Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

.025: Training of Soul

Text of the Hadith:

عن ابن عباس قال، قال رسول الله (ص): یری جزاء ما قدم، و قله غنا ما خلف و لعله من حق منعه و من باطل جمعه

TRANSLATION:

It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said, That which is sent forth will be seen and that which is left behind will have the least benefit and woe upon those people who have left behind things (which will be of no use to them in the next life) that which they left behind was either an entitlement which they prevented others (from using) or was something worthless which they had collected (to make use of) but had no benefit.1

Commentary of Hadith:

If we read this Hadith with the verbs as being in the passive state, then its meaning would be, That which is sent forth will be seen and that which is left behind will have the least benefit and woe upon those people who have left behind things (which will be of no used to them in the next life) that which they left behind was either an entitlement which they prevented others (from using) or was something worthless which they had collected (to make use of) but had no benefit.

This Hadith points to the material possessions which a person had at his disposal while living in the world. If these possessions are sent forth before hand then according to this Hadith the person will see all of these things (in the next life). This same issue can also be seen in various Ayat of the Quran and in one particular verse of the Quran in which we read:

أنا انذرناکم عذابا قریبا یوم ینظر المرء ما قدمت یداه و یقول الکافر یا لیتنی کنت ترابا

Verily, We have warned you of a penalty near the Day when man will see (the deeds) which his hands have sent forth, and the Unbeliever will will say, Woe unto me! Would that I were (mere) dust!2

That which a person sent forth, he will definitely see and in other words, this verse clearly alludes to the issue of Tajassumul Amal or the Physical Manifestation of our Actions not that the reward or the effects of the act which were done will be seen. Thus, the material benefits which a person delayed in sending forth will have the least amount of benefit for him especially if he had attained these things through illegitimate means.

Thus, the important issues concerning the actions of a person revolve around the training of the soul (just as the topic of this discussion mentions).

Question: What consequences do the actions of the person have (upon him and others)?

Answer: A person’s actions have two effects: 1- The external outcome or the societal effects and 2- the guiding effect on the soul and it is this aspect the training of the soul which is the important issue.

Let us suppose that a person gives away something in the way of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) by offering something in charity we see that this charity has two products or outcomes: The first outcome is that the society is saved from uneasiness and discomfort when the needy person is given a portion of this gift. The other aspect is the training of the souls (through the act of charity). Simply having a person who is willing to give up the wealth of the world and who is seeking to strengthen the soul of sacrifice and piety in the way of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) this act of his would slowly be transformed from a mere (physical) act into an unusual and common action (that he would constantly perform) and in the end, this act of his would become a regular habit and would become second nature for him.

A great number of actions only see the first aspect (as has been mentioned above). For example, a person may give something in charity, however, his intention or purpose is not Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) rather, he performs this act to show off to others.

Sometimes it is possible that a person in order to attract the love of his close friends and not for Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and not for showing off would perform an act of goodness he does this act for a reason or goal which does not belong to anyone (neither Allah nor himself). The effect of this type of charity remains only within the society and it does not have any effect on the soul of the person since it was not done sincerely for Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

It has been seen that there are some people who state the following in relation to their will or bequest, Even through I myself will not make use of my own wealth, however I shall bequest that after my death, my money should be spent for righteous acts.This person is definitely negligent of the fact that the bequest he makes has a very weak effect on the training of the soul of himself even though through this will, he may end up making a group of people rich! Thus, any good that is done for a person after his death does not result in an honor for him when he gives his wealth to somebody else to do good in his name.

If the person was to bequeath all of his wealth and even though such a will is not correct (from the Islamic point of view) however this act still does not have any affect on the training of the soul of the person.

Thus, after death, what kind of an effect can these acts have on the person?

