Itikaaf 2014 Monday 21st July 2014 (23rd Ramadhan) Discourse after Zuhr by Shaykh Ahmad Dabbagh
People become motivated and then they lose that motivation. Why? Because the motivation also needs food. That is why the Quran was revealed in parts. The kuffar used to complain, "Allah does not need to think before writing a book. Allah knows everything, because the Quran is being revealed in few verses, that means the Quran is being collaborated with other people. If an author can write a book in one second why would he take 23 years to write it." That was one if the objections. Allah answered (apply it on yourself). Imagine this is a book written on hell or paradise. There will be motivation not to go to those bad deeds. Or if it is about Jannah, then you will want to go Jannah. But once you read it, your motivation will fade away day by day. Allah has created human being and He is the one who knows the psychology fully, others are just studying. The other verse might talk about hell fire then there might be a story then there might be a fiqh masla. Kuffar today say there is no tarteeb (order) like a chapter on family law, international law, fiqh, beliefs. It would have been better if they had been categorised. That is how the Quran is structured. They don't know the kuffar of Makkah, they will know their foolishness. What they are saying is not according to human psychology but the Quran is exactly according to it.
If I read about one thing only after 1 or 3 days you will lose that affect. The Quran knows, so the heaven and hell is mentioned thoroughly that is how motivation is kept alive.
Allah "we have revealed in parts to strengthen the hearts of Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) and sahabah. When there was one verse revealed and the Muslims were being tortured, the Muslims got motivation that Allah is communicating with us.
In the first few months Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) used to get upset that he was not getting wahi (revelation) and he would go to the mountain feeling upset. So if Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) needed motivation what about us?
You need everyday or 2 days to read one story or Hadith and about hell and auliah but if you read 1 book of 1000 pages then that will not benefit. Another example, if in 1 day you drink 10 litres of water and 10 chappattis and thinking I've eaten for a week and that I have enough strength. What will happen after 2 days, you will again need to eat as you will feel the hunger. To have small portion every day is healthier. Similarly one small portion of reminder is better everyday.
That is why Allah said "reminder benefits the believers" Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) is being told to remind them. If you don't remind yourself you won't benefit from Quran. If you still haven't understood, ponder on the marketing companies. Why are coca cola and so on are still advertising? You may say "it is wasting money we know about them" but they know it is human psychology that refreshes and people will buy it more.
If you read 2 pages of Quran you will find a mention of everything. 2
Main discourse
We've done the foundation. You are building a house of closeness of Allah.
This temporal place of dunya even motivates you not to make it your permanent home. If you say to kuffar who will give justice to these small babies that are being killed. We say corruption is in some countries. But on international level, no one has to come to UN for example. They (the leaders) can just walk away.
Allah "when the baby girl is asked for which crime you have been killed"
All Jewish are not bad, there are many good. Like good and bad Muslims like Yazeed was bad. One should not always see any Christian and Jew and think they are bad. People say they are surprised. They say they are bani Israel, they start from Hazrat Ishaaq (alayhissalam). What did the brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (alayhissalam) do? So when they could do that to their own brother, in spite of him being on truth. No wonder they are people likely to follow Dajjal. How much they did to their own father that he lost his eyes. Some of them (bank Israel) killed 30/40 Prophets in one day. It was not like one prophet for all country. They were for their locality.
Who is going to give justice to all these children. If there is no day of judgement then who will give them justice. You can only make sense of this world if you believe in the hereafter.
Allah "creating you all and bringing you all back for me it is like bringing back one person"
These Islamic beliefs are weaved in whole of Quran.
Moving forward, one thing about repentance. Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) said once "do not judge or neglect yourself. We are not here to pass judgement on ourselves or others but to carry on working." Judgement is for Allah. Even if you are doing good deeds. Still you shouldn't judge and say I am going Jannah. If you are pious it will make you arrogant and if you are sinful it will make you lose hope."
Some people are forgiven because of small acts and some are punished because of things they never would've expected. Shaytaan judged himself. He said "I am better". Allah "I decide who is better" now he has become the complete opposite, the shar (evil).
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "we are sent here to carry on striving"
Allah "I created this cycle of life and death to see who is best in conducts"
We ask for guidance in surah Fatiha every day and then we judging ourselves.
Shaytaan is known as Iblees, that he has become hopeless of the mercy of Allah. He was in this confusion. 3
Allah asked both of them "O Iblees, what stopped you from following our command?" And to Adam "didn't I forbid you from this tree and didn't I tell you shaytaan was your open enemy?"
They didn't judge. But shaytaan thought I'm finished, "you misguided me now I'm going to rebel against you and take everyone to hell with me"
But Adam alayhissalam said "I am wrong and hope in your mercy, with your mercy I will not fail"
(If you believe) "I've lost it" then you become rebellious. Sometimes if the relationship (husband and wife) is good then they don't want to criticise. And when they argue they mention everything, "this is a good opportunity".
