Introduction

Ash-Shaikh al-Imam al-‘Alim al-‘Allamah al-Auhad Hujjatul Islam Abu Hamid Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad al-Ghazali ath-Thusi ra. said: all praise be to Allah who has burned the hearts of His lovers with the fire of love for Him.

Who fills their spirits and souls with longing to meet and witness Him. Who gives their eyes and consciences the ability to witness His beauty, until they are “drunk” because their souls have reached Him. Their hearts are so overwhelmed by His majesty and authority that they see nothing in this world but Him.

Though their eyes see images and forms that lead the eyes of their hearts to Allah: though their ears hear tunes that make their hearts run towards the Beloved, though they hear sounds that surprise or disturb, delight or sadden, thrill or yearn, nevertheless, their amazement is only for Him, their happiness only with Him, their anxiety only for Him, their sorrow only for Him, their longing only for what is at His side, and their zeal only for Him.

They do not come and go but around Him. Their hearing is from Him and they have heard Him, for their eyes and ears have been closed from other than Him. They are the ones whom He has chosen to be His beloved among His chosen and special ones.

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the one who was sent with His message, his family, companions, and leaders to the truth.

Furthermore, I wrote this treatise as a guide for the seekers of truth, and to help them in their path, inshallah. In writing it, I sought the help of Allah swt. to avoid shortcomings and mistakes. He is the Best Helper and Helper.

I have named this treatise “Raudhatut Thalibin wa Umdatus Salikin.” I ask Him to make this treatise useful. Verily, He is very near and answers prayers.

Introduction

Be aware that the creatures’ disconnection from Allah is due to their dependence on creatures, themselves, looking at charity, and deviating from the true faith through various desires that are the nature of every person’s lust.

This is also due to the love of position, wealth, the world, power, fame, wishful thinking, procrastination, miserliness, lust, pride, food and drink, clothing, their corrupt worldliness, and the control of their hearts by their lustful desires.

Ignoring the struggle against lust (mujahadatu an-nafs) also contributes to increasing lust and ignorance, adorning oneself for the sake of humans, behaving with despicable traits such as envy, jealousy, ignorance, foolishness, riya”, and hypocrisy.

In addition, neglecting mujahadatu an-nafs also causes the limbs such as the eyes, ears, tongue, hands, and feet to act out of obedience to Allah, resulting in laziness, negligence, and other things that can keep away from Allah swt.

He said,

“All of them will be held accountable.” (QS. al-Isra’ (17): 36)

Scope of the Study

This treatise consists of several sections, introductions and chapters. The first section deals with the foundations of religion: the second section deals with the meaning of manners; the third section deals with the meaning of suluk and tasawwuf; the fourth section deals with wushul and wishful thinking; the fifth section deals with the meaning of tawhid and makrifat; the sixth section deals with the soul, spirit, heart and intellect; the seventh section deals with the meaning of love (mahabbah); the eighth section deals with the meaning of peace with Allah; the ninth section deals with the meaning of shame (haya”) and muragabah; the tenth section deals with the meaning of gurb (closeness).

In addition, the book also discusses various other aspects, such as: the eleventh section, the glory of knowledge and the obligation to seek it; the twelfth section, the meaning of Asmaul Husna; the thirteenth section, believing and holding fast to the correct belief; the fourteenth section, the attributes of Allah swt.

Fifteenth section, the essence of sincerity: Sixteenth section, refutation of the possibility of committing minor sins for the Prophet; Seventeenth section, whispering and its types; Eighteenth section, the meaning of slipping of the tongue; Nineteenth section, guarding the stomach; Twentieth section, Satan and his tricks,

Section twenty-one, the things that must be guarded: Section twenty-two, the meaning of good and bad behavior; Section twenty-three, the meaning of thinking; Section twenty-four, the meaning of repentance; Section twenty-five, the meaning of patience; Section twenty-six, the meaning of khauf (fear): section twenty-seven, the meaning of raja” (hope), section twenty-eight, the meaning of fakir, section twenty-nine, the understanding of zuhudj: section thirty: the meaning of muhasabah:

Section thirty-one, the meaning of gratitude, section thirty-two, the meaning of tawakal: section thirty-three, intention, section thirty-four, the meaning of honesty, section thirty-five, the definition of ridha, section thirty-six, the prohibition of gossip, section thirty-seven, the meaning of futuwwah (generosity).

Section thirty-eight, the meaning of noble character: section thirty-nine, the meaning of qana’ah; section forty, the questioner; section forty-one, compassion towards Allah’s creatures; section forty-two, falling into the valley of sin; and section forty-three, a description of the prayers of those who are close to Allah.

Things Other Than Allah Become a Barrier from Him

Know that being with creatures and lust is a barrier from Allah swt. As for looking at one’s own actions, this is shirk, because all the actions of the slave should only be attributed to Allah, both in terms of creation and realization.

As for what is attributed to the servant, it is only his effort, so that he will be rewarded if he obeys Him and punished if he disobeys. When a slave depends on something that Allah, the Almighty, has created, it is called kasb (effort). This is because the ability of the slave is only when doing the work, not before. This is the view of Ahlus Sunnah.

Whoever attributes will and effort to himself belongs to the Qadariyah, and whoever denies will and effort to himself belongs to the Jabariyah. And whoever attributes the will to Allah and attributes the effort to the servant, then he is a Sunni and a straight Sufi.

Thus, this discussion requires a long dialog, but this is not the right place. We will discuss this issue soon, inshallah.

As for the deviation from the correct belief, it is due to the dominance of lust over the heart and fana tism towards the madhhab of the heretics. An imam said: “Many people were saved by the faith, even though their deeds were few. However, not a few perish because of the creed, even though their deeds are many. Love of position, wealth and the world is a deadly poison. Power and fame breed pride and plunge the servant into worldliness. They are the destroyers of religion.”

Another imam said, “I do not do a single deed that is witnessed by people, unless I give it up (for fear of riya’, ed).”

In addition, wishful thinking hinders good deeds and righteousness. Procrastination is one of Satan’s greatest soldiers. Miserliness, lust, and pride are things that destroy.

Unlawful food makes the heart dark and hard, and distances oneself from Allah swt. On the contrary, good (halal) food makes the heart bright and soft, and draws closer to Allah. This is as He says, “O you who believe, eat of the good sustenance We have given you.” (QS. al-Bagarah (2): 172)

The word ath-thayyibat (the good) in the above verse means halal food. Therefore, improve your food and drink. Do not neglect your night prayers and fasting during the day. Good food is the main foundation for a people’s journey.

If a person prays like a slave, it is useless as long as he does not know what goes into his stomach. The fastest person to cross the bridge of the Hereafter is the one who is most cautious of the world. Allah swt. says,

“O My servant, expose yourself that you may see Me, be wara’i that you may know Me, and be naked (from the world) that you may reach Me.”

And He said,

“As for those who are wara’, I am ashamed to torment them.”

One of the famous scholars said, “Hold fast to knowledge, hunger, humility, and fasting. For knowledge is the light that illuminates, and hunger is wisdom.” Abu Yazid al-Busthami once said, “Not a day did I fast for the sake of Allah, but I saw a door of wisdom in my heart that I had never seen before.”

Humility is tranquility and salvation, and fasting is an eternal trait that has no equal, as Allah says: “There is nothing like Him.” (QS. ash-Shura (42): 11)

Therefore, whoever wears these attributes will inherit knowledge, realization, and musyahadah (witnessing Allah).

In a hadith qudsi Allah says,

“Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except fasting. Indeed, fasting is for Me, and I am the one who rewards it.”

For Allah, the odor that comes out of the mouth of a fasting person is more fragrant than the aroma of myrrh. Meanwhile, the busyness of the world and the dominance of lust in the heart will give birth to all despicable traits. So, there is no hope of drawing near to Allah as long as these despicable traits are not replaced with praiseworthy traits.

A scholar said, “As long as a slave is still defiled by other than Allah, he does not deserve to come close and be with Him before purifying the heart from other than Him.” Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “If the heart is pure, it will not be full of recitation of the Qur’an. For, with that purity, the heart will rise to witness the Speaker (Allah). There is nothing else.”

Know that everything other than Allah is a barrier from Him. Were it not for the darkness of the universe, the light of the Unseen (Allah) would surely appear. If it were not for the fitnah of lust, all veils would be revealed.

If not for the obstacles, the whole essence would have been revealed. Were it not for the ills of the self, the power of Allah would be apparent. Were it not for covetousness, His love would have been pierced through.

If there were no eternal parts, longing would have burned the spirit. If man is not far from Him, surely God can be witnessed. So, when the veil is lifted, the causes will be revealed. All obstacles will disappear by breaking these bonds.

You see the secret

long hidden from you the morning has dawned After you became the skin you were the heart’s barrier to the secrets of the Unseen.

If it were not for you, that heart’s end would not be your character if you were far away from it, it would be occupied on the shoulders of the kashf protected by its tents comes the talk that is not boring to listen to, its Natsr and nazham appeal to us

Another scholar said, “If Allah wills evil for a slave, He will close the door of charity and open the door of laziness for him.”

Once, a man came to Mu’adh and said, “Tell me about two people. First, the one who is earnest in worship, does a lot of deeds, and sins little, but his belief is weak and is always shrouded in doubt.”

Mu’adh replied, “His doubts will certainly diminish his deeds.”

“Then secondly, tell me about someone who has few deeds, many sins, but a strong belief,” the man continued. Mu’adz was silent.

A moment later he said, “By Allah, if the first man’s doubts wiped out his good deeds, then surely the second man’s belief will wipe out all his sins.” Then Mu’adz took his hand and said, “I have never met anyone who understands religion better than this man.”

The practice of Abu Yazid al-Busthami

Abu Yazid al-Busthami (peace be upon him) said, “I spent 12 years honing myself, five years polishing the mirror of the heart, and one year looking between the two. It turned out that there was a bond in me, and for 50 years I worked to break it. I looked for ways to break it. I had a revelation. I saw that all beings are corpses. Then, I recited takbir four times for them.”

This expression implies – only Allah knows best – that Abu Yazid tried to do mujahadatu an-nafs (fight against lust), removing the stains and impurities of lust and the traits that surround it, such as ujub, pride, greed, envy, jealousy, and others that are the habits of lust.

He also tries to eliminate them by putting his lust into the furnace of Allah’s threat. He beats them with the hammer of commands and prohibitions until he is exhausted. He thought his lust was clean, then looked at the mirror of sincerity of his heart.

It turns out, there are still hidden shirk, such as riya, looking at charity, calculating rewards and punishments, and expecting karamah and gifts. This is shirk in sincerity for the khawash. This is the bond that Abu Yazid was referring to and trying to break earlier.

That is, Abu Yazid tried to cut off the lust and “wean” it from all hindrances and obstacles. He turned away from creatures, to the extent that he “killed” all his lusts that were still alive, and brought his dead heart to life. He did so until he was firmly established in only the Oidam and considered none other than Him. At that time, he makes four takbirs for the creatures and runs to Allah al-Hagg.

The phrase, “I say four takbirs for them,” means that every dead person is recited four takbirs. In addition, there are four things that hinder creatures from Allah: lust, desire, Satan, and the world. So, he extinguishes his lusts and desires and expels the devil and the world. He also recites takbir for everything that has died from him once, because He is the Greatest. Anything other than Him is lowly and small.

Next, understand that you will not reach the position of closeness (to Allah) before breaking six hindrances:

First, preventing the limbs from disobeying the Shari’ah; second, preventing the lusts from habit; third, preventing the heart from the pleasures of lust; fourth, preventing the sirri (mind) from the stains of character; fifth, preventing the spirit from the smoke of the senses; sixth, preventing the intellect from illusory imaginations.

From the first hindrance, you will be able to reach the Sources of wisdom in the heart. From the second hurdle, you will know the secret of the laduni sciences. From the third hurdle, the signs of the munajat of the Malakut will appear to you. The lights of munazalat gurbiyyah (closeness to Allah) will appear before you at the fourth hurdle.

Then, at the fifth hurdle, the full moon of the witnessing (musyahadah) of love will appear before you. And from the last hurdle, you will descend to the gardens of purity (hadhrah qudsiyyah). Here, witnessing the softness of peace, you “vanish” from sensory things.

If Allah wills to choose you, He will give you a sip from the cup of His love. But with that drink, you thirst even more. With the taste of the drink, you long for more. The more you want to draw near, the more restless you become.

Had this drunkenness overtaken you, you would have been amazed. If you have been amazed, then you will be bewildered. Here you are the (desiring) disciple. Whenever your confusion persists, He will take and withdraw you from yourself, so that you remain in a state of majlub and majdzub. That is when you become the murad (the desired one).

When your Essence has fana” (vanished) and your attributes are annihilated, and you too have fana” from your fana’an because of His immortality, then He grants you the garment “With Me he hears and with Me he sees.” He becomes your controller and protector.

If you speak, you speak with His speech, if you see, you see with His light, if you move, it is because of His ability, and if you hit, it is because of His strength.

Here, there is no more dualism or distance. If your feet are firm and your mind is steady, then your drunkenness disappears.

I say, If your love has overpowered you, and your boundaries have exceeded the boundaries of silence, then you will also say, In the first condition you become a person who has a firm position (mutamakkin), and in the second you become a person who is constantly changing (mutalawwin). At this point, understanding will be at a loss to unravel the symbol of this discussion.

Part One : The Foundation of Religion

In summary, the two sentences of the shahada contain affirmations about the Essence of Allah, His attributes, His deeds, the truth of the Prophet Muhammad, and the building of faith based on the four foundations below:

The first foundation is the knowledge of Allah, which includes ten principles: the knowledge of Allah’s existence, His attributes of gidam and baga, and that He is neither substance, matter, nor accidents. He is not limited by a direction, does not stay in a place, and He is All-Seeing and One.

The second foundation is recognizing the attributes of Allah swt. which consists of ten principles: recognizing that Allah is Living, All-Knowing, Omnipotent, Willing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Speaking, Truthful in conveying news, pure from new things, and His attributes are kadim.

The third foundation is recognizing Allah’s deeds, which revolves around ten principles: the deeds of the servant are Allah’s creation, the result of His will, they are something that is attempted (muktasab),

He is the Giver of gifts to creatures, He has the right to impose the burden of Shari’ah (taklif) beyond their ability, He may harm creatures, He is not obliged to pay attention to what is more beneficial, there is no obligation except on the basis of Shari’ah, the sending of the prophets (peace be upon them) is ja’is (permissible), and the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) supported by various miracles is certain.

The fourth foundation, matters that are only heard (samiyyat) includes ten principles, the day of the gathering of creatures (hasyr), the day of resurrection (nasyr), the punishment of the grave, the questioning of Munkar and Nakir, the shirat, the creation of heaven and hell and the rulings of the Imamate.

Part two: adab

NABI MUHAMMAD SAW. said,

“My Lord has educated me, so He educated me well.”

Adab is both inner and outer education. If a servant’s mind and body are clean, he will become a civilized Sufi. Whoever makes it a habit to follow the Sunnah manners, Allah illuminates his heart with the light of realization.

There is no magam (position) more noble than following the beloved, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), in carrying out his commands, deeds, and manners, and behaving according to his manners, whether in speech, action, determination, or intention.

The act of justice between Allah and the servant lies in three things: asking for help, effort, and manners. The servant asks for help, Allah helps him to repent. The servant tries, Allah helps him to repent. And I behave with good manners: Allah is the one who gives karamah (honor).

Whoever behaves with the manners of the righteous deserves the expanse of karamah. Whoever has the manners of the saints deserves the expanse of gurbah (closeness to Allah): whoever has the manners of the shiddigun deserves the expanse of musyahadah (witnessing Allah), whoever has the manners of the prophets deserves the expanse of uns (Allah’s mercy) and inbisath (His ease).

On the contrary, whoever is blocked from adab, means that he has been fortified from all goodness, whoever is not educated with the orders and upbringing of the teachers, then he is not civilized with the Book and Sunnah.

“THE ACT OF JUSTICE BETWEEN ALLAH AND THE SLAVE LIES IN THREE THINGS: ASKING FOR HELP, EFFORT, AND MANNERS.”

Whoever does not behave with the adab of the beginner salik (ahli bidayah), how can he claim to have the magam of the peak achievers (ahli nihayah). Whoever does not know Allah will never approach Him, and whoever is not civilized by His commands and prohibitions is far from being civilized.

The adab of khidmah (devotion to Allah) is not to look at the khidmah, but to look totally at the One who made him do the khidmah, namely Allah swt.

It is through obedience that a servant reaches Paradise, and it is through adab that he reaches Allah. In addition, monotheism is a necessity that has consequences for faith.

So, whoever does not have faith does not have tawhid. And faith is a necessity that gives rise to the consequences of Shari’ah. Therefore, whoever does not have sharia has neither faith nor tawhid.

Shari’ah, on the other hand, is also an obligation that gives rise to the consequence of manners. Therefore, whoever does not have manners does not have Shari’ah, faith, or Tawheed.

Leaving adab is a factor that causes one to be “expelled”. Whoever does not behave with good manners while on the carpet of honor will be returned to the palace gate. Whoever is uncivilized at the gates of the palace will be returned to the rule of creeping animals.

The most beneficial manners are to study the religion, to be abstinent from the world, and to know your obligations towards Allah swt. If a person who has attained mastery abandons manners towards Allah, he will perish with the perishing.

It is said, there are three things with which one will not be estranged (ghurbah): avoiding doubters, good manners, and refraining from harm. Most of the manners of the worshiper are to purify the passions, educate the limbs, maintain the boundaries (commands and prohibitions), and abstain from lust.

While the manners of most specialized people (khawash) are purifying the heart, keeping secrets (asrar), keeping promises, keeping time, ignoring whispers, good etiquette in the process of seeking (thalab), and perpetuating the presence of the heart in the presence of Allah (hudhur).

So, whoever forces his nafs to follow adab is the one who worships Allah sincerely.

Some say, this is ma’rifatul yagin (knowing Allah without the slightest doubt). Others say it is based on Allah’s words in a Qudsi Hadith,

“Whoever I want to keep My asmas and attributes, I require him to be in adab. Whoever desires to reveal the essence of My Essence, I oblige him to attain destruction. So which do you prefer, adab or corruption? Whoever is not civilized to time, then his time is wrath. If the student does not follow adab, he will return to where he was.”

Once upon a time, Abu “Ubaid al-Oasim bin Salam said, “I entered the city of Mecca and sat on the terrace of the Ka’bah. I slept leaning against the wall of the Ka’bah and stretched out my legs.

Then, “Aisha al-Makkiyah came to me and said, O Abu “Ubaid, it is said that you are a man of knowledge, so take my word for it, do not come near the Ka’bah except with adab. Otherwise your name will be removed from the list of those who are close (ahl al-gurb).”

Abu “Ubaid also said, “‘A’ishah was one of the masters of makrifat.” Another Sufi said, “Stick to adab, both outwardly and inwardly. Whenever one behaves badly outwardly, one will be punished outwardly, and whenever one behaves badly inwardly, one will be punished inwardly.”

Adab is bringing out what is entrenched in potential and temperament, into action. This happens to people who have a pious character.

Character or sajiyah is an act of Allah. Man has no power to create it, like the creation of fire in a log. It is purely Allah’s doing. Man’s only contribution is to make an effort to bring out the fire.

Thus, adab comes from good character and divine grace. When the hearts of Sufis are prepared by Allah with perfect characters, then with good practice and training, they can bring out what is in the soul into action, while keeping the concentration that it is Allah’s creation.

As such, they are among the civilized and educated (muhadzdzah).

Manners of Ahlul Hadhrah Ilahiyyah towards Ahlul Qurb

All manners are received from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) because he is the place where manners, both physical and mental, are gathered. Allah swt. has informed about the quality of his manners while in hadhrah (i.e. when he was in Sidratul Muntaha with Jibril, ed) with His words,

“His vision did not turn away from what he saw nor did it go beyond it.” (QS. an-Najm (531:17))

This is one of the obscure manners (ghamidh), which only the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had. In addition, Allah swt. has also informed about the straightness of his pure heart in “turning away” and “welcoming”.

He turned away from other than Allah and faced only Him. He left the whole earth and the land of the world with all its parts: the whole sky and the land of the Hereafter with all its parts. He never regretted what he lost by turning away from it all. Allah, the Almighty, says: “So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you.” (QS. al-Hadid (57): 23)

The context of the above verse is general. The phrase ” ” is a notification of the Prophet’s condition with a specific nature, taken from the meaning of the verse which is intended to be general. Thus, the phrase ” ” is his condition in terms of turning away (from the world and the Hereafter and its contents).

While in the state of welcoming, he received what was conveyed to him with all his heart and soul, in a place as close to Gabriel as the two ends of an arrow bow or closer. Then, he ran from Allah out of shame, reluctance and respect.

He placed himself in the folds of weakness and poverty, so that his lusts would not be free and transgress. This is because overstepping the limits while being in a state of sufficiency is the nature of lust, as Allah says: “Behold, man has indeed overstepped the limits. For he sees himself as sufficient.” (QS. al-‘Alag (961: 6-7))

When the mawahib comes to the spirit and heart, lust steals a listen. If it gets even a small share

“WHOEVER IS DEPRIVED OF ADAB IS DEPRIVED OF ALL GOOD.”

of grace, then it feels that it has had enough, so it transgresses. From this overstepping comes the squandering of the abundance.

Meanwhile, overindulgence in spaciousness will close the door to more spaciousness. The act of overstepping occurs because of the narrowness of the soul’s receptacle for receiving gifts.

Moses (peace be upon him) experienced one of these two states (turning away and welcoming) when he was in the hadhrah (side of Allah), his eyes did not move from what he saw, and he did not look back at what had escaped him with regret, because of his good manners.

Rather, his soul is filled with grace. And that is when the lust steals a listen, hoping to get a share. When it gets its share, it feels content. What it gets fills it to overflowing. Its space becomes narrow.

So, the lust exceeds the limit because it abuses the spaciousness. At that time, Moses said, “Reveal (Yourself) to me so that I may see You (QS. al-A’raf (7): 143). However, Moses could not accept that. He could not be patient and steadfast in accepting additional grace.

This is the difference between al-Habib (Prophet Muhammad) and al-Kalim (Prophet Moses). Sahl bin Abdullah at-Tustari said, “The Messenger of Allah did not return to the witness of his lust, nor what he witnessed, but his whole self witnessed his Lord. He witnessed the attributes of Allah that appeared to him, which made him stay where he was at the time.”

This statement is for those who think that this is in accordance with what we have explained, as Sahl ibn ‘Abd Allah said above. Indeed, Allah knows best.

Part Three : The Meaning of Suluk and Sufism

UNDERSTANDING, SULUK IS a process of purifying morals, deeds, and knowledge. A preoccupation to build the inner and outer being. In this condition, a servant will be made to forget his Lord, but he is busy cleaning the mind so that it is ready for wushul.?

As for the things that spoil a salik’s suluk, there are two kinds: taking concessions (rukhshah) through various interpretations, and giving makmum to the followers of lust who often err.

Whoever wastes the wisdom of his time is a fool; whoever is careless with his time is negligent; whoever neglects his time is weak.

A disciple’s desire is not right until Allah and His Messenger become the whisper of his heart, during the day he fasts, his tongue does not speak. For much eating, talking and sleeping, makes the heart hard. His desire is also not right until his back makes bowing, his forehead prostrates, his eyes are tearful and closed, his heart is sad, and his tongue makes dhikr.

In a simpler expression, all his limbs are busy for the sake of Allah swt, paying attention to the duties given by Allah and His Messenger, and abandoning what Allah and His Messenger dislike. He holds fast to the trait of wara, completely abandons all desires, and looks at all the gifts that Allah has bestowed upon him.

He strives to do everything for the pleasure of Allah, not for reward: as an act of worship, not a habit. For, whoever sees the person for whom his deeds are intended will be busy with him, not busy not seeing his deeds. In addition, he abandons all desires.

