Polishing the Hearts

from : Al Fawaid



Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751 H), rahimahullaah 1

From al-Istiqaamah magazine Shawwal 1418H/ February 1998

Allaah - the Most High - said:

"O you who believe! Remember Allaah and remember Him a lot." [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:4I].

"Those men and women who remember Allaah a lot." [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:35].

 "So when you have finished the rights of your Pilgrimage, then remember Allaah as you remember your fore-father, or with more intense remembrance." [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:200].

The Virtue of Reading Books

Collected by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in ‘Jami’ Bayan al-’Ilm wa Fadlih,’ the chapter titled: ‘The Virtue of Looking Through Books and the Praiseworthiness of Tending to Them’:


2414: Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad bin Isma’il al-Bukhari was asked: “What is it that strengthens one’s memory?” He replied: “Constantly looking through books.”

2415: Ahmad bin Abi ‘Imran said:

The Most Blessed Marriage is the Least Expensive One

Extravagance in dowry payments and wedding celebrations are all in conflict with the Islamic Law, because the most blessed marriage is the least expensive one; and the more the expenses are decreased, the more the blessing are increased. In most cases, this is a matter which falls upon the women, because it is the women who impose excessive dowries on their husbands.
Likewise, extravagance in wedding celebrations is one of those things which Islamic Law has prohibited, and it is included in the Words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, Most High in Chapter 7 verse 31 which means; but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala) likes not al-Musrifun (those who waste by extravagance).
We must be in accordance with Islamic Law and a person should not exceed its limits nor be extravagance because Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala, Most High has prohibited extravagance. As for what is said regarding the honeymoon, it is more evil and more hated because it is imitation of non-Muslims, and a great amount of wealth wasted by it.
 It is also causes loss in many religious matters especially if they spend it in non-Islamic countries because they return with habits and customs which are harmful to them and to their society. These matters are causes of anxiety for the Muslim community. It is not the matter if they traveled to perform umrah or to Madinah.

 - Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih al-Uthaymeen (Rahimullah)Fatawa Islamiyah- ;
The book of Marriage;Volume 5,pg.300

al fawaid

A reminder concerning the harsh and fearful reality of death.

from al fawaid fb

You know Allaah; yet you do not obey Him. You recite the Qur`aan; yet you do not act according to it. You know Shaytaan; yet you continue agreeing with him.

Shaykh ’Alee Hasan al-Halabee said:

"Death is a harsh and fearful reality, faced by everyone who lives. No one has the power to avoid it, nor does anyone around the dying person have the ability to prevent it. It is something that happens every moment and it is something encountered by the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak. They are all the same in that they have no plan, or any means of escaping it, no means of intercession, no way to prevent it or to delay it." [1]

And who will be there for me tomorrow?

from al fawaid

– ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak said:

Take advantage of two rak’at to bring you closer to Allah, if you happen to be relaxing;
And if you intend to speak a vain word, Replace it with a tasbih…

– Abu Bakr bin Abi ad-Dunya said:

“A group of people invited a man for some food. So, he said: “I am fasting.”
They said: “Break your fast today, and fast tomorrow.”
He said: “And who will be there for me tomorrow (on the Day of Judgment)?


– Abu Muhammad Mansur bin Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah al-Azdi chanted to himself:

Do not belittle an hour that can help you in which you extend your hand in obedience;
As the living will die, and hopes are a deception and the affair passes by hour by hour…


– Abu ‘Abdillah Ahmad bin Ayyub chanted to himself:

In you have free time, take advantage of the virtue of bowing in prayer…


– Abu al-Walid Sulayman bin Khalaf bin Sa’d al-Andalusi chanted to himself:

If I knew for certain that my entire life would last an hour;
Why would I be cheap with it and not dedicate it to righteousness and obedience?


# From: al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s ‘Iqtida’ al-’Ilm al-’Amal’ (p. 43-47)

Sayings on Love By: Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

from Al Fawaid

Imam Junayd said,

“I heard al-Harith al-Muhasibi say: “Love (mahabbah) is your inclination to something with all of your being. It is your preference to that thing over your own self, your soul and your possessions and wealth. It is also your being in accordance with that thing inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly. Then comes realizing your shortcomings with regards to your love of it.”It was said, “Love (mahabbah) is a fire that burns in the heart. It burns everything other than what the beloved wants from the lover.”

It was also said, “Nay, it is exerting all efforts in pleasing the beloved. And such can never be so until one no longer sees the ‘love’ itself anymore, but only witnesses the beloved.”

It is mentioned in some of the Hadith Qudsi, “My servant, I am, by your right, a lover of you. So, be you, by my right upon you, a lover of Me.”

‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said, “Whomsoever is given something of love and is not given its equivalent of awe and veneration (khashyah), then he is deceived.”

Yahya ibn Mu’adh said, “A muster seed’s amount of love is more beloved to me than seventy years of worship without love!”

