Do'ful Eemaan
Weakness of Faith<= /span>
English Translation
Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid
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Contents
Introduction
Symptoms
of weak faith
Causes
of weak faith
Curing
weak faith
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Praise=
be to
Allaah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our evil deeds. Whomever All=
aah
guides, none can lead astray, and whomever Allaah leaves astray, none can
guide. I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no par=
tner
or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. =
“O
you who believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and die not except in a
state of Islam (as Muslims), with complete submission to Allaah.” [Aal
‘Imraan 3:102 – interpretation of the meaning].
=
220;O
mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Ada=
m)
and from him He created his wife (Hawwa), and from them both he created many
men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights),
and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allaah is Ev=
er
an All-Watcher over you.” [al-Nisa’ 4:1 – interpretation =
of
the meaning]
=
220;O
you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) =
the
truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you y=
our
sins. And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a
great achievement (i.e., he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to en=
ter
Paradise).” [al-Ahzaab 33:70-71 – interpretation of the meaning=
].
The phenomenon of weak = faith has become very widespread among Muslims, and many people complain about the hardness of their hearts. So often we hear the words, “I feel hardnes= s in my heart,” “I do not find any joy in worship,” “I f= eel that my faith has hit rock bottom,” “Reading Qur’aan does= not move me,” “I fall into sin so easily.” The effects of this affliction can be seen in many people, and this problem is the cause of eve= ry disaster and adversity.
The is= sue of people’s hearts is an important and sensitive issue. The heart is cal= led qalb in Arabic because it changes so quickly and frequently (taqallub = 211; alteration, variation, ups and downs). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The heart (qalb) takes its name from its constant changes (taqallub). The likeness of the heart is that o= f a feather at the root of a tree, being turned over and over by the wind.̶= 1; (Reported by Ahmad, 4/408; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2364). According = to another report: “The likeness of the heart is that of a feather in an empty plot of land, being blown over and over by the wind.” (Reported= by Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in Kitaab al-Sunnah. No. 227. Its isnaad is sah= eeh, see Zilaal al-Jannah fi Takhreej al-Sunnah by al-Albaani, 1/1= 02).
Man= 217;s heart changes constantly, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be = upon him) described: “The heart of the son of Adam changes more quickly th= an a pan of rapidly boiling water.” (Ibid., no. 226. Its isnaad is saheeh:= Zilaal al-Jannah, 1/102), According to another report: “It changes more = than a pot of rapidly boiling water.” (Reported by Ahmad, 6/4; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 5147).
Allaah= is the One Who turns hearts around and controls them. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘= ;Amr ibn al-‘Aas reported that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The hearts of the children of = Adam are as one between the fingers of the Most Merciful, and He turns them in w= hatever way He wills.” Then he said: “O Allaah, Controller of the heart= s, direct our hearts to obey You.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 2654).
Allaah= tells us that:
“=
…
Allaah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e., He prevents an evil
person from deciding anything)…” [al-Anfaal 8:24 – interpretati=
on of
the meaning]
no one wil=
l be
saved on the Day of Resurrection “except him who brings to Allaah a
clean heart [free from shirk and hypocrisy].” [al-Shu’ara’
26:89 – interpretation of the meaning]
“=
those
whose hearts are hardened” [al-Hajj 22:53 – interpretation of t=
he
meaning] are
doomed
and the pr=
omise of
Paradise is for those “who feared the Most Beneficent (Allaah) in =
the
Unseen, (i.e., in the worldly life, before seeing and meeting Him), and bro=
ught
a heart turned in repentance (to Him).” [Qaaf 50:33 –
interpretation of the meaning].
So the believer must check his heart, find out the nature and cause of the problem, and start treating it straight away, before it overwhelms him and destroys = him. The matter is of the utmost seriousness, for Allaah has warned us against t= he heart that is hardened, closed, sick, blind and sealed.
There = follows a discussion of the symptoms of weak faith, what causes it and how it may be treated. I ask Allaah to benefit me and my Muslim brothers through this wor= k, and to richly reward all those who have played a part in producing this boo= k, for He is the One Whom we ask to soften our hearts and guide us. He is our Protector, He is sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.<= /p>
=
There = are a number of symptoms of the sickness of weak faith, including the following:<= /p>
Falling in=
to sin
and committing haraam deeds : There
are some sinners who commit a sin and persist in it, and some who commit ma=
ny
kinds of sin. When a person commits many sins, sin becomes a habit which he
gets used to, and then he no longer feels that it is abhorrent. He gradually
reaches a stage where he commits the sin openly, and thus becomes one of th=
ose
referred to in the hadeeth: “All of my ummah will be fine except for
those who commit sin openly, an example of which is a man who does somethin=
g at
night, and when morning comes and Allaah has concealed his sin, he says,
‘O So-and-so, I did such and such yesterday.’ His Lord had cove=
red
his sin all night, but he has uncovered what Allaah had concealed.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath 10/486).
Feeling th=
at
one’s heart is hard and rough : A man may feel that his heart has tur=
ned
to stone which nothing can penetrate or reach. Allaah says (interpretation =
of
the meaning): “Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and bec=
ame
as stones or even worse in hardness…” [al-Baqarah 2:74]. The
person whose heart is hard will not be moved by reminders of death or by se=
eing
deceased persons or funerals. He may even carry a dead person to his grave =
and
throw earth into the grave, but when he walks between the graves it is as i=
f he
is merely walking between rocks.
Not doing =
acts of
worship properly : His mind wanders and he fails to concentrate properly wh=
en
praying, reading Qur’aan, making du’aa’, etc. He does not
think about what he is saying, and he recites the words as the matter of bo=
ring
habit, if he does these regularly at all. If he has the habit of praying a
certain du’aa’ at certain times, according to the sunnah, he do=
es
not think about the meaning of what he is saying, and Allaah “does not
accept the du’aa’ of one whose heart is heedless of Him.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 3479; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 594).
Laziness a=
nd
carelessness in performing acts of worship : If he does them at all, they a=
re
just empty movements, devoid of any real feeling. Allaah has described the
hypocrites thus (interpretation of the meaning): “… and when
they stand up for prayer, they stand up with laziness…” [al-Nis=
a’
4:142]. This also includes neglecting to make the most of special occas=
ions
and times for worship. This indicates that a person has no interest in earn=
ing
reward, so he may delay going for Hajj although he is able to do so, or fai=
l to
go for jihaad when he has the strength to do so, or fail to attend prayers =
in
congregation, or even Salat al-Jumu’ah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “People will keep holding =
back
from being in the first row (of congregational prayers), until Allaah throws
them into the Fire.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 679; Saheeh
al-Targheeb, no. 510). This kind of person does not feel any remorse or
guilt if he sleeps and misses one of the obligatory prayers, or a sunnah pr=
ayer
that is strongly encouraged, or a wird [regular du’aa’ a=
nd
dhikr]. He does not want to make it up later, and he deliberately omits doi=
ng
anything that is sunnah or fard kifaayah (a duty which, if carried o=
ut
by some of the people, is no longer obligatory on all, but if no-one does i=
t,
all are held accountable). So he may not attend Eid prayers (although some
scholars say that they are obligatory), or offer the prayers to be said at =
the
time of lunar and solar eclipses, or attend funerals. He does not care about
reward at all, which is the opposite of the ideal described by Allaah in the
Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): “… they used =
to
hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear,=
and
used to humble themselves before Us.” [al-Anbiya’ 21:90]
Another ex=
ample of
laziness in performing acts of worship is the neglect of sunnah actions whi=
ch
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed regularly,
and praying at night (qiyaam al-layl), setting out early to go to the
mosque, and other naafil prayers, such as duhaa, never even occur to him, l=
et
alone the two-rak’ahs of tawbah (repentance) and istikhaarah.
Tightness =
in the
chest, mood swings and depression, which weigh a man down and make him quic=
k to
complain about the slightest thing. He easily gets upset with the people ar=
ound
him, and no longer has any tolerance. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) described faith when he said, “Eemaan is patience=
and
tolerance” (Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 554, 2/86), and he
described the believer as being “one who makes friends and with whom
others feel comfortable. There is no goodness in one who does not make frie=
nds
and with whom others do not feel comfortable.” (Al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah, no. 427).
Not being =
moved by
the aayaat of the Qur’aan, by its promises of Paradise or its warning=
s of
Hell, by its commands and prohibitions, or by its descriptions of the Day of
Resurrection. The one who is weak in faith gets bored when he hears the Qur=
’aan
being recited, and cannot continue reading it. Whenever he opens the mus=
-haf,
he soon closes it again.
Not focusi=
ng on
Allaah when remembering Him (dhikr) or making du’aa’, so
dhikr becomes difficult for him, and when he raises his hands to make
du’aa’, he quickly lowers them again. Allaah has described the
hypocrites (interpretation of the meaning): “… and they do n=
ot
remember Allaah but little.” [al-Nisa’ 4:142]
Not feelin=
g angry
when the limits set by Allaah are violated, because the flame of zeal has b=
een extinguished
in his heart, so he no longer takes action to stop evil, or enjoins evildoe=
rs
to do good, or denounces wrongdoing. He never gets angry for the sake of
Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
described this heart ravaged by weakness in the saheeh hadeeth: “The
heart will be subjected to trial after trial, and there will appear a black
stain on any heart that is affected, which will spread until the heart is
completely black and sealed, as it were, so that it will not recognize any =
good
deed or denounce any evil, except whatever suits its own desires.”
(Reported by Muslim, no. 144). Love of good and hatred of evil have disappe=
ared
from a heart like this; all things are equal to such a person, and he has no
motive to enjoin good or forbid evil. He may hear of some evil that is being
done on earth, and may accept it; in this case he carries the same burden of
sin as one who witnesses evil and approves of it, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in the saheeh hadeeth: “If sin =
is
committed on earth, the one who witnesses it and hates it [one time he said,
‘denounces it’] will be like one who knew nothing of it. Whoever
does not witness it but approves of it will be like one who witnesses it.&#=
8221;
(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 4345; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 689). This
approval, which is an action of the heart, makes him like one who witnessed=
the
sin.
Love of fa=
me and
prominence, which may take many forms, including the following:
Desire for leadership wi=
thout
understanding the serious responsibility involved. This is what the Messeng=
er
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us against whe=
n he
said, “You will be very keen to be leaders, but you will regret it on=
the
Day of Resurrection, for although it seems easy in the beginning, it become=
s a
hardship later on [literally: the breastfeeding is a luxury but weaning is
miserable].” (The meaning is that at the beginning, leadership brings
wealth, power and enjoyment, but later it brings the risk of being assassin=
ated
or deposed, and one will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection).
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 6729). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Al=
laah
be upon him) also said: “If you wish, I could tell you about leadersh=
ip
and what it is. Firstly, it is blame; secondly, it is regret; and thirdly, =
it
is punishment on the Day of Resurrection – except for one who is
just.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 18/72; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 1420). If it were the case that a man wanted to carry =
out
duties and responsibilities, where there is no one better for the job than =
him,
with the intention of doing his best and being sincere and just, as Yusuf
(peace be upon him) did, then we could say that this is fair enough. But in=
most
cases it is the matter of a strong desire to lead and put oneself forward
although there is a better person, denying the opportunity of leadership to
those who are qualified and wanting to be the only one to issue instructions
and prohibitions.
