…And when someone is conscious of God, God gives him a way out, and will provide for him from where he doesn’t expect. And whoever trusts in God, God suffices him, for God brings about the divine decree. God has given every thing a certain measure.

~Surah 65 (al Talaq) Verses 2-3. (The Quran: A New Translation by Thomas Cleary)

“Every single Name is an objective in your life. You will become close by pondering the Names and trying to translate them into your life. (…) There is no Islamic commitment without knowing yourself.”

~Tariq Ramadan, Reviving the Islamic Spirit 2009 (Lecture: Read: A Simple Command of Profound Implications)

When you live in the present moment, you get barakah. You get blessing. And blessing has a timelessness quality to it. If Allah gives you barakah in your time, can do in your time amazing things that other people cannot do. And may Allah bless us with that. So you see someone like Imam Nawawi who teaches how many classes a day? I think 14 at least. And he’s also worshipping. He is also serving the community. He is doing all of these things. But it’s like for him time stands still because of where he is.

When you’re in the present moment, you’re in the moment of God. And then time is filled with blessing. When we turn away from God and we live in the world of our illusions, then time is not very blessed. Then it’s like you never have enough time. And a lot of us actually especially if we compare ourselves to our mothers and fathers and earlier generations, we have lots of free time. We’ve said that we don’t. We’re so busy.  But what about your mother and father? They didn’t work from eight to five. A lot of them worked from sun-up until deep into the night.  And yet they still had time.

(…)

We talk about doing things by God, and doing things for God and when you work by God then you get in the present moment. And then you get great blessings. And then you rely on Allah and insha’Allah He gives you success in what you do. When you rely on yourself and say I can do this, I have all these abilities and I’m so smart, then the barakah is maybe not there. You may succeed but in the end it may not produce the fruit that you want.

~Dr. Umar Abd-Allah On Spiritual Guidance: Commentary on Ibn Ata’illah’s Hikam – 03 Dec 2011, Seekers Hub

One of the countless gifts that iman gives to us is the capacity to know what sort of company we’re keeping. One of the most important things in religion is to be in the right company. People will be resurrected amongst those whom they loved. So if you loved actors and actresses and popstars, they will be your company at the Resurrection. And if you really loved philosophers, they’ll you’ll be hanging out with philosophers at the resurrection. And if you really loved ulama  and the shuhada and the anbiya, then they will insha’Allah be your company on the Yawm al-Qiyāmah. This is a hadith. Man will be resurrected amongst those whom he loved.

And how do we gravitate towards the circles of those people whose company is good for us? By activating this gift in the heart. This capacity to see who is well intentioned, who is pure, who is sincere, who is humble. And to avoid those people who are always talking about themselves, raising themselves, showing off, looking in the mirror, constantly checking themselves out to see how other creatures might be looking at them,  that is where the darkness is. And we always have those looks. Because in lives we go through thousands of other souls like little stars that we can barely detect that move past us as we travel through time and space. Other souls out there, each of which is some mystery of..We breathed into him something of Our Spirit. The world is darkness but there are these star-like constellations coming together, separating, and we need to acquire the ability to detect those ones that are pure and shining with Allah’s light so that we can keep their company.

So we ask Allah to always give us the company of good people, people of pure hearts so that we may be resurrected with the company of the sadiqeen in the next world.

~Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad, Seeing by Allah’s Light.
JazakAllah khayr for being sent this khutbah! A really really beautiful lesson.

