmi ilaihim ya
tamarra O people repent to Allah and seek
his forgiveness.
I do so hundred times a day.
It's Sahih Bukhari.
Regularly seek forgiveness through prayers like Sayyidul Istighfar.
Sayyidul Istighfar is something I will present it
inshallah.
I did do so last week but I
still need to do it.
And then of course psychological and spiritual dimensions.
Imam Ghazali stresses this aspect that tawbah transforms
the inner self.
So it's not enough to do so saying
Astaghfirullah and then doing some outward actions.
This is the beauty of Ihya.
Ihya is going deeper into these acts of
worship to present us the inward soul.
You can look at this coconut from outside
and layers and layers then inward.
If you miss that flesh inside, the feet
flesh, you miss everything.
If you just get focused on the outward
shell and the layers of shell of that
coconut or a beautiful fruit or sweet fruit
which has layers of outside but inside that
sweet fruit.
So that's why Imam Ghazali want us to
emphasize the spiritual and psychological dimensions of tawbah.
So inward vices we should be avoiding outward
sins and also inward vices.
Like arrogance, pride, envy, jealousy, anger and all
those feelings.
Practical applications then of course there is need
for us.
Daily practice like spend a few minutes before
bed reflecting on actions.
That's why we learned this lesson from Umar
ibn Khattab.
Who was one of those who realized the
ascended, made the spiritual ascent to the peak.
The stage of Ihsan, Abu Bakr and Umar.
But yet how did Umar achieve that?
Because he used to say, حاسبوا أنفسكم قبل
أن تحاسبوا Examine yourself before you are subjected
to examination by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And Umar ibn Khattab used to practice this.
محاسبة النفس Introspection before retiring to bed.
He would go over the activities of the
day and if he made a mistake, He
would cross it and say, Umar you did
that.
Now tomorrow you need to resolve not to
repeat this again.
And of course the thing that he did
good, he is happy.
But the mistake that he made, he is
determined to correct it the next day.
So another thing is regular istighfar.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam So of
course we already said it, repeated, so there
is no need to repeat it.
Recite, say the istighfar.
I have already, you know, astaghfirullah alladheem, phrases
like astaghfirullah من كل ذنب وطوب اليه And
say the istighfar is something that everyone of
us must practice it on a daily basis.
In the morning as we wake up, after
fajr salah, when we supplicate, remember to use
say the istighfar.
And then before retiring to bed also, before
dropping to sleep, read say the istighfar.
If you do so, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam said, Paradise is guaranteed for us.
Now, I want to present, I don't want
to leave without mentioning a beautiful story of
Hassan al-Basri.
The beauty of istighfar.
It should motivate us to make istighfar as
often as we can.
The man complained to Hassan al-Basri about
drought.
Hassan al-Basri is one of the greatest
of the scholars of the generation after the
Sahaba.
Extremely a Mohsin, one of those saints, friends
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Recognized for his morals and character and spirituality.
He says, somebody came to him, his disciple
reports about him.
Somebody are complaining about drought.
He said, seek forgiveness from Allah.
Another person comes complaining about poverty.
Again prescription, seek forgiveness from Allah.
A third person comes asking him that he
want Hassan al-Basri to pray for a
child.
He advised the man, seek forgiveness from Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Another said, there is no rain.
His garden is all, you know, being destroyed
because there is no wetness.
There is no rain.
Hassan again said, seek forgiveness from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Then Arabi said to him, the man, his
disciple, many different people came to you complaining
of various issues.
And you just simply instructed them to seek
forgiveness.
Answer of Hassan al-Basri is very, very
interesting.
You see how he is reading the Quran.
You know, وَلَقَدْ نَزَلْنَا الْقُرْآنَ ذِكْرٌ فَهَرْ مِمُ
الدَّكِيرَ أَفَلَأْ يَتَّذَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ Quran has been revealed
for us not just to chant but to
reflect and ponder its lessons.
Because Quran came to give life to those
who are spiritually dead.
So Hassan al-Basri replied, I did not
say anything of my own accord.
I did not make it up.
Allah almighty says in surah Nuh, فَقُلْتُ اصْتَغْفِرُ
رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّرًا يُرْسِلِ السَّمَعَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا
وَيُمْدُدُكُمْ بِأَنْوَالٍ وَمَنِينٍ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَلْ
لَكُمْ أَنْهَارًا Say, ask forgiveness of your Lord.
Nuh al-Islam is preaching and Allah is
courting him.
Allah narrates, ask forgiveness of your Lord.
Indeed, He is ever forgiving.
He will send down rain from the sky
upon you in abundance and give you increase
in wealth and children and make for you
gardens and make for you rivers.
So istighfar is the recipe, the panacea.
Then another person said to Hasan, you know,
he is, you know, surrounded by his disciples.
Then another person stands up and asks, isn't
it shameful for one of us we commit
a sin then seek forgiveness, commit another sin,
seek forgiveness and so on and on.
Hasan Rasulullah replied, you know, the happiest person
to hear this will be none other than
Shaitan because Shaitan want you to give up
istighfar.
The only way we can save ourselves from
Shaitan is make istighfar.
The only way for us to get rid
of our sins is making istighfar and Shaitan
doesn't want us to do that.
He wants to take us to Jahannam with
him.
And of course, Hasan al-Basri made another
statement.
The best people to appear on the Day
of Judgment are not those who have committed
no sin at all.
They are those in whose register there are
loads of istighfar.
So they are always making Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah.
Of course, while saying this, they are following
those steps.
Visualizing and experiencing and remorse and acting upon.
Of course, very, very important insight.
And of course, then Imam Ghazali says, identify
and avoid situations, environments of people that lead
to sinful behavior.
It's already indicated before.
Strengthen your bond with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta
'ala.
How do we do that?
Engage in acts of devotion.
Quran.
Come closer and closer to Quran.
You may read it and you should listen
to the beautiful recitation.
This is a wonderful spiritual experience.
There is nothing like a beautiful recitation of
the Quran if you open your heart and
listen to it.
You are immediately transferred to a higher level
of spirituality.
Hal.
This is called Hal.
You experience that.
So don't deprive yourself of this great experience.
Of course, attending Islamic gatherings where there is
spiritual uplifting and inspiration and practice Zikr silently
and also in group.
Make amends.
I already mentioned that.
And of course, as for self-improvement goals,
tackle one area of improvement at a time.
So if you are making Tawbah from backbiting,
replace it with kind words.
Because, you know, behavioral scientists say, you cannot
cut off a bad habit unless you take
on a new good habit.
So if you have developed your, you know,
tummy and it's expanding and expanding because you
have been sitting in front of that television
or simply watching the WhatsApp or with social
media.
You know you want to break that habit?
Start walking.
Every time you are motivated to do that,
take a few steps.
And do that consistently.
Simple step.
One area at a time.
Replace backbiting with kind words.
Instead of backbiting someone, say something good about
that person if you know.
And also seek support around yourself.
I already mentioned that.
With righteous companions.
And encourage and hold you accountable.
Of course, as Imam Khattab R.A. said.
Now, summarizing Qushayri and Ghazali.
See Tawbah as a transformative journey.
It's supposed to purify your heart and bring
us closer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
In the case of Qushayri, he started emphasizing
the role in spiritual growth.
But in the case of Imam Ghazali, he
considers it as a process involving mind, knowledge.
Intellectual knowledge.
And also psychological knowledge.
Of the benefits and the plus and minus.
The benefits, disadvantages.
And of course, knowledge involving the mind, heart
and actions.
So when we apply these principles, Tawbah becomes
a practical ongoing part of our life.
It's not just something done once.
It's a process.
It stays with us.
And it fosters spiritual growth.
And nearness to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Now, we covered the maqam of Tawbah.
Of course, there's a lot of discussions you
can make on it.
But because we need to finish this within
4-5 sessions.
So let us go to the next maqam.
The third and the fourth maqam are Warah
and Zuhd.
What is maqam of Warah?
That is the third maqam.
The station of Warah.
Warah means, refers to avoiding doubtful matters in
religion.
To protect faith.
It's avoiding the doubtful.
Consciousness is piety.
Linguistic meaning is pious caution, abstinence, avoidance.
Pious caution because your piety, your mindfulness of
Allah leads you to be cautious.
You don't get caught suddenly.
You don't want to drive the car without
checking the brake.
You have to be very, very cautious.
The navigation through this maze, this rough sea
of life.
You have to be very, very careful.
And so caution and then abstinence for certain
things.
Because if you go on indulging, it will
slip.
It's a slippery slope.
So you have to avoid certain things.
Otherwise, you know, you will get carried away.
Going with the flow is not a good
idea.
