Part 4

[In Arabic language], the origin of the word basirah means eluci-

HEARTFELT ADVICE TO A FRIEND

dation and appearing; Allah, Most High, described the Qur’an to be basair (i.e. plural of basirah)*, which translates to the evidence, the guidance and the elucidation leading to the truth and the right course. It is for this reason Arabs call the traces of blood leading to the hunted prey a basirah. The ayah also indicates that whoever does not have this quality (i.e. basirah) is not from the followers of the Prophet (3%), and states that his followers are those with basirah as noted in the part

“JT and those who follow me”

because if the intended meaning is supposed to be “J and others invite to Allah’, and the part

“those who follow me”

is connected to the noun in

and that the conjunction in place is deemed good to separate between the two lines, then it is evidence that the followers of the Prophet (38) are those who invite to Allah and to His Messenger. On the other hand, if it was associated with the pronoun in

It would mean, this is my way and the way of those who follow

> See Sirah al-Jathiyah, verse 21

Guiding people and calling them to Allah and His Messenger (38)

me. Thus, in both cases, the way of the Prophet (4%) and the ng of his followers is to invite people to Allah.

4) The part of the ayah, “Guiding by Allah’s Command”

presents the fourth principle and it proves that they follow what Allah revealed to His Messenger, and that their guidance cannat be unless they only comply with the guidance of Allah’s commands, and not with any opinion or views, because they guide by His command only. This is to show that the Imams of religion, whom people follow as their leads and examples, are those who have the qualities of patience, certainty and invite to _ Allah according to the Sunnah and A''7h’s revelation and not ' according to their opinions and inno , ions. Truly, those are the successors of the Prophet in this nation; the favoured group that Allah loves and draws close to Him; hence being their enemy means showing enmity to Allah, Most High, so Allah will declare war against His enemies accordingly.

Imam Ahmad said in the introduction of his book “refuting the Jabmiyyah’, the following: “All praise is due to Allah Who facilitated for every era some people of knowledge to guide the astray to the right path and show patience over their harm, to help the blind [hearts] to see with the light of Allah, and to revive the dead

* A group named after Jahm ibn Safwan, who denied the Names and Attributes of Allah, the Most High. His beliefs were contray to that of Abul-Sunnah-wal Jammah.

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

[hearts] with the book of Allah for many [hearts] that Iblis has assassinated but they managed to revive; and many are those who were astray and lost but they succeeded to guidance. Truly, their effect on people is good and praiseworthy whereas the effect of people on them is vile. They negate what extremists interpolate from the Qur’an, rebut the claims of falsifiers, and refute the interpretations of the ignorant ones who raised the flags of innovations and unleashed unjustified argumentation, causing them [i.e. ignorant and falsifiers] to depart from the book of Allah and agree to talk about Allah and His book;without knowledge, and indulge in discussions about the mutashibhat (i.e. verses that are unspecific whose interpretation and meanings are vague), and further they deceive laypeople with their arguments. We seek refuge with Allah from the nuisances and deviation of people who are astray and

[Steps in Attaining Happiness]

Amongst the matters that people ought to be concerned with and acquire the knowledge and cognition thereof, while ensuring to have the will and intent to achieve all that, is to know that human beings, let alone all other living creatures, are after provisions of pleasure, comfort and good life. Through which they can avert the opposite of what they hope to achieve. Evidently, this is a purpose that all creatures are required to z<hieve and have a sound objective to pursue. This purpose requir he following six steps

To know that which is suitable and bring forth benefits through which a person can attain pleasure and comfort and lead a good life.

To know the path leading to it.

Embarking upon the path.

To know that which causes harm and consequently disturbs one’s life.

To know the path leading to it.

To avoid such a path.

Only by following these steps can happiness, pleasure and

righteousness can be perfected and assured, a 1 or all the six steps are not followed, one's life will be

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

and negatively affected. While each sensible person endeavors to act by these six directives, most of them fail to achieve the desired benefit (and result) they pursue - either due to their failure to have the right perspective and knowledge about it, or due to their failure to know the path leading to it. The reason by which people fall in these two errors is ignorance, and acquiring the knowledge will solve the issue.