In a well known Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), it has been mentioned that, A person had made his will and stated that after his death, the entire supply of dates which were in his storage tower should be distributed amongst the poor people directly by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.). When the person died, the Prophet (s.a.) acted just as the man had written in the will. When the distribution of the dates had finished, it was noticed that in the corner of the date silo, one withered, dried up dated remained. The Prophet (s.a.) picked up this dry date and said, If the deceased man had given this one dry date in charity with his own hands, it would have been better for him than giving his entire store-house of dates in charity through my hands. This is the case since the training of the soul was contained within that one dry date (and giving that in charity by his own hands).

As for that which will truly benefit a person on the Day of Resurrection it is a pure heart (Qalb-e-Saleem) just as we read in the noble Quran:

الا من اتي الله بقلب سليم

Except for the one who comes to Allah with a secure heart (Qalb-e-Saleem)3

The response of the healthy heart can be seen in its outward actions which are a direct result of the inner soul, spirit and etiquette of the person and it is for this reason that we are told that we must make our intentions pure and sincere.4

Some people state, Why do you speak so much about the intension of the person?? Such and such a person built a hospital and no matter what his intention was, what difference does this make? In any case, and whatever his intention was, there are thousands of unfortunate and downtrodden people who are making use of the hospital!

However, this sort of thought is rejected in Islam and such words and opinions are a grave error since this is only in relation to the outward and material aspect of the deed done, however that which is important is the internal aspect of the action which also has an affect on the training of the person.

We are of the firm belief that all of the actions which a person performs help him to achieve perfection and to reach to the ultimate aim and purpose of life which is:

الا ليعبدون

And this purpose is the worship and cognizance of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

The fruits of the world of creation are none other than the sincere servants meaning the perfect human being and this ultimate goal can not be accomplished except with a pure intention and thus, it has been mentioned in Bihar al-Anwar (volume 76, page 210) that:

انما الاعمال بالنیات

Surely, the actions are all based on the intention.

The word here "الاعمال " or the actions include all deeds and actions not only those of Ibadat or worship. Thus, if a person was to pay attention to the meaning of this Hadith, then he would definitely send things forth for himself and would not wait for others to perform this task for him.5

We see that the food which a person eats can be divided into two categories: 1- That food which enables him to continue living and 2- The food which only increases the fat content of his body and only adds to his overall body weight. In the same way, anything which a person acquires while in this temporal world can also be divided into two categories: 1- Those things which can help and benefit him (in the next life) and 2- Those things which only add excess weight to him (and do not benefit him in the next world and which he will have to be accountable for on the Day of Resurrection ).

The extra weight and excess body fat can be withstood by the body even though it is of no benefit to the physical self, however, on the Day of Resurrection, the person must also give account of this just as the wealth which put a person through difficulty and which he also did not benefit from in this world. In other words, there is toil but no benefit; there is accountability but no advantage. Those people who sent things ahead for themselves will benefit from those things and that which remained behind will not help them at all.

Therefore, in summary, the most important issue in relation to the training of the soul is sincerity. Whenever the sincerity of a person increases, the effects which they have on the soul in the training of the person also increase and thus, possessing sincerity is the first step on the path towards attaining spiritual closeness to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him).

There is a treatise concerning Sair wa Suluk (attaining spiritual closeness to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) which has been attributed to the late Baharul Ulum which is a very important treatise.6 In the final section of this work, there are things mentioned which make us think that it has not been written by Bahurul Ulum. However, the first and second section meaning almost two-thirds of this treatise expound upon very important issues which form the basis of the Hadith found on page 22, which states:

من اخلص لله اربعين صباحا، حرت ينابيع الحكمه من قلبه الي لسانه

The one sincerely dedicated himself to Allah for forty mornings will having springs of wisdom (Al-Hikmak) flow from his heart to his tongue.

Thus, in summary, if our actions are not performed with sincerity, then they will be as a lamp or bulb which others will be able to benefit from (its light). However, if our actions are performed with sincerity, then not only will others benefit from them, but in addition, we too will make benefit of those acts.

Notes

1 Biharul Anwar, volume 74, page 179

2 Suratul Naba (78), verse 40

3 Surah al-Shuara, verse 89

4 In verses 88 & 89 of Suratul Shuara, in describing the Day of Resurrection we read that on that Day and in that arena (of the Day of Judgment), nothing except a Qalb-e-Saleem will be of any benefit.

The word Saleem which is from the word Salamat has a very clear meaning to it: this word means the heart which is far removed from any form of spiritual sickness and ethical and theological corruption. Is it not seen that in the Noble Quran we are told in relation to the hypocrites:

في قلوبهم مرض فزادهم الله مرضا

In their hearts is a disease and Allah has thus increased the disease.(Suratul Baqarah, verse 10)

In many very meaningful ahadith, the Qalb-e-Saleem has been introduced as thus:

1- In a Hadith from Imam Jafar ibne Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) in relation to the verse of the Quran which speaks about Qalb-e-Saleem, he has stated:

و کل قلب فیه شرکت او شک فهو ساقط

And any heart in which there is polytheism or doubt, that heart has (spiritually) plummeted and is of no worth.

2- From another point, we know that having a strong affection to the material aspect of the world and the worship of this world causes a person to deviate and gravitate towards sin since:

حب الدنیا راس کل خطیئه

Love of this world is the beginning of all sins.

And thus, the Qalb-e-Saleem is the heart which is devoid of love for this material world just as Imam Jafar ibne Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has stated in another Hadith under this same verse of the Quran:

هو قلب الذی سلم من حب الدنیا

This is the heart which is safe from the love of the material world.

3- The final word on this discussion is that the Qalb-e-Saleem is that heart in which there are no others except Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and this can be seen in the words of Imam Jafar ibne Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) in response to a question which was asked of him in regards to the verse of Qalb-e-Saleem to which he replied:

القلب السلیم الذی یلقی ربه، و لیس فیه احد سواه

The Qalb-e-Saleem (Secure Heart) is the heart which meets with its Lord and there is none other than Him within that heart.

It goes without saying that the meaning of Heart in these examples is the soul and essence of the person (and not the physical heart) Tafsir-e-Namuna, volume 15, page 273-274

5 In the words of Sadi:

برگ عیشی به گور خویش فرست کس نیارد ز پس، تو پیش فرست

6 This magnificent work can be read at: www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/sayrsuluk (Tr.)

.026: Taqwa [ Conciousness Of Allah ]

Text of the Hadith:

عن أنس بن مالك قال:سمعت رسول الله (صلي الله عليه و آله و سلم)يقول:ايها الناس!إتقوا الله حق تقاته و اسمعوا في مرضاته،و أيقنوا من الدنيا بالفناء و من الاخرة بالبقاء و اعملوا لما بعد الموت فكانكم بالدنيا لم تكن،و بالاخرة لم تزل.أيها الناس،إن من في الدنيا ضيف،و ما في أيديهم عارية،و إن الضيف مرتحل،و العارية مردودة.ألا و إن الدنيا،عرض حاضر يأكل منه ألبر و الفاجر،و الاخرة وعد صادق،يحكم فيها ملك عادل قادر،فرحم الله امرءا ينظر لنفسه و مهد لرمسه ما دام رسنه مرخيا و حبله علي غاربه ملقيا قبل أن ينقذ ألآجله،و ينقطع عمله

TRANSLATION:

It has been narrated by Anas ibne Malik that he said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) say, O People! Have Taqwa of Allah as He is entitled to, and strive in gaining His pleasure and have certainty that the World is temporal and that the Next Life is everlasting and work and strive for the life after death such that it could be said about you that it is as if you were never in this world and (so that it could be said about you) that it is as if you have been in the Next Life for time memorial. O People! Surely all who are in the world are only guests (of this world) and all that they possess are simply trusts (given to them) and these guests shall (one day) leave and the trusts that were with them shall return back to their owners. You must know that surely this world is a merchandise and tangible commodity in which both the righteous person and the wicked person make use of, while the Next Life is the true promise (of Allah) which is ruled by the Just and Powerful one. So then may the mercy of Allah be on that person who looks at his own soul, and prepares his own grave before death comes to him during this time that his halters are loosened from around him (while he has the opportunity in this life) before he arrives at his appointed time of death and then (at that time), the ability to perform actions will be cut from him.1

Commentary of Hadith:

This is a hadith in which there is both a summarized and detailed explanation given for the topic at hand since in the beginning we see that we have been commanded to observe Taqwa and to give it its due right and then later on we see that this issue has been explained in more detail.

Many things have been said in relation to the definition of Taqwa, however we are able to explain this very detailed issue through employing a very concise statement which is that: Taqwa is that inner protection and internal lock which prevents a person from committing sins. Of course, Taqwa has various levels.

Sometimes we see that it is at the level of `Adalah or Justice (with others) and sometimes Taqwa goes even higher than just plain Justice such that we reach to the level of `Ismah or Infallibility since the level of `Ismah is nothing more than the highest level of Taqwa.

Thus, that feeling of responsibility which is inside the spirit of a person and that state of Wiqayah (inner protection) is nothing other than Taqwa!

The due or right of Taqwa is that it is nurtured to its highest level not the lower forms and levels - and this can be best understood from the following example where a person rushes to shut all the openings of his house when a flood comes whether the openings and doors are small and weak or if they are powerful and large. The more powerful and larger the doors of Taqwa become, the less damage will come about. The lower desires and passions and following of the lower soul are just like a flood of water, while Taqwa is like the door or gate (to protection) from this tumult. If the person was able to control and regulate the flood waters, then we see that he would be able to actually convert the energy of the water into electricity and power!

In continuation of the hadith, the Noble Prophet (s.a.) has stated the following commandments for us to follow:

1. We must struggle to earn the pleasure of Allah

As we know, there are three forms of pleasure which are attainable (in this world):

1. The pleasure of Allah

2. The pleasure of the people.

3. The pleasure of our own soul.

The person who possesses Taqwa would always seek to place the pleasure of Allah above all others and in this, the people must also be pleased and content with what such a person decides if the others become pleased with that person then what could be better, however if they are not pleased, then at least that person himself knows that he has done the right thing.

If we are able to reach to this station, then we would have reached to the highest station of Taqwa. With this, definitely when something comes up in our life, we would first seek to gain the pleasure of Allah which would be followed by the creations of Allah too being pleased with us, and then finally the pleasure of ourselves would also come about and this is the desirable order to follow.

Thus, if we want to see how this plays out in the real world and how it is enacted, then in any issue, we should see if that which we wish to follow would be in our own personal benefit or not and what it is that Allah wants us to do. If we see what Allah wants (us to do) and at the same time we see if this would also be what the people would want (us to do) and what we ourselves would want (for ourselves), then this would be classified as Shirk (Polytheism) in our actions while the pure form of Tawhid is other than this.

Thus, in order to reach to the stage of pure Tawhid, anytime anything comes up in our lives, we must first see what it is that Allah would want of us and then we must see what the people and ourselves desire.

It has been mentioned in the ahadith that,

من أصلح بينه و بين الله،أصلح الله بينه وبين الناس

The one who corrects the relationship between himself and Allah, Allah will correct the relations between that person and the people.

If in reality we are truly looking to earn the pleasure of Allah then just as the Du`a of Prophet Ibrahim (s.a.) in relation to his wife and son, Hajar (a.s.) and Ismail (a.s.) when he prayed:

فاجعل أفئدة من الناس تهوي إليهم و ارزقهم من الثمرات

therefore make the hearts of some people yearn towards them and provide them with fruits;2

Allah would also make the hearts of the people gravitate towards us!

With complete clarity, the Noble Quran states:

إن الذين آمنوا و عملوا الصالحات سيجعل لهم الرحمن ودا

Surely (as for) those who possess true faith and who perform righteous deeds, the Most Merciful (Allah) will bring about love for them (in the hearts of others).3

However first off, we must set the record straight between ourselves and Allah and it is at that time that the record of deeds that have been performed by us in relation to others shall be cleared and set right.

