بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Of the concerns of the believers in this world is الثبات (Firmness/Steadfastness on the Religion) and to die as a Muslim. They are always afraid that their hearts may deviate from the right path.
One of the means of الثبات is to inspect ones heart and the sicknesses in it. This will lead a person to Purification of the Soul. And once the soul of the person is purified, he will be successful with Allah; He will enter Paradise and be saved from the Hellfire.
In Surah Al-A'la [87:14]:
"He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself"
Purification of soul has two aspects:
1) To Purify yourself from Shirk, Innovation, Shirk, Bad Manners, Sicknesses of the Heart. (تخلية)
2) To Develop Good Characteristics - Faith, Taqwa, Righteous Deeds - within oneself (تحلية)
We need to do these two things while we are alive in this world. Allah will decree situations which expose these sickness. We need to check the movement of our hearts when the decree of Allah comes. If a moment of حسد (Envy) or dislikeness of good for someone else passes your heart, it indicates evil in the soul; It indicates that the soul is not pure.
What should I do the moment I detect such sins and sicknesses in my heart?
1) Do not ignore, overlook, or neglect that movement of your heart.
2) Hate yourself for feeling that feeling.
3) Implore and Invoke Allah to remove this sickness from your heart.
E.g. You were displeased with a Qadar (decree) which is against you desires. Ask Allah to remove this discontentment from your heart.
E.g. You have a doubt regarding verses, Hadiths, or something you received. Ask Allah to clear this doubt from your heart.
4) Train yourself on obedience to Allah. Do what Allah loves in that situation.
E.g. You hear that favours are bestowed on other people and you did not feel good. Ask Allah to remove this feeling of envy from your heart, and invoke good for the person you envied. For example, ask Allah to increase them in goodness, to give you the same, or say: "اللهم إني أسالك من فضلك العظيم" (O Allah, I ask you from your great bounty)
There is no إستقامة (Uprightness) of the heart unless it is pure; the heart will not be a reformed heart unless it is pure.Strive hard (جهاد النفس) to purify your heart. Struggle hard so that you do not have this feeling again next time. Focus and stop your heart from having such feelings by praying to Allah to remove this sickness and praying for good for the one you envy. This requires a lot of struggling against the evil of your soul and the evil of the Shaytan. It is very important to watch your heart especially during decreed events.
The consequences of neglecting and overlooking the sicknesses and sins of the heart will be that the person become someone who looks good on the outside, while inwardly his heart is corrupt - like the hypocrites. He will be of those who say he is pleased with Allah, yet complains about his poverty, sickness, and situations he has to go through. He is contradicting himself - says something and does something else. This means that this person is not watching his heart and the sickness in his heart, and he is considered a liar. Do not let the sicknesses of the heart eat up and diminish your Faith until it causes it to go away, as in the case of the hypocrites.
In conclusion: Inspecting and watching the heart and purifying it from its sicknesses leads to الثبات على الدين (Steadfastness on the Religion) until death. Thereefore, our attitude throughout our lives should be focusing on purifying our soul from its sicknesses and then developing it with the opposite good characteristics.
How do we purify our souls? Through the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
The word "النفس' in Arabic is mentioned more than 250 times in the Qur'an. This indicates that when Allah created us, He did not neglect us. On the contrary, He showed us the way of reforming our souls. To search in other than the Qur'an and Sunnah for the way to rectify our souls is not right. The branch of Pyschology (علم النفس - I.e. Knowledge of the Soul) should be taken from the Qur'an and Sunnah. The history of Psychology goes back to philosophers - they are the ones who started talking about the self. Then it developed into a separate science. If you really want to know about the نفس, then know that we do not have except the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Reading the Qur'an should be done correctly - with Ihsan - to reach the goal. We should ponder and reflect over the verses, repeat them many times, go to the Tafseer, until we come to the conclusion of what Allah wants from us by revealing that Verse.
The Story of Musa عليه السلام from Surah AlQasas in Purifying our Soul
In [28:3]:
"We recite to you some of the news of Musa (Moses) and Fir'aun (Pharaoh) in truth,
Who will benefit from this story?
"لقوم يؤمنون" "For a people who believe (those who believe in this Quran, and in the Oneness of Allah)"
Not everyone who reads this story will benefit from it; only the believers will. We have to have the foundation - الإيمان - in order to benefit. If you doubt in the Qur'an and Sunnah you will not be able to benefit from what you read.
In Verse 4, Allah then mentions Five Actions of Pharoah:
"Verily, Fir'aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidun (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.)."
1) "علا في الأرض" - He exalted himself in the Land
2) "جعل أهلها شيعا" - Divided the people into sects, so it would be easy to control them.
