Riyad Nadwi – 0.5 Imam Ghazali on Ikhlas
AI: Summary ©
The importance of understanding the physical and spiritual aspects of Allah's teachings for personal development is emphasized. The deployment of celebrity's light can lead to anxiety and loneliness, leading to loneliness and dismal life. The importance of fulfilling God's oath and being strong is emphasized, as it is often understood that celebrities are only recognized for their accomplishments. The use of "nauts" in the context of the media is also discussed, and the importance of finding the right moment in life to be strong and strong is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Allah says that
they were not commanded,
I. E. The believers were not commanded except
to worship Allah in a state in being
completely sincere to him,
sincere to Allah in faith, in the religion,
inclining towards truth
and to establish prayer and to give zakat
and to
and and that this is the correct faith,
correct religion.
Brothers and sisters, Assalamu Alaikum
We are in our 5th session or 5th
lesson on
Imam al Azeri's Ihia and
in our last session we reflected on perceptions
of perfection.
The we reflected on the multilayered
problem of
perfection projection,
the problem of perfection
simulations in the brain that,
fills in the blanks and create
the
the simulations that create
distorted distorted view of reality,
and we also reflected on the need
to pay attention
to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
And
this came from
the exaltation of the Prophet
where he said
That if you are comparing yourself with those
who have been given
beauty and wealth,
the things that we want to show,
the things that we tend to show,
if you are in this business of comparing
yourself, then be sure to make comparisons with
those who are less fortunate than you.
That it's better for you than
belittling the countless favors
you enjoy from Allah in every moment of
your life, every moment of our lives we
enjoy
countless,
if we start to count them we will
not be able to, the amount of favors
we are enjoying,
blessings that we have from Allah in every
moment
And if
we spend our time just comp with comp
only in comparison with those who have more
than us or who
are more fortunate than us, then
we will belittle those favors. We will we
will we will lose value for them. So
he's saying to make sure that you compare
that you compare with those who are less
than you.
We also looked
and
pondered
the perception of perfection in knowledge
because knowledge is one of those areas that
is used
to project perfection.
And we looked at this, we looked at
the limitations
and the changing nature of most of human
knowledge.
The and the insignificance
of,
that of the of the entire
collective body of human knowledge in comparison with
the perfection of Allah's knowledge, what what Allah
knows. We said that knowledge are of 2
types, the changing and the eternal.
And we said that knowledge that are these
two types, our knowledge of things remain dependent
on those things from which the knowledge comes
from.
And that when those things change, they render
our knowledge into ignorance.
And
sometimes these changes can occur in individual
items in existence that we know.
For example, subatomic
particles changing into
antimatter and then back into matter. The point
when they change
that our knowledge about those things then are
no longer knowledge. They're guesses or perhaps,
assumptions or ignorance.
And sometimes we have changes in
in entire in large superstructures of knowledge in
paradigms.
For example, up until the 1960s,
the collective scientific
wisdom, the scientific knowledge at that time on
the nature of the universe was that
we live in a closed system, a system
that was considered eternal.
That's how they saw it. They saw it
that this it had all the energy and
everything that that it first came into being
or that it existed eternally.
But then they discovered redshift
and forced to accept that the universe was
expanding
exactly as the Quran said 1400 years ago.
That the heavens, we have constructed it. This
universe, we have constructed it with strength.
And indeed, we are its expander. We expand
it's expanding.
And so once you accept that the universe
is expanding,
you're able to work backwards, and you arrive
at a point,
coming of of it of the universe coming
into existence.
And again, here again is exactly as the
Quran says,
Have those who disbelieved not considered that the
heavens and the earth
were joined
into an into a single entity
and we split them apart, we split it
apart.
And we have created every living every living
thing from water, from water we created every
living thing,
Then will they not believe?
And so this is the nature
of
our knowledge, our scientific knowledge, and and the
the collective human wisdom that we we we
can produce. It carries an error factor
and that can be corrected. The the there's
an error factor in all the things that
we discover, and we we we we the
conclusions that we come to, and that's the
way science progresses. The
the new discoveries
allow
for changes for for for a new new
new view. The previous knowledge and the previous
certainties become ignorance.
I,
ignorably
you ignorable information, information that you can ignore.
Now
and in comparison,
Imam Ghazali explained
in the text
that we have studied that Allah's knowledge
is perfect
from 3 broad perspectives.
