Compiler’s Introduction

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

There is no power and no effort, except with the help of Allah swt, the Most High and the Most Great. Glory be to You, O Allah. There is no knowledge for us, except what You have taught us. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Praise be to Allah swt who will never disappoint anyone who hopes in Him. Will not reject the hopes of those who ask Him. Will not break the relationship of those who establish a relationship with Him. Will not deceive those who cooperate with Him. Will not spoil the favors of those who are grateful to Him.

He who has His help will not be humiliated. He who remembers Him will not be troubled. He who does not surrender to His authority will not be safe. He who surrenders to Him will not be wasted. He who takes refuge in Him will not be wasted. He who takes refuge in Him will not be humiliated.

I praise Him for all that He has inspired and taught. I thank Him for all His gifts and bounties. I seek His help to fulfill His great obligations. I seek refuge with the light of His Glorious Essence, from the loss of all favors and from all forms of terrible punishment and torment.

I send blessings and peace upon His most noble Prophet, His most exalted Messenger, His most honored beloved, our lord and leader, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his family and companions, who is the mine of virtue and glory, the source of knowledge and wisdom, as long as the pen stands and knowledge can still be established.

Furthermore, the noble ash-Shaykh Abdurahman ibn Abdillah ‘Ibad requested answers from me about some issues that he would record in a book. He came to me with his notebook in the city of Shibam when I was on my way back from a pilgrimage to the grave of ash-Shaykh Sa’id ibn Isa al-‘Amudi and a number of righteous people who were in that city, both dead and alive. I promised him an answer, because I saw his enthusiasm to know the truth and I smelled his honesty.

And now the time for the fulfillment of that promise has come, so with the power and effort of Allah swt and His glory, to give an answer that is relevant to the question that has been submitted with a short and concise answer. I thought it necessary to provide a preamble to the answer to that question that would serve as an introduction and a tribute to the questioner, as well as to those who are concerned about the matter.

So I replied, as one who seeks help from Allah, as one who surrenders to Him, as one who submits all his problems to Allah, and as one who asks Him to guide him to the truth that is in His sight. Indeed, He will guide those whom He wills to the straight path.

Allah swt says in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “The way of Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and remember that to Allah alone will all matters return.” (Qs. Ash-Shuara verse: 58).

Introduction

I realized that questioning for various purposes and difficulties, as well as to gain knowledge and insight, is a habit of the chosen people. In other words, questioning becomes obligatory when it relates to obligatory knowledge. And it will be a virtue for knowledge that gives virtue.

Questions are the key to knowing what lies within the chest and heart of the sciences and the secrets of the unseen. One cannot enter a house and take its goods and jewelry except by using a key.

Likewise, a person will not be able to gain knowledge from the scholars and the ‘arifin, except by asking questions to gain knowledge. Of course, that is accompanied by honesty, enthusiasm and good manners. Shari’ah itself commands asking questions, as mentioned in a saying:

Meaning: “Ask those who read the book before you.” (Qs. Yunus verse: 94)

In another verse, Allah swt says:

Meaning: “So ask those who understand, if you do not know, with explanations and information.” (Qs. an-Nahlayat: 48).

The Prophet said:

Meaning: “Good questions are half of knowledge.”

Whenever one is told of the vast knowledge of the ‘alim, ja will go to him to get his knowledge. Then he would ask questions and seek answers from him. This was narrated from the Companions ‘Ali, Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, Abu Hurairah, and others from both the salaf and the khalaf.

The mutagaddimin scholars urged people to ask questions. In the golden age of Islam, during the time of Urwah ibn Zubair, Hasan al-Basri, Qatadah, Sofyan ats-Tsauri, and many others, they commanded the people to ask them questions. al-Iman Sofyan ats-Tsauri, he would immediately leave a city if no one asked him a question. On one occasion he said: “This is a city that is dead in knowledge.”

Similarly, al-Imam ash-Shibli, when he was sitting in the middle of his halagah and no one was asking him questions, would recite the following verse:

Meaning: “And a decree fell upon them because of their injustice, so they did not speak.”

Sometimes, a scholar asks questions to those sitting around him, so that he can impart knowledge to them, and to find out their knowledge, as it is said in a saheeh hadith, that the Messenger of Allah was among a group of companions. Then he asked them about a tree whose leaves never fall, and that tree is like a believer.

They did not know it, until the Prophet told them that what was meant was a date palm tree. Actually, among them was Ibn Umar ra. He knew that what was meant was a date palm tree, but he did not want to answer it. When he told this to his father, Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), his father criticized Ibn Umar’s attitude.

Caliph Umar himself asked many questions to those sitting beside him. When he asked someone a question, then he gave an answer: Allah swt is the All-Knowing.”

Then he will get angry and say: I am not asking you about the knowledge of Allah swt, but I am asking you about your knowledge, so answer my question, I know or I do not know.”

Sometimes, a scholar asks his seatmate about what he knows, so that others may know, for example, the question of the Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about faith, Islam and ihsan. It is possible for a person of lesser knowledge to ask a person of greater faith, because of a very delicate secret. An example is Caliph Umar’s question to Companion Hudhayfah about fitnah and hypocrisy.

Sometimes a scholar asks the same scholar or someone close to him about something from the Qur’an or hadith to find out if the scholar’s understanding is the same as his own, so as to corroborate and support his understanding. For example, Caliph ‘Umar asked a group of companions about the meaning of Surah an-Nashr.

It turned out that all of them did not share the same understanding, apart from Ibn ‘Abbas. This kind of thing often happens among the great scholars of the past and today. While the question of Caliph Umar ra to Caliph Ali ra was to get knowledge from him, because Sayyidina Ali has a special privilege that is not owned by other companions. He was the gateway to the city of knowledge, namely the Prophet Muhammad.

As for the Prophet’s prohibition to the Companions not to ask many questions, although the prohibition is universal, the specific nature of the prohibition is questions related to legal issues, criminal law and the human condition, as an application of his compassion for his people, so that they do not get a burden that is difficult to implement.

As proof of this is the word of Allah swt:

Meaning: “O you who believe, do not ask (of your Prophet) things which, if explained to you, would trouble you, and if you ask when the Qur’an is being revealed, it will be explained to you.

Allah swt forgives (you) about those things. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Verily, there were people before you who asked such things of their Prophet, and they did not believe in him.” (Qs. al-Maaidahayat 101-102)

In this regard, the Prophet said:

Meaning: “Verily, Allah has enjoined obligations, so do not neglect them, and restricted limits, so do not exceed them, and forbidden aspects, so do not violate them. And He has overlooked various aspects out of compassion for you, not out of forgetfulness, so do not make a fuss about them.”

In another hadith it is said:

Meaning: “Verily, the cause of the destruction of the people before us was that they questioned and opposed their prophets.”

A man once asked the Prophet about Hajj: “Is Hajj obligatory every year?” Upon hearing this question, the Prophet remained silent and did not answer. When the man asked repeatedly, the Prophet replied: “It is only required once in a lifetime. If I had said: “Yes, then it would be obligatory every year, and you would not be able to do it.”

As Allah swt says in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “Whoever obeys the Messenger of Allah, then he has indeed obeyed Allah.”

In another word of Allah swt mentioned:

Meaning: “Those who have pledged allegiance to you (Muhammad PBUH) have indeed pledged allegiance to Allah swt.”

A santri should ask his sheikh about something with no intention other than to seek knowledge. He should never ask his syeikh about something with the intention of testing his knowledge, so as not to bring about ignorance and loss.

If a teacher is asked by a student about something that he does not understand, he should look at the questioner’s situation and see if giving the answer will not harm his religion, cause him to become angry, or cause him to turn away from his goal.

If it is the other way around, then give him an answer that is within the limits of his knowledge and understanding. If he withdraws his question, then he should not say as one of the scholars of hakikat said: “My job is only to compile gawafi-gawafi from their sources, so it is not my fault if a cow understands them.”

The above remarks suggest that every utterance should be adapted to the situation and condition of the listener. A sheikh or a teacher should act as a father, he should have a loving nature. Or as a very close friend, he should speak and associate with each person according to his interests and benefits.

The ‘arifbillah have some very deep experiences and thoughts, they cannot answer every question according to the ability and condition of the questioner, as we mentioned earlier. Therefore, you should leave the answers to their discretion, as they are not people who deserve to be refuted or called ignorant or clueless.

It is permissible to ask questions with the intention of testing on two occasions: Firstly, if a student is so enamored of himself that he is reluctant to seek knowledge and seek additional knowledge, and he is unwilling to recognize the excellence of others, then the sheikh should test the student’s depth of knowledge, so that he understands his shortcomings, and it is preferable that this test be done in a separate place, so that others do not know about it.

Secondly, if there is a hypocrite who is sweet in his speech, so that there is a fear that he may negatively influence the weak believers by introducing foreign elements into the religion, then it is permissible for a sheikh or teacher to test the depth of his knowledge in front of the people, so that they will understand his ugliness and ignorance and at the same time advise the suspect so that he will regret his mistake and return to the truth.

Such matters invite the scholars to debate the innovators, the misguided and those who want to change the religion. If a scholar is asked about knowledge that is worth answering, he should not be reluctant to do so, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

Meaning: “Whoever is asked about a piece of knowledge and conceals it, then on the Day of Resurrection he will be given a reins of fire.”

As for the scholars of today, they should not hide their knowledge until someone asks them about it, because most people nowadays take religious matters lightly and do not care much about knowledge and what is beneficial in the Hereafter, so it is possible for a person to have gray hair and not know the obligatory parts of wudoo’ and prayer.

Even his knowledge of Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Hereafter is insufficient, or it could be said that he has no knowledge at all. This incident is enough to be taken into consideration by the scholars, if they understand.

A student who wants to be on the path of Allah, whose only desire is to know Allah, and who wants to be free from all the ties that distract him from the path to Allah, should not ask for knowledge except what he needs according to his situation and time. However, such a seeker of knowledge is quite few in number these days.

It is good for everyone to ask questions about knowledge, in order to know something that is not yet known and to add to what he already knows. Every believer should never stop seeking goodness, as mentioned in a hadith:

Meaning: There are two looters who never feel full. They are the plunderers of knowledge and the plunderers of wealth.”

