Beautiful Principles

Beautiful Principles
on
ESSENCE OF OBEDIENCE
&
PREPARATION FOR RAMADAN
Compiled By
RIDA BN AHMAD SAMADI
Translated by
ABDULFATTAH YUNUS
Published by
Ummah Trust Ventures Ltd
81b, Simpson Street,Yaba,Lagos.
© 2019
Beautiful Principles
on
ESSENCE OF OBEDIENCE
&
PREPARATION FOR RAMADAN
Compiled By
RIDA BN AHMAD SAMADI
Translated by
ABDULFATTAH YUNUS
Designed & Printed by:

Ummah Trust Ventures Ltd.
+234 802 396 3823
+234 704 442 1794
Content
Translator’s foreword iv
This Book vi
Preface by Shaikh Ibn Ishaq Al-Huwaini vii
Preface by Sheikh Muhammed Hussien Ya’qub ix
Introduction 11
The First Principle 15
The Second Principle 20
The Third Principle 23
The Forth Principle 32
The Fifth Principle 38
The Sixth Principle 43
The Seventh Principle 49
The Eighth Principle 51
The Ninth Principle 55
The Tenth Principle 129
The Eleventh Principle 137
Conclusion 148
Translator’s Foreword
All praise is due to Allah, and may His peace and blessings be
upon Muhammad, his households, his companions and those
who follow them in good deeds.
Having said that, for man to live a good life, his spirituality
should be high and tailored towards moving to the degree of
ihsaan, when he would worship Allah as if he could see Him
physically before him. To do that Islam has imposed and
recommended some duties; such as salah fasting, reading the
Glorious Qur'an, supplication, observing prayer in the middle
or later part of the night, sadaqah, etc.
For us to be able to understand the essence of these duties and

savour the joy in them, this book: ''Al-qawaidul Hasaan fi asraar
Toa wal-isti'daadil-Ramadan'' compiled by Shaikh Rida bn
Ahmad Samadi (hafidahullah wajazahu khaeraljazai) would be of
great benefit.
A meticulous study of this book shall expose to you the

meaning of observance of these acts of worship and the
activities being carried out in them.
The translation is ''The beautiful Principles on the Essence of

Obedience and Preparation for Ramadan.'' There is no doubt
that knowledge of the principles guiding any act or art would
make such act or art easy to observe and carry out.
No doubt a herculean task, but then, la sahlan illa maja'alahu
Allah sahlan. Alhamdulillah for Allah's guidance and support
while doing the translation. Again, la hawla wala quwata illa
billahi.
I have translated the book bearing in mind the users. I retained

those words I feel the users are familiar with to further aid our
understanding the beautiful language of the ahlu-jannah.
The effort of Alhaj, ustadh Abdulhameed solate, who started

the translation, is humbly put on record and appreciated. In
fact, his translation guided me in continuing from where he
stopped and to the last word of the book.
I advise that for anyone to fully reap the benefit contained in

this great book, he needs to study it and not just read it one off
and shelve it. The principles, when fully understood, will
guide in all aspects of our duties to Allah.
Assalam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
Abdulfattah Yunus.
Rajab 1440.
Beautiful Principles... vi
THIS BOOK
? Contains important issues that occupy the mind of those
threading the path of hereafter with regards to their
worship and the secrets of their obedience which is the
best of worship.
? Presents in a practical way, the means that will allow
servants of Allah reap the benefits from the month of
Ramadan.
? Will assist in achieving the joy of worship.
? Exposes the problems faced by those striving on the
path to Allah in their worship and things that will assist
them to overcome the problems.
? Is a practical code of our predecessors for the
purification of the soul.
Beautiful Principles... vii
PREFACE BY SHEIKH IBN ISHAAQ AL-HUWAINI
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT THE

MERCIFUL
All praise belongs to Allah. We glorify Him, seek His
assistance, repentance and refuge from the evils of our hearts
and of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides aright, none can
mislead him, and whoever He leaves to wallow in astray, there
can never be a guide for him. I testify that there is no deity
worthy of worship except Allah, He has no partner; I also
testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Thereafter:
The truest word is the book of Allah, and the best of guidance is
the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of affairs is
innovation; and every innovation leads astray, and going
astray leads to hellfire.
Our brother in Allah – Rida bn Ahmad Hamdi – presented to

me a book he compiled on the things that will assist on
perfection of worship of Allah (SWT), and he particularly
choose fasting (Siyam) which will lead a servant to the level of
Ihsaan (excellence) when he would be always conscious of
Allah. And Allah has said concerning this that: “Fasting is for
me, and I will be the One to reward it”, this is inspite of the fact
that all acts of worship are for Allah and the reward is for the
servants. I saw in this book knowledge expressed simply and
free of controversial issues. I ask Allah to make it beneficial to
Beautiful Principles... viii
the compiler and the readers on the day when the final gains
will be for the pious.
Praise be to Allah in the beginning and in the end, and in the

open and in the hidden.
Written by
Abu Ishaaq Al-Huwaini Al-'Athari
I give thanks to Allah and seek benevolence on Muhammad,
his household and companions
21 Rajab 1419
Beautiful Principles... ix
PREFACE BY SHEIKH MUHAMMAD HUSSEIN YA'QUB
In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah the Lord of the worlds. May His
peace and blessings be on the most honourable among the
messengers and his household.
In the era when materialism has taken driver's seat, a believing

servant will be on the look for the emblem that is overlooking
the spirituality of Islam; and in the era of electronics that its
tragedy is not that it leads to the production of machines that
work like human beings, instead it is in its in making man to
work like machines till worship becomes just routine and
habit; it has lost its spirits because people are engrossed in
materialism and thereby losing their soul. It is in this time that
this simple book written by our beloved brother and generous
Sheikh Ahl Samadi (May Allah preserve him) came to us.
And what a young teacher, young in age, abundant in

knowledge, with small physique but huge understanding. He
chose the wordings and chapters of the book from the words of
the Salaf (early predecessor) and followed their path just like
fresh dates are selected to make clear to the eyes the reality of
worship. Although, he talked about one of the branches of
worship which is fasting, yet its secrets encompass the
comprehensiveness of Islam.
Beautiful Principles... x
So, you have the book to go through its chapters, open its pages
and strive to work with every single letter in it with patience till
you reap its fruit.
Finally, I am not of those who spin beautiful words and as such

I am not qualified to write preface to the book of this beloved
young man, because the book in itself is rich and sufficient.
And Allah knows that I have benefited from it over the last two
years, and it has enhanced deep research in some subjects and
opened for me wide ideas in giving sermons and lessons.
For the student, worker, trainer, da'iyah and preacher, I

admonish: this is a pure provision, go on with it without fear,
work, be patient and continually forge ahead.
Written by
Muhammad bn Hussein Ya'qub
May Allah pardon him
13 Rajab 1419
5/11/1998
Beautiful Principles... 11
In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent the Merciful
INTRODUCTION
All praise belongs to Allah. We glorify Him, seek His

assistance, His repentance and His refuge from the evils of our
hearts and of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides aright, none
can lead him astray, and whoever He misleads, there can never
be a guide for him. I testify that there is no deity worthy of
worship except Allah and He has no partner; I also testify that
Muhammad is His servant and messenger. Many blessings
should be on him, his family, his companions, his wives and
those who follow him till the day of resurrection.
The wise people agreed that the most precious thing to spend
time on is worship of the Lord of the heavens and the earth,
threading the path of the hereafter, sacrificing for the hereafter
and striving to be saved from hellfire.
As this path, like other path and routes, is surrounded by

plains, valleys, mountains, and wineries, and having bandits
and thieves of the hearts laying siege on its sides, the traveler
on the road needs to search for a wise guide that will show him
a safe path and a correct route, and will let him know the
hiding places of the thieves and the best period and time to
embark on the journey. This wise guide is the path of the
righteous Salafs (our predecessors) on worship, and the path
they thread towards Allah, and their expressions that indicate
it. This truly is the best aid to find the direction of safety.
The acts of worship of the Salaf, and the guided Sunni path of
purification is a must for anyone who seeks the path of peace,
and there is no path that is protected except the path of the
righteous Salaf.
Put away what the impostor modernist says,

And hold on firmly to the ancient teachings
The most meritorious time and best period for serious striving
in worship is the month of Ramadan because it is one of the
seasons of general divine generosity. In this month, people are
saved from hellfire and divine rewards are given to the pure
and those who strive earnestly. It is therefore mandatory that
we urge towards achieving the goal of winning the pleasure of
Allah in this month; and this is the call towards the truth that is
enjoined in Surah Al-Asr. If the callers to falsehood,
amusement and indecency are growing their resolves to
prepare temptations that they will spin in this month among
people in the form of television series, dance and music, it is
necessary for the people of imaan to compete with them in this
preparation in righteousness and piety.
Our Ummah has been fasting for ages, except that their fasting
in this month has not increased them in anything except
distance from their Lord, the King and the true Ruler. So,
Ramadan has become a season that is devoid of its real events
and realities. Rather, it has become a field for frivolities and
spending time that which angers Allah the Most High.
If the Ummah prepared for this virtuous month and put in

place necessary provision, that all gather their strength and
efforts on worship, we should see a new Ummah conducting
its affairs with a method that is appropriate with sharia.. This
will be possible after adequate preparation that is filled with
strong ambitions and resolves to enter the month with acts of
worship.
The message in this book is an admonition to the generality of

Muslims who are filled with pity over their condition with
Allah in this month, and little effort they spend transgressing

the limits of Allah. And my Lord knows what is behind it.
It is a manual on how to prepare for the month of Ramadan,

and detailed schedule of actions that should be done by the
traveler on the path of the hereafter; it also contains precious
guidelines, from leaders in training and purification among
the righteous Salaf, that will guide a person to reach the station
of acceptance.
We wished it to be realistic, practical and detailed, and more

importantly to follow the path of the Sunnah and the Salaf.
We explained in this book, the path of preparation for this

noble month with strong resolve that can bring out real effort
on worship instead of mere wishes and dreams. We worked
tirelessly to explain the secrets in obedience and worship and
how to achieve the joy from them. We mentioned some of the
acts of worship that have been abandoned and forgotten and
some of the attributes of hinderances on the way to Allah.
In it also, we strove to mention some of the stations of those

who thread the path of the hereafter so that the hearts will get
to the point of desiring to reach the same station, and attain
forgiveness in the month of forgiveness and mercy. I tried to be
natural in writing the message without hugging too much on
order and organization in chapters, but I endeavored to gain
from reliable books of our scholars and leaders. Whatever I
quote from Al-Ghazali (May Allah be pleased with him) in
Ihya Uluum Deen, I summarized it and removed all the areas
of faults in them; wisdom, they say, is the lost property of a
believer. I also tried to refer to sound and good traditions
(Hadith) except for some weak traditions that I am constrained
to use, but I most times indicated their weakness.
Dear beloved, I admonish you: that if you wish to benefit from

this journey, do not just brush over the wordings but follow it
with your thoughts around the meaning. This is because I have
drawn out and selected for you the clean and pure. When I
support with a verse, stretch around its boundary and they
dive into its depth; if I mention a hadith, imagine yourself as
sitting before the prophet (SAW) listening and pondering over
his words; if I narrate a brilliant story from the Seerah of the
Salaf, imagine that you are in his presence trying to take from
the nectar of his words. Without this, then do not bother. I have
written this for you to enjoy its sweetness and not for you to tell
people that: 'I have read it'.
Finally, know that whatever I have mentioned in this book is

nothing but an effort to build a picture of a Godly personality
that has a strong connection with the Lord of the Universe, and
who is prepared to lead humanity and save it from destruction
and pit of hell.
And our final supplication is: praise be to Allah the Lord of the
worlds, and may His peace and blessings be on our prophet
Muhammad (SAW), his household and his companions.
Written by
Abu Muhammad Rida bn Ahmad Samadi
May Allah forgive him, his parents and his teachers
Thursday, 17 Safar 1418 (7 July 1996)
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE

Awakening and Arousing the Longing for Allah
With the passage of time, imaan wears out in the heart and the
(1)
pillars of love rusts, and you will therefore need who will give
you a new garment of imaan with which you will receive the
month of Ramadan. The source of strength to do anything is
the seek the help of Allah and then the provisions of the servant
of Allah. By provisions, we mean his desire and wish. It is
based on the level of the provision that the shall will come.
In a hadith Qudsi:
“When a servant draws near me by a hand span, I will draw
near him by an arm's span. When he draws near me by an arm's
span, I will draw near him a fathom's length. And if he comes
to Me walking, I will go close to him with speed” 2 (Bukhari).
''The start is from the servant and the decisive response is from
Allah says:
(Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation) 3

Qur'an 40:60.
''Therefore, remember Me, I will remember you.'' 4

Qur'an 2:153.
You need to arouse the hidden desire and longing for Allah so
that it would make obedience easy for you and you will carry
out obedience and act of worship with the taste of its joy. What
joy can you derive from Qiyamul Layl 5 (night prayers),
contending with sleepless night, the pain of tired legs, or
thirstiness of the throats and hunger of the stomach, when they
are not based on this philosophy:
‘'And I hasten to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased)''

Qur'an 20:84.
Whoever responds to the call of his beloved without any

longing, you will find him cold in disposition; his claim to love
is without any flavour.
No wonder that the supplication of the prophet (SAW) in his

prayers is: “I seek from you, contentment on destiny, cool life
after death, joy of seeing your face and longing to meet you…”
(Nasai with sound chain).
Your longing for your Lord and for His pleasure is devasted by
the covering of doubts and lusts and destroyed by the wings of
sins and passage of long time without a recourse to Allah.
Therefore, for you who desires what is good, you need to
awake this longing afresh if it is dead or arouse it if it is lying
quiet.
Factors For Awakening Longing For Allah

1. Studying the beautiful names and attributes of Allah,
pondering over His words and understanding His address to
man. Through this study, pondering and understanding, the
heart would be able to sharpen the vigour to reach the
manifestations of these names, attributes and meaning, and it
would move the hidden understanding in the heart and mind
and then bring about the reinforcement.
Reflect over the story of Abu Dahdaah in his understanding of

the words of his Lord; how his generosity was move and he
was covered with the love of spending.
Abdullah bn Mas'ud narrated that: when this verse was

revealed:
‘'Who is he that will lend Allah a goodly loan so that He may

multiply it to him many times?''
Qur'an 2:245
Abu Dahdaah Al-Ansari said: Allah wants a loan from us? He

said (the prophet): “yes, O Abu Dahdaah”. He said: give me
your hand O messenger of Allah (SAW). He said: the
messenger of Allah (SAW) gave him his hand. He said: I lend
Allah my garden. He said: his garden had 600 date palm trees
and his wife Umm Dahdaah and family were there. He said:
So, Abu Dahdaah arrived at the garden and called his wife: O
Umm Dahdaah! She replied: I am with you. He said: come out
of the garden, for I have loaned it to my Lord. In another
narration, it has that when she heard what he said, she turned
to her children and brought out what they had in their mount
and took out what they had in their store. The messenger of
Allah (SAW) then said: “How many great clusters of fruits
awaits Abu Dahdaah in paradise”
Reflect, may Allah save you from the soaking of doubt, on how
the companion understand the words of Allah as it is obvious
without having any hesitation or fear in his mind because the
tree of his faith stands on strong stem.
2. Studying the great blessings of Allah and His huge signs;

the hearts are tied to the love of whoever is kind to them. For
this reason, there are many verses of the Qur'an that narrates
the blessings and favours of Allah. The more the knowledge of
Allah, the favour of Allah increases, and the more you long to
show appreciation for His blessings.
3. Grieving over loss of time on things other than obedience

and worship of Allah; rather, over spending it on worship of
the desire. Ibn Qayyim said: This moment will lead to
recounting one's crimes, looking into the dangers in it,

preparing to free oneself from its bond and seeking salvation
through thorough examination.
4. Remembering the precept of the predecessors compared

to your backsliding with those lagging behind. This will create
in you the burning desire for competition and marching forth.
All these are part of the injunctions of Allah:
''And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from
your Lord, and for Paradise.''
Qur'an 2:133.
And
(Race one with another in hastening towards Forgiveness

from your Lord (Allah) and towards Paradise)
(Qur'an 2:133)
Also:
‘And for this let (all) those strive who want to strive (i.e.
hasten earnestly to the obedience of Allah))
(Qur'an 83:26)
And know, O you who desire what is good, that arousing

yearning and longing for Allah cannot be separated from the
one on a journey towards Allah. However, it is necessary to
increase in folds this longing in the month of Ramadan so that
efforts can be multiplied. This longing is part of the fuel of
imaan that motivates towards obedience and worship, and
then it gives worship the taste of the joy of worship and
consultations with Allah.
The scope of the yearning is wide and the greatest and most
important is the yearning and longing to see the face of Allah. It
is possible for you to keep reciting this hadith while updating
yourself of its position before Allah. and ask yourself: will you
attain the honour of seeing Allah or not? The messenger of
Allah (SAW) said:
“When the people of paradise enter it, Allah will say to them:
'Do you which for something that I can add for you?'. They will
say: 'Have you not brightened our faces? Have you not put us
in paradise and saved us from hellfire?'. Then the curtain
would be raised, and they would not have been given anything
more beloved to them than seeing their Lord” (Muslim).
On the scopes of longing: we have longing to meet Allah,

longing for His paradise and mercy, longing to see His beloved
in paradise especially longing to meet the prophet (SAW) in
the jannatul-Firdaos.
Also know that there are robbers and marauders who would
want to rob you of attaining this reward of this longing. So,
beware of luxury (especially in the month of Ramadan) and the
temptations of wealth, children and wives. Put them behind
you, do not turn back, and continue on what you have been
commanded. Let your motto in the month of Ramadan be:
(He said: “They are close on my footsteps, and I hastened to

You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased”)
(Qur'an 20 : 84).
Be alive if you are a man of ambition

The bounds of yearnings have been defined for you, so start the
journey
Do not wait for a companion on the journey who is still sitting
down
Bid him farewell, for your resolve is enough to carry you
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE

Knowledge of The Virtue of The Seasons, The Gift of
Allah In It and The Opportunity they Present
Ibn Rajab said: Allah gave virtues to some months over others.
This is as He said:
(of them four are Sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong
not yourselves therein)
(Qur'an 9:36).
He also said:
(The Hajj (pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar year)

months)
(Qur'an 2:197).
And also:
(The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an)

(Qur'an 2:185).
In the same way, He gave virtues to some days and night over
others and made the night of majesty (Laylatul Qadr) better
than one thousand months. He swore with the ten days which
are the first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah based on
authentic narrations. These periods are not virtuous except
that Allah puts in them some acts of worship with which to
seek closeness to Him. Allah puts in them some of His precious
grace that are achieved by those whom He honours. Therefore,
the successful person is the one who takes advantage of these
seasons and periods of months, days and times to get closer to
his Lord through acts of worship, with the hope that he would
attain this grace and then success that will protect him from
hellfire and its chastisements. Ibn Abi Dunyah, Tabrani and

others narrated a hadith from Abu Hurairah that:
“Seek goodness all year round and present yourselves to get

the grace of your Lord. For Allah has grace from His mercy that
He gives to whoever He wills among His servants. So, ask
Allah to cover your nakedness and take away your fears”
(Da'eeful Jaami').
Tabrani narrated from Muhammad bn Maslamah (with

broken chain of narrators) that:
“Allah has some days in the year that are filled with His grace,
so present yourselves to receive them. Perhaps, some of you
may attain that grace and then will be forever saved from
misfortune” (Sahihul Jaami').
In the Masnad of Imam Ahmad, it is narrated from Uqbah bn

'Aamir that the prophet (SAW) said: “there is no deed of a day
except that a seal is put on it” (Sahihul Jaami').
Ibn Abi Dunyah narrated from Mujahid that he said: there is no

day that will come except that it would say: O son of Adam! I
have come to you today and I will never return to you after
today, so watch what you will do in me. And when the day
winds up, then a seal is put on it and it will remain on it except
that Allah alone is the one that will break it on the day of
resurrection. The day will say after its winding up: All praise
be to Allah, who released me from the world and its occupants.
And the night will also not come except that it says the same
thing like the day.
Al-Hasan said: A day will not come in this world except that it
will speak and say: O mankind, I am a new day, I am a witness
to whatever you do in me, and the moment the sun sets, I will
not return to you till the day of resurrection.
It is narrated from him also that the day will say: O son of
Adam, I am your guest today, and a guest will eventually go
away appreciating you or blaming you. This will also be done
by your night.
It is also narrated from Bakr Al-Muzni that he said: There is no

day that Allah brings out for the people of this world except
that it declares: O son of Adam, take advantage of me, perhaps
there is no day for you after me. And there is not night except
that it declares: O son of Adam, take advantage of me, perhaps
there is no day for you after me.
It is narrated from Umar bn Zarr that he said: Work for your

souls, may Allah bless you in this night and its darkness. This is
because the loser is the one who loses the goodness of the night
and day, and the deprived is the one who is deprived of all their
goodness. They have been made as path for believers towards
the worship of their Lord and a plague for others who are
neglectful of their souls. Give life to your souls through
remembrance of Allah, because the hearts get life through the
remembrance of Allah”.
Know, may Allah bless you and me, that knowledge of virtues
of different seasons and periods is through the study of the
narrations on these virtues and the reward that will accrue to
the servant when he strives in them.
You can study these texts and narrations from specialized

books like Riyadus Soliheen by An-Nawawi, Targeeb wa
Tarheeb by Al-Munziri and Latoo'iful Ma'aarif by Ibn Rajab.
THE THIRD PRINCIPLE

Training of Resolve and Determination
If the scholars of Jurisprudent define Al-'Azeemat (Resolve) as

what is built on the contrary of ease like fasting during a
journey by whoever can and not uttering the statement of Kufr
(disbelief) even at the point of being killed, then the people of
Morals also take something from this definition. So, resolve, to
them, is to summon all will power on an action.
It is like the person of resolve has no concession or excuse to lag

and fall behind working with determination; rather, he seeks
to do it by summoning all his power and sharpen it till he is
able to do the work.
Many of those who speak on this subject do not point out the
importance of training the resolve, that is, motivating
determination to strengthen efforts during virtuous periods.
This is in addition to the fact that the Shariah indicates this by
encouraging fasting in the month of Shaban to prepare the soul
and strengthen it for the fasting in the month of Ramadan with
ease.
It is part of the guidance of the prophet (SAW) on Qiyamul

Layl to start with two light raka'aat so that it would serve as
exercise for the body and free it from weariness. Ash-Shatibi
pointed out in Al-Muwaafaqaat that Sunnah act and Nawafil
are in the position of prelude and preparation of the mind and
soul for entry into the obligatory worship in a perfect manner.
Many people hope to engage in some acts of worship in the

month of Ramadan but when the month comes they become
lazy and weak in mind. This is because the resolution is based
on ordinary habit and laziness.
Resolve does not operate except in things that the heart is not
used to or does not love and therefore require effort to know
the virtue in these actions and then effort to work against
weakness and laziness. It is for this reason that Allah said
concerning Jihad:
''…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for

you” (Qur'an 2:216).
Training the resolve is at the heart of being able to discharge

the rights of the month of Ramadan and achieve forgiveness of
Allah in it. This is because there is no power for the soul if it has
not prepared for the worship. Allah said:
“And if they had intended to march out, certainly, they would

have made some preparations for it, but Allah was averse to
their being sent forth, so He made them lag, and it was said (to
them), “Sit you among those who sit (at home)”
(Qur'an 9:46).
Ibn Al-Kharaat said in 'Kitab Solat wa Tahajjud' that Al-Hasan

Al-Basari wrote to Umar bn Abdul Azeez (RA):
And then, whoever takes his soul to account would gain and
whoever is neglectful of it would lose. Whoever looks at the
consequences would be saved and whoever obeys is better.
Whoever is patient would gain, whoever ponders would see,
whoever sees would understand and whoever understands
would know. When you regret you should repent, when you
are ignorant you should ask and when you are angry you
should hold back yourself. Know that the best of deeds is the
one that the soul is compelled to do. Some scholars object to the
surface interpretation of the words of the messenger of Allah
(SAW) that: “This religion is strong so delve into it gently. For
whoever rushes into it would not break any ground and no
back would be left”.

