Purification of the Soul

Ikhlas (sincerity) cannot coexist in a heart which embraces the love of praise and commendation, nor the yearning to obtain that which is possessed amongst the people, save in the manner that fire and water, or a lizard and fish may coexist.

If your soul informs you to quest for ikhlas, turn first towards your yearning and slaughter it with a knife in a state of desperation. Then turn in a state of asceticism upon praise and commendation, the asceticism of the one who loved the dunya for the sake of the Hereafter. If your quest in the act of slaughtering the yearning, and the acquisition of asceticism against praise and commendation is successful, your journey shall be facilitated in your quest for ikhlas.

If it is mentioned: What may facilitate the act of slaughtering the yearning and the development of asceticism against the praise and commendation?

I say:

The method of facilitating the act of slaughtering the yearning: Your definitive knowledge that there is no matter present that awakens ones greed for, save the worship of Allah alone, and the treasures which He alone possesses. For no individual can furnish the slave with those treasures save He.

The method of facilitating the development of asceticism against praise and commendation: Your knowledge that there is no individual who can confer benefit upon or beautify his praise, nor inflict damage upon or disgrace his vilification, save Allah alone.

As the bedouin said to the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, "My praise has been embellished, and indeed my vilification has been disgraced." The Prophet sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam remarked, "That is Allah." [Tirmidhi 3266, Kitab Tafsir al-Quran, declared sahih]

Accordingly, be ascetic for praise and the one who is incapable of beautifying his praise for you. And for vilification and the one who is incapable of disgracing his vilification for you. Be desirous for the One who is absolute in the embellishment of His praise, and is absolute in the tarnishment of His vilification. For none shall acquire that, save with patience and certainty, and when you have forfeited patience and certainty, you are comparable to the one who desired to journey across a sea without the aid of a vessel.

Allah has mentioned:

"Be patient. Verily the promise of Allah is true, and let not those who are devoid of certainty in faith discourage you from conveying Allah's Message." [Al-Qur'an 30:60]

"We have made from amongst them leaders, guiding under One Command, when they were patient and believed in Our Signs with certainty." [Al-Qur'an 32:24]

[Translated from al-Fawa'id by Sajad ibn 'Abdur-Rahman, 1998 Sajad Rana taken from www.islaam.com]

(s) Adapted from the translator's footnotes to An Explanation of Riyadh as-Salihin by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-'Uthaymin

"And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for al-Muttaqun." [Al-Qur'an 3:133]

Bringing the Self to Account for its Deeds

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Qur'an:

"O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do." [Al-Qur'an 59:18]

When a Muslim takes account of his own deeds he is able to realize his mistakes and correct them. Those who do not engage in accounting their own deeds, only condemn themselves in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah said in the Qur'an:

"So, by your Lord (O Muhammad) We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do." [Al-Qur'an 15:92-93]

Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah said, "Condemning oneself is a practice of the truthful. A servant draws closer to Allah in a moment (when he condemns himself) much more than he would do so through actions."

When a Muslim takes account of his actions, he is able to realize the right of Allah over him. Ibn al-Qayyim also said, "A benefit of understanding Allah's right over the servant is that it breeds condemnation of oneself and delivers one from showing off and vanity. It also opens the door of humbleness in front of Allah and closes the doors of conceit. It allows one to realize that salvation is only through Allah's grace and mercy. It is Allah's right that He should be obeyed and not disobeyed: that He should be remembered and not forgotten and that He should be appreciated and not unappreciated. Whoever thinks over these things will know with certainty that he cannot fulfill these conditions and, thus, has to resort to Allah's mercy. Such a person will be convinced that he cannot rely on his actions, lest he be destroyed. Many people think about their rights over Allah and do not about His rights over them. This is how there are detached from Allah and deprived of the desire to meet Him. This is the epitome of ignorance of their Lord and of themselves." [Ighathat al-Lahfan 1/99-101; secondary reference]

A'ishah radiallahu 'anha was once asked about the verse:

"Then We gave the Book (the Qur'an) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad) Then of them are some who wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah's Leave, foremost in good deeds. That (inheritance of the Qur'an), that is indeed a great grace." [Al-Qur'an 35:32]

She answered, "My son! They are in Paradise. Those who raced towards good deeds are those who lived during the time of Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam who testified to their sustenance and Paradise. As for those who were moderate, they followed him among his companions and caught up with him. And as for those who wronged themselves are concerned, they are people like me and you."

