Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #139 Bad Thoughts Their Consequences and Cure
AI: Summary ©
The importance of human condition in the internet is a result of actions and choices, and accepting and nurturing thoughts is crucial. The wokeness of a woman's desire is by turning a selfish desire into an angelic one, and actions can lead to doubts and misgivings. Consistent spiritual routines and monthly donations can help manage one's behavior and avoid negative emotions. The importance of acceptance and dislike bad thoughts is also discussed, and the speaker advises to reject inspiration and evidence of one's success by constant remorse. The importance of channeling people's thoughts into angelic or divine inspiration is also emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the Roha, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasra Benny.
Bismillahir
Rahmanir Rahim
Alhamdulillahirabbilaalamin
In our sessions on healing hearts in which
we're looking at
imam al sulami's treatise
on
the blameworthy traits of the self
and how to
treat or how to cure
those blameworthy traits,
we have reached trait number 9.
We have reached
trait number
9. And this has to do with bad
thoughts.
And
the
one of the amazing
insights
in
the
Quran
is
its
practical presentation
of the human reality.
Right?
Because
all people have wondered
about what is the human being,
and
how do we aspire
to
that which is higher?
That which
is beneficial,
that which is good, that which is virtuous,
that which is right.
And then wondering what does all that mean?
So
Allah
did not simply
present us
a book of guidance
with what to do.
And what is
the ultimately higher way?
What is good? What is virtue? What is
benefit?
Truly.
But
it also
tells us about the human condition.
And one of the insights about the human
condition is
the insight
that
being a morally responsible person,
you are
responsible
for your choices.
Because
moral responsibility
arises from choices.
And choices
arise
from thoughts.
Right? Now you are not responsible
for when the thoughts
emerge,
the first thought, but you are responsible
for how you respond
to the thoughts that emerge in your consciousness.
That whatever consciousness may be
in itself,
it is practically undeniable
that thoughts arise.
There are different types of thoughts.
And they have things that stir
Good thoughts or bad thoughts, virtuous thoughts,
vicious
thoughts,
meaningful thoughts,
meaningless
thoughts.
You are not responsible for those,
but you are responsible
for which thoughts
you
embrace,
accept,
and act upon,
and which thoughts
you ignore,
reject,
and refuse.
So
he tells us in the 9th trait,
Right? From the blame worthy traits of the
self is that it accepts
lowly thoughts.
Right? Right. It accepts. It becomes
it becomes accustomed to accepting
lowly thoughts.
Right? It finds comfort in them.
And
which
that cause it to commit
contraventions.
Right.
Then he tells us about the
cure for this.
Right.
So
the Ulema tell us that there are 4
types of inspirations.
Right.
The first of these
now of course ultimately
every thought
is a created thing
and it is all from Allah
It is all from Allah
The names that are given
for them are in terms of how you
what the thought is calling you to and
how you deal with it. Because the reality
is it is all from Allah.
Right?
So we should be clear about that.
The first type of thought is
the
lordly
inspiration.
Right? And these are thoughts that occur to
one
that
inspire us to meanings of faith, meanings of
certitude.
Right? And really the action
that relates to them is embracing them,
is accepting them. Embracing them
and nurturing them.
Right? Accepting,
embracing,
and nurturing. How does one nurture them?
Through reflection and remembrance.
Right?
So, you know, sometimes, let's say, you know,
you you're just,
you know, you're standing and you see the
sunset and you think
about
how glorious Allah's creation is.
How glorious Allah's creating
is.
You think about the amazing power of Allah.
So, yeah. And then you say, okay. Let
me check my smartphone,
see what the score is of the whatever
meaningless thing.
But there, you accept that thought. You embrace
it, and you nurture it. How?
With zikr.
Right? With reflection
and and remembrance.
Right? Or both. You reflect on it and
you engage in in zikr.
And that
expands
the impact
of
that thought.
And that's why the prophet
was cons
was so frequently silent because he was silent.
One of the causes of silence was reflection.
