IST IHSAN Class 1-2 PDF

IST IHSAN Term 1 only Hadith - About definition of Islam, Iman, Ihsan, DOJ and its signs from Jibreel AS - Last year covered islam (ilum fiqh), iman - This year we will cover Ihsan 4 questions - Imaan (covered last yr, 6 objects of belief) - Islam (5 pillars actions, intentions, salah, knowledge v...

IST IHSAN Term 1 only Hadith - About definition of Islam, Iman, Ihsan, DOJ and its signs from Jibreel AS - Last year covered islam (ilum fiqh), iman - This year we will cover Ihsan 4 questions - Imaan (covered last yr, 6 objects of belief) - Islam (5 pillars actions, intentions, salah, knowledge vs ideology, how to extract from Q, H and islamic law to understand positions adn questions in deeen of Islam - Ihsan Deen has 3 dimension: 1. Iman - pertrains to our beliefs 2. Islam - pertains to our actions 3. Ihsan - pertains to our feelings, spirituality and heart Ihsan we will cover 1. Theory - overview of the main points and features of ihsan - Whats the goal, purpose of discipline, what makes so significant, difference between other dimensions 2. Practise - understanding of practice - What are the practices used to implement theoretical goals - e.g. Goal - to leave sin. Practices to enable this? 3. History - development of discipline - how was it practised at time of prophet saw (where our history starts) - How does it formalize, organise and develop in successive generations 4. Readings - Alot of ifrat and tafreet - excesses done in name of third discipline - Some people reject dimension altogether - And also some people completely start excessive practises in name of ihsan which have no basis in Quran, Sunnah and Shariah - Readings will expose what scholars have to say about such practices FOCUS: about our heart, spirituality and our relationship with Allah swt 2 ways of understanding topic 1. Dry academic understanding 2. Personal approach - is there anything in this module to: improve myself, my relationship with Allah swtt and becoe that person who has those feelings for Allah swt and one of Allahs beloveds MAIN AIM to become someone who truly has ihsan - take those things which they find relevant to become a better person - learn how to develop a strong, loving relationship with Allah swt Terminology - Ihsan - Ikhlas - Taqwa - Tazkiyya: aql (mind), nafs (soul), qaln (heart) - Tassawuf Introduction to terminologies - Shariah does not deal with labels, but haqeeqat ush-shayy (reality of something) - e.g. shariah doesnt deal with name of ‘alcohol’ but the reality of alcohol is that it is an intoxicant hence anything that is an intoxicant will be forbidden - The purpose of learning terminologies is to understand and implement tis essence into our lives. We can then complete this 1/3rd dimension of our deen Ihsan - comes in sahih hadith: that you worship Allah as if you see him, if you dont see him then as if He sees you. - 2 levels given by prophet saw: 1. mushahida, 2. Muraqaba Mushahida - worship Allah as if you can see Him Muraqaba - If you cant see him, know that He sees you. - Root comes from Allah is watching you intently and vigilantly. Mirsaad - like a predator watching his prey deeply - The goal should be that we become as aware of Alla as Allah is aware of me - Muraqaba is a 2 way vigilance Ikhlas - khalis (pure) - Make our inner self purifies, our soul, our sincerity (in our actions, intentions in our heart) Taqwa - Authors use with word to explain this discipline, ilmul taqwa/ilmul ihsan - Means to abstain or refrain from something and anything which can be a gap in our relationshiop with Allah, out of love, fear and knowledge and awareness of Him - fear of Allah doesnt represent terror - the kind of fear referred to is awe, and majesty, the khashyat of Allah swt - even when love is returned still teh lover lives and exists in khashiya - greatest thing in Jannah, known as Ridhwan (pleasure) Min-Allahi Akbar - Allah says that He is pleased with us forever Tazkiyyah - 1. Purification of heart - 2. Disciplining the soul 4 parts of every human being 1. Physical body - Jasad = body 2. Spiritual self - Ruh - Just like body has different organs, same way Ruh has different organs. Heart of Ruh = Qalb = spiritual heart - it is responsible for our emotions 3. Aql (mind) - part which we process our thoughts 4. Nafs - the part which has desires - lawful, unlawful, praiseworhty or blameworthy Tazakiyya purifies all 3 levels Ruh, Aql, Nafs Tasawwuf - Meaning of taqwa to abstain from sin and tazkiyya purification of heart and disciplining soul - if im falling nto sin how do i take away from X and get closer to Allah. The process is formalised into a discipline known as tasawwuf - Iman - deals with aqaid/ilmul kalam (islamic belief) - Islam - formal discipline that deals with questions of islamic law and legal theory known as fiqh/ilm ul fiqh - Ihsan - Ilm ul tazkiyya and later known as tasawwuf (islamic spirituality) Stick to arabic terms, as once translated loose some meaning. And can be miscontrued as other things (e.g. sufism, nothing to do with islam) - Ihsan comes from H - Tazkiyya comes from Q: - Surah Shams: Allah takes 7 oaths (Allah swt swears by the nafs, the person and then he says he will indeed be successfull who purifies (zakkaaha) and indeed fail who corrupts it - Ibrahim built kaba made the dua: for Allah to send someone from his progeny who can teach the people the hikmah - Prophet saw was asent as acceptance of Ibrahim AS dua - Ibrahim AS asked for a prpohet who could - 1. Tilawah of Quran, recite your verses onto them - 2. Teach them the Kitab, your book - 3. Teach them Hikmah, will instruct them in teachings of wisdom - 4. Do oour tazkiyya, purify us Word order by ibrahim AS - 1. Tilawah 2. Teach kitab, 3. Teach hikmah and 4. Purify them/tazkiyyah Allah changed the word order to show importance of tazkiyya - 1. Tilawah, 2, Tazkiyya, 3. Teach kitab, 4. Teach Hikmah 1. Person will not be able to fully understand Quran until - purify heart first - tazkiyya brought before Quran and before hikmah - all 4 are important Allah is saying do tazkiyya before teaching 2. Prophet saw and his teachins were kaamil and mukammal (complete and perfect) - remain until DOJ (all 4 missions he was sent for) - inward, outward every aspect of deen will be preserved. [ulama will preserve in pure and original form, and they will convey it also and teach it to the masses] - mufisiroon preserve tafsir - muhaditheen - mujawidoon (preserve tajweed) - ulemah of tazkiya, ihsan and tasawwuf are known as mashaik, shuyukh, shaikh. Goals of tazkiyyah - purify- inner sins - beautify - praiseworthy attributes - fortify - deen (iman, islam, ihsan) - intensify - love, qurb, marifah, wilaya - rectify - nafs ammarah, nafs lawwamma, nafs mutmainna 1. Purify - Self from inner sins and blameworthy attributes - Q: And abandon open and secret sin: surely they who earn sin shall be recompensed with what they earned. - Allah says leave all sins that a person does zahiri and batini - Outward sins. - we learn from Ilm ul Fiqh - Inward sins - we learn from Ilm ul tazkiyya and tasawwuf - We have a heightened sensitivity to outward sins and aim of tazkiyya and tasawwuf is to increase this sensitivity for inward sins - if shariah views something as disliked, mind should also accept this - Change our tabiyat so that our temperment understands it is a sin and goes away 2.Beautify - to beautify ourslves with praiseworthy attributes - the first set of attributes will be the attributes of the believers which will be opposite of sins and unlawful desires - to have commendable/good/lawful attributes and emotions in our hearts, love for Allah, love for the prophet saw - the desire to make ourselves pleasing to Allah swt, desire to remember the hereafter. Instead of shawaat - to have haya/modesty - H: modesty is a branch of faith - we know these hadith intellectually but have we been able to absorb, implement and internalise all that spirituality - this is what tazkiyya and tasawwuf does - it makes that person travel that