Ayaaz and the Priceless Pearl

Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi (R.A.) mentions in his Mathnavi, a story of Sultan Mahmood : One day the Sultan decided to test his ministers and ordered them to crush the most prized pearl of his treasury. One by one, each of 65 ministers declined, stating that the pearl was far too valuable to be destroyed.The King then summoned his closest and trusted courtier, Ayaaz, and ordered him to crush the pearl. Without any delay or hesitation, Ayaaz crushed the pearl into fragments. When the ministers expressed disbelief and shock at such audacity, the King asked Ayaaz to inform them as to the reason for him having broken the pearl.
In response, Ayaaz asked these ministers : ” Which is more important, the Royal Decree or the pearl ? “
The question we pose to ourselves is : ” Which is more important, the command of my Allah or the desire of my heart ?”
The desires of the heart are akin to pearls, which appear to be quite beautiful but we should not fulfil these desires at the cost of breaking the decrees of Allah.
Ayaaz attained closeness to the king through his loyalty and faithfulness and his obedience and submission. Similarly, we will gain the extreme nearness and intimate closeness to the King of Kings through loyalty and faithfulness. This in turn is dependent upon sincere obedience and complete submission to His decrees.

(Taken from http://ahledil.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/suppressing-the-nafs/)

So You Want to be Something Huh?

Hazrat Hakim-ul-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahimahullah) addressing
his students and disciples said:
“Unfortunately the condition of people (who
are treading the path of Deen) today is that they want to quickly become
“something” from the get-go before actually doing anything. I say to them, that
even the fact that Allah Ta`ala accepts us to be involved and occupied with His
Deen is a great status and bounty in itself. What more of a blessing can a
person ask for than being occupied in the Deen of Allah Ta`ala.
As for that
person who desires to become “something” and gain some name and status for
himself through Deen, then remember this well…this person is a very unfortunate
and deprived (mahroom) person. Annihilate your desires of status and name and
remain busy in His servitude, being hopeful of His grace.
Never become
hopeless of Him due to your weaknesses and shortcomings. Stand up and move
(trusting in Him alone) and see how Allah makes all the difficulties easy and
removes the obstacles.
The condition of treading this path is that one must
have talab (the fervent desire) and the problem with us today is that we do not
have the talab to attain Allah alone. DESIRE ALLAH ALONE, AND THEN SEE WHAT
HAPPENS.”
(Malfoozat-e-Hakim-ul-Ummah; Vol. 7, Pg. 74)

(Taken from http://annoor.wordpress.com/2008/01/31/so-you-want-to-be-something-huh/)

Strengthen your Power

“Besides the usage of will power there is no other remedy for those sins which are related to passion and desire.

The respected Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahmatullahi alayh would say that if a person is not willing to use his will power then not even a Prophet can save him from committing sin.

Through the usage of will power one can achieve great things. Take the example of a smoker who stops smoking from morning till evening in Ramadhan.The smoker is able to do this because he is using the willpower which is within him.
The strengthening of will power is one of the benefits of consulting a Shaykh. By following the Shaykh’s guidance one is able to develop and rejuvenate his will power so that he is able to use this great capacity and thus refrain from sin.”


Taken from (http://shaykh.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/strengthen-your-power/)

Priceless Prostration

“If someone spends his youth in the disobedience of Allah, and then repents when he is older, he will not be able to acquire the same closeness of Allah as that person who abstained from disobedience right from his youth.
Remember a hundred prostrations during one’s old age cannot equal one prostration during one’s youth.
However, if someone built a relationship with Allah from a young age, struggled against his nafs whilst he was young, and continued this endeavour until he became old, then his prostration in old age will be priceless.”

Taken from (http://shaykh.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/priceless-prostration/)

The Life of this World

Quotes From the Salaf About the Life of This World

Taken from "The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade"

Sufyan ath-Thawri said: "Man's love for the life of this world is shown in the way he greets people."
[Look at a chaste poor man ... nobody talks to him. People greet him so warily as if fearing that he may pass poverty to them. But see how the people welcome a rich man, even if he does not perform prayer. They stand up with smiling faces, and each one hopes to greet him first. Note the difference between a man who is so great as seen by Allah and another who does not even weigh a mosquito's wing - but this is life.]

Narrated Muhammad ibn Abi Imran, "I heard a man asking Hatim al-Asamm: 'On what have you based your dependence on Allah?' He said: 'On four points: I knew that my sustenance cannot be eaten by someone else and I am assured, I knew that my duty cannot be done by anyone else, so I kept myself busy with that. I knew that death will come suddenly to me, so I prepared myself for it. I knew that wherever I go I am under Allah's Eye, so I am always shy of Him.'"

Abu Safwan ar-Ru`wini was asked: "What is that life dispraised by Allah in the Qur'an and that the sensible man should avoid?" He said: "Whatever you love in this life seeking worldly benefits is dispraised, and whatever you love seeking benefits in the Hereafter is praised."

Yahya ibn Mu`adh said, "O how poor is man, if he fears Hell in the same degree of his fearing poverty, then he will enter Paradise."

Ali ibn Al-Fudayl said: "I heard my father saying to Ibn Al-Mubarak: You order us to renounce the worldly pleasures and to be satisfied with the minimum, whereas you are buying goods, so what is that?" He said: "I do that to protect my face and my honour, and this helps me obey my Rabb." My father said: "How good is that if realised."

Yahya ibn Mu`adh said: "The life of this world is a house of deeds and the Hereafter is a house of horrors. Man remains between deeds and horrors until he settles either in Paradise or in Hell."

One of the salaf said: "Beware of the life of this world because its magic is more effective than that of Harut and Marut. The two latter's separate a man from his wife (ta laq) whereas the life of this world separates a man from his Rabb."

Abu Dardaa' said: "Everyone has an imperfection of knowledge and wisdom, if his wealth increases, he becomes so happy though day and night are working hard on destroying his life-span. So what is good of a wealth that increases and a life-span that decreases."

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "I am astonished about those people who are ordered to prepare their provisions, then the start of the journey is announced, however they remain unmindful in their vain discussions and fruitless deeds."

A man came to Sufyan ath-Thawree seeking his advice, and he said to the man: "Work for the sake of this life within the extent of your stay in it, and for the Hereafter within the extent of your stay therein."

Al-Fudayl ibn `Ayyad said: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him and his renunciation of worldly pleasures is equal to his desire in the Hereafter."

Salman ibn Dinar said: "What you love to have with you in the Hereafter you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today."

"Don't seek anything other than contentment, because therein is the bliss and the comfort of your body. Then consider the case of a person who possesses the whole world, can he take with him in the grave more than cotton and a shroud?"

Excessive laughter

"If you know what i know you would laugh less and cry more" (Bukahri)

The prophet (sallahu Alayhewaslam) was given the knowledge of the unseen by Allah. From amongst this was the visualisation of heaven and hell in addition to its dwellers.

Due to his knowledge and insight our beloved prophet (saw) stated that if we had the knowledge of matters which where not known to us, but were known to him, then we would forget the pleasures, desires and distractions of this world and our laughter and joys would be replaced by sorrow, contemplation and tears for the hereafter.

(Taken from the book 'Beneficial Knowledge' Madrassah Al Zahra)

Giving up Sin

“You will have to give up sin by force using courage, effort and with a sincere intention. It is no use just imagining that it will happen automatically. The intention should be such that I want to achieve this goal, of reaching Allah, no matter what it takes.
When a person makes a firm intention then he becomes capable of even moving mountains.”

Taken from (http://shaykh.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/giving-up-sin-2/)