Thus, a person’s will becomes true when he abandons his personal efforts and accepts the flow of destiny, as it is said,

I want to see him but he wants to leave me so I leave what I want, for what he wants.

Thus, cease from being by Allah’s law, from your desires by Allah’s command, from your will by Allah’s action. Then, that is when you are fit to be a receptacle of Allah’s knowledge.

For the sign of your disappearance from creatures is your disconnection from them, association with them, and despair of what is in their hands. The sign of your disappearance from yourself and your lusts is your abandonment of charity and dependence on causes to bring benefit and ward off harm.

Therefore, do not move things for you with you, do not rely on you for you, do not defend you, do not harm you. Rather, leave all of that to the One who has controlled it from the beginning, so that He may continue to control it until the end, just as He controlled it when you were unconscious in the womb and suckling in the cradle.

In addition, the sign of your cessation of your will by the action of Allah is if you do not will anything at all. For, you will not will anything else along with the will of Allah, but His action takes place in you, until you become His will and His action.

You are calm and serene, spacious, your face radiant, and prosperous. You are controlled by qudrah, summoned by the tongue of azali, taught by the Lord of the kingdom, who clothed you with the garment of lawful light, and placed you in the position of the previous righteous and possessors of knowledge.

Engaging in Uzlah’

A salik must observe uzlah in order to defeat his enemies. There are two kinds of uzlah: obligatory and virtuous. Obligatory uzlah is uzlah from evil and all that follows it. The virtuous uzlah is the uzlah from exaggeration and all that comes with it.

Some say that seclusion is not an uzlah. Seclusion means staying away from people, while uzlah is staying away from the passions and what they call for and what distracts from Allah.

Some say that there are ten parts to salvation, one part is in uzlah and the other nine are in silence. Others have said that there are ten parts to wisdom, nine of which are in silence about what is useless, and the tenth is in seclusion from people.

Regarding the latter, most people regret speaking, but few people regret being silent.

Similarly, there are those who say that seclusion is the origin and associating with others (khalatah) is a new thing. So, someone who observes seclusion means that he adheres to the original, and does not associate except in moderation. Even if he associates, he is always silent because silence is the origin.

If there is a clean person from my time who is sought after then, where is that one person?

Someone said, “Khalwat is with the heart so that he is fully immersed with Allah swt. His heart is iktikaf, mesmerized, and longs for Him, believing as if He is present before him.” Someone said that the first principle for the salik is that he should increase the remembrance of Allah with his heart and tongue, so that it flows throughout his body and muscles.

Then, the remembrance moves to his heart. That is when his tongue is silent and his heart remains in remembrance by saying “Allah…. Allah” in his heart without looking at the remembrance. Then, his heart is silent and remains looking at what he is looking for. He is immersed and iktikaf to Him, mesmerized and witnessing Him. Then he disappears from himself because of witnessing Him. He is Fana’ from his whole self because of His totality, until it is as if he is in His presence, as Allah says,

“To whom does the kingdom belong today? To Allah, the One, the Overcomer.” (QS. Ghafir (40): 16)

At that time, Allah manifests to his heart so that he trembles and is mesmerized. Experiencing drunkenness and presence (hudhur), honor and reverence. His heart can no longer contain anything other than his most exalted goal, as it is said, “Those who reach the peak of presence (ahlul hudhur) need nothing other than His testimony.” Allah swt. says,

“And the witnessing and the witnessed.” (QS. al-Buruj (85): 3)

In connection with these words, some say that the witness is Allah, and the witnessed is a reflection of the beauty of Allah’s presence as the pinnacle on which everything depends (Hadhrah Shamadiyyah). Thus, He is both the witness and the witnessed. 

O my beloved, close your eyes, and witness what you see. If you say “At that time I could not see”, then that would be wrong because you saw with your eyes. However, the darkness of the form that is so close to the eyes of your heart is unknown to you. If you want to see and witness it in front of you, while your eyes are closed, then reduce your form a little, or move away from your form. Meanwhile, the way to reduce it a little and stay away from it is through mujahadah.

The meaning of mujahadah is to exert effort to drive away others, wujud, lust, and Satan. While exerting effort is determined in the following ways:

First, cutting down on food gradually. This is because the power of wujud, lust, and satan, comes from food so that when food is reduced, their power is reduced.

Secondly, leaving and consolidating the choice in the choice of a trustworthy teacher so that he chooses something that is more beneficial. This is because the student is like a child who has not yet attained the acquisitions of an adult, or a fool who is wasteful. Both must have a washi, wali, gadhi, or ruler to manage their affairs.

Third, the next method is like the method of al-Junaid ra., namely with eight conditions: Preserving ablution, preserving fasting: enacting silence, preserving seclusion: continuing the remembrance of “La ilaha illa Allah”, preserving the relationship of the heart with the teacher and utilizing knowledge from him by immersing actions in the actions of the teacher, establishing the negation of thought, maintaining not to dispute Allah in everything that comes from Him, whether harm or benefit, and leaving the request for heaven or refuge from hell to Him.

Furthermore, the difference between wujud, lust, and satan in the magam of witnessing (nusyahadah) is that in the beginning wujud is very dark: if it is a little clear, it appears before you in the form of a black cloud, if it becomes the throne of satan, it will be red: when it improves and its lowliness disappears, only the truth remains.

So it gets clearer and whiter like cotton. When lust is seen, it is blue like the sky. It has a source like emanating from a central spring. When it becomes the throne of Satan, it is like the eye of darkness and fire. The spring is smaller because Satan brings no good at all.

Meanwhile, the emanation of lust is to the form, and the form is educated by it. If this lust is clear and clean, it radiates goodness to the form. When it emanates ugliness, ugliness is born from the form.

Thus, Satan is an unclear fire, mixed with the darkness of high disbelief. So sometimes Satan manifests in front of you in the form of a tall, authoritative man. He walks as if looking for a way into you.

If you want him to leave, say in your heart “O the Helper of those who ask for help, give me help.” Then the devil leaves you.

Tasawwuf

Tasawwuf means to abandon the passions in worship and to occupy the heart with divine things. Some say, Sufism is hiding poverty and fighting sickness.

Regarding the laws of a Sufi, it is appropriate for poverty to be his adornment, patience to be his drink, pleasure to be his riding animal, and tawakal to be his behavior. Only Allah swt. gives him sufficiency. He uses his limbs for obedience.

He cuts off lust and is zuhud of the world, wara’ on all allotments of lust, and has absolutely no desire for the world.

If he must take the world, the desire does not exceed the limits of his sufficiency. His heart is spotless, deeply in love with his Lord, and runs to Allah with his sirri. Everything takes refuge and peace with him, but he takes no refuge in anything.

In a sense, he has no inclination towards anything, does not feel at ease with anything other than his worship, while holding on to that which is more important. He is always more cautious in matters of religion, and gives precedence to Allah over everything else.

Sahl bin ‘Abdullah said, “A Sufi is one whose heart is clean of stains and full of thoughts. For him, there is no difference between gold and stone.” Another said, “Tasawwuf means purifying the heart from the company of creatures, abandoning ordinary manners, extinguishing human traits, resisting the enticements of lust, abiding by spiritual traits, adhering to the essential sciences, and following the laws of the Messenger of Allah.”

Someone said, “A Sufi is one who always cleanses time from stains by purifying the heart from the filth of lust. While what helps him is his constant poverty to his master. By his constant poverty, he is able to know the taint.

Whenever lust moves and appears in a behavior, he immediately knows with the eyes of his clairvoyant heart, then immediately runs from lust to his Lord. With the constant cleansing of the heart there is unity, and with the movement of lust there is division and taint. He stands on the heart with his Lord, and by standing on the passions with his heart. Allah swt. says,

“O you who believe, be those who always establish (the truth) for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice.” (QS. al-Ma’idah (5): 8)

This is the obligation of lust to Allah that can be realized through Sufism.

Fundamentals of Sufism

The basics of Sufism include: Eating halal food, following the morals, deeds, commands, and sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. In this case, whoever does not memorize the Qur’an and does not write the hadith, then he cannot be used as a role model. Because our knowledge is bound by the Book and the Sunnah. And this school is taken by wara’ and piety, not by confession.

Sufism is knowledge in the beginning, charity in the middle and a gift in the end. Knowledge can reveal the goal, charity helps to seek, and giving reaches the peak of hope.

Meanwhile, there are three levels of followers of Sufism: the student who is seeking, the intermediate level who is walking, and the peak level who has wushul. The disciple is the owner of time, the intermediate the owner of things, and the peak level is the owner of belief. The most important thing for them is to count their breaths.

“MOST PEOPLE REGRET SPEAKING, BUT FEW REGRET BEING SILENT.”

The disciple’s apprenticeship is mujahadah and mukabadah (laboring), tasting bitterness and resisting pleasure, and the things that follow lust. The middle-class disciple goes through the hardships of finding the murad (desired one), maintaining honesty, and wearing the manners of the various magam.

He is required to adhere to the manners of the various levels, and is one who experiences various things because he is still moving from one thing to another. This, then, is what is called accretion.

The state of the top group is clarity, firmness, fulfilling every call of Allah, and having transcended the various magam. He is on firm ground (tamkin): unchanged by difficulties, and unaffected by various states of mind.

There is no difference between hardship and ease, withholding and giving, hardship and loyalty. His eating is like his hunger, his sleeping is like his wakefulness. All his happiness (huzhuzh) has Fana” and all that remains are his rights (hugug).

His outer being is with the creatures, while his inner being is with Allah. This is the state of the Prophet. If someone from this pinnacle were to stand on the highest ground of the earth and a strong wind were to blow, he would not move a hair’s breadth.

So it has been said that they are called Sufis because they are in the forefront before Allah, with the height of their resolve and their facing Allah. Standing before Allah with their hearts.

The Malamafiyah group:

In the law of Mulamati, one is required not to show off the good and not to hide the bad. In other words, the muscles of a Mulamati have tasted sincerity and know honesty for sure. He feels displeased when someone knows his ahwal and deeds.

For them, Malamatiyah is a greater privilege in holding fast and being sincere. They are of the view to conceal their ahwal and enjoy the concealment so that if their deeds and ahwal are seen by someone, they feel uneasy like an unfaithful person who feels uneasy because his sinful deeds are revealed. So, Mulamati is the greatest headquarters for the place and position of sincerity, and holding on to it and relying on it. And, a Sufi will melt in sincerity.

Abu Ya’qub as-Sausi said, “When they witness sincerity in their sincerity, then that sincerity requires sincerity.” A Sufi said, “The truth of sincerity is forgetting to see creatures because it is always watching Allah, while Mulamati is seeing creatures until its deeds and ahwal are invisible.”

In addition, Ja’far al-Khaladi said, “I asked Abu Oasim al-Junaid, “Is there a difference between ikhlas and honesty?” He replied, “Yes, honesty is the base and the first, while ikhlas is a branch that follows it.” Then he said, “There is a difference between the two.

Because sincerity does not happen except after doing deeds.” He also said, “Indeed, it is nothing but the purification of sincerity, and the purity of sincerity lies in purification. Therefore, in this sincerity lies the thing of the Mulamati, and the purification of sincerity is the thing of the Sufi.

The purity that lies in purification becomes the final fruit (mukhalasah) of sincerity, which is the fana – the servant of his form of self because he sees his selfhood. For the One who stands, does not even see his own existence because he is immersed in the Essence of traces and free from the stain of concealment. This is the ahwal of a Sufi. While a Mulamati lives in the spaces of his sincerity, without seeing the essence of his sincerity.

This is the distinct difference between a Mulamati and a Sufi. A Mulamati, though clinging to the rope of sincerity and grounded in the expanse of honesty, still experiences a residual vision of creation.

How good it is that this residue embodies sincerity and honesty. And, Sufism is the cleansing of these remnants of charity. The total abandonment and abstinence from creatures with mortal and immortal eyes. He sees the clarity of tawhid and witnesses the secret of Allah’s words, “All things must perish, except Allah” (QS. al-Qashash (28): 83)

Just as a Sufi in his unconsciousness says, “In this world and the Hereafter there is no being other than Allah,” the concealment of the ahwal by a Mularmnati is due to one of two things: first, to ensure sincerity and honesty, second – which is more perfect – to conceal the ahwal from other than him with a type other than himself. 

“WISDOM HAS TEN PARTS: NINE OF THEM ARE IN THE SILENCE OF THAT WHICH IS USELESS, AND THE TENTH IS IN BEING WITHDRAWN FROM PEOPLE.”

This is because the one who is alone with his beloved does not like to be seen by others. Even because of the earnestness of his love, to the point that he is not willing for someone to see his love for his beloved. This is despite being high, but on the path of the Sufi there are still diseases and shortcomings. Thus, a Mulamati is more advanced than a person of Sufism, and more behind than a Sufi.

It has been said that one of the foundations of the Malamatiyah adherents is dhikr, which consists of four kinds: oral dhikr, dhikr with the heart, dhikr with sirri, and dhikr with the spirit. If the dhikr of the spirit is correct, the heart and tongue stop dhikr. This condition is called dhikr haibah. If the remembrance of the heart is correct then the tongue is incapable of dhikr. This is the remembrance of grace and favor. And, if the heart is negligent of dhikr then the tongue starts dhikr, and this becomes habitual dhikr.

Each of the above dhikr has a disease. The disease of the remembrance of the spirit is being seen by the sirri. The disease of the remembrance of sirri is being seen by the heart, the disease of the remembrance of the heart is being seen by lust, the disease of the remembrance of lust is seeing the remembrance and glorifying it at the same time asking for reward, or thinking that with that remembrance he has reached a magam.

For them, the lowest of human beings is the one who wants to show his dhikr, and attract people’s sympathy by dhikr. The secret of their principle is that the remembrance of the spirit is the remembrance of pleasure: the remembrance of the sirri is the remembrance of the attributes: the remembrance of the heart of grace and pleasure is the remembrance of the traces of the attributes, the remembrance of the passions is threatened with disease.

Thus, the meaning of their saying, “The seeing of sirri to the soul” indicates the earnestness of fana” when the remembrance is of G-d. At that time, the remembrance of greatness (haihah) is the remembrance of the qualities or the presence of greatness. Whereas the existence of haihah demands a form or trace, and that is contrary to the state of fana”.

Thus, the remembrance of sirri is due to the presence of greatness. It is the remembrance of the attributes that realize closeness. Meanwhile, the remembrance of closeness, which is also the remembrance of grace and enjoyment, makes one aware of the distance of something that is preoccupying, in order to remind the enjoyment and neglect of the Giver of blessings. Being preoccupied in looking at the gift and forgetting about the Giver is a form of distance.

And, paying attention to the passions because of seeing the goal is a preparation for the realization of charity. This is the real shortcoming. These are the various classes of Sufis. Some are higher than others. And, Allah knows best.

Part Four : The Meaning of Wushul and Wishal

KNOWLEDGE, the meaning of Wushul is when a servant is able to see the adornment of Allah and is immersed because of Him. If he looks at his knowledge, he sees nothing else but Allah. When he looks at the goal of his life, he sees nothing else but Him. He is totally occupied with Allah, in everything he witnesses as well as the goal of life. In this case, he does not look to himself to fill the outer with worship, or fill the inner with moral purification. All of these are forms of purification and are the beginning of the journey. The climax is when he has completely separated from himself and tajarrudf only for Him, until it is as if he is Him. This is what is called wushul. Therefore, understand it well.

As for the meaning of wishal, it means seeing and witnessing Allah in this world with the secret of the heart, and witnessing Allah with the eyes of the head in the Hereafter. So the meaning of wishal is not the meeting of the deity (man) with the Deity (Allah). Glory be to Allah for that.

A Sufi said,

My eyes can always see Him even though His place is far away from me.

Furthermore, understand that the foundations of the path of tasawwuf are four things: ijtihad, suluk, sair (travel), and thair (flight).

Ijitihad is to know the essence of Islam with certainty. Suluk is to know with certainty with regard to the essentials of faith. Sair (walking) means to know the essence of ihsan truly, and thair (flying) means to experience the ecstasy of Gadzb) by way of generosity and ihsan towards the realization of the King of Grace.

The position of ijtihad towards suluk is like that of ablution. Thus, anyone who does not do istinja is without wudhu. And whoever does not have wudhu, then his prayer is not valid.

Similarly, someone who does not do suluk is not doing sair (traveling). Whereas thair means wushul so the path and level of the wushul people is called thair (flying). This is the path of the salik and the level of the doers. And, Allah knows best.

Ittishal

Ats-Tsauri said, “Ittishal is the revelation of the heart and the witnessing of Divine secrets in the mode of awe (dzuhul).”

Be aware that ittishal and muwashalah depend on the signals of the masters. Anyone who achieves clarity of belief through perception (dzaug) and love (wajd) is in one degree of wushul.

Their levels vary. Some of them find Allah through action: a degree of tajalli, until his actions and those of others become fana” because he has stood with Allah. In this state, he no longer makes plans or choices. This is one degree of wushul.

There are also those who are dismissed at the level of greatness (haibah) and peace because of what is revealed to their hearts, namely seeing majesty and beauty. He manifests through the attributes, and is at one degree in the charter of wushul.

In addition, there are also those who ascend to the magam fana” while seeing the light of belief and witnessing in their hearts. He no longer recognizes his form because of the appearance he experiences. This is a special type of tajalli Dzat for the Muqarrabin as well as a level of wushul.

Above it is haggul yagin. Special people (khash) in this world can witness it. This level can be said to be the passage of the light of witnessing in the totality of a servant so that his spirit, heart, passions, and even his limbs reach that light. This is the highest level of wushul.

If the essence has been recognized with certainty, then with this glory the servant knows that he is at the first level. So, where is wushul? It is very far away. The stopover on the way to wushul can never be passed in the eternal hereafter, especially with a worldly life that is so short. And, Allah knows best.

Part Five : The Meaning of Tawheed and Revelation (Mukasyafah)

Tawhid and revelation are the basis and fruit of bashirah, mukasyafah, musyahadah, muayanah, life, belief, inspiration, and premonition. In addition, tawhid means separating the former (gadim) from the new (huduts), turning away from the creatures, and facing the Supreme Being, so as not to see the superiority of self over others.

This is because if one sees oneself in a state of deifying Allah or others, it is tantamount to doubling up, not deifying the Essence of Allah, which is endowed with the attribute of oneness and the characteristic of singleness.

Among the characteristics of creatures are similarity, resemblance, meeting, separation, comparison, side by side, mingling, hulul, going out, entering, changing, disappearing, changing, moving away from the purity of the self, and the cleanliness of His attributes that have been deprived. Lack cannot be attributed to the perfection of His beauty.

The perfection of the beauty of His oneness is pure from the observation of the mind. The majesty of His eternity is clean from the insistence of the confusion of remembrance. Even the expressions of the courtiers of eloquence cannot describe His greatness.

Those who are first in the wilderness of makrifat are unable to define the Essence of Allah swt.

His knowledge is too great for the senses and analogical search. The owners of the eyes of the heart (bashirah) who are in the light of His majesty have no way to pretend to be blind and unaware.

If you ask where? Then the place is His creature. If you ask when? Time is also His creation. When you ask how? Equality and how are His creations. And when you ask how much, size and quantity are also His creation.

“ALLAH MAKES DECISIONS ACCORDING TO THE DEMANDS OF WISDOM, AND WHAT IS BORN BASED ON WISDOM THERE IS NO CHANGING IT.”

Death and eternity are included in His vastness. The universe and places are folded in His expanse. Allah’s Essence is pure from all that is contained in reason, understanding, senses, and analogies. Since everything is new, the new does not know except the new as evidence of its existence and proof of its testimony.

Recognizing this magam is a form of inability, and the inability to know knowledge is knowledge. No one can know the essence of the One except the One Himself. All that is achieved by the knowledge of one who deifies is merely the pinnacle of his knowledge, not the pinnacle of the One. Glory be to Allah from all that.

Therefore, anyone who claims to know the One is, in fact, deluded and deceived. Allah swt. says, “And you have been deceived against Allah by a very deceitful (devil).” (QS. al-Hadid (57): 14). This is the sign of deception.

Tawhid

In the beginning, monotheism is the negation of distinctions and standing above everything. Eventually, when the monotheist does the sorting, he is immersed in the eye of all, and in the eye of the whole with the eye of all while looking at the sorting.

Each becomes part of all, and the separation does not prevent him from the others. This is the perfection of monotheism, when monotheism becomes a patent trait in the monotheist.

The darkness of the description of his form fades and weakens in a heap of the radiance of tawhid. And the light of the science of tawhid hides and sinks in the light of its ahwal, like the sinking of the stars into the light of the sun.

When the morning dawns, its light overpowers the rays of the stars. In this magam, the form of the monotheist is submerged in the testimony of the beauty of the One in the sight of all. He sees nothing but the One and His attributes, and is drawn by the waves of the sea of tawhid and drowns in the eyes of unification.

Al-Junaid said, “That means, images fade away in him, and knowledge enters him. And Allah swt. never changes.” It has been said, “Whoever falls into the sea of tawhid, from time to time he will grow thirsty.”

Varieties of Tawheed

Understand, tawhid affirms five principles that must be believed by every mukalaf (adult who is obliged to carry out religious laws).

First, the existence of Allah to free oneself from the view of atheism, second, the oneness of Allah to free oneself from polytheism, third, the purification of Allah from existence as a substance or an accident, the effect of both, as well as freeing oneself from imitation fourth, the creation of Allah with His power and will over everything other than Him, and to free oneself from the expression of cause and effect, fifth, the design of Allah over all His creations to free oneself from the regulation of nature, stars, and angels. While the words of Allah, “There is no God but Allah”, indicate these five things. 

Muslims agree that Allah swt. has all perfection and is free from all defects, but they disagree about some of Allah’s attributes. Some of them believe that these attributes are perfections. Others see these attributes as deficiencies, so they deny the attributes of Allah swt.

Here are some examples related to the above:

First, the view of the Muktazilah that man is the author of his deeds. This is because if Allah created them and attributed them to man, or if He did something that man did not do and then punished him for it when He did not create it, then He would have wronged man.

And injustice is a shortcoming. How can He do something and then reproach another person for it, saying, “How did you do it? Why did you do it?”

The Ahl al-Sunnah said: “We find Allah’s perfection in being alone. Neglecting the will is a disgrace and a shortcoming. Allah’s torturing what He has created is not injustice, based on the example of torturing animals, the insane, and children. For in His creation, Allah is free to do as He pleases as He says,

“He is not asked about what He does.” (QS. al-Anbiya’ (211: 23))

Therefore, the view of good and bad is invalid because they believe that He is the Creator of man’s deeds. They are also of the view that torturing them for something they did not create may be an act of Allah, and it is not bad.

Secondly, the difference between the Mujassimah’ and Munazzihah sects? The Mujassimah’ say, “If He were not matter (jisim), He would not exist. And there is no disgrace worse than nothingness.” Similarly, those who deny Allah’s direction are saying His absence. Because something that does not exist in direction means that its existence cannot be imagined.

The Munazzihah said, “If He were material, He would be new, and would have lost the perfection of his nature. Negating all directions is nothing but negating the Deity that is limited and confined to directions. Meanwhile, the One who is real and immaterial is fixed and not in a direction, so it cannot be denied.”

Thirdly, the Muktazilah group requires Allah to affirm the obedient so that He does not injustice them because injustice means lack. The followers of the Ash’ari school said, “This is not injustice because He has no obligations towards other than Him. If He had obligations towards the rights of others, it would mean that He is limited by others, and such a limitation would be a shortcoming.

Fourth, the Muktazilah view is that Allah wills the act of obedience even if it does not happen. Because desiring acts of obedience is perfection. Conversely, He hates disobedience even though it has occurred because desiring disobedience is a deficiency.

The Ash’ari school of thought states that if He wills something that does not happen, then it is a deficiency in His will. This is because this will is not executed in the things that are related to it. If He wills that something should not happen, this is a deficiency in His will. And this is also a deficiency.

Fifthly, the Muktazilah wanted Allah to pay attention to what is more beneficial for His servants because leaving that out is a shortcoming. The Ash’ari school says that this is not obligatory upon Allah because necessity is a deficiency, and His perfection. If He is not bound by the servant, then help belongs to Allah.

Understand, whoever attributes will and effort to oneself is a Qadariyah. And whoever denies this effort and will from himself is a Jabariyah. Whoever attributes the will to Allah and attributes the effort to the servant is a Sunni and a true Sufi. Because the power and motion of the servant are among the creatures of Allah. They are the attributes and endeavors of the servant.

Moreover, destiny (gadar) is the name for something that happens by the decree of the Almighty’s action, while gadha” is His creature. The difference between gadha and gadar: gadar is more general and gadha is more specific.

Planning is gadar, and guiding gadar with all the measures and conditions towards something it requires is gadha’. Thus, gadar is the measuring of something before it happens, and gadha’ is the deciding of the matter, as it is said, “The judge has decided.”

Lust

Know that the followers of lust have six sects. Every two of them are opposed to each other. The six groups are: Tashbih and Ta’thil, Jabariyah and Qadariyah, rejecting and supporting. Tashbih and Ta’thil are opposite, Jabariyah and Qadariyah are opposite: the rejecters and the supporters are opposite. Each split into twelve sects. They all deviated from the straight path, and only one group survived, the middle group, Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah.

The Musyabihahs went too far in ascertaining the attributes of Allah, to the extent of likening Him and considering it possible that He moves, perches, stays, sits, etc. The Muathilahs also went too far in ascertaining the attributes of Allah. The Muathilah group also went so far as to deny the likeness of Allah that they fell into negation (ta’thil).

Both Jabariyah and Qadariyah are far from the straight path. For whoever denies volition and effort from himself is a Jabariyah, and whoever attributes volition and effort to himself is a Qadariyah. But whoever attributes will to Allah and effort to the slave is a Sunni.

Moreover, the Rafidhah and the Nashibah are both far from the straight path. The Rafidhahs claim to love the ahl al-bayt, but go to the extent of abusing and hating the Companions. On the other hand, the Nashibah school exaggerated their fana tik attitude towards the Companions to the extent that they became hostile towards the ahl al-bayt and accused ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) of wrongdoing and kufr.

So, in this case Ahl al-Sunnah took the middle path. They love both the ahl al-bayt and the Companions, and Allah keeps their tongues from speaking about either of them except to flatter and praise them. All praise, adoration and thanks be to Allah.

About Qadha’ Sometimes, the word gadha” means something that is certain to happen (mubram), as Allah says,

“So when He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Let it be,” and it is.” (QS. Ghafir (40): 68)

In addition, it is not uncommon for it to be intended to inform about the obligatory ruling for Allah, as He says: “And your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him.” (QS. al-Isra (17): 23) Because, if this meant a definite decree, there would be nothing other than Allah to worship. Because it is impossible for the influence not to follow the influencer. Similarly, He says: “And I have not created the jinn and mankind except that they may serve Me.” (QS. adh-Dzariyat (51): 56) This verse serves as a notification. For, if it were a gadha” and an obligatory ruling on all servants, then there would be disagreement because there would be nothing to distinguish.

Understand, Allah swt. has decided since the beginning of time that all actions and words are bound and dependent on the servant. What He decides, He carries out, so it is impossible to change, and it cannot be said that Allah changes what He has decided.

For Allah does not contradict Himself in what He has decided, and He does not play games and does not follow desires. He makes decisions according to the demands of wisdom, and nothing that is born based on wisdom changes it, what He decrees according to the actions of the servant like planting and marrying, what He decrees based on the actions of the servant like supplication and istigfar.

Be aware that Allah swt. has emphasized the actions of the servants in several places in the Qur’an, such as His words, “In return for what they have done.” (QS. al-Waqi’ah (56): 24) Or in His words, “So kill the polytheists wherever you find them.” (QS. at-Taubah (9): 5) However, He also negates the actions of slaves in several other places, such as His words,

“So it was not you who killed them, but Allah killed them, and it was not you who stoned when you stoned, but Allah stoned.” (QS. al-Anfal (8): 17)

The above verse contains the wisdom that Allah swt. creates and determines the actions of the servant, while the servant is the one who tries as well as the cause. Since it is the servant who performs the act of worship, it is Allah who rewards him.

If it were not for the attribution of these actions in creation and effort, there would be no worshiper and worshiped. So, it is clear that man is the one who worships and strives, while Allah is the One Who is Worshipped and Creates.

You should know that there are two kinds of actions: (1) what the servant does in the form of effort that is attributed to him. That is why the books were revealed and the messengers were sent. This is also why the Books were revealed and the Messengers (peace be upon them) were sent, and the need for reason was ensured in order to establish the proofs and clarify their objectives; and (2) what the servant receives in return, which is in the hands of Allah and in the hands of the servant. Both do not happen except in harmony with what the slave does, as He says: “And whatever calamity befalls you is the result of what you have done with your own hands, and Allah forgives most of what you have done wrong.” (QS. ash-Shura (42): 30), along with other similar verses.

“KNOWLEDGE IS LIKE SEEING FIRE, AND UNDERSTANDING IS LIKE USING FIRE TO WARM THE BODY.”

Therefore, whoever understands the above sentence can understand the meaning of Allah’s words attributed to the servant. For example, the executioner cuts off the hand of a thief. It can be said that the one who cuts is the executioner because he is the one who makes the effort.

It can also be said that it was Allah who cut off the hand of the executioner because it was Allah who returned the cut hand when the executioner saw it. It could also be said that the thief is the one who cuts off his own hand because he is the one who initiated the crime so that he does not get anything other than what he has done.

So, the action that comes from Allah is the excuse for the one who is cut off, while the one who cuts off is the effort. This does not contradict each other.

In connection with the above, many clear arguments are stated in the Qur’an. Whoever understands this sentence seriously, he will not fear except for himself, and will not hope except for Allah swt.

He says, “Where is the servant of Allah? We are all fools in the Deen of Allah.” In a sense, our view of His gadha’ implies a presumption that the servant will be forgiven for what he does.

It also implies a view of the commands and prohibitions and the free choice of the servant, which leads to the presumption that the servant is enslaved through what he does. However, the correct statement in this regard is if it is believed that the servant needs Allah in all his actions, speech and behavior.

Rather, he moves by His will, is not forced or subjugated like animals and inanimate objects. Rather, he is either helped under the auspices of the causes of happiness and humiliation, or cast down under the auspices of the causes of misery. When it is said, the new will (gudrat) has an imprint on things that are controlled. And this is a vague idolatry. If the will has no trace on the thing possessed, it is Jabariyah.

In addition, some say, “It is called shirk only if the will has an imprint on creation, while its effect is on effort. And, Allah swt. is not the One who makes effort so as to create partnership.

On the other hand, if the will has no trace on the thing controlled, then His existence is the same as none. It would be the same as Him being omnipotent without gudrat. And, this is impossible.

Understand, whoever thinks that Allah has sent down books, sent messengers, commanded and forbidden, advised and promised to beings who have no power and free choice, means that He is defective and needs to be treated. |

This is due to people’s differences in exploring the proofs of the Qur’an before understanding them, so they fall into Jabariyah and Qadariyah. This is because they are unable to distinguish between the old will of God and the new will of man.

The difference between these two wills is that the former stands alone in creating and cannot be worked upon. While the new will is independent in working, and does not have the power to create.

Injustice is only attributed to the new will, while the old will is free from injustice, as Allah says: “Verily, Allah does not do wrong to mankind in the least, but it is mankind who do wrong to themselves.” (QS. Yunus (10): 44)

Difference between Knowledge and Makrifat

Makrifat is closeness itself, or the presence of something that touches the heart and leaves an effect on it, then affects the rest of the body.

In other words, knowledge is like seeing fire, and makrifat is like using fire to warm the body. In language, makrifat means knowledge that does not contain doubts. In other words, makrifat means knowledge that has no doubts because what is known is the Essence of Allah swt. and His attributes.

If one is asked, “What is the realization of the Essence and Attributes?” The answer is, “The realization of the Essence is when one knows that Allah is Existent, One, Alone, the Essence, Something Great, independent, and that nothing resembles Him. As for the attributes, it is when you know that Allah swt. is Alive, All-Knowing, Omnipotent, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, and other attributes.”

When asked, “What is the secret of makrifat?” The answer is, “The secret and spirit of makrifat is tawhid. You purify His Life, Knowledge, Oudrat, Iradah, Hearing, Sight, and Kalam from any likeness to the attributes of creatures; nothing is like Him.”

When asked, “What is the sign of makrifat?” He replied, “The life of the heart is with Allah because He revealed to David (peace be upon him), “Do you know what realization of Me is? The Prophet David replied, No. So Allah explained, “The heart is alive in witnessing Me.”

If it is asked, “So, in what charter can real realization occur?” Then the answer is, “In the variety of ruyah and musyahadah with the secret of the heart. It is nothing but witnessing mmakrifat (recognition) because true makrifat is in the depths of the will.

Then, Allah removes some veils and shows them the light of His Essence and attributes from behind these veils so that they may recognize Him. However, He did not remove all the veils so that those who witnessed Him would not be burned. With the expression ahwal, a Sufi says,

Oh… if I appeared without the veil I would have melted all beings but the veil is soft meaning that with this veil live the hearts of the lovers.

There is a saying, “The sun of the heart of a realization is brighter and brighter than the noon sun. For the noonday sun is sometimes eclipsed, while the sun of the heart is never eclipsed: the noonday sun sets in the evening, while the sun of the heart never sets.” In this regard, they recite the following verse,

Indeed, the sun of the day sinks in the evening but the sun of the heart never sinks, whoever loves a lover flies to him because he longs to see his beloved

Dzun Nun said, “The essence of makrifat is seeing Allah in asrar, due to the arrival of subtle lights.” Therefore, they chant,

The masters of makrifat have hearts that can know the light of Allah with sirru sirri in a veil deaf from creatures, and blind from their sight mute to utter false confessions.

Some people asked, “When does a person know he has attained makrifat?” He replied, “When there is no room in his heart for anything other than his Lord.” A Sufi scholar said, “The essence of makrifat is knowing Allah without intermediaries, without images, and without obscurity.”

This is as when “Ali bin Abi Talib was asked, “O Amirul Mukminin, do you worship the One whom you see or do not see?” ‘Ali replied, “No, rather I worship the One whom I see but not with the sight of the eyes but the sight of the heart.”

Similarly, when Ja’far Sadiq was asked, “Have you seen Allah?” He replied, “I do not worship a Lord whom I do not see.” Then he was asked, “How can you see Him, when He is a Deity that cannot be grasped by the eyes?” He said, “Eye-sight cannot see Him, but the heart sees Him with the earnestness of faith. He cannot be known by the senses and cannot be measured by man.”

A wise man was asked about the essence of makrifat, and he replied, “The emptying of the heart of all desires, the abandoning of habits, the tranquility of the heart in the presence of Allah without attachment, and not turning away from Allah to others. It is impossible to know the nature of Allah’s Essence or the nature of His attributes, and no one knows who He is except Himself. And, greatness belongs to Allah alone.”

Bashirah, Mukasyafah, Musyahadah, and Mu’ayanah

Basically, these four words are synonymous and mean the same thing. However, there is a difference in the perfection of their appearance, not in their origin. The position of bashirah to the intellect is like the position of eye-light to the eye.

The position of makrifat to bashirah is like the position of the sun’s orb to the eye, which makes it able to know things that are visible and hidden. While life is tawhid itself, as Allah swt. says, “And what is the one who was dead then We brought him to life.” (QS. al-An’am (6): 122)

As for yagin, it is when belief and knowledge have dominated the heart and there is no longer anything contradictory, so that both of them give birth to makrifat in the heart. This is what is called yagin. This is because the essence of it is the clarity of knowledge that is sought (muktasab), so that it becomes like primary knowledge (dharuri).

Then the heart witnesses everything that is conveyed by the Shari’ah, both the affairs of this world and the hereafter, as the expression, “Water is convincing (aigana al-ma”)” if it is clear of turbidity.

Furthermore, ilham means the attainment of makrifat without any cause or effort, but through inspiration from Allah because of the purity of the heart from taking everything that is in the two worlds (kaunain) as good. Firasat (farasah), on the other hand, is understanding the signs or signals that come from Allah, who is the link between Him and the servant.

He uses it to show the inner laws. This cannot happen except to a lesser extent than inspiration. This is because inspiration does not require a sign, whereas premonition requires a sign. Similarly, there are general and specific inspirations. And Allah swt. is omniscient.

Part Sixth: The Meaning of Lust, Spirit, Hafi,

KNOWLEDGE, these FOUR NAMES are related (musytarak) in several different ways. On this occasion we will explain the meaning of each insofar as it relates to the theme in question.

First, the word al-qalb is used in two senses: (1) circular flesh placed on the left side of the chest. Inside is a hole filled with black blood. This flesh is the source and mine for the spirit of life, (2) the tenderness (lathifah) of the rabbani-ruhaniah who has a physical heart that depends on him, like the dependence of the accidents on the material and the nature on something that is labeled. This softness is the essence of humans who are able to understand, know, be addressed, demanded, rewarded, and punished.

Secondly, ruh in this context also has two meanings: (1) the fine, vaporous matter carried by black blood. It originates from the pit of the physical heart and spreads through the muscles that run throughout the body. This flow of softness resides in the body along with the radiance of life, taste, sight, hearing, and smell to its members like the radiance of a lamp to the corners of a house.

Thus, the analogy of life is like the light shining on the wall, and this spirit is like a lamp. The flow and motion of the spirit within the mind is like the motion of the lamp on the sides of the house due to the movement of the mover. Hence, when doctors mention the word ruh they mean this, the subtle vapor cooked by the temperature of the heart: (2) the softness (lathifah) of knowing and understanding possessed by man.

This is one of the two names of al-galb, as referred to in the words of Allah, “And they ask you about the ruh. Say, The soul is the affair of my Lord.” (QS. al-Isra’ (17): 85) In other words, the ruh is an amazing rabbinic affair. And most intellect and understanding are unable to reach its essence.

Third, lust. This also has two meanings: The first meaning, which summarizes the two potentials: anger and lust in humans. It is this usage that is popular among Sufis, i.e. the original lust that includes the despicable human traits. They say, “It is imperative to mujahadat the nafs and destroy its desires.” This is also alluded to in the Prophet’s saying,

“Your fiercest enemy is your nafs that lies between your two stomachs.”

The second meaning is gentleness, which means the essence, soul, and self of man. But it is described with various characteristics according to the differences in its nature. If it is tranquil under command and avoids the chaos of fighting against the will of desire, it is called the tranquil soul (an-nafs al-muthma’innah). Allah swt. says, “O calm soul. Return to your Lord with a heart that is satisfied and pleased with Him.” (QS. al-Fajr 189): 27-28)

Lust in the first sense cannot be imagined to return to Allah because it is kept away from Him as well as being an army of Satan. If it is incompletely calm, but resists lust, it is called lawwamah lust. But if he does not resist lust, but submits to the demands of lust and the invitations of Satan, he is called lust ammarah bi as-su’.

“IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SERVANT TO REACH ALLAH AS LONG AS HE DOES NOT INHABIT THE BODY AND TRANSCEND THE WORLD TO MAKE IT A PROVISION FOR THE HIGHEST STOPOVER.”

Fourth, reason. In this context it has two meanings: 1) The intellect that is used and intended as knowledge of the nature of things. So it means the nature of knowledge that resides in the treasures of the heart, 2) sometimes it is used and intended to know knowledge. Thus, it is the heart, the softness that is the essence of man.

Therefore, when the word al-galb is mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, it means something that can understand humans and know the essence of things.

It is not uncommon to use a cryptic expression (kinayah) as the “physical heart” in the chest. This is because it has a special connection between this part and the softness that is the essence of man, as well as because it has a connection with the rest of the body and is at the center point.

As such, it is in control of the body, and is the first point for managing and organizing the body. And the physical heart and chest for humans is like the Kursi Arsh for Allah swt.

Tenfara Hafi

Understand, in the heart, spirit, and other realms, Allah has soldiers deployed. No one knows the nature and details of their number except Allah swt. Now, we will mention some of the armies of the heart related to this theme.

Know that Allah has two armies, one that can be seen with the eyes, and one that can only be seen with the eyes of the heart. The heart acts as the king, while the soldiers act as servants and supporters.

The soldiers of Allah that can be seen with the eyes are the hands, feet, ears, eyes, and tongue. Or in simple terms, the soldiers of the heart can be grouped into three, namely:

The first group, lighters that encourage to bring something in line and beneficial, such as fame. And sometimes it pushes to reject things that are opposite and harmful, such as fame. This impetus is called the will (iradah).

The second group drives the limbs to achieve various goals. This is called power (qudrah) and is an army spread throughout the body.

The third group, who know and inform objects like spies, such as hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. They are scattered in the external members composed of flesh, fat, nerves, blood, and bones, which are prepared as means for these soldiers.

The work of this group of soldiers is called knowledge and consciousness (idrak). In addition, this third group is also the army of knowing. This army is divided into two groups: one group occupies the physical members, such as the five senses, hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. And the other group inhabits the inner houses, such as the five cavities of the brain, the musytarak (related) senses, imagination, thought, memory and recollection.

The first potential, the musytarak sense, is the sense in which the images of all things delivered by the physical senses are depicted, just like the images painted in a mirror. Its seat is at the front of the abdomen of the first brain.

The second potential is imagination. A storage place for the sense of musytarak that functions to accommodate things that are painted on the brain to be stored until needed. Because the heart only has receiving energy and no storage energy. While imagination has storage energy and does not have receiving energy. Its place of operation is at the back of the brain’s abdomen.

The third potential is illusion. Its place of operation is in the front of the back of the brain. This is because illusion works on various particular concepts from the various images stored in the imagination. So, it is distant because it is affected by imagination.

The fourth potential is memory. Its working place is at the back of the abdomen of the hindbrain, next to where illusion operates. Because it becomes a place of shelter for the illusion.

The fifth potential, the ruler (mutasharrifah). It operates in the center of the brain because it is the most powerful potential. In addition, in certain circumstances it receives from the imagination, and in other circumstances conveys to the imagination, both in sleep and wakefulness.

It also conveys as well as retrieves from memory when it forgets. So it is most appropriate for him to be between the two temperatures of heat in order to facilitate taking and giving both. And, Allah knows best.

The heart needs the above soldiers because it needs a vehicle, also to travel towards Allah and pass through several stopovers to meet Him. That is what it was created for.

Its vehicle is none other than the body, and its provisions are knowledge and charity. There is no way a servant can reach Allah as long as he does not inhabit the body and transcend the world to make it a provision for the highest stopover.

Therefore, he needs to take care of the body by providing it with all the appropriate things, such as food and so on, and expelling everything that disturbs it and might lead to its destruction.

So, in order to obtain food, he needs two armies, (1) an inner army, which is anger to drive away destructive things and to take revenge against enemies:j, (2) an outer army, in the form of hands, feet and weapons, with which the army of anger operates, and then needs food.

When it does not recognize food, the desire to know food and its tools is useless. Therefore, in order to know this food he needs two armies. First, the inner army: the consciousness of the senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. Secondly, the physical army: eyes, ears, nose, and so on.

The rest of the detailed explanation of the need for these soldiers and their wisdom is a lengthy subject that would require volumes of books. Glory be to Allah, the Gracious and Wise.

Know that there are three divisions: matter, accidents and pure substance. The animal spirit is fine matter like a burning lamp. Life is its lamp, blood is its oil, senses and movement are its light, desire is its temperature, anger is its smoke, the potency that seeks nourishment and lives in the heart acts as its guardian and representative.

The spirit is shared by all animals because it is something common among all livestock and all kinds of animals. Whereas humans are material, and its effects are accidents. The spirit cannot know knowledge, does not know the path of creation, and does not know the right of the creator. It is only a servant held captive by the death of the body.

If the blood oil increases, it will be extinguished as its temperature rises. And, if the blood oil decreases, it is also extinguished as it gets colder. The extinguishing of the spirit is due to the death of the body. In addition, the greeting of Allah and the taklif of the Messenger of Allah are not addressed to this spirit because livestock and the like are not given the burden of taklif and are not subject to the laws of Shari’ah.

Man is burdened and subjected to taklif none other than because of certain other meanings that exist in him. These meanings are the thinking soul and the subtle spirit. This spirit is neither material nor accidents because it is the business of Allah, as reported in His words, And they ask you about the spirit. Say, “It is the affair of my Lord.” (QS. al-Isra” (17): 85)

The affairs of Allah are neither material nor accidents, but an eternal and immortal substance, incorruptible, unfading, incorruptible, and immortal. It leaves the body, and waits for the time to return to the body on the Day of Judgment, as the Shari’ah explains. From this spirit, the good or bad of the body is born.

The animal spirit and all potentials become the army of this spirit. If the animal spirit leaves the body, the function of the animal’s potential ceases so that what moves will be still. The stillness of something that moves is called death.

Nevertheless, even though the spirit belongs to Allah and resides in the body as a foreign creature, but know, it does not dwell and stay somewhere. The body is not the dwelling place of the spirit or the heart, but an instrument for the spirit. Allah swt. is omniscient.

The following is an explanation of Allah’s words,

“So when I have perfected its creation, and have breathed into it My spirit, they fall prostrate to it.” (QS. al-Hijr (15): 29)

Taswiyah means an action that takes place in a place that can receive the spirit, namely the earth in relation to Adam (as), and the nuthfah in relation to the children of Adam.

With the purification and straightening of the character and walking through the phases of creation towards the summit of the goal, until it ends in the clarity and alignment of the various parts to their purpose. In the end, it will be ready to receive and hold the spirit, like the readiness of the wick of a lamp after sucking in fuel oil to receive and hold fire.

As for an-nafkhu (blowing), it means the ignition of the spirit’s light at the place where it is received. Since blowing is the cause that ignites, and the description of blowing is impossible for Allah, while the cause is not impossible. So he reveals the result of the blowing: igniting on the wick of the nuthfah.

The blowing contains both an image and a result (effect). The form of the blowing itself is to expel air from one’s belly into the belly of the one being blown: into the wick of the nuthfah, so that the nuthfah is lit up.

As for the cause that makes the spirit light up, it is the nature of the One who acts and the nature of the place that receives it. The nature of the One who acts is generosity as well as the source of existence. He radiates His Essence to all manifestations. This attribute is called qudrah (power). For example, the sun shines on everything that can be illuminated when there is no veil between them.

And the thing that receives the light is anything that has color, not air because it has no color. In addition, the receiving nature is the sameness and straightness that occurs due to harmony, as Allah swt. said, Then when I have completed the creation.

The example of the recipient’s nature is similar to the properties of a mirror. Before it is sharpened until it is clear, the mirror cannot receive an image even if it is straight in front of it. When it is clear, the image of the image that is straight in front of it is printed on it.

Similarly, when there is alignment in the nuthfah, the spirit appears from the Creator of the spirit, without any present change in Him. Rather, the spirit is pre-existent due to the change of place and the current alignment.

Furthermore, the meaning of the emanation of generosity is that divine generosity is the cause of the creation of the light of being in every essence that can receive generosity. This is what is called emanation (faidh).

It is not as understood in the case of water gushing from the container to the hand because that would mean the separation of the part of the water that is in the container and connected to the hand. Indeed, Glory be to Allah from such things.

Meanwhile, uncovering the meaning of the essence of the spirit and knowing its nature is a secret part. In fact, the Prophet did not allow someone who was not an expert to reveal it. If you are among the experts then listen. Know, the spirit is not material that resides in the body like water that occupies a container.

Nor is it an accident attached to the heart or brain, like black is attached to something black and knowledge to a knowledgeable person. Rather, the spirit is a substance that cannot be divided according to all those who have the eyes of the heart.

