Translation Of Ayyuha al-Walad


“IHYA ULUMUDDIN” and so on are full of answers to my statements, but I will, God willing, practice their contents” so wrote the student to his teacher Finally Imam Al-Ghazali replied to his letter in response to the questions that had been sent by his student. wallaahu a’lam.

IMAM AL-GHAZALI’S LETTERS (ANSWERS)
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

1. O my son, may Allah grant you a long life to spend in obedience to Him and may He inspire you with the way of His lovers. Verily, advice is written from its source, Muhammad SAW. If advice has come to you from the Messenger of Allah, what need do you have to ask me for advice? If you have not received advice from the Messenger then tell me. What have you gained from the past times.

2. O my child, from a number of advice that has been conveyed by the Messenger of Allah SAW. To his people is his saying:

“A sign of Allah’s hatred for a person is when he wastes his time doing useless things. Verily, he who loses an hour of his life in deeds that are not devoted to Him, then it is appropriate that he will complain for a long time. Whoever exceeds forty years of age, and his good deeds do not outweigh his bad deeds, then be prepared to go to Hell.”
This advice is enough to remind the heart of an experienced person.

3. O my son, advice is easy, what is difficult is its practice. This is because advice is bitter to the one who gives in to his lustful desires. Forbidden things are favored by people, especially by those who seek knowledge and are preoccupied with possessing virtue and goodness in this world. He will think that the knowledge he experiences will be a means to his salvation. He thinks that the knowledge he has is enough without practicing it. This is the belief of the philosophers. Subhanallah!
He does not know with the assumption that if he does not practice his knowledge, his knowledge will become an opponent who argues with all his might, as the Prophet said in his saying:

“The most tormented people on the Day of Judgment will be those who have knowledge, but Allah did not benefit them from it.”

It is reported that Al-Junaid, may Allah purify his heart after his death, had a dream in which he was asked: “How are you, O Abal Qasim?” He replied: “All my knowledge has disappeared and has no trace. There is nothing that benefits me anymore, except the rak’ah: the rak’ah performed in prayer in the middle of the night.

4. O my son, do not be poor in righteous deeds and do not be empty of personal knowledge. Be sure that knowledge that is not practiced is of no benefit. An example of this is: suppose a brave and warlike man, carrying ten swords of the Indies, is in the vast Sahara and is attacked by a huge and terrifying lion. What do you think, would those weapons be able to fend off the lion’s attack without using them! Of course you would answer, “no”. Yes, the weapons would not be of any use at all if they were not used.

Similarly, if a person reads about a hundred thousand scientific matters, learns about them and teaches them, but does not put them into practice, then it is of no benefit unless he puts them into practice.

Likewise, if a person has jaundice, which is treated with sakanjabin and kasykab leaves, he will not recover if he does not drink it.

Then al Ghazali revealed a couplet, in Persian:

“If you measure out 2000 catties of wine, it will not make you drunk except by drinking it.

If you study for a hundred years and collect a thousand books, but if the content of the knowledge contained therein is not practiced, it will not lead you to happiness and the mercy of Allah.”

Allah Almighty has said:

“And that a man does not attain except what he has labored for. (Qs An-Najm: 39)

“Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him do righteous deeds.” (Qs. Al-Kahf: 110)

“As a recompense for what they have always done.” (Qs. At-Taubah: 82)

“Verily, those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them is Paradise Firdaus for an abode, they will remain therein, they will not wish to depart from it.” (Qs. Al-Kahf: 107 – 108)

So there will come after them (bad) successors who will waste their prayers and indulge in their lusts, and they will meet with misguidance” (Qs. Maryam: 59).

“Except those who repent, believe and do righteous deeds, then they will enter Paradise and will not be wronged in the least.” (Qs. Maryam: 60)

What do you make of the following hadith?

“Islam is founded on five things: Testifying that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Establishing prayer, paying zakat, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj for those who can afford it.”

Faith is speech with the tongue, belief in the heart and action with the limbs. The information that states that one is obliged to do much (as much as possible). Although the servant reaches Paradise by the grace of Allah and His mercy. But that is after he has prepared to obey and worship Him.

For the mercy of Allah is very near to those who do good deeds.

If someone were to say that one can reach heaven by faith alone, then the answer would be “yes”. But when will he reach?

