Beautiful Description of Tawakul on Allaah

Sheikh ul Islaam Imâm Ibnul Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah Rahimahullah said: 

“The condition of the one who relies on Allaah is like the condition of the one who is given a dirham by a king, then it gets stolen from him; so the king says to him: ‘I have many times as much as that, so don’t worry. When you come to me, I will give you from my treasures much more than that.’ Thus if (this person) knows the truthfulness of the king’s statement, and trusts him, and knows that his treasures are full of that, then what he missed will not make him sad.”

[Madaarij us-Saalikeen, Tawakkul; Vol.1, pg.527]

Ignorance & Knowledge

Ibnl-Qayyim (رحمه الله) stated:

‘Allaah is not disobeyed except by way of ignorance and Allaah is not obeyed except by way of knowledge.’

{ Miftaah Daaris Sa-‘aadah 1/321}

Thank Allaah For Favouring You With The Sunnah

Ibnul Qayyim (رحمه الله) stated: 

‘I entered upon one of our companions and there was a matter that happened with him which caused him to cry. So, I asked him about it and he said: “I remembered that which Allaah has bestowed upon me of favour from the Sunnah, knowing it, being free from the doubts of the people and their false principles, being given success to have clear intellect and sound natural disposition towards that which the Messenger came with. 

A Time when Duaas are answered??

Sit for a short while before you sleep and do this...

Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله said,

“Avoid those things that necessitate the punishment of the grave.

And from the most beneficial of them is that when a man wants to sleep, he sits for an hour, for the Sake of Allaah, calling himself to account over the things that he has lost and gained during that day of his. Then, between him and his Lord, he renews his sincere repentance over those things that he lost, and sleeps on that repentance, firmly resolving not to return to the sin when he wakes up–and he does this every night.

So if he dies on that night of his, he would have died upon repentance and if he wakes up, he will wake up going towards action, pleased with the postponement of his appointed time so that he can turn to his Lord and set right what he missed out on.

And there is nothing more beneficial for the servant than this sleep, especially when he follows that [i.e., his resolve to renew his repentance] up with the remembrance of Allaah, performing those sunnan which have been reported from the Prophet of Allaah (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) when going to bed, [doing so] until sleep overtakes him.

Your Soul..

Reflecting on the Qur’aan

Reflecting upon the Qur’aan

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

Praise be to the One Who made His Speech (Qu’raan) a source of life for the hearts and a cure for what is within the chests. In general, there is nothing more beneficial for the heart than the recitation of Qur’aan with reflection and pondering upon it with deep thought. It also comprehensively places together the (different) levels of the traveler (in this worldly life), the condition of the one who implements it, along with the status of the one who possesses knowledge. From it (the Qur’aan,) the following are inherited:

* Love

* Yearning

* Fear

* Hope

* Returning to Allaah (in repentance)

A few consequences of sinning/disobeying Allāh.

Imâm Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله listed a few consequences of sinning/disobeying Allāh:

• Lack of success
• Corrupt views
• Blindness from truth
• Corruption of the heart
• Failing to remember Allāh
• Wasting of time
• Avoidance and hate by the creation
• Separation between the servant and his Lord
• Supplication not being answered

What should you do if your enemy abuses you!!!

SADNESS...

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said the word (الحزن) – (sadness) does not appear in the Qur'aan except in the form of forbidding it

(ولا تهنو ولاتحزنوا)

or in the form of negating it

(فلاخوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون).

And the reason for this is because there is no benefit for having sadness in the heart. The most beloved thing to Shaitan is to make the believing slave sad by taking him off track.

The Prophet (ﷺ) sought refuge in Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) from sadness

(اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن)

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said: "Sadness weakens the heart and diminishes determination and wanting to go forward. And there is nothing more beloved to the Shaitan than the sadness of a believer."

For this reason, be happy, optimistic and think good about Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى). Have trust in what Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) is able to do and depend on Him. You will find happiness and pleasure in all situations.

Whatever is decreed for a believer..

The possession of wealth.

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

"Once wealth is in your possession, but (its love) is not in your heart, then it won’t have an effect on you even if it's a lot. But once it is in your heart, it affects you even if you have nothing of it in your possession".

[Madaarij As-Saalikeen 1/463]

Beware of Shaytaan in your HOME!!

Thoughts that Revolve in the Soul

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

It is well known that man has not been given the power to kill his thoughts nor the strength to severe them. They invade him just as his breathing invades his body.

However the strength of eemaan and intellect helps him to accept his best thoughts, to be pleased with them, to experience peace and tranquility from them. It also helps him to repulse his most evil thoughts and dislike and recoil from them.

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى created the soul similar to a grinding stone that goes round and round – one that does not stop; and always in need of something to grind. If seeds are placed therein it will grind them. If stones are placed therein it will still grind them.

What is Sabr?

By Imâm Ibnul Qayyim 

The Meaning of Patience!