Loving to sit at the hea=
d of
gatherings, to monopolize the discussion, to make others listen to one̵=
7;s
words, and to have power. The head of a gathering is the
“slaughterhouse” about which the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) warned us when he said, “Beware of these
slaughterhouses.” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi, 2/439; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 120).
Loving to have people st=
and up
when one comes into the room, because this makes the one whose heart is
diseased feel great. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Whoever feels happy to have the slaves of Allaah stand up for =
him,
let him occupy his house in Hellfire.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in
Stinginess=
and
miserliness. Allaah praised the Ansaar in His Book by saying (interpretatio=
n of
the meaning): “… and [they] gave them [the muhaajiroon]
preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that…=
221;
[al-Hashr 59:9]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
explained that the successful are those who avoid miserliness, and that
weakness of faith generates stinginess: “Stinginess and faith never e=
xist
together in the heart of the believer.” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i=
, al-Mujtaba,
6/13; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2678). The Prophet (peace and blessing=
s of
Allaah be upon him) also described the serious nature of stinginess and its
consequences: “Beware of stinginess, for those who came before you we=
re
destroyed because of stinginess. It commanded them to be miserly, so they w=
ere
miserly; it commanded them to cut family ties, so they cut them; and it
commanded them to be immoral, so they were immoral.” (Reported by Abu
Dawood, 2/324; Saheeh al-Jaami, no. 2678). When it comes to miserlin=
ess,
the person whose faith is weak can hardly give anything for the sake of All=
aah,
even when there is an honest appeal and it is quite obvious that his brothe=
rs
in Islam are suffering the impact of poverty and are stricken by disaster.
There is no more eloquent statement on the matter of miserliness than the w=
ords
of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “Behold! You are those =
who
are called to spend in the Cause of Allaah, yet among you are some who are
niggardly. And whoever is niggardly, it is only at the expense of his own s=
elf.
But Allaah is Rich (Free of all wants), and you (mankind) are poor. And if =
you
turn away (from Islam and the obedience of Allaah), He will exchange for you
some other people, and they will not be your likes.” [Muhammad 47:38]=
.
Not practi=
sing
what one preaches. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O=
you
who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful is it wi=
th
Allaah that you say that which you do not do.” [al-Saff 61:2-3]. =
No
doubt this is a kind of hypocrisy, and the person whose deeds do not match =
his
words is blameworthy before Allaah and despicable in the eyes of his fellow
man. The people of Hellfire will soon discover the reality of the one who
enjoins good but does not do it, and forbids evil, but does it himself.
Malicious enjoyment of the failures, losses or disasters suffered by one’s brot= hers in Islam, when the blessings that they had enjoyed are taken away, or when = the thing that made another person appear more distinguished than him is gone.<= o:p>
Looking at=
matters
in black-or-white terms of whether they are sinful or not, and taking the
matter of makrooh lightly. Some people, when they want to do something, do =
not
ask about what good deeds they could do, instead they ask, “Will this=
be
counted as a sin, or is it ‘only’ makrooh?” This way of
thinking leads them into the trap of issues that are not clear-cut and deeds
that are makrooh, and eventually ensnares them in haraam deeds. The person =
who
thinks like this has nothing to stop him from committing makrooh or doubtful
deeds so long as they are not actually haraam. This is exactly what the Pro=
phet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was talking about what he said ,
“Whoever falls into doubtful matters falls into haraam, like a shephe=
rd
who grazes his flock around a place where he is not allowed – he will
soon enter it…” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim; this versi=
on
narrated by Muslim, no. 1599). When some people ask for a fatwa about somet=
hing
and are told that it is haraam, they ask, “Is it very haraam or not? =
How
much sin is involved?” People like this have no interest in avoiding =
bad
deeds; indeed, they are prepared to commit the first level of haraam and th=
ey
take small sins lightly, with the results that they they have the guts to
transgress even further and violate the limits set by Allaah. For this reas=
on
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I wi=
ll
certainly recognize people who will come on the Day of Resurrection bringing
good deeds as great as the white mountain of Tuhaamah, and Allaah, may He be
glorified, will make it like dust in the air.” Thawbaan said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, describe them to us and explain this so that we will n=
ot
unwittingly be among them.” He said, “They are your brothers and
they look like you. They pray at night as you do, but if they had the
opportunity to violate the limits set by Allaah, they would do so.”
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4245. He said in al-Zawaa’id: its
isnaad is saheeh and its men are thiqaat. See also Saheeh al-Jaami’=
;,
5028).
So you wil=
l find
such a person committing haraam deeds without any hesitation or reservation,
which makes him worse than the one who does so after pausing and hesitating.
Both are in danger, but the former is worse than the latter. This kind of
person takes sins lightly as a result of his weakness of faith, and does not
think that he has done anything wrong. For this reason, Ibn Mas’ood (=
may
Allaah be pleased with him) described the attitude of the believer and of t=
he
hypocrite as follows: “The believer sees his sins as if he were sitti=
ng
beneath a mountain which he fears will fall on him, whilst the sinner sees =
his
sins as if it were a fly passing his nose and he says such-and-such to
it” – i.e., he shoos it away with his hand. (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 11/102; See also Taghleeq al-Ta’leeq<=
/i>,
5/136, publ. by al-Maktab al-Islami).
Thinking l=
ittle of
good deeds, and having no interest in doing small hasanaat. The Prophet (pe=
ace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us to pay attention to small ac=
ts
of goodness. Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported from Abu J=
uray
al-Hujaymi who said, “I came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we=
are
a desert people. Teach us something by which Allaah, may He be blessed and
exalted, will benefit us.’ He said, ‘Do not look down on any ac=
t of
goodness, even if it is just emptying your bucket into the vessel of one who
wants to drink, or speaking to your brother with a cheerful expression.R=
17;”
(Musnad Ahmad, 5/63; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1352). If someo=
ne
comes wanting to drink from the well, and you lift up your bucket and empty=
it
for him, this is a good deed; even though it appears insignificant, you sho=
uld
not think little of it. The same applies to greeting your brother with a
cheerful expression, and cleaning dirt and garbage from the mosque, even if=
it
is as small as a straw. This deed may be the cause of your sins being forgi=
ven,
for Allaah will appreciate good deeds of this nature and will forgive sins
because of them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sa=
id:
“A man passed a branch of a tree lying in the road and said, ‘By
Allaah, I want to remove this out of the way of the Muslims so that it will=
not
hurt them,’ and he was admitted to Paradise.” (Reported by Musl=
im,
no. 1914).
There is s=
omething
wrong with the person who thinks little of simple acts of goodness. It is
sufficient punishment for this attitude that he is denied the great advanta=
ge
described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“Whoever removes something harmful from the path of the Muslims, one
hasanah will be recorded for him, and whoever has a hasanah accepted, will
enter Paradise.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad,
no. 593; see also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 5/387). Mu’aadh was
walking with another man, and he picked up a stone from the road. The man a=
sked
him, “What is this?” He said, “I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘Whoever remo=
ves
a stone from the road, one hasanah will be recorded for him, and whoever ha=
s a
hasanah, will enter Paradise.’” (al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer
by al-Tabaraani, 20/101; al-Silsilat al-Saheeh, 5/387).
Lack of co=
ncern
about the Muslims’ affairs and lack of any involvement whether it be =
by
making du’aa’, giving charity or helping them. Such a person ha=
s a
cool attitude towards the oppression, suppression and disasters suffered by=
his
Muslim brothers in other parts of the world, and is content merely with his=
own
safety. This is the result of weak faith, because the believer is the oppos=
ite
of that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The believer’s position in relation to his fellow believers is
like that of the head to the body; the believer feels the pain of his fellow
believers as the body reacts to the pain suffered by the head.” (M=
usnad
Ahmad, 5/340; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1137).
Breaking t=
he ties
of brotherhood between two who used to be close. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No two people are friends for=
the
sake of Allaah or in Islam, but they will be split apart by the first sin
(according to another report: they will only be split apart by the first si=
n)
committed by either of them.” (al-Bukhaari, al-Adab al-Mufrad,=
no.
401; Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/68; see also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah,
637). This indicates the bad effects which may impact upon and even destroy=
the
bonds of brotherhood. This alienation which a man may feel between himself =
and
his brother is a result of the lowering of faith caused by committing a sin,
because Allaah causes him to lose his standing in the eyes of His slaves, a=
nd
so he is in the miserable position of having no respect and misses out on t=
he
fellowship of the believers and the protection of Allaah, for Allaah protec=
ts
those who believe.
Not feelin=
g any
responsibility to work for Islam and spread this religion, which is unlike =
the
attitude of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), who as soon as they entered this religion felt this responsibili=
ty
straight away, for example, al-Tufayl ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased
with him), who became Muslim and went to call his people to Islam straight
away. He was only a new Muslim but he felt that he had to go back and call =
his
people to Islam, and he went and did this, yet nowadays many people wait fo=
r a
long time after they become committed to Islam before they reach the stage =
of
calling others to Allaah, may He be glorified.
The Compan=
ions of
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as a result of enteri=
ng
Islam, used to feel enmity towards the kuffaar, and they would disavow
themselves of them and draw a clear line. When Thamaamah ibn Athaal (may Al=
laah
be pleased with him), the chief of the people of al-Yamaamah, was taken
prisoner, he was held in the mosque, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him about Islam. Then Allaah caused t=
he
light of Islam to shine in his heart, and he became Muslim. He went for
‘Umrah, and when he reached Makkah, he told the kuffaar of Quraysh,
“Not one grain of wheat will reach you from al-Yamaamah except with t=
he
permission of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 8/78). This declaration=
of
opposition to the kuffaar, imposition of economic sanctions and offer of all
resources at his disposal to serve the cause of da’wah all took place
immediately, because strong faith demands action.
Fear and p=
anic
when disaster strikes or problems arise. So you will see such a person shak=
ing
and losing his equilibrium, with no focus, staring wild-eyed and having no =
idea
what to do when faced with calamity. He is ruled by his fears and can see no
way out; he cannot face reality with a strong and steady heart. All of this=
is
the result of weak faith, for if his faith was strong he would be steadfast=
and
he would face the worst disasters with calmness and strength.
Excessive =
arguing
and disputing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said=
in
a saheeh hadeeth: “No people will go astray after having being guided
except that they become argumentative.” (Reported by Ahmad in al-M=
usnad,
5/252; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5633). Arguing with no proof and for =
no
good reason leads one far away from the Straight Path, and most of
people’s futile arguments nowadays are conducted without knowledge or
guidance or (reference to) a Book giving light (i.e., the Qur’aan). We
have sufficient motive to avoid futile arguments in the words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “I guarantee a house in =
the
outskirts of Paradise to the one who forsakes argument even when he is in t=
he
right.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 5/150; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
1464).
Attachment=
to this
world and rejoicing in it. A person may be so attached to this world that he
feels pain if he misses out on some share of it, such as money, power,
authority, or housing. He feels that he is unfairly treated because he has =
not
got what others have. He feels more stress when he sees a brother in Islam =
who
has something of this world that he does not have, so he envies him (has=
ad)
and wishes that he will lose that blessing. This goes against eemaan, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Eeman and
hasad do not exist together in the heart of the true slave.” (Reporte=
d by
Abu Dawood, 5/150; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1464).
He talks a=
nd
thinks in a purely rational manner, devoid of the characteristics of faith.
