Abu Hafsat

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam told me:- "O Abu Huraira, be scrupulous and you will be the most devoted of people, be content and you will be the most grateful of people, love for people what you love for yourself and you will be a believer, be a good companion to those in your company and you will be a Muslim, and decrease laughter, for truly, a lot of laughter kills the heart. "(Ibn Majah).

As-Salaam alaikum, "I DID NOT CREATE THE JINN AND MANKIND EXCEPT TO WORSHIP ME" (51:56) The final purpose of the world is nothing but Divine Worship. Devotion or worship, ultimately, is in 3 stages:- (1) Devotion of ordinary people: obedience to God's Commands. (2) Devotion of the elect on the mystical path: Increasing of intention and will and cultivation of sincerity. (3) Devotion of the elect of the elect (akhassu l-khassa) : Serving God with love. In all these 3 forms/stages, Devotion should/must be seen as the presence of the heart, whereby one gets immersed in the ocean of love and connecting to the Divine in his/her acts of worship.

As-Salaam alaikum, In addressing him, the Holy Qur'an says about Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam:- "Truly, though art of an exalted (azim) character" (68:4) And it was lost on no one that the Qur'an uses the same adjective to refer to itself - 'the Mighty (azim) Qur'an' (15:87). The Exaltedness of the Prophet's character derives precisely from the fact that he had assimilated the Qur'an into his very being. This is how Sufis have understood the saying of the Prophet's wife Sayyada A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, when she was asked about his character after his death. She replied : "Have you not read the Qur'an? His character was the Qur'an". (Sunan Ahmad 10, No. 25,240). Indeed, among all of Allah's servants, the one who had the most exalted character was/is Muhammad, literally 'the praised one', also called Ahmad, 'the most praiseworthy' (61:6). The Qur'an speaks of Allah as "the Praiseworthy" (al-Hamid), the implication being that no one else is truly worthy of praise. If the Qur'an calls the Prophet both "Muhammad" and "Ahmad", that is because his character conforms to Allah's "character", which is to say that "his character was the Qur'an", Allah's Speech and Self-Expression.

"This world is the prison, and we are the prisoners: dig a hole in the prison and let yourself out! What is this world? To be forgetful of God, it is not merchandise and silver and weighing scales and women. As regards the wealth that you carry for religious sake, "How good is righteous wealth (for the righteous man)"! as the Prophet recited. Since he cast out from his heart (the desire for) wealth and possessions, on that account Soloman did not call himself (by any name) but "poor". Although the whole of this world is his Kingdom, in the eye of his heart the Kingdom is nothing. " After Jalaluddin Rumi in his 'Mathnawi, Trans. by Prof R. A Nicholson.

As-Salaam alaikum, "Wherever you turn, there is the face of God" (2:115) Such knowledge comes by way of Zikr, which is al-hudur ma'al-mazkur.. "presence of the One Remembered". We should see the world for what it is - - a reminder of God, a mention of God, a remembrance of God. And the place where God becomes truly present and man becomes truly blessed, is the heart. Says Sheikh al-Akbar, or the Greatest Master, Sheikh Muhiyiddin Ibn Arabi:- "The greatest sin is what brings about the death of the heart. It dies only by not knowing God. This is what is named " ignoramce". For the heart is the house that God has chosen for Himself in this human configuration. But such a person has misappropriated the house, coming between it and its Owner ". (Futuhat Makkiyyah, 179:6), Cairo, 1911.

As-Salaam alaikum, Sayyadi Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, as having said: "There is none whose final abode is not known to Allah from beforehand - whether it is going to be Hell or Heaven". The audience said, "Should we not then hang on to the scroll of destiny and suspend action?". The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:- "No, do your part for what is pre-ordained for one has been made easy for him. If he is fortunate, the path of goodness has been smoothened for him but if he is doomed, evil deeds are equally facile to him". He then recited the ayat/verse, "But as for him who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah), and accepts whatever is good, We surely will smoothen the path of happiness". (Bukhari and Muslim).

