a beautiful Andalusian Poetry

Look at the beautiful sun.

As it rises, it shows one golden eyebrow,

plays miser with the other one,

but we know that soon

it will spread out a radiant veil

over all.

A marvelous mirror that appears in the East

only to hide again at dusk.

The sky is saddened

when the sun leaves

and puts on mourning robes.

I believe that falling stars

are nothing more

than sky's gem-hard tears.

- Ibn Abi I-Haytham, Andalusia

His light may radiate within your being

“If you are destined for good fortune you will be blessed; if afflictions have been ordained, no matter where you hide they will seek you out. Submit therefore before the will of Allah; be grateful in well-being and endure adversity with fortitude, that His light may radiate within your being.”

-Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (R.A)

The Fruits of Fear:

Imam Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) said:

‘Fear rips away desires and muddens luxuries so that cherished sins become reprehensible, just as a honey lover is repelled by it when he learns that it has poison in it. This is how fear burns desires; disciplines the organs; subordinates the heart and gives it tranquility. It also enables the heart to rid itself of pride, hatred, and envy; and it leaves it absorbed in it (fear). Hence, the heart becomes preoccupied with its own worries and looks towards its best interest in the long run. It is then engaged in only matters like meditation, self-analysis and struggle. It cherishes its time and moments.’

[Ihya: 4/160]

rabia's sufi poetry

In love, nothing exists between heart and heart.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?

Rabia al-Adawiyya

rumi's sufi poetry

My heart tells me it is distressed with Him,
but I can only laugh at such pretended injuries.

Be fair, You who are the Glory of the just.
You, Soul, free of "we" and "I,"
subtle spirit within each man and woman.

When a man and a woman become one,
that "one" is You.
And when that one is obliterated, there You are.

Where is this "we" and this "I"?
By the side of the Beloved.
You made this "we" and this "I"
in order that you might play
this game of courtship with Yourself,
that all "you's" and "I's" might become one soul
and finally drown in the Beloved.

All this is true. Come!
You who are the Creative Word: Be
You, so far beyond description.

Is it possible for the bodily eyes to see You?
Can thought comprehend Your laughter or grief?
Tell me now, can it possibly see You at all?
Such a heart has only borrowed things to live with.

The garden of love is green without limit
and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy.
Love is beyond either condition:
without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.

Rumi - Mathnawi I, 1779-1794 - The Rumi Collection - Kabir Helminski

Imam al-Ghazali's astaghfaar

Imam al-Ghazali's astaghfaar surely touch the hearts of all readers.

"We ask forgiveness of Allah (Exalted is He!) for every stumbling on our part and for every slip of the pen in this and all our other books.

We ask His forgiveness for those of our words which have not been matched by our deeds.

We ask His forgiveness for the claims and professions of knowledge and insight into his religion which we have made despite our insufficiencies therein.

We ask His forgiveness for every science we have acquired and every action which we have undertaken for His noble sake, but which was then commingled with something else.

We ask His forgiveness for every covenant we made within ourselves but which we then fell short of fulfilling.

We ask His forgiveness for every blessing which He bestowed upon us but which we employed in disobedience to Him.

We seek His forgiveness for having declared or implied the shortcomings or the inadequacy of anyone.

And we ask His forgiveness for every passing notion which induced us to dissemble or be mannered for the sake of playing up to others, in any book which we have written, or any discourse which we have delivered, or any science which we have profited or profited from.

And after having asked His pardon for all these things, for ourselves and for whomsoever reads this book of ours, or copies it, or listens to it, we ask that He should honour us with His forgiveness and mercy, and overlook the entirety of our sins, both evident and concealed.

For all-encompassing is His generosity, all-abundant is His mercy, and His grace overflows upon all that He has made. And we who are of His making, find no path to Him but that which lies through His grace and munificence". (The Remembrance of Death, p. 252-253; Ihya', vol IV, p. 578).

This is his final dua.
"It is our hope that He will not deal with us as we deserve, but will rather grant us that which is appropriate to Him, in His generosity, abundant indulgence, and mercy". (Ihya', Vol IV, p. 582)

Islam and Poetry

By Mufti Bilaal Cassim
POSTED: 8 RAJAB 1423, 15 SEPTEMBER 2002

CHECKED AND APPROVED: Mufti Ebrahim Desai

---

Q.) What does Islam say about poets and any type of poetry? Is poetry other than romance allowed in Islam? Please give me a detailed answer about the poetry and poets. [Ali]

---

A.) Ubayy Ibn Ka'ab, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports Rasulullah (s.a.w) as having said; "Poetry contains (much) wisdom." (Mishkaat with Mirqaat Vol. 9 Pg. 122 Ashrafiyyah).

Mullah Ali Qari (r.a), a renowned Muhaddith explains that poetry containing truth, wise words, advices, useful parables, etc. that are of benefit to mankind, as well as those containing praises of Allah and Nabi , promoting abstinence from worldly luxuries, exhortation towards the Aakhirah and other aspects of Deen are indeed praiseworthy. Poetry devoid of these things is malignant and disliked. (e.g. songs containing lewdness or depictive of sins etc.) The words of the Qur'an (viz. "(As for) the Poets, only the misguided follow them. Can you not see their (aimless) wandering in the valleys, their statements devoid of action?" As-Shu'araa: 224-226) and the Ahadith maligning poetry refer to these kinds of poetry.

Thereafter he mentions that poetry is a form of speech and must be judged by the same standard. i.e beneficial poetry is like beneficial speech and useless and evil poetry like useless and evil speech) (Mirqaat VOl.9 Pg. 122 Ashrafiyyah).

From this principle we can deduce that recital or composition of romantic poetry is permissible (and even rewarding) only if it is for one's spouse with the intention of promoting love and tenderness and providing it is free of lewdness or obscenity, much the same as a loving or kind word. When not for one's spouse, it is not permissible.

And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

What is Tasawwuf?

By Khalid Baig

"Verily, he who has purified the heart is successful and he who has despoiled it has lost."

A lot of people have misunderstandings about tasawwuf. Many think that it is something beyond Qur'an and Sunnah. Errant Sufis as well as the superficial ulema, although on the opposite ends of the spectrum, are together in holding this mistaken notion. Consequently the first group has shunned the Qur'an and Hadith while the second group has shunned tasawwuf. Actually, although the term tasawwuf, like many other religious terms in use today, evolved later, the discipline is very much part of the Shariah. The department of the Shariah relating to external deeds like salat and zakat is called fiqh while the one dealing with the internal feelings and states of the heart is calledtasawwuf. Both are commanded in the Qur'an. Thus while commanding Salat and Zakat, the Qur'an also commands gratefulness and love of Allah and condemns the evil of pride and vanity. Similarly, in the books of hadith, along with the chapters on Ibadat, trade and commerce, marriage and divorce, are to be found the chapters on riya (showoff) takabbur,akhlaq, etc. These commands are as much a mandatory requirement as the ones dealing with external deeds.