This was experienced by a Sufi, Ash-Shaykh Daud athThaa’i, when he was eager to take the path to Allah swt, so he began to attend assemblies, one of which he attended for almost a year. During that time, ja wanted to ask about some issues, but he suppressed his desire as we mentioned above that a student should not ask about knowledge, unless it is very urgent.

In fact, the issues that we have mentioned in this preamble are so numerous that if we were to include them all, we would be going beyond our aim of being concise. Nevertheless, what we have mentioned is sufficient to increase our firmness and conviction. As for the rest, it is best to surrender to Allah swt, for He is the best of places to surrender to.

Explanation of the Meaning of Laa ilaaha illallah

We have now arrived at our main objective, which is to discuss religious matters. Only Allah swt speaks the truth and only He guides us to the right path that is pleasing to Him. I was once asked about the meaning of the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah?

You should know that all religious knowledge and its means go back to the interpretation of the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah. It is only in the elucidation of this phrase that the commands, prohibitions, promises, threats and related matters are included. No matter how accurate the explanation is, it is only the law of effect, but to know its complete motivation is not easy, let alone to reveal its essence.

As for the explanation of its meaning, it is a science known as the science of tawhid, the vastness of which is like an endless ocean, the depth of which is unknown. The scholars of kalam have tried to wade through its vastness, the ‘arifin have tried to plumb its depths, all of them have only found its secrets and wonders to be incalculable in number and value.

After extensive discussion and thought, they admitted that they were unable to describe the sentence precisely. This is because to know the science of tawhid according to its proper portion requires recognizing the Essence of Allah swt and His attributes that are difficult for the ordinary mind to reach.

In fact, even the scholars of the essence admit that they are unable to know the Essence of Allah swt and His Attributes, both in this world and in the Hereafter. Hence, it is not correct for a group to claim to be able to know the Essence of Allah swt and His attributes in their entirety. This is because it is impossible to do so.

Moreover, to recognize something and its characteristics as a whole, it requires knowledge that can surpass something that is recognized and its characteristics, while the Essence of Allah swt and His characteristics cannot be surpassed by anything and by anyone, instead He covers and surpasses anything and anyone. 

Division of the Science of Tawheed

The science of monotheism is divided into two parts, the first is the science of outward monotheism, which is knowledge that can be known by its proofs and evidences. Every believer is obliged to know it and believe in it, without which one’s faith cannot be realized. A scholar of kalam is one who engages in the science of kalam as much as possible, and is busy researching its arguments and proofs. He is superior to ordinary believers and excels in both faith and knowledge, otherwise he is just a form.

The second is the inner tawhid, which is something that cannot be known without the means of kasyaf and the evidence of eye sight. This kind of tawhid bequeaths piety and the meaning of guidance that results from mujahadah, it is a secret between a servant and his Lord.

The experts are of different levels. They had perfect jealousy of anyone who was not an expert. Usually if Imam Junaid wanted to discuss matters of monotheism with his friends, he would close the door and keep the key in his pocket, out of affection for the believers.

If a non-expert learns the science of monotheism, he may become a disbeliever, so he will be among the liars in the sight of Allah, because he does not know this science at all, or he may become a believer and understand it incorrectly, so he follows the wrong path.

There may be some books that try to explain this knowledge, including Ihya”Ulumuddin and alDuut. They give a little tolerance to a student who is keen to understand the science of mu’amalah that they describe. Otherwise, they are quite stingy about explaining it.

Did you not see that when al-Imam Ghazali explained the science of monotheism and began to enter into the endless sea, he said: “We should have stopped at this point.” And there were times when he said: “This part is secret; we should skip this part.”

On another occasion, he said: “This is part of knowledge, mukasyafah, and we do not want to talk about it in terms of knowledge and mu’amalah.”

If some Sufis discuss monotheism in their writings, such as Shaykh al-Haitamj and Shaykh al-Kailani and others, then regard their writings as coincidental, and what is coincidental is ma’dhur or permission, and the one who has permission is obliged to carry out his orders, while the secret of this permission should not be mentioned except in direct conversation.

The meaning of the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah outwardly

On this occasion, we should discuss a little the explanation of the meaning of Laa :laaha illallaah. And earlier we explained our inability to explain the phrase Laa ilaaha:llallaah mentally.

The external meaning of Laa ilaaha illallaah is that we must believe that the existence of the Essence of Allah swt is obligatory, He is the One, the Sole, the Ruler, the Almighty, the Living, the Self-standing, the Previous, the Eternal, the Eternal, the Lasting. He knows everything, He is in control of everything. He does everything as He wills, He determines everything as He wills.

There is nothing like Him. He is the All-Hearing and All-Seeing. Glory be to Allah swt from equals and counterparts, and from friends and helpers. Allah swt is not bound by time and circumstances. He is not encompassed by direction and is not tainted by any event. Allah swt does not need anyone absolutely. Rather, everything needs His help.

He created all His creatures including their good and bad deeds. Allah swt is perfect in all His creations. He guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills. He gives bounty to whom He wills and withholds bounty from whom He wills.

He forgives whom He wills and torments whom He wills. He does not deserve to be questioned about what He does, rather, He deserves to question them. He created His creatures and determined their respective sustenance. He sent down holy books and messengers to guide people, out of His gentleness and bounty towards them.

All His servants are obliged to glorify Him, obey Him by following the words of His messengers, and no one has the right to force Him because He is the Owner of all things, the Ruler of all things, and no one is equal to Him in the ownership and rights of all things. He promises rewards to those who do good for His mercy, and He promises punishment to those who transgress Him for His justice.

The Most Holy God is the God who has the most perfect attributes. Allah is the One True God. This is because all of these perfect attributes belong only to Him, not to others. So whoever denies the divinity of Allah the Almighty, or recognizes other divinities, or associates Him with something, then he has committed the biggest lie and he will lose. as Allah swt says in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “And indeed We have made for 181 Hellfire, most of the jinn and men, they have hearts, but they do not use them to understand (the verses of Allah swt) and they have eyes (but) they do not use them to see (the signs of Allah swt), and they have ears (but) they do not use them to hear (the verses of Allah swt). They are like cattle, and they are even more astray. They are the ignorant ones.” (Qs. al-A’raaf verse: 179).

Nafi and isbat about Laa ilaaha illallaah

Note that this sentence has two parts. The first is the nafi part, which is speech: “Laa ilaaha” which means: “There is no God.” And the second is the ztsbat part, which is saying: “illallaah” which means: “Except Allah.” If the words nafi and itsbat are uttered by someone who does not associate Allah swt with anything.

So the meaning is the denial and rejection of the allegations of the polytheists who think that there are other gods with Allah and establish the notion of monotheism in the heart, and this understanding is strengthened by saying this phrase repeatedly, as the Prophet said:

Meaning: “Always renew your faith by saying: “Laa ilaaha illallaah.”

Likewise, the word shirk has various hidden and very small meanings, which cannot be saved from it, except for the wise men of the essence and those who are given kasyaf who can see the truth with the naked eye. There are times when a believer is affected by a little shirk, even though he does not realize it.

For example, if one believes that there is someone other than Allah who can bring good and ward off evil on his own. It is also when a person has an enthusiasm to rule over others, to control their rights, to like position, honor and praise from people.

As said by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH:

Meaning: “The polytheism among my Ummah is more hidden than the creeping of black ants.”

The Prophet himself called riya’ a minor shirk. Sometimes a person associates partners with Allah swt with himself or with others, and he does not realize it. Therefore, a believer is obliged to guard himself against subtle shirk, just as he is obliged to guard himself against visible shirk. The polytheism in this dimension does not affect the foundation of faith, which is the source of human salvation, but it can reduce its perfection.

We have previously stated that every muwahhid must reject the deity of anything other than Allah, and this is a refutation of the polytheists and those who think that. We call their beliefs fragile, because they are full of wishful thinking that arises from fragile understanding and thinking, which causes damage to the body’s metabolism and loss of reason.

Otherwise, how could it be hidden from the senses of one who has the sense of sight and hearing, let alone from the sight and hearing of one’s heart about the existence of Allah swt who is the only source for everything. However, whoever is misled by Allah will not be guided, and whoever is guided by Allah will not be led astray by the misguided.

Those are the ones whom Allah has deprived of hearing and sight, and left them in their error, so that they cannot see the truth; they are deaf, dumb and blind, and they will not return to the right path.

In a sha’ir it is stated: “It is a wonder how anyone can oppose Allah swt or disobey Him? In fact, in every object there are signs that testify that Allah swt is the One God. In every moving or stationary object there is a witness that Allah swt is the One Lord.”

One of the ‘arifbillah said: “Whoever asks for proof of the oneness of Allah, the donkey knows Allah better than him.” If we had not summarized this, for reasons known only to Allaah, we would have elaborated on this matter at length, so that a reasonable person would be satisfied with it, and Allaah is watching over whatever I say.

There cannot be two or more Gods in this universe

The scholars of hakekat say that only Allah swt is the One who deserves to be worshipped, and He is the One who creates, who gives sustenance. As for the One who created everything and provides sustenance, He alone is the One who deserves to be worshipped, He is the One, there is no partner for Him.

In the rational and juridical dimension, it is impossible if there is more than one God in this universe. So it is appropriate that there is no God but Allah swt, the Glorious and the Wise. As evidence of the impossibility that there is more than one God, is the word of Allah swt in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “If there were two gods in the heavens and the earth besides Allah, both would have been destroyed, so Glory be to Allah, Who has the Throne, from what they attribute.” (Qs. al-Anbiya’ verse: 22).

As Allah swt says in the Qur’an:

Meaning: Allah swt has no son, and there is no god with Him; if there were gods with Him, each god would bring the creatures he created, and some of the gods would overcome others. Glory be to Allah from what they attribute.” (Qs. al-Mukminun verse: 91).

Whoever claims to be a god, such as King Nimrud and Pharaoh, or anything that is recognized by humans as a god, such as the stars and rocks, then his shortcomings, incompetence, dependence, compulsion, and inhumanity will be evident in him, indicating that he is an ordinary human being, or some other object that is recognized as a god.

We can clearly say that a person who claims to be a god, his assumptions are fragile and his illusions are false,

because his assumption is born out of his ability to do either, as Allah swt narrated about Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Namrud, when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said to Namrud: “My Lord gives life and gives death.” So Namrud said: “I, too, can give life and death.”

