Appreciate!

At the monthly spiritual gathering that the Shaykh holds, he advised the youngsters present regarding appreciation of the bounties of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Take a deep look into yourself...
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, through his infinite mercy, has blessed us with Iman, of which the value is unimaginable. Furthermore, a person need not look much further than one's own body. The perfect eyes, ears, nose, tongue, hands and we could go on naming every part of the body, which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created so impeccably for our benefit. Allah, You blessed us with all of this, how well have we thanked You? How often have we used these very blessings to disobey you?

Take a look around you...
Thereafter, we look around us and we realise further ingratitude on our part. In comparison to so many throughout the world, the luxury that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has allowed us is unmatched maybe. Facilities and amenities that we deem a norm and a simple aspect of our lives, cannot even be dreamt of by many around the world. Electricity, taps of pure water, efficient drainage systems, free schooling, to name a few.

How many are there throughout the world who travel long distances everyday for just a bucket of water? How many are there, who must go in search of wood to use for fires to be used for cooking and lighting? How many are there for whom rain means floods due to poor, or no, drainage system? How many are there for whom a little education is a distant dream? The answer is: at least hundreds of thousands, very easily millions.

Our crime...
It is a great injustice on our part that these very blessings Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has bestowed upon us, we use to disobey Him.

Reward of appreciation...
The reward of appreciation is increase. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala informs us in the Qur'an:

"If you are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; but if you show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed." [14:7]

The increase for gratitude of our bodies would be continued ability to use them in the obedience of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The increase for gratitude of our Iman (faith) would be further strength and firmness, as well as the ultimate blessing of death upon Iman.

Advice of the Greatest Imam...
Sayyiduna al-Imam al-A'zham Abu Hanifah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that whoever recites the following supplication of the Qur'an after every salah will die upon Iman, and it is a supplication of thanks and gratitude:

"Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, but grant us mercy from Your own Presence; for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure." [3:8]

In good times, and bad...
However, the situation we find ourselves in is that generally, there is much more ungratefulness than gratitude. We have not appreciated our Iman, hence sin is rife. We do not even appreciate the health that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has bestowed us with, whereas we should appreciate any illness that He gives too! However, we constantly complain.

True gratitude requires thanks for health as well as illness; wealth as well as poverty. True appreciation is a sign of strong trust upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, which is a sign of true faith.

Finally...
In conclusion, it is an obligation upon each of us to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala verbally, but more so, through our actions. Obedience and submission to His laws is the best show of appreciation.

...And remember:

"When Allah takes something away from your grasp, He is not punishing you, but merely emptying your hands for you to receive something better."

So thank Him.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) give us the ability to be grateful in every way.

Importance of Halal, by Shaykh Imran bin Adam

Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala has emphasized in his pure and holy words regarding the importance of Halal sustenance. Similarly, this issue has been emphasized in many blessed Ahadith of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam.

Below is one verse amongst many with its interpretation.

Verse 1

يا ايها الرسل كلوا من الطيبت واعملواصلحا اني بما تعملون عليم

O’ Messengers, eat of the good things and act rightly, I most certainly know what you do. 23:51

In this verse Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala mentions to the Prophets that the way in which We have given you the permission to use Our blessings and ordered you to worship, We have also commanded their nations that you and your Ummah should eat whatever is good and pure and thank Allah by doing righteous deeds. I am aware of what you are doing. I will reward you according to your worship and righteous deeds.

يا ايها الرسل
O Messengers!

When the Messengers of Allah are being addressed in this manner, then this decree holds greater importance for the respective nation of each Messenger. The ultimate aim of this verse is to make sure that the Ummah acts upon it.

In another verse the believers have been clearly ordered to do this. The Prophet of Allah has mentioned this subject matter in a Hadith.

Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam once said:

O you people, Allah is good. He only accepts what is good. Allah has issued to the believers the same command that He gave to the Messengers, for He said:

O you Messengers, eat of the good things and do right. I am indeed aware of what you do. (23:51)

Allah also says:

O you who truly believe! Eat of the good things with which we have provided you. (2:172)

The Prophet mentions a man who undertakes a very long journey. He describes him as unkempt and covered in dust. He stretches his hands toward the sky crying ‘O my Lord! O my Lord!’ but his source of food, drink and clothing is unlawful and he sustains himself unlawfully, so how can he expect a response to his appeal? (Muslim / at-Tirmidhi)


كلوا من الطيبت
Eat of the good things.

