Part 54

which means, "What are these images, to which you are devoted?" (Al-Anbiya', 21:52)

He and his people shared the reality of devotion but his nation chose devotion to graven images and he devoted himself to Allah, the Exalted. Images are actually the plural of an image, like pictures. When the heart is attached to, busy with and following anything other than Allah, this is devotion of the heart to images which appear to him in his heart similar to devotion to the images of idols. That is why the polytheism of pagans was by devoting their hearts, intentions, and wills to idols. For this reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) called whoever did so a servant of idols or images and invoked Allah against him. He (peace be upon him) said, "Miserable be the worshipper of the dinar and the dirham! Let him be miserable and a looser, and let him never be healed even from the prick of a thorn.”

Mankind are all travelers in this worldy life and every traveler is heading toward his aim and will stop at the place that pleases him. Whoever seeks Allah and the Last Day is a traveler and his aim in his travel is seeking the pleasure of Allah, and this is his aim, intention and destiny. Allah says,

which means, "(It will be said to the pious): "O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction! "Come back to your Lord, Wellpleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him! "Enter you, then, among My honored slaves, "And enter you My Paradise!" (Al-

And Allah says that the wife of Fir'awn (Pharoah) said, 40. Sa gE Sas J gigi. p

which means, "My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise." (At-Tahrim, 66:12)

She asked for His companionship and the home of the Hereafter before her earthly home.

Some Sayings of Sheikh ‘Aly

In a state between wakefulness and sleep it occurred to me: do not show that you are in need of any other except Allah otherwise He will double your need for you as a consequence of violating your limits as His servant. He afflicted you with poverty so that you would be purified so do not rid yourself of the means of your reformation. Allah prescribed that poverty would be your destiny and your wealth would be with Him, and if you used your wealth to maintain a close relation with Him, He would use His to do the same, but if you used yours to seek your need from another, He would prevent His support to you as a means of exile from His door. Do not depend on anything that is lower and weaker than Him, as it will bring about evil results and destroy you. If you depend on your deeds, He will give you your due reward, if you depend on knowledge alone, He will take it away from you, if you depend

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on love, He will cause you to indulge in it, if you depend on learning alone, He will make it a means of your destruction, and if you depend on creatures, He will leave you to them. Be satisfied with Allah as Your Lord and He will be satisfied with you as His servant.

A Precious Gem: Sighing While Listening to the Qur'an Sighing while listening to the Qur'an or other than it has a number of causes:

One: if while listening to the Qur'an a person experiences a new degree that he never did before within himself and becomes scared, this happens to him. This is a sigh of longing to have this degree.

Two: if a sin is mentioned that he committed, he sighs out of fear and sadness. This is a sigh of fear.

Three: if a fault or weakness is mentioned which he cannot stop or control, it will cause him sadness. his is a sigh of sadness.

Four: when he perceives the perfection of his Lord and discovers that the way to Him is closed. This is a sigh of sadness and grief.

Five: if he forgets His Lord and is busy with other than Him and this recitation reminds him of his Lord and outlines the way to Him clearly and openly, this is a sigh of joy and happiness.

Anyway, the cause of sighing is the strength and significance of the event in comparison with the weakness of the person and his ability to bear it or overcome it, along with the power of the event when it happens inside him. If he shows it on his face, it would cause the effect to be weak and would bring about its

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end. This is the sigh, which comes from the true servant. The one who tastes that is either truthful, a thief, or a hypocrite.