The first was
in its abundance and coverage
where nothing is missing.
There are no gaps in his knowledge.
The second was in-depth,
detailed to the fullest depth without anything hidden
As when he when he told us about
the world, he said when he told us
about the universe,
his knowledge
of he created it, so he knew that
he it it was expanding. He is expanding
it, so he can tell us that before
we know it. We didn't have to wait
until 1960
to arrive at that conclusion.
And the third thing was that
it is Allah's knowledge is unchangeable.
His knowledge does not come from
things
and is not dependent on things so
when things
change
it does not invalidate his knowledge about them.
And
we also saw Imam Ghazali's
prescient knowledge about the fluctuating heights of mountains
where he included it in the list of
human knowledge that is susceptible to change, which
is very it was quite interesting that, he
should include that because we know the knowledge
of tectonic plates were discovered,
recent relatively recently.
Now that was in regard
to the changing categories, the.
As for the second category of knowledge accessible,
to
human beings,
the unchanging
the unchanging way, which is known as the.
He writes and we'll we'll finish off the
chapter first, then we'll continue with the other
bits. He
says
He
said that
these eternal knowledge did eternal the eternal knowledge
are are fall into the category of knowledge
that teaches us that about the possibility
of the possible, about the necessity of the
necessary,
about the impossibility of the impossible.
These are eternal truths. These are eternal knowledge.
It lies
that you you will not expect something that
is,
impossible to become possible
or necessary.
And these categories are included they are part
the in
in
in our discovery of the divine in understanding
Allah in learning about Allah
this knowledge is included
and in his in learning about his attributes
and his actions
then we we through it we learn what
is impossible in his in his attribute
and what is possible
in his actions
so the knowledge of Allah
and His attributes and His actions
and His wisdom
behind the creation of the heavens and the
earth.
Organizing the arrangement of the world, of the
universe, and the and the earth.
And the things that are
pertains to it.
This this is the true
perfection in knowledge. That is the perfect knowledge.
And this knowledge
if you have this one
a human being can acquire some of this
and it will bring you closer to Allah
because it is an aid it is it
is part and parcel of the aid for
leading you into understanding more
more of the divine to understanding Allah
and it will remain a perfection for the
nafs perfection for the person
for for for for the individual
for that will remain after death it will
it will remain with you a perfection
and this knowledge
will become
a light, an enlightening
thing for
the for those who recognize
and
and for those who
are gifted with the knowledge of Allah, the
true knowledge of
Allah.
After death. Even after death, this knowledge benefits
1
because and then he quotes he see he
he switches
to
the chronic
language. He says,
the the is
that their their
light will proceed
on their right in front of them on
the day of judgment.
And they will say that on the day
of judgment people's light, the light that they
brought with them, that light will precede them.
Oh Allah complete for us our light
and
that this
light that you will gain from
discovering Allah from this knowledge from the the
you that you carry with you
is your capital. It is your capital that
will lead to the uncovering what has not
been uncovered for you in the dunya.
And the example is of one who has
a little lamp.
If you have a small lamp, then it
can become it is possible that you can
use that lamp to light a larger lamp
and from the light of one light to
another.
And the light of that light then comes
complete.
So the little lamp lights, the larger lamp.
And so it leads into complete perfection, the
completion.
But the one who does not have a
lamp, who had does not have a lamp
in the first place,
so he has no hope in getting in
his in the completion of his light.
So the one who does not have the
the the the foundation
that little that that little lamp that who
does not have those lights
oh for for recognizing Allah
so
he has no hope in in gaining that
light
and then he remains
who is like and he gives the metaphor
here.
Like the one who is in darkness
who cannot cannot
take himself out from it.
But
but instead
That it is like one who is
in the in a cavernous
sea that is covered by waves over
waves and above it dark clouds.
There's darkness over darkness
for even. And he's saying, so the conclusion
here is that
that true happiness there's there's no real happiness
and satisfaction in this world and in the
next
without knowing Allah
and that's the conclude that that's the crux
of this is that true knowledge
is in that leads you in this direction,
in the direction of of
knowing Allah.
Right. So now
as we learned
that,
the yearning for position and celebrity
is a base instinct
and because of the multiple benefits that is
attached to it,
similar to our attachment to gold and silver,
and that this is a universal problem that
that explains
the relevance of the text
that is nearly a 1000 years old
and still we in in our modern lives,
we can relate to it.
