Part 23

have never been in a comfortable state! Your example with respect to lethargy and apathy is like the two companions of the Judhaymah’; but sadly this admonishment falls on a heart that is deaf!

This rebuke might have been effective had the one being tebuked any sensibility whatsoever! Had there even been embers, I would have tried to blow on it hoping to get a fire started; and despite there being a field ready to be harvested, food is still unavailable. The fence of your piety is full of breaches, and your foes have already surrounded your land, there time is precious little time, so do not delay any longer in rectifying your deeds. Be generous, before you are judged and criticised. Woe to you, the moment of your departure from this world is ever near, yet you have neither set aside for yourself fruits of good deeds to stave away the pangs of your hunger, nor filled your bottle with the drops of your tears, to cool down the heat of your midday sun. So arm yourself with earnest resolve earnestly for the long journey ahead of you, and thus live, without falling into the traps of your desirous self.

O you who is left alone in the desert of his desires, cut off from his companions, hasten so that you might catch up with your people because the leader of your traveling group does care for the straggling members of his group; press on ahead without making any stops, even if your feet have become swollen. If you are held up on your way by the caravan of fatigue, seclude yourself up from everyone and call out for help while shifting between hope and fear of your Lord.

2 Judhaymah al-Abrash who killed his two companions; Malik and Aqil, the

sons of Farij, while they were all drunk. after waking up from his drunkenness Judhaymah regretted deeply what he did.

O hermit of this monastery, has any travelling caravan passed by you? How sad it is for one whose regret is of benefit for him no longer. This is because hands of idleness and languor manipulated his time; thus he ended up lost, and the palms of old age broke apart the hand-hold of his youth, and thus he ended up ruined.

O you who pray at night, kindly intercede for those who spend their nights in slumber; O you whose heatt is alive, be so kind as to ask for the Mercy of Allah to be bestowed upon the one whose heart is dead; O you, the ambassadors of endeavor, kindly deliver the letters of the distressed.

BROTHERS, THE CARE OF ALLAH is a source of perpetual wealth.

When it was ordained by divine decree before the beginning of time, that low-lying mud [Adam] would be favoured over rising fire [Jinn], Hell recognised that the latter was of the same essence as itself. Dust resisted fire and thus overcame it; and this itself was sufficient as a lesson for Hell; and indeed fortunate is the one who learns from others’ experiences. And thus when the believer passes over it, Hell submissively says, ‘pass, for your light extinguished my flame.’

Pure hearts are lamps that illuminate from within the innate nature of beings, prior to any form of divine revelations,

“whose oil would almost glow even if untouched

As soon as the light of guidance shone out from the house of al-Khayzaran', “Umar Ibn al-Khattab found himself standing on its doorstep.” On the other hand, when the heart of Shaytan became blind, the daylight of guidance became as dark as the night for him, because his heart’s eye was deformed therefore the way of guidance, despite its clarity, was of no benefit to him. His example is that of a bat that returns to its nest saying to the other bats, stay inside and sleep for the night has just fallen, but they reply to it saying: It has just been sunrise and yet you say it is nightfall! And the bat replies: please show mercy to one who is unable to distinguish sunrise from sunset.

As soon as the lights of Prophethood shone, the eyes of Bilal the Habashi (radiyA//ahu ‘anhi) [i.e. whose status was low at that time] caught sight of it, whereas the eyes of Abi Talib the Qurayshi [whose status was high at that time] failed to see it. O brother, beware of the arrows of Allah’s Power and be warned because your vigilance will not avail you. That said, do not let some of your sincere good deeds put your heart at undue ease, on contraty, you should be mote concerned, knowing as you do that “The hearts of individuals are between two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah and so He changes them as He wants’”*

Whenever judges are litigated by others, the case always goes in ' Teis the house of al-Argam ibn Abi al-Arqam (radiyAllabu ‘anbu) im Makkah

which the Prophet (ij) and Muslims used to gather inside in secret before migration to Madinah.

2 "This refers to the incident when ‘Umar (radiyAllabu ‘anh came to the Prophet

(3) while he was with his companions in the house as he wanted to declare his Islam.

> Reported by al-Tirmidht (3522)

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

favour of the judge.

The example of Shayfan is that of a town that once prospered with worship, but a winter thunderstorm came and struck it down, causing the death of all its inhabitants; so the house of deeds of Shaytan and his ilk became as Allah says,

“So those are their houses, desolate because of the wrong they had done.” [atNaml 27: 52

‘Thus the garment of Shaytan’s prior worship was taken away from him and reduced to the grade of the discarded food of the dog of the companions of cave; therefore this pitiful creature expressed his enmity against mankind, sparing no time or effort in striving to bring about mankind’s downfall. However, Allah defused all his plans and decreed that “he who digs the hole is the one who falls in it.”

