"The Goodly Life"

Category: SOUND



Transcript:

“The Godly Life”
Sheikh Muhammad Mukhtar Ash-Shinqiti

Life, is either for a person, or against him
It's hours and seconds, days and years pass him by
Leading him (by his actions) to the Love and Good Pleasure of Allah
until he is amongst the people of Ultimate Success and the Gardens of Paradise
or they are against him, leading him (by his actions) to the Fires of Hell
and to the Anger of the One, the Just Ruler [Allah]

Life, either it will make you laugh & rejoice for an hour
over which you will cry for an eternity (in the Hereafter)
or it will make you cry for an hour
over which you will laugh & rejoice for an eternity (in the Hereafter)

Life, is either a great blessing for a person,
or an adverse affliction against him

This is a life which was lived by the earliest generations
by our fathers and forefathers
and by all those who preceded us
All of them, returned to Allah with what they used to do [their deeds]

"Life" refers to every single moment that is lived within it
and every hour spent within it
And within all of these, we live a life that is either for us or against us

Thus, the successful and happy person
is the one who sees life, and recognises it's reality and true nature
For by Allah, it is a life that frequently causes some people to weep, their tears never drying
and frequently makes others laugh, their laughs and joys then never to return

My beloved, Allah has made this life as a trial, a test,
an exam, in which is made apparent the true nature of His slaves
Thus happy is the one who is made successful (in this exam) by the Mercy of Allah
while miserable & banished (from salvation) is the one upon whom the Pleasure of Allah becomes forbidden (through this exam)

(Know) for every hour that you live, either Allah is pleased with you in this hour (by your deeds)
or the opposite, we seek refuge in Allah from that
Therefore (by this hour) either you come closer to Allah
or you stray further from Him

Thus it may be, that you live a single moment of love and obedience to Allah (by your actions)
by which are forgiven the inequities of your life
and a lifetime of sins
And it may be that you live a single moment in which you deviate purposely from the Path of Allah
distancing yourself from His obedience
which then becomes a cause of misery & distress, for the rest of your life
We ask Allah for His Safety and Pardoning

In this life there exist two seperate 'callers'
The first, is anything that calls to the Mercy, the Good Pleasure and the Love of Allah (be they thoughts or actions)
The second type of caller, is anything which invites to the opposite of that
(Such as) a desire or lust that incites one to evil
or a sudden sinful whim that may result in an evil ending (dying in bad or sinful circumstances)

Thus it may be, that a person within a moment of his life, weeps;
a weeping of regret and repentance over his negligence towards his Lord;
and by (these tears) Allah changes his evil deeds into good deeds (on his record)

But how many a people continue to commit sins?
how many a people still indulge in evil?
how many a people continue to distance themselves (from Allah),
frequently travelling away from their Lord (by their actions)?
Thus all of them are distant from the Mercy of Allah
unbeknownst to them, strangers to the Good Pleasure of Allah

Then comes upon them that hour, that exact moment (of penitence),
which is what we are referring to, by "the goodly life",
in order that they shed tears of regret and remorse,
and that a reason for anguish in the heart may be ignited,

Such that the person realises how long his alienation from Allah has been
and how long his absence from his Lord truly has been
so that he may then say, "Indeed I am turning to my Lord repentant, remorseful,
and in hope of His Mercy and Good Pleasure!"

This time (of penitence) is a person's key to happiness and contentment,
the time of regret.
It is as the scholars say,
"Indeed man sins a great deal,
but if he is truly sincere in his regret and repentance,
Allah will change his sins into good deeds"

Thus his life too then becomes pure and goodly,
by the purity and truthfulness of that regret and repentance
and by the sincerity in the very distress and pain felt within himself

We ask Allah the Greatest, Lord of the Honourable Throne,
to give life to this blessed caller to His Mercy, within our hearts
and to the pain we should feel when we are neglectful towards Allah and His Commands

My beloved, every single one of us needs to ask themselves a question,
we need to ask ourselves day and night,
How many nights are spent awake in activity?
and how many hours are passed (in this way)?
How many have laughed in this life?
And (most importantly) was Allah Pleased with this laughter?

