Soul Searching #02 – Ihsan & its Levels

honored to be followers of the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam so this is the second session of our discussion of soul searching now really the aim of this discussion is to kind of look inwardly to be able to move forward externally into the world with a positive footing and one of the you know the essential i guess existential questions that human beings have always asked is who am i and what is wanted of me you know and for you to be able to speak about who you are and be able to provide something towards others be able to give a sense of clarity and a sense of being in your makeup towards others it always begins with yourself that inward look what do i want and what do i seek and

allah subhana allah centers that focus very much upon us allah subhanho wa taala always asked us to become from those who look inward to seek to make known to ourselves first who is important in our life and what it is that we seek and the most important person in your life is you and that becomes a very very important to have that perspective you know a perspective of your faith and your creed that you must look after yourself now allah subhana allah says in surah hareem yeah you're latina amadou qu amphu circumcised save yourself wang li comm and that will follow suit with you looking after your progeny your family and those who are important that can come thereafter in your life and

in that regard but it becomes very very important for you and i to become people who are very self centered in that sense that at falco to shape your tea the one who doesn't have cannot give and if i do not have faith i cannot share faith if i do not practice i cannot preach and it is something where allah always says yeah you're levena ave lima taku luna mallette if i don't why do you step forward with statements of that which you yourselves are not implementing or practicing so that becomes a very important conceptualization that i must look within myself look within my heart look within my very essence and being searched my soul to discover what it is that i can put forward

while thumb good enough so my academic level then each of us look towards what it will bring tomorrow in sha allah so for those of you that hamdulillah who are following along this is session number two and we're going to be speaking about sn last week and you can go back and watch this even through yahoo bing.com forward slash live you can go and watch soul sessions one soul searching part one and you can get a little bit of the theological and philosophical understandings that we spoke about that allah subhanho wa taala tenters islam eman and the sun islam is the outward practice eman is the intellectual rational practice and it sanne is the souls tuttavia it's the souls education

the souls nurturing that three being put together compliment our mind body and soul and therefore allah sent that perfect symmetry between islam eman ehsaan and our body mind and soul because each of them means different things in different acts of worship so when you look at the act of worship that you and i perform as muslims physically you will notice that they are aligned with what is referred to as islam physical manifestations of our inward being in state and acceptance when you hear the definition of eman it's always something that is about the unseen where you have to subdue your thought and your mind to come closer to allah subhanho wa taala and approach alladhina you may

know nabila were mela ekati he were called to be he was really those who believe in god and his angels and the scriptures and the messengers when he oh well after well further highly he was shattering all of those are things that are intellectual pursuits of faith yes on is that a lot is a part and parcel of your life in a material conceptualization of yourself that it is you can see a lot in the work of everything that happens in your life in the beauty of your young child allah is the one who gives life and takes life in the healing and the death in the illness and and the wealth and prosperity or its poverty all of it are things that you see and weakness a lot and the prophets

i sell them when he was asked

What is your son? He said and dad would Allah Hakka and NACA Torah that you are worshiping and committed to your relationship with God as if you perceive him see him in front of you, Wayne lamb Tara hufa in Navajo Iraq, although you cannot see him in this worldly life, you recognize that he can see you, wherever you may be. We'll have our soul hikma. What what? SSO taqwa. That is the mastery of all wisdom. And it is the very basis of piety of the heart that you recognize. Allah Subhana Allah, man mana, ie nema kuntum indymac Windermere, I am with you wherever you are in the macroom s ma I see and I observe you wherever you may be subhana wa Tada. That becomes a really

ingrained process in my heart and your heart. And that becomes the foundations of faith. The word ehsaan of course, on its own, it's often paired with concepts that relate to righteous deeds and and piety. So Allah Subhana Allah says, in the law, how you bully mercy mean? Allah loves those who are practicers practitioners of sn which means doers of good deeds. Now I want you to conceptualize that Isaan is not just simply an emotion and Eman and taqwa faith and piety, consciousness, fear of God, they are never in the Islamic

