Sometimes Allah ta‘ala raises the status of a believer, and at other times their status may be lowered.
A persons status is not elevated through a type of exercise or procedure. Rather, a person's status is elevated through performing good deeds. Furthermore, a person who is elevated in the eyes of Allah ta'ala, often does not even know or consider himself elevated.
It is through the grace of Allah ta'ala that He has allowed us to perform good deeds such as Dhikr, which elevates our status immensely. We may not even realise whilst performing Dhikr, that our status has been increased.
يا رفيع الدرجات
"Oh Allah, allow me to perform those deeds through which my status may be increased through every moment."
This is what we ask Allah ta'ala when reciting this Kalimah.
With every prayer and recitation of the Quran, a person’s status is elevated to higher level
We are given full capability to draw ourselves nearer to Allah ta'ala as much as we desire. Allah ta'ala has granted us the means and actions, it is our duty to utilise those means to draw closer to Him.
By performing a good deed, we are not favouring anyone else. Rather, it is a blessing from Allah ta'ala and due to His mercy that one is granted
thy a person departs this world, his book of deeds are sealed. His biggest regret is that he cannot even recite one "SubhanAllah," and have his ranks raised. Thus, it is the perfect opportunity for those who are alive to spend their life in a productive manner. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should perform deeds through which our status will be increased, such as partaking in the blessed Dhikr gatherings.
Fortunate are those who valued every moment of Ramadan and earned elevation in their ranks.
It is the Sunnah of Allah ta‘ala that whoever He wishes to elevate can never truly be brought down. Allah ta‘ala raises that person to a high level, unlike the one whose rank decreases.
A person’s status can decrease due to their own doings.
How can a person's status drop?
When one sins and is disobedient to Allah ta'ala, his status drops. Thus, one must always live with caution and reflection.
Allah ta‘ala is not in need of our Dhikr and is neither affected nor benefited by it, nor does He lose anything without it. However, when we remember Him, we ourselves are elevated by taking His name.
Therefore, whether we sacrifice to perform Dhikr or we are negligent towards it, it is up to us. Whatever a person considers valuable and necessary, he strives to acquire it and if Shaytan has made the world valuable for a person, then he will chase that instead.
A child i
s often attracted to something shiny and sparkling rather than something truly valuable like money. Human beings are similar. Shaytan makes this world appear bright and appealing, causing people to chase after it. This is the deception of Shaytan. We should not run after the glitter, glamour, and attractions of this world, for this is not the true basis of success.
The standard of a believer’s life should be to perform those deeds that Allah ta‘ala loves, even if they do not appear attractive to him, for he will soon see the benefits of his actions.
Shaytan strives to make Dhikr seem unattractive in order to keep us away from it. This is because Dhikr is one of the greatest means of defeating him. He cannot tolerate it, for through Dhikr a person gains the nearness of Allah ta‘ala and is elevated to great ranks. Such is his enmity towards mankind.
Shaytan has been given the ability to lead people towards deviation, but he can never fully overcome those who truly believe in Allah ta‘ala. If we are affected by him, it is due to the weakness of our Imaan. When we become negligent in Dhikr, we become vulnerable to his attacks.
Allah ta'ala commands us to remember Him always and this the only deed which may be performed continuously without pause. Allah ta'ala desires us to become closer to Him with every passing moment. This is the reason He has granted us the beautiful worship of Dhikr. Dhikr has been made easy for us to perform and it does not disrupt our daily life. If we learn the Dhikr of the heart and become habitual in it, we will continue to remember Allah ta'ala always and the heart will remain alive through it.
If a person desires to constantly become close to Allah ta'ala, he should
perform the Dhikr of the heart.
Much of our time is wasted in unnecessary talk and meaningless conversation. We should train ourselves to speak less and be silent, allowing our hearts to engage in Dhikr. When the tongue rests, the Dhikr of the heart takes its place.
The best habit of the Naqshbandi student is to remain silent. It is through silence that a person attains benefit in the company of his Sheikh. Silence is more powerful than speaking and it has a deeper impact on the heart.
Most sins come from the tongue and if we were to restrain our tongues, our sins would reduce. If we performed Dhikr instead, our status would increase greatly. We should make a habit of this.
We should value the Dhikr of Allah ta‘ala, for each kalimah raises our status. After a gathering of Dhikr ends, Allah ta‘ala announces forgiveness for those who attended. A person who sacrifices his worldly affairs to engage in Dhikr will be granted immense rewards in return.
We should assess how we are spending our time and whether our actions are valuable for our Hereafter or not.
Why has Allah ta'ala placed immense reward for fulfilling Tahajjud prayers? Why does He descend from the heavens and fulfil the needs of the seeker during this time?
A person sacrifices the most during this time in order to pray to Allah ta'ala. He abandons two beloved things. He abandons his bed, his wife and his sleep for the sake of Tahajjud prayer, which is not even compulsory.
It is a time when a believer is alone with Allah ta‘ala, and Allah ta‘ala seeks to fulfil the believer’s desires.
It is a great sacrifice to leave the bed during the cold mornings in order to partake in this prayer.
Through sacrifices, a person's rank is elevated and this is the reason Allah ta'ala granted us Ramadan.
Performing Tahajjud is a highly beloved act in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala. The Huffadh and Dhaakireen should rise during this time to recite th
e Quran in prayer and engage in Dhikr.
After Asr, we should sacrifice our worldly affairs to attend gatherings of Dhikr. Every gathering has its unique impact, so we must make it a point to attend them all. We should tire ourselves and immerse our hearts in the love of Allah ta‘ala. If we truly wish to attain the blessings of Ramadan, we must make sacrifices.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen
Sometimes Allah ta‘ala raises the status of a believer, and at other times their status may be lowered.