journey, now that you know the merit and virtue and that Allah swt loves Allah. Next step is to become person of haya. - By having good attributes and siffat in hearts, to have compassion and kindness, in opposed to anger, greediness, arrogance - Adversity, humility - akhlaaq e hamida/praiseworthy attributes - theyre also mentioned in Quran about mu’mineen, sabr, shukr, tawakkul, etc - special groups mentioned in Quran - sabireen, shakireen and mukhliseen - tasawwuf and tazkiyya will help us to beautify ourselves with these siffat How do you become person of haya? - instead of stinginess have compassion and generosity - instead of anger have forebearance, patience in adversity - instead of arrogance, have humility and be humble Aklaaq e Hamida - praise worthy attributes - alll above otherwise known as - attributes of mu’min in Qran inabat, khawf, uneed, radha, tawba, taqwa, sabr, shukr, tawakul Special groups: - mukhliseen - sincere - sabireen - patient - shakireen - thankful - tawabeen - repentant - muhsineen 3. Fortify our deen Deen has 3 aspects Fortify our imaan and take this to level of yaqeen - tazkiyyah will lead to fortification and improvement of our deen in all 3 aspects - they develop and fortify iman so much that they have absolute certainty in the existence of AAllah unshakeable - Haqq ul Yaqeen Fortify our islam and make ibadah out of love - this improvement means that now this person will do amal us salih - the betterment will be that this person will be passionate in abadah as opposed to laziness/obligation - at times just that fear of disobedience is making them = is still praisworthy - however it is better that one should feel that we are not just praying out of force bu out of love. Willfully, lovingly, devotely and longingly - This is what tazkiyah does, brings islam to that high level - We are not forced to pray, we wait to pray, we make our chores fit around nawafila rather than opposite, because of longing we have for this ibada Fortify our Ihsan - worhsip Allah as if you see him, if you dont see Hm then know that He sees you - tazkiyya and tasawuf will bring one to that level - that always and everywhere they are aware of Allah and know ALlah is with them, gazing upon them and all knowing of what they are doing - thats the goal, and target prophet saw gave us. It wont come from fiqh books like quduri but from discipline of ihsan 4. Intensity Love - to intensify love for Allah to increase love for Him - Q: The people who have true and Kaamil Iman are those who are completel extremely intense in their muhabbah for Allah swt - We might have love for Allag but a lukewarm love - So to increase that level and get intensit and extremity in muhabbah for Allah, that is the goal of this discipline Qurb/closeness - The 1st three goals were the primary goals (purify, beautify and intensify) - the 4th and 5th are advanced goals of tasawuf - to seek out the Quranic maqam of Qurb. - mentioned in surah waqiah: thosepeople who are drawn to the Qurb of Allag swt. They are drawn to Allah swt by Allah swt. These are the foremost of the foremost - they will get highest in Jannah, they are the disinguished ones - advanced stages of seeker of path of tasawuf and tazkiyah - not outside of islam, primary goals and advanced goals Marifa/really know and understand of Allah - This has to do with knowledge - to have deep, intimate knowledge and awareness of Allah - Q: Allah swt says Ar Rahman! Allah swt declares himself to be Ar Rahman. And then He says, ask someone who is deeply aware of Allah and aware of the fact that He is ar Rahman Wilaya - this is another attribute, just like sabr, iman, taqwa are attributes - wilaya is also an attribute, which means to become the close, intimate, dear, near friend of Allah swt - its a relationship of nearness, intimacy, proximity and closeness to Allah - a person who has this attribute is known as wali (S) and awliyah (P) - Q: that these awliyah, the friends of Allah, they have no fear upon them and they have no sadness and grief in their heart Rectify - the 5th and final goal is to recitfy our nafs which has 3 stages Nafs e ammarah - Our journey towards rectifying our nafs has 3 steps, the first step is the person who has a nafs ammarah. - Surah Yusuf: indeed this nads commands a person towards evil - and a person begins with that stafe. This is the person who sins, but feels no remorse or regret - they are the slaves of their nafs Nafs e lawwamah (guilty/blameworthy nafs) - sometimes they are able to beat and restrain their nafs, but sometimes their nafs overpowers them - when their nafs overpowers them and makes them do something displeasing to Allah they feel guily and regret the sin and turn to Allahh in tawbah - So ammarah has no guilt and shamelessly keeps sinning but lawamah has guilt and regret - this is progress Nafs e mutmainna - the peak, pinnacle and goal is to reach this - this is that nads which is mutmainna on the deen - that nads which has been beaten into shape, which has been purified, rectified, moulded, tempered etc - the second meaning is that because the nads is pleased, hence theres contentment in their heart - anything that displeasing to Allah he dislikes it also - they are pleased with Allah and accept whatever Allah has put them in/decided for them - everything good is from Allah and anything bad is from myself Ihsan/Tazkiyyah/Tasawuf What will help us understand Ihsan? Goals: - what are aims and objectives of Ihsan (5 = purify, fortify, beautify, rectify and intensify) Practices: - what are the methods used to attain the goals? - Based on Quran, sunnah and shariah (not acceptable outside this, as people may say listening to certain kind of music brings them close to Allah) - E.g. how can we purify selves from inner sins, details of this amal. - what are the beneficts of this act, how will they help me attain this quality of ihsan History - every discipline was formalised and organised at some point of time, Ihsan was started from prophet saw time, but was not formalised and legalised then (subsciences, hadith, analysis of hadith, classifications of hadith didnt develop during time of prophet saw) - how did the discipline, organise, and formalise Writings - what did the ulema (masters of tradition) write- within deen of islam - uloom of quran guidance is needed to understand sciences of tafsir - sciences of hadith we look at muhadiseen and fuqaha - Ihsan, tazkiyah and tasawuf we will look at ulema of this tradition (awliyah and mashaik of this discipline) Goals 5 goals - 1. Purify - purify onesself from blameworthy attributes - 2. Beautify - oneself with praiseworthy attributes - 3. Fortify - strengthen ones deen (iman, islam and ihsan) - 4. Intensify - increase ones love for Allah, closeness, marifa and wilaya - 5. Rectify - rectify and discipline ones nafs Practices - 1. Assessing ones spiritual state (muhasiba) - 2. Inform and communicate (rabita/ittifah) - 3. Keeping company of the pious (suhba) - 4. Give counsel and reminder (naseeha) - 5. Following counsel (ittiba) - 6. Voluntary worship (nafl ibada) [dhikr and Quran/salah] - 7. Following the sunnah (ittiba sunnah) - 8. Taking a teacher of tazkiya (shaykh) - 9. Taking a pledge (bay’ah) - 10. Making true taubah and staying true to that Allah tasked the prophet saw with the task of tuzakihim, you purify them (us). Practices that we find when looking at the sahaba - Hadith literature was aimed at the sahaba - we are able to see how nabi saw did his tazkiyyah and how sahaba were students of tazkiyyah - If we want to learn to be ummati of prophet saw we have to look at greatest followers of prophet saw - These are the sahaba - If we look at this we will be able to derive lessons, reconstruct mecci period, and gain insight into hearts of sahaba 1. Assessing ones spiritual state (muhasiba) - We will find this concern, and vigilance about their spiritual state - Muhasiba 2. Inform and communicate (rabita/ittifah) - They will inform and communicate (rabita = turn/to contact or connect and ittifah = to inform) about their spiritual state - Sahaba used to inform and communicate their spiritual state to the prophet saw - We will look at how they did this and the shara’ee suboot and benefits 3. Keeping company of the pious (suhba) - Literal meaning is company, in religious turns = with pious - They would keep company of siddiqeen, saaliheen and righteous mu’mineen 4. Give counsel and reminder (naseeha) - The teachers wold counsel and reminder when asked a question - After the prophet saw ulema carried out the mission of naseeha 5. Following counsel (ittiba) - The students follow, internalise and practice the counsel given - We go to specialists for counsel for deeni things 6. Voluntary worship (nafl ibada) [dhikr and Quran/salah] - One practice of purification was voluntary worship. E.g. dhikr. When we study this we will look at Quranic practices, basis of dhikr and benefit of engaging of that dhikr - Another example = recitation of Quran and tahajjud salah 7. Following the sunnah (ittiba sunnah) - Practice of salah saliheen, early muslims. It was big struggle to tame the nafs to follow the sunnah - we will look at what the effect it is 8. Taking a teacher of tazkiya (shaykh) - Very important practice - Tuzakiyahim = you purify them. Means there has to be a muzakki someone who will help us purify. - we look at the sahaba they took nabi saw as the teacher of tazkiyyah and this is continued in generations to come - we will see how this practice is taken on even today - They all had someone who would purify their heart and try to attain this quality of ihsan - we will also look at what are the qualifications fo a shaykh and what should we be looking for when we try to look for a shaykh and whats the benefit of taking a teacher of tazkiyayah 9. Taking a pledge (bay’ah) - Linked to number 8 - The sahaba took bay’ah from the prophet saw (means to take a pledge and make a commitment) - It was a pledge on the goals to purify, draw close to Allah, increase love for Him and leave sins - We will look at basis in Quran and hadith and benefit 10. Making true taubah and staying true to that - This si the start of the journey - Foundation practice of tazkiyyah - We will see practical steps, how to make true tawbah and guidelines in shariah and how to stay true to that tawbah 1. Assessing ones spiritual state (muhasiba) - maintaining vigilance of the heart - even before the sahaba turned to the prophet saw the people used to maintain a close awareness of their hearts - H: beware in the body of an organ if sound whole body is sound and if corrupt whole body is corrupt. This is the heart - Every human has this organ, the soundness of this organ is very important. A person cannot purify themselves and be a good person unless and until they purify their hearts - H: hanzala RA was walking around streets of medina and saying ‘hanzala has become a hypocrite’. Abu bakr RA asked him why, and he responded as he feels some kind of hypocrisy in his heart. - From this hadith, the sahaba were worried about keeping their heart pure they were so aware of the state of their heart, even if a little bit of pollution entered their heart they felt it. - They werent just worried about external amal (zahiri), internal amal aswell - What we do is we leave sin as not good for us but in our heart all kinds of internal sins may be going on like jealousy, envy, evil desires (diseases of the heart) - H: Abu Bakr RA says when he is in the company of prophet saw theres a level of yaqeen and imaan that is higher and when not the level is lower and he feels that he is a hypocrite - The sahaba were so conscious of their spiritual state, that even in battlefield they questioned what was in their heart also. - H: Once in a battlefield Ali RA, was about to give final blow to an unbeliever, but he spat in face of Ali RA and he removed his hand and said I am not going to fight you. You can go and fight someone else, he questioned why. Ali RA responded before I was fighting you only for the sake of Allah swt, but now I feel an extra emotion has entered my heart and I could have a heart that has changed for revenge so you need to go and fight someone else. - Feature of not having any feeling of superiorty or arrogance - Umar RA dua: Ya Allah make me small in my own eyes (lest superiority complex enters his own heart) - At time of prophet saw entering mecca during fateh mecca dua: All praises belong to Allah, that Allah who has helped his servants and given this victor over the enemy - He was attributing all victory to Allah and was having humility at that time, he entered with his head down (he was already free of sin but was so conscious of ensuring it wouldnt affect his heart) - More fear we have of Allah swt the closer we are to Him - Umar RA would say take care of your account before your account is taken care of (DOJ) - Quickest way to attain Qurb of Allah - look at the state of heart (is there anger, jealousy, pride or envy) - Every day before we go to sleep we have to account for our sins (what did we do). We always have a choice. - heart is control room, tazkiyya is to rectify the heart 1. Inform and communicate (rabita/ittilah) - Rabita to be in contact/communicate - Sahaba would inform the nabi saw of their spiritual condition - H: hanzala RA was walking around streets of medina and saying ‘hanzala has become a hypocrite’. Abu bakr RA asked him why, and he responded as he feels some kind of hypocrisy in his heart. - What did abu bakr do? He stated if what he was describing was a munafiq then i am also a munafiq (but he was hib of rasul) - so they went to nabi saw, do rabita and ittilah and inform him regarding the condition of their hearts - the prophet saw stated if their iman remained as it was around the nabi then the angels would surround them 24/7, not possible - part of being human is that your company wll always affect you - H: a man came to prophet and asked for permission to commit zina. - this sahabi felt this intense overpowering desire in his heart so he did rabata, established contacct with the prophet saw, and asked him to commit a sin - nabi saw always gave guidance/nasihat - so when we feel something wrong in our spiritual condition, maintain rabita, get some advice - he identfied it and did not neglect it - his focus was to cleanse and reform himself - prophet saw asked him would you want that someone commit this sin with your mother, or daughter or sister or aunts. No, neither would people like this for their family - he didnt say anything, he placed his hand on his chest and made dua for the man, for Allah to forgive his sins, purify his heart and guard his chastity and then he never felt the inclination again First step - identify the issue in spiritual condition - envy, anger, backbiting, dont feel close to Allah in salah, make istighfar without true feeling, dont have true love for prophet when making durood Second step - either she knows how to purify her heart herself OR NOT - if you know but are unable to do it - WE NEED HELP - we need to know what is the ilm, to take me out of my inner sins, laziness - how many times do we know something is a sin, but we move lettingg go of sin tomorrow - before we do rabita and ittilah we have to know our own flaws and identify we DONT know how to get ourselves out of this problem - if we know how to purify themselves and do it no need for rabita - we have to identify we may have alot of knowledge but dont know HOW to do amal, therefore need a teacher - Quran says: - if you dont know have knowledg i.e. dont know how to feel Allah in your heart in salah then we count as having no knowledge - so you all must ask - communicate and question so that you are a student - ask the people of dhikr - the reason we are asking is no simplification of ilm, but asking for the amal therefore we ask the people of dhikr - as we watn change to ourselves, not enough to go to someone who has knowledge but also amal on that knowledge - this is hukm given to all believers all time - our job is to search for these people and ask 3. Keeping pious company (suhba) - ta’limath was transmitted of quran and sunnah through oral teachings - teachings of tazkiya was not transmitted all through oral teachings, majority was through subha (kayfiyat = feeling of iman prophet saw had in heart were also taugh to sahaba through this) - e.g. One praiseworthy attribute is tawakul. Sahaba comes from suhba. Nabi saw didnt tteach tawakul verbally - teaching is through company - e.g. incident of badr, prophet saw was praying, and he kept praying as he knew the odds were against the muslims and it was a tough battle. Sahaba wanted to strategise, plan and prepare. But nabi saw was praying instead, and this is what he taught the sahaba. - Taught them what to do in moment of adversity and taught sahaba and they carried it into their own times as amir - Q: oh people of iman attain taqwa (be concious) of Allah, join your being with the siddiqeen (become like those) - sit with people who are truer than us - sahaba by sitting with prophet saw got those feelings and that is why they are known as sahaba - suhba did not end with prophet saw - H: example of a good frien is like a person who sells musk, if you go near him you will get scent of itr, and if hes a good friend he might give you itr itself and another example of a bad friennd is like blacksmith, if you are his friend and go near might get blackness of coal, if you go even nearer might burn clothes - shows company of friends - H: a person is on the deen of close and intimate friend - friends will always have an effect on us - Dua prophet saw: oh Allah i seek your love and the love of those who love you - 7 people granted shade of arsh: 1 those who met and parted for the sake of Allah (whole relationship for the sake of Allah) - telling us to keep the gatherings of righteous for the sake of Allah - whenever word of Allah is spoken, angels surround that place, therfore when taking class make sure follow proper adab 6 benefits of sitting with the Sadiqeen - 1. It will take a person out from shaqq (doubts) to yaqeen (certainty) - 2. From riya (showing off) to ikhlaas (sincerity). From ostentation, from doing things with insincerity to ikhlas, doing things only for the sake of Allah - 3. From heeldessness to remembrance of Allah. Awareness and consciousness of Allah - 4. From having this desire and yearning of this world to now having desire of next world, to meeting Allah in hereafter - 5. From arrogance to humbleness and humility - 6. From bad internal nature, bad character to an eternal character that is good and has good intentions for other people 4. Giving counsel and reminder (naseeha) - If the teachers are asked are duty bound to share that knowledge - Nabi saw H: ulema are the inheritors of the prophets - The inherit every role of the prophets, they wont receive wahi but all other roles they can have - Q: Give naseeha, give reminder, it will benefit the mu’mineen 5. To follow (Ibtida) - Once receive advice have to follow advice given - Ittiba rasul - Where we cant go to prophet we ittiba ghayr rasul, personal issues where yo cant go to rasullalah for advice - However it is from someone who does dhikr (has knowledge and acts on it) - Ittiba of the sahaba were done by tabieen - So we are the followers of the followers of the followers of the followers etc - Q: Allah forgave those people who did tawba and did itiba of your way - could be way of Allah or rasul - Q: Those who do ittiba of the path other than the path of mu’mineen then we will turn them away and we will place them in jahanam - must do ittiba on the path of believers as theres a punishment for doing ittiba of someone other than believers - siratul mustakim, sabil e mu’minen - well trown path - follow the path of that individual who has innabath (deeply inclined) towards Allah - Do ittiba of such people who are deeply inclined to Allah Summary We have covered 5 of 10 practises of tazkiyyah 1. Muhasiba: first is to assess our spiritual state and to have that vigilance all of the time and watching our hearts all the time 2. Do rabita with them: to establish with them, with the sadiqeen, saliheen. Ask them about obstacles we feel, impurities we feel we have, whatever spiritual ailments risen in our hearts 3. Subha: to put ourselves in the company of the sadiqeen, those who are truer to Allah and the prophet than we are. To ask them about obstacles and challenges we face - dont feel shy to ask teacher as they get reward for answering - they make dua for us 4. To listen to and receive hidaya from them: because they are warithatul ambiya. Just like prophet saw was a warner, guide, teacher. Similarly, ulema of the heart will also be teachers and give us teachings and we take those teachings from them and listen to them - when we listen to hidaya from like family etc doesnt feel the same from a teacher sometimes as their heart are so much purer than ours 5. Ittiba: we must follow that advice and the answer they give us. When Allah swt says in the Quran, ask the people of Dhikr. Its understood that whatever answer they give us we have to follow it 6. Nafl ibadah - voluntary worship - Different practices of dhikr? - Have to look at this as lots of pratices done imbalances in name of imaan and ihsan - Many times people dont consider improving themselves, just focus on outward practices. Dont consider tazkiya important - Some people have too severe view and narrow minded or the opposite in discipline of tazkiyah - Due to weaknesses in knowledge - Our deen is moderation - How was scholarly tradition of islam understood this - Ahl al-Sunna Wa’l Jamah - term used by greatest fuqaha, mufasireen and mashaiq to describe themselves. They are the people who take tafsir from mufasireen, hadith from muhaditheen, laws from Quran and sunnah and fuqaha - Anyone of mufasireen have multiple tafsir of a verse aswell, wont negate or invalidate opinion of other mufasiroon Bid’ah - Linguistically: new - Shariah: every matter that is newly begin in deen is bidah and every bidah is a dalala, dalala is going astray and this lead to hellfire (H) - Scholarly position - arabic word generally has 2 meanings dictonary and shariah - Linguistic = innovation, do something new - When we hear the word, we say shirk and kuffr In terms of language - means to innovate and do something new - new to what? A/C is new, is that bid’ah - comparing whats new vs 1000 years ago theres alot. Shariah meaning - H: specifically pinpoints special type of bida’h - Not everything new and invented is forbidden, - new compilations, books of tafsir are allowed - student of imam bukhari compiled his own book of hadtih - prophet saw commented on specific bidah forbidden in deen - what is prohibited in deen? Anything new that will be problematic - Qaida is new? Bukhari sharif new? - Nabi saw is talking about something new and also prohibited - Theres 5 types of bidah - famous shafi jurist. 