cosmology of how we believe and look out into the world, that these are things that are just inward practices know rather very much they are meant to be things that show in the outward practice, and therefore the very conceptualization of saying I'm a Muslim, is not to say I pray five times a day, and you know, I give that guy and I passed the month of Ramadan. Now, those are the things that I do as obligations in Islam. But what makes you a Muslim is that those things of prayer, fasting, and zakka influence your character that the tohave you've submitted to the worship of Allah alone, changes your very fibers, you're very spiritual DNA to something that makes you view the world and

be a part of the world in a different way in a more positive way, than had you not been acquainted and become known to Allah azza wa jal in that sense and be knowing of Allah azza wa jal so becomes really important for you. to own that relationship with a lot, that is a sign becomes an action. It is something that is not passive, but rather it is active. So when Allah speaks about the practice of sn, he's speaking about allameh lasala, the righteous deeds we perform in the law hop, my Latina taco when Latina, hamachi noon, Allah is with those who have an inner awakening and the inner consciousness and awareness of him and those who do mercy noon mercy Nene, those who practice

outside and fulfill their duties and obligations towards Allah Subhana Allah Lila Dena, sen husana those who practice exam will have a greater return on that investment and that effort of practice, and therefore those who have done good deeds will have a better reward than that what they gave forward, that which they shared with others that which they gave unto others. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,

when he says it's that you worship Allah as if you see him, he doesn't say it's that you feel Allah sees you everywhere, and daboo the law, therefore, air satin is linked to something being done, something being believed in something being said and something being acted on. And daboo the law her can NACA Torah, that when you continue in the worship of Allah, which is the very essence of all process, both the ritual worship and the normal day to day life. So alignment or ibadah, one of the statements of the prophets I send them is that going and practicing work or being engaged in a job that you perform is an act of obedience to God, it's an act of worship of Allah subhana wa Tada,

you're seeking that which is halaal, pushing yourself away from that which is haraam and that you've turned seeking those who uptet lumen fogli law, seeking the blessings that Allah has destined for us in this beautiful world, that becomes an act of worship. Worship is not just the prayer, the fasting, the rituals of worship, but rather worship is defined and if you can make note of this, one of the the easiest

definitions and Eva is moon Jamia liquidity man, you're a boy hula, mean, Colin. I mean, those do couldn't be called out Colin out. Amen. You know, a bar that is that it is the totality of your experience with Allah, whether it's something you hold true in your heart, or a statement of remembrance, or worship or re citation of Scripture that you recite, or third, it is something that you act upon, you know, a generosity that you perform an act of worship, or very bad that you do, or going out in a physical sense in the assistance of others to visit the sick or whatever it may be. All of those are seen as acts of worship, one isn't necessarily preferred to the other unless there

is a decree from Allah that this is that a bad lot of the time, but all of them have a place before Allah. So the worship of Allah as if we see him that Allah is witness to what we do, where we have a man behave. And it is our biology, that we have a man in Allah, this is why I'm doing I'm praying because I believe in God, but I also have the sab, I'm holding a law, that there is an account that I have with him a balance that is set, where I will reap a reward, the levina accidentally personna was Yeah, that there is something that will increase me.

Now, of course, there are minimum levels to ascend and the most basic level of sn is Al Islam is to enter into faith, that you become a believer and that you accept that there are good deeds and that you accept that there are sinful deeds that you need to abstain from and to try to be distant from and LSR. It's something that it is a variety of stations that you arrive at. And it is something that elevates as you become closer to Allah, that you grow in your experience. And in your spiritual state. You arrive from station to station or from point to point or from level to level. And that's how that roadmap would speak about SN and those who are merci Nein, that there is a cascading order

of elevation. So the obligatory level of sn, and you can follow along with with the notes that I've set for you is that a person does the deeds that are sincere towards a law, and that are commanded by a law through the teaching of the prophets I seldom the obligatory level of sn is that whenever you worship a law, you've done it with a floss with sincerity and the word of floss is a powerful word in the Arabic language. You might have an Arabic friend who just you know, lost it, you know, he's just upset, except colosse. I've had enough, you know, hellos. And that's the very concept of the floss you've had enough of putting your trust in anything other than Allah, of relying on