There is hardly any trace of a reference to the Qur’aan and Sunnah, or
the words of the salaf (the early generations of Islam – may Allaah h=
ave
mercy on them), in the way such a person speaks.
Going to e=
xtremes
in the way one cares for oneself, in food, drink, clothing, housing and mea=
ns
of transportation. So you see these people showing excessive interest in
luxuries, trying to be sophisticated, buying only the finest clothes, spend=
ing
extravagant amounts on their choice of housing and spending too much time a=
nd
money on such unnecessary adornments whilst their Muslim brothers are in the
greatest need of that money. This carries on until they sink into the soft =
life
of luxury which is forbidden, as is reported in the hadeeth of Mu’aadh
ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him): when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent him to Yemen, he advised him:
“Beware of luxury, for the slaves of Allaah do not live a life of
luxury.” (Reported by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 5/155;
Causes of weak faith
There = are many causes of weak faith, some of which are the same as the symptoms, such as committing sin or being preoccupied with this world. There follows a list o= f some additional causes:
Keeping aw=
ay from
a faith-filled environment for too long. This causes weak faith in a person.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Has not the time come
for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allaah’s Remind=
er
(this Qur’aan), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest t=
hey
become as those who received the Scripture before (i.e., Jews and Christian=
s),
and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And =
many
of them were faasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allaah).” [al-Hade=
ed
57:16]. This aayah indicates that spending too much time away from a
faith-filled environment leads to weakness of faith in the heart. For examp=
le,
a person who stays away from his brothers in Islam for a long period, becau=
se
of travel or work, etc., is going to miss the atmosphere of faith in which =
he
was living and from which his heart gained its strength. The believer is we=
ak
on his own but strong with his brothers. Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have=
mercy
on him) said: “Our brothers are dearer to us than our families, for o=
ur
families remind us of this world, but our brothers remind us of the
Hereafter.” If this absence goes on for too long, it creates alienati=
on
in the heart, which eventually changes into disdain for that faith-filled
atmosphere, which in turn hardens the heart and fills it with darkness,
extinguishing the light of eemaan. This explains the complete change of hea=
rt
on the part of some who travel to other lands on vacation or who relocate f=
or
purposes of work or study.
Keeping aw=
ay from
the good example of righteous leaders. The person who learns from a righteo=
us
man gains beneficial knowledge, does a righteous deed and strengthens his
eemaan at the same time; (that leader) takes care of him and passes on to h=
im
the knowledge, good morals and virtues that he has. If he keeps away from t=
hat
teacher for some time, he begins to feel hardness in his heart. For this re=
ason
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died and was
buried, his Sahaabah said, “We looked at our hearts and felt that the=
re
had been a deep change.” They felt alienated and lost because their
teacher and example (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had died.
According to some reports, they were described as being “like sheep o=
n a
rainy winter’s night.” But the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) left behind great leaders, giants among men, all of whom
were qualified to take up the reins of leadership, and some of them became
examples to the others. But nowadays the Muslims are in desperate need of
examples close at hand to them.
Failing to=
seek
knowledge and to be acquainted with the books of the salaf (early generatio=
n)
and religious books which will uplift and revive the heart. There are many
kinds of books which the reader will feel stir up faith in his heart and
motivate him to fulfil his spiritual potential, foremost among which is the
Book of Allaah, may He be exalted, and the books of hadeeth, followed by the
books of scholars who are good at writing about issues that soften the heart
and who explain ‘aqeedah (correct belief) in a manner that moves the =
soul
and uplifts the heart, such as Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Rajab and others. By
ignoring these books and reading only intellectual works, or books of fiqh
rulings which do not quote their daleel (evidence), or books of grammar rul=
es
and usool (bases of ‘aqeedah), is something that may have the
effect of hardening the heart. This is not a criticism of those books per s=
e,
it is only a warning to the person who keeps away from books of Tafseer and
hadeeth and hardly ever reads them, even though they are the books that bri=
ng
one closer to Allaah. For example, when one reads al-Saheehayn
(al-Bukhaari and Muslim), you feel the atmosphere of the age of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah, and you feel =
the
breeze of eemaan by sharing the events that happened in their time.
The people=
of
hadeeth are the people of the Messenger; even if they did not have the chan=
ce
to be with him, they are with his words.
This probl=
em
– keeping away from religious books – clearly has an effect on
those who study disciplines which have no connection with Islam, such as
philosophy, psychology, social science, etc., disciplines which have been
developed far away from Islamic teachings. The same applies to those who lo=
ve
to read fiction and love stories, or who follow worthless news stories in
newspapers, magazines and so on.
Living in =
an
environment that is filled with sin, so you see one boasting about his late=
st
misdemeanour, another humming popular songs to himself, a third smoking, a
fourth reading a pornographic magazine, a fifth cursing and swearing, and so
on. As for talk about who said what to whom, gossip, backbiting and discuss=
ion
about the latest football match, there is no end to it.
Some envir=
onments
remind one only of this world, as is the case in most gatherings and
work-places nowadays. Discussions about business, work, money, investments,
work-related problems, raises, promotions, assignments and so on take
precedence in the minds and speech of most people nowadays.
As for wha=
t goes
on in the home – there is a lot we can say about the disasters and ev=
il
deeds that cause the Muslim shame and hurt him deeply. Muslim homes are fil=
led
with shameless songs, vile movies, forbidden mixing of the sexes and so on.=
No
doubt in such an environment hearts are stricken with the disease of hardne=
ss.
Preoccupat=
ion with
this world, so that the heart is enslaved by it. The Messenger of Allaah (p=
eace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is doomed, the slave of
the dinar and the slave of the dirham” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no.
2730), and, “All that is sufficient for any one of you in this world =
is
the supply of the traveller” (reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabee=
r,
4/78; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2384) – meaning a little of
something that will help him to reach his destination. This phenomenon
(preoccupation with this world) is very apparent in our own times, when
material greed and the desire to acquire more worthless worldly goods have
become widespread, and people are now running after trade, manufacturing and
shares. This confirms what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be up=
on
him) said: “Allaah, may He be glorified, says: ‘We have sent do=
wn
wealth for the establishment of prayer and the payment of zakaat, but if the
son of Adam has one valley, he will wish that he had a second, and if he had
two valleys, he would wish that he had a third. The stomach of the son of A=
dam
will be filled only with dust (i.e., he is never satisfied) then Allaah will
accept the repentance of the one who repents.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/=
219;
Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1781).
Being preo=
ccupied
with one’s wealth, wife and children. Allaah says (interpretation of =
the
meanings): “And know that your possessions and children are but a
trial and that surely with Allaah is a mighty reward.” [al-Anfaal 8:2=
8]
and, “Beautified for men is the love of things they covet: women,
children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle
and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s lif=
e,
but Allaah has the excellent return (Paradise).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3=
:14].
The meaning of these aayat is that if the love of these things, especially
women and children, is given precedence over obedience to Allaah and His
Messenger, then it is regarded as being bad, but if the love of these thing=
s is
within the bounds of sharee’ah, it helps a man to obey Allaah and in =
this
case it is praiseworthy. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “In this world, women and good scents have been made dear =
to
me, but dearest of all to me is prayer.” (Reported by Ahmad, 3/128; <=
i>Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 3124). Many men follow their wives in doing haraam dee=
ds,
and allow their children to distract them from worshipping Allaah. The Prop=
het
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Children are the c=
ause
of grief, cowardice, ignorance and miserliness.” (Reported by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 24/241; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 19=
90).
When he said that they are the cause of miserliness, he meant that if a man
wants to spend for the sake of Allaah, the Shaytaan reminds him of his
children, so he thinks, “My children deserve the money, I will leave =
it
for them when I die, so he is miserly in the sense that he refrains from
spending it for the sake of Allaah. When he said that children are the caus=
e of
cowardliness, he meant that when a man wants to fight in jihaad for the sak=
e of
Allaah, the Shaytaan comes to him and says, “You will be killed and w=
ill
die, and your children will become orphans, lost and alone,” so he st=
ays
home and does not go out for jihaad. When he said that children are the cau=
se
of ignorance, he meant that they distract a father from seeking knowledge a=
nd
trying to acquire learning by attending gatherings and reading books. When =
he
said that children are the cause of grief, he meant that when a child gets
sick, the parent feels grief; if the child asks for something that the fath=
er
cannot provide, this grieves the father; and if the child grows up and rebe=
ls
against his father, this is a cause of ongoing grief and distress.
This is no=
t to say
that one should forego marrying and having children; what is meant is that =
one
should beware of becoming preoccupied with them and letting that lead one to
commit haraam deeds.
Concerning=
the
temptation of wealth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon hi=
m)
said: “Every nation has its fitnah (trial or temptation), and the fit=
nah
of my ummah is wealth.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2336; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2148). Eagerness to acquire wealth is more damaging to=
a
person’s religion than the wolf who attacks the sheepfold. This is wh=
at
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant when he said:
“Two hungry wolves sent against the sheep do not do more damage to th=
em
than a man’s eagerness for wealth and standing does to his
religion.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2376; Saheeh al-JaamiR=
17;,
5620). For this reason the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon h=
im)
urged Muslims to take just what is sufficient, without hoping for more, whi=
ch
could distract him from remembering Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace =
and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All that you need of wealth i=
s a
servant and a means of transportation to go out for the sake of Allaah.R=
21;
(Reported by Ahmad, 5/290; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2386). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued a warning to those who w=
ant
to accumulate wealth, except for those who give in charity: “Woe to t=
hose
who want to accumulate wealth, except for the one who says with his wealth,
‘Here! Here! Here!’ (i.e., giving it away) to one on his right,=
one
on his left, one in front of him and one behind him,” (reported by Ibn
Maajah, no. 4129; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7137) – meaning all
forms of charity.
Hoping for=
a long
life. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Leave them to =
eat
and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied with (false) hope. They will come to
know!” [al-Hijr 15:3]. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “What I fear for you is following your desires and hoping for a
long life, for following one’s desires makes a man ignore the truth, =
and
hoping for a long life makes him forget the Hereafter. (Fath al-Baari,
11/236). Another report says: “Four things are causes of doom: dry ey=
es
(i.e., never weeping), a hard heart, hope for a long life and eagerness for
this world.” Hoping for a long life generates laziness in worship, pr=
ocrastination,
desire for the things of this world, neglect of the Hereafter and hardness =
of
heart, because softness of heart and clarity of vision can only be achieved=
by
remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors of the=
Day
of Judgement, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “=
230;
and the term was prolonged for them and their hearts were
hardened…” [al-Hadeed 57:16]. It was said: “Whoever d=
oes
not hope for a long life will have less worries and his heart will be filled
with light, because he calls death to mind and strives to obey
Allaah…” (Fath al-Baari, 11/237)
Another ca=
use of
weak faith and hard-heartedness is eating too much, sleeping too much, stay=
ing
up too late, talking too much and mixing with people too much. Eating too m=
uch
makes the brain slow and the body heavy, which prevents a person from
worshipping Allaah and makes it easy for Shaytaan to tempt him, as it was s=
aid:
“Whoever eats too much, drinks too much and sleeps too much, loses a
great reward.” Talking too much hardens the heart, and mixing too much
with people stops a person from having time to be alone and reflect on his =
own
state. Laughing too much drains life from the heart. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “Do not la=
ugh
too much, for excessive laughter deadens the heart.” (Reported by Ibn
Maajah, 4193; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’). Time that is not fil=
led
with worship of Allaah also leads to hard-heartedness, as a person pays hee=
d to
neither the rebukes of the Qur’aan nor the advice of faith.
