Love of Allah is the Greatest Delight in this Life

Love of Allah is the Greatest Delight in this Life

Ibn al-Qayyim [d.751H] - rahimahullaah - said:

“Rushing towards Allah and depending on Him, being pleased with Him, filling the heart with love of Him, constantly remembering Him, feeling happiness and joy with knowing Him – all of these are instantaneous rewards, a paradise of this world, and a life that the lives of kings cannot even compare to. I heard Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H - may Allah have Mercy on him) say:

“Indeed, there is a paradise in this world. Whoever doesn’t enter it will not enter the Paradise of the Hereafter.”

And he once said to me:

“What can my enemies do to me? My paradise and garden are in my chest, and they are with me wherever I go. My imprisonment is my privacy with Allah, my killing is martyrdom, and my expulsion from my homeland is tourism."

And Allah Knows that I never saw anyone with a purer life than him despite what he was experiencing of hardship and lack of relaxation and rest, and despite his imprisonment and fear of being killed. With all of this, he lived the purest life, had the strongest and most open

heart, was happiest in spirit, and had a face that emanated the brightness of delight.

When we were frightened, had desperate thoughts, and felt as if the world was choking us, we would rush to him. Simply by seeing him and hearing his words, this would all turn into relaxation, certainty, and assurance. So, glory to the One who allowed His slaves to witness His Paradise before meeting Him and opened for them its doors in this life, giving them from its taste and sweet breeze that they have been dedicating their strength to seeking and competing for.

And some of the People of Knowledge would say: “If the kings and their sons knew what we were experiencing, they would have fought us with swords over it.” Another said: “The people of this world are deprived. They left this world without tasting the sweetest thing in it!” It was asked of him: “And what is that?” He said: “Love of Allah, knowing Him, and remembering Him.”

So, love, knowledge, and constant remembrance of Allah, leaning to Him, feeling tranquil with Him, singling Him out for love, fear, hope, dependence, and attention – such that He alone is the main concern and preoccupation of the slave and his goals – is the paradise and delight of this world that no other delight can compare to, and it is the coolness of the eyes of those who love Allah, and true life for those who know Him.”

[Source: al-Waabil as-Sayyib of Ibn Il-Qayyim, p. 44]

Is Smoking Allowed in Islam?

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise
and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings
be upon His Messenger.

“It is a universally accepted that smoking has many serious health and life hazards amongst which is
 lung cancer. These hazards affect not only the smoker himself but those around him as well. Shari`ah
has stressed the importance of being in good health to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings
 be upon him) even advised Muslims in all ages to strike a balance in eating and drinking so as to evade
any harmful effects on the health. He advised having dates, being hot in nature, with cucumber, as it (cucumber) has a cooling effect.

It is clear that cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients, for example, carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar
and benzene vapor.

Therefore, smoking is harmful to the smoker as well as those around him.“Ninety Nine Harms of
Smoking”, smoking results in many diseases which doctors have explained. These diseases number
 about ninety nine.

A neuro-surgeon in Cairo says: “When a person becomes enslaved to the habit of smoking, it affects
his health badly to the extent that it has a direct effect on his heart. As a result his heart beat and blood circulation become unstable and he experiences drowsiness from time to time due to the shrinking of his
 brain arteries. Sometimes, especially at an old age, a smoker suffers from high blood pressure and
angina. Similarly, his digestive and respiratory systems are harmed and he loses his appetite. He is also afflicted with a kind of cough known as the smoker's cough. When his nervous system is affected,
the smoker feels a prickly sensation, a numbness in his limbs and also a pain in the nerves.'

In the annual conference of the American Doctors Council which took place in Chicago 1966, the main
 focus of the conference was the harms of smoking. Doctors, who were aware of the role of smoking
in lung cancer, became alarmed when they heard that the least harm smoking causes is that it arouses
anxiety. Doctor Edward Kweller Hammond, head of statistics in the Cancer Association of America
said: “Verily, lung cancer which is caused by smoking cigarettes is not so serious in comparison to the
 injury caused by smoking with other bodily systems.” It is stated in the ninth edition of "World of Knowledge" magazine that the time has come wherein it has become necessary to expose all the harms
of smoking. It should also be realized that these despicable substances even cause death.

It is also necessary to elucidate the harms of smoking in hope of saving many intelligent and educated
youth, who will be astonished on how much has been written regarding this topic. In the above-mentioned magazine, we can read the following: "Cancer Caused by Smoking": This fatal illness is the culmination
of many illnesses which are the result of thin blood and other sicknesses which are related to the blood vessels. All these are connected to this loathsome substances. However, lung cancer is the most likely outcome of smoking.