How many difficulties will he face? The beginning of these difficulties is the area of faith, whether he survives the loss of faith or not? And when he reaches Paradise, ja will feel poor and have no good deeds, according to Shaykh Hasan AlBashri: Allah says to His servants on the Day of Resurrection: “O My servants, enter Paradise by My mercy, and divide Paradise according to your deeds”.

5. O my son, as long as you do not do righteous deeds, you will not be rewarded.

It has been narrated that there was a man from the Bani Isra’il, he had done worship for seventy years then he asked Allah SWT so that he could gather with the angels, so Allah sent an angel who told him that he and his worship were not worthy and not suitable for heaven. After the angel delivered the news to him, he said: “We were created by Allah to worship Him, so we should not expect anything in our worship”. So the angel sent by Allah returned to Him and said: “O my Lord, You know better what the servant said”, Allah said: “O my angel, if he does not turn away from worshiping Me, then by My mercy I will not turn away from him. So witness, O My angels, that I have forgiven him”.

The Prophet said:

“Reckon with yourselves before your deeds are reckoned, and weigh your deeds before they are weighed.

Sayyidina Ali Karramallaahu wajhah said:

“Whoever thinks that he can reach Paradise without making any effort is like a dream in broad daylight. And whoever supposes that without striving he can reach, then he has decided his opinion arbitrarily.”

Hasan Al Bashri said:

“Seeking Paradise without charity is one of the sins of all kinds.” He said again:

“The essential knowledge is to abandon the hope of reward, and not to abandon charity.”

The Prophet said:

“The clever man is he who knows he is doing good deeds for provision after death. And the foolish one is he who indulges his lusts in his desires, and is always in idle expectation of Allah’s mercy.”

6. O my son, how many nights do you live in repetitively studying knowledge, reading books and you forbid yourself sleep? I do not know what drives you to do that? If your aim is to gain the pleasures of this world and to accumulate its wealth and obtain its positions and to boast to your peers who are at your level and equal to you, then woe to you. But if your aim is to revive the laws of the Prophet and improve your character and subdue the passions that tell you to do bad things, then fortunate are you, then fortunate are you. And it is true what the one who said:

“To labor without seeking Your pleasure is vain: and to weep not for Your sake is false.”

7. O my son, live as you please, for you will die. Love whomever you like, for you will part with them. Do as you please, for you will be rewarded for your deeds.

8. O my son, what results have you achieved in studying the sciences of kalam and khilafiyah, and medicine and pharmacy, literature, nahwu and sharaf? It will be in vain if you do not utilize it. I have come to know in the Inj?l that was revealed to Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) as follows: “From the time the corpse is placed in the coffin until it is placed at the edge of the grave Allah asks him forty kinds of questions: the beginning of which is that Allah says: “O My servant, we have purified the gaze towards creatures for many years. And you have not purified My sight once in every day. So every day look at your own heart”. The second time Allah SWT. said again: “What have you done with other than Me? Are you deaf and do not hear?”

9. O my son, knowledge without charity is madness. And charity without knowledge will not be realized. Know that knowledge will not keep you away from disobedience in this world, nor will it call you to obedience, nor will it keep you away tomorrow (on the next day) from Hellfire. If you do not do good deeds now, and do not correct the past days, then you will say on the Day of Resurrection: “Return me to the world so that there I can do good deeds”. Then he will get the answer: “O fool, that is where you came from!”

10. O my son, make your lofty ideals in the heart and make your flight from punishment in the body, and make death in the whole body. For your future home is the grave. Every moment, the grave experts await your presence in their midst. Hence, preserve and guard yourself. Do not let you meet the grave without bringing provisions.

Abu Bakr Ash Shiddiq said: “These bodies are birdcages and animal cages”. So think about yourself, to which group do you belong? If you belong to the birds that fly high, when it is heard: “Return to your Lord” you will fly up and sit on the backs of the heavens. As the Messenger of Allah (SAW) has said: “The throne of Ar Rahman moved because of the death of Sa’d bin Mu’ad.” And if you are from the animals, may Allah protect us as Allah SWT has explained: “They are like animals, even more perverted”. If you are like that, surely you do not feel safe to move from the corner of the house to the bottom of hell.