In the tafsir study it is said, to prove his argument, ja invited two men, then he killed the first man and let the second man live. The same indication is also seen in the word of Allah swt about Fir’aun in the following verse:

Meaning: “Is not the power of Egypt in my hand and this river flowing under me. Do you not see?” (Qs. az-Zukhruf verse: 51).

There is no doubt that these two accursed ones knew the error of their claims, but they felt powerful and able to act arbitrarily, so their claim to be God was not refuted by anyone, especially by the weak. As mentioned by Allah swt in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “So Pharaoh took his people for granted and they obeyed him; indeed they were the wicked.” (Qs. azzukhruf verse: 54).

It is narrated that, when the people of Egypt asked Fir’aun for the flow of the Nile River which was dry at that time, Fir’aun went out with his people to the banks of the Nile, then asked them to leave him alone. Then he pressed his cheek against the ground and begged Allah swt with humility to let the Nile flow immediately.

This request of Fir’aun was granted by Allah swt as istidraj for him, so that his sins would increase. After the water flowed, he said: “Only I can drain the water of the Nile.” From this story we can prove the truth of our statement above. Behind this sentence are secrets that are not appropriate to be described in this book.

Note that the studies in these chapters seem to overlap and are close in meaning. We deliberately did not mention the decipherment of the sentences according to their grammar, but their rulings and virtues are what we are referring to, not that we aim to discuss their grammar. 

Some of the benefits and rulings of one who recites the phrase Laa ilaaha ilallah

It is quite understandable the ruling and virtue of this monotheistic sentence, so that a person who denies this sentence, then he will be eternal in Jahanam hell. If a person has lived for seventy years in a state of disbelief, but then he utters the phrase Laa ilaaha illallaah with full conviction that there is no God but Allah swt, then his blood and property are protected, he has come out of his sins as if he had just been born from his mother’s belly.

If a person meets Allah swt with the sins of all people in the past and in the future, but he does not associate Allah swt with anything, perhaps Allah swt will forgive him and perhaps Allah swt will torture him in order to cleanse his sins first, because none of the monotheists will remain in hellfire. A monotheist is one who recognizes that there is no God but Allah, as encompassed in the meaning of this noble phrase. In a hadith it is stated:

Meaning: “I am commanded to fight the people until they bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that I am the messenger of Allah, establish prayer and give alms. If they do that, then their blood and property are protected from me, except for the sanction according to Islam, and their account is up to Allah.”

In another hadith it is stated:

It means: “Whoever ends his speech with Laa ilaaha illalah will enter Paradise.”

On one occasion the Prophet said:

Meaning: “The experts of Laa ilaaha illallah will not feel restless in their graves, and when they are taken out of their graves. It is as if I saw them when they came out of the grave shaking off the dust from their heads and they said: “Praise be to Allah, Who has removed sorrow from us. Verily, our Lord is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

In another hadith it is stated:

Meaning: “Verily, a person is summoned by a call, then 99 records of wrongdoing are spread out before him. Each record is as long as the eye can see, then it is placed on the side of a scale of sins. Then Allah swt said: “You still have one good deed with Us. So a card was brought out on which was written Laa ilaaha illallah, then it was placed on the other side of the scale, and it was found that the weight of the card outweighed the weight of the 99 notes.”

In al-Miftahul al-Falah, Ash-Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’ speaks of the virtues of the statement of monotheism and the various aspects associated with it. All the benefits and virtues included in this sentence, in this world and the Hereafter, will not be obtained by a person who separates the two sentences of shahada, because they are bound together. |

Anyone who only acknowledges the creed of monotheism without acknowledging the creed of the messenger is not a monotheist. If a person believes in the oneness of Allah and the apostleship of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and then only says the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah without saying Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, then there is nothing wrong with that, because he still gets various virtues. If we were to expand on this issue, this book would be too thick and that is not our aim.

Various virtues for those who like to say the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah

It is known that the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah is the most complex, the most beneficial, and the closest dhikr to opening and illuminating the heart with divine light. It is the most important dhikr, as it encompasses the meaning of dhikr, as well as tahmid, tasbih and other words.

Therefore, every believer should make the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah his usual and regular recitation. However, he should not abandon other dhikr. It is better for him to make every dhikr his recitation at all times.

Furthermore, a person will indirectly belong to one of three groups, namely the salik group, the non salik group and the washil group. All of them must practice the dhikr of Laa ilaaha illallah A salik or not they only see things and determine them according to their aspects.

As for the salik and the non salik, they see things and believe in them according to their objects, perhaps because of that, shirk khafi or the smallest shirk of mystery will enter their hearts, so they must expel it as far as possible and they cannot expel it except by saying the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah regularly and continuously.

Unlike the washil, he does not look at anything, except to return it to the power of Allah swt. His heart is always busy with Allah swt and he always controls his heart and its vibrations, there may be vibrations that are not liked by Allah swt, so he immediately returns to Him by multiplying the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah continuously and regularly.

It was narrated to us that Sayyidina Abubakar (ra) always included the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah in every conversation. When he had uttered the phrase, he would return to his conversation. This state is eternal after it has become mortal, so there is nothing more important for anyone to preserve dhikr than the phrase Laa ilaaha illallah.

And if a salik is able to fana or has been able to eliminate all presence other than Allah swt in front of him, then the dhikr that is more important for him is to say the phrase Allah, Allah continuously. That is the dhikr of the ‘arifin billah. All of this is only viewed in terms of virtue, although all dhikr can lead one to the divine presence.

The shaykhs have various methods of reciting this phrase, both overtly and in secret, and they also specify various requirements that must be carried out by a dhikr reciter who wants to get the grace of Allah swt and His guidance. They have explained all of this in their writings, so whoever wants to know about it can look it up in their writings.

Whoever finds a tariqah shaykh who can guide him to the path of Allah, then he should accept his guidance. If a person seeks guidance only from the books he reads, he will not succeed. There is a big difference between a person who receives guidance from a Tariqah sheikh and one who only receives guidance from books. Indeed only Allah swt is able to guide to the right path, and only to Him will everything return.

Forced concentration

I was once asked about forced concentration, what is it? Know that since the beginning of time, man has been accustomed to an empty heart and has been ready to accept whatever comes into his heart, whether it is that which makes his heart good and bright, or that which makes his heart corrupt and dark.

Whatever is first present in the heart, it will stay firmly in the heart, and to get rid of it requires considerable force and struggle. You should know that the first thing that comes to everyone’s heart is the material soul and the desire for eternal life and pleasure. This feeling is the first hearing and sight that comes to his heart from his friends.

When the feeling of knowing Allah swt and recognizing His divine rights and the demand to serve Him accordingly is present in a person’s heart after the feeling of love for worldliness has settled firmly in his heart, then the second feeling will not find a firm place in his heart, its existence is always vacillating and unstable.

So at that time, a person who wants to strengthen the feeling of makrifat in his heart and wants to make his heart always focused or present in the presence of Allah, both in worship and in all conditions he must completely eliminate his love for the world that has resided in his heart first with various exercises and mental control.

In the above process, he requires strenuous struggle and self-training, which may be light and may be heavy. Everything differs according to whether his soul is in good shape or not. It will also differ according to his guidance and enthusiasm, whether it is strong or weak. It will also differ according to the first inclination of his heart, whether it is firm or weak, for in this matter some are firm and some are weak.

What we have explained above is not specific to the issue of the concentration of one’s heart on Allah swt, but is also related to the issue of praiseworthy character which is the source of good deeds. This is because a student who wants to have praiseworthy character, at first he needs patience and hard struggle. And he will get it with difficulty and heavy burden, and ja must do all these commandments until he gets it with delicacy and comfort.

If one knows that, then know that the presence of the heart in the presence of Allah swt is the spirit of all worship, only that which is realized by the masters of the essence, and only that which is most expected by the ‘ari in billah. This is because any good deed done by a servant without the presence of his heart to Allah swt, then that good deed according to the ‘arifbillah is closer to getting punishment and veiling than getting mukasyafah and reward.

As for the way to bring the heart to Allah swt in various acts of worship, one should look at what usually disturbs his feelings, then he should remove it as far as possible. This is divided into two parts. First, the influences that come from the five senses, such as the sense of hearing and the sense of sight, to ward them off is by means of seclusion.

Secondly, all the desires and whispers that arise in the heart, the way to ward off them is to turn away from them completely, and occupy our hearts with oral means, such as reading the Qur’an or increasing dhikr. And it can also be by focusing our hearts to hear and listen to the reading of others. And to support this is by strengthening our hearts and memorizing what we hear from others through the means of the soul and the senses.

If a person is able to force his heart to be present to the Divine presence, then he should try to increase this feeling to a higher level, namely translating into his heart all the meanings of dhikr uttered by his tongue, for example he translates in his heart the meaning of tawhid when his tongue says Laa Ilaha ilallah, and he translates the meaning of tanzih or the holiness of Allah swt and takdzim or the majesty of Allah swt when his tongue says Subhanallah and Allaahu Akbar.

When a person recites the Qur’an, his heart should translate the meanings of the Qur’anic verses spoken by his jisan. This translation is a sign of the heart’s presence to Jlahi. If a person is able to feel this, then he can improve more until his heart can immediately be present to the Divine presence every time he utters words of dhikr or verses of the Qur’an with his tongue. That is the meaning of the Prophet’s words:

Meaning: “Ihsan is when you worship Allah swt as if you see Him.”

The one who wants to attain this great testimony should make sure that his heart is as we have mentioned and that he purifies Allah swt from all inappropriate prejudices. If a person does not have a clean heart towards Allah swt, then he will imagine the Essence of Allah swt with various dirty fantasies, whereas Allah swt is Most Pure from them.

In this stage, it is as if a person feels the presence of the One he is speaking to when he recites His holy words, or he feels the presence of the One he is remembering when he recites dhikr. And he will experience trance, drowning, drunkenness and dissolution of the soul and any experience commonly experienced by the saints of Allah.