anything anyone other than Allah, on on, you know, on seeking anything from other than Allah and esteana Billa he was, you only ask Allah Subhana Allah, he's the only one you ask and any other asking of other than Allah is haraam. And it can lead to share it can lead to disbelief in God, if you actually believe that entity, that thing that same that tomb that cross that you know, individual, that Prophet is the one that can help you rather than Allah. It then means you into the worship of other than God, but in essence, it's their honor, it is something that is a part as the very essence of your son, that you've turned in totality your commitment to Allah, yak and I will do

what Yak and Astaire in. Only you do. We provide the service and worship and adoration and love and fear and hope towards and only you do we commit in seeking our needs from you, Allah subhanho wa Taala none other than you. So that becomes an intent and that a Nia is very much the first stage of an exam. What do you intend? Why do you do what you do? Now I wanted to speak a little bit about the concept of me of that we have as Muslims, Nia is loosely translating the English language as intention but that word is such a poor word to describe Nia Nia is much more than just oh, you know, I intend or I'm thinking of doing something. intention English and you know, it's I think I'm gonna

do this or you know, I may not do it. But Nia is a commitment. It is a voluntary, conscious choice of commitment to a fact to an Act to a statement to a belief. So it's voluntary, it's not coercion. It is very

much thought out intentional in its in its capacity. It's not haphazard, it's not just you fell into sada you fell into a do I know it is it is intentional, in my in, in my seeking to make this invocation or this prayer, that there is an element of conscious awareness as I make that choice to move forward with it. And the third element of Nia is that it is rewarded by Allah, even if the action is not fulfilled. And that's powerful. So even if you do not carry through with the act of that you were intending, if your Nia was pure, then you get a reward for the mere intent that you had in your heart. And that becomes a very powerful thing that's found only in our faith, that as

Muslims, we believe that that intent, the active process, of in of voluntarily choosing to commit to something becomes in itself a practice of the thing, even though it hasn't come into reality yet, and the prophets I said Lem says enamel, Amadou Binya, the actions are predicated on that which preceded them in a conscious, voluntary, intentional state of mind, heart and support, you know, in what I'm about to do.

So the second level of sn, for any act of sn for any act of good deeds that one is going to perform. The first is you've set yourself consciously voluntarily knowingly choosing to commit to this to this activist statement to this behavior to this belief. Second, is that what you're committing to has a precedent, and that you were led down the Serato monster theme by the side of the MBR, the master of all profits, the master of humanity, look at the construct of Islam, where Allah says to us, you know, to make your eye Idina Surat Al Mustafa, team, leaders to the straight path, whose path is it. So Dr. Levine and I'm telling the path of those who you favored before us, because the

path has always been one, the way has always been one. The teaching has always been one and arugula hat nyla combi heat masala, Camila, and you have the one true God that you worship. And there was none that you were to turn to seeking devotion or worship of except him.

Somehow know what to add. So therefore the compliance of the modality of life that you put your footstep in the footstep of the Prophet, that you walk where he walked you, you start where he started, you stop where he stopped, you're limited by what he limited. And you have expanse and openness where he made expanse and openness, that your very dreams, hopes and very essence of your worship, seeks to mimic what he wanted. And therefore you find this beautiful Hadith where a man comes and says, oh, messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I'm unable to worship Allah to ask Allah in the way that you and some I, you know, I don't know how to be eloquent. I don't know

how to make these requests. I don't know how to ask Allah subhanaw taala the way you do, can you teach me how to pray to Allah so that I get what you're asking for and that you know, the things that you want is the same thing that I want, I want what you want. So the profits I sell them says and part of this, he says, say Allah Khomeini as a locum in higher Massa Allah cabbie, he added look at what also look at whenever you can Mohammed, Oh Allah, I asked you for everything good. That the Prophet your nebby euroschool you sent us to him that he asked you have that good. Whenever the Prophet wanted. Allah give me the same. What are all the weekend? I asked you to protect me from to

keep me away from to stop me from mean Couldn't you mr either. caminho nabee Yokosuka Mohammed, from everything your Prophet asked to be protected from and to stay away from May Allah subhanho wa Taala protect us from any vulgarity of sin and wavering away from his path. So the Sunnah of the prophet SAW it seldom as a part and parcel of your intentional, conditioned, voluntary choice to do an act. Both of them coming together lead you to the first step of the axon. That is the obligatory aside, where I am fulfilling the deeds Allah has ordered of me and doing it in the way the Prophet did it. And with the intent of worshiping Allah pleasing Allah and knowing that my reward is with him,

