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Default Re: -From the works of Imam Ibn al Qayyim- - 01-24-2007



JazakAllah khayr!
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Default Being Deceived by 'Aashuraa - 01-25-2007

Being Deceived by 'Aashuraa

Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah


Reference: Al Mawsoo'ah P.31


Some people deceive themselves by depending on deeds such as fasting on the day of 'Aashuraa or the day of 'Arafah to the point that one may say:

'Fasting the day of 'Aashuraa will clear all the years sins, fasting on the day of 'Arafah would remain and that is more reward.'

Ibnul Qayyim states:

"Such a deluded person is unaware that fasting Ramadaan and [praying] the five daily prayers are superior to and more dignified than fasting on 'Arafah or 'Aashuraa, and they only expiate [the sins committed] between them if the major sins are avoided. So [the fasting of] Ramadaan to Ramadaan and the Jum'ah prayer to the Jum'ah prayer can not expiate minor sins except if the major sins are abandoned in addition to that, so the two of these strengthen one another to expiate the minor sins.

Amongst the deluded are those who think that their obedience is greater than their sins. This is because they do not take themselves into account or count their sins, but they count and remember a form of obedience that they practice, like one who practices Istighfaar with his tongue and glorifies Allaah a hundred times daily, then backbites the Muslims and tears up their reputations, speaks with what Allaah is not pleased with all day. He continuously thinks about the virtues of the 'Tasbeehaat' and 'Tahleelaat' and pays no attention to the punishment of backbiting, lying and tale carrying and the other harms of the tongue. This is complete and utter deception."


Translator: Nadir Ahmad, Abu Abdul-Waahid
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Default Re: Being Deceived by 'Aashuraa - 01-25-2007

AsalamuAlaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

JazakAllah khair,



Nice Thread!
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Default Re: Being Deceived by 'Aashuraa - 01-25-2007



such people plan against allah, they think they can decieve him, but he's the best of planners.
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Default Re: -From the works of Imam Ibn al Qayyim- - 01-26-2007

Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullah said: “So O reader, for you is to benefit from this book, and upon the author is the penalty. You have the fruit, and upon him is arduous labour. So whatever you find it in harmonious with the truth and accurate - then accept it. And focus not to the author. Rather focus to what is being said, not to who is saying it. For Allah has admonished those who reject the truth if it comes from one whom he hates, and accepts it if it comes from one he loves, for these are characteristics of a wretched ummah. Some of the companions said: “Accept the truth from the one who says it, even if you dislike him, and reject falsehood from whoever it comes, even if he is beloved”, and whatever mistakes you find, then its author did not exerted effort to bring it about purposely, and truly Allah refuses to grant perfection to any save Himself. However, the one whose mistakes are counted is closer to the truth, than the one who has his goodness counted. It is upon the one who speaks to take as a source for his speech authentic knowledge, to aim to make his advice for the sake of Allah, His Book, His Messenger and to his fellow Muslim brothers. For if he makes the truth in accordance with his desires, then his heart, actions, condition and path will become corrupt. Allah says: “If the Truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption! [23:71]” [From Madaarij as-Saalikeen and Miftaah Daar as-Sa’aadah].


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Default Re: -From the works of Imam Ibn al Qayyim- - 01-26-2007

“Ward off passing thoughts, for if you do not, they will become ideas. Ward off ideas, for if you do not, they will become desires.Fight the desires, for if you do not, they will become resolve and determination. And if you do not ward them off, they will become actions. If you do not resist them with its opposite, they will become habits.And it will be difficult for you to get rid of them." [al-Fawâid by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah]
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وإذا لم يكن منَ الموتِ بُدُّ فمِنَ العَجزِ أنْ تَكُونَ جَبَانا
If death is something inescapable, then it is from weakness to be a coward-!

