Part 5

Another person said, “Sometimes, the heart experiences a state of joy because of which it leaps with great merriment.” -

And another person said, “How pity and poor are those whose concern revolves around this worldly life! They depart it [the worldly life] without tasting the best cits pleasures.” He was asked, and what is that? He replied, “Knowing Allah, loving Him and feeling affability while being close to Him, and longing to meet Him.”

' Truly, there is no grace equivalent to the grace that the dwellets of Paradise lavish themselves with except this kind of grace. This is why Allah’s Messenger (3) said, “Women and fragrance have been made dear to my affections, and my pleasure, peace and contentment are made in the salah.”

" Ahmad and others It was declared hasan by al-Albani

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

In this report, the Prophet (3%) informs us that two things from this worldly life were made dear to his affection, then he followed

it with a statement to say that his pleasure, contentment and peace were made for him in the sa/ah. Evidently, the feelings of pleasure contentment and peace are of a higher rank than the feelings of love because not all that a person loves results with pleasure, peace, and contentment for such feelings are only attained with the most beloved one, who is beloved for his essence.

This ultimate state of love cannot be for anyone but Allah alone, the One and only worthy of worship ; {vhile anything or anyone else is beloved as a result of loving Hin; hence persons or things are beloved for His sake and we do not love anyone or anything alongside Him. This is because to love for His sake is a matter of tawhid * whereas to love anything or anyone with Him is [a form of] shirk.” -cause, a mushrik (i.e. one who associates partners with Allah) takes other than Allah as equals [to Him] and so he loves them as he [is supposed to] love Allah; whereas a muwahid [i.e. one who worships Allah alone] loves those whom Allah loves and hates those whom Allah hates; all his actions are for His sake and all that which he refrains from are also for His sake.

[i. Religion revolves around four rules]

Religion revolves around these four rules, namely love (a/-habb) and hate (a/-bughd), which necessitates the following actions (af): refraining and abandoning (a/-targ), giving away [that which one

* Tawhid: unification, monotheism, the bellef in the absolute Oneness of Allah. It is to believe that Allah Alone is the creator, nourisher, and sustainer of the worlds; it is to believe that Allah Alone deserves to be worshipped; and it is to believe that He has Unique and Perfect Names and Attributes that far transcend anything that one can imagine.

[True Happiness and Delight]

owns] and withholding [i.e. refrain from disbursing]. That being said, whoever ensures all that is sincerely for Allah’s sake, his faith will be perfect and whoever fails to ensure either or all of the said aspects are for Allah’s sake, his faith becomes effected accordingly.

The intended meaning is that, whatever brings forth pleasure, contentment and peace is superior to what we merely like or love - i.e. performing the sa/ah brings forth pleasure, contentment and peace to the ardent devotees who love Allah in this world due to the fact that sa/ah includes communicating with the only One to whom the hearts are content and exuberated, souls are settled and minds are at peace; it allows them to bask in the grace of remembering Him. It dips their hearts in the ocean of humility and submission to His Majesty, and it draws them near to Him, particularly during the state of prostration which is the closest point a believing slave can be to Allah. This meaning r: :anifests in the words of the Prophet ($8) when he said: “O Bilal! mmon [people] to the salah so we can be at comfort and ease by praying.”

This statement informs us that the comfort of the Prophet (#8) is found in the sa/ah wherein he finds peace, contentment and pleasure too, as he also stated. Compare this state with those who Say, let us pray so we relieve ourselves from the burden of sa/ahl

Only a true devotee finds peace, contentment and pleasure in the sa/ab while the heedless and neglectful is deprived of all that! In fact, such a person finds the salah a difficulty and a burden that makes him disturbed and troubled when praying, and makes him feel as if he is standing on embers. This is why such a person Prefers a salah that is very short and quick as he finds no peace,

> Ahmad (6/501) and Aba Dawid (#4985) It was declared sahih by al-Albani

HEARTFELT ADVICE TOA FRIEND

pleasure and contentment in it. Indeed, if a person finds peace, contentment and pleasure in a matter, one will find it too difficult to depart from it. While on the other hand, a person whose heart is empty from the love of Allah and the Hereafter - is inflicted with the love of this worldly life and its pleasures, finds salah to be the most difficult thing to do and despises it the most when it is long, although he is healthy, has sufficient free time and is not busy with anything else.