As-Salaam alaikum, The most revolutionary statement on earth, LA ILAHA ILLALLAHU, MUHAMMADUR-RASULULLAH, discerns between the Real and the Unreal, or between the Absolute and the Relative, or between ALLAH and everything other than Allah, which is the universe. The Kalimat-Shahada is divided into 2 halves, the negation (LA-ILAHA) and the affirmation (ILLALLAHU). The first half denies the inherent reality of the world and the self, while the second half affirms the ultimacy of the Divine Reality. The Shahada means there is no creator but Allah, none Merciful but Allah, none Knowing but Allah. In sum, it means that there is no reality but Allah Ta'ala... and that all the so-called realities of our experience are secondary and derivative. Says the Holy Qur'an: "Everything is perishing but His face" (28:88). Here, Allah Ta'ala did not say, "will perish", for He wanted it known that the existence of all things is pershing in His Being today. Only those veiled from the reality of things post pone the observance of this until tomorrow. Allah's Reality is such that nothing can stand up to it, His Unique possession of all that is real and all that provides reality to others means that the others are in fact non existent. This is how our teachers interprete the saying of the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, "Allah was, and nothing was with Him". And by saying/affirming "MUHAMMAD RASULULLAH"... we say and believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah... he is a clear, designated manifestation of the One Real. In other words, he represents Allah Ta'ala more directly than other creatures. He and the Qur'an for which he is the vehicle are guiding lights in the darkness of unreal things.

As-Salaam alaikum, Just as when a piece of iron when exposed and immersed in tremendous heat of fire annihilated its own identity and become lost in the color and quality of fire, similarly the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, lost his own self-hood in the fire of Divine love, and attained to his highest degree of Khilafat. And thus through him, the Attributes of Allah Ta'ala were/are made manifest. The Prophet's seeing, hearing, doing and speaking are that of the Divine's. That is why Allah says about the Prophet:- "You did not slay them, but Allah slayed them, and in no way did you throw when you threw, but Allah threw" (8:17) "The Prophet doesn't speak out of his own volition, his speech is but revelation (Allah's Speech)" /53:3 Through the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes were manifested fully, that is why following the Prophet is made equivalent of following Allah, where the Qur'an declares:- " He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah" (4:80) And,also, by the bestowel of Almighty Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, had within himself manifest the Divine Attributes which are supernatural from ordinary human standard... for example, he said :- "Allah has folded the entire earth in front of me. So I can simultaneously observe everything from its east to its west" (Sahih Muslim) and "Allah has placed this worldly manifestation in such a mysterious way in front of my eyes that whatever will be created until the Day of Judgement, I can see them as if they are right on top of my palm" (Tabrani). From this, we deduce that from the subtlety of his haqiqat, space and time boundaries are made null and void... everything is made present simultaneously Allah's mystical manifestation (Tajalli) to his Prophet was in his power of hearing and seeing. That is why he said : "I can see what you cannot see, I can hear what you cannot hear". (Ahmad and Tirmidhi).

As-Salaam alaikum, "And seek forgiveness of God. Indeed God is Forgiving and Merciful." (73:29) "Surely, God loves those people who constantly repent to Him" (2:222) Note that in this ayat, God did not say "God loves the 'Taa' ibeen' (those who repent), but He said, 'Tawwabeen', which means those who constantly... over and over repent to God. As humans, sometimes we tend to stray off the path for a while. What should we do when we erred? How do we ensure that our repentance is sincere, constant and successful? There are 3 main steps one must take in order to sincerely repent :- (1) Deeply regret with a sincere heart for the sin we committed. (2) Return to God for forgiveness. (3) Make a strong intention never to return to that same sin again.

As-Salaam alaikum, The strange thing is that if the cause is Pharaoh, the result is Sayyadina Musa, alaihi Salaam. This is the concept that the people of Zahiriyah cannot understand. Where the science of cause and effect ends, the boundary of Salawaat and destiny begins. And Salawaat ala Nabiy is just that - - Divine Will. It can grant success to hard work, or it can bestow success without any effort. A person without faith only believes in causes, while a person with faith believes in the Cause of causes. A faithless person seeks strength from the people, but a believer knows that the source of all power and strength is none other than Allah. The game of causes and effects is subject to Divine will and decree. Do not let your deeds be deprived of the support of the abundant recitation of Salawaat ala Nabiy, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam and his family.

As-Salaam alaikum, Busr ibn Sa'ed, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: "If the person who passes in front of another person in prayer, knew the magnitude of his sin, he would prefer to wait for 40 days rather than pass in front of him". (Bukhari, 510)

As-Salaam alaikum, In chapter 91, verses 7-10 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Shams, we read it where Allah Ta'ala says:- "By the soul, and that which proportioned it, and inspired its depravity and godwariness (its wrong and its right). Prosperous is he who purifies it, and failed has he who (corrupts) buries it." It is clear that the prosperity achieved through purifying the soul pertains to the next world. In relation to that prosperity, the prosperity of this world is (in the modern, secular understanding of being prosperous) is irrelevant. Those who fail to purify their souls and instead "bury" their souls will not be prosperous. Instead, they will be miserable when they reach the next world, whether or not they are prosperous here. We must, therefore, cultivate our souls by following God's instructions and achieve the everlasting wholeness and well-being of the self. Let us not be among those who bury their souls in ignorance and forgetfulness. Best Wishes.