And his words that:
“maintain the deeds that you are capable of, by Allah, Allah
will not be tired until you are tired”.
And another hadith that:

“let anyone of you observe his prayers when he is active, and
when he is tired or weak, let him sit down”.
The messenger of Allah (SAW) does not intend you should not
carry out a deed until when you feel energetic to do it, or until
when the mind is willing and ready to do it. This is because the
soul is very lazy to do what is good, and slow in rising towards
righteous deeds. For instance, if you do not pray until when
your heart invites you to prayers and until when you are
energetic to do it, then you will not observe prayers except for
short periods. And perhaps you may not even observe prayers
at all, or stand up from your bed or abandon your comfort.
The messenger of Allah (SAW) only commands us to be calm

and warns us against excessiveness when we are tired which
may incapacitate the person. His words that: “maintain the
deeds that you are capable of” points to striving and permits
pushing the soul towards what it hates. This is because man
may hate a type of deed and be lazy about it, but when he is
compelled to do it, he carries it out and endures the hardship
even though he hates it and he is lazy to do it.
We therefore need to compel the soul and hold it with

seriousness and diligence and frighten it to race towards Allah
and warn it from preferring anything lower than what is with
Allah. We should also join a deed with another and a struggle
with another till we get to the level which the messenger of
Allah (SAW) called our attention to. The messenger of Allah
(SAW) said: “Good deed is a habit and bad deed is
deficiency”. Abu Darda said to a man known as Sabiih: “O

Sabiih, get accustomed to worship because it will become a
habit, and it is not heavy on anything on earth except on a
Kafir”.
On his saying that: “let anyone of you observe his prayers

when he is active, and when he is tired or weak, let him sit
down”, he did not intend, Allah knows best, that you should
continue to pray as long as you are active, and the moment
laziness sets in, that you should abandon the prayers. The
laziness he meant here is the weakness that leaves the person
unable to do anything except after a stressful effort and being
hard on the soul. The example of this is that when you say to
him: pray and hold on to so and so because of the reward that is
there, he would not be able to even do that. This is the type of
weakness that may lead the person to totally abandoning the
work. The evidence for this interpretation of this hadith is the
fact that the messenger of Allah (SAW) stressed himself till his
two legs became swollen, and this was on a Nofilah
(voluntary) prayer. As for the obligatory prayers, it should be
observed in whatever situation, in good health or sickness, it
should be observed standing or sitting or lying down or
whatever way it is possible. (From Kitab Solat wa Tahajjud)
And perhaps this precious realization will make clear to you
the hidden secrets. So put it into memory because this kind of
situation is one of the precious ones you will find in the books
of Zuhd (Asceticism) and Morals.
Our righteous predecessors understood the injunctions of

Allah, they pondered over the reality of the world and their
end in the hereafter; so they isolate themselves from its trials,
avoided their beds, distanced their hearts from its cravings,
raised their ambition and resolve above trivial issues, and as
such you will not see them except that they are fasting,
standing up in prayers, weeping and grieving. Their life

history is full of flowing stories that points to their resolves on
repentance and steadfastness, strong resolution on worship.
Here are some glimpses of their expressions and worships that
point to their resolve and determination:
Al-Hasan said: whoever competes with you in your religion,
compete with him; but whoever competes with you on
worldly things, throw it back at him.
Waheeb bn Al-Ward said: If you are able to ensure that no one

surpasses you in getting to Allah, do it. Sheik Shamsuddin
Muhammad bn Uthmaan At-Turkistani: It will not reach me
that a man carries out an act of worship except that I do same
and add to it.
One of the servants said: If a man hears that another man
worships Allah more than him and he dies fainting, it is not too
much.
It was said to Naafi': What does Ibn Umar do in his home? He

said: He performs ablution for every Solat and recite the
Qur'an in between them. And when Ibn Umar misses a prayer
in congregation, he fasts for a day, keeps awake throughout the
night and frees a slave.
Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari struggled a lot before his death, and it

was said to him: If you could only hold back or be gentle with
yourselves? He said: when a horse is sent forth and it
approaches the peak of its course, it gives out all that it has, and
all that is left is less important. He said: and he did not stop this
till he died.
It was narrated from Qatadah that he said: Mauruq Al-'Ajli

said: I do not find an example for a believer in this world than
the example of a man on a log in the sea and he said: “O Lord, O
Lord”, perhaps Allah would save him.

From Jafar: we entered upon Abul Tiyaaha to visit him, and he
said: By Allah, it is necessary for a Muslim man to let the
negligence about the injunctions of Allah that he sees with
people increase him in seriousness and strivings. Then he
wept.
From Fatimah bint Abdul Mulk, wife of the Amirul

Mu'mineen Umar bn Abdul Azeez, who said: I have never seen
anyone who observed prayers, fast and strongly attached to
his Lord than him. When he observes Ishai prayers, he would
sit down and weep till he fall asleep. He would then come
awake and then continue weeping till he falls asleep. When he
is with me on the bed and he remembers something about the
affairs of the hereafter, he would shiver like the sparrow would
shiver out of water, and he would sit up and weep. I will then
cover him with the bed sheet.
Al-Mughirah bn Hakeem said: Fatimah bn Al-Mulk said: O

Mughirah! There may be some one who is more in observance
of prayers and fasting than Umar bn Abdul Azeez, but I have
not seen anyone more fearful of his Lord than Umar.
Whenever he enters into the house, he would stay in his place
of worship and would continue to weep and supplicate till his
fall asleep. Then he would wake up and do the same till
throughout all his night.
It was narrated from Abu Ubaydah bn Uqbah bn Nafi' that he

entered upon Faatimah bint Abdul Mulk. He said: Will you not
inform me about Umar? She said: I do not know anything
except that he takes a ritual bath after Janabah and he never
had dreams since he became the Caliph.
Al-'Aswad bn Yazeed made lot of effort on worship, he fasts

during the heat till his body becomes green and yellow.
Alqamah bn Qays said to him: why do you punish yourself?
He said: I want honour for it (my body). He fasts till his body
becomes green and observe prayers till he falls down. Anas bn
Malik and Al-Hasan came to him and they said to him: Allah
did not command you on this. He said: I am a owned slave and
I will not leave anything that will reduce me as such.
It is said to 'Aamir bn Abdullah: how do you endure the

sleeplessness at night and thirst in the day? He said: is it
anything except that I push the food of the day to the night and
the sleep of the night to the day? There is nothing serious about
this. Whenever night comes he would say: The heat of hellfire
has taken away the sleep. And he would not sleep until the
morning.
Al-Hasan said: 'Aamir bn Qays said to the people who

mentioned the world: do you care? By Allah, if I have the
ability, I would have made the two a single concern. He said:
and he did that, by Allah, till he met Allah.
Ahmad bn Harb said: I wonder about a person who knows that

paradise is beautified above him and hellfire is burning below
him, how he is able to sleep between them?
Abu Muslim Al-Khawlaani hung a whip in the mosque in his

house to create fear in himself. He said to his soul: 'Rise up! By
Allah, I will surely crawl with you till you feel the tiredness
and not me'. When weakness or laziness wants to creep into
him, he would take his whip and beat his legs and say: 'You
deserve to be beaten than my animal'. He once said: 'do the
companions of Muhammad (SAW) think that they will be
preferred over us? No, by Allah, we shall compete with them

till they know that they had left men behind'.
When I saw Mansur bn Al-Mu'tamir I said: this is a man that
had been afflicted – his limbs broken, his voice lowered, his
eyes wet that whenever he moves it, flows of water come out of
it. His mother had said to him: what makes you do this to
yourself? You cry throughout the night without keeping quiet?
Or are you afflicted in your heart O my son? Or have you killed
someone? He replied: O mother! I am the only one who knows
what I am doing to myself.
Hushaym the student of Mansur bn Zaadhaan said: If it were

said to him that the angel of death is at the door, there would be
no additional deed for him to do.
Safwan bn Sulaym had his legs bent out of his standing for long
time in prayers. His effort in worship was so much that if it
were said to him that: the day of resurrection is tomorrow, he
would not have anything to add. He once said: “O Allah, I love
to meet you, please love to meet me”.
Musa bn Isma'il said: If I had said to you that I never saw
Hamaad bn Salamah laugh, you would believe me. He was so
preoccupied with himself, either talking, or reading, or
chanting the praises of Allah or observing prayers. He divided
his days along these line of activities.
Wakee' said: Al-'A'mash was close to seventy years and he

never missed the first Takbeer in congregational prayers. And I
was constantly in his presence for over sixty years and I never
saw him repaying a single missed Raka'ah in prayers.
Hammaad bn Salamah said: whenever visited Sulayman At-

Taymi during the periods we worship Allah except that we
find him worshipping. If it is during the period of prayers, we
find him praying; if it is not in the period of prayers, we find

him resting or visiting others, or following the corpse or sitting
in the mosque. He said: we saw that he does not like to disobey
Allah.
These people are models of those who are truthfully threading

the path of Allah.
Emulate them if you cannot be like them

For the emulation of the honorable is success
This is their history on the path of striving against their souls

and control of their desires, therefore, bring them to memory
whenever the wind of laziness and weakness is blowing and
seek from Allah the best of deeds.
1. Abdullah bn Umar said: the messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Faith wears out in the heart of
everyone of you just likeclothes. So, pray to Allah to renew faith in your hearts” (Tabrani and
Hakim)
2. Refer to the words of Ibn Qayyim in the thirty sixth benefit of Remembrance of Allah in his book
'Al-Waabil As-Sayyib'.
3. Refer to the words of Ibn Qayyim in the thirty sixth benefit of Remembrance of Allah in his book
'Al-Waabil As-Sayyib'.
4. 'Latoo'iful Ma'aarif fiima li mawaasimul 'Aam minal waza'if' (pg 40)
5. Al-Baihaqi in As-Sunan and it has weakness
6. Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad
7. Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad
8. Ibn Hiban
9. As-Solat wa Tahajjud (pg 305)
THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE

To Abandon Idleness and The Idle People and To Be In
The Company Of The People Of High Determination.
There is no more unfortunate thing to happen to the one

journeying unto Allah than idleness and to be in the company
of the idle people.
(And the proof given by those journeying is a sign of their

sincerity that they insisted on emigrating and joining the
convoy and abandoning any companion that tends to tie them
down and make alluring to them the preference for comfort.
They stood up and forsake every commander; and they
migrated with those who migrated unto Allah, and they
removed from their hearts the chain of lusts and love of wealth.
When the person who had killed one hundred persons

wanted to repent truly, he was told: leave your land for it is a
land of evil, and go to this so and so land for there are people
there worshipping Allah there, so you join them in
worshipping Allah.* (mutafaqun alayhi).
Hence, any person that desires to attain forgiveness in

Ramadan must abandon those who cling to the land and he
must join the people of high determination, as Junayd has said:
''walk with those with high determination.''
Allah has instructed the best creature (SAW) to seek company
of the diligent ones in the journey to Allah and to abandon the
negligent ones. He said among others that:
‘'Restrain yourself along with those who call to their Lord at

morn and evening, seeking His face; and let not your eyes
overlook them, desiring the pomp of the life of the world; and
obey not him whose heart we have made heedless of our
remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose case has
been abandoned.''
Qur'an 18:28
''…and follow the path of him who repents to me.''

Qur'an 31: 15
''O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful.''
Qur'an 9: 119
If a person is in the company of those who believe that some

hours of qiyam layl is a great achievement, hence he would be
greatly deceived, for he would be satisfied with himself
thinking he has done a great favor to his Lord for those minutes
which he spent on it. But if he sees tents around him in which
people there in stand long hours in tahjud, devotion and
weeping (yet feeling that what they have done is little) the least
that will happen to him is to remain grieved and
brokenhearted, and for this shortcoming of his, he would be
ruminating on it repeatedly.
I am a servant different from people,

Who just take a little from good deed.
Avoidance of idleness is the excellence of worship in every age.

It has been said that:
''Rest to real men means neglectfulness.'’
Shu'bah bn Al-Hajjaaj Al-bisry, the commander of the faithful,

said in a talk: ''Do not be idle, for death is after you.''
Shafi' said: ''Seeking rest in this life is not proper for men of
valor, for each of them would not seize being tired at all time.'’
It is said to one of the ascetics: what path to take for a man to be

among the chosen of Allah? He said: when he abandons rest
and strives his utmost in obedient acts.'’
It was said to Imam Ahmad: when will the servant feel the taste
of rest? He said: on setting the first foot in Al-jannah.
But seeking the people of determination and valor and people
of secret with Allah, that is a desire of every sincere person in
his journey to Allah.
Zaynul-Abidin said: man would sit with the person that

benefits him in his religion.
Al-hasan Al-Basari said: our brothers in the religion are more

beloved to us than our wives and children, for our households
remind us of this world while our brothers in religion remind
us of the hereafter,
A poet has said:
I swear, it is not the wealth of a man that exalts him,
Rather it is his trustful brothers in religion that immortalize
him.
The salaf advised on refining the health. Al-hasan Al-Bisri

said: verily you have an inclination to your friend, and you
have the inclination to remember whom you love, hence fear
the brothers and those whom you sit together with.
So, strive O the intelligent one that is seeking the path of the
people of high determination. Seek for them necessarily in the
mosques; search for them in the sittings of pious. Do not be far
from the winners to reach them even if the situation warrants
that you announce in the mobile advert:
“Wanted: A Guide on righteous deeds in Ramadan”
What a good announcement it is!
With this company, you will explore using all the seconds and
minutes, taking account of your selves on every moment of the
precious time. Were anyone of you to miss the salah in
congregation, he would see what will inspire him to punish
himself as done by Ibn Umar.
You see the idle ones observing salatu tarawih quickly, then
spending the night in chatting and shouting, and then missing
the salat fajr;
''And they think they are doing something worthwhile.''

Qur'an 18:104
No, O the rightly guided one, come let me inform you of the
acts of those who turn unto Allah: their time is spent in dhikr,
reciting the Qur'an, full of life, their mosques are being shaken
with the noise of their weeps from the fear of Allah. You would
see them feeble and weak as a result of their fear of the events
of the hereafter. In their worship you see them standing solidly
like the mountain and you will think they are not created to do
other things than carrying out these acts of worship. I missed
the salah in jamah is never in their dictionary. Let's start with
salah, you would see them in their standing and sitting
overwhelmed by the shyness from Allah saying: O Allah, we
cannot worship you as due because of your majesty!
Their night, and what will inform how their night is? The
wailing of the bereaved disappears beside their sobbing. (As if
they are being led to die and they see death directly in front of
them. Their salah in the dead of night dignifies the lights of the
honor. They in its clothing are perfumed. They are absorbed in
the beauty of their consultation with their Lord. Anything that

will erase the seeking of forgiveness in the predawn (sahur)
period is a resentment to their minds. They are wallowing in
the bliss of intimacy with their Lord, and they are enjoying the
sweetness of the address. These lines in my memory inform us:
Junayd is saying: it has perished

All knowledge and signs.
And the graphics faded away.
And that expression was suppressed
And the bowings were following one another.
And we see in the end
That buried treasure
Successful is he that awaken in the nights
With the salah of the humbled.
Know O that is alert that verily to complete your effort to attain

forgiveness in Ramadan is to look for a Shaykh righteous
teacher and guide who might be popular or unknown, he
could be scholar or student of knowledge; but in his moment
and talk, you will know that he is in secret relationship with
Allah. Such people are well known among people, even if they
are rarely known, you will never fail to find a person who will
lead you to them when your asking about them is much.
You can only benefit from them with a condition that they are
people of sunnah and worship as the salaf. These people are
the custodian of trust and guidance for the ummah. It is the
kind of these people that you will benefit from their guidance,
the counsel, character and their actions before their sayings.
You will see them is salah as the best example of the
monasticism, devotion and piety. Their saying takbir even if
their voices are lowered is like a clamor pervading the
universe in a way that shows the greatness of Allah.
Their bowing and prostration portray the prostration of all

living things. Were you to see their worship with your eyes,
you would love that all creatures glorify Allah as they do. It is
like what Allah says concerning Prophet Dawud:
‘'It is we that subdued the mountains for him, glorifying

(Allah) in the night and in the morning. And the birds gathered,
all of them submissive to him.''
Qur'an 37:18
O Allah! we ask You the company of the righteous and join us

with them in the Garden of bliss.
THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE

Preparation of a list of your faults, persistent sins and
unwholesome conduct hidden in your mind, to begin real
treatment for them in Ramadan. Also, the preparation of a
schedule of obedient acts which you will engage in to be able
to take account of yourself based on it.
He (SAW) said: ''The believer would see his sins as if he is

sitting under a mountain that he fears will fall on him. But
the unbeliever would see his sins as a fly that just passes by
on his nose and that just not bothers him.'' * Bukhari
This is because the determination of the children of the

hereafter would take nothing but perfection. The least of
shortcomings to them is regarded as major faults. A poet says:
I do not see any among the shortcomings of men as fault.

As the shortcoming of a capable person in reaching perfection.
The level of the determination evokes the depression of the necks, and
the level of its ignobility its unwillingness.
Another poet says:
The status of a people determines their level of determination,
And the status of the people of honor determines their honor.
This negates those who say: who among us is saved from sins except
the prophets, and he repeats:
Who is that who hopes to be completely good?
It is enough for a man to be a noble to be conscious of his faults.
This principle is in relating with people, but in relating with the
soul, (O the intelligent one!) that is built on suspicion and
seeking perfection and freedom from any blemish:
If the souls are old,

The bodies will be weary of its desires.
That is, the person threading the path would always like to
complete the elements of imaan. Any time he knows that there
is yet an area to be covered, he resolves and hopes for that to be
done. If he begins the process of covering the uncovered areas,
he identifies the need to purify it, and appeases and progresses
with the talent and blessing Allah has endowed him so that he
would not bring about discord (the existence of fault together
with good conduct) so he resolves again to remove that and the
third leads to the fourth continually and consecutively till it
achieves his desire * (his resolve to complete the elements of
imaan)
These frequent resolves are encouraged at all time, even

though the fault might grow to evolve sin and formation of
habit. Traditional treatment is not in tandem with this
approach; in fact, it demands surgical operation that requires
full dieting in the month of Ramadan and determination
already sharpened before this blessed period. What remains is
to put down a sharp knife to dissect the determination
thoroughly and to endure the severe but temporary pains that
bring about the tumor eating up your imaan and taqwa. You
don't need to take any sedative for sedative takes you to the
state of unconsciousness and helpless deception; then you
wake up without any tumor but it is not completely removed,
rather remains some hidden residues from which the second
may spread. Hence, if you are a smoker or afflicted with
looking (at the opposite sex) or temptation or infatuation,, then
begin to arrest this trial and start the surgical operation in the
month of Ramadan. Do employ not gradualism which we
referred to as sedative, instead, shun sin, cut disobedient act
and abandon habit. Do not be sad about the abundance and
severity of the pains. It is the price to pay for effective

treatment and the necessity of the complete healing which will
leave no ailment.
The month of Ramadan presents an ample opportunity for the
treatment of hindrance, sins and habits. It is a month of
protection, i.e. abstinence from lusts (food and sex). Lust is a
subject of disobedient acts and sins; as the devils in Ramadan
are detained for they are the root of every trial bedeviling the
children of Adam. In addition to that is collective obedience
wherein the fasting muslim would see many people fasting
and competing in good deeds and this will weaken his
tendency to commit sin and strengthen his taqwa and will to
engage in obedient acts. These three elements are important
complements to true determination and will for reformation
and thereby bringing about a healthy climate and conducive
atmosphere to eradicate any ailment.
And before and after all that, it is not ideal that we forget or
ignore the circle of the liberated, the repentant and those
whose deeds are accepted opened by the Lord (azza wa jalla)
in this month. And with critical look at the majority of the
devoted, you would see that they begin with serious thinking
about quietness of the night of breeze in the nights of
Ramadan.
Whatever that does not stimulate resolve for the treatment of

hindrances in this month, there can never be any opportunity
for these people to absolve themselves. He that is denied the
blessings of Ramadan and does not free himself from his faults
in it, then which other time is auspicious for this blessing?
In the authentic collection of hadth by ibn Khuzaymah, it is

said that Jubril said: ''he who is present in Ramadan and is not
forgiven his sins and enters hell, O Allah, make him far (from
your blessing). Say Amin! And I (the prophet) said: Amin.''
Authentic hadith.
It is narrated by Al-batrany with a weak chain from the

prophet (SAW) who said:
''Woe unto the person who is present in Ramadan and he is not
forgiven his sins, when he is not forgiven, when will he be?''
Tabarany with a chain that has some issues narrated from

Ubadah bn Samit (marfuan):
''Ramadan has come, the month of blessing, that Allah covers

you with blessing, and grace descends on you, sins are erased
and supplications are granted. Allah will look at your
competitions therein and will be proud of you before the
angels. Let Allah see good in you. Therefore, the unfortunate
one is he who is denied the grace of Allah therein.'’
Recalling the various kinds of obedient acts, identifying them

and resolving to engage in them in Ramadan are the greatest
preparations to be made this month. It is this basis that all the
texts of the Qur'an and hadith which explain the virtues of
Ramadan and striving in it indicate, and majority of these texts
are categorical and clear that the preparation must be before
Ramadan or at most in the earliest part.
Some dreamers would feign determination that would not go

beyond being referred to as mirage that a thirsty person thinks
it is water until he gets there and finds that nothing is there that
could be called water.
We see him having rosy dreams to strive greatly in this month;

you will see him drawing various pictures of halaal and strict
observance. So when the month comes, the destitute would

say: today is for alcohol and tomorrow I follow the command.
If these people were to have had some efforts expended in the

fields of righteous deeds before Ramadan, they would have
intimated their souls with some good; rather they waited right
to the close of time and when provision for the walk was
exhausted like one who goes to the market without money, he
does not prepare himself for the competition, rather it would
be said to him: very unfortunate, you are not included in the
caravan.
When Anas bn Nadr said to the Messenger (SAW): after the

battle of badr: O messenger of Allah, I was absent from the first
fight you had with the idolators, I swear by Allah if Allah had
made me witness the fight with the idolators, Allah would
have seen what I would do. But then, it was related to us that
they saw him in Uhud and about seventy people were fighting
beside him but he neither strike with a sword, nor wounded
anyone with a spear or threw an arrow. We know what was in
the mind of the man.
When one companion said: O messenger of Allah, I did not

take the oath of allegiance with you except to have the spear
pieced here so that I can enter Al-jannah. The messenger said to
him: ''if you are honest Allah will accept it.'' Then it was related
that the spear pieced where he pointed to. We know what the
man resolved to do.
The status of a people determines their level of determination,

And the status of the people of honor determines their honor.
In the eyes of the young, his youth is great,
While in the eyes of the great, the greatness is small.
THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE

Preparation for Obedient Acts and Self Examination
Know that preparation for obedient acts and self-examination

are two different but mutually related issues, i.e. interwoven
and are complementary.
However, preparation for deeds is a signal for success and an

indicator of sincerity of intention. Allah says:
“Were they to have intended to go out, they would have made

provision for it”
Qur'an 9: 46
Obedient acts must be prepared for with some sharia

approved duties till the fruits are ripen and reaped, and
particularly in the month of Ramadan because deeds therein
have virtues, reward and honor in manifolds because of the
virtue of the period.
The congregational salah are necessarily preceded by good

performance of ablution and good and sincere intention to
have the reward and pay visit to Allah in His house, and to give
importance to His instruction and hasten to heed His call
(come to salah) and to quickly go to listen to His address and to
taste the joy of having the consultation with and meet Him.
Abu hurayrah (RA) said: Allah's messenger said:

''The salah of a man in jamah is twenty-five times more
meritorious (in reward) than his salah in his house or in the
market; this is because as he performs ablution and perfects
it, and then goes to the mosque just for purpose of
performing salah, he would not take a step except that he is
raised a degree and has one of his sins erased. When he

prays, if he does not lose his ablution, the angels keep on
supplicating for him saying: O Allah! shower your
salutations and mercy upon him, and he would be
considered to be in salah as he waits for salah.''
He proclaims with purification and intentions his preparation

to meet Allah (azza wa jalla) and that comes to be with the
following issues: revisiting the sharia views on leaving the
home and walking to the mosques, for it has impact on
achieving presence of mind; also to avoid doing anything that
negates humility and calmness when walking to the mosques,
like interlacing the fingers, too much of looking here and there,
looking at the passers-by, decorations and beautifications
(especially in this century), and to avoid hastiness and
running. Walking to salah is an important preparation for
humbleness in salah. On this the apostle said:
'' When salah is commenced, do not go to join running; go to

join walking and with calmness.''
In the narration of Muslim,
''As each one of you intends in his mind to go for salah, he is
already in salah.'’
It is not proper that he takes to laughing too much before and

after salah, for this takes away the joy of humility and it
hardens the heart and destroys the taste of fruits of obedience.
When entering the mosque, there must be a great show of fear

for the sublimity of the place and its owner. No doubt the
mosques are homes of mercy and valley of blessings. Hence,
the sharia legislates that the person entering the mosque
should say:
''A'udhu billah Al-adhim wa biwajihih Al-karim wa sultanih

al-qadim mina shaytan rajim.''
I seek refuge with Allah, the Sublime, and with His Honorable
Countenance, and with His Ever-lasting Authority from the
accursed devil.'’
After entering the mosque, he should offer the sunnah nafilah
that precedes the salah or others until the beginning of the
particular obligatory salah. The importance of this sunnah
nafilah is hidden in its being a preparation for the obligatory
salah for perfection of presence of the mind in it.
Then it is legislated that the obligatory salah to be performed to
feature the means of attaining sweetness of obedient in salah
that we are going to mention. Closely related instance is the
preparation for salatu tarawih, for it is one of the greatest acts
of worship in the nights of Ramadan. In an authentic hadith,
Allah's messenger said:
''He who wakes up in the night of Ramadan praying with imaan and
hope for reward with Allah, his sins shall be forgiven.''
Abu dhar said: we observed fast together with Allah's

Messenger in Ramadan and he did not come to pray for us in
the month until it remained seven. He then woke up to pray for
us till a third of the night has gone. When it was the sixth, he
did not come to pray for us, and when it was the fifth, he came
and prayed for us till the second half of the night has gone. I
then said: O messenger of Allah, why not pray for us
throughout the month (that is the entire nights of the month),
he said Allah's messenger then responded: ''verily if a man
should pray with the imam till he departs, he would be
regarded as having offered qiyaam layl.'' * Abu Dawud with authentic
chain of transmission.
Many of those who attend qiyaam layl in Ramadan do

complain of not getting the fruits of this salah even though they
believe in its importance and they make efforts to attain the
goal of observing it.
The truth is that this important salah is not like others as it

requires preparation and some groundwork. It is necessary
that he who desires to reap benefit from salatu tarawih should
reduce his food to attain his goal; he should come to the
mosque with some level of hunger in his stomach. This
enhances presence of mind. He should purify well, puts on his
best of dresses and come to the mosque early. It is improper
that he should miss salatul-ishai: this is a proof of deprivation
and lack of understanding of the religion, for salatul-ishai in
congregation is equivalent to waking up for half of the night in
prayer, as it is in the hadith. Above its being an obligation,
Allah (azza wa jalla) says in the hadith qudsi:
''my servant would not be closer to me with anything more
beloved to me than that which I have made obligatory upon
him.'’
Then he presents himself to Allah as a guest to take the
opportunity of obtaining His mercy, forgiveness and liberation
from hell fire. He goes to the mosque with longing and desire
in His grace, and the shame and fear that Allah may reject and
turn away from him seize him.
The mosques of the people of sunnah are required so that he

can present himself to the righteous if he is not among those
that are accepted. Then he should recall the duties we
mentioned when entering the mosque for salah and during
salah.
On self-examination of one's standing in the obedient acts, this

is one of the most beneficial duties carried out by worshippers
in the month of Ramadan. The origin is that self-examination is

a necessary duty on the person who is on the path of the
hereafter, it is only that in this month it is much more
emphasized.
Self-examination means: examining the deeds inside out, from

the first to the last, in search of its fruits to identify its
attainments so that it could be maintained, and its level so that
it could be developed and to see the faults and weakness to
identify it.
Self-examination should occur before, during and after the
deed.
If it is before, it is with preparation for it and to recall where the

weakness lies in it so that it could be eradicated. And if it is
during the deed, to observe the deeds externally and internally
and from the first to the last. Evaluation after the deed is to
repeat that deed.
If a man should be constant in this self-evaluation, his path

would not need any burden or treatment. He would see the
result and fruit of this evaluation increasing towards the
position of ihsaan (excellence) which all those who are on the
path to Allah visualize and that is 'to worship Allah as if he can
see him.’
This evaluation should be in private where a man would be

questioning himself and his desire, and he would be treating
any shortcomings observed. He would blame, rebuke and
punish his soul for its laziness and negligence.
It is not advisable to rely only on the popular evaluation chart.

