Al-Ghazalis Ihya Ulum al-Din REVITALISATION OF THE SCIENCES OF RELIGION Abridged by Abd el Salam Haroun Revised and Translated by Dr Ahmad A Zidan 2001 www.Muhammad.com The Mosque of the Internet Version 1.0 Under the auspice of Grand Shaykh, Professor Hasan Qaribullah Dean of Umm Durman Islamic University Shaykh, Ahmad Darwish mosque@mosque.com IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE All Praise be to ALLAH, the Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon Mohammad His servant and Messenger. INTRODUCTION In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and whatever he forbids you, desist from it. (Chapter 59 verse 7) First, I praise Allah, continuously though the praise of the fervent does not do justice to His Glory. Second, I invoke the blessing of Allah upon His Messenger, peace and prayers be upon him, the master of mankind, and upon all the Messengers. Third, I ask His help having resolved to write a book on the revival of the religious sciences. Fourth, I proceed to enlighten you, who are the most self-righteous of those who reject belief, and you, who are the most immoderate of the thoughtless unbelievers. I am no longer obliged to remain silent, because the responsibility to speak, as well as warn you, has been imposed upon me by your persistent straying from the clear truth, and by your insistence upon fostering evil, flattering ignorance, and stirring up opposition against him who, in order to conform to the dictates of knowledge, deviates from custom and the established practice of men. In doing this he fulfills Allahs prescriptions for purifying the self an reforming the heart, thus somewhat redeeming a life, which has already been dissipated in despair of prevention and remedy, and avoids by it the company of him whom the Lawgiver (Mohammad peace and prayers be upon him) described when he said: The most severely punished of all men on the Day of Resurrection will be a learned man whom Allah has not blessed with His knowledge. For, by my life, there is no reason for your abiding arrogance except the malady which has become an epidemic among the multitudes. That malady consists in not discerning this matters importance, the gravity of the problem, and the seriousness of the crisis; in not seeing that life is waning and that what is to come is close at hand, that death is imminent but that the journey is still long, that the provisions are scanty, the dangers great, and the road blocked. The perceptive know that only knowledge and works devoted to Allah avail. To tread the crowded and dangerous path of the Hereafter with neither guide nor companion is difficult, tiring, and strenuous. The guides for the road are the learned men who are the heirs of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) but the times are void of them now and only the superficial are left, most of whom have been lured by iniquity and overcome by Satan. Everyone of them was so wrapped up in his immediate fortune that he came to see good as evil and evil as good, so that the science of the religion disappeared and the torch of the true faith was extinguished all over the world. They duped the people into believing that there was no knowledge except such ordinances of government as the judges sue to settle disputes when the mob riots; or the type of argument which the proud display in order to confuse and refute; or the elaborate and flowery language with which the preacher seeks to lure the common people. They did this because, apart from these three, they could find no other ways to snare illegal profit and riches of the world. On the other hand the science of the path of the Hereafter, which our fore-fathers trod and which includes what Allah in His Book called law, wisdom, knowledge, enlightenment, light, guidance and righteousness, has vanished from among mankind and been completely forgotten. Since this is a calamity afflicting religion and a grave crisis overshadowing it, I have therefore deemed it important to engage in the writing of this book; to revive the science of religion, to bring to light the exemplary lives of the departed immans, and to show what branches of knowledge the prophets and the virtuous fathers regarded as useful. I have divided the work into four parts or quarters. These are: the Acts of Worship, the Customs of Life, the Destructive Matters in Life, and the Saving Matters in Life. I have begun the work with the Book of Knowledge because it is of the utmost importance to determine first of all the knowledge which Allah has, through His Messenger, ordered the elite to seek. This is shown by the words of the Messenger of Allah when he said: Seeking knowledge is an ordinance obligatory upon every Muslim. Furthermore, I have begun with Book of Knowledge in order to distinguish between useful and harmful knowledge, as the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) said: We seek refuge in Allah from useless knowledge. And also to show the deviation of the people of this age from right conduct, their delusion as by a glistening mirage, and their satisfaction with the husks of knowledge rather than the path. The quarter on the Acts of Worship comprises ten books: The Book of Knowledge The Articles of Faith The Mysteries of Purity The Mysteries of Prayer The Mysteries of Almsgiving The Mysteries of Fasting The Mysteries of Pilgrimage The Rules of Reading the Koran On Invocations and Supplications On the Office of Potions The quarter of Customs comprises ten books: The Ethics of Eating The Ethics of Marriage The Ethics of Earning a Livelihood On the Lawful and the Unlawful The Ethics of Companionship and Fellowship with the Various Types of People On Seclusion The Ethics of Travel On Audition and Emotion On Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil The Ethics of Living as Exemplified in the Virtues of the Prophet The quarter on the Destructive Matters of Life comprises ten books: On the Wonders of the Heart On the Discipline of the Soul The Breaking of the Two Desires The Evil of the Tongue The condemnation of Anger, Rancor and Envy The Condemnation of Worldliness The Condemnation of Miserliness and Love of Wealth The Condemnation of Prestige and Hypocrisy The Condemnation of Pride and Conceit The Condemnation of Vanity The quarter on the Saving Matters of Life comprises ten books: On Repentance On Patience and Gratitude On Fear and Hope On Poverty and Asceticism On Divine Unity and Dependence On Love, Longing, Intimacy and Contentment On Intentions, Truthfulness and Sincerity On Self-Examination and Self Accounting On Meditation On Death In the quarter on the Acts of Worship I shall mention some of the hidden elements of its meanings. These, the active learned person badly needs, without their knowledge no one will be versed in the science of the Hereafter. Most of this information has bee neglected in theological studies. In the quarter on the Customs of Life I shall deal with the rules of the practical religion current among men, its deep mysteries, intricate technique, and the piety concealed in its rules of conduct, which no religious person can do without. In the quarter on the Destructive Matter of Life I shall enumerate every abhorred trait whose exposure the Koran has ordered, as well as dealing with the purifying of the soul and cleansing of the heart from them. Under every one of these straits I shall give its definition, the truth about it, its origin, its evil consequences, its symptoms, and finally its treatment. To all this will be added illustrations from the Koran, tradition, and antiquity. In the quarter on the Saving Matters of Life, I shall enumerate every praiseworthy trait and every one of the desirable qualities of Allahs favorites (al-muqarrabun) and the saints, by means of which the slave seeks to draw near to the Lord of the Universe. Similarly, under every quality I shall give its definition, the truth about it, its origin, its fruit, the sign by which it is known, its excellence which renders it desirable, together with examples to illustrate it from the fields of law and reason. It is true that men have written several works on some of these aspects, but this one differs from them in five ways: First, by clarifying what they have obscured and elucidating what they have treated casually. Second, by arranging what they have disarranged, and organizing what they have scattered. Third, by ensuring what they have elaborated, and correcting what they have approved. Fourth, by deleting what they have repeated (and verifying what they have set down). Fifth, by determining ambiguous matters which have hitherto been unintelligible and never dealt with in any work. For, although all have followed one course, there is no reason why one should not proceed independently and bring to light something unknown, paying special attention to what his colleagues have forgotten. It is possible that such obscure things are noticed, but mention of them in writing is overlooked. Or, again, it may not be a case of overlooking them, but rather one of being prevented from exposing them. These, therefore, are the characteristics of this work which comprises the aggregate of the (previously enumerated) sciences. Two things have induced me to divide the work into four quarters. The first and original motive is that such an arrangement in research and exposition is imperative because the science by which we approach the Hereafter is divided into the science of revelation and the science practical religion. By the science of revelation I mean knowledge and only knowledge. By the science of practical religion I mean knowledge as well as action in accordance with that knowledge. This work will deal only with the science of pract6ical religion, and not with revelation, which one is not permitted to record in writing, although it is the ultimate aim of saints and the desire of the eyes of the sincere. The science of practical religion is merely a path which leads to revelation and only through that path did the Prophets of Allah communicate with the people and lead them to Him. Concerning revelation itself, the Prophets spoke only figuratively and briefly through signs and symbols, because they realized the inability of mans mind to comprehend. Therefore since the learned men are heirs of the Prophets, they cannot but follow in their footsteps and emulate their way. Furthermore, the science of practical religion is divided into outward science, by which is meant that of the functions of the senses, and inward science, by which meant that of the functions of the heart. The bodily organs perform either acts of worship or usages of life, while the heart, because it is removed from the senses and belongs to the world of dominion, is subject to either praiseworthy or blameworthy (influences). Inevitably, therefore, this science divides itself into two parts outward and inward. The outward, which pertains to the senses, is subdivided into acts of worship and customs of life; the inward, which relates to the conditions of the heart and the qualities of the soul, is subdivided into things which are praiseworthy and things which are objectionable. Together these constitute the four parts of the science of practical religion, a classification objected to by none. My second motive for adopting this division is that I have noticed that the interests of students in jurisprudence (which has, for the sake of boasting and exploiting its influence and prestige in arguments, become popular among those who do not fear Allah) is genuine. It is also divided into quarters. And since he who dresses as the beloved will also be beloved, I am not far wrong in deeming that the modeling of this book after books of jurisprudence will prove to be a clever move in creating interest in it. For this same reason, one of those who wanted to attract the attention of the authorities to (the science of) medicine, modeled it after astronomical lists, arranging it in tables and numbers, and called (his book) Tables of Health. He did this in order that their interest in that (latter) type (of study) might help in drawing them to read it. Ingenuity in drawing hearts to the science which is good for spiritual life is, however, more important than that of interesting them in medicine which benefits nothing but physical health. The fruit of this science is the treatment of the hearts and souls through which is obtained a life that will persist of souls through which is obtained a life that will persist forever and ever. How inferior, then is the medicine of the body, which is of necessity destined to decay before long. Therefore, we beg Allah for help to lead us to the right path and the way of truth, indeed He is the Generous, the all Bounteous. The Quarter on the Acts of Worship The First Book The Book of Knowledge Kitab al-Ilm Comprising Seven Chapters Chapter One The Value of Knowledge, Instruction, and Learning together with its evidence in Tradition and from reason The excellence of Knowledge The evidence of the excellence of knowledge in the Koran is revealed to us by Allah Almighty: Allah bears witness that there is no Allah but He, and so do the angels and those who posses knowledge, upholding justice(Koran Chapter 3 Verse 18) We see how Allah Almighty begins by bearing witness for Himself, secondly for the angels and thirdly for those who possess knowledge. In this it is clear that the knowledgeable people are emphasized as holding high rank in the sight of Allah. As Allah Almighty said: Allah will raise up in rank those of you who believe and who have been granted knowledge(Chapter 58 Verse 11) Allah (High Exalted) said: Say: Can those be equal, they who know and they who know not? (Chapter 13 verse 9) Allah (High Exalted) also said: Surely those of His servants who have knowledge fear Allah alone. (Chapter 35 Verse 28) And Allah (High Exalted) said: Say: Allah Suffices as a witness between me and you, and whoever possesses knowledge of the Book. (Chapter 13 Verse 43) Allah (High Exalted) also said: Said one who possessed knowledge of the Scripture I will bring it to you in the wink of an eye (Chapter 27 verse 40). Indicating that he was enabled by the power of knowledge. As to the evidence of the value of knowledge in tradition (al-akhbar) the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said: If Allah wants to do good to a person He makes him comprehend the Religion and of course knowledge is attained by learning. He also said, The learned persons are the heirs of the prophets. It is also well known that there is no rank higher than prophecy, nor is there any honor higher than its inheritance. And The Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) also said Whatever is in the heavens and the earth intercedes for the learned person. Who could be in a more elevated position than the one for whom the angels of the heavens and earth seek forgiveness? The Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) said: The best of persons is the learned believer who, if he is needed, he will be useful; and if dispensed with, he will be self-sufficient. He also said: People are like ores of gold and silver, the best of them in the times of (Jahiliyah) before Islam, are also the best in the times Islam, provided they see the light. And he also said: The superior rank the learned person holds over the worshiper is similar to the superiority of the moon when it is full over the other starts. As the evidence of the value of knowledge in the saying of the Companions (al-athar), Ali Ibn Abi Talib, (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Kumail O Kumail knowledge is better than wealth, you safeguard wealth but knowledge safeguards you. Knowledge is sovereign but wealth is servile, wealth is diminished by expending while knowledge is increased in its expending. Abou Al Aswad said: Nothing is more precious than knowledge, while kings are sovereign over the people, they are ruled by the learned. Ibn Abbas(may Allah be pleased with them) said: Solomon the son of David, (peace be upon them) was offered to choose between knowledge, wealth or power, and he chose knowledge, then he was blessed with wealth and power as well. Ibn Al Mubarak was asked: Who constitutes humanity? He answered: The learned. It was then said to him: And who are the kings? He answered: The ascetics. He was asked: Who are the ignoble people then? He answered: Those who in the name of religion, grow fat in the world. Ibn Al Mubarak only regarded the learned as belonging to mankind, because it is knowledge which distinguishes man from the animals. Furthermore, man is a human being, not because of his physical prowess, for physically the camel is his superior; not because of his size because the elephant is larger; nor for his courage because the lion is more courageous than him, not because of his appetite for the ox has the greater. Al Hassan (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: The ink of the learned will be likened to the blood of the martyrs, and the former will prove superior. Salem ibn Abi Al Jad said: My master bought me for 300 Dirhams and later set me free. Then I said what shall I do to support myself? So finally I took up learning and no sooner than a year had passed the Emir of Madinah called upon me, but I would not receive him. Al Zuhari (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: Knowledge is glorious and is not treasured except by the glorious. The Excellence of Learning The excellence of learning is attested to in the Koran by Allah Almighty: Allah (High Exalted) said: but a party of every section of them should march forth, to become learned in Religion(Chapter 9 verse 122) As to the evidence of the excellence of learning in tradition (al-akhbar) the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) said: Whoever follows a path in search of knowledge, Allah will guide him into a path leading into Paradise. And the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) also said: Truly the angels will bow low to the one who seeks knowledge in approval of what he does. As to the evidence of the excellence of learning in the saying of the Companions (al-athar), Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: I was humbled when I sought knowledge, then I was elevated when the people sought knowledge from me. And he also said: I would rather spend a part of the night in learned discussion than in continual prayer. Abu El Dardaa said: To learn something is more favorable to me than to stand all night in prayer. And he also said: Be learned or a learner, or one who listens, and do not be the exception or you will be doomed. He said: Whoever sees that striving for knowledge is not a Jihad, his mind and opinion are lacking. The Excellence of Teaching The excellence of teaching is supported in the Koran, Allah Almighty said: and to warn their people when they return back to them, that they should guard themselves against evil. (Chapter 9 verse 122) The object is teaching and advice, Allah Almighty said: And when Allah took Covenant with those who were given earlier Scripture, You shall certainly make it known to all people, and you shall not conceal it (Chapter 3 Verse 187) It is an obligation to teach. Allah High Exalted said: Call mankind to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and sound advice, and reason with them in a well mannered way(Chapter 16 verse 125) As to the evidence of the excellence of teaching in tradition (al-akhbar) the Prophet said to Moaz (may Allah be pleased with) when he sent him to Yemen: That Allah guides one person through you, it is better for you than the world and all that is in it. The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said: Allah does not take away knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till none of them (religious learned men) remain, then people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray. The Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) said: The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it barren which could neither hold the water nor bring vegetation (then that land did not give any benefits). The first is an example of the person who comprehends Allahs religion and gets benefit from the knowledge which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophet) and the second an example of a person who learns and then teaches others. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allahs guidance revealed through me (He is like that barren land). As to the evidence of the excellence of teaching in the sayings of the Companions (al-athar), Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever relates to a Hadith (Tradition) and thus induces someone to act according to it, will be rewarded himself and rewarded the equivalent reward for those who acted according to that Hadith. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: The one who teaches people good, all things seek forgiveness for him, even the whales in the sea. Ataa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I came upon Saeed Ibn El-Musayyab and found him crying, I asked him why are you crying? He answered: Because no one seeks from me any knowledge. It has also been said: The learned are the shining Luminaries of all time, each one is the luminary of his time which illuminates his generation. Chapter Two On Praiseworthy and Blameworthy Branches of Knowledge, their classifications, and the rules which govern them The explanation of those branches of knowledge whose acquisition is deemed Fard ayn (individual duty) as well as those whose acquisition is deemed Fard kifaya (collective duty); on determining the position of theology and fiqh (jurisprudence in Islam) in relation to the science of Religion; and, finally, on showing the superiority of the science of the Hereafter. On knowledge whose acquisition is deemed Fard Ayn (Individual Duty) The Messenger of Allah said: Seeking knowledge is an ordinance obligatory on every Muslim, and also, Seek knowledge even if it is from China. People, however disagree as to what branch of knowledge man is obliged to acquire, and as a result split up into about twenty groups. We shall not go into details but simply summaries the matter by saying that each group insisted on the necessity of acquiring that branch of knowledge which happened to be its specialty. The scholastic theologians insisted on scholastic theology because the unity of Allah, as well as His Essence and Attributes, is known through it. The Jurists held out for jurisprudence because the acts of worship, the lawful and the unlawful as well as the forbidden and the permissible in daily conduct are determined through it. Furthermore, the commentators and traditionalists, holding that through it all sciences are attained, stood for the science of the Koran and the Tradition. The Sufis pointed to Sufism as the branch of knowledge which was intended, some saying that it is the science whereby the creature, realizing his position in relation to the divine, has a mystical experience (in communion with Allah). Other Sufis said that it comprises knowing what sincerity is and what the afflictions of the soul are, as well as being able to distinguish between the followers of Allah and the followers of Satan. Others again said that it was the esoteric science whose acquisition was required only of the qualified, select few, and accordingly they dismissed the accepted meaning of the word in favor of its esoteric connotation. According to Abu Talib al-Makki, what is mean (by the above mentioned tradition) is knowledge of the contents of Tradition which embodies the foundations of Islam, referred to in the following words of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him): Islam is built upon five pillars. Since these five pillars are ordinances imposed by Allah, it is necessary to know how to fulfill them. The student therefore, should be absolutely certain that knowledge, as we have already shown in the introduction to this book, is divided into the science of practical religion and the science of revelations. The scope of this discussion is confined to the science of practical religion. The (tenets of) practical religion which an adult and sane creature is obliged to observe deals with three things: beliefs, works and prohibitions (tark, pl. turuk). For example, when a sane individual attains puberty and comes of age, his first obligations is learning the two words of the confession of faith (al shahadah) and understanding their meaning. These two words are: There is no Allah but Allah; Mohammad is the Prophet of Allah. He is not required to fully penetrate their significance through scrutiny, investigation and research, but only to believe and confess them unequivocally without the least doubt or hesitation. The latter is obtained by merely accepting on authority without any investigation or proof, since the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) required only mere acceptance and confession from the ruffians among the Arabs without their learning any evidence. Thus in accepting and confessing the two words, the person fulfills an obligation which is binding at that time. Accordingly, at that time, the branch of knowledge, whose acquisition is divinely ordained and binding upon every Muslim, would consist in the learning and understanding of the two words of the confession of faith. Furthermore, at that stage it is sufficient for them. This is shown by considering that if a Muslim dies upon accepting and confessing the two words of the confession of faith, he would die obedient to Allah and be guilty of no rebellion. With the rise of new developments, however, there would be other obligations, but they would not necessarily be binding on every individual. On the contrary, it would be quite possible (for some) to be free of them. The new developments may affect obligations regarding works, prohibitions or beliefs. Regarding works, for example, if a persons life were to extend from dawn until noon, he would be required to learn how to perform his ablutions and pray because of the approaching noon hour. In such a case it would be wrong to say that it is obvious that he should persist in his study; (and if he finds that his life will extend beyond noon) and thinks that he might not be able to finish in time, (he should still persist) and perform his ablutions and pray before evening, however long this may be after the appointed hour. In short he should give study primary consideration regardless of the time required. In addition it can be said that the obligation to acquire knowledge, which is the prerequisite for works, is derived from the obligation to perform works, in which case it might not even be obligatory before sunset. This is also true of the other prayers. Further, should a person live until (the beginning of) Ramadan, he would be obliged to learn all about fasting, i.e., that it lasts from morning until sunset, that observing it requires resolve, abstinence from food, drink and sexual intercourse as well as seeing the new moon personally (or accepting the word of two eye witnesses instead). Similarly, should a person come into some wealth, or on coming of age, inherit some, he should learn all about zakah. For, although fulfilling the obligation is not immediately incumbent upon him, it would become so at the end of the first year after his acceptance of Islam. Should he possess nothing but camels, he would not need to learn the zakah of sheep, and the same is true of other varieties (of wealth). When, however, the months of pilgrimage begin, it will not be necessary for the person to start at once, to learn how to make the Pilgrimage; and since it is performed at leisure, learning how to do it is not immediately obligatory. Rather the learned men of Islam should point out to him that the pilgrimage is a divine ordinance to be observed, at leisure and convenience, by everyone who, as a man of means, has both the provisions and the means of transportation. This should be done in the hope of inducing the individual himself to resolve upon the pilgrimage. Should he so resolve, it would become necessary for him to learn how the pilgrimage is performed. He would not need, however, to learn anything except its essentials and duties and not the voluntary acts of supererogation connected with it; for, if performing the voluntary acts is supererogatory, so would its knowledge also be, and learning it, consequently, would not be a divine ordinance binding on all Muslims. (As to the unlawfulness of neglecting to point out that the pilgrimage is obligatory whenever the individual is able to perform it, there has been considerable speculation worthy of nothing but jurisprudence.) The same reasoning applies to the knowledge of the other works which are divinely ordained and binding on all Muslims. As to prohibitions, the acquisition of the knowledge of which is obligatory, the obligation is conditioned by the rise of new developments and changed circumstances relevant to it, and varies with the conditions of the individual. Thus the mute is obliged to know what is unlawful in speech nor the blind to know what things are unlawful to see. Similarly the Bedouin is not obliged to know the houses in which it is unlawful to sit. All these obligations only apply within the limits of circumstance, and need not be learned when it is certain that the question (of their applicability) will not arise. But whatever situations resemble these and may, therefore, be confused with hem must be distinguished from them as, for example, the case where an individual who, at the time of his embracing Islam, was in the habit of wearing silk garments, or possessed something illegally, or looked at a woman whom he could not legally marry. In such a case, he should be warned. On the other hand, whatever does not resemble these things and is, therefore, not confusing but to which one may be exposed through contact such as food and drink instruction concerning it is obligatory. Hence if an individual happens to be in a town where it is customary to drink wine and eat pork, it is imperative that he be taught concerning their prohibition and warned against using them. Moreover, of all things in which instruction is obligatory, acquiring a knowledge of them is also obligatory. As to beliefs and actions of the heart, knowledge of them is obligatory according to the state of the mind. Thus if one should feel any passing thought (khatir) as to what the two words of the confession of faith mean, it would be obligatory upon him to acquire the knowledge of whatever would remove that doubt. If, on the other hand, he felt no such passing thought but died before he believed that the world of Allah the Koran is eternal, visible and not a substratum for originated properties, as well as other often repeated articles of faith, he would have died a professing Muslim. These feelings of doubt which render the knowledge of the articles of faith obligatory arise in the mind either naturally or as a result of hearing things in ones own community. Thus in a town where rumors have spread and the people talk heresy, the individual should, in the early years of his maturity, be protected against such influence by being instructed in the elements of truth. If on the other hand, he were exposed to falsehood, it would become necessary to remove it from his heart, a task which might prove difficult. Again, if this particular Muslim were a merchant living in the midst of a town where the practice of usury was prevalent, it would be obligatory to warn him against usury. This, then, is the truth concerning the knowledge whose acquisition is deemed an ordinance of Allah binding on everyone and no less binding on some because of its observance by others. The gist of it all is knowledge of how to perform works whose discharge is obligatory. Whoever, therefore, knows what works are obligatory together with the time of their discharge, the same possesses the knowledge who acquisition if far ayn. Furthermore, what the Sufis hold relative to the understanding of the thoughts of the enemy and those of the company of heaven (lummat al-mulk) is also true, though only to those who apply themselves to it. If, however, man does not for the most part refrain from the impulses of evil, hypocrisy and envy, he should seek to acquire whatever knowledge he may feel he needs from the Quarter of the Destructive Matters of Life. How can he neglect this obligation when the Messenger of Allah said: Three things in life are destructive: sordid avarice, vehement passion and self conceit. And no man can refrain from these. The rest of what we shall mention of the reprehensible conditions of the heart such as pride, conceit, etc., all follow from these three aforementioned destructive matters of life. Their eradication is a fard ayn. It is, however, not possible except through a knowledge of the nature of these destructive matters of life, as well as their causes, symptoms and cure; as the one who does not know evil falls into it. A cure is, in reality, confronting a cause with its opposite. How could such a thing be possible without a knowledge of both cause and effect? Most of the things we have mentioned in the Quarter on the Destructive Matters of Life belong to the fard ayn class which have been totally neglected by the people in favor of pursuing things which do not matter. Among these things about which (we) should proceed to inform the individual, in case they have not yet been transmitted from one people to another, are belief in Paradise, Hell, the Day of Resurrection, and the Day of Judgment in order that he may believe and accept them, as they are the continuation of the words of the confession of faith. This is required because after the acceptance of Mohammads Prophethood, the Message which he conveyed, namely, that whoever should obey Allah and His Messenger would enter Paradise, and whoever should disobey them would enter Hell fire, should be understood. If, therefore, you would pay attention to this reasoning you would know that this is the true way of life. You would also find out that every servant suffers, in the course of his life, both during the day and the night, from enduring thoughts (waqai) of doubt which befall him in the performance of his acts of worship and daily transactions. These thoughts require new obligations and consequently it becomes necessary for him to inquire concerning every unusual occurrence which may happen to him as well as to proceed to learn what may be generally expected to occur in the near future. Finally, if it should become clear that what the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) meant by his words: Seeking knowledge is an ordinance obligatory upon every Muslim, is knowledge with the definite article, namely, the knowledge of only those works which are well known to be obligatory on every Muslim, the line of this reasoning would become apparent as would also the time in which these obligations should be discharged. Allah, however, knows best. On Knowledge whose acquisition is deemed Far kifayah (Collective Duty) It should be known that a necessary duty is not distinguished from other duties, except when the different sciences are enumerated. These are divided in relation to the kind of duties we are now considering, into shariyah and profane (ghayr shariyah) sciences. By Shariyah sciences I mean those which have been acquired from the prophets and are not arrived at either by reason, like arithmetic, or by experimentation, like medicine or by hearing, like language. Profane sciences are divided into praiseworthy (mahmud), blameworthy (madhmum), and permissible (mubah). Praiseworthy sciences are those on whose knowledge the activities of this life depend such as medicine arithmetic. They are divided into sciences which are fard kifayah and into sciences which are meritorious though not obligatory. Sciences whose knowledge is deemed fard kifayah comprise every science which is indispensable for the welfare of the world such as: medicine which is necessary for the life of the body, arithmetic for daily transactions and the division of legacies and in inheritances, as well as others besides. These are the sciences which, through of their absence, a community would be reduced to narrow straits. But should one who can practice them rise in that community, it would suffice, and the obligation to acquire their knowledge would cease to be binding upon the rest of the community. No one should be astonished when we say that medicine as well as arithmetic are of the sciences which are fard kifaya, because the fundamental industries are also the same, such as agriculture, weaving, politics, even cupping and tailoring. For should such a town lack a cupper extinction would overtake its people and they would be driven to expose themselves to destruction. Has He Who sent down the malady not also sent down the remedy, given guidance for its use, and prepared the means for administering it? It is not, therefore, permissible to expose oneself to destruction by neglecting the remedy. To go deep into the details of arithmetic and the nature of medicine as well as such details which, while not indispensable, are helpful in reinforcing the efficacy of whatever is necessary, is however, considered meritorious, not obligatory. The blameworthy (madhmum) sciences are magic, talismanic science, juggling, trickery and the like. The Shariyah sciences which are intended in the study are all praiseworthy. Sometimes, however, they may be confused with what may be taken for praiseworthy but, in fact, are blameworthy. For this reason Shariyah sciences are divided into praiseworthy and blameworthy sciences. The praiseworthy sciences comprise sources (usul), branches (furu), auxiliary (muqaddimat), and supplementary (mutammimat). There are therefore, four kinds. First come the sources (usul) which are four in number. The Book of Allah (The Koran), The Usage (sunnah) of His Prophet, The Agreement (ijma) of all Muslims, and The Traditions relating to the Companions (athar al sahabah). Agreement, in so far as it evinces usage, is a source. Like traditions relating to the Companions, however, which also evince usage, agreement is a secondary source. This is because the Companions have witnessed the Revelations and have, through their close association with the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him), comprehended what others have failed to see. Since, however, it is possible that words will not fully express what has been so comprehended, the learned men have deemed it fit to follow the example of the Companions and hold fast to their traditions though on certain condition and in a special manner as the one concerned may see. It