Equal Measure

Bahlool liked to visit the graveyards. “People here are good friends,”he would say, “They do not backbite.”Once, he sat in a corner of a graveyard and with a long heavy stick  and started  probing   some  of the old  skulls  which lay scattered about. Harun al-Rashid, the king, passed by and saw him. Then he asked, “O Bahlool! What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing very important,” said Bohlool. “I am just trying to  find out whether the skulls belong to king or paupers.They are all the same.”

“And what is the stick for?” Harun asked.

“Well, I’m measuring the earth,” Bohlool replied.

“Measuring the earth? What are your findings?” Harun joked.

“It is equal and the same, O king,” Bohlool retorted.“Three armlengths for me, in spite  of my poverty and three armlengths for you, in spite of your pomp and wealth.”

Towards Perfection...

“My Lord it is enough for me in honour to be Your servant

And it is enough for me in pride to have You as my Lord. You are as I love, so make me as You love.” 

-Imam Ali (as)

Irfan, literally knowledge, is the name given to the path a person follows to attain knowledge of Allah (swt), the path of the Ahlul Bayt (as), a necessary discipline pure from heresy. It is the esoteric knowledge of God, the deep recognition of Allah (swt).

The ‘arif (knower), the name derived from the word Irfan, or mystic, is the person inside every one of us who chooses to set out on the path to their Lord, on the sayr wa suluk(wayfaring) overcoming the stages of barriers that increase the separation and distance between ourselves and our Lord. The destination is the ultimate stage of tawhid (monotheism) where worship is solely to Allah (swt) and all love to earthly things becomes a love through the love of Allah (swt).

Irfan is essential to the relationship between God and the individual. The beauty of the faith brought to us by the Prophet (pbuh) and his purified progeny (as) is that it is accompanied by a wealth of duas(invocations) that grab the spirit and make it blossom to Allah (swt).

It was not a faith of rule after rule but a faith brought down to a man in a cave meditating, in a state oftafakkur (contemplation) of his Lord. This arif whose heart was with Allah (swt) lived in society, preached to the people, was married and had children – he was a perfect man, the Prophet of Allah (pbuh). His true love of Allah (swt) protected him from society while he was within it.

The journey the arif travels is a journey of perfecting his deeds qurbatan ila Allah (in seeking closeness to Allah (swt)), abstaining from all that is haram (prohibited) and performing all that is wajib (compulsory).

As a result of living his life in Allah’s (swt) pleasure, the relationship of love between man and Creator flowers and because of this love man begins to worship God in supplementary actions, performing what ismustahab (recommended actions instructed by the Prophet (pbuh) and the Ahlul Bayt (as)). Through maintaining these supererogatory actions to further his proximity to his Lord man grows like a plant achieving stations of closeness.

Irfan is not a new concept, or a cult, but the essence of Islam:

“Surely we are Allah’s and to Him we shall surely return” (Quran 2:156)

Therefore it is our duty to know Allah (swt) to the limited capacity of a human being’s knowledge of Him, making our journey towards him a journey of human perfection, a journey with His pleasure and of benefit, where through worship we attain His love. As our heart attains realisation of Him we prosper and the blessings of Allah (swt) manifest themselves manifold.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) saying “Whoever knows himself has known his Lord” emphasises the importance of self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-struggle on one’s journey to his Lord.The arif on his journey begins to acknowledge his insignificance and meekness in front of the greatness of Allah (swt). He repents for his sins and is not content with his worship for it is little compared to what can be achieved and in comparison to the ultimate Perfect that the arifis travelling towards.

It was Imam Ali (as) who said: “Eyes cannot see him with a glance — it is rather the hearts that see Him through the realities of faith.” Thus we can see that Irfan cannot be separated from the Shariah (Islamic Law) for the Prophet and his progeny (as) were arifs.

They attained a realisation of Allah (swt) so strong that they became signs of His attributes on this earth, reaching a human peak where their justice and mercy was a manifestation of the justice and mercy of the Ultimate but in human terms, for nothing can be even a reflection of the Truth. Their life was all an act of worship. All that they did was for the sake of Allah (swt), all to perfect themselves in order to reach Allah (swt). This is reflected in Imam Ali’s plea to his Creator:

“My Lord it is enough for me in honour to be Your servant

And it is enough for me in pride to have You as my Lord You are as I love, so make me as You love.”

