O Heedless, Be Careful!

[Bint e Aisha]

How bad the way of sins is!

What a loss is the outcome of it!

Its committer lives in distress and its seeker lives in weariness.

Its relief is a fake mirage and its misery is a true certainty.

 

O you, who are a sinner, these are banners which you pass by while you are on the way of sins.

 

Certainly, they are banners that you may not see, nevertheless, they are on your

way and you see them every morning and evening.

 

Have you stood one day to look at them and read their letters?

 

O sinner, beware!

 

And read with me these banners one by one.

 

{Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.} [Surat Al-Hajj 22:46]

 

{فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ} الحج: 46

 

Transliteration: fainnaha lataAAma alabsaru walakin taAAmaalquloobu allatee fee alssudoori

 

O you, who are heedless, be careful!

 

Hearts, which are blinded by the fake ornament; and their deeps are filled by its troubled love.

They do not know happiness except through this way and are not guided to enjoyment except through its gate.

They ran after its fake mirage and carved for its lost happiness.

Hours pass without account and lifetimes ends into destruction.

 

It is a plague to see a friend of you,

In the shape of a man who is hearing and seeing;

And is aware of every disaster concerning his money,

And when he is afflicted in his religion, he is lethargic.

 

O sinner! What is the matter with you? You gather the perishing and leave the eternal!

 

Is it heedlessness or intelligence and mentality?

 

‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azîz used to say,

 

You are pleased with what wears away and happy with the wishes,

As the sleeper who was deceived by the pleasures in his dreams;

O conceited man! Your day is spent in attentiveness and heedlessness,

And your night is spent in sleep and destruction is your destiny.

And your striving for what you will hate

In this world is how the animals live.

 

O sinner! The submissiveness of your heart to one other than your Protector is a punishment from Allah Almighty.

 

Abû Muhammad Al-Murt’ish said, “The submissiveness of the heart to one other than the Protector is hastening the punishment of Allah in the worldly life.”

 

Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah said, “The heart which is submissive to anyone other than Allah will be completely deprived from having trust [in Allah]. The heart which has something which Allah Almighty and Exalted dislikes will be deprived from having light.”

 

O sinner! How bad the heedlessness from Allah Almighty is!

 

O sinner! What a bad garment it is that you chose to put on! You have chosen a trait by which Allah has described His enemies and rebuked them severely because of it. Allah Almighty says, {And surely, We have created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.} [Surat Al-A’râf 7:179]

 

{وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ} الأعراف: 179

 

Transliteration: Walaqad tharana lijahannama katheeran mina aljinni waalinsi lahum quloobun layafqahoona biha walahum aAAyunun layubsiroona biha walahum athanun layasmaAAoona biha olaika kaalanAAami bal hum adallu olaika humu alghafiloona

 

Al-Qurtubi said, “Because they are not guided to a good deed, they are like cattle. Their major interest is eating and drinking. Moreover, they are more misguided because cattle know their benefits and their harms and they follow their owner. On the contrary, those people are different from that.”

 

‘Atâ’ said, “Cattle know Allah while the disbeliever does not know Him.”

 

And it is said, “Cattle are obedient to Allah Almighty whereas the disbeliever is disobedient.”

 

Allah says, {They are the heedless ones.} [Surat Al-A’râf: 179]

 

{ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ} الأعراف: 179

 

Transliteration: olaika humu alghafiloona

 

It means that they abandoned contemplation and they turned away from Paradise and Hellfire.

 

O you who have occupied your heart by something other than Allah, do you know what have you harvested?

 

You have harvested heedlessness. How bad your harvest is! You have gathered hopelessness and deprivation. How bad such a deal is!

 

‘Ali ibn Abû Tâlib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The most things for which I am worried about you is following your own vain desire and having extended hope. Following desires hinders one from the way of Truth and extended hope makes one forget all about the Hereafter.”

 

O sinner! Extended hope has diverted you from your real happiness.

 

It is a disease which has fully penetrated the hearts and became firmly established in their deeps.