For anyone who wants to reach the divine presence, he should follow tariqah patiently and diligently, and strive to the best of his ability, and listen carefully to a Sufi figure, namely ash-Sheikh al-Imam al-Junaid, when he was asked: “Where did you get this knowledge, which no one can find from his teacher?”

| So he replied: “From my constant communion with Allah under that staircase for 80 years.” He pointed to a staircase in the corner of his house.

At the beginning of his wanderings, ash-Shaykh ash-Shibli used to stay in seclusion under the ground and he carried a bundle of broom sticks. Whenever he forgot, he would immediately beat himself with the bundle of sticks, so that before the afternoon came, the broomstick was destroyed because it was often used to beat himself.

The starting point for gaining the knowledge of mukasyafah and musyahadah is due to his struggle and the training of his nafs. It is possible for some people to attain this level without striving and nurturing their passions, but this is very rare.

When a person has reached the stage of being with Allah swt and feels at peace with Him, then he will find it difficult to sit with people, especially to discuss worldly matters, even though he really needs it. It is the same when he struggles to reach the level of being with Allah swt.

One of the most powerful reasons for reaching the level of being with Allah is to always feel in his heart that Allah sees him and sees all the intentions that are in the recesses of his heart, not just seeing his body and all his actions.

Among the obstacles that hinder the concentration of one’s heart on Allah swt while he is praying or when he is in dhikr, according to the view of the masters of makrifat, is remembering things other than Allah swt, even things related to the Hereafter. And according to them, a person’s concentration can only be achieved when he discards all thoughts of anything other than Allah.

The negligence of a person’s heart can also cause his good deeds to be corrupted, especially if he does them without knowing their meaning as one who can witness them does. A good deed that is done with negligence and no effort to bring the heart to it will not bring the heart to it; it can only be achieved by force, even if the deed is still blessed.

A man said to ash-Shaykh Abu Hafidz: “I always make dhikr, but my heart cannot concentrate.” So he replied: Alhamdulillah for allowing one of your limbs to remember Him.”

Definition of purification and praise to Allah swt

I was once asked about the meaning of purification of the Deen of Allah, the praise of Him and the meaning of effort, about the meaning of regret and asking for forgiveness, whether these attitudes only apply to those who commit sins, or apply in general, so that they can raise a person’s standing with Allah.

Know that the meaning of purifying the Essence of Allah swt is to purify the Essence of Allah swt and its attributes and actions from any resemblance to any of His creatures. Allah Almighty is pure from any partner, from any resemblance, from any change and from any disappearance. He is free from defects, sickness and from all ties to time and place. In fact, He is free from all images or shadows that exist in one’s mind.

As for the purification of the Essence of Allah swt from all the attributes that do not deserve Him, such as those attributed by those who disbelieve in Him, which are usually mentioned in the Qur’an, there are quite a number of them. As mentioned in the words of Allah swt in the Qur’an:

Meaning: “O People of the Book, do not exceed the limits in your deeds, and do not speak against Allah except what is narrated. Verily, the Messiah, Isa the son of Maryam, is the messenger of Allah and (was created by) His word which He conveyed to Maryam, and (by the blowing of) a spirit (from Him) So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say: “(God is) three”, cease (from saying that). (That is better for your religion. Verily, Allah is the One True God, and He is pure from having children.” (Qs. an-Nisaa’ verse: 171).

In another verse, Allah swt says:

Meaning: “They make their scholars and their monks lords besides Allah, and (they also deify) the Messiah son of Maryam, whereas they are only told to worship the One God, there is no God but Him. Glory be to Allah from what they associate.” (Qs. at-Taubah verse: 81).

In another verse Allah swt says:

Meaning: “Know that indeed they say with their lies: “Allah has a son.” And they are indeed those who lie. Does God favor daughters over sons? What happened to you, how did you decide?

Then do you not think? Or do you have clear evidence? So bring your books if you are indeed the true ones. And they established a relationship between Allah and the jinn. And indeed the jinn know that they will indeed be dragged (to Hell), Glory be to Allah from what they attribute.” Qs. ash-Shaffat verses: 151-159).

The definition of praising Allah is praising Him and praising Him with the noble and great attributes that are suitable for Him, and rejecting all the unworthy attributes that are not suitable for Allah. This definition is included in the word Alhamdulillah.

Know that Allah swt is truly the One who deserves all kinds of praise, because only He is pure from all bad characteristics, and only He is the Most Perfect. So the only one who deserves praise is Allah swt, while others are only temporary or follow the nature of Allah swt.

Any praise that deserves to be given to human beings, actually does not come from themselves, but comes from the nature, iradat and arunia and grace of Allah swt. In short, everything is from Allah swt and returns to Allah swt. When a person purifies another person of unworthy qualities or praises him with praise, it is actually a wrong against that person, and he should return the purification and praise only to Allah swt. This matter is known only to those who understand, and most of them do not understand.

A person who praises Him, actually does not add to the perfection of the attributes of Allah swt at all, because the perfection of Allah swt has existed from the beginning and will continue to exist forever. The praise of a servant to Him will only bring good to the perpetrator.

As the Prophet saw:

It means: “The words of Hamdalah will fill the scales of deeds, and the words of tasbih and hamdalah will fill the scales of deeds, or will fill the space between heaven and earth.”

On another occasion, the Prophet said:

Meaning: “Verily, Allah loves the one who eats a morsel of food and praises Allah for it, and drinks a sip of drink and praises Allah for it.”

The explanations of the virtues of glorifying and glorifying are numerous and well known. The point is that whoever strives hard will benefit.

The meaning of giving up power and effort

As for the meaning of giving up power and effort, it is included in the phrase Laa haula wa laa guwwata illaa billaahil ‘Aliyyil ‘Adhim, which means that there is no power and effort except with the permission of Allah, the Most High and the Most Great. al-Imam al-Ghazali said: “Effort is movement and power is ability. And there is no effort and ability for anyone to do anything, except with the help of Allah swt, the Most Powerful and Almighty.”

Whenever Allah swt makes creatures do something or not do something, such as doing all obligations, such as trying to find sources of law by doing various activities, whatever they are, for every believer, he should believe that only Allah swt creates and holds their will and efforts to do or create something that will give him good or bad consequences.

Anyway, whatever one’s will or ability, it all comes only from Allah swt as Allah swt says:

Meaning: “And they cannot control an atom’s weight in the heavens or the earth, and in both they have no partner. And none of them can defeat Allah swt.”

Based on the ability and freedom given by Allah swt to choose is closely related to commands and prohibitions. Everything that comes from people and is done by them is closely related to Allah swt’s power and will, although they are free to choose, but they are entitled to reward or punishment.

The meaning of the phrase Laa haula wa laa guwwata illa billaah is to reject all power and effort on the part of a person and return them to Allah, and every reasonable person should refrain from discussing it, he should be fully convinced that everything is the creation of Allah, nothing comes into existence without the power and will of Allah, and he should carry out all the commands of his Lord and avoid all His prohibitions.

In a hadith it is mentioned that the phrase Laa haula wa laa guwwata illaa billaah is one of the riches in Paradise. It is clear from this Hadīth that what is meant by wealth is a secret saving and its reward will be mentioned with the type of work as mentioned in a Hadīth that performing two rak’ahs of voluntary prayer in the middle of the night is a saved virtue.

The reward for praying two rak’ahs in the middle of the night depends on the type of work done in the middle of the night.

It is also narrated that the prophet said, “Laa hau wa laa quwwata illaa billaah can cure ninety-nine diseases, the least of which is anxiety of the heart”. Deliberately in this had mentioned can eliminate anxiety. This is because anxiety will come if something desired does not come, but on the contrary, if it is not desired it comes because the heart becomes anxious.

If a person repeats these words over and over again with his tongue and heart, he will feel calm, because he feels released from the burden of his inability to realize something and he feels that all his abilities will be realized if he gets permission from Allah swt. If a person has felt this feeling, then ja will disappear all his worries and will expand his knowledge of Allah swt.

This kind of feeling is in line with the following saying of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: “A person who believes in destiny, all his worries will disappear.” This is because he has returned all his efforts and abilities to Allah swt, the Almighty and Glorious. This is in accordance with the command to purify Allah swt from all unworthy attributes.

Meaning of regret and asking for forgiveness

Regret is the awareness of something that causes one to become sad, regretful and disappointed, because he has done some of the prohibitions of Allah swt or has left some of His commands, such as leaving some of the obligatory deeds. Sometimes regret comes when a person overdoes things that are permissible or neglects Sunnah deeds.

True remorse can encourage a person to avoid all forms of wrongdoing and encourage him to increase the frequency of his virtues. As for true remorse, it fulfills all the requirements of repentance. That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “regret is part of repentance.” As for the one who regrets after committing various sins, but still approaches them, then he is one who plays around and his regret or repentance is of no use whatsoever to him.

As for istighfar, it is asking Allah swt for forgiveness, i.e. asking for one’s sins to be covered by Allah swt. If Allah is pleased to forgive a person’s sins, then his disgrace will not be exposed to others, and he will not be punished for it in this world and in the Hereafter.

One of the noblest forms of maghfirah or forgiveness is the barrier that Allah swt makes to limit the sinner from his past sins, so that he does not want to commit them again. This barrier, according to prophetic terminology, is ishmah.’

Meanwhile, according to the term guardianship, it is called hifdzan, and the Qur’an has mentioned the words of Allah swt to His prophet as follows: “Wastaqh ir lidzambika wa lil mukminiina wal mukminaat” which means: “Ask forgiveness for yourselves and for those who believe, men and women.”

And another word of Allah swt mentions: “Liyaghfira lakal-laahu maa taqaddama min dzambika wa maa taakhkhara.” Which means: “That Allah may forgive you your past and future sins.”

It should be noted that sin never arose from the person of the Prophet: Muhammad, peace be upon him, but Allah swt deliberately mentioned His gift in the form of protection for the prophet, so that he was far from sin and at the same time told him to be diligent in asking to be kept away from sin, Indeed prayer on such occasions is a sign of gratitude to Allah swt, and gratitude is the cause of increased blessings, as mentioned in the word of Allah swt:

Meaning: If you are grateful, I will increase My blessings for you.”

Riya’ and reliance on good deeds

It should be noted that although obedience or good deeds can convey a person to Allah and can bring him closer to the presence of the Divine Majesty, there are times when some people who do them, especially those who are negligent, like to include major sins in their obedience or good deeds.

