A wise person

*Summary of Iṣlāḥī Majlis by Shaykhul-Ḥadīth Ḥaḍrat Mawlāna Ādam ibn Yūsuf Ṣāḥib دامت بركاته*

29th Nov 2020 | 14th Rabīul Ākhir 1442AH

‎مولاي صل وسلم دائمًا أبدًا

‎على حبيبك خير الخلق كلهم

*عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏:‏ ‏ "‏ الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْعَاجِزُ مَنْ أَتْبَعَ نَفْسَهُ هَوَاهَا ثُمَّ تَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ ‏"‏ (رواه الترمذي وابن ماجه)*

_It was narrated from Abu Ya’la Shaddād bin 'Aws رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The wise man is the one who takes account of himself and strives for that which is after death. And the helpless man is the one who follows his own whims then indulges in wishful thinking about Allahﷻ.”_

From this ḥadīth we learn the intelligent person is one who keeps a watch over his actions. He is thankful when he notices the good deeds he has performed, and he seeks forgiveness for his shortcomings. He is always fearful of the Hereafter and remains aware of his actions.

Humans are frail and prone to error. Therefore, when we notice a sin, we should repent to Allahﷻ. Beware of the evil of the soul.

_"Piety does not mean praying all day and doing dhikr in abundance, rather piety is being conscious and aware of the evil of the soul."_

In one ḥadīth the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says

*حَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُحَاسَبُوا*

"Take account of your deeds before you are held accountable." (Tirmidhī)

Allah ﷻ also says:

*يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ*

_O believers! Be mindful of Allahﷻ and let every soul look to what (deeds) it has sent forth for tomorrow. And fear Allahﷻ. Certainly Allahﷻ is All-Aware of what you do._ (Al Ḥashr, 18)

There are no actions that are hidden from Allah ﷻ. He alone knows the internal affairs of our heart. We must learn to control the nafs (ego) from inclining towards evil. 'Allāmah Buṣayri رحمه الله mentions in the Qasīdah Burdah that the nafs is likened to a child, meaning its nature needs tempering.

*النفس كالطفل ان تهمله شب علي*

_"The soul is like a child, if it is neglected it grows old"_

The second part of the ḥadīth teaches us that if we continue to lead a sinful life whilst simultaneously thinking that Allah ﷻ will forgive us, and yet we do not exert effort of repentance from our part, then such an action is an action of foolishness. As is heard from many people,

"There is no problem in me continuing in my sins, Allah ﷻ will forgive me."

If this had been the case then Allah ﷻ would not have mention Jannah together with Jahannam. Instead, Allah ﷻ has set out a balanced approach. Allah ﷻ says

*نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ • وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ•*

_"Tell My servants that I am indeed the Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful, And (also tell them) that My punishment is a very painful one."_ (Al Ḥijr, 49-50)

When a person thinks in this manner, that since Allah ﷻ will forgive me it is okay for me to continue in my persuit of sin, then know that this is in fact a deception of the nafs which is from shaytān.

Some scholars have also mentioned,

"To ask for Jannah without putting any effort into it (by performing righteous deeds) is a sin from amongst the sins."

Ḥaḍrat Ḥasan Al Baṣrī رحمه الله used to say: "Refrain from merely being hopeful in the mercy of Allah ﷻ without having any (righteous) actions in place."

We should spend our lives sensibly doing good deeds as much as possible and if we slip, we ask Allah ﷻ for forgiveness. Sadly, our situation is such that we are involved in sin frequently. To such an extent, that we would watch movies and listen to music and find ourselves having nightmares. A believer should sleep in such a manner that he is concerned of whether he will be alive the next morning or not. Therefore before sleeping we must endeavour to repent to Allah ﷻ and shed tears. If we then pass away at night, then this will surely be a very good ending for us.

Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār رحمه الله would make Du'ā':

"O King of all kings! Forgive us! We are sinful servants. You are the Doer of Good whilst we are the doers of evil."

*Who was Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār*

In his previous life , Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār lived a luxurious yet sinful life. One day, a poor man came to his shop asking him 'until when will you live your life this way; contrary to sharīah?' The poor man advised Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār to be prepared as death can arrive at anytime. A short while later, the poor man collapsed in the shop and passed away in this state. This incident affected Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār رحمه الله so much so that he changed his ways instantly. He spent the rest of his life writing Islamic works and worshipping Allah ﷻ. One du'ā' was as follows:

"O Allah ﷻ! By day and night, I have lived a life of sin. No moment of my life has passed without me sinning. I have never worshiped You with full awareness of my heart. O Allah ﷻ, I am a slave that ran away from his Master and has now I come back to this Master, tarnishing all my honour. I am only placing my hopes in You, as You mentioned in the Qur'ān: “do not be hopeless in the mercy of Allahﷻ". Oh Allahﷻ, forgive this poor man that was deceived by the devil and nafs. I am sincerely asking you to forgive me before the angels come to take my soul and I am placed in my grave. In my grave, no matter how much I cry out, it will not help me. O Allah ﷻ, please take my soul when you are most pleased with me."

```May Allah ﷻ grant us the ability to practise on everything that has been said. Āmīn```