How much of this time was spent in entertainment and enjoyment in this life?
Was this enjoyment one that Allah was Pleased with?
How many nights were spent awake (in activity)?
Was this staying awake (and what you did in those nights), pleasing to Allah?

And so on and so forth,
(These are) questions that he should be asking within himself
But a person might wonder why he should be asking these questions (i.e. what's the point)?

Yes! You must ask yourselves these questions
as passes not the instant of a blinking of an eye,
nor a fleeting moment in your life,
except that you are living in and experiencing the Blessings of Allah!

Thus it is from great respect and humility towards Allah
that a person remains constantly aware of the greatness of the Blessings bestowed upon him

From this humility is to truly feel and acknowledge that the food we eat,
belongs to and is provided by Allah

And that we quench our thirst with a drink created by Allah
And that we are shaded and sheltered by a roof provided by Him
And that we walk forth upon a ground provided by Him
And that without doubt we are living in and experiencing His every Bounty and Mercy
So what could we possibly have to offer Him in return?

(So it's important) a person asks himself these questions.

(For example) doctors say that there exists a substance in a person's heart,
that if it were to increase or decrease by 1%
he would die instantly...
So (think) in which courtesy and kindness,
which mercy and compassion from Allah does mankind enjoy, experience and live in!

(Even if) a person asks himself about the Mercy of Allah alone,
When he wakes up in the morning,
possessing his hearing
possessing his sight
possessing his physical strength,
who is the one safeguarding his hearing?
Who is the One safeguarding his sight?
Who is the One safeguarding his intellect?
Who is the One safeguarding his very soul?

He must ask himself, who is the One protecting all of these things?
Who is the One who Bestowed him with good health and wellbeing?

(Think of) those who are sick, lying on white beds (in hospital)
those who are sighing and in pain (from illness),
By Allah, through these great blessings Allah conveys His Love for us,
The great blessings of good health, wellbeing, security and safety
All of these are provided purely so that we may live a goodly life

Allah, praised & exalted is He, desires two things from His slave:
The first is that he carry out his obligatory duties (e.g. prayer)
and the second, is the abandonment of all Allah has forbidden and held him back from

As for the one who claims that closeness to Allah
entails a life of suffering or limitations
Then such a person without doubt has erred greatly in how he perceives Allah

For, by Allah, if you do not purify and make good your life by closeness to your Lord,
you will never be able to do so by way of anything else

And if you do not purify and adorn your life by carrying out your obligatory duties to Him,
and abandoning all that He has forbidden,
Then by Allah, you will never be able to so by way of anything else

A person may experience every single pleasure life has to offer
but by Allah, he will never experience anything more pleasurable,
more beautiful than servitude to Allah
by carrying out his obligations to Him
and leaving all that He has forbid him from

(In life) you are subjected to two choices,
whenever you are faced with a matter,
you have the choice to either do it or not do it

If you decide to go forth and do anything in this life,
ask yourself, "Has Allah permitted you to do this thing, or not?"

Since the human being himself is owned by Allah
the hearts are all owned by Allah
and the souls are all owned by Allah

Thus a person should,
whenever he wants to do something or hold back from it,
ask himself, will Allah be pleased with you (by this action)?
If so, then let him proceed
Or, will Allah not be pleased by this action?
If not then he should hold himself back.

