Monday 3 September 2012

When man rejects the guidance of Allah


When man rejects the guidance of Allah and because of this rejection he is left with Accursed Satan as his companion, and the Accursed Satan leads him to further misguidance: "O children of Adam! let not the Shaitan cause you to fall into affliction as he expelled your parents from the garden, pulling off from them both their clothing that he might show them their evil inclinations, he surely sees you, he as well as his host, from whence you cannot see them; surely We have made the Shaitans to be the guardians of those who do not believe." (Holy Qur'an,7:27)

"Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light; and (as to) those who disbelieve, their guardians are Shaitans who take them out of the light into the darkness; they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide." (2:257)

"A part has He guided aright and (as for another) part, error is justly their due, surely they took the Shaitans for guardians beside Allah, and they think that they are followers of the right." (7:30)

When guidance is rejected, the Accursed Satan becomes the guardian who misleads to more misdeeds and deviation. Because the misled ones remain in illusion that they are on the right path, they do not seek true guidance and thus move further on the path of misguidance.

Labels:

Allah has allowed repentance because of unbounded mercy which He has made obligatory on Himself.....



Allah has allowed repentance because of unbounded mercy which He has made obligatory on Himself. "Say: O my servants! who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (39:53)

"The Forgiver of the faults and the Acceptor of repentance, severe to punish, Lord of bounty; there is no God but He; to Him is the eventual coming." (40:3)

But the doors of repentance are closed once death approaches: "And repentance is not for those who go on doing evil deeds, until when death comes to one of them, he says 'Surely now I repent', nor (for) those who die while they are unbelievers. These are they for whom We have prepared a painful chastisement." (4:18)

Muhammad ibn Muslim has narrated from Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) that he said: '"O Muhammad ibn Muslim! Sins of the believer are forgiven to him when he repents from them. Therefore, the believer should perform his deeds afresh after repentance and forgiveness. But, by Allah! It is not but for the people of faith." I said, "But what if he relapses into sins after repentance and forgiveness, and then repents again?" He said, "O Muhammad ibn Muslim! Do you think that a believer servant feels remorse for his sin and asks forgiveness from Allah for it and repents and then Allah will not accept his repentance?" I said, "Then if he does so repeatedly, commits sin and repents and asks forgiveness?" Then he said, "Whenever the believer returns asking for forgiveness and repenting, Allah the High, returns to him with forgiveness; and surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. He accepts repentance and pardons the evils. Therefore, be careful, lest you make the believers lose hope of Allah's mercy."' (Al-Kafi)

We conclude our discussion with reciting a part of a du'a, the Whispered Prayer of the Repenters (Taibeen) from Sahifa Sajjadia:

"My God, offenses have clothed me in the garment of my lowliness, separation from Thee has wrapped me in the clothing of my misery! My dreadful crimes have deadened my heart, so bring it to life by a repentance from Thee! O my hope and my aim! O my wish and my want! By Thy might, I find no one but Thee to forgive my sins and I see none but Thee to mend my brokenness! I have subjected myself to Thee in repeated turning, I have humbled myself to Thee in abasement. If Thou castest me out from Thy door, in whom shall I take shelter? If Thou repellest me from Thy side, in whom shall I seek refuge? O my grief at my ignominy and disgrace! O my sorrow at my evil works and what I have committed!"

Labels:

Among all the people the most detested before Allah are two persons...


 Imam Ali (peace be upon him) describes the condition of the people who are ignorant and have shunned true knowledge and do not seek remedy: "Among all the people the most detested before Allah are two persons. One is he who is devoted to his self. So he is deviated from the true path and loves speaking about (foul) innovations and inviting towards wrong path. He is therefore a nuisance for those who are enamored of him, is himself misled from the guidance of those preceding him, misleads those who follow him in his life or after his death, carries the weight of others' sins and is entangled in his own misdeeds.

"The other man is he who has picked up ignorance. He moves among the ignorant, is senseless in the thick of mischief and is blind to the advantages of peace. Those resembling like men have named him scholar but he is not so. He goes out early morning to collect things whose deficiency is better than plenty, till when he has quenched his thirst from polluted water and acquired meaningless things.

"He is ignorant, wandering astray in ignorance and riding on carriages aimlessly moving in darkness. He did not try to find reality of knowledge. He scatters the traditions as the wind scatters the dry leaves."

Sermon 17 in Nahj al-Balagha,

Labels:

Music is very addictive............Desist from listening to music and songs

Music is very addictive; if one listens to it, the effect is like that of drugs or smoking – you want more and more, and pretty soon it becomes very difficult or seemingly impossible to stop.