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "what should be your approach?. What has happened in the past has happened. We cannot change it. Do not worry about the past but use the present to make the future better. We worry about the past and this affects our present thus we ruin our future, " If you don't learn from Mashaikh you will harm yourself from sins of the past.
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "auliallah also do mistake sometimes. What is the correct methodology? Auliallah look at the past to utilise the present to make the future better."
What's going to matter is how you end your life, not how you started it (nor) the middle. You will be judged in the state you die in.
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "they look at the past to benefit from and learn. We turn this into a negative thing" If it is making you lazy, shaytaan is playing with you.
Don't live in the past, live in the future.
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) "look at the sahabah like Hazrat Umar (radhiAllahuanhu) he made mistakes. He was the 40th person to believe and he excelled 38 people before him except Hazrat Abu bakr siqqique (radhiAllahuanhu).
Don't live in the past everyday when you get up, "praise for Allah who has given me life after death" think you've not done anything and it's a knew life for you.
Don't carry all your baggage (of your past) with you to today because they will destroy today. Think today you have been born, it's as though there's nothing against you and you should achieve everything you can. Then that day will become better. We are living all life as one piece. Whereas Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) mentality is that we have a new life (each day)
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Quran "Allah is the one who possess the souls at the time of death and at the time of sleep and He keeps those souls for whom He has decided death has come. Those who have yet life to live, He sends them back for an appointed time. In this there is lesson for the people of reflection."
People ask useless question, if spirit leaves how does the body breath. Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) said "when the ruh is far away it still had the power if it just keeps it's attention to the body, it can keep the body alive. Just because of few rays of sun it is keeping the earth alive. The ruh is more powerful than the sun, in heavens it can keep alive. Now they're saying you can charge a phone without the lead (wireless connection).
You are dying and living every night. Read this verse today and reflect. How merciful I am with you, I give you 365 lives in one year and you are asking for one (on the day of judgement). You are not reflecting why Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) was using the word "death" and "life" (before sleeping) and in the morning he said "all praise is for Allah who has given me life after death"
Repent before sleeping and wake up to a new life and day by day your life will improve. If you want to remember your sins take some positive lessons. Don't let it hold you down.
4th layer of foundation
Striving / mujahadah.
Person should not use their own mind (to interpret the Quran). Firstly they study then they say what the Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) said and then sahabah and so on and then if there is still room for adding they do in the light of all that.
Striving "to make an effort" steadfastness "to keep travelling even after one keeps falling" steadfastness doesn't mean that you will never fall.
Steadfastness of prophets and angels is never falling. We can never achieve that.
If you fall you stand up. "Striving is to suppress the urge and desire by exercising the skills of will power. Steadfastness is to continue whilst disregarding the internal feelings."
1000 lessons can be taught from the story of shaytaan. This is what scholars have come up with. Allah has chosen this story. He (Hazrat Adam alayhissalam lived for 1000 years life and only a few stories of his are mentioned.
If the feelings become overwhelming then Allah discharges the responsibility eg fast when travelling can be broken.
3 condition of mujahadah
Like there are 3 conditions for bath if a person doesn't know, (he doesn't know) the real 5
bath.
Story I use to help explain (the conditions of mujahadah) is the story of Hazrat Yusuf alayhissalam. Zulaiqa locked him in a room and invited him to an evil act. It was a difficult situation for him. Allah "that is how we save our people from these shameful acts" obviously the story of Sayidina Yusuf alyhissalam is not for him, it is for us.
1) he showed selflessness - to believe and show that you need Him, you are helpless, you are powerlessness. From your powerlessness you find the power of Allah. You negate yourself. "Unless Allah has mercy" Hadith "not even for a blink of an eye leave me to my nafs" a person can go astray in a blink of an eye.
2) Hazrat Yusuf alayhissalam had a WILL to be saved from this sin.
You need to understand the difference between the "wish" and "will".
Wish mean you want a result, fruit, closeness to Allah, millionaire. But you are not willing to pay the price. No climbing tree or paying for fruit so the result is, no fruit.
"Will" means you are willing to pay the price. I need to pay the price or climb the tree then the result is fruit.
Sayidina Abdul Qadir Jilani (rahimahullah) "this is the paradise of fools (just wishing)"
Imam Ghazali (rahimahullah) "intelligent is the one who controls his nafs and makes effort for what's after death. That person is a fool who follows his own nafs and desires and then hopes from Allah that He will give him Jannah.
No matter how much you wish to travel north if you travel south you will travel south.
You have to give up something, sacrifice something.