1. When seeking knowledge, have to be very careful about what you’re seeking it for. Same applies for anything that is supposed to be sought for Allah alone. For instance activism, if not doing it explicitly for Allah on path of destroying yourself. Why? Because in doing worldly things, nobody really cares (ie-making a better cake or having better car than someone else), these things may be low ambitions and ultimately meaningless, but on scales of eternity does not have eternal consequences. But any pride or envy when it comes to something of religious significance, destroys, because basis of religious activity is that it must be sincere. Submission is the form one does. The reality is the sincerity within.
2. Reality is that your life is a transaction. Allah has created us for a purpose, to submit to Him, in exchange for Paradise. We said “I accept” before we were created in the world of form.
3. Servants of the most Merciful tread lightly on the earth because they give everything its due. And because they give everything its due, the rest of creation is thankful.
4. If want meaningful success, must have good beginnings. The right beginning is making the right intention and directing yourself in the right way. For ex: To get to Makkah, not actually headed there until direct yourself there. Until direct yourself there, either wasting your time or distancing yourself from your destination.
5. Can’t be generous until do generosity. Not just about self talk. Saying I’m calm, I’m generous, this is an illusion until you act in the way that trait/characteristic entails. About outward conduct but also need inward seeking of change. Without both, can actually be harmful.
6. What is the reality of your religiosity? Is it self-satisfaction or seeking the pleasure of Allah?
7. Very easy to gain microphone fever. It’s a cold without a cure. Many people their religiosity is having good Facebook updates, good twitter updates. And every person shall have what they intended. Those tweets and updates may be benefiting others, but you only get that benefit if that is what you intended.
8. Someone who is serving others, teaching others, but doing it only to show off…will be taken to task.
9. Saying I’m going to be good without doing any good, and doing anything to express that care is delusion.
10. Beneficial knowledge gives you a sense of the greatness of God. That gives you the practical sense of the greatness of God. Need knowledge that enables you to have khashya. Knowledge that comes with awe of Allah, it is for you. If not, it is against you. Which is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for protection against knowledge that does not benefit.
11. Odious to Allah to say that which you are not concerned to do. (Telling someone to pray while you continue to sit and watch television for example)
12. Allah answers the call of the needy.
13. Will be asked about knowledge that you had, but did not act in accordance with (ex: knowing the etiquettes of how to eat, and not acting in accordance with those Prophetic habits).
14. The gift of being put into existence is an gift from Allah that you can never repay.
15. Gift of guidance, wealth, health, if tried to count and enumerate that blessings of Allah, could not because your sense of thankfulness is a gift of which thanks and gratitude is due.
16. All that you have is a blessing of Allah. And so you must seek the next abode with what you have.
17. Do good, as Allah has been good to you.
18. All that you seek is with God alone.
19. Close with words of Ibn Ata’illah: Let not the intent of your resolve turn to other beside Allah. For the most Generous, the highest of hopes cannot outstrip Him.
20. (Dr Umar reminder: Highest is to seek it for Allah and by Allah. That is contentment in life. When seek from other than Allah, in state of delusion).
21. Another hikam: Do not lift any need to other than Allah. For He is the One who gave you the need in the first place. And How can another lift something that Allah has placed? How can one who cannot lift their needs lift another’s needs.
22. Religion is not about identity, about sophistication, about finding meaning in life, religion is about God.
    
23. Homework: Listen or read to the commencement address that David Foster Wallace, one of the greatest novelists of the later twentieth century gave titled “This is Water”.
24. Love of Allah is the axis around which all good revolves.

This is what living in breaths is about. It’s about being present in yourself, being present in the time that you are, in the place that you are. And not to live in another world of what I’m going to do this evening, what I’m going to do tomorrow, the things I want to do next year, or worrying about the past.

The spiritual path is one of getting in the present moment, being where you are. Being aware of the situation you are in, being aware of yourself, your breaths and everything else about you. But also being aware of people that are with you, the needs of people with you. Being conscious of your breaths, that in every breath you take, there is a special destiny just in that breathing. You didn’t create that, God created that for you, you acquired it. So that has the spiritual effect of anchoring you in the present moment. Living in the present moment. Not living in your dreams, or your ideas or your fears or your expectations or anything else. That is really really important. That means also to be thankful for what you have now, instead of when I get this, when I go there, when this time is up, things will be so good. No. Where are you right now?

~Dr. Umar Abd-Allah On Spiritual Guidance: Commentary on Ibn Ata’illah’s Hikam – 03 Dec 2011, Seekers Hub

Source: 

Why are we studying this? Because “whoever fears the station of their Lord, and rids their soul of its caprice, then Paradise is their abode. This is a conditional statement.

Nothing removes desire from oneself except for fear that makes one uneasy or longing that is painful. (Ibn Ata’illah). Some people say that they prefer love than fear. But the way of love is more difficult than fear. Because one who fears is making an admission of shortcoming whereas love is a claim.

Important to guard the heart. The chest (sadr) is what surrounds the heart.  The fortress of the heart is the chest. This is why Allah says about the Messenger; did we not expand your chest? (94:1) Have to guard thoughts and impulses that come to you because these threaten the soundness of your heart.

Deceit, cheating, all these things go against the way you’re fundamentally supposed to be. All these qualities arise from lacking the basic impulse/attitude believer is supposed to have toward others. Impulse/attitude supposed to have is nasiha: seeking good in relation to others.

Introductory remarks about the vices:

Envy (hasad). Definition:  Wishing for the blessings that another possesses to leave them. For another to lose a blessing they have. Either explicitly wishing it, or implicitly by being upset by their success, or wishing you had the blessing instead.

Pride: look down on others and reject truth. Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said whoever has even a mustard seed of pride will not enter Paradise. Someone who dresses well or enjoys luxuries of life, has more than others. Companions asked Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah loves to see the traces of His blessings on his servants. 
Rather pride is looking down on others.

