Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #153 Being Concern for Ones Outward Appearance and Leaving Concern for Inward Realities
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The importance of rectifying one's outward appearance and showing sincerity in actions is emphasized, as it is busier for oneself. It is crucial to focus on the outward aspect of the religious act rather than presenting one's actions and intentions. It is also crucial to be watchful of one's heart and not be a victim of God's creation, and to support them through monthly donations. It is crucial to be aware of one's rights and not be a victim of God's creation.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the RoHa, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni.
We're continuing our
in which we're looking
presently at
Imam al Sulemy's wonderful work on
the blameworthy traits of the self
and their cure
or their treatment.
And
the 29th
of the blameworthy traits of the self
is
concern for one's outward
appearance without concern
of one's
inward
appearance, one's inward
reality.
So
Imam
That from the blame worthy traits of the
self is is busying
itself
with rectifying its outward,
Which is,
you know, in order
for people
to see it,
or because
people
see it.
And it's being heedless of rectifying its inward,
which is
the locus
of Allah most high
seeing.
It is the focus of Allah's
look at the servant.
And this of course,
and that is more deserving
of rectification
because
people
cannot benefit you nor harm you
in reality.
They cannot benefit
nor harm you ultimately.
Whereas
it is Allah Most High
who
is
Al Muqaddimu Al Muakhir.
He is the one who brings forth and
holds back.
He is
He is the giver and the withholder.
And it is He who rewards.
There is
none other but Him
who
gives ultimate reward.
We have been commanded as believers to be
sincere,
which is that one's actions be
seeking the pleasure of Allah. And if they're
seeking the pleasure of Allah,
then that action
must strive to be pleasing
to Allah.
And what
what is the
cup
in which sincerity
is
contained, it is the heart. It's the vessel
of sincerity.
So you could
have
someone striving to be sincere,
but yet if their state
is
displeasing to Allah, then that is like putting
good coffee in a dirty cup.
I may if I made, although recently you're
making some remarkably
strange coffee at the hub.
But if
we made
really good coffee,
and presented it in a dirty cup to
Siriamr,
he'd
be
wary of the coffee.
That's like
busying oneself with the outward.
And this outward
could be
in worldly ways.
In worldly
busying oneself with the outward,
because of the people of the dunya
but it is not their
insincerity
that is most harmful.
The insincerity
or the showing off the riyyah
of the worldly
is petty.
It's poor resolve.
It's lack of gratitude,
but it's it's dangerous
even potentially, but it's not
directly sinful.
But it is the religious who need to
be particularly
careful
of
rectifying their outward without concern for the inward.
Because
it is well established in our religion that
showing off
in religious matters
is ruinous.
I am the most free of any
from
any association
of partners.
Allah Most High says
in the hadith Qudsi,
Allah Most
High
says in the hadith Qudsi, So whoever associates
any partner with me, I leave them and
what they associated
with me.
And
the rectifying
the outward
without concern for the inward
in acts of worship
is by merely focusing on the outward aspect
of the religious act without concern
for being sincere in it.
That's falling short.
And worse than that
is without
striving
to rectify the inward
that one is
presenting to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in one's
act of worship. So you take care of
your outward properness of the prayer
but inwardly,
you're thinking about other things.
You recite properly, but you do not do
not reflect on it.
Or you take care
to be properly dressed up for the prayer,
but
you don't present
an adorned heart,
or even worse, you present a heart
that is
full of
qualities odious to Allah.
The
ill opinion of Allah,
malice towards Allah's creation,
greed, avarice,
stinginess,
all kinds of blameworthy qualities.
So
And this is why
they say a true person,
A true person
is one
whose
outward corresponds to their inward and their inward
corresponds to their outward.
And so there's a positive
alignment between the outward and the inward.
So
any growth in the outward should be corresponded
with the growth in the inward.
And if there is any growth in the
inward, it should be corresponded within a growth
in the outward.
One of my teachers
was asked when should I start wearing a
turban? He said, when you can pray
120
days of prayer consecutively
without missing a single prayer.
He said, because otherwise,
you're like someone who's all dressed up and
nowhere to go.
So, you know, there there are, you know,
there there are outward matters that are praiseworthy,
but one needs to
take care of both. So he says,
How does one treat this concern for the
outward?
And to be certain that creation will not
honor
one except to the extent
that Allah places in their heart.
And to know,
to be certain that their inward
is
the focal point of Allah's gaze upon them.
So it is more deserving of rectification
than their
outward.
Allah subhanahu wa'ala defines
the day of resurrection,
the day of judgment
as if all of judgment revolves around one
question
in multiple places in the Quran.
The day neither wealth nor offspring avail one
except one who comes to Allah with a
sound heart.
And of course you'll be judged for your
actions as well,
but all of them go back to the
sound heart.
As imam al Ghazali put it, Allah only
commanded and prohibited from you your heart.
As for the limbs, they follow the heart
because
The the acceptance of actions is by the
intention. The soundness
needs to be there, but the soundness is
not sufficient.
Ibin Atayat says actions are like lifeless forms.
Whose life giving soul
is
the presence of the secret, the subtle reality
of sincerity within them.
So one needs to always
cultivate
this meaning of sincerity
and always
be looking at what is the state of
my heart? One needs to have barakaba.
So he
says,
Truly Allah
is ever watchful
upon you.
From the opening of Surat Al Nisa, the
4th
the 4th surah verse number 1.
And
here for continuity. Truly Allah is ever watchful
over you.
The more famous narration.
That truly Allah, most high, does not look
at
your forms
nor your actions. Rather,
he looks at your hearts and intentions.
And the more famous narration,
as we mentioned, is,
rather, he looks at your hearts in some
narrations and in others, your hearts and actions.
So
concern for the state state of one's heart.
There's 2 questions.
How is my heart
with Allah
Both positively in the qualities I've been commanded
to uphold with Allah
and also
in the qualities I've been commanded to rid
myself of in my relationship with Allah.
How am how is my hope? How is
my fear?
How is my gratitude, my shukr?
How is my patience with Allah?
How is my
certitude?
How is my
love?
Etc.
And
how am I with respect to ridding myself
of their opposites?
And then how am I with Allah's creation?
How is my
sincere concern for them? How is my good
character with them? How is my
good opinion of them?
How am I with respect
to their rights, etc.
And so ask oneself
these questions.
And to have muraqabah,
to watch over the rights of Allah, to
watch over one's fulfillment of one's rights, of
the rights of creation
inwardly.
This is why
said,
whoever
does not immerse themselves deeply in this knowledge
of ours, this knowledge of the state of
the heart,
will die committing enormities. Kabair. Wohu Alameyashhur.
And they are completely heedless
of that.
But at the same time
there are
promises
from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Truly,
the friends of Allah,
the
the elect servants of Allah,
they they are not to be feared for
nor shall they grieve.
Those who truly believed and were ever mindful
Theirs is the glad tidings,
theirs is the rejoicing
In this life
and in the hereafter.
So
the
and who is
an elect servant of Allah?
And there are many
descriptions of the righteous servants of Allah. There
are two characteristics are mentioned in this verse.
They are those who realize their faith, the
key to that being
remembrance of Allah
and
whoever mindful, which is to be careful
outwardly and inwardly.
Right? To uphold taqwa, to be careful
about the limits of Allah,
and to pre proceed
with caution
out of love. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala to realize us in these realities
and not make us merely those who speak
about them or who
hear about them, but who are
actively
seeking them, actively striving for them, actively
embodying them.
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