Part 10

If knowledge is useful without actions, Allah, the Exalted would never have dispraised the people of the book, and if actions were useful without devotion, He would never have dispraised the hypocrites.

Stand firm against evil thoughts, for if you fail to do so, they will become ideas, if you do not, they will become desires, so fight against them. If you do not, they will become a form of determination and intention, if you do

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not resist, they will become actions, and if you do not follow them up with their opposite, they will become habits that will be hard to quit.

e Piety has Three Levels

One: protecting the heart and limbs against sin and forbidden actions.

Two: protecting them against undesirable matters.

Three: protection against curiosity and whatever is not of one's concern.

The first will grant life to the servant, the second will grant him heaith and power, and the third will grant him happiness and joy.

¢ He whom Allah has predestined to enter Paradise, the reasons, which will cause his entrance shall spring from calamities; and he whom Allah has predestined to enter the Hellfire, the reasons which will cause his entrance shall spring from lusts.

e When Adam (Adam, peace be upon him) sought immortality in Paradise by means of eating from the forbidden tree, he was punished by having to leave, and when Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him) sought to get out of the prison by means of one of the two prisoners who had the vision, he remained in it for several years.

Reactions to Undesirable Destiny

If the servant experiences something that he hates, he should adopt six views:

One: to acknowledge monotheism. The Will of Allah should be done, and whatever He does not wish should never be done.

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Two: to believe in the justice of Allah, and that the judgment of Allah is to be done and His judgment is just.

Three: to believe in mercy: that His mercy concerning this destiny will prevail more than His anger and vengeance.

Four: to believe in wisdom and that all destiny is according to His wisdom. He did not predestine anything without reason.

Five: to praise Allah. Indeed, to Allah all perfect praise is due.

Six: to be servants of Allah. The person is a mere servant of Allah. The orders and judgments of His Lord are to be done to him as he is His servant. He is under the authority and judgments of Allah as well as His religious judgments.

Consequences of Committing Sins

Lack of success, invalid views, absence of righteousness, corruption of the heart, failing to praise Allah, wasting time, avoidance of other creations, separation between the servant and his Lord, supplications not being answered, constriction of the heart, decaying of blessings in subsistence and age, prevention of attaining knowledge, humiliation, insults from enemies, a constricted breast, evil friends that will spoil one's heart and waste time, sadness and grief, a miserable life, and disappointment. All that results from sins and neglecting to praise Allah, as plants grow by being watered but are consumed by fire. The opposite of the above are the consequences of obedience to Allah, the Almighty.

Chapter on the Rights of Allah

The one who is just toward Allah will find true happiness. This is the same one who admits that he is ignorant, that his deeds are defective and that he himself is insufficient, and that he continually fails to give Allah His rights as He deserves. If Allah punishes him for his sins, he will know that this is just, and if such a person does a good deed, he will see it as a favor and

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charity from Allah and if Allah accepts it from him, it is another favor from Him and if He does not, it is because it is not suitable to be presented to Allah. If he did an evil deed, he will see it as a result of being abandoned by Allah, and that Allah had removed His protection from him and so he commits sins, and this is justice. He acknowledges his need for Allah and knows he is unjust toward himself. If Allah forgives him, it would be a generous favor from Him. The whole issue depends upon seeing Allah as the Well-Doer and seeing himself as the sinner and neglectful person. When something pleases him, he sees it as a favor from Allah and that it is He, who grants it to him, and whenever something displeases him, he knows that it is because of his sins and that Allah is being just toward him in every matter.

When the house of lovers are destroyed, they invoke Allah that the dwellers be able to return and find peace and goodness. When someone who loves Allah has stayed under the dust for several years, he would remember his obedience to Allah in this worldly life and would find the good he obtained.