This is because if the soul were divisible, certain parts of it would be occupied by knowledge of something, and other parts by ignorance of the same thing. So it would simultaneously know something and not know it. And this is impossible. This shows that the soul is an undivided entity.

If it is asked, “Why did the Messenger of Allah forbid people to spread the secret of the soul and reveal its essence?” The answer is, “Because the soul has attributes beyond the capacity of understanding of the average human being. This is because there are two categories of people: the layman and the specialized (khash).

For the layman, he would not believe that the attributes of the spirit are attributes of Allah, let alone attribute them to the human spirit. Similarly, the Karamiyah, Hambaliyah and others who are classified as lay people will deny the sanctity of Allah from physical and accidents. This is because they cannot understand existence unless they have a body that can be pointed to.

So, whoever is a little higher than this group of laymen will deny the material element of Allah along with things that certainly do not have physical properties but establish direction. Higher than the lay group are the Ash’ariyah and Muktazilah. And they also purify Allah from evil and direction.”

If it is asked, “Why should this secret not be revealed to them?” He replied, “Because they find it impossible for this attribute to belong to anyone other than Allah. Because if you mention this, they will consider you a disbeliever. They said, “This is likening (tashbih) because you are describing yourself with something that is specifically an attribute of Allah. This is ignorance of the most specific attributes of Allah.”

When it is said that man lives, knows, has power, wills, sees, and speaks, and that Allah does too, this does not involve likening Allah to creatures. This is because these attributes are not Allah’s most particular attributes. Similarly, freedom from place and direction is not Allah’s most particular attribute.

Allah’s most distinctive attribute is that He is Self-Sustaining, and other than Allah He is not. Hence, in itself everything is just nothingness because it merely has a borrowed form from something else. Anything other than Allah has a form-borrowed-from Him, while Allah’s form is a Dzati form, not a loan. And this independent attribute is possessed by none but Allah swt. If it is asked, “What is the meaning of the attribution of the spirit to Allah in His statement, “And I have breathed into it My (created) spirit”?” (QS. al-Hijjr (15): 29)

Know that the spirit is pure from direction and place. It has the potential to know and see all known objects. This is also a similarity and suitability that is not possessed by all matter. Therefore, it is privileged to be attributed to Allah swt.

“LIFE IS THE LAMP, BLOOD IS THE OIL, SENSES AND MOTION ARE THE LIGHT: DESIRE IS ITS TEMPERATURE, ANGER IS ITS SMOKE, THE POTENCY THAT SEEKS NOURISHMENT AND LIVES IN THE HEART ACTS AS ITS GUARDIAN AND REPRESENTATIVE.”

So, when asked, “What is the meaning of the words of Allah swt. Say, “The soul is among the affairs of my Lord.” (QS. al-Isra (17): 85), and what is the meaning of the realm of amar and the realm of creation?” The answer is: “Everything that has distance and measurement means matter and accidents, and this means the realm of creation.

Creation here is in the sense of measurement, not procurement or (the process of) creation. Because it says, “Creation of something” means its measurement. Anything that has neither quantity nor measurement is a rabbinic matter. And we have already spoken about this equation.

So, everything that belongs to this type, such as the human spirit and angels, is called the realm of amar. In other words, the realm of amar means entities beyond the reach of the senses, imagination, direction, place, tendency, distance and measure. This is because these things do not have quantity.

If it is said, “This suggests that the soul is a kadim, not a being.” The answer is that this is the understanding of the ignorant and misguided. Whoever says that the soul is not a creature because it is not limited by quantity, cannot be divided, and does not need a place is correct.

However, the soul is a creature in the sense that it is something new, not a kadim. This is because the occurrence of the human spirit depends on the readiness of the nuthfah, just as the image in the mirror is due to the clarity of the glass, although it has a form that precedes the clarity of the glass.”

If it is said, “What is the meaning of the Prophet’s statement.

“Allah created Adam in His own likeness. According to another narration, the likeness of ar-Rahman.” The answer is that rupa (shurah) is a compound noun (musytarak), which is sometimes used to refer to a sequence of different forms, arrangements, and compositions. And this is the form that can be sensed. Sometimes it is also used to refer to a sequence of concepts that are not sensed. In addition, the concepts also have an arrangement, order, and harmony, which is called shurah (rupa).

So it is said, “The description of the matter is like this…, the description of the event is like this… and the description of the physical and rational sciences is like this…”

The description mentioned is a rational and conceptual description, and alludes to the issue of similarity that we have explained. It refers to the Essence, attributes and actions.

The essence of the Essence of the soul is that it is independent, not accidents and matter, nor is it a substance that needs a place: it does not rest on a place or direction, it is not attached to the body and nature, nor is it separate, and it is not inside or outside the body or nature. All of these are attributes of Allah swt., viz: life, knowing, power, will, hearing, seeing, and speaking.

As for human actions, they begin with the will. Its traces first appear in the heart. It spreads through the animal spirit in the form of soft vapor in the hole of the heart, then rises to the brain. From the brain, the traces flow through the limbs to the fingers. Then, the fingers move and cause the pen to move, and the pen moves the ink. From this ink comes the image of something that he wishes in his imagination to be written on paper.

Since the thing was not imagined in the imagination beforehand, it could not have been created from nothing. So, whoever examines the deeds of Allah and the way He created the animals and plants on earth, by moving the stars and the heavens through the medium of angels, will know that man’s behavior in his own realm resembles that of Allah in the macrocosm. Thus, he will be able to understand the Prophet’s saying,

“Verily, Allah created Adam in His likeness.”

If it is said, “If the spirit is new with the body, then what is the meaning of the Prophet’s statement,

“Allah swt. created the spirit two thousand years before creating the body.”

And the Prophet’s statement.

“I am the first of the Prophets to be created and the last to be sent. I was already a prophet while Adam was still between water and earth.”

It should be noted that these words do not in any way indicate the existence of the spirit, but his words “I am the earliest of the Prophets to be created” may outwardly imply the superiority of the spirit over the body, while everything else is clear.

Therefore, interpreting this statement is possible. While the definite evidence does not reject the outward indications, it is to control the outward interpretation, as the outward likeness is related to Allah swt.

The Prophet’s statement: “Allah created the spirit two thousand years before creating the body.” This means that the spirits here are the spirits of the angels, and what is meant by matter (jisim) is the matter of nature, such as the Arys, chairs, sky, stars, air, water, and earth.

As for the Prophet’s saying, “I am the first Prophet to be created,” it means that creation here is determination, not realization. Because before the Prophet was born by his mother, he did not exist and was created. However, the purpose and perfection were first measured (planned), then followed in its form.

Thus, Allah swt. first measured by describing the divine affairs in Lauh Mahfuzh based on His knowledge. If you have understood these two kinds of existence, then the Messenger of Allah existed before Adam (peace be upon him). The first form is in planning, not an actual sensory form. This is the discussion about the meaning of the spirit. Indeed, Allah knows best.

PAGE 81-83

Eighth Part : The Meaning of Peace because of Allah swt.

UNDERSTANDING, ONE of the greatest effects of love is peace. And the essence of peace is the happiness and joy of the heart because of something that is revealed to it, which is the nearness of Allah and His beauty and perfection. A Sufi said, “The essence of closeness is feeling everything with the heart and the peace of being with Allah.”

I say that this is an intermediary to achieving closeness, not closeness itself. This is because it is the purity of the heart from anything other than Allah. If the heart is pure from anything other than Him, He is present with me because there is no veil between me and Allah other than Himself and His attributes.

If the servant has Fana’ from Himself and His attributes, and knows that the whole world stands because of Allah’s power, then he knows Allah’s nearness by revelation (kashf). He understands His will as specificity, and knows His power in realizing and perpetuating.

These attributes are never separate from the thing being attributed, but are attached to it. When the person of realization speaks, he does not speak to himself: neither does he hear, as mentioned in the hadith.

Thus, the ahwal of the “arifin or those who have realized arises because of the closeness of God, while the ahwal of the Abrar is because they understand the existence of God by knowing His power to prevent and give, create happiness and make misery.

The masters of makrifat (arifin) see their Lord in this world with the eyes of belief and the eyes of the heart. In the Hereafter, they see God with their eyes. He is close to them in this world and the Hereafter.

His nearness in the Hereafter is not different from the nearness in the world, but rather through the increase of tenderness and affection. Otherwise, the closeness of distance here and there would be lost, and there would be absolutely no connection between Him and the creatures, either in this world or the Hereafter.

Then, this makrifat results in peace (uns) on condition that clarity is present. Peace also results in tranquility (sakinah), which is a force that counterbalances the heart’s rebellion. It stabilizes and stops it to the extent of balance in the ethics of presence. This pleasure of closeness in peace will blow away the hearts of the wise and give birth to rebellion. Because when in a state of sufficiency humans tend to exceed limits.

As for thuma’ninah, it is the form after itidal caused by a sense of happiness and joy because the heart knows grace. This form comes with peace (uns), as well as in itself thuma’ninah becomes the goal. Tranquility becomes an intermediary that encourages having adab and i’tidal (straight).

Among the fruits of mahabbah are spaciousness and indulgence. If the peace (uns) is lasting and firm, it is not tainted by the restlessness of the heart because it is unable to see the ahwal. It will give birth to laxity in speech, action, and munajat. Thus it is also completely unworthy of the reverence and exaltation that necessitates the presence of greatness.

A person who gains tranquility and leniency deserves something that the reluctant person does not deserve. For one of Allah’s possible actions is that He approves of what one people do.

And will be angry with the actions of another people because of their ahwal as well as the wisdom that precedes them. Hence, He is jealous if His words are heard, except by those who are special to Him. Allah swt. says,

“And We have put a cover over their hearts and plugs in their ears, that they may not understand.” (QS. al-Isra (171: 46))

Regarding the secret of this, He reveals in His words,

“If Allah had known the good in them, He would have made them able to hear.” (QS. al-Anfal (8): 23)

This is the veil of ghirah (jealousy), and its essence is to keep time with Allah from being tainted with greed.

One of the fruits of love is longing, and this is preferable to peace. This is better than peace, because peace limits the gaze that the beloved’s charms reveal to him, and it does not stretch out until it is invisible to him. A person who longs is like a thirsty person. His thirst will not be quenched by the waters of the ocean.

Because he knows more about the divine matters revealed to him than what is invisible to him, like an atom compared to the vastness of existence. And, Allah has the attribute of the Most High.

This realization requires the birth of turmoil, restlessness, and constant thirst. Because the essence of restlessness is the speed of movement while throwing patience in order to achieve what is sought. Meanwhile, the essence of thirst is an earnest search for something that is definitely needed.

Whoever’s restlessness and thirst peak, he will experience joy. A longing that has taken hold of the heart of the seeker.

Having achieved everything, know that wajd has several states. First, amazement (dahsh), as Allah says: “So when the women saw him (Yusuf), they were amazed at his beauty, and they cut the fingers of his hands.” (Yusuf, 12:31) Hence, the essence of amazement here is defined as the loss of consciousness due to being struck by something great.

Secondly, awe, which means that if it is a little quiet and repeatedly knocks on the heart then the heart becomes amazed and confused, but it remains eternal. Third, feeling peaceful and calm as if nothing has entered it, and nothing has knocked it. This is what is called tamkin.

“A PERSON WHO LONGS IS LIKE A THIRSTY PERSON. HIS THIRST WILL NOT BE QUENCHED BY THE WATER OF THE OCEAN.”

Shaykh ra. said, “Tamkin is the ultimate sign of tranquility. This is due to whatever states the lover encounters with Allah. So that ahwal sometimes strengthens him, sometimes it strengthens the ahwal, sometimes it varies, and sometimes he experiences stability and calm. Thus this happens in every situation. So, when it calms down it goes to another level so that the level to which it goes becomes ahwal and the one it leaves becomes magam.”

Understand that if a person finds the aforementioned states of mind in a crowd, but does not find them in a quiet place, then he is a sick person. He must do muhasabah and demand himself with various signs.

If he finds the ahwal in a quiet place, not in a crowd, then it is good, but he has not reached the peak of perfection. This is because perfection occurs when there is no difference in the ahwal, whether in quiet or crowded places, at home or on the road, during free time or busy.

This is because leisure is a requirement at the beginning (per street), not at the end.

As for the limits of obligatory love, it is the inclination that comes from believing in the fundamentals of faith, in relation to the Essence and Attributes of Allah. If he does not know one of the fundamentals, the love is less in proportion to that foundation.

He has also committed two sins, the sin of ignorance and the loss of the fruit of faith. While the essence of faith is the presence of the heart with Allah, and witnessing the traces that indicate His existence. Allah is omniscient..,

In regard to the above it is said, peace with Allah is not contained by the unemployed will not be achieved by the efforts of their peaceful laborers the chosen men are all chosen: doing good for the sake of Allah

Whoever is overwhelmed by peace (uns) has no desire other than to be alone and secluded. Al-Wasithi said, “There will not reach the position of peace, one who does not feel sultry with the whole of nature.”

Abu al-Husain al-Warrag expresses, “There will be no peace with Allah, but with exaltation. Whoever you are at peace with, you will lose the sense of awe from your heart for him, except for Allah. This is because every time you are at peace with Him, you will feel more and more reverence and respect for Him.”

This peace may be due to obeying and remembering Allah, and reciting His words and all the doors of closeness to Him. The degree of peace is Allah’s favor and grace, not the peace that lovers experience. Peace here is a noble event that occurs when the mind is pure, then cleansed with honesty of heart, perfection of piety, severance of causes and dependencies, and elimination of various thoughts and whispers.

As for the essence of peace, it is the cleansing of the form with the weight of the radiance of majesty and the circulation of the spirit in the fields of revelation (fath). This peace has the independence to include closeness, then combining it with authority.

In this authority (haibah) is gathered the spirit, and this trait then becomes the peace of G-d. While the authority of G-d occurs in the magam baga’ after crossing the bridge of fana”. Both are not peace and authority that vanish because of fana’. The authority and peace before fana’ will appear due to witnessing the attributes of majesty and beauty.

This is the position of giving color (magam talwin). And after fana’, We reveal it in magam tamkin and baqa’ due to witnessing G-d. From this peace, comes the submission of muthma’innah lust, and from submission comes solemnity.

From this peace, comes the submission of the muthma’innah passions, and from the submission comes the solemnity of the passions. Khudhu’ and khushu’ are close. They are distinguished by a very subtle difference that can be recognized only through the signals of the spirit. Indeed, Allah knows best.

Part Ninth: The Meaning of Haya’ and Muraqabah

KNOWLEDGE, SHAME (HAYA ) is the first magam for the Mugarrabin, just as repentance is the first position for the Muttagin. Meanwhile, the knowledge that gives birth to shyness is the servant’s knowledge of Allah’s supervision of him.

This is obligatory because it is part of faith in Allah swt. Similarly, the knowledge of one’s defects and inability to fulfill the rights of Allah SWT. This is also obligatory because it is part of faith in Allah.

From these two realizations comes what is called shame, which is the lowering of the eyes of the heart out of shame of Allah, such as when rashly exercising the rights of Allah swt. While the obligatory level of this ahwal is as far as things that encourage him to abandon prohibitions and fulfill obligations.

In addition, muragabah and ihsan are two words with one meaning that overlap. In a sense, the first fruit of muragabah is to protect and reveal the fuzzy trembling of the heart (worry), as well as to pursue adab with Allah out of respect for His supervision.

In addition, shame is twofold: general and specific. Maly is general, as commanded by the Prophet in his saying,

“It is not like that, but whoever is ashamed of Allah with real shame, let him guard the head and what is in it, the stomach and what is loaded, and he should remember death and disaster. Whoever desires the Hereafter should give up the adornments of this world. So whoever does this is ashamed of Allah with true shame.”

This kind of shame is also part of magam. As for specific shyness, it was narrated from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “I used to take a bath in a dark house, then I would bow down out of shyness towards Allah.”

Narrated from Ahmad bin Shaleh, he said, “I heard Muhammad bin ‘Abdun say, “I heard Abu al-‘Abbas al-Mu’adzin say, “My Sirri said to me, Guard for me what I say to you because shame and peace surround the heart.

If they find a heart that has the traits of zuhud and wara’, then they land. If not, they leave. Shame is the subduing of the spirit out of respect for the majesty of the Supreme. And peace (uns) is the enjoyment of the spirit because of its perfect beauty. If the two (peace and shame) come together, that is the pinnacle of hope and the most sublime end.”

“THE GREATEST KNOWLEDGE IS AUTHORITY AND SHAME. IF ONE DOES NOT HAVE AUTHORITY AND SHAME, THEN THERE IS NO GOOD IN HIM.”

A wise man said, “Whoever speaks of shame, but does not feel ashamed of Allah with regard to what he speaks, is among those who are led to doom (Gmustadraj).” Dzun Nun said, “Shame is the presence of reluctance in the heart with admiration for what you have done to your Lord.” Ibn ‘Atha’ said, “The greatest knowledge is authority and shame. If one does not have authority and shame, then there is no good in him.” Sulaiman also said, “The servants perform deeds in four stages: fear, hope (gaja), respect (ta’zhim), and shame (haya). The highest level is that of the one who does deeds with a feeling of shame because he is sure that Allah sees him in all situations. He is more ashamed when he does good than he is ashamed of those who do bad deeds.” This is like what one of the scholars said: “The dominant thing in the hearts of those who are ashamed is that they are always honored and respectful when Allah looks at them.”

Shaykh Abu Najib as-Suhrawardi recited a poem,

I long for Him

but when He appears I bow down because of His majesty,

not afraid but reluctant and guarding His beauty is death in His departure and life in His arrival I turned away from Him because of disobedience then, I chased the shadow of His imagination.

Furthermore, there are two levels of muragabah, the muragabah of the Shiddigun and the muragabah of Ashabul Yamin:

The first level is the Shiddigin Mugarrabin. This is the muragabah of reverence and exaltation, if the heart sinks when witnessing such greatness and is agitated under the light of authority, so that there is absolutely no room to turn to anything else.

This kind of muragabah cannot be discussed at length, especially with regard to explaining its reward, because it is limited to the heart. And the limbs stop looking at the munajat, especially at visible things.

If these limbs are engaged in obedience, they can be utilized so that there is no need to design and find a reason to keep them from deviating from the straight sunnahs.

The second level is the muragabah of Ashabul Yamin who are wara”. They are a people who physically and mentally always see Allah, but do not feel awe because they notice the majesty. Their hearts remain moderate and have room to turn to ahwal and charity. However, in addition to doing charity, they are not free from muragabah.

Indeed, they are so ashamed of Allah that they do not take a step and do not act unless they have ascertained and avoided everything that will cause them to be scorned on the Day of Judgment.

In this world, they see the scrutiny of Allah swt. without having to wait for the Day of Resurrection. Thus, you can see the difference between these two levels by testimony. Allah swt. is omniscient.

Tenth Part : The Meaning of Closeness

ALLAH SWT. FIRMAN,

“And bow down and draw near (to God). (QS. al-‘Alag (96): 19)

Prostration is the closest position between a servant and his Lord. He becomes close when he feels the pleasure of prostration. With his prostration, he has folded the expanse of the universe, both existing and future. He prostrates at the end of the shawl of majesty, then draws near.

Some Sufis say, “I do not feel the presence. So I said, O Allah, O Lord. Then, I felt it heavier than a mountain.” Then he was asked, “Why is that?” He replied, “Because the call comes from behind the veil. So, do you see a friend: sitting calling his friend?” That is nothing but signaling, watching, subtlety, and gentleness.

This is what the noble magam describes. In it there is closeness, but it gives the realization of removal and shows intoxication. Such is the case for one whose soul is lost in the light of his spirit due to the dominance of drunkenness and the strength of erasure. When he wakes up and realizes, his soul detaches itself from his soul, and his soul detaches itself from his soul.

Then, each servant returns to his own position and station, saying, “O Allah, O Rabb” with the tongue of a calm soul, returning to his station and station. While the soul is speechless because it is occupied with various revelations in the perfection of ahwal. This state is more perfect and closer than the first.

This is because with the release of the soul through various revelations it is in closeness, and builds the image of servitude with the return of the soul’s power to the position of poverty. For the soul, the part of closeness is still fulfilled by establishing the image of servitude from the soul.

Imam al-Junaid said, “Verily, Allah swt. approaches the hearts of His servants to the extent of their closeness to Him. So, see what is close to your heart.” Abu Ya’gub as-Susi said, “As long as the servant is in closeness, he will not be a nearer person as long as he does not see closeness because of closeness. If he is unable to see closeness because of closeness, then that is closeness.”

A Sufi said,

I have found you in sirri, then my tongue prays to you we gather because of various meanings and separate because of various meanings if your disgrace is not to glorify the sight of my eyes then love will make you close from all directions.

Dzun Nun said, “The closer one gets to Allah, the more reluctant he becomes.” Sahl said, “Among the varieties of closeness, the lowest variety is shame.” Nashr Abadi said, “By following the Sunnah, one will attain makrifat, by performing the obligatory acts of worship, one will attain closeness, and by practicing the Sunnah, one will attain love.” All praise belongs to Allah alone.

Part Eleventh: The Glory of Knowledge and the Obligation to Seek It

KNOW that it is because of knowledge and charity that the heavens and the earth and everything in them were created. Allah, the Almighty, says: “It is Allah who created the seven heavens and the earth in the same way, so that you may know that Allah is omnipotent over all things, and that His knowledge truly encompasses all things.” (QS. ath-Thalag (65): 12)

The above verse is sufficient proof of the honor of knowledge and the obligation to seek it, especially the knowledge of tawhid.

Allah swt. says,

“And I did not create the jinn and mankind but that they may serve Me.” (QS. adz-Dzariyat (51): 56)

This verse is sufficient to indicate the nobility of worship and always performing it. So, how great are these two things because they are the purpose for which the world and the hereafter were created. So, it is the servant’s right not to occupy himself with anything but these two, knowledge and worship, and not to follow anything other than them. However, knowledge is the noblest of these two pearls, but it must be accompanied by worship. Otherwise, knowledge will be in vain.

Understand that it is obligatory to give precedence to knowledge over worship. This is for two reasons: firstly, so that your acts of worship become valid and correct; secondly, useful knowledge will generate fear and reverence of Allah in the heart of the servant. This fear and reverence will lead to obedience and avoidance of disobedience with the help of Allah swt. Apart from these two things, there is nothing for a slave to aim for in worshipping Allah swt. Therefore, you must seek useful knowledge.

“IT IS THE RIGHT OF A SERVANT NOT TO OCCUPY HIMSELF EXCEPT WITH KNOWLEDGE AND WORSHIP, AND NOT TO FOLLOW ANYTHING OTHER THAN THEM.”

First of all, you must know and recognize your worshipper, then worship him. How can you worship a Deity that you do not know His Essence and attributes, His obligatory and impossible attributes? Or perhaps you believe in something of His attributes with an incorrect belief, so your worship is in vain.

After that, you are required to know the obligations of sharee’ah that you must fulfill in order to do what you have been commanded to do. You are also required to know the Shari’ah prohibitions that you are obliged to abstain from, so that you can abstain from them.

You should know that there are three kinds of knowledge that are obligatory for every mukalaf. The first is the knowledge of monotheism. You are obliged to know the basics of religion and the principles of faith. Secondly, the knowledge of sirri, which is knowledge related to the heart and its roles, both obligations and prohibitions.

Thirdly, the science of external worship that relates to the body and property. Then, Allah obliges you to know what you are obliged to know and to do what you are obliged to do, and to leave everything that you are obliged to leave.

Thus, you have accomplished all that Allah has required of you, and you have become a scholar of knowledge who does good deeds. And, there is only Allah to turn to for help.