Conceit (‘ujb): Seeing oneself and being content with states as if from yourself. One definition: To remember good deeds and forget your faults. To see success and do not see that it’s from Allah, and neglect to take yourself to account. Another definition:  To see good deeds as a lot and to claim ability  (goes back to tawhid principle of laa hawla wa laa quwwatta illa billah, no ability or power except through Allah) Conceit is for the heart to be veiled from seeing Lord.

Why poets caution from saying I: I is a barrier between you and Allah. If want to check good calligraphy is to check alif. If not straight, doesn’t matter how pretty it appears to you, not good calligraphy.

These four vices are mentioned because these are the greatest of harms.

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, who are the best of people? Response: One with guarded heart. Guarded heart is a pious, pure heart, that does not have deceit or rebellious (toward Allah) nor rancor or envy toward people.

How to attain such a heart?

Ibn Ata’: that the soundness of one’s breast is attained by standing firm on the realization of certitude (the realities of the Qur’an). So through the realization of certitude the heart attains this quality of soundness.

Further details on envy:

Envy eats good deeds like fire consumes wood. Deeds are in accordance to benefit and harm and nothing harms human relations like envy. Deen is nasiha.  The Prophet (peace and blessings told us that truly religion is sincere concern. Truly religion is sincere concern. Truly religion is sincere concern.

All the things that cause envy are blameworthy. Caused by enmity or thinking yourself better than others, or conceit, or because you have a desire for leadership and standing and when see others gaining facilitation to standing and recognition, you are troubled. Or out of fear of missing what is beloved to one because others got them. All go against basic realizations of tawhid, that Allah is the Giver, Allah is Generous, that Allah answers. Instead of envy, right adab is to pray that Allah bless others in something, and then to also ask for the same. Also, when one is praying for others, better to begin by praying for someone’s worldly benefits (health, family etc) before religious benefits, because to start with duas for religious life (ex: Oh Allah, make so and so sincere, guide so and so) can seem like you are putting the other person down. Prophet would always make dua for people’s worldly good and religious good. Like Sayyidna Anas (Allah be pleased with him), Prophet prayed for his long life, his wealth, children. And Sayyidna Anas (Allah be pleased with him) had much wealth, had so many children that lost count, and lived past hundred.

Be o servants of God: brethren. The mu’min is the brother of another. Brother is one who cares for you, who stands up for you.

People only turn away from religion because of how little they see their own people benefiting from it.

Spread the salaams. Not just incidental salaams, but anyone that you had negative relationship with or had something, keep sending salaams.
Call them up, send text message. Don’t just say words, intend the messages.

Arrogance (kibr)  Pride is an inward state. Conceit arises from it. Prevents from paradise.

Hadith Qudsi: Haughtiness is My cloak, and tremendousness is My garment. And whoever vies with me for it, I destroy them.

Meant as a metaphor. Pride which comes down to the self affirmation of greatness, is Allah’s alone. Allahu Akbar. Having pride is the first slip of creation. Iblis. Tremendousness belongs to Allah, but Allah affirms it for those who turn to him. Have to be aware of signs of kibr in conduct.

Implicit signs: what you expect from other people. Ex: what we expect from parents. Ex: what did you cook, why didn’t you do that? Because you think you have some standing that should be considered. One of the central causes of anger is arrogance. Because expect things to be a particular way for you. Sign that anger for sake of Allah is that it is expressed in ways pleasing to Allah. One channels it in the right way.

Humility.

Be content with humility as your distinguishing trait for it is the trait of the foremost. Definition: Being humble is to lower oneself from its standing and abase it by forcing it to surrender and obey the truth. This is the conventional usage but deficient. Not reality of humility. Humility is accepting the truth with good character.

Follow the righteous.  The Prophet would praise past people for their virtues. (ex: Hilful Fudul) One looks up to virtues. Wish the good for people, but also see the good in them. (Think of Surah Fatiha and its dua to be guided as the people who Allah is pleased with were guided)  In the Qur’an it is mentioned: O you who believe. Have taqwa and be with those rightly guided.

Keys to acquiring good character:

Part of acquiring good character is keeping good company and having exemplars and also looking at the good of others in relationships. It is also important to benefit from all kinds of company. One way you benefit on errors of others is by reflecting on them. See someone praying hastily, and think I sometimes do that.

Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) was really cool. She had an attitude of good and scholars have written books on Sayyida’s Aisha’s objections. Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) said:  You are heedless of the best of worship in this life; humility. Best of worship because humility was the 
distinguishing quality of Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would carry his own meat. (quite a task, wasn’t in plastic bags) He (peace and blessings be upon him) would go around in market and buy things. And market was a messy place. He would at home express that humility.
 The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the need of his family. He used to help them with his chores, he would tie down the animals, he would clean the house, he would milk the sheep, he would repair  his sandals, he would eat with his servants, he would shake hands with both poor and wealthy, (And remember the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was from the Quraysh, who were aristocrats), and he would be with the poor and children. His was a humility with honour and strength.

Note: Sunnah for a servant to be treated like anyone else in family. Disliked for them to eat away from everyone.

Reminder: too many people focused on Islam, the primacy should be on Allah. Islam is a means. The analogy is being obsessed with one’s cutlery and not paying attention to the meal. So much of dawah falls short because of this. Unless centre it on Allah, can be difficult to understand the tenets of Islam (fasting, zakat, praying five times a day, pilgrimage to Makkah etc)

Satisfaction:

For many of people have been held back and they have not sought the acquisition of high virtue, and sufficed themselves with my family used to..” (lines of the poem)

True satisfaction: when one finds the good, ascribes it to Allah and praises Allah. Recognizing the good as being from Allah gives you a responsibility to direct that blessing to what is facilitated

Book references: The Graves of Tarim (University Berkeley Press)

Oppose the self and feel its enmity. Refuse your caprice and what it chooses, turn away from. (lines of the poem)

Nafs is the sum of one’s desires. 
Base impulse of self is harmful. Self is ever commanding to wrong (Surah Yusuf: verse 53)

Book reference: Degrees of the Soul: al-Shabrawi.

You: A Guide

1)   Nafs (lower self): That’s not you.
2)   Hawa (caprice)
3)   Aql (intellect) : discerns
4)   Qalb (heart)
5)   Ruh (soul)

Refinement:
1)   Seek Allah: Have a goal in life. Guide us to the straight path, which has a destination
2)   Nurturing Faith (iman)
3)   Rooting piety (taqwa)
4)   Seeking beneficial knowledge
5)   Spiritual routines that seek to do with excellence
6)   Good company
7) Service. Nothing tests your sincerity like service. If try and serve, will realize most people are not thankful. If respond in the right way, will polish you. Also, should always have some service between you and Allah that nobody else finds out about. Underlying concern should be of benefit.

Note: Comfort conjoined with thankfulness is better than toil accompanied with self consequence.

The Spiritual Path.

Al-Junayd: True spirituality is not by saying and quoting, rather it is hungering (fasting), and leaving worldliness and one’s habits and likes for that which is pleasing to Allah.

Al-Hiyari: whowever establishes the sunna on themselves in words and actions will speak with wisdom. Opposite is true as well.

Amr ibn Uthman: “Knowledge is a guide. And fear leads one forward and self is rebellious between these two. Shepherd yourself with diplomacy. Giving it all it wants is harmful but keeping all it wants from it isn’t helpful either.

Can’t win war on self. Any war needs a battle plan Do things gradually. Have a routine. Every day do three things, four, five, things to oppose one’s desires.

My favourite section of the talk is below:

Islam is not about being insular – it is not about staying amongst ourselves – it is about drawing on the values of Islam to try and make the world a better place for everyone. There is no reason why that can’t start in the home – but it certainly can’t end in the home. It starts by nurturing and developing values in yourself, which you then spread to your family, community and then the world more broadly. But you can’t nurture anything without knowledge and I don’t mean learning the Quran by rote in a language which you can’t understand. It is obtaining a deep and profound knowledge of the religion, sharing that to help educate others and helping to use the transformative potential of those values so that they don’t remain under our beautifully decorated domes, but are used to improve our community and society.

The full transcript of the talk can be found here.

Before entering into a relationship must look for five qualities: a) Intellect. Intellect does not mean you should look for geniuses, talking about practical intelligence, the capacity to seek benefit. The intelligent one is the one that seeks benefit. The fool is the one who follows whatever whims one has.  This is true for religious company or any sort of company, should seek to be with people of intelligence, who care about others, who are seeking benefit in a wide sense. b) Good character. True good character is very high. Manifests in having concern for others and it is rare. The third, fourth and fifth qualities are righteousness, lack of greed and honesty.

After giving us the criteria of who to choose for a companion, Imam Ghazali tells us the different types of company can keep, and also tells us that the more difficult thing is fulfilling the rights of companionship. He summarizes by saying that you should treat your friend exactly the way you want to be treated, for the one who does not treat their friend the way they want to be treated, their true companion is hypocrisy. Then he talks about acquaintances and tells us how to make good these relations.