For, by Allah, a person does not proceed with an action nor hold back from it,
requesting Allah's Mercy (and counsel in the decision),
except that he pleases his Lord in the process

Therefore true happiness and a goodly life are only to be found in closeness to Allah

Closeness to who?
To the King of Kings
the Controller of the Heavens & the Earth
To whom belongs the Ultimate Command, all creation
and the perfect arrangement and measure of all that exists

Thus you may find that man is always
in a state of anxiety and weariness
You may find an individual who has everything he desires
But by Allah, you will find most of those who have all they desire
suffer from mental or psychological problems,
from anxiety and depression,
most of them are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives

Go and look for the wealthiest person
and you'll most likely find him to be from
the most miserable people in life

And has made the sweetness and savour of life to be found,
in being close to Him

And has placed the key to a pleasurable, amiable life,
in a pleasurable, amiable relationship with Him

(If we look at just) one prayer that a person performs
from the 5 obligatory daily prayers;
at the moment of completing his bowing and prostrating
and completing his servitude to his Lord,
then at leaving the place of prayer,
he feels a great sense of ease and peace within himself!

By Allah, even if he were to spend all the wealth on the earth
(in attempt to buy this feeling)
He would be unable to seek a way to it.

Thus the goodly life is found only in closeness to Allah
A pleasant, comfortable life will only be found by a closeness to Allah
If a person does not purify and make good his life
through this close relationship,
then by who (or what) will he....?

Knowledge & Sins & The Disease of Idiots

Category: SOUND

Knowledge

“Useful knowledge is that which makes you grow in the fear of Allah, increases you in awareness of your defects, deepens your knowledge of the worship of your Lord Most High, decreases your desire for this world and increases your desire for the life to come, and opens your eyes to the defects of your actions so that you guard against them.”
-Imam Al-Ghazali (ra)

Tirmdhi relates from Jubayr ibn Nufayr (ra), on the authority of Abu Darda (ra):

“We were with the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) and he said, “ There {will be} a time when knowledge will be snatced from the people until they will be unable to benefit from it.” Ziyad ibn Lubayd said, “ O Messenger of Allah, how will Allah seize knowledge from us when we recite the Qur’an.” I swear by Allah, we recite it and teach it to our women and children!” He said, “ May your mother be bereaved of you, Ziyad. I used to consider you one of the learned people of Madinah! The Torah and the Gospel are with the Jews and the Christians, yet do they benefit from them in any way?”
[Tirmdhi no. 2653]

Nasa’i relates a similar hadith from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, on the authority of ‘Awf ibn Malik (ra), from the Prophet (ra). He says in this hadith,

"The Prophet (saw) mentioned the straying of the Jews and the Christians despite their possessing scriptures."
[Al-Nasa’i , al- Sunan al-Kubra(Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi), 8:211; al-Musnad, 6-26-27; al Hakim, al-Mustadrak(Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1990), 1:99-100]

Jubayr ibn Nufayr (ra) also related:

"I met Shaddad ibn Aws and I informed him of the hadith of ‘Awf ibn Malik, and he said, 'He has spoken the truth. Shall I not inform you about the first occurrence of the lifting of knowledge? Humility will be lifted to the point you will not see a single humble person.'"

Sins

The Discomfort of Avoiding Pleasurable Sins

“The discomfort felt after not committing a sin is like an everlasting feeling of springtime. This discomfort is actually beneficial and more virtuous compared to that feeling of temporary tranquility felt by the nafs after committing a sin. The reason behind this is that the curses of Allah descend on the person who acquires haram pleasures of the nafs, whereas the mercy of Allah descends on the person who feels discomfort for leaving sins.”

[‘Ataa-e-Rabbaani pg.34]

Comment of Abu Yahya

This malfooz of Hazratwala is actually the essence of his teachings. Hazratwala does not emphasise anything as much as he emphasizes tolerating the “pain” of abstaining from sins; such as casting evil glances at beautiful and handsome faces, watching pornographic pictures, etc. And in this day and age, this is a very unique and rare thing to propagate.

Unfortunately there is a great misconception which is becoming widespread in the Ummah (and this is due to our separation from the company of the Ulama and Auliya)which is: wear hijab, wear a kufi, go to a couple of Islamic conferences and lectures, and lead whatever type of life you wish. If it is too hard or difficult for you to do, then no problem… there is definitely some scholar who has given a fatwa permitting it. Surf the net and you’ll find Mufti Google answering all your queries!

