Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #094 La Ilaha Illa Allah is the Key to Paradise The Dangers of Knowledge Without Action
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The importance of gratitude for gifts and the use of ":15" in Islam is discussed, along with the need to be careful with negative language and affirmations. The practical aspect of negative negative statement is emphasized, along with setting goals and stretch goals to achieve success. The importance of managing liabilities and disliked things during bankruptcy is also emphasized. The speaker provides examples of individuals who have productive counseling experiences and use beneficial knowledge to draw closer to Allah.
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You're listening to the Roha, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasro Beni.
In our daily roha sessions, we are continuing
by the grace of Allah
to
look
at
40 hadiths on the merits of
And one of the things that we should
always be grateful for
is
and not to just to say what I
am grateful,
but to express
gratitude for
is the gift of the Quran and the
gift of Sahib al Quran of the prophet
The gift of the preservedness of the Quran,
the gift of the preservedness
of the sunnah. Because that's a gift
that no other
people
were were honored with.
Right? Many
of,
you know,
many of the
past prophets,
their followers never really settled down even in
their own lifetimes
in following them.
And there
and there are others who
it just took 1 generation or 2 for
their message to begin to be corrupted.
The fact that we have
the Quran
preserved
not just in its text, but its understanding.
The fact that we have the sunnah of
the prophet
preserved in its text and its understanding
is a tremendous gift.
So we should be deeply grateful for that,
and what is due to every gift
is
to
have
the expression of gratitude that befits the gift.
And the expression of gratitude for the gift
of guide of guidance
is
to strive one's utmost to be of the
guided.
So in
the
40 hadiths
on the merits of
by
Sheikh Yousaf and Nabhani. We stopped at hadith
number
21.
So in a hadith related by
a
and with a with an acceptable chain of
transmission.
From Zayd Din Alakam, the messenger of Allah
said
Allah
has given me a
covenant.
Allah has given me a covenant
that no one
of my community
will come
to me
with
not mixing with it anything except
that paradise will be incumbent for them.
And come to me,
it they the the Allah says it could
refer to this dunya, that someone who comes
and believes in the prophet
or ultimately comes to him, meaning on the
day of resurrection. Because each peep each people
will be gathered around their prophet.
Right?
Then no one comes to me of my
community
with
not mixing with it anything except that paradise
will be incumbent upon upon them.
So the Sahaba said, oh, messenger of Allah,
what is it that could be mixed with
The prophet
said, what is it that dilutes
Right?
And our beloved messenger
said,
avidness
for the worldly
and gathering it
and preventing it.
Right? Being avid for the dunya, which would
entail
that you gather it for yourself
and you prevent it
from those
who need it.
They these people say the words of the
prophets.
Right? We believe and so on.
However,
they do the actions
of the of the tyrants.
Because all what do tyrants tyrants want? They
want to gather the dunya,
amassing it for themselves,
and they prevent it from others.
Right?
So, of course, the worst kind of tyrant
is the one who
is actively oppressing someone else.
Right?
They're actual tyrants of this world.
But the prophet
here in this hadith is pointing to the
fact that when you
that worldliness
is an act of tyranny
and is the beginning of tyranny.
Why?
Because what do tyrants do? The tyrants do
3 things,
the prophet. Right?
Why do they
seek
that kind of absolute power? Because
they're avid
for some worldly gain,
power or wealth.
They want to gather it, that worldly gain
for themselves, whether it be power or wealth
or
and they prevent others from gaining what they
have gained.
But when you become morally, you have the
elements of tyranny
in that
concern.
The elements of tyranny in that concern
and they'll and that
so worldliness is the beginning of tyranny.
So beware.
And then,
yeah, Imam Al Haddad in
Risaira al Muzakar cautions that don't be deluded
by the delusion by which the shaitan
entrapped so many
people.
Let's say, well, I'm seeking the dunya, but
I'm going to use it in the good.
Because the likelihood is that you won't,
especially if you haven't taken the active means
to ensure that you're doing
what you must.
Right?
Because most of the doing of the good
sadly is token.
Right? It is not a fulfillment
of duty to the divine.
And this diminishes
the
import
of None of you believes until they wish
for others what they wish for themselves. To
the extent that you fail to live up
to that standard, to that extent,
your
that the
purity of will be diluted.
And if something diluted sufficiently,
it is not no longer called that thing.