These are riya’, ujub and pride in his good deeds, and boasting about them to Allah and forgetting His bounty and guidance. All of which cause the doer of obedience or good deeds to not get any reward at all, and it is even possible that he will be punished for it.

A believer who is keen to find the path of salvation always feels that he is committing sins, so he seeks Allah’s forgiveness every time he does a good deed, even if he has not done anything contrary, but he fears that he may be touched by sins that could destroy him.

From this information, it can be understood the importance of asking for forgiveness or making Istighfar after doing good deeds. Even more than that, there are some makrifat experts, when they feel comfortable in doing various good deeds or when they are relying on them, they immediately repent and ask forgiveness from Allah swt.

Such experiences, especially when they feel comfortable while receiving the bounties of Allah swt, then they immediately repent and seek forgiveness from Allah swt. Therefore, according to the masters of makrifat who do not recognize the universe anymore, turning away from Allah swt for a moment is a big enough sin for them.

Therefore, they hasten back to Allah swt to seek forgiveness and repent to Him, for example, they hope for something with their good deeds or they are afraid of them. Hence, there is a saying that the good deeds of the abror are the bad deeds of the mugarabbin. If it were not for the disappearance of Tariqah and the fading of the light of truth, we would have found amazing things that thinking people could think of.

Ash-Shaykh Shihabuddin as-Sahruwardi said: “The stages that a Sufi attains have some shortcomings that the one who attains them cannot recognize except after he has attained a higher stage. At that higher level he can see his shortcomings clearly, so he must return to the previous level to correct all his shortcomings by repenting and asking forgiveness from Allah swt. This is the meaning of their words, even if they have to be supplemented with explanation and exposition.”

Some scholars interpreted the words of the Prophet Muhammad as meaning: There are things in my heart for which I ask Allah swt for forgiveness 70 times a day.”

With the above expression of Ash-Shaykh as-Sahruwardi, it is not appropriate for the Prophet’s position, which is so noble, to speak of Ash-Shaykh as-Sahruwardi. I have a certain interpretation of this hadith which I will not discuss except with the experts directly.

Eliminating all causes after recognizing the cause creator

I was asked about what some tariqah adepts say. A person who has received talgin from people should also receive it from Allah swt in kasyaf and dhaug, not in faith and knowledge, how can this be done in terms of knowledge?

Know that this statement comes from a master of mar’rifat who tells about his state and his testimony when he was fana from the universe, and when he was immersed in the realm of the might and majesty of Allah swt, when he did not think of anything other than Allah swt and when he was immersed in the sea of the light of Allah swt.

So that he and the entire universe are felt to have disappeared, all he feels at that time is that he is with Allah swt, like a corpse in front of his bath, so that he does not move unless he moves him. The point is that at that moment he has disappeared from the universe as a whole. All that is before him is Allah swt alone.

This situation is as described by a poet: “A young man who is so lost in his confusion that his name and the name of his beloved are lost to his memory. Time passes, but he does not know the count, for he is constantly savoring the saliva of his virgin lover.”

A person who experiences this feeling forgets all of the universe, he cannot get out of his state, so that whatever happens to him only Allah handles it and takes care of it. Such a person has been released from the burden of the obligations of sharee’ah, because his mind and heart at that time no longer have any feelings.

The adepts of the essence are eager for such transience to come and if possible to be continuous, because such transience can detach a person from all association with his humanity which causes him to be unable to witness divine secrets. If it comes to a person for a long time, then he will witness amazing problems and at the end he will be completely cut off from the universe. This stage will be given to special people, those who no longer have the slightest hope of lust.

A graduate strives to reach this level by training himself and striving hard in accordance with the guidance of the Qur’an and as-Sunnah. A person who pretends to have reached the level of mortality like the experts is deceiving himself, because in this way he is likely to neglect the rights of Allah and the rights of people.

This is because the expert has no desire from this world and does not fear anyone, does not want to receive thanks or rewards from anyone because he has motivated all his virtues for Allah swt alone and he has no other desire except to mortalize himself in the Divine sea. It should be noted that a person who is mortal in the Divine sea, then he only concentrates completely on Allah swt, not caring in the least about His creatures.

One who has reached the level of baga’or immortality and he will not reach this level unless he has dissolved in the divine ocean. He sees everything with the gaze of Allah swt, everything is given its due and placed in its place, and he fulfills each of its rights perfectly. Whether it is the right of Allah swt or the right of His creatures, he is not the least bit distracted from Allah swt and he is not concealed from his position.

There are times when a person who has reached the level of fana’ shows signs of being a baga’ expert, and vice versa. In fact, his state is unconscious, so there are times when you see those who have reached the level of baga’ narrating the state of those who are in the mortal state, as the story of ash-Shaykh Abul Hasan ash-Shadzili is told when he was in a gathering.

He said: “We love nothing but Allah.” Until someone said to him: “Verily your grandfather said: “Verily the heart of man will love one who has done him good.”

Then al-Imam Abul Hasan said: “Verily, we do not see anyone who can see goodness except Allah, and if there is someone who does good, then he is like a mirage, you see him good, but if you examine him, then you will not find any good in him.

This means that he always cares for the creatures. To feel that there is no one who does good, except only Allah, is not easy and even difficult to express. But a person who has reached the level of baga’, then this feeling is not difficult for him to express.

When a Sufi has to accept something from the hand of another, he should do so based on knowledge and manners both physically and mentally. The external knowledge is that you should not accept anything except what is permissible according to sharee’ah.

The inner knowledge is that you should not accept something that you do not need, except with the intention of giving it back to someone else without the slightest desire to possess it. The meaning of desire is something that you hope for and want to get from a certain place. This is one of the mental manners, and if one practises it, then it is good.

According to psychology, one must believe that Allah swt is the ultimate Giver. He gives gifts to a person, and He also inspires him to extend his gifts to others. Any good that one does is essentially for oneself.

So ask me: “When a person feels that whatever kindness he receives from a person is all from Allah, then should he only look favorably upon that person or should he look favorably upon Allah as well? Even so, do not forget to thank and pray for those who have done you good.

This is because Allah swt commanded you to thank them, and Allah swt also made them to do good to you. Therefore, Allah swt appreciates their kindness and Allah swt tells you to appreciate their kindness as well. From the above you can know the etiquette of accepting gifts from people according to the experts in mortality, the experts in baga’ and the experts in suluk, so pay close attention and practice it.

Doing good to the yaqin

The author of al-Quut al-Quluub said: “If you happen to be able to do good to one of the yagin, then do good for him, even though it is possible that he will not thank you nor will he pray for you. For, he cannot see you, but his belief is more beneficial to you and weighs more on your scales of virtue than his thanking you and his prayers for you.”

The virtue of reciting Surah al-Wagi’ah

I was once asked about the virtue of reciting Surah al. Wagi’ah. You should know that there is a narration that reciting Surah al-Wagi’ah every night protects the person who recites it from begging people, which would make him despicable in this world and tarnish his honor.

Ibn Mas’ud was once asked when the time of his death was near: “Why have you left your sons in a state of poverty?” Ibn Mas’ud replied: “I did not leave my sons in a state of poverty, because I have left them a wealth, namely suratal-Wagi’ah.”

The specificity of the surahs or verses of the Qur’an, and the dhikr and prayers of the Prophet are widely known, all of which are found in the books of the sunnah. al-Imam Ghazali once compiled the Kitab adz-Dzahab al-Ibriz Fi Khawashil Kitabil al-Azis, in which it contains the specificity of the surahs or verses of the Qur’an, and the dhikr and prayers of the Prophet Muhammad:

Although the specificity of reciting Surah al-Wagi’ah and other similar surahs may bring benefits and ward off worldly harm, it should not taint the practitioner’s practice and his intention. Rather the person should recite them for the sake of gaining virtue in the Hereafter.

A person who does not need the help of others is a good intention. A believer who understands, does not want to throw away his need for people’s help because he wants to be proud, but he wants to free himself from various vices in his religion. This is because there are many people who need the help of others who are subjected to various trials.

For this reason, the saints of Allah swt always seek Allah swt’s protection from such trials in order to safeguard their weak selves when facing trials that they do not want to face. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to seek Allah’s protection from poverty and illness. As the Prophet Muhammad said:

Meaning: “Often poverty causes one to become a disbeliever.”

Because trials afflict people, what we get is complaining, despair and disappointment. In this regard, Ash-Shaykh Sofyan ats-Tsauri said: “I am not sad because of the calamities that befall me, but I fear becoming a disbeliever when I am tried by a calamity.”

Indeed, the most perfect man is when he is content with the decree of his Lord, satisfied with his knowledge and surrenders to the will of his Lord without regard to his own efforts.

A wise man said: “In Surah al-Wagi’ah there is a secret, which can strengthen confidence, tranquility, and peace of mind whether you get pleasure or not, because Allah swt begins and ends the content of the Surah with the story of the Day of Resurrection and the levels of people on that day.”

Whoever contemplates the contents of the Surah carefully, then he will take lightly all the difficulties that exist in the world. The Surah also explains the origin of man, who was made from a tiny drop of water. It also explains the origin of plants and water, both of which are the most important sources of human life.

Therefore, humans are commanded to think carefully about the occurrence of both. Because they are not able to make it, so they believe that the Almighty and the One who manages things is only Allah SWT. If a person is convinced that the one who created the entire universe and who fulfills the needs of His creatures is Allah swt, then his heart will be calm and he will motivate his life only to serve Allah swt.

Reading useful letters

If a person continuously recites some of the surahs of the Qur’an and recites various kinds of dhikr and prayers, it is promised that it will bring him considerable benefits. But if you do not see any signs of it, then do not doubt the promise of Allah swt for a moment.

It is better for him to check himself first, whether his heart can be concentrated on Allah swt when he is reading or not. This is because there are many people who recite, but their hearts wander elsewhere, so the benefits of their recitation are not apparent at all.

The main requirement for the benefit to come from reading a surah in the Qur’an or dhikr or prayer is the concentration of the reader’s heart on Allah swt. And no less important is that he firmly believes that whatever he has read will be granted by Allah swt. And he should be kind to Allah swt while concentrating his heart only on Allah swt.