So Quranic references.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, فَكُلُوا مِمَّا
رَرَّقْكُمُ اللَّهُ حَلَالًۭا طَيِّبًۭا وَاشْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ إِمْ
كُنْتُمْ إِيَّهُ تَعْبُرُونَ Or you have believed.
Eat from the good things which we have
provided for you.
And be grateful to Allah for his blessings.
If indeed you, him that you are worshipping.
So Allah warned us to eat only that
which is pure and wholesome.
Lot of things are there.
Pleasurable, tempting.
But be careful.
Make sure it's purely halal.
As soon as we mention purely halal.
The biggest blunder we make is that it
has to be hand-slaughtered.
Allah is talking about ethical living.
It's not confined to eating hand-slaughtered meat.
Or Zabiha.
It is the way you conduct your transactions.
How you earn your income.
You could be eating the halal meat.
But the money you spend to buy that
meat.
If it is earned through cut of profit.
By lying and cheating.
By exaggerating the price.
And misleading people.
Or betraying your trust.
Or not doing your job properly.
And the income you have earned is impure.
So cautious, be careful.
What you put into your mouth.
Where you get it.
How do you gather your income?
How do you make your income?
And it has to be wholesome and pure.
So this is wara.
And do not pursue that of which you
have no knowledge.
Indeed the hearing, the sight and the heart.
About all of those will be questioned.
So one has to be really treading carefully.
Watch what you hear.
Watch what you see.
Watch what you think.
And then Allah says in another place.
Surah 49 Avoid much suspicion, assumptions.
Because some assumption is sinful.
Not all assumptions.
And then Allah says.
Imam Ghazali says this.
Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities.
And when they are angry they forgive.
So immoralities.
The sins and immoralities cover outward and inward.
And when it comes to prophetic traditions.
Prophet ﷺ is a Mufassir of the Quran
par excellence.
So these concepts in the Quran.
Of course there are other verses.
Which I can bring.
But I limit to a few of them.
Each one of them is worthy of long
reflections.
And Rasul ﷺ explains this.
Leave that which makes you doubt.
In favor of that which is not doubtful.
You know.
So if you think that this fruit is
coming.
From the Zionist.
Who have displaced this.
Taken over that property.
The agricultural field of the Palestinians.
And they have grown this fruit over there.
And that is important here.
Shun it.
So many of these products are in the
market.
If you really fear Allah ﷻ.
You should not be contributing to this aggression.
There will be literalists who would say.
No this is not required.
Because Rasul ﷺ did not boycott.
Astaghfirullah al-Azeem.
Did Rasul ﷺ say.
Don't support the oppressor.
In any way possible.
Is there any worse oppression.
Than them who are continuously.
We are hearing now.
10,000 people.
Their houses.
They are forced to leave their houses in
West Bank.
And of course they take over these properties.
These fields of our brothers.
And planned.
And they export those producers here.
And you are intervening in it.
Astaghfirullah al-Azeem.
Leave the doubtful.
And go for the pure.
There are products coming.
Which is free of this kind of oppression.
This kind of injustice.
Go for it.
Al-halal bayyinum wal-haram bayyin.
Bayyinahum wa mushtabihaat.
Mushabbahaat la ya'alamuha kaseerum min al-naas.
Mushtabihaat.
Here is mushabbahaat.
La ya'alamuha kaseerum min al-naas.
Faman ittaqal mushabbahaat.
Istabra li deenihi wa lihi.
The halal is clear and the haram is
clear.
And between the two are doubtful matters.
So Allah saves himself from those doubtful matters.
Saves his religion and honour.
So leave the doubtful.
Not just the meat.
Many people just get caught up on the
meat.
Now, wara is the key to piety.
Now, let's explain this by looking at the
quotes.
How our Salaf as-Saleh has internalised this
thing.
You know, fattaqullah wa yu'allimukumullah.
Allah says, when you practice, Man a'alim
a'mila bima a'alim.
Allamuhullahum ala min alam.
If you act on what you know, Allah
will teach you wisdom.
So these are great scholars.
They acted upon what they learned, so they
are speaking wisdom.
Wara is the key to piety.
And the zuhud is the door to paradise.
Who is saying that?
Imam Shafi, the greatest, third of the greatest
Imams.
We have four Imams.
We have Imam Jafar al-Sadiq as well.
We consider him as the fifth Imam.
So Imam Shafi says, wara is the key
to piety.
And zuhud, asceticism is the door to paradise.
Imam Muhammad ibn Hanbal, Wara is to abandon
that which is doubtful, for that which is
not doubtful.