The problem is that no one can comprehend that the pain in abstaining from sins is something good. We think: how can pain be good? But as they say: NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

It hurts to guard your eyes and follow the sunnah when you’re surrounded by kufr and mockers of the sunnah… but it is from this pain of not being accepted and not allowing the nafs haram pleasures by which Allah is attained.

We have mixed up the “ease” that shariah offers to us at times of dire necessity with the ease desired by the nafs in order to shy away from mujahadah. Whereas there is a clear and explicit difference. When the malfoozat and noble utterence of the Ulama-e-Rabbaniyeen such as the one above is applied to one’s life… then one truly experiences peace and traquility.

Indeed, just like when working out to develop bigger and stronger muscles when weight-training. Working out the soul is the same. The pain and 'burn' come from avoiding sins and especially the pleasurable ones, and engaging in good deeds, particularly the difficult ones. Just as the frequent trainee of bodybuilding begins to love the feeling of what is essentially harm coming to his body from the soreness and 'burn' of the muscles, because they understand what it signifies, so too will a seeker in the spiritual path come to even enjoy the discomfort from not sinning, because they'll understand what that signifies.

Source: An-Noor


Tricks of Shaitan

1. The first thing Shaytaan does is, he takes out the importance of obedience out of us and puts the importance of the dunya within us.

2. The second thing Shaytaan does is he delays the good actions, ex. praying, following the Sunnah, acquiring good company, making taubah etc.

3. The third thing he does is that he makes you rush through any good deed.

4. The fourth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he puts riyaa’ in those actions.

5. The fifth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he puts vanity in us - ‘ujb, i.e. conceit.

6. The sixth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he injects you with the poison of doing things for fame.

Any one of these is sufficient to destroy the reward of the action as well as serve as a means of destruction for the person.

May Allah save us from shaytaan and his evil ploys. Aameen!

Source: An-Noor


The Aim of Life

If we live in the company of the pious ones, we will attain the aim of life. What is the aim of life? When we go from this world wrapped in our kafans, we will not be able to take our jewellery, wives, children, carpets, mobile telephones, or any currency. This is proof enough that these items are not the aim of life. Tell me, is this a proof or not? Since the time of Adam (Alaihis salâm) till today, have you seen anyone taking his house, carpets and telephone with him? Have you seen anyone telling the angels, “O angels, come and help me. I cannot carry my carpets and my house alone. Please assist me.” Then the angels come down and say, “This janazah has requested Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la that his chairs, carpets, telephone, cellphone, cars and goods should reach the hereafter.” Has any dead person gone with his house and material possessions? This shows that these things are not the purpose of life. These are the means of life. Means are taken away while aims are not snatched away. This is proof enough that our purpose is worship. We take the nûr (illumination) of our worship to Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la. Another proof is that Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la grants us the ability to take His name till the time of death because this is the aim of life. Many powers terminate after sixty to seventy years. Hadhrat Hakeemul Ummat (Rahimahullâh) states that when the strength is finished, the old man tells his old wife, “Throw sand on taking and giving, let’s have pure love.” Friends, all strengths terminate in old age except the ability to take Allâh’s name. To the extent that some people became blind and deaf but their tongues were moving. Those who were in the habit of taking Allâh’s name, only they took His name. While those who were not in the habit of taking His name, who secretly went to the sewerage area and committed lewd acts had a disastrous end.

Source: "Purpose of Life" by Arif Billah Hazrat Molana Shah Hakeem Mohammad Akhter Sahab (db)


Overpower The Nafs (Self)

Do not company those who have becom Overpowered, O Rebellious one. Accompany one who has overpowered his nafs so that you may also become dominant and be able to practice upon the knowledge that you have acquired. and if one always stays in the company of those who are overpowered by their nafs then he will also remain a slave of his base desires. This because the one who himself is enslaved, how can he free someone else? one prisoner cannot release another prisoner. only if one of them is released will he be able to bail the other out. These people are the Ahlullah who have freed themselves from the slavery of Nafs.