Now because we're still the same human beings
with the same frailties, the same shortcomings, and
the same the the the same vulnerabilities
that we had
that human beings had then they they're the
same. However, there is a there's something unique
about our time.
In our time almost everyone
feels as though
they would suffer if they did not partake
in this race to be famous. That's that's
the age we are living in. You see
in previous cultures and past times, people
earn their celebrity status, their fame
through their achievements their skills their talents
or through assumptions of them having those
those things like achievement and skills and talents
for example a person would be famous for
running and winning a race or for swimming
or for boxing or for doing something
something significant
that that people recognize.
But in the 21st century,
where celebrity culture has become so dominant and
so pervasive
that one can now become famous
simply for being famous, you do not have
to have any extra or or
any extraordinary achievement or talent
or or do something or or you do
not have to be,
you don't have in your record something special
or famous.
All you need,
as someone said, is to get yourself
into the stream of fame,
into the into these channels of fame.
Socialites and social media celebrities
who have
never done anything in their lives of significance.
People that you would
not wreck that that
have have not actually done anything.
They
the only thing they have done the only
thing that happens to them is that they
happen to be in these streams of fame,
and their faces are now recognized by millions
of people
in our world today.
This is the
this is the culture in which we live.
People recognize,
faces of celebrities,
but cannot explain why why they recognize the
face or why these people are famous.
This phenomena
is an indication
of the extent to which our world is
dominated
by a global celebrity mania. That's it. A
global
celebrity mania.
It's a symptom of the times we live
in. Yes. And I'm calling it a mania
because it seems as though our society is
so overwhelmed by this phenomena that it's losing
the its ability to process. What what what
it means to be a celebrity? What it
means to be famous? The mania, the craze
seems to be short circuiting people's discernment capacity.
And so today, I want to address this
in the light of another chapter we are
going to study,
which introduces
a new concept.
That new concept, it's it's a
a concept that runs
contrary. It runs counter to this mania
idea, this mania, this, celebrity mania, this fame
mania.
And and, and it's it's a new word
perhaps for most of you. I'm I'm I'm
not sure. I I don't think many of
you are familiar with the word. The word
is and
the meaning which is the complete opposite to
celebrity.
But,
before I
read the text, I want to deal with
some of the psychological
barriers that tend to creep up in mind
in the minds of students at this juncture.
When when one learns that kumul means
obscurity,
then people tend to become
anxiety steps in and they start to they
you would find people
worrying and
a fear creeps in the fear of loneliness
creeps in and the worry about a dull
and dismal life
people start thinking that, well, perhaps if I
move away from the pursuit
of fame, maybe if I don't project a
little bit of myself,
my life will become dull and gloomy and
dismal.
And I would not be able to enjoy
my life at all. That that that's that
those kinds of thoughts usually surface when when
we talk about.
So,
the first thing I want you to remember
is that when I first
wrote this subject, I made a point of
highlighting the fact that
the
that intense social media activity,
as in seeking attention and validation,
are associated with high levels of stress, anxiety
and depression,
especially
when your engagement with it is passive.
If if if you if you're engaging with
these sorts of things
in a passive manner, then you suffer more.
People think that, look, oh, I'm just watching.
I'm just I'm I'm not really engaging. You
you the the effects,
the the negative effects are even worse when
when the engagement is passive. That's what the
research says.
So you have to keep this point in
mind that
we must remember that
your
fear of not being famous or
to put it in the modern jargon, your
your FOMO, your fear of losing out, or
your fear of not having enough followers or
likes
are more likely to lead you into depression
and anxiety
than.
It is more likely to lead you into
depression than a path where celebrity
is not is not important, where celebrity is
not is no longer necessary or seen as
a as an essential part of one's
self image, the way you perceive yourself,
the way you perceive who you are, and
where you and or what kind of a
person. In fact,
seeking the opposite of celebrity,
seeking has
the potential to increase the quality of your
life
and the enjoyment and satisfaction with it. And
how do we know this?
Well,
as a cognitive scientist, I, I can tell
you that we know this from
the
conclusion of a large body of research.
Many researchers into the human condition have found
that
the happiest and the most well balanced people
are not those who spend their time seeking
attention
from multiple sources or chasing attention of large
numbers of people in a celebrity
rat race. That's not the the those are
not the people. The happiest people and the
most fortified, the people who are most fortified
mentally
are those
who instead of seeking attention, they pay attention.
