[Transcribed from“A commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah’s Essy on the Heart” translated by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips]
5. Remembrance of Allah has no effect
“…Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah …” [39:22]
Those who, when reminded of Allah and His commands, turn away, and scoff at and scorn those who remind them, their hearts have become hardened to the remembrance of God. The various religious obligations were prescribed primarily to keep human beings conscious of Allah in order to help them make the right choices in life. Likewise, all acts of righteousness are forms of remembrance of Allah, as it is He who guided humans to them through His prophets and messengers.
The next time you want to donate but then you’re plagued with doubts about ‘having enough money for later‘ , remind yourself of these ayaahs:
Shaitan (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allah promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower. [2:268]
Those who spend their wealth (in Allah’s Cause) by night and day, in secret and in public, they shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. [2:274]
Subhan’Allah I’ve been hearing stories of people who gave to charity but the amount given is somehow compensated in ways they least expect. In fact, they received more than the amount given to charity. The promise of Allah is true and we simply have to place our full trust in Him that He is Ar-Razzaq – no one gives us rezq but Allah SWT alone.
[This was an article I’d written for Habibi Halaqas...really really enjoyed writing this one coz it took me back to anamazing articleI’d read on MuslimMatters, making me smile the whole while :)]
We live in an age where judging others has become the norm and mocking people for their mistakes has become a huge pastime. While some of us might do it unintentionally, others might fall into this out of ignorance or even arrogance. Calling ourselves the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam comes with certain responsibilities. One such responsibility is correcting people’s mistakes.
Quite often in this quest of learning the deen and implementing it in our lives, we become over judgmental of our own brothers and sisters. Instead of correcting their mistakes, we pass fatwas, turning them further away from the beauty of this deen. It is important to understand…
[Transcribed from“A commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah’s Essy on the Heart” translated by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips]
4. Oppression (Zulm)
“[That is] so He may make what Satan throws in a trial for those within whose hearts is disease and those hard of heart. And indeed, the wrongdoers are in extreme dissension.” [22:53]
The greatest form of oppression is shirk, as the sage, Luqmaan, told his son: “Indeed shirk is the gravest form of oppression”. One who is accustomed to calling on others besides Allah and finds his needs fulfilled will have great difficulty giving this practise up. His heart becomes hardened to the message of the prophets; to worship God alone. In defence of idolatry, Satan has prepared many excuses that become a trial for both disbelievers and believers.
When you are doing something for the sake of Allah, it should not matter if you are praised or disliked by others. You do it because you are earning His pleasure only. If you find yourself worrying about what others think of you, then you need to re-check your intentions.
This post is not intended to explain Qur’an from my own (limited) understanding. Rather, these are merely my reflections of certain verses which I came across that left an impact on me when I was reciting the Qur’an.
“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [25:70]
There is a beautiful recitation of this Suraah by Qari Mansoor Az-Zahrany which has been attached at the end of the post. I find that the highlighted part of the ayaah is amazing subhan’Allah. A lecture that I was listening to gave a brief tafseer on that ayaah. The Sheikh said that the Scholars’ understanding is that either:
Allah will turn his sins into good deeds, OR
The sinner becomes a better person and he/she performs many good deeds.
Masha’Allah, how merciful is He!! We commit sins daily knowingly or unknowingly but all He wants from us is that we turn back to Him and our sins are changed into good deeds! The conditions attached are (as stated in the ayaah itself):
Repent
Believe in Islamic Monotheism
Do righteous deeds
During the Al-Maghrib seminar Sh Riad asked the students whether there was anyone who feels that Allah will not forgive them for the sins they have committed before. A few hands shot up and and some shared why they felt that way. But subhan’Allah, Allah is Al-Ghafoor Ar-Raheem – He is more merciful that our own mother!
Umar Ibn al-Khattab (ra) relates that some prisoners were brought before Allah’s Messenger (saw) and amongst them was a woman who was frantically searching for someone in the crowd. When she found a baby amongst the prisoners, she took it in her arms, cradled it next to her chest and suckled it. So Allah’s Messenger (saw) said: “Do you think that this woman would ever throw her child into the fire?” We said: ‘By Allah, Never!’ So he said: “Allah is more merciful to His believing servants than that mother could ever be to her child.”
[Bukhari (10/426) & Muslim (18/80)]
I was also thinking of something which might be related to this. When I was growing up, one way to keep us kids disciplined is by using the ‘scare’ tactic. “If you don’t do this, Allah will be angry with you. If you do that, you will be punished in the Hereafter!” I’m sure this method of disciplining children is something most of us have seen or grew up with. Ironically enough, if you look through the Asma ul Husna, there are no names which describes Allah as being ‘Angry’ or ‘Unmerciful’. We have forgotten that Allah is All-Loving (Al-Wadud) along with the other 98 beautiful names in the Asma al husna but we choose to only focus on the negative.
I use the theory of how this method to scare children never actually works because when we remove the ‘object of fear’, fear will not be present too. For example, you place a candy on the table and you tell a child not to take it. He/She will not take it under your watchful eyes but imagine if you leave the child on his/her own. I wouldn’t be surprised if the candy disappears the second you leave! The same applies if we instil fear of Allah in children, it works as parents are around to watch over them. But when they are older and more independent, the fear might not exist as there isn’t anyone to remind them to ‘fear Allah’.