Part Twelve :The Meaning of al-Asma’ al-Husna

UNDER THE MAZHAB of Ahlus Sunnah, all the Asma al-Husna refer to the Essence and seven attributes. This is in contrast to the Muktazilah and the philosophers. The Asma are not names, nor are they named. This is the correct view because the definition of a name is a word that is created to indicate something that is named.

You should know that a person’s perfection and happiness can only be achieved by adopting the character of Allah, and by adorning himself with the meanings of His Attributes and Attributes as far as he is able to describe them. Do not think that similarity in every attribute implies similarity. That is very far away.

Do you not know that Allah is not in one place. He is Living, All-Knowing, Omnipotent, Willing, Hearing, Speaking and Active, and man is the same. Will you see that the one who assigns these attributes to humans is similar and the same. This is not the case. But similarity means similarity in kind and essence.

Meanwhile, Allah’s specialty is that He is a Being who is Wajibul Wujud with Essence. By His power, everything that is possible exists with the most beautiful order and perfection.

This specialty is inconceivable in terms of resemblance or similarity, and no one knows about it except Allah. Thus, all creatures would not know other than this perfectly organized nature’s need for a Living, Knowing, and Powerful Creator.

“THE MEANING OF THE ASMAS OF ALLAH IS SUMMARIZED IN FOUR WORDS THAT BELONG TO AL-BAAIYAT ASHSHALIHAT, NAMELY: SUBHANALLAH WALHAMDULILLAH WA LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH WA ALLAHU AKBAR.”

This kind of realization has two paths: First, it relates to knowledge, and what is known requires a designer. Secondly, it relates to Allah and what He knows, which are asmas derived from attributes that are not included in the essence of the Essence.

If we say that He is Living, Knowing and Powerful, it means something vague (mubham) that has the attributes of life and power because the servant does not know other than himself first, then compares Allah’s attributes with his own.

Glorified are the attributes of Allah that resemble our attributes. Thus, it is impossible to know Allah truly apart from Allah Himself. In fact, it is impossible to recognize prophethood except for the prophet himself. So, other than the prophet, one will not know prophethood except in name.

If it is said, “So, what is the peak of the realization of the wise towards Allah?” We would answer: “The peak of their realization is when the knowledge of the essence of Allah’s Essence becomes impossible for anyone other than Allah. And, the breadth of the realization of those who have attained the marifatullah by knowing His asmas and attributes.

So, the extent of knowledge and the wonders of His power, and the beauty of His verses in this world and in the Hereafter are revealed to them. This is where the difference in the degrees of marifat to Allah swt. Allah knows best.

Know that the entire Asma Allah al-Husna refers to ten things:

1. Asmas that only indicate His Essence, such as your saying, “Allah,” and those that are close to the name al-Haqq, if they are meant to be the Essence of Wajibul Wujud.

2. Asmas that refer to the Essence with negation (salab), such as al-Quddus, as-Salam, al-Ghaniy, al-Ahad, and others. Because al-Quddus is the Essence from whom is taken away everything that comes to mind and enters into conjecture. As-Salam is the Essence from whom all disgrace and shortcomings are taken away. Al-Ghaniy is the One from whom all desires are taken away. And, alAhad means the Essence from whom are deprived of equivalence and divisibility.

3. Asmas that refer to G-d with attribution, such as al-‘Ali, al-‘Azhim, al-Awwal, al-Akhir, azh-Zhahir, al-Bathin, and others. Because al-‘Ali is the Essence that overcomes all Essences in terms of degree, and this is a form of attribution. Al-Azhim is an attribute that indicates the Essence that is beyond the limits of sense perception. Al-Awwal means that which precedes everything that exists. Al-Akhir is the one to which all existence returns. Azh-Zhahir means the Essence that is based on the evidence of reason. And, al-Bathin is the Essence that is based on sense knowledge and illusion.

4. Asmas that refer to Essence accompanied by revocation (salab) and attribution (izhafah), such as al-Malik and al-‘Aziz. Al-Malik is the Essence that needs nothing, but everything needs Him, while al-Aziz means the Essence that is second to none: very much needed, but difficult to achieve and reach.

9. Asmas that refer to G-d with His attributes of decisiveness, such as al-Hay, al-Alim, al-Gadir, al-Murid, as-Sami’ al-Bashir, and al-Mutakallim.

6. Asmas that refer to knowledge with attribution, such as al-Hakim, al-Khabir, ash-Syahid, and al-Muhshi. Because al-Hakim indicates knowledge that is attributed to the noblest object of knowledge. Al-Khabir indicates knowledge that is attributed to inner (invisible) things. Ash-Shahid indicates the All-Knowing that is attributed to what is witnessed. And al-Muhshi indicates knowledge that encompasses known objects that are limited and infinite.

7. Asmas that refer to power with additional attribution, such as al-Qawiy, al-Matin, and al-Qahhar. Because, al-quwwah is the perfection of power, al-matanah indicates the strength of power, al-qahr is the influence of the dominance of power on the thing that is controlled.

8. Asmas that refer to the will (iradah) accompanied by action and attribution, such as ar-Rahman, arRahim, ar-Ra’uf, and al-Wadud. Because ar-Rahman refers to the will that is based on fulfilling the desires of the needy and weak. Ar-Ra’fah indicates the strength of mercy, namely the excess in mercy. While al-Wadud refers to the will that is based on ihsan and the granting of favors. The implementation of mercy requires the existence of a needy person, while the implementation of alwudd does not require this, giving favors from the beginning (without cause).

9. Asmas that refer to G-d with the attributes of the backing, such as al-Khalig, al-Bari, al-Mushawwir, al-Wahhab, Ar-Razzaq, al-Fattah, al-Basith, al-Qabidh, al-Khafidh, ar-Rafi’, al-Mu’iz, al-Muzhil, al-‘Adl, al-Mugit, al-Mughits, al-Mujib, al-Wasi’, al-Bahits, al-Mubdi, al-Mu’id, al-Muhyi, al-Mumit, al-Muqaddim, al-Mu ‘akhir, al-Waliy, al-Barr, at-Tawwahb, al-Muntaqim, al-Muqsith, al-Jami’, al-Mu thi, al-Mani’, al-Mughni, al-Hadi, and others.

10. Asmas that refer to the meaning of actions with attribution, such as al-Majid, al-Karim, and al-Lathif. Because al-Majid indicates the extent of respect accompanied by the glory of Essence. Likewise al-Karim. As for al-Lathif, it indicates action accompanied by gentleness.

The above and other asmas do not come out of these ten parts. So, analogize the asmas that we have not mentioned with those that we have mentioned. That is because these attributes do not come out of the same meaning, and they refer to properties that are well-known and infinite. And Allah knows best. Understand that the meaning of the asmas of Allah is summarized in four words that are included in al-bagiyat ash-shalihat, namely: Subhanallah walhamdulillah wa la ilaha illa Allah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory be to Allah, all praise be to Allah: there is no God but Allah: and Allah is the Greatest).

The first sentence, subhanallah. In Arabic, this phrase means purification and removal, the elimination of defects and disgraces from the Essence and attributes of Allah swt. So, among the asmas of Allah that mean the elimination of terms. suk sentences such as al-Guddus which means pure from disgrace, and as-Salam which means safe from all diseases.

The second sentence is al-hamdulillah. This sentence includes the acceptance (itsbat) of various kinds of perfection in Allah’s Essence and His attributes. So, the asmas of Allah that mean affirmation, such as al-Alim, al-Qadir, asSami’, and al-Bashir, are included in this sentence. With the phrase subhanallah, we deny all kinds of disgrace that we think about and all the shortcomings that we understand.

And with alhamdulillah, we affirm every kind of perfection we know and every form of greatness we know. Behind the attributes that we renounce and ascribe are great things that we do not see or perceive. Therefore, we confirm them thoroughly by saying “Allahu Akbar.”

Allahu Akbar is the third sentence. It means that He is greater than what we negate and what we make up. This is the meaning of the Prophet’s saying,

“I cannot count the praises of You. You are as You praise Yourself.”

So, the Asma of Allah that contains things we do not know and do not know, such as al-A’la and al-Muta’ali, are included in saying “Allahu Akbar” in the form. We deny that any of these manifestations resemble or rival Allah. Therefore, we confirm this with “La ilaha illa Allah.”

The fourth sentence, Ia ilaha illa Allah. Because uluhiyyah (deity) refers to the right to be worshipped, and

“THERE IS NO RULER WHOM ALLAH HAS NOT HUMBLED BY FOLLOWING HIS LUSTS, OVERSTEPPING HIS LIMITS, AND DISOBEYING HIS MASTER.”

There is no one who has the right to be worshipped but the One who possesses all the attributes we have described above. So, the Asma of Allah that contains all of them globally, such as al-Wahid, al-Ahad, and Dzul Jalal wa al-Ikram are summarized in the saying “La ilaha illa Allah.”

Indeed, He is the One who deserves to be worshipped because He must possess the attributes of beauty and perfection that cannot be described by those who draw, and cannot be counted by those who count. If we were to enter al-bagiyat ash-shalihat in one global sentence, then that sentence would be “Alhamdulillah.” Everything is summarized in it.

This is as as-Sayyid al-Jalil al-Imam al-Hafizh ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If I wanted to calm the camels by saying Alhamdulillah, I would do so.”

Because Alhamdulillah is praise, and praise sometimes occurs by confirming perfection sometimes by denying deficiency, sometimes by admitting helplessness to grasp knowledge, and not infrequently by stating loneliness in perfection. In other words, solitude in the perfection of praise and ultimate fulfillment.

As we have said, this phrase alham, dulillah includes al-bagiyat ash-shalihat because the letters alif and lam (. ) in this phrase serve to sweep away all types of flattery and praise, whether we know it or not.

This praise will not depart in the slightest from what we have explained. No one has the right to divinity except the One who possesses all the attributes we have mentioned. No one goes outside this belief, not even the angels who are brought near or the prophets who are sent.

There is no ruler whom Allah has not humbled by following his lusts, overstepping his limits and disobeying his Lord. They are the ones who are covered with a low veil, expelled from the door, and kept away from the side (of Allah). Hence, a person who is veiled from honoring and understanding Him in this world deserves to be veiled from honoring and witnessing Him in the Hereafter.

Part Thirteen : Believing and Holding Firmly to the True Faith”

BELIEF MEANS TO UNDERSTAND the description of knowledge or inward conjecture about the unseen. And knowledge is a belief that is certain, firm, and in accordance with reality.

A great scholar said, “Knowledge is light. If it descends into the heart, its rays penetrate into that which is known, then it clings to it as the rays of the eye cling to that which it sees.

A true belief is one that does not contain negation (ta thil), denial (ilhad), likening (tasybih): likening to matter (tajsim), questioning how (takyif), lack, impersonation of God into creatures or objects (hulul), unification (ittihad), permissibility (ibahah), and others. The belief must also be accompanied by purification, majesty, and greatness, as experienced by the Companions (ra). The evidence for correct belief is the Book, the Sunnah and the consensus of the scholars.”

Then he said: “The slave must know that Allah is One and Only, and that He alone is to be depended upon in His Essence and attributes. There is no resemblance in His Essence, and there is no duplicate in His attributes, He has no partner in His kingdom, and there is nothing new in His attributes: they do not pass away, there is no beginning to His eminence, and there is no end to His eternity:

His being is eternal without end, the Sustainer of all existence, never ceasing, permanent, and always possessing the attributes of majesty and perfection, there is no end to His arrogance, and there is no end to His majesty and greatness.

“HE IS OMNIPRESENT WITH ALL APPEARANCES, AND CLOSER TO ME THAN THE SINEWS OF MY NECK.”

He is not matter, body, spirit, soul, nor is He a finite substance, and is not pervaded by substances. Rather, He is the Creator of all things, the One, the place of dependence, begotten and unborn, and there is nothing like Him, pure from motion, moving, direction, and place.

He is Omnipresent with all appearances, and is closer to the servant than the sinews of the neck. His closeness to creatures is not like the closeness of creatures to each other, but a closeness worthy of Allah swt.

Al-Junaid (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the meaning of closeness, and he replied: “Closeness does not mean clinging, and distant does not mean separation. His closeness and togetherness cannot be described. Just as there is nothing that resembles Him, His nearness and closeness are not like the nearness and closeness of a person. Allah swt. exists, and there is nothing with Him. Now, He is as He is.”

Be aware that whoever interprets the words “resting on the Throne” based on the external meaning of the word, i.e. “resting on the Throne,” is relying on tajsim. If he doubts this, then he is also one of those who devise tajsim.

And if he asserts that it is impossible for Allah to dwell on the Throne, then he has interpreted the external words, which is the belief of the righteous. Similarly, the one who interprets “nuzul” according to what the external words indicate, namely motion and movement, is also relying on tajsim. If he confirms the impossibility of motion and movement, then he has interpreted it, and this is the belief of the righteous.

Understand that refusing to interpret the mutasyabihat verses for fear of falling into forbidden beliefs, leading to doubts and prejudices, and causing ordinary people to slip, inserting shubhat into the foundations of religion, bringing some of the verses of Allah to dispel various prejudices, then, praise be to Allah, this is the safe and correct belief.

This is followed by the one who has a sound heart. It is free from heresy, deviation, the temptations of the devil, and the whispers of lust. It is adorned with piety, sustained with guidance, polished with wira’i, and fed with dhikr. And Allah knows best.

Part Fourteenth : Explanation of the Attributes of Allah swt.

There are seven fixed attributes for Allah: Hayat (All-Living), Knowledge, Iradah (All-Willing), Qudrah (Omnipotence), Sama’ (All-Hearing), Bashar (All-Seeing), and Kalam (All-Speaking). Each of these attributes has a relationship, except Hayat because it is the source of all perfection.

Knowledge is related to obligatory, permissible, and impossible. Wajib is the Essence of Allah and His attributes, jaiz (possible) is anything that may exist, impossible means that which cannot exist.

Iradah relates to specialization (takhshish), and this wins one of the possible ones, from nothing to something according to what He wants to reveal. Qudrah relates to the influence that brings into existence that which does not exist or negates that which does exist.

Had knowledge not preceded, there would have been no specialization of the will. Had there been no specialization of the will, there would have been no effect of qudrah. Then, hearing (sama’) relates to everything that is heard, whether new or old. Kalam (speaking) relates to everything that has to do with knowledge. All these attributes exist in the Essence of Allah swt.

These attributes are divided into: attributes to be revealed and related to others, such as knowledge, hearing and seeing, attributes that relate to others without revealing and influencing, such as kalam.

The attributes that have the most general relationship are knowledge and kalam, the most specific is hearing, the intermediate is seeing. As for baqa”, it means the continuation of existence, not an attribute that goes beyond the definition of Essence.

So the Ash’ariyah say, “Allah swt. is living with life, knowing with knowledge, ruling with power, willing with will, hearing with hearing, seeing with sight, and speaking with speech.”

In contrast, the Qadari view is that Allah is alive with His Essence, has power with His Essence, wills with His Essence, hears with His Essence, and speaks with His Essence. And, this is a wrong view.

The Thabi’iyyah (naturalist) school of thought holds that fire burns according to its nature, water refreshes according to its nature, food satisfies according to its nature, the firmament and the stars affect according to their nature, and so do all other causes. The correct school of thought is that it is the power of Allah that exerts influence, and these causes have no influence. And Allah is omniscient.

It should be noted that the seven attributes mentioned above according to the Ash’ari school are meanings beyond the definition of Essence, and they contain entities and laws that are permanent and unchanging. The meaning of fixed and unchanging entities (tsubut al-a’yan) is that they are not G-d itself and are not outside G-d.

Other muhaqqiqs say that these attributes are nisbah and attribution to permanent laws without being accompanied by entities (al-a’yan). That is, these attributes do not contain entities, and they are not attachments outside the notion of G-d.”

Another scholar said, “You should know that the asmas and attributes are nisbahs and attributions that refer to a single entity (‘ain wahid) because of their indivisibility with entities attached to the Holy Essence, as some thinkers who do not know Allah swt. believe.

If the attributes and attributes are entities outside the Essence, and He does not become God except by them, then He becomes the effect of these attributes and attributes to the extent that it is possible that the attributes and attributes are His Essence. For something cannot be an effect of itself or not.

Thus, God is not the effect of a cause that is not His Essence because that would require His infinity, whereas God’s infinity is impossible. Thus, the existence of asmas and attributes as entities outside of G-d is impossible. So understand well. And all praise belongs to Allah alone.

Part Fifteenth : The Nature of Sincerity and Riya’ Its Rulings and Effects

According to the scholars, there are two kinds of sincerity: sincerity in doing good deeds, and sincerity in seeking rewards. As for sincerity in charity, it is the desire to draw near to Allah, glorify His affairs, and answer His call. The emergence of this kind of sincerity is driven by true belief. The opposite of this is nifag (hypocrisy) or drawing near to other than Allah.

As for sincerity in seeking rewards, it means the desire to gain the benefits of the hereafter by doing good. The opposite is riya, or the desire to gain worldly benefits by doing good deeds in the Hereafter, whether one expects it from Allah or from people.

Because what counts in riya behavior is what is desired, not from whom. In addition, the two forms of sincerity above have the effect that sincerity in doing charity makes charity an approach (tagarrub), and sincerity in seeking rewards makes charity accepted and gets abundant rewards.

On the other hand, hypocrisy corrupts charity and removes it from the position of taqarrub. While riya results in the rejection of charity. So, in what position of sincerity, and in which acts of obedience should he be?

Understand, according to some scholars, there are three types of charity: charity that contains both types of sincerity above at once, original physical worship: acts of worship that do not contain the sincerity of seeking reward, but contain the sincerity of doing good deeds, which are permissible things that are taken as provisions.

Our teacher said, “Every original act of worship that may be diverted to other than Allah contains sincerity of deed. And most mental acts of worship involve sincerity of action.”

“THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF SINCERITY ACCORDING TO THE SCHOLARS: SINCERITY IN DOING GOOD DEEDS, AND SINCERITY IN SEEKING REWARDS.”

With regard to sincerity in seeking reward, our teacher said, “If by performing mental acts of worship one seeks worldly gain from Allah, it is riya.” Thus, it is not wrong to say that most inner acts of worship contain both kinds of sincerity, as well as voluntary acts of worship.

Hence, when performing both acts of spiritual and voluntary worship, both types of sincerity should be present at the same time. And permissible deeds that are taken as preparation only contain sincerity in seeking reward without sincerity in doing good deeds.

This is because by themselves they cannot be used as taqarrub, but merely as preparation for doing taqarrub. Meanwhile, the time or moment of sincerity in doing charity must coincide with charity and sincerity in seeking reward, or maybe a little later than charity. According to some scholars, it may be that sincerity in seeking this reward is taken into account after doing charity. If the charity goes without sincerity, then the matter has passed and cannot be repeated again. Allah is omniscient. 

Know that it is the duty of the servant to be aware of ten things when doing charity, namely: Hypocrisy, riya, chaos, mentioning good deeds, hurting, regretting, ujub, wailing, taking things lightly, and fear of people’s criticism. Then our shaykh mentions the opposite of each and its danger to the deed.

The opposite of hypocrisy is to purify one’s deeds for the sake of Allah; the opposite of riya is to sincerely seek reward; the opposite of chaos is piety; the opposite of mentioning good deeds is to leave them to Allah; the opposite of harm is to fortify one’s deeds; the opposite of regret is to strengthen one’s soul; the opposite of ujub is to remember Allah’s blessings; the opposite of lamentation is to take advantage of good deeds; the opposite of taking things lightly is to glorify help; the opposite of fearing the reproach of people is to fear Allah.

Furthermore, understand that hypocrisy corrupts deeds, and jealousy leads to the rejection of deeds. Bringing up kindness and harming will ruin charity instantly. According to some scholars, these two traits eliminate the multiplication of charity.

They also agree that regret (of good deeds) spoils charity. In addition, ujub removes the multiplication of charity, lamentation and lightheartedness will lighten the weight of charity. Therefore, you must break this dangerous and critical barrier. And, Allah is the place to seek help.

Part Sixteenth : Refutation of the Opinion on the Permissibility of Minor Sins for Prophets

In KITAB ASY-SYIFA , al-Qadhi ‘Iyadh says: “Understand that the fugaha, hadith scholars and Mutakallimun allow minor sins for the prophets on the basis of many expressions from the Qur’an and Hadith.

However, if they adhere to the external expressions of the Qur’an and Hadith, they will be dragged to justify the occurrence of minor sins for the prophets (peace be upon them) and oppose the consensus that no Muslim has said.

How could they not, when the meanings of all the proofs they use have been debated by the mufassirs and many of the sayings of the salaf fuqaha’ differ from their own.

If their views are not based on consensus, and there is disagreement about the evidence they use, or there is evidence that their words are wrong, then they should abandon their views and return to what is correct. Allah swt. is omniscient.”

People’s Obligations towards the Prophet

First: To justify all that he has brought and then to say it with the justification of the heart. This is proven through verbal testimony that he is the messenger of Allah for all people, as well as following all his commands and avoiding all his prohibitions.

In addition, loving him, taking his advice, honoring him, paying homage to him, and reciting peace and blessings upon him. All of this is an obligation because it is part of what he brought with him.

It should be noted that in this regard, the ummah is unanimous on the Prophet’s guardianship and preservation from Satan. Hence, the devil was unable to cause any harm to him outwardly, nor was he able to convey a whisper to his inner self.

The same applies to his preservation from ignorance about Allah and His attributes, or the total denial of knowledge about them according to reason and consensus after Prophethood, and through sima’i and nagli before Prophethood. |

Or not knowing the matters of Shari’ah that he declared and acted upon from Allah through revelation, in an explicit, rational and shar’i manner, or his being protected from lying and changing his words since he was sent and revealed by Allah, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Or the impossibility of such acts according to reason and consensus, because it contradicts the miracle that he was pure from such acts before prophethood.

The same applies to his purity from major sins by consensus and minor sins. In fact, it is possible to purify his noble heart from touching permissible things, except for the purpose of explaining their permissibility and for obedience to Allah: or his preservation in all circumstances, whether happy or angry, serious or joking, healthy or sick: or the impossibility of being negligent and forgetting, being distracted and experiencing confusion in conveying news and beautiful words because it contradicts miracles, or the possibility of forgetting in peak actions, provided that the forgetting does not last long, but remembers immediately. All of this is so that the forgetting will be useful as knowledge of the ruling, and to follow him in all that he enjoins.

With regard to the last point, they differentiate between forgetting the most important deeds and beautiful expressions. This is because the existence of the miracle proves his truthfulness in speech, so opposing this issue means opposing the miracle.

On the other hand, forgetting in deeds does not contradict miracles and does not recognize prophethood. Moreover, the Prophet’s forgetfulness is a reason for gaining knowledge and establishing Shari’ah, as he said,

“Verily, I do not forget, but I am made to forget for the sake of the Shari’ah.”

This condition is far from being a sign of deficiency; rather, it is an advantage in conveying and perfecting favors for him.

Explanation of Obligatory, Haram, and Permissible for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). and his virtues

The obligatory things for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are Tahajjud, Witr, Dhuha, sacrifice, deliberation, giving preference to his wives, using a toothbrush, being patient with the enemy, and changing the evil.

While the forbidden things are specific to the Prophet, not for others, including: Writing, poetry, almsgiving, zakat, desiring something granted to others, deceiving in war, keeping a wife one does not like and divorcing a happy one, eating onions, shallots, and garlic.

In addition, eating while leaning, but this is disputed, the strongest is rmmakruh, not haram, marrying free women of the Book or Muslim slaves and others, praying for the corpse of a debtor although it is disputed, and the best after that he is willing to pray: revoking war preparations before the war occurs.

The permissible things for the Prophet (peace be upon him) are giving decisions for himself or his children, giving and accepting testimony for himself or his children, taking one-fifth (of the spoils of war), legalizing the spoils of war (ghanimah). Therefore, if the husband wants the spoils, he must divorce her. He is also allowed to marry without a dowry, and his marriage is valid with the memorization of a grant.