On reflection it will be realized that all the external deeds are designed for the reformation of the heart. That is the basis of success in the hereafter while its despoiling is the cause of total destruction. This is precisely what is known technically astasawwuf. Its focus is tahzeebe akhlaq or the adornment of character; its motive is the attainment of Divine pleasure; its method is total obedience to the commands of the Shariah.

Tasawwuf is the soul of Islam. Its function is to purity the heart from the lowly bestial attributes of lust, calamities of the tongue, anger, malice, jealousy, love of the world, love of fame, niggardliness, greed, ostentation, vanity, deception, etc. At the same time it aims at the adornment of the heart with the lofty attributes of repentance, perseverance, gratefulness, fear of Allah, hope, abstention, tauheed, trust, love, sincerity, truth, contemplation, etc.

To diagnose and treat the diseases of the heart normally requires the help of an expert mentor or Shaikh. Here are the qualities of a good Shaikh.

1. He possesses necessary religious knowledge.

2. His beliefs, habits, and practices are in accordance with the Shariah.

3. He does not harbor greed for the worldly wealth.

4. He has himself spent time learning from a good Shaikh.

5. The scholars and good mashaikh of his time hold good opinion about him.

6. His admirers are mostly from among the people who have good understanding of religion.

7. Most of his followers follow the Shariah and are not the seekers after this world.

8. He sincerely tries to educate and morally train his followers. If he sees anything wrong in them, he corrects it.

9. In his company one can feel a decrease in the love of this world and an increase in the love for Allah.

10. He himself regularly performs dhikr and shughal (spiritual exercises).

In searching for a Shaikh, do not look for his ability to performkaramat (miracles) or to foretell the future. A very good Shaikhmay not be able to show any karamat. On the other hand, a person showing karamat does not have to be a pious person --- or even a Muslim. Prominent Sufi Bayazid Bistami says: "Do not be deceived if you see a performer of supernatural feats flying in the air. Measure him on the standard of the Shariah."

When you find the right Shaikh, and you are satisfied with his ability to provide spiritual guidance, you perform baya or pledge. This is a two-way commitment; the Shaikh pledges to guide you in light of Shariah and you pledge to follow him. Then the Shaikh will give his mureed (disciple) initial instructions. They include the following:

1. Perform repentance for all the past sins and take steps to make amends, e.g. if any salat has been missed so far in the life, you start making up for it.

2. If you have any unmet financial obligations toward another person make plans to discharge them.

3. Guard your eyes, ears, and tongue.

4. Perform dhikr regularly.

5. Start a daily session of self-accounting before going to bed. Review all the good and bad deeds performed during the day. Repent for the bad ones and thank Allah for the good ones.

6. Perform muraqaba-maut (meditation over death) every night before going to bed. Just visualize that you have died. Reflect upon the pangs of death, the questioning in the grave, the plain of Resurrection, the Reckoning , the presence in the Court of Allah, etc This helps bring softness to the heart and break the tendency to commit sins.

7. Develop humility. Even if you observe another individual committing the worst of vices you should not despise him/her, nor should you consider yourself nobler. It is very much possible that the perpetrator of the vice may resort to sincere repentance while the one who despised the sinner become ensnared in the traps of nafs and Shaitan. One has no certainty regarding one's end. One, therefore has no basis for regarding another with contempt.

The essential idea of tahzeebe akhlaq is to bring our natural faculties in a state of balance. The three basic faculties are anger, desires, and intelligence.

Anger:

When in equilibrium it results in valor, forbearance, steadfastness, the ability to restrain anger, and dignity. Excess will result in rashness, boastfulness, pride, inability to restrain anger, and vanity. A deficiency will result in cowardice, disgrace, and feeling of inferiority.

Desires:

Equilibrium here results in chastity, generosity, haya (decency), patience, and contentment. Its excess leads to greed and lust. The other extreme results in narrow-mindedness, and impotence, etc.

Intelligence:

Equilibrium here makes man wise, sharp-witted and one with great insights. Excess here makes one deceptive, fraudulent and imposture. Its lack results in ignorance and stupidity with the consequence that such a person is quickly misled.

A person will be considered as having a beautiful seerah(character) only when these faculties are in the state of balance and equilibrium. Internal beauty varies with people just as external beauty does. The possessor of the most beautifulseerah was Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. The beauty of our seerah is based on its closeness to his seerah.

[Condensed from writings of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi]

Further Reading:
1) Fiqh aur Tassuwuf aik Taaruf (Urdu)
2) The Kashf Al-Mahjub (English)

the sufi path

Ibnu Sina said that:

"The sufi path can be traveled by determination and practice and not by reading and research. He declared that the sufi is brave because he is shielded from fear of death; is very good because he is shielded from love of what is not right, is forgiving because his ego is above being hurt by a human mistake; is forgetting hatred because his memory is busy with the Truth."

Luqman on the need to keep good company and to consult scholars

‘Abdullah Ibn Ahmed said: I was told by Al- Hakam Ibn Abu Zuhair Ibn Musa after Al-Faraj Ibn Fudalah after Abu Sa’id as saying: Luqman said to his son: “O my son! Let only the pious men eat your food, and consult the scholars over your affairs.”

Finally, wisdom in matters is one of the blessings that Allah grants to His creation. The Almighty says in the Quran: “He grants Hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding.” (Quran: Al-Baqara: 269)

Luqman on patience, knowledge, and goodness

`Abdur Razzaq told us after Mu’amir after Ayyub after Abu Qulabah as saying: Luqman was once asked: Who is the best one in terms of patience? He said: It is the one who practices no harm after observing patience. Those who asked him said: Who is the best one in terms of knowledge? He said: It is he who adds to his own knowledge through the knowledge of others. They asked: Who is the best from among the whole people? He said: It is the wealthy. They said: Is it the one who has properties and riches? He said: No! But, it is the one if whose good was sought, he would not hold it back or prevent it. And, it is the one who does not need anything from others.

About the book The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayatul Hidayah)

The Beginning of Guidance,originally in Arabic (Bidayatul Hidayah) is one of the books on sufism and ethics written by Imam Abu Hamed Al-Ghazali and its translated & edited by Professor Mashhad Al-Allaf.

The book is also fully translated by Muhammad Abul Qasem,and its self published in Malaysia.

Imam Al-Ghazali said: 'Here, then I give you counsel about the beginning of Guidance so that thereby you may test yourself and examine your Heart....' No one can reach the ending until he has completed the beginning,no one can discover the inward aspect until he has mastered the outward.'


I quote a few lines of the commentary of this book by kitaabun.com:
“This Book can be considered as an Introduction to The Imam's Magnum Opus The Revival of the Religions Sciences (Ihya Ulum al-Din)and directs the reader to the larger work for what lies beyond that.”

bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period

Imam Al Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) wrote this in his book:
'The Beginning of Guidance'

"You should not neglect your time or use it haphazardly; on the contrary you should bring yourself to account, structure your litanies and other practices during each day and night, and assign to each period a fixed and specific function.

This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period. But if you leave yourself adrift, aimlessly wandering as cattle do, not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment, your time will be lost.