They are able to have
optimal experiences in life
through the abandoning of the defense of the
ego. They abandon that. They they they they
they feel that that that they don't need
to defend the ego.
And and this leads to optimal experiences in
which they have they develop a single-minded ability
to focus,
the ability to concentrate
without
splitting their attention. They're able to focus
and merge
into
a single beam of concentrated attention
and losing themselves,
and that's
they even,
lose their lose their sense of of themselves
and of time.
It's it's it's an inner harmony that develops
through
this,
solitary attention,
which then, of course, has a knock on
effects on other aspects of their lives. It
strengthens their
ability to deal with stress. It helps them
it prevents them from getting overwhelmed by difficulty.
In fact,
this line of research began in the aftermath
of the 2nd world war
where a researcher
noticed that some people did not
fall apart
like most others in the in in catastrophic
situations
that there are always some people who are
able to maintain their mental strengths
and calmly provide help to others.
And all of these people,
he's
the study was were were were conducted,
across the globe in many, many cultures. And
they found that all of these people have
one thing in
common, and that is they have this this
ability, this single-minded focus
in this
that creates an optical,
an optimal experience,
that they do not they're not
they don't spend their time seeking attention, but
they spend their time paying attention. They're able
to focus their attention.
At least,
describe this as being in the zone and
psychologists call it flow.
Because in the subjects,
when when subjects in the research
tend to describe the feeling of the what
happens,
it it is as being carried in in
the flow of a river with a single-minded
focus.
Of course, these concepts are all familiar to
us as Muslims,
as components of of khushu,
of components of and wajd and fana, etcetera.
In fact, many of the findings of the
research reflects
insights and conclusions
arrived at by our scholars over a 1000
years ago.
Of course, not everything, but because we live
in a new reality and this presents us
with a host of new challenges, but
we can definitely look at the insights of
the scholars in the light of this modern
research with amazement.
Now what is the point of
talking about this? The point
the points to bear in mind
are that
our
that that certain aspects of these optimal experiences
that are relevant to our discussion
is
that we are
the feature that there there are certain features
in
in these experiences. There are certain features in
these people
that
has a relevance to this discussion.
And one of those features is that is
the singularity and solitude.
The future the the the the feature of
paying attention instead of seeking attention.
The feature of becoming obscure, not only to
everyone else around you, but obscure even to
your own consciousness. You no longer feel the
need to defend your ego at all the
time and worry about, oh, what what are
people going to think? What is this? What
is x, y, and zed? Who? Oh, what
are people going to think about you?
Defending the ego is no longer necessary. It
it it it it you you abandon that.
And, of course, we believe as Muslims that
these experiences
emanate from a natural mechanism
with which we were created.
And we were created with those mechanisms in
order to optimize our experience and relationship with
the divine, with Allah.
Just as the primary purpose for creation of
life is for worship, but we spend our
lives in the enjoyment of all sorts of
things other than worship. Likewise, these mechanisms are
gifts from Allah
in the human being.
Now a word of caution, I do not
advise and I repeat this, I do not
advise at all that anyone should go out
and start buying books and reading self help
psychology books or googling the subjects to study
and apply it to themselves because
the numerous
rabbit holes in psych in the psychology literature,
which
in
which one can get lost. So especially if
you're not a professor if you're not professionally
trained it's, to do this would be like
doing brain surgery from manuals,
you know, no one does that
and I always say reading psych texts,
with concentration is like doing
active surgery on the anesthesia so please don't,
don't be caught in these minefields Insha'Allah if
we have time I will provide you with
the Islamic equivalence and incorporate
the new findings in the prescriptions that will
help you to develop and harness your potential
in this area.
This is the area of optimal life experience
with
higher goals than just winning race or solving
puzzles etc. We need prescriptions that are especially
designed for a world
dominated by celebrity mania.
And so my purpose for speaking about this
now is to bring home the point that
homun,
that obscurity
is not as bad. It's obscurity is not
as bad
as our
it is not as bad for our well-being
and for our happiness and for our success
in life as we tend to think it
is.
The and especially as a result of being,
members of being members of the society in
which we live in. If lots of people
do not know you, then that is not
such a bad thing,
and that's the point. So now let's read
Imam Ghazali's,
treatment of this.