Woe to him [i.e. Shayfan], What was Adam’s (‘alayhi as-salam) fault, when it was he [Shayzdr] who brought about his own ruin and downfall? Rather, it was his frustration for what he had lost; the pride of

Fe peeve “T am better than him”

Caused Shayyan’s ruin whereas the humility of

“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves.”

saved Adam (‘a/ayhi as-salam), because true servitude to Allah necessitates lowering one’s self in humility before the Lord.

The wretched Shayfan thought that by his refusal to prostrate before Adam (‘a/ayhi as-salam) he was saving his pride and dignity while, in fact, his refusal subjected him to the humiliation of

Mot HAs AI; “And indeed, upon you is My curse until the Day of Recompense.”

Thus he became like the petson who escaped rain by standing under a gutter. Indeed the garment and adornment of worship was not fitting for him, and hence it was taken away from him.

Shaytan’s understanding was flawed and abnormal, and not for one such as him to uphold the adornment of worship, whereas Adam (‘alayhi as-salam) had sound understanding, therefore the hood of dispute did not at all suit him. The mandate of decree had served to bring out the distinctive characteristics and behaviours of each of the two, following which both of them were restored to their respective origins (i.e. Shayfan to fire and Adam to earth).

It is reported that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyAllabu ‘anhu) encountered Shay#an, wrestled him and overcame him. If Shaytan could have spoken at that moment, it would have said, ‘O ‘Umar, I have already been struck dead by the sword of humiliation.’ ‘O ‘Umar, [before Islam] you did not recognise the road [to Allah]’, while,

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

on the other hand, I used to be in a state of power and authority and even had Angels under my command. However, the declaration of

Beeb ode Bee Ce beat 4 Pertenece

Pyle cay Janie jeas'y “He will not be questioned as to that which He does,

but they will be questioned.” [al-Anbiya’ 21; 23)

was made, and thus I was removed from my position and He replaced me with you; so be wary of the change of conditions and circumstances, for the sharp swotd that killed me is still in the Hand of its owner. This continuous concern [over his state and his outcome] is what made ‘Umat (radiyAllahu ‘anhn) always rush to Hudhayfah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu)' [who was the keepet of Prophet’s (2) secrets and the one whom he trusted on the names of the hypocrites; and ‘Umar feared that his name might be among them due to his constant mindfulness to Allah and his fear from Him].

* As the Prophet (8) informed Hudhayfah Ibn al-Yaman (radiyAllalu ‘anhd) of the names of the hypocrites living in the Madinah, ‘Umar (radiyAllahu ‘anbs)) used to ask him whether he was included amongst the hypoctites? To which Hudhayfah (radiyAllabu ‘anhu) informed him that he is not one of the hypocrites. See Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (37390).

HE BELIEVERS ARE UPON the purity of Tawpid' from the moment Allah said,

be tek ee pong “Am I not your Lord? They said, Yes, we have testified [that You are out Lord]”

but when mankind debase themselves with the dirt of their desires, the garment of their deeds became stained. To get the stains off there is only one way; and that is to clean the garment with the water of knowledge in the house of solitude.

Solitude is the best diet for the one seeking to renounce worldly pleasures. When you blind the eyes of the eagle of your desirous self, it will no longer be used to flying. The example of solitude is

' Tawbid: the foundation stone of Islim, the absolute belief in the Oneness of Allah - His being the sole Creator and Sustainer, His being the only One deserving worship and His being unique with respect to His Names and Attributes.

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

like an arid desert far from every inhabited land, in which doom is sighted in every direction by those who see it with their hearts. Indeed, the plants of solitude produce fruits of affability [in the company of Allah].

O novice, consign yourself to seclusion, for it is the basis of good deeds; with it you will collect the scattered parts of your heart, and preserve your perspicacity. Your analogy is like that of an old, torn garment; if you as much as move while wearing it, it will fall down. When it has been decreed that your intellect and conviction be gathered inside the house of contemplation, blame falls on your [desirous] self that is prone to committing sins. When the period of [spiritual] illness ends, the ensuing self-reproach provokes a determined and radical revolt, whereupon your inner self writes down its divorce from its desires with the hand of abandonment, weats the robe of asceticism and becomes a recluse in the monastery of austerity, and so it becomes aloof from the inhabitants of this world in favour of seeking the company of Him who said, “I am the companion of one who remembers Me.”?