A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the sixth, he said, “O my teacher!   The sixth benefit is that when I glanced at the people, I saw that every person having enmity with someone else for some reason.   Then I deliberated on the following verse:   سُوۡرَةُ فَاطِر إِنَّ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنَ لَكُمۡ عَدُوٌّ۬ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّاۚ ... (٦)   Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy ... (Surah Fathir:6)   After that, I developed the certitude that Allah ’s ( s.w.t. )  Saying is the truth; I should not have any enmity with anyone other than Shaythan .   Since then, I considered Shaythan my enemy and di...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the fourth, he said, “O my teacher!   The fourth benefit is that I looked at the people of the world and saw that some of them think that grandeur and honour belong to the nation or tribe that is big and powerful; that is why they express pride in their tribe.   Some of them are such that they think that the grandeur is obtained through abundance of wealth, possessions, family, and relatives; that's why people express their pride in their wealth and children.   Some are such that they think that their grandeur and honour is in displaying anger, beating, killing, murder and pillage and th...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the seventh, he said, “O my teacher!   The seventh benefit is that I looked at the people and saw that every person was preoccupied with his livelihood and search for sustenance with an intense effort.   In this regards, they did not even differentiate between halal and haram but instead, were humiliated with doubtful and haram earnings.   Then I deliberated on the following verse:   سُوۡرَةُ هُود ۞ وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزۡقُهَا ... (٦)   There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance depends on Allah ... (Surah Hud:6) ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the second, he said, “O my teacher!   The second benefit is that I glanced at the people of the world and saw that everyone follows the pleasures and desires from the nafs and is subservient to the desires from the lower self.   Upon seeing that, I deliberated on the following verse:   سُوۡرَةُ النَّازعَات وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفۡسَ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ (٤٠) فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ هِىَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ (٤١)   But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust, lo!   The Garden will be his home. (Surah an-Nazi’at:40-41) ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the fifth, he said, “O my teacher!   The fifth benefit is that I looked at the people who were complaining about each other.   It was found that they were doing all this because of envy, jealousy, and enmity and the main cause of that is greatness, grandeur, possessions, wealth, and knowledge.   I contemplated on the following verse from the Holy Qur’an in which it is said:   سُوۡرَةُ الزّخرُف .... قَسَمۡنَا بَيۡنَہُم مَّعِيشَتَہُمۡ فِى ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا‌ۚ ... (٣٢)   … It is We Who Portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world ... (Surah az-Zukh...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the third, he said, “O my teacher!   The third benefit is that when I glanced at the people, I saw that every person, with great pain and hard work, is busy in accumulating the possessions of this mortal world and is very happy that he has a lot of goods and material possessions.   But when I contemplated on the following holy verse from the Bounteous Qur’an:   سُوۡرَةُ النّحل مَا عِندَكُمۡ يَنفَدُ‌ۖ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ۬‌ ... (٩٦)   That which you have wasted away, and that which Allah has Remains … (Surah an-Nahl:96)   Then whatever I accumulated in the world, I...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the eighth, he said, “O my teacher!   The eighth benefit is that when I looked at the people I found that every person’s reliance is on someone or something.   Some have trust on their possessions, some trust on other people.   Therefore, I pondered on this verse in which Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ الطّلاَق ... وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسۡبُهُ ۥۤ‌... (٣)   … And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him ... (Surah ath-Thalaq:3)   And He is sufficient for me and He is the Best Helper.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   When Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked his student, Shaykh Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who became a great spiritual master, about the benefits of associating with him, he named eight.   Of the first, he said, “O my teacher!   The first benefit is that I looked at the people of this world, and saw that everyone has an intimate companion.   But these intimate companions of the people are such that some of them are with them until their illness that brings death, some of them are with them until death, some of them are with them until they reach their graves, and after burial, all the intimate companions return from there.   None of their intimate companions go with them in their graves to live with them there and to provide their company.   I contemplated on this and said to m...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ On one occasion, Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ) asked those who sat listening to his discourse, “If God Causes you to die today, do you think that He will demand from you the prayers of tomorrow?”   They answered, “No; how should He demand from us the prayers of a day on which we are not alive?”   Shaykh Shaqiq ( q.s. ) replied, “Even as He will not demand, from you, the prayers of tomorrow; do not seek, from Him, the provender of tomorrow.  It may be that you will not live so long.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is an adapted extract of Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali’s ( r.a. ) Ayyuha al-Walad .   The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) said, “Work for the world as much as you live in it and work for the Hereafter as much as you want to live there and work for Allah ( s.w.t. ), as much as you are in need of Him and work for the Hell as much as you can be patient with its pain and sufferings.”   My dear beloved son!   It is known from this hadits that you do not need much knowledge because to study knowledge more and to acquire it more is fardh kifayah .   Pay special attention to this next tradition so that you will attain certitude.   It is said that among the students and muridun of Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Shaqiq ibn Ibrahim al-Azdi al-Balkhi ( q.s. ), was a student and disciple named Hatim Ism ( q.s. ), who in turn later on became a great spiritual master through the training and guidance of Shaykh Shafiq ( q...