Taken from:“The Garden of the Lovers and the Excursion of Those Who Yearn”Rawdah al-Muhibbeen wa Nuzhah al-MushtaqeenBy: Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

The thief who advised Imam Ahmad

from al fawaid fb page

The son of Imam Ahmad said:

'I used to hear my father frequently say, 'May Allah have mercy on Abu Haytham. May Allah forgive Abu Haytham. May Allah pardon Abu Haytham.'

So I said, 'O father, who is Abu Haytham?'

He said, 'When I was taken out to be whipped and my hands had extended forth to the punishers, a young man began tugging on my garment behind me.

He said, 'Do you know me?'

I said, 'No.'

He said, 'I am Abu Haytham the scoundrel, the thief and rascal. It is written in the records of the Amir al-Mu'minin that I was whipped 18,000 times in set-portions, and I was patient over that in obedience to the Shaytan and for the sake of the Dunya. So you must be patient over this in obedience to al-Rahman and for the sake of this Deen.'


 
Sifat al-Safwah, by Ibn al-Jawzi

...And days gone by will never return...

 from Al Fawaid fb page

"...And days gone by will never return..."
Collected in the abridged version of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi's 'Iqtida' al-'Ilm al-'Amal' (p. 43-47), in the chapter titled 'Rushing to Deeds Before One's Youth and Health Disappear':

1 - Ghunaym bin Qays said:

"We would be admonished in the early days of Islam:

'O son of Adam! Act during your free time before you become busy, and during your youth before your old age, and during your health before your sickness, and during your stay in this world before the Hereafter, and during your life before your death.'"

10 types of modesty by Ibn Qayyim al jawziyyah

 collected from Al Fawaid facebook page

Ibn-ul Qayyim (Rahimahullah) mentioned in his book Madarij us Saalikeen Vol. 2 Pg. 267 “Al Hayaa’ (i.e. modesty) is categorized into ten types:

The modesty of Shame: This is similar to the modesty of Adam (Alaihis salam) when he fled in paradise after eating from the forbidden tree. Allah asked him “Are you fleeing form me O Adam because of your sin?” He said: “No my lord! Rather it is out of shame that I flee from you!”


The modesty that results in you realizing your shortcomings such as; the modesty of the angels, those who praise Allah day and night and never enervate. On the Day of Judgment they will say Subhanaka! (i.e. Glory be to You!) we did not worship You as You deserved to be worshiped.”

Books on Soul Purification

Diseases of the Hearts & Their Cures   
Author: Ibn Taymiyyah | Pages: 156 | Size: 5 MB
download


The Purification of the Soul   
Author: Ibn Rajab/Ibn Qayyim | Pages: 170 | Size: 3 MB
download


Purification of the Soul Author: 
Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo | Pages: 360 | Size: 28 MB 
download 


Disciplining The Soul   
Author: Ibn al-Jawzi | Pages: 112 | Size: 2 MB
download

My response to 'The Pope's Renunciation' by Tariq Ramadan

I was reading the article today by Dr Tariq Ramadan on his website which is written on the occasion of Pope Benedict's renunciation -- 'The Pope's Renunciation'

Learned few wonderful things so I wrote a comment on it showing respect to professor in the beginning as he showed 'respect' at the end of his article :

Respect to you too Professor. It is a wonderful expression of thoughts. Especially, showing respect to the pope, you have depicted the learning from his decision. That is the exact point we want to learn from you. We learn from your decisions, from your commentaries, from your thoughts.

Reading your book 'The Quest for Meaning and Pluralism', I tried to learn about intellectual humility and humility as a whole. After reading this piece, I found that I have learned the humility thing one step deeper. that is the point for all of us.

respect for you. may Lord increase ur intelligence and bring you closer to His light.

the best part to me from the day reading :

The lesson is valid for everyone, religious or not; for agnostics and atheists, for Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and Muslims. For we are never aware enough of our limitations, never humble enough.

The best measure of a successful life is the way we turn away, we renounce, and even by the way we depart it.

At the end of life

Always choose to heal, not to hurt,
to forgive not to despise,
to persevere not to quit,
to smile not to frown,
and to love not to hate!

At the end of life, what really matters is
not what we bought, but what we built,
not what we got, but what we shared,
not our competence but our character,
and not our success but our significance.

Live a life that matters.
Live a life that cares...
and be Yourself

(collected)

Story: Did you not promise me?

[A wonderful story collected from a facebook note]

Several months passed after Sarah's wedding, the burden and responsibility of the home began to take a lot of time and attention.

Sarah did not realize that she had underestimated her performance. Sarah's concern to look beautiful in front of her husband has begun to decline, she was no longer, lingering sitting in front of the mirror.

Now she is aware of it, when Ahmad, her husband suddenly asked, "Did u not promise me to be the wife of the pious?”
Sarah immediately thought of her salat. Is Ahmad accused me of wasting salat?
No, because I always keep my salat time.
Or did he mean my hijab, and I've keeping in accordance with the instructed by Islam?
Perhaps what he meant was obedience to him!