The second type of inspiration that emerges in
our consciousness
is an angelic
inspiration
and that is what's called the
which is
a
an angelic inspiration
that is an inclination towards a good action
or towards something that is virtuous.
So you're passing by someone in need, the
inclination to give.
You get that inclination,
let me call so and so. Let me
message
so and so who you know, who
would be happy by receiving that message. Someone
just had a child, you say, yeah, I'll
get to it later. It was an angelic
inspiration, let me contact them. Right? And again
these are good inspirations.
One of the we again
we
embrace angelic inspirations, we accept them,
We embrace them and we nurture them. And
the nurturing of angelic inspirations is
by acting upon them.
By
acting upon them.
And you don't put off a good deed
unnecessarily.
Particularly,
if it's something immediate.
Right.
So
if the opportunity comes
to give, you see a message
to assist those affected by
a flood somewhere.
Say, yeah, I'll I'll donate. What's preventing you
from giving it right now?
Right.
So
the nurturing of good
is
as is common tradition,
The best of virtue is the immediate.
You don't put it off.
You don't
put it off.
And
And then
So that's the angelic
inspiration.
Then you have the selfish
inspiration,
the
which is an inclination towards desire
or towards
towards one's whim.
And these
require
the asl with them is.
The
the basis
of selfish inclinations
is to oppose them.
The basis
is
oppose
your
selfish urges
and the devil
and disobey them.
Right?
Rather, you what do you do? You oppose
and you consider.
How do you how you can turn
the selfish inclination
into an angelic in inclination.
How?
By turning it into something good and virtuous
through the elixir,
the of
intention.
Right?
So for example, you get an inclination. I
want pizza tonight.
Right. You oppose that inclination that I want.
Right. You oppose that inclination
first.
2nd step is you consider.
Can I turn this into an angelic thing?
Of course, it's a if it's a pure
sin. Someone says I want to do something
purely sinful.
You can't turn,
you know, you can't turn milk into wine,
or wine into milk.
Right?
So
you can't turn it into an angelic inspiration,
then you just leave it.
But for example, you're thinking, I want to
have pizza tonight.
You say, well,
I'm supposed to meet up with my brother
later in the week, we'll go for pizza.
I'll treat him, he likes pizza, for example.
Or you're saying, you know,
so and so,
is sick. I wanted to visit them. And
if we will order over there because they
like pizza a lot, they'll eat it the
rest of the week. Whatever. You think of
good intentions,
where you direct
permissible
selfish
desires
towards the good, towards virtue, you know that
that which is virtuous.
Right?
You felt like having
you know some dessert, you want to try
out that new baklava place? Say you know
what? I'll bring baklava to the weekly circle
of remembrance.
You'll save yourself some indulgence. Could you just
go eat it yourself? Probably have a large
portion size.
Okay. Whereas, let's say you went and got
something,
so you turn
selfish desires into angelic desires. How?
By you oppose the selfish urge,
but you direct them towards good and virtue.
And this teaches
restraint.
And then there
are satanic inspirations.
Which is that which gives one doubt,
that which gives one misgivings.
And the doubts and misgivings can be
in matters
of faith,
in what we believe about Allah,
about His messengers,
about the hereafter,
Or what Allah and his messenger inform us
about.
Or they can be in the details
of
guidance.
We can have doubts and misgivings there.
Do I really need to do my sunnah?
And there's a whole
series of doubts,
right, confusions.
For
example,
right? Did I wash
my
left elbow?
Those kinds of things. So
the
and there's a lot how one deals with
doubts and misgivings, there's a few things.
The first
aspect of dealing with
the doubts of the shape the the doubts,
Imam al Sarakh
says
The the the way to handle
doubts and misgivings
is to cut
their source and pay no attention to them.
Okay?
Simple.
That is the
general action. You don't pay attention to
it. Yes.
You just move on.
Right?
But,
sometimes that is not so
easy. Some doubts.
Right? So some like, some you get a
doubt about
so why do I believe in god?
Just ignore that.
So I believe, and you move on.
You ignore
a silly thought. Just as some outrageous sin,
some sinful thought comes, you just ignore it
and move on.
K.