Source: -Connection with Allah- by Arif billah Hazrat Molana Shah Hakeem Mohamamd Akhter sahab (db), Ahl-e-Dil


The Disease of Idiots

“One lustful gaze leads to another, just as one sin leads to another and also one good deed to another.”
-Arif Billah Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Akhtar Sahib (db)

Hakeem ul Ummah, Hazrat Thanwi (RA) says, “To cast lustful glances is the disease of idiots. You neither give, nor receive. All you do is put your own heart in turmoil. You can stare at a girl forever, but you will never get her. You will only get the person that Allah has decreed for you as halal. Since this is a matter which has already been decided by Allah, that is why this is the disease of idiots.”
[Anwaar-e-Haram pg. 45]

Note: This applies for females as well. Just because the example given by Hazrat Thanwi (RA) involves men, it does not mean that women are exempt. The ruling for lowering the gaze has been given to men first, and then specifically to women separately.

"Casting lustful galnces at beautiful girls and young lads is nowadays not even considered to be a sin. Hadratwala said that one who casts lustful glances at girls and young lads is stupid. And there is no FIX for stupidity. People, who have zero tolerance to Ahlullah, argue that 'we don’t know'… Hadratwala has said IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SINNING. Islam doesn’t work like this. It’s obligatory on every Muslim to know the difference between Halal and Haram. One should attend the Majalis of the Ahlullah and Ulama."

Source: Ahl-e-Dil

Some Islamic Principles of Living

Category: SOUND


This is just a collection of some anecdotes found from various corners of the Internet that I feel relay the essence or principles behind the Islamic philosophy of living. Words in grayed out font are from me.


Life

Mus'ab ibn Sa'd (ra) narrated that his father asked, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), who is subjected to the severest trial?" He said, "The Prophets, then the righteous, then the likes of them, then the likes of them among the people. A man is tried in relation to his religion. If he is firmly rooted to his religion then his trial will increase but if he is weak on his religion then his trial will be light. Trial does not cease to fall on a person as long as he walks on the surface of the earth until no sin remains on him."
(Tirmidhi #2398) (Ibn Majah #4023) (Ahmed 1/172)

This is an unbelievably important principle. It helps explain Qadr, or the Divine Destiny in store for us. So many people have their Iman (faith) weakened or tried by hardships because they do not take heed of this principle of how things work in Islam, in this world in relation to the next, and with believers in relation to the non-believers. Shaitan and the Nafs mislead a believer into assuming that a sin is worth doing, that they can repent for it later, and that it will bring them pleasure since they look around them at all the other people (non-believers or Muslims whose hearts have been sealed away by Allah) indulging in the sins without ill effect. The truth is that the consequences for sins of believers are felt right here, and often right now. The sins you commit today will be what makes your life miserable tomorrow in a sense. As one can see, they (Shaitan and the Nafs) mislead you even as to what will bring you pleasure in this world or not. As the Qur'an says about Shaitan: "'I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah.' Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes satan for a patron, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest." (4:119)... The true path to contentment in this world as well as the next is Islam. Those who live while indulging in all the sins they like are not happy, nor content. People who have achieved higher stations of spirituality through mujahadah (striving) can develop a more instinctive feel for this, such as illustrated in the following saying of Maulana Rumi (ra):

"If thou wilt be observant and vigilant, thou wilt see at every moment the response to thy action. Be observant if thou wouldst have a pure heart, for something is born to thee in consequence of every action."

And when one can start picking out the pattern instinctively and through reflection, then this also becomes something which will reaffirm and strengthen Iman (faith), and increase Taqwa (righteousness or God-consciousness).