It is narrated that Hasan Al Bashri r.a. was once given a sip of cold water, after he held the water container, he fainted and the water fell from his hand. After he regained consciousness he was asked: “How are you, O Abu Sa’id?” He replied: “I remember the request of the people of Hell to the people of Paradise, when they said: “Pour us a sip of water or whatever sustenance Allah gives you”. The people of Paradise replied: “Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers.”

The verse in full is as follows:

“And the dwellers of hell called out to the dwellers of heaven: “Bestow upon us some of the water or food that Allah has bestowed upon you”. They (the dwellers of Paradise) replied: “Verily, Allah has forbidden them to the disbelievers”. (Al A’raf: 50)

11. O my son, if knowledge was sufficient for you, and there was no need for charity other than that, then surely the exclamation: “Is there anyone asking? Does anyone ask for forgiveness? Does anyone repent?” would have been in vain (useless).

It is narrated that a group of the Prophet’s companions mentioned Abdullah bin Abbas in the presence of the Prophet and he said: “The best of people is he, if he wants to pray at night”.

One day the Prophet said to a companion:

“O So-and-so, do not sleep much at night, for sleeping much at night causes one to become a fagir on the Day of Resurrection.”

In the hadith qudsi it is mentioned:

“Verily, Allah descends every night to the heavens of the world and says: “Does anyone ask that I may give? Does anyone ask for forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Does anyone repent so that I may accept his repentance?”

12. O my son, the words of Allah which mean: “From part of the night do tahajjud as a sunnat act of worship for you” is a command, and the words of Allah, which mean: “And at the time of suhoor the mu’min ask for forgiveness”, which indicates gratitude, and also the word of Allah which means: “And those who seek forgiveness at the time of suhoor” indicates remembrance of Allah.

The Prophet said:

“There are three sounds that Allah loves: the sound of a rooster crowing before dawn, the sound of someone reciting the Qur’an, and the sound of someone asking for forgiveness at dawn.”

Imam Sufyan As Tsauri said: “Verily, Allah Almighty created the wind that blows at the time of dawn and carries the words of dhikr and repentance offered to Allah”. He said: “When the beginning of the night comes, the angelic caller begins to speak from below the Throne as follows: “Remember, wake up those who worship”. So they woke up and worshipped. Then the angel made another call in the middle of the night: “Remember, wake up those who pray at night.” So they got up and prayed until dawn. When the time for Suhoor came, the angel called again: “Remember, let those who seek forgiveness wake up.” So those who seek forgiveness woke up. So those who seek forgiveness wake up. When dawn breaks, the angel calls again: “Remember to wake up those who are negligent.” So they get up from their beds. So they rise from their beds, like the dead being awakened from their graves.

13. O my son, it has been narrated in the will of Luqman Al-Hakim to his son that he said: “O my son, let not the rooster be more skillful than you. He crows at dawn, while you sleep all the time”, What a good word a poet said:

* Indeed, a dove had cried out in the middle of the night on a branch, while I was sleeping.
* I lied for the sake of the House of Allah, if I loved and longed I would not have been preceded by the cry of the dove.
* I thought of myself as longing to shed tears for my Lord, I was not crying, but an animal was crying.

14. O my son, the essence of knowledge is that you understand obedience and worship, what exactly is it? Know that obedience and worship are following the Shari’ah (the maker of Shari’ah: Allah) in obeying commands and avoiding prohibitions, both in words and deeds. Every word, every action, and everything that you do and leave behind should be in accordance with the rulings of Shari’ah. For example, if you fast on a holiday or the day of tashreeq, then that is disobedience. Or if you pray wearing robbed clothes, even though it is an act of worship, it is a form of sin.

15. O my son, speech and action must be in accordance with Shara’. For knowledge without following the makers of shara’ is misguided. Do not be fooled by the meaningless talk and falsehood of the Sufis. For to take this path (the science of Tariqah) is to fight the passions and kill them with the training of the heart, not with words that thrill the heart and falsehoods.

Know that a tongue that speaks and a heart that is covered by negligence and low passions are signs of great misfortune. If you do not subdue your passions with the earnestness of jihad, then your heart will not glow, ma’rifat to Allah.