1. Wajib, 2. Mustahab, 3. Mubah, 4. Makruh, 5. Haram - 1. Wajib - new thing that is mandatory. During prophet saw time the mushaf has no harakath - Harakath added after time of prophet saw. It is new and wajib, why? - Shariah has given us a goal of reciting the Quran without a mistake, the means to achieve this goal it will be putting diacritical marks to achieve this prophetic goal. We are not touching the goal, to recit Quran correctly, the way prophet saw did so. - 2. Mustahhab bidah - new thing that is recommended - Example: all compilations, institutions of learning that we have today - There was no formal institution or curriculim, syllabus in his time - Usool fiqh, tafsir hadith all new - Goal was to acquire ilm of deen, means is to create these insitutes and education systems - History of islam, over time, ulema created different means to achieve this SAME goal - that time they had halaqas, which became madaris, now online insitute - GOAL is same, means is different - these are recommended, is it necessary? No but helpful - Makes easy for a perosn to achieve an reach this goal - Goal in shariah and Quran 3. Mubah - permissible bidah - You design home, chose architecural style (not style of medina) - Or style a masjid - Goal is to build a masjid, how we design it is permissible to be different 4. Makruh - new but disliked and reprehensible - Building a masjid, very expensive, and glamorous - Acceptable for masjid Haram, to honour signs of Allah, however any other place, any other country it is not acceptable to spend so much to build a masjid - disliked as the ummah has other goals and other priorities - Basic goal has to be achieved - E.g. we have poor people, that could use money we are wasting on extravagance - Reason not haram is because person built with own money and shariah permits to use own money however we wish in permissible way 5. Haram bidah - new and forbidden thing - its a new thing and it is a thing in deen which is haram - not that it is not just found in time of pprophet saw - misunderstanding, that whatevr not established at timeof prophet saw is bidah - bidah that is new AND forbidde is what ahlas sunnah wal jamah take as bidah - everything that is new AND goes against Quran, Sunnah, Sharia is going astray and dalala and every dalala will take a person to hellfire - we cannot reject something in matter of islam, just because it did not exist at time of prophet saw, those matters are judged according the comprehensive methodology of 3 main sources - if not khilafe shariah we can keep it, if so we CANNOT - 4 categories of bidah mentioned not found or established at time of nabi saw there was a purpose for the bidah and diacritical marks required to recite the Quran properly PRACTICES How far can we do something that is new to the deen 1. Cannot do anything against Quran and Sunnah (new things how do we find out about permissibility?) - if established permissibility then can do (Quran, sunnah, sahaba, tabieen, tab tabieen) 2. We are looking at nafl ibadah - look at scholars of this science = tazkyiyyah and tassawuf - ulema design new nafl ibadah, nabi saw never did - can we follow this? UNANIMOUS (sahaba, tabieen and tab tabieen) - cannot do any new ibadah in ranks of: Fardh, wajib or sunnah - no sheikh can add anything to fardh, wajib or sunnah - limited to nafl ibadah: dua, dhikr, istighfar Questions: Can I do nafl ibadah and keep it at level of nafl? - dont count it as fardh, wajib, sunnah Can i do an optional, voluntary ibadah that prophet saw did not do? Can i do a nal ibadah that prophet saw didnt teach the sahaba Answer: Must meet 2 conditions 1. Has to be nafl ibadah (not faraidh, wajibat or sunnan) 2. Cannot do anything against the Quran, sunnah and shariah E.g. - nafl ibadah by listening to music, qawwali, both are haram so cannot do - men and women come together to dance at a shrine, again against Quran and Sunnah - one might feel closer to Allah doing marijauna, or drugs, again against Quran and Sunnah Examples of nafl ibada of sahaba RA that were not told specifically by prophet saw (not mentioned) 1. H: Bilal RA and footsteps in Jannah - Nafl ibadah consists of dhikr and dua - Certain duas mentioned in Quran, transmitted in hadith, no problem with those - Everyone makes dua, Allah has given us this capability, it hasnt been specified and left up to us - Dua and dhikr: as long as meet 2 conditions (level of nafl, and nothing against Quran and sunnah) - Nabi SAW said his sahaba are like the stars, if we see sahaba design nafl ibadah then we should also allow ourselves to do so (dua and dhikr that meets the above conditions) - H: Nabi saw heard the footsteps of Bilal RA and (Abu Hurairah narrates) that at the time of fajr prayer, prophet saw asked Bilal RA, tell me which of your actions in islam are you most hopeful of for I have heard the footfall of your sandals in Jannah. Bilal RA responded he does not do anything significant, except that he does not perform wudhu at night or day except that he prays salath (tahiyatul wudhu). - This was innovation of Bilal RA, prophet saw did not teach him or know himself - This action he did himself, that was so acceptable by Allah, that this hadith shows this is permissible to choose times of acts of worship - Nabi saw later approved it and Allah accepted it (as it was later approved it is in hadith and sunnah now, but before when Bilal RA did it it was at level of nafl not sunnah) 2. H: narrated by Rifa;a ibn Rafi - Nabi saw was praying maghrb salah and they were praying behind him and he raised his head from ruku and said samiallah huliman hamidah and a man behind responded with rabbana lakal hamd, hamdan khathiran thayiban mubarikan fi (our Lord yours is the praise, abundant, wholesomely, blessedly, therein) - When nabi saw completed salah, he asked who said that (as prophet saw only taught them rabana lakal hamd), when sahabi replied it was him, prophet saw responded he saw 30 odd angels striving to be the one to write the reward for this dua - commentator mentions: indicates permissibility of initiating new expressions of dhikr in salah other than ones narrated in hadith, as long as new expressions dont contradict the dhikr mentioned in hadith - viewed as nafl, can do it as long as it not against Quran, Sunnah and Shariah 3. H: Sahabi came late to salah, and instead of saying allahu akbar (takbir e tahrima), he said the long takbir. Prophet saw asked who said this, he responded i did not intend anything other than good, prophet saw said he saw the gates of Jannah open because of those words - Abdullah ibn Umar RA mentions, he never stopped saying this after he heard the prophet saw saying this - he also followed this innovation by other sahabi - sometimes nabi saw heard and approved it, then it became sunnah - before that he did not say you cant do this, but he asked simply what are you doing 4. H: Aisha RA narrates nabi saw ince dispatched a man at the head of military expidition who would recite the Quran for his own companions at salah, and he would finish recitation with surah ikhlas, when he was asked why he did this, he stated the surah describes Ar Rahman (All Merciful) and i love to recite it. The prophet saw stated to go back to this person and tell that Allah loves that person - he had love for Allah and due to this nabi saw allowed it and Allah loved him for it - wasnt taught by prophet saw 5. H: Abu Huraira narrates that one man heard another reciting surah ikhlas over and over again, when morning came he went to prophet saw and saracastically mentioned it to the prophet, he responded that by Him whose Hand my soul is this surah is equivalent to 1/3 of the Quran - this shows approval of recitation of this surah over and over again in his qiyam al layl even though he did not do this himself - he left it open, as Allah swt left our nafil ibadah, duas and dhikr open, therefore prophet saw did not restrict it Nafl ibadah is our link to Allah - Sunnah and Fardh we have to do - Dua and dhikr is the connection between the slave and their Lord - Sunnah and Fard we cannot change - Dua and dhikr we can personalise, it is our connection, can have different styles, can have love for a certain surah, and can make dua in a certain manner as it makes us feel closer to Allah swt - As long as nafl and doesnt contradict Quran, Sunnah, and Shariah 6. H: There was a band of sahaba that departed for a journey and they were lighting camps in dessert and where they were staying some dessert arabs were asked to host them and they refused it - one of the leaders who refused was stung by a scorpion, they tried everything to heal leader when everything failed went to sahaba to see if they could help - sahaba said I will recite ruqya over people, he asked for a fee (agreed on herd of sheep) - recited surah fatiha and blew on the leader and he got up and walked as if nothing happened - this then became hadith (how to divide the fee?, man who recited stated to wait and get decision from prophet saw) - prophet saw stated how did you know fatiha is one of words of healing (didnt teach this sahaba that), then nabi saw stated to divide