Part 25

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

“go and find out about Yisuf and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah”

‘Take all means to recover what you have lost and do not despair from the Mercy of Allah; indeed many people have been healed though they were on the verge of ruin.

I wonder at how observant the bodily eyes are, even though the hearts have turned blind. If the spring and its flowers, the sounds of chanting and its lyrical cadences cannot move you, then who and what will? Woe to you: the mourning of doves is their expression of love; so if there was in your heart any place for loving your Lord, then cry just as how al-Junayd used to weep, and you might chance upon the sectets of Sirin. Sell the wealth of your desires for the sake of the One who will reward you mote richly, if you wish to attain the rank of Abia Yazid.

How many opportunities have called out to you but you have missed out! Indeed, the mercy of Allah is spacious and encompassing; it is only that ignorance is expelled by whatever contains it.

Woe to you, the fire of guidance has appeared from the tinder of sermons that carry admonition, so stand upon resolute feet

and strive hard so that you might find guidance near this fire.

I wonder at those who have halted to a standstill at ‘if only

Consequences of being Neglectful

Allah were to guide us!’ when they do not even seek out the means of guidance, because in reality

Si. Ge Ob Nets “they did not intend except to flee.” [al-Abgab 33: 13]

Woe to you, the mn of inaction have closed in, therefore,

“Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your

wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah.” [a/-Taubah 9: 41]

And take from this life only the bare necessities that you need in otder to reach your final destination [i.c. Hereafter]. Indeed, the demands of life and its vagaries can change one’s purpose and alter one’s course, causing the one walking on the path to Allah to falter, but

oceal Aaa 05 “whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out” [al-Talag 65: 2]

Therefore whatever fate has decreed upon you in happiness or calamity

Be, ee. bees “so let there not be in your bteast distress therefrom.”

‘The indication of Allah’s love for you is that He safeguards and

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

preserves in you, your conviction of His Oneness. The instrument of admonishment is a whip to discipline the self and drive it away from the house of indolence. Thus what you may think is torture is actually a means by which to rectify your broken affairs: it is the slits cut in a garment that makes it a robe. Know that “If you had not sinned, Allah would have replaced you with a people who would sin and then seek Allah’s forgiveness upon which He would forgive them.”! Indeed, the outreach of love is what preserves the people of refinement, even if the love is buried deep down in the heart.

When Adam and Eve (‘a/ayhuma as-salam) ate from the forbidden tree they found themselves encircled by calamitous dismay; thereupon they were hit by the rod of departure, banished from heaven and sent down to earth. Nevertheless, it is the same One Who sent them down Who asks every night, “Is there anyone asking Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”

' Reported by Muslim (2749). ? Reported by Muslim (758).

"The two Angels questioning the deceased in his grave.

Consequences of being Neglectful

certainty with which to perfume his mouth when given an affirmative reply of “Yes, indeed” to the question

Rie ttee te Ai “and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them}: ‘Am I not your Lord?”

Then see whether his good deeds changed his state of prolonged heedlessness? Ate his blemishes of the kind that is excused by Allah? Does the water of his Tawhid reach the size of Quilatayn'? At any rate, Allah will look after him, but what is his condition?!

4 This metaphor is used in referenced to the known jutistic issue i.e. water that hasn’t reaches Qullatayn, it can be made impure. Quilatayn: Dual of qullah (2 quilahs). Scholars differed in its calculation today, some said it equals about 203/204 liters, others about 217 liters, and others about 270 liters),

Contemplating One’s Departure from this Life

HOEVER REFLECTS ON THE nearness of the moment of his departure from this life shall surely busy himself in collecting the supplies needed to make this

journey. How disgraceful it is when a person barters his precious self for the paltry gains of this life.

‘The soul is the quintessence of his self, indivisible and perpetual; it is a priceless jewel that cannot be valued; the limbs of the body are merely instruments made to serve it in its journey to Allah.