It is also permissible for him to take food from those who need it or are forced to give it to him, he can revive anything that is dead, he always makes decisions based on knowledge, his mind is able to reject someone’s evil intentions towards him, his ablution is not invalidated by sleep or contact (with women), he does not inherit property, a woman who is unmarried and childless (khaliyyah) must answer his proposal, his marriage is valid without a guardian or witnesses, and he can marry more than four, even nine, he can marry while in ihram, and it is valid to marry himself and anyone he wants.

As for his special virtues, the wives whom he left behind are absolutely forbidden for anyone else to marry. The same applies to the wives whom he divorced after having sexual intercourse, according to the more correct view. They are the mothers of the Muslims.

His Shari’ah abrogates the previous Shari’ah and is valid forever, his Book is an eternal miracle that has survived alteration and change, and is His proof over His servants.

The whole earth is made a holy mosque for him, given five kinds of intercession, and has the privilege of giving great intercession (ash-shafa’ah al-‘uzhma), the first person to knock on the door of heaven, his people are the best people and will not agree in misguidance: the first intercessor who is given the right of intercession, and the first person to come out of the earth.

On the Day of Resurrection, half of his Ummah will be like the angels. His holy virtues can be taken as a blessing or a cure. He can see what is behind him as well as in front of him, it is not permissible to call him from behind a room, it is permissible to pray sunnah prayers sitting cross-legged like his prayers during wuguf, and it is not permissible to call him by his name directly. He is honored with the title jawami al-kalim.”

It is known that in the Qur’an Allah swt. forbids harming the Prophet and curses the one who harms him. Muslims are unanimous in their opinion that the Muslim who degrades and insults him may be killed, whether he does it openly or by innuendo, and the culprit himself is entitled to swearing or humiliation.

Understand that whoever swears at or insults the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), or attributes shortcomings to his physique, morals, religion, behavior, or lineage, insinuates or equates him with something by swearing, degrading, and belittling him with words, is swearing at him, and the swearer is liable to be killed.

The same applies to other people’s judgment of what he has experienced, such as trials and tribulations, or human traits that may be inherent in him. This is the consensus of the scholars, from the Companions to the present day.

Ibn Mundzir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The majority of scholars are unanimously agreed that whoever swears at the Messenger of Allah should be killed. Among the scholars who expressed this opinion were Malik, al-Laits, Ahmad, Ishaq, and the followers of the Shafi’i Mazhab. This view is derived from Abu Bakr as-Sidiq ra.

And according to them, the repentance of the swearer of the Prophet is not accepted. Abu Hanifah and his supporters, including ats-Tsauri, the people of Kufa, and al-Auza’i, also shared this view. They said: That is an act of apostasy (riddah).” Allah knows best.

Part Seventeenth: Recognizing the Different Types of Whispers, Fighting Satan, and Plans to Resist His Evil

Seek protection from Allah from Satan, then fight him. First, you should recognize Satan’s traps, fabrications, and deceptions. Secondly, you should underestimate his calls, and not rely on them. Thirdly, you should continually remember Allah with your heart and your tongue, because remembrance in the stomach of Satan is like the crawling in the stomach of a man.

As for recognizing the traps of Satan by knowing the whispers and their kinds. As for knowing the kinds of whispers, know that whispers are traces that appear in the heart of a servant, then encourage him to act or leave. All of this happens in the heart from Allah because He is the Creator of all things.

Whispers are of four kinds: 1) created by Allah swt. in the servant’s heart from the beginning (without a cause), or called whispers only (khatir): 2) created according to human nature, or called lust, 3) created following the invitation of the devil attributed to him, and called whisper (waswas), 4) created by Allah swt., and known as inspiration.

You should know that from the beginning, the whisper that comes from Allah is sometimes good as an honor and confirmation of proof, and sometimes bad as a test. The whisper that comes from the giver of inspiration is only good because He is the counselor and guide who does not send messengers except for that.

On the other hand, whispers from the devil are only evil that misleads, and may be good in the form of deceit and istidraj. Whereas the whisper that comes from lust is only evil, and sometimes it takes the form of good but not for good itself.

Therefore, you need three categories:

The first category, the scholars say, if you want to know whether a whisper is good or bad and distinguish between the two, weigh it with three kinds of scales. By doing so, you will see both of them.

First, compare it with the Shari’ah. If it is in accordance then it is good. If it contradicts it, whether in the form of leniency or obscurity, then it is bad. But if this is not clear, then compare it with the example of the righteous.

If there is an example in them, it is good; if not, it is bad. If this is still not clear, compare it with the desires and passions. If the whisper is naturally something that is loved by the lust, not in accordance with the expectations of Allah, then it is bad.

The second category, if you want to distinguish between a bad whisper from the devil, lust, or from Allah then look at it from three sides: (1) if it turns out that it is fixed, organized, and designed in one state, it is from Allah or from lust. If it turns out to be chaotic and disorganized, it is from the devil: (2) if you find it after committing a sin, it is from Allah as a punishment. And, if it does not occur after you have committed a sin then it is from the devil, (3) When it is found that it does not weaken, diminish, and does not disappear because of the remembrance of Allah then it is from lust. On the other hand, if it weakens because of the remembrance of Allah then it is from the devil.

“ZEAL IS THE LIGHTNESS WITH WHICH ONE PERFORMS AN ACTION, WITHOUT SEEING AND REMEMBERING THE RESULTING REWARD.”

The third category, if you want to distinguish between good whispers from Allah or from angels, look at it from three sides:

1. If it remains in one state then it is from Allah. And if it is not constant, it is from an angel because ja is a counselor.

2. If it happens after your efforts and obedience, it is from Allah. Otherwise, it is from the angels.

3. If the whisper relates to the fundamentals of belief (ushul) and inner practices, it is from Allah swt. If it relates to the branches (furu) and external practices, it usually comes from angels. This is because, according to some scholars, angels have no way of knowing the inner self of a slave. As for the good whispers that come from the devil, they are a form of misdirection (istidraj) towards evil that exceeds the good itself. Therefore, pay attention, if you see yourself doing the action that comes to mind with enthusiasm, not out of fear: with haste, not calmly: with a sense of calm, not fear, without seeing the impact, not consciously, know, the whisper is from the devil so avoid it. And, when you see yourself in the opposite of all that, know that the whisper is from Allah or from an angel.

I said, “Zeal is the lightness with which a person performs an action, without seeing and remembering the reward that results. Slowness (taanni) is a praiseworthy action, except in certain cases. Whereas fear (khauf) is to complete and fulfill the action as it should be done, and so that Allah swt. accepts it.

As for the harmful consequences, you should look at them and make sure that they are right and good. Or you can look at it and expect to be rewarded on the Day of Judgment. These are the three categories that you should know.

Therefore, take note! For they are part of the subtle sciences and noble secrets in this matter. Only to Allah do we turn for help, He is the possessor of guidance.

Part Eighteenth : Twenty Meanings of the Danger of the Tongue

THERE ARE TWENTY kinds of dangers of the tongue, namely: Talking about something that is not useful, exaggeration in speech, talking about false things, doubting, arguing: hostility, talking constantly, dirty talk, swearing, cursing, poetry, gossiping, belittling, and insulting, spreading other people’s secrets, false promises, lying in speech and oaths, backbiting, fighting (namimah) double-tongued, praising, wrong inferences, and questions from the common people about the attributes of Allah beyond their understanding.

As for the limit of useless talk, if a person speaks about something that he would not have spoken about had he not spoken about it, there is no sin and no harm in this world or the Hereafter. Excessive talk, on the other hand, is talk that goes beyond what is necessary.

Talking about falsehood is the same as talking about immorality, such as talking about adultery or sexual intercourse (wiqa’), alcoholic beverages, the cruelty of the wrongdoers, or talking about groups that follow lust. The same applies to describing events that happened among the companions in a way that demeans some of them.

As for doubting, it means refuting another person by pointing out loopholes in his words, meaning or intent. As for mujadalah (debate), it is doubt related to various groups and their statements.

In addition, hostility (khushumah) means loudness in speaking by displaying hostility, or aiming to hurt and ridicule the opponent with hurtful words that he does not need to support his argument. On the other hand, imposing (taga ur) means forcing eloquence and beauty when speaking.

In addition, vile speech means expressing things that are considered bad openly. Cursing, on the other hand, is something that happens to inanimate objects, animals, or humans. All of this is forbidden because it can lead away from Allah swt. And cursing is not permissible, except for people who have traits that keep them away from Allah.

There are three qualities that bring curses: kufr, heresy, and wickedness. It is permissible to curse each of these three categories. It is not permissible to curse specific individuals belonging to these three groups, except for someone who is known to have died in a state of disbelief, such as Pharaoh, Abu Jahal, and Abu Lahab. This is because the person being cursed may die in a state of Islam.

Like speech, there is good and bad in poetry. As for joking, it is forbidden unless it is small, does not contain lies, and is not hurtful. Mockery, on the other hand, means reminding people of their knowledge and shortcomings by laughing at them.

If this hurts, then it is forbidden. However, if it is not hurtful it is not forbidden. It is the same with spreading secrets; if there is harm, it is haraam, and if there is no harm, it is blameworthy.

False promises are some of the signs of hypocrisy. It is said that when a promise is intended not to be kept, it means that he does not keep it without a hindrance.

“THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT BRING CURSE ARE THREE: KUFR, HERESY, AND WICKEDNESS.”

If a person intends to keep a promise, but something prevents him from doing so, this is not hypocrisy. Nevertheless, he should be careful about this form of hypocrisy. Lying in speech and oaths is one of the most heinous sins, although some lies are forgiven.

Therefore, know that speaking is a means to an end. All praiseworthy goals can be achieved by honesty or lying. So lying in this case is forbidden. If it can only be achieved by lying and not by honesty, then lying in this case is permissible. This is the limit when achieving the goal is an obligatory matter.

Furthermore, the ruling on backbiting according to the Book, Sunnah and consensus is haraam, except in a few cases. The limitation is when you mention your non-existent Muslim brother about something that he does not like when the conversation is overheard by him.

This may relate to anything, such as shortcomings in religion, the world, speech, actions, physique, manners, food, work, lineage, house, or vehicle. In this case, there is no difference between speech and action, eye gestures, symbolic language, insinuating language, or kinayah. All of them are haram.

In addition, the causes that lead to the act of ghi. bah include some that are unique to laypeople, and some that are unique to religious scholars and khash scholars.

The specific causes for the common people are anger, envy, jealousy, following the jokes of friends, playing, belittling, demeaning, making things up, boasting, exalting oneself above others, wanting to escape the evil that he attributes to the culprit: rushing to vilify someone whom he fears will vilify him publicly.

As for the causes that are specific to the religious scholars and scholars, they are anger for the sake of Allah at the one who has done wrong, surprise at what he has done, and pity and compassion for him. This is the most subtle and invisible cause.

This is because the Shaytaan will impress upon ignorant scholars that anger and delusion for the sake of Allah is the reason why it is permissible to mention someone who is absent due to some unavoidable need, such as complaining about the injustice of the rulers, asking for fatwas and help to eradicate evil. Meanwhile, giving warnings, advice, and calling people names are the three exceptions to gossip out of necessity.

To cure the disease of gossip, you should always feel threatened by Allah’s wrath for backbiting your fellow Muslim. He will undo your good deeds by transferring the record of your good deeds to the one you backbite. In addition, the pillars of repentance from gossip are knowing, regretting, stopping, resolving, and apologizing to the person about whom you spoke by mentioning what you gossiped. If this is not possible, you should pray for him.

As for the ruling on backbiting (namimah), then recognize that this action is haraam based on the Book, Sunnah, and consensus. Backbiting means conveying one person’s words to another with the intention of causing harm, whether that is disliked by the person to whom the words are conveyed, the person who receives them, or someone else.

This action is sometimes motivated by ill-will towards one person towards another, in order to please the one who receives the speech, or to talk about falsehood. The way to treat it is to restrain the tongue while avoiding its dangers.

With regard to the last point, the pillars of repentance from the disease of fighting against others include knowing, regretting, stopping, and resolving to abandon it. There are six things that a person who hears a rumor is obliged to do: not to believe in it, to prevent it, to be angry with it for the sake of Allah, because it is an act that is greatly wrathful to Allah, and being angry with a person whom Allah wraths is obligatory: not to commit a rumor against him, not to spy on the person being talked about, and not to have prejudice.

Be aware that prejudice against a Muslim is haraam, as is bad speech. The limit is if you judge the badness of your Muslim brother by something that you do not know.

As for being double-tongued, this is when a person speaks of two people who are hostile to each other with the intention of causing harm, or does not speak of them, but thinks well of their hostility: or promises to help them, or praises the hostility of one of them, but when he leaves, he reproaches him. This is the one who is double-tongued. Therefore, he should be silent or praise the righteous among them, whether in the presence, absence, or on the side of his enemy.

“MOCKING” MEANS REMINDING OF KNOWLEDGE AND DEFICIENCIES IN A LAUGHING MANNER. IF THIS HURTS, THEN IT IS HARAAM.”

In some cases, praise is forbidden. This is because it involves six dangers. Four of these are for the one who praises, and the other two are for the one who is praised. The dangers to the one who praises are: Firstly, he may go overboard in his praise, leading to lying.

Secondly, the praise may be in the form of jealousy. This is because he intends to show his pleasure with the praise, when it is not the case. Or he may believe everything that he says, so that he becomes a boastful and hypocritical person. Thirdly, he may be saying what he is not sure of, to the extent that he is lying, from cleansing those whom Allah has not cleansed is a form of destruction.

Fourthly, he may be pleased with the one he praises, even though he is praising an unjust or wicked person. This is not permissible because Allah will be angry when the wicked are praised.

As for the harm to the person being praised, there are two things: (1) Because the praise will give birth to an attitude of ujub and takabur. Both are destructive attitudes. (2) If he is praised with good things, he will feel happy, then become complacent and content with himself. In the end, he is no longer active in the affairs of the hereafter, as the Prophet said when he heard someone being praised,

“You have cut the throat of your friend.”

However, if the praise avoids the above dangers then there is no problem, in fact it is recommended (sunnah). That is why the Prophet praised his Companions by saying,

“If I had not been sent, you would have been sent, O Umar.”

What other praise can exceed this praise. A praise that comes out of honesty and the eyes of the highest heart that can lead to pride or ujub attitude. Thus, praising people is bad behavior because it contains arrogance and pride, unless the praise is one that does not give birth to arrogance or ujub, as the Prophet said,

“I am the leader of mankind, and there is no pride (in me).”

In other words, I did not say this to boast about myself as those who praise themselves do. The reason for his pride is none other than Allah, the Almighty: due to his closeness to Him, because he was favored over all the descendants of Adam (peace be upon him).

Furthermore, there is the omission of soft mistakes in summarizing speech, such as if someone says, “We got rain because of such and such a voice.” Or saying to the wine in honor of it with a word of respect. Or addressing wine in honor with forbidden words.

As for the common people’s questions about the attributes of Allah that are beyond their comprehension, such as when he asks about some of the attributes of Allah, whether His Words or the letters of His Words, whether they are new or old.

These are reprehensible questions, because they are incapable of understanding them. This is so that there is no confusion between what is right and what is wrong in their view. And, Allah knows best.

Part Nineteenth : About the Belly and its Care

THE STOMACH IS A MINE. It is from the stomach that good or bad moves to the rest of the body. Hence, if you have the intention of worshipping Allah, you must guard your stomach from haram, subhat, or excessive food.

With regard to forbidden and subhat foods, you should avoid them for three reasons: (1) to avoid Hellfire (2) a person who eats forbidden and subhat foods is rejected and does not get help to perform acts of worship. This is because anything other than a pure heart is not fit to serve Allah swt.

I said, “Has not Allah forbidden the junub person from entering His house, forbidding the one who is impure from touching His Book, even though both are permissible? So, what about the one who is drowning in the mud of haram and subhat, when will he invite to serve Allah and remember Him.”

Indeed, that will not happen, (3) a person who eats haraam and subhat foods is hindered. In other words, if he happens to do a good deed, it will be rejected, and he will receive no reward other than hardship.

Understand that the ruling on haram and subhat foods and their respective limitations are: anything that you believe or strongly suspect belongs to someone else and is prohibited by sharee’ah, then it is haram.

If the two signs are equal, then it is subhat ka. rena because it resembles both haram and halal. Then, avoiding haraam things is absolutely obligatory, while avoiding subhatic things is a form of piety and wira’.

You should know that there are two kinds of haram rulings in the book: Shar’i rulings and the rulings that come with them: Wira’i rulings and the rulings that come with them. The Shar’i ruling is that you should take what Allah swt. gives you from someone who looks good, and do not ask questions unless it is proven that it is booty or haram in its own substance.

“THE STOMACH IS A MINE. IT IS FROM THE STOMACH THAT GOOD OR BAD MOVES TO THE REST OF THE BODY.”

As for the ruling of wira’i, you should not take anything from someone before scrutinizing it so thoroughly that you are certain it contains no subhat. If this is not the case, then you should reject it.

If you say, “Then is being wara’ or wira’i different from the Shari’ah and its rulings?” Understand that wara’ is also part of sharee’ah. They are the same in terms of the original ruling.

In this case, the Shari’ah has two rulings: the jawaz (permissible) ruling, and the ideal or more cautious ruling. The permissible ruling we call the ruling of Shari’ah, while the ideal and more cautious one we call wara’. Allah swt. Omniscient.

As for the limits of exaggeration in halal or permissible matters in general, there are several kinds:

Firstly, if a person takes food in order to boast, compete in abundance, and to be jealous. All of these entail reproach for the outward action and punishment for the inward action, because the intention is to commit sin. And the one who has this intention will be threatened with punishment.

Secondly, if a person grabs halal food in order to fulfill his desires. This action requires detention and accountability.

Thirdly, if in a state of excuse a servant grabs halal food to the extent that it helps him to worship his Lord. This is kindness and manners. It is neither judged nor condemned, rather it brings reward and praise. Allah swt. is omniscient.

Part Twentieth: About Satan’s Engineering and Deceit

A ULAMA SAID, “Recognizing the devil’s tricks and deceptions against people when doing obedience can be done in seven ways:

(1) Satan will prevent the servant from doing obedience. If Allah protects him from this persuasion, the devil tells him to procrastinate: (2) when Allah saves him from this, the devil will encourage him to hurry, (3) when Allah saves him from this engineering, the devil also orders to perfect the charity with the aim of riya,

(4) When Allah saves him from this trick, the devil puts pride in his heart, (5) when the devil sees this in him, he tells the servant to strive in solitude, saying, “Verily Allah will show it to you.” (6) If the servant is content with the knowledge of Allah, then he will be safe from the devil,

(7) If the servant does not obey Satan in all of this, and Satan is no longer able to tempt him, then he says, “You do not need this deed. For, if you were created as a happy person then abandoning charity will not harm you.

And if you are destined to be a miserable person then this charity will be of no use to you.” Thus, if Allah protects His servant from this fabrication he will say, “I am a servant, and a servant is obliged to follow the orders of his Master. But the Master can do anything and decide as He pleases,” then, with the help of Allah, he will be saved from Satan. Beware of Lust He said, “The fourth hindrance is lust. You should be aware of this lust because it is the most dangerous enemy. Conquering lust is the most difficult matter because it is an enemy from within. Like a burglar, if he is an insider, it is difficult to deal with and very dangerous because he is both an enemy and a loved one.

And man is unable to see the disgrace of his lover, never see and know it. Therefore, the way to deal with him, you should shackle him with the shackles of piety and wara’ in order to benefit in fulfilling the commandments and leaving the prohibitions.

Know that nothing can humble lust and prevent its desires except three things: First, preventing the desire of lust: second, imposing the burden of worship on it, third, asking Allah for help to overcome it, and humbling oneself as low as possible to Him. If not for the help of Allah, then no one can escape the evil of Satan. Hafi’s Practices that Make the Servant Tortured and Safe Know that there are four conditions of the heart before acting with the limbs:

1. The will of the heart (khatir), which is the heart’s word, inclination, conviction, and determination. This desire of the heart is not tortured because it is not a free choice. The same applies to inclinations and passions because they are not free choice. Moreover, they are what is meant in the Prophet’s saying,

“Allah forgives my Ummah for what their hearts say.”

So, the heart is the desires that whisper in the heart, but are not followed by the desire to do so. Determination and willpower, on the other hand, are not referred to as conscience.

2. The conviction and decision of the heart that he should act. This can be a compulsion or a free choice so the conditions vary. Beliefs that are a free choice will be tortured, and those that are forced will not be tortured.

3. Determination to act. This is tortured, unless it is not done then it is still considered. If it is abandoned out of fear of Allah swt. and regrets its resolve, then it is recorded as good.

If there is an obstacle to doing it, or it is not done out of fear of Allah, then it is recorded as a bad deed. This is because resolve is an act of the heart that is a free choice. The clear evidence in this regard is the Prophet’s hadith,

“If two Muslims kill each other with their swords, the one who kills and the one who is killed (both) will enter Hell.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, this is for the killer, so what about the one who is killed?” The Prophet replied, “Because he also wanted to kill his friend.”

This is the evidence that confirms that the person killed will go to Hell just because of desire, even though he was killed unjustly. So, how can he think that he will not be punished because of his intention and determination, which is a choice of the heart.

So he will be punished, unless he melts it with goodness. Thus, breaking the resolve with regret is good because it will be recorded as good. Whereas delaying the intention due to an obstacle is not good.

Part Twenty-One : Rights of Allah swt. that Must be Observed

There are TWO KINDS of rights of Allah swt. that must be observed. The first is to fulfill all obligations: the second is to avoid forbidden things.

Fulfilling every obligation and abstaining from forbidden things is a form of piety. Whoever fulfills some of these, has protected himself from the consequences that will be received, in the form of badness in this world and the hereafter. And he will receive the pleasure of Paradise and the pleasure of Allah swt.

Know that Allah swt. cannot be approached except by obeying Him. The form of obedience is doing what is obligatory or recommended, and leaving what is forbidden or makruh.

Among the forms of piety is giving precedence to the obligatory over the Sunnah, and giving precedence to the forbidden over the makruh. This is different from what the ignorant people do. They think that they are tagarrub to Allah, when in fact they are far from Him.

One of them abandons the obligatory acts of worship in favor of keeping the Sunnah, and commits haraam acts in favor of leaving the makrooh. Likewise, there are many people who maintain forms of obedience, while their hearts harbor riya, hatred, spite, pride, ujub with their deeds, showing off to Allah with their obedience.

So understand, piety is of two kinds: one part relates to the heart, and this is divided into two: first, obligatory, such as sincere deeds and faith, second, forbidden, such as jealousy and honoring idols.

The second type of piety is related to the external members, such as the sight of the eyes, the slap of the hand, the walking of the feet, and the speech of the tongue. You know, if piety is correct, it will give birth to a wara’ attitude. A wara’ attitude means leaving something that does not contain sin for fear of falling into things that contain sin. Allah swt. Omniscient. Know that the good of this world and the hereafter have been gathered into one behavior called piety. So, reflect on the verses of the Qur’an that mention piety. How often the Qur’an hinges goodness on piety and promises reward for it. How often the Book attributes happiness to piety. Hence, understand that the particulars relating to matters of worship are threefold: Firstly, help and support so that you can perform deeds. This is reserved for the pious, as Allah says: “Verily, Allah is with the pious.” (QS. an-Nahl (16): 128)

Secondly, perfecting deeds and correcting carelessness to perfection. This is also for the pious, as Allah says: “Surely Allah will make good for you your deeds.” (QS. al-Ahzab (33): 71)

Third, the acceptance of deeds when they are completed. This is also for the pious, as Allah says: “Verily, Allah accepts only the sacrifices of the pious.” (QS. al-Ma ‘idah ISI: 27)

Moreover, the vortex of worship is in three basic principles, taufik, improvement, and acceptance. And Allah swt. has promised all these to the pious and honored all the pious, whether they ask or not. Thus, piety is the goal. No one misses it, and there is no goal other than it.

