A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   The servant may experience one of two states as regards what he dislikes: the state of being content, or that of being patient.   Being content is a praiseworthy quality, while being patient is a duty which the believer must fulfill.   At some times, the people of contentment witness the Wisdom and Beauty of the One Who Tests when He Tests His servant, and they see that He is always Right in whatever He Decrees.   At other times, they witness the Might and Majesty and Perfection of the One Who Tests, to such an extent that they become completely immersed in these Attributes of Allah ( s.w.t. )...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   If we consider the state of the companions of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), and the righteous men of this ummah who succeeded them, we find that they were fully involved in doing the best of deeds while, at the same time, they were full of awe of Allah ( s.w.t. ).   We, on the other hand, all do things which fall far short of this example, and yet feel quite secure.   Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ) said, “I wish I were no more than a hair on the side of a believing servant.”   Whenever he got up to do the prayer, he would be trembling like a leaf out of awe of Allah...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Fudhayl ibn ‘lyadh ( q.s. ) said, “Whoever fears Allah ( s.w.t. ) will be Guided by this fear to all good."   Shaykh Abu Bakr Dulaf ibn Jahdar ash-Shibli ( q.s. ) said, “There was never a time that I feared Allah ( s.w.t. ) without my finding a door of wisdom and guidance opening up to Him.”   Shaykh Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Mu’adz ar-Razi ( q.s. ) said, “Any wrong action committed by a believer is followed by two consequences: fear of punishment and hope for forgiveness.”   سُوۡرَةُ المؤمنون إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ خَشۡيَةِ رَبِّہِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ (٥٧) وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِـَٔايَـ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   Hakim Abu al-Qasim Ishaq ibn Muhammad as-Samarqandi ( q.s. ) said, “Whoever fears something runs away from it, while whoever fears Allah ( s.w.t. ) runs towards Him.:   Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Fudhayl ibn ‘lyadh ( q.s. ) said, “If you are asked whether you fear Allah ( s.w.t. ), do not reply; for if you say, ‘Yes’, you would be lying; and if you say ‘No’, it would mean that you do not believe in Him.”   Fear burns up forbidden desires, and the wrong actions which can be so dear to a servant soon become distasteful, just as honey becomes repugnant to someone who desires it, if he discovers that it is po...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   Turning away from wrong actions by turning to the Concealer of faults and the Knower of all secrets is the basis of those who travel to Him, the initial investment of those who finally profit, the key to putting right whatever is not correct, and the primary stage in the selection of those who will be brought close to Him.   The station of turning in repentance is at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.   The servant who seeks Him never abandons it.   He remains in it until his death.   If he moves on to another station, he takes it with him and arrives with it.   Turning in repe...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   Loving Allah ( s.w.t. ) is the ultimate aim of all stations, and the summit of all states.  Having attained the state of true love for Allah ( s.w.t. ), each station that follows it, is one of its fruits and a branch from its roots - such as longing, intimacy and contentment.  Each station that precedes it, is a step towards it - such as repentance, perseverance and zuhd , doing without.   The most beneficial, the most sincere, the most elevated, and the most exalted kind of love, is most certainly the love of the One Whom hearts were Created to love, and for Whom Creation was Brought into existence...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Muhammad ibn Yusuf asw-Swalihi ash-Shami’ ( r.a. ), in his great book, al-Isra’ wa al-Mi’raj , wrote, “Know that each of the hadits of the companions on this subject contains what the other does not.  Therefore, we consulted Allah ( s.w.t. ) and concatenated them, thus rearranging the account into a single text so that it would be sweeter to attentive ears and in order for its benefit to suit all occasions.   If someone says, ‘Each hadits of the Mi’raj differs from the next, and the Ascensions may number according to the number of their accounts: why then did you make all of them into a single account?’   I say, as the author of Zad al-Ma’ad ,” referring to Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), “said, ‘This is the path of the feeble-minded among the literalists of the Zhahiri school who are authorities in transmitted texts.  If they see in the account a wording tha...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “Beware of your ego, for no misfortune has befallen you except because of it, so do not ever be reconciled with it.  By Allah!  Its honour is derived from its submission, its dignity is derived from its subservience, its reform is derived from its breakdown, its comfort is derived from its hardship, its security is derived from its remembrance, and its pleasure is derived from its sorrow,” meaning in relation to Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “The people of sins have three great rivers to purify themselves of in this life.  If they are insufficient in purifying them, then they will be purified in the river of Hell on the Day of Resurrection: The river of sincere repentance; the river of good deeds that drown the surrounding sins; and the river of great calamities that expiate.   