Abu Darda radiallahu 'anhu said, "No one can achieve complete understanding of Islam until he condemns people for the sake of Allah and then returns home and condemns himself even more."

Imam Ahmad rahimahullah related from Wahab ibn Munabbah rahimullah, "It is written from the family of Dawud 'alayhis salam, 'An intelligent person should not be distracted on four occasions; when he is supplicating to his Lord, when he is auditing himself, when he is being informed by his friends about his shortcomings, and when he is alone with himself.' "

'Umar radiallahu 'anhu said, "Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account [by someone else], weigh your deeds before they are weighed [by someone else]."

Al-Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah said about the verse "No. I do swear by the criticizing self ... " [Al-Qur'an 75:2]:

"A believer will always be critical of himself in his food, his drink and his speech. A sinner will not criticize himself."

He also said, "A believer is a guardian over himself: he acounts himself for Allah. Those who take account of themselves in this world will be audited lightly in the Hereafter. Those who take this issue lightly will find their auditing very difficult."

Disciplining One's Self for its Shortcomings

We are not made perfect by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we inevitably have our shortcomings. The pious predecessors differed with us in that they were harsh on themselves when it came to their shortcomings because they knew that obedience can be very difficult.

In the Qur'an we are told that Iblis said:

"Because you have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones." [Al-Qur'an 7:12-17]

The pious predecessors were always fully aware of this and did everything to their capability to take their souls into account for its shortcomings, all out fear, love and hope in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Tamim ad-Dari radiallahu 'anhu failed to wake up for tahajjud one night and he stayed awake at nights in prayer the whole of the next year. Talhah radiallahu 'anhu became preoccupied with a bird on his wall on his orchard while he prayed and he donated the wall as redemption for that shortcoming. Imam Muhammad ibn Sirin narrated that Abu Hurayrah radiallahu 'anhu said "Sometimes I fell unconscious in between the mimbar of Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and the chamber of A'ishah. People would say, 'Maybe he is mad!' However, Allah knows best that I am not mad, but my hunger made me fall." 'Umar radiallahu 'anhu gave a piece of land when he missed 'Asr prayers in congregation, and Ibn 'Umar used to stay awake the whole night if he missed a group prayer and then he would free two slaves.

Allah said in the Qur'an:

"And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they reach it, and its gates will be opened (before their arrival for their reception) and its keepers will say: Salamun 'Alaykum (peace be upon you)! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein." [Al-Qur'an 39:73]

Bringing the Self to Do Acts of Obedience

When a Muslim knows the value of the Hereafter, making an effort to have a pleasant abode is no longer difficult. This is why the pious predecessors acted upon the Qur'an and Sunnah. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radiallahu 'anhu said, "Whoever enters his grave without any provisions is like the one who mounts the sea without a ship."

Bringing the self to do actions of obedience to Allah has a great deal to do with being content by Allah's decree. This state can only be attained by those who seek to have great knowledge and love. And so, by this it is possible to find pleasure in whatever they have been given by Allah whether it is a trial or a tribulation, JUST BECAUSE, it comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah said in the Qur'an:

"Whoever acts righteously, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely give him life with a good life, and We will surely give them their reward in accordance with the best of what they used to do ... " [Al-Qur'an 16:97]

Ahmad ibn Bindar narrated that Abu Hurayrah cried during his last illness, and when asked about it he said, "Surely I am not crying being attached to your world, but rather for the long journey awaiting me, and the little provisions I have prepared for it. This morning, I am descending upon either paradise, or hell, and I have no idea towards which of the two I will be taken!"

Muawiyah narrated that he the Prophet say, "A group of people amongst my followers will remain obedient to Allah's orders and they will not be harmed by anyone who will not help them or who will oppose them, till Allah's Order (the Last Day) comes upon them while they are still on the right path." [Sahih al-Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 56, Number 835]

Abdur-Rahman ibn Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that someone asked his father, "O Abu Abdur-Rahman, teach me a few words that are all-encompassing and beneficial, so that I will need no further elaboration!" Ibn Mas'ud said, "Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. Live by the dictates of the Qur'an and pursue its guidance. Accept the truth and justice even if they come from a stranger you do not recognize, or even from someone you disregard as despicable, and refute falsehood even if it comes from a sibling you love."

Yahya ibn Mu'adh rahimahullah said, "Congratulations to those who leave the world before it deserts them; to those who build their graves before they enter them; and to those who please their Lord before they meet Him."