In some cases, a person may have/the knowledge of things that are suitable and bring about benefits, and also knows the path leading to it, yet it happens that he has whims and desires hindering his efforts to achieve the good benefit he is after, and it prevents him from embarking its path because every time he wants to seek it, his whims and desires stand in his own way. However, to overcome his whims and desires freeing him to proceed to achieving the benefit, he must either have an overwhelming love or that he endures an annoyance.

In the case of the ivrmer, he must love Allah, His Messenger, the Hereafter, Paradise and its bounties more than his own whims and desires, while knowing that he cannot combine both. Therefore he decides to favour the things that he loves the most over the things he loves the least. In the case of the latter, he could have the knowledge of the consequences of favouring |.'s whims and desires; hence he's aware that going along with his whims and desires will cause him lasting fear and pain that last longer and are more severe than the suffering he will endure due to abandoning his whims and desires. If these two types of love take over: his heart they will make him realise what should be favored because human intellect directs us to favour the most beloved over the least beloved, and to endure the least disliked in getting rid of the most disliked. By knowing this principle, you will understand the mindset of people and help yourself in distinguishing the sensible

[Steps in Attaining Happiness]

from the insensible, and recognise the different levels of people’s sensibility. Truly, a person who favours a current pleasure, whose effect will disturb his life and Hereafter, must be a person with no sense of sensibility. For how can a person favour such pleasures that are as temporary as a dream and as short as a good moment a person spends with a character visiting him in a dream, over an everlasting pleasure that is among the ultimate pleasures!

How could a person sell all that for such mortal lowly pleasures that come with pain and are also achieved with pain and whose result is nothing but pain! If the sensible thinks of pain vis-a-vis pleasure and harm vis-a-vis benefit when thinking of such desires, he would have been ashamed of himself and his sensibility; thus he will never pursue such desires or vste his time busying himself with it,\let alone favour them over “\ hat no eye ever saw and no ear ever heard of and nor even thought of by any person.”

Indeed, Allah, Most High, has purchased from the believers their lives in exchange for that which they will have in Paradise, and established this contract through His Messenger, the best ~ of mankind whom He loves and favours the most over all other creation. Therefore, how could a sensible person neglect, waste or undermine a merchandise that the Lord of the heavens and the earth has purchased; whose price is to enjoy seeing His Noble Face and hear His Words in Paradise; notwithstanding the great honour of such a contract for being established through His Messenger! How could a person waste this great blessing and settle for a mortal life! Truly, this is the greatest of all loss, which will become evident to such a person on the Day of Judgment when the scales of the Pious are heavy and the scales of the losers are light.

Bukhari (4/103) and Muslim (4/2174).

[True Happiness and Delight|

If you come to know what I have just explained, you will then know that the ultimate pleasure, perfect delight and rejoice, grace and good life are found only in knowing Allah, worshipping Him alone, feeling comfort and affability while being with Him, longing (shawaq) to meet Him, and devoting the heart (al-qalb) and endeavors for Him.

In contrast, ine most pettish life is of those whose hearts are distracted [with worldly pleasures] and whose attention [is not devoted to Allah]; hence they find no abode where they can settle and no beloved to find refuge with. Indeed, a good and beneficial life, with peace of mind are attained through the tranquility and comfort found while being in the company of the first love [i.e. Allah], no matter how much the heart swings between all the worldly pleasures one loves and desires, it will never enjoy any of them until one feels comfort and safety and delight with his Lord; the only Supporter and Protector whose authority surpasses [all] the creation and without\whom no support or protection can be

You must ensure that you only care about one thing - namely working for the pleasure of Allah alone, for indeed it is the ultimate

[True Happiness and Delight]

happiness that a servant of Allah can ever dream of having. This is because a person whose heart is in such a state will not only bask in heaven while still being on earth, but will thereafter dwell in Allah’s Paradise in the Hereafter. It was said by one of those whose heart is overwhelmed with the love of Allah, Most High.

“Sometimes, my heart experiences an overwhelming state [due to being in the company of Allah] that makes me exclaim, if the dwellers of Paradise experience such a state of happiness and comfort, I am confident that they lavish in a delight beyond imagination.”