He has a chapter
labeled,
what's chapter?
On
on
on.
Yes.
Back
here
is
this.
Okay. Yeah.
Oh, there. Yes.
Okay.
Yeah.
The exposition
of the virtue of.
The virtue of anonymity.
Rasulullah
said that perhaps
a
disheveled
person who
is covered in dust and who has a
Timrein, who
has 2 rags on him, on his body.
But no one pays attention to him. He's
insignificant
to society
that perhaps such a person, a person who
is disheveled, a person who has who has
who is dusty, who has, you know, one
looks at, who has rags on, who who
is covered in rags,
that no one bothers about him
that if he swears that Allah will do
x y and z that Allah will do
something then Allah will fulfill his oath. If
he took an oath saying saying that Allah
will do something that that Allah will fulfill
his oath and then he mentioned someone
that a person and then he repeats the
same the same description.
A person who with 2 rags on his
back
and no one bothers he's no one bothers
about him.
If he takes an oath, Allah will fulfill
his oath.
And if he were to say Oh Allah
Oh Allah I ask you for Jannah
that Allah will give him Jannah
And yet he has not given him much
anything of the of the dunya.
Shall I not show you? Shall I not
point you in the direction of the people
of Jannah?
That all those the the people of Jannah
and here he's talking about in the in
in abundance. He's talking here about large numbers.
The large numbers of the people. The majority
of people, the people. He's in the people
of Jannah.
That every humble, weak person, these humble people
with the
considered to be humble.
And he's showing how close they are to
Allah. How beloved they are to Allah that
if they swear that Allah will do such
and such that Allah fulfills what they want,
what what what the oath they make.
And the people of the fire
are
are the people who are the proud
the proud bloated people.
The the people of Jannah, the people
of disheveled,
covered in dust and wearing rags, but no
one cares for them.
That these are the people that if they
try to if they seek permission to go
into into the courts, into meeting the governors
and the princes, if they
they try to go to these places where
where the princes are.
That they're that they would not be given
permission.
They will not be granted permission to go
and see the princes.
And if they try to get married with
people, they they approach, they seek
engagement, they seek marriage from women.
People do not give them the hand of
their daughters.
And when they speak, no one listens, no
one listens to what they have to say.
That
their needs and their wants
their necessities
their
their
necessities the things that they need
keep bubbling in their own chest. No one
hears hears their needs. No one no one
cares. It doesn't go beyond their chest.
But if
these people's light were to be
distributed on the day of judgement
to all the people, these people's light will
be sufficient for them.
That verily from around my Ummah there are
there are such people that if they were
to come to you and ask for a
dinar just one dinar
that he would not be given it if
he asked for a dinar
even a pence lots of coin pence
if you ask him for a dirham he
would not be given
and even if he asks for a penny,
he would not be given.
No one gives him.
And if and if he asks Allah for
Jannah, Allah would give it to him
and then
he repeats he comes back to it he
said the same person if he asks Allah
for all the dunya Allah does not give
it
And what what does this mean?
Because of the insignificance
of this dunya for him.
And then the same description, the people of
rags, the people who have nothing, who no
one cares about.
And then
he says,
that Umar went into the masjid for either
who
were That he found
crying
at the grave of the prophet
And so he says, what is it that
make you cry?
He said, I heard
said
that
the smallest amount of
shaw, riya, which is another
another concept that we will study
after this is riya, which is this ostentation
is shirk. It is it is polytheism, it's
including Allah.
And Allah loves and what does Allah love?
Allah loves
And he's saying that he loved that but
Allah loves
those pious people, those righteous people who are
who are hidden.
The obscure, the people who are anonymous, the
anonymity, the the anonymous people, the people who
no one knows, who have no celebrity, who
have no fame. A. But they are pious.
They are they are righteous.
This is the the pious and the righteous
these are the people that if they are
absent
no one misses them
no one says oh well oh what's happened
to so and so no nobody misses them
If they come, if they arrive, if they're
there, no one knows.
No no no one no. If if they're
if they're absent, no one knows.
And when they're when they're present, no one
recognizes them.
No one recognizes them.
And if they're and when they're present, no
one recognizes them
but they are. And then he explains what
kind of people they are. He says
that their hearts
are lamps of guidance, these people. He said
that they are these are lights that that
that illuminated
the
the their lamps that lights of guidance.
