Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #127 Sincerity in the One Calling to Allah
AI: Summary ©
The importance of being a preacher and not just a public speaker is emphasized in a series of emphasizing the need to admonish oneself and not call others. The danger of being in a public program and the importance of being in a speaking style to impress people is also emphasized. The speakers stress the importance of learning and being aware of one's behavior to avoid becoming a false pretending person. The importance of yearning and the need for people to be aware of the realities of faith in tashwiq is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
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Muhammad.
In our sessions
on
Imam Al Ghazali's
as part of our
Roha sessions.
We are in the closing councils
of Imam Al Ghazali
to a dear
student of his. Someone seeking
to act on his knowledge.
Seeking
to tread the path of turning to Allah
So, Imam Al Ghazali
told him that there
are 4 things
that you must avoid
and 4 things you must do.
And the first thing that he told him
to avoid
diligently
was
debate and argument.
And he said and even
getting into religious discussions with people should only
do so
when
there is a right intention
and likely
right outcomes
in a way that is right
when
the person being addressed
has the right is
in the right circumstances,
the right attitude
to benefit.
Right?
The second thing Imam Al Ghazali
advises
this seeker
of religious guidance
to
leave
completely
is to become a preacher.
And so let's see what he has to
say.
The second thing that you should leave if
you wish to travel the path to Allah
is that you be wary of and keep
away from
being
a
an admonisher or a preacher.
A is a preacher
and is
a
an admonisher.
Right? Someone who merely
gives like, don't just be a public speaker.
Why?
Because
he tells us,
because it has
numerous
harms. Why?
Because it's like what one of the the
scholars,
Shiknoef Keller, refers to as being microphone fever.
Now you are in front of people.
The way of safety
when you are
in front of people
is
to be giving them religious guidance.
Right?
That's the way of safety.
You're you're conveying
religious guidance and this is what the prophet
told us.
Right? When he encouraged
the conveying of guidance, what did he say?
May Allah illuminate the countenance of a person.
Who hears my words.
And then they
understand it completely.
And who conveys it as they heard.
That is the way of safety.
That it it is based on conveying guidance.
That the bias should be towards
teaching.
Right? Teaching.
That is safety.
And also,
the Ulema say that
that dua,
right, dua
has an aim which is to Allah
But
what is
the basis of dua?
The basis of dua is it should be
rooted in
in a broad sense three things.
In the Quran,
in the hadith of Rasulullah salallahu alaihi salallam
and
the guidance of the ulama.
What do the ulama have to say?
Right? And to remain within that is safety.
Why? Because that is part of
that is transmitting deen.
And you you may contextualize it,
you may present it with clarity, etcetera,
but
it is safety.
This is what the ulema say and you
You say whatever comes off the top of
your head.
And then
because if you are
seeing yourself as a transmitter and an interpreter,
you are serving a a tradition.
You're serving a way of which you are
just one chain
in this chain.
Whereas if you are just a lecture you're
on the lecture circuit and you're just doing,
you know, saying something new,
Then suddenly all kinds
of considerations come. You are not just
and then conveys it as they heard it.
Now it becomes, let me say something
different. Let me be original. Let me this
And then it's very easy for the focus
to shift from what does the person
what has come
in this preserved guidance
and how to relate it to the person
to what can I do to impress them?
And that's when the dangers arise. The focus
can very easily shift
from god and good, from
what's
being said for the sake of Allah and
what's being say said to benefit the people
in the relationship to Allah
to impressing them,
to elevating
oneself.
And then also the nafs can find sufficiency.
You admonish other people but then
you you you don't see the need
to do anything about it yourself.
So he says,
because it has many harms and then
so beware of being a preacher.
Unless you act upon what you say first.
Then you admonish people regarding it.
So reflect on what was said
to
Sayidna Isa
Oh, son of Mary,
admonish yourself
first.
And if it takes heed,
then
admonish people.
Otherwise,
feel shy before your lord.
And this is at the level of a
personal commitment.
The Imam Al Haddad
warns about one matter though
in many books. He mentions it in book
of assistance. He mentions it
in in the elsewhere as well
that
however, be aware
that
your sense that you are not
calling yourself to to this good
does not absolve you of the responsibility
to call other people.
Right? To call other people.
Right?
Commanding the good and forbidding the wrong remains
an obligation
whether you are acting on that good
or not. Whether you are avoiding that sin
or not.
Giving nasiha to somebody
remains a recommendation
whether or not you are acting upon it
yourself or not.
The right thing to
do so and the danger is as Imam
Al Haddad clarifies
is as that's one of the harms of
sins. So let's say someone
drinks.
They see someone drinking
and they're the only person there, it is
obligatory for you to forbid the wrong. If
you are hopeful the person will listen. It's
your younger cousin, if you tell them don't
drink, they'll stop.
Even if you do it yourself.
And failing to do that would be 2
sins.
Right? Rather they say that the sincere commanding
the good and forbidding the wrong there would
be, you admonish yourself
immediately first.
Right? That you intend
to desist yourself and then you tell the
person to desist.
Right? You may have a blameworthy trait.
K.
And you're going to teach people about it.
You you you intend that you're the first
person you're admonishing.
And in that regard, one of the great
scholars of the Indian subcontinent said that if
anytime he found any blame worthy trait within
himself,
he would
he would teach people about it with the
intention
to correct his
shortcoming. And he was asked how come his
his dawah
and his lessons were so beneficial?
He said because
I am the first person I intend to
address with what I say.
We ask Allah Subha Tah'ala to be
of such people.
There's also
the the danger here of wild is mere
preaching
as opposed to and
as opposed to
teaching
and calling people to Allah
Particularly,
they warn about
stories,
for example.
Right. Because stories
are
a central theme of the Quran,
but stories are praiseworthy
in the context of
either being illustrative of
knowledge
or
conveying the meanings of guidance sought
in dawah.
Right? So you're talking about
turning to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, repenting and
you mentioned a story that is
illustrative,
demonstrative of that.
As opposed
to, let me tell you about some miracle
stories.
And what's the point of it?
The point where they said, oh and ah,
oh wow.
And the the this becomes a bad or
just saying sophisticated things and the test of
it is that if you listen to some
discourse on religion at the end of it,
what is the p o g? Where where
are the points of guidance?
And if there isn't,
then that is
very
harmful.
But then there is a public need to
admonish
And it's one of the prophetic responsibilities.
Right?
Giver of glad tidings and a warner. So
how do you do that? Imam Al Ghazali
explains.
If you are tried by being in the
situation where you have to do this work,
then keep away from 2 qualities.
Imam Al Ghazali is talking about a context
where there is
a surplus of scholars.
There's more people of knowledge
than
the religious needs
in society.
It is different, the Ulamath tell us, in
our time in that there aren't enough people
who are teaching.
There are not enough people who are calling
people to Allah
But but focus on these two areas.
Teach people what they need to know and
call people to Allah
Right? On the basis of
the way of the people of knowledge and
the way of the people of Dua'a,
which has its principles.
These are transmitted. And
don't just become don't just join the lecture
circuit. And one of the dangers of it
is when you become a
when you become a public speaker or a
preacher or whatever
and you're disconnected
from this chain of guidance.
You know, sometimes you go to a to
a public program or say someone gives you
a business card that can I come and
give a talk in your
in at your masjid or your center? You
wonder who they are. Then you ask them,
who do you study with? So I I
did I've read a lot on these subjects.
That's a dangerous situation to be in.
Right? So
two things, the Imam Al Ghazali says to
avoid,
is that you be you put on airs
in your speech
with,
you know, with the way you express yourself
by what you imply.
And with
shocking statements.
And you quote
your lines of poetry or entire poems.
Right? Just to impress people.
Of course, it is from the way of
teaching people taught
both taught using poetry and use examples
of poetry. That's because that's the most eloquent
of the expressions of the Arabs.
But just when it's just to impress people
and in our times, when there's an undue
focus on
the style of your speaking
and particularly when it goes into also
using
psychology of influence and so on that you
want to
influence people
or you give it a marketing, you know,
where the marketing spin
enters not just the advertising for the program
but the program itself. Say it this way
because it
people will give us more.
Right? In the in the talking itself or
you say, oh, there's this formula for how
you can speak in ways that you get
people to accept what you have to say.
But the point isn't
guidance.
Right?
So and
he
he quotes
a,
you know, paraphrase is a hadith related
by Bukhari
by Imam al Bukhari
that
For Allah
dislikes those
who put on false pretenses
or or who fake it.
And this is not a call against eloquence.
Some of the olema were so eloquent and
this is historically documented.
If you
we we have
a, a beautiful talk on the some great
revivers of Islam by doctor Omar Farooq Abullah
at the previous hub. They talked about Sida
Abdul Qadr al Jelani.
And it's well established that sometimes when he
when he give his talk, there'd be people
and tenants who die.
They'd be so moved
by his
by his sermons.
Right?
