An action done without Ikhlaas

“An action done without Ikhlaas & without following the Messenger is like a traveler whose sock becomes filled with sand, which weighs him down, & has no benefit.” 

Ibnul-Qayyim – ‘al-Fawaid’

There is nothing more dangerous than being bored of Allaah's Blessings

Ibnul-Qayyimرحمه الله   said:

“From the greatest of sins which are hidden – and widely practiced – is that the servant is enjoying a blessing that Allaahسُبحانه وتعالى  has blessed him with and chosen for him, then that servant becomes bored of it and seeks to exchange it for what he thinks (due to his ignorance) is better for him than it, and His Lord continues to be merciful to him and does not prevent him from this blessing, and He excuses him due to his ignorance and this bad choice that he has chosen for himself. When he reaches the limit in scorning this blessing and his boredom with it overcomes him, Allaahسُبحانه وتعالى  removes this blessing from him.

Beg Allaah to Forgive You!

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

"And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you, O believers, that you may become successful!"

[An-Nur 24:31]

Sheikh Uthaimeen رحمه الله says: 

"This verse shows that Repentance is an act deemed compulsory upon every mature, sane individual, because of the order entailed in this Verse. The Sheikh points out, that merely saying the words like Ya Allaah Agfirhlee (Oh Allaah forgive me), but at the same time persisting upon a sin or sins, and refusing to give up this sin, then this form of Tawbah will not benefit the individual and is at the same time mocking Allaah the Most High." 

(Sharh Riyaad'us Saaliheen, Chapter of Tawbah vol.1, pg.62-63)

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله says:  

Seek Out Your Heart in Three Places

Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله said,

“Seek out your heart in three places: when listening to the Qur'aan, in the gatherings of [Allaah’s] remembrance, and when [alone] in privacy. And if you do not find it in these places, then ask Allaah to grant you a heart – for verily, you do not have one.”

(Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p.479)

What a wonderful thing it is to know Him (i.e Allaah)!

Ibnul Qayyim (Rahimahullaah) said : 

"What a wonderful thing it is to know Him (i.e Allaah)! But how can one know Him & not love Him? How can one hear the caller but fail to respond? How can one know the profit that shall be gained in dealing with Him but still prefer others? How can one taste the bitterness of disobeying Him but still abstain from seeking the pleasure of obeying Him? How can one feel the severity of engaging in trivial speech but fail to open your heart with His remembrance? How can one be tortured by being attached to others but not rush towards the bliss of turning to Him in Repentance? Perhaps it is most surprising to know that while you are in need of Him, you are still reluctant to move towards Him because you seek others." 

{Al Fawaa'I'd. Page 72}

Who is the fasting person?

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

The fasting person is the one whose limbs abstains from sins, his tongue (abstains) from lying, lewdness & false speech, his stomach (abstains) from food & drink & his private parts (abstain) from obscenity. When he speaks, he does not speak with what harms his fasting, & when he acts he does not do what corrupts his fasting. All his speech comes out useful & righteous.

Let's rectify our hearts this Ramadhan, insha-Allaah!!

An Important Excerpt from Ibnul Qayyim’s Book on Remembrance 

(Al Wabilu Sayyib)

Indeed the servant is able to strengthen his concentration in prayer and focus on his Lord (during it) if he is successful in overcoming his desires and cravings. However if his heart has been conquered, his desires have taken him captive, and the Shaytan is able to find a place within it, then how can this individual escape the whispers and thoughts (that disturb him during prayer)!

Verily the hearts are of three types:

1. The heart which is void of Eeman and all types of good, this is the dark heart. The Shaytan no longer needs to confront this heart with whispers because he now dwells in it. He decrees what he wishes in it and has taken complete control of it.

2. The heart which has been illuminated with the light of Eeman. Faith has kindled its lanterns within it, but at the same time there is still present some darkness of desires and winds of disobedience. The Shaytan approaches and retreats from this category of hearts, and at times he takes advantage of opportunities. The war (in this heart) is sometimes severe and at other times calm.

The affair of the individuals who fall into this category of hearts varies between many and few. Some possessors of this category are usually victorious over their enemy, while others regularly allow their enemy to get the upper hand. A third group are those who have equal moments of defeat and victory.

3. The heart which is filled with faith. This heart is illuminated with the light of Eeman and the veil of desires and darkness has been lifted from it. The light of Eeman is glowing within the chest and that glow contains flames. If desires attempt to approach the heart they are burned by the flames (of Eeman). This heart is protected similar to the protection of the sky by the stars. If the Shaytan attempts to advance toward the sky to steal (information) he is flogged with a star and he burns. The sky is not more precious than the believer and Allaah’s protection of the believer is greater than His protection of the sky. The sky is a place of worship for the Angels, it is also the place of revelation (The Qur'aan was brought to the last sky and then revealed to the Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) piece by piece), and in it (the sky) are the rays of obedience. But the heart of the believer is the place of Tawheed, love (of Allaah, the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم, Islaam, etc…), understanding and faith. In it are the rays of the previously mentioned elements, and therefore it is befitting that it is protected from the plots of the enemy. As a result of this, he (the enemy) cannot obtain anything from it (the heart of the believer) except by deceitfully seizing it.

A good example of this has been made with the example of 3 homes:

1. The home of the king: In it are his treasures and precious jewels and belongings.

2. The home of the slave: In it is his wealth and precious jewels and belongings, but indeed his belongings are much less (in value and quantity) than that of the king’s.

3. The empty home: There is nothing present in it.

The Flavor of the Heart

Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim, رحمه الله said: 

"If you would like to draw a conclusion of what is contained in someone’s heart then use as a proof the movements of his tongue, for surely, he will show you what is contained in his heart regardless of whether he wants to or not."

Yahyaa Ibn Mu’aadh رحمه الله said,

"The hearts are like pots. They boil with that which they contain and their tongues are their ladles [i.e. scooping spoons]. So look at a man when he speaks. His tongue will scoop out for you that which is contained in his heart, whether it is sweet or bitter, fresh or salty and other than that. And the flavor of his heart will become clear to you from that which his tongue scoops out. ¹

Relying on the Mercy, Forgiveness & Generosity of Allaah

Many ignorant people rely on the Mercy, Forgiveness, and Generosity of Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى), without following His Commands and Prohibitions, forgetting that He is severe in punishment, and that His Wrath will never be withheld from criminal (polytheist, sinning) people. So whoever relies on the Mercy of Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى), while still insisting on committing sins is just stubborn.

Ma’ruf has said: “Hoping for mercy from the One (Allaah) Who you do not obey is but foolishness.”

The only sufficient provision to the Hereafter is Taqwa

Man needs sufficient provision on his journey

“Man needs sufficient provisions on his journey through life, but the only sufficient provision to the Hereafter is Taqwa (piety, fear of Allaah). Therefore, one should strive hard to be patient while observing Taqwa. Otherwise, he will cry, when it is time to leave, ‘My Lord, send me back’, but it will be said to him, ‘No’. The heedless should therefore wake up from his lazy trek through the stages of life. This especially should be the case, since as he travels, Allaah shows him His signs, Allaah brings fear to His slaves by these signs, to keep them from deviating from the Straight Path & correct religion. He whose means of journeying deviate him from the Straight Path, even though he witnesses the Signs of Allaah that make him afraid, should rush to return to Allaah by abandoning what made him deviate from the Path, all the while feeling remorse of his errors”

 [‘Iddatus-Sabirun, by Imam Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahullaah), Page 330]