The ca= uses of weak faith are many indeed, and it is impossible to list them all, but what= we have listed above will give the reader an impression of others which we have not mentioned here. The wise person understands this innately. We ask Allaa= h to purify our hearts and protect us from the evil of our own selves.
Al-Haa= kim reported in al-Mustadrak, and al-Tabaraani reported in al-Mu̵= 7;jam, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “F= aith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts.” (Reported by al-Haakim in = al-Mustadrak, 1/4; see also al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1585. Al-Haythami said in = Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/52, “It was reported by al-Tabaraani in a= l-Kabeer and its isnaad is saheeh.”) What he meant is that faith wears out in = the heart just as clothes wear out and become old. The heart of the believer is sometimes overwhelmed by clouds of sin, and so it goes dark. This is the picture drawn for us by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of All= aah be upon him) in the saheeh hadeeth: “There is no heart that is not covered by a cloud like the cloud covering the moon when it is shining, and= so it suddenly goes dark, but when it (the cloud) goes away, it shines again.” (Reported by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah, 2/196; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2268). Sometimes the moon is covered by clouds, wh= ich conceal its light, but after a little while they go away, and the light of = the moon comes back to light up the sky. In the same way, the heart of the beli= ever is sometimes covered with dark clouds of sin, so its light is veiled, and t= he person finds himself lost in darkness, but when he strives to increase his eemaan and seeks the help of Allaah, that cloud goes away, and the light co= mes back to shine in his heart as before.
One of= the most important principles which must be understood in order to treat the problem of weak faith is that faith increases and decreases, or waxes and wanes. This is one of the basic principles of the ‘aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who say that faith is something to be spoken in words, to be believed in in the heart, and to be put into action. Faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience. There is evidence for this in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, for example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): “… that they may grow more= in Faith along with their (present) Faith…” [al-Fath 48:4] and= “… Which of you has had his faith increased by it? …” [al-Tawbah 9:124]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it by his hand= (by action), and if he cannot, then by his tongue (by speaking out), and if he = cannot, then by his heart (by feeling that it is wrong), and that is the weakest of faith.” (Al-Bukhaari, Fath, 1/51).
The ef= fects of obedience and sin, which increase and decrease faith respectively, are well known from observation and experience. If a person goes out walking in the market-place, where he looks at uncovered women wearing make-up, and hears = the shouting and idle talk of the people, then he goes to the graveyard and sto= ps to think and let his heart soften, he will see the difference between the t= wo environments and how quickly his heart changes.
Anothe= r factor in this discussion is the words of one of the salaf: “One of the sign= s of proper understanding is when a slave takes care of his eemaan, and pays attention to what decreases it, and knows when it increases and when it decreases, and recognizes the temptation of Shaytaan when he comes to him.” (Sharh Nooniyah Ibn al-Qayyim by Ibn ‘Eesa, 2/140).
It is important to know that if a decrease in faith leads to one neglecting one’s duties or doing haraam deeds, this slackening is very serious a= nd one must repent to Allaah and start to do something about it at once. If it does not lead to neglect of duties and doing haraam deeds, but just makes a person fall short in doing mustahabb (recommended) deeds, for example, then= a person still needs to know how to sort himself out and correct himself unti= l he returns to the proper level of energy and strength in worship. This is what= we learn from the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Every deed has energy and strength, and then this energy and strength is followed by a slackening, so who’s slackening is in accordance to my Sunnah he will be fine, and who’s slackening is to o= ther than that [i.e., doing unlawful or forebidden deeds] he will be doomed.R= 21; (Reported by Ahmad, 2/210; Saheeh al-Targheeb, no. 55).
Before= we discuss how to treat the problem of weak faith, there is something we should note: many of those who feel that their hearts are hard look for an external solution, hoping that they can rely on others, even though it is within the= ir reach – if they want – to take care of themselves by themselves. This is how it should be done, because eemaan is the relationship between t= he slave and his Lord. Below, we will discuss a number of ways prescribed by I= slam by means of which the Muslim can deal with his weakness of faith and hardne= ss of heart, after he puts his trust in Allaah and resigns himself to the fact that he faces a struggle to achieve his goal:
Pondering =
the meanings
of the Qur’aan, which Allaah has revealed to explain everything and a=
s a
Light by which He guides whomever He wills of His slaves. There is no doubt
that it contains a powerful and effective cure. Allaah says (interpretation=
of
the meaning): “And We send down from the Qur’aan that which =
is a
healing and a mercy to those who believe…” [al-Isra’ 17:8=
2].
The method of treatment is to think and ponder its meanings.
The Messen=
ger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to ponder the meani=
ngs
of the Book of Allaah and recite it when he stood in prayer at night (qi=
yaam
al-layl). On one occasion, he stood in prayer at night and recited one
single aayah from the Book of Allaah whilst he was praying, and he did not =
go
any further than that (one aayah) until morning. The aayah in question was
(interpretation of the meaning): “If You punish them, they are Your
slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You, are the All-Mighty, =
the
All-Wise.” [al-Maa’idah 5:118]. (Reported by Ahmad, 4/149; =
see
also Sifat al-Salaah by al-Albaani, p. 102).
He (peace =
and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to ponder the meaning of the
Qur’aan, to the greatest extent. Ibn Hibbaan reported in his Sahee=
h
with a jayyid isnaad from ‘Ataarah, who said: “‘Ubayd-All=
aah
ibn ‘Umayr and I entered upon ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) and ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Tel=
l us
of the most wonderful thing you saw on the part of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ She wept and said,
‘He got up one night (to pray) and said, “O ‘Aa’ish=
ah,
leave me to worship my Lord.” I said, “By Allaah, I love to be =
near
you, and I love what makes you happy.” He got up, purified himself and
stood up to pray, and he kept weeping until his lap got wet, then he wept a=
nd
kept weeping until the ground got wet. Bilaal came to call the adhaan for h=
im,
and when he saw him weeping, he said, “O Messenger of Allaah, are you
weeping when Allaah has forgiven all of your sins, past and future?” =
He
said, “Should I not be a thankful slave? This night some aayaat have =
been
revealed to me, woe to the one who reads them and does not think (about the=
ir
meaning). Among them is (interpretation of the meaning): Verily! In the
creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and =
day,
there are indeed signs for men of understanding, those who remember Allaah
(always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, =
and
think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth…” =
[Aal
‘Imraan 3:190-191].”’” (Al-Silsilat al-Sahee=
hah,
1/106). This indicates that it is obligatory to ponder the meaning of these
aayaat.
The Qur=
217;aan
speaks of Tawheed, and contains promises of reward, threats of punishment,
rules and regulations, reports, stories, etiquette and good morals, and its
effects on the heart are various. Some soorahs fill the heart with fear more
than others, as is indicated by the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and bless=
ings
of Allaah be upon him), “(Soorat) Hood and its sisters made me grey
before my time.” (al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2/679). According to
another report: “Hood and al-Waaqi’ah and al-Mursalaat and &=
#8216;amma
yatasaa’aloon and Idha’l-shamsu kuwwirat”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3297; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 955). T=
he
Prophet’s hair turned grey because of what these soorahs contain of t=
he
realities of faith and great responsibilities, which filled his heart and h=
ad a
visible effect on his hair and body. “So stand (ask Allaah to make)
you firm and straight (on the religion of Islamic Monotheism) as you are
commanded and those (your companions) who turn in repentance (unto Allaah) =
with
you…” [Hood 11:112 – interpretation of the meaning].
The Compan=
ions of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the
Qur’aan and pondered its meaning and were moved by it. Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) was a gentle, soft-hearted man, and when he led=
the
people in prayer and recited the words of Allaah, he could not stop himself
from weeping. ‘Umar became ill after reciting the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, the Torment of your Lord
will surely come to pass, - there is none that can avert it” [al-Toor
52:7-8]. (This report and its isnaad are in Tafseer Ibn Katheer,=
7/406).
His sobs could be heard from the back of the congregation when he recited
Allaah’s words about Ya’qoob (peace be upon him) (interpretatio=
n of
the meaning): “He said, ‘I only complain of my grief and my
sorrow to Allaah…’” [Yoosuf 12:86]. (Manaaqib R=
16;Umar
by Ibn al-Jawzi, 167). ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“If our hearts were pure and clean, we would never have enough of the
Word of Allaah.” He was killed unjustly as a martyr and his blood fel=
l on
his mus-haf – the reports from the Sahaabah concerning this are many.
Ayyoob said: “I heard Sa’eed (ibn Jubayr) reciting this aayah
twenty-odd times: “And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brou=
ght
back to Allaah…” [al-Baqarah 2:281 – interpretation of the
meaning]. (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 4/324). This was=
the
last aayah to be revealed of the Qur’aan, and the ending of it is
(interpretation of the meaning): “… Then every person shall =
be
paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.”
[al-Baqarah 2:281]. Ibraaheem ibn Bashshaar said: “The aayah which
‘Ali ibn Fudayl was reading when he died was (interpretation of the
meaning): ‘If you could but see when they will be held over the (H=
ell)
Fire! They will say: “Would that we were but sent back (to the
world)!…”’ [al-An’aam 6:27]. When he reached th=
at
point, he died, and I was one of those who prayed for him [at his funeral],=
may
Allaah have mercy on him.” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’,
4/446). Even when they prostrated as required when reading Qur’aan (<=
i>sajadaat
al-tilaawah – prostrations required when reciting certain aayaat =
of
the Qur’aan), they reacted in different ways. One of them was the man
– may Allaah have mercy on him – who, when he read the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning), “And they fall down on their faces
weeping and it adds to their humility” [al-Isra’ 17:109],
prostrated as required, then he rebuked himself by saying: “This is t=
he
prostration, but where is the weeping?”
Among the =
features
of the Qur’aan which are most deserving of contemplation are the exam=
ples
and parables which Allaah sets forth and urges us to ponder and think about=
. He
tells us (interpretation of the meanings): “ … Allaah sets f=
orth
parables for mankind in order that they may remember” [Ibraaheem 14:2=
5]
and “… Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind
that they may reflect.” [al-Hashr 59:21].
One of the=
salaf
once read one of these parables of Allaah and could not grasp the meaning, =
so
he began to weep. He was asked, “What makes you weep?” He said:
“Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And these
similitudes We put forward for mankind, but none will understand them except
those who have knowledge (of Allaah and His Signs, etc.)’
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:43], and I do not understand the parable. I am n=
ot
one who has knowledge, and I am weeping for all the time I have wasted and =
not
gained knowledge.”
Allaah set=
s forth
many parables for us in the Qur’aan, such as the following
(interpretation of the meanings): the one who kindled a fire [al-Baqarah 2:=
17],
the one who shouts to the (flock of sheep) that hears nothing [al-Baqarah
2:171], the likeness of a grain (of corn) that grows seven ears [al-Baqarah
2:261], the dog who lolls his tongue out [al-A’raaf 7:176], the donkey
who carries huge burdens of books (but learns nothing from them)
[al-Jumu’ah 62:5], the fly (which none but Allaah can create, even if
they join together for that purpose) [al-Hajj 22:73], the spider (which bui=
lds
a house for itself, but it is the frailest of houses) [al-‘Ankaboot
29:41], the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer [Hood 11:24], the
ashes on which the wind blows furiously on a stormy day [Ibraaheem 14:18], =
the
goodly tree [Ibraaheem 14:24], the evil tree [Ibraaheem 14:26], the water w=
hich
is sent down from the sky [al-An’aam 6:99], the niche within which is=
a
lamp [al-Noor 24:35], the slave under the possession of another who has no
power of any sort [al-Nahl 16:75], the (slave) man belonging to many partne=
rs
[al-Zumar 39:29], and others. The point here is that we should refer to the=
se
aayat and pay special attention to them, pondering their meanings.