is, however, not appropriate to discuss it in this chapter. Second are the branches (furu). They are what has been drawn from the sources (usul), not according to the literal meaning but through meanings which are adduced by the mind thereby widening the understanding until a meaning differing from the literal is indicated, as is, for example, indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him): The judge should not sit in judgment while angry, namely, that he should not sit in judgment while constipated or hungry or suffering from a painful disease. This last thing may be of two kinds: the first pertains to the activities of this world and is contained in the books of law and entrusted to the lawyers, the learned men of this world: the second pertains to the activities of the Hereafter. It is the science of the conditions of the heart, its praiseworthy and blameworthy characteristics, what is acceptable before Allah and what is reprehensible to Him. All these are treated in the last part of this book, i.e., the whole book of The Revival of the Sciences of Religion. It includes the knowledge of what issues from the heart and affects the senses in their acts of worship and usages of life, all of which are treated in the first part of this book. Third are the auxiliary (muqaddimat). These act as the instrument for the Shariyah sciences. Thus linguistic science and syntax are but instruments for the knowledge of the Book of Allah and the usage (sunnah) of His Prophet. In themselves linguistic science and syntax are not Shariyah sciences, but it has become necessary to engage in their study because of the law since this law has come in the language of Arabs. And whereas every law is revealed through the medium of a particular language, the learning of that language becomes an instrument wherewith to learn the law. Among these instruments, also, is the science of writing. It is however, not a necessary instrument because the Messenger of Allah was himself unlettered (ummi). And if it were conceivable that retention of everything that is heard was at all possible, mankind might have dispensed with writing. But, because of the impossibility of such a thing, it has become, on the whole, necessary. Fourth are the supplementary (mutammimat) which, in relation to the science of the Koran, are divided into what pertains to pronunciation such as learning the different readings and the enunciation of the different letters, and into what pertains to exposition which also rests on authoritative transmission. This is because language alone cannot treat exposition or its technicalities such as the knowledge of the abrogating (nasikh) and the abrogated (mansukh), the general (amm) and the particular (khass), the express laws of the Koran as well as its manifest meaning, and finally the manner of their application, i.e. the science which is called the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh), which also includes the sunnah. In connection with tradition and history, the supplementary sciences are biography, dealing mainly with the lives of illustrious men and of the Companions, knowledge of the trustworthy transmitters of traditions and their peculiarities, in order to distinguish between weak (daif) and strong (qawi) traditions, and of their ages in order to differentiate between those traditions whose chain of authorities is incomplete or lacking (mursal) and those whose chain of authorities is incomplete goes back to the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) (musnad), as well as knowledge of whatever is connected with it. These then are the Shariyah sciences. Not only are they all praiseworthy, but they also belong to the category of the fard kifayah. But should one inquire saying: Why have you appended jurisprudence to secular sciences and grouped jurisprudents among secular scholars? Let me tell you that Allah made Adam from earth and his offspring from clay and running water. He brought them out from loins to womb, then to life, and finally to the grave; from the grave He raised them to judgment and from there to Paradise or to Hell Fire. Such was, therefore, their beginning, such their end, and such their abodes. Furthermore, Allah created this world in preparation for the Hereafter in order to gather suitable provisions therefrom. If these provisions were gathered justly, dissensions would have ceased and the jurisprudents would have become idle, but since men have with greed gathered their provisions, dissensions ensued and consequently the need for a magistrate to rule them arose. In turn the magistrate felt the need for a canon with which to govern the people. It is the jurisprudent, though, who has the knowledge of the rules of government and the methods of mediation between the people whenever, because of their greed, they contend. He thus becomes the teacher of the magistrates and their guide in government and control, that through their righteousness the affairs of men in this world may be set in order. Upon my life I declare that jurisprudence is also connected with religion, not directly but indirectly through the affairs of this world, because this world is the preparation for the Hereafter, and there is no religion without it. Furthermore, the state and religion are twins. Religion is the foundation while the state is the guard. That which has no foundation will certainly crumble and that which has no guard is lost. Without the magistrates there is neither government nor control, and the correct way to settle dissensions is through law. And as government by magistrates does not belong primarily to the science of religion but is an adjunt to that without which there is not religion, so is the knowledge of the manner of government. Thus it is well known that it is not possible to carry out the pilgrimage without the protection of an escort of Bedouins along the route. But the pilgrimage itself is one thing, setting out on the road to pilgrimage is another, policing the route without which it is not possible to perform the pilgrimage is still another, and knowledge of the manner of policing the route with all its rules and regulations is again another. The result of jurisprudence is knowledge of the methods of government and control. This is attested by a Tradition whose chain of authorities goes back to the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him), namely: People will not be judged except by three: a governor, a deputy and an intruder. The governor is the Imam (the Imams have always been the judges); the deputy is his lieutenant, while anyone else is an intruder who undertakes that responsibility without there being any need for him to do so. As a matter of fact it was the custom of the Companions to avoid giving legal opinions to the extent that each was in the habit of referring (the question) to his colleague, although they did not avoid answering questions relative to the science of the Koran and the Path to the Hereafter. In some recessions (the word) hypocrite (appears) instead of the word intruder, (and rightly so) because anyone who, without any special need, undertakes the responsibility of giving legal opinions does so for the sake of acquiring position and wealth. If you agree to this, the same will hold true in connection with the rules of invalidating testimonies, restrictive ordinances, indemnities and settling feuds; but it will not hold true in respect to what falls under the Quarter of the Acts of Worship such as fasting and prayer, nor in respect to what the Customs of Life entail of civil and legal matters such as determining the lawful and the unlawful. You should, therefore, know that what the jurisprudent comes nearest discussing under works which pertain to the Hereafter are four: Islam, prayer, almsgiving, (doing) what is lawful and abstaining (from) what is unlawful. But when you examine how far the jurisprudents speculation goes into these four you will find that it does not go beyond the limits of this world into the next. If then you realize this limitation in respect to these four it becomes to you more evident in others besides. Concerning Islam the jurisprudent discourses on what renders it sound or unsound as well as on its conditions, but only pays attention to outward confession. The heart, however, is removed from his domain because the Messenger set apart from the jurisprudent those who wield the sword and those in whose hand the reins of temporal power lie. This the Messenger did when he said to the man who had killed another because the latter had recited the confession of faith giving for a reason his fear of the sword, Have you examined his heart? The jurisprudent also determines with the aid of the sword the soundness of (ones) Islam, although he knows that the sword can neither reveal to him the intentions (of the individual) nor remove from his heart the veil of ignorance and bewilderment. He is, however, a counselor to him who wields the sword. Since the sword can reach the (individuals) neck, and the hand his possessions, repeating the confession of faith with the tongue protects his life and possessions as long as he has either in this world. For this reason the Prophet said; I was ordered to fight people until they say, There is no Allah but Allah. When they say this they render their lives and possessions immune against my hand. He thus confined the efficacy (of verbal confession) to life and possessions; but in the Hereafter mere words do not avail only the illumination of the hearts (by the divine light), their secret thoughts, and their sincerity do avail. These, however, do not fall within the field of jurisprudence, although the jurisprudent may delve into them as he might also delve into theology and medicine, both of which are outside his field. Concerning prayer, the jurisprudent is entitled to give his opinion as to whether or not it has been correctly performed in accordance with the prescribed regulations, regardless of the fact that (the worship), from the beginning to the end, might not have paid attention to any part of his prayer except the magnificent (takbir), but has instead busied himself in going over his market transactions. Such a prayer is of no use for the Hereafter just as verbal confession of Islam is also of no use. Nevertheless, the jurisprudent does not pass judgment regarding its soundness, namely, whether or not the worshiper has, in what he has performed, fulfilled the requirements of the law and has thereby rendered himself immune to execution and punishment. To (the subject of) submitting and presenting the heart to Allah, however, both of which are works pertaining to the Hereafter and through which works are rendered efficacious, the jurisprudent does not address himself; and in case he does, he oversteps his bounds. Concerning almsgiving, the jurisprudent examines what satisfies the demand of the magistrate so that, in the event that the payment of the alms is withheld and, consequently, the magistrate exacts it by force, the jurisprudent then rules that the responsibility of the magistrate has been fulfilled. It is related that Abu Yusef, the judge, was in the habit of giving away all his income to his wife at the end of each year and in turn making her give away hers to him in order to avoid the payment of alms. On being informed of it, Abu Hanifah declared that this was the result of Abu Yusefs (versatility in) jurisprudence; and Abu Hanifah was right because such a thing is the result of worldly wisdom. Nevertheless, its harm in the Hereafter outweighs every benefit (it may yield in this world). Moreover, such knowledge is harmful. Concerning the lawful and the unlawful, abstinence from the latter is a part of religion. Piety, moreover, has four grades. The first is that piety which is required for just testimony and the relinquishing of that which disqualifies man to bear witness before a court, or to be a judge or to act as governor. It consists, in other words, in avoiding all that is clearly unlawful. The second is the piety of honest men which guards against dubiosities which engender ambiguous and misleading interpretations. Thus the Prophet said: Discard that which is dubious for that which is indubious. He also said: Sin is heart alluring. The third is the piety of the godly which entails desisting from perfectly lawful deeds for fear that may lead to deeds which are unlawful. In this connection the Prophet said: No man will be numbered among the godly unless he is inclined to avoid what is harmless for fear of what is harmful. Of such is the reluctance to discuss the affairs of people lest one be drawn into backbiting, and the abstinence from eating and drinking of things which when the appetite lest that should stimulate passion and lust which lead a man to commit that which is forbidden. The fourth is the piety of the saints which shuns all things but Allah for fear of expending one single hour of life in things which, although it is clear and certain that they lead to nothing unlawful, do not help to bring the individual nearer to Allah. All these grades (of piety), except the first, namely the piety of witnesses and judges as well as what militates against justice, are outside the domain of the jurisprudent. Furthermore, to comply with the requirements of this first grade of piety does not preclude sin being punished in the Hereafter. The Prophet said to Wabisah: Consult your own heart although you have been given a dispensation once, twice or thrice. The jurisprudent does not, and should not, express an opinion regarding the things which allure and perplex the heart, or how to deal with them, but confines his opinion to those things which militate against justice. Hence the entire scope of the jurisprudents domain is limited to the affairs of this world which pave the road to the Hereafter. Should he then tough upon the attributes of the heart and the rules of the Hereafter, he does so as an intruder just as he would be whenever anything relative to medicine, arithmetic, astronomy and theology confront him. The same is true of philosophy in relation to syntax or poetry. Sufyan al-Thawri, an authority in esoteric knowledge, used to say that the study of this (science) is not among the provisions for the Hereafter. How could it be when it is agreed that the value of knowledge is acting according to its precepts? Is it possible, therefore, to hold as provisions for the Hereafter the knowledge of the forms that divorce might take, either zihar or by lian, of contracts involving immediate payment of the price and admitting delay in the delivery of the article purchased (salam) of hire, rental, and lease (ijarah), and of money changing (sarf)? Anyone who acquires the knowledge of these things, hoping to draw nearer to Allah, would certainly be mad. Indeed, nothing but engaging body and soul in the service of Allah and His worship would draw people nearer to Allah; and nobility lies in knowing how to accomplish these deeds. If you should say; Why have you regarded medicine and jurisprudence in the same way when medicine pertains to the affairs of this world, namely, the welfare of the body, while upon jurisprudence in the same way when medicine pertains to the affairs of this world, namely, the welfare of the body, while upon jurisprudence depends the welfare of religion; and furthermore does not this equal regard of the two violate the public consensus of opinion among all Muslims? Then know that such a treatment is not necessary and in fact the two sciences differ. Jurisprudence is superior to medicine on three counts: first, because it is sacred knowledge, and, unlike medicine, which is not sacred knowledge, jurisprudence is derived from prophecy; second, it is superior to medicine because no one of those who are treading the road to the Hereafter can do without it, neither the healthy nor the sick; while on the other hand only the sick, who are a minority, need medicine; thirdly, because jurisprudence is akin to the science of the road of the Hereafter, being a study of the works or the senses. The origin of these works as well as their source lies in the attributes of the heart. Thus praiseworthy works are the result of praiseworthy characters (endowed with) saving (grace) in the Hereafter; similarly, the blameworthy works are the result of blameworthy characters. The connection between the senses and the heart is thus clear. Health and disease, however, result from certain qualities in the humors characteristic of the body, not of the heart. No matter how often jurisprudence is compared with medicine, the superiority of the former is evident. Similarly, whenever the science of the road to the Hereafter is compared with jurisprudence, the superiority of the former is evident. If you should say: Explain to me the science of the road to the Hereafter in such a manner as will bring out its outline if the enquiry into its details is not possible, know, then, that it is divided into two parts: the science of revelation and the science of practical religion. The first part, namely the science of revelation is the science of esoteric which is the goal of all sciences. One of the Gnostics said: I fear that whoever should lack a portion of that science would come to an evil end. The least portion of the science of revelation is believing in it and placing it in the hands of those worthy of it. Another said: Whoever has these two characteristics, heresy and pride, will never be blessed with any of this science. It was also said: Whoever (loves Allah succeeds, but) whoever loves this world and persists in his desires will not attain the science of revelation, though he might attain the other sciences. The least punishment which the person who denies revelations will suffer is that he will not be blessed with any of its gifts. Furthermore, the science of revelation is the science concerned with the saints and the favorites of Allah. It stands for a light which shines in the heart when it is cleansed and purified of its blameworthy qualities. Through this light is revealed the truth of several things, whose names have hitherto often been heard, and to which ambiguous and obscure meanings have been attached. Through it, these truths are clarified until the true knowledge of the essence of Allah is attained together with that of His eternal and perfect attributes, His works and wisdom in the creation of this world and the Hereafter as well as the reason for His exalting the latter over the former. Through it also is obtained the knowledge of the meaning of prophecy and prophet and the import of revelation. Through it is obtained the knowledge of the meaning of prophecy and prophet and the import of revelation. Through it is obtained the truth about Satan, the meaning of the words angels and devils, and the cause of the enmity between Satan and man. Through it is known how the Angel appeared to the prophets and how they received the divine revelation. Through it is achieved the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven and earth, as well as the knowledge of the heart and how the angelic hosts have confronted the devils. Through it is gained the knowledge of how to distinguish between the company of heaven and the company of the Devil, a knowledge of the Hereafter, Paradise, and Hell Fire, the punishment of the grave, the bridge (al sirat) across the infernal Fire, the Balance of the Judgment Day, and knowledge of the Day of Reckoning. Through it also is comprehended the meaning of the following words of Allah: Read your book! Today your soul suffices you as a reckoner. (Chapter 17 verse 15) and: indeed the Hereafter is the life (Chapter 29 verse 64). Through this same light is revealed the meanings of meeting Allah and seeing His gracious face; the meaning of being close to Him and of occupying a place in His gracious face; the meaning of being close to Him and of occupying a place in His proximity; the meaning of attaining happiness through communion with the heavenly hosts and association with the angels and the prophets. Through it also the distinction between the ranks of the people in the different heavens is determined until they see one another in the same way as the Planet Venus is seen in the midst of the heavens. Many other things which would require a great deal of time to explain because people, once they accept they accept them in principle, take different stands with regard to their significations, are also determined through this light. Thus, some would regard all these as mere examples holding that the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man that which Allah has prepared for His righteous servants, and that man knows nothing of Paradise except its attributes and names; others hold that some are mere patterns and some are identical with the realities which their names signify. Likewise others hold that the limit to which our knowledge of Allah can reach is to admit the inability to know Him. There are some also who claim great things on (the subject) of knowing Allah while others say that we cannot go beyond what all the common people have reached, namely, that Allah is, that He is omniscient and omnipotent, that He sees and hears, and that He speaks. We, therefore, mean by the science of revelation (that science whereby) the cover is removed so that the truth regarding these things becomes as clear as if it were seen by the eye, leaving thereby no room for any doubt. Man would, by himself, be capable of such a thing had not the rust and rot resulting from the filth of this world accumulated over the surface of the mirror of his heart. By the science of the road of the Hereafter we mean the knowledge of how to remove from the surface of this mirror that filth which bars the knowing of Allah, His attributes, and His works. The mirror is cleansed and purified by desisting from lust and emulating the prophets in all their states. Thus to whatever extent the heart is cleansed and made to face the truth, to that same extent will reflect His reality. But there is no way to this except through discipline (which will be discussed in its proper places), learning, and instruction. These sciences are not recorded in books and are not discussed by him whom Allah has blessed with any of them except among his own circle of intimates who partake with him of them through discourses and secret communication. This last method is nothing but the occult science which the Prophet had in mind when he said: Indeed of knowledge is a branch that resembles a hidden thing: no one grasps it except those who know Allah: whenever they declare it no one fails to recognize it except those who do not know Allah. Despise not, therefore, a learned man whom Allah has blessed with this knowledge because Allah Himself does not despise that man once He has imparted to him that knowledge. The second part, namely, the science of practical religion, is the science of the states of the heart, of which the praiseworthy are fortitude, gratitude, fear, hope, resignation, devotion, piety, contentment, generosity, recognition of ones obligation to Allah under all circumstances, charity, good faith, morality, fellowship, truthfulness and sincerity. To know the truth concerning these states as well as their definitions and the means whereby they are attained, together with their fruits and signs, and tending whatever state has been weakened until it becomes strong again and whatever has disappeared until it reappears, belongs to the science of the Hereafter. On the other hand, the blameworthy, such as the fear of poverty, discontent with ones lot, bitterness, such, rancor, envy, deceit, ambition, the desire to be praised, the passion to live long in this life for the sake of indulgence, pride, hypocrisy, anger, scorn, enmity, hatred, greed, niggardliness, lust, extravagance, frivolity, insolence, exalting the rich and despising the poor, haughtiness, vanity, vaunting, boasting, holding oneself above truth, meddling in things not of ones concern, loquacity, obstinacy, currying favor, adulation, conceit, being occupied with other peoples shortcomings, the vanishing of grief from the heart and the departure of fear of Allah from it, extreme self pity whenever in affliction, lukewarm support for truth, outwardly professing friendship and secretly fostering enmity, taking advantage of Allahs patience and long suffering and persisting in taking away (from people) what Allah has given them, trusting only in obedience, trickery, dishonesty and fraud, (vain) optimism, cruelty, rudeness, satisfaction in worldly pleasures and dejection at their loss, delight in the company of people and loneliness when they depart, harshness, levity, haste, lack of shame and lack of mercy these and many similar qualities of the heart are the seed beds of immoralities and the nursery gardens of turpitudes. The opposite of these, namely the praiseworthy traits, are the fountainhead of all good works. To know the definitions of these traits, the truth concerning each, the means whereby they are attained as well as their fruits and cures comprises the sciences of the Hereafter whose acquisition, according to the legal opinion of the learned men of that science is fard ayn. Whoever should turn away from this knowledge, would, in the Hereafter, be destroyed by the wrath of the King of Kings, just as he who fail to perform the civil duties would, according to the legal opinion of the jurisprudents of this world, be cut down by the sword of the temporal rulers of this world. The judgment of the jurisprudents concerning obligatory ordinances (furud ayn) relates to the welfare of the life in this world, while the judgment of the learned men of the science of the Hereafter relates to the welfare of life in the Hereafter. Thus if a jurisprudent were asked concerning the meaning of any of these terms, as for example: sincerity, or dependence, or precaution against hypocrisy, he would hesitate to express an opinion although every one of these is an obligatory ordinance in whose neglect lies his own destruction in the Hereafter. But should you inquire from him concerning the lian form of divorce or the zihar form, or concerning wager (sabaq) and target shooting he would recite to you volumes of minute details which would never be used or needed; and in the event a need might arise for some of them the community would not lack for someone who could render this service and spare the jurisprudent the trouble and labor of his studies. He thus persists laboring day and night on these details tying to memories and learn them, but the things which are of real importance in religion, he overlooks. Should he, then, be questioned about it, he would say that he had pursued it because it was the science of religion and also a fard kifayah, confusing thereby, himself and others by these excuses. The intelligent person knows that if, in performing the fard kifayah, the aim of the jurisprudent has been to do the right thing, he should have given precedence to the fard ayn and to several others of the fard kifayah. How many a town has no physician except from among the followers of protected religions (dhimmah) whose testimony, according to the laws of jurisprudence, especially in controversy and polemics. Furthermore, the town is crowded with jurisprudents employed in giving legal opinions and defending cases. Would that I knew why the learned men of religion permit work in activities which are fard kifayah and which have been performed by quite a number of people to the neglect of other fard kifayah activities which have not yet been performed. Could there be any reason for this except that medicine does not lead to management of religious endowments (awqaf), (execution of) wills, possession of the money of orphans, and appointment to judicial and governmental positions through which one exalts himself above his fellow men and fastens his yoke upon his enemies? Indeed the science of religion has been destroyed because the learned men have espoused evil. Allah is, therefore, our help and refuge. May Allah protect us refuge. May Allah protect us from this delusion, displeasing to Him and pleasing to the Devil. The pious among the learned men in esoteric knowledge used to acknowledge the excellence of the learned men in esoteric knowledge (ilm al-batin) and the advocates of the inward knowledge of the heart. The Imam Al ShafiI was in the habit of sitting before Shayban al RaI just as a boy would sit in the school, and would ask concerning one thing or another, to which Shayban would reply: Would one like you ask the advice of this Bedouin? Al ShafiI would say; This agrees with what we already know. Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Main used to call upon Maruf al Kharkhi who, in esoteric knowledge (ilm al-zahir) was not their equal; nevertheless, they used to seek his advice. Andy why should they not have done so? Had not the Prophet, when he was asked: What shall we do when we are confronted by something which we cannot find in either the Koran or in the Tradition? said: Ask the honest men among you and guide your affairs by consultation. For that reason it has been said that the learned men of esoteric knowledge are the ornament of the earth and the state, while the learned men of esoteric knowledge are the ornament of heaven and its kingdom. Al Judayd said: Once upon a time my teacher al Sari asked me saying: When you leave my place whose company do you keep? I said: Al muhasibis. To which he replied: Well have you chosen! Follow his learning and culture, but avoid his affectation in speech and his refutation of the theologians. Upon leaving I overheard him say: May Allah make you first a traditionist and then a Sufi rather than a Sufi first and then a traditionist. This is a reference to the fact that he who first acquires versatility in tradition and learning and then turns to Sufism comes off well, he who takes to Sufism before learning exposes himself to danger. Should you say: Why did you in your classification of the sciences make no mention of theology and philosophy and not show whether they are blameworthy or praiseworthy? The know all that theology offers in the way of useful evidence is contained in the Koran and Sunnah (traditions). Whatever evidence is not contained therein is either reprehensible argumentation (which, as will be seen, is an innovation), or mere wrangling by dwelling on distinctions or amplification through the array of different opinions, most of which are drivel and nonsense, despised by the mind and rejected by the ears, while others are rumbling into things unrelated to Religion and not customary during the first period of Islam. To enter into such discussions at all was then regarded heresy, but things have now changed. Innovations which turn people from the dictates of the Koran and the tradition have arisen and a group has emerged who made imitations of the Book and the Hadith and based upon it false speculation, so that certain dangerous things have necessarily become permissible; they have even become as binding as the fard kifayah. To such an extent would an innovator go whenever he purposes to preach a heresy. We shall discuss this briefly in the following chapter. As to philosophy, it is not in itself a single branch of science but comprises four: The first: This includes geometry and arithmetic, both of which are, as has already been said, permissible and no one is barred from them except the person who might be old by their study to blameworthy sciences, for most of those who practice them have stepped over to innovations. Thus the weak are barred from the study of geometry and arithmetic just as the boy is barred from the bank of the river lest he should fall into the water, and as the newly converted Muslim is kept away from company of unbelievers for fear he might be influenced by them. In this last case not even the strong is called upon to mix with the unbelievers. The second: This is logic, which is the study of the nature of evidence and its conditions as well as the nature of a definition and its conditions. Both of these are included under theology. The third: This is divinity, which is the science of the begin and attributes of Allah. This is also included under theology. Furthermore, the philosophers have not, in their philosophy, developed another type of science, but have branched out into several schools, of which some are systems of unbelief and others of innovation. Thus just as the Mutazilite system does not in itself represent a branch of science, but its protagonists, as a group of theologians and specialists in the art of philosophical disputation, have been distinguished by their erroneous views, so are the philosophers. The fourth: This is physics of which some parts contradict the law and the true Religion, and are therefore folly. These are not science that they may be classified under sciences. Others are a study of the qualities of the different substances, their properties, transmutation and change. This part resembles the researches of physicians, except the physician studies the human body, particularly the cause of its diseases and cure, while the physicists study all substances from the standpoint of change and motion. Medicine however, is superior to physics because the former is needed while the latter is no need. The Virtues of the Scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence The Jurisprudents who are the spokesmen of the science of jurisprudence and the leaders of men, namely, those whose school claims the greatest following, are five: Al ShafiI, Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Hanifah and Sufyan Al Thawri, (may Allah have mercy upon them) each one of them was a worshiper of Allah, an ascetic, a learned man versed in the science of the Hereafter, a jurisprudent well informed in the affairs of men in this world, and a devotee to the knowledge of Allahs face. That Al Imam Al ShafiI (may Allah have mercy upon him) was a devout worshiper of Allah is shown by what has been related concerning him, namely that he divided the night into three parts: one part for study, one part for prayer and one part for sleeping. Al Rabia said: Al ShafiI used to complete reading the Koran in Ramadan 60 times while standing to pray. With regard to his asceticism, Al ShafiI said, Whoever should claim that he has in his heart the love of this world as well as the love of his Creator, the same has lied. Al-Humaydi related that one day Al ShafiI set out for al-Yaman in the company of some of the governors. With 10,000 Dirhams he made his way to Makkah where a tent was pitched for him just outside the city and the people came out to see him. He did not leave until he had distributed all among his visitors. Furthermore the strength of Al Shafiis ascetism, the intensity of his fear of Allah, and the concentration of his efforts on the Hereafter are manifest from a report that when Sufyan ibn Ouyena narrated a Hadith about mystical sciences (al-raqaiq) in his presence he fell unconscious and those present thought that he had died. Sufyan thereupon said if he should die, the most excellent man of the age would have passed away. That Al ShafiI was familiar with the secrets of the hearts and learned in the sciences of the Hereafter would be made known to you through the wise sayings ascribed to him. It has been reported that once he was asked about hypocrisy, he responded intuitively: Hypocrisy is a golden apple which passion has placed before the eyes of the learned who, through the poor judgment of their impulsive hearts, cast covetous eyes upon it, and thereby their works were frustrated. Al ShafiI (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: If you fear the people praising your goods deeds, then seek the pleasure of Allah and the reward you desire, the punishment you fear and the strength you would be grateful for, and the trial you would remember, so when you think about any one of these you would see how small your deeds really are. That through jurisprudence in particular, and debates centering around the same subject in general, Al ShafiI had sought nothing but the face of Allah is revealed by the following, which it has been reported that he said: I had hoped that men would benefit by this science and that none of the benefits would be attributed to me. It can be seen how he realized what a curse it was to seek knowledge in order to obtain prestige and how he had been completely above such considerations. As to Al Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) he was too adorned with those five characteristics. It is reported that he was once asked, O Malik, what do you say of seeking knowledge? He replied: It is fair and beautiful, but find what you need from the time you open your eyes in the morning to the time you close them in the evening and confine yourself to it. He was so emphatic in exalting the science of religion that whenever he sat down to discourse on tradition, he would first perform his ablutions, sit on his bed, comb his hair, perfume himself, settle down with stateliness and dignity, and then proceed with the discourse. When asked about it, he answered: I like to exalt the traditions of the Messenger of Allah. With regard to his asceticism, it is attested by the report that al Mahdi the prince of the believers, had once asked Malik saying: Have you any home of your own? Malik replied: No! But listen and I shall relate to you. I heard Rabiah ibn abi Abd al Rahman say, Mans home is his ancestry. At another time al Rashid asked him the same question and on his answering, No. The Caliph gave him three thousand Dinars and said: Go buy with this a home. Malik took the money but did not spend it. When later al Rashid was preparing to return to Baghdad he said to Malik: You should come along with us because we have decided to make the people follow the Muwatta (Maliks tradition) as Uthman made the people follow the Koran. Malik replied: There is no way to make the people follow the Muwatta because of the death of the Messenger of Allah, his Companions were dispersed around the different countries and in each place they related the traditions, (which they knew) and consequently among the people of each individual country different Hadiths prevail. Furthermore the Prophet said: Non-conformity among my people is a gift of mercy. It is also not possible to go along with you because the Messenger of Allah said: If they would only understand they would know that Al Madinah is best for them. And again Al Madinah does away with its corruption just as the furnace does away with the dross of the iron. Therefore here are your Dinars just as you have given them to me; you may take them and if you wish you may leave them. Does this mean that you