A persons status is not elevated through a type of exercise or procedure. Rather, a person's status is elevated through performing good deeds. Furthermore, a person who is elevated in the eyes of Allah ta'ala, often does not even know or consider himself elevated.
It is through the grace of Allah ta'ala that He has allowed us to perform good deeds such as Dhikr, which elevates our status immensely. We may not even realise whilst performing Dhikr, that our status has been increased.
يا رفيع الدرجات
"Oh Allah, allow me to perform those deeds through which my status may be increased through every moment."
This is what we ask Allah ta'ala when reciting this Kalimah.
With every prayer and recitation of the Quran, a person’s status is elevated to higher level
We are given full capability to draw ourselves nearer to Allah ta'ala as much as we desire. Allah ta'ala has granted us the means and actions, it is our duty to utilise those means to draw closer to Him.
By performing a good deed, we are not favouring anyone else. Rather, it is a blessing from Allah ta'ala and due to His mercy that one is granted
thy a person departs this world, his book of deeds are sealed. His biggest regret is that he cannot even recite one "SubhanAllah," and have his ranks raised. Thus, it is the perfect opportunity for those who are alive to spend their life in a productive manner. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should perform deeds through which our status will be increased, such as partaking in the blessed Dhikr gatherings.
Fortunate are those who valued every moment of Ramadan and earned elevation in their ranks.
It is the Sunnah of Allah ta‘ala that whoever He wishes to elevate can never truly be brought down. Allah ta‘ala raises that person to a high level, unlike the one whose rank decreases.
A person’s status can decrease due to their own doings.
How can a person's status drop?
When one sins and is disobedient to Allah ta'ala, his status drops. Thus, one must always live with caution and reflection.
Allah ta‘ala is not in need of our Dhikr and is neither affected nor benefited by it, nor does He lose anything without it. However, when we remember Him, we ourselves are elevated by taking His name.
Therefore, whether we sacrifice to perform Dhikr or we are negligent towards it, it is up to us. Whatever a person considers valuable and necessary, he strives to acquire it and if Shaytan has made the world valuable for a person, then he will chase that instead.
A child i
s often attracted to something shiny and sparkling rather than something truly valuable like money. Human beings are similar. Shaytan makes this world appear bright and appealing, causing people to chase after it. This is the deception of Shaytan. We should not run after the glitter, glamour, and attractions of this world, for this is not the true basis of success.
The standard of a believer’s life should be to perform those deeds that Allah ta‘ala loves, even if they do not appear attractive to him, for he will soon see the benefits of his actions.
Shaytan strives to make Dhikr seem unattractive in order to keep us away from it. This is because Dhikr is one of the greatest means of defeating him. He cannot tolerate it, for through Dhikr a person gains the nearness of Allah ta‘ala and is elevated to great ranks. Such is his enmity towards mankind.
Shaytan has been given the ability to lead people towards deviation, but he can never fully overcome those who truly believe in Allah ta‘ala. If we are affected by him, it is due to the weakness of our Imaan. When we become negligent in Dhikr, we become vulnerable to his attacks.
Allah ta'ala commands us to remember Him always and this the only deed which may be performed continuously without pause. Allah ta'ala desires us to become closer to Him with every passing moment. This is the reason He has granted us the beautiful worship of Dhikr. Dhikr has been made easy for us to perform and it does not disrupt our daily life. If we learn the Dhikr of the heart and become habitual in it, we will continue to remember Allah ta'ala always and the heart will remain alive through it.
If a person desires to constantly become close to Allah ta'ala, he should
perform the Dhikr of the heart.
Much of our time is wasted in unnecessary talk and meaningless conversation. We should train ourselves to speak less and be silent, allowing our hearts to engage in Dhikr. When the tongue rests, the Dhikr of the heart takes its place.
The best habit of the Naqshbandi student is to remain silent. It is through silence that a person attains benefit in the company of his Sheikh. Silence is more powerful than speaking and it has a deeper impact on the heart.
Most sins come from the tongue and if we were to restrain our tongues, our sins would reduce. If we performed Dhikr instead, our status would increase greatly. We should make a habit of this.
We should value the Dhikr of Allah ta‘ala, for each kalimah raises our status. After a gathering of Dhikr ends, Allah ta‘ala announces forgiveness for those who attended. A person who sacrifices his worldly affairs to engage in Dhikr will be granted immense rewards in return.
We should assess how we are spending our time and whether our actions are valuable for our Hereafter or not.
Why has Allah ta'ala placed immense reward for fulfilling Tahajjud prayers? Why does He descend from the heavens and fulfil the needs of the seeker during this time?
A person sacrifices the most during this time in order to pray to Allah ta'ala. He abandons two beloved things. He abandons his bed, his wife and his sleep for the sake of Tahajjud prayer, which is not even compulsory.
It is a time when a believer is alone with Allah ta‘ala, and Allah ta‘ala seeks to fulfil the believer’s desires.
It is a great sacrifice to leave the bed during the cold mornings in order to partake in this prayer.
Through sacrifices, a person's rank is elevated and this is the reason Allah ta'ala granted us Ramadan.
Performing Tahajjud is a highly beloved act in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala. The Huffadh and Dhaakireen should rise during this time to recite th
e Quran in prayer and engage in Dhikr.
After Asr, we should sacrifice our worldly affairs to attend gatherings of Dhikr. Every gathering has its unique impact, so we must make it a point to attend them all. We should tire ourselves and immerse our hearts in the love of Allah ta‘ala. If we truly wish to attain the blessings of Ramadan, we must make sacrifices.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen