Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #012 Last Person in Paradise Good Character
AI: Summary ©
The importance of seeking guidance and moral responsibility is highlighted, as it is a forwarding of honor. The meaning of the door of Easter is discussed, including the number of doors and gates in cities with at least 4 doors. The speaker emphasizes the importance of being aware of what one has to love and not just accept it. The importance of faith and duessertion is emphasized, as it is a strong, obligatory, and good character. The importance of practical knowledge is emphasized, as it is crucial for achieving practical knowledge of the spiritual path.
AI: Summary ©
The messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be
upon him, encouraged us to strive for uprightness
by seeking assistance in the early mornings, late
afternoons at and something of the depths of
the night. From this tradition, the scholars made
it a habit to briefly read text of
religious guidance in the late afternoon and often
term such readings the daily.
The term refers to the late afternoon, but
also to a time of rest from worldly
toils and reinvigoration of one's spirit.
In this day,
Sheikh Horazrabani will be covering 2 texts, imam
Zarnouji's primer on the etiquette of seeking knowledge,
and imam Youssef Anabahani's beautiful collection of 40
sets of 40 prophetic hadith.
Alhamdulillah, we're continuing to look at the 40
Hadith Qudsi.
And
we've looked at a number of hadith regarding
the tremendousness
of the reward
of the hereafter
and
the tremendousness of the generosity of Allah, the
tremendousness of the mercy of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. From that, the ulema tell us a
simple principle.
Right? That taklif
taklif tashrif
that
moral responsibility
is in reality
a granting of honor.
It's a granting of honor.
Why?
Because we can look at moral responsibility as
a burden
and a difficulty.
We can look at
the fact that we're accountable
as being
somehow
a test
and that some will be punished.
But rather,
Allah
has given us
the opportunity
and the choice
out of his complete grace
to
go from being
fleeting
beings
that wink into existence and wink out
to being lasting
creatures.
Lasting
in
the grace and mercy
of Allah.
This is why
says in his hikam,
He has made it incumbent upon you
to
to be in obedience
to him.
And in reality, he has only made it
incumbent upon you
to enter his paradise. This from the words
of one of the great imams of
Islam,
a
secondary.
So we reached hadith number 19.
So the the messenger of Allah mentioned
in a hadith.
Right?
Regarding
the fact that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
completed
judgment
between the servants on the day of reckoning.
And a man remained
who is directed,
who is
facing the fire and directed towards
it.
And this is the last person
of the people of paradise who will enter
paradise.
This man will say
This man will say,
and
he was a believer,
but he'll be headed towards the fire and
he'll say, oh, Lord,
turn my face away from the fire.
For
its wind
has
singed me,
and
its flames have burnt me.
And he calls upon Allah most high
with
what
he willed, what was willed for him.
Right? Of what was willed for him to
call upon.
Then Allah,
mighty and exalted says,
So
this man is directed to the fire,
and he calls upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Alright? So he's already been judged that you
will be punished
in the fire, and he's directed
towards the fire.
But then he says, oh, lord, turn my
face from the fire. Right? As we saw.
And he called upon him. Then he says,
then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,
am I not about
and
Right? That
when I'm about to do this with you,
would you call other than him? Then Allah
And the servant says,
I would not ask other than Allah.
Why is it mentioned in the 3rd person?
It's out of majesty.
Right? Out of majesty. Would you ask other
than him?
It's out of majesty. Although the address is
from Allah.
And he
gives covenants and pledges
regarding that, that I would never call other
than you.
Right?
As Allah willed for him to give.
What does this go back to? In the
hereafter,
we replay
the realities
of our of the sincerity of our faith
in this life.
So this was a servant who believed,
but he
had so many shortcomings, but he believed.
Right? He believed.
And he makes pledges. I would never call
other than you. And he gives pledges and
covenants that never even if I'm about to
be punished, I would not call other than
you. So Allah turns
their face away from the fire.
So then they were directed
towards paradise.
He was silent
for as long as Allah will them to
be silent. Silent in what? In awe and
amazement.
Then Allah most high will address the servant.