Apparently, these various aspects are rarely summarized in humans who are reciting verses of the Qur’an or when reciting dhikr to get something. Instead, they assume that Allah swt does not fulfill their desires.

You should know that this kind of person shows that he has very low morale, weak activity and no willpower. Such a person does not deserve to be criticized except for himself. And Allah swt does no injustice to His servants.

Hearing stanzas of poetry

I was asked about a man who, when he hears poetry, his spirit is stirred and he feels tired, so should he attend a gathering where poetry is heard or not?

Know that listening to poetry is quite dangerous, so the Qutub ar-Rabbani al-Habib Abdullah ibnu Abubakar al-Aydrus said: “There are times when Allah guides a man because he heard a line of poetry sung by a man, and there are times when Allah misguides a thousand men because of it.”

What needs to be clarified here is the effect of the poems that are recited. The poems should evoke positive and righteous feelings and be free from the influence of lust, so it is not permissible to listen to poems except for the sake of knowledge.

The best poetry is that which has a positive effect, such as when one hears verses from the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet and good advice. The good effect of listening to poetry or beautiful songs is praiseworthy, so long as it is closely related to religious matters, or if it is not, then it is permissible or permissible, so long as it does not go beyond the limits of permissibility.

What we have mentioned here is poetry that is soothing to the listener. Apart from that, there are many religious books that explain the ruling on listening to songs, especially the books of Ihya’ and al-‘Awarif. But if a person has the positive results that we have mentioned, and he fears that he may be exaggerating with others when he hears them, then it is better for him not to attend gatherings where songs are played.

If he is not afraid of that, but hearing it does not benefit him in any way, such as increasing his longing for Allah, or increasing the frequency of his worship of Him, then not attending is better for him, because it is not good for anyone to waste his time.

But if his presence brings benefit to him and to his religion, then he may weigh the costs and the good and bad. In any case, the Sages do not forbid anyone from wasting his time or straining his body in order to cleanse his heart and calm it. This is more important to them than gaining any other benefit.

Knowing something

I was once asked about the saying of al-Imam al-Ghazali: “Knowing something is different from knowing something.”

Be aware that the statement is actually clear. But to make it easier to understand, we will try to make an example. You know that only Allah swt created you and everything. That is what is meant by knowing something. Then you know all of Allah swt’s creations that were created for you, which is what is meant by knowing something.

Ash-Sheikh Khalil ibn Ahmad said: “There are four kinds of men: First, there is the man who understands, but he knows that he understands. That is the one who is knowledgeable, so follow him.

Secondly, there is the man who understands, but he does not know that he understands. That is the one who sleeps, so wake him up.

The third is the man who does not understand, but knows that he does not understand. That is the one who asks for guidance, so guide him.

The fourth is a man who does not understand, but he does not know that he does not understand. That is the one who is ignorant, so avoid him.”

The link between science and conditions and the link between conditions and levels

I was once asked about what Imam al-Ghazali said: “Knowledge leads to conditions and conditions lead to levels.” Is that opinion correct? Because there are those who disagree with him.

It should be noted that this is the main view of Imam al-Ghazali, and even if some people disagree with it, that does not override it. The explanation of this opinion is known as the level of belief, so that other levels can be compared to it

It should be noted that zuhud is a noble virtue, the sources of which are the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the words of the salafunassalihin, who condemned this world and those who are greedy for it, and praised those who turn away from this world and devote their attention to the Hereafter, so that their hearts become zuhud of this world and hope for great pleasures in the Hereafter.

The first is knowledge and the effect is a state. As for the sign, it is the reluctance of our limbs to accept all forms of pleasure in this world and our willingness to gain pleasure in the Hereafter by multiplying righteous deeds.

Furthermore, there are times when this influence is hindered by misgivings from the devil and the lusts that incline a person towards the pleasures of this world, so that for a while he hesitates, and there are times when he is in a weakened state, or there are times when his misgivings disappear for part of the time, which is called a state.

But, if his feelings are settled and the roots are firm in his heart and his will does not waver in the slightest, so that he does not want to get any of the pleasures of the world, then at that time it is called magam or level, which in other words says that knowledge can lead to states and states can lead to maqam or level.

And for both of them there are certain signs that can prove whether they are true or false. The signs are seen in outward behavior, which is usually called practice, and it grows out of knowledge, but it is closely related to outward behavior, so that it can be distinguished between it and the situation.

The compiler of Kitab al-‘Awaarif mentioned that states are the beginning of stages, and if a person’s level of belief has been established, then he has reached a higher level than what he had reached at the previous time, so be aware of that.

It should also be noted that states have two parts, the first as we have explained earlier. The second is any gift that comes to the luminous heart as a result of controlling the passions and striving hard, such as the onset of tranquility, fana, love-struckness and meeting.

These states cannot be attained by knowledge, but can only be attained by various good deeds filled with concentration and the right intention. al-Imam al-Ghazali did not intend to explain the states that the Sufis often talk about, namely the second part of the state.

Conditions for doing good deeds

I was once asked about the saying of al-Imam al-Ghazali: “To do good deeds, it is not enough to know that they are good deeds. Rather, it is necessary to know the timing of its performance, its discipline, and its requirements.”

What is meant by time is the time that has been determined for doing good deeds. For example, praying Fajr prayer at Fajr time, fasting Ramadan during the month of Ramadan, and performing Hajj during the months of Hajj.

What is meant by discipline is the provision of doing a good deed in accordance with a predetermined order, such as what should come first and what should come last. For example, if a person wants to pray, he must first purify himself; if both are done without regard to the order, then both are invalid. So order is obligatory for all good deeds. And the ruling on time and order for good deeds is clear.

The requirements according to al-Imam al-Ghazali are knowledge that is closely related to the implementation of all good deeds and is closely related to their perfection. For example, a sane mind is a requirement that must be met for the validity of a person’s faith and Islam.

These are the conditions that must be fulfilled for the validity of performing all obligations and refraining from all prohibitions, as well as for good deeds that are Sunnah. The most important thing in this matter is to purify the intention from all riya’, so that the good deeds performed will increase the savings in the Hereafter.

Inner feelings and their sanctions

I was once asked about what al-Imam al-Ghazali said about feelings in the heart and their consequences. Actually this issue is clear. It can be explained globally that as long as the feeling in the heart is undecided, whether it is good or bad? Then it will not bring reward or punishment, until there is a definite determination. That is when the orientation of the reward is established.

The feeling in the heart that al-Imam alGhazali talks about in this chapter is not different from what he says at the end of al-Khauf. There he mentions that in the hearts of people there are various bad traits, such as pride, riya’, envy and any trait similar to it.

All of which will be seen in a frightening light after he dies, because he is tormented by them. This problem will be experienced by one who has not had time to cleanse the various bad stains in his heart until his death comes.

If the feeling in the heart mentioned in the Book of al-Khauf is indeed the same as the one we mentioned in this chapter, then there is no difficulty in that, because the feeling in the heart is something that vibrates in the soul, then advances and retreats in the chest until it reaches its peak, but there are times when it recedes before that.

These vices, which are mentioned in the Book of al-Khauf, are all traits that can destroy a person, and they often arise in a person’s heart, and they are all major sins that cause punishment to come sooner or later. From this it is possible to distinguish between the bad qualities that exist in the heart and the feelings that are stirred in the heart.

If the above is the answer to your question, then I thank Allah swt. But if not, then send us the information contained in the Book of Khauf that you do not understand, so that we can give you the answer.

Speech, mind, and heart

I have also been asked about what al-Imam al-Ghazali said in Kitab Asrar at-Tilawah: “The tongue is the giver of advice, the intellect is the interpreter and the heart is the receiver of influence.”

What al-Imam al-Ghazali said is clear. The task of the tongue is to express a series of sentences that contain meaning, while the intellect digests it, then channels it into the heart, and it is the heart that acts as the recipient of influence. In this case, the intellect acts as a vizier who acts as a translator, because it is between the tongue and the heart.

The problem he mentions is for Ashabul Yamin, people who are able to absorb the meaning of the Qur’an while it is being read and afterward.

While the mugarrabin, they can understand the meaning of the Qur’an before the Qur’an is read, because the meaning of the Qur’an has been firmly entrenched in their hearts and it is always with them, whether the Qur’an is read or not.

Using the bounty of Allah swt for immorality

I was also asked about what al-Imam al-Ghazali said about someone who uses the bounties of Allah swt for sin: The truth is that wishing for the withdrawal of favors from someone does not arise out of envy, but out of jealousy of Allah swt.

It should be noted that what al-Imam al-Ghazali said is correct, but it would be better if one hopes for the removal of blessings from a person who likes to sin, and asks for guidance for him, so that he is grateful for the blessings of Allah and uses them for good things.

From the very beginning, we have mentioned the story of Dzan Nun that he saw a group of people in a boat, they wanted to go somewhere and they wanted to witness the cleansing of a person from sin by false means and avoiding the right. So he pleaded with Allah swt, so that they drowned. When asked why he did this, he said: “The testimony of the sea is better for them than a bad testimony.”

The above incident was also experienced by ash-Sheikh Ma’ruf al-Karkhi, when he was walking with his friends on the banks of the Tiqris river. In that place they saw a group of people getting drunk and having fun on a boat. So as-Sheikh Ma’ruf’s friends said to him: “O shaykh, pray to Allah for them.”

So he raised his hands and prayed: “O Allah, as You made them happy in this world, make them happy in the hereafter.” Hearing this prayer, his friends asked: “If you pray for them like that, surely they will repent.” So with the permission of Allah swt, they came to ash-Sheikh Ma’ruf al-Karkhi and expressed their repentance respectively.

What Ash-Shaykh Ma’ruf did was quite a noble act, because he was compassionate towards the sinners, even though he was a wali of Allah swt who had a great position with Him.

What al-Imam al-Ghazali mentions about ash-Shaykh Ma’ruf above shows how much jealousy he had for Allah swt, even though he was known to be strict in religion.

Know that there are two kinds of jealousy: The first is the jealousy of a person for his Lord, which is when the prohibitions of Allah swt are violated by others and His rights are disrespected, so he is angry for the sake of Allah swt. This kind of person always enjoins the good and forbids the evil, and hates the perpetrators of injustice and likes to pray for them, as did Allah’s Prophet Noah and Allah’s Prophet Musa (peace be upon them).