Subhana Allah to Allah. Of course, there are recommended levels. Now as you begin your

relationship with Allah, you begin to become more conscious of your dealings with Allah and a lost sight of you. And this concept of almoradi Kava, where you have a cell vigilance, self reproach self dis discernment, where you are self analyzing your behavior, your state your beliefs, your you're acting upon them, that becomes something that leads you to growing in your faith growing in your Eman, growing in your relationship with Allah subhana wa Tada. And this maraca, therefore is an essential element where you are seeing yourself the way Allah you hope is seeing you doing good, and you are trying to eliminate that Allah who will see or hear review, doing something that is

prohibited. maraca is very much a part of that statement of the prophets I sell them and dab with Allah can Nicola that when you worship Allah is it's as if you witness him. So you are witnessing yourself and that Allah is very much a part of the life that you and I in in his observing of us, hearing up knowledge of us, knowing what our conditions are, and that we seek from Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, purity and clarity, that the perception that we have of ourselves is not one that is clouded and distant from that which Allah seeks of us.

The highest level of sn is that you enter into a place which there orlimar referred to as l Moshe had, that you not just see yourself in the way Allah will see of you. But you begin to witness Allah as a part of the reality of your existence. Not that you see a lot but did you witness a law in everything that occurs? So in the good you experience, you know that Allah is a part of the decision of why the good you have received, so you say Ma sha, Allah, this is by the will of Allah. And then when there is an inconvenience, a difficulty, that what you perceive to be something undesirable, you weakness, Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, you recognize that he is a part of what is that has

befallen you, that if the whole world came together, to give you what Allah has forbidden, they can't and if they came together to benefit you in a way that Allah has ordered, they can't, you would not be benefiting and you would not be harmed. So you see that a lot is a rough man, that in the pain that I mean, a lot is still Generous and Merciful, that Allah is Allah zap, the moment I begin to drink and I say Bismillah, that sip of water Allah and to anzahl to more human and Muslim, are you the one that brought this down? Or is it Allah that provided for you that you would not have been able to provide for yourself when you are with somebody?

And you see somebody commit an act of aggression and active scene and active say, you know, you know, Moussa, you say our Oh, do we learn him in Dallas? I asked a lot to protect me from such it's as if you are saying, Oh Allah, you see what I'm saying? You are, you know, what is happening now or law protect me from this. Let Well, how can we live in Don't let me fall prey and head towards those who fall into these problems and into these mistakes. May Allah protect us out. And when you hear someone's been blessed, you recognize that it is from the order of Allah, and that Allah is that you're here where you meet Allah gives life and takes life. Allah yazeed you know increases was he

the law who Lima Yesha right Allah increases whom he wishes. So you understand that the word Allah being a heavy volume, the ever living the all subsisting, the all sustaining is a reality is a reality that Allah Subhana Allah lamea took NASA hemella has not left us in an idle play, that we just determine everything and that he is not present in our existence and in our life. You recognize that Allah very much is knowing of who we are yellow mccannon that way as smell Kellerman, he sees our place and he hears our our plea and our discussions, and Allah says to Musashi Salaam when Allah sees in the heart of Moosa, Tao Josephine FC hee hee, fetter Musa Musa had a sense of fear in

himself that he has to go and stand before Pharaoh panella to have I said, Don't be afraid. Yeah Moosa in the macaroon.

As malware error, I am with you both. I see and I hear Oh, Allah says to the prophets I sell them 30th name in the home It feels odd if Yahoo Lulu sahibi healer to have in Allah manner, Allah is with us this man yeah is not a physical presence, but one of power and authority and ability and seeing and hearing and knowledge and for knowledge of what would occur before it takes origin and action. So Allah Subhana Allah, who will honey you the Rama, he is the one without need and the one who is giving of His mercy young Shura Mehta. He is the one who spreads out his mercy over his creation overall that he has put into existence Subhana Allah.