require me to leave Al Madinah in return for what you have given me? Know that I prefer nothing to the City of the Messenger of Allah, not even the whole world. That through his knowledge he sought the face of Allah and that he despised this world are attested by the following report. He said: Once upon a time as I entered upon Harun al Rashid, the Caliph told me, O Abu Abd Allah! You should frequent our place so that our sons may learn from you the Muwatta. To which I replied: May Allah exalt my lord the prince! You my lord are the source of this knowledge. If you honor it, it will be exalted, and if you dishonor it, it will be despised. Furthermore, knowledge is something you achieve, not something you receive. Thereupon Harun al Rashid said, You are right. And turning to his son added, Go out to the mosque and join the audience with the people. As to About Hanifah, he too was a worshiper of Allah and an ascetic who knew Allah, had His fear in his heart and sought through his knowledge Allahs face. That he was a worshiper of Allah is evidenced by a report transmitted on the authority of Ibn al Mubarak who said that two things were characteristic of Abu Hanifah, manliness and much prayer. Hammad ibn abi Sulayman reported that he was in the habit of spending the whole night in prayer. According to another report it was his custom to spend half the night in prayer until one day, as he was walking through a street, a certain person pointed to him and said to a companion, This is he who spend the whole of the night in prayer. From that day on, he spent the whole night in prayer and said: I will be ashamed before Allah to be described with something I do not possess in connection with my worship of Him. As to his ascetism, it has been reported that al Rabi ibn Asim once said, I was sent by Yazid ibn Umar ibn Hubayrah to summon Abu Hanifah before him. On his appearing, Yazid offered him the position of governor of the treasury, but Abu Hanifah declined the offer and consequently Yazid had him scourged with twenty lashes. It can be seen how he had run away from the office of governor of the treasury and bore the torture instead. Al Hakam ibn Hisham al Thaqafi said that he had once, while in Damascus, related a tradition to the effect that Abu Hanifah was one of the most honest men and that the governor had wanted him to take charge of the keys of the treasury or be scourged if he refused, but Abu Hanifah would have nothing of that, preferring torture at the hands of the governor to torture at the hands of Allah. It was also reported on the authority of Mohammad ibn Shuja, on the authority of one of his companions, that Abu Hanifah was once told: The prince of the believers, Abu Jafar al Mansur, has ordered that the sum of ten thousand Dirhams be paid to you. Abu Hanifah, however, would not consent to it and on the day on which the sum was expected to be delivered, he performed the morning prayer, wrapped himself with his cloak and sat in silence. Presently the messenger of Al Hasan ibn Qahtabah arrived with the money and appeared before Abu Hanifah, but the latter would not speak to him. Then some of those present explained to Al Hasan that it was Abu Hanifahs custom to act like that. Thereupon Al Hasan ordered that the bag containing the money be placed in one of the corners of the house, and left. Abu Hanifah then willed the contents of his house and told his son that, upon his death, his son should take the bag which contained the money to Al Hasan ibn Qatabah and tell him to take back his money which he had deposited with Abu Hanifah. When his son delivered the money to Al Hasan, the latter exclaimed: May the mercy of Allah be upon your father, indeed he has been zealous over his religion. It was also related that Abu Hanifah had also been invited to fill the position of chief judge but he declined saying: I am not qualified for this post. Asked why he thought so, he replied, If I were to be honest (about it I would know and say that) I am not qualified for the job; if on the other hand I were to lie, I might say I was qualified; but a liar is not fit for the judgeship. Abu Hanifahs knowledge of the things of the Hereafter and his concern with the weighty matters of religion as well as knowing Allah are attested to by his deep fear of Allah and by his ascetism. In this connection Ibn Jurayj had said: It was reported to me that this Kufian friend of yours, Al Numan ibn Thabit, fears Allah very much. Sharik al Nakhaj had said that Abu Hanifah spent long spells in silence and contemplation and conversed little with men. These are among the clearest signs of inward knowledge and the concern with the weighty matters of religion, because whoever has been blessed with silence and ascetism would receive all knowledge as well. The virtues of Abu Hanifah are, however, too many to be numbered. Had he not been characterized by perseverance in self mortification, and had he not dipped into the sea of contemplation? Had he not throughout a period of forty years performed his morning prayer (having spent all night in continual prayer) on the basis of the evening ablutions? Had he not, also, performed the pilgrimage fifty five times? This is but a small part of the lives of these three Imams. As to Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Sufyan al Thawri, their followers are not as many as those of the three other Imams, and of the two, the followers of Sufyan are the less numerous. Nevertheless, of the five, Ahmad and Sufyan were the best known for piety and ascetism. Since this book is, however, full of the account of their work and words, there is no need to take up their lives in detail at this moment. For the present, examine the lives of these three Imams and ask yourself whether these states, words, and works, through which they forsook the world and devoted themselves to Allah, were merely the result of the knowledge of the several branches of jurisprudence, such as contracts of the type of salam, hire, rental and lease; and the different forms of divorce, namely, zihar, ila and lian; or the result of a higher and nobler knowledge. Scrutinize, too, those who claim to be following the example of these Imams and find out for yourself whether their claim is true or false. Chapter Three On what is popularly considered to be a part of the science of religion, but is (really) not Including a discussion of the circumstances under which some of the sciences would be blameworthy; and on the exposition of how the names of certain sciences, jurisprudence, the science of religion, theology, admonition, and philosophy, have been changed, as well as on showing how much of sacred knowledge is praiseworthy and how much is blameworthy. Be advised then that knowledge is not held to be blameworthy in itself. It is only regarded as such in the eyes of men for one of three reasons. First when it leads to any harm, whether the harm should befall its practicer or someone else besides, for which reason the science of magic and talismans is held blameworthy. Second, a knowledge is blameworthy when it is mostly (fi ghalib al-amr) harmful as, for example, astronomy which is not, in itself, blameworthy, because it is of two parts: The first is mathematical (in reference to which) the Koran has pronounced that (by it) the courses of the sun and the moon are reckoned. Thus Allah said: And the sun and the moon (run their courses) according to a (certain) reckoning. (Chapter 55 verse 4) And again: And as for the moon, We decreed stations for it, till it changes like an old and crooked palm branch. (Chapter 36 verse 39) The second is astrology (ahkam) the gist of which is that (future) events are indicated by present causes. This is similar to how a physician is guided by the patients pulse to predict the future development of a disease. Astrology is therefore an attempt to know the course of the laws and ordinances of Allah relative to His creatures. But the law has declared it blameworthy. Thus the Prophet said: Whenever the decrees of Allah are mentioned, withhold from discussing them; whenever the stars are mention, desist from talk; and when my Companions are mention, refrain from any gossip. He warned against it for three reasons; first because it is harmful to most people, since if they were told that these results would ensure consequent upon the course of the stars, they might think that it is the stars which influence the course of events and are also the gods who direct the world. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the stars are glorious celestial bodies and awe inspiring to the hearts, the hearts of mankind would naturally become focused upon them and would see both good and evil required or forbidden by the stars with the result that the Name of Allah would be erased from the heart. The feeble minded one does not look beyond the means, and only the learned man who is well grounded in knowledge would understand that the sun, moon, and the stars are subject to the will of Allah. A second reason is that astrology is purely guess work and in the opinion of the average man, (the influence of the stars) is not determined either with certainty or even probability. Pronouncements in connection with it are the result of ignorance. Consequently, astrology has been pronounced blameworthy because of this ignorance, not because it is knowledge. A third reason (for which a kind of knowledge may be pronounced blameworthy) is when the pursuit of that kind of knowledge does not give the practicer any real scientific advantage. Consequently, such knowledge is intrinsically blameworthy, as, for example, the study of the trivial science before the important one, and the obscure before the significant, like delving into the divine mysteries which have been pursued by both the philosophers and the theologians; but neither they nor anyone else could (grasp) it in whole or in part except the prophets and the saints. For this reason people should be deterred from delving into these mysteries, and instead, be diverted to pursue those subjects which the law allows, wherein lies sufficiency for the guided. Determining What Names of Sciences Have Been Changed We should also be aware that the source of the confusion of the blameworthy sciences with the sacred is the tampering with, and the changes in, the names of the praiseworthy sciences and the alterations introduced therein, in bad faith, so as to connote other than those which the righteous fathers and the first century Muslims intended. Consequently, five terms, namely, jurisprudence (fiqh), the science of religion (al ilm), theology (tawhid), admonition (tadhkir), and philosophy (hikmah), all names of praiseworthy sciences, whose possessors have held the chief positions in the religious organization, but which now have been altered so that they connote something blameworthy; yet people have become reluctant to condemn those who possess them because of the widespread practice of applying these names to all of them (alike). The first term to be affected was jurisprudence whose meanings has been tampered with not so much by alteration and change but by limitation. It has thus been limited to the knowledge of unusual legal cases, the mastery of the minute details of their origins, excessive disputation on them, and the retention of the different opinions which relate to them. The person who goes more deeply into these things than his colleagues and devotes more time to them than the rest is considered the most versatile in jurisprudence. But in the early period of Islam the term jurisprudence (fiqh) was applied to the science of the path of the Hereafter and the knowledge of the subtle defects of the soul, the influences which render works corrupt, the thorough realization of the inferiority of this life, the urgent expectation of bliss in the Hereafter, and the domination of fear over the heart. This is indicated by the words of Allah when He said: to become learned in Religion, and to warn their people when they return back to them (Chapter 9 verse122) Jurisprudence is, therefore, that which brings about such a warning and such fear rather than details of ordinary divorce or divorcee through lian, or manumission (ataq), salam contracts, and hire, rental, and lease (ijarah), which produce neither warning nor fear. On the contrary, to devote oneself exclusively to these things hardens the heart and removes from it all fear which is exactly what we see now in those who have so devoted themselves. Allah thus said: they have hearts but they do not understand with them (Chapter 7 verse 179) having had in mind the meaning of belief, not of legal opinions. The Prophet said: Shall I tell you who is the profoundly discerning man? They answered: Yes. Thereupon he said; The profoundly discerning man is he who has not induced people to despair of the mercy of Allah; nor made them feel safe (rather than urge them to repent) during the period of respite which Allah, out of patience, gives to mankind, nor made them lose hope in the spirit of Allah; nor discarded the Koran in favor of something else. The second term to have been altered is the science of religion (al-ilm) which used to be applied to the knowledge of Allah, His miracles, and His works among His servants and creatures. When, therefore, the Caliph Umar died, Ibn Musud exclaimed: Indeed nine tenths of the science of religion (al-ilm) has passed away. He thus designated this knowledge as the science, using the definite articles, and then explained it as the knowledge of Allah. Yet people used the term freely and altered its meaning by restriction until it became more commonly applied to those who debate cases of jurisprudence and the like with adversaries and are dubbed learned in the truth, versatile in knowledge. The third term (to suffer alteration) was theology (tawhid) which has now become equivalent to scholastic theology (sinaat al-kalam), the knowledge of the methods of argumentation, the manner of confounding adversaries, and the ability to be diffuse in speech by means of asking too many questions, raising doubts, and formulating requisites, to an extent that some of those groups have gone so far as to call themselves The People of Equity and Unity (ahl al-adl w-al-tawhid) while the scholastic theologians were called the learned men of religion although nothing of the tenets of men of religion although nothing of the tents of their profession was known during the early period of Islam. On the contrary (the learned men at the time) condemned very strongly anyone who would take to disputation and contention. As to the evident proofs which the mind accepts immediately on hearing and which are contained in the Koran, they have been known to all. Knowledge of the Koran was all knowledge while theology (tawhid) signified something else which was beyond the comprehension of most scholastic theologians, and which, when they comprehended it, they were not called after its name. Theology was then the belief that all things come from Allah, a belief which ruled out all intermediary causes (al-asbab w-al-wasait). Both good and evil would then be seen as coming from Allah. Theology (tawhid) is, therefore, like a precious fruit which is encased in two successive husks. (Obviously) the outer husk is farther from the pith than the inner husk. People have thus applied the term (theology) exclusively to the husks which encase the pith, as well as the t heir protection, and have entirely ignored the pith itself. The out husk represents the verbal profession that there is no Allah but Allah, which profession is called monotheism in contradistinction to the Trinitarians the Christians profess. Such a profession, however, may come from the lips of ahypocrite whose secret thoughts contradict his open declaration. The inner husk represents the state wherein the heart neither opposes nor denies the express meaning of this statement, but rather the outward expression of the heart represents its belief and acceptance of that belief. This the monotheism which the common folk profess. The third part is the pith itself. It represents the belief that all things come from Allah, a belief which rules out any consideration of instrumentalities and implies worshiping Him and no other thing besides Him. The fourth term to be altered was the science of invocation (dihkr) and admonition (tadhkir). Allah said: And remind them, surely remembrance benefits the believers. (Chapter 51 verse 55) Several traditions commending the assemblies of invocation (dihkr) have been passed down to use, as, for instance, the words of the Prophet when he said; When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, stop and enjoy yourselves. On being asked what the gardens of Paradise were, he replied, The assemblies of invocation. And again in the following tradition: indeed, other than the guardian angels, Allah has rover angels (sayyahan) who roam the earth looking for the assemblies of invocation (dihkr). On locating an assembly they beckon one another saying: Come to your goal. Then the rover angels gather around these assemblies and hear the words: O you remember Allah and give warning to one another. The practice has been altered in favour of story telling, recital of poems, ecstatic utterances (shath) and heresies (tammat), the things which contemporary preachers persist in doing. As to story telling, it is an innovation; in fact our fathers have warner against attending the circles of story tellers saying that it was not the custom either at the time of the Messenger of Allah or the times of Abu Bakr and Umar. It was not until the appearance of heresy that they made their appearance. Unfortunately, however, those who are in the habit of embellishing their speech with lies have taken these traditions as means of justification for themselves and have appropriated the name warning (tadhkir) for their fables thus forgetting the right path of praiseworthy invocation (dihkr) and spending their time in recounting tales which are subject to variations, accretions, and deletions, and which deviate from the stories which occur in the Koran and go beyond them. Some of the tales are good to hear while others are harmful in spite of the fact that they may be true. Whoever would go after this practice would no longer be able to distinguish truth from lies and what is good from that which is harmful. As to poetry, its generous use in sermons is blameworthy. Allah said: And the poets, only the erring people follow them; Do you not see how they wander in every way? (Chapter 27 verse 224 & 225). And Allah High Exalted said: And We have not taught him poetry, it is not befitting for him. (Chapter 36 verse 69) Furthermore, most of the poetry with which the preachers are familiar and which they are accustomed to repeat in their sermons pertain to claims of being in love, the beauty of the beloved, the joys of union with him, and pains of separation; while the assembly comprises no one but the crude among the common folk whose minds are saturated with lust and their eyes never cease from staring at fair faces. Their poetry inspires nothing in their hearts except that which their hearts already conceal, and enkindles therein the flames of lust. Consequently they begin to shriek and make a show of their love. Most of this, if not all, is a result of a certain kind of corruption. Therefore no poetry should be used unless it contains a moral or a wise saying and should only be used as evidence or for example. By ecstatic utterances we mean two types of speech evolved by some of the Sufis. The first comprises long pretentious claims of excessive love (ishq) of Allah and of union (wisal) which renders outward deeds superfluous until some have asserted oneness (ittihad) with Allah, the removal of the veil (hijab), seeing (mushahadah) Him with the eye (ruyah), and mouth to mouth conversation. They thus say that they were told such and such and that they have said such and such and imitate thereby al Husayn ibn Mansur al Hallaj who was crucified for letting slip from his lips certain words of this type, and cite as an example his saying: I am the Truth. (Anal Haqq). The second type of ecstatic utterances comprises unintelligible words with pleasing externals of which some, though awesome, are useless. They may be of two kinds: the first and more common comprises words unintelligible to the author who utters them because of the perplexity in his own mind and the confusion in his imagination resulting from his ignorance of the exact meaning of the words which he hears; while the seconds represents words which may be intelligible to their author who, however, because of his insufficient practice in science and his lack of instruction in rhetoric, is unable to convey them to others through language which can express his thoughts. As to heresies (tammat), they comprise, besides what we have already mentioned under the ecstatic utterances (shath), another thing characteristic of them, namely, the dismissal of the obvious and literal meaning of words in favor of an esoteric interpretation of worthless value such as the Batinite method of interpretation which is unlawful and of great harm. An example of the interpretations put forward by those heretics may be seen in the assertion of one of them that in the verse where Allah addresses Moses saying: Go to Pharaoh, truly he is a tyrant (Chapter 79 verse 17) the word Pharaoh stands for the heart of Moses, the heart being the trespasser against every man. Again when Allah said to Moses: Cast down your staff. (Chapter 27 verse 10), the word staff is asserted to represent anything besides Allah on which man may depend (and in which he may place his trust), and should therefore be cast away. The fifth term to have been altered is wisdom (hikmah), since we see that it has now become customary to apply the word wise (hakim) equally to the physician, the poet, the astrologer, and even to the one who reads fortunes for the peasants who squat on the street corners. Wisdom, however, is that which Allah commended when he said: He bestows wisdom upon whoever He pleases and whoever has wisdom bestowed upon him indeed has been endowed with a bounty overflowing (Chapter2 verse 269) The Prophet also said: A word of wisdom which man learns is better to him that the world and all that is in it. We see, therefore, what wisdom stood for and to what it has been altered, and examine, in the same way, the other terms. Beware, then, of being deceived by the ambiguities of the teachers of falsehood: their evil influence upon religion is greater than that of Satan. Determining How Much is Praiseworthy (to acquire) of the Praiseworthy Sciences One should know that, in this respect, science is divided into three parts. One part is that whose knowledge is blameworthy whether it be in part or as a whole. Another is that whose partial as well as total knowledge is praiseworthy; in fact the more one acquires of it, the better. Third is that whose knowledge is praiseworthy within a certain limit, that of sufficiency, but beyond that it ceases to the praiseworthy; to go into it deeply is not ???(word is illegible). The part whose partial and total knowledge is blameworthy is that which has no use either in the realm of religion or in the domain of life because its harmfulness exceeds its utility, such as the science of magic, talismans and astrology. The part whose knowledge, even to the limit of thoroughness, is praiseworthy is the science of knowing Allah, His attributes and works as well as His Law which governs His creatures and His Wisdom in ordaining the superiority of the Hereafter to this life. The knowledge of this is incumbent upon mankind both for itself and also for attaining thereby the bliss of the Hereafter. The sciences whose knowledge is praiseworthy up to a certain limit are those which we have already mentioned under the sciences the acquisition of whose knowledge is a fard kifayah. Every one of these sciences has three stages; first limitation (iqtisar) which stage is the primary, second moderation (iqtisad) which is the intermediary, and third thoroughness (istiqsi) which is a sequel to moderation and which goes on and on during the life of the seeker. Be, therefore, on of two, either one who educates himself, or one who concerns himself with the education of others after he has educated himself. Never, however, concern yourself with reforming others before you have first reformed yourself. The one who would spend himself in pursuing what would reform others (while he himself remains unredeemed) is insolent, and how utterly foolish is the man who, when snakes and scorpions have crept beneath his clothes, is busy looking for a whisk with which to drive the flies off from other people, a task which will neither spare nor save him from the attacks of the snakes and scorpions lurking beneath his clothes. Chapter Four On the Reasons Which Induced Men to pursue the Science of Polemics and on Revealing the Evils of Debate and Disputation as well as Stating the Conditions Which Render Them Permissible. After the death of the Messenger of Allah, the caliphate was occupied by the orthodox and guided caliphs who were Imams of righteousness, learned in the science of Allah, His essence and His attributes, versed in His statues, and independent in handing down their legal opinions and decisions. In this they did not seek the aid of jurisprudents except in very rare cases in which consultation was indispensable. They devoted themselves to the science of the Hereafter and used to refer legal questions and all that pertains to human affairs in this world to one another and with their keenest effort, as the accounts of their lives reveal, they followed after Allah. When at their death, the caliphate passed to those who occupied it without either merit or independence in legal opinion and decisions, the caliphs were compelled to seek the aid of jurisprudents and to attach them to themselves on all occasions in order to consult with them on the manner of their judicial decisions. A few learned followers (tabiun), who continued to emulate the orthodox caliphs and persisted in conforming to the dictates of religion, and in following the way of righteous Fathers, were still living. Whenever they were sought (for appointment as judges), they would flee, disdaining (altogether such honour). Consequently the caliphs were compelled to be insistent in their desire to appoint them as judges and to delegate to them the power of government. Contemporaries were thus awakened to the glory of the learned men who, while they paid no attention to the caliphs and governors, were persistently sought by them. As a result these contemporaries turned with their efforts towards knowledge which they hoped to acquire in order to attain power and glory through the solicitation of governors. They bent themselves to the study of the science of legal opinions and offered their services to governors from whom they sought office and rewards. In this some failed while others met success, but those who were successful were not free from the obsequiousness of begging and the servility of indebtedness. Consequently the learned men, after having once been sought, have now become job seekers, and after having once been proud of their indifference to the sultans, have now become obsequious by waiting upon them. (This is true of all) except the few learned men of religion whom Allah has blessed in every age. Subsequently, however, there appeared some distinguished men who deemed it improper to discourse on theology and start a series of debates therein because such a thing would lead to bloodshed and destruction. Instead they preferred to debate in jurisprudence and to point out the more important juridical points in the systems of Al ShafiI and Abu Hanifah in particular. Consequently, men discarded theology and other disciplines of knowledge and pursued especially problems of disagreement between Al ShafiI and Abu Hanifah, while to those between Malik, Sufyan (al Thawri), Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), and others, they paid little attention. Their purpose, they claimed, was to elicit the abstruse points of law, determine the principles of the system, and prepare the bases of legal opinions and decisions. They composed many works on the subject and elicited many points, setting forth therein the different kinds of syllogisms of controversy and enumerating the various works that pertain thereto. Furthermore they still continue to compose at this present time; as to the future, however, we do not know what Allah ordained. This, then, is what induced men to take up nothing but controversies and debate. On the Evils of Debate and the Character Destroying Influences Resulting There from We shall now allude to the major evils which are enkindled by debate. Of these we may enumerate the following. One is envy. The Prophet said: As fire consumes wood so does envy consume goods deeds. The debater persists in envy because at times he overcomes his adversary and at other times he himself is overcome; at times his words are praised and at other times those of his opponent are applauded; and as long as there remains in all the world one known among men for his versatile knowledge and regarded by them more learned than the debater and endowed with keener insight, the debater will inevitably envy him and wish that the favors and admiration which that man enjoys might accrue to him instead. Envy is a consuming fire; its victim is subject to torment in this world while in the world to come his tortures will be more intense and painful. For this reason Ibn Abbas said: Take knowledge wherever you may find it, but accept not the opinion of one jurisprudent concerning another because they are as jealous of one another as the bulls in the cattle-yard. Another is pride and haughtiness. The Prophet said: He who exalts himself is humbled by Allah. The debater persists in exalting himself above his equals and peers and in claiming for himself a station higher than his worth to the extent that he and his colleagues fight over their seats in assembly halls and boast about t he degree of their elevation or lowliness as well as their proximity to, or remoteness from the central seats. Another is rancor from which a debater is hardly ever free. The Prophet said: The believer is free from rancor. Several more traditions have been related in condemnation of rancor and they are well known. Yet we do not know of a debater who is capable of entertaining no rancor against anyone who would nod his head in approval of the words of his adversary, or who, when the latter pauses in the midst of a sentence, would politely wait for him. On the contrary he would, whenever he is confronted with such a situation, entertain and foster rancor in his heart. He may attempt to restrain himself hoping thereby to disguise his feelings; but in most cases he fails as his feelings invariably reveal themselves. How can he refrain from rancor when it is inconceivable that all the audience should unite in favoring his argument and approve all his conclusions and deductions? Furthermore, should his opponent show the least sign of inconsideration about what he is saying, he would entertain for him in his heart a hatred that would last throughout his life. Another is backbiting which was likened by Allah to the eating of carrion. nor backbite each other, would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? (Chapter 49 verse 12) The debater persists in eating carrion and is continually referring to the words of his opponent and traducing him. Because he endeavors to be right in what he says about his opponent, he inevitably cites only what shows the weaknesses of his opponents argument and the flaws in his excellence. Of such is traducing and backbiting, while lying is sheer calumny. The debater, moreover, cannot keep his tongue from attacking the honor of anyone who turns away from him and listens to his opponent. He would even ascribe to him ignorance, foolishness, lack of understanding and stupidity. Another is self-justification. Allah said: therefore do not claim piety for yourselves, He knows best who is pious. (Chapter 53 verse 32) A certain wise man once was asked: What truth is reprehensible? He replied: A mans praising himself (even though it is justified). A debater is never free from praising himself (and boasting) of his power, triumph, and excellence over his peers. In the course of a debate he would repeatedly say: I am fully a ware of all such things, and I am versatile in sciences, of independent judgment in questions of law, and well versed in the knowledge of tradition, and many other assertions besides with which he would sing his own praise, sometimes out of sheer arrogance and at other times out of need to render his words convincing. It is well known that arrogance and self pride are by law and reason condemned. Another is spying and prying into a persons private affairs. Allah said: And do not spy (Chapter 49 verse 12). The debater always seeks to uncover the errors of his peers and continually pries into the private affairs of his opponents. He would, when informed of the arrival in town of another debater, seek someone who could reveal the inside story of the man and would by means of a questionnaire attempt to bare his vices in order to expose and disgrace him whenever the need should arise. He even would inquire about the affairs of his early life and the blemishes of his body in the hope of discovering some defect or disfigurement such as scalp pustule and the like. Should he fear defeat at the hands of his opponent, he would, in the course of the debate, allude to these blemishes, especially if his opponent should remain firm and stand his ground, and would not refrain from being outspoken if he were given to insolence and scorn. Another is to rejoice at the injury of others and feel depressed when they are glad. Anyone who does not desire for his brother Muslim what he desires for himself is far removed from the way of the believers. Thus he who prides himself by parading his excellence is inevitably pleased at the injury of his peers and equals who vie with him for glory. The hatred which exists between them is like that which exists between fellow wives. Just as the one wife would tremble and turn pale at the sight of her fellow wife so would a debater at the sight of another; his color would change and his mind become perplexed as though he had seen a mighty devil or a hungry lion. Another is deception, the evidence of whose blameworthiness (is well known) and need not be enumerated. Debaters are compelled to deception because when they meet their opponents, friends, or followers, they find it necessary to endear themselves to them by saying nice things which they do not mean, by feigning to have been anxious to meet them, and by pretending to be impressed by their station and position, while everyone present as well as the speakers and those to whom they have spoken know that the whole thing is untrue, false, fraudulent, and wicked. They profess their love with their tongues while their hearts seethe with hate. From it all we seek refuge in Allah. The Prophet also said: When people take to knowledge and ignore works, when they profess love to one another with their tongue and nurse hatred in their hearts, and when they sever the ties of relationship which bind them, Allah will visit His wrath upon them and curse them, He will render their tongues mute and their eyes blind. The truth of this tradition, which was related by Al Hasan, has been verified as these conditions which it predicts have been witness and seen. Another is to resist truth and detest it and to persist in disputing it so much so that the most hateful thing to a debater is to see the truth revealed by his opponent; no matter what it may be, he would do his best to refute and deny it and would exert his utmost in deception, trickery and fraud in order to disprove his adversary until contention becomes in him a second nature. He is unable to hear anything without immediately expressing his objection to it. This habit of this would even drive him to dispute the truths of the Koran and the words of tradition and would cause him to cite the one in contradiction of the other. Another is hypocrisy and flattering people in an effort to win their favor and mislead. Hypocrisy is that virulent disease which leads to the gravest of the major sins. The debater wants nothing but to the gravest of the major sins. The debater wants nothing but to put himself forward before people, and to gain their approval and praise. These ten traits are among the greatest secret sins. Others who lack restraint, may engage in controversies leading to the exchange of blows, kicking, boxing, tearing garments, plucking bears, cursing parents, denouncing teachers, and outright slander. Such people, however, are not considered respectable human beings. The prominent and sober among them do not go beyond the preceding ten traits. One may be free of this or that trait with regard to his inferiors or superiors whatever the case may be, or with regard to people outside his community or his sphere of work. Yet in his attitude towards his peers, who are equal to him in position, the debater is guilty of all these traits. Each of these ten traits may give rise to ten other vices which we shall neither discuss nor explain at the present time. They include snobbishness, anger, hatred, greed, the desire to seek money and power in order to attain triumph, boasting, gaiety, arrogance, exalting the wealthy and those in authority as well as frequenting their places and partaking of their unlawful riches, parading with horses, state coaches, and outlawed garments, showing contempt to people by being vain and ostentatious, meddling in the affairs of others, talkativeness, the disappearance of awe, fear and mercy from the heart, absentmindedness to an extent that the worshiper would no longer be aware of what he prayed, or read, or who had communed with him during the prayer. The Third Book The Mysteries of Purity Purity has four levels: The first level is purification from ahdath impurity and refuse. The second level is purification of all the senses from sin. The third level is purification of the heart from immorality and odious depravity. The fourth level is purification of the spirit from all others except Allah Almighty, it is the purification made by the Prophets and the truthful. Chapter One The Purification from Impurities Examining what is related to that which is removed, what removes it and the action of removing it Firstly the matter that is removed: Filth. This is of three types, solid, animal and parts of animals. Solid matter is all pure except intoxicants, and anything which has been brewed or distilled. Animals are all pure except dogs and pigs, and that which is derived from them. If they are dead they are all impure, except five: the human, fish, locusts, and the worm of the apple, this means that any food whose nature has changed, and types of flies and beetles, etc., which do not contaminate water if it has contact with them. Parts of animals are of two kinds: first what is cut from them, this is classified as dead. Hair does not pollute whether cut off or fallen in death, while bones pollute. The second kind is any liquid matter which exudes from inside, so whatever is unchanged or has been stored is pure, such as tears, sweat, saliva, sputum. Whatever is stored and changes is impure, except that which is reproductive material, such as semen and ova. Pus, excrement, and urine are all impure from any kind of animal. The exemption from these impurities, whether great or small, are five: First cleansing by means of a stone after a call of nature, would be sufficient if nothing is passed afterwards. Second is the mud found in the streets and the dust of refuse on the roadways, these are exempt. You should know that if any of these accidentally falls upon your garment then the degree of its impurity is equal to the degree of your attempt to avoid it. The Third is the impure matter which collects on the soles of your shoes from the roadways, it will be sufficient to rub it off. The Fourth is the blood of fleas whether a great or small amount, except where it is excessive, whether upon your clothes or the clothes of another person which you wear. The Fifth is the blood of a boil and what comes out from it of pus. Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had a boil on his face then he rubbed it so some blood issued from it and he prayed without washing. This means that it is confined to the blood which is mixed with pus. This also applies to the blood of the menses. The Shariyahs pardoning the people from these five impurities indicates the facilitation it affords us in everything concerning purity. And whatever has been invented in this regard has no foundation. Secondly: What Removes It: These are either solid or liquid. The solid is for example a stone, this is pure because it has been dried, on condition that it should be solid and completely dry. As for liquid the only liquid which purifies impurity is water, however not all water, but only pure water which has not been mixed with other impurities. What makes water impure; is when it has been polluted by any filth, and you would know this from its taste, color or smell. If it has not changed and its amount is equal to two water skins, it is not polluted. The Prophet said: If the water reaches the amount of two water skins it is not polluted. If it is less than that then it is polluted, according to Al Shafii. As to running water, if it is polluted, then only that part of it which contains the pollutant is impure. Thus water is only impure from where the impurity runs into it, and not before that point. If the flow of the water is stronger than the flow of the impurity, then whatever is above the impurity is pure but what is below it is impure. No matter the amount, except if the two of them are gathered in one container and the amount is less than two water skins. Thirdly the Action of Removing It: If the impurity was something unseen, it will be sufficient to run water all over it. If it was a visible matter then it must be removed. If the taste is unchanged then the matter is still there, if the color remains, except in that which is attached to it, it is exempted, after you have rubbed and brushed it with your hand. If the smell remains this indicates that the matter is still there and it cannot be exempted, except if the matter has a powerful smell which cannot be removed. Rubbing and pressing several times continuously, is similar to rubbing and brushing. The only thing which removes the whispering doubt from your mind is to be aware that all things are created pure, so whatever you do not see of impurity over if, nor do you know of for certain, then you should pray with it without fear. The existence of impurity cannot be guessed at by presumption. Chapter Two The Purity of Ahdath Ablution (al wudu) Ritual Washing of the Whole Body (al ghusl) Dry Ablution (al tayammum) The procedure of Ablution (al wudu) Begin with the siwak. The Prophet said: If it had not been for difficulty I would have made it obligatory for my nation to use the siwak before every prayer. The siwak is preferably used before each prayer, at each ablution and to change the taste of the mouth upon waking or during the fast, or after eating foods which cause an offensive odor. On finishing with the siwak you should sit down to perform the ablution facing the Qibla, saying In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The Prophet said: There is no ablution for anyone who does not begin with In the Name of Allah. This means that there is no complete ablution in the absence of mentioning Allahs Name at the start. And one should also say: My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the prompting of the Satan And I seek refuge in You my Lord from their presence. (Chapter 23 verses 97 & 98) Then one should wash the hands three times and say My Lord I seek Your Blessings, then one should rinse the mouth three times and the nose by putting water into the nose three times and blowing the water out each time, then one should wash the face three times, then wash the arms three times until the elbow, then wipe the top of your head three times with water, then was your feet three times until the ankle. You should always start with the right hand and the right foot. When you have finished you should raise your face to heaven and say: I certify that there is no Allah but Allah and I certify that Mohammad is His servant and Messenger, all praise be to Allah: There is no Allah but You: I have committed sin and been unfair to myself, so I beseech Your forgiveness and I turn to You, so please forgive me, relent toward me, You are the All Relenting, the All Merciful, my Lord, make me of those who turn toward you and make me of those who are purified and of those who are righteous. The procedure of Ritual Washing of the Whole Body (al ghusl) One should begin by mentioning the Name of Allah, then wash ones hands three times, then remove from the body all impurities, then one should wash as one would do for prayer (wudu), then wash the whole body under running water from over the head. It is obligatory to perform ghusl after sexual intercourse, and after the menstrual period in women. These are the ordinances of wudu and ghusl for those who seek the path of the Hereafter. The procedure of Dry Ablution (al tayammum) Whoever does not find water because none is available or too far to fetch or if one is prevented from reaching water, or if the amount of water available is needed for his thirsty companions, or the water belongs to another who will not sell any except at an excessive price, or if one is wounded or ill and fearing that the use of water might harm ones ailment, then you may wait until the time of prayer is due and search for some dry clean dust from a high point, and press both palms of your hands onto the dry pure soft dust and rub your two hands together once, then wipe the face once, and utter the intention to perform wudu, then you should press your hands to the dust again and wipe your right arm until the elbow, then the left until the elbow. Then you may pray the obligatory prayer after which you may perform any voluntary prayer. But if you are going to join two obligatory prayers together, you should perform another dry ablution after the first prayer. Thus each obligatory prayer must have a dry ablution before it. Chapter Three Cleansing Cleansing from Visible Refuse This is two types: Dirt and Parts The first type is dirt and fluid, these are eight: One: What has infested the head such as lice, the cleansing of it is preferable by washing and combing and the application of ointments, and removing the eggs. Two: What has accumulated in the folds of the ears; wiping will remove only what appears of it, but what is inside the ear should be cleaned gently after leaving the bathroom, if it is done too roughly the hearing may be harmed. Three: What has collected in the nose of solids and liquids should be removed by putting water into the nose and cleaning it by expelling the water out. Four: What has built up on the teeth and on the end of the tongue of plaque, should be removed by gargling and by the siwak. Five: What has accumulated in the beard of dirt should be washed and combed. Six: What has accumulated in the folds of the finger joints should be washed. The Arabs used not to wash their hands after food so there was much accumulation of dirt in these areas. For this reason the Prophet commanded them to wash the joints of their fingers. Seven: The cleaning of the fingernails. The Prophet commanded the Arabs to clean their fingernails and to remove what is under them of dirt because it was difficult for them to cut their fingernails, so the Prophet time for them cutting the nails, removing the hair under the arms and shaving the pubic hair every forty days. Eight: The dirt which accumulates upon the body due to sweating and the dust of the road. A bath or shower will remove it. The Second Type: This is what develops on the body from its parts they are eight. One: the hair of the head, it should be shaved for those who wish to be clean, but there is no blame in leaving it long if you keep it clean and care for it. Two: The hair of the moustache, the Prophet said: Trim the moustache and leave the beard. Three; The hair under arms, it is preferable to pull it out every forty days, this is easy for those who are accustomed to it from the beginning, but as for those who are used to shaving it, it is sufficient to shave, it as the pulling is painful. Four: The nails should be cut because they are ugly if left long, and because dirt gathers under them. Six and Seven: The extra skin of the navel and the extra skin of the male organ. As for the navel it should be cut at birth, but as for circumcision it is the custom of the Jews to perform it on the seventh day after birth, we have been commanded not to do as they do, by delaying it until the child grows his first teeth, this is better and avoids any risk. The Prophet said: Circumcision is an ordinance to men and honorable to women. But it should not be taken to excess in cutting too much in women, the Prophet said to Umm Atiyah while she was performing circumcision: O Umm Atiyah, take little and do not do much, this is more pleasant to the face and preferable to the husband. Eight: What grows in excess of the beard, we have delayed talking about the beard so that we can discuss and differentiate between the Sunnah and what is invention. They have differed in regard to what is excess, so they said if a man can clasp his hand around his beard what appears beneath his hand is excess and should be cut, and thus ibn Umar and others have done. Others have said if you leave it, it is much better according to the saying of the Prophet leave the beard. It is, however, much better to trim the beard and shape it well rather than leaving it long giving an untidy appearance which prompts the tongues to backbite. The Fourth Book The Mysteries of Prayer Chapter One Merit of the Call to Prayer (Adhan) The Prophet said, On the Day of Resurrection, three people will find themselves on a ridge of black musk. They will have no reckoning to fear, nor any cause for alarm while human accounts are being settled. First, a man who recites the Koran to please Allah, and who leads the prayer to peoples satisfaction. Secondly, a man who makes the call to prayer in a mosque, inviting people to Allah for the sake of His good pleasure. Third, a man who has a hard time making a living in this world, yet is not distracted from the work of the Hereafter. According to other traditions, the Prophet said: All that hear the call of the Muezzin, whether they are Jinn, human or whatever, will testify for him on the Day of Resurrection. And: The hand of the All Merciful is on the Muezzins head until he completes his call to prayer. Commentators say that Allah was referring to Muezzins when He revealed the Koranic verse: And who is better in speech than the one who calls mankind to Allah and does righteous deeds (Chapter 41 verse 33) The Prophet also said: When you hear the call, repeat what the Muezzin says. This is the recommended practice, except that on hearing the two sentences beginning come to one should say: There is neither power nor strength except in Allah. The response to prayer has begun is: May Allah establish it and preserve it as long as the heavens and earth endure. At dawn, the call includes the sentence: prayer is better than sleep to which we respond with: You have spoken truly and veraciously and given good advice. When the call to prayer is over, one says: O Allah, Lord of this perfect invitation and firmly established prayer, endow Mohammad with favor, merit and exalted rank. Raise him to the glorious position You have promised him. You do not break Your promise. Said ibn al-Musayyab said: If a person performs prayer in a wilderness, an angel prays on his right and an angel prays on his left. If he also gives the call to prayer and the signal to begin, angels perform prayer behind him in rows like mountain ranges. Merit of the Prescribed Prayers at Set Times (Salat) Allah, High Exalted has told us in the Koran: indeed prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers. (Chapter 4 verse 103) The Prophet said: There are five prayers which Allah has prescribed for His servants. For those who perform them, properly, without disrespectful omissions, there is a guarantee that Allah will admit them to Paradise. To those who do not observe them, however, Allah offers no such guarantee; He may punish them or He may admit them to Paradise, as He pleases. The Prophet also said: The five set prayers may be compared to a stream of fresh water, flowing in front of your house, into which you plunge five times each day. Do you think that would leave any dirt on your body? When they answered: None at all! The Prophet said: Indeed, the five prayers remove sins, just as water removes dirt. Other sayings of the Prophet: The five set prayers are an expiation, for there is something amongst them by which major sins are repelled. And: What distinguishes us from the hypocrites is our attendance at late night and early morning prayers, both of which they miss. If a man meets Allah when he has been negligent of the prayer, Allah will pay not attention to his other virtues. Prayer is the pillar of religion; to neglect it is to prepare the downfall of religion. Prayer at the appointed times. (In answer to the question which action is the most meritorious. If a man performs the five prayers, in a proper state of purity and at the times prescribed, they will be a light and a proof for him on the Day of Resurrection. But he who misses them will be resurrected alongside Pharaoh and Hamam. The key to Paradise is ritual prayer. After the affirmation of His Unity, no duty Allah has imposed on His creatures is dearer to Him than ritual prayer. Had anything been dearer to Him than this, it would have become a form of worship for His angels. As it is (each of them performs part of the prayer) some bowing, some prostrating themselves, some standing upright and some sitting on their heels. Anyone who deliberately misses a prayer has forsaken his faith. That is to say, he has virtually been stripped of faith, since its knot has been untied and its pillar has fallen. The (Arabic verb meaning) has forsaken is used idiomatically, much as one might say that a man has arrived when he is very near his destination. If someone deliberately omits a prayer, he ceases to enjoy the protective custody of Mohammad, peace be upon him. Abu Hurayra, said: If someone makes his ablution and does it well, then sets out with the intention of performing the prayer, he is already in the state of prayer while on his way to it. With each two steps he takes, a good deed is added to his record and a bad deed is erased from it. So do not linger when you hear the signal that the prayer is beginning, for the one who is farthest from home will get the greatest reward. They asked: Why is that, Abu Hurayra? and he said: Because of all the steps he had to take. According to Tradition: Of all a mans actions, the first to be examined on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayer. If it is found to be complete, it will be accepted of him along with the rest of the works, but if it is found wanting it will be rejected along with the rest of his deeds. The Prophet said: About Hurayra, command your family to perform prayer, for Allah will provide you with blessings too numerous to reckon. A scholar once said: One who performs prayer is like a merchant, who does not start making a profit until he has recovered all his capital. In a similar way, one who performs prayer gets no credit for superogatory devotions until he has discharged his basic obligations. Abu Bakr used to say: When it is time for prayer, get up and extinguish the Hellfire you have kindled for yourselves. Merit of Correct Performance (Tadil) The Prophet said: The prescribed prayer is like a pair of scales, whoever gives full measure will also receive in full. Yazid al Riqashi said: The prayer of Allahs Messenger was as even as if it had been perfectly balanced. Traditions of the Prophet: Two members of my Community may perform the prayer in such a way that their bowing and their prostration are as one, yet their prayers may be as far apart as heaven and earth. (that is in respect to their humility) Allah will have no regard, on the Day of Resurrection, for that servant of His who does not straighten his spine between bowing and making prostration. Is he not afraid; he who turns his face around in the prayer, that Allah may turn his face into that of a donkey? If someone performs his prayer at the proper time, makes his ablution correctly, does the bowing and prostration properly and observes due humility, that prayer will rise up, all bright and shining and will say: May Allah take care of you as you have taken care of me! But if someone performs his prayer at the wrong time, without correct ablution, not bowing and prostrating properly and not observing due humility, his prayer will rise up all dark and gloomy saying: May Allah neglect you as you have neglected me. Then when it has reached wherever Allah wishes, it will be folded up like an old rag and he will be slapped with it in the face. Merit of Congregational Prayer (Jamaa) The Prophet said: The merit of congregational prayer surpasses that of individual prayer by twenty seven degrees. According to Abu Hurayra, the Prophet once noticed that certain people were missing from the assembly. He said: I considered appointing someone else to lead the prayer, while I went to show my disapproval of those absentees by burning down their houses. According to another version, he added: Any one of them would have joined the assembly if he had expected to get a marrowbone or a couple of knuckles. According to Uthman, the Prophet said; To perform the late evening prayer (Isha) in the assembly is equivalent to spending half the night in vigil, while to perform the dawn prayer (fajr) in the assembly is like keeping vigil throughout the night. The Prophet also said: To perform the prayer in congregation is to fill ones throat with worship. Saad ibn al Musayyab said: In all of twenty years, the call to prayer has always found me in the mosque. Mohammad ibn Wasi said; Only three things do I wish for in this world; a brother to set me straight if I go crooked; a livelihood for which I do not have to beg; and a congregational prayer in which I am relieved of absent mindedness and which is recorded in my favor. Hatim al Asamm said: I was once too late for congregational prayer and Abu Ishaq al Bukhari was the only one to commiserate with me. Had I lost a son, more than ten thousand would have offered me their condolences, for people find religious misfortune easier to bear than worldly calamity. Ibn Abbas said: If a man hears the crier (Muezzin) and does not respond, he does not wish for good and no good is to be expected of him. About Hurayra said: Better for a human being to have his ear filled with molten lead than to hear the call and fail to respond. It is related that Maymun ibn Mihran once came to the mosque, only to be told that the people had all left. He quoted from the Koran: Surely we belong to Allah and to Him is our return. Then he said; Truly the value of this prayer is dearer to me than the governorship of Iraq. The Prophet said: If a man performs his prayers in congregation for forty days, never arriving after the Allahu Akbar! of consecration, Allah will grant him two absolutions, absolution from hypocrisy and absolution from Hellfire. It is said that on the Day of Resurrection a group of people will be assembled, their faces shining like stars. The angels will ask them: How did you conduct yourselves in life? To this they will reply: On hearing the call to prayer, we used to set about our ablutions, letting nothing distract us. Another group will then be assembled, their faces like radiant moons. In answer to the same question they will say: We used to make our ablutions ahead of time. The next group to be assembled will have faces like the sun, they will say: We used to hear the call to prayer inside the mosque. It is related that early believers used to commiserate with themselves for three days if they missed the first Allahu Akbar and for a whole week if they missed the congregational prayer altogether. Merit of Prostration (Sujud) The Messenger of Allah said: The servant has no better means of approaching Allah than prostration in private. Also: Whenever a Muslim performs a prostration for Allahs sake, Allah raises him one degree and absolves him of one offence. It is related that a man once said to the Messenger of Allah: Pray to Allah that He may include me among those who enjoy your intercession, and that He may grant me your company in Paradise. The Prophet replied: Help me by making frequent prostration. According to another tradition: The servant is never closer to Allah than when he is prostrating himself in worship. This is the meaning of the words of Allah: but prostrate, and draw closer to your Lord. (Chapter 96 verse 19) And: Their marks of their prostration are on their faces. (Chapter 48 verse 29) Some say this refers to the dust that sticks to the brow during the act of prostration, while others say it is the light of humility, shining forth from within. The latter view is more correct. According to yet others, it is the radiance that will shine on their faces on the Day of Resurrection, as a result of their ablution. The Prophet said: If a human being prostrates himself at an appropriate point in his recitation of the Koran, the devil withdraws, weeping as he says: Alas! This man was bidden to prostrate himself and he obeyed, so Paradise is his. I was also commanded to make prostration, but I disobeyed and so Hell is my lot. It is told of Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn Abbas that he used to make a thousand prostrations every day. They used to call him the Great Prostrator (al-sajjad). It is related that Umar ibn Abd al Aziz never prostrated himself on anything but the bare earth. Yusuf ibn Asbat used to say: Young men, take advantage of your good health, before you become infirm, for I no longer envy anybody except a man who completes his bowing and prostration in prayer, now that my own time is too short for that. Said ibn Jubayr said: I look to nothing in this world for consolation except to prostration in prayer. Uqba ibn Muslim said: No quality in a man is dearer to Allah than the longing to meet Him. At no moment is a man closer to Allah than when he sinks down in prostration. About Hurayra said: The servant is nearest to Allah when he prostrates himself in prayer, so that is the time to make many supplications. Chapter Two States at Each Stage of the Ritual Prayer The Call to Prayer When you hear the call to prayer given by the Muezzin, let yourself perceive the terror of the Summons on the Day of Resurrection. Prepare yourself inwardly and outwardly to respond, and to do so promptly. Those who are prompt in answering this call are the ones who will be summoned gently on the Day of the Great Review. So review your hearts now; if you find it full of joy and happiness, eager to respond with alacrity, you can expect the Summons to bring you good news and salvation on the Day of Judgment. That is why the Prophet used to say: Comfort us, Bilal! For Bilal was the Muezzin and prayer was the joy and comfort of the Messenger. Ritual Purity When attending to ritual purity in the things that envelop you, do so progressively; your room, then your clothes, then your skin, do not neglect your inner being, which lies at the heart of all these. Endeavor to purify it with repentance and remorse for your excesses, and a determined resolution not to commit them in future. Cleanse your inner being in this way, for that is the place to be examined by the One you worship. Covering Private Parts You cover the private parts; i.e. prevent certain areas of the body from being exposed to human view. But what about the shameful areas of your inner being, those unworthy secrets of your soul, that are scrutinized only by Allah Almighty. Be conscious of these faults. Be discreet about them, but realize that nothing can be hidden from the sight of Allah, High Exalted. Only through repentance, shame and fear will they be forgiven. Facing The Qibla As for facing the Qibla, in doing so, you turn your external face away from all other directions and toward the House of Allah, High Exalted. Do you then suppose you are not also required to turn your heart away from everything else, directing it towards Allah Almighty? What an absurd notion, since this is the whole object of the exercise! The Prophet said: When a man stands up to pray, directing his desire, his face and his heart towards Allah, he will come out of that prayer as on the day his mother gave him birth. Standing Upright As for standing upright, it means holding oneself erect in body and in spirit in the presence of Allah. Your head which is the highest member of your body, out to be bowed down as a reminder of the need to keep the heart meek and humble, free of arrogance and pride. Intention When forming the intention, resolve to be responsive to Allah by performing the prayer in obedience to His command, by doing it properly, by avoiding things that invalidate or mar it, and by doing all this sincerely for the sake of Allah, in hope of His reward and in fear of His punishment, seeking His grace and favor by His leave. Takbir As for the Takbir (the words: Allahu Akbar), your heart must not gainsay the words on your tongue. If you feel in your heart that there is something greater than Allah High Exalted, though your words are true, Allah will attest that you are a liar. Opening Invocations When making the opening invocation be very wary of distinguished polytheism in yourself. It was concerning those who worship for the sake of human as well as Divine approval that Allah revealed in the Koran: whoever seeks to meet his Lord, then let him do righteous deeds, and never associate any other in worship with his Lord (Chapter 18 verse 110) When you say: I take refuge in Allah from accursed Satan, you should be aware the devil is your enemy and that he is waiting for an opportunity to alienate you from Allah. Satan is envious of your ability to commune with Allah, and to prostrate yourself before Him. Reciting the Koran Where recitation of the Koran is concerned, we can distinguish three types of people: (a) those who move their tongues unconsciously, (b) those who pay conscious attention to the movement of the tongue, understanding the meaning while listening as if to a person outside themselves; this is the degree of those on the right, (c) those who start from awareness of the meaning, then use the tongue to give expression to this inner consciousness. The tongue may act as interpreter for the inner feeling, or as its teacher. In the case of those nearest to Allah, the tongue is an interpreter. Bowing Down According to Ikrimah, Allah is referring to the postures of standing, bowing, prostration and sitting when he says: The One Who sees you when you stand in prayer, *And when you pray among those who prostrate. (Chapter 26 verse 218-219) Bowing (ruku) and prostration (sujud) are accompanied by a renewed affirmation of the supreme great of Allah. In bowing you renew your submissiveness and humility, striving to refine your inner feeling through a fresh awareness of your own impotence and insignificance before the might and grandeur of your Lord. To confirm this, you seek the aid of your tongue, glorifying Allah and testifying repeatedly to His Supreme Majesty, both outwardly and inwardly. Then you rise from bowing, hopeful that He will be merciful towards you. To emphasize this hope within you, you say: Allah hears those who give thanks to Him. Acknowledging the need to express gratitude, you immediately add: Grateful praise to You our Lord! To show the abundance of this gratitude, you may also say: As much as the heavens and earth contain. Prostration Then you go down in prostration. This is the highest level of submission, for you are bringing the most precious part of your body, namely your face, down to meet the most lowly of all things, the dust of the earth. If possible, you should make your prostration directly on bare ground, this being more conducive to humility and a sure sign of self abasement. When you place yourself in this position of lowliness, you should be aware that you belong there. You are restoring the branch to its root, for of dust you were created and to dust you shall return. At the same time you should renew your inner awareness of Allahs majesty, saying: Glory to my Lord Most High! Repeat this to add confirmation, for saying it only once is not sufficiently emphatic. When your inner feeling has clearly been refine, be confident in hoping for Allahs mercy. For His mercy quickly flows towards weakness and lowliness, not towards arrogance and vanity. As you raise your head, say Allahu Akbar! and ask for what you need, making the supplication of your choice, e.g. My Lord, forgive and have mercy! Overlook my faults of which You are aware! You then make a second prostration, reinforcing your submissiveness. Sitting and Testifying When you sit to make the testimony (tashahhud), sit decorously. Declare that all the prayers and good works you perform are for the sake of Allah, and everything belongs to Him. Such is the meaning of al-tahiyyat. Be inwardly aware of the Prophet, and on his noble person, as you say: Peace be upon you, O Prophet, as well as Allahs mercy and blessing. Be sure that your salutation will reach him, and that he will return an even more perfect greeting to you. Then salute yourself and all Allahs righteous servants. Then testify to the Unity of Allah, High Exalted, and to the mission of Mohammad, His Messenger, on him be peace and prayers. By repeating this two-fold testimony, you reaffirm the covenant of Allah, and assure yourself of its protection. End of Supplication At the end of your ritual prayer, you should offer a traditional supplication, imploring and entreating with meekness and humility, confidently hoping to be heard. Let your supplication include your parent and the other believers. Salutation Finally, and with the intention of concluding your prayer, address your salutation (salam) to the angels and the others present. Feel a sense of gratitude to Allah, High Exalted, for having enabled you to complete this act of worship. Imagine that you are saying farewell to this prayer of yours, and that you may not live to see another like it. States Conducive to Perfecting The Life in Prayer These qualities can be expressed in many ways, but they are well summed up in six words, namely: awareness; understanding; reverence; awe; hope; shame. Awareness By conscious awareness we mean that state in which ones mind and feelings are in no way distracted from what one is doing and saying. Perception is united with action and speech. Thoughts do not wander. When the mind remains attentive to what one is doing, when one is wholeheartedly involved, and when nothings makes one heedless, that is when one has achieved conscious awareness. Understanding Understanding the meaning of ones words is something that goes beyond awareness, for one may be conscious of making an utterance, yet not be aware of the meaning of that utterance. What we mean by understanding, therefore, is an awareness that also includes comprehension of the meaning of ones utterance. People differ in this respect, not sharing a common understanding of the Koran and the glorifications. How many subtleties of meaning we have come to understand in the course of ritual prayer! Things that had never occurred to us before. It is in this context that prayer becomes a deterrent to indecency and mischief, for the understanding it brings is a positive obstacle to vice. Reverence As for reverence, this is something beyond both awareness and understanding. A man may address his servant in full awareness of his speech, and understanding the meaning of his words, yet without reverence, for reverence is an additional element. Awe As for awe, it is over and above reverence. In fact, it represents a kind of fear that grows out of the latter. Without experiencing fear, one will not stand in awe. There is an ordinary fear of things we find repugnant, like scorpions or bad temper, but this is not called awe. What we call awe is the kind of fear we have of a mighty king. Awe is the kind of fear induced by a sense of majesty. Hope As for hope, this is unquestionably something else again. There are many who revere some king or other, and who are in awe of him or afraid of his power, yet do not hope to be rewarded by him. In our prayers, however, we must hope for the reward of Allah, High Exalted; just as we fear His punishment for our faults. Shame As for shame, it is something additional to all the rest, for it is based on the realization of ones deficiencies and the apprehension of sin. It is quite possible to conceive of reverence, fear and hope, without this element of shame. Chapter Three Internal Prerequisites of Prayer: Actions of the Heart The Need for Humility and Conscious Awareness Many Koranic Verses and Traditions could be cited in evidence of this, including the words of Allah Almighty: and establish prayer for My Remembrance (Chapter 20 verse 14) The obvious force of the imperative is to make something obligatory. Since heedlessness is the opposite of remembrance, how can someone who is heedless throughout his prayer be performing it in remembrance of Allah? The Almighty warns us in the Koran. do not be of those who are heedless. (Chapter 7 verse 205) Here we have taken a negative imperative, with the obvious force of a prohibition. Allah High Exalted also says: until you can understand all that you say, (Chapter 4 verse 43) This explained the reason for debarring those who are intoxicated from the mosque, but the term intoxicated applies be extension to those who are wholly preoccupied with temptations and worldly thoughts. When the Prophet said: The prayer is nothing but submissiveness and humility he used a particularly definite and emphatic construction in Arabic. The Prophet said: If a mans prayer does not deter him from indecency and mischief, he gains nothing from Allah but remoteness. Heedless prayer does nothing to deter a man from these vices. The heedless are alluded to in the Tradition: Many of those who pray derive nothing from their prayers except weariness and strain. The Prophet said: A man gets credit only for that part of his prayer of which he is conscious. This is confirmed by the Tradition: When performing the prayer, one is conversing intimately with ones Lord. Speaking in a state of heedlessness is certainly not what is meant by intimate conversation with Allah Almighty. To Clarify matters further, let us consider the contrast between ritual prayer, on the one hand, and Zakat, fasting and pilgrimage on the other. A man may pay his Alms without being consciously attentive, yet the very act of parting with money runs counter to greed and is hard on the lower self. The case of fasting is similar; since it subdues the natural forces and breaks hold of the passions, which are the tools of Allahs enemy Satan, its purpose may well be achieved in spite of heedlessness. As for Pilgrimage, it presents physical hardship and difficulty and involves painful struggle, whether or not its actions are performed in full awareness. In contrast to these other religious duties, ritual prayer consists only in remembrance, recitation, bowing, prostration, standing erect and sitting down. and other forms of worship. It is unique in having capital punishment as the penalty for its abandonment. I do not believe that ritual prayer enjoys all this special dignity by virtue of its external motions, unless these are linked to the purpose of intimate communion with Allah. That is what has priority over Fasting, Zakat, Pilgrimage and so on; indeed, over sacrifices and offerings which entail self-denial through financial outlay. As Allah High Exalted says: It is not their flesh that reaches Allah, nor their blood, but that which reaches Allah is your piety (Chapter 22 verse 37) What is meant here by devotion is a quality that gains control over the heart, disposing it to comply with the commands it is required to obey. What, then, of the ritual prayer, if its actions are without purpose? You may say that I am going against the consensus of the jurists, if I make the validity of prayer dependent on conscious awareness, since they stipulate such attention only at the initial Allahu Akbar. But the jurists do not concern themselves with the inner life or the way of the Hereafter. Their job is to formulate the outer rules of religion, with reference to external physical behavior. As for what is beneficial to the afterlife, this is beyond the scope of jurisprudence, since no consensus can be claimed. Sufyan al-Thawri, an early legal scholar, is reported as saying: Without humility and awareness, ones prayer is invalid. It is related that al-Hasan said: Any prayer performed without conscious awareness is a short cut to punishment. According to Muadh ibn Jabal: A man gets no credit for a prayer in which he deliberately notices those on his right and left. According to an authenticated Tradition, Allahs Messenger said: Though he performs the whole prayer, a man may be credit with no more than one sixth or one tenth of it. A man gets credit only for that part of his prayer of which he is conscious. If this had been transmitted on lesser authority, it would surely have become a dogma, so why should it not be taken seriously? Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd said: The scholars are unanimously agreed that a man gets credit only for that part of his prayers of which he is conscious. According to him, there is actually a consensus to this effect. In short, conscious awareness is the very spirit of ritual prayer. Attentiveness to the initial Allahu Akbar represents the bare minimum required to keep the spark of this spirit alive; of Allah we beg His gracious support! Medication Conducive To Inner Serenity As a believer, one must magnify Allah High Exalted, in fear and in hope and in humble awareness of ones shortcomings. There can be no relaxation in any of this once faith has been achieved, although ones intensity will depend on the strength of ones conviction. Any slackness in prayer is surely caused by mental distraction, divided attention, failure to be whole hearted in communion, and a heedless attitude to worship. Random mental activity is the thing that distracts us from prayer; it must therefore be dispelled so that a feeling of serenity can be acquired. To remove the symptom we must treat the cause, so let us find out where it lies. Stray thoughts may be prompted by something external, or they may arise from within. As for external causes, our attention is caught by anything that happens to engage our eyes or ears. We begin to take an interest in it. Then one thought leads to another and the process goes on and on. Seeing gives rise to thinking, then one thought becomes the cause of another. Sensory impressions do not divert those who intention is strong and whose aspiration is lofty, but they inevitably distract the weak. The remedy lies in cutting off these causes by lowering the eyes, praying in a room, leaving no distracting objects in front of one, or reducing ones range of vision by praying close up to a wall. One should avoid performing the prayer on the street, in places where there is artificial decoration and on colored carpets. That is why very devout people used to worship in a small dark cell, where there was just enough room for prostration, for it is easier to concentrate in such conditions. Those who were strong would attend the mosques, keeping their eyes downcast and confining their gaze to the place of prostration. They considered their prayers to be perfect when they were unaware of the people to their right and left. Ibn Umar would allow no object to remain in the place of prayer, not even a copy of the Koran. He would remove any sword he found there and erase any writing. Internal causes pose a more serious problem. Ones worldly concerns may be many and varied, so that the mind does not dwell on a single subject but keeps flying from one direction to another. To lower the eyes is then to no avail, for plenty of distractions have already got inside. The way to deal with this is to make a deliberate effort to comprehend the meaning of the words one is reciting in the prayer, concentrating on this to the exclusion of everything else. It is helpful to prepare for this before the initial consecration, by reminding oneself of the Hereafter and that one is standing in communion in the awesome presence of Allah Almighty, and under His scrutiny. Before consecration for prayer, one should empty the heart of all its cares, leaving oneself free of potential distractions. Allahs Messenger once said to Uthman ibn Abi Shayba: I forgot to tell you to cover up the cooking pots that are in the house, for there should be nothing in the house to distract people from their prayers. This is a technique for quieting the mind. If mental agitation is not stilled by this tranquilizer, the only recourse is a putative that will strike at the roots of the malady. That is to say, one must examine the distractions that prevent the attainment of inner serenity. These will undoubtedly be traced to ones pressing concerns, which have become so important simply because of ones base desires. One must therefore discipline the lower self by abstaining from those desires and by severing those ties. Anything that distracts us from prayer is the adversary of our religion; the army of Satan is the foe. To hold it in check is more troublesome than driving it out, so let us drive it out and be rid of it. The Prophet once prayed while wearing a cloak with an ornamented border, a gift from Abu Jahm. He removed it when he had finished his prayers, saying: Take it back to Abu Jahm, for it distracted me from my prayer. Bring me Abu Jahms cloak of course wool. The Messenger of Allah Once had new laces put in his sandals. When their newness attracted his attention during the prayer, he had them removed and the worn laces put back. According to another Tradition the Prophet once found himself admiring the beauty of a pair of sandals he was wearing, so he made a prostration and said: I have humbled myself before my Lord, so that He will not be displeased with me. Then he went out and gave the sandals to the first beggar he met. He then told Ali to buy a worn pair of tanned leather sandals, which he put on his feet. Before it was declared unlawful for men to wear gold, the Prophet used to wear a gold ring on his finger. As he stood in the pulpit one day, he threw this ring away, saying: It distracted me, a glance towards it and a glance towards you. It is related that Abu Talha once prayed in his garden where there were trees. He was attracted by the sight of a honey bird and he spent so long following its movements as it flew about seeking an opening in the foliage, that he forgot how many cycles of prayer he had completed. He told the Messenger of Allah about the temptation to which he had succumbed, then said: O Messenger of Allah I offer my garden as a charity. Dispose of it as you wish. According to a different source, he was distracted by the pleasant sight of the bees, buzzing round the fruit as he prayed in the garden. He mentioned this to Uthman, saying: I offer it as a charity. Use it for the sake of Allah. Uthman then sold the garden for fifty thousand. Such conduct was intended to eradicate cause of mental distraction and to atone for deficiencies in prayer. This medicine tackles the root of the disease; it is the only effective remedy. As for the gentler measure we proposed, such as calming oneself and concentrating on understanding the words used in prayer, they may be useful when passions are feeble and cares are only marginally distracting. But it is useless to try and calm oneself when the pressure of desire is strong, for it will attract you and you will attract it until it gets the better of you. You will be cause up in this process throughout your prayer. Consider this analogy: There was a man beneath a tree. He wished to collect his thoughts, but the sparrows disturbed him with their chirping. He would chase them with a stick and then resume his train of thought, but the sparrows would come back and he would have to scare them away with the stick once again. Eventually someone told him: This is like being a slave at the wheel, going round and round forever. If you want to escape the vicious circle, you should fell the tree. So it is with the tree of base desire. Thoughts are attracted to its ramifying twigs and branches, just like sparrows to real trees. Flies are attracted by filth and chasing them becomes a full time occupation, for they just keep coming back. Random thoughts are like flies. Our base desires are numerous and human beings are seldom free of them. They all share a common root, namely, love of this world. That is the origin of every fault, the basis of every shortcoming, the source of all corruption. Filled with the love of this world, a person becomes so attached to it that he fails to make provision for the Hereafter. He then has no hope of experiencing the pure bliss of communion in prayer. Those who delight in this world can take no delight in Allah, nor in communion with Him. A man aspires to that which gives him joy, so if his pleasure lies in this world, he will surely seek it there. Nevertheless, one must continue to strive, turning the heart back towards prayer and reducing the causes of distraction. This is bitter medicine, so bitter that we instinctively recoil from taking it. The sickness remains chronic and the disease becomes incurable. Great men have endeavored to perform two cycles of prayer without having any internal conversation about worldly matters, only to find themselves unequal to the task. No hope, then, for the likes of us! If only we may be safe from temptation during half of our prayer, or one third, so that our deeds are at least a mixture of good and bad. In short, the worldly and spiritual aspirations in the human heart are like water poured into a cup full of vinegar; as water goes in, an equal volume of vinegar inevitably goes out and the two can never combine. Chapter Four Stores of the Humble, (May Allah be Pleased with Them, and their Prayers) It should be known that humility is the product of faith and the result of conviction, brought about by the majestic power of Allah Almighty. Those blessed with it are humble not only in their prayers, but at other times also, even when they are on their own or when they need to use the toilet. For humanity is caused by the awareness that we are always in the sight of Allah, by awareness of His majesty and by awareness of our human failings. It is by consciousness of these things that humanity is engendered, so it is not confined to ritual prayers. There was once a man, we are told, who never held his head up to the sky in all of forty years; so great was his modesty and humility before Allah Almighty. Some people assumed that al-Rabi ibn Khaytham must have kept his eyes half closed. For twenty years he was a regular visitor to the home of Ibn Masud. When the latters maidservant saw him, she would say to her master: Your blind friend is here. Ibn Masud used to laugh when she said this. Whenever she went to answer the guests knock at the door, she would see him with his head down and his eyes averted, Ibn Masud would look at him and say, quoting from the Koran: And give glad tidings to those who are humble (Chapter 22 verse 34) Then he would add: By Allah, if the Prophet had seen you he would have been so pleased with you. (In another version of this story the wording is he would have loved you, and in another: he would have laughed.) One day, he was walking with Ibn Masud when they passed the blacksmiths workshop he fell in a faint at the sight of the bellows and the fire blazing in the furnace. Ibn Masud sat with him till the time of prayer, but he did not come round. He then carried him home, where he remained unconscious till twenty four hours after having fainted, so missing all five prayers. Ibn Masud stayed close by him, saying: By Allah, this is real fear! Al-Rabi used to say: When engaged in prayer, I never pay attention to anything, except what I am saying and what is being said to me. Amir ibn Abd Allah was one of those who are humble in their prayers. He would sometimes pray while his daughter was playing the tambourine and women of the house were chattering freely, but he was quite insensitive to the noise and did not even hear it. They once asked him: Does anything come into your mind during the prayer? Yes, he said, the thought that I am standing in the presence of Allah Almighty, and that I am bound for Paradise or for Hell. He was then asked: Do you get any worldly thoughts, as we do? To this he replied: I would rather be made a butt for lances than get that sort of thing in my prayer. He was also in the habit of saying: Even if the veil was lifted from the unseen, my faith could not be more certain than it is now. Another of these characters was Muslim ibn Yasar, the one who did not notice the collapse of a column while he was praying in the mosque. One of these men had a gangrenous limb. Amputation was necessary, but it seemed impossible until someone said: He will not feel anything while he is at prayer. The operation was in fact successfully performed during the prayer. Someone said: Prayer belongs to the Hereafter, to enter it is to leave this world. Another was asked if he had any worldly thoughts during his prayers. Neither in my prayers nor at any other time. He said. Yet another was asked: Do you remember anything during the prayer? He replied: Is anything dearer to me than the prayer, that I should recall it while I am praying? Abul Darda used to say; The sensible thing is to attend to ones needs first, so as to have nothing on ones mind when approaching the prayer. Some of them would keep their prayers short, fearing the whisperings of the devil. We are told that, on a certain occasion, Ammar ibn Yasir finished his prayer rather quickly. When someone commented on this, he said: Did you see me skip any of the essentials? The answer was; No! He then explained: I was forestalling the distraction of Satan. The Messenger of Allah said: Though a man performs the whole prayer, he may get credit for half of it, or a third, a quarter, a fifth, a sixth or a tenth. A man gets credit only for that part of his prayer of which he is conscious. It is said that Talha and al-Zubayr were among a group of Companions who were particularly noted for keeping their prayers brief. They explained that they followed this practice in order to forestall the whisperings of Satan. It is related that Umar ibn al-Khattab said from the pulpit: A mans whiskers may turn gray in Islam, without his having completed on prayer for Allah Almighty. When the people asked him how this could be, he said: Because he never achieves perfect humility, submissiveness and devotion to Allah in any of his prayers. Abul Aliya was once asked about the words of Allah: But are heedless of their prayers. (Chapter 107 verse 5) He said; This refers to those who are heedless in their prayers that they do not know whether they have performed an even number of cycles or an odd one. According to al-Hasan, it refers to those who heedlessly let the time from prayer slip by. Others say: This is directed at those who are neither happy when they pray on time, nor sorry when they are late in praying. They see no virtue in promptness and no sin in delay. Jesus said: Allah Almighty says: Through supererogatory devotions My servant draws close to Me. The Prophet said: Allah Almighty says: My servant does not achieve salvation except by fulfilling the duties I have set him. It is related that the Prophet once omitted a verse from the part of the Koran he recited in the course of a ritual prayer. As he was turning to leave, he said: What did I recite? Nobody spoke, so he repeated the question to Ubay ibn Kab who said: You recited such and such a Chapter, omitting a particular verse. We are wondering whether it has been abrogated or taken out. The Prophet said: Good for you Ubayy! Then he turned to the others and said: What are we to make of people who come for their prayers, line up in their rows behind their Prophet, but do not know what he is reciting to them from the Book of their Lord? That is just how the Children of Israel behaved, so Allah Almighty spoke to their Prophet through inspiration saying: tell your people: You present your bodies before Me and you offer Me you tongues, but you keep your hearts from Me. What you are doing is futile. These stories and Traditions help to prove the fundamental elements in ritual prayer and humility and conscious awareness, and that merely going through the motions, in a state of heedlessness, has little value for the life hereafter, Allah knows best. We pray for His gracious help and guidance. The Fifth Book The Mysteries of Almsgiving Zakat Chapter One Allah Almighty has made Zakat, (Almsgiving) one of the pillars of Islam and has usually mentioned it immediately after the prayer saying: And establish prayer and pay alms and bow down in the company of others bowing down. (Chapter 2 verse 43). The Prophet said: Islam rests on five things: To certify that there is no Allah but Allah, and that Mohammad is His servant and Messenger, to establish prayer, to give alms Allah Almighty has warned those who do not give Zakat with dire consequences, for He says: those who hoard up gold and silver, and do not expend it in the cause of Allah, announce to them a painful chastisement. (Chapter verse 34) Certain inward attitudes and duties are incumbent on those who seek, through payment of the alms, the way that leads to the Hereafter. Understand the Purpose and Significance To understand the necessity and significance of paying the alms, how it represents a test of character, and why it has been made one of the fundamentals of Islam, even though it is a financial transaction and not a physical act of worship. Three points deserve consideration here: Testing the Degree of Love for Allah To pronounce the tow sentences of the Confession of Faith (Shahada) There is no Allah but Allah, Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah is obligatory as affirmation of the Divine Unity and testimony to the singleness on the One to Whom all worship is due. Complete fulfillment of this obligation requires that he who affirms the Divine Unity should direct his love to none but the One, the Unique, for love tolerates no partnership. There is little value in mere verbal affirmation. The degree of love is tested only by separating the lover from other worldly things he loves. Now, worldly goods are an object of love in everybodys eyes, being the means by which they enjoy the benefits of this world; because of them they become attached to life and shy away from death, even though death leads to meeting the Beloved. The truth of our claim to love Allah is therefore put to the test, and we are asked to give up the wealth which is the darling apple of our eye. That is why Allah Almighty said: Indeed! Allah has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth, that they shall have the Gardens. (Chapter 9 verse 111) This concerns Jihad, the struggle in the way of Allah, which entails a readiness to sacrifice even life itself in longing to meet Allah Almighty. The renunciation of wealth is trivial by comparison. Once this concept of testing the degree of love is understood to underlie the spending of wealth and material sacrifice, people fall into three groups in this respect: Firstly, those who affirm the Divine Unity, fulfill their covenant and renounce all their worldly goods, setting aside neither pounds not pence. They are unwilling to incur the liability to pay the alms: so much so that when one of them was asked the amount due on two hundred dirhams, he replied: For ordinary people the legal requirement if five dirhams, but we must give up everything. Thus About Bakr donated all his wealth, while Umar gave half of his. When the Prophet said to the latter: What have you kept for your family? He replied: An equal amount. And when the same question was asked of Abu Bakr, he said: Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet then said: The difference between you is the difference between you two answers. For Abu Bakr, the veracious, had borne himself out completely, keeping nothing back for himself but the Beloved, i.e. Allah and His Messenger. Secondly, at a lower level are those who hold on to their goods, waiting for occasions of need seasons of charity. Their object in saving up is to supply their own needs, without extravagance, and devote what is left over to charitable purposes as the occasion may arise. Such people do not confine their giving to the prescribed of the alms. One group of the Successors (the generation following the Companions) maintained the view that wealth is subject to other dues apart from the Zakat. When al-Shabi was asked if this was the case, he replied: Yes, have you not heard the words of Allah: Uprightness is not to turn your faces towards east or west, but uprightness is to believe in Allah and the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the Prophets, and to give away from your cherished wealth to your kin, orphans, the needy, the traveler, the beggars and to ransom a slave (Chapter 2 verse 177) Allah Almighty also said: and expend in charity from the bounty We have provided them. (Chapter 2 verse 3) And: And expend out of the sustenance We have bestowed upon you (Chapter 63 verse 10) They maintained that these duties, far from being abrogated by the Verse of Zakat form part of the mutual obligations of all Muslims. In other words, whenever a well to do Muslim encounters one who is in need, it is incumbent upon him to relieve that need, over and above his payment of the alms. The correct legal opinion in this matter is that the relief of pressing need is a collective duty, resting on the Community as a whole, since a Muslim cannot be allowed to perish. It may be argued that a well to do person is not obliged to pay for the relief of want except by way of a loan, and that no donation can be required of him once he has discharged his due by giving his alms. It could also be argued that he is nevertheless required to make a donation and that lending is impermissible, i.e. it is not permissible to burden the poor with the acceptance of a loan. There is no unanimity on this question. Thirdly, to resort to lending is to descend to the final level of ordinary people. Those who belong to this third group confine themselves to the bare fulfillment of duty, neither more nor less. This is the lowest degree, the limit to which all ordinary people confine themselves because of their miserliness, their attachment to money and their feebleness of their love of the Hereafter, as Allah Almighty said: If He were to ask you for them, and demand, you would be niggardly (Chapter 47 verse 37) What a difference between a servant whose property and person Allah has bought, with Paradise as the price, and one He does not even ask to give all of it because he is so miserly! Elimination of Miserliness The Divine decree by which Allah Almighty bids His servants to expend their wealth, is also significant in respect of purging the habit of miserliness, which is one of the deadly sins. As the Prophet said: Three are deadly; avarice indulged, passion pursued and self conceit. And in the words of Allah Almighty: And whoever is saved from the greed of his own soul, those they are the ones who prosper. (Chapter 59 verse 9) The habit of miserliness is only eliminated by making oneself accustomed to spending money, for to break an attachment one must force oneself away until a new habit is formed. From this point of view, therefore, Zakat signifies purgation, in that he who pays the alms is purged of the deadly evil of miserliness. The purity he acquires is in proportion to his outlay, to his delight in giving away and to his joy in spending for the sake of Allah Almighty. ( c ) Expression of Gratitude The third factor is gratitude for the benefits received, for the servant is indebted to Allah Almighty for bounties both personal and material. Bodily acts of worship are an expression of gratitude for bodily blessings, while financial acts of worship express gratitude for material bounty. How mean one must be to see a poor man in needy straits, and yet be unwilling to give up two and a half or ten percent of ones wealth in token of ones gratitude to Allah for sparing one the need to beg as others must. Payment at Proper Time The second duty concerns the time of payment. One of the good practices of religious people is to anticipate the moment when payment falls due, demonstrating their willingness to comply by bringing joy to the hearts of the poor, forestalling the obstacles time might place in the way of charitable action, aware that there are dangers in delay as the servant runs the risk of disobedience should he postpone beyond the appointed moment. Whenever the impulse to good arises from within, the opportunity must be grasped at once as heaven sent. The heart of the believer lies between two fingers of the All Merciful. Yet how fickle the heart! Satan threatens poverty and bids us to commit atrocious and abominable deeds. Demonic suggestion follows hard on the heels of angelic inspiration. One should therefore seize the opportunity and fix a definite month for giving alms (if one is used to paying it all at once). One should endeavor to choose one of the most propitious times, resulting in extra closeness to Allah and compounding the value of the Zakat. Such a favorable time would be the month of Muharram, since it is the first in the year and one of the sacred Months; or Ramadan, for the Prophet, who was the best of all beings, and during Ramadan he was as unstinting as the breeze that blows. Ramadan also enjoys the special virtue of the Night of Destiny, as well as being the month in which the Koran was sent down. Mujahid used to say: Do not say Ramadan for Ramadan is one of the names of Allah. Rather say: the month of Ramadan. Dhul Hijja is also one of the months of great merit; as well as being a Sacred Month, it is distinguished by the major Pilgrimage, the Hajj, and the Well-Known Days (the first ten of the month) and the Numbered Days, which are the days of tashriq (the three days following the day of sacrifice on the tenth). Give in Secret The third duty is secrecy, for this is farthest removed from hypocritical display And reputation seeking. The Prophet said: The most meritorious form of almsgiving is the effort to help a poor man, made in secret, by one who is himself of little means. According to one of the scholars: Three things are accounted among the treasures of righteousness, one of them being to give alms in secret. This saying has also been attributed to the Prophet. The Prophet also said: Let the servant do a good deed in secret and Allah will surely record it to his credit as a secret; if he reveals it, it will be transferred from the secret list and recorded among good works done openly; if he talks about it, it will be taken off both lists and recorded as hypocrisy. According to the well attested Tradition: Seven will Allah shade on the Day when there will be no shade but the shade of His Throne; one of them is a man who offers alms without his left hand knowing what his right hand had given. In another Tradition: Secret alms extinguish the anger of the Lord. Allah Almighty tells us in the Koran: but if your give charity secretly to the needy it is much better for you (Chapter 2 verse 271) The advantage of secrecy is that it confers deliverance from the perils of hypocritical ostentation and reputation seeking. As the Prophet said: Allah does not accept from a braggart, a hypocrite or one who is always looking for gratitude. He who talks about almsgiving is seeking prestige, while he who gives for all the world to see is after public recognition; these pitfalls are avoided by secrecy and silence. Some have taken such an extreme view of the merit of secrecy as to maintain that the recipient should not know the identity of the giver. Some used to slip their alms into the hand of a blind man, while others would drop them in a poor mans path or in the place where he sat, so that he could see the gift without seeing the giver. Some would tuck their alms in the poor mans clothes while he was sleeping; still others would convey them by way of a third party so as to hide the donors identity, the intermediary being asked to keep the secret and charged not to disclose it. Such measures were designed to extinguish the anger of Allah Almighty, and as a precaution against hypocrisy and reputation seeking. When ever it is inevitable that at least one person should be in the know, it is preferable to entrust the alms to an agent for delivery to the needy beneficiary who should not be known to his benefactor; for knowing the beneficiary carries the double danger of ostentation and expectation of gratitude, whereas knowing the intermediary carries the former alone. Whenever fames is the donors objective, his work will be in vain, since the purpose of almsgiving is to eliminate miserliness and to weaken the love of wealth. But the love of status has a stronger hold over the soul than the love of wealth, and both of them have deadly consequences in the Hereafter. In the tomb, while the attribute of miserliness will assume, as it were, the form of a stinging scorpion, the attribute of ostentations will turn into a viper. We are bidden to render them both weak or to kill them, so as to ward off their mischief or at least reduce it. But whenever we seek recognition and renown it is just like reinforcing the viper at the scorpions expense; as the scorpion gets weaker so does the snake get stronger. Things would have been better left as they were. The way to reinforce those attributes to act in accordance with their demands, while the way to reduce their power is to combat and oppose them and to act counter to their demands. So what is the use of going against miserly impulses only to yield to hypocritical motives, weakening the lesser only to reinforce the more powerful? Give Openly The fourth duty, when one knows that such conduct will tend to encourage others to follow suit, is to let ones giving be seen. In doing so, however, one must be inwardly on guard against hypocritical motives. Allah Almighty has said: If you give charity publicly it is good (Chapter 2 verse 271) That is, in cases where display is called for, either to set a good example or because a beggar has made his request in public. In the latter instance it is not proper to withhold alms for fear of publicity; rather should one give while making every effort to be inwardly on guard against hypocrisy. This is because, apart from the expectation of gratitude and risk of hypocrisy, there is a third danger in visible almsgiving, namely that of offending a poor mans dignity. It may be hurtful to him to be seen to be needy. But someone who begs in public is bringing the disgrace upon himself, there is therefore no sense in being wary. Consider similar cases: It is forbidden to expose a persons vise so long as he keeps it private, and it is equally prohibited to spy on him and gossip about it. A flagrant offender, on the other hand, has only himself to blame when he suffers the penalty of public disgrace. Of like import are the words of the Prophet: He who casts off the garments of shame has no cause to complain of slander. Allah Almighty said: and expend of what We have bestowed upon them secretly and openly (Chapter 13 verse 22) He commends giving in public, also, because this has the advantage of encouraging others. His servant should therefore take careful stock, weighing this benefits against the risks involved, for the situation varies from case to case and from one individual to another. For certain people under certain conditions open giving is preferable. To one who is aware of the pros and cons, and whose vision is unclouded by desire, what is right and proper in any given case will be readily apparent. Avoid Taunting and Hurting The fifth duty is not to invalidate ones alms through taunting and hurting, as Allah Almighty said: Do not spoil your charity by reproach and harm like the one who spends his wealth for show (Chapter 2 verse 264) The Prophet said: Allah does not accept the alms of a taunter. Anyone who grasps the significance of the three points we mentioned earlier, while discussing the purpose and importance of the Zakat, or even one of them, must realize that he is a benefactor only to himself, through expending his wealth either to demonstrate his love of Allah, or to purge himself of the vice of miserliness, or to give thanks for the blessing of wealth in the hope of receiving more. Adopt Humility The sixth duty is to think little of ones donation, for to regard it highly is to invite that sanctimonious pride which is one of the deadly sins, making good deeds worthless. Allah Almighty said: And on the day of Hunain when you were pleased by your great numbers, but it availed you none (Chapter 9 verse 25) It is also said that whenever an act of obedience is belittled, it is magnified in the sight of Allah Almighty, while a sin considered serious appears small in His eyes. Another saying has it that three things are necessary to make a kindness complete; thinking little of it, doing it promptly, and keeping it out of sight. To make much of a gift is not the same as taunting and hurting, however. A man who spent his money on the construction of a mosque or hospice might well think it something to boast of, but taunting and hurting would be out of the question. Sanctimonious pride and self importance do tend to infect all acts of worship, and their antidote is knowledge and action. As for knowledge, it must be recognized that then or two and a half percent is a tiny fraction, and that to pay only this is to content oneself with the least generous level of expense, as we have explained above. This is something to be ashamed of rather than to boast about. Even is ones rose to the highest level, disbursing all or most of ones wealth, one should still reflect on where it came from in the first place, and for what purpose it is being spent. For all wealth belongs to Allah Almighty. It is to Him one should be grateful for being given it and being enabled to spend it, so why pride oneself on spending, for the sake of Allah, what is actually His property all along? And, if ones situation is such that one must look to the Hereafter, spending for the sake of spiritual reward, why boast of giving what one expects to receive many times over? As for action, ones giving should be done with a sense of shame as ones meanness and in holding back the rest of ones wealth from Allah Almighty. Ones demeanor should be humble and abashed, like that of someone who is asked to hand back a deposit by returns only part of it and holds on to the rest. For all wealth belongs to Allah Almighty, and He would prefer to see us give all we possess. If He has not commanded His servants to do so, it is only because that would be too hard on them by reason of their greed. As Allah High Exalted said: If He were to ask you for them, and demand, you would be niggardly (Chapter 47 verse 37) Give the Best and Dearest The seventh duty is to select from ones wealth what is best and dearest to one the finest and most excellent part for Allah Almighty is Good and accepts only good. If the offering has been acquired by dubious means, it may not strictly belong to the donor and will then be disqualified. According to the Tradition reported by Aban on the authority of Anas ibn Malik: Blessed is the servant who spends out of wealth he has earned without sin. Not to make the offering from the best one has is to be guilty of bad manners, since it means that one is keeping the best for oneself, for ones servant or ones family, and so preferring others over Allah Almighty. To treat a guest in this fashion, offering him the worst food in the house, would be sure to annoy him. That is to look at it from the standpoint of Allah Almighty. If we look to ourselves and to reward in the Hereafter, no sane person is going to put others before himself. Whatever we possess, we may either give it in alms and so make it truly ours to keep, or consume it for some immediate purpose and say goodbye to it forever. But it is unreasonable to concentrate solely on the present, neglecting to lay by for the future, Allah Almighty said: O you who believe! Spend from the best of the wealth you have earned and of that We have provided for you from the earth, and do not spend from what is bad while you would not take it for yourselves, except with closed eyes. (Chapter 2 verse 267) That is to say, you would accept it only reluctantly and with a feeling of shame, so do not select it for your Lord. According to the Tradition: A single coin may overtake a hundred thousand. This happens when a persons offering represents the best and finest part of his wealth, and is made in a spirit of pleasure and happiness of giving. Were he to offer a hundred thousand times as much, but out of the part of his fortune he disliked, that would only go to show that he would not offer to Allah Almighty anything he was fond of. That is why Allah finds fault with people who set aside for Him what they themselves dislike. Allah Almighty said: And they ascribe to Allah that which they hate for themselves, and their tongues utter the falsehood that all good things shall be theirs, Without a doubt (Chapter 16 verse 62) Some reciters of the Koran pause at this negation, stressing the falsehood of what those people say, before continuing with: the Fire is for them (Chapter 16 verse 62) That is they have earned the Fire by setting aside for Allah what they themselves dislike. Seek the Worthy and Deserving The eighth duty is to seek out a truly worthy recipient for ones offering (sadaqa), rather than to be content with just anybody who happens to fall within the eight categories of legally qualified beneficiaries. For among those generally eligible there are some with special qualities. Attention should be paid first to these special qualities, which are six in number: Firstly, one should seek out those pious people who have renounced the world and devoted themselves exclusively to the business of the Hereafter. The Prophet said: Partake of no food but that of a pious man; and let none but the pious partake of your own. The reason for this is that your food will support the pious person in his piety; by helping him, you will become a partner in his worship. The Prophet also said: Offer your food to the pious, and favor the believers with your kindness. Another version has the words: Treat to your food those whom you love in Allah Almighty. A certain scholar used to make the point of feeding poor Sufis to the exclusion of others. When it was put to him that he ought rather to distribute his charity among the poor in general, he replied: No, these are people entirely devoted to Allah Almighty. If smitten with destitution, one of them might be distracted, so to revive one mans devotion to Allah Almighty, is dearer to me than giving to a thousand of those whose sole concern is this world. These words were related by al-Junayd, who expressed his approval and said: This man is one of the saints of Allah Almighty. He then went on to say: It is a