Thus we should try to bring ourselves to the very best of our abilities to do actions of obedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

In Sahih Muslim it has been related that on the authority of A'ishah radiallahu 'anha that Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "Everyone of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah, praises Allah, and declares Allah to be one, Glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah, and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people's path, and enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty, will walk that having removed himself from hell."

Abu Dharr radiallahu 'anhu reported, "Some of the people from among the Companions of Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said to him: 'O Rasulullah the rich have taken away all the reward. They observe prayer as we do; they keep the fasts as we keep, and they give sadaqah out of their surplus riches.' Upon this Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhis wa sallam said, 'Has Allah not prescribed for you by following which you can also do sadaqah? In every declaration of the glorification of Allah there is sadaqah, and every takbir there is sadaqah and ever declaration that He is One is a sadaqah, and enjoining of good is a sadaqah, and forbidding of that which is evil is a sadaqah, and in man's sexual intercourse with his wife there is sadaqah.' The companions said, 'Rasulullah is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual passion among us?' He said, 'Tell me if he were to devote it to something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote it to something lawful, he should have a reward.' " [Muslim]

Abu Dharr radiallahu 'anhu asked Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, "Which action is best?" Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "Faith in Allah and Jihad in the way of Allah." He asked, "Which neck is best for emancipation?" Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "That which is dearest of them in price and most valuable of them near its masters." He asked, "If I cannot do it?" Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said, "You shall help a laborer or work for one who is disabled." He asked, "If I cannot do it?" Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said, "You shall call the people from wrong doing, because it is charity which you bestow upon yourself." [Agreed upon. Riyadh as-Salihin]

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in the Qur'an:

"If anyone does a righteous deed, it is for his own soul." [Al-Qur'an 45:15]

And, He has promised us in the Qur'an:

"And whosoever does good an atom's weight will see it then." [Al-Qur'an 99:7]

Seeking the Company and Knowledge of the Pious

Unnecessary company is a disease that causes much harm. The wrong kind of companionships often afford one to be deprived of Allah's blessings. Companionship in this life should be beneficial for one's akhirah. Ibn al-Qayyim rahimuhullah cites four different kinds of companionships:

1. People whose company is like food. It is indispensable, night or day. Once we have taken our need from this company we can leave it until we need it again. These are people with knowledge of Allah, who are pious, who wish well for Allah, His prophet and His servants. Associating with them is an achievement in itself.
2. People whose company is like a medicine. Their company is only needed when a disease sets in. When you are healthy you have no need for them, but mixing with them is sometimes necessary such as livelihood, business and consultation. Once what you need has been fulfilled, mixing with them should be avoided.
3. People whose company is harmful. Mixing with these people is like a disease, in all its variety and degrees. You will never benefit from them in this life or in the next life if you have them for company. You will lose either one or both of your deen and your livelihood because of them. If their companionship has taken hold of you and is established then it becomes fatal. Among such people are those who neither speak any good that might benefit you, nor listen closely to you so that they might benefit from you. They do not know their souls. Their words are like lashes, while all the while they are full of admiration for and delight in their own words. They cause distress to their company, while believe they are the center of attraction. Mixing with such a person will inevitably come to an end and is destined to be doomed. In such cases a person should just hold on to good behavior, only presenting such company with his outward appearance, until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala offers him a way out of this company and out of its afflictions.
4. People whose company is evil in itself. This is like taking poison, its victim either finds an antidote for it or dies. Many belong to this category. They are people of shirk and misguidance who abandon the Sunnah and bring their personal beliefs as the truth. A Muslim should not sit in their company nor mix with them. The result of which will be a death of the heart. With these kinds of companionships, we need to be more aware of what we choose to surround ourselvers with. In addition al-Hasan al-Basri said, "The heart becomes corrupt in six ways: commiting sins in the hope of repenting, seeking knowledge and not applying it, practice without ikhlas (sincerity), eating the sustenance of Allah without appreciating Him, not being please with Allah's decree and burying the dead without learning from them."

Thus, in our effort to have increased taqwa we must surround ourselves with company who only seek to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in speech and in actions. We must also take time to acquire knowledge from the pious of the past and of the present. And finally, we likewise must make an effort to keep company of those who are hungry for knowledge about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and Rasulullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

(s) Notes from Hilyatul-Awliyah wa Tabaqat al-Asfiyah and secondary references from Ibn al-Qayyim

I heard the Shaykh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah - may Allah sanctify his soul - say, "Truly, there is a Heaven in this world, [and] whoever does not enter it, will not enter the Heaven of the next world." And once he said to me, "What can my enemies do to me? I have in my breast both my Heaven and my garden. If I travel they are with me, and they never leave me. Imprisonment for me is a religious retreat (khalwa). To be slain for me is martyrdom (shahadah) and to be exiled from my land is a spiritual journey (siyaha)."

During his imprisonment in the fortress, he would say, "I could not be more grateful for this blessing were I to have this entire fortress in gold"; or, "I could never repay them for the good that has come to me in [this prison]." [Ibn al-Qayyim accompanied Ibn Taymiyyah to prison (cf. Introduction).] And in prostration he would say, whilst in a state of imprisonment "O Allah, help me in my gratitude to You, remembrance of You and the most comely worship of You" as much as Allah willed. [A prayer recommended by the Prophet to Mu'adh. Nisa'i, Sahw, 1286; Abu Dawud, Salat, 1301]

Once he said to me, "The real prisoner is someone whose heart is imprisoned from his Lord; the true captive is someone captured by his passions." And when he entered the fortress and was inside its walls, he gazed upon them and recited the verse, "And a wall between them is struck which has a gate. On the inside there is a mercy, on the outside punishment." [Al-Qur'an 57:13]

Allah knows, I have never seen anyone who had a better life than his. Despite the difficulties and all that expunges comfort and luxury, nay, things completely opposite to them; despite intimidation and oppression, Ibn Taymiyyah had a purer life than anyone could. He was the most generous, the strongest of heart and the most joyful of soul, with "the radiance of bliss" on his face. ["Nadratun al-na'im". Al-Qur'an 83:24]

When we were seized with fear and our thoughts [about Allah's decree] turned negative, and the earth grew narrow for us, we would go to him. No sooner did we look at him and hear his words than all these [feelings] would leave us, to be replaced by relief, strength, certainty and tranquillity. So glory be to the One who lets His servants witness His Heaven well before they meet Him, who opens its doors to them in this world of deeds and who gives them something of its refreshment, its breeze and its perfume - that they might seek it and hasten towards it with all their strength.

A gnostic once said, "If kings and the sons of kings knew what we had, they would try to take it from us by the sword!" Another said: "How pitiful, the worldly people! They leave this life without ever having tasted the sweetest thing in it." When asked what that was, he replied, "The love of Allah, the knowledge of Allah and the remembrance of Allah," or words to that effect. [Possibly referring to the saying by 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak: "Worldly people leave the world before having feasted on the sweetest thing in it." They asked him what that was and he answered, "The knowledge of Almighty Allah." Isfahani, Hilya, 8:167] Another said: "There are times when the heart dances in joy." And another said, "There are times when I say, If the people of Heaven have anything like this, how truly sweet their lives!"

To love Allah, to know Him intimately, to remember Him constantly, to find peace and rest in Him, to make Him alone the [ultimate] object of love, fear, hope and trust; to base one's act on His control of His servant's cares, aspirations and will - such is the world's Heaven, and such is a blessing with which no other blessing can compare. It is by this that the hearts of those who love Allah are gladdened and that the gnostics find life. As their hearts are gladdened by Allah, so others are gladdened by them. For whoever finds his source of gladness in Allah, gladdens all hearts; whoever does not, finds nothing in this world but restlessness.

Anyone with life in his heart will confirm this. But someone whose heart is dead will only estrange you from Allah; and so seek intimacy [with Allah] without him, when you can, for his mere presence will estrange you. If you are tested by him, show him only your outer aspect, but leave him behind in your heart. Depart from him with your soul and do not let him distract you from the one who is most important to you. Know that the greatest of all losses is the involvement with someone who weakens your relationship and standing with Allah, cutting you off from Him, wasting your time, dispersing your heart, weakening your resolve and dividing your aspirations. Therefore, if you are tested with this [kind of situation] - and it is inevitable that you will be - then bear up for the sake of Allah, and acknowledge Him as much as you are able.

Draw near to Allah by whatever of it pleases Him. Make your association [with worldly people] a profit not a loss. Be like the man travelling along, whom another invites to stop: seek to take him along with you. When he comes along, lead him but be not lead by him. And if he refuses, and you have no hope that he will journey, then [at least] do not let him detain you. Rather, hasten on, pay him no heed. Do not [even] turn in his direction, for he is a highway robber regardless.

Protect your heart and be careful of how you spend your day and your night. Let not the sun set on you before you reach camp, "lest you be carried off". Nor let the dawn find you abandoned in the camp after the caravan has moved on, and the time is nigh for you to reach them. [There are some omissions in the arabic editions here. The sense of the last sentence is not at all together clear.]