A Precious Gem: Two Kinds of Jealousy

There are two kinds of jealousy: to be jealous for something and to be jealous of something. Being jealous for your lover means that you care for him/her and you do not want anything to come between that person and yourself or to compete with you. The feeling of jealousy for the lover always comes with the feeling of being jealous of whatever is in competition with you. The first kind of jealousy is praised, as the lover dislikes having partners in their love. This feeling is more likeable in loving the Messenger and the scholars, and even more likeable in loving the one, who most deserves our love, the Exalted! The idea of not wanting to have another compete with him/her in their love is envy. The desirable form of jealousy on His behalf is when the lover is jealous of his/her love for Him from

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being turned away to another one. Also, not wanting it to be known by others, thinking that others will spoil it, being jealous that his/her deeds may stem from parts that are not for his/her love, or being jealous because of hypocrisy. As a whole, jealousy requires that his/her condition, deeds, and actions all be for the sake of Allah. To be jealous that his/her time will be wasted in doing something else other than pleasing Allah is the state of the lover. This jealousy comes from the side of the servant and it is being jealous of his/ner competitor who hinders and prevents the pleasure of his/her lover, the Exalted. While His lover, the Exalted is jealous for him/her through hating that the servant’s heart should turn away from loving Him to love other than Him. That is why the jealousy of Allah is when the servant does whatever is forbidden. And out of His jealousy, He forbade shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc. whether committed openly or secretly. Because all mankind is His and He is jealous for them exactly as a master is jealous for his slaves. Allah is jealous for His servants to love other than Him in case this love will spur them on to commit sins.

¢ The person whose love and reverence for Allah in his heart prevents him from disobeying Him, Allah will venerate him in the hearts of creatures so that they will not humiliate him.

e If the roots of knowledge hold onto the heart, the tree of love will grow in it and if it becomes stronger it will bear the fruits of obedience and it will keep on giving its fruit at all times by the Leave of its Lord.

e The first ranks among people are those who do as Allah says,

which means, "Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify His Praises morning and

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afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and ‘Asr prayers]."

The middle rank is as Allah says, geil Joell go Xs Bat) Ky Sle Lad call gap

which means, "He it is Who sends Sa/at (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief and Islamic Monotheism)." (Al-AhzAb, 33:43)

The lowest rank is as Allah says, 4D Le Spal os ES >

which means, "Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salam: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salamu ‘Alaikum)!" (Al-Ahzab, 33:44)

e The land of nature is wide and accepts whatever is going to be planted in it. If you plant a tree of faith and piety, it will give the sweetness of the Hereafter and if you plant a tree of ignorance and desire, it will give bitter fruit.

Return to Allah and seek Him in your eye, ear, heart, and tongue and do not forget to seek Him in these four ways. Whoever obeys Him is doing so concerning these four and whoever does not, is also doing so by means of these four. The fortunate one is he who hears, sees, speaks, and attacks while seeking the pleasure of Allah and the miserable one is the one who does so seeking his own pleasure and desires.

The example of obedience that grows and increases, is like a seed that you plant, which becomes a tree, then bears fruit, and you ate this fruit and planted their seeds again and

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whenever the tree bears fruit you eat it and plant its seeds. The exact example can be applied to sins and the way they increase. There is an old proverb and the wise will understand it. It means: the reward for good deeds is that they are followed by other good deeds, and the punishment for bad deeds is that they are followed by other bad deeds.

It is not strange that a servant lowers himself before Allah, worships, and does not become bored from serving Him because he needs Him. The strange matter is that Allah shows love to His servant by all means through granting blessings and rewards while He does not need him.

¢ You should keep away from committing sins as they humiliated Adam (Adam, peace be upon him) after he had been honored and then he was driven out of Paradise.

¢ From the moment Adam (Adam, peace be upon him) disobeyed his Lord, he suffered from great tension that lasted for a thousand years until Allah forgave him.

e Satan rejoiced when Adam (Adam, peace be upon him) came out of Paradise but he did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again. The purpose beyond the existence of the sons of Adam is as Allah says,