A few drops of lemon
in water,
it's still called water. But you keep squeezing
more lemon into it,
it's it's no longer
water anymore. It becomes lemonade.
Likewise,
we have to be careful how much we
dilute our faith because eventually,
it does not fulfill
its ultimate
purpose
in the next life and its transformative
personal and social purpose in this.
Hadith number 22.
So this is a hadith that is related
by a.
And Imam al in
his
gathered
hadith that we
will be considered
DOA,
on arrival. If something typically
is related only by
Imam Adeilami
The
assumption is that it is
not only weak, but extremely weak. If no
one none of the other major collections of
hadith narrated it. But this is a general
principle, not not something that you can use
to apply to every hadith. It would cause
you to be careful about the hadith,
but
you cannot deem a specific hadith to be
weak unless
you've confirmed its weakness. Right?
And just because it's weak, even if it
could be very weak, would not necessarily mean
that it is rejected
because the meaning could still be sound.
And a lot of the hadiths in the
Muslim of in
in of
are
actually
wise words, etcetera, that have very profound meanings,
but the description to the
prophet may be
may be very weak or unsound.
But in it also are
many hadiths that are
that are sound
or have sufficient soundness in them like this.
This hadith is that say the Anas who
said that the messenger of Allah
said that when the servant says,
right,
the the the heavens
are
traversed.
Right?
Or harakat,
it traverses the heavens.
Right?
Right?
When you say it, it
goes through
all creation
until
it
stands before
Allah. And Allah
says to it, reside.
I mean, reside here.
So
says, how can I reside here when you
haven't forgiven the one
who sent me?
Right.
Right.
So Allah most high
addresses the statement of
said by the servant.
I did not cause you to come out
from by by their tongue except
because I had forgiven them.
Right?
And,
you know, this is this is related by
Delemyr with a sound chain of transmission. This
is, of course, pointed to that to him,
Allah subhanahu wa'ala says in the Quran,
To him
is raised the good word.
Right?
Right?
To him is raised the good word. Right?
And the good word is.
Right.
So Uqwah ibn Amir relates
that Abu Bakr said
that the messenger of Allah
said whoever says
such that their
tongue is confirming as true what is in
their heart.
They enter
from any of the 8 doors of paradise
that they wish.
And this is related by ibn al Najjar,
which is in one of the tertiary works
of hadith, but with a sound chain of
transmission,
with an acceptable chain of transmission.
The key is that you're saying it's not
simply the act of saying it. Right? But
your your tongue is confirming what is in
the heart.
So the meaning is present
in the heart. It has value.
If
the qualities
of the faithful
are
present in the heart of the one who's
saying it, the
right, Of hope and fear, of
love and intimacy,
of yearning,
of humbleness
before the divine,
of contentment, of certitude, the.
The qualities
of the faithful, then
it is not only salvific,
but it
raises 1 in paradise.
Right? And if it's said
by the tongue with realization
of its meanings and implications in the heart,
with presence rather than absence,
then its reward is
eternal closeness to Allah
Or so
the
Al hasanamil Nasal relates
to the messenger of Allah
said, the price of paradise is
and the price of blessings is
is all praise is Allah's.
Right.
So of course, this is a it's the
metaphor
is literally,
you know, and this is a Quranic
metaphor. The prophet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions
Allah has purchased from the believers
their
their
persons
and their wealth
in exchange for paradise.
Right.
But it's, of course, it's not a real
purchase because
nothing you have belongs to you to begin
with.
Right?
So it's it's a it's really
a
you know, it's an absolute generous deal. It's
a gift. It's not a purchase. Right?
But so but
but
if you realize that paradise is precious,
then you would and to and that there
are degrees to paradise,
then you would strive
to make much mention of La ilaha illallah.
If you realize that if you cannot
and if the and if the price for
blessings is say Alhamdulillah,
then realize that you cannot enumerate
all the blessings of Allah upon you, then
you would constantly
strive to be in Alhamdulillah,
be of those who say Alhamdulillah.
The final hadith we'll look at today
So this hadith is weakness,
but
the the chain is not without basis, So
it's it's a hadith that is acted upon
in virtuous deeds.
Right?
Relates to the messenger of Allah said, whoever
says
and prolongs
prolongs
its
elongation.
Right?