2. We must have certainty that this World will come to an end while the Next life is perpetual

We must see what stage of certainty is meant in this hadith. Is the meaning of certainty in this hadith at the level of actions or at the level of deep pondering and thinking?

From the point of view of our intelligence, we have certainty that this world shall come to an end, however at the level of our actions, we are acting in the way of the person who has certainty that this world shall last forever while the next life shall be terminated!

If we have certainty that this world is temporal and shall end, then why is it that all of the efforts which we expound for the life of this world are not channeled for the life of the next world!? We speak the words of one who is an ascetic in relation to this world, however our actions are of the person who is actively seeking the life of this world!

يقول في الدنيا بقول الزاهدين و يعمل فيها عمل الراغبين

He speaks about the life of this world as one who is a righteous and ascetic one however he acts in this world as if he is actively perusing this material life!

3. The State of the World

Various phrase and terms have been used in the Islamic ahadith in relation to the state of the world, and in this section of the hadith under discussion, we see that all of humanity have been addressed and have been told that both the believers and unbelievers are all the same and that there is no difference between any of them: O People! All of the people in this world are merely guests (in this temporal world) and whatever they possess are simply loans and things borrowed from others and in the end when they die, these things will return back to their rightful owners!

Point of Interest: This is a very expressive and eloquent analogy which has been used. If we suppose for one minute that we have been invited to someone’s mansion and when we enter we see that it is full of beautiful expensive silk carpets and a table full of various types of foods served on dishes of jewels and other such things in this house, however when we realize that all of these things are temporary and have been lent to that person to use (while living in this material world), then we would not have even the slightest attraction to them!

Therefore, if we were to have the same feeling for the life of this world (in all of its aspects), then without doubt, we would not have even the slightest attraction to this world.

Problem: There are some self-proclaimed intellectuals and those who are opposed to the faith of Islam who state that: These sorts of teachings are actually a type of drug which lead the people to becoming lazy and lethargic and through these sorts of teachings, the Islamic society has been left behind and are a totally backward nation! Others state that, These sorts of ahadith are made up and forged by the rich class of people who would like to see the common people break off all attraction to these sorts of things so that they (the rich) would be able to pillage and ravish all the luxuries for themselves!

Answer: Islam has actually commanded all of us to struggle and strive and has actually prevented people from being lazy and idle and being reliant upon the society for assistance:

ملعون من ألقي كله علي الناس

May the mercy of Allah be removed from the person who becomes a burden on other people.4

One time, a young man was with the Noble Prophet and the Messenger of Allah said, What does this young man do? The people replied to the Prophet (s.a.) and said, He is unemployed and does not do any work. The Prophet (s.a.) replied:

سقط من عيني

He has fallen out of my sight (I have no regard for him).

Islam has brought with it such a set of teachings that even the Great Prophet of Islam (s.a.) would be seen kissing the hand of people who would go out and work for a living!

Those ahadith which bring forth the lowliness of this material world have been spoken since the Prophet (s.a.) and Aimmah (a.s.) since they wished to bring forth a balance in life:

إني لا اوصيكم بدار الدنيافإنكم بها مستوثقون

Surely I do not advise you to the life of this material world since without doubt all of you have developed a strong attraction to it. However, I advise you to prepare yourselves for the life of the next world.

Thus, we see that we have not been advised to the life of this material world, rather, we have been advised to keep the next life in view so that through this, we can strike a balance between these two since all of the tragedies which strike the people of this material world come about through the worship of this temporal life!

At the end of this hadith, this World and the Next Life have been compared to one another and we are told that the life of this world is something which has been loaned or lent out to us.

Of the other characteristics of the life of this world is that although from one point of view, the life of this world is that of a place of trial and examination in which both the good and the bad doer profit, however conversely, the next life is that which has been promised to us and that too a truthful promise. This material world is low which shall dissipate, whereas the next life is a trust - and that too a truthful and firm promise and trust.

In that world (the next life), the ruler shall be an Authority who is not only Just, but also All Powerful and there shall not be a single person who will be able to run away from His government:

لا يمكن الفرار من حكومتك

It shall not be possible to flee from Your Authority. (Du`a Kumayl)

Therefore, we see that we have been placed in front of three things:

1) The temporal environment (the life of this World).

2) A truthful promise (the life of the Next World).

3) An authority to which there is no way to escape

and that too an Authority which the Quran describes as being:

و إن كان مثقال حبة من خردل أتينا بها و كفي بنا حاسبين

and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed (any deed good or bad), (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account.5

In another verse of the Quran, we are told that:

فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة يره ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شرا يره

So he who has done an atom’s weight of good shall see it. And he who has done an atom’s weight of evil shall see it.6

Thus, there is not a single thing which would be hidden from the sight of Allah K and all things will be taken account of.

However, in relation to the Next Life, the Noble Quran states:

و امتازوا اليوم ايها المجرمون

(To that group of people it shall be said): and get aside today, O guilty ones!7

At this time, the congregations of people shall be divided and when this occurs, Allah will shower His mercy upon those people who had prepared themselves for the Next Life.

In the hadith under discussion, the word رمس refers to the grave. When a person’s grave was made smooth and flat, the `Arabs would call it using the wordرمس Thus, when a person has been given the time and his hands are free (just as an animal, who when the ropes are taken off of him, is left loose in the pasture to graze), at this instance when a person has been given the opportunity before death comes to him, he must perform righteous deeds!

There is an important issue which is an addenda to the discussion of this hadith which is that this World, with all of its problems and difficulties is a great thing - and the Next Life with all of the good things promised therein has one problem with it: The good thing about the life of this World is that while we are here, our deed of records is open and thus, a person is able to wipe out and cross out all of his bad deeds which he performs, however, with the coming of death (and the Next Life), the person’s deed of records shall be sealed.

In speech number 230 in Nahjul Balagha, Amir al-Mominin `Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) has stated:

لا عن قبيح يستطيعون إنتقالا و لا في حسن يستطيعون إزديادا

(In the next life) neither shall you be able to remove or get rid of the bad deeds and sins nor shall you have able to add to the good and righteous deeds (on your record).

Sometimes while in this World, a person would shed one tear, let out a single cry and repent from deep within his soul and through this act, he would be able to extinguish an entire ocean of fire which had been ignited through his performance of sins!

The Ma`ad or the Next Life is an issue which the Noble Quran has placed a great deal of emphasis upon since we see that there are two things which form the fundamentals of the training of a person:

1. Keeping the issue of our origin in perspective;

2. Keeping in mind the accountability and resurrection.

If both of these two issues are kept in mind amongst any nation on Earth, then without a doubt that nation would stay on the right course. The weaker our faith becomes in these two issues, the more we will see that our actions become corrupt and impure. Thus, we make Du`a that we are able to keep these two issues in our mind day and night. In addition, we see that in our daily Salat, we repeat the following line a minimum of ten times:

مالك يوم الدين

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Half of Suratul Hamd is reserved for the praise and extolling the characteristics of Allah K while the other half is in relation to describing the Resurrection Day and it is with this Surah that a person can truly build himself spiritually. It is a Surah in which the second half contains:

إهدنا الصراط المستقيم

Keep us upon the straight path.

Thus, after attesting to true faith in our beginning (creation) and eventual end (death), we see that we request guidance onto the Straight Path.

The more we pay attention to the contents of this Surah, the better we understand why this Surah has been chosen for the daily prayers and why it MUST be read in each of the daily prayers - and the main reason is due to the secrets related to the beginnings of humanity and our eventual end and the upbringing and training of each one of us.

We must make sure that especially while we are in a state of Salat, that we do not drift towards thinking about the material world as any form of worship in which there is no deep thought and Presence of Heart is like the skin of a fruit with no fruit inside it.

At this point, we must think about the following important issue which is: What must we do so that we can develop Presence of Heart in our Salat?