It is through self-purification and struggle that the heart attains the love of Allah (swt). As the veils of blindness caused by his sins slowly diminish the arif begins to see the realities of this world and trulywitnesses everything as a sign of Allah (swt) whence everything he sees is a glorification of Allah (swt):

The seven heavens declare His glory and the earth (too), and those who are in them; and there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification; surely He is Forbearing, Forgiving. (Quran 17:44)

Irfan is merely a name given to the journey one takes to perfect themselves, to become a true follower of the infallible Prophet (saw) and his Ahlul Bayt (as). It is the essence of our faith to attain knowledge and proximity to Allah (swt) through the Quran, practices of the infallibles and invocations.

The beauty of Irfan is that it acknowledges the human state as a state of fallibility and it acknowledges that one can never reach Allah (swt). The human capacity of intellect cannot even fully comprehend Allah (swt) but His beauty radiates and the path to Him is a beautiful path. Therefore, the Muslim struggles to be as perfect as possible, he prays and cries, he sins and repents, he continuously seeks and never ceases to be mesmerised by the infinite Mercy of Allah (swt):

“If he [my servant] draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” (Hadith qudsi)

SOURCE 

Death

Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.

Often, one of the first reactions you will get when you pass on news of somebody's death is: 'Was he sick?' 'Did he/she die of natural causes?' 'Were they old?'

Human beings, despite our constant exposure to the reality of death, still find a need to justify or rationalize its occurrence.What we forget is that death is a certainty which we will all face, age and health status not withstanding. It is this very denial of the reality of death that keeps us confident to keep doing wrong, for at the back of our minds, we feel that we will make amends in time, we will reform when we are older. We have assured ourselves that today is ours for sure, and that tomorrow we can do what we plan.

I know of a person who was explaining to his wife how death comes, so he told her (while illustrating practically), well, when death comes, one will just lay themselves down in the right direction facing the qiblah, and recite the kalimah, and just die, like they just fell asleep. Then the wife realized he had gone silent, so she went up to him only to realize that he had actually died. Had he sensed his approaching end and decided to embrace it in a way that would not send his wife into a panic attack thereby disrupting his end, or is he another illustration of how frail our nature is. One moment we are alive, and the next we are dead. As the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: 'This world lasts but an hour, so spend it in obedience to Allah.' 

There are many experiences one may read about or hear, or indeed even experience related to death and the supernatural nature of the soul. The experience of death is one which should remind us how fickle we are. Ever noticed how when one has died, immediately you lose even your most personal thing: your name. A dead person is no longer referred to as Ahmad or Fatima, but simply as "the dead body" "mayyit". Nobody asking about the funeral will ask, 'What time is Ahmad/Fatima being buried?' They will simply ask, what time is he/she being buried?

No matter how pompous your clothes or your home, in the end you are buried in a simple plain undecorated white cloth, and laid to rest on an earthen pillow, and will become the food of worms and insects in a little while. How then can anything else you do be of any significance or importance in your life, except that which will prepare you for the life to come, and give you security when you are left to face your deeds in their true face on your first night in your grave.

Perhaps what we need to remind ourselves is that the greatest cause of death is life itself, and the fact that you are alive now is itself a symptom of your impending death. 

That is also why we are told that the best way to keep away from doing sin is by remembering death constantly.

In a letter by Imam Ali (as) to Muawiyah, he says:

"Have you ever seriously considered what would happen to you if all your wealth and property is taken away from you. The possessions, the riches and the luxuries that you have surrounded yourself with, belong to this world, a world which has profusely decorated itself and which is bent upon alluring you with its enjoyments. It has enticed you away and you have fallen an easy prey to its allurements. It has dragged you and you have followed it like a tame animal on the other end of the rope. It has ordered you and you have obeyed its orders submissively. You have forgotten that shortly you will be called to bear the consequences of such a life; consequences from which no one can shield, liberate or absolve you. Abstain from such a life, keep yourself ready for the Day of Judgement; be ready for death which is inevitable, bound to come and sure to end every life, rich or poor." 

In another hadith from Imam Hadi (as) we are told: 

 "Remember when you are on your deathbed and your body is lying before your family members, then there is no physician to prevent you (from death) nor a friend to avail you."Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 370

We must always remember that it is His (swt) mercy that we need, in our life, and in our deaths, and must thus seek all means of earning his proximity. In the invocation of Shabaniya we say:

My Lord, if You forgive me, then who is more suited than You to do that? If the time of my death has come near and my deeds have not still brought me close to You, I make this confession of my sins a means of approaching You. I have been unjust to my soul for I have not looked after it. It will certainly be doomed if You do not forgive it. My Lord, You have always been kind to me during my life time. Therefore do not cut off Your favour from me at the time of my death. My Lord, how can lose the hope of Your looking kindly, in me after my death, when you have always been good to me during my life. 

Kindly recite surat al Fatihah for all marhomeen and marhoomaat.

Deceiving Allah (swt) ?