Lung cancer was a very rare disease but the end of this century witnessed a high rise in its occurrence, primarily in men and thereafter in women. In the beginning of the sixties, the death rate due to lung cancer increased compared to before. Smoking also yields other health hazards besides its general and specific economic harms.

Proof for the prohibition of smoking:

Smoking did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but our great religion
 of Islam has laid down general principles from which many laws are derived. From these principles, Muslim scholars have come to the conclusion that smoking is prohibited (Haram).

In the Qur’an, we read: “be not cast by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! Allah loveth the beneficent.” (Al-Baqarah:195). Smoking causes fatal sicknesses, for example, lung cancer, tuberculosis, etc.

In another verse, Almighty Allah says: “And do not kill yourselves.” (An-Nisaa’: 29). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Whomsoever drinks poison, thereby killing himself, will sip this poison forever in the Hell-Fire.”

Cigarettes consist of many poisonous substances and furthermore, the smoker indulges in a slow suicidal act by smoking this poison.”

Almighty Allah knows best.

FOUR ACTIONS TOWARD TAQWA

                                      

                                              FOUR ACTIONS TOWARD TAQWA

"And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqoon."(Surah al Imraan: 133)


1. BRINGING THE SELF TO ACCOUNT FOR HIS DEEDS


Allah subhana wa ta'ala says in the Qur'an "O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do." (Surah al Hashr:18)


When a Muslim takes account of his own deeds he is able to realize his mistakes and correct them. Those who do not engage in accounting their own deeds, only condemn themselves in front of Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Allah aza wa jal said in the Qur'an "So, by your Lord (O Muhammad) We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do." (Surah al Hijr:92-93)


Ibn Qayyim rahimu Allah said "Condemning oneself is a practice of the truthful. A servant draws closer to Allah in a moment (when he condemns himself) much more than he would do so through actions."


When a Muslim takes account of his actions, he is able to realize the right of Allah over him. Ibn Qayyim also said "A benefit of understanding Allah's right over the servant is that it breeds condemnation of oneself and delivers one from showing off and vanity. It also opens the door of humbleness in front of Allah and closes the doors of conceit. It allows one to realize that salvation is only through Allah's grace and mercy. It is Allah's right that He should be obeyed and not disobeyed: that He should be remembered and not forgotten and that He should be appreciated and not unappreciated. Whoever thinks over these things will know with certainty that he cannot fulfill these conditions and, thus, has to resort to Allah's mercy. Such a person will be convinced that he cannot rely on his actions, lest he be destroyed. Many people think about their rights over Allah and do not about His rights over them. This is how there are detached from Allah and deprived of the desire to meet Him. This is the epitome of ignorance of their Lord and of themselves." (Ighathatul lahfaan 1/99-101; secondary reference)


A'isha radi Allahu anha was once asked about the verse "Then We gave the Book the Qur'an) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad) Then of them are some who wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah's Leave, foremost in good deeds. That (inheritance of the Qur'an), that is indeed a great grace." (Surah Fatir:32)


She answered "'My son! They are in Paradise. Those who raced towards good deeds are those who lived during the time of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who testified to their sustenance and Paradise. As for those who were moderate, they followed him among his companions and caught up with him. And as for those who wronged themselves are concerned., they are people like me and you."


Abu Darda radi Allahu anhu said "No one can achieve complete understanding of Islam until he condemns people for the sake of Allah and then returns home and condemns himself even more."


Imam Ahmed rahimu Allah related from Wahab ibn Munabbah rahimu Allah "It is written from the family of Dawood alayhi salam "An intelligent person should not be distracted on four occasions; when he is supplicating to his Lord, when he is auditing himself, when he is being informed by his friends about his shortcomings, and when he is alone with himself."


Omar radi Allahu anhu said "Take account of yourselves before you are audited [by someone else], weigh your deeds before they are weighed [by someone else]."


Hasan al Basri rahimu Allah said about the verse "No. I do swear by the criticizing self....." (Surah Qiyamah:2) : A believer will always be critical of himself in his food, his drink and his speech. A sinner will not criticize himself." He also said "A believer is a guardian over himself: he audits himself for Allah. Those who take account of themselves in this world will be audited lightly in the Hereafter. Those who take this issue lightly will find their auditing very difficult."


2. DISCIPLINING ONE'S SELF FOR ITS SHORTCOMINGS


We are not made perfect by Allah subhana wa ta'ala and we inevitably have our shortcomings. The pious predecessors differed with us in that they were harsh on themselves when it came to their shortcomings because they knew that obedience can be very difficult.