Would I,
if I give you this?
Right? This referring to all that is before
him of paradise.
That would you ask other than him, other
than Allah himself?
The servants
of know by your honor,
by your might.
For Right? And he gives his lord
what Allah willed of
pledges and covenants regarding that, that I would
not call upon you whether you were to
punish me
or whether you were to reward me.
So Allah brings him allows him to come
to the door of paradise.
What does it say? Sorry.
So he gets to the
door of paradise. The door, can refer to
a door but also it refers to a
gate. Right? A gate.
When it comes to paradise, it's they're really
gates.
Right? The cities had gates.
Right?
And cities generally had 4 gates. 1 one
from each
side.
Right? And that's one of the meaning that's
understood
in the complete different context in the hadith.
That most of the hadith masters deemed to
be at least sound.
That,
I am the city of knowledge and and
Ali is
its door.
So Abu Moin and Nesafi, in his
in his work
on
says
that, what it this actually doesn't point to
the superiority of sayin Ali
or the primacy of his but how many
doors does a city have? It has 4
doors.
Is a door of it, a door of
the 4 doors.
Right? Because every city would have at least
4 doors. Right? 1 on each side. Because
cities would be walled
so that they're not attacked by marauders and
others.
Right? But they would have gates.
So when he came
to the gate of paradise,
in
So when he comes to the gate of
paradise,
the disclosed
you know, paradise is disclosed to him, is
made apparent to him. So he sees all
that is in there of good and rejoicing.
So
he's silent
for as long as Allah willed him to
be silent.
Again, amazed.
And
then then the servant will say, and this
is the last person who enters paradise. Right?
That all other
believers have been taken to to reckoning.
The last person. So,
you know, presumably, their
their bad deeds
far exceed any good that they may have
done.
So the servant says,
He say, oh Lord,
you have made me enter paradise.
So the so Allah, mighty and majestic says,
So
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
is addressed by this servant that, oh lord,
you make made me enter paradise.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will so Allah,
mighty and majestic, says to him,
Have you not given
your covenants and pledges
that you not ask?
That you not ask for other than what
I have given.
Because he's expect each time he's asked Allah
for more. So now I say, now you
have paradise.
So have you not pledged not to ask
for other than what I have given?
Adam. Woe be upon you, oh child of
Adam.
How
treacherous
you are.
Right? It's as if the person well, can
you give me more now?
Or
he could have been on the verge of
now
neglecting those pledges.
Just to remain
conscious of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Right? To
to remain
grateful of Allah. Right?
Because these are the tendencies of the human
being,
is to forget,
to become heedless,
to be an ingrate.
Right? The human being is and kafur.
Truly wronging
and truly
truly wronging and truly ungrateful.
And we have to be aware of those
things.
Right? Wronging is not genuinely not giving others
their due, and ungrateful
is not to recognize blessings, but to simply
take them for granted.
So but this this servant has been so
touched
by this amazing
mercy.
I won't be the most
ruined of your creation.
And you'll continue to call upon Allah most
high.
And he's at the doors of paradise. Right?
It's free.
He continues to call upon Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala until Allah laughs at him.
Allah will say, enter paradise.
He says, wish.
So the servant enters paradise, and there's all
these things,
right, of good,
of and of joy.
When the servant enters, the servant, the last
person to enter paradise, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says,
wish.
Wish meaning whatever you wish.
So he asked Allah,
and he continues wishing.
Right?
And Allah reminds him of
things to wish for.
Right?
Reminds him, well, you could wish for this
and this. Right? Because he he lost track
of what he could wish for. Allah reminds
him.
Until
he has no more wishes left.
Everything he could have wished for and Allah
reminded him of much more.
There's nothing more he can think about. So
Allah subhan Allah mighty and majestic says,
that's all yours.
And the like of it with it.
And the like of it with it. This
is the
generosity
of Allah
They they shall
have whatsoever
they wish
with their lord,
and with us is that which is far
greater.
But you are inspired to ask Allah
in the hereafter
to the extent of what you aspired for
in this life.
