Abu Hafsat

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding of the Deen" (Bukhari and Muslim) He also said : "Allah makes the way to the Garden (Jannah) easy for whoever treads a path in search of knowledge" (Muslim). Travelling on the path of/to knowledge refers both to walking along an actual pathway, such as going on foot to assemblies of the Ulama or following a metaphysical road, like studying and/or memorizing. Knowledge is a short path to Allah.. Whoever travels the road of knowledge reaches Allah and Jannah by the shortest route. Knowledge also clears the way out of darkness, ignorance, doubt and skepticism. That is why Allah called His Book, "Light".

As-Salaam alaikum, Says Allah Ta'ala in verse/ayat 27 of chapter 30 of the Holy Qur'an : "AND HE IS THE ONE WHO BEGINS CREATION AND THEN RENEWS IT." (30:27) Allah Ta'ala is the One who begins creation either from dust or from pure non existence. He is the one who originated the creation without a primordial pattern. He thus originated it and then brought it into existence after it had been nothing. The words "... and then renews it", means as Imam Mujahid said: "That He originates creation then causes it to perish and then He will revive it for the Resurrection".

As-Salaam alaikum, Just take a moment and consider it, the earth cannot contain 'LA ILAHA ILLALLAH'.. Everything in creation disappears in it. So, say it, recite it! All secrets that Allah Ta'ala created will enter it and all the Divine Attributes are in it, and that is why Allah likes us to say this Beautiful Kalima. He says nothing can contain 'LA ILAHA ILLALLAH' because it comes from Noorullah, and Noor-an-Nabi comes from Noorullah, that is why you follow the Noor. The Prophet's Light is from Allah's Light, so the Noor follows the Noor as it cannot be separated, and it will to its origin..

As-Salaam alaikum, In the Hadith, the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately. Always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course, whereby you will reach your target". (Bukhari, hadith No. 470) Following the path of moderation and balance in everything make us to want for our brothers what we want for ourselves... thereby choosing truth over selfish want and desire.

As-Salaam alaikum, Says Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, in ayat 99 of chapter 15 of the Holy Qur'an : "AND SERVE YOUR LORD TILL THE INEVITABLE (death) COMES INTO YOU" (Hijr-15:99) Therefore our commitment to submit to Allah Ta'ala should not be a fad, a temporary emotional reaction, we should not waver despite all the highs and lows of life. The goal is to reach the end our life in a state of total submission to our Creator.

As-Salaam alaikum, "No vision (eyes) can grasp Him, but He sees (grasps) all eyes: He is above all comprehension". (6:103) In other words, no sight can reach Him (Allah Ta'ala), while He is in all that sees. Ibn Arabi here observes that "No eyes can see Him, so no one can perceive Him. He is the only existence, and if no one can see Him, then there is no one besides Him. If there were other existences besides Allah, they should have been able to see Him. So the meaning of " the eyes cannot see Him.." is that there is no existence other than His. The eyes cannot see Him because the eyes are created.." Source 'Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom', by Ibn Arabi (Fons Vitae, 1997).

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Darda'i, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- "Allah did not reveal to me to make trade of (with) Allah's Words or to collect (amass) wealth, but He revealed to me, 'But celebrate the Praises of your Lord and be of those who prostrate themselves in adoration" (Surah Hijr, 15:98) see Ibn Majah and ad-Daylami. Since it was not revealed to the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, to accumulate money/wealth this indicates that it is not necessary for the whole Ummah to accumulate money over money, beyond one's needs. But we are all charged to "Praise Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and be from the people who make Sajda".

As-Salaam alaikum, Says the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, "ITBA-S-SAYIAAT AL-HASANAH TAMHOOHA.. Follow bad deed (you may have done) with a good deed, as it (will) erase it". (Tirmidhi) When you commit a sin, immediately follow it with 'astaghfirullah' : that will erase the sin. Don't say, 'I have too many sins'. No, do not complain or it will be as if you are contradicting the verse of the Holy Qur'an : "Remember your Lord (Allah) when you forge" (18:24) So, whenever you commit a sin, something bad, follow it with goodness and it will erase it. Many Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, "AND WHEREVER AND IN WHATEVER CONDITION YOU ARE, ALLAH IS WITH YOU" (57:4) This ayat/verse of the Holy Qur'an makes us realize that Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, our Creator, is always with us and He is observing what we are doing and is aware of what is in our heart. As this realization gains strength, you find that one's capacity for obedience and adherence to the Shari'a enhances correpindingly, and one obeys with complete sincerity and devotion. Then all fear, of other than Allah, is expelled and all hopes in ghair-Allah (any one other than Allah) are severed.