People differ and are on two sides concerning it. There are
people who take it always as a means of terbiyyah and
effective way of evaluating the self. There are also those who
completely reject it regarding it as innovation. The truth is to
take the middle course. Yes, it is a means that did not come
from the salaf of this ummah, but then there are views in sharia
that support it just like the counting the rosary with pebbles
and things like that among those things established from the
sahabah and tabi'n. Then, we are not saying it is allowed to
completely rely on the charts always, instead we advise that it
could be used when one begins the path and also we do not
force it on anyone , rather he relies on it in the beginning of his
journey so that he could assist himself, we hope there will not
be any blame, but with the condition that he should not build
his total reliance on it.*
The right thing is to develop the soul to be familiar with

constant self -evaluation and personal consciousness and its
being accustomed to punishment when it errs. This definitely
will refine habit from any foreign blemish that tends to intrude
on the good intention.
Alhafidhi said:
Condition the soul and monitor

Do not be like the beasts.
Then assess it and rebuke,
It is on this you should be constant.
Then fight it and sanction,
Thus, the honorable did.
They did not cease be in contest,
For the souls is our battle field,
He has gained, he that wakes up the nights,
With salah of the humble.
THE SEVENTH PRINCIPLE

Studying the Rules of Fasting and Issues Related to the
Month of Ramadan.
This is one of the highly emphasized obligations. Hence, the

key to success and authority is useful authentic knowledge
aimed at righteous deed. There cannot be a deed regarded as
righteous without useful knowledge.
Useful knowledge calls to righteous deed, and if response is

given to it, fine, but if not, it goes away; as it is obligatory on the
person performing salah to learn all that make his salah sound,
and the person to pay zakah too should know what to use and
how to pay zakah, and so on. It is therefore too bad as far as
sharia is concerned for any worshipper to forward a rite just for
the sake of seasonal exercise while he is ignorant of the ways
and manners of the competition and ill equipped with the
provisions for engagement.
Knowledge of the rules of fasting as regards its pillars, those

that are exempted, what can vitiate it, what is allowed or
overlooked and the rules guiding the salatu tarawih and
I'tikaaf is compulsory.
The woman on her own right should learn the rules of fasting
as they affect the mensuration, non-stop bleeding ailment
(mustahadah), post-childbirth flow and fasting as it concerns
pregnant and breastfeeding woman.
We recommend the following books on obtaining the rules on

fasting, without ruling out seeking recourse to the scholars to
ask questions and contact them when there is any problem.
The books are:
1- ''zadul-mia'd fi hadyi khaeril-ibaad'' by ibnul-Qayyim

(chapter on his (SAW) guidance on fasting)
2- ‘'safwatul-kalaam fi masaalik siyaam'' by ibn Idrees

Muhammad Abdul-fattah (abridged)
3- ''fiqh Sunnah'' by Shaykh Sayyid Sabiq with Tammamul-

Munnah fi Ta'leeq ala fiqh-sunnah by Shaykh Al-bany.
My dear friend, shun giving of fatwa and beneficial

knowledge if you are not among the scholars that are doing
this. This is disastrous to you and an injustice to others.
It is equally emphasized that issues on how to relate with the

Lord and what to engage in in the season of fasting should be
read. The book ''Lataiful-ma'arif'' by al-hafidh bn Rajab
(rahimahullah)is recommended.
THE EIGHTH PRINCIPLE

Preparing the Soul to Observe the Worship of Patience.
Allah (ta'la) says:
''But none is granted it except those who are patient, and none
is granted it except he that has great gains.''
Qur'an 41:35
Some people regard the season of worship as a recreation park

wherein they engage in all sorts of enjoyment and
amusements. Whoever engages in such will have a
devastating delight as he comes out from the month as he had
entered it, even worse off. The distance between him and
reality of the hereafter widens as the cloud of lusts also
thickens thereby standing as a barrier against his reaching
Allah.
The month of Ramadan is month of fasting and patience, hence

what stops us from tasting the reality of patience so that we can
taste the reality of fasting.
In this month, you have before you: patience on avoiding

forbidden acts, patience on obedient acts, and above all that is
the patience on any trials that befall you.
The various aspects of this patience is the greatest quality and

distinction of leadership in religion, as alluded to by Shaykhul-
Islam ibn Taymiyah (rahimahullah) when he said: ''indeed,
leadership is given in religion with possession of patience and
perseverance, and yaqeen (conviction)'' he gave this verse as
the proof:
‘'We made from them leaders who guide and rule with our
instruction for their patience and convincing knowledge of
and firm belief in our revelations.'’
Qur'an 32:24
Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said, “Indeed, there is no

(10)
difference of opinion among the scholars that the most obvious

meaning of patience is: to retrain the soul on the noble
character, and this is the most difficult position for the general
people and the most awesome on the path of love. It is difficult
on the general people because the position of generality is the
starting point on the path and there is no discipline in his
conduct and no required civilization acquired through the
ranks. Hence, when he faces trial he is in impatient and finds it
difficult to endure emotionally because he is yet to be among
the experienced who can persevere and among the beloved
who endure trial with pleasure just for the love of the
beloved…)*
At-tahdhib vol 2/566
I say to you also that you should learn if you desire salvation
that month of Ramadan is a conducive field to train on patience
and you are assisted in every aspect.
The care of Allah is over you; his devils are angrily gazing at
you for they are in chains. You will see your soul forging ahead
in good deeds and taking backward steps with shyness in
doing evil. You are just left to combat dangerous thoughts, evil
whispers and secret in the depth of the heart.
I feel like likening your soul to the sick person in the intensive
care room; he is denied all sorts of food that can affect the line
of his treatment, and even he is denied the closest person
talking to him to allow time for his organs to fully recover.
Afterwards, he will breath fresh air free from pollution, drinks

to purify his blood will be included to give strength and his
pause and temperature will be measured time to time so that
the doctor will be sure of the recovery of the functions of his
body.
What is better for this diseased heart that is heavily laden with
sins, wallowing in stupor of lusts, wobbling and fumbling on
ambiguities and tarrying with the passing of months and years
without tazkiyyah and tarbiyyah than to enter the intensive
care room in the month of Ramadan that all the medicines to
restore his strength will be taqwa and renewal of love for Allah
and His messenger and obedience to their instructions.
Let it emanate from you this month a plan that you uphold a
decent distance from the lust of the stomach and other limbs;
and if they should turn to be stubborn, then you should not
hesitate to impose the rule of exception and enact a decree to
detain this erring soul and sentence it to the prison of self-
desire until it is ready to implement your instructions any time
they are issued. And if its headiness and revolt should
continue, then hit and heat its back with the whip of
determination and grab it by the neck for its disobedience to
your order and will. If it should remain adamant, then pass the
death sentence on it since it doesn't have the power over you.
And if it should refuse you relying on and hoping in your

mercy, then you should carry out the death sentence in the last
ten days by confining it to reformation I'tikaaf until such erring
soul is completely exterminated and a new soul and reassuring
impression that align with you in obedient acts whenever you
instruct it and revolt against you in disobedient act whenever
you indulge in it is born in those days and nights. Thus, it has
undergone a sharia compliant rebirth in a pure place and pure

period, it grew and developed under the care of the righteous;
hence, you will never see it afterwards except on good acts.
It is a birth for the soul that has a leader in religion and it grows
up in the cradle of leadership and it is nurtured in the chains of
self -denial and untainted devotion.
10. Tahdhif 2/566

THE NINTH PRINCIPLE

How to Attain the Joy of Obedience.
The belief that obedience has joy is proven by his (SAW)

statement:
''He will experience the joy of Imaan, he that is pleased with

Allah as Lord, and with Islam as religion and with
Muhammad as messenger.'' * Muslim
There are three (features) that he who has them will taste the
joy of Imaan:
''He that loves a man for nothing except for Allah's sake, He
that detests that he should return to disbelief after Allah has
saved him from it as he detests that he should be thrown into
hell.'' * Bukhari and Muslim.
When the messenger forbids his companions from taking

fast without break, they said: but you take fast without
break; he said: I am not like you, I'm being given food and
drink.'' * Bukhari and Muslim.
In another wording, ''I'm under the shade of my Lord being

given food and drink.'' * Bukhari and Muslim
In another wording, ''There is one for me giving me food and
drink.'' * Bukhari and Abu Dawud.
Ibn Al-Qayyim said: he that thinks that the food and drink are
physical to the mouth is under strong illusion. He then said:
what is intended is that the taste of joy of Imaan and excellent
deeds is only experienced by the soul as its portion just like the
sweetness of food is the portion of the mouth.'’
Know first O you that are striving for the pleasure of your Lord
that the statements of people on this issue is recorded and their
guidance is general and it remains as anything except an
established reality in itself. This cannot be attained except one
whom Allah desires to attain it. He that tastes will know. Be
among those who will remember this, for we are going to relate
some words that may not be understood by one in strong and
thick illusion. If you fail to grasp the understanding, be quick
to think it is your link with Allah, instead we say that you
complete the reading of the chapter and implement what we
counsel you on, then repeat the reading of these lines, and if
you find the issue as we have described, then praise Allah who
has made you taste the joy of Imaan and the sweetness of
obedience.
To start with, it is necessary that you know (that thought

cannot be restricted, the mouth cannot be quiet, and the limbs
cannot be calmed; if you don't keep them busy with
worthwhile activities, they will be busied with frivolities and if
you don't engage them in good ways, they will be engaged in
evils. The souls harbor an inclination towards delight and ease
and an aversion to unlikable and difficulty. Hence, raise your
soul to engage in difficult but beneficial deeds and adapt and
adjust it to distasteful but excellent meritorious deeds till it
becomes accustomed to important issues and desires to reach
the greatest of it; and till it takes a flight from all trivialities and
frivolities. Teach it to soar so that it detests triviality; let it know
honour so that it runs from ignominy and let it taste great
spiritual sweetness that it demeans the insignificant physical
enjoyment)* (abdulwahab A'zaam on Raqaiq)
More often, we insist on high determination as a beautiful

element in any great struggle, and what struggle is loftier than
the struggle for the hereafter? Allah says:
‘'Whoever desires the hereafter and struggles for it

appropriately (with all that are its requirements and
obligations) and he is a believer in Allah, these struggles of his
shall be appreciated.''
Qur'an 17:19
Then know-may you know all that is good-that sweetness of
obedience is created by focusing the soul, the determination
and the secret (intent and action) on Allah. This is explained by
Ibn Al-qayyim when he says: it is to devote the soul in its
entirety to Allah (azza wajalla), nothing of blessing or comfort
will turn it away from him. So when the soul tastes the
sweetness of this focus, it joins the longing of its owner and the
light of love and demand will ignite in his soul. Then he said, to
Allah belongs the praise, a soul that cuts off from all things of
this world and begins the journey which ends its destination in
front of the Beneficent(tabaraka wa ta'ala) and it prostrates
before Him the prostration of gratitude for reaching Him; he
remains in prostration until it is said to him:
''O soul that are at rest. Return to your Lord, contented in His
good pleasure! Enter you among my servants, enter you my Al-
jannah.''
Qur'an 89:27-30
Glory be to the One who made distinction-between the

creatures in-their determinations, that you would see between
two levels of determination a distance as far as between the
east and west, or even farther as between the lowest of the low
and the highest illiyyin. That is the gift of the Almighty, the All-
Wise.
''That is the bounty of Allah, that He gives to whomever He

wills. Allah is the Owner of great bounty.''
Qur'an 62:4
Then he says: thus he finds sweetness deeply rooted in having

consultation (munajaat) , intimacy with and closeness to Allah
that it will get to a point that it will be as if he is talking to Him
face-to-face, chatting with Him, giving excuses for his
shortcomings, glorifying Him and praising Him at different
times that the soul persists saying: (You are the Lord, there is
no god beside You) without any prompting; and this state and
position remains as said by the prophet(SAW): ''Excellence is
to worship Allah as though you can see Him.'' * Bukhari.
Thus, his conversation and entreaty with Him occur as if he is

in front of his Lord. Therefore, his agitation becomes calmed
and his mind is at rest; he then becomes fervent in supplication
and request, submitting to Allah, the Rich (subhanah) and
showing the wretchedness of servitude before the might of the
Lordship, for the Lord loves that His servant asks and requests
from Him because to attain righteousness and excellence is
determined by his requests; though it is Allah that is
benevolent to him in the instance without any cause such as
request from the servant or intervention of any intermediary.
Rather he destined that blessing for him without any cause
from the servant. Then He instructed him to supplicate and ask
from Him to show the position of servitude, destitution and
accepting the might of the Lordship, the perfection of the
richness of the Lord, His oneness in granting blessings and
excellence. Definitely, the servant is not independent of His
grace at any time, so he would not go with supplication and
requests to the one he knows is not entitled to be asked or
requested from. But his Lord would want him to ask, hope in
Him and demand from Him.
Then he added: when this self-effacement from the servant is

done, he is well informed that the grace of his Lord has been for
him even before he was created and together with Allah's

knowledge of his shortcomings and that this knowledge does
not deprive him of the destined grace and goodness from
Allah. So when the servant is aware of that, his happiness
increases with his Lord and the occurrence of the grace and
goodness. This is a praise-worthy expression of joy, it is not
blame worthy. Allah says: ('Say, with the grace of Allah and
His mercy, it is in that they should rejoice.)* (Tahdhib vol.2/872)
This is an advanced statement that need being repeated for

better understand, and wandering in its order:
Continue to pull the ropes,

Cutting the mountain deep.
But we shall not leave you to the pictures, connotations and

general indications of the expressions, instead, we go with you
in the practical reality in undergoing the real services, and it
will become clear to you thereby the intricacies of the
behavioral science, and you will-O the informed worshipper –
benefit from the one example from one thousand witnesses.
These are most of the obedient acts that all the people should
observe; and let us look at how it is a must that they are
observed and performed.
Remebrance of Allah (azza wajalla)

Al-Fayruz Al-Abadi said in the Dictionary: dhikr with kasrah
means to keep something, and with me it doesn't change
whether it is with dammah, kasrah or comes in this spelling:
tadhakur.
With this, you will know that dhikr really means to keep, to
remember and to recall. In sharia, it is used to mean movement
of the tongue in chanting praises on Allah and seeking

forgiveness from Him till it becomes sharia reality, except that
to many people, it is taken mostly to be chanting with tongue;
and it comes to the fact that dhikr does not have other meaning
beyond the movement of tongue with dhikr; and the people of
suffism go beyond proper bounds when they do not have any
other meaning for dhikr except sittings for dancing and
drumming; all these negate many of the meanings of dhikr in
the Qur'an.
Allah (ta'la) says;
(And those when they commit any atrocity or wronged their
souls, they remember Allah and thereby sought forgiveness for
their sins)
Qur'an 3:135
Remembrance of Allah here means to recall His majesty and to

preserve His position and to recollect His greatness and
eminence, and to corroborate that with seeking of forgiveness.
If the meaning of (dhikrullah) is just to move the tongue to
remember Him, He would have repeated ''they remembered
Him and they remembered Him'' but that is not what is said,
instead, He says: (they remembered Him and sought
forgiveness) just before joining the specific with the general
statements, this is by way of emphasis, and stating the basis
takes precedence over emphasis. With us what is being
addressed is that remembrance of Allah is a necessary attribute
of the righteous. They call to mind His majesty and remember
His hands on them. Therefore, that will be a cause for them to
realize the crime of their sins and seek forgiveness from Him.
Ponder the statement of Allah:
“And ask the people of dhikr if you know not.”
Qur'an 16:43
You will see here that the meaning of dhikr is knowledge. If

you follow what we have said to you concerning the meaning
of dhikr, here you would understand the import of the the
statement of Allah: (And ask the people of dhikr) that it refers
to the people who fear Allah, the people of piety and those who
call to mind His greatness; and these are not other people
except the scholars, as connoted by the statement of Allah:
''…Definitely, those who fear Allah most are the scholars.''
Qur'an 35:28
Even in this statement of His (ta'la)
''Those when Allah is mentioned, their hearts feel scared.''

Qur'an 8:2
In it is a proof of what we have established. Hence, the state of

the people of Imaan (those that the verse renders their
description) is that their hearts feel tremor with just the
movement of their feeling with Him (azza walla) when they
listen to one of His names or attributes or something that refers
to His eminence being mentioned. The meaning of the verse
cannot be that ''the believers feel tremor in their hearts with
their increasing the remembrance of Allah and their tongues
moving with chanting His praise'' as there is specialty for
anyone in that since majority of people also feel the tremor
when they remember with the presence of the mind; but only
the few will have their hearts impacted with just the thought of
Allah.
If that is established, we know then that remembrance of Allah

(azza wa jalla) occurs with recalling His greatness in the mind
and that is not enough on its own, instead of movement of the
tongue without the motion in the mind is not the intention
from Allah (azza wa jalla and His holiness. Allah says:
(Their flesh and their blood can never reach Allah, but your
taqwa reaches Him.''
Qur'an 22:37
And he (SAW) says: ''Taqwa is here, and he pointed to his

chest.'' Muslim.
And he also said: ''Allah will not look at your bodies and not
at your pictures, rather he looks at your hearts.'' Muslim.
With this explanation we know that the role of the tongue in

dhikr makes it mandatory that the mind is present in
glorifying Allah, calling to mind His eminence and majesty.
And what are the means that will achieve this outcome?
Means of Achieving the Joy of Dhikr
First: to know the intention behind dhikr, and that is glorifying

the position of Allah, having His fear, revering Him,
venerating Him and according Him His due status. With this
meaning, dhikr always becomes a constant thing in all places
that man is present.
Second; the person doing dhikr should consider the blessing of

Allah on him for giving him the dignity to remember Him and
honor to mention His words in his minds and with limbs in
spite of his being immersed in sins and denial of His blessings
and favors.
Third; the parts of the body should be in decorum when doing
dhikr with the consciousness that Allah is ever-watchful. One
of the salaf whenever he was doing dhikr would not stretch his
legs. Allah has described the believers thus: (when Allah is
mentioned, their hearts feel scared)
The tremor of the heart is its fear of Allah; Abu Hayyan said it
in his tafsir, and Ibn Mas'ud read it as: terrified, and Ubay read
it as: ''frightened''
Fourth: to feel and be conscious of the meaning of this hadith:

''I am with my servant as he remembers Me, and his lips
moves (with my praise) * Reported by Bukhari in categorical statement, and
(11)
by Al-bayhaqi and Al-hakim.
The philosophers, the theologians, those who deny the

attributes of Allah and the Jahmiyyun's efforts to put a barrier
between you and the beauty and eminence of this meaning
cannot change anything as long as you build in your mind the
position of Lordship based on proofs and terbiyyah, then
implement the texts as they come and as done by the salaf who
benefited much from the blessing of such texts.
Know that the support from Allah comes based on your taqwa
and sabr. Presence of mind is based on the level of gathering of
thought on dhikr. The statement of Allah proves this:
‘'Nay, if you are patient and fear Allah, and the enemy attacks
you suddenly, your Lord will help you with five thousands
angels sweeping on.''
Qur'an 3:125
Fifth: hope should not be lost because of delayed of victory. He

that persistently knocks at the door, it is likely the door shall
soon be opened to him, and insistently staying at the door
knocking with bashfulness and shame is a sign of success and
acceptance. Think about this statement of Allah:
''And to the three who stayed behind: when the earth, vast as it
is, is straitened for them till they realized that there is no
refuge for them from Allah except they turn in repentance to
Him; hence He turned to them with His mercy that they might
turn to Him in repentance…''
Qur'an 9: 118
You would see that the one that turned back is tried in the real
sense of the issue:
‘'And Allah may test those who believe and destroy the
disbelievers.''
Qur'an 3:141
Sixth: ibn Al-Qayyim said in ''Al-Qawaid'' : there are among

those who do dhikr that begin with remembrance of the
tongue even when he is unconscious, but then he would not
cease doing it until his mind comes into the dhikr and both the
tongue and the mind act together in the dhikr. And there are
among them who is not seen as that; he does not begin
unconsciously rather he is calm until his mind is present and
he begins the dhikr with his mind, and he is strong, the tongue
comes in and they both act together. The first person moves the
dhikr from his tongue to his mind, then the second person
moves it from his mind to his tongue without his mind being
exempted from it, rather it initially remains calm until it is right
to talk. So when he feels that his mind would talk, then the
mind talk would move to dhikr of the tongue and then he
would be engrossed in that until everything in him sees that he
is doing dhikr. The best and most useful of dhikr is that in
which both the mind and the tongue participate. It is part of the
prophetic adhkar and one doing dhikr should recognize its
meaning and purpose. And in this instance, no one would do
better than ibn Al-Qayyim.(rahimahullah)
Our own school of thought is the second means, i.e, not

commencing with unconsciousness rather the one doing the
dhikr should begin with calmness until the mind is present.
The way to do that is to bring himself standing at the door of

the Beneficent knocking and waiting for permission to enter
while his broken mind roams about the meaning of mercy, love
and acceptance. Hence, it is therefore suitable that there is
presence of mind.
For the dhikr to be from what comes from the sunnah, this is
normal, and we are not going to say much in establishing that.
Whoever that takes any other path other than that of
Muhammad (SAW), how will he get to his destination?
To recognize the meaning and purpose of dhikr is

fundamentally one of the keys to presence of mind and getting
benefit from dhikr, and especially if it is from the inspiring and
great meaning that is expressed from the bosom of the leader
of those who remember Allah (SAW)
We would like to cite some examples on how to ponder and

reflect on dhikr to be the model to other adhkar. Among the
morning and evening adhkar that the muslim should repeat is
his (SAW) statement:
Asbahna wa asbahal-mulku lillah walhamdu lillah lailaha illallah

wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul mulku walahul hamdu wahuwa ala
kulli shayhin qadirun. Rabb asialuka khayra fi hadhal-yaumi wa
khayra ma ba'dahu , wa audhu bika min sharri hadhal-yaumi wa
sharrin ma ba'dahu Rabbi audhu bika minal-kasal wa sui-likibr,
Rabbi audhu bika min adhabifi nar wa adhabi fil-qabr.''
Then he would recall what we have said before then pondering

on the words at their face values due to his poverty and in
need, and roaming with his heart in Allah's kingdom and
dominion, then the reality of the blessing (we woke up this
morning) is clearer to him and he can observe the blessing of
Allah if he is granted life and he wakes up healthy; after having

lost hope he would see the morning. Ibn Umar would say: if
you should be alive in the evening, don't expect to live till
morning, and when you are alive in the morning, do expect to
live till the evening.* Narrated by Bukhari.
Look, that is the care of Allah that will be realized when the
soul is taken, and it is returned after its death; Allah says:
''It is Allah that takes the soul at their death, and that soul
which dies not in its sleep. He keeps that soul for which He has
ordained death and dismisses the rest till an appointed
term...''
Qur'an 39:42
In celebrating the joy for the blessing of Allah, he brings

