Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Ibn Taymiyyah: "Let not these criteria pass you by"



بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, رحمه الله said:

“Let not these criteria pass you by: Whenever a slave’s love for his Lord gets stronger, the number of (worldly) things he loves gets reduced and (his attachment) to the things he loves will also diminish. And whenever his (love for his Lord) weakens, the number of (worldly) things he loves will increase (and his attachment towards them will get stronger) and will be widespread.

 Similar is the situation with fear and hope and whatever resembles them. If a slave has complete fear of his Lord, he will not fear anything other than Him تعالى.

Allaah تعالى said:

﴿الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إلَّا اللَّهَ﴾

{[Allaah praises] those who convey the messages of Allaah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allaah} [Surah al-Ahzaab (33): 39]

And if his fear (of his Lord) reduces, he will begin to fear the creation. Depending upon the person’s level of fear – the higher or the lower of it - his fear will make him react the same way as we have mentioned about love; similarly with hope and other than it.

This is hidden Shirk, which no one is safe from except him whom Allaah تعالى has protected. And it has been reported that Shirk in this Ummah is more hidden than the creeping of an ant*.

- And the way to get rid of all these problems is al-Ikhlaas (sincerity) for Allaah عز وجل alone.

Allaah تعالى said:

﴿ فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوا لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا﴾

{So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.} [Surah al-Kahf (18): 110]

- And one cannot attain al-Ikhlaas except after al-Zuhd (asceticism - renunciation of worldly pleasures).

- And al-Zuhd is not attained except with al-Taqwa (God-consciousness).

- And al-Taqwa is: following the commandments and shunning the prohibited.”

[Majmoo` al-Fataawa (1/94)]

* Adab al-Mufrad of Imaam al-Bukhaaree (716), on the authority of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq رضي الله عنه and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee.

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