It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you make use of to reach perpetual felicity in the proximity of God the Exalted. Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved.

Do not be like that deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens. What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter?

Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind."

Advice on how to be good

Counsels and maxims, from Reliance of the Traveller

Nasiha (good advice) by Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Burhani

1 Do not limit yourself to deep words and profound spiritual allusions but make provision for the afterlife before death comes, when fine words will be lost and the rak`as you prayed by night or day will remain..

2 Give voluntary charity as much as possible, for you owe more than merely the zakat obligatory. Make provision for the afterlife by giving while you have health and want to cling to your money out of fear of poverty, seeing life before you. Allah Most High says, "Whoever is watchful against the stinginess of his own soul, those shall be the successful'' (Koran 59:9), meaning they shall be saved.

3 Never obey anyone of Allah's servants, even father or mother, in an act of disobedience to Allah, for there is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator.

4 Do not wrong another person, for wrongs done to others are clouds of darkness on the Day of Judgement. Wronging others includes not doing what Allah has obliged you to do for them.

5 Beware of enmity against anyone who has said, "La ilaha ill Allah' (There is no god but Allah), for Allah has honored them with faith, and particularly the righteous of them, for Allah Most High says in a rigorously authenticated (sahih) hadith, "He who makes an enemy of a friend of Mine, I declare war against,''

6 Tell the truth when you speak. It is one of the worst betrayals to tell your brother something he thinks you are being honest about when the matter is otherwise.

7 Be honest in your clothes and dress. It is an outrage against Allah to appear to His servants in the guise of the righteous while secretly contradicting it with the works of the wicked.

8 Recite the Koran and contemplate its meanings. Reflect while reading it on the qualities Allah has praised, with which He describes the people He loves. Acquire these qualities yourself and shun those Allah has condemned. Do your utmost of memorize the Holy Koran by acts as you do by words.

9 Never explain a verse of Holy Koran by your own opinion, but check as to how it has been understood by the scholars of Sacred Law and men of wisdom who came before you. If you comprehend something else by it and what you have understood contradicts the Sacred Law, forsake your wretched opinion and fling it against the wall.

10 Beware lest you ever say anything that does not conform to the Sacred Law. Know that the highest stage of the perfected ones (rijal) is the Sacred Law of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). And know that the esoteric that contravenes the exoteric is a fraud.

11 Take care to eat lawful food bought with a lawful income, for the entire body of someone who eats what is lawful, his hearing, eyesight, hands, and feet, are disposed to obey Allah whether he wishes to or not; while the whole body of someone who eats the unlawful is disposed to do wrong whether he wants to or not.

12 Keep the thought of Allah Mighty and Majestic ever before you with respect to what He takes from you and what He gives. He takes away nothing except that you may show patience and win His love, for He loves the patient, and when He loves you, He will treat you as a lover does his beloved. And so too, when He gives to you, He bestows blessings upon you that you may give thanks, for He loves the thankful.

13 Do not walk a step, take a bite, or make a move without intending thereby to draw nearer to Allah.

14 Perform the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) silently and aloud, in a group and when alone, for Allah Most High says, "Remember Me: I will remember you'' (Koran 2:152).

It is sufficient as to its worth that Allah is remembering you as long as you are remembering Him.

15 Give frequent utterance to the axiom of Islam "La ilaha ill Allah'' (There is no god but Allah), for it is the greatest invocation (dhikr), as is mentioned in the hadith, "The best things I or any of the prophets before me have said is 'La ilaha ill Allah.'''

And in a hadith qudsi, "Were the seven heavens and seven earths placed on one side of a balance scale and'`La ilaha ill Allah' placed on the other, the latter would outweigh them all.''

16 Train your children in points of Islamic behavior so they grow up to be Muslims who love Islam and respect the religion of Islam.

17 Do not seek exaltation on earth, but have humility in whatever degree Allah has raised you to. For Allah has brought you forth from the earth, your mother, and it is unseemly to exalt yourself above her. As a hadith says, "Allah has charged Himself to raise nothing in this world, save that He will lower it again.''

So if you are such a thing, you may expect to be lowered by Allah.

18 Always visit those who are ill, as it helps one reflect and take admonition, for someone ill is close to Allah. One has only to consider that the sick person has no one to call upon but Allah, nothing to reflect on but Allah, and his condition reminds one of the blessing of health (al-Hall al-sadid li ma astashkalahu al-murid (y46), 29-32).

Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Burhani was a major Damascene Hanafi faqih and Sufi.

Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace )

by Abdalhaqq Bewley

There is no god but Allah

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

This affirmation is the gateway to Islam and the foundation of all that makes up the way of life of a Muslim. It tells first of Allah, the One, alone, without partner. All is dependent on Him. He is independent of everything. He is everywhere manifest and yet invisible. He is before past time. He is beyond endless time. And nothing bears any resemblance to Him. We have no access to the awesome Presence of the Divine Reality except through Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.

This description of Muhammad is divided into three parts. One is historical, one is concerned with his character, and the other is about his essential nature.
1.

Muhammad - may Allah bless him and grant him peace by the number of all those who trust in him and all those who deny him from the day of his birth until the day that the Truth is made plain - was the son of 'Abdullah son of 'Abdul-Muttalib son of Hashim of the tribe of Quraysh, descendent of Ismail son of Ibrahim. He was born in Makka fifty-three years before the Hijra. His father died before his birth and his mother Amina died while he was still a young boy, but he found a protector and a guardian first in his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib, and then, on his death, in his uncle Abu Talib.

His childhood and boyhood was very simple. He received no kind of formal education and would look after his family's herd of sheep and goats in the hills surrounding Makka. On one occasion he accompanied his uncle on a caravan to Syria and on this journey met a Christian hermit called Bahira who told his uncle that his young nephew would be the Prophet of his people. When he was twenty-five years old, he again made the same journey, this time as a trader in the service of a wealthy widow named Khadija. As a result of his success and from hearing reports of the excellence of his character, she married her young agent. They lived together for twenty-six years and she was the mother of his children and stood by him during the difficult years when he was trying to spread Islam among the people of Makka. It was his custom every year to spend the month of Ramadan alone in a cave on a mountain near Makka. In his fortieth year, nearly at the end of this month, he heard during the night a voice which said to him: "Read!" He replied: "I cannot read." Again the voice came: "Read!" Again he replied, awestruck: "I cannot read." For the third time, the voice commanded: "Read!" He said, "What should I read?" The voice said: "Read in the Name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clot." This was the beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an which continued, intermittently, until just before his death, twenty-three years later. The voice told him that he was the Messenger of Allah and raising his eyes he saw the angel Jibril who was the means by which the revelation was conveyed to him from the Creator of the universe.

His first thought as that he had gone mad, but he was reassured by his wife Khadija and gradually as the revelation continued his reluctance left him and he accepted the awesome task of being the Messenger of the Lord of the creation. During the first three years after this event, he told only his immediate circle about what had happened. His wife Khadija, his adopted son 'Ali, his freed slave Zayd, and his friend Abu Bakr were among the first to accept what he said and to agree to follow him. Then he received the command to "arise and warn" and he began to talk openly to the people of Makka. He pointed out to them the stupidity of idol worship in the face of the clear proofs of the Divine Unity manifest in the creation. Seeing that their way of life was threatened, the clans of the Quraysh became hostile and started to persecute his followers and to insult him.