So the first
line of you know, the first
reaction
to
a doubt is you ignore it.
You pay no attention to it.
And
you
but you renew your faith.
Renew your faith in the sense that you
remember Allah
because the shaitan how do we
ignore the shaitan?
By turning to Ar Rahman.
I seek refuge in Allah
from the accursed devil. So you when you
get a doubt you say,
And you busy yourself with the remembrance of
Allah
And that as a first line of defense
is sufficient. Don't busy yourself with these thoughts.
But there are some
persistent.
Some doubts can be persistent.
And their treatment is knowledge.
Particularly those doubts that relate to faith, but
also they're related to guidance. You need to
find out what is the point of knowledge
that this relates to.
Then you gain the knowledge and then you
act upon it.
That's the second line of defense against
against doubts and misgivings.
First you ignore them. Even when in practice
you get some doubt about
about wudu, whatever you ignore it move on.
But if they persist,
then the cue the cause for doubt or
misgiving
is a lack of clarity.
So you you have to add, what what
what am I not clear about?
Gain reliable knowledge on that, and that should
be sufficient.
And then you act upon that knowledge.
If
if that is not sufficient,
right,
similar like you're confused at, does Allah create
evil?
You ignore that, like
where did that come from? You ignore it,
said, you know what I'm saying?
I believe, you know, there's no God but
Allah,
alone without partner. He gives life and he
gives death, and he has power over all
things, and you ignore. When it happens again,
seek the relevant knowledge.
Right? Seek the relevant knowledge.
If
that does not
you if that second line of defense is
seek the related knowledge,
is that then consult.
Then consult.
K. I'm confused.
I ignored it. It's come it keeps coming
back. I try to, you know,
find out reliably what what does that mean.
I'm confused,
and you
seek clarity. But to remain
in
doubts and misgivings
is detrimental. If the doubt
relates to faith,
it is you know, it'll
it'll
erode your faith.
If it's related to guidance, it'll
erode
your attachment to guidance,
and then it'll start affecting your faith.
So it's harmful.
And now doubts sometimes can be explicit,
sometimes they can be underlying doubts.
Doesn't make sense.
But you say, forget it. But it's still
it's a lingering doubt. And you have to
be careful about lingering doubts, particularly in our
times,
when, you know, the the default is
that
people don't believe.
Right?
People don't believe. People don't uphold prophetic guidance
in the broader society. If you're particularly, if
you're not
not in a Muslim country.
Right? So
this you know, you can't just, you know,
if doubts come back and just ignoring them
is not sufficient or they're lingering, then you
have to
you have to address them.
And the the safest line of defense,
right, is to immediately consult.
Right? If you ignore,
then you consult, and that's safer.
But you consult
people worthy of consulting.
Right?
And too many people don't consult. You know,
they'll they'll ask their teachers about
secondary things, but they won't
ask about
the big things that are affecting them.
Now how do you tell
if a if
an inspiration,
if a thought is lordly
or satanic?
K. But sometimes
it can be
unclear.
Right? Sometime Or how is this in is
this an angelic inspiration
or a selfish inspiration?
And this is this is a whole science,
but they say that the
the clearest
way
of considering,
you know, that because for example,
let's say someone is crying.
So you say, okay. I'll skip my sunnah
and go and talk to them.
But you know
that
so and so's
mother passed away. So it's not like they're
only gonna cry now.
Right?
And they'll they may be crying for a
while. For you to pray 2 rakas and
go to attend to them
won't necessarily make a difference.
Right?
And they say that the key thing is
to consider consequences.
What is the consequence
of this inspiration?
Is
the likely
result
that which is
in consequence pleasing to Allah
all things considered
or is it something
whose consequence
is displeasing to Allah, all things considered?
Why? Because let's say
you get a thought,
You you you just took a class on
health.
So you think, you know, you you want
to tell, say, sheikharaz, you should lose some
weight.
And you say, as soon as I sat
sat on stage.
K?
Is the consequence of that good
or not?
And all things considered.
Right? So well, it's good. I'm giving.