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Thumbs up Re: -From the works of Imam Ibn al Qayyim- - 01-26-2007

Shaik Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah

Articles & Books @ Online
  1. Strangeness and Strangers - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
    Based on a booklet by ibn Qayyim entitled al-Ghurbathu wa al-Ghuraba
  2. Remembering the Destination of Mankind in the Hereafter – a Cure for Weak Iman
    Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
  3. The Traps of Iblis - by Ibn Qayyum al-Jawaziyah
  4. Patience at the time of Bereavement - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net
  5. The Soul's Journey after Death - An Abridgement of Ibn Al-Qayyim's Kitabar-Ruh - 17p
  6. The Connection of the Soul to the Body - Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - troid.org
  7. The Path to Guidance..The Path to Paradise - Ibn al Qayyim - SalafiPub - 20p [PDF]
  8. Love of Allah - by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net
    A Beautiful Poem excerpted from the book An-Nuniyyah, by the great scholar of the past, known as the Doctor of the Soul, At-Tabib an-Nufus
  9. The Bitter Consequences of Sins - Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - Ahya.org - 2p
  10. Food and Eating Habits According to the Sunnah - Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - troid.org
  11. Purification Of Soul - Ibn Al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya - 20p
  12. The Easiest Form of Worship - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
    The Invocation of God - Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib
    © 2000, Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald & Moulay Youssef Slitine (Translators) -Islamic Texts Society, UK
  13. The Hardness of the Heart - By Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - 2p
  14. The Types of Heart - Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  15. The Four Poisons Of The Heart - islaam.net - Hanbali,IbnAlQayyum etc
  16. Requirements of the Journey - Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  17. Gratitude in the Qur’ân - Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net
  18. The Great Virtue of Lowering the Gaze - Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  19. A Comprehensive Series of Articles on Patience by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
    Patience and Gratitude. By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat by TaHa Publications
  20. Ahadith about the patience by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  21. Sahâbah on the virtues of patience by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  22. What is the most difficult type of patience by Ibn Qayyum al-Jawaziyah
  23. Ways of Strengthening Patience - Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net
  24. From the Completeness of a Man is Love for His Wives - By Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim - troid.org - 3p [PDF]
  25. From the Rights of Tawheed - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net - 2p
  26. Allaah Has Cut Off All Of the Ways [to Shirk] That the Mushrikeen Are Attached To -[PDF] Ibn al qayyum - SalafiPubs - 3p
  27. The Path to Guidance - Imâm ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - ahya.org - 78p [PDF]
  28. The Dispraise of Al-Hawaa (Lowly Desire) - Ibnul Qayyum al Jawajiya - part1&2 - 242p [PDF]
  29. Two ways to know the Creator - Ibnul Qayyum al Jawajiya - SalafiPub - 26p [PDF]
  30. The prayer and its effect upon abandoning sins and developing the soul -by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah - islaam.net
  31. The Excellence of Friday - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah - islaam.com
  32. People's Levels Regarding Performance of the Prayer - Ibn Al Qayyum - SalafiPub - 1p
  33. Polishing the Hearts - Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
    - For everything there is a polish and the polish for the heart is the dhikr of Allaah
  34. The Great Benefit and Virtue of Supplication - Ibn Al Qayyum - 6p
  35. The Supplication and Al-Qadar - Ibn al qayyum Al-Jawziyyah - 2p
  36. The State of Repentance - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah - 3p
  37. Zakaat - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah - islaam.com - 1p
  38. The Wisdom and Benefits behind Fasting - Imaam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah - al-manhaj.com
  39. Allah Grants Help and Victory to Followers of the True Deen - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
  40. How do you benefit from the Quran - Ibn Al Qayyum - 1p
  41. Tafseer of the Mu'awwadhatayn (Last Two Surahs) by Ibn al-Qayyim - 8p [PDF]
  42. The Prophet's Battles, Armies and Expeditions - Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
  43. Benefiting From Knowledge - Ibn Al Qayyum al Jawajiya - 2p [PDF]
  44. Categories of People Regarding 'Ilm (knowledge)- Imaam Ibnu Qayyim - Dr Saleh As-Saleh [PDF]
    An Article Based Upon Imaam Ibnu Qayyim's Discussions in his Classical Miftaahu Daari-s-Sa'aadah The Key for the Abode of Happiness Adapted to English By Dr. Saleh As-Saleh
  45. Fawaa'id - Points of Benefit - Ibn Qayyum Al zawaziayh - 3p
  46. Open Rejection of the Rulers - Ibn ul Qayyim - 1p
  47. Beautiful Poem on Hajj - Ibn Al Qayyim Al Jawziyaa
Links
   
