I'm sorry I couldnt' come back sooner. My internet was down and so I didn't have much access to LI. Here's just a fraction of what I did already. I want to reread and correct whatever more I did before I put it up insha'allah.
حادي الأرواح إلى بلاد الأفراح
ابن قيم الجوزية
Haadi al-Arwaah Ilaa Bilaad al-Afraah
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise is to Allah who created Jannatul Firdaus as a dwelling for the Believers amongst His servants, and made it easy upon them the performance of those Good Deeds which enables them to attain it so that no other than it shall they seek and with humbleness do they tread the path which leads to it.
He created it for them before He created them, and He made it as their dwelling place before He brought them into existence. He surrounded it with adversities and then sent them into Daar al-imtihaan (Dwelling of tests) So that He may test them as to which one of them is best in Deeds. He appointed the time of its entrance to be on that Day when they will all come forth unto Him and He made appointed the time in which His servant shall make this fading life as an abode. He promised for them that which no eye has seen and which no ear has heard about and which no heart of mankind can perceive.
So highly was this place exalted by him that His servants began to perceive it with keen insight, such insight being more effective (in causing them to strive) than if it (Jannah) was to be seen by the naked eye. He gave them glad tidings about all that which He has prepared for them within it thru the tongue of his Messenger (peace be upon him) .Verily it was the best of glad tidings brought to us on the tongue of the best of messengers.Allah further completed their happiness by decreeing it to be the dwelling in which they will forever abode; nothing other than it shall they seek.
All praise be to Allah the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers, and Who dispatched unto us messengers bringing glad tidings and warnings So that no excuse can mankind bring after the Messengers have reached them.
He did not create them out mere folly nor did He leave them neglected (i.e. in not taking them into account for their deeds) Rather He created them for a great purpose and He prepared them for a weighty matter. For them He has prepared two different dwellings, one for he who answered the call of the Messenger and did not seek another deity in worship besides his Merciful Lord, and one for he who did not answer the call and did not pay it any heed and did not give it a thought.
All praise is to Allah who accepts from His servants those Deeds which are easy to perform and forgives His servants for those acts which are committed in error and showered upon them His Ni’mah and made mercy incumbent upon Himself. For Verily within the book which was written by Him are inscribed the words: His mercy exceeds His anger.
He called His servants towards Heaven and encompassed them all with his Call, proof from Him against them and an act of justice towards them.
He chose those whom He pleased to be bestowed with Tawfiq and Hidayah, a sure blessing from Him and a sign of His Justness and Hikmah (wisdom), He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. That is his graciousness which He bestows unto whom He wishes And Allah is the Owner of Magnificent Rewards. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and He has no partner, (this is) the testimony which has been uttered by His slaves and the sons of His slaves, And I bear witness that Muhammad is his slave and messenger he has been entrusted with his revelation and he chose him from amongst all of his creation and sent him as a mercy for mankind, Calling towards Paradise and as a guide for all creation and an example for his followers showing the right path to those who seek to follow and as proof for mankind.
He sent him calling towards the fulfillment of oaths and He was a follower of Allahs book and a striver towards Allahs pleasure. He was a commander of that which is good and a forbidder of that which is Evil. Allah sent him after a period of messengers and thru him was people guided towards the best of paths and the most clear of ways. Allah has made compulsory upon his slaves to obey and love him (Muhammad), to honor him and respect him and fulfill their rights towards him. He has blocked all the ways to Jannah and made it inaccessible to all except those who follow his (Muhammad’s) way. If People were to come from every path and requested entry (into Jannah) from every door it would not be opened for them until they are assembled behind Him (Muhammad) and were followers of his minhaj and trod his path.
All praise is to Allah who opened his (Muhammads) heart and rid him off all evil and exalted his mention and made humiliation and defeat befall all those who opposed his command. He called unto Allah and unto The Jannah in secret and in manifest, he spread it (Allahs word) between the Ummah day and night until the ray of Islam manifested and the Light of Iman radiated and The Word of Allah was glorified and the Callings of Shaytaan were proved to be futile and the light of Muhammads message brightened the earth after darkness had befallen it and Hearts became as one after they had been scattered and disintegrated.
Time took on a delightful outlook and Darkness turned into light and all who were in confusion were lead to guidance. Thru him (Muhammad) Did Allah complete His bestowance of grace and scattering of mercy amongst His creation.
He conveyed the message of his Lord and counseled his Lords servants in His religion and strove for Allah’s cause. He was given the choice between remaining in this world and meeting his Lord, and so chose to meet his Lord out of his Love for him and his yearning to meet him. So Allah took him unto Himself and placed him in the Rafeeq al-A’laa, the most elevated of places and the most brilliant.
He (Muhammad) has left his Ummah upon that which is clear and upon clear evidence, and upon this path trod his Companions and his followers until they then were bestowed with bountiful gardens, But for those who loved this Dunya they strayed away from His path until it led them towards the Hellfire, Destroyed are the ones who turned away from the truth and Victorious are the ones who paid heed, and Verily Allah is All-seer, All-knower. The prayers and blessings of Allah and his angels and messengers and prophets and his believing servants are upon him. Just As how he singled out Allah in worship and informed us about Allah and called unto Him.
To Proceed:
Verily Allah did not create His creation out of mere folly, and He did not leave them unattended for, Rather He created them for a magnificent purpose and a mighty matter. He offered Amanah (trust, obligation) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (Allahs punishment) And they said to Him “O our Lord If you order us to undertake it then we will follow you in all obedience but if you give us a choice then we seek your pardon and mercy and none other than that do we desire”.
Therefore Man in all of his weakness and shortcomings undertook it then fell short of many of its requirements and immersed himself deeper into his oppression and ignorance. Many of them threw away the responsibilities required of them as it was a burden for them and they sought instead the companionship of this world with the likeness of cattle. These people do not seek to learn more of the One who brought about their existence and His rights over them, nor do they seek to understand the reason of their existence and the reason they were expelled to this World which is merely a pathway and road towards the dwelling of eternity. They do not think about the insignificance of this fleeting life and they do not think about how quickly they pass thru towards the Aakhirah which is a dwelling of forevermore. They have been seized by the spur of the moment and their senses have departed them and ignorance and stupidity has engulfed them and their false desires have misled them
Their expectations (of this world) has deceived them and Evil deeds has seized possession of their hearts enticing them to indulge in the delights of this world and fall prey to the desires of the soul, so much (is this desire) that they grapple for it (the dunya) and seek to attain it, no matter which way it is to be achieved. If there appear to them the delights of this world they put at risk their Afterlife as they fly towards it in groups and alone. If there appears to them worldly goods they do not discard it in preference of Allah Rewards, but they are conscious only of that which is visible to them in this Dunya, and of the Hereafter they are unaware. They forgot Allah and so He forgot them, verily they are the Hypocrites.
And how amazing is this ignorance of mankind pertaining to these few limited moments of which he lives in this world! Not one breath which he intakes is of any significance. If he departs from this world it is to never return. The hours of the night and day hurries by him and not a thought does he give to where he will be taken and carried towards, a journey swifter undertaken than the speed of a mounted messenger. He does not know to which one of the two dwellings (hellfire, paradise) he will be taken to. As the time of death draws closer to him, his greatest fears are the weakening of his body and the sight of his worldly delights slipping away!!…No remorse does he feel because of his previous sins and negligence in preparing anything during his lifetime for his death!! And finally when the seriousness of the affair of which he is faced dawns upon him he will try to defend himself by declaring his belief in Allahs forgiveness. He will say “But He has informed us that He is the most-Forgiving, Most merciful!” It is as if he had not been informed also that Allahs Punishment is a Punishment of severe pain!
Chapter:
And when the successful ones knew the reason behind their existence and what was expected from them, they raised their heads in heed. When they knew that Jannah has been raised for them they briskly prepared themselves towards gaining it. They saw that the Straight path leading towards it has been made clear for them and so they were steadfast upon it. They saw the stupidity in trading that which no eye has seen and what no ear has heard about and what no heart of a man can conceive, for a place which will cease to exist. Verily this place is but like a confusion of dreams, or like a vision which one visits in his dream, a muddled mixture of disappointing events. If one laughs a little he will then cry a great deal. If he is happy one day he will then experience grief for months. The pains of this world are far more than the luxuries and the Sorrows are multiple times more than the Joys. He has fears in this world and he has anxieties, but the life of the Aakhirah is harmonious.
How amazing it is then that we perceive the foolish man as a gentle person, and the feeble minded person as one who is Intelligent!
They (the misled) are the ones who reap the bounties of this unlasting despicable place and hold it higher in regard than the priceless bounties which are everlasting (Aakhirah). He sold a Paradise whose width is the distance of the Heavens and the Earth in return for a narrow prison infested with diseases and trials. He traded the luxurious homes placed in Jannah with rivers flowing beneath for narrow hovels which will one day be diminished to ruins and destruction. He exchanged the Companiable Virgins who resemble pearls and rubies for women who have impurities and are of evil traits. He traded the Hoor of Jannah who are guarded in pavilions for the foulmouthed filthy women of human race. He exchanged the flowing rivers of Wine delicious to those who drink for a Drink which is Najis (filthy); it does away with the senses and destructs ones Dunya and Deen. He traded the delight of seeing the face of the Most Exalted, the Most Merciful in favor of seeing the blamed and abhorrent faces of mankind. He traded the delight of listening to the speech of the All-Gracious in place of listening to stringed instruments and songs and melodious tunes. Similarly he traded sitting on thrones of Pearls and chrysolite and rubies on the Day of bounty, in favor of attending the gatherings of the hypocrites, of being in the company of Every Rebellious Devil. He forgoes the calling of the caller: “O inhabitants of Jannah! Verily today you will live in luxury and you will never despair. You will live forever more and never die and you will inhabit (Jannah) and will never be made to leave. You will stay young and never grow old”, In favor of listening to the songs of the singers.
To be continued Insha'allah........
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I hated to post up the rest without the poem you see...........
so can I give you what I already did and you finish it?