...Muhammad Rasulullah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam.... ''Muhammad Basharun, Wa laysa Ka'l-Bashari, Bal Huwa Yaaqootatun Wa Naasu Ka'l-hajari''... meaning ''Muhammad is a man, but not like other men! He is a gem, and human beings are stones'' (Imam al-Busayri in his Burdat ash-Shareefah) ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALA SAYYADINA MUHAMMAD AN-NABIY UMMIY, WA ALA AHLIHI, WA ASHABIHI AJMAEEN.

As-Salaam alaikum, "Maraja'l-Bahrayn yaltaqiyan, baynahuma barzakh-ul la yabghiyaan.. He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together: Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress''. (Rahman, 55: 19-20) Here, Allah Ta'ala sends 2 seas/bodies of water to crash together [ one salty and the other wholesome and sweet ], but between them is a barzakh they do not breach. This is one of the many favours of Allah...sea water is a sanitating agent, while fresh water is sweet and palatable to drink. And allegorically, the 2 seas here are traditionally understood to be this world ( dunya) and the other world (akhirah). We enter into the other world through the barzakh at death and during the dream. We might try to be conscious and aware during the dream, or as we approach sleep, until we are actually dreaming, or we wake up hours later back into consciousness. The idea of ''the limit''....''barzakh'' in the ayat takes us into the question of consciousness, and the fact that the other world is not far away. The 2 worlds are separated by the thinnest of membranes, a bounded null surface.

As-Salaam alaikum, 1.The older we get, the weaker our hands because Allah is educating us to let go of the love of the world (Surat Hud-11:15/16). 2. The older we get, the blurrier our eyes become because Allah is brightening the eyes of the heart to see the Hereafter (Surat Isra-17:72) 3. The older we get, the more sensitive we feel because Allah is teaching us that the relationship between the heart and the creatures is always empty, but the heart that is attached to Allah never disappoints (Surat Luqman - 31:22) 4. The older we get, the whiter our hair.. because Allah is reminding us of the white shroud (Surat Al Imran - 3:185)..

As-Salaam alaikum, The 'Ulama tell us that there are 3 types/kinds of heart, namely : (1) The purified inward-- qalb-e-saleem. (2) The inward returned to Allah - - qalb-e-muneeb and (3) The inward engrossed in observation of Allah - - qalb-e-shaheed. The purified inward has nothing but Allah. The inward returned to Allah is attentive only towards Allah, turning away from everyone. The inward engrossed in observation of Allah witnesses only Allah and His nature in everything. Allah Ta'ala says: "And (also) do not follow him whose inward We have made neglectful of Our invocation and who follows but the urge of his (inner self) and his case has exceeded all bounds" (18:28) The man of inward never looks towards anything but Allah.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Prophet of mankind, the peace of our heart and mind, the most generous and kind, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, has stated : "Whoever recites Salaat upon me 100 times, Allah Azzah Wa Jallah, inscribes between his 2 eyes that he is free from hypocrisy and the fire of Hell, and on the Day of Judgement He will keep him with the martyrs" (majma-uz-Zawaid, pg. 253, vol. 10, Hadith 17,298)

As-Salaam alaikum, According to Sheikh Najm al-Din al-Kubra, may Allah be Merciful to him, "Whoever wishes to follow the path of the Hereafter must adhere to 8 conditions : (1) Persistent ritual purity in as much as possible. (2) Constant fasting. (3) Uninterrupted silence. (4) Assiduous seclusion (5) Abiding recollection of 'there is no god but God (La ilaha illallah)' (6) Enduring submission to God and abandoning any resistence to God Most High. (7) Repelling of thoughts that obstruct following the path of the world to come and (8) Bonding of one's heart with the Sheikh in solving spiritual problems and interpreting visionary experiences that may occur. " See the SHEIKH's work titled " A Treatise On Spiritual Retreat (Risala fi'l-Khalwa) ", by Najm al-Din al-Kubra for further reading. Best Wishes.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "The Angels keep on asking Allah's Forgiveness for anyone of you, as long as he is at his Musalla (praying place) and does not pass wind (hadath). They say, 'O Allah! Forgive him, O Allah! be Merciful to him." (Sahih Bukhari, 445).

As-Salaam alaikum, Allah Ta'ala says : "MAKE REMEMBRANCE OF GOD (Zikrullah) AS YOU DO OF YOUR FATHERS, OR WITH MORE LIVELY REMEMBRANCE" (2:220). He also said: "MAKE REMEMBRANCE OF THY LORD IN THY SOUL, IN SUPPLICATION AND FEAR, WITHOUT THY WORD BEING AUDIBLE, AT MORNING AND EVENING." (7:204). The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- "Go forth, for the unattached have preceded you." He was asked, "Who are the unattached, O Messenger of Allah"? He said, "Those who tremble with the Remembrance of God, until the Zikr removes their burdens from them and they come to resurrection lightly laden." (Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi and Ibn Hanbal). The sincere mureed who sits to remember Almighty Allah, reciting known phrases of Zikr, especially the Zikr of LA ILAHA ILLALLAHU, should negate any stray thoughts that enter his heart, saying to himself : 'I desire nothing and seek nothing, and have no aim or object of love, ILLALLAH--other than God.' Having negated all stray thoughts with La-ilaha, he affirms the Mighty Presence as his sole aim, purpose and object of love with illallah. This form of attentive Zikr makes one unattached : it removes all obstacles in his path and all attachments, and conveys him lightly laden from this world of corporeality to the Hereafter of spirituality. It is to this that the Tradition, "Go forth, for the unattached have preceded you", refers.