Muadda Ibne Ziyad says: I was in the company of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) when a person said, "When I go to the toilet, I can hear the singing girls next door. Sometimes I remain (in the toilet) longer so that I may listen to more of it." Imam said in reply: "Desist from listening to music and songs attentively." The man further said: "Master, I do not go to music gatherings! I only hear the sounds!" Imam replied: "Have you not read this Qur'anic verse? – 'Surely, the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these shall be questioned about.'" (17:36) The man said: "I was not aware of this verse. I regret my actions. I shall not do so in the future. I repent for my past sins, and I seek forgiveness from my Lord."

Seeing his condition, Imam said: "Get up! Go and perform Ghusl and offer Salat and pray for forgiveness. You have certainly been involved in a deadly sin and a terrible situation. You have repented for it, and I thank Allah for that; and I seek forgiveness of Allah for all those things that He dislikes. Certainly, Allah only dislikes the evil things. Leave the evil things to the evil people, because there are different people suitable for different things." (Al-Kafi)

This incident teaches us that no matter where we are, no matter how attractive the voice may be, we should restrain ourselves from listening to music – even if we are faced with it without initially intending to listen to it.

Labels:

Prayers and Practicality


Prayers alone are not sufficient. As many traditions from the Holy Prophet and the chaste Ahlul Bayt show, with Du'as, effort is also required. Imam Ali says about practicality and the Du'a: "He who prays but does not make effort is like the one who shoots (an arrow) without the bow-string." So making efforts as per our capabilities is very much needed with making Du'as. We should utilize all the faculties and capabilities given by Him, and at the same time, have full reliance in His power and ask Him to bestow success in the efforts being made, as the effects of our efforts are dependent on His will. When we are sick, we must visit the doctor and take medicine, but on every step, we should first pray for His guidance and good results, as the medicine or advice of doctor is subject to His will before showing any good results

Labels:

The Human Nature and Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness


A common human being is prone to committing sins, and when we do so, we make Our Merciful Lord turn from us. In this way a distance is formed between us and our Lord. Sins take us away from Him, from the Lord Who has made mercy incumbent upon Himself, to the path of destruction and waywardness. If He did not respond to our pleas for forgiveness and mercy on us, we would further on the path of destruction.

The most Merciful Forgiving Lord assures His servants in His Book: "Say, 'O my servants who have acted extravagantly against their own souls: Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'" (39:53)

Therefore, we observe that Du'a has the power to make us get closer to our Lord again after being disgraced by sins. We supplicate and show repentance and He accepts us back in His fold of mercy. If we are so heedless that we even do not pray for His forgiveness, then surely we are destined to perish.

Labels:

Du'a and Inspiration, Hope and Direction


Du'a has a magical influence on the soul which is dying under the burden of its sins. It makes it alive again, fills it with hope, and inspires it to excel in the midst of difficulties. It provides clear direction and saves from the waywardness and darkness of ignorance about our affairs. This is all because He who answers our Du'as has promised to respond to us: "And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way." (2:186)

In one of his Du'as, Imam Zainul Abideen (peace be upon him says: "My dreadful crimes have deadened my heart, so bring it to life by a repentance from You!"

Du'as have a deep influence on our mental life too. They provide us with calmness and tranquility when we discuss our issues in the solitude of night or in whispered prayers to Our Merciful Lord. They make us full of hope for His help and mercy and give us strength to face the hardships of life.

Imam Sajjad also says, "I ask You by Your generosity to show kindness towards me through Your gifts, with that which will gladden my eye, through hope in You, with that which will give serenity to my soul, and through certainty with that which will make easy for me the afflictions of this world and lift from insight the veils of blindness!" Therefore, we observe that for a believer, having hope in Allah's help is very much part and parcel of his faith. The lack of hope in Him leads to Kufr or disbelief.

The Merciful Lord says: " And (as to) those who disbelieve in the communications of Allah and His meeting, they have despaired of My mercy, and these it is that shall have a painful punishment" (29:23)

In fact, disbelief and hopelessness are very much interrelated. Du'as reinforce our hope in Him and give sustenance to our faith. Du'as connect us with the most Mighty and make us have reliance on His might which never succumbs. Duas open the closed gates of treasures buried in our hearts, and make us feel Ghani. Du'as provide us that essential light of faith which makes the path of life illumined and matters clear to see. Du'as bestow upon us the ability to endure hardships and have patience and reliance on His might.

Labels:

WORLD HIJAB DAY 4TH SEPTEMBER - PLEASE HONOR BIBI ZAINAB (S.A.)

Labels:

The Lamp of Guidance is burning in his heart


Imam Ali says: "O' creatures of Allah! the most beloved of Allah is he whom Allah has given power (to act) against his passions, so that his inner side is (submerged in) grief and the outer side is covered with fear. The lamp of guidance is burning in his heart." This requires a revolution of thoughts, a revolution of conscious, and a revolution of purity.
Sermon 86, 

Labels: