The first month of the year has begun, and it is the month of Muharram. Muharram is one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar.
Allah ta'ala has instilled special qualities, mercies and blessings within certain months of the year. The purpose is that we should benefit from these months, as Allah ta'ala has increased the rewards for performing good deeds many times over. Through this month, He desires to save us from the Hellfire.
Fasting in this month is a voluntary action, yet it is an act that is very beloved to Allah ta'ala. Allah ta'ala increases the reward of fasting during this month. In one narration, it is mentioned that fasting for one day grants a person the equivalent reward of fasting for thirty days.
Fasting is an action that grants a person enjoyment. The youth in particular should not waste this opportunity. It is a shame that we waste our youth and our strength by failing to utilise the time we have to worship. Then, when we become sick and elderly, we desire to worship and complain because we are unable to do so. We waste the time we had to work hard.
The youth should be determined and make a plan to fast.
Laziness and negligence are what destroy a person, and they will be among the greatest causes of entering the Hellfire. A person disobeys Allah ta'ala when he is neglectful of his purpose in life and remains ignorant. He forgets the lessons of life and becomes heedless of death.
The stronger one's faith is, the sweeter his death will be. Believers enjoy the experience of death because it means that one is going to visit his Lord, and the veils will finally be removed. He will witness Paradise. On the other hand, the disbeliever will be burnt and beaten, and therefore he will not enjoy the taste of death.
Death itself is not something destructive that we should constantly fear. The taste of death, in reality, is sweeter than honey, so we should not be afraid.
Those who strive to strengthen their faith will attain a pleasant death.
We all perform worship; however, the manner in which we perform it, with sincerity and concentration, differs.
The one who performs good deeds without a sincere heart and strong faith will not attain a very high status. However, those who strive to improve their prayers through attaining Tazkiyah and cultivating the presence of the heart by performing Dhikr and seeking to realise the true essence of prayer have achieved a great level of worship.
Prayer itself is a great deed, and it requires great preparation. We are commanded to purify our limbs before praying, and this is so that our limbs may experience the sweetness of prayer. Allah ta'ala desires for us to attain a high rank in the Hereafter through our prayers.
It is a shame that we do not know the value of praye
rs and imitate Western ways by adopting their attire, and in this manner we pray.
If we desire Paradise and wish to attain presence of the heart, then we must work hard in purifying our hearts and souls.
Our worship will be measured and assessed according to our imitation of the Prophet ﷺ. The more we imitate him in every aspect, the more Allah ta'ala will instil tranquillity and concentration into our prayers. This is the way to have our prayers accepted and to ensure that they are of high quality. If we fail to improve our prayers in this manner, then this is considered laziness and negligence.
Allah ta'ala tests us through evil and ignorance. He grants us the fluctuations of life as a trial to see how firm we remain upon the practice of Deen.
A believer should never forget death at any moment of his life. It is the world that causes him to forget.
We should not spend our entire lives merely trying to attain worldly things. Our task as believers is to remain content with every condition Allah ta'ala has placed us in and to work hard in preparing for our death.
We are given three signs regarding the approach of death. The first sign is grey hair, the second is that the body becomes weak and strength declines, and the third sign is that the back begins to bend.
We should take lessons from these signs and prepare for the Hereafter. By preparing for the Hereafter, we are reminded of death frequently and realise that we may depart from this world at any time and may not be here tomorrow.
If a person lives his life in preparation for death, then death becomes beloved to him and he experiences a sweet death.
When the disobedient people are punished in the Hereafter, they will wish for death to end their pain. It is a shame that they did not prepare for death while they were in the world.
Death is glad tidings for those believers whose faith is strong and who prepared for death and did not waste their time in this world.
A person prepares for something he is in need of, but it is a shame that we do not feel a need for the Hereafter and therefore fail to prepare for it.
Allah ta'ala has granted us these sacred months as opportunities to turn to Him so that believers may become alert. Every Prophet ﷺ carried the message to teach their nations that they should awaken from their negligence, and after them the AwliyahAllah carried that same message. They continue the same work as the Prophets ﷺ.
Allah ta'ala grants us the company of the AwliyahAllah, the Khanqah, Dhikr and Muraqabah as means that take us towards the purpose of life. They are not objectives in themselves. These are not acts of innovation. The AwliyahAllah were inspired through divine inspiration, and they utilised various means and methods to revive the Muslim Ummah.
There are two things:
للدين
في الدين
One is for the sake of the Deen, and the other is as part of the Deen.
في الدين
Those things that are part of the Deen, if you fulfil them, you will be rewarded, and if you neglect them, you will be sinful.
لل
دo Allah ta'ala.
Therefore, we should utilise these means to improve ourselves through Tazkiyah. In this way, a person will derive greater benefit.
If a WaliAllah claims that one will be sinful for not performing Tasbih or for dimming the lights, then this is an innovation, because it involves introducing a new action into the Deen.
Allah ta'ala grants hardships to those whom He loves. They are selected individually because Allah ta'ala wishes to grant them a high rank through the difficulties they endure in life.
We should never forget death, because when we forget it, we will not prepare for it.
A person does not prepare for death merely through Dhikr or Muraqabah. Rather, preparation for death is through fulfilling the five pillars of Islam.
We perform Dhikr and keep the company of the Shaykh so that we can fulfil these five pillars with presence of heart, such that we feel the presence of Allah ta'ala and realise that He is watching us. Without a Shaykh and his special attention, a person cannot attain strength of faith and accumulate good deeds in his record books.
By sitting in the company of the pious, our hearts are revived and we attain presence of the heart.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.
The first month of the year has begun, and it is the month of Muharram. Muharram is one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar.