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Default Re: -From the works of Imam Ibn al Qayyim- - 01-27-2007

There are ten useless matters:
1. Knowledge that is not acted on
2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others
3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him
5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah
6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good
8. A mind that thinks about useless matters
9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life
10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.
However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.
[Al-Fawaid]


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وإذا لم يكن منَ الموتِ بُدُّ فمِنَ العَجزِ أنْ تَكُونَ جَبَانا
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Default Re: Capacity for self-delusions - 01-27-2007

There are two things one should be take heed of if one wishes to attain success and felicity:

1-To know the details of the means of attaining good and evil, and to be clear about these through witnessing them in the world around, through one's own experience and that of others, as well as through reports one has heard about earlier and latter nations. One of the most effective means for attaining this is pondering over the Qur'an, for along with the sunnah, it clearly explains the paths to good and evil. If you turn your attention to them, they will suffice you. They will inform you of Allah's treatment of the obedient, and of the sinners. Moreover, apply what you read to practical experience, and you will see the illustration of this - that Allah is true, the Messenger is true, the Qur'an is true, and that Allah fulfills His promise. History contains details of the paths to good and evil mentioned in the Qur'an and sunnah.

2- Beware of deceiving oneself with regard to these paths. This is very important, for the servant knows that sin and heedlessness are harmful to him in his world and the Hereafter, and yet he may deceive himself:

Through relying on Allah's pardon and forgiveness, by procrastination of repentance, by performing istighfar only verbally, by doing good deeds [after impetuously sinning], by knowledge, by justifying his sins by the argument of destiny, by citing examples of people committing similar sins, or by following in the footsteps of ancestors and elders.

Many people think that they can perform some sin, and then if they say "Astaghfirullah" the sin will disappear. Or, they may deceive themselves with ahadith such as: "Whoever says "SubHaanallaahi wa-biHamdih" one hundred times in a day, his sins are taken off from him, even if they be like the foam of the ocean." Or "A servant committed a sin and then said, 'O Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me,' and so he was forgiven . . . . then Allah says, 'My servant knows that he has a Lord Who forgives sins, and takes [to task] for them. I have forgiven My servant, so let him do as he wishes.'"

Such people cling to the texts of hope, and hold fast to them with both hands, and put [all] their reliance in them, such that if they are reprimanded for committing some sin, they will recite all that they known about Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Some went to excessive limits in this, such that they claimed that to remain free of sins is being ignorant or under-estimating Allah's mercy and pardon.

Some deceived people cling to the notion of fatalism; that the servant has no free-will and that he is compelled to commit sins. Other cling to the notion of irja' (false hope), claiming that faith is merely affirmation, and that deeds are neither a part of faith nor have any effect upon it. According to their claim, the iman of the most sinful of believers is just like the iman of the angels Gabriel and Michael.

Some are deceived by their fathers and elders, thinking that they have a rank before Allah, such that they would not leave them to perish. They take this by analogy from the behavior of worldly kings, who might grant a favor or pardon to someone based on the merits of his father or relatives. Such people are used to being taken out of difficult situations by their fathers, and are under the impression that this may happen in the Hereafter too.

Others deceive themselves by reasoning that Allah has no need of punishing them since He gains nothing from it, and He does not lose anything by showing them mercy. Such a person may say, 'I am in dire need of His mercy, and He is not at all needy of [anything]. if a poor, thirsty person were in dire need of a drink of water from someone in whose premises there flows a river, he would not be denied it, and Allah is more generous, and more expansive in mercy.'