Right? But that's why if you consider the
consequences
that will the consequences
be pleasing to Allah, all things considered,
that is
an angelic
inspiration.
Those things whose likely consequences
are harmful, all things considered that is a
khatir
or depending on whether it is directing towards
you know, the harmful thing because or whim.
And whim is that which is without clear
purpose. Or that which is towards
random
harm.
I just said it.
Right?
So that's that's why Ruiyan bin Ahmed said,
It's one of my favorite quotes. Whoever
is mindful of consequences
remains safe.
So that's,
you know,
with respect to bad thoughts. Right? So he
tells us,
The cure for bad thoughts is to reject
such inspirations right away.
Right? Right? Meaning, right when they occur, lest
they take control.
Because the more you consider the bad thought,
the it starts taking control.
Right?
So how do you do that? How do
you reject them right away? He says
That is by constant remembrance of Allah Subhanahu
wa Ta'ala.
And holding fast
to awe of Allah
That's second.
And the third is to have knowledge that
Allah knows
all that you hide
just as
creation knows the things that you make apparent.
So you feel shy of caring more for
what
of for rectifying your outward, which is what
people see. And you don't take
care
of rectifying your inward which is what people
which is what Allah, the lord of people,
beholds.
Right?
Shines before Allah
because the and
the the prophet
said,
Allah most high does not look
merely at your forms.
Right?
Nor at your actions.
Meaning merely your actions. The more famous narration,
your nor at your bodies.
Rather, he looks at your hearts.
And in some narration, rather he looks at
your hearts
and your actions.
Rather he looks at
your
hearts.
And your thoughts
are those meanings that revolve around your heart.
So when the bad thought comes, he says,
leave it
for Allah.
I leave it for Allah. Right? And we
explained
how.
Right? Because
embracing bad thoughts
is embracing something that is displeasing to Allah.
Whether it be sinful
or reprehensible
or harmful.
Right? All these bad thoughts, whether the thought
is of
this you know, related to belief and disbelief,
whether it's related to virtue and vice,
whether it's related to good and bad,
right and wrong.
Right? The bad thoughts, the disbelief,
the vice,
you know, the the disbelief, the misguidance, the
vice, the wrong,
the blameworthy,
all of those are thoughts that are not
pleasing to Allah. So just just like we
wouldn't
normally go out
in an appearance that would be displeasing to
to people.
You know, today I was about to wear
a robe. I was told that there was
oil stains on it because yesterday we had
Nahari,
and that's an immersive experience.
But I was told, don't you can't go
out like that. Okay?
Then how do we present ourselves
in the presence of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala?
We're always in the presence of Allah.
You know, with stained hearts.
So then he quotes with his chain of
transmission
from
Yahia
ibn Ma'ad
Razi,
who
who said
what is the quote?
Yeah. So he says,
Right?
That the beginning of sin is the bad
thought.
Right?
Right? So he said
that the beginning of sin is the bad
thought.
So if you ward it off by
disliking it, then you've done your job.
Right?
And the first bad thought is the easiest
to dislodge.
You dislike it. You you turn away from
it.
But then if it but if you remain
with it, then what happens?
Right? Otherwise, it becomes
stronger.
Right? It becomes
it's not just a bad thought that you
can just dispel. It
now it it start it
it starts opposing you.
Right? Because it's like someone knocks on the
door. You ignore them. They can't come in.
Right?
Like someone
you don't want to answer. You don't want
the bad guess. You just look outside. Nah.
So you don't say anything to it.
But
if you open the door, yes, what do
you want?
Now it'll be harder to close the door.
Right? And if you start having a conversation,
it's a really bad thought, it may force
itself in. And then you have the more
time you spend with the bad thought, the
more
trouble it'll give. And if you let it
come inside
your
hallway, then and it wants to stay,
then you'll have bigger trouble. The simple thing
is
keep the door closed.
K?
And if it it may knock 3 times,
and eventually, it'll go away.
And if you keep responding to the knock
of the bad thought, guess what's gonna happen?
More of them will come
because you you you answer the door.
Hulu telemarketers
call?
The people who answer their calls.