Know that the limit of piety according to the opinion of our teachers is to purify the heart from similar sins that you have never committed. So that a servant has a strong determination to leave it. This serves as a shield to protect him from the sinners.

If his heart has become accustomed to doing so, he is said to be a pious person. Thus, repentance and determination are also called piety. In this case, the levels of piety are three: piety from shirk, piety from heresy, and piety from sinful acts and their derivatives.

In contrast to the above, vices are of two kinds: Major, which is everything that is forbidden to nurture it, such as pure immorality, and not major, which is everything that is forbidden to nurture it, such as exaggeration in halal things like permissible food consumed with lust.

As for the first type of piety, it is an obligatory piety which, if abandoned, will lead to punishment: and the second type, the piety of kindness and manners, if abandoned, will lead to detention, reckoning, and reproach. Whoever fulfills the first type of piety is in the first level of piety. That is the level of those who are persistent in obedience.

And, whoever fulfills the second piety, then he is in the highest level of piety. Thus, if a slave has combined all the behaviors of abstaining from both immorality and exaggeration, then he has perfected the meaning of piety as well as perfectly practicing the attitude of wara, which is the control of religious problems.

The things that must be done here are guarding the five main members, the eyes, ears, tongue, stomach, and heart. One should be serious in guarding these five members from everything that is feared to bring harm, such as haram actions, excessive attitudes, and squandering what is lawful.

If you are successful in guarding these five members, you can expect to be able to fulfill all the other pillars, and to have fulfilled the right of piety with all your body for the sake of Allah swt.

Be aware that the scholars of the Hereafter have enumerated the things that a servant needs. In this regard, there are seventy praiseworthy behaviors and their despicable counterparts. In addition, the various obligatory actions and endeavors that jeopardize these will be seen in the basics on the treatment of the heart.

In the matter of worship, these are all unavoidable and so we will witness four things, namely, the dangers of the earnest, the fitnahs of the heart that hinder, obscure and corrupt. The other four things are opposite and guarantee the straightness of the heart, the organization of worship, and the improvement of the servant.

The four diseases are wishful thinking, haste, envy, and pride. The four virtues are wishful thinking, caution in all matters, advising people, and tawadhu’ and khushu’. These are the basics for healing and damage to the heart. Therefore, make every effort to avoid these diseases and acquire the above virtues, and you will achieve your hopes and goals. Insha Allah.

Wishful thinking will be a hindrance to all virtues, as well as an encouragement to adhere to all vices and temptations that plunge creatures into all calamities. Hence, know that if you are long-winded, four things will happen to you:

1. Abandoning obedience and laziness, saying, “I will do that later.”

2. Abandoning and delaying repentance, muttering, “I will repent later.”

3. Making you love and greedy for the world, saying, “What will I wear and eat?” then you are busy taking care of it. Or, at least your heart will be preoccupied with it. Then your time will be wasted and you will feel much sadness.

4. Hardness of heart and forgetfulness of the Hereafter. Because, if you wish for a long life, you will not remember the afterlife, not even death or the grave. Thus, your mind is only devoted to the world until your heart becomes hard, as Allah says: “Then a long time passed over them, and their hearts became hard.” (QS. al-Hadid (57): 16) This is because the softness and clarity of the heart can only be achieved by remembering death, the grave, and the hustle and bustle of the hereafter.

With regard to wishful thinking, the scholars say that it is the desire to live a long life with a planned time. In contrast, cutting off wishful thinking means not specifying wishful thinking and limiting it to the will and knowledge of Allah in dhikr, or by correcting the wish.

If you remember your life because you will live one more breath, or one more hour in a clear and definite manner, then you are a person of wishful thinking. And that is a form of disobedience that you are committing because it contributes to determining the unseen.

If you limit your wishful thinking to the will and knowledge of Allah, such as saying, “If Allah wills that I live…” you are not a wishful thinker, and have cut off wishful thinking by not determining it. The remembrance here is the remembrance of the heart, in order to familiarize and strengthen the heart to remember. So, understand correctly!

There are two kinds of wishful thinking: ordinary wishful thinking and specific wishful thinking. Ordinary wishful thinking is wishing for eternal life to accumulate and enjoy the world. And this is disobedience. The opposite is to cut off wishful thinking. As for special wishful thinking, it means the desire for eternal life in order to complete harmful good deeds.

This is something that is not certain of its goodness. It may be that it is a specific good that, if done or completed, will not bring any good to the servant; rather it is likely that he will not do any good.

“KNOW THAT ALLAH SWT. CANNOT BE APPROACHED EXCEPT THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO HIM.”

Therefore, at the beginning of prayer, fasting, etc., it is not permissible for a slave to make sure that he will complete these practices. That is because it is a matter of the unseen, and it is not the goal at all. Rather, he should limit it to exceptions and conditions of goodness so as to avoid the evil of wishful thinking.

According to the scholars, the opposite of this wishful thinking is good intentions. The one who has good intentions will not have wishful thinking, and good intentions are the most basic principle. They have also mentioned the limits of a good intention, which are comprehensive and perfect.

It is the will to do a deed. This intention comes before all other deeds with certainty, with the desire to complete them with resignation and exclusion.

If it is asked, “Why is it permissible to be certain at the beginning, and obligatory to surrender and exclude at the completion?” The answer is that there is no harm in the beginning. It is the initial state, and not something that is far away from you.

Whereas at the time of consummation, there must be danger because it occurs at a distance. So, at the stage of consummation there are two dangers, the danger of wushul (attainment) because you do not know whether this will be good for you or not, the danger of attaining the will on these conditions, which means praiseworthy intentions outside the rules and the disease of wishful thinking. And Allah is omniscient.

Know, the bulwark to cut off wishful thinking is by remembering the attack and unnoticed or sudden arrival of death. So, use this expression to protect yourself because it is needed, and avoid meaningless rumors. And, Allah is the Giver of help. Haste and hurry are behaviors that defeat the purpose and lead to disobedience.

Understand, the foundation and control of worship is the attitude of wara’. The foundation of wara’ is to look at everything in depth and scrutinize everything, be it food, drink, clothing, speech, or action, carefully. If a person is in a hurry and does not slow down in ascertaining and clarifying matters, then he will not be able to think or be careful in all matters.

For example, if he is impulsive and hasty in obtaining any food, he will fall into haram and subhat food. If he is hasty in speaking then he is likely to fall into error. The same applies to all things that are devoid of wira’i values. There is no good in worship without wara’, so a servant must strive to eliminate this disease. And Allah is the Helper.

As for haste, it refers to a thought that enters the heart and urges it to do something from the moment it occurs, without thinking. On the other hand, slow is the thought that enters the heart, then invites him to be careful in everything as well as to follow and do it.

| Meanwhile, thinking (tawagguf) is the opposite of rashness (a’asuf). The difference is that thinking occurs before doing work so that it can fulfill the rights of each part. Envy, on the other hand, is a gangly behavior that destroys obedience and triggers wrongdoing.

This behavior also breeds fatigue and attention to useless things, which is accompanied by sin, and even results in blindness of the heart. Enough of misguidance and loss for the envious. He becomes an enemy to Allah’s favor because he opposes His will and hates His decisions.

Furthermore, the limit of envy is to desire the loss of Allah’s favor from your fellow Muslim that contains good for him. If you do not desire the loss of that favor, but desire the same favor for yourself, then it is called wishing or wanting to be like someone else (ghibthah).

If the favor is not good for your brother, and you want it to be taken away from him, that is jealousy. This is the difference between these three behaviors.

The opposite of jealousy is advice, which is to wish for the continuation of Allah’s favor on your Muslim brother that is beneficial to him. If the matter is not clear, do not wish for the loss of the favor, nor do you wish for its permanence from your Muslim brother. Rather, leave everything to Allah, so that you may avoid envy and obtain the benefit of advice.

The stronghold of advice that prevents envy is to remember Allah’s command to maintain brotherhood among Muslims. The fortification of this fortification is to remember the obligation to constantly glorify Allah, to exalt His status, to remember the merits that Allah has bestowed upon us in the Hereafter, and the religious and worldly benefits, both in this world and in the Hereafter. And, Allah swt. The Giver of Help.

“ONE WHO HAS GOOD INTENTIONS WILL NOT WISH, AND GOOD INTENTIONS ARE THE MOST BASIC PRINCIPLE.”

In addition, arrogance (takabbur) is also a truly destructive behavior. Have you not heard Allah’s words about Iblis: “He was reluctant and arrogant, and he was among those who disbelieved” (al-Bagarah 2:34)? 34)

In other words, arrogance is the thought of exalting and glorifying oneself, and indulging in behavior that denies humility (tawadhw). These two attitudes, both takabbur and tawadhu’, are general and specific. General tawadhu’ is to be content with modest clothing, housing, and so on. On the other hand, arrogance is being extravagant in one’s clothes, house and so on. Thus, this is a major sin.

Therefore, recognize the common stronghold of tawadhu’. You should remember your starting point and ending point, as well as the various diseases and impurities that you are currently experiencing. While the stronghold of special tawadhu’ is to remember the just punishment of Allah swt. All this is sufficient for those who are able to see. Allah is the Bestower of Help. 

Part Twenty Two : The Nature of Good Manners and Bad Manners

KNOW that ALL JOY and continuous good deeds (al-bagiyyat ash-shalihat) that remain with you when your boat sinks lie in two things. First, the cleanliness and purity of the heart from other than Allah, as He says: “Except those who come to Allah with clean hearts.” (QS. ash-Shwara’ (26): 89). Secondly, the heart is filled with the realization of Allah, which is the purpose of the creation of nature and the sending of the messengers. Noble morals are behaviors or attitudes that encapsulate both of the above. And I know of no deed that has more virtue than good manners. Hence, Allah, the Almighty, praised the Prophet as a man of noble character in His words,

“And you are indeed of great character.” (QS. al-Oalam (68): 4)

In another of His words,

“To Him belong good words, and to Him belong good deeds.” (QS. Fathir (35): 10)

Good speech (al-kalim ath-thayib) is tawhid and makrifat. And righteous deeds mean purity of heart, which then elevates the degree of tawhid and makrifat. The elevation here means that the heart is influenced by tawhid and makrifat, so that it bows down with khudhu’, calmness, and reluctance, and becomes closer to Allah swt.

Man has an inner aspect, and the messengers were sent to straighten, clean and perfect it. This inner aspect gives birth to praiseworthy morals easily, without hesitation and thought. This is the meaning of the essence of noble morals. While bad manners are the opposite of noble morals. So know, all praiseworthy and reprehensible morals come from three traits. They are like the mother of all morals.

The first trait is the intellect and its potentials and similarities because of knowledge and wisdom. And the essence of wisdom is the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood in matters of belief, distinguishing between honesty and lies in speech: sorting out good and bad actions.

The second trait is the potential for anger that leads to harm, which was created for this function. The perfection and tranquility of this potential is when it is subject to wisdom. When wisdom suggests freedom, it is free. If wisdom tells him to be depressed, he is depressed like a pet dog.

The third trait is the potential for lust that brings benefit. The nature of this desire was created to be obedient to reason so that its goodness and tranquility when it is subject to wisdom. So you know, what morals require is moderation and being in the middle in all matters. This is in line with the words of Allah swt., “And do not let your hands be shackled to your necks, and do not stretch them out too much.” (QS. al-Isra (17): 29)

“MAN HAS AN INNER ASPECT, AND THE MESSENGERS WERE SENT TO STRAIGHTEN, CLEAN AND PERFECT IT.”

Thus, equality in the above three attributes becomes the fourth pillar. An example of the tranquility of these attributes is in the potential of wisdom, which contains transgression, extravagance, and the middle point, or what is often called wisdom. Thus, based on wisdom and its equality comes design, kindness of mind, and diving into complex deeds, as well as the vague ailments of lust.

In addition, rash actions give birth to engineering, deceit, cunning, etc., excessive tendencies give birth to ignorance, foolishness, stupidity, and insanity: ignorance is a lack of experience, foolishness means correct goals accompanied by wrong behavior: insanity means damage to goals and behavior.

As for the potential for anger, it contains a calmness that is called courage. It gives birth to generosity, courage, restraining anger, and keeping promises. Anger also has the tendency to exaggerate, which gives birth to arrogance, pride, arrogance, and so on. It also contains carelessness that gives birth to disdain, condescension, panic, and limiting oneself to just doing obligations.

On the other hand, the potential for lust has a calmness called honor (‘iffah). It gives birth to an attitude of generosity, patience, wara”, helpfulness, and not greed, an excessive attitude that gives birth to greed, gluttony, and others, carelessness gives birth to an attitude of spite, love to curse, revile, and others.

Thus, the mother of praiseworthy morals is wisdom, courage, honor, and justice, and perfecting all three. Other than what has been mentioned above are derivatives of these four traits. And, no one has achieved the perfection of these four traits except our lord, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. To Allah alone is the place to turn for help.

The Foundation, Essence, Summit, and Signs of Jewadhu Simply put, tawadhu’ means to imitate the character of Allah swt. and to be content with the life hereafter. This is the meaning of the Prophet’s saying.

“Whoever is tawadhu’ for the sake of Allah, He will lift him up.”

The limit of tawadhu’ is to control your circumstances and choices so that you are not excessive and careless, so that you are not arrogant or contemptuous. On the other hand, the essence of tawadhu is to be humble, submissive, and obedient to the truth with ease. Truth here is used to refer to Allah and His commandments. It culminates when one does not feel humiliated when praised and does not feel pain when criticized.

“THE LIMIT OF TAWADHU’ IS TO CONTROL YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND CHOICES SO THAT YOU ARE NOT EXCESSIVE AND CARELESS, SO THAT YOU ARE NOT ARROGANT OR CONTEMPTUOUS.”

This is because he knows the wisdom of Allah and is monotheistic in his actions because he will not feel humiliated in the presence of his master. This is the method of the monotheists.

The one who is tawadhu’ considers himself to have dignity, then he humbles himself, whereas the one who is monotheistic does not consider himself to have dignity that needs to be humbled. The tawadhu’ person controls his free actions, so that he does not become arrogant or cowardly, even if he experiences humiliation against his will.

The most important way is to be content and feel pleasure because everything happens according to the power, knowledge and will of Allah swt. He does not feel inferior because he is unable to know the wisdom of Allah.

The beauty of His treatment can only be known by humiliation. A person who is arrogant, ignorant and negligent, his sight is limited to seeing the execution of deeds. The lower he is, the more arrogant he becomes,

In this regard, the scholars of Allah do not witness other than Allah and never suspect His decisions. In fact, they know that this is a sign of their glory.

Some of the Imams have said that realization will not be found except in the hearts of the tawadhu’ who make humiliation their personal trait. By the power and sight of Allah, they do not feel perfect when raised to the heavens, and do not feel deficient when brought low. This is because they have no will or choice, knowing that absolute perfection lies in what Allah has decided and determined for them.

And because they find the addition of Allah in their ahwal. This is the degree of the Mugarrabin. The tawadhu’ of the pious is as far as their realization of themselves and their Lord.

And the sign of his tawadhu’ is that he does not reject what he is told to do. If he feels at ease because of that, then he is arrogant in accepting the truth and it is a form of great disobedience. And, Allah knows best.

Part Twenty-Three : The Meaning of Thought, Its Introduction, and Its Derivation

MIND is preceded by hearing, realizing, and remembering. The fruit of these is knowledge. For whoever hears is aware, whoever is aware will remember, whoever remembers will think, whoever thinks will know, whoever knows, will practice if his knowledge is knowledge to be practiced. However, if his knowledge is intended for knowledge itself, he will feel happy. And happiness becomes the peak of the search.

The essence of hearing is to utilize what is heard, such as hearing wisdom, advice, and others. The requirement for hearing is by listening. In terms of listening to any knowledge that is obligatory ‘ain, which is known through hearing, it is obligatory: Sunnah in listening to other than the obligatory ones related to praiseworthy sciences: haram if listening to things that are forbidden by Sharia: makruh when listening to something that is makruh to listen to.

The essence of awareness (yagzhah) is the alertness of the heart towards goodness. It is characterized by waking up and rising up from the crush of emptiness (of the mind). Awareness of the law is obligatory by hastening to do what is commanded and avoiding what is forbidden, and this is in every situation (level).

While remembering means repeating knowledge so that it sticks and is firm in the heart. Thinking (tafakkur) is the same as if you combine two harmonious sciences in order to find out what you are looking for. The condition is that there is no doubt in the two sciences, the heart is empty of them, and one thinks deeply about them.

So that he feels nothing other than the transfer of the heart from one inclination to the other.

“THE ESSENCE OF AWARENESS (YAQZHAH)J IS THE HEART’S ALERTNESS TO GOODNESS.”

“The essence of awareness (yaqzhah) is the vigilance of the heart towards the good.” This is also called remembering (tawhid). This is also called remembering (tadzakkur), which relates to contracts, speech, and doing and leaving actions.

When it comes to something that is obligatory to remember, remembering is obligatory. Remembering sins, on the other hand, is forbidden when it is feared that it will lead to sins. Therefore, the attainment of the third realization that these two realizations lead to is called thinking (tafakkur). And thinking is obligatory when there is doubt and obscurity, as well as when removing a disease that must be removed from the heart.

In line with what has been mentioned above, knowledge falls into five categories. First, the obligatory sciences, which are knowledge of the basics of faith in Allah, the angels, the books, the messengers, and the Last Day.

Second, the knowledge of worship related to the body and property. Third, the knowledge of matters related to the five senses, such as the tongue, genitals, stomach, hearing, and sight. Fourth, the knowledge of reprehensible behavior that must be eliminated from the heart. Fifth, the knowledge of praiseworthy behaviors that the heart owes to Allah swt.

Part Twenty-Four : The Meaning of Repentance and its Fruits: Fleeing, Returning, and Being Humble

The essence of repentance is to return from disobedience to obedience, from the far path to the near path, and to regulate knowledge, things, and deeds, as well as in the arrangement of each stage. Knowledge is one of the binders of faith in Allah swt. Meanwhile, hal is the feeling born of repentance, and amal is the actions born of feelings in the heart and limbs.

Repentance is preceded by two obligations. First, to make sure that the sin that is left behind is really a sin. Second, not to assume that repentance is solely due to oneself. This is because it is God who creates repentance in him and makes it easy for him to repent.

This realization that it is Allah who makes him repent is a form of faith in Allah, because it is closely related to the power of Allah. In addition, it is also closely related to news from Allah.

The pillars of repentance are four: knowing, regret, determination, and abandonment. As for the limits of the obligatory regret, it is the regret that encourages to leave the sin. Meanwhile, the essence of running means leaving sin to obey.

This is the running that is obligatory and is based on the foundation of faith. It is the return of the servant from the preoccupations that distract from Allah, and from the good to the better. This is also repentance and return, and is a condition of happiness in the Hereafter. Such is the obligatory running that is based on the perfection of faith. There is no end to the degrees and levels of repentance.

Besides being known as repentance, the above condition is also referred to as inabah (return) because its essence is to return to Allah repeatedly, even without preceding sins. Thus, repentance is regretting every sin, not being sinless. Finally, tawadhu in this context means submitting and obeying the truth easily. Allah is omniscient.  

Part Twenty-Five : Patience and its Fruits: Riyadhah and Tahdzib

THE SCIENCE OF FORbearance is to confirm everything that Allah has told us about the enmity of the passions, Satan, desires, intellect, insight, and angels who inspire goodness and the warfare that takes place between them eternally.

Whoever subdues the army of Satan and helps the army of Allah will be admitted to His Paradise. This is obligatory because it is part of faith in Allah.

As for the ahwal that grows from this faith, it can be interpreted as the firmness of religious motivation against the whispers of lust. The obligatory measure of patience is to support it with promises and threats so that the army of Allah is able to defeat the army of Satan. And remember, the army of Allah is the victor.

Riyadhah means training the passions to do good. Bringing it from light to heavy in a gentle and gradual manner, until this desire rises to a state, where heavy deeds become light and easy for him.

Meanwhile, tahdzib means testing the passions and choosing the ahwal related to the recognition of the maqam-maqam, whether he is truthful or lying. And the sign of the righteousness of the magam of patience is when he is able to bring about deeds easily, without hindrance or obstacles. Allah is the Giver of help.

Part Twenty-Six : Khauf and its Derivatives

Sadness, Tinduk, Compassion, Khushu and Wara’ as its Fruits

THE SCIENCE OF KHAUF (FEAR) is witnessing the divine attributes and their relation to the acts of drawing near and away, happiness and misery, without any intermediary or precedent.

This fear is self-directed, and must be believed in because it is part of faith in Allah swt. And its benefits can be felt by those who move from looking at the amount of charity to calmness and security from Allah’s engineering. For no one is safe from Allah’s trickery except those who are losers.

Khauf that is not directed at oneself is of two kinds: First, fear of being deprived of favors. This kind of fear encourages adab and seeing favors. Secondly, fear of the punishment that results from evil. The obligatory level is that this fear should encourage abandoning prohibitions and doing the commandments.

And this thing or state of khauf should be accompanied by groaning and anxiety of the heart at the thought of something disliked or escaping from it. If they are praiseworthy things, they are obligatory or recommended. If they are something disliked, then the ruling becomes forbidden or makruh.

Furthermore, the essence of gabdh means knocking on the heart. Sometimes the cause is known, so the ruling is the same as sadness, and sometimes it is unknown and is a punishment for the student for being rash in his spare time (basth).

As for the essence of isyfag, it is the unity and balance between khauf and raja’, the essence of khushu means the tranquility and silence of the heart and limbs, because the heart witnesses something great or frightening for real. And the essence of wara’ is avoiding something for fear of the harm it may cause. Allah swt. is omniscient.

Part Twenty-Seventh: Raja’ and Raghbah, Basih as its Fruit

THE SCIENCE OF RAJA MEANS to see the attributes of the kadim as the source of all evil and pleasure, benefit and harm. Whoever knows this will both fear and hope in Him.

This is what is meant by “king” in oneself. For, he cannot be hoped for because of good and is not stopped by bad. This is none other than by the grace of Allah, who wills to attain happiness. And those who will experience this kind of kingship are those who are brought by fear (khauf) into khushu.

Raja’ that is not in itself means raja’ that encourages much obedience. If it does not encourage this, it is called a hopeful koSong (tamanni). This is because the essence of raja’ is the joy and contentment of waiting for the beloved whose signs are already visible.

Raghbah, on the other hand, is the dominance of the above state in the heart of the hopeful to the extent that it is as if he is witnessing hope. This is the perfection of king Ian at the peak of his essence. Meanwhile, basth means the joy of the heart and the opening of the path of guidance because of the king’s enthusiasm.”

Part Twenty-Eight : Destitution and its Variants Tebattul, Fana’, and Tajrid

FAIRNESS IS LACK and need. In this context, “need” is of two kinds: absolute and limited. “Absolute need is a servant’s need for the Creator who created him, for eternity after creation, and for guidance towards his Creator.

This is the need for Allah swt. Because Allah is his Creator, who made him, and gave him guidance. This kind of poverty is obligatory because it is part of faith in Allah and for Allah. And the ahwal that is born from this realization is also a testimony to the servant’s neediness and desire for Him forever.

As for the limited “need”, it is the servant’s need for the means that make him able to stand upright and can be achieved with wealth. It is something that is both lost and needed.

Absolute neediness is for one’s own substance because one is in contact with Allah, while limited neediness is for something other than one’s self by being alone and secluded towards Allah.

Both are means to becoming rich for the sake of Allah, i.e. the dependence of the heart on Him. Wealth for the sake of Allah is a means to detach oneself from other than Allah. Therefore, there is no obligation in tajrid other than believing in the freedom of al-Oadim from the new (creatures). Allah is omniscient.

