Part 5

5. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said (3/7): ‘It is the station for Which the competitors compete; to it do the workers fix their gaze; for reaching its mark do the forerunners strive; upon it do the lovers annihilate themselves, and With its refreshing breeze do the worshippers revive themselves. It is the heart’s strength, the soul’s nourishment and the eye’s splendour”

This is why I said:

6.After mentioning twenty-nine sayings from the gnostics concerning the definition of love, Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, then said (3/15):

“The thirtieth - which is the most comprehensive of what has been said concerning it. Aba Bakr al-Kattani said: The topic of love was discussed - may Allah the Exalted elevate it - during the Pilgrimage season, and all the shaykhs were speaking about it. Al-Junayd was the youngest of them. They said to him: 0 Iraqi, share with us what you know? So Al-Junayd lowered his head and his eyes filled with tears. He said: There is a servant who has left his own soul behind, who is attached to his Lord’s remembrance, who is steadfast in fulfilling His rights; who looks to Him with his heart, his heart burning with the lights of His Divine awe. Allah has purified the draught that he has drunk, from the cup of His Divine love. The AllMighty has raised for him the veils of the Unseen. When he talks, it is for the sake of Allah; when he utters, it is about Allzh; when he moves, it is by the command of Allah; when he is at rest, it is with Allah. He is for Allah, by Allah, with Allah’ The shaykhs all wept and said: What more can be added to this! May Allah reward you, 0 Crown of the Gnostics.”

THE STATION OF REMEMBRANCE

$5 ip WIS Ga by

SEY DEY FG 5 - Those who remember Him and do so abundantly;

In private, public, at all times in continuance.

This is a noble station which each person is in need of; indeed it is a need which ranks above all other needs. The remembrance (dhikr) of Allah is the edifice of one’s time. By it grief, anxiety and distress can be dispelled. With it joy and happiness can be obtained. It cultivates barren hearts, makes healthy hearts resplendent, and it leads to the loftiest of stations. In it are benefits and virtues that cannot be enumerated. Allah, Exalted is He, said:

0 you who believe! Remember Allah abundantly, and glorify Him morning and evening, [al-Ahzab 33:41-42]

The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam advised a man who asked: The duties of Islam are many for me, so instruct me? He replied: “Never let your tongue cease to be moist with the remembrance of Allah?”

7. Reported by Al-Tirmidhi (no.3375). It was classified as sahth by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami (10.7700).

He sallallahu ‘dlayhi wa sallam [also] said: “The loners (mufarridan) lead the way.” We asked: Who are the loners? He replied: “Those men and women who remember Allah abundantly’

I composed the following lines of poetry:

Be one who remembers Allah under all conditions;

For the remembrance of Allah has no time restrictions. The remembrance of the Deity, in private and public;

Will remove your anxiety and grief, and expel it. Procuring both religious and worldly excellence;

Driving away [evil] whisperings at their occurrence. The Chosen One informed his Companions one day;

Abundant remembrance is why the loners lead the way. To seek Allah's aid was Mu‘adh’s given legacy;

So as to remember, thank and worship Him beautifully. He advised a person who sought sincere council;

Who was striving hard to carry out laws legal. That let your tongue remain most with it;

This will aid every matter and facilitate it. He informed that dhikr is a plant for its people;

Cultivating Gardens eternal and abodes perpetual. He informed that Allah mentions His servant;

And is with him in all matters, facilitating it. If dhikr had no virtue fine;

Except being a path to loving the Divine. Stopping the youth from backbiting and tale-carrying;

And from uttering that which corrupts their well-being. A great acquisition and an incentive t would be;

‘To engage in Allah's dhikr, abundantly. But due to our ignorance our dhikr is rare;

Just as our worship of the Deity is rare.

8. Reported by Muslim (0.2676).

‘The dhikr of Allah is a light (nar) for the one remembering Allah, in his heart, speech, grave, and on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah's aid is

9. bn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said in al-Wabil al-Sayyib (p.63): “I heard Shaykh’l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah - may Allah sanctify his soul - say:‘Dhikr is to the heart as water is to a fish; see what happens to a fish when it is taken out of water!’ ... I once attended the morning (fajr) Prayer with Shaykh'l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, after which he sat down and engaged in dhikr of Allah until it was almost midday. He then turned to me and said: ‘This is my morning meal, if I do

‘not partake of it my strength diminishes?