It is ought to be known too that the sa/dh that brings forth peace, pleasure and contentment to the heart and mind is the type of Salah that consists of six elements:

First Element: Sincerity (a/-zkhlas)'

The reason for which a servant {of Allah] prays and feels encouraged to pray should be his intention to draw closer to Allah; his love for Him; his wish to seek ! ‘is pleasure and closeness; his compliance with His Command : pray; hence there is nothing from this worldly life that ever encourages him to pray.

Rather, he prays only to seek the pleasure of his Lord the'Most

High whom he loves and fears, and whose reward and forgiveness he seeks.

' Ikblas. sincerity, to strip oneself of worshiping any besides Allah such that everything one does is performed only to draw closer to Him and for His Pleasure, It is to purify ones actions from any but the Creator having a share

a them, from any defect or self-desire. The one who has true ikhlas (mukhlis)

Second Element: Truthfulness (a/-sidq)'

A person should empty his heart (ga/b) from everything of this worldly life so it becomes dedicated to Allah alone while praying,so one canen vour to be attentive, performs it in the best manner outwardly and inwardly. This is because the sa/ah has two aspects, an apparent aspect (xahir) and a hidden aspect (basin); the former (abr) is the visible actions (a/-afa’ al-mushahada) and audiable statements (a/-aqwal al-masmi‘ah) while the latter (batin) is the vigilance (a/+muraqaba) of Allah and attentiveness (a/-kbushil) while keeping the heart fully dedicated to Him and not distracted by anything or anyone else.

' Sidg: truthfulness, the conformity of the inner to the outer such that the deeds and statements of the person do not belie his beliefs and vice-versa. Sidg is the foundation of faith and results in peace of mind, lying is the foundation of hypocrisy and results in doubt and suspicion, and this is why the two can never co-exist without being at odds with each other.

al-Junayd was asked as to whether sidg and ikb/as were'the same or different and he replied, ‘They are different, sidg i is the root and ikA/as is the branch. Sidg is the foundation of everything and kb/s only comes into play once one commences an action. Actions are only acceptable when they combine both.’ The one who has true sidq will be free of self-conceit.

Second Element: Truthfulness (al-sidq)

The former is like the station of the body (manzila al-badan) of salah while the latter is like station of the soul (manila al-rib); therefore, if the soul is absent then the salah becomes like a body without a soul and the servant must be ashamed of himself for meeting his Master in such a state! This is why the sa/ah is empty of its soul, it is rolled up like how a garment is rolled up then it smashes the face of the one who prayed it then says to him, May Allah waste you just like how you wasted me!

As for the sa/ah whose hidden and apparent aspects are perfected and completed, it rises up (above) with a light that is as shining bright as the sun light until it is presented to Allah; He then ac- - cepts it. The sa/ah then says to the one who prayed it, May Allah pteserves you just as how you preserved me.

Third Element: Compliance (a/-mutaba') and Adherence (al-igtida’)

The thir’ element is to ensure praying according to the way of Prophet (ss) and that his sa/ah conforms to the description of the salah of Allah’s Messenger (#8), and to refrain from the actions, statements or description of sa/ah that people innovated and have not been reported from Allah’s Messenger (8) or his Companions. A person is to pay no attention to the words of those [people of knowledge] who always seek concessions and only comply with the minimum obligatory aspects, all the while, other [people of knowledge] dispute with them over such understanding and views and so declare what those people deem as optional to be obligatory. It is also possible that they disregard authentic hadiths and

established acts of Sunnah that oppose what they are upon on the grounds that they are lene the madbhab of so and so.

Evidently, this is an invalid excuse that Allah dos not accept and also does not relieve a person from responsibility for not practicing the Sunnah after knowing about it. This is because Allah, Most High, ordered us to obey and follow His Messenger alone and the only case where others are obeyed is when they advocate

Third Element: Compliance (al-mutaba‘) and Adherence (al-iqtida’)

the orders and ways of Allah’s Messenger ($8). That being said, it should be borne in mind that views of every person can be open for discussion and therefore either accepted or rejected, except the orders and statements of the Prophet (#8) whose words are always final and binding.

Allah, Most High, swore by Himself that we will not believe until we refer to the Messenger of Allah to judge on what we dispute over, and then submit and accept his judgment for no person’s

judgment or submission to any other person will save us from the Punishment of Allah. And, such response will not be accepted | when Allah asks us on the Day of Judgment,