| Super Moderator
Status: Offline Posts: 5,133 Join Date: Jan 2005 Gender:  Way of Life: Muslim |  Re: The Decrease After the Increase Of Eemaan -
11-08-2007
The self wants many things, the self wants temporary satisfaction at the cost of destruction and punishment that it can't bear. The self wants ease and relaxation and a fulfillment of desires o*n the spot, 'ASAP', as they say, want it now, instantly -- (as soon as possible). This is how the self is, that's why he says Khairun linafsika - it is better for yourself to disobey it. And you'll find every time you disobey yourself you come out better. Every time you disobey your desires you come out better. I was planning, I started to do it but I disobeyed, You come out better. And the best thing you can do for yourself is to disobey it. So the sins, and belittling them, 'al-israaru' continuing upon the sin, it is of the most important reasons or causes why a person goes bad.
Look into it clearly, look with some clarity, be meticulous in your analysis of it and you find that many individuals who have backed up, they have no problem sinning, it's a light thing. They listen to some music and they say : 'I am listening to some music is it a Kabirah? Is it a major sin? I thought that it was okay among scholars.'… and all this foolishness. It is a matter that is disobedience to Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala and major or minor o*ne should avoid it. Out of respect for Allaah, like in Suratun Nuh, "Would you not have respect for Allaah?" So this is an important matter, some of us respect the creation, and can see and understand that, I won't step o*n Islaam, I respect it, I won't do this, I respect him. But this is Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala's sanctuary, those things that he has forbidden. So where is the respect from not falling into that?
Ibn Qayyim, Sheikhul Islaam (Rahimahullah) said "From the punishment of the sin is that it weakens o*nes strength or the heart in its connection in its journey to Allaah." We explained before that we are in this world journeying to Allaah. This is a journey and it is just as the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) described Maali wad Dunya, what is meant by the Dunya? Except like a traveller who slept under a tree, just a relaxation, got up and moved on." It's a journey to Allaah, and it's a journey back to our country, and our country is the Jannah, because our father Adam (alai wa sallam) came from there. No matter how many generations or how many people go somewhere else, you come from the country of your father. So you return to that.
But as Ibn Qayyim Rahimahullah says : we have been oppressed and imprisoned by our enemy, taken prisoners of war by Iblis, now if we break from that and break from disobedience to Allaah and come to obedience to Allaah in our journey to Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala and having Ikhlas, khawf, having Taqwa having hope, having trust, and having submission and so o*n and so forth of the levels of the journey, then we will eventually get back to our country, no doubt about that.
For Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala has explained the Siraat, the path. We've got the map, we've got the directions, we know the Zaad al Maad - the provision for the Hereafter, we got the provisions, it is just a matter of staying upon the path and continuing our journey. The sins are blocks and obstacles and they cause weakness in this journey, weakness in the journey of the heart to the Hereafter and obstacles and they may even cut o*ne off from the path. The sin would be similar to a highway robber coming to you and taking your provision and kicking you off the road and leaving you in the middle of the desert. The sin would be similar to a mountain being in your way, and you cant move it and you can't get a around it. So it weakens it. He says this obstacle cuts off o*nes path of sin or weakens o*ne, that it doesn't do worse than that, which is to turn a person all the way around and send him travelling in a totally different direction. So the sin is a veil, and veils of darkness that stop an individual from achieving or continuing o*n his journey and they can turn around his search. The heart travels to Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala upon this journey with the strength that Allaah blesses it with. So if the heart becomes sick from sins and it becomes weak, this strength is gone and therefore what is the situation with its ability to continue the journey? Its ability to continue the journey is very weak. So this is Ibn Qayyim's point, even though I said in a very articulate way, you can see that that's the case. Belittling sins have results, disastrous, dangerous results upon individuals who belittles or looks down or thinks sins are light.
The First or o*ne of the results rather is that it makes a person increase in sin. It is like a call that says, 'what is this is light, let me do some more let me fall into it some more, let me acquire some more', and it is that which takes a person far away from the path of Tawbah. Tawbah was something close when the sin was first committed or when it was the matter of understanding the greatness of sin or how harmful it is but when it is made lighter, tawbah is something far away from the mind of the individual. And it calls an individual to have absence of avoiding the people of sin. It means to say, because the individual is involved in sin, has no problem with other individuals involved in sin. I am involved in sin, he's involved in sin, so therefore they start to hang out with other sinners, the bad crowd, the bad guys, the bad people, the type of fellows you don't want to be around. Talk to them, sit with them , mix with them. Sins could also cause an individual many times, of course based upon this, to stay away from the people who are righteous. I don't want to be around the brothers who are righteous, I don't want to see right now the brothers who have Taqwa. This alone is o*ne of the biggest or greatest means of a person going astray after o*nce before they were upon the straight path.