Someone enquired from the Holy Prophet (S) as to how could salvation be attained on the Day of Judgement? He replied,

“It could only be possible if one does not deceive Allah. Certainly if anyone tries to deceive Allah he is himself deceived by Allah (i.e. he is repaid for his deceit) and Allah takes away belief from him. If he possesses reason he should know that in trying to deceive Allah, he is only deceiving himself.”

“How can Allah be deceived and defrauded?” a person asked. The Prophet (S) continued,

“The person fulfills all his religious obligations but his aim is to please someone other than Allah. Fear Allah and restrain from ‘Riyah’. On the Day of Judgement the deceiver (Riyakār) will be addressed by four titles, ‘O Kafir, O Sinful, O Crafty one, O Loser, your deeds are nullified and the reward of your deeds is lost. Today you have no worth whatsoever. Go and seek the reward of your deeds from those, to please whom you performed your acts.’

(Muhajjatul Baidha, Bihār al-Anwār)

Source: Greater Sins

Lessons in Tawba: The Mercy of Allah (swt) is Vast

Tafsīr al-Safi mentions under the exegesis of Surah Āli- ‘Imran that one day Sa’ad Ibn Ma’az came weeping to the Messenger of Allah (S). After replying to his Salām the Prophet (S) asked him the reason for crying. Sa’ad said. “O Messenger of Allah! A young man is standing outside the house and weeping upon his youth like a woman mourns the death of her child. He desires to meet you.” The Holy Prophet (S) ordered that the young man be presented to him. Sa’ad came to the Prophet (S) with the youth. He saluted the Messenger (S). After replying his Salām the Holy Prophet (S) asked the young man the reason for his grief. “Why shouldn’t I grieve,” said the young man, “I have committed so many sins that even a few of them are sufficient to earn me Hell-fire. I am sure I shall be punished for my sins.

The Messenger of Allah (S) said,

“Have you attributed partners to Allah?”

“I seek refuge of Allah from attributing a partner to Him.”

“Have you murdered one unjustly?”

“No”,

“Allah shall certainly forgive your sins even if they are like mountains,” the Prophet of Allah (S) said.

“But my sins are greater than mountains,” said the young man.”

“Even if your sins are heavier than seven earths, seas, mountains, trees and all creatures Allah will condone them.”

“My sins are heavier than all of these,” said the youth.

“Allah will forgive them even if they are heavier than the heavens, stars, Arsh and Kursi.”

“My sins are more than these.”

“Pity on you! O young man! Who is greater, your sins or your Lord?”

Hearing this, the young man fell into prostration and said,

“My Lord is pure, nothing is greater than Him and He is greater than the greatest thing.”

“Would the High and Mighty Lord not forgive your great sins?” asked the Prophet (S).

‘No’, said the young man and became silent.

Then the Holy Prophet (S) said,

“Fie on you, young man, can you tell me about one of your great sins?”

“Yes, for seven years I used to exhume corpses and steal their shrouds. One day a young girl from the Ansars died. After she was buried I opened her grave in the middle of the night and removed her shroud. I was about to return when the Shaitan instigated me, I looked at her body and defiled her chastity. When I was leaving, a voice came from behind her head, ‘Fie on you for the chastisement of Qiyāma! You made me naked and junub (ritually impure). Fie on you for the fire of Hell.’”

Then he said, “O Messenger of Allah (S)! I think I shall not be able to even smell the fragrance of Paradise. What do you think?”

“O Transgressor! Get away from me,” said the Prophet (S), “Lest your fire may burn me! How close you are to the fire!”

He repeated this sentence a number of times and the youth finally went away from there. After taking some necessary items he went to the mountains of Madinah. He used to tie his hands behind the neck and plead for forgiveness. “I am Your sinful slave and degraded servant. I am regretful of my deeds. O Allah! I went to Your Messenger and he sent me away. This has increased my fear. I implore You by Your greatness, do not make me hopeless and include me among Your mercies.” He continued this for forty days. Even the beasts began to take pity upon him. After forty days had passed he asked, “O my Lord! What is Your decision regarding me. If You have forgiven me, inform Your Messenger about it. If You have made a firm decision to punish me, burn me at once or subject me to some other punishment and save me from the degradation of Qiyāma.” Upon this, the Almighty Allah revealed the following ayats on His Messenger (S):

“And those who when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their faults — and who forgives the faults but Allah, and (who) do not knowingly persist in what they have done. (As for) these — their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and excellent is the reward of the labourers.”

(Surah Āli- ‘Imran 3:135-136)

As soon as these verses were revealed the Messenger of Allah (S) came out of the door reciting the ayats and smiling. He told the companions, “Who can tell me about the repenting young man?” The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! He is on such and such mountain.”