Know that some of your questions that you have asked cannot be answered by writing or speaking. If you reach that state, you will know the truth. But if you have not reached that state, then knowing it is impossible. This is because what you are asking about is something that relates to the sense of taste, and things that relate to the sense of taste are not appropriate to describe in words. For example, the sweetness of sugar and the bitterness of herbs cannot be expressed in words. The sweetness and bitterness can only be known by trying to eat sugar and drink herbs.

A narration tells of a man who was impotent. One day he wrote a letter to his friend. He asked his friend to tell him about the pleasure of intercourse. The letter was replied to by his friend with the answer: “O my friend, at first I thought you were just an impotent man. Now I know that you are both impotent and ignorant. Deliciousness must be tasted. If you have tasted it, then you know it. If not, then it cannot be answered by speech or writing.”

16. My son, some of your questions have to do with the sense of taste. The questions that cannot be answered with words and writings I have made in the book “IHYA ULUMIDDIN” and others of my writings with explanations, so look there.

I will mention some of them here, and I will elaborate on them as follows: “It is obligatory upon the one who is going on the right path to do four things:
1) correct i’tikad that is not mixed with bid’ah
2) True repentance, by locking out all possibilities of disobedience,
3) Seeking the pleasure of all opponents and enemies, so that no burden is placed on the rights of others, and
4) Studying the knowledge of this world for its rightful purpose of facilitating Allah’s commands, and studying the knowledge of the Hereafter that can save you from the dangers and punishments of Hellfire.

Ash-Shibli said: “I have served four hundred teachers, and I have read four thousand hadeeths of the Prophet, then I chose just one hadeeth, and I practiced that hadeeth and left the rest. The reason for this is that I thought about it and found that my salvation comes from practicing this hadeeth. The knowledge of the scholars of the past and present is sufficient. Therefore it is sufficient for me to take and practice that hadith.”

The hadith is that the Prophet said to some of his Companions:

“Work for your world as long as you live in it: and work for your Hereafter as long as you live in it. Work for Allah as much as you need Him, and work for Hell, as much as you can bear.”

17. O my son, once you understand the hadith there is no need for you to seek much knowledge. Consider another story, which is that Hatim Al Ashom; one of the students of Shaykh Shaqiq Al Balkhiy was asked by his teacher one day as follows: “O Hatim, we have been friends for thirty years. What have you gained during this time?”

Hatim replied: “I have acquired eight very useful sciences. This is what is sufficient for me to attain salvation and happiness. I hope that salvation and happiness are in them”. Shaqiq asked: “What are they, O my friend?” So Hatim answered:

First, I looked at people. Then I saw that each one of them had a lover whom he loved. Some of these lovers were with him until the time he suffered from the illness that causes death. Others accompany him to the edge of the grave. Then all of them returned and left him alone with no one to enter with him in his grave.

Then I thought and said to myself: “The best of lovers is the one who follows into the grave and gives peace therein. I have not found any other than good deeds (righteous deeds).” So I made good deeds into a lover so that it would be a lamp in my grave, give me peace, and not leave my lover behind, this lover who would accompany me in times of sickness until I was alone.

Secondly, I saw that most people only follow and indulge their lusts to fulfill their desires. So I took note of Allah’s words:

“And as for those who fear greatness, surely Shurg is their abode.” (An Naazi’at: 40-41)

Thirdly, Man likes to gather worldly pleasures, hold on to them, and clutch them. So I set my mind and heart on the word of Allah:

“What is with you will pass away, and what is with Allah is everlasting.” (An Nahl: 96)

Therefore, I immediately took out the wealth I had been saving to seek Allah’s pleasure. And I distributed it to the poor, so that it would be my savings with Allah.

Fourthly, some people feel proud that their glory lies in the number of groups and families. Some think that glory lies in the abundance of wealth and children, so they boast about it. Others think that glory and the height of dignity are in the prevalent behavior, greed, and bloodshed of fellow human beings. There are even those who believe that the glory and height of dignity lies in extravagance, debauchery, and squandering of wealth. So I daydreamed and pondered on the words of Allah SWT:

“Verily, the noblest among you in the sight of Allah is the most pious among you. Verily, Allah knows best.” (Al-Hujurat:13)

So I chose tagwa and I believe that the Qur’an is true, while their conjecture is false and will disappear.