3) "يستضعف طائفة منهم" - Oppressed a group among them (Bani Israeel)
4) "يذبح أبنآهم" - Killed their Sons
5) "يستحي نسآءهم" - And let the women live (for humiliation)
In Verses 5 and 6, Allah mentions 5 of His إرادات (Wills) in return:
"And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors,"
1) "و نريد أن نّمنّ على الَّذِين استضعفوا في الأرض"
Allah wanted to bestow to His favour on those who were oppressed in Land.
2) "و نجعلهم أئمّة"
And to make them Leaders
3) "و نجعلهم الوارثين"
And to make them the Inheritors.
"And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and Haman and their hosts receive from them that which they feared."
4) "و نمكّم لهم في الارض"
And to establish and give them power on the land.
5) "و نري فرعون و هامان و جنودهما منهم مَّا كانوا يحذرون"
And to show Pharoah, and Haaman, and his hosts, that which they feared.
All the above are actions of Allah.
When you read the Story of Musa عليه السلام and reach the end, you will see that Allahs Will overpowered and dominated what Pharoah and his hosts wanted. This is to tell you that Allah is العزيز - He is الغالب، القاهر. He is the One who has the Authority over affairs. Whatever He wills will happen. Pharoah tried and planned and all his efforts went in vain, because Allahs Actions overpowered the actions of Pharoah.
We have to single Allah out with every action of His in the Qur'an - Only Allah can do this and no one else. No One can give authority except Allah, no One gave leadership to Bani Israeel except Allah.
Of the actions of Allah is:
"الإيراء"
Allah said, "و نري فرعون و هامان و جنودهما منهم مَّا كانوا يحذرون" (And We wanted to show Pharoah, Haaman, and his hosts what they feared)
How can this action of Allah be a means of purifying our souls?
Many times when you are in distress due to being oppressed, and want to take revenge, you say, "I will show him". This word "Show him" is not your action, it is the action of Allah. We always think that we can show the people, or the enemy, or the oppresser his reality, or that he is wrong and we are right, forgetting that Allah is the One who shows the oppresser the evil consequence of what he has done.
Notice Allah did not say, "I will make Bani Israeel show Pharoah what he feared". If they had the ability to do so, Allah would have said it. But the ability is in the Hands of Allah - He is the One who shows Pharoah.
Know that when the Shaytan sees you weak, oppressed, distressed, while resolving to take revenge, he will make the minute problem bigger in your eyes, and will not allow you to remain calm. He will remind you of the words the person said again and again, and kindle the fire of revenge more. He will suggest ways to take revenge and show the person the evil consequence of his actions. But this is all against what is required from us in the situation - by seeking revenge we corrupt our hearts and waste our time.
We have to admit that we are weak. We do not even have the strength to worship Allah - so how can you show and plot against your enemy? This is something beyond human scope. We are not asked to show our enemies, Allah is the One who shows them. The believer who really believes in this action of Allah will leave all authority to Allah to dispose his affairs and show his enemy the truth while he lives tranquil and at rest. His heart is purified and at rest.
What is required from me?
1) Do not become occupied with plotting against your oppresser.
2) Do not corrupt your heart and bear malice in it. This will not only spoil your heart and your life.
3) Be Tranquil.
The Purification of the Soul should occur in this Dunya. We have to purify our hearts while we are here. What if while you are bearing all this malice, hatred, and grudges, you die upon that state? How will you meet Allah? Allah will either forgive you, or as He said in Surah AlHumaza [104:6-7]:
"The fire of Allah, kindled,"
"Which leaps up over the hearts,"
The fire attacks the heart, because it is the place of sin. If the heart is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt, if the heart is pure, the whole body will be pure. Do not waste your life plotting against your enemy. If you have malice in your heart it indicates your heart is not pure. You are not required to plot against your enemy, leave it to Allah.
Allah said in Surah Aal-Imran [3:54]:
"And they (disbelievers) plotted, and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best of the planners."
And in Surah At-Tariq [86:15-16]:
"Verily, they are but plotting a plot"
"And I (too) am planning a plan."
They are plotting, and Allah will plot against them. Why do you engage yourself in plotting and thinking about what to do, while the Shaytan helps you more, so you neither concentrate in your acts of worship, nor are you happy in life, just because someone wronged you?
Allah will show your enemy or oppresser your right upon them, and if you leave that matter to Allah, Allah will make you superior over them. But if you take this responsibility over your self, Allah will leave you to yourself. Go manage your life and see what you can do - and you will fail. Because we are weak. Leave your matter to the One who is Powerful and All-Strong, and He will show you His Power.