himself to remember the Giver so that the remembrance of the
Giver would not decline in the euphoria of happiness over the
blessing. Therefore, he attributes every blessing, or better put,
the whole authority to Allah, the real Disposer of affairs (and
the authority belongs to Allah) with this attributing blessing to
the real owner and discrediting whoever wants to block it, it is
not proper for the servant to forget to thank and praise his
Lord (praises are to Allah) then he gives the testimony of
tawheed (there is god except Allah, he is the only God, there is
no partner for Him) the secret of that: accepting the fact of right
of worship after having accepted the right of lordship. The
attribute of lordship denotes directing, managing, authority, it
is embedded in his statement: (we woke up and the authority
belongs to Allah) the attribute of responsibility of worship is
accepting the right of Allah to worship for His being the Lord
that must be worshipped without worshipping other being
with Him. Then he repeats some other meaning of lordship, he
hovers around some names and attributes of Allah(azza wa
jalla) to bond his mind to the tawheed of names and attributes

of Allah, He is (subhanah) (to Him is the authority) that is He is
the King, (to Him is praise) i.e, the Praise-worthy and the One
that is truly praised.
Then he acknowledges the power of Allah over all things. A

thing when used in language is an encompassing term
including the existing and non-existent, the big and the small,
the important and non-important. Then he begins the journey
of praises on Allah. In this journey, he must feel that his soul is
hovering around the inspiring meaning, which is the core of
worship, therefore, he would begin his timely supplication,
and he would ask his Lord the good of this day and the good
after it. the word ''khayr'' is singular and forms a compound
word with another to mean ''all good'' as explained by the
jurists. It is seeking for every and all good things to be given to
him by Allah's grace and mercy. He follows the request for
good that it should not be destroyed by evil because evil is not
good. But he emphasizes the seeking of refuge from evil by
repeating its statements by way of total submission,
emphasizing the requests and insistence on hope.
Therefore, as the person remembering Allah faces a new day or

night, he needs support over any weaknesses preventing his
reaping benefits from this day and this night. Man's weakness
is either in capability, i.e. no ploy for him to push it away; or
acquired, and that is: he seeks refuge from weakness of
incapability, and that is (bad old age) and that his Lord should
bless his limbs, strength and activeness. And the acquired
weakness is (laziness) is to be inspired by inactiveness, hatred
and idleness.
Then, now that the one remembering Allah is on the spiritual
journey with that appropriate meaning for the period of the
day and night, he would be awakened after that to that journey

to Allah in its true sense; and that the goal of his dhikr and
seeking refuge from evils is to be saved truly by entering Al-
jannah and salvation from hell fire. Therefore, his tongue
would realize the dhikr murmured by Allah's messenger
(SAW) and Mua'dh bn Jabbal. He would repeat the echo of
their dhikr in the universe in the tune of the endless traveler on
the path: (O Allah! I seek refuge with You from punishment
in the hell and punishment in the grave)
In mentioning the grave in the conclusion of the supplication

and dhikr, there is an amazing secret. Its mention is obvious by
its flying in all the corners of Allah's vast kingdom: (we wake
up and authority belongs to Allah)
Then he is alive to the power and control of Allah

encompassing the wide expanse of the universe. It is good that
He has made it awesome by this vastness. Then the mention of
the grave comes to dissuade him from this vastness and the
feeling of complacency, but to keep alive in his consciousness
the tightness that awaits him in the grave and so is its
unpleasant situations and catastrophes.
What a dhikr that lifts man to the level of the highest illiyyin
then it brings him down to the lowest of the low. When after
dhikr, some facts become open to him and he sees the world
and the kingdom of Allah from the angle of vastness and from
the angle of the tightness, and he would belittle himself in the
face of this weakness and disregard his personality in the
deepness of this meaning. This is the sweetest benefit of dhikr,
for the person doing dhikr to realize in himself the ability to
recognize the facts of issues. Hence, he realizes his
insignificance and the greatness of his Lord, and he would see
the control of the King over the universe and over the
creatures.
Seventh: the best state of dhikr: it is preferred that dhikr should

be in private, i.e. far from the presence of people. He (SAW)
said concerning the seven categories of people whom Allah
will put under His shade: ''and a man who remembers Allah in
private and his eyes shed tears.'' * Bukhari.
The privacy should be far away from the peoples' view and
from their noise and disturbances. Therefore, the privacy
should be complete calm and dark without uproar and
interruptions during the consultations with Allah. It is not a
sharia rule that the seclusion should be in the mountains or
deserts in what look like ascetism as proved by Ibn Taymiyah.
Instead, the seclusion approved by sharia should be in the
mosque with I'tikaaf or in the house or apartment. There is no
sharia injunction to the effect that the seclusion should be in
the mountains except in crisis times which blows away imaan
and the believers. But in the period of jihad, dawah and
reformation efforts, there is no sharia proof that approves
withdrawal in any case based on the views of majority of the
scholars of jurisprudence, hadith and behavioral sciences.
There are other etiquettes that should be observed by the one

doing dhikr, among which are putting on good dressing,
renewal of ablution, wearing of perfume and facing the Qiblah
always. Also, upholding the etiquette of sitting and using
shewing stick.
Please note: know O you that is informed, that all that we have
mentioned to you concerning dhikr, its jurisprudence,
etiquettes, rules and underlying reasons are in the recitation of
the Glorious Qur'an, its reflection and understanding, which is

the greatest and most interesting form of dhikr.
Recall what we have established and explained on recitation of

the glorious Qur'an with the necessity of knowledge as per the
virtues of recitation of the Qur'an and pondering over the texts
of the Book and Sunnah, it is the best support for you about
love of the Qur'an and benefitting from it and with it.
There is going to be a special section on the Qur'an wherein we

summarize the statements of Al-Ghazali (rahimahullah)
The Means of Realizing the Joy of Fasting.
This is one of the amazing secrets, and I have not seen anyone
who has talked about it as due. What we intend here, O you
traveler, is to make you consider the reasons embedded in
worship, the beauty of servitude and the dignity of carrying
out instruction. Worship is an encompassing word that
includes every act that is loved by Allah such as sayings and
actions, whether open or hidden. The motive behind your
carrying out the act of worship is to see its fruits, and the fruit
of worship is sharia obligation. For instance, Allah says
concerning salah:
''Surely, salah preserves from lewdness and iniquities…''

Qur'an 29:45
That is, the sound and complete salah. He does not talk about
the joy of worship, consultation, the address and the joy of
performing such salah. So is the fasting on which Allah says:
O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you , as it was

prescribed for those before you, that you may become pious.''
Qur'an 2:183
Taqwa also is to end lewdness and iniquity, both of which are

enjoined.
The secret of not exposing the joy of worship and making it the
motive and goal directly is that this joy is the core of the
position of excellence (ihsaan): ''that you worship Allah as
though you can see Him.'' Were it to have been made the
motive and goal, many people that must implement sharia
obligations would be unable to attain this joy but would strive
to attain the fruit of worship; and the loss of hope by many on
the journey to Allah when they are striving but have not seen
the support. However, their obligation is very near and simple
because the sign of taqwa and ending iniquities is obvious.
But the internal and beauty of these goals are the joy derived
from servitude and the feeling in terms of (connecting the
servant with his Lord) as said by the prophet(SAW) after his
return from Taif and the harm its inhabitants did to him and
their degrading his person; he said: ''in as much as your anger
is not on me, I don't bother.'' This is one of the beautiful broad
prophetic statements that came out of the mouth of the bosom
friend of the Lord of the Worlds. That is the leading form of
seeking forgiveness is the one that contains the expression of
the feeling of relationship and joy of the address: ''You are my
Lord. You created me, and I am Your servant…For there is
none that can forgive except You.''
It is part of what increases me in dignity and pride,

I nearly, with my feet, come to terms with the sand,
It is my inclusion under your statement: 'O my servant''
And that You made Ahmad for me as a prophet.
Similarly, in fasting, its joy is attained from feeling of

relationship and deriving joy from servitude. Allah (ta'la) said

in a hadith Qudsi: ''fasting is for me and I give the best
reward...' this is the relationship, and He said: ''he
abandoned his food and desires for my sake.'' This is the
reality of deriving joy in servitude.
So, the lips are dried from thirst, and the pang of hunger in the
stomach: what a wholesome is what those who fast experience
and the gain of those who undergo severe hunger and thirst.
As he is in pain-he is down with hunger and thirst-that burns

him dangerously in the heart: but he is going to endure it in
reverence of the right of Allah and respect for His watchfulness
over him; so he would endure this situation and be satisfied
with Allah's pleasure on him and he would not be in urge of
any blessing that can stand between him and the joy of this
pain.
But as soon as he bows in humility and respect, fearing that

perhaps Allah will not accept from him, then the pains in the
stomach increase with the pain of the heart. These pains would
become great until he appreciates the care and support of
Allah. Then He will pour on him his bountiful kindness and
blessing that these pains would subside and be replaced with
great sweetness and joy, and even the longing to meet Allah so
that his happiness will be complete; and that is the joy the
prophet informed us: “and another joy when he meets his
Lord”
If you ponder over these meanings, you will realize the secret
of his statement: (many people do fast but will not derive
anything from their fast except hunger)* ibn majah (sahihul-jami'
And his statement: (many will fast but their portion in the fast
is hunger and thirst)* Tabarani in Al-kabir, and others. (sahihul-jami')
Perhaps I should cite series upon series of instances of coming

together of these antonyms: pain, joy, hunger, satisfaction,
thirst, irrigation; this amazement should not debar you from
entering the path and walk on it, for he who treads the path
will see the great signs of his Lord.
Let your motive be good, bring up the resolve and arm

yourself with determination, begin the journey, be serious in
traveling, seek rest in tiredness, be pleased with yourself if you
aimed at great height, do not rely on the foolishness of the
people of this world, give yourself the gain and the profit and
save the high price for the goods of Allah: ''know that the
goods of Allah are costly; know that the goods of Allah is Al-
jannah.''
The Means of Realizing the Joy of Salah
Be aware that these meanings have a lot of statements on it but

are compressed in the following six phrases:
I- presence of mind. ii- to understand. iii- to exalt,
iv-reverence v-to have hope vi-to be shy.
Hence, have their explanation, then their causes and then their
acquisition.
The explanation:
i- Presence of mind: what this means is to empty the mind
of all that do not have anything to do with it in speech and
action. So, it will be knowledge with action and saying going
together, and the thought would not be separated from them
both. No matter how the mind turns the thought away from
what it is doing-and there is remembrance in his mind of what
he is on-and there is no complete state of unconsciousness of
everything, the presence of mind has occurred.
ii- To understand: this is to understand the meaning of

what is being uttered. It is a matter after the presence of mind.
It may be that the mind is present with the utterances but not
with the meaning of the words. However, the presence of mind
on the knowledge of the meaning of the words is what we refer
to here as 'to understand.' People are not the same in this
position because people vary in their understanding of the
Qur'an and statement of glorification. Some words are easily
understood by the worshipper during salah and may not have
met the word before. From this end, salah would mean an end
to immoralities and reprehensive acts. This is because some
instructions would be understood, and these instructions
categorically restrain from iniquities.
iii- Exaltation: it is the matter after presence of mind and to

understand. That a man may be addressing his servant with
some words which he receives with presence of mind and he
understands its meaning but does not give it any importance.
Hence, to exalt is an additional step after the two.
iv- It is reverence which is in addition to exaltation or even it

is an expression of fear emanating from exaltation, because he
that does not fear cannot be said to be giving any reverence.
Fear of scorpion and bad conduct of a person and similar cases
of cruel causes cannot be referred to as reverence, but fear of a
great king can be regarded as reverence. Reverence is a fear
originating from adoration.
v- To have hope. There is no doubt it is an addition, because

there are many kings that people fear or revered their
overwhelming posture, but they do not have hope in any
reward from them. The servant should however have hope
with his salah in Allah's reward as he also fears his
chastisement as a result of his shortcomings.
vi- To be shy. It is an addition to others, because it rests on

acknowledging one's shortcomings and thought of past sin.
He then imagines exaltation, fear and hope without shyness;
reflection on shortcoming and engagement in sin cannot
happen.
Causes:
know that the cause of presence of mind is determination
because your mind follows your determination and it will not
concentrate except on what you resolve to do. Whatever your
resolve, your mind is instructed to concentrate on it willingly
or unwillingly; it will be forced and subdued. If the mind is not
on salah, it is not that is suspended, instead it is on where the
resolve is on among the worldly affairs. There is no trick and no
solution to lack of concentration in salah except to turn the
determination on salah. Determination will not turn on it as
long as the desired aim is not inclusive and that is Imaan and to
believe that the hereafter is better and more lasting and that
salah is a means to it.
If we add the above to the knowledge about the insignificance

of this world and its business, the total concentration in salah
shall occur. With this instance you can achieve concentration in
the presence of some elders who are not capable of doing any
good or evil for you. So, if he does not concentrate while having
consultation with the King of kings in whose hand is the
authority and sovereignty, benefit and harm, then you should
not think that there is any cause for that beyond weakness of
imaan. So strive to strengthen it.
To understand, its cause is concentration, deep thought and
turning the intellect to realizing the meaning and treatment for
it is to treat the issue of making the mind present with thinking
and embarking on blocking of disturbing thoughts, and to
block disturbing thoughts is to cut its subjects. I mean to be
frightened away from those causes that thoughts are attracted

to. If it does not cut such subjects, the thoughts cannot go
away from them. He that loves something will often mention
it. Hence, mentioning the beloved instils in the mind the
importance. For that you will see that any person that loves
anyone beside Allah, his salah will not be free from disturbing
thoughts.
For the exaltation, it is a state of the mind that emanates from

two realizations: one, realizing the majesty and sublimity of
Allah (azza wa jalla) which is part of the fundamentals of imaan.
He that does not believe in His sublimity, the heart will not
submit to His greatness. Two, the self-pettiness, insignificance
and being servant under the Lord. So that it will emanate from
these two realizations submission, adoration and humility to
Allah(subhanah) and therefore he expresses His greatness. He
that does not combine the realization of self-pettiness with
realization of the sublimity of Allah is yet to put the state of
glorification and humility in the right order. This is so because
anyone that is independent of others and can ensure his own
security supposed to identify the attribute of greatness in
others and there is no humility and glorification of his state,
because the other variable which is to realize the self-pettiness
and need does not go with it.
On reverence and fear, the state of mind produces the

realization of the overwhelming power of Allah and His will
coming to pass with little care about that; and that if He
destroys all the creatures, an atom weight would not be taken
out of His kingdom. This can further be understood by reading
the persecutions and various trials that afflicted the prophets
and friends of Allah; that even though He could push it away
from them; as against what is witnessed with worldly kings. In
general, if the knowledge about Allah increases, the fear and
reverence for Him will increase.

As for hope, its cause is realizing the kindness of Allah (azza
wa jalla) His generosity, depth of His blessing, elegance of His
creation and acknowledgement that He would fulfil His
promise of Al-jannah for salah. Hence when certainty comes in
His promise and knowledge of His kindness, hope will spring
up from all this undoubtedly.
On shyness, it is consciousness of shortcomings in worship

and acknowledging inability to carry out worship as due to
Allah azza wa jalla for His greatness. That is strengthened by
the realization of own faults, obstacles, little sincerity, bad
internal state and his leaning to immediate gratification in all
his deeds, in spite of his knowledge of the greatness of what
the mighty of Allah would bring and the knowledge that He
observes the hidden and going-ons in the mind even if it is
minute and hidden. If these realizations are certain, a state of
shyness will emanate from it necessarily.
Therefore, these causes, these features and what its realization

requires, its solution is to bring to fore its cause, that is,
identifying the cause brings about the realization of the
solution. The link of these causes is imaan and yaqeen, that is,
the realizations we have mentioned. And the meaning of its
being with certainty is to remove doubt and impress certainty
on the mind. The level of certainty determines the fear in the
mind. Based on the varied meanings of what we have
mentioned about the minds, people are in different categories:
those who complete their salah without concentration and
presence of mind throughout, and those who complete their
salah with full concentration throughout, or even he is
engrossed in it that he is unaware of what is going on around
him. It is in this light that Muslim bn Yasaar did not feel the fall
of a pillar in the mosque even when people had gathered
around it. Some of them would pray in the congregation for a

while, yet they would not know at all who was on their right or
left; a group that their faces would turn yellow and their bodies
shaking violently from fear.
The above scenario may not be far-fetched as even more

serious conditions are witnessed of the determination of
worldly people and fear of kings of this world with their
inability and weakness and the insignificant benefits derivable
from them. It may happen that a person may enter into a king
or minister's office discussing a matter that concerns him, then
he leaves; if you are to ask him concerning those around him or
the dress the king wears, he may not be able to describe it
because of his concentration on his matter and not the dress of
the king or those present around him.
“For all, there will be positions from what they did”

Qur'an 6:132
The gain from salah will be based on everyone's fear,

humbleness and glorification of Allah; for the attention of
Allah is on the minds and not the physical movement of the
limbs. It is in this light that some companions said: ''people
would be raised on the day of resurrection based on their state
of calmness and serenity in salah; if anyone finds bliss and joy
with it, he has indeed been truthful. Allah would raise
everyone based on what he dies on and he would die based on
what he lives. He should care about the situation of his soul
and not that of his personality.
Hence, it is from the characteristics of the soul that the
perception of the abode of the hereafter is measured, and no
one will be saved except the one that comes with a sound soul.
We ask Allah to make us win His kindness and generosity.

Explanation on the Useful Medicine for Presence of Mind.
Know that the Muslim should uphold the greatness of Allah

(azza wajalla), fear Him, hope in Him and be shy for his
shortcomings. Nothing should separate you from these states
after you have believed. If its strength is according to the
strength of certainty, then there is no reason for separation
from them in salah except divided thought, thinking and
absence of mind from the consultation and concentration
away from salah.
Nothing should deter you from salah except intruding

disturbing thoughts, hence the medicine for presence of mind
is to push away such thoughts. You cannot push away
something except by pushing away its cause or the force
behind it. Therefore, we need to identify the cause. The cause
of the intruding thoughts may be an external matter or one
from the inner-self. On the external cause, it may be what is
heard or seen, that creeps into the mind and turns it away and
stimulates a series of thought away from salah. The looking
could be a reason for pondering and that will lead to thinking
and to another.
Whoever that has strong resolve and high determination

would not be distracted by what is going in his senses; but the
weak would no doubt be distracted. The solution is to cut these
causes by closing his eyes, or to pray in a dark place, or to put
before him what will keep his senses busy or to be close to the
wall in his salah so that his sight will not go far. Also, he should
avoid praying in the street or in a decorated place or on a
designed mat. That is why devoted people pray in a small dark
room that its length is just to allow them to prostrate and that is
the best to concentrate their thoughts.
The powerful ones among them would come to the mosques

while lowering their gaze and not extend their gaze beyond
the point they are going to prostrate on and they attain the
perfection of salah by not knowing the person on their right or
left side. Ibn umar (RA) would not leave a copy of the Qur'an
or a sword except that he removes it or any writing except he
robs it off.
For the internal causes, they are the strongest because whoever
that is engrossed in the worldly concerns cannot restrict his
thought to one area, instead it would be wandering here and
there. Lowering the gaze cannot suffice him, because what has
happened earlier is enough to occupy his thought. Hence, he
should take the way of forcing his mind to understand and be
occupied with what he recites in salah away from other things.
What will aid him on that is to prepare before entering salah by
instilling on his soul the remembrance of the hereafter and fear
of standing before Allah (subhanah) for questioning, for He is
ever-watchful over us. He should pour out his mind of any
preoccupation before salah and not leave in his mind any
business that can attract his thought. Allah's messenger (SAW)
said to Uthman bn Talhah: ''I forgot to tell you to cover the pot
in the house, for there ought not to be anything in the house
that preoccupies people away from their salah.''* Abu Dawud in
sahih Abu Dawud.
This is the way of calming down the thoughts. If he does not

sooth the waves of his thoughts with this sedative medicine,
nothing can save him except the facilitator that will uproot the
ailment. And that is to look critically into the intruding matters
disturbing presence of mind. There is no doubt that it is his
responsibilities, and that it becomes responsibilities to his
lusts; that he will punish his soul by scaring it away from such
lusts and to cut those attachments. You can see that what
preoccupies his mind away from his salah is against his

religion and among the errand boys of iblis, his enemy. His
arresting it is more difficult for it than getting it out, therefore
he frees himself by getting it out.
It is narrated that he (SAW) wore a special dress, which was

brought for him by Abu Jahm, that had the drawing of flag and
he prayed with it but removed it after his salah and said: ''take
it back it to Abu Jahm because it was distracting me from salah
and bring for me the cloak of abu Jahm.'' * Muttafaqun alayhi
Allah's messenger (SAW) instructed the redesign of the
shoelace of his sandal, he then looked at it in his salah because
it was new and he instructed that it must be removed from it
and rejected the shoelace with the design of living being.
What we mentioned concerning being politely calmed and to

recall the understanding of dhikr can only benefit the weak
lust and determination that does not preoccupy except the
peripheral of the mind.
As for the strong domineering lust, calmness cannot solve that,

rather it will not cease pulling you and you pushing it till it
overcomes you and destroys your salah in the process. For
instance, a man under the tree who wants to clear his thought,
but the beautiful voice of the parrots keeps on exciting him and
they continue to drop pieces of wood in his hand and this
occupies his thought as the parrots do not stop from their noise
and from pecking the wood. It is then said to him: if you want
to free yourself, cut the tree. So, that is a tree of lust when its
branches grow, it will attract your thought to it as it attracts the
parrots to it and as filth attracts flies. This preoccupation takes
time to push away in the same way fly returns as it is chased
away; and that is why it is named fly. The thoughts are like that.
These thoughts are many and it is quite difficult that the
servant is free from them. The thoughts are summed up under

one heading and that is love of this world, which is the cause of
every sin, root of all shortcomings and source of all evils.
Whoever allows his inner self to be accustomed to love of the

world that it tends to anything in it which is not a provision to
prepare for the hereafter, he should not hope to have the joy
and sweetness of consultations in salah. This is so because
anyone that is happy with this world will not be happy having
consultations with Allah (subhanah)
The concern of a man for the apple of his eyes, and if the apple
of his eyes is in this world, no doubt takes over his thought.
Even with this, he should not abandon the struggle to bring his
mind into the salah and to reduce causes that occupy him. This
is the medicine that its bitterness is exaggerated while the
ailment remains chronic and incurable; that even it becomes
impossible for the elderly to observe two rakah without
thinking about worldly affairs, and they are wondering about
that. Hence, there is no one among us that is sure he is going to
have half or one third of his salah to make him be among those
who will be regarded as having equal amount of good deeds
and evil deeds.
On the whole, the concern for this world and concern for the
hereafter in the mind could be likened to water being poured
into a cup filled up with vinegar, the volume of water that is
poured into the cup removes equal volume of vinegar, they are
not going to be together.
The Explanation of What Should Be Present in the Mind in