That they they are
saved. They are protected. They are they they
are protected. They don't they don't fall into
the traps of the fitan of their demand
the darkness the dark and the gloomy calamities
that befall people they do not fall into
it.
Muhammad
ibn al Suwaid he this is Muhammad ibn
al Suwaid who died around a100
a100 Hijri around a100. Yeah.
He he's reporting this story. And now
we
in the reports I read so far, it
says that if if they if they take
took an oath, then Allah will fulfill their
oath. So now this is a story that's
showing you and this happened this story happened
around the 100 around the year 100,
well, this person who's reporting it died then
died about a 100,
hijri,
year
in the calendar, Muslim calendar. So sometime
before that, the story happened, and he's reporting
it. He's saying,
that there was a
famine in Madinah
caught,
the the the,
the the the rain stopped and, and they
had severe drought.
So he says,
and there was among them, a pious person
who no one paid any attention to.
But
he would be he would spend lots of
time. He with the Masjid. He was attached
to the Masjid. He he frequented
the Masjid of the prophet
for so while there were
that while they were all making dua
is
that
this person came in he has 2 rags
on him
the people were in the Masjid making dua
asking for this drought to go away and
but then this man in rags who no
one know no one no one pays it
any attention to he comes and he prays
2 rakar short
short and then he raised his hands.
And he said,
oh Allah,
that I
I take I take I I swear now
that you will that you will send rain
upon us in this moment.
He's saying that he's taking an oath. I
take take an oath now that you will
send rain upon us in this moment.
That he before he could pull his hand
and then finish his prayer, his dua,
clouds covered the city.
Dark clouds covered the city, Bilhrim,
with water.
And the and the rain began.
And it rained and rained and rained so
much
until the people of Ahl Madinah, the people
in Madinah
started to complain
and starting to worry about being
that things would
of drowning. So much water was pouring.
And then this person again did it. He
said,
that if you know that they have now
that they have now received sufficient,
stop stop it now. Stop the rain.
And then the rain
stopped.
So when this person who is who is
reporting, it says that he that he
they saw that this man
was speaking in this way and saying these
things
and seeing the effect of what he was
saying,
someone followed him followed him to his house
and see where he was living. So he
went
and then one see where he he found
out where he was living and then the
morning he came to him
I came to ask you for something.
What do you want?
That I want you to make a dua
for me.
He said, subhanallah.
He said, why? Me?
Enter. Enter. He said, enter. Enter. What does
Aluni and?
You who who you are and you're asking
me to make
He
said what is it that that has raised
your status such that you what I've seen?
He said
he said that I all I did there's
nothing special all I did is I follow
what Allah asked me to do and I
avoided what Allah asked me to avoid it
and so I asked him and he fulfills
what I say. So that is the simplicity
he didn't say oh well I do x
y and z and I'm like this and
I'm that is that his his simplicity he
kept his simplicity he didn't he didn't
see this now as an opportunity
to develop his celebrity. No.
He he remained he remained in the so
this is the virtue of
be springs of knowledge
and lamps of guidance
but, but mats of the house.
You in mats of the house mean in
other words,
that you you're you're in a you're not
out showing off. Well,
but you're a writer of night.
Means the one who is standing up in
prayer at night.
That the hearts
that their hearts is completely cleansed and filled
with Allah.
That you're wearing old clothes.
That you will be recognized by the people
of by by
the dwellers
of heaven, by the dwellers of the skies,
by the dwellers of the heavens,
and and
you will be hidden from the people of
earth.
That
he's saying
said that Allah says
that
of my servants, the one,
the the happiest of those,
for me are those the the believer is
the one who is the lightest
with his
with his burden of the world. The lightest
the one who is light in in the.
The in other words the poor people the
people who don't have much to carry them
do hug them but they have a great
fortune in their prayer in other words in
their in these optimal moments these optimal
optimal experience
the life the life experiences are optimal in
salah.
So he says
that he he perfected his worship
for Allah.
He obey he obeys him. He obey he
obeys him. He obeys him in secrecy.
And he was obscure finesse.
No one points to him.
And who has for this?
He said these are the people who would
be
the ones who who who are most favored
of happy the happiest of people.
And then Rasulullah
hit hit the ground and said and he
said
that he will he's called back to Allah
quickly
and his his his and he and he
has he's left little
in or inheritance is small
and
and not very many will cry cry over
him but he's going to bliss in the
earth
The most beloved people to Allah
are the strangers, the one who
who don't worry, who people do not know,
they're strange, no one knows them.
