[vanillawafer]

You must scrupulously avoid prohibited and suspect things. Scrupulousness (wara') is the pillar of religion and it is the pivot emphasized by the practicing scholars. The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) has said: "the one who guards himself against suspect things has protected his religion and his honor, and the one who falls onto suspect things will fall into the prohibited."

Know that those who acquire prohibited and suspect things are seldom granted success in performing good deeds, and when they appear to be doing so, these are inevitably inwardly tarnished with hidden things which will spoil them, such as self-admiration and ostentation.

In any case, the works of those who subsist on illicit (resources) are rejected, for God is Good and accepts only that which is good. The explanation of this is that acts can only be performed by using the body, and the body can only move by the energy obtained from food. If that food is vile the energy it produces and the movements which result will also be vile. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

A man's scrupulousness is measured by his abstaining from anything suspect until its status is clarified. A servant (of God) does not become a true man of taqwa until he abstains from things which are undoubtedly licit for fear of that which may follow and be doubtful or illicit.

Scrupulousness is rendered easy for those who want only what is necessary from the world. When you have suspicions, then scrupulousness obliges you to abstain even though that thing may be, to all outward appearances, lawful. For sin is that which causes inward suspicion and hesitation. But this concerns those whose hearts are illuminated and who incline to the side of abstinence, and not that of indulgence.

Do not think that scrupulousness involves only food and clothes; rather it involves everything. However, if you are in possession of lawful and more purely lawful, or lawful and suspect things, then use the most lawful that you have in matters of food. For everything depends on food which, licit, has a great illuminating influence on the heart and gives the body energy for worship. One of our predecessors has said: "Eat what you will, for in the same wise your actions will be." [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

You must enjoin good and forbid evil, for this is the pivot around which religion revolves, and is the reason why God revealed His Books and sent His Messengers. It is considered a duty by the consensus of all Muslims, and a great many passages in the Book and the sunna enjoin it and warn about its neglect.

In many contexts has God attributed enjoining good and forbidding evil to the believers, on some occasions (even) before attributing faith to them, and on others, before mentioning the regular performance of prayers and giving of zakah . The Messenger of God (may blessings and peace be upon him) has said: 'By the One in Whose Hand lies my soul, you will enjoin good and forbid evil, or God will soon send His punishment upon you; whereupon you will pray and not be answered.' And: 'The one who is not compassionate to our young and respectful to our elders, and who does not enjoin good and forbid evil, is not one of us.

Know that enjoining the obligatory and forbidding prohibited things is itself an obligation. Enjoining recommended and forbidding disliked things is itself recommended. [The Book of Assistance]


salam

[vanillawafer]

Whenever you enjoin good and forbid evil and are not listened to you must leave the place where evil is being committed and those who commit it until they return to God's ordinance. Likewise you must detest sins and those who persist in committing them, and abhor them for the sake of God; this being a duty for all Muslims.

When you become angry because you were wronged or insulted, and this shows on your face and you find that your loathing of that deed and the person who did it are more than your loathing of any evil that you see or hear about, then know for certain that your faith is weak, and your honor and wealth are dearer to you than your religion. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[zzze]

asslamau alaykum

jazakallahhairun

[vanillawafer]

Beware of dissimulation, for it is a crime. This is to remain silent for fear of losing a position, money, or any other benefit the source of which is the person committing the reprehensible act or any other depraved person.

Anyone who has true vigilance for God, reliance upon Him, and has acquired the attribute of mercy towards His servants, cannot prevent himself from removing every evil that he sees except when prevented from doing so by means which he cannot overcome. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

Beware of spying, which is seeking to know the private affairs of other Muslims and their hidden sins. The Prophet (may blessings and peace be upon him) has said: 'The one who seeks out the secrets of his brother Muslim will have God seeking out his secrets until He exposes him, even should he be in the depth of his house.

Know that a concealed sin harms only its doer, but when it becomes public and is not stopped its harm becomes general.

When sins and reprehensible things become obscenely in evidence where you live, and you despair of truth being accepted, then isolate yourself, for in this lies safety; or emigrate to another place, which action is better. For when chastisement falls on a place it includes both the wicked and the good; to a believer who was neglectful in supporting God's religion it is an expiation and mercy, but for others it is a chastisement and an affliction. And God knows best. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

Deal justly with those in your charge, whether 'public' or 'personal'. Be altogether protecting and solicitous for them, for God will call you to account in their regard, and 'every shepherd will be asked to account for his flock.'

By your 'personal charges' I mean your seven organs, which are your tongue, ears, eyes, stomach, genitals, hands and feet. These are your charges which God has given you and a trust with which He has entrusted you, which you should restrain from sin and use in His obedience. For God the Exalted created them only that by means of them you might obey him; they are among His greatest of His favors, for which we should thank Him by using them to obey Him, and not in His disobedience.

If you do not do this you will be turning God's favor into ingratitude. Had God the Exalted not made these organs to be your servants and made them to obey you by disposition, you would not have been able to use them to disobey Him at all. You will one day stand before God and these organs will testify to every good deed or evil in which you used them.

As for your 'public charges', these are all people entrusted by God to your custody, such as children, wife, and slave, all of whom are part of your charge. It is your duty to guide them to the performance of that which God has made obligatory and the avoidance of that which He forbade. Beware of allowing them to neglect an obligatory or commit a forbidden act; summon them to that in which their salvation and happiness in the hereafter lies.

Teach them courtesy and do not plant in their hearts love of the world and its cravings, for you would thus have done them harm. It has been said that the wife and children of a man shall clutch him before God and say: 'O Lord! This one did not teach us Your rights upon us; therefore give us retaliation from him!'

You must treat them with justice and graciousness. Justice is to give them everything that God has made rightfully theirs in the way of expenditure, clothes, and living with them charitably. As for graciousness, this is to treat them gently, and not to be harsh in asking them for the rights assigned to you by God, and to treat them with nobility, and to laugh with them at times without falling into sin, in a manner that removes estrangement and repugnance but maintains reverence and respect. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[TheMuslimah]

as salamu 'alaykum

masha'Allah, this is really wonderful of you to post. May Allah reward you immensely! Imam al-Haddad's (Allah be pleased with him) works are truly amazing. I would love to help you post bits. Would you mind?

[vanillawafer]

Be loyal to your parents, for this is a most certain duty. Beware of severing your ties with them, which is one of the greatest sins. You must, therefore seek to make them pleased with you, and obey them except in committing sinful things or omitting obligations. Prefer them to yourself and give their affairs priority over your own. Disloyalty includes withholding from them any good that you are able to bring them, as well as frowning and chiding.

Parents should help their children to be loyal to them by not insisting on every one of their rights, especially in these days when loyalty is scarce, evil rife. Respect your ties of kinship and start with the closest to you; give generously of the good things you have and start with the nearest. Maintaining ties of kinship and kind behavior towards neighbors will not be complete unless one refrains from harming them, endures the harming they do, and does good to them according to the means at one's disposal. [The Book of Guidance]


salam

[vanillawafer]

You must love and hate for the sake of God, for this is one of the firmest handholds of faith. When you love the servant who is obedient to God because of his obedience, and hate the one who is disobedient to God because of his disobedience, and not for any other reason, then you are the one who truly loves and hates for the sake of God. If you find in yourself no love for the people of goodness, because of their goodness, and no loathing for the people of evil, because of their evil, then know that your faith is weak.

Keep the company of the best people and avoid that of the worst; sit with the virtuous and avoid the unjust. Know that associating with people of goodness and keeping their company implant the love of goodness in the heart and help to practice it, while associating with the people of evil and keeping their company implant the love of evil in the heart and the love of practicing it. The one who associates closely with a particular group of people, inevitably ends up loving them, whether they are good or evil, and a man is with those he loves both in this world and in the hereafter. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[vanillawafer]

Be merciful to the servants of God and compassionate to His creatures, and be gentle and kind, and easy to approach. Beware of being callous, coarse, obscene, and difficult to approach. The Prophet has said, (may blessings and peace be upon him): 'God is only merciful to those of His servants who are merciful; those who show no mercy are shown no mercy.' And: 'A believer is affable and easy to approach; there is no good in anyone who is neither affable nor easy to approach.'

Teach the ignorant, guide those who stray, remind the distracted, and beware of neglecting any of these things. For teaching and reminding are part of practicing what one knows, and great men only become great by the grace of God and by their guiding God's servants to His path. If you are unworthy now (of teaching), then the only way you can become worthy is to do good and invite people to it. Evil lies only in making claims and leading others to other than the truth. [The Book of Assistance]


salam

[vanillawafer]

Comfort the brokenhearted, be gentle to the weak and the needy, console the poor, be lenient with the insolvent, and lend to those who ask you. 'The reward for a loan exceeds that for charity eight times.' (Hadith). This is because a loan is only taken by one who is in need of it. Console those who are stricken by adversity, for the prophet has said, (may blessings and peace be upon him): 'The one who consoles a man stricken by adversity, that is, helps him endure patiently, has a reward similar to his.'

Beware of gloating, which is to rejoice at another Muslim's misfortune, for the Prophet has said, (may blessings and peace be upon him): 'Do not show any gloating in regard to your brother, lest God release him and afflict you,'

Beware of openly reviling a Muslim for a sin he has fallen into, for the one who does so will be afflicted likewise before he dies. [The Book of Assistance]

salam

[zzze]

assalamu alaykum

jazakallahkhair. Can't wait to be able to get hold of this book myself insha Allah!