The word "نري" should have an effect on our hearts. It is important that we read the Quran in a correct way, such that our hearts are purified. Especially when it comes to any verse that has an action of Allah in it. We need to stop and at least single Allah out in that action.
Verse 7:
"And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): "Suckle him [Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers."
This is the beginning of the Story. This verse has many matters which purify our hearts.
Allah orders the mother of Musa عليه السلام to:
1) Suckle him
2) And if you fear for him, throw him in the river.
3) Do not fear
4) Do not grieve.
5) Allah will bring him back and make him one of the Messengers.
Usually when mothers fear for their children, they stick closer to their child, not throw him. This is something contrary to what our minds dictate.
This teaches us something: Whenever Allahs command or any decree of Allah comes, you have to know that you may see compliance to it as destruction. Throwing Musa عليه السلام in the river looked like destruction for him. But Musa عليه السلامwas not destroyed. Rather, he was saved. This is to tell you that there may be salvation in the matters which appear as destruction for you. This is how you should look at the Qadar of Allah.
When we think of being thrown in a river, we think of the death and end of Musa عليه السلام, but there was salvation in it. He was taken into the enemies house, and when he was raised in that house, he got to know the people and atmosphere which helped him when he became a Messenger and made Da'wah to them. And the wisdom is even greater than that.
E.g. I have a financial problem. I think that in order to overcome my problem, I have to take a loan with Riba. I think my salvation is in doing this. Allahs command is do not take Riba. And I think in Allahs command is destruction for me. But if you obey Allah, you will be saved from Hellfire on the Day of Judgement. There is good for you in what Allah commands you with.
E.g. Mothers fear the deviation and misguidance of their children from the right path. So they refrain from sending their children to the Masjid or study circles, out of fear they might associate with bad friends. Throw him into the Masjid. There is salvation in whatever Allah commanded you with. When you tell your child to go to the Madjid, you are entrusting your child to Allah. Do not be afraid for him as long as you are obeying Allah. There is salvation in what you see as destruction.
This verse is general and can apply to a variety of situations. If you are afraid of something, and Allahs command comes contrary to what your mind sees as salvation, obey Allah and put your trust in Him. This verse develops الثقة بالله.
AlQadar (The decreed events) may appear in the form of destructions, while they may be a means of salvation for you.
What does this verse purify in ourselves? Doubts in the promise of Allah.
We have to build up our trust in the promises of Allah. Allah will always fulfill His promises. He gave two promises to the mother of Musa:
1) To being Musa عليه السلام back.
2) And make him of the Messengers
And Allah brought Musa back, in a better state than before. And He made him of the best Messengers - The أولو العزم.
Contemplate on the mercy of Allahs. He never decrees anything to harm His creation. If you truly believe that Allah is الرحمن الرحيم, then you would know there is no destruction or evil in His laws, decrees, commandments. But we do not see this because of our deficient minds and weak faith.
Another important matter we keep learn from this verse is that Allah is not pleased for two things for the believers:
1) Fear - خوف
2) Grief - حزن
This is why He forbade Musa عليه السلام's mother from feeling it. Of course, this does not refer to natural fear and grief, but the forbidden excessive type - which is considered a sin.
Excessive Grief is sorrow and pain of the heart for something that happened in the past. Allah decreed something whether it was the loss of job, children, money, so the person feels pain and sorrow. This weakens the body of the person, causes him to become sick, and weakens his resolution from taking actions of reformation.
This worry and anxiety causes depression, heart problems, high blood pressure. This is why Allah forbids it. There is no verse in the whole Qur'an where Allah praised grief. Allah says "Don't be sad (لا تحزن)". The source of grief is the Shaytan.
In Surah Aal-Imran [3:139]:
"So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers."
When the believers in the Battle of Uhud were defeated, Allah forbade them from grieving or feeling sad. Although the Battle of Uhud was something great, 70 of the Companions died.
As-Sa'di said in interpretation of this verse:
"لا تهنوا و تضعفوا في أبدانكم"
Do not weaken in your body
"و لا تحزنوا في قلوبكم عندما أصابتكم المصيبة و ابتليتم بهذه البلوى، فإن الحزن في القلوب و الوهن على الأبدان زيادة مصيبة عليكم و عون لعدوكم عليكم"
And do not grieve in your hearts when any calamity befalls you because grief in ones heart and weakness in ones body may be a cause of increasing the calamity and helping your enemies against you.
We may not be in the Battlefield now, but the Shaytan is our enemy. Your grief allows the Shaytan to overpower you more, and it makes him happy.