 

The sinner is among the people who have the most extended hope. He is the laziest at performing acts of obedience.

 

Extended hope results in heedlessness, which results in neglecting performing the acts of obedience and in committing sins. Extended hope increases during practicing the acts of disobedience because loving the lustrous desires increases one’s fixation in life and the love of immortality.

 

Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “Surely, there is no slave of Allah who has extended hope but that he will perform bad deeds.”

 

Al-Qurtubi said, “Hope makes one lazy towards deeds, leads to negligence and slackening and results in falling behind and pretending to be busy. In addition, it causes one to be inclined to the earth and to follow his lustrous desires. Undersized hope incites [people] to work, leads to hastening [in performing righteous deeds], and pushes them towards competence.”

 

O sinner! Do not be heedless towards rectifying your heart.

 

O poor! Know that rectifying your matter is dependent upon rectifying your heart. If it is reformed, your worldly life and your Hereafter will be reformed. If it is diseased, all of them will be diseased.

 

The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Beware, there is a piece of flesh in the body; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

 

«ألا وإن في الجسد مضغة، إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله، ألا وهي القلب» رواه البخاري ومسلم

 

Some wise men said, “If the heart was not used for matters for which it was created such as thinking about gaining the benefits in religion and in this life and avoiding the harmful matters, it will be deactivated. Its essence will be hidden. Thus, if this is added to it, it will do what will increase its darkness such as drinking wine, sleeping for long times and the increase of heedlessness. Therefore, it will become like the iron, which is overwhelmed by rust which will corrupt it.”

 

O you who restrained yourself by the perishing lust!

 

O you who are heedless from his real happiness and who are diverted from the eternal bliss! Have you thought about any profit you gained?

 

Allah says, {And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house in the Hereafter for those who are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious). Will you not then understand?} [Surat Al-An’âm 6:32]

 

{وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ ۖ وَلَلدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ} الأنعام: 32

 

Transliteration: Wama alhayatu alddunya illa laAAibun walahwun walalddaru alakhirati khayrun lillatheena yattaqoona afala taAAqiloona

 

Ibn As-Sammâk entered upon Hârûn Ar-Rashîd, so; he said, “Advise me in brief.”

 

He said, “O Prince of the believers! How strange our matter is! How the love of this worldly life has overcome us? I wonder what will be our destiny! Our heedlessness is a matter of wonder. How can the rare insignificant which is destined to perishing overcome the permanent intransient abundance?

 

O you who preferred sin to obedience, do you know whose alliance you chose?

 

You chose the alliance of your enemy, Satan, who seduced your parents [Adam and Eve] before and got them out of Paradise. That is why he is pleased too much to see you performing acts of disobedience.

 

Allah says, {And (remember) when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves unto Adam.” So they prostrated themselves except Iblîs (Satan). He was one of the jinn; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him (Iblîs) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zâlimûn (polytheists, and wrong-doers).} [Surat Al-Kahf 18:50]

 

{وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَاء مِن دُونِي وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلاً} الكهف: 50

 

Transliteration: Waith qulna lilmalaikati osjudoo liadama fasajadoo illa ibleesa kana mina aljinni fafasaqa AAan amri rabbihi afatattakhithoonahu wathurriyyatahu awliyaa min doonee wahum lakum AAaduwwun bisa lilththalimeena badalan

 

If you uttered a word that is not for the sake of Allah, it would be for Satan.

 

In addition, if you spent some of your time in something of which Allah does not have a share, it would be one of the things of Satan.

 

Moreover, if you set in an assembly in which Allah has no share, it would be one of the assemblies of Satan.

 

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “The gatherings of remembrance are the gatherings of the Angels whereas the gatherings of ill speech are the gatherings of Satan. Thus, let the slave of Allah choose the most preferable and the best one for him as he will be with the people of such gatherings both in this life and in the Hereafter.”

 

O miserable man! Meditate upon your state and choose the alliance of Allah Almighty or you will be wretched and you will be gathered all together with the wretched.

 

The worldly life is the commodity of the bankrupt [in religion].