Others are deceived by ridiculous misinterpretations/ misunderstandings, e.g.:

"Your Lord will give you, so that you become pleased." [Surah Duha, 5] he says: I am not pleased to enter the Fire. This is despicable ignorance, and clear lies, for he should be pleased by what Allah is pleased by, and it is not against Allah's pleasure to punish the oppressors, wrong-doers, evil-doers, traitors and those persistent on major sins. "Allah forgives all sins." [Surah Zumar, 93]

This is also despicable ignorance, for this verse refers to those who repent; otherwise it would imply invalidation of the verses threatening punishment for the sinners. This is specified by another verse,

"Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, and He forgives anything beneath that to whomever He wills." [Surah Nisa,48] Also, "None will burn in it except the most miserable one who rejected and turned away [from the truth]." [Surah Layl, 15-16]. This is a specific fire from among the various levels of Jahannam, and moreover the fact that only the rejecters will burn in it does not rule out that others may enter it. "[Hell] has been prepared for the unbelievers." [Surah Baqarah, 24]. The fact that it has been prepared for the unbelievers does not rule out that sinful Muslims may also be punished in it, just as the fact that Heaven "has been prepared for the pious" [Surah Aali-`Imran, 133] does not rule out that people with the smallest grain of faith may enter it even if they were not pious.

Some are deceived by fasting the days of `Ashura and `Arafah, such that some may even say that the fast of `Ashura' expiates the whole year, and the fast of `Arafah remains as a surplus of reward. Such people have failed to realize that the fast of Ramadan and the 5 daily prayers are greater and more noble than the fasts of `Arafah and `Ashura, and that [it is understood that] sins are [only] forgiven as long as major sins are avoided. So, [fasting] from one Ramadan to another, [praying] from one Jumu`ah to the next, act in a mutually strengthening manner to achieve forgiveness of minor sins, provided major sins are avoided. So, how then can an optional fast expiate every major sin of a person while he still persists upon the sins, and has not repented from them? Also, it is possible that these two optional fasts expiate all sins in totality, but that this has certain prerequisites and conditions, such as avoidance of major sins, or that the expiation is achieved in conjunction with other good deeds, much the same as the 5 daily prayers and the fasting of Ramadan expiate minor sins in conjunction with the avoidance of major sins. "If you abjure the major things which you are prohibited from, We shall expiate you your evil deeds. [Surah Nisa, 31]

Some are deceived by the hadith Qudsi, "I am according to the good expectation/thought of My servant., so let him think of Me as he wishes." i.e. that whatever he thinks I will do to him, I will. But, good expectations can only be with good conduct, for one who does good expects that his Lord will deal with him well, will not break His promise, and will accept his repentance. As for the one of evil conduct, who persists upon major sins, oppression and other evils, the desolation of sin, wrongdoing and [other] prohibited things prevent him from having good expectations of his Lord. This is something we witness in everyday life. A disobedient employee who has run away with company property will not have a good expectation of his boss. The evil of wrong deeds cannot coexist with good expectation. The best in expectation of his Lord['s mercy] is the most obedient to Him. Hasan Basri said, "The believer has good expectation of his Lord, so he make his deeds good. But, the evil person has bad expectation of his Lord, so he does evil."

How can someone claim to have good expectation of his Lord when he is like a runaway, and is doing things which displease and anger his Lord, and has abandoned His orders, and is at war with Him. How can one have good expectation of his Lord if he thinks that He does not see him? "And, you used not to conceal yourself, lest your hearing, sight and skin testify against you, but you thought that Allah does not know much of what you used to do. And that, your expectation which you entertained about your Lord, has destroyed you, so you have become among those lost/ruined." [Surah Fussilat, 23] So, these people, who thought that Allah did not know much of what they did, actually had ill- expectation of their Lord, and that destroyed them. Such people are deceived if they think they will directly enter Heaven; they are fooling themselves; Satan is leading them astray and beguiling them.

Ponder over this.

Consider: how is it possible for one's heart to be certain that one is going to meet Allah, that Allah sees and hears all that he does, and knows his secret open affairs, and that he will be made to stand before Allah, answerable for all his deeds - how can one be certain and aware of all of this, and yet persist upon things which displease Allah; persist upon abandoning Allah's orders, neglecting His rights, and yet claim that he has good expectation of Allah?!!

Abu Umamah Sahl ibn Hanif reports: `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and I entered upon `A'ishah and she said : If only you had seen the Messenger of Allah in one of his illnesses; [when] he had 6 or 7 dinars. The Messenger of Allah ordered me to distribute them [in charity?], but the pain of the Messenger of Allah kept me from doing that, until Allah cured him. Then, he asked me about them: "What have you done? Had you distributed the 6 dinars?" I said, "No, by Allah. Your pain had kept me from doing so." He asked for them to be brought [to him], and put them in his hand then said, "What would be the expectation of Allah's prophet if he met Allah with these in his possession?"

What, then would be the expectation of the people of major sins, and the oppressors, if they were to meet Allah with these sins and forfeited rights of people on their backs? If their claim that they entertained good expectations that Allah would not punish evil and wrongdoing people, were to benefit them, then everyone could do as he wished, doing everything that Allah has forbidden, provided he kept good expectation of Allah, thinking that the fire will not touch him. Subhanallah! How deceived can one be? Prophet Ibrahim said to his people, "Is it a lie, gods besides Allah, that you desire? What then is your expectation of the Lord of the Worlds?" [Surah Saffat, 86] i.e. what is your expectation of Allah, what do you expect He will do to you if you meet Him having worshipped other than Him?

So, if we reflect over this, we will realize that good expectation of Allah is equivalent to good deeds, for one is moved to good deeds by good hope of Allah, that He will reward him for his efforts and accept them. Otherwise, good expectation along with pursuit of whims and desires and lusts is incapacity.

In short, good expectation can only occur if the means for salvation are pursued. Pursuit of the means to destruction cannot accompany good expectations.

Someone might claim: It might, based on the expansiveness of Allah's mercy and forgiveness and generosity, and that His mercy exceeds His wrath, and that punishing does not benefit Him, nor does forgiveness harm Him. The reply is: Allah is indeed most generous and merciful, but this is in the appropriate place. Allah is also described as possessing wisdom and might and inflicting retribution, seizing with might, and punishing those deserving punishment. So, if the good expectation is based merely on some of Allah's attributes, then the righteous and the evil, the believer and the unbeliever, would equally be candidates for it. But, the names and attributes of mercy do not benefit the unbeliever or similarly one who has neglected his duty and exposed himself to Allah's curse. Rather, good expectation of Allah is for one who repents, regrets his sins and desists from the. This is good expectation, whereas the first is deception.

"Those who believe, and those who perform hijrah and jihad in the path of Allah - they are hopeful of Allah's mercy." [Surah Baqarah, 218] So, these people are the ones who can be truly hopeful of Allah's mercy; not the evil and sinful people. "Then, your Lord is, to those who make hijrah after they have been persecuted, and then perform jihad and are patient/steadfast - indeed, your Lord is, after that, Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Surah Nahl, 119] So, the knowledgeable one is he who puts hope in its correct place, whereas the deceived one is he who puts it elsewhere.

[Al-Jawab al-Kafi li-man sa'al `an al-Dawa' al-Shafi ]
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Thumbs up The battle between reason/religion and whims/desires - 01-31-2007



i know i'm going to post looooooong article but because i love this article so much...i MUST share it with everyone of you.

source

Strengthening the Motive of Reason and Religion
Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

An abridged translation of "`Uddat as-sabirin wa dhakhirat ash-shakirin"
Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab
© 1997 Ta-Ha Publishers, UK


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In the battle between reason/religion and whims/desires, we have the following weapons at our disposal:

1. We should remember the glory and greatness of Allah, and feel that He is too great to be sinned against as He is all-seeing and all-hearing. Whoever thinks of the greatness of Allah will never be at ease in committing wrong actions.

2. If we claim to love Allah, then we should not disobey Him, because of that love. A person should be obedient to the One he claims to love. Those who refrain from committing wrong action out of their love for Allah are of the highest status in His sight, as are those who worship Him out of love for Him. There is a great difference between the one who obeys Allah and abstains from wrong action Out of love, and the one who does so out of fear of punishment.

3. We should think of the blessings and favours of Allah, as a decent and noble person would never act against the one who has been treating him kindly- Only base and ignoble people do such a thing. If we think of the blessings and favours of Allah, we will realize that we should not respond by going against His commands and committing wrong action.

4. We should think of the wrath and punishment of Allah, as He will be angry with the person who persists in committing wrong action. Nothing can stand in the way of the consequences of His anger, least of all this weak slave of His.