Ibn al-Qay=
yim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) summed up what the Muslim has to do to remedy the
hardness of his heart with the Qur’aan. He said: “There are two
main things you have to do. The first is to move your heart from dwelling on
the things of this world and move it to dwell on the Hereafter, then focus =
all
your heart on the Qur’aan and ponder its meanings and why it was
revealed. Try to understand something from every aayah and apply it to the
disease of your heart. These aayaat were revealed (to treat) the disease of=
the
heart, so you will be healed, by the permission of Allaah.”
Trying to =
feel an
awareness of the might of Allaah, learning His names and attributes, ponder=
ing
their meanings, trying to understand them and to establish these feelings in
the heart so that they may have an effect on one’s actions. The heart=
is
the controller of the faculties, which are like soldiers and followers; if =
it
is sound, they will be sound, and if it is corrupt, they will be corrupt.
The texts =
of the
Qur’aan and Sunnah which speak of the greatness and might of Allaah a=
re
many. When the Muslim reads them, he is shaken and becomes humble before the
Most High, the Most Great, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and his fear and
submission to the Lord of the first and the last increases. Many of His nam=
es
and attributes are mentioned in the Qur’aan. He is the Most Great (
Seeking Is=
lamic
knowledge, which is knowledge that leads one to fear Allaah and which incre=
ases
one’s faith in Him, may He be glorified. Allaah says (interpretation =
of
the meaning): “… It is only those who have knowledge among H=
is
slaves that fear Allaah…” [Faatir 35:28]. Those who have
knowledge and those who do not are not equal in faith. How can one who knows
the details of sharee’ah, the meaning and implications of the
Shahaadatayn, the things that will happen after death – such as the
torment of the grave, the horrors of the final gathering, the stages of the=
Day
of Resurrection, the delights of Paradise and the punishments of Hell, the
wisdom of sharee’ah in prescribing halaal and haraam, the details of =
the
Prophet’s seerah, and other kinds of knowledge… How can one who
knows all this be equal in faith with one who is ignorant of the religion a=
nd
its rulings and what Islam says about matters of the Unseen. All the latter
knows about his religion is mere imitation, and the little knowledge he has=
is
of poor quality. “…Say: Are those who know equal to those wh=
o do
not know? …” [al-Zumar 39:9 – interpretation of the meani=
ng].
Regular at=
tendance
at gatherings of dhikr (remembrance of Allaah). This leads to an increase in
faith for a number of reasons, such as the mentioning of Allaah, the descen=
t of
mercy and tranquillity, the angels surrounding the people present, and Alla=
ah mentioning
them to the chiefs (angels) on high, showing His pride in them to the angels
and forgiving their sins. This was mentioned in saheeh ahaadeeth, for examp=
le,
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No
people sit together remembering Allaah, but the angels surround them, mercy
envelops them, tranquillity descends upon them, and Allaah mentions them to
those who are in His presence.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 2700). Sahl
ibn al-Hanzaliyyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messen=
ger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘No people
gather together to remember (Allaah) and then disperse, but it will be said=
to
them: “Get up, you are forgiven.”’” (Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 5507). Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“When he spoke of remembering Allaah (dhikr), he meant doing it regul=
arly
and persistently, by doing acts that are obligatory or encouraged, such as
reciting Qur’aan, reading hadeeth, and studying with other people.=
221;
(Fath al-Baari, 11/209). Another indication that gatherings of dhikr
increase one’s eemaan is the report narrated by Imaam Muslim in his <=
i>Saheeh
from Hanzalah al-Usaydi, who said: “I met Abu Bakr, and he asked me,
‘How are you, O Hanzalah?’ I said, ‘Hanzalah has become a
munaafiq (hypocrite).’ He said, ‘Subhaan-Allaah! What are you
saying?’ I said, ‘We sit with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he tells us about Hell and Paradise un=
til
it is as if we can see them, then when we leave the Messenger of Allaah (pe=
ace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we get involved with our wives and
children and earning a living, and we forget a lot.’ Abu Bakr said,
‘I feel the same way.’ So Abu Bakr and I went to the Messenger =
of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I said, ‘Hanz=
alah
has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah.’ The Messenger of Alla=
ah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Why is that?’=
; I
said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we sit with you and you tell us about H=
ell
and Paradise until it is as if we can see them, then when we leave you, we =
get
involved with our wives and children and earning a living, and we forget a
lot.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon =
him
said, ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you continued to be as=
you
are when you are with me, and to make dhikr, the angels would shake your ha=
nds
in your beds and on the road. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and=
a
time for that’ – and he said this three times.” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 2750).
The Sahaab=
ah, may
Allaah be pleased with them, were keen to sit toegther for the purpose of
dhikr, which they used to call eemaan (faith or belief). Mu’aadh (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said to a man: “Let us sit and believe fo=
r a
while.” (Its isnaad is saheeh; Arba’ Masaa’il
fi’l-Eemaan, revised by al-Albaani, p. 72).
Doing a lo=
t of
righteous deeds and filling one’s time with them. This is one of the =
best
ways of dealing with weak faith, and is clearly very effective in strengthe=
ning
faith. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) set the best
example of this, when the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon =
him)
asked his Sahaabah: “Who among you got up fasting this morning?”
Abu Bakr said, “I did.” He asked, “Who among you has atte=
nded
a funeral today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” He asked,
“Who among you has fed a needy person today?” Abu Bakr said,
“I have.” He asked, “Who among you has visited a sick per=
son
today?” Abu Bakr said, “I have.” The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “No man does all of
that but he will enter Paradise.” (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab
Fadaa’il al-Sahaabah, Baab 1, Hadeeth 12).
This story
demonstrates that Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) was =
keen
to make the most of every opportunity and to do a variety of acts of worshi=
p.
Because this was an unexpected question on the part of the Prophet (peace a=
nd
blessings of Allaah be upon him), this indicates that Abu Bakr’s days
were filled with acts of obedience and worship. The salaf (may Allaah have
mercy on them) reached the highest levels in their efforts to do righteous
deeds and fill their time in this manner. An example of this is what was sa=
id
about a group of the salaf among whom was Hammaad ibn Salamah. Imaam ‘=
;Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Mahdi said: “If it were said to Hammaad ibn Salamah,
‘You will die tomorrow,’ he would not be able to do more good d=
eeds
(than he was already doing).” (Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’=
,
7/447).
The Muslim=
should
pay attention to the following when doing good deeds:
He should =
hasten
to do good deeds, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): =
“And
march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for
Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth…” [Aal
‘Imraan 3:133] and “Race one with another in hastening
towards Forgiveness from your Lord (Allaah), and towards Paradise, the width
whereof is as the width of heaven and earth…” [al-Hadeed 57:21]=
.
The meaning of these aayaat motived the Companions of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stirred them to action. Imaam Muslim (=
may
Allaah have mercy on him) reported in his Saheeh from Anas ibn Maalik
that at the Battle of Badr, when the mushrikeen approached, the Prophet (pe=
ace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Get up to Paradise the wi=
dth
of the heavens and the earth!” ‘Umayr ibn al-Himaam al-Ansaari
said, “O Messenger of Allaah, Paradise the width of the heavens and t=
he
earth?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s
great!” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said, “What makes you say, ‘That’s great!’?=
221;
He said, “Nothing, by Allaah, O Messenger of Allaah, except that I ho=
pe I
will be one of its people.” He said, “You will be one of its
people.” He took some dates out of his pocket and started to eat them,
then he said, “If I live to finish eating these dates it will be too
long.” He threw aside the dates then fought them until he was killed.=
(Saheeh
Muslim, 1901). Long before that, Moosa had hastened to meet his Lord, a=
nd
said, “…I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be
pleased.” [Ta-Ha 20:84 – interpretation of the meaning]. Al=
laah
praised Zakariyah and his wife by saying (interpretation of the meaning): <=
i>“…Verily,
they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with h=
ope
and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.” [al-Anbiya’
21:90]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Deliberation in all things,” but according to another report, =
he
added, “except in deeds that pertain to the Hereafter [i.e., good
deeds].” (Reported by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 5/175; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 3009).
Continuing=
to do
good deeds, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, transmitting the words of his Lord in a hadeeth qudsi: “…
‘My slave keeps drawing nearer to me with naafil (supererogatory) dee=
ds
until I love him.’” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 6137). The phra=
se maa
yazaalu (“keeps [drawing near]”) gives the impression of
continuity. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Continue doing Hajj and ‘Umrah.” (Reported by al-Tirmidh=
i,
no. 810; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1200). This is an important princi=
ple
when it comes to strengthening one’s eemaan and not neglecting onesel=
f to
the point of stagnation. A small deed that is continuous is better than a b=
ig
deed that is not done regularly. Continuity in righteous deeds strengthens
eemaan. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked:
“Which deed is most beloved to Allaah?” He said, “The one
that is continuous, even if it is little.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, =
Fath,
11/194). When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
something, he kept it up.” (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab Salaat
al-Musaafir, Baab 18, Hadeeth 141).
Striving
one’s utmost to do good deeds. Dealing with a hard heart should not be
the matter of a temporary solution, where eemaan strengthens for a period of
time then becomes weak again; rather, it should be an ongoing effort, which=
can
only be achieved by striving one’s utmost in worship. Allaah has
mentioned the efforts of His slaves in their worship in several places in t=
he
Qur’aan, such as (interpretation of the meanings): “Only tho=
se believe
in Our aayaat (signs, etc.) who, when they are reminded of them, fall down
prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not proud. T=
heir
sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they s=
pend
(charity, in Allaah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them.=
221;
[al-Sajdah 32:15-16] and: “They used to sleep but little by ni=
ght
[invoking their Lord and praying, with fear and hope]. And in the hours bef=
ore
dawn, they were (found) asking (Allaah) for forgiveness, and in their
properties there was the right of the beggar and the mahroom (the poor who =
does
not ask from others).” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:17-19]. Reading about how
the salaf achieved the qualities of true worshippers is something that fills
one with admiration and makes one try to follow their example. For example,
they used to complete the recitation of one-seventh of the Qur’aan ev=
ery
day; they used to pray at night (qiyaam al-layl) even when they were fighti=
ng
on military campaigns; they used to remember Allaah and pray tahajjud even =
in
prison, standing on their feet with tears streaming down their cheeks, thin=
king
about the creation of heaven and earth. One of them would lie down next to =
his
wife until she slept, just as a mother lies down next to her child to get h=
im
to sleep, then he would slip away from the bed to pray qiyaam al-layl. They
divided their nights between themselves and their wives, and their days bet=
ween
fasting, studying, teaching, attending funerals, visiting the sick and
attending to people’s needs. In some cases, years passed and they nev=
er
missed the takbeerat al-ihraam (beginning of the prayer) with the im=
aam;
they would wait for prayer after prayer. One of them would check on his
brother’s children after his brother died, spending on them for years=
. In
this way their faith would increase.