Those said who are the those people who
who run away with their deen, run away
with what they have.
That Allah says that
says that it has reached me that Allah
Allah will say, he says,
in recounting his favors.
Recounting his favors
and his blessings, the things that he has
given you, he says, among the things that
that he will
recount when he speaks to he to you
is
did I not give you lot lots of
favors, lots of blessings? I did not give
you lots a lot in the world.
And then another favor,
did I not
shield you? Did I not veil your sins?
Did I not veil your your your your
your your deeds your your misdeeds?
Your sins did I not cover you did
I not cover you in the world and
then
the last question is
did I not make you anonymous?
Now
people will see the opposite to being a
favor, but Allah is saying by making you
anonymous, by keeping you obscure, did I not
did I not lead you into obscurity? Why?
Because I protected you. I protected you from
from
I protected you from riya. So So
he
said
that
Allah and this is dua of 1 of
the great. He said he said,
make me in front of you among the
highest of your creatures
but make me in
my view of myself
the lowest of your creatures the lowest of
your creatures
make me see myself as the lowest of
the creature of your creatures
and
make me in the view of people in
the most ordinary. And this is why the
scholars say that if you wear too fancy
clothes, then you're you're you're you're showing yourself
you're being recognized. And if you wear too
if you wear clothes that is too bad,
you must wear normal clothes that that that
that that no one recognize. You don't stand
out
either by in affluence or too much poverty.
That I find my heart that my heart
settles and agrees. My heart is my my
heart
is,
is rectified. My my heart
my heart finds peace and tranquility
with people in
with the strange people.
The people who are carrying their house, their
tents, and and their baggage.
Ibrahim. And and this goes to show that
this is a in a a beautiful story.
He's he's he's talking about
how he felt and
the
natural tendency in people
to
like things that well, to to,
seek it, to seek celebrity, to seek fame,
to seek recognition, and to seek it when
people went and to like it, to enjoy
it when people show
you honor and give you position and put
you forward. But here is the opposite and
he's saying he's describing it. He said
he said I did not enjoy true joy.
True joy in this world except what's He's
giving he said, once like this happens, he
says,
he he said in I was in Syria
and I slept in one of the Masjid
I had some stomach problems.
So, I wanted to sleep. I didn't have,
I didn't want to go back and forth.
So so I decided to sleep in the
masjid.
Fajarani al Mu'adzin. So the Mu'adddin of the
mosque who is responsible for the who should
stay and catering to the mosque. But Jarrani,
he said he grabbed me by my by
my foot, by my leg.
He in other words, he's saying that this
is Ibrahim, the big
Sheikh,
and that Mu'azin did not recognize who he
was so he grabbed him by his,
by his leg and pulled him all the
way out of the mosque.
So
the Sheikh is saying here that look I
felt
you know, that I I felt the coolness
in my eyes. In other words, I felt
I felt pure joy
of hair. Look,
my nafs is being taught a lesson.
That if you are able
to be anonymous
then do so
and there's no harm in for you not
to be known
and there's no harm that people may not
praise
you. And there is no harm there is
no harm if people
if people think of you with blame
but in in the eyes of Allah that
you are praiseworthy that you have that you
are pious and you are righteous in the
eyes of Allah.
So these
reports
and these hadith, these these,
sayings that we have just read, they
introduces you to
the blameworthy nature of seeking fame
and the virtue of hamul, the virtue of
anonymity.
The the real
purpose
of fame
and celebrity
is jah, is position in the hearts of
people.
So the love of facade, the love of
position, the love of the the the the
love of position in the hearts of people,
this is
the sprouting. This is this is the foundation
of all facade, of all the fitna, all
the corruption that can happen.
Now
and
I alluded to this in previous lessons but
I talked about the fact that
so many people, so many great
treacheries that have occurred in our history has
been
due to this
this humble jab of position, people wanting, people,
enemies come and says we'll give you x
y and z position and they and then
people
indulge in treachery.
The the story,
of the invasion of Baghdad is quite interesting.
Perhaps if we have some time, another time,
I'll tell you about it. So
and and then he that's the end of
that portion. And then he he he
asks a question that may occur in the
minds.