Another issue of the issues or reasons of "al-khawr ba'dil kawr" - unrighteousness after being righteous, being corrupt after having being o*ne who was upright is al-ghuroor – being delusioned or having Self delusion, self delusion 'wal ijaab' - astonishment or amazement with o*neself. This you find among many of those who believe that they are sticking to the Kitab as-Sunnah, who believe that they are righteous, they have this ghuroor, and they have this ijaab and everyone can understand the difference between illusion and a delusion. Illusion is when you see something and you know its not real, delusion is that you believe that something be real when it's not. So they believe that they have this righteousness, this greatness sometimes they call this 'the holier than thou attitude, and this ujoo – this astonishment with o*neself, is that you find this a lot, he said no doubt that's in the cities of knowledge, being around righteous people, show that a person has some good within him. But if this self delusion and astonishment enters upon a person, it has the effect of making this person feel they are perfect or that they are more complete than others. Therefore he doesn't feel the need to increase his effort. I'm doing well, I'm doing fine, I'm righteous, no need to do anymore, I attend circles of knowledge, those are the people who don't. I'm in the Masjid other people aren't. So this type of ghuroor or amazement, so therefore this individual doesn't try to do more khair, doesn't try to do more righteous actions.
When a person becomes astonished with o*neself there comes away from his heart the fear of a bad ending. And he feels safe from being lead astray after having guidance, and this is a sign from the weakness of his self and it is o*ne of the means of a person turning away and going the wrong direction, and getting misguided after having guidance. And when o*ne becomes amazed and astonished with o*neself he begins to become busy with the faults of others and he doesn't try to deal with the faults of himself. And because the self needs to be dealt with so therefore this ghuroor must be dealt with, this ghuroor -- this self delusion, this amazement, I'm more righteous, I'm more good, I'm o*n Istiqaamah, I have more Ilm and safety from Dalalah. How can o*ne feel safe from Dalaalah -- being lead astray? There are two matters and both of them are kufr :
1) one of them is to lose hope in the Mercy of Allaah – to give up
2) The other, is to feel safe from the plotting of Allaah. To feel safe from Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala punishing one for o*nes misdeeds. Safe !!! That is also Kufr. It is Kufr, so this has to be understood also. This has to be dealt with. How do you deal with?
Many righteous matters or morals that o*ne must obtain is by doing the opposite of it. If o*ne finds himself selfish, it is for him to become generous; If o*ne finds Himself arrogant it is for him to be humble. Similarly, in this way he has to have humility, he has to have fear, and he has to work o*n the correction of his faults before starting with anyone else. Work o*n his faults before starting o*n his wife; work upon his faults before starting o*n his children; work upon his faults before starting o*n this brother and that brother, this community and that community. "Islaah" - start with o*neself first and Tawbah – repenting to Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala.
I'll try to wrap it up. Another reason why people go astray after having been upon guidance, going from Sunnah to Bi'dah or from righteousness to sins is their companions 'as-Sadeeq wa saahib' -- their companions. The people you sit with has this effect, has an affect upon the person's path and behaviour. There is no doubt about that. If the friend that o*ne is with looks at bad films or looks at bad magazines or listens to music and that will have an effect upon the o*ne who is a companion with him. These type of mukhalafaat - or matters that are disobedient comes in between two companions and the companion doesn't forbid it but rather he lets that slide, lets this o*ne slide and pretty soon it has an effect upon him. Has an effect upon him.
And therefore you could have a companion also, but of course this is lesser of an evil than that, o*ne who is short in his Ibadah -- he is short in his worship so he stops doing Sunnan - he doesn't do Sunnah Raatiba, he stops doing Sunnah raatiba. This is the effect of what? Companionship !! And it can go to such a level that if your friend backs up and if your companion backs up, you back up. So therefore, you must choose a righteous companion. The o*ne who will help o*ne be upon obedience to Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala. Like it says in the Hadith 'Ar Rajlu ala deeni khaleeli' the man is upon the Deen of his friend, so look to who you befriend".
There are many other reasons that lead to this misguidance after having being guidance, weak eemaan after having strong eemaan, and sometimes as we say Bid'ah after having being o*n Sunnah, Kufr and shirk after having being o*n eemaan and Tawhid. o*ne of it is having weakness in o*nes strength or sticking and not having the patience to deal with the difficulty. The o*ne upon the Deen of Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala will be tested and there will be storms of fitnah, the fitnah of desires and the Fitnah of doubt. There will be good days, there will be happy days, there will be nicest situations, there will be circumstances that are difficult. This requires a person with strength and steadfastness and sticking and patience to deal with those type of matters.
Another matter is 'Taw al amal" -- having this view point that your going to live along time, when death is closer than the shoe laces!
"Wal-Ghuloo" -- being extreme is another reason with some people. You find them extreme over night. Overnight his thobe's to his ankle, over night he is o*n Sunnah, over night he has books of Aqeedah, over night, over night, over night he is so hard upon the people and extreme and the next day or two days later or a year later he doesn't have a beard, he doesn't even come to Masjid. 'Ghuloo' - extreme. And be shadeed upon himself, placing upon o*nes shoulder what o*ne cannot bear, more than o*ne cannot bear, forgetting the fact that Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala does not place a burden upon a soul more than he can bear. Some of us make the Deen hard, some of us that make it extreme. The prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would not have the choice between two matters both of them being Halaal except he would chose the what? the easier. We act as if we can better than Mustafa (alaihi wa sallam). "I want the hardest." This is not the way and this leads to a person backing up because the self can o*nly take so much, so therefore after a year of this extremism o*ne comes to a point of saying, 'what am I doing?' -- and backs up from everything.