And you're inspired
to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
in the next life
in accordance with what you aspired to in
this life.
Right?
And it's all pure joy. There's no sorrow
in but as Abu Madyan says,
Abu Madyan
summarizes,
you know, essentializes
this meaning
in his aphorisms when he says,
What a tremendous difference between the one whose
concern
whose ultimate concern. What do you want in
the hereafter? I want
the maidens of paradise
and its castles.
And because that's what they were worried about
in this life.
Yeah.
Wife, family,
you know, worldly beloveds,
worldly possessions.
And, yeah, I believe, and I'll,
you know, I'll
get into paradise,
stumble into paradise. And then what will you
seek there? You'll seek
the equivalent there, which is good.
And that's what what the what your consciousness
was in this life will be amplified in
the next, but that's the degree of your
consciousness.
But what a difference between that,
and that's eternal joy.
But what a difference between that
whose concern is
for the lifting
of veils
and constant presence.
They shall have whatsoever they
sought
with their lord.
So it's like that if paradise is
the king's castle.
Some just want to get into the castle
because outside
is a flame.
And they they like the garden, they were
safe.
And we got food. What are they thinking
about before they got to the palace?
The castle?
Food and drink and some rest and some
pleasure.
And
the the castle grounds are vast and that
they got that.
Others wanted
more.
Others wanted to be in the king's in
the palace itself.
But others
wanted the king.
Not just to be close to the king,
they want the king himself.
And they will not be granted any less.
The one who eats with the king isn't
won't get less than the one who eats
out in the garden.
And the one who just wanted, you know,
the beautiful fruits of the garden,
do you think they eat better than the
one who says, I want the king?
Who will get the better meal?
Incomparable.
Mean,
But part of what we learned from this
is
the power of tawhid.
That despite shortcomings,
the most important meaning
that must be instilled in our own consciousness,
in our children,
in people, is
the unequivocal
belief in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and it
and
unequivocal
conviction of His
mercy and His majesty.
And too often we emphasize too much on
simply
his
lordship without recognizing that our understanding of lordship
is
enveloped by mercy. Is
cherishing,
caring
lordship.
Right?
That's one of the meanings understood from this.
Another meaning understood from this hadith very clearly
is
the power of du'a.
The power of du'a.
That doesn't matter how often you have erred
and slipped.
Nothing
changes
conditions
like
dua, even with the person who was headed
towards the fire.
Right?
Says whenever he loosens your tongue to ask,
know that he only willed to give you.
So
loosen.
Right? Don't be so uptight. Loosen your loosen
up a little by asking Allah.
And you you'll only inspire to you to
ask.
Even when Allah grants the person paradise. He's
at the gates of where did he just
enter?
Right? But you're granted some wishes.
When you enter paradise.
You can ask for whatever you want.
But you also see here in the hadith,
the importance that he made pledges and covenants.
Right?
And
an important thing to appreciate, right, and and
this is why one shouldn't pay attention
to,
you know, the random academics
or
other.
Sheikh al Buti Rahimullah used to hate the
term
thinkers.
Because the human being is a rational animal.
You call someone a thinker.
Right? Or even like an an intellectual.
An intellectual so you're saying you have an
intellect that you can use.
Oh, basically,
you're saying you're a human being.
Unless you're saying you're not a complete fool,
which is not a term of praise.
So calling someone an Islamic thinker or an
intellectual, Sheikha Buti, would take some serious affront
to both terms. Mufakir Islami, Islamic thinker.
And if you're Muslim, you think according to
the guidance that you commit to.
And you think because you're a human being.
So maybe you're saying I'm not an animal.
Like, I'm not merely an animal. So it's
not but be careful because they come up
with all these
theories about people being influenced by this and
that, by pledges.
All the terminology
used by the great scholars of mainstream Islam
in the various disciplines
are deeply inspired by
prophetic teaching, by the Quran itself, by prophetic
teachings.
So the the importance of these covenants, these,
right, this is something
that,
is important that make those pledges now to
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Make those pledges now, those commitments. What are
the commitments that one makes to Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala now? So one doesn't have to
be retested in the hereafter.