long time I heard better words than these. It was later reported that this man had fallen upon hard times and had decided to close up his shop, so al-Junayd sent him some money and said: Take this as your capital and keep your shop open; commerce is surely not harmful to men like you. This man was a grocer who used to serve the poor without charging them anything. Secondly, the recipient should be chosen from among the people of learning, to support him in his quest for knowledge. Learning is the noblest form of worship, so long as it is based on right intention. Ibn al-Mubarak used to address his charity exclusively to people of learning. I know no rank, after that of Prophethood, superior in merit to the rank of the learned. If one of them became preoccupied with his needs he would not be free to devote himself to knowledge and concentrate on study. It is therefore better to give them the freedom to pursue learning. Thirdly, the recipient should be sincere in his piety and exclusive worship and devotion to Allah alone. This singleness of worship and devotion (Tawhid) is apparent when, on accepting a gift, he offers praise and thanks to Allah Almighty, regarding Him as the source of the blessing rather than any intermediary. Such a man is truly grateful to Allah Almighty, recognizing that all blessings flow from Him. Luqman said in his testament to him son: Set no one as benefactor between yourself and Allah, but count the favors you receive from others as a liability. If anyone gives thanks to other than Allah it is as if he does not know the true Benefactor and does not realize that the intermediary is under compulsion, subject to the will of Allah Almighty Who has endowed him with motivation and enabled him to act. The intermediary is therefore under compulsion to give; he could not choose to do otherwise after Allah Almighty had instilled in his heart that his well being both spiritual and worldly depended on his acting. When the impulse becomes powerful it demands a resolute response; it becomes irresistible and brooks no hesitation. It is Allah Almighty Who creates these impulses and arouses them to action. It is He Who strips them of weakness and vacillation, compelling the faculties to respond to their demands. No one conscious of this could pay attention except to the Cause of all causes. Such awareness is more valuable to the giver than the praises and thanks he might receive from others, for that would be most useless lip service, whereas the help extended to this truly dedicated servant of Allah will not be wasted. As for those who lavish pride and good wishes in return for a gift, they may find fault when they are not satisfied and utter curses when they are disappointed, though cases vary. It is related that the Prophet once sent an offering to a certain man, telling the messenger to remember anything he might say. This is what the man said on receiving the gift: The praise belongs to Allah, Who neither forgets those who remember Him nor neglects those who thank Him. Then he added: O Allah, You have not forgotten so and so (meaning himself), so let him not forget You. When news of this reached the Messenger of Allah he said in delight: I knew he would say that. See how this man confined his attention to Allah alone. The Prophet once said to a man: Repent! The man said: I repent to Allah alone; I do not repent to Mohammad. To this the Prophet replied: The right has been acknowledge where it is due. When it was Divinely revealed that Aisha was innocent of the slanderous accusations leveled at her in the incident of the lie, About Baker told his daughter: Get up and kiss the head of the Messenger of Allah. But she said: By Allah I shall not do so! I shall give thanks to none but Allah. The Prophet said: Leave her alone, Abu Bakr. According to another version: Aisha said to About Bakr: The praise is Allahs, not yours nor that of your friend. The Messenger of Allah did not object to what she had said, although it was by his tongue that the Divine Revelation had reached her. To see things as emanating from any source but Allah Almighty is the mark of the unbelievers, Allah Almighty has said in the Koran: And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are loathe, but when those other than Him are mentioned, they are joyful. (Chapter 39 verse 45) If someone has not inwardly purified himself of seeing the intermediaries except for what they really are, it is as if his secret soul is still attached to a concealed polytheism. He should therefore devote himself to Allah Almighty to purify his affirmation of Divine Unity from the taints and stains of associating others with Him. Fourthly, the recipient should be a person who has remained anonymous and kept his need to himself, not being given to fuss and complaint; or one of those magnanimous people who, though fortune has departed, still remain unaffected and preserve their high standards. Allah Almighty has said: the ignorant would suppose them to be well off because of their self-respect, you can know their real condition from their faces, for they are not the ones who would beg of people with impunity (Chapter 2 verse 273) In other words, they do not make a nuisance of themselves by begging, for they are rich in their certainty and proud in their fortitude. Such men should be sough out by thorough investigation of the religious people in each neighborhood, and by looking deeply into the circumstances of good and decent people, since the reward for addressing charity to them is many times greater than for spending on those who are vociferous in their begging. Fifthly, the recipient should be someone saddled with a large family, or else disabled by illness or some other cause, so as to come under the import of the words of Allah: Charity is for the needy who are engaged in the cause of Allah so much that they cannot move about in the land to earn their livelihood (Chapter 2 verse 273) In other words, they are held in confinement on the way of the Hereafter by reason of family responsibilities, hardship or psychological problems. They cannot move about in the land because their wings are clipped and their limbs are tied. This is why Umar used to give the household of the Prophet a flock of sheep, not fewer than ten, while the Prophet himself would suit his gift to the size of the family. Umar was once asked about the toughest trial and his answer was: A big family and a little money. Sixthly, the recipient should be a close relative, whether paternal or maternal. The offering will then serve the additional purpose of strengthening ties of kinship, the reward for which is incalculable. Ali once said: To present one of my brothers with a single coin is dear to me than giving twenty in alms, while to present him with twenty is dearer to me than giving a hundred in alms, and to present him with a hundred is dearer to me than emancipating a slave. Friends and fellows in a good cause should be preferred over mere acquaintances, just as relatives are put before strangers. The Sixth Book The Mysteries of Fasting Kitab Asrar al-Sawm Chapter One On the Outward Duties and Regulations (of Fasting) and the Duties Attending the Breaking of it The Outward Duties The Outward duties relative to fasting are six: The first is to watch the beginning of the month of Ramadan (and announce it) at the observation of the new moon (al hilal). But if the clouds should make the observation of the new moon impossible then the length of Shaban should be extended days. The second outward duty is intention (niyyah). Every night before the dawn of the following day the person should specifically and deliberately entertain the intention of fasting. If he should entertain the intention to fast the month of Ramadan but fail to renew his intention every night, his fast would not be valid. The third duty is that, as long as he remembers that he is fasting, the individual should abstain (imsak) from intentionally allowing any material substance such as food, drink, snuff, and enema to enter his body. All these render his fast invalid. The fourth duty is abstinence (imsak) from sexual intercourse. The definition of sexual intercourse is the disappearance of the glands of the penis (in the vulva). If a person, forgetting that he is fasting, should have sexual intercourse, he would not, because of it, break his fast. If, during the night he should either have sexual intercourse or experience an erotic dream, and wake up in the morning in a state of impurity (junub), his fast would not be broken. The fifth, duty is abstinence from deliberate seminal emission (istimna), either through sexual contact or through no sexual contact. For deliberate seminal emission breaks the fast. The person, however, will not break his fast if he kisses his wife or lies with her unless in doing so he emits the seminal fluid. Nevertheless both are disapproved except where the man be advanced in age and in full control of his impulses, in which case there will be no harm in kissing, although abstinence therefore is better and more desirable. If he fears that as a result of kissing (and toying) he may emit the seminal fluid, and yet kisses with the result that the seminal fluid is emitted, he breaks his fast because he was (deliberately) negligent. The sixth duty is abstinence from vomiting because it renders the fast invalid. But if one cannot help it, his fast remains intact and valid. And if a person swallows phlegm or mucus from his throat or chest he will not invalidate his fast. This has been made permissible because of the prevalence of the affliction. But if he swallows either after it has reached his mouth, he will break his fast. The Duties Attending the Breaking of the Fast The duties attending (lawazim) the breaking of the fast are four, namely, making amends (qada), atonement (kaffarah), expiation (fidyah), and abstinence from food and drink for the rest of the day in imitation of those who are fasting. Making amends (qada), is obligatory upon every responsible Muslim who has neglected to observe the fast with or without any excuse. Thus the menstruating woman, as well as the apostate, is under obligation to make amends for (every) fasting (which she has or he fails to observe); while the unbeliever, the minor, and the insane are under no such obligation. Making amends for days omitted in Ramadan need not be consecutively performed but may be performed either at different intervals or all at once. The atonement (kaffarah), is not obligatory except after sexual intercourse. Seminal emission, food and drink require no atonement. The atonement consists of freeing one slave. If this is not possible, the fasting of two consecutive months will suffice; however, if this also be beyond the mans power he should feed sixty poor men, giving each a bushel (of wheat, barley or dates). As to abstinence from food and drink for the rest of the day, it is obligatory upon anyone who broke the fast (without any excuse) or failed to carry out (all its requirements). The menstruating woman is under no obligation to fast for the rest of the day if she ahs already become pure. Similarly the traveler, who ate the end of two days journey, arrives not in a state of fasting, is under no obligation to fast for the rest of the day. It is also obligatory to abstain from food and drink on doubtful days when only one trustworthy witness has declared that he has seen the new moon. Furthermore, when on travel, unless it is unbearable, it is better to fast than not to fast. No one should break his fast on the day when eh embarks on a journey if he has already begun that day by fasting, nor on the day when he comes in from a journey, if he has already begun that day by fasting. As to expiation (fidyah), it is obligatory upon pregnant and nursing women if they should not fast for the sake of their children. Besides making amends for the days thus omitted, they should give in expiation a bushel of wheat to the poor for each day they did not fast. The aged man who does not fast (because of his infirmity) should give a bushel (of wheat) for every day thus omitted. The Practices Connected with the Fast The practices connected with the fast are six. They are delaying the time of the suhur, speeding the breaking of the fast by eating dates or drinking water before performing prayer, putting away the toothpick after sunset, generous giving during the month of Ramadan especially because of its special excellence which were discussed in the Book of Almsgiving, special study of the Koran and retreating (Itikaf) into the mosque especially during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. It was the custom of the Messenger of Allah, upon arrival of the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, to roll up his mattress, fasten his mantle around his waist and, making his family do the same, continue his worship until the end of the ten day period, since during these ten days the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr) falls. Chapter Two On the Mysteries of Fasting and its Inward Conditions Now that fasting is of three (successive) grades, namely, the fasting of the general public (sawm al-umum), the fasting of the select few (sawm al-khusus), and the fasting of the elite among the select few (sawm khusus al-khusus). The fasting of the general public involves refraining from satisfying the appetite of the stomach and the appetite of the sex, as has already been discussed. The fasting of the select few is to keep the ears, eyes, the tongue, the hands, and the feet as well as the other senses free from sin. The fasting of the elite among the select few is the fast but Allah. Such a fast is broken by thinking on anything other than Allah Almighty and the Last Day, as well as by concern over this world, except in so far as it promotes religion which belongs to the Hereafter. Chapter Three On Voluntary Fasting and the Arrangement Of Portions therein Know that the desirability of fasting becomes more certain on special days or particular excellence. These days of excellence recur either annually, monthly or weekly. Besides those of Ramadan, the annual days of excellence are the day of Arafah (Yawm Arafah), the day of Ashura (Yawm Ashura). The first ten days of al-Muharram. Similarly the sacred months are in their entirety a fitting time for fasting, and of special excellence. The Messenger of Allah was in the habit of frequently fasting during (the month) of Shaban to the extent where it would be thought that he was in Ramadan. In another Tradition: Besides the month of Ramadan the most excellent month for fasting is the month of Allah, al-Muharram. This is because al-Muharram is the first month of the year; thus to commence the year right is more pleasing to Allah Almighty and gives greater hope that His blessing will continue through. The Messenger of Allah also said: The fast of one single day during Ramadan is more excellent than that of thirty days during another sacred month. In another Tradition: He who fasts three days, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, during a sacred month, will be credited by Allah with nine hundred years of worship for each day. And again: When the ides of Shaban are gone, there should be no fasting until Ramadan is on. It is therefore desirable that one should, if he were fasting during Shaban, break his fast a few days before the beginning of Ramadan. But if he should continue his fast through Shaban into Ramadan his action will be perfectly permissible since the Messenger of Allah himself has done that once, although, ordinarily, he allowed a period of no fasting to intervene. Nor is it permissible for him to prepare for the arrival of Ramadan with a fast of two or three days from Shaban unless he observes the corresponding portions. Some of the Companions disapproved of fasting the whole of the month of Rajab lest it would become equal to the month of Ramadan in excellence and importance. The excellent months (al-ashur al-fadilah) are Dhu-al-Hijjah, al-Muharram, Rajab and Shaban, while the sacred months (al-ashhur al-hurum) are Dhu-al-Qadah, Dhu-al-Hijjah, al-Muharrum and Rajab. One of these (i.e. Rajab) stands alone, and three follow successively one after the other. The most excellent of these of Dhu-al-Hijjah because in it fall the appointed days (al-ayyam al-malumat) and the numbered days (al-ayyam al-madudat). Dhu-al-Qadah is one of the sacred months as well as one of the months of Pilgrimage. On the other hand Shawwal is one of the months of Pilgrimage but not one of the sacred months, while neither al-Muharrum nor Rajab is a month of Pilgrimage. The Messenger of Allah, as we see it recorded in the following Tradition, once said: No good works are more excellent or more acceptable to Allah Almighty than those which are performed during the (first) ten days of Dhu-al-Hijjah. Indeed the fast on one of those days is equal to the fast of one whole year, and the prayer during one of these nights is equivalent to the prayer during the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). He was then asked: Not even holy war for the cause of Allah is better? To which he replied: Not even holy war for the cause of Allah is better except when the persons steed is killed and his own blood is shed. The excellent days which recur every month are the first, the middle and the last days of each month. In the middle of each month fall the days of the bright nights (al-ayyam al bid). These are the thirteenth, the fourteenth and the fifteenth days of each month. The excellent days which recur every week are Monday, Thursday and Friday. These are the excellent days of the week on which it is desirable to fast and to do good, since, because of the special beneficence of these days, the reward of the acts performed on them is multiplied in double. As to life long fasting (sawm al-dahr) it is all inclusive. Mystics (salikun) hold different views concerning it. Some of them, basing their opinions on several Traditions, have viewed it with disfavor. The truth of the matter is that it is viewed with disfavor for two reasons; one is that by fasting the whole duration of his life, the person will have to abstain from eating even on the two feasts, [namely the feast of Ramadan (al-Fitr) and the feast of the Sacrifice (al-Adha)] as well as on the other days of orientation (ayyam al-tashriq); the other is that by doing so, he departs from the established practice of the Messenger of Allah and makes fasting a yoke for himself although Allah would like him to enjoy his liberties just as much as He would want him to fulfill his obligations. If, however, there are no such (dangers) and the person deems it good for himself to observe a life long fast, let him by all means do so since several of the Companions and the followers have done the same. The Seventh Book The Mysteries of Pilgrimage Chapter One On The Excellent Merit of Pilgrimage Allah Almighty said: And proclaim the Pilgrimage among people, and they shall come to you on foot, and on every means from everywhere- (Chapter 22 verse 27) Qatada said that when Allah Almighty commanded Ibrahim, and our Prophet and every chosen servant to proclaim the Pilgrimage among the people, he declared; O people! Allah Almighty has built a House, so make Pilgrimage to it! Allah Almighty said: That they may gain benefit for themselves there (Chapter 22 verse 28) When some referred this to trading at the season of Pilgrimage and reward in the Hereafter, one of the elders said: By the lord of the Kabah, may they be forgiven! The words of Allah Almighty in which Satan is made to say: - I will waylay them on Your Straight Path- (Chapter 7 verse 16) has been interpreted as meaning that Satan lurks on the road to Makkah to keep people from getting there. The Prophet said: He who make Pilgrimage to the House, avoiding indecent and immoral behavior, emerges from his sins like a newborn babe. The Prophet also said; Satan never appears smaller, more abject and more furious than on the day of Arafat. This is simply because he sees mercy descending and sees Allah Almighty, overlooking serious sins, for it is said that the only expiation for certain sins is standing at Arafat. (Jafar ibn Mohammad attributes this say to the Messenger of Allah.) One of those saintly people endowed with spiritual insight mentioned that Iblis, on him be the curse of Allah, appeared to him at Arafat in human form. He was thin, jaundiced, tearful and stooping. When asked the reason for his weeping, he said: The fact that the Pilgrims have set out towards Allah alone and not for doing business, I say, they have Allah alone as their destination. I fear they will not be thwarted, and that makes me unhappy. He was then asked the cause of his thinness and he said: The neighing of the horses in the way of Allah Almighty. It would please me better if they were in my service. The reason for his jaundiced complexion? The way they all assist each other in obedience. It would suit me better if they would help each other to disobey. And what gave him that stoop? When a creature prays: Grant me I beseech You a good conclusion, then I say: Woe is me! When he takes delight in his good work I am afraid he may have achieved sagacity. The Prophet said: If someone sets out from his home as a Pilgrim or Visitant (mutamir) and then dies, he is granted the reward of a Pilgrim or Visitant till the Day of Resurrection. Anyone who dies in either of the Sanctuaries (Makkah or Madinah) is not subject to review or reckoning, but is told to enter Paradise. The Prophet also said: A blessed Pilgrimage is better than this world and all it contains. For a blessed Pilgrimage there is no reward but Paradise. Also: Pilgrims and Visitants are the emissaries and visitors of Allah Almighty, if they petition Him He gives what they ask, if they seek His forgiveness He forgives them, if they call on Him He answers, and if they seek intercession it is granted. According to a Tradition handed down by the family of the Prophet, on them be peace: No one sins more grievously than he who stands at Arafat and supposes that Allah Almighty has not forgiven him. According to ibn Abbas, the Prophet said: One hundred and twenty mercies descend upon this House each day; sixty for the circumambulants, forty for those performing prayers and twenty for those who just look at it. Another Tradition says: Make frequent circuits of the House, for this will be among the glories of your records on the Day of Resurrection, and the most fortunate action credited to you. Circumambulation is therefore commendable on its own account, not only as part of the Pilgrimage or Visitation. Tradition recounts: To circuit seven times, barefoot or bareheaded, is as meritorious as freeing a slave, while he who circumambulates seven times in the rain is forgiven all his previous sins. It is said that when Allah Almighty forgives a sin for one servant at the place of standing (the plain of Arafat), He forgives it for everyone there who is guilty of it. One of the elders said that when the Day of Arafat coincides with the Day of Congregation (i.e. falls on a Friday), all those present at Arafat are forgiven and it is the most excellent day in the world. It was on such a day that the Messenger of Allah made his Farewell Pilgrimage. While he was standing there he received the Revelation from Allah Almighty: - Today I have perfected for you your Religion and completed My Grace on you, I have chosen Islam for you as your Religion (Chapter 5 verse 3) The people of the Book said: If this revelation had come down to us we would have made it a festival day. Umar said: I am witness to the fact that it was on a double festival day that this Revelation came down to Allahs Messenger as he was standing at Arafat, the Day of Arafat and the day of Congregation. The Prophet said: O Allah, forgive the Pilgrim and those for whom the Pilgrim seeks forgiveness! It is related that Ali ibn Muwaffaq made several Pilgrimages on behalf of the Messenger of Allah. He said: I then saw the Messenger of Allah in a dream and he asked me: Ibn Muwaffaq, did you make Pilgrimage on my behalf? When I said Yes, he said: And you cried labbayk (at Your service Lord!) on my behalf? I confirmed this and he said: Then I shall reward you for it on the Day of Resurrection, I shall take you by the hand at the waiting place and lead you into Paradise, while all creatures are in dread of the Reckoning. According to Mujahad and other scholars, when the Pilgrims reach Makkah they are met by the angels, who salute those riding camels, shake hands with those riding donkeys, and embrace those walking on foot. Al-Hasan says that anyone who dies just after Ramada, just after a holy campaign or just after a Pilgrimage, dies a martyr. Umar said: The Pilgrim is forgiven, as are those for whom he seeks forgiveness in the holy months of Dhul Hijja, Muharram and Safar, and twenty days of First Rabi. It was the customary practice of the elders to see the warriors off on campaign and to greet the returning Pilgrims, kissing them between the eyes and asking for their prayers; they did this promptly, before they had time to become sullied with sins. Ali ibn Muwaffaq is reported as saying: I made Pilgrimage one year and when the Night of Arafat arrived I slept at Mina, in the Mosque of al-Khayf. There I dreamt that I saw two angels descending from heaven, clad in garments of green. One of them called out to his companion: O servant of Allah! and the other responded with: At your service, O servant of Allah! The first then asked: Do you know how many came on Pilgrimage this year to the House of Allah Almighty? No. Six hundred thousand made the Pilgrimage to the House of our Lord. Do you know how many of them were accepted? No. Only six souls. The two angels then rose into the air and disappeared from my view. At this point I awoke in dismay, feeling deep anxiety and concern. I said to myself: If only six souls had their Pilgrimages accepted, where am I placed? I then joined the stampede from Arafat, stopping at Muzdalifah. I began to ponder how great was the multitude and how few would find acceptance, till sleep overtook me and I saw the two figures descending as before. They hailed each other, then one said: Do you know what our Lord has decreed tonight? No. To each of the six He has given a hundred thousand. I awoke this time with a feeling of indescribable joy. He is further reported as saying: I went on Pilgrimage one year, and after completing all the rites I thought about those whose Pilgrimages would not be accepted. Then I said: O Allah, I donate my Pilgrimage and give the merit of it to someone whose Pilgrimage has not been accepted. Then I dreamt of the Lord of Might, Glorious is His Majesty, Who said to me: Ali, you would be more generous than I, though it is I Who have created generosity and the generous! I Who am the Most Bounteous of the bountiful, the Most Municifent of the munificent, more Worthy of bounty and generosity than the entire universe. I have bestowed all whose Pilgrimages I have not accepted upon those who have won my acceptance. Excellence of the Kabah and of Makkah the Ennobled The Prophet said: Allah has promised this House that it will be visited every year by six hundred thousand Pilgrims. If they fall short of this number, Allah Most Gracious, makes it up from among the angels. The Kabah will be raised up at the Resurrection as if a bridal procession; all who have made the Pilgrimage to it will go around it, hanging on to its coverings, till it enters Paradise and they enter with it. According to Tradition: The Black Stone is a ruby of Paradise. It will be raised on the Day of Resurrection with a pair of eyes and a tongue with which to speak, testifying for all who have touched it with truth and sincerity. The Prophet used to kiss it often. It is related that he also prostrated himself upon it. If he rode on a camel while circuiting around it, he touched it with a crooked staff and then kissed the end of the staff. Umar kissed it and then said: I know you are a stone that neither harms nor helps, and had I not seen Allahs Messenger kiss you, I would not have kissed you. Then he wept, sobbing loudly. On turning round he saw Ali and said: Here tears are shed and prayers are answered, father of al-Hasan! But Ali replied: Oh yes, Commander of the Believers, it does indeed harm and help! How so? When Allah Almighty took the Covenant from the descendants of Adam, He committed it to writing and embedded the document in this stone; it will therefore bear witness for the believer as to his fulfillment, and against the unbeliever as to his repudiation. This, they say is the significance of the words people utter when touching the Black Stone: O Allah, I declare my belief in You, my acceptance of Your document and my fulfillment of Your Covenant. Al-Hasan al-Basri is reported as saying: One day of fasting in Makkah is worth a hundred thousand days, one penny in alms is worth a thousand pounds, and any other good deed is likewise worth a hundred thousand times its value elsewhere. It is said that to circumambulate seven times is equal to one Visitation, and that three Visitations are equal to one Pilgrimage. According to authentic Tradition: A Visitation in Ramadan is like performing a Pilgrimage with me. The Prophet said: I shall be the first for whom the earth will split open, then I shall go to the cemetery called al-Baqi (in Madinah) and its occupants will be gathered up with me, then I shall go to the people of Makkah and I shall be resurrected between the Two Sanctuaries. According to another Tradition: When Adam had performed all the rites of Pilgrimage he was met by the angels who said: Blessed be your Pilgrimage Adam. We made Pilgrimage to this House two thousand years before you did. We have it from an early source that Allah Almighty surveys the people of the earth every night; the first at whom He looks are the people of the Sanctuary (Makkah) and of these He looks first at the people of the Sacred Mosque; those He sees circuiting it He forgives, those He sees at Prayer He forgives, and those He sees standing facing the Kabah He forgives. One of the saints saw a vision and said: I saw all the frontier regions prostrating toward Abbadan and I saw Abbadan prostrating towards Jiddah. It is said that the sun never sets on a day, nor rises after a night, when a saintly or holy person has not made the circuit of the House, and that when this ceases to be so there will be cause for the Kabah to be removed from the earth without trace. This will happen when nobody has come on Pilgrimage for seven years. The Koran will then be removed from the written books, leaving pages blank with not one letter showing. Then the Koran will be erased from all hearts, not one word of it will be remembered. People will then revert to the poems, songs and fables of the time of ignorance. Then will emerge the Antichrist and Jesus will come down to kill him. The Hour of Resurrection will be at that moment as it were a pregnant woman on the verge of giving birth. According to Tradition: Make frequent circumambulation of this House, before it is taken up; for twice it has been laid waste and the third time it will be taken away. It is related on the authority of Ali that the Prophet said: Allah Almighty says: If I wished to destroy the world I would begin by destroying My House, then I would destroy the whole world in its wake. The Merit and Demerit of Residing in Makkah May Allah Almighty protect her Cautiously apprehensive scholars find fault with permanent residence in Makkah on three grounds: One, fear of boredom and over familiarity with the House, for this may tend to douse the ardor of reverence in the heart. That is why Umar used to beat the people who had completed their Pilgrimage, crying: Yemenis, back to Yemen! Syrians, back to Syria! Iraqis, back to Iraq! For the same reason Umar was careful to prevent people from excessive circumambulation saying: I am afraid people will get too familiar with this House. Two, nostalgia stimulates a yearning to return. Allah Almighty has made the House a concourse secure for mankind i.e. a place where they should congregate, returning to it time and again and never ceasing to aspire to it. Someone said: That you should be in another town, with your heart yearning for Makkah, attached to this House, is better for you than being there, bored with long residence and hankering after another town. As one of the elders said: Many a man in Khurasan is closer to this House than those circuiting it! It is even said that Allah Almighty has servants so close to Him that the Kabah revolves around them. Three, fear of committing errors and sins there. That is a grave peril, likely to excite the anger of Allah Almighty, on account of the nobility of the place. Wuhayb ibn al-Ward, the Makkan, is reported as saying: One night as I was praying by the Black Stone, I heard a conversation between the Kabah and its coverings, in which it said: To Allah I complain, and then to you, Gabriel, of what the circumambulants fling around me; the thoughts they give vent to, their vanities and their prattling. Unless they desist I shall surely give myself a mighty shake, sending every stone I am built with back to the hills from where they were hewn! Ibn Masud said: In no city but Makkah is a man chastised for his mere intention, before he has acted upon it. The he recited the words of Allah: whoever purposes to violate it wrongfully, We shall cause him to taste a painful chastisement. (Chapter 22 verse 25) That is to say, punishment is entailed by the mere purpose. It is said that evil deeds are compounded in Makkah, as are good deeds. Ibn Abbas used to say: Monopolistic hoarding in Makkah constitutes violation of the Sanctuary. Some say the same of lying. Ibn Abbas said: To sin seventy times at al-Rakiyah would be preferable to me than to commit a single sin in Makkah. Such fear has even led certain residents of Makkah to make a practice of leaving their confines of the Sanctuary whenever they need to answer the call of nature. Someone stayed there a whole month without ever reclining on the ground. As a deterrent to long residence, certain scholars have expressed disapproval of renting houses in Makkah. Let it not be supposed that the demerit of residence is at odds with the merit of the place itself. The reason behind the former is human frailty and inability to treat the place with due respect. When we declare it preferable to forsake residing there, we refer to residence associated with inadequacy and boredom. As for its being preferable to residence in all propriety; how utterly absurd! Of course, for when Allahs Messenger came back to Makkah he approached the Kabah and said: You are the best spot on Allahs earth, Great and Glorious is He. If I had not had to leave you, I would never have left you. Of course, for it is an act of worship just to look upon the House, and goods deeds performed there are compounded, as we have mentioned. The Superiority of Madinah the Radiant over Other Towns After Makkah itself, there is no place superior to Madinah, the City of the Messenger of Allah. Deeds performed there are also compounded. Said the Prophet: One prayer in this Mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any other Mosque, except the Sacred Mosque. Likewise every good action in Madinah is worth a thousand. After the City of the Prophet comes the Holy Land of Jerusalem, where one prayer is equal to five hundred elsewhere, with the exception of the Sacred Mosque. Again, the same is true of other deeds. Ibn Abbas relates that the Prophet said: One prayer in the Mosque of Madinah is worth ten thousand prayers, one prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque is worth a thousand, and one prayer in the Sacred Mosque is worth a hundred thousand. The Prophet said: If anyone endures the rigors and austerity of (Madinah), I shall be an intercessor for him on the Day of Resurrection. Also: If someone is able to die in Madinah, let him die there, for no one will die there without my being an intercessor for him on the Day of Resurrection. Aside from these three places, all other districts are on an equal footing, with the exception of the frontier regions, where it is extremely meritorious to take up station. The Prophet said: Only these three Mosques deserve a special journey; the Sacred Mosque, my Mosque and the Mosque of al-Aqsa. The Messenger of Allah also said: All countries are the countries of Allah Almighty, so take up residence in any place where you find good company, and give praise to Allah Almighty. Chapter Two Fine Points of Propriety: Internal Conduct The Fine Points of propriety are ten in number: Purity of Intention and Means 1.The Pilgrim should meet his expenses by lawful (Halal) means and should have his hands free of any worrisome and distracting business concerns, so that his attention may be devoted exclusively to Allah Almighty, and his heart directed in tranquility to the remembrance of Allah and the veneration of His holy rites. According to a Tradition handed down by relatives of the Prophet: At the end of the age, four classes of people will go on Pilgrimage; their rulers for the outing; their rich men for their trade; their poor men for the begging; their Koran readers for the benefit of their reputations. This indicates that all conceivable worldly purposes have some connection with the Pilgrimage. All of this negates the virtue of the Pilgrimage and depersonalizes it, especially when the Pilgrimage itself is directly exploited by one who makes it on behalf of another in exchange for payment, seeking worldly gain by the work of the Hereafter. Pious and spiritual people disapprove of this, except where the intention of the person accepting payment is to settle in Makkah and he lacks the means to get there; in that case there is no harm in it, the purpose being to use worldly means for religious ends and not vice-versa. In this instance his object must be to visit the House of Allah Almighty, while at the same time helping his Muslim brother be relieving him of his religious obligation. Relevant in this connection is the saying of the Messenger of Allah: Allah, Glorified is He; admits three to Paradise for a single Pilgrimage; the testator who bequeaths it; the one who carries it out; and the one who performs it on behalf of his brother. I am not saying that it is unlawful to make Pilgrimage on behalf of someone else, nor that one is forbidden to do so after having discharged ones personal obligation as a Muslim. It is better not to do so, however, and not to make it a livelihood and a business, for Allah Almighty, gives the world for religion, not religion for the world. According to the Tradition: He who goes on a campaign in the cause of Allah Almighty, and he who takes a wage, is like the mother of Moses who suckled her child and took her wage. He who takes hire for the Pilgrimage is similarly comparable to the mother of Moses; there is no harm in his doing so, for he takes it in order to have the possibility of making the Pilgrimage and visiting the Holy Places. He does not go on Pilgrimage to get the hire, but the other way round, just as Moses mother accepted payment to facilitate her suckling by concealing her condition. Shunning Unlawful Taxes 2. The Pilgrim should not aid the enemies of Allah by paying tolls to those Makkan chiefs who bare the way to the Sacred Mosque, or Bedouin who lurk along the road. To pay these people is to encourage tyranny and to make it easy for them, for it is like giving them moral support. The Pilgrim should therefore devise some means of escape from such payment. If he is not capable of this, then according to some scholars (and it is not a bad opinion) it is better to turn back and abandon non-obligatory Pilgrimage rather than give assistance to tyrants, for this is a heretical innovation and acquiesance would tend to give it the force of custom. This form of taxation is degrading and humiliating to the Muslims. There is no sense in saying: I had to pay up under duress. If one had stayed at home or turned back one would not have had to pay a thing. Actually, a display of affluence sometimes provokes a lot of demands, whereas these would not arise if one dressed like the poor people; you may only have yourself to blame for putting yourself in a situation of duress. Moderation in Expenditure 3. Liberality in provision and magnamanity in outlay and expenditure, steering a course between stinginess and extravagance. I mean the lavish indulgence in exquisite food and drink, characteristic of the opulent. But heavy expense in giving generously is not extravagance, for there is no goodness in immoderation and no immoderation in goodness. Outlay on provision for the Pilgrimage is expenditure in the way of Allah, and every penny of it is worth seven hundred. Ibn Umar said: Part of nobility consists in making generous provision for ones journey. He also used to say: The most virtuous Pilgrim is he whose intention is most sincere, his expenditure most proper and his conviction most certain. The Prophet said: For the Pilgrimage that is blessed there is no reward but Paradise. When he was asked: O Messenger of Allah, what makes a Pilgrimage blessed? He replied: Speaking well and feeding the poor. Forsaking Evil Conduct 4. Forsaking indecency, immorality and wrangling, as spoken of in the Koran. Indecency is a general term, covering all nonsensical, foul and obscene language and including flirtation and dalliance with women as well as discussion of sexual intercourse and its preliminaries. Such talk excites the urge to unlawful intercourse, and incitement to what is forbidden is itself forbidden. Immorality is another general term, covering all departures from obedience to Allah. Wrangling is excessive quarreling and argument, causing ill-will, distracting from noble purpose and incompatible with good character. As Sufyan said: Indecent behavior vitiates ones Pilgrimage. The Messenger of Allah set decent speech on a par with providing food as a cause of blessedness in the Pilgrimage, and quarreling is incompatible with decent speech. One should therefore refrain from raising frequent objections against ones fellow traveler, the camels and one s other companions; rather should one take things gently, sheltering others beneath ones wing along the way to the House of Allah. Good conduct is essential, and good conduct means putting up with painful things rather than trying to repel them. They say that the Arabic word for journey is safar because it reveals (yusfiruan) a persons character. That is why Umar asked someone who claimed to know a man: Have you accompanied him on a journey that would show up his good qualities? Since the answer was no, he told him: The I do not think you can know him! Going on Foot 5. Those who are able should make the Pilgrimage on foot, for this is the most meritorious way. At his death, Abd Allah ibn Abbas bequeathed this advice to his sons: My sons, go on foot when you make the Pilgrimage, because for every step the Pilgrim takes while walking he earns seven hundred of the bounties of the Sanctuary. When asked what these bounties were, he replied: One good deed in the Sanctuary is rewarded a hundred thousand-fold. Walking between the various Hajj rituals, and when going to and fro between Makkah, Arafat and Mina, is even more strongly recommended than on the road to Makkah. Going on foot, in conjunction with putting on the Ihram (entering the state of consecration) on leaving home, is said by some to constitute completion of Pilgrimage. Such was the construction put by Umar, Ali and Ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with them, on the world of Allah Almighty: And fulfill the Pilgrimage (Hajj) and the Visitation (Umrah) for Allah (Chapter 2 verse 196) On the other hand, some scholars maintain that transport is better, in view of the outlay and provision involved and because it is less disturbing and painful and more conducive to a safe completion of the Pilgrimage. This second opinion does not really contradict the first; one must consider which applies to a particular case. It is said that for one who can easily walk it is better to do so, whereas transport would be preferable if he were weak, and if going on foot might affect him badly and restrict him in the performance of his duties. There is a parallel here with Fasting, which is better kept up even by the traveler and the invalid, unless it would cause weakness and bad temper. A certain scholar was asked whether, in the Visitation (Umra) one should go on foot or spend a little money on hiring a donkey. He replied that if one is attached to the money, it is better to hire the donkey than to walk. But if walking is the more serious matter, as for the rich, then walking is to be preferred. There is something to be said for this view, which seems to make it a question of self-discipline. The best course of all, however, is to walk and spend the money on charity; this is more superior to spending it on hiring a donkey. But for those who are incapable of giving up both personal comfort and their money, the opinion cited above is not inappropriate. Modesty and Simplicity of Transport 6. The Pilgrim should take a simple riding beast for transport, abstaining from being carried in a litter unless there is a reason to fear that he could not ride the animal. There are two considerations here: (a) sparing the camel the pain of bearing a litter; (b) avoiding an air of ostentatious luxury, the Messenger of Allah made the Pilgrimage on a riding camel, with a worn saddle and tattered pad, the cost of it being four dirhams. He made the circumambulation on the camel, so that people could observe his comportment and conduct. The Prophet said: Take your rituals from me. They say these camel litters were an innovation introduced by Pilgrims over the protests of the scholars of the day. Sufyan al-Thawri reports his father as saying: En route from Kufa to Qadisiya, bound for Pilgrimage, I caught up with traveling companions from many lands. All the Pilgrims I saw had beasts of burden, animals carrying luggage, and riding camels; among them I spotted no more than two litters. When Ibn Umar noticed the new styles and the litters introduced by the Pilgrims, he would say: Few Pilgrims, many riders! Then he would look at a poor man, shabbily dressed and mounted atop some sacks, and say: This is the cream of the Pilgrims! Dress and Appearance 7. The Pilgrim should be suitably dressed, not over adorned nor inclined to things that excite vainglory and rivalry, thereby enrolling among the arrogant and the opulent and parting company with the weak, the poor and the righteous. For Allahs Messenger ordained suitable dress and banned indulgence and luxury, according to the Tradition of Fadala ibn Ubayd. As another Tradition puts is: The Pilgrim is nothing if not suitably dressed. Allah Almighty said: let them attend to their personal cleanliness (Chapter 22 verse 29) Their personal cleanliness is attended to by shaving, trimming the moustache and clipping the nails. Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to the army commanders: Be smooth and be rough! i.e. wear worn out clothes and manage things roughly. It has been said that the best Pilgrims are those from the Yemen, on account of their humble and gentle ways and because they follow the example set by the elders. Red is to be avoided, especially in attire, as is commonplace notoriety. It is related that Allahs Messenger was once on a journey when his Companions made a halt. As the camels were grazing, he noticed the red cloth on their humps. The Prophet said: I see this color red has got the better of you! Said the Companions; We therefore got up and removed the red cloth from their backs, until some of the camels bolted. Kindness To Beasts of Burden 8.The Pilgrim must be kind to animals, taking care not to overload them. It is beyond their capacity to carry a litter, and sleeping in one of them imposes an intolerable weight. Pious people would not sleep on the back of an animal, unless they happened to doze off while riding. Nor would they stay mounted for long while the animal was kept standing. The Prophet said: Do not treat the backs of your animals as chairs! It is recommended that one dismount both morning and evening to give ones beast a rest, following the Prophetic example and the precedent of the elders. One of the elders used to take an animal on hire with the stipulation that he would not dismount. Having paid the full price of hire, he would then get of the beast in order to do it a kindness, one that would be counted among his good deeds and weighed in his scales of the balance, not that of the owner. Whoever harms a dumb creature and overloads it will be called to account for this on the Day of Resurrection. As he was dying, Abul Darda said to a camel of his: Camel, do not complain of me to your Lord, for I have never overloaded you. In short, in every warm heart there lies a reward, so the right of the beast and the right of the hirer should both be respected; to dismount for a spell provides the animal with relief and pleases its hirer at the same time. A man once said to ibn al-Mubarak: Carry this letter for me and deliver it. But he replied: Let me first check with the camel driver, for I have taken the animal on hire. Note how cautious he was even about taking with him a virtually weightless letter! This is the prudent approach to piety, for once a door is ajar it gradually opens wider. Sacrificing Animals 9.The Pilgrim ought to shed the blood of a sacrificial animal, even if it is not strictly incumbent upon him to do so, endeavoring to find a fine fat creature for the purpose. If the offering is voluntary he should eat some of it, but not if it is an obligatory sacrifice. The words of Allah Almighty: Suchand whoever does his utmost in the offerings consecrated to Allah (Chapter 22 verse 32) Have been interpreted as referring to the choice of a fine fat sacrificial animal. It is preferable to drive the offering in from the assembly point, provided this is not too inconvenient and troublesome. One should refuse to pay sales taxes, for three things get over priced and reprehensively taxed; offerings, sacrificial slaughtering and slaves to be emancipated, since the best of these are the costliest and most precious to their owners. According to Ibn Umar, Umar was going to sacrifice a Bactrian camel. He was offered a price of three hundred dinars, so he asked Allahs Messenger if he should sell it and use the money to buy several other animals, but he told him not to do that, saying: No sacrifice it! The reason for this is that a little of what is excellent is better than much of what is inferior. Thirty beasts could have been purchased for three hundred dinars, which would have represented a lot of meat. But the meat is not the object. The object is to purify the soul, to cleanse it of stinginess and to adorn it with the beauty of reverence for Allah Almighty, for: It is not their flesh that reaches Allah, nor their blood, but that which reaches Allah is your piety (Chapter 22 verse 37) This devotion is shown by regard for excellence of quality in value, be the quantity great or small. When the Messenger of Allah was asked what makes for a blessed Pilgrimage, he said: al-ajj wa-Ithajj (clamor and torrent). Clamor refers to the loud voice used in calling: labbayk (At Your service Lord!), while torrent refers to the flow of blood at the slaughter of a sacrifice. Aisha said: No human action on the day of slaughter is dearer to Allah Almighty than the shedding of blood, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection with its horns and its hooves; the blood will fall to some point at which Allah Almighty will stop it reaching the ground. So rejoice with it! According to another Tradition: There is a bounty for you in every hair of its hide, and every drop of blood counts as a good deed to be weighed in the balance, so be of good cheer! The Prophet also said: Seek the aid of your sacrificial offering, for they will be your mounts on the Day of Resurrection. Equanimity 10. The Pilgrim should face with equanimity the expense he incurs to provision himself and acquire as offering, as well as any financial or physical loss or mishap that may befall him, for that is one of the signs that his Pilgrimage is accepted. Misfortune on the way to Pilgrimage is equated with expenditure in the cause of Allah, every penny being worth seven hundred. It is comparable to the rigors encountered en route to the Jihad, so for every hardship endured and for every loss suffered there is recompense and nothing is lost in the sigh of Allah Almighty. One indication that a Pilgrimage has been accepted, they say, is when a Pilgrim abandons his sinful ways, exchanging his idle companions for righteous brothers, and forsaking haunts of frivolity and heedlessness in favor of gatherings for remembrance and vigilance. Inner States at Various Stages of Hajj The role of sincerity in intention. The way to respect the noble shrines, the manner in which to contemplate them and to reflect upon their mysteries and meanings, from the start of the Pilgrimage to the end. The Pilgrimage begins with understanding, by which I mean the understanding of its place in the religion. The subsequent steps are then; yearning for it; resolving upon it; severing the ties that keep one from it; acquiring the seamless garments to be worn during consecration 9ihram); purchasing the necessary provisions; hiring transport; setting out from home; crossing the desert; consecration at the assembly point, with the cry of Labbayk (at Your service Lord!); the entry into Makkah, and then the completion of all rites of Pilgrimage. Every one of these steps serves as reminder to the mindful, a lesson to the heedful, an exhortation to the faithful aspirant, an instruction and indication to the sagacious. Let us therefore signify their key points, so that when the door to them is opened and the reasons know, some of their mysteries may be revealed to every Pilgrim, sufficient to afford him tranquility of heart, inner purity and fullness of understanding. Understanding As for understanding it must be realized that there is no way of attaining to Allah Almighty except by divesting oneself of desires, abstaining from pleasures, confining oneself to necessities and devoting oneself exclusively to Allah in every movement and rest. It was for this reason that the ascetics of previous religions used to isolate themselves from the people, retiring to mountain caves and preferring solitude to the company of others, in quest of intimacy with Allah Almighty. For the sake of Allah, Great and Glorious is He, they forsook worldly pleasures and applied themselves to strenuous exertions in pursuit of the Hereafter. Allah commends them in His Book, where He says: This is because there are among them men who are dedicated to learning, and men who renounce this worldly life, and they are not arrogant. (Chapter 5 verse 82) But when all that had vanished, and the people had become interested only in chasing their desires, shunning exclusive devotion to Allah Almighty, and getting lax about it, then Allah sent His Messenger Mohammad to revive the Way of the Hereafter and to renew the method of traveling along it in accordance with the practice of Allahs Envoys. Members of the earlier religious communities asked Allahs Messenger if the ways of the monks and anchorites were followed in his religion and he replied: Allah has replaced them for us with the Jihad and the declarations of His supremacy on every elevated place. (Alluding to the Pilgrimage.) When asked about the anchorites, the Messenger of Allah said: They are the ones who Fast. So Allah Almighty has favored this Community by making the Pilgrimage its form of monasticism and has honored the Kabah, the Ancient House, by calling it His own. He has made it a goal for His servants consecrating its surround as a sanctuary for His House and for the Glory of His cause. He has made Arafat as it were the pipe supplying water to the pool of His heavenly court. He has emphasized the dignity of the place by declaring its game and its trees inviolate. He has modeled it on a royal court, the goal of visitors from every deep ravine and every distant scene, who disheveled, dusty and humble to the Lord of the House, meekly submissive to His Majesty and might, (acknowledging, of course, that He is beyond being contained by any house or confined to any town) so that their homage and adoration may be more intense, their compliance and obedience more perfect. That is why they have been enjoined to perform there certain actions to which the soul does not readily conform, and the significance of which is not easily grasped by the mind, like the stoning of the pillars and the running back and forth several times between al-Safa and al-Marwa. The Pilgrim demonstrates through such actions the perfection of his homage and adoration. The Zakat has the rational appeal of an intelligible humane purpose. Fasting breaks the hold of desire, which is the tool of Allahs enemy, and is conducive to worship because it dispels distraction. Bowing and prostrating in ritual prayer promote humility toward Allah almighty, through actions symbolic of humility, and the soul enjoys intimacy in the veneration of Allah Almighty. In actions like running to and fro or throwing pebbles, on the other hand, there is no pleasure or satisfaction and nothing to suggest any rational significance. The sole inducement to perform them is therefore the command itself and the intention to comply with it inasmuch as it is an order that must be obeyed. Deflected from where its comfort lies; for if this was something readily comprehensible to the mind, there would be a natural inclination towards it. That inclination would then back up the command and provide an added incentive to act upon it, in which case it would hardly represent a perfect demonstration of homage and obedience. This is why Allahs Messenger singled out the Pilgrimage when he said: Doubly at Your service, through a Pilgrimage in truth, devotion and homage! He did not say that about ritual prayer or any other act of worship. If it were necessary to question the wisdom of Allah Almighty in linking our salvation to actions that run counter to natural inclination and that are subject to the control of the Sacred Law, we would vacillate in the practice of obedience and following the dictates of submission. The performance of inexplicable duties is a form of devotion most effective in purifying the soul, and in deflecting it from its natural propensities into the habit of servitude. If you have grasped this, you will have understood that perplexity concerning these strange actions stems from inattention to the mysteries of devotions. This much will suffice, Allah willing, to impart an understanding of the essence of the Pilgrimage. Yearning As for yearning; this arises only after understanding and the realization that the House is truly a House of Allah Almighty, that it is modeled on the royal court so that he who goes there goes as a visitor of Allah, and that he who goes to the House in this world deserves that his visit should not be in vain. He will be accorded the object of his visit at the time appointed for him, namely the vision of Allahs Noble Countenance in the abode of eternity. For the inadequate mortal eye we possess in this earthly abode is unfitted to receive vision of the Face of Allah Almighty, lacking the capacity to bear it or the equipment to take it in. But in the abode of the Hereafter, when it has been granted perpetuity and immunity to the causes of change and decay, it will be prepared for that vision and sight. Meanwhile, by taking oneself to the House and beholding it, one earns the right to meet the Lord of the House in accordance with the noble promise. To be sure, the yearning to meet with Allah Almighty creates a longing for all that will lead to that meeting; for the lover craves everything in any way connected with his beloved. The House is connected with Allah Almighty, so this connections is surely enough in itself to make one yearn for it, quite apart from the wish to attain the abundant reward that is promised. Allahs Noble Countenance in the abode of eternity. For the inadequate mortal eye we possess in this earthly abode is unfitted to receive vision of the Face of Allah Almighty, lacking the capacity to bear it or the equipment to take it in. But in the abode of the Hereafter, when it has been granted perpetuity and immunity to the causes of change and decay, it will be prepared for that vision and sight. Meanwhile, by taking oneself to the House and beholding it, one earns the right to meet the Lord of the House in accordance with the noble promise. To be sure, the yearning to meet with Allah Almighty creates a longing for all that will lead to that meeting; for the lover craves everything in any way connected with his beloved. The House is connected with Allah Almighty, so this connections is surely enough in itself to make one yearn for it, quite apart from the wish to attain the abundant reward that is promised. Resolve As for resolve; the Pilgrim should be aware that by his resolve he is purposing to leave his family and homeland behind, forsaking pleasures and desires as he sets out to visit the House of Allah Almighty. He should hold in high esteem both the House and the Lord of the House. He must know that he has resolved upon a matter of high consequence and an affair of great moment. Where great things are at stake, the risks are also greatest, He should make sure his resolve is purely for the sake of Allah, untarnished by hypocrisy and desire for fame. Let him be fully aware that only what is sincere in his intention and action will find acceptance, and that there is no offence more outrageous than to visit the House of Allah and His Sanctuary for ulterior motive. He should check with himself to verify his resolve; the verification is his sincerity, and his sincerity lies in shunning all taint of hypocrisy and desire for fame. Let him therefore be careful to replace what is unworthy with something better. Severing Ties As for severing ties; this means the rejection of all iniquities and sincere repentance to Allah for all acts of disobedience, for each iniquity is a tie, and every tie is like having a creditor with you, clinging to your collar. He cries: Where are you heading for? Are you bound for the House of the King of kings, when you are neglecting His command here at home, belittling and ignoring it? Are you not ashamed to approach Him as a disobedient servant, since He will reject you and refuse you? So if you hope to have your visit accepted you should carry out His commandments, cast off iniquities, repent to Him first of all for all acts of disobedience, and sever your hearts connection from concern with what is behind you. You can then turn your face to Him, as you turn your visible face in the direction of His House. Unless you do this, you will get nothing from your journey except trouble and hardship at the outset and dismissal and rejection at the end. The Pilgrim should sever all ties with his homeland, cutting himself off completely as if he were going to exile, never to return, He should also write down his will and testament for his children and family, for the traveler and his money are at risk unless protected by Allah Almighty. While severing ties for the journey of Pilgrimage, one should also remember to be detached for the journey to the Hereafter, for that is soon to come. All that is suggested for this earthly journey is desirable in preparation of the other, which is to eternity and the ultimate return. One should therefore not be heedless of that final journey while getting ready for the Pilgrimage. Provisions As for provisions; these must be from a lawful source. If the Pilgrim feels himself impelled to take a lot, seeking enough to last him the whole journey without spoiling of going bad before he reaches his destination, let him remember that the journey to the Hereafter is a much longer one than this and that the provision for it is true piety. Apart from piety, whatever one supposes to be provision will be left behind when you die, leaving you in the lurch. It will no more keep than the fresh food that goes bad on the first leg of the journey, leaving one dismayed and helpless in the moment of need. Beware therefore, in case the deeds which make up your provision for the Hereafter do not go with you after death, but get spoiled instead by the taint of hypocrisy and the turbidity of remissness. Transport As for transport; when the Pilgrim procures a riding beast, he should give heartfelt thanks to Allah Almighty for putting animals at his disposal to relieve him of pain and hardship. At the same time he should call to mind the vehicle that will carry him to the abode of the Hereafter, namely his coffin, for the Pilgrimage presents a certain parallel to the final journey. He should therefore consider whether the journey he is about to make, riding his mount, will help to equip him for that other journey aboard that other vehicle. How close at hand it is! For all he knows, death may be so near that he will be riding the coffin before he has time to ride the camel. The coffin ride is a certainty, whereas there is doubt about whether one can secure all ones needs for this trip. So where is the point in making careful preparations to equip oneself with provisions and transport for a doubtful journey, while neglecting the matter of one that is sure and certain? Purchase of Ihram As for the purchase of the two seamless garments of consecration; when buying his ihram the Pilgrim should recall the shroud in which he will be wrapped for burial. When he nears the House of Allah Almighty, he will put on the two sheets, wearing one of them over one shoulder and the other as a sarong. While he may never finish his journey to the House of Allah, what is certain is that he must go to meet Allah Almighty, wrapped in the cloth of the shroud. He should therefore remember; just as he goes to meet the House of Allah Almighty, in unusual garb and attire, so after death he must go to meet Allah Almighty dressed in a different fashion from that of this world. And the Pilgrim garb is close to the other, being unstitched like the shroud. Leaving Home As for leaving home; the Pilgrim should know that he has now left hearth and home, bound for Allah Almighty on a journey unlike any worldly voyage. He should be conscious in his heart of what he wishes, where he is heading and Whom he intends to visit. He should be aware that he is wending his way toward the King of kings, along with a host of visitors who have been summoned and have answered the call, in whom a great longing has been awakened, who have been roused and have risen, who have severed connections and said farewell to relations, and who have set out for the House of Allah Almighty, which is splendid in majesty and lofty esteem. To encounter the House consoles them for not meeting its Lord, till they are granted their ultimate wish and rejoice in the contemplation of their Master. The Pilgrim should also nourish in his heart the hope of attainment and of finding acceptance, not by virtue of his deeds in faring far from his family and property, but through trust in the bounty of Allah Almighty, and in hope of confirming His promise to those who wish to visit His House. He should nurture the hope that if fate overtakes him en route and he does not arrive, he will meet Allah Almighty, coming to Him, since He says in the Glorious Koran: whosever goes out from his house migrating to Allah and His Messenger, then death overtakes him, his reward becomes due and sure with Allah (Chapter 4 verse 100) Crossing The Desert As for crossing the desert to the assembly point, with all attendant hardships; the Pilgrim should there recall the crossing at death between this world and the assembly point on the Day of Resurrection, with the terrors and trials that intervene. The terror of highway robbers should remind him of the terror of the inquisition by Munkar and Nakir (two angels who question the dead in the grave); the savage beasts of the desert should make him think of the scorpions and worms of the tome, with its vipers and serpents; his separation from his family and relatives should put him in mind of the desolation of the tomb, of its agony and solitude. Through all these terrors he should equip himself by word and deed for the horrors of the tomb. Putting on Ihram and crying Labbayk As for donning the garb of consecration and crying Labbayk from the assembly point onwards: the Pilgrim should know that this signifies a response to the summons of Allah Almighty, therefore, to be accepted and dread being told: No favor or fortune for you! Oscillate between hope and fear; rid yourself of your power and strength, and rely on the grace and generosity of Allah Almighty. The moment of talbiya (calling Labbayk) is the real starting point; this is the critical instant. Sufyan ibn Uyayna said: Ali, the son of al-Husayn once went on Pilgrimage. When he had put on his ihram and his camel was ready for him to ride, he suddenly turned pale and began to tremble. He shivered and quaked and could not utter Labbayk, and when they asked him what was wrong he said: I dread being told: No favor or fortune for you! When he did eventually cry Labbayk, he fainted and fell from his camel. This kept on happening to him until he had completed his Pilgrimage. Ahmad ibn Abil Hawari said: I was with Abu Salayman al-Darani when he wished to enter the state of consecration. He did not utter Labbayk until we had traveled a whole mile. He fell in a swoon, saying when he came round: Ahmad! Allah Almighty, inspired to Moses: Tell the wrongdoers among the Children of Israel to remember Me seldom, for I shall remember with a curse those of them who remember Me. Alas, Ahmad, I have hear that to those who make Pilgrimage on ill gotten gains, Allah says: No favor or fortune for you, until you return what you have in hand. And we cannot be sure that this will not be said to us. On raising his voice at the assembly point with the cry of Labbayk, the Pilgrim should recall that he is responding to the summons of Allah Almighty, as He said: And proclaim the Pilgrimage among people (Chapter 22 verse 27) He should also recall that mankind will be summoned by the trumpets blast, gathered up from the tomb and crowded together at the site of the Resurrection, responding to the call of Allah, divided into the favored and the abhorred, the accepted and the rejected, and oscillating initially between fear and hope; like the Pilgrims at the assembly point, when they do not know whether or not they will be enabled to complete the Pilgrimage and have it accepted. Entering Makkah As for entering Makkah; the Pilgrim should remember at this time that he has arrived safely at the Sanctuary of Allah. As he enters he should hope to be safe from the punishment of Allah and should dread not being worthy to approach Him, for in that case his entry into the Sanctuary would leave him frustrated and fit to be abhorred. At all times his hope should be uppermost, for Allah generosity is comprehensive, the Lord is Compassionate, the honor of the House is tremendous, the visitors right is respected, and protection is secure for all who seek refuge. Seeing the Kabah As for setting eyes upon the House; at this moment the Pilgrim should be conscious in his heart of the majesty of the House, venerating it with such intensity that he seems to anticipate beholding the Lord of the House. He should hope that Allah will grant him the vision of His noble countenance, just as He has afforded him the sight of His mighty House. Thank Allah, Great and Glorious is, for bringing you to this high degree, and for including you in the company of those who reach Him. Remember at the same time how at the Resurrection people will stream towards Paradise, all hoping to enter there, and how they will be divided into those who are admitted and those who are turned away, just as the Pilgrims are divided into the accepted and the rejected. In all that you see, take care to recall the things of the Hereafter, for every aspect of the Pilgrimage reflects some aspect of the Hereafter. Circumambulating the House (Tawaf) As for the circumambulation of the House; realize that it is a ritual prayer. While making it, you should fill your heart with reverence, fear, hope and love. Know that in your circuit you resemble the angels near the Divine Presence, who ring the Throne and circle around it. Do not suppose the purpose to be your bodily circumambulation of the House. No, the true purpose is the circling by your heart in remembrance of the Lord of the House, till remembering begins with Him alone and ends with Him alone, just as the circumambulation starts from the House and ends at the House. Know that the noble circumambulation is the circling by the heart in the Divine presence, and that the House is the external symbol in the visible world for the unseen Divine court which lies in the invisible universe. This parallel is suggested by the correspondence between the Populous House (al-bay al-mamur) in Heaven and the Kabah. The heavenly circling of the angels is like the human circumambulation of this House, but since most people are incapable of achieving that level of circumambulation, they have been commanded to imitate as best they can, with the promise that: He who imitates a set of people is one of them. Of those who are capable of that kind of circumambulation, it is said that the Kabah visits them and makes circuit around them; visionaries have seen this happen to certain intimates of Allah Almighty. Standing at Multazam As for clinging to the coverings of the Kabah, and pressing ones breast against its wall (at the part called al-multazam): your intention in the latter should be to draw close in love and yearning to the House and the Lord of the House, seeking grace through the contact and hoping for immunity from the Fire, not in the House but in every part of your body. In clinging to the coverings of the Kabah, your intention should be earnestly to seek forgiveness and to beg for mercy, just as one who has sinned against another will cling to his clothes while imploring his pardon, demonstrating that he has no refuge or recourse except to his munificence and forgiveness and that he will not let go until he is granted pardon and the acceptance of future protection. Running Between Al-Safa and Al-Marwa (Say) As for running between al-Safa and al-Marwa in the courtyard of the House; this resembles the constant to-ing and fro-ing of a servant in a royal palace. The Pilgrim demonstrates devotion to duty and hopes to be viewed with compassion, just like one who enters the presence of a king and leaves without knowing whether the sovereign has decided to accept or reject him. He keeps going back across the courtyard time after time, hoping to receive mercy the second time if not the first. While gong back and forth between al-Safa and al-Marwa, the Pilgrim should recall how he will oscillate between the two scales of the Balance at the site of the Resurrection. He should let al-Safa represent the scale of good deeds and al-Marwa the scale of bad deeds. Let him recall how he shall go from one of these to the other, seeing which is heavier or lighter, fluctuating between punishment and forgiveness. Standing at Arafat As for standing at Arafat; recall when you behold thronging crowds, hear the loud voices speaking in many tongues, and see the various groups following their Imams through the ritual observances, matching their actions to theirs, recall the site of the Resurrection; the gathering of the communities with their Prophets and leaders, each community following its Prophet, aspiring after his intercession, all wavering with equal uncertainty between rejection and acceptance. After that recollection, set your heart on supplication and entreaty to Allah, that you may be resurrected in the company of the mercifully successful; make certain your hope of being answered, for the place is noble and mercy reaches all creatures from the majesty of the Divine presence through the venerable hearts of the mainstays of the earth. The standing place is never devoid of a generation of the saintly and holy, nor a generation of the righteous and magnanimous. When their aspirations are joined, their hearts devoted exclusively to humble supplication and entreaty, their hands raised to Allah, their necks outstretched and their eyes turned heavenward, as they aspire of one accord in quest of mercy, do not suppose that He will disappoint their hopes, frustrate their endeavor or begrudge them an overwhelming mercy. That is why it is said that it is a most grievous sin to be present at Arafat and to imagine that Allah does not forgive one. It would seem that the conjugation of aspirations, and the strength derived from contiguity with the saintly and holy people assembled from all quarters of the earth, constitute the secret of the Pilgrimage and its ultimate purpose, for there is no way to obtain the mercy of Allah Almighty in such abundance as by the conjugation of aspiration and the simultaneous mutual support of all hearts. Casting Pebbles (Ramy) As for the casting of pebbles (at pillars representing