Imam Ghazali details the matter of adab in dealing with people because much of our life is in keeping company with people. So he tells us how to make our dealings and company a means of benefit rather than the wasting of one’s time. And he tells us that this amount of advice should be sufficient for you. Try it on yourself. Dare to act upon it.  (…) Be realised in first step on path of guidance. Be realized how? By acting on it, and reviewing it. In outward conduct and inward states.

Imam Ghazali is very frank that if you don’t feel the inclination to practise, then will harm yourself and others. Because if not practising yourself, in conveying to others all that you are doing is conveying information. Because at the heart of religion is sincerity.

True knowledge is transformative. Enables one to approach the station of spiritual excellence. True knowledge is about changing the way you are. Imam Ghazali is a manifestation of this. Imam Ghazali was known as Hujjat al-Islam, the proof of Islam. He was a master of the Islamic sciences.

Easy for learning to become a sectarian pursuit. I.e-Why are you studying the Hanafi school? Because I am Hanafi, and my community is Hanafi. Imam Ghazali always thought about how does one know the way things truly are? He found that the intellect on its own does not lead you to manifest realizations of truth. This led to his own spiritual crisis. How do I know that what I uphold, what I practice, is the Truth? Is my own life, my state reflective of what the truth demands? Anyone who is serious about religious introspection, doe well to read iMam Ghazali’s autobiography: Deliverance from Error.

Each scholar when they write are writing from a particular approach. Broadly two ways in Islamic spirituality. One way is Ghazalian way, way based on fear that causes one to have concern and act on knowledge. Way is focused on majesty of Allah, and instills in one a concern of falling short and taking care of one’s duties of slaveship.

Other way broadly is the way of thankfulness and love. Where the focus is on recognition of the tremendous favour of Allah upon one. Where the impulse is to be thankful. Both the approach of thankfulness and fear are not exclusive of each other. They are mentioned in the Qu’ran. Two ways, but one needs something that wakes one up. Ibn Ata’illah says nothing wakes the heart except fear that disturbs one, or passion that pains one..One needs both.

This is mentioned as a caution because balance is needed. Imam Ghazali is heavy. If focus on the jalali aspects, the majesty, without appropriate focus on beauty and jamali aspects, can be overwhelmed. Also the context is different. Imam Ghazali is speaking in a society of outward religious practice. Imam Ghazali is setting a very high standard, but these kinds of things must be brought to one’s life gradually. There may also be specific things that you read in his work that are not clear and evident to you (ex: what is the heart?) , and in those cases, consult. In some of Imam Ghazali’s work, presupposes a certain degree of religious understanding.   This is why we don’t just take knowledge from books alone, take from scholars.

Useful book because English translation is very good, and if you’re trying to learn Arabic, the Arabic text is there as well. Even if you’re just starting out and learning, no harm in reading the Arabic text alongside the English.

Good lesson to review: The audio from Dr Umar’s lesson at the SeekersHub opening. Available here: http://seekershub.org/2011/07/25/audio-notes-what-is-beneficial-knowledge-dr-umar-abd-allahs-lecture-qurba-at-seekershub/

Next class: Introduction of text.

I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

I’ve always loved that line, and when someone says something thoughtless, or asks me a question that is unintentionally hurtful, I often say the words to myself when my nafs want to say something stronger instead.

For the new year though, I’m resolving to tell myself that message, and to work on concentrating on that which concerns me.  A few years ago on the 2008 Rihla, Shaykh Abdul Hadi Honerkamp went through Imam Nawawi’s collection of 40 Hadith, and when we reached Hadith 12 where the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Part of the beauty of a man’s Islam is that he leaves alone things that are no concern of his, Shaykh Abdul Hadi said that this trait is part of beauty because time is finite. Since there are only so many things that you can focus on, when you’re focused on what doesn’t concern you, that invariably means that you are not focusing on things that actually do matter. And he reminded us that there is so much for us to focus on: our work, purifying our hearts, perfecting our character traits, and learning more about the deen, and  it is necessary to keep our attention centered on these things in order for our Islam to become excellent.

I recently watched a clip (below) with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf where he tells us something similar, and reminds us to keep focused on the things that are our business. In 2012, I’d like to insha’Allah strive to do this, and give the different roles I’ve blessed to have their due. Being an excellent student, planner, sister, daughter, friend, residence advisor, aunt, Muslim, and fulfilling the rights of myself (with healthy food, adequate exercise, inspiring company stimulating books, dhikr, Qur’an etc), these are the things that I want to insha’Allah keep my thoughts occupied with over the next twelve months.