In spite of this, the number of Muslim steadily increased and the Quraysh tried to stop him with bribes, even offering to make him king if he would only compromise with them and stop attacking their false gods. By his words and example, he was undermining and endangering the structure of their society and the basis of their wealth. However, Islam was further strengthened when 'Umar ibn al-Khattab accepted the Prophet. He was one of the strongest and most respected of Quraysh and until this time had been one of the staunchest opposers of Islam. In their frustration and rage, the Quraysh confined the whole of the Prophet's clan to a ravine for three years forbidding all dealings with them. During this time, his wife Khadija and his uncle and protector Abu Talib died and an attempt that he made to take Islam to the nearby city of Ta'if met with failure and rejection. It was at this seemingly low ebb that the Miraj took place. Muhammad was taken up through the seven heavens and shown the true nature of his being and the honour in which he was held by his Lord, the Divine Reality.

Shortly after this, a small group of me from a city named Yathrib listened to him when they came to Makka. They accepted him as Prophet and returned to their city with a Muslim teacher. The following year they returned with seventy-three new Muslims and invited the Prophet to their city. From then the Muslims began to leave Makka and to settle in Yathrib and finally the Prophet, evading an attempt to murder him, travelled with Abu Bakr to Yathrib which was renamed al-Madina al-Munawwara, the Enlightened City. This event is known as the Hijra and marks the beginning of the Muslim community.

From this time, the Prophet was ordered by his Lord to fight his enemies though up to this time there had been no attempt at self-defence. The first expeditions were very small and there was almost no fighting. In the second year of the Hijra the Quraysh sent an army of a thousand men ostensibly to protect a caravan from Syria. The Prophet assembled an army of just over three hundred men and the two sides met at a place called Badr. The Muslims led by the Prophet, with complete trust in Allah in their hearts and reinforcement from the angelic world, won a complete victory and killed many of the leaders of Quraysh. The enmity of Quraysh increased but Islam was firmly established in the land.

The following year, the Quraysh marched against Madina and the Muslims met them at the mountain of Uhud, a short distance from the city. Despite the odds against them, the Muslims would have won a victory except that greed for spoils led a band of archers to leave their position and the Muslims were defeated. This defeat led to the murder of Muslims who travelled to spread Islam and to open hostility from the Jews of Madina encouraged by disaffected elements within the Muslim community.

In the fifth year of the Hijra, the Quraysh again attacked Madina and this time they brought ten thousand men. The Prophet had organised the digging of a deep ditch as a defence for the city and the affair became known as the Battle of the Ditch. The Makkans were joined by a tribe of Jews from Madina. However, confused by the ditch and discouraged by suspicion of their Jewish allies and a bitter wind which blew for three days and nights, they packed up and left without offering battle. The Jewish tribe were severely punished for their treacherous behaviour.

In the same year, the Prophet decided to take a company of fourteen hundred men to Makka to perform Hajj. They camped at al-Hudaybiyya just outside the city, but were prevented from entering. Envoys were sent by Quraysh and the Prophet made a treaty which appeared to be disadvantageous to the Muslims and they returned to Madina without setting foot in the Holy City. However, this treaty which stopped the fighting between the Quraysh and the Muslims proved in fact a great victory and Islam spread with greater speed than ever before.

Under the terms of the treaty, the Quraysh had agreed to evacuate Makka the following year for three days while the Muslims visited the city and performed 'Umrah. This was the first time that the Prophet and his Companions had visited Makka for seven years.

In the following year, the Prophet sent an army of three thousand to face an attack from the Byzantine Emperor in Syria. They attacked fearlessly a hundred thousand men, fighting until three leaders had been killed. The few who remained retired and returned to Madina. Then the Quraysh broke the treaty and the Prophet marched with ten thousand men against the Quraysh in Makka. They conquered without bloodshed and the Prophet proclaimed a general amnesty. He freely forgave the people who had unceasingly persecuted him since the beginning of Islam. They became Muslims and the only destruction was of the idols around the Ka'ba. The Prophet set about subduing the remaining hostile tribes, winning a victory at Hunayn, and he besieged and won over the city of Ta'if whose people had rejected him ten years earlier.

In the ninth year of the Hijra, the Muslims of Madina were tested by Allah. The Prophet called for all the Muslims to go with him at the hottest time of the year on a gruelling expedition to a place called Tabuk. Some went and some stayed behind. The expedition returned without fighting. The same year was known as the Year of Deputations and people came to swear allegiance to Islam and the Prophet from all parts of Arabia.

In the tenth year of the Hijra, the Prophet led the Farewell Hajj at which there were one hundred forty thousand Muslims. In a khutba on Mount Arafat, he reminded them of the duties of Islam and that they would be called to account for their actions, and then he asked them if he had truly delivered the guidance. The reply was: "By Allah, yes!" and he said, "O Allah, you are witness." Soon after his return to Madina, he became ill and died with his head in the lap of his most loved wife, 'A'isha.

During the last ten years of his life, he led twenty-seven campaigns in nine of which there was fierce fighting. He planned and sent out thirty more. He personally surprised every detail of administration and judged every case himself, being accessible to every suppliant. He destroyed idol worship and replaced the arrogance and violence, the drunkenness and immorality of the Arabs by humility and compassion, harmony and generosity, creating a truly illuminated society whose like has never been seen - the community of the Companions of the Seal of the Prophets, the final Messenger, the slave of his Lord, Muhammad.
2.

Muhammad - may Allah bless him and grant him peace by the number of beautiful things and by the number of good qualities manifested by men from the beginning of time until the end of time - appeared, when alone, to be a man of medium height. But when he was with other people, he neither dwarfed those smaller than he, nor seemed shorter than those taller. He was well built with a broad chest and wide shoulders and his limbs were strong and well-proportioned. On his back, between his shoulder-blades, nearer the right than the left, was the seal of prophecy, a black mole surrounded by tiny hairs.

His face was oval-shaped and he had a white complexion with a hint of brown in it. His forehead was broad and he had very long arched eyebrows with a gap between them where there was a vein which pulsated in moments of strong feeling. His eyes were black and wide set. He had long heavy eyelashes. His nose was aquiline and his mouth and lips were beautifully formed. His teeth, of which to took great care, were well set and would flash brilliant white when he smiled or laughed. He had broad even cheeks and a full thick black beard which had in it, at the time of his death, seventeen white hairs. His face was framed by luxuriant black hair which fell in waves to between his ears and shoulders, and which he would sometimes plait and sometimes let hang free. The translucence of his face was such that his anger or pleasure shone directly through it. His neck was neither short nor long and was the colour of silver mixed with gold. His hands had the texture of satin with broad palms and long fingers and they exuded a sweet scent which lingered on the things that he touched. His feet were high arched and his gait was like a man who walks down a slope with speed and modesty.