The Holy Prophet (S) went to the young man with his companions and found him standing between two rocks. His hands were tied behind him and his face was black due to the heat of the sun. The eyelashes had fallen due to weeping and he was saying: O Allah! You bestowed countless bounties on me and did favour on me. If I could only know whether my abode is Paradise or Hell. O My Lord! My sins are greater than your heavens, earths, Arsh and throne. If I could only know whether You would forgive me or degrade me on the day of Qiyāma.” He was repeating these words and weeping. He picked up sand and put it on his head. Looking at his conditions, the animals and birds around him were also weeping. The Messenger of Allah (S) came to him and untied his hands. Cleaned the soil from his head and said,

“Young man! Good news for you that Allah has accepted your Tawba.” Then he told his companions, “You should repent for your sins in this way” and recited the above-mentioned ayats. In this way the good news of Paradise was conveyed to the young man.

A point needs to be explained here. The Holy Prophet (S) drove away the young man probably because he wanted his fear of divine punishment to intensify to such an extent that it could atone for his deadly sins. That the tears of regret may wash his evil deeds and he may qualify for divine mercy. This was exactly what happened. The more earnest a person is in seeking forgiveness the more he shall be near to divine mercy.

Hence the driving away of the young man became a cause for the young man’s expiation.
Source: Greater Sins

Lessons in Tawba: True God Fear is Tawba (Repentance)

Imam Zainul Ābidīn (a.s.) is quoted in volume 15, page 117 of Bihār al-Anwār to have said,

“There was a shroud thief among Bani Israel. One day his companion fell sick and was soon anticipating death. He called his friend, the shroud thief and asked how much he valued him as a friend. The thief accepted that he was a very good friend. The friend said that he had a desire and the thief agreed to fulfill it. The friend showed him two shrouds and told him to choose one for himself so that the other one could be used to bury him “But do not reopen my grave after I am buried and make me naked.” This was not acceptable to the thief but due to his friend’s persuasion he chose the better shroud for himself and went away.

When the friend died and was buried, the thief said to himself, “The dead cannot know that I have broken a promise to him.” He began to dig the grave and was about to unclothe it when he heard a scream and the corpse was saying, “Don’t do this!” The thief was frightened and filled up the grave. When his own death neared, the thief summoned his sons and asked them how he had been as a father to them? The sons agreed that he was the best of fathers. The thief said that he had a last wish and the sons agreed to fulfill it.

He said that after he died they should cremate him and throw half his ashes into the sea and half into the desert. The sons agreed to do this and fulfilled their promise after the thief father died. However, the Almighty Allah gathered his scattered ashes and made him alive again. Allah asked him, “Why did you make such a bequest?” He said, “By Your Might, I made such a bequest due to the fear of Your chastisement.”

Allah said, “I have pardoned you and changed your fear into safety and also satisfied the people who had claims of rights upon you.”

This incident proves that if a person is ashamed of his deeds and has fear of Allah (S.w.T.), the Almighty shall pardon him and also make his enemies satisfied with him.

Source: Greater Sins

Silence

Ever heard the phrase: Speech is silver, silence golden? Here are a few pointers from the book The Kernel of Kernels on keeping silent and its benefits for the spiritual wayfarer.

Silence is of two kinds:

(1) general and mixed (mudaj), and

(2) special and pure (mutlaq).

The general and mixed silence consists of withholding the tongue from superfluous speech with people. Rather, the wayfarer must confine himself to the minimum that is possible, and this silence is essential at all times and throughout the course of wayfaring. Rather, it may be said that it is unconditionally commendable. And to this refers the statement of the Imam ( `a):

إنَّ شِيعَتَنَا الخُرْس

[Surely, our shi`ah are the mute ones.]

And so also is that which has been narrated from Hadrat Sadiq (`a) in the Misbah al‑Shari`ah:

 الصَّمْتُ شِعَارُ المُحِبِّينَ، وَفِيهِ رِضَا الرَّبِّ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَخْلاَقِ الاَنْبِيَاءِ وَشِعَارِ الاَصْفِيَاء

[Silence is the motto of the lovers, and in it lies the Lord's pleasure, and it is of the etiquette of the prophets and the maxim of the elect.]

And it is mentioned in the tradition narrated by Bazanti, from Hadrat Rida (`a):

   الصَّمْتُ  بَابٌ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الحِكْمَةِ، وَإنَّهُ دَلِيلٌ عَلَي‌ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ

[Silence is a door from among the doors of wisdom, and it is indeed the guide to all goodness.]

The second kind is special and absolute silence, which consists of withholding the tongue from speech with people while being engaged in exclusive verbal ahikar, and it is not commendable in cases other than that.