the herd and give him a share also Examples of nafl ibadah done after nabi saw passed away 1. Fasting continously, Abdullah ibn umar asked a question that he has started fasting continously (year round fast), didnt fast like this during life of prophet saw - Imam Malik writes in his muwatta, theres no haram in perpertual fasting provided that one breaks fast on days prophet saw forbade fasting - You can do new nafl ibadah (like fasting every day) if its not against Q, S, S (like fasting on Eid) - Imam Nawawi writes same thing in sahih muslim (fasted every day except days of tashriq and Eid - Abdullah Ibn Umar) 2. Abu Hurairah RA he possessed a thread or rope with 2,000 knots, he would use them for dhikr, Imam dhahbi RA, said that he would make tasbih everyday sometimes 12,000 times 3. Ibn Hajar RA student wrote about him, that his teacher always kept a tasbih in his hand (he was a shafi scholar, he wrote fatwas on permissibility of using tasbih, they knew prophet saw never used tasbih) 4. Imam Abu Hanifa - recited the whole Quran in a single rakah. How is this possible? - there are people who can finish the Quran in the duration time takes to sleep - hanbali scholar wrote this Nafl ibadah - H: whoever innovates a good sunnah in islam will have the reward of self and all those following without own reducing - those who innovatebad practise will have the same PRACTICES DHIKR - 1. Importance of dhikr (not looking at how use of dhikr for Quran is, but for remembrance of Allah) - Q: Indeed we have revealed upon you o prophet dhikr (refferring to Quran). but we are looking at second meaning which is remembrance of Allah - 2. Types of dhikr - a. Lisaani dhikr (of tongue) - b. Kalbi dhikr (of heart) - 3. Benefits of dhikr -4. Methods of dhikr Importance of dhikr - Surah Al Ahzab: oh people of iman you must remember Allah abundantly - This is optional, theres a misunderstanding that optional acts of worship are beyond us (as we are struggling to complete the faraidh), only by doing obligatory quality of mandatory will be preserved (that is how someone can attain quality of Ihsan) - we should take it as something extremely beneficial and maintain connection - e.g. mothers when children are young are always on mind, when grow less focus is on them and more on direct surroundings, out of sigh out of mind - if we keep tongues moist with dhikr, our connection with Allah remains unbreakable - That the only with dhikr of Allah do spiritual hearts find peace and tranquility - dhikr is linked to a persons heart - prophet saw: if the heart is sound then a person is sound - Object of remembrance of Allah is when you remember Him, He remembers us - He remembers us if We remember Him - In times of joy and sin (as remorse) - Little remembrance - sign of a hypocrite - the people who remember little, sign of hypocrisy (in Q) - Abdundant remebrance. Allah has asked us many things, but only one thing where He has added a condition (dhikr in abundance) - excessively, little remembrance is not sufficient - theres a promised reward for those who remember Allah abundantly - excessive remembrance is a person iman = mumin, little remembrance = munafiq. This is just dhikr, look at faraidh. Way we pray obligatory as if pecking, start looking at time and try to rush - dhikr is best thing to make your heart close to Allah, heart becomes in such a state that your heart is automatically repelled from what is sinful, automatically feel even in sleep your heart is in state of dhikr, day we miss dhikr/reciting Quran we feel it. When can we do acts of dhikr - every amal in Q and shariah there are acts of worship, sspirit of each is to remember Allah - when we start with an act = greatest act of worship is salah SALAH - Allah has commanded in salah, different ways to remember Allah Before salah - Q: Who remembers the name of their rabb and they constantly pray their salah - fasala (fa - sequential order), fa= consequently - first Allah is saying even before they pray salah they remember the name of Allah and dhikr mentioned is name of Allah During salah - Q: surah Taha ‘it is established for my remembrance’ - There has to be remembrance of Allah After salah - When completed salah, remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying on sides Juma - Whn you have finished juma (salah) then make dhikr. - salat of juma has a lot of importance, (leave your commerce) - done praying then spread on earth and search for rizq of Allah (means for a living) Purpose - purpose is to remember Allah Another important time to make dhikr Hajj - extremely important ibadah - if persons hajj is accepted all his sins are forgiven - again Allah is commanding us to make dhikr in those days staying in Mina - and after passing Arafah - when completed rights of hajj we also make dhikr - command of making dhikr is constant Another place is extremely important to make dhikr Time of Dawah Beginning of dawah - at time imparting other people deen - dhikr of Allah is attached to every aspect - When Musa AS made dua to Allah to make Harun AS his helper, to do tasbih of Allah abundantly (one Musa AS is asking for a helper to carry on his task, and so that they both can do dhikr, and for his ummah to do dhikr) - Remembrance of Allah is so important, that Allah tells anbiya when doing work of dawah should not be heedless themselves During dawah - Surah Taha Ending dawah (during battle) - if it comes to a point the people dont understand - Surah Anfal - This remembrance is so important, the people that dont accept and start fighting, when you meet, you should remain steafast and remember Allah - Wadkwaruallah katheera: remember Allah with alot of.... Importance of dhikr cont - shaytan tries to take away ones dhikr (takes away our most virtous deed), makes one ghafil (heedless.forget) from dhikr of Allah - ways does so - through love of this dunya - this is reason why Allah says those who remember Him can save themselves from shaytan - dhikr of Allah is our greatest protection - we are either from ghafileen (dont do dhikr, shaytan becomes companion of that person) - or we are dhakireen (constantly remembering Allah) - if we are in the habit of persistently doing dhikr even if from tongue only, eventually the heart will follow - we should NOT be those heedless of remembrance of Allah - Q: not to listen to the hearts who are empty of remembrance of Allah - Dhikr is in heart, if heart is heedless they wont listen, so we dont need to listen or follow them - Do not let wealth or children distract us from dhikr - Think about daily dhikr that we should do, what stops us from making this dhikr, what action have we done so wrong that we have been prevented from remembering Allah Types of dhikr 1. Lisani (tongue) 2. Qalbi (heart)/Khafi (hidden) - both mentioned in 1 ayah of Quran - Q: remember your Rabb inside yourself - nafsiq as per mufassireen means inside your heart - reflect on this: when thinking of someone we rarely say outloud that we are thinking of them, tongue seldom used HOW we should remember - remember in humility - appropriate voice not too loud - Qalbi:mentioned first has more virtue - dhikr can be done alll the time, even in normal conversation how? - Think every word we say, will it be pleasing to Allah - When eating cant say words of dhikr, but our mind can be/spiritual heart Dhikr Qalb Dhikr katheer - all the time - general way, no specific time, constantly thinking of Allah - This is quranic teaching - Abundant remembrance of Allah: while standing, sitting, lying down (in every state) - There are some people in this world, that nothing in the world distracts them from Allah Special time believer remembers Allah - remember the name of Allah to the exclusion of everything else - cannot be done all the time - but we should dedicate SOME time for exclusive rememberanc eof Allah - This is an ayah of Quran - practise to disconnect from dunya and remember Allah only - tabattul = to become fana/lost, in remembrance of Allah - its not incomprehensible, as people in love