The second type of jealousy is jealousy of one’s own possessions and not wanting anyone else to share them with him, such as a man who has a wife. This kind of jealousy is sometimes too aggressive, so that a person can make unkind accusations against others, for example, he is jealous in matters of knowledge, worship, position, and sometimes he has resentment and hatred towards those who have advantages, of course, this kind of jealousy is not commendable.

As for jealousy for the sake of Allah swt, it is the feeling of anger that arises in a person when he sees the rights of Allah swt being violated by someone, for example when he sees others worshiping other than Allah swt and committing sin against him, and there are times when he feels jealous for the sake of Allah swt when he sees someone else who has the characteristics of Allah swt, such as arrogance, majesty, glory and the like that do not deserve to be owned by anyone other than Allah swt.

Good dreams

I was once asked about a good dream that al-Habib Ali Zainal Abidin bin Abdullah al-Aydrus had spoken.

It should be noted that a good dream is a part of prophethood, ja has special signs, it has a certain realm, namely the realm of barzah, between the realm of inner revelation and the realm of outer consciousness. A good dream is a good news that is shown to a saint just as it was shown to the Prophet before he was sent, but not all dreams are of this nature, in fact it may be said that this rarely happens to a person who has not reached the senior level.

There are times when a good dream is seen by a person who has not reached a senior level, but the devil intervenes in it, so that the good dream is mixed with a bad dream, making it difficult to understand its contents and difficult to interpret. If a person is under the control of Satan when he sleeps, Satan will influence his dreams, hear his words and understand them, even though he is asleep.

A good dream will not adversely affect the health of the dreamer, provided that his mental outlook is healthy. But if his mental outlook is sick, then the dreams will have a bad effect on him, especially if he is suffering from broncitis and damaged bile, and he may even see things in a form that contradicts his real condition.

Imam al-Ghazali said that a person who likes to talk to himself in his heart about something impossible, his tongue also often mentions something that is not good, or believes in something he has seen or shown him, then it is difficult for him to believe in the truth of a good dream.

This is the final part of the answer to all your questions, and although it is short, it is clear enough to understand. For the best speech is the shortest but the most understandable.

In closing, we will try to briefly explain some of the poems by al-Habib Abubakar bin Abdullah Alaydrus Ba’alawi, which you asked me to explain at the beginning of this book. May Allah swt benefit us and all Muslims.

Cover.

In closing, here is an explanation of the verses of a very beautiful poem by al-Habib Abubakar bin Abdullah al-Aydrus: “Blowing soft winds of affection that are never bound and interrupted. In accordance with the mysteriousness of its ascension and knowledge cannot discuss it. For it is the result of conviction and the ladder of ascent to perfection.”

Explanation: Shaykh Abubakar ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Aydrus deliberately used the expression ‘gentle breeze’ to indicate a gentle breeze from Allah swt for His beloved ones, namely His guardians who are always occupied in seeking Allah swt with earnestness and manners at all times, in order to establish affection between them and Allah swt, because they always combine their love for Allah swt and forget all the pleasures of the world. ,

This love from Allah swt is a mysterious love for His saints because science cannot reveal it. This is because this love is the result of the belief that the saints of Allah swt have in the presence of their Supreme Lord, so that the form of their love cannot be known by reason or desire. So they receive Allah’s mercy in the form of kasyaf and musyahadah and promotion in the sight of Allah.

Furthermore: “So whoever follows closely in the footsteps of the saints, he will be guided and he will be a chosen servant.

Whoever does the virtuous deeds that are commanded and he does them with full conviction, then he will have heavenly pleasure as a result of his love.”

What is meant by ‘following’ in the above stanza of the poem is following the footsteps of the Messenger of Allah and the saints of Allah swt in their actions and speech and manners. Whoever follows their footsteps earnestly will be guided to Allah swt as mentioned in the words of Allah: “Whoever among them strives earnestly in Our way, We will guide them to Our Way.”

What is meant by the word ‘guidance’ in the above verse is mukasyafah or the revelation of the mysterious news of the unseen world. This will not be achieved except with cleanliness of heart. And the cleanness of the heart is to attain the essence of belief and the radiance of the help of closeness from the All-Powerful, the Mighty.

So the stage of getting guidance is higher in value, because it is the result of following the sunnah. While the cleanliness of the heart is higher in value, because it is the spirit and the goal. This cleanliness means that Allah swt cleanses His servant in order to recognize His Essence, His compassion and to give him insight into the greatness of His Essence and the purity of His attributes.

If a person has a clean heart, he will long for the Divine presence, and if he listens to poems that sing songs of love to Allah, the Most Merciful, he will look for a way that can convey himself to the Divine presence. The meaning of melazimi is to do everything that is commanded with full confidence, such as praying, giving alms, and the like, as well as practicing inner manners such as humility, zuhud, contentment, and the like.

Belief is pure and true faith, as mentioned earlier, and its place is in the heart. By His grace, Allah swt makes acts of worship and thinking about the creation of the heavens and the earth and other signs of Allah swt’s greatness as a bridge to achieving firm belief. If a person has firm conviction in his heart and he adorns himself with good deeds, he will attain the closest position in the sight of Allah swt, and he will attain the paradise of peace and enjoy the delights of the sight of Allah swt.

As for the fruit of wushul, it will be a rabbinical opening, peace, dialogue and communion with Allah, as well as other spiritual pleasures that are always longed for by the saints of Allah, and these are the pleasures that Allah, the Almighty, gives to His favored servants.

Then he said: “These are the true sciences, and their leaders are the best of men. Their belief is not tainted by any doubt, and their guidance is not tainted by any misguidance. They have followed the footsteps of their predecessors well, then they take it seriously and they witness its fruits and the impossible disappears.”

After ash-Sheikh Abubakar mentioned some of the gifts of Allah swt that are given to His saints in the form of mukasyafah and musyahadah, he ordered the servants of Allah swt to follow in their footsteps, so that they may receive guidance and other gifts of Allah swt. Then he explains the above stanza as follows: “These are the kinds of knowledge that are said to be realistic by those who are experts in their fields, who see things with the light (of Allah swt), and who go beyond the limitations of intellectual knowledge to mukasyafah, whose view of the essence is clearer than the discoveries of the intellect.”

Although scientists do not believe in the science of mukasyafah which cannot be digested by scientists due to the limitations of their way of thinking and they cannot prove the inner side of Sufi science, let alone research it, because of that ash-Shaykh al-Junaid said: “Believing in the knowledge of the mukasyafah that we have is one of the levels of clairvoyance.”

Then ash-Sheikh Abubakar praised the saints who had attained the knowledge of mukasyafah and musyahadah by saying: “They are luminaries, and they have succeeded in freeing themselves from the slavery of lust and they have removed all the stains in the heart and adorned it with praiseworthy qualities, and focused all their attention on the Divine presence outwardly by multiplying good deeds and inwardly by humbling their hearts to Allah. That is the nature of a pure Sufi.”

The Sufis are those who possess the praiseworthy qualities we mentioned above, viz: those who do not taint their beliefs with the slightest doubt and do not taint their guidance and good deeds with the slightest misguidance and falsehood. Therefore, they always suppress themselves and strive until their lusts are cleansed so that they acquire good knowledge and they receive guidance, so that they avoid being ignorant and misguided, because they have embraced the essence of Islam and faith, not just the outer shell.

They cannot embrace the essence of faith and Islam except after following the Shari’ah to the fullest, studying the sciences of faith and Islam, practicing them earnestly and educating their morals by suppressing their passions as much as possible.

This assumption is what ash-Shaykh Abubakar said with the phrase: “They truly follow in the footsteps of their elders….” This means that they studied the necessary knowledge and practiced it earnestly.

With regard to suppressing the passions and cleansing the soul, Ash: Shaykh Abubakar expresses it as follows: “And then they strive…” After they earnestly seek knowledge and practice it well, then their hearts are enlightened and their vision is opened, so that they can witness the mysterious realm of the malakut with mukasyafah and musyahadah, so that everything that is impossible can be eliminated.

He went on to say: “They have embraced the knowledge of certainty, then they have embraced ‘ainul certainty, and they have even embraced haqqul certainty without doubt. They are mortal from the universe, when they see the realm of musyahadah. They live after they die, when they witness the realm of musyahadah.”

It should be noted that the knowledge of certainty proves a firm faith that is supported by clear evidence. As for ‘ainul yagin, it is a higher level than the knowledge of certainty, because at this level a person does not need any evidence because the evidence is clear before the eyes.

As for the highest level of haqqul yagin, known as the science of mukasyafah, this knowledge is only given to senior saints and selected ‘arifs who inherit from the prophets and the as-Siddigin. And there is no need to doubt the truth of this matter, because the evidence is clear.

As for fana from the universe, it is a glorious state that Allah swt gives to His saints. This means that they dissolve themselves from the universe, so that they can witness their own nature and the mysteriousness of other worlds. The result of Yari transience is that one can witness the attributes of Allah swt, the Glorious and the True, if this happens, then all attitudes of himself and the Yam universe become lost and disappear, there is only the realm of Allah swt, the Glorious and the True.

When fana has been completely realized, the attributes of Allah swt will be clearly visible to the perpetrators, so that their spirits become sentient, their selves disappear they melt into the nature of the divinity that is the most perfect and they feel happy and happy to be in the presence of Allah swt and this feeling cannot be described as delicious and beautiful, because of that, this level is highly expected by the saints of Allah swt.

The pleasure and beauty in the presence of Allah swt that the saints of Allah swt feel was mentioned by ash-Syeikh Ibnul Farid in the following verses of his poem: “These are the nights that I have spent in my age with my lovers, I think of them as bridal nights. My eyes never blinked from looking at them and my heart never felt as cool as when I was with them. O heaven, you are abandoned by lust because of necessity, if only I had been

. not to get you back would I die of despair.”

Compiler of the above stanzas ash-Shaykh as-Suddi and the ‘arifin

others mentioned many stanzas of the poem we mentioned above.

This is the level given by Allah swt to His saints who are willing to strive for it. This level is the eternal level. From this level the ‘arifbillah will return to his community and invite them to go to Allah swt and behave like them, as a reflection to provide relevance between them and him, so that they can accept him.