Every Action and Prerequisites of Salah:
We say: if truly you are among those who desire the hereafter,
you should not forget the notices that are in the prerequisites
and pillars of salah. The prerequisites are the adhan,

purification, covering the specified areas of nakedness, facing
the Qiblah, standing up and niyyah.
When you hear the call to salah, you should bring toy mind the
horror of the announcement of the day of resurrection, and so
you will gather yourself internally and externally to quickly
answer the call, because it is only those who answer this call
that will be invited with kindness on the day of great
presentation. Hence, turn your mind to this call and if you find
it filled with deliverance and glad tidings, fraught with desire
to eagerness, therefore, know that the call will bring you glad
tidings and success on the day of judgement. It is in this sense
that he (SAW) said: ''gladden us with it (call) O Bilaal.'’ That
(12)
is; gladden us with the call to salah because it is in salah the

apple of his (SAW) eyes is.
On purification; when you uphold it in the place of salah, it is

your distant state, and when you ensure it in your dressing, it
is your nearest covering, and then on your body, it is your
lowest shell. Similarly, do not forget your heart which is your
soul. Purify it with tawbah and regret of your past sins and
make the resolve not to return to it in future. Let your inside be
purified because that is where the One you worship focuses
His gaze and attention.
On covering the specified areas of nakedness, know that its

meaning is to cover the shameful parts of your body from the
look of the people because the outer part of your body is only
what people should see. What is your gain in exposing your
inner and secret which only should be seen by your Lord (azza
wa jalla). Restrict the exposure to yourself only by covering it.
Be sure that there is nothing being covered that is hidden from
Allah, but what necessitate forgiveness is regret, shyness and
fear. You will then benefit from the raising of soldiers of fear
and shyness as they will settle in the uppermost part of your
mind. You will stand before Allah (azza wajalla) like the servant
guilty of wrong doings but now full of regret and wants to
return to his Master with bowed head from shame and fear.
Facing the Qiblah means turning your focus from any other
direction to the house of Allah(ta'la). Do you suppose that
turning the mind from other affairs to Allah (azza wajalla) is not
required from you? Far from that! Nothing is required beside
it. These physical appearances are movements of the inner,
control of the limbs and calming it to be firm in one direction so
that they will not overwhelm the mind, for if it should be
overwhelmed, it will commit wrong in its movement and
deviate from the direction of Allah (azza wajalla). Hence, let the
direction that your soul should face be the direction your body
faces.
Standing upright indicates standing with both the body and

soul before Allah (azza wajalla). Let your head which is the head
of your body bow and let this bowing be an indication of a
humbled mind, lowliness and disassociation from vainglory
and pride. Let it be in our memory here the danger of standing
before Allah (azza wajalla) in the horror of the rendering
account. You should know right now that you are before Allah
and He observes you. Hence your standing before Him should
be as if you are before some present-day kings if you can't
realize the position of Allah (jalla jalaluhu).
Imagine that your constant standing for salah is to be observed

with scrutiny eye by a righteous man among your household
or someone you desire to see you with righteousness. In that
you will be calmed and monitor all your limbs in fear that you
would not want that weak and ordinary servant to see that you
are of little devotion. So if you feel devotedness when a poor

servant is observing you, then you should censor your soul and
say: you claim you know and love Allah, would you not feel
ashamed from your putting someone among His servants in
equal footing with Him by your giving such person the
reverence or would you fear people but fail to fear Allah when
He is the One most deserved to be feared? It is owing to this
that Abu Hurayrah (RA) said: how would being shy of Allah
be? He (SAW) said; ''Be shy of Him as you are shy of a
righteous man among your people.'’ It is narrated also as
(13)
''from your household'’
On niyyah, resolve to gain the acceptance of Allah azza wajalla

for carrying out His instruction to pray, completing it and
avoiding all that can invalidate it and ikhlas in all that for
seeking the pleasure of Allah and hope in His reward and fear
of His punishment and seeking nearness to Him. Following
the blessing from Him with His permission, you must avoid
bad etiquettes and much of disobedient acts in your
consultations. You must attach great importance to
consultation with Him and look at the One you are relating
with, how you are relating with Him and why you are relating
with Him? In this, you must be sweating from shame, and you
must be overtaken by violent fear and your countenance turn
yellow from fear.
On takbir, when you say it, it is proper that your mind does not
negate it if there is something else greater than Allah that
testifies that you are lying even though the statement is true as
the hypocrites did testify in their statement: ''he (SAW) is the
messenger of Allah. If your self prevails over you to ignore
Allah's instruction, then you obey it more than you do to
Allah(ta'la), then you have taken it as your Lord and attributed
greatness to it, then your proclamation ''Allah akbar'' would
then mean just a word of mouth; the mind denies it. There is no
greater danger than that if not for tawbah, istigfar and good
thought concerning Allah's generosity and pardon.
On the opening dua, the first statement is: ''wajahtu wajihi

liladhi fatara samawaat wal-ard.'' (I have turned my face toward
Him who created the heavens and the earth).The reference wajhu
here is not to the physical face. You face the Qiblah saying this,
but His face is not there, instead the mind face is what is
directed to the Creator of the heavens and earth. Hence, look at
him, is he facing His desire and concern in the house and in the
market, or obedient to his lusts, or is he favorably disposed to
the Creator of the heavens and earth? You should be warned
that you don't begin this consultation with lie and dishonesty.
The face cannot turn to Allah (ta'la) except by turning it away

from any other different from Him. Therefore, strive to turn it
to Him now. Even if you are unable to do that always, try to be
honest now.
When you say: ''haneefan musliman'' (As a pure Muslim) It is

proper that it comes to your mind that the Muslim is one from
whom other Muslims are saved from the evil of his tongue and
hand. If you are not like that, then know that you are a big liar.
Then you should strive to resolve to be like that and regret
what has gone past of this situation.
And when you say: wama ana minal-mushrikin'' (and I am not

one of the polytheists)
Think about the danger of the hidden shirk as in His (ta'la)
statement:
''So, whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him
work righteousness and associate none as partner in the
worship of his Lord.
Qur'an 8: 110
The verse was revealed because of the person that aimed with
his worship the face of Allah and appreciation from people.
You must be warned and threatened from this shirk. You
should be ashamed if you describe yourself as not being
among the polytheists and you are not free from this shirk
because the name shirk refers to any small or major act in this
regard.
And when you say: ''mahyaya wamamati lillah''' (my life and
death are for Allah) know that the state of this servant is that all
his existence is only for his Master and none of it is for himself.
For if any of his desires for this life and his fear of death are for
worldly affairs, this is not in line with this state.
And when you say: ''audhu billahi minas-shaytan rajeem'' (I
seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil) know that he is your
enemy and he is lying in wait to turn away your mind from
Allah (azza wajalla) for his envy that you are having
consultation with Allah (azza wa jalla) and your sujud for Him,
because he was cursed for his refusal to do just one sujud. So
when you seek refuge with Allah from him by abandoning
what he loves and taking instead to what Allah loves not only
with words, because anyone that seeks safety from an enemy
or prey that intends to attack or kill him and he says: ''I seek
refuge from you with that fortress but he remains in his
position, that cannot avail him, instead he has to move from his
position to the fortress. The same goes with the person that
follows his desires which is the devil's liking and Allah's
dislikes, word alone cannot avail him, he should join his word
with resolve to get to the fortress of Allah azza wa jalla from the
evil of shaytan.
Know that his plot is to keep you busy in your salah by your
remembering of the hereafter and good deeds to prevent your
understanding of what you are reading.
Know that what prevents you from understanding the

meaning of your recitation is the whispering of shaytan;
because the movement of the tongue is not what is intended,
instead the meaning of the recitation is what is intended. As
regards reading, people are in three categories: a man that
recites without concentration; a man that recites with
concentration and understanding and as if he is listening from
someone else, this is the category of the people of the right
hand side, and a man that his understanding of the meaning
precedes, then he employs the mouth mind to translate it.
The difference between a tongue being interpreter of the heart

or is the teacher of the heart is; those whose tongues are close to
the interpreter follow the heart and the heart does not follow it.
the explanation of interpretation of the meaning when you say:
''bisimillah Rahman Raheem'' (In the name of Allah, the Most-
Beneficent, the Most-Merciful) you mean by it the seeking of
blessing on the beginning of the recitation of Allah's words.
You should understand that all affairs are with Allah; and that
what is meant by it here is Allah's name that is pronounced.
When all issues are with Allah, then there is no gainsaying that
''Alhamdulillah'' (All praise is due to Allah) which means that
appreciation belongs to Allah because grace is from Him.
Whoever sees from other than Allah a blessing or his
appreciation is aimed at other than Him not in terms that such
is subjected to us by Allah, there is fault in his mentioning
Allah's names and appreciating Him to the extent of his
turning to other beside Allah(ta'la).
And when you say: (the most-Merciful, the most-Beneficent)

recall all His kindness to make His blessings easy reach for
you. This will necessarily evoke your hope in them.
Then let your magnification of Allah and fear of Him increase

in folds as you say: ''malik yawmi-din'' (The Master of the Day of
Judgement) for His greatness, there is no sovereignty except for
Him; and that fear and horror of the day of recompense and
accountability has none as the master except Him.
Then renew your ikhlas by your saying: ''Iyyaka na'budu'' (It

is You we worship) Renew your acknowledgement of your
inability and need, and excluding yourself from trick or might
with your saying: (wa iyyaka nastain) (and it is from You we ask
for help) and realize that your obedience to Him is not by your
making but with His help and so He is to take the credit for
guiding you to His obedience and accept you in His service,
and accept you among those who have consultation with him.
Were He to have denied you the guidance, you would have
been among the rejected with the accursed shaytan.
So when you are done with seeking refuge with your

statement: (bisimillah Rahman Raheem), and from giving
praise to Allah, and expressing your need of all assistance, then
your major request should be your most pressing and real
need, say: (ihidna siratal-mustaqeem) (guide us unto the
straight path) that takes us to Your side and to attaining Your
pleasure; and explain it the more by way of emphasis and
laying credence to it with the instance of those that had
received the blessing of guidance among the prophets, those
who are true with their imaan, the martyred and the righteous
and not those who had earned your anger, who are unbelievers
and those who deviated from the right path among the Jews,
the Christians and the Sabeans. Then seek acceptance of the
dua and say: (Amin)
Hence if you recite Suratul-fathah in that manner, it is near that
you are among the people that Allah says concerning them
thus:
‘'I have divided salah (Suratul-fatihah) into two halves

between Me and my slave, and my slave shall have what he
asks for. Whenever the slave says: ''All praise is due to Allah,
the Lord of the worlds, Allah, the Exalted says: ''.my slave has
praised Me.' When he says: 'the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful, Allah, the Exalted, says: ''My slave has lauded Me.
When he says: 'The Master of the Day of Judgement.' Allah,
the Exalted says: 'My slave has glorified Me and entrusted
his affairs unto Me. And when He says: 'It is You we worship
and from You we ask for help.' Allah, the Exalted says: 'this is
between Me and my slave. And for my slave whatever he
asks. And when he says: 'guide us to the straight path, the
path of those whom You have blessed, and not of those with
whom You are angry and not of those who are astray.' Allah,
the Exalted, says: 'that is for my slave and my slave shall have
what he asks for.'' * Muslim
If there is no gain for you in your salah beside the fact that
Allah will remind you in His mighty and greatness, then
congratulations on that booty. Then what about your hope for
His reward and favors? So, it is proper that you understand
what you are reciting from the surahs -there will still come
some talks on recitation of the Qur'an-do not forget His
instructions, warnings, promise and threats, admonitions,
information about His prophets and His blessings and favors.
Each of these has its right: the right of promise is hope, the right
of threat is fear, determination is the right of carrying out
instructions and abandoning what is forbidden, acceptance
and practice is the right of admonitions, gratitude is the right
of favors and giving them consideration is the right of
information about the prophets.
It is reported that when Zurarah bn Awfi read the Qur'an to :
''And the trumpet shall sound.'

Qur'an 74:8
He died. *
(14)
Whenever Ibraheem Nakhai heard His statement:
''When the heaven is split asunder.''

Qur'an 84:1
He would be disturbed to the marrow. This shows the extent of

understanding and the level of understanding is determined
by the level of knowledge and purity of the soul, and the level
of that is not limited. The salah is the key to the soul wherein
the secrets of the words are revealed. This is the core of
recitation, adhkar and glorifications too. The level of fear is
noticed in the recitation: he would recite with slow speed
(tarteel) and not fast speed because tarteel enhances reflection.
He would differentiate his tune in verses that speaks about
mercy and punishment, and verses of promise and threat, and
verses of praise, exaltation and adoration.
Whenever Nakhai got to Allah's statement:
‘'Allah has not chosen any son, nor is there any god along with
Him.''
Qur'an 23:91
He would lower his voice with shame that he should not

mention anything that does not befit His status * (15)
It is reported that Allah would tell the person that reads the
Qur'an in this world that: ''read with finesse and recite in slow
speed as you used to do in the world.''* Abu dawud and others.
To be constant in standing for salah, it is to call attention to

getting the soul to be with Allah (azza wajalla) with full
concentration. Allah's messenger (SAW) said:

''Verily, Allah azza wajalla would face the worshiper
directly in as much as he does not turn his face (right or left)
in salah.''
Also important is guarding against the head and the eye

turning away to different directions as well as guiding the
thought from turning from salah to other things, which if
happens, then remind him of Allah's watchfulness on him of
the ugly state of his indolence in his private conversation with
Allah as he is unconscious that He can turn on him. Uphold
devotion of the heart, for safety from turning away internally
and externally is the fruit of devotion.
Abu Bakr As-siddiq was a pillar in his salah, and ibn Zubayr
(RA) would stand as if he were a stick and some of them would
be calmed in their ruku' that a bird would stand on their back as
it would on the lifeless object. All this are even demonstrated in
front of those who are held in veneration among the people of
the world, so how would it not be in front of the King of kings
for whoever knows the King of the kings? All those who are
calmed, quiet and disturbed before other beings beside Allah
(azza wajalla) but unorganized and unmindful before Allah,
that is a show of inadequate knowledge about the mighty of
Allah and His watchfulness over their secret and hidden
affairs. Ukrimah said on this statement of Allah:
''Who sees you when you stand up to pray. And sees your
abasement among those who fall prostrate (in worship)''
Qur'an 26:218-219
His standing, ruku', sujud and sitting.

As for the ruku' and sujud, it is good that you experience in
them the prestige of Allah and you gently raise your hands in
seeking Allah's pardon from His punishment by renewing

your niyyah and following the sunnah of His Messenger. Then
you renew your humility and insignificance with your ruku',
and struggle to control your soul and renew your devotion and
feel in that state the might of your master and your lowliness
and greatness of your Lord.
You establish that in mind with your tongue, hence you glorify
your Lord and testify to His greatness and you repeat to
impress it upon your mind. You rise from your ruku' with hope
that He is merciful unto you and to emphasise that hope in
your heart, you say: (samiallah liman hamidahu) (He hears
the one that praises Him) that is, He answers whoever calls on
Him. Then you follow that gratitude that brings more and you
say: 'Rabbana lakal-hamdu'' (our Lord, to You belongs the
praise) and you increase the praise by saying: miliu samawaat
wa miliul-ard'' (to the fulness of the heavens and to the fulness
of the earth) then you bend to go to sujud which is the highest
level of submission. Therefore, the most prestigious part of
your body which is the forehead firmly rests on the lowliest of
all things which is the sand. If it suits you to place a barrier
between them and prostrate on the ground, you can, but then
nothing is nearer to devotion and lower than the lowliest than
sujud.
When you place yourself on the place of lowliness, you should

know that you have placed and returned the branch to its root
because you were created from sand and to it you shall return.
Hence, renew the greatness of Allah in your mind, and say:
Subhana Rabbi Al-ala'' (Glorifed is my Lord, the most High)
emphasize it by repetition for the effectiveness of saying it
once is weak. After being sure that your soul is under full
control, then show your hope in Allah's blessing for His
blessing would come quick to the weak and lowly and not to
the pride and arrogant. Then raise your head with the saying
'Allah is the greatest'' and asking Him your need by saying:
Rabbi ighfir li, Rabbi ighfir li'' (my Lord! Forgive me, my
Lord! Forgive me) then confirm your humility by repeating the
sujud the second time in the same manner.
On the tashahud, when you sit for it, you should sit with
respect and say categorically that all that connotes greetings
and purity of conduct belong to Allah. Also, the kingdom is for
Allah, and that is the meaning of ''greetings'' (16)
Recall in your mind the prophet and his glorious personality

and say: ''assalam alayka ayuha nabiyy warahmatullah
wabarakatuhu'' (may the salutation, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon you, O prophet) And be sure that it reaches him and he is
going to respond to you in a better and more complete way,
then do the greetings on yourself and on all the righteous
servants of Allah. Then you hope that Allah shall do a full
greeting on you in the number of His righteous servants. After
that you testify that He is one and Muhammad is His
messenger in manner showing your renewal of the covenant of
Allah by repeating the two statements of shahadah to continue
to be covered by them.
Then supplicate at the end of your salah with prophetic
approved statements of dua with humility, reverence,
submissiveness, repentance and sincere hope in positive
response. Do not forget to pray for your parents and other
believers.
Have it in mind when you are terminating the salah to do
taslim on the angels and those present and intend to complete
the salah with it. Be conscious to thank Allah for making it
possible for you to complete this act of obedience and imagine
that this salah of yours is the last on earth. You should also fear
and feel ashamed for your inadequacies during the salah; and
fear that it may not be accepted from you and detest the open
and hidden sins that may necessitate your salah being thrown
back at you. But then, you should have the hope that He may
accept it because of His benevolence and favors.
Whenever Yahya bn Wathaab prayed, he would remain there
as long as Allah willed that it would be noticed on him the
somber mood. Also, Ibrahim would stay after the salah as if he
were ill. That is the picture of the salah of those who are
devoted.
''Those who are humbled in their salah.''

Qur'an 23:2
''And those who pay heed to their salah.''

Qur'an 23:8
And those who are constant in their salah.''

Qur'an 70:23
And those who consult with Allah as much as they could in

servitude. Therefore, let every man set for himself the model of
this salah and the extent his ability could carry him, let him
rejoice, and for what he missed, let him lament the loss.
For those who are negligent of their salah, it is a dangerous (17)
situation except that Allah cover them with His mercy, for His
mercy is large and His benevolence is massive. We pray to
Allah to cover us with His mercy and envelope us in His
forgiveness for there is no means for us except that we own up
to our inadequacy in carrying out these acts of obedience.
Know that freeing the salah from impediments and making it

solely for Allah's pleasure and observing it with all its spiritual
conditionalities we mentioned such as humility, glorification
and shyness are a cause to have light in the heart and this light
opens the door to exposure of knowledge. The friends of Allah
who are exposed to the kingdoms of heavens and earth and the
divine secrets, they receive exposures in salah and specifically
in sujud when the servant is nearest to his Lord (azza wajalla)
with sujud. In view of this Allah says:
‘'Prostrate yourself, and draw near to (Allah)''
Qur'an 96:19
Every man would receive his portion of exposure based on his

purity from the filth of this world. That varies with power and
weakness, few and many, clarity and obscurity, such that
things are revealed to some people in its real form and to some
in its similitude as the world in the picture of a corpse and
shaytan in the picture of the squatting dog calling to it.
What is exposed to them also vary. Some may receive part of
the attributes of Allah (ta'la) and His majesty, while to some are
part of His actions and to some part of details of the social
sciences.
To identify such meaning at all time, there are hidden causes

that could not be enumerated, and the greatest of all is the
aptness of resolve. If it is turned to a specific thing, that
enhances exposure more. For the fact that these issues seem to
come only in vague dream and what is seen is just echo
covered from guidance not from the side of the Giver of
guidance but because of the heaps of echo affecting the
receiver of the guidance. Tongues are quick to reject such a
thing; the natural inclination is molded on detesting what
cannot be seen. If the fetus is sensible it would reject the
presence of man in the space, and if the infant is able to
differentiate between good and bad, he perhaps would reject
what people of senses claim they have seen of the kingdom of
heaven and earth. So man in every stage of life seems to detest
what is beyond him. What is being said is that all that cannot
happen except with khushu' in salah. In this wise Allah says:
‘'Successful indeed are the believers. Those who are humble in

their salah.''
Qur'an 23:2.
He praises them after having imaan for salah with khushu'-

humility Then He ends the description of the successful ones
also with salah, so He said:
‘'And those who pay heed to their salah.''

Qur'an 23:9
Then Allah said concerning the fruits of the qualities:
''They are those who will inherit Jannatu-Firdaws; there they

will abide forever.'’
Qur'an 23:11
He qualified them with success first and another with jannatu

firdaws. As for the blabbing of the tongue with absence of
mind, there is no such reward for that. Allah (ta'la) said as the
opposite of that:
‘'What has brought you to this burning fire? They will respond:
We were not of those who observed salah.''
Qur'an 74:42-43
Those who observe salah are the inheritors of firdaws and they
are the ones to have the light of Allah and enjoy nearness and
closeness to Him.
We ask Allah to make us among them and to save us from

punishment of those whose saying is good while their action is
bad. He is the Benevolence, the Giver of everlasting blessing
and goodness and may His peace be upon all the chosen
servants.(18)
Attaining the Joy of Recitation and Reading of the Qur'an (19)
Know that this joy would never be attained except by

observing these ten etiquettes while reciting the Glorious
Qur'an:
(To understand the source of the word, to attach importance, to
concentrate, to contemplate, to seek to understand, to avoid
hindrances to understanding, to particularize, to be impacted,
to develop and progress)
1- To understand the greatness of the word, its supremacy

and the favor and kindness of Allah to His creatures for
revealing His word from the mighty throne to the level that
could be understood by His creatures. Consider His kindness
to His creatures in making the meaning of his words
understood by them and how it is manifested to them in the
letters and sounds readable to humans because human is
incapable of understanding the qualities of Allah except
through his own means. If not for stepping down the forte of
his words by concealing them in the letters, it would not be
possible to hear the word in its indication and richness, and to
step down what is in them of greatness of his authority and
spear of his light. If not that Allah made Musa get up, he
(20)
would not have been capable of listening to his words as the

mountain was incapable as the word began to manifest on it
when it began to split asunder.(21)
2- To acknowledge the greatness of the Speaker: one who

wants to read the Qur'an should begin by bringing to mind the
greatness of the Speaker and to know that what he is going to
read is not human speech and reading the words of Allah is
highly critical. Allah (ta'la) says:
''None touches except the purified.

Qur'an 56:79
The Qur'an mashaf cover is shielded from the skin except it is

purified. The inner meaning is, because of its majesty and
grandeur, is covered from the inner mind until it is purified
from all filths and lit with light of greatness and reverence. In
the same way, the touching of the Qur'an is not right for every
hand and it is not proper that every tongue should recite its
letters and not every mind would attain its meanings. Hence
acknowledging the greatness of the word means
acknowledging the Speaker. No one would appreciate the
greatness of the Speaker if he does not contemplate His
attributes, majesty and actions.
So when the throne, settling on it and the kursiyy which
stretches beyond the heavens and earth come to his thought,
and the witness of the heavens and the earth and what is
between them, the jinn, human beings, the beasts and the trees,
and he knows that the Creator has power over all and He is the
only One that provides for them all, and that all are within His
reach wavering between His favors and blessings and between
His punishment and influence. If He blesses anyone, it is His
grace, and if He punishes anyone, it is His justice. It is He that
proclaims these to be for Al-jannah, He cares less about that,
and it is He that says these are for hell and this does not bother
Him; this is the peak of greatness and supremacy. Reflections
on these kinds of instances bring to mind the greatness of the
Speaker, and hence the greatness of the Word.
3- Concentration and avoidance of talking to oneself: it is

said in tafsir of:
''O Yahya! Take the Book with Strength…''

Qur'an 19:12
That is, with seriousness and struggle. Taking it with

seriousness could be to be devoted to it when reciting it with all
determination and without swaying the thought to other

things. It is said to one of the salaf: when you read the Qur'an,
do you think of any other thing? He said: You mean something
more beloved to me than the Qur'an that I will now be thinking
of? There was a salaf that whenever he read a verse and his
mind was off it, he would go back to it again. This is a quality
born out of the previous one of attaching greatness to the
word. For he who attaches greatness to the word he is reading,
he would be glad about it, familiarize with it and would not be
unmindful of it. In the Qur'an there are things that the mind
will be accustomed to if the reciter is going along with it, so
there is no way then that thought will divert to other things
while he is concerned and engrossed. He that is engrossed in it
trivialities would not be thinking about other things. It has
been said that the Qur'an is fields, gardens, palaces, orchards,
brides and brocades.
When the reciter enters the fields, cuts from the gardens, enters
the palace, witnesses the bride, puts on the brocades and
relaxes in the garden, that will preoccupy him and keep him
away from other things that he will not be unmindful or
thoughtless.
4- To reflect: this follows concentration. It is possible that he

does not reflect on other things beside the Qur'an, but he only
listens to the Qur'an from himself while he is not reflecting on
it which is what is intended from reflective reading. That is
why it is sunnah to read aloud in tarteel to make easy for
internal reflection. Alli (RA) said: ''there is no good in worship
that there is no understanding in it and no good in recitation
that there is no reflection in it.'’
If he cannot reflect unless he has to repeat, let him repeat

except if he is behind the imam because if he is busy with
reflection on a verse, the imaam could go to other verse and

this is not good for him as he would be like a person that is
amazed by a single word which hinders his understanding of
his other statements. Again, if he is in ruku' and required to do
the normal tasbih but keeps on reflecting on a verse that the
Imaam read, this is whispering. It is related from Amir bn
Abdul-Qays that he said: whispering comes to me in salah, and
it is asked: in affairs of the world? He said: that you differ in
your tongue is better for me than that. Instead my mind is
preoccupied with how will my standing before my Lord be
and how will I leave the position? He regarded that as
whispering and of course it is because it keeps him away from
understanding the state he is. Shaytan does not have power
over people like him except that he keeps him busy thinking
about religious issue, but then denies him of a better thing.
Abu Dhar said: Allah's messenger (SAW) woke up with us in a

night and he began repeating this verse:
‘'If you punish them, they are your servants; and if you forgive
them…''
Qur'an 5:118
Tamim Ad-dari also woke up in the night repeating this verse:

''
“Or do those who commit ill deeds suppose that we shall
make them as those who believe and do good works.
Our’an 45:21
Saeed bn Jubayr also in a night while praying was repeating

this verse:
''And get aside today, O guilty ones!''