(s) Al-Wabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyib
(t) Micheal Abdur-Rahman Fitzgerald and Moulay Youssef Slitine

Allah the Exalted said:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their private parts; that will make for greater purity for them. Indeed Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." [Al-Qur'an 24:30]

So Allah made purification and spiritual growth to be the outcome of lowering the gaze and guarding the private parts. It is for this reason that lowrering ones gaze from (seeing) the prohibited things necessarily leads to three benefits that carry tremendous value and are of great significance.

The First: experiencing the delight and sweetness of faith.

This delight and sweetness is far greater and more desirable that which might have been attained from the object that one lowered his gaze from for the sake of Allah. Indeed, " ... whosoever leaves something for the sake of Allah then Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, will replace it with something better than it." {qluetip title=[1]}Reported by Ahmad [5/363], al-Marwazi in Zawa'id az-Zuhd [no. 412], an-Nisa'i in al-Kubra as mentioned in Tuhfah al-Ashraf [11/199] from one of the Companions that the Messenger of Allah said, "indeed you will not leave anything for the sake of Allah except that Allah will replace it with something better than it." The isnad is sahih.{/qluetip}.

The soul is a temptress and loves to look at beautiful forms and the eye is the guide of the heart. The heart commissions its guide to go and look to see what is there and when the eye informs it of a beautiful image it shudders out of love and desire for it. Frequently such inter-relations tire and wear down both the heart and the eye as is said:

When you sent your eye as a guide

For your heart one day, the object of sight fatigued you

For you saw one over whom you had no power

Neither a portion or in totality, instead you had to be patient.

Therefore when the sight is prevented from looking and investigating the heart finds relief from having to go through the arduous task of (vainly) seeking and desiring.

Whosoever lets his sight roam free will find that he is in a perpetual state of loss and anguish for sight gives birth to love (mahabbah) the starting point of which is the heart being devoted and dependant upon that which it beholds. This then intensifies to become fervent longing (sababah) whereby the heart becomes totally dependant and devoted to the (object of its desire). Then this further intensifies and becomes infatuation (gharamah) which clings to the heart like the one seeking repayment of a debt clings firmly to the one who has to pay the debt. Then this intensifies and becomes passionate love (ishk) and this is a love that transgresses all bounds. Then this further intensifies and becomes crazed passion (shaghafa) and this a love that encompasses every tiny part of the heart. Then this intensifies and becomes worshipful love (tatayyuma). Tatayyum means worship and it is said: tayyamallah i.e. he worshipped Allah.

Hence the heart begins to worship that which is not correct for it to worship and the reason behind all of this was an illegal glance. The heart is now bound in chains whereas before it used to be the master, it is now imprisoned whereas before it was free. It has been oppressed by the eye and it complains to it upon which the eye replies: I am your guide and messenger and it was you who sent me in the first place!

All that has been mentioned applies to the heart that has relinquished the love of Allah and being sincere to Him for indeed the heart must have an object of love that it devotes itself to. Therefore when the heart does not love Allah Alone and does not take Him as its God then it must worship something else.

Allah said concerning Yusuf as-Siddiq 'alayhis salam:

"Thus (did We order) so that We might turn away from him all evil and indecent actions for he was one of Our sincere servants." [Al-Qur'an 12:24]

It was because the wife of al-Aziz was a polytheist that (the passionate love) entered her heart despite her being married. It was because Yusuf 'alayhis salam was sincere to Allah that he was saved from it despite his being a young man, unmarried and a servant.

The Second: the illumination of the heart, clear perception and penetrating insight.

Ibn Shuja' al-Kirmani said, "Whosoever builds his outward form upon following the Sunnah, his internal form upon perpetual contemplation and awareness of Allah, he restrains his soul from following desires, he lowers his gaze from the forbidden things and he always eats the lawful things then his perception and insight shall never be wrong."

Allah mentioned the people of Lut and what they were afflicted with and then He went on to say:

"Indeed in this are signs for the Mutawassimin." [Al-Qur'an 15:75]

The Mutwassimin are those who have clear perception and penetrating insight, those who are secure from looking at the unlawful and performing indecent acts.

Allah said after mentioning the verse concerning lowering the gaze:

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth." [Al-Qur'an 24:35]

The reason behind this is that the reward is of the same type as the action. So whosoever lowers his gaze from the unlawful for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, He will replace it with something better than it of the same type. So just as the servant restrained the light of his eye from falling upon the unlawful, Allah blesses the light of his sight and heart thereby making him perceive what he would not have seen and understood had he not lowered his gaze.