The Presence of Heart is an extensive discussion, however we can state that: A person gives the most importance to that thing which occupies his thoughts the most. Therefore, if the material word is important to him, then during the Salat, he will constantly be thinking about that, whereas if the next life is what is most important to him, then even when he is not in a state of Salat, he will be thinking about the next life, not to mention while he is in the state of Salat!

In summary we can state that, Presence of Heart follows and is under the direct influence of those things which we are attracted to, and it is for this reason that we must seriously think about those things which we are attracted to and work such that the pages of our heart are always being pulled towards the True Existence (of Allah)8

Notes

1 Biharul Anwar, Volume 74, Page 177

2 Surat Ibrahim (14), Verse 37

3 Surat Mariam (19), Verse 36

4 Biharul Anwar, Volume 75, Page 142

5 Suratul Anbiya (21), Verse 47

6 Suratul Zilzaal (99), Verses 7 and 8

7 Surah Yaasin (36), Verse 59

8 In order to achieve presence of the heart in the Salat and even in other acts of worship, the following points have been strictly recommended to be followed:

1) We must acquire a deep insight (into the faith of al-Islam) such that through this, each and every person would be able to realize for him or herself that the material world is something insignificant, while Allah is something grand and great. Through this, the worshipper would be able to reach to a level that not a single act of this material world would be able to distract him while he is in a state of asking and begging his needs from the one whom he worships.

2. By paying attention to the various scattered things which need to be done in our daily life (and other such thoughts about various issues), a person is usually prevented from being able to centralize and focus his thoughts and senses, and the more a person is able to lessen his uneasiness and scattered thoughts, the more this will help him in developing Presence of Heart.

3. The person must choose a special place and area to offer his Salat and other acts of worship as this has a great impact on his Presence of Heart. It is because of this fact that to perform our Salat in front of certain things and especially in front of those things which would make a person preoccupied (with what is around him) is Makruh (Discouraged). In addition, it has been discouraged to perform our Salat in front of the door which is open; anywhere that people are passing by or where there is a lot of activity; in front of a mirror; in front of a picture and other places such as this. Thus, the simpler the place of worship is for the Muslim and empty of lustre, pizzazz and formalities, the better it is since this act too assists one in attaining Presence of Heart.

4. Keeping away from all sins is also very effective in achieving Presence of the Heart since sinning makes the heart distanced from Allah and destroys any Presence of Heart.

5. Becoming acquainted with the meanings of the Salat, the philosophy of each of the actions in the prayer and the Adhkar which we recite in it.

6. Performing all of the recommended (Mustahabat) acts of the Salat by following their own specific etiquette both in relation to the preliminary actions which lead up to the Salat or in the actual Salat.

7. In addition to all of these which have been mentioned, just as in all other acts, one is in need of paying close attention and exercising vigilance, practice and continuity and diligence. Many times it has been seen that in the beginning (of this struggle), a person would be able to focus all of this thoughts and energies on the Salat for a short period of time, however through continuing in this way and through following this pattern and staying firm on it, his soul would be able to develop such a power that at the time of the Salat, his entire presence of thought would be shut off to everything other than the one whom he is worshipping pay attention to this point. (Tafsir-e-Namuna, Volume 14, Page 204)

.027: Five Good Qualities

Text of the Hadith:

عن انس بن مالك، قال:‌ سمعت رسول الله (صل الله عليه و آله و سلم) في بعض خطبه و مواعظه رحم الله امراء‌ قدم خيرا،‌ و أنفق قصدا، و قال صدقا، و ملك دواعي شهوته و لم تملكه، و عصي امر نفسه فلم تملكه

Translation of Hadith:

It has been narrated from Anas ibn Malik that, I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) say in one of his speeches and words of admonition, May the mercy of Allah be upon that person who sends forth (for himself) something good, and who gives in charity from the middle path (not too much) and who speaks the truth and who is the owner (in control) of his own desires and wishes and not held captive by them and who controls his own soul so that it (the soul) does not take charge over him.1

Commentary of Hadith:

In this Hadith, the Noble Prophet (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), has sent mercy upon that person who possess the following five characteristics:

1. [قدم خيرا ] He is not waiting for others to send things ahead for him (in Paradise), rather he himself before others - sends things forward for his own soul and he himself is making his home in the next life a habitable place.