Also 'am-Muraad al Quloob' - the illnesses of the heart , 'wa afaatul Lisaan' - and the mistakes of the tongue. And illnesses of the heart are many 'Riya'—to be seen, 'Kibr' - pride so o*n and so forth, or sicknesses of the tongue like 'Gheebah' -- backbiting, 'Nameemah' - slander so o*n and so forth, lying and cursing and all of this. These are also means that lead to what? a person being unrighteous after they were righteous.
Another reason he says is 'Da'fash sha'khsiyyah' -- that the person within himself has a weak personality. And therefore finds himself always following other personalities. So if he has a weakness in personalities, and his Islamic personality is weak, he finds himself following other personalities. This will also eventually lead a person turning away after they were straight, or being misguided after they had guidance.
There are many reasons. We must mention some of the remedies to make it balanced Insha'allaah.
Most important issue he says is:
'Al-Ikhlas' - sincerity and 'was-Sidq' - truthfulness with Allaah. This is the best means of achieving 'Istiqaamah' - uprightness and Salah.
Ibn Qayyim (Rahimullah) says, "One finds difficulty to leave that which one is used to and what is ones habit - what one leaves for other than Allaah. But the o*ne who leaves matters of disobedience and sins and those things that are wrong for Allaah and leave them truthfully, sincerely for Allaah, he o*nly finds difficulty in the beginning of leaving it , and this is how Allaah tests him to see if he is truthful or not or he is lying. He wants to leave his sin that he's being doing, saying that I am sincere to Allaah, Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala may give him the opportunity and test him. He'll find some difficulty at first, and this is to see if he is truthful. If he is truthful he will fight himself, he'll fight his desires, he'll strive to go against it and if he is lying that won't be the case. He says he will find difficulty, but the o*ne who is patient upon this difficulty 'kaleelan' – a little, Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala will place, in place of that desire or for that sin, a sweetness and a love, and a deliciousness for that which is right, that which is good".
An this has been narrated in many Ahadith that he who leaves looking at that which is Haraam, Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala will give him (some of the Hadith says) courage and Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala will give him strength and that's what you find, those who have the most courage and the most strength is those who turn their eyes, keep their eyes away from that which Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala has forbidden. He who leaves something for Allaah, Allaah will give him better than that.
'Man taraka shai'in lillaah' --- Allaah gives him better than that all the time. Leave this sin, Allaah will give a righteous deed better than that --- of course it's not the sin itself, (righteousness is better) -- but what he means is that Allaah will replace it with something that you could not have imagined, something that you could not have imagined, but he has to be what Sabr - Patience, it has to be a willing to go through the examination and the test.
The second matter as mentioned before is 'al-khawf min sural khaatimah' - fear of a bad ending. The Mumin-as- Sadiq the true believer must fear a bad ending and stay away from anything that will lead to that. Did you not hear what Yusuf (alai salaam) said, "Oh Alaah, cause me to die as a Muslim and place me with the righteous," and all the Prophets of Allaah were making dua like that. They were making dua for what? for a good ending, that they die upon Islaam.
As-Sufyaan athawri (Rahimullaah), that great Imam, that great Sheikh of Islam, cried one night, cried one night all the way till morning, (you think our crying is something?) He did not cry for 15 minutes or half hour, cried all the way from night till morning. When he was asked, "Why are you crying or why did you cry?" He said, "I cried from having an evil end from the fear from having an evil end." This is why he cried and called Imaam Barbahaari, the o*ne who is the Sheikh-al-Sunnah (radiallaahu anhu) who said "You must know that it is a must upon the servant that he has with him 'as-Shafaqah abadan' - a mercy and a fear connected at all times because he doesn't know upon what he would die, he doesn't know how his life would end and he doesn't know in what condition he would meet Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala. Therefore, he should be doing what? Every deed of good he can, every deed of good he can.
Another help in this regard is to continuously do the righteous action, don't start o*ne action, a righteous action and then stop, i.e. start Qiyamul Layl or Tahajjud and then stop, start memorizing the Quraan and then stop, verily the deeds most loved by Allaah are those which are done regularly, (continuously) even if they are a small amount. Also taking certain times to hear admonition 'Maw'idah', the Hereafter, the grave, --- not everyday --- that's not the way of the Salafus Saalih, but every so often. As Ibn Masud said, that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used to choose times to give us 'Maw'idah' because if you do it everyday fearing that we become bored with it. And there are other means of making sure, or hoping, because no o*ne can make sure except Allaah, but hoping that o*ne will be upon Istiqaamah. This is just some that we were able to mention in this sitting. We hope that it benefits us and it benefits all who listen, we ask Allaah tabarak wa ta'ala to make it sincerely for His face not having in it any Riya or summ'ah, verily Allaah is able to do all that. Wassallaahu ala nabi ina Muhammad wa'ala as-haabihee ajma een.
__________________
Last edited by Al-Mu'minah; 11-08-2007 at 05:38 PM.
|