Hazrat Yusuf alayhissalam had an irada (will to sacrifice and pay the price)."I have no money to give, no life to give, palace is not mine. How can I show Allah I had the will to be saved. I am slave here. what I will offer is to be a slave in prison and hardship (that comes with it is better) than this luxurious palace. If palace for me means disobedience then prison is dearer to me. "
Some of the deviant Sufis (not really sufis) kiss head a of woman (or the women kiss them) and say "this doesn't affect me". Look at the difference where Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhe wasallam) said to Hazrat Ali (radhiAllahuanhu) that the first (unintentional) glance is forgiven but not the intentional (second) glance."
Allah commanded the sahabah to ask the mother of believers behind a veil. 6
She made a resolve to come closer to Hazrat Yusuf (alayhissalam) and he intended for her aswell. Here many mufasireen (commentators of Quran) became confused and attribute wrong things to a nabi (prophet).
Sayidina Abdul Azeez Dabbaagh (rahimahullah) was asked regarding this and he said "Zulaika intended to do that evil act and he intended aswell but ......... he intended to hit her, not to go closer to her for wrong things." Then Allah said "he would have done it (hit her)" and at the end it was decided to look at their shirts, if Yusuf's alayhissalam shirt is torn from back he is true and if his short was torn from front then he would've been accused. If he hit her he would've been falsely accused in the end."
3) He knew Zulaika has locked him in the room even though he knew the door is locked he ran (to the door). He showed us the third element is to do effort as much as you can, whatever is in your capacity. When he went to the door, Allah opened the door with his Power.
If you want Allah to make an opening for you you have to go to the door. An automatic door you have to go to the sensor then it will open. "This is how I save my servants from bad and abominable things"
If you do not have these 4 conditions, then your house will collapse.
[May Allah reward our brother Ansar who took time off work for these diagrams so you can benefit.]
It is important to keep your doors and windows closed. Shaytaan is always trying to enter to steal your house of closeness.
If you say "the real thing is what's inside the house and doesn't matter about the doors and windows", then it's easy to steal it.
Iman (faith) is the treasure inside. That's why after 4 conditions we start with organs (doors and windows).
The front door and back door are the most important. If you can close these doors, the front and back door represent the tongue and private parts.
Hadith "if you guarantee what is between your jaws and what's between your legs, I guarantee you paradise"
The 7 organs that you have is what Allah has given you. Heart is like a house and these organs are the doors and windows (to the heart).
State of Kufr (disbelief) - heart is pitch black. If you commit a sin then darkness enters, when you do any good deed light enters. You cannot see it but you can feel it. Imagine you are 7
sleeping during the night and it is giving you comfort. You are putting your body in hardship. Once you finish your prayer, do you feel happy or regretful. This happiness you experience is the light that has entered.
Once you take the drug, the film, the zina is over. Then what do you feel? A regret, an emptiness. That is the effect of the darkness that has entered.
The sin gives you enjoyment but not peace. Some will give you pleasure but not peace. You did it for peace. You have been conned by shaytaan.
Good deeds may have hardship but it gives you peace in the end. All these people want peace at the end. In good deeds there is hardship but at the end the peace will come.
People are doing Zikr and umrah but they're not storing the good deed. After they find themselves in the same state. They make shaytaans job easy. (He whispers to you "your heart is blackened, there's no use." This is very dangerous state. All your life you are going to live according to this false idea.
Sheets make it easy. Tick means 100 marks and cross means 99 marks. (Who is going to be upset with 99/100?) You've done more positive than negative. Why 30 days? Allah gave us 30 days of Ramadhan for taqwa.
You have stopped from negative usage of tongue. Now you use the tongue for positive.
No one will be able to feel your positivity if you only abstain from negative.
You cannot share your money with everyone. But you can share your akhlaq with all creation. "I can only be nice to 10 people today" nothing like this. People value this treasure more than money.
Once you've done these sheets there is a block in that pipe. No darkness will come only noor will enter. Then eg you start purification of eyes then two channels are blocked. One by one heart remains clean and the effect of prayer and Zikr shows itself.
If all air condition is on and all windows are opened then it is wasted. Some people are like this, they are doing Zikr air conditioning inside their hearts but their windows (organs) are opened (sinning).
If wudhu is not done, 1000 Salah is useless. Imagine physical purification is necessary then what about spiritual purification.
Hadith "they didn't reach the status by excessive Nawafil and Salah. How? They are compassionate on creation and they have no spiritual disease in them. They are generous. They don't take things personally. They return evil with goodness. These things elevate the auliallah."
"Beneficial Speech in Establishing The Evidences of Tawhid" - 'Al-Qawl-Ul - Mufeed Fee Adillatit-Tawhid' by Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab Al-Wasabee (May Allah Preserve Him)