In the Arabic language, 'Sabr' means ‘to hold fast, cease, or choke’. For example, in Bedouin Arabic, to say 'one has been killed by sabr,' means one is choked to death. Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says,

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ

"Moreover, keep yourself patient in the company of those (humble believers) who call upon their Lord (with devotion) in the morning and in the evening, desiring (only) His Face."

(Al-Kahf 18:28)

Sabr in this verse means to ‘hold onto’.

Thus, Sabr means to hold oneself from anxiety (jaza) and anger (tasakhkhut) , to hold one’s tongue from complaint, and to hold one’s body from disgraceful movements.

It is of three types: Patience in obeying Allaah (namely, perseverance), patience in avoiding Allaah’s disobedience (namely, resolve), and patience in Allaah’s tests. The first two of these are related to voluntary acts, over which we as humans have control. The last pertains to what happens to us (by Allaah’s decree) wherein we have no choice.

The Patience of the Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام

I have heard Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله say:

“(The Prophet) Yusuf’s patience in resisting the temptation of the minister’s wife was higher than his patience regarding his brothers’ throwing him into the well and separating him from his father, for the latter happened to him without his choice. In such cases, a servant of Allaah has no option but patience. But his perseverance in avoiding the seduction (of the minister’s wife) involved his choice and pleasure (resulting from his volitional obedience to Allaah), and struggling against his self.

Love before Marriage

Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

“And the cure for this deadly illness (i.e. love before marriage) is for the person that is afflicted to realize that this love is only due to his/her own delusions and ignorance.

So, upon such a person is to first and foremost strengthen their Tawheed and reliance upon Allaah, and secondly to increase in worship and busy themselves with it, so much so that they do not have any spare time to let their minds wander and think about their beloved.

Is such a person not nourished night & day by his Beloved?

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله:

“…is such a person not nourished night and day by his Beloved?”

There is an interesting section of ‘Zad al-Ma’ad’ (2/33 of the printing with al-Arna’ut’s checking) where Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله talks about Sawm al-wisal, which is that the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم would sometimes fast an entire 24-hour day without breaking his fast. When asked by the Companions why he had forbidden them from doing so while he himself would practice it, he replied: “I am not like anyone of you. During the night, my Lord provides me with food and drink.”

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله mentions that there are two interpretations to what the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم meant when he said this. The first is that he is literally provided with food and drink, and the second is that he is being nourished spiritually by Allaah. The stronger of the two interpretations is the second, because if the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم was being provided with actual food and drink, he would no longer be fasting at all, let alone continuously.

He then proceeded with a beautiful exposition of how it is that the servant can be nourished by Allaah without eating or drinking anything. Although Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله wrote this in regards to the Prophet’s continuous fasting, it is something that can actually apply to any fasting person, such as ourselves:

Great blessings from Allaah due to direct consequences of tests & trials!

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

…If you ponder Allaah’s wisdom in that with which He tests His slaves and chosen ones, by means of which He directs them to achieve the highest goals and reach the highest positions, which they could not have achieved without these tests and trials… all these tests and trials are in fact a kind of honour, for while they appear to be trials and tests, in fact they are mercy and blessings.

How many great blessings from Allaah are the direct consequences of tests and trials?

Think about the story of our father Adam, and how his test ended with him being chosen and brought close to Allaah, and repenting and being guided and raised in status.

The Most Hated Affairs of Shaitaan is the Bond between Husband & Wife

Narrated Jabir رضي اللّه عنـه   that Allaah’s Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم  said:

"Iblees places his throne upon water & thereafter sends detachments (for creating dissension); the nearer to him in rank are those who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of them comes and says: I did so and so. And he says: You have done nothing. Then one amongst them comes and says: I did not spare so and so until I sowed the seed of discord between a husband and a wife. Shaitaan goes near him and says: 'You have done well.' A’mash said: 'He then embraces him.'"

[Saheeh Muslim – No: 2813]

Supplications & Prayers of refuge are like weapons...

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

“…And I often find that people supplicate with certain prayers and have their prayers answered, and they couple their supplication with their neediness and turning towards Allaah, or a good deed they carried out that caused Allaah to respond to this supplication out of gratitude for this good deed; or they happened to supplicate at a time in which it is more likely to be accepted, etc. So his supplication was answered because of this.

One might think that the secret was in the specific wording of his supplication, and might therefore approach it simply from this angle while ignoring all of these other things that were coupled with it by the person supplicating. This is like someone who uses beneficial medicine at its proper time and in the proper manner and it benefits him as a result, and someone else thinks that simply using this medicine regardless of these other factors will bring about the same benefit. This person is wrong, and this is where many people fall into error.

An example of this is when a needy person supplicates near a grave. So, the ignorant one thinks that the secret of his supplication being answered lies in this grave, and he does not know that the real secret is in his neediness and full dependence on Allaah. So, if this happens in a House from the Houses of Allaah, this would be better and more beloved to Allaah.