Allah ta'ala has instilled special qualities, mercies and blessings within certain months of the year. The purpose is that we should benefit from these months, as Allah ta'ala has increased the rewards for performing good deeds many times over. Through this month, He desires to save us from the Hellfire.
Fasting in this month is a voluntary action, yet it is an act that is very beloved to Allah ta'ala. Allah ta'ala increases the reward of fasting during this month. In one narration, it is mentioned that fasting for one day grants a person the equivalent reward of fasting for thirty days.
Fasting is an action that grants a person enjoyment. The youth in particular should not waste this opportunity. It is a shame that we waste our youth and our strength by failing to utilise the time we have to worship. Then, when we become sick and elderly, we desire to worship and complain because we are unable to do so. We waste the time we had to work hard.
The youth should be determined and make a plan to fast.
Laziness and negligence are what destroy a person, and they will be among the greatest causes of entering the Hellfire. A person disobeys Allah ta'ala when he is neglectful of his purpose in life and remains ignorant. He forgets the lessons of life and becomes heedless of death.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
"Every Soul Shall Taste Death.." [3:185]
What does "taste" refer to in this verse?
The stronger one's faith is, the sweeter his death will be. Believers enjoy the experience of death because it means that one is going to visit his Lord, and the veils will finally be removed. He will witness Paradise. On the other hand, the disbeliever will be burnt and beaten, and therefore he will not enjoy the taste of death.
Death itself is not something destructive that we should constantly fear. The taste of death, in reality, is sweeter than honey, so we should not be afraid.
Those who strive to strengthen their faith will attain a pleasant death.
We all perform worship; however, the manner in which we perform it, with sincerity and concentration, differs.
The one who performs good deeds without a sincere heart and strong faith will not attain a very high status. However, those who strive to improve their prayers through attaining Tazkiyah and cultivating the presence of the heart by performing Dhikr and seeking to realise the true essence of prayer have achieved a great level of worship.
Prayer itself is a great deed, and it requires great preparation. We are commanded to purify our limbs before praying, and this is so that our limbs may experience the sweetness of prayer. Allah ta'ala desires for us to attain a high rank in the Hereafter through our prayers.
It is a shame that we do not know the value of praye
rs and imitate Western ways by adopting their attire, and in this manner we pray.
If we desire Paradise and wish to attain presence of the heart, then we must work hard in purifying our hearts and souls.
Our worship will be measured and assessed according to our imitation of the Prophet ﷺ. The more we imitate him in every aspect, the more Allah ta'ala will instil tranquillity and concentration into our prayers. This is the way to have our prayers accepted and to ensure that they are of high quality. If we fail to improve our prayers in this manner, then this is considered laziness and negligence.
Allah ta'ala tests us through evil and ignorance. He grants us the fluctuations of life as a trial to see how firm we remain upon the practice of Deen.
A believer should never forget death at any moment of his life. It is the world that causes him to forget.
We should not spend our entire lives merely trying to attain worldly things. Our task as believers is to remain content with every condition Allah ta'ala has placed us in and to work hard in preparing for our death.
We are given three signs regarding the approach of death. The first sign is grey hair, the second is that the body becomes weak and strength declines, and the third sign is that the back begins to bend.
We should take lessons from these signs and prepare for the Hereafter. By preparing for the Hereafter, we are reminded of death frequently and realise that we may depart from this world at any time and may not be here tomorrow.
If a person lives his life in preparation for death, then death becomes beloved to him and he experiences a sweet death.
When the disobedient people are punished in the Hereafter, they will wish for death to end their pain. It is a shame that they did not prepare for death while they were in the world.
Death is glad tidings for those believers whose faith is strong and who prepared for death and did not waste their time in this world.
A person prepares for something he is in need of, but it is a shame that we do not feel a need for the Hereafter and therefore fail to prepare for it.
Allah ta'ala has granted us these sacred months as opportunities to turn to Him so that believers may become alert. Every Prophet ﷺ carried the message to teach their nations that they should awaken from their negligence, and after them the AwliyahAllah carried that same message. They continue the same work as the Prophets ﷺ.
Allah ta'ala grants us the company of the AwliyahAllah, the Khanqah, Dhikr and Muraqabah as means that take us towards the purpose of life. They are not objectives in themselves. These are not acts of innovation. The AwliyahAllah were inspired through divine inspiration, and they utilised various means and methods to revive the Muslim Ummah.
There are two things:
للدين
في الدين
One is for the sake of the Deen, and the other is as part of the Deen.
في الدين
Those things that are part of the Deen, if you fulfil them, you will be rewarded, and if you neglect them, you will be sinful.
لل
دo Allah ta'ala.
Therefore, we should utilise these means to improve ourselves through Tazkiyah. In this way, a person will derive greater benefit.
If a WaliAllah claims that one will be sinful for not performing Tasbih or for dimming the lights, then this is an innovation, because it involves introducing a new action into the Deen.
Allah ta'ala grants hardships to those whom He loves. They are selected individually because Allah ta'ala wishes to grant them a high rank through the difficulties they endure in life.
We should never forget death, because when we forget it, we will not prepare for it.
A person does not prepare for death merely through Dhikr or Muraqabah. Rather, preparation for death is through fulfilling the five pillars of Islam.
We perform Dhikr and keep the company of the Shaykh so that we can fulfil these five pillars with presence of heart, such that we feel the presence of Allah ta'ala and realise that He is watching us. Without a Shaykh and his special attention, a person cannot attain strength of faith and accumulate good deeds in his record books.
By sitting in the company of the pious, our hearts are revived and we attain presence of the heart.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.