spend such long time with one they lovecant tell how time passes - take out time to do this everyday, we will get distractions as tool of shaytan, takes practise BENEFITS OF DHIKR - Hadith qudsi - H: i treat my servants according to his expectations of me - when a person is hopeful of Allah, Allah will treat him as so - Sahaba who died of plague, before dying would fiant many times, whenever he regained consciousness would state Allah i love you, and i die with the hopefulnes of your forgiveness ,and enjoyed life by fasting and doing dhikr in gatherings - H: I am with him when he remembers me. - if we remember Allah in good manner, he will treat us as so - H: If he remembers me in his heart, i remember him in my heart, if he remmebers me in a gathering I remember him in a better gathering, if he comes closer to me by one span, i come to him by a cubic length, and if he comes to me by a cubic length then i come to him by an arms length, and if he walks towards me i run towards him. BENEFITS OF DHIKR - H: once a sahabi came to nabi saw, asked for one act that he can do diligently and seriously throughout life. Prophet saw stated to keep tongue always moist and busy with remembrance of Allah - H: sahaba was with prophet saw in yemen and asked for advice, he stated at time of death your tongue should be busy with remembrance of Allah - H: those who keep tongue moist with dhikr of Allah, they will enter jannah smiling -H: prophet saw told companions, best of deeds, best act of piety, elevate status in hereafter, more virtous than spreading gold and silver in way of Allah, or taking part in jihad or slaying or being slain in path of Allah - this is dhikr of Allah - It is an act of all times, more important and more virtous. - H: for every single thing theres a polish and the polish of the heart is dhikr of Allah swt - H: when a person sins theres a negative effect on the heart, and prophet says when a person remembers Allah excessively dhikr will wash away the impurities of the heart and it will become pure - Why dhikran kathir is important in tazkiyyah - Everything rusts if not used, like this the heart gains rust, we need to wash it properly for use, likewise dhikr needs to be done abundantly to clean the heart - H: superiority of dhikr over amal: someone enquired from salman al farsi, what actions most virtous and he replied have you not read in Quran that dhikr of Allah is most exalted - H: there are many people who do dhikr when lying comfortably on their beds, and for this they will be rewarded with highest position in Jannah - Generally more effort given for act greater reward but for dhikr such a blessed act even if done in most comfortable position it brings very high reward - H: if you keep busy with dhikr all the time the angels will come shake hands with you in your bed and when you walking Benefits of dhikr continued.. - Mufradoon (those who have gone far ahead, are those who are constantly absorbed in dhikr) - H: during his journey to madina said where are those who have gone ahead and the companions responded they were the fast travellers. And the prophet saw stated those who have gone far ahead are those are constantly absorbed in dhikr, whoever desires to enjoy himself in paradise should do dhikr of Allah excessively - H: If a person remembers Allah in times of peace, pleasure and prosperity then whenever he is in times of difficulty the angels will recognise his voice in that state of helplessness and intercede for them and Allah forgives that person and removes the difficulty - H: Jannah and Jahanam has 8 gates, and one is reserved for those engaged in dhikr of Allah - H: one who does dhikr of Allah constantly that person is immune to hypocrisy in faith and loved by Allah - H: One who remembers Allah and one who doesnt is like the one who doesnt is like the one who is alive versus the dead. Spiritual heart is dead without the remembrance of Allah. - H: the day of Qiyamah will not be established until there is not even one person on this earth that says Allah - H: If a person has a lot of wealth and distributes amongst the needy and latter is only busy with dhikr of Allah, the latter is better of 2. - H: Those who are admitted into paradise will not regret anything in this world except for the time NOT spent in dhikr of Allah - they will feel the loss of the time not spent in remembrance of Allah - There was a scholar who compared time chewing bread and swallowing barley, chewing bread took so much time he could say subhanallah 70 times. So he never had bread ofr 40 years - H: Gatherings engaged in dhikr of Allah is surrounded by angels on all sides, the grace of Allah and sakeenah descend upon them and Almighty Allah speaks about them in way of appreciation, to His angels - H: prophet saw went to a group of sahaba and asked them what for are they sitting? They responded they are engaged in the dhikr of Allah and are glorifying him for his extreme kindness to us in that he had blessed us with the wealth of Islam for this reason only. He asked as jibreel as informed prophet saw that Allah was mentioning them to the angels in high regard - H: when the people assemble for dhikr of Allah an angel proclaims from the sky that you people have been forgiven your sins have been replaced with virtues. - Q: Allah will change the evil deeds to good deeds - Ikhlas is prerequisite - H: no other action from a person can surpass dhikr of Allah in saving him from the punishement in grave - H: The grave is either a garden from paradise or pit from Hell - H: gatherings we should make point to take part, and if alone make abundant dhikr -H: houses which dhikr is done, are like shining star, angels see as bright light - H: when you pass the gardens of paradise, praise to your hearts content (gatherings performance of dhikr) - H: dhikr of Allah will cure the disease of mind like malice, arrogance and jealousy - H: Practise dhikr so excessively that people may regard you as majnoon - H: In shade of Allah if practise dhikr in private and weeping (dhikr and solitude) Khalyaan - solitude (physically unoccupied) - atleast put hearts in khalwat for rememrance of Allah - H: a person who remembers Allah in solitude is like the one who goes out alone to dight in way of Allah VIRTUES OF SILENT DHIKR OF HEART - silent dhikr not even heart by angels is 70 times superior than the dhikr of tongue - dhikr which angels cannot hear. - heart is constantly in remembrance of Allah - best dhikr is dhikr khafi (silent) - should not make arrogant or proud - dhikr khamil - is dhikr khafi (silent dhikr) - remember name of Allah in your heart and be aware of what heart is saying and amal we are doing - Q: keep yourself bound to the company of those who remember Allah swt. As a result prophet saw went out looking for these people, found a group engaged in dhikr in masji nabawi, wordly sense not wealthy (parched skin), on seeing them he greeted them and told them he was commanded to sit in their company - asked what they were doing, and saw mercy of Allah descending upon them so wanted to join them - sit in gatherings of dhikr, not just sit but attach ourselves to these gatherings Benefits of dhikr continued... Virtues of remembering Allah swt in a gathering of ghafileen - If find self in gathering of ghafileen, stay iin state of remembrance of Allah to protect self - H: the person who remains engaged in dhikr in compnay of ghafileen is like one who remains steadfast in jihad - it is like a lamp in dark house - or like a green tree in autumn - all of his sins are forgiven even if equal to all men and animals - based on condition remains engaged in dhikr even in coompany of ghafileen - if not then it is forbidden to be in gathering of negligent people (if youo have to e.g. work, remain in state of dhikr) Virtues of remembering after fajr and asr prayer - H: Allah says do my dhikr for some time after fajr and asr salaah and i will suffice for you during the intervening periodds - includes tahajjud - major scholar mentions - there were some