In the Qur'an we are told that (Iblis) said: "Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones." (7:12-17) The pious predecessors were always fully aware of this and did everything to their capability to take their souls into account for its shortcomings, all out fear, love and hope in Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


Tameem Dari radi Allahu anhu failed to wake up for Tahajjud one night and he stayed awake at nights in prayer the whole of the next year. Talhah radi Allahu anhu became preoccupied with a bird on his wall on his orchard while he prayed and he donated the wall as redemption for that shortcoming. Imam Muhammad ibn Sireen narrated that Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu said "Sometimes I fell unconscious in between the mimbar of rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the chamber of A'isha. People would say "Maybe he is mad!" However, Allah knows best that I am not mad, but my hunger made me fall." Omar radi Allahu anhu gave a piece of land when he missed 'Asr prayers in a group, and ibn Omar used to stay awake the whole night if he missed a group prayer and then he would free two slaves.


Allah said in the Qur'an "And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they reach it, and its gates will be opened (before their arrival for their reception) and its keepers will say: Salamun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you)! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein." (Surah al Zumar:73)


3. BRINGING THE SELF TO DO ACTIONS OF OBEDIENCE


When a Muslim knows the value of the Hereafter, making an effort to have a pleasant abode is no longer difficult. This is why the pious predecessors acted upon the Qur'an and Sunnah. Abu Bakr Siddiq radi Allahu anhu said "Whoever enters his grave without any provisions is like the one who mounts the sea without a ship."


Bringing the self to do actions of obedience to Allah has a great deal to do with being content by Allah's subhana wa ta'ala decree. This state can only be attained by those who seek to have great knowledge and love. And so, by this it is possible to find pleasure in whatever they have been given by Allah whether it is a trial or a tribulation, JUST BECAUSE, it comes from Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


Allah said in the Qur'an "Whoever acts righteously, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely give him life with a good life, and We will surely give them their reward in accordance with the best of what they used to do.." (16:97)


Ahmad bin Bindar narrated that Abu Hurairah cried during his last illness, and when asked about it he said "Surely I am not crying being attached to your world, but rather for the long journey awaiting me, and the little provisions I have prepared for it. This morning, I am descending upon either paradise, or hell, and I have no idea towards which of the two I will be taken!"


Narrated Muawiya: I heard the Prophet saying, "A group of people amongst my followers will remain obedient to Allah's orders and they will not be harmed by anyone who will not help them or who will oppose them, till Allah's Order (the Last Day) comes upon them while they are still on the right path." (Sahih Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 56, Number 835)


Abdu Rahman ibn Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that someone asked his father "O Abu Abdu Rahman, teach me a few words that are all-encompassing and beneficial, so that I will need no further elaboration!" Ibn Mas'ud said "Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. Live by the dictates of the Qur'an and pursue its guidance. Accept the truth and justice even if they come from a stranger you do not recognize, or even from someone you disregard as despicable, and refute falsehood even if it comes from a sibling you love."


Yahya ibn Mu'adh rahimu Allah said "Congratulations to those who leave the world before it deserts them; to those who build their graves before they enter them; and to those who please their Lord before they meet Him."


Thus we should try to bring ourselves to the very best of our abilities to do actions of obedience to Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


In Sahih Muslim it has been related that on the authority of A'isha radi Allahu anha that rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "Everyone of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah, praises Allah, and declares Allah to be one, Glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah, and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people's path, and enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty, will walk that having removed himself from hell."


Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu reported "Some of the people from among the companions of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him: "O rasulullah the rich have taken away all the reward. They observe prayer as we do; they keep the fasts as we keep, and they give sadaqa out of their surplus riches. Upon this rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "Has Allah not prescribed for you by following which you can also do sadaqa? In every declaration of the glorification of Allah there is sadaqa, and every takbir there is sadaqa and ever declaration that He is One is a sadaqa, and enjoining of good is a sadaqa, and forbidding of that which is evil is a sadaqa, and in man's sexual intercourse with his wife there is sadaqa,. The companions said "Rasulullah is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual passion among us?" He said "Tell me if he were to devote it to something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote it to something lawful, he should have a reward." (Muslim) Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu asked rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam "Which action is best?" Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "Faith in Allah and Jihad in the way of Allah." He asked "Which neck is best for emancipation?" Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said ""That which is dearest of them in price and most valuable of them near its masters." He asked "If I cannot do it?" Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "You shall help a laborer or work for one who is disabled." He asked "If I cannot do it?" Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "You shall call the people from wrong doing, because it is charity which you bestow u upon yourself." (Agreed upon/Riyadhus saleheen)