Fifthly, I saw some people criticizing others. They also gossip about each other. This is envy in wealth, position, and knowledge. So I wondered and considered the words of Allah SWT:

“We have determined between them their livelihood in the life of the world.” (Az Zukhruf: 32)

Then I understood that the division of life was a provision of Allah Ta’ala since the azaliy era. Finally, I don’t want to be jealous of someone, I have been willing with the division of life from Allah SWT.

Sixth, I saw people fighting each other for various reasons and purposes. So I reflected on the words of Allah SWT.

“Verily, the shaitan is an enemy to you, consider him your enemy.” (Faathir: 6)

So I understood that making enemies is not allowed except with shaytan.

Seventh, Many people work hard to pursue wealth. Until they fall into haram or shubhat actions. I think and pay attention to the words of Allah SWT:

“And there is not a creature on earth but Allah provides for it.” (Huud:6)

Then I understood that sustenance is in the power of Allah alone. The matter of sustenance, He alone bears. Therefore, I rose up to worship Him and I threw away my greed and covetousness.

Eighth, I look at each person, he is dependent on his fellow creatures. Some of them depend on dinars and dirhams, some on wealth and property, some on work and carpentry, and some on their fellow human beings. So again I pay close attention to the words of Allah SWT:

“And whoever puts his trust in Allah, Allah will provide for him. Verily, Allah does what He wills. Indeed, Allah has made provision for every thing.” (Ath Thalaq: 3)

Therefore, I put my trust in Allah. For only He can fulfill all my needs. Only Allah is the best of protectors.

After hearing Hatim’s statement, Shaqiq said: “May Allah give you Taufiq. I have examined the Torah, Zabur, Gospel and Qur’an. Apparently, all four books contain these eight benefits. So those who practice them, have practiced these four holy books.”

18. O my son, you have seen from the above two sagas that there is no need for you to acquire too much knowledge. And now, I will explain to you about the things that are obligatory for one who takes the path of righteousness.

You should know that a person who is going to take the path of righteousness must have a mentor who is able to educate him to have noble morals.

Education and nurturing are like farming, in that the farmer is always pulling out thorns and removing other vegetation that grows in between the crops he has planted, so that the crops will improve and the yields will be more perfect.

People who want to take the path of truth must have a teacher who can guide them to the path of Allah. Allah has sent messengers to guide His servants to the straight path. After the Prophet died, he was succeeded by the generation behind him who guided His servants to the path of Allah.

As for the requirements of an educator, he should be aalim. However, not every aalim deserves to be a khafilah. This is the sign of a pious person: He is one who has turned away from the love of this world and the love of position: he has followed a wise man, and his example goes all the way back to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Because he followed a vigilant teacher he always practiced noble morals, such as patience, gratitude, tawakkal, yaqin, generosity, calmness, tolerance, humility, honesty, shyness, loyalty, calmness, unhurriedness and so on, as his life behavior.

A person who has these attributes is partially possessed of Nur Muhammad (peace be upon him) and should be guided by him. However, such a person is very difficult to find, even more difficult than finding pearls at the bottom of the ocean.

You should know that tasawwuf has two characteristics, namely istigamah and being calm towards people. So, whoever has istiqamah and is kind to people and treats them wisely is a Sufi.

What is meant by istigamah is redeeming one’s rights and being good to one’s fellow creatures. Meanwhile, what is meant by having good morals is not forcing one’s own will, but forcing oneself to follow everything that is ordered by Shara’ (al-Qur’an and Hadith).

Know that you also asked me about ubudiyah, what exactly is it?

There are three kinds of Ubudiyah, namely,
1. Always keep God’s commandments,
2. Acceptance of Allah’s decree, destiny and distribution,
3. Abandoning the pleasures of the heart to seek God’s pleasure.

You also asked me what tawakkal really is?

The definition of tawakkal is as follows: “Strengthening the belief in Allah’s promise. That is, the belief that what is destined for you will definitely arrive. What is not written down will not reach you, even if everyone helps you.”

You know, the opposite of ikhlas is riya’. Riya’ arises because of the exaltation by humans to someone… The antidote to riya’ is to assume that all creatures are under His authority. As long as you still have the feeling and understanding that there is a higher being above you, then you can avoid the nature of riya’.

19. O my son, some of your remaining questions are written in my writings. So look for some of what is left there and writing some of it is forbidden. Practice your knowledge! So that you will be given knowledge that you have not understood.