It
collapses for 1
it
destroys for 1, 4000 sins
even if they be major.
Right?
This is, of course,
this con this is considered to be
a type of hyperbole.
The merit in the Arabic language,
one can say
with a med of 2 or 4 or
6 or perhaps even more. Right?
And
the elongation
conveys a sense of emphasis as well. Right?
It,
is it just linguistically
or in terms of you say you say
but you extend the the negation, and the
state that this also has spiritual
benefit.
Imam Fakhruddin al Razi amongst others says that
it is praise it's because of the of
the text of it, but also the practicality,
because it's greater effort for a number of
reasons.
Textual,
practical,
spiritual,
that it is
recommended
to elongate
except in one circumstance.
When will you not elongate the?
They say if someone is becoming Muslim.
Why? Because you could die while they're saying.
Right? But you also see, of course, on
that dilemma, we're keenly aware of the reality
of death. Right? Don't don't trust even the
moment.
Right?
Right? Because the idea is that you cannot
the part of the meaning of la ilaha
illa, you cannot understand
who Allah is unless you
completely negate any of the meanings of divinity
from all
besides Allah.
Right.
So you it's a complete nation. None
has any of the quality of divinity. There's
no no being like Allah's.
Creation is not like Allah.
There's none who has any of the qualities
of divinity
but Allah. There's none who has life but
Allah. None who has
none has existence but Allah. None has life
but Allah. None
has will but Allah. None has power but
Allah. Right.
Etcetera.
And all the attributes.
So when you negate, you you you consciously
make an encompassing negation. And that's why you
elongate.
But both
have a basis in the sunnah, of course.
So that's what we're going to look at.
So the practical upshot is there's so many
hadiths,
general and specific,
on the numerous merits of
We are reading about those merits so that
we strive to be of those who make
much mention of
Practically,
the
the the the Fuqaha
try to give us a simp clear road
map.
So Imam Al Bajuri
in his hashia on the Senusia,
which were blessed
is,
you know, is being taught by more than
1 Canadian right now.
1 in town that I'm aware of. 1
out of town.
But Imam al Bajuri in his hashi on
the Sanusiyyah
states because Imam Sanusiyyah said, so the intelligent
person should make much mention of this noble
statement.
And Bayou said, what is considered a lot?
This is according to the jurists, the least
that would be considered a lot in saying
is 300 times
each day. Why?
Because Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala describes
the righteous servants as being those who remember
Allah by day and by night,
and who remember Allah throughout the day.
And the encouragements of
these 3 distinct time considerations that you begin
the day in remembrance, you end the day
in remembrance,
and throughout the day, you engage in remembrance.
So if you want the least that will
be consider and the the best of remembrance
is la ilaha illallah.
So if you make much mention of it
in the beginning of the day, at the
end of the day, during the day, and
there's been encouragement in the sunnah
that
to make to say things in 100,
then. So this was a deduced
recommendation also to give people
something to work towards.
Right? So that's something we should just all
commit to, myself first and foremost, that the
least that we we should say
is a 100 times. The least. But then,
Imam Al Baidu says, according to the imams
of the spiritual path, nothing less than 12,000
would be considered a lot.
And you can measure it if you want
if you're scientifically oriented, you could you could
measure yourself saying
a 100 times or do 300 just to
average it out
and see how long it takes. And then
you consider how long would it take to
say a 1,000.
It's not very long.
How long would it take to say 2,000?
So but aim, some there the the the
olema mentioned this, but if we put it
in contemporary terms, when they talk about
attainment.
Right? One of the types of goals that
one can set
is what's called a stretch goal,
which is a goal
that is far beyond what you're doing right
now, but it is achievable.
It's achievable. It stretches you, but it won't
break you.
But that stretching builds your capacity and your
confidence.
Right? And sometimes the olemmah get us to
do things. We're like, oh my god. I've
never done anything like that. But it's very
achievable. They're only telling you because other people
have achieved it. But if you can achieve
that, it builds your capacity and your confidence.
So practically, if you want to set a
stretch goal,
first measure
how long does
saying
a100
a100 times take.
For most people, it doesn't even take a
minute.
So saying it a 1000 times in a
day
is actually not that long. Even if it
takes you 2 minutes, not that long. The
best thing you can say in life.
And you don't have to say it all
at once. You spread it out all throughout
the day. Keep your tongue moist with the
remembrance of Allah.