Qur'an 36:59
Someone among the salaf said: I will start a surah and some of
what I read therein would stop me thinking about it till the
dawn appears.''
Another person said: a verse that I don't understand or my

mind is not concentrating on it, I don't expect any reward from
it.''
it is related that Abu Sulayman Ad-darini said: '' I would recite
a verse in the night prayer four or five nights consecutively and
if not that I stopped the reflection on it, I would not read any
other beyond it.''
A salaf said: that he remained on suratu Hud for six months
repeating it; I did not stop reflection on it.''
Another salaf said: ''I have a recitation I complete on Friday,

and I have another I complete monthly, and I have I finish
yearly; and I have a completion since three years and I am yet
to complete it since.'’
That is because of the level of contemplation and
thoroughness. He also said: I stand up as labourers so I work
daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.'’(22)
5- To seek understanding: this is to seek understanding

clearly what is imbedded in every verse because the Qur'an
contains mention of Allah's attributes and actions, and
mention of the status of the prophets, and the situation of those
who reject the prophets and how they were destroyed, and
mention of His instructions and threats and mention of Al-
jannah and hell.
Mention of Allah's attributes are found in these statements of
His:
''There is nothing that could be likened unto Him, He is Al-

Hearing, Al-Seeing''
Qur'an 26:11
‘'…The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, the Giver of Security,

the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Supreme.
Qur'an 59:23
Therefore, let him ponder on the meaning of the names and

attributes so it could be exposed to him their secrets. There are
meanings therein that are hidden except to the fortunate ones:
Alli (RA) pointed to it in his statement when he was asked: is
there anything with you from Allah's messenger beside the
Qur'an? He responded: no, by the Creator of the grain and
man, except that Allah endows a servant understanding of His
book.
As for His actions, the mention of the creation of heavens and
earth and other things. So, the reciter of the Qur'an should
understand the attributes and mighty of Allah, as the action is
a pointer to the doer and his greatness.
As for the status of the prophets, whenever he hears how they
were rejected, persecuted and some were killed; he should
understand from the attribute of Allah being above all need
from the messengers and those that were sent to, and that if he
were to destroy all of them in entirety, such would not have any
effect on His kingdom. When he hears His help for them in the
end, he should understand Allah's power and will in
supporting the truth.
As for the situations of those who reject the truth, such as A'd,
Thamud and what became of them, let his understanding from
it be a feeling of fear from His overwhelming power and
punishment. Let his gain from it be to consider himself that if
he should be negligent, conduct his affairs badly or be
deceived by the respite granted him, perhaps he is visited with
punishment and judgement implemented on him.
Similarly, whenever he hears the description of Al-jannah or

hell and other things in the Qur'an, it is not possible to reach the
peak of understanding as there is no end to that; every servant
shall have according how endowed he is.
‘'Were the sea to become ink for the words of my Lord, verily,
the sea would be used up before the words of my Lord were
exhausted, even though we brought the like thereof to help.''
Qur'an 18:109
Our intention is to call attention to the path of understanding

in order to open its gate and not that we expect aiming at the
peak of understanding. He who does not understand what is in
the Qur'an, even at the least level, he is included in this
statement of Allah:
''Among them are those who listen to you till when they go
forth from your presence, they say to those that have been
given knowledge: what is that he said just now? Those are
whose hearts Allah has sealed, and they follow their own
lusts.''
Qur'an: 47:16
The impression here is the hinderances to understanding

which we are going to mention next.
6- To avoid hinderances to understanding: some people

are denied the understanding of the meaning of the Qur'an due
to causes and obstacles placed on their hearts by shaytan and
so he blinded them from seeing the wonders of the Qur'an. The
obstacles to understanding are three:
First, that the concern tends to attain accurate pronunciation of

the letters from their places of articulation. This is what
shaytan engages in with the reciters to turn them away from

understanding the meaning of the words of Allah. He keeps on
forcing them to repeat the letters by suggesting to them that
the letters are not pronounced correctly. How can one whose
aim is to correctly pronounce the letters get the expositions
from the meaning? Shaytan will laugh heartily at anyone
following this kind of satanic temptation.
Second, that is to be an ardent follower of a school of thought

he heard and stubbornly stick to without attaining such with
knowledge and evidence. This is a person that has fixed his
belief to what he heard and it would not cross his mind to go
beyond what he has heard. If it occurs to him any meaning that
surpasses what he heard, shaytan would get hold of him not to
allow any different understanding that crosses his mind. He
should realize this is deception from shaytan, therefore, he
should stay clear and far from it and be protected from such.
An instance of this is the person who recites Allah's statement:
‘'The Beneficent One established Himself on the Throne.''
Qur'an 20:4
And what the verse contains is the highness of Allah over and
above all His creatures, his control and administration of all
that exit; but the inherited understanding comes to him that it
is obligatory to accept that Allah glued to a place and this
denies him the exposition of the attribute of highness and
settling on the throne as one of the attributes that are repeated
in the Qur'an with the aim of calling attention to the might,
greatness and the import of His highness over his creatures.
Third, to persist on sin or have the attribute of pride or is tried

with following self -desire that is being followed in this world,
for all these are causes of gloom and sadness in the heart. It is
like menses for woman. It is the thickest of cover on the heart
and with it many are shielded.
Each time the lusts become stronger an obstacle, so the

meaning of the words becomes more difficult to understand
and as the worldly concern becomes lighter on the heart, so the
meaning becomes clearer. The heart is like woman and lusts
are like echo and the meaning of the Qur'an is like pictures
which are seen on woman. The sport of the heart is by
removing the lust such as enhancing the elegance in woman.
Allah has made turning repentantly to Him as a condition to
understanding and keeping in mind, He (ta'la) says:
‘'A vision and a reminder for every remorseful and repenting

slave.''
Qur'an 50:8
He azza wajalla says:
''No one would pay heed except he that turns repentantly (to
Him).''
''Definitely, it is only men of understanding that will pay

heed.''
Qur'an 39:9
For him that prefers the worldly deception to the bliss of the
hereafter, he is not among the people of understanding and so
the secrets of the Book would not be revealed to him.
7- Personalization: this is to imagine that the Qur'an is

addressed to him particularly. So, when he hears an instruction
to do or leave something, he takes it to mean that he is the
addressee being instructed to do or leave that act. When he
hears a promise or a threat he takes it as that, when he listens to
the stories of earlier generations and the prophets, he realizes
that it is not tales by moonlight that is intended, rather he is to
take note of it and learn from its contents what is to be useful
for him, for there is no story in the Qur'an except that its
narration is for a benefit for the prophet (SAW) and his
ummah. On this Allah says:
''…that We may strengthen your heart therewith…''

Qur'an 25:32
Let the servant imagine that Allah strengthens his heart with
what has been narrated to him of the circumstances of the
prophets, their patience on the evils done to them and their
steadfastness in the religion waiting for Allah's help.
Why won't he imagine this since the Qur'an was not revealed
to the messenger of Allah alone, instead it is healing, guidance,
mercy and light to the worlds. In view of this, Allah
commanded the entire human race to appreciate the blessing
of the Book, He says:
''And remember the blessing of Allah on you and what He has
revealed to you of the Book and Hikmah with which He
admonishes you all.''
Qur'an 2:231
‘'We have indeed revealed to you a book wherein is your
reminder if you are people of understanding.''
Qur'an 21:10
''We revealed to you the reminder to explain to mankind what

we often reveal to them.''
Qur'an 16:44
''Thus, Allah sets the parable for mankind.''

Qur'an 47:3
''And follow the best which has been revealed to you from your
Lord.''
Qur'an 39:55
''These are insights for mankind and guidance and mercy for
people who are certain of their belief.''
Qur'an 45:20
''This is an explanation for mankind and guidance and

admonition to those who guard against evil.''
Qur'an 3:138
If the address is aimed at the entire mankind, it is meant for

them individually and this particular reciter is intended. What
is for him is for all, so let him imagine that he is the one being
addressed. Allah says: ‘
‘I inspire this Qur'an to warn you and him that it reaches.''
Qur'an 6:19
Muhammad bn Ka'b Al-Qurtubi said ''and he that the Qur'an

reaches'' is like Allah speaks to him. So, if that is assumed, he
would not take the study of the Qur'an as burden rather he
would read it as a servant would read the letter written to him
by his Master to ponder over and implement its instructions.
Some of the scholars have said concerning this that: this Qur'an
is a letter which came to us from our Lord (azza wajalla) with
covenants that we contemplate in salah and we stand by its
injunctions in our privacy, we implement it in our deeds and in
our ways and customs.
Malik bn Dinaar used to say: what did the Qur'an plant in your
hearts O people of the Qur'an? indeed, the Qur'an is the wet
season for the believer as the rain is the wet season for the
ground.''
Qatada said: no one would sit with the Qur'an except that he
gains increase or suffer decrease.'' Allah (ta'la) says:
''It is a healing and mercy unto the believer but would not
increase anything for the wrong doers except woes and losses.''
Q17:82
8- To be Impacted: this is to feel the impact on the soul in

different ways based on the different verses. He would then
have, based on the different understanding, a state and
behavior that he would be described with such as sadness, fear,
hope and so on. Whenever the realization grows, the fear
would be the greatest state on his heart. To narrow down a
statement is frequent in the verses of the Qur'an, so you would
not see mention of forgiveness and mercy except it is
accompanied by conditions limiting the one who knows to its
realization: for instance, his statement: '’
‘'I definitely often forgive.'’
Qur'an 20:82
Then that it is followed by four conditions:

''for whoever repents, believes and he engages in righteous
deed and afterwards he is guided.'’
Qur'an 20:82
And his statements:
''By the time, indeed man is in a state of loss, except those who
believed and did righteous deeds. They enjoin one another on
the truth, and they enjoin one another on patience.''
Qur'an 103:1-3
The mention of four conditions; and where it is restricted, He

mentions all- inclusive condition, Allah says:
''Indeed, the mercy of Allah is very near to the good doers.'’

Qur'an 7:56
Excellence combines all, so is the person who browses the
Qur'an from its beginning to the end. He who understands

that, it is proper that his state is that of fear and soberness.
Al-hasan said concerning this: ''By Allah, one who recites the
Qur'an would not wake up, believing in it, except that he
would be sober often and rejoice a little, he would weep much
and laugh a little, and he would be busy much, and rest and be
idle a little.'’
Waheeb bn Al-waridah said: we checked these sayings and

admonitions and we did not see anything more appealing to
the heart and more powerful in drawing soberness than
recitation, understanding and contemplation of the recited
portion which will impact on the servant.
So, when threat and specification of forgiveness with

conditions are mentioned, the fear increases in him as if he
would die; and when mention is made of respite, promise of
forgiveness, he rejoices and jump up with joy.
Hence, for Allah, he would bow down in submission to His

eminence and feeling of His greatness.
Where the unbelievers mention what is impossible for Allah
(azza wajalla) such as when they attribute son or wife to Allah,
he would lower his voice and feel shy because of this ugly
statement of theirs, and When Al-jannah is mentioned, this
would evoke the longing for it inside him.
In the mentioning of hell, he would feel uneasy for the fear of it.
when Allah's messenger (SAW) said to ibn Masi'ud to read for
him from the Qur'an and he read this verse:
''How will it be, then, when We bring from every people a

witness and bring you as a witness against these?''
Qur'a 4:41
I saw him shedding tears profusely and he said to me: ''it is ok

now.'' * Bukhari
This is a proof of that; his mind is completely engrossed. He is

one of the God fearing that go into comma from the fear of the
mention of threat; there are those who would die from just
hearing the verses. This kind of state removes him from being a
narrator of the words of Allah. So, when He recites: (I fear if I
should sin against my Lord the punishment of the great day)
and he does not fear, then he is a narrator. When he recites: (On
you I rely, it is unto you I repent and to you is the eventual
return) and his state is not of reliant and repentant, then he is a
narrator. And when he recites: (we shall patiently endure the
harm you did to us) let his state be of patience or resolve on it
till he experiences the joy of recitation. If he is not of these
characters and his mind is not going back and forth between
these states, then his gain from the recitation is nothing but
movement of the tongue with the direct curse from Allah:
Hear, may the curse of Allah be upon the wrongdoers
Qur'an 11:18
It is a great sin to say what you do not do

Qur'an 61:3
And they turn away in negligence

Qur'an 21:1
(And turn away from the one who has turned away from our
remembrance; they do not desire anything except the life of
this world)
Qur'an 53:29
Whoever that does not repent, they are the wrong doers
Qur'an 49:11
And other verses. It is part of the meaning of Allah's statement:
There are among them that are unlettered who do not know
anything from the Book except conjecture
Qur'an 2:78
That is, ordinary recitation.

And Allah's statement:
‘'How many a sign is there in the heavens and the earth, which
they pass by with face averted!''
Qur'an 12:105.
Because the Qur'an is the expositor of those signs in the

heavens and earth. Therefore, if he should read past them and
he is not impacted by them, then he has turned away from
them. Thus, it is said: whoever that does not observe the
character of the Qur'an, any time he recites the Qur'an, Allah
would call him: what befalls you as regards my words that you
turn away from me? Leave my words if you would not repent
unto me. And the instance of the sinner when he recites the
Qur'an and repeats it is the instance of the person who reads
the king's letter daily several times, the king has written that he
should take over his kingdom but he is just busy destroying it
and restricting himself to studying the letter, but perhaps it will
benefit him if he abandons learning it as he is negating it, it
would take away the ignominy and being liable to
punishment. It is in view of this that Yusuf bn Asbaat said: I
would intend to recite the Qur'an and when I remember what
is therein I fear the punishment so I take to glorification and
seeking forgiveness. *
The person who turns away from acting by it is being referred

to in this statement of Allah:
''…but they cast it behind their backs and took a small price
for it; so evil is that which they buy.''
Qur'an 3:187
The messenger of Allah has said in this regard that: ''read the
Qur'an as long as your mind has not turned away, and when
your minds turn away, then you are not reciting it any more.
and other narrations-when your minds turn away, then stop
it.* muttafaqun alayhi
Allah ta'la says:
''Only they are true believers whose hearts feel fear when
Allah is mentioned, and when the revelations of Allah are
recited to them they increase their faith, and who trust in their
Lord;''
Qur'an 8:2
He(SAW) said: ''the best of mankind with voice in reciting the

Qur'an is whom you hear reciting and you would see him to be
a God fearing person.'' * Tabarani in Al-kabir, Abu Naeem in Akhbar Sahabah.
Albani graded it as Saheeh in Saheehah(1583)
A reciter of the Qur'an has said: ''I recited the Qur'an to a

shaykh of mine, then I came back to read again but he shouted
at me and said: you turned the Qur'an on me as an act. Go and
read for Allah and investigate what He has instructed you and
what he has forbidden for you.'' This is how the companions
were occupied in state and actions. Some twenty thousand *
companions died before Allah's messenger and he did not
know them to have memorized the Qur'an except six and there
was even controversy on two of them. Many of them
memorized one or two surahs. The one that memorized Al-

Baqarah was one of their scholars. And when one person came
to learn the Qur'an, he took recourse to Allah's statement:
''So he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it.And
he who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.''
Qur'an 99:7-8
He said: this is enough and he departed. He (SAW) said: the

man left while he was a jurist'' *Abu Dawud, Al-hakim, who graded as
sahih.
Such a state is great, Allah endowed it on the believing mind

that is attentive to and understands the verse.
But ordinary movement of the tongues is of no gain, rather a
person that recites with the tongue but turns away from action
is fit to be the one being referred to in this statement of Allah:
''But he who turns away from my reminder, his will be a

narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the
Day of Resurrection.''
Qur'an 20:124-125
And in:
‘'So our revelation came to you but you did forget them. In like
manner, you are forgotten this day.''
Qur'an 20:126
That is, you abandoned it without looking at or bothering

about it.
Indeed, whoever is neglectful of an affair is said to forgetful of

it. The recitation of the Qur'an in the best way is when the
tongue, the intellect and the mind participate together. Hence
the portion of the tongue would be to pronounce the letters
correctly in tarteel manner, the portion of the intellect is the

tafsir of the meanings and the portion of the mind is to accept
the admonition and be impacted by the warnings and
instruction; the tongue recites correctly, the intellect interprets
and the mind takes to the admonition.
9- To develop and progress: I mean that he should develop to

the level that he hears the words from Allah (azza wajalla) and
not from himself. The levels of the Qur'an are three: the least of
it; it is when the servant imagines that he is reciting for Allah
Who is standing before him and looking at him and listening
to him. His situation in this scene will be: requesting, state of
need, humility and supplicating. Two; to realize that Allah
sees him and is addressing him with His kind words, chatting
with him with His blessings, and goodness. Therefore, his
position will be to feel ashamed, glorify, listen and
understand. Three; to observe the statement of the speaker and
in the statement of attributes; do not look at yourself and your
recitation and even at the blessing derivable from it, but
restrict your concern to the Speaker and let your thought be
about Him as if you are engrossed in seeing the Speaker and
not anyone or anything else. This is the level of those who are
closest to Allah, but the levels before it is for the people of the
right hand, and anything outside these is the level of the
neglectful ones.
10- Disassociation: I mean by it that he should not claim any

purity, wisdom or power or to look at himself as being
satisfied and pure. Rather, when he recites the verses of
promise and praise for the righteous, he should not regard
himself as being among, instead he should regard those with
certain knowledge about Allah and the sincere ones among
them; and he should long that Allah include him among them.
When he recites the verses of punishment and reproach of the
sinners and the neglectful ones, he includes himself among

them, and he imagines that he is the one being addressed, with
fear and self-pity.
On this, ibn Umar (RA) would say: Allahumma, inni

astagfiruka lidhulmi.'' O Allah, I seek your forgiveness for my
wrongdoing.''
And it was said: this is wrong doing, what about disbelief?

Then he recited the words of Allah:
'Indeed man is very much into wrong doing of disbelief.''

Qur'an
It was said to Yusuf bn Asbaat: “when you read the Qur'an,

what do you pray for? He responded: I seek forgiveness from
Allah (azza wa jalla) from my shortcomings seventy times. So
if he sees himself as someone not meeting up in his recitation,
this will be the cause of his moving nearer to Allah, because if
the servant regards himself as being near to Allah, he relaxes in
fear till that fear takes him to another level in closeness to Allah
behind it. Therefore, whoever regards the servant that is far as
being close to Allah which then gives him satisfaction, may
have dropped him to another level of distance that is lower
than what he used to be.
Whatever the servant is satisfied with himself, he becomes

shielded from Allah. Imaam Shafii used to say:
I love the righteous ones but I'm not among them,
Perhaps I will be granted intercession for their sake.
I hate one whose stock in trade is sin,
Even though I'm like him with the same stock.
He says again:
The eye that is satisfied with every fault is blurred,

As the eye of anger shows similarity.
The Means of Attaining the Joy in Dua

1- To choose meritorious periods for his dua, such as the day
of Arafah yearly, Ramadan among the months, the day of
Jumah among the days of the week and the period of sahur
among the hours of the night. Allah (ta'la) says:
''An at the period of sahur, they seek forgiveness.''

Qur’an 51:18
He (SAW) said: ''Allah comes down to the lowest heaven
when it is the last third that remains of the night. He (azza
wajalla) would say: who is supplicating to me so that I
answer him, and who is asking from that I give him and who
is seeking forgiveness from me that I grant him.'' * muttafaqun
alayhi
It is said that Ya'qub (AS) when he said: ''I will seek for you the
forgiveness of my Lord later.'' To pray in the period of sahur.
It is said that he woke up in the period of sahur praying while
his children were saying 'amin' behind him. Then Allah
revealed that: I have forgiven you and made you all prophets.
2- To use the opportunity of meritorious circumstances: Abu

Hurayrah (RA) said: the gates of heavens are opened during
the time the soldiers are in queue going in the cause of Allah
(ta'la) and during the rain and when the salah is about to
commence, so seize the opportunity to pray therein.
Mujahid said: the salah is put at the best of hours, so supplicate
behind the row.
He (SAW) said: ''the supplication between the adhan and

iqamah shall not be returned unanswered.'' Abu Dawud, Nasai and

Tirmidh who classed it as hasan.
He said again: ''The person fasting would not have his
supplication unanswered.'' Tirmidh who classed it as hasan.
The meritorious periods could refer to meritorious

circumstances as the period of sahur is a period when the soul
is pure, sincere and free from disturbing influences.
The day of Arafah, the day of Jumah, the period when
consensus and cooperation of the souls on seeking to gain the
blessing of Allah. This is one of the causes of the meritorious
periods apart from the secret therein which cannot be seen.
The period of sujud also enables response to supplication. Abu
Hurayrah (SAW) said that the prophet said: ''the closest a
servant could be to his Lord (azza wajalla) is when he is in
sujud, so make much of supplications there.'' * Muslim.
From ibn Abbas (RA) who narrated that the prophet said: “I am
forbidden from reciting the Qur’an in bowing or prostration
postures. So, glorify the Lord in them. In prostration, strive to
make much supplications; for it is sure you shall be granted.
*Muslim.
3- To pray facing the Qiblah and raising his hands in a way

that the whiteness of his armpit could be seen or raising them
to face his face or close to that or to raise his index finger; Jabir
bn Abdullah reported that Allah's messenger (SAW) arrived
the standing at Arafah and faced the Qiblah praying; he did not
cease praying until the sunset.' * Muslim.
Salman said that Allah's messenger said: ''Your Lord is indeed
shy, generous. He is shy to see His servants raise their hands
to Him and then return them empty.''* Abu Dawud, Tirmidh who
graded it as hasan.
From Anas who said that he (SAW) said: he would raise his
hands till the whiteness of his armpits are seen.'' Muslim.
From Abu Hurayrah who said that he (SAW) walked by a man

praying and pointing with his two index fingers, and said:
''one, one.'' * Nasai and Ibn Majah. That is, use only one.
Abu Dardai (RA) said: ''raise these hands before they are put in
chains.''
Ibn Abbas said that Allah's messenger (SAW) would pray

joining the two palms and put the inner of the hands close to
his face.'' Tabarani with a weak narration.
This is the state the hand should be. The supplicant should not
raise his face to the sky; he (SAW) said: ''people should desist
from raising their faces upward to the sky when they
supplicate or else their sight will be forcibly seized.'' *Muslim.
4- To lower the voice: should be between silence and shout.

Abu musa Al-Ashiari said: we were returning with Allah's
Messenger (SAW) and as we got near Madinah, he said Allah
Akbar and people shouted at the top of their voices: 'Allah
akbar' The prophet(SAW) then said: O people! The One you
are calling is not deaf or absent.'' * Muttafaqun alayhi.
Aishah (RA) said on the statement of Allah (azza wajalla):
''Do not be loud in your prayer nor yet silent therein, but
follow a way between…''
Qur'an 17:110
that is in your supplication: Allah has praised His prophet

Zakariyau (AS) when He said:
''When he called on his Lord in a low voice.''

Qur'an 19:2
Allah azza wajalla said:
''Call your Lord with humility and in low voice.''

Qur'an 7:55
5- Should not employ commanding and song-like tone in

supplication: this is because the state of the one asking from
Allah should be that of humbled, so to now be commanding or
forcing is not appropriate. He (SAW) said: ''There will be a
people that will go beyond limit in supplication'' Abu Dawud and
ibn Majah.
Allah azza wa jalla said:
''call on your Lord with humility and in low voice, for He does
not like those who go beyond limit.''
Qur'an 7:55
As against using commanding tone. The most proper thing is

for the person supplicating not to go beyond the transmitted
supplications for he could go beyond limit in his supplication
by asking what will not avail his situation. Not everyone
knows how to supplicate well. It is narrated from Mu'adh (RA)
: the scholars would be needed in Al-jannah; it would be said to
the people of Al-jannah; ask for what you wish, but they will
not know how to wish until they are taught by the scholars.
In a report: ''There will come a people that will extend the limit
in supplication and purification. A salaf passed by a narrator
who was supplicating with force, and he told him: do you aim
beyond Allah? I bear witness that I saw a non-Arab friend
supplicating and he did not say more than: O Allah! make me
among the diligent ones. O Allah! do not expose me on the day
of resurrection. O Allah! guide me to achieve goodness; and
people from different areas stayed behind him supplicating
because they know the blessing of his supplication.''

One of them has said: supplicate with a humble and indigent
tongue and not with oratory and fluent tongue.
It is said that the scholars in their supplication would not

exceed seven expressions and even less. This is supported by
the end of suratul-baqarah, as Allah (ta'la) did not chose in a
place for the supplication of his servant more than that.
Know that what is meant by command-like is to be forceful in

expression, and that does not go with submission and
humility. Hence, he should take from the transmitted
supplications of Allah's messenger (SAW) which is full of
balanced expressions but not forceful statements, such as: ''I
ask you security on the day of threat, and Al-jannah on the
eternal day with those who are close to you, who testify to
your oneness, who bow down and prostrate often to you, and
who fulfil their promises. you are the Benevolent, the Loving
and You do what you will.'' Tirmidh he said it is garib.
And some other instances of that. Let him limit himself to the
transmitted supplications or uphold submissive and humble
tongue without commanding and song like tone. The
submissiveness is loved by Allah (azza wajalla).
6- Submissiveness and humility: and hope and fear. Allah

says;
''And call on your Lord with submissive soul and in low
voice.''
Qur'an 7:55
7- To be positive in his supplication and certain in the

response and be sincere in his hope in it. Allah's messenger
said: ''none of you should say when he supplicates thus: O
Allah forgive me if you wish; O Allah, have mercy on me if

you wish. He should be positive in his request for there is
nothing detested for him.'' Muttafaqun alayhi.
Allah's messenger said: if anyone should supplicate to Allah,

let him make his hope in the response great, for Allah would
grant him something great.'' Ibn Habban.
He (SAW) said: Supplicate to Allah and be certain of the

response, and know that Allah (azza wajalla) does not accept
the supplication of a negligent soul.'' Tirmidh, he said it is garib.
Sufyan bn Uyaynah said: none of you is denied his
supplication if he is sure of himself, for Allah (azza wajalla)
answers the supplication of the most evil creature, iblees, may
the curse of Allah be upon Him, when he said:
''Tarry me till the Day they will be raised. He said: Surely you
are of the respited ones. ''
Qur'an 7:14 & 15
8- To be persistent in supplication: and to repeat thrice. Ibn

Masiud said: ''whenever he (SAW) supplicated, he would
repeat it thrice and when he asked, he would ask thrice.'' Muslim.
It is good that he doesn't seek quick response. He (SAW) says:

response shall be granted each one of you as long as he is not
hastening the response by saying; I have supplicated but I
have not been answered, so when you supplicated, ask for
much for you are asking from the Generous.'' Muttafaqun alayhi.
One of them said; I asked Allah (azza wajalla) twenty years ago
a need and he has not granted it but I still hope in the response;
I asked Allah to guide me so that I can leave what does not
concern me.
9- To open the supplication with dhikr- He should not

commence with requests. Salmat bn Al-akwai said: ''I have not
heard Allah's messenger commencing supplication except he
commenced with this statement: Subhana Rabbi Aliyy, Al-a'la
Al-Wahab.'' glory be to my Lord, the great, the high, the
Giver.'' Ahmad, Al-hakim, there is weakness in its chain.
Abu Sulayman Darani (rahmatullah alayhi) said: whoever
wants to ask Allah his needs, let him commence with salatu on
the prophet, then he should ask Him his need and then
conclude with invocation of peace and blessing on the
prophet, for Allah (azza wajalla) accepts the two invocations
and He is more generous than to reject the supplication
between them.
10- The internal etiquette, and that is the basis of response:

it is tawbah, to return what is taken wrongly and to face Allah
with utmost determination. These are the closest reasons for
granting response. It is narrated from Ka'b Al-Ahbar that he
said: severe draught affected people during the time of Musa,
the messenger of Allah (AS). So, Musa called out the children
of Israel to pray to Allah for rain, but they were not given rain
even after three outings. Allah then revealed to Musa (AS) that:
I would not grant your supplication and that of those with you
for there is gossip among you. Musa then said: O my Lord,
who is he so that we can remove him from among us. Allah
then revealed to him: O Musa, So I should forbid you from
gossiping and then engage in it? Musa then told the children of
Israel: repent you all unto your Lord from gossiping and they
all repented and Allah sent down rain on them.
Sufyan Thawri said: it reached me that the children of Israel

experienced famine for seven years that they were eating dead
animals from dunghill and in that situation, they would go out
to the mountains weeping and seeking Allah's face with
prayers. Thereafter, Allah revealed to their prophets (AS) that

you walk on your feet till you have sore foot and your hand
reach the clouds of the sky and your tongues are exhausted
with prayers, I shall neither grant your prayers nor have mercy
on you until you all return to the owners all that you have taken
wrongfully from others. Hence, they did that, and rain was
sent down that very day.
Malik bn Dinaar said: A people among the children of Israel
experienced famine and they went out several times.
Thereafter Allah revealed to their prophet that their news is
that you are going out to me with your filthy body and you are
raising the hands with which you have shed blood and you
filled your stomach with haram; now that my anger becomes
stronger on you, you will not have anything from me except
distance upon distance.
Abu Siddiq Anaji said: Sulayman (AS) went out seeking for
rain and he passed by the ants lying on their back and their legs
raised facing the sky and saying: We are one among your
creatures. We cannot exist without your provision, do not
destroy us for the sins of others. Sulayman then said, return
you all, you have been given rain because of the supplications
of others.
Al- Awzai said: a people went out seeking for rain and Bilaal bn
Sa'd stood amidst them. He praised and glorified Allah and
then said: O people in attendance, are you not persistent on
evil? They all said: yes. He then said: O Allah, we heard you
say:
''…there is no way against the doers of good.''
Qur'an 9:91
We are persistent in evil, is your forgiveness not for people like

us, so forgive us, have mercy on us and give us rain. He then
raised his hands and they all raised their hands, and the rain
came down.
It was said to Malik bn Dinar: pray for us. He said: you are
expecting the rain, while I am expecting the stone.
It is related that Iysa (AS) went out seeking for rain and when
they became restless, Iysa told them: whoever has committed a
sin should go back. And they all went back except one person
still staying back with him. He then said to him: didn't you
have a sin? The person then responded: wallahi, I did not do
any misdeed except that one day I wanted to pray and a
woman passed by me and I gazed at her with these eyes of
mine. So when she went away I put my finger in my eye and I
removed it and with it I followed the woman. Iysa then said to
him: supplicate to Allah so I can say amin to your supplication.
He said: he then supplicated and the sky was full of clouds,
then it rained and they were given water.
Yahya Al-Ghasaani said: people experienced famine during

the time of Dawud (AS) and so they chose three among their
scholars and went out so that they could pray to Allah for rain.
One of them then said: O Allah, it is You that revealed in your
Tawrah that we should pardon whoever wronged us. O Allah,
we have wronged our souls, therefore, pardon us. The second
one also said: it is You that revealed in your Tawrah that we
should free those among your servants that are in slavery. O
Allah, we are in your bondage, please free us. The third one
also said: O Allah, it is You that revealed in your Tawrah that
we should not send away the poor when they come to our
doors. O Allah, we are your poor servants standing at your
door, please do not reject our supplication. Thereafter, they
were given rain.
Atau Asalimi said: we were denied rain so we went out to pray

for rain. Suddenly we saw a man in the graveyard and he
looked at me and said: O Atau, is today the Day of Gathering or

the occupants of the graves are raised? It was said: no, we are
deprived of rain and we are out to pray for rain. The man then
said: O Atau, with earthly soul or heavenly soul? I said: with
heavenly soul. He then said: far from that, O Atau, inform
these people who are faking belief to stop it because the
examiner can see them. He glanced at the sky and then said:
my Lord, my Leader, my Master, do not destroy your city for
the sins of your servants. With you is the secret hidden in your
Names, that you give us abundant fresh water that will make
the servants exist and irrigate your land. O the One that has
power over all things. Atau then said: he hardly completed the
statements when the thunder roared in the sky and water came
down abundantly.
Ibn Mubarak said: I arrived Madinah in the year when the

famine was severe and the people went out to pray for water
and I followed them. I met a black young boy carrying two
pieces of sacks; he had used one as wrapper and put the other
one on his shoulder. He sat beside me and I heard him say: my
Lord; different shades of sins and evil deeds are being brought
before You; and You have seized the rain from coming down
on us to teach your servant some lesson with that. O the All-
Enduring, the Merciful, Your servants do not know You with
anything except beautiful conduct, please give us rain hour
after hour. He hardly finished saying “hour after hour” when
the sky became dark with clouds and the rain came down from
all sides.
Ibn Mubarak said: I came to Fadhil who said: why do I see you
around? I said, it is about an issue which others have
experienced before us and others have prevailed upon it. I then
related the story to him and Al-Fadhil cried out and fell down
unconscious. It is related that Umar bn Al-khattab (RA) prayed
for rain together with Abbas. When Umar finished from his
supplication, Abbas said: O Allah, affliction would not come
down from heaven if not for a sin and the affliction would not
be lifted except with tawbah. People have come to me to appeal
to you because of my relationship with your prophet (SAW)
these are our hands raised unto you and we are determined to
repent. You are the Guardian, do not neglect us astray, nor
abandon the elder in the house of destruction. The young have
submitted and the elderly are now soft-hearted and the voices
are loud with complaints. you know the hidden and the
obvious, O Allah, give us water from your rain before they lose
hope and then be destroyed, for no one lose hope of the
blessing of Allah except the unbelieving people. He said: he
hardly finished his statements when the clouds in the sky was
high as the mountain. * Ihyau ulum Din
11. This company is known to be specially for those who remember Allah often. It
doesn't connote coming down as opined by some and it is a fault to give it as a
condition for it to happen. This is the consensus of the salaf as the meaning of
these texts and others speaking on ''istwai alal-arsh'' settling on the throne. So
understand it so and remove all other understanding to be save and gain.
12. Darqutini in 'Al-i'lal ' from hadith of Bilaal and others; and Abu Dawud from a
man among the Sahabah who is not known with authentic transmission.
13. Al-kharaiti in ''makarimul-akhlaq'' , there is a case with its transmission.
14. Abu Naeem in Al-hilyah (2/258) but in his chain there is Awnu bn Dhakran,
Addaruqtani said he is matruk.
15. this is applicable in individual salah. But in jamah, the proper thing is to raise
the voice so that the worshipers would hear as there is no proof that negates
this.
16. he said in the dictionary, ''At-tahiyyah means 'kingdom'’
17. that is: a dangerous place such as a place full of wild animals.
18. ihyau ulum din: abridged and paraphrased; 1/161-171
19. know that Al-ghazali (rahimahullah) explained these duties for those who
good at the Arabic Language generally and the linguistic style of the Qur'an
specifically. Those duties and ettiquettes mentioned are not enough to debar
anyone from checking the books of tafseer of the Qur'an by the scholars of the
ummah and most especially the salaf. You are encouraged to check the
pristine books of tafseer and those on tarbiyyah such as tafseer Ibn
Katherer, tafseer Sa'dy, and do not deprive yourself of the immense benefit
and gains in ''fi dhilaal-Qur'an. You shall reap benefits in shaa Allah.
20. Allah says: ''if we had revealed this Qur'an on a mountain, you would have
seen it humbling itself and rent asunder by the fear of Allah.'' Qur'an 59:21
21. ''So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and
Musa fell down unconscious.'' Qur'an 7:143.
22. with the reward of everyday, every jumah, every month and every year, points
to its completion in those periods.
THE TENTH PRINCIPLE

Reviving the Neglected Deeds of Obedience
The feature of profitable bargain with Allah is that it should be

in His pleasure. The person that scrutinizes his trade with his
Lord to meet His will and love is the clever one in the trade
with his Lord (azza wa jalla).
People are used to some acts of worship which they think that
they are the only open door to Allah. It is proper for the one
striving to earn the pleasure of his Lord to constantly search for
abandoned paths and distant doors with rough access road
that discourage people's will due to laziness or incapability.
Among these acts that people either forget or neglect or are

careless about and are not constant at doing it is seeking
forgiveness at the period of sahur. It is the worship of the
sincere servants.
''…Allah is the Seer of His servant, those who say: our Lord!
We believe, so forgive us our sins and guard us from the
punishment of fire: the patient and the truthful, and the
obedient, those who spend, and those who pray for Allah's
forgiveness in the sahur period.''
Qur'an 3:15-16
The period of sahur is the last part of the night. It is the time for
taking the sahur when it is recommended for the person
intended to fast to take food. It is also recommended that he
should leave a few minutes to fajr for seeking istigfaar, pardon
and salvation from hell. This period is the cream and core of all
periods. A period in which the earth connects with the
heavens and the night of those waking up to pray is full of
fragrance of breathing of the descending angels and the

abundant mercy, and the Lord, the Giver descends in the last
(23)
third part of the night when the feet are in row in the sanctuary
of worship and seeker of salvation is engrossed in happiness
because of the nearness of the Great, the Mighty, and the hands
are raised with requests, and the tongues are chanting the
dhikr and beautiful recitation.
Among those neglected acts of worship is pondering and

contemplating on the creatures of Allah and the wonders of
His power, and contemplating his attributes, Names, blessings
and favors. Allah (ta'la) says:
''In the creation of the heavens and earth and in the

alternation of the night and day are signs for men of
understanding, those who remember Allah, standing, sitting,
and reclining, and ponder over the creation of the heavens and
the earth and say: Our Lord! You created not this in vain; glory
be to You! Preserve us from the punishment of hell,''
Qur'an 3:190-191
‘'Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
alternation of night and day, and the ships which run upon the
sea with that which is of use to people, and the water which
Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth
after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and
in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds, suspended
between heaven and earth: are signs for those who have
sense.''
Qur'an 2:164
‘'And it is He who has set for you stars that you may guide
your course by them amid the darkness of the land and sea. We
detailed our revelations for a people who have knowledge.
And it is He who has produced you from a single being, and has
given you a habitation and a repository. We have detailed our
revelations for people who have understanding. It is He who
sends down water from the sky, and therewith we bring forth
buds of every kind; we bring forth the green blade from which
we bring forth the thick clustered grain; and from the date
palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches, (we
bring forth) gardens of grapes, and the olive and pomegranate,
alike and unlike. Look upon the fruit thereof, when they bear
fruit, and upon its ripening. Verily, they are signs for a people
who believe.''
Qur'an 6:97-99
''And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: choose you

habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they
thatch; then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord,
made smooth (for you). There comes forth from their bellies a
drink diverse of hues, wherein is healing for people. Verily,
herein is a sign for people who reflect.''
Qur'an 16:68-69
And other verses that point to the power of Allah and calls for
pondering, contemplating and reflection on them.
Know that this act of worship is the basic path of conviction
(yaqeen)in Allah (azza wajalla). With this reflection, the
existence of the Lord, the Creator, the Director of affairs will
necessarily be established in the mind. Hence, the godship of
this Lord, the Director of Affairs and His being entitled to
worship excluding any others. With this conviction, Allah
addressed the idol worshippers asking them to ponder over
these facts. Allah (ta'la) says:
''Say, I exhort you to one thing only: that you stand up, for
Allah's sake, in twos and singly, and then reflect: there is no
madness in your comrade. He is nothing else than a warner to

you before a terrible punishment.''
Qur'an 34:46
‘'Say, who provides for you from the sky and the earth, or who
owns hearing and sight; and who brings forth the living; and
who directs the course? They will say: it is Allah. then say,
will you not then fear Him? Such then is Allah, your rightful
Lord. After the truth what is there excepting error? How then
are you turned away!
Qur'an 10:31-32
And know again that this worship is of the greatest that get
man closer to his Lord and guide him to recognize His
greatness and sublimity; rather it is the knowledge that Allah
points to that it will take one to realizing the fear of Allah.
''Have you not seen that Allah causes water to fall from the
sky, and we produce therewith fruit of diverse hues; and
among the hills are streaks white and red, of diverse hues and
others raven black; and of men and beasts and cattle, in the
like manner, diverse hues? Indeed, the knowledgeable among
His servants fear Allah alone. Verily, Allah is Mighty,
Forgiving.''
Qur'an 35:27-28
Among these neglected acts of worship is exclusive devotion,

that is to wholly and completely dedicate to Allah.
Allah says:
''And remember the name of Lord and devote yourself to Him

with (exclusive) devotion.''
Qur'an 73:8
Devotion: it is dedication and that is to cut. Maryam was

named: ''Al-batul'' because of her cutting herself from
husbands and from having equals among the women of her
time, hence she rose above them in virtue and honor and she
cut herself away from them. The grammatical form of the word
connotes gradualism, effectiveness, constancy and reaching
the peak which is implied from the verse. (24)
This kind of worship doesn't leave man at any time or place: it

is within people in its body but its soul circumbulates the
Throne, talking to them with its life and tongue, but witnessing
the greatness and mighty of Allah in the darkness of its deepest
part of his mind, rejoicing with people in their happiness , but
its heart is full of fear of Allah; and it shares with the people in
their sadness, but its mind is full of intimacy, pleasure and
satisfaction with Allah's decision and decree. It is present,
absent, available, missed among the skeleton, pictures, bodies
and shapes.
Among the neglected or forgotten acts of worship in this

month is sadaqah and spending. It is one of the most desired
acts of obedience with those on the path to Allah.
Understanding has a great impact on the soul. In the books of
Bukhari and Muslim, from ibn Abbas(RA) who said: ''Allah’s
messenger is the most generous of mankind and he would be
more generous in Ramadan when Jubril would meet him.
Allah’s messenger (SAW) would be more generous in doing
good more than the flowing winds.” Bukhari
Shafii (rahmatullah alayhi) said: I want for a man to increase

his generosity in the month of Ramadan in emulating Allah's
messenger (SAW) and for the need of people to it for their
benefit due to some of them being occupied with salah and fast
from their work.
What is intended is not to spend big, instead to spend several

times even if the money is little. A dirham spent by man from
the two dirhams he possesses is more beloved to Allah than a
hundred spent by a person who possesses thousands. He
(SAW) said:
‘'One dirham surpasses one hundred thousand dirhams: a
man who possesses two dirhams and takes one out it to do
sadaqah; and a man who possesses plenty of wealth and he
takes from this wealth a hundred thousand dirham to do
sadaqah.''* Nasai from others.it is a hasan hadith.
Abu Bakr took his entire money and left Allah and His
messenger for his family, Umar took only half of his money
and Abdulrahman bn Awf did sadaqah with his trade caravan,
together with the animals that carried the goods, that arrived
Madinah.
The etiquettes of the one paying charity are that he should
realize the favor of Allah on him for providing him wealth and
then making it easy for him to spend it in sadaqah, also that
making it easy for him to see those that will accept sadaqah
from him and then his Lord's acceptance of his sadaqah.
He should do sadaqah with the best of what he has.
''You will not attain righteousness until you spend of that

which you love…''
Qur'an 3:92
He should be kind when giving it to the poor or the needy so

that no other person knows about it. He should try to hide it or
send it through a close person to the beneficiary or something
like that.
One of the salaf would pay sadaqah by putting the money on

his palm and asking the beneficiary to take it himself. When he
was asked concerning that, he said: so that his hand would be

on top, pointing to the statement of the prophet (SAW): ''And
the hand on top is better than the hand below.'' This is the kind
of kindness demonstrated by these leaders. Allah is the Guide
to success.
Among the neglected or forgotten act of worship, or even the

greatest of them is to talk to one soul concerning battle and
jihad, and especially in the month of Ramadan, the month of
the great battle of Badru and conquest of Makkah, and others.
In fact the initial thing in this talk is to accept that this worship
is obligatory and that it is not proper to shy away from it. He
(SAW) said: ''whoever that died and he did not go to any
battle and did not talk to his soul on it, such a person died on
a category of nifaaq.'' Ahmad and Muslim.
Hence, it is obvious that either of the two position is obligatory
before he can be absolved from nifaaq.
The benefit of talking to one's soul on going to battle is revival

of the meaning of jihad and battle, loyalty and help for the
religion and disassociation from kufr and shirk and showing
enmity to those engaged in them; and to take the soul to the
highest degree of sacrifice which is to lay down the soul and
end up in Allah's cause.
The issue of jihad has become quite forgotten even among

those who take the religion serious, not to talk of ordinary
Muslims. What then is the proper thing for us than to
consistently revive the meaning of jihad in this blessed month,
month of endurance, spending and jihad with soul.
These are some examples of the forgotten acts of worship

absent among us. If you reflect on his (SAW) saying: ''Imaan is
into about sixty or seventy categories of issues: the highest is

''lailaha illa Allah'' and the least is to remove harmful object
from the path of people.'' you will know how many parts of
practical Imaan and paths of goodness that lead to Allah's
pleasure that have been lost.
Allah is the Helper.
23. In the Sahih of Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that Allah’s messenger (SAW) said:
“Allah our Lord: (Tabarak wata’la) would come down every night to the lowest heaven when it is
the last part of the night saying: who is calling me that I answer him? And who is requesting from
me that I grant him? And who is asking for forgiveness from me that I forgive him.
24. Tahdhib Madarak salikin' 1/247
THE ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE

Knowing the Hurdles on the Path to Allah
Here you are already prepared for action, propped up the

weak determination, ignited the fire of the dying resolve,
restrained your desire with will power, gathered the unending
hopes with the rope of practical reliance on Allah and you
began the journey to Allah (azza wajalla) to witness the month
of Ramadan. In addition, you have fired up your
determination and will and your resolve is already competing
with the rock in strength.
The real battle has already begun immediately you chose Allah
and strongly resolved to thread the path to Him and you
turned toward Him with your heart and soul.
Therefore, you should be aware of the hurdles on this rugged

path; it is the path of Al-jannah, it is laden with desires, self-
worship, the evil ones, enticements and ambiguities. All of
these belong to the same category: they are hurdles and
obstacles to reaching the path of acceptance for lighting up
your resolve with fuel.
Come, let's mention some of the features of these hurdles, its

hidden places and tricks. Thus, we learn the features of evil to
be saved from it.
You’ve got to know evil nor for its own sake but to be saved
from it. He who does not know evil from the good will fall into
evil.
What we intend here is the explanation of some instances of
these hurdles to lead us to others. Among these hurdles are:
slackness, pessimism or boredom. It is one of the greatest
factors that discourage the those making the journey to their

Lord. Its case has reached an alarming stage that it has become
a reason for apostasy and recession, may Allah forbid that.
The major situation of this slackness is from overjoy for
engaging in acts of obedience and from not being grateful for it
and considering it as blessing from Allah and His guiding the
soul to perform it. Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahmatu alayhi) while
describing, diagnosing and treating this ailment said: (if the
person following the way of Allah forgets himself and rejoices
so well without having fear again, then let him return to the
beginning of the path, perhaps he would return to the previous
state of his continuous journey which leads him to fear, so he
abandons slackness which necessarily brings about joy.
There is no way that period of laxity would not be experienced

by the person following the path of Allah. However, anyone
that his period of laxity brings closer to Allah and to doing
good and does not make him abandon obligatory worship or
engage in haraam, it is hoped that he would return to the path
better than how he was.
Umar bn Al-khattab said: these souls have periods of up and

down, so when it advances, engage it with nawaafil, and when
it retreats, let it stick to the faraid.
This period of slackness, clouds and obstacles that turns itself

on those following the path of Allah, from the wisdom that
only Allah can explain, obviously separates the sincere ones
from pretenders. The pretender would quickly retreat and go
back to the dictate of his habit and desire. But the sincere one
would wait for deliverance and would not lose hope in Allah's
success. He would throw himself at the door with humility of a
needy; like a completely empty bowl waiting for its owner to
fill it up with its needs. This is not with a cause by the servant-
even though this state of destitute is one of the greatest causes-

but it is not from you, rather, it is He that blessed you, freed you
from it and freed it from you and He is:
‘'..Allah comes between man and his heart.''

Qur'an 8:24
Hence if you find that He has put you in this position, know
that He wants to have mercy on you and fill up your bowl; but
if He puts the soul in anything beside this position, know that
such a soul is not reckoned with. Therefore, ask its Lord to
return you to it and reunite you with it.
The prophet (SAW has said: ''for every active worker, there is
time of exuberance and for every exuberance there is laxity.''
So, for every serious seeker, there would be a time of laxity, so
during this time, he should long for a state of seeking and
activeness.
It is possible that the person following the path of Allah may

start actively well with high determination, this will assist him
in the period of laxity if he recalls that active beginning to
renew his determination and return to his habit of gratitude to
Allah.
Junayd (rahimahullah) would always remember the
beginning of his journey and when he remembered, he would
say: what a nostalgia into the periods of beginning: that is, the
joy of the time of beginning, uniting the determination on
seeking Allah and journey unto Him, and turning from
mankind.'' * from Tahdhib madaarij salikin.
But when your worship such as salah, dhikr or tilawah poisons

you with its venom, never loosen the control of your desire for
shaytan; remember his (SAW) saying: ''I swear by Allah!
Allah will never be bored, it is you that will be bored.'’
We have mentioned to you in the training on resolve and

determination the understanding of this hadith from the
scholars. It is better for whoever is bored by worship to return
to his soul quickly and with fear than to take that to mean
Allah's turning away from him.
Let him recall his bad ways and his lack of glorifying Allah and
praising Him as due, as he has adorned his soul with lusts for
this world and intimacy with children and women for long
hours, then the trial comes: after few moments of worship, he
is bored.
The narration about the salaf that they would frown at the
appearance of the fajr because it comes between them and the
joy of consultations. This is taken to mean that they are sad for
not being able to continue relishing the joy of consultations
and not that they dislike the appearance of the fajr or they
prefer qiyaam layl to obligatory salah of fajr. This is far
impossible from their guidance and events in their history.
How would it be for they surely know that recitation at the fajr
is witnessed and attended by the angels and its affair is raised
to Allah.
Among the hurdles on the path to Allah is temptations and bad

thoughts that drive away the person following the path of
hereafter. These bad thoughts comprise the trial of those with
lusts of thinking about pictures, what they long for and desire.
Also, the people of grudge, envy and diseases and evils of the
heart. All these are deviational tendencies in the person
following the path of the hereafter.
The one that has the greatest danger is the temptation of

ambiguities in the existence of Allah Himself and His
attributes. This trial afflicts many of the youth of today due to
prevalence of ideologies of atheism and secularism which are
built on materialism and explanation of science on all the
physical phenomenon in the universe and the spread of wrong
doings and lusts that turn the soul away from its servitude in
obedience and submission, if we analyse the thoughts, we can
divide it into three kinds:
One, the ambiguous thoughts. It is focused on the issue of

existence of Allah Himself and His attributes, in His Qur'an,
His apostles, His messengers and in His decree and pre-
destination.
Two, the lustful thought: this comes from the mind in forms
and instances of obsessive love.
Three, the thoughts of the mind from diseases and evil of the
heart such as pride, arrogance, grudge and envy.
The treatment of the first kind is to have conviction in it, speak

with those who believe in the existence of Allah and to distance
oneself from the atheists. I believe that atheism is the only form
of insanity* that man will be punished for. Whoever is
convinced about the existence of Allah, His being the Lord, His
control, His directorship, His being just and His wisdom, the
like of conviction in the sun that he can see, then comes to
doubt or falls into ambiguity, is like the person who sees the
sun and doubts its appearance and still argues on the useful
proof for its appearance. In that wise, the statement of Allah
needs being repeated:
''Is it in Allah you doubt, the Creator of heavens and earth?''