He was mild-tempered and beautifully mannered in an environment accustomed to arrogant violence. He was never insulting and never looked down on illness or poverty. He honoured nobility and rewarded according to worth, giving each what was most fitting to his needs. He never paid homage to wealth and power, but called all those who came to him to the worship of Allah.

He would always be the first to greet whoever he met and would never be the first to withdraw his hand. He was endlessly patient with all who came to him for advice or help, not minding the ignorance of the uneducated nor the coarseness of the ill-bred. On one occasion, a Bedouin came to him asking for something and tugged so violently at his clothes that he ripped a piece right off. Muhammad laughed and gave the man what he wanted.

It was one of his qualities that he had time for all who needed him. He showed regard for his visitors to the point of giving up his own place or spreading his cloak for them to sit on; and if they refused, he would urge them until they accepted. He gave all his guests his complete attention so that all without exception felt that they were the most honoured.

Of all men, he was the least prone to anger and the most ready to be pleased. The mistakes of his companions were not mentioned and he never blamed or reviled anyone. His servant Anas was with him for ten years and not once in all that time did Muhammad take him to task even by so much as asking why he had not done something. He loved to hear good things about his companions and regretted their absence. He visited the sick even in the parts of Madina that were furthest from his house and the most difficult to get to. He attended feasts and accepted the invitations of slaves and free men alike. He accompanied funeral processions and prayed over the graves of his companions. Wherever he went he walked unguarded, even among people who were known to be unfriendly to him.

He had a powerful melodious voice and, although he was silent for long periods at a time, he would always speak when the occasion demanded. When he spoke, he was extraordinarily eloquent and precise, and his sentences were beautifully constructed and so cohesive that those who heard them - whoever they were - could easily understand and remember his words. He would speak sweetly and playfully when he was with his wives; and with his companions he was the most smiling and laughing of men, admiring what they said and joining in with them. He was never angry for himself or for any matter connected with this world, but when he became angry for the sake of Allah, nothing whatever could stand in his way. When he directed someone to a place, he would point with his whole hand. When he was pleased with something, he turned his palms up. When he was speaking, he placed his palms together, When he talked to someone, he would turn with his whole body towards them. Whatever he did, he would do it to the full.

His generosity was such that whenever he was asked for anything he was never known to say no. He once went on giving sheep to a Bedouin who kept asking for more until they filled a valley between two mountains and the man was overwhelmed. He would never go to bed until all the money in his house had been distributed to the poor and he would frequently give away from his year's store of grain, so that he and his family would be without before the year was up. He used to ask people about their needs without them coming to him and would give them what they wanted. As he was generous with his few possessions, so he was generous with himself, giving unceasingly, advice, help, kindness, and forgiveness, and overflowing love.

He loved poverty and was continually to be found with the poor. His life was as simple as possible. He always sat on the ground, and often when he was with his companions he would sit in the last row so that visitors could not distinguish him among them. He ate from a dish on a cloth on the ground and never used a table. He slept on the ground on a mat of palm fibre, the marks of which showed on his skin, though he did not refuse more comfort if it was offered to him.

He and his family would frequently go hungry and there were months at a stretch when no smoke would rise from his or his wives' houses because they had only dates and water and no food to cook or oil for the lamps. But on other occasions, when food was available, he ate well. He said that the best meal was the one with the most hands eating it. He never criticised food. If he liked it, he ate it, and if he didn't, he left it.

He used to tie up the male camel and feed the animals used for carrying water. He swept his room, soled his shoes, patched his clothes, milked the ewe, ate with his slaves, and dressed them as he dressed himself, and carried what he bought from the market place to his house. He said, "O Allah, make me live and die and be raised up with poor," and at his death, he left not a dinar nor dirham.

He would wear whatever was at hand, provided it was lawful, though he particularly liked green and white garments. When he wore a new garment, he would give an old one away. Sometimes he would wear coarse wool. He had a striped cloak from the Yemen of which he was particularly fond. He loved perfumes and would buy the best that were available. The only possessions of which he was particularly fond and of which he took great care were his words, his bow and his armour, which he used fearlessly and frequently in the expeditions which he led.

Above all, it was through him that the Qur'an was revealed and his whole life was a continual manifestation of his teachings. He was the perfect example to his community, both of how they should be in regard to each other and the world, and also of how they should be with their Lord, the Creator of the Universe. He showed them how to purify themselves and how and when to prostrate before Allah. He showed them how and when to fast. He showed them how and when to give. He showed them how to fight in the Way of Allah. He led them in prayer and prostrated alone during the night until his feet became swollen. When he was asked why, he said, "Should I not be a thankful slave?" He had a prayer for every action and he would never rise nor sit without mentioning Allah. All his actions were performed with the intention of pleasing his Lord. He taught his community everything that would bring them closer to Allah and warned them against everything that would distance them from Allah.

He inspired love and awe in all who met him and his companions loved and revered him more than their families, their possessions, and more even than themselves. His close companion and friend Abu Bakr as-Siddiq once put his foot in a hole where there was a snake which bit him, rather than disturb his beloved Prophet who was asleep at the time. His son-in-law and nephew 'Ali risked being murdered in his place, and there are many more accounts of the devotion he inspired among those who followed him. The unanimity of reaction of those closest to him and the description of him which has come down to us from them show a man of such perfection of character that there can remain no doubt about the truth of the message and guidance which he brought - the Way of Islam. His Lord said of him in the Qur'an: "We have created you on a vast self-form," and he said, "I have come to perfect good character." It is this that is the goal and result of following the Way of the Seal of the Prophets, the final Messenger, the Slave of his Lord, Muhammad.
3.

Muhammad - may Allah bless him and give him peace by the number of created things from the beginning of the creation until the day that all things are effaced in the overpowering splendour of the Divine Majesty - said that his Lord said: "I was a hidden treasure and I desired to be known and I created the universe so that I would be known." It was the desire for self-knowledge expressed in the depths of the Essence of the Divine Unity that caused the beginning of the process of creation and led to the unfolding of the many layers of existence and all the forms contained in them including the earth with all its mineral, plant, and animal life. At a certain point, when the environment was completely prepared for it, a new creature was brought into existence - man. Until this event, all the different forms of existence had varying degrees of awareness, but man was given, by his Creator and Lord, the ability to recognise, not only his physical environment, but also that he was an inseparable part of One Reality which he perceived in himself and in everything around him. He was the summit and perfection of the whole creation and the means by which the "hidden treasure" could achieve His desire of complete self-knowledge.