Imam Abdul Luha Bisharani like some others before
him, he said in reality all the pledges
we make with Allah are
related to following
the Messenger of Allah
So,
these pledges,
he has an amazing book called
The Muhammadan
covenants.
That every
guidance that Allah Most High
commanded us to uphold
or everything that the prophet
commanded us to desist from, whether at the
level of obligation
or encouragement,
prohibition
or discouragement,
each of them is a pledge,
each of them is
And
it's an amazing amazing work, each one begins
and the messenger of Allah took from us
a covenant that 1, 2, and 3. Right?
So each sunnah is a covenant
and to the extent that you uphold those
Muhammadan covenants.
The covenant is taken with the messenger but
in those who pledge allegiance to
you are only in reality pledging allegiance to
Allah. So are
following the messenger,
our taking on any sunnah of the messenger
salallahu alaihi wa sallam, right, is
accepting a covenant with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And what's Allah's
pledge
And Allah does not
on his pledge
is
that he will reward you for it eternally.
He will reward you for it eternally.
So
these pledges are very important, which is why
one of the meanings of when we send
blessings and peace upon the prophet
blessing
blessing
salah is
a It is divine mercy
with veneration and honoring,
exalting.
But
the salaam,
the peace is eternal,
unimaginable
peace,
but it is also
an affirmation of a pledge with the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. That when you say Allah
subhanahu alaihi wa sallam Muhammad,
that O Allah
put the heart of your Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam at rest regarding us then we will
uphold
our pledge, our covenant with him.
And that covenant with the messenger has two
levels.
At one level, it's a covenant
to follow him.
Right?
Out of love for Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
If you love Allah,
then
follow me.
And Allah will love you. And until
the meaning of loving Allah
is rooted in our heart, the prophet is
concerned about us. And until we uphold that
meaning in our own life, the prophet is
worried about us.
But until then we fall short of being
beloved to Allah Subhanahu Wa Salam. And the
prophet is not at rest regarding any of
us
until we are beloved to Allah.
Right?
But that's just one half of the pledge
with the messenger
The other half of the pledge with the
Messenger is
with respect to his ummah.
That, O Messenger of Allah be at rest,
that we will
fulfill
your
concern
with respect to your in
calling to Allah
through knowledge and and
service and example.
So so this is this is a pledge
that we make with the messenger and this
is mentioned by many of the great imams.
Amongst them, Imam Abu Abu al Sharani and
others. And this meaning was mentioned very beautifully
by Sheikh Mohammed Al Hashimi at Tilimsani,
the teacher of Sheikh Abdulhamani Shahuri, in his
brilliant work on Islamic beliefs called Miftahul Jannah,
the key to paradise.
In
explaining
the the beliefs of Ahlus Sunnah.
So this is a long hadith,
and it required a little bit of explanations.
So this is what we wanted to touch
upon. Regarding the hadith, we'll look briefly
before we close at
the
at the work
instruction of the student regarding the ways of
learning.
And
there, if
you can just remind me where specifically had
we reached.
Yeah. So we'd looked at the various things
that are obligatory for us
to
uphold and amongst them is
And likewise,
is incumbent upon us
to gain knowledge of
all
the traits of character.
So the traits of character
are
some of these are
obligatory.
Right? Some of these are obligatory
to have.
Right?
And
Right?
That which
the
obligation is not fulfilled without
is itself obligatory.
That which the obligation
is not fulfilled without
is itself obligatory.
Right? So what is obligatory is that one
be characterized
by those qualities
that are obligatory to be characterized by
in our.
What is?
The, a
can refer to your character as a whole,
and also it can refer to particulars of
your character. Right?
Right?
Particulars.
Yes. So you have.
Right? So
can can can be look at character
as a whole. Right? As as a whole,
you
have good character.
Right? But
and in that sense,
good good character is
is is a whole. Right? Some person has
good character.
But you can also look at character as
and they're made up of
different
qualities, each of which
has the potential of being good or or
not good.
And these are
obligatory
in
the same way as
prayer and fasting
are,
obligatory.
So he tells us
so
if consider as a whole,
your your
character
is
your
your the way you are, your your disposition
your disposition,
your inward disposition
that causes you to incline
towards
good
inward
states
and good outward
conduct.
Right?
And each huluq,
each particular
trait,
inward trait
is called hasan
if
is pleasing to Allah, and if it's a
source of good
in creation.
Right?
And likewise,
in all traits of character.
Such as
some of which are obligatory to acquire such
as generosity,
and
stinginess
which is blameworthy.
And being
is being cowardly, and
as being,
reckless.
Which is blameworthy because it's going beyond bravery.
And arrogance
is blameworthy
and which is humility,
which is praiseworthy. It's one of the most
distinguishing qualities of the believer.
And dignified restraint,
and wastefulness,
which is a blame worthy trait.
That's more related to conduct, but
it arises
from
an inward lack of concern.
Right?
And being
excessively,
you know, using things excessively little. Right?
So
when you don't use enough water such that
it is clearly washing.
Right?
Because
arrogance
and stinginess
and cowardliness
and wastefulness are prohibited.
There's an extent of each of these which
are prohibited.
And it's not to avoid them except by
knowing them.
And knowledge of that which is
opposite to them.
So it is obligatory upon each person to
have knowledge of them.
And
the ways of acquiring good character, there are
different methods.
Both
intellect
both
in terms of learning about them
and in terms of the spiritual method of
their acquisition.
Yeah. Because learning is about studying. These are
the good characters. How do you acquire them?
And one of the primary, you know,
one of the great early masters of spirituality
Spirituality
is all
Whoever has better character than you is higher
in their spiritual path than you are.
So this great scholar, Nasiruddin
Abu Qasim
wrote
a work on the science of good character.
And what a great book that he authored.
So it's necessary for every Muslim
to memorize it. Right? To memorize it or
to master this.
Right? To master this.
And character, of course, there's one part of
knowledge, so one knows what these things are.
And that's
very
praiseworthy.
And that's an area that one has needs
to gain practical knowledge of. What is generosity?
One knows this is what generosity is
so that one can act accordingly.
Right? And then how does one
operationalize
that? Right? That is part of spiritual training.
How does one acquire
the fadail and how does one rid oneself
of the and
acquire the praiseworthy qualities and rid oneself of
the blameworthy
qualities.
Right?
And
there's, you know, different spiritual methods for that.
And that's one of the purposes of the
spiritual path
of a sound
spiritual path.
But
knowledge
is a key facilitating component because even in
spiritual seeking,
are those who know
like those who who know not.
Right? So knowledge is not sufficient. And knowledge
without action as he's already mentioned
would be a case against you. Because you
knew, so you have
more.
You you should know better
to turn to it.
And a personal knowledge who
acts not upon their knowledge will be punished
before
the worshippers of idols, says,
Ibn Raslan, the author of the.
Right? He says,
learn even
well,
and, you know, act upon it even with
a tenth of what you know.
So
act upon it. Even with a tenth of
what you know,
Like zakat
zakat on crops.
Because
zakat that's how by the light of knowledge
you'll be saved from darknesses.
And a person of knowledge who by their
knowledge does not act
will be punished before the worshippers of idols.
But
if one strives to act upon it, then
whatever the spiritual method that one follows, and
there's a number of ways, right, number of
ways. But
having
the knowledge of
these virtues,
the these,
so one strives to acquire the pleasing ones
and work against
the displeasing ones.
Right? There each of these, the the, you
know, the the all I'm gonna say, they're
the the the acquisition of good character has
aspect and aspect.
The aspect is to know it. What what
is the virtue?
How is it? What is his definition?
What are its characteristics?
When is it tested, for example?
And the Amelie aspect, How does one
acquire it? And the methods
of acquisition
are
many. Right?
And also and things are also known by
their opposites.
So so to to to know about generosity,
one also must know what is stinginess, what
is prohibited stinginess.
So that so that if one keeps away
from stinginess,
one will be closer to remaining,
of those who are of generosity.
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