Part 9

50 * AL-FAWA'ID: A Collection of Wise Sayings

Let's think about the way, in which He praises and glorifies Himself, and how He warns His servants and guides them to happiness and salvation, by directing their interest to the right path. He warns them against the way of destruction. He acquaints them with His Names and Attributes, and He gets closer to them by bestowing His blessings and grace upon them. He reminds them of His blessings, and orders them to the way of salvation. He warns them against His wrath, reminding them of the reward prepared for them if they are obedient, and also of the torment prepared for them if they are disobedient. He narrates the stories of the believers and the disbelievers as well as the end of both parties.

He praises the believers by virtue of their good deeds and qualities, and He dispraises His enemies by their wrong doings and evil qualities. He sets forth parables and provides evidence and proof. He refutes the lies of His enemies by portraying the best of answers, and believing the truthful and belying the liars. He says the truth and guides to the right path.

He calls to the dwelling of peace, mentioning its characteristics, and its bliss. He warns against the dwelling of destruction, mentioning its torment, awfulness and pain.

He mentions His servants and their need for Him at all times: there is never a time when they are not in need of Him, even for the twinkling of an eye. He states His richness above all creatures, and the fact the He is free of all needs and wants. He mentions the fact that all creatures stand in need of Him, and no one can attain the least blessing or more except by His Mercy and Grace, and no one can be afflicted by the least amount of evil or more except by His justice and wisdom.

The speech of Allah implies His gentle admonition to the believers, because in spite of everything He raises them from their falls, forgives and excuses them, reforms their corruption, and supports them. For them, He is the defender, the supporter,

AL-FAWA'ID : A Collection of Wise Syaings * 51

the sustainer, and the rescuer from every distress. He always fulfills His promises. They have no protector other than Him, for He is their true Master, and their Helper against their enemies, so what an excellent Protector and what an excellent Helper.

If the hearts witness through the Qur'an, a glorious, great, bountiful, merciful sovereign like this, then how can these hearts stop loving Him, and how can they not compete in approaching Him and getting closer to Him? For them, that sovereign should be the most lovable of all, and His satisfaction should be sought more than the satisfaction of others.

Really, how can these hearts stop remembering Him, since loving and longing for Him are the source of power and remedy, to the extent that if the hearts do not have these things, then destruction and corruption would be their destiny, and their lives would be of no value.

A Precious Gem: No Place for Two Contradictions

in order for a place to contain something, it must be free from whatever contradicts it. This principle applies to mankind and all creation as well as to belief and desires.

So, if the heart is obsessed by belief in falsehood, there will be no place for truth. Accordingly, if the tongue is involved in trivial discourse, one shail be incapable of useful speech, unless falsehood is abandoned.

Hence, if the body is busy doing wrong actions, then acts of worship will be inapplicable unless these contradictory actions are abandoned.

This is how this principle is applied to concrete objects, and it is also applied to belief and religion. If the heart deviates from loving Allah, lacks yearning for Him and longing for His closeness, then the removal of contradictory feelings, like being related to other than Allah, is the only way for this heart to be overwhelmed by love for Allah.

52 * AL-FAWA'ID: A Collection of Wise Sayings

For the tongue to remember Allah, and the body to serve Him, one should be free of the impact of others like being busy remembering and serving them.

Thus, if the heart is overwhelmed by the servants rather than the master, and is preoccupied with futile knowledge, surely there will be no place for being closer to Allah, or being acquainted with His Names, Attributes and judgments.

If the heart listens to trivial discourse, there will be no place for listening or understanding the words of Allah. Besides, if the heart is inclined to love others, there will be no room to love Allah, and if the heart remembers others rather than Allah, no place will be found to remember Him, and the same applies to the tongue.

Al-Bukhary recorded that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "It is better for any of you that the inside of his body be filled with pus which may consume his body, than it be filled with poetry."10

This Prophetic tradition explained that it is possible that the inside of one's body may be filled with poetry, which means that it might be exposed to suspicion, doubts, illusions, uncertainties, futile knowledge, and trivial discourse.