ranks in tazkiyya and tasawuf that i wuld think i would never be able to attain them, and for that sake i did amal on thisone hadith of nabi saw and i was able to reach that rannk and see them wit my own eyes - Nabi saw said do dhikr of Allah and take support of fajr, asr and night time (tahajud), this is hadith he acted on - nabi saw said he preferred sitting with those who remain busy with remembrance of Allah after fajr until sunrise, and i prefer this act over the act of setting 4 slaves free - if men pray fajr in jamah, and remain in dhikr till sunrise they will gain reward of accepted hajj and umrah (for women also) - student of ibn taymiyyah - said his teacher would sit in remembrance of Allah for 1-3 hours and said this is my breakfast and if i dont eat my breakfast i remain weak throughout the day - imam malik makruh to remain talking in fajr (hanifi fiqh disliked to have useless talk at this time) - nabi saw used to interpret peoples dreams and then sit in dhikr for 1-2 hours after fajr, then pray ishraq and then come back home. Saw juweriya sitting in same posture prophet saw left her. Prophet saw taught her dhikr more than reward yu get sitting in that time -.... - dhikr mentioned is not Quran, majlis of ilm, general dhikr Everything is accursed except: - dhikr of Allah and everything near it, the alim and the student - anything that leads to dhikr - even cooking, cleaning, looking after family, mae intention to do dhikr of Allah when doing this or intention to eat etc to allow you to do dhikr - hadrat ibn qayyim RA mentioned 100 benefits of dhikr Hadrat Ibn Qayyim RA - benefits of dhikr - dhikr keeps away the shaytan and weakens his strength - cause of Almighty Allahs pleasure - relieves the mind of anxiety and worries - produces joy and happiness in the heart - strengthens the body and mind - brightens the face and the heart - attracts one sustenance - invests the zaakirs with awe and sweetness so that the seeing eye is filled with awe and pleasure at his sight - it induces the love for Allah, which in fact is the spirit of isla. And pivot of deen, source of success and salvation in hereafter. He who seeks access to the love of Alllah should do dhikr profusely. Just as reading and repitition is the door of knowledge, so dhikr of Allah is the gatway to His love - Dhikr involves the muraaqabah (deep meditation) through which one reaches the stage of Ihsan. Where in a person worships Allah as if he actually sees him. - it hels realisation of Allah so that by and by a stage is reached when he comes to regard Allah as the sole Cherisher, Guardian and Master and turns to Him in all afllictions - It is the key to nearness to Allah the greater the dhikr, the greater the nearness, the greater the indifference to dhikr the greater the distance from Him - It opens the door of marifat (realisation) of Allah - It makes one realise the greatness and grandeiur of Allah and strengthens the consciousness of his omnipresence - Dhikr of Allah causes ones mention in the Court of Allah as said in the holy book - It gives life to the heart. Ibn Taymiyah says that dhikr is as necessary for the heart as water is for the fish - It is food for the heart and the soul, depriving it is like depriving the body of food - It cleanses the heart of its rust. It has been mentioned in H: everything rusts according to its nature and the heart rusts with wordly desires and indifference, to purify it dhikr is necessary - it safeguards against pitfalls and lapses - The heart of a neglecful person is tormented by a feeling of remoteness from Allah , and nothing other than dhikr can rid the heart of this feeling - Words of dhikr keep on moving round the arsh of llah as stated in hadith - If one remembers Allah in happiness, Allah remembers him in afflictions - It is a memans of deliverance from Allahs punishment - It causes peace nad mercy to descend while angels surround person engaged in dhikr - it saves the tongue from indulging in backbiting, loose talk, lies and abuse. Common experience that a man whose tongue remains engageed in dhikr does not commit these sins. Tongue not used to dhikr will fall easily in these sins - the gatherings of dhikr are gatherings of angels and gatherings without dhikr are gatherings of shaytan. Person is free to have a choice between the 2, man is driven to what is like his temperment - by virtue of dhikr, dhikr is blessed, as also the person sitting by him. Similarly the indolent person is accursed for his indolencce and person sitting by him - dhikr will save one from despair on DOJ, cnfirmed by hadith - if dhikr is shared by tears and repentance in loneliness the dhaakir will be blessed under the shadow of Allahs throne on DOJ, when hearts will jump to lips due to agony of intolerable heat of that day - those who remain busy in dhikr are better rewarded by Allah than those who remain busy in dua. H: Allah says that I will give better reward to one wo is abstained by his engagement in dhikr from making dua than al those who find time for making duas. - in spite of the fact that dhikr is the easiest form of worship it is the most virtous form - Allahs dhikr helps the plants of paradise to grow - Of all th actions the reward and forgiveness rpomised for dhikr is the highest. H if on any day a person repeats 100x kalimah - due to incessant dhikr one is able not to forget ones soul. This leads to failure in both worlds, forgeting dhikr leads to neglecting ones soul and all its best interests. Allah says in Quran - do not be of those who forget (paraphrased) - dhikr is the source of ones spiritual elevation whether in bed or market, good health or sickness or making mos tof life. Nothing can take a man to such spiritual heights, whereby his heart is so illumminated with the light of dhikr that even asleep he is more wakeful than the eglectful person who is awake throughout whole night - the noor of dhikr remains with a person in his life as well as grave. It will go in front of him on sirat to hereafter. Allah says in Quran: cacn he who was dead and whome We gave lfe, and a light whereby he ca walk among men, be like him who is in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge - same noor prophet saw used to beg for -... dua for noor.. - 37. Dhikr is the basic principle of tasawwuf and is ioked in manu schools of sufism. A person who gets conversant with dhikr enters the gateway to Allah and one who enters this gateway is sue to reach Allah from whom he will get whatever he wants - 38. Theres isnt a corner of the heart which cannot be filled with dhikr. When dhikr controls the heart it fills the corner bt also it leads to contentment which wealth would fail to produce and respect among people, which no one would be able to bring and to such a control over people. On other hand indolent comes to disgrace inspite of all his wealth and riches, party, strength and powers METHODS OF DHIKR - why did sahaba not need dhikr qalbi but we do? - we need a spiritual guide to attain closeness to Allah - Understand principle: our deen is based on 2 categories - goals and means to attain goals - Goals are the same for us and sahaba - defined by proof in shariah - Means to attain this goal dont need a base - E.g. read Quran correctly, aim is to use Qaidah, tajweed classes - E.g. practise sunnah is the goal, means to attain the goal can differ (method and means dont need base) - the goal remains fixed. The means and method can change depending on time Beginners on the path of tazkiyyah -dhikr is more important Those that are intermediate - Quran is more beneficial Advanced - Nafil salah are more beneficial Our problem is when we recite the Quran it is just on the tongue - doesn reach the heart - even in salah, Allah says establish salah for my remembrance, but do we remember Allah in our salah (how many of us think of ONLY Allah in salah) - salah will surely stop a person from shameful, sinful acts (when their hearts are in salah) - when sahaba did dhikr, state of thier heart was completely different to ours