Part 24

O you, whose heart mourns a loss as distressing as Ya‘qib’s (‘alayhi as-salam) loss of [his son] Yusuf (‘a/ayhi as-salam), roam the tents of the pious so that you might find the scent of Yusuf (‘alayhi as-salam), stand up [praying] in the late nights, on feet of humility, and invoke the Lord [by saying],

AiGhectpai He “O tulet!, adversity has touched us and our family”

2 Shu‘ab al-Iman (680).

O whose indifferent attitude has failed him yet he holds on to hollow hopes [to live long], the ship of your life has sunk in the sea of indolence. Woe to you, he who is apt to sleeping excessively will see only dreams! When will the time come when you finally open the eyes of strong will and endeavor? How much longer will you waste your life in dreams? Do you not long to breathe the late night breeze [which is best time to invoke and pray]? Do you not feel the coolness of Fajr? Do you not mark the light reflecting off your grey hair? Are you not hurt by time reptoaching you [for wasting your life in vain]?

The beloved devotees mounted the backs of their firm determination and pressed onwards in their journey; they have arrived at the house where they bond with their Lord through firm ties, and hete you are, still asleep! O you, whose strong will ought to be like ‘Umar’s, how much mote will you tarry before you make your way to the house of al-Khayzatan? O you whose love for his Lord should be as deep as al-Fudayl’s was, when will you break the sword of extravagance [i.e. having more than you need]? O you whose endeavors ought to be as ardent as Ibn Adham’s, the time for pilgrimage has commenced, so what are you doing sitting at home in Balakh?*

> Name of a city located in Iraq.

In the Saying of Allah: “Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us”

HEN THE DETERMINATION to return to Allah is firmly planted in the heart of

cod Gea face EEL CoM “Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us.”

The basis of his desires will be uprooted from the garden of hope.

Ibrahim Ibn Adham was preparing himself to attend a hunting expedition, but the trap of

on ship ial eer OMe Sa

In the Saying of Allah: “Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has...

“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - theit Lord will guide them because of their faith. Beneath them rivers will flow in the Gardens of Pleasure.”

had already been laid for him, surrounded by the snare of

Ac Be ost 2 sto meee

“people whom He loves and who love Him.” [aM idab 5: 54]

Thus he had become the hunted even before he could hunt. The interpreter of his desirous self unraveled the language of sie tocol

“Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has preceded from Us.” [alAnbiyd 21: 101]

And he came to the realisation that this [idle play] was not what he had been created for, nor had he been commanded to engage in it! The Doctor i.e. Allah] prescribed him a special medicine which cleansed and evacuated the colon of his base self; He shot him with the arrows of exhortation, putting an end to his misery and suffering, Thereupon catching a glimpse of the fire of guidance that had been lit for him, he shouted to the soldiers of his desirous self

“Indeed, I have perceiveda fire.”

And he found his heart drawn towards the One who is “the

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

companion of he who remembers Me” and whose manifestation rendered him unconscious. When he awoke from the overwhelming daze of his devoted love which had caused the mountain of his desirous self to crumble to dust, his penitent tongue shouted rightfully

“T turn to You in repentance.”

Then, after he left the lands of heedlessness, his newly-found awakening said to his desires:

I greet all pleasures, playfulness and recklessness; but this greeting is not to welcome them, but rather a farewell saying goodbye.

O Ibn Adham, why not return to your palace with the intention to use it to worship Allah? His desirous self suggested. However, his strong will and determination overturned this suggestion, saying, “Nay, by law [a desirous self] that is divorced thrice is entitled neither accommodation nor compensation.” And from that moment on, he roamed the desert of devotion to his Lord, his mind was relieved of the illness caused by excessive indulgence, so he started to enjoy the taste of hunger and despite his sensitive skin he was able to endure clothes made of coarse wool.

As soon as the beauty of the Hereafter revealed itself to him through the words

“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous

In the Saying of Allah: “Indeed, those for whom the best [reward] has...

deeds - their Lord will guide them because of their faith.

His love for his Lord rooted itself firmly in the depths of his heart, and thus he tirelessly busied himself in collecting the mahr [of Paradise] through the means of his indigence. The wait to meet his Beloved became so long for him that he became as if a guardian of the gardens. His love [for his Lord] pardoned what he still owed in mahr (dowry), and his soul left his body in a strange and remote land! Indeed, this is the price of Paradise, so let the penniless step behind.