Essence of wara is to leave what is
doubtful and turn towards what is certain.
Of course, the same thing.
Imam Sufyan al-Sawri says, Wara is the
shield of the believer.
It protects him.
The one who practices wara will have a
pure heart and a clear conscience.
Some beautiful sayings.
Now, coming to the way Imam Qushayri deals
with wara categories.
Wara applies to aqid, beliefs.
So when it comes to wara in aqid,
hold on to sound Islamic beliefs.
This is a very, very important insight he
has given us because a lot of deviant
beliefs and interpretations out there in regards to
aqidah stick to what is established and avoid
innovations and doubts.
And in matters of worship, perform acts of
worship sincerely following the ways of the Prophet
ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ said, Pray as you have
seen me praying.
Fast as you have seen me praying.
He didn't say it, but it's implied.
And do hajj as you have seen me
doing hajj.
So, stick with the form, format provided for
us by Rasulullah ﷺ and avoiding actions that
invalidate our acts of worship.
Because if you laa yuubadu illa bimashara Allah
ﷻ should not be worshipped or cannot be
worshipped except by the means and methods He
has established for us.
As Imam Ibrahim said, it's a very important
insight.
And when it comes to transactions, you have
to make sure that it's ethical, free from
all kinds of suspicion and doubtful.
Of course, our great scholars always were practicing
this kind of warah.
Food and drink.
Consuming only halal, pure foods, avoiding doubtful and
harmful items.
Not just rabiha, but earn through lawful means.
Where there is a doubt about the source
of the income you are getting, shun it.
Speaking truthfully when it comes to speech, speak
truthfully.
Avoid backbiting, gossip and idle talk.
Social interactions.
Good character.
Avoid harmful or evil company.
And treat others with kindness and respect.
These are the methods of warah.
Now, fourth maqam is zuhud.
What is the definition of zuhud?
A detachment from worldly pleasures and possessions to
focus on pursuing the afterlife.
Just understand.
You know we are now surrounded by materialism
and consumerism.
All of us, from top to bottom, we
are virtually drowned in it.
So I am ashamed.
Actually, I cannot preach this.
I am myself surrounded by it.
But I must remind myself.
It's a reminder for me first.
Before I remind you.
So we must not be engrossed, obsessed with
pleasures.
We need to take a look and focus
on pursuing the afterlife because we can get
carried away by this obsession.
Al haakumut taqasu hatta zuhudtumul maqabir You won't
be obsessed with the greed to have more
and more until you hit your grave.
So put a break.
So the linguistic meaning of zuhud is disinterest,
renunciation or asceticism.
But of course, Islam doesn't want us to
renounce the world altogether.
So we possess the world but the world
is not getting into our heart.
We possess wealth but it doesn't get...
So this is what Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam did.
This is what Islam taught our Qibarians and
all those Muhsineen did.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says Umma haadhi
al hayat al dunya When you look at
the real nature of this life, transient life,
we will not become obsessed, overwhelmed by this.
The worldly life is not but amusement and
diversion but the home of the hereafter is
best for those who fear Allah.
So you will not want to reason.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says The enjoyment
of worldly desires The
enjoyment
of worldly desires women, children, treasures of gold
and silk, fine horses, cattle and fertile land
has been made appealing to people.
They covet it.
They desire it.
These are the pleasures of this worldly life.
It is not lasting.
But what with Allah?
But Allah is there in store for us.
He is the finest.
That is the one you should be coveting.
Allah says in surah 86 that you people
prefer the life of this world even though
the hereafter is better and abiding actually.
It's not just more abiding.
It's the only thing abiding.
And when it comes to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi
wa sallam he has warned us.
He has explained this concept, Quranic messages in
greater detail for us.
How do we conduct ourselves in this world?
We are here travelers.
How often do you check into a bottle
or a hotel?
You check in and you check out.
We have checked in now.
This is a motel.
This is a hotel.
We are going to soon check out of
it.
Whether we like it or not.
We will check out.
Be in this world as if you were
a stranger or a traveler.
Don't become just completely occupied with that room
inside that hotel and motel.
Furnishing it more and more.
All your attention on that.
You forget that you are going to leave
it all behind.
Another hadith The world is a prison for
the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.
Disbeliever meaning a believer has to restrain himself.
That doesn't mean it is you cannot enjoy.
Of course Allah wants us to enjoy that
which is lawful and halal or some things
but don't get carried away.
Very very insightful tradition.
It's a warning for us.