2. [انفق قصدا ] He treads upon the middle path (in giving in charity) not through either extravagance or being miserly he gives out of his wealth. When he gives in charity, he is sure to follow the middle course he does not give out so much that he makes himself poor and without anything nor does he give out so little that the goodness that he has been given does not reach other people:

ولا تجعل يدك معلوله الي عنقلت و لا تبسطها كل البسط فتقعد و ملوما محسورا

Do not make your hand tied to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach so that you become blameworthy and destitute.2

In another verse of the Quran, it is mentioned that:

والذين اذا اتفقوا لم يسرفوا ولم يقتروا و كان قواما

Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not stingy, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes).3

3. [قال صدقا ] The person’s tongue is not polluted with lies and speaking untruths.

All of these three characteristics listed are very good, however, our emphasis is more on the fourth and fifth characteristics:

4 and 5. [ملك دواعي شهوته و لم تملكه و عصي امر نفسه فلم تملكه ] what is important here is that a person captures h s own soul and enslaves it and controls and keeps reins on it - not that he is made the slave of his own soul. The complete worth of a person is in this point that he becomes the leader of his own soul and not the slave of it.

For example, when a person becomes angry, is his tongue in his control or not? Or when a person has the lames of jealousy burning up inside of him, does his true faith (Iman) put out such a fire? In summary, the person has been placed at the intersection of two roads one road leads towards Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and Paradise while the other path which is not limited to one particular path, rather it is a path that has many other paths branching off of it is going towards the Hell Fire.

It is easy to discuss this issue however putting these things into practice is extremely difficult. Sometimes, our leaders who have and are traversing the path of getting closer to Allah (Sair wa Suluk) use the following expression, He is a person who has done a lot of work and by this phrase they mean that the person has fought again his own soul so much that he has fallen down to the ground and has gotten back up again and has continued to fight against his soul till the point where he has become triumphant and has taken control of it as it takes self-discipline to win control over the soul. It also takes a complete knowledge of the meanings of the Quran and the ahadith of the Ahl al-Bait (prayers be upon all of them). Each and every day, such a person must read the Quran, the commentaries of the Quran and the ahadith and transfer this knowledge into his mind and must take energy and power from these things.

There are some people who say that, We know that such and such an act is not right, however, we do not know why when we reach to performing this act, we lose control over ourselves!

This is the meaning of being a servant that the person knows why (he is doing an act) but he does not know how to stop it since he is not the one in control of his own self. It is similar to a driver who is going down a steep hill and his car is picking up speed and he says, I have lost control of my car and then smashes his car on the side of a mountain. Or he ends up in the ditch and is killed. Another example is that of a person at the top of a mountain and is going down at a fast speed with nothing in front of him to control his descent and control his speed coming down. However, when he reaches to the bottom of the mountain, then his speed will eventually slow down and he will come to a rest.

Our soul works in the same manner! How painful it is for a person that he knows (right from wrong) however he does not have the ability to prevent himself (from sinning) since for that time period when he does not know and he commits sins, it is possible that he may not have a great responsibility (in the presence of Allah).

These are all warnings that we must be careful of our actions and that we must sent forth good deeds for our own benefit. However, if we fall prey to performing wicked deeds and we are not successful in repenting to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and we leave the world in this state (of being sinners), then we must be ready and prepared to face the punishment since after we die, the ink in the pen of responsibility will have dried up and at this time, a person will not be able to ask for forgiveness nor send any good deeds for his use in the next world.

Notes

1 Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 74, Page 179

2 Surah Isra (17), Verse 29

3 Surah al-Furqan (25), Verse 67