‘Tayyibat’ literally means clean and pure.

Qadhi Thana’ullah Panipaty writes in his Tafseer al-Mazhari that ‘tayyibat’ clearly means everything that is Halal.

Consuming pure items is an obligatory order. Haram is absolutely not permitted.

Others say ‘tayyibat’ may mean delicious or tasteful. In this case the meaning of the verse is to create ease, show permissibility and forbid asceticism.

Some scholars have written that ‘tayyibat’ means Halal, pure and healthy.

Halal, means disobedience of Allah is not committed.
Pure, means a person will not become ignorant of Allah and does not follow his own egos.
Healthy, means that it keeps him away from his own desires and safeguards his intellect. (Tafseer al-Mazhari)

واعملواصلحا
And work righteous deeds.

In this verse we find that every Messenger in his time was given two advices amongst many; 1) to eat Halal and 2) to do righteous deeds.

By mentioning these two commands after one another, it is an indication that eating Halal has a great affect in being able to do righteous deeds.

When ones sustenance is Halal, it will enable him to do good deeds and when one consumes Haram, it will prevent him from doing righteous deeds even if one intends to.

Righteous deeds means to fulfil the command of Allah in the way it has been ordered solely for the pleasure of Allah.

In conclusion, Allah has commanded every messenger not to eat anything which is Haram but eat Halal and do righteous deeds.

Allamah Ibn Kathir Rahemahullah writes ‘Verily Halal helps to do good deeds’. In the verse, Allah is not mentioning a certain taste or colour but he is saying eat that which is Halal.

It is narrated in a Sahih Hadith that the Prophet of Allah said, “Every Messenger was a shepherd.” The companions asked, “Even you O’ Prophet of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “Even me, I used to graze the sheep of the people of Makkah in exchange for a few Qiraat.”

This explains that Rasulullah sallalhu alaihe wasallam worked hard for halal earnings.

It is also mentioned in the Hadith that the Prophet Daud Alaihis Salam used to eat from the money he earned whilst working.

At the end of the verse, Allah says ‘do not think even for a moment that we are unaware of what you do because “اني بما تعملون عليم” I most certainly know what you do.

TAZKIYAH by Shaykh Muhammad Imran

TAZKIYAH

Tazkiyah is the synonym of Tasawwuf. The literal meaning of Tazkiyah is purification, but in the terminology of the seekers (the Salekin those on the path to spiritual reformation) it means to purify ones soul from all sort of spiritual diseases and maladies, which can lead to displeasure of Allah Subhanahu Wata aala

Tazkiyah is extremely important for those who are in search for the love of Allah Subhanahu Wata aala. The main objective of Tazkiyah and Tasawwuf is to purify the heart before the true love of Allah Taala can penetrates in ones heart, similar to that when one begins to pray one has to purify his body.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:

Indeed Allah loves those who repent and those who are clean"

For people to clean their physical bodies they need water, whether it is from a tap, well or river. In the same way for a person to clean his inner self (Nafs) he needs the water to flow from his eyes and his heart. The heart plays a great role here. Why? Because for true repentance and spiritual cleansing the tears have to flow from the heart before the tears flow from the eyes.

There is no tap that one can just turn on and expect to find clean water within the heart. Its source lies beneath the rocks of pride, jealousy, hatred, greed, ambition, doubt and so forth. Before the water comes bursting through the rocks, one has to begin the process of slowly but surely lifting away each rock, so that the water can flow through and the rays of the sun can enter those places, which were once covered in darkness by these rocks. If these rocks are removed then there is true spiritual reformation.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an

Indeed he is successful who purifies himself. (Surah as-Shams: 9)

It is only after cleansing the heart and the soul from spiritual diseases one is able to truly become aware of the presence of his Lord.

The Holy Qur'an and Ahadith are filled with warnings regarding specific diseases and their injurious and detrimental effects. Therefore it is essential to diagnose these diseases and find an effective cure in order to find serenity and peace in the hearts.

Allah Ta'ala says in the holy Qur'an:

Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success
(Surah al-Ghashiyah: 14)

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