Not exhaus=
ting
oneself (avoiding “burnout”). Doing acts of worship continually=
or
striving one’s utmost does not mean that we have to fall into the tra=
p of
becoming bored and fed up. The idea is that we should not give up striving =
in
worship when we have the energy and inclination, and when we feel tired, we
should just do as much as we can. All of these ideas are indicated in the
ahaadeeth, such as when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon =
him)
said: “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his
religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be
extremists, but try to be near to perfection…” (Saheeh <=
i>al-Bukhaari,
39). According to another report, he said: “Be moderate, and you will
reach what you want.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 6099. Al-Bukhaari (=
may
Allaah have mercy on him) entitled the chapter Baab ma yukrah min
al-Tashdeed fi’l-‘Ibaadah (Chapter on what is disliked of
extremism in worship)). Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “=
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered (the mosque) and
saw a rope strung between two pillars. He said, ‘What is this rope
for?’ They said, ‘This rope belongs to Zaynab, when she feels
tired, she holds on to it.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaa=
h be
upon him) said, ‘No, untie it. Let one of you pray so long as he has =
the
energy, and when he feels tired, let him sit down.’” (Saheeh
al-Bukhaari, 1099). When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be =
upon
him) learnt that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas was sta=
ying
up to pray (qiyaam al-layl) the whole night, and fasting for days on end, he
told him not to do that, and explained why: “If you do that, your eyes
will become weak (because of staying up late too often), and you will feel
exhausted.” The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Do what you can of (good) deeds, for Allaah will never get tir=
ed
although you get tired. The most beloved deed to Allaah is the one that is
continuous, even if it is little.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath<=
/i>,
3/38).
Making up =
for what
one has missed. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“If a person sleeps and misses the part of the Qur’aan that he =
was
supposed to read at night, or a part of it, and then reads it between Salaat
al-Fajr and Salaat al-Zuhr, it will be recorded for him as if he read it at
night.” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i and others, al-Mujtaba,
2/68; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1228). ‘Aa’ishah (may Alla=
ah
be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessi=
ngs
of Allaah be upon him), if he prayed a prayer, he would always do it. If he
missed praying at night because sleep or pain overwhelmed him, he would pray
twelve rak’ahs during the day.” (Reported by Ahmad, 6/95). When=
Umm
Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) saw him praying two rak’ahs
after ‘Asr and asked him why, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be up=
on
him) told her: “O daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the two
rak’ahs (I prayed) after ‘Asr. Some people came to me from
‘Abd al-Qays, and distracted me from praying the two rak’ahs af=
ter
Zuhr, so these two rak’ahs are what I prayed just now.” (Report=
ed
by al-Bukhaari, Fath, 3/105). If he (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not pray four rak’ahs before Zuhr, he would pray them
afterwards. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no 426; Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi,
no. 727). If he missed the four rak’ahs before Zuhr, he would pray th=
em
after Zuhr. (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4759). These ahaadeeth indicate
that one should make up sunan rawaatib (Sunnah acts that are done regularly)
when one misses them. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) made more
than three points about the Prophet’s fasting in Sha’baan, the
first of which was that he used to fast three days in every month, but mayb=
e he
had been distracted from this fasting for several months, so he put them
together to make up for what he had missed before the obligatory fast (i.e.,
Ramadaan) came. (Tahdheeb Sunan Abi Dawood, 3/318). He (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to remain in retreat (I’tikaaf)
during the last ten days of Ramadaan, but when he missed it one year becaus=
e of
travelling, the following year he spent twenty days in I’tikaaf. (=
Fath
al-Baari, 4/285).
Hoping that
one’s deeds will be accepted whilst fearing that they may not. After
striving one’s utmost in deeds of worship and obedience, one should f=
ear
that they may be rejected. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) said: “I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) about this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): &#=
8216;And
those who give that (their charity) which they give with their hearts full =
of
fear (whether it has been accepted or not)…’ [al-Mu’minoon
23:60] – were they those who drink alcohol and steal? He said,
‘No, O daughter of al-Siddeeq. They are those who fast and pray and g=
ive
charity whilst fearing that these deeds will not be accepted from them. =
“It
is these who race for the good deeds” [al-Mu’minoon 23:61 ̵=
1;
interpretation of the meaning].’” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
3175; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1/162). Abu’l-Darda’ (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “To be certain that Allaah would ac=
cept
just one prayer from me would be dearer to me than the world and everything=
in
it, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily, Alla=
ah
accepts only from those who are al-muttaqoon (the pious).’
[al-Maa’idah 5:27].” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/67). Am=
ong
the attributes of the believer is looking down on one’s own self when=
it
comes to fulfilling one’s duties towards Allaah (i.e., always thinking
that one has not done enough or done them properly). The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man were to be dragged on
his face from the day he was born until the day he died of old age in order=
to
earn the pleasure of Allaah, he would think that was too little on the Day =
of
Resurrection. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 4/184; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 5249). Whoever knows Allaah and knows himself will see
clearly that whatever good deeds he may accomplish will not be enough, even=
if
he brought the good deeds of all of the two races (men and jinn), but Allaa=
h,
may He be glorified, accepts them by His grace and mercy, and rewards for t=
hem
by His grace and mercy.
Doing a va=
riety of
acts of worship. It is a part of the mercy and wisdom of Allaah that He has
given us a variety of acts of worship to do, some of which are physical, su=
ch
as salaah, some financial, such as zakaah, and some combine both physical a=
nd
financial aspects, such as Hajj. Some of them are spoken, such as dhikr and
du’aa’. One type of worship may be divided into fard (obligator=
y)
and sunnah mustahabbah (encouraged), both of which also vary. For example ,=
the
(sunnah) prayers number 12 rak’ahs, some of which are lower in status,
such as the four rak’ahs before ‘Asr and Salaat al-Duhaa, and s=
ome
are higher in status, such as Salaat al-Layl (praying at night). There are =
also
different ways of doing these prayers, such as praying them two by two (as a
series of two-rak’ah prayers), or four by four. Witr could be five or
seven or nine rak’ahs, ending with one tashahhud. Whoever tries to do
acts of worship will find a great variety in numbers, times, ways, types and
rulings. Perhaps the wisdom behind this is so that no one will get bored;
instead his interest will constantly be renewed. People are not all the sam=
e,
and they do not have the same motivation all the time or the same abilities.
Some people may enjoy some kinds of worship more than others. Glory be to t=
he
One Who has made gates of Paradise according to different types of worship,=
as
is stated in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah. According to this hadeet=
h,
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever spends on a pair for the sake of Allaah will be called from =
the
gates of Paradise, ‘O slave of Allaah, this is good.’ Whoever is
one of the people of prayer will be called from the gate of prayer. Whoever=
is
one of the people of jihaad will be called from the gate of jihaad. Whoever=
is
one of the people of fasting will be called from the gate of al-Rayyaan.
Whoever is one of the people of charity will be called from the gate of cha=
rity.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 1798). What is meant here is those who do a l=
ot
of different types of naafil (supererogatory) deeds. As far as fard deeds a=
re
concerned, there is no option – they must be done by all. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The father is the
middle gate of Paradise” (reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 1900; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 7145), meaning honouring and respecting one’s
parents. This variety is of benefit in dealing with weakness of faith by do=
ing
more of the acts of worship to which one has an inclination, as well as
continuing to do obligatory acts which Allaah has commanded us to do. Thus =
when
the Muslim refers to the texts which speak about acts of worship, he will f=
ind
unique types of worship which will have a beautiful effect on his soul, an
effect which can be found nowhere else. Two examples of this are as follows=
:
Abu Dharr =
(may
Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings =
of
Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three whom Allaah loves and three
whom Allaah hates. As for the three whom Allaah loves, (they are) a man who
meets a group of the enemy, so he keeps fighting them until he is killed or=
he
penetrates (the enemy lines) for his companions to follow; people whose jou=
rney
at night becomes so long that they long to touch the ground, so they make c=
amp,
but one of them stays aside and prays until he wakes them up to resume their
journey; and a man who has a neighbour who disturbs him but he bears the
annoyance with patience until they are separated by the death or departure =
of
one of them. (Musnad Ahmad, 5/151; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 30=
74).
A man came=
to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) complaining that his he=
art
was hard. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to h=
im,
“Would you like your heart to become soft and to get what you want? S=
how
mercy to the orphan, pat his head, feed him from your own food, and your he=
art
will become soft and you will get what you want.” (Hadeeth reported by
al-Tabaraani; there are also corroborating reports. See al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 2/533). This has direct relevance to the topic of dealing =
with
weak faith.
Fearing a =
bad end,
because this will motivate the Muslim to worship Allaah and will renew the
faith in his heart. There are many causes of a bad end, including weakness =
of
faith and indulging in sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be u=
pon
him) mentioned examples of this, such as: “The one who kills himself =
with
a piece of iron will have the piece of iron in his hand, stabbing himself w=
ith
it in the fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without end. Whoever drinks pois=
on
and kills himself will be sipping it – drinking it and swallowing it
slowly – in the fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without end. Whoever
throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself, will be throwing him=
self
down in the fire of Hell, for ever and ever, without end.” (Saheeh
Muslim, no. 109). Some such events happened during the life of the Prop=
het
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as the man who was with t=
he
Muslim army, fighting in a manner unlike anyone else (i.e., recklessly). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “He is one =
of
the people of Hell.” One of the Muslim men followed him to see why. T=
he
man was wounded severely and he wanted to hasten his death, so he put his s=
word
against his chest and leaned on it, killing himself. (The story is in Sa=
heeh
al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 7/471). The stories of how people met with=
a
bad end are many, and the scholars have explained a number of them. For
example, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book a=
l-Da’
wa’l-Dawa’ that one of them was told, when he was dying,=
to
say “La ilaaha ill-Allaah,” and he said, “I cannot=
say
it.” Another was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah, and he star=
ted
humming a song. A businessman whose trade had made him forget the remembran=
ce
of Allaah was told, when death was imminent, to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah=
,
and he started to say, “This is a good piece, this fits you, this is a
bargain” and so on, until he died. (Tareeq al-Hijratayn, p. 30=
8).
It was reported that when one of the soldiers of the king al-Naasir was dyi=
ng,
his son started telling him to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah, but he said,
“Al-Naasir is my master.” His son kept saying the same thing, a=
nd
his father kept repeating “Al-Naasir is my master, al-Naasir is my
master,” then he died. Another was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allaa=
h,
but instead he said, “Such-and-such a house, repair this and that in =
it;
such-and-such a garden, do this and that in it.” One of those who dea=
l in
interest was told to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah when he was dying, but=
he
started to say, “Ten for eleven,” repeating it until he died. (=
Al-Da’
wa’l-Dawa’, pp. 170, 289). Some of them turned black, or
turned away from the Qiblah. Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) sa=
id:
“I heard one of those in whom I thought there was a lot of good sayin=
g on
the night of his death, ‘My Lord is treating me unjustly’ ̵=
1;
exalted be Allaah above what he said! He accused Allaah of being unjust on =
his
deathbed.” Then Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“I remained depressed and in despair of finding something that would =
help
me when I face that day (my own death).” (Sayd al-Khawaatir, 1=
37).