A Useful Rule: Kinds of Thoughts

The origin of good and evil begins in one’s thoughts. Thought is the bases of will and seeking piety, love, and hate. The most beneficial kinds of thoughts are those, which seek the benefits of the Resurrection and the ways to gain them and the evils of the Resurrection and the ways to avoid them. These are four of the loftiest thoughts, and there are four others that follow them: thought concerned with the benefits of this worldly life and the ways to gain them and evil thoughts concerning this worldly life and the ways to avoid them. These eight subjects comprise the thoughts that wise people think. The head of the first section is thinking about the blessings, favors, commands, and prohibitions of Allah, about the ways to know Him, His names and attributes from His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger and whoever follows him sincerely. Thoughts of this kind will bring about love and knowledge. When he thinks about the Hereafter, its honor and immortality and about this worldly life and its meanness and ruin, he will wish for the Hereafter and will neglect the other. The more he thinks about the shortness of time and the absence of hope in front of him in this worldly life, he will become more serious and diligent and do his best to benefit from time and whatever avails him.

These thoughts will strengthen his intention and revive it after its death and will make him steer his course in one way while the others steer theirs in another way. Besides these thoughts, there are also evil thoughts which get established in the majority of hearts. These include thinking about what we are not supposed to think about it and being preoccupied with useless knowledge like the identity of Allah and His attributes and other things, which the mind cannot comprehend.

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Also thinking about non beneficial pass times like playing chess, listening to music, and images and pictures of living things.

As well as this are some of the sciences which do not elevate the soul or bring about the development of man, like the details of logic, mathematics and physics and many schools of philosophy. Even if man understands the essence of such things, it does not bring about perfection or honor.

Thinking about desires, pleasures, and ways to fulfill them, is an aspect of evil thought. Even if man takes delight in them, their harm during this worldly life and the Hereafter are greater than the pleasure they provide.

Another example is thinking about what never happened. If it had really happened, what would it have been like? Like for example, thinking about what it would be like if one were a king, found a treasure, or owned a garden. What would be one’s manners and how would one act, take, give, take revenge, etc? These are the thoughts of foolish people.

Thinking about such people and the aspects of their lives,etc are the kinds of thoughts of those who are far away from Allah, His Messenger, and the Hereafter.

Thinking about and planning traps and tricks by which one can achieve his desires and aims whether they are lawful or not.

Also thinking about the kinds of poetry that praise, criticize, express feelings of love, lamentation, and others, as they keep the servant busy and prevent him from thinking about his real happiness and eternal life in the Hereafter.

Also thinking about imaginary concepts that are not conceivable and moreover they are not necessary in human life. This is found in every science even in jurisprudence, the principles of Islam, and medicine. Such thoughts contain more harm than

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good and keep the servant of Allah busy instead of thinking about what is more useful.

An Important Rule: Making a Request and Patience Thereafter

Making a request is a seed of faith. If faith and requesting are combined they will have a good result. Trusting in Allah is the seed of relying on Him and if He, the Almighty is approached with sincerity, supplications will be answered. Fear is the seed of love, and when it is combined with patience, the result is obedience to Allah’s commands and avoidance of what He has prohibited. Patience is the seed of belief, and it will make the servant a strong believer. Allah, the Almighty says,

which means, "And We made from among them (Children of Israel), leaders, giving guidance under Our Command, when they were patient and used to believe with certainty in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)." (As-Sajdah, 32:24)Following the Messenger (peace be upon him) truly is the seed of sincerity, and if they are all combined they will lead to acceptance of one’s deeds. Hard work in useful purposes is the seed of knowledge, and when they are all combined, there will be success and happiness, but if they are not, they will be of no use. Tolerance is the seed of knowledge, and if they are combined they will bring about mastery of this worldly life and the Hereafter and the scholar will benefit from his knowledge. But if one of them separates from the other, he will benefit nothing. Determination is the seed of insight, and if they are united, the servant will gain all goodness in this Worldly life and the Hereafter and his intention will reach the highest levels of every place.

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Lacking perfection is due to either lack of insight or lack of determination. Good intention is the seed of a healthy mind, if they are lacking all good is missed and if they are present, they will bring about all good. A true opinion is the seed of courage, and when they are combined there will be victory, but If they are lacking there will be disappointment and failure. Opinion found without courage, will result in cowardice and deficiency. If there is courage without opinion, there will be rashness and destruction. Patience is the seed of insight, and if they are combined, all good will be found in their unity.