"In God, there is no sorrow or suffering or affliction. If you want to be free of all affliction and suffering, hold fast to God, and turn wholly to Him, and to no one else. Indeed, all your suffering comes from this : that you do not turn toward God and no one else. " -- Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

As-Salaam alaikum, "Whatsoever the Messenger gives (ordered) you (then) take it and whatsoever he prohibits you from, (then) refrain from it" (Hashar, 59:7). Islam is all about obedience and worship: to obey what the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, ordered us and to worship Allah Ta'ala. The Prophet gave us Islam with its 5 pillars, namely :- (1) The Shahada (2) As-Sallah (5 times daily) (3) Zakkat (4) Ramadan Fasting (5) Hajj. What is common among these 5 pillars is that they are all physical activity. With Shahada, you recite it and say, 'Ash-hadu an Laa ilaha illallah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadu - r-Rasulullah'. With Sallah, there is what you can see: Iqaamu's-salaat, which is a physical activity that you have to do.. the ruku'u, the Sujud.. With Zakkat, you are to give a donation to the needy. You have to work to make money and then you part some of it to the poor, and that is a physical activity. Then sawmu Ramadan, that is to fast... another physical activity. Here, we prohibit ourselves from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset, you get tired and exhausted. Your body is not like when you are eating and drinking - - you feel less power. So it is an action of physical activity. Then Hajj, in which you go to the Ka'aba in Makkah and make Tawaaf, make Sa'ayee between Safa and Marwa, the stay at Mina, and the plains of Arafat.. physical activities. For us to reach maqaamul (station of) Ihsaan, the Station of worshipping Allah as if we see Him, the above activities are significant steps but not enough. For this, in addition to Islam as defined in the above 5 pillars, we also need to have and/or inculcate Imaan (faith) in our life. Imaan.. Faith is largely/mainly about belief in the unseen... that is to say we must believe in :- (1).Allah Ta'ala (2) His Angels (3) His Books (4) His Prophets (5) The Last Day of Judgement (6) In Destiny, its good and its bad, from Allah Ta'ala. We cannot see Allah, the Creator, but we can see His creation and from that we know He is there! That is maqaamul Tawheed.. We see His Oneness in everything. When Islam's physical activities and Imaan, as subtle part of the religion, connect or combine together, they produce something called IHSAAN: Included in the station of Ihsaan are: (a) Muraqabah : Observation/meditation and (b) Mushahada : Witnessing/Vision. Where (a) and (b) above synchronize, you will then be able to comtemplate on the creation of Heavens and Earth. When you remember Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, you remember Him in your Islam, in your obedience, in your praying to Him, you remember Him in your state of Ihsaan... In other words, be of "those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and comtemplating the creation of the Heavens and Earth, (saying), 'Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire"(Aali Imran, 3:190/191). After Sheikh Hisham Kabbani. Ramadan Series Lectures, 2014, 1st July, 2014.Fenton Zawiya, Michigan.

In the universal religion of Islam, there are 3 dimensions that encompass the outward and inward expressions of the belief system. These 3 dimensions are :- (1) Islam :- This is based on Tawheed (belief in the Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah), five daily prayers offering of zakkat (almsgiving), fasting in the holy month of Ramadan, and performing pilgrimage to Makkah. These are known as the 5 pillars of Islam... the building blocks of the domain of knowledge, which later came to be called Islamic Jurisprudence or Shari'ah. (2) The second dimension is that of Imaan (faith). This is an expression of a specific conviction in the belief in Allah (God), His Messengers, His Angels, the Last Day of Judgement, His Books and the good and evil fate as Ordained by Allah. These form the core of Islamic Theology, which was elaborated by theologians. These 2 dimensions above (Islam and Imaan) both teach us that religious practice and belief system are interrelated and are incomplete without each other. (3) The third dimension is Ihsan, which in the words of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, means to:- "Worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you see Him not, yet He sees you". Ihsan reminds us, Muslims, that we are always in the presence of Allah and that one should consider this presence in all his thoughts and actions. Thus Ihsan adds spirituality to the religion.