20. O my son, after today, you should not ask me questions of things that are still difficult for you except with the tongue of your heart, based on the words of Allah SWT:

“And if they had been patient until you came out to meet them, that would have been better for them. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Al-Hujurat: 5)

And also accept this advice of Prophet Khidir, when he said:

If you follow me, then do not ask me about anything until I myself explain it to you.” (Al-Kahf:70)

Do not be hasty. Be patient until a clear understanding comes to you.

“Man has been made to act hastily. Later I will show you the signs of My punishment. So do not ask Me to bring it quickly.” (Al-Anbiya’:37)

Do not ask me before the time comes. Be assured, you will not arrive except by following the word of Allah:

“And do they walk the earth, and see the end of those who were before them, while they are greater in strength than they. And nothing in the heavens or the earth can weaken Allah; indeed, Allah is All-knowing and All-powerful.” (Fathir: 44)

21. O my son, by Allah, if you would walk you would know the wonders of every place. Surrender your soul (spirit)! For the point of this matter (tasawwuf) is to surrender the soul (spirit). As Dzinnun Al Mishri said to one of his disciples:

“If you are able to make spiritual sacrifices, then come. If not, do not occupy yourself with the falsehoods of shufiyah.”

22. O my son, I will advise you with eight kinds of behavior, so accept these advices from me so that your deeds will not be opposed on the Day of Judgment.

Four for you to practice, and four for you to leave.

The four behaviors that you should abandon are:
1. Do not argue with anyone about a matter that you are not able to answer, for there are many faults in it. The negative effects outweigh the benefits. This is because it is a source of reprehensible character traits such as riya’, hasud (spite), arrogance, hostility, gloating, and so on. If there is a problem between you and someone else, and you want to show them the truth, then that is permissible. But there are two things that must be considered:
a. You make no distinction between the truth coming out of your mouth or the mouth of another.
b. Talking about the matter in a quiet setting is more to your liking than being mobbed by people.

Listen to me and I will tell you something useful: know that asking questions about obscure matters is like asking a doctor about a sick person, and answering questions is like trying to cure a sick person. Know that it is the ignorant who are sick at heart, and the scholars who cure them; it is the imperfect scholars who do not want to be cured; and it is the perfect scholars who cannot cure every sick person; rather, it is the one who expects to be cured and corrected who can be cured.

And if the condition of the disease is paralysis or barrenness that cannot be treated, then a clever doctor would say: “This disease cannot be cured, so do not take the trouble to treat it. For that would be a waste of life.”

Know that the pain of ignorance is divided into 4, one of which is treatable and the other is untreatable, while the untreatable stupid pain is :

Firstly, the one who asks questions out of hatred and spite, when you answer his questions with good, eloquent and clear answers, it will only increase his hatred, enmity and malice towards you. So the best way is not to trouble yourself by answering him. This is exactly what the Ulama’ said:

“Indeed, every enmity can be expected to disappear, except for the enmity of those who enmity you out of spite”,

Then you should turn away from him, and leave him with his foolish illness, not to be responded to. Allah says:

“So turn away from those who turn away from Our warning and covet nothing but the life of the world.” (An Najm: 29)

A person who has a lot of hasud, in all his words and actions always ignites the fire against his deeds, as what the Prophet has said.

“Hasud will devour good deeds as fire devours firewood,”

Secondly, if the disease is hamagoh (foolishness). He is also like a person who is diseased with hasud, in this sense it cannot be treated. As the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) explained, “It is not that I am unable to revive the dead. But I am not able to cure the ignorant.”

An ignorant person is one who studies knowledge for a short time and learns little of the religious and shar’i sciences, then because of his ignorance he asks a great scholar who has spent a long time studying the sciences of reason and shar’i, and the ignorant person does not know and thinks that the issues that are absurd for him are also absurd for the great scholar. When he does not know his level, then the question is because of his ignorance, so you should not bother yourself with answering it.

Thirdly, the one who asks questions because he wants guidance, and every time a scholar says something that he cannot understand, he feels that it is because of his lack of understanding, so he asks questions to benefit himself, but he is a very ignorant person who is unable to understand the nature of a problem. So you should not trouble yourself by answering him, as the Prophet said:

“We, the Prophets, are recommended to speak to people according to their intellect.”