 

O sinner! You were deceived by the splendor of this worldly life. It captured you by its fake adornment. Therefore, you clang to its courtyard and you parked your ride in it.

 

Allah Almighty has warned you against its fake splendor and its disappearing bliss. In addition, He vilified it in His Noble Book in a way which make the wise turn away from its disturbed serenity.

 

Allah Almighty says, {Verily, the likeness of (this) worldly life is as the water (rain) which We send down from the sky; so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth of which men and cattle eat: until when the earth is clad in its adornments and is beautified, and its people think that they have all the powers of disposal over it, Our Command reaches it by night or by day and We make it like a clean-mown harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday! Thus do We explain the Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, laws, etc.) in detail for the people who reflect.} [Surat Yûnus 10:24]

 

{إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاء أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالأَنْعَامُ حَتَّىَ إِذَا أَخَذَتِ الأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَازَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَا أَنَّهُمْ قَادِرُونَ عَلَيْهَا أَتَاهَا أَمْرُنَا لَيْلاً أَوْ نَهَاراً فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيداً كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالأَمْسِ كَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ} يونس: 24

 

Transliteration: Innama mathalu alhayati alddunyakamain anzalnahu mina alssamai faikhtalata bihi nabatu alardi mimmayakulu alnnasu waalanAAamu hatta ithaakhathati alardu zukhrufahawaizzayyanat wathanna ahluha annahum qadiroona AAalayha ataha amruna laylan aw naharan fajaAAalnaha haseedan kaan lam taghna bialamsi kathalika nufassilu alayati liqawmin yatafakkaroona

 

The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “By Allah, I am not afraid of your poverty, nevertheless, I am afraid that you will lead a life of luxury as past nations did, whereupon you will compete with each other for it, as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them.” [Reported by Al-Bukhâri and Muslim]

 

«فوالله ما الفقر أخشى عليكم، ولكني أخشى عليكم أن تُبسط الدنيا عليكم كما بُسطت على من كان قبلكم، فتنافسوها كما تنافسوها، وتهلككم كما أهلكتهم» رواه البخاري ومسلم

 

O sinner! This is the worldly life. If it caused someone to laugh, it causes him to cry afterwards. If it became your own, it destroys you. However, the one who escapes [from its lusts], will become saved from it. In addition, the lovers of this world will be ruined. The wise is the one who learns from its misfortunes and the heedless is the one who is lured by its lusts.

 

O heedless! Have you remembered death?

 

You spent your life seeking amusement and playfulness with the heedless but have you remembered passing away?

 

It is passing away from this life to another home. Woe to the one who goes there without having righteous deeds.

 

O sinner! Do you not see the creation passing away to this home every day?

 

Nevertheless, have you asked yourself one day, “By which provision will you pass away?

 

O poor man! Your journey [after death] is too long.

 

Al-Hassan Al-Basri said, “I wonder of those people who play although they are on the verge of death and have seen their ancestors leave.”

 

‘Abdullah ibn Tha’laba said, “O son of Adam! You laugh although your grave-clothes may have been prepared for you [you may die soon]”.

 

An ascetic man wrote to one of his brothers, “My wonder grows when I see a heart which become accustomed to sins and a soul which is sure of eternity although our days of life pass. Thus, how is that a heart gets used to a transient thing in this life?

 

And how can an eye of a man be closed for sleep while he knows that he may not wake up after sleeping except between the hands of Allah Exalted and Glorified?”

 

Dhamura ibn Rabî’ah said, “I saw a worshipper around whom people were gathering. He was saying, “I wonder at people who are heedless and playful in this life in spite of watching deceased men who are carried to burial every day? O son of Adam! Suppose that you got recovered from all illnesses, can you be saved from death?”

 

He said, “The mosque was shaken because of the crying of people and the man fainted.”

 

O sinner! Beware that death comes unexpectedly upon you while you are in your heedlessness among those who are playful.

 

On that Day, regrets will be prolonged and misfortunes will be multiplied.