Which is why if you pick up that's
why
one should have a a sibha.
Right? It's a it's recommended. It's religiously
recommended
to have
a sibha.
People asked Imam ibn Hajar al Askalani,
why does he why did he keep a
sibha? And he's a great imam of hadith,
Amir al mumineen in the science of hadith.
And he said because it it facilitates a
fulfillment of a sunnah, which is to keep
your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah,
to remember Allah in all your states and
circumstances, standing, sitting on your side. So that's
something one should keep. Right? One should keep
to facilitate remembrance wherever you are and don't
feel shy about. Someone asked why why are
you holding that? So I I try to
engage in a remembrance of god.
Know, one does it sincerely for Allah, but
one doesn't hold back from the good just
because people will say something.
You know, if you wear if you use
a nice sipah, people will be impressed. They
say
there's no wastefulness in the good. If you
wanna buy a sipah at your
spouse's expense,
just tell them. Say, you know, you must
you say if you spend a third of
your wealth
on perfume,
intending the sunnah thereby, it's not waste. Well,
it's hyperbole. Didn't mean it literally because that's
presuming you're single, other people don't have rights
over you, etcetera.
So that's
you know, so it's good to set those
goals, not too many. One thing that's realizable,
so you see, oh, there's a lot that
I can do. And that's one of the
things with the Ramadan coming up that one
should see Ramadan
as a time
to set some stretch goals
that you carry out the rest of
of of one's life. And a good if
you want to be of someone who makes
a lot of remembrance of Allah,
a very
straightforward way of beginning is with set a
stretch goal
and hold yourself to it. We'll briefly read,
from
Imam
Al Ghazali's
Ayuh al Walad,
which is a an amazing
treatise
on
the
of of counsel to a close student of
his.
So
imam
Abuhamdul Ghazali
says
addressing
a a close and dear student of his.
He says,
dear child.
Right? And this person had gained a lot
of knowledge.
But
and at the end of his studies, he
wanted advice.
You see the humility of of a seeker
of knowledge, though. Right? He didn't feel, like,
look at the esteem he had for his
teacher, he said.
Tell me what I should prioritize. At the
end of his studies, I know now.
Right? And this is at the end of
his studies. A lot of students at the
beginning of their studies, they're like, you know,
they have their own priorities, which is why
they never attain.
So,
Imam al Ghazali, because the person was sincere
in asking, Imam
al Ghazali gave him a generous
counsel, which is his work.
And
because the seeker asked, if you just think
about it,
he asked for himself sincerely.
It's a private question,
but
sincerity is transformative.
K?
We are now 950
years from the time of Amir Khazali.
Right?
And people are still reading
around the world. It's been translated to to
every language Muslim speak pretty much.
Right? By the sincerity of this student's question.
Right?
That's why nothing is small
if done with sincerity.
K? So he says,
my dear child,
He says, my dear child, do not be
bankrupt
when it comes to
actions.
Right? Of
don't be bankrupt of them because that's your
capital in life.
It's your actions.
Right? What Allah has made obligatory for you
and what Allah has encouraged
you to do.
And keeping away from what Allah has prohibited
you
and what Allah has discouraged you from doing.
And that is your that is the baseline
accounting of the believer.
Right?
And it's and bankruptcy is not just, you
know, I have a good income.
Right? Don't be with respect to actions bankrupt.
Right?
That you should have a net balance
in in your
accounts.
K?
Imagine if, you know, your the month is
beginning and and your accounts are empty.
And then they're
you'd be stressed.
So this is something the believer
what is your capital? It's your actions. But
bankruptcy does not relate only do good works.
But you have to manage your liabilities
and your sins,
and the disliked things that you do are
your
spiritual liabilities.
So beware of
spiritual bankruptcy.
Right?
And that's what knowledge is for and beneficial
knowledge of its qualities that you take yourself
to account.
That's one aspect.
Right? And do not be bereft
of
the the states of your heart that Allah
has called you to have.
Because just as Allah has commanded you to
fast and pray, he has commanded you to
to hope and fear,
to love and yearn,
to be in awe,
to have good opinion of him, to be
content,
to be grateful.
Right?
And if you're bereft of these states, this
is also a type of bankruptcy.
Because what is the ruling of being content
with Allah?
It is just as obligatory as the prayer
if not more.