Allah subhana wa ta'ala said in the Qur'an "If anyone does a righteous deed, it is for his own soul." (45:15) And, He has promised us in the Qur'an "And whoso does good an atom's weight will see it then." (99:7)


4. SEEKING THE COMPANY AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PIOUS


Unnecessary company is a disease that causes much harm. The wrong kind of companionships often afford one to be deprived of Allah's blessings Companionship in this life should be beneficial for one's akhirah. Ibn Qayyim rahimu Allah cites four different kinds of companionships:


a) People whose company is like food. It is indispensable, night or day. Once we have taken our need from this company we can leave it until we need it again. These are people with knowledge of Allah, who are pious, who wish well for Allah, His prophet and His servants. Associating with them is an achievement in itself.


b) People whose company is like a medicine. Their company is only needed when a disease sets in. When you are healthy you have no need for them, but mixing with them is sometimes necessary such as livelihood, business and consultation. Once what you need has been fulfilled, mixing with them should be avoided.


c) People whose company is harmful. Mixing with these people is like a disease, in all its variety and degrees. You will never benefit from them in this life or in the next life if you have them for company. You will lose either one or both of your deen and your livelihood because of them. If their companionship has taken hold of you and is established then it becomes fatal.


Among such people are those who neither speak any good that might benefit you, nor listen closely to you so that they might benefit from you. They do not know their souls. Their words are like lashes, while all the while they are full of admiration for and delight in their own words. They cause distress to their company, while believe they are the center of attraction. Mixing with such a person will inevitably come to an end and is destined to be doomed. In such cases a person should just hold on to good behavior, only presenting such company with his outward appearance, until Allah subhana wa ta'ala offers him a way out of this company and out of its afflictions.


d) People whose company is evil in itself. This is like taking poison, its victim either finds an antidote for it or dies. Many belong to this category. They are people of shirk and misguidance who abandon the Sunnah and bring their personal beliefs as the truth. A Muslim should not sit in their company nor mix with them. The result of which will be a death of the heart.


With these kinds of companionships, we need to be more aware of what we choose to surround ourselvers with. In addition, Hasan al Basri said "The heart becomes corrupt in six ways: commiting sins in the hope of repenting, seeking knowledge and not applying it, practice without ikhlas (sincerity), eating the sustenance of Allah without appreciating Him, not being please with Allah's decree and burying the dead without learning from them.


Thus, in our effort to have increased taqwa we must surround ourselves with company who only seek to please Allah subhana wa ta'ala in speech and in actions. We must also take time to acquire knowledge from the pious of the past and of the present. And finally, we likewise must make an effort to keep company of those who are hungry for knowledge about Allah subhana wa ta'ala and Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.


*may Allah subhana wa ta'ala forgive me for my errors and my sins, hidden and known.


*notes from hilyatul awliya wa tabaqat al asfiya and secondary references from ibn qayyim.

Four types of love

                                    Four types of love


Shaykhu'l-Islam Muhammad ibn Abdu'l-Wahhab (ra) said: "In the first verse (i.e., al-Fatiha 1/1) is the love of Allah, who is the bestower of bounties and favors. And the bestower is loved to the extent of his bestowal of favors. Love itself is of four types:


a- Love entailing Shirk, and they are those about whom Allah said: “And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah…” up until He (swt) said: “…And they will never get out of the Fire.” (al-Baqarah 2/165-167).

b- Loving falsehood and its people, and hating truth and its people, and this is a characteristic of the hypocrites.

c- Natural love, and this is the love of wealth, offspring. And when it does not divert one from obedience to Allah and nor assist in falling into the prohibitions of Allah, then it is permissible.

d- Loving the people of tawhid, and hating the people of Shirk, and this is the strongest of the handholds of iman, and the greatest of that which Allah is worshiped by. In the second verse there is hope (rajaa). And in the third verse there is fear (khawf)." (Majmu’a at-Tawhid, 19)

Ibn Qayyim said: "There are four kinds of love, which we must differentiate between, and those who go astray do so because they do not make this distinction.

The first of them is love of Allah, but this alone is not sufficient to save a person from the punishment of Allah and to earn him His reward. The Mushrikin, worshipers of the cross, Jews and others all love Allah.

The second is love of that which Allah loves. This is what brings a person into Islam and out of Kufr. The most beloved of people to Allah is the one who is most correct and most devoted in this kind of love.

The third kind is love for the sake of Allah, which is one of the essentials of loving that which Allah loves. A person’s love of that which Allah loves cannot be complete until he also loves for the sake of Allah.