 

A man said to Zuhair Al-Bâbi, “Can you advise me with something?” So, he said, “Beware that Allah seizes you while you are heedless.”

 

O sinner! Rectify your matter. Do not be deluded by health, youth, or high rank as conditions can change fast.

 

Hâtim Az-Zâhid said, “[There are] four things which is not valued except by four types of people. The value of youth is only felt by old men, and being protected is felt by the people of affliction. In addition, the value of health is only felt by the ill and the value of life is only felt by the dead ones.”

 

O sinner! Remember your standing between the Hands of the One Who never forgets or sleeps.

 

O you who are indulged in sins! Have you forgotten that you are under the hearing and seeing of the one who does not forgets or sleeps?

 

O poor man! Remember your standing between His Hands on the Day of mutual loss and gain. Allah says, {The Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)?} [Surat Al-Mutaffifîn 83:6]

 

{يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} المطففين: 6

 

Transliteration: Yawma yaqoomu alnnasu lirabbi alAAalameena

 

Abû Ad-Dardâ’, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Three things made me laugh and three others made me weep. The ones that made me laugh are the one who has extended hope of this life though death is approaching him, the heedless who is not heeded [by Allah] and a laugher who is not aware if Allah is satisfied with him or not. The ones that made me weep are the departure of the loved ones Muhammad and his companions, the terror of resurrection and the standing between the Hands of Allah, Exalted and Glorified, on the Day when the secrets will be revealed then I do not know my destiny whether it is to Paradise or to Hellfire.”

 

O Poor man! Remember your meeting with your Lord Almighty.

 

Mujâhid narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said to him, “O Mujâhid! When you reach the morning, do not think about the evening and when you reach the evening, do not think about the morning. Get benefit from your life before your death and from your health before you illness as you do not know what will be your status tomorrow?”

 

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “The slave has a lord whom he will meet and a house where he will settle. Thus, he should gain the satisfaction of his lord before meeting Him and should construct his house before being moved to it.”

 

O sinner! Cure your heart from its heedlessness.

 

For every disease, there is a cure. The diseases which are most worthy of being cured are the diseases of the hearts and souls.

 

O sinner! You are in urgent need of curing the stain of the heart and the evil suggestions of Satan.

 

Remember death frequently as remembering death is an amazing cure for the cruelty of the hearts.

 

Increase the remembrance of Allah Almighty and the recitation of His Book as this is a healing and a mercy; as Allah says, {O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur’ân, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences) which is in your breasts, - a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things) for the believers.} [Surat Yûnus 10:57]

 

{يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاء لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} يونس: 57

 

Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alnnasu qad jaatkum mawAAithatun min rabbikum washifaon lima fee alssudoori wahudan warahmatun lilmumineena

 

A man said to Al-Hassan Al-Basri, “O Abû sa’îd! I suffer from the hardness of my heart.” He said, “Chasten it by remembrance.”

 

And visit the graves because they remind you of the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “Visit the graves for they remind you of the Hereafter.” [Authentication by Al-Albani]

 

«زوروا القبور، فإنها تذكركم الآخرة» صححه الألباني

 

A man asked ‘Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, “What is the cure for hard-heartedness?” She ordered him to visit the ill, to attend the funerals and to expect death.

 

Befriend the good ones who remind you of Allah Almighty and advise you if you forgot. Beware of the company of the evil friends because their companionship is the reason for every disaster.

 

Listen much to the sermons that make the heart more delicate.

Keep away from the assemblies of evil and the points of doubtful matters.

 

Frequently ask Allah Almighty to guide your heart and support you against the inclination of the soul and Satan. Ask him to make you steadfast in that.

 

Strive against yourself, disobey its inclination, and do not follow its lustrous desires.

 

Increase meditating on the life history of the righteous because their histories include guidance and admonition, which may soften the hearts and make one more active for obedience.

 

O sinner! Be keen on having sincere intention for reviewing your deeds and for repentance. Then, follow this by the sincere proceeding towards Allah Almighty. May your matter be rectified, Allah willing.

 

 

By: Ahmed Mahmoud

 

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