Qur'an 14:10
And he should say again that: “I believe in Allah and seek

refuge with Him from the satanic influences, and I seek
protection with Allah, shelter in His protection and
guardianship.” I'm amazed at the stupidity of nurturing
ambiguities in His existence.
There is nothing sound in the mind anymore,

If proof is needed to confirm the day.
On the second kind, this is common among people and its

treatment is the most difficult, but we are going to bring
general statements on its important benefits established for
this disease from its roots.
Know, O the intelligent one that lust is fundamentally natural

to human being and cannot be done away with by the servant.
He is naturally disposed to anger, sexual urge, love food and
drink, except that these lusts are ingrained in his nature for a
purpose, which is to protect the soul with food, to ward off
aggression and protect self with anger and to sustain humanity
with sexual urge. If these desires are taken beyond their
natural purposes, it would be disastrous to the person. Hence,
it is related from the prophet (SAW) the caution to protect the
private part, the stomach and the tongue from forbidden acts.
It is one of the greatest factors of salvation and success.
If you realize that, it would be clear that you have control over
these desires, and that Allah azza wajalla has really instructed
you on it and has given you the leadership authority over it.
Nothing shall be on you except to be constant on this
leadership without fear or reservation.
Terminating the subject of desire means to terminate the

sources of its life, and the greatest of those sources is love of this
world and the crave for everything seen to be beautiful in it.
Cutting the tree of life from the mind is enough to turn the
determination completely from the world and to be concerned
about all that bring salvation.
There are some specific benefits in terminating the subject of
desire and turning away the emanating lustful thoughts:
i- To desist from attributing any strength or power to the

soul and to seek protection, shield and refuge with Allah. It is
proper that the person facing the trial of desire should
constantly say ''la hawla wala quwata illa billah''* Its meaning
is nothing can protect from falling into sin except with
assistance from Allah, and there is no power over obedience
except with guidance from Allah.
ii- Remembering the terminator of pleasure, the pang of

death, destroyer of life, the grave and its horrors, the question
of the two angels, the resurrection and assembly and the
horrors of the Day of Resurrection, the standing before Allah as
sinner and the hell with its horrors.
iii- To remember the arousing desires: such as the joy of

consultations, guidance of Allah in engaging in acts of
obedience, the dignity of loyalty to and joining the party of
Allah and the honor of being with His friends when they die
and enter Aljannah and what it contains of attractive women
with large eye balls; the entire world cannot be compared with
just one of the fingertips of one of them, to see Allah (azza
wajalla) on the Day of Resurrection and His pleasure for the
people of Aljannah.
iv- To remember the beauty of the Creator of human beauty,

whom the prophet (SAW) referred to as the beautiful. Every
beauty that man is tried with, if placed side by side the beauty
of Allah (azza wajalla), all his bad thoughts will vanish.
v- To remember the blemish picture of the arousing desires

and its danger, ailments and its innate and outward evils.
vi- To move far from places that have bad effect on him, such
as taking public paths (particularly in this period and places of
evils and immoralities) or watching television programs,

video films and magazines newspapers that promote easy
virtues that are aimed at arousing the base desires and spread
evils among those who believe.
In this vein, avoidance of being alone where evil desire would

be aroused, or even being preoccupied with distractions that
will debar him from thoughts like dhikr, visiting the righteous,
attending the sittings of knowledge or rendering service to the
Muslims.
Ibn Al-Qayyim advises thus:

i- clear knowledge that the Lord is aware and looking into
your heart and His knowledge of the details of your thoughts.
ii-being shy of Him.
iii- To exalt Him that you would not want Him to see such
thoughts in the house where He created to house His
knowledge and love.
iv- your fear of Him that you would not want to fall in His
eyes due to such thoughts.
v- your preferring that you would not want to harbor any

love beside His.
vi- your fear that such thoughts will spread quickly with its
evils and eat up all the imaan and love of Allah in the hearts
without you knowing.
vii- that you know that these thoughts are in the position of
the grain which is thrown to the bird to catch it. Hence, you
should know that each thought is a grain placed on the trap to
hunt you unknowingly.
viii- that you know that bad thoughts cannot be combined

with thoughts of Imaan and motives of love and turning back
to Allah, in fact it negates it in all ramifications.
ix- that you know that thoughts push whoever deviates from
the compass, he will not berth at the shore. Therefore, when it
enters the heart with its difficulties, it is overtaken by it and it
wanders in its darkness and thereby looking for way out but
does not find and will remain far from success.
x- that you should know that thoughts are real cave and
wishes of the ignorant, it would not beget anything except
regret and disgrace. And when it prevails over the mind, it
leaves behind its temptation and overthrows its authority,
blocks it eyes and throws it in a long slavery.
As for the third kind, it is the ailments of the soul such as
grudge, envy, pride and arrogance. It is the core of sins. Allah
says:
''And shun the open sins and the hidden sin...’'

Qur'an 6:120
A combination of the healing for these ailments is to

acknowledge the incapability of the soul and its standing with
Allah, realizing the wisdom of Allah and His administration of
the creatures. The example of this is to recall that it is not
possible for one to object to distribution of rizq and blessing,
and to see himself and his ability; and this leads to accepting
the blessing, justice and wisdom of Allah.
Imam ibn Al-jawzi has made a very important statement on
these ailments in his book: ''At-tibb Ar-ruhaniy'', referencing
this book, we see comprehensive healings for every ailment
and disease. One example is enough from a witness of
thousand events.
But ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) would take what each

ailment contains and analyze it critically, then he would
suggest appropriate healing by saying: ''know that the
dangers and temptations lead to thinking which also leads to
remembering and that too leads to wish. It is from wish that the
limbs and action take it and turn it to habit. To reject it from its
beginning is easier than cutting it after it has been firmly
rooted and got strength. It is known that man is not given the
power to remove the dangers or to cut it. It attacks him in the
soul, except that power of imaan and intellect assists him to
accept and appreciate and accommodate the good ones. While
he rejects, dislikes and runs from the bad ones, as said by the
companions: O messenger of Allah: indeed, each of us would
see in his mind what if it burns and becomes a hummingbird is
more beloved to him than to talk about it. He said: ''or had he
seen it? they said: yes. He said: that is purely imaan.''
In the statement: 'praise be to Allah who turned his plot to

temptation'' there are two statements on it, one: that he rejects
and dislikes, it is a pure imaan; and two, that its existence and
shaytan throwing it in his mind is also pure imaan; because its
being thrown into the mind requires imaan to attack and
remove it.
Allah (SWT) has created the mind to be like a circular

grindstone that cannot become still except that something is
being grinded with it. If you put a living thing in it, it will grind
it and if you put sand or pebbles in it, it will grind it. likewise,
the ideologies and thoughts that occupy the mind are like the
grain that is put in the grindstone, such a grindstone cannot be
idle, because something must be put in it all the time. There is
among men that will use his grindstone to grind grains that
bring flour for his use and for others. But many of human
beings grind dust, pebbles, straw and similar things. So when
the time to bake bread comes, he would realize the reality of

what he has grinded.* Alfawaid:161.
The above are samples of hurdles on your way to Allah and

your travel on the path of the hereafter and your struggle to
liberate your neck from hell and price to pay for al-jannah.
Hence, be cautious of such hinderances and make preparation
for them well.
Allah is the guide to success.

CONCLUSION: UNDERSTANDING SOME COUNSELS
!– To increase efforts in the last ten (days of Ramadan)
In the two authentic books as reported by Aishah (RA) who

said: ''when it is the last ten of Ramadan, the apostle (SAW)
would tighten his loin cloth, wake up in the night and awaken
his households.’
This is the wording of Bukhari, the wording of Muslim goes

thus: ''would wake up in the night, wake up his households
and tighten his loin cloth''
In the narration of Muslim from Aishah who said: ''The
apostle(SAW) would increase his efforts in worship in the
last ten days more than what he has been doing before.'’
Abu Naeem narrated that, though with a weak chain, from

Anas who said: if he witnessed Ramadan, he would wake up
for salah and would sleep; when it was on the twenty-fourth
day, he would not blink his eyes.'’
In the sahih Bukhari, from Abu Saee'd Al-khudri from the

prophet (SAW) who said: ‘
'Do not continue (your fast) without breaking, if anyone
should want to continue, let him continue to sahur.'' They
said: but you continue O messenger of Allah. ''my situation
not like yours; food is brought to me in the night for my
feeding and water is brought to me for drinking.'’
Abu ibn Asim narrated a hadith from Aishah (RA) that ibn
Rajab said it is close to coming from Aishah who said: when
Ramadan comes, he would wake up for salah in the night
and sleep, and when the last ten arrived, he would tighten
his trousers strong, move away from women and purify
between the two adhans and would make ishai as sahur.''
In the two sahih, from Aishah (RA) : the prophet used to

observe the I'tikaaf in the last ten of Ramadan till death came to
him.'’
You can infer from these sayings some emphatic sunnah

practices that ought to be given consideration in the last ten
days of Ramadan. It is of the great duties in this glorious month
because it is the finishing race and last nectar.
We are going to briefly explain these sunnah practices to you
together with their jurisprudential rules and regulations and
their essence.
i- Waking up the entire night. The statement of Aishah

refers to this: ''he would wake up in the night.'' Proving that he
would wake in the largest part of the night (this meaning is
more correct than the first or to wake up half of it. It is said that
attaining the virtue of waking up in the night for an hour, It is
taken from Shafii' and others that the virtue of waking up is
attained by observing the ishai in jamah and having the
intention to observe subhi in jamah. This waking up we
(22)
mentioned comprises all the nights in Ramadan generally, and

the last ten days in particular and most importantly the
laylatul-qadr night.
This kind of effort needs preparation that we have talked about

in the earlier sections, and it needs resolve and struggle that
can put sleep and tiredness away from hindering worship
activities.
Little food can assist that; also varying the acts of worship from
standing to bowing to sujud, tilawatul-Qur'an and to be in
company of active worshipers to sharpen one's determination.
To crown all that is to seek assistance, support and kindness
from Allah (azza wajalla), for He has the power to make you
stand before Him for a whole year without you having any
boredom, difficulty or tiredness.
2- Spreading the atmosphere of Imaan: in the homes by

encouraging the households on efforts in obedience and deeds
and waking them up in the night for salatu-tahjud. The proof
of that is the statement of Aisha: ''And he would wake up his
households.'’
3- To tighten the loin cloth; the intended meaning of that

according to majority of scholars is abstinence from women
and from sexual intercourse, kissing and romance. The
precept: the prophet's stay in the mosque to observe I'tkaaf to
search for laylatul-Qadr.
(25)
It is deduced from here that he would act appropriately with

his wives in the first twenty days of Ramadan, then leave
women and keep himself away to search for laylatul-Qadr in
the last ten days.
4- I'tikaaf: Ibn Rajab said: the prophet (SAW) would observe

I'tkaaf in these ten days to search for laylatul-Qadr, cutting
away from business and any engagements that might occupy
his mind, and to enjoy the consultations with his Lord and His
remembrance and supplication. He would use stone to make a
blockade wherein he would confine himself and withdraw
from people. Imam Ahmad opined that the person doing
I'tikaaf is not allowed to mix with people even for teaching or
reciting the Qur'an for people.
Instead, the best is for him to be alone and concentrate on
consultations with his Lord, remembering Him and
supplicating to Him.
This I'tikaaf is the sharia approved seclusion. It is to be in the

mosque so that he would not miss the jumah prayer and
jamah. A seclusion that cuts a person from jumah and jamah is
forbidden. Ibn Abbas was asked about a person fasting in the
day, praying in the night but would not attend the jumah and
jamah? He said: he is of hell. The sharia approved seclusion for
this ummah is I'tikaaf in the mosques particularly in the month
of Ramadan, and most especially in the last ten days as the
prophet used to do. The person doing the I'tikaaf has
compelled his soul to obedience and remembrance of his Lord
and to cut away from himself all occupations and he restrains
himself with his heart and soul to his Lord and closeness to
Him. Any concern again for anything beside Allah and what
He pleases!
The meaning of I'tikaaf and its essence is: ''cutting relationship

with the creatures to connect with service to the Creator.''
Whenever knowledge about Allah, love for Him and intimacy
with Him become stronger, the person having such will gain
leaning unto Allah completely in all situations. One of the salaf
would be alone in his house in intimacy with his Lord. It is
said: are you not feeling lonely? He said: how on earth would I
feel lonely when Allah says: ''I'm sitting with one that
remembers me.'' Lataif (348)
5- Reducing food for a purpose. Or to continue fast till the

sahur. The scholars are of different views regarding
continuation of fast beyond breakfast time-magrib. Imam
Ahmad and Ishaq allowed it. The authentic is that
continuation till sahur is only allowed according to his (SAW)
statement: if anyone should want to continue, let him continue
to sahur.'' .
The purpose of it according to the scholars is to empty the

stomach and check the desires from being excited; and to
empty the stomach fosters the filling of the heart with different
knowledge. Whenever the hunger and its pang increase, the
mind becomes tender, soft and God-fearing.
Ibn Rajab said: taking the breakfast meal late is emphasized in

the nights in which laylatul-Qadr is being searched for. Zirun
bn Hubaysh said concerning the night of twenty seven:
whoever is able among you to delay his breaking of fast, let
him do and break his fast with diyau-laban, and dyau-laban is
the thick milk mixed with water. Lataif (346)
6- Purification between magrib and ishai every night.
There are weak hadith and copious narrations from the salaf of
this ummah on the last ten of Ramadan talking about
cleanliness, beautification and smelling good by taking a bath,
dressing and putting on perfume. It is contained in the general
texts that enjoin cleanliness, beautifying and smelling good.
An avid reader of the story of the prophet (SAW), the
companions and the salaf would be convinced of their taking
purification serious at the times of worship and season of
righteous deeds.
You should know, O that is aware, that all these duties hover
round attaining and witnessing the laylatul-Qadr on which
the prophet says: ''whoever wakes up in the night of majesty
with imaan and hope for reward, his past sins shall be
forgiven,'' * Bukhari.
It is a night that is worth that a Muslim should make desperate

efforts at gaining its virtues and rewards. Allah says
concerning this night:
''The night of majesty is better than one thousand months.''

Qur'an 97:3
That is, the deeds done in this night are more meritorious than
in one thousand months, which is eighty years or more.
Dreams and wishes will not be of benefit in establishing action
for it, instead there must be readiness and serious preparation,
and for you to see Allah think good of Allah as you are moving
to meet Him, He would accept you and your efforts and show
kindness to your position and He would give you state
publicity and write your name in the register of those that are
to be saved from hell.
About the recognition of laylatul-Qadr, it is possible according

to popular opinion of the scholars. Nawawi said and ibn Rajab
(rahimahullah) agreed with him, and this is for whom Allah
exposed it to, but then, its reward would not be attained by
anyone that it is exposed to according to the majority view.
Tabari, ibn Arabi and a group believed its reward would be
attained by anyone whose waking up coincides with it even if
anything does not appear to him. This extends to the fact that is
laylatul-Qadr has signs or not?
Some opined that there are these signs, and among it is to see
everything in prostration position, the sun will shine
brilliantly even in dark areas, tasleem or address would be
heard from the angels and the supplications of those who
observed the night would be answered. Tabari however chose
to say that all that is not compulsory as there is no condition
stipulating that for it happen, there would be something to be
seen or heard.
Ibn Hijr (rahimahullah) viewed that there are signs for it and
there is a condition that the full reward promised for it would
be for whoever knows the signs and not for the person that
observes it alone, even though there is plenty of reward for
observing and longing for it.
If a person knows it, can he inform others?

Taqiyyudeen Sabaqi deduced from his (SAW) statement that: ''
I came out to inform you of laylatul-Qadr, and you started
calling this and that, and so it is raised. Perhaps it is for good, so
search for it on the twenty-ninth, twenty-seventh and twenty-
fifth.'' * Bukhari.
It is deduced from it the appropriateness of hiding the laylatul-

Qadr by anyone that witnesses it. He said: the proof here is that
Allah decreed it for his prophet not to make it known, and
whatever He decrees is the best. Hence it is compulsory he is
followed in that. There is a view and opinion expressed on
what he had said. It is mentioned in the explanation of the
Minhaj on that from Al-Khawi who said: the wisdom behind
this is karamah (honor), and honor should be hidden. This is
the consensus among the people on the path in order not to
result to negativity or show-off, and to avoid being occupied
with it thereby neglecting being grateful to Allah as he would
be busy mentioning it to people. Also, to avoid envy which
leads other to forbidden act. His watchword should be the
statement of Ya'qub (AS):
''O my son! Do not relate your dream to your brothers.''

Qur'an 12:5
This is the best in this direction. Allah is the Guide to success.

Secondly: do not be negligent in calling to what is good and
forbidding the evil, as much as you can do, because it is one of
the central missions in this existence. Beside the fact that this
issue is the fruit of sacrifice and attachment of importance to

the instruction, its being neglected leads worship and
righteous deed being devoid of taste or fruit. He (SAW) said:
''I swear by the One in whose is my soul. You shall command
the good and forbid the evil, or else, it will soon come that
Allah will visit on persecution from Himself and you will
supplicate to Him, but He would not grant it.'' * Tirmidh with
authentic chain.
And what is the benefit of row of feet before the Lord when
people engage in what He forbids openly and brazenly
disobeying Him and you are not angered.
If you are incapable of calling to Him, guiding people to Him
and commanding them to doing good and forbidding them
from evil, then you should exonerate yourself by giving
counsel and you don't have any blame if people do not take to
it.
‘'And when a party of them said: why do you admonish a

people that Allah will soon destroy or punish them with a
severe chastisement? They said: to be free from blame before
your Lord, and that they may guard against evil.''
Qur'an 7: 164
Thirdly, if you are Imaam or speaker or caller, you should

strive to make that a duty among people to make them reach
their Creator and Master. Guiding people to Allah is the duty
of the prophets and messengers. So, what could prevent the
guide to Allah from entering with those will enter (with the
prophets and messengers)
Then, do not forget the stiff reckoning on your obedience to

your soul, so that you could save your soul from the evils of
self-desire.
Fourth, if you should miss the major part of the month, do not
deny yourself of striving the remaining part. Do not listen to
shaytan whispering despair into your mind so that you would
stop making efforts. Do not distance yourself from the diligent
ones so that Allah would give you because of them, and you
become fortunate:
Who is to me like your guiding steps,

My insignificant walks and sets out first.
5- If you do not have the concern or fear of rejection and

unacceptability: it is a sign of evil, and among the qualities of
the God-fearing is:
''And those who give what they give(in alms) while their
hearts are full of fear that to their Lord they must return.''
Qur'an 23:60
Malik bn Dinaar said: to fear that the deed may not be accepted
is more difficult than to engage in the deed.
Attai Salimi said: caution; the fear on the deed that it may not
be for Allah.
Abdul-Aziz bn Rawaad said: I met them striving in righteous

deeds, and when they did it, the concern came to them about
whether or not it would be accepted.''
Ibn Rajab said: a Salaf was apparently sad on the day of eidul
fitr, and it was said to him; it is the day of happiness and joy,
and he said: you are right, but I am a servant that my Master
commanded to perform a deed for Him, I don't know whether
He would accept it or not.'’
It is narrated from Alli (RA) that he was calling on the last night
of Ramadan that: what a pity that I see the one whose actions
have been accepted that I congratulate him, and I see the one
whose actions are rejected that I condole him.'’
The month has gone quickly and over,

And has gained with Aljanah the one that served,
And the negligent, the destitute has become shattered,
Like me, O what a great is what he is deprived,
He that misses planting at the time of sowing, what,
Would you see him harvesting except grief and regret!
6- Do not be sad concerning the fear of consequences and

inadequate time spent on action, learning and care of the
households and from what is said in the last stanza of the
poem. So is the woman that is occupied by the burden of taking
care of the children and house chores. All these when
organized should not debar one from engaging in the
compulsory acts for the One worthy of worship and spending
in this month.
The reason for failure of these people is that they rely on their
strength and skills, thereby they rely on their weakness and
inability.
But truly, to have recourse to Allah is adequately suitable to the

rules of the time, efforts and strength that you will sacrifice for
day long without feeling it. Your strength will lament under a
heavy burden but carrying heavy burden could only be
endured during obedience and taking recourse to Allah.
As regard the amazement of the companions of how they were

going to fight the battle and it increased them in fruits of
protection and they were strengthened in front of their
enemies.
Have your trust in Allah, to Him I turn and from Him I seek
help.
And when you do that then you shall receive more help.
7- Do not let go any time except you use it on beneficial act.

And let there be with you alternative deeds so that when you
are bored with an action, you can switch to others that will
keep you busy.
We suggest the following time table for you in Ramadan:

I- reading at least five juzu' daily.
ii- getting to the mosque before Adhan for every salah.
iii- observing the sunaan raatibah and others.
iv- upholding humility in in the obligatory and nawafil,
and self -examination before every salah and after it.
v- taraweeh and tahjud three hours at least every night, if
you observe taraweeh in jamah, make your house a
place for salatu-layl.
vi- constant dhikr with tongue, mind and particularly the
morning and evening adhkar.
vii- constant supplication and devotions.
viii- should avoid making a day or night in Ramadan free of
a nafilah except the period in which salah is forbidden
in them.
ix- Salatul duha in the mosque after fajr.
x- Sadaqah with any amount every day.
The above suggested deeds -O you that desires good-may be

lower than what a serious person have planned to achieve in
Ramadan and this will be considered based on the way of the
salaf ( not being enough or too much) so strive based on your
determination and have provision that you feel could bring
you deed of emancipation from hell, and know that it is the
level of resolve that brings the extent of attainment.
10- Preparation for the month of Ramadan: and to long for

its time to come. It is proper that Ramadan should be preceded
with months of preparation, and to familiarize oneself with the
explanation we have given in this treatise, and to accustom his
body to the determination exercises we have mentioned and to
hope for forgiveness and emancipation from hell, among other
things that are peculiar to the month.
Ibn Rajab said: A salaf said that they would supplicate to Allah
for six months that He make them witness Ramadan, then
supplicate for another six months to accept their deeds in
Ramadan.
This statement suggests that the salaf would supplicate in

Ramadan that Allah accept from them or they would
supplicate that He should make them witness the coming
Ramadan. This is the best a man could be assured from his
Lord that He accept his righteous deeds and guide him to
others.
O the one striving on the path of hereafter: here we are that we

have returned our weakness to the chest and emphasized the
meaning to you with simplest of expressions. If we forget
anything from what we have mentioned to motivate your
resolve, hence, here are you, the field is impregnated with
impacts and gains. Or else, ponder over the statement of Allah:
‘'And whosoever desires the hereafter and strives for it as he

ought to strive and he is a believer; as for these, their striving
shall surely be accepted.''
Qur'an 17:19
The end of our statement is Alhamdulillah Rabbil-alamin.
25. there is an issue here because it negates the motive of the hadith, and that is the necessity of extra
spending that entitles one to general forgiveness. Allah knows best.

Beautiful Principles

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Beautiful Principles

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Beautiful Principles

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Beautiful Principles

Ummah Trust Ventures Ltd

81b, Simpson Street,Yaba,Lagos.

Designed & Printed by:

Preface by Shaikh Ibn Ishaq Al-Huwaini vii

Preface by Sheikh Muhammed Hussien Ya’qub ix

The First Principle 15

The Second Principle 20

The Third Principle 23

The Forth Principle 32

The Fifth Principle 38

The Sixth Principle 43

The Seventh Principle 49

The Eighth Principle 51

The Ninth Principle 55

The Tenth Principle 129

The Eleventh Principle 137

For us to be able to understand the essence of these duties and

A meticulous study of this book shall expose to you the

The translation is ''The beautiful Principles on the Essence of

I have translated the book bearing in mind the users. I retained

The effort of Alhaj, ustadh Abdulhameed solate, who started

I advise that for anyone to fully reap the benefit contained in

Assalam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.

PREFACE BY SHEIKH IBN ISHAAQ AL-HUWAINI

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT THE

Our brother in Allah – Rida bn Ahmad Hamdi – presented to

Praise be to Allah in the beginning and in the end, and in the

PREFACE BY SHEIKH MUHAMMAD HUSSEIN YA'QUB

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent the Merciful

In the era when materialism has taken driver's seat, a believing

And what a young teacher, young in age, abundant in

Finally, I am not of those who spin beautiful words and as such

For the student, worker, trainer, da'iyah and preacher, I

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah. We glorify Him, seek His

As this path, like other path and routes, is surrounded by

Put away what the impostor modernist says,

If the Ummah prepared for this virtuous month and put in

The message in this book is an admonition to the generality of

Allah in this month, and little effort they spend transgressing

It is a manual on how to prepare for the month of Ramadan,

We wished it to be realistic, practical and detailed, and more

We explained in this book, the path of preparation for this

In it also, we strove to mention some of the stations of those

Dear beloved, I admonish you: that if you wish to benefit from

Finally, know that whatever I have mentioned in this book is

THE FIRST PRINCIPLE

(Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation) 3

''Therefore, remember Me, I will remember you.'' 4

‘'And I hasten to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased)''

Whoever responds to the call of his beloved without any

No wonder that the supplication of the prophet (SAW) in his

Factors For Awakening Longing For Allah

Reflect over the story of Abu Dahdaah in his understanding of

Abdullah bn Mas'ud narrated that: when this verse was

‘'Who is he that will lend Allah a goodly loan so that He may

Abu Dahdaah Al-Ansari said: Allah wants a loan from us? He

2. Studying the great blessings of Allah and His huge signs;