There is a reason behind performing every act of worship. Usually, we perform worship without a conscious intention. We do it out of habit without understanding the rank and reward of that action. If we were to realise the objective behind these acts of worship, we would cry out of gratitude to Allah ta'ala.
We perform worship to express our gratitude to Allah ta'ala. Worship is a means of thanking Him. A person experiences the true enjoyment of Deen when his heart is reformed.
Why do we perform self-rectification?
We perform self-rectification so that we can enjoy worshipping Allah ta'ala throughout our lives. This is the true enjoyment of this world.
We face many obstacles on the path of worshipping Allah ta'ala. Therefore, to worship Him and attain His mercy is a tremendous achievement.
Once a person rectifies his heart, only then will he taste the sweetness and enjoyment of worship. The objective of these gatherings is not merely dhikr. Rather, dhikr is the means through which we attain the objective of self-rectification. We must understand the purpose of attending these gatherings.
Behind every act of worship lies a great objective. If we worship with this objective in mind, we will experience its true enjoyment.
A person who believes that he is not in need of rectification is actually in greater need of it. This is because he possesses a greater spiritual illness while believing himself to be free from faults. If we do not have the concern for rectification within ourselves, then we resemble Shaytan—full of pride—and this pride ultimately leads to shirk. Pride and shirk are, in reality, closely intertwined.
The WaliAllah is a fountain of faiz (spiritual blessings). Whatever the student receives is attained through the guidance of the Sheikh. Allah ta'ala grants the student through the intermediary of the Sheikh.
Allah ta'ala has attached success to good manners. We should strive to show respect towards our teacher and maintain that respect at all times. A person cannot attain success whilst being disrespectful to his teacher.
Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Rahmatullahi alayh states that it is Fard Ayn upon every individual to visit a teacher in order to improve themselves and become better people.
What is Islaah?
Rectification refers to one's inner and outer self becoming aligned with the teachings of Allah ta'ala and the Prophet ﷺ. It means living according to the Shariah both externally and internally.
We should constantly strive to improve ourselves inwardly and outwardly so that we embody the teachings of the Shariah in every aspect of our lives. This is Fard Ayn.
Our conduct and manners should be purified and controlled. We should strive to maintain purity, balance, and excellent character. The Prophet ﷺ was sent to us so that we could learn from his noble character and improve ourselves.
We cannot attain Paradise without rectifying ourselves, as we are immersed in spiritual impurities. If we fail to purify ourselves, we cannot enter Paradise. We must develop a genuine concern for improving our conduct and character.
It is not easy to attain Paradise, yet our nafs deceives us into believing that it is.
How do we rectify ourselves?
Firstly, we must reflect upon what prevents us from adopting Islaah. Only then can we strive to overcome those obstacles. We must identify our enemy and recognise what diverts us from the straight path and leads us towards sins and wrongdoing.
We often live contrary to the Shariah by following our nafs. This is why people shave their beards and abandon Salah.
Our own base desires cause us to sin and oppose the Sunnah. The enemy lies within us, presenting the commands of Allah ta'ala as though they are difficult to follow. The nafs constantly deceives us and prevents us from practising Deen properly.
Allah ta'ala has not made practising Deen difficult for us. Rather, it is our desires that make it appear difficult and lead us into excess.
Our nafs never allows us to be content. We always crave more. The desire of the stomach makes us greedy, and in pursuit of fulfilling these desires, we compromise our Deen and the commands of Allah ta'ala.
If we truly wish to improve ourselves, we must wage war against our desires.
The second enemy is our environment, which can destroy our Deen. We become overly concerned about what people will say. We commit haram in order to please people whilst displeasing Allah ta'ala. Our surroundings often encourage us towards sin.
Unfortunately, when a person practises Islam properly, they are often mocked and criticised by society.
People question the teachings of Islam and the Sunnah, considering the commands too strict to practise. They abandon Deen in pursuit of worldly success.
We should therefore be cautious about our society and the company we keep.
Hadhrat Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri رضي الله عنه reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: "Take no companion except a believer and let no one eat your food except a God fearing person." (Mishkat Shareef)
When a pious person eats with you, he will make du'a for you. However, if you earn haram wealth, you will naturally associate with sinful people and enjoy their company.
We should never form close friendships with disbelievers or irreligious people.
The wealth that Allah ta'ala grants a person is preserved for him. He receives sufficient provision to sustain himself. He does not spend his life running after the world, constantly trying to earn more or begging from others.
If we attend the company of a pious person merely to pass time or deceive others, without intending to reform ourselves, then we will be held accountable for this. It is from the great favour of Allah ta'ala that He connects us to the gathering of one of His friends. Therefore, we should show gratitude for this favour by acting upon the teachings delivered to us. If we fail to adhere to the commands of Allah ta'ala, we will be held accountable.
The Sahabah رضي الله عنهم could not imagine listening to the advice of the Prophet ﷺ, repeatedly committing the same sin, and then continually returning to him in that same state. A person who behaves in this manner today in the company of the Sheikh displays stubbornness and arrogance.
Allah ta'ala's mercy is greater than His punishment. Nevertheless, we should feel ashamed of repeatedly committing the same sins. We continue committing the same sins throughout our lives without any shame, despite constantly listening to the Qur'an and Ahadith. In doing so, we sink lower than the animals.
May Allah ta'ala grant us the ability to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.