Right?
Right? So these states
which states?
The states that Allah has commanded the believers
to have
and the one he's commanded the believers to
be rid of.
And be sure
that knowledge alone will not take you by
the hand. What will take you by the
hand is knowledge is like a light. Right?
But if you keep the light if you
keep the the light
closed in the book,
it will not illuminate for you the way.
Right?
You have to direct the light towards a
straight path that you walk to your lord.
And you'll give an example and we'll
stop with that. He said,
So he says the example. If there's a
man who's in the countryside,
who has 10
Indian swords,
right, the best of swords,
right,
in in those days, from the time of
the from before the time of the prophet
till the time of no. Indian swords were
the best swords.
Of course, at the because Indians have been
been fighting
all this time.
Right? An old civilization has been fighting
for 1000 of years.
But
this man in the countryside has 10 Indian
swords
and other weapons.
Right? So they're all like he got his
whole arm.
And this man is brave
and is a fighter.
He's capable of using the weapons.
But then
a fearsome lion attacks,
then, so what do you think?
Do you think that the weapons
on their own will ward off the attack
of the lion
without
the man using the weapons,
without him striking with the weapons.
Right? And he says,
It is obviously known
that the weapons will not benefit
without you
using them
and striking with them.
Likewise, if a person
studies
a 100000
issues of knowledge
and they teach them
and learn them,
but they don't act upon them,
they will not benefit
the the person themselves
except by acting upon them.
And he
expands on this with another example, which we
will see next
next session
but the emphasis is is clear. Right?
That knowledge only benefits if you act upon
it. Otherwise,
it is almost comical.
It is foolish.
Right? Like the example that he uses.
The guy sitting there and you are capable
of using it too. That's what learning does.
Learning gives you the capacity
to use the knowledge
for its purpose, which is the straight path.
That's why Imam Al Ghazali
gave some beautiful definitions of what is beneficial
knowledge. One of them is that it's
It is the knowledge of what will enable
you to draw closer to Allah. But it
will only draw you closer to Allah if
you take the steps. It show knowledge only
shows you the way,
but you've got to
walk.
Nessa Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
at taisir. This is pointed to, of course,
by the words of the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam in the tremendous promise of what
is beneficial knowledge. He said,
whoever
pursues a path,
seeking
therein
knowledge.
Allah will facilitate for them through it
a path to paradise.
Will seeking the knowledge get you to paradise?
No.
And whoever pursues it, as it should be
pursued.
Right?
Selakah, they do it in a gradual,
purposeful,
sustained manner.
On a trodden path, Tariq,
Yeltemis,
seeking
with
seeking properly. Because is from Lemps. They're seeking
something with.
Right? With proper consideration
of,
you know,
what they're seeking.
Seeking in it knowledge.
And
is in the indefinite because it's great.
It's something great.
But where is the knowledge found? The knowledge
is found on the path.
It is not the goal of the path.
But the path of knowledge is not the
path to paradise.
Also telling us the point,
that
for the seeker, there are 2 paths both
are required.
There's a there's
the path of gaining knowledge,
which is tremendous.
Right. Because without it, the other path will
not be facilitated.
Right.
The other path
is
Allah will facilitate
for them
a path to paradise.
The path to paradise is
the the spiritual path, which is acting on
what you know.
But it's the hadith also tells us that
if you seek the spiritual path, which is
a path to paradise, the path of closest
to Allah, but you don't seek knowledge, then
what your your the path to paradise will
be, at the very least difficult,
likely dangerous,
and it is to be fear that you
will not be able
to pursue it.
So this is these are the words of
the prophet. This is
so much
has been said
about
the the you know, just this hadith, which
is actually part of a longer hadith in
Sahih Muslim and elsewhere.
As
one of the poets said describing the beauty
of the of the beloved messenger, sallallahu
alaihi
wa
sallam,
Right? Despite the adeptness of those who would
describe
his beauty,
Time itself is extinguished,
but there remains in him much that was
undescribed.
Every statement of the messenger
is
dazzling. We just
grasp
some of its of some of the dazzle
of its beauty and light. May Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala make us of its people
and dispel from us any darkness within us,
in our conduct, in our character, in our
states,
in our dealings,
and make us truly of the people of
the sunnah
in form and spirit,
in
meanings and realities,
that we benefit from it and be able
to benefit others from it.
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