As for the diseases that can be treated, they are those who seek guidance, reason and understand. They are not consumed by envy, anger, lust, position and wealth. He seeks the straight path, and his questions and objections do not arise out of spite. Or just want to explore. Therefore, answer their questions.

2. Some of the things you have to leave behind are fear of being a wa’izh and mudzakkir (one who gives advice and reminds of the Hereafter) Be careful and take care of yourself! Because of what? because the dangers are very much. Unless you have practiced what you said first, then you advise people with it.

Contemplate and think about what the Prophet Isa, son of Maryam, said: “O son of Maryam counsel yourself. If you take advice, then advise them. If not, then shame on your Lord”.

If you are forced to become an advisor, then beware of these two things:
First, Takalluf (complicating and doing unnecessary things) in speech with expressions, isyaroh, embellishments, couplets and verses, because Allah hates those who takalluf.

The one who goes beyond the limits of takalluf shows emptiness of mind and forgetfulness of heart. While the meaning of tadzkir is a person who reminds of hell, carelessness (recklessness) in serving Allah, thinking of the age that passes only for useless things, thinking of the many ‘agobah (steep and difficult paths) in the form of not surviving faith at the end of life, the state of self when the angel of death revokes the spirit, and whether he will be able to answer the questions of the angels mungkar and nakir, worrying about himself on the day of qiyamat and the field of mahshar, whether he can pass through shirothol mustagim in a state of safety or instead fall into the abyss of hell, always remembering these things in his heart, then the boiling of hell and the heartbreaking of these calamities, all of which are called tadzkir.

Informing people of these matters of the Hereafter, reminding them of their carelessness in serving Allaah, showing them the wretchedness that can cause them to be touched by Hellfire, and making them aware of the calamities of the Hereafter so that they can make up for the years that have passed according to their ability, and feeling guilty about the days that have passed that were not spent in obedience to Allaah, all of this is called wa’zhu. It is not permissible to do wa’zhu in speech, as if you saw a flood in a house in which the owner and his family were inside, and you said: “Danger! Danger! Run away from the flood”. Is this the kind of situation where your heart wants to give news by using takalluf in speech, faidah and isyaroh?

Secondly: If your aim in giving mau’izhoh is not to make people hate your gathering or to make them feel happy, then you should say: “The best of gatherings is this place”.

This is because such an aim is part of the inclination of the heart towards the world, the cause of which is forgetfulness of Allah. In fact, in giving advice, you should be intentional and aim to persuade people (from only) the world.

From thinking about the world to thinking about the Hereafter, from doing wrong to doing right, from forgetting to being aware, from being persuaded to piety, and making them happy about the Hereafter, and teaching them the science of worship and obedience, and not making them persuaded by the charity and mercy of Allaah, because most human dispositions are to deviate from the path outlined by sharee’ah, and to do things that are not pleasing to Allaah, and to slip into doing things that are not praiseworthy. So put a stake in their hearts and remind them and make them fear the fear of the Hereafter, hoping that their hearts will change and their deeds will be replaced by good ones, so that they will show pleasure and love in serving Allaah and will not repeat doing wrong.

All that has been mentioned is the method of giving advice and counsel. Any mau’izhoh given by a person who does not have the aforementioned aims in mind will be disastrous for both the one who says it and the one who hears it; in fact, some of the scholars said: “It is like the ghosts and demons that invite people to deviate from the right path and corrupt people”,

It is obligatory for the hearer to flee from it, because it will cause damage to the religion of the hearers that the devil cannot match. It is obligatory for the one who has the ability and power to do so to refrain from using the pulpit for advice, because that is part of doing good deeds against the evil.

3. Some of the things that you should refrain from doing are not associating with officials and rulers and not looking at them, because looking at them, sitting with them and associating with them is very dangerous.

If you are forced to associate with them, then give up the habit of praising and flattering them. Allah is not pleased when the wicked and unjust are praised and praised. This includes praying for them to be in power for a long time. Whoever prays for a long period of power for them means that he is happy and likes to do wrong to Allah SWT on this earth.

4. Avoid the gifts and grants given by rulers and officials, even if you know that they come from halal sources. A life that depends on the hand of the ruler is detrimental to religion. And it can lead to sycophancy, favoring and approving of their injustice. If you accept their gifts, and benefit from them, then you will love them. To love someone is to wish for a long life.