5. We should think of what the person who commits wrong action has to lose, in this world and the next. It should be sufficient to think of the loss of iman (faith), of which the smallest amount is worth much more than everything in this world. How can anyone be willing to lose his iman in return for some brief

Moment of pleasure the consequences of which might last forever? In a sahih hadith, the Prophet (SAAS) said: "No adulterer is a believer at the time when he is committing adultery." Commenting on this hadith, one of the Sahabah said: "His iman wil be dragged out of him until it goes over his head like a cloud. If he repents, then his iman will return to him."

6. We should relish the idea of defeating the Shaytan and being victorious over him, because overcoming him, and our whims and desires, is a thing of joy and carries a great reward. It is like taking medicine and being rewarded with restoration to good health.

7. We should bear in mind the reward and compensation which Allah has promised to those who control their whims and desires, and abstain from that which is haram.

8. We should think of the special companionship of Allah, as He has told us: "Allah is with those who patiently persevere." (al-Baqarah 2: 153) "For Allah is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good" (an-Nahl 16: 128) "For verily Allah is with those who do right." (al-Ankabut 29: 69)

9. We should be ever mindful of death, which could come upon us at any time, suddenly and without warning

10. We should stop thinking of falsehood and bad ideas. Even if bad thoughts cross our minds, we should not let them stay, otherwise they may become hopes and wishes which we may act upon, and harm ourselves and others in the process.

11. We should gradually strengthen our religious motive in fighting whims and desires. Once we have tasted the joy of defeating those whims and desires, then our determination and willpower will grow stronger.

12. We should direct our thoughts towards contemplation of the signs of Allah which He has encouraged us to think about, whether they are in the Quran or in the universe around us. If such thoughts are constantly in our hearts and minds, this will help us to shun the whispering of the Shaytan. There is no greater loser than the one who, instead of thinking of Allah, His Book, His Prophet and his Sahabah, dwells on Shaytan and the ideas of Shaytan.

13. We should remember how short is our stay on this earth. No-one would want to feel that all he has achieved in this life is the worst kind of deeds, except a person who has no spiritual ambition, whose heart is dead and who is careless. Such a person will ultimately regret his deeds when he realizes that, far from benefiting him, they will lead to punishment. Even the person who has many good deeds to his credit will feel that sense of regret when he realizes that he could have done even more.

14. We should know that Allah has created us to live an eternal life with no death, a life of pride and ease with no humiliation, a life of security with no fear, a life of richness with no poverty, a life of joy with no pain, a life of perfection with no flaws. Allah is testing us in this world with a life that will end in death, a life of pride that is accompanied by humiliation and degradation, a life that is tainted by fear, where joy and ease are mixed with sorrow and pain. So many people are mistakenly seeking an easy life of power and pleasure in this world, but most of them never manage to achieve it, and those who do, enjoy it only for a brief time before it vanishes. The Prophets called people to an eternal life of plenty, and whoever answers their call will have the best life in this world, better than the life of kings and their followers, for zuhd in this life is true richness. This is something which the Shaytan greatly envies the believers.

Merely knowing the facts that we have outlined above is not enough. We have to strive and do our utmost to achieve our aim and attain perfection. The best way to do so is to put a stop to the habits that are controlling our lives, as these are the main obstacles which prevent us from succeeding. We should avoid places of fitnah and temptation, as the Prophet (SAAS) told us,

"Whoever hears of the Dajjal should keep away from him." The best way to protect ourselves from wrong is to keep away from anything that could lead to it. One of the favourite tricks of the Shaytan, which deceives everyone except those who are clever enough to see it, is to show a person some goodness in a wrong thing, and call him to go towards what is good; when the person gets close to it, he falls into the trap.
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25:36 And the true servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk the earth with humility and when the ignorant address them, they respond with words of peace.

Last edited by syilla; 01-31-2007 at 07:25 AM.
   
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Default Re: The battle between reason/religion and whims/desires - 02-01-2007

may Allah swt reward you for posting this article and may we all benefit from it insha'allah.

assalaamu alaykum,

Abu Abdullah
   
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