Subhaan-Allaah, how often have people seen this, but they do not know about
what really happened to those who were about to die; they do not know the h=
alf
of it.” (al-Da’ wal-Dawa’, 171)
Remember d=
eath
often. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Remember often the destroyer of pleasure, meaning death.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2307; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1210).
Remembering death deters one from sin and softens the hard heart. No one
remembers death at the time of hardship but he will feel ease, and no one
remembers death at the time of ease but he will feel constricted. One of the
things that remind a person of death most is visiting graveyards, so the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to visit t=
hem.
He said, “I used to forbid you to visit graves, but now (go and) visit
them, for this softens the heart, makes the eyes weep and reminds one of the
Hereafter, and do not speak in an obscene manner.” (Reported by
al-Haakim, 1/376; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4584). The Muslim is even
permitted to visit the graves of kuffaar in order to derive a lesson from t=
his.
The evidence for this is the report in al-Saheeh which says that he
visited his mother’s grave and wept, making those around him weep too=
. He
said, “I asked my Lord for permission to ask for forgiveness for her,=
and
He did not allow me to do so, then I asked Him for permission to visit her
grave, and He granted me permission, so visit graves, for they remind one of
death.” (Reported by Muslim, 3/65). Visiting graves is one of the best
means of softening the heart. The visitor benefits from remembering death, =
and
the dead benefit from the du’aa’s offered for them. An example =
of
this reported in the Sunnah is when the Prophet (peace and blessings of All=
aah
be upon him) said: “Peace be upon you, O dwellers of this place,
believers and Muslims. May Allaah have mercy upon those of us who have gone=
on
before and those who will follow later. In sha Allaah we will join you
soon.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 974). The one who wants to visit grav=
es
should observe the correct etiquette and have the proper presence of mind w=
hen
approaching them. The purpose of his visit should be to earn the pleasure of
Allaah and to reform his corrupt heart, and also to learn a lesson from tho=
se
who are under the ground, cut off from their families and loved ones. He sh=
ould
think about the condition of his brothers who have passed away, how they
achieved their worldly ambitions and gathered wealth, but then were cut off
from all of that and their wealth is no longer of any avail to them. The ea=
rth
has wiped out the beauty of their faces, their bodies have disintegrated in=
the
grave, their wives have become widows and their children have become orphan=
s.
Let him remember the error of being deceived by material means and of relyi=
ng
on good health, youth and the inclination towards leisure, for he will
inevitably share their fate. Let him think of the state of the deceased, ho=
w his
legs are destroyed, his eyes have become liquid, the worms have eaten his
tongue, and the earth has consumed his teeth. (Adapted from al-Tadhkirah=
by al-Qurtubi, p. 16ff).
[Poetry om=
itted]
Whoever re=
members
death frequently will benefit in three ways: he will hasten to repent, he w=
ill
become content, and he will be active in worship. Whoever forgets death wil=
l be
punished in three ways: he will delay repentance, he will no longer be cont=
ent
with what is sufficient, and he will be lazy in worship. One of the effecti=
ve
ways of reminding oneself about death is to see those who are about to die,=
for
seeing the dead, witnessing the death throes and thinking about how a person
looks after he has died will put an end to empty pleasure and keep one awak=
e at
night, and will motivate one to do good works and to strive harder. Al-Hasan
al-Basri once went to visit a sick person and found him in the throes of de=
ath,
so he saw the distress and anguish that had befallen him. He went back to h=
is
family with a different colour from when he had left them (i.e., he was vis=
ibly
shaken by what he had seen). They said to him, “Come and eat, may All=
aah
have mercy on you.” He said, “O my family, go ahead, eat and dr=
ink.
I have seen death, and I shall never stop working hard until I meet it.R=
21;
(Al-Tadhkirah, 17).
One way of
increasing awareness of death is to attend funerals, carrying the deceased =
on
one’s shoulders, going to the graveyard, participating in the burial =
and
throwing earth into the grave. This reminds one of the Hereafter, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Visit the =
sick
and attend funerals; this will remind you of the Hereafter.” (Reporte=
d by
Ahmad, 3/48; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4109). In addition to that,
attending funerals brings a great reward, as was stated by the Prophet (pea=
ce
and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever attends a funeral from=
the
house [of the deceased] {according to one report: whoever attends the funer=
al
of a Muslim out of faith and in hope of reward} until he prays for the
deceased, will have one qeeraat, and whoever attends until the person is bu=
ried
will have two qeeraats of reward.” It was said, “O Messenger of
Allaah, what are the two qeeraats?” He said, “Like two great
mountains.” {According to another report: “Each qeeraat is like
[Mount] Uhud.”}. (Reported by the two shaykhs and others. The above is
compiled from a number of reports. Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz by
al-Albaani, p. 67).
The salaf =
(may
Allaah have mercy on them) used to think of death when they advised a person
who was committing a sin. One of the salaf (may Allaah have mercy on him), =
when
there was a man in his presence gossiping about another, warned him by sayi=
ng,
“Remember the cotton which they will put on your eyes,” i.e., w=
hen
shrouding him for burial.
Rememberin=
g the
different levels of status in the Hereafter. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “If his mind is clear, he will have insight, whic=
h is
a light in the heart, with which he will see the promise and the threat,
Paradise and Hell, and what Allaah has prepared in each for His friends and=
His
enemies, respectively. He will see, in his mind’s eye, the people com=
ing
forth from their graves, hastening towards the call of Truth; the angels co=
ming
down from heaven and surrounding them, and Allaah coming to His Throne whic=
h is
set up for judgement; the earth filled with His light and the Book being set
forth; the Prophets and martyrs being brought; the scale being set up and t=
he
records flying into their owner’s hands; the disputants being brought
together; every creditor hanging on to his opponent; the appearance of the =
hawd
(cistern) and the bringing near of its cups; intense thirst, but only a few
being allowed to drink; the setting up of the bridge and the jostling of the
people to cross over it; the sharing out of lights because the bridge to be
crossed is very dark; the Fire of Hell, parts of it consuming other parts
beneath the bridge; the huge numbers of those who fall into the Fire, many
times more than the numbers of those who are saved. When his mind’s e=
ye
is opened to all of this, one of the stages of the Hereafter will dwell in =
his
heart, so he will see that the Hereafter will abide forever whereas as this
world is just a transient, passing thing. (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/=
123).
The Qur’aan frequently describes scenes of the Last Day, in Soorahs s=
uch
as Qaaf, al-Waaqi’ah, al-Qiyaamah, al-Mursala=
at,
al-Naba’, al-Mutaffifeen and al-Takweer. The boo=
ks
of hadeeth also mention this, in chapters such as those on al-qiyaamah
(resurrection), al-riqaaq (reports that soften the heart), al-Jan=
nah
(Paradise), and al-Naar (Hell). It is also important to read the boo=
ks
of scholars on this subject, such as Haadi al-Arwaah by Ibn al-Qayyi=
m, al-Nihaayah
fi’l-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim by Ibn Katheer, al-Tadhkirah fi
Ahwaal al-Mawtaa wa Umoor al-Aakhirah by al-Qurtubi, al-Qiyaamah
al-Kubraa and al-Jannah wa’l-Naar by ‘Umar al-Ashqar,
and others. The point here is that one of the things that increase faith is
knowledge about the events of the Day of Judgement, such as the resurrection
and bringing forth from the graves, the gathering, intercession, the reckon=
ing,
reward and punishment, the scales, the cistern, the siraat (bridge over Hel=
l),
and the place of eternal abode, Paradise or Hell.
Interactin=
g with
the signs of Allaah that exist in the Universe. Al-Bukhaari, Muslim and oth=
ers
report that when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be =
upon
him) saw a cloud or noticed a wind, this would be visible in his face.
‘Aa’ishah said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I see that when t=
he
people see a cloud they are happy, because they hope it will bring rain, bu=
t I
see that when you see a cloud, it is clear from your face that you do not l=
ike
it.” He said, “O ‘Aa’ishah, how can I be sure that
there is no punishment in it, for some people were punished by the wind, and
some people saw their punishment but said, ‘This is a cloud bringi=
ng
us rain!’ [al-Ahqaaf 46:24 – interpretation of the meaning]=
.”
(Reported by Muslim, 899). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be up=
on
him) used to be alarmed when he saw an eclipse, as is reported in Saheeh=
al-Bukhaari from Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him): “=
The
sun was eclipsed, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon hi=
m)
stood up in alarm, fearing that it was the Hour.” (Fath al-Baari,
2/545). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded u=
s,
in the event of an eclipse, to hasten to pray. He told us that both solar a=
nd
lunar eclipses are among the signs with which Allaah instills fear in His
slaves. There is no doubt that the heart’s interaction with these
phenomena and its alarmed reaction renew faith in the heart, and remind one=
of
Allaah’s punishment, wrath, might and power. ‘Aa’ishah sa=
id: “The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took my hand
then pointed to the moon and said, ‘O ‘Aa’ishah, seek ref=
uge
with Allaah from the evil of this, for this is “the darkening (nig=
ht)
as it comes with its darkness” [al-Falaq 113:3 – interpretation=
of
the meaning].”’” (Reported by Ahmad, 6/237; al-Sil=
silat
al-Saheehah). Another example is being affected and moved when passing =
by
places which were struck by the punishment of Allaah, or passing the graves=
of
wrongdoers. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that =
the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to his
Companions, when they reached al-Hijr [??], “Do not enter upon these
places which were punished by Allaah, unless you do so weeping. If you do n=
ot
weep, then do not enter them, lest what befell them befall you also.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 423). Yet people nowadays go to such places as
tourists and take pictures there. Go figure!
Dhikr (rem=
embrance
of Allaah) is a very important method of dealing with weak faith. It brings
cleansing and healing to the heart that is suffering disease, and it is the
very spirit of righteous deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning)=
: “O
you who believe! Remember Allaah with much remembrance” [al-Ahzaab
33:41]. Allaah promises success to those who remember Him much
(interpretation of the meaning): “… and remember the Name of
Allaah much, so that you may be successful.” [al-Anfaal 8:45]. The
remembrance of Allaah is greater than everything else, as He says (interpre=
tation
of the meaning): “… (and the remembering (praising, etc.) of
(you by) Allaah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your
remembering Allaah in prayers etc.]…” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:45=
].
This was the advice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon h=
im)
to the man who thought that the duties of Islam were too much; he told him:
“Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allaah.” (Reporte=
d by
al-Tirmidhi, 3375; he said, this is a hasan ghareeb hadeeth, See also Sa=
heeh
al-Kalim, 3). Dhikr pleases al-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful) and keeps aw=
ay
the Shaytaan. It dispels worry and distress, and brings provision and opens=
the
door to knowledge. It plants the seedlings of Paradise and helps one to avo=
id
the evils of the tongue. It offers consolation to the poor who do not have =
the
means to give charity; Allaah has compensated them with dhikr, which takes =
the
place of physical and financial acts of worship. Neglecting dhikr and not
remembering Allaah cause hardness in the heart.
[poetry om=
itted]
So the per=
son who
wishes to remedy his weakness of faith must increase his remembrance of All=
aah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… And remember
your Lord when you forget…” [al-Kahf 18:24]. Allaah explains
the effect that dhikr has on the heart (interpretation of the meaning): =
“…Verily,
in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest.” [al-Ra’d 13:=
28].