Determination is the Way to Success

BROTHERS, the enemies are many in number, so CH ee Be bape ons at ew JAILG3 25 pp ELE Lick “And prepare against them whatever you are able of powet and of steeds of war.” [al-Anfal 8: 60)

fight them using the weapon of your strong will and determination tes be SY ge “antil thete is no fitnah [persecution].” [al-Anfal 8: 39]

As soon as the knight of your earnest resolve fought them

“They were defeated and became debased.”

O brothers, when you foresee the sweetness of what awaits of

Determination is the Way to Success

you ahead, you will take no notice of the bitterness of endurance that you must taste at present. The end objective is the first thing that one ought to take into consideration, and it is the last consideration that outlives all other matters, it is the starting point from which the intellect contemplates, and the ultimate destination that one should set his aim for.

O brothers, strive hard to seek, Paradise because Hell is always at a hand-span; the alluring pleasures of life are but traps that hinder you from reaching your goal [of strengthening your spititual bond with Allah]. And when all desires are rendered void upon the visitation of the Angel of death, it is then that the doomed comes to the chilling realisation of his predicament, just as how in the heat of the battle, the rush of adrenalin distracts the fighter from feeling pain, but as soon as the battle ends and he is safe does he begin to experience the pain; such is the experience of the former, that as soon as they pass away ate they roused [from their heedlessness].

And despite the many funerals you have attended and the countless people you have buried, and despite hearing the heartfelt admonitions that the death of others delivers to you, but still

arte by AE ep -osk “Then your hearts became hardened after that.” [al-Bagarah 2:74]

By Allah, the supplies [in your possession to survive on] are fragile, and your travelling luggage is light, even though the joutney is critical and the matter is crucial; thus a sensible and resolute petson remains cautious until he reaches his place of safety. When Shaytan said to Imam Ahmad while he was upon his death bed, You have succeeded in escaping my traps, thus I can no longer

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

deviate you. Imam Ahmad replied, ‘Not yet’ (.e. I am only safe after I die). Is there any joy in travelling to the city of Kufah without passing through the city of Agabah'? Indeed, greed is the sea vessel of ruin, whereas purposefulness is the ride to success, unwarranted complacency is the germ of poverty while idleness begets all loss.

O brothers, the entire lifetime has been wasted in neglect! When the guardian was negligent the wealth of the child under his custody was wasted! Indeed, neglect is an affliction that we all suffer from,

The pious travelled in the darkness of the night and arrived at their final destination [i.e. receiving the love of Allah for praying all night] by dawn, and all the while you are on a completely different road, and your lack of remorse and regret itself warrants regret; how sad it is for not feeling sorrow fot missing all this. Stand there looking at the traces of these travelers, and lament those who wete left behind.

O house of the beloved, where are your residents? O lands of the beloved, where are your inhabitants?

O you who lagged behind, do not offer excuses for not having joined the procession of travelers [i.e. praying at night]. The group fie. those who spent their nights worshipping Allah] left already, while you were fast asleep. Instead, weep and mourn the loss of what you have missed upon waking up, in the hope that you may be granted the company of “you shall find me your companion.”

' A city located in the south of Jordan.

Consequences of being Neglectful

S SOON AS YOU RISE from a gathering of rememA brance you should quickly make your way to the house

of solitude, ensuring that you stay there for a while; seek the advice of your meditation, bring to account all the parties involved in the betrayal [i.e. limbs that committed sins during your stay with others], and gather up what negligence and laziness caused you to squander from the capital of your lifespan; grieve

over every sin as well as every lost opportunity to perform a good deed.

Hasten to benefit from what remains! Let the delinquent collect what he has missed; let the one-eyed person be careful of stones thrown in his direction in case they hit his only sound eye.

Do not underestimate the value of even a simple good deed. Your hearts have lost the way in the desolate land of vain desites so tise now on the feet of endeavor, pay no heed to the

ctowded road and strive to make full effort, seeking whatever means are available to you; just as Ya‘qitb (‘a/ayhi as-salam) directed