But But it wasn't out of it wasn't
to you know, the sincere person is the
one who's calling to Allah
calling to Allah
by his permission. And what his permission?
Right? Because there's a permission that your state
is one that Allah
would accept.
Right?
With with sincerity.
Right? With sincerity
from within
and the way you do it is in
in the way that is act
is the inward it is inwardly acceptable to
Allah which is that it's sincere
and sincere and true. There's
And there's the outward permission
which is that it's in accordance with
the to the the way of the prophet
Right? And the prophet left us a way
of calling to him and that's the way
of the prophets before him.
Right? So these,
you know, 101
new ways of doing the wah. And okay,
did you take that from anyone? How did
you acquire this? This is
dangerous.
And the one who put on puts on
pretensions is one who goes beyond who exceeds
proper limits.
No. No. No. Put puts on false airs
in and goes beyond reasonable limits in their
style of speaking, etcetera, this indicates
is an inward
that is spoiled.
And it's spoiled.
That it's not being done for Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. Now you cannot judge other people
about that because we cannot judge
people by their inward. Even if it, you
know, even if 10 people if they were
to judge were to say that this is
showing off, you cannot say that someone's showing
off. That's that's Amrul Baltin.
K? As Imam Shafi
we can only judge by the outward.
You can never you can never say about
anyone else that they're insincere, that they're untrue,
like, in their motives because you don't know.
You can judge their actions too in accordance
with the principles of permissible judgment where judgment
is required,
needed,
beneficial, etcetera.
And a heedless heart
and a heedless heart.
And then he tells us about what is
true true reminder. Right? What is true reminder?
So this requires
attention. Right? And also for for those in
our in communities,
what kind of programming
should be done in our communities?
And very often people say, do this program
because more people will come to it.
And that can be good if you want
people to come for the sake of Allah.
Maybe just,
you know, do you just want more followers,
more people to like you? That's not
Right? In the the intention
has to be for the sake of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Right?
That, yes,
you are calling to Allah so the more
people you reach the better in that sense.
So the meaning of reminding
of religious reminder
and It's for the servant to remember
the fire of the hereafter.
And to remember
one's own shortcoming
in serving the creator.
And to reflect on their own previous life
that they have wasted
and extinguished
in the things that are of not that
are not of benefit and concern to them.
And to reflect on what is before them
of obstacles.
Of not having a sound
faith when one reaches the end of one's
life.
And how will one state be when the
angel of death
takes one's soul?
And will one be able to answer
the questions of and
that one should be concerned about one's state.
When will one will be there
on the day of resurrection
and its
and its many stages.
How will one be when one comes out
of one's grave?
How will one be at the gathering?
How will one be when the sun draws
close?
How will one be when people will be
bewildered
and others will
will
be under the shade of divine concern.
The questioning,
how will one be
when crossing the the bridge over *?
And what will one will will one successfully
cross the bridge over *?
Safely or will one fall into
the the pits of *?
And tathkir
religious reminder is the mention of these things
to continue in one's heart.
So these shake 1 from one's
inertia.
So the boiling up of the the fires
of such concern
and the
and the yearning call
of such distressful
realities,
that's what's called
tathkir and it's a beautiful
expression.
The
the boiling up of the of these fires
within
And the know how to
know is what
the hammam does.
Right?
Right? Of it's a crying of the doves
and the and the lovers
felt that when the doves cry,
that's like the the yearning expressed by the
lover.
Right? So the doves
seem to be crying when they make their
sound. They said that's the yearning of the
lover.
Just
as songbirds
sing
in remembering
their homeland.
That is reminder.
And what is admonishing,
what
is preaching?
Right.
Preaching
is
to
inform
Allah's servants and make them aware of these
realities
and to remind them of their shortcoming
and they're falling
far
and making them aware of their blame worthy
traits of self.
So that
the
so that they may be touched by the
the fire of concern
in the in the gathering
and they be worried
by those distressful realities so that they may
rectify
what they have missed
in their in the life that has passed
them by to the extent that they can
and have a sense of loss for the
days that they've missed
in other than the obedience of Allah.
This
in this way is called,
reminding.
And this is, of course, the way of
fear.
This is the way of fear.
Right?
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam and he said
a bringer of glad tidings
an encourager
as it as it were.
And a warner.
With
encouragement
and
and warning.
But they say that
how one balances
encouraging and warning depends
on the context,
the time, the context, and the person.
And they say in general,
our our times our times of
encouraging and not warning.
Because warning only works when there's deep respect
in hearts.
Otherwise, people just run away.