This concept requires extensive information that contains many meanings, details and mysterious secrets that should not be disseminated in any book lest they fall into the hands of a non-expert, lest he claim that he has reached this level, and thus become misguided. Then the shaykh said: “Until their souls are cleansed of all impurities, so that their value cannot be measured by wealth. The universe submits to them and does not dispute their will, and they are undoubtedly the King, who can neither be shaken nor brought down.”

Ash-Shaykh Abubakar explains that they become mortal after witnessing the realm of musyahadah, i.e. after witnessing the presence of Ilah, which is the result of cleansing their passions from all taints and vices.

As an explanation, although a wali has tried his best to clean all the stains and ugliness of his heart, but the stains will remain, at some point his heart will lean towards the world, so the stains will return. Therefore, a person does not deserve to be a syeikh of a tariqah unless he has reached the level of fana and baqa”‘.

Purity here is pure gold and real gold. There is no impurity left in them. After the hearts of the ‘arifbillah have been purified from all stains and vices, so that their understanding, their knowledge and their manners cannot be valued with treasure, because treasure does not have the slightest value in the sight of Allah swt.

When their desires, wills and hopes have disappeared, and they have no desire other than the pleasure of Allah swt and closeness to Him, then that is when the entire universe is permitted by Allah swt to submit to him, because they submit to Allah swt.

Forever the universe will submit to its Creator. Whoever obeys Allah swt, then Allah swt will love him, when Allah swt has loved him, then the whole universe will submit to that person. In one of the words of Allah, it is mentioned:

Meaning: “O son of Adam. I am Allah who can make all things by My will, so obey Me so that you can make all things by My will”.

So whatever a ‘arifi billah wants and desires, will be realized with the permission of Allah swt. But because their desires have disappeared from their hearts, no desire arises from their hearts except that which is in accordance with the will of Allah swt. So this issue needs to be looked at carefully, because it is very complicated.

The point is that all the wishes of the arif billah are always returned to Allah swt, so that their wishes are always in accordance with the wishes and will of Allah swt. The submission of the entire universe to the guardians of Allah swt is something that is publicly known, based on mutawatir narrations. Whatever the saints of Allah swt desire will happen, in order to further strengthen their faith in Allah swt.

This kind of experience can also be experienced by the saints of Allah swt who have reached the level of fana. Only a few of them experience it, because their souls vanish and melt into transience and they have no connection whatsoever with the universe.

As for the saints of Allah swt who have reached the level of baga’ whose only occupation is to preach the way of Allah swt, such experiences rarely occur, because their desires are satisfied with the will of Allah swt and their connection with the universe has been severed, so they have no desire whatsoever.

But there are times when they are given permission to show their power to those who are weak in faith or to those who deny the power of Allah or to show the honor of Allah swt to His guardians.

If one were to command a mountain to crumble or wish for the waters of the sea to dry up, his wish would be granted by Allah’s permission. It should be noted that the saints of Allah never wanted karamah, they said: “The best of karomah is istigamah.”

This statement of theirs implies their indifference to karamah and suggests that they prefer to follow the footsteps of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) physically and mentally. No bun among them can attain karamah except after his nafs become very soft after suppressing it a lot and after they are able to keep all the secrets of Allah swt and after nafsh they do not have any desire.

Whoever of them receives the blessing before he has killed his lusts, the blessing given to him will be a trial for him, unless he is protected by Allah. And he has detached himself from any connection with the universe and from any pleasures, he is only occupied with drawing close to Allah, so that he has no connection with anything other than Allah.

He is like a king who does not need help and support from anyone, he is not afraid of being rivaled or pushed by anyone, like the rulers who are always afraid of being rivaled or pushed by the rioters. This is because the guardians of Allah swt are the rulers of the hereafter, while the rulers are the rulers of the earth.

The most noble king is when he has been able to eliminate all the desires of his lust and does not need help and support other than Allah, he has no desire for anything in this world or in the hereafter other than hoping for the pleasure of Allah and a close position in the side of Allah. This is the nature of the saints of Allah and their people are favored by Him. Allah is pleased with them and so are they. As mentioned in the words of Allah swt:

Meaning: “They are the party of Allah swt. Know, indeed, that the party of Allah swt are successful people”.

Ash-Shaykh Abubakar explains several aspects in short stanzas, but the content is quite dense. In these stanzas he explains the various gifts of Allah swt in the form of mukasyafah and musyahadah that are given to His guardians, as well as the gift of tagarub and the gift of transience.

He likened the guardians of Allah swt to the true rulers, the rulers who do not need anyone’s help and support and are not afraid of being rivaled or pushed by anyone. In addition, he also explained the tariqah’s journey to the path. In addition, he explains the tariqah journey to the path of Allah swt clearly from beginning to end, so that anyone who wants to follow the path of tariqah will find it easy to do so.

Then he ended his poem: “To conclude these stanzas of poetry then send your blessings on the Prophet, a man of perfect speech and behavior, and on his companions, the chosen ones, and on his family, the best of families.”

To conclude his explanation of the above stanzas, Ash-Sheikh Abubakar invites us to follow the Tariqah to the path of Allah swt that was taken by the saints of Allah swt, as described at length above.

He closed his statement by encouraging people who read the stanzas of the poem above to be diligent in sending salawat to the Prophet Muhammad. Because shalawat is the mercy and honor of Allah swt, for the Prophet, the Prophet who has a high position in His side.

To conclude his explanation, he encouraged us to be diligent in reciting salawat to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to let him know that whatever gifts he and the arif billah have received are the result of following in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because his speech and behavior are perfect. The Prophet’s speech was truthful, weighty, and free from false words, because Allah swt has explained to us that he did not utter a single sentence unless it was based on revelation from Allah swt.

Similarly, his actions were free from any blemishes and shortcomings, because he did not do anything or say anything except in accordance with the instructions and signals of Allah. So it is very fortunate whoever follows his footsteps and practices his sunnah. On the other hand, the one who refuses to follow his footsteps and does things that are not in accordance with his guidance and sunnah is very fortunate.

The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) were people who lived at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny); they believed in him, migrated with him, helped his religion, fought with him, and conveyed his teachings, both in their actions and their words. Because they possessed the noble qualities that we have mentioned above, there was no one like them; they were the chosen people and role models.

The Prophet’s family are his relatives who are closely related by blood and religion. They were the closest people to the Prophet and the most beloved to him. Allah swt obliges Muslims to love, love and respect them. They are purified by Allah swt from all bad things. They are therefore the noblest of families, as they are closely related to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is the noblest of creatures.

However, such honor will be of no use to them if they do not follow in the footsteps of the Prophet. This is because they are the closest people to him and the ones most obliged to follow in his footsteps. Whoever among them refuses to follow in his footsteps, then he is the most wretched person.

This is because they were the closest people to him. Just as honor and virtue will accrue to those who follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) well, so honor and virtue will be greater and more excellent for the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who are the best in good deeds.

O Allah… Grant us to follow the footsteps of Your Messenger perfectly, both his morals, his actions and his speech. Help us to do all that, guide us, grant us sincerity and earnestness in following his footsteps.

Turn us on and off in following his footsteps until You meet us with him in Your Paradise and You approve us in goodness and salvation, O Most Merciful and Most Compassionate One.

This concludes my review of the above stanzas of the poem by ash-Shaykh Abubakar. However, I do not claim that my commentary is exactly what the author intended. Rather it is a commentary of what I understand of it. If my commentary is suitable, then I am grateful to Allah swt. Otherwise, I hope that my commentary will benefit some people who pay close attention to it.

Furthermore, I freely admit that I do not understand much about the nature of the saints of Allah and their longing for Allah and their noble character.

And I also admit that my love for the saints of Allah swt is still sufficient, I want to follow in their footsteps and increase their number, and I am prejudiced against them, and I believe that they have attained the knowledge of mukasyafah and musyahadah.

I hope that Allah swt will include me with them and grant me the realization and love that is given to them. A hadith states:

Meaning: “Man will be with those he likes.”

In another hadith it is stated:

Meaning: “Whoever imitates the footsteps of a people is one of them.”

In another hadith it is stated:

Meaning: “Whoever increases the number of members of a people is one of them.”

Yet the stories of their journeys have disappeared, even their legacies are gone, so we struggle to find people like them. But that is the case. In this regard, Ash-Sheikh Abu Madyan once mentioned in his poems that originally meant the following: “There is no pleasure in life except associating with the waliwali of Allah swt…” He further mentioned the following:

“Know that the ways of the saints of Allah swt have become extinct, so what do you think if someone claims to be them today? When would I be able to see them, would it be possible for me to see them, or would my ears be able to hear stories about them. For who am I, if there is anyone like me who wants to compete with them in their places where I have never found dirt.

Indeed I love them, and I always miss them with tears in my eyes, especially some of them. They had noble manners, and wherever they sat, the fragrance of their footsteps would remain.

The science of tasawwuf has educated their character into a noble character, so that I cannot close my eyes at night after seeing them. They are my beloved and my love and they have a character to be proud of. I always want to be with them, may our sins be forgiven for loving them.”

This is the end of the book of Tthaaf as-Saail Bijawaabal-Masaail’, may Allah swt make this book a sincere deed, for the sake of Allah swt, the Glorious, as a means to get closer to His mercy and pleasure. May Allah swt forgive us for any unintentional actions that are contrary to the truth, that are inclined towards falsehood, or that are motivated by desire, such as riya’ and pretense.

Likewise, may Allah swt forgive those who caused the publication of this book, the readers, the writers, the listeners, our fathers and all our Muslim brothers.

O Allah, we testify that whatever gifts we have, physically and mentally, in this world and the Hereafter are from You, You are the One, there is no partner for You, only to You is all praise for all Your bounties and we seek Your protection from being deprived of Your bounties and inflicted with Your punishment.

We ask You, by Your mercy, have mercy on us, according to the extent of Your mercy and bounty, even though we do not deserve Your bounty, but we are sure that You have the right to bestow Your bounty. O Allah, bestow Your forgiveness and mercy upon us, for You are the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet and all Your messengers. Walhamdulillaahi Rabbil ‘Alamiin.

The writing of this book was completed at the beginning of Friday, the 15th of Muharram, 1072 AH.