Actions of the Heart: Obsession/Enslavement (1) October 27, 2006

“…whoever attaches his heart to created beings in order for them to render him victorious or to provide him with sustenance or even to guide him, his heart will submit to them (created beings), and he indulges in enslavement to them equivalent to the level of his heart’s attachment to them even though he, in appearance, is their master who manages matters for them and administers over them. The sane person should look at the realities (the heart of the matter) and not at the appearance of the matter.” – from the book of: Al-‘Uboodiyah (The Heart and its Enslavement) by Ibn Taymiyyah.

Comment:

This person’s heart is tormented – a punishment for his slavery to other than Allah, high and exalted be He. I mean if the heavens and the hearth will be ruined if their dwellers worship other gods besides Allah*, then what would happen to a man’s heart?! This is why Prophet Ibrahim – peace and blessings be upon him – prays Allah as mentioned in the Quran: {And disgrace me not on the Day when (all the creatures) will be resurrected. The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who comes to Allah with a clean heart } Surah 26. Ash-Shu’ara’ Verses 87-89. So, a heart clean of what? Clean of any enslavery to other than Allah, clean of hypocrisy, clean of envy, clean of all kinds of evils. The words of Ibn Taymiyyah makes us also ponder on the fact that: the things we enslave our hearts to are in reality things that should be enslaved to us, or created for us, in order to worship Allah by them. Let’s take money (desire of wealth) as an example. If you are a wealthy man, you worship Allah by spending your money moderately and only in Halal (permissible) things, and  to have an allocated amount for the poor. It’s a utility not an aim. It’s a road not its end. It’s a blessing, so don’t create your punishment from the blessing you have been given! What happens to some people that instead keeping money in their hands away from their hearts, money starts to become something they seek refuge to besides Allah. One of them would say: “I don’t mind if I get sick, because I can afford a good hospital.” Well great, going to a good hospital is something that is high recommended and a must if you can afford it, but what’s wrong is: feeling that money gives you protection! This is the meaning that Ibn Taymiyyah is trying to tell us. Make sure to keep utilities as utilities, don’t risk your heart, keep your heart clean, see things on their realities… put these things with a strong will against desires, then you’ll be from those who will be resurrected with clean hearts insha’ Allah. 

Last note: I think everybody now knows that I love Ibn Taymiyyah, mercy upon him, and this will not be the only time we discuss the actions of the heart.

Finally, I pray Allah to benefit me from what I have written, and I seek refuge in Him not to make me a bridge for people to cross through it to Paradise then goes to hell, and I seek refuge in Him not to make me remember you of piety and then forget it!

* As mentioned in the Verse 22 in Surah 21 Al-Anbiya’: {Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High be He) above all that (evil) they associate with Him!}.

Assalamu Alikum.. October 24, 2006

All praise is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessing be upon His prophet Muhammad, and peace be upon the Companions and those who follow them till the Day of Judgement:

So, finally I decided to have a web-blog.. My best friend (Q8IBLOGER) insisted, and he’s kind of a person who I can’t return his request. Anyways, if you find this blog a waste of time, it’s Q8ibloger to be blamed! (Big Smile).

I will go straight for a warm-up post, and I’ll leave the introduction of myself for you to review at the About page.

I was reading today in an important book* written by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah named: “Sharh Hadeeth Al Nzool”** (The Explaination of the Hadeeth of Descending).. It is a book in which Ibn Taymiyyah refutes the ignoramus Jahmis’ (Mu’tazilites and Ash’aris, and other misguided groups who were affected by the greek philosophy) false claims in regards to the understanding of the hadeeth narrated in Saheeh Al Bukhari:

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 586:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle said, “Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?. ” (See Hadith No. 246,Vol. 2)

Of course, it is impossible to review the whole book in one post, but I would like to summarize an important section which I read today and found it to be really interesting and beneficial:

Page: 232-236

– The correct understanding of this hadeeth, which has been narrated about the pious predecessors of this Ummah and its leaders, is: 

Allah descends to the nearest heaven (sky) in the last third of the night, without leaving his thrown, and the thrown is never above Him; and His descendence is not like the descendence of the human bodies from the roof to the ground, so the roof stays above them, Allah is glorified and praised from such description.

– Those who explain the hadeeth by saying: “it’s His mercy that descends” are wrong, and their claim can be refuted from different standpoints:

1. FIRST:

Mercy is either (1) an existing entity by itself – like angels – or (2) it is an attribute or a phenomenon.

– If you say it’s the first: then Angels descend to the earth all the time, but this Hadeeth mentions the last third of the night specifically, and made the end of this descendence to the near heaven, and the descendce of Angels is not specified by this particular time nor that particular place.

– if you say the second (like the humbleness that occurs in the hearts of worshipers in the time of the last third of the night and so forth): then this occurs on earth; it’s ending is not the near heaven!

2. SECOND:

It’s mentioned in the correct hadeeth: “He descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation?”, and it’s known that this is the Speech of Allah not anyone else’s.

3. THIRD:

The Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] said: “He descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation?”, and it’s known that no one accepts repentence, forgives sins and gives provision except Allah, and His mercy does not do any of this.

4. FORTH:

The descendce of his mercy is not from anyone but Him, therefore: it is then understood that Allah is over His thrown. As a result, their – refering to “jahmis” – ta’weel (figurative interpretation) refutes their own creed (they belief that Allah is not over His thrown; Glory be to Him and exalted be He in high exaltation above what they say). 

Interesting Debate: 

{When one of leaders of those misguided groups debated one of the Sunnis, and said: It is His mercy that descends.

Sunni replied: From where does it descend? You don’t believe that He is above His thrown, so neither do mercy or anything else descends from Him?!!

The misguided was confounded!}

5. FIFTH:

If we suppose that what descend are angels, then how come the hadeeth mentions that Allah says: “Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” It is impossible to say that this is the speech of the angels.

Analogy

{If a king orders one his servants to read a letter to the masses on his behalf, then the servant would have to state that this letter is from the king; otherwise the people will say: who are you to order us?!}

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* It has to be important because it’s written by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah – may Allah have mercy upon him, ameen.

** The book is revised by Sh. Muhammad Abdurrahman Al Khamees. The study and revision of this book was his Masters thesis. The book is printed by a Saudi publisher: Dar Al Asema.

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 I hope you enjoyed by first blog post. Not all blog posts will discuss issues of creed, I’ll also discuss issues concerning the Science of Fundementals of Hadeeth, Fiqh and Fundementals of Fiqh, other religious topics – and Anthropology!! Can’t forget that, it’s my major!

Take care now, and enjoy your Eid break!