So, if the heart is filled with such things, the facts of the Qur'an and precious knowledge, which cause happiness and perfection in mankind, will find no room in that heart.

If a heart receives advice but it is filled with what contradicts it, there will be no place in that heart to accept this advice. The advice will simply pass over this heart and not be able to settle in it.

AL-FAWA'D : A Collection of Wise Syaings * 53

Interpretation of Chapter At-Takathur in which Allah, the Aimighty says,

which means, "The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you..." (At-Takathur, 102:1)

Until the end of the chapter.

This chapter talks about promise, threat, and menace. It gives exhortation to whoever understands. Allah says,

sb 22k 4@.. Sedl> which means, "diverts you..." (At-Takathur, 102:1)

That is to say, those matters divert you in a way that you are not to be excused. You are busy doing something else. If this diversion is intentional then the obligatory acts of worship have been violated, and if it was unintentional as when the Prophet (peace be upon him) said once about a Khamisah, "....for it has just now diverted my attention from my prayer...""’ its owner will be excused and it will be considered a form of forgetfulness. The heart can be diverted and the limbs can be misused and that is why they are gathered together. That is why Allah says which means, “The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you." (At-Takathur, 102:1) and did not say, ".... busies you.” A worker can use his body in his work while his heart is not diverted by his activity. ‘Diversion’ refers to distraction and avoidance. Allah did not mention the object of their competition

" Recorded by Al-Bukhary in his sahth, book of prayer, chapter on whoever performs prayer in a dress that has printed marks and looked at these marks, no. 373, and the book of Dress, chapter on garments and Khama’is, no. 5817. Muslim, book of Mosques and places of performing prayer, no. 556, and Abu Dawid in his Sunnah, no. 914, and An-Nasa’y, no. 771.

54 * ALFAWA'D: A Collection of Wise Sayings

in order to keep it general. Whatever the servants are mutually piling up rather than obeying Allah and His Messenger and every matter that will be useful to him on the day of his Resurrection, is to be included in this mutual rivalry. Mutual rivalry could be money, power, authority, women, speech, or knowledge. This is especially true when the person is in need of this object. It could extend to those things that are not necessary, like further books, volumes, and unnecessary questioning and its branches. Mutual rivalry is when man seeks to acquire more than others and this is dispraised unless it is for something that will bring him close to Allah. Mutual rivalry includes competing in doing good deeds. Muslim recorded that ‘Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, "I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as he was reciting, "The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you..." (At-Takathur, 102:1). He said, 'The son of Adam claims, ‘My wealth, my wealth.’ And he (the Holy Prophet) said, 'O son of Adam! Is there anything that really belongs to you, except that which you consumed, which you utilized, or which you wore and then it was worn out or you gave as charity and sent it forward for yourself?"*

¢ He, who did not make use of his eye, did not make use of his ear.

e The servant has a veil between him and Allah and another one between him and people. Whoever tore this veil between him and Allah, Allah will tear the veil between him and people.

e The servant has a Lord that he will stand in front of and a house that he will live in, so he must seek the pleasure

" Recorded by Muslim, book of Pertaining to piety and softening of hearts, no.2958,2959, At-Tirmidhy, no.2342,3354, and An-Nasa'y, no.3613.

AL-FAWA'ID : A Collection of Wise Syaings * 55

of Allah before meeting Him and he should furnish his house before moving into it.

Loosing time is harder than death, as loosing time keeps you away from Allah and the Hereafter, while death keeps you away from the worldly life and your people.

The whole world from its beginning until its end is not worth an hour of sadness, so what about the sadness of a whole life.

What we love today will catch up with what we hate tomorrow, and what we hate today will catch up with what we love tomorrow.

The most precious reward during life is to busy yourself with the most suitable and useful matters in their exact and suitable time.

How can he be rational who sells Paradise and what ts in it, for one hour of passing pleasure?

The Pious man will leave this worldly life while he did not obtain satisfaction in two matters: crying for himself and praising Allah.

If you are afraid of any creature, you will run away from it. When you are afraid of Allah, you will love Him and seek to be close to Him.