Essence of Abstinence

You who are kept in pawn to food,
you can be free if you suffer yourself to be weaned,
Truly in hunger there is abundant nourishment:
search after it diligently and cherish the hope of finding it.
Feed on the Light, be like the eye,
be in harmony with the angels,
O best of humankind.
Like the Angel,
make glorification of God your sustenance.

See how the hand is invisible while the pen is writing;
the horse careening, yet the rider is unseen;
the arrow flying, but the bow out of sight;
individual souls existing,
while is Soul of the souls is hidden.

Don't strive so much to complete your worldly affairs;
don't strive in any affair that's not sacred.

Otherwise at the end. you'll leave incomplete,
your spiritual affairs damaged and your bread unbaked.

The beautifying of your grave isn't done
by means of wood and stone and plaster;

no, but by digging your grave in spiritual purity
and burying your own selfhood in His (mission),
and by becoming His dust, buried in love of Him,
so that from His breath, yours may be replenished.

The smell of pride and greed and lust
will betray you when you speak
as much as the onions you have eaten.

Many prayers are rejected because of their smell;
the corrupt heart reveals itself in the tongue.
But if your meaning is pure,
God (may) accept even your clumsy expression.

Ahmad Sam’ani [Rawh al-arwah, p.312]
source:
http://www.sunnah.org/tasawwuf/essence_of_abstinence.htm



{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]


Translation Surah Ash-Shu’ara:83 "O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me,and join me with the righteous;
Translation Surah Ash-Shu’ara 85 And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Delight," Ameen

FRIENDSHIP IN ISLAM

“Close friends, that Day will beenemies to each other, except forthe righteous.” (Quran 43;67)
“And the day the wrongdoer will biteon his hands (in regret) he will say,“Oh, I wish I had taken with the
Messenger a way.” (Quran 25:27)
Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend. He led me away from the remembrance after it had come to me. And ever is Satan to man a deserter.”(Quran:25;28,29)

THE 2 MAIN REGRETS ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
• Not following the Prophet (s.a.w) on the path of guidance
• Befriending a person who diverted one from the truth

THE 2 MAIN REGRETS
Friendship is every person’s need. Without loving and being loved , our personality can never be complete.

HOWEVER, ALL FRIENDSHIPS that..
• Lead you away from the remembrance of Allah
• Make you deviate from the straight path
• Affect your ability to differentiate between halaal and haraam
• Overpower your mind to the exclusion of all else
• Make you neglect your obligations

ARE FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM
They are unreal and transitory
HADITH
The Prophet (s.a.w) said:
“A man follows the religion of his friend; so each one should consider whom he makes his friend.”(Abu Dawud )
“ Everyone will be with those he loves.”(Bukhari)
“Keep company with a believer only and let your food be eaten only be the righteous.” (Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi)

In A Good Friendship, there is :
-Common love for Allah
-Increase in Taqwa, Allah-consciousness
-Increase in emaan in each other’s company
-Urging each other to do good deeds and -
stopping each other from sinning
-No wastage of each other’s time, energy, wealth or abilities
-Discouragement of aimless talk, sinful or senseless speech or bad behavior
-Drawing towards Allah and not towards each other

WHEREAS A WRONG FRIEND will..
• Pose a danger to your eeman
• Draw you to herself and not towards Allah
• Distract you from Allah’s remembrance
• Draw you into sinful activities and make them feelenjoyable
• Waste your time and energy
• Justify your mistakes and faults rather thanfocusing on improvement
• Be possessive and resent the time you spendelsewhere Contd..
•Flatter you even when you don’t deserve praise
•Make you a slave of whims and fancies
•Make never ending demands on you and expect them to be met
•Not be happy when you say ‘No”
•Abandon you in your troubled times
•Be selfish and seek to fulfill her own agenda
•Forget you when you are out of sight A WRONG FRIEND will..

SUCH A FRIENDSHIP IS NOTHING BUT A DECEPTION!
• There are Satans amongst both Jinn and humans • Beware of the enemy in the garb of a friend!
Hadith
The Prophet (s.a.w) said:
“The example of a good pious companion and an evil one is that of a person carrying musk and another blowing a pair of bellows. The one who is carrying musk will either give you some perfume as a present, or you will buy some from him, or you will get a good smell from him, but the one who is blowing a pair of bellows will either burn your clothes or you will get a bad smell from him.”
(Bukhari)

ASSESS YOUR FRIENDSHIP..
• What do you talk about when you aretogether? Is it about Allah, the Prophet (s.a.w) or other people?
• What do your do together? Obey Allah’scommands or your own desires?
• Do you help each other in righteousness andpiety and and stop each other from sin and aggression?
• When you spend money on each other, is itto please Allah or to impress each other or other people?
ASSESS YOUR FRIENDSHIP..
• Do you waste each other’s time and energy?
• Do you point out each other’s faults in a sincere and wise manner and accept thecriticismconstructively ?
• Does your friendship advance you spiritually?
• When you look at your friend, does it bring Allah to mind?
• Most Importantly…Do you love each otherfor the sake of Allah?

HADITH
The Prophet (saw) said:
“O people, listen and understand. Allah has slaves who are neither prophets nor martyrs, but both the prophets and martyrs envy them for their closeness to Allah. They are from various peoples and tribes who have no ties of relationship between them. They love each other purely for the sake of Allah. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will present them pulpits of light for them to sit on. Their faces will be light and their clothes will be light. The people will be scared on the Day of Resurrection, but they will not be scared. They are the friends of Allah who will not have any fear upon them nor will they grieve.”(Ahmad)

The Prophet (s.a.w) said:
“On the Day of Judgment. Allah the Most High will announce, “Where are those persons who love each other for the sake of My Pleasure? This day I am going to shelter them in the shade provided by Me. Today there is no shade except My shade.” (Muslim)

The Prophet (s.a.w) said;
Allah has decided: It is incumbent upon Me to bestow My love on those who love one another for My sake, meet one another for My sake , visit one another for My sake and spend for each other for My sake.(Malik)

The Prophet (s.a.w) said:
In Paradise there are pillars of rubies on which there are rooms of emeralds with open doors shining like sparkling planets.” He (s.a.w) was asked who would occupy them and he replied: “Those who love one another for Allah’s sake and those who visit one another for Allah’s sake.” (Baihaiqi)

VALUABLE ADVICE..
•Be moderate in your friendship
•Keep reasonable expectations from each other
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” (Quran 5;2)
There are 3 types of ‘friends’..
Those that are necessary like nourishment and you cannot live without them; those that are like medicine and are beneficial, so you need them sometimes; and finally, those that are like a sickness and you do not need them at all!

DU‘A
Allahumma innee as’aluka hubbaka wa hubba main yuhibbuka wal ‘amal ladhi yuballighunee hubbak
O Allah ! I ask of You Your love and the love of whoever loves You and the love of of the deed which will draw me in attaining Your love. Ameen
DU‘A
Allahumma innee as’aluka hubbaka wa hubba main yuhibbuka wal ‘amal ladhi yuballighunee hubbak
O Allah ! I ask of You Your love and the love of whoever loves You and the love of of the deed which will draw me in attaining Your love. Ameen

Source ~reflections of my life~