Learning

Someone told Imam Abu Hanifah (ra), "In the mosque there is a circle (Halaqah) in which the people are looking at fiqh." He asked, "Do they have a head (i.e. a teacher)?" The man replied, "No." The Imam said, "These will never gain knowledge of fiqh."
[Reported by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, through his isnad, in 'al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih']

Imam Malik (ra) was asked, "Can knowledge be taken from a man who has not ([to his credit any) seeking (of knowledge) nor sitting (with scholars)?" He said, "No."
[Reported by as-Suyuti in 'Is'af al-Mubatta']

Imam al-Shafi' (ra) said, "Whoever takes knowledge from books loses the regulations."
(man akhadha al-'ilma min al-kutubi Dayya'a al-aHkaama).
[Reported by al-Nawawi in the introduction to 'al-Majmu']

'Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, said, "My father said : 'Knowledge is only that in which one says : So-and-so told us . . . . And, al-Mansur asked my father to discuss [something] with Ibn Abi Du'ad, but he turned his face away, saying, 'How can I discuss with someone whom I have not seen at the door of a single scholar?!'"
[Reported by Qadi 'Iyad in 'al-Ilma']

Loss of Knowledge

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al' As:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray."
[Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 3, Number 100]

Sufism (Tasawwuf)

“Know that Sufism is compliance with Allah’s command and avoidance of His prohibitions, externally and internally, with regard to what pleases Him, not what pleases you.”
-Qutb al-Maktum Sayyid Abu Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tijani

Marriage

"Firstly, a husband must overcome his shyness enough to actually look at his wife, and pay attention to her. If he cannot bring himself to follow this sunna, it is an insult to her, and extremely hurtful. Personal intimacy is a minefield of opportunities to hurt each other--glancing at the watch, a yawn at the wrong moment, appearing bored, and so on."

"Women shall have rights similar to the rights upon them; according to what is equitable and just; and men have a degree of advantage over them."
-Qur'an (2:216)

A bachelor once asked Imam al-Ghazali (ra): "Which should I choose: marriage, or total devotion to God?" "Both", he replied.

Bishr al-Hafi, a pious bachelor and teacher of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (rahimahullah), appeared to someone in a dream, and was asked, “How has God treated you?” He responded, “I have been given a high rank in the Gardens of Paradise. And I was allowed to look upon the stations of the prophets (alayhum salam); yet I never attained to the ranks of the married.” When asked what had become of Abu Nasr al-Tammar, he replied, “He has been raised seventy degrees above me.” People were surprised, and asked how this could be, and he answered, “He earned that by his patience with his little daughters and his family burdens.”

Regarding men having multiple wives (I don't know the authenticity of this, nor do I have reason to question it, but the principle is sound):

A dispute having arisen between the Caliph Mansur and his wife Harrah over an accusation made by the latter that the former was not a just ruler, Abu Hanifah was called in to arbitrate between them. The queen sat behind a veil in order to hear the Imam's verdict with her own ears. Mansur began by asking how many wives a Muslim was permitted to have at a time according to the Shari'ah. The Imam replied, "Four." "Do you hear?" shouted Mansur to the queen. "Yes, I've heard it," replied the queen. At that point the Imam addressed himself to the Caliph and added, "But this permission is for a man who is capable of doing justice. No other man can have more than one wife. God Himself says: 'If you doubt your ability to do justice (between your wives), have only one wife.' " Mansur remained silent. A little while after the Imam returned home, a servant came to him with a gift of fifty thousand dinars. "The queen," he said, "sends you her respectful salutations and says that she is grateful to you for your truthful verdict." The Imam returned the money with a message for the queen that he had expressed the opinion he had expressed not in the expectation of a reward but because it was his duty as an arbitrator to express it.

Now consider what state the man must be in, being that most people, men and women alike, cannot even fairly deal with their sole mother to say nothing of their sole spouse.