There is a reason behind performing every act of worship. Usually, we perform worship without a conscious intention. We do it out of habit without understanding the rank and reward of that action. If we were to realise the objective behind these acts of worship, we would cry out of gratitude to Allah ta'ala.
We perform worship to express our gratitude to Allah ta'ala. Worship is a means of thanking Him. A person experiences the true enjoyment of Deen when his heart is reformed.
Why do we perform self-rectification?
We perform self-rectification so that we can enjoy worshipping Allah ta'ala throughout our lives. This is the true enjoyment of this world.
We face many obstacles on the path of worshipping Allah ta'ala. Therefore, to worship Him and attain His mercy is a tremendous achievement.
Once a person rectifies his heart, only then will he taste the sweetness and enjoyment of worship. The objective of these gatherings is not merely dhikr. Rather, dhikr is the means through which we attain the objective of self-rectification. We must understand the purpose of attending these gatherings.
Behind every act of worship lies a great objective. If we worship with this objective in mind, we will experience its true enjoyment.
A person who believes that he is not in need of rectification is actually in greater need of it. This is because he possesses a greater spiritual illness while believing himself to be free from faults. If we do not have the concern for rectification within ourselves, then we resemble Shaytan—full of pride—and this pride ultimately leads to shirk. Pride and shirk are, in reality, closely intertwined.
The WaliAllah is a fountain of faiz (spiritual blessings). Whatever the student receives is attained through the guidance of the Sheikh. Allah ta'ala grants the student through the intermediary of the Sheikh.
Allah ta'ala has attached success to good manners. We should strive to show respect towards our teacher and maintain that respect at all times. A person cannot attain success whilst being disrespectful to his teacher.
Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Rahmatullahi alayh states that it is Fard Ayn upon every individual to visit a teacher in order to improve themselves and become better people.
What is Islaah?
Rectification refers to one's inner and outer self becoming aligned with the teachings of Allah ta'ala and the Prophet ﷺ. It means living according to the Shariah both externally and internally.
We should constantly strive to improve ourselves inwardly and outwardly so that we embody the teachings of the Shariah in every aspect of our lives. This is Fard Ayn.
Our conduct and manners should be purified and controlled. We should strive to maintain purity, balance, and excellent character. The Prophet ﷺ was sent to us so that we could learn from his noble character and improve ourselves.
We cannot attain Paradise without rectifying ourselves, as we are immersed in spiritual impurities. If we fail to purify ourselves, we cannot enter Paradise. We must develop a genuine concern for improving our conduct and character.
It is not easy to attain Paradise, yet our nafs deceives us into believing that it is.
How do we rectify ourselves?
Firstly, we must reflect upon what prevents us from adopting Islaah. Only then can we strive to overcome those obstacles. We must identify our enemy and recognise what diverts us from the straight path and leads us towards sins and wrongdoing.
We often live contrary to the Shariah by following our nafs. This is why people shave their beards and abandon Salah.
Our own base desires cause us to sin and oppose the Sunnah. The enemy lies within us, presenting the commands of Allah ta'ala as though they are difficult to follow. The nafs constantly deceives us and prevents us from practising Deen properly.
Allah ta'ala has not made practising Deen difficult for us. Rather, it is our desires that make it appear difficult and lead us into excess.
Our nafs never allows us to be content. We always crave more. The desire of the stomach makes us greedy, and in pursuit of fulfilling these desires, we compromise our Deen and the commands of Allah ta'ala.
If we truly wish to improve ourselves, we must wage war against our desires.
The second enemy is our environment, which can destroy our Deen. We become overly concerned about what people will say. We commit haram in order to please people whilst displeasing Allah ta'ala. Our surroundings often encourage us towards sin.
Unfortunately, when a person practises Islam properly, they are often mocked and criticised by society.
People question the teachings of Islam and the Sunnah, considering the commands too strict to practise. They abandon Deen in pursuit of worldly success.
We should therefore be cautious about our society and the company we keep.
Hadhrat Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri رضي الله عنه reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: "Take no companion except a believer and let no one eat your food except a God fearing person." (Mishkat Shareef)
When a pious person eats with you, he will make du'a for you. However, if you earn haram wealth, you will naturally associate with sinful people and enjoy their company.
We should never form close friendships with disbelievers or irreligious people.
The wealth that Allah ta'ala grants a person is preserved for him. He receives sufficient provision to sustain himself. He does not spend his life running after the world, constantly trying to earn more or begging from others.
If we attend the company of a pious person merely to pass time or deceive others, without intending to reform ourselves, then we will be held accountable for this. It is from the great favour of Allah ta'ala that He connects us to the gathering of one of His friends. Therefore, we should show gratitude for this favour by acting upon the teachings delivered to us. If we fail to adhere to the commands of Allah ta'ala, we will be held accountable.
The Sahabah رضي الله عنهم could not imagine listening to the advice of the Prophet ﷺ, repeatedly committing the same sin, and then continually returning to him in that same state. A person who behaves in this manner today in the company of the Sheikh displays stubbornness and arrogance.
Allah ta'ala's mercy is greater than His punishment. Nevertheless, we should feel ashamed of repeatedly committing the same sins. We continue committing the same sins throughout our lives without any shame, despite constantly listening to the Qur'an and Ahadith. In doing so, we sink lower than the animals.
May Allah ta'ala grant us the ability to implement these precious pearls of wisdom. Ameen.