Soul Purification, - Asceticism is the Way to be Loved - II

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The Righteous Follow the Way of the Prophets
The righteous follow the way of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as he was the model example. ‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “All goodness is for those who are ascetic in this worldly life and those who incline to the Hereafter. They are those who took the land as their rug, its dust as their mattress, its water as their perfume, the Quran as their slogan, and supplication as their garment. They completely renounced the worldly life.”
Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allaah be pleased with him, wrote a letter to some of his friends, saying, “I advise you to fear Allaah, to be ascetic in this worldly life, and to desire what is with Allaah. If you do so, Allaah will love you for your desire for what is with Him, and people will love you for leaving their worldly lives for them. As-Salaamu Alaykum.”
‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allaah have mercy upon him, reported that the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, once received eighty thousand Dirhams from Mu‘aawiyah, may Allaah be pleased with him, and by that evening she did not have even a single Dirham left. Her maid said to her, “Should you not have bought a Dirham’s worth of meat for us?” She replied, “If you had reminded me, I would have done.”
Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “The worldly life is the home of those who have no home and the wealth of those who have no wealth. The one who has no knowledge accumulates in it.”
When ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, reached Ash-Shaam )greater Syria(, his soldiers met him while he was wearing a lower garment, a pair of leather socks and a turban. He was pulling along his riding animal and walking in puddles. The soldiers said to him, “O commander of the believers, Will the soldiers and patriarchs of Ash-Shaam meet you while you are in this state?” He replied, “We are people whom Allaah has honored by Islam, so we will not seek honor in anything else.”
A man visited Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, and looked around at his house and said, “O Abu Tharr, I do not see any belongings or furniture in your house!” He replied, “We have another house ]i.e., his house in Paradise[ to which we send our good belongings.” He added, “The owner of the house ]i.e., Allaah[ will not leave us in this house.”
‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said in a sermon that he delivered in Egypt, “What a huge difference there is between your way and the guidance of your Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam! He was the most ascetic of people in this worldly life while you are the most inclining of people towards it.”
‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “I married Faatimah while we had no bedding but the skin of a ram that we would sleep on at night and place the fodder for the camel on it during the day. I had no one to serve me but her, and she would get so exhausted that her forelock would fall on the edge of the bowl when she kneaded.”
When Mu‘aath ibn Jabal, may Allaah be pleased with him, was about to die, he said, “O Allaah, You know that I did not love this worldly life and longevity in it for the sake of digging rivers or planting trees ]i.e., the sustenance in this worldly life[. Rather, ]I wanted it[ for the sake of fasting during the day, performing voluntary prayers at night, and attending the assemblies of remembering Allaah, despite them being crowded.”
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allaah have mercy upon him, mentioned that the best person from the generation that succeeded that of the Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in terms of knowledge was Sa‘eed ibn Al-Musayyib, may Allaah have mercy upon him, but the finest in general was ’Uways Al-Qarni, may Allaah have mercy upon him. ’Uways, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would say, “Take death as a pillow when you go to sleep and put it before your eyes when you are awake.”
Maalik ibn Dinaar, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “A person intends to marry the most beautiful woman in the district, so she says to him. ‘I want garments made of wool’, then she takes away his religion.”
Many of the righteous predecessors would refuse to take lawful money that was offered to them and would say, “We will not take it lest it ruins our religion.”
Hammaad ibn Salamah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would open his shop, and if he earned just two Dirhams, he would close it.
Sa‘eed ibn Al-Musayyib, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would trade in oil, and after his death he left four hundred Dinaars, saying, “I left them to protect my honor and religion.”
Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “Asceticism in this worldly life is to not have the hope of a long life, rather it is to eat rough food or wear rough clothes.”
Ash-Shaafi‘i, may Allaah have mercy upon him, also dispraised this worldly life and being attached to it.
Abu Sulaymaan Ad-Daaraani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, would say, “All that distracts you from Allaah The Almighty, whether family, wealth or children, is a misfortune.”
People Far Better than Us were Deprived of the Pleasures of this Worldly Life
It is enough to know that being ascetic is a part of taking the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his companions as examples. This act is perfect reliance upon Allaah The Almighty and instills contentment in the heart, which in turn leads to the comfort of this worldly life and the happiness of the Hereafter. The ascetic person is loved by Allaah The Almighty and by other people. Therefore, if you have possessions, praise Allaah The Almighty and do not let your heart be attached to the worldly life. Likewise, if you are poor, be patient, for people who were better than you were deprived of the pleasures of this worldly life. Our Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would sleep on a mat such that its marks appeared on his body, and he died while there was no provision on the shelf of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, except a handful of barley that she would eat from. If one were to enter the rooms of his wives, his head would touch the ceiling. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, the caliph of the Muslims, once delivered a sermon wearing a garment that had twelve patches.
These people were not deprived of the pleasures of this worldly life because of their abasement in the sight of Allaah The Almighty, rather because of the abasement of the worldly life in His sight, which does not even equal the weight of a wing of a mosquito; and the two voluntary units of prayer before Fajr prayer are better than this worldly life and what it contains. In order for one not to despair over what has eluded him, he should not exult in pride over what Allaah The Almighty has given him. The believer does not become disappointed over being disgraced in it nor compete with others over its glory, as he has his own concern and they have other concerns.
Be the slave of Allaah The Almighty at times of hardship and ease, and at times of activity and suffering. Whether the worldly life approaches you or turns away from you, its approaching is refraining and its turning away is approaching. The basic rule is that it approaches you with what you dislike, and when it approaches you with what you like, this is an exception.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Soul Purification, - Asceticism is the Way to be Loved - I

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Asceticism, or Zuhd, is to abandon the desire for something for the sake of something which is better, and to abandon the comfort of this world for the sake of that of the Hereafter. It also means that the heart should not desire anything that one does not possess. Knowing that this worldly life is temporary and will eventually come to an end helps the slave of Allaah to be this way.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of rain whose ]resulting[ plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes ]scattered[ debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allaah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.{]Quran 57:20[ Allaah The Almighty has called this life the “enjoyment of delusion” and has forbidden us from being deceived by it. He has also informed us of the evil end of those who are deceived by this worldly life, He warns us of being considered with the same recompense that they deserved for what they committed and has dispraised whoever is satisfied or feels secure therein. He has dispraised such people because He knows that after this worldly life is an abode which is greater and more honored: the home of final settlement.
In addition, the slave of Allaah the Almighty knows that his asceticism in this worldly life will not prevent him from receiving what was decreed for him and his keenness on it does not bring him what was not decreed for him. When the slave of Allaah The Almighty is certain of this fact, he will abandon the inclination to things that do not bring benefit in the Hereafter. However, being ascetic towards things that bring benefit in the Hereafter is not a religious act and its doer is addressed in the verse in which Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O you who have believed, do not prohibit the good things which Allaah has made lawful to you and do not transgress. Indeed, Allaah does not like transgressors.{]Quran 5:87[
The Essence of Asceticism
Asceticism in this worldly life does not mean that one should reject it, as Sulaymaan )Solomon( and Daawood )David(, may Allaah exalt their mention, were the most ascetic men of their time while they had considerable wealth, kingship and a number of wives. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the most ascetic person ever, yet he had nine wives. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, Az-Zubayr and ‘Uthmaan, may Allaah be pleased with them, and many others were ascetic people while they were wealthy. Imaam Ahmad was asked, “Can a rich person be ascetic?” He answered, “Yes, if he does not rejoice with the increase of his wealth or grieve over its decrease.”
Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “Asceticism does not mean wasting wealth or making what is lawful unlawful; rather, it is to have confidence in what is in the Hand of Allaah more than what is in one’s own hand, and ]it is also[ that one’s condition at the time of a calamity and that under normal circumstances is alike; and to have the same attitude towards the one who praises you and the one who dispraises you for the sake of the truth.” This is true asceticism, therefore, a slave of Allaah The Almighty might be the richest person, yet he is of the most ascetic because his heart is not attached to this worldly life. On the other hand, another slave of Allaah The Almighty may be the poorest of people, but he is not an ascetic at all because his heart clings to this worldly life.
Kinds of Asceticism
Asceticism with regards to abstaining from what is unlawful is an individual obligation, and abandoning suspicious matters is obligatory if it is a strong suspicion; however, if it is weak, abandoning the suspicious matter is merely recommended. There is asceticism with regards to abandoning speech, looking, inquiring, meeting and other things that are not required or called for. Also, there is asceticism regarding people and asceticism regarding one's own self when one sacrifices himself in the cause of Allaah The Almighty. The comprehensive asceticism is being ascetic in everything except in things that are with Allaah The Almighty and being ascetic in everything that keeps him away from Him. The best kind of asceticism is one that is concealed, and the most difficult kind is in things that are lawful.
Virtues of Asceticism
In many verses, Allaah The Almighty praises asceticism and dispraises any inclination to worldly life, as He the Almighty Says )what means(:
•}And they rejoice in the worldly life, while the worldly life is not, compared to the Hereafter, except ]brief[ enjoyment.{]Quran 13:26[
•}The example of ]this[ worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - ]those[ from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.{]Quran 10:24[
•}In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exult ]in pride[ over what He has given you. And Allaah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful -{]Quran 57:23[
Also, Allaah The Almighty relates the story of the believing man of the family of Fir‘awn )Pharaoh(, where He Says )what means(:}O my people, this worldly life is only ]temporary[ enjoyment, and indeed, the Hereafter - that is the home of ]permanent[ settlement.{]Quran 40:39[
Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“I forbade you to visit graves, but you may now visit them as this would make you ascetic towards this worldly life and remind you of the Hereafter.”Sahl ibn Sa‘d As-Saa‘idi, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “A man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, guide me to an action which, if I do it, Allaah will love me and the people will also love me.’ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:‘Be ascetic in this worldly life and Allaah would love you. Be ascetic towards what is in the hands of others ]meaning, do not desire what is in their possession[ and they would love you.’”Sahl ibn Sa‘d As-Saa‘idi, may Allaah be pleased with him, also said, “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:‘Were this worldly life worth even the wing of a mosquito in the sight of Allaah, He would not have given even a drink of water to a disbeliever in this worldly life.’”
The Prophets Were the most Ascetic of People
The Prophets and Messengers are examples for people in their asceticism in this worldly life and inclination to the Hereafter, as Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}They are the ones whom Allaah has guided, so from their guidance take an example.{]Quran 6:90[ Anyone who reads the biography of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would know how he would patch up his own garment, mend his shoes and milk his sheep. Also, he never quenched his hunger, even with barley bread, for two consecutive days until he died, and would even pass whole days without eating, not even finding degraded dates to eat. Also, in the Battle of Al-Ahzaab, he became so hungry that he tied a rock on his stomach, and three months would pass and he and his family would not light a fire in their house in order to cook; their only sustenance would be dates and water. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would say:“O Allaah, there is no true life except that of the Hereafter, so forgive the Ansaar and the Muhaajiroon.”‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, “The bedding of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a piece of tanned skin stuffed with palm fibers.” She once bought out a patched-up upper garment and a thick lower garment and said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, died wearing these two.”

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Soul Purification, - The Glory of Faith

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Haaroon Ar-Rasheed, may Allaah have mercy upon him, once stood looking at the sky when he saw a cloud passing by. He addressed it saying, “Rain wherever you wish, for your fruit will certainly come to me anyway.” This means that the cloud would have rained either on an Islamic land or on a non-Islamic one. In the first case, Muslims would have benefitted from this rainwater in agriculture and in drinking; in the second case, Muslims would have also benefitted from this rainwater in the form of Jizyah )a tax( that would be paid to them by non-Muslims. This example shows the state of glory, which the Muslims reached in the past when they applied their religion and worked for it. Nowadays, Muslims are certainly required to pursue the means of glory.
Glory here refers to power, victory, high standing and invincibility. It is a word which denotes that a person cannot be overcome or humiliated. Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
Some of the scholars of Tafseer )Quranic exegesis( said, “In the Quran, glory is used in three different senses.
It is used to signify might, as in the verse )which means(:
•}“By the might of Pharaoh, indeed it is we who are predominant.”{]Quran 26:44[
•}By Your might, I will surely mislead them all{]Quran 38:82[
It is also used to signify honor, as in the verse )which means(:}Do they seek with them honor ]through power[? But indeed, honor belongs to Allaah entirely.{]Quran 4:139[
Finally, it is used to signify dispraised pride as in the verse )which means(:
•}And when it is said to him, “Fear Allah ,” pride in the sin takes hold of him.{]Quran 2:206[
•}But those who disbelieve are in pride and dissension.{]Quran 38:2[
From the above, it is noticed that there is praised glory and dispraised glory. Praised glory is that which pertains to Allaah The Almighty, to His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and to the believers. This is real and permanent glory since it is from and with the support of Allaah The Almighty who cannot be defeated or resisted. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And to Allaah belongs ]all[ Honor and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.{]Quran 63:8[.
On the other hand, the glory of the disbelievers is, in fact, humiliation and disgrace. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And they have taken besides Allaah ]false[ deities that they would be for them ]a source of[ honor. No! Those "gods" will deny their worship of them and will be against them opponents ]on the Day of Judgment[.{]Quran 19:81-82[.
Many people pursued the wrong way to glory, victory and enablement. Some of them pursued it through money and forgot that money is only a Fitnah )trial( and a loss if one does not give the right that Allaah The Almighty has to it. Moreover, this money might be a means of humiliation. Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “By Allaah, Allaah The Almighty humiliates whoever glorifies money.” Indeed, we have seen a many examples of that in life.
Other people seek glory through their positions and prestige. This may enable them to achieve temporary glory. However, if this is not established on justice and good reputation, then it certainly will not last. Indeed, many a leader and president were enjoying glory and then became captives in prisons, and their glory turned into humiliation.
What is even more dangerous is when a person seeks glory through the disbelievers, i.e. by allying himself with them, even if this is against the Muslims’ interests. This is no more than an illusion. In fact, it is an instant humiliation, and the first people to turn against such people would be his ‘allies’ from the disbelievers. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment - Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor ]through power[? But indeed, honor belongs to Allaah entirely.{]Quran 4:138-139[ Consequently, throwing one’s self in the arms of the disbelievers is the shortest way to dishonor and humiliation because these disbelievers would not accept from us anything less than disbelief. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion.{]Quran 2:120[.
Other people still seek glory through their ancestors and tribes, even if they were misguided. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Rayhaanah, may Allaah be pleased with him, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“If a person attributes himself to nine of his disbelieving forefathers, seeking through them glory and pride, he will be their tenth in Hell.”
Hence, the unquestionable truth is that a person who seeks glory must demand it from Allaah The Almighty through obeying Him and avoiding disobedience. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, summarized this wonderful meaning in a few words; He said, “We were the most humiliated people, but Allaah The Almighty has honored us with Islam. If we demand honor through any means other than Islam, Allaah The Almighty will humiliate us.”
Ibraaheem ibn Shaybaan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, “Honor lies in modesty, glory lies in piety, and freedom lies in contentment.” When a Muslim lives in obedience to Allaah The Almighty, he lives in honor and dignity. He may be afflicted, but nevertheless he has a strong sense of honor. This appeared clearly in the life of the righteous predecessors, may Allaah be pleased with them, even in the darkest moments and in the severest and hardest situations.
Situations Which Indicate the Glory of the Righteous Predecessors
When Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, was tortured in Makkah in its hot desert and a great heavy boulder was put on his chest, not to make him abandon his faith but only to stop blaspheming his peoples false gods or to keep silent, the honor of faith showed in his words when he repeated, “Allaah The One, Allaah The One.” This remained as an eternal anthem which the generations have chanted throughout history. In addition, the words of Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, poured despair into the souls of those who tortured him. So, who was honorable in this scene? Was it this weak, tortured slave or the arrogant disbelievers?
The story of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah As-Sahmi , may Allaah be pleased with him, when he was taken captive by the Romans is another example. The king of the Romans tried to entice ‘Abdullaah to abandon his religion, but he refused. The king offered him half of his money but he refused. Then, he imprisoned him, tortured him and did not give him any food or water except some pig meat and wine. After three days, they brought him out and found that he had eaten nothing of it. When he was asked why had he not eaten any of it, he replied, “By Allaah, Allaah The Exalted made it lawful for me because I was under duress, but I would never let you gloat over Islam.” Then, the king asked him to kiss his head in return for releasing him but Ibn Huthaafah, may Allaah be pleased with him, said that he would only do so if all the Muslim captives were released. The king accepted and Ibn Huthaafah, may Allaah be pleased with him, kissed his head.
He then returned to the Commander of the Believers ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, with all the Muslim captives. ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, stood up and kissed the head of ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthaafah, and said, “It is a duty upon every Muslim to kiss the head of Ibn Huthaafah.”
Also, Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was prosecuted and imprisoned. When he was thrown in prison, he recited the words of Allaah The Almighty )which mean(:}And a wall will be placed between them with a door, its interior containing mercy, but on the outside of it is torment.{]Quran 57:13[. This is the glory of faith and the pride of Islam which make a person the most honorable one through the obedience of Allaah The Almighty. Even if all people on earth stood against such a person, he would still derive his honor and glory from Allaah The Almighty who can never be defeated. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Whoever desires honor ]through power[ - then to Allaah belongs all honor.{]Quran 35:10[.
The state of humiliation which prevails in many aspects of our lives nowadays is the result of religious innovations, sins and remoteness from the Sharee'ah of Allaah The Almighty. This is supported by the Hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, where he said:“Humiliation and disgrace are the fate of whoever disobeys my order.”A major reason behind this humiliation is the state of disagreement and disunity that the Muslims experience. Our enemies take advantage of us one by one; they strike one of us today and another tomorrow while Muslims take no action, as if what happens to our brothers does not concern us. History testifies that we were never like this in the past. When a Muslim woman, who was taken as a captive by the Romans in ‘Amooriyyah, screamed for help uttering her famous scream, “Wa Islaamaah” )Oh My Islam!(, Al- Mu‘tasim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, answered her call with full concern, “Labbayki ]at your disposal[” and prepared an army which heavily defeated ‘Amooriyyah and rescued the Muslim woman from the hands of the disbelievers. We should ask ourselves here: what tie was there between Al-Mu‘tasim and that woman except the tie of faith?

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M