* is surrounded by temptations.
You know people say it's my life.
I can choose what to do with it.
No, it's not your life.
We are servants of Allah.
We cannot be independent of him.
So we have to the temptations and the
desires we have to watch out.
If we give in to the temptations we
are heading straight to * fire.
But if we restrain ourselves while living modestly
within the guidelines given by the creator of
course we can hope for Jannah.
A course from Salaf on Zuhud.
Zuhud is not to prohibit what is lawful
not to waste wealth but to prefer the
hereafter to this world.
So you live always realizing the hereafter is
better.
So this is a brief station.
Of course you have to go through it.
You have to cultivate.
You have to work.
But don't forget our feet should be grounded
on the earth but our vision should be
beyond the horizons.
Beyond the confines of the world.
Look beyond to the hereafter.
Truth is to renounce what distracts you from
Allah.
Everything that distracts you from Allah is Zuhud.
So leave that which is a distraction.
So of course not what is in your
hand.
You don't need to leave what is in
your hand unless it is distracting you from
Allah.
So all those things that distract you from
Allah remembrance of Allah, from prayer and all
these things, you should shun it.
Zuhud is to be condemned with what suffices
you and to feel independent of that which
you do not possess.
Importance of Wara' and Zuhud these are the
two maqams we have mentioned now.
Purification of heart.
Both Wara' and Zuhud cleanse the heart.
This undue attachment, this obsession with the world
and it will make us receptive to the
Divine Light.
It will help us to come closer to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because detachment from
the world, adhering to piety brings us closer
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Of course these are essential for spiritual enlightenment
and self-realization.
How do we apply this practically?
In the workplace we have to be honest
in our dealings we should shun gossip and
work to serve Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So when you are in the office this
work that you are doing should be something
approved by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala should
not be an unethical thing.
You should not just expect Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala to forgive you if you are
doing a haram work and then making dua.
Personal habits eat healthily, avoid excessive sleep be
mindful of time and resources family life, treat
family kindly fulfill your responsibilities avoid wastage, wasteful
living this is something we are all of
us conditioned of surrounded as we are with
this materialism look at the way Muslims waste
the resources how much food is wasted how
much is in front of us when we
know there are millions out there our brothers
and sisters cannot have even one morsel of
food and yet we throw out so much
more than half of the food in the
Middle East, in the Muslim world of course
many parts of the Muslim world thrown to
trash cans so how would we stand before
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala financial matters spend
wisely, avoid debt and give charity, you know
not just spending money where do you get
your money, where do you get your income
social media this is the age of social
media we become caught up with it be
careful, use it for good, avoid harmful content
and be mindful of online interactions what you
see, what you do with that now practical
tips we must start small this is a
point we have mentioned before consistency in building
the character the habit, what is habit habit
is actions repeated over a course of time
so if you sit in front of that
television day in and day out, this is
a habit it will endanger your health the
same way if you are on social media,
whatsapp day in and day out, this is
a habit and this habit builds a character
so you become addicted to it you become
so much occupied with this and develop bad
habits and of course what you see is
going to affect your soul your mind there
is a connection between our limbs, our thinking,
our actions and our visualization what you see,
what you hear what you do, what you
think are interconnected so it has an effect
on our soul and the soul becomes corrupt
and then we become dead spiritually reflect on
the hereafter remind yourself of the temporary nature
look at this world as if you have
chakrin and you are going to soon check
out you came to this world the time
and place is determined by Allah and you
will be taken out of this world at
a time and place only known to Allah
we have no control over that so we
must go, we must leave this world and
seek knowledge, beneficial knowledge Islamic teachings on warah
and zuhr keep good company, repent sincerely practice
gratitude mind your intentions these are all of
course good company company is very very important
people you are associated with so it is
very important for us to work towards building
a righteous community be part of that community
get together with the righteous people and sincerely
depend let dependence be a habit and character
trait, practice that gratitude thank Allah for the
blessings and always introspect examine your intentions why
are you doing this are you doing this
to please Allah to gain fame and name,
reputation ask yourself, engage in dhikr regular remembrance
of Allah you can do so walking, talking
sitting, lying down driving, walking, going for a
walk the whole walking can be a spiritual
experience of dhikr if you do so everything
you pass by is greeting you because saying
salam to you because the whole creation of
Allah is engaged in that we cannot hear
it they are engaged in glorifying Allah so
when you join that chorus of singers of
praise of Allah your heart will be at
ease you will enjoy that communion with nature
communion with Allah self-discipline, control desires avoid
excessive indulgence in worldly pleasures and be patient
general principles, of course that we should have
sincerity of course everything we do make sure
sincere consistency we already mentioned that continuous practices
little by little every day that will make
a difference in our life gradualism take small
steps maintain a balanced approach to worldly matters
Ibn Qayyim has given further insights so of
course we saw what Qushayri and Ghazali have
done, we just overviewed glimpses provide outlines now
in the case of Ibn Qayyim he said
knowledge and reflection, understand the harms of doubtful
matters and reflect on their impact very very
important, spiritual practices grace voluntary acts of worship
engage in dhikr and of course we have
mentioned it be cautious in financial dealings same
thing in a different way he is putting
it and then cognitive reframing for Dhul recognize
the deceptive nature of worldly pleasures it's really
deceptive as Imam Ghazali put it the world
is like someone the wealth and the world
and the treasures someone catching a deadly cobra
very very poisonous snake you can have it
if you don't know how to handle it
it's going to kill you but a person
can catch that snake to get that, to
make a medicine out of that so of
course he is doing it, he knows how
to handle it it's different so the world
is like a poison it's elixir for those
who know how to handle it look at
Sulaiman A.S. look at Yusuf A.S.