SEEKING NEARNESS TO ALLAH

pdt A bt Bose

6 - Seeking nearness to the Sovereign-Master;

By obeying Him and by forsaking disobedience.

Performing these acts of obedience - especially the obligatory ones and leaving the sinful ones - draws one closer to Allah and leads to Him. In a sacred tradition (hadith qudsi) it states: “My servant does not draw closer to Me with anything more beloved to Me, than the obligatory duties that I have enjoined upon him. My servant continues to draw closer to Me by performing optional deeds, until I love him:”!0

Due to this I said:

10. Reported by al-Bukhari (n0.6502).

7 - Doing what is obligatory and optional is their way;

Inspecting their own faults and their deficiencies.

Fulfilling the obligatory duties and increasing in performing optional deeds, along with seeing oneself as being deficient or excessive, is from perfection. So striving to do [good] actions eliminates indolence and laziness from oneself, whereas inspecting one’s deficiencies dispels the ego’s self-conceit (‘ujb) - which corrupts actions and renders them futile.!1

11-tbn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said (1/395):“I heard ShaykbilIslam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah sanctify his soul, saying: The gnostic sees himself as having no right over anyone, nor deems himself as being more virtuous

than anyone. This is why he does not reproach, demand or harm’

THE STATION OF PATIENCE

Slab] jp ad be Ul Bet

8 - Their souls patiently enduring all that is disdainful;

Desirous of what it entails of divine benevolence.

Patient perseverance (sabr) is restraining the soul from what it finds disdainful, when doing so entails the pleasure of the Most Merciful.! Patient perseverance is of three types: patiently persevering in the obedience of Allah, so that it may be fulfilled; patiently persevering against

12. Ibn al-Qayyim said (2/120): “Al-Junayd said: ‘The journey from this world to the

Hereafter is smooth and easy for the believer, but leaving ordinary life for the sake of Allah is difficult. The journey from the ego (nafs) to Allah is extremely difficult, and patience (sabr) in Allah is even more difficult? He was asked about patience, so he replied: ‘It is to swallow bitterness without frowning? Dhu’l-Nan al-Migri said: ‘Patience is to distance yourself from opposing [the truth], to remain calm when engulfed with calamities, and to display sufficiency when Poverty occupies your daily life’ It has been said: Patience is to face affliction with the best conduct’ It has been said: It is to absorb affliction without displaying complaint’ It is said: ‘It is accustoming the soul to the onslaught of adversities? It is said: It is to settle down with adversities in good companionship, in the same manner as one settles down with well-being’ And ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman said:

‘Itis standing firm with Allah and meeting tribulations with magnanimity and welcome.”

disobedience, so that it may be abandoned; and patiently persevering with regards to the hardships that Allah decrees, not showing any impertinence towards it. When the soul feels lazy about obeying Allah, one exhorts and enjoins it to do so, as well as encouraging it by reminders of the rewards [entailed]. When the soul is strong in inviting towards disobedience to Allah, one restrains and warns it from doing so,and reminds it about the punishment for disobedience. Patient perseverance is needed in all these affairs.!3

13. As for complaining in times of adversity, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said in al-Fawa’id (pp.130-131):

“The ignorant one complains about Allah to the people! This is the height of ignorance in complaining and in whom the complaint is about. For if a person were to truly know his Lord, he would never complain of Him? If he truly knew people, he would never complain to them? ... The gnostic complains only to Allah, and the most knowledgeable of the gnostics are those who complain to Allah about themselves, not about others ... So there are three levels: The most contemptible of them is to complain to people about Allah; the loftiest of them is to complain to Allah about oneself; the middle level is to complain to Allah about others”

THE STATION OF CONTENTMENT

9 - They arrive at the Station of Contentment; Ultimately reaching the Garden and safety.

The station of contentment (rida) is loftier than that of patience (sabr). For patience is restraining the soul against what it finds disdainful,

although an opposing desire still remains within it. Contentment on the ~

other hand, melts away this opposing desire, causes satisfaction with Allah and brings about tranquillity and expanse of the breast. It may even cause delight to be experienced in times of hardships, just as others experience delight in times of ease. When the worshippers reaches this station, his life is remedied and his eye experiences coolness. This is why contentment is called: ‘a paradise of this world and a repose for the worshippers?!4