Deep in the being of man is a secret breathed into him by his Lord which opens out onto the Majesty and Beauty of the Divine Unity. Muhammad said that his Lord said: "The whole universe cannot contain Me, but the heart of My trusting slave contains Me." The Qur'an says: "We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it and were afraid of it and man carried it. Surely he is wrong-acting, very foolish." This wrong action and foolishness on the part of man led him to forget his true nature and to lose his awareness of the Divine Unity. He became more and more involved with the perception of his senses; and gradually, gave intrinsic reality to created forms. However, because of the Mercy inherent in the Divine Reality, men appeared among the different human communities to show them what had been lost and restore man to his true nature. These men, known as Prophets and Messengers, were created for this purpose alone; and although they were only men among men, they were from their birth blessed with unobscured perception of the Divine Reality and knowledge of how to live in harmony with the Lord of the Universe; while those around them floundered in the darkness of forgetfulness and increasing ignorance. These Prophets and Messengers brought for their communities the knowledge and direction they needed and served as examples for them, bringing them back to the worship and recognition of their Lord, the One Reality. They are the perfection of the human creature, unspoiled by their contact with this existence, constantly aware of the Presence of their Lord.

The first of them was the first man, Adam, and they continued to appear throughout the history of man of earth until the chain was completed with the coming of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad. The Qur'an says: "Muhammad is not the father of anyone of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets."

We have seen that the summit and fulfilment of the process of creation is in man. Although he was the last to appear, everything that preceded him was in preparation for him - the means by which the Lord of the Universe would come to know Himself. The desire for this self-knowledge was what brought about the whole unfolding of creation, and so the first idea became a reality in the final form. In man firstness and lastness are joined together. If you desire a fruit, you must first plant a tree and then wait for it to grow, blossom, and finally, to bear fruit. However, the idea of the fruit preceded the planting of the tree.

As we have said, the perfection of man was in the Prophets and Messengers who were the models and examples for the rest of mankind, and in whom the Divine Unity was most perfectly reflected. They correspond most closely to the original desire in the Divine Essence for self-revelation and are, therefore, the first beings in the unfolding of the creation. As lastness and firstness are combined in man, the last of creatures, so they are combined in Muhammad, the last of the Messengers. He said, illustrating this, "I was the first of the Prophets to be created and the last to deliver His message." And he said: "I was a Prophet when my brother Adam was between water and clay." And he said again: "When Allah desired to create the universe, He grasped a portion of His Light and said to it: 'Be Muhammad!'"

Muhammad is the first point at which light emerges from the impenetrable, absolutely unknowable vastness of the Divine Essence. He is the first being in the unfolding of the creation of the universe. He is the screen through which the Divine Attributes flow into the rest of existence and great veil by which creation is protected from the overwhelming power of the Divine Majesty. He is the moon reflecting the undifferentiated light of the divine sun. He is the highest manifestation of the Names and the Attributes of Allah and the means by which they flow into the rest of the creation.

He is Muhammad, the son of 'Abdullah, son of 'Abdul-Muttalib, born in Makkah fifty-three years before the Hijra. He was given complete realisation of his incomparable station with the Lord of the Universe during the Mi'raj, the Night Journey, when he was taken up through the seven heavens to a point beyond the Lote Tree which marks the furthest limit at which even Jibril, the greatest of the angels, was forced to halt. From there he drew to within two bows' lengths of his Lord and realised complete fulfilment and the stilling of every desire. This journey was his returning to the point from which he had come when he came into this existence, and was his discovering fully the depth and perfection of his own being - the pinnacle and pivot of creation and the purest manifestation of the Divine Beauty, Mercy, Generosity, and Balance. Because of his closeness to the Divine Essence, there being none closer than him, he has been given the name al-Habib, the Beloved.

But it must be remembered that, in spite of his incomparable station with the Creator of the universe, Muhammad is no more than a creature and is absolutely powerless in the face of his Lord, the One Who has no partner. He is the Messenger bringing to mankind the final and perfect Way which envelops and supersedes the teaching of all who came before him; he is, at the same time, absolutely a slave to his Creator, aware that all power and strength are from Him. For the Muslim, there can be no possibility of worshipping Muhammad, because the Lord is always the Lord and the slave can never be more than a slave, completely dependent upon his Creator, In fact, because of his nearness to the Divine Essence, Muhammad, more than any other creature, is aware of the absolute Power of his Lord and of his own total incapacity.

However, Muhammad - and his name means "worthy of praise" - has been given, by the Lord of the Universe, a place more exalted than that of any other creature, and all the Muslims are commanded to give him the honour due to his rank and to pray for blessings on him. The Qur'an says: "Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O who you believe, pray for peace and blessings on him." Because of his position with Allah, by which all things are clothed in their existence, to bless him is to bless the whole of creation, and, because of the generous nature of the Divine Reality, the blessings are magnified back on to the one who utters them. Muhammad said: "He who blesses me once, Allah blesses him a hundred times. He who blesses me a hundred times, Allah blesses him a thousand times. And he who blesses me a thousand times, Allah forbids the Fire to touch his body."

The nearness of Muhammad to his Lord and his understanding of his own ignorance before the Knower-of-all-things makes him the perfect vehicle for the revelation of the Divine Word in the Qur'an. This is why he is the Messenger, the Slave, and also the Unlettered Prophet. No knowledge can be attributed to him. All his knowledge is from Allah who alone knows the Unseen and the Visible. His position of perfect receptivity and total subservience to his Lord means that all his words and actions were in absolute harmony with the Divine Unity, and his message to mankind was therefore not only contained in the Qur'an, but was equally shown in the way that he lived and the things that he said during his life. The Muslim is instructed in the Qur'an: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger." Obedience to Muhammad is obedience to Allah. Love for Muhammad is love for Allah. And enmity to Muhammad is enmity to Allah. "He that hates you, he is the one cut off." Muhammad is the one who is completely given up to his Lord. By listening to and acting upon his words, by emulating his behaviour and by increasing in love for him, the Muslim hopes for closeness to him, for closeness to him is closeness to his Lord. By drawing nearer to Muhammad, a man draws nearer to Allah.

It is Muhammad, the greatest of the creation in the eyes of the Lord of the Universe, who will intercede for all his fellow creatures on the Day of Reckoning when all are called to account for their actions in this existence. On that day when "he who has done an atom's weight of good will see it, and he who has done an atom's weight of wrong will see it." He, of all beings, has been given the most generosity and compassion and, because he is the Beloved of his Lord, all who have even the tiniest grain of true belief in their hearts will be removed from torment and given bliss.

Muhammad is the nearest to Allah, the Beloved of Allah, the first overflowing of light from the Essence of Allah and therefore, the Way to Allah inevitably passes through him. On his Night Journey, he travelled through the seven heavens to the depths of his being and the Presence of his Lord, and returned to tell all men of the Way that leads to the Lord of the Universe. That Way is available to all who wish to follow it. All who make this journey to discover their true nature will find that the Way to the Divine Reality in the depths of their hearts is the Way of the Seal of the Prophets, the final Messenger, the Slave of his Lord, Muhammad.

No description of Muhammad, however detailed or well-researched, can convey who he really is. His perfections are beyond numbering and even the greatest poets among those who love him end by admitting the impossibility of praising him enough. If you want real knowledge of Muhammad, you must look to the people who have given themselves up to following his example in every aspect of their life. In them you will see something of the inner quality and luminosity of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. From them you can learn the way of Islam, the path of submission that leads to peace.