This is a matter that the person can physically sense in himself for the heart is like a mirror and the base desires are like rust upon it. When the mirror is polished and cleaned of the rust then it will reflect the realities (haqa'iq) as they actually are. However if it remains rusty then it will not reflect properly and therefore its knowledge and speech will arise from conjecture and doubt.

The Third: the heart becoming strong, firm and courageous.

Allah will give it the might of aid for its strength just as He gave it the might of clear proofs for its light. Hence the heart shall combine both of these factors and as a result, Shaytan shall flee from it. It is mentioned in the narration, "Whosoever opposes his base desires, the Shaytan shall flee in terror from his shade." {qluetip title=[2]}This is not established as a hadith of the Prophet.{/qluetip}

This is why the one who follows his base desires shall find in himself the ignominy of the soul, its being weak, feeble and contemptible. Indeed Allah places nobilty for the one who obeys Him and disgrace for the one who disobeys Him:

"So do not lose heart nor fall into despair; for you must gain mastery if you are true in faith." [Al-Qur'an 3:139]

"If any do seek for nobilty and power then to Allah belongs all nobility and power." [Al-Qur'an 35:10]

Meaning that whosoever seeks after disobedience and sin then Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, will humiliate the one who disobeys Him.

Some of the salaf said, "The people seek nobilty and power at the door of the Kings and they will not find it except through the obedience of Allah."

This is because the one who who obeys Allah has taken Allah as his friend and protector and Allah will never humiliate the one who takes his Lord as friend and patron. In the Du'a Qunut their occurs, "The one who You take as a friend is not humiliated and the one who You take as an enemy is not ennobled." {qluetip title=[3]}Reported by Abu Dawud [eng. trans. 1/374 no. 1420], an-Nisa'i [3/248], at-Tirmidhi [no. 464], Ibn Majah [no. 1178], ad-Darimi [1/311], Ahmad [1/199], Ibn Khuzaymah [2/151] from al-Hasan from Ali radiallahu 'anhuma. The hadith is sahih. The isnad has been critcised by many, however none of the critcisms hold. Refer to Nasb ar-Rayah [2/125] and Talkhis al-Habir [1/247]{/qluetip}]

(s) Taken from Al-Muntaqaa min Ighathat ul-Lufhan fi Masayid ash-Shaytan [pp. 102-105] of Ibn al-Qayyim, summarised by Shaykh Ali Hasan

It is related that Ibn 'Umar, radiallahu 'anhuma, said, "You ask us for religious verdicts in such a manner that it is as if we are people who are not going to be questioned about the verdicts that we give you."

Also from Muhammad ibn Wasi' who said, "The first of those who will be called to account are the scholars." It is reported about Malik, radiallahu 'anhu, that when he was asked about a matter it was as if he were standing between Paradise and the Hell-Fire.

One of the scholars also said to a person who used to give religious verdicts, "When you are asked about a matter then do not let your concern be to release and find a way out for the questioner, but rather to release and save your own self."

Another said, "If you are asked about a matter then consider - if you find a way out of it then speak, otherwise remain silent." The sayings of the Salaf about this are too many to quote and gather.

Also relating to this is the hatred of entering upon and coming near to the sovereigns, this is the means used by the worldly scholars to attain worldly status and position. Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i report from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, radiallahu 'anhuma, from the Prophet who said, "He who settles in the desert becomes coarse / hardhearted, and he who pursues the game will become negligent, and he who visits the kings will be put to trial."

Ahmad and Abu Dawud report its like from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, radiallahu 'anhu, from the Prophet and there occurs in this hadith, " ... And no one increases in nearness to the king except that he becomes further away from Allah."

Ibn Majah also reports from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas, radiallahu 'anhuma, from the Prophet who said, "Indeed some people from my Ummah will boast religious knowledge and will recite the Qur'an and will say, 'We will enter upon the rulers and attain a share of their worldly riches, but will remain in separate from them with our religion.' But that will not be the case just as nothing will be harvested from the thorny bush al-Qatad except thorns. Likewise nothing will be gained from nearness to them except sins."

It is also reported by at-Tabarani and his wording is, "Indeed some people from my Ummah will recite the Qur'an and delve into the Religion. Shaytan will come to them and say, 'If only you would enter upon the rulers and benefit from their worldly riches and remain separate from them with your Religion.' Indeed that will not be the case, just as nothing will be harvested from al-Qatad except thorns."

(s) The Evil of Craving for Wealth and Status