the Devil); your purpose in this should be obedience to the Divine command, to demonstrate submissiveness and servitude and readiness to comply without any obvious rational or psychological justification. It should also be ones intention to imitate Ibrahim, on him be peace, since it was in this place that Iblis, on him be the curse of Allah Almighty, appeared to him to insinuate doubt about his Pilgrimage or tempt him to disobey, whereupon Allah Almighty commanded him to throw stones at him to repel him and thwart his design. If it should occur to you to think: Satan appeared to him and he actually saw him that was why he stoned him but the Devil is not showing himself to me, you must realize that this very notion comes from the Devil; it is he who has lodged it in your heart, to weaken your determination in casting stones, to make you imagine that it is a useless action, like some kind of game, so why should you bother with it? Therefore you must drive him from your soul by being earnest and brisk in stone him, putting the Devils nose out of joint. You should be aware that, while outwardly casting pebbles at the pillar, you are really throwing them in the face of Satan and dealing him a mortal blow, for the only way to spite him is through your compliance with the command of Allah Almighty in simple deference to His order without psychological or intellectual justification. Sacrificing Animals As for the slaughter of the sacrificial offering; be aware that this is a means of drawing close to Allah Almighty by virtue of obedience, so make the sacrifice perfect and hope that for every part of it Allah will deliver part of you from the Fire. A promise to this effect has come down to us. The bigger the sacrificial animal and the more ample its parts, therefore, the more comprehensive your redemption from the Fire. Visiting Madinah As for the visit to Madinah; when your eyes alight on the city walls, remember that this is the town which Allah Almighty selected for His Prophet, that he made it the goal of his migration, that this was his home where he promulgated the binding decrees of his Lord Almighty, established his own exemplary precedents, strove against his foes and proclaimed his religion until Allah Almighty took him to Himself. It then came to house his tomb, and the tombs of two of his aides who upheld the truth after him, may Allah be pleased with them. Envisage, next, the footprints of Allahs Messenger, on him be peace, as he went about the city. Aware that his precious feet have trodden in every place where feet may tread, you must walk with dignity and caution. Recall how he used to walk about its streets, picturing to yourself f his humility and his graceful gait. Think of the tremendous wisdom Allah Almighty entrusted to his heart, how He has exalted his memory along with His own, even linking remembrance of him to remembrance of Himself, and how He frustrated the work of those who showed him disrespect, if only by raising their voices about his. Reflect then on the great favor Allah bestowed on those who enjoyed his fellowship, and who were so fortunate as to see him in the flesh and to hear him speak. You should feel a great regret at having missed his companionship, and that of his Companions. Go on to recall how you have missed seeing him in the Hereafter. Perhaps you will see him, but only in remorse, prevented from being accepted by him because of your evil conduct, for as he said: Allah will raise certain people to me and they will say: O Mohammad! I shall say: Lord these are my Companions. But He will say: You do not know what practices they introduced after you had left them. Then I shall say: Let them be far removed from me. If you have ceased to respect his Sacred Law, be it only for one instance, you have no guarantee that you will not be debarred from him because of your deviation from his way. Great should be your hope, nonetheless, that Allah Almighty will not keep you from him after He has granted you faith and sent you forth from your homeland in order to visit him, not for purposes of trade or worldly gain, but purely from love of him and longing to behold his relics and the wall of his tomb. Since you embarked on this journey for that reason alone, having missed the opportunity of seeing him in the flesh, you surely deserve the compassionate regard of Allah Almighty. On reaching the Mosque, you should recall that this is the site selected by Allah Almighty, for His Prophet and for the first and most virtuous of the Muslims. Remember that the laws decreed by Allah Almighty were first observed at this spot, and that the best of Allahs creatures, living or dead, have gathered here. Be most hopeful, therefore, that Allah Almighty, will mercifully bless your entrance, and make that entrance in all humility and veneration. How worthy is this place to inspire humility in the heart of every believer! As Abu Sulayman is reported to have said: Uways al-Qarani went on Pilgrimage and entered Madinah. When he stood at the gate of the Mosque he was told: This is the tomb of the Prophet. He fell in a faint, and when he revived he said: Send me away, for I cannot enjoy myself in a town where Mohammad lies buried! Visiting Allahs Messenger As for visiting Allahs Messenger you must stand before him in the manner we have described, visiting him in death as you would have visited him in life. Do not approach his tomb except as you would have approached his noble person if he had been alive. Just as you would have considered it respectful to refrain from touching or kissing his person, rather standing back and bowing before him, you should now act accordingly. Touching and kissing tombs is a custom of Christians and Jews. Realize that he is aware of your presence, of your standing there and of your visit; that he is receiving your greeting and benediction. Imagine his noble form as it lies in the tomb in front of you. Feel in your heart his tremendous dignity. For he is reported as saying that Allah Almighty has appointed to his tomb an angle who conveys to him the salutations of those members of his community who salute him. This refers to those who are not actually present, so how about hose who leave home and cross desert wastes from longing to meet him, content merely to behold his noble shrine since they have no possibility of witnessing his noble countenance? He said: When someone blesses me once, Allah blesses him ten times. This refers to the reward for oral benediction, so how about the reward for coming in person to visit him? Next, you should go to the pulpit of Allahs Messenger imagining you can see the Prophet ascending it. Picture to yourself his radiant appearance, as if he were there on the pulpit, surrounded by the Emigrants and Helpers as he urges them in his sermon to be obedient to Allah. Ask Allah Almighty not to part you from him at the Resurrection. Conclusions Such are the duties of the heart at all stages of the Pilgrimage. When all have been completed, your heart should be beset with sadness, anxiety and fear, for you do not know whether you have had your Pilgrimage accepted and been firmly placed in the company of the loved one, or had your Pilgrimage rejected and been included among the outcasts. The Pilgrim should discover this from his heart and its conduct. If he finds his heart extremely adverse to this world of delusion and inclined to that of intimacy with Allah Almighty, and if he finds its conduct to have been weighed with the balance of the Sacred Law, then he may count on acceptance, for Allah accepts only those He loves. To those He loves He extends His care and the marks of His affection, guarding them from the onslaught of His enemy Iblis, on him be the curse of Allah. If these things are apparent, they point to acceptance. Otherwise it would seem likely that the Pilgrim has nothing to show for his journey but trouble and toil. From that we seek refuge with Allah Almighty. The Eighth Book The Rules of Reading the Koran Chapter One The excellence of the Koran and the people Of it, the blameworthiness of those who do not Recite it The Virtue of the Koran The Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) said: The people of the Koran are the people of Allah and His chosen ones. The Prophet also said: The heart becomes rusted, as the iron rusts. It was asked O Messenger of Allah, what polishes it? So he said: Reciting the Koran and the remembrance of death. The Prophet also said: Allah High Exalted listens in admiration to the one who recites the Koran. Ibn Masud said: If you seek knowledge then read the Koran, because it contains the knowledge of the first and the last. Al Fadil ibn Ayad said: The one whose memorizes the Koran by heart is in need of no one, he does not need the rightly guided Caliphs nor those who came after them, but the people should turn to him in their need. Al Hasan said: By Allah, without the Koran you will not be sufficed, but if you have it you will suffer no poverty. The Koran is the concrete tangible Word of Allah. The Koran identifies itself to us and tells us that Allah is its Author, as Allah tells us in Chapter 55 verses 1 and 2: Allah the Merciful has taught the Koran. No being can aspire to express Allahs Message as He has done, therefore no translation of the meaning of the Koran can ever achieve the perfection and degree of expression of the Arabic in which it was revealed. That is a task beyond human capability, therefore translations of the meaning of the Koran into any language should not be thought of as the Koran. The Koran exists exactly as it was revealed in its original Arabic language 1417 years ago, and it will remain exactly the same for all time as Allahs final Message to all mankind. Allah says in the Koran in Chapter 15 verse 9: We are the One Who has revealed the Koran, and We will most surely preserve it. There are no versions of the Koran, a translation is merely an attempt to convey the meaning of the Koran, it is a choice of words, different translators may use different words in order to convey the same meaning, but this does not mean that these translations are versions, only the Arabic text is the Koran. Allah tells us in Chapter 20 verse 113: Thus We have revealed it an Arabic Koran. Chapter Two The External Manners of the One Who Recites the Koran These are ten: The condition of the one who recites: He should be in a pure state, standing in a respectful and serene way, he may stand or sit, turning towards the Qibla with his head slightly inclined. He should not sit cross legged, nor reclining, nor in a haughty manner. The portion which should be read: The reciters have different habits in the amount they recite, some recite more than others, among them are those who complete the Koran in one day and night, and others who recite twice a day, some recite three times a day, and some take one month to complete the Koran. The method of dividing the Koran into parts: The one who completes the Koran once a week divides it into seven parts, as the Companions of the Prophet sectioned the Koran into parts. It was related that Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) used to start the Koran on the night of al jumman (Friday) by reciting Chapter The Heifer and recite until Chapter Al Maidah, and on Saturday night with Chapter The Cattle until Chapter Hood. On the night of Sunday from Yusuf till Marium and on Monday night from Ta Ha until The Narratives. On Tuesday night he would recite from Chapter The Spider until Saad and on Wednesday night from The Companies to The Merciful, and on Thursday he would complete the rest of the Koran. In writing the Koran it is preferable to inscribe the Koran in a beautiful and clear script. Inserting the diacritics is important as they are not only decorative but they function to clarify the meaning of the words and prevent their incorrect pronunciation. The recital: It is preferable for the Koran to be recited rather than simply read, as what is gained from reciting it is a deeper reflection upon the content. For this reason Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) described the Prophets recital of the Koran saying: It was a recital in which every letter was crystal clear. Weeping: Weeping is preferable with the recital of the Koran. The Prophet said: Recite the Koran and weep. If you do not weep then try to. The due right of each verse should be observed: so if you recite a verse in which a sajdah (prostration) is mentioned then you should prostrate. Also if you hear a verse mentioning sajdah during a recital made by someone else, then you should prostrate, however, you should not prostrate unless you are in a pure state. Before the recital: One should say I seek refuge in Allah, the All Hearing, the All Knowing, from the accursed Satan, My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the prompting of the satans And I seek refuge in You my Lord from their presence. One should then read: I seek refuge in the Lord of Mankind and the Chapter of The Opening, and on completing his recitation he should say: Allah Most Exalted has spoken the truth and His Messenger has conveyed that truth, Lord let us benefit from it and bless us in it, praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds and I beg the forgiveness of Allah, the Ever Living, the Everlasting. Regarding the reciting aloud: There is no doubt one must recite the Koran aloud to the extent that one should here oneself while reciting it. Reading is in fact the division of the letters into sounds. Improving the reading and reciting it in undulating tones without drawing out the words excessively: This is the way of the Sunnah. The Prophet said: Enhance the Koran with your voice, and he also said: Allah does not permit anything as much as He permits the enhancement of the Koran with a beautiful voice. Chapter Three Inner States during Recital of the Koran These are ten: To comprehend the greatness and nobility of the Koran and the blessings and compassion of Allah to His creatures in sending down the Koran from His Throne of Majesty to the extent of enabling His creatures to comprehend it. When the reciter begins his recital he must hold in his heart a feeling of awe towards whose word it is and be aware that it is not the word of any human, that he is reciting the very word of Allah, that it is the most honorable of recitations. Allah Almighty said: Which none but the purified touch. (Chapter 56 verse 79) The reciter should be fully attentive and dedicated to what he is reciting, Allah Almighty has said O John take the Book with a firm resolve (Chapter 19 verse 12). This means that the Koran should be taken seriously with complete intent. Taking it seriously means that you should not allow your thoughts to wander while reciting the Koran. The reciter should reflect upon its meaning as he recites, and he should not think of other things while reading it. His hearing should be receptive only to the sound of his own voice reading the Koran. For this reason it was Sunnah that the Koran should be recited because its recital out loud permits the reflection in the inner self. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There is no goodness in worship which is lacking in fiqh, nor in reciting without reflection. Interpretation: The reciter should make clear every verse as it is intended, as the Koran contains mention of Allah Almighty and His Most Beautiful Names, His Commands and mention of the prophets and their circumstances as well as the circumstances of the unbelievers and how they were destroyed, together with mention of Heaven and Hell. Avoidance. The reciter must avoid removing himself from the remembrance of Allah, when a man removes himself far from the remembrance of Allah Almighty he loses his sight and his hearts ability to perceive the truth and becomes closer to the falsehood which is an obstacle to understanding like a veil. The Prophet said: If it were not for the Devil hovering around the hearts of the sons of Adam, they would have been able to see the Dominion of Allah Almighty. The meaning of the Koran is from the Dominion of Allah Almighty and whatever the human sense cannot encompass or see except by the light of faith, is from the Dominion of Allah High Exalted. The veils which prevent understanding are four: First: If the intention is only to produce an attractive sound without comprehending the meaning. Second: If the reciter imitates a way of recital he has heard and is bent on using it, and he becomes extreme in its use without questioning it. Third: If he insists in committing sin out of arrogance, and runs by his lusts in order to gain the praise of the people. The cause for this is the darkness of the heart and its rust, it is like the grime on the mirror which prevents true reflection. Fourth: If he has read a superficial interpretation of the Koran and he believes that there is no interpretation for the words of the Koran except what has been narrated by ibn Abbas or Mujahad and others, and any interpretation other than that is subject to his own opinion. You should know that whoever interprets Koran according to his own opinion has confirmed for himself a place in Hell Fire. This is also from the dangerous veils which occlude the heart. Definition: The reciter should define himself to be what the Koran speaks of, so if he hears a bidding or a forbidding, he should deem that this is intended for himself. If he hears a promise or a threat he should deem likewise, and when he hears the stories of the people of yore and the prophets he should take these as examples for his own behavior. Influence: The heart of the reciter should be influence according to the various verses through his understanding of them. His heart should be moved to feel sorrow, fear and hope etc., as he reads. Elation: The reciter should be elated when he hears the words of Allah Almighty. The levels of reciting are three: The least of them is that the worshiper thinks that he is reciting before Allah Almighty and standing before him, as if Allah is looking and listening to him. He should be in the state of invoking Allah humbly. The second: is that he certifies by his heart that Allah Almighty hears him and talks to him out of his mercy, so his standing is of shyness and gratitude, listening and understanding. The third: is that he sees in the words of Allah His speech, and in the words, the commands of Allah, so he does not look at himself, nor to what he reads, nor at what he might gain from it. He should make his thinking wholly to Allah, this is the level of those who are closest to Allah. Renouncing. The reciter should renounce his influence or power and disregard himself. If he recites the verses of the promises and praising the righteous he should regard himself as such, but he should regard those as the ones certain in their faith and should be longing to be joined with them. If he recites the verses about the blameworthy and the hated rebellious sinners he should see himself as one of them, and should feel fear and hope. Chapter Four The Virtues of the Koran and its Interpretation by Opinion, not by Transmission You may say we have exaggerated the matter in the previous chapter regarding the understanding of the mysteries of the Koran and that which the rightly guided people have discovered of its meanings, then how would this be preferable while the Prophet has said: Whoever interprets the Koran according to his own opinion has confirmed for himself a place in Hell Fire. The knowledgeable people have used the superficiality of some interpretations to slander the mystics who have misinterpreted the words of the Koran contrary to what was related according to ibn Abbas and all interpreters. They have concluded that this is atheism. But if what the interpreters said was correct, so this would mean that to understand the Koran would be to merely memorise its interpretation. And if this was not correct what would be the meaning of the saying of the Prophet Whoever interprets the Koran according to his own opinion has confirmed for himself a place in Hell Fire. Know that whoever asserts that there is no meaning for the Koran except what has been translated from the superficiality of its interpretation, that person is only speaking for himself, and he is correct in what he claims for himself. But he is wrong in judging all people according to his limited understanding. The tradition of the Prophet and the sayings of his Companions indicate that there is in the meaning of the Koran a place for those who possess understanding. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Except that Allah grants a servant understanding of the Koran. If it was not anything other than the transmitted interpretations so what would that understanding be? As to the saying of the Prophet whoever interprets the Koran according to his own opinion is in Hell Fire, and he forbids the people from doing that. Also Abu Bakr has said: Which land would bear me and which sky would shade me if I interpret the Koran according to my own opinion? Other saying which are transmitted in the traditions and sayings of the Companions, regarding the prohibition of interpreting the Koran according to ones opinion, show that one should confine oneself to what is narrated, and what is heard alone, leaving presumption and personal theory; or such commandments could mean something else. If what is meant is that no one should interpret the Koran except as he hears it, this would not be correct, for the following reasons: It should be heard from the Prophet and correctly sourced to him. This would not cover all of the Koran. But as to what ibn Abbas and ibn Masud have said, it should not be accepted, and should be classified as interpretation according to opinion, because they have not heard it from the Prophet, and so from other Companions. The Companions and interpreters have differed in interpreting some verses, they have forwarded different interpretations, and to have heard all of it from the Prophet would have been impossible. If one was heard then what about the others? This shows evidently that each interpreter has interpreted the meaning according to what he has grasped from his own presumption. The Prophet prayed to Allah for ibn Abbas, saying: My Lord! Please make him a scholar in religion and teach him interpretation. If interpretation was only heard as in revelations, and preserved in the same manner, then what would be the point of the Prophets prayer for ibn Abbas in particular. Allah Almighty has said: those capable of assessing the matter would have dealt with it (Chapter 4 verse 83) this proves that the knowledgeable people are capable of understanding. It is known that presumption is beyond what is heard, so the assumption that interpretation depends on what is heard is void, it is possible for everyone to discover of the Koran according to his understanding and to the limit of his reason. The prohibition is confined in two ways; first, that a man has an opinion about the matter, and that he is inclined to his lusts, so he interprets the Koran according to his opinion and his lusts and bends the meaning to suit his own purposes. He uses this at times to argue with regard to knowledge, such as the one who uses verses of the Koran to argue that his invention is right, while he knows that the meaning of the verses he cites do not relate to what he claims, but he wants to confuse his adversary. At other times he argues out of ignorance, but if the verse is allegorical his understanding would incline towards the meaning which suits his purpose and favor the side which suits his opinion and lusts, thus he would interpret according to his opinion. This means that it is his opinion which led him to that interpretation, and had it not been for his opinion he would not have favored that side. At another time he might have a correct purpose and seek for it evidence from the Koran, and he recognizes in it what he wants, such as the one who seeks forgiveness at the time of suhur (the predawn meal taken in Ramadan) so he uses the sayings of the Prophet: Eat your suhur, surely in suhur is baraka (blessing). The he asserts that the eating of the meal before dawn means zikr (praising Allah) while he knows that what is meant is eating. Also like the one who has been calling to resist hard-heartedness, so he says: Allah Almighty has said: Go to Pharaoh, truly he is a tyrant- (Chapter 79 verse 18) and he points to his heart and says that the word Pharaoh means his heart. The second way is that he rushes to the interpretation of the Koran according to the superficial meaning of the language without relating what is heard and transmitted with regard to interpretation of the Koran and some of its words. So whoever confines the superficiality of interpretation to discover meaning just because he has understood the Arabic language, will make many mistakes, and become one of those who interpret according to his opinion. Transmitting and hearing are necessities for interpretation to avoid mistakes then after that his understanding and discovery will be widened. There are many arts to hearing, such as summarizing by curtailing, as Allah Almighty said: And We gave to Thamood the she-camel as a clear Sign, but they did wrong against her (Chapter 17 verse 59) The meaning of this is a clear sign which they wronged themselves against by killing it. The one who looks only at what appears superficially of the language thinks that it is meant that the she camel was able to see and not blind, and he would not realize what they have wronged themselves with. Allah Almighty has said: until the sun set behind the veil (Chapter 38 verse 32) The advance and the delay, Allah Almighty said: And had it not been for a decree that preceded from you Lord, and an appointed term, it would have been passed upon them. (Chapter 20 verse 129) A word that had diverse meaning. Such as thing, companion, nation, spirit. Allah Almighty said: Allah gives a parable, a servant possessed by his master, who has no power over anything (Chapter 16 verse 75), what it meant from it is the bounty Allah has given him. As for the word companion: Allah Almighty said: And his companion shall say: This witness with me is prepared; Cast into Hell every ungrateful stubborn one- (Chapter 50 verse 23-24) this means the angel which is entrusted to guard over him. Allah Almighty also said: His companion shall say: Our Lord, I did not make him insolent, but he was himself in far error. (Chapter 50 verse 27) This means the Satan. The word nation: the word nation has eight meanings, the nation: the group, as Allah Almighty said: he found thereon a group of men watering their flocks (Chapter 28 verse 23) the followers of the Prophets, as you say: From the nation of Mohammad, and as righteous man is to be followed as an ideal, as Allah Almighty said: Surely Ibrahim was a nation devoted to Allah. The nation: the creed, as Allah Almighty said: We found our fathers following a way (Chapter 43 verse 23). Nation: a period of time, as Allah Almighty said: until a stated time (Chapter 11 verse 8) Allah Almighty also said: who remembered after a long time (Chapter 12 verse 45). The spirit, also has been mentioned in the Koran with various meanings. However anyone who thinks it is sufficient to understand the superficial meaning of the Arabic language to be able to interpret the Koran and he does not recognize the hearing and transmitting in these matters, is definitely among those who interpret Koran according to their own opinion. The Ninth Book On Invocations and Supplications Chapter One On the Merit of invocations and their benefit The merits of invocation are shown in the Koran, as Allah Almighty said: Therefore remember Me, so that I may remember you(Chapter 2 verse 152) Thabit al-Bonani said: I know when my Lord, Glory be to Him, remembers me. The people were astounded and asked him: How would you know that? He replied: When I remember Allah, He remembers me. Allah Almighty said: O you who believer remember Allah often. (Chapter 33 verse 41, also Glory be to Him said: when you hasten on from Arafat, then remember Allah at the sacred station (Muzdalifa east of Makkah) and remember Allah as He has guided you, surely before His guidance you were astray. (Chapter 2 verse 198) Allah, Glory be to Him has said: So when you have fulfilled your ceremonies of Pilgrimage, let your remembrance of Allah be far greater than your remembrance of your fathers (Chapter 2 verse 200) The Prophet said: Allah Almighty said: I am with My servant whenever he remembers Me, and when he utters remembrance of Me. Also the Prophet said: The deed which most saves the son of Adam from the punishment of Allah, is his remembrance of Allah Almighty. They said: O Messenger of Allah is it greater than to do Jihad for Allahs cause? He replied: It is indeed more than Jihad in Allahs cause, except that you strike with your sword until it breaks, then you strike it again, then strike with it until it breaks. Al Fadil said: We have been told that Allah said: My servant, praise Me one hour in the morning and one hour after the afternoon prayers, so I will suffice you between it. Moaz ibn Jabal said: The dwellers of Paradise will not regret anything except an hour in their life which they forgot to praise Allah Almighty. Chapter Two The merit of invoking blessing upon Allahs Messenger, peace and prayers upon him; his Special virtue, peace and prayers upon him Allah Almighty said: Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet, O you who believe you should also ask and send blessings and peace upon him. (Chapter 33 verse 56) According to Tradition: The Prophet came one day, his face aglow with good tidings, and said: Gabriel came to me and said: It will surely please you to know Mohammad, that no member of your Community ever invokes a single blessing on you without my invoking upon him ten, and that no member of your Community ever salutes you with peace without my saluting him ten times. The Prophet also said: When anyone blesses me, the angels invoke the same blessings on him; so let him give and receive accordingly, whether little or much. And he said: The person most worthy of me is he who blesses me most often. The Messenger said: It is the height of meanness in a believer for him to hear me mentioned and not to bless me. He said: Multiply benediction upon me on the day of Congregational Prayer (Friday). The Prophet said: Ten good deeds are recorded in favor of any member of my Community who blesses me, and ten bad deeds are erased from his record. And he said: If anyone says, when he hears the call to prayer and the signal to begin prayer: O Allah, Lord of this Perfect Call and steadfast prayer, bless Mohammad, Your servant and Messenger; grant him mediation, merit, exalted rank and intercession on the Day of Resurrection, he is entitled to my intercession. The Messenger of Allah, peace and prayers be upon him, said: If anyone blesses me in writing, the angels will not cease asking forgiveness for him as long as my name is in that book. He said There are angels on earth who travel around to bring me salutation from my Community. And he said: No one salutes me without Allah restoring my spirit to me so that I may return his salutation. When they asked him: O Messenger of Allah, how should we invoke blessings upon you? He replied: Say: O Allah bless Mohammad, Your servant, and his family and his wives and his offspring, as you have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Bestow Your grace upon Mohammad, his wives and his offspring, as You have bestowed Your grace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious. It is related that, after the death of the Messenger of Allah, Umar ibn al-Khattab was heard weeping and saying: You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! There was once a palm tree stump on which you used to stand when you addressed the people. But when the people grew in number, you adopted a pulpit to let them all hear you. The tree stump then mourned your separation, until you laid your hand upon it and it was reassured. Still greater right has your Community to pine for you now you have parted from them. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! So great is your merit in His sight that He has equated obedience to you with obedience to Himself, for He said: Whoever obeys the Messenger, then eh has obeyed Allah. (Chapter 4 verse 80) You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! So great is your merit in His sight that He told you you were pardoned before He told you the offence, for He said: Allah pardons you! When you granted them leave(of absence from military duty)? (Chapter 9 verse 43) You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! So great is your merit in His sight that He sent you as the last of the Prophets, yet mentioned you among the first of them, for He said: And We took from the Prophets their covenants, and from you, and from Noah, and from Ibrahim (Chapter 33 verse 7). You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! So great is your merit in His sight that the people of Hell dearly with they had obeyed you; as they suffer torment among its layers they say: Would that we had obeyed Allah and the Messenger. (Chapter 33 verse 66) You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! While Allah gave Moses, son of Imran, a rock from which streams gushed forth, this is not more miraculous than when water welled from your fingers, Allah bless you. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! It is true that Allah gave Solomon, son of David, the wind, its going was a months journey, and its return was a months journey. (Chapter 34 verse 12) Yet this was not so miraculous as Buraq, on which you ascended to the seventh heaven, then ended your night by performing the morning Prayer in the valley bed Allah bless you. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! Allah did indeed grant Jesus, the son of Mary the power to bring the dead to life. Yet this is no greater miracle than when the poisoned sheep spoke to you, even though it was roasted; for its leg said to you: Do not eat me! I am poisoned. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! Noah once cursed his people saying: My Lord, leave not even one of the unbelievers upon the earth- (Chapter 71 verse 26) Had you cursed us like that, we should have perished. Yet, though your back was trampled, your face bloodied and your teeth broken, you refused to say anything but good; your words were: O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! Though your years were few and your life-span short, you were followed by many more than followed Noah, for all his great age and longevity. Many believed in you, but only a few believed along with him. You are more to me than my father and mother, O Messenger of Allah! If you had sat with none but your peer, you would not have sat with us; if you had married only your equal, you would not have trusted us. And yet, by Allah, you did sit with us, marry among us and trust us. You dressed in wool; you rode the donkey and I rode behind you; you set your food on the ground, you licked your fingers in all humility Allah bless you and give you peace. Someone said: I used to write down Tradition, invoking blessings upon the Prophet, but not saluting him with peace. Then I saw the Prophet in a dream in which he said to me: Do you not complete the benediction for me in your writing? Since then I have never written without invoking upon him both blessing and peace. Abul Hasan is reported as saying: I saw the Prophet in a dream, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, with what was al-Shafi rewarded on your behalf, for saying in his book, al-Risala; And Allah bless Mohammad as the mindful remember and the heedless forgot to mention? He said, Allah bless him and give him peace; He was rewarded on my behalf with not having to face the Reckoning.

Search this page Jump page links Al-Ghazalis IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, TH... Chapter Two The Third Book The procedure of Ritual ... Merit of Correct Perform... Understanding Chapter Three The first is to watch th... Standing at Multazam Chapter Two Home 1. WHAT IS THE ISLAMIC PATH My Path What is Islam What every one should know about Islam Your 1st 24 hours in Islam Islamic glossary and the Sage Que EsIslam 2. CHRISTIAN DIALOG The Rare Statements of Jesus Al Mahdi, Jesus & AntiChrist The articles of the bishop of Uramiah The great debate or revealing the truth The Crucifixion 3. THE HOLY KORAN Koran with subtitled subjects The Koran Koran in a Nutshell Largest chapter in Koran explained 4. BIOGRAPHY OF THE PROPHET The millennium biography of Prophet Muhammad Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Daily praising of the Prophet Description of prophet By Imam Tirmithi 5. PROPHETIC QUOTATIONS (HADITH) IN ENGLISH 1000 OUT OF THE 8266 AHADITH English Imam Nawawi 177 subjects containing 1950 quotations of Prophet Muhammad What is hadith terminology 6 GHAZALI'S WORKS Deception Munqiz Min Dalal English Ghazali letters to statemen Short biography about Al Ghazalli and his revival Abridgement of revival of the Islamic religion by Ghazali Al Ghazali's Ihya-Entirety Spiritual roadmap by Ghazali The deception affecting all people 7. GHAZALI'S IHYA IN ENGLISH & ARABIC New translation revitalization by Ghazali in English Vol 1 8. JURISPRUDENCE FIQH IMAM AZAM ABU HANDIFA Jurisprudence 9. FAITH OF ISLAM - THEOLOGY Articles of the Islamic faith 10. FAMILY: Sex and reproduction 11. CHILDREN STORIES We want a Christmas tree POEMS1 POEMS2 POEMS3 POEMS4 POEMS5 New poems for children New childrens stories Islamic childrens poems Islamic stories for children 12. OTHER STORIES Abu Sufyan and Heraclius Al Khadir Death of the Prophet For the Sake of Allah Kab story Lady Fatima Moses spiritual journey the story of Al Khadir Our beloved prophet childhood Poems the age of innocence Story of prophet Noah The angel of The Cloud The angel of The Mountains The battle of Badr The battle of Khybar The battle of the Trench The boy that talked when he was a baby The charitable man The founding of Becca The garden of Abu Talha The generosity of the Prophet The magician's apprentice The man who killed 99 people The miraculous piece of bread The pillar that cried The poorest person in Paradise The sacrifice of Abraham The spoils of war The supplication of Lady Jurairah The thirsty dog The three loaves of bread The three men in a cave The three men who were tested The three me that sheltered in a cave The wisdom of prophet Solomon Visions of Hell and Paradise Who tried to steal the zakat Who will ask Allah for us English Sahih

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