Lowering of the Gaze

The way a man will come to look at it:

At first you tend to only lower the gaze for other Muslims, for those who make it clear that they'd like you to do so (for which donning hijab/niqab is the most effective way to indicate). You do it for their sake, out of a need to respect the boundaries and limits they have errected because you respect their principles, you feel the love for them that all Muslims share as brothers and sisters in Islam and this is only furthered by a feeling of guilt if one does not normally observe the practice of guarding their gaze. But that doesn't apply for all the women who WANT you to look. In their case, you lower the gaze for yourself, your own sake (which is the most difficult).

Another reason that one finds to keep up the practice of lowering the gaze indiscriminately is not for fear of finding others attractive, but for fear of finding them NOT attractive. That's not something anyone deserves, to be unjustly objectified for comparison to others, whether only in someone's head or not.


Modesty (Haya)

"O ye wives of the Prophet! Ye are not like any other women. If ye keep your duty (to Allah; i.e, Taqwa), then be not soft of speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire (to you), but utter customary speech."
-Qur'an (33:32)

This means don't be nice in speech towards men, revealing their femininity, because they could be attracted to that. The condition or given explanation is the mere chance that a man of Iman might waver (let alone those men who are non-believers or those who are known to be of weak Iman towards whom there should be no doubt). This applies for tone of voice ("be not soft of speech") as well as actual words used ("utter customary speech"). This applies to all women just as many of the other rules of Hijab were also derived from the verses in this section addressed towards the wives (ra) of the Prophet (saw). This is the view of all Sunni and Shi'ite scholars.


In addition to all of the above it should also be noted that the system of interaction between the sexes, the institution of Hijab, the principles of modesty, and the institution of marriage in Islam serve to endow the relationship between man and woman (romantic relationship) with the best that such relationships have to offer in this world, and remove the pitfalls (since positive potential is matched by negative potential in this world). In the next 'Quotes' update, I'll include some quotes about romantic love from non-Islamic cultures, and the idea there is that the essence of these is not only present within Islamic culture, but it is at its best since what they only hint at (romantic love tapping into the greater True Love of spirituality) is what Islam is designed to foster for everyone who would take its path. In fact, those quotes (and indeed, all the non-Muslim traditions of romantic love in any medium) are representing the vast minority of cases since for most in non-Islamic cultures today, romantic love does not exist at all and they have been left with caricatures of the caricatures their forefathers inherited.

Ten Ways To Increase Love of Allah

Category: SOUND

By Imam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Taken from Madarij as-Saalikeen, Vol. 3, pp. 17-18

Imam Abu Abdullah, Shamsuddin Muhammad, ibn Abu Bakr, ibn Ayyub, ibn Sa`d, ibn Hurayz, al-Jawziyyah, al-Hanbali mentioned ten causes that result in Allah's love for His slave and the slave's love for his Lord. [These ten are:]

First, reciting the Qur’aan while pondering over its meanings and what is meant by it.

Second, getting closer to Allah by performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory deeds. This is as is stated in a Hadeeth Qudsi: "My slave continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him." [Saheeh al-Bukhari]

Third, continual remembrance of Allah under all circumstances, with one's tongue, heart and actions. The extent of one's love of Allah is determined by this.

Fourth, giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when you are overtaken by your desires.

Fifth, the heart being avid of Allah's Names, and Attributes and the heart roaming in that garden of knowledge.

Sixth, observing Allah's kindness, goodness and bounties, both hidden and open.

Seventh, and this is the most wonderful, the heart being soft, subdued and meek before Allah.

Eighth, being alone with Allah during the time when the Lord descends during the last portion of the night while reading His Book and ending that by asking for forgiveness and repenting.

Ninth, sitting with the beloved and sincere, benefiting from the most fruitful of their speech. And not to speak unless speaking is more beneficial and you know that it will improve your state and be beneficial to others.

Tenth, remaining away from every cause that comes between the heart and Allah.

These ten causes take the lovers to the station of true love and bring them to their Beloved.