This is a basic initial understanding of the conceptualization and the things that relate to sand in understanding its place. So when we speak about the sun, it's we're not speaking in the abstract, that we are speaking about just something that's an emotion, or a philosophy or something in the heart. But in fact, in demonstratable practice, through our deeds, and through our actions, may Allah make them actions that are fulfilling to the Suna of our Navy Mohammad sallallahu alayhi wa Taala early he was so heavy, he was a linter Sleeman kathira. Now I am conscious that there may be some questions that are being asked, for those of you who are on my telegram service, please do send

in your questions in sha Allah, very happy to receive them and be able to take them along with you.

And those who are on the Facebook in sha Allah, I'll do my best to also answer some of the questions that may arise. But I am seeking in sha Allah, other questions from the group first. All right, so some of the questions are beginning to roll in how do we purify the intentions? So think of the keywords that I said that it is voluntary, which means that you understand that the act that you're performing is something that you have choice to have done it or not. And when you come to Sala and you know you hear them on everything, even if the event is on your phone. Hi, Yaga Sala, Al Fela come alive through this prayer, come to success through this prayer. There's many people who hear it

but don't answer it. So this voluntary action of getting up becomes a part of the purification of intention. That is what shows the intention was true. And that's why you always want to follow through with your good deeds unless you are hindered by something that is, you know, put upon you. The essence of how you know your intention was righteous is that you did the action, right. And that's something I always say to the people who join me for hydro firma. A lot of people they come to Hajj, one of the first things that I set in their heart, I say your hedges accepted, and they shared, we didn't go to heart failure, we're still we're still on the bus. We didn't you know, we

didn't get there yet. We didn't do anything yet. I say Subhana Allah that Allah has brought you here, chosen you from his creation, and has set in your intent to spend this wealth spend this energy take the time from work, take the time from family, expand these kilometers expand this energy physically, it is a sign that you have come now and fulfilled this commitment that your intent was righteous and therefore your action is accepted by Allah. So the way to purify your intention is to recognize that your intention is voluntary. And once the action is performed, you have shown your commitment and your action is accepted in sha Allah. Hello, we have another question

that what has been interpreted as gibreel? Is this the case? Or does that mean the soul in the consciousness that we have no God. The word of rule signifies that he brings life into this dead world meaning the spirit of faith. So he is a ruler who will mean he conveys the spirit of faith, this world would be dead without a man after man can on May 10 Hina, Allah gives that allegory that imagery in the Quran. Give them the example of the one who is dead and then we brought them to life, meaning they were their heart had no he man and then he man entered Sharla how Allah who sought that out who their chest was open to accept faith. So he man entered the heart so that means that they

have come to life. The prophets I sell them said the home where the Quran is recited, compared to a home where the Quran is not recited is comparison to the living to the day.

or the comparison of a home to a graveyard right death for us is dual there is the spiritual death and a physical death so that gibreel is the one who brings the rule

well well well what no one lady there said yeah you know that the night moving and the light coming that entrance into faith is the breath that is blown the life that is given into the world when it was dark and dead before the message in the scripture of faith the word war therefore signifies the spiritual state of faithfulness in a law but it is a description of the action of gibreel in bringing down the scripture all right how much power does trayvon have to misguide us and how do we recognize the difference between his whispers and our own criticism that's a very important theological question right the chez thon is weak and allah subhanho wa taala says lee celuk laka

allah himself on i don't give you power to overrun them the shavon does not think for you cannot speak using your vocal cords does not take over the body of a human being and makes them act in a way that they would not act themselves none of those are orthodox beliefs that we have as muslims and therefore much of what you see with the mental health issues that are displayed and sadly falsely claim to be spiritual possession may allah subhana allah protect us from those who seek to prey on the same as you know the simplicity of of muslims who are not learned in their al qaeda you know a person cannot come to a party and say i didn't divorce my wife it was the gin he spoke