If Allah ( s.w.t. ) Intends good for His servant, He Makes him enter one of these three rivers, and then he appears on the Day of Resurrection good and purified, thus not requiring the fourth purification.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “The heart, in its journey to Allah ( s.w.t. ), is like that of a bird; love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings.  When the head and two wings are sound, the bird flies gracefully; if the head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it then becomes a target for every hunter or predator.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( q.s. ) said, “Go on the path of truth, and do not feel lonely, because there are few who take that path.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “Losing time is harder than death, as losing time keeps you away from Allah ( s.w.t. ) and the Hereafter, while death keeps you away from the worldly life and people.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( q.s. ) said, “Islam is a mercy; if you see its opposite, cruelty, then know that is not Islam.   Islam is wisdom; if you see it going to foolishness and ignorance, then know that is not Islam.   Islam is justice; if you see it go to oppression, then know that is not Islam.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “If a heart becomes attached to anything other than Allah ( s.w.t. ), Allah ( s.w.t. ) Makes him dependent on what he is attached to.   And he will be betrayed by it.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “ Swalah can bring about provisions; it preserves health, wards off harm, repels maladies, strengthens the heart, brightens the face, gladdens the soul, removes languor, invigorates the limbs, reinforces the faculties, expands the breast, nourishes the spirit, illumines the heart , protects against afflictions , keeps Shaythan at a distance, brings one closer to the Merciful.   In short it has the wonderful effect in the preservation of the health of the body, the heart and their faculties, and in repelling evil from them.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) wrote, “If you could hear the sound of the pens of the angels, writing your name among those who remember Allah ( s.w.t. ), you would die out of joy.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Among the things Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah ( r.a. ) said which are considered to grossly violate the scholarly consensus is that Allah ( s.w.t. ) is subject to Created events; that Allah ( s.w.t. ) is complex or made of parts, His Essence standing in need similarly to the way the whole stands in need of the parts; that the Qur’an is created in the Essence of Allah ( s.w.t. ); that the world is of a pre-eternal nature and exists with Allah ( s.w.t. ) since pre-eternity as an “ever-abiding created object”, thus making it necessarily existent in His Essence and not Allah ( s.w.t. ) Acting Deliberately; his suggestions of the corporeality, direction, and displacement of Allah ( s.w.t. ), and that He fits the size of the Throne, being neither bigger nor smaller; that prophets are not sinless; that the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) has no special status before Allah ( s.w.t. ) and must not be used as a wasilah : and that the un...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) said, “Sin may be more beneficial for a person, if it leads him to repent, than doing a lot of acts of worship.  This is what is meant by the words of one of the Salaf , ‘A person may commit a sin and enter Paradise because of it, or he may do an act of worship and enter Hell because of it.’”   They asked, “How is that?”   He replied, “He may commit a sin and continues to think about it, and when he stands or sits or walks he remembers his sin, so he feels ashamed and repents and seeks forgiveness and regrets it, so that will be the means of his Salvation.  And he may do a good deed and continue to think about it, and when he stands or sits or walks he remembers it and it fills him with self-admiration and pride, so it is the cause of his doom.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is extracted from “The Purification of the Soul”, compiled from the works of Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ), Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ) and Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ).   Everything that comes from Him to His servants, whether it is something that they love or something that they hate, directs us to love of Him.  His Giving and His Withholding, the good fortune and the misfortune that He Decrees for His servants and His Abasing them and Elevating them, His Justice and His Grace, His Giving life and Taking it away again, His Compassion, Generosity and Veiling of His servants’ wrong actions, His Forgiveness and Patience, His Response to His servants’ supplications even though He is not in any need of His servants whatsoever - all this invites hearts to worship Him and love Him....

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ PERGAS, the association of Muslim scholars of Singapore, issued a statement on the 05 th February 2016, that it is permissible to wish the non-Muslims on their festivities, quoting some of the scholars of Sunni Islam.  This is contrary to the assertions of imported Wahhabi preachers such as Isma’il ibn Musa Mink and company that it is haram “according to Islam”.   It did acknowledge that there were scholars such as Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ( r.a. ), the student of  Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah  ( r.a. ), the so-called “ Shaykh al-Islam ” of the Wahhabi sect, who held a contrary opinion.  It is legitimate ikhtilaf , but that is not what we follow.