In the pleasure and directness of the oppressor, it also means that he wills injustice against all of Allah’s servants and wills the destruction of nature.

What could be more harmful to religion and more disastrous than this? May we be blessed with safety in this world and the next. Be careful not to fall for the wiles of the devil and the words of those who would persuade you to take property from the hands of the ruler.

Rulers generally squander their wealth on immorality and disobedience. Instead of associating with rulers, you should associate with the poor. The lifestyle of the poor is better than that of the ruler. Beware, the accursed Satan has cut many necks with his enticements and exciting whispers. Satan invites us to covet the rulers.

The 4 things you should do are :
1. You should love Allah. And if someone else does the same thing, you are willing, not disappointed or angry. The deeds that you are not willing for your servant to do to you, Allah Ta’ala is also not willing from you, when in fact Allah is your master and Lord.
2. Whenever you do an action that relates to others, then do it with love and compassion, as you love yourself, a person’s faith is said to be incomplete, until he can love others as he loves himself.
3. When you acquire new knowledge, it should improve your heart and cleanse your soul. If you knew that you had only a week left, you would not have occupied yourself with studying fiqh, morals, ushul, kalam, and so on. Because these sciences are useless. What you need is to keep an eye on your heart, know the nature of your passions, and forsake worldly pleasures. And you will spend your days drawing close to Him.

23. O my son, listen to a word more of my advice and reflect on it, until you find a way out of the narrowness of the world. For that contemplate the words of the Prophet below:

“Verily, Allah will not look at your looks and deeds, but He looks at your heart and intentions. And if you want to know the state of the heart, then read another book.”

This knowledge is fardlu ‘ain, while the others are fardlu kifayah.

You should not accumulate more than a year’s supply for the needs of your family, as the Prophet did, why is this so? It is because he provided life supplies only for some of his wives, in this case he prayed: O Allah, make the food of Muhammad’s family just enough”.

Indeed, he did not provide this provision for all his wives, but only for those who were weak in faith. As for wives with strong faith, he would only provide enough for one day or half a day.

24. O my son, I have written in this chapter your requests, so you should practice them, do not forget me, and mention me when you pray. As for the supplication that you ask me for, then look for it in the book of Ihya’ Ulumiddin. Recite it at all times, especially after you pray, the following prayer:

“O Allah, I seek refuge with You in perfect enjoyment, everlasting preservation, complete mercy, real salvation, the most prosperous life, a happy life, perfect goodness, complete provision, comfortable virtue, and the closest tenderness.”

“O Allah, grant me benefit! Do not give me any harm. O Allah, end my end with happiness. Make it possible for my aspirations to increase. Grant me health in the morning and evening. Make my return to Your mercy, pour out the abundance of Your forgiveness for my sins. Grant me the grace to correct my defects. Make tagwa my sustenance, and in Your religion my earnestness, and to You I surrender and take refuge.”

“O Allah, keep me on the straight path. Protect me in this world from deeds that will cause regret in the next. Relieve me from the objections of sin. Grant me the livelihood of the devoted. Preserve me and keep me away from the evil of the wicked. Deliver myself, my father and mother, and my relatives from hell by Your mercy, O Lord Almighty, Who gives forgiveness, Who is gracious and loves to cover up blemishes. The All-Knowing, the Mighty.”

O Allah, O Allah, O Allah! By Your mercy, O Most Merciful One. O Essence of the Beginning, of the End, of the Power, of the Steadfastness, of the Mercy of the poor, of the Merciful among the Merciful. There is no God but You, the Most Holy, surely I am among those who do wrong. May Allah bestow His mercy on Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions. Walhamdulillaahirabbil’aalamiin.

 

CLOSING

Praise be to You, O our Lord. You have given us Your taufig and guidance. We could not have done anything if You had not given us the ability. So, there is no power and effort except with Your help, O Allah.

O Allah, we ask You for the sake of the position of Your Prophet (peace be upon him) that You forgive us our sins, just as we are sincere, and that You have mercy on us just as You know in our hearts, in the form of longing for You. O Allah, benefit with this treatise, and all that it contains, whoever reads it.

O Allah, forgive everyone who participates, both in the thought and the act of broadcasting it. Indeed, You, O Allah, are the most forgiving, the most merciful.