through me lap it's invalid right you could say you have 100 gin makes no difference it's still kolok right it's not excusing the fact why because there is no reality in that sense what the shaitan does is us we sue fees to do the net in fact a lot quotes the shaytani himself in salted ibrahim so a lot tells us what the shaitan will say on the day of judgment the shaitan will say on the day of judgment to the people who enter hellfire who are blaming him so that's a thought we'll say that if the lm the shaitaan will say in allah either kawada happy to come your lord promised you the true promise do good you get good do bad i will hold you accountable and i promised you false

promises well i took them for us left to come what are the promises of shaytaan he's not speaking to us is that he makes the world that we're in seem better than what it really is the thing that we desire as being better than what it actually is so we are made to appear or to see or to feel that we want something greater than what allah subhana allah has set and therefore that becomes something with a sheath on us with the word west wesa in the arabic language is west west certain that it's a sound like it's like a brooking babbling brook it's a sound in the arabic language so the west west is the clitic clicking and clacking of gold west west at the hub you know some of our sisters they

were gold bangles and they you know let people know i've arrived i've come in to the wedding clack clack clack clack the sound of gold on gold is the sound of westwater so what the shaitan does e m qualifies our desires xuyen le nasya homebush shaohua t shirt mankind have the desire for more if you have a value of god you want another valley you say let me see let me go out exploring for more so the shaytaan amplifies what's already there in that and now i only invited you first step to me you came to what you wanted and i just made it fair seeming and i will confess that you have to meet fella to do moody don't blame me while lumo infosec right nobody on the day of judgment will be able

to say yeah allah shavon made me do it it's not my fault it's you know this is from the shavon and the answer to that is no

so the shaytaan has the capacity

to place fear in us anxiousness in us make us worried about what other people will think about us gay men you know our self conscious at times let it go a little bit further than what it is make us feel uncomfortable with our deen and submission those kind of feelings of uneasiness may allah protect us europe

How do we change from a change in our intention is that we renew it often. So always re qualify your Nia and re qualifying your Nia is by asking Allah Allah Allah. Allah Allah Allah accept this from us, along with them in Alma Tofino lawmakers from the pious Allah how much I'm now meclizine a lack a hammer Ohio lawmakers from those who are you know, sincere to you? Yeah, Allah right.

How do we stay content all times during ease and difficulty that's not a reality. That's not possible. The prophets I send them wept when he was in pain. He was happy when he was happy and he was sad when he was sad. Allah says to him, La La cabecero, Neff sec, Allah 30 him. Yeah, Mohammed, your was bring yourself to despair in your sorrow, when you see them that they are unwilling to accept your faith, unwilling to accept the man Prophet would be devastated. We refer to the year of the death of Khadija the Allah who and his uncle and his grandfather as the Iman hoses and the year of sorrow the Prophet was sad for a year sallallahu wasallam Allah quells his sadness now what Dhaka

buka one kala, Allah has never forsaken you never left you don't be in sorrow right. Now the knakal counter all these sutras are to cheer up the prophets I sell them. So, I want you to understand from a psychological point of view,

to expect only good only ease only to be content is going to bring you to misery. You have to expect that there are good days and bad days where till till a year Manu there will have been a nurse Allah says in the Quran such our days we give them to mankind in turn Yeoman Lana when when Alena a day for you in a day against you, may Allah Subhana Allah give us days that are for us and limit the days that are against us. And those where we are tested that we are not tested in our faith Allahumma amin along with fit net and fi D Nina yahama rahimian. This is where I'll bring the discussion to a conclusion in sha Allah. I normally don't like to go past 30 minutes we've gone both

3035 minutes in sha Allah, we pray that Allah Subhana Allah accept from us. I hope to see you again next week in sha Allah every Wednesday at this same time, where we will continue our series of soul searching the evening later Allah akuto how they have that Estelle federal law Halima Lee, welcome first of all who you have chosen Mr. Fairey in Salford or back home in a whole kind of era. Well sallallahu wasallam was it whether Eric is at now happy now whenever you know Mohammed said we'll follow up with our Salah Allahu Allahu Allah early or some of you are so Lim de Sleeman kathira subhanak along we'll be having the Chateau La Ilaha Illa and I started to with aqueous Santa Monica,

Mara Mottola. He or work at

la masa up