As-Salaam alaikum, Says Allah Ta'ala in ayat 159 Of chapter 3 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Aal-Imran :- "When you have resolved, place your trust in Allah." (3:159). This ayat touches on the idea of taking God Almighty as a Trustee, to whom we as Muslims who believe in Him, should turn over our affairs to, and let Him manage them. This, however, does not imply that one should not strive to put his affairs in order. Rather, it means that one should do the best one can and then leave the rest to God, trusting in His oversight. This relationship with Him, Jallah-Jalalahu, is defined as one of Tawakkul or Trust /Reliance... which brings with it a certain measure of freedom from anxiety and restlessness when things do not go as planned, or as one hoped for.

As-Salaam alaikum, Narrated Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, A man came to the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, and said :-- "O Messenger of Allah, teach me something, but make it concise." The Prophet said : "When you stand for your prayer, then pray as if you are saying farewell. Do not say anything for which you must apologize and abandon any desire to acquire what other people have." (Sunan Ibn Majah, 4169).

As-Salaam alaikum, In al-Qushayri'a Risala, we find a saying of Hatim al-As amma, a disciple of the celebrated Shaqiq al-Balkhi, which records what may be one of the earliest descriptions of the necessary requirements of the spiritual life:- "Whoever desires to follow our way," declared Hatim, "must assume 4 qualities of death : white death, which is hunger, black death, which is putting up with the harms of others, red death, which is sincere activity in opposing the lower soul, and green death, which is wearing a garment whose patches have been stitched one over the other. " The strongly ascetic impulse behind these words of Sheikh Hatim was, in his particular case, likely due to the influence of his teacher Shaqiq, who was himself a disciple of Ibrahim ibn Adha, renowned for having renounced an entire Kingdom to live in prayer and poverty (faqr). As observed by Sheikh Ibn Arabi in his 'Futuhat al - Makkiyyah', these 4 qualities or varients of death are indispensable in the Sufi tradition alluded to in the well-known hadith : "Die before you die", and are helpful to the spiritual itinerant on the journey to Allah Ta'ala. Among other benefits, for example, white death (hunger) - - by fasting, you abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset.. and thereby imbibe the value or virtue of patience, and the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "Patience is half of faith", and "Half of patience lies in the fast". As for "green death" of wearing parched clothing - this teaches.. is a mark of renunciation. Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, we are informed, wore a robe of 13 patches. And the "black death" of patiently enduring the offences and injuries of others without seeking retaliation or retribution is commendable virtue. And the "red death" of opposing the soul's desires and baser inclinations takes one to mujahada or jihad-nafs - greater jihad leading to the slaying of unruly passions.

"Whoever focuses on the world is a slave of the world, and whoever focuses on the Hereafter is a slave to the Hereafter, but whoever focuses on Allah enslaves the world and the Hereafter." (Shams - i-Tabriz).

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- "A heart grateful (to Allah), a tongue which (frequently) mentions Allah (with the prescribed supplications) and a righteous wife who assists you in your religious and worldly affairs. These are the best treasures man can possess." (Saheeh al-Jami' 4409) Sheikh al-Saheeh Albania.

As-Salaam alaikum, Qais Ibn Sa'ad, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "Should I not direct you to a gate from the gates of Paradise?" I said: 'Of Course'. He said: '' [Recital of] LA-HAWLA WALA QUWATA ILLA BILLAH.. There is no might or power except with Allah." (Tirmidhi, 3581)

As-Salaam alaikum, The Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:-- "To gaze at a strange woman (ghair mahram) is zina (adultery) of the eye, To listen to passion-stirring words is zina of the ears, To converse with a strange woman and derive pleasure therefrom is zina of the tongue, To walk towards her is zina of the feet, The heart desires and craves, the sexual organ then either testifies to these or denies them." (Sahih Muslim). Note that it is only through protection of these organs that the heart and private parts will be protected, just as the country whose boarders are unguarded is prone to attacks on its headquarters ans vital installations. Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Umama, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam ,said:-- "Whoever dreads to endure the night [in nawafil prayers], or is miserly about spending money, or is too cowardly to fight the enemy should say often: 'Subhanallahi Wa Bi-Hamdihi (Glory be to Allah and all Praise is due to Him)'. It is more beloved to Allah than a mountain of gold spent in the Way of Allah." (At-Tabarani).