[vanillawafer]

assalamu alaikum

Before the crash, I had started to post excerpts from the book "The Book of Assistance" by Imam Al-Haddad and I wanted to finish. I also posted parts of "The Path of Muhammad" by Imam Birgivi, and "Mutual Reminding--Good Manners" by Imam Al-Haddad. If anyone wants me to repost those excerpts in a separate thread, just let me know and I'll be glad to.

Strengthen and improve your certainty. For when certainty prevails in the heart and establishes itself therein the unseen becomes as if seen. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that it becomes as a towering mountain which no doubts can shake and no illusions rock. Rather doubts and illusions disappear completely, and when they come from outside are neither listened to by the ear nor heeded by the heart. The Devil does not approach the possessor of such certainty.

Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things. The first, most essential and pivotal of these is that the servant listen attentively with his heart as well as his ears to verses and hadiths relating to God, His Majesty, Perfection, Magnitude, and Grandeur, His Uniqueness in creating and deciding, ruling and compelling; Likewise to the truthfulness and perfection of the Messengers, the miracles they were aided with, and the sundry chastisements which befell those who opposed them. [The Book of Assistance]

Before the crash,

LOL. Is that the new name for that era? The Crash? Like the Depression....

[Warmheart4u2007]

Originally Posted by vanillawafer

assalamu alaikum

Before the crash, I had started to post excerpts from the book "The Book of Assistance" by Imam Al-Haddad and I wanted to finish. I also posted parts of "The Path of Muhammad" by Imam Birgivi, and "Mutual Reminding--Good Manners" by Imam Al-Haddad. If anyone wants me to repost those excerpts in a separate thread, just let me know and I'll be glad to.

Strengthen and improve your certainty. For when certainty prevails in the heart and establishes itself therein the unseen becomes as if seen. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that it becomes as a towering mountain which no doubts can shake and no illusions rock. Rather doubts and illusions disappear completely, and when they come from outside are neither listened to by the ear nor heeded by the heart. The Devil does not approach the possessor of such certainty.

Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things. The first, most essential and pivotal of these is that the servant listen attentively with his heart as well as his ears to verses and hadiths relating to God, His Majesty, Perfection, Magnitude, and Grandeur, His Uniqueness in creating and deciding, ruling and compelling; Likewise to the truthfulness and perfection of the Messengers, the miracles they were aided with, and the sundry chastisements which befell those who opposed them. [The Book of Assistance]

I found the quotation useless and without any meaning or may be I am a very dumb person to understand it.

Originally Posted by Warmheart4u2007

I found the quotation useless and without any meaning or may be I am a very dumb person to understand it.

It does sound a bit...weird.

It seems to be saying "be certain so you won't be uncertain!"

[vanillawafer]

Originally Posted by Warmheart4u2007

I found the quotation useless and without any meaning or may be I am a very dumb person to understand it.

Really? it seemed pretty straight forward to me. Maybe try reading it over again.

Certainty also derives its power by learning from looking at the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and the wondrous and astounding creatures that God made them teem with. The third is to behave according to what one behaves outwardly and inwardly, zealously, and to the limits of one's resources.

Proper certainty results in, among other things, acquiescence in God's promise, confidence in what He has guaranteed, turning to God with pure longing, abandoning all things which distract from Him, continuously returning to Him in all circumstances, and spending all one's energy in seeking His good pleasure.

In sum, certainty is the essential thing, and all other noble ranks, praiseworthy traits of character and good works are its branches and results. Virtues and actions are strong and weak, sound and unsound, according to the strength or otherwise of certainty. Luqman, (upon him be peace), said:"Action is possible only in the presence of certainty; a servant acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and a man becomes neglectful in his actions only when his certainty diminishes." [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[Warmheart4u2007]

Let me clear my point first with an example!

You are in a room and there is a table before you. You look at the table and you are certain that it is a table. You touch it, feel it and see it, ok. That is a kind of absolute certainity. Now if all the world come to you and say that it is not a table, you won't believe. You are certain that it is a table. Now there is no question of improving or enhancing the certainity. If you look at the table for hours you would not be able to enhance it or reduce it.

Now look at the quotation. What I understand is that certainity is something which can be reduced or enhanced. I just don"t get it. What is meant by strengthenning the certainity. It can be only strengthened if there is some uncertainity in it. That is a contradiction.

Do you get me

[zzze]

asslaamu alaykum

It seems strange that a man/woman with such an educated answer should have such a name like yours...

[Warmheart4u2007]

Originally Posted by zzze

asslaamu alaykum

It seems strange that a man/woman with such an educated answer should have such a name like yours...

Why it is strange.

[vanillawafer]

Improve the soundness and sincerity of your intentions, examine them, and reflect well before embarking on your actions. For intentions are the bases of deeds; according to them your deeds will either be good or ugly, sound or unsound.

You must, therefore, utter no word, do no action, and decide no matter without the intention of drawing nearer thereby to God and seeking the reward He has assigned through his beneficence and grace, to the intended act. And know that drawing nearer to Him can only be done through the obligatory and supererogatory devotions that He has indicated through His Messenger, may blessings and peace be upon him.

A sincere intention may change the merely licit into the devotional, for means are judged according to their ends. For example, one may eat to get the strength to perform devotions, etc. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

It is a condition of the sincere intention that behavior does not belie it. For instance a man who seeks knowledge claiming that his intention is to practice and teach it will be proved insincere in his intention if, when he becomes able to, he does not do so. Or a man who pursues the world and claims that he is doing so only that he may be independent of other people and be able to give charity to the needy and help his relatives will be proved ineffectual in his intention should he not do so when able.

Intentions do not affect sins, just as purification does not affect that which is, by its very nature, impure. A man who goes along with another who is slandering a Muslim, then pretends that he only wanted to humor him, is himself a slanderer. Any one who refrains from the enjoining of good and the forbidding of the evil and pretends that he only did so to protect himself from the culprit, is his partner in evildoing. A malicious intention attached to a good deed spoils it and renders it malicious; like wise when one performs good deeds for the sake of wealth and prestige. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[Warmheart4u2007]

I have learned from my study of Islam one golden rule

"first learn, understand to the nth digree and then act".

The belief (Imaan) comes as the result of a real understanding.

[vanillawafer]

My apologies for not keeping up with this. InshAllah I will from now on.

Always strive to intend that your obedience be solely for the sake of god, and that whatever licit things you may use are only to help you to obey Him.

Know that many intentions can attach to a single act, and that each of them will attract its full reward. An example of this in devotional activities is when someone reads the Qur'an intending to commune with God (which thing he will indeed do) but also to extract from it different kinds of knowledge, (for the Qur'an is the very mine of knowledge), to profit those who listen or (just happen to) hear, or any good intention.

And an example in licit matters is to eat with the intention of obeying the command of your Lord in His saying (Exalted is He!): O you who believe! Eat of the good things with which We provided you, and give thanks to God. (2:172). Intend by so doing to acquire strength for devotion, and to put yourself in a situation where you must thank your Lord, for He says: Eat of your Lord's provisions and thank Him. (34:15) You can apply these two examples in an analogous fashion to all other devotional and licit activities; and always do your best to increase your intentions. [The Book of Assistance]


salam

[Ayooshi]

Asalamu Alaikum,

I just bought this book. Its heavy reading. I have the other one Key to the Garden. You should quote that one too, its really good.

Fi AmanAllah

[vanillawafer]

Originally Posted by Ayooshi

Asalamu Alaikum,

I just bought this book. Its heavy reading. I have the other one Key to the Garden. You should quote that one too, its really good.

Fi AmanAllah

InshAllah

Be mindful of God in all your movements and times of stillness, at every moment, with every blink of the eye, with every thought, wish or any other state. Feel His nearness to you! Know that He looks and is aware of you, that nothing that you conceal is Hidden from Him. He is with you with His knowledge, awareness and power. If you are righteous, He will guide, assist and protect you.

Have modesty before your Lord as you should; make sure that He never sees you in a situation which He has forbidden you, and never misses you where He has commanded you to be; worship Him as if you saw Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you. Whenever you notice in your soul any laziness in His worship or inclination to disobedience, remind it that God hears and sees you and knows your secrets and secret conversation.

If this reminding does not benefit it because of the inadequacy of its knowledge of the Majesty of God, remind it of the two noble angels who record good and evil deeds. If this reminding does not influence it, remind it of the proximity of death, that it is the nearest of all hidden and awaited things; frighten it of its sudden pouncing, whereby if it does come when it is in an unsatisfactory state it will end up in endless perdition. If this threat is of no use, remind it of the immense reward which God has promised those who obey Him, and the painful torment with which He has threatened those who disobey Him. Endeavor to cure your soul with such reminders when it neglects obedience and inclines to rebellion, for they are useful medicines for the heart's diseases. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

If you find emerging in your heart, when you call to mind the fact that God observes you, a shyness that prevents you from disobeying Him and drives you to exert yourself in obeying Him, you are in possession of something of the realities of vigilance (muraqaba).

Know that vigilance is one of the most noble stations, high positions, and lofty degrees. It is the station of excellence (ihsan), excellence is to worship God as if you saw Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you. Each believer has faith that nothing on earth or in the heaven is concealed from God, that God is with him wherever he is, and that none of His movements or times of stillness are concealed from Him.

But the important thing is that this awareness be permanent and that its results appear, the least of which is that he does nothing, when alone with God, that he would be ashamed of should a man of virtue see him. This is rare, and it eventually leads to that which is rarer still, whereby the servant is totally immersed in God. [The Book of Assistance]

salam