بل شجعوا قلوبكم و صبروها و ادفعوا عنها الحزن و تصلبوا على قتال عدوكم و ذكر تعالى أنه لا ينبغي و لا يليق بهم الوهن و الحزن و هو الأعلون في الإيمان و رجاء نصر الله و ثوابه فالمؤمن المتيقن ما وعده الله من الثواب الدنيوي و الأخروي"
Rather, strengthen your heart and keep it patient, repel grief, and be sturdy in the Battlefield. And Allah mentions that it is not befitting for them to show weakness and display their grief while they are superior in faith and hope for the help of Allah and His reward. So the believer is certain in what Allah promised him of rewards in this life and the next.
The believer is certain in what Allah promised him of reward. He knows there is good in what Allah decreed for him, and if he shows patience there is a reward. Do not surrender to the grief and to the Shaytan. Stay firm and make yourself patient. If you show patience, Allah will be with you, make your scale heavy, give you reward, etc. Do not let the grief come and eat your heart up because this will weaken your heart and body and allow the Shaytan to overpower you. It does not fit you, O believer, to become sad.
In Surah at-Tawbah [9:40]:
"If you help him (Muhammad ﷺ) not (it does not matter), for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammad ﷺ and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, and he (ﷺ) said to his companion (Abu Bakr): "Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us." Then Allah sent down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquillity, peace, etc.) upon him, and strengthened him with forces (angels) which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while it was the Word of Allah that became the uppermost, and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
Tell yourself and the person who is sad: Why do you feel sad while Allah is with you? Allah never leaves His believing slaves alone; He supports them. Never feel you are alone and supportless.
It pleases the Shaytan to see the believers sad. In Surah Mujadilah [58:10]:
"Secret counsels (conspiracies) are only from Shaitan (Satan), in order that he may cause grief to the believers. But he cannot harm them in the least, except as Allah permits, and in Allah let the believers put their trust."
And Allah command the Prophet ﷺ to not grieve when the disbelievers did not accept Islam, and they harmed and plotted against him. In Sural Aal-Imran [3:176]:
"And let not those grieve you (O Muhammed ﷺ) who rush with haste to disbelieve; verily, not the least harm will they do to Allah. It is Allah's Will to give them no portion in the Hereafter. For them there is a great torment."
And in Surah Yunus [10:65]:
"And let not their speech grieve you (O Muhammad ﷺ), for all power and honour belong to Allah. He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower."
Being sad is not something good. Allah does not like it. That is why He promised the believers that there will be no grief or fear for them on the Day of Judgement and in Paradise. In Surah Yunus [10:62-63]:
"No doubt! Verily, the Auliya' of Allah, no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve,"
Who are the Awliyaa of Allah?
"Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and used to fear Allah much (by abstaining from evil deeds and sins and by doing righteous deeds)."
And in Surah AlAhqaf [46:13]:
"Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is (only) Allah," and thereafter Istaqamu (i.e. stood firm and straight on the Islamic Faith of Monotheism by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden and by performing all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained), on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
What keeps sadness and grief away from the heart? In [2:277]:
"Truly those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, they will have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
1) Believe
2) Performing Righteous Deeds
3) Establishing the Prayer
4) Spending obligatory and voluntary charity.
This will remove grief from your heart. If you do not have money, do any good. Allah will remove the grief from your heart, He is All-Able.
In [28:13]:
"So did We restore him to his mother, that she might be delighted, and that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the Promise of Allah is true. But most of them know not."
The grief of Musa عليه السلام's mother was a natural grief. Allah tells us that He restored Musa عليه السلام back to her, so that she might be delighted, not grieve, and know that the promise of Allah is true. Not just for her to believe in the promise of Allah, but for us too. Allah never fails in keeping His Promises.
Sometimes darkness and obscurity comes; opposite to what you expect. She obeyed and matters which were better than she expected happened to her.
E.g. Your child becomes sick. You do not like this. But when you look at the Qadar from a different angle - you would know there is something good in it. When you make dua and treat him with Ruqya, Allah will show you His promise, that the Qur'an is truly a Shifaa. And there are many other benefits and wisdoms in the.
Rule: If you deal with all decreed events as you should (I.e. As Allah commanded you to), you would not fear nor grieve. If you felt grief and fear, it indicates that faith is still not well developed in your heart. This does not apply to natural fear and grief. We feel sadness when we lose beloved friends and people. This is natural.
What kind of grief do we mean? The one which weakens the body, weakens the heart, makes the resolution of a person weak such that he does not get up to do good. He surrenders to the whisper of turn Shaytan. This grief is a sin, because Allah forbade us from it.
E.g. A womans husband died three years ago and up to now she is wailing and grieving. This is extreme. Grief is only at that moment. If you come after years and say that you are still sad, know that the Shaytan is overpowering you. Grief is allowed to a limit. Allah does not like for the believers to be sad.
Comments
Post a Comment