The fourth is love for something alongside Allah, and this love has to do with shirk. Everyone who loves things alongside Allah but not for the sake of Allah has taken that thing as a rival to Allah. This is the love of the Mushrikin.

There remains a fifth kind of love which has nothing to do with our topic; this is the natural love which is a person’s inclination towards that which suits his nature, such as the love of a thirsty person for water or of a hungry person for food, or the love of sleep, or of one’s wife and children. There is nothing wrong with this unless it distracts a person from remembering Allah and keeps him from loving Him. Allah says: “O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah!” (al-Munafiqun 63/9); “Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allah!” (an-Nur 24/37)" (al-Jawaab al-Kaafi, 1/134)

Ibn Qayyim describes the qualities of loving for the sake of Allah and types of love: "The difference between loving for the sake of Allah and loving something alongside Allah is one of the most important distinctions. Everyone needs to make this distinction and is indeed obliged to do so. Loving for the sake of Allah is a sign of the perfection of faith, but loving something alongside Allah is the essence of shirk. The difference between them is that a person’s love for the sake of Allah is connected to his love of Allah; if this love becomes strong in his heart, this love dictates that he will love that which Allah loves. If he loves that which his Lord loves and he loves those who are the friends of Allah, this is love for the sake of Allah. So he loves His Messengers, Prophets, angels and close friends because Allah loves them, and he hates those who hate them because Allah hates those people. The sign of the love and hatred for the sake of Allah is that his hatred for the one whom Allah hates will not turn into love merely because that person treats him kindly, does him a service or meets some need he has; and his love for those whom Allah loves will not turn to hatred simply because that person does something that upsets or hurts him, whether it is done by mistake or deliberately, in obedience to Allah or because the person feels that he has a duty to do it for some reason, or because the person is a wrongdoer who may yet give up his wrongdoing and repent. The entire religion revolves around four principles: love and hatred, and stemming from them, action and abstinence. The person whose love and hatred, action and abstinence, are all for the sake of Allah, has perfected his faith so that when he loves, he loves for the sake of Allah, when he hates, he hates for the sake of Allah, when he does something, he does it for the sake of Allah, and when he abstains from something, he abstains for the sake of Allah. To the extent that he is lacking in these four categories, he is lacking in faith and commitment to religion. This is in contrast to the love of things alongside Allah, which is of two types. One is diametrically opposed to the principle of tawhid and is shirk; the other is opposed to perfection of sincerity and love towards Allah, but does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam.

The first kind is like the love of the Mushrikin for their idols and gods. Allah says: “And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah” (al-Baqarah 2/165)

These Mushrikin love their idols and gods alongside Allah as they love Allah. This love and devotion is accompanied by fear, hope, worship and supplication. This love is pure Shirk which Allah does not forgive. Faith cannot be perfected unless a person regards these idols as enemies and hates them intensely, and hates the people who worship them, and regards them as enemies and strives against them. This is the message with which Allah sent all His Messengers and revealed all His Books. He created Hell for the people of shirk who love these rivals, and He created Paradise for those who strive against them and take them as enemies for His sake and to earn His Pleasure. Anybody who worships anything from the vicinity of the Throne to the lowest depths of the earth and takes a god and a supporter besides Allah and associates another beings in worship with Him, will be disowned by the object of his worship when he is most in need of it (i.e., on the Day of Judgment).

The second kind is love for the things which Allah has made attractive to people, such as women, children, gold, silver, branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. People love them with a kind of desire, like the love of the hungry person for food and the thirsty person for water. This love is of three kinds. If a person loves them for the sake of Allah and as a means of obeying Allah, he will be rewarded for that; it will be counted as a part of love for the sake of Allah and a means of reaching Him, and he will still find enjoyment in them. This is how the best of creation (i.e., RasulAllah) was, to whom women and perfume were made dear in this world, and his love for them helped him to love Allah more and to convey His Message and fullfil His commands. If a person loves them because they suit his nature and his own desires, but he does not give them preference over that which Allah loves and is pleased with, and he gets them because of his natural inclination, then they come under the heading of things which are permissible, and he will not be punished for that, but his love of Allah and for the sake of Allah will be lacking somewhat. If his sole purpose in life is to get these things, and he gives priority to that over that which Allah loves and is pleased with, then he is wronging himself and following his own desires.


The first is the love of al-Sabiqun (those who are foremost in Islam); the second is the love of al-muqtasidun (those who are average) and the third is the love of al-zalimun (the wrongdoers)." (Ibn Qayyim, al-Ruh, 1/254)

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