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, concerning the remedy of
dhikr: “In the heart there is hardness which can only be softened by
remembrance of Allaah, may He be exalted. So the slave must treat the hardn=
ess
of his heart with the remembrance of Allaah, may He be exalted. A man said =
to
al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have mercy on him), ‘O Abu Sa’eed=
, I
am complaining to you of the hardness of my heart.’ He said,
‘Soften it with dhikr.’ The more forgetful the heart is, the ha=
rder
it becomes, but if a person remembers Allaah, that hardness softens as copp=
er
melts in the fire. Nothing can soften the hardness of the heart like the re=
membrance
of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Dhikr is healing and medicine f=
or
the heart. Forgetfulness is a disease, the cure for which is remembrance of
Allaah. Makhool said: ‘Remembrance of Allaah is a cure and remembranc=
e of
people is a disease.’” (Al-Waabil al-Sayib wa Raafi’
al-Kalim al-Tayyib, 142).
By means o=
f dhikr,
the slave can overcome the Shaytaan, just as the Shaytaan overcomes those w=
ho
are neglectful and forgetful. One of the salaf said: “When dhikr beco=
mes
well-established in the heart, if the Shaytaan gets too close, a person can
defeat him. Then the shayateen gather around him (the shaytaan who tried to=
get
close to the heart of the believer) and say, ‘What is wrong with this
one?’ and it is said, ‘He was harmed by a human!’ (Mad=
aarij
al-Saalikeen, 2/424). Most of the people who are harmed by the shayaate=
en
are neglectful people who do not protect themselves with awraad and adhkaar
(du’aa’s and prayers), so it is easy for the shayaateen to
overwhelm them.
For some o=
f those
who complain of weakness of faith, it is difficult for them to do some of t=
he
things that can cure it, such as praying qiyaam al-layl or observing naafil
acts of worship. It is appropriate for them to begin with this kind of
treatment (i.e., dhikr) and be eager to do it. They should learn some gener=
al
adhkar which they can recite continually, such as “Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa
‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah, He h=
as
no partner; to Him be the sovereignty and the praise, and He is Able to do =
all
things),” and “Subhaan Allaahi wa bi-hamdih, wa subhaan Alla=
ah
il-‘Azeem (Praise and glory be to Allaah, and glory be to Allaah =
the
Almighty),” and “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billaah (Th=
ere
is no strength and no power except in Allaah),” and so on. They should
also memorize the du’aa’s which according to the Sunnah should =
be
recited at certain times or in certain places, such as in the morning and
evening, when going to sleep, when waking up, when seeing visions and dream=
s,
when eating, when going to the bathroom, when travelling, when rain falls, =
when
hearing the adhaan, when going to the mosque, when making a decision
(istikhaarah), when stricken with calamity, when visiting graveyards, when
there is wind, when seeing the new moon, when getting into or onto a means =
of
transportation, when greeting someone, when sneezing, when one hears the co=
ck
crow or the donkey bray or the dog bark, when a gathering comes to an end, =
when
seeing someone who is afflicted with suffering, and so on. No doubt whoever
perseveres with this will see a direct effect on his heart. (Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah wrote a very useful book on the topic of adhkaar, entitled =
Al-Kalim
al-Tayyib, which has been abridged by al-Albaani under the title Sah=
eeh
al-Kalim al-Tayyib).
Confiding =
in
Allaah and humbling oneself before Him. The more the slave humbles himself
before Allaah, the closer he becomes to Him. Thus the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The closest the sl=
ave
can be to Allaah is when he is prostrating to Him, so make lots of
du’aa’ then.” (Reported by Muslim, 482). Prostration is t=
he
position of humility, quite unlike any other posture or position. When the
slave puts his forehead – the highest part of his body – on the
ground, he becomes as close as he can be to his Lord. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Al=
laah
have mercy on him) spoke in the most eloquent terms expressing humility bef=
ore
Allaah and the contrition of the one who repents to Him: “Oh how sweet
are the words of the one who speaks thus: ‘I ask You by Your power an=
d my
humility to show mercy to me. I ask You by Your strength and my weakness, by
Your independence of me and my dependence upon You. Here is my lying, sinful
forelock in Your hands. Your slaves other than me are so many, and I have no
refuge or sanctuary from You except with You. I ask You in the manner of the
poor and wretched, I pray to You in the manner of one who humbly submits, I
call on You in the manner of one who is fearful and blind, one whose neck is
totally bowed to You, whose eyes shed tears for you, whose heart is humbled
before You.’ When the slave comes whispering words such as these, his
faith multiplies exponentially in his heart.”
Showing
one’s need for Allaah also strengthens faith. Allaah has told us how =
much
we need and depend on Him. He tells us (interpretation of the meaning): =
“O
mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allaah, but Allaah is Rich (Free of=
all
wants and needs), Worthy of all praise.” [Faatir 35:15]
Not hoping=
for a
long life. This is a very important facet of renewing faith. Ibn al-Qayyim =
(may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The greatest thing we learn from the=
se
aayaat (interpretation of the meanings) – ‘Tell Me, if We do=
let
them enjoy for years, and afterwards comes to them that (punishment) which =
they
had been promised! All that with which they used to enjoy shall not avail
them’ [al-Shu’ara’ 26:205-207] and ‘… =
(it
will be) as if they had not stayed (in the life of this world) but an hour =
of a
day…’ [Yoonus 10:45] – is that the whole length of th=
is
world should not make a man hope for a long life or say, ‘I will live=
, I
will live…’ One of the salaf said to a man, ‘Lead us in Z=
uhr
(prayer).’ The man said, ‘I will lead you in Zuhr prayer but I
cannot lead you in ‘Asr prayer.’ He said, ‘It is as if you
hope to live until the time of ‘Asr; we seek refuge with Allaah from
hoping for a long life.’”
Thinking o=
f the
insignificance of this world until the heart is detached from it. Allaah sa=
ys
(interpretation of the meaning): “… The life of this world is
only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).” [Aal ‘Imr=
aan
3:185]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The food of the son of Adam is set forth as a metaphor of this life;=
see
what comes out of the son of Adam even though salt and spices were added to=
it,
he knows how it is going to end up.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in =
al-Kabeer,
1/198; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 382). Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
please with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘This world is cursed and what =
is
in it is cursed, except the remembrance of Allaah and what is connected to =
it,
and knowledge, and teaching.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, no. 4112; S=
aheeh
al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, no. 71)
Respecting=
the
limits set by Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ̶=
0;Thus
it is. And whosoever honours the Symbols of Allaah, then it is truly from t=
he
piety of the heart.” [al-Hajj 22:32]. The limits set by Allaah are
the rights that Allaah has over us. They may be with regard to people, plac=
es
or times. With regard to people, for example, there is paying proper respec=
t to
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); with regard to
places, for example, there is respect for the Haram [in Makkah]; with respe=
ct
to times, for example, there is the month of Ramadaan. “… And
whoever honours the sacred things of Allaah, that is better for him with his
Lord…” [al-Hajj 22:30 – interpretation of the meaning].
Another way in which one may respect the limits set by Allaah is not to thi=
nk
of minor sins (saghaa’ir) as insignificant. ‘Abd-Allaah =
ibn
Mas’ood reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Beware of sins that are seen as insignific=
ant,
for they will keep accumulating until they destroy a man.” The Messen=
ger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained this by
comparing them to people who stop to camp in the wilderness and decide to b=
uild
a fire, so one man goes out and brings back a stick, and another man brings=
a
stick, until they have gathered enough, then they light a fire and cook
whatever they throw onto it. (Reported by Ahmad, 1/402; al-Silsilat
al-Saheehah, 389).
[Poetry om=
itted]
Ibn al-Jaw=
zi said
in Sayd al-Khaatir: “Many people are too easy-going in matters
which they think are not serious but which in fact destroy the bases of fai=
th,
such as looking at haraam things, or, as some students do, borrowing text-b=
ooks
and not returning them.” One of the salaf said: “I took the mat=
ter
of a small morsel too lightly and I ate it; now forty years later I am still
slipping backwards.” He said this because of his modesty, may Allaah =
have
mercy on him.
Al-wala= ’ wa’l-bara’ (friendship/loyalty versus enmity/disavowal), i.e., friendship and loyalty towards the believers, enmity towards and disavowal of the disbelievers. When the heart is attached to the enemies of Allaah, faith gr= ows very weak and the principles of faith recede, but if one devotes one’s loyalty towards Allaah, then one will befriend and support the believing sl= aves of Allaah and hate and oppose His enemies, and then faith will be revived.<= o:p>
Modesty al=
so has
an active role to play in renewing faith and cleansing the heart of arrogan=
ce,
because modesty in speech and appearance is indicative of modesty in the he=
art
towards Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sai=
d:
“Modesty (in appearance) is a part of eemaan.” (Reported by Ibn
Maajah 4118; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 341. What is meant is mode=
sty
in appearance and dress; see al-Nihaayah by Ibn al-Atheer, 1/110). He
also said: “Whoever refrains from dressing (in fancy, expensive cloth=
es)
out of humility towards Allaah, even though he is able to do so, Allaah will
call him on the Day of Resurrection at the head of His creation and will gi=
ve
him the choice of whatever garment of faith he wishes to wear.” (Repo=
rted
by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2481; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 718). ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allaah be pleased with him) could not be
distinguished from his slave.
There are =
deeds of
the heart which are important for renewing eemaan, such as loving Allaah,
fearing Him, putting one’s hope in Him, thinking of Him in positive t=
erms
and putting one’s trust in Him, accepting His decree, giving thanks to
Him, being sincere towards Him and having certain faith in Him, trusting in
Him, repenting to Him, and other deeds of the heart.
There are =
certain
stages which the slave must follow in order to complete the treatment (of w=
eak
faith), such as being righteous, returning to Allaah, remembering Allaah,
adhering to the Qur’aan and Sunnah, being humble, living simply (zuhd=
),
fearing Allaah, feeling that Allaah is always watching. Ibn al-Qayyim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) has discussed all these stages in detail in his b=
ook Madaarij
al-Saalikeen.
Self-evalu=
ation
also plays an important role in renewing faith. Allaah says (interpretation=
of
the meaning): “O you who believe! Fear Allaah and keep your duty to
Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and
fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.” [al-Hashr
59:18]. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) sa=
id:
“Take account of yourselves before you are called to account.”
Al-Hasan said: “You will not meet a believer except he is evaluating
himself.” Maymoon ibn Mahraan [?] said: “The pious person is ha=
rder
on himself than a stingy partner.”
Ibn al-Qay=
yim (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Doom comes about because of neglecti=
ng
to evaluate one’s self and because of just following one’s
whims.”
So the Mus=
lim must
take the time to be alone and evaluate himself and check how he is doing, a=
nd
what he has sent forward for the Day of Judgement.
Finally,
du’aa’, calling on Allaah, is one of the most efficient means w=
hich
the slave must employ, as the Prophet) peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Faith wears out in the heart of any one of you as clothes
wear out, so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts.”
O Alla= ah, we ask You by Your beautiful Names and sublime Attributes to renew the faith in our hearts. O Allaah, make faith appear beautiful to us and adorn our hearts with it, and make kufr, sin and disobedience abhorrent to us. Make us of th= ose who are rightly guided. Glorified be the Lord of Might above what they ascr= ibe to Him. Peace be upon the Messengers and praise be to Allaah, the Lord of t= he Worlds.