Sincere Religious Advices

Extracted from

An-Nasaaih i'd Diniyyah (Sincere Religious Advices)

Of: Imam 'Abdallah ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad

Rady Allahu 'Anh

Translated by: Shaykh Mohamed Mlamali Adam, UK

And there is no strength nor power save by the Will and Grace of Allah, the Sublime, the Magnificent. Glory to Thee! Of knowledge we have none, except for what Thou has taught us: in truth it is Thou who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom. The Laud is but Allah's, the Creator, the Possessor, the Sustainer, the Cherisher and the Provider of the worlds. He who has made the invitation to righteousness and the call to goodness and giving counsel to Muslims among the best acts which draw one nigh to Allah's Ridwan - the infinite beatitude - the best which attract the highest promotions and the most important of religious duties. Indeed, that way lies the path of Allah's duly appointed Prophets, that of his virtuous saints and such ulama who live accordingly to their knowledge and who are firmly established in 'ilm and certitude - al-yaqin. May the blessings and peace of Allah descend upon our sire and master Muhammad, the faithful Apostle, the steadfast beloved of Allah, the Seal of the Prophets, the leader of the dedicated in Taqwa, and the sovereign of the foremost and their successors. (May such blessings and peace also) embrace his veracious and sincere kinsfolk as well as his companions and those who followed them in the spirit of beneficience; and may such blessings and peace abide until the appointed Day.

Indeed after the foregoing blessed invocation of Allah's Name, Most Sublime, expressions of Laud unto Allah and supplications of blessings and peace upon the Prophet (may I recall) that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be blessings and peace says: "Verily, actions shall be judged but by intentions and verily, to each man there will be a reward equal to his intention. Whosoever sets upon Hijra - emigration - to Allah and His Apostle will have it hallowed as a Hijra to Allah and His Apostle, and whosoever sets out on a Hijra for the sake of worldly gain or a woman it is his desire to marry, the Hijra of such a one will be to whatever his Hijra is set upon" (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim). And says he, upon whom be blessings and peace of Allah: "Verily religion is whole-hearted, whole souled sincerity. They say: to whom, O Messenger of Allah? Says he: to Allah and His Book and His Messenger and to the Imams of Muslims and to the rank and file" (Recorded by Muslim).

And this is a book which we have written and have assembled in it some sincere religious counsels in matters of faith. And our intention hereby is that we ourselves should benefit and enable others to do so. It is also our aim to remind and admonish ourselves as well as Muslim brothers. We have intentionally written it in easy and simple language and straightforward style in order that Muslims and Mu'uminin - believers - of all walks may understand it. And we have called it "An Nasaihi ad-Diniyyah wal-Wasaya al-Imaniyyah" - Sincere Religious Advices and Counsels of Faith. We pray to Allah, the Exalted, that all this effort should be for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, that it may draw (us) nigh to His Sublime Presence in Paradise, that He may through it, bestow most abundant benefactions upon us as well as all our Muslim brethren. Verily, Allah is the Aider in that and has Power over that and Allah is our Sufficiency and supremely to be trusted is He. Of success I have none except that which comes from Allah, in Him I trust and unto Him to turn and return.

Source: Imam 'Abdallah Ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad, An-Nasaaih i'd Diniyyah (Sincere Religious Advices), translated by Shaykh Mohamed Mlamali Adam in 'Alawiyyah, Vol.1, No.1, July 1988, p. 2-3.

The Zikr of Laa Ilaaha Illallah

Extracted from

Ithaaf i's saail (Gifts For The Seeker)

Of: Imam 'Abdallah Ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad
Rady Allahu 'Anhu

Translated by: Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, Madina

You should know that this phrase is the most comprehensive and profitable of all invocations; the nearest to bringing about the Opening and illumining the heart with the light of God. It is also the most suitable of invocations for all people, since it includes the meanings of all other invocations, such as al-hamdu li'Llah, subhan Allah, and so on. Each believer should therefore, make it his inseparable wird, his constant dhikr, without, however, abandoning the other invocations, of each of which he should have a wird.

Every human being is either a traveller, and arriver, or a non-traveller, and all three should hold unceasingly to this invocation. Travellers and non-travellers, since they perceive objects and attribute to them an existence of their own- something which may lead to subtle forms of hidden shirk- can only expel these from their souls by constantly repeating this phrase. As for the man who has arrived, this invocation is again the most appropriate for him, because although he perceives things by God, and unceasingly summons them to Him, he is not entirely free from perceiving his own self from time to time, and from reprehensible thoughts unworthy of his rank. It has been handed down to us that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may God be pleased with him, used to insert this phrase into his conversation: he would utter a few words, say la ilaha illa'Llah, and then resume what he was saying. This pertains to the Station of Subsistence (baqa) which follows that of Extinction (fana). As we said earlier, there is no invocation more appropriate for a man constantly to use than this; however, when the traveller reaches the initial stages of extinction, and is liberated from perceiving any of the worlds (as autonomous), then the most appropriate thing for him at that time is to keep to the Name of Allah. This is what the people of gnosis have advised.

All the above is from the point of view of choosing the best and the most appropriate alternative, for otherwise all the invocations are the paths leading to God. The shaykhs, may God be pleased with them, have many methods of uttering this honorable Phrase, whether aloud or silently, and have set conditions which the invoker who would expose himself to the Dive effulgence and the Lordly Opening needs to fulfil. These are explained in those of their treatises which deal with them specifically, where they can be found by whoever wishes to thread the path of such men. It is best that those who are able to find in their time a shaykh of authority should receive these from him directly, since books are a last resort for those who are unable to find (such a teacher); and what a difference there is between a man who receives the Path from a gnostic of authority who will take him to God, and one who only picks it up from a book!

God guides to what is right. To Him is the return, and success is from Him and in His Hand.

Source: Imam 'Abdallah Ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad, Ithaaf i's saail (Gifts For The Seeker), translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, The Quilliam Press, U.K, 1992, p18-19.

On Reflection

Chapter 9 of: Risalat ul-Mu‘awanah (The Book of Assistance)

By: Imam ‘AbdAllah bin ‘Alawi al-Haddad

Rady Allahu ‘Anhu

You should have a wird of reflection in every twenty-four hours, for which you should set aside one or more hours. The best time for reflection is the one in which are the least preoccupations, worries, and most potential for the heart to be present, such as the depths of the night. Know that the state of one’s religious and worldly affairs depends upon the soundness of one’s reflection. Anyone who has a share of it has an abundant share of everything good. It has been said: ‘An hour’s reflection is better than a year’s worship.’ ‘Alī, may God ennoble his face, has said: ‘There is no worship like reflection.’ And one of the gnostics; may God have mercy on them all, said: ‘Reflection is the lamp of the heart; if it departs the heart will have no light.’

The ways of reflection are many. One, which is the most noble of them, is to reflect on the wonders of God’s dazzling creation, the inward and outward signs of His Ability, and the signs He has scattered abroad in the Realm of this earth and the heavens. This kind of reflection increases your knowledge of the Essence, Attributes, and Names of God. He has encouraged it by saying:

Say: Look at what is in the heavens and the earth! (10:101)

Reflect on the wondrous creatures He has made, and on yourself. He has said:

In the earth are signs for those who have certainty, and in yourselves; can you not see? (51:20, 21)

Know that you must reflect on the favours of God, and His bounties which He caused to reach you.