Right? These are days of stir of encouraging
people, instilling hope in people, instilling
deep love in people,
days of connecting people to
the messenger of Allah
Sharing with people
some of the meanings of what it means
to know Allah, to experience the realities of
faith
of tashwiq.
Right? To so that, you know, to instill
yearning within them
for,
you know, the states of those close to
Allah
But it has to ultimately reminders have to
take people from where they are towards Allah
And it it's not religious entertainment.
It's not religious entertainment. That's when becomes
deeply
damaging.
Right? And that's why the ulama would say
that if you're going to listen to someone
talk about religion
and your intention isn't to draw closer to
Allah, then for you to go to the
marketplace
is better for you than to go to
that majlis.
Why?
Because
that's Right? It's a
It's very dangerous.
Right? And a lot of times, oh, let's
just go to the talk. Why?
He's really cool. He's funny.
He's has a he says amazing things.
Right?
The the one speaking has to have
sincerity and trueness of intent.
And to benefit from wav, one has to
have sincerity and trueness. Otherwise, just don't just
click on videos on YouTube. Right?
Better for you just to sit
and breathe deeply
than to just float around,
listening to random clips. Although, it may be
that
the, you know, the the the arrows of
sincere words
may pierce
your heedless heart.
And then he says,
Just as if you saw
a gushing stream
overcoming
someone's house.
And you and the and that person and
their family are inside the house and the
stream is going to flood their house. You
would cry out, beware the beware
of this
gushing stream.
And
when you're warning somebody,
would you really
you know, from from drowning, would you really
take time out
to come up with,
you know, pretentious expressions
and ways of conveying that?
You will not seek to do that at
all.
Likewise, this is the state of the one
admonishing.
That's why it's becoming them to avoid it.
Right? To avoid,
you know, this overdoing it.
Right? So this is the warning against
the first quality
of preachers.
Right? That the preaching has to be to
to wake people up from where they are,
to go to,
to
to seek Allah or to turn to Allah.
Right? And that can be done by
instilling fear,
by warning,
by reminding,
by encouraging,
by instilling hope,
by reminding of gratitude.
Right?
By stirring the meanings of love.
Right? But the it has to be to
see how we can point them to Allah.
This is one of the things how does
one do this? They say
by keeping the company
of the of the people who call to
Allah
observing
how they call to Allah.
Striving
to be as they are in their concern
and in their calling.
Right?
Right? And to be aware of just
doing it on one's own.
Right? And that's a simple thing that, you
know, and and any any
teacher or preacher, if you ask a simple
question,
who,
you know, who'd who's,
you know, who who who who is their
reference?
Who do who do they,
you know, who are their mentors? Who are
there?
And if they're not under the active guidance
and mentorship
of those more senior to them,
then you should I mean, you should not
think ill of anyone but you should be
very weary.
And
and then he gives another
counsel about
preaching.
They don't preach
for effect.
Right? For effect, they don't preach for drama.
And there's spiritual drama
and there's other and he'll explain
what that is. Right? Don't preach.
Like, make sure your your preaching
is
a true reminder
to help people wake up.
Right? And there's different peep ways to wake
them up. Next, he said, don't do it
just for just for the show, just for
the production.
Right?
So and we'll and we we look at
that. In the old days,
people would respond very emotionally,
right, to reminders
and he uses some examples, but not times
2. You want the you want the impact.
You want people to clap. You want people
to,
you know, to,
you know, to really be moved,
etcetera.
And that's not the way, which is why
and we'll we'll we'll look at that in
the next session. These are important councils.
So one of the things that the ulama
would say is that the sincere
call
appeals
to heart, to minds,
and hearts.
The call that is very dangerous is a
call that appeals to people's emotions.
Because that is a call that will be
manipulative.
Right?
It'll be a call that's fruitless because emotions
change.
Right?
Right? Emotions
change.
Right? But but minds,
you know,
have principle. Hearts
have yearning.
Right? And that's and ultimately, the, you know,
the the seed of the call is to
is to call the heart to turn to
Allah.
A call for the soul
to
seek presence with Allah
Right? But rooted in
reason that the it's clear to the mind.
Right? Because
the human being has been ennobled with a
mind. Right?
And that's why truth matters so much to
us. Right? As for calls that are emotional
appeals, etcetera, these were considered very dangerous by
the ulema. There's a difference between an emotional
call
and a a call
that may be fervent but it is appealing
to the heart.
So we ask Allah
for
to grant us
sincerity in teaching
and in in calling to Allah
without being mere
preachers or mere talking heads.
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