He's saying
that if you one may ask that look,
but which fame can be more than the
fame of the prophets and the and the
caliphs,
and and the ulama and the the the
the the the scholars and the imams
that
how how how did they miss this virtue
of? The answer to it, he says, No.
That the blameworthy,
the disgusting one,
it is seeking of
He said that, as far if this comes
from Allah, if Allah puts you in a
position where this happens,
and it's not from you, you do not
go into scheming
and pretense
to to create it, then
that is from Allah and it is not
blameworthy.
Nam.
Yes. Of course. It is a great temptation
on the weak. It is a great temptation
for people who are weak. It is for
the strong people and this is why Allah
gives it to the people who have the
strength to stomach it, strength to deal with
it. So he's
saying it's it's it is not it's not
that that temptation, that fitna for the for
the people who have the strength to deal
with it. And then he gives a beautiful
example. He says,
He
said
it's He said it's like a person who
is weak at swimming,
and he is in a pond
where
people are drowning. It is better for him
for for those for people not to know
him.
That because what will happen? Yes.
He said that they will grab on to
him and they
they will drown and he he will drown
and they will drown.
But on the other hand,
That it it's as for a person who
is a strong swimmer, that he's a he'd
then if someone is people are drowning around
you, then it is it is better for
them to know that you are a strong
swimmer, to know you so that they can
seek your help and you can bring them
out. That's the difference between the strong and
the weak in regard to this.
The between the prophets and between the great
and
the likes of us today, the weak people.
So
so the point is that
being unknown is not as bad as we
tend to think it is. And that
there are many virtues in having a simple
life in this world, and especially when it's
combined with a strong,
and secret relationship with your creator,
where you are able to worship and speak
to Allah with complete sincerity,
without seeking the attention of others or seeking
status for it. In such moments of
solitude
with the words of
Allah and solitude with the remembrance of Allah,
you will find that
that
elusive optimal experience that eclipses
all joys in this world.
The optimal flow, the optimal
in which you are carried in the flow
of a never ending stream of mercies from
Allah,
of of mercies from your creator.
When you feel drawn to serve selflessly
those who you love
with sacrifice and you suddenly realize that the
driving force that is forcing you to do
it
is not coming from within you but it's
something else. It is coming from the mercy
of Allah. It's a mercy that is flowing
through your heart
Then that, that realization
where you where you where you take yourself
out of it, that is a moment of
optimal experience in life.
When you stand in prayer in the middle
of the night
and suddenly
remember
the angel that is writing every word you
recite,
and you become
lost in your in joyous heights.
That is an optimal experience in life.
These
are moments that will fortify your mind and
heart to be strong and to be steadfast
in the face of hardships in our world.
As Allah says
that those who believe and whose heart finds
whose hearts find satisfaction
in the remembrance of Allah.
That verily
in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find
tranquility.
Among the people who will be honored on
the day of judgement as we are told
in Hadith. Rasulullah
informed us that Allah will have a special
shade on the day of judgement and there
will be that
there will be no shade except for this
special shade that honor there among the 7
people
would be 1 would be someone
who
the one who remembers the
one who remembers Allah in solitude,
who remembers Allah, who thinks about his Allah,
who thinks about
Allah's favors onto him
and his deficiencies,
his shortcomings.
And then his eyes wells up.
His eyes well up with tears and tears
overflow
for that person, for that special moment,
he will be granted on the day of
judgment
special attention. That special honor will be to
be
in
the shade of Allah.
That is
in essence what this is about. May Allah
grant us all those special moments in this
world
and the honor of his shade in the
next. Let us pray.
O Allah,
forgive us. O Allah, forgive our negligence
and guide us to the flow of your
mercies
and protect our hearts and our minds from
doubt
and save us from seeking status from others
when
your approval is what we need most, oh
Allah.
Turn our hearts toward you in all situations
and guide us in the direction
of your love. Guide us in the direction
of your mercies. For your beloved prophet said
that that if
you have informed us in the Quran
that that if you
if my servant asks you of me let
them know that I'm near. O Allah
make us feel that, make us experience that
nearness
and grant us
our hope,
grant us a yearning for your love, your
mercy
and for you to be pleased with us
in all that we do. O Allah
bring our hearts closer to you. O Allah
we are your servants,
we are your creatures,
we have no other,
We have no one to turn to but
you.
Accept us and guide us to what pleases
you.