Right? So similarly,
so you ward it off by disliking. Otherwise,
it becomes stronger, and then it requires active
rejection.
In the beginning, it just requires you dislike
it, ignore it.
But then
if you could if you entertain the bad
thoughts, then you have to reject it. That's
harder.
K.
And then if you
continue to entertain it, it becomes misgivings
Because now you're
having a conversation with it,
and that requires
striving.
So you say, what do you want? Say,
oh I want to talk to you. So
okay come in, and now you're going back
and forth.
You're having you're having small talk
with a bad thought.
So now you have to now end the
conversation there, you know, but there it's like
if you imagine the door rather than a
phone call, you let them in to your
house. It's winter.
Right? So you let them into your house.
They have to shove them out because they
don't wanna go.
Right?
And then
and if you allow them to remain inside,
then they're going to settle,
and they can become bad traits.
Says otherwise desires and whims can take over
take over.
They'll move in and they'll run your house.
Right? And they can take away reason,
knowledge,
and clear action
because they're now living with you.
Right? And if you allow enough of them
in,
they'll be,
yeah, they'll be upheaval.
Right? So reject right away
by
you know, the key is remember Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala. Right? Remember Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
This
this is one of the qualities that requires,
you know, consideration.
Right? He begins in his look at the,
at the blame worthy traits at really foundational
spiritual skills.
Right? That are the central ones. You see
the later ones are built upon
these, and
the
are particularly,
important
in that.
And
one of the components
that
for treating
it,
for treating bad thoughts is.
Okay. Imam Zaruk
says that
one has to have to have vigilance
over oneself.
And they say the beginning of vigilance
is Do they not know that Allah is
beholding them? This
reminding oneself Allah is beholding me
and Allah is beholding you both with respect
to your outward actions and He's
beholding you with respect
to your
thoughts
And of the 2, your thoughts are where
you should put your focus on because the
outward actions are just the result of inward
thoughts.
Right?
Right? That's number 1. The second reason bad
thoughts occur, Imam
Zaruk,
adds
is lack of remembrance of Allah.
That's why when they say that
remembrance is light,
it dispels
doubts.
It dispels
whims.
It dispels
desires, etcetera. But one has to hold fast
to the remembrance. And that's one of the
benefits of
consistency
in
one's spiritual routines. We ask Allah
to grant us that.
And,
of course each of these, you
know, is, you know, the struggle of a
lifetime,
right, but we're pointing in the direction
of,
you know, what the the author mentions because
you know you can't, you know, all of
spirituality could be seen as the science of
thoughts.
Okay?
Right? Or it could be seen each of
these are is a foundational,
spiritual
skill.
But
this extent
is,
of,
you know, is sufficient
for,
you know, one who
would reflect. So practically,
you know,
ask yourself
where is this
where is this thought from? What is its
consequence?
And only accept
wholesome thoughts.
Yeah. The if the thought is a divine
is a divine inspiration, it's an angelic inspiration,
embrace it.
If it's
just a much of our thoughts are are
in the realm of the.
It just I feel like, I want.
I feel like, I want. I feel like,
I want.
And the answer to that is no.
Okay. Like
and you think of
a yeah. And you try to turn.
Yeah. And some of those
the minimum thing is
the
spiritual minimalism
is at is
if
the
if your
selfish thoughts
are
impermissible,
you you reject.
But spiritual intelligence
is
that any selfish thought,
you
turn it into
an angelic
direction, which is either channeling that thought
towards
the angelic meanings
or sometimes you decide realize that something else
would be better.
So you wanted to to to have today,
I'm gonna eat 1 pound of baklava,
and I'll take it
to the hub.
Then you say, you know what?
I don't know if they need a few
kilos of baklava at the hub. I'll just
make a donation.
Right? Maybe more beneficial.
But then Nafs might say, what about the
baklava? I say, I'm sure they'll they'll probably
serve sweets on Friday, so I'll have them.
Or, you know or you say, oh, I'll
have a little
bit. Right?
And and have gratitude.
So you channel it.
We ask Allah to grant us insight.
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