Remember the favours of God, that you may succeed. (7: 69)

Should you [attempt to] number the favours of God, you would not be able to do so. (16:18)

All good things that you possess are from God. (16:53)

This kind of reflection results in the heart filling with the love of God, and continuously rendering thanks to Him, inwardly and outwardly, in a manner that pleases and satisfies Him.

Know that you should reflect on God’s complete awareness of you, and His seeing and knowing all about you.

We have created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him; and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. (50:16)

And He is with you wherever you are, and God sees what you do. (57:4)

Have you not seen that God knows what is in the heavens and the earth, and no three [persons] converse but that He is their fourth? (58:7)

This kind of reflection results in your feeling ashamed before God should He see you where He has forbidden you to be, or miss you where He has commanded you to be. Know that you must reflect on your shortcomings in worshipping your Lord, and you’re exposing yourself to His wrath should you do what He has forbidden you.

I created jinn and men to worship Me. (51:56)

Do you think that We created you in vain, and that to Us you will not be returned? (23:115)

O man! What is it that has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord? (82:6)

This kind of reflection increases your fear of God, encourages you to blame and reproach yourself, to avoid remissness, and persevere in your zeal.

Know that you must reflect on this worldly life, its numerous preoccupations, hazards, and the swiftness with which it perishes, and upon the hereafter, and its felicity and permanence.

Thus does God render the signs clear to you, that you may reflect on this world and the hereafter. (2:219, 220)

But you prefer the life of the world, when the hereafter is better and more abiding. (87:16, 17)

The life of the world is but distraction and play; while the Last Abode is indeed the Life, if but they knew. (29:64)

This kind of reflection results in losing all desire for the world, and in wishing for the hereafter.

Know that you should reflect on the imminence of death and the regret and remorse which occur when it is too late.

Say: The death that you flee will indeed meet you, and you will then be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will inform you of that which you had been doing. (62:8)

Until, when death comes to one of them he says: ‘My Lord! Send me back that I may do good in that which I have left!’ No! It is but a word he says. (23:99, 100)

O you who believe! Let not your wealth or your children distract you from the remembrance of God!

up to:

But God will not reprieve a soul whose time has come. (63:9, 10, 11)

The benefit of this kind of reflection is that hopes become short, behaviour better, and provision is gathered for the Appointed Day.

Know that you should reflect on those attributes and acts by which God has described His friends and His enemies, and on the immediate and delayed rewards which He has prepared for each group.

The righteous are in felicity, and the depraved are in hell. (82:13, 14)

Is the one who is a believer like the one who is corrupt? They are not equal. (32:18)

As for the one who gave, had taqwā, and believed in goodness, We shall ease him into ease, (92:5, 6, 7)

up to the end of the sūra.

The believers are those who, when God is mentioned, their hearts tremble,

up to:

they will have degrees with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous provision. (8:2, 3, 4)

God has promised those among you who have believed and done good works that He will make them rulers over the earth as He made those before them rulers. (24:55)

Each We took for their sin; on some We sent a hurricane, some were taken by the Cry, some We caused the earth to swallow, and some We drowned. It was not for God to wrong them, but they wronged themselves. (29:40)

Hypocrite men and hypocrite women proceed one from another; they enjoin evil and forbid good,

up to:

God curses them, and theirs is a lasting torment. (9:67, 68)

Believing men and believing women are helping friends to each other; they enjoin good and forbid evil,

up to:

and good pleasure from God which is greater; that is the supreme gain. (9:71, 72)

Those who do not expect to meet Us, are content with the life of the world and feel secure therein,

up to:

and the end of their prayer is, Praised be God, the Lord of the Worlds! (10:7, 8, 9, 10)

The result of this kind of reflection is that you come to love the fortunate, habituate yourself to emulating their behaviour and taking on their qualities, and detest the wretched, and habituate yourself to avoiding their behaviour and traits of character.

Were we to allow ourselves to pursue the various channels of reflection we would have to forgo the brevity which we intended. That which we have mentioned should suffice the man of reason.

You should, with each kind of reflection, bring to mind those verses, hadīths and other narratives relating to it. We have given an example of this by quoting some of the verses related to each kind of reflection.

Beware of reflecting on the Essence of God and His Attributes in the wish to understand their nature and how they exist. No one ever became enamoured of this without falling into the abysses of negation [ta’tīl] or the traps of anthropomorphism [tashbīh]. The Messenger of God, may blessings and peace be upon him, has said: ‘Reflect on the signs of God, and do not reflect on His Essence, for you will never be able to give Him His due.’

The aim and spirit of awrād is presence with God. Aim for it; you will reach it only if you travel the road that leads to it, which is performing the external activities and striving to be present with God during them. When you persevere in this you become immersed in the lights of Proximity, and the sciences of gnosis emanate upon you, at which your heart becomes wholly intent on God and presence becomes its nature and well-established quality. At that time you have to exert yourself to be attentive to creatures when you need to and you may not always be able to. Such a condition results in one becoming absent [from creation], engrossed [in the Creator], and extinct to anything that is not Him. It also leads to other states special to the people of God. The foundation of all this is perseverance in outward devotions and taking care to perform them well and with an effort to be attentive with God.

Beware of leaving a wird for fear of not being able to persevere in it; for this is foolishness. You should not do, in each period of time, whatever happens to suit your energy and free time; on the contrary you should have a minimum that you perform, which you can add to whenever you feel energetic, but never fall below when you feel lazy.

Know that hastening to acts of goodness, being careful with acts of worship and persevering in obedience, constitute the way of the Prophets and Saints, both at the beginning and end of their affair, for they are the creatures with the most knowledge of God, and it is therefore not surprising that they are the most worshipful, obedient, and fearful of Him (Mighty and Majestic is He!) The attentiveness of a servant is equal to his love for his Lord. Love is consequent upon knowledge: in as much as God’s servant grows more knowledgeable of Him, so also shall he love Him more and worship Him more abundantly. If you become too busy amassing worldly things and following passions to have awrādand keep to acts of worship, strive to give your Lord an hour at the end of the day when you occupy yourself with glorifying Him, asking forgiveness, and other kinds of devotions. It has been related that God the Exalted has said: ‘Son of Adam! Give Me an hour at the beginning of your day and an hour at its end, and I was will take charge for you, of all that is in between.’ It has also been related that the record of a servant is shown to God at the end of each day, and if at its beginning and end there is goodness, God the Exalted says to the angel: ‘Erase what is in between!’ This is God’s graciousness to us and all people, but most people are not thankful.

Source: Imam ‘AbdAllah bin ‘Alawi al-Haddad, Risalat ul-Mu‘awanah (The Book of Assistance), translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, The Quilliam Press, Buckinghamshire, U.K, 1989, p. 31-35.