However, there should be a balance between hope and fear. As stated by Ibn Qayyim Rahimullah,
Ibn Qayyim says in his Madarij al-Salikin:“The Heart, in its journey to Allah (swt) is like that of a bird:
Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the
head and two wings are sound the bird flies gracefully; if the
head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it
then becomes a target for every hunter or predator.”
How are all these linked to the ayaah? I diverted a little bit from the actual ayaah on repentance and sins being converted to good deeds ; but expounded a little on the beautiful names of Allah as a reminder that having this mentality that ‘Allah only punishes us‘ is indeed something we should try to expel from our thoughts because it portrays the image that He is not merciful and unforgiving thus not Just to His creations.
[Transcribed from“A commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah’s Essy on the Heart” translated by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips]
3. Ignoring trials
“Then why, when Our punishment came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made attractive to them that which they were doing.” [6:43]
Allah sends trials to strengthen the believrs, or to remind those of them who have strayed to return to the straight path and the disbelievers to find the true religion of God, or as a punishment for hypocrites and those unable to benefit from the reminder.
Strengthening Eemaan
Sa’d reported that he asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam who among mankind had the most trials and he replied, “The Prophets, then those most like them and then those most like them. Man is tested according to the level of his faith. If his faith is firm, his trials increase in severity, and if there is weakness in his faith, he will be tried accordingly.” (Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmithee, vol.2, p.286, no. 1956)
Reminder
Tests sometimes serve as a punishing reminder to those who have gone astray and an encouragement for them to return to the correct path. When people deviate, they seldom listen to the advice of those around them. However, when a calamity strikes them or those near and dear to them, it jolts those who still have some faith into recognizing their error.
“And we will surely let them taste the nearer punishment short of the greater punishment that perhaps they will repent.” [32:21]
Hypocrisy
Calamities also expose those who falsely claim faith, as well as show those who disbelieve that they choose hell by their own free will. There have been cases of people converting to Islam for the wrong reasons, and, after finding more difficulties in their lives than prior to their conversion, reverting to their former beliefs. God states in the Final Revelation:
“Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tried?” [29:2]
Punishment
Those who transgress the limits set by God expose themselves to punishment in this life and the next. Throughout the Qur’an, Allah describes numerous past nations who rejected divine guidance and were subsequently destroyed. These stories sere as warnings to humankind of the consequence of rebellion against the commandments of God.
“…So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet’s order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.” [24:63]
The trials cause those who are sincere about life to be humble, to contemplate their states and to correct their errors. However, if the trials are continually ignored, the proud and arrogant heart becomes inoculated to the warnings, opposed to guidance and hardened in its stance against the truth.
I learnt something new at a talk today! Masha’Allah, I never knew that this was how Prophet Musa alayhi salam passed away…
Angel of Death Came to Musa in Human FormRasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The angel of death was sent to Musa (alaihis salam). When he came, Musa gave him a black eye so he returned to his Lord and said, ‘You sent me to a slave who does not want to die.’ Allah restored his eye and said, ‘Go back and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and he will live a year for every hair that his hand covers.’ Musa said, ‘O Lord, then what?’ He said, ‘Then death.’ He said, ‘Then let it be now.’” [Bukhari]
In Ahmad ibn Hanbal and at-Tabarani we find the hadith that “the angel of death used to come to people in a visible form. When he went to Musa (alaihis salam), Musa put out his eye.” Ibn Khuzayma said: “Some of the heretics refuse to acknowledge this and say that if Musa recognized him then how did he not take him seriously? If he did not recognize him then would he not have retaliation from him for putting out his eye? The answer is that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) did not send the Angel of Death to Musa desiring to take his soul at that moment, He sent him to him to test him. Musa punched the Angel of Death because he thought that he was a human who had entered his house without his permission and did not know that he was the Angel of Death. The Shariah allows for the putting out of the eye of anyone who looks into a Muslim’s house without permission. The angels came to Ibraheem (alaihis salam) and Lut (alaihis salam) in human form and they also did not recognize them at first. If Ibraheem (alaihis salam) had recognized them he would not have offered them food. If Lut (alaihis salam) had recognized them he would not have feared for them from his people.”
Another one of the people of knowledge said: “He hit him because he came to take his soul before giving him a choice since it is established that no prophet is taken without being given a choice. This is why, when he gave him a choice the second time, he submitted.”
From this hadith we learn that angels can take on human form. We also see that prophets do not cling to the life of this world. They know that the real life is the life of the Hereafter and though the time of death may be painful, since it must be gone through, they’d rather be done with it. Postponing something painful doesn’t make it less painful, rather, only makes one live in dread.
“Have you ever compared yourself to the difficulties of Prophet Ibrahim Alayhi Salam? Which is harder? You are not going have any problems, your life will be easy. This is Allah putting things into perspective for the Muslims so we understand that coming into this Deen means making struggle, means that Allah will make the struggles easy for us when we turn back to Him…we just have to make sincere efforts to struggle for Allah aza waj jal.” -Bro Nouman Ali Khan
Masha’Allah, really puts things into perspective..
Fastabiqul Khairat 