look at Abdul Rahman A.S. look at
Abu Bakr A.S. look at Rasul A
.S. they possess dunya, they possess wealth but
they put it, they use it to get
to the next world so if you don't
handle it there are a lot of other
examples in front of us the rich and
famous it's right in front of you, how
they are using Elon Musk and Trump and
all those people how they are using their
wealth and influence our actions, look they are
heading to self-destruction like Qarun and Firaun
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala cited what happened
to Qarun so much they thought that this
wealth is endless because I deserve it I
earned it no, no, no, you got it
Allah gave it to you, it's a test
so you can pass the test but you
can fail it and when you fail it,
it's really a real fall so simplify life,
practice generosity avoid excessive worldly ambitions and of
course engage in fasting night prayers and reflection
conclusion, Vara and Zuhud are essential for spiritual
purification and growth continuous effort, it's not something
you do today and forget it, no continuously
we must engage and take the steps, actions
and self-reflection, introspection and we have to
motivate ourselves with that desire to come closer
and closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
when we apply these principles we move closer
to attaining Allah's pleasure and we get spiritual
enlightenment Marifatullah we have that blessed honour with
the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
the real love of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala Imam Shafi has captured the essence of
this path beautiful verses beautiful
Allah has some wise servants who turn away
from the fleeting pleasures of this world mindful
of his temptations because they know it's not
going to be like somebody who wants to
quench his thirst by drinking salt water the
more you drink the more you are thirsty,
so don't become obsessed with the pleasures, the
more you indulge the more you want to
eat Rasulullah s.a.w. said if the
son of Adam had two valleys of gold,
he would still crave for a third one
and it will not stop until he hits
the grave so we have to be careful
so Imam Shafi said they reflect deeply on
the nature of the world and they know
anyone who has come into this world they
are not going to live here forever they
will leave it all behind look at all
those tyrants, heroes big kings and rulers scholars,
scientists every one of them who came, they
went their way and you will do that,
you will go you are here today, you
will go, I will go so they know
this world is not a final abode or
resting place for anyone so they look at
it in fact it is like a river
that we must cross and we need a
vessel so they made a craft, a boat
or ship out of good deeds to get
them ashore, so that they can get across
to the next life hereafter so may Allah
help us to imbibe these lessons, embody these
virtues and practice these beautiful lessons that Imam
Qushayri and Imam Wazali and Ibn Qayyim have
shared us, their reflections of the Quran and
the Sunnah and the wise sayings of the
Salaf as-Saleh, surely if we do so,
we will enjoy that peace within and we
will share the fragrance of that peace with
others, let us share this wisdom, let us
act upon it and share it with our
children, our spouses and the community and the
humankind Subhanak Allahumma wa
bihamdik nashhadu wa la ilaha illa anta astaghfiru
qawwana tubu ilayk glory and praise be to
Allah when we are with us there is
no one but you we ask forgiveness of
you and return to independence Assalamu alaykum wa
rahmatullahi wa barakatuh I will see you next
time inshallah it is a pleasure to be
with you may Allah bless all of us
and forgive us and uplift us and inspire
us to act on this wisdom Assalamu alaykum
once again, see you next week inshallah