Part Twenty-Nine : Zuhud and Putting Others First

Futuwwah as a Character and Magam Murad as a Legacy

THE SCIENCE THAT CAUSES the attitude of zuhud towards the world is faith in Allah, as He says: “But you (disbelievers) choose the life of this world. But the life of the Hereafter is better and more lasting.” (QS. alAla (87): 16-17) And the ahwal that is born from this knowledge is the turning away of the will from the world because of the glorification of everything that is in the side of Allah swt.

As for the trigger of zuhud attitude towards things other than Allah, such as the pleasures of heaven and others because of underestimating the existence (other than Allah) and glorifying the perfection of Allah swt. This zuhud is for one’s own sake, and is part of faith in Allah because it relates to His majesty and perfection.

Before that, the zuhud that is for other than oneself is the concentration of the heart on this realization. The obligatory level of abstinence that is directed at other than oneself is encouraging one to concentrate on the obligatory times. This is because zuhud only relates to permissible things, and one of the conditions is that it is possible to do so.

The fruit of zuhud is putting others first (itsar), as well as the highest form of generosity (futuwwah). Generosity means offering something that is not needed voluntarily, not under compulsion. And itsar means pouring out everything that others need without compensation and without purpose, other than imitating the character of Allah swt.

In addition, generosity stems from noble character. So, whoever fulfills the obligations of the Shari’ah and behaves nobly is among the generous. Whoever mingles with the children of the world about what they are going through is like someone who has neither generosity nor noble character.

Whereas magam murad is the state of one who recognizes the essence of the matter without denial (munaz?) or contradiction (mudaft). Because there is nothing that can distract him from Allah swt. And, Allah is omniscient.

Part Thirtieth: Muhasabah and its Benefits: I’tisham and Istiqamah

THE ROLE OF MUHASABAH MEANS to detail past and future deeds. According to scholarly consensus, muhasabah is obligatory, and requires adherence to the Book of Allah (itisham). In addition to itisham, there is also istigamah (straight and firm).

The difference between i’tisham and istigamah is: Ptisham means holding on to the Book of Allah swt. and paying attention to its limitations, while istigamah means being firm and straight, and not leaning towards one end of the things that are used as a guide.

In addition, istigamah is for oneself and for others. Istigamah is for oneself because it is a medium to enter the magam al-jam’ (unification) from the valley of division. Allah swt. is omniscient.

Part Thirty-one : Gratitude and Happiness as Ahwal and Wisdom as its Practice

WHEN YOU KNOW that all enjoyment comes solely from Allah, then this is the knowledge that leads to gratitude. This knowledge is obligatory because it is part of faith in Allah. He said,

“And whatever blessings you have. Then (all of them) are from Allah.” (QS. an-Nahl (16): 53) Giving thanks to the giver of favors is obligatory because it is part of faith. Therefore, the ahwal that grows from this knowledge is joy and happiness caused by the favors of Allah SWT,

In this context, joy means gratitude because it is for oneself. It is obligatory, and is part and parcel of faith in Allah.

Similarly, the behavior of gratitude is intended for oneself and others. It is intended for oneself because it utilizes pleasure according to the purpose of creation and becomes the perfection of wisdom.

Meanwhile, it is intended for others to maintain existing favors as well as add to them. In short, gratitude means using favors according to the purpose for which they were given.

Thus, whoever has a moderate ahwal, so as to be able to put everything in its place, means that he is a wise person. This is because wisdom is the same as putting everything in its place, both knowledge and charity. And Allah is the giver of help.

Part Thirty-Two: Tawakal and its Adab

Tefwidh, Taslim, Biqah, and Ridha

WHEN YOU KNOW that Allah, the Almighty, is Self-Sustaining and Other-Sustaining, this is the knowledge that demands the act of tawakīd. Then, you understand the vastness of His knowledge and wisdom, and the perfection of His power.

So the quality that comes from this knowledge is leaning on Allah and being at peace with Him, and not being distracted by depending on Him. There is no obligation on the knowledge and knowledge of tawakal other than refraining from forbidden causes. But although it is noble, this tawakal is inferior to tafwidh and taslim. This is because the purpose of tawakkal is to bring benefit and ward off harm, while the essence of tafwidh and taslim is to obey and submit to orders, without choice in all that Allah has determined.

As for tsigah, it means binding the heart and not being disconnected from the justifications it contains. Tsigah is the completion of all the magam Ian ahwal. While ridha occurs after something is decided, tafwidh and taslim occur before something is decided.

The obligatory level of ridha is when he is pleased with the intellect, even if his nature is displeased because displeasure is beyond the choice of the servant. So, whoever dislikes in his mind something that Allah uses to test His slaves in this world and the Hereafter, or complains with his tongue, has sinned and violated the obligation of ridha. And Allah is the best of helpers.

Part Thirty-Three : Types of Intentions: Qashd, Azm, and Iradah

INTENTION IS A MEANS other than faith for attaining great happiness in this world and the Hereafter. If you know this, you must understand the essence of intention.

Fortifying it from the worldly parts that muddy it as a form of obligation, and from the heavenly goals and rewards as a recommendation (sunnah). In simpler terms, intention aims to distinguish between one intention and another.

Besides intention, there is also gashd, ‘azm, and iradah. Gashd means to focus attention (himmah) on the intended goal: ‘azm means to strengthen and intensify the goal; iradah means to remove obstacles that weaken it.

Part Thirty-Four : Honesty and its Signs

Intishal, ittishal, Tahqiq, and Tafrid

HONESTY FOR ALLAH swt. is a Dzatiyyah attribute that comes from the meaning of His Kalam. In the nature of a servant, honesty means that there is no difference between secret and open, inward and outward. With honesty, all magam and ahwal are achieved.

Although sincerity and its greatness require honesty, honesty does not require anything. Because the essence of sincerity in worship is to desire Allah by being obedient. For, sometimes Allah is a person’s goal in prayer, but he neglects it by his absence of heart.

Honesty is to desire Allah by worshiping with His presence. So, everyone who is honest is sincere, but not everyone who is sincere is honest. This is the meaning of separate (infishal) as well as connected (ittishal). Separated from other than Allah and connected to Him through the presence of the heart.

As for tahqiq, it means distinguishing the various modes and states from each other, and purifying them from everything other than Allah and stains. Tafrid means that the servant stands with Allah without knowledge or knowledge. This is because he witnesses the solitude of Allah in creating all forms and His all-encompassing power.

“AN HONEST PERSON IS SINCERE, BUT EVERY SINCERE PERSON IS HONEST.”

Part Thirty-Five : Ridha”

AL-HARITS SAYS, “RIDHA is the tranquility of the heart under a decision.” Dzun Nun, on the other hand, said, “Ridha means the happiness of the heart with the progress of gadha.” In this regard, the Prophet said,

“A person who is content with Allah as a god will taste the pleasure of faith.”

Similarly, he said,

Verily, Allah in His wisdom has placed tranquility in contentment and certainty. And He puts sorrow and grief in doubt and anger.”

Al-Junaid said, “Ridha means the truth of knowledge that reaches the heart. If the essence of knowledge touches the heart, that knowledge leads to contentment. Unlike fear (khauf) and hope (raja”), ridha and mahabbah are ahwal that never separate from the servant, both in this world and the Hereafter. And in Paradise he will not be separated from them either.”

Ibn ‘Atha’ said: “Ridha is contentment with Allah’s prior choice (gadim) for the slave. He has chosen the best for him, so he is pleased with Him. And being pleased is the same as giving up anger.” Abu Turab “Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) explained, “He will not attain the pleasure of Allah who thinks that the world still matters in his heart.”

Sirri said, “Five things are among the noble traits of the Mugarrabin: being pleased with Allah whether you like Him or not, striving to love Him, being ashamed of Him, being at peace with Him, and being angry with others.”

Al-Fudhail said, “Ridha means when a person does not wish for anything more than his position.” Ibn Sam’un said, “To be content with Allah is to be content because of Him and towards Him. To be pleased with Him as the Ruler and the Chosen One, to be pleased with Him as the Divider and the Giver, and to be pleased with Him as Lord and Master.

Once Abu Sa’id was asked, “Is it possible for a person to be pleased and angry at the same time?” He replied, “Yes. It is possible to be pleased with one’s Lord, and angry with one’s passions and anything that cuts one off from Allah.”

Someone said to Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Abu Dhar said, “Poor I prefer to rich, and sick I prefer to healthy.” Then, Hasan said, “May Allah have mercy on Abu Dhar.” So I said, “Whoever relies on the good that Allah has chosen for him does not expect anything other than what Allah has chosen for him.”

“THE BELIEVER IS A MIRROR FOR THE BELIEVERS.”

“Ali (a.s.) said, “Whoever sits on a bed and asks, is not content with Allah in every situation.” In the presence of al-Junaid ash-Shibli said, “There is no power and strength except with the help of Allah.” So al-Junaid said, “You said that when your chest was tight.” ash-Shibli replied, “That is correct.” Then al-Junaid continued, “The tightness of the chest is due to not being pleased with the decree (gadha) of Allah.”

The above remarks were delivered by al-Junaid to remind the base of the pleasure that is born due to the spaciousness and breadth of the chest. That spaciousness comes from the light of belief. If the light has penetrated the heart, then the heart becomes spacious and filled with the sweetness of the lover’s love and deeds, due to the presence of ridha towards the true lover. Because the lover sees that the actions of the beloved are what He wants.

As it is said, “Everything the lover does is beloved.” Because the servant does not like to be a servant of other than Allah and does not want to mingle with them. Whoever dislikes their ways may find that seeing them does more harm than good.

In a report it is said, “The believer is a mirror for the believers.” This is because when there is division among them, they will avoid it, because this division is born out of lust. And this lust is triggered by wasting time.

So, whenever the lust of the poor arises, they will know that he has gone out of the circle of togetherness. Judging him to have wasted his time and neglected good organization and maintenance. Therefore, through this talk he is brought back into the circle of togetherness.

Part Thirty-Sixth : Prohibition of Gossiping

ALLAH SWT. SPEAKING, “Is there anyone among you who likes to eat the flesh of his dead brother?” (QS. al-Hujurat (49): 12)

The word of Allah above is emphasized by the words of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH sourced from Abu Hurairah ra.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that there was a man by the side of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he stood up, but the man did not. So, some people said, “How weak he is. The Messenger of Allah said, “You have eaten your brother’s flesh and backbite him.”

It is said that Allah swt. revealed to Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him),

“Whoever dies repenting from gossiping will be the last to enter Paradise. And whoever dies persisting in gossip is the first to enter Hell.”

Another said, “Ibrahim bin Adham was once invited to an event. Then, the people around him gossiped about someone who did not come to the event. So Ibrahim said, “Indeed, my lust did this to me. I went to a place where people were gossiping.” He went out and did not eat for three days.

With regard to gossiping, it is said that the example of a person who gossips about others is like a person who builds a catapult (munjanig), which he uses to throw his good deeds to the east and west.

Similarly, it is said that on the Day of Resurrection, a servant will be given a book (his record), but he will not see any record of goodness in it. He will say, “Where is my prayer, my fast, and my obedience?” Then it is answered, “Your good deeds are lost because you have backbitten others.” So it was said, “Whoever is backbitten by others, half of his sins are forgiven.”

It is said that a man received his book with his right hand, then saw a record of his good deeds that he had never done. Then it was said to him, “This is because you were backbitten, but you did not realize it.”

At one point, word was conveyed to Hasan Bashri, “Someone has been gossiping about you,” so Hasan Bashri sent a jar of sweets to that person, saying, “I heard that you have rewarded me with your kindness, so I want to repay you.”

Al-Junaid (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was in Baghdad waiting for a corpse to be buried. Then I met a poor man who showed the traces of a worshipper and begged people. I said to myself, if this man would do something that would protect him, it would be better for him.

So, I went home and did the nightly recitation. I went to bed and dreamt that I saw the poor man carrying himself on a long couch. Then they said to me, Eat the man’s flesh because you have backbitten him, and I saw ahwal. I said. I did not backbite him, but said in my heart.” So it was said, “You are not one of those who are pleased with someone like him. Go, and ask his forgiveness.”

The next day I wandered around until I saw this man picking up sheets of vegetables that had fallen out from washing in the water. I greeted him, and he replied, “O Abu Oasim, are you going to repeat yourself?” I said, “No.” So, he said, “May Allah forgive us.”

Part Thirty-Seventh: The Meaning of Futuwwah (Generosity)

Ar-FATI OR A generous person is one who no longer designs himself, his wealth, and his children, but gives everything to the true Owner. In fact, what is given is not even his own because everything has disappeared in His words,

“Verily, Allah has purchased from the believers their selves and their wealth.” (QS. at-Taubah (9): 111)

He also has morals in line with Allah’s words,

“Verily, Allah enjoins you to be just and to do good.” (QS. an-Nahl (16): 90)

He does not forsake the slightest obedience to Allah in the form of justice and virtue, except to gather them. And he does not leave behind a single act of evil or disobedience, but he summarizes it.

Thus, the generosity of the layman with wealth, the generosity of the typical with wealth and deeds, the generosity of the typical with wealth, deeds, and ahwal: the generosity of the prophets with wealth, deeds, and asrar. This is the person who inwardly confesses, and outwardly does not make up or boast. The secret between himself and Allah cannot be seen by his own chest, let alone others.

One of the habits of a generous person (al-fatiy) is to see creatures with a view of pleasure and see oneself with an angry view, knowing the rights of people who are higher, equal, or lower than him. He never offends his brothers wrongly, insultingly, or falsely.

He sees creatures as lovers. He never considers them bad except for actions that are contrary to sharee’ah. In fact, in the matter of sin, it is attributed to Satan, not to his fellow Muslims, let alone to Allah swt.

He is able to change things with his hands. Even if he cannot, then he will change with his heart. He despairs of creatures, does not ask, desires, hides poverty, reveals sufficiency, does not claim, hides intentions, bears suffering, puts the wishes of Jains before his own, does not deprive others of their desires, gives without expectation: does not demand rights from anyone, demands himself for the rights of Jains, sees virtue in them, judges himself rash in all that is done, does not deny what is done.

In addition, an ordinary philanthropist renounces everything in which there is a share of lust. For him, there is no difference between praise and reproach by ordinary people.

Other habits are honesty, keeping promises, generosity, shyness, noble character, ennobling the soul, gentleness towards friends, not listening to bad things from friends, upholding promises by keeping them, avoiding envy, jealousy, and deception.

Another habit is to love and hate because of Allah, as much as possible to be lenient (cheap) with his brothers with wealth and position, not giving them with wealth and position (nepotism), befriending good people and avoiding bad people. He is hostile to his own lust for the sake of his Lord, and has no other enemy than his lust.

Thus, he strives to overcome lust because it is said, “al-fatiy is the one who destroys idols: the idols of men.” Among the other habits of a fatiy is that he does not shun a poor person because of his poverty, and does not approach a rich person because of his wealth.

He turns away from jinn and humans (kaunain). For him, there is no difference between those who stay and those who come, those who are known and those who are not, and there is no difference between saints and disbelievers in terms of food. He never stores food, does not make excuses, shows favors, and conceals love.

When he associates with others, he does not change whether his companion brings much or little, and he does not make people’s faces red by doing things that are not prescribed in sharee’ah. He does not take advantage of his companions, and what goes out of him never returns.

If given he is grateful, if not then he is patient. In fact, if given he tends to give precedence to others, and if not given he is grateful. Thus, al-futuwwah is when he does not forget Allah for the sake of creatures. The futuwwah of the adept is by what he knows, while the futuwwah of the non adept is by his traditions and customs.

Generosity

Generosity means giving precedence to someone else’s share over your own in absolute terms, both here and in the Hereafter. In addition, it is hastening to give before being asked, not expecting a return for what is given, being quick in giving, and considering his gift small and covering it.

Moreover, a generous person always gives his soul, spirit, and wealth to people with great shame. He is not willing to see the humiliation of asking on the faces of the Muslims.

Generosity with what is in the hands of man is greater than his own generosity and by giving and ganaah behavior. And, contentment is greater than the behavior of giving. But greater than all of that is the generosity of giving wisdom.

Part Thirty-Eight : Regarding Noble Manners

ALLAH SWT. SPEAKED,

“Be thou forgiving, and enjoin that which is right, and turn away from those who are foolish.” (QS. al-A’raf (6): 199)

This means forgiving those who wrong you and giving to those who refuse to give to you, connecting with those who cut you off, ignoring those who abuse you: doing good to those who do bad to you. The Prophet was sent with noble morals, he said,

“O Allah, forgive my people for they do not understand.”

And among the forms of generosity are spreading the greeting of peace, giving food, keeping in touch, praying at night when people are sleeping, and achieving glory by avoiding haraam things.

As for the noble manners that are the practices of the residents of Paradise, they include gentle speech followed by noble deeds, and rewarding those who do good more than the good they do.

A person with good manners encourages you to ask him and always apologize, as opposed to a curser who always boasts about himself. He always forgets the faults of his brothers and sisters, rushes to fulfill their needs, and devotes the world to those who need it. 

“HONOR AND WEALTH GO OUT AND TRAVEL AROUND, THEN THEY MEET QANA’AH, AND SETTLE IN IT.”

Part Thirty-Ninth: Qana’ah

ALLAH SWT. SPEAKED,

“Whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while believing, We shall surely give him a good life.” (QS. an-Nahl (16): 97)

Most commentators say that the good life (al-hayah ath-thayyibah) in the world in the above verse is qana’ah because it is a gift from Allah, as the Prophet said,

“Oana’ah is wealth that never disappears.”

The Prophet also said, “Whoever wants a friend then Allah is sufficient for him. Whoever wants comfort then the Qur’an is enough for him. Whoever wants wealth then qana’ah is enough for him. whoever wants a counselor then death is enough for him. And, whoever these four things do not suffice for him then hell will suffice for him.”

Narrated Abu Hurairah, the Prophet said,

“Be a wara’ person and you will be the most devoted worshipper. Be a ganaah and you will be the most grateful Muslim, and laugh less, for laughter deadens the heart.”

Allah swt. says,

“Allah will indeed give them good provision (paradise).” (QS. al-Hajj (221: 58))

With regard to this verse, some say that the meaning of the expression good sustenance (rizqan hasana) means an attitude of qanaah.

Wahb said regarding the above verse, “Honor and wealth go out and travel around, then they meet with qanaah, and settle in it.”

In the Book of Psalms it is mentioned, “The one who is qana’ah is rich, even when he is hungry. Similarly, it says in the Torah: “The son of Adam is content until he becomes rich, and he abstains from people until he is saved, and he is not spiteful until his honor appears.

He feels tired for a while, then enjoys a long rest.” Someone said, “Allah swt. puts five things in five places, honor in obedience, humiliation in disobedience, authority in the night prayer, wisdom in an empty stomach, and wealth in ganaah.”

A scholar said, “Repay those who are greedy for you with ganaah, just as you would repay your enemy with gishash.” Another said, “Whoever’s eyes get tired from looking at what is in people’s hands will have long sorrow.”

It is said that Abu Yazid washed his clothes in the sahara with his friend, then the friend said to him, “Let’s hang the clothes on the wall of the vineyard.” Abu Yazid said back, “You should not hang a pole on someone’s wall.” Then the companion said, “We will hang it on a tree.” Abu Yazid replied, “No, because that will damage the branches of the tree.”

The companion said again, “We will spread it on the grass. Abu Yazid replied, “No, the grass is fodder for cattle.” Finally, he faced his back towards the sun, while his shirt was on that back until one side was dry, then turned it over until both sides were dry.”

Part Fortieth: About the Beggar

WHOever begs, even though he has enough food for one day, is robbing the weak and the poor. Whoever intends to seek the Hereafter, Allah will place his wealth in his heart and make him a strong man, while the world will come to him willingly. And, whoever seeks the world, Allah will put poverty before his eyes, and his strength and affairs will be scattered.

No world will come to him except that which has been determined for him. Whoever makes his attention one, Allah suffices him in the affairs of this world and the Hereafter. Whoever’s attention is scattered, Allah does not care in which valley he perishes. The whole world from beginning to end cannot equal one sorrow, especially since your life is short, while the world you have attained is only a little.

In addition, whoever is content with what Allah has distributed to him, Allah will bless what he has been given and make it easy for him. Whoever refuses to beg means that he has been given the best of gifts.

If you want to be free, don’t be a slave to Allah. If you want to live a free life, do not make it a habit to hope in others, and be steadfast in qana’ah. So, how can a free man who seeks (disciples) humble himself to a servant, when he has found everything he wants in his Master.

If one knew what is involved in the act of begging, no one would engage in such an act. On the other hand, if people knew what is involved in the right of the one who asks, they would never refuse the one who asks them. No one asks someone for a favor, whether it is granted or not, but his self-respect has fallen for forty days.

Chapter Forty-One

Compassion for Allah’s Creatures

KNOWING that COMPASSION towards Allah’s creatures means honoring the affairs of Allah swt. Therefore, you should give them what they ask of you, not burden them beyond their ability, and not address them with something they have not done or know. You should be happy for the things that make them happy, and sad for the things that make them sad.

You think of how to realize their religious and worldly interests, and how to reject what harms their religious and worldly affairs. In fact, if a fly fell on the face of one of them, you would be saddened.

Hence, it is better for you to protect the heart of a believer in a shar’i manner than to go on Hajj and wage war. You should prefer your brother’s honor to your own honor, and prefer your own humiliation to your brother’s humiliation.

Part Forty-two : Explanation of the Harm of Sin

BLESSED IS HE WHO, when he dies, dies with his sins. It has been said, “The greatest sin is that of one who wrongs another who neither knows him nor sees him.” Whoever obeys Allah, He will subject all things to him.

And, whoever disobeys Him, He subjugates him to all things and makes all things dominate him. If there is no recompense for persistently committing sins, but all the things that befall him, such as spaciousness, narrowness, health, and sickness, are his punishment, then that is sufficient for him. If in forsaking sin there is no reward other than the opposite, that too will suffice him.

Indeed, a servant will indeed be deprived of his sustenance because of the sins he commits. The curse does not come in the form of a black face or a loss of wealth, rather the curse is that every time a person comes out of a sin, he will fall back into the same sin, or worse.

Therefore, do not let your repentance be weaker than when you sinned, as long as you deny the alternation of times, brothers, and wives. For sins give birth to all of these.

Moreover, they lead to the denial of the creation of creeping animals and house mice, the forgetting of the Qur’an or some of its knowledge, and the recitation of the Qur’an by free people.

So the punishment becomes a place of hardship and objection. The punishment of each of them is similar in terms of the matter of dreams. It may be that the punishment for

sin is the equivalent of the sin when the sin is great. As is the reward for obedience. And, there is no power and strength except with the help of Allah swt.

Part Forty-three : Prayer of Ahlul Qurb

IF YOU COME INTO PRAYER, forget the world and its inhabitants. Face Allah swt. as you will face Him on the Day of Judgment. Remember when you stand before Allah without a spokesman between you and Him. He was facing you. You whispered to Him and knew who you were in front of Him because He is the Supreme King.

It was said to one Sufi, “How did you say the first takbir?” He said, “How did you say the first takbir?

You say the first takbir?” He replied, “When saying Allahu Akbar, include the feeling of awe of Allah with the letter alif, a sense of awe with the letter lam, and a sense of being watched with the letter ha’.

Be aware that some people, when they say Allahu Akbar, are immersed in witnessing the majesty. The entire universe is in the expanse of his chest, like a seed on the expanse of the earth. Then, he throws that seed away, so that he is not afraid of whispers or conscience.

The part of the universe imagined in the mind becomes like a mustard seed that is thrown away. So, how can such dread suppress such a servant?” And, Allah is Omniscient.

May Allah swt. make us and you among His close servants and His scholars who practice knowledge and His sincere choices.

May peace and blessings be upon our Lord Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the leader of the “al-ghurril muhajjalin,” along with his family and close companions, his good and pure wives, his sincere descendants, and all the prophets, messengers, and angels. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.