Within the receptacle of the heart, there is a fire that is like a burning lantern; life is its light, blood is its fuel oil, movement is its light beams, desire is its heat and anger is its smoke. When Allah created man, He made the forehead the soul’s guard, the middle part a counselor, the back part of the head a protectot, the faculty of intellect a teacher, and the sensory faculty a learner. ‘Then He deployed the limbs to be in its setvice, whether in a state of inaction or motion. He also made this worldly life a battlefield,

Contemplating One's Departure from this Life

and gave him the freedom to move to and fro in his battle array; thus when he defeats his enemies it is as if he has subdued Chostoes’, but if he is defeated then no one survives.

When the pious became mindful of the journey to the Hereafter, they walked through the darkness of their nature, cutting across it with exertion and endeavor. And when the light of the unseen shone over them

sabi aatee “Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein” [a/-Bagarah 2: 20]

Until they arrived at the gates of Paradise, their state of poverty being their sole adornment, their night vigils being their source of pleasure fie. as they use to worship their Lord in secret far from everyone’s eyes] and humility being their distinguishing characteristic. For too long have they been imprisoned in this world, so they communicate their grievances [i.e. against this life and its temptation and their yearning to be with their Lord in Paradise] to Allah through their invocation and worship; had you been awake during the night you would have heard the voices of the inmates of this prison.

The birds of their longing [for their Lord] are locked in secret cages of their innermost selves, lamenting out of their yearning desire, late during the night [anxious to meet their Lord in the Hereafter]. Whenever the doves of their anxiety cool, the clouds of their eyes send down a tortent of rainfall. And it is when the Angel of death is about to take their souls that the cage is opened up letting their soul out to seck the soothing Mercy of Allah.

' The Title of the King of Persia.

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

Momentarily does their soul waver as if dreading the knock of Bhs “who will cure [him]?” [al-Qiyamah 75: 27

But as soon as they hear the call of love addressing them, BES Leep how “Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to

‘The sweetness of the summon makes them completely forget the bitterness of the cup, and the agony of death becomes ease.

Wounds were insignificant to them, and were content to live in anguish; O you who are distant from them, what are you in comparison to them! Do not think of it as a trivial matter; indeed snatching the star of Canopus out of the sky would be an easier matter than catching up with them! It is akin to polishing a worthless sword, or encouraging an old man to play like a child, or making a wingless eagle fly!

He who has not moved by a subtle suggestion will not benefit from a flood of admonishment or lengthy sermons! Do you see even one arrow from my quiver of exhortations being broken? Aye, maybe it hit the heart of a grieving person without him knowing who the shootet was!

Advance forward purposefully, full of determination, letting

victory be your only concern - not your share of the spoils - because glory can never be attained by a coward; the pens that write

Contemplating One’s Departure from this Life

the best are those with the sharpest tips.

Awaken yourself from the slumber of your heedlessness, for the dawn of greyness (of your hair) has appeared. Be swift of foot and hasten forward, because the fellowship of the righteous has already left. Beseech your Lord in the valleys of dark nights, so that He might bestow upon you His Mercy. Seek out the traces of those who undertook this journey before you, to ensure that you stay on the right track. And when you catch up with your company, devote yourself to serving their mounts, so that perhaps you might have the good fortune of entering the tent of the one you love.

And our closing supplication is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds,

And may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon out master Muhammad, his family and his companions.

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

Other Published works of Ibn Jawzi

Disciplining of the Soul al-Hafiz Abi’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi [d. 597AH] being a translation of his ‘7ibb al-Rahani’

Know that all that Allah has allocated for mankind is for the purpose of benefiting them; either to bring forth a benefit such as the desire for food, or to prevent harm such as the capability of anger. That said, when the desire for food is in excess it becomes gluttony and hence, harmful. On a similar note anger when imbalanced within a person becomes mischievous. The aim is not at destroying the natural impulses of the soul, but at bringing them into equilibrium which allow the faithful to approach God without distraction.